I formed the strongest swordsman group.

Chapter 1131 The people are both the "spear" and the "shield"! [4800]

"Mr. Ju, may I have a word to say?"

Qing Deng raised his chin.

"Please say."

Ōshio Heihachirō took a deep breath.

"Twenty-nine years ago, I led the villagers around Osaka in an uprising."

"Before the battle began, the villagers were all in high spirits, and they all showed a spirit of 'fighting to the death'."

"I was so naive back then, I completely misjudged their fighting spirit..."

"As soon as the war began, the villagers collapsed at the first sign of trouble, which caused serious gaps in our formation, giving the Mu army an opportunity to take advantage of us, and ultimately leading to a crushing defeat."

"To put it bluntly, the rapid collapse of the villagers was one of the main reasons for the failure of the uprising..."

"It would be impossible for me not to mind this."

"From then on, I understood a truth: the common people are ultimately vulnerable."

"The power of the people is undeniable; the proverb 'water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it' is timeless."

"However, if we rely too much on the power of the people, things will go wrong sooner or later."

"We should regard the people as a solid 'shield' rather than a sharp 'spear'."

"As long as we have the strong support of the people, we will have a continuous supply of food and soldiers—that is our 'shield'."

"To defeat the opponent, you need a group of outstanding and pioneering talents—that is the 'spear'."

"Mr. Ju, in my opinion, simply raising the voice of ordinary people is not enough to usher in a new era."

"This only strengthens the 'shield's' rigidity."

"To truly overthrow the old era, you still need a 'spear' to succeed."

Qingdeng listened quietly.

No sooner had Ōshio Heihachirō finished speaking than he smiled knowingly:
“Mr. Ooshio, we have a huge disagreement on this point.”

"Oh? May I ask what the disagreement is?"

"I believe that the power hidden within the people far exceeds your imagination; they can be both a defensive 'shield' and an offensive 'spear'."

Ōshio Heihachirō frowned, giving him an expression that said, "Let me hear your opinion."

Qingdeng continued the conversation unhurriedly:

"Indeed, the people will always show their weakness and incompetence."

"However, I firmly believe that with the right leadership, even a weak mortal can rise up to become a strong warrior."

Clearly... his words did not convince the other party.

Instead of relaxing, Ōshio Heihachirō's tightly furrowed brows became even more furrowed.

"...Then, if I may be so bold as to ask: what kind of leadership style do you intend to adopt to make the people resilient?"

Qingdeng shook his head with a wry smile:

"Unfortunately, I am still exploring this and do not yet have a definitive answer."

“It has been less than three years since I took over Qinjin.”

“I am not yet used to the identity of ‘leader’, and there is still much to learn and explore.”

Ōshio Heihachirō pursed his lips, remaining silent for a long time.

Thus, the debate between the two sides ended with the "old man's silence."

Despite this, the old man's face showed no sign of conviction.

Judging from his tense facial features, he still cannot agree with Qingdeng's idea that "the people are both a 'spear' and a 'shield'".

"...Mr. Tachibana, although we cannot agree on some issues, we share a common vision of 'yearning for a prosperous era'."

He spoke with a bitter expression on his face.

"I'm old... I don't have many years left to live."

"I have lived a mediocre life, without achieving anything of note."

"Now that things have come to this, rather than struggling to survive, we should entrust the ideal of 'universal harmony' to a trustworthy person and do our best to assist them."

"In this way, my already decaying body can still contribute some of its remaining energy."

At this point, Ōshio Heihachirō raised his straight gaze, his eyes bright and brimming with youthful vigor.

"Mr. Tachibana, if you can uphold your original aspiration of 'saving the common people,' I and all the comrades of the Great Salt Party are willing to serve you like dogs and horses!"

After saying this, he bowed respectfully and gave Qingdeng a very solemn salute.

Upon seeing this, Qing Deng was taken aback at first, then straightened his face and returned the greeting formally.

"I will do my utmost and will never fail your trust!"

……

……

The fact that the Big Salt Party agreed to ally with him was undoubtedly the most encouraging piece of good news for Qing Deng in recent days.

The two sides already have a broad foundation for cooperation and rich experience in cooperation, so the alliance today is a natural progression.

In fact, Qing Deng could see that the reason why Ōshio Heihachirō readily agreed to form an alliance with him was not only because his political ideals aligned with those of the Ōshio Party, but also because he was seeking protection from the Hoshō Party's invasion.

On the night of rescuing Ōshio Heihachirō and the others, Yamata no Orochi made a threatening statement: given the changed situation, the Hōshū-dō will launch a merciless offensive against the Ōshio-dō.

In fact, he wasn't just boasting; he genuinely had the ability to do it!
The meeting place between Ōshio Heihachirō and Akihiro—such a top-secret information—was actually leaked…

This shows that the French Extermination Party's intelligence capabilities have surpassed those of the Great Salt Party!
If they don't find a powerful backer, the Big Salt Party might really be wiped out by the Law Enforcement Party...

Although the oath between the two sides harbored a hidden agenda of "mutual exploitation," Qing Deng did not care about it.

In any case, he and the Fazhu Party were sworn enemies, and he was happy to provide the Da Yan Party with a solid sanctuary.

This small price to pay is nothing if it can secure the power of the Great Salt Party.

Although it is not a large force, its talent pool is not to be underestimated.

Because Ōshio Heihachirō pursued an "elite policy," the members of the Ōshio Party were mostly outstanding individuals with strong will and exceptional abilities.

Of course, compared to the talents of the Big Salt Party, Qing Deng preferred its intelligence network.

Thirty years of consistent "rooting in the grassroots" approach has enabled the Great Salt Party's intelligence network to reach a considerable level—this is exactly what Qing Deng urgently needs and desires now.

The Shinsengumi's Ninth Division has a very short history and lacks experience. Even today, its intelligence gathering capabilities are still lackluster.

In conclusion, Qingdeng warmly welcomes the addition of the Big Salt Party.

Facing the upcoming "East vs. West showdown," he has gained another powerful winning chip!

With the assistance of the Big Salt Party, the new electoral group will be even more powerful!
However, before Aoto could be happy for long, Yamanami Keisuke brought him bad news...

……

……

January 5, 1866 (the second year of the Kuangtian era/Meiji era), early morning—

Hatazu Domain, Otsu, Tachibana Residence, Aoto's office—

"What? Sakamoto Ryoma is dead?"

Aoto was stunned, staring at Yamanami Keisuke in front of him with a look of astonishment.

The latter nodded solemnly and then succinctly explained the reason behind it.

Last night, under the command of Sanosuke Harada and Jiro Oishi, the Mibu garrison soldiers sealed off the Omi-ya and removed all the corpses inside to investigate their identities.

The final investigation results were truly astonishing—the two victims who died on the second floor were none other than Sakamoto Ryoma, the captain of the Kaientai, and Nakaoka Shintaro, the captain of the Rikuentai!

Although these two were not key figures in the "Southern Dynasty," they were still rising stars in recent times.

They died mysteriously in a corner of Kyoto... It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a "black swan event".

After listening to Yamanami Keisuke's report, Aoto lowered his eyelids and appeared deep in thought.

As agreed, today was the day he was supposed to meet with Sakamoto Ryoma.

The other party just happened to die at this critical juncture... To call it a coincidence would be too far-fetched.

After a short while, Qingdeng asked Shannan Jingzhu in a low voice:
"...Keisuke, who do you think killed Sakamoto Ryoma?"

Yamanami Keisuke answered without hesitation:

"I suspect he was killed by his own people!"

"Sakamoto-kun is a 'moderate' in the 'Southern Court,' advocating that the war be kept within a controllable range and not escalated."

“On the other hand, those who currently control the ‘Southern Court’, such as Saigo Kichinosuke and Okubo Ichizo, are all ruthless ‘powerful’ figures.”

"Assassinating opponents has always been one of their specialties." "It's highly likely that Sakamoto-kun was targeted and killed due to suspicion!"

"As for Shintaro Nakaoka... he must have happened to be with Ryoma Sakamoto, so he was unfortunately implicated."

After saying this, Yamanami Keisuke lowered his head, his face darkening.

Back when he and Sakamoto Ryoma were studying at the Chiba Kenkan together, they weren't exactly best friends, but they did have a good relationship.

At this moment, faced with the sudden passing of his friend, he felt overwhelmed with mixed emotions.

After hearing this, Qing Deng remained silent for a long time.

His idea was exactly the same as Yamanami Keisuke's.

However... there are very few clues at the moment, and it is impossible to find out the truth in a short period of time.

Perhaps there is no conspiracy theory behind it.

It's not impossible that Sakamoto Ryoma died because of a personal grudge.

The more Qingdeng thought about it, the more puzzled he became, and he couldn't help but sigh softly.

He was very interested in Sakamoto Ryoma and looked forward to meeting him.

According to Qingdeng's plan, after delivering a decisive blow to the "Southern Dynasty" on the battlefield, it would eventually have to go through a process of transforming from a "military battle" into a "political battle".

The current "Southern Dynasty" is a huge political group. To completely "cleanse" it from top to bottom, regardless of feasibility, is a brutal act that Qingdeng would not want.

In trying to win over and divide the centrists and moderates of the "Southern Court," they might be able to get the help of Sakamoto Ryoma.

If we can recruit him, we can make up for the lack of debaters under his command.

What a pity... Sakamoto Ryoma is dead, and Aoto's plan has come to nothing.

For some reason, Qing Deng had a vague premonition: the sudden deaths of Sakamoto Ryoma and Nakaoka Shintaro would cause a major turning point in the current situation!

……

……

As it turns out, Qing Deng's conjecture was correct.

Just like the butterfly effect, this incident triggered a huge storm just ten days later!
On January 15, the "Southern Court" issued a public statement: Sakamoto Ryoma and Nakaoka Shintaro were killed by the Shinsengumi!
According to eyewitness testimonies, the murderers were Harada Sanosuke, captain of the 10th Division of the Shinsengumi, and Oishi Kuwajiro, vice-captain of the 8th Division.

Regarding the details, the Southern Dynasties said this:

Kichinosuke Saigo is kind-hearted and wants to negotiate with Aoto Tachibana to bridge the gap between the two sides. So he secretly sends Ryoma Sakamoto and Shintaro Nakaoka to make contact with Aoto.

Unexpectedly, Tachibana Aoto outwardly agreed to meet with Sakamoto Ryoma and Nakaoka Shintaro, but in reality, he had no intention of negotiating with the "Southern Court".

After discovering the hiding place of Sakamoto Ryoma and Nakaoka Shintaro, he immediately dispatched assassins to kill them.

And just like that, a large bucket of sewage was poured directly onto Ju Qingdeng's body.

Although such claims are full of doubts, people only want to believe what they want to believe.

Upon the release of this announcement, those who already disliked Qingdeng felt as if they had found a magic potion, and they all began to denounce Qingdeng.

Soon, comments such as "Tachibana Aoto is a treacherous villain" and "The Shinsengumi are indeed the brutal wolves of Mibu" appeared among the people in various places.

The fatal flaw was that Aoto lacked strong evidence to refute the claims—the murder scenes of Sakamoto and Nakaoka were exceptionally clean, leaving nothing to prove the assassins' identities, and not even a single survivor.

The "evidence" held by the "Southern Dynasty" was indeed quite unfavorable to Qingdeng.

That night, many Kyoto residents saw Harada Sanosuke and Oishi Kuwajiro hanging around Kawaramachi (the location of Omi-ya) – their light blue haoris were really eye-catching.

Although the two of them rushed to Omi-ya because they smelled blood, the common people had no idea about that.

Sakamoto Ryoma and Nakaoka Shintaro were always well-liked in the "Southern Court".

Their sudden deaths shattered the recent tranquility of the Northern and Southern Dynasties!
In an instant, the entire Southern Dynasty was filled with righteous indignation! The members of the sea and land support teams were even more outraged!
Saigo Kichinosuke raised the slogan of "revenge" and took the opportunity to incorporate the two units—the Kaientai and Rikuentai, which were originally independent, into the regular army of the "Southern Court".

Qingdeng was annoyed at being unfairly accused, but he wasn't worried about it.

Those who hate him have never stopped belittling and slandering him.

He already bears a multitude of unfounded accusations, so one or two more won't matter.

Compared to these harmless slanders, it was the fact that "Southern Court" was using the deaths of Sakamoto and Nakaoka to rally people's hearts that made Aoto feel more troubled.

The newly joined Salt Party immediately demonstrated their value as partners.

According to the intelligence provided by Ziyang, the morale of the "Southern Court" rulers and ministers was greatly boosted by the "deaths of Sakamoto and Nakaoka," which accelerated the pace of procuring supplies and deploying troops.

If nothing unexpected happens, they should launch their attack after the spring!
In other words, the decisive battle between the two sides will take place in two to three months at the earliest.

Time is of the essence. Since both sides have already completely broken off relations, instead of wasting time on verbal battles, the real solution is to focus on strengthening our own combat capabilities!
How to maximize strength with the little time left... After much thought, Qing Deng secretly devised an unprecedented "training plan".

……

……

May 1, 1866 (the second year of the Meiji era)

Hatazu Domain, Otsu, Tachibana Residence, Aoto's office—

Qingdeng bent over his desk and wrote something quickly.

A moment later, Yamanami Keisuke's voice came from outside the door.

"Tachibana-kun, did you call me?"

"Kei-suke, you've come at the perfect time. Come in quickly. I've just finished writing."

Yamanami Keisuke pushed open the door and sat down in front of Aoto.

"Mr. Tachibana, what brings you here so suddenly?"

Qingdeng chuckled lightly a few times, then handed over the official document he had just written.

Yamanami Keisuke reached out and took it, quickly scanning it with his eyes, then a strange expression appeared on his face.

"Tachibana-kun, what is this...?"

Qing Deng said calmly:
"In order to defeat all enemies, I must become stronger. Keisha, organize people to copy this document and distribute it to all regions."

……

……

Kyoto, somewhere—

"Hmm? Look, there seems to be something posted at the paper-making workshop."

[Note: "Sesha-ba" refers to a place in the Edo period where shogunate officials or lords would write down precepts, regulations, and prohibitions on boards or paper to ensure residents fully understood the laws. These were often located in high-traffic areas, such as near checkpoints, ports, bridges, or even in prominent places like town entrances, village entrances, and city centers.]

"Is it Muda?"

[Note: "Muta" refers to an order issued by the shogunate.]

The sudden appearance of several government officials, who were posting something on the long-unupdated imperial notice board, attracted the attention of passersby.

After the officials left, the surrounding pedestrians crowded around, looking at the newly issued document with great curiosity.

"Hey, is there anyone who can read? What does it say on it?"

"It's all Chinese characters, not a single kana... I can't understand it at all."

"Official documents are like this: there are a lot of Chinese characters and very few kana."

"Make way! Make way! Someone who can read is coming!"

The crowd parted to the left and right, and a refined-looking warrior stepped forward, raising his head to read every word on the official document.

A moment later, he opened his mouth wide, looking completely dumbfounded.

Seeing this, bystanders couldn't help but urge:

"What exactly is written on it?"

"Speak up! Don't just stand there!"

The refined warrior took a deep breath, tried to calm himself, and then concisely described the contents of the official document:
"Gentlemen! Lord Niou will be holding the 'Niou Martial Arts Tournament' in Otsu, inviting heroes from all over the world to challenge him!"

"Anyone who wishes to exchange martial arts techniques with Lord Niou may register at the Shinsengumi headquarters in Otsu!"

"As long as you pass the test, you can compete with Lord Niou!"

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Leopard Science Popularization: Regarding the true culprit who killed Sakamoto Ryoma and Nakaoka Shintaro, there is another theory that "the assassin came from the Shinsengumi".

In historical fact, Sakamoto Ryoma died on the spot, but Nakaoka Shintaro did not. He survived for three days before succumbing to his injuries. Most of the accounts of "Sakamoto Ryoma's last moments" that have been passed down to us come from Nakaoka Shintaro's oral account.

According to Shintaro Nakaoka, one of the assassins spoke with an Iyo accent, and Sanosuke Harada happened to be from the Iyo region.

Besides Harada Sanosuke, Oishi Kuwajiro, who frequently carried out assassination missions, was also listed as a suspect.

Therefore, Leopard indirectly introduced this hypothesis in this book.