I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"What? Don't you know? The puppet troops from the north are about to reach Dajin!"

The young man snorted coldly:

"Of course I know! But I'd like to ask you something else: don't you know? Lord Niou has led the main force of the Shinsengumi back to Otsu! As long as Lord Niou is here, no matter how many enemy troops attack, we have nothing to fear!"

The middle-aged man mimicked the youth's mannerisms and snorted coldly:

"If the attacking enemy is just a bunch of chickens and dogs with no real power, then I certainly won't be so pessimistic!"

"But the puppet troops that are currently approaching Otsu are being assisted by 'Western troops'!"

"Don't you know how powerful the 'Western army' is?"

"As far as I know, the reason why the Aizu army guarding northern Omi was defeated so quickly was because it was defeated by this 'Western army'."

"Although the Aizu army is not as strong as the Shinsengumi, it is still one of the strongest armies in the country."

"Even the powerful Aizu army was utterly defeated, which shows just how formidable this 'Western army' is!"

After listening to the middle-aged man's lengthy discourse, the young man felt a lump in his throat. After hesitating for a moment, he stammered in response:

"So what! We have Lord Niou and the Shinsengumi..."

Before he could finish speaking, the middle-aged man interrupted him forcefully:

"Lord Niou is not a god! The Shinsengumi is not invincible!"

"The Shinsengumi first engaged in a fierce and relentless battle with the Southern Army in Toba and Fushimi."

"The fierce battle had just ended, and before we could even rest for a moment, we rushed back to Dajin without stopping."

"Therefore, it is highly questionable how much strength the Shinsengumi soldiers actually have left!"

"I also admire Lord Renwang, but no matter how powerful he is, he is still just a mortal."

At this point, the middle-aged man paused, then adopted a serious and earnest tone, emphasizing each word as he spoke solemnly:

"A country cannot be defended with just a sword!"

"I truly believe that Qin Jin's current situation is very bad."

"If Lord Renwang does not find a way to break this deadlock, Qinjin and even our dynasty (Northern Dynasty) may very well perish!"

Everyone present listened attentively to the debate between the middle-aged and the young people... Qing Deng was among them.

The middle-aged man's impassioned speech caused many people in the audience to lower their heads in dejection, adding a touch of gloom to the surrounding environment.

In recent days, as the Northern Expeditionary Army and the British Army have continued to advance south, more and more rumors have spread throughout the streets of Otsu.

There are tens of thousands of puppet troops in the north.

The so-called "Western army" also numbered in the tens of thousands.

The Aizu army was completely wiped out.

The rumors were numerous, some true and some false, and spread like wildfire, plunging the townspeople of Otsu into a state of intense panic.

As soon as Qingdeng returned to Otsu, he received a report about it.

However, due to being busy with military affairs, he never had time to attend to this matter.

It was only today, seeing it with my own eyes, that I belatedly realized how uneasy the townspeople of Otsu had become.

The middle-aged man spoke very clearly and logically.

In comparison, the young man's eloquence was slightly inferior.

His face flushed red, and he opened his mouth, wanting to refute the middle-aged man but not knowing where to begin, the words stuck in his throat.

After a moment, he gritted his teeth, a ruthless glint flashing in his eyes:

"You're a spy from the enemy forces, aren't you?! It's because there are too many scoundrels like you that everyone's so uneasy!"

After shouting, he clenched his fists, stepped forward and charged at the middle-aged man, as if to strike.

Although the middle-aged man was old, he was not a coward. Seeing that the young man was about to resort to violence, he stood up and took a stance.

The argument between the two escalated from a verbal contest to a physical one, causing the crowd to gasp and scramble to get away from them.

Just as the two were about to start fighting, a tall figure suddenly appeared from the side and cut between them.

"Please calm down."

As Qingdeng spoke, he raised his hands and caught the two men's fists with one palm each.

The middle-aged man and the young man felt as if their fists were being clamped in iron clamps, unable to move.

"Arguments are fine, but don't resort to physical violence. Violence doesn't demonstrate intelligence; it only makes people despicable."

The second half of Qingdeng's sentence was addressed to the youth.

Because he was used to being in a superior position, his tone was full of unquestionable dominance.

The middle-aged man and the young man both looked up, staring blankly at Qing Deng.

Upon seeing this, Qing Deng was taken aback.

The expressions on their faces didn't seem like they'd been persuaded by him; rather, it was more like they'd seen something extraordinary.

At this moment, Qingdeng realized, a beat too late, that it was eerily quiet around him.

Qing Deng raised his eyes and looked around blankly.

Everyone present stared at him in disbelief, just like middle-aged and young people.

Immediately afterwards, they began to whisper among themselves.

"It's Nioh-sama..."

"Is it really him?"

"It must be him, there's no mistake."

"What are you doing here, Lord Niou?"

"Could it be that they're traveling incognito?"

Although it was a whisper like a mosquito's hum, Qingdeng heard it very clearly thanks to the "Wind Perception +18" talent.

Qing Deng was startled and subconsciously released the fists of the middle-aged man and the young man. He raised his hand to touch the low-brimmed straw hat on his head—it was still there and had not been taken off.

Since he was still wearing that straw hat, others shouldn't be able to see his face.

Before he could think further, the young man in front of him hurriedly knelt down:

"Lord King Ren! I am so sorry! It was my rudeness!"

His words served as a reminder to others.

In a matter of seconds, everyone on the scene knelt down, leaving only Qingdeng standing calmly.

Qing Deng instinctively wanted to say, "You've mistaken me for someone else. I'm not Renwang."

However... it is obvious that everyone is convinced that he is Niou.

Now that things have come to this, there's no point in denying it.

So Qingdeng could only smile helplessly.

"Get up, all of you. There are many people who deserve your kneeling, but I am not one of them."

As Qingdeng spoke, he took off the bamboo hat from his head—since his identity had already been exposed, there was no need to wear it anymore.

"How did you find me? I shouldn't have shown my face."

Seeing Qing Deng's face emerging from under the hat, the crowd who stood up one by one became even more excited.

The young man replied excitedly:

"Everyone in Ōtsu knows that Lord Niō is a towering man, six tō (about 1.8 meters) tall! The hilt of the sword at his waist is black and purple!"

Upon hearing this, Qing Deng couldn't help but chuckle.

It turned out that his physique and the Vairocana pendant around his waist "betrayed" him.

Aoto was 1.75 meters tall, which was extremely rare in Japan at that time. He truly stood out from the crowd.

Even if you searched the entire Otsu, it would be difficult to find a man as tall as Qing Deng; their total number could probably be counted on two hands.

Given his height and the distinctive knife he carried, it's not surprising that he was recognized by the public.

At this moment, Qingdeng noticed that the middle-aged man was still kneeling on the ground and had not gotten up.

Noticing Qing Deng's gaze directed at him, the middle-aged man shuddered and stammered:

"Lord Renwang, please forgive me... I... I was absolutely not cursing Qin Jin just now... much less insulting you..."

Qingdeng smiled:

"Oh, so that's what it was about."

"Get up quickly. I'm not angry at all; on the contrary, I admire you."

“I think what you just said is particularly good—'A country cannot be defended with just a knife.'”

Hearing Qingdeng say this, the middle-aged man's expression finally softened. He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and slowly got up.

From the moment he left, the young man stared intently at Qing Deng's face, looking hesitant.

After a moment, he mustered his courage and said loudly:

"Lord Niou, my name is Umakoshi Ryutaro!"

"Two years ago, I vowed to join the Shinsengumi and serve you!"

"Unfortunately, I was born into a poor family and was a low-ranking warrior. I did not receive proper martial arts training and my skills are not refined."

"Every time I passed the team entrance exam, I failed and was denied the chance to wear the light blue haori!"

Qing Deng Wan Er:

"Thank you for your vision for the Shinsengumi. Thanks to you, I have been able to persevere in building the Shinsengumi and ensuring that it lives up to your expectations."

With the young man taking the lead, the middle-aged man swallowed hard and then introduced himself to Qingdeng:

"Lord Niou, my name is Miyagawa Saisuke. I am currently a private tutor in a village on the southern outskirts of Otsu."

Qingdeng raised an eyebrow.