Ichimura Tetsunosuke - Hijikata Toshizo's nickname.

In the previous "Great Recruitment", his eye-catching behavior attracted the attention of Hijikata Tozo. Afterwards, he was adopted by Hijikata Tozo as a minor surname by some strange combination of circumstances.

Of course, his relationship with Hijikata Toshizo is very pure, and it is not like "Oda Nobunaga and Mori Ranmaru" or "Takeda Shingen and Kosaka Masanobu", which leaves room for unlimited imagination.

…

…

Suruga Kingdom, Choshu Army Camp——

"Takasugi-kun!"

Hearing someone calling him, Takasugi Shinsaku stopped and turned around to look - he saw Katsura Kogoro running towards him in three steps, two steps at a time, his face full of complicated colors.

"Gui, what's wrong?"

"Don't tell me that you want your mother-in-law to send me off like a mother-in-law."

"Stop doing this, I can't stand these goosebump-inducing scenes."

Katsura Kogoro ignored Takasugi Shinsaku's request.

Before running to the other party, he took several deep breaths to adjust his breath, and then said seriously:

"...Takasugi-kun, you must be careful."

"With only 1,500 people to attack the Shinsengumi, even if the location is convenient, it will still be extremely dangerous!"

"Remember to protect yourself!"

"As long as people are still around, there is hope."

"If people are gone, everything will stop!"

Takasugi Shinsaku looked at Katsura Kogoro helplessly.

"Gui, why do you sound like Teacher Shoin?"

The "Teacher Shoin" he refers to naturally refers to him, the common teacher of Katsura Kogoro and Hisasaka Genzui - Yoshida Shoin.

"Don't worry, I know it in my heart. I haven't lived enough yet."

"When it's time to fight, I will fight tooth and nail."

"When it's time to retreat, I will retreat without hesitation."

"When the time comes, or when the fighting situation is no longer sustainable, I will naturally retreat...cough, cough, cough, cough, cough!"

Suddenly, Takasugi Shinsaku suddenly coughed.

He turned his head away from Katsura Kogoro, covered his mouth tightly with his palms, coughed until his waist gradually bent, and his shoulders straightened up.

When Katsura Kogoro saw this, he immediately frowned and looked worried:

"Hmm? Takasugi-kun, what's wrong with you? Are you suffering from the cold?"

After coughing several more times, Takasugi Shinsaku gradually regained his composure.

While facing Katsura Kogoro again, he smiled and said:

"Well, I did catch a bit of wind and cold, and my throat is always itchy. It's just a minor illness, nothing to worry about."

Hearing this, Katsura Kogoro looked at the other party carefully with doubts.

After seeing that the other party looked normal and showed no signs of illness, I stopped asking further questions.

"Gui, you should think more about yourself than me."

As he spoke, Takasugi Shinsaku rolled his eyes left and right and scanned the four directions.

After confirming that there were no outsiders around, he took half a step forward, leaned forward, put one hand on Katsura Kogoro's shoulder, and lowered his voice:

"You should know very well that I did not take away all the strength of the surprise team, but why did I leave 500 people here?"

"..."

Katsura Kogoro pursed his lips in silence, his facial expression becoming solemn and dignified.

Just now, after a brief discussion, the generals of the "Changshu Clan" finally decided on a detailed division of troops - Takasugi Shinsaku will lead the 1,500 troops of the Qi Force to meet the Shinsengumi, and the remaining 500 troops will be led by Katsura Kogoro.

Commander, follow Shuten Doji and continue to march into Edo.

Takasugi Shinsaku lowered his voice so much that only the two of them could hear clearly:

"Although I just said it very nicely in this camp, like a 'grasshopper on a rope,' for us, the Fanzhu Party is always an outsider."

"I never trust those crazy people."

"When it's time to cooperate with them, don't look forward or backward."

"But you should be careful and don't hesitate."

"The 500 people I left for you are not only a 'hidden stake' to supervise the law and punish the party, but also a 'seedling' to ensure that Changzhou is immortal."

"If the 'Amanuma Spear' fails, and something happens to me and the 1,500 men and horses I lead...then you and your 500 men will be the last 'seedlings'."

"As you just said, there is hope only when there are people. If there are no people, everything will stop!"

"You asked me to remember to take care of myself, and now I'm telling you in turn: Remember to take care of yourself!"

“Even if the world scolds me as ‘Kogoro who ran away’, I must resolutely be ‘Kogoro who is good at preserving strength’!”

Katsura Kogoro, who usually likes to speak great truths and cannot listen to heavy words such as "sacrifice" and "annihilation", remained silent at this time and did not refute the other party.

After a while, he nodded vigorously and solemnly:

"...Well, I understand!"

Seeing Katsura Kogoro agreeing to his request so happily, Takasugi Shinsaku was half surprised and half pleased and patted his shoulder.

At this moment, a hearty voice came from not far away:

"Oh! Takasugi-kun, you are here!"

Katsura and Takasugi were both startled, and then turned their heads in unison and looked at the owner of the voice—Shuten Doji, swaggering towards them with his hands behind his back.

He didn't come alone, there was a cow ghost closely following him.

I saw Niu Gui holding a big box, and I didn't know what was contained in it.

Facing Shuten Doji, Takasugi Shinsaku was not so enthusiastic.

He had no expression on his face and said in a cold tone:

"Shuten Doji, are you here to see me off too?"

"Well, that's right. But, I'm mainly here to give you something. Niugui!"

Hearing Shuten Doji's call, Ushiki immediately took half a step forward, and at the same time handed the big box in his hand to Takasugi Shinsaku.

Looking at the big box in front of him, Takasugi Shinsaku couldn't help but frown.

"Shuten Doji, what is this?"

Shuten Doji smiled, and his smile was so meaningful.

"This is the 'Decisive Battle of Lake' I mentioned to you before."

Decisive battle at Yodo—when they heard this word, whether it was Takasugi Shinsaku or Katsura Kogoro, their expressions changed.

Shock, disgust, fear, confusion... a variety of emotions flowed between their cheeks.

Shuten Doji ignored the changes in their expressions and continued speaking on his own:

"Takasugi-kun, please accept it. This box of 'Decisive Battle of Yodo' will definitely be of great use in the upcoming battle."

"...What? Do you want to give me this box of 'The Battle of Yodo'?"

"Yes, that's right!"

"Is this really good? Didn't you say that this 'Decisive Battle' is very precious? It should not be used casually unless absolutely necessary."

The drunken boy nodded gently and said softly:

"Yes, it is indeed so!"

“The cost of ‘Battle of Yodo’ is very high, and it is a treasure that even makes me feel heartbroken.”

"I was quite hesitant as to whether to allocate part of the 'Decisive Battle' to you for use."

"But now, I've figured it out!"

"Isn't it just to overthrow the shogunate when you create such a powerful thing?"

"In this case, you can't be too petty!"

"If you can't successfully hold back the Shinsengumi, I will be the only one unlucky in the end!"

Having said this, Shuten Doji paused, tilted his head, and continued with a kind face:

"Takasugi-kun, just accept it! You're welcome!"

"I remember that I told you in detail about the pros and cons of the 'Decisive Battle of Yodo' before."
To be continued...