I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Unfortunately, it was too late.

Click!

The chain connecting the sickle suddenly tightened, pulling the sickle back to its master's hand. The blade swept across Gao Song's neck like cutting grass, making a sound of flesh being sliced ​​and bones being broken—a dull thud—and Gao Song's head fell to the ground.

Looking at the completely bewildered Takamatsu, Sagara Souzo blinked. While feeling fortunate to have survived the ordeal, intense confusion gripped his heart.

He didn't recognize these people... Were they reinforcements? But he couldn't imagine which force would extend a helping hand to him.

Just as he was completely bewildered, a middle-aged man emerged from the battlefield, which was nearing its end, and moved toward him.

Sōzō Sagara stared intently at the other person, half wary and half puzzled.

Who are you?

The middle-aged man smiled slightly and bowed very politely to Sōzō San.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. I am Ye Zong, a member of the Da Yan Party. Mr. Xiang Le, we have come here specifically to rescue the Red Guards."

At that moment, Sagara Sozo spotted familiar figures outside the temple gate—his companions!

They were covered in blood and clung to with lingering killing intent, clearly having just been in a fierce battle.

Although many people are missing, at least some "seeds" have been preserved.

Seeing that the Red Report Squad had not been completely wiped out, Sagara Sozo couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief, feeling like he wanted to cry.

After calming down a bit, he looked at Ebina again:

"You saved my companions?"

Ebina nodded:

"Indeed. Unfortunately, by the time we arrived, many of your comrades had already died in battle. I am very sorry."

"No need to apologize, I am very grateful that you are willing to help."

At this point, Sagara paused three times, then put on a serious face and said earnestly:

"Before I give my formal thanks, I would like to clarify one point—I do not know any Big Salt Party."

"It's okay, you'll get to know each other soon."

Ebina smiled as he spoke.

……

……

The first year of Kuangtian/the first year of Meiji (1865), November 12th——

Qinjin Fan, Dajin, Judi——

Today is Lunar New Year's Eve.

An important annual festival naturally deserves to be treated with great care—and the Orange family is no exception.

As soon as the sky began to lighten, the entire Ju residence was bustling with activity.

The servants were mobilized to clean the corridors, carry ingredients, and cook dishes, each performing their assigned duties.

To prepare for tonight's New Year's Eve dinner, Qing Deng not only gave himself half a day off, but also gave the Shinsengumi officers half a day off.

This served both as a reward for their hard work and as a way to conserve their strength for the great war to come.

Not long ago, Qingdeng received accurate intelligence—the "Southern Dynasty" showed signs of a large-scale troop mobilization!

After the troops were assembled, the daily consumption of food and supplies was astronomical.

For logistical reasons, it's naturally better to send troops out as soon as possible.

Therefore, the synonym for "assembling troops" is "preparing to attack"!

In other words... the Southern Dynasty will attack after the New Year!

From the “founding of the Southern Dynasty” to the “imminent Northern Expedition”, only a few months had passed… Although it seemed rushed, Qing Deng was not surprised at all.

He would be surprised if the Southern Dynasty did not launch an offensive immediately.

The power balance between the Northern and Southern Dynasties was similar to that between the Wei and Shu Han states during the Three Kingdoms period.

Why did Prime Minister Zhuge Liang launch six expeditions to Qishan? Didn't he know that frequent military campaigns would harm the people's livelihood?

Of course he knew, but he had no choice.

The Wei Kingdom occupied the Guanzhong Plain and the North China Plain, which were rich in resources, and its overall national strength was far superior to that of the Shu Han Kingdom.

It was only because of years of war and the devastation of the north that Shu Han was able to challenge Wei.

If we wait for the Wei Kingdom to recover its strength, the restoration of the Han Dynasty will forever remain a dream.

That time and that moment are exactly like this moment.

Japan's three major plains—the Kanto Plain, the Nobi Plain, and the Osaka Plain—were all within the sphere of influence of the Northern Court.

However, the frequent wars in recent years have severely weakened the Northern Dynasty.

The Nobi Plain and the Kanto Plain are the hardest-hit areas, and normal production activities have not yet resumed.

Needless to say, the capital region, which was the site of the most battles, was even more affected.

In contrast, the Southern Dynasties were not greatly affected by the war.

Qing Deng is not in a hurry for the upcoming "East-West showdown," believing that the longer it drags on, the more advantageous it will be.

The people in the Southern Dynasty were anxious. They had to take advantage of the current situation, when the difference in strength between the two sides was the smallest, to fight the Northern Dynasty to see who would win!

It's not hard to imagine that the rulers and ministers of the "Southern Dynasty" would absolutely go all out, betting everything and using every means possible to fight an unprecedented "battle of the Heavenly King Mountain" against the "Northern Dynasty"!

For Qing Deng and others, this year's Lunar New Year's Eve is probably their last "rest time"...

Therefore, we should cherish every minute and every second of the present moment.

That night, Qingdeng and his family enjoyed a sumptuous and lively New Year's Eve dinner.

Also attending the banquet were Tenshōin and Wakō.

For Qingdeng, this mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were already his family, so there was no reason for him to exclude them.

Unfortunately, two other important family members—Sōji and Tokugawa Iemochi—remained bedridden.

The absence of these two individuals made the New Year's Eve dinner feel somewhat lonely.

Fortunately, Tachibana Masatomi and Tachibana Mako were there, which added a touch of warmth.

The intelligence of these two little ones is truly astonishing.

At an age when she shouldn't be learning to walk, she was already wobbling and stumbling into Qingdeng's arms.

At an age when they shouldn't be learning to speak, they can already stammer out many words.

The siblings' clumsy yet amusing "talent show" added a lot of laughter to the dinner.

Qingdeng only regrets that video recorders have not yet been invented.

Otherwise, he really wanted to record all of the siblings' "talent shows" and play them at family gatherings when they grew up, then quietly watch their amusing emotional outbursts caused by the "embarrassing revelations."

Incidentally, Aoto also invited Kiryu, the owner of the company in Osaka, and Kinoshita Rin, but they had to attend a gathering inside the Gourd House and had to decline.

……

……

That night (half an hour after the New Year's Eve dinner ended) —

Orange Mansion, a certain courtyard—

Qingdeng sat cross-legged on the veranda, quietly admiring the snow scene.

Snowflakes drifted down like fairies.

The occasional cold wind made Qing Deng frequently pull his thick haori tighter around his body.

Compared to the incredibly lively New Year's Eve dinner just now, this moment of solitude is so tranquil, giving one a feeling of being in another world.

Suddenly, a gentle female voice came from behind him:

"Qingdeng, you're here."

Immediately following was a clear, cold female voice:

Why are you standing here in the cold wind?

Qing Deng turned his head to look—and saw Sanako and Ama walking towards him side by side.

"Zanako, Mai, do you know what 'cave time' is?"

Ah Wu tilted her head and answered honestly:

"do not know."

As they spoke, the two women sat down on either side of Qingdeng.

"The so-called 'cave time' is a special behavior of men."

"Men often use 'solitude' as a way to restore their mental and physical strength."

Even the strongest man sometimes wants to be alone.

After listening, Sanako nodded earnestly:

"I think I can understand."

"My brother always locked himself in his room."

“Sometimes when I go to his room to find him, he always anxiously tells me to leave and not to come in.”

"...Luckily you didn't go in, otherwise Jutaro would have been burdened with an indelible psychological trauma." Aoto silently felt relieved for Chiba Jutaro.

At this moment, Ah Wu, looking apologetic, weakly interjected:

"I see... So are we disturbing you now?"

Qingdeng smiled and shook his head:

"It's okay. Actually, I haven't entered 'cave time' yet. I just want to enjoy the snow."

Sanako's face darkened upon hearing this: