Hijikata Toshizo did not hide the fact that "Edo was unable to send reinforcements."

On the day he learned of this, he spread the word and informed all members of Thousand People United: We must fight alone!

Hijikata Toshizo's sudden words attracted the attention of all the soldiers.

There is respect and awe in these gazes, but also vigilance and disgust...

In the eyes of thousands of soldiers with one heart, Hijikata Toshizo was a leader who suddenly "airborne".

Although the opponent was the famous "Deputy Commander of the Demon", this could not change the fact that the thousands of soldiers working together were not familiar with him at all.

In this way, many people will naturally have a strong sense of distrust towards him.

Hijikata Toshizo calmly endured the various gazes with different emotions.

After a brief pause, he continued to shout:

"Some of you may not know that I, Hijikata Toshizo, am a farmer from Tama!"

"Tama and Hachioji are close neighbors!"

"Therefore, although I am not a member of Thousands of People Together, I have deep feelings for Thousands of People Together!"

"I never imagined that one day I would be able to fight side by side with thousands of people!"

"Honestly, I am so impressed!"

"I know you are scared."

"There are no reinforcements, no geographical location to rely on, and we are facing the bandits who enjoy the advantage on a wide plain with no danger to defend... This is indeed an extremely difficult battle!"

"But we can't escape!"

"We must face it!"

"Behind us is Edo!"

"Edo has not yet completed preparations for the battle! There are still a large number of civilians who have not had time to evacuate!"

"If we just let the rebel army go eastward, Edo will fall! Countless lives will be ruined!"

"Our desperate fight is not only for the moral integrity of saving the world, but also for the integrity of our promise!"

"Two hundred and sixty years ago, your ancestors made an agreement with Dongzhao Daquanxian to guard the Eighth Prince from generation to generation."

[Note: The power of Tosho appears: the godly name of the first shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu]

"It is because of this agreement that you can have this fertile land under your feet!"

"This agreement was originally made to deal with the Toyotomi family two hundred and sixty years ago."

"Although the Toyotomi family has long been reduced to the smoke and dust of history, this agreement has not been wiped out!"

"Now, it's your turn to fulfill this promise!"

"Now, I, Hijikata Toshizo, order you - use the blood of thieves to honor this long-standing agreement! Use the blood of thieves to show your glory!"

Although he usually doesn't have the opportunity to express himself, there is no doubt that the deputy captain of Oni, who can impress countless girls with his words, is also a master of words that is good at inspiring people.

By the time he finished speaking, the atmosphere at the scene had changed drastically.

A generous and fierce aura circulated around the soldiers.

They have always been very proud of their status as the "Edo West Gate of the World".

Hijikata Toshizo's words completely aroused the arrogance in their hearts.

This "arrogance" overcame panic and fear.

Seeing that the fighting spirit of the soldiers was successfully ignited by him, Hijikata Toshizo immediately raised the Izumi Mori Kanesada in his right hand and pointed the tip of the sword diagonally at the sky.

"Eighth Prince, thousands of people are united! Go out into battle!"

The next breath, the mountain roars and the tsunami roars!

"Ohhhhhhhhh-!"

…

…

The unanimous shouts of thousands of people spread far away - even the French-Qich coalition forces 8 kilometers away could clearly hear it.

Shuten Doji and Katsura Kogoro walked side by side.

Katsura Kogoro said calmly while listening to the distant shouts:

"The morale on the other side is very high."

Shuten Doji responded without saltiness:

"It seems that the 'Deputy Commander of the Ghost' is quite capable."

Hijikata Toshizo fully took over the command of Thousand People Tongxin - they already knew about this.

"That's fine."

The Shuten boy curled up his lips and said slowly:

"I want to see how capable Hijikata Toshizo and this eighth prince are."

"Go down with the order, deploy the artillery team, prepare for bombardment!"

…

…

Gululululu... Gululululu... Gululululu...

The sound of adjusting the muzzle was loud.

One by one, the ferocious, black muzzles of the cannons were raised upwards, pointing diagonally at the sky, pointing at the distant position of thousands of people.

Among them are the cannons of the Raiders and the "Slavic Legion", totaling more than a hundred pieces - it is not difficult to imagine how terrifying this power is.

Shuten-doji, who was sitting in the main formation, raised the telescope in his hand, looked carefully at the position where thousands of people were united, and muttered:

"Hey...the trenches are quite well built."

At this time, Ru Nu moved to his side and said in a concentrated voice:

"All the guns are in place!"

After hearing this, Shuten Doji put down the telescope in his hand, twitched the corner of his mouth, showed an excited smile, and gave a cold command with a cheerful expression on his face:

"Fire! Blow up Prince Heihachi for me!"

After a while——

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

The cannonballs rose high and fell heavily!

In the blink of an eye, the position of thousands of people was covered by waves of flames.

Under the command of Hijikata Toshizo, the soldiers had taken refuge in the holes dug in advance.

Boom...boom...boom...boom...boom...

Shocking vibrations and terrifying sounds continued to spread into the pit, and the ground beneath his feet was as turbulent as the sea, rolling repeatedly.

The soldiers hiding in the pit waited silently for the rain of artillery fire to stop with different moods and postures.

Some people are eager to try and gear up.

Some people blocked their ears and looked annoyed.

Others clasped the miniature Buddha statues in their hands and chanted "Amitabha" incessantly.

"..."

Toshizo Hijikata sat calmly, observing a young man opposite him expressionlessly.

The man closed his eyes, curled up, tensed his shoulders, and hugged the gun in his arms tightly. His face was pale, and his teeth were gritting.

Abruptly, the man opened his eyes suddenly, then stood up and walked out with quick strides.

Hijikata Toshizo seemed to have expected it, and stood up first, stepped forward, and blocked the opponent's way.

"Wait a minute, where are you going?"

He has been paying attention to this person for a long time.

Hijikata Toshizo once heard the Shinsengumi's gunnery instructors—Calabash House's "Complex Man" Moriyasu Asai and "Thunder Slash" Kanichi Shimada—describe this symptom in detail.

Not everyone can bear the terrifying sound of cannon.

Hiding in dark and cramped potholes will greatly aggravate this fear.

In such an environment, some people with weak psychological endurance will directly collapse, and then stubbornly have the urge to "I want to go out."

Even if there is still rain of gunfire outside, even if someone persuades or blocks you, you will not be moved.

Sure enough, the man stared with cloudy eyes and said inarticulately:
To be continued...