I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"...You're not quite what I imagined. I thought the leader of the Law Extermination Party would look fierce and menacing."

A mocking expression appeared on the face of the Yamata no Orochi:

“People often say this to me, and I often feel regret about it.”

Goto Shojiro changed to a sharp tone and said sternly:

"It is said that you recently led a group of elite troops to the capital region to suppress the Great Salt Party, but the campaign ended in failure. Not only did you fail to destroy the Great Salt Party, you also lost many soldiers."

The Yamata no Orochi did not hide anything or try to deny it; it readily nodded and said:

"That's right, it really happened."

"It is extremely regrettable that we encountered Niou just when we were about to succeed."

"Given the circumstances at the time, if a direct conflict had broken out with Niou, even in the most optimistic scenario, it would have been a fight to the death."

"After weighing the pros and cons, 'quietly retreating' is the most appropriate choice."

Goto Shojiro narrowed his eyes, his voice hoarse:

"...Among the many who perished that night were several of my brothers from Tosa."

The Yamata no Orochi, with a nonchalant smile, said softly:

"In that case, please save this grudge for when you fight Niou later, and then vent it properly."

At that moment, Saigo Kinosuke suddenly stopped whisking his tea, looked up at everyone in front of him, and said loudly:

"The failure to eliminate the Great Salt Party was due to bad luck, not anyone's fault."

"Encountering Niou is like encountering a natural disaster; even if you want to fight it, you are powerless to do anything about it."

"Based on the intelligence available, Qingdeng has most likely formed an alliance with the Da Yan Party."

"Although the latter is not a behemoth, its accumulated foundation over the years should not be underestimated."

"Furthermore, the North Korean government is having increasingly close ties with the French government."

"The French government sent a corps of officers to help North Korea train its army."

"The opponents we will face next are getting stronger and stronger."

"Therefore, just as the great serpent said, at this critical moment, we should work together to fight the enemy."

Upon hearing this, Katsura Kogoro twitched the corners of his mouth, revealing a half-smile:

"It looks like our military conference is going to last a long time."

The reason why these bigwigs, led by Saigo Kinosuke, gathered here at this time was to hold a high-level military meeting to discuss the plan for the decisive battle in the future!

As soon as Katsura Kogoro finished speaking, Goto Shojiro, Eto Shinpei, and the others all frowned and showed solemn expressions.

Saigo Kinosuke noticed the change in their expressions, smiled, and shrugged.

"While the Northern Dynasty is indeed powerful and troublesome, we don't need to panic about it."

"After all... we have an 'ace'."

As he finished speaking, Saigo Kinosuke turned his head to look behind him.

At the edge of his line of sight, British diplomat Satya Nadine smiled and then replied in fluent Japanese:

"Yes, you're right! The British Empire will spare no effort to provide you with assistance!"

*******

*******

It's already the beginning of the month again! Readers with monthly passes, please be sure to vote for this book! (crying leopard head.jpg)

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PS: When typing "布吕奈", I always visualize "吕布" instead of "布吕奈", which often breaks the immersion.

Chapter 1136 Stat Explosion! The Stat Monster After Harvesting All the Martial Artists in the World [5700]

May 2, 1866 (the second year of the Meiji era)

Kanto, Hachioji, the training camp's headquarters—

"shot!"

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

The dense gunfire was deafening.

The slowly rising milky-white smoke obscured the view.

On the vast training ground, the soldiers of the training team diligently practiced musketry.

The roar of cannons echoed from afar, rising and falling in waves.

The French instructors stood with their hands behind their backs, meticulously inspecting the training results, with translators from the Tibetan Scripture Institute following closely behind.

[Note: The Institute for Translating Western Books was an academic institution responsible for translating Western works.]

"Those people over there are too slow! Make sure to keep the ranks straight when marching!" (French)

"Hurry up! Get running!" (French)

"The core of line warfare tactics is courage!" (French)

Whenever the instructors give new instructions, the translators translate them accurately.

At this very moment, in a corner of the southwest of the training ground, Toshizo Hijikata, dressed in a long black overcoat and with his hair slicked back, was watching the training session with great interest.

After cutting his hair, Hijikata Toshizo wore kimonos less and less, and often appeared in a tall and imposing manner with a "long black trench coat, black jacket, and black boots".

He was not alone at the moment; Brune was waiting beside him—and of course, a translator was also indispensable to relay their words.

A few days ago, Toshizo Hijikata was ordered to come and inspect the training of the training team.

After arriving at the training camp's location, he would come here almost every day to watch the training and study with great interest how the French officers assigned training tasks.

Hijikata Toshizo's diligence and eagerness to learn aroused Brune's curiosity.

Now that they were alone together, he took the opportunity to ask:

"Mr. Hijikata, are you very interested in military affairs?"

Hijikata Toshizo smiled slightly and replied, half-jokingly:

"Well, I guess I'd say I'm interested. I think I have quite a talent for this. If I study hard, I might become an invincible general."

Brune chuckled, taking Hijikata Toshizo's words as a joke.

From the moment Brune saw Hijikata Toshizo, he fell in love with him at first sight, finding the man's temperament very much to his liking.

Unlike Aoto's deep gaze, Hijikata Toshizo's eyes always carried an "aggressive" quality, like a tiger or wolf, as if he were ready to pounce at any moment and tear his enemy to pieces.

In Brunet's view, this is the look a soldier should have.

Out of appreciation for the other party, Brunelle chuckled a few times and then spoke again:

“Mr. Hijikata, if you are interested, please come to my room later. I can share with you my years of military experience in managing troops.”

Hijikata Toshizo's eyes lit up:

"Oh? In that case, I shall respectfully accept your offer!"

……

……

May 2, 1866 (the second year of the Meiji era)

Kita-Omi, the garrison of the Aizu army—

"Horses have poor stamina; charging ahead prematurely will only exhaust their strength! When attacking, let the horse trot first, and only start sprinting when the distance is closed!" (French)

Upon hearing this, Sagawa Kanbei (the chief retainer of Aizu and the fiercest warrior of Aizu) turned to the Aizu cavalry behind him and shouted:

"Did you all hear that? Let's do it again! This time, you must control the horse's speed perfectly!"

Because Japan lacked fine horses and because its mountainous terrain lacked suitable terrain for large-scale cavalry deployment, its cavalry combat techniques remained in a state of confusion and uncertainty.

When the French instructors arrived at the Aizu army's camp, they immediately discovered that the Aizu army's use of cavalry could only be described as "crude," relying entirely on brute force without any skill whatsoever.

Therefore, they immediately offered to teach the most advanced cavalry tactics available at the time.

This naturally made the officers and soldiers of the Aizu army feel very unhappy.

They have always been proud of the "Aizu Iron Cavalry" and considered themselves the "number one cavalry in the world".

Even if they were to face the 7th or 10th Divisions of the Shinsengumi, they would be confident of victory.

A bunch of pretentious Western barbarians actually want to teach them how to operate cavalry? What a joke.

Although they were reluctant to accept the French instructors' instruction, Matsudaira Katamori had given a strict order beforehand: everyone must unconditionally obey the French instructors' instructions! No airs, and no tantrums!

Therefore, despite their displeasure, the Aizu soldiers had no choice but to grit their teeth and obediently accept the French instructors as their teachers.

What happened afterward proved that the "law of true fragrance" transcends geographical boundaries and time.

After receiving actual instruction from French instructors, even the most stubborn person had to admit that Westerners' mounted combat techniques did have some merit!

The techniques employed, such as speed control during charges and stamina management of horses, greatly impressed the officers and soldiers of the Aizu Army.

Even the usually arrogant Kanbei Sagawa had to lower his proud head.

Today, there are fewer and fewer doubts about the French instructors in the Aizu army, and everyone obediently follows orders and receives training.

Unfortunately, the native Japanese horses are too short and too weak, far inferior to the "large Western horses" that have undergone generations of improvement.

For this reason, many tactics and techniques could not be implemented because the horses were too poor.

……

……

May 3, 1866 (the second year of the Meiji era)

Hatazu Domain, the headquarters of the Shinsengumi—

The Shinsengumi, now commanding 10,000 troops, is so impressive that the sheer scale of their daily drills is enough to be described as "shocking"!