I formed the strongest swordsman group.

Chapter 927: Okita Souji gambles his life: Fighting for the Shinsengumi until the last moment! [5300]

"…Captain Okita, when did you develop symptoms?"

"I can't remember clearly."

The chief said calmly.

"At first it was just a cough, and I thought it was a cold, so I didn't take it too seriously."

"It wasn't until... there was a hint of blood in the saliva I coughed up that I realized something was wrong."

"Because I didn't want to make Tachibana-kun worry, I went to see a doctor secretly without telling him."

"Then...I knew about my condition."

"The doctor prescribed me some medicine and told me to take it with water every day, saying it would help alleviate my symptoms."

Upon hearing this, Nanjo Aizaburo immediately asked:

"What medicine? Take it out and let me see it!"

Souji obediently took out a paper bag from his arms and handed it over.

Nanjo Aizaburo took it, opened the paper package, and carefully examined the powder inside:

"Yeah, it's okay..."

He breathed a sigh of relief.

"You are a reliable doctor. You didn't prescribe any random medicine. This powder is really a good medicine for relieving cough."

No wonder Nanjo Aizaburou was so nervous.

In the feudal era, there were quack doctors everywhere who were willing to kill people for money.

Among them there are even some witch doctors who rely on chanting scriptures and performing shaman dances to cure diseases.

If you take bad or wrong medicine prescribed by a quack doctor, not only will it fail to cure your illness, but it will also harm your body.

"Relying on this medicine, I persisted for a long time, trying hard to pretend that nothing happened. What a pity... I persisted until today, but I can't hold on any longer..."

After saying that, Souji gave a self-deprecating smile.

Nanjo Aizaburo said in a deep voice:

"From the sound of your breathing, your condition is already very serious."

"If I'm not mistaken, you must have been coughing up blood a lot recently, right?"

The chief nodded:

"Yes, that's right."

"Mr. Nanjo, now that things have come to this, I won't hide it from you anymore."

"The reason I went out just now was to avoid everyone so that I could cough freely."

Nanjo Aizaburou stopped talking.

After a moment, he said quietly.

"...Anyway, I will report to the lord first and ask you to rest in the rear and not go to the front line again."

As he spoke, he picked up the medicine box and pretended to leave.

"Mr. Nanjo, please stay!"

Before he could take a step, Souji reached out his hand like lightning and grabbed the other person's arm tightly.

How could a doctor, who was barely able to even tie a chicken, defy the grasp of the Heavenly Sword?
He only felt that his arm was clamped by an iron clamp and he could not move.

"Mr. Nanjo, don't tell Qing Deng about my true condition."

Nanjo Aizaburo was startled and looked puzzled:

"why?"

The General Manager spoke seriously, word by word:
"It's not time to rest yet."

"The outcome of the Battle of Sekigahara has yet to be decided."

"The enemy army is heading straight for Kanto. Mr. Hijikata is struggling to hold on to Hachioji. Edo is in danger."

"I am the captain of the Shinsengumi's First Division, the shogunate's 'Heavenly Sword'. If I retreat to the rear to recuperate, it will greatly affect the Shinsengumi's morale and combat effectiveness."

"So, I can't rest yet... I have to fight!"

Although Souji's words were full of strong determination, Nanjo Aizaburou did not give in easily:
"Captain Okita, you can't do this! Your condition is very serious! You must rest well!"

"'have a good rest'?"

Souji curled up the corners of his mouth, revealing a strange expression that seemed like he had heard a funny joke.

"Even if I just lie down in bed and rest, what's the point? Can I recover just by resting quietly?"

Nanjo Aizaburou opened his mouth and subconsciously wanted to refute.

However...his lips opened and closed repeatedly, but he couldn't utter a word.

Hemocough is an incurable disease. Even if one rests quietly, one can only live a little longer - even ordinary people are well aware of this, and Nanjo Aizaburo, a famous doctor, knows it even better.

Taking advantage of the other party's silence, Souji continued:
"Mr. Nanjo, since 'blood cough' is an incurable disease, I can't rest."

"While I can still move, while I can still swing my sword, I want to help Qing Deng more."

Having said this, she paused slightly, a calm smile spreading across her cheeks.

"It's autumn now, and the situation is volatile."

"God knows how many more difficult battles we will have to go through before we can usher in a peaceful world with peaceful seas and clear rivers."

"Mr. Shannan was unfortunately seriously injured. Even if he survives, he will not be able to return to the front line in a short time."

"At this critical moment, if I were to step aside like Mr. Shannan, Qingdeng would probably be scratching his head."

"Qing Deng needs my help."

"While I still have three inches of breath left in my body, I want to help Aoto! I want to help everyone in the Shinsengumi!"

"So, Mr. Nanjo, I'm counting on you!"

Souji raised his eyes and looked directly at Nanjo Aizaburou with a firm gaze.

"If the truth is revealed in the future and Qing Deng wants to blame you, I will do my best to protect you and will never let you be implicated. I promise you!"

"Qing Deng is a reasonable person."

"After he finds out that I was the one who coerced you, he will definitely not blame you, but will only criticize me."

As she finished speaking, the only sound left in the tent was the faint sound of the burning candle.

"..."

Nanjo Aizaburou lowered his head and remained silent for a long time.

A strong hint of hesitation lingered in his eyes.

About half a minute later, his hoarse voice finally broke the silence:
"...Captain Okita, I'll prescribe some medicine for you."

"This medicine is my own secret recipe. It works wonders for relieving cough."

"You can eat more pears in the future. Pears can moisten the lungs and relieve coughs."

"I will do my best to provide treatment and keep it secret for you."

"As for the good or bad luck in the future...it all depends on your luck."

Looking at this, Souji smiled gratefully and nodded vigorously:
"Yes! Thank you very much!"

……

……

Tenma Mountain, the main camp, Qing Deng's camp -

"My Lord! Medical Chief Nanjo-san wants to see you!"

After hearing this, Qing Deng immediately said:
"Let him in!"

"Yes!"

The guards outside the tent lifted the curtain, and Nanjo Aizaburo quickly slipped in.

Before the other party could greet him, Qing Deng asked impatiently:

"Mr. Nanjo, how is Koji's illness?"

Facing Qing Deng's gaze, Nanjo Aizaburou lowered his head slightly - seemingly in a respectful manner, but actually avoiding Qing Deng's gaze - and said to his toes:

"Captain Okita suffers from a common throat disease."

"This disease is very stubborn, but fortunately it is not difficult to treat."

"I have prescribed a dose of medicine for Captain Okita."

"As long as she takes the medicine on time every day and persists for a period of time, she will be cured."

"It's just that it will take a long time and won't heal so quickly."

Qing Deng breathed a sigh of relief after learning that Souji was safe.

"Is that so? That's good. Mr. Nanjo, thank you for your hard work tonight."

Nanjo Aizaburo shook his head:
"These are what I should do."

"Mr. Nanjo, if there is nothing else, please go down and rest."

"..."

"Hmm? Nanjo-san, what's wrong?"

Qing Deng cast a puzzled look at Nanjo Aizaburou who was standing still.

"No, nothing. My Lord, I will take my leave now."

After saying that, Nanjo Aizaburou turned and left - the shadow created by the backlight quietly concealed a hint of darkness in his eyes.

After watching Nanjo Aizaburo leave, Qingdeng buried his head in the case again and read the blood-stained letter in his hand.

His eyes quickly scanned every line of the letter.

The more he read, the more his brows furrowed.

Today is the first day of the Second Battle of Sekigahara - although it only lasts one day, it has already lasted longer than the First Battle of Sekigahara, which was decided in just half a day.

The battle at Sekigahara officially started today.

But on Hachioji's side, the fight has been going on for several days and the blood is flying everywhere!
For the sake of convenience, Qing Deng privately referred to this army of the Fazhu Party and the Qibing Team as the "Faqi Coalition". Hijikata Toshizo, Elodie and Shimada Kai led thousands of people to fight against the Faqi Coalition, which was mainly composed of the "Slavic Legion"...

Whether in terms of military strength or individual soldier quality, the former is at an absolute disadvantage...

This is an extremely difficult battle, but one that must be fought.

Qing Deng is always concerned about the battle situation of Hachioji.

Finally, just now, he finally received the battle report sent back by Hijikata Toshizo, which was the blood-stained letter he was reading now.

There wasn't much in the letter.

The general meaning can be summed up in one sentence: Thousands of people fought bravely with one heart and mind, and although they succeeded in delaying the enemy's attack, they suffered heavy casualties!
……

……

A few days ago——

Kanto, Hachioji——

Looking down from above, black lines stretch across the vast plain.

Read the error-free version at 69shuba! 6=9+shu_ba is the first to publish this novel.

If you look closely, you can see that these black lines are trenches.

Thousands of soldiers with one mind hunkered down in these trenches, staring straight ahead, their expressions dominated by intense tension and anxiety.

Hijikata Toshizo stood at the front of the battle line, holding Izumi-no-kami Kanesada in his hand, and stared straight ahead with an expressionless face - at the western skyline.

Elodie stood beside him, and the two stood side by side.

She tied the sleeves of her light green haori tightly with a cuff, holding Yamato-no-kami Yasudasa in her hand, and her light golden hair was tied back into a neat high ponytail.

A breeze blew, lifting the hair hanging down on her temples and the tips of her braids.

Compared to Hijikata Toshizo, Elodie was not so calm.

Her facial lines were tense, her lips were tightly pursed, and she was visibly nervous.

Suddenly, Hijikata Toshizo said:

"Elodie, you don't have to force it."

"You are not like me. You are not a warrior who lives by the sword and dies by the sword."

"Besides, you are still a woman."

"Even if you retreat, no one will blame you..."

Before the other party finished speaking, Elodie interrupted bluntly:
"Mr. Hijikata, now that things have come to this, even if I am terrified, I cannot back down."

"You are the vice-captain of the Shinsengumi, and I am the head of the Shinsengumi. We are both members of the Shinsengumi, so how can I escape from the battlefield?"

"If I run away with my tail between my legs, the Shinsengumi's reputation will be damaged."

"Besides, I have declared to all of you who share the same heart that I will fight alongside them to the end."

"I don't want to be a woman who breaks her promise."

Having said that, she raised the Yamatomori Yasutani in her hand, which was very incompatible with her petite body, and a confident smile appeared on the corner of her mouth.

"Don't underestimate me."

"No matter what, I am the disciple of 'Niou' Tachibana Aoto!"

"Having me here can at least boost morale."

The vice-captain and the chief of the Shinsengumi are both in charge of Hachioji... This is indeed something that can make the thousands of soldiers who are united in purpose feel excited.

Looking at Elodie who was determined and not moved by his persuasion, Hijikata Toshizo laughed:

"Okay, I was too tactless just now, please forgive me."

At this time, Shimada Kai's voice came from afar:
"Deputy Captain!"

Hijikata Toshizo looked in the direction of the voice and saw Shimada Kai leading several cavalrymen - they were elite knights who were ordered to serve as guards for Elodie - running towards him quickly.

In order to protect Elodi's personal safety, Qingdeng not only dispatched Shimada Kui, but also selected a group of elite soldiers from the cavalry and ordered them to serve as Elodi's personal guards.

His unintentional act really helped Hijikata Toshizo.

This team of cavalry led by Shimada Kai has become an extremely valuable mobile force under his command!
If used well, it may become a decisive force on the battlefield!

Throughout the ages, scouts have been a type of soldier that only the most elite soldiers can serve.

Apart from anything else, the ability to "find directions in the wilderness" alone is enough to eliminate more than 90% of the soldiers.

The training level of the thousands of soldiers was quite limited, and few of them could ride horses.

In this case, it is sheer nonsense to ask them to scout the enemy situation.

Therefore, Hijikata Toshizo had no choice but to let Shimada Kai take on this important task.

Shimada Kai flew to Hijikata Toshizo and said quickly:
"The enemy troops have advanced to two miles to the west!"

【Note: In the Edo period, 1 ri = 3.924 kilometers, and 7.848 ri = kilometers. 】

7.848 kilometers... This distance can almost be said to be "within reach"!
Hijikata Toshizo heard this and muttered:
"finally come……"

After he finished speaking, he slowly turned around and faced the thousands of soldiers in the trenches behind him who were united in purpose.

Looking up, they all had expressions of panic on their faces.

There were many people whose cheeks had lost all color and whose legs were trembling.

Although Qianren Tongxin has the title of "Thousand Men", their total strength is not just one thousand.

When Qing Deng took over the position of the head of Qianren Tongxin, Qianren Tongxin had a total of 2000 young and middle-aged men of appropriate age, or 2000 soldiers.

In recent days, Hijikata Toshizo has been using various channels to obtain intelligence on the enemy.

He lacked skilled intelligence personnel under his command, so he asked Edo for help.

Under the personal supervision of Tokugawa Iemochi, the shogunate showed rare efficiency and changed its previous administrative style of "passing the buck".

The Edo side immediately responded to Hijikata Toshizo's request and quickly dispatched their ninja unit - the Oniwaban - to Hachioji to assist.

Since the establishment of Oniwaban, the shogunate has always relied heavily on it, and often sent Oniwaban's ninjas to various places to monitor the various feudal domains.

For this reason, the ninjas of Oniwaban have always received excellent training.

Compared to other units such as the Big Group, the Academy Group, and the Small Group, the Oniwa Group is one of the few that has not been completely corrupted and still retains some level of professional ability.

However, as the saying goes, "If the upper beam is crooked, the lower beams will be crooked too." Even the shogunate itself has become corrupt to this extent, and it is impossible for the Oniwaban to remain immune.

Compared to when it was first established, the intelligence capabilities of the Yutingban have declined greatly, and its ranks are filled with dandy young men who are just living off their ancestors' merits and waiting to die.

Therefore, in addition to the Oniwaban, Tokugawa Iemochi also sent out the new Oniwaban directly under him.

In this way, Sae, Yae and a large number of elite ninjas from the new Oniwaban were dispatched to explore the intelligence of the Faqi coalition from different directions and aspects.

Of course, the Shin Oniwaban is a highly confidential secret unit, and only very few people know of its existence.

In other words, Hijikata Toshizo was completely unaware of the support for the Shin Oniwaban.

In short, thanks to the unremitting efforts of the ninjas of Oniwa-ban and Shin-Oniwa-ban, information of various contents was continuously delivered to Hijikata Toshizo.

He learned that the Fachi coalition was divided into two routes, with 1500 troops from the western route heading to Sekigahara to block the Shinsengumi, while the 2500 troops from the eastern route continued to march towards Kanto.

The enemy's strength has weakened... This is certainly a good thing for Hijikata Toshizo.

However, 2000 versus 2500...his troops were still at a disadvantage.

There is no advantage in terms of manpower, terrain, or quality...no advantage at all.

Thousands of soldiers with one mind are not stupid.

There is no way an army that can capture important cities such as Nagoya Castle and Sunpu Castle with such force and speed like a whirlwind can be a group of easy targets.

Next, they will stop this powerful army on the vast plain with no strategic location to defend.

It would be strange if thousands of people who have been farming all their lives and have never experienced actual combat did not feel afraid.

Hijikata Toshizo took in all the changes in the expressions of the soldiers.

After a while, he cleared his throat.

"Everyone!"

He raised his head and shouted, attracting the attention of everyone present.

"The enemy troops are arriving!"

"It won't be long before the hideous faces of the thieves come into our sight."

"As I said before, General Tachibana won't be able to arrive in a short time, and Edo can't send reinforcements."

"That is to say, we can only rely on our own strength to get through this difficult time!"

Shortly after arriving in Hachioji, Hijikata Toshizo received a message from Edo.

Judging from the size of the area and the complexity of the terrain, Edo was an ideal battlefield for street fighting.

But from another perspective, Edo is the least suitable place for street fighting.

The reason is the extremely high density of wooden houses.

A piece of burning sleeve could reduce two-thirds of Edo to ashes, let alone a cannonball.

If a big fire broke out, there would be no need to fight the battle. The terrifying power of Zhurong alone would be enough to defeat the defenders of Edo.

Therefore, if we want to defend Edo, it is imperative to carry out a major transformation of Edo!
Katsurintaro, who was fully responsible for the "Edo Siege War", quickly launched the massive "Edo Reconstruction Plan".

First, demolish the densely packed houses, widen the roads, and increase the number of narrow paths.

【Note: Guangxiaolu: a wide road specially used for fire prevention.】

Samurai and monks, who accounted for only 20% of the total population of Edo, owned nearly 80% of the land in Edo.

Therefore, the buildings on the samurai lands and temple and shrine lands are sparse and do not need to be moved.

Only the civilian land was a big problem and was the focus of the "Edo Reform Plan".

It would take a lot of time and manpower to completely transform such a large town.

As a result, the Edo defenders, represented by the Komu Army, were now busy transforming Edo and arranging the battlefield, and were unable to withdraw troops to support Hijikata Toshizo.

Not only was there no way for reinforcements to come, but the Edo side also demanded that thousands of people work together to defend Hachioji to the death in order to buy time for the transformation of Edo!
If the enemy arrived at the city before Edo's transformation was completed, the subsequent siege would become extremely difficult.

There was no reinforcement, and yet the task was extremely heavy... It was fucked up, but we couldn't really blame the shogunate.

After all, the shogunate did its best...

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