I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

The credit for being "first to arrive" has been stolen... which will certainly be disheartening for some.

Conversely, many people are also happy about this.

Finally, someone successfully scaled the walls of Goryokaku, and the previously stagnant battle situation finally changed. The light blue haori fluttered on the Goryokaku walls... This scene brought a great deal of confidence to many people!

Following their initial shock, the enemy troops were quickly gripped by intense unease and panic.

People are attacking!

"Don't panic! Only one person can climb the city wall!"

"Quick! Surround him! Stab him to death with spears!"

"Quickly, bring me a spear!"

Under clear command, the defenders on the wall quickly split into two groups.

The vast majority of people continued to resist the Mu army below the wall.

A small group of people picked up short knives and spears, adopted a hunting stance, and surrounded the lone team member who was guarding the "climbing point" alone.

The difference between winning the honor of being the "first to reach the summit" and surviving to receive the reward of being the "first to reach the summit" is undoubtedly enormous!

They finally made it onto the enemy wall, only to be brutally killed by enemy soldiers... There are countless precedents like this.

With no comrades by his side, he had to fight alone, facing a vast number of enemy soldiers by himself... It would be no exaggeration to describe his life as hanging by a thread.

Strangely, however, the soldier showed no fear whatsoever.

Facing the surging and rapidly approaching enemy soldiers, he calmly raised his katana and assumed a stance.

Although he knew the other person wouldn't understand him, he still solemnly and deliberately announced his home address:

"Members of the Second Division of the Shinsengumi"

"The Man-Slayer" Oishi Kuwajiro

"Come on!"

The moment the words left his mouth, the spears struck.

To make them easier to use on the city walls, these spears were specially whittled into short spears, only a little over a meter long.

The short spears thrusting out from different directions are like spider silk, weaving into a huge "spider web" that envelops the "prey".

Despite his fierce approach, Oishi Kuwajiro quickly made everyone present realize that he was not the kind of "prey" that could be caught in the "spider web".

He quickly scanned the area, confirming the location of each incoming short spear, and then swiftly ducked.

Because of the speed, his two movements appeared to be performed simultaneously.

These short spears came from all directions, but none of them blocked his lower body.

In the instant he ducked, the sharp spearheads crossed and pierced his back.

In the next instant, Oishi Kuwajiro switched from dodging to attacking, and a bright glint of light shot up from the ground—crack, crack, crack—a series of crisp sounds rang out, and several short spears were cut into two clean pieces, and the "spider web" shattered.

He dismantled the opponent's offensive with a beautiful move, but instead of getting up, he kept his body extremely low and flew to slash at the enemy soldiers' lower body—any enemy soldier within his slashing range was his target!

In an instant, severed legs appeared on the ground, and enemy soldiers clutched their clean cuts, howling as they fell to the ground.

In just a few seconds, he had cut down more than ten enemy soldiers... This astonishing combat power filled the surrounding air with an atmosphere of fear.

Oishi Kuwajiro did not go forward to finish off the enemy soldiers whose legs had been cut off. Firstly, it was unnecessary, and secondly, the wounded scattered on the ground could slow down the movement of the remaining enemy soldiers.

After wiping away the bloodstains on his sword, Oishi Kuwajiro stepped forward, seemingly intending to launch a deep attack into the enemy's territory and completely break through the defenses on the wall.

But he immediately realized something, stopped in his tracks, and then pulled back the foot he had just stepped out.

Behind him were two long ladders.

He didn't have the ability to defend all the ladders on an entire city wall, but he was quite confident that he could defend just one or two ladders!

Oishi Kuwajiro took a deep breath, held his sword in front, and guarded the "climbing point" like a door god, preventing any enemy soldiers from getting close and buying time for his comrades to climb the wall.

The enemy soldiers weren't fools. Seeing how skilled Oishi Kuwajiro was with his sword, they dared not advance rashly any further.

The short spear was sheathed, and the bow and arrows were drawn.

"This man's swordsmanship is superb! Don't get close to him! Shoot him with arrows!"

The bows that were originally aimed at the wall all turned and aimed at Oishi Kuwajiro.

Upon seeing this, Oishi Kuwajiro's face turned somewhat serious.

If it were in an open area, that would be fine, but facing a hail of arrows on a narrow, cramped wall... no matter how confident he was in his skills, he would never dare to be careless.

Fortunately, he had plenty of "protective gear" around him that he could use to block arrows.

He quickly bent down, grabbed an enemy soldier who was still groaning from his broken leg, and dragged him in front of him to use as a "human shield".

He had barely set up his shield when a rain of arrows descended... A dense barrage of arrows enveloped Oishi Kuwajiro.

The sharp whistling of arrows piercing the air and the muffled thud of arrowheads sinking into flesh rose and fell in succession.

The poor man who was shielded by Oishi Kuwajiro was instantly riddled with arrows and died before he could even let out a scream.

Thanks to the protection of this "human shield," Oishi Kuwajiro escaped death.

Unfortunately... no matter how useful this "human shield" is, it can't protect his entire body.

Suddenly, an arrow flew out from the side and shot straight at Oishi Kuwajiro's side waist—a part that the "human shield" could not protect!

Oishi Kuwajiro sensed the threat posed by the arrow, and his expression changed.

From this position, at this angle... it's impossible to dodge or block it!

Fortunately, at this critical moment—

clang!

The blade of light suddenly flashed through the air, striking the arrowhead precisely and sending it flying.

A light blue haori, fluttering rapidly as it moved, caught the eye of Ōishi Kuwajiro—Nagakura Shinpachi arrived just in time to shield him from the arrow.

then--

Nakajima Noboru: "Second Division, advance! Suppress the enemy! Take control of the city walls!"

"Kill them all!"

"It's our turn, warriors, to show our skills!"

"You were having a good time throwing stones and dumping excrement on us! Now it's our turn to get back at you!"

One by one, the soldiers climbed over the two long ladders that Oishi Kujiro had been so determined to protect and successfully reached the top of the city wall.

The ten-odd seconds gained by Da Shiqiao's solo defense of the "climbing point" against the enemy successfully created an "eye" that turned the tide of the battle!

In the blink of an eye, more than a dozen soldiers had climbed onto the wall, mostly members of the Shinsengumi's Second Division.

The frustration of being trapped in a fortified city and the oppression of being overwhelmed by the enemy were released at this moment!

They roared and attacked, brandishing their sharp blades and slaughtering every enemy soldier within sight.

The narrow wall, where even turning around is difficult, is the perfect place for them to demonstrate their reputation as the "Man-Slaying Group"!

The Ainu are skilled archers but not close combaters. If they were to compete with the Shinsengumi in close combat, the outcome would be predictable!

As the blades flashed, handfuls of hot blood sprayed out, soaking the wall.

The "climbing points" were expanded in one go, and the enemy's defenses retreated again and again!

Are you injured?

Oishi Kuwajiro, a beat slow to realize that Nagakura Shinpachi was talking to him, hurriedly replied:

"No."

Nagakura Shinpachi grinned:

"Since you're not injured, let's continue the fight!"

As he spoke, he swept his gaze across Oishikujiro, his face beaming with delight as he carefully examined him:

"You did a great job! I never expected our Shinsengumi to have such a hidden master like you! What's your name?"

Oishi Kuwajiro answered quickly:

"My name is Ōishi Kuwajiro! I enlisted when General Tachibana launched the 'Second Great Conscription'!"

The scale of the "second large-scale conscription" far exceeded that of the "first large-scale conscription".

Not only do they need to replenish their losses, but they also need to expand the Shinsengumi's forces in one fell swoop to prepare for the upcoming "East-West War".

The sudden influx of new recruits meant that the captains had not yet gotten to know all the new men under their command.

"So you're new here! No wonder I've never seen you before! You did a great job! After the battle, I'll personally report your success to Mr. Tachibana!"

Upon hearing this, Oishi Kuwajiro subconsciously twitched his lips a few times, a strange look flashing in his eyes—he only showed this unusual expression after hearing Aoto's name.

Shinpachi Nagakura did not notice the change in Oishi Kuwajiro's expression.

After giving him an approving look, he raised his hand and patted the other person on the shoulder.

"Alright! Enough with the small talk! There are too many enemies ahead, it's making me anxious! It's time to 'clean things up'!"

Upon hearing this, Oishi Kuwajiro snapped out of his daze and nodded vigorously in response.

The elite troops led by Nagakura Shinpachi and Nakajima Noboru have successively climbed the walls of Goryokaku... To be fair, there is no need to elaborate on the subsequent changes in the battle situation.

It's nothing more than "the Shogunate army advancing with the force of a raging storm" and "the Ainu allied forces retreating again and again"!

Without the protection of the walls, engaging the Shinsengumi in close combat is tantamount to attacking their strength with one's own weakness.

The two armies clashed like crashing ocean waves—one side remained largely unchanged, while the other was battered and its waves rippled! The Ainu coalition forces immediately found themselves at a disadvantage!

Shinpachi Nagakura, Noboru Nakajima, and the suddenly emerging Jiro Oishi became the three sharpest arrows! Leading their squad members, they charged back and forth, tearing apart the enemy's defenses without hesitation, and were invincible wherever they went!

The battle on the walls had become one-sided, with the Mongol army fighting with increasing ferocity and poised to completely seize the southern part of the walls.

There are no longer any so-called "climbing points" on the wall; the entire southern section of the city wall is now a "climbing point"!

More and more soldiers of the Mongol army climbed the city walls and joined the battle.

More and more Ainu people are collapsing and unable to get up.

More and more cries of anguish echoed through the clear sky.