I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Ogata shrugged.

"Who knows?"

"Perhaps they learned about Ogata Ittosai's connection with the Hojukugumi from old files within the organization, and that's why they're trying to build a relationship with me in hopes of getting my help."

"Or perhaps... they covet my 'power of immortality' and want to possess it for themselves."

"I will not let them succeed no matter what."

"No matter how long it takes, I will thoroughly purge the party and its members."

"If Hua were still alive, she would absolutely support me in destroying this corrupt and evil organization."

Ogata has finished speaking.

Qingdeng blinked, his expression strange.

He just came to chat with Ogata and ask him why he looked so preoccupied.

Unexpectedly, by sheer chance, they discovered an incredibly explosive secret!

A girl with a complicated relationship with the "Eternal Sword Saint"... If this were to spread, it would definitely arouse the public's strong curiosity!

The general public loves stories like this.

If this matter were to spread, it's not hard to imagine that all sorts of messy anecdotes and stories, such as "Ogata's Love Story" and "Ogata's Secret History," would surely emerge in the streets.

Although Ogata concealed the details of his past with the other party, it was obvious to Aoto that the woman named 'Isshiki Hana' must have had an extraordinary past that Ogata still couldn't forget!

Driven by his growing curiosity, he wanted to ask further questions.

However... this was ultimately Ogata's private matter, so he couldn't ask too many questions and could only suppress his excessive curiosity.

Because they had discussed heavy topics, the atmosphere in the room was quite oppressive.

To ease the tension, Qingdeng said half-jokingly:

“Even the ‘Eternal Sword Saint’ despises the Law Extermination Party. I’m getting more and more allies. On the front of ‘fighting against the Law Extermination Party,’ I’m afraid there’s no stronger ally than you.”

Ogata chuckled to himself:

"Tachibana-kun, don't have too high expectations of me."

"I am but a ronin, and there is very little I can do."

"I have been able to get to where I am today thanks to the support of my relatives and friends, including Atachi, Hana, and Genichi."

"I am not powerful enough to quell all the troubles in the world."

"Besides... to take care of Atachi's feelings, I will try my best to avoid any dangerous actions that might worry her."

Upon hearing this, Qing Deng couldn't help but recall the sight of A-Machi he had seen a few days prior.

When he traveled to Kyoto to visit Ogata in order to gather intelligence, he met Omachi, who had a strange expression.

At that moment, he keenly noticed that her mood was slightly negative.

Due to his position, he didn't ask any further questions at the time—his relationship with Atachi wasn't close enough for him to ask such private questions.

At this moment, Ogata adopted a gloomy tone:

“I have felt more than once that having a husband like me is really a hardship for Atachi.”

“I repeatedly got into all sorts of trouble, causing Atachi to live in fear.”

"Several times, she almost thought she would never see me again."

"Although she never said it outright, I know that the thing she least wants to see is me 'coming back into the game' again."

"She cherishes the peaceful times we have now and doesn't want the hardships and displacement of the past to return to us."

"However, even though she was unwilling, she never stopped me."

"Whenever I am forced by circumstances to wear a sword again, she never stops me and always sees me off with a smile."

"She understood my predicament, so she never made things difficult for me."

"I know she was afraid of distracting me, so she tried her best to appear strong and calm in front of me."

"This only makes me feel more guilty."

Upon hearing this, Qingdeng nodded slightly, expressing his approval through his expression and gestures.

He didn't want his loved ones to worry, but he was powerless to do so... He felt the same way!

Ogata closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and after calming himself down a bit, he let out a cold laugh.

"So, I'm currently holding back a lot of anger."

"It forced me to part ways with Atachi temporarily, and made her worry about me again... Someone needs to give an explanation for this."

"If it really is the power of immortality at work, then I want to see where the source is and who the culprit is—he had better pray to the gods with the most sincere emotions that I will never find him."

Having said that, he gently tapped the hilt of the Great Heavenly Sword at his waist, producing a clanging sound.

……

……

Goryokaku is a fortress built on the coast, located near Hakodate Port, 2.5 kilometers from both the east and west coasts.

One of the core purposes of building Goryokaku was to protect Hakodate Port and deter enemy forces from coming from the sea.

Once the fleet approaches Hakodate Port, it will immediately be attacked by the garrison of Goryokaku.

The plan to first land at Hakodate Port, establish an advance base there, and then gradually retake Goryokaku is completely unfeasible.

It was impossible for the punitive expeditionary force to slowly establish a forward base at Hakodate Port while enduring the fierce artillery fire of Goryokaku.

Moreover, as long as the enemy's three warships remain, there is always the risk of having their supply lines cut off.

In other words, this will be a beach landing operation—the first battle is the decisive one! Either we are defeated, or we take Hakodate Port and Goryokaku in one fell swoop and win the war!

The moment the fleet sets sail for Hakodate will be the moment of the decisive battle!

Therefore, it is necessary to establish a "springboard" on the main island of Honshu before launching the general offensive.

Aomori is an excellent place for this.

Aomori is located at the northernmost tip of Oshima Island, Honshu. It faces Ezo to the north across the Tsugaru Strait, borders the Pacific Ocean to the east, and is adjacent to the Sea of ​​Japan to the west.

Such a superior geographical location was perfect for serving as an outpost on the northern battlefield.

Under Aoto's orders, the punitive expeditionary force will gather its troops and supplies in Aomori, and then use Aomori as a springboard to launch a cross-sea operation to recapture Goryokaku in one fell swoop!

After more than ten days of sailing, the fleet carrying the "Northern Expeditionary Army" arrived safely in Aomori.

Reinforcements and supplies from the domains of Sendai, Shirakawa, and Morioka have already arrived in Aomori.

Looking up, a huge military camp "spreads out" like a blooming lotus flower. It is currently in the shape of a "bud" but will soon become a blooming "flower".

Faced with Seido's overwhelming power, the domains of Oshu dared not play any tricks and fulfilled Seido's requirements of "providing manpower, money, and grain" in accordance with quality and quantity.

The reinforcements from the other domains that had not yet arrived in Aomori were all working overtime to get there.

It is estimated that it will take another half a month or so to assemble supplies and troops and complete all preparations for the cross-sea offensive.

No matter what kind of war it is, "supplies first" and "intelligence first" are absolute truths.

It's no exaggeration to say that Qingdeng is currently in a state of complete ignorance.

He knew nothing about the enemy's troop strength, the source of their equipment, or other crucial intelligence that directly impacted the outcome of the war.

Therefore, Qingdeng had made meticulous arrangements for how to spend the better part of the next two weeks of pre-battle preparations.

……

……

Aomori, the main base of the punitive expedition—

"What? Qingdeng, you want to go deep into the heart of Ezo?"

Katsurin Taro stared wide-eyed at Aoto in shock.

Qing Deng Wan Er:

"Hmm? Rintaro? Don't you know? Going to the front lines to gather intelligence is my specialty."

When I was reading history, I never understood those big shots who were so audacious as to venture deep into the front lines with only a few guards to find out the enemy's strength.

Now, after personally fighting several battles, he finally understands these bigwigs—going to the front lines to gather intelligence is indeed efficient!

The battlefield is ever-changing; whoever can grasp intelligence faster and more accurately will have an unshakeable advantage.

Who knows how long it will take for the scouts to send back intelligence from the front lines?

Moreover, the intelligence sent back by spies is not necessarily reliable.

Qingdeng has performed similar "extreme operations" many times and is quite experienced.

However, this time his actions are much bolder—he will go directly deep into the heart of Ezo! Deep into the territory of the Ainu!

Since the goal is to gather intelligence on the enemy, infiltrating their territory is naturally the most efficient way.

Qingdeng did not believe that all Ainu people had risen up in rebellion.

There will always be "centrist" Ainu people and "moderate" Ainu people.

By establishing contact with these two factions of Ainu people, we might be able to find out the origins, numbers, and purposes of this group of rioters.

Katsura Rintaro frowned slightly and expressed his concerns in a deep voice:

"The Ezo are a foreign race, and dealing with them will probably not be so easy."

Aoto was prepared for Katsu Rintaro's question and calmly replied:

"No need to worry. Since I dare to venture deep into the heart of Ezo, I must have something to rely on."

Under the curious gazes of the crowd, Qing Deng raised his hand and pointed to Ogata beside him.

"This samurai is named Kazuma Majima. He lived in Ezo for a period of time and was familiar with Ezo customs. He had many friends in several Ezo tribes."

"I plan to have Kazuma Mashima accompany me, and he will act as my translator and guide."

"My main destination on this trip is the tribes he is familiar with."

"With him around, there's no need to worry about language barriers, getting lost, or not understanding Ezo customs."