I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Before Tenshōin could cast a puzzled glance his way, he continued speaking to himself:

"To be honest, I'm... a little tired right now..."

“Since the launch of the ‘Changzhou Campaign’, I have been constantly traveling to various battlefields.”

"After finally defeating a powerful enemy and relieving Edo's predicament, we now have to fight the 'Hitotsubashi faction'."

"I'm really a little tired..."

"So, Your Highness... no, Yu Yi, may you say something to me?"

"Anything is fine, just say something that will cheer me up."

After Qing Deng finished speaking, an indescribable silence descended between them.

Because Tenshōin was standing to her side and behind, Seidō couldn't see her movements or know what expression she was making.

Even Qing Deng himself was startled after saying such a thing—he had no idea why he made such a statement.

It was just a momentary lapse of concentration, and then he said it naturally.

In this strange silence, the first sound was not from Qing Deng or Tian Zhang Yuan, but from the gentle rubbing of limbs touching—Qing Deng suddenly felt something press against his back.

Even without looking, he could clearly sense that Tianzhangyuan had bent down and pressed his forehead against Qingdeng's back.

At the same time, she reached out and tightly gripped the fabric of Qing Deng's clothes on the back.

In the sunlight, their shadows merged into one.

Qingdeng could clearly feel the other person's body temperature and the vibration of their vocal cords on his back.

“Sheng Qing, I don’t know if you still remember, I once told you: ‘I want to go to Dajin with you.’”

"I thought my wish had a chance to come true."

"However, to my utter surprise... various changes in reality seem to have made this wish seem to be getting further and further away from me."

"But even now, with my life hanging by a thread, I still can't help but fantasize about the scenery of Otsu, and about life after moving to Otsu..."

She paused at this point.

Three seconds later, she spoke again—in a low voice, tinged with a hint of unease.

"Sheng Qing...do I still have a chance to go to Otsu?"

Qingdeng felt the back of his clothes being suddenly tightened.

Tenshōin gripped Aoto's clothes tightly from the back, as if unwilling to let go.

"..."

Just as Tensho-in finished speaking, Qingdeng looked down at the Vairocana pendant at his waist, then looked up at the sky and took a deep breath.

"……sure."

He said it with a strong and clear voice.

"As long as you're still interested, I'll definitely take you to Otsu!"

The next moment, he abruptly turned his head and shouted to Shimada Kai, who was not far away:

"Shimada-kun!"

Upon hearing Qing Deng call his name, Shimada Kai shuddered violently, then hurriedly and haltingly stammered in a shrill voice:

"I...I...I...I...I didn't hear anything!"

Ignoring Shimada Kai's attempt to cover up his actions, Aoto succinctly issued the following order:

"You stay here, I'll be right back."

As he spoke, he steadied himself against the Vairocana pendant at his waist, then turned and left.

Upon seeing this, Shimada Kai was stunned.

Although Qingdeng did not say it explicitly, he instantly understood what his lord wanted.

At this critical moment, he disregarded the extraordinary conversation he had just overheard and instinctively took off to catch up with and intercept Qing Deng.

"My lord! You mustn't! The doctor from the north said that you..."

Before Shimada Kai could finish speaking, Aoto interrupted him directly:

"The doctor from the north said, 'Don't let the wound reopen.'"

"If that's the case, as long as the wound doesn't reopen, everything will be fine, right?"

He pushed Shimada Kai aside and continued forward.

Shimada Kai wanted to continue persuading him, but received a cold warning from Aoto:

"Don't stop me again. If you appear in front of me again, I'll make sure you can't get up within 5 minutes."

Shimada Kai's feet immediately froze on the spot, and he dared not move.

From the moment he started looking, Qingdeng kept his gaze fixed and did not turn around to look at Tianzhangyuan behind him.

He stood straight ahead, making a firm promise to the other party:

"I will defeat this mere three thousand troops!"

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Chapter 980 vs. 3000! Qingdeng vs. an army of three thousand [4100]

Edo, a certain street—

Upon receiving Hitotsubashi Yoshinobu's order to "attack Kohinata-mikado," the three thousand soldiers of the Mito army immediately obeyed the order, changed course and headed west, heading straight for Kohinata-mikado.

Wherever the army passed, chaos ensued.

Seeing this unfamiliar army that had suddenly arrived, the people were terrified and scattered in all directions to make way for them.

The muffled thuds of soldiers stomping their feet, the crisp clang of weapons clashing, the wails of the people... all these sounds mingled together, creating a scene reminiscent of the end times.

The closer a region was to Edo Castle, the sooner it received news of the "outbreak of civil war".

Therefore, as the Mito army gradually approached Edo Castle, they encountered fewer and fewer civilians along the way.

The people around Edo Castle had already mostly fled.

Looking up, the air on the street was filled with a bleak atmosphere.

The shops were closed, there were no pedestrians, and not even a stray dog.

Beneath the military flag embroidered with "Mito Mitsuba" fluttering in the wind stood a middle-aged samurai with slightly graying temples.

Positioned directly below the banner, his identity is self-evident—the commander of this army, Suzuki Toranosuke, the elder of the Mito Domain!

At this moment, he was riding a tall horse, head held high, chest out, looking radiant and full of pride.

Joy, elation, excitement... these ordinary words are no longer enough to describe his current state of mind.

Tachibana Seito was seriously injured and short of troops—this was already common knowledge within the Hitotsubashi camp.

Everyone in Hitotsubashi's camp knew very well that one of the biggest challenges to a successful coup was how to breach Edo Castle, which was guarded by Tachibana Seito.

Since the "Nanki faction" had already transferred the Shinsengumi to guard the "Thirty-six Appearances," it was impossible for Tachibana Seito not to participate in the defense of Edo Castle.

Defeating Tachibana Aoto... Under normal circumstances, this would be an extremely difficult task.

Normally, if someone said to Toranosuke Suzuki, "Go and kill Aoto Tachibana!", Toranosuke Suzuki would definitely think that person was crazy.

If the lord were to issue such an order to him, he would subconsciously think that the lord was deliberately trying to harm him, and would begin to reflect on whether he had done something wrong recently that led the lord to order him to his death.

But now, with the combined advantages of favorable timing, location, and human resources, this is no longer an unattainable goal!

The slaying of the King of Kings—an achievement that countless powerful and extraordinary individuals have been unable to accomplish—will be accomplished by him… Just thinking about this, Suzuki Toranosuke could hardly contain his excitement! The corners of his lips involuntarily turned up high! He was overjoyed!

The more he thought about it, the more excited he became, and he involuntarily raised his eyes to look at the Edo Castle that was getting closer and closer.

In that instant, he seemed to see the fall of Edo Castle! He saw the deaths of Tokugawa Iemochi and Aoto! He saw himself achieving unparalleled merit!

—My lord, thank you very much!

He silently expressed his sincerest gratitude to the lord in his heart.

Thanks to the lord's high regard, he was able to have the opportunity to leave his mark in history!

At this moment, the soldiers of the Mito army were like a surging tide, splashing all the way to an inconspicuous street.

This street was the only way for them to get to Kohinata-Mikado.

This street is not a wide alley, but an ordinary dirt road.

It was no more than 100 meters long and only wide enough for ten soldiers to pass side by side.

After the three thousand soldiers of the Mito Army poured into the street, they immediately filled the not-so-wide street completely.

If you look down from above, you can see a dense mass of heads, like weeds in a forest.

Toranosuke Suzuki was overjoyed because he felt he was about to achieve great things.

The other soldiers were also overjoyed, because they felt that this battle would be incredibly easy, and that the desperate Tachibana no Aoto was powerless to stop them.

Everyone wore smiles, and a lighthearted atmosphere filled the air.

It was as if they weren't there to fight a war, but rather for an armed parade.

However, as the commander-in-chief of the army, Toranosuke Suzuki still did some superficial work.

He cleared his throat and called out loudly:

"Everyone, be alert! Tachibana Seiden is an unparalleled swordsman! Even if he is a tiger without claws or teeth, he should not be underestimated!"

After shouting, he suddenly drew the sword from his waist and raised it high above his head:

"Soldiers! Let us cheer! Let the enemy hear the shouts of the men of Mito! Eh—eh—"

The next moment, the three thousand soldiers roared in unison:

"Ooo ...