I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

It is perfectly understandable that he would be so frustrated.

Both Britain and France wanted to establish footholds in the Far East to expand their own interests.

France merely sent training missions to the North and expanded bilateral trade, nothing more.

In contrast, Britain not only donated a large amount of weapons to the "Southern Dynasty," but also directly sent troops to assist in the war!

This direct act of taking sides undermined the existing understanding between Britain and France, which explains Brunet's indignation.

Neither Aoto nor Yamanami Keisuke paid any attention to Brune, who was still fuming, letting him vent his frustration alone.

Yamanami Keisuke said softly, half with emotion and half with self-mockery:

"I never imagined that in my lifetime I would one day fight against the invincible British army."

Qing Deng pondered for a moment, then turned his head, looked at Brune with a serious expression, and asked solemnly:

"Mr. Brunet, please answer me honestly based on your talent, experience, and integrity: can the existing defenses of Great Tsun withstand an attack by one or two thousand British troops?"

The exact number of troops the British government sent to assist the Northern Expeditionary Army remains unknown, but it was certainly no less than a thousand.

"..."

Brune did not respond immediately.

After a long silence, he finally spoke in a heavy tone:

"...The Zuo residence is a private residence, so I'll be frank: it's extremely difficult."

"Although I hate Britain, I have to admit that the fighting power of the British army is beyond doubt."

"British soldiers are both highly disciplined and extremely well-trained."

"Whether it was artillery fire or gunfire, it was all incredibly accurate."

"Although your army has a sufficient number of firearms, the training level of your soldiers is still not good enough, and they are simply not comparable to the British army."

"Therefore... unless the garrison strength is doubled, it will be extremely difficult to defend Dajin City."

Upon hearing this, Yamanami Keisuke frowned and muttered to himself:

"Double..."

Even Elodie, who was translating nearby, couldn't help but change her expression.

The six thousand troops currently stationed in the city represent all the fighting force they can muster, and there are no reinforcements.

Furthermore, the Northern Army is about to besiege the city. At this critical juncture, even if reinforcements could be found, they certainly wouldn't be able to arrive in time.

Qing Deng remained expressionless, making it impossible to understand his thoughts.

Then, he offered a brief thank you to Brune:

“…Mr. Brunet, thank you for your guidance.”

Brune shook his head:

"No need to be polite. 'Strike back at Britain' is the duty of every Frenchman."

"I'll do anything to make those damned British suffer!"

"I cannot act without His Majesty's orders. Otherwise, I would love to personally lead the charge and assist you in fighting the British!"

……

……

Qingdeng told Elodie to take Brune away first, while he and Yamanami Keisuke stayed on the city wall.

The two stood side by side, gazing at the town outside the city, enveloped in a somber atmosphere.

Suddenly, Keisuke Yamanami broke the silence:

"...Tachibana-kun, can you make up for the difference in combat power between the two sides by yourself?"

Qing Deng shrugged:

"If it can be done, then I am naturally willing to go."

"Unfortunately... my strength is ultimately limited."

“Jingzhu, don’t forget that our Dajin City is shaped like a six-pointed star, with more than a dozen city walls.”

"If I guard the north wall, the south wall will be lost; if I defend the west wall, the east wall will be in danger. With so many walls, even if I run my legs off, I cannot possibly defend them all."

After listening, Yamanami Keisuke took a deep breath and then exhaled a long sigh:

"In that case, we can only do our best... We hope that this fortress, which cost so much money and resources to build, can withstand the fierce attack of the British army."

Qingdeng, who had been wearing a stern face, suddenly smiled.

"We must certainly do our best. However, before considering defending the city, we have other things to do."

As luck would have it, at the very moment Aoto finished speaking, a light footstep echoed from afar—Sanako, carrying her naginata, swiftly entered Aoto and Yamanami Keisuke's field of vision.

"Qingdeng, the cavalry are ready and can depart at any time."

Yamanami Keisuke was taken aback, his face blank, and he blinked in surprise:

"Cavalry? Mr. Tachibana, what are you planning to do?"

Qing Deng said calmly:

"Of course, I'm going to put my 'old trick' into practice—leading cavalry to raid the enemy camp and catch them off guard."

"In any case, it's always a good idea to probe their strength first."

"If we could take advantage of the surprise attack to crush the enemy in one fell swoop, that would be the best outcome."

Having said that, he held onto the Vairocana sword at his waist and went straight to the wall with Zanako.

……

……

Otsu, eastern suburbs—

The three hundred cavalrymen who had followed Qingdeng back to Tianjin had already assembled here.

In addition, there were Aizu cavalry. "Aizu's fiercest general," Sagawa Kanbei, led two hundred cavalrymen to accompany them—the only remaining cavalry in the Aizu army.

After traveling all day, they had only rested for a couple of hours before setting off again... Although it was very difficult, their spirits were exceptionally high.

As long as Niou appears before them, as long as they follow behind Niou, they will forget their fatigue!

Right now, they have all changed into brand new, energetic mounts, and are all seated in their saddles, waiting for Qingdeng's orders.

As for the Aizu cavalry, because they arrived in Otsu earlier and had more time to rest, they looked better and did not show any obvious signs of fatigue.

However... the panic of their crushing defeat still lingered between their brows.

Soon after, Aoto and Sanako arrived.

After greeting Harada Sanosuke, Nakazawa Koto (seventh division vice-captain), Matsubara Tadashi (tenth division vice-captain), and others, he jumped onto the radish's back and took the long spear from someone else.

Yamanami Keisuke appeared half a step behind Aoto—he followed Aoto down the city wall—and blocked the bull's head, casting a worried glance at Aoto on the bull's back:

"Tachibana-kun, you've barely returned to Otsu before launching an attack. Isn't that a bit too hasty?"

Qing Deng said solemnly:

"Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. If I don't really fight the British army with swords and spears, I won't be able to know their strength."

"Don't worry, I don't really expect to defeat the enemy with just these few hundred cavalrymen."

"It's just a brief probe; I'll be right back."

*******

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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)

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PS: When Leopard was almost finished writing this chapter, he suddenly remembered that Hijikata Toshizo was in Toba and had not returned to Otsu, so he quickly replaced "Hijikata Toshizo" with "Yamaminami Keisuke".

Chapter 1166: Attacking in the east and attacking in the west, the benevolent king rushes into battle

Yamanami Keisuke remained unmoved upon hearing this, his face still bearing a worried expression.

Being naturally steady, he has never liked such radical battle plans.

Of course, as Qingdeng's close friend and old friend, he knew he couldn't persuade him.

Therefore, after only a moment's hesitation, he sighed silently and stood aside quietly.

"Mr. Orange, I wish you great success."

Qingdeng chuckled to himself:

"I dare not speak of victory. I will be satisfied if I can obtain useful information."

"Jingzhu, before I leave, organize a group of people to carefully inspect every corner of Dajin City. If any oversights are found, remedy them immediately."

"Also, inform all the residents of the town that those who have somewhere to go should evacuate immediately; those who have nowhere to go should move to Otsu Castle as soon as possible."

Yamanami Keisuke nodded earnestly:

"Understood. I'll take care of it right away."

After giving his brief and quick instructions, Qingdeng said no more, gripped the reins tightly, glanced at the cavalry behind him, and then shouted loudly:

"set off!"

The next moment, the radish shot out like a cannonball.

This incredibly strong black ox, after traveling for most of the day, only needed to rest briefly in its familiar cowshed before regaining its energy.

As soon as Radish let off the hook, Sanako and the others rushed to spur their warhorses forward. The wind blew against their faces, and the hems of their haoris rustled loudly.

Thump thump thump thump thump thump...

Countless hooves pounded the ground, like rolling thunder, gradually fading into the distance.

……