I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"I can see Osaka!"

"Great! I'm finally back!"

"I never want to ride a boat again in my life!"

The days of sailing caused great suffering to the soldiers who were prone to seasickness.

The long-awaited land was finally before them, and they were overjoyed and eager to set sail, only regretting that the ship was too slow.

They couldn't wait to experience the sense of security of "standing on the ground".

From any perspective, this Northern Expedition can be described as a resounding victory!

They recaptured Wulingguo in just one day.

The enemy chieftain, Xilika, has been executed, and the mastermind behind it all, Mael, has been captured.

The most exhilarating aspect was the sheer size of the spoils.

The "treasure chest" obtained after defeating Mael and the "Ainu Alliance" far exceeded what Qing Deng and the others had anticipated.

It must be said that Mael is indeed extremely capable. As expected of an arms dealer who can buy ironclad warships, he single-handedly supplied an astonishing amount of weaponry!

After two full days of inventory, a detailed "list" was finally compiled.

According to statistics, more than 5,000 muskets and more than 300 artillery pieces of various types were captured in this battle.

As for supplies such as grain, fuel, and medicine, they were countless.

Among the most valuable and precious spoils of war were the two advanced ironclad warships (Napoleon and Joan of Arc), which directly boosted the combat power of the Shogunate fleet to a new level!

After fighting a battle, not only did they suffer minimal losses, but they actually made a fortune!

In the current tense global situation, being able to replenish such a generous amount of military supplies is certainly extremely fortunate.

Incidentally, Aykon and the others who assisted Ogata in infiltrating Goryokaku are all safe and sound.

As soon as the war began, they cleverly hid themselves.

Before the Mu army could even enter the city, they secretly escaped and fled to a safe area north of Goryokaku.

After the battle, Aoto and Ogata managed to meet with them.

In gratitude, Qingdeng gave them 50 muskets and a sufficient amount of ammunition, and taught them how to use them—this batch of guns and ammunition was enough to give Shikongka a superior status among the various tribes!

Presumably, Yaikong and the others have now safely returned to Shikongkala and are continuing their peaceful fishing and hunting life.

Nagakura Shinpachi once suggested to Aoto: Do ​​not rush to withdraw your troops, but continue the war! Send your troops north, deep into the interior of Ezo, and completely annihilate the Hilippo Shidachi—the tribe led by Shilika—by physical means to erase them from the map as a warning to others and to deter the Ainu people so that they will never dare to cause trouble again.

His proposal received the support of generals such as Heisuke Todo and Noboru Nakajima.

Perhaps because he often associates with Hijikata Toshizo, Nagakura Shinpachi's current style of doing things and thinking is increasingly resembling that of the "Demon Vice-Commander".

Although Shinpachi Nagakura's suggestion made some sense, Aoto politely declined.

First of all, after this battle, the Ainu people will not have the strength to challenge Chinden for a long time to come.

Secondly, their greatest enemy at present is the extremely restless vassal states of the West.

For Qingdeng, all military affairs except for the "East-West Decisive Battle" could be postponed or even ignored.

Therefore, after capturing Mael and counting the spoils, Qingdeng quickly issued the order to "return to base" and did not want to stay for a moment longer.

With Aoto's decision made, Nagakura Shinpachi, Todo Heisuke, and the others had no choice but to obey.

Meanwhile, Mael, now a prisoner, has been interrogated daily by Qing Deng, who is trying to extract every last drop of "intelligence value" from him.

Thanks to the intelligence provided by the other side, Qing Deng was no longer completely in the dark about the Fa-Zhu Party and knew nothing about it.

Following the revelation that "Orochi is a middle-aged, overweight man suffering from a terminal illness" and "Ōtakemaru is deaf and mute," he learned more secrets related to the Fazhu Party—

Tamamo-no-Mae is an old woman with gray hair; Ōtakemaru has a younger sister named "O-Rin"; the Ōtakemaru siblings lost their parents at a young age and were adopted by Yamata no Orochi...

The more Qing Deng learned about the Fazhu Party, the more curious he became about the Yamata no Orochi.

Who exactly is this person, that he could lead a group of heroes and stir up trouble with such a frail body...?

According to Mael, his cooperation with the French National Party only lasted a few months ago.

After the "First Battle of Edo Castle", he parted ways with Orochi and others.

From then on, he never associated with the Fazhu Party again, nor did he see Yamata no Orochi or the others, and he had no idea where they were.

It is worth mentioning that even Mael, who had close ties with the French Extermination Party, did not know the ultimate purpose of these madmen's rampage.

The reason why various forces are vying for power is simply for the sake of "profit".

The Zunyao faction aimed to replace the Edo Shogunate and establish a completely new national order.

The Great Salt Party had similar goals: to rebuild the world.

In general, everyone's ultimate goal is "construction," and the only difference between them is that their respective "new eras" are not the same.

The only exception is the punishment of the party; they are jumping around and fearing nothing more than chaos, seemingly only interested in "destruction" and having no intention of "construction".

The so-called "chaotic evil" is roughly like this.

Qingden had no idea how to deal with Mael.

If his crimes were investigated, even ten heads wouldn't be enough to chop him off.

However, Qingdeng promised Mael that he would be treated well as long as Mael cooperated obediently.

Furthermore, Mael is well-versed in Western affairs, so sparing his life might allow him to contribute his remaining energy in the future.

Perhaps she was completely disappointed in her father, because Elodie never saw Mael again after that conversation.

Qingdeng had tried to subtly inquire about Elodie's opinion, but to his surprise, she only coldly replied:

“Master, please judge him according to the law. If he deserves to be beheaded, then behead him; if he deserves to be dismembered, then dismember him. Don’t worry about me.”

It seems Elodie is determined to sacrifice her own family for the greater good...

Although Elodie's attitude seemed cruel, Qingdeng understood her feelings very well.

After all, Elodie has always been a good girl with a strong sense of justice—a girl who idolizes Robin Hood, which shows how much she hates evil.

It's not hard to imagine how disappointed and angry she would be if her biological father were a selfish, cruel, and despicable man.

Ultimately, after much deliberation, Qingdeng decided to spare Mael's life, temporarily sentencing him to "life imprisonment."

Just as Aoto was gazing into the distance, lost in thought, Ogata's voice suddenly rang out from behind him:

"Tachibana-kun, our journey is almost over."

Aoto turned his head and looked back—Ogata floated to his side and stood shoulder to shoulder with him.

“Journey? Mr. Ogata, do you call ‘war’ ‘travel’? If I had the chance in the future, I would really like to travel to Ezo instead of going to war.”

Qingdeng gave a wry smile as he spoke.

Ogata spread his hands:

"For me, every trip I take is a journey, and my long life is made up of one journey after another."

He paused, then adopted a tone filled with mixed emotions:

"After we disembark, we will say goodbye."

"Thinking about it carefully, it's quite sad to see this happen. I'm afraid we'll hardly have this kind of cooperation again in the future."

Qingdeng remarked, half-jokingly:

"It's a pity that the world doesn't know that the 'Eternal Sword Saint' also participated in this war."

"Otherwise, I really want to know how the world and future historians will judge this battle."

Ogata Kanji:

"The two strongest swordsmen of our time are fighting side by side, and they deserve the name 'Summit'."

Qingdeng chuckled to himself:

“‘Top of the class’... that’s not a bad title.”

After they finished speaking, the two laughed together.

Suddenly, Ogata slowly suppressed his smile, his expression turning serious:

"...Tachibana-kun, you have to keep up the good work!"

Qingdeng was taken aback:

Why are you telling me this in such a serious manner?

Ogata turned his head west:

"Even someone like me who doesn't care about politics can see that a major war is imminent."

“Satsuma, Choshu, Tosa, Hizen, the Hōshū-dō... none of them are easy to deal with.”

"I have a premonition—it won't be long before a great war that will determine the future of the world will be launched."

"Keep up the good work, and don't lose."

Qingdeng raised an eyebrow and said half-jokingly:

“Mr. Ogata, if I could get your help, I would not be afraid even if a million lions attacked me.”

Ogata said irritably:

"You want me to work for you? Not so easy."

"I've long since withdrawn from worldly affairs."

“If I hadn’t heard of the appearance of an ‘immortal,’ I wouldn’t have even participated in this Northern Expedition.”

"So don't expect me to help you."

"You'll have to work harder yourself."

"After all... this is your own story, isn't it?"

"Since it's your story, you have to create it with your own hands."

As Ogata spoke, he cast a smiling glance at Aoto.

Qingdeng shrugged and returned the same smiling look.