The Ancestral Legacy Begins in the Wild West

Chapter 112 Artillery Barrage and Death Row Inmates' Resistance

In the main hall of the newly selected village office, candlelight flickered.

"Our minds are made up, there's no need for further persuasion."

A Shinsengumi member with a short beard stood up and bowed to Kondo Isami. He wore a Shinsengumi haori, had a sword at his waist, and a resolute expression on his face.

"From the time of the Ronin Corps until now, we have always believed in the Shogunate and worked hard for them until now. As a samurai, I cannot turn against the Shogunate."

Several more people stood up beside him: "It's not that we don't believe those weirdos deserve to die, but I am a samurai—"

Another younger soldier said in a low voice, his tone quite apologetic: "I—to be honest, I don't want to protect the current shogunate either, but I have a wife and mother at home. I'm sorry, Chief."

There were eight or nine people in total. Some had their heads down, some were gritting their teeth, and some had shifty eyes, not daring to look at anyone, but none of them stopped walking.

Director Kondo stared at their retreating figures with regret, but he made no attempt to stop them, as there was truly nothing he could do.

Saito Hajime, who had just reported the intelligence to them, leaned against the door frame, equally helpless against these people.

After he came up, another discussion naturally broke out among the group. Because of the shogunate's resolute actions at this time, Director Kondo finally couldn't hold back any longer and decided to prepare to rebel against the shogunate, at least to destroy their plan and the technology behind it.

However, as before, there were always some people in the Shinsengumi who couldn't accept these facts.

Some, like many patriots who hid among the common people and only participated in some collective uprisings, could not bear the dangers that would come with resisting the shogunate.

In short, Kondo Isami made no attempt to stop these people from leaving. He simply closed his eyes briefly, and when he opened them again, his gaze was as calm as still water: "Let them go."

The group then slowly left the main hall, passed through the small courtyard in front of the Shinsengumi headquarters, and then pushed open the gate of the garrison.

But the moment the door was opened, everyone froze.

On the horizon, a streak of fire pierced the dawn, trailing a long tail of flame, heading straight for the garrison.

"Flying Star"

Just as someone shouted out two words, and just as someone saw the true nature of that thing, the flame fell directly into the courtyard.

"boom--!"

The blast wave blew the courtyard gate, along with the people who had just stepped out the threshold, flying everywhere. Wood chips, blood, flesh, and rubble mingled and flew into the air.

As the smoke cleared, almost everyone who tried to escape lay sprawled among the ruins, their bodies barely intact.

Beyond the smoke of battle, countless figures were slowly approaching from the woods and under the earthen slopes surrounding the garrison.

Those were countless soldiers of the shogunate wearing straw hats and simple armor.

Amidst the smoke and fire, the Shinsengumi members, still caught off guard, did not wait for them to get closer.

As the smoke began to dissipate, rows of muskets were raised, their dark muzzles aimed at the garrison.

"put!"

Bang bang bang bang—

Bullets rained down like rain.

"Buzzing—" Inside the house, Kondo Isami's Kotetsu was instantly drawn, the blade flashing in the air as three bullets were cleaved in two, grazing his cheek and embedding themselves in the pillar behind him.

He didn't retreat at all; instead, he took a step forward and stood in front of the young team members.

Saito Hajime's sword was faster, but he was skilled at thrusting and was also injured. He managed to barely manage to pierce a few bullets in front of him before the blade began to hum incessantly.

Without stopping, he shattered bullets as he moved to the window.

Despite his still-healing injuries, Nagakura Shinpachi reacted swiftly. He decisively grabbed a stunned young teammate beside him, threw him against the wall, and used the momentum to roll over and hide behind a thick wooden pillar.

The bullet hit the spot where he had just been standing, sending splinters of wood flying.

Harada Sanosuke lay on a stretcher, his whole body still wrapped in bandages, but he could still move his mouth: "Damn it, help me up!" The soldiers next to him quickly dragged him and the stretcher behind the wall.

At that moment, he even reached out his bandaged hand, drew a long knife from a soldier's waist, and shattered a bullet with a backhand motion, protecting the man's head.

Then, a sudden, sharp pain shot through his arm, causing him to loosen his grip on the knife handle. He hid behind the wall and screamed, "Damn it! It hurts like hell!"

Among these wounded, Okita Souji was the quickest to move.

With a flick of his wrist, he shattered the bullets aimed at him with a single slash, and with his other hand, he pulled the soldier beside him into a crevices in the corner.

The soldier turned pale with fright, but Okita simply patted his shoulder lightly and then decisively stepped forward, immediately unleashing the Nameless Triple Thrust.

"Whoosh!" In an instant, he tore down a team member who was still stunned in place, while simultaneously deflecting many bullets.

The gunfire ceased.

Amidst the billowing smoke, the shogunate's soldiers were reloading.

"They have a second round!" Harada shouted upon hearing the voice.

Director Kondo was already standing at the front, Kotetsu pointed diagonally at the ground, his gaze piercing through the smoke and landing on the countless dark figures.

"Shinpachi, take the wounded and retreat through the back door! Saito, charge with me head-on! Okita—"

'

He paused, then looked at the pale-faced young man: "You need to adapt to the situation. The situation is chaotic right now, and who knows what might happen in the camp."

Okita didn't speak, but simply nodded calmly.

Kondo took a deep breath, about to rush outside with his long sword in hand, when he suddenly remembered something: "That's right."

His gaze swept across the room, and suddenly he remembered something: "Quickly go check deeper into the garrison! Mr. Zhang and Tu Fang are still down there!"

Before he could finish speaking, some of the squad members who had already realized what was happening rushed towards the inner room, swinging their haoris.

Inside the room, the entire building shook violently at the moment of the explosion.

Zhang Chang'an and Tu Fang Suisan were still standing in front of the two men, but their figures were slightly unsteady due to the shaking of the building.

-

The iron chains in front of me rattled, and dust fell softly from the walls.

"What a shoddy construction project!" Zhang Chang'an cursed angrily, then realized something.

He looked up and saw that the two people in front of him had indeed reacted.

Tachibana Muneshige's silver armor, nailed to his body, restricted his movement.

But it was precisely because of this heavy armor that he couldn't remove that, the moment the house shook, he fell forward and, relying on the weight of the armor, tore off half of the other end of the chain that was fixed to the wall.

So, he decisively fell to the side, and before he could even untie his hands, he opened his specially made movable mask and opened his mouth towards a wooden table next to him.

"Crack!" His two rows of teeth bit down hard on a bloodstained knife on the table.

Those were the tools Hijikata and his men used for torture, but now, with his body turning, the blade reflected the moonlight streaming in from the window, aiming straight for Zhang Chang'an's throat.