I formed the strongest swordsman group.

Chapter 1006 [Oyu Trial] Begins! [4500]

After leaving Mito Domain, Qing Deng led the entire army northward along the Oshu Kaido, one of the "Five Kaidos".

The Oshu Kaido connects to Mutsu, with some branch roads connecting to other parts of Tohoku.

When talking about Ou's specialties, the most famous one is "hot springs".

Not only is the quantity large, but the quality is also high.

There are many famous hot springs, such as Suantang Hot Spring, Hanamaki Hot Spring, Akiu Hot Spring, etc.

Oshu is located at the junction of the Eurasian Plate and the Pacific Plate. The crustal activity is frequent, resulting in a large number of volcanoes and earthquakes, which also led to the formation of hot springs.

Qing Deng quite likes hot springs.

To be precise, I like the comfortable feeling of being "wrapped in hot water".

If he has free time, he would be happy to enjoy the hot springs in Ou - of course, the premise is "if he has free time".

The further north you go, the lower the temperature.

Snowflakes fall from time to time.

Even on days when it wasn't snowing, the sky was dark.

The surrounding scenery has also changed significantly.

Looking around, they saw vegetation everywhere that had not been seen before, which made Qing Deng and others intuitively feel that they had entered the northern country.

For the sake of convenience, Qing Deng referred to this meeting led by him to promote "Olympia stability" as the "Olympia Conference."

The reason why the meeting place of the "Ou Conference" was set in Wakamatsu Castle of Aizu Domain was naturally because Aizu Domain was Aoto's staunch ally.

Such an important meeting must be held in a safe and trustworthy place to give people peace of mind.

Oshu is just like the western provinces, with a very high proportion of outer daimyo and limited influence of the shogunate.

It was precisely out of consideration of "intimidate Oshu" that the shogunate specially established the Aizu domain here.

In fact, even without talking about "safety", just considering the geographical location, Wakamatsu Castle in Aizu Domain is also the first choice.

This was a top-level meeting attended by all the lords of the Oshu domains.

In this case, the meeting place must be set in a place that is convenient for everyone, so as to appear fair and show the sincerity of "treating everyone equally".

The core identity of Aizu Domain is "Oshu Troublemaker"

If you want to stir up shit, you must do it in the "middle ground" so that you can stir it more and more evenly.

Therefore, the Aizu domain was intentionally located in the heart of Oshu, guarding key thoroughfares, like a high wall across a crossroads.

No matter which domain of Oshu you depart from, it is not too difficult to reach Aizu Domain.

To sum up, it is most appropriate to hold the meeting in Wakamatsu Castle.

……

……

Wakamatsu Castle, the capital of the Aizu Domain, is also one of the oldest castles in the world.

In 1384, Wakamatsu Castle was built by Naomori Ashina of the Ashina family (A Shi Na).

In the following years, the castle changed hands several times and finally fell into the hands of the Aizu Matsudaira family.

Since its construction, this city has a history of nearly 500 years, and is truly a well-deserved "ancient city".

Thanks to the convenience of the "Oshu Kaido", Qing Deng successfully arrived at Wakamatsu Castle in just ten days.

After the failure of the "Choshu Expedition", Matsudaira Yoshiyasu led his troops back to Kyoto - he is probably still busy rectifying the "Kyoto Army" and dealing with those responsible for the "Keio Incident".

Currently guarding Wakamatsu Castle are a group of family elders headed by Yokoyama Shusei.

Yokoyama Shusei - Matsudaira Yoshinobu's confidant, in charge of the military affairs of the Aizu domain. He is committed to the internal reform of the Aizu domain and to enhancing the domain's military and economic strength in order to cope with the increasingly tense political situation.

Because he acted decisively and advocated "supporting the shogunate and conquering the enemies of the shogunate", he was favored by Matsudaira Yoshinobu.

During the period when Matsudaira Yoshiyasu was ordered to guard Kyoto, it was Yokoyama Shusei who was in charge of Wakamatsu Castle - this shows how much the former valued the latter.

When the towering shadow of Wakamatsu Castle loomed in Qingdeng's sight, he suddenly saw Yokoyama Shusui and others coming out of the city to greet him.

But they were seen kneeling in a black mass, with their palms touching the ground and the backs of their heads facing the sky.

Qing Deng jumped off his horse swiftly and walked quickly to meet him.

"No gift."

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone straightened up and changed “kneeling on the ground” to “kneeling on one knee”.

Then, the leader raised his head, revealing a still very young face - this person was none other than Yokoyama Shushui.

"General Tachibana, I am the tax collector of Yokoyama! I apologize for not welcoming you in person!"

Qingdeng smiled slightly:
"Mr. Yokoyama, I have heard a lot about you. Thank you for welcoming me. Please stand up."

He extended his hand to help the other person in a friendly manner and asked:
"Yokoyama-kun, how many feudal lords have arrived in Wakamatsu?"

Hengshan, the chief tax collector, answered seriously, word by word:
"Currently, the lords of eight feudal states have arrived here."

"Eight... That's more than I expected. Yokoyama-kun, let's talk about it while we're on the road."

……

……

Aizu, Wakamatsu Castle, Castle Town——

"Look, he is Niou."

"Just like the rumors say, he really was riding a bull."

"Don't underestimate that black bull! It's said to be more powerful than half the war horses!"

"That big, burly guy with a big mouth is Chief Kondo!"

"It's Saito Ichi! The man with the sword on his right waist must be Saito Ichi, the captain of the Shinsengumi Third Division!"

"So cool... The captains of the Shinsengumi all exude the aura of strength!"

"Of course! They are all powerful swordsmen who can defeat thousands of enemies with one man!"

……

Under the leadership of Yokoyama Shusei, Qing Deng and others entered the castle town of Wakamatsu Castle in an orderly manner.

The main force of the Shinsengumi was temporarily stationed outside the town, and accommodation would be arranged later.

Today, there are more than just Aoto among the "heroes" in the Shinsengumi.

Kondo Isami, Nagakura Shinpachi, Saito Hajime... To the world, these names are already well-known!
So, this scene naturally occurred - after learning of the arrival of the Shinsengumi, all the townspeople of Wakamatsu Castle rushed to join in the fun.

For a moment, the streets were deserted and cheers rang out one after another.

The people on both sides of the street stood on tiptoe and stretched their necks just to catch a glimpse of Qing Deng and others.

The geographical location of Aizu Domain is so remote that it can be called a rural area.

In this remote mountain area, one can actually see heroes who usually only appear in rumors... No wonder the townspeople of Wakamatsu Castle are so excited.

It is worth mentioning that after entering the Ouyu territory, Nagakura Shinpachi became particularly energetic and his eyes were shining.

After Qing Deng asked, he found out what was going on - he was very excited to return to the North after a long absence.

Nagakura Shinpachi was born in Matsumae Domain and was a true northerner.

Matsumae Domain was located at the southernmost tip of Ezo (Hokkaido), across the sea from the Oshima Island of Honshu. It was the northernmost domain among the three hundred feudal lords, that is, the "north of the north".

Smelling the long-lost northern air made him feel deeply moved.

In comparison, Harada Sanosuke's feelings are completely opposite to those of Nagakura Shinpachi.

Harada Sanosuke's hometown is Iyo-Matsuyama Domain on Shikoku Island, so he is considered to be from the southern region.

"I hate this dry air...my throat is so dry...my nose bleeds all the time..." - said Harada Sanosuke.

Because he is not used to the northern climate, he has been feeling listless recently and is in low spirits all day long.

However, he is the type of person who likes "the more lively the environment, the happier he is."

The welcome from the people and scholars along the way cheered him up and made him look full of energy, as if his previous listlessness was all pretended.

At this moment, he was dragging an official from the Aizu Domain and excitedly telling him about his "heroic past" that he would never get tired of talking about.

"Back then, before I became a ronin, I was still an official in Iyo-Matsuyama Domain. A nasty guy slandered me as a 'petty official who didn't even know the etiquette of seppuku'..."

Yokoyama Shusui followed Qingdeng closely, half a body length behind him, and introduced the current situation of Wakamatsu Castle in an orderly manner.

Holding the "Ou Conference" in Wakamatsu Castle - such a major event must first obtain the consent of Matsudaira Yoshiyasu.

Therefore, long before launching the "Mito Campaign", Qing Deng had secretly sent an envoy to Matsudaira Yoshiyasu in Kyoto to explain the situation.
Matsudaira Yoshiyasu expressed his support without hesitation for Aoto's strategic plan of "stabilizing Ouah".

He sent a message to Wakamatsu Castle as quickly as possible, asking Yokoyama Shusui and others to fully cooperate with Qing Deng.

Since the lord has given the order, the subjects can only obey it.

Yokoyama Shushui was indeed a shrewd and capable minister.

He quickly mobilized all the officials in Wakamatsu Castle and made arrangements in an orderly manner.

Meeting rooms, soldiers on guard, specialties used to entertain the feudal lords, street cleaning... everything was taken care of, without leaving anything out.

Soon after, a venue was opened in the northern suburbs of Wakamatsu Castle as a venue for the "Oba Trial" competition.

On the way to Wakamatsu Castle, Qing Deng had already learned about the current situation from Yokoyama Shusui.

According to Yokoyama Shusei, the lords of eight domains, including Morioka, Kuroishi, and Kameda, have arrived in Wakamatsu.

Among them, the Morioka domain was the most powerful.

Morioka Domain - The domain's lord was the Nanbu clan, with a territory of 20 kilometres. It had rich mineral resources and agricultural foundations, and was rich in ironware and horses.

Because it owned precious horse-producing land, the Morioka Domain enjoyed a high status among the Oshu domains.

It was also because of the horse-producing region that the Morioka clan was on Aoto's list of people who "must be won over."

The time given by Qing Deng is one month - the deadline is one month, and all the lords of the Oshu domain must gather, and no lateness is allowed.

Today, Qingdeng is at the peak of his career, and no one dares to go against his will.

Therefore, after receiving Qing Deng's call, the Oshu clan did not dare to delay and immediately began to prepare to rush to Wakamatsu Castle.

When it comes to "setting off on a journey", the three hundred princes are all very experienced - the "audience and briefing" that has lasted for nearly three hundred years has trained them well.

The main purpose of "audience and explanation" was of course to weaken the various feudal lords.

But on this basis, there is another purpose, which is to keep the various vassal states in a "semi-mobilized" state at all times, so that they can come when called and fight when they come.

It is reported that the journeys of other feudal lords were smooth.

If nothing unexpected happens, this meeting will be held as scheduled.

At this time, Yokoyama Chief Tax Officer suddenly asked:
"General Tachibana, when do you plan to hold the 'Oba Trial'?"

Qing Deng responded without hesitation:

"If conditions permit, I plan to hold the 'Oyu Trial' early tomorrow morning."

"Tomorrow?"

The tax collector Hengshan looked surprised.

Qing Deng explained slowly:

"We have to wait until everyone is present before we can start the meeting."

"It would be too boring if we did nothing but wait for everyone to arrive."

"In this case, we might as well hold the 'Olympiad Test Match' as ​​soon as possible to kill time."

"Mr. Yokoyama, if we want to hold the Olympic Badminton Test tomorrow morning, will the venue, facilities, equipment, and other aspects be ready in time?"

The tax collector Hengshan thought for a moment, then nodded vigorously and gave an affirmative answer:

"absolutely okay!"

Qingdeng smiled slightly:
"That being the case, I'm relieved."

……

……

The next morning,

Wakamatsu Castle, northern suburbs——

God is doing his best today.

No rain, no snow.

The lead-gray clouds blocked the sunlight, casting a dim filter over the sky and earth.

For Qingdeng, this kind of weather is just right, neither cold nor hot, which is the most suitable weather for sports.

In the northern suburbs of Wakamatsu Castle, there is a temporary competition arena - the much-anticipated "Oba Trial" will be held here.

The land here was first trampled by horses, and then covered with fine, round white sand and gravel.

It was surrounded by white curtains, and inside the curtains was the arena, with an area of ​​about 200 square meters.

Qing Deng is the initiator of this trial cooperation and also the person with the highest status.

Therefore, it stands to reason that these curtains should be embroidered with Qing Deng's family crest, "Gentian Leaf".

However, due to time constraints, there was no time to make such compliant curtains.

As a last resort, Yokoyama Shucai had to take out the stock embroidered with "Aizu trefoil" from the treasury to make up the number.

For this, Yokoyama Shucai specially apologized to Qingdeng.

Qing Deng didn't care about this insignificant formality at all, so he was not angry and generously forgave Hengshan's "mistake" in tax collection.

There is a high platform on the north side of the arena - this is the "VIP seat", where Qing Deng and the feudal lords sit.

Qing Deng naturally sat in the main seat.

The eight feudal lords who arrived at Wakamatsu Castle earlier, including the Lord of Morioka Domain and the Lord of Kuroishi Domain, sat on the left and right sides of Aoto in order of their status.

The outskirts of the arena were filled with soldiers and civilians who had heard the news and rushed over to join in the fun.

As time passed, the number of onlookers increased at a rate visible to the naked eye.

When Qing Deng showed up, there was an immediate commotion at the scene.

Many people who had not had the opportunity to see Qing Deng's face yesterday burst into great enthusiasm.

Shouting, crowding...producing one wave of chaos after another.

Fortunately, the Yokoyama tax collector was well prepared and deployed a large number of security personnel in advance, which helped maintain order.

Of course, the security personnel can stop ordinary people, but they cannot stop the feudal lords.

After Qing Deng moved to the "VIP seat", Lord Morioka and others immediately came forward, vying with each other to say "General Tachibana, how are you!" and hurriedly greeted Qing Deng.

Compared to last night, the feudal lords' attitudes were relatively peaceful.

Last night, when Yokoyama Shusui arranged a welcoming banquet for Qing Deng, the various feudal lords acted like they were pursuing a goddess, rushing to show their faces in front of Qing Deng and make themselves familiar to him.

Although it is not shameful to curry favor with high-ranking officials, the "enthusiasm" of the feudal lords still made Qing Deng laugh and cry.

This is no wonder, since Qing Deng is actually the "number one person in the shogunate".

Any feudal lord who wanted to maintain good relations with the shogunate would want to pay homage to Qing Deng.

Qing Deng handled the flattery of the feudal lords with ease while silently waiting for the trial to begin.

In fact, anyone with a discerning eye can see the real purpose of this trial merger.

Things like "promoting martial arts exchanges" and "deepening friendship" are all just a cover.

The main purpose of Qing Deng holding the "Oba Trial" is to demonstrate the absolute military power of the Shinsengumi!
Since it is impossible to directly demonstrate the strength of the Shinsengumi through "war", they can only settle for the next best thing and use "martial arts competition" instead.

Therefore, Qingdeng does not adopt complicated competition systems such as "group stage", "knockout stage", "semi-finals" and "finals".

Under his arrangement, the format of this trial match is very simple - the Okurei clan can send anyone to challenge the captains of the Shinsengumi in turn!

Whoever can defeat the captains under his command will receive a generous reward!

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PS: Hot springs! Hot springs! Hot springs! When writing about Japan, hot springs are a must! (豹嗨.jpg)