I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"I am eager to witness your swordsmanship firsthand, so I would like to invite you to spar with the soldiers of the 'Third Division.' What do you say?"

Qing Deng was suddenly startled.

"Sanbangu" is a collective term for the three standing armies of the shogunate: the Ōbangu, the Shoingu, and the Koshibangu.

These three units were all composed of the hatamoto (rulers) and their sons.

The large guard units—a total of 12 units. They were responsible for guarding Edo Castle, Kyoto's Nijo Castle, and Osaka Castle, among other places.

Two groups were stationed at Nijo Castle, two groups at Osaka Castle, rotating annually, while the remaining eight groups were stationed in the camp and at the Ninomaru of Edo Castle. In wartime, they served as the vanguard of the entire army.

The Koshimon Group – a total of 8 groups. The "Koshimon" were samurai who served their lord closely and handled various affairs. Their main task was to guard Edo Castle, protecting the Shogun in both peacetime and wartime.

The Academy Guards – a total of 10 units. In wartime, they served as bodyguards to the shogun, just like the page guards. In peacetime, they stood guard in the Torama (torama) of Edo Castle, ready to protect the shogun at any time.

Because they were initially stationed between the White Academy and Red Leaf Mountain, they were called Academy Guards.

“三番组”每组皆设番头1人、组头1人（大番组是4人）、番士50人。另有专门负责打杂的称谓“与力”、“同心”的下级武士30人。

Functionally, the "Sanbangu" were imperial guards directly under the shogun, bearing the heavy responsibility of protecting the shogun and Edo.

Only those hatamoto members with superior family background and skills are qualified to be selected into the "Third Division".

Theoretically speaking, the "Sanbangu," whose members were selected with extremely strict criteria, was the strongest army of the Edo Shogunate.

Tokugawa Iemochi actually wanted him to have a match with the soldiers of the "Third Division" on the spot... This was something that Aoto had never expected.

Although Tokugawa Iemochi politely asked Aoto, "What do you think?"... did Aoto have any room to refuse?

Tokugawa Iemochi may have been friendly, but he never forgot that the young man before him was the supreme ruler of the Edo Shogunate and Aoto's most senior superior...

"Yes..." Qing Deng bowed with a complicated expression, "Then... I'll make a fool of myself!"

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The beloved heroine, Tenshōin-neechan, has finally met Aoto in person! Hooray! (Cute Leopard.jpg)

To celebrate the official debut of Tenshōin-san, please vote for this book with some monthly tickets! (Like a leopard crying.jpg)

Writing this chapter was a real struggle for the author...

While it's possible to find out where the Shogun of the Edo period would meet with his retainers, it's impossible to find out what the Shogun would say to his retainers after they were summoned... (self-deprecating image).

Chapter 250 No speaking ill of Prince Tenshoin! [6500]

To demonstrate martial arts skills in front of the general... This is a "martial arts demonstration before the emperor" that thousands of martial artists would love to do!

There are indeed martial arts fanatics in this world who "only want to practice martial arts, only need to practice martial arts, and are willing to forgo food as long as they can practice martial arts."

However, such "madmen" who can disregard normal human physiological needs are ultimately only a very small minority.

The vast majority of people, trapped by the pressures of survival in reality, still have no choice but to bow down for a meager living.

In an era where there are virtually no upward social mobility channels, "learning martial arts and then having one's skills recognized by those in power" is one of the few ways to achieve upward social mobility.

Many martial arts masters who aspired to enter officialdom and make great achievements in their careers were frustrated and lived their lives in obscurity because they lacked the opportunity to showcase their talents to powerful figures such as the shogun or the daimyo of a domain.

Qingdeng won the honor of performing martial arts before the emperor at the young age of 18... If this were to spread, countless people would be green with envy.

Faced with what others considered a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that could potentially change their future, Qingdeng showed little enthusiasm.

Qingdeng currently has no ambition for officialdom, so he has no interest in showing himself in front of Tokugawa Iemochi... but he is very interested in the competition itself.

Why not take advantage of this opportunity to broaden your horizons, witness the martial arts prowess of the world-renowned "Third Division" soldiers, and even have the chance to replicate your new talent?

The general usually only watched martial arts competitions at the White Academy.

Currently, Tokugawa Iemochi, Tenshōin, and others have already moved from the Black Academy to the White Academy.

Meanwhile, Aoto, led by a page under Tokugawa Iemochi, headed to the nearby Kiku-no-Ma (Chrysanthemum Room) to don protective gear, retrieve weapons, and prepare for the duel.

Like the Ōhiro-ma, ...shoin, and Ōhiro-shoin, the Chrysanthemum Room is a "front" room located in the Honmaru Palace.

This room functions similarly to a lounge.

When the shogun summons a daimyo of an unclaimed castle with a hatamoto or koku (a unit of weight) of 1 to 3, these men will rest and await orders during this time.

When large ceremonies and meetings are held, this area is set up as the central seat for the head of the ceremonies, the head of the academy, and the head of the minor officials.

There are still many lounges like the Kiku-no-ma in the "outer" of the Honmaru Palace.

People of different status levels have different access to and use of lounges.

For example, the area adjacent to Kiku-ma-ma is called Goose-ma-ma-ma—this area serves daimyo with castles and kimono (a unit of land measurement) ranging from 1 to 30 koku. A castle daimyo is a daimyo of a domain who has been granted a castle.

The Imperial Viewing Room – part of the White Academy. Serving hereditary daimyo with a rank of 1-10 koku.

The highest-ranking lounge is the Ryu-no-ma—part of the Kuro-shoin (Black Academy). Only the Ii family, the Aizu-Matsudaira family, the Takamatsu-Matsudaira family, or other daimyo who have retired from the position of Rojū (senior councilor) are qualified to use this room.

Besides these "rooms reserved for daimyo," the "oboro" also contained many private rest areas for servants and officials within Edo Castle. For example, there was the Kikyo Room, reserved for the new rank chief, the rank physician, and the female attendant.

"Mr. Tachibana, we've arrived."

After the young man leading the way said this, he bent his knees and knelt on one knee in front of a paper sliding door with beautiful patterns. Then, with the utmost respect, he slowly opened the door.

The moment the door opened, noise and heat burst out.

The sound waves of chatter rushed towards Qingdeng.

Startled by the commotion, Qingdeng frowned slightly and quickly scanned the scene inside the enclosure.

The room was filled with chatter... Ten samurai of varying ages sat or stood on the fragrant tatami mats, each doing their own thing.

More than ten brand-new protective gear and bamboo swords were neatly arranged by the door.

"Mr. Tachibana."

At this moment, the young man who had led Qingdeng to the door explained to Qingdeng in a low voice.

"These 10 people are the opponents you will be facing later."

Qing Deng looked enlightened and nodded slightly: "I see... Thank you."

After nodding his thanks to the young man, Qingdeng strode over the doorframe and into the room.

As soon as the door was pushed open, the 10 samurai inside turned to look at Qing Deng upon hearing the noise.

But they only glanced at Qingdeng before looking away and continuing with what they were doing.

Those who were daydreaming continued to daydream, those who were chatting continued to chat, and those who were wearing protective gear continued to wear protective gear.

No one paid any attention to Qingdeng... as if Qingdeng didn't exist.

The fact that everyone in the room was "ignoring" him made Qingdeng frown again... not because he was complaining about their cold attitude.

Instead, I felt that the aura emanating from these people was... strange.

Qing Deng vaguely sensed that the way these people ignored him was not the kind of ignoring that showed contempt or disdain.

Rather, it's the kind of indifference that seems to disregard everything around them...

—Never mind, I don't care anymore.

Qingdeng composed himself and turned to walk toward the pile of protective gear placed by the door.

Just as Qingdeng picked up a suit of armor, preparing to put it on himself—

"Greetings~ Are you the person we'll be facing later: Tachibana Aoto?"

A refreshing, neutral voice came from behind me, both in its choice of words and its tone.

Suddenly being spoken to... Qing Deng paused for a moment, then immediately turned around in response to the voice.

Two warriors stood side by side three steps behind him.

The two warriors were around 160cm and 150cm tall, respectively.

The lighting was poor, and because both of them were wearing full protective gear that covered their upper bodies and heads completely, their faces were not clearly visible.

The voice that Qingdeng had just heard came from the taller man.

"I am Ju Qingdeng," Qingdeng said. "And you are?"

"Wow~ I'm so glad to finally meet you~!" The taller man stomped his feet excitedly a few times. "Nice to meet you! I'm Shimazaki Hajime from the big show!"

After speaking, Shimazaki turned slightly to the side and pointed to the short man beside him:

"This is my friend—Shigeru Tokuyama! Like me, he also comes from a major entertainment company!"

"Nice to meet you." Tokuyama Shigeru bowed respectfully to Aoto with a dignified yet humble attitude. "I am Tokuyama Shigeru. Mr. Tachibana, I have long admired your name. I would be honored if you could offer me some guidance in the upcoming match."

"Not at all. I'm the one who needs your guidance," Qingdeng politely said, bowing in return.

—Their movements are so elegant.

As he bowed in return, Qing Deng couldn't help but raise his eyes and secretly sized up Shimazaki Hajime and Tokuyama Shigeru in front of him.

Through their brief encounter, Qingdeng had already noticed that both of them were very elegant in their posture and demeanor, clearly indicating that they had received a very rigorous education.

Qingdeng didn't find this particularly surprising, only silently remarking to himself:

—As expected of someone from a prestigious family…

The "Third Division" was the Imperial Guard responsible for the close protection of the Shogun and Edo. Their importance far surpassed that of ordinary units such as the First-Hand Archer Division and the First-Hand Arquebus Division.

Therefore, in order to ensure combat effectiveness and loyalty to the shogun, the "Sanbangu" only recruited soldiers from the hatamoto and their sons.

Among the hatamoto (banner members), there were many noble families with stipends of thousands of koku, making them richer and more powerful than some minor daimyo. Therefore, it was not uncommon to encounter people with high personal qualities and an aristocratic air in the "Sanbanku" (third division).

"Mr. Ju! I've heard of your great name and deeds for a long time! I've always respected you! I never imagined I'd have the chance to meet you in person!"

At this point, Shimazaki paused. He raised his gaze and scrutinized Aoto's face several times.

"You're much more handsome than I imagined!"

After he finished speaking, Shimazaki chuckled... The laughter sounded a bit strange, but it wasn't unpleasant.

"Uh, thank you."

Shimazaki was very outgoing. Even though he had only just met Aoto, he chatted with him enthusiastically as if they were old friends who had known each other for many years.

Qing Deng has never disliked people who are overly friendly, so he was happy to chat with Shimazaki for a while.

As for Shigeru Tokuyama, he was rather taciturn. After introducing himself, he didn't say much.