I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

From a distance, the members of the First Division all held their chins high, chests out, and their cheeks were filled with pride. Their light blue haori fluttered in the autumn wind, both beautiful and awe-inspiring.

Many spectators at the scene were stunned, staring blankly at the impressive and imposing First Division.

The only drawback was that Captain Okita Souji, who should have been leading the team at the front, was absent, leaving only Vice Captain Shimada Kai all alone.

Many viewers came specifically for Souji, just to catch a glimpse of the "Heavenly Sword"—the regret and sorrow they felt are not hard to imagine.

Although "Heavenly Sword" was absent, the First Division's performance was still outstanding and impeccable.

The First Division got off to a good start, and inspired by this, the members of the Second, Third, Fourth, and Fifth Divisions who followed all showed unprecedented enthusiasm, as if they wanted to outdo the First Division!

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Chapter 1108 "Commander Kondo, would you like to leave the Shinsengumi with me?" [5600]

As Shimada Kai led the members of the First Division to the front of the platform, he suddenly raised his right hand, reached for the sword at his left waist, and drew it with a "whoosh".

Immediately afterwards, the group of soldiers behind him raised their hands and drew their swords!

A series of clear, sharp sounds of swords being drawn filled the air... and the members of the First Division were seen raising their swords in front of their chests with one hand, the tips pointing to the sky.

The gleaming blade, like a mirror, reflected the sunlight alternately, emitting a dazzling brilliance that made people unconsciously look away, unable to look directly at it.

Drawing his sword in front of the high platform—this was Hijikata Toshizo's idea.

“Just walking straight past the platform like that is too bland. We have to do something to show the characteristics of a ‘close-quarters combat unit.’” — These are Hijikata Toshizo’s original words.

Qingdeng thought his words made a lot of sense, so he adopted them.

Drawing his sword and marching... Although it's flashy, there's no denying that it's very imposing!

Everyone present—whether VIPs on the platform or ordinary spectators around the parade ground—was deeply impressed.

Those who don't understand kendo are just watching for the spectacle.

Those who are well-versed in swordsmanship can tell from the movements and momentum when drawing their swords that the titles of the First Division as "Imperial Guard" and "Royal Guard" are not exaggerations!

After leaving the platform, the First Squad slowly retreated to an open space not far away and lined up peacefully.

Just now, they were like rolling thunder, every move they made carried an extraordinary aura.

Now, they have transformed into ancient, vigorous trees, their eyes fixed straight ahead, their legs and backs ramrod straight, motionless.

Strict enforcement of orders... Such behavior inevitably brings to mind the famous quote from "The Art of War" by Sun Tzu: "Therefore, it is as swift as the wind, as silent as the forest, as fierce as fire, as immovable as a mountain, as unknowable as the shadows, and as powerful as thunder!"

The remaining units that followed perfectly continued the excellent performance of the First Division.

"It's the Second Division! The Second Division is here!"

"He is the Second Division Captain, Nagakura Shinpachi. He is said to be the third strongest swordsman in the Shinsengumi! Only after 'Niou' and 'Tenken'!"

"The Third Division is here too! The one leading them is none other than the Third Division Captain, Saito Hajime!"

……

The VIPs, who are rarely seen on ordinary days, are now appearing one by one like a "grand show," which greatly excites the audience.

The First Division holds a very special position within the Shinsengumi.

On the one hand, everyone acknowledges its combat strength and recognizes it as the strongest force in the Shinsengumi.

On the other hand, the members of the second, third, fourth and fifth divisions were very dissatisfied.

As fellow swordsmen, we all have our pride—the members of the First Division are certainly formidable, but if we were to truly go all out and compete, the outcome would be uncertain!

In order to show an even greater presence than the First Division, the members of the subsequent teams all consciously puffed out their chests and stomped their feet even louder.

Those firm and powerful footsteps seemed to want to shatter the earth.

That confident face radiated extraordinary charm.

When drawing the sword in front of the high platform, deliberately use more force to make the sound of drawing the sword higher and clearer.

Ordinary viewers don't understand the internal "struggles" within the Shinsengumi; they only feel that each of the Shinsengumi's squads is very powerful and impressive, and they can't help but exclaim how exciting it is.

After the Fifth Division marched past the platform, many spectators at the scene perked up.

The reason for this was that they were quite clear that the first five units of the Shinsengumi were all close-combat units specializing in bayonet fighting.

The troops that appeared later were the Shinsengumi's "elite" troops!

Their expectations were quickly met.

When the Sixth Division appeared, the surrounding audience immediately erupted in gasps of surprise.

The soldiers of the Sixth Division were holding brand-new muskets, which gleamed dazzlingly in the sunlight, almost blinding to the naked eye.

Nowadays, very few people still hold outdated views such as "firearms are useful, but they cannot replace swords" or "samurai should wield swords."

Even the powerful forces that advocated "expelling the Western barbarians" and "the strange and ingenious skills of the Western barbarians are not worth taking" had to obediently purchase guns and cannons from Western arms dealers.

In recent years, the Shinsengumi has been the most frequent and skilled unit in Japan in using firearms.

The battles in which the Shinsengumi overwhelmingly crushed their enemies with the power of firearms proclaimed to the world the changing times, the decline of swords and the rise of firearms!

Even someone who knows nothing about firearms can tell from its design that the muskets used by the Shinsengumi are exceptionally advanced and far superior to the old matchlock muskets.

Seeing that the Shinsengumi had such a large musketeer unit, the audience felt both gratified and awestruck.

The distinguished guests on the high platform were also stunned speechless by this magnificent "musket array".

The arrival of the Seventh Division then brought the atmosphere to a new peak.

The loud thud of the horse stomping its feet instantly attracted everyone present.

The Seventh Division soldiers, riding warhorses and wielding katanas, created an extraordinary sense of oppression just by appearing on stage!

Even in modern times, cavalry remains one of the most prestigious and attractive military branches.

The "melee troops" only drew their swords when they reached the high platform, while the cavalry had their swords in hand as soon as they appeared.

With the reins in his left hand and a sword in his right, his light blue haori fluttered slightly like a battle robe, and his warhorse was also adorned with a magnificent riding coat... Such a posture is captivating!

The dashing figures of the two female warriors leading the parade—Sanako and Nakazawa Koto—added a unique and beautiful touch to the vast parade ground.

Despite having a child, Sanako's figure did not change. After picking up her naginata and tying her long black hair into a neat high ponytail, she was still the renowned "Chiba Oni Komachi"!

Afterwards, the appearances of the Eighth, Ninth, and Tenth Divisions were not particularly outstanding, but they were still excellent.

The Eleventh Division, leading the cannon into the arena, brought the atmosphere to a third climax.

"It's a cannon!"

"The cannons are coming!"

"These...these are all Shinsengumi cannons?!"

Accompanied by the creaking of wheels, more than two hundred packhorses pulled more than two hundred cannons at the same time... Such a scene is beyond description!

The bottomless, pitch-black muzzle pointed diagonally at the sky, resembling a series of monsters with gaping maws, roaring towards the heavens!

Hijikata Toshizo once proposed to Seito:

"A cannon that doesn't fire is a useless cannon! What kind of artillery unit can't fire? When the 11th Division passes by the high ground, let's just unleash a salvo! Let's turn the distant firing range into a sea of ​​fire!"

He makes a lot of sense. If cannons could be fired during a military parade, it would be incredibly impressive and might even be recorded in future history books.

But this time, Qingdeng did not take his advice.

First, many nobles and high-ranking officials will come to witness the ceremony.

These nobles and high-ranking officials were all physically weaker than the last; they would be out of breath even if they walked just a few steps faster.

Even though Princess Kazumi was considered healthy among the courtiers, she always looked sickly.

Firing cannons at such close range would likely cause a terrifying commotion that could frighten many nobles to death.

Secondly, there will be no shortage of spectators coming to watch the spectacle.

The deafening sound of cannons might cause panic among the audience, potentially leading to a stampede.

With such a large crowd, a stampede would be no laughing matter.

Therefore, although Aoto also wanted to have a "hundred cannons fired at once" to satisfy his craving, he reluctantly rejected Hijikata Toshizo's proposal.

Since they couldn't fire the cannons, they decided to use "quantity" and "scale" to demonstrate the strength of the artillery unit!

Therefore, Qing Deng specifically ordered the Eleventh Division: Bring all the cannons you can!

Thus, the extraordinary sight of more than two hundred cannons gathered here came about.

This seemingly endless artillery formation leaves no doubt that when these cannons roar, even the earth trembles!

The last two units to appear were the newly established Twelfth and Thirteenth Divisions.

Both units adopted the "veteran-newcomer" approach, which involved drawing veterans from the 6th and 8th Regiments to build the framework of these two new units, and then adding a sufficient number of new recruits to enrich the "flesh and blood." The ratio of veterans to new recruits was approximately 1 to 2.

In this way, under the guidance of veterans, these two units can form combat capability at the fastest speed.

With such outstanding performances preceding them, the appearances of the 12th and 13th Divisions seemed rather lackluster.

However, the sheer scale of the Shinsengumi's firearms still greatly impressed the onlookers.

Including the artillery unit, there were a total of 4 squads that were fully equipped with firearms, accounting for more than half of the Shinsengumi's total strength... Such an astonishing "firearms rate" is no less impressive than that of the Satsuma Domain and Hizen Domain, which had long promoted firearms in their armies!

In just over half an hour, the "Thirteen Guardian Squads of the Capital"... no, the thirteen squads of the Shinsengumi passed by the high platform without missing a single one, and each squad performed admirably!

The formation was neat, the movements were synchronized, and the spirit was high!

It is hard to believe that today's military parade was arranged at the last minute and hastily completed in just half a month.

This is thanks to the Shinsengumi's extremely strict discipline and their relentless daily training.

Since the formation of the new electoral group, Qing Deng has always emphasized discipline.

In order to train the soldiers' discipline and obedience, all new recruits had to start by practicing standing at attention and marching in step.

These training exercises may seem useless, but they are actually a perfect reflection of an army's discipline.

The soldiers slumped their shoulders, stood up straight, and walked like they were taking a stroll, completely lacking spirit... It's really hard to imagine that such an army could have any amazing fighting power.