I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

In just two days, Kondo Isami and his men completed their mobilization and set off!

This morning, just as the sky was beginning to lighten, a huge "Sincerity" flag was flying over Donghai Street.

The wagons loaded with supplies resembled beads on a necklace, and the ruts on the road were the threads that strung these beads together.

The soldiers of each squad marched with their heads held high, full of energy.

According to the plan, they will travel eastward along Donghai Street.

Within seven days, the army will be at Edo!

……

……

Edo, Imado-cho, the main camp of the Hitotsubashi Army—

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

Quiet.

Deathly silence!

No one made a sound... they even breathed very softly.

They were truly "too afraid to even breathe".

The news of the "Shinsengumi's departure" reached both camps almost simultaneously.

And then... no more.

With the dissemination of this news, the atmosphere at the Hitotsubashi Army headquarters naturally turned into this state.

Although Yoshinobu Hitotsubashi and others had anticipated that Seito would definitely order the main force of the Shinsengumi to "go to Kyoto to defend the emperor," they never expected it to be done so quickly!

Upon learning the exact composition of the reinforcements, they were even more taken aback.

Kondo Isami, Nagakura Shinpachi, Saito Hajime, Serizawa Kamo, Inoue Genzaburo... each one more valiant than the last!

Not only that, they also brought an artillery unit (the 11th Division) with them!

Anyone with a sound mind wouldn't want to go head-to-head with an army that has maxed out its "offensive power"!

Which is stronger, the Hitotsubashi Army or the Shinsengumi?

Even pondering such a question for just a second is disrespectful to human intelligence.

Even the most optimistic members of the Hitotsubashi faction wouldn't believe they could rival the main force of the Shinsengumi!

Regardless of equipment, morale, and organization, there is a huge gap between the two sides in terms of combat experience alone.

Time slipped away, bit by bit...

The atmosphere inside the room was incredibly heavy...

It's just like the depths of the ocean, filled with darkness and pressure... Even if whales swim through it, they can't make a ripple.

In this deathly silence, the sound of sweat dripping onto the ground could be heard intermittently.

Despite the low temperature today, which could easily have resulted in snow at any time, everyone in the room felt parched and sweating profusely.

Staring wide-eyed, heads bowed, sweat dripping from their faces onto the floor without them even realizing it—this was the posture of most people in the room.

Finally... in this unbearable silence, someone broke the silence and made a sound.

But then someone swallowed hard, moistening their parched throat, and then forced a smile:

"We...we still have a chance of winning!"

As soon as this was said, another person immediately echoed it:

"That's right! We haven't lost yet! The main force of the Shinsengumi has only just left Otsu! Normally, it would take them at least 7 days to get to Edo. If we can take Edo Castle within those 7 days, we can turn the tide!"

The moment this person finished speaking, it was like nectar smeared on the outside of a beehive, immediately attracting a barrage of attacks:

"'Common sense'? How dare you use 'common sense' to measure the Shinsengumi?!"

"That's right, that's right!"

"Don't you know how valiant the Shinsengumi is?"

"Just recently, they rushed back to Ōtsu from Chōshū at an astonishing speed and successfully replicated the 'Great China Turn'. If they manage to get to Edo at the same speed, what are we supposed to do?"

"Besides, do you think you can just take Edo Castle as you please? If we could easily conquer Edo Castle, would we be here looking so worried?"

The barrage of fierce rebuttals left the "war faction" feeling both ashamed and furious.

The leader of the "pro-war faction" was none other than Gao Lao.

The tall man gritted his teeth, his eyebrows shot up, and the wrinkles on his face rapidly deepened.

"Cowards! You're all a bunch of cowards! The main force of the Shinsengumi is still on its way. We still have time! We still have hope of victory!"

With Gao Lao leading the charge, the "pro-war faction" rallied their spirits and voiced their counterattack:

"From the moment we raised our army, there was no turning back! It's either victory or death!"

"Even surrendering won't save you from death! Fighting to the very end is the only chance of survival!"

"We haven't reached the end of our rope yet!"

The fierce counterattack from the "fierce faction" intensified the tension at the scene.

A heated debate ensued between the two sides over "what to do now".

"Let's face reality! Without the help of the Mito army, we have completely lost the chance to 'capture Edo Castle'!"

"Ju Qingdeng has successfully won over the hearts of the people! More than two thousand civilians have rushed to Ju Qingdeng's aid! Our only advantage in terms of manpower has now disappeared!"

"Who will stand against Kondo Isami? Who will stand against Nagakura Shinpachi? Who will stand against Saito Hajime? It's you, or me?!"

The two sides were arguing fiercely...

Its intensity and noise are no less than those of a festival celebration—however, the atmosphere of the two is completely different; the latter is full of liveliness, while the former reveals a faint sense of despair.

Just as the argument between the two sides was reaching its climax, a voice, devoid of joy or sorrow and belonging to neither side, suddenly broke into the fray:

"...Let's retreat."

The sudden sound was like a "silencing spell," and in an instant, the entire place fell silent.

Both sides turned their heads in unison to look at each other—a thin, middle-aged man.

The tall man glared angrily at the other party:

"Retreat? Retreat to where?"

The other party took a deep breath and replied calmly and confidently:

"Fukui Domain!"

Fukui Domain – located in the Echizen region, with a rice yield of 32.

Its lord was none other than Matsudaira Harugaku, a veteran of the Hitotsubashi faction and former "President of Political Affairs".

When Yoshinobu Hitotsubashi was still a "shogun's successor," Matsudaira Shungaku always gave him strong support, acting as his right-hand man.

However, after Yoshinobu Hitotsubashi staged the farce of "starting to expel the barbarians on May 10th," Matsudaira Harugaku was implicated and forced to resign from his position as "President of Political Affairs" and retire to his domain.

Although Matsudaira Shungaku had long since left the political center, he continued to secretly support the "Hitotsubashi faction."

The Mito Domain, having just lost 3,000 troops, has suffered a severe blow and is not suitable as a retreat route.

Furthermore, it remains to be seen whether the Mito Domain will continue to exist after that.

"The Mito army nearly caused the fall of Edo Castle," "The main force of the Shinsengumi who came to support them brought artillery units," "Tachibana Aoto is a man of his word"... Based on the above three points, anyone with a brain would know what kind of military action Aoto would take once the main force of the Shinsengumi arrived.

Therefore, if Yoshinobu Hitotsubashi and the others wanted to evacuate... no, escape Edo, the Fukui Domain was their only refuge.

From the moment he left, Yoshiki Hitotsubashi remained frozen, motionless, expressionless, eyes downcast, seemingly lost in thought, or perhaps just daydreaming.

He only reacted after the man uttered the word "retreat"—slowly raising his head and staring intently at the other person.

Facing the gazes of the crowd, the other party spoke eloquently:

"Using the Fukui Domain as a shield, and then sending envoys to unite with powerful domains like Satsuma and Tosa, we will still have a chance to rise again!"

Someone immediately retorted:

"Satsuma? Tosa?"

The other party nodded vigorously:

"That's right!"

"Tokugawa Iemochi is unconscious."

"Tianzhangyuan is a woman."

"It's not hard to predict that after this battle, Tachibana Aoto will rise to become the de facto ruler of the shogunate! He will wield immense power, just like Sima Yi and Yuwen Hu back then!"

“Powerful domains like Satsuma and Tosa certainly wouldn’t want to see a strong Tachibana Aoto!”

"Therefore, on the matter of 'reclaiming oranges,' our interests are aligned with those of powerful domains such as Satsuma and Tosa!"

"Offer them generous benefits—such as dividing up Qinjin's land—and form an alliance with them!"

"In this way, I will regain the ability to compete with Tachibana Seiden!"

"At that time, it will be uncertain who will emerge victorious!"

The other party has finished speaking.

After he finished speaking, he stood quietly with his head held high, waiting for the others to respond.

Just now, the debate between the "pro-war faction" and the "pro-surrender faction" was just a matter of venting emotions, and no one put forward a constructive and feasible solution.

The "pro-war faction" repeatedly emphasized, "Fight! Fight! Keep fighting!"

The "pro-surrender faction" kept repeating, "If we continue fighting, we will lose everything."

In contrast, the other party's words were reasonable and measured, and directly offered a clear solution.