I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

The commander chuckled.

"Don't worry, I went through a lot of hardships to finally recover my health, and I will never ruin it easily."

At this point, she seemed to remember something, paused, and then said in a cheerful tone:

"Qingdeng, after this battle is over, let's go on our honeymoon together! Me, you, Miss Mai, Miss Sanako... oh, right, and Prince Tenshōin!"

The word, which clearly does not exist in contemporary Japan, startled Aoto.

"Xiao Si, where did you hear about 'honeymoon'?"

The headmaster truthfully informed:

“Yesterday, when I was getting my abrasions on my left leg bandaged at a hospital in the rear, a beautiful woman told me this.”

There were no women in the medical unit, so this beautiful woman was clearly one of the many civilians tasked with assisting the medical unit.

She said it was a Western custom for couples to travel together after marriage to strengthen their relationship.

She also said that she and her husband spent their honeymoon in Kirishima, Kagoshima, for several days.

"I think this custom is fantastic and worth emulating!"

Upon hearing this, Qing Deng became somewhat curious about the beautiful woman that the commander had mentioned.

"Not only do they know about 'honeymoon,' but they've actually experienced it firsthand... That's really rare."

The commander nodded slightly, picking up where he left off, his tone tinged with regret.

"Unfortunately... she said her husband had been killed by the 'Southern Dynasty'."

"She also said that she was willing to pay any price to avenge the Southern Dynasty—that's why she stayed behind to help in the war."

The Southern Dynasties committed far too many atrocities to count.

There are countless people like this woman whose families have been broken up by the "Southern Dynasty," so Qingdeng doesn't care about it.

At that moment, Qing Deng, a beat late, noticed the expectant look that Souji was giving him, his eyes sparkling with starlight.

Upon seeing this, Qing Deng couldn't help but smile.

"Thinking about it carefully, we've been married for so long, and it seems like we've never actually traveled anywhere."

"Okay, let's go on our honeymoon together after this war is over."

"However, even after the war ends, there is still a lot of cleanup work waiting for me to handle."

"Our honeymoon will definitely be delayed for a long time."

Souji chuckled lightly:

"It's alright! Once we win this battle, you'll be the de facto 'king of Japan'! We'll have plenty of time then!"

Qing Deng was speechless, his expression becoming complicated.

“‘All people under heaven’… If it were 6 years ago, I would never have imagined that this title would fall on my head.”

"Tenkajin" is a very significant title in Japanese history. Literally, it means "the one who controls the world," referring to the supreme ruler who unified Japan, ended the chaotic era, and seized control of the entire nation's government.

In the blink of an eye, he had transmigrated to this world six years ago.

As he just said, six years ago he could never have imagined that he would build such an amazing empire! He is only one step away from becoming the "king of Japan"!

Before they knew it, the two suddenly noticed that the surrounding light was getting brighter.

The eastern sky was already beginning to lighten. Soon, countless rays of light would dispel the darkness.

Looking at the increasingly bright sky, Souji murmured to himself:

"Its daybreak……"

Qing Deng glanced eastward, then looked away, focusing his gaze back on the commander-in-chief, and said solemnly, word by word:

"Xiao Si, it's a deal then—we must win this battle, and then together we'll make up for the peaceful life we ​​never had time to enjoy before."

Having said that, Qing Deng drew the Vairocana sword from his waist, scabbard and all, and handed the hilt of the Vairocana sword to the chief. To be precise, he handed over the tsuba (handguard) of the Vairocana sword.

Upon seeing this, the commander immediately understood his intention. He smiled and drew the Kikuichimonji Norimune sword from his waist, sheath and all, and reached out.

"understand!"

The next moment, the hilts of the two swords gently clashed, a clear clang echoing in all directions, fulfilling their vow of striking metal.

……

……

Day 25 of the Battle of Otsu – The Battle Begins!

As dawn broke, enemy artillery shells streaked across the sky like locusts, raining down on Otsu City!

Anyone could see that the enemy's artillery fire today was exceptionally fierce, far surpassing any previous offensive!

Hidden in his bunker, Yamanami Keisuke immediately noticed the enemy's unusual behavior and murmured in a low voice:

"Are they trying to settle this today...!"

Before I could think further, the sentry's warning came:

"The enemy is coming!"

As if by reflex, Yamanami Keisuke immediately rushed out of the bunker and looked out of the city.

Because the city walls were completely destroyed, the view outside the city could be clearly seen from any direction.

At this very moment, outside the city, thousands of enemy soldiers were charging in.

After scanning the area, Yamanami Keisuke immediately noticed that among the enemy forces attacking today, in addition to the familiar British troops and the "Northern Shogunate Army," there was a new unit he had never seen before!

The soldiers of this new unit were full of energy and showed no signs of fatigue from battle... Clearly, they were reinforcements from the enemy!

In an instant, Yamanami Keisuke's pupils contracted, and his face turned extremely ugly.

Almost simultaneously, a teammate nearby relayed this somber truth to Keisuke Yamanami:

"Damn it! It's enemy reinforcements!"

These words struck the soldiers present as if they had been struck by lightning.

For so many days, they held on to the belief that "the enemy is also about to collapse," and gritted their teeth and held on until now... They never expected that the other side would be able to send out a fresh force!

For the defenders in the city, this was undoubtedly a bolt from the blue!

Seeing that his own morale was on the verge of collapse, Yamanami Keisuke gritted his teeth and shouted loudly:

"Gentlemen! We've made it this far, how can we give up so easily?"

Shouting orders at the top of his lungs has become his daily routine lately, to the point that his voice is already overburdened.

He endured the intense pain in his throat and the feeling that his vocal cords might break at any moment, so that every word he uttered could be clear and loud.

"The enemy has reached its limit! Even if we deploy this fresh force, it won't have a decisive impact on the current battle situation!"

"If they can hold out until today, they will have no strength left to attack Otsu!"

"Today is the decisive battle!"

"Today is the last day of this battle!"

"How can we hand over the fruits of victory to the enemy when we are about to seize them?!"

Yamanami Keisuke's words of encouragement stabilized the wavering morale of the troops, and many soldiers once again showed their resolute expressions of shared hatred for the enemy.

In the blink of an eye, the enemy army was upon them! Their狰狞 (zhengning, meaning ferocious or hideous) faces were now clearly visible!

"Follow me!"

Yamanami Keisuke gripped his sword tightly and charged forward without hesitation.

In a split second, the soldiers from both sides collided heavily, blood and limbs flying everywhere!

The battle had barely begun when the city's defenders were already at a disadvantage.

Although most of the enemy reinforcements used cold weapons such as swords and spears, and only a very few were armed with firearms, it was enough to put great pressure on the city's defenders!

The intense fighting has severely depleted the city's ammunition reserves, forcing many musketeers to switch to close combat.

Insufficient fire support naturally makes the battle exceptionally difficult.

Moreover... everyone was exhausted and had almost no energy left.

Even the Shinsengumi soldiers, who were well-versed in warfare, were already overwhelmed... no, it should be said that the Shinsengumi soldiers were the most exhausted.

After all, they had already experienced incredibly fierce battles in Toba and Fushimi before returning to reinforce Otsu.

To engage in labor in contrast to leisure... the consequences are predictable.

To compensate for his inferior combat strength, Yamanami Keisuke had to push himself to maintain a fierce offensive, cutting down enemy soldiers one by one, hoping to exert the effect of a hundred or a thousand men on his own.

However... as one of the "firefighters," unimaginable fatigue accumulated within him.

There is no other word to describe his physical and mental state except "terrible"!

Suddenly, a skilled enemy soldier slid his foot and pounced on Yamanami Keisuke, raising his sword to strike!

Driven by his "fighting instincts," Yamanami Keisuke swiftly raised his sword to parry.

However, the fatigue of the brain, the fatigue of the nerves, the fatigue of the muscles... all these fatigues combined slowed his movements down slightly—it was these slight differences that caused his parrying posture to falter!

clang!

As the two swords clashed, Yamanami Keisuke felt a tremendous force strike him, forcing him to retreat several steps.

Although he managed to steady himself and avoid falling to the ground, a strong tingling and numb sensation spread through both of his arms, and the knife in his hand almost slipped from his grasp.

The opponent was not only skilled in movement, but also had excellent combat awareness—he did not let go of this rare opportunity, quickly took a step, closed the distance again, and slashed again.

Yamanami Keisuke tried to swing his sword to deflect the attack, but his arms were too heavy to swing at the speed he wanted!

"Damn it...! My arm won't obey me...!"

As the blade rapidly approached, a ruthless glint flashed in Keisuke Yamanami's eyes.

Just as he hardened his heart and prepared to trade injury for life—

clang!

A swift slash came from the side, blocking the opponent's blade for Yamanami Keisuke.