I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

……

Kyoto, Sanjo Bridge—

Sanjo Bridge is one of the bridges that span the Kagamo River.

The western end of the bridge is a milestone indicating that it is about 500 kilometers from Edo Nihonbashi Bridge.

The bridge was originally built during the Muromachi period (1336-1573), when it was just a rough wooden bridge.

In 1589, under the orders of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, a larger bridge was rebuilt using stone beams.

The new bridge is 63 bays long (approximately 115 meters) and is built on cornerstones buried 8 meters deep.

The Kagamo River flows gently beneath the bridge, and behind the bustling city on the opposite bank, the Thirty-Six Peaks of Higashiyama gleam green in the sunlight.

When Aoto and Matsudaira Katamori led their troops onto the bridge, the sight of "soldiers and horses marching along the bridge" was truly magnificent.

The news that the newly formed fighting force of the shogunate had arrived spread like wildfire throughout Kyoto.

The people of Kyoto, like cats drawn by the smell of fish, rushed over to watch.

In no time, the streets on both sides of the road where the military train passed were filled with onlookers who stood on tiptoe and craned their necks to watch.

The people of Kyoto cast curious glances at the Shinsengumi soldiers.

The latter, in turn, looked at the former with great interest.

Most of them, including Seido and Shieikan Gunkei, were seeing so many living Kyoto people for the first time, not just those they knew from books or other people's stories.

The two groups of people just stood there watching each other.

It must be said that, just looking at their appearance, people from Kyoto are very different from people from Edo.

Their clothing styles are quite different.

When discussing the character of Edo people, a few keywords can be mentioned: worldly, extravagant, and hedonistic.

Due to frequent natural disasters and fires, the people of Edo (modern-day Tokyo) often had a personality characterized by "life is unpredictable, so seize the moment."

Therefore, people in Edo had a particular fondness for flashy clothes, dressing as extravagantly as possible, displaying a nouveau riche style.

In contrast, the people of Kyoto... looked around and found that they also liked to wear brightly colored clothes.

Red, yellow, orange... the brighter the better.

However, the people of Kyoto are very particular about the selection of patterns and colors, which reveals a unique sense of fashion and elegance.

As for other details, such as the way the belt is tied and the placement of the hair bun, they are also unique.

Perhaps because he was used to the "Edo style" of Sanako and Kinoshita Mai, Aoto was indifferent to the "Kyoto style".

Although he didn't like it, he was willing to admit that "Kyoto style" does have a charm that is quite different from "Edo style".

However... the people of Kyoto are clearly not as tolerant as Aoto.

If the emotions that Qing Deng and others projected when observing the people of Kyoto were simply out of pure curiosity about exotic customs...

Therefore, the sentiment that the people of Kyoto projected onto the Shinsengumi was undisguised contempt.

It's not a psychological aversion.

Rather, it is a physiological aversion, like that of a superior being towards an inferior being.

A young woman, in the prime of her youth, lightly covered her lips and giggled sweetly at her friend beside her:

"Look at them, their clothes are so unfashionable."

"Yeah, why tie the belt like that? It looks awful."

An old man stomped his foot indignantly and said:

"Hmph! The Eastern Barbarians are here again! When will this end?! The land of the royal city has been defiled!"

Another elderly man beside him chimed in:

"Sigh... I really don't want to live in the same city as these rude barbarians."

Two women carrying shopping baskets whispered to each other:

"Is it just my imagination? I always feel like they smell bad."

“I heard that the Dongyi people are very slovenly, and they only take a bath once a month.”

"Huh? Really? If you only shower once a month, won't you turn into pickled cabbage?"

Qingdeng, who was walking at the very front and riding a conspicuous big black ox, naturally attracted the most attention.

"He must be the Commander of the Capital Garrison, right?"

"So young."

"If I remember correctly, he is only 21 years old this year."

"21 years old... I really envy him. He's so young and already holds such a high position."

"Why is he riding an ox? Someone of his status shouldn't have trouble getting a fine horse, right?"

"Who knows? Maybe it's just his personal preference."

"Hey, you know what, the cow he's riding is actually pretty cute. It's all fluffy and has really shiny fur. It must feel really nice to touch."

"Who is he? He doesn't look like a daimyo from any vassal state. Why is he entrusted with the important task of pacifying the capital region at such a young age?"

"He is that benevolent king."

"Niou? Oh, I remember now, he's the swordsman who single-handedly destroyed the Shimizu clan in Kanto, isn't he?"

"Yes, it's him. I've heard he's a very capable man, with superb swordsmanship and extraordinary courage, truly a man who can take on a thousand men."

"So what? No matter how skilled he is, isn't he just a barbarian from the East?"

"That's true."

Of course, the most eye-catching and talked-about thing is the poor appearance of the Shinsengumi.

"This is the newly established combat force of the Edo Shogunate? It doesn't look very impressive. Rather than an army, they seem like just a bunch of mud-smelling country bumpkins."

"Hmph, they don't even have standardized equipment or uniforms. How dare they call themselves the 'Shinsengumi'? It's laughable."

"If they were to face the armies of Sa and Chang, they would be utterly thrashed."

"It's one thing for the Choshu Army to be compared to them, but to compare them to the Satsuma Army is just too much of a bully, isn't it?"

"Speaking of the Satsuma Army... what's the name of the samurai currently in charge of the Satsuma Army?"

"Kishinosuke Saigo."

"Ah, yes, that's right, that's the name, Saigo Kinosuke. This guy is really something, he single-handedly built the Satsuma Army into one of the strongest armies in the world."

"Haha, if that Tachibana Seito doesn't know how to command and control troops, he can go and ask Saigo Kinosuke for advice. He might be willing to give him some pointers."

"Haha, you're right!"

"Hahahaha!"

……

Even the hardest-hearing person couldn't possibly miss the mockery from the people of Kyoto.

Even the most oblivious person couldn't possibly fail to sense the malice of the people of Kyoto.

They had just been scorned by the Aizu soldiers, and now they were being ridiculed by the people of Kyoto.

One can imagine the feelings of the Shinsengumi soldiers.

They all had ashen faces.

Leaving aside the ordinary soldiers, even the officers' expressions were not pleasant.

Kondo Isamu pulled down the corners of his lips.

Hijikata Toshizo pouted.

Yamanami Keisuke had a stern face.

Saito frowned.

Inoue Genzaburo gave a wry smile.

Todo Heisuke looked frustrated.

"Damn it, what are they so arrogant about?"

Harada Sanosuke gritted his teeth, his face showing visible anger.

"Sanosuke, calm down."

Although Shinpachi Nagakura said he was calm, his facial features were distorted by intense anger.

Serizawa Kamo tapped his shoulder with his iron fan as he spoke in an unfriendly tone:

"If we really want to be honest, the people of Kyoto are the defeated opponents of us Kanto people."

"Two hundred and fifty years ago, it was our sons from Guandong who defeated the Western Army and quelled the rebellion of the world, thus establishing an unprecedented era of peace and prosperity, allowing these good-for-nothings to leisurely compose poems and enjoy the breeze and moon."

"I really don't know where these bastards get their audacity to be so arrogant...!"

Similar scenes unfolded throughout the Shinsengumi's military trains, whether at the front, center, or rear; the arrogant behavior of the Kyoto people ignited the anger of the crowd.

If it weren't for Qing Deng's strict order that "there must be no conflict with the elders and folks of Kyoto," there would definitely be hot-tempered people rushing forward now to launch a "purely physical critique" of these rude madmen.

The commander scanned the mocking, sneering, and scornful faces around him, then expressionlessly looked away and muttered under his breath:

"They really think we're idiots..."

As soon as she finished speaking, she heard Kinoshita Mai beside her murmur softly:

"How annoying..."

Sanako, who usually clashed with Kinoshita Mai, was uncharacteristically different this time. Instead of contradicting the girl in red, she nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, I feel the same way."

……

……

Just like when he was given the cold shoulder by the Aizu soldiers, Aoto remained completely unmoved by the Kyoto people's rude remarks.