I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

An atmosphere of bewilderment permeated the air of the Shieikan.

Just now, Aoto's old subordinate, Todo Heisuke, and Aoto's old friend, Yamanami Keisuke, both arrived at the Shieikan.

They both came to the testing center for the same reason: they had heard that Qing Deng had been imprisoned, so they rushed over to check the situation and confirm the truth.

"So the rumors were true..." Toudou stammered, "Mr. Tachibana really was arrested by the authorities..."

"..." Yamanami Keisuke remained silent, his lips pressed tightly together in deep thought.

"Kondo-san! Hijikata-san! Minamoto-san! What should we do now?"

Souji looked blankly at Kondo Isami, Hijikata Toshizo, and Inoue Genzaburo.

Her beloved is in prison... For Souji, who lacks social experience and whose past life has been spent mostly practicing swordsmanship and managing household chores, this matter is beyond her "ability to handle".

Feeling helpless and confused, she instinctively turned to her three most trusted seniors for help.

"...Alright! Everyone, listen up!"

Hijikata clapped his hands, and the loud applause echoed in everyone's ears like the tolling of bells.

"Everyone, look at me!"

All eyes were on Hijikata.

Looking around the entire scene, only three people remained calm and composed: Hijikata Toshizo, Yamanami Keisuke, and Saito Hajime.

Leaving aside the first two, Saito himself has always been a serious and unsmiling person who doesn't show his emotions, so it's impossible to tell whether he's truly calm or just expressionless.

"Tachibana-kun is merely temporarily imprisoned in the Ageyashiki of Kodenma Town. Why are you all acting like you've lost your parents? You're supposed to be samurai with two swords at your waists."

It's not a new thing that Tu Fang has been speaking rudely.

Therefore, Souji, Nagakura, and others had all gotten used to Hijikata's foul mouth.

Yamanami, who wasn't very familiar with Hijikata, raised his delicate eyebrows and looked displeased.

"First of all, what can be confirmed at present is that Tachibana-kun has indeed been arrested."

"The reason for his arrest is that last year, during the campaign against the mountain bandits of Kai, Tachibana killed a scoundrel who disobeyed orders in battle."

"To make matters worse, this bastard is a bannerman, and a bannerman of great prestige and illustrious lineage. His clansmen, together with other direct officers, reported Tachibana-kun on the grounds of 'abuse of power and wrongful killing of loyal officials,' and put pressure on the government to force the government to imprison Aoto."

"Ju-kun's imprisonment involves political struggle, and we must not act rashly."

"What?!" Harada interjected, "Are we just going to stand by and do nothing?"

"Let me finish what I have to say." Hijikata glared at Harada. "I said 'don't act rashly,' not 'do nothing.' Look at our current 'lineup,' two dojo masters and young masters who have only recently gained some fame."

Hijikata shrugged and glanced at Shusuke and Kondo.

"A commoner who came from a peasant background."

Hijikata patted his chest.

"Four apprentices from the dojo."

Hijikata's gaze swept over Souji, Inoue, Yamanami, and Todo.

"Three diners at the dojo."

Hijikata's gaze shifted in the opposite direction, settling on Saito, Nagakura, and Harada.

"With such a meager lineup, how can they possibly clear Tachibana-kun's name? They can't even manage a prison break with this number of people."

"Then, what should we do?" Toudou murmured.

Hijikata's lips curled into a slight smile.

There's no need to be pessimistic.

"Although we are just ordinary people with no status or position, there are things that ordinary people can do."

"Since we are outnumbered and outmatched, why don't we gather as many companions as possible and strengthen our forces?"

"Fortunately, Mr. Ju has friends all over the world, so we don't have to worry about not finding people willing to help us."

"Ah Sheng!"

Kondo reflexively echoed:

"What's the matter?"

"Asheng, go to the Chiba Sword Hall and find Mr. Chiba Sadakichi, as well as the siblings Chiba Jutaro and Chiba Sanako. Tell them about the current situation of Tachibana-kun and us. Say: We want to help Tachibana-kun clear his name and hope you can lend us a hand. If it is convenient, please send a representative to our Shiei Hall to discuss the 'Great Plan to Aid Tachibana' with us."

"Chiba Sword Hall, huh... Alright! I understand!" Kondo nodded.

"Wait a minute." At this moment, a clear male voice interrupted, "Kondo-kun, I'll go with you. I'm a disciple of the Chiba Sword Hall. With me by your side, the negotiations with Master Chiba and the others should go much more smoothly."

The speaker was none other than Yamanami Keisuke.

“…Alright.” After a moment’s thought, Hijikata said seriously, “Then, Yamanami, you will accompany Akagi to the Chiba Sword Hall.”

Hijikata turned his head and looked at Saito.

“Saito, you used to be Tachibana’s bodyguard, and you were by his side when he was still unknown.”

"Tachibana once mentioned to me that he had three senior colleagues in Beifan with whom he had a very good relationship. Do you know who these three senior colleagues that Tachibana mentioned are?"

The "seniors of the Northern Frontier" who were on good terms with Tachibana-kun... naturally included Arima, Inoya, and Ushiyama.

Saito nodded.

"Very good, I understand. Then I'll trouble you to go to the Northern Frontier Office and find those three seniors of Tachibana-kun."

"Once we find them, we can simply use the phrases I just taught Kondo."

"It reflects the difficult situation of Orange-kun being trapped in a predicament and our insufficient strength but urgent need to rescue Orange-kun from this predicament as soon as possible."

"I earnestly request that the other party do their part, however small."

"Finally, let's not forget to mention: we hope that the other party can send a representative to Shieikan to discuss matters with us and other colleagues who are also willing to help Tachibana-kun."

Compared to Hijikata's eloquent speech, Saito's reaction was undoubtedly much more subdued—he simply nodded slightly again.

However, this time, Saito nodded and responded with a neutral tone:

"Okay, I understand. Leave it to me."

Instantly, everyone present except for Yamanami turned to Saito with surprised looks.

Having spent so much time with Saito, they all knew his temperament very well.

This "mute" person, who would rather remain silent than speak than utter three words, actually spoke so much in one breath.

Saito's unusual behavior made everyone present realize that this cold-hearted man was not as calm as he appeared about Aoto's imprisonment.

The earthworkers continued to issue orders.

"Nagakura, Todo. You two participated in the battle when Tachibana-kun rushed to the aid of the local government, right?"

“Yes,” Nagakura replied. “‘The Battle of the Foreign Documents Investigation Office’ was the first battle for me, Harada, and Todo after we joined Mr. Tachibana’s company.”

Hijikata continued:

"Tachibana-kun and Katsura Rintaro are very close friends despite their age difference. The latter is currently a high-ranking official in the shogunate. If we can win his support, it will be like gaining the support of ten thousand people."

"So, you two have a very important task."

"The places where Katsurin Taro most often frequented were the Foreign Documents Office and the Military Academy."

"Therefore, I need you to split into two groups."

"Nagakura, you mentioned that you have a friend who is currently studying at the military academy, right?"

Nagakura: "Yes, that's right."

"Alright, since you have a way to make contact with the Military Academy, then you are in charge of going to the Military Academy."

"Tengtang, go to the Foreign Documents Investigation Office."

"We must find Katsura Rintarou!"

“If Tachibana-kun is in trouble, I believe that Katsu Rintaro will definitely not sit idly by.”

"After you meet with Katsu Rintaro, you will use the same old excuse: report the current situation, request support, and send a representative to Shieikan."

"Remember to use polite language."

Nagakura pounded his chest with a "thud" and loudly proclaimed:

"No problem! Leave it to me!"

Young and inexperienced, Toudou's eyes flickered, a hint of fear appearing in them.

However, he did not choose to back down.

A moment later, he gritted his teeth and pounded his chest hard, just like Nagakura:

"Yes! I will certainly not fail in my mission!"

"Yes, very good, that's the kind of momentum we need."

Hijikata gave Nagakura and Todo an admiring look.

Then--

"Commander-in-Chief."

Souji, who had been waiting for roll call, finally stood up straight and stared intently at Hijikata.

"Go to Senjiya and find Mr. Kiryu."

"Mr. Kiryu?" Souji was taken aback. "Why are we looking for Mr. Kiryu?"

Not only was the commander stunned, but everyone else around him was also taken aback.

Apart from Aoto, no one at the entire Shieikan, including Shusuke, knew Kiryu's true identity. In their eyes, Boss Kiryu was just an ordinary job agency owner.

Tu Fang extended two fingers.

"First of all, Tachibana-kun and Kiryu-sensei have a very good relationship."

"Kiryu's boss will definitely be happy to go to the trouble of 'rescuing Tachibana-kun'."

"At this critical juncture, we must unite all forces that can be united."

"Secondly, don't underestimate the owners of employment agencies!"