I formed the strongest swordsman group.

Chapter 1095 The Difference Between "Nioh" and "Shura" [4800]

The idea that the royal family are descendants of gods, that they have divine blood flowing through their veins—this utterly absurd claim was something Katsura Kogoro had always scoffed at.

He never thought of the Emperor as some sacred and inviolable supreme being—even if he were truly a descendant of Amaterasu and possessed divine power, he wouldn't have become a puppet or a "mascot," manipulated like a toy by the pro-shogunate and pro-imperial forces.

But... but... even so, hiring someone to impersonate the Emperor still far exceeded Katsura Kogoro's bottom line!
In any case, the Imperial Family is one of the oldest families in Japan and has been the nominal head of state of Japan for thousands of years.

Even someone as resolute as him wouldn't dare to issue such an order lightly, much less bear the series of responsibilities that would result from it!

If exposed, they will be condemned by all! They will be nailed to the pillar of historical shame! Like Wang Mang and Sima Yi, they will be infamous for eternity!
Katsura Kogoro remained silent for a long time, his face grim.

Distress, helplessness, fear... all sorts of emotions crept onto his face.

At this moment, he was the very embodiment of the word "struggle".

After a long while, he looked into Iwakura Tomomi's eyes, their eyes met, and his voice was hoarse:
"...Mr. Iwakura, is this really the case?"

Iwakura Tomomi frowned slightly, his tone revealing sternness and impatience:
"Mr. Gui, I would like to ask you a question instead: Is there any other way?"

"With both His Majesty the Emperor and His Highness the Crown Prince passing away, is there any better way for us?"

Katsura Kogoro pursed his lips and remained silent.

Iwakura Tomomi pressed her advantage:

"Although we have done our utmost to take care of His Majesty the Emperor and His Highness the Crown Prince, and have no intention of harming them, the world will not care about such things!"

“They can only see the reality that ‘His Majesty the Emperor and His Highness the Crown Prince died together in Choshu,’ and therefore subconsciously conclude that we have mistreated the Imperial Family!”

"At that time, even if we have a mouth full of words, even if we squeeze out every last drop of the essence of Japanese to argue cleverly, we still won't be able to explain it!"

"Mr. Gui, I'm sure you can imagine the severe consequences this will cause without me having to explain it in detail."

"The shogunate's lackeys will laugh wildly!"

"The fighting spirit of us patriots will be dealt a blow!"

"We must prevent this from happening in any way!"

"No matter what, we must bring His Highness the Crown Prince back to life!"

"His Highness the Crown Prince has lived in the deep palace for a long time, and few people have seen his true appearance."

"As long as we act carefully, we can keep this secret forever sealed in history!"

At this point, Iwakura Tomomi had to stop, panting heavily to calm himself down, because he was so emotional.

After a while, once he had caught his breath, he resumed the conversation:
"...Mr. Gui, I have said everything I need to say, that's all I have to say."

"The decision on how to proceed is entirely up to you."

"Changzhou and I have long been in the same boat."

"I have no way out but to stand with you through thick and thin."

"Therefore, whether it is to reveal the truth or to deceive the world, I will be by your side and overcome all obstacles with you."

After speaking, Iwakura Tomomi remained silent, standing quietly to the side, giving Katsura Kogoro enough time to think.

Katsura Kogoro lowered his head, concealing the change in his expression.

A strange atmosphere filled the air... to the point that even the flow of time in the room became bizarre.

It seemed like only two or three minutes had passed, yet it also felt like several hours had gone by.

In short, after an incredibly long period of time, Katsura Kogoro took a deep breath, raised his head, his expression solemn, and turned to look at Ōmuro Toranosuke beside him:
"Your name is Ōmuro Toranosuke, right?"

The sudden call made Ōmuro Toranosuke shudder, instinctively straightening up and quickly saying:

"Yes, yes! I am Ōmuro Toranosuke!"

How old are you this year? Do you have family?

"14 years old! No family! My parents died of cholera when I was young, so I am all alone! I have no ties!"

Katsura Kogoro nodded slightly:

"Omuro Toranosuke, as the supreme commander of the Special Forces, I have a top-secret mission to entrust to you—to replace the deceased Crown Prince Mutsuhito!"

Despite having prepared himself mentally, Ōmuro Toranosuke was still terrified, his face turned pale, and beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead.

Katsura Kogoro continued the conversation:
"This is a task that will take you a lifetime to complete."

“Once you accept this important task, you will no longer be Ōmuro Toranosuke, and there will be no more Ōmuro Toranosuke in this world.”

"All your past friendships will be severed, and you will henceforth be draped in incredibly heavy finery."

"You will not receive any reward, and no one will know of your achievements."

"You must keep all the truth buried inside until you die!"

"Ōmuro Toranosuke, are you willing to accept such an important task? Can I trust you?"

The moment they finished speaking, Katsura Kogoro and Iwakura Tomomi stared at Ōmuro Toranosuke with sharp, oppressive eyes, as if they were looking at Ōmuro Toranosuke not with two eyes, but with two mountains!

Meeting their unwavering gazes, Ōmuro Toranosuke gritted his teeth:
"Mr. Gui! Please hand it over to me!"

"Though I am a lowly lower-ranking samurai, I have a heart willing to dedicate myself to the great cause of honoring the king!"

"If I can contribute to the great cause of honoring the emperor, I am willing to go no matter how terrifying or treacherous the path may be!"

He responded loudly, giving her a firm look in return.

Their eyes met... Katsura Kogoro stared intently into Omuro Toranosuke's eyes, as if trying to find any negative emotions such as timidity or cowardice to confirm his sincerity.

The results came quickly—no matter how he observed or stared, there was nothing but unwavering determination in Omuro Toranosuke's eyes.

"……very good."

Katsura Kogoro nodded slightly, his tone becoming extremely solemn:

"From this moment on, you are no longer 'Ōmuro Toranosuke,' a member of the Special Forces, but Crown Prince 'Mutsuhito'!"

……

……

A sea area east of Osaka Bay—

Xianlin Maru, bow of the ship—

Qing Deng leaned against the railing at the bow of the ship, gazing expressionlessly at Osaka Castle, which was getting closer and closer.

Finally, we're going home! A wave of cheers erupted from the deck and deck of the Xianlin Maru.
"I can see Osaka!"

"Great! I'm finally back!"

"I never want to ride a boat again in my life!"

The days of sailing caused great suffering to the soldiers who were prone to seasickness.

The long-awaited land was finally before them, and they were overjoyed and eager to set sail, only regretting that the ship was too slow.

They couldn't wait to experience the sense of security of "standing on the ground".

From any perspective, this Northern Expedition can be described as a resounding victory!

They recaptured Wulingguo in just one day.

The enemy chieftain, Xilika, has been executed, and the mastermind behind it all, Mael, has been captured.

The most exhilarating aspect was the sheer size of the spoils.

The "treasure chest" obtained after defeating Mael and the "Ainu Alliance" far exceeded what Qing Deng and the others had anticipated.

It must be said that Mael is indeed extremely capable. As expected of an arms dealer who can buy ironclad warships, he single-handedly supplied an astonishing amount of weaponry!
After two full days of inventory, a detailed "list" was finally compiled.

According to statistics, more than 5,000 muskets and more than 300 artillery pieces of various types were captured in this battle.

As for supplies such as grain, fuel, and medicine, they were countless.

Among the most valuable and precious spoils of war were the two advanced ironclad warships (Napoleon and Joan of Arc), which directly boosted the combat power of the Shogunate fleet to a new level!
After fighting a battle, not only did they suffer minimal losses, but they actually made a fortune!
In the current tense global situation, being able to replenish such a generous amount of military supplies is certainly extremely fortunate.

Incidentally, Aykon and the others who assisted Ogata in infiltrating Goryokaku are all safe and sound.

As soon as the war began, they cleverly hid themselves.

Before the shogunate army could even breach the castle walls, they secretly escaped and fled to the safety of the area north of Goryokaku. After the battle, Aoto and Ogata managed to meet with them.

In gratitude, Qingdeng gave them 50 muskets and a sufficient amount of ammunition, and taught them how to use them—this batch of guns and ammunition was enough to give Shikongka a superior status among the various tribes!
Presumably, Yaikong and the others have now safely returned to Shikongkala and are continuing their peaceful fishing and hunting life.

Nagakura Shinpachi once suggested to Aoto: Do ​​not rush to withdraw your troops, but continue the war! Send your troops north, deep into the interior of Ezo, and completely annihilate the Hilippo Shidachi—the tribe led by Shilika—by physical means to erase them from the map as a warning to others and to deter the Ainu people so that they will never dare to cause trouble again.

His proposal received the support of generals such as Heisuke Todo and Noboru Nakajima.

Perhaps because he often associates with Hijikata Toshizo, Nagakura Shinpachi's current style of doing things and thinking is increasingly resembling that of the "Demon Vice-Commander".

Although Shinpachi Nagakura's suggestion made some sense, Aoto politely declined.

First of all, after this battle, the Ainu people will not have the strength to challenge Chinden for a long time to come.

Secondly, their greatest enemy at present is the extremely restless vassal states of the West.

For Qingdeng, all military affairs except for the "East-West Decisive Battle" could be postponed or even ignored.

Therefore, after capturing Mael and counting the spoils, Qingdeng quickly issued the order to "return to base" and did not want to stay for a moment longer.

With Aoto's decision made, Nagakura Shinpachi, Todo Heisuke, and the others had no choice but to obey.

Meanwhile, Mael, now a prisoner, has been interrogated daily by Qing Deng, who is trying to extract every last drop of "intelligence value" from him.

Thanks to the intelligence provided by the other side, Qing Deng was no longer completely in the dark about the Fa-Zhu Party and knew nothing about it.

Following the revelation that "Orochi is a middle-aged, overweight man suffering from a terminal illness" and "Ōtakemaru is deaf and mute," he learned more secrets related to the Fazhu Party—

Tamamo-no-Mae is an old woman with gray hair; Ōtakemaru has a younger sister named "O-Rin"; the Ōtakemaru siblings lost their parents at a young age and were adopted by Yamata no Orochi...

The more Qing Deng learned about the Fazhu Party, the more curious he became about the Yamata no Orochi.

Who exactly is this person, that he could lead a group of heroes and stir up trouble with such a frail body...?

According to Mael, his cooperation with the French National Party only lasted a few months ago.

After the "First Battle of Edo Castle", he parted ways with Orochi and others.

From then on, he never associated with the Fazhu Party again, nor did he see Yamata no Orochi or the others, and he had no idea where they were.

It is worth mentioning that even Mael, who had close ties with the French Extermination Party, did not know the ultimate purpose of these madmen's rampage.

The reason why various forces are vying for power is simply for the sake of "profit".

The Zunyao faction aimed to replace the Edo Shogunate and establish a completely new national order.

The Great Salt Party had similar goals: to rebuild the world.

In general, everyone's ultimate goal is "construction," and the only difference between them is that their respective "new eras" are not the same.

The only exception is the punishment of the party; they are jumping around and fearing nothing more than chaos, seemingly only interested in "destruction" and having no intention of "construction".

The so-called "chaotic evil" is roughly like this.

Qingden had no idea how to deal with Mael.

If his crimes were investigated, even ten heads wouldn't be enough to chop him off.

However, Qingdeng promised Mael that he would be treated well as long as Mael cooperated obediently.

Furthermore, Mael is well-versed in Western affairs, so sparing his life might allow him to contribute his remaining energy in the future.

Perhaps she was completely disappointed in her father, because Elodie never saw Mael again after that conversation.

Qingdeng had tried to subtly inquire about Elodie's opinion, but to his surprise, she only coldly replied:
“Master, please judge him according to the law. If he deserves to be beheaded, then behead him; if he deserves to be dismembered, then dismember him. Don’t worry about me.”

It seems Elodie is determined to sacrifice her own family for the greater good...

Although Elodie's attitude seemed cruel, Qingdeng understood her feelings very well.

After all, Elodie has always been a good girl with a strong sense of justice—a girl who idolizes Robin Hood, which shows how much she hates evil.

It's not hard to imagine how disappointed and angry she would be if her biological father were a selfish, cruel, and despicable man.

Ultimately, after much deliberation, Qingdeng decided to spare Mael's life, temporarily sentencing him to "life imprisonment."

Just as Aoto was gazing into the distance, lost in thought, Ogata's voice suddenly rang out from behind him:
"Tachibana-kun, our journey is almost over."

Aoto turned his head and looked back—Ogata floated to his side and stood shoulder to shoulder with him.

“Journey? Mr. Ogata, do you call ‘war’ ‘travel’? If I had the chance in the future, I would really like to travel to Ezo instead of going to war.”

Qingdeng gave a wry smile as he spoke.

Ogata spread his hands:

"For me, every trip I take is a journey, and my long life is made up of one journey after another."

He paused, then adopted a tone filled with mixed emotions:
"After we disembark, we will say goodbye."

"Thinking about it carefully, it's quite sad to see this happen. I'm afraid we'll hardly have this kind of cooperation again in the future."

Qingdeng remarked, half-jokingly:

"It's a pity that the world doesn't know that the 'Eternal Sword Saint' also participated in this war."

"Otherwise, I really want to know how the world and future historians will judge this battle."

Ogata Kanji:

"The two strongest swordsmen of our time are fighting side by side, and they deserve the name 'Summit'."

Qingdeng chuckled to himself:

“‘Top of the class’... that’s not a bad title.”

After they finished speaking, the two laughed together.

Suddenly, Ogata slowly suppressed his smile, his expression turning serious:

"...Tachibana-kun, you have to keep up the good work!"

Qingdeng was taken aback:
Why are you telling me this in such a serious manner?

Ogata turned his head west:

"Even someone like me who doesn't care about politics can see that a major war is imminent."

“Satsuma, Choshu, Tosa, Hizen, the Hōshū-dō... none of them are easy to deal with.”

"I have a premonition—it won't be long before a great war that will determine the future of the world will be launched."

"Keep up the good work, and don't lose."

Qingdeng raised an eyebrow and said half-jokingly:
“Mr. Ogata, if I could get your help, I would not be afraid even if a million lions attacked me.”

Ogata said irritably:

"You want me to work for you? Not so easy."

"I've long since withdrawn from worldly affairs."

“If I hadn’t heard of the appearance of an ‘immortal,’ I wouldn’t have even participated in this Northern Expedition.”

"So don't expect me to help you."

"You'll have to work harder yourself."

"After all... this is your own story, isn't it?"

"Since it's your story, you have to create it with your own hands."

As Ogata spoke, he cast a smiling glance at Aoto.

Qingdeng shrugged and returned the same smiling look.

Two top swordsmen, two close friends despite their age difference, and two time travelers leaned against the railing at the bow of the ship, chatting casually.

Seagulls cried out as they swept overhead and flew into the distance.

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PS: The true cause of Emperor Komei's (Emperor Meiji's father) death is still debated.

Because he was unwilling to oppose the shogunate, he was very likely poisoned so that a younger, more easily manipulated emperor (Emperor Meiji) could be installed.