I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"Your remarks just now were far too much and too harsh."

"but--"

As my grandson changed the subject, he turned his gaze to Jin Zeqin.

"Miss Jinze, please forgive my bluntness—your brother's words, though harsh, are not without merit."

"I don't mean to look down on women, or to underestimate your skills; it's just that you're a commoner, and it's indeed against the rules for you to come and help us so abruptly."

"If this gets out, some malicious people will mock my Fire-Banded Thieves for their weak military force, saying we need outside help to deal with mere mountain bandits."

Jinze and his sister both lowered their heads, their hearts in turmoil.

"How about this—"

My grandson clapped his hands:

"Kanazawa-kun, the country is in chaos right now, and bandits are rampant. Although your sister is a highly skilled swordswoman and has disguised herself as a man for safety and convenience, it's always better to be safe than sorry. Sending your sister back to Edo alone is still not a safe bet."

"Let her come with us. When the troops return to Edo, we'll give her a ride along the way."

“Miss Kanazawa, I cannot let you fight alongside the soldiers. But until the entire army returns to Edo, you can remain in the camp and experience the atmosphere of war—consider it preparation for your future ideal of fighting for your country.”

After speaking, my grandson stood with his hands behind his back, smiling broadly as he awaited the response from Jinze and his sister.

Qing Deng raised an eyebrow, thinking to himself, "Impressive!"—My grandson's arrangement was perfectly sound, comprehensive, and exquisitely beautiful.

This gave Jinze and his sister a way out while also saving face for both of them.

Kanazawa Tadatsugu, who was able to rise to the rank of "Fire Thief Reorganization Captain" through sheer ability, would certainly not lack the emotional intelligence that an official should possess.

Quickly understanding my grandson's good intentions, he remained silent for a moment before saying:

"Alright... as long as you don't get involved in the war, everything is negotiable."

Kanazawa Tadashi has already expressed his willingness to compromise... Now the pressure is on Kanazawa Kotoko.

The gazes of Qing Deng, my grandson, and the others all turned in unison to Jin Zeqin.

With her cherry lips tightly pressed together, Jinze Qin lowered her head further while raising her eyes to look at Jinze Zhongfu in front of her, and then at Qing Deng beside her...

A moment later, a whisper as faint as a mosquito's buzz escaped from the girl's lips:

"...I understand...I will stay obediently in the military camp..."

The conflict between the Jinze siblings was resolved satisfactorily.

My grandson let out a sigh of relief, then turned around and waved to the onlookers, signaling them to disperse.

Looking across the entire Chiba Sword Hall, Kanazawa Kotoko is definitely one of the most diligent disciples.

Every time Qing Deng visited the Chiba Sword Dojo, he would almost always see Jin Zeqin diligently practicing her swordplay in the dojo. Because they kept running into each other, the two gradually became acquainted. Their relationship could be considered that of friends with a fairly good relationship.

Out of respect for his friend and as a matter of politeness, Qingdeng quickly walked towards Jin Zeqin after the crowd dispersed.

"Good evening, Miss Jinze. Haha, when I heard your voice from afar just now, I thought I must have misheard."

"Good evening, Mr. Tachibana... Oh? Mr. Tachibana, you... you're injured?"

Through the gap in Qing Deng's shirt, Jin Zeqin could see the dense, layered hemp fabric underneath.

"Oh, this? It's nothing. Just some minor injuries. They'll heal in a few days."

"Oh...that's good..." Jin Zeqin's facial features relaxed, revealing a relieved expression.

At that moment, Kanazawa Tadashi's loud voice rang out:

"Xiaoqin! Come with me!"

As Jinze Zhongfu hopped and skipped towards the center of the village, leaning on his cane, he continued shouting without turning his head:

"I'll take you to where you live!"

Jin Zeqin glanced in the direction of Jin Zezhongfu, a hint of hesitation appearing on her face.

Qingdeng assumed Jin Zeqin was still troubled by the conflict that had just erupted between the siblings, so he quickly smiled and said:

"Miss Jinze, go quickly. It's late now, go and get some rest. Don't be angry with Jinze anymore. Your brother only spoke so harshly because he was worried about you."

"..." Jin Zeqin silently gave Qing Deng a long, unfathomable look.

A moment later, she lightly pecked her head—a delicate movement that seemed completely out of place with her tall, slender 1.7-meter frame.

"Um... I understand... Goodbye, Mr. Tachibana."

"Okay. See you later." Qingdeng nodded.

Jin Zeqin clasped her hands in front of her, bent her waist, gave Qing Deng a graceful female bow, and then turned to chase after Jin Zezhongfu.

……

Having experienced a major battle during the day, in which he "fell into two strongholds," Qingdeng was already extremely tired.

Therefore, not long after the incident caused by the Jinze siblings ended, Qingdeng bid farewell to my grandson and prepared to return to camp to sleep.

"Aha……"

As Qingdeng yawned loudly, he skillfully turned onto a dimly lit village road—just then, a series of arguments that rang out from not far away caught his attention.

"What?! Say that again!"

"Huh? What? Third Division, did I say something wrong!?"

Upon hearing the term "Third Division," which was so closely related to his current self, Qing Deng's expression faltered.

"What's going on...?"

Qingdeng frowned, muttered something, and then quickly walked towards the direction from which the argument was coming.

A short while later, Qingdeng found two groups of soldiers confronting and arguing between two villagers' thatched huts.

The two groups of soldiers were roughly equal in number, with three people on each side. One group had their backs to Qingdeng, while the other group faced Qingdeng directly.

Since those facing away from Qingdeng cannot see their faces, no comment will be made.

But the side facing Qingdeng... deserves a detailed explanation—Qingdeng felt their faces looked very familiar.

He lowered his eyelids slightly and examined the area closely... Hey, isn't this someone from my Third Division?

Qing Deng carefully checked repeatedly—he hadn't made a mistake. Qing Deng had long since memorized the faces and names of all the members of the Third Division. The three people facing him were undoubtedly his subordinates.

"Hey, what are you doing!"

"Ah! Lord Tachibana!"

"It's Lord Tachibana! Lord Tachibana has arrived!"

Qingdeng's appearance caused the two groups of people to have two completely different reactions.

The three members of the Third Division looked overjoyed as if they had seen saviors.

As for the three soldiers, whose affiliation was unknown, their faces turned pale, and they looked like children caught red-handed by their parents after causing trouble.

"Which squad are you three from?"

"Lord Tachibana, we are from the Fourth Division..."

"The Fourth Division?"

—Mizushima-kun's troops...

After quickly recalling Mizushima Ninzaburo's perpetually serious and stern face, Aoto continued, "..."

“Answer my question—what were you arguing about just now? I could hear you arguing from far away.”

To prevent a situation where "everyone's voices mix together and become a noisy mess," Qingdeng specifically required that everyone take turns speaking, and no one else was allowed to interrupt when one person was speaking.

Soon, Qingdeng figured out the ins and outs of the matter—

On their way back to camp, his men suddenly ran into the three members of the Fourth Division on this narrow village road.

The road is too narrow to allow six people to pass at the same time, so one side has to give way to the other side.

This was originally a trivial matter, but coincidentally... both sides felt that giving way to the other would damage the honor of a samurai.

This is a common problem among many samurai—they have a morbid obsession with whether or not to give way to others, feeling that giving way to others would damage their so-called samurai honor.

Because the other party wouldn't give way, arguments, fights, and even murders with knives were common in Edo period.

And so... the dispute broke out.

The argument between the two sides escalated rapidly, quickly turning into a personal attack.

The Fourth Division members angrily berated Qing Deng's subordinates:

"What are you Third Division members so arrogant about? Your division only relies on 'Niou' to maintain its prestige, isn't it? Niou always leads the charge in battle, and he has already made outstanding contributions in just one month since taking office. And what about you? Why have I only heard about 'Niou's achievements' lately, and not about the other members of the Third Division making any contributions?"

Having been insulted and humiliated to such an extent, Qingdeng's subordinates were furious, but they couldn't come up with any convincing words to refute their opponents...

Although what the other party said was harsh, they weren't wrong...

From the moment he stepped off the train, Aoto made a name for himself with his outstanding personal abilities. In every mission involving the Third Division, from clearing out the "One-Armed Gang" to fighting the Soma Clan, it was basically Aoto's personal show, and the other members of the Third Division had virtually no chance to appear or show their abilities.

If we take Aoto as a reference, the other members of the Third Division are indeed too ordinary and too common, appearing as a burden that cannot be of any help.

The Third Division was divided into two distinct parts—Aoto and everyone else except Aoto.

Although what the other party said was true, it was impossible to swallow such a humiliation.

Qing Deng's subordinates gritted their teeth in anger, and the members of the Fourth Division were smug about their brilliant speech just now... Just as an even more intense argument was about to break out, Qing Deng arrived.

Having understood the whole story, Qing Deng turned his face expressionlessly and glanced at the three members of the Fourth Division who were standing obediently in a row beside him.

After sensing Qing Deng's gaze, the three men immediately buried their heads in shame, cold sweat beading on their foreheads, anxiously awaiting Qing Deng's words.

Qingdeng didn't keep them waiting too long:

"...You guys have quite the nerve. You actually dare to use such rude remarks to attack your colleagues."

Instantly, the faces of the three members of the Fourth Division turned even paler, and cold sweat poured down their foreheads.

But in the very next second—Qing Deng's next words caused their emotions to experience a dramatic rise and fall, from hell to heaven.

"Considering my good relationship with your captain, I'll let you off this time."

"Be careful next time, and don't let me find you treating your colleagues rudely again."

"Get out of here, everyone. Go do what you're supposed to do."