I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Not long after, Qingdeng returned to the government office that the thieves had turned into, which he had left less than two hours earlier, and went back to the spacious council hall.

Qing Deng glanced around the hall—it was empty at the moment, with no other squad leaders in sight, only Kurosawa Atsuyuki and Okubo Tadashi sitting side by side on the main seats at the north end.

"Oh! Tachibana-kun, you're here."

Atsuyuki Kurosawa pushed a file that was placed on his lap toward Aoto.

"A mission has arrived!"

"According to reliable intelligence from our spies, a group of remnants of the Extermination Group are hiding in a Japanese confectionery shop in Sumi-cho."

"The longer we wait, the more things might go wrong. If we don't act quickly, those damned traitors might discover that our stronghold has been exposed and move our personnel and supplies elsewhere."

"Therefore, Okubo and I have decided to launch our operation tonight! We will send out a large force to wipe out these remnants of the Extermination Group in one fell swoop!"

"Ju-kun, this operation is a good opportunity for you to gain experience in leading a team."

"So you and your Third Division will also participate in tonight's operation!"

Qingdeng raised his eyebrows sharply.

Send troops to wipe out the remnants of the Extermination Group? Such a large-scale mission right after taking office.

More than three months later, I came into contact with the Extermination Group again... and it was on the first day of the Fire Thief's job.

Isn't it incredibly strange that I have such a strong connection with the Extermination Group?!

*******

*******

Suddenly, it becomes clear: Qing Deng now commands 60 soldiers, which in modern terms would be roughly equivalent to a company commander. His rank would be second lieutenant or first lieutenant—doesn't that make Qing Deng's current position seem quite high?

It's the end of the month again! If you have any monthly tickets, please be sure to vote for this book!

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Chapter 278 What's there to fear from the Extermination Group? We can easily wipe them out! [5400]

Qing Deng picked up the dossier that Kurosawa pushed towards him and began to read it quickly.

The clerk who wrote this document was a very skilled writer; he used only the most concise language to clearly explain the background of the task.

The contents of the case file are roughly as follows:

The "Secret Agent Team" under the command of the thief Kai has recently made a new discovery in its pursuit of the remnants of the Extermination Group—they have tracked down the "One-Armed Gang" in Sumi Town.

The vitality of the Expeditionary Force was unexpectedly tenacious.

Although most of the members, led by their leader Jinno, were killed or injured on the night more than four months ago, a small group of die-hards still survived.

However, instead of banding together and forming a united force, the remaining remnants parted ways and fought their own battles due to their differing ideologies.

The so-called "One-Armed Party" was a term used by government officials to refer to one of the remnants of the group that had broken away from the destroyed anti-barbarian group.

They are stubborn and inflexible, and under the banner of "we will definitely inherit the will of our classmates and complete the great cause of 'expelling the barbarians'", they vow to never surrender. Even now, they are still stirring up bloodshed in various parts of Edo, doing their old job of "killing traitors".

Because their leader was a one-armed man, the government used the term "One-Armed Party" to refer to this group of madmen he led.

The Extermination Group is a bunch of thoroughly radical terrorists. If we don't wipe them out completely, who knows what other trouble they'll cause in the future?

In recent months, the thieves, in conjunction with the Magistrate's Office and the Eight Provinces Administration, have been conducting one thorough search after another throughout Edo.

The members of the Extermination Group were mostly lower-ranking samurai from all over the country.

They were filled with the fervent fighting spirit to expel barbarians and traitors, to achieve great deeds, and to secure titles and honors for their wives and children... but apart from that, they had no other merits.

Due to class restrictions, even lower-ranking samurai directly under the shogun, or those from wealthy or large domains, found it difficult to receive a good education.

Therefore, lower-ranking samurai... especially those from remote and impoverished areas, were generally seen by the public as synonymous with "roughness" and "savagery".

Before being defeated by Qing Deng, the reason why the Expeditionary Army was able to unleash such strong fighting power and carry out such ruthless acts as "intercepting and killing Western merchants (Anthony and Elodie)," "attacking the foreign trade office and burning down Edo Castle," and "overthrowing the Western settlement" was entirely due to Kamino's ability.

Although Jinno is a madman, it must be admitted that he is indeed an outstanding talent with great management and command abilities, capable of integrating the diverse members of the Exile Group.

Qingdeng is now a manager with an entire team under his command, so he has a clearer understanding of how difficult it is to manage others and how capable those managers are of managing large teams with complex members.

Simply put, to the Exile Group, Kanna was an enormous pillar, capable of supporting the entire edifice called "Exile Group" with its own strength.

However, this great pillar has fallen forever.

Without Kanna, the Exile Group... to put it simply, was a pile of loose sand that could crumble at the slightest touch.

The fact that the surviving members of the Expeditionary Force did not band together after its destruction, and that they parted ways due to "ideological differences," is the best evidence that the Expeditionary Force no longer has anyone capable of rallying people's hearts and has reached its end.

Under the joint crackdown by three security agencies with different functions—the Fire and Thieves Bureau, the Enforcement Bureau ("Sanhui"), and the Eight Provinces Enforcement Bureau—the scattered remnants of the Extermination Group were dragged out and annihilated one by one.

However, the "one-armed gang," which has caused the most harm and has killed many people and caused a lot of damage, has not yet been brought to justice.

The leader of the "One-Armed Party" was surprisingly quite capable.

The various agencies, led by the Fire Thieves, expended countless manpower, resources, and energy, yet each time they were about to capture the "One-Armed Gang," they missed the glorious opportunity to "eradicate them completely."

Fortunately, even the most meticulous plans can have flaws.

The "One-Armed Party" finally slipped up last week!

Seven days ago, a spy from the Fire Thief Agency discovered that a certain Japanese confectionery shop in Sumi-cho was very strange, with a large number of suspicious-looking people frequently coming and going from it.

After a thorough investigation, it was finally confirmed that—

These suspicious-looking strange people are the "One-Armed Gang"!

That wagashi shop was their base!

Incidentally, the "Secret Agent Team" created by the Fire Thieves is not a professional spy unit—they are just a bunch of "temporary workers".

The thieves then spent a lot of money to bribe employees in crowded places such as bathhouses, teahouses, and izakayas, instructing them to keep a close eye on suspicious people and activities during their spare time.

If any suspicious activity is discovered, it should be immediately reported to the local government office that has been investigated by thieves.

If the intelligence submitted is of high value, a generous reward will be given.

Therefore, in Edo, any enthusiastic bathhouse uncle, bathhouse auntie, teahouse girl, or izakaya proprietress who strikes up a conversation with you could secretly be a secret agent disguised as a thief.

Now that it has been confirmed that the wagashi shop is the stronghold of the "One-Armed Gang," the rest is much easier.

As soon as Qing Deng finished reading the case file and looked up, he heard Kurosawa say:

"The 'One-Armed Gang' is very cunning, and according to previous intelligence, they have a considerable number of members, nearly 40, including many highly skilled individuals."

"Sending only one squad may not be enough to completely annihilate them."

"This is the best opportunity to completely eradicate the 'One-Armed Party'."

"If we miss this opportunity, who knows when we'll get another chance like this."

"Therefore, Okubo and I have decided to send out all available troops! We will strive to use overwhelming force to uproot the 'One-Armed Party' in one fell swoop! We will wipe out this bunch of lunatics who are more annoying than flies in a latrine!"

Hearing the words "the station has all the troops it can send out," Qing Deng felt an inexplicable sense of foreboding.

"Kurosawa-sama, Okubo-sama."

Qing Deng said.

"Please forgive my boldness—besides my Third Division, which other units are required to participate in tonight's operation?"

"Uh……"

Upon hearing this question, a faint hint of embarrassment appeared on Kurosawa's face—this change in his expression instantly intensified Qing Deng's ominous premonition.

Immediately afterwards, Qingdeng's ominous premonition was confirmed—

"The Fifth Division and the Seventh Division." Sitting next to Kurosawa, Tadashi Okubo, who hadn't spoken since Aoto entered the council chamber, calmly answered for Kurosawa.

The Fifth and Seventh Divisions—this is the team of Kimura Kazuma and his henchman Tsuchida Masayoshi…

On his first day back at work as a fire-fighting thief, Qing Deng found himself on a mission with his sworn enemy... He raised an eyebrow again and lowered his eyelids slightly.

“The other squads are currently occupied with other missions and it’s inconvenient to send them to participate in tonight’s operation,” Kurosawa added. “The only units that are suitable to be dispatched right now are the Third Squad, the Fifth Squad, and the Seventh Squad.”

At this point, Kurosawa paused thoughtfully.

"...Tachibana-kun. Regarding what happened between you and Kimura-kun this morning... Okubo-kun and I have already heard about it."

Kurosawa was referring to Kimura picking a fight with Aoto, and then Aoto drawing his sword, the "Demon God," to launch a powerful counterattack.

“I know that your relationship with Kimura is a little complicated right now. I also understand your behavior of using strong measures to warn Kimura not to bother you again in the future.”

"After all... I know Kimura-kun's personality very well. He is arrogant and looks down on people from poor families."

“I know all about how he was prejudiced against you and how he verbally abused you in public on several occasions.”

"However, you are, after all, colleagues who will be working together for a long time in the future."

"Their relationship has become very strained, which is not good for either of them."

“Okubo and I just summoned Kimura and gave him a stern warning. We asked him to stop his pointless ‘class discrimination’ and not to do anything that would hurt the feelings of his colleagues.”

"Tachibana-kun, I'm saying the same thing to you now—you're not allowed to do anything that hurts your colleagues' feelings again!"

“Drawing a knife in the council chamber and pointing it at a colleague—this must never be done again!”

When he said this, Kurosawa deliberately adopted an exceptionally stern tone.

"...Yes, I understand." Qing Deng lowered his head and responded softly with a blank expression.

After hearing Qing Deng readily say "I understand," perhaps because Qing Deng's attitude of admitting his mistake was relatively good, Kurosawa breathed a sigh of relief, his facial features relaxed, and he resumed speaking in a calm tone.

"Yes, I'm glad you understand."

"Alright, let's get back to business."

"Regarding tonight's operation, Mr. Okubo and I have only two requests."

"Point 1: Make sure the task is completed perfectly."

"Secondly: It is essential to work together with Kimura and Tsuchida and not bring personal feelings into the work."

Kurosawa seemed to have thought of something good, and a faint smile appeared on his face.

"Heh, tonight might be a good opportunity for you and Kimura to reconnect and mend your relationship."

"You and Kimura can have a good talk tonight."

"I have always believed that most conflicts and troubles can be resolved through good communication between people."