I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

“She has been learning swordsmanship from me for many years, and her swordsmanship level has long since reached the ‘catalog’ level.”

"With her skills, ordinary people would have a hard time even getting close to her, let alone hurting her."

Hearing Qingdeng say this, Awu's expression finally improved slightly.

Just then, a voice announced something from outside the door:

"My lord, the Kyoto Supervisor requests an audience!"

Director of Kyoto - Shintaro Tojo.

The unexpected visitor made Qing Deng frown.

While others may not know Shintaro Toujou's true identity, Aoto knows it perfectly well.

A key member of the Great Salt Party came to visit at this time... Qing Deng didn't think the other party was there to chat and joke!

Without much thought, he loudly and decisively issued the order:

"Take him to the reception room, I'll be there in a bit!"

"Yes!"

……

……

A little while later—

Qinjin Fan, Dajin, Judi, reception room——

After quickly tidying his clothes, Qingdeng hurried to the reception room.

After passing through the side door reserved for his use and entering the reception room, he met Shintaro Tojo, whom he hadn't seen for many days.

The other person was still the same as before, looking slovenly and unkempt.

"General Tachibana, greetings."

Upon seeing Aoto arrive, Toujou Shintaro bowed and greeted him.

"Well, no need to be polite."

Qingdeng waved his hand as he sat down in the main seat.

It was only then that he realized that the other person had not come alone; a young man dressed as an attendant was sitting behind him.

Because of the limited perspective and the fact that Shintaro Toujou's body was blocking the view, Aoto didn't notice the person immediately.

This guy was petite, wearing a shogunate-style conical hat, his head drooping, the brim of the hat covering most of his face, so from Aoto's perspective, he couldn't see his face at all.

Although his face was hard to recognize, Qingdeng felt that this person looked very familiar.

He quickly found out who the other person was.

Before Qingdeng could exchange pleasantries, the man quickly removed his straw hat and said:

"Aki, it's been a long time."

As the straw hat fell off, a stunningly beautiful face, no less beautiful than Sanako's, came into Aoto's view.

Qing Deng was initially taken aback, then responded indifferently:

“Ziyang… no, Miss Jin, how have you been?”

A beauty comparable to Sanako... There is no other woman in all of Kyoto who possesses such remarkable features.

Yes, this woman is none other than Ms. Sumire, the number one geisha in Kyoto, the number one beauty in Kyoto, and the intelligence chief of the Great Shio Party!

Since the "Ikedaya Incident" ended, Aoto has not seen Ms. Sumire again.

Firstly, I'm too busy and can never find any free time.

Secondly, there is no need to specifically meet with the other party.

Thirdly, Qingdeng intends to distance itself from the Dayo Party.

Although he admired the Ōshio party for their perseverance and unwavering commitment to standing up for the common people, his relationship with them was always delicate, given his position as a high-ranking official of the shogunate.

Furthermore, he wasn't close enough with the Big Salt Party to be on friendly terms.

Therefore, Qing Deng's attitude towards the Great Salt Party has always been neither to deliberately get close to them nor to intentionally distance himself from them.

Upon seeing Miss Jin here, Qing Deng unconsciously lowered his eyelids, a look of seriousness flashing in his eyes.

He immediately realized that Shintaro Tojo's sudden visit was just a ruse!

His real purpose was to cover for Miss Violet so that she could meet him!

Thus, Qing Deng became even more certain that their sudden visit was for some important purpose.

With this thought in mind, Qingdeng slowly spoke:

"Miss Jin, you must know that I'm extremely busy right now."

"Therefore, let's skip the unnecessary pleasantries and get straight to the point."

"You must have something important to discuss with me since you've come here so suddenly."

Miss Violet has always been a straightforward person.

As soon as Qingdeng finished speaking, she nodded vigorously:

"That's right, exactly."

"This morning, our key informant delivered important intelligence related to Choshu."

"I believe it is necessary to inform you of this information, which is why I have come here."

Upon hearing this, a glint of light flashed in Qing Deng's eyes.

"I would like to hear the details!"

Miss Jin didn't keep Qing Deng in suspense and said directly and seriously:

"It has now been confirmed that the Choshu Domain has joined forces with the Hoju Party!"

"It was with the help of the Fazhi Party that the Choshu army was able to launch a surprise attack on Nobi and advance into Kanto!"

Upon hearing this, Qing Deng did not show excessive surprise, but his eyes narrowed slightly and his face became serious.

In fact, as early as when he learned of the Choshu army's surprise attack on Nobi across the sea, Qing Deng began to suspect whether the Fazhu Party was involved.

Where did Changzhou get the ability to carry out such a large-scale operation?

If they truly possessed such abilities, they wouldn't have suffered consecutive defeats in the Shimonoseki War, the Battle of Ikedaya, and the Summer Siege of Kyoto.

If we were to say which force is willing and capable of helping Changzhou at this critical juncture, the only one Qingdeng could think of was the Fazhu Party!

The underlying principles of punishing the party through legal means have always been unfathomable.

No matter what they do, Qing Deng won't be surprised!

Before launching the "Changzhou Campaign," Qing Deng had considered whether the troublemaking Fazhu Party would take the opportunity to cause chaos.

Now, his conjecture has been confirmed.

In a way, a huge weight was lifted off his shoulders—the Party must be punished by law, you guys really are something! After not seeing me for a while, you've given me another "big gift"!

As Qing Deng pondered to himself, Miss Jin continued speaking:

"This army that easily captured Nagoya Castle not only included Choshu's elite troops, but also the Hoju Party's own forces."

"Aki, do you know anything about Slavs?"

Qingdeng replied without hesitation:

"Of course I know. One of the three great barbarian tribes of Europe."

Miss Violet nodded.

“Not bad. Aki, you know a lot. You even know about the ‘Three Great Barbarian Tribes’.”

The three major barbarian tribes of Europe: the Celts, the Germanic peoples, and the Slavs.

The name "three great barbarian tribes" was given to them by the Romans before Christ.

To the Romans of pre-Christian times, these three peoples were indeed barbarians.

Nowadays, apart from the Celts who are still oppressed by the English, the Germans and Slavs are doing quite well.

Many people mistakenly believe that Slavs refer only to Russians, which is incorrect.

The Russians are just one branch of the Slavs.

The Slavs have a wide distribution, mainly in Central Europe, Eastern Europe, and Southeastern Europe.

Without needing to explain further what Slavs were, Miss Violet continued the conversation:

"It is reported that the French Extermination Party has spent a lot of money to hire and train a 'Slavic Legion'."

"As the name suggests, the soldiers of this legion are mainly Slavs from within the territory of Russia."

[Note: Lukkoku: also known as Russia, the Japanese name for Russia during the Edo period]

“An Yi, I don’t know if you are aware of this, but perhaps because the living environment in Russia is too harsh, the Slavs in Russia have a very unique view of life and death.”

"Simply put, they don't care much about human lives."

"Although they are mercenaries who work for money, in other words, as long as they are paid enough, they are really willing to risk their lives."

"This 'Slavic Legion' has a strength of about two thousand men."

"Aki, you must be very careful when facing this 'Slavic army'. You must not be careless."

Qingdeng listened attentively while repeatedly casting surprised glances at the other person.

Miss Jin noticed his unusual behavior, so she smiled gently after finishing her business:

"Aki, are you wondering why we came all this way just to deliver intelligence to you?"

Before Qingdeng could respond, she continued on her own:

"Although we, the Great Salt Party, are enemies of the Shogunate and wish we could destroy it immediately, we are even more unwilling to let the Law Extermination Party gain power!"

"We can clearly distinguish right from wrong on major issues."

"If the shogunate is in power, the world won't get too bad."