I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"Yes, yes! Mr. Ju, what does the character '诚' (chéng) mean?"

After these two clowns started it, the rest of the people followed suit.

Questions about the origin and meaning of the "Sincerity Flag" came crashing down on Qingdeng like a storm.

Qing Deng had anticipated this reaction from the crowd, so he wasn't in a hurry.

After everyone had calmed down and their conversation had quieted down, he slowly began to explain:

"I chose the character 'sin' as the symbol of the Shinsengumi for three main reasons."

"First of all, look closely. When the 'Sincerity' flag is raised high and flutters in the wind, doesn't it look a lot like the character 'Test' at first glance?"

"The character '试' represents the Test Guard Hall."

As soon as these words were spoken, the "Shieikan faction" led by Souji was immediately taken aback, and then they all burst into laughter.

Their expressions seemed to say, "Ah, so that's how it is."

For Qing Deng, Shiwei Hall was his home.

Not long after he transmigrated to this world, his original house was burned down by the madmen of the Exile Group.

Therefore, he spent most of his time in this world at the Shieikan.

His feelings for Shieikan were no less than those for anyone else in the world.

It was after joining Shieikan that he met Souji, Sanako, and his current group of brothers with whom he shares both honor and disgrace.

It's no exaggeration to say that Shiweiguan is the "birthplace" of Qingdeng!

Out of his deep affection for Shieikan, Aoto was happy to add some "elements" of Shieikan to the Shinsengumi's military flag.

"The second reason for choosing the character '诚' (sincerity)... is something that happened more than two years ago."

At this point, a faint look of reminiscence appeared on Qingdeng's face.

"When I was still the captain of the third division of the Fire Thief Corps, I accompanied the army on a western expedition to suppress the mountain bandits entrenched in the Kai Mountains."

"Although that battle was intense and bloody, it wasn't exactly a tough one."

"The battle went exceptionally smoothly, and the bandits were defeated in just a few days."

"After the remaining enemy forces fled, I led my troops in pursuit through the vast mountains."

"The enemy truly lives up to their reputation as bandits who 'live off the mountains.' Thanks to their familiarity with the mountain paths, they've always managed to leave us far behind."

"At that time, most of my soldiers were exhausted and unable to attack anymore—and so were the enemy."

"At that time, both sides were fighting for their last breath."

"To boost the morale of my soldiers and to help them keep up with me, I plan to make a prominent flag."

“I originally planned to make a ‘trial character flag’.”

"As a result, the person in charge of making the flag was illiterate and wrote 'sincere' instead of 'test'."

"There's no other way but to carry this 'honesty' flag and charge forward."

"Finally, under the fluttering 'Sincerity' flag, we caught up with the remaining enemy and annihilated them all."

"And that's how I formed a wonderful connection with the 'Sincerity Flag'."

"When I was thinking about what kind of military flag to design for the Shinsengumi, the first thing that came to my mind was this 'Sincerity Flag' from back then."

"So, using the character 'sincerity' as the symbol of the Shinsengumi can be considered a way of commemorating them."

"In commemoration of the first resounding victory of my life."

"As for the last one, which is also the most important reason why I favor the word 'honesty'..."

At this point, Qing Deng suddenly fell silent.

It seems that he was conceiving his words and preparing his emotions.

At the same time, his expression became visibly serious.

Influenced by his solemn demeanor, everyone unconsciously straightened their backs, sat up straight, and strained their ears to listen attentively.

The character '诚' has many meanings, including 'honesty' and 'loyalty'.

Qingdeng slowly scanned the faces of everyone present.

"Where did our army get the name 'New Selection'?"

"In this chaotic world of bloodshed, we were chosen by the times. At the same time, we chose a new 'path'."

"I hope that all the soldiers of the Shinsengumi—including you—will remain utterly loyal to their beliefs!"

"Whether it's pain or sorrow, bitterness or exhaustion, keep running on the path you've chosen! Uphold the will of 'sincerity' and live up to the name of 'Shinsen'!"

Brief yet powerful... everyone was awestruck by its imposing presence.

Even Serizawa Kamo, Niimi Nishiki, and Kiyokawa Hachiro, who were always at odds with Aoto, couldn't help but feel a chill at this moment.

Upholding the spirit of "sincerity" and living up to the name of "New Election"... Everyone repeated these words in their hearts as they turned their heads to look again at the "Sincerity Flag" in Qing Deng's hand.

Compared to when they first saw the flag, their expressions had changed significantly.

Qingdeng's words had not yet ended:

"By the way, the colors chosen for this flag also carry a special meaning."

"As you can see, the background color of this flag is blood red, and the character '诚' in the center and the mountain-shaped pattern below it are white."

"Blood red symbolizes sacrifice; white symbolizes a pure heart of sincerity."

“Besides the ‘Sincerity Flag’, I also commissioned Mr. Yagi to make another one… It’s not exactly a military flag, but it’s an extremely important flag.”

As he spoke, Qingdeng put down the "Sincerity Flag" in his hand, and then took out a new flag from his pocket.

This time, Qingdeng didn't keep everyone in suspense.

After quickly taking out the new flag, he immediately spread it out.

The new flag has nothing fancy about it; it's just plain white with black lettering.

The inscription on the right reads "Honorable to die".

The inscription on the left reads "The humiliation of not being born".

Put together, they form eight powerful characters: "Honor to die, shame to live."

The phrase comes from "Wu Zi Bing Fa: On Generals, Chapter 4".

The original text reads, "On the day the army sets out, death is an honor, survival a disgrace." This means that once the army is deployed to the battlefield, they should be prepared to die gloriously, not to preserve their lives in humiliation.

“I call it the ‘battle flag’.”

"Qingdeng said softly."

His tone was quite calm.

"As the name suggests, this is a flag used to supervise battles."

"Under normal circumstances, this flag would never be raised lightly."

"This flag will only be raised when we are in a decisive battle with the enemy, or when we are facing life or death."

"The moment this flag is raised is the moment of fighting to the death! The entire army must be prepared to die! Once the battle begins, we must fight bravely against the enemy!"

"Win or die!"

"Any general who retreats before his troops in battle shall be executed on the spot!"

"In battle, if an army retreats without regard for its general, the rear guard will execute the front guard!"

"Anyone who cowers in fear will be executed on the spot!"

Those who flee in panic shall be executed on the spot!

"All things are like this flag—to die with honor, to live with shame!"

After speaking, Qing Deng narrowed his eyes, a chilling glint flashing within them.

Those words, which seemed to conceal a sharp blade, caused many people present to involuntarily shrink back.

Fortunately, Qing Deng quickly withdrew his imposing manner and also put away the "commanding flag" in his hand.

"Alright, I've distributed the uniforms to you and shown you the army's flag and command flag. If you have nothing else to report, this meeting can end here..."

Qingdeng hadn't finished speaking—

"Governor! Governor!"

An anxious shout coming from the direction of the corridor interrupted him.

At the same time, a figure appeared outside the door, kneeling on one knee.

Qingdeng raised an eyebrow and asked:

"What's the matter?"

The figure outside the door took a deep breath and responded loudly, yet haltingly:

"Yes, yes, a fast sedan chair has arrived! It specifically requests to see the Garrison Commander!"

In an instant... truly in a split second, the atmosphere in the council chamber changed drastically! A palpable tension filled the air, making everyone gasp and feel a sharp pang of unease.

Whether it was Qingdeng or anyone else, everyone's expression changed.

Even someone as dim-witted as Harada Sanosuke knew what "a sedan chair is coming" meant.

Qingdeng immediately realized what was happening and quickly gave the order:

"Director, Deputy Director, Chief of Staff, and Staff Officer, please stay! Everyone else, step back! Bring the sedan chair in!"

……

……

A short while later, a young man lying on the tatami mat, seemingly on the verge of death, mustered his strength and spoke haltingly:

"Commander... Your Excellency... A large-scale uprising has broken out in Ise...! The enemy forces... exceed ten thousand...! Please send troops to quell the rebellion as soon as possible...!"

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