As soon as these words came out, the atmosphere at the scene suddenly changed subtly.

A bunch of stunned and surprised eyes wandered in mid-air.

The decisive battle against Lake... Everyone present had a certain understanding of this object - because of this, they showed frightened expressions at the moment.

Omura Masujiro's complexion changed slightly and his pupils shrank slightly:

"...Mr. Takasugi, are you sure? Using our trump card so soon?"

Takasugi Shinsaku said slowly and expressionlessly:

"Honestly, if I had a choice, I wouldn't want to touch such a dangerous thing."

"But the problem is, we don't have a choice now, do we?"

Omura Masujiro pursed his lips and stopped talking.

The Shinsengumi's combat power and advancement speed were not only beyond his expectations as a strategist, but also beyond the expectations of General Takasugi Shinsaku.

Compared with Omura Masujiro, Takasugi Shinsaku is undoubtedly a "conservative".

He had never looked down upon the Shinsengumi, and his assessment of the war situation was far less optimistic than Masujiro Omura's.

However, this is the case, and the war situation is still deteriorating faster than expected!

Omura Masujiro believed that the "high wall" on the southern battlefield could last at least 2 days - he was not so optimistic, but he felt that the "high wall" could last at least 1 day.

But the result... it took the Shinsengumi less than 2 hours to break through the "high wall" and everyone was slapped in the face.

Taking advantage of the moment when Omura Masujiro was silent, Takasugi Shinsaku continued in a solemn tone:

"You all must know that I don't like to punish the party."

"But no matter what we think in our hearts, it can't change the fact that we are now allies with the Fa Zhu Party!"

"In the face of a powerful enemy, we are fighting in our dens. How can we behave like this?"

Having said this, he specifically raised his eyes and glared at the people who had just criticized Shuten Douji.

"It is true that their progress is not going well and they are hampered by the concerted efforts of thousands of people."

"But how good is it here?"

"Only one day has passed, and the Shinsengumi has arrived in front of us!"

"Now is not the time for finger-pointing."

"At this critical moment, how can we act emotionally?"

"Kui-kun and the others are fighting hard in Kanto... Whether they can capture Edo is related to the success or failure of this battle."

"To put it bluntly, as long as they can capture Edo and destroy the Edo shogunate, it will be worth it even if we all die!"

"This is my realization."

"If I can stop the Shinsengumi and buy enough time for Katsura-kun and the others, even if I am asked to take poison, I will hold my nose and admit it!"

In the team of surprise troops, Takasugi Shinsaku's status and authority are unshakable.

Seeing the general making such a firm statement, the eyes and expressions of everyone present gradually changed - like evil wolves, with fierce eyes flashing.

Takasugi Shinsaku looked around the scene again, then held his head high and said loudly in an unquestionable tone:

"Distribute the 'Decisive Battle of Yodo' to all soldiers! Success or failure depends on this!"

…

…

After the military meeting ended, everyone retreated in twos and threes.

After a while, only Takasugi Shinsaku and Omura Masujiro were left in the tent.

"Mr. Omura, it's late at night, you should go and have a rest."

After saying that, Takasugi Shinsaku let out a sigh of relief, with obvious tiredness and a vague look of pain on his brows.

Although he had issued a tactful "expulsion order", Omura Masujiro did not leave just yet.

I saw him turning his head sideways and looking at the other person with complicated eyes.

"...Mr. Takasugi, everyone has dispersed, you don't have to endure it anymore."

As if the lie had been exposed, a flash of panic flashed deep in Takasugi Shinsaku's eyes.

However, he immediately returned to normal.

"'Endure'? What do you mean? What have I endured?"

Facing Shinsaku Takasugi who was deliberately pretending to be stupid, Masujiro Omura stopped beating around the bush and said straightforwardly:

"Mr. Takasugi, have you forgotten?"

"Before I joined the army, I was a famous doctor who studied medicine since I was a child."

"As early as half a month ago, I noticed that your breathing was different."

"So, I took your pulse secretly when you weren't paying attention."

"So...I already know your condition."

"You don't have to pretend to be okay in front of me."

After saying that, he took out a stack of papers from his arms and handed them to the other party.

Looking at the stack of papers handed over by Omura Masujiro, Takasugi Shinsaku's cheeks were filled with a variety of emotions - some were surprised, some were sad, some were relieved...

After a while, these emotions turned into calm smiles.

While smiling, he reached out to take the stack of paper and covered his mouth and nose with it:

Then--

"Cough! Cough cough cough! Cough cough cough cough!!"

Even if I muffle my cough into paper, the sound is still terrifying.

This cough lasted for a long time.

The duration was long and the intensity was severe... people couldn't help but wonder if he would cough out both lungs.

Looking at Takasugi Shinsaku, whose shoulders were shaking due to coughing, Omura Masujiro murmured to himself:

"People suffering from blood cough will cough uncontrollably. Mr. Takasugi, it's a shame that you can pretend to be fine in front of others, and you have been pretending for such a long time..."

About 5 minutes later, Takasugi Shinsaku gradually stopped coughing and felt better.

While breathing heavily, he took out the paper in front of his mouth and nose - the paper was stained with dazzling blood.

Looking at the bright red blood, Omura Masujiro felt sad and said in a heavy tone:

"Why are you the one suffering from this disease...!"

He clenched his fists involuntarily as he spoke, and his words were full of strong regret.

As a former doctor, Omura Masujiro naturally understands the horror of blood cough.

A person who suffered from a bloody cough but did not die... He has been practicing medicine for so many years and has never seen such a precedent.

Strong resentment dominated Omura Masujiro's expression... In comparison, Takasugi Shinsaku was much calmer.

He smiled slightly and threw the bloody paper in his palm into the fire pit nearby.

"Mr. Omura, there is no need to show such an expression."

"Some people never smoke or drink, but they die young."

"Some people smoke a lot and drink a lot, but they live a long life."

"Life and death are fateful. I have already looked past them. This is probably my 'fate'."

"Even if I feel unwilling to do so, I can only accept it."

"That's fine."

"This way, I feel a lot more relaxed."

"Once you know that your death is imminent, you can relieve yourself of many burdens and be able to concentrate on what you really want to do."

Looking at Takasugi Shinsaku with a leisurely and contented face, Omura Masujiro frowned:

"...Mr. Takasugi, you look like you are going to the end of the world at the last moment."

Takasugi Shinsaku smiled heartily:

"While my body can still move, I have to seize the time to make this boring world interesting!"

…

…

The next day, early morning——

Tenmanzan, the main formation of the Shinsengumi——
To be continued...