I formed the strongest swordsman group

In the third year of Wenjiu (1863), early morning on April 28th——

Kyoto, Nijo Castle, Honmaru——

Qingteng is wearing a flying giant cockroach suit...ah, no, wearing a samurai ceremonial attire with two large shoulder pads, waiting quietly outside the main pill.

He is not alone.

Beside him, Ichibashi Keiki, Matsudaira Chunue, Matsudaira Yongho, and other ministers were all well-dressed.

At this moment, they were arranged in a neat queue according to their status, silently waiting for Tokugawa Iemo and Tenzouin to appear.

Last night, Tokugawa Iemo suddenly issued the order "I want to inspect the Shinsengumi camp."

Before this, neither Aoto nor anyone else had received relevant instructions, and they had never heard of Tokugawa Iemo's idea of ​​inspecting the Shinsengumi camp.

In other words, this is a complete "unannounced inspection."

In addition, in line with the simple thought of "everything comes, everyone comes", Tokugawa Iemo decided to inspect the Shinsengumi camp in addition to inspecting the large division currently stationed in Kyoto.

The Daiban Group - together with the Shoin Group and the Xiaoxing Group, are known as the three major guards of the Tokugawa Shogun, namely the "Sanban Group".

In terms of status alone, the "Third Division" ranks at the top of the major standing armies of the shogunate.

Although in name, the various units of the "Third Division" are on the same level, in reality, their statuses are differentiated.

Among the "Third Division", the highest-status unit is undoubtedly the Xiao Xing Group.

The small surname group is responsible for personal protection of the general, both in peacetime and in wartime.

Next is the academy group.

The academy team is also responsible for personal guarding the general, but only during wartime.

Normally, they are on standby in the tiger room in Edo Castle.

The lowest status is the big group.

In a nutshell, the duty of the big team is to defend the city.

There are 12 groups in total, responsible for guarding Edo Castle, Osaka Castle, and Nijo Castle in Kyoto.

Among them, 2 groups are in charge of Osaka Castle and 2 are in Nijo Castle, which alternate every year. The remaining 8 groups are on duty in the camp or Ninomaru in Edo Castle and serve as the vanguard of the entire army during wartime.

Compared with the small surname group and the academy group, the work of the big group is undoubtedly much more arduous and hard.

Every once in a while, I have to go on a long business trip. Whether I go to Kyoto or Osaka, I have to live there for a whole year before I can return home.

Just this journey back and forth can make those pampered banner disciples miserable.

Moreover, staying in Kyoto and Osaka is far less comfortable than staying in Edo.

In terms of prosperity alone, both Kyoto and Osaka are not inferior to Edo.

However, when it comes to the entertainment industry, Edo really shines.

Casinos, red light districts, geishas, ​​kabuki, puppet shows, storytellers... you name it.

Every entertainment activity you can think of can be found in the streets and alleys of Edo.

The birth of the saying "Edo people don't leave overnight money" not only represents the regional character of Edo people, but also reflects Edo's extremely developed entertainment industry.

There are so many entertainment activities and so many places to spend money that people of all classes can find entertainment activities that suit them, and it is impossible to save money.

Therefore, for the task of "regularly stationing in Kyoto and Osaka", the officers and soldiers of the Daban Group are afraid to avoid it.

The order was given last night.

The operation took place this morning.

Even if you want to improvise, you can't come up with anything in just one night.

In other words, what everyone will see next will be the most realistic appearance of the Beijing-based big team and the Shinsengumi.

Qingden quietly raised his gaze and glanced at the sky above his head.

The blue sky, fluffy white clouds...and the sun rising a little higher.

Nearly half an hour has passed since he stood in this place...

Qingden resisted the urge to yawn and complained angrily:

——Sigh... It's just a change of clothes, how can it be so boring...!

According to the damn etiquette, whether it is the General Zhengyi or the Grand Imperial Palace, he must wear the right clothes in the right place.

When dealing with official duties, sleeping, meeting courtiers, meeting ministers, hunting, riding horses, in private... these messy activities and scenes all have matching special clothing.

According to incomplete statistics, the clothing that Tokugawa Iemo needs for daily use includes, but is not limited to: iron-lined hemp jacket, patterned shoulder jacket, horse riding jacket, field clothes, belts, belt ties, anklets, patterned curtains, White curtains, white footbags, cyanotic footbags...

The variety of strange names is simply dazzling.

However, if compared with Tenzouin's wardrobe, these "storages" of Tokugawa Iemo simply pale into insignificance!

When he first joined the New Imperial Palace, Qingto couldn't understand: Why did His Highness Tianzhangin run to Yuegong Shrine every two days? She looked like she was enjoying it.

At first, Qingdeng guessed that the answer was that there were many rules in Da'ouli, and the lively and active Tianzhangyuan would definitely prefer the free "Beyond Da'ao".

It was not until one day later that Qingdeng learned the correct answer from Tianzhangyuan.

She really didn't like Da'ao's complicated rules.

But, to be more precise, she couldn't stand the pace of life where she had to change clothes more than a dozen times a day!

The number of rules in Da'ao is even greater than that of the royal family.

According to Da'ao's internal regulations, Tianzhangyuan has to change into several sets of clothes just to get up, wash up, and have breakfast.

And the styles of these clothes are extremely complicated.

Undergarments, blouses, outer blouses, feather fabrics... one on top of another, one on top of the other.

Or the sleeves are so wide that a person can be stuffed inside.

Or the hem is so long that it can be used as a broom. Walking around the corridor, you can clean the corridor floor.

In short, the costumes of Odaisho are basically the type that "cannot be put on without the help of others."

Even just wearing the simplest and most ordinary clothes requires a lot of servants to prepare it.

At the end of the day, I didn't do anything serious at all, just changing clothes.

There are many other crazy rules similar to this.

For example: You can raise pets in Daoli, but every pet you raise must be female.

Another example: When Yutai is eating, he can only take one bite of each dish, and after one bite, a new one is served.

For example, if you eat a crucian carp, after every bite, no matter how much fish meat is left, you will definitely get a new plate of crucian carp. In one meal, you can consume dozens of crucian carp.

When Qingteng served as a "side official and imperial servant", because he was in charge of the affairs of the Great Olympics, he needed to have frequent contact with the people of the Great Olympics.

Over time, he had a big psychological shadow on Da'ao.

If you stay in this place for too long, your brain will break sooner or later - this is Qingdeng's only comment on Da'ao.

Tianzhang Academy will also participate in today's "troop review."

Since you are going out for an activity, you should wear clothes specifically designed for "going out".

Qingto and others are now waiting for Tokugawa Iemo and Tenzouin to change clothes.

After waiting like this for a while, the mother and son finally arrived belatedly.

Aonto didn't understand clothing, so he couldn't accurately name the various pieces of clothing worn by Tokugawa Iemo and Tenzouin.

Tokugawa Iemo was dressed in black, and Tenzouin was dressed in green—this was Aonto's perception.

To be honest, Qingdeng couldn't tell the difference between the clothes they were wearing now and their usual clothes.

Except for the subtle differences in decoration and pattern, they are almost the same!

Qingdeng couldn't help but complained in his heart again:

——What’s the point of spending so much time changing clothes...

It is worth mentioning that, in order to maintain the "sacredness" of the Grand Imperial Palace, Tianzhangyuan wore a scarf to cover her face, exposing only her beautiful eyes to prevent outsiders from easily seeing her appearance.

Whenever he appears in front of the public, Oitaishu always tries to hide his face - which actually makes Qingteng breathe a sigh of relief.

Today I am going to inspect the Shinsengumi camp, and I will definitely run into Sanako and Souji—leaving aside the others, these two have seen Tenjoin with their own eyes.

Just two years ago, when Aitoto hid his traces and secretly investigated the Genfu Ingot, Sanako and Souji, who had traveled all over Edo and outside Edo in search of him, accidentally walked into Tsukinomiya Shrine and met Tenjoin. .

If the two of them discover that the Grand Odaisho of the Edo Shogunate and the Grand Miko of Tsukinomiya Shrine look exactly the same, then even if Aoto uses his talent "Trickster +1" to the extreme, he still won't be able to get away with it.

As soon as the mother and son appeared, Qingdeng and others bowed to them respectfully.

Qingto subconsciously raised his eyes quietly, glanced at Tokugawa Iemo, and then looked at Tianzhangyuan.

Coincidentally, Tianzhangyuan also looked at him at the same time.

The two people's eyes collided in mid-air... In just a moment, Tianzhangyuan hurriedly looked back and stared directly at the distant place.

"Everyone, thank you for your hard work."

Tokugawa Iemo came forward and said greetings that were neither salty nor bland.

The trainees came forward and opened the sedan door for Tokugawa Iemo.

However, Tokugawa Iemo said:

"The weather is very good today. It would be a pity to sit in a dark sedan."

As he spoke, he waved his hand to Jin Xi beside him.

The trainee immediately nodded vigorously and understood, and then stepped back in three steps and two steps at a time.

Not long after, the scholar led Tokugawa Iemo's royal horse and returned to the eyes of everyone.

Tokugawa Iemo held the saddle and the horse's neck, put his left foot into the stirrup, gently turned up, and landed firmly on the saddle.

His vigorous and agile movements... One look at it and you can tell that he must be riding a horse very often.

"Everyone!"

Tokugawa Iemo turned his head to the side and showed a hearty smile to everyone.

"let's go!"

…

…

Carrots and royal horses go hand in hand.

In addition to Aoshinobu, Matsudaira Yongho, Hitotsubashi Yoshiki and Matsudaira Harugaku also obtained the privilege of "following Tokugawa Iemo".

Tianzhangyuan was sitting in the sedan chair, half a body behind them.

How dignified is it to sit astride the saddle of a majestic grand palace with legs spread apart?

As a result, Tianzhangyuan had no right to make a choice, so she could only stay in the sedan obediently.

Qingdeng could imagine how unhappy she would be - how could such a lively and active Tianzhangyuan be willing to stay in the sedan?

I don't know if it's because of the sunny weather or some other reason, but Tokugawa Iemo seems to be in a good mood today.

Sometimes he looked at the sky, sometimes at the distant scenery, with a faint smile on his lips.

Abruptly, he suddenly asked Qingdeng:

"Aomori, how is the recruitment process of the Shinsengumi going?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Qingdeng immediately replied:

"It went very smoothly. The number of people who came to sign up to join the army far exceeded our expectations."

"One-third of the target has been achieved so far."

"If nothing else happens, by mid-May, the goal of 'expanding the army by 3,000 troops' will be successfully completed."

Tokugawa Iemo nodded slightly and continued to ask:

"Where are the horses? How is the purchase of horses going?"

"We have signed stable large orders with horse dealers in Kai and Tohoku. Next, 1,000 war horses and 3,000 draft horses will enter the Shinsengumi racecourse. Because we have signed a super large order, some horse dealers They gave me some bad horses, 150 in total. Although such bad horses cannot go to the battlefield, they are more than enough to carry supplies."

"Where's the cavalry? Can the Shinsengumi's cavalry units be put on the battlefield?"

"To be honest, it's still early. Although there are already some knights who can skillfully control horses, 'being able to ride a horse' and 'being able to fight on a horse' are two different things. It will take a long time before the cavalry unit can begin to gain combat effectiveness. "

…

The two of them just asked and answered.

Tokugawa Iemo continued to ask professional and serious questions.

Qingdeng also continued to give professional and serious answers.

After asking several more questions in succession, Tokugawa Iemo nodded gently and changed into a half-joking tone:

"Qingden, I have high hopes for your Shinsengumi, please don't let me down."

Qingden smiled slightly.

"Your Highness, although I really want to use up all the words in my language to praise the Shinsengumi, facts always speak louder than words. Next, I invite you to see this unit with your own eyes."

At this time, a sharp male voice suddenly intervened:

"Your Highness, with the support of the Shinsengumi outside and the pillars of the Xiao family inside, the Tokugawa world will surely last for eternity!"

Qingdeng immediately frowned and looked around - a thin face with protruding cheekbones suddenly caught his eye.

The person who spoke was named Toshiro Maki, and he was the second division leader of the small surname group.

There are a total of 8 groups with small surnames. Each group has 1 fantou, 1 group leader, 50 fanshis, and 30 lower-level warriors called "Yuli" and "Tongxin" who are responsible for doing miscellaneous tasks.

The troops of the small surname group who followed Tokugawa Iemo in Luo this time were the second group, the fourth group, the sixth group and the eighth group.

At first glance, it seemed that Toshiro Maki was just flattering someone in a very disgusting way.

Not only did he praise the Shinsengumi, he also did not forget to mention the group with a nickname.

However, Qingdeng, who has worked hard in politics for so many years, immediately saw through his "word game."

The small surname group is the backbone.

The Shinsengumi is just support.

Anyone who has read a book knows the difference between "pillar" and "support".

It seems to be praising both at the same time, but in fact it is an overt praise and covert criticism of the Shinsengumi.

Raised the small surname group.

I stepped on the Shinsengumi.

Leopard, leopard, come back to life! (Leopard Hi.jpg)

PS: According to historical facts, Odaisho basically would not leave Edo Castle.

The passages in this book such as "Tianzhang Institute has come to Kyoto" and "Tian Zhang Institute has gone to review the troops" are all plots made up by Bao Baozi. I hope everyone knows.