I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Others—such as Sozo Sagara—were drawn in by the content of Seido's speech.

All that could be seen was Sagara Sozo staring blankly at Aoto's retreating figure.

Although it is unknown what he was thinking, one could see his naturally hanging hands slowly clenching, and a star-like gleam appearing in his eyes.

……

……

Although the Huitian Team was small in number, the arrival of reinforcements was always a heartening and joyous occasion, especially given the overwhelming threat of a major enemy.

Witnessing the magnificent scene of "the people of Otsu all taking up arms", the soldiers of the Kaiten-gumi were greatly encouraged and devoted themselves to the war preparation work with great enthusiasm.

After arriving at the northern outskirts of Dajin, the British troops set up camp in an orderly manner.

Trenches were dug, artillery positions were set up... and an impregnable field position was quickly formed.

In the days that followed, as more enemy troops arrived, the defenders in the city could only watch helplessly as the enemy camp outside the city gradually expanded and grew...

The enemy's forces were limited and unable to surround the entire city of Dajin; they only blocked the north and east sides of the city.

That works out perfectly.

As the saying goes, "surrounding three sides while leaving one side undefended" means that leaving the city's defenders no way out will only incite them to resist.

One side was waiting for reinforcements to arrive while intensifying preparations for the siege.

On the other hand, they were racing against time to train the militia and intensify preparations for defending the city.

In the blink of an eye, two days have passed...

……

……

Two days later, at dawn—

Qinjin Fan, Dajin, Dajin City, North City Wall——

The guards rubbed their hands together, trying to ward off the chill of the early morning wind.

"It's so cold... It's already spring, but it's still so cold..."

"Hey, stop dozing off, wake up! It'll be time for the shift change soon, just hang in there."

"Ouch... my nose is running again... Do you guys have any toilet paper?"

The guards on the city wall were divided into six shifts, taking turns to guard the city wall and monitor the enemy's movements.

The guards responsible for the early morning hours work particularly hard, as both sleepiness and the cold wind make it especially challenging to their willpower.

However, even so, they did not slack off in the slightest and remained dedicated to their duties.

In recent days, apart from the enemy camps expanding their reach, there is nothing else worth mentioning.

Due to the great distance and the obstruction of wooden fences, the enemy's specific movements were completely obscured.

Judging from the current situation, this round of surveillance by these guards will pass peacefully again.

"How long will this battle last...?"

"Who knows about such things?"

"The enemy has come from afar, so their supplies must be limited. Once they run out of food, we can launch a counterattack."

"Look, the sun is out."

"Phew... It's finally dawn... Once the shift change comes, I'm going to sleep like a log..."

boom!!

With a sudden, deafening roar, an unstoppable shockwave swept out, knocking them to the ground!

The loud noise and the shockwave robbed the guards of their hearing and their senses.

All of this happened in the blink of an eye... The guards were completely stunned, their minds went blank, and they had no idea what was going on.

They stiffly got to their feet and stared blankly around—the smoke and dust filled their vision, stinging their eyes; the beehives buzzed in their ears.

In a short while, the smoke and dust dissipated... and all that could be seen where a living person had just stood was now a small pit, and charred flesh and blood covering the pit.

At this moment, the guards' consciousness finally caught up with reality.

At that moment, a sharp, piercing sound descended from the sky!

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Shells rained down on and around Dajin City, creating waves of flame!

"It's a cannon!"

"I know without you telling me! Get out of the way of the shelling!"

"Quickly report to the lord! The enemy has begun their attack!"

In reality, Qing Deng doesn't need their reports at all.

The moment the cannon fire sounded, Qingdeng, who was taking a nap inside the main castle, immediately opened his eyes, instinctively grabbed the Vairocana sword from the nearby sword rack, flipped over and leaped up, running outside as fast as a shooting star, and looked north.

Souji, Kondo Isami, and the others did the same—although they lived in different rooms, at this moment, they rushed out of the door one after the other, staring at the north as if facing a formidable enemy.

Watching the cannonballs pierce the sky, Qingdeng silently adjusted the Vairocana pendant to his left waist, his expression solemn.

"Bring it on...!"

On May 15, 1866 (the second year of the Meiji era), the Battle of Otsu began!

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

P.S.: Finally, the fighting has begun. These kinds of unavoidable dialogue scenes are so annoying. (Angry Leopard.jpg) Not only are they brain-draining, but they're also incredibly boring to write. Action-packed plots that don't require much brainpower suit Leopard much better.

Chapter 1178 As long as the British launch an attack, everything will be alright.

"fire!"

With a command from Juro Abe (captain of the 11th Division), the counterattack began!

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

The combined sounds of artillery fire from both sides created a magnificent symphony unique to the battlefield, with thunderous explosions filling the air.

As soon as the cannons fired, the stockpile of shells immediately dwindled like melting snow.

Before long, each artillery group shouted to the rear:

"Don't just stand there! Quickly move the shells over here!"

"Don't be afraid! The enemy's artillery shells can't get through!"

"Quickly recall what you trained!"

A large number of militiamen who were unable to fight due to age, physical strength and other issues were added to the logistics forces, which greatly reduced the logistical pressure and allowed many soldiers in the logistics sequence to be transferred to the combat sequence.

Moving shells from the rear into the artillery position... it's just about moving things, there's no technical skill involved, it sounds very simple.

However... on the battlefield filled with the smoke of gunpowder, anything that would be very simple in ordinary times becomes incredibly difficult.

Although they had undergone some training and made corresponding mental preparations, most of the militiamen were terrified when the enemy's artillery roared in unison, and some even fell to the ground.

This is understandable. Even seasoned veterans find it difficult to remain calm amidst the continuous sounds of artillery fire, let alone militiamen who are new to the battlefield.

Seeing this, Nomura Risaburo (the vice-captain of the 11th Division) frowned and turned to Abe Juro beside him, calling out:

"Captain! No! The militiamen are terrified! Let our men go and transport the shells!"

Abe Juro murmured for a moment, then said in a deep voice:

"...Rizaburo, calm down. The battle has only just begun. The militia need some time to adapt to the battlefield."

At the very moment Abe Juro finished speaking, a boy who looked no more than ten years old gritted his teeth, resolutely stood up, pushed the handcart in his hand, and charged forward into the smoke, causing those around him to gasp in surprise.

Soon, he returned safely, pushing an empty cart.

"Don't be afraid, everyone!"

The boy took a deep breath and shouted.

"The sound of that artillery fire is terrifying! But the enemy's shells won't land on our side at all! Go ahead and deliver the shells without worry! We absolutely cannot let our cannons stop firing! We're standing here because we're determined to fight to the end, aren't we?!"

The boy's words, along with his actions, had an immediate effect.

Those who were terrified and pale gradually regained their composure; those who were paralyzed with fear began to get up one after another.

Suddenly, someone shouted, "Let's go!"—and the next moment, everyone rushed out like a flood! Following the training, they pushed their handcarts straight towards the artillery position!

Those who are strong should push more, and those who are weak should push less.

In this way, a large number of shells were delivered to the artillerymen in time.

Seeing the militiamen finally rally, Abe Juro breathed a silent sigh of relief, his previously tense facial features relaxing slightly.

However, he hadn't relaxed for long before his brow furrowed again, and he stared anxiously in the direction of the enemy.

Despite the desperate counterattacks of his artillerymen, who did their utmost, they were unable to suppress the barrage of British artillery fire!

The British artillery fire was incredibly accurate; the shells that fell straight down mostly landed around the city walls, sending bricks and stones flying everywhere!

In comparison, the accuracy of artillery fire here is much worse; many shells simply fly off into the unknown after leaving the barrel.

The battle had barely begun when they were already at a disadvantage due to poor artillery fire… Abe Juro felt worried and extremely guilty – if only our artillery fire were a little more accurate! Even if we couldn’t suppress the enemy, at least we could have dampened their arrogance…!

……

……

The British army's intentions were very clear—they wanted to bombard the walls of Otsut!

With the continuous development of cannon technology, "bombing down city walls" became the most mainstream method of siege warfare.

This is especially true when dealing with heavy fortresses like bastions.

The enemy only surrounded the north and east of Dajin City, clearly indicating that these were the main directions of their attack.