I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

The endless barrage of artillery fire not only causes enormous casualties, but also crushes people's will.

The incessant explosions alone were enough to drive anyone crazy.

Serizawa Kamo, who was standing to the side, could no longer contain herself and shouted angrily:

"Damn it! How many shells do the British have?!"

Just then, one of the team members shouted excitedly:

"Chief! Look! The puppet troops (Northern Army) have retreated!"

Upon hearing this, Kondo Isami quickly poked half his head out and looked over the wall.

The soldiers of the "Northern Army" who had just been charging aggressively towards the city wall were now retreating rapidly like the receding tide.

Although the specific reasons for the retreat were unclear, Kondo Isami would certainly not let go of this precious opportunity to catch his breath.

He immediately gave the order:

"Get off the city walls! Get into the bunker!"

Since the Northern Army is no longer attacking, there is no need to defend the city walls any longer.

Staying on the wall would only result in being bombarded by British artillery. It would be better to leave a few sentries on the watchtowers to keep a close watch on the outside of the wall and prevent the enemy from approaching again.

As soon as Kondo Isami finished speaking, the soldiers present were immediately granted a pardon and rushed to leave the city wall.

Soon, the sounds of voices and footsteps faded into the distance, leaving only the roar of cannons dominating the vast city walls.

……

……

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

The British artillery fire seemed to never stop.

After the initial siege failed, the enemy stopped sending troops to attack and just kept firing cannons.

The continuous roaring and explosions gradually turned the soldiers hiding in the bunkers from initial fear into numbness.

While enduring the continuous bombardment of artillery, they awaited the order to attack that could come at any moment... This was the so-called "torture," where every minute and every second was unbearable.

This caused the soldiers inside the bunker to lose their sense of time, not knowing what time it was or how much time had passed.

The hour hand slid one tick after another in the clock... Finally, the sound of cannons disappeared, and the world returned to peace.

Because the silence came so suddenly, the first emotion that permeated the bunker was not joy, but bewilderment.

"There's no sound..."

"Huh? What did you say?"

"Great...the shelling has finally stopped..."

"Huh? What did you say? Speak louder! I can't hear anything right now! All I can hear is a buzzing sound!"

"Can we go out now?"

"Don't be careless! This could very well be a trap! They've deliberately stopped shelling to lure us out of our bunkers! We might just step out and the shells will start raining down again!"

Fearing it might be an enemy trick, the crowd looked at each other, remaining motionless for a long time.

It wasn't until quite a while later that some people mustered up their courage and voluntarily stepped out of their shelter to check the situation outside for everyone.

As soon as we stepped out of the bunker, the pungent smell of gunpowder assaulted our nostrils, making it hard to breathe. It was as if the air was filled not with dust, but with countless gunpowder particles!

Following the air filled with an astonishing amount of gunpowder, they were shocked to find that the orange-red glow of dawn had spread across the sky, and the blood-red sunset was about to sink below the horizon.

Before they knew it, it was already dark... The British bombardment had continued for the entire day!

The first day of the Battle of Otsu ended amidst the continuous sound of artillery fire... There was no fierce fighting, no bloody battle for every inch of land; they simply hid in their bunkers, waiting patiently for the enemy's shelling to end... This reality was completely different from what many soldiers had anticipated.

Suddenly, someone shouted:

"Hey! Look at the city wall!"

Upon hearing this, everyone turned their heads to look at the city wall not far away—only to see that the city wall in front of them was in a dilapidated and miserable state!

A large chunk of brick was blown away here, and a small section collapsed there; cracks appeared here, and the original appearance of the bricks and stones was no longer visible there...

Such a situation is not surprising.

After all, the city walls endured a full day of intensive bombardment from the British army's precise bombing.

It is already quite remarkable that it has withstood such intense and continuous shelling.

However... although it hasn't collapsed yet, the extent of the damage is not to be ignored!

Initially, many soldiers were very confident in the grandeur of Dajin City and placed high hopes on it.

However... the scene that came into their view caused their confidence to be severely shaken.

As the atmosphere grew increasingly heavy, someone couldn't help but murmur:

"Can our city walls...hold out until the end of the war?"

The scene was silent; no one could offer an answer.

Just then, a loud shout came from afar:

"Make way! Make way!"

With this shout, dozens of burly men carrying various tools rushed menacingly toward the city wall—it was the Shinsengumi's general office!

[Note: General Affairs Department: The department specifically responsible for civil engineering work]

Head of the General Affairs Office, Shinonome Natsujiro, swung his arms and shouted loudly to his subordinates behind him:

"From this moment on, it is our battle! We must do everything in our power to repair the city walls! Do you understand?!"

The moment he finished speaking, the civil engineering guys following behind him roared in unison, full of fighting spirit.

The surrounding soldiers belatedly made way to the left and right, watching as these warriors, who did not wield swords, headed to their own battlefield!

……

……

North of Otsu Castle, the camps of the Northern Expeditionary Army and the British Army—

Howell (the British commander-in-chief) held up his binoculars and carefully observed the distant city of Great Tsun.

Sa Daoyi, who was standing to the side, asked:

"Mr. How is it going? How long will it take to take this castle?"

Howell slowly put down his binoculars, curled his lips into a confident smile, revealing even his few yellowed front teeth.

"Ten days... no, at most eight days, and I can destroy this castle!"

*******

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P.S.: Damn it! Hasn't the Qingdeng hack-and-slash scene gotten to it yet? (crying leopard head.jpg)

Chapter 1180 The Collapse of Dajin City! The Red Shirts Attack!

That night--

North of Otsu Castle, the main camp of the Northern Expeditionary Army and the British Army—

Tokugawa Yoshinobu and Howell sat side by side on the head seat.

The officers of the Northern Expeditionary Army and the British Army were seated below according to their seating order, with the former on the right and the latter on the left.

Although Tokugawa Yoshinobu was only the nominal supreme commander of the "Northern Shogunate Army," he was still able to play the role of "army commander-in-chief" when he needed to show his authority.

He stood tall and looked around the scene with unhurried ease.

"Is everyone here?"

Someone answered:

"Everyone's here!"

Tokugawa Yoshinobu nodded slightly, then, as if remembering something, turned to look at the old woman not far away:

"Tamamo-no-Mae, are Yamata no Orochi and Ōtakemaru not here?"

Tamamo spoke softly, expressionless:

"Lord Orochi's condition has worsened again, and Ōtakemaru is taking care of him."

The person next to him frowned:

"He didn't come again? What's that Yamata no Orochi up to? He said he was coming to help in the battle, but he hasn't even shown his face a few times! Since he's already terminally ill, he should go get treatment! Don't stay here and cause us trouble!"

Tamamo-no-Mae glanced at the other person with a detached expression, her eyes narrowing slightly.

"...That's wonderful."

The other party was taken aback.

"Huh? What's so great?"

Tamamo-no-Mae wore a mocking expression:

"It's so good that Ōtakemaru isn't here."

"Although he is deaf, he is very sensitive to emotions and can keenly perceive changes in the emotions of others—especially the malice emanating from them."

"If he finds out that you spoke disrespectfully to Lord Orochi... you won't be able to get out of bed for a very long time to come."

The other person clearly has a bad temper.

Upon hearing this, he immediately raised his eyebrows, feigning anger.

He opened his mouth, a sharp and piercing retort brewing in his throat.

However, just as he was about to speak, he suddenly stopped and shut his mouth.

The reason for this was not that he was at a loss for words, but rather that he suddenly recalled the day when "the Party came to punish the law"...