I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

The breastplate incorporates features of 17th and 18th-century Western breastplates, with a central protrusion forming a bulletproof sloping dove-breastplate.

Gauntlets and arm guards are common designs and need no further explanation.

The color scheme, with cyan as the main color and white as the secondary color, looks refreshing and suits Qingdeng's taste quite well—Qingdeng likes colors that evoke sunny days and summer.

Regarding why the armor was this color, Qingdeng guessed: Could it be because my name contains the character "Qing" that they specially bestowed a set of blue armor upon me?

Overall, Qingdeng's armor was almost entirely devoid of ornamentation.

However, it is also highly functional.

However, it's a pity... playing with armored vehicles in an era where machine guns should be invented soon is really outdated.

Although Qingdeng's armor has bulletproof capabilities, this design, which simply adds a sloping surface to the breastplate, is frankly more psychologically comforting than practical in the face of the most advanced firearms of the time, such as the Spencer rifle.

However, we really can't expect too much from the armor's bulletproof capabilities.

There is no armor in the world that can completely stop the increasingly sharp bullets from muskets.

Unless it's another security or military operation like a campaign to suppress bandits, where firearms are unlikely to be used, Qingdeng really can't think of any occasion where he would need to use this armor.

Oh well.

Displaying this suit of armor in the Imperial Guard Hall would make for a nice decoration.

With both a promotion and the acquisition of armor, Qingdeng was enjoying unparalleled prestige.

Despite the many who admired him, almost no one disagreed – Qing Deng's achievements were genuine! There was no exaggeration whatsoever! The soldiers of the expeditionary force had all witnessed firsthand how brave and fearless Qing Deng was when fighting against the Xiang Ma clan.

To put it bluntly, all of these rewards are rightfully Qingdeng's.

No one dared to have the confidence to criticize Qing Dengde for being unworthy of his position.

Judging from the results, Qingdeng achieved fruitful results and reaped a great harvest from this westward expedition.

Putting aside the shogunate's bestowal of titles, the fact that his talent list was further enriched and that he acquired much knowledge that he rarely had the opportunity to learn in his daily life was enough to make Aoto grin from ear to ear.

The former goes without saying. After returning from Kai, Qingdeng's talent list changed as follows: he gained "Divine Speed" which enhances reflexes, and "Yuan Yang" became "Yuan Yang +1".

As for the latter... Aoto learned many methods and experiences in managing large organizations from my grandson, Chutaro.

Those unfamiliar with the field might have this question—

What merit or ability does my grandson have to be the commander-in-chief of the expeditionary force, ranking above Qing Deng and others?

Why was my grandson slacking off the whole time during the battle with the Soma clan? He only did a few things from beginning to end: wave to signal an attack and wave to signal a retreat.

It's perfectly normal to have such questions.

In the eyes of those who lack a clear understanding of war and think that fighting is just "two groups of people drawing weapons and fighting each other," my grandson, who did not directly participate in the front-line battles, did indeed look like a lazy bum who only knew how to drift through life.

In reality, my grandson made the second greatest contribution in this western expedition, second only to Qingdeng, who made the greatest contribution!

No one, from high-ranking officers like Kanazawa Tadatsugu and Mizushima Ninzaburo to ordinary soldiers, complained about the outcome.

Everyone, including Qingdeng, felt that my grandson deserved this treatment.

The reason why my grandson deserves so much credit is quite simple—he handled those "invisible tasks" in an orderly and impeccable manner!

In his previous life, Qing Deng once saw a veteran from a certain country describe war like this on the internet: "The feeling of fighting a war is like playing a game where you stay in the beginner village, living a leisurely and comfortable slow life, and you spend more than 90% of the game time like this. Then, just as the game time is about to end, you are suddenly teleported into the final level without any warning. The process of leveling up and collecting equipment is completely skipped, and you directly engage in a final battle with the strongest boss at the end of the level, a battle that cannot be reversed."

When Qingdang first saw this sentence, he did not quite understand its meaning.

Only after experiencing the war firsthand did I suddenly realize how absolutely right those words were, and how deeply I could relate to them.

In fact, the time spent in direct combat between the two sides on the battlefield is very short. It probably accounts for less than 10% of the total duration of the war.

The rest of the time is occupied by all sorts of trivial matters.

Reconnaissance, setting up camp, training, eating, drinking, using the toilet, ensuring supplies...

Extremely boring.

But it is also very important.

How to effectively manage more than 90% of this boring time is a true test of a general's command and management abilities.

Aoto, Kanazawa Chusuke, and Mizushima Ninzaburo only had extremely impressive performances during the less than 10% of the time they spent "drawing knives to chop people".

The rest of the time... more than 90% of that "boring time" was entirely controlled and perfected by my grandson!

Thanks to my grandson's command, the army's march was able to proceed so smoothly.

Thanks to my grandson's management, the troops were able to maintain such order when they entered the camp and Daohe Village.

Thanks to my grandson's coordination, the distribution of food, water, and equipment was able to proceed so smoothly.

It can be said that the punitive expedition was able to operate so efficiently entirely thanks to my grandson's competence.

Without my grandson's coordination, how could the punitive expeditionary force have completed its preparations for attacking the Soma clan within just a few days of arriving at the front lines?

Thanks to my grandson's wisdom, Qingdeng and others' courage was able to be fully utilized, enabling them to quickly annihilate Xiangma's forces. Once this cause-and-effect relationship is understood, it becomes clear why my grandson's contribution in this western expedition was second only to Qingdeng.

"The art of war" is the "art of management".

Whoever can manage their troops better, whoever can control their troops with ease, will gain an unshakeable and enormous advantage on the battlefield!

Throughout history, both ancient and modern, East and West, those military geniuses who have made their mark on history are all, without exception, outstanding administrators who were adept at managing their armies.

Qingdeng is currently also a manager, with a total of 60 soldiers under his command.

Therefore, he understood all too well how troublesome it was to manage a large number of people and an organization.

So-and-so is causing trouble again, so-and-so is being disobedient again, so-and-so is failing to complete tasks on time and in the required quantity again... Endless trivial matters gnaw at time and energy like termites.

Whether in his past life or this life, Qing Deng has never tried managing a team or organization with more than 10 people.

How to manage an organization effectively—while Qing Deng can't be said to be completely ignorant about this, he's certainly lost in a fog.

This kind of knowledge cannot be acquired from books or classrooms, so even if one wants to cram, there is no suitable channel to learn it.

Therefore, Qingdeng's eyes immediately lit up when he discovered that his grandson was actually a management expert who could manage even the most complex organization in the world, the army, in an orderly manner.

Such a great "tutoring" opportunity, why not take advantage of it... Ah, no! Wouldn't it be a waste not to learn properly from my grandson?

So, with a humble attitude of "learning from the virtuous", Qing Deng had been "sticking" to my grandson ever since the army set off from Edo, seeking advice from him.

My grandson was very enthusiastic.

When he saw Qingdeng come to ask for advice, he generously said, "If there's anything you don't understand, just come and ask me!"

They don't put on any airs of being teachers or elders.

On one hand, there was a humble approach to learning, and on the other hand, there was sincere guidance; coupled with the blessing of talents such as "the heart of a ghost", "photographic memory" and "+1 primordial yang", Qingdeng's learning progress can be described as leaping and bounds - the vigorous and sufficient kidney qi made Qingdeng's physical and mental state and learning state always very good.

However, no matter how hard you study or how fast you progress, it's impossible to become a master of organization and management or a military genius in less than a month.

However, it can be considered that there were some gains.

Qingdeng wouldn't dare say he's become a management expert, but at least his knowledge in this area is no longer a blank slate.

……

……

The next few days were quite leisurely.

No more major cases were encountered.

No major events occurred.

My daily life is both mundane and routine.

He would get up at 2 a.m. to practice martial arts, then go to work at the government office that had been converted from a thief's office, supervise his subordinates in military training, handle all sorts of complicated and trivial but unavoidable military affairs, leave work on time, and continue practicing martial arts, taking a bath, and sleeping at the Shiwei Hall's dojo... over and over again.

On his days off when he doesn't have to work, Aoto would spin around like a top, going back and forth between the Senjiya, the Chiba Kenkan, the settlement, and the Tsukimiya Shrine.

Sometimes, he would teach Elodie at the residence in the morning, and incidentally learn some French; in the afternoon, he would sneak off to the Moon Shrine, where he would diligently practice Cloud Flow Ninjutsu and Archery under the hands-on instruction of Tenshōin and others.

Sometimes, in the morning, he would visit Radish at the Chiba Sword Hall and chat with Sanako about various seemingly meaningful yet meaningless conversations. In the afternoon, he would go to the Senjiya to practice his sword-drawing technique. During breaks from training, he would take advantage of rest time and when Kiryu wasn't paying attention to briefly get intimate with Kinoshita Mai. This included, but was not limited to: playing with Kinoshita Mai's small hands, putting his arm around her shoulder, and chatting with her while holding her.

Kinoshita Mai, with her gentle and soft personality, is far less assertive and competitive than Sanako... to put it bluntly and crudely, she's easy to bully.

Faced with Aoto's aggressive advances, Kinoshita Mai often... no, not "often"! She simply couldn't control herself!

Therefore, the progress of Aoto and Kinoshita Mai's relationship so far can be described as rapid.

It's no longer the case that when walking side by side, we have to be careful about the distance between each other.

We'll leave that aside for now and discuss it in more detail later.

Qing Deng's official life has become much more comfortable recently.

Looking across the entire Third Division, no one dared to challenge Qing Deng's authority, and no one dared to act presumptuously in front of Qing Deng.

After Akabane's death, the remaining "anti-Aoto elements"... such as Shirasaki Heijiro, underwent a drastic personality change, as if they were completely different people.

He is now completely obedient to Qingdeng. Whatever Qingdeng asks him to do, he does it silently without saying a word or complaining.

Whether Shirasaki and the others were truly convinced of his worth, and whether they would never oppose him again—Aoto didn't know, nor did he want to know.

As long as they stop trying to provoke him.

He doesn't care about anything else.

Akabane's death solidified Aoto's absolute authority: his word was law, and anyone who dared to mess with him would face dire consequences.

As for Aoto leading the charge, commanding the squad members to pursue and take Yokokura Keinosuke's head, it proved to the entire Third Division that he, Aoto Tachibana, was capable of leading everyone to achieve merit and wealth!

The Third Division, having achieved the feat of "slaying the commander," received special commendation from the shogunate. For several days, the Third Division's headquarters was filled with a joyful atmosphere.

Human nature is like this.

As long as you have a stick in one hand and a carrot in the other, you won't have to worry about winning people's hearts.

A qualified leader is someone who can distribute the "cake" well.

In short, Qing Deng has now firmly established himself in the Third Division and is no longer the "parachuted leader" who couldn't even command anyone.

As for the three squad leaders who were at odds with Aoto—Kimura Kazuma (5th Squad Leader), Hisaka Genzo (6th Squad Leader), and Tsuchida Masayoshi (7th Squad Leader)—they have recently quieted down and stopped causing trouble for Aoto.

Why did this group of people suddenly fall silent?

Qingdeng was too lazy to care.

Now that they've become more docile, Qingdeng is happy to have some peace and quiet and won't disrupt this delicate "balance."

Oh, right, that "Sincerity" flag that was hastily made to boost morale during the pursuit of Yokokura Keinosuke, Aoto treasured it at home because he felt it was of great significance.