I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Ōshio Heihachirō spoke eloquently.

“29 years ago, after the failure of the Osaka Uprising, I learned a painful lesson: without a powerful army that can be commanded as one’s own arm, it is absolutely impossible to overthrow the corrupt rule of the Edo Shogunate.”

"Unfortunately... due to mediocre talent and bad luck, whenever the size and combat strength of the Returning Heaven Team improved slightly, it would always encounter various unexpected events that led to setbacks."

"Even if they exhaust all their efforts, their current military strength is only a mere three hundred men."

At this point, Ōshio Heihachirō paused, twitched the corners of his mouth, and then adopted a half-joking tone.

"To be honest, this is all that I have left."

"If the Resurrection Team is wiped out, then the efforts of this old man... no, the countless patriots of the Great Salt Party over the years will all be in vain."

"I originally intended to keep the Huitian team indefinitely."

"But... now that things have come to this, it's no time to pity yourself or cherish your life."

"I cannot tolerate the brutality of the 'Southern Dynasty,' and I especially abhor their despicable collusion with the British army."

"If we sit idly by and watch Ōtsu fall, missing the best opportunity to defeat the 'Southern Dynasty,' then what's the point of continuing to keep the Kaiten-sei team?"

"Although the Zuo family's Huitian Team has few soldiers, they are all elite troops selected from among the best. They will surely achieve great things on the battlefield."

"We will fight with all our might to defeat the 'Southern Army'!"

Ōshio Heihachirō's voice was powerful and resonant, with a touch of tragic grandeur amidst its boldness.

Aoto wasn't bothered by Ōshio Heihachirō's act of "secretly maintaining an armed force"—it was quite normal. Even as allies, it's always good to keep a backup plan in case of unforeseen circumstances.

Moreover, the Big Salt Party is too small to withstand any storms.

For the past thirty years, the Ōshio Party has struggled to survive under the repeated suppression by the shogunate and the Hoshū-dō, painstakingly accumulating this pitiful fortune bit by bit.

Therefore, Qing Deng believed that what Ōshio Heihachirō had just said, "This is all that I have left," was definitely not a lie.

To help Aoto and Otsu, Ōshio Heihachirō truly sacrificed his life to come to their aid...

Upon realizing this, Qingdeng straightened his clothes, sat up straight, and solemnly expressed his gratitude, word by word.

"Mr. Daishio, thank you so much for your great help! I am deeply grateful and will never forget this great friendship!"

Ōshio Heihachirō gently shook his head:

"Master Zuo, there's no need for thanks. I merely did what I was supposed to do."

He paused again. After a moment's hesitation, he continued:

"Master Zuo, there is something else I would like to discuss with you. What I am about to say may be quite unpleasant to hear, so please forgive me."

Qingdeng smiled.

"No need to be so polite. Please feel free to say anything."

With this statement as his endorsement, Ōshio Heihachirō no longer hesitated and blurted out in rapid succession:

"Master Zuo, if Dajin falls, could you please take Azi with you and escape?"

"Miss Ziyang?"

"Yes."

Ōshio Heihachirō nodded and continued:

"I am already a rotten old man, and my death is not a pity."

"The only one I hope is that Azi can live a good life."

"She is still very young and has extraordinary talent. As long as she is there, the Great Salt Party still has hope for revival."

"Even if we can't revive the Great Salt Party... it doesn't matter. I'll be content as long as she survives."

Although barely perceptible, a gentle light did indeed gleam in the old man's eyes as he finished speaking.

Aoto was no stranger to such a look—he would always show the same look when playing with Tachibana Masatomi and Tachibana Mako.

“…Mr. Ōshio, I’m sorry to disappoint you. If Ōtsu falls, I will never abandon the city and flee. I will continue to fight until I die.”

Heihachiro Ōshio seemed to have anticipated Aoto's response. After a silent sigh, he spoke slowly and deliberately in a deep voice:

"...Master Zuo, I am not making unfounded concerns."

"The current battle situation is truly worrying."

"The enemy's strength is overwhelming. On the other hand, our troops are exhausted and our forces are insufficient."

"Even with the help of the Kaiten team, it's just a drop in the ocean."

"Given the current situation, it is difficult for us to defend Dajin, which has become an isolated city."

"I believe... as long as the green hills remain, there will always be firewood to burn."

"If the situation really becomes extremely critical, 'preserving the flame' will be an unavoidable choice."

"Over the years, my colleagues and I have come this far together."

After saying that, Ōshio Heihachirō sighed again.

He subconsciously tensed all his nerves, mentally preparing himself for being "scolded by Qing Deng".

However, the scolding he had imagined did not come.

"Mr. Daishio, thank you for your suggestion."

"I understand what you mean, and I think what you said makes a lot of sense."

"But no matter what, I will not abandon the city and flee."

"As you just said, the current situation is indeed not optimistic."

"However, we are far from being helpless."

“You just said ‘insufficient troops’—to tell you the truth, I have already found reinforcements—and the most loyal and reliable reinforcements!”

Upon hearing this, Ōshio Heihachirō was stunned, his eyes widening involuntarily.

Reinforcements? Where are the reinforcements coming from? — Before he could even ask this question, the sound of footsteps approaching from afar, making a "thump-thump" sound on the corridor floor, could be heard outside the room.

Qing Deng immediately recognized the owner of the footsteps, quickly got up, opened the door, and came face to face with Yamanami Keisuke who was rushing to the door.

"Jingzhu, have you investigated everything?"

Without even greeting Ooshio Heihachiro inside, Yamanami Keisuke blurted out before he could catch his breath:

"Tachibana-kun, we've investigated everything! There are currently 23,563 residents stranded in Tsu!"

After listening, Qing Deng nodded slightly:

"Twenty-three thousand... That's more than I expected. Counting the existing troops and adding the Great Salt Party's Rejuvenation Corps, we have an army of nearly thirty thousand!"

Upon hearing this, Ōshio Heihachirō's expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly cast a shocked look at Aoto:

"Mr. Ju, you...you want to mobilize civilians to fight?"

Qingdeng said softly:

"That's right. Exactly."

Ōshio Heihachirō's face grew increasingly grim, and he involuntarily sprang to his feet, engaging in a fierce confrontation with Aoto.

"This is absurd! How can civilians fight a war without any training?"

"This is a siege battle, not a field battle. It doesn't require extremely high combat skills. As long as you can hold your weapon steady, stand on the city wall, and obey orders, you can defend the city!"

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

P.S.: Leopard is planning to release his new game on October 6th. So, why choose this date?

Because the book "I Became a Swordsman in Ancient Japan" was released on this day, this date holds a very special meaning for Leopard. Releasing a new book on this day evokes a strange feeling (Leopard exclaims).

Chapter 1172 "Niou's Speech"

Ōshio Heihachirō opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything, looking like he wanted to say something but hesitated.

It's not that I have nothing to say, but rather that I have too much to say, so the words are stuck in my throat and I can't say them out loud.

Helpless, he subconsciously turned to look at Yamanami Keisuke beside him, wanting to seek help from someone else.

Turning my gaze, I saw Yamanami Keisuke's face filled with bitterness.

When he heard Aoto ask him to count the total number of all the townspeople currently stranded in Tsu, he immediately realized what Aoto wanted to do.

His first reaction was the same as that of Heihachiro Ooshio—this plan is absolutely unworkable!

How can we send untrained civilians into battle? Isn't that sending them to their deaths?

Leaving aside the British army, the Northern Army alone was enough to teach ordinary people the cruelty of war.

No matter how easily the soldiers of the "Northern Army" were defeated, they were still proper warriors, incomparable to ordinary people who had never even touched a sword.

Moreover, the "30,000 troops" mentioned by Qingdeng included the elderly, weak, women and children.

A "large army" mixed with a large number of the elderly, weak, women and children... how could it be used for combat?

Yamanami Keisuke's expression put Ooshio Heihachiro at ease... That's great, I'm not fighting alone, there are still people in the Shinsengumi who share my views.

Although they did not exchange any words or glances, at this moment, they reached a wonderful understanding because their hearts were connected—they both raised their eyes and cast earnest glances at Qingdeng, as if to say, "Master Zuo/Ju-kun, please change your mind."

Qingdeng naturally noticed their gazes.

He chose to ignore it with a clear conscience.

“Mr. Daishio, I understand your concerns. But in the current situation, mobilizing the people to fight is the only way for us to defeat the enemy.”

"...No. You don't understand, Zuo Fu."

Ōshio Heihachirō lowered his eyelids, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes, as if he wanted to cut Aoto.

"Master Zuo, may I have my say?"

Qing Deng raised his chin, indicating "Please go ahead."

"Sigh... I never thought I'd have to tell this story again..."