I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

The subsequent course of history need not be elaborated upon.

The Tokugawa clan conquered the Toyotomi clan, and the country changed hands.

Even on the day the Toyotomi family was destroyed, the thousand men united as one and never faced the Toyotomi army.

In the end, Tokugawa Ieyasu's attempt to build a thousand-strong united force was ultimately a waste of time.

After Tokugawa Ieyasu came to power, there was no force in the world that could threaten his position.

In this way, the significance of a thousand people being of one mind becomes subtle, almost negligible.

However, Tokugawa Ieyasu did not abolish the thousand-man unit because of this, and this special army was preserved.

The descendants of the thousand people, united in heart and mind, all take pride in their sacred duty of "defending the borders for the country".

Influenced by this sense of superiority, they routinely talk about "being loyal to the shogunate" and "annihilating the shogunate traitors."

Each of them acted as a loyal minister and general, displaying a heroic spirit of "If the shogunate is in trouble, I will sell my mother, wife and daughter to fight the enemy."

However... at this very moment, with the news that "the Changzhou army is attacking," the age-old truth is once again proven: "Only when the tide goes out do you discover who is swimming naked."

These guys, who are usually "unwaveringly loyal and brave," have now completely changed their tune.

Some advocated "fighting with all one's might."

Some have threatened to "retreat".

Even worse, some sneak home without saying goodbye, intending to pack their valuables and run away.

When things are peaceful, everyone is a brave soldier who enthusiastically participates in military training.

But when it really came down to going to the battlefield... everyone revealed their true colors.

It's clear who the brave are and who the fools are.

This is not the same as just talking; once you're on the battlefield, people really can die...!

Those incompetent fools, upon realizing this, no longer had the courage to continue playing the role of "loyal ministers and good generals."

Elodie stood quietly to the side, watching everything with an expressionless face.

He took in all the noisy and chaotic scenes.

Shimada Kai and the other team members closely guarded her, preventing any unauthorized personnel from approaching her.

Seeing the villagers getting increasingly noisy, Shimada Kai couldn't help but smile wryly.

He immediately saw that the thousand people united in their hearts urgently needed a person of high prestige and ability to inspire and lead them!

Although the "pro-war faction" and the "pro-evacuation faction" were arguing fiercely, in reality, the vast majority of villagers were simply panicked and didn't know what to do. They were neither in favor of fighting nor in favor of evacuation; they were just confused.

If a strong leader comes to lead them, they will not necessarily "instantly transform into fierce warriors," but they will at least be able to muster the determination to fight.

Conversely... if this decadent atmosphere of "running away is justified, disobedience is not a crime" is allowed to continue to spread, the villagers, influenced by the "herd effect," will likely scatter like birds and beasts...

When a thousand people are of one mind, they naturally have a unified leader, which is the unity of a thousand people.

However... Qing Deng, the leader of the Thousand Hearts Alliance, is now far away and powerless to control the Thousand Hearts Alliance.

Shimada Kai naturally didn't want the situation to continue in such chaos, and he was secretly anxious, but there was nothing he could do.

After a moment, he gritted his teeth and thought to himself in a self-destructive manner:

"Fine! This isn't my responsibility! My only task now is to protect the head of the department!"

From the beginning, he had been urging Elodie to leave this place as soon as possible.

These guys are making a huge fuss; who knows what drastic things they might do next.

If Elodie gets involved, gets injured, or suffers some more serious accident, then he, as the "chief guard," will truly be held responsible!

However, no matter how he tried to persuade her, Elodie ignored him.

Then he heard Elodie say "Quiet" three times.

And then... he saw her suddenly slash out with her sword!

Although Elodie was a purely civil official, as Qingdeng's apprentice and a swordsmanship enthusiast, she always maintained the habit of carrying a sword.

Qingdeng's favoritism towards his apprentice was so obvious that it was obvious to all.

He put a lot of effort into getting Elodie a good knife.

After asking around among sword dealers, he finally found this exceptional sword—the Ryogyomono Yamato no Kami Yasusada!

Yamato no Kami Yasusada – one of the fifty craftsmen of good trade.

The four grades, "Supreme Great Craftsmanship," "Great Craftsmanship," "Good Craftsmanship," and "Craftsmanship," are classified according to their sharpness.

Swords that can cut through 50-60% of the thickness of a human body with a single stroke are considered high-quality products.

Since it is among the finest products, the sharpness of Yamato no Kami Yasusada's blade is self-evident.

With a good tool in hand, splitting a tree trunk is not difficult—provided your blade is aligned correctly and you have enough strength.

Elodie didn't draw her sword with both hands, but with a sudden "whoosh" of her right hand! Then she slashed out with a kasaya slash, hitting the tree trunk next to her!

The next instant, a long and deep smooth cut appeared diagonally across the tree trunk!

To wield a knife with one hand and still manage to create such a straight blade and such tremendous force...

Such a sharp strike left even the highly skilled swordsman Shimada Kai stunned.

Although Elodie had been a member of the Shinsengumi for some time, she rarely drew her sword in public.

Most of the Shinsengumi members had only a vague understanding of her true strength.

All that is known is that she was Niou's only disciple, and that her swordsmanship was said to be quite good—that's all.

Only now did Shimada Kai finally witness Elodie's swordsmanship firsthand.

He looked at the huge cut on the tree trunk, then at Elodie beside him, and his heart skipped a beat: this little girl looks thin and frail, but she is not someone to be underestimated!

Elodie's sudden drawing of her sword, followed by a loud slashing sound, instantly drew the attention of everyone present.

In an instant, everyone, whether they were in favor of fighting or retreating, turned their heads and looked at Elodie with bewilderment and astonishment.

Elodie surveyed the scene, and seeing the villagers finally quiet down, she breathed a sigh of relief.

"Gentlemen, what exactly are you arguing about?"

As she spoke, she lowered her eyelids, a sharp glint flashing in her eyes.

Who are you people?

“You are ‘the Eighth Prince, a thousand hearts united,’ aren’t you?”

"Since 280 years ago, you have only one duty, which is to 'become a barrier and bravely resist the enemy when foreign enemies invade the Guandong from the west,' isn't that right?"

As she finished speaking, she suddenly raised her voice, her imposing manner silencing everyone present.

The silence is only temporary.

Before long, someone retorted, stubbornly insisting:

"But...but this is all too sudden! We're being sent to the battlefield out of the blue! People could die!"

After this person started it, many others immediately followed suit and echoed his sentiments.

Elodie glanced sideways at the speaker.

"'Too sudden'? What's so strange about that?"

"Do you expect the enemy to send someone to notify you before they attack?"

"Being prepared for unexpected situations is the norm on the battlefield, there's nothing to complain about!"

"As for what you said, 'This could kill people'... Is there a problem with that?"

"Aren't you all 'of one mind'?"

"Isn't fighting the enemy what you're supposed to be doing?"

"The shogunate has allowed you to live on this fertile land for generations and has given you so many benefits."

"Isn't it precisely so that you can lend a hand to the Shogunate when it's in trouble?"

"Or are you only thinking about taking advantage, without wanting to give anything in return?"

"Now that danger has struck, are you just going to pack up and leave?"

“Even I, a blond, blue-eyed, and oddly-looking Westerner, know the words ‘loyalty and righteousness’.”

"Are you saying that you are not even as good as me, a Westerner?"

This last sentence contains immense destructive power.

Upon hearing this, many people at the scene immediately blushed and showed indignation.

Elodie's words had not yet stopped:

“I know that many of you are afraid.”

"It is ridiculous for someone like me who has never been on the battlefield to spout nonsense here, shouting things like 'Going to the front lines to kill the enemy is your duty and you cannot back down.'"

"Therefore, I will grip this sword tightly and fight alongside you!"

Upon hearing this, regardless of the villagers present, her guards, led by Shimada Kai, could not contain themselves any longer.

Shimada Kai's expression changed drastically, and he said urgently:

"Chief of staff...!"

Elodie raised her hand first, signaling him not to say anything more.

"Perhaps some of you know this, and some don't, but I, Elodie de Angoulême, am the apprentice of 'Nioh' Tachibana Aoto!"

In rural areas where information is scarce, this was indeed the first time many people had heard of it.

In the blink of an eye, a minor commotion broke out at the scene.

Ignoring the commotion, Elodie continued unhurriedly:

"As the head of the Shinsengumi and the apprentice of 'Niou' Tachibana Aoto, how could I be a coward who deserts in the face of battle?"

"I must fulfill my duty! I will stop the Choshu army at all costs!"

"Indeed, with our fighting strength, it would be extremely difficult to defeat this formidable Choshu army."