I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"Sir Samurai, what's going on? Who are you arresting?"

"No comment! Please leave immediately!"

……

"Hey! What's with all these weapons? Why would a merchant who sells Wu clothing have so many weapons in stock?"

"This...this is my hobby, I like collecting weapons..."

"He doesn't even think before he lies! Guards! Take him away!"

……

"My lord! I'm innocent! I've never had any dealings with the Samoans!"

"Let's discuss any grievances we may have at the Shinsengumi settlement!"

……

……

That night, Qingdeng deployed nearly a thousand troops in one go.

That night, the sounds of the Shinsengumi members running, shouting, and slashing continued until dawn.

That night, the people of Kyoto, Otsu, and Osaka were both nervous and expectant, all wanting to know what had happened to cause such a big move by the Shinsengumi.

That night, the Imperial Guards under Ito Kashitaro's command were completely wiped out! The "Satsuma Imperial Thieves" under Saigo Kichinosuke suffered heavy losses!

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Chapter 1117 Aoto, Kondo, and Saito's "Infernal Affairs Plan"! [5000]

As early as four months ago, Aoto had discovered Ito Kashitaro's disloyal intentions.

Kashitaro Ito ultimately underestimated Aoto's control over the Shinsengumi.

The Seido has two systems for monitoring the Shinsengumi: one is the overt Metropolitan Police Department, and the other is the covert Ninth Division.

In a sense, the status and functions of the Ninth Division's ninjas are very similar to those of the Ming Dynasty's Embroidered Uniform Guard! They only obey Qing Deng and are responsible for both gathering intelligence on the enemy and monitoring officials internally!

It's no exaggeration to say that Aoto's control over the Shinsengumi is comprehensive and leaves no blind spots! No matter who it is, whether it's a high-ranking officer or an ordinary member, he can always quickly detect any unusual behavior!

In other words, from the very beginning, all of Ito Kashitaro's actions were under Aoto's control!

The former jumped and shouted on the stage, thinking he was the only protagonist, but he didn't know that Qing Deng was sitting in the audience watching his performance and occasionally making sneering noises.

If Aoto wanted to, he could easily crush Ito Kashitaro like an insect at any time.

However, he did not do so.

Killing Ito Kashitaro would be easy.

However, this approach yields no profit; at best, it eliminates an internal threat.

Since we're going to get rid of him anyway, why not try to gain even greater benefits?

Therefore, Qingdeng devised a bold plan: to use it as bait to lure out an even bigger prey!

When Ito Kashitaro led his followers to break away from the Shinsengumi, he would most likely contact the "Western Country Alliance" to seek assistance.

Therefore, we might as well let Ito Kashitaro and his cronies defect, and then follow the trail to strike down the "Western Alliance" behind them!

In order to carry out this plan, "Infernal Affairs" is indispensable.

Qing Deng pondered for a long time about who to send as an undercover agent.

If your rank is too low, you won't be taken seriously by Ito Kashitaro, and therefore you won't be able to access important core information.

Furthermore, after carefully observing Ito Kashitaro, Aoto suddenly realized something from various clues: the other party was very determined to compete with him.

Based on his own past experience, Qing Deng dared to assert that people like Ito Kashitaro would be keen to steal their rivals' confidants!

Only in this way can he satisfy his competitive spirit of "I am indeed better than that person".

This mentality is actually a distorted form of competition.

In conclusion, the person sent to go undercover must have a certain status, preferably someone who is quite close to Aoto. Only in this way can we maximize the chances of luring Ito Kashitaro into the trap.

He needed to have an exceptionally close relationship with Aoto Aoto, be bold and meticulous, and be able to complete difficult undercover missions alone in the enemy camp... After listing all these requirements, the only person who met them was Saito Hajime!

Although the Shinsengumi has now become a behemoth with tens of thousands of soldiers, there are still only a handful of trusted confidants whom Aoto can truly rely on, among whom Saito Hajime is the most favored.

Who wouldn't like a reliable guy who's ruthless, doesn't talk much, and always completes tasks with quality and quantity?

No matter how dangerous the situation, Saito Hajime can always think calmly. Because he rarely smiles and has few expressions, it is difficult for outsiders to see through his thoughts based on his demeanor. He is an excellent candidate for an undercover agent.

In addition, Aoto had another consideration in choosing Saito Hajime: to take a risk and catch Ito Kashitaro off guard!

Despite having a large number of ninjas under his command, he insisted on sending Saito Hajime, who held a high position and had great power, to be an undercover agent—Ito Kashitaro probably never imagined that Aoto would be so bold!

As it turns out, you can always trust Saito Hajime.

When Aoto summoned Saito Hajime and recounted the mission details to him from beginning to end, he nodded almost without hesitation:

"I understand."

And so, an unconventional "deception operation" began!

Aoto and Saito Hajime first carried out a self-inflicted injury scheme, putting on a good show at the "team meeting" to create the illusion of "discord between the ruler and his subjects".

As expected, Ito Kashitaro quickly took the bait.

No sooner had that unpleasant "team meeting" ended than Ito Kashitaro immediately approached Saito Hajime and invited him to attend classes at the "Ito Juku" in an attempt to further win him over.

What happened after that is self-evident.

With his innate "reliable aura," Saito Hajime gradually gained Ito Kashitaro's trust and quickly infiltrated the "Ito faction."

Just as Saito Hajime's infiltration was progressing steadily, an unexpected incident suddenly occurred—Kondo Isami suddenly approached Aoto.

He recounted in detail the entire process of how Ito Kashitaro recruited him, and then resolutely requested to join the scheme as an inside man to help Aoto eliminate the "Ito faction"—at that time, he was unaware of Aoto and Saito Hajime's "double agent plan".

Aoto was not surprised by Kondo Isami's initiative to volunteer—because he had known all along that Ito Kashitaro and Kondo Isami had unusual contact!

Even if Qing Deng were to think with his backside, he would know why Ito Kashitaro was frequently seeking out Kondo Isami.

Faced with Ito Kashitaro's persuasion, what choice will Kondo Isami ultimately make?

It would be impossible for Qing Deng not to care.

After all, the other party was not only one of his mentors in swordsmanship, but also his close friend and sworn brother.

However, for various reasons, Aoto did not interfere, but quietly waited for Kondo Isami's decision.

Should they defect from the Shinsengumi with Ito Kashitaro? Or should they continue to stand by his side?

Fortunately, the choice Kondo Isami ultimately made did not cause him any distress.

Although the original plan only required Saito Hajime as an undercover agent, having an extra undercover agent would give them an extra chance to subdue Ito Kashitaro.

Thus, following Saito Hajime, Kondo Isami also became a member of the "Infernal Affairs Project".

After "defecting" from the Shinsengumi, Kondo Isami and Saito Hajime worked together and quickly gathered a large amount of important intelligence.

Location of the "Ito Faction's" stronghold; list of "Ito Faction" members; those who had contact with Ito Kashitaro...

Thanks to the intelligence relayed back by Kondo Isami and Saito Hajime, Aoto learned about the "Satsuma Imperial Thieves" unit for the first time.

"Satsuma's Royal Thieves" - It is said that this was a secret unit established by Saigo Kichinosuke, whose members were mostly rough and unruly ronin, responsible for disrupting the security of towns and cities such as Kyoto, Otsu, Osaka, and Edo.

In simple terms, this unit's function is similar to that of the "Luanbo" of the Warring States period, which specializes in disrupting the enemy's rear.

The recent unrest in the capital region is the work of Satsuma's imperial thieves.

After Ito Kashitaro led his men to Kyoto, he immediately contacted the Satsuma court's thieves in hopes of obtaining aid from the Southern Court.

Thanks to this, the names and locations of key members of the Satsuma royal thieves, such as Imuta Shohei and Masami Kyunosuke, were all added to Aoto's surveillance list.

If conditions permit, Aoto wants Kondo Isami and Saito Ichiro to remain undercover for a while longer and gather more intelligence.

Unfortunately, if we don't close the net quickly, Ito Kashitaro and his gang might leave Kyoto—and if that happens, it won't be so easy to wipe them out.

If a major traitor like Ito Kashitaro is not executed quickly, it will only damage the morale of our side.

Therefore, after careful consideration, Qing Deng decided to launch the "Operation Ito Annihilation" tonight.

In conclusion, it is thanks to the forbearance and humiliation of Kondo Isami and Saito Hajime that we have such a magnificent scene tonight.

After tonight, the "Ito Faction" will be wiped out! The title of "Imperial Mausoleum Guardians" will be lost to the annals of history before it has even been made public!

Even the Satsuma thief who has recently caused considerable trouble for the Shinsengumi has suffered a significant blow!

Without a doubt, this was the first major victory of the Northern Dynasty over the Southern Dynasty since the reappearance of the "Northern and Southern Dynasties"!

……

……

After instructing them to "clean up the scene and leave no bloodstains," Aoto left Aburakōji side by side with Kondo Isami.

No sooner had they left than they spotted a familiar figure—Hijikata Toshizo, arms crossed, leaning against an earthen wall.

Upon seeing Aoto and Kondo Isami arrive, Hijikata Toshizo straightened up and asked softly:

Is it over?

Kondo Isami nodded:

"Yes, it's over."

Hijikata Toshizo let out a silent sigh of relief:

"That's good……"

"Katsu, thank goodness you didn't side with Ito Kashitaro."

"Otherwise, when Xiao Si wakes up, I won't know how to explain to her that 'I killed A Sheng'."

After saying that, he lifted his foot and followed Aoto and Kondo Isami.

The three of them lined up in a horizontal line—Aoto in the middle, Hijikata Toshizo on the left, and Kondo Isami on the right—shoulder to shoulder, and slowly walked back to the Mibu camp.