I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

The newly joined Salt Party immediately demonstrated their value as partners.

According to the intelligence provided by Ziyang, the morale of the "Southern Court" rulers and ministers was greatly boosted by the "deaths of Sakamoto and Nakaoka," which accelerated the pace of procuring supplies and deploying troops.

If nothing unexpected happens, they should launch their attack after the spring!

In other words, the decisive battle between the two sides will take place in two to three months at the earliest.

Time is of the essence. Since both sides have already completely broken off relations, instead of wasting time on verbal battles, the real solution is to focus on strengthening our own combat capabilities!

How to maximize strength with the little time left... After much thought, Qing Deng secretly devised an unprecedented "training plan".

……

……

May 1, 1866 (the second year of the Meiji era)

Hatazu Domain, Otsu, Tachibana Residence, Aoto's office—

Qingdeng bent over his desk and wrote something quickly.

A moment later, Yamanami Keisuke's voice came from outside the door.

"Tachibana-kun, did you call me?"

"Kei-suke, you've come at the perfect time. Come in quickly. I've just finished writing."

Yamanami Keisuke pushed open the door and sat down in front of Aoto.

"Mr. Tachibana, what brings you here so suddenly?"

Qingdeng chuckled lightly a few times, then handed over the official document he had just written.

Yamanami Keisuke reached out and took it, quickly scanning it with his eyes, then a strange expression appeared on his face.

"Tachibana-kun, what is this...?"

Qing Deng said calmly:

"In order to defeat all enemies, I must become stronger. Keisha, organize people to copy this document and distribute it to all regions."

……

……

Kyoto, somewhere—

"Hmm? Look, there seems to be something posted at the paper-making workshop."

[Note: "Sesha-ba" refers to a place in the Edo period where shogunate officials or lords would write down precepts, regulations, and prohibitions on boards or paper to ensure residents fully understood the laws. These were often located in high-traffic areas, such as near checkpoints, ports, bridges, or even in prominent places like town entrances, village entrances, and city centers.]

"Is it Muda?"

[Note: "Muta" refers to an order issued by the shogunate.]

The sudden appearance of several government officials, who were posting something on the long-unupdated imperial notice board, attracted the attention of passersby.

After the officials left, the surrounding pedestrians crowded around, looking at the newly issued document with great curiosity.

"Hey, is there anyone who can read? What does it say on it?"

"It's all Chinese characters, not a single kana... I can't understand it at all."

"Official documents are like this: there are a lot of Chinese characters and very few kana."

"Make way! Make way! Someone who can read is coming!"

The crowd parted to the left and right, and a refined-looking warrior stepped forward, raising his head to read every word on the official document.

A moment later, he opened his mouth wide, looking completely dumbfounded.

Seeing this, bystanders couldn't help but urge:

"What exactly is written on it?"

"Speak up! Don't just stand there!"

The refined warrior took a deep breath, tried to calm himself, and then concisely described the contents of the official document:

"Gentlemen! Lord Niou will be holding the 'Niou Martial Arts Tournament' in Otsu, inviting heroes from all over the world to challenge him!"

"Anyone who wishes to exchange martial arts techniques with Lord Niou may register at the Shinsengumi headquarters in Otsu!"

"As long as you pass the test, you can compete with Lord Niou!"

*******

*******

It's almost the end of the month again! Readers with monthly passes, please be sure to vote for this book! (crying leopard head.jpg)

Please vote with monthly tickets! Please vote with recommendation tickets! (Leopard crying.jpg)

Leopard Science Popularization: Regarding the true culprit who killed Sakamoto Ryoma and Nakaoka Shintaro, there is another theory that "the assassin came from the Shinsengumi".

In historical fact, Sakamoto Ryoma died on the spot, but Nakaoka Shintaro did not. He survived for three days before succumbing to his injuries. Most of the accounts of "Sakamoto Ryoma's last moments" that have been passed down to us come from Nakaoka Shintaro's oral account.

According to Shintaro Nakaoka, one of the assassins spoke with an Iyo accent, and Sanosuke Harada happened to be from the Iyo region.

Besides Harada Sanosuke, Oishi Kuwajiro, who frequently carried out assassination missions, was also listed as a suspect.

Therefore, Leopard indirectly introduced this hypothesis in this book.

Chapter 1132 The Nioh Martial Arts Tournament! A-Mai's Resolve! [5400]

Qinjin Clan, Dajin, Judi, Qingdeng’s private dojo——

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

The loud sound of the wooden sword slicing through the air filled the entire venue.

Qingdeng stood in the center of the dojo, gripping a thick wooden sword tightly in both hands, practicing the Suzhen technique one stroke after another.

Calling it a wooden knife is a misnomer; it would be more accurate to call it a "wooden pillar."

This is a training tool specially made by Qingdeng. It is several times thicker and heavier than an ordinary wooden sword, so that the sound when it is swung is not "whoosh whoosh whoosh" but "boom boom boom".

Qing Deng did not swing his knife mechanically.

At this moment, the scenes of his confrontation with Ōtakemaru kept flashing through his mind.

He imagined Ōtakemaru standing in front of him, and imagined himself swinging his sword with all his might to cut him down.

The power, angle, speed, and technique of the strikes were all impeccable.

However, even with all his mental effort, he couldn't imagine the scene of Ōtakemaru being struck by his sword...

Before long, Qingdeng slowly stopped wielding his wooden knife.

His whole body was covered in fine sweat, and translucent steam rose up... Qing Deng, whose stamina was unfathomable, was so tired that it showed how intense his training was.

While secretly adjusting his breathing, he lowered his head and solemnly stared at the wooden sword in his hand... The image of Ōtakemaru reappeared in his mind.

At that moment, A-Wu's voice came from outside the dojo gate:

"Qingdeng, so you were here all along."

A-Wu peeked out, scanned the area, and after confirming that Qing-Deng was the only one in the dojo, she took small, quick steps to stand in front of him—even today, being shy, she still consciously avoids places where there are strangers.

Before entering the dojo, she carefully took off her socks, revealing a pair of clean, white, and very plump little feet.

"A-Wu, what brings you here? Did something happen?"

"Nothing important, I just happened to be passing by."

Qingdeng chuckled to himself:

"You've come at just the right time; I was just taking a break. It seems like we haven't talked in a long time. Could you keep me company for a bit?"

Upon hearing this, A-Wu was overjoyed and nodded vigorously.

Qingdeng put down the wooden knife and sat down cross-legged.

A-Wu obediently moved closer to Qing-Deng, her two little feet overlapping and buried under the fleshy bottom.

"Qingdeng, you've been exceptionally diligent lately, coming to the dojo to practice swordsmanship almost every day."

"After all, the 'Niou Martial Arts Tournament' is about to begin, so I need to make the most of my training time. It would be embarrassing if I were to lose."

A-Wu glanced sideways at Qing-Deng with annoyance:

"How could you possibly lose...?"

Qingdeng smiled meaningfully:

"There are always people better than you, and there's always something beyond your understanding... Perhaps, while we're chatting, a genius martial artist capable of defeating me has already been born somewhere in the world."

When the "Nioh Martial Arts Tournament" was mentioned, A-Mai's eyes lit up—she really loved martial arts competitions.

This competition is bound to attract many strong competitors, which makes her even more excited.

"Qingdeng, when the 'Nioh Martial Arts Tournament' starts, may I go and watch the matches?"

"Of course. Just don't let it interfere with important business."

Ah Wu said excitedly and quickly:

"As expected, the news caused a huge sensation as soon as it was released! Since yesterday, countless challengers have come from all directions, all eager to compete with 'Nioh'. The administrators in charge of handling the registration have been extremely busy."

[Note: "Discipline" refers to the basic unit of the General Affairs Division of the Shinsengumi.]

Qingdeng smiled:

"That suits me perfectly! The more people who come, the better!"

Qingdeng's specially devised training plan to defeat the "Southern Dynasty" was to hold the "Nioh Martial Arts Tournament"!

Official documents containing relevant explanations have been sent throughout the "Northern Dynasty".

The specific details are clearly stated in the official document.

In short, Qingdeng is going to hold an unprecedented martial arts competition with a unique format!

There is only one opponent in this competition, namely Qing Deng himself!

Qingdeng's intention was simple: to exploit his talent.