I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

After a moment, he squatted down, picked up the large spear that had fallen next to Tada Kōemon's body, and glanced at the spearhead that reflected the bright light under the moonlight.

"Well maintained... Hmph! Even as a ronin who can't even guarantee three meals a day, he still doesn't mistreat his weapon... Ha... Hahahaha..."

After a series of cold laughs, Dongcheng braced his large spear on the ground as if using a cane.

His gaze, devoid of both sorrow and joy, once again fell upon the corpse of Tada Kōemon.

"Tada, you've gotten much weaker."

"If it were you in the past, with your armor on, you would never have been defeated so easily."

"Even after becoming a ronin, you still carry the armor passed down through generations of your family... Your obsession and the importance you place on your 'samurai' identity are evident."

"According to what Tachibana said, when you were fighting with Tachibana and the others, you kept yelling things like 'You bunch of traitors' and 'Die, you traitors of Ooshio' like you'd gone mad..."

"Hmph, it seems you really have gone mad, confusing 'reality' with 'past'."

"Dwelling on the past...mistakenly believing that they are still on the battlefield 23 years ago..."

"Not only can't he let go of the name of a samurai, but he also regards the atrocities of that year as the greatest and most memorable glory of his life... Utterly foolish!"

Having said that, Higashijo flipped his wrist and casually swung Tada Kōemon's spear a few times.

A moment later, a tiny black dot floated gently down beside Dongcheng—a fly with its wings severed, but its body unharmed, its tiny legs still fluttering, fell to the ground…

……

……

Looking back, Qing Deng realized that during the three-day fireworks festival, he seemed to encounter unexpected situations every day.

On the first day, he reunited with Otsuki Minoru, Otsuki's childhood friend, and helped Otsuki Minoru's father settle a dispute caused by Shimizu Gosaku, the nephew of Shimizu Eiichi, the leader of the Shimizu clan.

On the second day, on his way home, he encountered a group of mysterious masked men and was attacked by them.

Needless to say, the third day was even worse... First, the two girls discovered that he had come to the fireworks festival with Kinoshita Mai and Sanako respectively, and then he encountered Tada Kyouemon, a madman who had completely lost his mind.

From another perspective... Aoto should also thank Tada Kōemon—thanks to the timely appearance of this madman, Aoto was able to escape from the hellish situation between Mai and Sa.

Of course—it's only temporary.

He's not saying goodbye to Kinoshita Mai and Sanako forever, so what's coming will still come, what needs to be dealt with will still be dealt with, and what needs to be faced will still be faced...

However, one must eat one bite at a time and deal with things one by one.

For at least the next few days, Qingdeng will have no time to deal with these troublesome and mentally taxing matters.

Because August 28th... the day I need to go to Edo Castle to meet Tokugawa Iemochi is coming up!

As soon as the fireworks display ended, Qingdeng began to compose himself and start preparing for his upcoming audience with the emperor.

From the night of August 25th...the night the fireworks display ended, Qing Deng often felt involuntarily melancholic—thinking that this fireworks display, full of unexpected events but also leaving many beautiful memories, had come to an end, he felt a little lonely...

……

……

The first year of Wanyan (1860), December 28th——

Edo, Edo Castle —

—This…is that the famous Prince Tenshōin, who is said to be comparable to Miss Sanako in beauty?

Qingdeng stared blankly at the woman in green before him.

—This is a complete scam! With that appearance, how could she possibly be a match for Miss Sanako?

*******

*******

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

Astute readers will likely notice that Sosoko's introduction of the historical figure Ōshio Heihachirō reveals her considerable ambition. This character not only intensifies the book's bloody and turbulent world-building but also fundamentally alters its overall scope. (Leopard Fat.jpg)

Otherwise, why would I say this book could reach 800-1000 million words? The theme, complexity, and breadth of this book's plot are far greater, more extensive, and more expansive than you can imagine! (Laughing.jpg)

Today's chapter has 7500 words, so let's round it up and say the author wrote 8000 words today (self-deprecating emoji).

Chapter 249 Imperial Martial Arts Competition Begins! Qing Deng vs. the Shogunate Imperial Guard [6000]

Rewind a little while—

On the morning of August 28th, the first year of the Wanyan era (1860)—

Edo, Edo Castle, Black Academy—

Cicadas! Cicadas! Cicadas!

The wind from afar carried the chirping of cicadas, sometimes near, sometimes far.

Dressed in the most formal samurai attire, but whose appearance was less than flattering, Aoto sat listlessly on one side of the Kuroshoin in Edo Castle.

My back and legs, which were aching from sitting, were now being tingled by waves of tingling sensation, like electric currents running through them.

To reduce the burden on his waist and legs, Qingdeng had to bend his back slightly and put all his weight on his right leg, allowing his left leg to rest temporarily.

When his right leg was about to give way, he would shift his weight to his left leg and then switch to resting his right leg... Qingdeng kept alternating his weight between his legs in this way.

—I'm so bored...

Qingdeng looked up listlessly, surveying the scenery outside the window and the spacious room he was in, where every word he spoke could be heard echoing.

—Why hasn't the general arrived yet... How much longer do I have to wait?

Since the fireworks display ended, Qingdeng has been preparing for today's "climbing the city wall to pay homage".

The appointed time for the audience was 10 a.m. on August 28th... but there was a whole host of complicated procedures to go through from entering Edo Castle to meeting the shogun.

Therefore, the idea of ​​"getting dressed and leaving home at 9 o'clock and meeting Tokugawa Iemochi precisely at 10 o'clock" is absolutely impossible.

In order not to be late, before dawn today, Qing Deng, with the help of their old servant, Jiu Bingwei, dressed in a formal suit embroidered with their family crest: the gentian leaf.

As Kyubei helped Aoto get dressed, he was moved to tears.

It's not fair to blame Kyubei for being sentimental.

Ieka was promoted from "Gokenin" to "Hatamoto" and was even summoned by the Shogun—an immense honor in the eyes of samurai families of that era.

As Kyubei shed tears, he said to Aoto with surging emotions, "Young Master, if the old lord could see your achievements now, he would be extremely proud!"

The old lord—that is, Aoto's father: Tachibana Takayuki.

The person who was supposed to pick up Qingdeng arrived very early.

Just as the first rays of dawn appeared in the sky, several young samurai dressed in exquisite formal attire carried a magnificent palanquin to the gates of the Shieikan.

To show his regard for Aoto and his anticipation of today's meeting, Tokugawa Iemochi specifically ordered that Aoto be brought into the castle in a palanquin!

The general sent a sedan chair to fetch his subjects into the city... This is not a particularly unusual thing, so there is no need to be surprised.

With his relatives and friends, including Kyubei, seeing him off, Aoto boarded the magnificent palanquin and officially set off for Edo Castle.

Incidentally, among those who came to see Aoto off was Souji.

Getting the usually sleepy Souji up before dawn... that was really tough on her.

But Souji managed to withstand the mental onslaught of the "sleepy bug," and with stiff, zombie-like movements, crawled out of bed.

As Souji stood outside the gate of the Shieikan with Kyubei and the others, watching Aoto leave, Souji slumped his head, shoulders, and waist the entire time, as if his entire upper body had no bones.

Her beautiful eyes were half-closed the whole time, her eyelids constantly drooping, and her little head bobbed up and down with sleepiness...

Although Souji looked so tired that he seemed about to collapse at any moment, which was a bit comical, Aoto was deeply moved when he saw him.

The thought that Souji was forcing himself to stand under the dawn sky for his sake brought an involuntary smile to Qing Deng's face.

……

Since the establishment of the Edo Shogunate, it has been stipulated that the 1st, 15th, and 28th of each month are the days for general ascent of the castle.

Officials of a certain rank and above were required to wear formal attire and travel to Edo Castle to pay their respects to the Shogun on these three days.

For example, Aoto's superior and senior, Arima Hideyuki, barely managed to meet the threshold for participating in this event.

On the 1st, 15th, and 28th of each month, Arima must go up to the castle with his other colleagues.

Because of his insufficient family background and official rank, Qing Deng had never even gotten close to Edo Castle before, let alone entered it.

From not even having the right to get close, to now being summoned by a general... For those who are in the "ditch" but yearn for the "moonlight", this is undoubtedly another inspirational story that can energize them and make them feel excited.

After passing through a gate of Edo Castle in a palanquin, Seito immediately opened the window and looked at the scenery outside with the mindset of appreciating famous historical sites.

Upon seeing the scenery of Edo Castle, Aoto's first thought was—it truly lived up to its reputation as a "military castle"...

Edo Castle is less a “magnificent palace” and more a “military fortress as impregnable as an iron wall”!

According to statistics, Edo Castle had one main keep, 21 watchtowers, 28 longhouses, 99 gates, and countless palaces and warehouses.

Edo Castle was surrounded by a wide moat.

Beyond the moat lies an astonishingly large outer perimeter.

Passing through the outer perimeter, one enters the inner perimeter, the core area of ​​Edo Castle.

There is a small moat between the inner and outer walls: the inner moat acts as a barrier.

Such a fortress... is a nightmare for the attacking side!

Edo Castle is located in the center of Edo.

Therefore, if one wanted to attack Edo Castle, one would first have to fight a fierce street battle to capture the vast city of Edo, which could accommodate a million people.

After completely taking control of Edo city... the real nightmare began.

After painstakingly capturing Edo, they were shocked to realize that they needed to break through a moat that drew water from major rivers like the Kanda River before they could truly launch an attack on Edo Castle.

After finally filling the moat with mud, they managed to break into Edo Castle, only to discover that there was still an outer perimeter they needed to breach.

Once they break through the outer perimeter, there's another moat... the inner embankment awaits them.

Behind the inner ridge is another inner circumference... and within that inner circumference are the third circumference, the second circumference, and the main circumference...

Whether it is the outer or inner perimeter, the architectural layout is large and complex, almost like a maze, and you may get lost even with a map.

Without the use of modern, revolutionary weapons like firearms, it would be impossible to capture a military fortress of this caliber using only cold weapons... without tens of thousands of troops and ample supplies.