I formed the strongest swordsman group

20 taels of gold... Well, this is indeed very attractive, at least for Qingdeng whose current financial situation is far from enough to treat money like dung.

However, compared to the prize money, the entry conditions attracted Qingdeng's attention more.

"The sword hall only for Edo? Does that mean that idlers with no background or sect are not allowed to participate?"

Chiba Shigetaro nodded.

"Why are only novice swordsmen who have practiced swords for less than 3 years eligible to participate in the competition?" Qing Deng asked.

"As far as I know, this is to give novice swordsmen a chance to practice, and to avoid the situation in the past where the contestants come and go in every competition."

Chiba Shigetaro answered slowly.

"In the past, when various feudal lords held martial arts competitions, they often did not set any conditions for participation, and anyone could sign up to participate."

"For the vast majority of sword gyms, they naturally hope to achieve as good a result as possible in the competition, so as to enhance the reputation of the sword gym."

"So this has led to a consequence - each sword gym only sends their strongest disciples to compete."

"As a result, whenever there is a competition, there are only a few people who come and go on the field to compete there, and it is rare to see novices who have practiced martial arts for a short time."

"The Marquis of Aizu, in order to avoid such a phenomenon from happening again, restricted only beginners who have practiced swords for less than 3 years to participate in this competition."

"The reason why it is only open to the various sword gyms in Edo and does not allow idle people from no background or faction to participate is to facilitate supervision and ensure that each contestant is indeed a newcomer who has not practiced swords for a long time."

After the explanation, Chiba Shigetaro changed the subject: "How is it? Tachibana-kun, are you interested in participating in this competition? You have been apprenticed to the guarding hall for less than half a year, and you are eligible for the competition."

"It's a very rare opportunity to compete with people from various sword gyms in Edo. Fighting more swordsmen from different schools will be very beneficial to your future cultivation."

"A competition only for beginners..." Qingdeng murmured, "If it's only for the sword gyms in Edo... Does that mean you have to compete with newcomers in the sword gyms in Edo..."

"Shigetaro." Kondo asked at this time, "How many people can each sword gym send to participate in this competition?"

"This... I don't know too well." Chiba Shigetaro shook his head, "This swordsmanship competition has not been widely announced, and I only knew that the Marquis of Aizu will hold the competition through my relationship."

"A lot of details about this game, I am not very clear."

"After a few days, people from Aizu Prefecture will vigorously promote this competition, and they should be able to know how many people each sword gym can send to participate."

"Heh, the Aizu clan is indeed the most important "pillar of the country" that the shogunate relies on most." Hijikata smiled, "You can get 20 taels of gold... If it wasn't because I have been practicing swords for more than 3 years, I would I kind of want to compete."

Okita on the side pecked his head, expressing his agreement with what Hijikata said just now with his gestures.

"Only the winner can receive the bounty?" Qingdeng, who had been pondering just now, interjected.

"Well, yes, it seems to be like this, only the winner can receive the reward." Shigetaro smiled, "It seems that this is also intentional by the Marquis of Aizu, only the winner can receive the reward, encourage everyone to actively compete for the first place one."

"It's like when the generals in the Warring States Period were fighting, only the one who was 'first' could get a big reward."

"So, Mr. Ju, are you interested in participating in this competition?"

"If I were Ni, I would participate without hesitation! It's been a while since the feudal lord funded the competition. It would be a pity if I missed it!"

Looking at Chiba Shigetaro who was staring at him with fiery eyes, Qing Deng couldn't help frowning.

I don't know if it's his illusion...

He always feels... Chiba Shigetaro has been urging him to participate in the competition since just now...

But Qingdeng didn't think too much about this issue.

After thinking for a moment, he smiled and nodded: "I'm quite interested in this competition. If I have the opportunity to represent the test hall, I will definitely participate."

——It's hard for me to refuse such a great opportunity to replicate my talents.

Qingdeng added silently in his heart.

It would be such a pity to miss this great opportunity to gain talents from the swordsmen in various sword gyms!

Other sword halls... especially the great sword halls such as the Scholars Hall and the Military Training Hall, must not lack that kind of amazingly talented young heroes.

Participating in this competition only for newcomers, maybe you can copy a few useful talents.

Moreover, as Chiba Shigetaro said just now, it is of great benefit to the practice of swordsmanship to compete with people from various sword gyms in Edo, fight with swordsmen of different schools, and see the different fighting styles of each school. .

After seeing Qingdeng nodding to express his willingness to participate in this competition, a happy smile bloomed on Chiba Shigetaro's face.

"Hahaha, Mr. Ju, I knew you would definitely want to participate in this competition!"

After all, Chiba Shigetaro paused.

Then, with a volume that only he could hear clearly, he murmured in a thankful tone:

"As long as you are willing to participate... as long as you are willing to participate..."

...

...

Chiba Shigetaro's sudden visit to the test guard hall was just to inform the test guard hall that "the Marquis of Aizu will fund the swordsmanship competition".

So after finishing the business and chatting briefly, Chiba Shigetaro raised his saber and said goodbye.

Kondo politely wanted to ask Chiba Shigetaro to come down for lunch, but Chiba Shigetaro declined on the grounds that "the meal is already prepared at home".

Along with Kondo, Okita and others, Qingdeng sent Chiba Shigetaro to the gate of the testing hall.

Watching the back of Chiba Shigetaro leaving, Okita suddenly muttered:

"That Aizu is going to hold a swordsmanship competition... It's really rare. I remember that the Marquis of Aizu has never held a swordsmanship competition in Edo before."

"Since it's a swordsmanship competition held in Aizu..." Hijikata crossed his hands into Haori's sleeves, "That means that the Marquis of Aizu: Matsudaira Matsudaira is very likely to show up at the competition..."

"Then this game, I must go and see it."

"I have long wanted to see what this well-known young feudal lord looks like."

Aizu...a vassal state with a world-famous name.

The Aizu Domain is a pro-family daimyo located in the Tohoku region, that is, a branch of the relatives who were entrusted to various places by the Shogun Tokugawa.

The total stone height is 230,000. In terms of financial resources alone, the Aizu domain is definitely not outstanding among the domains.

However, Aizu relied on its strong military strength to gain a great reputation in Japan.

Due to various reasons such as the toughness of the people, the combat effectiveness of the Aizu Army is notoriously strong.

The Northeast region is one of the regions with the most foreign names.

According to statistics, there are 31 vassal states in the Northeast region, and most of these 31 vassal states are foreign daimyos.

In such an area with many foreign names, it has always been relatively stable, and there have been no major disturbances - the Aizu Domain has contributed a lot to this achievement.

Aizu can be said to be the front line against many foreign daimyos in the Northeast. It was originally a "nail" that the Edo shogunate specially pierced in the Northeast for the purpose of "deterring foreign daimyos".

And Aizu has always fulfilled this obligation perfectly, relying on its strong military power, severely suppressing the northeast feudal clans, so that they dare not make trouble.

The current lord of the Aizu Domain, the 9th lord of the Aizu Domain, Matsudaira Rongbao, is one of the current political celebrities.

It is reported that Matsudaira Rongbao, who is only 24 years old this year, is a very handsome and well-known gentleman.

At the moment when the country is in turmoil due to the invasion of overseas powers, most of the vassal states are there to be fools without their own opinions. The Aizu vassal led by Matsudaira Yoshiho is one of the very few vassal states that fully support the Edo shogunate. one.

The Edo shogunate now relies heavily on the Aizu clan, and the current actions of the Aizu clan are enough to be called the "pillar of the shogunate".

At this time, Kondo suddenly interjected:

"...I don't know why the Aizu Domain, who has never been involved in these activities before, is suddenly planning to hold a swordsmanship competition."

"But anyway, it's a good thing."

"It is true that there was a period of time in Edo where there were no big feudal lords with strong financial resources to hold martial arts competitions."

"It's been a long time since I played a wonderful game."

"In my impression... the competitions that caught my eye can be traced back to the swordsmanship competition held in Tosa Houshan Content Hall in the fourth year of Ansei (1857) three years ago."

"Ah." Okita answered at this moment, "I also have an impression of that match, it was really exciting."

Tosahou - the lord of the Tosa domain.

The Tosa Domain is a foreign daimyo with a total stone height of 240,000 shi located on Shikoku Island.

"The swordsmanship competition 3 years ago?" Qingdeng, who was somewhat interested in the conversation between Kondo and Okita just now, asked, "The competition you mentioned 3 years ago had many very powerful masters participating. ?"

"It's not that there are many great players participating." Okita replied, "It's just that there was a very powerful and eye-catching master in that competition."

"That man almost won the game all the way."

"Ah, he's still from Little Chiba Sword Hall!"

"I remember this person's name seems to be... called... what is it called Saka?"

Okita frowned, looking thoughtful.

After a while, his frown was loosened.

"I remembered!"

"Sakamoto Ryoma."

"That person's name is Sakamoto Ryoma."

"Sakamoto Ryoma..." Qingdeng murmured the name again softly, "It's directly named after 'Ryoma'...it's really an imposing name."

"This person used to be a famous person at the Little Chiba Sword Academy." Okita nodded, "If I remember correctly... Sakamoto Ryoma was from the Tosa Domain, and was recommended to study at the Little Chiba Sword Academy because of his outstanding swordsmanship talent."

"Although I haven't fought against this person directly, I have personally seen several sparring sessions between him and others. He is indeed a talent with great swordsmanship talent and strength."

"It's a pity that such an excellent seedling didn't stay in the Little Chiba Sword Academy for a long time. Otherwise, I think that with his strength, he will become the teacher of the Little Chiba Sword Academy in the future, or directly set up a sword in Edo." It's not impossible."

"Three years ago, after he won the swordsmanship competition held by Marquis Tosao, he received Beichen Yidao Style's Mian Xu Jie Chuan."

"Not long after that, he left Edo, returned to his hometown of Tosa, and never came back."

After quietly listening to Okita's story about Sakamoto Ryoma, Qingdeng nodded lightly: "It turns out that there was such a powerful swordsman in Little Chiba Sword Hall."

Qingdeng simply listened to Okita's stories about Sakamoto Ryoma with the mentality of listening to stories.

So——after returning to the test hall with Kondo and others, Qingdeng, who hadn't paid attention to that Sakamoto Ryoma at all, had already thrown this name into the depths of the sea of ​​memory.

...

...

Chiba Shigetaro is in a very good mood right now.

He was in such a good mood right now that he started humming an out-of-key tune.

He turned his head, glanced at the direction where the examination hall was located, and let out a strange laugh:

"Hahaha, Tachibana-kun agreed to participate in Marquis Aizu's swordsmanship competition, hehehe~~"

Ever since their Little Chiba Sword Gym was defeated in the "Red and White Battle" of the "Plum Blossom Festival" by the Test Guard Gym led by Qingdeng, Chiba Shigetaro had already made up his mind - to fight Tachibana Qingdeng. Think about it as a "prepared brother-in-law"!

Chiba Shigetaro's first consideration was Qingdeng's character.

During the past two months, Chiba Shigetaro collected Qingdeng's "information" everywhere.

Either entrust a friend, or personally ask the apprentices in the test guard hall, the officials in the enforcement office...ask all the people related to Qingdeng, and ask them about Qingdeng's character.

Almost everyone praised Qingdeng's character.

It is said that Qingdeng is a very humble person, and he never treats others with an arrogant and complacent attitude because he is now a celebrity in Edo and because he has made great achievements.

At the same time, he is also a very hardworking person. According to some apprentices in the testing hall——Qingdeng would get up to practice sword every day before dawn, and focus on exercising his body's muscle strength at night, and he almost never slacked off.

After actual contact with Qingdeng himself, Chiba Shigetaro also feels that Qingdeng's character is indeed very good, and getting along with him feels like a spring breeze.

The more Chiba Shigetaro investigates, the more satisfied he is with this "prepared brother-in-law".

She has good character, except for the ugly haircut without a congenital haircut, her appearance is fair, her talent is outstanding, and her future is limitless.

He has found out that their Ju family still owes more than 500 taels of gambling debt... But so what?

First of all, the more than 500 taels of gold was not owed by Qingdeng, but by his father Tachibana Takashi.

Secondly, Chiba Shigetaro didn't think the gambling debt of more than 500 taels was such a big deal.

He felt that with Qingdeng's current ability, it was only a matter of time before he could pay off the 500 taels of gambling debt.

And if Qingdeng really becomes the son-in-law of the Chiba family in the future, the Chiba family can help pay off this gambling debt in minutes!

How can they say that their Chiba family is one of the most famous martial arts sects in Japan now, and they have a gambling debt of more than 500 taels of gold, and they can help Qingdeng pay off the debt with a lift of their fingers.

Chiba Shigetaro became more and more satisfied with Qingdeng, and the more he watched, the more joyful he was——Qingdeng's recent great achievement in protecting the Tibetan Book Institute was regarded as "the last straw that broke the camel's back" in Chiba Shigetaro's heart.

After learning that Qingdeng has made another great achievement, his family salary has been directly increased by 400 shi, and he is no longer a lower-level imperial family, Chiba Shigetaro finally made up his mind-it's him!

From now on, Qingdeng is my brother-in-law! Whoever offends Qingdeng offends Chiba Shigetarou!

Of course—the above are all Chiba Shigetaro's self-serving decisions...

It is useless for him to believe that Qingdeng is his brother-in-law, Chiba Sanako has to believe that Qingdeng is her husband-in-law.

Therefore, in order to accomplish this goal, Chiba Shigetaro's current focus of work has been adjusted to "how to match Qingdeng and Sanako".

Chiba Shigetaro knew exactly what kind of personality his sister had.

The very strong Zonazi only respects the strong, and she has always dismissed the weak who are physically and mentally weak.

So... Chiba Shigetaro had a change of mind.

If you want to bring Qingdeng and Sanako together, and make Zenazi fall in love with Qingdeng... then the best way is to let Zuo Nazi discover the shining points in Qingdeng that can attract her.

Since Zuo Nazi admires Qiang... then let her see how powerful Qingdeng is!

That's it... Chiba Shigetaro, who is quite "meticulous" in logical thinking, immediately ran to the test hall and told the news to Kondo and others when he learned that the Marquis of Aizu was going to hold a swordsmanship competition... Mainly to tell Qingdeng.

Tell Qingdeng about this, and then encourage Qingdeng to participate in this competition - this is the main purpose of Chiba Shigetaro's "trip to the test hall" today.

Chiba Shigetaro thought: With Qingdeng's current strength, it is only an easy task to shine in this competition that is only for beginners in fencing.

The plan of this elder brother who has worked hard for his sister's marriage is simple: let Qingdeng participate in the competition, and then let Sanako see the heroic appearance of Qingdeng's winning streak opponent, and then be attracted by Qingdeng's talent.

Ah, what a perfect plan!

Chiba Shigetaro was quite satisfied with his plan.

Right now, Qingdeng has nodded in agreement, expressing that he will participate in this competition. Chiba Shigetaro's plan is half successful.

Feeling proud of the success of the plan, Chiba Shigetaro returned to the Little Chiba Sword Hall.

The real name of the Little Chiba Sword Gym is actually "Chiba Sword Gym", but for the convenience of distinguishing it from the Xuanwu Gym of the family, it is often called "Little Chiba" by others.

As the Great Sword Gym, which is not inferior to the "Three Great Sword Gyms" headed by the Honjia Xuanwu Gym in terms of scale and reputation, the Little Chiba Gym has a set of luxurious facilities that match its reputation and scale.

There are 3 dojos in Xiaoqianye Sword Hall. For the convenience of distinction and management, these 3 dojos are named "A Field", "B Field" and "C Field" respectively.

Field C is exclusively for apprentices who are still lacking in strength.

Field B is an "expert field", and only apprentices whose strength has been recognized can enter and exit here.

The armor field located in the deepest part of the sword hall is the smallest dojo - this is the private dojo of Chiba Shigetaro and the others, and only the Chiba family can use it.

As soon as he returned to the sword hall, Chiba Shigetaro bumped into an old man who had studied swordsmanship in their small Chiba sword hall for many years.

When this person saw Chiba Shigetaro, he immediately said to Chiba Shigetaro:

"Shifan Dai, you came back just in time. Miss Sanako is looking for you, she told you to go find her quickly."

"Sanako, is she looking for me?" Chiba Shigetaro raised his eyebrows.

"Well, Miss Sanako is practicing swords at the armor field."

"Okay, thank you."

Chiba Shigetaro took off the saber at his waist, and went straight to the armor field located in the deepest part of their sword gym.

As soon as the wooden door of the armor field was opened, a beautiful figure appeared in Chiba Shigetaro's eyes.

I saw Sanako standing alone in the center of the dojo, wearing a kendo uniform, waving the small wooden Taidao in his hand like a butterfly.

A pair of white and tender feet without socks slid on the clean floor.

Glossy waist-length black hair, tied into a neat high ponytail, three thousand black hairs fluttered and scattered with the dance of Sanako's figure.

She must have also practiced swordsmanship for a long time, her cheeks were tinged with a bright red due to strenuous exercise, her face was covered with sweat, and the skirt of the bear's mouth was wet with sweat.

From time to time, a few drops of sweat would fall from her face, dripping on her white instep with only a few faint blue veins emerging, or on the cute and small toe tips, and then along the instep or Toes dripped to the floor.

"Brother." After noticing that Chiba Shigetaro was coming, she immediately stopped the wooden knife in her hand, then raised her left arm, and gracefully tested the sweat on her face with the back of her left hand, "You're finally back, huh? What's the matter? Why do you have a weird expression?"

"Uh... I have a weird expression? Is this the case?" Chiba Shigetaro laughed dryly, and laughed, then raised his hands and kneaded his face vigorously.

I have identified Qingdeng as my brother-in-law, and encouraged Qingdeng to participate in the swordsmanship competition, so as to show Sanako's strength... Chiba Shigetaro is naturally impossible and dare not tell Sanako about such things.

Chiba Shigetaro knows his sister best, this carefree big girl always has a rebellious temperament in her temper.

The more you ask her to do something, the more often she refuses to follow, and even deliberately opposes you.

If you tell her "I want to match you and Qingdeng" at this time, Chiba Shigetaro thinks that in all likelihood, Sanako will be disgusted, and eventually the plan of "making Qingdeng their Chiba husband-in-law" will become difficult Heavy.

Therefore, Chiba Shigetaro decided to take his time, and first secretly help cultivate Qingdeng and Sanako's relationship little by little, and then find the right opportunity for a showdown.

This kind of state of hiding something from Sanako and having ghosts in his heart made Chiba Shigetaro uncontrollably become weird when facing Sanako.

It is impossible for Chiba Shigetaro to fool Sanako with this casual perfunctory.

She frowned and looked Chiba Shigetaro from head to toe with a scrutinizing gaze.

In order to get rid of this embarrassing situation, Chiba Shigetaro quickly changed the subject:

"Ah, that's right."

"Zanako, didn't you want to find me? What are you looking for me for?"

"Oh, it's nothing." Seeing that Chiba Shigetaro brought up the business, Sanako slowly withdrew his scrutiny, "I just want to tell you: it has been confirmed, and our 'Technique Chiba' will return soon." It's Edo."

Skilled Chiba——After hearing this name, Chiba Shigetaro's eyes suddenly widened.

"Brother Rong is coming back?"

Zuo Nazi nodded: "This is what my father told me just now. About ten days later, Brother Rong will return to Edo."

"Haha..." Chiba Shigetaro grinned and smiled, "'Technique Chiba' Chiba Eijiro is going back to Edo... It seems that the swordsmanship world in Edo is about to become lively..."

...

...

That night——

Edo, Koishikawa Kohinata Yanagi-cho, Shouweikan, hall——

Zhou Zhu and A Bi, who went out early in the morning, finally returned to the testing hall in the evening.

When the family gathered in the hall for dinner, Kondo informed Zhou Zhu that the Tsu domain was about to hold a swordsmanship competition.

"Oh..." Zhou Zhu raised his eyebrows, "The Marquis of Aizu is going to hold a swordsmanship competition..."

"Father, I think we can't miss this competition in the Weiwei Hall!"

Kondo said quickly.

"The scale of the competition held by a big name like Marquis Aizu must be quite grand! It will definitely attract many people to watch!"

"If our test hall can achieve a good ranking and performance in this competition, it will further strengthen the reputation of our test hall!"

"Even if we don't mention these things, letting the newcomers in our test hall to participate in this kind of competition will be very beneficial to the future development of the newcomers in our hall."

Kondo beamed and talked happily.

But Zhou Zhu seemed to be listening inadvertently...

He listened absent-mindedly and nodded slightly.

After Kondo's voice fell, he said softly:

"Yes, I also think there are many benefits to participating in this competition, so let's participate in this competition in the Weiwei Hall."

After finishing speaking, Zhou Zhu turned his eyes sideways and glanced at Ah Bi beside him.

Ah Bi, who noticed Zhou Zhu's gaze, turned his head to meet Zhou Zhu's gaze, and then nodded slightly.

"Hmm...cough cough!"

Zhou Zhu cleared his throat vigorously, then turned his face straight, facing Kondo:

"Yong, let's not mention the operation of these sword halls."

"You put down the bowls and chopsticks first."

"I have something very important to tell you."

"Huh?" Kondo put down the bowl and chopsticks in his hand with a puzzled expression.

Noticing the strange movement, Qingdeng, Chongtian and the others also raised their eyes to look at Zhou Zhu.

"Yong, I... and your mother have already made a decision."

Zhou Zhu took a deep breath, and then paused word by word:

"It's time for you to start a family."

"What?" Kondo widened his eyes.

Qing Deng, Chong Tian and the others also looked stunned at this time.

"This, this means that you want me to marry a wife?" Kondo's tone became stammered.

Zhou Zhu nodded.

When he was about to say something, he suddenly paused, then turned his gaze away, and smiled awkwardly at Qing Deng:

"Mr. Ju, come and listen carefully."

"This matter...is also related to you."

"There are so many beautiful girls who want to go on a blind date with you."

***********

***********

Today's long-lost chapter with a word count of 7000+! Ask for a monthly pass! Ask for a recommendation ticket! (Leopard Head Crying.jpg)

PS: Before the establishment of the Edo Shogunate, the territory of the Aizu Domain was ruled by the Ashina clan.

Ashina is the prototype of Ashina in the game "Sekiro", and both are pronounced "Ashina".

In Japan, there is a term called "Aizu soul". The allusion of this word comes from the end of the Tokugawa period and when the building was about to collapse, the Aizu Fan "the ministers are about to fight to the death, why did the general surrender first", and "trying to mend the cracks in the sky with one hand, Those who are interested can learn more about the tragic story of "opening the film with the Allied Forces of Sa Chang and fighting to the end".

Ask for a monthly pass! Ask for a recommendation ticket!

The author has opened a book friend group in Penguin! Those who are interested can come in and talk about the big bear together.

Group number: 1162513690. You only need to answer a question that you will definitely know the answer as long as you read the book seriously, and you can join the book friend group.

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