I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"It's understandable that you would think that way. After all, this person is a celebrity."

Tokugawa Iemochi paused, organized his thoughts for a moment, and then slowly said:

In the spring of 1861, Kiyokawa Hachiro founded a society called "Toraokai" or "Heroes' Society," guided by the principle of "Revere the Emperor and Expel the Barbarians," in preparation for an uprising against the shogunate.

"In the autumn of the same year, his plan to overthrow the shogunate was discovered by our spies, and he was forced to flee."

"After that, he plotted another uprising in Kyoto, which failed again, and he fled once more."

Upon hearing this, Qing Deng's face showed a look of understanding.

"Oh... so it's him. No wonder the name sounded familiar. What? Why is this guy, who was previously working tirelessly to overthrow the shogunate, suddenly swaggering in front of us and offering advice to the shogunate?"

"Because his proposal received the unanimous approval of Yoshinobu Hitotsubashi, Haruaki Matsudaira, the senior Chinese, and... myself."

"As the national situation became increasingly unstable, more and more wandering ronin, some with lofty ambitions and others just looking to make a living, poured into Edo."

"The rapidly increasing number of ronin has put enormous pressure on the security of Edo."

Aoto nodded in deep agreement—he had recently been receiving frequent complaints and grievances from the Nanboku-chō magistrates regarding the ronin problem.

“A long time ago, a cabinet minister suggested to me: send another capable person to be stationed in the capital region to further enhance the shogunate’s influence in the capital region.”

"Actually, I've always thought this proposal was quite good."

"The current situation in the Kyoto region is entirely maintained by Matsudaira Katamori and the Aizu Domain army under his command."

"Matsudaira Katamori is already under a lot of pressure, having to confront the Choshu Domain while also secretly guarding against the Satsuma Domain."

"Now, the Party's 'punishment by law' is active again."

"If we continue to rely solely on Matsudaira Katamori to defend the capital region, it will be difficult to sustain the effort."

"Therefore, I believe it is time to initiate this long-dormant proposal and send new troops to Kyoto to support Matsudaira Katamori!"

"Jōraku" means to go to the capital. In Japanese, "jōraku" mainly refers to going to Kyoto, which is also known as Rakuyo.

"The sons of officials directly under the central government are utterly useless."

"More than two hundred years of peace have long since corrupted the minds and bodies of the children of Zhili Military Academy, and some of them have even forgotten how to draw their samurai swords."

"Instead of mobilizing these useless people, we should mobilize the ronin in Edo."

"At least the ronin are still willing to do things for money."

"Therefore, I have decided to adopt Kiyokawa Hachiro's suggestion—to gather the ronin and intellectuals of Edo to form a new fighting force and send them to Kyoto, which is currently in turmoil and also has a large number of ronin, to serve as guards."

"In this way, not only can the pressure on Matsudaira Katamori be relieved, but the number of ronin in Edo City can also be effectively reduced, killing two birds with one stone."

"Matsudaira Shusuke advised me: Kiyokawa Hachiro is the leader of the ronin. If we want to recruit enough ronin, we must rely on him."

"Therefore, after weighing the pros and cons, I think it is worthwhile to make use of this person, so I pardoned his crimes and allowed him to assist the shogunate in recruiting ronin."

"Of course, I absolutely do not trust him."

“I cannot hand over the ronin army I have recruited to these traitors who have been causing trouble all along.”

"I will only let trusted confidants who understand military affairs command this new combat force."

At this point, Tokugawa Iemochi stopped stroking the chess piece with his fingers.

"After all this build-up... it's time for me to finally reveal my true colors."

Tokugawa Iemochi raised his gaze and stared directly at Aoto.

"King Tachibana, I need you to become—the Garrison Commander of the Capital Region!"

*******

*******

A new journey is about to begin for Qingdeng!

Please vote with monthly tickets! Please vote with recommendation tickets! (Leopard crying.jpg)

The term "pacification" was not unfamiliar in Edo-period Japan. During the late Edo period, a fighting force called the "Koyo Pacification Corps," primarily composed of Shinsengumi members, briefly appeared... only to be utterly defeated.

Chapter 506 Qingdeng's Promotion! He is appointed [Capital Region Garrison Commander]! He is now in charge of establishing his own government! [5000]

"The Garrison Commander of the Capital Region...?"

Qingdeng gently chewed over these unfamiliar words.

Tokugawa Iemochi nodded:

"This is a new official position that I prepared to establish in order to stabilize the situation in the capital region."

"Responsible for maintaining security in the Kinki region, ranking above the Kyoto Shojidai and Osaka Castle Dai, and on par with the Kyoto Guardian."

Kyoto Guardian: This is the position currently held by Matsudaira Katamori, the lord of the Aizu Domain. He is responsible for commanding and monitoring the Kyoto Shoshidai (deputy governor of Kyoto), Osaka Castle Daidai (deputy governor of Osaka), and the daimyo of the harem. He is also responsible for maintaining the security of Kyoto.

"Although the title includes the word 'Kyoto region,' places like Otsu, Nara, and Osaka don't need protection at all. The only place that really needs strict management is Kyoto."

"My original intention in creating this position was to reduce the burden on the Ping An Insurance Bureau."

"Therefore, I will adjust the specific functions of the Kyoto Guardian."

"Matsudaira Katamori will continue to be responsible for commanding and monitoring the Kyoto Shojiro, Osaka Castle Resident, and Chikaku Daimyo, but will no longer interfere in the security operations of Kyoto city and town."

"He will be in full charge of guarding the Imperial Palace and the residences of the court nobles, and will monitor the movements of the Choshu and Satsuma domains."

[Note: Imperial Palace (御所) was the political and administrative center during the Heian period (794-1192). From the Heian period onward, it served as the residence of successive emperors.]

"The Kyoto Regional Military Commissioner was only responsible for maintaining order in Kyoto city and town, clearing out all lawless criminals from the streets, and monitoring the execution of criminals."

At this point, Tokugawa Iemochi paused, seemingly giving Aoto a moment to process and process the information.

Qingdeng pursed his lips, as if deep in thought.

His right hand, holding the chess piece, froze in mid-air, unable to put it down for a long time.

About half a minute later, he spoke slowly and deliberately:

"General..."

"Mr. Orange, there's no need to be so formal."

Tokugawa Iemochi interrupted.

"There are only the two of us here, so you can just call me 'Jia Mao' like Mother does. That way, it will be easier for both of us."

For some reason, Tokugawa Iemochi emphasized the word "Mother" when he mentioned it.

Unaware of the change in Tokugawa Iemochi's tone, Aoto nodded, then changed his words:

"Well then, Jiamao, please forgive my bluntness—whether it's conscription or military operations, there's one thing we need."

Qingdeng made a "money" gesture.

"Although I have never managed the shogunate's finances, I am well aware of how desolate the shogunate's treasury is now."

"With the current financial resources of the shogunate, is it really possible to build a new, capable fighting force?"

As soon as Qing Deng finished speaking, Tokugawa Iemochi gave a bitter smile.

"Yes, you're absolutely right."

"The current financial situation of the shogunate is indeed not ideal."

"There are just too many places where money is needed, and there are holes everywhere that can never be filled."

"Therefore... I am ashamed to say that the start-up capital I can give to the Governor of the Capital Region is not much."

Qing Deng asked directly:

"How much money exactly?"

"3000 taels of gold."

A character "川" (Chuan) suddenly appeared between Qing Deng's eyebrows.

"3000 taels of gold...that number is just too difficult to ask for."

Qingdeng was not the kind of idiot scholar who only knew how to talk about war on paper and knew nothing about military affairs.

He was once a member of the military system (fire-fighting thieves), having both led troops and fought in battles.

Qingdeng learned a great deal during the expedition to Kai.

Not only did I gain firsthand experience of the entire process of a military unit from mobilization to deployment, as well as the points that needed attention, but I also gained a preliminary understanding of the logistics system and supply capabilities of the Edo period.

Therefore, Qingdeng was quite clear about the effects of throwing a mere 3000 taels of gold into this bottomless pit called "military".

It's probably like throwing a small pebble into the ocean—a loud "plop," and then dust to dust, ashes to ashes...

"After deducting the cost of military pay, food, clothing, and equipment, and further deducting the reserve funds that must be set aside for pensions... with such a small amount of money, at most, we can only train an elite force of 1 to 200 people."

"A mere 1 or 200 soldiers... let alone protecting the capital region and monitoring the execution of the party, they would struggle just to maintain order in Kyoto."

"Moreover, with such a small amount of money, forget about firearms and cannons; we can only fight the enemy with primitive swords and spears."

Just as Qing Deng was about to continue, he was interrupted by Tokugawa Iemochi, who wore a wry smile:

"I know, I know. Tachibana-kun, I know all the difficulties you mentioned."

"If possible, I would also like to allocate more funds to the Governor of the Capital Region."

"However... the shogunate's treasury, which is much emptier, will not be filled immediately by my will."

“I also know that with a mere 3000 taels of gold, it is impossible to build a decent army.”

"so……"

Suddenly changing the subject, Tokugawa Iemochi wore a meaningful smile.

"I will grant the Governor of the Capital Region a small favor."

As he spoke, he sat up straight and put on a stern face.

In that instant, he exuded the majestic aura of the Great General of the Expedition!

"I will grant the Commander of the Capital Region the authority to establish his own government and govern!"

"The Commander of the Capital Region may establish the 'Capital Region Commander's Office' in Kyoto. He may independently conscript soldiers and collect and allocate military supplies, but he may not misappropriate the financial funds or treasury reserves of the capital region and other areas."

"The supplies and troops of the Garrison Command are entirely at the discretion of the Garrison Commander of the Capital Region; the General Staff Office has no say in the matter."