I formed the strongest swordsman group.

Chapter 812 The enemy is in Ikeda House! [Leopard Update 6K3]

Surprise, confusion, nervousness... In an instant, the scene was filled with all kinds of emotions.

Faced with Qing Deng's series of instructions, everyone had different expressions.

As soon as Qing Deng finished speaking, Fujido Heisuke asked first:

"Split into two groups? Mr. Ju, is this really a good idea?"

"We don't have many people, only 20."

"We still need to divide our forces under this circumstance. If so, won't our forces be greatly dispersed?"

Fujido Heisuke's words expressed the thoughts of many people present.

In fact, when they learned that the only combatants participating in tonight's operation were those currently gathered in the Gion Club, many people felt that something was wrong.

After all, the Sonrō faction is not a soft persimmon that can be easily bullied.

If the Sonnōjō faction were really spineless and easy to bully, they would not have caused the pro-shogunate faction such a headache until now.

Under the leadership and call of Aoto, the Shinsengumi gathered a group of swordsmen who had both superb skills and rich practical experience.

The current Shinsengumi can be said to be the strongest group of swordsmen in the world - but the Sonjō faction is not short of experts either!
Katsura Kogoro and Yoshida Minoruma are both masters of swordsmanship.

Especially Katsura Kogoro, who was famous in Edo for his superb swordsmanship before Aoto became famous.

What's more, as leaders of the Sonnang faction, they must be followed by many powerful bodyguards.

With only 20 people, attacking a summit meeting attended by Miyabe Teizo, Katsura Kogoro and others... Even if they have the advantage of a "surprise attack", it will definitely be a bloody battle!
There are not many people to begin with, and now we have to split it into two parts... This, this... This is really too risky!
Qing Deng had anticipated that everyone would have this question, so he answered calmly:

"Team Nine has yet to find out the exact location and time of the meeting."

"It's getting dark. Time is running out. We can't wait for news from Squad 9 any longer."

"However, what we can confirm is that the meeting place is in the northern area between Gion and Sanjo Bridge, and there is no mistake."

“Although the scope is still large, at least we have a goal, so we won’t be running around like a headless fly.”

"In this case, if we want to catch the bandits headed by Miyabe Teizo, we can only disperse our forces and search for them one by one."

"Other than that, there is no other way."

"It's better to do the hard way than to do nothing."

At this point, Qing Deng paused, then smiled:

"I know that our forces are limited to begin with, and we have to split them up. This is quite risky."

At this point, he changed the subject:
"But isn't that what we do best?"

"Hasn't it been by winning one tough battle after another that we, the Shinsengumi, have come this far?"

“So, don’t panic, don’t worry.”

"We are just making use of our strengths of 'getting stronger when facing stronger opponents' and 'being indomitable'."

"No matter what kind of powerful enemy we encounter, no matter what kind of crisis we face, we will firmly grasp the sword in our hands and move forward without hesitation - this is the Shinsengumi!"

The talent "Failed art student +2" is activated!
[Note: "The art student who failed the exam": The speech was very contagious]

With the blessing of this talent, as well as Qing Deng's own prestige and courage, the words he just said seemed to contain a special magic.

As soon as he finished speaking, the atmosphere at the scene changed suddenly.

Although newcomers such as Matsubara Tadashi and Nakazawa Koto still looked nervous, everyone was no longer hesitant or suspicious, and determined gazes were wandering in the air.

No one raised any more questions.

As if it had been agreed in advance, everyone dispersed, hung up their swords, tightened their cuffs, and did a final check of their equipment.

Qing Deng turned his head and looked out the window, gazing at the sky in the distance.

The setting sun had already completely sunk into the end of the city, the afterglow gradually faded, and the colors changed accordingly.

The initial light gold has quietly changed into orange-red, scarlet, and finally into enchanting purple.

And now, the approaching dusk was like a glutton, greedily swallowing up the purple spots in the sky.

When the last ray of purple light faded away and the sky was completely covered with night, Qing Deng turned around - behind him, everyone had already lined up, ready to go, staring at him in unison, waiting for his order to set off.

Qing Deng turned his eyes, scanned the area, and shouted loudly:
"The Shinsengumi, go out into battle!"

……

……

In the darkness of the night, a light green "torrent" surged out of the Gion Club and rushed onto the street.

Looking from a distance, it is very impressive!
Everyone lowered their upper bodies, lowered their center of gravity, and trotted forward, the hems of their haori fluttering in the wind pressure.

When passing a fork in the road, this "torrent" split into two.

The smaller one went straight west.

The larger one heads eastward.

……

……

Kyoto, Kiyamachi (west of Kamogawa), a certain inn——

"Routine search!"

Without waiting for a response from inside, Kondo Isami pushed open the shop door, and Souji, Nagakura Shinpachi and others filed in.

The owner of this store probably didn't hear the words "routine search!" clearly and thought that a group of rude customers had arrived, so he put on a smile and hurriedly trotted to greet them.

"Here we are! Here we are! Excuse me, do you want to stay in the hotel, or... Gu!"

The boss hadn't finished his words when he choked with a "gulp" sound, and the second half of his words was stuck in his chest. He could neither speak nor swallow them. He felt very uncomfortable and his face turned red.

Anyone would be scared if the famous Shinsengumi, who has the power to "act first and report later" and can enter any house they want, suddenly showed up.

At this moment, the boss's mind was working rapidly, wondering if he had done something wrong recently, which led to the Shinsengumi coming to arrest him - when he thought of this, he couldn't help but feel his legs go weak and he collapsed to the ground.

Kondo Isami and his group ignored the frightened boss and went straight around him and broke into the depths of the hotel.

They consciously split into two groups, one group searched the first floor of the hotel, and the other group ran up the stairs to the second floor.

By now, the reputation of the Shinsengumi is known to everyone in Kyoto.

Looking at this group of aggressive "light green swordsmen", all the staff and guests of the hotel were silent.

After a while, everyone returned to the entrance.

Chief Accountant Soma: "Director, there is nothing unusual on the first floor."

Souji: "Brother Kondo, there's nothing unusual on the second floor!"

Kondo Isami remained calm and nodded slightly:

"Well, let's go."

Having said that, he turned and left.

The boss was still slumped in the same place, his eyes wide open, a look of confusion on his cheeks, and he looked at a loss.

Kondo Isami nodded to him:
"Boss, excuse me."

The rest of the people didn't even look at the boss, and followed Kondo Isami's footsteps, leaving the store and returning to the street.

The general manager, who was walking at the end, stopped suddenly when he passed the boss, with an apologetic look on his face:
"Boss, I'm very sorry for affecting your business. Please forgive me."

After leaving these words, she took another step and caught up with Kondo Isami and the others - before leaving, she did not forget to close the shop door behind her.

With the sound of the door closing, the hotel and its surroundings returned to silence.

The boss opened his eyes wide, mouth slightly open, stared blankly at the shop door, and blinked hard, as if to confirm whether he was dazzled.

The Shinsengumi barged in without even telling us their purpose, searched the store and then left... It was so confusing that the boss felt like his brain was about to shut down.

The rapid and confusing changes in the situation make people feel like they are in a dreamland...

……

……

Kyoto, Nawate-dori (east of Kamo River), a certain inn——

"Routine search!"

Niimi Nishiki was responsible for lifting the door curtain, and Serizawa Kamo was responsible for pushing open the door - the two of them worked together very well.

They acted as if they were "debt collectors" and after breaking into the store, they stretched out their hands and pulled open every door they saw like two wild bulls.

After a while, a young man - he was the owner of this shop - rushed out from the inner room angrily with a naginata in his hand.

"Hey! You... Hey, two gentlemen! What can I do for you?"

In the blink of an eye...it was really just a blink of an eye, and the boss personally demonstrated what "changing face" meant.

After seeing the light green haori worn by Kamo Serizawa and the others, the anger on his face instantly disappeared, and turned into a vivid look of flattery.

While hiding the naginata in his hand behind his back, he actively asked, "How can I help?"

Facing the boss's enthusiasm, Serizawa Duck's response was brief:
"Go away."

Serizawa Duck always remains alert, nerves tense, and ready for battle.

They did not miss any room in the hotel, and would break in and check any room they came across.

Interestingly, this process is just like "Schrödinger's cat" - before you open the door, you never know what the scene inside the room will be like.

You might see a wanderer drinking alone.

It is possible that you may see traveling merchants from far away.

It is also possible... that you might come across some erotic scenes.

Although it was just nightfall, men and women of varying ages were already doing embarrassing things in bed.

When Serizawa pushed open the door of the innermost room, he was surprised to see a woman and two men.

The two men looked poor and just like ordinary townspeople.

As for the woman, although she is a bit old, she still has charm.

She looked at the sudden intruder, then looked at the two men in front of her, with a calm expression, as if she was not surprised:

"Why is there another one? Never mind, as long as you pay enough money."

……

……

Kyoto, Kiyamachi (west of Kamogawa), Izakaya——

Qin Zhongze swallowed, mustered up her courage, and pushed the door open.

"Routine, routine search!"

She could still pronounce the first two words clearly.

But when she said the last two words, she bit her tongue and swallowed a screw.

Although she had experience as a member of the Shinseigumi and patrolled Edo, Nakazawa Koto was only good at jobs that didn't require her to show her face or speak. She was not used to such jobs that required her to be in the spotlight.

For a moment, everyone in the izakaya - staff and guests alike - turned to look at Koto Nakazawa, who was standing stiffly in place, feeling embarrassed because of eating a screw.

After seeing the light green haori on Koto Nakazawa, no one dared to laugh.

However, the teasing look in their eyes could not be hidden.

As if being steamed, Nakazawa Qin's delicate face turned red at a speed visible to the naked eye.

……

……

Kyoto, Nawate-dori (east of Kamo River), a certain inn——

Saito Ichi: “…”

Nakazawa Sadagi: “…”

The former thought the latter would be responsible for shouting "routine search".

The latter believes that such a cool job should be done by the captain.

So, the two of them, with a strange tacit understanding, just walked into the store without saying a word.

Because both of them had stern faces and didn't say a word, the owner of the store was scared to death.

……

……

It is called the "Yamaboko Tour", but Kyoto is so big that it is impossible for Yamaboko to tour every corner of Jiangdu.

In fact, Yamaboko only toured "Rakuchu" and would not go to "Rakuwai" - and this is in line with the three views of "Old Kyoto".

In the eyes of the "old Kyoto", only "Luozhong" is the real Kyoto, and "Luowai" and the like are just stinky foreign places.

In order to watch the annual "Yamaboko Parade", thousands of Kyoto citizens flock to "Rakunaka".

For this reason, the flow of people in "Luowai" has dropped significantly.

The entire block from Gion to Sanjo Ohashi belongs to "Rakugai".

As a result, there were not too many pedestrians on the street at this time and place - this was a great benefit to Qing Deng and others.

If the streets were crowded with people, it would cause great inconvenience to the search operation.

The road was quiet and deserted... Swordsmen wearing light green feather robes were running back and forth.

The "Aoto Team" and the "Kondo Team" - these two teams searched all the way north, visiting every inn and izakaya along the way.

However... So far, both teams have come up empty-handed and gained nothing...

Time passes quietly... fatigue and anxiety accumulate.

The feeling of powerlessness of "trying hard but achieving no results" is wearing down everyone's patience.

Except for a very few people such as Aoto, Hijikata Toshizo, and Kondo Isami, everyone else looked anxious and restless.

At this moment, the same question emerged in their minds:
Where is the meeting place?
……

……

Kyoto, Sanjo Bridge (west of Kamogawa River), Ikedaya——

This three-bridge is one of the post stations on the Tokaido Road that starts from Nihonbashi. There are many hotels along the road running east and west of the bridge.

Ikedaya is one of them.

The front of the hotel is three and a half rooms wide (about 6.4 meters) and fifteen rooms deep (about 27.3 meters), and it is a two-story building.

The first floor has lattice doors and windows on the left, and red-shell painted walls on the right. The second floor is surrounded by fine Beijing lattices, which allow people to peek outside from the inside, but passers-by outside cannot see what is going on inside.

"Retreat to the aid! Retreat to the aid!"

The owner of Ikedaya called out to Yamazaki Shimo loudly.

Yamazaki Zheng ran out of the kitchen in two steps and flashed in front of the boss.

"Boss, I'm here! What can I do for you?"

The boss stared at Yamazaki Cheng's face. After a few seconds of strange silence, he showed a look of sudden enlightenment and said quickly:

"Tainosuke! Big business has come! Suddenly a generous guest came and said he wanted to prepare a banquet right away! The guests will be here soon, about 30 people! This is a big job, you go to the kitchen to help out!"

Big business, organize a banquet immediately, 30 people... When hearing these words, Yamazaki Zheng's eyes moved slightly.

As one of the most outstanding ninjas in the Shinsengumi, he quickly suppressed his emotional fluctuations and returned to normal.

After Lang said "yes", he quietly returned to the kitchen and cooked food and prepared drinks with the chef and maids.

On the one hand, he remained calm, but on the other hand, he pricked up his ears, paying close attention to the movements outside the kitchen.

Suddenly, he heard dense and noisy footsteps coming from outside.

He suddenly perked up, a serious look flashing across his brows.

After a little thought, he made up an excuse, quickly left the kitchen and went straight to the entrance.

"Guests! Please come this way! Watch your step! Be careful of the stairs!"

Before reaching the entrance, Yamazaki Zheng heard the boss's enthusiastic voice.

Finally, he arrived at the entrance in time before the group of guests went up to the second floor - looking around, there were crowds of people jostling each other.

Looking at Yamazaki who suddenly appeared, the boss asked suspiciously after another strange silence:
"Oh, it's Tainosuke, what's wrong? Why are you here suddenly?"

Yamazaki Shizue put on a skilled smile:
"Boss, so you are here! I was looking for you!"

"Looking for me? What happened?"

"It's nothing serious! I just want to tell you that we are running out of salt! If we don't buy some salt tomorrow, we won't be able to open!"

The boss patted his head.

"Oh, yes, I forgot to buy salt again today! Tainosuke, remember to remind me to buy salt tomorrow!"

"Okay, okay, no problem!"

Yamazaki Jun deliberately slowed down his tone and said more meaningless nonsense in order to delay time.

Pretending to talk to people or do something else while observing the surrounding environment - this is one of the compulsory contents of the "Ninja Class" opened by Wu.

While negotiating with the boss, Yamazaki Zheng quietly glanced at the group of guests who suddenly came here to hold a banquet.

Thanks to his extremely low presence, no one noticed that this inconspicuous mobile phone developer was quietly casting a hunter-like scrutiny at them.

Without exception, these people are all warriors with swords on their waists.

They are of different ages, including middle-aged people in their forties and young men in their teens and twenties.

After Yamazaki Zheng took a few glances, his heart sank.

Although he is not good at martial arts, he is an excellent ninja who has received rigorous training. He learned a lot of close combat techniques from Awu. Before joining the Shinsengumi, he also practiced some judo, so compared to ordinary people, he can be called a warrior.

Therefore, even though he was only observing with his naked eyes, he could easily find many martial arts masters who were worthy of vigilance among these people.

Apart from anything else, just their steady and powerful way of walking, strong and sturdy arms, and sharp eagle-like eyes are enough for Yamazaki Zheng to conclude: they are definitely not ordinary people!
——Are they warriors who went out to train together? Or...

Just as Yamazaki Zheng was secretly guessing the identities of these people, his pupils suddenly shrank - because he found a particularly familiar face among this group of samurai.

The face flashed a few times in the crowd, then disappeared among the moving heads and finally disappeared on the stairwell.

Yamazaki was so surprised that he almost cried out.

Just as he was about to scream, he came to his senses and tried hard to close his mouth, finally swallowing the scream back into his stomach.

Before joining the Sonjo Movement, Katsura Kogoro was already a famous figure.

At that time, there was no one in the entire Edo martial arts circle who did not know Katsura Kogoro.

Therefore, Katsura Kogoro's appearance is not a rare secret.

When Katsura Kogoro became a vicious criminal designated by the shogunate, wanted posters with his detailed portrait were scattered all over the country.

Katsura Kogoro is a good-looking man with a dignified appearance and an elegant appearance.

At first glance, I thought he was a scholar at Changpingzaka Academy.

[Note: Changpingzaka Academy: A high school directly under the Edo Shogunate. The highest institution of Confucian education in the Edo period.]

For this reason, Katsura Kogoro's appearance is very memorable and easy to draw. A skilled painter can outline Katsura Kogoro's features with just a few strokes, unlike Yamazaki Sho.

Memorizing the appearances of wanted criminals such as Hisaka Genzui, Kousaka Masanobu, and Katsura Kogoro is a basic skill for the members of the Shinsengumi 9th Division.

Yamazaki Zheng had seen the portraits of these people on the wanted posters thousands of times.

Therefore, even though he only took a quick glance, he was still absolutely sure that this person was Katsura Kogoro!
Katsura Kogoro's appearance at Ikeda-ya - a little thought will reveal what this means.

Instantly, Yamazaki felt a chill on his back - cold sweat suddenly broke out, soaking the clothes on his back.

At the same time, his heart in his chest began to beat vigorously - thump, thump, thump - it was both a sound of nervousness and excitement!
After saying to the boss, "I'm going to go back to work," he turned and walked towards the kitchen.

However, when he was about to return to the kitchen, he suddenly turned a corner and went straight to the back door of the store.

While walking slowly, the sensitivity of his five senses was raised to the highest level! He did not miss any movement around him.

It was a distance of about a hundred meters, but he felt like he had walked more than a hundred kilometers.

Just as he stretched out his hand and prepared to open the back door, a clear voice suddenly sounded from behind him:

"Eh? You're... Oh! It's Tainosuke!"

Yamazaki was stunned for a moment.

A moment later, he had returned to normal, looking as usual.

"Miss Jane, why are you here?"

As he asked the question, he turned to look at the girl behind him - Jian, one of Ikedaya's deputies.

Ah Jian held a basin of freshly washed rice in her hands and smiled sweetly:
"I was going to ask you, what are you doing here sneaking around?"

Yamazaki Shimo spread his hands:
"Nothing, I just heard a wild cat outside the back door, so I wanted to chase it away."

"Wild cats? Ah, it seems that there is such a thing. I don't know why in the past few days, but I always hear the cries of wild cats outside. These wild cats are so annoying! They always want to steal food."

After complaining, Jian pretended to be annoyed:

"Okay, forget about the wild cat! Although I really want to borrow the cat's claws, cat claws are no match for human hands. Tainosuke, come and help quickly! We can't keep the customers waiting for too long! I don't want to be scolded by the boss."

As he spoke, A Jian held the rice in his arms and hurried to the kitchen in small steps.

Yamazaki Zheng smiled helplessly - a hint of regret flashed across his brows.

"Okay, okay, I'll come and help you now."

He took a step forward to catch up with Ajian - before doing so, he quietly reached out and unbolted the back door.

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