I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

“Ah, I can sing this folk song too~~” my grandson smiled.

"Why don't you go over and join them?" Qing Deng suggested half-jokingly.

"I don't need to," my grandson shrugged. "Singing in front of so many people...it's kind of embarrassing."

My grandson said "no" but his body was very obedient—he hummed the tune of the folk song that the team members were singing in unison, in a tone as soft as a mosquito's buzz.

My grandson was obviously in a good mood tonight.

This is understandable, given that the overall situation is now settled and the Xiangma faction can no longer cause any trouble.

The total strength of the Soma clan is only about 200 men at most—in today's battle, at least hundreds of them were wounded or killed.

More than half of the troops were killed or wounded... Such casualties were enough to completely shatter the morale of a battle-hardened army.

Can the fighting spirit of a gang of thieves be stronger than that of an elite force?

Qingdeng guessed that the bandits of Xiangma were probably cowering deep in their mountain stronghold, trembling with fear. Whether they even had the courage to pick up their weapons again and continue fighting the punitive expedition was questionable.

At this moment, a fellow practitioner hurried over with a strange expression:

“My dear grandson, please come to the west entrance of the village immediately. Lord Jinze has urgent business with you.”

"The west entrance of the village? Jin Ze-jun?" My grandson raised an eyebrow. "What does he want with me?"

"This one……"

Tongxin hesitated for a moment, then leaned close to my grandson's ear and whispered something in his ear.

When Tongxin finished whispering and straightened his back, the expression on my grandson's face suddenly became bizarre.

“…I understand.” My grandson waved his hand, signaling the comrade to leave. “I’ll go right away.”

Qingdeng glanced at Tongxin's departing figure:

"My grandson, what's wrong? What happened?"

"Nothing serious happened," my grandson shrugged. "It's just... a lovely guest came over."

"Huh? A lovely guest?"

Just as Qingdeng was about to ask further questions, he saw my grandson walk away with his hands behind his back.

Out of curiosity, Qingdeng quickly followed.

A short while later, the two arrived at the west side of Daohe Village.

When they were still a short distance from the western entrance of the village, Qingdeng could already hear bursts of heated debate drifting over:

"Brother! Please! Let me join the fight! I can protect myself!"

"Nonsense! What do you think this place is? We're not on a picnic! We're at war! Get home right now!"

At the western entrance of Daohe Village, a large number of soldiers stood in layers, all craning their necks and standing on tiptoe to watch what was going on.

"Ah, my grandson! Lord Tachibana!"

Someone in the crowd shouted this.

Immediately afterwards, the crowd parted to the left and right, making way for Qingdeng and my grandson to pass through.

Following this passage, Qing Deng saw Kanazawa Tadatsugu. With his right leg injured, he was leaning on a crutch, glaring at a young samurai standing opposite him with a worried expression. This samurai was dressed in simple clothes, with two swords, one long and one short, neatly worn at his waist. He stood with his hands on his hips, looking back at Kanazawa Tadatsugu without showing any weakness.

Kanazawa Tadatsugu and the young samurai stared at each other in full view of everyone—and those with keen eyes could not help but notice that the two had a great deal of similarity in their facial features.

The moment Qing Deng saw the young warrior, his eyebrows involuntarily twitched.

"Miss Kanazawa?"

This young samurai... or rather, this girl disguised as a man, is none other than Kanazawa Tadatsugu's younger sister, and the only female swordsman in the Little Chiba Sword Hall besides Sanako: Kanazawa Kotomi!

Upon hearing Qing Deng's voice, Jin Zeqin was startled at first, and then, disregarding her angry glare with Jin Zezhongfu, she quickly looked towards Qing Deng in the direction of the voice.

"Ah, ah! Mr. Tachibana...?!"

Instantly, a hint of unease appeared between Jin Zeqin's brows.

At this moment, my grandson slowly walked to Kanazawa Tadatsugu's side.

"Jinze-kun. What's going on? What's your sister doing here?"

"This...sigh..." Kanazawa Tadatsugu let out a long sigh with a look of disappointment. "My grandson, Tachibana-kun, I'm sorry. My younger sister is foolish and has made you laugh."

After saying that, Jinze Zhongfu briefly explained the whole story of why Jinze Qin suddenly appeared here.

The reason is not complicated: Jin Zeqin, though a woman, has a wild heart that yearns to kill the enemy and serve her country.

Upon learning that the Fire Thief had been reassigned to annihilate the mountain bandits of Kai, and that his own brother was also involved in the operation, he secretly disguised himself as a man and cautiously followed the troops, hoping to participate in the anti-bandit operation as well.

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

Those who haven't heard "La Marseillaise" should give it a listen. This revolutionary anthem is incredibly powerful. Even if you don't understand French at all, you can feel a strong force in every note.

A little spoiler: To avoid being accused of padding the word count, the author will give a small spoiler—there's definitely a reason why Elodie suddenly mentioned liking "La Marseillaise" and Qingdeng learning to sing it under Elodie's tutelage. Please look forward to the rest of the story.

The author would like to clarify that the earlier mention of "large-scale peasant uprisings breaking out across Japan in 1860" is not fabricated; it is based on historical records. Throughout the year, there were nearly a hundred large-scale peasant uprisings. However, the author cannot find the relevant image (leopard dead.jpg).

Chapter 299 Just how formidable are my subordinates, Ju Qingdeng! [6500]

Ideals are beautiful, and reality is very skinny.

Because Kai is mountainous and has a complex terrain, Kanazawa Kotoko accidentally lost track of the troops after they entered Kai territory.

Unwilling to return empty-handed, Jin Zeqin decided to bite the bullet and search for the punitive army along the main road of Jiaozhou.

By sheer luck, Jin Zeqin stumbled upon the troops' movements.

In her excitement, Jin Zeqin hurriedly followed the trail and found Daohe Village—where she was then arrested by the First Squad members who were stationed outside the village to guard the area for the night.

The First Division, personally trained by "Fire Dragon," is no pushover.

As soon as Jin Zeqin approached the village, before she could even see a single person, she was surrounded by members of the First Division who suddenly emerged from the surrounding bushes.

Recognizing the thief's altered uniform, Jin Zeqin, fearing she might be accidentally injured, quickly claimed she was not a bandit.

But it was clear—we were at war, and letting go of anyone suspected of being a spy could have serious consequences. To be on the safe side, the First Division members wouldn't let her go based solely on Jin Zeqin's word.

The leader, Yu Li, said, "Let's talk about everything after we tie you up."

As luck would have it, Kanazawa Tadatsugu happened to be near the scene where Kanazawa Kotoko was arrested.

Because I vaguely heard a very familiar voice, I rushed over to the sound—and then I saw my younger sister dressed in men's clothing, tied up like a pig by the First Division soldiers...

What happened next is self-explanatory.

After concisely explaining the cause and effect of the matter to Qing Deng and my grandson, Jin Zezhongfu turned his angry gaze back to Jin Zeqin.

"Xiaoqin, I don't want to repeat myself too many times! Get home now!"

"do not want!"

Jin Zeqin raised her head and began a new round of confrontation with Jin Zezhongfu.

"Brother! I can fight! I can fight! Please, give me a chance!"

"Nonsense!"

Jin Zezhongfu slapped his thigh in exasperation.

"You are a woman, and a commoner, how could I possibly take you to the battlefield?"

After roaring, Jinze Zhongfu still felt it wasn't enough, so he stretched out his hand and pointed to his right leg, which he had accidentally injured in the fierce battle today.

"Do you see my leg?"

"I injured this leg today while fighting the bandits. Do you want to end up like me?"

"Yes! I know you have the catalog of the Hokushin Itto-ryu style and your swordsmanship is quite good, but so what?"

"What do you consider war to be? A spring outing? A picnic? An interesting activity to realize your so-called ideal of 'killing the enemy to serve the country'?"

"Do you think that just because you have a rudimentary understanding of swordsmanship, you can go to war?"

"Do you think that having a lot of enthusiasm is enough to go to war?"

"The battlefield is far harsher than the clean and tidy dojo you're familiar with! Fool!"

"When the enemy and our forces clash in close combat, everything you knew before, everything you learned in the dojo, will cease to exist!"

"No one will have a fair one-on-one duel with you!"

"No one will show you any mercy just because you're a woman—they'll only get more excited! They won't wait to capture you, take you back to their camp, and strip you naked!"

“Countless arrows are flying overhead; the ground is littered with corpses that you could easily trip over if you’re not careful; sniper shots and arrows are everywhere… Even the unparalleled Ogata Ittosai suffered more than a dozen wounds when he fought against Lord Rakuono’s northern expeditionary army in Ezo, and almost died in the north. Can you possibly be stronger than Ogata Ittosai?”

"A half-baked coward like you, who has no respect for war whatsoever, will only hold others back on the battlefield and die in vain!"

"Did you understand what I said? Get home right now! Don't make me resort to violence!"

"I don't mind using some slightly extreme methods to clear your head!"

Kanazawa Tadatsugu's words were undeniably harsh.

Even a third party like Aoto felt that Kanazawa Tadatsugu's words seemed to have gone a bit too far.

As expected, after listening to Jin Zezhongfu's furious outburst, the strong-willed Jin Zeqin's delicate face turned bright red.

Just as Jin Zeqin bit her lip and opened her red lips, about to say something—

"Jinze-kun, alright, alright~ Calm down, calm down~ Don't get so worked up~ Let's talk this out~~"

My grandson waved his hand and, in his distinctive way of speaking, which often drew out the last syllable, intervened in the argument between the Jinze siblings.

"Your sister is only eager to serve her country, why be so harsh on her?"

“My grandson…”

Kanazawa Tadatsugu seemed to want to say something, but perhaps because he was embarrassed by his grandson's outburst, he silently closed his lips after a few twitches and said nothing.

My grandson seized the opportunity and continued calmly:

"Jinze-kun, I understand your concern and care for your family, but when criticizing them... especially those younger than you in age or seniority, it's best to choose your words carefully."