I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Out of admiration for this man, Qing Deng suddenly called out to him:

"Please wait."

Kotaro Kasuga, who was about to leave the stage, paused for a moment, then turned around with a puzzled look on his face.

"Your attack is too 'straightforward'."

"Every time you swing your sword, your eyes will subconsciously look towards the place you want to attack."

"This habit is not good."

"If you encounter an opponent with good eyesight and quick reflexes, you're doomed to lose."

"If you want to go further on the path of martial arts, you'd better correct this bad habit and learn more about how to deceive your opponents."

Because he didn't expect Aoto to personally give him pointers, Kasuga Kotaro stood there, stunned for a long time.

It took him quite a while to gradually regain his senses.

"Yes! Thank you for your guidance!"

He loudly expressed his gratitude while bowing respectfully to Qingdeng, his cheeks flushed with excitement.

Aoto's guidance to Kasuga Kotaro brought about a new change in the atmosphere.

In addition to sparring, Niou will even give specific guidance... In other words, if you perform well, you will have the opportunity to receive personal instruction from Niou!

Being able to spar with Niou is already a very valuable experience.

If one is fortunate enough to receive even a word or two of his guidance, one might be able to elevate one's martial arts level to a higher level!

Even if you end up with nothing, it's still a wonderful thing.

"I was once given guidance by Niou because of my outstanding performance!"—This is something you can brag about for a lifetime!

Thinking of this, some of the people present became even more excited, rubbing their hands together, eager to get on stage immediately.

Amidst everyone's eager anticipation, his fame has risen again:

"Shinto Wu Nian Ryu, Liuren Yunosuke!"

……

……

The "Nioh Martial Arts Tournament" is in full swing.

Qing Deng defeated challenger after challenger.

Some are well-known, some are unknown; some are young, some are old... and there are even some dashing "female warriors".

No matter who the opponent is, they cannot shake Qingdeng's undefeated record!

Every day, new challengers arrive in Otsu from all over the country, so Aoto has no reason to worry that the "Niou Martial Arts Tournament" will not be able to continue.

The system voice in his mind rang from morning till night, making Qing Deng extremely happy—this was the most frequent sound of the system voice since he transmigrated!

At first, Qingdeng would carefully review the daily harvest.

But not long after, he gave up on doing so because he found it too troublesome.

He decided to take stock of his gains after the "Nioh Martial Arts Tournament" was over!

In short, his recent life has revolved entirely around the Nioh Martial Arts Tournament.

Unless it was an exceptionally important event, all political and military affairs were handled by Hijikata Toshizo, Yamanami Keisuke, and others.

Aside from returning to the Orange Mansion to sleep, he spends most of his day at the Kenji Hall, tirelessly competing with various masters!

Time passed by little by little... Qingdeng had completely gotten used to this "fighting, exhilarating!" rhythm of life.

Just as he was engrossed in exploiting his talent, an unexpected surprise suddenly arrived.

Putting aside the successful conduct of the "Nioh Martial Arts Tournament," Qing Deng has been encountering nothing good lately.

First, Ito Kashitaro led a rebellion, and then he was falsely accused of "murdering Sakamoto Ryoma and Nakaoka Shintaro".

Today, finally some good news has arrived—the negotiations between Katsura Rintaro and the French government went very smoothly! A series of agreements were successfully reached!

The French government has agreed to send a corps of officers to help North Korea train a new type of army!

*******

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Chapter 1135 The Shogunate's New Army [Training Corps], the "Ultimate Troublemaker" Arrives! [5000]

The relationship between the shogunate and the French government had always been quite good.

Since last year, the two sides have become closer due to their shared goal of "being wary of Britain".

Long ago, the Ninth Division sent intelligence that "the Satsuma Domain has close ties with the British government."

It would be impossible for Qing Deng not to be wary of this.

The British government bypassed the Shogunate and contacted the Satsuma Domain separately... This was by no means good news.

As is well known, "stirring up trouble" is a specialty of the British.

The Northern Dynasty's war potential far exceeded that of the Southern Dynasty.

If the Southern Dynasty cannot achieve its goal in a decisive battle a few months later, then it is only a matter of time before the Northern Dynasty pacifies the entire country.

Therefore, the possibility that "the British government wants to keep the country in a state of chaos so that it can profit from it" cannot be ruled out.

If the British government secretly supports the "Southern Dynasty" to counter the "Northern Dynasty"... this would be a major threat that cannot be ignored by Qing Deng!

Britain today is a true "empire on which the sun never sets," and is at the height of its history.

Its power was immense, and the Northern Dynasty alone was completely insufficient to confront it.

If the goal is to contain Britain, the best option is to "use barbarians to control barbarians".

Therefore, the most suitable target is undoubtedly France.

Germany has not yet risen to power, Russia is merely a facade, and the United States is still developing. Currently, the only power that can rival Britain is France.

Qingdeng did not want the "Southern Dynasty" to receive aid from the British government.

The French government could not stand idly by and watch Britain expand its influence in the Far East.

Both sides share common interests, and the so-called "broad basis for cooperation" is largely true.

Therefore, when North Korea signaled to the French government to "strengthen cooperation," the latter responded immediately.

Katsu Rintaro was one of the few capable ministers under Seido who had diplomatic experience.

Therefore, under the instructions of Seido, Katsu Rintaro, together with Ogasawara Nagayuki (a senior official of the shogunate) and other officials, formed a temporary "negotiation team with France" to conduct lengthy negotiations with Léon Roche (the French minister to Japan who had only been in office for two years).

Preventing Britain from contacting the "Southern Dynasty"... this is too difficult and almost impossible to achieve.

Britain's shamelessness is well-documented.

Even if pressure is applied through diplomatic means, it will most likely comply in name only, outwardly agreeing while secretly continuing to flirt with the "Southern Dynasty".

To counterbalance this, the only option is to fight fire with fire—by using French aid to strengthen the North's military capabilities!

The "Southern Dynasty" received aid from Britain, while the "Northern Dynasty" received aid from France; so it could be considered an equal arrangement.

Regarding the deepening cooperation between North Korea and France, Qing Deng has only one bottom line: we must both utilize it and be vigilant!

Qingdeng didn't want to invite a pack of tigers and leopards into his house after driving away the jackals.

Requests such as "sending troops to the area" and "providing a loan with exorbitant interest rates" must not be agreed to.

To put it simply: Weapons can come, money and food can come, instructors can come, but the army and the debt of heaven cannot come!

The specific negotiation process will not be discussed here.

In conclusion, thanks to the tireless efforts of Katsura Rintarou and others, the French government finally agreed to send a corps of officers to train the "Northern Dynasty" army and to further expand the scale of arms trade between the two sides.

There is never too many experienced military instructors who can teach advanced tactics.

Today, the French officer corps, ordered to aid the "Northern Dynasty," successfully landed in Osaka.

Out of courtesy, and also because he genuinely wanted to meet the other party, Qing Deng specially suspended the "Nioh Martial Arts Tournament" for half a day, setting aside two hours to meet with the highest-ranking officer of the French military corps.

……

……

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

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

Qingdeng sat opposite a hairy Westerner.

The latter was none other than Jules Brunet, the highest-ranking officer in the French military corps.

He sat cross-legged and introduced himself to Qingdeng with neither arrogance nor servility:

“I am Jules Brune, the Left Minister.”

Qingdeng smiled slightly:

"Mr. Brunet, thank you for coming." (in French)

Brune looked surprised.

"Master Zuo, your French is really good."

"Thank you for the compliment. Unfortunately, that's all I can say." (in French)

The meeting between Qing Deng and Brune was not a private one.

Although Qing Deng can speak a little French, that's all; his French level is far from being able to "communicate fluently with French people."

Therefore, Elodie, who was acting as his translator, was sitting next to him.

The existence of Elodie… or rather, the existence of “Western women in kimonos”, caught Brune’s attention.

He couldn't help but turn his head to look at her: