I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

They believed that Qingdeng should not leave the capital region while the situation in the west was still unsettled.

If given a choice, Qingdeng would naturally be happy to take it easy and let others do the work.

However, although he had many talented people under his command, there were very few outstanding individuals who could stand alone in command.

To date, only Hijikata Toshizo has earned this praise.

If Hijikata Toshizo had not been injured, Aoto could have confidently entrusted him with the important task of "recapturing Goryokaku".

Unfortunately, his body has not yet fully recovered; he can manage daily activities, but not strenuous ones.

To ask him to drag his crippled body on a long and arduous expedition... is truly asking the impossible.

Although Hijikata Toshizo volunteered for the mission and confidently declared that he had no problems, Aoto declined his offer for safety reasons.

Moreover, Qing Deng was very concerned about the "immortality" described in the report.

He had personally witnessed just how domineering the "power of immortality" was.

Severe injuries such as severed arteries and severed tendons can be completely healed in the blink of an eye.

If the enemy's extraordinary vitality is indeed related to "immortality"... then he should probably make the trip himself!

Since Qingdeng is determined to lead the expedition personally, he naturally cannot take too many troops with him in order to ensure the stability of the capital region.

After weighing the pros and cons, he decided to take only the Second Division, the Eighth Division, and half of the Eleventh Division, with a total force of around a thousand men.

Although the number of troops was small, it was enough.

Putting aside the mystical notion of "immortality," there is nothing to worry about in terms of land warfare.

Qingdeng shared the same idea as Hijikata Toshizo: even if the Ainu were equipped with the most advanced equipment, their fighting strength couldn't be that great.

While equipment is certainly one of the most important factors in determining the outcome of a war, it is all for naught without corresponding military skills.

There are countless examples of a well-equipped army that makes a fool of itself on the battlefield.

The Ainu people's civilization is still at the tribal level. If you say they can handle guns and cannons, Qingdeng certainly doesn't believe it!

Wulingguo was built on the coast, making it easy for naval guns to hit.

With the firepower of the Navy and half of the Eleventh Division, it is sufficient to recapture Goryokaku.

What truly worried Qingdeng was the naval battle.

The naval forces currently possessed by the "Southern Shogunate" are truly meager; they currently possess only three steam-powered warships capable of combat.

The Guanguang Maru has a displacement of 600 tons and six cannons.

The Xianlin Maru had a displacement of 300 tons and 12 cannons.

Fujisan Maru, with a displacement of 1000 tons and 6 cannons.

Among them, Fujiyama Maru was a steam-powered gunboat, while Kankan Maru and Kanrin Maru were old-fashioned steam paddlewheel corvettes (three-masted sailing ships with auxiliary steam power).

Besides these three main warships, there were dozens of Japanese ships—those old-fashioned sailing boats—which were certainly no match for steam warships, but were more than enough for transporting supplies.

The types of enemy warships and the number of cannons they possess are currently unknown.

The only known intelligence is that the enemy's naval guns are incredibly powerful, causing the Wulingguo garrison to flee in disarray... This shows that the enemy's warships are by no means outdated!

In land warfare, mental strength can somewhat compensate for the gap in combat power, but this is not the case in naval warfare.

No matter how high your fighting spirit is, you can't make a warship swim faster or have more firepower.

If the ship type is too outdated, it won't even qualify to ram and sink an enemy ship.

How to win the naval battle... Qingdeng had no ideas for the time being, and could only take it one step at a time, and make a judgment after arriving at the front line and collecting more intelligence.

Although the Northern Expeditionary Army has not yet reached the front lines, the battle to recapture Wulingguo has already begun!

After contacting Katsura Rintarō and requesting the deployment of the shogunate navy, Aoto's first action was to issue orders to the various domains of Oshu, demanding that they fulfill the previously signed oaths and provide manpower, money, and provisions!

The reason why Qingdeng signed the alliance with the domains of Oshu was to stabilize the rear so that he could concentrate all his efforts on dealing with the western country.

Unexpectedly, this alliance has now become a powerful endorsement for "punishing the Ezo and recovering Goryokaku".

Qing Deng was genuinely glad that he had recaptured Oyu at such a young age.

The domains of Oshu are adjacent to the Ezo region, so there is no reason not to mobilize supplies and troops nearby.

Due to its local customs and geographical location, the domains of Oshu were known for being closed-minded and conservative.

The vast majority of these vassal states made no attempt to adopt advanced Western systems and weapons, nor did they develop industrial capabilities; they continued to use matchlock guns from their grandfathers' generation.

Even if all the domains of Oshu were combined, their industrial strength would still be inferior to that of a single domain, Hizen.

Qingdeng did not expect the domains of Oshu to provide advanced equipment; he only intended to have them act as a "replenishment package," responsible for supplying most of the provisions, such as food and salt.

Poor equipment, outdated system... Even a fool could tell what level the armies of the Oshu Domains were at.

Therefore, Aoto also did not place any hope on the reinforcements from the Oshu domains, intending only to classify them as "auxiliary troops," who, though of little use, could be used to bolster morale and perform miscellaneous tasks.

Aoto's request to "assist in the recovery of Goryokaku" was reasonable and backed by a previously signed oath. Even if the domains of Oshu found it difficult, they could not refuse.

For a time, the vast Oshu was like an old machine slowly starting up. The various domains dispatched reinforcements and supplies of varying sizes, which flowed into the northern battlefield like rivers flowing into the sea!

At the same time, the Northern Expeditionary Army was ready to launch an attack.

Because the unit was small, the mobilization and assembly were completed in just half a day.

On July 12, the "Northern Expeditionary Army," with a total strength of over a thousand men, was ready to set off. The accompanying officers included Nagakura Shinpachi, Todo Heisuke, Nakajima Noboru (second division vice-captain), Yoshimura Kanichiro (eighth division vice-captain), and Nomura Risaburo (eleventh division vice-captain).

On July 13th, the "Northern Expeditionary Army" officially marched towards Osaka! They prepared to board a ship to Goryokaku!

……

……

July 13th, early morning—

With the Northern Expeditionary Army already on its way, Qingdeng was finally able to take a breather.

When things get busy, they're extremely busy; when things get idle, they're extremely idle—Qingdeng is currently in a very idle state.

Thanks to this, he was finally able to free up his hands to consider matters related to "immortality".

In recent days, he has gathered more and more detailed intelligence.

It is understood that the enemy's "immortality" is not true immortality.

Indeed, some enemy soldiers possessed extraordinary vitality, surviving even fatal wounds.

However, after holding on for a short while, these guys would collapse to the ground as if they had exhausted their energy, and their deaths were extremely gruesome, with blood flowing from their seven orifices, which was quite terrifying.

It wasn't an unkillable monster... Qing Deng breathed a sigh of relief, but he was still concerned about it.

If it really is the work of "immortality," then no amount of caution is too much.

Just to be on the safe side, he felt it necessary to gather intelligence.

If we were to ask who among Qing Deng's entourage understands the "power of immortality" best... would that even be a question?

He decided to meet with Ogata before officially setting off for the northern battlefield to hear his opinion.

So he simply said goodbye to Sanako and the others, leaving behind the words "I'm going out for a while, I'll be back soon," and then hurried off to Kyoto.

……

……

Kyoto, Ogata's wagashi shop—

When the familiar shop came into view in the distance, Qingdeng was surprised to find that there was a "Closed" sign on the door.

—Is Mr. Ogata out?

His heart sank. He quickly settled the horses and rushed toward the shop door.

He tugged at the door—it wasn't locked.

With a gentle push, bright light poured in, and countless dust particles danced and swirled up and down.

He had barely stepped inside when he heard a familiar female voice:

"Sorry, we're closed!"

The sound was coming from the second floor.

"Machi-san, it's me!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he heard a series of light footsteps descending the stairs to the first floor.

Before long, Atachi came out from the stairwell and looked Aoto up and down with a look of surprise.

"Huh? Tachibana-kun, what brings you here?"

"Machi, I need to speak with Mr. Ogata. Is Mr. Ogata in?"

Upon hearing this, Atachi's expression changed slightly.

However, she didn't say much, only gently saying "Follow me" before leading Qingdeng upstairs.

Qingdeng untied the Vairocana from his waist and followed.

The two walked into the hall on the second floor one after the other—there was Ogata sitting cross-legged in the center of the hall, applying oil to his two swords.

In the previous battle, Qing Deng's Vairocana sword was completely undamaged, displaying the domineering power of the "Black Blade," while Ogata's two swords had been chipped in many places.

Now, his two knives have returned to their mirror-like shine, with all the nicks and chips gone. They must have been carefully sharpened by a skilled knife sharpener.

However, each time the blade is sharpened, its lifespan is reduced, just like sharpening a pencil; each time you sharpen a pencil, the pencil becomes shorter.

Ogata's two swords had become thinner due to repeated sharpening.

After the leader arrived, Atachi left on his own initiative, leaving him and Ogata alone in the room.

Ogata looked up at Aoto, then slowly put down the two knives in his hands, a half-smile on his face.

"Tachibana-kun, what a coincidence! I was just about to come looking for you. If I'm not mistaken, you're here because of Goryokaku, right?"

Qingdeng raised an eyebrow and quickly said:

"Mr. Ogata, have you received the message?"

“I have an agreement with the Calabash House that whenever they receive news related to the ‘power of immortality,’ they must send someone to notify me immediately.”

Now that Ogata already knew the inside story, Seito didn't waste any time and simply got straight to the point: