I formed the strongest swordsman group

Night——

Tenryuji battlefield, Aizu Army camp——

At this moment, the moon is rising.

The slender new moon unfolds a silver-shining white silk.

Under the bright moonlight, Matsudaira Yoshiyasu led a group of Choshu Army generals and waited outside the camp gate.

"Moo... Moo..."

The sound came before the people arrived.

A faint, tired cow neigh came from afar.

In a moment, a group of cavalry stepped out of the night-stained skyline and slowly appeared in front of Matsudaira Yoshiyasu and others.

It was the cavalry led by Qing Deng himself.

Looking at Qing Deng and his group who were getting closer and closer and coming here, many generals of the Aizu Army subconsciously swallowed their saliva and showed awe.

Although there was still a distance of hundreds of meters, the strong smell of blood had drifted over with the wind.

Qing Deng and his group seemed to have just been soaked in a pool of blood, and their bodies were covered with blood stains.

The hair was clumps soaked in blood and hot sweat.

Needless to say, clothes and other things have reached the point where "there is no need to waste time washing them, it is impossible to wash them clean."

The skin exposed outside the clothes was red and black, and there was almost no clean place.

Although it was very dirty, it was full of visual impact!

It was obvious at a glance: this was an army that had fought its way out of a sea of ​​blood and corpses!

The timid would be trembling and couldn't even stand steadily.

Just like Choshu, there was no horse-producing land in Satsuma, and there was no habit of training cavalry, so there was a great lack of cavalry.

Therefore, today's pursuit battle was carried out by the 7th and 10th squads of the Shinsengumi.

After defeating the enemy on Tennozan, Qing Deng immediately led the cavalry team and launched a lightning-fast attack on the remnants of the Choshu army.

At that time, the cavalry team had just driven the remnants of the Fushimi side to the Yamazaki area.

Before they had enough rest, they had to continue fighting, chasing the remnants of the Fushimi and Yamazaki battlefields to the Tenryuji battlefield further north.

The task was heavy, and it was a great test of physical strength and will.

Fortunately, the soldiers of the cavalry did not disappoint Qing Deng's expectations and careful training of them.

With Qing Deng's order, the soldiers of the 7th and 10th squads immediately mounted their horses and attacked immediately!

Among them, the three generals Harada Sanosuke, Nakazawa Koto and Matsubara Tadashi played a very good commanding role.

Although Harada Sanosuke's brain was not very bright, he had a strong instinct like a beast.

When it was suitable to attack, when to pursue, and when to temporarily avoid the edge, he could always subconsciously pick the most appropriate option.

In short, he was a person who fought and fought by instinct.

Although it was simple and crude, he could always win by surprise.

With this ability, he gradually grew into an excellent cavalry general.

As for Nakazawa Koto and Matsubara Tadashi, it was not to mention.

As newcomers, they have always been eager to show their skills and highlight their value. The more difficult the task, the more they can arouse their fighting spirit.

The enemy army has become a frightened bird, and there is no order.

So the order issued by Qing Deng is very simple: Don’t worry about the formation! Charge forward and attack the enemy!

In this way, under his personal leadership, the cavalry rushed and attacked.

Along the way, many soldiers fell behind due to exhaustion of horsepower.

In this regard, Qing Deng ignored it and let the team behind him become more and more sparse. He kept chasing and never gave the Choshu army any breathing space.

Those Choshu soldiers who were chased tragically had only three endings:

First, they were driven to Tenryuji like lambs.

Second, they were lucky enough to escape the pursuit and escape from the battlefield and save their lives.

Third, they were killed halfway.

Many people chose to jump into the Kamo River because of panic and ended up drowning.

In this way, Qing Deng and his party fought from Fushimi to Yamazaki, and then from Yamazaki all the way to Tenryuji.

It was not until now that they joined forces with the Aizu army responsible for the Tenryuji battlefield that they finally stopped.

At this time, there were only a hundred cavalrymen who could still follow Qing Deng closely and did not fall behind, and they were all exhausted.

Many of them relied entirely on willpower to barely sit on the saddle.

Even Qing Deng couldn't help feeling tired after fighting until now.

Unfortunately, they couldn't find Kusaka Genzui until the end.

Saito Ichi personally led the team to look for him, but returned in vain.

Qing Deng didn't know whether this guy was alive or dead, whether he escaped to an unknown corner, or successfully escaped to Tenryuji.

Seeing that Qing Deng and his party had finally arrived, Matsudaira Yoshiyasu and others who came to greet them bent down and bowed to Qing Deng.

Qing Deng handed the long spear in his hand to Nakazawa Qin beside him for safekeeping, then turned over and got off the cow, and strode towards Matsudaira Yoshiyasu.

Matsudaira Yoshiyasu smiled:

"Lord Aki, congratulations on your triumphant return!"

Qing Deng curled his lips:

"This is all thanks to the unity and bravery of the soldiers."

"Let's not talk about this for now."

"Is there any food? My subordinates and I are starving."

"Also, is there any hot water? I want to take a bath before eating."

After saying that, Qing Deng smiled bitterly and showed Matsudaira Yoshiyasu his haori, which could squeeze out a lot of blood and smelled enough to suffocate others.

...

...

About an hour later -

The camp of the Tocho Corps (formerly the camp of the Aizu Army), the main camp -

Qing Deng sat in the first seat.

Matsudaira Yoshiyasu, Saigo Yoshinosuke and other generals gathered around a long table with Aoto as the center.

On the long table, there was a three-dimensional map of the Tenryuji battlefield made of mud.

Not long after Aoto and his party joined the Aizu Army, Hijikata Toshizo, Saigo Yoshinosuke and others arrived one after another.

When the main generals of the three armies (Shinsengumi, Aizu Army, Satsuma Army) were all present, Aoto immediately ordered: hold a military meeting!

Discuss strategies to defeat the enemy, remove the last stronghold of the Choshu Army in the capital, and drive these traitors out of the capital completely!

There is no doubt that this is the last battle of this campaign.

Thanks to the ability of the Hijikata-Satsuma coalition, the Choshu Army on the Yamazaki side was defeated on the first day of the war, which greatly advanced the date of the decisive battle.

The task that Aoto gave to the Aizu Army was to delay the enemy troops on the Tenryuji side before the decisive battle came, and not let them get close to Kyoto, and not let them support other battlefields.

The Aizu Army is indeed a world-famous elite.

Even though they were outnumbered, they still fought back and forth with the Choshu Army on the opposite side, leaving them no time to spare.

Qing Deng turned his head slightly and winked at Matsudaira Yoshiyasu.

Matsudaira Yoshiyasu nodded, then turned to a general beside him and said:

"Let's get started."

The general immediately stood up and said loudly:

"I am the elder of the Aizu clan, Jinbo Uchisuke!"

"Please allow me to preside over today's meeting."

He omitted the unnecessary greetings and went straight to the point.

All day today, the Aizu clan has been fighting with the Choshu Army of Tenryuji.

Therefore, it is most appropriate for the Aizu Army to be responsible for introducing the details of the other side to everyone.

Jinbo Uchisuke cleared his throat and then told the story.

He first briefly outlined the course and results of today's battle.

According to him, the Choshu army on the other side backed up against Arashiyama and used Tenryuji as its main camp.

Compared with the Choshu army in the other two battlefields (Fushimi and Yamazaki), the Choshu army here was not significantly different.

Although there were 3,000 soldiers, the vast majority of the army were ronin and peasant soldiers who were temporarily conscripted.

The real combat-ready soldiers were at most 500 to 600 people.

Under the continuous expulsion of Qing Deng and his party, there were about 2,000 remnants of defeated soldiers who fled to Tenryuji.

Although the number was not small, these new troops were just some defeated soldiers, so they were not to be feared.

How could the psychological trauma caused by a great defeat be so easy to recover?

It is certain that these defeated soldiers will not only not be useful in the next battle, but will also hinder their progress.

And this is exactly Qing Deng's purpose - to let these remnants spread fear and undermine morale.

After finishing his brief report, Jinpo Uchisuke turned his head and looked at Matsudaira Yoshiyasu.

Matsudaira Yoshiyasu nodded gently:

"Jinpo-kun, you've worked hard, sit down."

Jinpo Uchisuke responded and sat back in his seat.

Qing Deng lowered his eyes, looked at the three-dimensional map in front of him, and whispered:

"The damn Choshu army really knows how to choose a place. They actually set up their headquarters in Tenryuji Temple... If possible, I really don't want to destroy this famous ancient temple."

Saga Tenryuji Temple - a Zen temple with a long history.

The original site of Tenryuji Temple was Danrinji Temple founded by Empress Danrin of Emperor Saga of Japan in 847 during the Heian period.

In 975, Prince Kaneaki built a palace and pond garden here.

Entering the Kamakura period, after 1254, Emperor Saga built the detached palace Ryusanden here and built Jokongoin as a Buddhist temple.

After Ashikaga Takauji conquered the world and established the Muromachi shogunate, he hired Master Muso to build Tenryuji Temple here to pray for the soul of Emperor Go-Daigo.

From then on, Tenryuji Temple became a sect in its own right and became the main temple of the sect, ranking first among the five temples in Kyoto.

Since its establishment, Tenryuji Temple has suffered many disasters and has been burned down 8 times.

If you think about it carefully, this should be the fate of historical buildings.

Any historical building will inevitably be burned down by fire.

Yamanami Keisuke loves these ancient buildings with a long history very much.

So, he sighed, his face showing a sad look, and expressed the same feeling as Qing Deng:

"I really don't want this famous temple to suffer another disaster..."

Although they said this, everyone knew in their hearts: guns and cannons have no eyes, once the battle starts, who cares about Tenryuji Temple.

Qing Deng really didn't want to see the famous temple destroyed.

But compared with the lives of his subordinates, these dead things are really not worth mentioning.

Let alone Tenryuji Temple, Qing Deng could destroy all the historical buildings in Kyoto without hesitation as long as it could save the lives of all his men or help the war.

Compared to before the war, the atmosphere inside and outside the main camp was unprecedentedly relaxed and harmonious.

The air was full of joy.

Even the useless feudal army generals could see after taking a look at the map: We have taken advantage! There is no possibility of defeat!

Two of the three armies of Choshu collapsed, and the remaining troops huddled in Tenryuji Temple, struggling to hold on.

The Shinsengumi, Aizu Army and Satsuma Army have joined forces, with nearly 10,000 troops, forming an overwhelming force advantage, and morale is high and well-equipped.

In comparison, the Choshu Army on the opposite side has no advantage at all.

With such a huge difference in combat power, it is difficult to lose even if you want to!

From Qing Deng to ordinary generals, no one thinks that the Choshu Army on the opposite side can make any waves.

Therefore, this military meeting went very smoothly.

After a brief discussion, Qingdeng directly announced tomorrow's battle plan.

The content of the plan is consistent with today's battle of Tianwang Mountain: there are no feints or auxiliary attacks, it is all the main attack, direct frontal pressure! Surround and annihilate them!

Gearing up, hoping that tomorrow will come as soon as possible.

At this moment, Matsudaira Yongho suddenly said:

"Lord An Yi, I have something to add."

Qingden raised his chin:

"Please tell me."

"Lord Aki, just this evening, a spy from our army reported that Katsura Kogoro was found in Tenryuji Temple."

Katsura Kogoro—hearing this name, Qingden seemed to recall something, and his eyes narrowed slightly.

"Is this information accurate?"

Matsudaira Yongho shook his head:

"No, not sure yet."

Hijikata Toshizo on the side curled his lips:

"It's Katsura Kogoro again...why is he everywhere?"

Saigo Kinnosuke sneered:

"Isn't this just right? I would most like to see these rebellious officials and traitors get together. It is just convenient for us to catch them all."

Qingdeng ignored these gossips and lowered his eyelids, thinking.

After a while, he asked Matsudaira Yongho:

"Higo-sama, did your spies find a young samurai wearing a Western hat and wearing strange clothes next to Katsura Kogoro?"

Songping Rongbao couldn't help but be startled when he heard this.

Although he didn't know why Qingdeng asked such a strange question, he still answered truthfully:

"No similar reports have been received yet."

A faint look of regret appeared on Qingden's cheeks, and he murmured, "That's it..."

…

…

"Everyone, go down and rest. Don't delay tomorrow's decisive battle." After saying this, Qingdeng announced the end of the meeting.

The participating generals filed out and left the tent in twos and threes.

This formation is where Qingteng lives and rests, so he naturally doesn't have to move.

After everyone left and there was no one else in the tent, Qingdeng let out a long breath, leaned forward, leaned on the long table in front of him, and relaxed his mind as much as he wanted to soothe his nerves.

At this moment, an announcement suddenly came from outside the tent:

"Lord, there is an old man coming from outside the camp, and he wants to see you by name!"

Qingdeng suddenly frowned:

"Old man? Did he report his name?"

"Yes! He calls himself 'Kizuma Kiryu'!"

——Boss Kiryu? !

Qingdeng raised his eyebrows suddenly and said without thinking:

"Bring him here quickly!"

"yes!"

Qingdeng straightened up again and straightened his appearance.

After a while, the curtain was opened, and a familiar tall figure came into view.

"Good evening, Tachibana-kun."

Boss Kiryu walked towards Aonto with a soft smile on his face.

Qingdeng stood up to greet him.

"Boss Kiryu, why are you here? What happened?"

Boss Kiryu shook his head slightly.

"It's nothing. I just want to drink tea and talk with you. I shouldn't disturb you, right?"

Suddenly, Qingdeng seemed to realize something, and his brows slowly wrinkled.

"I happen to be free right now."

"That's a coincidence. In that case, if you don't mind, come and have a few drinks with me."

Boss Kiryu said as he put the object he was carrying in his left hand—a porcelain jar—on the table.

"If conditions permit, I actually want to drink with you."

"But you are at war now, and drinking during the war is really inappropriate."

"So I can only settle for the next best thing and replace wine with tea."

"The pot of tea I brought is the finest West Lake Longjing. I spent a lot of effort to get it. Come and try it."

Boss Kiryu was talking eloquently.

Qingdeng said nothing and had no expression on his face.

"...Boss Kiryu, please don't do this."

The sudden strong words interrupted Boss Kiryu's words, causing a brief silence to return to the tent.

Qingden took a deep breath:

"I'll tell you the truth, I...I don't like the current atmosphere!"

When Boss Kiryu heard this, he paused slightly, with a hint of helplessness and self-mockery on his brows.

After about 5 seconds, he adjusted his expression and put on his soft smile again.

"Tachibana-kun, Katsumi...is at the Tenryuji Temple across the street."

"This day has finally arrived."

"It's time...I want to see him!"

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If nothing else happens, this volume will be finished by early October~~

Preview the name of the new volume in advance, volume 5 - "The Land of Two Divided Worlds"!