Chapter 307: Chapter 127: Entering the Swordsmanship Competition! Taking Aoto to a Matchmaking Meeting? [7,200 Words]

taels of gold... Hmm, this indeed is quite tempting, at least for Aoto, whose current financial situation is far from being able to view money as nothing more than dirt.

But compared to this prize money, it’s the eligibility conditions that capture Aoto’s attention more.

"Only sword dojos in Edo? Does that mean those who are unattached and without any school affiliation are not allowed to participate?"

Chiba Shigetarou nodded.

"Why is it only swordsmanship novices with less than 3 years of training who are eligible to participate in the competition?" Aoto pressed further.

"As far as I know, this is to give swordsmen novices an opportunity to train, avoiding the situation in past competitions where the participants were always the same people coming and going."

Chiba Shigetarou slowly replied.

"In the past, when various Daimyos organized martial arts competitions, there were often no entry conditions, and anyone could sign up to participate."

"For most of the sword dojos, they naturally hoped to achieve as good results as possible in competitions, using this to enhance the dojo’s reputation."

"This resulted in a consequence — each dojo would only send their strongest disciples to compete."

"So whenever there was a competition, you would see the same few people on the field dueling, and rarely would you see novices who had been training for a short time participating."

"The Marquis of Aizu has limited this competition to only those who have been practicing swordsmanship for less than 3 years to avoid such occurrences from happening again."

"The decision to restrict the competition to sword dojos in Edo and not allow unattached individuals to participate is to facilitate supervision, ensuring every participant is indeed a novice who hasn’t been training for long."

After finishing the explanation, Chiba Shigetarou changed the topic: "How about it, Mr. Tachibana? Are you interested in joining this competition? You’ve been apprenticing at Shiwei Hall for less than half a year, perfectly aligning with the eligibility criteria."

"Competing with people from various Edo sword dojos is quite a rare opportunity. Engaging with swordsmen from different schools could be very beneficial for your future training."

"A competition only for novices..." Aoto muttered, "If it’s only aimed at sword dojos in Edo... that means I would be competing against the newcomers from various Edo sword dojos..."

"Shigetarou." At this moment, Kondo asked, "How many participants can each sword dojo send to this competition?"

"This... I’m not really sure." Chiba Shigetarou shook his head. "This swordsmanship competition hasn’t been widely announced yet. I found out because I had connections that told me the Marquis of Aizu was organizing a competition."

"I am not very clear on the many details of this competition either."

"After a few days, when people from Aizu Prefecture begin promoting this competition vigorously, the number of participants each sword dojo can send should become clear."

"Heh, Aizu Domain truly lives up to its name as the Shogunate’s most trusted ’Pillar of the Nation’." Hijikata smirked mirthlessly, "Winning 20 taels of gold... If my sword practice time hadn’t exceeded 3 years, even I would’ve been tempted to join."

Beside him, Chokata nodded his head in agreement with Hijikata’s earlier statement through his actions.

"Only the winner can claim the prize money?" Aoto, who had been quietly pondering, interjected.

"Yes, it seems that way. Only the winner can claim the winnings," Shigetarou chuckled. "It appears this is also intentional by the Marquis of Aizu, as only the victor can claim the prize, encouraging everyone to strive courageously for the first place."

"It’s like in the Warring States Era when only the ’First to Breach’ in battle would receive a great reward."

"So Mr. Tachibana, are you interested in participating in this competition?"

"If I were you, I would participate without hesitation! It’s been a while since a Great Daimyo sponsored a competition, and it would be such a pity to miss out!"

Seeing Chiba Shigetarou gazing intently at him with a somewhat fervent glint in his eyes, Aoto couldn’t help but furrow his brow.

Was it just his imagination...

He had a constant feeling... that from the beginning, Chiba Shigetarou had been urging him to join the competition...

But Aoto didn’t dwell on this matter.

After pondering for a moment, he smiled and nodded: "I’m indeed quite interested in this competition. If I have the chance to represent Shiwei Hall, I’ll definitely participate."

——Such a great opportunity to acquire talents, it’s hard for me to refuse.

Aoto silently added in his heart.

Such a great opportunity to harvest talents from the swordsmen of various dojos, it would really be a pity to miss it!

Other dojos... especially prestigious sword dojos like Shixue Hall and Training Hall, surely aren’t lacking in young and talented prodigies.

Participating in this novice-only competition might allow me to replicate some very useful talents.

Moreover, as Chiba Shigetarou just mentioned, dueling with people from various Edo sword dojos and engaging with swordsmen from different schools, understanding the unique fighting styles of different schools, can greatly benefit the training of swordsmanship.

Seeing Aoto nod his head indicating his willingness to join the competition, a joyous smile blossomed on Chiba Shigetarou’s face.

"Hahaha, Mr. Tachibana, I knew you would surely want to participate in this competition!"

After speaking, Chiba Shigetarou paused for a moment.

Then, in a volume only he could hear clearly, he murmured with relief:

"It’s good that you’re willing to participate... It’s good that you’re willing to participate..."

...

...

Chiba Shigetarou’s sudden visit to Shiwei Hall was merely to inform them that "the Marquis of Aizu will be funding a swordsmanship competition."