I formed the strongest swordsman group

The next day——

In the third year of Wenjiu (1863), early morning on February 24th——

Kyoto, Mibu-go, a street adjacent to the Shinsengumi station——

The weather is fine.

Looking up, I saw a faint golden light dripping from the top of the sky. This golden light was half transparent and half shining.

"Well...the weather is so nice!"

Kinoshita Wu faced the sun and stretched hard. Her red dress became even more vivid under the warm sun.

"A Wu, you seem very happy?"

Kinoshita Mai turned her head sideways and looked at Qingden who was walking side by side with her face excitedly:

"Of course, I haven't gone out with you for a long time!"

As she spoke, she moved her lotus feet lightly and stood closer to Qingden. Her shoulders were almost touching Qingden's arms. The height difference of 20cm+ made it difficult for Kinoshita Mai to stand on tiptoes. They bumped shoulders with Qingdeng.

Only when she is alone with Qingdeng can she temporarily get rid of her introversion, fear of strangers, and timidity, and show her innocent, obedient appearance.

Looking at Kinoshita Mai's bright smile, Qingden smiled at first, and then changed to a serious expression:

"A Wu, I regret bringing you out."

Kinoshita Mai was stunned.

"Why?"

"With such a beautiful girl accompanying us, she attracts a lot of attention. Maybe as soon as we enter the downtown area, our identity will be exposed because of the attention."

To be honest, as soon as these words came out of his mouth, Qingdeng felt goosebumps rising on his skin under his clothes.

It’s really too disgusting!

It's a shame that I can say such embarrassing and earthy love words.

If you say this to the Souji, you will definitely hear a "hahaha" dry laugh to relieve the awkward atmosphere, and then hear a very polite thank you from the Souji.

If you say this to Sanako, she will give you a speechless look like "you don't know what to say."

But if you say it to Kinoshita Mai...

"Uh huh...!"

Kinoshita Mai, who was under a "special attack", let out a cry and lowered her head subconsciously, hiding her red face. There seemed to be a looming heat wafting out of the top of her head... the "Steam Princess" whom she hadn't seen for a long time.

Qingteng plans to take to the streets alone today.

However... last night, after learning that Aoto was going to visit the streets of Kyoto again to look for business opportunities that could make a lot of money, Kinoshita Mai couldn't help but forcefully asked to go with her, saying "If you don't agree to this, I will sever our friendship with you." posture.

Qingdeng couldn't defeat her no matter what, so he had no choice but to agree.

When the sky turned pale today, the two of them quickly made preparations to go out.

There is nothing to say about Qingden's attire, a very ordinary outfit - burgundy haori, black scarf, white undershirt, black hakama, with only Vairochana and wakizashi on his waist.

With his fruitful achievements in the "annihilation of the Kusunoki Group", Aoto's popularity and prestige in Kyoto have greatly increased.

However, due to limited information dissemination channels, the vast majority of the people in Kyoto still do not know what Ayoto looks like.

Although Aoto's portraits have been widely distributed in the streets of Kyoto,... I must be honest: these portraits are really ugly! It didn’t paint the charm it should have at all!

Japanese traditional art has never lit up the skill tree of "figure painting".

Therefore, portraits painted with Japanese painting techniques cannot be seen at all.

It would be damning if one could identify Qingdeng based on such a severely distorted portrait.

However, the information that "Nioh always wears two swords on his waist" has been widely circulated.

This feature is too obvious. For this reason, in order to avoid being recognized and causing unnecessary trouble, Qingden could only temporarily restrain the ghosts and gods, put them on the cold knife rest, and only took Vairocana out.

On the other hand, Kinoshita Mai...she dressed up nicely.

A touch of pink is applied to her pretty face; she is wearing a bright red furisode embroidered with exquisite patterns; a goose-yellow belt wraps up her waist without any fat, supporting the heavy southern hemisphere; a pair of exquisite jade feet wrapped in snow-white stockings are lightly stepped on Exquisite clogs with red buttons.

It seemed that she regarded today's outing as a long-lost date with Qingdeng.

Although today's trip is not for fun, but for research and business... but it is also a good choice to accompany Mai Kinoshita for a while.

I was walking with Sanako a few days ago, and today I am accompanied by Kinoshita Mai... Isn't this the "big family life" that Aoto hopes for?

After temporarily suppressing the shyness aroused by Aonto's "local love words", Kinoshita Mai asked:

"Qingdeng, where should we go now?"

Qingdeng replied without hesitation:

"There is nothing to see in 'Luozhong'. As far as you can see, there are either mansions of wealthy businessmen or the courtyards of nobles, so just go to 'Luowei'."

In Kyoto, people often use "Luo Zhong" and "Luo Wai" to distinguish Kyoto's areas.

These two are not formal administrative regions and have no clear regional boundaries. They are just common names among the people.

After Emperor Tsunemu (737-806) moved the capital to Heiankyo (now Kyoto), he began to build a new capital based on Chang'an and Luoyang in the Tang Dynasty.

Ujing borrowed the design of Chang'an City and called it "Chang'an". Sakyo borrowed the design of Luoyang City and called it "Luoyang".

Later, "Chang'an" gradually declined, and people moved to "Luoyang" one after another. Therefore, "Luoyang" is called the center of Kyoto.

As "Chang'an" was replaced by "Luoyang", people used "Luoyang" to call the entire Kyoto city, Zuojing was renamed "Luozhong", and the Kyoto area outside "Luozhong" was called "Luowei".

At the end of the Warring States Period, after Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1537-1598) took power, in order to revitalize Kyoto, he began to vigorously transform the capital.

He ordered people to build the city wall "Odoju" to surround the entire Kyoto. He named the area inside the "Odoju" "Luozhong" and the area outside "Luowei" - these are the "Luozhong" and "Luowei" in Kyoto today.

"Luozhong" starts from Kamigamo in the north, ends at Toji Temple in the south, borders the Kamo River in the west, and reaches the Kamogawa River in the east.

There is a saying in Kyoto: only "Luozhong" is the real Kyoto, and "Luobei" cannot represent Kyoto.

It can be seen from this: Kyoto people really love to engage in regional discrimination!

Not only does it discriminate against outsiders, but even locals have to be classified into high and low classes.

Rensheng Township happens to be located in "Luozhong". From here to "Luobei", you need to walk a long distance.

Thanks to the enthusiastic guidance and detailed introduction of the Komaki couple a few days ago, Aonto already had a general understanding of the situation in Kyoto and its surrounding areas.

Therefore, after setting off, he led Kinoshita Mai straight south without hesitation.

His goal is very clear - Fushimi, a city with a prosperous population and developed business industry!

Fushimi: Located in the south of Kyoto, this place has extremely special significance to the Tokugawa family.

During the Heian period, the Fushimi area was a villa for the nobles of Kyoto.

At the end of the 16th century, Toyotomi Hideyoshi established Fushimi Castle here in his later years, and it began to develop as a castle town.

Fushimi prospered because of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and it also witnessed his end - Toyotomi Hideyoshi finally passed away in Fushimi Castle.

After that, Fushimi Castle became a stronghold for Tokugawa Ieyasu to monitor the Toyotomi family in Osaka.

The Battle of Fushimi Castle took place on the eve of the Battle of Sekigahara. The Western Army first attacked Fushimi Castle owned by Tokugawa Ieyasu, causing the destruction of Fushimi Castle.

However, Tokugawa Ieyasu quickly completed reconstruction again in order to continue to monitor the Toyotomi family.

Eventually, Tokugawa Ieyasu became the general to conquer the barbarians here, and soon after established the Edo shogunate.

This small city not only witnessed the demise of the previous generation of overlords, but also witnessed the accession of the new overlords... Time is also destiny!

In the early Edo period, Fushimi Castle was abolished, Yodo Castle was rebuilt, and it became the territory of the Yodo clan.

Because it is located between Kyoto and Osaka, this area became the port "Fushimi Port" and the town "Fushimi-juku" via water transportation on the Yodogawa River.

No matter in ancient times or today, any area adjacent to a river and able to use water transportation has a good level of development.

Today, Fushimi has become an important and prosperous commercial area with a large population, eight streets and nine streets.

If you want to research business opportunities that can make you a lot of money, this is the best place!

Qingden had not taken two steps when he felt a tightness in his left wrist - Mai Kinoshita reached out and grabbed his left cuff.

"Qingdeng, go this way."

Kinoshita Mai raised her right thumb and gestured towards the Ichitsujikoguchi on her right.

"This is the shortcut to leaving Rensheng Township!"

Qingdeng raised his eyebrows with a look of surprise on his face.

Before he could raise any questions, Kinoshita Mai chuckled a few times, a look of triumph appearing on her pretty face.

"Hey, hey, hey~~ Qingdeng, don't forget, I am the 'Cat Monk'!"

"'Investigating the layout of towns and cities' is my professional habit."

"Since I entered Kyoto, I have never been idle and have been working hard to collect specific details of various towns and cities in Kyoto."

"Although I can't say that I have memorized the entire Kyoto in my mind yet, I already know the layout of the surrounding Mibu Township!"

After Qingdeng heard this, he couldn't help but laugh:

"Ah Wu, you did a great job. In that case, I'll ask you to lead the way."

The positions of the two were swapped.

Kinoshita Mai walked in front and led the way, followed closely by Qingden.

Under the leadership of the girl, they sometimes walked onto the main road and sometimes turned into unknown Tsujiko.

Qingdeng swept his eyes frequently, deliberately observing the traffic conditions around him, and thought to himself:

——The road conditions in Kyoto are really complicated...

Because Kyoto was modeled after Chang'an and Luoyang in the Tang Dynasty, its streets were laid out in a "strip system".

In addition to building the "Odoju", Toyotomi Hideyoshi also made further adjustments to the zoning of Kyoto.

He ordered the construction of north-south roads, and the neighborhoods were further divided into multiple rectangular areas, establishing the appearance of today's Kyoto towns.

Since the 16th century, Kyoto's industry and commerce have flourished, and the urban population has grown rapidly.

People began to build houses on idle land and paved paths in front of their homes to facilitate traveling.

Thus "Rochi" and "Tsujiko" were born.

Tsujiko: A trail with two or more entrances and exits, connecting two main roads.

Road: a lane with only one entrance and exit. The road is usually a private area, and the nameplate of the owner of the household is often displayed at the road entrance. There are two special types of roads: "mile roads" and "bag trails".

The former is similar to what is called "dark alley" in Chinese.

The latter is a narrow road with a relatively secluded location. Residents can safely let their children play on the path, while adults can concentrate on doing housework at home.

After lamenting the complexity of the road conditions in Kyoto, he then added in his mind:

——A large number of troops must be invested to effectively deter the thieves entrenched in Kyoto...

Kyoto is one of Japan's most historic cities.

Therefore, it has a large number of road networks and building groups that are like "Shit Mountain Code" and you don't know where to start if you want to rectify them.

This is a great disadvantage for the Shinsengumi, who currently shoulder the important task of protecting Kyoto.

On the other hand, in the eyes of thieves, this is a great benefit.

As long as you are familiar with the road conditions and turn into any Tsujiko, you can easily get rid of the pursuers.

The Shinsengumi side must send a large number of troops to conduct a carpet-like pursuit and interception in order to bring the escaped thieves to justice.

——Our troops are still too few...

Qingden sighed heavily in his heart.

With the Shinsengumi's current strength of about a hundred people...not to mention defending Kyoto, just defending a "Luozhong" is enough.

If you want to recruit soldiers, you need to spend money, and spend a lot of money!

With this thought, Qingdeng became more determined that "we must find a way to make a lot of money as soon as possible."

…

…

Ayoto and Mai Kinoshita are both people who are not lacking in foot strength.

It only took them less than an hour to arrive at Fushimi.

Due to its close proximity to Kyoto, Fushimi is deeply influenced by Kyoto culture.

Fushimi speaks a standard Kyoto dialect, and his clothes are also very classic, with a unique Kyoto style. As for the architectural style, they are even more the same.

Because the customs and customs of Fushimi and Kyoto are almost the same, people often joke that there is no difference anyway, and Fushimi should merge with Kyoto as soon as possible.

Both Aoto and Mai Kinoshita came to Fushimi for the first time.

They walked forward slowly while observing their surroundings with interest.

The buildings on both sides of the street are very classic Kyo-machiya.

Kyoto machiya refers to the traditional commercial and residential houses in Kyoto, built according to the traditional wooden axis construction method. The building is two stories high, with a long and narrow layout, with a shop in front and a home in the back, with a courtyard attached.

The most striking feature of Kyo-machiya is that a tiled Zhongkui statue is placed on the first-floor roof to ward off evil spirits.

At the same time, an insect cage window - a barred window - was installed on the side of the second floor facing the street. There were turmoil and riots in ancient Kyoto. This kind of window was installed to facilitate people inside the house to observe the situation outside, while preventing outsiders from prying.

In addition, there will be small roof structures called "Mao Jian" on both sides of the roof, which serve as both decoration and firewalls.

Just like people in Kyoto, Fushimi people also have the habit of sweeping in front of their houses.

Looking towards the street, you can always see someone holding a cleaning tool, meticulously spraying water to remove dust, cleaning their own yard, and cleaning the street at the same time.

Fushimi is a commercial city that thrived on water transportation, so ships are naturally indispensable.

The closer you get to Yodogawa, the denser the crowds are.

After arriving at the port, Qingto and Kinoshita Mai, who were accustomed to the world, couldn't help but be surprised when they saw the prosperous scene.

Countless civilians were running around on ships of all sizes, carrying all kinds of goods.

"It's so lively..."

Kinoshita Mai murmured softly.

Qingdeng nodded slightly to show his agreement.

"A Wu, let's go and have a look at the port... huh?"

Abruptly, as if he had discovered some exotic animal, Qingden turned his head and looked straight at a certain place.

"Qingdeng, what's wrong?"

As Kinoshita Mai asked, she followed Qingto's line of sight - and saw that the thing he was looking at was a liveaboard.

The so-called "liveaboard" is a hotel built near the port specifically for travelers to stay.

"Temple...field...house...?"

Kinoshita Mai whispered the name of the liveaboard shop Aoto was looking at.

"... Ah Wu, before inspecting the port... I want to meet someone first."

After saying that, Qingden took big steps and quickly walked towards the temple house.

Although Kinoshita Mai didn't know why, she still followed closely.

Wow—As soon as Qingto pushed open the door of Terada House with his front foot with a gentle movement, he asked loudly with his back foot:

"Who is Miss Denshi?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a nice mature female voice came from deep in the store:

"Huh? Which one?"

Immediately afterwards, a beautiful young woman who still had her charm came to the entrance and in front of Qingdeng and Kinoshita Mai.

"I am in charge, are you?"

Qingdeng opened his mouth and was about to say something... when he suddenly felt a sharp gaze coming from behind him...