I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

The deafening barrage of artillery fire dominated the entire bird's plumage.

Yesterday, the artillerymen of the "Southern Army" worked through the night to transfer all the cannons to various high grounds in Toba—places that were originally the artillery positions of the 11th Division.

Countless shells traced clean parabolas in the sky before crashing down, covering Fushimi inside and out!

Just like yesterday, after the "Southern Army" launched its artillery bombardment, the Shinsengumi's counterattack arrived as scheduled!

The eleventh squad members, deployed in the eastern suburbs of Fushimi, lit the fuses in perfect unison—

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

The sounds of artillery fire from both sides seemed to be competing to see who could fire the loudest, one after another, without end.

The artillery barrage between the two sides lasted for nearly 30 minutes, until the sky above Toba and Fushimi was filled with smoke before it gradually subsided.

Toba was just a main road with almost no buildings, so it was only blasted into large craters.

In comparison, Fushimi's transformation is undoubtedly the most visually striking!

The once densely packed houses have now become rows of charred ruins.

The once smooth streets have now become muddy and rotten roads.

The various fortifications that had been painstakingly built are now nothing but piles of fragments.

Saigo Kinosuke gazed expressionlessly at the ravaged Fushimi, and once again waved the military fan in his hand:

"attack!"

This time, the military order was sent to the vanguard's position.

"Lord Saigo's orders have arrived! Begin the attack!"

"Do you see that 'Sincerity' flag? That's the enemy's main camp!"

"Whoever can cut down that 'Honest' flag will receive a reward of five thousand taels of gold!"

"Kill them! Annihilate the Shinsengumi and avenge Lord Kusaka!"

Although Fushimi was very prosperous, it was far inferior to the three capitals (Edo, Kyoto, and Osaka).

There aren't many wide avenues; most streets and alleys are narrow dirt roads... A large army of three thousand moving in a cluster would only cause congestion and seriously affect the efficiency of the attack.

Therefore, it was necessary to disperse the troops, breaking the three thousand-strong army into small squads, and gradually whittle down Fushimi's strength.

And so, the vanguard of the "Southern Army"—more than three thousand strong—set off in a mighty procession, attacking Fushimi from the north, west, and south!

On May 6, 1866 (the second year of the Meiji era), the Battle of Fushimi began!

……

……

Fushimi, south side—

"Damn it! Fushimi's path is way too complicated!"

"Fushimi is adjacent to Kyoto and is a very prosperous commercial city."

"Enough talk! Be alert! The Shinsengumi might be lying in ambush nearby!"

Hundreds of Southern soldiers marched along the street, leaving houses behind.

The "Sincerity" flag, the "Brocade" flag, and the "White Flag" flag fluttered side by side above the roof of the Fushimi Magistrate's Office.

Because they were so conspicuous, the "Southern Army" soldiers who stormed into Fushimi didn't have to worry about getting lost at all—they just had to charge towards the direction of these three flags!

After turning a narrow street corner, the group of Southern soldiers thought their view would open up.

However... what came into their view was not a wide street, but a solid fortification built of wood and stone! It directly blocked the road!

Dozens of gunmen crouched behind the bunker, their dark gun barrels pointed directly at the terrified Southern soldiers.

Oishi Kuwajiro (Vice-Captain of the 8th Division) raises his sword:

"put!"

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

Because of the close proximity, the hit rate of this barrage was extremely high! In just one volley, more than a dozen Southern soldiers were shot and fell to the ground.

"Second column, up!"

The second rank of gunners, who had been eager to try, immediately stepped forward and took their firing positions, while the first rank of gunners retreated to the rear and skillfully loaded new rounds—a classic "three-stage firing" tactic.

"put!"

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

The second wave of bullets knocked down more than a dozen Southern soldiers.

Standing on a street with no obstacles, there's nowhere to hide... you're practically a sitting duck!

Faced with this sudden attack, the Southern soldiers immediately panicked and fled in disarray.

"Back off! Back off! Get out of here!"

"Damn it! Stop dawdling!"

"Quickly, get out of the bullets' reach!"

However, before they could escape more than a few steps, they encountered a new unexpected turn of events—what had been an empty space behind them was now suddenly filled with dozens of Shinsengumi members wielding steel swords, who sprang out from both sides of the street, completely blocking their escape route!

Sanjuro Tani (Fourth Division Lieutenant) drew his sword:

"Our lord has ordered: kill them all! Leave no one alive!"

With musketeers in front and swordsmen waiting in formation behind, the Southern soldiers caught in the crossfire were thrown into chaos. Before they could put up any decent resistance, they lost more than half of their forces.

Although some Southern soldiers fought back, they were quickly overwhelmed by the flashing blades.

In no time, the street returned to silence.

……

……

Fushimi, north side—

"Third Division! Follow me!"

The usually taciturn Nakazawa Sadayoshi (the vice-captain of the Third Division) shouted loudly, a rare occurrence for him.

The Third Squad members, emerging from the hidden alleyways, blocked every entrance and exit of the street, leaving the Southern Soldiers in the center of the street with nowhere to escape.

"Watch out! It's the Third Division!"

The formidable reputation of the first, second, and third divisions of the Shinsengumi has always been feared by the Southern Soldiers.

A fierce battle ensued immediately.

"That guy is Nakazawa Satag, the vice-captain of the Third Division!"

"Surround him! Kill him!"

Several Southern soldiers, who had taken "Decisive Battle Elixir" in advance, formed a fan-shaped encirclement formation and charged menacingly toward Nakazawa Sadagi.

Their formation was commendable.

With the added boost of the "Decisive Battle of Dian", their strength and fighting spirit are also commendable.

Unfortunately, even the "Decisive Battle of Dian" could not withstand the overwhelming force of the "vice-captain level"!

Nakazawa Sadaki quickly scanned the area to confirm the distance, then swung her sword with lightning speed.

Several flashes of light traced simple lines in mid-air.

Before the blade's light had even faded, the Southern soldiers were sent flying backward, spitting out blood.

……

……

Fushimi, west side—

"Hey! I think I'm hearing screams over there!"

"I knew our attack wouldn't go so smoothly!"

"Of course! The main force of the Shinsengumi is all here!"

"I...I heard some strange noises over there!"

Don't scare yourself! It's just the wind!

The hundred or so southern soldiers huddled together, as if they were implementing "pig tactics," curled up in a ball, and cautiously scanned their surroundings.

The slightest sound or movement will elicit a strong reaction from them.

The phrases "a bird startled by the twang of a bow" and "a crane crying in the wind" perfectly describe them.

Although the battle for Fushimi has only just begun, they have already deeply experienced the terror of urban warfare!

Every house, every dark alley, seemed to be hiding enemy soldiers!

Those houses that were destroyed by artillery shells have now become excellent shelters!

The continuous screams coming from all directions had terrified the Southern soldiers.

They dared not retreat without cause.

They dared not go any further...

Suddenly, someone came up with an idea:

"The enemy is in the shadows, while we are in the open! If this continues, we'll be ambushed sooner or later! The streets are too dangerous! Let's hide inside the houses! Move around inside the houses! That way, even if there are enemy soldiers hiding inside, we can spot them immediately!"

Because Japan is a small island nation with a vast land area and a sparse population, in order to improve land utilization, most houses in ancient Japanese towns were longhouses, meaning that each house was connected to the next, with one house's east wall being another's west wall.

By simply climbing through the window, one can easily break into a neighbor's house.

This person's suggestion was immediately approved by his companions.

"That's a great idea!"

"Let's do it this way!"