Main【5000】

Tianzhangyuan blinked his beautiful eyes a few times and gave Qingdeng long, soft eyes.

The eyes are very gentle, as if they are caressing you.

At the same time, a shy blush appeared on her cheeks.

If it were anyone else, after seeing Tianzhang Yuan's gentle appearance and hearing Tian Zhang Yuan's ambiguous words, he would probably have been overwhelmed and unable to control himself.

This led to a series of classic delusions such as "Oh no, His Highness Tianzhangyuan likes me?", "What name will His Highness Tianzhangyuan and I have for our child?".

Unfortunately, these tricks are ineffective against Qingden.

He and Tianzhangyuan can be regarded as old friends.

After many years of interaction, he already knew the character of Tianzhangyuan's little devil, and he also knew that the other person was a person who loved pranks very much.

If you are not careful, you will be led by her.

Qingdeng sighed again, then changed into a serious tone and expression.

"Your Highness, let's talk about business quickly."

"I know very well - you are not the kind of person who would abuse your power for such a reason."

Tianzhangyuan raised an eyebrow.

"...Really, can't you cooperate with me more?"

After saying that, she put on a solemn face like Qingdeng.

"Our time is very tight. After arriving in Kyoto, we will start long negotiations with the imperial court on the matter of expelling the foreigners."

"It is impossible for us to resist the foreigners. Resisting the foreigners will only lead to death."

"However...the imperial court simply cannot listen to our words."

"Those ministers from the Zunbang faction are like a bunch of mad dogs, they only know how to bark."

"Aside from repeating 'Fight the barbarians, fight the barbarians, fight the barbarians quickly,' he won't say anything else."

"No one knows how long this negotiation with the imperial court will last."

"So Iemoichi and I decided to ask you about the current situation in Kyoto directly on the way to Luo."

"No one can disturb you and it's private enough, so it's a good place to talk."

"Iemo is a general after all. If the two of you are allowed to share the same sedan chair in public, it would be inappropriate and could easily arouse malicious speculation."

"There is no other way, I can only do it myself."

As she spoke, she focused her gaze and cast a sharp gaze towards Qingden.

"Sheng Qing, you have been stationed in Kyoto for nearly three months. In your opinion, what is the current situation in Kyoto?"

Qingden lowered his eyelids and looked deep in thought.

"...To put it simply: war is about to break out."

"In the beginning, the various forces in Kyoto became a powerful force, and no one could do anything to anyone."

"And now, with my entry into the game, the energy of Samu's forces has greatly increased, and the original balance has been broken."

"We will ignore the neutral forces represented by the Satsuma Domain for the time being."

"The Zunxu forces led by the Choshu clan must be restless."

"Kyoto right now is like a big powder keg."

"The impatience of respecting and resisting forces has burst out with fierce sparks."

"It won't be long before these sparks fall into the powder keg sooner or later."

"As late as 7 or 8 months, as early as 3 or 4 months, the situation in Kyoto will undergo earth-shaking changes."

"By then, this great change will determine the ownership of Kyoto."

“Whether it becomes the territory of the ‘Zunbang Sect’ or returns to the embrace of the ‘Zunbang Sect’ depends entirely on man and nature.”

Tianzhangyuan listened carefully.

After Qingden finished speaking, she nodded gently:

"As early as 3 or 4 months... Is that why you plan to expand the Shinsengumi's strength to 3,000 men and establish preliminary combat effectiveness within 3 months?"

The governor of Gyeonggi Province does not need to be responsible to anyone or any force. No matter what kind of actions he takes, he does not need to ask for the opinions of others, let alone look at other people's faces - except for Tokugawa Iemo.

Aoto reports directly to Tokugawa Iemo, who is the former's only superior.

If it's a small matter, then that's it.

As for major issues like military recruitment, Aoto still had to report to Tokugawa Iemo and seek his opinion.

After Aoto sent the letter "I want to recruit soldiers, what do you think?" to Edo, he soon received a reply from Tokugawa Iemo.

The reply was so fast that he couldn't help but wonder whether the other party had read his letter carefully.

Tokugawa Iemo's reply contained only one simple, bold word: Yes!

There are no complicated questions, no unfounded doubts, just quick nods.

There is a saying that if Li Mu, Yue Fei and others could usher in a monarch like Tokugawa Iemo, they would laugh out of their dreams.

Qingden shook his head with a half-smile:

"There must be a reason for this."

"Although what I just said is sound and logical, what I said above are all my personal conjectures."

"I'm not a god, I don't have the ability to predict the future."

"Maybe something unexpected will happen tomorrow...or even today, causing Kyoto to turn into a bloody battlefield littered with corpses."

"It is also possible that after three to five years, there will still be peace inside and outside Kyoto, with people dancing and dogs barking, and there will be no large-scale head-on conflicts between the major forces."

"No one can say what will happen in the future, and any situation may happen."

Tianzhangyuan pursed his lips lightly and did not make a statement.

Although she didn't say anything, there was a hint of worry in her cheeks.

Qingdeng saw this and thought for a moment.

Suddenly, he spoke:

"Your Highness, although the future is uncertain, we don't have to rush."

As he spoke, he changed into a relaxed tone.

"'Be invincible first, then wait until the enemy is victorious' - this is the only way to defeat the enemy, and it is also the art of war that I admire most."

"What we should do now is to continuously enhance our strength."

"While strengthening yourself, win over all the people you can win over and make many friends."

"Just take it one step at a time and see what happens next."

"No matter what kind of moves the enemy uses, we just have to use them as they come, and the troops will come to cover up the water and the earth."

As soon as Qingdeng finished speaking, Tianzhangyuan suddenly showed a surprised expression.

Then, she swept her eyes and looked Qingdeng up and down carefully, as if she was observing something.

"...Sheng Qing, you seem to have changed."

"Huh? Why do you say that?"

Tianzhangyuan glanced at Qingdeng again and smiled.

"Is it because you are now in charge of the food, drink, and toilet of an entire army? You always give people the feeling of...a leader."

Qingden blinked, and then couldn't help laughing.

"Does it feel like a leader... maybe that's the case."

"Since arriving in Kyoto, I have been thinking about how to make the Shinsengumi stronger every day when I wake up."

"I'm used to giving orders. Over time, I must have accumulated a bit of serious leadership aura."

Tianzhangyuan covered his mouth and chuckled.

"Sheng Qing, 'exaggerating' is a derogatory term."

"I know, so I'm being humble."

After a few mindless chats, Tianzhang Court raised a new question:

"What about the Fa Zun Party? Have you heard about the latest trends of the Fa Zun Party recently?"

Qingden shook his head gently.

"No. The Fuzhu Party is more cunning than the rats in the sewers. They are really good at hiding."

"I strongly suspect that the core base of the Fanzhu Party is not in Gyeonggi, or it is not just in Gyeonggi, but in a more distant place."
To be continued...