I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

The horse's hooves pounded the earth, raising countless clouds of dust.

They closely followed Qingdeng and became the first troops to participate in the "Second Great Return of China"!

……

……

Aoto led the way, followed by Hijikata Toshizo's "Second Army," Kondo Isami's "Third Army," and Yamanami Keisuke's "Fourth Army"... On the long road from Choshu to the capital, five thousand troops raced at breakneck speed!

Small steps and quick running—this is a marching technique that Qing Deng learned when he was studying at the police academy in his previous life.

Neither the speed of a 100-meter sprint nor the speed of a marathon are suitable for a forced march.

A marathon is only 42.195 kilometers, while a forced march can easily be hundreds of kilometers.

Only "small steps and quick running" is the most suitable running method for rapid marches.

You don't need to take big strides or run very fast. Just shorten your stride and walk quickly, like in race walking—in this way, you can run the farthest distance with the least amount of energy.

After the main force has run about 30 kilometers, it will reach the first supply point.

The cooks who left the camp early had already set up their stalls and were ready to distribute supplies.

The "First Army," led by Qingdeng, made a brief stop here, allowing their mounts to eat some licorice and rest for a while before continuing their journey.

Next to arrive was the "Second Army" led by Hijikata Toshizo.

Each soldier received a rice ball and a bowl of water as they passed the stall.

"Here you go!"

"One rice ball and one bowl of water for everyone! Don't take anything more!"

"Don't stop! Who told you to stop? Keep running and eating!"

"Don't stop! Don't stop! Repeat, don't stop."

Under such strict orders, the soldiers dared not linger after receiving the food from the cooks, and continued marching forward while munching on their rice balls.

The "Third Army" and "Fourth Army" that arrived later were all in the same situation, even their mealtimes were used for marching.

In order to get back to the capital as soon as possible, Qing Deng really went all out.

Not only did he order people to "eat while running," but he also explicitly demanded that rest time be reduced.

Rest periods during marches should not exceed 2 minutes.

Even their nighttime sleep time has been reduced to 6 hours.

At first, the various units were able to keep up with the pace.

However, on the third and fourth days, when the march exceeded one hundred kilometers, some soldiers gradually could not hold on any longer.

“Ugh! Ugh ugh ugh ugh! Ugh ugh!”—sounds of vomiting like this were becoming increasingly frequent in the marching ranks.

Even if you're so tired you're vomiting or your mind is foggy, you can't stop.

Such a strenuous forced march would probably have caused a disorganized and physically weaker unit to collapse in less than half a day.

If things go wrong, it might even trigger a mutiny, and they'll just turn on me and never do this hard work again.

As it turns out, discipline is indeed a vital lifeline for an army.

Even when they were exhausted and felt extremely tormented, no one dared to complain, and no one dared to stop.

This was a military order personally issued by "Niou"—this thought lingered in the minds of the Shinsengumi soldiers.

The discipline they had never neglected for so long, along with Qingdeng's personal prestige, made them dare not complain or feel tired. They all gritted their teeth and persevered.

The cavalry, personally commanded by Qing Deng, was naturally far faster than the infantry.

They spent only seven days leaving China and entering the Gyeonggi region.

Upon returning to the capital region, Qing Deng discovered an unfamiliar supply station on the only route back to Dajin.

He went up and asked, only to find out that this was a supply station set up by Sanako!

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Chapter 907 Assistant to the Emperor! Mai to the Emperor! Aoto's Two Wise Wives! [5200]

These unfamiliar supply stations not only provided rice balls and drinking water, but also offered a hearty meal of hot soup, dried meat, and other delicacies.

At first, Qing Deng was puzzled. After asking around, he learned that it was a supply station set up by Sanako.

Qingdeng was greatly surprised by this and immediately began to inquire, quickly learning the details.

After the fall of Nagoya Castle, a large number of samurai and civilians from the Owari Domain fled in all directions.

If you go east, you have to cross most of the Donghai Street to reach the prosperous Kanto Plain.

If you go west, you will soon enter the Gyeonggi region.

For the refugees, it is obvious which direction they should flee in.

As a result, the vast majority of refugees flocked to the capital region.

As large numbers of refugees poured in, the various domains in the Kyoto region, including Hatazu, learned the shocking news that "the Choshu army launched a surprise attack on Nobi, and Nagoya Castle fell!"

Instantly, chaos erupted throughout Dajin, and rumors spread like wildfire.

What?! "The Changzhou army is about to attack!"

What?! "The Choshu Army has more than 4 troops!"

What?! "His Highness Prince Ren has no time to return and provide reinforcements; Qin Jin is doomed!"

Some people packed their belongings and prepared to flee to the countryside to avoid the disaster.

Some people, bewildered and helpless, flocked to the government office, pleading for confirmation: Had Owari truly fallen? Had the Choshu army really attacked? Was Hata-tsu truly in danger?

Some people even harbored malicious intentions, planning to take advantage of the chaos to sneak out of the house and rob people.

Anxiety spread rapidly... The once peaceful, prosperous town was suddenly dominated by fear.

At this critical juncture, Sanako made her move.

With her lord, Tachibana Seiden, absent, she displayed the demeanor befitting a mistress and personally took charge of the situation!

It is reported that after learning of the changes in Owari, Sanako was briefly stunned, but quickly regained her composure.

"What's the panic? What's there to fear about Changzhou? Have all the officials currently stationed in Tianjin come to see me!"

It's no exaggeration to say that Sanako's act of stepping forward played a crucial role, like a stabilizing force!

What situation did Qin Jin's officials face before this?

Lord Ju Qingdeng led his army westward to attack Changzhou.

Two elders of the family—Hijikata Toshizo and Yamanami Keisuke—accompanied him on the expedition.

The newborn young master (Tachibana no Masatomi) was an infant in swaddling clothes and could not even speak.

In short, they are leaderless and can't find anyone capable of taking charge...

They don't even know who to contact if they want to ask for instructions from their superiors.

Sanako's timely appearance finally gave the ministers a sense of security.

The authority of the matriarch goes without saying.

With Qing Deng and others absent and the young master still young, she and A Wu held the highest status within the domain and were the most qualified to command the other officials.

Even setting aside her status as "mistress," Sanako's own prestige was enough to make the feudal lords speak softly and obsequiously.

"Oni Komachi of Chiba", the daughter of the Chiba family, a veteran of the Shinsengumi, a genius female swordswoman with outstanding military achievements... With such a long list of titles, who can compare to her?

Thus, relying on his position and prestige, Sanako effortlessly won over the hearts of the people and became the "temporary leader" recognized by the ministers.

She immediately summoned her ministers to the Ju residence and then calmly issued various orders.

The first thing she did was to stabilize the market and crack down on unscrupulous merchants.

Sanako was a very traditional samurai woman. She always despised and was ashamed to associate with those who did not follow the right path, especially those wicked people who were obsessed with money and would disregard ethics and morality for the sake of making money.

As we all know, whenever there is turmoil, there are always some unscrupulous and short-sighted individuals who jump out to cause trouble.

Sure enough, no sooner had turmoil broken out in Otsu than a large number of unscrupulous merchants sprang into action, eager to profit from the national crisis.

Their tactics are nothing more than the same old ones: hoarding goods, maliciously driving up prices, and reaping huge profits.

Upon learning that a group of unscrupulous merchants were disrupting the market environment in Otsu, Sanako... bluntly stated that she was furious.

She never had a good impression of these opportunistic and cunning individuals.

Now, Sanako's aversion to these things has reached its peak.

"The country is in peril, yet instead of serving it, they kick it when it's down... Since these guys are so ungrateful, there's no need to show them any mercy!"

After speaking to his ministers in this way, Sanako ordered the market to be rectified without any hesitation!

She dispatched a large number of people to patrol the various markets and neighborhoods in the town. Once she discovered unscrupulous merchants taking advantage of the chaos, she would arrest them without even having to interrogate them!

She even personally signed an order to behead three corrupt merchants who had committed serious crimes, and displayed their heads on the execution ground to deter such scoundrels.

Arrest those who should be arrested, kill those who should be killed... In this way, under Sanako's swift and decisive actions, the market environment in Otsu was restored to normal in just one day.

Those speculators who had narrowly escaped disaster were all silenced and dared not show their faces again.

Next, she ordered people to post notices at the paper-making workshop to appease the people.

[Note-making notice board: During the Edo period, this was a place where shogunate officials or lords would write down precepts, regulations, and prohibitions on boards or paper to ensure residents fully understood the laws. These notices were often placed in high-traffic areas, such as near checkpoints, ports, bridges, or even in prominent locations like town entrances, village entrances, and city centers.]

She did not hide the fact that "Owari had fallen," and with so many refugees pouring in, it was impossible to conceal it.

She adopted an open and honest approach, focusing on clarifying misunderstandings and explaining the truth.

First, he openly admitted that Owari had indeed fallen, and then pointed out that the Choshu army had not advanced westward and that the area around Hata-tsu was still safe.

At Sanako's instruction, the proclamation clearly stated at the end: "Gentlemen, do not worry! His Highness Prince Ni is leading his army back to reinforce! He will be back in Otsu soon!"