I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

With his sword in hand, Takeshi Hanpeita pushed aside the branches blocking his way, kicked at the mud and grass, and fled.

Although he had just told Okada Izo with righteous indignation, "You go quickly and don't worry about me," he ultimately chose to turn around and run away after seeing the other party distract the Shinsengumi for him.

This grove of trees is not very large.

Before long, he suddenly felt enlightened—a dazzling light appeared ahead!

We're almost out of the woods!

As he watched the light grow ever closer, a look of relief slowly crept onto Takeshi Hanpeita's face.

However... in a short while, his "ease" turned into "stiffness".

Because when he rushed out of the woods, what came into his view was row after row of light green!

The dozens of Shinsengumi soldiers waiting here were arranged in a tight formation.

Souji, Serizawa Kamo, and Niimi Nishiki stood side by side at the very front of the formation.

"Wuchi Hanpeita, surrender now!"

Shinmi Nishiki placed his hand on his sword and said in a deep voice:

"To be honest, I quite admire you, if you could just surrender obediently..."

Before Nishiki Nishiki could finish speaking, he was interrupted by Kamo Serizawa:

"Jin, stop wasting your breath on him!"

Serizawa Kamo slung the knife over his shoulder and tilted his head:

"Kid, surrender now! Don't waste our time!"

"..."

The commander remained silent.

She silently drew Kaga Kiyomitsu from her waist, ready to fight at any moment.

"..."

Another person who remained silent was Takechi Hanpeita.

He kept a straight face, pursed his lips, adjusted his breathing, and rolled his eyes, scanning the general and others who were blocking his way.

After a short while, he slowly placed his sword in front of him, assuming the upper stance.

The first part – a posture that only focuses on offense and ignores defense.

With his silent actions, he gave a firm answer.

At this point, the commander and the others no longer hesitated.

In the blink of an eye, Souji, Serizawa Kamo, and Niimi Nishiki rushed forward!

A just three against one!

Takeshi Hanpeita bravely stepped forward to meet him.

His struggle was heroic, but it could not change the inevitable outcome.

The first to arrive was the commander.

Souji closed in, his movements fluid and graceful, his blade flashing out diagonally towards Takechi Hanpeita's wrist.

Takeshi Hanpeita used a fierce force to deflect the attack.

Souji lunged forward, and the two passed each other, switching positions.

The next instant, their swords spun back before their bodies could react—the two swords clashed once more.

The clang of metal against metal was deafening.

At this moment, Serizawa Kamo and Nishiki Nishiki arrived one after the other and joined the battle.

The three of them each occupied one corner, forming an equilateral triangle that surrounded Takeshi Hanpeita in the middle.

In an instant, the glint of swords and the clash of blades danced between heaven and earth.

Takechi Hanpeita truly lived up to his reputation as a top swordsman whose strength surpassed all others in Tosa.

Despite being in a desperate situation where he was outnumbered three to one, he managed to hold out for a while!

Even the notoriously foul-mouthed Serizawa Kamo couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at his skill and perseverance.

Unfortunately... faced with such a one-sided and unfavorable situation, he could only hold out for "a while".

After countless battles, Wu Shi Banpingtai was clearly at a disadvantage.

The three men's attacks intensified, and he was quickly suppressed.

Anyone could see that if things continued like this, he would soon be defeated.

Takeshi Hanpeita gritted his teeth, thinking: I'm going to die anyway, so I might as well go all out!

Upon realizing this, he immediately decided to switch from defense to offense!

He realized that Shinji Nishiki was the weakest, so he planned to use him as a breakthrough point.

He raised the tip of his knife and instantly switched to the Blue Eye stance.

In the instant he switched from the middle stance to the blue-eyed stance, his sword briefly left the center line of his body—this fleeting opening was clearly reflected in Souji's eyes!

The commander saw clearly, took a step forward, and without hesitation swung his sword down—

hum!

Kaga Kiyomitsu drew a graceful arc in mid-air, striking Takechi Hanpeita's sword squarely.

The blade and back of a samurai sword can withstand great force, but the blade surface is very fragile.

The blade is easily damaged or broken if it is hit hard.

And so, sure enough—with a crisp clang—Takechi Hanpeita's sword broke in two.

The upper half of the broken blade flew horizontally and landed in a ditch not far away.

The commander's offensive is not over yet.

After breaking the sword with a single blow, she pulled Kaga Kiyomitsu back and slapped Takechi Hanpeita's cheek with the flat of the blade.

This is a large piece of iron.

Getting hit in the face by something as hard and thick as this... it must feel terrible.

Takeshi Hanpeita cried out in pain and immediately collapsed to the ground.

His cheek swelled up rapidly at a visible rate.

He seemed to want to get up.

After struggling for a while, he finally succumbed to the dizziness that was assaulting his brain.

His eyelids drooped little by little—and in the instant his eyes closed completely, a fierce look of resentment flashed in them.

Seeing that the other party had finally lost consciousness, the commander breathed a sigh of relief and then turned to look at his subordinates not far away.

"Tell Tachibana-kun—we have successfully captured Takechi Hanpeita."

……

……

In less than half a day, the "Tosa Loyalist Party" was completely eliminated as a historical term.

The organization's top leaders, led by Takeshi Hanpeita, were all captured and none survived.

Qing Deng packed them up and immediately sent them to the Tosa Domain.

The Shinsengumi's enthusiastic assistance quickly garnered a positive response from Yamanouchi Yodo.

He was very tactful and reciprocated the favor.

Not only did they promise to provide generous compensation, but they also enthusiastically declared: We, the Tosa, will be the eternal friends of the Shinsengumi!

Qing Deng didn't take Yamanouchi Yodo's somewhat nauseating words to heart.

Old foxes like Yamanouchi Yodo are masters of blatant lying.

However, Qing Deng was not averse to this.

He is not afraid to deal with shrewd politicians because their behavior is predictable.

No sooner had the Tosa Loyalist Party and the Kiyokawa Party been destroyed than the "mole" that Aoto had bribed—Ikeda Toritaro—eagerly approached Aoto.

His goal was simple: he hoped that Qing Deng would keep his promise.

The reward of 12,000 taels of gold and a household registration in Nagasaki—it was for these two things that he risked his life to "switch" to the Qing Deng camp.

When he approached Qingdeng, he appeared very nervous.

It seems he's very afraid that Qingdeng will betray him after using him.

It's normal for him to have such concerns.

With the downfall of the Tosa Loyalist Party and the Kiyokawa Party, he was no longer of any use.

In such circumstances, it wouldn't be surprising if they were murdered to silence them.

However, he was clearly overthinking it.

First of all, Qing Deng detests assassination; he only likes to kill openly and honestly.

Secondly, it's not like they would go back on their word over such a small matter.

Moreover, Ikeda Toritaro did indeed make a remarkable contribution.

It was because of him that the Shinsengumi was able to annihilate the Kiyoga Party and the Tosa Kinou Party in a single day.

Both morally and logically, such a meritorious person should not be treated unfairly.

Qingdeng immediately fulfilled his promise.

He readily paid a reward of 12,000 taels of gold and also arranged for him to register his household in Nagasaki.

After receiving the money, Ikeda Toritaro immediately went to Shimabara to redeem the courtesan he had fallen in love with.

He then took the courtesan and rushed to Nagasaki without stopping, not daring to stay in Kyoto for long—probably for fear of encountering an "old friend".