I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

……

I've asked everything I could, and I know everything I could.

Hepo was taken back to the prisoner-of-war camp.

Only Aoto and Ogata remained in the room.

Ogata turned to look at Aoto:

"Tachibana-kun, what do you mean?"

"What else can I say?"

Qingdeng spread his hands, looking helpless:

"Naturally, we should intensify our pursuit of Mael."

Even setting aside the investigation into the 'Berserker's Water' and 'Alchemy,' I cannot allow this major threat to remain in the North.

“If he causes trouble in the north or somewhere else every now and then, how can I concentrate all my efforts on dealing with the western vassal states?”

"Leave the Ou-U Allied Forces behind, take only the Shinsengumi, and tomorrow morning, board the three ships Kanrin Maru, Kanko Maru, and Fuji Maru and pursue Mael at full speed."

Aoto planned to summon Katsu Rintaro shortly and issue him this military order.

Ogata appeared deep in thought:

Why did Mael go to such lengths to fund Cilicia's "Yamato Conquest"? What was he after?

"Is he really after the resources and wealth of this land?"

“This land is truly an ‘undeveloped area,’ with more bears and wolves than people. Without more than a decade of hard work, don’t even think about squeezing any wealth out of it.”

Qing Deng shrugged:

"Who knows?"

……

……

The next day, early morning—

As soon as the sky began to lighten, a bustling scene unfolded inside Wulingguo.

"Get up! Get up, all of you!"

"Let's go! Let's go!"

Where are we going?

"I don't know! Just keep up!"

Clad in light blue haori, the Shinsengumi soldiers rushed out of their barracks, forming long lines, and set off from the castle for Hakodate Bay, preparing to board ships and head north.

The soldiers of the Oklahoma Allied Forces were awakened by the loud commotion. They climbed out of their beds and looked at the Shinsengumi who were setting off on their campaign with great curiosity.

The only troops that needed to head north to pursue Mael were the Shinsengumi.

The reason for this is that the three ships (Hanrin Maru, Kansou Maru, and Fuji Maru) have limited transport capacity and can only carry so many people.

Mael could escape to another location at any time, so Qingdeng must catch up with him as soon as possible! If he is too late, Mael might escape!

Therefore, we cannot bring along those slow, old ships.

Under Aoto's arrangement, the soldiers of the Osaka-U-Nanjing Allied Forces will return to Oshima Island on these ships.

Their battle is over; they can go home.

Incidentally, many soldiers in the Oklahoma Allied Forces distinguished themselves in this battle.

They either killed many enemy soldiers or captured important figures.

Although none of them were Qingdeng's subordinates, Qingdeng still rewarded them generously.

Firstly, it was to enhance the political image of "King Ren is generous" and "following King Ren will lead to a bright future".

Secondly, it was to win people's hearts.

For this reason, since last night, cheers of "Long live King Niou!" and "Long live Tachibana Seito!" have been constantly heard inside Goryokaku.

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Chapter 1086 The Blonde Loli Who "Sacrificed Family for the greater good" [4700 words]

"Prestige" is like a pacemaker. It may not be useful in ordinary times, but it can be incredibly useful in crucial moments!

In short, winning people's hearts is never a bad thing.

While Qing Deng's generous reward couldn't be said to have directly won over the hearts of the Oyu warriors, it certainly greatly increased their goodwill towards him.

Thus, if the domains of Oshu were to betray Seido in the future, it is not impossible for a scene of "Oshu warriors defecting in the face of battle" to occur, just like the old story of "Napoleon returning to France from Elba".

Qing Deng left behind the capable and virtuous Todo Heisuke, ordering him to guard Goryokaku, supervise the prisoners, await the takeover of the subsequent garrison, and give him full authority to oversee the withdrawal of the Oyu Allied Forces to prevent any unrest.

Qingdeng neither mistreated the large number of prisoners led by Hepoyi, nor did he allow them to live too comfortably.

Although releasing these prisoners wouldn't pose any real threat given that Cilicia is dead and the Ainu coalition has collapsed, simply letting them go free would be too lenient.

In this short-lived war, the towns and villages of Goryokaku and Matsumae Domain suffered varying degrees of damage.

In particular, Goryokaku was first captured by the Ainu Allied Forces and then recaptured by the Shogunate forces. It suffered two rounds of attacks, and the walls and buildings inside the fortress were all severely damaged.

So, Qing Deng waved his hand and said: Let these prisoners serve as free labor for rebuilding Goryokaku and Matsumae Domain!

Someone suggested to Qingdeng: Degrade these prisoners to the level of Edo, inhuman! Let them be slaves for all eternity!

Degrading prisoners to slavery, from which they could never be freed... This is actually a practice that has existed in Japan since ancient times.

The ancestors of Japan's outcast class—the Eta and the non-humans—were mostly prisoners of war who were defeated by the Yamato court.

Although it is the privilege of the victors to dispose of prisoners as they please, Qing Deng was not a devil and could not give such a cruel order.

Therefore, in the name of King Niō, he assured Kahoi and the others that their status as prisoners would only last until the reconstruction of Goryokaku and Matsumae Domain was completed. At that time, they would regain their freedom. In other words, the sooner they worked hard and completed the reconstruction, the sooner they could return home.

He Poyi and the others were skeptical of Qing Deng's promise.

They weren't quite sure how much weight the phrase "in the name of Niou" carried, so they didn't really trust Aoto.

But now that things have come to this, they have no choice but to comply with the decision.

In fact, many prisoners breathed a sigh of relief when they received the order to "serve as free labor."

Recalling the ferocious and ruthless manner of the Mu army soldiers during their siege... many prisoners firmly believed that the He Ren were ruthless killers, and feared that they would be tortured or executed.

Unexpectedly, they survived, and the punishment they received was lighter than they had anticipated. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, they will be able to return home in time.

The dramatic ups and downs in their moods subtly changed their perception of Qingdeng.

Qing Deng himself never expected that, following the Oyu warriors, his reputation for benevolence would also begin to spread among the Ainu people.

Because of the small size of the force, it took less than two hours for all the nearly one thousand Shinsengumi members to board the three ships and prepare for the expedition.

Upon receiving John Wanjiro's report that he was "ready to receive instructions at any time," Qing Deng ordered without hesitation:

"set off!"

The steam engines of the three ships roared in unison, thick black smoke rising from their chimneys.

With sails billowing, paddle wheels beginning to turn, and battle flags fluttering in the wind, the three ships slowly moved northward.

……

……

Four days later, at night—

Xianlinwan, deck——

Qingdeng stood at the bow of the ship, holding onto the railing, gazing at the continuous landmass to the west.

Tonight is a clear night, without a cloud in the sky. A crescent moon hangs high in the sky, its soft light pouring down.

Against the backdrop of moonlight, the sea appeared even darker and deeper at night.

Thanks to the valuable experience of "leading the fleet north to recover Goryokaku", Qing Deng understood the terror of the sea and also understood why some people suffer from "sea phobia".

The boundless sea, the endless waves... especially after nightfall, the sea, which resembles an abyss, sends chills down one's spine.

The current wind and waves are quite large. From a distance, the three ships are bobbing up and down, their hulls rocking and swaying, making it difficult to stand.

Despite being aboard an advanced warship, one still feels uneasy, fearing that a gigantic wave might crash down and swallow the entire ship.

Even Qingdeng had to hold on tightly to the railing to prevent himself from falling into the sea.

The voyage has been very smooth in recent days, without any unexpected incidents, and the three ships are steadily approaching "Moonstone".

According to Johann Vanjiro's report, they are almost at their destination.

If Mael has indeed established a base in this area, his camp will be visible as early as tonight or as late as tomorrow.

As a result, the decks of all three ships were bustling with activity at that moment.

A large number of crew members gathered on the west side of the ship facing the coast, their expressions tense as they stared intently at the distant land, searching for signs of human activity.

Since he had nothing better to do, Qingdeng also joined the operation to "find the enemy camp".

The talents "Night Vision" and "Sharp Eyes +7" are activated!

With these two great talents, Qingdeng is basically a "human night vision goggles," ensuring he never misses anything important.

He scanned the coastline back and forth, pondering to himself.

Although he hadn't even caught a glimpse of Mael, Qingdeng had already begun to think about what to do with him after capturing him alive.

First, it is essential to inquire about the details of his instigation of the Ainu rebellion, as well as the specifics of "Berserker's Water" and "Alchemy."

Secondly, intelligence on the Fa-Zhu Party is also indispensable.

While it is unclear what connection Mael has with the French National Protest Party, there is no doubt that they have a very close relationship!

After the "First Battle of Edo," the madmen of the Fazhu Party vanished without a trace.