I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Chapter 740 Orange Green Ascends, True to Its Name! [5600]

The Shinsengumi camp in Jōgami County, Gyeonggi Province.

The weather is quite mild today.

The sunlight, like silk, streamed down from the eastern horizon.

As dawn broke, the clouds transformed into bright colors, radiant and dazzling.

Looking around, a light blue mist hung over the open fields, thick with the lingering night air.

Dressed in light blue haori, chainmail, arm armor, leg armor... Qing Deng slowly walked out of his tent, leaning on his sword, gazing at the rising sun.

The pale golden morning light illuminated his thoughtful expression.

"Kid Orange, you're up really early."

Before the words were even finished, the person had already arrived.

As Kondo Isami slowly walked to Aoto's side and stood shoulder to shoulder with him, he yawned widely, his gorilla-like mouth so large it looked like it could fit two fists.

"I just got up too."

"Hmm? Tachibana-kun, what are you thinking about? You look so preoccupied."

Qingdeng chuckled to himself:

"It's nothing, just... a little sentimental."

Before Kondo Isami could ask further questions, Aoto continued speaking on his own:

"For some reason, after seeing this boundless wilderness, I couldn't help but feel melancholy about the passing of spring and the coming of autumn."

“Looking back three years, I was just an unknown nobody.”

"And now... just three years later, I have become a general of the Mu army with three thousand troops."

"Looking back on this journey... it's truly been a journey filled with so many emotions."

After hearing this, Kondo Isami nodded solemnly, a serious and earnest expression appearing on his face.

"Yes, Tachibana-kun, I understand how you feel."

"I feel the same way."

“Three years ago, I was just a substitute teacher at the ‘Taro Dojo,’ where there were very few apprentices.”

"Who would have thought that someone like me would become the famous commander of the Shinsengumi?"

At this point, Kondo Isami paused for a moment.

Then, he let out a long sigh:

"King Tachibana, after this battle, you should... no, you will definitely be promoted to daimyo! Become the lord of a castle and a region!"

At this point, Kondo Isami's eyes revealed an obvious look of envy.

"Daimyo... Daimyo... How wonderful! This is the ultimate ideal of so many samurai!"

"If I could become a daimyo, that would be a truly great achievement!"

"Ju-kun, Ah Sui and I have discussed your assigned location."

"We all think you will most likely be enfeoffed in the capital region."

"You bear the heavy responsibility of guarding the capital region and protecting the western border for the shogunate."

"If that's the case, there's no reason to enfeoff you in a remote and impoverished area."

Kondo Isami spoke with great enthusiasm.

Qingdeng was stunned for a moment, then slowly revealed a complex expression, murmuring:

"The ruler of a city or a region..."

During the Edo period, anyone with a modicum of common sense knew what it meant to "become a daimyo".

This means that they will own their own land.

This means they will have their own subjects.

This means he will become the de facto monarch!

This means you will receive unparalleled honor that everyone envies!

Of course, compared to those superficial things, Qingdeng pays more attention to tangible and substantial benefits.

In Qing Deng's view, the greatest advantage of becoming a daimyo is that he will have more abundant resources to achieve his goals!

To be honest, the development of the New Selection Group has reached a bottleneck... or rather, the revenue-generating capacity of the New Selection Chamber of Commerce has reached its limit.

Although the silver mirror industry is a highly profitable industry with a monopoly, even the most profitable industry has its limits.

Armies are among the most money-devouring behemoths in human history.

According to Iwasaki Yataro's reliable calculations, the Shinsengumi's current revenue-generating capacity is already at its limit in maintaining a 3000-strong cold weapon force.

In order to increase revenue, Yataro Iwasaki had long ago tried to expand his sources of income and continuously enrich the Shinsengumi's profit-making methods.

For example, they purchased land on the outskirts of Kyoto and reclaimed land by blocking a river.

For example, purchasing ships to develop ocean trade.

However, these are all slow-acting revenue-generating methods.

It will be one or two years before these new fields sprout rice seedlings.

However... once you have your own fiefdom, everything will be very different!

First, Qingdeng will be able to increase its income through traditional means, namely by levying agricultural taxes, customs duties, and other taxes.

Secondly, Qingdeng could transform the newly elected Chamber of Commerce into a "state-owned enterprise" of the vassal state, allowing them to do bigger and more profitable business.

In short, becoming a daimyo means having a more stable and abundant source of wealth!

At that time, he will be able to further expand the size of the Shinsengumi and transform it into a true modern army!

Due to limited financial resources and a lack of reliable and stable purchasing channels, Qingdeng delayed equipping the Shinsengumi with firearms.

Moreover, continuously purchasing firearms from Western arms dealers is ultimately not a long-term solution.

There's a saying: "It's better to make than to buy."

Western arms dealers took advantage of your lack of industrial technology, which is why they drove up the price of guns and cannons to an extremely high level. A flintlock musket could sell for several taels of gold, with an extremely high premium.

Once he has his own fiefdom, Qingdeng can establish military factories within his territory, just like Samo did, introduce advanced technologies from the Western world, and vigorously develop industrial capabilities!

By then, not only will the Shinsengumi be able to use "domestic guns and cannons," but the Shinsengumi will also be able to sell industrial products all over Japan and make a fortune!

Thinking of this, Qingdeng couldn't help but feel excited! He couldn't help but imagine his future "farming life".

Of course, fantasizing is just fantasizing.

After a brief "fantasy period," Qingdeng's thoughts gradually returned to reality.

He smiled, then said to Kondo Isami in a half-joking manner:

"Yong, let's leave these distant things for later and think about them slowly."

"For now... let's focus our efforts on the current battle."

As he spoke, he turned around gracefully, his light blue haori billowing high in the air!

"Takagi Castle is still in enemy hands; it's time to reclaim it."

"Pass on my order—break camp! Move out and retake Gaoqu City!"

……

……

At this very moment, in the ten cities south of Jōsho County—

"Ha...ha...ha...ha...ha...ha..."

"I can't go on... I really can't walk anymore..."

"Mr. Yoshimura, please take a short rest!"

Yoshimura Torataro licked his dry lips and turned to look at his comrades... or rather, his only remaining comrades.

Looking around, the scene was one of utter desolation...

To escape the Shinsengumi's pursuit, Yoshimura Torataro and the others fled desperately, running for their lives...

It vividly demonstrates what it means to "flee in panic" and what it means to be "shocked by the wind and the cries of cranes."

He tripped and fell, but without checking his scraped legs, he quickly got up and continued running.

Seeing their comrades gradually fall behind due to exhaustion, they don't even bother to help them up—in fact, many people would secretly feel fortunate after encountering such a situation.

If your comrades fall behind, it means that the Shinsengumi's pursuit force will be busy eliminating these slow-moving individuals, greatly increasing your chances of escape.

And so, Yoshimura Torataro and the others ran all night long, from night to dawn... Heaven knows how they did it.

This is probably what is called the will to survive.

Driven by the will to survive, everyone unleashed extraordinary physical strength, running all the way from Shijo-no-kami County to Tochi-no-kami County in the south.

After running all night, these lucky survivors were all in a sorry state.

Not only were they drenched in sweat, but their clothes were also stained with sweat and blood, losing their original color.

In addition, due to the severe depletion of their physical strength and the long period without food or water, everyone, including Yoshimura Torataro, was visibly weak, their faces were extremely pale, and their dry lips resembled parched, cracked fields.

Several people were even swaying precariously, as if they might collapse at any moment.

At first glance, they no longer looked like a group of warriors who were sacrificing themselves for the movement to honor the emperor; instead, they looked more like a group of pitiful beggars, making people want to throw a few coins at them.

Yoshimura Torataro craned his neck, gazing nervously towards the north.

The light blue haori is not visible.

There was no sound of hurried hooves or footsteps.

—It seems we're safe for now…