I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

The soldiers... especially the new recruits, all wore expressions of both nervousness and excitement.

Because Qing Deng was still speaking, no one dared to make a sound, much less cause a commotion.

After a brief commotion, they gradually quieted down, staring intently at Qingdeng.

At this moment, Qingdeng's other talent—"Failed Art Student +2"—was activated!

[Note: "Failed Art Students +2": The speech was very inspiring]

At first glance, Qing Deng's tone and voice seemed unremarkable.

However, it possesses a magical quality that compels people to listen intently and attentively.

Qingdeng's words had already taken the soldiers by surprise.

Unexpectedly, his next sentence immediately caused an even larger uproar:

"The Emperor has been deceived by treacherous people!"

“The pro-imperial faction of court nobles, led by Sanjo Sanetomi, has become a group of heinous villains.”

"They colluded with Changzhou, working together to seize control of the court!"

"Now, the Emperor is like a caged bird, imprisoned in the Imperial Palace!"

"His movements are restricted."

His voice was silenced.

"The upcoming 'Yamato Imperial Tour' is a complete and utterly despicable conspiracy!"

"The so-called imperial edict that 'the Emperor will travel to Yamato' is actually a forged edict carefully fabricated by Sanjo Sanetomi and others!"

"Everything is just as the rumors in the city say: their goal is to kidnap the Emperor!"

"Once the Emperor leaves the capital, they will seize the opportunity to kidnap him, abduct Choshu, and, following the example of the Three Kingdoms period, use the emperor to command the feudal lords and disrupt the world!"

"The actions of the Zunyang faction are utterly unforgivable and deserve to be punished!"

"The Emperor can no longer tolerate the atrocities committed by the pro-imperial faction."

"He has secretly issued an edict to us!"

"He demanded that we quickly muster our forces, expel the faction that controls the government, and restore order to the court!"

"We are not fighting alone!"

"The armies of Aizu and Satsuma will stand shoulder to shoulder with us!"

"Next, we will immediately head to the Imperial Palace! Together with the Kai and Satsuma armies, we will seal off the Imperial Gate and expel the traitors led by Choshu!"

At this point, Qingdeng waved his hand with great momentum.

"All troops, advance!"

The words spoken by Qing Deng—that the Zunpang faction was controlling the Emperor, that the Emperor was secretly issuing an edict, and that the Xinhui-Satsuma allied forces would block the Imperial Gate—shocked the soldiers and left them speechless for a short time.

After the initial shock subsided, the soldiers gradually displayed a variety of expressions.

Some people looked completely bewildered.

Some people looked excited.

A very few individuals... especially Kiyohachiro, who longed for the imperial court, were speechless, their eyes wide with disbelief.

Despite their varied expressions, the soldiers' subsequent actions were perfectly synchronized.

The discipline cultivated through rigorous training and long-term exposure to the environment enabled the soldiers to unanimously erupt in a thunderous shout the moment Qing Deng finished speaking.

Qingdeng raised his right arm high, fist pointing to the sky, and let out a triumphant roar:

"Hey! Hey!"

The next moment, the soldiers below the platform either waved their arms or craned their necks, shouting in unison:

"Ooo ...

Qingdeng continues:

"Hey! Hey!"

The soldiers shouted again:

"Ooo ...

"Hey! Hey!"

"Ooo ...

This was repeated several times.

To be honest, Qingdeng had always thought Shenghong was a bit silly.

There was nothing wrong with the soldiers' unison shouts.

However, the "Hey! Hey!" cry first uttered by the general sounded like someone who couldn't poop, so he kept shouting "Hey! Hey!" to encourage himself.

As he gained more life experience, he belatedly realized that the reason why the Shenghong ceremony has been passed down to this day and is still an essential ritual for armies after going to war or winning a battle is indeed quite reasonable.

The general would shout "Hey! Hey!" first, giving the soldiers time to prepare, thus ensuring that they could shout in unison at the same time.

Imagine yourself in that situation—when you are in a dense formation of troops, and you and your comrades shout in unison, your emotions will naturally rise!

Sure enough, the atmosphere, which had been somewhat subdued just moments before, instantly became vibrant and energetic! Morale was at its peak!

Immediately afterwards, each team left the camp in a specific order and headed straight for the Imperial Palace!

Qingdeng remained on the high platform, silently watching the soldiers set off for the expedition.

He only turned and walked down the platform after the soldiers had almost left.

However... at that moment, a guard dressed as a doorman ran straight toward him.

Although the entire army was mobilized, it was naturally impossible to empty the entire garrison.

All the non-combat personnel, including the accountant and the blacksmith, stayed behind.

Also remaining were the minimum armed forces, represented by the gatekeepers.

The gatekeeper ran up to Qingdeng, breathless.

Before he could catch his breath, he said impatiently in a fast voice:

"Huff...! Huff...! Huff...! Lord Prince Ren! Quick, quick sedan chair! A quick sedan chair has arrived outside the camp! It's a quick sedan chair from Nara!"

Upon hearing the word "fast sedan chair," Qing Deng immediately frowned.

Those who frowned along with him included Hijikata Toshizo, Yamanami Keisuke, and others.

A fast car is coming here... Something big must have happened!

Without thinking it over, Qingdeng immediately said:

"Quickly, bring the sedan chair in!"

"Yes!"

Before they could finish, several burly men, drenched in sweat, appeared before Qingdeng and the others carrying a sedan chair.

The sedan chair door was flung open with a "whoosh," and a thin messenger nimbly slipped out.

Because he had come all the way from Nara, the messenger was in good spirits, with a normal complexion, and looked like a living person.

Unlike the messenger who came from Ise last time, who was practically a living dead by the time he arrived in Kyoto, this time he was on the verge of death.

The messenger scrambled to Qingdeng's feet, knelt on one knee, and pulled a sealed scroll from his robes, holding it high above his head.

"Nioh-sama, urgent message from Nara!"

Qingdeng nodded slightly, took the scroll, and checked the integrity of the seal.

After confirming that everything was correct, he tore open the seal and slowly unfolded it.

The letter contained very little information.

Qing Deng read ten lines at a time, and finished reading it in no time.

Logically speaking, letters delivered by a fast sedan should contain extremely important information.

However, after putting down the scroll in his hand, Qingdeng remained expressionless, making it impossible to fathom his thoughts.

After a short while, he silently handed the scroll in his hand to Hijikata Toshizo and the others beside him.

Hijikata Toshizo and the others took it and quickly read it, skimming through several lines at a glance.

With each line of text their eyes swept over, a look of astonishment appeared on their faces.

Hijikata Toshizo's face was solemn:

"Ju, we..."

Before he could finish speaking, Qingdeng interrupted:

"No rush, we can discuss it later. For now, let's rendezvous with the Second Army of Huisa!"

……

……

Kyoto, Imperial Palace—

A series of loud footsteps broke the tranquility of Kyoto.

Mibu-go, Kinkai-kyo-ji Temple, Satsuma Domain... Three armies, each departing from these three locations, traversed the main streets of Kyoto and headed towards the same place—the Imperial Palace located in the north of Kyoto!

The three armies took their positions as planned.

The Satsuma army blockaded the north side and most of the east side of the palace.

The Aizu army blockaded most of the western side of the Imperial Palace.

The Shinsengumi blocked the south, part of the east, and part of the west of the Imperial Palace.

The three armies stood in formation before the gate, orderly and imposing.

When Aoto arrived at the Imperial Palace, he saw the three-leaf hollyhock and the round cross fluttering in the wind. (The crest of the Shimazu clan of Satsuma. The design is a circle with a cross inside.)

He then found Matsudaira Katamori and Saigo Kichinosuke.