I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Xilika's eyes widened, his teeth gritted, and he glared fiercely at Hepoyi in front of him.

Hepo's forehead was covered in cold sweat:

“That ‘rat’ is no ordinary person! Not only arrows, but even muskets can’t kill him! I’ve sent dozens of musketeers to surround and wipe out the ‘rat,’ but we can’t hit him at all! He dodges bullets as easily as drinking water!”

For Ogata, who "suddenly appeared" and caused great chaos, Shrekka and others gave him the code name "Rat"—meaning a despicable creature that sneaked in.

"What did you say? Dodge bullets?"

The veins on both sides of Xilika's temples twitched slightly, like wriggling worms... Anger, confusion and other emotions stained his cheeks.

Two nights ago, he received a report that "Niou can cut bullets."

And today, following Niou, another swordsman who can treat firearms as nothing has appeared...

What's going on here? Are there really so many experts among them?

Sirika's face paled slightly... For the first time, he began to doubt the legitimacy of the "Yamato Conquest".

If there are so many monsters among the people, is there any point in continuing this battle?

"Sylica, what... should we do now?"

Hepoi's rhetorical question brought Xilika back to his senses.

Since the Mu army attacked, nothing good has happened.

Mael led the fleet in an escape...

The Shogunate fleet successfully landed...

A "rat" sneaked into the Five-Tiered Wall, and no amount of effort could get rid of him...

There was no good news, but one bad news after another.

An overwhelming sense of foreboding washed over Xilika… Although he desperately didn’t want to confront the thought, he vaguely sensed that they might lose…

Meeting Hepo's earnest gaze, Xilika bit her tongue lightly, forcing herself to regain her composure.

"...Never mind 'Rat' for now! No matter how powerful he is, he's only one person!"

"Send out a few squadrons. It doesn't matter if we can't kill him, just restrict his movements as much as possible!"

"Compared to the 'rats,' the Mongol army outside the city is the real enemy!"

"If we can hold off the Mu army, everything will be fine! If we can't, we're doomed!"

"Get all gunners to the gun emplacements! Those misfired emplacements must be brought back into operation as soon as possible! The barrage of fire cannot be stopped!"

"After we defeat the Shogunate army, we'll deal with this 'rat' slowly! We have over a thousand men! If we take turns attacking, we'll exhaust him to death!"

Xilika issued each instruction firmly and forcefully.

Upon hearing this, He Poyi's eyes regained some light, and he responded loudly, "Yes."

Xilika's instructions not only restored Hepoi's confidence but also helped him clear his mind and calm down.

That's right! We haven't lost yet! We still have a chance to win!

No matter how strong a mere "rat" is, it cannot decide the outcome!

The Shogunate troops outside the city are the ones we need to pay the most attention to!

As long as we defeat the Mongol army and hold Goryokaku, it will be a victory for us!

With this thought in mind, Xilika took a deep breath, and his expression returned to its cold and resolute state.

Just then, another of Xilika's confidants—who looked flustered and unsteady on his feet—stumbled over:

"Sir, Sirika! The Mu army outside the city... has attacked!"

……

……

While continuing to monitor Goryokaku in the distance, Nakajima Noboru (Second Division Vice-Captain) asked Nagakura Shinpachi beside him:

"Captain, what do you think? Should we attack?"

Nagakura Shinpachi frowned slightly, as if deep in thought.

He was not a well-read and knowledgeable person, and could not think as sharply as Hijikata Toshizo or Yamanami Keisuke.

However, like Harada Sanosuke, he has an extremely keen "sense of smell"! He can intuitively judge when to attack and when to retreat!

The barrage of cannon fire from Goryokaku subsided... Although the exact reason was unclear, Nagakura Shinpachi's heart was pounding with excitement and elation.

There's no time to wait for the Eleventh Division to complete their artillery preparations! Now is the perfect time to attack!

With his mind made up, Nagakura Shinpachi drew his sword from his waist with a "whoosh," his fighting spirit bursting forth!

Just as he was about to shout "Attack!", Nakajima Noboru, standing beside him, suddenly cried out in a trembling voice:

"My lord, my lord?!"

Nagakura Shinpachi was startled and quickly turned around—the Qing Deng, who should have been on the Kanrinmaru, was now standing behind him, walking leisurely toward him.

Wherever Qingdeng passed, the soldiers all stepped aside to make way, gazing at this living legend with either admiration or nervousness.

"Mr. Ju, what brings you here?"

"The enemy ships have fled, so there's no use for me staying on the ship. I might as well come and join you. Shinpachi, why are you covered in dust? Did you fall when you disembarked?"

"I would never make such a mistake. A shell just landed near me, kicking up a cloud of dust and leaving me with a mouthful of mud."

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Qing Deng moved to stand beside Yongcang Xinba, and the two stood side by side.

"The barrage of artillery fire from Goryokaku has lessened. Shinpachi, what are your thoughts?"

Nagakura Shinpachi answered without hesitation:

"Now is the perfect time to attack!"

"The enemy could resume shelling at any moment. If we don't attack now, when will we?"

"Although I would like to wait until the Eleventh Division has completed its artillery preparations before launching an offensive, if we continue to wait like this, I am afraid we will miss the opportunity."

At this point, Nagakura Shinpachi suddenly remembered something, his expression changed slightly, and then he lowered his voice and quietly asked Aoto:

"Mr. Tachibana, could it be that Kazuma Mashima reduced the barrage of artillery fire from Goryokaku?"

Besides Katsura Rintaro, the other people who knew the details of Aoto's plan to "send 'Majima Kazuma' to infiltrate Goryokaku" were Nagakura Shinpachi and Todo Heisuke.

To be honest, when he first heard about the plan, Shinpachi Nagakura didn't understand it at all.

What good is sending just one undercover agent? Is he some kind of "Sword Saint reincarnated"? Can he single-handedly disable such a large fortress?

Despite his confusion, he didn't say much, considering that it was a plan personally devised by Qing Deng. Within a few days, he had completely forgotten about the plan and this "Majima Kazuma."

Only now did he suddenly recall the relevant matters…

In response to Nagakura Shinpachi's question, Aoto smiled slightly:

"Well... who knows."

Having said that, he turned to look at the soldiers around him, surveyed them, and then inhaled to gather his strength:

"Everyone!"

Talent "Piercing Clouds and Splitting Rocks +4" activated!

"Listen! The enemy's artillery fire is decreasing!"

"They've run out of ammunition!"

"Now is the best time to seize the opportunity and retake Wulingguo!"

"I, Ju Qingdeng, guarantee you with my own honor—whoever reaches the top first will be rewarded with three thousand taels of gold!"

The moment Qing Deng finished speaking, the atmosphere at the scene suddenly heated up.

Heavy breathing sounds rang out one after another, and ambitious gazes wandered in mid-air.

First to scale the walls, slay a general, break through enemy lines, capture the flag... the four great military achievements of ancient times.

Any one of these four military achievements would be enough to change one's destiny!

Three thousand taels of gold... Such a huge sum of money is more than enough to change one's own destiny, let alone the destiny of three generations to come!

This was especially true for the many poor samurai from Oshu—they wouldn't even dare to burn such a large amount of paper money for their ancestors!

Relying on his generous promises and political credibility that he always keeps his word, Qing Deng successfully inspired the fighting spirit of the entire army with just a few simple words!

Seeing that it was about time, Qing Deng turned his head to the side and gestured to Nagakura Shinpachi with his eyes.

Nagakura Shinpachi nodded vigorously, understanding perfectly, and then—

"attack!!"

In the instant he roared, he took the lead and was the first to leap out of the cover.

As the captain of the second division of the Shinsengumi and one of the core retainers of the Hatatsu Domain, Nagakura Shinpachi was not short of money.

Three thousand taels of gold was a huge sum of money, but it was not enough to sway him.

The reason he charged ahead was purely out of a sense of honor—even if he faced ghosts and gods, he would forge ahead!

Nagakura Shinpachi's leading the charge boosted the morale of the entire army to a new level!

"Go! Stick close to the captain!"

"Reclaim Wulingguo!"

"kill!"

To use a vivid analogy... it's like an anthill that's been disturbed.

The "anthill" that was peaceful and tranquil just a second ago is now swarming with countless "ants"!

Squads of soldiers rushed out of their hiding places, and from a distance, they really looked like ants bursting out of their nest! It was enough to make anyone with trypophobia's scalp tingle!

The Ainu people on the Wulingguo city wall noticed the Mu army's attack immediately and quickly sounded the alarm.

"The enemy is attacking!"

"Where are our cannons! Fire!"

"Get to the city walls! All of you, get to the city walls! Prepare to meet the enemy!"