I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

He defeated 15 opponents in a row without breaking a sweat or losing his breath...

The allure of "ten thousand taels of gold" has faded...!

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Chapter 1009 [The Seven Spears of Immortal Continent] Attack! [4300]

Even if ten thousand taels of gold is tempting, you still need a way to get it.

Qingdeng's overwhelming and terrifying combat power shattered the illusions of those who harbored any hope of survival.

Even with his injuries not fully healed and only 5% of his strength remaining, he still managed to utterly defeat the warriors of the Oshu Domains!

It was one thing to instantly kill 15 martial artists, but after fighting continuously for 15 rounds, he didn't even break a sweat!

This composed demeanor only fuels the despair!

How can challengers have the confidence to take the stage in such a way?

To be beaten and bedridden for days for a prize that is impossible to obtain... No matter how you look at it, it's not worth it!

As the allure of "ten thousand taels of gold" faded, the challengers' enthusiasm quickly dissipated.

Instead of striving for the impossible ten thousand taels of gold, it would be more feasible to try to defeat the captains of the Shinsengumi and take the reward of one thousand taels of gold.

And so, the arena fell into an eerie desolation... Qing Deng stood alone on the field, with no one by his side.

The west side of the arena was deathly silent... In contrast, the surrounding stands were filled with excitement.

Niou personally took action to defeat the enemy—such a scene is not something you see every day!

Qingdeng's elegant and graceful movements, and his overwhelming power, captivated everyone present.

"Don't stop! Keep going!"

"Show the spirit of the warriors of Aoyu!"

Some of the bolder spectators called out, eagerly anticipating the appearance of the 16th challenger.

However, no matter how they shouted, the west side of the arena remained silent... After a while, many people lowered their heads, hunched their shoulders, and kept their eyes down, as if afraid of being discovered or called out by others.

Qingdeng surveyed the scene, thinking to himself:

That's all for today.

Judging from the current situation, there's no point in him waiting any longer.

Thinking about this, he couldn't help but feel stifled.

Firstly, I didn't manage to acquire many talents.

Secondly, he hasn't had enough fighting yet!

For him, this level of competition was merely a "warm-up".

His body had just warmed up when he had to stop... which was really uncomfortable for him.

But since things have come to this, we have no choice but to accept it.

He didn't linger any longer, shouted "Thank you for your concession" to the west side of the arena, and then turned and left.

Adoration, jealousy, awe... Under the gazes of various emotions, he strode back to the "VIP seats" on the north side of the arena, and continued to chat and laugh with the lords as if nothing had happened.

……

……

Because only eight feudal lords have arrived at Wakamatsu Castle so far, and there are not many warriors gathered here, the first day's martial arts competition only lasted until noon before being forced to end due to "no challengers".

Although it was a short time, the result was very satisfactory – the Shinsengumi won a great victory!

Until the very end, no one managed to defeat Qing Deng's captains.

Qingdeng was very satisfied with this start.

In the days that followed, Qingdeng continued to conduct the "Olympic Games Trial".

During this period, other feudal lords arrived at Wakamatsu Castle one after another.

Following the Morioka Domain, the flags of major domains such as the Kubota Domain (205,800 koku), the Shonai Domain (170,000 koku), and the Shirakawa Domain (100,000 koku) fluttered in the air above Wakamatsu Castle.

In order to win the reward of one thousand taels of gold and to gain the honor of "defeating the captain of the Shinsengumi", the warriors from other domains who arrived at Wakamatsu Castle later all eagerly signed up to participate.

As the number of participants continued to increase, the Olympic badminton tournament became more and more lively and intense, and the competition lasted until dusk.

That being said, the result remains unchanged: the Shinsengumi still maintains its undefeated record!

Even with more and stronger challengers, they could not shake the strength of the Shinsengumi!

With only a handful of captains facing off against hundreds of warriors from the Ōu Regiment... anyone would surely think: with so many people, even if they were just overwhelming them with sheer numbers, the Shinsengumi captains would be exhausted to death!

But what was the actual scene presented to everyone?

In fact, Kondo Isami and the others did not feel very tired.

Even now, they still have energy to spare.

The reason is not complicated.

For the vast majority of their rounds, they repeatedly went through the same three steps: "enter the field, kill instantly, leave the field".

Because most challengers simply can't withstand a single blow from them! So it doesn't take any effort at all!

Those who weren't instantly killed couldn't last long either, and would be defeated after only a few rounds.

Qing Deng was not surprised by this result—the low level of the Aoyu warriors was something he had expected.

As the saying goes, "the material level determines the superstructure."

The impoverished Ou region severely lacked educational resources, making it impossible to cultivate outstanding martial artists.

The harsh environment has led to a brain drain.

The best warriors in the Oyu territory, as long as they have some connections, will try to leave and go to more prosperous regions such as Kanto and the capital to seek better opportunities.

At the same time, because Ou was too poor and the environment was too harsh, talented people from other places were unwilling to go to Ou to open dojos and teach martial arts.

Those inside want to get out, and those outside don't want to get in... This creates a vicious cycle.

Over time, a situation arose where "bad players played against each other, and the game got worse and worse," to the point that their martial arts skills were hardly commendable.

In terms of martial arts skills, the warriors of the Ou Domain were generally unremarkable.

They lack skill and have extremely little practical experience.

Therefore, it was only natural that they were thoroughly defeated by Kondo Isami and his men.

If conditions permit, Qingdeng would be very happy to stay in the arena for an extended period.

While unilaterally crushing the opponent, you can also exploit your talent... It's a wonderful thing to exercise your muscles, improve your mood, and gain something at the same time.

Unfortunately, he was so busy with other things that he didn't have time to watch or participate in the games every day.

He's been quite busy lately, running around every day on diplomatic matters.

He had not forgotten the purpose of this trip north—holding the "Oyu Trial Cooperation" was just a side event; promoting stability in the Oyu region was the primary goal.

Although the meeting could only be held after all the lords of the Ou Domain had arrived, in many cases the outcome of the meeting was already decided before it even began!

The attitudes of smaller domains are irrelevant; it is the major domains such as Sendai, Morioka, and Shonai that Aoto needs to win over.

Therefore, Qing Deng actively contacted the lords of the major domains, communicating, talking, and negotiating with them.

Qing Deng had only one requirement for them: support the "Nanki faction" and the pro-shogunate camp, and resolutely part ways with the "Hitotsubashi faction" and the pro-revolutionary camp.

To be fair, Qing Deng is not good at diplomacy.

He preferred using the sword at his waist to get whatever he wanted rather than using his tongue to gain benefits.

Fortunately, this diplomatic operation was not complicated, and even Qing Deng, who was unfamiliar with such matters, handled it with ease.

First, he possesses moral high ground and unshakeable "political correctness."

Tokugawa Iemochi was not dead; he remained the rightful leader of the samurai class and the fourteenth Shogun.

Supporting the shogunate and the general was the duty of the three hundred feudal lords, and no one could find fault with it.

Secondly, he has strong military support.

What you can't get on the battlefield, you can't get at the negotiating table—but conversely, what you can easily get on the battlefield can be used as a bargaining chip at the negotiating table.

Now, with the momentum of eliminating Mito, the Shinsengumi's three thousand-strong army is stationed outside Wakamatsu Town... This is a terrifying pressure that cannot be ignored for every lord of the Ou Domain!

No one wanted to offend Qingdeng and bring about the destruction of their country.

Thirdly, although Qing Deng is not good at diplomacy, with the added bonus of the talent "failed art student +5", his eloquence has always been outstanding and full of captivating charm.

[Note: The art student who failed the exam has a +5 voice: their speech is highly engaging.]

The Ōu Reigns were a bunch of fence-sitters, each minding their own business and only thinking about self-preservation; they were simply incapable of forming a united force.

Qingdeng astutely grasped the key point here, breaking it down one by one and constantly dividing it.

Today, I secretly met with the lord of the Morioka Domain, lured him with benefits, and subdued him.

Tomorrow, I will hint to the lord of the Shonai Domain that if Aizu is used as a springboard, the flag of sincerity can be raised on the castle tower of Tsuruoka Castle (the Shonai Domain's headquarters) in just one month.

The day after tomorrow, they will pull together the lords of Morioka and Shonai to put pressure on the hesitant lord of Shirakawa.

The day after tomorrow, he deliberately spread the news that "the lords of Morioka, Shonai, and Shirakawa have all submitted to Prince Ni," deepening the fear of the minor lords and causing them to rush to curry favor with Aoto.

Thus, faced with Seito's "patient persuasion," the lords of the Ou Reihan were powerless to resist.

No matter what Qing Deng said—whether it was "supporting the 'Nanji faction'" or "opposing the Zunrang Movement"—they dared not disagree and repeatedly agreed.

The process of Qing Deng subduing the various domains of Ou was quite smooth.

However, due to the late arrival of one lord, Seito's plan to "subdue Oshu" was flawed—the other party was the current lord of Sendai Domain, Date Yoshikuni!

Sendai Domain was the largest domain in Ōu, with an actual koku exceeding one million koku, and held a pivotal position in Ōu.