I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"Just now, I saw a young samurai riding a big black bull galloping past Ume-cho. The only person in the world who rides a black bull is Lord Niou. It must be him."

"Now that Lord Niou has returned, the front lines must have been victorious, right?"

"Well... I heard they won. The 'Southern Army' was utterly routed and dared not attack again. However..."

"But what?"

"I heard the north lost."

"The north? Is there fighting in the north too?"

"Huh? You didn't know? The Aizu army was stationed in northern Omi to block the puppet army (Northern Shogunate army), but they were defeated as soon as the war started. The remnants fled south and retreated into Otsu before dawn today."

"What? The Aizu Army is known as the 'strongest army in the world', how could they be so easily defeated?"

"Maybe the puppet troops are too strong."

"The Aizu army has been defeated... so wouldn't the puppet army be able to attack Otsu?"

"Yes, I heard that's how it is."

"Isn't this very bad... Let's leave Dajin quickly before the puppet troops arrive."

"Sigh, if I could leave, I would have left long ago. The people who are still in Otsu now are those who want to leave but can't, either because they are held back by something or because they have nowhere to go."

"That's true... Faced with these unexpected hardships, what can we, powerless and impoverished commoners, do? We can only drown our sorrows in this turbid wine."

"Alright, let's not talk about these headaches anymore, let's drink!"

"That's right, even if the sky falls, there's always someone taller to hold it up. This kind of thing should be left to Lord Renwang to handle; it's his duty, so we commoners shouldn't worry about it."

"Boss, two more bottles of sake, the kind chilled in well water!"

……

……

Qinjin Fan, Dajin, Dajin City——

Qingdeng, supporting himself on the stone pier beside him, slowly walked along the city wall of Dajin City.

Looking to the left, you can see Otsu Town with its sparse lights.

Looking to the right, one can see the city's interior, with the main castle at its core.

The crescent moon hanging high in the sky cast a gentle, clear light upon him, casting a long shadow.

Walking alone on the walls of Otsu Castle... This was a first for Aoto.

There were no attendants accompanying him.

Sanako, Mai, Souji, Tenshōin, and Elodie were not by his side.

Having grown accustomed to a life surrounded by admirers, this feeling of being all alone is something I haven't experienced in a long time.

Touching the stone piers beside him and stepping on the city wall beneath his feet, he couldn't help but feel emotional, recalling the various events of vigorously promoting the "Great Tianjin City Reconstruction Plan" back then.

After becoming the lord of Qinjin, Qingdeng made "rebuilding Dajin City" his top priority.

The old Ōtsu Castle was burned down during the Battle of Sekigahara (1600), and after the war, the castle tower and other architectural components were moved to Zensho Castle and Hikone Castle.

It's unreasonable and illogical that their own base camp doesn't even have any decent defensive fortifications.

Outdated castles from the Warring States period are definitely not advisable.

Therefore, with the help of Kinoshita Rin, who had extensive connections, Aoto invited professional Western architects to rebuild Otsu Castle into a new type of bastion.

There is no need to worry about manpower. As long as we can afford to pay them, there are plenty of poor people eagerly waiting to start work.

However... money is precisely the biggest problem.

In the early days of Qinjin, money was scarce and needed everywhere.

Whether it's setting up factories or cultivating fields, it's all a bottomless pit that can never be filled; no matter how much money you throw in, it's never enough.

The funds for building Otsu Castle were squeezed out by Iwasaki Yataro through exhausting his talents and using every possible means.

Despite the initial funding shortage, the "Otsu City Reconstruction Project" was able to proceed smoothly.

After several years of hard work, the main fortress and city walls of Otsu Castle were finally completed at the end of last year.

With the main castle and the city walls, we can at least say that we have built the basic framework of a bastion.

The main castle—as the name suggests, is the core area of ​​Dajin City and also the highest point in Dajin City.

The main castle of Ōtsu Castle is in the Japanese style, and from the outside it looks like a typical castle tower, so everyone, including Aoto, habitually calls it a "castle tower".

Unlike the five-pointed star-shaped pentagonal castle, Otsu Castle has an extra point, making it a six-pointed star.

The city walls were built of earth and stone, low yet thick, and could effectively withstand artillery fire.

Because of its six-pointed star shape, it eliminates blind spots to the greatest extent possible, so that no matter which direction the enemy attacks from, they will be exposed to crossfire from at least two directions.

In terms of quality, this is undoubtedly an excellent fortress, well worth the money and effort Qingdeng spent.

Unfortunately, many of the fortifications, including the moat and the inner city wall, are still incomplete.

Some are half-built, some have just started construction, and some are still on paper. In short, none of them are ready for use.

Fortunately, with the main castle and the fortress, this bastion had basic defensive functions.

Qing Deng was driven by the simple idea of ​​"prevention is better than cure" which is why he spared no effort in promoting the reconstruction of Otsu City.

Unexpectedly, the bastion beneath his feet was actually going to be used in actual combat... Qingdeng felt both lucky and unlucky.

If he had a choice, he would prefer that Otsu City remain "idle" and "unused" forever.

According to the intelligence he currently possesses, the flags of the "Northern Army" will be flying over the outskirts of Otsu by the morning of the day after tomorrow or by the afternoon of tomorrow!

At that time, an extremely brutal battle will unfold around this brand-new fortress!

The reason Qingdeng is strolling on the city wall of Dajin City tonight is partly because he wants to take a few more glances at it while it is still intact.

When the Northern Army attacks, it will inevitably destroy the original appearance of Otsu City.

On the other hand, it's about taking a break and relaxing your tense nerves.

As is well known, "cave time" is a necessity for men, and Qingdeng is no exception.

After the Battle of Toba-Fushimi began, he was in a state of tension, "focused and not daring to relax even for a moment," without even having time to catch his breath.

At first, he did feel quite relaxed, both physically and mentally. The cool night breeze, the bright moonlight, and the long-lost solitude all made him feel refreshed and his steps became lighter.

However, before long, his mind was uncontrollably drawn back to the impending final battle.

More than a thousand remnants of the Aizu army successfully entered Otsu Castle in the early hours of this morning.

The troops that Aoto brought back to Otsu included not only the four thousand soldiers of the Shinsengumi, but also the one thousand soldiers of the training corps.

Although the latter participated in the defense of Fushimi the day before yesterday and the recapture of Toba yesterday, it did not encounter any fierce battles and thus its organization remained intact.

Thus, the troops currently stationed in Otsu consist of 4,000 Shinsengumi soldiers, 1,000 Denshutai soldiers, and 1,000 Aizu soldiers, totaling 6,000 men.

Judging from the perspective of city defense, this number is by no means small!

But... with this level of combat strength, can they defend Dajin City?

Whenever Qingdeng thinks about this issue, a big question mark appears in his mind.

If the British government really sends regular troops to assist the "Northern Expeditionary Army"... if Ōtakemaru is really in the "Northern Expeditionary Army"... then a mere 6,000 men might not be able to defend Ōtsu Castle!

Just then, Qing Deng suddenly heard three distinct footsteps behind him—Yanan Keisuke, Brune, and Elodie walked quickly toward him in a line.

For reasons of international relations, Napoleon III forbade Brunet and others from directly intervening in the Japanese civil war, but he also did not order them to return home.

Therefore, after the war began, the French officer corps led by Brunet remained in Otsu, observing the battle situation and awaiting the lord's next instructions.

"The Zuo residence, we've finally found you." (French)

Brune muttered something and then quickened his pace.

After stopping in front of Qingdeng, he spoke rapidly with a gloomy expression.

Elodie, who was half a step behind him, quickly moved to a position slightly to the side between Chingden and Brune, acting as their translator.

"Master Zuo, there's no mistake, all those cannons you captured were British!"

Upon hearing this, Qing Deng narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze deep, but his expression was calm, as if he was not surprised at all—indeed, this was the case, and he had expected it long ago.

Brune was referring to the cannons that the Shinsengumi had captured from the "Southern Army".

Yesterday, all of the Southern Army's cannons were deployed on Autumn Mountain.

Just as the Shinsengumi was about to recapture Akiyama, the Southern Army's gunners were ordered to destroy the heavy, bulky cannons that were difficult to move.

However, some cannons survived intact, whether because they were not destroyed in time or because the gunners were too busy escaping to destroy them.

Cannons are precious equipment; you can never have too many.

Qingdeng had no reason not to accept the cannons that the enemy had "gifted" him.

In addition, there were many swords and muskets left behind on the battlefield by the "Southern Army," which Qing Deng also happily accepted.

When the Shinsengumi launched a full-scale pursuit of the "Southern Army," the Southern soldiers discarded their weapons in order to run faster. Swords and guns were scattered all over the ground, and there were so many that they couldn't be picked up. In the end, they all became the Shinsengumi's spoils of war.

Qing Deng didn't know much about guns and cannons, but based on his limited knowledge, he could tell that the captured guns and cannons seemed too sophisticated and were not at all like the guns and cannons produced by the Sa and Fei families.

Therefore, Qing Deng suspected that these guns and cannons were British military aid!

To verify its authenticity, upon returning to Ōtsu, Aoto immediately summoned Brune and asked him to help identify it.

Britain and France were old rivals in this era, engaging in comprehensive competition in various fields such as diplomacy, economy, and military.

Brunet, as a French officer, must have recognized British equipment.

As expected... Qingdeng's guess came true.

The guns and cannons possessed by the "Southern Army" were indeed British!

This explains why the "Southern Army" had such strong firepower.

As for the true identity of the "Western Army Corps" that assisted the "Northern Army", it can be confirmed that it was most likely the regular British army!

Brune gritted his teeth and said bitterly:

"Damn the British...! They resort to such despicable means! They've abandoned all basic decency in their pursuit of profit in the Far East!"

He clenched his fists and stomped his feet, his cheeks flushed with anger.