I formed the strongest swordsman group

Ichimura Tetsunosuke - Hijikata Toshizo's nickname.

In the previous "Grand Recruitment", he attracted the attention of Hijikata Toshizo due to his eye-catching actions. Afterwards, he was adopted by Hijikata Tozo as a minor surname by accident.

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

…

…

Suruga Kingdom, Choshu Army Camp——

"Takasugi-kun!"

Hearing someone calling him, Takasugi Shinsaku stopped and turned around to look - only to see Katsura Kogoro running towards him in three steps and 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 it, 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 be over!"

Takasugi Shinsaku looked at Katsura Kogoro helplessly.

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

The "Teacher Shoin" he refers to naturally refers to his, Katsura Kogoro and Hisasaka Genzui's common teacher - Yoshida Shoin.

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

"When it's time to fight, I'll fight like hell."

"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:

"Huh? 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, he stopped asking further questions.

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

Takasugi Shinsaku said, turning his eyes left and right and looking around.

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 combat power of the surprise team. Why did I leave 500 people here specifically?"

"..."

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

Just now, after a brief discussion, the generals of the "Changshu Clan" finally decided on the detailed arrangement of the division of troops - Takasugi Shinsaku will lead 1,500 troops of the Kaiwei team 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 Fuzhi 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' used to supervise the law and punish the party, but also a 'seedling' to ensure the immortality of our Changzhou."

"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 be over!"

"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 his strength’!”

Katsura Kogoro, who usually likes to speak great truths and cannot listen to heavy words such as "sacrifice" and "destruction", 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, 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 said with a deadpan expression and a cold tone:

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

"Well, I guess so. But I'm mainly here to give you something. Ushi-ki!"

Hearing Shuten-doji's call, Ushi-ki immediately took a half step forward and 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 very meaningful.

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

Decisive Battle of Yodo - hearing this word, Takasugi Shinsaku and Katsura Kogoro all changed their expressions.

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

Shuten-doji ignored their expressions and continued to talk:

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

"...What? You want to give me this box of 'Decisive Battle Yodo'?"

"Yes, that's right!"

"Is this really okay? Didn't you say that this 'Decisive Battle Yodo' is very precious? It can't be used casually unless it's absolutely necessary."

Shuten-doji nodded slightly and said:

"Yes, that's right!"

"The cost of 'Decisive Battle Yodo' is very high, and it's a treasure that even I feel painful for."

"I was quite hesitant about whether to give you a part of 'Decisive Battle Yodo' for use."

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

"Isn't it to overthrow the shogunate that such a powerful thing was made?"

"In that case, you can't be so petty!"

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

Speaking of this, Shuten-doji paused, tilted his head, and continued with a kind face:

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

"I remember I told you in detail about the pros and cons of 'Decisive Battle of Yodo'."

"You are an excellent leader. It's up to you when to use 'Decisive Battle of Yodo' and whether to use 'Decisive Battle of Yodo'. I won't interfere."

Takasugi Shinsaku lowered his eyelids and gaze, staring at the big box in the hands of the Ushiki with deep eyes, his expression changed several times, and I don't know what he was thinking.

Kura Kogoro beside him was also in a similar state, with a complex expression on his face.

After a moment, Takasugi Shinsaku said coldly without any emotion:

"... In this case, I will obey your order respectfully."

After that, he grabbed the big box, and then turned and left with it in his arms.

Shuten-doji shouted at his back:

"Mr. Takasugi! I'll leave Sekigahara to you!"

"..."

Takasugi Shinsaku ignored him and disappeared from his sight in a moment.

Not long after, a team of cavalry galloped out of the camp - the leader was Takasugi Shinsaku.

The cavalry led by Takasugi Shinsaku ran straight to the west along the Tokai Street, with great momentum.

While galloping, Takasugi Shinsaku looked down at his hand - this was the hand he used to cover his mouth when he coughed just now - after coughing, he took advantage of Katsura Kogoro's inattention and secretly hid this hand, carefully preventing him from discovering it.

The palm of this hand was splashed with a layer of blood, bright and dazzling.

Looking at the blood stain that covered half of his palm, Takasugi Shinsaku pulled the corner of his mouth, revealing a strange expression that seemed to be smiling but not smiling.

Then, he repeated Katsura Kogoro's advice just now in a self-deprecating tone:

"'Remember to protect yourself'... "

...

Hinjin Domain, Otsu, Hijikata Residence——

Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong!

Hijikata Toshisaku walked in the corridor of his house with great strides.

He was not wearing the light green haori that symbolized the Shinsengumi, but the Western-style outfit that he had painstakingly bought - a black suit, a black long windbreaker - and his hair was specially cut short and combed back into a slicked-back hairstyle.

It was not difficult to see that he really liked this outfit.

Since buying this outfit, he was rarely seen wearing the light green haori.

However, in order to show his identity as the vice-chairman of the Shinsengumi, he tied a light green armband on his right arm with the word "成" embroidered on it.

At this time, a short, young and handsome boy with a small package on his back jumped out from the corridor next to him:

"Mr. Hijikata, I'm ready!"

This man was Ichimura Tetsunosuke, the nickname of Hijikata Toshizo.

Hijikata Toshizo stopped and looked Ichimura Tetsunosuke up and down:

"Tetsunosuke, this should be the first big battle you have experienced in person, are you afraid?"

"No!"

Ichimura Tetsunosuke shook his head and said loudly without thinking:

"If I was afraid of death, I would not choose to join the Shinsengumi!"

Hijikata Toshizo smiled and nodded:

"Yes, your courage is commendable!"

"It's a pity that you don't have the opportunity to go to the battlefield."

"When you arrive at Hachioji, your mission will be no different from usual. You will only be responsible for taking care of my daily life. You don't have to get involved in other things."

Ichimura Tetsunosuke heard this and his whole face immediately fell:

"Mr. Hijikata! Please let me go to the battlefield! I will definitely not let you down!"

"Let's talk about it after you shave your forehead hair."

[Note: Shaving the forehead hair: According to the practice of the Edo period, men would keep their forehead hair when they were minors, but the hair on the top of their heads would often be shaved off. This can be understood as a "quasi-moon generation head" when they reach adulthood. They will shave off their forehead hair and start to grow a formal headdress, so "shaving off their forehead hair" means that a man has reached adulthood. 】

Ichimura Tetsunosuke continued to appeal, but Hijikata Toshizo simply ignored his claims.

"Okay, stop yelling, it's time to set off."

Just as Hijikata Toshizo was about to lift his foot forward, he suddenly seemed to remember something and turned to look at Tetsunosuke Ichimura.

"Tetsunosuke, did you bring what I asked you to bring?"

Upon hearing this, Ichimura Tetsunosuke immediately stopped "complaining" and entered work mode:

"Well, I brought it!"

As he spoke, he took out a small cloth bag from his arms and handed it to Hijikata Toshizo with both hands.

After Hijikata Toshizo took it, he opened the cloth bag three times and took out the contents - a small stack of photos.

These photos were the commemorative photos he had previously asked photographer Kenzo Tamoto to take for them.

From a single photo of himself, to a photo of him and Qingnobo, to a group photo of the "Tsueikan School"... The stack of photos that Hijikata Toizo was holding in his hand at this time included more than twenty photos. .

On the eve of the official launch of the "Changzhou Expedition" and the march to the Changzhou and Tuesday countries, these photos were developed and distributed to everyone.

Looking at the photos in his hand, Toshizo Hijikata's eyes gradually softened, and the corners of his lips turned up slightly unconsciously.

Ichimura Tetsunosuke looked at Hijikata Toshizo, then looked at the stack of photos in his palm, and asked in confusion:

"Mr. Hijikata, why did you bring these photos?"

After Hijikata Toshizo was silent for a while, he replied half-jokingly:

"It's nothing, I just want to find something to entertain myself on the way."

As he spoke, he rewrapped the bunch of photos in cloth, put them in his arms solemnly, and then walked towards the entrance without any hesitation.

"Tetsunosuke, let's go!"

"yes!"

…

…

Qinjin Fan, Dajin, suburbs——

Isamu Kondo, Souji... all the generals who had no important responsibilities and could spare the time basically came to see Hijikata Toizan off.

As for Harada Sanosuke and others who led the cavalry to seize the favorable terrain of Sekigahara, they were already too busy to care.

Looking at Seito and others who came to see him off, Hijikata Toishan said loudly, half helplessly and half with emotion:

"Such a luxurious lineup... I'm really flattered by how well you guys put it together."

His joking tone slightly relaxed the solemn atmosphere of the scene.

Looking up, I saw that almost everyone present had calm faces and looked very serious.

Everyone didn't want to look like this when they saw him off.

However... when they think about the battlefield that Hijikata Toshizo will go to next, they can't show a positive attitude at all!

Anyone with a little common sense knows how arduous the task Hijikata Toizo has taken on is!

Leading a militia that has not yet completed the corresponding training to intercept an army of tigers and wolves... Even if it is not said to be a narrow escape, it is not far off!

Just as Hijikata Toshizo said just now in the military meeting - no one is qualified for this task except him!

Therefore, although they were worried about Hijikata Toshizo, no one present could do anything to help him and could only secretly pray for him.

At this time, Kondo took half a step forward and looked at Hijikata Toshizo with a complicated expression.

"Ah Sui, you...don't be too reluctant."

He hesitated and hesitated for a long time before he finally managed to say, "Don't force yourself."

Somehow, looking at Hijikata Toshizo, who was about to leave for the Hachioji area, he suddenly recalled all the strange things he had done a while ago——

He had a strange dream that "he stayed where he was, and everyone else was leaving him"; influenced by this dream, he asked a photographer to take commemorative photos for them...

As these memories passed through his mind one by one, Kondo Isamu felt his heart beat faster and heavier like an alarm bell...

Suddenly, after Kondo Isamu, Souji also stepped forward and also cast a complicated look at Hijikata Tozo.

"Mr. Hijikata, please don't do anything stupid..."

Maybe this is the tacit understanding between adopted brothers and sisters.

At this moment, Souji, like Kondo Isamu, suddenly recalled the various anomalies that Hijikata Toshizo had experienced a while ago, and then felt inexplicably uneasy...

Hijikata Toisho glanced around, taking a rough look at Isamu Kondo and Souji, who had different expressions, and then smiled in amusement:

"Let me tell you, don't you have too much confidence in me?"

"The person standing in front of you is the 'Deputy Commander of Ghosts'!"

"I will neither force myself nor do anything stupid."

"I will only complete the task beautifully and come back majesticly!"

As he spoke, he stretched out his hands and patted Kondo Isamu and Souji on the shoulders respectively.

After finishing speaking, he turned his head and looked at Toudo Heisuke not far away.

"Todo, did you bring the things I asked you to bring for me?"

Toudou Heisuke was startled by Hijikata Tobizo's sudden roll call, and he hurriedly replied loudly:

"Yeah! I brought it!"

"Bring it here."

"yes!"

At the same time as the loud voice responded, he stepped forward and handed out the thing in his hand - a rolled flag.

Hijikata Toshizo grasped the big flag with his left hand and waved it upward:

Huh!

The flag rolled up on the flagpole unfolded layer by layer, slowly revealing its true appearance in the sun - a huge flag with the word "成".

As the symbol of the Shinsengumi, the military warehouse of Otsu naturally stored a large number of flags with the word "成".

Hijikata Toshizo looked up at the flag in his hand, nodded slightly, and raised the corners of his lips with satisfaction.

After handing over the big flag that Hijikata Toshizo specifically requested, Fujido Heisuke stood aside respectfully and cleared his throat:

"Mr. Hijikata, Mr. Tachibana asked me to bring you a message."

Qing Deng, who was actively preparing for the upcoming "Second Battle of Sekigahara", naturally had no time to come to see Hijikata Toshizo off.

Hijikata Toshizo raised his eyebrows when he heard this:

"Oh? What did Mr. Tachibana say?"

"Mr. Tachibana said: 'I will take Sekigahara as soon as possible and join forces with you in Hachioji'."

Hijikata Toshizo couldn't help laughing after listening carefully.

"Really, even though he's not here, it doesn't affect his coolness... Fujido, please reply to him later: In that case, I'll be waiting with great anticipation."

After saying that, he carried the big flag in his hand and jumped onto the horse beside him.

Qing Deng specially equipped him and Ichimura Tetsunosuke with 8 fast horses so that they could take turns riding the horses and rush to Hachioji as quickly as possible.

Hijikata Toshizo sat on the horse's back and took a last look at Kondo Isami, Souji and others in front of him.

"Everyone, I'll go and come back quickly!"

After leaving this short sentence, he shouted and tapped the horse's belly with his heel.

Ichimura Tetsunosuke on the side followed closely behind.

Two people, eight horses and a flag with the word "sincerity" facing the headwind, heading straight east!

A new January is here! Book friends who have monthly tickets on hand, please vote for this book! (tearful leopard head.jpg)

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PS: I originally wanted to name "Jueshen Dian" "Jueshen Weapon", but this name always reminds me of Gundam, which is very out of place, so I changed it.