I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Hijikata changed to a half-joking tone.

"Based on my past experience traveling all over the country, the owners of employment agencies are among the most untouchable people in the world. Especially those who can run an employment agency in a place like Edo, where there is a lot of mud and grime and hidden talents!"

“It would be one thing to open an employment agency in an obscure little town. But people who can run an employment agency in a megacity like Edo must either have extensive connections, have someone backing them up, or both.”

"Therefore, seeking assistance from Mr. Kiryu might yield unexpected benefits."

"Oh, I see..." Souji stammered.

"Hmm? Souji, why do you look so strange? Don't you want to go to the Thousand Things Shop?" Hijikata asked.

"Ah? No, no!" Souji quickly waved his hand, "As long as Tachibana-kun can get out of prison as soon as possible, I'll go to Edo Castle, but... there's someone in the Senjiya I don't really want to meet..."

The commander's voice grew softer and softer.

Before she could finish speaking, she abruptly changed the subject:

"Aaaaaah! What am I doing! At a time like this, I'm still worrying about such trivial matters!"

Souji shook his head vigorously, causing the thin ponytail at the back of his head to sway and bounce from side to side.

"I understand! The Thousand Things Shop, right? Okay! I'll take care of the Thousand Things Shop!"

"..." Hijikata didn't speak immediately, but gave Souji a deep look. After a while, he slowly and softly said, "Well, it's up to you."

"What about me? What about me? Mr. Hijikata, what about me?"

At that moment, Harada suddenly shouted.

He stretched out his arms and jumped around on the spot, just like a husky that had just seen dog food.

"Mr. Hijikata, what is my mission?"

"Don't rush," Hijikata said calmly. "Everyone has a mission, and you're no exception. I've tailored a mission that's perfect for you. You could say that no one but you is capable of completing this mission."

"Oh?" Harada's eyes lit up. "It's a mission that only I can handle? Quick! Tell me! What is my mission?"

Hijikata pulled a bulging, thick money bag from his pocket and tossed it to Harada.

“Harada, your task is to take this money and visit every teahouse and izakaya in Edo.”

"A teahouse? An izakaya?" Harada looked at the money pouch in his hand, puzzled. "Mr. Hijikata, what does this mean?"

"I'm not asking you to go to these places just for eating, drinking, and having fun. You need to casually bring up the matter of Tachibana-kun's arrest in these places with high foot traffic."

"Remember to exaggerate the facts as much as possible."

"They portrayed Tachibana-kun as as innocent and pitiful as possible."

"The best way would be to portray Tachibana-kun as someone like Yue Pengju or Sugawara no Michizane, who suffered injustices!"

"In short: do your best to arouse the sympathy of the common people for Tachibana-kun."

"Tachibana-kun currently enjoys great popularity among the people, and the name 'Niou' is known to every household in Edo."

"Compared to the hatamoto lords who have always had a bad reputation, the feelings of ordinary people are definitely more inclined towards the highly respected Tachibana-kun."

"We must also do our best to win the support and solidarity of ordinary people."

"So, Harada, you have a heavy burden on your shoulders, so don't mess it up."

"You have the ability to speak fluently and confidently even in front of the Emperor and the General. Only you can handle this difficult task."

Harada: "..."

"What's wrong? Harada, why aren't you saying anything? Do you think you can't handle this task?"

"No, it's just that what you just said bothered me... Who is Yue Pengju? The tragic hero who was defeated by Xiang Yu and then committed suicide by the Yangtze River?"

"Never mind what I just said!!! Forget about Yue Pengju! In short, the important task of winning public support is entrusted to you!"

Hijikata took a deep breath, trying to calm his mind, which was still reeling from Harada's outrageous remarks.

“I will personally go to the Westerners’ settlement. Last year, when the madmen of the Expeditionary Group launched a major attack on the settlement, thanks to Mr. Tachibana’s timely arrival and bloody battle, a large number of Westerners were able to save their lives.”

"Although we cannot expect every Westerner to know how to repay kindness, we should still try our best to obtain assistance if there is any hope of it."

"A-Sui, you want to bring Westerners into our camp?" Kondo asked. "How do you plan to do it?"

“Ah Sheng, have you forgotten? In the Westerners’ settlement, there was a family who were very close to Mr. Ju.”

"You mean... the Angoulême family?" Kondo raised an eyebrow.

“That’s right! Tachibana-kun has saved the Angoulême family’s life twice, and he is also the swordsmanship teacher of their blonde little girl. As long as I explain my purpose, the Angoulême family will definitely open the door for me.”

After saying that, Hijikata looked at the last five people who had not yet been named: Inoue Genzaburo, Shusuke, Obi, Kyubei, and Kondo Isami's wife: Kondo Tsune (original name: Matsui Tsune).

"Uncle Gen, Master Kondo, Aunt, Uncle Kyubei, Miss A-Chang, soon we will have a large number of guests from all walks of life arriving. Please prepare some snacks and tea. We invited them to Shieikan for a meeting, so it would be very impolite of us not to treat them well."

"Let's close the sword-fighting hall for one day today."

"Oh, and also, there might be some busybodies who come to join the fun after hearing about what happened to Tachibana-kun. At that time, I'll have to trouble you to stop them. As for those people who come to watch the show, there's nothing to say to them. No matter what they say, just answer 'no comment'."

Inoue, Shusuke, Abhi, Kyubei, and Otsune all nodded.

At this point, everyone present had received their assigned tasks.

"Ladies and gentlemen, finally, please hear me out."

Hijikata tilted his head back, his expression solemn, much like a general preparing to deliver a speech before battle.

"Ju-kun is one of my few good friends, and I sincerely hope he can be released from prison as soon as possible. I think we all share this feeling! So let's stand together, help each other, and work together to clear Ju-kun's name!"

……

……

One after another, figures of varying heights, builds, and slenderness emerged from the testing hall.

They shared the same goal and headed to various parts of Edo.

*******

*******

A new month has begun, bringing new beginnings! Have you all updated your guaranteed monthly tickets?

So... I'm begging for monthly votes! I'm begging for recommendation votes! (Leopard crying.jpg)

It's quite a coincidence that with the arrival of the new month, the plot of this book has officially entered the "climax of Volume Two." Some readers said yesterday, "I already guessed what would happen next! It's just that Qing Deng, with his powerful connections, will slap the Akabane family in the face," and so on.

To this, I can only offer a knowing smile...

Fairy, please put down your knife.

In the 5367th year of the Tianyuan era, there was a demon who bullied men and women, abused his power, and committed all kinds of evil deeds, arousing the wrath of both gods and men. He wanted to turn the world into a hellish place.

Good news: As the story unfolds, several years later, the chosen one will lead his confidante to kill that villain.

Bad news: Now... I've become that demon...

Chapter 361 Tachibana Aoto, Dead [6200]

Edo, Koishikawa, Kohinata-Yanagi-cho, Shieikan, Dojo—

"Hey, Souji, look at this lineup... it's incredible! This is what they mean by 'a gathering of talents'!"

Hijikata peered through the crack in the door at the monastery, a faint smile on his face.

As Hijikata had predicted, there were indeed quite a few people who had come to join in the fun after hearing that "Niou was imprisoned."

They gathered outside the gate and walls of the examination hall, tiptoeing and craning their necks to peek inside.

The person responsible for chasing away these "flies" was Inoue.

Inoue, who loves housework and takes care of all the household chores at the Shieikan, including cleaning, laundry, and cooking, is often teased by Seito, Souji, and others as "the old housekeeper of Shieikan." But this rather weathered old man is still a first-class swordsman with the Menkyo Kaiden (a title of nobility) in his hand!

With his twin swords strapped to his back and a stern expression, he stood tall and proud outside the gate—his imposing figure truly resembled that of a door god!

Just one stop and it scared away half of the flies.

"Those who are not involved, please leave immediately! Otherwise, don't blame me for being impolite!"

After another drink, the remaining "flies" buzzed away.

However, it was ultimately too much of a stretch for Inoue to guard such a large examination hall by himself alone.

Fortunately, Nagakura and Saito quickly completed their respective tasks and returned to the Shieikan.

The primary duty of those who dine at the temple is to protect the temple.

When someone comes to challenge the dojo, he is responsible for stepping forward and repelling the challenger.

When someone comes to the temple to cause damage, they are responsible for maintaining the safety of the temple.

The time has come to use the troops they have been training for. Nagakura and Saito, who have been staying at the Shieikan as guests for a long time, took on the important task of supporting Inoue without hesitation.

Together with Inoue, each of them guarded a different direction, forming a "human barrier" to prevent any "flies" from getting close to the test hall.

With the support of Nagakura and Saito, Inoue's pressure was greatly reduced.

Therefore, the safety and privacy of the testing center have been effectively guaranteed.

In terms of results, Turkey's plan to "unite with all of Qingdeng's friends" has been a great success.

Without exception, all the troops sent out achieved resounding success!

All the external support that Souji and the others knew and could find has now gathered at the Shieikan.

Because there were too many guests, the reception room of the Shieikan could not accommodate so many people, so the "meeting" was held in a spacious dojo.

The current lineup of members at the Shieikan Dojo is simply astonishing.

Katsura Rintaro, a senior retainer of the shogunate who is about to be transferred to oversee the establishment of the shogunate's navy, is also the head of the shogunate's foreign affairs office and the artillery professor at the military academy.

The legendary swordsman still alive, the current head of the Hokushin Ittō-ryū branch family: Chiba Sadakichi, and his two children, "Chiba Jutaro, the young master of the Hokushin Ittō-ryū branch family" and "Chiba Sanako, the oni-komachi of Chiba".

The town of Hokuban-sho-cho was returned to by Arima Hideyuki.

French businessman: Antoine de Angoulême, and his granddaughter: Elodie de Angoulême.

Kiryu Kazuma, who has gained some fame and has an unknown network of connections due to running a job placement agency, and his assistant: Kinoshita Mai.

Political circles, academic circles, martial arts circles...

Japanese, Westerners...