I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

The pitiful, dim light only illuminated the knees of the people around the fire.

The night wind seeped through the cracks in the doors and windows and into the room... The light and shadows, swaying slightly in the wind, made the already cold and dark room even more eerie.

"How is it? Is everyone here?"

Kiyohachiro asked.

A strong, muscular man answered quickly:

"Lord Qinghe, everyone has arrived."

Kiyokawa Hachiro nodded slightly, then unfastened the sword from his waist and moved to the hearth in a few quick steps—the six samurai hurriedly made way for him.

"Now that everyone's here, let's not waste any more time."

Kiyokawa Hachiro sat down with his knees bent, his sword resting on his right side, a meaningful smile playing on his lips.

"Let's continue discussing our grand plan to 'capture the Shinsengumi'!"

********

********

Leopard is really like he has depression now... He always feels empty inside... He's not interested in anything, and he has no energy to do anything... To be honest, it's very painful... (crying leopard head.jpg)

For those of you who have monthly passes, please be sure to vote for this book! It might help Leopard recover both physically and mentally (Leopard crying.jpg).

Chapter 619 A General's Talent in the Shinsengumi! [4200]

"Ishisaka-kun, what did the imperial court say?"

Kiyokawa Hachiro turned to look at the samurai sitting to his right.

The man cleared his throat and said seriously:

"Lord Kiyokawa, Lord Sanjo Sanetomi greatly appreciates our plan and is willing to provide us with all the support they can."

Sanjo Sanetomi—the leader of the court's pro-imperial faction of nobles.

In order to restore imperial power, achieve the goal of respecting the emperor and expelling barbarians, and restore the status of the emperor and court nobles, the pro-imperial court nobles led by Sanjō Sanetomi are working closely with the Chōshū Domain.

Kiyokawa Hachiro nodded slightly, a satisfied look on his face.

Then he turned to look at the other person.

"Ikeda-kun, what is Choshu's response?"

"……Ugh."

Ikeda let out a heavy sigh.

"Lord Qinghe, I am truly ashamed to face you..."

After saying this, he bent over, placed three fingers of each hand on the ground, buried his head deep in the ground, and lightly touched the floor with his forehead—a standard dogeza (a traditional Chinese kowtow).

Upon seeing this, Kiyokawa Hachiro frowned slightly.

"Ikeda-kun, look up! What happened? Tell me in detail."

Ikeda, maintaining his dogeza posture, replied respectfully:

"Lord Kiyokawa, I have failed to complete the task you assigned me: 'to contact the Choshu Domain and establish cooperation with them.'"

"People from Changzhou are very cautious."

"They were so cautious that I felt they didn't want to work with us at all."

“I have personally visited them several times to explain our grand plan to them face to face.”

"However... although they always say nice things like 'we are willing to cooperate with you' and 'you are outstanding people with a strong sense of righteousness,' they are actually just giving me the runaround."

"So far, let alone Takasugi Shinsaku, Katsura Kogoro, and Kusaka Genzui, I haven't met a single person with even a little bit of status in the Choshu Domain."

"I have accomplished nothing and wasted my time... I am truly ashamed of myself..."

After speaking, Ikeda lowered his already bowed head even further.

After carefully listening to Ikeda's explanation, Kiyokawa Hachiro narrowed his eyes and muttered:

"It seems... the people of Changzhou are still unwilling to trust us..."

A thoughtful expression appeared on his face.

After a moment, his narrowed eyes gradually relaxed, and a peaceful smile appeared on his lips.

"Ikeda-kun, don't be discouraged. This is inevitable."

As Kiyokawa Hachiro spoke, he stretched out his palms and personally helped Ikeda straighten up.

“A stranger suddenly appeared, shouting something about ‘seizing power from the Shinsengumi and transforming it into a powerful force to uphold the great cause of rebellion’… If it were me, I wouldn’t easily believe him either.”

"At this stage, we can only show our sincerity little by little and slowly gain the trust of the people of Changzhou."

"The Choshu Domain is currently the most powerful pro-imperial faction."

"Therefore, for us who are still weak, whether we can obtain external support from the Choshu Domain is of paramount importance."

“Ikeda-kun, the burden on your shoulders is heavy... but I believe you will not let me down.”

"I believe in your abilities—that's why I'm entrusting you with this most important task."

So, lift your head up and stop being discouraged.

"Looking downcast and dejected, you can't accomplish anything in such a dejected state."

Hearing Kiyokawa Hachiro's encouragement, Ikeda's eyes shone with emotion.

"Yes! I will absolutely not fail in my mission!"

Like the most devout believer gazing upon his god, Ikeda, with an excited and respectful expression, bowed his head again—the most standard dogeza—and at the same time, he kowtowed heavily to Kiyokawa Hachiro.

The forehead hit the floor with a crisp "thump".

Kiyokawa Hachiro smiled slightly and patted Ikeda's shoulder with a light but firm touch to show his encouragement.

At the same time, his gaze fell on another samurai.

"Sugiura-kun, what about you? Have you made any significant progress on the task I assigned you?"

"..."

The samurai called "Sugiura" did not speak immediately.

After about five seconds of silence, he let out a silent sigh.

"Lord Qinghe, I underestimated Saito Hajime..."

Upon hearing this, Kiyokawa Hachiro frowned again.

Before he could ask any further questions, Sugiura began to explain on his own:

"After being assigned to the Third Division, I have been faithfully carrying out the mission you assigned me, trying to recruit as many ordinary soldiers as possible into our ranks."

"At first, I thought that Saito Hajime, who was in charge of the Third Division, was just a taciturn, uncouth man who had no skills other than swordsmanship."

"But unexpectedly... this person's mind was surprisingly quick."

“Just recently, my actions seem to have alerted him.”

"I was worried that if I continued my actions, I would alert the enemy, so I dared not make any rash moves."

At this point, he adopted an apologetic tone.

"Lord Qinghe, I am truly sorry..."

His apology had barely begun when Kiyokawa Hachiro gently shook his head and gestured with his hand, indicating that there was no need to say anything more.

"Sugiura-kun, you don't need to apologize."

"Saito Hajime is definitely not someone to be trifled with."

"I, like you, hadn't paid much attention to this person before."

"It wasn't until later, after I got to know the Shinsengumi generals better, that I realized this person was no ordinary person."

"Composure in the face of change, fearlessness in the face of danger, clear distinction between public and private matters, keen insight... Among the entire new selection, apart from Tachibana Aoto and Hijikata Toshizo, Saito Hajime is the most capable of being a great general."

"From my observation, he has a very deep friendship with Tachibana Seito."

“Tachibana Aoto trusted him very much, and he was also very loyal to Tachibana Aoto.”

"In addition, he is the kind of person who takes life and death lightly."

"They care neither about their own lives nor about the lives of others."

"If he discovers that someone is plotting to overthrow the Shinsengumi, he will absolutely not hesitate to draw his sword and kill everyone who opposes Tachibana Seito without even blinking an eye."

"When dealing with such a ruthless character who is both loyal and cruel, you can never be too careful."

Therefore, your judgment is correct.

"Since we've already aroused their suspicion, we should keep a low profile."

At this point, Kiyokawa Hachiro slowly turned his gaze, letting his eyes sweep over the faces of everyone present.

"You all remember this: Tachibana Aoto, Okita Souji, Kondo Isami, Nagakura Shinpachi, and Saito Hajime of the Shinsengumi—unless absolutely necessary… no! That's not right! No matter when or where, you must never have a direct confrontation with these five!"

"If you accidentally get into combat with them, don't hesitate—run away!"

……

……

Next, Kiyokawa Hachiro asked several more questions.

Time passed...

About half an hour later, he finally stopped asking questions.

"I have a general understanding of the situation."

Kiyokawa Hachiro's face was filled with a helpless, bitter smile.

"Our grand plan to 'seize the Shinsengumi' has made considerable progress, but it is still a long and arduous journey..."

The moment he finished speaking, the atmosphere at the scene changed.