I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

After saying that, she narrowed her eyes, her mouth curved into a "ω" shape, and the cunning look on her pretty face became even more pronounced.

"..."

Qingdeng remained silent.

The next instant, with the speed of a conditioned reflex, he turned his head to look out of the sedan chair, as if to confirm something.

"Don't worry, no one knows I'm here except for Jia Mao."

Upon hearing what Tenshōin said, Aoto's previously tense facial features relaxed at a visible speed.

After a pause, Tenshōin adopted a more excited tone:

"Alright, relax. Now... let's enjoy this unique 'trip for two'!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Qingdeng felt a moment of weightlessness.

The men outside the sedan chair carried the sedan chair on their shoulders and expertly lifted it up.

The Shangluo team set off again.

The samurai of the Koshinobu group rode slowly, surrounding the palanquin and protecting their safety.

They would never have imagined that Qingdeng, inside the sedan chair, was enjoying a unique kind of "romantic bliss."

"...Your Highness, what are you doing now?"

Qingdeng sighed heavily, his face full of a bitter smile.

"If you're joking with me, then this joke is way too...exciting."

"If it were discovered that the Grand Imperial Palace and the Governor of the Capital Region were riding in the same sedan chair in the procession to Kyoto, then we would be in deep trouble no matter where we went."

Tensho-in tilted her head and said in a pitiful manner:

"What am I doing now? It's been so long since I've seen you, so I want to spend some quality time alone with you, is that not allowed?"

*******

*******

Another 5000+ words today! Leopard is gradually "recovering." Please, for my hard work, be sure to vote for this book with your monthly tickets! (Tearful Leopard head.jpg)

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PS: Using 100 million taels of gold to go to Luoyang - this is a historical fact, not an original creation of Leopard Leopard. Please be aware of this.

Chapter 673 Qing Deng and Tian Zhang Yuan were inside the sedan chair, while the other female protagonists were outside. [5000]

Tenshoin blinked her beautiful eyes a few times, giving Aoto her long, soft gaze.

Those eyes are so gentle, as if they're caressing you.

At the same time, a blush of shyness appeared on her cheeks.

Anyone else, upon seeing Tenshōin's gentle appearance and hearing her ambiguous words, would probably have been captivated and unable to control themselves.

This leads to a series of classic delusions such as "Oh no, does Prince Tenshōin like me?" and "What should we name our child?"

Unfortunately, these tactics were ineffective against Qingdeng.

He and Tenshōin were old friends, to say the least.

Through years of interaction, he had come to know Tenshōin's mischievous nature well, and also knew that the other was someone who loved playing pranks.

If you're not careful, she'll lead you by the nose.

Qingdeng sighed again, then adopted a serious tone and expression.

"Your Highness, let's get down to business."

“I know very well that you are not the kind of person who would abuse your power for such a reason.”

Tenshōin raised an eyebrow.

"...Seriously, can't you cooperate with me a little more?"

After saying that, she adopted a solemn expression, just like Qingdeng.

"Our time is very tight. After arriving in Kyoto, we will engage in lengthy negotiations with the Imperial Court regarding the expulsion of foreigners."

"We cannot expel the barbarians; doing so would only lead to our death."

"However... the imperial court simply wouldn't listen to us."

"Those nobles of the 'Respect for the Expedition' faction are like a pack of mad dogs, all they know is how to bark."

"Besides constantly repeating 'Expel the barbarians, expel the barbarians, hurry up and expel the barbarians,' he can't say anything else."

"Nobody knows how long this negotiation with the imperial court will drag on."

"So, after discussing it with Kamo, we decided to ask you about the current situation in Kyoto halfway up the road to Kyoto."

"A sedan chair, where no one can disturb us and where there is enough privacy, is a good place to have a conversation."

“Jia Mao is, after all, a general. It would be inappropriate to let the two of you share a sedan chair in front of everyone, and it would easily arouse malicious speculation from those with ulterior motives.”

"There's no other way, I'll just have to do it myself."

As she spoke, she focused her gaze and cast a sharp look at Qingdeng.

"Sheng Qing, you have been stationed in Kyoto for nearly three months. In your opinion, what is the current situation in Kyoto?"

Qingdeng lowered his eyelids, appearing deep in thought.

"...In short: war is imminent."

"Initially, the various factions in Kyoto were evenly matched, and none of them could do anything to the others."

"Now, with my entry into the fray, the power of the pro-shogunate forces has greatly increased, and the original balance of power has been broken."

"Let's set aside the neutral forces represented by the Satsuma Domain for now."

“The pro-imperial forces led by the Choshu Domain must be feeling restless.”

"Kyoto right now is like a giant powder keg."

"The restlessness of the ruling faction has sparked intense conflict."

"It won't be long before these sparks fall into the 'powder keg'."

"The situation in Kyoto will change dramatically in 7 or 8 months at the latest, or 3 or 4 months at the earliest."

"At that time, this upheaval will determine the fate of Kyoto."

"Whether it will become the territory of the 'pro-extradition faction' or return to the embrace of the 'pro-shogunate faction' depends entirely on human effort and fate."

Tianzhangyuan listened attentively.

After Qingdeng finished speaking, she nodded slightly:

"As early as 3 or 4 months... So that's why you plan to expand the Shinsengumi's strength to 3000 men and establish initial combat capability within 3 months?"

The Governor-General of the Capital Region is not responsible to any person or power. Whatever action he takes, he does not need to seek the opinions of others or be concerned about their feelings—except for Tokugawa Iemochi.

Aoto was directly under the command of Tokugawa Iemochi, who was his only superior.

If it's a minor matter, then let it go.

For major matters like conscription, Aoto still had to report to Tokugawa Iemochi first and seek his opinion.

When Aoto sent a letter to Edo asking, "I want to conscript soldiers, what do you think?" he quickly received a reply from Tokugawa Iemochi.

The reply came so quickly that he couldn't help but wonder if the other party had even read his letter carefully.

Tokugawa Iemochi's reply consisted of only one simple, bold word: "Yes!"

There were no tedious questions, no unfounded suspicions, only a hearty nod.

To be honest, if Li Mu, Yue Fei, and others could have welcomed a ruler like Tokugawa Iemochi, they would have been laughing in their sleep.

Qingdeng shook his head with a half-smile:

"That's part of the reason."

"Although I spoke very logically just now, everything I said above is just my personal conjecture."

"I am not a god, I do not have the ability to predict the future."

"There's a good chance something might happen tomorrow... or even today, turning Kyoto into a bloody battlefield littered with corpses."

"It is also possible that after three to five years, Kyoto will still be peaceful, with dancing and barking as usual, and no large-scale direct conflict will break out between the major powers."

"No one can predict the future; anything can happen."

Tenshoin pursed his lips, remaining silent.

Although she didn't say anything, a hint of worry appeared on her face.

Upon seeing this, Qing Deng pondered for a moment.

Suddenly, he spoke:

"Your Highness, although the future is uncertain, we don't need to panic."

As he spoke, he adopted a more relaxed tone.

"'First make yourself invincible, then wait for the enemy to become vulnerable'—this is the only way to defeat the enemy, and it is also the military strategy I admire most."

"What we should do now is to continuously strengthen our capabilities."

"While strengthening yourself, win over all those you can and make as many friends as possible."

"Let's just take it one step at a time and see what happens next."

"No matter what moves the enemy makes, we will just respond accordingly and deal with whatever comes our way."

As soon as Qing Deng finished speaking, Tian Zhang Yuan suddenly showed a surprised expression.

Then, she swept her gaze around, carefully examining Qingdeng from head to toe, as if she were observing something.

“…Sheng Qing, you seem to have changed.”

"Hmm? What makes you say that?"

Tianzhangyuan glanced at Qingdeng a few more times and smiled.