I formed the strongest swordsman group

Chapter 558 Strange Dance: Isn’t this bad? 【4500】

The sounds of "bang bang bang" kowtowed one after another.

They cried, shouted, begged for mercy, and crouched, hoping to gain Qingdeng's mercy.

However, Qingdeng's facial lines were always as cold as steel, and he didn't even move his brows.

A certain warrior shouted angrily:

"Even if we are to be executed, at least let us commit seppuku! How can the warrior's head fall to the ground!"

For a samurai, the most humiliating way to die was by beheading.

According to the practice of the Edo period, only samurai who committed unforgivable crimes would be beheaded.

However, his request was ignored by Qingdeng.

They were forced to kneel in a row.

Seven men with cuffs tied and sabers rinsed with water stood behind them.

The nature of the job is destined to be a position that can easily offend people and requires a certain amount of strength to hold the position in check.

Therefore, under Qingdeng's deliberate arrangement, the inspectors of the Metropolitan Police Bureau were all good swordsmen. To them, beheading is just a simple matter.

Isamu Kondo shouted:

"preparation!"

The 7 men raised their bright silver swords high in the air.

The cries of the troublemakers reached their peak at this moment.

Some are still begging for mercy.

Others have accepted the coming end, stopped making any sound, closed their eyes, lowered their heads, and stretched their necks so that the executioners behind them could have a more convenient angle to draw the knife.

"Do it!"

7 silver threads splashed down.

7 heads fell to the ground.

The world suddenly became quiet.

Those cries and those begging for mercy all disappeared without a trace in an instant.

Looking at the seven headless bodies that lost their vitality and slipped forward due to inertia and fell to the ground, the team members who watched the entire execution process could not help but feel sad and sad.

There is an air of fear all around

Qingdeng's expression remained indifferent.

After glancing at the heads lying on the ground, he turned around and faced the soldiers.

Seeing that Qingdeng seemed to have something to say, the team members all stood up straight and cheered up.

"Everyone, some of you seem to have misunderstood something."

"The Shinsengumi are not just a happy-go-lucky tourist group! They are an army!"

"Since we are an army, we should enforce orders and prohibitions!"

"Whatever the superiors ask you to do, you do it."

"Don't challenge the majesty of the superiors, let alone the authority of the 'Shinsengumi Code'!"

"I made it clear before I left Edo, right?"

"If any of the rules in the 'Shinsengumi Code' is violated, the consequences will be death! Either be beheaded in public, or be executed directly on the spot!"

"I said I would let you die, and I will definitely let you die, without exception!"

"Keep in mind the blood tonight! Take these 7 people as a lesson and don't follow in their footsteps!"

"This is the first time I've ever killed a subordinate...I hope this will be my last."

"Disband!"

After finishing speaking, Qingdeng left without any hesitation, leaving everyone at the scene looking at each other.

After a while, the cadres and soldiers dispersed in twos and threes.

"..."

Souji looked thoughtfully at Aomori's retreating figure.

Then, as if she had made up her mind, she followed quietly.

…

Qingdeng walked slowly on the corridor back to his room.

Abruptly, there was a "creak" sound from far to near as the floor was stepped on.

He didn't look back - because he could recognize who it was just by the sound of his footsteps.

"Xiao Si, is something wrong?"

Since there were no outsiders present, he directly called each other by their nicknames.

After Souji caught up with Aoden, the two walked side by side.

"..."

The girl did not speak immediately.

But after a moment of silence, he lightly opened his red lips and said slowly with a worried look on his face:

"Tachibana-kun, is it really okay to implement the 'noisy success or failure' method so roughly?"

Noise leads to failure - one of Japan's traditional criminal laws, that is, for those who "make noise" (meaning disputes or violent conflicts between two people in Japanese), both parties to the conflict must be punished, regardless of who is right or wrong.

Both the Muromachi period (1336-1573) and the Warring States period adopted the law of success or failure as the principle of arbitration.

After the Edo period, although there was no explicit provision in the royal decree, the law of success or failure has become a customary law and continues to survive.

For a long time, people have generally believed that "noisy success or failure" is an unreasonable and evil method, and they are deeply disgusted with it.

Qingdeng's expression was very calm, as if he had expected that the mild-tempered and anti-fighting General Secretary would come to question him.

After the Chief's words fell, he said in a faint tone:

"...Xiao Si, I used to think that 'noisy success or failure' is a very ruthless system."

"However, it wasn't until I climbed up to the high position I am today that I finally realized that this seemingly ruthless system that has been passed down for hundreds of years has its subtleties."

“For a strict organization like the military that will never tolerate disobedience, ‘policy and chaos’ should be its focus compared to ‘good and evil’.”

"No matter who started it, no matter who made the bigger mistake, as long as they are involved in the private fight, they will be punished."

"Only in this way can everyone be scared, and the seeds of trouble can be nipped in their infancy to the greatest extent, so that everyone has to calm down and weigh their own weight before making trouble."

"It's still a commonplace topic - although our team members all have good physical fitness and martial arts skills, it still can't change the fact that they are still a bunch of untrained rabble."

"The team members have different accents, have different educations, and hold different ideas."

"Some of the soldiers are supporters of the shogunate."

"Some soldiers' emotions are inclined towards the imperial court."

"Some soldiers respect both the king and the minister, and believe that the Kyoto court and the Edo shogunate are both indispensable and important entities."

"There are also some soldiers who don't care about the rise and fall of the shogunate and the imperial court at all. As long as they have money, they are willing to work for any family."

"The tense situation and tight time do not allow me to leisurely run into the team."

"I am not a god. My eyes cannot distinguish between good and evil."

"If possible, I also want to make every decision and every penalty within the organization fair and just."

"But obviously, the current me and the current Shinsengumi do not have such ability."

"In order to transform this immature team into a well-disciplined powerhouse as soon as possible, I can only impose heavy penalties."

"So, if a similar situation occurs in the future, I will still adopt the same cruel approach."

After hearing this, the general manager immediately said:

"Mr. Ju, I don't want to scold you. I understand what you said. I'm just worried... whether such strict rules and regulations will separate people's hearts."

"Will not."

Qingden replied in a decisive tone.

“Strict discipline and cruel punishment will never lead to separation of people’s hearts—lack of food and salary will.”

"With food, wages and discipline, even in the face of unfavorable situations and powerful enemies, we can maintain order and strong combat effectiveness."

"But if there is no food and salary, no matter the discipline, no matter the authority of the chief, everything will become a castle in the air."

"Having sufficient food and pay is equivalent to having a strong military morale."

"Whenever your food and salary are cut off, even if you treat your soldiers as ancestors, no one will be willing to pay your bills again."

"It has always been like this through the ages."

"Isn't it like this when the Ming and Qing Dynasties in the Tang Dynasty not far away from now? The Ming army was not satisfied with their pay, and they were invincible if they were full of pay. How could they have full pay? Huang Taiji of Liaodong."

"This was a weak Ming army that collapsed at the first touch. After receiving full pay, it immediately transformed into a tiger and wolf warrior who dared to fight and charge, and could endure pain."

"Whether it is fully paid or not directly determines the mental outlook of an army."

"Compared with those armies in history that were known for their strict order, my military management methods are quite gentle."

"My 'Shinsengumi Procedure' only has 5 very simple rules. As long as these 5 rules are not triggered, the soldiers can do whatever they want with the rest."

Souji listened quietly, then nodded slightly in understanding.

"Well... okay, as long as you have an idea. In short, don't force yourself too much."

As she spoke, she stretched out her hand and patted Qingden's back like a mother comforting her baby.

"'Barely'? What do you mean?"

"I personally ordered the execution of the subordinates I finally recruited... It must be impossible to say that I don't feel anything at all, right?"

"..."

Taking advantage of Qingto's silence, the Souji smiled slightly - that smile was like sunlight pouring down from the gaps in the clouds.

"If you feel uncomfortable one day in the future, you can come to me and I will slowly listen to your complaints."

Qingdeng laughed dumbly:

"Xiao Si, thank you for your concern. Don't worry, who do you think I am? I am a benevolent king who kills decisively. A change of this level will not make me feel depressed or depressed."

Souji put his hands behind his back, turned his body, and smiled. His light ponytail slid over his shoulders and hung in front of him. A child-like smile appeared in his eyes that were lightly covered by his long eyelashes.

"That's good."

…

The effect of killing chickens to scare monkeys is always significant.

After witnessing the 7 good heads falling to the ground and experiencing that bloody night, the discipline of the Shinsengumi instantly improved to a higher level!

Both the speed of gathering and the distance of marching have been significantly improved.

No one dared to make irresponsible remarks on Qingdeng's military orders.

The organization of the Shinsengumi has been greatly improved visible to the naked eye.

Those who were previously dissatisfied with Qingdeng's "astringent ban" all remained silent and did not dare to express their opinions anymore.

After arriving at the new camp, whenever the promiscuous women such as chasing birds, nightingales, and walking witches surrounded them, the team members would always look frightened and avoid them like the plague, calling them monks. Puzzled.

There are two versions of Kanto and Kansai in Japan.

One is bounded by the central part of the Nongwei Plain.

The other is to take the Sekihara area of the Nobi Plain as the boundary, with the east called Kanto and the west called Kansai.

Actually, both could make sense.

No matter which theory you follow, it is correct to say that you can enter the Kansai region as long as you cross the Nobi Plains.

Sekigahara is the Sekigahara of the "Battle of Sekigahara".

The "Battle of Sekigahara" was to the Edo shogunate, similar to the "Battle of Gaixia" to the Western Han Dynasty. They were both battles that determined the world.

Two hundred and sixty years ago, the 100,000 Eastern Army led by Tokugawa Ieyasu defeated the 80,000 Western Army led by Ishida Mitsunari in Sekigahara in just one day and conquered the world.

The "battle that determines the world" begins in the "place that divides the world into two"... History always has such wonderful coincidences full of rituals.

Qingdeng is still very interested in this famous ancient battlefield.

He would be happy to visit if conditions permit.

It's a pity that the Tokaido Road does not pass through Sekigahara.

Passing through Sekigahara is the branch road of Tokaido: Ise Road.

At the 41st stop through the Tokaido: Miyajuku - it is the Noo Plains' closest camp to Kansai - from here on, Aoto and others are considered to be out of the sphere of influence of the Edo shogunate.

It was from here that Qingdeng and others clearly felt that the public's attention they received was completely different from before.

Kanto is the ruling center and basic base of the shogunate.

The feudal lords, the daimyos, and the lands directly under the shogunate were basically concentrated in Kanto.

Therefore, the sentiments of the scholars and people in Kanto naturally tended towards the shogunate.

When the Shinsengumi soldiers marched on the Kanto section of the Tokaido Road, pedestrians along the way looked at them with reverence.

Looking back at Kansai...

There are two concepts of Kansai in Japan.

In a narrow sense, Kansai is the Kinki region centered on Kyoto and Osaka.

In a broad sense, Kansai is the half of Japan west of the Nobi Plain.

Regardless of the concept of Kansai, its citizens did not have deep feelings for the shogunate.

Rather - they even hate the shogunate.

This is not difficult to understand. The forces entrenched in Kansai are basically all external daimyo who are at odds with the shogunate.

Because of a series of systems such as the shogunate's "appointment transfer" and other systems that used various methods to toss the daimyo of the vassal states, the scholars and people of each vassal state were burdened with a very heavy burden.

Emotional alienation made the people of Kansai treat the Shinsengumi no differently than "a foreign army that suddenly stepped into their own territory."

Their antipathy towards the shogunate made it even more difficult for them not to cast an indifferent, cold gaze at the Shinsengumi.

Ever since they crossed the Nongwei Plain, Qingden often felt as if there was cold air surrounding them.

Although the people did not welcome them, God gave them great support.

Despite the occasional snowstorm, the Shinsengumi's advance was generally smooth.

After 17 days of trekking, the Shinsengumi soldiers successfully arrived at Otsu-juku, the penultimate stop on Tokaido!

…

Wenjiu three years (1863), February 17th——

Tokaido, Otsu-juku——

Ojin - a beautiful city that you must not miss if you love traveling.

To the north of Otsu is Lake Biwa, which is regarded as a symbol of Japan and the largest inland lake in Japan, just like Mount Fuji.

Adjacent to Lake Biwa, you can overlook the vast mirror-like lake; the humid air brought by the lake makes the climate very livable, making it a city very suitable for the development of tourism.

Aoto summoned the senior cadres of the Shinsengumi: Director Kondo Isamu, Deputy Director Hijikata Toshizo, Chief Yamanan Keisuke, and Staff Officer Qiikawa Hachiro, and organized a simple meeting.

"If nothing else happens, we will arrive at the last battle of Tokaido - Sanjo Bridge in Kyoto tomorrow morning."

Qingden continued while placing his hands on top of the oven to keep warm.

"According to the shogunate's plan, the Shinsengumi's headquarters will be established in Mibu-go, Kyoto..."

Before he finished speaking, a strange singing voice suddenly came from outside the window:

"Isn't this bad~~ Is this not good~~ Is this not good~~"

Hijikata Toshizo frowned.

"What's the noise?"

He quickly came to the window.

The rest of the people, led by Qingdeng, also followed.

I saw a group of people dancing on the street outside the window, doing strange dances, and singing loudly.

That song only has one lyric: Isn't this bad?

*******