Before the other party could salute and say hello, Qingdeng asked impatiently:

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

Facing Aoto's gaze, Nanjo Akizaburo lowered his head slightly - seemingly as a gesture of respect, but actually to avoid Aoto's gaze - and said to his toes:

"Captain Okita is suffering from a common throat disease."

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

"I have already prescribed some medicine to Captain Okita."

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

"It's just that it will take longer, not so fast."

After learning that the general secretary was fine, Qingteng breathed a sigh of relief.

"That's it, that's good. Mr. Nanjo, I've really worked hard for you tonight."

Nanjo Akisaburo shook his head:

"These are what I should do."

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

"..."

"Huh? Mr. Nanjo, what's wrong?"

Aomori cast a confused look at Nanjo Akizaburo who was standing still.

"No, it's nothing. My lord, I'll take my leave now."

Having said that, Nanjo Akizaburo turned around and left - the shadow caused by the backlight quietly hid a hint of darkness in his eyes.

After watching Nanjo Akizaburo leave, Aomori read the blood-stained letter in his hand before returning to the case.

His eyes quickly scanned every line of words in the letter.

The further he read, the tighter his brows became.

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

The war in Sekigahara officially started today.

But the eighth prince's side has been beaten to pieces since several days ago!

For the convenience of naming, Qingdeng privately referred to this army that combined the Fa-Zhu Party and the Qi Force as the "Fa-Qi Alliance Army."

Hijikata Toshiro, Elodie and Shimada Kui led thousands of people to fight against the French-Chinese coalition with the "Slavic Legion" as the main combat force...

Regardless 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.

Qingdeng was always concerned about the Eighth Prince's battle situation.

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

There is not much content in the letter.

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

…

…

A few days ago——

Kanto, Hachioji——

Looking down from above, there are black lines stretching across the vast and vast plain.

Read the error-free version in 69 Book Bar! 6=9+ Book_Bar publishes this novel.

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

Thousands of soldiers squatted in these trenches, staring ahead, their expressions dominated by intense tension and uneasiness.

Hijikata Totsuzo, carrying Izumi Kanesada in his hand, stood in front of the formation, looking straight ahead - the western skyline - with an expressionless face.

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

She tied up both sleeves of light green haori with sleeve belts, held a Yamato Shoudan, and tied her pale blond hair back into a neat high ponytail.

The breeze blew, lifting the hair hanging down from her temples and the tips of her braided hair.

Compared to Hijikata Toshizo, Elodie is not so calm.

Her facial lines were tight, her red lips were tightly pursed, and her nervousness was visible to the naked eye.

Suddenly, Hijikata Toshizo said:

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

"You are different from me. You are not a warrior who 'lives by the sword and dies by the sword'."

"What's more, you are still a woman."

"Even if you retreat to the rear, no one will blame you..."

Before the other party could finish speaking, Elodie interrupted bluntly:

"Mr. Hijikata, the matter has come to this. Even if I am frightened, I cannot back down."

"You are the deputy chief of the Shinsengumi, and I am the chief of the Shinsengumi. We are both members of the Shinsengumi. How can I run away from the battle?"

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

"Besides, I have declared to all of you who are united with thousands of people that I will fight side by side with them until the end."

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

Speaking of this, she raised the Yamato Mamoru Anding in her hand, which did not fit her petite body, and raised the corner of her mouth with a confident arc.

"Don't underestimate me."

"After all, I am the disciple of 'Nioh' Tachibana Aoden!"

"Having me here can boost morale to some extent."

The deputy chief of the Shinsengumi and the chief of staff are sitting together in charge of Hachioji... This is indeed an exciting thing for the soldiers who have thousands of people working together.

Looking at Elodie, who was determined and unmoved by his persuasion, Toshizo Hijikata burst into laughter:

"Okay, I was so ignorant just now, please forgive me."

At this time, Shimada Kui's shout came from the distance:

"Deputy Chief!"

Hijikata Toisan followed the message and saw Shimada Kui leading several cavalrymen - they were elite knights who were ordered to serve as Elodie's bodyguard - running towards him quickly.

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

His unintentional move really helped Hijikata Toizo a lot.

This cavalry team headed by Kui Shimada has become a very valuable mobile force under his command!

If used well, it might become a decisive force on the battlefield!

Throughout the ages, scouts have been a branch of arms that can only be qualified by the most elite soldiers.

Not to mention anything else, just "clearing the direction in the wilderness" can kill more than 90% of the soldiers.

The training level of the thousands of soldiers who work together is quite limited, and few of them know how to ride a horse.

In this case, it is sheer nonsense to ask them to reconnoiter the enemy's situation.

Therefore, Hijikata Toshizo could only let Shimada Kuirai take on this important task.

Shimada Kui Pegasus came to Hijikata Toizo and said quickly:

"The bandit army has advanced to two miles to the west!"

[Note: In the Edo period, one mile = 924 kilometers, and two miles equals 848 kilometers.]

848 kilometers... Such a distance can almost be said to be "just a stone's throw away"!

Hijikata Suisan heard this and muttered:

"Finally here..."

After finishing speaking, he slowly turned around and faced the thousands of soldiers in the trenches behind him.

Looking up, every one of them had a look of panic on their faces.

There are many people with their cheeks drained of color and their arms fighting.

Although Thousand People Tongxin has the title of "Thousand People", their total military strength is not more than one thousand people.

When Qingdeng took over the post of head of Qianren Tongxin, Qianren Tongxin had a total of 2,000 young and middle-aged people of the right age, that is, 2,000 troops.

In recent days, Toshizo Hijikata has been trying to find out the enemy's intelligence through various channels.
To be continued...