I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

After the war began, the soldiers of the Aizu Army fought bravely and provided strong support to the battle, thus salvaging their reputation.

Now, no one dares to say that the Aizu Army is a showy but useless army.

Sanako glanced at Sagawa Kanbei, then spoke succinctly and clearly:

"Hurry up and keep up!"

Having said that, she took the first step.

The cavalry and Aizu soldiers behind her gave chase.

……

……

Day 22 of the Battle of Otsu

Today, the British troops were exceptionally bold, transporting several cannons across the breach and bombarding the city's defenders at a very short distance!

To avoid shelling, Elodie had to lead a group of militiamen into hiding in a bunker.

The militiamen around him were either trembling or had blank expressions.

Suddenly, a militiaman with glazed eyes and a livid face stood up abruptly and turned to walk out of the bunker without saying a word.

Elodie had noticed him earlier, so she quickly grabbed him and shouted:

"Don't get up! Sit back down!"

"I...I don't want to stay in this place anymore...I...I want to get out...Let me out..."

"Are you crazy?! There's gunfire outside, going out now is suicide!"

Elodie demanded in an uncompromising tone that the other person return to their original seat.

However, this person seemed to be trapped in a nightmare, appearing like a madman who had lost his mind. He wouldn't listen to anything anyone said, and kept repeating "I want to get out," "Let me out," and "I don't want to stay in this place anymore."

Suddenly—

boom!

A shell landed precisely nearby, sending shockwaves through the area.

Elodie felt the ground beneath her feet shake violently, her body momentarily losing its balance, and her grip on "Madman's" sleeve involuntarily loosened.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, "Madman" broke free from Elodie's control and dashed out of the cover.

"Come back quickly..."

Before Elodie could finish speaking—

boom!

Another shell fell, and by sheer coincidence, it landed right on the "madman's" head...

Fireworks shot up, releasing a nauseating, acrid smell.

When the smoke cleared, only a few bits of human tissue remained to prove that a living person had once stood there.

Witnessing such a horrific scene, Elodie's face turned pale and then red.

In fact, this is not an isolated case, but rather a widespread occurrence on battlefields everywhere!

Elodie witnessed several such incidents firsthand.

Certainly, some people are more adaptable and can quickly get used to the battlefield and the barrage of artillery fire, treating the shelling as nothing.

However, some people simply couldn't adapt to the battlefield and the endless sound of artillery fire.

The pressure kept building up until... he completely broke down, leading to bizarre behavior.

They either ran around and shouted, or they refused to stay in the shelter any longer and insisted on going outside.

Watching helplessly as a living person was brutally tortured by the enemy and ended up in such a miserable state... Elodie felt a lump in her throat and subconsciously clenched her fists.

Suddenly, Yamanami Keisuke's shout rang out:

"Miss Angoulême! The enemy is charging again!"

*Swoosh!* Elodie swiftly drew Yamato no Kami Kanesada from her waist, turned, and shouted to the group hiding behind cover:

"Did you all hear that? Prepare for battle!"

……

……

Day 24 of the Battle of Otsu, at night—

The camps of the Northern Expeditionary Army and the British Army—

"Aa ...

"Don't move! The more you move, the faster you bleed!"

"This guy's dead! Carry him away!"

"Didn't they say this battle would be easy...?" (in English)

"This is the toughest battle I've ever fought in my life..." (in English)

"When will this fighting ever end?"

……

An atmosphere of panic and fear filled the camp. Wherever they went, they could hear the screams of the wounded and the groans of the terrified.

At this moment, the generals of both armies gathered at their respective camps, all looking solemn.

The defenders in the city suffered heavy casualties—as did the Northern Expeditionary Army and the British Army.

This fierce battle has lasted for a full 24 days.

Both the Northern Expeditionary Army and the British Army have exhausted all their strength and used every possible tactic.

However... however... Otsu Castle still stands strong!

They launched wave after wave of attacks, leaving the eastern and northern walls of Dajin City almost completely destroyed, but they still failed to capture it.

Even if some progress was made, it was quickly met with a counterattack, causing the hard-won gains to be wiped out.

In short—they are almost out of energy!

The casualties were heavy, and the survivors were filled with grief. The soldiers' war-weariness had reached a level that could not be ignored.

Even more serious is that their ammunition reserves are almost exhausted.

Although the British army was quite powerful, its ammunition reserves were ultimately not unlimited.

The British government began secretly shipping artillery shells to Japan more than half a year ago, and it took so much time to prepare and accumulate this astonishing stockpile of ammunition.

But no matter how abundant the reserves were, they couldn't withstand the British army's consumption like this.

The city, which was originally thought to be captured in 10 days at most, has now been under attack for 24 days without a clear victor... The consumption of cannonballs has far exceeded Howell's expectations.

According to their calculations, if they continue to maintain the current level of shelling, their existing shell reserves will only last them for another two days!

One piece of bad news after another... If we don't find a way to break this deadlock, this battle is very likely to end in defeat!

Failure... This is a severe consequence that none of those present can bear!

They were now in the same boat. Therefore, the officers of the Northern Expeditionary Army no longer bothered to mock Howell and his men, who were repeatedly humiliated.

The current military meeting is about pooling collective wisdom to jointly devise countermeasures.

However, although the military council had been underway for quite some time, no one spoke for a long time, and an eerie silence gradually accumulated...

It's not that I don't want to, but that I can't... If I had any brilliant plan to defeat the enemy and breach the city, I would have used it long ago. Why wait until today?

Suddenly, a general from the Northern Army slammed his fist on his thigh and shouted:

"Victory is within reach! Just a little more effort and we'll be able to hold a victory celebration banquet in Dajin City!"

"Admittedly, our army is at its last gasp, but the enemy is also nearing its limit!"

"Now it's a test of perseverance!"

"Whichever side can grit their teeth and hold on until the end will win!"

The man's tone was exceptionally enthusiastic, slightly dispelling the deathly silence of the scene—but only "slightly."

He had barely finished speaking when one of them curled his lip in disapproval.

"Perseverance, perseverance, perseverance... That's easy to say. Of course, we know that as long as we show perseverance, victory is just around the corner. But the question is, how can we get our soldiers to regroup?"

Someone quietly ended the conversation:

"If only there were reinforcements..."

Everyone tacitly ignored this person's statement.

Reinforcements... something that simply cannot exist is not even worth discussing.

If there is any force that can take on the responsibility of "reinforcements" at present, it is only the "Southern Army" in the west.

The Southern Army did indeed attempt to come to the rescue.

Five days ago, Saigo Kinosuke gathered his remaining troops and launched a probing attack on Toba, but was repelled by Hijikata Toshizo.

Although Aoto left a small force in Toba, it was enough to hold off the "Southern Army".

Therefore, the aid from the "Southern Army" was completely out of the question.

Just as the scene returned to deathly silence, a weak voice suddenly came from outside the tent:

"It seems the war is going quite badly."

Everyone was startled and turned to look—they saw Ōtakemaru supporting Yamata no Orochi, lifting the tent flap and slowly walking into the tent, appearing before them.

Tokugawa Yoshinobu's eyes widened in surprise:

"Lord Orochi? What brings you here?"

The Yamata no Orochi had been bedridden for a long time due to its worsening condition. Although it moved with the army, it had always been elusive, and now it had made a rare appearance... which was truly astonishing.

The Yamata no Orochi's physical condition was visibly poor.

His face was as pale as paper, his voice weak and feeble, only his pair of bright eyes showed the vitality that a "living person" should possess.