I formed the strongest swordsman group

"..."

His body shook... Qingden felt someone shaking his body.

"...Orange."

Then, a voice came from the distance.

"...Orange!"

The sound is getting closer and louder.

"...Tachibana! Wake up!"

The particularly familiar voice... was Hijikata Toshizo's voice.

"Tangerine! Wake up! Stop sleeping! Wake up!"

"Mr. Hijikata, look! Mr. Tachibana's eyelids are moving!"

Following Hijikata Toshizo was the voice of Sanosuke Harada.

Suddenly, beams of white light shot into the chaos - Qingden slowly opened his eyes.

The not-so-soft sunlight filled his eyes, causing him to lower his eyelids and filter the light with his long eyelashes.

After his eyes adjusted to the bright light, he turned his head blankly and glanced around.

The first thing he confirmed was that he was lying flat on the ground, his face facing the sky, and two familiar faces - Hijikata Toizo and Harada Sanosuke, one on the left and one on the right, in front of him.

This scene is very similar to the "You woke up, the operation was successful, you are already a girl.jpg" emoji from the previous life.

"Mr. Tachibana, you are finally awake."

Harada Sanosuke continued to ask while showing a relaxed expression of relief:

"Mr. Orange, how do you feel now? Is there any pain? Are you hungry? Before the attack, I just put a piece of grilled squid in my arms. If you are hungry, take it and eat it."

Harada Sanosuke said as if by magic, he took out a palm-sized paper bag from his arms.

Faced with Harada Sanosuke's machine-gun-like continuous questions, Aomori did not respond immediately.

Now he only feels that his head is extremely swollen, as if it has been filled with lead, and he can't figure out what the situation is now.

As consciousness wakes up, like bubbles from a fish, all the memories before coma come to mind.

"The realm of selflessness"... Setsuna... Victory over Prajna... The sudden appearance of the Kyoto Tengu...

After the last bit of fog in his mind was dispelled, his eyes suddenly widened, his pupils shrank, and he struggled to sit up.

Seeing this, Harada Sanosuke hurriedly said:

"Mr. Tachibana, it's better for you to lie down obediently! You are seriously injured. If you accidentally involve the wound, you will be in trouble!"

Qingto understands Harada Sanosuke's good intentions, but he doesn't care about that much now.

After standing up, he immediately stretched his neck and looked around for Boss Kiryu.

Fortunately, as soon as he turned his eyes, he immediately found the sleeping old man next to him.

Just like Aoden just now, Boss Kiryu was lying flat on the ground, facing the sky, his chest rising and falling regularly.

Seeing that Boss Kiryu was fine, Qingden finally breathed a sigh of relief, and the big stone in his heart fell to the ground.

Then, he withdrew his gaze from the old man and turned to look at the environment he was currently in.

Looking up, the surroundings were full of unfamiliar sights.

There was a faint smell of blood in the air, and fierce shouts of killing could be heard in the distance.

"Where is this?"

Qingden had just finished asking the question, and Hijikata on the back immediately answered:

"We are now at the southern foot of Lanshan Mountain. We were chasing the Changzhou Army, and suddenly we found you two sleeping soundly here."

——The southern foot of Arashiyama...? Why are Boss Kiryu and I here...

Just as Qingdeng was thinking this, he later realized that his body was very heavy.

After raising his hand and touching it, he realized that all parts of his body were wrapped in thick linen, and the wounds from head to toe had been simply treated.

Qingdeng has never studied medicine, but as an "injury professional", he has never eaten pork and has seen pigs running away, so he has a certain understanding of trauma treatment, mainly for sharp injuries.

Just from the soreness and numbness coming from the wound, he knew that the person who helped him just applied some ointment to his wound and then wrapped it tightly with linen to prevent further blood loss.

Although the technique was a bit rough and far from being called treatment, Qingdeng was not in danger of his life for the time being.

Otherwise, even if Qingdeng has the blessing of the talent "Block Blood +7", if these wounds are allowed to bleed continuously, he will not be able to withstand such a huge consumption.

"Susan, Sanosuke, did you bandage these injuries for me?"

Hijikata Toshizo shook his head:

"No, when we found you, you were already in this treated state."

Qingdeng couldn't help but be stunned when he heard this.

In this case, it means that an unknown person treated Hijikata Toshizo's injuries before he and the others arrived.

Who is it?

The answer to this question is not difficult to guess at all.

A tall figure wearing a red Tengu mask quickly appeared in his mind.

When he was about to fall into a coma from exhaustion, he saw a mysterious man wearing a red Tengu mask, walking straight towards him and Boss Kiryu at a leisurely pace.

Looking at this person, a name came out of Qingdeng's mouth: Kyoto Tengu!

To be honest, Qingdeng thought that he had encountered a ghost.

Qingto knew almost nothing about this legendary Tengu of Kyoto.

All he knew about it came from the few words he heard from Mr. Gu Mu.

All we know is that the Tengu of Kyoto was a righteous man who was very skilled and keen on fighting injustices. He was once very famous in the Kyoto area.

Because this person was active a long time ago, only the older generation of people in their forties still remember this name.

When he first heard about this, Qingdeng completely regarded it as ordinary market rumors.

Even if there is such a person in history, most of them are not in Kyoto or no longer alive.

The figure who thought he had disappeared in the long river of history suddenly appeared in front of him... How could Qingden not be surprised?

Judging from the way the other party jumped down from the tree trunk with ease and his steady and powerful gait, he should be still very young, at least not a stumbling old man.

But in this way, it goes against the rumors Ayoto knew that "Kyoto Tengu was active very early, so he must be very old."

Could it be that the name "Kyoto Tengu" is passed down from generation to generation like Kabuki?

The second or third generation Kyoto Tengu standing in front of him now?

After all, why are Kyoto Tengu here?

When exactly did he show up here?

Why didn't I feel his breath at all?

What does he want to do?

All kinds of questions filled Qingdeng's mind.

Although he tried to remember, he only remembered that not long after the Tengu appeared in Kyoto, he passed out due to exhaustion of energy.

When he woke up, it was the scene of "You wake up.jpg" with Hijikata Toshizo and Harada Sanosuke crowded in front of him.

Judging from all the information known so far, it is not difficult to infer that it was the Kyoto Tengu who treated his injuries and sent him and Boss Kiryu here.

——Kyoto Tengu...Who is this person? Why do you want to help me?

With countless questions in mind, Aoto turned to Hijikata Toshizo and Harada Sanosuke and asked:

"Did you see a man wearing a red Tengu mask?"

"Red Tengu mask?"

Harada Sanosuke muttered and turned to look at Hijikata Toshizo - the two shook their heads in confusion.

Qingdeng sighed as he expected:

"Oh, forget it, just pretend I didn't ask."

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Suddenly, a burst of gunfire from a distance brought Qingdeng's consciousness back to reality.

Thanks to the gunshot, Qingdeng came back to his senses: he is still on the battlefield!

His duel with Prajna was over, but the war between the Changzhou Army and the Changzhou Army was not yet completely over.

Although Qingto is very concerned about the true identity and behavioral intentions of the Kyoto Tengu, he should leave this matter to be considered later.

——It’s better to concentrate on ending the current war now!

After thinking this secretly, Qingdeng looked at Hijikata Toshizo and put on a serious expression:

"Susan, how is the war going now?"

Hijikata Toshizo answered without thinking:

"It's generally going well. We have achieved an overwhelming victory. The Changzhou Army was defeated across the board. They even lost their crotch cloth. It's just..."

When he said the word "just", Hijikata Toshizo paused for a moment, and a look of regret appeared on his cheeks:

"The general of the Changzhou Army has obviously changed. His command style suddenly became extremely cautious."

"We have retaken Tenryuji Temple...although the temple has been burned to rubble."

"Currently, the last remaining force of the Changzhou Army has retreated to Lanshan, taking advantage of Lanshan's convenient location to carry out constant resistance."

"Although all the soldiers in the army pursued bravely,...'attacking the mountain' is not an easy task. Our troops and combat experience are still insufficient."

"The soldiers were either tired of climbing the mountain or lost in the dense forest, and the progress of the pursuit was not ideal."

"Judging from the current situation, we are afraid that we will not be able to completely annihilate the Changzhou Army."

After Aoden listened quietly, he smiled and patted Hijikata Toshizo on the shoulder.

"Susan, relax."

"The Choshu Army was defeated and suffered heavy casualties. The leaders of the Zunbo faction headed by General Gensui Kusaka were all killed - for us, the results of the battle are rich enough."

"If you are too greedy, I'm afraid you will be disturbed by it."

He said, putting his hands on the ground and standing up unsteadily.

Seeing this, Hijikata Toshizo couldn't help but frown:

"Ju, don't tell me that you still want to go to the front line."

"Although I don't know what you did, you are in such a miserable state, so you should just stay in this formation obediently."

Qingdeng smiled bitterly and said:

"I know, and I don't plan to force myself anymore."

He knows best what his current physical condition is.

Although he had just taken advantage of his coma and had a good sleep, he had only recovered to the point where he could "stay awake and could barely stand".

I have to say that the recovery abilities brought by talents such as "Sleep God" and "Strong Essence +4" are really amazing.

Based on Qingdeng's own estimation, he only slept for half an hour at most.

It's really scary to be able to recover to this level after only sleeping for such a short time.

All in all, with his current body riddled with holes, forcing himself to the front line will only cause trouble for others.

So Qingdeng immediately said:

"On the third year of Sui San, the command of the front line has been temporarily handed over to me. As for me, I will be waiting for your victory in this formation. Don't let me wait in vain."

Hijikata Suisan smiled:

"When have I ever let you down?"

…

…

Today's battle lasted until evening.

After Hijikata Toshizo took over the frontline command from Aoto, he personally took the arrows and launched a violent attack on the Choshu Army's "Arashiyama Defense Line".

He divided the troops into three shifts and launched attacks in batches, without giving the Changzhou Army any breathing space.

When the time came to afternoon, the Changzhou Army, whose defense line was no longer sustainable, began to withdraw from Lanshan and evacuate to the west of Lanshan... that is, towards the direction of the Western Kingdom.

Hijikata Toshizo immediately led the cavalry and all the soldiers who could ride horses, such as Nagakura Shinpachi and Saito Ichi, to launch the final attack on the Choshu army.

This pursuit battle was truly like the autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves!

Hijikata Toshizo and his men chased for hundreds of kilometers in one breath, and only stopped because of fatigue in the Harima area west of the capital, replicating the grand scene when the Kaisatsu coalition drove the Choshu forces out of Kyoto last year.

So far, this large-scale battle with an astonishing scale and more than tens of thousands of troops on both sides has finally come to an end.

Because this war took place in late summer and the western suburbs of Kyoto were the main battlefield, people at the time named this battle "Kyoto Summer Battle".

No matter from which angle it is evaluated, the Choshu Army has undoubtedly won a complete victory.

With extremely minor casualties, it severely damaged the Choshu army and blocked the Choshu army in the suburbs of Kyoto, saving this thousand-year-old capital from war.

Among them, the Shinsengumi... or the Qinjin Domain was the biggest winner.

Through this battle, Qing Deng successfully tested the training results of the Shinsengumi and showed off his muscles, which frightened the various domains in the capital and confirmed the absolute leading position of the Qinjin Domain in the capital.

On the other hand, Choshu... Hijikata Toshizo said that they even lost the loincloth, which was not an exaggeration.

Not to mention the heavy casualties, what is more important is that their prestige was completely destroyed.

In many cases, reputation is often more important than population and money and food.

As one of the most powerful and oldest domains in Japan, the Choshu Domain has always had a significant influence in the West.

There is a saying that "God cannot bleed".

Mobilizing tens of thousands of troops and launching a mighty expedition to the East, it was defeated in just two days... It is no exaggeration to say that Choshu has now completely become a laughing stock of the world.

The Mori family, which once dominated the West, is like this?

At this point, almost everyone in the world thought: Choshu is finished! The movement to respect the emperor and expel the barbarians is over!

…

…

A few days later——

Aki region, somewhere adjacent to the Seto Inland Sea——

The dim sunlight struggled to penetrate the layers of mist, and sprinkled weakly on the ground, barely illuminating a slowly crawling dark brown on the dirt road.

This dark brown was the Choshu army returning home.

At first glance, they really looked like they had been splashed with dark brown paint.

Most of the soldiers in the army were covered with stubborn dirt, their clothes were stained with blood, and they all looked like beggars.

Of course, compared to their appearance, their mental outlook was even more gloomy.

Most of them hung their heads and bent their waists, and they seemed to be floating when they walked.

No one spoke, and there were so many people but it was terribly quiet.

Apart from grief and numbness, there was no third expression, lifeless...

There were 12,000 troops when they set out, but not even half of them returned...Facing such a tragic situation, even the most optimistic people would find it difficult to cheer up.

Katsura Kogoro walked in the center of the army on foot, walking side by side with ordinary soldiers.

He had a horse, but he lent it to the wounded for the time being.

"Mr. Katsura, Mr. Katsura..."

Suddenly, Katsura Kogoro heard a hoarse voice behind him.

Turning his head, a young warrior walked up to Katsura Kogoro in two steps, holding a radish with a lot of fresh soil on it.

"This is the radish I just dug. Although it's a little small, it can still fill your stomach. Please take it and eat it."

As he spoke, he handed the radish in his hand to Katsura Kogoro's arms.

Looking at this small radish that was only as thick as his finger, Katsura Kogoro couldn't help swallowing his saliva.

In order to increase the marching speed as much as possible and get rid of the pursuit of the Tocho Corps, under the personal instruction of Katsura Kogoro, they threw away all the baggage that could be thrown.

In this way, although the ranks were streamlined, the military's material reserves were in an extremely short state, and the anxiety of running out of food lingered in the hearts of the soldiers.

Even Katsura Kogoro had not eaten anything decent for two consecutive days.

Although he wanted to stuff the carrot into his mouth immediately, he still resisted the urge and said solemnly:

"Thank you for your kindness. You dug it out with great effort. How can I steal it? You can eat it yourself."

As soon as he finished speaking, the other party immediately frowned:

"How can this be! I am just a nobody. My life is not important at all! Mr. Katsura, you are the hope of our Choshu revival. I can die, but you must not make any mistakes!"

Katsura Kogoro wanted to continue to refuse, but at this moment, an anxious voice suddenly sounded from his side:

"Mr. Katsura, the soldiers are very tired. Let everyone rest for a while!"

The speaker was a general who was very close to Katsura Kogoro.

Faced with this person's earnest request, Katsura Kogoro thought for a moment and shook his head:

"No, we can't rest yet. We can't afford to delay now, we must rush back to Choshu as soon as possible."

The man wanted to say something else, but after seeing Katsura Kogoro's expression, the words that had already come to his lips were swallowed back by him.

Time is running out - even without Katsura Kogoro's detailed explanation, they understand this truth.

Now, to put it bluntly, Choshu is a dog in trouble - for a dog in trouble that has lost its former prestige, everyone would want to step forward and bully it.

There is no doubt that there are definitely many feudal states that are willing to cause trouble for Choshu so as to win credit from the shogunate.

For this reason, Katsura Kogoro had to order the entire army to move forward in a low profile, try to avoid the cities of those feudal states, and be ready at any time.

In short, there is no time to lose, and we must rush back to Choshu as soon as possible to ensure the safety of the entire army.

"No need to say more."

Katsura Kogoro continued in a tough tone:

"Pass my order, keep moving forward! If you have no strength, show perseverance..."

"Mr. Katsura! Mr. Katsura!"

Suddenly, the shout of the messenger interrupted Katsura Kogoro's words.

A messenger galloped towards Katsura Kogoro on horseback.

Seeing that it was the messenger, Katsura Kogoro asked first:

"What's wrong?"

The messenger couldn't hide his excitement and shouted:

"Yes, it's Mr. Takasugi! Mr. Takasugi is here to pick us up!"

"What?"

Katsura Kogoro's pupils shrank slightly, and he asked hurriedly:

"Takasugi is here? Where is he?"

"Just in front! He led the special forces to pick us up!"

"Special forces... lend me your horse!"

"Yes! Mr. Katsura, please get on the horse!"

Katsura Kogoro jumped on the horse and went straight to the front of the army.

In a short while, he came to the front of the army column - a familiar face came into his eyes.

"Katsura, long time no see."

Takasugi Shinsaku smiled.

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PS: In fact, the Choshu army entered Kyoto and fought a fierce battle with the coalition forces at the Hagi Gate (one of the gates of the Imperial Palace), so it was called the "Kinmon Incident".

Because the Choshu army in this book never set foot into Kyoto, we can only use the name "Kyoto Summer Battle" to refer to this battle.