I formed the strongest swordsman group

Edo, Koishikawa Kohinata Yanagi-cho, Shouwei Hall, living room——

"Mr. Ito, I'm sorry, I accidentally hit harder, is your head okay?"

"Hahaha, it's okay, it's okay."

Ito Daizo raised his hand and stroked the back of his head, while laughing heartily a few times.

"It's just a small injury that doesn't even count as a skin trauma. It will be fine after a short rest."

Despite the protection of the mask, the strong impact caused by the heavy blow of the bamboo sword still made Ito Daizo's eyes black and his head dizzy.

Although relying on willpower to hold on for a while, the strength of the spirit is always limited.

After struggling unsuccessfully, Ito Dazang fell straight to the ground—this extremely fierce fight between dragons and tigers finally ended with Qingdeng's victory.

Qingdeng's battle was extremely dangerous. It's a real win.

In a close match, both sides are expected to win.

If you replay the battle just now, you can find that Daizo Ito almost won several times.

Qingdeng's victory was actually a bit of luck.

Just as Qingdeng had expected in advance, Daizo Ito, who is a great man in the world, indeed possesses a special talent related to the core muscles of the body.

"Xiang's core + 1"... Ito Dazang is the same as Oishi Kujiro that Qingto faced against a few days ago, the talent in his body is inherently strengthened.

After getting this new talent, the effect is immediate.

Qingdeng first felt a warm current rushing across his chest, waist and abdomen like a vast ocean.

After nearly 10 seconds passed, the warm current slowly receded like a tide.

Immediately afterwards, Qingdeng suddenly felt that the muscles in the core of his body had become much more solidified, and each muscle contained a powerful force far greater than before.

Qingdeng tested his new strength on the spot, he straightened his waist without any trace—bang—the clothes on Qingdeng's waist and abdomen were directly shaken to make a muffled sound.

"Bear's Waist +1" and "Elephant's Core +1".

The former enhances the explosive power of the waist, and the latter enhances the constant output capability of the core muscle groups including the waist.

The superimposition of the two made Qingdeng's waist strength reach a level that even surprised him.

His waist, abdomen and back became stronger, thanks to this, Qingdeng's limbs were also strengthened to a certain extent.

Yu Dazou Ito, who was knocked down by Qingdeng just now, and Isamu Kondo, Zouji and others who were watching from the sidelines, should never have imagined that in just a few blinks, Qingdeng's personal strength has risen to another level. big steps.

If Qingdeng were to have another match against Ito Daizo immediately now, then Qingdeng would be fully confident that he would firmly hold the upper hand at the beginning of the battle.

In fighting with bare hands and cold weapons, "one strength can reduce ten times" and "practicing martial arts without practicing kung fu will make you grow old in vain" are eternal truths.

The opponent's attack is faster and heavier than yours. When you punch one punch, they can swing three or four punches, and each punch can easily knock you down. What's the point?

After Qingdeng and Ito Dazang's sparring ended, everyone left the dojo and returned to the living room.

Ito Daizo, who had recovered from the dizzy state, started talking with Qingdeng and the others in a spirited manner again.

"It's fine if it's okay."

Qingdeng smiled slightly, jokingly said:

"If there is anything wrong with you, I will be surrounded and beaten by all the people in Ito Dojo."

"Hahaha."

Ito Daizo chuckled a few times, and then handed over a compliment that was neither salty nor talkative:

"Your Excellency King Ren, with your ability, even if all my disciples come to attack, you should be able to retreat unscathed!"

Speaking of this, Ito Daizo straightened his sitting posture and put on a solemn tone:

"Your Excellency Nioh, thank you for your enlightenment today, thanks to your blessing, I was well received today!"

This should have been a very nasty compliment, but Ito Dazang's perfect manner and elegant tone diluted the greasy meaning in his words.

People respect me one foot, and I respect others one foot.

In line with the mentality of "reciprocity" and "reciprocity", Qingdeng responded without hesitation:

"Thank you. I'm the one who should be thankful. Thanks to you, not only have I gained a lot today, but I've also had my blood boil for the first time in a long time."

From a certain point of view, what Qing Deng said was not wrong.

He didn't praise Ito Dazo too much, he did get a considerable amount from Ito Dazo.

Just "Xiang's core +1" is enough for Qingdeng to say a hundred words of thanks to Daizo Ito.

"Hahaha, no matter where, you are the one who is absurd. Hey, the journey of martial arts is as endless as learning the sea. Today's defeat has made me clearly realize how much I still need to improve. Inadequacies."

When Ito Dazang said this, he paused, and then jokingly said:

"I still have to work harder."

Qingdeng somehow understands why everyone who knows Ito Dazou admires Ito Dazou's character.

This handsome man who was not much older than Qingdeng really had an extraordinary bearing.

As a swordsman who has been famous for a long time, after being defeated by a fledgling junior like Qingdeng, he not only admits his defeat frankly, but also uses the defeat as food, and continues to improve himself without arrogance or impetuosity... Such a heart, such a mind, is indeed admirable.

The part of blowing rainbow farts to each other is temporarily over.

Next, Qingdeng and his party continued to chat with Ito Daizo without a definite topic.

Isamu Kondo is about the same age as Daizo Ito. The former is only 1 year older than the latter.

Not only are the two of them basically the same age, but even their occupations are almost the same.

One is the current owner of the Ito Dojo, and the other is the future owner of the Test Guard Hall.

Although Kondo has not fully inherited the test guard, but as the only son of the Kondo family, it is only a matter of time before he takes over as the second-generation owner of the test guard and the fourth-generation head of the Tianranlixin Liuzong family. .

Perhaps it is this "similarity" that makes Isamu Kondo very interested in Ito Daizo.

In the hands of Ito Dazang, the Ito Dojo is thriving and developing very well.

Kondo really wanted to learn from Ito Daizo and learn the tricks of running a sword gym, so he saw the timing and cleared his throat:

"Mr. Ito, let me ask you a question: When you were running the dojo, did you encounter any troubles? And how did you deal with them?"

Ito Dazo raised an eyebrow.

"Oh! That's a good question. Hahaha, since I took over the Ito Dojo from my father-in-law, I have encountered a lot of difficult troubles that make my spine chill when I think about it now."

Dazo Ito spoke very enthusiastically and seriously.

Kondo listened very intently and carefully. A pair of bull's eyes stared straight at Ito Dazo, without blinking his eyelids, his body unconsciously leaned forward in the direction of Ito Dazo. As if wishing to take out a pen and paper, and copy down every word and sentence Ito Daizo said.

With his excellent eloquence, Ito Dazang quickly explained all kinds of troubles he experienced after taking over the dojo, and how he dealt with these troubles in a concise and concise manner.

At this moment, Ito Dazang suddenly said something, except for Todo Heisuke, all the people present were surprised.

"Hahaha, when I look back and think about it carefully, the Ito Dojo entrusted to me by my father-in-law and I have really gone through a lot of ups and downs together... It's a pity that I don't have the ambition to educate people. It may be five years later, or sooner. In three years, I will unload the burden of being the master of the game and become a warrior who has nothing to do."

As soon as Daizo Ito said this, Kondo immediately widened his eyes, and took the lead in asking:

"Huh? Mr. Ito, you...are going to abdicate and no longer be in charge of Ito Dojo?"

Ito Dazou smiled and nodded.

"I have found a career that is more meaningful and noble than being a dojo master...or a mission."

"Compared to this great mission, a mere sword hall, and the identity of a mere Dao field master are not worth mentioning at all!"

"In the short term, I will still fulfill my duties as the master of the Ito Dojo, but as I just said, within 5 years at the latest, I will abdicate and let go of all the vulgar things at hand. I will devote all my energies to that great mission with all my heart and soul!”

"Mission..." Isamu Kondo murmured, "What mission?"

There was a proud smile on the corner of Ito Daizo's lips, and he said word by word:

"Respect the king and fight against the barbarians!"

Qingdeng's brows furrowed instantly before Ito Dazang finished speaking.

He stretched his muscles without any trace, and asked Ito Daizo in a deep voice:

"Mr. Ito, are you... a man of lofty ideals?"

It's no wonder that Qingdeng reacted in this way.

After personally experiencing the series of moths made by the gang of lunatics headed by the Barbarian Group, Qingdeng already had a stress reaction to the word "expelling barbarians".

"My lord, don't get me wrong."

Noticing the sudden change in Qingdeng's face, Daizo Ito quickly waved his hands, disregarding his relationship with the "radical extermination faction" as quickly as possible.

"Although I am a man of lofty ideals, I am a man of lofty ideals. I am not a lunatic who uses the name of righteousness to kill and exterminate in the name of righteousness."

At this moment, the Chief Secretary who never cared about worldly affairs, and devoted all his attention to cultivating kendo and eating sweets, asked in an innocent tone:

"'Respect the king and fight against the barbarians'? What does that mean?"

As soon as the general manager finished speaking, Ito Dazo suddenly regained his spirit:

"Good question!"

Dazo Ito straightened his back and raised his voice a little bit, as if he was a teacher.

"'Respecting the King and Repelling the Barbarians' was originally an allusion in Tang Dynasty."

"During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period of the Tang Dynasty, Duke Huan of Qi, the overlord of the Qi State, played the banner of "respecting the king and fighting the barbarians", respecting the Emperor Zhou as the lord of the Central Plains, and raised his troops to resist the large-scale invasion of the nomads in the north and the Chu barbarians in the south..."

If you use 21st century fashion terms to describe it...then "respect the king and fight against barbarians" is the hottest new word in Japan nowadays.

"Respect the king and fight against the barbarians" - this slogan has gradually evolved into a political term with complex meanings since the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period due to its outstanding versatility. It has played an important role in the history of the Central Plains, the Korean Peninsula, the Japanese Islands and other regions .

In the sixth year of Yongjia (1853), after the outbreak of the "Black Ship Incident" in which the US Navy Commodore Perry led the fleet to Japan, two trends of thought emerged in Japan: "Theory of Respecting the King" and "Theory of Repelling Barbarians".

The theory of "expelling the barbarians" is easy to understand. It is to expel all the barbarians from the West, and let Japan return to the state of being closed and isolated from the world.

And "the theory of respecting the king"... This idea has actually been around for a long time. It can be traced back to Japan's first samurai regime: the Kamakura Shogunate period (1192-1333).

At that time, the emperor's real political power was completely taken away by the samurai for the first time, and he has basically never regained his power since then.

Although politically, the emperor was marginalized, but due to the special national conditions, the emperor's cultural and spiritual influence has always been strong.

This is why the Wu family regime has changed one after another, but no one has ever dethroned the Chrysanthemum family.

Therefore, influenced by the special spiritual and cultural appeal of the royal family, there has been no lack of people who are loyal to the royal family and want to revive the imperial court in Kyoto in all dynasties of Japan.

Historically, with the assistance of these court loyalists, the emperor almost regained the power of governing the country.

The "Black Ship Incident" dealt a heavy blow to the authority of the Edo Shogunate.

From the daimyo of the vassal state to the ordinary people, countless people have deeply doubted the strength of the Edo shogunate and whether the Tokugawa family still has the ability to govern the country.

This made those who believed in the "theory of respecting the king" see a once-in-a-lifetime historical opportunity to reshape the authority of the emperor and the Kyoto court!

For a time, the theory of "respecting the king" was rampant.

Respecting the king and rejecting the barbarians - logically speaking, there should be no connection between these two thoughts, which are completely irreconcilable in terms of meaning and proposition.

But the development of history is sometimes so unexpected.

Whether those who want to respect the king or those who want to get rid of barbarians, their struggles all point to the same target: the Edo shogunate.

Those who respect the king think that the Edo shogunate is a national thief who steals the country.

The people of the anti-barbarians believed that the Edo shogunate was a waste that bowed to the barbarians and couldn't even defeat the barbarians.

Although these two parties did not like the Edo shogunate, a skinny camel is bigger than a horse after all.

The current Edo shogunate is indeed no longer the prestige it had in the past to bring peace to the world and end the troubled times of the Warring States Period, but no matter how weak it is, it cannot be overthrown by thousands of warriors with swords and spears.

As the saying goes: The enemy of my enemy is my friend.

In this way, the two waves of people whose political ideals are irrelevant, the bastard looked at the mung bean-the right eye.

After that, a certain person's speech provided a realistic theoretical basis for the convergence of the two parties.

This character is quite well-known in today's Japan-he is the current emperor: Emperor Tohito.

Tongren hated the "barbarians" who came from the West very much. He urged the Edo shogunate several times to launch the "War against Barbarians" as soon as possible, and asked the Tokugawa family, the hereditary general who conquered barbarians, to fulfill the obligation of "expelling barbarians" as soon as possible.

Tongren's political stance can be said to have given a shot in the arm to the anti-barbarians-they have been given the title of anti-barbarians-the emperor hates barbarians, and we are following the emperor's order to kill barbarians! We are the famous teachers of justice!

Don't underestimate the name.

Throughout the ages, countless heroes have proved the importance of righteousness and fame countless times with their actual actions and blood.

In war, a tenable military status that can win the heartfelt approval and support of the masses is better than thousands of troops.

When the emperor today hates barbarians → we are supporting the emperor by killing barbarians and responding to the emperor's call → respecting the king is to reject barbarians, and expelling barbarians is to respect the king.

A perfect logical closed loop is formed.

The oppression of the real situation + the temporary common interest appeal = the combination of the king-respecting faction and the barbarian faction.

The two thoughts were organically combined, and a new trend of thought: "respecting the king and rejecting barbarians" came into being.

As soon as this trend of thought appeared, it spread throughout Japan at a terrifying speed.

Up to now, Zun Rang thought has a strong appeal and influence.

Fighting barbarian patriots - this title is already an antique from the previous version.

Today's popular title is "respecting people with lofty ideals".

"Yunqi Longxiang! Turn into a prince!"

Ito Dazang recited this famous line from "Han Shu Shu Zhuan" affectionately, and then took a full breath to brew his emotions.

"Nowadays, the times are changing!"

"Western barbarians are staring at our country! The situation of the country is at stake!"

"At the time of great changes unseen in a thousand years, we people with lofty ideals should be brave and take the lead!"

"A man should carry a three-foot sword in his hand, and make an invincible feat!"

"If I'm just going to be a dojo teacher for the rest of my life, I'm really not reconciled!"

"So I've made up my mind!"

"For at least 5 years, I will put down all the mundane affairs at hand, and work wholeheartedly to realize the dream of 'Zunrong'!"

"Give me the sword at my waist! Dedicate my life! Dedicate it all to the great cause of honoring the king and fighting barbarians!"

Daizo Ito's speech was powerful: the response, however, was a little more nuanced.

Qingdeng has never been interested in matters related to politics, so he kept a flat face the whole time.

The general manager listened very carefully, but she just listened to it as if she was listening to storytelling. What political aspirations can you expect from a man with a mind full of swords and sweets?

Harada Sanosuke, an illiterate who can't even read Chinese characters, looked bewildered. Although he didn't quite understand what Daizo Ito was saying, that was the case.

Yongcang Shinpachi's face was flushed with excitement. But he was not moved by the lofty ambition of Ito Dazang and the grand ideal of respecting the king and fighting barbarians. He just resonated with Ito Dazang's phrase "A man should hold a three-foot sword, and he will achieve immortality".

Saitoichi was still the same, holding the saber, huddled in the corner of the living room expressionlessly, looking at the void in front of him. Whether he was in a daze just now, or whether he was listening to Ito Dazang, I am afraid only God knows.

Inoue Gensaburo, like Qingdeng, was not sensitive to right and wrong in these temples. Although he was listening to Ito Daizo's speech, it was coming in from one ear and out from the other.

Hijikata Toshizo didn't seem to like Ito Daizo, let alone listening to him, he didn't even bother to look at him.

In the audience, there were only two people who really responded positively to Daizo Ito's speech.

One is Fujido Heisuke.

As a disciple of Ito Daizo, Todo Heisuke respects and worships his teacher very much.

After Ito Dazang gave his lecture, he had a respectful appearance of listening to the hadith the whole time, with a fiery light called "admiration" in his eyes, and he almost said "Teacher, what you said is really good", "Teacher, I I really admire you." These two big characters were written on the forehead.

As for the second...it is Isamu Kondo.

"I'm really not reconciled to being a dojo teacher for the rest of my life..."

Isamu Kondo repeated in a low voice what Ito Daizo said just now at a volume that he couldn't hear clearly.

A strange brilliance rose from the bottom of his eyes little by little...

...

...

Ito Daizo and Todo Heisuke have been in the test room, and they didn't get up until noon to leave.

Although the Kondo family tried to persuade the two to stay for lunch, they declined on the grounds that "it's almost time for us to go back and prepare for tonight's New Year's Eve dinner."

For Qingdeng, Ito Dazo's sudden visit was just a small episode of today.

After saying goodbye to Ito Daizo, after having lunch, the test guard hall re-entered the busy but lively "holiday preparations".

...

"Mr. Ju! Look! I squeezed Mr. Doji!"

The general manager was busy fishing, and used the snow in the yard to pinch a snowman that had no similarities with Tufang except that he could barely see it as a human being.

Suddenly, a gust of cold wind blew.

The little snowman held in the palm of the chief executive was blown away with a bang.

"Ah! Mr. Hijikata has been blown to the sky!"

"Director...what are you screaming about?"

Because he was making mochi with Kondo, Hijikata, with his hands covered in flour and his face covered in black lines, stepped out of the slant.

...

"Oh! Zuanosuke, you are very good at cleaning!"

Yongcang, who was assigned to sweep the floor together with Harada, was amazed at the spotless floor cleaned by Harada.

"After all, I'm playing with a spear!"

Harada smiled naively, with a confident smile that came from nowhere.

"A man who is good at using a spear is of course good at using a broom—isn't it a matter of course?"

"Huh? Is there any necessary causal connection between the two?"

"Because they are very long."

"...Talking to you makes me feel stupid!"

...

Dialogues and interactions similar to this can be heard endlessly in today's testing hall.

*****

*****

Yesterday's state was a little bit bad, so the number of words is a little bit less, and I will try to be more tomorrow (Leopard Head Crying.jpg)

That is to say, is there any book friend who can guess what the task Tianzhangyuan intends to hand over to Qingdeng on January 1st?

This is more difficult to guess, I guess no book friend can guess it. (Leopard is straight and strong.jpg)