I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

The most typical example is the Siege of Osaka in winter and summer (1614 and 1615) by the Edo Shogunate, which wiped out the Toyotomi family.

Looking back at the Battle of Komaki-Nagakute (1584), the Tokugawa army defeated the then-invincible Toyotomi army on the main battlefield.

However, after only thirty years, the Tokugawa army had become unrecognizable due to prolonged peace.

The Tokugawa army performed poorly in both Battles of Osaka.

Sanada Yukimura, hailed as the "greatest warrior under heaven," personally led a small cavalry force in a charge, breaking through several enemy lines in one fell swoop and nearly reaching Tokugawa Ieyasu.

In just over thirty years, the entire army has undergone such a tremendous change... It's not hard to imagine what the current army of the Tokugawa shogunate, which has enjoyed more than two hundred years of peaceful life, must be like.

The Fire and Thieves Unit was merely a "semi-police, semi-military" force, not a pure military unit. It only became known as a "top-tier elite force" because of its frequent contact with vicious thieves.

Therefore, it is impossible to be optimistic about the actual combat effectiveness of the standing forces such as the shiko-gumi, shoin-ban-gumi, shin-tsurugi-gumi, and shin-tsurugi-gumi.

In this light, it's easy to imagine how shocked Tokugawa Iemochi and others were when they saw the Kyoto garrison's drills—in comparison, this was indeed a powerful army!

Suddenly, Yoshiki Hitotsubashi interrupted, his tone utterly cold and devoid of emotion:

"Tachibana Hyobu, next up is your turn with the Shinsengumi."

Suddenly, the gazes focused on Qing Deng became even sharper.

"..."

Qingdeng blinked a few more times, pursed his lips, as if he was thinking about something.

After a moment, he slightly curved the corners of his mouth and replied softly:

"Then... please forgive my blunder."

……

……

Kyoto, Mibu Village, Shinsengumi Garrison—

After leaving the Daibangu's headquarters, the group headed straight for the Shinsengumi's headquarters.

Initially, the Xinxuanzu settlement was just an ordinary landlord's mansion, with nothing special about it except for its large size.

When the Shinsengumi only had a little over a hundred men, such a small garrison was acceptable.

However, with the continuous expansion of the military, this area is no longer sufficient.

Therefore, Qingdeng allocated a large sum of money for the expansion of the garrison.

The efficiency of civil engineering work is very low nowadays.

Whether it's bricklaying or moving building materials, it all has to be done by people carrying things on their shoulders and by hand.

Although a large amount of manpower has been mobilized, it will still take at least six months to complete the project.

Nevertheless, the newly established garrison has already taken on the appearance of a military camp.

The main gate has been expanded many times over, and the original ordinary wooden door has been replaced with a Tang-style door with a light turquoise color.

A large plaque hangs on the side of the main gate, which reads "Newly Selected Garrison of the Capital Garrison".

Twenty-four fully armed guards stood on either side of the main gate, their hands on their swords at their waists, their eyes scanning the surroundings to prevent unauthorized personnel from approaching.

Before Tokugawa Iemochi and his men even entered the camp, they were stunned to see the guards outside the gate.

The reason was simple—the guards' demeanor left a deep impression on them.

He was in his prime, stood ramrod straight, had a ruddy complexion, and sharp eyes... Such a appearance was definitely not that of an old, weak, or disabled soldier!

The group continued forward, approaching the main entrance.

Suddenly, as if by reflex, Qingdeng rolled off the ox.

Before Tokugawa Iemochi and the others could ask what was wrong with Aoto, they heard the head guard outside the main gate shout:

"Halt! Horse riding is prohibited within the garrison area!"

With a rustling sound, the guards quickly changed their steps, forming a solid human wall that kept everyone outside the main gate.

The sudden turn of events left everyone except Qingdeng momentarily stunned.

Immediately afterwards, the "personal guard" generals, led by Yamaki Unro, roared like dogs seeing fresh meat:

"How dare you! Do you know who this person is?"

"Didn't anyone tell you that the Shogun will be inspecting the Shinsengumi's garrison today?"

"This is the General Zheng Yi! Make way!"

"Even if you don't know the General of the Sei-i Army, you should at least know your Commander-in-Chief, right?"

As Yamaki Yunlang spoke, he pointed to Qingdeng.

The lead guard glanced at Qing Deng, then said solemnly and expressionlessly:

"No one can change anything!"

"In the military, only military orders are obeyed!"

"Let alone the Great Tree Lord and Lord Niou, even if Amaterasu herself came, she would have to obey our military orders!"

These remarks shocked everyone and changed their expressions drastically.

Even Tokugawa Iemochi, Tenshōin, Hitotsubashi Yoshinobu, and Matsudaira Haruaki all wore expressions of disbelief.

Yamaki Yunlang's face turned pale and then flushed.

Just as he opened his mouth wide, about to say something more, Tokugawa Iemochi preemptively stretched out his hand and gestured for him to be quiet.

Faced with the guards' unyielding and uncompromising stance, Tokugawa Iemochi did not show the slightest dissatisfaction; instead, he even revealed a faint smile.

"Okay, I see."

He turned to look at the others:

"Dismount, everyone!"

Having said that, he set an example by leaping off the saddle.

Even Tokugawa Iemochi, the shogun, has dismounted; how could the others not comply?

The crowd looked at each other in bewilderment, and then, like dumplings falling into a pot, they dismounted one after another.

Only after everyone had dismounted did the guards step aside to make way.

Aoto stepped forward and gestured for Tokugawa Iemochi to proceed.

"General, please follow me."

Tokugawa Iemochi nodded slightly and strode forward.

As soon as he passed through the main gate, Tokugawa Iemochi raised an eyebrow, stretched his neck, and struck a pose as if he were "listening intently."

Drink... drink... drink... a strange sound carried by the wind.

Tokugawa Iemochi: "Hmm? Aoto, what's that sound?"

Qingdeng smiled slightly:

"That's the sound of soldiers training."

Tokugawa Iemochi raised an eyebrow again:

"The sound of drills? Is the training ground nearby?"

Qingdeng shook his head.

"It's not close. The nearest training ground is about 10 cho (a unit of distance) away."

[Note: 1 chō (町) is approximately 109 meters]

Tokugawa Iemo opened his eyes wide: "10 towns?"

The others looked much the same, with expressions of astonishment on their faces.

Even from a distance of 10 cho, you can faintly hear the sounds of training... How loud must those training sounds be?

Tokugawa Iemochi blinked, then hurriedly said:

"...Aoto, could you take us to see the Shinsengumi's training grounds first?"

"of course can."

At Tokugawa Iemochi's insistence, the group decided to inspect the training grounds first.

Along the way, you can see workers coming and going, carrying all kinds of building materials.

Perhaps it was because of the presence of these workers that the air in the entire camp was filled with a hot and fast-paced atmosphere—something that the large camp had not had before.

The camp of the large group... was very ordinary, and the air inside was no different from the air outside.

Before long, the spacious Training Ground A came into view.

The shouts of "Drink up!", "Waaaaa!", and "Haaaaaa!" became as loud as muffled thunder.

The moment they caught sight of Training Ground A, the expressions on the faces of Tokugawa Iemochi, Tenshōin, Hitotsubashi Yoshinobu, Matsudaira Haruaki, Yamaki Unryō... were all dominated by intense shock!

Especially Yamaki Unro, who was stunned as if struck by lightning.

Qing Deng said calmly:

"Your Highness, this is the Shinsengumi's Training Ground No. 1."

After saying that, he turned to look at Yamaki Yunlang, who was not far away.

"Mr. Yamaki, please forgive my bluntness—this is what an army should be like!"

Yamaki Yunlang glanced at Qingdeng, then at the Class A training ground in front of him, his face drained of all color.

"Kill! Kill!"

"Keep up! Everyone keep up! Don't fall behind!"

"Stand up straight! Stand up straight! Don't move! Keep your palms close to your legs."

"Form ranks!"

"Drink it! Ahhhhhh!"

The shouts and cries that erupted from the training ground swept across the area like a storm.