I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"Prepare to fire! Once enemy ships enter the firing range, open fire immediately! Don't be stingy with cannonballs!"

……

……

Xianlinwan, the bow——

Qing Deng watched with a serious expression as the "Napoleon" and "Joan of Arc" slowly departed from the harbor.

On the night of the surprise attack on Hakodate Bay, Aoto made the greatest contribution.

The steam engine of the enemy ship (the Sun King), which he was personally in charge of, was completely destroyed, rendering it powerless.

With his support, the armory of the enemy ship (Napoleon) under the command of Heisuke Todo was detonated.

In comparison, Nagakura Shinpachi's contribution was the least; the enemy ship he was in charge of (Jeanne d'Arc) did not suffer serious damage.

Nagakura Shinpachi apologized to Aoto for this, saying that he had worked all night but only killed a few enemy soldiers and had not caused any significant damage to the enemy ships. He felt deeply ashamed.

It was indeed a pity that the "Jeanne d'Arc" could not be destroyed, but that was not enough to blame Nagakura Shinpachi. So Aoto simply patted him on the shoulder and asked him to make greater contributions in the battles to make up for the regret.

The only ships capable of confronting ironclad warships were the Hamrin Maru, the Kansai Maru, and the Fuji Maru; those outdated sailing ships were absolutely useless.

Despite being a 3-on-2 advantage, it remains to be seen whether this slight numerical advantage can offset the huge gap in quality.

Qing Deng turned his head and said solemnly to Johann Wanjiro beside him:

"Manjiro, I'm counting on you."

He knew nothing about naval warfare, so whether or not they could seize control of the sea depended entirely on the performance of experts like Katsura Rintaro and John Manjiro.

John Vanjiro smiled slightly and responded loudly:

"General Tachibana, leave it to me! To be honest, I'm incredibly excited right now! I've been wanting to test just how capable these days' popular ironclad warships really are!"

Almost at the same time that the Napoleon and Joan of Arc began to depart, the Hamrin Maru, Kansai Maru, and Fuji Maru successively changed course.

The three ships separated from the fleet, with the latter continuing to approach Hakodate Bay in preparation for landing, while the former formed a triangular formation and headed straight for the enemy ships!

The Hamrin Maru leads the way, while the Kanko Maru and Fujisan Maru protect the two flanks.

At this moment, the crew members of the three ships tensed their facial expressions, their solemnity beyond measure, revealing a resolute look of "a hero going forth never to return."

At this moment, all of them, including Xilika in Goryokaku, were eagerly anticipating the annihilation of the Mu army fleet.

At this moment, a somber atmosphere filled the sea. As if sensing an unusual scent in the air, the seabirds all fled into the distance.

A great war is about to break out!

Just as the two fleets were about to clash... an unexpected scene unfolded.

The Napoleon and Joan of Arc suddenly made a right-angle turn and headed east.

They left so decisively, without the slightest hesitation, that it was clear they had planned it in advance.

This sudden change not only left Xilika and the others dumbfounded, but also surprised Qingdeng and the others.

The crew members looked at each other, sharing an incredulous expression.

John Manjiro couldn't help but ask Aoto:

"General Tachibana, what's the enemy doing here?"

"..."

Qingdeng remained silent—he had no idea what the other side was up to.

Luring the enemy in deep? No, it doesn't seem like it.

Avoid the limelight? The fight hasn't even started yet, why avoid the limelight?

In the end, Qingdeng could only think of one answer—they escaped.

The enemy ships have escaped!

Thick plumes of black smoke billowed from the smokestacks of the "Napoleon" and "Joan of Arc".

Qingdeng didn't understand the speed of the ironclad warships, but judging from the density of the black smoke, they should be traveling at about the same speed, even if they weren't going at full speed.

Before the war began, Qing Deng had considered various scenarios.

He considered the extreme scenarios of a resounding victory, a minor victory, a pyrrhic victory, a minor defeat, and a crushing defeat. He even considered the extreme scenario of all his ships sinking while all the enemy ships remained intact. If it really came to that, he would swim and launch a single-handed assault on the enemy ships.

However, he never imagined that the enemy ships would flee before even engaging in battle!

Even the well-informed Qing Deng was stunned, unable to understand the other party's intentions.

If Qingdeng was simply shocked and confused, then the emotional fluctuations experienced by Xilika were much more complex and profound.

After a brief period of confusion, Xilika instantly understood what was going on.

His eyes widened suddenly, blood vessels like fleshy worms appearing in the whites of his eyes. His face alternated between pale and flushed, his hair and beard stood on end, and he forced out a low growl from between his teeth:

“Ma E. Er—!”

……

……

"Napoleon", bow—

Mael turned to look at the distant Goryokaku, then at the increasingly distant Shogunate fleet, a smile playing on his lips—a smile that conveyed no warmth whatsoever.

"Syraca, I never said I would fight alongside you to the very end. Consider yesterday's bottle of 'Berserker's Essence' my farewell gift. Try your best to kill as many people as possible, and keep up the good work."

……

……

Xianlin Pill——

"General Tachibana, what should we do now?"

John Wanjiro cautiously sought Qing Deng's opinion.

The sudden escape of the enemy ships completely disrupted their plans, leaving the Hamrin Maru, Kanko Maru, and Fuji Maru awkwardly stranded on the sea.

After pondering for a moment, Qing Deng asked in return:

"Manjiro, can we catch up with the enemy ships?"

John Vanjiro turned to look at the "Napoleon" and "Joan of Arc" receding into the distance, pondered for a moment, and then shook his head:

"It's difficult. The enemy ships are much more advanced and their speed is far superior to ours. Even at full speed, it will be difficult to catch up with them."

After receiving earnest advice from professionals, Qingdeng issued the order without hesitation:

"In that case, forget about the enemy ships! Let's recapture Goryokaku first! Send orders to the Kansai Maru and Fuji Maru to advance towards Hakodate Bay!"

……

……

Wulingguo—

The Ainu people on the south side of the city wall all clearly saw these dramatic scenes.

The friendly warships, on which we had placed high hopes, not only failed to fight bravely, but also quickly fled...

In an instant, a deathly silence descended...

Someone not far from Xilika stammered in return:

"Rhino, Rhino, what... what's going on?"

Everyone present—including Xilika's confidant Hepoyi—eagerly turned their heads, their gazes fixed on Xilika, hoping to get a reassuring answer from him.

Xilika didn't keep everyone waiting long.

In a short while, he forcibly suppressed his anger and pretended to be calm, saying:

"Don't worry! Our friendly warships are preparing to flank and launch a surprise attack on the Kazuki's base! It won't be long before the Kazuki's base is engulfed in flames!"

*******

*******

I finally got a good night's sleep today! (Leopard resurrected.jpg) Leopard will keep updating until the end of this month! (Leopard hi.jpg)

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

Chapter 1073 The Mugata Two-Sword Style, Ogata Itsei, reporting for duty! [6000]

Now that things have come to this, there's no way I'd ever say something like "our allies ran away"!

If the truth were to be exposed, it would deal an extremely serious and irreparable blow to the morale of the entire army!

Even if it means deceiving or concealing, the troops must continue to believe that "friendly forces will bravely take the lead!"

In a moment, Cialis belatedly realized that he understood many things.

This morning, Mael, citing "performance review and payroll distribution" as the reason, recalled all French instructors to the "Napoleon".

And then... the instructors never returned, not even when the Shogunate army attacked...

At that time, Cialis had no doubts.

Looking back now... it was all Mael's treacherous scheme!

The reason for the sudden recall of all instructors was purely to prepare for an escape!

In an instant, intense regret welled up in Xilika's heart.

Why did I fall for such a simple trick?

Was it because Mael's long-standing submissiveness had made him complacent and careless?

Or did you underestimate the other party from the very beginning?

The more she thought about it, the more grief and indignation she felt.

Frustration turned into overwhelming depression, as if an invisible boulder was pressing on his chest, making it difficult for him to breathe and almost causing him to vomit blood.

Although his mind was in turmoil, in an instant, his reason caught up with reality, and he regained control of his body.

Whether one's face is gloomy with melancholy or one's hair stands on end with anger, it is all temporary.