I formed the strongest swordsman group.

Chapter 1172 "Niou's Speech"

Ōshio Heihachirō opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything, looking like he wanted to say something but hesitated.

It's not that I have nothing to say, but rather that I have too much to say, so the words are stuck in my throat and I can't say them out loud.

Helpless, he subconsciously turned to look at Yamanami Keisuke beside him, wanting to seek help from someone else.

Turning my gaze, I saw Yamanami Keisuke's face filled with bitterness.

When he heard Aoto ask him to count the total number of all the townspeople currently stranded in Tsu, he immediately realized what Aoto wanted to do.

His first reaction was the same as that of Heihachiro Ooshio—this plan is absolutely unworkable!
How can we send untrained civilians into battle? Isn't that sending them to their deaths?
Leaving aside the British army, the Northern Army alone was enough to teach ordinary people the cruelty of war.

No matter how easily the soldiers of the "Northern Army" were defeated, they were still proper warriors, incomparable to ordinary people who had never even touched a sword.

Moreover, the "30,000 troops" mentioned by Qingdeng included the elderly, weak, women and children.

A "large army" mixed with a large number of the elderly, weak, women and children... how could it be used for combat?
Yamanami Keisuke's expression put Ooshio Heihachiro at ease... That's great, I'm not fighting alone, there are still people in the Shinsengumi who share my views.

Although they did not exchange any words or glances, at this moment, they reached a wonderful understanding because their hearts were connected—they both raised their eyes and cast earnest glances at Qingdeng, as if to say, "Master Zuo/Ju-kun, please change your mind."

Qingdeng naturally noticed their gazes.

He chose to ignore it with a clear conscience.

“Mr. Daishio, I understand your concerns. But in the current situation, mobilizing the people to fight is the only way for us to defeat the enemy.”

"...No. You don't understand, Zuo Fu."

Ōshio Heihachirō lowered his eyelids, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes, as if he wanted to cut Aoto.

"Master Zuo, may I have my say?"

Qing Deng raised his chin, indicating "Please go ahead."

"Sigh... I never thought I'd have to tell this story again..."

With a deep sigh, a faint look of sorrow appeared on the old man's face.

“I also mobilized a large number of civilians to fight during the Osaka Uprising 29 years ago.”

"At that time, I also placed high hopes on them. I was convinced that with so much support from the common people, we would surely win a great victory."

"However... you've probably heard about what happened next many times."

"The hastily deployed civilians collapsed at the first contact, exposing our flanks, and our army suffered a crushing defeat in the blink of an eye."

"Countless of my students died tragically on the streets of Osaka..."

At this point, the old man choked up due to his emotional state.

After a long while, he composed himself and continued speaking:
"From then on, I realized a truth: ordinary people are ultimately unreliable."

"The saying 'He who wins the hearts of the people wins the world' is indeed an irrefutable truth."

"But...ordinary people are ultimately vulnerable."

"They will be afraid when they see blood; they will run away when they see death."

"Even soldiers who have undergone rigorous training will inevitably feel panic when they first arrive on the battlefield, let alone civilians who have never heard of war?"

“Master Zuo, I understand your thoughts very well, truly. Because I have indeed had a similar experience.”

"Given your high prestige among the people of Dajin, if you were to raise your voice, you might be able to mobilize a large number of people to fight."

"But what happens next?"

"After being filled with passion, even a lowly commoner can unleash an astonishing fighting spirit."

"But when their passion cools, how much of their fighting spirit will remain?"

Do they still have enough courage to stand on the city walls?

Do they still have enough fighting spirit to face a formidable enemy?

"In this way, it's like 'driving sheep to fight wolves,' and we're bound to repeat the mistakes of the Osaka Uprising!"

"By then, it will be too late to regret!"

Ōshio Heihachirō's words were truly heartfelt and sincere.

It is both an explanation of the situation and a reasoned argument, which is truly moving.

What's even more commendable is that he has real-life examples to support his argument—he is a firsthand witness to these examples—making his arguments persuasive and difficult to refute.

After a moment's hesitation, Yamanami Keisuke gritted his teeth and continued the old man's words:
“Mr. Tachibana, I think Mr. Daishio is right... It is really ill-considered to let ordinary people fight.”

Although their joint persuasion was quite forceful, unfortunately... it was ineffective.

“…Mr. Daishio, I am fully aware of everything you have said.”

"I come from a family that follows the same principles, and I have dealt with many people in the marketplace in the past. How could I not understand the weaknesses of ordinary people?"

"But now that things have come to this, we have no other choice."

"Otherwise, we would absolutely not be able to withstand the British invasion."

"I don't know how to describe the strength of the British army to you."

"All I can say is that after witnessing firsthand how the British army quickly deployed amidst the chaos, and how they routed my cavalry with a single volley, I instantly realized that with the current defensive strength of Dajin City, the hope of victory was extremely slim!"

"If there are other, better strategies to win, I will gladly adopt them."

"However……"

Aoto paused at the right moment, turned his gaze, and swept it over the faces of Ooshio Heihachiro and Yamanami Keisuke.

Neither of them spoke... If there were a better strategy to defeat the enemy, they wouldn't be so troubled.

Qingdeng adopted a more enthusiastic tone and resumed the conversation:

"Instead of sitting and waiting for death, it is better to give it a try!"

"We must hold fast to any method that offers a glimmer of hope for victory—even if it is only a slim chance!"

"Mr. Ooshi, since you question whether ordinary people lack sufficient will to fight..."

Qingdeng paused, took a quick breath to gather his strength, and then declared in a clear and powerful voice:
"Then I will make them into indomitable warriors with soaring spirits!"

He turned his head and, in an unquestionable tone, gave the order to Yamanami Keisuke:

"Kyōsuke, urge the townspeople who haven't entered the city yet to hurry up and do so. This afternoon at 5 PM, I want to see all the citizens and soldiers gathered in the square outside the main fortress! I have something to say to everyone!"

Yamanami Keisuke was taken aback:
"All soldiers?"

"That's right, all soldiers. The Shinsengumi, the training corps, the Aizu army—not one can be left out."

Ōshio Heihachirō was also stunned:
"Master Zuo, what do you want to say to everyone? Let me be frank, a single speech is not enough to transform ordinary people."

Qingdeng smiled slightly:
"You'll find out at 5 p.m.

……

……

That day, at 5 PM—

Qinjin Fan, Dajin, Dajin City——

The square outside the main castle—the large open space sandwiched between the main castle and the city walls—is currently packed with people.

The townspeople currently stranded in Tsu, as well as the soldiers guarding the city, have all gathered here.

Looking up, one sees a swarm of heads moving about, much like an ant colony emerging from its nest—a truly magnificent sight.

Chatting, shouting, sighing... all sorts of noises rose and fell.

To pass the time and to clear up any doubts, they would whisper among themselves from time to time:
"What exactly happened? Why were we all called here?"

"Even the Shinsengumi are here..."

"Who knows?" "How long are we going to have to stand here? My legs are starting to ache..."

"Could it be that they're going to lead us to escape? Just like Liu Bei led the people across the river back then."

"Run away? Why run away?"

"Is that even a question? Of course it's because the attacking enemy forces are too powerful to withstand."

"Huh? That can't be! The Shinsengumi are invincible, how could they possibly be unable to stop the enemy!"

"This time, the enemy is no ordinary force. The Southern Dynasty has brought in thousands of Western soldiers, whose fighting strength is extremely strong. Even the Shinsengumi are no match for them."

"Could it be... that Lord Niou is going to lose...?"

"Nonsense! How could Lord Niou possibly lose!"

"That's right! Lord Niou won't lose!"

"Sigh, I hope so..."

……

At this very moment, in a corner of the square, the high-ranking members of the Shinsengumi, led by Kondo Isami, gathered together.

Serizawa Kamo crossed his arms, surveyed the crowd that filled the valley, then turned to Kondo Isami and the others beside him and asked:
"What exactly does Mr. Tachibana want to do? The soldiers and civilians of the city have all been summoned here. Is he going to give some kind of speech?"

Kondo Isami shrugged with a wry smile:

"We want to know the answer to that question too..."

Serizawa Kamo frowned slightly:
"Don't you have any inside information?"

Abe Juro (captain of the 11th Division) shrugged, looking helpless:

"Mr. Serizawa, we're completely baffled too."

Harada Sanosuke grinned:
"No need to rush, just wait patiently. We just need to obediently follow Mr. Tachibana's orders."

At this moment, Inoue Genzaburo's long sigh drew everyone's attention.

"The situation is dire... the public panic has reached a point that cannot be ignored..."

Upon hearing this, everyone turned their gaze to the vast crowd before them.

Panicked faces, terrified faces, resentful faces... faces tinged with negativity came into their view.

The most pressing current event for the people of Otsu is undoubtedly the looming war.

Taking advantage of the crowd's gathering, rumors, both true and false, spread rapidly.

It's unclear who started it, but in this very short time, new rumors began to circulate, such as "Lord Niou has decided to abandon Otsu" and "Lord Niou is going to lead us to escape to Kanto."

They discussed, sighed, and lamented... An invisible cloud called "unease" began to hang over the square, gradually gathering and growing stronger.

Kondo Isami said calmly:

"Of course. Anyone would be scared if they were suddenly told that 'the enemy is approaching'."

Before anyone else could respond, an unexpected person spoke up first—Saito Hajime, unusually, joined the conversation and delivered a long sentence.

"Feeling scared is human nature, and there's nothing wrong with that. What I can't accept is that some people are complaining that Mr. Tachibana is not doing a good job of fighting the enemy."

After saying that, Saito's face darkened, and his expression became very unfriendly.

After hearing this, Harada Sanosuke, Todo Heisuke, and the others also showed displeasure.

As Saito Hajime just said, some Otsu residents currently hold negative views of Aoto.

Under the protection of Qingdeng, Ōtsu, though located in the heart of the capital region, was spared from the ravages of war. The people of Ōtsu thus lived a peaceful life without fear of conflict, believing that with King Ni in power, they could rest easy.

Only now have they realized how close blood and fire are to them.

Many people turned their love into hatred and blamed Qingdeng—the so-called benevolent king was nothing more than that.

This naturally made Saito Hajime and his group feel extremely indignant.

Serizawa Kamo snorted coldly:
"Let these idiots think whatever they want, as long as they don't interfere with our operations."

Saito Hajime, Harada Sanosuke, and others nodded slightly in agreement.

Suddenly, accompanied by shouts of "Someone's coming!" and "Who is he?", Yamanami Keisuke, who was on the top floor of the main castle, which was usually called the "castle tower", slowly walked forward, moved to the window, and appeared in everyone's view.

"Silence, please!"

The vast square, which housed 30,000 soldiers and civilians... With such a large square and so many people, even if Yamanami Keisuke shouted until his throat was hoarse, it was impossible for his voice to reach everyone's ears.

Therefore, a "messenger" stands at intervals in the square.

As soon as Yamanami Keisuke finished speaking, the messengers relayed the phrase "Please be quiet!" one after another.

Soon, the once noisy square gradually became quiet.

Keisuke Yamanami took a deep breath and continued the call:
"I am Yamanami Keisuke, the commander-in-chief of the Shinsengumi! Lord Niou has something to say to everyone! Please listen attentively!"

After shouting, Yamanami Keisuke stepped aside.

In the blink of an eye, the square, which had just been quiet, became noisy again.

"What did he just say? Who told us to talk to them?"

"Huh? Are you hard of hearing? The person who relayed the message is standing right next to us, can't you hear it?"

"Of course I heard it! I was just so surprised, so surprised I couldn't believe my ears!"

"Is... has Lord Ren-King appeared?"

"What does Lord Niou want to tell us?"

"So, they're really going to order the abandonment of Otsu..."

"Hush! Quiet!"

The noise in the square subsided once again... because another tall figure appeared at the window of the castle tower, right before the eyes of the crowd.

As soon as he appeared, he nimbly flipped over the window and landed steadily on the windowsill of the next floor like a cat.

In this way, he was closer to the square and also closer to the crowd.

In an instant, 30,000 gazes converged and focused on Qing Deng.

Admittedly, there are indeed some petty people in this city of Dajin complaining that Qingdeng is not doing a good job in resisting the enemy.

But those who admire Qingdeng still make up an overwhelming majority!

At this moment, those who were close were delighted to be so near Qingdeng; those who were far away lamented that they did not have the eyesight of a hawk, and could not see Qingdeng's appearance at all, only a blurry little dot.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Qingdeng did not rush to speak. After scanning the square, he spoke in a calm and firm tone:

"I am Tachibana Aoto!"

“I know that you are more familiar with ‘Lord Niou’ than with this name that has so many syllables.”

Although Qingdeng also needs messengers to relay his messages, with the blessing of the talent "Piercing Clouds and Splitting Stones +7", more people can clearly hear Qingdeng's voice.

At that moment, in a corner of the square, Ōshio Heihachirō stood with his hands behind his back, staring blankly at Aoto.

He was not alone; Ziyang stood quietly beside him.

Ziyang's expression became complicated as he watched Qingdeng begin his speech.

"...Teacher, do you think that Zuo Fu's speech can turn the people into strong warriors?"

Without hesitation, Heihachiro Ōshio replied in an icy tone:
"To be honest, I don't have much hope."

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P.S.: Following "Darkest Hour", now it's "The King's Speech"... ah, no, it's "Nioh's Speech".

(End of this chapter)