I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"Chief Kondo led a team of eight people, including Tsukasa Tachibana, Shinpachi Nagakura, Genzaburo Inoue, Kazue Soma, Heisuke Todo, Kanichiro Yoshimura, and Koto Nakazawa, to search for Kiyamachi, west of the Kamo River."

"The rest of you—Hijikata Toshizo, Saito Hajime, Nakazawa Satagiri, Serizawa Kamo, Tani Sanjuro, Niimi Nishiki, Tani Mantaro, Harada Sanosuke, Matsubara Tadashi—come with me! We will search Nawate-dori east of the Kamo River!"

"above!"

"Now begin inspecting the equipment."

"Set out to quell the thieves in 5 minutes!"

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P.S.: The Gion meeting place where the Shinsengumi secretly gathered back then is now a Lawson convenience store.

I wonder if anyone has noticed that the people Aoto assigned to Kondo Isami were all obedient and well-behaved kids, while troublemakers like Serizawa Kamo and Niimi Nishiki were kept under Aoto's own command.

Chapter 812 The enemy is at Ikedaya!

Surprise, doubt, tension... all sorts of emotions filled the scene in an instant.

Faced with Qing Deng's series of instructions, everyone reacted in different ways.

As soon as Aoto finished speaking, Todo Heisuke asked first:

"Splitting into two groups? Mr. Tachibana, is that really a good idea?"

"We don't have many people to begin with, only 20 people."

"If we divide our forces under these circumstances, won't our strength be greatly dispersed?"

Todo Heisuke's words expressed the sentiments of many people present.

In fact, many people felt uneasy when they learned that the only combat personnel involved in tonight's operation were those currently gathered at the Gion Clubhouse.

After all, the pro-democracy faction is not an easy target.

If the pro-shogunate faction were truly spineless and easy to bully, they wouldn't have been causing the pro-shogunate faction headaches for so long.

Under the leadership and call of Qing Deng, the Shinsengumi gathered a group of swordsmen who possessed both superb skills and rich combat experience.

The Shinsengumi of today can be called the strongest swordsman group in the world—but the Zunjo faction is not lacking in experts either!

Katsura Kogoro and Yoshida Toshima were both masters of swordsmanship.

Katsura Kogoro, in particular, was already famous in Edo for his superb swordsmanship before Seido rose to prominence.

Moreover, as leaders of the pro-democracy faction, they would certainly be accompanied by many highly capable bodyguards.

With a mere 20 people, attacking a summit meeting with Miyabe Teizō, Katsura Kogoro, and others... even with the advantage of a "surprise attack," it will definitely be a bloody battle!

There weren't many people to begin with, and now they're splitting us into two groups... This... This is just too risky!

Qingdeng had anticipated this question, so he answered calmly:

"The Ninth Division has not yet determined the exact location and time of the meeting."

"It's getting dark, and time is of the essence. We can't afford to wait for news from the Ninth Division any longer."

"However, what is certain at present is that the meeting location is in the northern area between Gion and Sanjo Bridge, there is no mistake."

"Although the scope is still very large, at least we have a target, so we won't wander around like headless flies."

"In this way, if we want to find out the bandits led by Miyabe Teizō, we can only disperse our forces and search them house by house."

"Other than that, there is no other way."

"It's always better to use the 'clumsy method' than to be at a loss."

At this point, Qingdeng paused, then smiled:

"I know that we don't have many troops to begin with, and it's quite risky to split them up."

At this point, he changed the subject:

"But isn't this exactly what we do best?"

"Haven't we Shinsengumi gotten to where we are today precisely because we won one fierce battle after another?"

"Therefore, there is no need to panic or worry."

"We are simply leveraging our strengths of 'becoming stronger when faced with stronger opponents' and 'never giving up'."

"No matter what kind of powerful enemy we encounter, no matter what kind of crisis we face, we will grip our swords tightly without hesitation and forge ahead without fear—that is the Shinsengumi!"

The talent "Failed Art Student +2" is activated!

[Note: The "failed art student" delivered a highly engaging speech.]

With the blessing of this talent, coupled with Qing Deng's own prestige and charisma, his words just now seemed to contain a special magic.

The moment he finished speaking, the atmosphere at the scene changed dramatically.

Although Matsubara Tadashi, Nakazawa Koto, and other newcomers still looked nervous, the crowd was no longer hesitant or doubtful, and their determined gazes lingered in the air.

No one raised any further questions.

As if by prior arrangement, the group dispersed, hung up their swords, tightened their sleeve belts, and gave their equipment a final check.

Qingdeng turned his head to look out the window and gazed at the distant sky.

The setting sun had long since disappeared into the horizon, its afterglow fading and its colors shifting.

The initial pale gold has quietly turned into orange-red, vermilion, and finally transformed into a bewitching purple.

Now, the approaching twilight, like a gluttonous beast, greedily devours the purple hues in the sky.

As the last glimmer of purple light faded and night completely enveloped the sky, Qing Deng turned around—behind him, everyone was lined up, fully equipped and ready to go, all staring at him, awaiting his order to depart.

Qing Deng turned his gaze, scanning the area before shouting loudly:

"Shinsengumi, move out!"

……

……

In the darkness of night, a pale green "torrent" surged out of the Gion Clubhouse and onto the street.

From a distance, it looks incredibly imposing!

Everyone lowered their upper bodies and slacked off, jogging forward, the hems of their haoris fluttering in the wind.

When it reached a fork in the road, the "torrent" split into two streams.

The smaller one went straight west.

The larger one headed east.

……

……

Kyoto, Kiyamachi (west of the Kamo River), a certain inn—

"Routine search!"

Before any response came from inside, Kondo Isami pushed open the shop door, and Souji, Nagakura Shinpachi, and the rest of the group filed in.

The shop owner probably didn't hear the "routine search!" clearly, and thought it was a group of rude customers. He smiled and hurriedly ran to greet them.

"Coming! Coming! Are you looking for a place to stay, or... *gulp*!"

Before the boss could finish speaking, he seemed to choke, and with a "gulp," the rest of his words got stuck in his chest. He couldn't say them out loud, nor could he swallow them down. He felt extremely uncomfortable, and his face turned red.

The sudden arrival of the infamous Shinsengumi, who wield the power to "act first and report later" and enter any private residence they wish to, would frighten anyone.

In that instant, the boss's mind raced, wondering if he had done something wrong that had led the Shinsengumi to arrest him—at this thought, he felt his legs go weak and collapsed to the ground.

Ignoring the terrified boss, Kondo and his group bypassed him and ventured deep into the hotel.

They spontaneously split into two groups: one searched the first floor of the hotel, while the other ran up the stairs to the second floor.

Today, the Shinsengumi's reputation is known to everyone in Kyoto.

Looking at this group of menacing "light green swordsmen," the staff and guests of the inn were all terrified and fell silent.

Before long, everyone returned to the entrance hall.

Chief Accountant Soma: "Chief, there's nothing unusual on the first floor."

Souji: "Kondo-san, there's nothing unusual on the second floor!"

Kondo Isami remained expressionless and nodded slightly.

"Okay, let's go."

With that, he turned and left.

The boss remained slumped in place, his eyes wide open, his face filled with confusion, looking utterly bewildered.

Kondo Isami nodded to him:

"Sorry to bother you, boss."

The others didn't even glance at the owner, but followed Kondo Isami closely as they left the shop and returned to the street.

The head of the pack, Souji, stopped abruptly as he brushed past the boss, his face full of apology:

"Boss, I'm very sorry, this has affected your business. Please forgive me."

After leaving those words, she started walking again, catching up with Kondo Isami and the others—and as she left, she didn't forget to close the shop door behind her.

With a click as the shop door closed, the hotel returned to silence.

The shop owner stared wide-eyed, mouth slightly agape, at the shop door, blinking hard as if to make sure he wasn't seeing things.

The Shinsengumi barged in without even saying why they came, searched the store, and then left... It was all so inexplicable that the owner felt like his brain was about to give way.

The rapid and bewildering changes in the situation create a dreamlike feeling, as if one were in a fantasy world...

……

……