"Eh? Teppei, why are you here?"
At the edge of Nazuchi Beach, several resistance scouts looked at Teppei in confusion and asked.
Teppei feigned nonchalance and smiled:
"Nothing much, just a bit of a setback, so I came over to take a look."
"By the way, Teppei, you're already a squad leader, aren't you? That's amazing! We were all new recruits just a while ago."
"That's right! Before we knew it, Teppei, you've already pulled far ahead of us!"
The resistance fighters gathered around Teppei, looking at him with excited eyes.
Seeing his former fellow recruits look at him with such bright eyes, Teppei's expression turned bitter.
Teppei didn't think he deserved such praise from his comrades.
"It's nothing, I just got lucky, and besides, I'm not strong at all..."
"Haha, Teppei, you're really modest!" several resistance fighters laughed, patting Teppei on the shoulder.
Afterward, the few of them chatted for a while longer.
However... just as they were mid-conversation,
they began to notice a faint trembling sound coming from the other side of Nazuchi Beach.
This unusual movement caught their attention.
When they took out their observation equipment and looked in that direction, they discovered... that on the other side of Nazuchi Beach, a dense army was approaching!
This sight instantly made the faces of the scouts turn pale.
The nearest resistance camp that could quickly provide reinforcements only had a few hundred soldiers stationed there.
But the attacking Shogunate Army numbered in the thousands, no matter how they looked at it!
If that Shogunate Army attacked, they would definitely not be able to hold this front line.
"Oh no! The Shogunate Army is launching a surprise attack! And there are so many of them!"
"Quick! Quick! Call for reinforcements from the rear camp!"
"But with thousands of Shogunate Army soldiers, even if our brothers from the rear camp come, they won't be able to stop them!"
"The Shogunate Army has deployed all its forces!"
At this moment, the scouts were in a frantic panic.
They were clearly terrified by the sheer number of the Shogunate Army.
After all, no one expected the Shogunate Army to disregard the defense of Inazuma City and deploy such a large force to attack.
Everyone was in a panic, except for Teppei, who remained silent.
His face showed struggle, as if he was fighting an internal battle.
After a while, Teppei spoke to the resistance scouts beside him:
"The closest reinforcements will take a minute to arrive, and even then, they won't be able to stop such a large number of Shogunate Army soldiers. You all should quickly return to the camp and use the communication device to notify Lady Sangonomiya!"
The scouts were startled at first, then looked at Teppei in disbelief:
"What about you, Teppei?"
Teppei looked towards the other side of Nazuchi Beach and said in a deep voice:
"I need to stay here. Otherwise, if the Shogunate Army breaks through the front line before reinforcements arrive, the ordinary residents on Yashiori Island will be affected!"
"But..." The scouts were still hesitant.
Teppei suddenly shouted:
"I am the captain of Herring Squad One! I order you to quickly inform all the camps in the rear of this news! Notify Lady Sangonomiya!"
At these words, the others were stunned for a moment, then nodded with serious expressions.
"Teppei, be careful. Try to negotiate with the Shogunate Army first to buy time. Don't engage in conflict with them!"
"I know, so hurry up and go!" Teppei nodded solemnly.
And so, only Teppei was left at the lookout post.
The reinforcements from the nearest camp would still take a while to arrive.
Therefore, Teppei's main task now was to delay the arrival of the reinforcements from that nearest camp.
Then he had to find a way to negotiate with the Shogunate Army.
He swallowed hard, his face very tense.
Slap!
Then he slapped his own cheek, dispelling the nervous emotions.
The commotion on the other side of Nazuchi Beach grew louder.
Watching the Shogunate Army get closer and closer.
Teppei showed a bitter smile:
"I am a person without Talents. Even if I keep trying, I still can't catch up with everyone's pace."
"Even with a Delusion, an external object, I am still so weak."
Suddenly, Teppei's eyes narrowed:
"What I can do now is make my insignificant strength useful!"
At this moment, a faint commotion also came from the rear.
That was the reinforcements from the nearest camp arriving.
However, their numbers were only about five hundred.
Compared to the thousands of Shogunate Army soldiers, the difference was too great.
As soon as the reinforcements arrived, they looked at Teppei and eagerly asked, "Captain Teppei, what's the situation now!?"
Teppei shook his head:
"Everyone, don't act rashly. The numbers are too disparate. I will go and negotiate with them, trying to buy time until Lady Sangonomiya arrives with other reinforcements."
The arriving resistance reinforcements exchanged glances, then nodded.
And so, the five hundred resistance fighters, led by Teppei, began to walk towards the Shogunate Army led by Kujou Takayuki... The two armies once again converged at the center of Nazuchi Beach.
Among them, the leaders of both sides walked to the front, facing each other, preparing for pre-battle negotiations.
The negotiator for the resistance was Teppei.
And the negotiator for the Shogunate Army was Kujou Takayuki, the head of the Tenryou Commission and the patriarch of the Kujou Clan.
On the field, Raiden Shogun did not seem to be present.
Because Her Excellency, the General, was resting with her eyes closed in the rear.
Only when the Yellow Fox appeared would Her Excellency, the General, take action!
Now, Kujou Takayuki wore a samurai armor specifically for the Shogunate Army, looking quite formidable.
He looked at Teppei with an arrogant gaze and said coldly:
"Remnants of Watatsumi Island, this time Her Excellency, the General, will lead our Shogunate Army to annihilate you! I advise you to surrender quickly!"
"And those traitors who betrayed Inazuma and joined the resistance! Surrender now! I can still spare your lives!"
Teppei frowned:
"With so many people rebelling in Inazuma now, don't you ever reflect on yourselves?"
Kujou Takayuki laughed loudly: "Hahahaha, they are just a bunch of ungrateful rebels! What is there to reflect on!?"
Teppei showed an angry expression: "Does Her Excellency, the General, think so too? Or rather, does Her Excellency, the General, truly know the will of the people!?"
As if a crucial point was touched, Kujou Takayuki's face immediately flushed red, and he snorted coldly:
"Anyway, you rebels deserve to die! Hundreds of years ago, Her Excellency, the General, was benevolent and spared the people of watatsumi island, but now you've banded together to attack Inazuma!"
After speaking, Kujou Takayuki's face showed a cunning smile again:
"Also, do you think I don't know what you're thinking? You want to stall for time until reinforcements arrive, right? You're still too naive."
These words caused Teppei's expression to change drastically.
Kujou Takayuki laughed loudly: "Soldiers, charge! Kill these rebels!"
And so, the five hundred resistance fighters here were forced to engage in battle with these thousands of Shogunate Army soldiers...
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