I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

According to military law, Aoto was fully qualified to execute Akabane on the spot.

But... Akabane is a hatamoto nobility with a stipend of 800 koku!

The hatamoto circle in Edo... especially this wealthy hatamoto circle, was a huge network of relationships and interest groups woven from blood ties and marriage ties, where a change in one part would affect the whole.

If you offend this family today, you may face the wrath of more than a dozen families tomorrow.

This Tachibana Aoto... he's insane!

Isn't he afraid of getting into trouble?

Isn't he afraid of being held accountable later?

He just killed him like that? And by beheading him directly?

Does he really think he's the incarnation of Niou?

He couldn't possibly be unaware of how dishonorable it is for a samurai to be beheaded.

But he still showed no mercy and cut off Akabane's shoulders and above.

This is showing absolutely no respect for anyone!

At this moment, Qing Deng, who had a knife in his hand, turned his head, looked around, and his gaze was calm.

All those who had just openly defied orders with Akabane and were still sitting or lying on the ground shuddered when they met Aoto's eyes.

The ground beneath them now seemed to have transformed into scalding lava and frigid ice.

They seemed to have been burned or frozen, and hurriedly got up, not daring to let any part of their body touch the ground except for their feet.

No one dared to disobey orders anymore.

No one dares to openly say, "I'm tired, I want to rest."

In an instant, an atmosphere of panic filled the surroundings.

The constant, tense pounding of heartbeats became the dominant sound in this space.

……

Qing Deng has wanted to deal with that bastard Chi Yu for a long time.

They repeatedly contradicted him, openly and secretly opposed him, and disregarded his authority as captain.

Even Buddha can get angry.

Although Qingdeng was a very easy-going and good-tempered person, he still felt a nameless anger rising in his heart after being treated so helplessly time and time again.

However, from another perspective, Qing Deng should also thank Chi Yu—thanks to the existence of this scoundrel, Qing Deng has an excellent target to take his head and use to establish his authority!

*******

*******

Yesterday, the author visited many relatives to offer New Year's greetings. Very busy, so today's chapter is a bit shorter (leopard dead.jpg).

The New Year was indeed a chaotic affair...

Although today's post is a bit short, I'm still asking for some monthly votes (crying face).

Please vote with monthly tickets! Please vote with recommendation tickets!

Chapter 302: The Bond and Legend of Niou and the Honesty Flag Begins Here! [7100]

In order to establish his authority in the army, Qing Deng had previously demonstrated his military strength and backing, but he had not yet used the cruel method that countless heroes throughout history had adopted to establish their authority: killing to establish authority!

While killing to establish authority may seem cruel, it is extremely effective—it's the quickest and most direct way to let your subordinates know that you're not someone to be trifled with!

This method seems simple and easy to learn at first glance, but there are many intricacies involved.

First, you can't kill insignificant nobodys or low-level henchmen; you have to kill people with a certain status and position. This will instill a strong enough deterrent effect on the rest of your subordinates.

Secondly, timing is crucial for killing. One cannot kill suddenly without any reason; doing so will only backfire.

In conclusion, Akabane is a perfect candidate to "borrow brains".

He comes from a respectable background and holds a certain position in the Third Division. He also frequently acts recklessly, recklessly crossing the line between Qing Deng's and the rest of the time.

On his very first day as the Fire Thief, Qing Deng set his sights on Chi Yu's head, but he had been struggling to find a suitable opportunity to make his move.

Just now, Akabane himself presented this great opportunity to Aoto.

By openly defying his superior's orders, setting a very negative example, and tempting other members to follow suit—Chiyu's behavior was tantamount to sticking his neck out to Qingdeng and then gleefully saying to him, "Hurry! Hurry up and cut off my head! Please! Hurry up!"

Akabane is so "enthusiastic," it would be a real shame if Aoto didn't respond enthusiastically!

Judging from the current situation, it was absolutely worth it to cut off Akabane's head.

Whether they admired Qingdeng or had never given him a kind look, they were all stunned at this moment, as if they would never dare to go west if Qingdeng said to go east.

Qingdeng suspected... no, he was certain that no matter what order he gave now, even if it was to ask them to jump into a fire pit immediately, many people would do it without thinking.

The subordinates were stunned and became obedient—this should have been a cause for celebration… but Qing Deng’s facial features remained tense, not relaxed.

Akabane, who openly defied the order, had barely settled down on the rock when a dozen or so others followed suit... At first glance, this matter seemed unremarkable, but the underlying issues were far more serious.

This shows that the morale of the Third Division is still unstable.

Many people still don't take Qingdeng seriously. They disregard his authority as captain and are alienated from him.

However, on second thought, this is also a good opportunity—a great opportunity to firmly grasp the morale of the Third Division!

Publicly beheading Akabane, who had started the trouble, instilled fear in his subordinates, making them think twice before going against Aoto in the future.

But this is not enough.

Far from enough.

Using "fear" as the sole driving force for a team may make its members obedient, but the resulting troops will be rigid puppets, extremely lacking in fighting spirit—in modern professional terms, they will lack the initiative to fight and take risks.

Furthermore, a retinue trained and commanded based on "fear" is highly unreliable. "Fear" cannot be simply equated with "loyalty."

Qingdeng didn't want puppets that wouldn't move without strings, or donkeys that wouldn't budge without whips. He wanted a group of flesh-and-blood people—and to achieve that, he not only had to make his subordinates "fear" him, but also "submit" to him! He wanted this army to have a "soul"!

So... how can we give this unit a "soul"?

At that moment, Qingdeng suddenly found himself standing under a lush, ancient tree.

This ancient tree is at least a hundred years old, and its thick trunk requires at least two adults to encircle it.

Qingdeng looked up at the sky. The dense foliage blocked out the sun, but through the gaps, one could glimpse the clear blue sky.

The floating red petals rose and fell like waves in the wind, rustling softly.

At that moment, an idea... or rather, an impulse, surged and churned in Qingdeng's mind and heart.

Qing Deng withdrew his gaze from the sky and looked around—Kuroba Shiro, who had no major flaws except for his love of flattery and whose personal conduct was quite good, was standing just three steps away to his right.

With a whoosh, Qing Deng ripped off his haori and handed it to Hei Yu.

"Kuroba-kun, do me a favor and make me a flag."

"Huh?" Kuroba took the haori that Aoto handed him, stunned. "A flag? What flag?"

"Hmm..." Qingdeng pursed his lips, as if deep in thought.

For no apparent reason, Aoto suddenly recalled the scene from more than ten days ago when the expeditionary force set off from Edo, and the big guys from Sanako, Kinoshita Mai, Souji, and Shieikan saw him off along the street.

At that time, Harada Sanosuke, that big rascal, was carrying the Shieikan banner that Hijikata Toshizo and others had made out of boredom—a banner with a big "Shi" character written on it, and he was waving the banner up and down, looking very impressive.

“...Let’s just write the character ‘试’ (shì). The ‘试’ (shì) in ‘试合’ (shìhé).

"The 'test' in 'test and match'? Is this the only character you write?"

"That's right. Write it as big as a bucket."

"But...but I don't have any paint. How can I make a flag?"

"Don't you have a lot of things on your right arm that can be used as ink? Please help me."

Kuroba's right arm was unfortunately injured during the attack on the stronghold. Although the wound was not deep, the blood flowing from it still stained half of Kuroba's arm bright red.

After leaving those words, Qing Deng turned and left without looking back, leaving Hei Yu standing there blankly.

"Well... oh well. Anyway, this task isn't difficult..."

Kuroba unfolded the haori in her arms and spread it neatly on the ground.

Just as he squatted down, preparing to write with his fingers as a pen and his blood as ink, his movements suddenly stopped.

“The ‘trial’ in ‘trial and matching’…” Kuroba murmured awkwardly, “This character… I don’t know how to write it…”

……

Back to Qingdeng's side—after entrusting the important task of making the flag to Heiyu, Qingdeng strode to the center of his followers, standing under a ray of bright sunshine that was shining down on the earth.

Take a deep breath and shout it out:

"All soldiers! Stop what you're doing! Look at me!"

The talent "Piercing Clouds and Splitting Rocks" is fully activated!

A loud, high-pitched voice echoed through the forest, startling flocks of birds into flight.

Qing Deng's sudden shout startled everyone.

People raised their eyes and looked toward the source of the sound, toward the man who was holding a long sword and wearing an orange-red robe woven from sunlight.

“I believe you all know my deeds; I believe you also know how I earned the reputation of ‘King of Benevolence’.”

Qing Deng's sudden display of a speech-like demeanor left everyone looking bewildered.

However, no one dared to interrupt or lose focus; everyone listened attentively, not daring to be distracted in the slightest.

“Some people say I am a ‘once-in-a-century genius’ or ‘the reincarnation of the eternal sword saint, Ogata Ittosai.’ These titles are too grand for me to accept, but my past achievements are evident to all!”

"Based on my past achievements, I have been fortunate enough to be promoted to the Fire and Thieves Bureau and become the captain of your group."

"Although I haven't spent much time with you, less than a month at most, what you've done in the past month has truly broadened my horizons!"

Qingdeng inhaled deeply with a "haa," inhaling until his chest was bulging to its limit, until he felt his lungs were about to burst. Then he opened his mouth wide and exhaled all the air he had inhaled and all the power he had accumulated in one breath!

"You fucking disappoint me!"

"What you've done makes me feel fucking ashamed!"