In order to become a Heroic Spirit, I had no choice but to cause trouble in history.

"Hijikata, what are you laughing at?" Samura asked, somewhat puzzled.

“I feel like you’ve changed, but actually you haven’t.” Hijikata Toshizo punched Samura on the shoulder.

Samura was completely bewildered: "Anyway, tell Okita to take his medicine on time, and I'm leaving now."

Ruslan added, "It's three times a day, once in the morning, once at noon, and once in the evening."

"I understand, thank you, kind doctor." Kondo Isami waved to the two of them, holding several bottles of medicine.

Zuocun smiled, then carried Luslan on his back and leaped away.

Kondo watched as Samura's figure gradually disappeared into the distance and sighed.

"I really wish he wasn't an enemy... in every sense of the word." Hijikata Toshizo stood to the side, a hint of sorrow in his voice. "He and Okita were only..."

"Enough talk, Hijikata. Let's deal with the consolation issues in Kyoto first," Kondo Isami interrupted Hijikata Toshizo. "If anyone tries to take advantage of the situation now, it's all our responsibility."

......

The two returned to the cabin, where Kanna had already prepared dinner.

Samura placed Ruslan on the tatami mat and looked at her.

What are your plans for the future?

Luslan's gaze shifted to his lap, and he sighed, "Who knows? But I'll probably continue being a doctor."

"...You still want to stay in Japan?" Zuo Cun showed a hint of surprise. "But with your leg, and the clinic already..."

“It’s okay. Even if I can’t open one in a big city like Kyoto, I can open one in this village.” Luslan feigned sadness. “I’ve been in Japan for ten years, so… why would I go back?”

Zuocun remained silent for a moment.

So, it's been that long already?

"As for my leg, if I were to open a clinic, I wouldn't really be going out much, so... it shouldn't have a big impact," Luslan said with a smile.

Village Chief Zuo sighed, "If that's what you mean... I won't try to persuade you."

"I'll make you a walking stick later."

Thanks.

Zuocun helped Luslan outside, cut down a tree with pheasant feathers, and carved it repeatedly to make a cane that Luslan could tuck under his armpit.

Luslan tried it out, but it didn't look quite right, so Zuocun made some changes.

"Kanna, are there any empty houses in the village?" Samura asked Kanna through the window.

"Ah, yes." Kanna was washing dishes. "There's an empty house right next to the tavern. No one has lived there for a long time."

"Is that so?" Zuo Cun stroked his chin and smiled.

......

Tokugawa Iemochi slammed his fist on the table.

"Have His Majesty the Emperor issue a decree." Veins bulged on his forehead; he was furious to the extreme.

Upon hearing the news of the fire in Kyoto, he quickly transferred manpower from Edo to participate in the firefighting efforts.

When he arrived in Kyoto from Edo, all he saw was a desolate ruin littered with corpses.

"Defend those treacherous officials of the Choshu Domain as enemies of the court!"

He roared.

"Suppress them!"

"They must be defeated!"

While the Imperial Court and the Shogunate were gathering their forces and launching an attack on the Choshu Domain, the enemy of the court, on the other side, the Shikoku fleet, which Takasugi Shinsaku had previously failed to reach an agreement with, was once again approaching the Choshu Domain's coastline.

For a time, the Choshu Domain was caught in a situation of internal and external troubles.

Soldiers from several domains, including Satsuma and Aizu, armed with imperial decrees, were poised to strike down the Choshu rebels.

Beyond the coastline, the fleets of the United States, Britain, France, and the Netherlands are poised to make moves, frequently conducting harassing bombardments.

Meanwhile, the political situation within the Choshu Domain was in utter chaos.

From any perspective, the Choshu Domain was not a positive force in this Kinmon Incident, which resulted in the burning of Kyoto.

In the chaos, Katsura Kogoro chose to protect himself while doing everything he could to rescue Takasugi Shinsaku.

After rescuing Shinsaku Takasugi, the two went their separate ways.

Takasugi Shinsaku has found the "Horse Teams" he has trained and is secretly plotting something.

Kogoro, on the other hand, went to the Satsuma Domain, to Ryoma's residence.

After making arrangements for Ruslan, Zuocun quickly headed towards Satsuma.

After gaining a general understanding of what had happened during this period, Zuocun realized something.

The true era of overthrowing the shogunate is about to begin.

What needs to be done now is to join forces with the other three allies and complete the part of the work that I am responsible for.

------------

Chapter 396 The Age of Swords and Blades

The shogunate assembled an army of about 150,000 men from dozens of domains and approached the Choshu Domain.

but......

Decisions made in the heat of anger are bound to be flawed.

The impoverished shogunate and the lords of the various domains were simply unable to afford such a massive and radical military operation.

Soldiers from the domain who were not receiving their pay had no will to fight, and many even secretly cursed the domain government and the shogun Tokugawa Iemochi.

In response, Saigo Moritaka, who had participated in the campaign against the Choshu Domain and served as its strategist, devised a plan.

A large number of them is enough to put pressure on us; there's no need for a real attack.

Although it's impossible to actually launch an attack...

All the shogunate wanted was dignity.

Therefore, simply applying pressure is sufficient.

By forcing the Choshu Domain to hand over the real mastermind behind the Kinmon Incident, the shogunate could at least regain some dignity.

Let the Choshu Domain deal with the radical faction within it itself.

The Choshu Domain did not want to accept this outcome, but it had no choice but to.

An army of 150,000 men would be enough to plow through the entire land of the Choshu Domain, not to mention the combined fleet of the four nations with cannons mounted off the island.

Army commanders such as Kijima Matabei, Maki Izumi, and Kusaka Genzui committed seppuku, and the three chief retainers who truly started the war also perished.

After the Choshu Domain made a show of force and almost all of its high-ranking officials were killed, the shogunate finally gave in and withdrew its 150,000-strong "army".

Takasugi Shinsaku was also brought in and secretly made peace with the foreigners, signing the Treaty of Shimonoseki according to his own will. The general content was to abandon the policy of expelling foreigners and no longer harbor malice towards foreigners.

Although the campaign against the Choshu Domain ended somewhat anticlimactically, it has finally come to a close.

at the same time......

Zuocun stood at the bow of a ship, gazing at the distant sea.

He was waiting for the British merchant ship that was to meet him.

In their alliance of four, Shinsaku Takasugi and Kotaro Katsura were responsible for managing the "various teams" established by Shinsaku Takasugi, while Ryoma was in charge of coordination because it was inconvenient for him to appear in person due to the presence of Ms. Ryoma.

Zuo Cun, on the other hand, was responsible for liaising with foreign caravans to purchase firearms and other supplies.

The guns that appeared during the recent incident at the Forbidden Gate were actually made by Samura.

In addition, Zuo Cun is the only front-line combatant among the four.

"How can you be fully committed to this cause if you don't apply what you're best at?"

However, Zuocun was not directly incorporated into any of the units, nor was he a general.

Zuocun's fighting style is too personal and not suitable for the participation of others.

Zuocun narrowed his eyes.

Ships appeared at the end of the sea.

His eyesight is much better than a telescope's.

"The target is here," Zuocun reminded the sailors.

Upon hearing the news from Zuocun, the sailors had no doubts and immediately spurred their boat toward the target vessel.

......

"So, the cargo is all here?" A sailor was counting the guns and ammunition on one side, while Zuocun was sitting with a British official.

“Of course, Zuocun.” The arms smuggler who did business with Zuocun was named Peyton. Although he was an outlaw, he could often get a lot of good stuff. “Doing business with you is always so pleasant.”

Zuo Cun raised his wine glass, clinked it with Peyton's, and said with a smile, "After all, this is a good thing for both of us."

"You get the money, I get the gun." He smiled and took a sip of red wine.

Samura doesn't like drinking red wine; he prefers sake.

However, it is said that red wine represents elegance and sophistication abroad.

Although Zuocun didn't know what was so elegant about Peyton, this smuggler, he figured if Peyton wanted to drink, then so be it.

The two used gold as currency in their business dealings, which they mostly obtained from Ryoma, with Takasugi also contributing some money.

boom--

Just then, a tremor was felt on the ship.

Artillery fire!

Zuocun realized what was happening in an instant.

"What—what happened?!" Payton was a little flustered, but he quickly realized what was happening and regained his composure.