I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Rakshasa was a person who valued talent above all else. He would spare no effort to cultivate any talent he valued and showed extraordinary tolerance.

Conversely, he doesn't have such a good temper when dealing with incompetent people.

He always showed an exceptionally cold side when dealing with people who made mistakes. Whenever this happened, it would suddenly remind Shimizu Eiichi that the man in front of him was a ruthless character known as "Rakshasa"!

Shimizu Eiichi lowered his head, his gaze fixed on the tatami mat in front of his nose, mentally preparing himself for a scolding from Rasetsu.

However, Rakshasa waved his hand.

"This is none of your business. Besides, now is not the time to assign blame. The most urgent task at hand is to devise a way to counter Tachibana Seido as soon as possible, and we must not miss another opportunity."

Upon hearing what Rakshasa said, Shimizu Eiichi's expression immediately improved.

At this moment, Rakshasa pressed on with the question:

"Rongyi, have you figured out the identities of the missing persons?"

With the idea of ​​"atoneing for his crimes through meritorious service," Shimizu Eiichi immediately replied:

"We've roughly figured it out. Of the 13 missing people, 7 were cadres who could raise the flag on their own, while the other 6 were just ordinary henchmen."

"Raise the flag" is slang used within the Qingshui clan.

Simply put, it means being able to serve as a "manager" and independently manage one or more stores under the Shimizu Clan.

As soon as Shimizu Eiichi finished speaking, Rasetsu suddenly raised an eyebrow.

"Were most of the missing persons officials...?"

Rakshasa bent down, rested his right elbow on his thigh, propped up his right arm, and supported his chin as if in thought.

Shimizu Eiichi sat quietly to the side, not even speaking, and even his breathing slowed down, as if afraid of disturbing Rasetsu.

A moment later, Rakshasa's pupils contracted slightly.

"I see, so that's how it is... Hmph! So you pulled this stunt on me... Tachibana Aoto, you're something else."

Rakshasa suddenly straightened his back, and his voice rose sharply as his body straightened.

"Eiichi, call Nue over here!"

Although it was unclear why Rasetsu suddenly summoned Nue, as Rasetsu's number one loyal retainer, Shimizu Eiichi had long developed the habit of "blindly agreeing to whatever order Rasetsu gave."

He reflexively replied "Yes" and then stood up abruptly.

Just as Shimizu Eiichi was about to turn and leave the tea room, Rasetsu called him back:

"Furthermore, convene a meeting of cadres immediately. All cadres in Edo who are still able to move must attend."

Shimizu Eiichi couldn't help but show a look of surprise on his face.

"A cadre meeting?"

Rakshasa replied solemnly, enunciating each word clearly:

"I am about to issue the 'Slay Tachibana Seiden' operation plan!"

……

……

at the same time--

Edo, Tsukimiya Shrine, Interrogation Room—

"Ughh ...

"I...I really don't know anything!"

"Ugh! Ugh! Please, please let me go... Ugh ugh ugh ugh!"

……

At this very moment, the interrogation room of the Moon Palace Shrine is bustling with activity.

Seven men of varying ages and builds, all covered in numerous tattoos, were subjected to a series of horrific tortures.

They were either locked in "standing cages" where they couldn't bend over or squat, with no one to help them; or they were bound hand and foot and subjected to various classic tortures such as the Ebi-ming torture and hanging torture.

"Quickly, tell me, where is the workshop where the Illusionary Aquatic Essence is made?"

"Phantom...phantom sediment? What is that? I've never heard of such a thing before!"

"Won't talk? Fine! Hey, pull the rope! Let him stay in the air a little longer!"

"Wait, wait a minute! I really don't know anything about 'phantom sediment'... Ahhh!"

Hanging torture—as the name suggests—involves tightly binding the prisoner's wrists with cloth, tying them behind the back with hemp rope parallel to the shoulders, and then suspending the prisoner by threading a thin hemp rope through a metal ring on a beam. The prisoner is then tortured while suspended three inches above the ground.

Although this punishment does not cause immediate excruciating pain, after a quarter of an hour, the muscles and bones throughout the body will tremble with pain.

……

“If you’re willing to tell the truth honestly, I’ll let you out of the ‘standing cage’.”

“I…I…I’ve told the truth…I’ve told you everything I know…I really don’t know anything about ‘illusionary deposits’…”

……

If a Yakuza of the Shimizu clan, or someone familiar with the internal relationships of the Shimizu clan, were here, they would be astonished—looking around, all those being subjected to harsh interrogation are Shimizu clan leaders!

At this moment, Tenshoin and Aoto stood one after the other in the outer corridor, observing the interrogation inside through the window.

"Sheng Qing, you're really something... You actually managed to capture so many Qing Shui clan cadres."

Tenshoin turned his head to the side and cast a look at Aoto beside him that was half smiling and half helpless.

Qingdeng smiled calmly:

"Your Highness, I'm entrusting the rest to you."

Tianzhangyuan nodded slightly.

"Of course. I'll have my men force these social scum to talk as quickly as possible."

At this point, Tenshōin subconsciously raised his gaze again, sweeping his eyes toward Aoden.

Looking at the excessively young face before her, she couldn't help but recall the night when Qing Deng rushed to the Moon Palace Shrine, begging her for help.

When Aoto returned from Kikyō-zan, he went straight to Tsukimiya Shrine and found Tenshō-in Temple.

"Your Highness Tenshōin, I plan to arrest the key members of the Shimizu clan one by one. At that time, I hope you can send skilled interrogators from the new Imperial Guard to assist me in interrogating those people." — This is what Aoto said to Tenshōin.

Qing Deng's logic was simple: since the Qing Shui clan was deeply involved in the Fa Zhu Party's "Illusionary Acid Production and Sales Project", then as long as I arrest all the prominent figures in the Qing Shui clan, I can always extract some useful information!

The Shimizu clan was an "old acquaintance" of the government, and information about all the important figures within the clan was registered by the government.

Therefore, for Aoto, who had served in the Magistrate's Office three times and was later transferred to the position of Fire Thief, obtaining information about the important cadres of the Shimizu clan was not difficult at all.

At that time, after hearing Qingdeng's suggestion, Tenshōin thought it was a pipe dream.

Admittedly, the cadres of the Shimizu clan are very likely to have known about the Guan Huan Fudian.

But you also need to have the ability to capture them alive!

Tenshōin shared the same concerns as Souji and Sanako—Sōji and Sanako also disagreed with Aoto's radical approach.

They all believed that the Shimizu clan was powerful, and that it would not be a wise move to rashly confront them head-on.

However... Qingdeng's mind was made up, and no matter how the women of Tianzhangyuan spoke or tried to persuade him, he would not change his mind.

He rejected the women's advances with the same excuse:

"This is the fastest way I can think of to find evidence of the production and sale of dangerous drugs. I cannot tolerate that damned drug continuing to exist in the world, not even for a moment."

Upon hearing Qingdeng's words, Tianzhangyuan knew that he could no longer persuade the other party.

Left with no other choice, she could only nod in agreement.

Sanako and Souji wanted to accompany Aoto into the battle, but he sternly refused.

"You two just need to help me block their retreat. When I storm the Shimizu clan's stronghold, the cadres hiding there are very likely to escape in the chaos. When that happens, I'll need your help."

Although Aoto said nice things, both Sanako and Souji knew in their hearts that he just didn't want them to be in danger!

Under Qing Deng's persistent insistence, even the aloof Sanako had to give in.

Even the strong-willed Miss Chiba gave in, so it goes without saying that the easily swayed Souji was even more convinced.

Thus, the two women agreed to the battle plan of "splitting the troops into two groups, with Qingdeng in charge of the main attack and the two of them in charge of cutting off the rear."

What happened next needs no further explanation.

Qingdeng's battle plan was a great success.

Not only did he kill over a hundred enemies, but he also captured seven mid- to high-ranking officials who held prominent positions within the Shimizu clan, and escaped unscathed!

*******

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Ugh! Another day of failing to reach 10,000 views! (crying leopard head.jpg)

Chapter 456 Going to Wushan with Sanako? [4200]

"By the way, how is Miss Chiba's injury?"

After asking the question, Tenshōin raised his hand and gestured on his shoulder.

What she was referring to was naturally the cut that Sanako suffered in the Battle of Kikyoyama.

At that time, Sanako, who was no match for the Rakshasa, was unfortunately slashed on the shoulder.

Qing Deng replied:

"It's nothing serious, just a superficial injury. The arteries and bones are fine."

Tensho-in nodded slightly.

"That's good. I just hope she won't have any scars. It would be such a pity if such a beautiful woman were to have scars."

Qingdeng smiled slightly:

"There's no need to worry about that. According to her, she has a constitution that doesn't easily form scars. No matter how big or deep the wound is, it can heal completely."

In fact, Qing Deng had the same concerns as Tenshōin.