I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"I'm sorry, Qingdeng, you must have found this amusing..."

As she spoke, she reached out and tightly gripped Qingdeng's clothes with both hands, as if afraid that he would disappear.

At the same time, she buried her face even more forcefully in Qingdeng's left shoulder, obscuring her expression.

“Recently… Ah Wu and I have been very busy every day.”

“I am not afraid of hardship, I am only worried that I will not be able to protect A-Wu, Jiu-Lang, Ning-Ning, and the thousands of people of Qin Jin Fan.”

"The thought of this terrifies me..."

"I don't know when it started, but I've been looking forward to your return every day."

“Every day that passes and I still haven’t heard from you that you’re coming back, I can’t help but feel anxious.”

"I couldn't help but think: what if you never come back..."

After saying that, Sanako hunched her shoulders, making her originally very tall figure appear much "petite".

Even her husband, Qingdeng, had never seen her show such a vulnerable side...

Qing Deng blinked, first showing a helpless expression, then turning his body seriously, so that Sanako's face changed from "buried in her left shoulder socket" to "buried in her heart socket".

"Zanako, can you hear my heartbeat? I'm right here."

"Whenever you need me, I will appear before you immediately and will never leave you without permission."

He had barely finished speaking when he heard Sanako's soft laughter.

The next moment, she silently opened her arms and hugged Qingdeng's waist tightly.

Seeing this, Qingdeng silently hugged him back.

Unfortunately, this scene of the couple embracing did not last long.

A moment later, a female voice, devoid of joy or sorrow, came from outside the door not far away:

"Hmm, I see... You sent me to take care of Jiulang and Ningning, but you were secretly having an affair with Qingdeng behind my back. What a cunning scheme..."

Upon hearing this, Qing Deng and Sanako quickly separated, then turned their heads with strange expressions to look at A-Mai, who was "monitoring" them.

A-Wu was sitting on the corridor outside the door, pulling the paper sliding door open a crack—just enough for her to peek through with one eye—this eye, pressed against the crack and staring directly at Qing Deng and Sanako, was as black and deep as an abyss, without a trace of light.

"What's wrong? Don't worry about me, you guys continue."

Ah Wu said this expressionlessly and indifferently.

……

……

Afterwards, Qingdeng spent a lot of effort to successfully appease Awu.

……

……

The "Second Army," "Third Army," and "Fourth Army," led by Hijikata, Kondo, and Yamanami respectively, are still on their way.

Therefore, a counterattack on Choshu is definitely out of the question.

While waiting for Hijikata Toshizo and his main force to arrive, Aoto entered a state of being extremely busy, working day and night.

His first action was to issue a unified order to the thousand men of the Eighth Prince: immediately enter a state of combat readiness! Use every means to delay the Choshu army!

Hachioji was the last stronghold protecting Edo.

The Shinsengumi had not yet fully assembled, but the Choshu army had already captured Sunpu Castle... To be fair, if this continued, by the time the Shinsengumi caught up with the Choshu army, Edo would have been reduced to ruins!

Therefore, whether the Eighth Prince and his thousand men could hold off the Choshu army would determine the success or failure of this battle!

While ordering the 1,000 men of the Eighth Prince to prepare for resistance, Aoto sent someone to Edo to report the current battle situation and his own condition to Tokugawa Iemochi and Tenshōin.

Although Sanako had previously sent envoys to Edo, out of caution, Aoto decided to send another batch of envoys to Edo so that Tokugawa Iemochi and Tenshōin could prepare in advance, as Edo was likely to become a battlefield!

Immediately afterwards, Ching Teng launched a vigorous political offensive.

History has proven time and again that sometimes, "political battles" can have unexpected effects!

He sent envoys to the various domains in the capital region, telling them: I, Tachibana Aoto, have returned to Ōtsu! You better watch out! Don't do anything foolish!

*******

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It's almost the end of the month again! Readers with monthly passes, please be sure to vote for this book! (Like a leopard crying.jpg)

Please vote with monthly tickets! Please vote with recommendation tickets! (Crying leopard head.jpg)

PS: The promotion of Qingdeng to the position of the Eighth Prince, with a thousand hearts united, is a setup for this battle! Don't underestimate Leopard's ability to foreshadow! (Leopard arrogant.jpg) Seemingly insignificant content might actually be important plot points in the future!

Chapter 909 Qingdeng Shuten-dōji: "Heading to the land that divides the world in two!" [7100]

Of course, Qing Deng wouldn't put it so bluntly, but that's roughly the gist of it.

Qing Deng did not want anyone to cause trouble from behind while he was leading his troops to fight against the Changzhou army.

Although most of the feudal lords in the capital region have been summoned to the west for expeditions, they are powerless to cause trouble even if they want to, but it is always good to be on guard.

Having dealt with the various regional powers around the capital for so long, Qing Deng has come to understand that they are all, without exception, a group of people who are good at sitting on the fence!

The capital region was the main battleground for the struggle between the "pro-imperial faction" and the "pro-shogunate faction." Over time, the various domains in the capital region developed a "flexible" approach.

When the "Respect and Expedition Faction" was at its peak, they eagerly flattered the imperial court.

When the pro-shogunate faction gained power, they all became loyal retainers of the shogunate.

If you say that after learning of the fall of Nobi, they did not have the thought of "giving in to Choshu" or the impulse to "flirt with Choshu", then Qing Deng would absolutely not believe it!

Therefore, as early as halfway back to Ōtsu, Aoto had already sent a large number of envoys to the various domains in the Kinai region to inform them that "Tachibana Aoto is about to return to Ōtsu".

The King of Benevolence has returned—this phrase can not only boost the morale of one's own troops and civilians, but also deter those who are two-faced and treacherous!

Sure enough, no sooner had Qingdeng sent his envoy than the various feudal lords of the capital region immediately sent people to Tianjin to express their loyalty.

"We will never share the same sky with Choshu!" and "We swear to stand with the shogunate!"... In short, they are all clichés.

Some vassal states were quite sensible and took the initiative to request that troops be sent to assist them.

Although they were very enthusiastic, and seemed to be saying "I won't go back if you don't agree," Qing Deng politely declined all their requests for help.

Qingdeng didn't expect them to send troops to fight; he just wanted them to obediently guard their own little territory and not cause trouble.

Furthermore, even if they mobilized troops to assist in the battle, it wouldn't make much of a difference.

Based on the available intelligence, the Choshu army, which has captured Nagoya and Sunpu castles in quick succession, possesses fairly advanced firearms, with no significant generational difference compared to the Shinsengumi's equipment.

In other words, the next battle will be a modern war of gunfire and artillery!

Battles of this caliber would leave no room for feudal armies to intervene.

If the armies of the various feudal lords in the capital region were deployed to such a battlefield, they would probably be routed in less than half an hour.

At that time, Qingdeng will have to put in a lot of effort to rally the remaining troops and prevent their morale from dropping, which would be a losing proposition.

……

……

Just three days after Aoto returned to Otsu, the "Second Army" led by Hijikata Toshizo arrived safely in Otsu!

That afternoon, Kondo Isami's "Third Army" arrived in Otsu.

The following morning, Yamanami Keisuke's Fourth Army arrived in Otsu.

Thus, the "Second Great Return from China," which lasted a total of 13 days, has officially come to an end!

13 days, 350 kilometers... The infantry's daily marching speed reached an astonishing 26.9 kilometers!

This achievement surpasses Yu Shiba's "first major return to China"!

Back then, the Japanese army's marching speed when rushing back to the capital region was only 20-25 kilometers.

Of course, it's easy to imagine that such amazing results came at a considerable cost.

To boost morale, Hijikata Toshizo and his men did not ride horses, but instead traveled on foot like ordinary soldiers!

The superiors did not just talk the talk, nor did they order them to work hard and fight desperately. Instead, they ate the same food and suffered the same hardships as the soldiers. How could the army not fight to the death in such a way?

After Yamanami Keisuke led the "Fourth Army" to Otsu, Aoto immediately summoned him, along with Hijikata Toshizo and Kondo Isami.

At this moment, looking at the three people sitting side by side in front of him, Qing Deng pursed his lips and sighed with mixed feelings:

"Sui San, Yong, Jingzhu, thank you for your hard work...!"

Hijikata Toshizo smiled and shrugged:

"I don't find it hard at all. For me, this level is nothing. Those soldiers with average physiques are the ones who are having the hardest time. It's really admirable that they've persevered until now..."

As soon as he finished speaking, Kondo Isami and Yamanami Keisuke both nodded in agreement.

The three of them were all swordsmen capable of taking on a hundred men each, so they naturally had no shortage of stamina.

On the other hand, ordinary people... don't have that kind of ability.

Qingdeng was naturally well aware of the current situation of the infantry unit.

After Hijikata Toshizo's "Second Army" successfully arrived in Otsu, he couldn't wait to go and check it out.

Despite having prepared himself mentally, he still couldn't help but feel disheartened after witnessing the infantry's miserable state firsthand.

Running 350 kilometers in 13 days with only two legs... Just looking at these numbers, it's not hard to imagine how painful this march must have been.

With very little rest time, not even a break to eat... the physical and mental toll this takes on people is hard to describe in words.

Many people even run while sleeping—with their eyes half-closed, in a dazed state between sleep and wakefulness, moving forward purely on instinct.

The Shinsengumi soldiers were able to endure this immense hardship and successfully complete the arduous task of the "Second Great Return to China," mainly thanks to two things—discipline and physical strength.

The former goes without saying.

The first article of the Shinsengumi Laws states, "All actions must be in accordance with orders."

For a long time, the Metropolitan Police Department has proven to all members of the Shinsengumi with its outstanding achievements that their swords will never show mercy because of any external conditions!

[Note: The Military Police Bureau of the Shinsengumi, commanded by Kondo Isami]