I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Page 2132

Oishi Kuwajiro paused for a moment, then gave a wry smile:

"To be honest, I am the eldest son of Oishi Sajiro, a close retainer of the Hitotsubashi family, one of the 'Three Lords'. My family is well-off, so I attended a private school for a few years."

"I would never dare to call myself a 'cultured person,' but I do enjoy reading."

"No matter when or where, I always carry books with me and take them out to read whenever I have free time."

As he spoke, he reached into his robes and pulled out a crumpled copy of the Book of Songs.

Qingdeng nodded slightly:

"You are skilled in swordsmanship and have a basic understanding of literature; you are indeed a rare talent."

"I remember that the third seat of the Third Division is still vacant."

At this point, he sat up slightly, his expression becoming serious and imposing:

"From tonight onwards, you will be the third seat of the Third Division."

"Furthermore, the three thousand taels of gold I promised you will be delivered to you in full, without shortchanging you a single copper coin."

"I promised in front of so many soldiers that 'the first to reach the summit will be rewarded with three thousand taels of gold.' How can I go back on my word?"

"When we return to Otsu, three thousand taels of gold will be neatly stacked before you, I assure you."

After Qing Deng finished speaking, Daishi Kuwajiro seemed to freeze, his eyes wide open, dumbfounded, and he didn't react for a long time.

It took him a while to gradually come to his senses.

A strong sense of excitement rose to his cheeks and quickly dominated his facial expressions.

He quickly bent down again and shouted loudly:

"Lord Ren-o, I am deeply grateful!"

He truly didn't care about the three thousand taels of gold; at this point, mere money could no longer sway him.

The most important thing is to get Qing to register him and entrust him with important responsibilities!

If one can become a capable assistant to King Ni, what is a mere three thousand taels of gold?

As the "second large-scale conscription" gradually unfolded, the size of the new selection group expanded again.

To this end, Aoto made new plans and adjustments to the organizational structure of the Shinsengumi, and created three new positions: third, fourth, and fifth seat in each branch.

Simply put, they are the third, fourth, and fifth leaders of each squad.

His rise from an ordinary squad member to the third seat of the Third Division... means that his status in the Third Division will be second only to Captain Saito Hajime and Vice-Captain Nakazawa Sadagi!

This is not just a regular promotion, but a leap across several levels!

How could Oishi Kuwajiro not be excited?

Just as he was getting excited, he suddenly seemed to remember something important, his expression turned serious, and he said to Qingdeng:

"Lord Niou, I have important news to report! It's crucial intelligence related to the Satsuma Domain!"

Upon hearing this, Qing Deng subconsciously raised an eyebrow:

"Please feel free to speak."

Oishi Kuwajiro cleared his throat:

"Six months ago, at the invitation of an acquaintance, I went to the Satsuma Domain to work for a merchant and guard his house."

"At first, I thought it was just a very ordinary job."

"But gradually, I noticed something was amiss."

“I sensed that this merchant had close ties with the Satsuma Domain.”

"This merchant recruits far too many skilled ronin from all over the place. His business is not large enough to require so many bodyguards."

“I suspect that this was instructed to be done by the Satsuma Domain.”

"I don't know the specifics, but I feel like I've been put on a pirate ship."

“I never liked the Satsuma Domain, nor was I suited to the climate of the southern country, so one night I fled Satsuma and never returned.”

Qingdeng listened attentively while appearing deep in thought.

The Satsuma Domain is suspected of secretly recruiting ronin, for reasons unknown... This is indeed important intelligence that cannot be ignored.

Although most ronin are unruly and difficult to control, they can be an important fighting force if used properly!

Before Oishi Kuwajiro could finish speaking:

"Lord Renwang, there is one more thing I need to tell you."

"While living in the Satsuma Domain, I met a man of great ambition and respect who deserves my attention, named Sagara Sozo."

Qing Deng softly repeated the name:

"Sōzōsan?"

Qing Deng searched his memory but couldn't recall such a person in the martial arts world.

Seeing through Aoto's doubts, Oishi Kuwajiro quickly said:

"Sōzō Sagara is currently an unknown figure, but I believe that given time, his name will become widely known!"

Qingdeng asked back, half-jokingly:

"What? Could he be a great swordsman who can take on a thousand men?"

Oishi Kuwajiro shook his head:

"No, his swordsmanship is good, but not outstanding. In any case, he definitely can't beat me."

"However, he possesses a talent even more valuable than swordsmanship—he is very popular!"

“He is completely different from those scumbags who use the banner of ‘respecting the king and expelling the barbarians’ to do despicable things.”

"He genuinely believed in the concept of 'respecting the king and repelling the barbarians,' and always put the people first."

“I once talked to him, and he said that his greatest ideal in life is to enable ordinary people to live a good life.”

"Based on my observation, he is not just talking; he is indeed constantly working to improve himself with this goal in mind."

“Those who knew him well, whether they were warriors or commoners, generally supported him.”

Even those who dislike him have to respect him as a man of integrity.

"I think that people like him, who are so popular and well-regarded, are people we need to be wary of."

Oishi Kuwajiro's expression and tone were very serious, as if he were introducing an unparalleled rival.

Although he had never met Sagara Sozo, and was unsure whether Oishi Kuwajiro's words were an exaggeration, Aoto still remembered the name "Sagara Sozo".

After briefly digesting the information provided by Oishi Kuwajiro, Aoto nodded and gave him an approving look.

"Daishi-kun, thank you for the information. The information you provided is very useful, so I'll give you an additional 200 taels of gold as a reward."

Oishi Kuwajiro was overjoyed—he had done another favor for Aoto—and quickly bowed to express his gratitude.

……

Everything that needed to be said had been said... The meeting between Aoto and Oishi Kuwajiro quietly came to an end.

After bidding farewell to Aoto, Oishi Kuwajiro slowly walked away.

The former sat upright, silently listening to the latter's footsteps gradually fading away.

In the candlelight, Qing Deng's expression flickered, revealing an intriguing meaning.

Qing Deng has two completely different opinions about this newcomer who suddenly appeared and made a name for himself.

On the one hand, he genuinely admired the other person's talent.

On the other hand, the other party's past experiences aroused his vigilance.

Not only did he serve as a bodyguard for a merchant in the Satsuma Domain, but his father was also a close retainer of the Hitotsubashi family, one of the "Three Lords of the Imperial Household".

This "Hitotsubashi family" is the Hitotsubashi family led by Hitotsubashi Yoshiki.

He has connections with both of the two major forces in the world that are at odds with Qingdeng... To be fair, his debuffs are almost maxed out!

Interestingly, all of the above information was just revealed by Jiro Oishi himself.

Qing Deng did not believe that Oishi Kuwajiro was too naive to leak information that could potentially affect his future.

A man like him, who started out in the underworld at a young age, moved between the legitimate and criminal worlds, offended many enemies, and yet managed to survive unscathed to this day, must be a seasoned veteran. He must know exactly what to say and what not to say.

Since he dared to "explode" himself, it's very likely that he did it on purpose!

Aoto believed that Oishi Kuwajiro's "self-deception" was mostly a way of offering a "pledge of allegiance" and expressing his loyalty to Aoto: Lord Niou! I have been completely honest with you and will never hide anything from you! From now on, I will follow you!

Although he didn't believe that Oishi Kuwajiro was a spy, Aoto still kept a watchful eye on him. He first promoted him to the third seat of the third division, giving him a position that was neither high nor low, and then observed him more carefully later.

—The Satsuma Domain is suspected of recruiting ronin on a large scale... Let's send the Ninth Division to investigate in detail afterwards.

Qingdeng let out a long breath, closed his eyes, and took a short rest while massaging his temples.

Unfortunately, he hadn't had time to relax for long before new tasks came knocking.

Suddenly, footsteps approached from outside the door.

"It's me, Tachibana-kun."

Qingdeng paused in his massage of his temples:

"Mr. Ogata, please come in."

Ogata opened the door without any hesitation and slipped inside.

"King Tachibana, we have good news. We have successfully found the Ainu people from the Shilibomo Shili, and they are even confidants of Sirika."

Qingdeng immediately opened his eyes, his eyes sparkling with joy.

……

He Poyi, bound like a rice dumpling, was taken to Qingdeng's room.