I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Under the light, squads of Western soldiers with high eyebrows and deep-set eyes stood guard or patrolled back and forth.

In the hollow of the bay, two enormous warships were moored—the very same two ironclad warships that Qing Deng and the others had seen just a few days ago: the Napoleon and the Joan of Arc.

Upon seeing this, Nagakura Shinpachi secretly clicked his tongue in amazement:

"We've finally found them..."

Aoto surveyed the bay and calmly addressed Nagakura Shinpachi:

"Shinpachi, go there yourself and tell Katsura Rintaro in the rear: mobilize the troops and prepare for a night attack."

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Chapter 1087 The Ultimate Weapon to End Swords and Blades! [4800]

Either don't fight at all, or once you start, you must decide the winner in the shortest possible time and inflict maximum damage on your opponent—veterans like Nagakura Shinpachi are familiar with Aoto's fighting style.

Even so, Nagakura Shinpachi couldn't help but show a look of surprise:

"Mr. Tachibana? Shall we make a move? Now?"

Qing Deng said calmly:

"That's right, now."

Nagakura Shinpachi hesitated for a moment, then said:

“Mr. Ju, is it too hasty to start tonight? Four consecutive days of sailing have exhausted many of the team members. I think it would be better to let the team members rest for a day first... no, even half a day will do.”

Although the four-day voyage involved sailing close to shore and the waves were much smaller than before, many people still couldn't get used to the rough seas.

According to incomplete statistics, nearly one-third of the team members are currently suffering from severe seasickness and cannot even stand steadily, let alone fight with knives.

In response to Nagakura Shinpachi's suggestion, Aoto calmly refuted it:

"Shinpachi, look up at the sky to the east."

Nagakura Shinpachi was taken aback. Although he didn't understand why, he obediently did as he was told.

When he raised his gaze and looked toward the eastern sky as instructed, thick, ink-black clouds filled his view.

Just by looking at the size and number of these dark clouds, you can tell that the upcoming storm will be no small matter.

Qingdeng's voice rang out at the right time:

"A storm is coming."

"When the continuous rain falls, our figures and footsteps will be covered."

"There couldn't be a better 'timing' than this."

"Opportunity knocks but once."

"Besides, who knows if these guys will break camp and set off first thing tomorrow morning."

"At that time, our ships will not be able to catch up with the ironclad warships."

"We must hurry, take advantage of the storm to cover our tracks, and catch them all before they leave!"

After listening to Qing Deng's detailed explanation, Nagakura Shinpachi pursed his lips, pondered for a moment, and then nodded.

“I understand, I was being presumptuous. I will go and inform Mr. Sheng right away.”

……

……

The Napoleon, Mael's bedroom—

Mael stood upright in front of a wall, his left hand behind his back and an oil lamp in his right.

At this moment, in the vast room, the oil lamp in his hand was the only source of light.

Mael wasn't facing the wall, but rather staring at something on it—a map.

Suddenly, Mael held the oil lamp in his hand forward, so that the light could illuminate the map more clearly.

The dim light illuminated the map, as well as Mael's face, which was flushed with excitement, and his eyes, which gleamed with greed.

The map that made Mael look like this was not some mysterious treasure map, but an ordinary map—a map of Ezo!

Compared to the map held by Qingdeng, Mael's map is much more accurate and detailed.

Not only are important mountains and rivers marked, but the distribution of mineral resources and bays suitable for building ports are also clearly marked. It is obvious at a glance that this map must have taken a lot of time to make.

If you want to develop and build up Ezo (Hokkaido), this map is simply priceless!

Mael slowly extended his left hand, his five fingers touching the drawing before he slowly clenched his fist... as if he wanted to hold the Ezo in his hand.

"Finally...finally..."

His intermittent murmurs... made Mael's face even more excited.

He was overwhelmed with mixed emotions... Little did he know, the unexpected "visitors" outside the ship were not just the storm...

……

……

"Quickly, make sure the tents are securely tied up!"

"Hurry up! The storm is coming!"

"Quick! Move all these boxes of gunpowder into the cabin!"

The bay was in a flurry of activity.

Some were setting up camp, some were moving supplies, some were even slacking off... Mael's private soldiers were all preparing to face the impending storm.

Among Mael's private army were many skilled astrologers, and they all recognized that this storm was coming with considerable force.

If they don't quickly come up with countermeasures, their camp will likely be completely destroyed by the storm.

Without warning, the rain began to fall.

Tick, tick, tick...

First came a few scattered drops of rain, then the downpour quickly intensified! Moderate rain, heavy rain, storm... In the blink of an eye, everything in sight was transformed into a vast expanse of water!

Raindrops hit the ground and splashed everywhere. The scattered water droplets were like butterfly wings. At first glance, it looked as if millions of butterflies were dancing.

Following the downpour was a sudden gust of wind.

Waaaaah! Waaaaah! Waaaaah!

The high-speed wind produced a sharp whistling sound, as if it harbored a monster, and had the power to sweep away all obstacles.

Those tents that hadn't been properly secured were all blown away.

Also blown away were hats, chairs, campfires, and anything else of slightly lighter weight.

Even the two ironclad warships (Napoleon and Joan of Arc) anchored deep in the bay were swaying precariously in the wind, resembling roly-poly toys stumbling and falling.

Mael learned from the previous night attack and loss of the "Sun King" and greatly increased the guard force, doubling the number of sentries and patrols.

However, with such terrifying rain, it was impossible to light any torches, and visibility was almost zero.

Looking up, all I could see was either deep darkness or a white curtain of rain.

In such a situation, no amount of sentry posts or patrols would be of much use.

In addition to vision, hearing is also severely affected.

The whooshing of the wind, the patter of rain, the patter of water droplets hitting the ground... all sorts of sounds dominated my ears.

Because they couldn't see or hear anything, the guards at the camp inevitably became less diligent and less motivated.

Just then, on the south side of the camp, two guards wearing raincoats chatted idly while trying to ward off the wind and rain.

"Hey, have you heard? The Prussians are about to unify the German states."

"Yes, I've heard about it."

"The Prussians were quite good at fighting."

"Rather than saying that the Prussians were good at fighting, I think it was their Prime Minister Bismarck who was very capable."

“If this continues, I feel that we French are destined to fight a war with the Prussians.”

"Hmph, let's fight! I can't wait for the war to start! What's there to be afraid of with those mere Prussians? When it comes to fighting, we French are the experts! As long as we French get serious, we can easily crush them! After we destroy the Kingdom of Prussia, let's just hold the award ceremony to honor our heroes at their Charlottenburg Palace!"

The two guards became increasingly engrossed in their conversation... and because of this, they were completely unaware of the two figures behind them...

Aoto and Nagakura Shinpachi lowered their bodies and walked silently, like ghosts.

They approached the two guards from the left and right.

After closing the distance to a certain point, they looked at each other and exchanged glances.

The next moment, they pounced forward, rushing towards their respective opponents!

In an instant, the ghost transformed into a ferocious beast!

Each of them held their opponent firmly, one hand covering their mouth and nose to prevent them from making a sound, the other hand drawing out a wakizashi and slashing it across their neck—the movements were fluid and without the slightest hesitation.

They didn't draw their swords until the very last moment, because if they drew them beforehand, the blade might reflect light and attract the attention of their opponents.

The spurting blood mingled with the raindrops in mid-air, turning into a pale red mist.

After swiftly and decisively eliminating the two guards, Qing Deng and Yongcang Xinba simultaneously made a hand gesture to their backs.

A short while later, more "ghosts" appeared—one by one, the soldiers left their hiding places in the shadows and followed closely behind Qing Deng and Yongcang Xinba, heading deep into the enemy camp.

The rain and the darkness of night provided them with the best camouflage.

Excluding non-combat casualties caused by seasickness or other conditions, the total number of soldiers who could participate in this night raid was over six hundred.

Although the number of people is small, it is barely enough.

During the previous "night raid on Hakodate Bay," Qing Deng fought fiercely but did not forget to estimate the size of Ma'er's private army.