I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Qingdeng had noticed this from the villagers' appearances as soon as he entered the village.

His face was sallow and he was emaciated, his bones were barely visible, and he had no flesh on his body...

With a physique like that, what kind of fighting ability could he possibly have?

Furthermore, their training level was far below Qingdeng's expectations.

Sluggish movements, slow running speed... unable to even form the simplest "square formation".

In conclusion, although the world praised the Eighth Prince for his unity of purpose, after witnessing it firsthand, his actual combat strength did not meet Qing Deng's expectations.

After hearing Qing Deng's brief comments, Yuan Canqi was taken aback for a moment, and then let out a heavy sigh.

"Lord Ren-ou, it is indeed understandable that you hold such a view..."

"In fact, we were already aware of the issue you raised."

"The reason why the boys have become so thin is because life has been too difficult in recent years."

"I don't know why, but our income has plummeted for several years now."

"The grains we grow with painstaking effort and the cloth we weave with painstaking effort can never fetch a good price."

"With less income, we can't afford good food, so naturally we become thin and weak."

"In order to support their families, able-bodied men had to take on other jobs besides farming, such as making umbrellas and shoes."

"As a result, the training time for the boys has been reduced considerably."

"If training time is shortened, combat effectiveness will be weakened."

After hearing Yuan Canqi's explanation, Qing Deng immediately pursed his lips and fell into deep thought.

What the other party said is indeed not to be ignored.

The reason for the "sharp decline in income" mainly involves a series of complex issues such as "Western countries dumping goods on Japan".

This problem cannot be perfectly solved by just one or two measures.

Just then, Hijikata Toshizo suddenly interjected:

"However, they still have their merits."

He smiled as he spoke.

"Their morale is high and their fighting spirit is strong."

"With such morale and fighting spirit, it would be more than enough to defeat that group of useless sons of the direct staff."

Qingdeng raised an eyebrow, then smiled and echoed:

"Yes, you're right."

The sons of the direct subordinates, who were idle all day long and only knew how to eat, drink, gamble, and whore, were at the very bottom of the shogunate's hierarchy of contempt.

Even an ordinary person can grin and show disdain, and laugh at the incompetence of the children of the direct subordinates.

After the laughter subsided, Qingdeng composed himself, composed himself, and adopted a serious tone once more:

"Yuan Jun, from this day forward, the thousand of us will unite and cease practicing the Koshu-ryu military strategy."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Canqi and the others were immediately stunned.

Before they could ask any questions, Qingdeng reached into his robes and pulled out a booklet of moderate thickness, handing it to Yuan Canqi.

"From today onward, a thousand people will train together according to the contents of this book."

Yuan Can blinked a few times forcefully and took the book with both hands.

On the cover of this book, four large Chinese characters are written—

"The Orange Stream...military strategy?"

Yuan Canqi recited the words aloud, one word at a time.

Qingdeng nodded slightly.

"This is a military strategy book that I wrote myself, based on what I have learned, seen, thought, and my own practical experience."

"Times have changed, and the Koshu military strategy is no longer applicable to modern warfare."

"Only by mastering the military strategies in this book can you be invincible on the battlefield in the future!"

After listening intently, Yuan Canqi slowly opened the military book in his hand.

"Standing at attention? Discipline? Maintaining cleanliness?"

He found the contents of the book both novel and surprising.

Although Qing Deng was already a general who commanded two armies at the same time, the importance of the Shinsengumi to him was naturally far greater than the unity of a thousand people.

In other words, Qingdeng could not stay in Hachioji for a long time, nor could he keep an eye on the thousand people in harmony at all times.

Therefore, the only option is to write a military treatise to guide the "thousands of men and ten families" in building a brand-new army.

The outdated Koshu-ryu military strategy is definitely no longer viable.

For various reasons, Aoto decided to have the Sennin Doshin adopt the same training methods as the Shinsengumi.

That is, training starts with "standing at attention" and emphasizes discipline.

Firstly, this method of training troops is effective.

Secondly, it allows the two armies to maintain the same training methods, facilitating unified command in the future.

In the event that the Shinsengumi and the Sennin need to conduct joint operations someday, having received the same training will allow the two armies to integrate more quickly.

A while ago, Qing Deng took advantage of his vacation to rush out a book called "The Strategy of the Orange Stream".

Writing this book was a piece of cake for Qing Deng.

He had already written a book when the Shinsengumi first arrived in Kyoto.

The income and food issues of a thousand people working together are a major and difficult problem to solve.

Qing Deng's current financial resources are not enough to support him in replicating the food and treatment of the Shinsengumi to the Sennin Tongxin.

Therefore, this matter must be put on hold for the time being.

When we have more financial resources and more money in the future, we can gradually solve the problem of feeding a thousand people!

At this stage, it doesn't matter that the combined fighting strength of a thousand people is slightly weaker.

Originally, Qingdeng did not expect the Thousand People United to be an invincible and powerful army.

Qingdeng had only one requirement for the thousand men to be of one mind: to be a qualified defensive force.

As long as they can fight a good defensive battle, withstand the enemy's advance, and hold Jiazhou Pass, Qingdeng will be content.

We don't expect them to attack, nor do we expect them to achieve any outstanding results on the battlefield.

To dominate the battlefield—this is the Shinsengumi's mission!

*******

*******

It's almost the end of the month again! Readers who have monthly passes, please be sure to vote for this book! (crying leopard head.jpg)

Please vote with monthly tickets! Please vote with recommendation tickets! (Leopard crying.jpg)

P.S.: In tomorrow's chapter, Qing Deng will be back in Kyoto. The story of Volume 3 is nearing its end, and the final battle of Volume 3 is about to begin! (Leopard High.jpg)

Chapter 713 3000 Soldiers! The New Organization of the Garrison Command! The Reorganized New Selection Group! [4200]

The Koshu-ryu military strategy is a military strategy that has been practiced by a thousand people for over two hundred years and passed down through generations.

The depth of their feelings is self-evident.

Suddenly, someone abruptly said to them, "Stop practicing the Koshu-ryu military strategy; it's outdated. Switch to another military strategy." Under normal circumstances, this person would have received a "enthusiastic" response from thousands of people.

However, as I said before, Qingdeng enjoys immense prestige in Kanto, where his word is law!

Nowadays, it's hard to say about other places, but in the Kanto region, the title "Niou" might be more effective than "Sei-i Taishogun"!

Yuan Canqi held "The Art of War of the Orange Stream" in his hands, looking completely bewildered.

He subconsciously turned his head to look at the others behind him.

However... he was looking at them, and they were looking at him.

They looked at each other, their faces filled with bewilderment.

To abandon the Koshu-ryu military strategy immediately... even if one rationally accepts it, one cannot emotionally adapt so quickly.

In the end, they all did the same thing—facing Qingdeng, they shouted "Yes!" in unison.

They dared not refuse Qingdeng, nor dared they give Qingdeng a perfunctory response!

……

……

As dusk approached, the able-bodied men who had gone to plow the fields gradually returned to the village.

Taking advantage of this moment, Qingdeng issued a "summoning order," gathering all the soldiers of the thousand-strong army, as well as all the elderly, weak, women, and children in the village.

The simple high platform of Qingdeng Station.

Below the platform, a dense crowd of people had gathered.

Men, women, old and young, all craned their necks, opened their eyes wide, and cast curious and excited glances at Qingdeng, as if they were watching rare birds and animals in a zoo.

Although most of them wore simple, patched, and tattered clothes, they did not exude the same "gloomy aura" as some poor people, who seemed indistinguishable from the dead.

Seeing this, Qing Deng couldn't help but nod to himself.

In terms of morale alone, a thousand people united in purpose are indeed a force to be reckoned with!

"As you can see, I am your new leader—'Niou' Tachibana Aoto!"

Originally, this sudden "all-staff gathering" was simply to meet with all the soldiers who were of one mind and get to know each other.

Therefore, Qingdeng did not launch into a lengthy and tedious discourse.

After making a few simple remarks, he slowly walked down from the platform amidst cheers from the crowd.