I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

However, even the renowned "Seven Spears of Senshu" could not match the captains of the Shinsengumi!

Faced with this outcome, the lords of the Ou Reihan were all deeply disappointed and their pride was wounded.

It seems that, despite their reluctance, they are destined to accept the prejudice that "Oshu is not only poor, but also lacks any real samurai discipline"...

The Shinsengumi's domineering and powerful nature subtly instilled a significant sense of psychological vulnerability in the feudal lords.

These captains alone are incredibly difficult to deal with; they are all fierce warriors capable of taking on a thousand men single-handedly. With proper management and coordination, they can be made to exert the effectiveness of a massive army!

If Nagakura Shinpachi and Saito Hajime are so powerful, then how powerful are Hijikata Toshizo and Yamanami Keisuke, whose strength is no less than theirs?

Just how powerful is Okita Souji, who is widely recognized as the strongest person after Nioh?

How valiant would the elite troops led by these fierce men be?

The more the lords of the Ou Domains thought about it, the more uneasy they felt, and goosebumps rose all over their bodies.

When Qingdeng returned to the VIP seats, they all did the same thing: subconsciously lowered their heads, held their breath, and dared not look at Qingdeng for more than a second, their posture extremely disrespectful...

……

……

Judging from the results, the "Oyu Trial" achieved far more than Qing Deng expected.

The crushing defeat of the "Seven Spears of Senshu" left the feudal lords, including Date Yoshikuni, speechless and no longer daring to harbor any illusions about "defeating the Shinsengumi".

Especially Date Keibun, whose change in attitude was the most obvious.

When the two first met, Date Keikun always acted as if he was at ease, as if he wanted to be on equal footing with Aoto.

Now, when he faces Qingdeng, he always unconsciously shows a frightened expression, just like a defeated rooster.

This world is ultimately material.

Those with bigger fists always gain more respect.

Aoto was very satisfied with the result of successfully intimidating the various feudal lords of Oshu.

Both publicly and privately, he returned with a full harvest.

The gains in terms of public benefits need no further elaboration.

While the gains in the "private" sphere were slightly less substantial, they were still considerable.

As expected, all members of the "Seven Spears of Immortal State" were indeed gifted.

I copied 7 talents at once, and all of them were very useful talents.

For this reason, Qing Deng's steps became much lighter as he walked back to the VIP seats.

Although these talents can no longer provide much of a boost to Qingdeng now, Qingdeng never thinks he has too many talents.

In conclusion, the main objectives of holding the Olympic Games have been achieved.

Now he can fully focus on the main topic.

To reiterate, the "Olympic Games Trial" is just a side event; the main focus of this trip north is still the "Olympic Games Meeting"!

Now that all the lords of the Ōu Domains have arrived, the meeting can finally begin!

The day after defeating the "Seven Spears of Immortal State", Qing Deng held a meeting in Wakamatsu Castle.

The officials of Aizu, led by Yokoyama no Kyusha, were all extremely busy, racing against time to set up the meeting hall and strengthen its defenses.

On this day, a somber atmosphere permeated the city of Ruosong.

……

……

Wakamatsu Castle —

This is the largest and most luxurious room in Wakamatsu Castle.

This room is only used for extremely important events such as New Year's worship and the enthronement of a new monarch.

In preparation for today's meeting, the tatami mats in the room were specially aired out and now smell pleasant.

The armrests, tables, and other utensils were also repeatedly wiped clean, making them look brand new.

"Niou" Tachibana Aoto and the lords of forty domains in Oshu are all here. If anything were to happen to them, none of them could bear the consequences.

Therefore, the room was heavily guarded both inside and out.

Exposed sentries, covert sentries, and patrol teams; knives, spears, and muskets—everything was available.

Unless a large army launches an attack, it is absolutely impossible to get even half a step closer to the meeting venue.

Although there was still some time before the meeting officially began, all attendees had already arrived.

Qing Deng sat upright in the main seat without any controversy.

The lords of the Ou Reihan (Ōu Domain) sat in front of Aoto in order of their rank and status.

Because it was an extremely serious meeting, everyone in the room was dressed in gorgeous and formal formal attire.

The spacious room, hundreds of square meters, the people sitting upright, the clothing that made one stand up straight, the stuffy air... Looking up, the scene was quite grand.

Qing Deng turned his gaze around expressionlessly.

As their gazes fell upon the surrounding area, the lords grew increasingly anxious, making the atmosphere even more somber.

After scanning the room once, he said in a clear, deliberate voice:

"Gentlemen, the sea is currently raging, and we are beset by internal and external troubles."

He skipped the boring opening remarks and didn't bother with bureaucratic jargon, getting straight to the point.

“Today there are countless treacherous villains who deceive Heaven and humiliate the people, and corrupt human ethics.”

“Changzhou harbors evil intentions, disregards moral principles, displays the violence of jackals and tigers, and indulges in the desire to devour everything.”

"Yitsubashi Yoshiki intended to follow in the footsteps of Wang Mang, to usurp the throne through treacherous schemes, and to rule the people with tyranny."

“The western domains such as Satsuma and Tosa are ambitious, ruthless, and venomous.”

"Rebellious ministers and traitors will be punished now and in the past."

"Heaven's justice is clear; how can we allow demons and monsters to run rampant?"

"The law is law, how can we tolerate such tyranny?"

After saying that, Qingdeng picked up the scroll that he had prepared earlier from the table and unfurled it.

"Gentlemen, this is the 'Oath'."

"I propose that we all take an oath together!"

"I swear to serve Lord Iemochi to the death!"

"We swear to fight to the very end against the treacherous villains of Changzhou and the 'Ichibashi Faction'!"

"If anyone breaks this agreement in the future, we will attack them together!"

After saying this, Qingdeng solemnly laid the scroll on the table.

Then you'll see that the first half of the scroll is filled with elegant Chinese characters—this is the main text of the oath.

The latter half is left blank—this is where Qing Deng and others can sign their names.

Aoto picked up a brush soaked in ink and signed his full name at the beginning of the blank space: Genjuku Netachi Aoto Moriharu.

Immediately afterwards, he pulled out a knife, slightly cut his left thumb, and left a bloody fingerprint on his name.

After the series of ceremonies were completed, Yokoyama Shusai, who had been serving Aoto since the beginning, slowly stood up, respectfully picked up the oath, and walked down to hand it to Date Yoshikuni.

Just last night, Qing Deng had a long talk with Date Qingbang.

The "Seven Spears of Xianzhou" didn't win a single match and were utterly defeated.

Therefore, the pre-arranged agreement that "as long as we win one game, Qing Deng will not pursue the offense" is no longer valid.

Qingdeng still holds the handle that "the Seven Spears of Xianzhou offended the King of Benevolence".

However, a weakness like this only works if it's put to use.

Keeping it hidden all this time is utterly useless.

Furthermore, Aoto had no conflict of interest with the Sendai Domain and had no intention of constantly controlling Date Yoshikuni.

Therefore, last night, Qing Deng reached a gentleman's agreement with Date Keikun. He could not pursue the offense of the "Seven Spears of Senshu", but at the "Oyu Conference", Date Keikun must take the lead in signing this "oath" and not make any demands on him.

Whether it's the Sendai Domain or any other domain in Ōu, everyone is equal before this "oath," without any special privileges. The only thing they can do is "obediently sign it."

At that moment, after a moment's thought, Date Keikun silently nodded in agreement—having witnessed the strength of the Shinsengumi firsthand, he no longer dared to entertain the delusion of "bargaining with Aoto and gaining a voice."

At this moment, he did not break the gentleman's agreement he made last night.

After receiving the "oath", Date Keibang glanced at it quickly, then readily picked up a pen to sign it and left his bloody fingerprint.

The next thing is quite simple.

The Sendai Domain held a dominant and prestigious position among the domains of Ou.

Therefore, Ita Keibang's signature is highly symbolic.

Even Date Yoshikuni obediently submits to Seito, so is there any need for us, the middle and small domains, to resist?

As a result, the subsequent feudal lords were very pleased.

Sign your name readily, press your fingerprint readily.

Many people didn't even read the oath carefully before signing it after receiving the "oath".

It wasn't that no one hesitated.

Once you sign this "pledge," it means you have completely sided with the "Nanji faction," with no room for turning back.

Many feudal lords still dreamed of sitting on the fence, pleasing both sides, and getting money from both.

However, "Niou" Tachibana Aoto was right in front of them, and the Shinsengumi's three thousand-strong army was stationed on the outskirts of Wakamatsu Town.

They were afraid that if they didn't sign, they wouldn't even be able to leave the room.

For the sake of their own lives, they had no choice but to silently comply, even if they were unwilling.

Although few people pay attention to the content of the oath, a careful reading will reveal that this "oath" is beautifully written.