I formed the strongest swordsman group

Just now, Qing Deng announced again: In view of the fact that Azan and others are civilians and the first batch of volunteers who came to support, in order to commend their bravery, Qing Deng will sponsor them a bonus of 30 taels of gold per person in his private capacity!

The bonus of 30 taels of gold, plus the military salary of 3 taels of gold - this huge sum of money is enough for a family to live a happy life for several years.

Inspired by this huge reward, the fighting spirit of Azan and others rose to a new level, and they were ready to "die for the king and support Yulong".

He ran to Tianzhang Court to find Qingdeng, who was standing on the oar, looking into the distance.

[Note: Oars: A necessary facility in Japanese castles, similar to watchtowers and arrow towers. The castle tower is an oversized oar.]

"It seems so."

"They don't look like warriors."

"They are said to be civilians."

"Civilians? Really?"

"Tsk...what's going on...why are civilians being sent to fight? Can civilians fight?"

"That's not true. Compared to us warriors, civilians are not missing an arm or a leg. Their only problem is the lack of training. As long as we command and manage them well, they can achieve considerable results."

"No matter what, I don't think this is a good idea... Didn't the 'Oshio Heihachiro Rebellion' 28 years ago prove the weakness of the common people? They can only rely on the power of others, but once they encounter a tough battle, they will immediately scatter like birds and beasts."

The Shinsengumi soldiers reacted calmly to the sudden situation of "civilians coming to help."

The Shinsengumi has always had the tradition that "commoners can also wear light green haori", and the commoners who join the Shinsengumi have always been very strong-willed and have made great military achievements, so their discrimination against commoners is slightly weaker.

In comparison, the reactions of the soldiers from the "three groups" - the big group, the academy group and the small surname group - were much more intense.

In addition to the Shinsengumi's 7th and 10th squads, the "3rd squad" also participated in this battle.

The life-and-death attack by Shuten-doji, Sukuna and others caused heavy losses to the "Third Group".

After the "Edo Siege Battle" ended, excluding those deserters who retreated from the battlefield, there were less than a hundred soldiers still standing safely in the "Third Group".

Tianzhangyuan will never show leniency to deserters.

She kicked all these rats out of the "Sanban Group", stripped them of their samurai status, and demoted them to commoners, thus slimming down the "Sanban Group".

To let this wounded army go back to the battlefield... is indeed too cruel.

But this battle will determine the situation in the world.

Therefore, Tianzhangyuan could no longer care about so many things.

As soon as the "Second Edo Siege War" began, she immediately issued orders to the "Third Group", requiring them to obey Aoto's command and assist the Shinsengumi in defending the Akasaka Gate.

The "Sanbangumi" is equivalent to the Shogun's imperial guard.

Therefore, it is easy to imagine that those who can join the "Royal Guard" must be from famous and wealthy families among the direct candidates.

Senior warriors like them had a special kind of contempt for common people - a contempt that was not mixed with any malice.

They have no deep hatred towards civilians, they just naturally despise them - just like "seeing a cockroach you want to slap it to death", there is nothing right or wrong, it is purely a "subconscious" behavior.

Admiration, confusion, respect... gazes with different emotions fell on the shoulders of Azan and others.

Becoming the "target of public criticism"... Even a capable person who has experienced many ups and downs may not be able to withstand this kind of pressure.

At this moment, Azan and the others were all extremely nervous, and even their hands and feet became unsteady.

Nakazawa Qin, who was leading the way, noticed their strangeness, so she tilted her head slightly and said slowly:

"Don't be afraid."

"Don't bother with those vulgar people."

"As you can see, I am a girl."

"When I first joined the Shinsengumi, there were also many people who ridiculed me."

"It's no exaggeration to say that the hostility I've received is even greater than yours."

"I'm not discouraged by this - I've shut those vulgar people up completely with my solid results."

"If you feel aggrieved and unwilling, then perform well in the next battle."

Azhan swallowed hard, held his head high, and looked determined:

"Of course! Since we dare to join the war, we are ready to fight to the death!"

Zhongze Qin raised her eyebrows, a look of surprise appeared on her face, and then she gave him an admiring look.

"You have guts! I'm the vice-captain of the Shinsengumi's 7th Division, Koto Nakazawa. What are your names?"

Azan and others gave their names one after another.

Thanks to Nakazawa Koto's comfort, their tension was largely reduced.

They walked straight ahead, their feet moving in the wind.

The warriors along the way retreated to the left and right to make way.

…

…

"'A new power'?"

Tianzhangyuan blinked her beautiful eyes, looking puzzled.

"Sheng Qing, I don't know what you are thinking, but do you really intend to let the civilians help you defend the city?"

The reason why Tianzhangyuan suddenly came to find Qingdeng was because the other party had just made a request to her -

"Your Highness, please come see me as soon as possible! I have something urgent to discuss with you!"

Although this request was very sudden, Tianzhangyuan put aside all the matters at hand without hesitation out of absolute trust in Qingdeng.

While rushing to Akasaka Palace Gate to look for Qing Deng, she learned a series of news, including "civilians came to help" and "Qing Deng spent a large sum of money to reward these civilians".

All of the above made Tianzhangyuan even more confused, not knowing what Qingdeng was up to.

Facing Tianzhangyuan's questioning, Qingdeng smiled:

"Your Highness, do you know the story behind the 'Golden Terrace'?"

Tian Zhangyuan glared at him unhappily.

"Do you think I'm illiterate? Of course I know."

During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, King Zhao of Yan was eager to recruit talents, but with little success.

Later, a wise man named Guo Kui offered him advice: "If you want to recruit talents, you should start by recruiting me, Guo Kui. If someone like me, who is not very talented and knowledgeable, can be employed by the monarch, then those who are more capable than me will surely come from thousands of miles away upon hearing the news."

King Zhao of Yan adopted Guo Kui's suggestion, appointed him as his teacher and built a palace for him. Not long afterward, this triggered a situation of "scholars scrambling to gather in Yan", and the backward Yan State suddenly became full of talented people.

This is a well-known and famous story.

Anyone who has a little knowledge of Chinese studies must know the allusion of "Golden Terrace".

Qing Deng suddenly mentioned this story, and Tian Zhangyuan immediately understood what he meant.

"Sheng Qing, do you want to follow the example of King Zhao of Yan and reward those seven young men generously to attract more civilians to help?"

Qing Deng said calmly:

"The direct officials are almost unanimously supporting the 'Ichibashi faction'. The only force we can rely on right now is the common people of Edo."

Tianzhangyuan frowned slightly, bit his lip, and looked hesitant, not wanting to make a comment.

Compared with other nobles of the same era, Tianzhangyuan was definitely an open-minded person.

At the very least, she would never pronounce the word "common people" in the same tone as "bastards".

But even so, she still has certain prejudices against the common people.

After hesitating for a moment, she asked cautiously:

"Sheng Qing, will this work?"

"There are very few civilians who know how to fight."

“What’s more, they have received little training.”

"Letting civilians go to the battlefield is like letting sheep face a pack of wolves. I'm afraid it will have the opposite effect..."

Qing Deng had anticipated Tianzhangyuan's concerns.

As soon as she finished speaking, he raised the corners of his mouth and said softly:

"Your Highness, I understand your concerns."

"It is true that civilians always show their weak side, their incompetent side, and their side that is at the mercy of others."

"But if they are guided well, they may have the power to change the world."

"Of course, at this stage, asking them to change the world is really difficult."

"However, it is not impossible to let them help me defend the city and fight the enemy."

"To be honest, it was not until I met those seven brave young men that I suddenly realized this truth."

"As long as we can harness this 'new force', defeating the 'Ichibashi faction' will be a piece of cake."

Tianzhangyuan listened very carefully.

But the more she listened, the more confused she became.

Qing Deng noticed Tian Zhangyuan's bewilderment, so he smiled helplessly:

"I'm sorry, but I seem to be making this difficult to understand."

"In short, I will explain these difficult to understand principles to you slowly later."

"Now, let's focus on getting rid of the rebels on the other side first."

"Your Highness, I hope you can mobilize all the warriors of Shin Oniwaban. I have an important mission to assign to them."

Upon hearing this, Tian Zhangyuan immediately asked back:

"Do publicity for you?"

The latest novel is published first on Liu9shuba!

Qing Deng nodded:

"That's right. I want them to spread the news of 'Nio's thirst for talent' throughout Edo in the shortest possible time."

…

…

"Hey! Have you heard? Lord Niou is eager to recruit talented people! He announced that anyone who comes to help, whether civilian or samurai, will receive 3 taels of gold as military pay! If you make military achievements, you will be rewarded handsomely! It's not a problem to get more money than you can spend in a lifetime!"

"3 taels of gold?! Really?"

"Really! Even people who don't know martial arts at all can come and sign up! The only restriction is that no underage children are allowed."

"Is this news credible?"

"Since it involves Lord Niou, it should be credible!"

"Let's go! There's no reason not to make this much money!"

"Don't be silly, is this money so easy to earn? This is 'blood money' that you have to put your head on the belt to earn!"

"So what? This is three taels of gold! How many pairs of straw sandals do I have to make to earn three taels of gold?"

"Azan and his men really made a fortune! Because they were the first group of volunteers to rush to the battle, they not only received 3 taels of gold in military pay, but also received a bonus of 30 taels of gold!"

"33 taels of gold! Hiss... Damn it! If I had known this, I should have followed Azan and the others to Edo Castle!"

"Okay! I've decided! I want to join the war!"

"Hubby, you can't go! That's a war! Not a game of 'Red and White Battle'! If anything happens to you, what will happen to me and the children?"

"The situation has been bad lately, and we can barely make ends meet! For the sake of our family's livelihood, I can't care about so many things!"

"But you don't know anything about martial arts! What can you do on the battlefield?"

"I, I really don't know martial arts, but I do have the ability to dig trenches and throw rocks!"

"What if Lord Ren Wang breaks his promise and refuses to pay you, or deducts your salary? What should we do?"

"I believe in Lord Niou! He will never go back on his word!"

"That's right! I believe in Niou-sama too!"

"Let's go! Let's go help Lord Niou!"

…

…

Edo, Imado Town, the main camp of the Hitotsubashi Army——

After listening to the messenger's report, Ichibashi Yoshinobu opened his mouth involuntarily and muttered:

"Ju Qingdeng spent a lot of money to win over the common people?"

The rest of the people present were also stunned.

In a moment, an atmosphere called "secret joy" lingered in the room.

"This is great news!"

"That's right! This shows that Tachibana Aoto has reached a point of desperation!"

"They actually have to rely on 'bribing civilians' to replenish their troops. The defense situation of Edo Castle must be very serious!"

"I knew we still had a chance to win!"

"Now is the best time to launch a general offensive and take down Edo Castle in one fell swoop!"

Everyone was excited and excited, and they were all shouting, "The Nanji Army is at the end of its rope" and "As long as we launch a general offensive, everything will be fine."

Only a very small number of people, such as Gao Lao, did not join this "carnival".

I saw Gao Lao frowning, staring at the void in front of him, as if he was in deep thought.

After a while, he turned his head and looked at the messenger:

"How far has the news of 'Rinou Recruiting Troops' spread so far?"

The messenger replied quickly:

"It has spread very widely! It has basically spread throughout the entire town of Edo!"

Hearing this, Gao Lao seemed to realize something and muttered "Oh no..."

Then, without caring about his reserve, he turned his head and said to Ichihashi Yoshinobu:

"Master Ichibashi! Something terrible is happening! We must stop Tachibana Aoto immediately!"

"Send a notice to all of Edo. Commoners and samurai alike can join us!"

"No matter how much money Ju Qing pays, we will pay double!"

Gao Lao's reaction shocked everyone present, including Ichibashi Yoshinobu.

Someone asked in confusion:

"Why do you say that? We..."

Before the other party could finish speaking, Gao Lao turned his head, gave him a fierce look, and responded in a deep voice:

"This 'recruitment notice' spread throughout the entire town of Edo in such a short time, which means there must be someone behind it!"

"There is no doubt that this is a deliberate plot!"

"A hundred or so civilians may not be a cause for concern."

"But don't forget that our opponent is that Tachibana Aoto!"

"Considering that the person who is in charge of these civilians is Tachibana Aoto, we can't help but take it seriously!"

A word awakened the dreamer... Suddenly, the room became extremely quiet...

Everyone looked at each other with stiff expressions.

By now, they have all developed "orange phobia".

Whenever I hear the name "Ju Qingdeng", I can't help but feel frightened.

As Gao Lao finished speaking, they all had a bad premonition.

Someone asked timidly:

"So, what should we do now?"

Gao Lao frowned:

"Didn't you hear what I just said? Disrupt Huang Ju Qing Deng's 'recruitment' at all costs!"

"Although I don't know exactly what his plan is, it's definitely right to go against him!"

…

…

Edo, Akasaka Gate——

Time passes.

Before I knew it, the hour hand on the clock pointed to "8".

At this moment, the morning mist has completely dissipated.

At this moment, the Hitotsubashi Army, composed of the "Death Corps" and direct officers, has completed preparations for the attack!

Just like yesterday, they launched a fierce attack on Akasaka Gomon.

At first, they did not notice anything unusual, as figures wearing light green feather robes filled their field of vision.

But gradually, they suddenly discovered that the opposing troops seemed to be increasing in strength - more and more civilians appeared!

In the blink of an eye, it's the end of the month again! Book friends who have monthly tickets, please be sure to vote for this book! (tearful leopard head.jpg)

Please give me a monthly ticket! Please give me a recommendation ticket! (Leopard head crying.jpg)