I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Just like yesterday's Hitotsubashi Army, they received a lot of assistance from their direct staff.

Unexpectedly, the visitors were ordinary people, and there were only seven of them...

Samurai were responsible for fighting, while commoners were responsible for production—this concept was deeply ingrained in people's minds during the Edo period.

Although the Shinsengumi was a mixed force of samurai and commoners, with both samurai and commoners eligible to join, the vast majority of Shinsengumi officers and soldiers are still samurai to this day.

Even Harada Sanosuke, a veteran of the Shinsengumi, subconsciously held a contemptuous attitude towards commoners.

At that moment, Harada Sanosuke suddenly noticed that Aoto beside him had entered a "strange" state.

Upon learning that the group of volunteers consisted of seven civilians, he was struck dumb, frozen in place, speechless for a long time.

Seeing this, Harada Sanosuke mistakenly thought that Aoto was too disappointed, so he scratched his head, racked his brains, and used all his knowledge to clumsily comfort Aoto:

"Um... Mr. Tachibana, please cheer up, don't be disappointed."

"Even without the volunteer army, I am fully confident that I can defend Edo Castle and repel the rebels!"

He was getting into the conversation.

Unexpectedly, Qing Deng suddenly spoke up, interrupting him:

"...Zanosuke, you've got it wrong."

Harada Sanosuke was taken aback:

"Huh? What did I do wrong?"

"Precisely because they are ordinary people, they have unlimited potential."

As Qingdeng spoke, he clenched his fists again, his eyes gleaming with excitement, and a look of intense emotion rising on his face:

"Yes... I was so stupid... How could I forget... How could I possibly lack troops...!"

After talking to himself, his gaze returned to the messenger.

"This group of volunteers is currently at the Hibiya-Mikado Gate, right?"

"Yes... Huh? Lord Niou?"

After receiving a definite answer, Qingdeng didn't waste a second and turned to leave immediately, walking at an incredibly fast pace.

In just a moment, his figure appeared in the distance.

Harada Sanosuke blinked, increasingly puzzled:

"Mr. Ju, what's wrong with you...?"

"Zanosuke, the front lines are in your hands! Don't let me down!"

After simply leaving those words, Qingdeng's figure disappeared completely, leaving only his voice lingering in the air.

Harada Sanosuke and the messenger remained where they were.

They blinked hard in unison, then turned their heads and looked at each other—both of them found a strong sense of bewilderment on each other's faces.

……

……

Hibiya Mikado is not far from Akasaka Mikado.

Before long, Aoto arrived smoothly at Hibiya Gate with swift steps.

Upon arriving at his destination, he saw seven young men waiting outside the palace gate.

All seven men were dressed in tattered clothes and looked pale and sickly; they were clearly commoners.

Three of them wore swords at their waists, and the other four carried bamboo spears on their shoulders... Apart from that, they had no other equipment.

Seeing that someone was coming, the seven people turned their heads to look at Qingdeng, their faces showing confusion.

Someone seemed to recognize Qingdeng.

After carefully observing Qing Deng's appearance, the man's eyes widened immediately, and he said in a trembling voice:

"Yes, it is Lord Niou!"

Upon hearing this, all seven people were shocked, their confusion turning into astonishment.

Immediately afterwards, they all knelt down on the ground, bowing their heads low, not daring to even breathe.

Qing Deng raised his hand:

"Get up, all of you!"

He watched them carefully as they rose to their feet, thanking him and standing up cautiously.

"As you can see, I am Tachibana Aoto, Commander-in-Chief of the Army and the Shinsengumi."

"I have heard about what you have been doing."

"I heard you want to come and help as 'volunteers'?"

The seven people nodded hastily.

Qingdeng asked again:

"I'm asking you, what are your names?"

Upon hearing this, the seven people dared not delay and immediately gave their names.

Qingdeng silently memorized their names, then continued to ask:

"I ask you, why do you want to go to the battlefield and make a name for yourselves?"

Perhaps due to nervousness, the seven people looked at each other without saying a word for a long time.

About 10 seconds later, the person standing at the very front—who had just introduced himself as "Ajahn"—was seen.

He wasn't physically strong, and judging from the thick calluses on his palms, Qingdeng guessed he was an umbrella maker.

Then he took a deep breath, mustered his courage, and stammered:

"If we could achieve great things, that would be the best thing ever."

"No, no, no, we have no such ambition!"

"We simply want to uphold justice! We want to lend you a hand! To defeat the rebels!"

With this person taking the lead, the others gained courage and began to speak up one after another:

"That's right! We don't crave fame or fortune!"

"We have backbone too!"

"Lord Niou! My name is Kusunoki! I've studied swordsmanship for a few years! Although my skills aren't great, I'm ready for the battlefield!"

"Yoshiki Hitotsubashi is so wicked! Lord Niou, we are all on your side!"

Qingdeng stared at the seven men expressionlessly, listening quietly to their impassioned speeches.

However, if you look closely, you will find that although the angle is very slight, the corners of his mouth are indeed slightly upturned.

Suddenly, the man who had just been smiling abruptly furrowed his brows:

"You guys have some nerve!"

"He's a commoner, yet he's clamoring to go to the battlefield!"

"How could ordinary people like you possibly achieve anything on the battlefield!"

Upon hearing this, the seven people who had just been speaking so eloquently all shut their mouths, lowered their heads, and looked ashamed.

Although Qing Deng's words were blunt and harsh, he was not wrong.

In fact, even they themselves did not feel that they could show their talents on the battlefield.

The only commendable thing about them is their passion—but what good is passion alone?

Just when they were being scolded by Qing Deng and couldn't even lift their heads—

"However, I admire your courage."

With a sudden change in tone, Qing Deng's facial expression softened again.

"So what if they're ordinary people?"

"There are many civilians in the Shinsengumi."

"In terms of fighting skills, they are no less capable than samurai!"

"Some of them even rose to prominence overnight thanks to their outstanding military achievements!"

"I am delighted to have the privilege of meeting seven warriors today!"

"I warmly welcome you!"

"I extend my sincerest respect to you!"

"I ask you, are you ready to fight alongside me, Tachibana Aoto?"

First they were harshly criticized, and now they are receiving sincere praise... The thrilling experience, like riding a roller coaster, has left these seven people dumbfounded.

After a moment, the leader—that is, Ajahn—swallowed hard, then adopted a firm tone:

"Lord Niou, we are ready! Please allow us to go into battle!"

Qingdeng looked at Azhan and smiled—this time, the smile was no longer a faint one, but a genuine smile of joy.

"very good!"

"I, Ju Qingdeng, hereby declare: every civilian who comes to lend their support will receive 3 taels of gold as military pay!"

"If you are unfortunately killed in battle, you will receive a compensation of 30 taels of gold!"

Upon hearing the figures of 3 taels of gold for military pay and 30 taels of gold for pensions, A-Zhan and the others widened their eyes in shock.

Three taels of gold... For ordinary people, this is a huge sum of money!

If you use it sparingly, it should last for a year or two without any problem.

As for the 30 taels of gold, needless to say.

Of course, under normal circumstances, no one would want to earn those 30 taels of gold.

Qing Deng observed the reactions of Azhan and the others.