Gyeonggi region, Seongsang County, Shinsengumi camp——

The weather is quite mild today.

Satin-like sunlight drifted down from the eastern sky.

Gradually the dawn clouds turned into bright colors, as gorgeous as ribbons.

Looking up, the wilderness is filled with light blue mist, full of lingering night air.

Light green feather fabric, chainmail, arm armor, leg armor... neatly dressed, Qingden slowly walked out of the tent where he lived, stood with his sword in hand, and looked at the rising sun in the distance.

The pale golden morning light illuminated his thoughtful expression.

"Ji Jun, you got up really early."

Before the words were spoken, people had arrived.

Kondo Isamu slowly walked up to Qingto and stood shoulder to shoulder with him, while yawning widely. His gorilla-like mouth was so wide that it seemed like he could fit two fists in it.

"I just got up."

"Huh? Mr. Tachibana, what are you thinking about? Why do you look so worried?"

Qingdeng laughed dumbly:

"It's nothing, just... a little emotional."

Before Isamu Kondo could ask any further questions, Aoto continued on his own:

"Somehow, after seeing this endless wilderness, I can't help but feel sad for spring and autumn."

"Looking back three years ago, I was just a nobody."

"And now... just three years later, I have become the general of the shogunate with an army of three thousand."

“This journey along the way...has been really emotional.”

After hearing this, Isamu Kondo nodded solemnly, with a serious look on his cheeks.

"Well, Mr. Ju, I understand how you feel."

"I feel the same way."

"Three years ago, I was just a teacher at the 'Taro Dojo' where there were few apprentices."

"Who would have thought that someone like me would become the director of the world-famous Shinsengumi."

Having said this, Kondo Isamu paused.

Suddenly, he let out a sigh of relief:

"Tachibana-kun, after this battle, you should... no, you will definitely be promoted to daimyo! Become the master of a city and a land!"

Speaking of this, Isamu Kondo's eyes showed a look of explicit envy.

"Daimyo... Daimyo... so wonderful! This is the highest ideal of many samurai!"

"If you can become a daimyo, you will be truly successful!"

"Ju Jun, Ah Sui and I have discussed your enfeoffment location."

"We all think that you will most likely be enfeoffed in the Gyeonggi area."

"You shoulder the important responsibility of guarding the capital and guarding the western border for the shogunate."

"In this case, there is no reason to entrust you to a remote and remote rural area."

Isamu Kondo said with excitement.

Qingdeng was stunned for a moment, then slowly showed a mixture of emotions and murmured:

"The lord of one city and one land..."

In the Edo period, anyone with a little common sense knew what "becoming a daimyo" meant.

It means owning your own land.

It means that it will have its own subjects.

It means becoming the de facto monarch!

It means that you will receive the supreme honor that everyone envies!

Of course, Qingdeng pays more attention to the tangible and tangible benefits than to those superficial things.

In Qingto's view, the biggest benefit of becoming a daimyo is that you will have more abundant resources to achieve your goals!

To be honest, the current development of the Shinsengumi has reached a bottleneck...or in other words: the Shinsengumi Chamber of Commerce's ability to generate revenue has reached its limit.

Although silver mirror is a hugely profitable industry that occupies a monopoly position, no matter how huge profits it makes, it will eventually have its limit.

The army is one of the few gold-eating behemoths in human history.

According to Yataro Iwasaki's reliable calculations, based on the current revenue-generating ability of the Shinseng Chamber of Commerce, maintaining a cold weapon force of 3,000 people is already its limit.

In order to increase his income, Yataro Iwasaki has already tried his best to expand financial resources and continuously enrich the profit-making methods of the newly selected chamber of commerce.

For example: I purchased land on the outskirts of Kyoto and dammed the river to create farmland.

Another example: purchasing ships to develop ocean trade.

However, these are very slow ways to generate income.

It will be 1 or 2 years before rice seedlings grow in these new fields.

But... everything will be completely different once you have your own fiefdom!

First of all, Thanh Deng will be able to increase revenue through traditional means, that is, by collecting agricultural taxes, tariffs and other taxes.

Secondly, Qingdeng can transform the Sinseng Chamber of Commerce into a "state-owned enterprise" of the feudal state and do larger and more profitable business.

All in all, becoming a daimyo means having more stable and abundant financial resources!

By then, he will be able to further expand the size of the Shinsengumi! And transform it into a truly modern army!

Due to limited financial resources and the lack of reliable and stable purchasing channels, Qingdeng has been slow to install firearms in the new group.

Moreover, continuing to purchase firearms from Western arms dealers is not a long-term solution after all.

There is a saying that “Buying is worse than making”.

Western arms dealers have taken advantage of your lack of industrial technology, so they have raised the price of guns extremely high. A flintlock gun can be sold for several taels of gold, and the premium is extremely serious.

Once he has his own fiefdom, Qingden can build a military factory in his territory like Satsuma, introduce advanced technology from the Western world, and vigorously develop industrial capabilities!

At that time, not only will the Shinsengumi be able to use "domestic guns", but the Shinseng Chamber of Commerce will also be able to sell industrial products to all of Japan and make a lot of money!

Thinking of this, Qingdeng couldn't help but feel excited! He couldn't help but imagine his future "farming life".

Of course, lustful thoughts return to lustful thoughts.

After a short period of "fantasy time", Qingdeng's thoughts gradually returned to reality.

He smiled, and then half-jokingly said to Isamu Kondo:

"Yong, let's leave these distant things to the future and think about them slowly."

"Now...let us focus on the current war first."

As he spoke, he turned back handsomely, raising his light green feathers high!

"Gaochei City is still in enemy hands, it's time to recover it."

"Pass my order - break up the camp! Go out into battle! Take back Gaotori Castle!"

…

…

At this moment, Shishi County south of Chengshang County——

"Ha...ha...ha...ha...ha...ha..."

"I can't do it anymore...I really can't walk anymore..."

"Mr. Yoshimura, please take a rest!"

Yoshimura Tontaro licked his dry lips and turned to look at his comrades... Correction, the only remaining comrades.

Looking around, it's a miserable scene...

In order to escape the pursuit of the Shinsengumi, Yoshimura Torataro and others escaped selflessly and ran with all their lives...

It vividly demonstrates what is "a rat scurrying around" and what is a "crawling in the wind".

He accidentally fell down and didn't bother to check his bruised legs and feet. He hurriedly got up and continued to run away.

Seeing the comrades beside them gradually falling behind due to lack of physical strength, they did not bother to give them a hand - in fact, after encountering this situation, many people would secretly feel lucky in their hearts.

The companions have fallen behind, which means that the Shinsengumi's pursuit troops will be busy killing these slow guys, and their chances of escaping will be greatly increased.

In this way, Yoshimura Tontaro and others ran all night, from night to dawn... God knows how they did it.

This is probably what is called the desire to survive.
To be continued...