I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

At this critical moment, two cannons finally turned, leveled their muzzles, and aimed directly at Saito Hajime and Serizawa Kamo.

Pass out the torch and light the fuse—

Boom! Boom!

Two shells drew clean straight lines in mid-air and then exploded with a loud bang!

In an instant, milky white smoke rose up, obscuring the view.

Because they couldn't see anything, the Southern soldiers didn't know whether the artillery fire had successfully hit its target.

They looked at each other, exchanging bewildered and lingering fear.

"Have you... solved their problems?"

"do not know……"

"That's a cannonball. Even if it didn't hit them directly, it should have injured them..."

"You're right, they're either dead or crippled!"

There was no movement for a long time within the smoke of battle... The tense facial lines of the Southern soldiers gradually relaxed.

In an instant, in that split second—

call!

Suddenly, a gust of wind arose!

Saito Hajime and Serizawa Kamo broke through the billowing smoke from the left and right! The strong wind that followed dispersed the smoke!

Their clothes were covered in soot, and their faces looked as if they had been smeared with coal.

Against this backdrop, their eyes and the blades in their hands shone even brighter!

In the blink of an eye, the two had broken into the enemy ranks, the blades of their twin swords reflecting the terrified faces of the invading enemy.

Saito Hajime lowered his body, and a fierce wind of sword energy swept in all directions centered on him!

Unleashing his full, unfiltered swordsmanship, his precise blade strikes claimed the lives of countless Southern soldiers!

Serizawa Kamo clung to Saito Hajime's right side like a shadow, half a body length behind him.

The Shinto Munen-ryu sword technique was unleashed in full force! Skulls were violently shattered one by one!

Because Saito Kazuki is left-handed, Serizawa Kamo's fighting on his right side does not hinder each other; on the contrary, it achieves a wonderful effect of "complementing each other" and protecting each other's weaknesses.

Roar, dash, slash.

Wailing, fleeing, death.

With just the combined efforts of two men, this artillery position, which had caused so much suffering to the Shinsengumi soldiers, was reduced to pieces and was already showing signs of collapse!

Driven to desperation, the artillerymen hastily adjusted their guns, attempting to fight Zhai and Qin to the death.

One of the cannons was already loaded with shells and the fuse lit—the person the cannon was pointing at was Serizawa Kamo.

Saito Hajime noticed the cannon about to fire out of the corner of his eye. With lightning speed, he changed his stance, pierced the chest of the southern soldier in front of him with the tip of his knife, and then used a sudden burst of strength to send the southern soldier flying.

The southern soldier first glided at low altitude, then crashed heavily onto the cannon. The cannon, which was originally aimed at Serizawa Kamo, was now turned downwards by the pressure and pointed directly at the ground.

The next moment, the shell shot out and slammed into the ground at point-blank range... The enormous reaction force directly blew the cannon barrel away!

It shot into the sky like a firecracker, drew a clumsy parabola, and fell into the distance, creating a huge crater.

Serizawa Kamo was a beat slow to notice the cannon that had nearly killed him.

Seeing that Saito had resolved the danger for him, he couldn't help but cast a complicated look at Saito.

"...Thanks."

While whispering his thanks, he expressed his gratitude with a practical action—he stepped forward and rushed towards Saito Hajime, passing by him and helping him deal with the Southern soldiers who were about to launch a sneak attack from behind.

Soon after, Todo Heisuke and his men arrived and overwhelmed the artillery position from the front... At this point, the outcome of the battle was no longer in doubt.

Most of the southern soldiers were killed, and those who were lucky enough to survive scattered and fled, not daring to look back.

"...Serizawa, thanks to you, you've been a great help."

Saito Hajime, with his back to Serizawa Kamo, uttered a flat compliment.

Serizawa Kamo also had his back to Saito Hajime.

He tilted his head slightly, glanced at the other person, then snorted coldly, silently looked away, and ignored him.

They were both very calm, as if they had only done something insignificant, but the others were not like that at all—Toudou Heisuke led a group of soldiers to rush towards them and hugged them with great excitement.

Although the war is far from over, it does not stop them from celebrating this hard-won small victory.

……

……

Toba, South Palace of the City—

Before Saigo Kichinosuke, a messenger knelt on one knee and succinctly reported the latest battle situation.

Sitting upright on a small stool, Saigo Kinosuke, along with Katsura Kogoro, Goto Shojiro, and others beside him, all held their breath and listened attentively.

According to the report, the battles in Fushimi South and North were unprecedentedly fierce, and the situation was extremely tense.

In conclusion, Saigo Kichinosuke's plan was a success.

The vast majority of the Shinsengumi's fighting force was successfully lured out and held back.

However... Katsura Kogoro and the others did not show much joy on their faces.

Despite committing most of the Southern Army's fighting force, they still couldn't defeat the Shinsengumi... In a sense, this is hardly a cause for celebration.

Despite possessing a significant numerical advantage and the aid of powerful weapons like the "Decisive Battle of Dian," the battle still ended up like this...

Based on the information currently available, in addition to being constrained by the terrain of Fushimi, the main reason lies with the captains of the Shinsengumi.

The captains, led by Kondo Isami, were all capable of taking on a hundred men each!

What's even more frightening is that they are not just powerful militarily.

They are always able to calmly analyze the battlefield and deploy troops, making them both formidable "individual combat weapons" and outstanding commanders, thus turning the tide time and time again!

Such a battle situation made Katsura Kogoro and others realize once again the strength of the Shinsengumi and the difficulty of this battle.

A moment later, Katsura Kogoro, Goto Shojiro, and the others turned to look at Saigo Kichinosuke as if by unspoken agreement, awaiting his next instructions.

But to everyone's surprise, amidst everyone's eager anticipation, Saigo Kinosuke began talking to himself, uttering remarks completely unrelated to the current battle:

"...When I read the Records of the Grand Historian, I was always puzzled by the good fortune of Emperor Gaozu of Han."

"Why was Emperor Gaozu of Han so lucky? He had so many strategists and fierce generals by his side at the very beginning of his hegemony."

"Why is it that such outstanding talents as Xiao He and Cao Can could emerge from the small county of Pei?"

Why did all these talented individuals happen to appear around Emperor Gaozu of Han?

"I used to naively believe that Emperor Gaozu of Han was a true dragon emperor, so Heaven surrounded him with outstanding talents."

"It wasn't until I grew up and gained more experience that I belatedly realized the truth."

"It wasn't that Emperor Gaozu of Han was favored by Heaven; it was simply because there are many fine horses, but few discerning judges of horses."

"Emperor Gaozu of Han gave Xiao He, Cao Shen and others the opportunity to show their talents, which is why they were able to grow into pillars of the state."

"Without Emperor Gaozu of Han, Xiao He, Cao Can, and others would have been just ordinary people."

"This moment is just like that moment..."

“Once upon a time, Hijikata Toshizo, Kondo Isami, and others who followed Tachibana Aoto to Kyoto were all insignificant ‘taro samurai’.”

At this point, he narrowed his eyes and looked at Fushimi with a complicated expression.

"Those once unknown Taro Warriors have all grown into outstanding figures..."

Upon hearing this, Katsura Kogoro, Goto Shojiro, and the others fell silent, their faces showing complex expressions.

Even Katsura Kogoro, who hated the Shinsengumi the most, had to admit that compared to the heroes of the Shinsengumi, the officers of the "Southern Army" were indeed lacking in experience.

Unless someone is an idiot or an unlucky person, they will always undergo a transformative growth after being constantly trained.

A moment later, Katsura Kogoro cleared his throat and bluntly "reminded" him:

"...Mr. Saigo, now is not the time to be sentimental about the strength of the enemy."

Saigo Kichinosuke nodded slightly.

"I understand. Don't worry, I may feel emotional, but I won't hold back."

"On the contrary, because the strength of the Shinsengumi has repeatedly exceeded my expectations, I am even less likely to hold back."

"In order to eliminate any future troubles, we must completely destroy the Shinsengumi!"

Saigo Kinosuke cast a sharp glance at the messenger in front of him:

"Send the order to the west: prepare to attack!"

"Yes!"

After responding loudly, the other party turned and left.

However, he had only taken two steps when Saigo Kinosuke called him back.

"...Wait a minute, is there any news about Tachibana Aoto?"

No. There is currently no news about Tachibana Aoto.

"...Okay, it's alright. Go and relay the message to the west."

The messenger gave a slight salute and quickly withdrew.

Saigo Kinosuke frowned slightly, adopting a serious expression. The rest of the people present had similar expressions.

The intelligence they are currently most concerned about is undoubtedly the movements of Tachibana Aoto.

Long ago, Qingdeng proved one thing through countless solid achievements: he possessed the formidable strength to "single-handedly shake the course of a battle"!

Just a moment ago, Tachibana Aoto was very active, but now he has suddenly become silent... It would be impossible for Saigo Kinosuke and the others not to be worried about this.

At this moment, the same question arose in their minds—where did Tachibana Aoto go?

……