I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Atachi bent down, staring intently at the petal, her eyes shining.

"It's so beautiful... Ah Yi, let's go see the cherry blossoms together later. Once we go to Europe, there won't be any cherry blossoms to see."

"Great! The weather is really nice today."

Having said that, Ogata gently raised his hand, letting the petal that had been resting on his fingertip return to mid-air.

"This spring is going to be very lively..."

As an old married couple, Atachi immediately understood the unspoken meaning in Ogata's words.

After a moment of silence, Atachi asked Ogata in a low voice:

"Ayi, do you think Ju-kun can win?"

Ogata shrugged and gave a meaningful smile:

"Well... who knows."

……

……

May 4, 1866 (the second year of the Meiji era)

Choshu Domain, Hagi Castle, a certain room—

Katsura Kogoro, fully armed, stood by the window, his face expressionless, gazing eastward with his demon sword Muramasa at his waist.

Suddenly, Iwakura Tomomi walked in from outside the room and stood straight behind him:

"Mr. Gui, this day has finally come."

Katsura Kogoro took a deep breath:

"Hmm...it's finally here..."

Iwakura Tomomi said in a deep voice:

"Mr. Gui, everyone is already waiting at Da Guangjian. Let's set off quickly."

Katsura Kogoro nodded, then turned his gaze away from the window and headed straight for Hagi Castle's Ōhiro-maru with Iwakura Tomomi, one after the other.

When they arrived at their destination, they were surprised to find the main hall already bustling with people—either high-ranking officials of the Choshu Domain or patriots who held high positions in the "Sōjō Movement".

As soon as Katsura Kogoro and Iwakura Tomomi appeared, everyone in the large room raised their eyes and focused their gazes on the two of them.

Katsura Kogoro stood before the crowd, looked around, and then shouted at the top of his lungs:

"Gentlemen! The day of our final battle against the Orange Thief has finally arrived!!"

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Chapter 1138 The Southern Dynasty Deploys Troops! Qing Deng and Ogata's Farewell [5000 words]

Katsura Kogoro's shouts were clearly heard by everyone present.

In an instant, the indoor and outdoor temperatures began to rise.

Excitement, tension, elation... a variety of emotions that were hard to suppress filled the air.

More than half a year of preparation was all for this day of troop deployment!

For the people of Changzhou, this decisive battle against Tachibana Seiden has an extraordinary significance.

They have suffered too much humiliation since the "August 18th coup".

They suffered repeated defeats, one after another, and were once driven to the brink of national collapse.

The person who caused them to fall into this predicament is none other than that despicable Tachibana Aoto!

Every time, he was the one who stood in front of them...

Every time, it was he who caused them to suffer crushing defeats and lose everything!

After years of enduring hardship and biding their time, they have finally been able to unleash their sword of revenge against Tachibana Aoto today!

Upon realizing this, some people at the scene became even more excited, unconsciously clenching their fists, wishing they could set off for Gyeonggi right now to have a big battle with Tachibana Aoto!

Katsura Kogoro paused briefly, and after the crowd had calmed down a bit, he shouted again:

His pre-war speech was brief but exceptionally powerful.

"The righteous cause lies with the Western Army!"

"To demonstrate our righteousness to the world!"

"Let's reclaim the justice that rightfully belongs to us!"

The next moment, with a "whoosh", Katsura Kogoro suddenly drew the demon sword Muramasa from his waist, the tip of the sword pointing to the sky.

"Let's fight the Orange Thief to the death!"

The next moment, a deafening roar nearly ripped the ceiling off.

……

……

On this day, similar scenes occurred in other places such as Satsuma, Tosa, and Hizen.

……

……

Satsuma, Kagoshima Castle —

Fully armed musketeers, carrying gleaming muskets, marched out of the town in neat formations with firm, powerful strides.

Destination: Gyeonggi Province!

Objective: To take the head of Tachibana Aoto and all the territory of the "Northern Dynasty"!

Saigo Kinosuke, mounted on his tall horse, watched the slowly advancing army with an expressionless face.

……

……

Tosa Domain, Kochi Castle——

Goto Shojiro raises his right fist:

"Hey—! Hey—!"

The moment he finished speaking, the soldiers in front of him shouted in unison:

"Ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh!"

……

……

Hizen Domain, Saga Castle (the feudal hall of Hizen Domain)——

Brand-new cannons produced at the Hizen Military Factory were being transported to the eastern battlefields by packhorses.

……

……

Fukui Domain, Fukui Castle (base of the "Northern Shogunate")

Military flags embroidered with hollyhocks fluttered in the wind, and the sizable "Mu Army" was arranged in several long lines.

Tokugawa Yoshinobu, who proclaimed himself the "Fifteenth Shogun," personally led the army, surrounded and protected by countless elite soldiers, as they marched towards the capital region.

……

……

A single move can have far-reaching consequences—when the Southern Dynasty sent troops, the Northern Dynasty immediately launched a large-scale operation!

Like a complex and precise machine, one gear drives ten gears, ten gears drive a hundred gears, and finally the whole machine emits a loud roar!

The first to take action were the spies who had been lurking throughout the "Southern Dynasty".

On this day, many scholars and commoners in various parts of the Southern Dynasty were surprised to find that many people around them had suddenly "disappeared".

The ronin who had been wandering the streets was gone.

The young man who worked at the izakaya, with a bright smile and a charming personality, has disappeared.

The vendor who diligently hawked his wares every day has disappeared.

The members of the Ninth Division, who were on a covert mission in the "Southern Court," shed their disguises and rushed back to Otsu.

At the same time, the Great Salt Party's intelligence network also sprang into action, transmitting information about the "Southern Dynasty's military expedition" through various means.

In this way, each piece of intelligence became a "flow of information," which was gathered and sent to Otsu, appearing on Aoto's desk.

As Qing Deng reviewed these intelligence reports in his office, his expression remained remarkably calm.

Since it was something I had expected long ago, there was nothing surprising about it.

After reading through all this intelligence, he murmured softly, without any emotion:

"Are they here...?"

……

……

The news that the Southern Dynasty's army was rushing towards the capital region spread like wildfire throughout the Northern Dynasty.

In an instant, the atmosphere in all the Shinsengumi's camps was dominated by tension.

All officers, led by Hijikata Toshizo, were on duty and awaiting orders.

The Aizu Army, which was stationed in northern Omi, also immediately went on high alert.