I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

The main castle of Otsu Castle is about 30 meters high, while the Qingdeng Room is about 25 meters high.

For ordinary people, this is a terrifying height that inspires awe.

But for Qingdeng, this height was nothing more than walking on flat ground.

He must have descended to the ground floor by stepping on the eaves of each building, one floor after another.

Looking at the empty room where Qingdeng was no longer present, A-Wu subconsciously concluded that Qingdeng was going to recreate the Battle of Okehazama from three hundred years ago!

The so-called "Battle of Okehazama" was a famous battle during the Warring States period.

In 1560, Imagawa Yoshimoto, known as the "Number One Archer of the Tokaido," marched to Kyoto with the primary objective of eliminating the Oda clan of Owari and clearing the way to Kyoto.

At that time, the Oda clan was still a nobody, and the disparity in strength between the two sides was too great, so a fierce dispute broke out within the Oda clan, with the "war faction" and the "peace faction" deadlocked.

While his retainers expressed their opinions, Oda Nobunaga remained aloof and did not reveal his own thoughts.

Just when everyone thought he had given up on himself, he secretly slipped out of the city at night, gathered his troops, and, under the cover of darkness and torrential rain, successfully launched a surprise attack on the Imagawa army's main camp, taking Imagawa Yoshimoto's head.

After this battle, Oda Nobunaga became famous overnight, and the Oda clan began to rise to prominence.

Ah Wu has always been very familiar with these heroic tales.

That's why, after seeing that there was no one in Aoto's room, her first reaction was "Aoto should follow Oda Nobunaga's example"—after all, this moment was just like that moment.

She rushed to the cowshed where Radish lived, only to find Radish leisurely resting on a haystack.

It raised its eyelids, glanced at A-Wu, and then looked away listlessly—it wasn't close to anyone except Qing Deng and Zuo Na Zi.

Next, A-Wu inspected Dajin City but found no signs of troop movements.

Even with his extraordinary abilities, Ren Qingdeng could not possibly have defeated the Northern Army and the British Army with just one person and one sword.

In other words, the claim that "Aoto imitated Oda Nobunaga" is completely unfounded.

Ah Wu felt both disappointed and worried about this.

Her disappointment lay in her expectation that Qingdeng, like the heroes of the past, would turn the tide with ingenious strategies when everyone was at a loss.

The concern lies in the uncertainty surrounding Qing Deng's movements.

They disappeared without leaving a trace... Ah Wu felt increasingly terrified as she thought about it.

Unable to find Aoto, she had no choice but to seek help from the people she trusted most—Sanako, Souji, and Elodie.

They were also shocked when they learned of this.

In order to find Qingdeng as soon as possible, they sought help from all sides.

This matter must not be made public. If the soldiers find out that "King Ren has disappeared," it will surely shake their morale. Therefore, it must be done in secrecy, and only trusted people should be contacted.

The rest is self-explanatory.

Saito Hajime, Todo Heisuke, and others all joined the search for Aoto.

They ran around, asking questions and investigating.

Todo Heisuke thought that Yamanami Keisuke and Kondo Isami might know something, but to his surprise... he was disappointed again.

After Heisuke Todo finished speaking, Keisuke Yamanami and Isami Kondo were stunned for a long time.

With a major battle imminent and their leader missing... they looked at each other, both finding disbelief on each other's faces.

……

……

Qinjin Domain, Otsu, Otsu Town, somewhere——

Qingdeng slightly raised the straw hat on his head and looked forward along the brim.

The bumpy dirt road, the dust waves that rise from time to time, the passersby hurrying by... a familiar yet long-lost scene of the city.

After scanning the area, he lowered his straw hat again and continued walking at a leisurely pace on the streets of Otsu.

The "missing" Qing Deng hasn't gone far; he's currently in Otsu Town... If A-Mai and the others find out about this, they'll definitely be shocked.

Since this morning, Qing Deng has been locked in his room, not discussing strategies with his generals to fight the British army—not out of escapism or to emulate Oda Nobunaga, but simply because he felt there was no need to hold a military council.

Yamanami Keisuke and his team could think of anything that Aoto could consider.

The British army was so powerful that it would be difficult to defend Dajin City with its current strength.

Therefore, Qingdeng naturally knew that the biggest challenge at present was "insufficient troops".

But this is precisely the intractable problem, as there are no more troops available to be mobilized within the capital region.

Therefore, even holding ten thousand meetings would be of no benefit.

In the end, they just kept going back and forth on the arguments of "insufficient troops", "must find a way to increase troops" and "no reinforcements", and could not come to a conclusion.

Since meetings are useless, we might as well let our minds rest; perhaps we can come up with some ingenious solutions.

And so, Qingdeng chose to "seclude himself," sometimes lying flat on the bed, staring straight at the ceiling; sometimes getting up and walking around the four corners of the room.

Unfortunately, even after locking himself in his room, he couldn't come up with any brilliant solutions; only his frustration grew stronger.

Troubled, he unconsciously leaned against the windowsill and looked out, where the increasingly prosperous town of Otsu unfolded before his eyes.

With his good eyesight, he saw wisps of smoke rising from chimneys and crowds of people hurrying along the street.

Suddenly, as if struck by a divine inspiration, he felt an urge to walk around and explore Otsu Town.

The moment this thought arose, his body moved as if by conditioned reflex—he put on civilian clothes, fastened his straw hat, secured his two knives, and escaped through the window.

Leaving Otsu Castle went quite smoothly; he arrived in the town without much effort.

It had been a long time since he last walked the streets like an ordinary citizen.

In recent years, he has spent almost all his time in a cycle of "fighting," "preparing to fight," "fighting again," and "preparing to fight again."

The street scenes that I used to take for granted now feel both novel and nostalgic.

He unconsciously slowed his pace, looking left and right, just like Granny Liu entering the Grand View Garden for the first time.

Compared to before, Otsu is much quieter now.

This is only natural, as many townspeople had already fled to avoid the ravages of war long before the war even began.

After learning that the Aizu army on the northern front had been defeated and that the "Northern Expeditionary Army" was about to besiege the city, another group of people fled.

Nowadays, all the townspeople who could escape have run away, leaving only those who, for various reasons, were unable to escape.

Escaping costs money, and there's a risk of encountering bandits along the way, especially in these chaotic times when thieves are rampant. So not everyone dares to leave Dajin.

Under Aoto's orders, all townspeople remaining in Ōtsu were to move into Ōtsu Castle to avoid being harmed by the "Northern Army" and the British army.

The "Northern Army" was a feudal army, and a major characteristic of feudal armies was their extremely low moral standards.

The British army, needless to say, has always been known for its discipline, which is comparable to that of "bandits and traitors."

The relocation of the residents of Otsu began last night and is progressing well. If all goes well, the relocation will be completed before the enemy arrives.

However, as of now, many residents are still stranded in the town, and some shops are still open for business.

Just then, Qingdeng suddenly noticed a teahouse not far away with its door open, and the refreshing aroma of tea wafted out.

Qingdeng felt a bit thirsty, so he strode over, lifted the curtain, and went into the shop.

To his surprise, the shop did surprisingly well.

Despite it being the season, the occupancy rate was as high as 50%.

Perhaps because all the other teahouses are closed, people who want to drink tea have no choice but to come to this shop.

Qingdeng casually found an empty table and chair, sat down, and looked up at his representative, saying:

"A cup of green tea will suffice."

"Okay, coming right away!"

While waiting for his tea, Qingdeng raised his eyes and carefully observed the expressions of each customer in the shop.

They were either depressed or dejected... in short, they all looked miserable.

Suddenly, a guest slammed down his teacup and sighed deeply:

"Alas... Qin Jin is probably doomed..."

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Chapter 1170 The Darkest Hour

In an instant... truly in an instant, the entire hall fell silent.

This teahouse was very quiet, without the noise that one would expect from a social place.

Since Qingdeng entered the store, apart from the occasional sips and the soft clinking of glasses against the table, there has been no other sound, not even conversation.

Every guest present remained composed, silently sipping their tea, creating a solemn atmosphere.

The guest who uttered the words "Qinjin is doomed" was a middle-aged man with a weathered face and rather refined manners.

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone present, including Qing Deng, turned their heads and focused their gazes on him.

These gazes contained surprise, disappointment, and anger.

As luck would have it, the weather outside the shop suddenly changed at that moment.

The rainy season is approaching, and the weather is already quite changeable at this time of year.

Thick, dark clouds drifted in from the north, quickly obscuring the sun and casting deep shadows, filling the shop with a somber atmosphere.

"You idiot! What nonsense are you spouting!"

Suddenly, in the darkness, accompanied by a hoarse shout, another guest not far away—a young samurai dressed simply with two swords, one long and one short, at his waist—slammed his fist on the table and glared at the middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man was taken aback and turned to look at the young man.

Seeing the sword at the young man's waist, he subconsciously hunched his shoulders and showed fear on his face.

However, whether it was his pride or something else, he not only refused to back down, but instead stubbornly retorted: