I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

His subordinates were doing so poorly, and as their leader, he felt ashamed.

Therefore, Aoto specially selected several energetic, quick-witted, and intelligent young men from the Shinsengumi and ordered them to assist Tojo Shintaro as "Yekiki".

Although these people knew absolutely nothing about criminal investigation, they could still manage to move things, run errands, and do some physical labor.

And so, with Qingdeng's help, the framework of the Extermination Office was temporarily set up.

The recent movements of the loyalists have been very strange—and this information has now been largely confirmed.

To prevent any unforeseen circumstances, the Shinsengumi sprang into action at Aoto's command.

On the one hand, Aoto required the Shinsengumi to maintain a state of combat readiness at all times, ready to be deployed immediately to support the battlefield should anything happen in Kyoto.

On the other hand, he secretly deployed the Ninth Division.

Many members of the Ninth Division disguised themselves as ronin, beggars, and other characters, secretly infiltrating various parts of Kyoto to gather intelligence more thoroughly.

When one side is in the open and the enemy is in the shadows, one must never act rashly.

The best course of action is to gather intelligence first.

After more than half a year of hard work, the Ninth Division is now looking more and more presentable.

Under A-Mai's careful guidance, a group of outstanding ninjas, led by Yamazaki Susumu, were successfully trained.

Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique, Shadow Clone Technique, Lightning Release: Kirin... Of course, the ninjas of the Ninth Division would never use these outrageous techniques.

However, they were all experts in skills that were perfect for thieves, such as scaling walls, leaping across rooftops, and picking locks.

Led by Yamazaki Susumu, this "ninja legion" has only one mission on a daily basis—

Disguised as someone from all walks of life, they wandered through the streets and alleys of Kyoto, entering and leaving the shops, carefully listening to people's gossip and observing their actions. Then they would summarize what they saw, heard, and experienced each day and report it to their superiors.

At first glance, this behavior seems absurd.

What useful intelligence can you gather by just wandering around the streets a few times?

However, in fact, this approach has unexpectedly proven effective in the face of a full-scale war against the patriots!

Nowadays, these patriots lurk in the streets, not daring to show their faces—therefore, their whereabouts are often hidden in the slightest clues.

For example: A hotel suddenly experiences a surge in guest traffic.

For example, a few strangers inexplicably appeared in a longhouse in a remote location.

In particular, Aoto has set Kyoto’s various izakayas as his main focus.

It is common knowledge that any place associated with "drinking" is a perfect breeding ground for leaks!

As the saying goes, once a man sits at the dinner table, after a few drinks and some flattery from a woman, his IQ immediately plummets, and he blurts out everything, whether he should or shouldn't say.

Therefore, many of the ninjas in the Ninth Division disguised themselves as disillusioned ronin and spent their days loitering in various izakayas, seemingly drinking alone, but actually eavesdropping on the conversations of the patrons.

Judging from the results, the Ninth Division ninjas did a great job.

After noticing something amiss at the Ikedaya shop near the Sanjo Bridge, they made another discovery—

The antique dealer at Shijo Bridge, a fellow named Yoya Kiemon, is behaving very suspiciously! Yoya's humble house, which should only be inhabited by lower-class townspeople, has recently been seeing a large number of customers coming and going!

This intelligence was quickly confirmed.

What's the point of saying anything now that things have come to this?

Shinsengumi Second Division, on the move!

Captain Nagakura Shinpachi and Vice Captain Nakajima Noboru personally led the team to the location!

*******

*******

There are so few monthly votes lately! Leopard is turning into a dejected leopard (leopard frustrated.jpg). It's rare for Leopard to be so productive this month, with either six or seven thousand leopard votes.

Please, considering how hard Leopard has been working lately, be sure to vote for this book with your monthly tickets! (Tearful Leopard head.jpg) Requesting monthly tickets! Requesting recommendation tickets! (Leopard head crying.jpg)

Chapter 807 The Shinsengumi! Routine search! [5000]

After the pro-democracy faction went underground and carried out large-scale terrorist attacks, every street and every house in Kyoto could become a bloody and fierce battlefield!

Intricate intelligence, street chases, and the clash of swords in the streets... Espionage and street fighting have become the most common forms of confrontation between the two factions of patriots (Zunrang and Zunmu).

Sending cavalry, gunnery, and ninja squads to fight in urban warfare is definitely not going to work.

The ninja squad was busy with espionage activities, secretly engaging in an unseen battle with the loyalists.

The cavalry need no introduction; their relationship with street fighting is like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut—the same applies to artillery units.

The musket reload speed is too slow. If you fail to kill the enemy after firing a single shot, you're doomed.

Before you can reload, the enemy will either escape or kill you.

Although a musket could be used as a spear after being fitted with a bayonet, its effectiveness in the complex terrain of streets and alleys was clearly far inferior to that of the more flexible swords.

As for cannons, needless to say, you can't just fire them in the city like Napoleon did.

Regardless of how difficult it was to transport the cannons, a single shot would not only shatter the enemy but also the surrounding streets.

The resulting humanitarian disasters and compensation issues are enough to overwhelm Qing Deng.

During the Edo period, the lands of samurai families, court nobles, and temples and shrines were not only vast in area but also sparsely populated.

In contrast, the densely populated town with its towering buildings and densely packed houses would surely cause someone with trypophobia to faint upon seeing it.

Kyoto's townhouses are a prime example, with countless dilapidated neighborhoods resembling "shit mountain codes," their complexity dazzling to the eye.

Here's a narrow path just wide enough for two people, there's a longhouse so small you can barely turn around... it's practically a natural, perfect battlefield.

Those who uphold righteousness naturally understand the principle that "leaves disappear into the forest, and water droplets disappear into the sea."

They generally hide in towns and villages, greatly increasing the difficulty for the Shinsengumi to apprehend them.

Even if they were discovered, the complex terrain of the town would make it easier for them to escape.

Because the terrain is too complex and cramped, in many situations, it is not even possible to use a katana, and one can only draw a wakizashi to fight.

Therefore, it is even less appropriate to send gunnery units to maintain order in Kyoto.

In conclusion, looking at the current 11 divisions of the Shinsengumi, the only divisions suitable for stationing in Kyoto are the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th Divisions, which still retain swords and specialize in close combat.

Sending all five squads to patrol Kyoto is definitely unrealistic.

For Aoto, Kyoto was important, but Otsu was equally important.

Finally, after careful consideration, Qing Deng's specific deployment of these five squads is as follows—

The First Division is stationed in Otsu, guarding the heart of the Hatazu Domain.

The other four squads are divided into two groups—the second and fourth squads form one group; the third and fifth squads form another group—and they take turns stationed in Kyoto on a monthly basis.

If the second and fourth divisions are sent to Kyoto this month, the third and fifth divisions will stay in Otsu.

Next month, the second and fourth squads returned to Otsu, while the third and fifth squads went to Kyoto.

so repeatedly.

It's July right now... the month when the Second and Fourth Divisions are responsible for guarding Kyoto.

……

……

The first year of Yuanzhi (1864), December 17th——

Kyoto, four small bridges—

Kyoto in the height of summer is like a sauna.

The daytime sun was intense and scorching, and the entire city of Kyoto was shrouded in a humid, oppressive heatwave.

There was no wind, and the air was thick and sticky, making it feel like you couldn't breathe and had difficulty breathing.

The cicadas hid on the branches, chirping wildly and tirelessly, their sounds reaching every corner of Kyoto.

"It's so hot...I'm melting..."

Nagakura Shinpachi hung his head, covered in sweat, and looked utterly dejected.

"What kind of weather is this... Kyoto summers are so torturous... I'm starting to miss my hometown... Nakajima, is there any water?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a burly man beside him immediately replied:

"Yes, there's a little left."

As he spoke, he untied the bamboo tube from his waist, unscrewed the opening, and handed it to Nagakura Shinpachi.

Nagakura Shinpachi reached out and took it, then gulped it down in one go.

"Why is this water lukewarm...?"

The burly man gave a wry smile:

"Captain, this is clean water I just drew from the well. It was ice-cold at first, but it turned into lukewarm water after a short while."

"Tsk... I'm starting to hate Kyoto's summers more and more..."

Sighing, Nagakura Shinpachi handed the water bottle back to the burly man.

The burly man whom Nagakura Shinpachi called "Nakajima" was none other than Nakajima Noboru, the vice-captain of the second division of the Shinsengumi.

Nakajima Noboru was born in the ninth year of the Tenpo era (1838). He is 26 years old this year, one year older than Nagakura Shinpachi. He was born in Terakata Village, Tama District, Musashi Province.

With his background in Tama and Hachioji, it's easy to see that he is a descendant of Hachioji's Sennin Toshin, and also a fellow townsman of Kondo Isami and Hijikata Toshizo.

Because of his love for martial arts, he studied the Tennen Rishin-ryu school, which was widely practiced in Tama, from a young age, and obtained the middle-level catalog at a young age.

In this way, his relationship with Kondo Isami and Hijikata Toshizo was not only that of fellow townsmen, but also that of fellow students.

After the "Great Conscription" began at the beginning of the year, he was successfully enlisted through the recommendation of Kondo Isami and became a new recruit in the Second Division.

In terms of swordsmanship alone, he is not considered particularly skilled because he has not yet obtained the full transmission of the sword.

However, he was very courageous, a hero who was fearless and daring.

It is very robust and has an exceptionally loud voice, so that just one shout is enough to make the rats tremble.

With his outstanding skills, he rose from an ordinary squad member to the current vice-captain of the second division in just three months.