I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Roughly speaking, it amounts to about 400 taels of gold!

Oh, you're too kind!

"So close...it was really just a tiny bit more," Qingdeng said instinctively, reaching out to hug the box of gold to his chest.

This box of money was like a timely gift to Qingdeng.

He's desperately short of money right now! The army is a money-devouring monster!

Fortunately, just as he was about to speak and reach out, he suppressed his impulse with strong willpower and instead smiled with a reserved expression:

"Mr. Yagi, you're too kind."

Yagi Gennojo said with a beaming smile:

"Lord Renwang, this is just a small token of my appreciation! Please accept it!"

Since you've put it this way, I'll reluctantly accept this box of money!

Qingdeng's smile became even warmer.

Not only did he personally visit, but he also brought a large box of money as a gift... Yagi Gennojo has shown ample goodwill to Aoto.

This is a good start.

This at least shows that Yagi Gennojo had no intention of being an enemy of Aoto.

This box of money made the atmosphere between Aoto and Yagi Gennojo even more intimate and warm.

What followed was a rather pointless and unproductive chat.

The two chatted casually, from drinks in Kyoto to the political situation there.

Qingdeng has always been good at and enjoys making friends.

For this reason, his friends span both genders and all age groups: lolis, widows, sunny tomboys, rich heiresses, socially awkward girls, twins with contrasting personalities (the Doge Sisters), the young swordsmen of the Chiba family, a mature young man (Tokugawa Iemochi), a wise uncle (Katsu Rintaro), an enlightened old man (Saito Yakuro)...

Yagi Gennojo is also a skilled talker, and he can easily pick up all sorts of interesting topics.

The two scoundrels met—their heated discussion and cheerful laughter frequently echoed into the corridor outside the room.

Suddenly, Yagi Gennojo's tone turned serious:

"Lord Renwang, I have long heard of your reputation as a young hero, and seeing you now, I can confirm that your reputation is well-deserved!"

As he spoke, he let out a long sigh.

"Although I am just an ordinary citizen, I still cherish a sincere desire to serve my country!"

"The Shinsengumi was an army created to pacify the capital region."

"Lord Niou, to be honest, I really want to do something for this righteous army!"

"I have heard that the Shinsengumi does not yet have official uniforms and flags."

"Therefore, Lord Niou, I have a proposal: you design the uniforms and banners, and then give me the designs. I am willing to make uniforms and banners for the Shinsengumi soldiers free of charge!"

*******

*******

Actually, I could have updated at 19 PM sharp, but that would have meant another short and weak 4000 words today. So I went to have dinner and wrote an extra 1000 words.

Please vote for this book with your monthly ticket, considering how hard Leopard has worked! (Tearful Leopard head.jpg)

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

P.S.: Historically, the Yagi Gennojo residence in Mibu-go was the original headquarters of the Shinsengumi. Today, the Yagi residence is a famous tourist attraction in Kyoto, a must-visit for Shinsengumi fans. If you can find a relic there, maybe you can summon Okita! (Laughing emoji)

Chapter 595 Is Aoto and Souji having an affair? [4500]

That night--

Newly Selected Village, Bathing Area

With a running start, gathering strength, and jumping, Shimada Kai threw himself into the spacious bathtub, which was steaming hot, with swift movements and posture.

Instantly, warm water rushed towards him from all directions, enveloping him.

Under the soothing warmth of the hot water, Shimada Kai felt all his muscles and bones relax, and most of his fatigue dissipated. He was so comfortable that he almost cried out.

"Phew... the heat is just right...!"

As he spoke, he stretched vigorously, leaned back, and rested against the pool wall behind him.

He was very lucky and managed to snag a seat with a backrest.

The bath is spacious and can accommodate 6 or 70 people at the same time without feeling crowded—this is another example of the original owner's extravagance in building a bathroom that can be used as a swimming pool.

Looking around, the bathhouse was crowded with white, fleshy bodies.

For the Shinsengumi soldiers, the bath time after dinner was one of the few moments of leisure they had during the day.

Everyone took advantage of this rare opportunity to gather in twos and threes, chatting and talking freely.

The constant chatter of conversations was deafening.

"Ugh... I'm so tired..."

"Won't I have to stand all day again tomorrow?"

"Who knows?"

"Damn it, my foot hurts so much!"

"Rubbing this acupoint on the sole of your foot vigorously will make you feel much better."

"Hmph, let me teach you! This is a brilliant technique I figured out this afternoon! When standing at attention, don't just stand there like an idiot! Sometimes shift your weight onto your left foot, sometimes your right foot, so that your feet can rest alternately. That way you can stand for longer and more easily!"

……

To pass the time, Shimada Kai strained his ears to listen to the conversations around him while scanning the surroundings to carefully observe the expressions and mannerisms of the people around him.

Many people looked lifeless.

Some of them looked worried and distressed.

Some were disheartened and discouraged.

Some were also filled with worry.

Even worse, some had numb expressions and pale faces, like clay or wooden sculptures, and even the heat from the pool couldn't bring their complexion back to normal.

Shimada Kai could understand this perfectly: today's training was just too tough!

Under Qingdeng's deliberate design, the soldiers' daily schedule was roughly as follows—

I opened the schedule and checked it. There was no time on the schedule. On each page, written crookedly, were the words "love soldiers like children". I couldn't sleep. I looked at it carefully for half the night and finally saw two words between the lines: training. Looking closer, I saw a few more words: train until you die.

The morning training started at 6 o'clock, and except for a short breakfast break, the training continued until 12 o'clock.

After lunch, there is a short lunch break.

Afternoon training begins at 14 PM, with no afternoon tea time—the culture of afternoon tea has not yet spread in Japan—and training continues until 19 PM.

Training, training, and more training... Roughly calculated, the soldiers trained for a total of 10 hours today!

The training intensity was considerable.

In the afternoon, after completing the punishment of "running three laps around the training ground" given by Aoto, Shimada Kai returned to the First Division's ranks and continued his military posture training.

This time, he dared not slack off again, pressing his arms tightly against his legs as if he wished he could glue his arms and thighs together.

Qingdeng's personal example set a good example.

The captains, led by Souji, imitated Aoto's actions, launching "sneak attacks" from behind from time to time to check whether the soldiers' arms were close to their legs.

Many people followed in Shimada Kai's footsteps, having their arms pulled away from their legs and then being forced to run laps with heavy breathing.

To be honest, seeing this scene, Shimada Kai couldn't help but feel secretly pleased: how embarrassing it would be if he were the only one being punished all day long!

No one dared to complain about the captains' "ambush". Everyone who was successfully "ambushed" silently accepted the punishment - any one of the 10 captains could easily beat them to a pulp, so who would dare to complain?

And so, the soldiers persevered with trepidation until sunset.

Shimada Kai thought their training for the day was over.

But just as he was relieved, Qing Deng suddenly reappeared on the training ground like a ghost, bringing an order: "Before dinner, everyone must run five laps around the training ground, just like this morning!"

To be honest, even Shimada Kai, who was very confident in his physical abilities, felt a wave of dizziness upon hearing this order.

If he received this order while in good physical condition, he would gladly accept it.

However... after standing at attention for almost a whole day, and being punished by running a full 1500 meters, his back and legs were already sore.

To run another 2500 meters in this physical condition... Shimada Kaiko thought to himself, and involuntarily felt his limbs go weak, cold sweat seep from his back, and a cold wind blows, making him feel extremely cold.

He was heartbroken, but there was nothing he could do.

The military order has been given. What else can we do but obey it to the required standard and quantity? Wait to be beheaded?

So the soldiers gritted their teeth and exerted all their strength.

While the power of the spirit is immense, its limitations are also cruel.

They hadn't even finished one lap when the entire line stretched out and became loose.

Finally, the soldiers dragged themselves to the finish line almost by sheer willpower—at that time, almost everyone looked so weak that they would collapse at the slightest breeze.

Dinner tonight was also very plentiful.

Unlimited rice; meat, eggs, soup, and vegetables—everything is provided.

However, due to exhaustion, Shimada Kai almost couldn't eat dinner!

He is not the only one experiencing this situation.

To be precise, every single soldier was so exhausted that they showed an extremely poor appetite.

Compared to the lively atmosphere at breakfast and lunch, the atmosphere at dinner was as cold as night and day.

The air inside and outside the cafeteria was heavy and dull; apart from the clatter of bowls and chopsticks, there was no other sound.

Everyone remained silent, mechanically completing the task of eating like puppets.

During dinner, Shimada Kai finally understood the true meaning of what Aoto had said earlier—only by eating a full meal could he have enough strength to get through the training that followed!