I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"Are we really going to kill them all? And by beheading them...isn't that too cruel?"

"Yes, at the very least we should find out who started this dispute."

"I think we should just kill the ringleader. As for the others, let them go. After seeing the ringleader's head fall, they definitely won't dare to cause trouble again."

……

They all talked at once, arguing and debating.

Qingdeng felt as if he were surrounded by a pile of ducks, a chaotic and noisy cacophony.

After a moment of silence, he said softly:

"What? Aren't the articles in the 'Shinsengumi Law' clear enough?"

In the next instant, a tremendous "momentum" burst forth from his body!

In the blink of an eye, the entire room fell silent!

The soldiers fell silent, terrified.

When confronted by the troublemakers in Qingdeng, they were not only speechless, but also felt as if two large stones were pressing down on their shoulders, making it almost impossible for them to breathe.

"'Anyone who participates in a private fight, regardless of right or wrong, status or rank, shall be beheaded and displayed to the public'—this is clearly stated in the supplementary articles of the 'Shinsengumi Law'."

"Are you disregarding the law and engaging in wanton private fights? If so, what else is there to say? This is sufficient grounds for your execution."

"As for which side is more at fault, which side attacked first, or which side provoked first... there's no need to investigate these things at all, since you're all going to die anyway."

"Kondo-kun!"

Aoto's sudden roll call startled Kondo Isami, but he quickly recovered and turned to the eunuchs beside him, calling out in a deep voice:

"Take them all away! Prepare for execution!"

The Metropolitan Police Department was the military police force. Therefore, punishments and executions within the Shinsengumi were naturally handled by them.

……

……

Killing someone directly in the inn will have a very bad impact on the inn.

Putting aside the impact on the business of the post station, the mere fact that someone dies in front of you is enough to make you feel unlucky.

The staff at the execution site requested that Qing Deng move the execution location elsewhere.

In exchange, they were willing to help dig the pits for burying the bodies and provide burial plots.

Qing Deng readily agreed.

And so, the troublemakers were dragged to a wasteland outside Hakone-juku, overgrown with weeds and teeming with insects.

Aoto led the Shinsengumi officers and soldiers, acting as spectators of this execution.

"Lord Ren-ou! Spare me! Spare me!"

"Lord Niou! We know we were wrong!"

"Please forgive us this time! We'll never do it again!"

*******

*******

Today is a long-awaited 6000-word chapter! It seems that no one believes that I, Leopard, can update like a leopard right now, so I'll prove it to you all: I'm full of leopard power! As long as you cast enough monthly votes, I can even write a 10,000-word chapter for you!

So please vote for me with monthly tickets! Please vote for me with recommendation tickets! (Like a leopard crying.jpg)

Chapter 558 A Strange Dance: Isn't This Good? [4500]

The sounds of kowtowing echoed one after another.

They cried, shouted, begged for mercy, and crawled on the ground, hoping to gain Qingdeng's pity.

However, Qing Deng's facial features remained as hard as steel, without even a twitch of his eyebrows.

A samurai shouted in grief and indignation:

"Even if we are to be executed, at least let us commit seppuku! How can a samurai's head roll on the ground!"

For a samurai, the most humiliating way to die was by beheading.

According to the custom of the Edo period, only samurai who committed unforgivable crimes were beheaded.

However, Qing Deng ignored his request.

They were forced to kneel in a row.

Seven men, their sleeves tied and their swords rinsed with water, stood behind them.

The nature of the job of a supervisor means that it is a position that is easy to offend people and requires a certain amount of strength to maintain order and control.

Therefore, under Qing Deng's deliberate arrangement, the officers of the Censorate were all skilled with knives. For them, beheading someone was just a very simple matter.

Kondo Isami shouted:

"preparation!"

The seven guards raised their gleaming silver swords high.

The rioters' cries reached their peak at this moment.

Some people are still begging for mercy.

Others had accepted their impending doom, remaining silent, closing their eyes, lowering their heads, and stretching their necks to give the executioners behind them a better angle to strike.

"Let's do it!"

Seven silver lines cascaded down.

Seven heads fell to the ground.

The world fell silent for a moment.

All those cries and pleas for mercy vanished without a trace in an instant.

Looking at the seven lifeless, headless bodies that had slid forward due to inertia, the soldiers who had witnessed the entire execution couldn't help but feel a sense of shared sorrow and sympathy.

The air was thick with fear.

Qingdeng's expression remained indifferent.

After glancing at the heads scattered all over the ground, he turned around and faced his men.

Seeing that Qingdeng seemed to have something to say, the team members all stood up straight and perked up.

"Gentlemen, some of you seem to have misunderstood something."

"The Shinsengumi is not a carefree tourist group! It's an army!"

"Since it's an army, orders should be obeyed without question!"

"Do whatever your superiors tell you to do."

"Do not challenge the authority of your superiors, and even more so, do not challenge the authority of the 'Shinsengumi Law'!"

"Didn't I make that very clear before I left Edo?"

"Any violation of any rule in the 'New Senju Law' will result in death! Either beheading as a warning to others, or immediate execution on the spot!"

"If I say I'll kill you, I will kill you, without exception!"

"Remember the bloodshed of tonight! Learn from these seven men and never follow in their footsteps!"

"This is the first time I've personally killed one of my men... I hope it's also my last."

"Disband!"

After speaking, Qingdeng left without the slightest hesitation, leaving everyone present staring in disbelief.

Soon, the cadres and soldiers dispersed in twos and threes.

"..."

Souji gazed thoughtfully at Aoto's receding figure.

Then, as if she had made up her mind, she quietly followed them.

……

……

Qingdeng walked slowly down the corridor back to his room.

Suddenly, a creaking sound came from behind him, the floorboards groaning as they were stepped on, growing louder as they approached.

He didn't turn around—because he could recognize who it was just by the sound of their footsteps.

"Xiao Si, is something the matter?"

Since there were no outsiders present, he addressed her directly by her nickname.

After Souji caught up with Aoto, the two walked side by side.

"..."

The girl did not speak immediately.

After a moment of silence, she gently parted her lips and said in a slow voice, her face filled with worry:

"Tachibana-kun, is it really okay to implement the 'noise-driven failure' strategy so crudely?"

"A quarrel leads to defeat"—one of the traditional criminal laws in Japan, which states that for those who "cause a quarrel" (meaning a dispute or violent conflict between two parties in Japanese), regardless of who is right or wrong, both sides in the conflict must be punished.

During the Muromachi period (1336-1573) and the Sengoku period, the principle of "two winners, two losers" was adopted as the arbitration principle.

Although there was no explicit provision in the Imperial Decree after the Edo period, the law of two successes and failures due to noise has survived as a customary law.

For a long time, people have generally believed that "a noisy argument leads to failure" is an unreasonable and evil law, and they deeply abhor it.

Qing Deng's expression was very calm, as if he had long expected that the gentle and averse-to-fighting Souji would come to question him.

After the commander finished speaking, he said in a low, melancholy tone:

“…Xiao Si, I used to think that ‘noise makes all the difference’ was a very ruthless system.”