I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

He neither spoke nor made any move.

However, Qingdeng could clearly feel that his right shoulder was getting hot.

An astonishing heat emanated from Tenshōin's face.

Although he couldn't see Tenshōin's expression, Aoto could see her two ears—their ears were turning red, getting redder and redder.

Qingdeng saw through it but didn't point it out, and continued:

"Your Highness, I have made up my mind."

"After defeating the 'Hitotsubashi Faction,' you, Iemochi, and Kazumiya should come to Otsu together."

"After experiencing two major battles, Edo is now in dire need of reconstruction."

"It will take several years to recover."

"Simply put, for a long time to come, Edo will not be suitable to be the capital."

"so……"

Qingdeng paused briefly, then looked at Tianzhangyuan with a serious expression.

"Your Highness... Yu Yi, would you be willing to come to Dajin with me?"

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Chapter 988 The Townsmen's Self-Preservation Alliance and [A New Force] [4700]

"..."

About 10 seconds later, Tenshōin slowly left Aōdō's shoulder.

They gently raised their heads, their eyes meeting.

Because there were no lights on, and it was a cloudy night with no stars or moon, the room was pitch black.

Qing Deng possessed the gift of "night vision," which allowed him to make out Tenshōin's face with a sliver of light.

Against the backdrop of the night, Tenshōin's gaze became clear and distinct—in the darkness, Tenshōin's eyes shone brightly, as radiant as the sun and stars.

Unlike during the day, Qing Deng now takes the initiative to suggest "going to Otsu".

Tenshōin did not immediately give a definite answer. Instead, he hesitated for a moment, then asked with a worried expression:

"Going to Otsu... Leaving aside me for now, are Iemochi and Kazumiya also going to Otsu?"

Tokugawa Iemochi, Tenshōin, and Prince Kazu went to Ōtsu together—in fact, the deeper meaning behind Aoto's words was "relocating the capital"!

The general is in Otsu, and the officials are in Edo. How can they handle government affairs?

Therefore, if Tokugawa Iemochi and others went to Ōtsu, then the retainers of the shogunate—no, to be correct, the retainers of the "Nanki faction"—would certainly go to Ōtsu as well.

In other words, this move was equivalent to a major relocation of the shogunate's political organs! It was a "relocation of the capital" in a practical sense.

Qing Deng instantly understood Tianzhangyuan's concerns.

Edo was the symbol and center of power of the Edo Shogunate.

The fact that the Shogun has voluntarily left Edo... if this gets out, it might cause immeasurable negative consequences.

Qing Deng had anticipated this, so he explained calmly:

"Your Highness, I understand your concerns."

"However, as I just said, Edo is no longer suitable to be the 'capital'."

"Moreover, the decline of Edo is secondary."

“Defense is the real problem.”

“Otsu is in the Kinai region, and Edo is in the Kanto region. One is in the west and the other is in the east. They are too far apart.”

"At this stage, I cannot take care of both towns at the same time, so I have to make a choice between them."

"In my opinion, the 'Hitotsubashi faction' is nothing but a bunch of clowns, and they are not difficult to deal with."

"They're not very capable; they can only take advantage of my injuries before I've fully recovered and when the main force of the Shinsengumi isn't with me, and act recklessly."

"Once this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity passes, they will be nothing more than a bunch of grasshoppers in autumn, and we will wipe them out sooner or later."

"Our real enemy is in the west."

Upon hearing this, Tenshōin seemed to understand something and murmured:

"The vassals of the Western Kingdom..."

Qingdeng nodded slightly:

"Changzhou has not yet surrendered."

“Satsuma is unruly.”

"Tosa and Hizen are eyeing us covetously."

“These guys are all ambitious and difficult to deal with.”

"Compared to the Hitotsubashi faction, the western domains, led by the Satsuma Domain, are the real threat."

"Therefore, I cannot disperse my forces; I must deploy my main fighting force in the capital region and always be on guard against the western country."

Qingdeng spoke, and Tianzhangyuan listened.

After the former finished speaking, the latter pondered for a moment, then took a deep breath, revealing a resolute expression, as if he had made up his mind:

"Yes, I understand. You're right. As things stand, moving the capital to Otsu is indeed the best option."

At this point, his tone suddenly changed—becoming more playful.

"I never imagined that I would end up going to Otsu in this way. Man proposes, God disposes."

"In that case, in order to get to Otsu as soon as possible, we must defeat the 'Hitotsubashi Faction' as quickly as possible."

A smile spread across her cheeks, a smile like a beam of light pouring down from a gap in the dark clouds—the first time she had smiled since the Battle of Edo.

Upon seeing this, Qing Deng couldn't help but smile.

They looked at each other and laughed.

Instantly, a sense of tranquility filled the room.

For a moment, the two of them tacitly immersed themselves in this rare tranquility, unwilling to break it.

It was quite a while before Tenshōin spoke again, his tone now serious:

"Sheng Qing, in your opinion, do you think we have a chance of achieving a complete victory in this battle?"

Qingdeng answered without hesitation:

"There's definitely a chance. It's just—"

He slightly elongated the end of his sentence, then abruptly changed the subject:

"With our current fighting strength, it will be quite difficult to completely defeat the 'Hitotsubashi Faction'."

"To be honest, we are still in great danger."

"Although the Mito army has been defeated, the Hitotsubashi faction still has its carefully trained suicide soldiers and its direct advisors who have come to fight on their own initiative."

"As you can see, it is simply beyond my capabilities to send me back to the front lines to fight."

As he spoke, he lifted his robe to show Tianzhangyuan his chest, which was covered in burlap.

"Today's battle has completely drained the last bit of power from my body."

"I don't even have the strength to hold a knife anymore."

"The battle ahead can only rely on the bravery of our soldiers."

“If one is not careful, the ‘Hitotsubashi faction’ could still turn the tide.”

After listening, Tenshōin gave a wry smile:

"We're short of soldiers and generals, our combat strength is severely lacking..."

Qingdeng nodded and echoed, "That's right, exactly."

Then, he followed up with another question:

"Your Highness, do we really have no other troops available?"

The bitterness on Tenshoin's face deepened.

“If there were any other troops available, I would have transferred them to your command long ago. If you need them, all the soldiers of the new Imperial Guard are at your disposal.”

"That's not necessary. Let the new Oniwaban remain in the citadel to protect Iemochi."

The New Oniwaban is an intelligence agency, not a combat unit specializing in hand-to-hand combat.

Although there are many highly skilled individuals among them—such as the sisters Sae and Yae—sending intelligence personnel to the battlefield is like casting pearls before swine.

Qingdeng scratched his head, a hint of helplessness flashing in his eyes.

Suddenly, with a regretful expression, he muttered to himself in a low voice, so low that only he could hear him:

"If only another unit could be sent..."

"If you could just give me another force of a thousand men... no, five hundred men or more, it would greatly alleviate the current pressure..."

"Just give me another army..."

……

……

The following day (May 2th), early morning—

The winter sun rises quietly.

Although it was already daylight, the thick clouds that had been hanging in the sky since last night had not yet dissipated, and the world was still shrouded in shadow.