I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

The already panicked patriots were now utterly terrified.

However, at that moment, Yoshida Toshima's voice drifted from afar:

"Don't panic! Everyone, step back!"

Yoshida Toshima's sudden outburst gave the patriots a renewed sense of purpose.

In the blink of an eye, the patriots retreated in a rush, like pigs charging and wolves fleeing—only in the reverse direction.

They retreated to Yoshida Toshima's side in one go, huddling together tightly, as if only in this way could they feel safe.

At this point, a clear distinction emerged at the scene.

On one side are Aoto and Shintaro Tojo.

On the other side were over a hundred loyalists led by Yoshida Toshima.

Although the latter has an overwhelming advantage in terms of numbers.

But in reality, anyone who sees this scene of "two sides facing off" would feel that the former is more imposing!

Qing Deng silently turned his gaze, scanning the enemies, thinking to himself: The radicals are really going all out for tonight's "burning down of Kyoto"!

Not only did they devise a plan to stall Katsura Kogoro, but they also mobilized over a hundred people.

Qingdeng, too lazy to talk to this bunch of lunatics with their heads all broken, simply said loudly:

"Surrender!"

"Your schemes have been exposed."

"It's better to surrender than to struggle ugly."

"Although our Shinsengumi severely cracks down on the pro-democracy faction, we have always been lenient towards those who haven't done anything wrong."

"Surrender decisively, and you might just save your life."

At this point, Qingdeng paused, then adopted a meaningful tone:

"Let me make this clear from the start: a mere hundred or so people can't possibly stand against me."

"Countless people before you have proven this with their lives—those who draw their swords against me will never have a good end."

Perhaps it was fate, but the wind, which was quite strong just now, has weakened considerably.

Even the fiercest and most intense flames need the help of strong winds.

Although the volunteers successfully ignited several fire trucks, causing pillars of fire to rise, the fire has so far failed to spread due to the lack of wind, remaining confined to the center of the street.

If this continues, all that will happen is a few mountain boats and a few houses burned down.

Of course, we cannot be careless. After all, the power of Zhurong is unfathomable.

In conclusion, the Zunpu faction's scheme to "burn down Kyoto and kidnap the Emperor" has certainly failed.

Having lost all the advantages of favorable timing, location, and popular support, how could one not fail?

No sooner had Qing Deng finished speaking than Yoshida Toshima raised his voice and shrieked:

"Who would surrender to a bunch of lackeys like you!"

"You lowly lackey, what a boastful tone!"

Do you think this will make us give up and despair?

"Open your dog eyes and see clearly! We will chop off your dog heads and then welcome His Majesty to Changzhou as scheduled!!"

The more he spoke, the more agitated he became, and his expression grew increasingly ferocious.

He had furrowed his brows, his eyes wide open as if they were about to tear apart, his facial features were strangely distorted, and the whites of his eyes were covered with dense, spiderweb-like blood vessels.

This appearance is completely unlike that of the "Three Talents of Songyin School" or the "Four Heavenly Kings of Song School".

If others saw him, they would probably think he was a gambling addict.

To be fair, calling him a gambling addict... isn't entirely wrong.

As the saying goes, "Whom the gods would destroy, they first make mad"—this is probably the state Yoshida Toshima is in now.

A long-planned and confidently ambitious operation ended in a crushing defeat... Not everyone can withstand such a blow.

At this moment, Yoshida Toshima was in a state of hysterical madness.

It's just like Kusaka Genzui, who, after the "August 18th Coup," was still unwilling to give up despite the fact that the situation was already settled, and still wanted to gather all his forces to fight and struggle against the Hui-Sar coalition.

In fact, even if we take a step back and assume that they actually succeed in eliminating Aoto and Shintaro Tojo who are blocking their way, they would have virtually no chance of storming the Imperial Palace and kidnapping the Emperor.

Protecting the Imperial Palace and the Imperial Court was the primary duty of Matsudaira Katamori, who held the position of Kyoto Guardian.

Therefore, 500 well-equipped Aizu soldiers were stationed around the Imperial Palace for a long time.

If they were allowed to set fire to the Yamahoko during the height of the procession, causing great chaos, they might actually take advantage of the confusion and kidnap the Emperor.

But now, that possibility is extremely slim.

Unfortunately, despite the overwhelming facts before him, Yoshida Toshima had lost his basic rationality.

"Follow me! Kill Prince Ren! Head straight for the Imperial Palace! Welcome His Majesty!!"

He raised the blade in his hand and shouted angrily.

As soon as he said this, many fanatics chimed in to echo his sentiments.

"kill!"

"You lowly lackey, don't be so insolent!"

"As a dignified samurai of Choshu, how could I possibly bow and scrape before the enemy!"

Those who were wavering in their resolve and unsure whether to fight or surrender, were also influenced by this atmosphere and began to put on serious faces and grip their knives tightly.

Qing Deng looked completely unsurprised by this.

He quietly set up the knife:

"Since you're unwilling to surrender, then stop talking nonsense and bring it on!"

In an instant, under the firelight, shadows surged—the patriots rushed towards Aoto and Tojo Shintaro like a tide.

Before the enemy could get close, Qing Deng's body soared into the air, his arms transformed into feathers, and he leaped toward the three patriots closest to him.

In an instant, the patriot on the left had his throat ripped open, while the patriot in front received a blow to the top of his head.

As for the patriots on the right, their bravado vanished the moment they saw Qing Deng rushing towards them.

He had no time to resist and instinctively turned and fled.

Before he could run even half a step away, he collapsed to the ground, howling in agony from a knife wound to his abdomen. His chilling scream pierced the night sky.

The next instant—

Qing Deng leaped up again, flying over the heads of the other two patriots like a swallow.

As he leaped, he swung his right arm twice—one of the men had half his head shaved off and died instantly; the other man, though not dead, clutched his stabbed neck and collapsed, barely clinging to life.

In just a moment—

After landing, Qingdeng transformed into a "light green gale," burying his head in the "blade thicket" ahead, passing through the gaps between the blades.

In an instant, with a flash of "purple lightning," several more people died.

After pausing and stopping, he didn't forget to slash back with his sword, also cutting down the enemy behind him.

As he pulled the knife back to his hand, he swiftly severed the heads of the two men.

In just a few seconds, more than a dozen people had fallen under Qing Deng's blade!

Despite the intense jumping, sprinting, and sword-wielding, Qing Deng showed no signs of fatigue.

He remained composed and steady in his breathing.

Partly to adjust his attack rhythm, and partly to observe the enemy and find the next favorable breakthrough, Qing Deng lowered his arms, the tip of his blade dragging on the ground, and walked forward with light steps, unhurried and unhurried.

The "brush of white blades" in front of him should not be underestimated.

One after another, gleaming white blades formed a large arc-shaped array.

Qingdeng fearlessly placed himself amidst the clash of swords.

Suddenly, under the cover of shadow, a certain patriot stealthily crept up to Qingdeng's side and rear, preparing to launch a sneak attack on him.

However, before he could make a move, a loud shout and a long spear came straight at him.

With a shout, Shintaro Toujou charged forward with his spear, delivering a single, devastating blow that pierced the man's body.

In the next instant, he focused his strength on his waist and used a fierce force to send the man flying through the air using centrifugal force!

Blood droplets flew everywhere, and his body drew a beautiful parabola in mid-air before crashing heavily into the enemy ranks.

After retracting his spear, Shintaro Toujou changed his stance, moved behind Aoto, and raised his spear to firmly protect Aoto's back.

Qing Deng asked with concern without turning his head:

"Mr. Dongcheng, don't push yourself. You must be very tired."

With his age approaching fifty and his round, ball-like physique, one could tell from these two factors that Shintaro Toujou's physical abilities were far from impressive.

First, he rushed to the scene of the "Yamahoko Patrol" at full speed, and then he carried the green saddle and did a "Lu Bu riding Dian Wei"... After doing this, a tired paleness appeared on Toujou Shintaro's cheeks.

Faced with Qing Deng's concern, Toujou Shintaro wiped the sweat from his face and chuckled a few times:

“Aki, don’t worry about me, I know what I’m doing.”

Since the other party has said so, Qingdeng naturally couldn't say anything more.

He refocused his attention on the enemies before him, flipped his right wrist, a purple light flashed, and the terrifying blade spun in his palm, changing from an upright grip to an inverted grip.

Seeing that Qing Deng had changed his way of holding the knife, the patriots all changed their expressions.

Those with great courage can barely maintain their composure.

People who are timid will simply hunch their shoulders and legs, as if they want to tense up their whole body, as if doing so will increase their sense of security.

Before using his sword-drawing technique, "Nioh" Tachibana Aoto would change his sword-holding method, switching from a normal grip to an inverted grip. — This information was already common knowledge.

Therefore, the patriots all thought that Qing Deng was about to unleash his world-renowned "Divine Speed ​​Draw Sword Slash".

But to everyone's surprise, Qing Deng did not sheath his sword, but charged straight into the enemy ranks!