I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

However… even though he couldn’t believe it, he had to admit that he probably wouldn’t be able to replicate his previous luck this time…

This moment marked the first time in his life that he had felt the oppression and fear of "death approaching."

The threat of death and the shattering of his ideals... Under this double blow, he gradually lost his composure and became like a madman.

His hair bun fell off during the struggle, and his hair came loose.

His cheeks flushed an unnatural red from the excitement of the moment.

His eyes also turned red—the whites of his eyes were covered with a blood-red color like earthworms, which looked extremely horrifying.

"Mr. Ju, there must be some misunderstanding here!"

"I have never done anything to betray the Shinsengumi!"

"Please give me the right to appeal!"

"Please!"

"Please give me another chance!"

"I shed blood for the Shinsengumi! I was wounded for the Shinsengumi! I am innocent!"

His appearance at that moment... to put it bluntly, was exactly like that of a puppy abandoned by its owner, pitifully staring at its owner's back, hoping that its owner would change its mind.

Unfortunately... Qingdeng left with extreme determination.

Until Qingdeng's figure disappeared from his sight, Qingdeng did not look back at him even once.

……

……

To distinguish themselves from ordinary soldiers, the former have special attire.

No matter when or where, the guards always wear black headbands.

Therefore, the Shinsengumi soldiers often used "black forehead" to refer to the term "metsugu" (or "black-faced man").

One of the daily tasks of the officers is to wander around the camp and check whether the soldiers' clothing and behavior are in accordance with regulations.

Therefore, they are rarely seen moving in groups.

At the same time that Kiyokawa Hachiro was arrested, the police officers of the Metropolitan Police Department launched a rare and large-scale operation!

They split into small teams and rushed to various locations in the village without stopping.

Training ground, canteen, corridors, dormitories, toilets...

Everywhere you can see the figures of the staff running back and forth.

The stern shouts of the officers could be heard everywhere.

"Koichi Tadokoro, you're under arrest!"

"Stone boats! Surrender now!"

"Don't run! Stop!"

"Kid, here's a piece of advice! Put down the knife right now! If you're still stubborn, we'll have to fight back!"

……

Without a doubt, the target of the accomplices was Kiyokawa Hachiro's accomplices!

The spies' swift and stealthy actions meant that most people were pinned to the ground before they even had a chance to react.

Although some people drew their knives to resist, their resistance was like ants trying to shake a tree, and they were quickly and easily defeated by the numerically superior mobs.

Before long, members of the "Qinghe Party" were escorted to prison.

Apart from a very few individuals such as Kondo Isami and Hijikata Toshizo, the vast majority of people in the Shinsengumi were unaware of the existence of the "Kiyoga Party".

Therefore, the large-scale operation launched by the Censorate today has naturally sparked heated discussions among the soldiers.

They looked at each other, whispering among themselves, discussing what had happened.

They won't discuss it for too long, because the truth will come out soon enough.

At Qing Deng's behest, Yamanami Keisuke had already drafted a "Proclamation against Qinghe".

Once Kiyokawa Hachiro is imprisoned, this manifesto will be made public to the entire army.

Qing Deng's praise of Qinghe Hachiro just now was not unfounded.

He truly admired Kiyokawa Hachiro's talent.

Despite Qing Deng's deliberate attempt to suppress him, he still managed to grow the "Qinghe Party" to nearly fifty members!

Whenever he thinks of this, Qingdeng can't help but feel regret.

If Kiyokawa Hachiro were to pledge allegiance to him, he would have a real chance to become one of his trusted generals, just like Hijikata Toshizo and Yamanami Keisuke.

What a pity... How can I allow others to sleep soundly beside my bed?

No matter how ambitious Qingdeng is, he will not allow someone who is obsessed with "rebellion" to hold an important position under his command!

In less than half an hour, thanks to the swift and decisive action of the Censorate, the entire "Qinghe Party" was wiped out! Not a single one escaped!

From this day forward, there will be no more "Qinghe Party" in the new electoral group!

……

……

Qingdeng walked alone on his way back to his room.

Suddenly, a beautiful figure in bright red appeared behind him, quickly catching up with him and walking alongside him.

"Qingdeng, I'm back."

Kinoshita Mai called softly.

Seeing that Kinoshita Mai had returned, Aoto gave a brief greeting and then asked directly:

"Ah Wu, how is it?"

Kinoshita Mai replied:

"It went smoothly. The Tosa Loyalist Party's strongholds were completely wiped out, and its members were either captured or executed, but..."

At this point, Kinoshita Mai paused, her tone becoming serious.

"We underestimated Okada Izo."

"He led from the front and fought to the death."

"In the end, he actually led Takeshi Hanpeita out of the encirclement and escaped to safety."

Upon hearing this, Qing Deng raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? They actually escaped? That's quite impressive."

"It seems that Okada Izo is even stronger than I expected."

"Fine, let them live a little longer."

"In any case, all the roads connecting Kyoto and the outside world have been blocked by us."

"Even if they have extraordinary abilities, they cannot escape."

Kinoshita Mai added at the opportune moment:

“Miss Okita’s First Division, Serizawa Kamo’s Fourth Division, and Niimi Nishiki’s Fifth Division are urgently pursuing them.”

"We have pinpointed their approximate location and are continuously tightening our encirclement."

"It probably won't be long before we can capture them and bring them to justice."

Qingdeng nodded slightly and casually said, "Well done."

After bribing Kiyokawa Hachiro's trusted confidant, Ikeda Toritaro, with 10,000 taels of gold, Aoto gained an irreplaceable source of crucial intelligence.

In terms of results, Toritaro Ikeda did a great job.

He knew very well that he had no way back. Either his identity would be exposed and he would die, or he would grit his teeth and go down a dark path.

Therefore, he worked exceptionally hard.

He continuously passed on key intelligence from the Kiyoga Party and the Tosa Kinno Party to Aoto.

Thanks to his help, Qing Deng was able to learn the specific list of the Qinghe Party and the exact locations of the various strongholds of the Tosa Loyalist Party.

Qing Deng originally planned to deal with these two potential major threats slowly when the time was more ripe.

As it turned out, plans couldn't keep up with changes.

Yamanouchi Do suddenly betrayed the Tosa Loyalists, demanding that all forces cut off their assistance to the Tosa Loyalists and requesting their help in Tosa to wipe out this rebel group.

In this way, Aoto gained the righteous cause of eliminating the Tosa loyalist party.

If that's the case, there's no need to dawdle any longer!

Not only could they legitimately eliminate the Kiyokawa Party and the Tosa Loyalist Party, but they could also do Yamanouchi-do a favor. Why not?

The Tosa Domain was a force to be reckoned with, and it was a "swinging domain" that oscillated between "supporting the shogunate" and "respecting and overthrowing the government."

Therefore, winning the favor of the Tosa Domain and doing Yamanouchi Do a favor is never a bad thing.

Thus, last night, Qing Deng secretly summoned his confidants, led by Hijikata Toshizo, and announced the battle plan to "annihilate the Kiyokawa Party and the Tosa Loyalist Party".

Although it was very urgent and rushed, the operation was eventually completed successfully.

In just one day, they wiped out the Kiyoga Party and the Tosa Loyalist Party with the speed of an autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves!

Although Takeshi Hanpeita and Okada Izo are still on the run, they are now trapped like turtles in a jar because Aoto had already sealed off the entire Kyoto. It's only a matter of time before they are caught.

At this moment, Qing Deng seemed to remember something. After pondering for a moment, he abruptly asked Kinoshita Mai:

"Ama, Souji and the others have found the approximate location of Takechi Hanpeita and 'Hitsugi Izo', right?"

Kinoshita Mai immediately replied:

"Yes, that's right. They were acting together."

Where are they now?

"Near Kiyomizu-dera Temple in Rakuto."