I formed the strongest swordsman group.

Chapter 807: The Shinsengumi! Routine search! [5000]

After the Sonjo faction went underground and launched terrorist attacks, every street and every house in Kyoto could become a bloody and fierce battlefield!

Intricate intelligence, street chases, swordplay in the streets...spy warfare and street fighting have become the most mainstream way for the two factions of patriots (Sakumaku and Sonjō) to confront each other.

It would definitely not work to let the cavalry, gunnery and ninja teams fight in street battles.

The Ninja Corps was busy conducting espionage activities, secretly engaging in an invisible battle with the Sonjo warriors.

Needless to say, the cavalry is like a butcher's knife to a chicken in street fighting - the same is true for the artillery.

The reloading speed of the musket is too slow. If you fail to kill the enemy after firing a shot, you are doomed.

Before you can reload, the enemy will flee or kill you.

Although a musket could be used as a spear after being equipped with a bayonet, its effectiveness in the complex terrain of streets and alleys was obviously far less than that of a more flexible sword.

Not to mention cannons, you can't fire them in the city like Napoleon did.

Regardless of how difficult it was to transport the cannon, a single shot would shatter not only the enemy but also the surrounding streets.

The resulting humanitarian disaster and compensation issues were enough to make Qingdeng extremely anxious.

The samurai lands, imperial lands, and temple and shrine lands of the Edo period were not only vast in area but also sparsely populated.

On the other hand, the townscape... the densely populated areas and the closely packed houses would make a person with claustrophobia faint if they saw them.

Kyoto's town areas are a typical example, with countless dilapidated neighborhoods that look like "shit mountains" and are so complex that they are dizzying.

Here there is a path wide enough for two people, there is a long house that is so wide that it is difficult to even turn around... it is simply the natural and best place for street fighting.

Those who respect the country and have lofty ideals naturally understand the truth that "leaves disappear into the forest, and drops of water disappear into the sea."

They generally hid in town areas, greatly increasing the difficulty of the Shinsengumi's capture.

Even if they were discovered, the complex terrain of the town would facilitate their escape.

Because the terrain is too complex and narrow, in many cases, even the katana cannot be used, and one can only draw out the wakizashi to fight.

In this case, it is even more inappropriate to send a gunnery team to maintain public order in Kyoto.

To sum up, looking at the current 11 divisions of the Shinsengumi, the only divisions suitable for garrisoning in Kyoto are the st, nd, rd, th and th divisions that still retain swords and specialize in close combat.

It is definitely unrealistic to order these five squads to patrol Kyoto.

For Qing Deng, Kyoto is important, but Otsu is equally important.

Finally, after careful research, Qing Deng made the following specific arrangements for these five squadrons:

The First Division was stationed in Otsu to guard the heart of the Qinjin Domain.

The other four squads were divided into two groups - the second and fourth squads as one group; the third and fifth squads as one group - and they were stationed in Kyoto on a monthly basis.

If the 2nd and 4th squads go to Kyoto this month, the 3rd and 5th squads will stay in Otsu.

By the next month, the 2nd and 4th squads returned to Otsu, and the 3rd and 5th squads went to Kyoto.

so repeatedly.

It is now July... the month when the Second and Fourth Divisions are responsible for guarding Kyoto.

……

……

The first year of Yuanzhi (1864), June 7th——

Kyoto, Shijo Bridge——

Kyoto in midsummer is like a steamer.

The daytime sun was blazing and scorching, and the entire Kyoto was shrouded in a wet and overwhelming heat wave.

There was no wind and the air was thick and sticky, making people feel like they couldn't catch their breath and had difficulty breathing.

Cicadas hid on the branches, chirping wildly and tirelessly, and their sounds could be heard in every corner of Kyoto.

"It's so hot... I'm melting..."

Shinpachi Nagakura hung his head, sweating profusely, and looked listless.

"What kind of horrible weather is this... Summer in Kyoto is such a torture... I'm beginning to miss my hometown... Nakajima, is there any water?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a strong man next to him immediately answered:

"Yes, there is still some left."

As he spoke, he took off the bamboo tube from his waist, unscrewed the mouth, and handed it to Nagakura Shinpachi.

Shinpachi Nagakura reached out to take it and drank it all in one gulp.

"Why is the water warm...?"

The strong man laughed bitterly:
"Captain, this is the clean water I just drew from the well. It was icy cold at first, but it turned warm after a while."

"Tsk... I hate Kyoto's summer more and more..."

Shinpachi Nagakura sighed and handed the bottle back to the strong man.

The sturdy man called "Nakajima" by Nagakura Shinpachi is the vice-captain of the Shinsengumi's 2nd Division - Nakajima Noboru.

Nakajima Noboru was born in 1838, 26 years old this year, one year older than Nagakura Shinpachi. He was born in Terakata Village, Hachioji, Tama County, Musashi Province.

Tama, Hachioji... With such a background, it is not difficult to see that he is the descendant of the Thousand People of Hachioji, and he is also a fellow villager of Kondo Isami and Hijikata Toshizo.

Because of his love for martial arts, he practiced the popular Tennen Rishin-ryu in Tama since he was young, and reached the middle level at a young age.

In this way, his relationship with Kondo Isami and Hijikata Toshizo is not only that of fellow townsmen, but also that of fellow students.

After the "big conscription" began at the beginning of the year, he was successfully enlisted with the recommendation of Kondo Isami and became a new recruit of the second squad.

In terms of swordsmanship alone, he is not that great because he has not yet obtained the Menxu Jiechuan.

However, he is very courageous and is a brave and daring hero.

It has a very strong body and an extremely loud voice, so just a shout is enough to make rats tremble.

With his strong ability, he was promoted from an ordinary soldier to the current vice-captain of the second squad in just 3 months.

It is worth mentioning that because of their similar personalities and like-mindedness, he soon became good friends with Nagakura Shinpachi, with whom he could talk about anything.

They both have loud voices and love to chat.

Whenever the two met, they would always talk endlessly, from the sun, moon and stars in the sky, to the mountains, rivers, lakes and seas underground, to the chopping, stabbing and prodding of swordsmanship, to women's necks, breasts, hips and feet. The loud voices of this pair of funny guys could be heard from a long distance away.

This formed a very significant contrast with the third team.

The captain and vice-captain of the third squad (Saito Hajime and Nakazawa Sadaki) are both talkative and can hardly make a single fart for a long time.

On the other hand, the captain and vice-captain of the second squad... were making a lot of noise!

So, after the third team was nicknamed "the quietest team", the second team also got their own nickname: "the noisiest team".

As Nakajima Noboru hung the empty kettle back on his waist, he asked casually:
"Mr. Nagakura, if I remember correctly, your hometown is located in the Matsumae Domain in Ezo, right?"

Nagakura Shinpachi nodded.

"Yes, that's right. I'm from the Matsumae domain."

Nakajima Deng showed curiosity.

"The Matsumae Domain is located in the far north, so it should be quite cool, right?"

Nagakura Shinpachi grinned.

"Yes. Although it is hot in the summer, it is not as stuffy as Kyoto. It is quite cool at night."

"If it were winter, the scene would be unbelievable."

"Countless snowflakes came all over the sky, and often when you woke up, the scenery outside was completely different."

"Looking up, the whole world was blindingly white, and the snow was as high as my knees."

After listening carefully, Nakajima Noboru showed a look of admiration:
"Ohh! Knee-high snow? I really want to see that!"

"If I have the chance in the future, I will definitely go to Matsumae Domain and broaden my horizons!"

Nagakura Shinpachi smiles:

"When you are ready to go to Matsumae Domain, you can come to me and I will be your guide."

Nakajima Noboru laughed:
"Okay, Captain, it's settled then!"

At this time, a young team member ran towards Nagakura Shinpachi and Nakajima Noboru, panting and taking two steps at a time.

"Captain, Vice Captain, the target Yuya Kiemon has appeared! The target Yuya Kiemon has appeared!"

After hearing this, Nagakura Shinpachi lowered his eyelids and focused his gaze.

"Okay, I understand. You've worked hard, go down and have a rest first. Hey, get him a glass of cold water!"

After saying this, he supported the sword at his waist - the Banzhou handle Shanshifan - and stood up slowly.

"Okay, enough small talk. Time to get to work."

Nakajima Noboru suppressed the playful look on his face and nodded solemnly:

"Captain, let's go."

Nagakura Shinpachi waved his hand. "Second Division, follow me!"

Before he finished speaking, he took the lead and stepped out of the alley where he was hiding.

Immediately afterwards, Nakajima Noboru and other soldiers wearing light green haori followed closely behind him.

Their faces were solemn and they were in a hurry.

If you look down from above, it looks like a light green dragon swimming around!
When passers-by saw this, they immediately realized that the Shinsengumi was on a mission, and they all retreated to the side of the road to make way.

In just a blink of an eye, this menacing "dragon" rushed into an inconspicuous neighborhood of four small bridges and headed straight for a simple-looking antique prop shop with a plaque that read "Yuwu" on the door.

Shinpachi Nagakura did not hesitate at all. He raised his right hand, gripped the hilt of the knife tightly, ready to fight at any time, and rushed towards the gate with a swagger.

Nakajima Noboru quickened his pace slightly and pulled open the door curtain just before Nagakura Shinpachi.

Nagakura Shinpachi followed closely and pushed the door open with a bang, yelling:
"We are the Shinsengumi, under the command of the Gyeonggi Pacification Commissioner! This is a routine search!"

Before he finished speaking, Nagakura Shinpachi had already forced his way into the store.

Nakajima Noboru and the rest of the team filed in.

In an instant, there was chaos.

Just like its simple appearance, the interior of this store also exudes a shabby, shabby and poor feeling.

Nagakura Shinpachi rolled his eyes and looked around, and saw only two young employees busying around.

Looking at the Shinsengumi that suddenly attacked, the two men were immediately startled, their faces turned pale with fear on their faces.

Nagakura Shinpachi stood majestically, as straight as an iron tower, his right hand still tightly grasping the hilt of the sword, continuing to maintain a posture of readiness to draw the sword at any time.

"Which one is Yuya Kiemon?"

"I'm."

A deep male voice came from the inner room.

After a while, a young man who was not very old appeared in front of Shinpachi Nagakura.

He walked slowly to Nagakura Shinpachi and asked:
"May I ask who you are?"

"Captain of the Shinsengumi's Second Division, Nagakura Shinpachi. Are you Yuya Kiemon?"

After Nagakura Shinpachi announced his family background, Yuya Kiemon's face suddenly changed - everyone knows the strength ranking of the Shinsengumi: "One is Tachibana, two is Okida, three is Nagakura, and four is Saito".

The person in front of him was the third best fighter of the Shinsengumi... Thinking of this, his face turned even paler.

However, he quickly suppressed his panic and pretended to be calm:

"Yes, I am Yuya Kiemon."

"Take it!"

Following Nagakura Shinpachi's order, the two soldiers behind him immediately stepped forward, holding down Yuya Kiemon's shoulders, one on the left and one on the right, making him unable to move.

Faced with this sudden arrest, Yuya Kiemon was finally at a loss.

He struggled and asked in a sharp voice:
"W-What are you doing? Why are you arresting me? What crime have I committed?"

Nakajima Noboru responded calmly:
"Yuya Kiemon, we now suspect that you are colluding with the Nagakos, so please come with us obediently."

"Let me be frank with you. You have no right to refuse, and you have no chance to resist."

"If you behave yourself, not only will you suffer less, but we will also be able to relax."

"But if you don't listen to our advice and don't know what's good for you, then we're going to make you suffer."

As he spoke, he raised his right fist, which was as big as a casserole, and shook it in front of the other person. The threat was self-evident.

In order to vent their hatred, the people of Choshu called Qinzu, Aizu and Satsuma "Qin monsters", "Aizu traitors" and "Satsuma thieves"... This made the samurai and people of the Three Feudatories and the Shinsengumi very unhappy.

Since the relationship has already been broken, there is naturally no need to be polite to them.

Holding the idea of ​​"giving someone a taste of their own medicine", the pro-shogunate forces now uniformly call the people of Choshu "Choshu Kou".

After hearing Nakajima Noboru's threat, Yuya Kiemon was stunned for a moment, and then, like bleaching, his cheeks were filled with fear at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"Wait, wait a minute! You must be mistaken?"

"I am a law-abiding citizen!"

"Don't even mention collusion with Choshu. I've never even seen anyone from Choshu!"

The other party's noise made Nakajima frown, and his tone was filled with impatience:
"Whether you are an innocent citizen or not is not up to you to decide, but up to us."

"To be honest, I've seen countless guys like you."

"They kept saying 'it's unfair' and claimed to be good citizens, but in the end they were found to be real traitors."

"Don't worry, if we really wronged you, we will compensate you."

"Take it away quickly!"

Nakajima Deng waved his hand, indicating that this guy should not stay here any longer.

The two soldiers who controlled Yuya Kiemon on the left and right responded quickly, then dragged each other with brute force, forcibly dragged him away from the place, and took him out of the store.

Perhaps he had given up hope, Yuya Kiemon gritted his teeth, frowned, and said loudly:
"Breaking into private homes and arresting people at will, even if they are the Shinsengumi, is ridiculous! It's too lawless!"

Hearing his words, Nagakura Shinpachi seemed amused. He shrugged and chuckled a few times.

He raised his hand, signaling "wait a minute", then walked up to Yuya Kiemon and looked down at him from above.

"You said 'ridiculous' and 'lawless'?"

"You don't seem to know much about us, the Shinsengumi."

"In that case, I will tell you now."

"We are a corps directly under the Gyeonggi Pacification Commissioner, and we are responsible for protecting Gyeonggi."

"We will have the right to kill any thief who may cause chaos in the capital!"

"We can go where the practice cannot."

"We can handle cases that the law enforcement cannot handle."

"We can provoke the forces that the Enlightenment dare not provoke."

"We can kill those people that the Envoys dare not kill."

"In order to protect Gyeonggi and live up to the name of 'New Selection', we have long been prepared to 'have our hands stained with blood and bear the stigma'."

"We will not hesitate even if we have to transform into the 'Mibu Wolf'."

"This is the Shinsengumi."

"Have I made myself clear enough?"

After that, Nagakura Shinpachi stopped looking at the other party and said "Take him away". Then he turned around and ordered the rest of the team members:
"Search! Whether it's the ceiling or the cellar, don't miss any corner!"

"Also, take everyone here away! They are all suspected of colluding with the bandits!"

With a unanimous "yes", the soldiers of the second squad dispersed and each performed their duties.

Or escorting suspects.

Or sneak into every corner of the store.

Or he would draw the sword from his waist and poke it at the ceiling above his head to check if there were any Tibetan items hidden there.

Nagakura Shinpachi still maintained a fighting posture, his right hand never left the hilt, and his expression was solemn.

Seeing this, Nakajima Deng couldn't help but ask:

"Captain, what's wrong? Why are you looking so serious?"

Nagakura Shinpachi replied calmly:
"Nothing, just a bad feeling."

"An ominous premonition?"

"I feel like there's something wrong with this place... I'm afraid we're going to run into a big case today."

As soon as Nagakura Shinpachi finished speaking, he saw a soldier running towards him in a panic:

"Captain! Vice Captain! Please follow me! Something's happening!"

Upon hearing this, Nagakura Shinpachi moved his feet without hesitation, and Nakajima Noboru followed closely behind.

On the way, Nagakura Shinpachi asked:

"What's wrong? Did you find anything?"

The soldier looked strange:
"Well, well... Captain, please go and see for yourself..."

After a while, they arrived at the warehouse at the back of this ancient prop house.

The door of the warehouse has been opened and two soldiers are guarding it.

After Nagakura Shinpachi walked into the warehouse with big strides, his eyes widened instantly.

"This is……?!"

At the same time, Nakajima Noboru beside him was in the same state, his expression dominated by intense shock.

I saw that the warehouse, which was neither too big nor too small, was filled with weapons!
(End of this chapter)