I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"When I was serving in the Northern Frontier Office, the three job seekers I got through the employment agency were all more capable than you guys!"

Qingdeng is not a person who likes to swear, but at this moment he unusually uttered a series of vulgar words.

Before people could even be shocked by Qingdeng's sudden display of such ferocity, his roar rang out again, enveloping them:

"You guys aren't very enthusiastic when we're on missions! But when it comes to going to izakayas for drinks and picking up women in Yoshiwara, you're all scrambling to be the first to go!"

"Just five days ago, I learned by chance how the other members of the Fire Thieves unit viewed the Third Division, and how they viewed you!"

Qingdeng paused for a moment.

Taking a deep breath and gathering his emotions, Qingdeng recounted, word by word, what he had endured five nights prior, in its entirety:

"'What's with all your arrogance, you Third Division soldiers? Your squad only relies on 'Niou' to maintain its prestige, isn't it? Niou always leads the charge in battle, and he's only been in office for a month, yet he's already achieved countless merits. And you? Why have I only heard about 'Niou's achievements' lately, and not about the rest of the Third Division soldiers making any contributions?'"

These words immediately stirred up a huge wave of controversy.

"What? Are you angry? You're not convinced?"

"What's the point of being unconvinced? Did they say anything wrong?"

"You should all reflect on your actions! Think carefully about what you've done recently!"

"I won't go into things from a long time ago, I'll just talk about this western expedition!"

"Since the start of the war, the members of each squad have delivered outstanding performances. And what about you? Where has your performance been?"

"Did you rush to the front during the charge, or did you achieve the highest number of enemy kills among all teams?"

"You fucking have nothing!"

"Charge! Not charging aggressively! Kill the enemy! Kill very few enemies!"

"With a record like yours, it's no wonder the other squads look down on you!"

Although Qing Deng's words were encouraging, they contained not a single lie.

The Third Division's recent performance has indeed been lackluster.

Whether in terms of battle record or the ferocity of their fighting, they are not only superior to the elite Second and Fourth Divisions, whose elite status is comparable to the "fists" and "sharp knives" of the Fire Thieves, but even the average Eighth Division is somewhat inferior.

The reason for this is that the position of captain of the Third Division had been vacant for a long time, and the members had become lazy and undisciplined, losing all their fighting spirit.

There was complete silence around Qingdeng.

No one spoke.

They were somewhat self-aware of how they had performed since the start of the battle.

Those who had just looked indignant were now too embarrassed to keep up their sour faces and lowered their heads in shame.

"Ask yourselves honestly! Don't you care about being looked down upon like this by others, by your colleagues?"

"Do you really lack the ability to achieve outstanding accomplishments, accomplishments that everyone envies?"

"I don't know what you think, but if it were me, I couldn't stand this kind of treatment!"

Qingdeng's roar resounded throughout the heavens and earth, lingering in this space for a long time.

"What are you?"

"Is it a member of the Fire-Taming Thieves, a unit that symbolizes one of the shogunate's top fighting forces?"

"Will you continue to endure the contemptuous looks of others, or will you pick up your bows, draw your swords, and wash away this humiliation?"

The questions, each one piercing to the heart, left everyone speechless, silencing all those around them.

"At this very moment! Right now! An opportunity to help you avenge your defeat is right before you!"

Qing Deng raised the Ding Guishen in his hand and pointed it in the direction where Yokokura Keinosuke had fled.

"The Soma clan has collapsed, but their leader, Yokokura Keinosuke, has still not been brought to justice!"

"That damn fatso is right here within our reach!"

"Yes, soldiers! So far, we have indeed accomplished a great deal. We have reclaimed the hills occupied by the bandits! We have captured every stronghold and camp of the bandits! However, without eliminating the ringleaders, this is not a perfect victory!"

"Will the villagers of Inawa Village and the people of Edo blame us, saying that we are incompetent for letting the bandit leader escape?"

"Will the other squads laugh at us, saying that the Third Squad members are all useless?"

"I don't want to hear such blame or mockery!"

"All of you, take up your weapons!"

"Follow me!"

"We still need to march quickly!"

"We must now defeat the remaining enemy!"

"We have now caught up with the enemy leader, Yokokura!"

"If that despicable fat man runs away for 10 miles, we'll chase him for 10 miles!"

"That pathetic fat man escaped for 30 li, and we chased him for 30 li!"

"We will use our own swords to take down the enemy chieftain, Yokokura—to pluck the head off this thief whom even the other squads couldn't capture!"

"We must crown ourselves with the laurel of victory!"

"We must respond sharply to any insults we receive from others!"

"Let Yokokura Keinosuke, who is now gloating over his escape from our grasp, wait and see!"

"Let those brats who roll their eyes at the mention of the Third Division just wait!"

"The chance to salvage our honor has arrived!"

"Indeed, Yokokura Keinosuke is just a mere mountain bandit! He is an insignificant nobody! He is neither the 'new emperor' Taira no Masakado nor the 'three-day reign' Akechi Mitsuhide. Even if you take his head, it won't be a great achievement."

"But as long as we can successfully bring Yokokura's head back to Inawa Village, and proudly return to Edo with Yokokura's head stuck on a spear, then future generations may remember our deeds today!"

"When you return to your hometown, your fellow villagers will point at you and say: He was a member of the Fire Thieves Third Division! He and his comrades bravely pursued the bandits in the vast mountains with amazing perseverance and finally captured the vicious bandit leader!"

Almost everyone now stands up straight, for some reason.

They stared blankly at Qingdeng, who now seemed to be the center of this world, their eyes gleaming with a strange light.

Qing Deng turned around and strode towards Hei Yu.

When Kuroba saw Aoto arrive, he quickly handed Aoto the haori (or perhaps flag) that he had been neatly folding in his hands.

"Lord Tachibana, the flag you requested has been prepared."

Qingdeng nodded, gave a simple thank you, and then took the flag with both hands. He shook it open with a "snap"—the moment he saw the flag, Qingdeng's face darkened.

"What kind of crap did you write?"

"The 'try' in 'try and try'..." Kuroba answered weakly.

"What the hell is this 'test'?! What you wrote is 'sincerity,' okay?"

Qingdeng shook his hands and showed the flag to Heiyu—on the dark black cloth, a large character “诚” (sincerity) was written in blood.

Upon realizing he had misspelled a word, Kuroba's long face immediately fell.

"Lord Ju, I'm so sorry... Ever since I left the private school, I've basically never read a book again, and I rarely write. After I changed jobs at the Fire Thief, I've mostly been doing fighting and killing, and I've forgotten many Chinese characters... How about I make you a new flag?"

Qing Deng smacked his lips: "Forget it, no need. Just make do with this! Kuroba-kun, can I borrow your spear for a moment?"

—Let it be "Sincerity" then! It doesn't matter what words are written, as long as it's a conspicuous flag!

Qingdeng cleared his throat forcefully, then tied the Honesty Flag to the spear he had borrowed from Heiyu, and walked back to where he had been standing.

"No matter what you think, I'm determined to take Yokokura Keinosuke's head!"

"Those who want to keep up with me, keep up!"

"When you are so tired that you can't concentrate, your mind is hazy, and you can hardly see what's in front of you, just look up at this flag of honesty!"

Qing Deng raised the "Sincerity" flag in his hand.

"I will carry this banner of honesty and always be at the forefront of your cause!"

"Fellow soldiers! Unite around me! Unite around this banner of honesty!"

"My interests, my honor, and my sword will be with you!"

Qingdeng raised the sword, Ding Guishen, high above his head. Under the blazing sun, the gleaming blade faintly emitted a clanging sound.

"Heaven and earth will witness the brilliance of our swords!"

"Finally—everyone must return with their heads held high!"

Even if I'm unconscious! Even if I've broken my arms and legs, as long as I have a breath left, I must return to the place where the flag of honesty flies!

"Gentlemen! Let us meet under the banner of sincerity!"

Qingdeng handed the gun shaft, which was being used as a flagpole, to his left hand, raised the Chengzi flag to its highest point, and his momentum was boiling!

A gust of wind suddenly rose, making the huge character "诚" (sincerity) flutter loudly!

"Stay close to me!"

Qingdeng darted out like an arrow released from a bow, and in the blink of an eye, his figure became indistinct and shadowy under the cover of grass, trees and mountain mist.

"Aaaaaah!" Lan Jingyang shouted, his voice not loud, but full of spirit. He gripped the katana tightly as if he were one with it, and was the first to catch up with Qing Deng.

Then came the second, the third, the fourth... and finally the last person.

No one stayed behind.

Everyone's face was flushed with intense emotion, and shouts and cries like bursting lava kept erupting from their throats!

At this moment, Qingdeng felt his heart pounding, the blood in his veins flowing at an unprecedented speed, his head spinning, and everything in his vision seemingly swaying slightly—but strangely, his consciousness was incredibly clear. As clear as if his entire scalp had been coated with mint.

Only an army with a belief that one is willing to give everything for is an army with a "soul"—but this kind of operation is obviously too difficult for Qingdeng at present.

Therefore, Qingdeng had no choice but to settle for second best and instead try to inspire a sense of honor among his followers.

When a unit develops a sense of honor, when a unit yearns to win honor, then that unit will, overnight... no, in an instant, become a formidable force that everyone fears!

Qing Deng's sudden speech was simply an attempt to inspire his subordinates' sense of honor through empty rhetoric.

But somehow—before the speech even officially began, he himself got excited.

Scalding hot blood rushed wildly into the brain and chest cavity.