I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"Hmm... how should I put it..."

Tenshōin pondered the appropriate words and hesitated for a moment.

"To put it simply... the decision to teach you archery was a spur-of-the-moment thing I made yesterday."

"The purpose is to enable you to better control your future subordinates."

Your future subordinates—upon hearing these words, Qing Deng's eyelids drooped slightly.

Qing Deng certainly knew who Tenshōin meant by "your future subordinates".

Qingdeng's vacation is only a little over a month away.

On November 1, a little over a month later, Qing Deng was to leave the Northern Garrison and report to the yamen of the Fire and Thieves Bureau, officially taking over the position of the new captain of the Third Squad and the leader of the Seventh Squad of the First-Hand Archer Group.

At that time, Qingdeng will no longer be a small "municipal police officer", but a bow army officer with 10 loyal and 50 loyal officers under his command!

“Kid Tachibana, although what I’m saying may sound like I’m exaggerating… I’ll still give you a heads-up: after you take up the Fire Thief position, you might have a very difficult time.”

Tenshōin, who always had a smile on his face, now showed a serious expression, which was rare for him.

"You did not become the squad leader and archer squad leader by working diligently in the Fire Thief Regiment, accumulating merits and reputation little by little, and rising step by step."

"Instead, he was transferred from the town of Kitaban-sho to such a high position in one fell swoop, as if he had fallen from the sky."

"That is to say..."

Tensho-in gave a wry smile.

"You will encounter the same trouble that the shogun faced when he first arrived in Edo—everyone you see is someone you don't know."

After listening, Qing Deng nodded thoughtfully.

In short, Tenshōin's words can be summarized as follows: "Parachuted leaders" like Aoto will generally encounter the predicament of "not having familiar subordinates and being unable to carry out their own work."

"Just memorizing the names and special skills of this group of unfamiliar subordinates may take you a lot of time."

The explanation of Tenshōin continues.

"Although you have achieved great military exploits and are revered as 'Niou' by the common people of Edo, no matter how great your current reputation is, whether your future colleagues and subordinates will be convinced of your abilities remains an unknown."

"not to mention……"

At this point, Tenshōin paused. Then, a strange expression filled with helplessness bloomed on her delicate face.

"You are still a former servant who was only recently promoted to hatamoto due to your merits."

"In some people's eyes, someone like you is more disgusting than horse manure in a stable."

“Ha…” Qingdeng let out a few dry laughs.

No matter the era or country, there is such a thing as a "hierarchy of contempt".

In contemporary Japan, due to various reasons such as national character and excessively rigid class divisions, the phenomenon of mutual contempt between different groups is particularly severe.

Within the samurai class, where the hierarchical system was extremely distinct, there was an even more complete chain of contempt.

The vassal generals of large vassal states look down on the vassal generals of small vassal states.

The samurai directly under the shogun, namely the hatamoto and goken, viewed all the foreign warriors as uncivilized country bumpkins.

Those of higher rank, who have the privilege of direct audience with the shogun, look down on the "lower" gokenin (family members).

The daimyo, whose rank was comparable to that of a minor daimyo, considered the minor daimyo with rank less than 500 koku to be from another "world".

This long-standing hierarchy of contempt, along with the psychological distortion caused by the extreme solidification of class, has led to the existence of a group in this country that regards "bloodline theory" as a truism.

They are proud of their lineage and social standing.

To despise those who are "inferior" to oneself.

They harbor resentment towards those who elevate their social standing through "extraordinary skills and tricks"... especially those whose social standing is equal to or higher than their own.

Just two months ago, Aoto was a servant with a stipend of just over 500 koku, who was promoted to hatamoto only after his outstanding military achievements... With such a resume, Aoto was a thorn in the side of those who believed in "bloodline theory"!

Are there any such people among Qingdeng's future colleagues and subordinates? Only God knows.

"in short--"

Tenshōin suddenly changed the subject.

"The yamen that was once run by thieves and fire-fighting gangsters will be a completely new and unknown world for you."

"You are very likely to encounter many 'enemies' that you have never met before."

"Regarding your future life in the Fire Thief's Guild... there's not much I can do to help."

At this point, Tenshōin adopted a half-joking tone:

"After all, neither the general nor I could issue an order that 'no one is allowed to bully Tachibana Seiden.'"

"When you officially go to serve in the government, you must be extra careful and work harder. Whether you can live a comfortable life in the Fire Thieves Bureau depends entirely on yourself."

"That's all I can do right now—"

She smiled and waved the purple bow in her hand.

"The only thing we can do is to give you one more skill that can effectively command your colleagues and subordinates."

"The unit you will be going to take over is the Third Division, which is concurrently the Seventh Division of the First-Hand Archer Group."

"Martial arts are in decline nowadays. Even in the Shogunate army, there are quite a few people who are just filling in the ranks. Cavalrymen can't ride horses, spearmen can't use spears, and archers can't draw bows."

"Therefore, the requirements for becoming a military commander have become much easier."

"Nowadays, you don't need to be proficient in archery or arquebus to become the leader of the first-strike archery group or the first-strike arquebus group."

"However—as the commander of the archery corps, having excellent archery skills is always a good thing that can earn him a good reputation."

"Compared to an incompetent person who doesn't even know how to draw a bow, the soldiers of the first-strike archery group are obviously more willing to follow the orders of someone who understands archery."

"And as far as I know, Tachibana-kun, you've never been exposed to archery before, right?"

Qingdeng nodded without hesitation, then silently added in his mind:

—In my previous life, I played with bows and arrows a few times in places like "archery clubs," but it was all just playing around, so it shouldn't be considered as having any contact with archery skills.

Compared to swordsmanship and spearmanship, archery has a much higher learning cost.

If you don't have a sword or a gun, you can find a stick of suitable size in the wild to make do, but how do you find a bow and arrow in the wild?

Therefore, during the Edo period, archery was a martial art that only wealthy samurai families could afford to practice.

People like Qing Deng, who used to be lower-ranking samurai, basically had no chance to learn archery.

Tenshōin had clearly investigated Seiden's past long ago, so he was fully aware that Seiden knew nothing about archery.

She continued:

"Although less than two months is not enough time to make you an archery master immediately, it can still teach you how to hold a bow and how to nock an arrow."

"However, archery is not a required skill for the new Oniwaban."

"Therefore, whether or not you learn archery is entirely up to you."

"If you are willing to learn, I will teach you everything I know without reservation."

"If you don't want to learn, that's fine too. I won't blame you."

"So? Are you interested in learning archery from me?"

After saying that, Tianzhangyuan tilted his head and smiled sweetly at Qingdeng.

He met Qingdeng's gaze with a gentle, smiling look, while waiting for Qingdeng's response.

—Archery, huh…?

Qingdeng let out a long sigh in his heart.

To be honest, Qingdeng wasn't very interested in archery...

Learning to use a bow in an era when Western powers' steam warships are already navigating the seas is like learning to use a film camera in an era when digital cameras are already in mass production.

Compared to archery, Qing Deng is more interested in traditional American martial arts!

Unfortunately, in this country where matchlock guns were still the main weapon and Western firearms had not yet been fully introduced, there was simply no way to learn traditional American martial arts...

Among Aoto's circle of friends, the only person who possesses advanced firearms is Katsura Rintaro, who was once saved by Aoto and is now about to be sent to mess with the Shogunate Navy.

However, the revolver that Katsura Rintaro owned was a gift from a friend, and he had no connections to get his hands on guns.

Aoto had contacted Katsura Rintarou to ask if he could help get a pistol, but he just sighed and shook his head...

Although he had little interest in archery, Qing Deng had to admit that what the pretty widow said was not entirely without merit.

With the double debuffs of being "parachuted into leadership" and "of lowly lineage," it would be abnormal if Qingdeng's subsequent "fire-themed thief journey" had no setbacks.

Therefore, it's good to make some preparations in advance.

Put yourself in their shoes—if you were an archer facing two leaders, one who didn't even know how to draw a bow, and the other who had a basic understanding of archery, it would be much easier to win their favor.

Moreover, as the saying goes, "a skill is never a burden." Putting aside the aforementioned utilitarian factors, learning more skills is never a bad thing, even if those skills are hardly useful in this day and age.

Upon realizing this, Qingdeng opened his mouth, about to say something.

But at that moment, Qing Dengyin suddenly thought of something, his open lips froze, and then he quickly asked:

"Your Highness Tenshōin, the person who taught me archery... could it be you?"

"Of course it's me."

As soon as Qing Deng finished speaking, Tian Zhangyuan showed an expression that seemed to say, "Isn't this just common sense?"

"There are only the two of us at this archery range now, and I'm holding a bow in my hand... Who else but me would teach you archery? Besides, I don't have anyone better suited to teach you archery than myself. What? Do you doubt my ability to teach you properly?"

"That's not..."

Tenshōin's exquisite skill in "precisely hitting the bullseye 50 meters away" has already demonstrated her archery prowess.

This level of skill is more than enough to teach others.

Atsuhime Tenshōin, the esteemed Grand Imperial Household Agency and Commander-in-Chief of the New Imperial Household, was personally instructing him in archery, all solely to pave a smoother path for Aoto in his future career as a bandit leader… Thinking this, Aoto couldn't help but think to himself:

—Whether it's Tenshōin or Tokugawa Iemochi, they've been too kind to me...?

Qingdeng's thoughts were interrupted by a rhetorical question from Tianzhangyuan.

"So? How's your thinking going? Have you made up your mind?"