I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

From a humble farmer, a notorious "thorny brat," to a powerful military commander...

To ordinary people, this is another prime example of achieving "the carp leaping over the dragon gate" and "fame and fortune can be obtained on horseback"!

After Hijikata Toshizo's deeds spread, more and more people came to join Aoto, eager to become a member of the Shinsengumi.

It is worth mentioning that among the Shinsengumi generals, only Kondo Isami did not accept Aoto's appointment.

Tama, adjacent to Edo, was the territory of the shogunate.

As a result, coupled with local customs, the people of Tama have always held a strong sense of pride, taking pride in their status as "citizens of the shogunate" and "vassals of the shogunate."

As a native of Tama, Kondo Isami was a staunch supporter of the shogunate and unwilling to give up his status as a "vassal of the shogunate".

Despite Qing Deng extending an olive branch to him, he politely declined.

In other words, his current status is still that of a "reservoir" temporarily lent to Aoto by the shogunate, not Aoto's direct retainer.

Aoto did not interfere with Kondo Isami's choice, but instead chose to respect and understand it.

Even though Kondo Isami was not his retainer, Aoto still entrusted him with important responsibilities, putting him in charge of security and surveillance within the domain.

……

……

Otsu, the outskirts of the city, the headquarters of the Shinsengumi—

After nearly an hour's journey, Aoto arrived on time at the Shinsengumi headquarters located in the western suburbs of Otsu.

With the formal establishment of the Qinjin Domain, Qingdeng possessed a true base of operations that belonged only to him.

Thus, the eastward relocation of the Shinsengumi became inevitable. (Otsu is located east of Kyoto.)

Although nominally the Shinsengumi was a new army directly under the shogunate, in reality, the Shinsengumi was Aoto's private army.

Since Aoto took over as head of the Eighth Prince's Thousand-Man Army last year, Tokugawa Iemochi has agreed to allocate 2 ryo of gold annually to the Shinsengumi for military expenses.

This amount of money seems like a lot, but for an army... and an army that has already been armed and modernized, it's just a drop in the ocean.

The New Sengoku's provisions and pay were mainly raised by Aoto himself.

They eat Qingdeng's grain and receive Qingdeng's salary. They only see Qingdeng himself on weekdays. The General Zhengyi is far away and they have never seen him.

Moreover, many of the generals and soldiers were not from the Tenryū (shogunate) and had no sense of belonging to the shogunate.

Thus, the soldiers of the New Selection Group naturally regarded Qing Deng as their supreme commander, and regarded the garrison commander rather than the general.

Since they were his own private troops, he naturally deployed them in his own base.

How can one allow their troops to stray far from their own territory?

Moreover, with the army growing in size, the small garrison in Mibu-go, Kyoto, has already crammed so many people in.

In conclusion, it is no longer appropriate to establish the Shinsengumi's headquarters in Kyoto.

Therefore, Aoto made drastic changes to the Shinsengumi's base.

The original garrison in Mibu-go was changed to a branch of the Shinsengumi in Kyoto, with a permanent garrison of 700-800 men.

The headquarters of the Shinsengumi was moved eastward and relocated to the western suburbs of Otsu.

There are two main considerations for choosing this location.

Firstly, the area is very open.

Looking up, all that could be seen was a vast, boundless plain, truly an ideal location for stationing troops.

Even if the military strength is expanded to more than 10,000, there will still be ample training grounds.

The second reason is military considerations.

The place is located right between Kyoto and Otsu.

In this way, if anything happens in Kyoto or Otsu, the Shinsengumi can respond quickly and efficiently.

Whether heading to Kyoto in the west or to Otsu in the east, they can be deployed to the battlefield within two hours!

Before even passing through the headquarters' gates, Qingdeng could already hear the loud neighing of horses and the resounding shouts of men.

Above the camp gate, two large flags—the "Mitsuba" symbolizing the shogunate and the "Gentian" symbolizing the Hatazu Domain—stretched out in the wind, fluttering in the breeze.

"Moo moo moo..."

Qingdeng gently stroked Luobo's big head, telling it to "wait obediently" with his actions, while skillfully and lightly leaping off the cow's back.

The moment his feet touched the ground, he heard a baritone voice beside him that was both familiar and unfamiliar:

"My lord, I hope you are well."

Qingdeng paused for a moment, then turned to look—a young man was kneeling on one knee, his expression serious and his demeanor solemn.

The man had a face that was... excessively ordinary.

Eyes, nose, mouth... every part of his face is very ordinary, with no outstanding features that can leave a lasting impression.

It truly means "you can't find it if you throw it into a crowd".

In addition, his height, build, voice, and temperament are all very ordinary.

He is neither handsome nor ugly.

He is of average height.

He is neither fat nor thin.

The voice was neither loud nor shrill.

Its temperament is neither too strong nor too weak.

In short, this person is the embodiment of words like "ordinary," "ordinary," and "unremarkable."

Qingdeng stared intently at the man's face, his expression one of recollection and contemplation.

About three seconds later, he slowly revealed an expression of sudden realization.

"Oh... it's Yamazaki-kun! What are you doing here?"

The man called "Yamazaki" replied calmly:

"My lord, I have been here the whole time. I was just about to enter the camp when I vaguely heard the radish's call, so I waited here. It's just that you didn't notice me."

"Oh...I see..."

"My lord, judging from your tone, you've forgotten about me again, haven't you?"

Qingdeng chuckled a few times:

"Well... you're right. I'm sorry, I forgot about you again."

Yamazaki shook his head calmly.

"My lord, there is no need to apologize. This is my own fault. I am too inconspicuous in appearance, which is why everyone always forgets me."

Upon hearing this, Qing Deng couldn't help but think to himself:

—You're no longer just considered "unremarkable in appearance"...

This person's name is "Yamazaki Susumu". He is from Osaka and stood out in the "Great Conscription" four months ago, successfully joining the Shinsengumi.

His martial arts skills were not outstanding; he only had a superficial understanding of swordsmanship, and his jujitsu was passable.

However, he was very agile, ran very fast, jumped very high, and was very flexible, just like a monkey.

The massive conscription four months ago was truly a momentous event.

Talented individuals from all corners of the world gathered in Ōtsu, vying for a spot in the Shinsengumi.

At such a grand event, Yamazaki Susumu was able to stand out not so much because of his agility, but mainly because of another talent he possessed.

That is "a sense of presence".

His presence was incredibly faint! So faint it was almost mystical!

Perhaps because of his extremely ordinary appearance, his presence was so weak that he was easily forgotten.

One second she was staring intently at his face, the next second she looked away and it was as if her memory had been reset, she immediately forgot what he looked like.

Not only is he agile, but he also has an unusually low profile... How could such a talent not be recruited?

In an instant, Qing Deng decided on the most suitable unit for him—the Shinsengumi's ninja unit, the Ninth Division!

In Qing Deng's view, Yamazaki Susumu is a "natural ninja with a divine body".

His extremely low profile means he is well-suited for classified missions such as infiltration and undercover work.

Putting everything else aside, he was invincible when it came to escaping and shaking off the enemy's pursuit.

If he were to enter a bustling city and hide among the dense crowd, he would be like a leaf in a forest or water in the ocean; even if you searched until you were blind, you would not be able to find him.

If trained properly, he will definitely become the Shinsengumi's new ace!

Thus, under Qing Deng's personal recommendation, Yamazaki Susumu quickly enlisted in the army and joined Amai's command, becoming a key new recruit.

At that time, Ah Wu was pregnant, but not yet to the point of showing, and her daily activities were not affected, so she had not yet stepped down to the second line.

Yamazaki Susumu already had a background in jujitsu and a very good physique.

Under Kinoshita Mai's intensive training, he quickly learned skills such as scaling walls and picking locks.

In less than three months, he passed A-Wu's test and successfully graduated.

According to A-Mai, he is now a qualified ninja.

With his outstanding talent, he was recently promoted to vice-captain of the Ninth Division.

After Kinoshita Mai temporarily took a back seat, he was in charge of the overall situation of the Ninth Division.

In terms of actual performance, he did a very good job, and his efforts to cultivate him were worthwhile.

He has always been conscientious in his duties and has managed the Ninth Division in an orderly manner. So far, there have been no major problems.

However… it's worth mentioning that his incredibly low profile caused trouble for his own people before he could even cause any problems for the enemy…

Even comrades who spend every day together have difficulty remembering what he looks like, which has led to many misunderstandings.

Take Qing Deng for example—Qing Deng still can't remember his face...

Every time he saw Yamazaki Susumu, he felt like he had seen him somewhere before, and it would take him four or five seconds to remember who he was.