As if he was amused by what he said, Qinghe Hachiro clapped his hands and laughed.
Immediately afterwards, like a contagion, Ishizaka, Ikeda... everyone present burst out laughing.
The air inside and outside is full of joy.
Ishizaka, who was still angry just now, now regained his composure, and the lines on his face softened at a speed visible to the naked eye.
"Lord Qinghe, you are right! That Tachibana Aoden is a big idiot! He won't be able to jump for much longer!"
Ikeda sneered and took over:
"Humph! He may be a good swordsman, but he is definitely not a qualified commander! Humph! I didn't expect that he couldn't even do something as simple as 'controlling costs'!"
The sarcasm on Ishizaka's face became even more intense:
"Rice porridge in the morning, rice at noon and evening; meat every day... The whole new group has hundreds of mouths! Even if he is extremely wealthy, he can't withstand his torture!"
Sugiura also joined in the ridicule of Aoto:
"As far as I know, the Shinsengumi's current military expenditures are not sufficient! With this kind of reckless spending and no regard for costs, it won't be long before Tachibana Aoden will be in a dilemma where he has no money to use and can't even pay military pay.
Bar!"
Ikeda crossed his arms and licked his lips.
"But, then again, this is the first time in my life that I have eaten such luxurious food! Tachibana Aoto's generosity has given us an advantage!"
You say something, I say something... all the talking and noisy.
"...Okay, everyone, please calm down."
As he spoke, Qinghe Hachilang raised his right hand and pressed the air.
When everyone saw this, they immediately became quiet.
"I can understand what Ju Qingden thinks and does."
Qinghe Hachiro's tone was full of condescension, like a king scolding his ministers.
"After all, I have pulled up a team before."
"I think back then, I was also the leader of the Tiger Tail Society."
"Although I failed, during the period of leading the Tiger Tail Club, I accumulated a lot of valuable experience in building a team and leading subordinates."
“‘While the three armies are still in motion, food and grass must go first’, ‘Only by eating enough food can you have a strong body and then develop strong strength’… Who would not understand these simple truths?”
"But, 'reality' and 'ideal' cannot be compared."
"I also want my subordinates to be well fed and well fed."
"For this reason, when the Huwei Society was first established, I naively spent a lot of money to improve the food of my subordinates."
"It wasn't until later... that the funds that quickly bottomed out explained to me a cold fact: no matter how beautiful the idea is, it must be based on reality."
"The food expenses of the soldiers are a terrifying 'gold-eating beast'."
"Training, equipment and many other matters can be postponed, but food cannot be skipped for a day."
"Three meals a day, hundreds of mouths... Even if you eat millet, barnyard millet, and pickled radish for every meal, it's an astonishing expense."
"As far as I know, the Shinsengumi currently has no stable way to make money."
“In this harsh situation of having no income and ‘all out but no money in’, we should be diligent and frugal.”
"However, that Tachibana Aoden actually did the opposite. Not only did he not cut back on food and clothing, but he also allowed the Shinsengumi soldiers to eat luxurious delicacies..."
"To be honest, I can't even imagine how terrifying and astronomical the Shinsengumi's current daily expenses will be."
"So far, Tachibana Aoden has not announced the financial status of the Shinsengumi."
"However, after my detailed investigation, I can confirm that the funds that Ju Qingteng can freely mobilize now are only more than three thousand taels of gold."
"Although this amount of money is not small, with his terrifying rate of burning money... In just two months at most, the Shinsengumi's military spending will be unsustainable."
Speaking of this, as if he couldn't hold it any longer, Qinghe Hachiro raised the corners of his mouth and narrowed his eyes, with a look of explicit mockery in his eyes.
Ishizaka took over the conversation at the right time:
"It seems... the current tense situation in Kyoto has made Tachibana Aoden very anxious. He is eager to let the Shinsengumi complete their transformation quickly, so he does not hesitate to use this method to encourage others."
Qinghe Balang nodded slightly to show his agreement.
At the same time, the look of ridicule on his face became more intense.
"I thought Nioh, who has repeatedly performed miracles, would be a more capable man."
"I didn't expect...he is just a young man in his early 20s after all!"
“I can’t keep my composure and I don’t have a long-term vision.”
"In my opinion, the most suitable position for him is that of the imperial bodyguard of the general conquering the barbarians, rather than the commander-in-chief of guarding one side."
"Let a swordsman who only knows how to dance swords and has no knowledge of military affairs be the general of the new army... It is actually a major failure of the Edo shogunate!"
Qinghe Hachiro does not hesitate to use harsh words.
His words were so harsh...it seemed as if what came out of his mouth were not words, but sharp knives.
In this way, under the leadership of Qinghe Hachilang, Qingdeng was criticized and ridiculed.
Qinghe Hachiro's ridicule of Qingdeng made everyone present feel relieved, and the atmosphere gradually became relaxed.
However... suddenly, a weak voice suddenly sounded:
"...The reason why Tachibana Aoto dares to spend money so lavishly is because he has received strong support from the shogunate, or... he has mastered a method to make a lot of money stably?"
The person who raised the doubt was Sugiura.
As soon as Sugiura finished speaking, the eyes of everyone in the room—including Hachiro Qinghe—immediately focused on him.
Qinghe Hachiro blinked in confusion, then shook his head vigorously, and categorically asserted:
"Impossible, absolutely impossible!"
"Matsudaira Chief Tax Officer has previously revealed to us that due to financial difficulties, the shogunate does not intend to provide considerable financial support to the Shinsengumi."
"I think that's completely believable!"
"As far as I know, the current financial situation of the shogunate is not generally bad."
"I'm sure: even if the shogunate gives some support to Tachibana Aoden, the amount of aid will never be large."
"As for 'mastering the method to make a lot of money stably'... is making money such an easy thing?"
"If you could make a lot of money casually, there would be no poor people in the world."
"This is Gyeonggi, and those businesses that can make a lot of money have basically been carved up by Osaka's giant businessmen."
"In order for the Shinsengumi to maintain the current level of expenses and operate smoothly, it must at least reach the income level of 'two thousand taels per month'."
"It's only been more than a month since Tachibana first arrived in Kyoto."
"With his footing so uncertain, can he find a way to make money like this?"
"Sugiura-kun, your doubt is not valid!"
After Qinghe Hachiro's explanation, the originally tense atmosphere relaxed again.
Even Sugiura himself, who raised questions, gradually relaxed his facial lines.
He lowered his head and said respectfully and apologetically:
"Lord Qinghe, I'm sorry... I was foolish..."
Qinghe Hachiro waved his hand, indicating "it doesn't matter", and continued:
"All in all, no matter what, for us, Ju Qingden's crime is undoubtedly a good thing."
"The more foolish he is, the more advantageous it will be to us."
"Although he is very popular now, with his unparalleled sumptuous food, he has won the morale of the army and gained widespread support from the soldiers."
"But...at the end of the day, the soldiers are all a bunch of ruthless people who say, 'If you have milk, you will be a mother'."
"When you can provide military pay and keep them fed, you will be a beloved saint in this world."
"But when you have no pay or food, no one will take what you say seriously."
"So, time is on our side!"
"The day Ju Qingden runs out of military expenses is the day he loses military morale!"
"At that time, it will be the moment of our rise!"
Qinghe Hachiro's volume suddenly increased.
At the same time, he narrowed his eyes and stared closely at his subordinates.
Ishizaka and others were all infected by his solemn posture. They straightened their backs and raised their faces unconsciously.
"I was not able to directly become the general of the Shinsengumi, and I only got a nominal Shinsengumi adviser... Although this is a pity, if you indulge in regret too much, you are losing your mind!"
"I'll reiterate it again - the Shinsengumi will be ours sooner or later!"
"In the not-too-distant future, we will take the Shinsengumi away from Tachibana Aomori... No, correction - take back the Shinsengumi that should belong to us!"
Qinghe Hachiro's tone was full of extremely strong confidence.
"At this stage, we continue to maintain the established plan unchanged!"
He turned to look at Ishizaka and Ikeda.
"Actively seek external support from the imperial court and the Choshu clan."
His eyes moved to Sugiura.
"On the other hand, we will continue to spread the idea of respecting the king and rejecting the barbarians within the Shinsengumi, and recruit as many ordinary soldiers as possible under our command to strengthen our power and disintegrate Tachibana Aoshinobu's rule from within..."
Suddenly... really suddenly, Qinghe Hachiro's words stopped abruptly.
He frowned suddenly and stared at the ceiling above his head.
Such unusual behavior naturally arouses confusion among others.
Ikeda asked softly while following Qinghe Hachiro's line of sight:
"Lord Qinghe, what's wrong with you..."
choke!
Before Ikeda could finish his words, he was interrupted by the loud sound of drawing a sword!
I saw Qinghe Hachiro leaping up with lightning speed.
At the same moment as his legs lifted off the ground, a shining silver snake flew away from his left waist.
He held the knife with one hand, and the blade drew a thrilling and terrifying arc in mid-air, hitting the ceiling above his head.
With a bang, with just one blow, Qinghe Hachilang shattered the ceiling and opened a large hole more than one meter wide.
This is an unoccupied, old house.
In other words, the ceiling of the house has long been filled with thick dust and cobwebs.
As soon as Qinghe Hachiro smashed the ceiling with his front legs, a huge amount of dust and broken cobwebs fell down with his back legs, covering the entire house.
The waves of dust surged...as if it was snowing. Looking up, I saw a vast expanse of white and mist.
The sudden "dust wave attack" caught Ikeda and others off guard and suffered a great deal.
"Ahem! Ahem! Ahem!"
"Ah! There's dust in my eyes!"
"Hatch! Hatch! Hatch!" (sneeze)
"Lord Qinghe! What's wrong with you?"
Qinghe Hachilang remained silent and ignored their inquiries.
He squinted his eyes and used his long eyelashes to filter out the dust.
Under the eyelashes, there is a sharp gaze like an arrow.
Under his keen gaze, a...corrected, two-petal mouse fell down.
This poor mouse was chopped into two pieces, with the incision intact - it can be seen that it was directly hit by Qinghe Hachiro's slash, which led to this tragic end.
The two pieces of rat fell exactly at the feet of Qinghe Hachiro.
Qinghe Hachiro lowered his head and glanced at the mouse corpse at his feet, then raised his head again and scanned the top of the ceiling carefully.
After confirming that there was nothing unusual on the ceiling, he let out a long breath and relaxed.
"It turns out to be a mouse..."
As he spoke, he put the tip of the knife back into the sheath and neatly put the knife back into the sheath.
Ishizaka stepped forward and asked eagerly:
"Lord Qinghe, what's wrong? What happened?"
Qinghe Hachiro replied calmly:
"It's nothing, I just vaguely heard a strange noise coming from above my head, so I just checked...it seems like I'm being suspicious."
After that, he casually kicked the rat corpse at his feet away into the distance.
…
…
At the same time——
A dark alley not far from the old house where Qinghe Hachiro and others are staying——
A graceful figure jumped up lightly with the posture of plucking onions on dry land, grabbed the rafters under the eaves, and then like origami, turned its body upwards and stood firmly on the roof.
I saw that this beautiful figure was dressed in black from head to toe.
Black stockings, slightly tighter special black trousers, also slightly tighter special black clothes, black headscarf and face towel...all over the body, only a pair of eyes are exposed.
If there were an official from the Edo Administrative Office here, he would definitely be surprised when he saw this person's outfit.
This look...is exactly the classic appearance of Kaitou Neko-monk!
"...You're quite alert."
Kinoshita Mai pulled down the black scarf on her face and turned to look in the direction she just left... that is, the direction where Qinghe Hachiro and others were.
"Hmph...! Qinghe Hachiro, I finally discovered your trick...!"
The muttering was filled with displeasure and resentment.
Kinoshita Mai curled her red lips and pulled up her scarf again.
The next moment, she jumped up and merged into the boundless night...
…
…
Edo, Hitotsubashi Residence——
"Chunyue, why are you visiting me late at night?"
Ichihashi Qingxi cast a look of neither sadness nor joy at Matsudaira Harugaku in front of him.
Songping Chunyue smiled slightly:
"Master Hitotsubashi, I just want to talk to you... Tachibana Aoden."
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Please give me a monthly ticket! Please give me a recommendation vote! (Leopard Head Cries)
Thanks to the leader of the book friend [Glory of the Empire C] for the reward! This book has not welcomed a new leader for a long time, and Bao Baozi is really moved (tears Bao Baozi)
In order to thank everyone for your strong support, Leopard Leopard will definitely work hard to recuperate and strive to adjust his body and mind back to the best condition as soon as possible!
PS: I really want to write martial arts dramas quickly! Literary dramas are so boring! Writing is so boring! (Leopard Fury)
