I formed the strongest swordsman group.

Chapter 1054: Ogata's Old Friend, the Elder of the Law-Execution Party [4300]

"..."

The moment he saw the tombstone, a strange emotion arose in the depths of Ogata's eyes.

He raised his hand and gently wiped away the fallen leaves accumulated on the tombstone, then took out the handkerchief he had prepared early in the morning from his arms and carefully wiped the tombstone.

Although this tombstone is quite old, it is not difficult to see that the tombstone is in good condition. It must be maintained regularly by someone.

When his hand that was scrubbing the tombstone slid to the name "Isshikika", his movements paused, as if he was frozen.

It was not until a long time later that he returned to normal and continued to sweep the tomb meticulously.

After the tombstone was wiped clean, he stood up again and stared at it with no expression of sadness or joy on his face, making it impossible to guess what he was thinking or feeling.

time flies……

One minute, ten minutes, thirty minutes... No matter how much time passed, he was like an old monk in meditation, his feet never moved, his eyes never moved away.

After standing there quietly for more than half an hour, he slowly turned around and walked away.

As he was about to leave, a gentle voice floated out:

"Hua, I'm leaving. See you next time."

This was the first sentence he said after entering the cemetery, and also the last sentence...

……

……

Today, at noon——

Osaka, Osaka Port——

"Xianlinwan...it's been a long time."

Qing Deng raised his head and looked at the warship in front of him with a smile on his face.

The last time he boarded the Kanrin Maru was a year ago, when he negotiated with the commander of the British fleet on behalf of the shogunate and drove away the British fleet in Edo Bay.

After more than a year, Qing Deng felt quite emotional when he was on this familiar warship again.

Three main battleships, plus some old sailing ships that were still usable, could barely accommodate the entire "Northern Expedition Corps" and the necessary supplies.

As we all know, you can't put all your eggs in one basket.

Therefore, high-ranking figures such as Aoto, Katsurintaro, and Nagakura Shinpachi cannot be on the same boat.

Aoto took the Kanrinmaru, Katsurintaro took the Kankomaru... they dispersed to prevent the leadership from being caught in an awkward situation in the event of an accident.

The loading of baggage had already begun as soon as the fleet arrived at Osaka Bay.

Early this morning, the soldiers boarded the ship in batches.

At 1 o'clock in the afternoon, accompanied by the roar of the steam engine, the mast of Xianlin Maru slowly opened and black smoke rose - Xianlin Maru set sail!
The previous trip on the Kanrin Maru was just a trip through Edo Bay, which was not considered a voyage at all.

It’s the first time in his life to take a long voyage... Qingdeng is looking forward to it.

It was fine when we first left the port, not too bumpy.

However, as the ship gradually moved away from the coastline, the ship's shaking suddenly increased.

The waves of the sea contain extraordinary energy! To the waves, warships weighing hundreds of tons are just like toys!
Whenever the waves came, the warships had no ability to resist and were easily rolled up and then dropped heavily again.

It swayed and spun, without a moment's rest.

In this era, only a very small number of people have ever taken a boat ride.

Qing Deng could imagine that there would definitely be many soldiers who could not adapt to the bumps of the ship.

Sure enough, not long after setting sail, he kept receiving reports of "people becoming unwell due to seasickness."

The sounds of vomiting were heard one after another... The cabin of Xianlin Maru was filled with a sour and foul smell, and the other ships must be in a similar state.

Fortunately, Qingdeng was well prepared and raised a large amount of seasickness-relieving drugs early on, minimizing the negative effects of seasickness to the greatest extent.

A few months ago, during the Olympic Badminton Tournament, Qing Deng copied the talent "Great Navigator" from someone, so he was not very afraid of seasickness.

[Note: Great Navigator: Not prone to seasickness]

Qing Deng couldn't help but feel fortunate about this - he never expected that the talent that he initially thought was useless would actually come in handy!

"I don't know how Rintaro is doing..."

Qing Deng stood on the side of the Xianlin Maru, looking at the Guanguang Maru in the distance, and murmured with a wry smile.

Although Katsurintaro was the president of the navy who founded the shogunate navy, he was actually very prone to seasickness and had no knowledge of water.

Back then, when he was traveling to the United States with a diplomatic mission, he suffered from seasickness, and his companions complained about him, saying, "You are a minister in charge of the navy, and you are seasick!" This became a well-known anecdote.

……

……

After staying on the side of the ship for a long time and gradually getting bored with the unchanging sea view, Qing Deng returned to the cabin, holding Vairocana on his waist.

He did not go back to his room directly, but after a little thought, he turned in another direction and went to Ogata's room.

Thanks to Qing Deng's secret manipulation, Ogata, like him, had the privilege of having a bedroom to himself.

Although he couldn't tell why, Qing Deng felt that Ogata was a little strange today.

At first glance, there's nothing unusual.

If you look closely, it is thought-provoking.

Since this morning, Ogata has been gazing at the sea, reminiscing.

After much consideration, Qing Deng decided to go visit him and ask him what happened.

He took two steps at a time and soon found Ogata's room and stopped in front of its door.

However, before he could reach out and knock on the door, Ogata's voice came from inside:

"It's Ju-kun, come in."

Qing Deng was startled, but quickly came to his senses, immediately opened the door and slipped in.

But Ogata was sitting by the window, gazing at the sea view outside.

"Mr. Ogata, how did you know I was coming?"

"I recognize your footsteps. Ju Jun, why did you come to me suddenly?"

"Nothing important, I just wanted to come see you and talk to you."

Qing Deng walked straight to Ogata's side and got straight to the point:
"Mr. Ogata, what's wrong with you? Why do you look so worried? If you have any trouble, you might as well tell me. Maybe I can help you."

As the actual ruler of the "Southern Shogunate", Qing Deng possesses the power of a lamp god: he can help you realize many wishes in the world!
Ogata turned his head, glanced at Qing Deng, and smiled:
"Ju-kun, thank you for your concern. I'm fine. I just... was thinking of someone I've known for a long time."

As he spoke, he withdrew his gaze and looked at the ocean outside the window again.

“…This morning, I went to visit the graves.”

——Tomb sweeping?
Qing Deng raised his eyebrows, confused at first, but then quickly realized that the person who could make the "Eternal Sword Saint" go to visit his grave specially could not be an ordinary person!

Ogata's unusual identity made him look unusually deep... Qing Deng realized something in an instant.

After hesitating for a moment, Qing Deng asked back half doubtfully and half confidently:
"Is it... a woman's grave?"

Ogata narrowed his eyes and then gave Qing Deng a meaningful look.

"Tachibana-kun, you are very perceptive... As expected of a man with a nest of wives. Yes, it is indeed a woman's grave."

I actually guessed it right...it really is a woman's tomb...Qing Deng almost gasped. Qing Deng never thought of himself as a gossipy person.

However... at this moment, even someone as calm as him couldn't help but feel a strong curiosity!
Who is that woman?

What is her relationship with Ogata?
Does Ms. Machi know this woman?

Although Qing Deng tried hard to control his expression and keep a straight face, Ogata had already seen through his inner thoughts.

He smiled, then stretched out his hand to his side and gestured, "Please sit down."

Upon seeing this, Qing Deng hurriedly moved his butt over and put on an attitude of listening attentively.

Ogata didn't let him wait for long. After a little thought, he said calmly:
"Her name is Isshiki Hana. She is the daughter of a samurai family from Osaka. She is also... the only daughter of a leader of the Law-Slaying Party."

It’s only the first sentence, and the content is so explosive!

The only daughter of the elder of the Fazhu Party... Hearing this, Qing Deng unconsciously fixed his eyes, and a solemn look appeared on his cheeks.

Ogata ignored Qing Deng's expression and continued speaking:
"Come to think of it, the first time I met her was on a boat... It really makes me miss her."

As he spoke, he raised his hand and lightly touched the window in front of him, as if he was trying to touch the sea outside the window.

“Although this happened more than 70 years ago, I still remember the scenes vividly.”

"She's a good girl."

"Beautiful, gentle, kind, and strong."

"I will not go into the details of what happened."

"Anyway, a lot of things happened between her and me."

"If I hadn't met Ating, or if I had met Ating a little later, she would have been my wife."

"Unfortunately...I was already married to A-Ming when I met her."

"And she happened to be a proud and arrogant woman who didn't want to share a husband with other women."

"So... she and I are not meant to be together after all."

"Twenty years ago, she quietly closed her eyes on her bed and died of old age. She never married."

"When she first passed away, some relatives and friends would go to sweep her grave."

"But as time went by, because he had no descendants of his own, fewer and fewer people visited his tomb."

"At this point, the only ones who still remember her and visit her grave are me and A-Ting."

“Every time I come to Osaka, no matter how busy I am, I will go to see her.”

"Because we were going to set sail at noon, I got up early today to go to the cemetery where she was."

"I don't know why today... maybe it's because I haven't seen her for a long time... I feel a little sad for no reason and can't calm down for a long time."

"I thought you wouldn't notice my abnormality, but I didn't expect you to find out anyway... I'm sorry to have embarrassed you."

"It's really fate. That lonely tombstone and that evil Fazhuo Party are the only two proofs that she once existed in the world... It really makes me feel complicated."

After he finished speaking, Ogata half-closed his eyes and took several deep breaths.

Qing Deng did not rush, but accompanied quietly and waited quietly.

About half a minute later, Ogata restarted the voice:
"As I just said, Hana is the only daughter of the elder of the Fazhu Party."

"Because of her relationship, I have a close relationship with the Fazhu Party."

"Tachibana-kun, I don't know if you are aware that the original name of the Law and Punishment Party is the 'Law and Punishment Group'."

"As early as its inception, it was a secret society determined to overthrow the Qing Dynasty."

"Hana's father was one of the founders of the Law Enforcement Group."

"To be honest, since the Kansei era (1789-1800), when I was active, secret societies with the goal of 'overthrowing the shogunate' have emerged one after another."

"'Where there is oppression, there is resistance'."

"Although I shouldn't say such things in front of a shogun like you, the Edo shogunate is really rotten."

Qing Deng did not refute Ogata's extremely sharp comment.

In fact, he completely agreed with Ogata's evaluation—the Edo Shogunate was indeed rotten!

As a high-ranking official within the shogunate, he knew better than anyone else the corruption and incompetence of the Edo shogunate!

He had no good feelings towards the shogunate, purely because he started out as a "shogunate civil servant" and, by some strange coincidence, he rose through the ranks and gained a higher and higher status.

When he came to his senses, it was already difficult for him to get off the boat - because he had become an important part of this "boat"!

If it weren't for the current situation, Qing Deng really wanted to quit.

Whenever those good-for-nothings started to hold him back, Qing Deng wanted to point his finger at them and yell, "What qualifications do you have to teach me how to do things? The five provinces, seven provinces and sixty-six kingdoms are on my shoulders! It's not your turn to talk about the people of the world!"

While Qing Deng was secretly sighing, Ogata continued:

"Hana's father invited me to join the Fazhu Group."

"I am used to being lazy and don't want to rely on any power, so I declined his invitation."

"However, influenced by the flower, I have been paying close attention to the actions and developments of the Law Enforcement Group."

"Despite its resounding reputation, the Law and Punishment Group is no different from other anti-shogunate organizations of the same era - full of enthusiasm but without any real achievements."

"Since its establishment, the Law Enforcement Group has always been in an embarrassing situation of repeated defeats."

"After another failed operation, the Fazhu Group is on the verge of collapse."

"At that time, I heard that the Fazhu Group was already on the decline, with members either dying or escaping, and only one member left in the entire group."

"I thought the Law Enforcement Group would be completely defeated and become an insignificant grain of sand in the long river of history."

"However... within a few years, the Law Enforcement Group was revived and became far more powerful than ever before."

"It was from that time that the 'Law and Punishment Group' was renamed the 'Law and Punishment Party'."

"At the same time, it was also from that time that the 'Law and Punishment Group'... no, it should be called the 'Law and Punishment Party', changed its previous stable style and became perverse and crazy."

"I guess that the 'last member' who survived when the 'Law and Punishment Group' was about to die out is most likely the current leader of the Law and Punishment Party, Yamata no Orochi."

"He revived an organization that was about to collapse, and rapidly grew it into a behemoth that could influence the world's situation... I have to say that Yamata no Orochi is really capable."

"But I really can't agree with his ideas and style."

"The original 'Law and Punishment Group' sincerely wanted to make this country a better place, so they would never take radical measures that would implicate civilians."

"On the other hand, the 'law-punishing party' today will do whatever it takes to achieve its goal, just like a group of mad dogs."

"Hua was once a member of the Fazhu Group and made a significant contribution to its early development."

"So, strictly speaking, Hua is also one of the elders of the Fazhu Party."

"In a sense, this secret society under the name of 'Law and Punishment' is Hua's only remaining legacy."

"This organization can die naturally due to lack of strength, but it must not be tainted by a bad reputation."

"Today, after seeing the flower for the first time in a long time, I reaffirmed a thought: I really can't sit idly by and watch the flower's heritage being trampled on like this...!"

After saying that, Ogata lowered his eyelids and slowly stroked the sword Daishikuten at his waist with his left hand.

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