I formed the strongest swordsman group

Chapter 755 Qingdeng is promoted! The Lord of Qinjin Domain! 【·end】

The messenger left.

The Shinsengumi generals still sat there, speechless and motionless, like clay and wood sculptures.

The inside and outside of the auditorium were shrouded in silence like the deep sea, and you could hear a pin drop.

About 10 seconds later, Sanosuke Harada, who has the most out-of-the-box personality, made his first voice:

"Otsu...Mr. Tachibana has become the master of Otsu?"

His tone was full of uncontrollable excitement.

Otsu - Even Sanosuke Harada, the most uneducated and always known as an "idiot", understands the value of the Otsu area, let alone others.

Kondo Isamu slapped his thigh.

"Wow! It's really great!"

Nagakura Shinpachi said excitedly:

"Otsu is right next door to Kyoto. If you ride a fast horse, you can make two or three trips back and forth between the two places in one day."

Genzaburo Inoue took over:

"In this way, Mr. Tachibana can use Otsu as a base to better support Kyoto! Let the two places become horns to each other and maintain peace in the Western Frontier forever!"

The general manager murmured:

"Qinjin Fan... Qinjin... the name is good!"

Todo Heisuke frowned slightly:

"It's really strange... Since Otsu Castle is the domain hall, the name of the domain should be 'Otsu Domain'. Lord Dashu actually gave it a special name... This is really against the laws of our ancestors."

Kinoshita Mai on the side responded and said:

"Doesn't this just show that Dashu Gong loves Qingdeng? He enjoys unique privileges."

Sanako was happy at first, but then her face fell as if she remembered something.

"Being granted the title of Otsu... Although this is a good thing, it also means that the burden on Tachibana-kun's shoulders is heavier. Otsu is the western gateway of the shogunate and the front line facing the Daimyo of the Western Kingdom. In the future, Changshu or other Western countries If the daimyo comes, we will be the first to bear the brunt."

Hijikata Toshizo shrugged:

"What are you afraid of! When soldiers come to block us and water comes to cover us, I'm afraid they won't come back! If there is no battle to fight, won't we lose the opportunity to make achievements?"

Xinjian Jinyouyou said:

"I don't quite understand...Although Mr. Tachibana is the confidant of Mr. Dashu, and he should receive more favors, the favor Mr. Tachibana has received this time...isn't it a bit too much? Mr. Tachibana's title Our land is not an insignificant backwater, but that Dajin!"

Kondo Isamu grinned:

"Never mind this kind of thing!"

Looking around, there is a lively scene.

The atmosphere inside and outside the auditorium was filled with joy.

Everyone is participating in the discussion enthusiastically and actively, spreading excitement.

Everyone was sincerely happy and excited about the good news that "Qingdeng was awarded the title of Dajin".

Even Serizawa Kamo and Niimi Nishiki, who did not belong to the "Testing Guard School", no longer had tense faces at this time, and both showed complex expressions that seemed to be both relief and admiration.

Even Shannan Keisuke, who was always calm, widened his eyes and muttered involuntarily:

"It's actually Otsu...and it's a land of 300,000 koku...this...this..."

Shannan Keisuke's shock was beyond words.

Previously, he had made many assumptions about the place where Qingnog would be entrusted. Among them, he believed that the most likely location was Kai.

It was just a while ago that Aoto had the command of the Hachioji and thousands of people due to his feat of "defeating the British ships", and now it was really reasonable to get Kai's territory.

But in the end...he never expected that Tokugawa Iemo would actually hand over the crucial Otsu to Aoto!

Where is Otsu?

It is not just a blessed land adjacent to Kyoto with beautiful mountains and clear waters!

Although Japan is a small country with a narrow area and dense mountains, it still has four strategically important places that cannot be easily abandoned.

They are the Kanto region, the Noo region, the Osaka region, and the Otsu region including Kyoto.

The Kanto region is like Guanzhong of China.

Not only does it have a vast plain (the Kanto Plain), but it also has natural dangers (surrounded by mountains) that are easy to defend and difficult to attack.

It can be said that "mountains and rivers are surrounded by mountains and rivers, and the land is fertile, but you can dominate them all." It is actually the foundation of a country.

The Genze Dynasty 800 years ago and Tokugawa Ieyasu 250 years ago both used the Kanto region as their basic base. They defeated all the heroes in one fell swoop and unified Japan, achieving unparalleled achievements.

Noo area - namely Mino and Owari.

There is a saying in China that "whoever wins Jingzhou wins the world."

Coincidentally, Japan also has a similar saying - those who win Mino win the world.

In other words, the Nongwei area is like the land of Jingchu in China.

Nobi is located right in the center of Japan.

If you want to give a vivid example... Japan is like a dumbbell, thick at both ends and thin in the middle - the thick tail is located in the middle detail.

The boundary that divides East and West Japan - Sekigahara - is located in Mino.

Not only that, this place is also one of the important grain-producing areas in Japan. Although the area is small, the grain production is an astonishing 1.13 million koku!

Therefore, when it comes to "a battleground for military strategists", if Nobi is called "Japan's second", there is no other place that dares to be called "Japan's first".

Osaka area - the Osaka Plain with Osaka as the center.

Since the Nara period (710-784), Osaka has been a trading port due to its location near the sea.

Since the establishment of the Edo shogunate, Osaka has been the national economic center and logistics center, and the city with the most vigorous economic activities.

The Osaka area is to Japan what the Jiangnan area is to China.

As for the Otsu area...

To put it bluntly, the status of the Central Plains in China is the same as the status of Otsu in Japan!

First of all, Otsu is located in a plain area with abundant products, suitable climate and high grain production.

Secondly, Otsu and Kyoto are neighbors.

As Nagakura Shinpachi just said, if you ride a fast horse, you can run 2 or 3 times between the two places in one day.

In other words, if you have Otsu, you also have the military ability to "reach the gates of Kyoto within one day."

In addition, Otsu is a vital transportation hub.

Whether it is from East Japan to West Japan or from West Japan to East Japan, you have to pass through Otsu.

The Tokaido, one of the "Five Roads", must pass through Otsu, and Otsu-juku is the penultimate stop of the Tokaido.

Not only that, Otsu is also close to Lake Biwa.

As a famous lake in the world and the largest lake in Japan, there are many tourists who come to visit it every year.

Even if it is just operating the tourism industry, it can bring in considerable income.

Finally, Otsu is the western gateway of the shogunate.

The authority of the shogunate only radiates to eastern Japan, and it can only sigh in despair for western Japan.

For the shogunate, western Japan is no different from a foreign country.

Satsuma, Choshu, Tosa, Hizen... these difficult-to-serve foreign daimyo all gathered in western Japan.

And Otsu happens to be located at the westernmost end of the shogunate's sphere of influence.

East of Otsu is the shogunate's control area, and west is the territory of the western daimyo... In other words, Otsu is the western frontier of the shogunate!

In summary, Otsu = important grain production area + logistics hub + transportation hub + tourist center + frontier town + national capital defense zone.

It is not an exaggeration to call Otsu the "Central Plains" of Japan!

Tokugawa Iemochi handed Otsu to Aoto, just like a Chinese emperor handed over most of the Central Plains to a meritorious official who was not related to him. In this way, we can roughly understand how shocking Tokugawa Iemochi's behavior was.

Although the Edo Shogunate has always been willing to divide land, and has divided more than 300 daimyo over the past two hundred years, making the current Japanese political map as fragmented as sauerkraut, the shogunate has always firmly grasped the four most important strategic locations.

The Kanto region is the core base of the Edo Shogunate.

The Nobi region is the territory of the Owari Tokugawa family, one of the "Three Great Houses".

The Osaka region and the Otsu region are both directly governed by the shogunate.

The shogunate actually gave up one of the "four major strategic locations"... This is the first time in more than two hundred years!

It is no exaggeration to say that Tokugawa Iemochi really gave half of the shogunate's arm to Aoto!

At this time, Souji noticed the strangeness of Aoto on the main seat.

Qing Deng was not as excited as the others present.

He looked into the distance, as if thinking about something.

"Jujun, what's wrong? Why are you so serious? You have become the master of a city and a place, and you are also a daimyo with 300,000 territories. Aren't you happy?"

The words of the general manager immediately focused the attention of everyone present on Qing Deng.

Qing Deng was stunned for a moment, and then smiled:

"Of course I am happy."

"I was just... sighing just now."

At this point, Qing Deng let out a sigh of relief, and his expression became meaningful.

"I am also a daimyo now..."

Hearing Qing Deng's words, everyone present showed confused expressions.

They are not Qing Deng, so they can't really empathize with Qing Deng's immediate psychological changes.

Owning his own territory, population, resources overnight... The specific feelings of it, I am afraid only the parties involved can appreciate it.

Suddenly, Souji chuckled and half-jokingly changed the topic:

"Tachibana-kun, when are you going to go to your territory and take a look?"

Yamanan Keisuke smiled:

"I'll be busy again."

Hijikata Toshizo took over the conversation:

"First, we need to inspect the land, then build a new city, and then count the population and sort out the household registration..."

Qing Deng smiled bitterly:

"Don't rush to Otsu now."

"Let's finish the affairs at hand first, and it won't be too late to go to Otsu after Kyoto is completely stable."

As he said that, he turned his head and looked at Yamannan Keisuke not far away.

"Keisuke, what day is today?"

Yamanan Keisuke immediately replied:

"September 20th."

"The 20th... Then let's tentatively go to Otsu on September 25th!"

"Okay, let's all go."

After that, Qing Deng got up and left the table first.

After leaving the auditorium, his eyes seemed to be drawn by a transparent thread, looking straight to the east, looking at Otsu in the distance.

"Qinjin..."

He muttered.

His eyes shone with a bright light.

...

...

The 300,000 koku of land south of Lake Biwa belonged to Qing Deng - this series of news quickly spread throughout the streets and alleys in and outside Kyoto.

Whether it was people who admired Qing Deng or those who hated Qing Deng, they were all shocked by this.

For a time, from Kakuchu to Kakugai, from the streets to the end of the alleys, from the dining table to the bathhouse, everyone was discussing the newly born "Qinjin Domain", exchanging opinions and conveying emotions.

Among them, shock accounted for the majority - just like Shannan Keisuke, both military and political leaders and ordinary people were dumbfounded by the shogunate's grand gesture.

ah? Let Tachibana Aoden become the master of Otsu? Does this matter? Is it a bit too exaggerated?

Even if Aoto is Tokugawa Iemo's consort, it won't be like this, right? !

What's more, Aoto is not Tokugawa Iemo's consort.

Wagoniya has not yet given birth to an heir, and Tokugawa Iemo is still childless, so it is simply impossible to marry Aonto.

As of now, Aoto and Tokugawa Iemo have no kinship. The only friendship between them is the "friendship of a monarch and his ministers."

Although he was clearly not a relative or a friend, yet he treated Qingdeng so favorably... Just using words such as "favor" and "trust" to describe him seemed inadequate and inappropriate.

"Is it really okay to treat Tachibana Aoden so favorably?" - Such a voice emerged in the market.

In fact, there were many opposing voices even within the shogunate.

The "opposition" unanimously believes that Qingdeng has too much power now! Too much!

How powerful is Qingdeng’s power now?

It has a highly independent and powerful field army (Shinsengumi); it owns land with abundant supplies and massive invisible assets (Qinjin Domain); and it has armed forces that can attack Edo at any time (Hachioji, a Thousand People with One Heart).

This this……!

What should we do if Qingdeng raises a flag of rebellion and repeats Tianbao's old events (Anshi Rebellion)?

It has to be said that the "opposition"'s claims are not unreasonable.

History has proven countless times: giving ministers too much power is the worst of taboos!

However... Tokugawa Iemoji had only one attitude towards the opinions of the "opposition": ignore them.

He was determined to hand over Dajin to Qingdeng.

There is nothing the "opposition" can do about this.

Now that the "Ichitsubashi faction" has collapsed, there is no political force within the shogunate that can contain Tokugawa Iemo.

Regarding the behavior of "Tokugawa Iemo sold his head and rewarded Aoden", various conjectures have emerged in the market.

It is said that Tokugawa Iemo and Aoto are long-lost brothers.

Some say that Tokugawa Iemo and Aoden actually have an indescribable special relationship, just like the King of Wei and Lord Longyang back then.

Some people even joked: Did Tokugawa Iemo betroth his mother to Nioh?

If there was a woman who had a close relationship with Tokugawa Iemo and who happened to be of marriageable age...it was only Tenzouin.

Tenzouin is Tokugawa Iemo's nominal mother. If Aoden marries Tenzouin, he will become Tokugawa Iemo's nominal father.

A 27-year-old mother, a 21-year-old father, a 17-year-old son...what a chaotic family!

If Aoden becomes Tokugawa Iemo's father, then Tokugawa Iemo's series of abnormal behaviors will be explained.

What's wrong with a son being filial to his father?

Of course, people only treat this statement as a joke.

In any case, Tianzhangyin is the "Queen Mother" of the shogunate, and she is also a nun who has become a monk.

Is there any reason to betroth a queen mother to a minister?

Unless the shogunate lost power and collapsed, Tokugawa Iemoji would not be able to risk the world's disobedience and let Aonto openly marry his mother.

The real reason why Tokugawa Iemo treated Aonto so favorably...is still a mystery.

In addition, there are some other unusual sounds in the market.

For example, questioning Qingdeng’s promotion speed.

Qingdeng, who was dissatisfied with the family fortune of ten thousand shi, rose to the rank of 300,000 shi in one breath... Is this speed of promotion too exaggerated?

However, not many people question this.

The reason is not complicated at all.

First, there is precedent.

I think back then, in order to consolidate his power, Toyotomi Hideyoshi promoted his cronies on a large scale.

A typical example is the "Shichippon Gun" headed by Masanori Fukushima and Kiyomasa Kato.

They didn't make much credit, and their abilities weren't great. As a result, their ascending speeds were exaggerated, and their territories gained were getting bigger and bigger.

Secondly, most people believed that Qingdeng deserved such a large territory.

As early as when Aotobu retreated from the British fleet in Edo Bay, everyone felt that Aotobu should become the feudal lord.

When people learned that the reward Qingteng received after the incident was only a slight increase in family income and the command of the eighth prince and thousands of people, they all felt puzzled.

Many people even complained about this and believed that the shogunate had treated its heroes poorly.

Therefore, regarding the reward from the shogunate this time, people only think that Qingto has received the honor and reward that he has long deserved.

…

…

Edo, Little Chiba Sword Hall——

"Father! Father! Look!"

As soon as Chiba Jutaro stepped onto the soil, he impatiently kicked off his straw sandals and hurried into the house, looking for his father, Chiba Nobuyoshi.

"Jutaro, what's wrong?"

Chiba Sadayoshi walked out of the room slowly.

"Father, look! Tachibana-kun has become a daimyo!"

Chiba Jutaro pushed the tile tabloid in his palm into Chiba Nobuyoshi's arms.

Chiba Sadayoshi first raised his eyebrows vigorously, then impatiently spread out the tabloid in his arms and read it carefully word for word.

After a moment, he saw a happy smile on his face and his face was flushed.

"Okay...okay! Well done, Tachibana-kun!"

Every time he spoke a word, the wrinkles between his cheeks relaxed a little.

"The territory of 300,000 stone...good, really good!"

In addition to being gratified, Chiba Nobuyoshi's words were full of strong pride.

"Now that Tachibana-kun is a famous name, it's time for him to get married."

"As the leader of a vassal, how can there be no reason to have no heirs?"

"I don't know when his marriage to Sanako will be held."

Chiba Sadakichi said to himself, completely unaware that Chiba Jutaro's expression was getting weirder and weirder next to him, and cold sweat was crazily oozing out from his forehead...

Thanks to Chiba Jutaro's secrecy, everyone in the Chiba family still doesn't know about Aoto's great dream of "marrying three head wives"...

…

…

Edo, the Imperial Guard Hall——

"Hmph... huh huh... huh huh huh!"

"Stop laughing! You've been laughing non-stop since just now. Are you done with it?"

The furious Abi roared at Kondo Shusuke.

"Oh, you can't blame me."

Kondo Shusuke spread his hands, pretending to be innocent.

"When encountering such a happy event, it's difficult not to smile, right?"

"Tsk...really..."

Although Abi was scolding her, she was not much better in terms of joy - there was a smile on her lips and an uncontrollable smile hidden in her brows.

Qingdeng was not the only person who made contributions in the "Tenchu ​​Group Annihilation Battle".

Therefore, after Aoshito, the Shinsengumi generals also received generous rewards!

Just like Kondo Isamu - he became the flagship with 1,500 Shi Jialu!

1500 stones! Hatamoto!

Whenever they think of these two sets of words, Kondo Shusuke and Abi feel overjoyed.

The Kondo family has a banner with a salary of 1,500 shi, which is really a glorious ancestor!

This couple has long regarded Souji, Hijikata Toizo and others as their own children.

How could they not be happy to see their children stand out one by one? How can we not be happy?

…

…

Osaka, somewhere——

An old woman turned to look at the door not far away.

"...Katsurokuro."

An energetic voice immediately sounded outside the door:

"Here, my lord, what are your orders?"

"Send a message to Jiulang and ask him to come back immediately."

"Kuro? Why?"

"Stop asking, go and deliver the message."

"yes!"

…

…

Ezo Land (today's Hokkaido), a certain deep mountain forest——

It's late September...Autumn has just begun in Edo, Kyoto and other places, but it's already snowing in Ezo.

Vast flakes of snow dotted the sky, dyeing the mountains into vast colors.

"Huh...! Huh...! Huh...! Huh...! Huh...!"

A young man of 25 or 26 years old stood directly under an unknown waterfall.

This man had his eyes closed and his upper body was exposed, revealing his strong and tempered body. His right hand was hanging down naturally, and he was holding a simple-shaped knife in his left hand.

Blah blah blah blah...

He just let the waterfall wash over his body repeatedly without moving.

Being shirtless in the ice and snow, and standing right under the waterfall... Just listening to it makes people feel chilly and makes their teeth chatter.

However, facing the coldness of the outside world, this person was completely indifferent and calm.

Neither the snowflakes in the sky nor the water flowing above his head could change his demeanor in the slightest.

If you take a closer look, you will find something very unusual about this person - there is a terrifying demon tattooed on his back.

The head has two horns, a ferocious face, and a bloody mouth.

It is the evil spirit formed by strong jealousy and resentment - Prajna!

Suddenly, he seemed to sense something. He opened his eyes and turned to look behind him:

"...Kappa, long time no see."

On the river bank, a short, unattractive guy - a kappa - walked out of the bushes slowly, then knelt down on one knee and said in a neither humble nor arrogant tone:

"Master Prajna, Master Shuten Doji calls you back."

Prajna responded without thinking:

"I'm practicing. If there's nothing important, don't bother me."

The kappa seemed to have expected what the other party would say.

He raised his gaze and took a deep look at Prajna:

"Master Hannya, do you know the 'Nioh' Tachibana Aoden?"

Prajna said calmly:

"heard about it."

"Master Prajna, Master Shutendouji asked me to tell you: 'Nioh' Tachibana Seiden has obtained Vairocana."

In an instant, Prajna suddenly opened his eyes.

He stared at the kappa and asked word for word:

"Is this true?"

Kappa replied without fear of pressure:

"Shuten Doji-sama has seen it with his own eyes, and there is nothing false about it."

"'Benevolent King'...Vairochana...that's it...master...have you passed Vairocana to others..."

Prajna seemed to have lost his soul, murmuring repeatedly without sadness or joy.

"Master...Master...why do you abandon me...?!"

"The master of Vairocana...should be me!!"

The moment he roared, he stretched out his right arm and reached for the knife he held in his left hand——

boom!

A sword light shot into the sky!

The silver sword light that shot straight into the sky not only separated the waterfall, but also caused the waterfall to flow backwards!

After the surging spring water spurted back to its highest point, it turned into thousands of water droplets and fell down, causing "rain" to fall all around. It stopped after a while.

Looking at Prajna who was maintaining the stance of drawing the sword, Kappa smiled:

"As expected, he is a monster second only to Lord Otakemaru and Lord Shuten-doji...!"

...

...

Volume 3 "Clouds Rising and Dragons Soaring" - End!

Volume 3 is over~ Patting the leopard's belly.jpg

Next volume - "Running to Ikeda-ya", please look forward to it!