I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

In fact, it is obvious that a swordsman who can become the head of a family in a school that pursues practical combat is not a pushover.

Although he was an elderly man in his seventies, for the first sixty years of his life, his life was uneventful and so peaceful that there was little to describe.

Before the "Black Ships Incident," Japan under the rule of the Shogunate was not exactly a prosperous and peaceful era, but fortunately, no major wars occurred.

Without war, there would be no opportunity for swordsmen to display their skills.

No matter how skilled you are at swordsmanship, you have no use for it. You can only swing your bamboo sword in the sword hall and teach your skills to your disciples.

Therefore, in terms of practical experience alone, Kondo Shusuke, who had lived a peaceful life for most of his life, did not have much.

To be honest, this is actually his first time on the battlefield.

Judging from his current performance, he doesn't seem like a newcomer at all, but rather a seasoned veteran!

Upon first entering the battlefield, he skillfully slayed enemies, and his fighting style was very diverse, not confined to a single move.

If there's no time to adjust the blade, strike the enemy soldier's head directly with the thick blade, shattering their skull.

Seeing that enemy soldiers had raised their muskets and pointed the dark muzzles directly at him, he grabbed a corpse at his feet and used it as a human shield.

He would even pick up a musket that no one had time to pull the trigger and shoot down an enemy soldier in the distance.

After witnessing Kondo Shusuke's various actions, Elodie felt her eyes were opened, but she couldn't help but wonder: Could the old man's frail and sickly appearance be an act?

Just as the old man and the young man were bravely leading the way, Shimada Kai suddenly shouted from behind:

"Charge! The time for revenge has come! Drive the bandits away!"

He had barely finished speaking when a series of increasingly loud roars erupted:

"Kill! Kill them!"

"I must avenge my father!"

"You thief, die!"

"The battle of the Eighth Prince is not over yet!"

Shimada Kai, sword in hand, led a large group of soldiers forward to join the battle.

The addition of fresh troops began to tip the balance of power in favor of the Shogunate forces.

Most of the soldiers who came to help were wounded, and after being bandaged and given simple treatment, they went into battle.

It is worth mentioning that when they looked at the enemy soldiers in front of them, their eyes burned with fierce anger, as if they couldn't wait to pounce on them and bite off a few pieces of flesh.

Yes, the soldiers stationed at Akasaka Gate were none other than Kondo Shusuke, Elodie, Shimada Kai, and the remnants of the thousand-man united force!

The Edo garrison was always severely understaffed, with no more than three thousand men capable of fighting.

Each of the "thirty-six gates" had to be guarded by soldiers.

After all, who knows where the enemy will choose as their main attack location?

If the entire defensive line isn't filled, there's no way to guarantee the safety of Edo Castle.

In this way, the already limited forces were scattered across the vast defensive lines.

Although Katsurin Taro exhausted all his efforts and deployed his troops to the limit, barely filling the defense line and ensuring that each of the "Thirty-Six Gates" had a certain number of troops stationed there, every place was still very weak!

Calling it "walking a tightrope" is no exaggeration.

Even the garrison at Yotsuya Gate, located in the westernmost part of Edo Castle and most vulnerable to attack, consisted of only 300 elite soldiers... This shows just how stretched the Edo garrison's manpower was.

In such circumstances, any combat personnel that can be mobilized should be won over with all efforts—the remnants of the thousand-strong united force that had just retreated from the front lines were a good target!

However, under Tokugawa Iemochi's explicit instructions, Katsura Rintaro did not force the remaining thousand men of the same mind to participate in the battle.

They had just fought a bloody battle in Hachioji, and before they could even rest, they were throwing them into an even fiercer battlefield... Even in a feudal era filled with oppression and exploitation, this was simply outrageous...

Therefore, for the remaining troops who were united in purpose, Katsura Rintaro adopted the "principle of voluntariness".

Those who are willing to participate will receive generous rewards.

Those who are unwilling to participate will not be punished.

Everything depends entirely on personal will; there is absolutely no coercion.

Initially, both Tokugawa Iemochi and Katsura Rintaro believed that there wouldn't be many people in the Sennin Dosan group willing to go back to the battlefield.

The enemy's brutality and the horror of the battlefield were deeply imprinted in their minds.

To shrink back out of fear is a common occurrence in the world, and there is nothing to argue about it.

Besides, they've already done enough.

Their achievements and sacrifices in Hachioji deserve to be remembered forever by the shogunate and the people of Edo.

Even if they now retreat to a safe rear area far from the battlefield, no one can say much.

However, it turned out that both Tokugawa Iemochi and Katsura Rintaro underestimated the enthusiasm of a thousand people united in their fight!

The number of soldiers who volunteered for the war far exceeded their initial estimates!

The reason for this is not complicated.

The five-day battle for the Eighth Prince resulted in heavy casualties among thousands of people, and countless homes were reduced to dust.

The dead are unable to speak.

But those who are alive still have a way to avenge them!

The Faki coalition's blatant invasion killed so many of them... This hatred was so intense that it made them forget their fatigue, pain, and fear.

Thus, the remnants of the thousand-strong force enthusiastically signed up to fight, including many wounded soldiers.

It's worth mentioning that they made a request: that Elodie and Shimada Kai take command of them!

Elodie and Shimada Kai's amazing performance in the Battle of Hachioji completely won over the hearts of the thousand soldiers who were united in purpose.

Before this, Qianren Tongxin had always regarded the two of them as "Western women who came to check the accounts" and "guards with little presence".

"Comradeship in arms" is indeed a very wonderful emotion.

Once you've fought side by side, even former enemies will become much more agreeable.

Now, to the thousands of soldiers who are of one mind, Elodie and Shimada Kai are no longer insignificant figures, but leaders who are admired by them!

Therefore, the remaining troops, united as one, strongly demanded that Elodie and Shimada Kai continue to command them, refusing to accept any other commanders besides the two of them.

This request was not difficult to fulfill, and Katsu Rintarou readily agreed.

He organized Elodie, Shimada Kai, the remnants of the thousand-man united force, and Kondo Shusuke, who had spontaneously joined the battle, into a temporary legion, and then deployed it at the crucial Akasaka Gate.

And so, following Hachioji, a thousand men united to launch a new bloody battle against the Faki alliance at Akasaka-Mikado!

In the eyes of Elodie and others, this was undoubtedly a follow-up to the Eighth Prince's battle!

……

……

Edo, Yotsuya Tenryu-ji Temple, the Clock of Time—

The clock tower is used to tell time.

Starting with the installation of a bell tower in Hashimoto-ishi 3-chome, Japan in 1626, bell towers were subsequently installed in more than a dozen places, including Kan'ei-ji Temple, Senso-ji Temple, Ichigaya Hachiman, and Yotsuya Tenryu-ji Temple.

These bell towers, mostly built within temples, are among the tallest buildings in Edo-cho.

At this very moment, Shuten-dōji stood atop the clock tower of Yotsuya Tenryū-ji Temple, raising his telescope to carefully survey the entire town of Edo, his gaze sweeping over battlefield after battlefield.

Although most of the direct advisors are incompetent, with such a large population base, there will always be some exceptions.

Some of the more ambitious officers did not lose their courage.

They gripped their weapons tightly, spontaneously forming a mobile army that roamed around Edo town, harassing and hunting down lone enemy soldiers.

From east to west, from south to north, the sounds of fierce battles could be heard everywhere, and blood was spilled throughout the streets and alleys of Edo.

Shuten-dōji didn't care about these troublesome guerrillas... or rather, about other areas in Edo town besides the "Thirty-six Encampments".

The current situation is quite clear: whichever side possesses the "Thirty-Six Attachments" will win!

Therefore, other parts of Edo town are no longer important.

Shuten-dōji devoted himself entirely to the "Thirty-Six Appearances," a relentless battle with constant shouts of killing.

A moment later, he slowly put down the binoculars in his hand.

Seeing this, Katsura Kogoro, who was waiting beside him, immediately asked:

"Shuten-dōji, what do you say? Which gate should we attack?"

Shuten-dōji curled the corners of his mouth, but did not give a direct answer, only saying in a low voice:

"Come with me."

……

……

Edo, Akasaka-mi-o—

If Qingdeng were here, he would probably be quite surprised to witness Elodie's dashing figure.

In just a short time, her swordsmanship has improved by leaps and bounds!

She used to be a typical "dojo swordsman." Every movement and every move she made revealed that "she had never fought in real combat."

The path of martial arts is the path of Asura.

Only by experiencing the tension of being on the brink of death, and struggling desperately at the boundary between life and death, can one go further!

The intense battlefield, where everything changes in an instant and it's a matter of life or death, caused Elodie to grow rapidly without even realizing it.

His steps became more and more agile.

As swordsmanship improved, unnecessary movements were eliminated.

Faced with various attacks from the enemy, she gradually accumulated more and more experience in dealing with them.

At the same time, she began to cultivate the "combat intuition" that every martial arts master possesses.

Even without looking closely, she can subconsciously predict which attacks need to be dodged, which need to be defended, and which can be ignored.

This is the kind of growth you can't achieve even if you swing a bamboo sword tens of thousands of times in a clean and tidy dojo!