"Mr. Inotani, from another perspective, I can be regarded as a 'blessing and misfortune'."
Qingden smiled at Inoya and then said:
"Although I was very unlucky and encountered this kind of thing when I was hitchhiking back to Edo."
"But didn't I succeed and make a great contribution?"
"I should be able to pass the 'performance appraisal' one month later."
At this stage, combating the vicious "anti-barbarian" thugs is the biggest task of the Edo Office.
This time, Qingdeng succeeded in defeating more with less, repelling the attack of more than 200 "anti-barbarian" thugs, killing more than 60 people, and saving French businessmen and their merchants... Such an achievement can be considered a merit.
It shines brightly.
With such a great achievement in hand... just like what Qingdeng said just now: he no longer has to worry about the "big boss assessment" on March 1st that will test their "three times" political performance.
"Ha..." Inotani smiled bitterly, "That's true, Tachibana, this is indeed a blessing in disguise."
After finishing speaking, Inoya grinned at Qingden with a joyful smile.
"Ju, I'm really... more and more impressed by you!"
"I didn't expect you to have this kind of ability!"
"Leading dozens of people, we repelled an enemy group several times your size... Some generals from the Warring States Period three hundred years ago probably didn't have this ability!"
When Aoto sent a letter asking for help to Edo, Aoto had already written all the known information about this "snowy night chaos" into the "letter for help".
When, where, and how they were attacked, how they repelled the enemy, and the direction in which the enemy fled...these contents were all written clearly in the letter.
After this letter asking for help was delivered to the prison, everyone in the "Three Chapters" was considered to be the first group of people to know about Qingdeng's feat of "defeating the strong with the weak".
Therefore, horses, pigs, and ox all knew very well what happened to Qingdeng, and also knew how Qingdeng led Komuro and others to rely on subtle micro-management to defeat the strong with the weak.
"Ju, I heard about it."
Inoya continued.
"After hearing about your deeds of saving businessmen in their country, the French embassy seems to want to thank you and commend you."
"Are there any thanks and commendations from the French Embassy? Compared with the French Embassy's commendations, I'm more curious about what kind of rewards the government will give me." Qingdeng said in a half-joking tone.
"...The government has been very busy recently." Arima suddenly interjected at this time, "The elder and the middle-aged are taking this incident very seriously."
"It is said that the elders, the elders and the middle-aged people have held several meetings regarding this incident in the past few days."
"Now...it's really a troubled time..."
"You all should be prepared."
"There is no doubt that the shogunate will definitely take unprecedentedly severe measures to crack down on all the 'rejection factions'."
"We're going to be very busy..."
Arima's words caused a look of solemnity to appear on the faces of Qingto and others in the hall.
In the past, whether in the government or among the people, everyone's impression of the "radical anti-foreigners" was that they were a bunch of people who only bullied the weak and feared the strong.
They shouted "reject the barbarians" and "reject the barbarians" every day. As a result, the Yi and Di people didn't see them kill many people. The ones they killed the most were the Japanese who they thought were "national traitors".
Regardless of whether they were killing barbarians or Japanese, they only dared to carry out assassinations cynically and did not dare to openly attack those who were not easy to mess with.
But now - the "attack" that Qingdeng encountered this time has completely shattered everyone's perception of this group of lunatics.
This group of lunatics suddenly became tough and dared to use their ferocious blades against foreign businessmen who were protected by dozens of warriors.
Can organize more than 200 people to launch an attack on a certain target.
Being able to have the intelligence ability to know when and where Anthony and others will pass through, and then prepare an ambush in advance...
Such a number of people, such mobilization capabilities, such intelligence acquisition capabilities...
This is not a trivial matter that can be ignored...
This means that one or even several large-scale "radical anti-barbarian" organizations have emerged.
The "terrorists" with abnormal brains suddenly gathered together, established a large-scale force, and began to carry out "terrorist operations" in an organized manner - this is not good news for the current Edo shogunate.
The actual master of the Edo shogunate, which now has all the power in the government and the public, is the elder Ii Naomichi, who is a well-known "founding theorist".
He has always advocated the founding of the country and boldly communicated with overseas powers.
Therefore, it is conceivable that as a "founding theory" leader, how could it be possible for Ii Naomi to sit idly by and ignore the "radical anti-foreigners" who have unknowingly become stronger and have a certain atmosphere?
God knows whether these people will bring about some big trouble in the future that will cause the entire country to suffer.
This gang of lunatics dared to attack an innocent foreign businessman and his family today. Who knows whether they will attack a foreign embassy tomorrow or do something more extreme?
By then, the "founding of the country" policy that Naomi Ii has been insisting on will definitely be impacted.
Anyone with a little bit of political judgment can see that from now on, Naomi Ii will definitely devote more resources to "anti-terrorism".
As Edo was one of the areas hardest hit by the "anti-barbarian movement", the shogunate would naturally "strike hard".
By then, Qingdeng and others, who are "Three Chapters", will definitely be regarded as important combat forces and invested in "anti-terrorism operations".
"Anyway, Tachibana-kun, you should rest peacefully during this time." Arima said softly to Ayoto, "From the day after tomorrow, the Nanban Office will be in charge of Edo, and we, the officials of the Northern Office, no longer need to go to the shrine to serve their duties.
In February, you can take the opportunity to relax at home with peace of mind."
"While you're staying at home and recuperating, take out your underwear and dry it in the sun."
"The people above are taking this incident very seriously."
"I estimate that after some time, a big shot of not low rank will come to summon you."
"I will ask you in detail about the attack you encountered and how to repel the attack... and at the same time give you a reward for such a great achievement."
Pit: The attire of warriors. When participating in important activities or meeting important people, you need to wear tunic.
"Then...you have to be more careful during this period."
Having said this, Arima subconsciously turned his head and looked out the window.
"We cannot rule out the possibility that those lunatics found out who caused them to be so disgraced and then retaliate against you."
"So, it's right to be more cautious."
"Don't go to remote places with few people, and pay more attention to your surroundings."
"If you see any suspicious person sneaking around you or your home, remember to report it to the Fengxing Office as soon as possible."
"Yeah." Qingden nodded vigorously.
At this moment, Niushan, who had been silent until now, suddenly said:
"Speaking of which... Lord Arima, Mr. Tachibana, something very strange happened in Edo these past two days."
"Something weird?" Qingdeng asked.
Ayoto and Arima both cast doubtful glances at Ushiyama.
"Arima-sama, you led your people to Kanagawa to pick up Tachibana-kun before, so you probably don't know yet - the incident in which Tachibana-kun repelled the enemies was leaked out for some reason."
"Probably from the day before yesterday, news began to spread throughout Edo that 'Tachibana Aotobu from the northern town of Hokkaido defeated the enemy with a small number and defeated the anti-barbarian thugs.'"
"What?" Arima's already big eyes opened wider.
Qingdeng also frowned slightly in surprise at this time: "Mr. Ushiyama, has the execution office informed the public about this incident?"
"No." Ushiyama shook his head, "Tachibana-kun, you should also know, right? It is certainly impossible for the observance office to leak an incident of this nature to the public so quickly."
Qingden pursed his lips.
Niu Shan is right.
They are no different from "terrorists". The "radical anti-barbarians" who have also tormented ordinary people have suddenly become powerful and terrifying. They can dispatch more than 200 people at one go to ambush Western businessmen who are protected by dozens of warriors.
...Once this kind of thing spreads, it will easily cause people to panic.
Before completing all kinds of work, it is definitely impossible for the execution office to expose this kind of thing so quickly.
"Then how did this matter leak out?" Arima frowned suddenly, "Did someone in the training center accidentally let it out?"
"...I don't think so." Ushiyama slowly shook his head, "If someone in the training center accidentally leaked this matter, it would not have spread at such an exaggerated speed."
"In just two days, the news spread throughout almost all of Edo... I absolutely don't believe that there is no one behind this speed of spread."
The more Qingdeng listened, the more confused he became.
Someone deliberately leaked my incident?
who is it?
Why do this?
Niushan saw the confusion on Qingdeng's face and sighed:
"The execution office is already investigating who is spreading this story."
"But whether we can find out who did it depends on luck."
"...Then this will be troublesome!" Arima's face suddenly darkened, "Now that everyone in Edo knows who fought off those madmen..."
"Then those madmen will also know who caused them such a big defeat...!"
quiet……
The not-so-large living room suddenly became extremely quiet...
…
…
The visit of the horse, pig, and cow to Qingdeng finally ended in a strange atmosphere of silence...
At present, people everywhere in Edo are talking about Aoto's feat of "defeating more with less"... This is definitely not a good thing for Aoto at present.
In disguise, he informed the "terrorists" who had beaten them to shame - this was not the worst part.
The worst part is: Qingdeng has no way to effectively prevent revenge...
They don't have the financial resources to hire more bodyguards.
Let the execution station send a large number of manpower to protect Qingdeng 24 hours a day?
The manpower of the execution office has always been in short supply. Even though Qing Teng had just made a great contribution, he was still not important enough to allocate a large number of manpower to protect him...
Qingden briefly discussed what to do with his three seniors.
After a discussion, they came to the conclusion that there was nothing they could do...the only thing they could do was to be more careful...
In this awkward and weird atmosphere of silence, after Qingdeng personally sent these three elders away from his home, Qingdeng let out a sigh of relief, and then faced the three people standing behind him who had just sent horses, pigs, and cows with him.
Saito and Kubei arrived at the door and said:
"These days...you all should be more careful."
"Especially you, Kyubey."
"I am now more and more convinced that we cannot use common sense to understand those lunatics."
"No one knows what methods those people will use to retaliate against me."
"Kyuubei, if you can't go out in the future, just try not to go out."
"When you must go out, go out during the day."
"Always take the crowded roads."
"When you go shopping for groceries and daily necessities, you should also go to areas with better security."
"Yes..." Jiubingwei lowered his head and let out a long sigh, "Young Master, I think it's so unfair..."
"You have clearly just accomplished such a dazzling feat."
"As a result... life became more uneasy because of this..."
Qingto smiled and raised his hand to pat Kyubei's back a few times: "For us 'three times' samurai, being hated and retaliated by others is just a common thing."
"Take it easy, Kyubei."
Qingdeng softly comforted this old servant who was unwilling to accept his experience——
Bang bang bang...!
Aoto, Saito, and Kubei, who had just seen off the three horses, pigs, and cows, were still standing at the entrance.
At the same time, the three of them turned to look at the door in front of them, where there were suddenly several moderate knocks...
After the knock on the door, a rather energetic baritone voice sounded outside the door:
"Is anyone home?"
After the baritone fell, a neutral voice with a quite pleasant timbre followed closely:
"Is anyone home-?"
Hearing these two voices, Qingdeng looked startled, then quickly walked down to the earth room in three steps and two steps at a time, and then opened the door.
The door opened - a big, thick mouth and a slender, light high ponytail tied with a purple ribbon came into view.
"Kondo-kun? Okita-kun?"
Kondo and Okita outside the room both looked surprised after seeing Aoto.
"Tachibana-kun," Okita said, "have you returned to Edo?"
…
…
The living room of Qingdeng's family became lively again.
Aoto, Kondo, and Okita sat opposite each other.
Saito held his sword as usual, expressionless, and sat in the corner of the living room without saying a word.
Jiubeyi retreated into the kitchen, preparing new tea.
"Tachibana-kun, who is this?" Kondo winked at Saito.
That's right... no one in the trial academy knows Saito yet...
Qingto cleared his throat: "This is the bodyguard my elders hired for me: Saito Ichi."
"Bodyguard?" Kondo's eyes lit up, and then he cast curious eyes on Saito, "Since you can be a bodyguard... you must be very skilled?"
Qingto nodded: "Saito is the winner of the undisclosed "Freedom of All". Thanks to Saito, I have been able to save myself from danger many times."
"If nothing is leaked, let it be passed on...!" Kondo showed surprise and admiration to Saito.
Okita, who was sitting side by side with Saito, couldn't help but blink a few times and looked at Saito a few more times.
"To be able to obtain the undisputed honorary title at such a young age... What an incredible hero!" For some reason, Kondo became a little excited. He straightened his waist and said sternly to Saito,
"First time we meet! I am the teacher of the Rishin-ryu Examination Hall: Isamu Kondo!"
After Kondo Isamu solemnly announced his name to Saito, Okita was stunned for a moment, and then quickly straightened his waist in the same way:
"Tongan Rishinryu Trial Guard Hall, Okita Souji!"
Saito didn't seem to be used to the enthusiasm of Kondo, Okita and the others. He shrank back and then nodded to the two of them.
"Kondo-kun, Okita-kun." After helping Saito, Kondo, and Okita get to know each other, Aoto moved his doubtful gaze back and forth on the faces of Kondo and Okita, "Why are you here?
?”
"Ah...that's it..." Kondo smiled.
…
To put it simply, Kondo and Okita came to see if Aoto had returned to Edo.
Ushiyama had just told Ayoto: In the past two days, the rumor that he had "defeated the many and defeated the anti-barbarian thugs with less" spread rapidly throughout Edo at a very strange speed.
As for the Trial Guard Hall, it was only in the evening this evening that we learned about this from a neighbor.
After learning that Aoto had accomplished such an incredible feat, Kondo and Okita were all shocked.
No wonder I haven't seen you come to the sword hall for more than ten days... It turns out you were there to fight against the "rejection faction" thugs...
Qingdeng is a member of their trial guard hall.
Moreover, she is a potential rising star that Kondo and others have high hopes for.
After encountering such a fierce battle... Kondo felt that it was unlikely that Aotobu would not be injured at all.
So, out of concern about Aoto's current situation, after much thought, Kondo decided to come to Aoto's home with Okita to see if Aoto had returned to Edo.
When Qingdeng first entered the apprenticeship training hall, he registered his address in the "apprentice roster".
Kondo and Okita followed the address recorded in the "roster book" and successfully found Aoto's home in Hatchobori.
There is no need to elaborate on what happened next.
Kondo and Okita were also very lucky. After knocking on the door of Aoto's house, they met Aoto who happened to be returning to Edo this afternoon. Their trip was not in vain.
After Kondo briefly and concisely explained why he and Okita were here, Aomori secretly said in his heart, "So that's how it is." Then he smiled and whispered to the two of them in a polite tone:
"Kondo-kun, Okita-kun, thank you for coming all the way to visit me."
"As you can see, I'm in good shape now."
Qingden raised his hand and patted his chest.
"All the wounds on my body have started to grow new flesh."
"Just rest for 2 or 3 days and you'll be back to normal."
As soon as Aoden finished speaking, Okita, who was sitting across from him, immediately said in an impatient tone with eyes shining with stars:
"Ji Jun! You are so powerful! You can actually lead only a few people and beat the shit out of those annoying 'anti-barbarian' thugs!"
——Ah... Appeared... Okita-kun's "You are so awesome"...
——Don’t you have any other adjectives...
Aoto discovered that Okita's "vocabulary library" seemed to be really lacking...
Apart from "you are so awesome", he seems to not know what other words to use to praise someone...
The last time Qingteng solved the case of Granny Ping, Okita would only praise Qingtou with "You are so awesome".
"Thank you for the compliment." Although he was madly complaining about Okita's vocabulary, Aomori smiled quickly and said modestly, "But to be honest - the reason why I was able to win that battle
, there is also a lot of luck..."
Qingdeng hasn't finished speaking yet...
…
Click, click, click, click, click, click...
…
Suddenly... there was a sudden sound outside the house, like porcelain being broken.
This strange sound interrupted Qingdeng's words.
In the living room, Aoto, Saito, Kondo, and Okita had not yet had time to react to the sudden and strange sounds——
Bear, bear, bear...!
The sound of the flames burning fiercely was like waves, pouring into everyone's ears one after another.
*******
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－－－－－－Digression－－－－－
Yesterday, due to force majeure, I had a meal out and got home very late, so today's chapter is a little shorter.
I will try to write longer tomorrow!
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This chapter has been completed!