I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

When referring to the words "foolish man of grass and trees" and "grave," Hijikata Toshizo emphasized them.

Hijikata Toshizo's sharp retort made Serizawa Kamo's expression even more unpleasant.

Just as he was about to lash out, a soft male voice drifted over:

"quiet."

Qing Deng continued expressionlessly:

"If you want to argue, go somewhere where no one is around."

Serizawa Kamo was taken aback.

He glanced at Qingdeng not far away, his expression complex.

After a moment, he clicked his tongue and smacked his lips, then silently pulled back from his forward-leaning posture without saying a word.

Only Aoto could make the unruly Serizawa Kamo submit.

After calming Serizawa Kamo down, Aoto turned his head to look at Kondo Isami beside him.

"Yo, is there any news from the Takatori Domain?"

Kondo Isami gently shook his head.

"There was no news, only silence."

"However, I think no matter how slow or stupid they are, they can't possibly be unaware that a growing rebel force is attacking them."

At this moment, the commander suddenly interjected:

"Tachibana-kun, can the Takatori Domain hold off the rebels?"

This time, it was Kiyokawa Hachiro's turn to answer:

"It's hard to say... Takatori Domain was originally a small domain with only 25000 koku of grain."

"We have no money, no soldiers, and no weapons."

"Apart from having a fortified city that towers into the clouds, it has nothing else to offer."

"As far as I know, the military strength of the Takatori Domain is extremely weak."

"The entire domain only has a mere 200 troops that can be mobilized immediately."

200 people... Upon hearing this number, everyone present frowned.

People didn't have high hopes for Gao Qujun's overall abilities to begin with.

With its troops having little combat effectiveness and being far smaller than the rebels, the Takatori Domain is now in dire straits no matter how you look at it.

Heisuke Todo pursed his lips, as if deep in thought.

After a moment, he suggested to Qingdeng:

“Mr. Tachibana, in my opinion, the Takatori Domain is currently in a precarious situation.”

"If Gaoqu City is captured, the consequences will be unimaginable."

"Perhaps...we should send reinforcements to them immediately?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Qingdeng shook his head without hesitation.

"No, we can't send reinforcements right now."

"The vast majority of our soldiers are still on their way to Nara."

"Currently, only a mere 300 soldiers have successfully arrived in Nara."

"With this small force, let alone rescuing Takatori Domain, we might even lose the entire rescue team that went to the rescue."

"More importantly, the supplies have not yet been fully delivered."

"To advance rashly is too risky."

"If we cannot achieve a quick victory, we will find ourselves in a dilemma."

I don't fight battles I'm not sure I can win.

"Now... we can only hope that the rulers and ministers of the Takatori Domain can withstand the rebels' fierce attack."

"At least hold out until we arrive."

I thought this battle was just about sealing off the gate.

Fighting within the city limits of Kyoto, there is naturally no need to allocate supplies.

After expelling Choshu from Kyoto, he went directly back to his camp for a meal.

As a result... the sudden rebellion perfectly illustrated what it means for plans to go awry.

Yataro Iwasaki, who remained in Kyoto, was working at full speed to allocate supplies.

Be prepared for war at any time—this was Aoto's only requirement for the Shinsengumi's material reserves.

Yataro Iwasaki and others had been stockpiling supplies based on Aoto's guiding principle.

For this reason, the Shinsengumi's warehouses always had a sufficient supply of food and fodder.

It was thanks to Seito's foresight that, despite the suddenness of the Yamato Rebellion, the Shinsengumi's logistics system reacted quickly and was able to complete preparations for the advance in a short time.

Because the position of "head of the finance department" is still vacant, Yataro Iwasaki is basically serving as the head of the Shinsengumi on a concurrent basis.

Under Iwasaki Yataro's well-organized arrangements, the finance department staff worked with great enthusiasm.

[Note: This refers to a junior staff member in the finance department.]

Looking back at the previous battles of Iga, the Shinsengumi only had about a hundred members at the time, so the logistical pressure was not heavy.

Now, the Shinsengumi has grown into an army of three thousand.

An army of this size requires an equally large transport team to ensure its resupply.

The people responsible for transporting supplies for the Shinsengumi were all temporary workers recruited on a temporary basis.

Yataro Iwasaki posted notices inside and outside Kyoto: Recruiting civilian men, vehicles and animal power!

Those with money should contribute money, and those with strength should contribute strength!

Anyone with considerable strength will receive a reward of one tael of silver for each shipment of supplies sent to the front lines!

Those who lend out vehicles and animal power will receive a rental fee of 2 to 10 taels of gold, depending on the quality of the vehicle or animal power! If any accident occurs to the vehicle or animal power, the vehicle or animal power will be compensated at its original price!

The recent harvest has been very bad, and even in Kyoto, one of the "three capitals", many people are finding it difficult to make ends meet.

Poor people are not afraid of hardship or death, but they are afraid of not having money!

With such generous terms announced by the Shinsengumi, it was no surprise that many people responded.

In the blink of an eye, a sizable and ever-growing transportation team has taken shape.

There are supplies, people to transport goods, and everything is ready.

The rest is easy to handle.

Bags of rice, bundles of hay, and packages of weapons were systematically transported out of the warehouse, lined up in long queues, and sent to Nara one after another.

To safeguard the supply line and prevent sabotage by hostile forces—primarily to guard against Choshu, who is still stationed in Kyoto—Qingdeng dispatched the highly mobile 7th and 10th Divisions, i.e., cavalry units, to escort them throughout the journey.

In addition, Nara Magistrate Yamaoka Kageyasu also provided his full support.

He mobilized resources from within the city to supply the newly elected group.

Nara has a longer history than Kyoto, and was formerly known as Heijō-kyō.

While it cannot compare to Edo, Kyoto, and Osaka, it is still one of the major cities in Japan.

For this reason, Nara's material reserves can be described as abundant.

Aoto really finds Yamaoka Kageyasu more and more pleasing to the eye!

Ever since he became the Commander of the Capital Region, Qingdeng has suffered from an increasingly severe "thirst for talent".

The Zhenfu Prefecture has a significant shortage of talent.

To put it in a vivid analogy... Qingdeng's Zhenfu Mansion is like a lame man with one thick leg and one thin leg. The thick leg is the "fierce general," and the thin leg is the "civil official."

Leaving aside the fierce generals, Qing Deng himself is the fiercest one.

Looking across the entire Zhenfu Prefecture, only Yamanami Keisuke, Todo Heisuke, and Sanako possess the talent for starting a business and governing.

Civil officials like Yamaoka Kageyasu, who remained calm and composed in the face of danger, were truly rare.

Qingdeng secretly made up his mind:

—I need to figure out a way to poach Kageyasu Yamaoka!

The distance from Kyoto to Yamato is not long.

If measured using a Chinese scale, such a short combat distance doesn't even extend beyond the province!

Based on current intelligence, although the rebels are gaining momentum, they are ultimately a motley crew.

Once the two armies clash, it is highly unlikely that it will degenerate into a war of attrition where both sides are locked in a prolonged battle; the outcome will be decided in no time.

But... who told Qingdeng not to fight a battle he wasn't sure he could win!

Having taken Li Shimin as his teacher, he deeply implemented the military strategy of "first make yourself invincible, then wait for the enemy to become vulnerable".

Even if it is just a short-lived war that "starts suddenly and ends quickly," he must be fully prepared to deal with any unexpected situations that may arise.

According to his planned strategy... if he wanted to officially lead his army south to quell the rebellion, he would need to gather enough supplies for the entire Shinsengumi army to fight continuously for a month!

Just then, an urgent shout came from outside the room:

"Lord Niou! A urgent message has arrived from Lady Higo!"

Qing Deng immediately proclaimed in a loud voice:

"Bring it in."

"Yes!"

The messenger pushed open the door and slipped inside.

Upon seeing the oppressive atmosphere of the meeting room, he immediately shivered several times.

He swallowed hard, steeled himself, and rushed over to Qingdeng's side, handing over a perfectly sealed letter.