I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

To understand the origins of these two siblings, we must first start with the "New Expedition Group" organization.

Under immense political pressure, the shogunate abolished the sanjin kōtai (a system of official appointments for the emperor), resulting in a significant decrease in the flow of people in and out of Edo, which led to business setbacks and a deteriorating economy.

As we all know, once the economy declines, all sorts of strange and unscrupulous people will emerge.

Robbery, extortion, theft... Public security in Edo deteriorated rapidly, and thieves ran rampant.

Back then, the shogunate, with the idea of ​​"killing two birds with one stone"—solving both the manpower problem and reducing social instability—successfully formed the Shinsengumi.

Perhaps due to a path dependency, in the middle of last year, in the summer of the third year of Bunkyū (1863), the shogunate summoned a group of idle ronin to form a new force specifically responsible for maintaining the security of Edo, which was named the "Shinsegumi".

Since the Shonai Domain was responsible for some of the security work in Edo, the new conscription team was under the command of the Shonai Domain.

[Note: The Shōnai Domain was ruled by the Sakai family, who were highly regarded hereditary daimyo by the shogunate.]

Unlike the Shinsengumi, the Shinseigumi did not have uniforms (light blue haori), but they all wore conspicuous vermilion straw hats and carried lanterns with the butterfly crest of the Sakai family of the Shonai Domain at night. They paraded through the town of Edo, divided into two groups of fifty people, alternating between day and night.

The Nakazawa siblings are veteran members of the new expedition group.

When the new conscription team was first established, the two siblings both signed up to enlist.

In subsequent security operations, they gradually distinguished themselves and earned a formidable reputation.

The brother and sister come from a family of martial arts practitioners; their family runs a dojo and teaches the Hoshin-ryu martial arts.

The two siblings each inherited a part of the Divine Law School.

His elder brother, Nakazawa Sadayoshi, inherited the swordsmanship of the Hoshin-ryu school.

Her younger sister, Nakazawa Koto, inherited the Naginata and Kusarigama techniques of the Hoshin-ryu school.

From any perspective, these two siblings deserve the title of "excellent".

Let's start with their appearance—they are all good-looking.

The elder brother has delicate features, and the younger sister has a beautiful face; one is a handsome man, and the other is a beauty.

Let's start from the inner aspects—because of strict family education and profound family learning, both brother and sister possess noble character and hate evil as if it were their enemy.

Finally, let's talk about ability—perhaps due to their superior genes, their martial arts talent is outstanding, and their skills are exceptional.

After joining the new conquest group, the two siblings quickly demonstrated strength far exceeding that of their peers, beating the criminals so badly that they cried for their parents, greatly improving the security situation in Edo.

Many bandits, upon merely hearing the name "Zhongze Brothers and Sisters," would instinctively tuck their tails between their legs and flee quickly, daring not to be arrogant; they were truly terrified at the mere mention of their name.

Even Qingdeng, who lived far away in the capital region, had heard of the names of these two siblings.

Because they all admired Seito and longed for the Shinsengumi, when they learned that the Shinsengumi was holding a new round of "mass conscription," they did not hesitate to give up their current titles and positions, rush to Kyoto, and sign up for the army.

They also "borrowed" a group of elites from the newly recruited group who shared the same aspirations for the Shinsengumi.

As a result, Aoto received a complaint from the lord of the Shonai Domain—the Shinsengumi in the capital region were recruiting soldiers, but in the end he lost a group of capable subordinates for no reason… He felt extremely wronged!

The reason why Qing Deng values ​​Nakazawa Koto is very simple.

In short, she is a heroine among women, one in a million!

First of all, its height alone is astonishing.

She's a good 1.7 meters tall! Almost as tall as Qingdeng!

Women of this height are rare even in modern Japan, let alone in the Edo period when malnutrition was common.

Whenever she walked among the Shinsengumi's ranks, she stood out like a crane among chickens.

Therefore, not long after joining the Shinsengumi, she received her first title: "Female Titan".

Shortly after, she gained her second, and now most widely known, title: "Little Zona".

Both are skilled with naginata, both are heroines who are no less capable than men, both are beautiful women, and both are incredibly powerful martial artists...

Talent, looks, family background... no matter which angle you look at it from, Nakazawa Koto is like a mini version of Sanako!

For this reason, the Shinsengumi soldiers jokingly called her "Little Sana".

Coincidentally, Nakazawa Koto greatly admired Sanako.

As members of the same "Edo martial arts circle" and both being female warriors, how could Nakazawa Kotomi not know Sanako?

More than a decade ago, when Sanako was a teenage girl, she admired him greatly and regarded him as her lifelong idol.

In her daily life, she always imitates Sanako, whether intentionally or unintentionally.

For example, she always kept her back straight and her shoulders level, sitting upright like a bell and standing like a pine tree, making herself as elegant as Sanako.

For example, whenever there is a battle, she would imitate Sanako and tie her hair into a neat high ponytail.

As a huge fan of Sanako, she not only doesn't dislike the title "Little Sanako," but feels extremely honored and loves it very much.

Qing Deng placed her in the position of "Vice-Captain of the Seventh Division," making her Sanako's adjutant, which can be considered as fulfilling her wish.

Just like Yamazaki Susumu, after Sanako stepped down from the front line due to pregnancy, Nakazawa Koto took charge of the Seventh Division.

Thanks to her previous command experience serving in the new conscription group, although she was a bit flustered at first, she gradually adapted to the heavy military duties and is now quite proficient.

Incidentally, her brother, Nakazawa Sadagi, is also a promising young talent worthy of being nurtured.

Interestingly, however, it is the anecdotes surrounding him that are more memorable than his personal abilities.

Nakazawa Sadagi was not a talkative person; he was very sparing with his words and would never use three words if he could explain something in two.

Although Aoto appointed him as the vice-captain of the Third Division, it was entirely out of official considerations and not out of any intention to cause trouble.

But in terms of the outcome, his personnel changes did indeed have a rather dramatic effect.

The reason for this is due to the Third Division Captain, Saito Hajime—he is also a man of few words.

Both the captain and vice-captain were quiet, reserved individuals. Whenever the Third Division was deployed, this scene would always unfold at the front of the column:

Saitoichi: "..."

Nakazawa Sadayoshi: "..."

Saitoichi: "..."

Nakazawa Sadayoshi: "..."

No one spoke, and the atmosphere grew awkward and heavy.

As a result, the other team members behind them fell silent, not daring to even breathe, creating an eerie stillness.

This is why the Third Division was nicknamed "the quietest unit".

The last person who received much attention from Aoto was his old acquaintance—Ito Kashitaro—who was also the teacher of Todo Heisuke and the head of the Ito Dojo, Ito Daizo.

Thanks to Todo Heisuke's connection, Aoto had previously had some dealings with this person.

The "core" of talent is copied from it.

According to Ito Kashitaro himself, he had been closely monitoring the Shinsengumi's development and activities ever since they arrived in Kyoto.

Over time, he gradually developed a longing to fight alongside Qingdeng.

As soon as the news of the Shinsengumi launching a new round of conscription reached Edo, he did not hesitate to close his dojo and, along with his younger brother Suzuki Mikisaburo and a group of disciples, went to Kyoto to join Seido.

After arriving in Kyoto, he abandoned his original name "Ito Daizo" and changed it to "Ito Kashitaro".

As Heisuke Todo's master, his skills need no further explanation.

In addition to his exceptional abilities, he was also a great talent.

Even when Seido was just an ordinary person, he was already famous in Edo for his profound knowledge and first-class manners.

Qing Deng couldn't help but sigh: Could it be a matter of feng shui? How come the Hokushin Itto-ryu school always produces such talented individuals who excel in both literature and martial arts?

From Yamanami Keisuke and Todo Heisuke to the current Yoshimura Kanichiro and Ito Kashitaro, they were all ruthless men who could fight off the barbarians on horseback and draft military dispatches on foot.

A genius like Ito Kashitaro is like a versatile brick, suitable for any place. How can such a precious gem be allowed to fall into the dust?

After careful and thorough consideration, Qing Deng finally decided to appoint him as the assistant director of the General Affairs Department.

The General Affairs Department is specifically responsible for handling paperwork, and it needs people with broad knowledge and quick thinking.

Having Kashitaro Ito as Keisuke Yamanami's adjutant would surely be a great asset.

What a pity... Ito Kashitaro is good in every way, except for one thing that Aoto dislikes very much - he admires Mito school.

Mito school is the source of the idea of ​​respecting and rejecting.

The Mito school of thought is to those who uphold the ideals of rebellion what the Bible is to Christians.

Although Ito Kashitaro did not show any obvious political inclination, nor did he do anything outrageous such as "promoting the idea of ​​respecting the enemy" or "splitting the Shinsengumi", Aoto was still wary.

While making good use of his talents, Qingdeng was always secretly on guard against him.

……

……

On the platform, Qing Deng sat in the main seat with an imposing air.

The generals, led by Hijikata Toshizo and Yamanami Keisuke, quickly dispersed and took their positions.

"Huh? Who...who are you?!"

Suddenly, Souji's scream rang out.

The atmosphere at the scene became extremely tense in the next moment.

Everyone turned their heads and raised their eyes, staring solemnly at the unexpected guest who had suddenly appeared.

Some even raised their hands to their knives, assuming a fighting stance.

"It's me, Lieutenant of the Ninth Division, Yamazaki Susumu."

Tsukasa: "Yamazaki...Sato...? Oh, right, I remember now, you really are Yamazaki Satoshi. Ahahaha... Sorry... I forgot who you were again..."

"It's okay. It's my own problem; I'm just too unremarkable-looking."

In the blink of an eye, the tense atmosphere vanished.

Everyone remembered that this person was indeed Yamazaki Susumu, and then went back to doing what they were doing.

According to their status and rank, everyone sat down on the left and right sides below the green platform, facing each other.

The team leaders sat in the front row, and the vice-leaders sat behind them.

Looking up, the scene was quite impressive!