Being caught by the deputy chief, Liu Quan was a little stunned, and couldn't help touching his nose, pretending not to be very embarrassed.

"Uh...... I was just...... It's just ......" She stammered, as if suddenly, it was as if the [Verbal Kill] skill that was enough to sweep through the ground had never been implemented on her.

Looking at her blushing face and the clumsy expression that wanted to explain, Hijikata slightly hooked the corners of her lips.

"Those people in Choshu...... Far ahead of us. Although I really don't want to admit it...... "His tone became a little vicious, "I have to say, Takasugi Shinsaku...... What a talent. Look what kind of army he left behind to give us a headache!"

Liu Quan was taken aback that he was able to mention and evaluate one of his biggest opponents in such a frank tone.

"Yes...... Is that so?!"

She had barely had time to respond when she heard the earth-shattering sound of cannon fire behind them.

The shells landed on the mountain road not far in front of the fort they had erected, causing a splatter of grass and rocks.

Hijikata's face changed, and he hurried to the front of the fortress and looked out.

He quickly turned around and said with a grim face, "The other party is probably trying to use the cover of the artillery bombardment to reuse the trick of capturing Mt. Tengu just now - to sneak up on us from the rear. One team, you immediately go to the rear fortress to reinforce it, do not spare the ammunition, and be sure to defeat the enemy's attack!"

He was right. It didn't take long for heavy gunfire to be heard from the fort in the rear.

Boxes of ammunition were consumed as if they didn't need money, and the menacing offensive of the new government army slowed down more and more, and finally almost came to a standstill, except for a distance to exchange fire with the troops led by the Turkish side, and did not dare to rush forward again.

As if God didn't think it was chaotic enough, it rained heavily at night. In the rain, fierce gunfights continued until after dawn the next day, when the gunfire finally faded on the battlefield, and finally paid off: the new government forces had temporarily retreated.

At this time, the ammunition of the army led by Hijikata was almost exhausted, and everyone was tired for a day and a night, and after a whole night of continuous fighting in the rain, everyone was already dirty and exhausted.

The Turkish side decided to rush back to Goryokaku to report on the situation of the battle, while continuing to ask for reinforcements and ammunition. Leaving the other cadres to sit in Ergukou, and also assigned the defensive formation and plan, he and Liu Quan rode horses together and galloped back to Wulengguo.

Coming down from the battlefield where the smoke of gunpowder had not cleared, he followed the deputy commander all the way back to Wulengguo, and when Hijikata went to report the battle situation to the other Ezo bigwigs, Liu Quan finally had the opportunity to run to take a bath in disguise.

Although Liu Quan is only a small surname and assistant to the earthwork, when the battle situation is tight, he still has to go into battle, carrying a foot/gun, and following the earthwork.

To tell the truth, this time with the deputy chief, Liu Quan has a new understanding of his style of painting death.

The deputy commander not only often runs to the front line, but also especially likes to stand on the front line to command, if it weren't for him, he would probably be a little sensible, as if he would jump out in the next minute and personally lead the charge and meet the enemy...... It's really not reassuring.

On several occasions during this battle, if Yanagizumi hadn't shot the enemy soldier who had made a meritorious contribution in advance and was going to shoot at Hijikata, who was obviously the enemy's general, I am afraid that Hijikata would have been injured.

In the heat of battle, you can't always rely on his good luck BUFF to go on a rampage without protection...... Ryuzumi wiped his still dripping hair, and planned to talk to him about it when he returned from the meeting.

But she didn't expect that when she pushed open the door of Hijikata's room, she was greeted in the room with an unusually stern look and a cold order.

"It's still too late. ...... You get out of Hakodate. ”

Liu Quan's right hand, which was still leisurely wiping his hair, stagnated slightly.

“...... What do you say?!"

Hijikata's brows furrowed tightly, and sure enough, he stared at her face again, repeating what he had just said.

"I said, it's too late to leave. ...... You get out of Hakodate. I'm going to talk to merchant ships bound for Russia or England. Don't worry, I'll take care of everything for you. ”

Liu Quan felt that he must have heard it wrong. After a while, my brain digested all the information in these few words, and I felt unbelievable.

And the deputy chief actually continued.

"Well, if you don't have a more suitable place to go...... You can also go to Hinojuku and meet my sister Nobu and brother-in-law Hikogoro...... Didn't you say before that you should have visited the Shinsengumi when they passed through Tama last time they left the Kambi Prefecture...... Now you have this opportunity, they are all very nice people and will take good care of your ......"

Willow Springs: !!

As if she finally understood what the deputy chief was saying, she laughed angrily, and simply tore off the towel covering her long wet hair and squeezed it in her right hand.

...... To tell the truth, she really wants to throw the towel in her hand on the deputy chief's face now, to see if he can sober up after some whipping!!

“...... In what capacity do you want me to join your sister's family, Deputy Chief, and in what name can I leave you on the battlefield with peace of mind and accept the care of your sister and brother-in-law in peace?" she asked with a slick smirk that hypocritically bared her eight teeth.

Earthwork: "......"

Sure enough, when her [Language Kill] skill was not offline, the deputy chief was never her opponent. However, she choked on the deputy chief, but she was not happy at all.

No, it's not so much unhappy as very, very angry. And strangely, the more angry she was today, the sweeter the smile on her face. The voice seemed to be soaked in poisonous honey, intoxicating and cold, revealing a mockery.

"Ah...... Speaking of which, what are you going to do after you get me away safely?Let me guess - and then are you going to die heroically here without letting me know, Deputy Chief?!"

Her smile changed suddenly, and she was so angry that her facial features were about to be twisted together.

Hijikata's expression instantly became extremely distressed. His earnest eyes, which he looked at her, were tinged with a touch of sorrow, as if he were not surprised by her backlash, but he was so troubled that he wanted to order her to accept it obediently, but he did not know how to make her obey this ridiculous command to escape.

"Are you so considerate to all of the Shinsengumi members, Deputy Chief?!" For some reason, angry tears burst out of Ryuzumi's eyes without warning, and her voice involuntarily raised an octave.

"Why don't you give me any more orders to die, Deputy Chief?! I've been a soldier of the Death Squad or something, and I've been ready for this since the moment I joined the Shinsengumi?"

“...... Of course it was different then and now!" Hijikata suddenly shouted loudly. As the deputy head of the Shinsengumi, the terrifying power of the demon seemed to return to him in an instant.

"In the last battle, we will definitely lose...... How can I watch the woman I like die here!" he shouted, so loud that it even rattled Willow Spring's ears.

Hearing the words that were not at all what he expected, Liu Quan's eyes widened in surprise for a moment.

After a moment, she burst into tears and laughed, threw the towel in her hand, rushed in front of him, and crashed headfirst into his arms.

Her surprise caught him off guard, and he subconsciously stretched out his arm to catch her, but the facial features on his face were almost wrinkled together, and his face was as gloomy as the sky before a rainstorm.

“...... Do you understand what I'm talking about!, so get away from Hakodate and run to safety!"

“...... I'm going to stay by your side. Liu Quan simply blocked his words of persuasion with a neat sentence.

...... What an unrepentant attitude! As a member of the Shinsengumi...... No, even if she is a cadre, it is still good to be the acting leader of the Ichiban group...... But it was an unprecedentedly brave move to repeatedly contradict the deputy chief -- well, he was already the director of the bureau long ago.

"I'm grateful that you thought out of me. But I don't want you to leave me like that. ”

Knowing that it was useless to shout at such moments and the deputy chief, and that she had to take a roundabout and gentle approach, she lowered her voice, and her voice became clear and gentle.

"It's the same mood as you...... I can't just watch you die here, but I run away in fear of death and live somewhere else...... So, could you please stop pushing me away like that? Haven't you tried this kind of thing before? It doesn't work, because I'm not going to obey a wrong command. Even if that command comes from you, it's the same. ”

Hijikata seemed to be stunned and didn't answer her for a while.

Liu Quan added.

"Please don't let me go again. I wouldn't do this kind of thing even if I had seppuku. ”

Hijikata narrowed his eyes as if he was a little troubled, and sighed and laughed.

"Really...... Don't you always shout about seppuku or something, have you been damaged by Harada?"

There was finally a touch of lightness in his tone, and the tone that had become heavy at the thought of the hardships of the months disappeared.

"I really can't help you...... You're a nosy guy. ”

Liu Quan also relieved his heart and looked at him with a smile.

"Hey...... It's a complicated look. She stared into his eyes and grinned, "Are you worried about me?"

Hijikata looked away and replied awkwardly, "...... Of course. ”

"If you're worried about me, why don't you just stay by my side and keep an eye on me?" isn't that something that ordinary people would think of?" said Yanagizumi jokingly, "So Mr. Hijikata is really not an ordinary person, and the more he worries about me, the more he wants to leave me to fend for myself."

From the battlefield filled with chaos and gunpowder smoke back to Wulengguo, which had not yet been affected by the flames of war, her long, half-wet hair that had just been washed in front of her was scattered behind her, wafting out a faint wonderful fragrance of Western soap. This qiē suddenly gave him a vague sense of trance, as if the fierce, cruel, and incomparably difficult battle they had just experienced was like a dream.

But then she said sobering lines.

"Please look me squarely and fight side by side with me—just as you promised the Commander-in-Chief. In order to live. Live together. ”