I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Mr. Kiryu nodded slightly:

"Shikizaki Kiyoshi did not have a fixed residence, but he had a fondness for women, so he often wandered around Yoshiwara."

Upon hearing this, Qing Deng couldn't help but chuckle.

What a coincidence! He was just planning to go back to Edo.

In this way, he could take advantage of the opportunity to return to Edo to discuss military matters with Tokugawa Iemochi and find Shikizaki Sukeyo!

At this moment, the Kiryu boss suddenly switched to a gloomy tone:

"Ju-kun, I don't mean to discourage you, but I'll be upfront about this first—you'd better be prepared to leave disappointed."

Qingdeng was stunned:

"Mr. Kiryu, what makes you say that?"

Kiryu the boss sighed softly:

"For some reason, Shikisaki Sukiyo... has been living a very decadent life in recent years."

"I rarely take on knife-forging work anymore; at most, I forge some sickles and hoes."

"As soon as he made money, he would squander it all, either on alcohol or on women."

"As far as I know, he is now a regular at the major pleasure quarters in Yoshiwara, spending his days wandering the red-light districts and living a dissolute life of debauchery, like a walking corpse."

"Whether he is still willing to forge swords now, whether he still has the ability to recast Vairocana... to be honest, I have no definite answer."

Upon hearing this, Qing Deng was slightly taken aback, then smiled helplessly:

Even so, we have no choice but to take the gamble.

Kiryu nodded with a wry smile:

"Yes, that makes sense."

The old man seemed to recall something, paused for a moment, and a look of deep emotion appeared on his face:

"Back then, it was the Shikizaki family that forged Vairocana."

"Now, we must ask the Shikizaki family to rebuild Vairocana once again."

"The things of this world are truly wondrous..."

……

……

Over the next few days, Aoto made meticulous preparations for his journey to Edo.

The first thing he had to do was hand over his work.

Hijikata Toshizo, Yamanami Keisuke, and others were quite used to his "hands-off" management style.

Therefore, Qingdeng didn't need to worry much about work-related matters, and the handover was completed smoothly and quickly.

Next, Aoto approached Sanako and entrusted her with the power to "manage the Tachibana residence".

Official business is handled by Hijikata Toshizo, and family matters are handled by Sanako—this has almost become Aoto's path dependency.

Although Souji possesses a strong affinity that unites people, her excessive friendliness often leads her to hesitate when she should be ruthless due to her soft heart.

As for Ah Wu... there's no need to say anything more about her.

Therefore, in the absence of Aoto, Sanako, who possesses both sufficient prestige and charisma, is the only one who can keep Tachibana in check.

After everything was ready, Qingdeng left with the words "I'll be right back," then mounted Luobo's ox back and headed east, watched by everyone.

With Sanako and Omai about to give birth, Aoto did not intend to stay in Edo for long.

If all goes well, he plans to get everything sorted out within 10 days and then return to Otsu as scheduled.

To maximize the efficiency of the operation, Qingdeng did not bring any attendants.

The only companion was Mr. Kiryu.

The only person in Aoto's circle who knows Shikisaki Kiyoshi is Mr. Kiryu.

Therefore, whether it's looking for Shikizaki Kiyoshi or commissioning him to forge swords, Kiryu is an indispensable figure.

Kiryu's boss truly lives up to his reputation as a remarkable person who is still active and energetic even in his nineties; his physical condition is truly extraordinary.

Although he did not suffer serious external injuries during his duel with Keji, he depleted his physical energy due to being in a state of "selflessness" for a long time, and at one point he was even unable to get out of bed.

Thanks to his robust physical condition, after a period of quiet recuperation, his condition has improved considerably.

Although I am not fully recovered yet, I am more than capable of riding a horse or going on a long trip.

Because they were traveling light, the master and his apprentice moved at an incredibly fast pace.

In less than four days, the majestic Edo Castle came into view.

"Tachibana-kun, you go ahead with your business. I'm going to gather information on Shikizaki Sukiyo and see where he's been gallivanting off to this time."

After saying that, Mr. Kiryu turned his horse around and headed straight for Yoshiwara.

Thus, the master and apprentice were temporarily separated.

That night, Aoto went back to Shieikan to let Kondo Shusuke and the others know he was safe.

Next, he went to the Chiba Sword Hall and the Genbu Hall to meet his father-in-law and brothers-in-law.

"Qingdeng! You're finally back! How is Sanako?"

Upon seeing Aoto, Chiba Jutaro immediately rushed over, unable to contain his excitement, and surrounded Sanako, asking her all sorts of questions.

After Sanako became pregnant, her physical and mental condition constantly worried Chiba Jutaro.

In fact, if he hadn't been so busy, Chiba Jutaro would have packed his bags long ago and headed straight to Otsu to visit Sanako.

As he has grown older, Chiba Sadakichi has basically retired, and the affairs of the kendo dojo are now handled by Chiba Jutaro.

Of course, no matter what, the imminent delivery of Sanako is undoubtedly the most important matter for the Chiba family at present.

Therefore, they plan to entrust the sword-making school to a trustworthy disciple at the beginning of next month, so that the disciple can help manage it for a period of time, and then the whole family will go to Otsu to take care of Sanako.

Qing Deng patiently explained Sanako's recent situation to his father-in-law and brothers-in-law.

Seeing the worried expressions on the faces of Chiba Sadakichi, Chiba Jutaro, and the others, who seemed eager to rush to Otsu immediately, Aoto couldn't help but smile.

He always admired the camaraderie and unity of the "Sword Master Family".

……

……

The next day—

Edo, Edo Castle, among the maple leaves—

"Tachibana-kun, it's been a long time."

Tokugawa Iemochi wore a gentle expression and smiled as he looked at Aoto.

Sitting directly opposite him, Qing Deng smiled equally kindly and replied:

"Your Highness, how have you been?"

As soon as the sky began to lighten, Aoto, dressed in his samurai attire, rode his ox to Edo Castle.

Upon entering Edo Castle, Aoto was led into the Maple Room.

The maple room was originally where the Shogun played Go or Shogi, also known as the "game room".

Out of personal preference, whenever Tokugawa Iemochi wanted to meet Aoto alone, he would always meet him in the maple room.

The two often discussed government affairs while playing Go, a game that could drive professional Go players to the brink of a stroke.

Today was no exception; Qingdeng met familiar people in this familiar place.

Of course, this meeting was not for chatting and reminiscing, but to discuss the specific offensive plan for the "Changzhou Campaign".

Therefore, after a brief exchange of pleasantries, the two tacitly composed themselves and began to get down to business.

Regarding how to attack Choshu, Aoto had long ago conducted countless simulations on the sand table with Hijikata Toshizo, Yamanami Keisuke, and others.

Qingdeng pulled out a map he had prepared earlier from his pocket and spread it out on the table:

"Your Highness, please take a look."

Tokugawa Iemochi leaned closer—the intricate lines on the map outlined the territory and terrain of Choshu.

The Choshu Domain was located at the westernmost tip of Oshima Island in Honshu, occupying the provinces of Nagato and Suo.

To the east, it borders the Tsuwano Domain and the Aki Domain; to the southwest, it faces the Kokura Domain across the Shimonoseki Strait.

The battle plan devised by Aoto, in collaboration with Hijikata Toshizo and others, was quite simple—

"Divide the troops into three routes and launch a full-scale attack on Changzhou!"

As Qingdeng spoke, he raised his hand and pointed to the map, sliding his fingertip across the surface.

“The three armies advanced from the Tsuwano Domain, the Aki Domain, and the Kokura Domain respectively.”

"Among them, the troops in the Tsuwano and Kokura directions are feigning attacks to divert Choshu's attention as much as possible and tie down its forces."

"The troops in the Aki direction will be the main force! First, take Tokuyama, then capture Suo, and then outflank northward to destroy Hagi Castle (the domain headquarters of the Choshu Domain)!"

After outlining the general idea of ​​the plan, Qingdeng began to explain in detail.

The specific marching route, the allocation of various troops, the supply and transportation of provisions... everything was taken into account, leaving nothing out.

In fact, the core of Qingdeng's battle plan was to concentrate superior forces.

Even with insufficient troops, it is essential to concentrate as many troops as possible on local battlefields to create local advantages—this is the only rule of warfare.

Indeed, the shogunate will mobilize an army of 200,000 for this western expedition.

This number looks impressive, but in reality, the vast majority of these troops were conscripted from the various vassal states of the Western Kingdom.

In short—they were just there to make up the numbers.

Whenever war broke out, the Edo Shogunate would force nearby feudal states to send troops to help them, keeping them busy and weakening their manpower and resources—this was a traditional skill of the Edo Shogunate.

The last summer siege of Kyoto was just like that, which thoroughly ravaged the various domains in the capital region.

This time, Tokugawa Iemochi set his sights on the western domains, determined to make them bleed out as well.