I formed the strongest swordsman group.

Chapter 837 Qing Deng is promoted! A unique [Leader]! [4600]

  Prajna snorted coldly and said:

"One day, I will surpass all of you!"

Shuten-doji smiled:

"Really... Then you should work harder."

After leaving these words, Shuten-doji flicked his sleeves, turned his back, and walked away.

As soon as Shuten-doji left, Prajna also prepared to leave.

At this moment, Umibozu suddenly said:

"Prajna, I heard that you fought with Tachibana Aoto and the 'New Three' a while ago. How strong are they?"

Prajna stopped and thought for a moment before answering:

"In my opinion, the strength of Nagakura Shinpachi and Saito Ichi is nothing to be afraid of."

"However, for the general public, they are considered rare strong people."

"If you were to face them both in the future, it would be a 50-50 chance at best."

"The most outstanding person among the 'New Three' has to be Okita Souji."

"I was just a hair's breadth away from her death."

Having said that, he raised his finger and pointed at the scar on his forehead which had not yet fully healed.

When talking about the top powerful people who caught his eye, Prajna suddenly became energetic, his eyes lit up and his expression was excited.

"Her three consecutive thrusts were truly amazing."

“I really want to see it more often!”

"A move full of 'explosive' moves... it suits me quite well!"

"As long as I watch it a few more times, I will be able to learn this trick!"

"As for Tachibana Aoto..."

When the name "Tachibana Aoto" was mentioned, Prajna's expression changed subtly.

After a few seconds of silence, he said calmly:

"I didn't fight him."

"However, just by looking at his skills when he flew to save Saito Hajime and Okita Souji, I can conclude that he is a powerful opponent worthy of my full efforts!"

"Humph! To be able to obtain Vairocana from the master, you must have some skills!"

Su Nuo interjected:

"Oh, yeah, I forgot... Tachibana Aoto is your junior fellow apprentice."

Umibozu shrugged and asked jokingly:

"What do you think when you first meet a fellow apprentice whom you have never met before?"

  Prajna sneered:

"What else can I feel?"

"Do you want me to cry and hug him tightly, calling him 'Junior Brother', and then he will cry and hug me, calling me 'Senior Brother'?"

"I don't have any thoughts."

"If I have to say what I feel...I probably think he's an eyesore!"

As he spoke, he turned his head and looked towards the east.

His sharp gaze seemed to penetrate the layers of clouds and mist, reaching Qinjinfan in the capital and Qingdeng.

"I never thought that a master who is so picky about his disciples would actually accept another closed disciple."

"I never thought that this last disciple would actually get the master's sword."

"Hmph, whatever!"

"This way, I can save a lot of trouble."

"As long as I defeat Tachibana Aoto, I can prove that I am stronger than him! And more qualified to hold this sword!"

His eyelids drooped, and his gaze became sharper.

"Master... Tachibana Aoto... just wait!"

……

……

Kyoto——

"Mom, have you packed your luggage?"

"Yeah, everything is packed."

"Okay! Come, mother, take my hand and I'll help you get in the car."

"Hey... Taro, are we really leaving? I'm an old man, and I really don't want to leave Kyoto..."

"Oh, mother, it has come to this, why are you still hesitating? You must listen to me this time! The Choshu soldiers are coming! War disasters are more terrible than fires and earthquakes! Come with me!"

……

"Dad, where are we going?"

“Somewhere far away from Kyoto.”

"Somewhere far away from Kyoto? Where exactly?"

"I don't know. Anyway, let's leave Kyoto first. The farther away from Kyoto, the better."

……

"No! I won't leave! No matter what, I won't leave! As a Kyoto native, how can I go to a rural place like that!"

"Mother, Owari is not a rural area. Owari is very prosperous! The territory of the overlord Oda Nobunaga three hundred years ago was in Owari!"

"Don't tell me that! Everywhere outside of Kyoto is just a shabby countryside!"

……

"Father, I don't think we need to be so nervous! We have Niou here! Niou will definitely protect us!"

"Jiro, I also believe that King Ni will definitely repel the enemy and protect the country and the people, but for the sake of safety, we should leave this dangerous place as soon as possible!"

……

This kind of scene can be seen inside and outside Kyoto.

The reasons Choshu announced for the Eastern Expedition were nothing more than the same old things: the imperial court was being held hostage by the shogunate, and we must go to the capital to defend the king and purge his inner circle and so on.

The shogunate's response was swift.

Tokugawa Iemochi immediately issued an "order to suppress the enemy" as quickly as possible, calling on the princes of the world to fight against the enemy together.

Compared with Choshu, the shogunate's reasons for war were undoubtedly much more sufficient and convincing.

After all, Choshu still had the label of "enemy of the court" on his head.

It is the duty of all people to destroy the enemies of the DPRK.

Therefore, the shogunate's call for an attack on the court enemies was both reasonable and logical.

  Relying on this great righteousness, all the princes in the world gathered to respond at once!

From Matsumae in the north to Satsuma in the south, the vast majority of domains stood on the side of the shogunate.

There was not a single feudal state that expressed solidarity and support for Choshu.

A few feudal states did not express their views and remained neutral - in fact, their "neutrality" was completely biased and basically equivalent to disguised support for the shogunate.

Sanako beats up Wu - all options except "Help Wu" are to help Sanako.

Before the war even started, the gap in strength between the two sides was already unbearable to watch.

Judging from the political situation, Choshu is truly the enemy of the whole world!

With the strength of one clan, he fought against the whole of Japan alone!

Of course, those vassal states in remote locations could only howl a few times.

It is definitely impossible to expect them to send troops to help.

By the time their troops arrive, the battle will most likely be over.

  Even if we force them to send troops, they will certainly play tricks, take one step forward and three steps back, and march endlessly. One year of fighting can equal one year of their march!

In comparison, the feudal lords in the capital had no reason to refuse to send troops.

Following the order from the shogunate, although they were extremely reluctant and the treasury was so empty that even a mouse would want to commit suicide, the feudal lords in the capital had to grit their teeth, squeeze out some money and food, and send their own troops to the capital to defend the king.

  Troops from all over the capital gathered in Kyoto! What a grand scene!

The scale of this battle is extraordinary.

Not only are the troops large in number, but their composition is also complex.

There were the Shinsengumi, the Aizu army and the Satsuma army stationed in Kyoto, as well as the feudal armies from the various domains in the Gyeonggi region.

In any war, there must be a general who has the final say.

If orders are issued from too many places, what's the point of fighting a war?

This is especially true for a war of such a large scale and complex troop composition.

If we don't bring out a general of sufficient weight, we won't be able to keep the situation under control.

  In fact, there was no suspense about the selection of the general commander. When the shogunate's letter of appointment arrived in Gyeonggi, the content was exactly what everyone expected - Tachibana Aoto was appointed as the general commander of this battle, commanding all the troops in Gyeonggi and taking full command of the battle!

No one objected to the shogunate's appointment.

Indeed, it is hard to say that Tokugawa Iemochi had no preference for Aoto.

  But leaving aside the deep friendship between the monarch and his subject, in terms of hard power alone, Qing Deng is fully qualified for the position of general-in-chief!

In terms of status, qualifications, and military achievements, who can compare with Qing Deng?

Although this is only a temporary position, and his identity as "General-in-Chief of the Army" will be lifted after the war, there is no doubt that this means that Qing Deng's political status will rise sharply again!

  Today, it is already a legion commander capable of commanding an entire war zone!

The general has been decided.

The main forces have been assembled.

The next task is to draw up a battle plan and make careful deployment!

For Qing Deng and others, they would naturally be happy to see Changzhou attack.

It is always better to play at home than away.

Shortly after taking over the appointment as the "General-in-Chief of the Corps", Qing Deng summoned Matsudaira Yoshiyasu and Saigo Yoshinosuke, and the three of them held a small meeting.

After a brief discussion, they roughly finalized the battle plan - with Kyoto as the center, they would set up a battle formation, wait for the enemy to tire themselves out, and wait for Choshu to attack!

Strategy is just this simple sentence.

In contrast, the tactical plan and combat deployment would take up several thousand words.

As the commander-in-chief of the entire army, Qing Deng has been so busy in recent days that even using idioms like "working day and night" and "working all the time" are not enough to describe it.

Although Qing Deng was not a novice with no combat experience, this was his first time commanding a battle of this scale.

In order to achieve complete victory, he put in all his efforts.

  God of Sleep, Strong Essence +4, Yuan Yang +9...all these talents related to the "King of Scrolls" are activated!

The Shinsengumi generals had long been accustomed to Aoto's "King of Scrolls" style.

But for Matsudaira Yoshiyasu, Saigo Yoshinosuke and others, it was the first time that they had experienced such a situation.

After seeing Qing Deng's terrifying work intensity with their own eyes, they were all stunned and shocked and speechless for a long time.

  Afterwards, someone heard Saigo Yoshinosuke muttering privately:

"I finally understand where Ju Qingdeng's abilities come from... one day of his is equivalent to three or four days of others...!"

……

……

Kyoto, somewhere——

“This tea house is really nice.”

Suddenly, Qing Deng pointed to the teahouse not far away.

Zongsi leaned over and looked in the direction Qingdeng pointed, with a look of confusion on his face.

“What’s so good about this teahouse?”

As far as Souji knows, Qing Deng is not the kind of person who understands sentiment and architecture.

"If we mount a few cannons on the roof of this teahouse, we can control this entire street."

  After hearing this, Souji immediately showed a helpless look on his face. He punched Qing Deng's shoulder with a moderate force and said unhappily:

"Really... I thought you were going to say something so polite..."

According to the plan and deployment of Qing Deng and others, they will keep the Choshu army out of Kyoto, protect Kyoto from war, and preserve the property and personal rights of the people of Kyoto.

However…as we all know, the battlefield changes rapidly.

Once the war starts, they will not be able to imagine how the war will develop in detail.

To be on the safe side, we must be prepared to "fight street battles with Choshu soldiers in Kyoto."

Therefore, Qing Deng decided to personally survey the streets of Kyoto in preparation for the subsequent construction of strongholds and the arrangement of defense lines.

Qing Deng originally wanted to come alone, but he could not resist Zongsi's pleading.

After a period of rest and recuperation, Souji has recovered and is back to his former lively self.

Miss Okita's great recovery!

After learning that Qing Deng was going to survey Kyoto, she immediately pestered Qing Deng and begged him to allow her to go with him, saying, "I've been lying in bed for a long time, my body is rusty, and I want to go out for a walk."

Qing Deng couldn't persuade her any more, so he had to nod and agree.

The two walked side by side on a certain avenue in Kyoto.

Compared to the past, Kyoto is undoubtedly much quieter now.

Most of the shops on both sides of the street were closed and out of business.

There were very few pedestrians on the road, and there were almost no people.

Occasionally, we would meet a few groups of people who were heading straight to Luoyang with their families.

They all walked in a hurry, looking panicked, as if they didn't want to stay here even for a second.

This kind of scene is reasonable.

Kyoto is located in the very center of Japan and is also the imperial residence of great significance.

For this reason, Kyoto is the city that has suffered the most military damage in Japanese history, without a doubt.

Since the Heian period (794-1192), lords from the east and west often gathered here to celebrate.

Although the people of Kyoto had not heard of war since the Warring States Period, they had not forgotten the horror of war and the various experiences of avoiding it through word of mouth from generation to generation.

Upon hearing that the Choshu troops were about to attack, everyone in Kyoto was in a panic.

If there is a place to go, go there quickly.

Those who had nowhere to go quickly packed up their belongings and luggage and fled Kyoto first.

Although many people have full confidence in Qing Deng and firmly believe that "Rin Wang will definitely protect us", at this critical moment, it is better to escape quickly instead of pinning the hope of preserving life and property on Qing Deng.

Nowadays, those who are willing and able to escape have basically escaped.

The thousand-year-old capital, which was once bustling with traffic, has now become extremely calm and quiet.

To be honest, seeing Kyoto become half empty, Qing Deng actually felt relieved.

If a large number of people were stranded in Kyoto, he would have a headache.

To put it bluntly, when the Choshu army arrives, these ordinary people will become a burden.

Their running away relieved Qingdeng of much of his burden, allowing him to let go and work hard.

Souji turned his head and looked at the closed shops on both sides, then looked at the empty streets in front and behind, muttering:

"It's so quiet..."

As she spoke, a hint of loss appeared on her pretty face.

Although Souji always looks careless on weekdays, she is actually very thoughtful.

To say that she is Lin Daiyu is a bit of an exaggeration.

It is correct to say that she is a sentimental woman like Lin Daiyu.

The deserted streets must have brought back memories for her.

  Qing Deng glanced at her and said comfortingly:

"Don't worry, once we defeat the Choshu soldiers, everything will return to normal."

Souji pursed his lips and nodded slightly.

Just at this moment, Qing Deng suddenly smelled a very pleasant fragrance and couldn't help but twitch his nose.

Souji, who had an extraordinary ability to perceive desserts, was the first to notice the fragrance, sniffed slightly, and then said with a look of surprise:

“It tastes like Japanese confectionery!”

In Kyoto, which is now half empty and most shops are closed, there is still the aroma of Japanese confectionery wafting out... I have to say, this is really unexpected.

Driven by curiosity, Qing Deng and Souji followed the scent.

After a while, they found a river - it was the Katsura River located west of Kyoto.

If the Kamogawa River is the mother river of Kyoto, then the Katsura River is the "second mother river" of Kyoto and is equally important.

"what?"

Qing Deng made a sound of confusion and surprise.

He blinked subconsciously to confirm whether he saw it wrongly - he saw a middle-aged couple enjoying the cool air on the bank of the Katsura River.

There was a box of exquisite Japanese confectionery placed between them - the tempting aroma that Qing Deng and the others had just smelled came from here.

The couple was enjoying the cool air, admiring the sky and scenery, drinking tea and eating snacks, looking so leisurely and happy.

As soon as Qing Deng and Souji arrived, the couple discovered them.

  The wife in the couple said:

"Huh? Tachibana-kun, what a coincidence!"

  The husband in the couple said:

"Since we have met by chance, would you like to come and eat some Japanese sweets?"

  Qing Deng turned his gaze, looked at his husband, then looked at his wife, with a strange expression:

"Mr. Gu Mu, Mrs. Gu Mu, why are you here?"

  This couple is none other than the Gu Mu couple!

Komaki Goro tilted his head and responded half-jokingly:

"Why are we here? Isn't it obvious that we are here to cool off? The weather in Kyoto is really too hot. If we don't come to the river to cool off, life will be unbearable!"

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