I formed the strongest swordsman group

Qing Deng divided the cavalry into two parts.

One part was commanded by Harada Sanosuke, who continued to drive the remnants of the Fushimi battlefield to the north.

The other part was commanded by him, Nakazawa Koto and Matsubara Tadashi, who hurried to the Yamazaki battlefield.

The battle situation in Fushimi had been completely settled, and the Choshu army could no longer stir up any waves in Fushimi.

In this case, it would be a waste to put such a large force as Souji in the rear.

So, Qing Deng sent someone to convey the order to Souji, ordering her to follow and reinforce the Yamazaki battlefield.

As for the subsequent tasks of cleaning up the battlefield and clearing out the remnants, it was left to Shimazaki Kai to be responsible.

While on the way, Qing Deng learned the details of the Yamazaki battle from Nakajima Deng.

Compared with the wide battlefield of Fushimi, the Yamazaki battlefield is much narrower.

Yamazaki is adjacent to Tenno Mountain in the west and Kamo River in the east, sandwiched between a mountain and a river.

The 3,500-strong coalition forces of Satsuma in Choshu, with a total of nearly 10,000 troops from both sides, laid out their battle formations in this narrow area and began to confront each other.

After observing the battlefield situation, the military advisor of the Satsuma army... that is, Ichichi Ryuemon, after obtaining the consent of Saigo Yoshinosuke, immediately rushed to the main camp of the Shinsengumi, found Hijikata Toshizo, and said:

"Vice-Captain Hijikata, I have come up with a plan to defeat the enemy. If it goes well, it will only take half a day for us to defeat the enemy army we are facing! Can you listen to me?"

Hijikata Toshizo raised his eyebrows and said:

"I would like to hear the details."

In this way, the two began a secret conversation in the military tent.

Ichichi Ryuemon briefly explained his battle plan:

Today's battle seems to be outnumbered, but this is just an illusion on the surface.

The biggest weakness of the Choshu army is undoubtedly that it is too bloated.

The army is filled with a large number of ronin, peasant soldiers, and independent troops who were temporarily recruited.

It looks like a strong momentum, but in fact it is just strong on the outside but weak on the inside.

Ijichi Ryuemon therefore concluded that there must be a major problem with the command system of the Choshu Army!

It is like a slow giant who cannot flexibly control his hands and feet, and moves slowly and slowly.

After seeing that the Choshu Army's camp was not very neat, Ijichi Ryuemon was even more certain of his judgment.

So, based on this characteristic of the Choshu Army, he made the following plan:

First, deploy a regular army, and then send a special army.

The regular army is responsible for engaging in a confrontation with the Choshu Army on the front battlefield, fighting and retreating, luring the enemy to pursue in depth, and forcing it to extend the front line.

As for the special army, it will detour to the west and lure in Tenno Mountain. When the time is right - that is, when the Choshu Army has extended the front line and its military strength is dispersed - rush down from the mountain! Go straight to the enemy camp! Launch a surprise attack on the Choshu Army!

The Yamazaki battlefield is very narrow, like a corridor. Going west will hit the Tenno Mountain, and going east will be blocked by the Kamo River, so you can only go north or south.

It is not difficult to imagine that in this kind of terrain, once the flank is attacked, unless the army has strong organizational ability, the consequences will be disastrous!

After listening to Ijichi Ryuemon's battle plan silently, Hijikata Toshizo said quietly:

"Coincidentally, you and I think of the same thing."

This is probably the so-called "heroes think alike".

After observing the battlefield terrain and the enemy and our situation, Hijikata Toshizo made the same judgment as Ijichi Ryuemon!

Not only that, the battle plan he formulated is also similar to that of the opponent.

It also uses regular troops to lure the enemy, and then uses surprise troops to win in one fell swoop.

Under the double-sided attack of regular and surprise troops, it is possible to defeat the strong with the weak and defeat the enemy on the opposite side in one fell swoop!

Although this is a plan full of variables, whether the regular troops can effectively contain and lure the enemy, and whether the special troops can seize the opportunity to attack, these are all unknown, but Hijikata Toshizo, who is naturally brave and has strong mobility, is willing to take this risk!

However, if this plan is to be implemented, the help of the Satsuma army must be obtained.

The 1,500 troops under Hijikata Toshizo alone cannot carry out such a grand operation.

Hijikata Toshizo was ready to rush to the main camp of the Satsuma army in person to explain his battle plan to the other side.

It was just that Ijichi Ryuemon got there first.

Since both sides have the same idea, how can they not hit it off?

In this way, the two sides quickly finalized the detailed deployment and action details.

The Satsuma army, which has a well-organized firearms unit, will serve as the regular troops.

The Shinsengumi, which has strong close combat capabilities, will serve as the special troops responsible for the decisive blow.

The plan was set, and Hijikata Toshizo immediately led Nagakura Shinpachi, Saito Ichi, Serizawa Kamo, Niimi Nishiki, and their 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th squads to secretly cross Tennozan and lie in ambush on Tennozan.

Saigo Yoshinosuke and Ijichi Ryuemon led 2,000 troops of the Satsuma Army and deployed their troops opposite the Choshu Army.

As soon as the sky was slightly bright, the battle began!

The Choshu Army relied on its strong military strength and took the initiative to launch an offensive - this was exactly what Hijikata Toshizo, Saigo Yoshinosuke and others wanted!

The sound of cannons, gunshots, roars, screams... resounded inside and outside Yamazaki.

Not long after the battle began, under the meticulous micro-manipulation of Saigo Yoshinosuke and Ijichi Ryuemon, the Satsuma Army pretended to be defeated and retreated step by step.

Seeing this, the Choshu Army was really fooled and hurriedly launched a pursuit.

It would have been fine if they didn't chase, but once they did, problems immediately arose.

The originally relatively orderly military formation suddenly became chaotic due to the busy pursuit, and the entire army turned into a "long snake formation" and scattered across the corridor-shaped battlefield.

Hijikata Toshizo, who was lurking on Mount Tenno, had no way to learn the detailed movements of the front battlefield in time.

There was no effective means of communication, and no convenient observation methods.

Even if the ninjas of the 9th Division reported intelligence to him, the information obtained was also very delayed.

However, Hijikata Toshizo was worthy of being the deputy leader of the Shinsengumi and a genius that Aoto relied on very much.

He made a precise decision based on the movements he heard with his ears, the scarce information he had at hand, and his own experience and intuition: Now is the time! The whole army will attack!

In an instant, the silent Mount Tenno was shrouded in roars and shouts!

Hijikata Toshizo led the way and rushed to the front.

Nagakura Shinpachi, Saito Ichi and Serizawa Kame were like tigers, vying for the first place.

1,500 soldiers, who gathered a lot of the best of the Shinsengumi, roared down from the mountain! Like a sharp blade, they hit the soft side of the "long snake"!

When Hijikata Toshizo and his men rushed down the mountain, their momentum was so strong that it was like a divine army descending from the sky.

As expected, the Choshu army, which was attacked by surprise, was immediately in chaos!

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"

"Enemy soldiers appeared in the rear!"

"Light green haori! It's the Shinsengumi!"

"Who is the leader!"

"I don't know! But I saw the captain of the second division, Nagakura Shinpachi, and the captain of the third division, Saito Ichi!"

"Damn it! Hurry back! Let's fight back!"

"Hey! Don't act recklessly!"

After Hijikata Toshizo and his men attacked the flank of the Choshu army, they rushed deep into the enemy without stopping. Their momentum was so fierce that it was the best description of the term "pig rushing forward".

Once they seized the opportunity, they would launch a lightning-fast offensive, chasing and attacking like mad dogs until the enemy collapsed - in this regard, Aoto and Hijikata Toshizo had the same style.

Under their fierce attack, the Choshu army was cut in half! They became two big lumps that couldn't take care of each other!

Saigo Yoshinosuke's reaction was extremely quick.

Seeing that the surprise attack by Hijikata Toshizo and others was successful, he immediately ordered all Satsuma soldiers to switch from defense to offense and start a full-line counterattack.

Being attacked from both sides and being divided... the Choshu army's military advantage was completely lost, and the heroic scene of "pursuing Satsuma" just now was no longer there.

At this point, the situation turned around!

Those ronin and peasant soldiers who were forcibly conscripted were really incapable of the task.

Except for "boosting the momentum", they were useless.

Seeing the situation take a sharp turn for the worse, they all became a mess.

Shouting, running around... doing all kinds of things.

There are strong enemies outside and stupid teammates inside... How can they not be defeated?

In just half an hour, the Choshu army gradually showed a trend of defeat.

It was the common occurrence that the soldiers couldn't find the generals and the generals couldn't find the soldiers.

The order of the enemy army had collapsed, and it was a great opportunity to expand the results of the war in one fell swoop.

What a pity... The continuous fierce battles without a break, coupled with limited manpower, have exhausted the Satsuma army and the Hijikata army.

Hijikata Toshizo didn't know whether the Satsuma army was really weak or deliberately conserving its strength.

Anyway, they really couldn't fight anymore.

The failure to pursue and annihilate in time allowed the Choshu army to take a breath and not collapse completely.

The person in charge of leading the Choshu army on the Yamazaki side was the leader of the radical faction, Kusaka Genzui.

Kusaka Genzui may be an outstanding swordsman and orator, but he is by no means an excellent commander.

Looking closely at the entire battle today, he did not show excellent command ability.

When the Satsuma army pretended to be defeated, he foolishly chased after them.

When the Hijikata army launched a surprise attack, he failed to return to stop it.

When the troops were in turmoil, he failed to effectively suppress it.

Only when he gathered the remaining soldiers did he finally play a little role.

While the Satsuma and Hijikata armies were unable to attack again, Kusaka Genzui hurriedly dispatched troops to stop the collapse.

After gathering about a thousand remnants, they retreated to Tenno Mountain, relying on Tenno Mountain to resist step by step.

The Hijikata and Satsuma armies would naturally not let each other go so easily.

They led their troops to the foot of Tenno Mountain, while recuperating, building simple fortresses and blocking various mountain passes.

Just as they were preparing to attack the mountain, they suddenly heard that Qing Deng had defeated the Choshu army in Fushimi and was driving the remnants to the north, so they immediately sent Nakajima Noboru to find Qing Deng for reinforcements.

As long as Qing Deng's reinforcements arrived, it would be a sure thing to take Tenno Mountain!

After listening to Nakajima Noboru's detailed account, Qing Deng couldn't help but show a look of joy on his face, and secretly said in his heart, "Well done!"

Originally, according to his predetermined plan, this battle would be divided into "three steps" and completed in three days.

On the first day, they first pacified Fushimi. After driving the remaining troops to Yamazaki, Qing Deng joined forces with the Hijikata-Satsuma coalition forces in charge of the battlefield.

On the second day, they joined forces to defeat the enemy in Yamazaki.

Unexpectedly, Hijikata Toshizo and others showed strong subjective initiative and defeated the enemy in Yamazaki on the first day with their own strength!

When Qing Deng thought that Hijikata Toshizo participated in this battle, he suddenly felt that it was not surprising.

Qing Deng knew how capable Hijikata Toshizo was.

He should be the most talented military person in the Shinsengumi.

In terms of military talent alone, Qing Deng believed that he was not as good as the other party.

Qing Deng never thought that he was a military genius.

He thought that he just had more war experience than the average person.

If he copies the military-related talents in the future, or lets Qing Deng study hard for a period of time, perhaps one day in the future, his military ability can surpass Hijikata Toshizo.

After all, Qing Deng (Demon Heart +5)'s learning ability is definitely better than Hijikata Toshizo (Demon Heart).

Qing Deng was not surprised that Hijikata Toshizo could come up with such a wonderful strategy.

What surprised him was that Ijichi Ryuemon could actually plan a strategy consistent with Hijikata Toshizo.

It seems that "Yamamoto Kansuke Reincarnation" is not a false reputation, this person is really good!

No wonder Saigo Yoshinosuke would worship him as a military advisor.

This kind of decisiveness, this kind of control over the battlefield situation, is really a rare talent.

The name "Ijichi Ryuemon" is a little deeper in Qing Deng's mind.

In addition, the performance of the Satsuma army also attracted Qing Deng's attention.

Fight and retreat, lure the enemy deep into the territory - this simple sentence contains such exquisite micro-management skills and such excellent military organization!

After this battle, Qing Deng thought he needed to make a new assessment of the real combat power of the Satsuma army!

…

…

Yamazaki, Tenno Mountain -

When Qing Deng and his party arrived at the foot of Tenno Mountain, the first thing they saw was the towering mountain top and the flag (three stars in one character) fluttering in the wind on the mountain top, which symbolized the Choshu Mori family.

At the foot of the mountain, the Hijikata army and the Satsuma army were making intensive preparations for the attack on the mountain.

It was noon now.

There was an alluring aroma in the air.

During wartime, in order to increase physical strength and boost morale, the soldiers' meals would be richer than in the past - this was the rule set by Qing Deng.

Qinjin Domain was only a stone's throw away from Kyoto. If even the most basic food supply could not be guaranteed at this distance, then Iwasaki Yataro could commit seppuku to apologize.

Looking up, the soldiers were feasting on the food.

Holding dry rice in one hand and hot soup in the other, they were enjoying the meal.

Of course, only the soldiers of the Shinsengumi were lucky enough to enjoy such food.

Each domain prepared its own food, and the shogunate and Qinjin did not provide it - even Aizu and Satsuma were no exception.

Saigo Yoshinosuke's emphasis on military rations was obviously not as high as Aoto.

Therefore, when the soldiers of the Shinsengumi ate hot rice, drank hot soup, and chewed dried meat, the soldiers of the Satsuma army could only gnaw on dry rice balls, seasoned with sour plums and vinegar kelp.

The two formed an extremely sharp contrast.

Although they didn't say anything, the soldiers of the Satsuma army were all jealous and envious.

This was also a major pain point of the Satsuma domain - lack of food.

Satsuma is located in the southwest border. Although it has the advantage of sea transportation, it is not a major grain-producing country.

Compared with the Qinjin Domain, which had a vast plain and no shortage of farmland, this was a cruel gap.

After restoring the old fields in the domain and reclaiming new fields, Qing Deng raised the food treatment of the Shinsengumi again - there was no other reason, there were more fields! There was more food! That's how arrogant!

When Qing Deng rode a big black bull and passed through the military camp with the classic image of "one man, one bull, and a spear in his hand", it immediately caused quite a stir.

"Look! It's Niou!"

"Niou-sama!"

"My lord!"

The excitement of the Shinsengumi soldiers is self-evident.

Even the soldiers of the Satsuma army could not suppress their excitement at this time. They stood up and stretched their necks just to see the legendary samurai.

Qing Deng continued to move forward, smiling and waving to the soldiers.

In a moment, he arrived at the main camp where Hijikata Toshizo and others were.

As soon as he entered the main camp, he saw his subordinates eating.

Seeing Qing Deng coming, they hurriedly stood up, but Qing Deng said first:

"You continue to eat, no need to be polite. What is the current battle situation? Quickly report to me briefly."

Please give me a monthly ticket! Please give me a recommendation ticket! (Leopard head crying.jpg)

PS: The "Tianwang Mountain" that appears in this chapter is the location of the "Tianwang Mountain Battle" where Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Akechi Mitsuhide fought to the death.

The "Battle of Tianwang Mountain" often mentioned in competitive sports comes from this allusion, meaning a key battle.