I formed the strongest swordsman group.

Chapter 814: The situation suddenly changes! Reinforcements from the Great Salt Party! [Leopard Update 6K3]

Kyoto, Sanjo Bridge (west of Kamogawa River), Ikedaya——

Otaka Matajiro cleared his throat and then made the first statement of the meeting:

"Time is running out, so let's skip the meaningless greetings and opening remarks."

"Before we officially begin today's agenda, I would like to ask for an equally urgent proposal: should we storm the Shinsengumi's base and rescue Furutaka Shuntaro?"

Furutaka Shuntaro - the Sonnōjō patriot who went by the alias "Yoya Kiemon" and was caught by Nagakura Shinpachi today.

After hearing this, Katsura Kogoro's expression froze - he had heard a little about what happened.

After being captured and taken to the Shinsengumi station in Mibu-go, there was no news of Furutaka Shuntaro anymore, and his life or death was unknown.

A huge dispute broke out within the Sonjo faction over whether to rescue Furutaka Shuntaro, and no conclusion has been reached to this day.

"Is there any need to ask? Of course we have to save him!"

The speaker is again the "mighty warrior".

The real name of the "strong samurai" is Matsuda Shigesuke, and he is also a radical with extreme ideas.

"Gu Gaojun is our companion! How can we ignore our companion?"

  As soon as he finished speaking, someone opposite him refuted bluntly:

"Rescue? That's easy for you to say, Matsuda-kun! May I ask how we should rescue Kodaka-kun? Should we directly attack the Mibui Garrison? Don't forget that the one guarding the Mibu Garrison is the 'tyrant' Serizawa Kame!"

Serizawa Duck - after hearing this name, many people present showed fear on their faces.

When talking about the "strength ranking of the Shinsengumi swordsmen", the most common saying is undoubtedly "One is Tachibana, two is Okida, three is Nagakura, and four is Saito".

  The top two players - Tachibana and Okita - have no objections. They are at a huge gap with the others, one is T0 and the other is T1.

No one in the Shinsengumi is strong enough to match them, and they are all hovering around T2, T3 or below.

Therefore, the ranking of strength after Qing Deng and Zongsi has always been quite controversial.

In terms of swordsmanship alone, Nagakura Shinpachi is indeed slightly better than Saito Kazu.

  But the question is: Can Saito Hajime really not beat Nagakura Shinpachi?

No one would think that when Nagakura Shinpachi faces Saito Ichi, the former will be able to win for sure.

Also in the Shinsengumi T2 are Kondo Isami, Hijikata Toshizo and Serizawa Kamo.

Their strength is no worse than that of Nagakura Shinpachi and Saito Hajime.

If they were to fight with real swords and guns, it would be hard to say who would win in the end.

What’s interesting is that there is a consensus widely circulated among the majority of Sonryō patriots - it is better to encounter Nagakura Shinpachi and Saito Hajime than to fight Serizawa Kamo!

The reason why the patriots feared Duck as if he were a tiger was not because Serizawa Duck's swordsmanship was so superb and exquisite.

  But it’s because he is too cruel!

Serizawa Duck is a person with a rough and arrogant temperament.

He used his brutal style in combat and in the Shinto Munen-ryu that he mastered.

  Every time he was about to fight, he would burst out with a terrifying momentum of "swearing to tear the enemy into pieces". With one strike of the sword, the person hit by the sword would be torn into pieces! It was really terrifying!

Apart from anything else, the visual impact alone is enough to scare the patriots.

It was precisely because of his brutal and violent swordsmanship that the patriots were so afraid of him.

No one knows who started it, but the title of "tyrant" for Serizawa Kamo gradually spread among the Sonnōjo patriots.

If the people guarding the Mibu Village were T3-level generals such as Inoue Genzaburo and Fujido Heisuke, the Sonjo faction might still have the confidence to gather people and storm the Mibu Village.

However, unfortunately, the person currently leading the team to guard the Mibu Tunso is the "tyrant" Serizawa Kame...

This made many patriots retreat.

The "strong samurai"... that is, Matsuda Shigesuke, who naturally knew what was in these people's minds.

  He slapped his thigh, with a look of grief and indignation on his face:

"It's just a Serizawa duck, look how scared you are! You are such a bunch of cowards!"

As expected, as soon as these words were spoken, the "internal strife" began again.

"What did you say?!"

"Matsuda-kun, watch your words!"

"We are not cherishing our lives! We are just trying to find the best answer after weighing the gains and losses!"

They used sharp words and attacked Matsuda Shigesuke harshly.

Matsuda Shigesuke and his followers immediately launched a counterattack:

"When our companions are in trouble, what's wrong with us rescuing them?"

"'Calculating gains and losses'? Gu Gaojun holds a lot of important information. We rescued him to prevent the information from being leaked. Isn't this 'gain' less important than the 'loss'?"

"How can I accomplish my great cause of respecting the country if I'm with a bunch of you cowardly insects?!"

Looking at the two groups of people arguing fiercely, Katsura Kogoro sighed heavily, raised his hand and pressed his eyebrows, with a strong look of fatigue on his cheeks.

Prajna beside him was very interested.

He propped up his right arm, supported his head, and looked around at the quarreling people with great interest. He looked... as if he was watching an animal show.

  About 10 seconds later, Miyabe Teizo called a halt to the argument:

"Stop making noise! ​​Silence!"

In the blink of an eye, the room that was noisy a second ago became so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

Everyone turned to look at Miyabe Teizo - they saw that he had a sullen face and looked unhappy.

"Everyone, just listen to me for now."

"Indeed, Mr. Gu Gao is our important companion,"

"Not only that, he also possesses a large amount of confidential intelligence."

"We should rescue him."

"but!"

He suddenly changed the subject and emphasized his tone, his eyes also became sharp.

"If we rescue Gu Gaojun right now, the disadvantages will definitely outweigh the advantages!"

"Don't forget that the Shinsengumi troops responsible for patrolling Kyoto this month include not only Serizawa Kamo's Fourth Division, but also Nagakura Shinpachi's Second Division."

"In other words, if we force our way into Mibu Village now, we will not only run into Serizawa Kamo, but we may also run into Nagakura Shinpachi."

"We are enemies of Nagakura Shinpachi and Serizawa Kame at the same time. What are our chances of winning?"

"Even if we succeed in rescuing Gu Gaojun in the end, the price we pay will be extremely heavy!"

"Now is the critical moment for the great cause of national rejuvenation."

"We shouldn't waste our precious combat power in a place like this!"

"So... let's put the matter of 'rescuing Furutaka Shuntaro' on hold for now! We'll discuss it later!"

Miyabe Teizo's words were like a hammer of final approval.

Those who opposed rescuing Furutaka Shuntaro all breathed a sigh of relief and looked relieved.

Matsuda Shigesuke and his followers all looked frustrated.

  Although Miyabe Teizo said "we'll discuss it later", everyone knew in their hearts: there would definitely be no discussion later!

Miyabe Teizo was simply using a euphemism.

In fact, his meaning has been made very clear: abandon Furutaka Shuntaro!

Katsura Kogoro pursed his lips, then opened his mouth again, as if he wanted to say something to Miyabe Teizo.

But in the end, he chose to remain silent and said nothing.

Katsura Kogoro actually tends to "rescue Furutaka Shuntaro".

But... while he sympathized with Furutaka Shuntaro, he also understood that although Miyabe Teizo's decision was cruel, it was not wrong.

To put it bluntly, Furutaka Shuntaro was not important enough for them to rescue him at all costs.

  At this time, Otaka Matajiro, who was in charge of presiding over the meeting, stood up again:

"Everyone, since the matter of 'rescuing Furutaka Shuntaro' has been confirmed to be on hold, let's officially start tonight's agenda - whether to implement the plan of 'burning Kyoto and kidnapping the Emperor'!"

Seeing that the topic had finally come to the point, Katsura Kogoro's eyes suddenly lit up.

  Just as Ōtaka Matajiro was about to continue, Katsura Kogoro interrupted him:

"Everyone, I won't say any more unnecessary nonsense."

"I just have to say one thing - your plan is really ridiculous!"

"Throughout history, no one has ever done such a crazy thing!"

"Don't burn down Kyoto, and don't kidnap the Emperor!"

"If we do something so absurd, how will the world view us?"

"Even if we lose our territory, we can still take it back."

"If we lose money and food, we can earn it back."

"But without the support of the people, we are at a loss!"

"We will be infamous for generations to come! We will be despised by future generations!"

His words were as fierce as thunder.

His attitude is as firm as a rock.

His eyebrows were raised, his eyes were bulging, and his body seemed to be filled with vigorous energy that was ready to erupt at any time.

  However, as soon as he finished speaking, someone immediately jumped out to refute:

"Mr. Gui, we understand your concerns."

The speaker's name is "Kitazume Jima", he is an expert swordsman and has radical ideas, and he is a fan of Kusaka Genzui.

"This plan is risky, but it is a brilliant move that will help us turn the current situation around in one fell swoop!"

"If we can successfully welcome the Emperor to Choshu, the morale of the feudal state will be greatly boosted!"

"Then we can borrow the power of the Emperor to overthrow the shogunate in one fell swoop! And then drive the barbarians back to the sea!"

"Indeed, Zhurong's power cannot be underestimated."

"When the city is engulfed in flames, tens of thousands of people will be buried in the flames and left homeless."

"But these are necessary sacrifices!"

"Mr. Gui, is there any struggle in this world without bloodshed?"

"How can you accomplish anything if you are so indecisive and fussy, and have such a woman's heart?"

"As long as we can achieve our great cause, what does this little sacrifice matter?!"

"When we clear up the universe and get rid of the filth in the future, I believe those people who suffered will feel relieved in their graves."

After Bei Tianji Mo finished speaking, many people immediately spoke up to agree with him.

"That's right!"

"Kitam-kun is right!"

"Mr. Gui, if you don't make a decision, you will suffer the consequences!"

  Although Katsura Kogoro had made sufficient mental preparations, he still felt dizzy and cold after listening to Kitani Jimo's fallacies!

Whenever he came into contact with radical people, Katsura Kogoro would feel extremely tired - he always felt that he was not communicating with normal people, but more like talking with people from another world!

I just can't make sense on my part.

  As for the "reason" on the other side, it's an exaggeration to say that it's heresy!

Katsura Kogoro saw through the radicals - their political and military levels were very immature! Terribly immature! They still remained at the level of "as long as the emperor stands on my side, we will have a huge advantage."

They were confident that as long as they could kidnap the emperor to Choshu, they would be able to turn the tide, defeat Qin, Hui, and Sa, and kick the shogunate.

Katsura Kogoro took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down.

After calming down a bit, he gritted his teeth and spoke word by word:

"You guys are dreaming!"

"Do you think that as long as we take the Emperor to Choshu, everything will be fine?"

"I tell you, if this were to happen, it would only give people something to blame! It would give them something to use against us!" "By then, the shogunate would surely not wait to declare us traitors who kidnapped the emperor."

"The shogunate, which holds an indisputable righteousness, will be supported by all! But we are alone and helpless!"

"As the mayor of a small district and defending two countries, against the army of the whole world, what are the chances of winning?!"

[Note: Nagato and Suo provinces: the territories of the Choshu domain, Nagato and Suo provinces]

At the end, Katsura Kogoro finally couldn't suppress his excitement anymore.

At this moment, he showed the demeanor of "Swordsman Kogoro"!

He straightened his body, glared at the whole audience, with a lion-like majesty between his brows.

  Even if the blade has not been drawn and the cold light has not appeared, it still makes the rats tremble with fear!

Everyone at the scene was oppressed by his aura. They all crouched down and lowered their heads, not daring to look him in the face.

  Of course, how could the stubbornness of the radicals be shattered by a few words from Katsura Kogoro?

Soon, they recovered and started a war of words:

"Mr. Gui, why do you want to boost others' ambitions and destroy our prestige?"

"What are all the soldiers in the world?! As long as we show the courage of the men of Changzhou, we will make them throw down their weapons and armor!"

"That's right! We are not afraid of the shogunate! Let the shogunate's lackeys come at us!"

The room, which had just been quiet for a short while, became chaotic and noisy again.

  At this moment, Miyabe Teizo suddenly spoke:

"Gui Jun, everyone, please be patient!"

"I almost thought I was in Nishiki Market just now."

[Note: Nishiki Market: Kyoto’s most famous fish, meat and poultry market, known as the “Kitchen of Kyoto”]

"Isn't the reason we are gathered here tonight to sit down and have a good talk, so as to jointly explore a result that both parties can accept?"

"What's the point of arguing until you're red in the face? Even if you argue until dawn, you won't get to the bottom of it."

"Everyone is seated. Don't be so excited. Let's talk it over nicely."

At this moment, Miyabe Teizo's high prestige once again came into play.

With his mediation, the verbal fight stopped.

The radicals are no longer aggressive.

Katsura Kogoro sat down again - but his expression was still grim.

"Kui-kun, I understand how you feel."

As Miyabe Teizo spoke, he personally poured a glass of wine for Katsura Kogoro.

"Impatient, anxious, panicky... these emotions only exacerbate the conflict."

"The night is long, let's talk slowly."

Katsura Kogoro hummed softly, then raised the wine that Miyabe Teizo had poured for him and drank it all in one gulp.

Because he was concentrating on the wine glass in his hand, he did not notice that when Miyabe Teizo said the words "Let's talk slowly", a meaningful look flashed in his eyes...

……

……

Kyoto, Nawate-dori (east of Kamo River), somewhere——

Looking at Saito Hajime and Nakazawa Sadaki who came back to report, Qing Deng asked:

"Ayi, how are you doing?"

Saito shook his head silently.

Then, Qing Deng saw Serizawa Kame and Niimi Nishiki who also came back to report.

"Serizawa, have you found anything?"

  Serizawa Duck snorted coldly:

"We didn't find any patriots, but we did find a couple who were having an affair."

"An adulterer and a whore whore who went out to have an affair?!"

Harada Sanosuke on the side made an excited sound.

Under normal circumstances, he might have asked for the specific details with great interest.

But as slow as he was, he knew that now was not the time to ask such questions, so he suppressed his curiosity and retreated silently.

After a while, the generals that Qingdeng had sent out returned in twos and threes - without exception, they all returned empty-handed.

A group of people stood in the middle of the street, staring at each other.

The search area east of Kamo River is large.

In order to improve the efficiency of the search, Qing Deng had to split his manpower into groups of two or three to act separately.

Although the efficiency is higher, the results are not ideal.

Not a single patriot was found, but a lot of strange people were found.

Harada Sanosuke squatted on the ground, relaxing his legs which were beginning to ache, and asked Qing Deng:

"Mr. Tachibana, the meeting place of the Sonnō Faction is not here, is it possible?"

Qing Deng responded without hesitation:

"Sanosuke, don't be careless. Don't let your guard down until you've searched every last inn and pub. God knows where those guys are having their meeting."

At this time, Hijikata Toshizo murmured:

"I don't know how Asheng and the others are doing now..."

Qing Deng nodded slightly to show his agreement—he was also concerned about the current situation of the other team.

Qing Deng once again felt the inconvenience and pain of lack of communication means.

After the division, the two teams became two isolated islands.

Qing Deng and others had no idea what was going on with Team Kondo.

It is possible that they have gained nothing like the "Qingdeng Team", or it is possible that... they have found the meeting place of the Zunrang faction and started fighting!

Just as Qing Deng was secretly wondering whether to send someone to check on the current situation of the "Kondo Team", he suddenly seemed to sense something, his eyes narrowed slightly, his hand pressed on the hilt of the knife, and he turned back.

As he turned around——

"...Mr. Tachibana."

A deep, middle-aged male voice suddenly sounded from behind him.

Instantly! All the generals around Qing Deng were facing a great enemy!

  Choke! Choke! Choke! Choke! Choke! Choke!

The sounds of swords being drawn were heard everywhere!

The generals set their weapons firmly, got into position, and looked straight towards the source of the sound - a dark alley with no end in sight - ready to fight at any time!

"Everyone in the Shinsengumi, please don't be nervous! I mean no harm, I just want to meet Mr. Tachibana!"

The middle-aged male voice came from the dark alley again.

Immediately afterwards, Qing Deng and others heard footsteps approaching from afar.

Qing Deng raised his eyebrows - he always felt that the voice was very familiar, as if he had heard it somewhere before.

  After a little thought, a look of surprise appeared on his face - he remembered who the owner of the voice was!

At the same time as he recalled it, he saw a middle-aged man with his hands raised in surrender, walking out of the alley in a calm and confident manner and appearing in front of everyone.

  Looking at the other party, Qing Deng took the lead in greeting:

"Mr. Ebina, long time no see."

Ebina - An important member of the Great Salt Party who once fought side by side with Qing Deng in the "Tracing the Phantom Lake" operation four years ago: Ebina Ye Zong!

After not seeing him for 4 years, Hailan Ye Zong, who is nearly years old, looks even older, with a few more fine wrinkles at the corners of his eyes.

"Hello, Mr. Ju. I haven't seen you for many years. You have become more heroic and extraordinary."

As Ebina Ye Zong spoke, he curled up the corners of his mouth, revealing a kind smile.

Such a situation made Hijikata Toshizo and others look at each other in confusion.

They didn't know Ebina Ye Zong.

Judging from the current situation, the other party seemed to be Qing Deng's acquaintance, so they all released their "combat stance" but remained vigilant.

After abolishing Huanfudian and saying goodbye to Ebina and others, Qing Deng never saw anyone from the Daiyan Party again.

He also tried to collect information related to the Great Salt Party on a daily basis, but to no avail.

The members of the Great Salt Party are all extremely mysterious, and they are even more secretive than the Fazhu Party.

The big salt party, which is rarely seen on weekdays, took the initiative to jump out at this time...

The last time they showed up on their own initiative was to work with Qing Deng to eliminate the Phantom Dian.

This time... even if you use your butt to think, you know that they are definitely not here to chat or reminisce with Qing Deng.

  So Qing Deng didn't waste any words, bypassed the greetings and asked directly:

"Ebina, why did you suddenly appear?"

Seeing Qing Deng speak directly to the point, Hai Lao Ming Ye Zong no longer hid anything.

  He put on a serious look and spoke seriously, word by word:

"Mr. Ju, can you please excuse me for a moment? We have something very important to say to you alone!"

"'Alone'? You mean the 'important words' you mentioned, can you only say them to me?"

  Ebina Ye Zong nodded vigorously:

"That's right!"

Qing Deng lowered his eyelids, narrowed his eyes slightly, and a thoughtful look appeared on his face.

He didn't think for long.

  Only 5 seconds later, he turned his head and faced the generals:

"You guys stay here for now, I'll be back soon."

Hijikata Toshizo immediately frowned:

"Ju, are you...really going to go?"

  Although Hijikata Toshizo did not say it explicitly, his eyes and expression had already expressed his underlying meaning: Is it really okay to go to an unknown place alone?

Others had the same concerns.

  Facing the concerns of the generals, Qing Deng smiled slightly:

"Don't worry, they are not suspicious. Even if they want to do something, they can't do it in front of me!"

After leaving these words, Qing Deng did not linger any longer and strode towards Ebina Ye Zong.

"Mr. Ju, please follow me."

Ebina Ye Zong turned sideways, made a "please" gesture, then took two steps at a time and led the way, leading Qing Deng into the alley behind him.

The two walked straight forward, heading straight to the deepest part of the alley.

This alley is longer and more complicated than Qing Deng had expected.

After many twists and turns, I still haven't reached the end.

  After walking a long distance and confirming that there was no one around, Qing Deng continued to move forward and asked:

"Mr. Ebina, can you tell me now? What is the 'very important thing' you want to tell me?"

Ebina Ye Zong did not answer immediately, but hesitated for a moment.

After a while, he said quietly with a gloomy face:

"Miyabe Teizo and other radicals are determined to burn down Kyoto and kidnap the emperor. They don't want to negotiate with Katsura Kogoro at all!"

"Tonight's meeting is nothing more than a sham! It's just to hold Katsura Kogoro back and prevent him from getting in the way!"

"While Katsura Kogoro is being held, the radical faction has sent out a secret force, ready to follow the original plan and take advantage of the 'Yamaboko Parade' that is being held tonight to set Kyoto a sea of ​​fire!"

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

PS: When writing this book, I sincerely realized one thing: "Unity" is really a big deal! Whether it is the pro-shogunate faction or the pro-nobility faction, they are always fighting each other endlessly. They are not tired, but Leopard is tired of writing...