I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

At the same time that Nakajima Noboru assumed a fighting stance, the remaining members of the Second Division around him also drew their swords, displaying expressions of shared hatred for the enemy.

The 6th Division's marksmen were busy reloading and didn't have time to unleash a barrage of bullets... They had no choice but to engage in hand-to-hand combat with these enemy soldiers!

In the blink of an eye, the two sides were about to engage in battle.

—If only reinforcements could arrive...

Strangely enough, it was as if Heaven had answered Nakajima Noboru's wish, and the very next moment the thought crossed his mind—

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

A barrage of gunfire, like popping beans, suddenly erupted behind Nakajima Noboru!

In a matter of seconds, the attacking enemy soldiers were routed, falling to their deaths and screaming in agony.

Nakajima Noboru paused for a moment, then quickly turned his head to look behind him, and immediately saw two squads of musketeers wearing light blue haori.

They were lined up in two neat rows. The first row of gunmen, crouching on the ground, were busy loading new ammunition into their still-smoky gun barrels, while the second row of gunmen, standing, had their right index fingers on the triggers.

The young samurai standing to the side forcefully swung his sword down:

"Second column, move it!"

The second gunner pulled the trigger forcefully—

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

Another round of bullets flew out.

Many more enemy soldiers were shot and fell to the ground.

The enemy troops, who had been so aggressive, had their morale and momentum dampened and were forced to retreat temporarily to regroup.

Nakajima Noboru recognized the identity of this group of reinforcements—the musketeers of the 13th Division.

Then, he recognized the young warrior who was commanding the archers and shouted excitedly:

"Captain Yoshimura!"

The other party was none other than Yoshimura Kanichiro, the captain of the 13th Division!

Yoshimura Kanichiro nodded to Nakajima Toru.

"Vice Captain Nakajima, I have come to assist you on the orders of the Vice Commander!"

Nakajima Noboru's excitement deepened even further:

"Captain Yoshimura, I am extremely grateful! You have been a great help!"

Yoshimura Kanichiro brought a full four hundred musketeers.

This force is far from enough to launch a counterattack, but it is more than enough to cover the retreat of the main force!

With the pressure greatly reduced, Nakajima Noboru handled the enemy's subsequent offensive with ease.

Although the enemy successfully defeated the Second and Sixth Divisions, the cost was not small, and they were clearly at their last gasp.

Already unable to pursue further, they were even less able to advance after the arrival of the 13th Division.

Faced with the "musketeer formation" personally set up by Yoshimura Kanichiro, they couldn't break through no matter what they did. They could only send their musketeers forward and the two sides would exchange fire—this slow and methodical fighting tactic could not determine a winner in a short time.

They could only watch helplessly as time passed and Nakajima Noboru, Yoshimura Kanichiro, and the others, having completed their rearguard mission, calmly fled into the distance.

……

……

Because Hijikata Toshizo promptly issued the order for a "complete retreat," he managed to preserve his forces to the greatest extent possible.

Although the enemy immediately dispatched troops to attack Kamitoriba and Shimotoba from both sides, by the time they arrived, they could only see the footprints left by the retreating army, and there was not a single person left.

The only units that suffered significant damage were the Second and Sixth Divisions, which were defeated head-on—but even they weren't crippled.

When the last garrison of the "Toba Line" successfully retreated to Fushimi, the setting sun was almost sinking below the horizon.

And so, the first day of the Battle of Toba-Fushimi came to an end.

……

……

That night--

Toba Street, South Palace—

This place was originally the main camp of the Shinsengumi's "Toba Line".

Now, it has become the front line of the "Southern Army".

After the Shinsengumi abandoned the Toba Line, the Southern Army advanced eastward and occupied Toba before nightfall.

At this moment, cheers could be heard everywhere in Toba, which was under the control of the "Southern Army".

On the very first day of the war, the successful capture of the Shinsengumi's "Toba Line" was undoubtedly an exhilarating victory for the soldiers of the "Southern Army"!

That night, they were incredibly excited.

Even though the war was not over, they were as excited as if the outcome had already been decided.

Many people optimistically thought: if the "Toba Line" is captured on the first day, then capturing Fushimi on the second day and killing Tachibana Aoto on the third day does not seem like an unattainable dream!

However... it is worth mentioning that not all soldiers of the "Southern Army" were satisfied with today's results.

Instead of celebrating today's "great victory," the high-ranking officials, led by Saigo Kinosuke and Katsura Kogoro, all wore serious expressions...

……

……

Toba Street, Autumn Mountain, on the mountaintop—

Saigo Kinosuke sat imposingly on a small stool, gazing expressionlessly at Fushimi, 3 kilometers away.

The twinkling lights dotted the area inside and outside Fushimi... The main force of the Shinsengumi was there.

If he could simply cross this short 3-kilometer distance and extinguish these lights, then the world would be in Saigo Kichinosuke's pocket.

What a pity... this 3-kilometer distance is not so easy to cross, and these lights are not so easy to extinguish.

Suddenly, Katsura Kogoro appeared from behind him, moved to his side, and reported expressionlessly:

"A total of 1145 soldiers were bedridden due to the side effects of the decisive battle."

"215 people have mild symptoms and, barring any unforeseen circumstances, should be able to recover by tomorrow."

"As for when the others will recover, that remains to be seen."

He paused here, then adopted a serious tone:

"I put in so much effort today, but I couldn't rebuild the Shinsengumi... Honestly, it's not worth it."

"To call it a 'victory' would be a gross exaggeration."

As soon as he finished speaking, Saigo Kinosuke echoed him without any emotion:

"...I underestimated the Shinsengumi, and I also underestimated the 'Demon Vice-Commander'."

"I didn't expect him to be so decisive, immediately ordering a retreat after noticing something was wrong."

"He would rather abandon the 'Toba Line' than lose precious troops... To be honest, even I couldn't be as decisive as him."

As he spoke, he raised his gaze again, staring intently at Fushimi in front of him.

“Now, the main force of the Shinsengumi has gathered in Fushimi… Mr. Katsura, we must be mentally prepared.”

Upon hearing this, Katsura Kogoro's face darkened.

He naturally knew what Saigo Kinosuke meant by "appropriate mental preparation"—the attack on Fushimi tomorrow would likely come at an incredibly heavy price.

"I know without you reminding me..."

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Chapter 1144 Qingdeng: "I will personally go to the front lines!" [5200]

At the same time—

Fushimi, Fushimi Magistrate's Office (the main camp of the "Fushimi Defense Line") —

Aoto, Hijikata Toshizo, and Inoue Genzaburo stood side by side, with detailed maps of Toba and Fushimi hanging on the wall in front of them.

They are reviewing today's battle.

How the enemy attacked, how Koji Bridge fell... Hijikata Toshizo and Inoue Genzaburo explained and described everything without missing a single detail.

"...Because the enemy's offensive was already unstoppable, I believed that continuing to fight would only increase casualties and would not be of any benefit. Therefore, I issued the order to 'retreat and abandon Xiaozhi Bridge'."

After speaking, Inoue Genzaburo silently stepped aside, waiting for Aoto's reaction.

Suddenly, Hijikata Toshizo interrupted:

"Ju, all the blame lies with me."

"If I had discovered the crisis at Xiaozhi Bridge earlier, this disaster would not have happened."

As he spoke, Hijikata Toshizo bowed his head to Aoto in front of him, his magnanimous demeanor revealing a magnanimous attitude of "I am at your disposal."

Before he could finish speaking, Inoue Genzaburo, who was standing next to him, interrupted:

"No, Hijikata-kun is innocent!"

"The enemy's attack was too fast and too fierce, so that neither Shinpachi nor I had time to ask Hijikata for help."

"Unless Hijikata-kun has 'clairvoyance,' he could never have noticed the strange situation at Koedabashi and sent reinforcements in time."

“I gave the order to ‘abandon Xiaozhi Bridge,’ so I should bear full responsibility.”

"It's all my fault for being too weak, which led to the fall of Xiaozhi Bridge and the deaths of countless soldiers."

Looking at the two people bowing their heads in apology, Qing Deng sighed silently, a hint of helplessness appearing on his face.