"What a pity... As you just said, I am too old."

"At that time, I was worried about my old body."

"I was afraid of causing trouble to Mr. Tachibana and the others, so I resisted the urge to 'chase after them'."

At this point, he grinned and let out a self-deprecating laugh.

"It's a pity that I have been immersed in swordsmanship for decades, but in the end I haven't made any achievements."

"The only two commendable achievements in my life are the establishment of this imperial examination hall in Edo and the spread of Natural Rishin-ryu on a small scale in the Tama area."

"On the day I watched Tachibana-kun and the others go to Luo, I couldn't help but think to myself: This may be the end of my life."

"Bake yourself in the sun every day, take a walk, and live your life peacefully in the imperial examination hall... Although I don't hate this ending, I still feel regretful."

"I was ready to die peacefully.

"I never imagined... today and now, I would encounter such a battle right in front of me!"

"To be honest, when I learned that the Choshu Army was attacking and Edo was in danger...at that moment, I felt hot all over."

"At that moment, I understood: Even though my body is decayed, I still don't want to admit defeat."

"The blood in my body is still hot!"

"Just like this knife that is still sharp!"

Having said this, he suddenly clenched the Erwang Qingshi in his hand.

"Abi, the 'this day' I have been waiting for for a long time has finally come."

"If I miss it, I may end up as a 'retired old man' and never have the chance to become a 'swordsman' again."

"So...I want to fight! I want to join the war!"

"This is my last battle with Shusuke Kondo!"

"Whether it's life, death, or any other ending, I'll happily accept it!"

At this moment, anyone can see that the old man exudes amazing "vitality".

Shock, panic, worry... one emotion after another rose and fell in Abi's cheeks.

As a family member of the other party, she naturally did not want to see the old man take risks.

She instinctively opened her mouth and tried to dissuade him.

It's just that... after listening to the old man's heartfelt words and seeing the high-spirited expression on his face, she knew better than anyone else: Even if Amaterasu descended to earth in person, he would not be able to persuade the old man back.

So she slowly shut up, bit her lips, lowered her head, and couldn't say a word for a long time.

Looking at the housewife who was still silent, Kondo Shusuke smiled slightly and changed his expression to a soft one.

"Abi, don't show such an expression."

"Although I just said it as if I was going to die, I won't die that easily."

"after all--"

He drew out his final tone quickly, held Erwang Qingshi with his left hand, and lowered his right hand naturally, stood up slowly, and faced the Buddha statue beside him.

The next breath, his pair of narrowed eyes opened slightly, and wisps of light shot out from between the eyes.

At the same time, he pulled out the Erwang Qingshi in his hand with a bang! The silver sword light shot out!

The sharp blade reflected his old face that was crushed and full of high spirits.

The strong wind created when he drew his sword swept the whole place.

"I am the third generation head of the Tenurishin-ryu clan, Shusuke Kondo!"

…

…

Edo, martial arts school——

Taking the lead in the martial arts lecture, the master swordsman Tan Seiichiro strode toward the backyard.

After a while, a small, exquisite courtyard specially used by the upper levels of the Lecture Hall came into view.

Kiyone Kubota, who is also the head of the martial arts institute and is known as "the important town in the martial arts world" and is proficient in many martial arts, is sitting on the verandah of this courtyard, looking at the sky, thoughtfully.

Seiichiro Tanani stood behind Kiyone Kubota and said calmly:

"Unvoiced, Liu Ying sent an order: "Talk about martial arts," the whole army will attack! Fight to the death!"

Liuying - a respectful name for the shogunate.

The so-called "Jiaowu Army" is the new army formed and trained by the Wujiao Institute.

Since its formation, this new army has gone through twists and turns due to complex political struggles.

It has gone through several downsizings and reduced funding.

It was not until Tokugawa Iemo came to power and Aotobu was promoted to Army President that the military's living environment finally improved significantly.

With the full cooperation of Tokugawa Iemo and Aoshinobu, the Kōbu Army received the same treatment as the Hachioji Qianren Tongxin, giving priority to the installation of Western-style guns and artillery, and receiving the most advanced military training today.

After listening to Tan Seiichiro's briefing, Kubota Kiyone was silent at first, and then sighed after 5 seconds:

"Oh, it would be great if the Changzhou Army could arrive half a year later..."

The Jiangwu Army has the same problem as Thousand Men of One Heart: Although it is equipped with new guns and artillery, it lacks corresponding training and has not yet developed considerable combat effectiveness.

In a word, the current combat effectiveness of the Wuhan Army is far from being able to fight the enemy on the battlefield.

Male Tan Seiichiro also sighed:

"Even if it is difficult, we can only bite the bullet. This is a battle involving the fate of Edo, and we cannot retreat."

As he spoke, he bent down and sat next to Kubota Kiyone.

"Qingyin, how is your health? Can you still draw the bow and swing the sword?"

Kubota Qingyin heard this and smiled:

"What? Seiichiro, do you want me to go to the battlefield?"

Otani Seiichiro responded calmly:

"I said, this is a battle involving the fate of Edo, and we cannot retreat. Anyone who has the strength to fight must fight - including me."

Kubota Kiyone spread her hands with helplessness on her face.

"I can't hold the knife now."

"If you expect me to kill the enemy with a sword, it will definitely be useless."

"I can only barely draw the bow."

Otani Seiichiro nodded:

"In that case, when I charge into the battle with my sword, I'll ask you to use your bow and arrow to help me cover."

Kubota Kiyone seemed to have heard some interesting anecdote and shrugged:

"... Seiichiro, with all due respect, in this era where guns dominate the battlefield, how much role can our swords play?"

The male Tan Seiichiro spread his hands.

"Not really."

"We will use Edo as the battlefield next to fight the enemy in a cage battle."

"When fighting in a town with complex terrain, the enemy's guns and artillery are difficult to use, but our swords can still come in handy."

Kubota Kiyone grinned with a self-deprecating look on his face:

"Only when fighting in cramped and narrow streets can the 'Samurai Soul' be used reluctantly... How funny."

Male Tan Seiichiro sneered:

"Qingyin, this is not funny."

"This has always been the case, hasn't it?"

"As someone who is proficient in more than ten kinds of martial arts, you should know better than me. Even in the Warring States Period, the role of swords was very limited."

"Those generals who went into battle, one after another, were all holding spears, for fear that their own spears would be half a minute shorter than others."

"Sword masters like Nobutsuna Kamiizumi will obediently hold their spears after going to the battlefield."

Kubota Kiyone smiled bitterly and shook his head:

"Seiichiro, this is different."

"In the Warring States Period, no matter how powerful the naginata and spears were, swords still had their uses."

"However... with the rise of guns and artillery, I really feel that the swords and the like will be eliminated."

"An ordinary pistol is infinitely better than a sword."

"Also eliminated was our military strategy."

"Once upon a time, I worked hard to cultivate military strategy."

"I have successively mastered Koshu-style Shikakuden's military science, Noshima-style military art, and Gaiki-style artillery..."
To be continued...