I formed the strongest swordsman group.

Chapter 852: Decisive Battle at Tenryuuji, Shinsengumi Assault! [5000]

The tone is relaxed and casual.

It was as if he was just going for an outing, rather than a fight to the death with his beloved disciple.

After Qing Deng was speechless for a moment, he looked solemn.

"Boss Kiryu, how can you be sure that guy is in Tenryuji?"

Boss Kiryu smiled:

"Don't underestimate my intelligence network."

"I know that someone who looks like Katsura Kogoro was spotted in Tenryuji Temple."

"In the previous battle of Ikedaya, Katsumi served as Katsura Kogoro's bodyguard."

"In that case, that guy is very likely still by Katsura Kogoro's side."

“So, I’m going.”

Qing Deng said hurriedly:
"This is just a 'suspect'. We can't be sure whether Katsura Kogoro is in Tenryuji!"

As soon as the voice fell, Kiryu boss immediately said:

"Even so, I'm still going!"

He raised his eyes and looked straight at Qing Deng, their eyes met.

"Even if there is only a slight possibility, I am willing to go."

Qing Deng opened his mouth and wanted to say something.

However... facing the firm gaze of Mr. Kiryu, he felt like something was stuck in his throat and he couldn't say anything.

Boss Kiryu seemed to see through Qing Deng's thoughts and smiled freely:
"Tachibana-kun, don't make that expression."

"In life, there are some battles you just can't escape."

"Whether it's victory or failure, whether it's laughter or howling, I'm mentally prepared. No matter what the outcome is, I will gladly accept it."

"Besides, maybe Katsumi and I won't fight at all."

“I once studied debate in Osaka.”

"Maybe just a few words would make Keji change his ways and apologize to me in tears."

After making a little joke in a joking tone, Boss Kiryu raised his hand and patted Qing Deng's shoulder with a "pa, pa".

"Thank you for your concern, Ju-kun."

"Although I don't want to make the atmosphere so heavy, I am here to say goodbye to you tonight."

"To be honest, I actually ran away secretly."

"After the lord learned about Katsura Kogoro's whereabouts, she actually blocked the news and didn't want me to know."

"But she underestimated my intelligence network."

"As soon as she received the news, I packed my bags and sneaked out of Osaka without telling anyone."

"I wanted to go straight to Tianlong Temple."

"But I don't know why, I just want to come over and see you and talk to you."

"As expected, once people get older, they tend to become sentimental."

After saying that, Boss Kiryu smiled and patted Qing Deng's shoulder again.

"Although these are just some old clichés, before I leave, let me, as your master, say a few more words."

"You must eat well, sleep well, practice well, avoid anxiety and impatience, and continue to improve yourself."

"You are one of the best swordsmen I have ever met in my life."

"I believe that one day, your fame will reach far and wide, and your achievements in martial arts will reach a height that even I cannot even dream of."

“If you encounter setbacks, bottlenecks, or doubt your own abilities in the future, you don’t have to feel discouraged.”

"You have the courage to overcome all difficulties - I am sure of this."

"In short, don't sell yourself short."

"Even if everyone in this world betrays you and hates you, there will always be an old man who regards you as his greatest pride."

Upon hearing this, Qing Deng subconsciously looked up at the sky. The darkness beyond the reach of the candlelight well concealed his facial expression at the moment.

Boss Kiryu's smile gradually softened.

"Okay, let's stop here for now about mother-in-law's affairs."

"Let's talk business for a bit."

"After you launch a general attack on the Choshu army tomorrow, I will take advantage of the chaos to rush straight to the enemy's main camp and look for Keji."

"So, Ju-kun, I'll have to trouble you tomorrow."

"It would be great if we could disrupt the order of the Choshu Army and cause them to become a mess."

"This way, I can relax a lot."

"Jujun, please."

Faced with Boss Kiryu's earnest request, Qing Deng remained silent for a long time.

About half a minute later, Qing Deng finally spoke.

A calm voice came from the darkness.

"The enemy's defense on the east side is relatively weak. You can try to sneak in from this direction."

Qing Deng said as he took two steps forward and got closer to Boss Kiryu.

For this reason, his face emerged from the cover of darkness - his expression was calm and his eyes were firm.

"Boss Kiryu, it's useless to tell you not to go, so I won't say any more useless nonsense."

"Tomorrow, I will lead the charge and crush the Choshu army with a thunderous force. I will do everything I can to create a suitable opportunity for you to infiltrate as soon as possible."

"This is the battle you chose. I have no right to comment on it, let alone stop you."

"But I still want to say one thing: remember to protect yourself and don't die."

"It would be great if we could go and come back immediately."

"I wish you good luck in martial arts!"

Seeing Qing Deng offering his blessing calmly, Boss Kiryu was surprised at first, then his surprise turned into joy and relief, he laughed and nodded vigorously.

"Well, Ju-kun, I'll be back soon!"

……

……

The next morning,

The pale yellow morning sun slowly rises from behind the mountains.

The faint light of dawn penetrated the thin clouds and shone on the land of Gyeonggi Province.

Although the sun was warm, it could not warm up the cold air in the Choshu military camp.

“Oh…! Oh…! My hand…! My hand…! Oh…! Oh…!”

"Bring some more soju!"

"Damn it! There are so many injured, there's no way we can save them all!"

"Alas... Is it necessary to continue this battle?"

"You bastard! You are here to boost the morale of others and destroy your own prestige! We still have the strength to fight, so of course we have to continue fighting!"

"Stop fooling yourself! Can't you see it? We have already been defeated! We have been badly defeated! There is no chance of winning at all!"

……

Ever since the remnants of the Fushimi and Yamazaki troops poured into Tenryuji Temple, an atmosphere of pain and panic had permeated the temple.

In fact, a fierce argument broke out among the Choshu generals at Tenryuji over whether to accept this group of remnants.

They were of course aware of the serious consequences of accepting remnants.

Many generals were unwilling to allow the remaining soldiers to enter the camp.

But... these remnant soldiers who are in urgent need of rescue are all their compatriots.

Refusing compatriots from entering the camp and watching them die without helping them... No one dares to give such an order!

Moreover, if we refuse to accept the remaining soldiers, it might lead to a large-scale riot among them.

They managed to evade the pursuit of the Shinsengumi and fled to the friendly camp in Tenryuji, but were refused entry...

God knows whether they would storm the military camp in anger out of grief and anger, leading to a tragedy of fratricide!
Even though we knew it was a raging fire, we had no choice but to swallow it!
In this way, the Choshu generals of Tenryuji had no choice but to open the camp gates and let the remaining soldiers enter the camp.

As expected, as soon as the remnants of the soldiers entered the camp, rumors spread rapidly in the camp about how brave the Shinsengumi was, how cunning the Satsuma army was, and how we were bound to lose.

The soldiers in the camp all knew about the tragic outcomes on other battlefields.

In just one day, nearly 10,000 troops in Fushimi and Yamazaki suffered a devastating blow.

Currently, the only troop still capable of fighting is this one from Tianlong Temple... Anyone with a brain would not be optimistic about the current war situation.

Since last night, the Choshu camp was filled with a sense of impending defeat.

Those who groan in pain from their wounds...

Those who shed tears secretly...

The man with his head down and a look of despair...

The listless patrol...

Those who are unwilling to give up, still want to fight desperately, and try hard to boost morale...the so-called "doomsday scene" is nothing more than this.

Even the main camp was in dead silence.

At this moment, all the generals of the Choshu army gathered at the main camp.

Looking up, almost all the generals were covered in dust and looked very embarrassed.

There are many injured people.

Kusaka Genzui sat on the mat with a blank expression.

The spine in his back seemed to be pulled out, and he fell forward limply, with his elbows resting on his legs, barely supporting his body.

Just late last night, with the brave escort of those loyal ministers, Kusaka Genzui finally arrived safely at Tenryuji Temple without any danger.

For the generals of the Choshu army, Kusaka Genzui's survival was a blessing in disguise.

This only good news brought them some comfort.

I don’t know if it was because his desire to survive was rekindled or what, but after arriving at Tenryuji Temple, Kusaka Genzui no longer shouted “Let me die”. Instead, he became quite quiet... or rather, too quiet.

In the past, Kusaka Genzui, who was eloquent and good at public speaking, would have been the first to speak up and encourage everyone.

But this time, he remained silent and didn't say a word.

He didn't speak a word, and had no expression... At first glance, he looked like a puppet and also like an autistic patient.

This, in turn, made the Choshu generals feel very uneasy.

Even without any relevant notice, all the generals came to the camp at dawn today and tried to discuss ways to break the impasse.

However, a long period of time had passed, and the camp was still surrounded by silence so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.

No one spoke, no one spoke...

Such a result is only natural.

After all, the current situation is so corrupt that nothing can be done about it...

An overwhelming disadvantage in troop strength, low morale, and an equipment gap that was like a dimensionality reduction attack... Even if Han Baiwei and Huo were still alive, they would have no choice but to surrender in the face of such a huge gap in combat power.

Those radicals who used to dance the most happily and shout the loudest now hung their heads, looking at their noses and their noses at their hearts, with expressionless faces and dull eyes, just like those of the dead.

At this point, unless one is a completely insane mental patient, everyone has gradually seen the current situation clearly.

They went out to fight with full confidence, but ended up in complete defeat after just one day... The disastrous defeat at the Fushimi battlefield in particular brought them an indescribable shock.

The Shinsengumi didn't even send out infantry or cavalry, but only used muskets and artillery to beat the enemy into a state of disarray.

What the hell? Is this how war is fought?!

Cannons are fine, but Western muskets are so powerful?!

In this way, it is hard not to make these radical people who worship idealistic power and talk about the "Choshu spirit" have strong self-doubts about themselves: Is it that the concept of sonnō ryō that we have always adhered to is wrong?

At this moment, in the corner of the main camp, Katsura Kogoro, dressed in cloth, was leaning against a tree trunk with his arms folded. He didn't seem to be thinking or in a daze. He just stared straight at Hisaka Genzui not far away.

Beside him, Prajna squatted on the ground like a gangster, looking around the main camp, smacking his lips a few times:
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, pitiful... He lost miserably, he almost lost all his money."

Katsura Kogoro's face darkened:
"Prajna, shut up."

Prajna turned a deaf ear to his rebuke and continued:
"I say, Katsura Kogoro, why don't you kill that Kusaka Genzui?"

"……What did you say?"

Katsura Kogoro suddenly opened his eyes wide, turned his head, and cast a sharp look at Prajna.

Prajna shrugged.

"Don't look at me like that. I'm not afraid of you."

"I can subdue you to the ground with just one hand. It's not much more difficult than pinning a woman down on the bed."

"Although I don't like you, I have to admit that you are indeed a character."

"He is both civil and military, and very courageous. He is a man who can accomplish great things."

"No wonder Yamata no Orochi thinks highly of you."

"In terms of personal ability, Kusaka Genzui is indeed not bad, but his brain is broken."

Prajna raised her hand and poked her forehead.

"Expel all Westerners and return the country to a closed-door policy... His mind is full of these unrealistic ideas. How can he not fail?"

"Instead of letting this guy continue to waste the manpower and material resources of Changzhou, it is better to kill people and seize power directly."

"If you had done this earlier, perhaps you could have avoided today's disaster."

"Look, after being tossed around by that kid, not only did we get nothing, but we also caused Changzhou's national strength to be greatly reduced, and the situation is even more precarious."

Prajna thought that after he finished speaking, he would be met with fierce rebuttal from the other party.

Because he knew that Katsura Kogoro had always valued the friendship between their former fellow students.

Unexpectedly, the scolding he expected did not come.

"..."

Katsura Kogoro remained silent with a complicated expression.

Prajna turned her head in surprise, looked him up and down for a few times, and grinned:
"Heh~~ It seems that the kid who always mentions 'fellow students' and 'classmates' has finally grown up."

Katsura Kogoro ignored Prajna's ridicule, silently raised his eyes, and cast an intriguing look at Kusaka Genzui not far away.

Just then, a series of hurried footsteps came from afar, getting closer and closer.

In a moment, a panic-stricken messenger rushed into the sight of Katsura Kogoro and others.

"Master Kusaka! The enemy is moving!"

The moment this person finished speaking, the sky was pierced by the urgent sound of a horn.

Woo! Woo! Woo! Woo-woo! Woo-woo! Woo!
Countless birds flew out in fright, rising up from the Arashiyama behind Tenryuji Temple like locusts.

The generals, including Kusaka Genzui and Katsura Kogoro, straightened their bodies reflexively, their faces looking extremely ugly as if they were stained with black ink.

……

……

"Moo! Moo!"

After eating more than 60 kilograms of high-quality fodder and having a good night's rest, Radish regained his vitality.

Qing Deng held the spear in his hand, rode the ox to the front of the battle formation, and looked at the Tianlong Temple in the distance.

Tenryuji Temple is adjacent to Arashiyama to the west, and this is the only direction where troops cannot be deployed.

The other three directions - north, east and south - were all heavily surrounded.

This was a battle that was sure to be won. The almost free military exploits before their eyes greatly boosted the morale of the soldiers.

Even the feudal lords wanted to get involved and requested to fight.

Of course, Qing Deng would never let these rubbish reap the benefits and steal the credit.

He still deployed the various vassal troops in the rear and let them act as atmosphere creators.

Accompanied by the deafening sound of trumpets, soldiers from all armies marched out of the camps one after another and lined up in neat rows.

Three-leaf sunflower, gentian leaf, Aizu three-leaf sunflower, Maru cross... large flags of different colors and pictures fluttered in the morning breeze.

In the morning light, the soldiers' armor and weapons sparkled.

When Qing Deng appeared in front of the battle formation, all of a sudden, spears, muskets, and swords were waved in the air, and cheers rang out one after another.

As soon as Qing Deng gives the order, this huge army composed of the Shinsengumi, Aizu Army and Satsuma Army will launch an overwhelming attack like a torrent and swallow up Tenryuji in one breath!
As Qing Deng was observing the enemy's formation from afar, Hijikata Toshizo's voice suddenly rang out from behind him:
"Ju, you don't have to risk the arrows and stones in this battle."

Hijikata Toshizo said this as he rode his horse to Qing Deng's side.

"We have already won the game."

"Even without your help, we can still achieve a complete victory."

"Why do you have to go into battle yourself?"

"I wouldn't want to see anything happen to you."

Just this morning, Qing Deng announced to all the generals: In today's battle, I will be the first to charge!

Almost everyone expressed their incomprehension of his decision - this isn't a tough battle with an unpredictable outcome, so why would you need to personally take part?
As soon as Hijikata Toshizo finished speaking, Qing Deng smiled slightly:
"Sai San, thank you for your kindness."

"I understand your good intentions, but I have made up my mind."

"For some reason, I will go all out in today's battle!"

After saying that, Qing Deng turned his head and looked towards the east.

His intuition told him that Boss Kiryu was lurking in the east, quietly waiting for the best opportunity to infiltrate.

Hijikata Toshizo looked at Qing Deng deeply, then sighed silently:
"Okay, you're the boss, I'll listen to you."

At this time, Shannan Jingzhu came on horseback.

"Tachibana-kun! All troops are ready! We can attack at any time!"

Upon hearing this, Qing Deng nodded to indicate that he understood, then retracted his gaze and looked towards the Tianlong Temple in the distance again. His eyes flickered with fighting spirit.

"Shinsengumi!"

He pulled the reins suddenly, and Carrot raised his front hooves and let out a powerful roar.

"assault!"

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