I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"Now, follow me!"

Qingdeng turned slightly to the side and made a "follow me" gesture.

"Go to the battlefield, and defeat the warriors!"

……

……

A moment later—

Edo, Edo Castle, Akasaka Gate, the front line of the battlefield—

"Sheng Qing!"

She was the only one who would address Qingdeng as "Shengqing".

Qingdeng neither turned around nor looked back, quietly waiting for Tianzhangyuan to approach.

Soon, Tenshōin jogged over to Aoto's side.

"Sheng Qing, what's going on? You're sending civilians to the battlefield?"

Qingdeng gave a meaningful smile:

“Your Highness, just now, I gained ‘new power’.”

*******

*******

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PS: Yoshinobu Hitoshi received support from the direct military advisors, while Aoto Tachibana received support from the common people.

Chapter 990 "Let's go! We'll help Lord Ren!", Commoners set out! [4500]

Just now, Qing Deng announced again: In view of the fact that Azhan and others are civilians and were the first volunteers to come to support, in order to commend their bravery, Qing Deng will personally sponsor each of them with a bonus of 30 taels of gold!

A bonus of 30 taels of gold, plus a military salary of 3 taels of gold—this large sum of money is enough for a family to live happily for several years.

Encouraged by the huge reward, Azhan and his men's fighting spirit rose to another level, displaying a heroic spirit of "willing to die for the emperor."

Just as Tianzhangyuan came to find Qingdeng, he was standing on the oar, gazing into the distance.

[Note: 橹 (yū): An essential structure in Japanese castles, similar to a watchtower or arrow tower. The castle tower (天守阁) is essentially a larger version of a 橹.]

Directly in front of him were Azhan and his men, who were now fully armored and armed with brand-new weapons.

They lined up in a long queue, led by the vice-captain of the 7th Division, Nakazawa Koto, and prepared to enter the front line.

"Who are they? Reinforcements?"

"Seems to be."

"They don't look like warriors."

"They are said to be ordinary people."

"Commoners? Really?"

"Tsk... What's going on... Why send civilians into battle? Can civilians even fight?"

"That's not how it works. Compared to us warriors, the common people aren't missing an arm or a leg. Their only problem is a lack of training. If we can properly command and manage them, they can also achieve considerable success."

"In any case, I don't think this is a good strategy... Didn't the 'Ōshio Heihachirō Rebellion' 28 years ago already prove the weakness of ordinary people? They can only rely on others' power, and once they encounter a tough battle, they will immediately scatter like birds and beasts."

The Shinsengumi soldiers remained relatively calm in the face of this unexpected situation of "civilians offering assistance."

The Shinsengumi has a long-standing tradition that "commoners can also wear light blue haori," and the commoners who joined the Shinsengumi have always been very courageous and made many military achievements, so their discrimination against commoners is somewhat weaker.

In contrast, the soldiers of the "Three Divisions"—the Great Division, the Academy Division, and the Junior Division—reacted much more fiercely.

In addition to the Shinsengumi's 7th and 10th Divisions, the 3rd Division also participated in this battle.

The desperate attacks by Shuten-dōji, Sukuna, and others caused heavy losses to the "Third Division".

After the Battle of Edo Castle, excluding those deserters who retreated in the face of battle, fewer than a hundred soldiers remained in the "Three Divisions" who could still stand safely.

The Tianzhang Academy will show no mercy to deserters.

She kicked all these scoundrels out of the "Third Division," stripped them of their samurai status, and demoted them to commoners, thus slimming down the "Third Division."

Sending this battered unit back to the battlefield... is, frankly, too cruel.

But this battle will determine the course of the world.

Therefore, Tenshōin could no longer care about such things.

As soon as the "Second Battle of Edo Castle" began, she immediately issued orders to the "Third Division," requiring them to follow Aoto's command and assist the Shinsengumi in defending Akasaka Gate.

The "Sanbangu" was equivalent to the Imperial Guard of the Shogun.

Therefore, it is easy to imagine that those who could join the "Imperial Guard" must have been prominent and wealthy families within the Direct Military Commission.

High-ranking warriors like them held a peculiar contempt for commoners—a contempt without any malice.

They had no deep-seated hatred for ordinary people; it was just a natural contempt—like "wanting to kill a cockroach when you see it." There was no right or wrong involved; it was purely a "subconscious" behavior.

Admiration, confusion, respect... a variety of gazes fell on Azhan and the others.

Becoming the "target of public criticism"... Even a capable person who has seen many ups and downs may not be able to withstand this kind of pressure.

At this moment, every single one of A-Zhan and the others was filled with tension, and even their hands and feet became clumsy.

Nakazawa Koto, who was leading the way, noticed their unusual behavior, so she turned her head slightly and said slowly:

"There's no need to be afraid."

"There's no need to pay attention to those vulgar people."

"As you can see, I am a woman."

"When I first joined the Shinsengumi, many people also mocked and ridiculed me."

"It's no exaggeration to say that the malice I've received is far greater than what you've experienced."

“I’m not discouraged by this—I’ve silenced those mediocre people with my solid achievements.”

"If you feel frustrated and unwilling, then perform well in the upcoming battle."

Ah Zhan swallowed hard, raised his head and straightened his chest, his expression resolute:

"Yes, that's for sure! Since we dared to come to fight, we're already prepared to fight a bloody battle!"

Nakazawa Koto raised an eyebrow, looking surprised, before casting an admiring glance.

"You've got guts! I'm Koto Nakazawa, the vice-captain of the 7th Division of the Shinsengumi. What are your names?"

Azhan and the others gave their names.

Thanks to Kotoko Nakazawa's reassurance, their tension was greatly reduced.

They marched straight ahead, their feet swift as the wind.

The warriors along the way quickly moved aside to make way for them.

……

……

"A brand new power?"

Tenshōin blinked his beautiful eyes, his face full of confusion.

"Sheng Qing, I don't know what you're thinking, but do you really intend to let commoners help you defend the city?"

The reason Tenshōin suddenly came to see Seidō was because the latter had just made a request to her—

"Your Highness, please come to see me immediately! I have urgent business to discuss!"

Although the request came as a surprise, Tenshōin, with absolute trust in Aōdō, did not hesitate to put aside all his affairs.

On her way to Akasaka Mikado to find Aoto, she learned of a series of news, including that "commoners had come to help" and that "Aoto had rewarded these commoners handsomely."

All of this made Tianzhangyuan even more confused, wondering what Qingdeng was up to.

Faced with Tenshōin's questioning, Aoto smiled faintly:

"Your Highness, are you familiar with the story behind the 'Golden Terrace'?"

Tensho-in glared at him irritably.

"Do you take me for someone illiterate? Of course I know."

During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, King Zhao of Yan was eager to recruit talented people, but with little success.

Later, a wise man named Guo Wei offered him advice: "If you want to recruit talents, you should start by recruiting me, Guo Wei. If someone as incompetent as me can be employed by the ruler, those who are more capable than me will surely come from afar."

King Zhao of Yan adopted Guo Wei's suggestion, appointed Guo Wei as his teacher, and built a palace for him. Not long after, this led to a situation where "scholars flocked to Yan," and the backward state of Yan suddenly became rich in talent.

This is a well-known and famous anecdote.

Anyone with even a little knowledge of Chinese classics will surely know the story of "Golden Terrace".

When Qing Deng suddenly mentioned the story, Tian Zhangyuan immediately understood what he meant.

"Sheng Qing, do you intend to emulate King Zhao of Yan by heavily rewarding those seven young men in order to attract more commoners to join your cause?"

Qing Deng said calmly:

“The direct advisors almost unanimously support the ‘Hitotsubashi faction,’ and the only force we can rely on right now is the common people of Edo.”

Tenshōin frowned slightly, bit his lip, and looked hesitant and unsure.

Compared to other nobles of his time, Tenshōin was definitely an enlightened person.

At the very least, she would never pronounce the word "commoner" with the tone of "miscellaneous".

Even so, she still harbored some prejudice against the common people.

After hesitating for a moment, she cautiously asked in return:

"Sheng Qing, will this work?"