I formed the strongest swordsman group

“…”

Qing Deng pursed his lips and did not respond.

Repairing the plank road in the open, crossing Chencang secretly - a tactic that never fails.

If you want to take down this "rock wall" at the lowest cost, then the only strategy is to launch a surprise attack!

Send a death squad to act as the "main force" to attract the enemy's attention in the front, so that the enemy has no time to take care of other things.

Then, send another elite force to act as the "surprise force" to sneak around and attack the enemy.

In this way, there is a chance to succeed in one battle!

In theory, this strategy is undoubtedly the most suitable for the Shinsengumi at the moment.

But… regardless of other things, just how to form the "main force" responsible for attracting the enemy's attention is a big problem.

The enemy's firepower is extremely fierce, and it occupies an overwhelming geographical advantage.

The grass, trees and stones in front of the "rock wall" have been completely cleared. If a frontal attack is launched, it will be completely exposed to the enemy's guns.

To engage in a head-on confrontation with the enemy in an open space without any shelter, and to persist until the "special forces" complete their mission... it seems too light to call it "a life-or-death struggle".

No matter how brave and tenacious the Shinsengumi soldiers are, and how well-trained they are, they are still mortals after all.

If they are forced to fight such a life-or-death battle, they will feel guilty and afraid.

Therefore, a strong man must be sent to lead this "regular force" to give them the courage to fight!

First of all, this person must have a high enough prestige so that the soldiers can trust him and follow him wholeheartedly.

Secondly, he must have strong talents and be able to make accurate decisions on the ever-changing battlefield.

Finally, he must have enough courage to face this severe challenge without fear of gunfire and rain of bullets.

In summary, the best candidate is undoubtedly Qing Deng himself.

If Qing Deng leads, the Shinsengumi soldiers will naturally move forward bravely, and each of them will fight ten or a hundred.

However, letting Qing Deng lead the "regular troops" is simply a sledgehammer to kill a chicken.

Regardless of the "regular troops", the key to this strategy lies in the "special troops".

If the "special troops" fail to complete the task of "secretly going around and attacking the enemy", no matter how tenacious the "regular troops" are, it will be useless.

Therefore, the best solution is to select the elite soldiers headed by Qing Deng, Souji, and Saito Ichi to form the "special troops" and maximize the combat effectiveness of the "special troops".

Moreover... to put it bluntly, Qing Deng should stay away from this kind of passive battle with a very high casualty rate.

Compared with the "regular troops" who resist the enemy's offensive, the survival rate of the "special troops" who attack from behind is undoubtedly much higher.

If Qing Deng has an accident, then the battle will end here, and there is no need to fight any more.

Then, in addition to Qing Deng himself, the only person who meets the above conditions around him... is Yamanami Keisuke!

Yamanami Keisuke is the chief of the Shinsengumi and a senior official of the Qinjin Domain.

His prestige is high, needless to say.

Because of his gentle personality and tolerance, he is very popular among the soldiers.

In terms of "appeal", both Souji and Saito Ichi are inferior to him.

There is no doubt that at this time and place, only he can be the backbone!

But... if he does this, it is equivalent to pushing Yamanami Keisuke into the fire pit with his own hands...

Facing this hedgehog-like "rock wall" head-on... Even Qing Deng can't guarantee that he will retreat unscathed, let alone Yamanami Keisuke?

When Qing Deng thought of this, he couldn't help but hesitate and didn't say anything.

Shannan Jingsuke seemed to see through his thoughts and smiled slightly:

"Tachibana-kun, thousands of people in Kanto are waiting for your help. At this critical moment, you can't be soft-hearted."

"... Well, I understand."

Qing Deng said this in a hoarse voice.

After speaking, he closed his eyes, looked up at the sky, and took a deep breath.

After a while, he opened his eyes, faced Shannan Jingsuke, and said word by word with a firm look:

"Jingsuke, please."

Shannan Jingsuke smiled calmly:

"Understood!"

Looking at the other party's happy acceptance of the order, Qing Deng's eyes flickered slightly, and a trace of "hesitation" emerged from the "firmness".

However, he quickly suppressed this trace of "hesitation", making it fleeting, and turned back to a firm, unshakable and tough appearance.

He took out his pocket watch and checked the time:

"Start the attack in half an hour!"

"A tough battle is coming... Jingzhu, go down and rest for a while."

Yannan Jingzhu nodded slightly:

"Okay, I haven't had lunch yet, my chest is almost touching my back."

Qing Deng said casually:

"I haven't eaten either, let's go eat something together."

As soon as he finished speaking, Shannan Jingzhu raised his eyebrows:

"Oh? That's really a coincidence."

As he said this, he took out a clean cloth bag from his arms, and then gently opened the cloth - there were more than a dozen rice balls that were still warm inside.

Yannan Jingzhu didn't eat much.

So many rice balls were obviously the amount for two or three people, and he couldn't finish them at all.

"Tachibana-kun, I just prepared some rice balls. This is a rare opportunity, let's have a meal here."

When he said the word "just happened", Shannan Jingsuke emphasized his tone and cast a teasing look at Qing Deng.

Qing Deng laughed dumbly at this and gestured "It's up to you".

The two found a relatively flat big rock, sat side by side, and looked at the distant sky while chewing the rice balls in their hands.

At this moment, the atmosphere around the two of them changed significantly.

It became quiet and peaceful... as if even the flow of time slowed down.

Suddenly, after finishing the first rice ball in his hand, Shannan Keisuke suddenly started talking:

"Tachibana-kun, I once thought about leaving the Shinsengumi."

"..."

"Tachibana-kun, I once thought about leaving the Shinsengumi."

"I heard it, no need to repeat it."

Qing Deng slowly put down the rice ball in his hand - just now, the hand holding the rice ball paused in mid-air for a moment - turned his head and looked at Shannan Keisuke beside him, with a serious expression:

"Keisuke, even if you are joking, don't joke about this kind of thing."

Article 2 of the "Shinsengumi Law": You cannot leave the organization without permission.

If anyone violates this, he will be beheaded in public!

No matter when or where, "being a deserter" is a shameful and intolerable thing.

Facing Qing Deng's serious warning, Shannan Keisuke smiled calmly:

"Tachibana-kun, I'm not joking. There was a time when I seriously considered whether to leave the Shinsengumi and become a ronin again."

"...Can you let me hear the reason? Why do you want to leave the Shinsengumi? Do you hate the Shinsengumi? Or are you dissatisfied with me or someone else?"

"It's not that I hate the Shinsengumi, nor am I dissatisfied with anyone. If I have to say it... I'm probably confused."

"'Confused'? What is this? Reason? "

"Since we went to Kyoto, we have fought battles in many places and defeated powerful enemies one after another, but I always feel like we are wandering in a quagmire."

"You seem to have expressed similar feelings to me before."

"Yes, this is not the first time I have expressed such feelings to you. It was also from that time that I began to have the idea of ​​'quitting the Shinsengumi'."

Speaking of this, Yamanami Keisuke paused, grinned, and a strange expression of half-smile hung on his cheeks.

"Although I am a swordsman, I am actually a very traditional Confucian scholar at heart."

"My greatest ideal in life is to 'cultivate oneself, manage the family, govern the country, and bring peace to the world.'"

"Use my own hands to create a peaceful and prosperous era - it is with this philosophy that I have been fighting until now."

"I firmly believe that the sword I wield is a well-deserved 'sword of justice', until... one day, I looked at those patriots who were killed by us, and a thought that I had never had before emerged in my mind: Is what I did really right?"

"Since then, I have been like a demon, becoming more and more confused and doubting myself more and more."

"No I know if the path I am on is correct..."

"I don't know if what I am doing is really 'pacifying the world'..."

"Every day is a mess, and I feel like I am trapped in a fog."

"Gradually, I can't help but think: If I leave the Shinsengumi, can I look at myself with a new perspective? And then find the right path?"

At this time, Qing Deng suddenly interrupted:

"You are just giving up on yourself, right?"

"Because I was stuck in a dead end, I couldn't think of an answer that could convince myself, so I simply didn't want to think about anything, and didn't want to do anything, I just wanted to escape from here. "

Yamanan Keisuke was stunned for a moment, then smiled bitterly:

"You are right, I have no way to refute it."

Qing Deng stared at Yamanan Keisuke with a complicated expression, and after a little thought, he said seriously:

"Keisuke, if you want to leave the Shinsengumi, you can come to me."

"Although I am reluctant to leave you, I respect your wishes."

"I will handle your withdrawal from the team in a legal and formal manner."

"As long as you don't violate the "Shinsengumi Law", everything will be fine."

"If you leave the team without even saying hello... To be honest, I will be very sad."

"In order to maintain the discipline of the Shinsengumi, I will send a fast rider to catch you back as soon as possible. , and then... execute according to the law!"

"Even if you are my friend, I will not show mercy."

"The most I can give you is to change 'beheading' to 'hara-kiri', so that you can die more decently."

Yamanan Keisuke nodded gently:

"I understand."

"Military discipline is military discipline, and it cannot be challenged."

"If you let me off the hook because of personal friendship, the discipline of the Shinsengumi will collapse."

"To be honest, I have even thought about it: on the day of the execution, I will appoint you as my kaishakunin."

"It would be a good thing for me to die under the sword of Nioh."

Qing Deng laughed angrily, "Ha", "Ha".

"Forgive me, let me chop off my best friend's head with my own hands? Do you want me to spend every night of the rest of my life in nightmares?"

The two people's unremarkable conversation made the originally slightly tense atmosphere on the scene much more relaxed.

Yamanan Keisuke's facial expression returned to a calm smile.

"Tachibana-kun, don't worry."

"Now, I have no intention of leaving the team."

"So you don't have to worry that I will appoint you as my kaishakunin."

Hearing this, the depressed mood lingering between Qing Deng's eyebrows suddenly dissipated.

"... Keisuke, let me ask you something, what did you go through that made you give up the idea of ​​'leaving the team'?"

Yannan Keisuke chuckled a few times:

"This is all thanks to Harada-kun."

"Sanosuke?"

Aoto couldn't help but be stunned by Harada Sanosuke's sudden appearance.

Shannan Jingzhu continued, minding his own business:

“Thanks to Harada Sanosuke’s advice, I was able to clear the clouds and see the sun, as if a huge burden had been lifted off my shoulders.”

Speaking of this, he suddenly sat upright and looked directly at Qingdeng with a serious face.

"My eyes can no longer distinguish between 'righteousness' and 'evil'."

"I can no longer figure out which ideas are right and which paths are wrong."

"However, there is only one thing I am sure of, and that is that you, Mr. Ju, have the ability to change the world!"

"If it were you, maybe you could really make my ideal come true."

"Therefore, I have made up my mind - I will trust you with all my heart and follow you!"

"As long as it is your decision, I will obey it; as long as it is your order, I will execute it."

"I bet everything I have on you."

"I bet you are the one who can realize my ideal."

"I bet you are the one who can bring peace to the world."

"Since I have made such a big bet, I cannot be left behind halfway."

"Whether the road under our feet leads to a blissful world or to eighteen levels of hell, I will stay with you until the end!"

Shannan Keisuke, who was usually gentle and gentle, rarely used a high-pitched tone at this time.

Qingdeng looked at the other party blankly, and after a while he said half-jokingly:

"Although I don't know exactly what Sanosuke said to you, it seems like he said something very outrageous to you..."

"So, you suddenly opened your heart to me and spoke your heart out to me. What do you want to do?"

"Don't tell me, it's because the next battle is very dangerous and you are likely to die, so you want to tell me what you have been hiding in your heart for a long time while you can still speak. ”

Shannan Jingzhu smiled:

"I'm not denying that."

Looking at the magnanimous Shannan Keisuke, Qingto smiled helplessly at first, and then changed to a tone that was half serious and half joking:

"Keisuke, you just said that you must trust me wholeheartedly and follow me closely... If that's the case, then you can't fall behind."

"If you fall behind halfway, how can you stay with me until the end?"

He said and picked up a rice ball and handed it to the other party.

"If you want to stay with me until the end, then fill your stomach quickly, take a good rest, and then defeat the enemy and achieve complete victory!"

"A person who doesn't even have the self-confidence of being 'uninjured and victorious' - I don't want such a companion."

He and Shannan Keisuke looked at each other.

For this reason, he can clearly observe the changes in the other person's expression.

I saw a variety of emotions flowing between his cheeks.

After a while, these emotions turned into helplessness and relief of "I lost to you" and "I really can't do anything to you".

"learn!"

He stretched out his hand and took the rice ball vigorously.

…

…

Half an hour later——

"Rock wall"——

The members of the team of surprise troops were on standby and were always paying attention to all the movements under the "rock wall".

A bunch of eyes glanced back and forth under the "rock wall".

There was no sound of conversation, let alone laughter.

There was a suffocating tension in the air.

Suddenly, someone shouted:

"They're coming! Over there!"

Suddenly, all the eyes on the "rock wall" were focused on the same place - the trees directly in front of the "rock wall".

The wheel is... the wheel is... the wheel is...

Accompanied by the sound of wheels turning from far to near, carriages drove out of the trees.

It was not animals that pushed these carriages, but people.

I saw the Shinsengumi team members hiding behind the carriage and pushing the carriage forward.

"Hidden everything! Don't expose your body to the outside!"

Shannan Keisuke stretched his neck and loudly reminded the soldiers around him

Using the carriage carriage as a bunker was Qingdeng's idea.

Without cover, directly breaking into the enemy's musket formation is an absolute death-defying act. As many people as you get on board will die.

In order to deal with this dilemma, Qingdeng thought of the carriage.

As long as you hide behind the carriage, you can greatly increase the difficulty of shooting the enemy.

Not only that, you can also push the carriage toward the "rock wall" while hiding behind it.

In this way, it can both defend and move. It is really a weapon that kills two birds with one stone!

As a result, Qingdeng mobilized all the available carriages within half an hour and provided them to Shannan Jingshu and the others.

Seeing the arrival of the Shinsengumi, the members of the team guarding the "rock wall" immediately launched an offensive.

"shooting!"

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

In the blink of an eye, gunshots rang out.

Bullets poured down like a torrential rain, and most of them hit the ground, while only a few hit the car.

Qingdeng's "carriage tactic" worked.

The penetrating power of these bullets is far from being able to penetrate the car.

After the enemy's first wave of offensive ended, Shannan Keisuke immediately shouted:

"Tell them back!"

Then, he set an example by sticking half of his head out of the carriage and steadying the flintlock gun in his hand.

In this situation, the sword is no longer of use.

Shannan Keisuke, who was not used to Western things, had to pick up a flintlock gun and start shooting with the enemy.

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

Another barrage. But this time the barrage was fired by the Shinsengumi side.

The bullets hit the rock wall, sending countless pieces of stone flying.

Then, the enemy immediately launched a counterattack...

For a while, the scene was full of flying sand and rocks!

The ancients designed the idiom "flying sand and rocks" to describe the strong wind.

This idiom can be applied to the current battle without any violation!

The two sides launched a fierce exchange of fire. Literally, it was a hail of bullets.

While shooting, Shannan Jingzhu did not forget to command the troops to push the carts and move towards the "rock wall", making a gesture of "preparing to attack the rock wall".

In a blink of an eye, it is already the middle of the month! Book friends who have monthly tickets on hand, please give the first monthly ticket to this book! (tearful leopard head.jpg)

Please give monthly tickets! Please give recommendation tickets! (leopard head crying.jpg)

Congratulations to Qingdeng for unlocking the tactic - Hussite Chariot!