I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

……

Defending a city does not require the use of cavalry, but Qingdeng insisted on leading a cavalry unit back to Dajin.

The purpose was to follow the old tactic of leading cavalry in a surprise attack on the enemy and test their strengths and weaknesses.

Upon learning of the Aizu army's crushing defeat, Qing Deng immediately dispatched elite ninjas from the Ninth Division to gather intelligence and monitor the "Northern Expeditionary Army's" movements.

The marching route and speed of the "Northern Army" are all very important pieces of intelligence.

The most important of these is the actual size of the British army.

According to reports from Matsudaira Katamori and others, there were about a thousand British soldiers attacking from the Aizu region at the time—but this cannot be taken seriously, as heaven knows whether the British army might have hidden troops elsewhere.

"Cunning" and "unscrupulous" are two national hallmarks of Britain, which cannot be ignored and must be treated with caution.

Everyone says the British army is powerful and has a distinguished record, but based on hearsay alone, Qing Deng ultimately cannot gain a concrete understanding of the British army's actual combat capabilities.

Being completely in the dark... is really not conducive to the decisive battle ahead.

In conclusion, it is quite necessary to conduct a preliminary "outpost battle" before the final battle begins.

Of course, it would be even better if we could crush the "Northern Army" in one fell swoop.

This is not impossible; the only real threat to the New Selections is the British army, whose size is unknown.

Aoto didn't believe that the real "Northern Expeditionary Army"—a feudal force mainly composed of the Fukui Domain's army—would have any formidable fighting power.

If I can't deal with the British army, surely I can deal with your "Northern Army"?

Even if all else fails, slowing down their march would be good.

According to the intelligence Qing Deng currently possesses, the "Northern Army" is encamped tonight in an open field east of Dajin, not far away. From a military perspective, it would be an understatement to say that they are within arm's reach.

It's around 9 p.m. now. If nothing unexpected happens, we should be able to reach the edge of the "Northern Army" camp before dawn.

With this thought in mind, Qingdeng lowered his body slightly, his upper body almost touching Luobo's back, his buttocks slightly raised, using his back muscles to support his body and prevent his weight from pressing down on Luobo.

In this way, wind resistance can be reduced as much as possible, and the burden on the radish can be lightened so that it can run faster.

……

……

Low-hanging dark clouds covered the sky, and night fell.

In about half an hour, the sky will begin to brighten, and the chirping of birds going out to forage will be faintly heard.

Harada Sanosuke placed his hands on his brow bone, gazed into the distance, and then, unable to contain his excitement, exclaimed:

"Mr. Orange, I've got it."

Qingdeng nodded slightly:

"Well, I see it."

As he spoke, he stretched his neck and, like Harada Sanosuke, extended his gaze.

The talents "Night Vision" and "Sharp Eyes +20" are activated!

The scene of the "Northern Army" camp in the distance unfolded clearly in his eyes like a painting.

Scattered campfires, densely packed tents, simple yet sturdy wooden fences, a considerable number of sentries and patrols...

"Unexpected accidents happen as expected" is a common occurrence in the world. Fortunately, Qing Deng and his companions did not encounter any accidents on their journey to find the "Northern Army" camp.

They rode their horses (or oxen) at breakneck speed and finally found the "Northern Army" camp before dawn.

Right now, they have extinguished their lights, kept quiet, and hidden themselves in a dark, low-lying area north of the "Northern Army" camp.

At that moment, Sanako rode up from the side on horseback:

"Qingdeng, Vice Captain Yamazaki is here."

As soon as she finished speaking, a rustling sound came from the bushes not far away—a young man of average height and build emerged from the bushes and jogged toward Qingdeng.

Looking at the face that felt both familiar and unfamiliar, Qingdeng blinked in confusion.

He felt like he had seen this face somewhere before, but he couldn't quite place it.

"My lord, it is I."

Upon hearing this voice, Qing Deng belatedly realized: Oh, it's Yamazaki Susumu (the vice-captain of the Ninth Division)!

Even now, Aoto still can't remember what Yamazaki Susumu looks like—this is not an isolated case, but rather the case for almost everyone.

Yamazaki Susumu was one of the most outstanding ninjas in the Ninth Division, so Aoto specially entrusted him with the important task of "monitoring the Northern Expeditionary Army".

In recent days, Yamazaki has been sticking to the "Northern Expeditionary Army" like a shadow, moving when they move and stopping when they stop, without the slightest slackening.

Qing Deng and his companions were newcomers and did not know the specific layout of the "Northern Army" camp.

Therefore, Aoto specifically summoned Yamazaki Susumu to learn about the relevant details.

After a brief greeting, Yamazaki squatted down and began to scribble on the ground with a twig, quickly creating a simple pattern.

"Everyone, can you all see it?"

Qing Deng, Sanako, and the others immediately leaned closer.

With a muffled thud, Harada Sanosuke and Matsubara Tadashi's heads collided heavily, both falling backward.

"Tadashi, your head is so hard... I almost fainted..."

"I'm so sorry... it was so dark, I couldn't see you... Ouch... that hurts..."

The surrounding environment was exceptionally dark, as if ghosts were lurking around. It wasn't quite pitch black, but it was close.

With the help of his innate "night vision," Qingdeng's eyes are not affected by darkness, and he can see clearly even in the darkest environments.

Fortunately, a ray of moonlight shone down, allowing Sanako and the others to barely make out the pattern drawn by Yamazaki.

After receiving "please continue" signals from the crowd, Yamazaki began his explanation unhurriedly:

"The main camp of the 'Northern Army' was an oval shape that was narrower from east to west and longer from north to south, and its shape was roughly like this."

As he spoke, he pointed with a twig at the "oval" he had just drawn on the ground.

"The east and north sides are slightly higher, while the west and south sides are lower."

"The camp was surrounded by sturdy wooden fences, with no particularly obvious weak points."

……

Yamazaki recounted everything in detail, from the size of the camp to its location, leaving nothing out.

After he finished speaking, everyone fell silent, lost in thought.

As dawn approaches, it is the time when sentries are least focused and camp defenses are most likely to be lax.

However, according to Yamazaki Susumu's description, the defense level of the "Northern Expeditionary Army" camp was quite high, especially the outer wooden fence, which was the biggest obstacle to the cavalry attack.

If they launch a reckless and thoughtless attack, they will most likely suffer a crushing defeat.

At this moment, Qingdeng seemed to have thought of something and slowly relaxed his furrowed brows.

Sanako, who was crouching to his side, immediately noticed this subtle change in his expression.

Others might not be able to tell, but she knew at a glance: Qingdeng must have come up with some plan.

So she turned her head away and looked directly at Qingdeng:

"Qingdeng, do you have a brilliant plan?"

Qingdeng didn't dawdle, and said slowly and seriously:

"There are no brilliant plans, only old tricks."

As he spoke, he took the branch from Yamazaki and began to draw on the "oval" pattern in front of him.

He first drew a small arrow from west to east on the west side of the "ellipse".

"Send a small team to launch a feint attack from the west to draw the enemy's attention."

Next, he drew a large arrow from east to west on the east side of the "ellipse".

"The main force took the opportunity to launch a major attack from the east."

The more complex the tactics, the easier it is for things to go wrong. Therefore, some tactics are timeless, and "feinting to the east while attacking in the west" is one such tactic.

Perhaps influenced by Aoto, many of the Shinsengumi captains—including Sanako and Mai—liked this simple and straightforward tactic.

Therefore, after Qing Deng finished speaking, everyone nodded in agreement without thinking for long.

As for the main attack, it is natural that Qing Deng should be in charge personally.

This raises a question: who should be responsible for launching the feint attack?

It is easy to imagine that after attracting the enemy's attention, the soldiers responsible for the feint attack would inevitably suffer a fierce attack from the enemy... This is a heavy responsibility that requires great courage.

Harada Sanosuke opened his mouth without thinking much, about to speak.

However, someone shouted before him:

"Zuo Mansion, please allow us to lead the feint attack!"

The speaker was none other than Sagawa Kanbei from Aizu.

His face was haggard, his cheeks were unhealthy and pale, and his forehead was wrapped in thick burlap—this was an injury he had unfortunately sustained while blocking the "Northern Shogunate Army" in northern Omi, but fortunately it was not serious.

"In the previous battle, I suffered an unfortunate defeat in Île, and was deeply humiliated... If I do not avenge this defeat, I will not rest in peace even if I die!"

"Master Zuo, please give us a chance to avenge ourselves, and also a chance to atone for our sins!"

"We will never fail in our mission!"

His words were so sincere that they were truly moving.

As he spoke, he braced himself on the ground with both hands, seemingly about to perform a deep bow (dogeza) to Qingdeng.

Qingdeng saw through his actions and quickly reached out to support his shoulder, preventing his forehead from hitting the ground.

After giving him a thoughtful look, Qingdeng nodded:

"Then so be it."

Upon hearing this, Sagawa Kanbei was extremely excited and solemnly proclaimed:

"We are extremely grateful! We will do our utmost to ensure that the name 'Aizu' will never be disgraced again!"