I formed the strongest swordsman group.

Chapter 809 Something is wrong with Kyoto! Burning Kyoto! [5100]

With a cold voice without any emotion, Hijikata Toshizo turned his head slightly and glanced at the executioners beside him.

Instantly, they felt a stinging pain on their skin, as if what was shooting at them was not a sight, but a knife. They shivered uncontrollably as if they were falling into an icy cave.

After hurriedly responding, they ran out of the prison as if escaping.

After a while, they returned to the sight of Hijikata Toshizo and others, with two five-inch nails and two hundred-mesh candles in their hands.

"Do it."

As he spoke, Hijikata Toshizo untied the Izumi-no-kami Kanesada from his waist, sat on a wooden barrel not far away with his sword in his arms, folded his hands on the base of the sword's hilt, and just like that, he leaned the sword in front of him, looking coldly at Yuya Kiemon, who was pale and trembling all over.

The executioners looked at each other, then gritted their teeth at the same time.

Although they had not discussed it beforehand, they acted in perfect harmony.

They rushed towards Yuya Kiemon, removed the two huge rocks from his legs and untied the restraints on his legs.

Before Yuya Kiemon could catch his breath, a new nightmare began.

The executioners divided the work and cooperated with each other.

One person held his head to prevent him from biting his tongue to commit suicide.

One person held his body tightly to prevent him from moving.

One of them grabbed his legs to make it easier to drive nails into his feet.

The other held a hammer and five-inch nails.

When the skin on the instep of his feet felt the cold and sharp touch of the nails, Yuya Kiemon could no longer pretend to be calm.

Although his expression was dominated by intense fear, he still kept his lips tightly shut, as if saying, "Even though I am full of fear, I will not give in."

Of course, his "strength" disappeared after 2 seconds.

“Uh ...

The executioner in charge of hammering the nails swung the hammer in his hand with force.

The incomparable pain caused Yuya Kiemon's nerves to bear tremendous pressure in an instant.

The shrill scream seemed to tear the vocal cords apart.

Even the executioners who were used to seeing horrific scenes, and the strong-willed Serizawa Duck, could not help but change their expressions after hearing such miserable cries.

Only Hijikata Toshizo remained the same, with no sadness or joy on his face, without a single strange expression, and even his brows did not move.

"Hurry up, I'm in a hurry. If you take your time, don't blame me for punishing you."

Yuya Kiemon's screams were certainly terrifying.

  But for the majority of the Shinsengumi, the "Demon Vice Captain" is even more terrifying when he gets angry!

Under the urging of Hijikata Toshizo, the executioners did not dare to delay.

In a short while, both of Yuya Kiemon's feet were turned into a bloody mess, a horrible sight.

And this is just the beginning.

The executioners hung a thick rope from the beam and hung him upside down.

The two large iron nails on his feet were turned upside down with their tips facing the sky - the executioners placed a hundred-mesh candle on the tip of each nail and lit it.

In a blink of an eye, the boiling hot wax flowed down from the soles of Yuya Kiemon's feet like sticky hot lead, dripping onto his calves.

  The dizzy feeling of hanging upside down, the excruciating pain of having your feet pierced, the heat and sticky texture of the dripping wax... any one of the above is enough to make one's hair stand on end!

To endure all this pain at the same time... It's like falling into hell!

I am afraid that even if we exhaust all human languages, we still cannot accurately describe the devastation it causes to humans!

Yuya Kiemon, who had been able to maintain his composure even during the Stone Embracing Punishment, could no longer maintain his heroic composure.

"Aaaaaaaah! Aa ...

The screams were endless.

Distorted expression.

  It is so terrifying to see and hear!

Before long, the wax that was flowing down gradually solidified and covered the calves, making them feel like they were stuck in a quagmire. Every pore on the legs was blocked, making people feel extremely uncomfortable and inflicting an additional layer of pain.

On the other hand, the two hundred-eye candles had just dimmed a little.

  Hijikata Toshizo said indifferently:

"Tell me, who are you? What's the matter with that warehouse full of weapons? What are you planning?"

"... I, I... am a man who stands tall and proud... and will never... yield to... the enemy... because of... pain..."

After hearing this, Hijikata Toshizo seemed to be amused and laughed silently.

"Okay! I have the guts!"

"In that case, let me open my eyes again."

"I really want to see how long you can hold out."

"Don't let me down, we have plenty of Hundred Eyes Candles."

Having said this, he turned his head and looked at the executioners standing beside him.

"If the wax solidifies too much and is too thick, remember to peel it off. Otherwise, he won't be able to feel the burning heat of the wax on his skin all the time."

"Yes!"

The screaming continued.

The torture is still going on.

……

……

Kyoto, Gion——

The two dusty ronin looked around, then lowered the low-brimmed hats in their hands and continued on their way.

Suddenly, a beggar in ragged clothes and with dirty hair jumped out from the side and blocked their way.

"Two gentlemen! Please be kind! I haven't eaten for three days! Please give me some money! If you don't have money, you can give me food! Please! This is a great merit! This is a great merit!"

Although the facial expressions of the two ronin could not be seen due to the low-brimmed conical hats they were wearing, it was clear from their actions and words that they were very unhappy.

"Get away, you stinky beggar! Don't come near us!"

"We don't have money. Even if we did, we wouldn't give it to you. Ask someone else for it!"

Having said that, they walked around the beggar without hesitation and walked away.

The beggar sighed heavily, hung his head, retreated to the street with a lost look on his face, and curled up in a corner.

At first glance, this seems to be just a common "beggar failing to ask for money" incident on the street, and no one would pay special attention to such a thing.

However, if you look closely, you will find that after the beggar retreated to the corner of the street, he pulled down the tattered Sojuro headscarf on his head to hide his eyes, and then he stared at the two ronin's backs that were getting farther and farther away without blinking.

[Note: Sojuro turban: a men's turban from the Edo period, named after Sojuro Sawamura who designed it]

His expression was completely different from the shabby and dirty look just now. He was only thinking and considering, muttering:

"Changzhou's accent..."

Who would take the initiative to pay attention to an inconspicuous and dirty beggar on the street?

No one noticed that the beggar quietly retreated and disappeared into a deserted alley in the blink of an eye...

……

……

Kyoto, Sanjo Avenue, Izutsuya——

"Boss! Who is the boss?"

Two young warriors opened the door curtain and swaggered into the store.

"Hey! Here we come!"

A middle-aged man with half-white hair and beard ran out swiftly from the inner room and knelt to greet the guests.

"Boss, we're having a banquet tonight! Do you have a room?"

  Hearing that it was a big business, the boss smiled happily and became more enthusiastic:

"Of course there is room! How many people do you want to prepare?"

"About 30 people. Here, this is the deposit."

"Okay! Sir, please rest assured that we will prepare the banquet properly!"

After giving the orders, the two warriors did not stay for long. After saying "Boss, I leave it to you", they strode away.

"Hey, guys, big business is coming! It's time to get busy!"

The boss rolled up his sleeves and rushed to the kitchen in a hurry.

A ronin who was staying in this inn and hiding at the stairs was drinking alone and overheard the entire conversation between the boss and the two samurai.

While no one was around, he sneaked onto the street and disappeared into the crowd...

……

……

Kyoto, Sanjo Avenue, Ikedaya——

“Tainosuke! Tainosuke! Where are you?”

"I'm here."

“Wow! You’re… Tainosuke?”

"Yes, I'm Tainosuke."

  "Oh, yes! I almost forgot again... Tainosuke, I'm sorry." Before the boss could finish, Tainosuke spoke first:

"It doesn't matter. It's my own problem. I'm just not good-looking."

"Tainosuke, where have you been? I was just trying to recruit you."

"I've been sweeping the floor here."

"Eh? Were you sweeping the floor? Oh, never mind. This kind of thing is not important. Tainosuke, quickly carry all this rice to the kitchen."

"no problem."

After saying this, "Tainosuke" bent down and picked up the heavy bags of rice on each shoulder.

  The boss was amazed when he saw this:

"Tainosuke, you look so thin and small, but I didn't expect you to be so strong! We are so lucky to have you as our store's assistant!"

"You are ridiculous."

After saying a few humble words, "Tainosuke" quickly moved the bags of rice into the kitchen.

Looking at Tainosuke who was working hard, the boss nodded with satisfaction and went to do other things.

When Tainosuke finished moving the last bag of rice——

“Meow~~ meow~~ meow~~ meow~~ meow~~ meow~~”

Suddenly, a cat's meow was heard outside the store.

One short, three long and one short.

If ordinary people heard it, they would probably just think it was a wild cat meowing.

However, when Tainosuke heard the voice, he was slightly stunned, then turned his head and looked around.

After making sure that there was no one around, he tiptoed towards the back door of the hotel.

Then he came to a secluded place at the back of the inn and put his head close to a shoji screen.

[Note: Shoji: A kind of baffle installed on the inside of doors, windows or corridors in Japanese houses. The wooden frame is covered with highly light-transmitting paper and is used to light the house. It is also called "Ming Shoji".]

Outside this shoji screen is an open road that is rarely visited by people.

【Note: Lulukou: a path between two rows of houses without any eaves blocking it.】

Looking up, I saw a mosquito net merchant standing outside the shoji, carrying a shoulder pole with large paper boxes hung on both ends of the pole, and the boxes were full of mosquito nets.

Once summer comes, mosquito net merchants repeatedly calling out "mosquito net~~mosquito net~~" can be seen everywhere.

Seeing Tainosuke coming, the mosquito net merchant hurriedly leaned over after a strange pause, and the two began to have a conversation through the shoji.

"Deputy Captain, something's going on."

A few days ago, when Tojo Shintaro arrived in Beijing, Qing Deng said to him at the welcoming banquet: In order to keep an eye on Ikedaya at all times, he has sent out a capable general under his command who is good at hiding himself.

The capable man he mentioned was none other than the vice-captain of the 9th Division - Yamazaki Sho.

When it comes to "hiding oneself", even if you search the entire Shinsengumi, you won't be able to find a second person who can compare with Yamazaki Jun. He is truly the best undercover candidate.

After receiving the mission from Aoto to "monitor Ikeda-ya", Yamazaki Sho applied for the position of Ikeda-ya's assistant under the pseudonym "Tainosuke". With his extraordinary physical fitness and hardworking attitude, he was successfully hired and has been lurking ever since.

As for the mosquito net merchant, he is a member of the 9th Division and a well-trained ninja. He usually disguises himself as a mosquito net merchant, wine seller or other peddler. He is responsible for observing the movements on the street and acting as a contact person to deliver messages.

While paying close attention to the surroundings, Yamazaki asked directly:

"What happened?"

The mosquito net merchant swallowed his saliva and continued:

"Vice-Captain, there has been a large-scale movement from Gion to Sanjo Avenue."

"Or there are suspicious-looking wanderers on the street."

"Or there are unidentified samurai who go to inns, izakayas or ryotei to book banquets of varying sizes and times."

"So far, the stores where samurai have come to book banquets are Izutsuya in Sanjo Ohashi and Tsumuraya in Gion..."

  After listening carefully, Yamazaki Zheng looked thoughtful.

"…This is troublesome. The Sonjo warriors are making a big move."

"It's obvious that these inexplicable actions of theirs were intentional."

"They deliberately made some meaningless moves to confuse us and confuse us, so as to cover up their real actions."

The mosquito net merchant frowned slightly:

"Deputy Captain, what should we do now?"

  Yamazaki replied calmly:

"We are only responsible for collecting intelligence, not analyzing it, let alone making decisions. That's the job of others."

"Pass on my order: Everyone stay at your post, continue to observe and monitor, don't do anything unnecessary, and report everything you see and hear truthfully."

"Also, from now on, we cannot stop transmitting information to Otsu."

"Whenever you learn of a new piece of intelligence, no matter what it is, report it back to Otsu as soon as possible."

  The mosquito net merchant nodded vigorously:

"Yes! I understand!"

……

……

Kyoto, Mibu-go, Shinsengumi garrison, prison——

As time passed, the screams gradually turned into groans.

Due to the gradual decline of his physical strength and the strain on his vocal cords, Yuya Kiemon was no longer able to shout, and could only utter meaningless moans of "huh" and "huh".

Nearly half an hour had passed since he had been tortured.

I have to say that his will is indeed firm and his perseverance is quite strong.

Even though he was suffering from pain, burning sensation, dizziness and other sufferings at the same time, he still didn't utter a single word.

Serizawa Duck is a person with an impatient personality.

Seeing that the other party was so stubborn, he was already full of anxiety.

If Hijikata Toshizo had not been here, he would have probably taught the other party a lesson.

Fortunately, Hijikata Toshizo was here.

Hijikata Toshizo had both the military power to rival Serizawa Kamo and the authority to make him obey his orders temporarily.

If it were someone else, they might not be able to make Serizawa Duck so obedient.

Apart from Serizawa Duck, the executioners were also scratching their heads and looking extremely anxious.

Only Hijikata Toshizo remained calm, sitting with his legs crossed, with no expression on his face. It was impossible to guess what he was thinking.

  At this time, one of the executioners said to Hijikata Toshizo:

"Deputy Commander, the candle at his feet is about to burn out!"

Hijikata Toshizo said without even raising his eyelids:

"Do you need to report this to me? Since the candle is burned out, why don't you replace it with a new one?"

"Yes!"

The executioners responded and turned and left.

After a while, he came back with two brand new hundred-mesh candles.

Looking at the two candles, Yuya Kiemon felt as if he were having a last burst of light.

His eyes, which had been lifeless at first, suddenly widened, filled with fear.

Compared to a quick death, a life worse than death is the most painful torment in the world.

The last "line of defense" in his mind finally collapsed completely with the appearance of these two new candles.

"I... said... I... said everything... Please don't... torture me anymore..."

As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere in the prison suddenly changed.

Hijikata Toshizo stood up and said:

"Put him down."

The executioners hurriedly lowered Yuya Kiemon from the beam.

  Hijikata Toshizo wanted to taunt him - Eh? Didn't you say you were a man of integrity? Didn't you say you would never give in to the enemy? How come you've become so cowardly so quickly?

However, the situation was urgent, and Hijikata Toshizo would not delay important matters for such an insignificant pleasure.

He winked and ordered the executioners to leave, then asked Yuya Kiemon:

"What is your real name? Are you a Zunran Shishi?"

Yuya Kiemon's "backbone" was completely broken.

  Facing Hijikata Toshizo's question, he answered weakly without hesitation:

"My name is... Furutaka Shuntaro... I am... Sonjo Shishi..."

  Hijikata Toshizo asked:

"What's up with that warehouse full of weapons? What are you planning?"

  Yuya Kiemon...or rather, Furutaka Shuntaro, hesitated for a while before giving up struggling:

"We are going to burn Kyoto on the night of July 7th while the people of Kyoto are watching the Yamaboko. We will take advantage of the chaos to kill the Lord of Aizu and Saigo Yoshinosuke of Satsuma. Then we will ask the Emperor to move to Choshu..."

After the words fell, the cell became terribly silent...

Both Hijikata Toshizo and Serizawa Kamo were now shocked and speechless.

  About 10 seconds later, Serizawa Duck broke the silence:

"July 7th... isn't that today?"

  *******

*******

Asking for a monthly ticket! Please vote for recommendation! (Leopard head crying.jpg)

PS: The store run by Yuya Kiemon should be a coal store, not an antique props store, please be aware.

There are too few monthly tickets recently! Please give me a monthly ticket! (crying leopard head.jpg)