Elodie glanced sideways at the speaker.

"'Too sudden'? What's so strange about that."

"Do you expect the enemy to send someone to notify you before they attack?"

"'Always cope with surprises' is the norm on the battlefield. There is nothing to feel wronged about!"

"As for what you said, 'This can kill people'...is there anything wrong with that?"

“Aren’t you ‘thousands of people with one heart’?”

"Isn't it what you should do to fight against the enemy?"

"The shogunate has allowed you to live in this fertile land for generations and given you so many benefits."

"Isn't this just so that you can help the shogunate when it is in trouble?"

"Or do you just want to take advantage of it and don't want to pay for it?"

"Now that the crisis is approaching, you have to pat your butt and leave?"

"Even I, a weird-looking Westerner with blond hair and blue eyes, know the word 'loyalty'."

"Can it be said that you are not even as good as a Westerner like me?"

This last sentence contains great destructive power.

As soon as these words came out, many people at the scene immediately turned red and showed expressions of indignation.

Elodie's words haven't stopped yet:

"I know many of you are scared."

"As a person who has never been on the battlefield, it would be too funny for me to talk nonsense here and say, 'It is your duty to go into battle to kill the enemy and you cannot back down.'"

"Therefore, I will hold this sword tightly and fight side by side with you!"

As soon as she said this, regardless of the villagers present, the guards beside her, headed by Shimada Kui, could no longer hold back.

Shimada Kui's expression changed drastically and he said urgently:

"Chief...!"

Elodie raised her hand first, signaling him not to say anything.

"Perhaps some of you know and some of you don't know that I, Elodie de Angoulême, am the disciple of 'Nioh' Tachibana Aoden!"

In rural areas where there is little information, this is indeed the first time many people have heard of it.

In the blink of an eye, a small commotion broke out on the scene.

Elodie ignored the commotion and continued unhurriedly:

"As the head of the Shinsengumi and the disciple of 'Nioh' Tachibana Aoden, how can I be a coward who runs away from the battlefield?"

"I want to fulfill my duty! Stop the Changzhou Army at all costs!"

"It is true that with our combat power, it is extremely difficult to defeat this menacing Changzhou Army."

"But we don't have to defeat each other!"

"Everyone, there is one thing I can promise you."

"At this very moment, Master...General Tachibana must be sending troops at full speed to come to our aid!"

"I would like to ask you all, if General Tachibana were here, would you still be afraid of the enemy force in front of you?"

"As long as General Orange comes, Changzhou will be nothing more than a local chicken and a dog!"

"Therefore, we just need to hold on until General Tachibana arrives!"

"If you dare, pick up your weapons and fight with me!"

"Those who feel that they are not even as good as a Western girl, please do what you want!"

Elodie finished.

Although her speech was not an impassioned speech, it was more heart-wrenching than every word.

Especially the last sentence, "Those who feel that they are not even as good as a Western girl, please do it yourself" made many people at the scene blush.

For a long time, the local villagers have always regarded themselves as "half samurai" because they are descendants of thousands of people.

As a Westerner...and a Western girl, I am not afraid of war or death. If I shrink back, am I still a human being?

Not long after Elodie finished speaking, someone stood up and said loudly:

"Damn it! Why are you still hesitating? This little girl is right! We are descendants of thousands of people with one heart! Everyone can escape, but we can't!"

This sentence is like a spark falling into a gasoline barrel.

Suddenly, the whole place was extremely excited!

"Fight with the Changzhou people!"

"Let the people of Changzhou see the loyalty and bravery of thousands of us!"

"Our ancestors made an agreement with Tosho Daigongen to protect Kanto! Now, it's our turn to fulfill our promise!"

[Note: The Great Power of Tosho appears: Tokugawa Ieyasu’s divine title.]

There are more and more responders.

The atmosphere in the air has fundamentally changed, and excitement has completely replaced depression.

Those who were at a loss were all affected by this atmosphere. They stood up one after another, waved their fists vigorously, and vowed to join the battle.

Shimada Kui blinked and looked at all this in a daze, his eyes flashing with surprise.

Although he was not a good speaker, he saw another great thing about Elodie's speech just now - she clearly explained what the current task was.

Just hold on until Qingdeng comes to help!

Although everyone finds this task difficult, they do not think it is impossible.

With a clear and achievable goal, rather than a broad "to meet the enemy", it will naturally be easier to gather people's hearts!

"Shimada-kun."

The sudden call made Shimada Kui startled.

In the next breath, he responded hurriedly:

"I am here!"

Elodie turned her head to the side, looked at him, and said solemnly:

"Shimada-kun, you are the only one among us who has rich combat experience."

"So, I'll ask you to work harder next."

"Please!"

Looking at Elodie with a sincere expression, Shimada Kui was stunned for only a moment and then said loudly and energetically:

"Chief, you are serious! I am also a member of the Shinsengumi! I will also fulfill my duties!"

…

…

Time returns to the present——

After walking through the vast unknown forest, Hijikata Suisan suddenly felt a sense of enlightenment.

In front of us is an endless plain with green grass.

"Deputy Commander! There! Our main force is right there!"

Hijikata Toisan followed the sound and saw many figures shaking diagonally on the horizon diagonally.

He immediately turned his horse's head and ran straight over.

After getting closer, he gradually saw clearly what these figures were doing - they were digging trenches.

He raised the hoe high and then swung it down hard.

"Clang" and "chacha" sounds of digging came one after another.

Among these people who were working hard to dig trenches, Toshizo Hijikata discovered two old acquaintances - none other than the room chief Elodie and the first team deputy captain Kui Shimada!

I saw Shimada Kui taking off his upper body clothes, revealing his strong upper body, and personally demonstrating to everyone the correct method of digging trenches.

"Listen up! The so-called trench is a passage used to protect oneself during combat, slow down the enemy's attack speed, and facilitate the movement of troops! It is both a 'city wall' and a 'corridor'! Keep this in mind! It is not just digging

A ditch will do the trick!"

His appearance was just like that of Tokugawa Ieyasu under Osaka Castle.

According to legend, when Tokugawa Ieyasu launched the Osaka Winter Battle (1614) and prepared to destroy the Toyotomi family in one fell swoop, because 14 years had passed since the last great war, the Sekigahara War (1600), the veterans retired and withered away.

, so there are only some new recruits left in the army who can't even dig trenches.

Seeing this, Tokugawa Ieyasu felt helpless.
To be continued...