I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

But one thing is certain—his ambition has not diminished in the slightest with age!

Like countless passionate young men, Shimada Kai also harbored the dream of "achieving unparalleled feats with a three-foot sword" and "gaining fame and fortune on horseback."

To fulfill his lofty ambitions, he devoted himself to practicing swordsmanship while quietly waiting for his chance to shine.

And so—he received the call to arms from the Shinsengumi.

Upon learning that the Shinsengumi was a combat force led by Niou and about to be deployed to the front lines in the Gyeonggi region, he went to enlist without hesitation.

With his excellent swordsmanship honed over nearly thirty years, he was assigned to the elite and strongest squad—a decision that made him both proud and pleased.

On February 1st, the day the Shinsengumi officially entered Kyoto, Shimada Kai secretly made up his mind: He must climb to a high position in the Shinsengumi! He must make a name for himself under Lord Niou! He must make his name forever etched in history!

……

……

The New Senju's garrison, Training Ground No. 1—

The steep, cold wind whipped up clumps of dust.

Under Qingdeng's brutal transformation, this land was changed from an elegant and refined courtyard into a large earthen field that could accommodate thousands of soldiers galloping around.

At first glance, the empty venue is exposed to the bright sunlight, giving people a sense of desolation and solemnity.

Ten squads, totaling about a hundred people, stood in neat rows in the center of the arena.

The ten captains, led by the commander-in-chief, stood at the front of their respective units.

In front of them was a simple platform made of wood and stones, about 3 or 4 meters high.

They didn't have to wait long in the cold wind—in no time, the tall figure with three knives at his waist appeared in everyone's sight.

Qingdeng strode up the high platform, skipping any flowery opening remarks and speaking directly:

"Just as I announced yesterday! Starting today, the Shinsengumi will officially begin intensive training!"

Because the venue was spacious, Qingdeng's voice carried far and clearly into the ears of everyone present.

"Although we recently won a resounding victory, we must not be complacent!"

"Our current state... to put it nicely, we're a disorganized mob; to put it bluntly, we're a rabble!"

"Disorganized, undisciplined, and untrained! In battle, they'll just charge forward like a mob in the Yakuza! They'll have absolutely no tactics or strategy to speak of!"

"Such fighting strength can only show off against the scheming Yakuza! If they were to encounter a well-trained regular army, they would be completely helpless!"

"I don't need to go into details, you should all be able to sense how tense the current situation in Kyoto is."

"In order to cope with the complex situation in the future, you must develop combat capability as soon as possible!"

"My goal is simple: you must transform into an unstoppable force of tigers and wolves within three months!"

"Now, let's begin your first training exercise—get out there and run laps! Run five laps around the entire field!"

As Qing Deng finished speaking, gasps of surprise filled the entire venue.

Compared to the modern 400-meter parade ground, the No. 1 training ground was larger, with one lap being about 500 meters, and five laps being 2500 meters.

For those who don't exercise regularly, this could be a nightmare number.

But in the eyes of Shimada Kai, who had practiced swordsmanship since childhood and persistently honed his skills, a mere 2500-meter run was utterly insignificant! It was only enough for him to warm up!

"Stop dawdling! First team, take the lead, everyone get running!"

Urged on by Qingdeng, the various squads scattered and formed a long line, running along the perimeter of the training ground at a pace that was "more than jogging but not enough to sprint".

Since the First Division was leading the race, Shimada Kai, as a member of the First Division, naturally ran at the front of the pack.

While running, he secretly turned his head to observe the scenery behind him.

During the first and second laps, the formation was able to remain neat and compact.

But starting from the third lap, people gradually began to fall behind, and the rate of falling behind increased and the number of people falling behind grew, making the entire queue loose and disorganized.

Incidentally, Qing Deng himself and his superiors did not sit idly by in the sun, but joined in the long-distance run.

The captains followed closely beside their respective units.

As for Qingdeng...

"What are you doing? I walk faster than you when I'm out of bed, and you can't even keep up after just a couple of moves?"

"Shut your mouth! Don't breathe through your mouth! Your body isn't that tired yet!"

"How can you achieve anything with such a pathetic appearance?"

"Huh? Are you planning to drag this frail body, which can't even run this short distance, into battle against those vicious and treacherous rebels?"

"What's wrong? You've fallen behind again? Is running really too difficult for you? Or will someone carry you comfortably to the front lines in a sedan chair when war breaks out?"

Qingdeng ran up and down the line.

Whenever someone fell behind, he would run to that person's side, a kind smile on his face, and utter words as sharp as knives, like the whisper of a demon.

Everyone who received Qingdeng's "attention" trembled, then gritted their teeth in fear and trepidation, trying to catch up with the group ahead.

In fact, if the goal was to motivate the team members, Qing Deng's "gentle breeze and fine rain" was completely unnecessary - the mere phrase "Niou descends upon my side" was enough to make every team member feel so terrified that they would exhaust all their strength!

*******

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Chapter 590 Qingdeng Becomes a "Merchant"! An Unprecedented Top-Tier Military Meal! [5700]

About 6 minutes later, Shimada Kai easily completed the entire course.

At the finish line, there were people standing, leaning, and sitting, all slumped over in various positions.

The sounds of panting heavily filled the air, and the exhaled hot air rose up, transforming into a thick cloud of mist.

"Hurry up! You're the only one we're waiting for! Everyone's waiting for you!"

Under Qingdeng's encouragement... ah, correction, it should be said that under Qingdeng's stimulation, the person running at the back finally crossed the finish line after more than ten minutes, barely completing the training.

"Haa...! Haa...! Haa...!"

"My side...it hurts so much!"

"Ouch...! My back... I can't straighten up..."

……

It was like entering a medical clinic, with groans, wails, and shouts rising and falling.

Qing Deng stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze sweeping across the group of "patients" before him, his brows furrowing slightly.

"You guys are so slow! Extremely slow!"

"However, considering this is your first time training, I'll be merciful!"

"I'll give you two weeks to adjust."

"During these two weeks, I will not punish you, no matter how fast or slow you run."

"However, after two weeks, anyone who is slower than 7 minutes will be punished!"

"For every half minute over the time limit, you'll have to run two extra laps! Any time less than half a minute will be counted as half a minute!"

Given that clocks are not yet popular in Japan, most people are not familiar with the concepts of "clock" and "minute".

So Qingdeng took out his pocket watch, opened the cover, and showed everyone how long 7 minutes was.

"So, all of you better perk up!"

"If you lack confidence in your physical abilities, find more opportunities to practice in private!"

"From now on, I will continuously increase the difficulty of the training!"

"Gradually increase from 5 laps to 7 laps, then 10 laps."

"From 'running empty-handed' to 'running with weapons' and 'running with weights'!"

"If anyone can't handle this level of training intensity, I will not hesitate to kick them out of the new squad!"

"Don't think that once you join the Shinsengumi, everything will be fine and you'll be guaranteed a stable income!"

"The Shinsengumi is an army, not a retirement home!"

"Those who lack the strength and resolve will only be sent to their deaths on the battlefield!"

"Weaklings have no right to remain in the Shinsengumi!"

"You'd better watch yourselves!"

Upon hearing this, many people turned pale.

Looking across the entire event, only a handful of people achieved Qingdeng's "7-minute" target.

Moreover, after completing the training, most people's cheeks were flushed red as if they were about to bleed, and their breathing was so rapid that they almost vomited out their lungs.

High-quality warriors like Shimada Kai, who not only perfectly met the targets but also remained completely unaffected after the race, only slightly out of breath and covered in sweat, are a tiny minority.

Shimada Kai's undershirt was soaked with sweat. The sight of him sweating profusely in the freezing cold made him feel incredibly comfortable and refreshed.

He wiped the sweat from his forehead with his clothes and turned his head to observe Qingdeng and his officers in the distance.

After a moment, he thought to himself with admiration:

These people weren't promoted by Lord Niou because of nepotism! They really are quite capable!

In fact, there were many complaints within the Shinsengumi when Aoto announced the list of officers.

The 10 squad leaders, including the "Four Chiefs," strategists, and sword-wielding masters—excluding the "Chairman" position for which no suitable candidate has yet been found—are all from the "Shieikan faction," which shares the same lineage as Aoto, except for strategist Kiyokawa Hachiro, squad leader Serizawa Kamo, and squad leader Niimi Nishiki.

The Shieikan faction – a collective term used by some busybodies within the Shinsengumi to refer to Souji and others who came from the Shieikan faction.

This practice of heavily employing one's own people naturally aroused resentment from others—Shimada Kai was one of them.

Shimada Kai was determined to climb to a high position in the Shinsengumi and establish a great achievement that would shake the world. A man with lofty aspirations and a self-important attitude like him would naturally be quite disgusted by this kind of "nepotism".

But now, after witnessing the superb skills of the "Shieikan faction" time and time again, Shimada Kai and others have gone through a transformation in their mentality, from dissatisfaction to astonishment, and then to admiration.

In the "Kusunogi Group Annihilation Operation" a few days ago, Souji took the lead, Nagakura Shinpachi fought against a thousand men single-handedly, Saito Hajime charged into battle... Their bravery impressed even Shimada Kai, who considered himself highly skilled.