I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

However, times have changed.

With the outbreak of the "Black Ships Incident" and the arrival of an era of great strife, the court officials, who were originally just "high-class beggars," suddenly became highly sought-after.

In order to gain the support of the imperial court, various factions, including the shogunate, Satsuma, Choshu, and Tosa, offered money to the court nobles in an attempt to win them over.

These Yueqingyun guests, who were originally short of money, have all become wealthy and have spare money to buy luxury goods that they would never have dared to dream of in their daily lives.

The greatly improved living environment is also a major reason why the court officials are so active and can actively participate in political activities.

Even before the Western powers invaded, Japanese society under Tokugawa's rule was already in a state of chaos.

It possesses all the common ailments that plague every feudal regime in its middle and late stages.

Upper-middle-class individuals in society use their privileged status to seize wealth, abuse their power for personal gain, and evade their due obligations.

Ultimately, the pressure was shifted to the lowest levels of society, and class conflict became unprecedentedly acute.

Those who should pay taxes are not given a penny, while those who should not pay taxes are exploited to the bone.

The statement that high-ranking officials, landlords, and wealthy merchants controlled more than 5% of the wealth in the capital region is already quite conservative.

Among them, the wealthiest are the wealthy merchants—who are mainly concentrated in Osaka—whose wealth has reached an astonishing level.

Qing Deng has been speculating that some merchants in Osaka are probably even richer than the current Edo Shogunate!

In their eyes, the price of the new glasses was far too cheap; a mere few dozen taels of gold was simply an insignificant amount.

For them, a beautiful and clear silver mirror was still a novelty.

They were happy to spend a small amount of money, a few dozen taels of gold, to buy a silver mirror and play with it.

One of the main reasons why Qingdeng insisted that Yinjing take the "mid-to-high-end route" was this—he felt really guilty if he didn't try to make money off these incredibly rich guys!

"Don't push! Don't push!"

"Everyone line up! There are plenty of mirrors! No need to crowd! No scrambling!"

"Here's a piece of advice for you! Don't steal! If you don't want to oppose the Shinsengumi, put away your evil intentions!"

……

Similar shouts were heard incessantly.

There were so many people rushing to buy glasses or just to join the crowd that it was to the point where "a stampede could break out at any moment."

The small number of clerks from the Kyoto Magistrate's Office, whose professional skills were not up to par, were far from sufficient.

Therefore, Qing Deng had no choice but to deploy the fifth, sixth, eighth, and tenth divisions of the Shinsengumi, ordering them to take turns maintaining order at the Shinsengumi Chamber of Commerce.

Those with malicious intentions fell silent upon seeing the Shinsengumi soldiers patrolling everywhere.

They knew in their hearts that these samurai, who had the power to "execute first and report later," were truly capable of drawing their swords and killing people!

Thanks to the Shinsengumi's intimidating presence, no thieves have been reported so far.

The recent bustling scene in Mibu Township... not only outsiders, but even the locals of Mibu Township are amazed by it.

Apart from the annual "Mibu Nenbutsu" ceremony held at Mibu-ji Temple, Mibu village is usually quiet and deserted.

[Note: Mibu Nenbutsu: Every year from April 21st to 29th, the Mibu-ji Temple in Mibu Township holds the traditional "Mibu Nenbutsu" festival, a famous late-night event in Kyoto. "Mibu Kyogen" is one of the activities of Mibu Nenbutsu.]

This massive influx of people has, to a certain extent, greatly boosted the economy of Imbu Township.

These days, restaurant, teahouse, and tavern owners in Mibu Township are all beaming with joy.

In this way, Qingdeng unintentionally gained a lot of goodwill from the people of Mibu, which in turn caused his status in Mibu to rise sharply.

……

……

Kyoto, Satsuma Domain Residence——

A gaunt, cold-faced samurai knelt on one knee on the soft tatami mat.

Before him sat the two pillars of the Satsuma Domain—Saigo Kichinosuke, who was in charge of military affairs, and Komatsu Tateto, who was in charge of diplomacy.

"...The above is the current status of the New Selection Chamber of Commerce."

Having said that, the gaunt warrior lowered his head, adopting a submissive posture as if he were "ready to be ordered around."

"..."

Saigo Kichinosuke remained silent.

Komatsu, standing to the side, remained silent.

After a moment, Saigo Kinosuke waved his hand:

"Thank you for your hard work, you may leave now."

"Yes!"

The gaunt samurai responded with a loud voice, then quickly stood up and left the scene with a "whoosh."

As the footsteps faded into the distance until they disappeared completely, Saigo Kinosuke slowly let out a long breath:

"...Komatsu-kun, we made a mistake."

Komatsu twitched the corners of his mouth a few times, revealing a bizarre expression that was neither a smile nor a frown.

"What a coincidence, we're thinking the same thing."

Kichinosuke Saigo squinted his eyes, as if deep in thought, and muttered to himself:

"We really underestimated Niou...!"

……

……

Kyoto, Choshu feudal residence——

"I'm back……"

"Kusaka-kun, welcome back."

Takasugi Shinsaku sat cross-legged by the fireplace, warming his hands above the flames, and continued speaking to the travel-worn Kusaka Genzui behind him without turning his head.

"Did you go to Mibu-go?"

"Um……"

A faint smile appeared on Takasugi Shinsaku's lips as he asked, half-teasingly:

Have you seen the current state of the New Selection Chamber of Commerce with your own eyes?

"Um……"

What are your thoughts?

"...Tachibana no Aoto is indeed our greatest threat!"

Having said that, Kusaka Genrui clenched his fists, his eyes filled with intense hatred.

Takasugi Shinsaku gave a few forced laughs, then slowly put his hands away from the warming pot.

"Effective immediately, all officers and soldiers of our army stationed in Beijing are hereby ordered to be on high alert!"

"Intensify training and accelerate the manufacturing and deployment of weapons."

At this point, Takasugi Shinsaku composed himself, his expression becoming solemn and his tone serious as he spoke, enunciating each word clearly:

"The Shinsengumi is about to rise!"

……

……

Kyoto, Tosa Domain Residence——

"Clang!"

The loud cracking sound startled several sparrows in the garden.

Takeshi Banpeita stood frozen, his face ashen.

At his feet lay the teacup he had just smashed on the ground... Correction, the "original teacup," now reduced to a pile of shards.

"That underground ronin... he actually has such amazing skills..."

Before he could finish speaking, Takeshi Hanpeita's face turned even paler.

********

********

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

Everyone in the world is playing capitalist simulators... ah, no, I mean "Phantom Beasts Pal," but I'm different. I'm going to play "Yakuza 8"! Yakuza 8, start! (Leopard hair.jpg).

P.S.: If all goes well, the new dungeon will open tomorrow! The Shinsengumi will be launching their first large-scale expedition! Can you guess who they're going to fight?

Chapter 628 Rebellion Erupts! War Has Begun! [4500]

To be honest, when he learned that Aoto had promoted Iwasaki Yataro to the chairman of the Shinsengumi, Takechi Hanpeita was "watching the joke" with a "wait and see" attitude.

He never believed that a mere underground wanderer with no official position or achievements could possess any outstanding abilities, let alone be able to shoulder the heavy responsibility of "leading the Chamber of Commerce".

As the leader of the Tosa Loyalist Party, and with hundreds of men under his command, Takechi Hanpeita understood very well how difficult it was to manage an organization, and how much more difficult it was to manage a commercial organization.

Without a keen business sense, excellent management skills, and suitable business opportunities, it is simply impossible to achieve success in the complex world of business.

Let alone getting rich, it is already very difficult to ensure that the chamber of commerce can operate smoothly without making a profit or loss. One wrong move and it could lead to bankruptcy.

Therefore, he was convinced from the very beginning that it wouldn't be long before Yataro Iwasaki would meet his end due to his position.

[Positioning strategy: Intentionally granting an opponent power beyond their capabilities, causing them to self-destruct.]

As for the New Selection Chamber of Commerce, it will also fall into the predicament of "being on the verge of bankruptcy right after opening" due to Qing Deng's improper personnel management.

However... the reality that unfolded before his eyes was not exactly the same as he had imagined, but rather quite different.

Yataro Iwasaki was not caught in a dilemma.

Contrary to his expectations, the New Selection Chamber of Commerce did not wither away; instead, it rose rapidly in a very short period of time!