I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

……

……

Toba, the mountain of autumn——

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

It was the usual exchange of fire between cannons.

The artillerymen of both armies repeatedly went through the process of loading, firing, reloading, and firing again.

At the Eleventh Division's position, Abe Juro (the Eleventh Division Captain) raised his voice:

"Give it your all! Don't skimp on the shells! Even if it destroys the gun barrels, it doesn't matter!"

Under the cover of a hail of cannon fire, thousands of light blue haori fluttered and swayed as thousands of Shinsengumi soldiers rushed toward Toba from three directions!

To be precise, it lunged at Autumn Mountain, located to the east of Toba!

The battle plan that Aoto, Hijikata Toshizo, and others drafted for today was very simple.

The small branch bridge is the absolute core of the bird's feathers; reclaiming the small branch bridge is equivalent to reclaiming the bird's feathers.

To reclaim the small bridge, Mount Qiu is an essential stronghold that cannot be bypassed.

Mount Aki is located east of Toba and is the highest point in Toba. In other words—it is an excellent strategic location!

Before the bird feather was lost, this place was the location of the Shinsengumi's artillery position.

Now, it has become an artillery position for the "Southern Army".

If they successfully recapture Akiyama, they can severely damage the Southern Army's important artillery units and regain an excellent artillery position.

Once the soldiers of the Eleventh Division have carried the cannons back to Mount Autumn, they can fire down on Koji Bridge from their high vantage point.

At that time, it will be a sure thing to recapture Xiaozhi Bridge and then Nyoyu!

In summary, today's battle plan is roughly as follows: Attack Autumn Mountain! Eliminate the "Southern Army's" artillery units, and then allow the Eleventh Division to occupy Autumn Mountain and bombard Koji Bridge!

Therefore, Qingdeng deployed three "attack arrows"—

Composed of the 2nd, 4th, and 13th Divisions, the "Third Army" is led by Kondo Isami.

The Second Army, composed of the Third, Fifth, and Twelfth Divisions, is led by Hijikata Toshizo.

Finally, there is the "First Army," composed of the "Zero," "One," "Sixth," and "Eighth" divisions, and the training squad, personally commanded by Aoto himself.

Three "arrows" were fired at Qiuzhishan at the same time, crushing the enemy army with the force of Mount Tai!

All units except the Ninth Division and the Cavalry Division (Seventh and Tenth Divisions) have been deployed... This is undoubtedly a full-scale attack!

Because it was a general offensive, the momentum of the attack was truly overwhelming!

The Shinsengumi members ran and howled. Even from a distance, one could imagine their ferocious faces through their increasingly loud roars.

Many southern soldiers were intimidated by it and couldn't help but show their fear on their faces.

Even some of the officers in the main camp were quite frightened.

Saigo Kinosuke's deep voice rang out at the right moment, spreading throughout the entire "Southern Army" headquarters.

"If we win today's battle, we've won!"

These brief words caused Katsura Kogoro, Goto Shojiro, and others to show resolute expressions.

The Northern Expeditionary Army is about to approach Otsu Castle. If the Shinsengumi cannot recapture Toba and severely damage the Southern Army today, then they are doomed to lose... Whenever he thinks about how significant today's battle is, Katsura Kogoro and the others can't help but gasp.

Saigo Kichinosuke anticipated that the Seito Society would focus its attack on Akiyama—the direction Seito might choose to attack was not hard to guess—so he deployed a large force on Akiyama.

Right now, the elite troops of the "Southern Army" have all gathered here, spreading from the foot of the mountain to the top!

One side held firm at Mount Aki, while the other launched a fierce attack... In other words, the battle on the third day of the Battle of Toba-Fushimi revolved entirely around this small mountain.

The battle that would decide the outcome of this war, the fate of the world, and the destiny of countless people unfolded on this inconspicuous hill... Events like this have repeatedly proven that human history is full of dark humor.

It's only 3 kilometers from Fushimi to Toba, and even closer to Akiyama.

Therefore... in just a moment, the "First Army" led by Qing Deng arrived at the foot of Qiu Zhi Shan!

Although time was of the essence—only a little over a day had passed since the capture of Toba—the Southern Army had managed to dig many makeshift trenches at the foot of the mountain facing Fushimi.

Like a flash flood crashing into a dam, the clash between the two armies created a terrifying spectacle, while simultaneously sending up sprays of blood that flew high into the air before falling in a dazzling display.

Biting, crushing, struggling... the two were entangled in a chaotic mess, unable to separate.

Just by looking at the troop composition, you can tell which army is the main force.

Qing Deng personally led five units. The elite status of the "Zero" and the First Division goes without saying. The two most experienced musketeer teams (the Sixth and Eighth Divisions), as well as the fearless training team, were also under his command.

It is obvious that the "First Army" led by Qing Deng is a spear that pierces the heart of the enemy!

The "Second Army" led by Hijikata Toshizo and the "Third Army" led by Kondo Isami both played only an auxiliary role in "dispersing the enemy's forces".

Toudo Heisuke shouted:

"put!"

Suddenly, a torrential downpour began—but the "raindrops" that poured out were bullets!

A barrage of bullets swept across, instantly taking down more than ten Southern soldiers.

Upon seeing this, Shimada Kai (first division vice-captain) immediately roared:

"First Division! Follow me!"

He led by example, charging forward, with the soldiers of the First Division close behind.

They jumped into the trenches in front of them and fought the enemy!

A cold glint flashed, and severed limbs flew everywhere.

In just a short time, the soldiers of the First Division successfully captured the trench with an overwhelming advantage.

"Keep going!"

Without even taking a deep breath, Shimada Kai leaped out in a hurry and advanced to the next trench.

Before the battle began, Qingdeng repeatedly emphasized: Today's battle must be swift! We must maintain a high-intensity offensive at all times!

Shimada Kai obeyed this order without hesitation.

However, as soon as he showed his face, he saw a row of muskets pointed at him from not far away.

He reflexively ducked and crouched, nimbly rolling back to the trench he had just captured.

Almost simultaneously, a barrage of bullets came hurtling in, striking the spot where he had just stood.

If he had been even a fraction slower, he would have been riddled with bullets by now.

He gritted his teeth, hiding his body in the trench, anxiously waiting for the gunfire from the other side to stop.

Before long, silence fell over his ears.

He hurriedly got up again, only to find a large group of southern soldiers rushing towards him!

A brand new and intense battle unfolded in this trench.

……

……

Everywhere there were the explosions of muskets firing, interspersed with the clang of clashing swords, and shouts of battle rising higher and higher.

Everywhere there were groans of dying people, and broken corpses were scattered everywhere.

Swords against swords, muskets against muskets, cannons against cannons—the same weapons, the same fight to the death!

What should have been a complex war became exceptionally simple on this day—whoever was stronger and could defeat their opponent would win!

On this day, the Autumn Mountain, an unremarkable little mountain, is the abode of death.

Although the battle had only just begun, the air inside and outside the mountains was already filled with the acrid smell of gunpowder and the stench of fresh blood.

The Shinsengumi members, relying on their exceptional martial prowess and using the trees and bushes in the mountains as cover, successfully attacked the opposite position without any major incidents.

Swords and blades flashed and felled, cutting down one Southern soldier after another, quickly filling the surrounding land with the taste of blood.

However, their joy was short-lived. Bullets flew out from the side, and the unfortunate soldiers fell to the ground in rows, their blood staining their light blue haori red.

The musketeers were preparing to reload when a shell, whistling through the air, landed right above them.

With a loud crash, severed limbs and mud were scattered everywhere.

Suddenly, a deep conch shell sounded across the battlefield—the "Second Army" on the north side had engaged the enemy!

At almost the same time, the "Third Army" in the south also began fighting.

The pale green torrent surged, poured, roared, and destroyed, with occasional splashes of red water.

The terrifying roars from the three battlefields lingered over Autumn Mountain for a long time!

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Chapter 1158 "The Strongest Creature on Earth" - Tachibana Aoto

"Hurry up! Run! Over here!"

Dozens of Southern soldiers rushed in from the rear, jumping into the trenches like dumplings being dropped into boiling water. They set up their muskets, pointing them straight ahead towards the foot of the mountain.

Rumble rumble rumble...

The air was filled with a cacophony of sounds.

Rumble rumble rumble rumble rumble...!

The sound grew closer and louder.

This was the sound of the earth trembling, and countless pebbles on the ground bounced and leaped up like fish that had just come ashore.

隆隆隆隆隆隆隆隆隆！