I formed the strongest swordsman group.

Chapter 1096 The New Emperor Ascends the Throne! Era Name Changed to Meiji! [5000]

As soon as the Xianlin Maru docked, Xu Bian deftly flipped over the gunwale and sailed away, leaving behind a dashing silhouette.

As he was leaving, he waved to Qingdeng without turning back, without saying anything like "see you again someday" or other sentimental things.

Watching Ogata's receding figure, Aoto couldn't help but feel a little lonely.

Recalling the scenes of trekking through mountains and rivers with the "Eternal Sword Saint" and fighting side by side, it felt like being in a dream.

Although Ogata lived in Kyoto, not far from Otsu, he made it clear that he would soon travel to Europe with Atachi to explore the so-called "alchemy".

Having witnessed firsthand the magic of the "Berserker's Water" and the "Berserker's Essence," Ogata no longer believes that the "Baccano! Elixir of Immortality" is a mythical artifact.

Therefore, it was impossible for him, who considered it his duty to "investigate the power of immortality," to remain indifferent.

He was eager to know whether the "Bacchus of Immortality" and the "Power of Immortality" within him were of the same origin, or whether they were different powers from different systems.

In short, Ogata's mind is made up and he will not change it.

Once Ogata goes to Europe, who knows when we'll be able to see him again.

Thinking of this, Qingdeng felt even more lonely.

For him, Ogata, who was also a time traveler, was a very special senior and friend.

He wanted to chat with the other party a little longer and learn more from them.

Despite feeling reluctant to part, Aoto said nothing as Ogata waved goodbye—a sentimental act of "trying to persuade him to stay" was not in his nature—he simply smiled and watched him leave.

Strangely enough, although it was just a personal intuition, Aoto had a vague premonition that he and Ogata would have another chance to work together.

Perhaps in 3 months, or perhaps in 30 years.

……

……

Qinjin Fan, Dajin, Judi——

After safely returning to Otsu, the first thing Aoto did was rush to Souji's bedroom to check on his condition.

Sadly, after nearly three months, Souji still hasn't fully recovered...

As always, he is in a coma for most of the day. Even when he is awake, he is not intellect and cannot speak a complete sentence. He cannot even open his eyes and can only instinctively drink some rice porridge.

During the time that Qingdeng went north to fight the enemy, apart from the fact that the commander-in-chief was still not fully recovered, the Tachibana residence was peaceful and there were no disasters or bad news.

Sanako fully demonstrated the majesty of the "Mistress of the Tachibana Mansion," managing the Tachibana Mansion in an orderly manner while leading the Seventh Division.

Although Mai is also the "Mistress of the Tachibana Mansion," she is self-aware and knows very well that her courage and leadership skills are far inferior to Sanako's.

In the past, she might have competed with Sanako with great enthusiasm because she was unwilling to accept defeat.

But now is clearly not the time to do such a thing.

With a formidable enemy at hand, displaying signs of "family division" would only give the enemy an opening to exploit.

A-Wu wasn't some fool who couldn't tell the difference between right and wrong; she understood the stakes involved, so she temporarily set aside her "competitive spirit" and wholeheartedly assisted Na-Zi.

In front of outsiders, they are friendly and harmonious, sending the message that "the Tachibana residence is very stable" and "'Niou's' rear is very secure"—in fact, their relationship is actually very good.

The underlying reason why Omai insisted on competing with Sanako was her admiration for this Yamato Nadeshiko.

Sometime in the past, Sanako happened to see Mai's "mysterious notebook"—which was filled with the latter's detailed observations of the former.

How Sanako sat down, how Sanako walked, how Sanako spoke... The text is filled with respect for Sanako, including phrases such as "Miss Sanako is indeed a role model for us women, and I should strive to learn from her."

Without exceptional culinary skills, one could never write such detailed notes!

After Sanako finished reading the entire "Observation of Sanako's Diary," Mai arrived late because she had lost her notebook.

Seeing Sanako holding her top-secret notebook and having turned to the last page... at that moment, Mai personally demonstrated "I'm broken".

For a long time afterward, whenever Sanako saw Omai, she would smile and say:

"Miss Wu, so you like me this much?"

During that time, you could always see A-Wu burying her head in the quilt, wrapping herself up like a withdrawn "silkworm," and then letting out a miserable scream with a flushed face.

It wasn't until Qing Deng mediated that Sanako stopped bullying Ama.

Interestingly, after this embarrassing "notes leak" incident, their relationship actually became a little closer.

Although the relationship between the two women is somewhat complicated, there is no doubt that they are very close.

When they work together as one to deal with external threats, they can make the interior of the Orange House an impenetrable wall.

Thanks to this, Tokugawa Iemochi, Tenshōin, and Kazumiya, who were hiding in the Tachibana Mansion, were all safe and sound.

In contrast to the peace and tranquility of "family affairs," there have been quite a few disturbances in "national affairs"...

After arriving at the commander's bedroom and spending a brief moment with him, Aoto went straight to his office and immediately got to work.

After Aoto temporarily left the capital region, Hijikata Toshizo, Yamanami Keisuke, and Kondo Isami faithfully fulfilled their duty of "guarding the family in place of Prince Hito".

However, their power was ultimately no match for Qingdeng's.

The same command, given by the three of them, can produce drastically different effects than if given by "Niou" himself.

Whether or not the King of Kings resides in the capital region, it can bring a completely different kind of deterrent effect to the powerful forces of the Soge.

Although Hijikata Toshizo and others had tried their best to reduce Aoto's workload, the sheer number of documents piled up on his desk that required his personal review was still enormous, towering like a small mountain.

After reading through them one by one, Qing Deng immediately frowned.

First and foremost, what concerned him most was Samo's movements.

According to the report from the Ninth Division, just two months ago, Saigo Kinosuke took a boat and headed straight for Shimonoseki.

Several elite ninjas followed closely behind, attempting to ascertain their exact movements.

However, just as Shimonoseki was within reach, Saigo Kinosuke's ship suddenly changed course and headed south towards Kyoto.

It's not hard to see that the other party must have realized they were being followed, so they changed their plans at the last minute.

This leads to reasonable suspicion that Satsuma and Choshu have been in close contact!
There is currently no definitive information regarding the current state of the relationship between Sa and Chang.

In order to weaken the Zunrang camp, Qingdeng sent many people to win over the various vassal states of the Western Kingdom.

Apart from Choshu, which was absolutely impossible to subdue, Satsuma, Tosa, and Hizen were all key targets for Aoto to win over.

You only realize how little you know when you need it—the same applies to talented people.

Although Qingdeng had many talented people under his command, including a swordsman who could fight a thousand men, a business genius who could strategize and plan, and a logistics master who was meticulous... he lacked a debater or strategist who was proficient in the art of diplomacy!

In short, Qingdeng's efforts to win over the various vassal states of the Western Kingdom were not successful...

From enticement to coercion, they used every trick in the book.

No matter how generous the conditions offered by the Qing Deng or how terrible the pressure exerted, the three feudatories of Satya, Turkmenistan, and Ilham all showed a detached and uninterested attitude.

To be fair, the conditions offered by Qingdeng were quite generous and could be considered preferential treatment.

If Satsuma could submit, he might even forgive Saigo Kichinosuke for his past grievances in dismantling the Choshu Expeditionary Army and causing the Choshu Expedition to fail.

Even with the conditions set so high, the Satsuma and other domains were unwilling to side with the shogunate.

Thus, there is only one possibility: the demands of the Western vassal states are enormous... This is certainly not good news for Qingdeng.

The second issue that concerned Aoto was the mystery surrounding the whereabouts of the Emperor and the Crown Prince.

It was also a report from the Ninth Division—the Emperor and the Crown Prince had not shown their faces for quite some time.

Since the Keio Incident, in order to prove that the Imperial Family was under the control of Choshu, and also to prove that the Emperor and the Crown Prince had come to Choshu "voluntarily," the poor father and son made public appearances every now and then under the careful arrangement of Katsura Kogoro and others.

However, about a month and a half ago, the Emperor and the Crown Prince seemed to have disappeared and never appeared again.

Some say they were sick, others say they were confined to their homes for refusing to submit to Choshu's control.

Of course, there is another possibility... they are no longer alive.

However, this possibility was so terrifying that even Qingdeng dared not draw a conclusion rashly. Admittedly, Qingdeng hated the imperial court.

If he had a choice, he would not want to waste precious manpower, resources, and energy to save the Emperor and the Crown Prince.

The problem is, he had no choice.

If you don't seize the "greater good," the enemy will.

Qingdeng may not vie for the prestige of the royal family, but he cannot let others seize it!
In fact, after capturing the Emperor and the Crown Prince, Choshu had already begun wielding the big stick of "using the Emperor to command the feudal lords".

Today they clear Choshu's name, tomorrow they declare the shogunate the real enemy of the court; today they criticize Seito as a treacherous minister who harms loyal officials, tomorrow they call on patriots across the land to overthrow the shogunate... They repeatedly issue imperial edicts, finding all sorts of ways to cause trouble for Seito.

Whether these imperial edicts were truly from the Emperor's hand or were impersonated by Choshu, it's not hard to guess.

Since the Emperor and the Crown Prince are in their hands, they can write as many imperial edicts as they want, and write whatever they want about them.

Faced with this overwhelming barrage of public opinion, Seito's response was very simple: This is a forged edict! The shogunate and the various domains will never obey it!

Although these tricks cannot cause any real harm to Qingdeng, giving Changzhou the ability to "write imperial edicts without restraint" will eventually put Qingdeng at a certain level of disadvantage.

Furthermore, even setting aside the bigger picture, from a purely moral standpoint, Seito could not ignore the suffering of the Emperor and the Crown Prince.

The current emperor is the elder brother of Princess Kazu.

After having an affair with Tenshōin... ah, no, after marrying Tenshōin, Tokugawa Iemochi was already legally adopted by Seidō.

In this way, Princess Kazuya would be equivalent to Aoto's daughter-in-law, and the current emperor would be his daughter-in-law's brother.

While Kazumiya's overly affected courtly manners were certainly unpleasant, she was by no means a bad person. She was just an innocent and naive young girl, and at least Aoto didn't dislike her.

Therefore, even if it were for the sake of Prince Kazu, Aoto could not possibly not go to save the Emperor and the Crown Prince.

In conclusion, even if it was just for show, Aoto had to put on a heroic act, as if saying, "The Emperor and the Crown Prince have been taken away, I am in so much pain!", "I will do everything in my power to save the Emperor and the Crown Prince!", and "Go! Give the Emperor and the Crown Prince back!"

Regarding how to rescue the Emperor and the Crown Prince, Aoto devised several plans.

He had envisioned a "special operation"—mobilizing the elite ninjas of the Ninth Division to "infiltrate" and rescue the Emperor and the Crown Prince.

Unfortunately, a little investigation reveals that this plan is nothing but an unrealistic fantasy.

Even a starved camel is bigger than a horse; although Changzhou's national strength is not what it used to be, it is not an easy opponent to deal with.

Katsura Kogoro ensured the personal safety of the Emperor and the Crown Prince with the highest standards.

Their residence was carefully hidden, and no matter how much the members of the Ninth Division gathered intelligence, they could not find the exact location of the poor father and son.

After much deliberation, the only feasible approach seemed to be to completely crush the Choshu army on the battlefield and then find the Emperor and the Crown Prince in the ruins of Choshu.

In any case, it's always best to try to ascertain the Emperor and Crown Prince's exact movements; that can't be wrong.

Therefore, Qing Deng ordered the Ninth Division members who were hiding in Choshu to find out the whereabouts of the Emperor and the Crown Prince as soon as possible.

However, Qing Deng never expected that he would soon learn about the Emperor and the Crown Prince's current situation—in a way he never anticipated!

Just two days after Aoto returned to the capital region, a piece of news that seemed like a bolt from the blue arrived: the Emperor had passed away!

According to Choshu's official account, the Emperor died of beriberi.

In Japan during that era, contracting smallpox was a common occurrence.

Top nobles like the Emperor, whose diets consisted mainly of refined rice and lacked nutritional balance, were particularly susceptible to beriberi.

The Emperor... no, he should be called the late Emperor... The late Emperor was given a grand funeral with the highest honors, and was posthumously honored with the title "Kōmyō".

After the death of the late emperor, Crown Prince Mutsuhito ascended the throne and announced the change of era name to Meiji.

Japan's era names are all taken from ancient Chinese texts.

The name "Meiji" is taken from the Book of Changes, which says, "The sage faces south to listen to the world and governs by facing the light."

On the second day after the new emperor ascended the throne, he appeared in the main hall of Hagi Castle and gave a brief speech to the officials of Choshu through the imperial curtain.

[Note: Imperial Curtain: A curtain used to conceal the Emperor's appearance, thereby highlighting the imperial family's nobility and mystique.]

His speech was very brief, lasting only a few minutes, and it didn't offer anything new; it was nothing more than reiterating the same old platitudes as "Chōshū, loyal! Shogunate, evil!"

However, the Emperor's public speeches are a very rare occurrence.

For a long time, the image of the Emperor as a "mascot" has been deeply ingrained in people's minds, and even the Emperor himself has accepted this persona—the late Emperor is a prime example.

Whenever an imperial council was convened, the late emperor would sit silently behind the imperial curtain until the meeting ended.

Unexpectedly, the new emperor changed the decadent style of the previous dynasty and no longer acted as a dull "puppet," but actively participated in national affairs... Such actions made the officials of Changzhou jubilant and greatly boosted their morale.

More importantly, this is the first time the royal family has publicly voiced its support for the cause of honoring the emperor!

It was no secret that the late emperor disliked Changzhou.

When the emperor recklessly issued imperial edicts in Choshu, claiming that "Chōshū is loyal and virtuous" and "the shogunate is the 'enemy of the court'," everyone knew that this was by no means the late emperor's true thought.

That is why the new emperor's actions were so surprising.

It wasn't an imperial edict, nor was it delivered through someone else's words; rather, it was a public declaration of the imperial family's stance of "swearing to stand with Changzhou through thick and thin"... The firmness of their attitude was astonishing!

It is said that although the new emperor is very young, he has a loud voice and a powerful presence. Even when facing the officials of Changzhou, he is not intimidated and shows signs of ambition.

In an instant, the world situation changed drastically!
The passing of the former emperor who revered the shogunate, the ascension of the new emperor who favored the emperor... all of these were undoubtedly black swan events that could influence the course of history!
Aoto instinctively sensed the scent of conspiracy... He began to suspect the true cause of Emperor Komei's death.

The Emperor was in the hands of the Choshu people; whether he lived or died, and how he lived or died, depended entirely on the words of the latter.

This is a matter of great importance... In order to deal with the series of events caused by the new emperor's ascension to the throne, Qingdeng had no choice but to convene a gathering of heroes to discuss countermeasures.

……

……

Qinjin Fan, Dajin, Judi, military conference room——

The top brass of the Shinsengumi—Aoto, Hijikata Toshizo, Yamanami Keisuke, Kondo Isami, and Elodie—gathered together.

Because this matter involved the Imperial Family, Aoto originally intended to invite Prince Kazuya to attend.

However, upon receiving news of her elder brother's (the late emperor's) death, Kazuya fainted on the spot...

After regaining consciousness, she cried uncontrollably, feeling utterly heartbroken. She fainted several times, and her mental state was extremely worrying...

After much deliberation, Qingdeng had no choice but to have Tenshōin attend the meeting in place of Kazumiya.

Tenshōin frequently interacted with Prince Kazumi, and thus knew a great deal of information related to the Imperial Family.

At this moment, Tianzhangyuan sat upright in a corner of the military council room, his appearance concealed by a curtain.

Because of the presence of such a distinguished person as the Grand Master, Qing Deng and the others could not act as freely as usual, and all sat upright and solemnly.

At the very beginning of the meeting, Keisuke Yamanami asked Aoto:
"Mr. Tachibana, how are things with His Highness?"

Qing Deng sighed deeply and gave a bitter smile:

"What else can we do? I've almost lost count of how many times she's cried herself unconscious..."

After saying that, he sighed again.

Hijikata Toshizo, Yamanami Keisuke, and others all frowned.

Princess Kazu lost both her parents at a young age, and Emperor Komei was her only relative before she married Tokugawa Iemochi.

It's not hard to imagine how grief-stricken Kazumiya must be at the sudden passing of her beloved elder brother.

Kazumiya's body was already delicate, and her repeated loss of consciousness from crying had already caused considerable damage to her true feelings, causing Tenshōin and the others great concern...

Hijikata Toshizo snorted coldly, then said directly:
"In my opinion, the late emperor was most likely murdered. He was captured and taken to Changzhou, and then he passed away... It's too much of a coincidence!"

Yamanami Keisuke nodded:
"Yeah, I feel the same way...!"

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P.S.: This volume is almost finished! If all goes well, it should be completed the day after tomorrow. Please look forward to the final volume, *Nioh*!