I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Having said that, he fearlessly raised Izumi no Kami Kanesada in his hand and got into position.

If he were at his peak and the enemy was only equipped with melee weapons, he would naturally not be afraid of a mere twenty or thirty men.

However... at this moment, after a series of fierce battles, his strength was completely depleted, his lungs were throbbing with pain, and the muscles in his limbs were groaning.

To face an enemy force armed with a mix of cold and hot weapons in this condition... it's not hard to imagine how difficult that battle would be.

Hijikata Toshizo was too preoccupied with such thoughts to think about anything else.

In the blink of an eye, nearly ten musketeers stepped forward, crouched down, steadied their flintlock muskets, and simultaneously aimed at Hijikata Toshizo.

Upon seeing this, Hijikata Toshizo rolled to the left.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

All the bullets hit the spot where he had just been standing.

Taking advantage of the moment when the musketeers had run out of bullets and had not yet had time to reload, Hijikata Toshizo took the initiative and rushed towards the enemy group.

"Watch out! He's heading your way!"

"Stop him! Stop him!"

"Uh ah ah ah ah ah!"

Hijikata Toshizo launched a fierce and relentless attack, his sword slicing through the air with cold, silvery light, and his enemies fell to the left and right one by one.

He effortlessly felled ten enemy soldiers to the ground.

Whether the eleventh man was skilled in hand-to-hand combat or something else, he threw away his katana, spread his arms like a bear, and pounced forward.

Hijikata Toshizo wouldn't give this guy a chance to get close.

He calmly took half a step back, slightly increasing the distance, and then his knife struck the other man's neck with lightning speed.

The feel of hitting the target is very satisfying.

The other person's head and body were only connected by half of their neck.

Having suffered such severe injuries, this person's remaining life can only be measured in seconds.

Unexpectedly... with his last breath, he lunged forward with undiminished momentum, landing on Hijikata Toshizo, wrapping his arms around his waist, and clinging to him like a koala—only after doing all this did he finally breathe his last.

His desperate hug did indeed have an extraordinary effect.

With a large person hanging from his waist, no one could move freely anymore.

The twelfth, thirteenth, and fourteenth men keenly seized this opportunity and launched a fierce attack on Hijikata Toshizo from different directions.

As it turned out, they had underestimated Hijikata Toshizo.

The dignified "Demon Vice-Commander" is not someone these lowly soldiers can easily handle!

He swung Izuminokami Kanesada like a windmill, deflecting all the incoming katana and bayonets.

In the next instant, he pulled Izuminokami Kanesada back to his side and cut down all three of them.

Immediately afterwards, he delivered a flying knee strike, sending the guy hanging from his waist flying and averting a dangerous situation.

However, just as one shock subsided, another arose.

Click...

Suddenly, he heard the metallic sound characteristic of holding a musket.

Just behind him, a Russian soldier crouched on the ground, expertly setting up his flintlock pistol, the dark muzzle aimed directly at his body.

As luck would have it, at this very moment, a series of "coincidences" befell Hijikata Toshizo.

My physical strength was exhausted, and my reaction speed slowed down.

The current posture is not conducive to dodging.

Just as he was knocking the enemy off his waist, his old strength was exhausted and his new strength had not yet been generated.

It is precisely these many coincidences that have created the current horror!

boom!

puff!

The bullet flew out with a thud, followed by the sound of it entering the body.

The scorching bullet ripped through the air and struck Hijikata Toshizo squarely in the waist and abdomen!

In an instant, Hijikata Toshizo felt an excruciating pain emanating from the wound and spreading throughout his entire body.

The pain was excruciating, yet he couldn't cry out; all his strength seemed to drain away through the wound.

After swaying a few times, he fell to the ground on his back, the vast sky filling his field of vision.

Looking at the azure sky and the dazzling red sun, for some reason, he suddenly recalled the strange dream he had a while ago: he was stuck in the same place, and his companions all left him. He tried his best to chase after them, but he could never catch up.

Then, he thought of many people.

Familiar faces flashed before his eyes.

He thought of his kind and reliable older brother, Kondo Isami.

I thought of my cute and lively younger sister, Okita Souji.

He thought of his brother-in-law, Sato Hikogoro, who had always taken good care of him.

He thought of Kondo Shusuke, who treated him like a son.

Finally... he thought of Qingdeng.

Compared to others, his relationship with Qing Deng was the most complicated.

To him, Qingdeng was not only his closest friend and his confidant, but also his brother-in-law with whom he got along well, and his comrade-in-arms with whom he shared a deep bond.

Recalling these faces, Hijikata Toshizo showed no fear of death; instead, a calm smile appeared on his face.

"Is this my... 'last'...?"

The detailed account of Hijikata Toshizo's inner thoughts makes it seem as if a long time has passed.

In reality, everything happens in the blink of an eye.

Upon seeing Hijikata Toshizo fall, excited shouts erupted from the surrounding enemy ranks.

They rushed towards Hijikata Toshizo, not wanting to fall even a step behind.

In their eyes, Hijikata Toshizo was no longer a formidable opponent, but a piece of fat meat, a lamb to the slaughter, and a great military achievement symbolizing wealth and glory!

Hijikata Toshizo instinctively tried to get up and fight back, but he could no longer control his body and could only watch helplessly as the enemies approached from all directions.

Faced with such a scene and such an ending, he showed no resentment or anger, and slowly closed his eyes expressionlessly.

In the moment before he closed his eyes, a flicker of regret appeared in them...

……

……

The Faki Allied Forces, Main Camp—

Even without a telescope to look closely, one can see that the united front of a thousand people is in retreat.

The current battle can no longer be considered a "battle"; it can only be described as "pursuing and capturing the remaining enemy forces."

Looking across the entire battlefield, only a few scattered places still had thousands of soldiers united in their resistance.

Katsura Kogoro surveyed the battlefield as far as his eyes could see, his expressionless face blank.

"This is such a tough fight..."

Shuten-dōji nodded slightly, neither confirming nor denying.

"We need to hurry."

"Based on the intelligence currently available, Navy President Katsura Rintaro is in full charge of Edo's defense."

“In a shogunate filled with incompetent officials, Katsu Rintaro was a rare talent.”

"Having been delayed for a full five days by the united efforts of a thousand men, during this time, Katsura Rintaro must have been racing against time to strengthen Edo's defenses and replenish the garrison."

"Without a doubt, Edo's current defensive capabilities will far exceed our initial expectations."

"Ha, what a curse! Our good fortune only lasted until we captured Junfu Castle, after which everything went wrong."

Like Shinsaku Takasugi, Kogoro Katsura also disliked the practice of punishing political factions.

In the past, upon hearing Shuten-dōji utter such self-deprecating words, Katsura Kogoro would most likely have echoed them with a few sarcastic remarks.

But now, he remained silent and did not utter a word of sarcasm towards Shuten-dōji.

To reiterate—they, Changzhou and the Fazhu Party, are now in the same boat; their fates are intertwined, one prospers, the other prospers; one suffers, the other suffers!

At this critical juncture, we must remain united! We must stand together through thick and thin!

Shuten-dōji's words were not finished:

"If we want to destroy the Edo Shogunate with our own hands, this is our only chance."

"If we miss this opportunity, we will have to give the chance to 'eliminate the shogunate' to other forces."

When he mentioned the term "other forces," Shuten-dōji for some reason emphasized it.

At this point, he gracefully unfurled his battle armor, turned around, and issued a command with imposing authority:

"Move the army eastward! Capture Edo! Destroy the shogunate!"

*******

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Seven thousand leopards again today! Please vote for this book, considering how hard Leopard has worked! (Tearful Leopard head.jpg)

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PS: In historical fact, Shimada Kai fought alongside Hijikata Toshizo until the very end—that's why I specifically arranged for Shimada Kai to come to Hachioji and guard Hachioji with Hijikata Toshizo.

Chapter 942 The Great Crisis of the Blonde Loli

Somewhere in a dense forest east of Hachioji—