I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Everyone listened in silence, their expressions varied.

Some people looked completely numb.

Some people show their anger on their faces.

Many more people looked grief-stricken.

One person even sobbed softly, their shoulders trembling slightly.

Inside the room, Yoshiki Ichihashi's outburst continued.

"The so-called 'powerful domains of Kanto' is nothing but self-aggrandizement!"

"All the true men of Mito died because of the 'Sakuradamon Incident' and the 'Tengu Party Rebellion'!"

After shouting, Yoshiki Ichihashi gasped for breath several times before slumping back into his seat.

He was no longer standing tall and proud as before; instead, he was hunched over, head drooping, elbows resting on his thighs, his posture listless, as if he had lost his spine.

"The Mito army is finished... We have no more fighting strength left... We are almost finished too..."

"How can we win under such circumstances?"

"It's over...it's all over..."

"That's settled then... You can do whatever you want from now on..."

Yoshiki Ichihashi's words left all the tall men and others present stunned.

Looking at the dejected Yoshiki Hitotsubashi, the tall man gritted his teeth and shouted, word by word:

"Lord Hitotsubashi, the battle is not over! Our battle is not over! We still have a chance to win!"

********

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It's almost the end of the month again! Readers who have monthly passes, please be sure to vote for this book! (crying leopard head.jpg)

Please vote with monthly tickets! Please vote with recommendation tickets! (Leopard crying.jpg)

Leopard finished watching "BanG Dream! It's MyGO!!!!!" yesterday.

Now the leopard has completely transformed into the shape of My Go!

I listened to My Go all day and still wasn't satisfied; I even dreamed about Akari Takamatsu.

I really want to marry Takamatsu Akari! (Leopard.jpg)

Listening to "Poetry Overload" while writing "Ichibashi Yoshinobu's Anger" is so exciting! (Leopard Super High.jpg)

Chapter 987 "Would you like to come to Otsu with me?" [4500]

The tall man bent over, placed his hands on the ground, adopted a cold and serious expression, and continued to shout:

"Lord Hitotsubashi! Admittedly, the Mito army is of little use, but we still have two thousand loyal soldiers! And our direct staff who have volunteered to fight!"

"We are far from reaching the point of being bound hand and foot!"

"It's still too early to tell who will emerge victorious!"

"As long as we grit our teeth and give it our all, we still have a chance to win!"

"Now it's a battle of which side can hold out longer!"

After the tall guy started, the short, fat, and thin guys present all followed suit, urging Yoshinobu Hitotsubashi to continue fighting:

"Lord Hitotsubashi, please reconsider!"

"Continuing to fight doesn't guarantee a win; but surrendering now guarantees a loss!"

"Lord Hitotsubashi, there's no turning back now! There's no reason to give up halfway!"

People outside could hear the conversation inside the room.

Therefore, whether it was Yoshiki Hitotsubashi's negative remarks or the reasoned arguments of Gao Lao and others, everyone outside could hear them clearly.

They disregarded all etiquette at this point, flung open the door, and swarmed back into the room, kneeling before Yoshiki Ichibashi.

Instantly, shouts and cries filled the air.

"Lord Hitotsubashi, please pull yourself together!"

"We haven't lost yet!"

"I would rather die than surrender to the 'Southern Faction'!"

"Waaaaah... Mr. Hitotsubashi, please hear us out."

"Lord Hitotsubashi, please think of Duke Zhao of Qi! If Duke Zhao of Qi were alive, he would never want to see you bowing and scraping to the 'Southern School'!"

"Lord Yiqiao, how can we emulate Cao Shuang of yesteryear?"

When Cao Shuang and Sima Yi launched the "Incident at Gaoping Tombs", Cao Shuang was not without the power to fight back.

In fact, if Cao Shuang had fought desperately back then, he would have had a chance to turn the tables and kill Sima Yi.

However, he believed Sima Yi's claim that "Luoshui farted" and obediently laid down his weapons and surrendered.

Later, Cao Shuang was accused of treason by Sima Yi and his entire clan was exterminated, ending up in a ridiculous and tragic state.

"..."

Yoshiki Ichibashi remained silent for a long time, letting Gao Lao and the others chatter on and on.

His brows furrowed more and more, and his hands clenched into fists, as if he was enduring something.

About five minutes later, Gao Lao and the others gradually calmed down.

They were waiting for Yoshinobu Hitotsubashi's reply.

A series of pitiful, pleading gazes focused on Yoshiki Hitotsubashi.

Of course, many more people—like the tall guy—cast very aggressive glances at Yoshiki Hitotsubashi.

Such a gaze is like a blade—as if a knife were being held against Ichijo Keiki.

Another moment of silence followed.

Finally, amidst everyone's eager anticipation, Yoshinobu Hitotsubashi spoke:

"...You've all gone this far, what else can I do? So I'll do as you say and continue the fight."

Upon hearing this, Gao Lao and the others immediately breathed a sigh of relief, feeling as if a great weight had been lifted from their shoulders.

Flattering words such as "Lord Hitotsubashi is wise" and "Our army will surely win" flooded Hitotsubashi Yoshiki's ears.

Unexpectedly, Yoshinobu Hitotsubashi hadn't finished speaking.

He suddenly switched to a meaningful tone and continued speaking in a low voice:

"Fight, fight, fight until a decisive victory is achieved..."

……

……

That night--

Edo Castle, Sannomaru, a certain room—

Snap, snap, snap, snap, snap...

Qingdeng heard familiar footsteps.

The footsteps grew louder as they approached... and walked straight toward him.

Qingdeng slowly opened his eyes, and before his vision could return, he looked in the direction of the sound.

The first thing that catches the eye is a pair of slender feet encased in white socks.

As soon as Qingdeng turned his head, his small feet froze in place.

Immediately afterwards, he heard the voice of the Tensho Institute:

"Sorry, did I disturb you?"

Tenshōin sat down next to Seidō with a face full of apologies.

"It's alright. Since I can hear your footsteps, it means I should be waking up soon too."

As he spoke, he used his hands to support himself and struggled to climb out of bed.

He hadn't noticed anything amiss until he sat up, when he suddenly felt dizzy and lightheaded... his consciousness became sluggish, and it seemed he had even lost his memory.

Of course, this "amnesia" is only temporary.

Before long, memories flooded back like a tide.

After defeating the Mito army, he regrouped his troops and retreated back to Edo Castle.

If he has sufficient fighting strength, Qingdeng would be very happy to wipe out the remaining enemy forces in the town.

Although they successfully defeated the main force of the Mito army, there must still be a few remnants remaining in Edo town.

Unfortunately, both he and the Aizu cavalry were exhausted and barely able to sit on their horses, unable to continue fighting.

Upon returning to Edo Castle, Aoto immediately informed the entire army: The Mito army has been completely annihilated! Our side has won a great victory!

How could such a victory, capable of swaying the course of a battle, not be widely publicized?

Qingdeng entrusted this task to Tianzhangyuan.

Tenshōin, who has long been in charge of the new Imperial Household, is a master of "information warfare".

Qingdeng had only one requirement: to make sure that both sides knew that the Mito Army, with its three thousand soldiers, had vanished from the world! The Hitotsubashi faction no longer held a clear advantage!

After finishing this series of tasks, Qingdeng could no longer hold on.

He staggered and drifted back to Sannomaru's room, where he collapsed into bed and fell asleep immediately.

The moment he closed his eyes, his consciousness sank into a deep chaos.

He couldn't remember anything after that.

He slept like he was dead in the truest sense.