I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

He picked out the chess pieces from the box one by one and placed them in different places on the map.

"Wang Jiang" represents himself.

"Infantry" refers to ordinary soldiers.

"Gui Ma" represents cavalry.

"Flying Chariot" represents archers.

"Fragrant carriage" represents musketeers.

"Gold General" and "Silver General" represent characters like Souji, Nagakura Shinpachi, and Saito Hajime, who are "hero units" capable of single-handedly influencing the course of a battle.

After placing the chess pieces, Qingdeng straightened up, crossed his arms in front of his chest, and his gaze, devoid of joy or sorrow, wandered back and forth across the "chessboard," occasionally raising his hand to move a piece.

Chess pieces... no, soldiers, wave after wave, gallop across the ink-wash lines! On this map, in Qingdeng's mind, an invisible yet fierce battle unfolds!

Time passed...

With the blessing of the talents "Gathering Spirit" and "Divine Brain +9", Qingdeng has already forgotten about time.

Unbeknownst to them, the light around them gradually dimmed.

A ray of the setting sun shone through the gap in the tent flap onto his hand.

The chess pieces that were once neatly arranged on the map are now a mess.

The "Gold General" and the "Silver General" are scattered in various places.

The "infantry," "flying vehicles," and "luxury carriages" were also scattered and disorganized.

The only unit that was still relatively intact was the "Guima".

Suddenly, Qingdeng slowly raised his gaze, his eyes fixed on a particularly steep hillside not far from the bandit camp.

Immediately afterwards, he placed the "King Horse," a "Silver General," and his own piece—the "King General"—on the slope... At the same time, another ray of twilight pierced into the tent, shining precisely on it.

……

……

Ueno Basin, enemy camp, main camp—

Although the army was hastily established, the rebel army's camp and main camp were surprisingly well-organized.

The guards responsible for protecting the commander's tent, the fences to hinder the enemy's advance, the commander's flag representing the "soul of the entire army"... everything that should be there is there, complete with everything.

Inside the command tent, the rebel generals sat in rows on the left and right sides—though they were called generals, they were all disciples of Shibasaki Renjuro until a month ago.

After raising the banner of rebellion, Shibasaki Renjuro began to "bestow titles upon all under heaven," appointing his disciples who had followed him in the uprising as generals and officers of various ranks in the army.

His approach could not be considered nepotism.

It is far too much to ask illiterate and inexperienced poor peasants to lead soldiers in battle.

Renjuro Shibasaki's sword-making school is a typical "comprehensive dojo," teaching both martial arts and academic subjects.

Although Shibasaki Renjuro could not be considered a great scholar, he did possess the ability to teach people to recognize Chinese characters and to enable them to read the Four Books and Five Classics as well as the ancient and modern collections of waka poetry.

Therefore, Shibasaki Renjuro's apprentices not only all practiced martial arts, but also generally had a high level of education.

Possessing both literary and martial skills... such qualities are extremely rare in impoverished rural areas, a truly exceptional individual.

In other words, apart from Shibasaki Renjuro's apprentices, there were no other suitable candidates in the rebel army to serve as generals.

At this moment, the enemy's main camp was quiet and solemn.

Inside the command tent, every single general kept their eyes down, not daring to utter a sound.

A very few people even broke out in a cold sweat, their faces turning pale from the constant seeping of cold sweat.

An extremely heavy atmosphere continued to build up inside the command tent.

The person who created this atmosphere was a burly man sitting imposingly in the main seat.

The person who sits in the main seat in this tent... is none other than the commander-in-chief of the rebel army—Shibasaki Renjuro!

This reckless individual who ignited a fierce war in the Gyeonggi region was probably between 30 and 35 years old.

He was very burly, with thick arms and protruding wrist and elbow joints like dead wood, clearly the physique of a martial artist.

His broad forehead was striking, his skin was as dark as charcoal, and traces of resentment lingered between his brows.

After an unknown amount of time had passed... Shibasaki Renjuro finally broke the silence of the command tent with his indifferent tone.

"The two men, riding leisurely, circled the army's camp."

"But we had no way to deal with them, and we even lost a lot of men."

"This utter disgrace... I really... don't know what to say to you..."

After Shibasaki Renjuro finished speaking, an even more eerie silence enveloped the surroundings.

Just then, someone mustered their courage and whispered cautiously:

"One of those two... is that 'Niou'... Since 'Niou' is here... there's nothing we can do about it, right...?"

These words immediately drew Shibasaki Renjuro's sharp gaze.

"Huh? Sato-kun, what did you say? You mean that because the other side has 'Niou,' we don't need to fight this battle anymore and can just admit defeat and surrender, is that right?"

"No, no... that's not what I meant... I just... just... it's..."

Under Shibasaki Renjuro's piercing gaze and verbal attacks, the man immediately became like a quail, his voice growing softer and softer, his head bowed so low it seemed about to fall to the ground.

As apprentices of Shibasaki Renjuro, they knew all too well how bad their master's temper was.

There is no such thing as an "education law" in this era.

In front of the master, the apprentice has no human rights whatsoever.

It is your good fortune to meet a reasonable, gentle and considerate master.

The vast majority of masters that people encounter... basically only regard their apprentices as wallets, punching bags, free labor, or even objects for satisfying their desires.

For the hot-tempered Shibasaki Renjuro, verbal abuse and physical beatings of his apprentices were commonplace in his daily life.

Everyone present was ready to witness the scene of "Shibasaki Renjuro jumping up and slapping that foul-mouthed guy a few times".

However, Shibasaki Renjuro did not do so.

After a moment of contemplation, he took a deep breath, as if suppressing the anger in his heart.

Then, he turned his head and looked at the young man sitting to his left.

"Mr. Setsu, what's your opinion? Tachibana Aoto is being so arrogant, should we take countermeasures?"

There's probably no one else who could be addressed as "Settsu-san" by Shibasaki Renjuro!

The young man, Settsu Yorimitsu, appeared to be around 25 years old. He was clean-shaven, of medium build, with fair skin that made one wonder if he had never been in the sun. His thick, black hair, which was not styled into a chonmage, exuded a refined and courteous aura.

His face... to put it simply: breathtakingly beautiful!

His official appearance was extremely upright and handsome, with long, curved eyebrows, a straight and high nose, and bright eyes that seemed to hold the glittering stars... When dressed as a man, he was a first-rate handsome man; when dressed as a woman, he would make countless women feel ashamed in his presence.

It's no exaggeration to say that men with weak wills might be completely captivated by this person upon first meeting him.

There were two main reasons why Settsu Yorimitsu was able to become Shibasaki Renjuro's strategist.

Firstly, it's because of his magnanimity and generosity.

He donated his entire fortune... No one would dare to disrespect an angel investor like him.

Secondly, his talent is truly admirable.

Settsu Yorimitsu's extensive knowledge and extraordinary courage earned Shibasaki Renjuro's great admiration.

Therefore, he respected the other party very much, always addressing him as "Sir" and praising him as "my Zhuge Liang".

Shibasaki Renjuro was asking for advice... Settsu Yorimitsu immediately pursed his thin lips, as if deep in thought.

After a short while, his beautifully shaped lips moved slightly, and he slowly said:

"...Mr. Shibasaki, we don't need to panic."

"It was an unexpected turn of events for none of us that Tachibana Seito, the dignified commander of the capital region and the sole commander of an army, would disregard his own safety and personally go to the front line."

"Although he succeeded, we did not suffer huge losses."

"In my opinion, Ju Qingdeng's purpose is nothing more than to get close to our camp and examine our strengths and weaknesses with his own eyes."

"Now that the die is cast, all we can do is learn from this experience and greatly increase vigilance inside and outside the camp."

"As long as we learn from our mistakes and build our camps into 'hedgehogs' that are both offensive and defensive, even if he had ten times the courage, he would never dare to venture out alone again!"

Renjuro Shibasaki listened attentively, nodding slightly.

"...Yes, Mr. Settsu, you're right."

Having said that, he took a deep breath and then addressed the generals before him:

"Very well, since Mr. Settsu has said so, then... I will let bygones be bygones regarding today's incident!"

"But! You mustn't do it again!"

"From this day forward, no scout from the Shogunate shall be allowed to approach this camp!"

"If I find that today's incident has happened again... Hmph! You can think about the consequences yourselves!"

After issuing the order in a harsh tone, Shibasaki Renjuro turned around again and looked at Settsu Yorimitsu.

"Mr. Settsu, just as you said, the Shogunate army has built a castle in the Ueno Basin of Iga, blocking our only way out."

"It seems that the Mu army intends to hold this place to the death."

"Do you have any good strategies to defeat the enemy?"

As soon as Shibasaki Renjuro finished speaking, Settsu Yorimitsu smiled slightly:

"Of course! To be honest, I have carefully observed the surrounding terrain today, and I am already confident in how to defeat this army of the Mu army before me!"

"If the plan goes smoothly... we can definitely get to Kyoto before the cherry blossoms fall!"

Upon hearing this, everyone present, including Shibasaki Renjuro, perked up, their eyes lighting up and their bodies instinctively leaning towards Settsu Yorimitsu's location.

Setsu Yorimitsu lowered his eyelids, a thoughtful look appearing beneath his long eyelashes.

"However... in order to achieve a complete victory, please give me a little more time! I need to do a few more simulations on the map!"