I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Suddenly, someone shouted:

"Look! Here it comes! Lord Tachibana is here!"

In an instant, the entire hall fell silent.

Everyone present—whether they were commoners who had come to join the fun or officials responsible for maintaining order—involuntarily held their breath.

Click, click, click, click, click...

The first sound that reached everyone's ears was the gentle clatter of hooves.

In an instant, beams of gaze followed the sound of hooves.

They first saw the rounded top of the pole.

The top of the pole resembles the mast of a sailboat gradually approaching, slowly "rising".

Soon, a sturdy flagpole and a brightly colored flag came into view.

The flag has a red background with white lettering, and a large "诚" (sincerity) character in the center—it is the Shinsengumi's "Sincerity Flag".

Owari Masajiro held high the "Sincerity Flag," his expression solemn, his steps steady and methodical as he strode forward.

Beneath the fluttering "Sincerity Flag" are patches of light green.

The Shinsengumi soldiers marched in two columns through the clean streets, bathed in the respectful gazes of the civilians lining the streets.

Looking around, everyone stood tall with their chests puffed out, their cheeks brimming with undisguised pride, their expressions radiating confidence and their demeanor exuding heroic spirit!

It's as if they won all the battles of Dan-no-ura, Tenno-zan, and Sekigahara!

[Note: Battle of Dan-no-ura: The decisive battle for the Kamakura Shogunate to establish its rule. Battle of Tenno-zan: The decisive battle for the Toyotomi Hideyoshi Emperor to establish his rule. Battle of Sekigahara: The decisive battle for the Edo Shogunate to establish its rule.]

The Aizu soldiers who came to assist the battle as guest troops also looked the same way, with their chests held high, as if they wanted to raise their chins to the sky.

Admittedly, at the beginning of the battle, Sagawa Kanbei's reckless advance with light troops led to the Aizu cavalry being soundly defeated by the enemy's arquebusiers, and they were exposed as much as they could.

This humiliating defeat left the Aizu soldiers feeling both ashamed and incredibly indignant!

During the period of waiting for the two armies to officially start fighting, the soldiers of Aizu were really looking forward to it.

They eagerly awaited...awaited the moment when war would break out! They wanted to avenge their previous humiliation!

Therefore, in the first phase of the battle, the 20 Aizu archers and the 20 Aizu arquebusiers truly went all out.

The intense, continuous drawing of the bow rendered the archers unable to lift their right arms for several days afterward.

The gunners weren't much better off; the tedious loading process wore down their fingers.

It was thanks to their outstanding performance that the defensive pressure on all fronts was greatly reduced, thus halting the enemy's offensive.

As for the 20 Aizu cavalrymen, needless to say.

In the second phase of the battle, namely the surprise attack on the enemy camp, they closely followed Qingdeng, bravely jumped off the cliff, and fiercely attacked the enemy's main camp, fighting to the last moment and paying a heavy price.

After the battle, only nine people returned safely; the rest died on the battlefield.

In conclusion, the Aizu soldiers displayed their true "Aizu spirit" in the Battle of Iga, successfully salvaging their reputation with their outstanding battlefield performance.

The triumphant procession marched forward in an orderly fashion.

Because the number of the Xinhui Allied Forces was not large, they quickly reached the middle section.

In the very center of the ranks, instead of the imposing generals, there were a large number of disheveled, dejected soldiers.

These people were prisoners captured by the soldiers of the Xinhui Allied Forces.

In this battle, the soldiers of the Xinhui Allied Forces captured a total of over a thousand people.

The prisoners were arranged in four neat rows, their necks bound by thick hemp ropes. Each rope held 30 people together, forming long lines.

The soldiers herded the prisoners forward like sheep.

Despite outnumbering the Xinhui Allied Forces several times over, they all seemed to have lost their souls, keeping their heads down and letting themselves be driven away at will.

At the very front of this group of prisoners, a soldier held his long spear high, with a severed head stuck in the tip, which was particularly eye-catching.

It goes without saying whose brain is responsible for granting such "high-level treatment".

As the mastermind behind this turmoil, Shibasaki Renjuro's head was handed over to the shogunate by Aotosu.

Only in this way can the suppression of this rebellion be considered a complete success.

Therefore, to prevent corruption, its head was specially "cured" with salt before being impaled on the spear.

During this grand "victory march," the officers of the Shinsengumi at all levels displayed a wide variety of appearances.

Keisuke Yamanami and Hajime Saito, who are indifferent to fame and fortune, remained calm and composed throughout the event, unmoved by the cheers and enthusiastic gazes around them.

As always, the introverted Kinoshita Mai hunched her shoulders and avoided eye contact.

Souji and Harada Sanosuke, who loved excitement, looked around excitedly and waved to the people around them with great interest.

Although the soldiers in the ranks were all dazzling, the one who could most attract the attention of the people of Kyoto... was ultimately that person.

Most of the attention at the scene was focused on the "Black Bull Knight".

Click, click, click, click, click, click...

Radish, with its head held high, strolled leisurely at the very front of the line.

Qingdeng held the reins, straightened his back, and looked straight ahead without glancing to the side.

In Qing Deng's view, today's triumphant return is an excellent "publicity campaign".

In such an occasion where "a large number of samurai and commoners will definitely come to join in the fun," wouldn't it be a pity not to take this opportunity to further shape the positive image of the Shinsengumi and deepen the goodwill of the Kyoto samurai and commoners towards the Shinsengumi?

Therefore, in order to achieve this goal, he specifically asked his soldiers to bathe and change clothes before returning to the capital, to wash their bodies clean, and to put on their cleanest clothes.

As for the person in question, they put in a great deal of effort.

In order to present himself in the best possible light, he took the long time to groom himself and dressed up carefully from head to toe.

I changed into my brand newest clothes.

Make your hair shine like a mirror.

As for his mount, he took great care to maintain its appearance, grooming its fur and draping it with a purple cloak.

Judging from the results, the efforts that Qingdeng put in were quite effective.

His tall stature and handsome features were naturally attractive to women.

Now, with his meticulously crafted dashing appearance, coupled with the added filter of "a victorious general returning home," he appears even more captivating.

In short—Qing Deng, as depicted, is practically a walking succubus! He exudes irresistible male hormones!

Countless young girls on both sides of the street, no, not just young girls, but even older married women and mature women, all blinked their starry eyes and cast admiring glances at Qingdeng.

A gentle breeze blew, lifting Qing Deng's sleeves and hem, making his clothes flutter gracefully.

Suddenly, a woman with a loud voice suddenly shouted:

"Lord Niou!"

Even Qing Deng was drawn in by the loud voice.

He instinctively turned his head and saw a young woman, around 15 years old, with her hands covering her lips, looking excited, repeatedly calling out "Lord Niou".

When she saw Qing Deng looking at her, she froze on the spot, her whole body stiffening from the overwhelming excitement.

On a whim, Qingdeng smiled and waved to her.

Instantly, the girl and the other women around her all emitted sharp explosions.

This scene is just like the picture described in the ancient poem: "Riding a horse and leaning against a slanting bridge, red sleeves beckon from the whole building."

As for the other soldiers, their imposing and handsome appearances also earned them the admiration and longing of the people.

At this moment, the commander, who was walking behind Qing Deng, suddenly curled the corners of his mouth and said to Qing Deng in a teasing tone:

"I wonder how generous your reward will be this time, Mr. Orange."

Qing Deng Wan Er:

"You'll know in a few days."

……

……

As it turned out, it wasn't long before the world learned what kind of reward Qingdeng had received.

Perhaps to boost morale among the military and the people, this time the rewards came exceptionally quickly.

The bounty and treasures bestowed by the shogunate will be left aside for now.

For Qingdeng at present, money is nothing more than a string of numbers.

Compared to the gold and silver items, these two items are the main focus of this reward—

He was granted a stipend of 3000 shi (a unit of grain) and appointed as the Vice Minister of War, a sixth-rank official.

The former is easy to understand; it simply means increasing family fortune.

As for the latter—Qingdeng's position remains unchanged, still serving as the Commander of the Capital Region.

This position, the sixth-rank lower-ranking Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, was not an official post in the shogunate, but rather an official post in the imperial court.

During the Nara period, Japan established a relatively complete legal system based on the Tang Dynasty legal code and taking into account its national conditions.

The central government system under the Japanese Ritsuryo system consisted of "two officials and eight ministries".

Under the Emperor, there were the Shinto officials responsible for performing court rituals and the Grand Council of State (or two other officials) who oversaw national administration. The actual administration under the Grand Council of State was shared by eight ministries, including: the Ministry of Central Affairs, the Ministry of Imperial Household, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Civil Affairs, the Ministry of Ceremonies, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Civil Affairs, and the Ministry of War.

The government offices were divided into four ranks of officials (chief official, deputy chief official, judge, and chief clerk) and lower-ranking officials.

The Ministry of War, as its name suggests, was similar to the modern Ministry of Defense. It was responsible for managing the personnel of military officers, the troops of various countries, cities, and all other military affairs. It was also responsible for recruiting soldiers from the capital and other regions and compiling a roster.

The superior officer is the Minister of War (a fourth-rank official).

The second-ranking officials were the Grand Assistant Minister of War (a lower-ranking official of the fifth rank) and the Junior Assistant Minister of War (a lower-ranking official of the fifth rank).

The judges were the Vice Minister of War (lower sixth rank) and the Junior Minister of War (upper sixth rank).

The main officials were the Grand Clerk of the Ministry of War (ranked seventh, senior) and the Junior Clerk of the Ministry of War (ranked seventh, junior).

The judge's main responsibility is to supervise and review all kinds of documents in the department.