I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

They would never have believed it if it hadn't happened right before their eyes!

Takeshi Hanpeita frowned slightly, as if deep in thought.

After a moment, he countered with:

"...Lord Niou, please allow me to ask: Why did you stand up for Iwasaki Yataro?"

Qingdeng smiled faintly:

"There's no complicated reason; it's simply because I admire him."

Takeshi Hanpeita fell silent.

When he spoke again, his tone had softened:

“Lord Niou, the two things you mentioned are not difficult for me.”

"But... due to my status, it's difficult for me to help you openly."

Takeshi Hanpeita put it very tactfully.

The true meaning of the phrase "hindered by his identity" is that Qing Deng's identity as a pro-shogunate faction forced him to seriously consider the possible consequences of "extending a helping hand to the pro-shogunate faction".

After all, the Tosa Kinō faction was not the only one with influence.

If the outside world were to learn that "Takeichi Hanpeita is helping the pro-shogunate faction," it would easily cause other factions of the pro-imperial faction to doubt the loyalty of the Tosa loyalist party.

Takeshi Hanpeita's words immediately caused the atmosphere at the scene to freeze.

However, Qing Deng seemed to have expected this to happen, and remained quite calm.

After grinning, he said loudly:

"Mr. Wu Shi, I understand your concerns!"

"Therefore, I don't intend to accept your help for nothing—let's make a deal!"

"Mr. Wu Shi, please lend me a set of writing materials!"

Although Takeshi Hanpeita did not understand what he meant, he still waved his hand, signaling his subordinates to bring over the writing implements.

In no time, the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone were laid out in front of Qingdeng.

Qingdeng picked up the brush dipped in ink and, with swift, powerful strokes, wrote a line of large characters on the clean white Xuan paper in one go.

"Mr. Takeshi, please accept this."

As he spoke, Qing Deng handed the still-wet paper to Wu Shihanheita.

After taking the paper, the other person glanced at it and their expression was immediately filled with intense doubt.

"Gold... 100,000 taels...?"

Ten thousand taels of gold—the words Qing Deng wrote on the paper.

"That's right, 100,000 taels of gold!"

Qing Deng shouted:

"I will pay you 3 taels of gold as a reward! I will repay you in three years! This is the written agreement!"

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Historically, Okada Izo did kill many people, but the number did not exceed one hundred. The account in this chapter is an exaggeration to make the novel more engaging.

Chapter 612 Aoto and Sakamoto Ryoma's Get-Rich-Quick Deal! [4500]

quiet……

In an instant, the entire room fell silent.

Whether it was Takechi Hanpeita on the main seat or the loyalists on the left and right, everyone's face changed color.

I didn't hear wrong, did I—they made that face.

You're not wrong, are you—that's the look they gave Qingdeng.

In this world where you could hear a pin drop, the first person to utter a sentence was a skinny man with a poor, shabby face:

"Lord Ren-ou, you...you're not joking with us, are you?"

"Since I can say such a thing, I naturally have the determination and ability to keep my promise."

Qing Deng's calm voice carried a tone of frankness and firmness, making one want to believe every word he said.

For a moment, the scene was filled with excitement and exhilaration.

The hissing and panting sounds blended together.

Perhaps his subordinates' reactions were too much like Grandma Liu entering the Grand View Garden, Takeshi Hanpeita glanced at his subordinates with a helpless and dissatisfied look.

Of course, despite his helplessness and dissatisfaction, Takechi Hanpeita was not angry at his subordinates for their embarrassing behavior.

After all, he could understand how they felt right now.

To put it bluntly... most members of the Tosa Loyalist Party were country bumpkins who had never seen much of the world.

Their low social class limited both their access to education and their horizons.

Although Takechi Hanpeita's rise to power brought prosperity to the loyalist faction, knowledge and experience cannot be acquired in a short period of time.

In the eyes of these Baizha villagers who were used to a life of hardship, even one tael of gold was a considerable sum of money.

10 taels of gold...this...this...

Let alone a small organization like the Tosa Loyalist Party with a few hundred members.

Even for powerful domains like Satsuma and Choshu, 10 taels of gold was a considerable sum!

Such a large sum of money is enough to mobilize an elite force of several thousand men, armed to the teeth!

Therefore, even someone as worldly-wise as Takeshi Hanpeita was shocked by this string of numbers.

After a brief moment of stunned silence, Takeshi Hanpeita regained his composure.

He pursed his lips, staring intently at the document in his hand, deep in thought.

About half a minute later, he casually placed the document on his lap.

"Lord Renwang, isn't your idea a bit too brilliant?"

He twitched the corner of his mouth, forming an ambiguous arc.

"Without a deposit, collateral, or reliable guarantor, you think you can get something for nothing with just a flimsy piece of paper?"

"If you fail to fulfill your promise after three years, not only failing to deliver the 100,000 taels of gold to me on time and in the required amount, but also refusing to acknowledge this written agreement, what should I do then?"

"You are the dignified Commander of the Capital Region."

"And I am just an insignificant country bumpkin."

"If you renege on your debt, I will be powerless to fight back."

When saying these words, Takechi Hanpeita deliberately adopted a joking tone.

However, although his tone was joking, his eyes were serious.

In the blink of an eye, a series of deep gazes fell upon Qingdeng from both sides.

The heavy weight of "10 taels of gold" put their brains into "shutdown" mode. It wasn't until they heard Takeshi Hanpeita's words that the loyalists present belatedly regained their senses.

Exactly! Without any collateral or deposit, and without a trustworthy guarantor, they think they can get something from us for free with just a piece of paper and a few words?

Collecting debts has always been a troublesome matter.

Given Qing Deng's status and position, barring any unforeseen circumstances, if he wanted to renege on his debts, Wu Shi Banpingtai and the others would have no way to deal with it.

Under the intense gaze of everyone, Qingdeng remained calm and composed.

As soon as Takeshi Hanpeita finished speaking, he smiled reservedly:

"Mr. Takeshi, you are absolutely right."

"To be honest, I'm really short of money right now and can't come up with a substantial deposit or collateral."

"As for a guarantor that both of us can trust, I'm even less likely to find one."

"but--"

As his tone suddenly shifted, everyone in the room, including Takeshi Hanpeita, unconsciously straightened their backs, perked up, and listened attentively.

After a deliberate pause, Qingdeng adopted a forceful tone and spoke loudly, enunciating each word clearly:

"I guarantee with my honor that I will deliver 100,000 taels of gold to the Tosa Loyalist Party within three years without any discrepancy!"

"We will never break our promise! We swear this oath by striking the gold!"

Having said that, Qingdeng picked up the Vairocana sword that was placed on his right side, grasped the scabbard with his left hand and held the sword horizontally in front of his chest with his right hand.

With a click, he drew the blade, which was about an inch long, and then heavily sheathed it again.

The clanging sound of the sword guard striking the scabbard echoed throughout the hall and lingered for a long time.

Everyone stared blankly at Qing Deng.

In an instant, a barrage of questions rained down on Qingdeng:

"Honor?"

"What's going on! After all that, it's just empty talk and all you can say!"

"Lord Niou, please forgive my bluntness! 'Honor' is not a convincing guarantee!"

The doubts continued... Suddenly, Qing Deng seized back the initiative with a shout:

"The honors of others are naturally insignificant! However, I am the King of Benevolence."

At this point, Qingdeng paused, then repeated himself in a solemn tone:

“I am ‘Nioh’ Tachibana Aoto.”

"The honor of a 'benevolent king' who helps those in distress and mends the broken sky should be convincing, right?"