I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

The officers and soldiers skillfully put on an act of "We are trying our best to pursue him!", but in reality, they maintained a rather delicate distance of about 100 meters from Takasugi Shinsaku, only daring to fire at him from a distance with matchlock guns, and not daring to get any closer.

The rate of fire and accuracy of the matchlock gun were notoriously breathtaking. Whether you could hit a target 20 meters away depended entirely on luck, not skill.

Shooting from that distance... is practically a waste of bullets.

Takasugi Shinsaku seemed to have anticipated that the soldiers who had been arrested for arson would not dare to pursue him.

Taking advantage of a brief moment in his escape, he turned back and gave a mocking smile to the group of soldiers following him at a distance.

Upon seeing this, Qing Deng's lips twitched slightly.

How should I put it...?

It was nothing short of a ridiculous scene.

Why would the soldiers who were turned into thieves "bully the weak and fear the strong" and "fear Western guns like tigers"? The reasons are not hard to guess.

Although the job requires thieves to deal with powerful and vicious criminals year-round... how much stronger and vicious can these criminals really be?

In reality, most of the operations to apprehend the Fire Thieves are low-dimensional attacks.

Fire-fighting thieves can be converted into an army, with a stable organizational structure, excellent armor, warhorses for mobility, and bows and muskets.

What do the criminals have? Barely usable armor is the best they can get!

Therefore, there are very few criminals or gangs that can stand up to the fire-themed thieves.

In other words, the battles that Fire Thieves usually fight are mostly easy and favorable ones, and they rarely encounter the kind of unfavorable battles that would result in heavy casualties. They lack experience in fighting tough and difficult battles.

Accustomed to easy battles with smooth sailing, when suddenly encountering a tough opponent, they naturally reveal their fragile and weak nature.

As for why they "feared Western guns like tigers"... that's easier to explain.

Even today, among the general public, the shogunate, and the various feudal lords, there are still many "die-hards" who believe that Western firearms, cannons, and ironclad warships are crude and ingenious tricks.

However, this country has been established for six years, and those with clear minds have long since realized that their samurai swords and matchlock guns are no different from embroidery needles and fireworks in the face of the advanced rifles, ships and cannons of the West.

Surprisingly, the Edo Shogunate was actually one of the most open-minded forces in all of Japan at that time.

As early as 1841, Mizuno Tadakuni, then a senior councilor, authorized a gunner named Takashima Shuho, who was proficient in Western artillery, to oversee the shogunate's military reforms and to focus on Westernizing the shogunate's military equipment.

However, this military reform was aborted shortly after it began due to the downfall and fall of Tadakuni Mizuno. Shuho Takashima was also arrested and imprisoned due to slander from the conservative faction.

In 1853, following the arrival of the Black Ships, the Edo Shogunate, greatly alarmed by the military might of the United States, once again embarked on reforming the military system, and promulgated and implemented a series of policies and measures for this purpose.

For example, establishing military training institutes and foreign affairs bureaus, and employing capable people who are proficient in Western affairs, etc.

Qingdeng's old friend—the "principal" of the Banshu Research Institute, a confidant of Tokugawa Iemochi, and the man who was about to be sent by Tokugawa Iemochi to study the navy—rose to prominence by riding this wave of opportunity.

During Ii Naosuke's reign, he consistently pursued the policy of "opening up the country."

Tokugawa Iemochi was also very open-minded and his political stance was similarly inclined towards "opening the country."

With authorization from the Edo Shogunate, the Military Academy established a fully Westernized "pilot unit".

The entire unit was dressed in blue uniforms that blended Japanese and Western styles, wearing pointed hats, and using the latest Western rifles: the Enfield muzzle-loading rifle.

Unfortunately, due to a series of practical reasons, such as financial difficulties, obstruction from conservatives, endless factional strife between the "Nanki faction" and the "Hitotsubashi faction", and the fact that the Satsuma and Choshu domains were diverting the Shogunate's energy, this pilot unit, which had been established for several years, was still "in the pilot stage" and had not yet been able to widely spread its reform experience throughout the Shogunate's army.

This is why units like the Fire-Bearing Thief Modified and the First-Hand Arquebusier Group are still equipped with outdated matchlock muskets, much like medieval armies.

"Military reform" is never a military issue—it is a political issue.

Therefore, thanks to the example set by the "pilot unit" at the military academy, the officers and soldiers who had been converted from thieves were all worldly-wise.

They were not oblivious to the dangers of Western firearms; they were well aware of how powerful they were.

That's why they were so terrified by Takasugi Shinsaku's twin guns that they hesitated to move forward.

Whether it's "inability to fight tough battles" or "fear of Western firearms like tigers," they all point to one common point—the training level of firearms thieves is worrying!

Takasugi Shinsaku is, after all, a suspicious individual who seems to have close ties with the Exile Group. Even from the perspective of "completely annihilating the Exile Group," Seito would not let such a big fish as Takasugi Shinsaku escape so easily.

Therefore, he quickly darted out of the house—climbed over the window, slid down the eaves to the ground, and chased after Takasugi Shinsaku's back with his sword in hand.

boom!

In the pitch-black darkness ahead, a scorching bullet suddenly flew out and struck the ground at Qing Deng's feet.

As soon as the gunshot rang out, Qingdeng immediately reacted and darted into a narrow alleyway next to him.

Qing Deng was still self-aware—he didn't think he now possessed the eyesight and skill to accurately dodge revolver bullets.

The effectiveness of this kind of pursuit, which requires constantly hiding behind obstacles to avoid being hit by bullets, is... well, you can imagine.

Aoto watched helplessly as the distance between himself and Takasugi Shinsaku widened.

Ultimately—after Takasugi Shinsaku turned at a certain intersection, all the officers and soldiers, including Aoto, completely lost track of him.

Aoto stood where Takasugi Shinsaku's figure had disappeared... in the center of that intersection, looking around, he smacked his lips forcefully with displeasure and resentment, thinking to himself:

—I really need to find a way to get a gun!

At this moment, Qing Deng's desire to have a gun for protection surged to an unprecedented level.

He's had enough of this stifling feeling of being suppressed by technology.

—At least a pistol is needed…and if we could get our hands on a lever-action rifle, that would be even better!

If Qing Deng remembers correctly, the first lever-action rifle, the Henry M1860 lever-action rifle, has already been introduced.

Lever-action rifles – those who frequently watch American Westerns should be very familiar with this type of gun.

Before this rifle, most rifles were single-shot, loading only one bullet at a time. However, the lever-action rifle's internal tubular magazine could hold more than ten bullets at once.

With its fast loading speed and high ammunition capacity, the largest magazine can hold more than a dozen bullets. It only requires pulling the pull ring under the trigger to load a bullet, saving time and effort. Moreover, it has a fast firing rate and great power. During the American West, it was a favorite of cowboys, outlaws and even sheriffs.

Thinking back to his past life, Qingdeng had seen those skilled gun handlers online who could cock a lever-action rifle with one hand.

This technique of reloading a lever-action rifle using only one hand has a specific name: spinning cocking.

The specific operating method is as follows: Hold the pull ring below the trigger with your finger, and forcefully flick the gun so that the gun body rotates 360 degrees around the finger holding the pull ring under the pull ring's pull, and then returns to its original position, thus completing the loading.

While this loading method has drawbacks such as requiring considerable finger strength and being prone to accidental discharge, it has one irresistible advantage: it frees up one hand.

If he could possess a lever-action rifle... Qing Deng could already imagine what an exciting scene it would be—he could wield a gun in one hand and a knife in the other! Capable of both ranged and close combat!

A Henry M1860 lever-action rifle in his left hand, a Ding Guishen in his right, and a Colt large-caliber revolver under each armpit—perfect!

By then, who will be able to defeat you?

If you can't beat your opponent with a sword, you'll use a gun; if one shot isn't enough, you'll fire another.

In an instant, he took a giant leap towards becoming unparalleled in the world!

Unfortunately... such a beautiful scene can only be imagined in one's mind.

Let alone lever-action rifles, Qingdeng doesn't even have a channel to acquire revolvers.

—Never mind... What's meant to be will be. What's not meant to be, there's no point in forcing it.

After letting out a regretful sigh, Qing Deng sheathed his sword and turned back.

……

……

As soon as Qing Dengfang returned, he saw soldiers from some unknown squad busily cleaning up the battlefield.

The groups, divided into different units, each performed their own duties.

The scene was chaotic: people moving corpses, counting the dead and wounded, checking the house for any survivors.

"Ah! Lord Tachibana is back!"

Amidst the chaotic ranks, someone shouted this out.

Immediately afterwards, beams of gaze focused on Qingdeng from all directions.

In an instant, the atmosphere in the air changed abruptly.

Although Qingdeng didn't actively pay attention to the people around him, subtle whispers still reached his ears:

“Hey, look, he has almost no injuries.”

"The new captain of the Third Division is way too strong... Not only did he achieve a great victory, but he also escaped unscathed..."

"Of course, after all, he is the 'Niou' (King of Benevolence)."

"Speaking of which... why did he choose to act alone? If he had brought the entire Third Division with him, it would have been much easier, wouldn't it?"

"Nonsense, is that even a question? Of course it's because the Third Division is too weak. None of them can help. Bringing them along would only get in the way, so Lord Tachibana chose to act alone."

"Oh! I see..."

Qingdeng keenly sensed several gazes cast from afar, and in an instant, they became even more respectful.

It's no wonder the team members reacted this way.

He single-handedly sneaked into the house, rescued all the hostages, and took down all the traitors in the house—a story almost indistinguishable from the jokes told by novelists and storytellers—just happened, right before their eyes!

Almost everyone now looks at Qingdeng with a sense of reverence.

They greeted him like a triumphant general returning home! Facing Qingdeng, their backs unconsciously bent low.

Everyone who was blocking Qingdeng's way seemed to fall like waves of wheat! They all consciously moved aside, making way for Qingdeng and creating a wide path for him.

Upon seeing this, Qingdeng stopped in his tracks, as if he had thought of something. He blinked and looked around.

Then, he half-closed his eyes, slightly raised his chin, ignored the gazes and gossip of others, and calmly walked forward with his head held high.

"Tachibana-sama!"

At that moment, a series of hurried footsteps approached from afar.

Looking up, he saw his subordinates: the officers and soldiers of the Third Division.

They quickly rushed to Qingdeng's side, and Bai Qi, who was leading the group, looked at Qingdeng with surprise and asked hesitantly:

"Are you...are you injured?"

Qing Deng glanced at Bai Qi indifferently and said casually:

"The One-Armed Party, nothing special."

His expression and demeanor were no different from usual.

*******