I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Those southern soldiers who failed to cross the river were either killed by the Shinsengumi members or, in their panic, fell into the Kamo River and perished in the fish's bellies.

The long road from Akiyama to Koji Bridge was truly paved with the corpses of Southern soldiers!

Looking towards the Kamo River, one can still see many floating corpses of Southern soldiers.

At this moment, apart from the prisoners, there were no living Southern soldiers east of Toba.

After completely driving the "Southern Army" out of Toba, Aoto ordered a halt to the pursuit.

Firstly, it was already dark; secondly, the soldiers were exhausted; and thirdly, the results were already substantial enough!

As soon as the battle ended, the general affairs department staff immediately set out to compile statistics on the day's events on the battlefield.

Our own casualties, enemy casualties, number of prisoners, equipment captured...

Although Qing Deng has not yet received specific figures, based on his own intuition and judgment, the casualties of the "Southern Army" today are at least more than seven thousand!

On a battlefield where firearms were not yet widely used, to inflict more than seven thousand casualties on the enemy in a single day and in a single battle... this is undoubtedly an astonishing number!

If we take into account the casualties of the previous two days, the overall combat strength of the "Southern Army" has been weakened by more than half!

In this way, the two objectives of "recapturing Toba" and "severely damaging the Southern Army" have been achieved!

Upon realizing this, Qingdeng involuntarily closed his eyes, raised his head, faced the sky, and silently exhaled a long breath—this long sigh was filled with emotions that words could not describe.

……

……

That night--

Toba, Jonan-no-miya (Shinsengumi's main camp) —

"Miss Okita!"

A-Wu leaned forward, took two running steps, and leaped out, pouncing on Souji. She wrapped her arms around Souji's neck and her legs around her waist, hanging on her like a koala.

"It really is Ms. Okita!"

As she spoke, A-Wu touched all of Souji's parts, including the back of his head, back, and waist.

At the same time, Sanako and Elodie arrived on either side of Souji.

They did the same thing as A-Mai—rubbing and kneading Souji's entire body like a doll, as if to confirm whether the girl in front of them was the beauty they knew.

The commander smiled, a mixture of emotions welling up inside him.

"Yes, it's me. I'm back. I'm sorry for making you worry during my recovery."

Seeing the commander standing calmly in front of them, everyone present—the captains of the Shinsengumi—widened their eyes in disbelief.

Just now, Qing Deng quietly entered the room, a strange expression on his face, and mysteriously said to everyone:

"A distinguished guest has arrived."

After saying that, he stepped aside and made way for the door.

Upon hearing this, everyone cast puzzled glances toward the door—except, of course, for Yamanami Keisuke. He, like Aoto, smiled mysteriously.

And so, under everyone's watchful eyes, Souji moved sideways like a crab, from the edge of the door to the center, appearing before everyone with a mixture of emotions on his face, including tension, anticipation, and sadness.

In that instant, the doubtful gazes turned into shocked looks.

Sanako, Amai, Elodie, and the rest of the "Shieikan faction"—especially Kondo Isami and Hijikata Toshizo—were particularly excited.

Then came the scenes depicted here.

Hearing the familiar androgynous voice and feeling Souji's body temperature, A-Mai's mind finally caught up with reality.

She hugged Souji tightly, burying her face in his neck, hiding her tear-stained cheeks, unwilling to give Souji to anyone else, wanting to "keep him all to herself".

Ah Wu actually has the qualities of being the group's favorite.

Her introverted, shy, yet sincere personality is inherently endearing.

Therefore, in Qing Deng's harem, whether it was the Souji who was about the same age as her, or Sanako and Tenshōin who were older than her, they all doted on her.

After forming a family together, thanks to his strength in "being particularly good at taking care of people", Souji has always been one of Mai's most trusted relatives and friends.

Souji understood A-Mai's feelings, so he smiled, opened his arms, hugged her back, and gently patted her back.

"Miss Wu, I miss you so much."

"Um...me too..."

The two women embraced tightly... Everyone who saw this couldn't help but burst into laughter.

The double joy of "the return of the commander-in-chief" and "today's great victory" filled the room with a heartwarming atmosphere.

What a pity... now is not the time to celebrate.

Qingdeng cleared his throat forcefully, drawing everyone's attention.

"Gentlemen, you've worked hard. Today's battle was a resounding victory. Although I'd love to celebrate, the war is not over yet."

Hijikata Toshizo timely played the villain:

"Everyone, get back to work. It's time for the military council."

Upon hearing this, everyone quickly returned to their positions, straightened their faces, and adopted a solemn expression.

A-Mai hurriedly climbed off Souji—as she landed back on the ground, she secretly wiped her eyes and face with her sleeve.

The seat to Qing Deng's right—the seat of the commander—is finally no longer empty tonight.

Qing Deng scanned the scene, then spoke slowly in a serious tone:

"Today's battle is merely a 'preliminary battle.' Next, we will return to Taijin to confront the Northern Expeditionary Army!"

Upon hearing this, everyone turned solemn.

Before the commander arrived, Qing Deng briefly recounted the recent battle situation to her.

Therefore, she, like everyone else, wore a solemn expression.

*******

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It's already the beginning of the month again! Readers with monthly passes, please be sure to vote for this book! (crying leopard head.jpg)

Please vote with monthly tickets! Please vote with recommendation tickets! (Leopard crying.jpg)

Today's military parade was truly spectacular! (Leopard High.jpg)

It turns out that "Prism Tanks" really exist.

Given the existence of "space forces" and "anti-orbiting satellite missiles," it's not impossible that mobile suits like Gundam will appear in the future.

I hope to see the "Mobile Suit Squadron" in my lifetime.

In fact, the "Republic Type 100 Tank" that appeared today already has the style of Gundam.

Cannon barrels, machine guns, thick armor, drones (floating cannons), devices that seem to fire lasers, and no smoke when running... Isn't this just a Gundam? It's just missing its head and limbs.

If you equip it with a few vertically launched missiles and a pair of flying light wings, then it will be a true Gundam.

Chapter 1164: The army splits into two groups to reinforce Dajin and reorganize to defend the city.

Although they successfully recaptured Toba and severely damaged the "Southern Army," their current situation has not fundamentally improved.

Their greatest enemy now is no longer the "Southern Army" in front of them, but the "Northern Army" behind them.

The Northern Expeditionary Army's advance is still aimed at Otsu, and Otsu remains in grave danger!

Even if Otsu falls, they will still be defeated!

After giving a brief opening remark, Qing Deng turned his head and gave a wink to Yamanami Keisuke beside him.

Yamanami Keisuke nodded knowingly, then recited a series of precise numbers:

"After accounting for the dead and wounded, the remaining force is 6124 men, including 3635 musketeers..."

Upon hearing this, everyone's faces fell.

Of the more than 8,000 soldiers before the war, only more than 6,000 are still capable of fighting... The number of casualties accounts for a quarter of the entire army, which is no small number.

Of course, compared to the losses of the "Southern Army"—that is, compared to their fruitful results—their cost was negligible.

To achieve such a high exchange ratio when outnumbered is already a remarkable feat.

After Yamanami Keisuke finished speaking, Qing Deng picked up the conversation:

"Kichinosuke Saigo is indeed a remarkable figure of his generation."

"It was thought that the 'Southern Army' would surely collapse after suffering such a heavy blow."

"Unexpectedly, Saigo Kichinosuke was able to rally the remaining troops, stop the rout, and reorganize the army."

Looking westward from the bird's feathers, one can see twinkling lights in the distance—the lights of the "Southern Army" camp.

The Southern Army did not retreat, but returned to its pre-battle position and continued to confront the Shinsengumi.

The Southern Army suffered such a crushing defeat today that its soldiers and generals lost all will to fight, and they fled in panic, with the army's order completely destroyed.

Affected by the fleeing soldiers, even troops that were not normally acting out will become disorderly.

Back then, the Battle of Fei River was lost in the same way. The front retreated, and the people behind were confused, which eventually led to chaos in the entire army.

Logically speaking, given the circumstances at the time, it was not impossible for the "Southern Army" soldiers to collectively abandon their positions and camps and flee westward back to their hometowns.

However, when the fleeing soldiers left Toba and retreated back to their camp, it was as if they had hit an invisible wall, and their rout came to an abrupt halt.

Without a doubt, this was the work of General Saigo Kichinosuke, the commander-in-chief of the "Southern Army".

He stabilized the camp, maintained order, and prevented the chaos from spreading further.

Otherwise, not even a remnant of the Southern Army would have been left.

To accomplish such a task, both prestige and skill are indispensable.

Qingdeng continued speaking:

"Currently, the remnants of the 'Southern Army' are entrenched west of Toba, adopting a defensive posture."

"Of course, the defense is a pretense. Their real intention is to prevent us from fully supporting Otsu."