I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

……

At this very moment—

A sea area south of Hakodate Bay—

On the gunwale of the Hamrin Maru, Johan Manjiro held a telescope and carefully observed three enemy ships in the distance.

Looking at the three massive ironclad warships that stood like small mountains in Hakodate Bay, John Manjiro clicked his tongue in amazement:

"Is this the most advanced ironclad warship we have today...? Just looking at it is terrifying... Admiral Tachibana, are we really going to use a boarding tactic against this behemoth of a warship?"

John Wanjiro put down his binoculars and looked at Qing Deng behind him with a troubled expression.

Qingdeng, supporting himself with the Vairocana pendant at his waist, slowly stepped forward and stood at the very edge of the ship's gunwale, gazing at the enemy ships that were getting closer and closer in the distance.

"Of course we're going to fight! Who do you take me for? This battle is inevitable! Get the ship closer!"

*******

*******

Today is another day of leopard updates! Please be sure to vote for this book with your monthly tickets! (crying leopard head.jpg)

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

P.S.: Don't expect Leopard to write any fancy naval battles; this is a sword and spear novel, so just focus on the action! (Leopard Hi.jpg)

Chapter 1067 "The Boundless Hachiman" activated! A single slash cleaves the mast! [6600]

As night fell, the seawater turned completely black.

Looking up, the sea was pitch black, its depth and boundary indistinct.

The boundless sea seemed to have turned into a bottomless abyss, where countless monsters lurked.

Whether there are monsters in the sea is unknown.

At this very moment, there is indeed a group of monstrous swordsmen approaching Hakodate Bay on the surface of the Tsugaru Strait!

The surging seawater propelled the three ships: Hamrin Maru, Kansou Maru, and Fuji Maru.

The closer you get to the enemy ship, the more you feel the oppressive force of the ironclad warship.

Not to mention the Shinsengumi members, many officers and soldiers of the Shogunate Navy were seeing ironclad ships for the first time. They were so shocked that they swallowed hard and called them "armored ships," meaning ships clad in armor.

You don't even need to know anything about naval warfare. Anyone with normal eyesight can tell which side is stronger just by looking at the size comparison of the two sides' warships.

It's not hard to imagine that if the two sides clashed head-on, the Shogunate Navy would only suffer a tragic fate of total annihilation!

Qingdeng's plan for tonight's night raid is very simple—just cut them down!

The three ships launched an attack simultaneously! They attacked three enemy warships respectively!

Aoto will be stationed at the Hamin Maru, Nagakura Shinpachi at the Kansou Maru, and Todo Heisuke at the Fujisan Maru. The three of them will personally lead their soldiers onto the ships!

Although Nagakura Shinpachi, Todo Heisuke, and others had fought on the battlefield for a long time, this was the first time they had ever engaged in a boarding battle with the enemy on the vast ocean.

Therefore, they were all eager and ready to fight this new battle.

The faint glow of fire emanating from Hakodate Bay and the enemy ships provided a convenient guide for the Shogunate Navy, eliminating any worry of getting lost.

Finally... they made it into Hakodate Bay unscathed! They were now within arm's reach of the enemy ships!

The soldiers instinctively held their breath and pressed their hands to their chests, afraid that their breathing and heartbeats would disturb the enemy.

Generally speaking, the Shogunate Navy's night voyage went very smoothly, so smoothly that even Aoto was surprised.

It's unclear whether the enemy's training level was not high enough, or whether they were too complacent. The Shogunate Navy had already approached right under their noses, yet they still hadn't noticed.

The timing is perfect, the location is advantageous, and the people are supportive... If we don't act now, when will we?!

The target that the Hamrin Maru sought was the easternmost of the three enemy ships.

The two ships were extremely close, like a couple whispering sweet nothings to each other.

They were so close that they could almost hear the sounds of laughter and conversation coming from the enemy ships.

Qingdeng waved his hand expressionlessly without the slightest hesitation.

John Manjiro, in a low voice, gave the order:

"Throw the hook line!"

In an instant, the sailors who were already prepared rushed out and swung their hooks and lines with all their might.

The hooks traced beautiful parabolas in mid-air, precisely hooking onto the railings of the enemy ships, producing a series of clear sounds.

Even the most skilled sailor cannot cast a grappling hook without making a sound.

In the stillness of the night, any unusual sound would be as clear and distinct as an echo in an empty valley, impossible to miss and would not attract the attention of the enemy soldiers.

Sure enough, a moment later, a low conversation could be heard from the enemy ship's deck:

"Hey, have you heard any strange noises?"

"I heard that. Let's go check the side of the ship."

Others might not recognize the language, but Qing Deng was very familiar with it, after all, he had a blonde girl from France by his side.

There's no mistake, they're communicating in French!

Hearing the familiar language, Qing Deng frowned, lost in thought.

As Qingdeng pondered to himself, he saw two enemy soldiers carrying muskets move to the ship's side.

When they looked down, they were immediately struck by a sight that sent chills down their spines—countless hooks and ropes hung from the ship's railings, and countless warriors were climbing up the ropes like ants!

Their eyes widened, their expressions dominated by intense horror, and they instinctively opened their mouths, ready to warn others:

"Enemy attack..."

However, they had only just begun to speak—

boom!boom!boom!boom!boom!

A dense barrage of bullets swept past, knocking them to the ground.

Now that things have come to this, there is no longer any need to hide our whereabouts!

The swordsmen of the Second Division boarded the enemy ship using grappling hooks, while the gunmen of the Eighth Division remained on their own ship's deck to provide support, shooting down any enemy soldiers who approached the ship's side!

Almost simultaneously, the nearby Kanko Maru and Fuji Maru launched their attacks! They assaulted the enemy ships under their respective command! Gunmen pulled the triggers one after another!

The sudden gunshot startled countless birds into flight, and also jolted the lights off one by one.

The sound of footsteps and shouts that followed shattered the tranquility of Hakodate Bay!

"What happened?!"

"Enemy attack! The enemy is attacking!"

"Wake up! Get up, all of you!"

"Quick! Get a knife! The enemy is climbing up!"

In a matter of seconds, enemy soldiers rushed out of the cabin and onto the ship's side.

The two armies each occupied one side, separated by a height difference of about 3 meters, and engaged in an extremely fierce offensive and defensive battle!

The enemy forces were also divided into two groups: one group was responsible for unleashing barrages to suppress the enemy forces, while the other group used knives to cut the ropes.

Each rope held several soldiers, like a long bunch of grapes; cutting just one rope could take out several men in one go.

Splash, splash, splash... The sound of soldiers falling into the water like dumplings being dropped into boiling water could be heard from time to time, as one soldier after another fell into the icy seawater.

People who fall into the sea are very difficult to save.

The surging waves resembled the claws of a water ghost, grabbing the legs of those who had fallen into the water and pulling them straight down.

Unless you are an excellent swimmer, once you fall into the sea, your chances of survival are slim.

Although John Manjiro had arranged for people to rescue the team members who had fallen into the water, the pitch-black sea greatly increased the difficulty of the rescue.

Many people thrashed about for a moment before sinking into the depths of the sea and disappearing without a trace...

To ensure victory in this battle, the Shogunate navy brought all their grappling hooks. If one hook broke, a new one would immediately be thrown up, showing no weakness whatsoever.

The Shinsengumi members displayed the demeanor of an elite force, not retreating a single step despite the strength of the enemy and the perilous journey, and eagerly forging ahead.

At that moment, a nimble soldier was about to grab the gunwale of the enemy ship, but just as he was about to succeed, the enemy soldiers above him cut the grappling hook with a dagger, and he fell down with the rope.

Fortunately, he was very lucky; he didn't fall into the sea but instead crashed back onto the deck.

"Brother, are you alright?"

John Manjiro, who happened to be nearby, rushed forward and helped the soldier up.

He apologized to John Vanjiro with a deeply apologetic expression:

"Captain, I'm sorry, I was unable to board the enemy ship's deck..."

John Manjiro put his arm around the soldier's shoulder and smiled reassuringly:

"It's alright, he's already up there!"

……

……

Enemy ship, bow—

"Quick! Buddy! You cover for me! I need to reload!"

An enemy soldier retreated to the rear and skillfully loaded a bullet.

Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he caught a horrifying glimpse—right beside him, at the bow of the ship, stood a ghostly figure.

Because of the dim lighting, the other person's face was shrouded in shadow, making it impossible to see his features clearly. One could only vaguely make out that he was wearing a light blue haori and had two swords, one long and one short, at his waist.

The terrifying "encounter," like seeing a ghost, left the enemy soldiers dumbfounded and almost screaming.

The reason it was described as "almost" was because that "ghostly" thing didn't give him a chance to open his mouth.

In the next instant, the "ghost" appeared in front of him—with the momentum of a charge and the clang of a blade being drawn!

The last thing he saw in his life was a purplish-black blade of light filling his vision.