I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"However, their current leader, Ayase Taichi, is an extremely intelligent person."

“As the trend of respecting the emperor and expelling the barbarians grew stronger in Kyoto, Ayase Taichi keenly saw that ‘respecting the emperor and expelling the barbarians’ was an excellent banner that, if used properly, could bring countless benefits.”

"So, about half a year ago, Ayase Taichi made a high-profile announcement: From now on, the Ayase clan will also work hard for the rise and fall of the country and dedicate all their efforts to the great cause of honoring the emperor and expelling the barbarians."

"And so, the scoundrels of the Ayase clan transformed from Yakuza into patriots."

"To demonstrate his determination, Ayase Taichi also changed the organization's name to 'Kusunogi-gumi'."

"The name 'Kusunoki' is taken from Kusunoki Masashige, a general from the Northern and Southern Dynasties who fought to the last moment for Emperor Go-Daigo. It means to emulate Kusunoki Masashige and be loyal to the court."

"You can probably imagine what will happen next, even without me going into details, right?"

"Under the banner of 'respecting the king and expelling the barbarians,' they have intensified their efforts to amass wealth everywhere, and have acted with unbridled arrogance and violence."

"They forced their way into the shops and, under the guise of 'supporting the great cause of honoring the emperor,' coerced the merchants to pay money."

“If you dare not hand it over, you will be scorned as a ‘traitor’ and suffer terrible torture.”

"Forced by their tyranny, everyone had no choice but to obediently submit."

"The Kusunoki Group's style of doing things has attracted countless ronin who share the same ideals."

"To put it bluntly, most of the patriots who have come to Kyoto are just a bunch of good-for-nothings who only think about speculation and lining their own pockets."

"For them, the Nanmu Group, which uses the guise of respecting others to carry out plunder, is the perfect place to go."

"In this way, a large number of ronin joined the Kusunoki Group, and its power grew rapidly."

"It is said that the number of members in the Nanmu Group has exceeded 200, and this number is still growing rapidly."

Upon hearing this, Sanako couldn't help but ask:

"This Kusunoki Group is so arrogant, doesn't the Kyoto Magistrate's Office intervene or manage them?"

Upon hearing this, an old man scoffed as if he had heard the most ridiculous thing in the world.

"The Kyoto Magistrate's Office? Those corrupt bureaucrats there are utterly rotten! You'd be better off relying on my dog!"

Atachi shrugged, a look of regret on her face:

“The Kyoto Magistrate’s Office simply dared not oppose those who advocated for the suppression of rebellion.”

"Although anyone can see that the Kusunoki Group is just a different skin and is essentially still the violent and evil Yakuza group, in Kyoto today, 'respecting the emperor and expelling the barbarians' is an indisputable moral high ground."

"No one can question the great cause of honoring the emperor, much less obstruct it."

"Those who violate this rule will be subjected to insults at best, and torture and murder at worst."

"If we take action against the Nanmu Group, we will easily be branded as 'obstructing the great cause of the Emperor's rebellion,' which will only cause trouble."

As soon as Atachi finished speaking, another old man added:

"If those corrupt officials in the magistrate's office had merely stood by and watched, that would have been one thing, but what's even more hateful is that they actually colluded with the Kusunoki Group!"

Atachi took back the conversation:

“That Ayase Taichi is indeed an extremely shrewd person.”

"Under his leadership, the Kusunoki Group and the Kyoto Magistrate's Office became very close."

“Every month he would spend a huge amount of money to bribe officials at all levels of the magistrate’s office, sparing no effort to win them over.”

"In this way, when the Kusunoki Group has a dispute with the people, it is self-evident which side the Kyoto Magistrate's Office will side with."

"Besides that, there is another major reason why the Nanmu Group has been able to develop smoothly to this day, which is that they never act recklessly. Every target they take is carefully selected."

"Simply put, they only target the weak and never provoke powerful merchants or wealthy and influential local clans."

In the end, only the helpless and destitute ordinary people suffer.

"If one does nothing and is too weak, one can only swallow one's broken teeth and blood."

Qingdeng nodded in deep agreement.

Although he had only set foot on Kyoto soil for the first time yesterday, he had already gleaned glimpses of Kyoto's corruption from the numerous reports he had submitted to Edo Castle.

Faced with the reckless and violent patriots, the Kyoto Shojidai and Kyoto Magistrate's Office, whose military preparedness was in disarray and whose corruption was rampant, were completely helpless and had lost all their functions.

It was precisely because the Kyoto Shojidai (Kyoto Governor) and Kyoto Bugyō-sho (Kyoto Magistrate) were truly incompetent that the shogunate created the "Kyoto Shugo-ji" (Kyoto Guardian) and "Kyoto-ji Chūfu-shi" (Kyoto Garrison Commander), which held both greater power and status.

"And what about Lady Higo?"

Qing Deng interrupted.

"Even after Lord Higo and his elite Aizu troops entered Kyoto, they failed to improve the city's security situation?"

Atachi shook her head:

"When Lieutenant General Aizu first arrived in Kyoto, the city's security situation had indeed improved for some time."

"The wicked people who were usually arrogant and domineering all became timid and fearful when they heard that the Aizu army was coming."

"However, Lieutenant General Aizu has far too much work to do."

"It's impossible to be in two places at once: protecting the imperial court, monitoring the Choshu and Satsuma domains, and maintaining order in Kyoto."

"The bandits and villains soon discovered that the Aizu army had no time to spare for them, so they stopped acting discreetly and reverted to their high-profile and brutal nature."

"The security situation in Kyoto, which had finally started to improve, has gone back to the way it was before."

Goro Komaki, who had been silent until now, suddenly asked:

"So... Heigorō, are you being targeted by the Kusunoki Group?"

At this point, after crying for a while, Heiguro's emotions finally stabilized a bit.

He nodded and murmured softly:

“Yes… Last night, three members of the Nanmu Group broke into my shop, saying something about ‘collecting military funds’ and demanding that I prepare 200 taels of gold within seven days.”

"If I fail to pay on time or fail to pay the full amount, they will demolish my shop."

"I'm just a small-time fabric merchant, where am I supposed to get 200 taels of gold for them...?"

As he spoke, Heigorō, whose emotions had just calmed down, began to sob again.

Seeing this, Komaki Goro reached out and patted Heigoro on the shoulder.

"Mr. Heigorō, stop crying, cheer up."

"People's fates are always unpredictable."

"Although you seem to be in a bad situation now that the Nanmu Group has its eye on you."

"But perhaps tonight, a chivalrous hero will come along and kill all the members of the Nanmu Group, ridding the people of this scourge."

********

********

While writing today's chapter, I kept subconsciously writing "Komaki Goro" as "Aoto". When I was checking the content, I couldn't help but laugh out loud when I saw the paragraph "Amachi embraced Aoto".

Chapter 565 Goro Komaki: You mean Ogata Hayate? I know that all too well! [5200]

In an instant, the air inside and outside the store was filled with a joyful atmosphere.

The elderly people couldn't help but smile.

Even Atachi was covering her mouth and chuckling.

"Let me preface this by saying: I'm not just spouting nonsense."

Goro Komaki spread his hands out, feigning innocence.

"My statement just now was based on precedent."

"Previously, wasn't Mr. Huitaro harassed by a group of unruly ronin? He was repeatedly extorted, and his family fortune was almost completely lost."

"Just when Mr. Huitaro was at his wit's end, those ronin who had bullied him were killed by an unidentified righteous man, leaving none alive."

"It is said that they were attacked while walking at night. This righteous man who rid the people of this scourge was extremely skilled, killing them with a single blow."

An old man pondered thoughtfully:

"Ah, I think that's true... Speaking of Huitaro, isn't he a regular customer at this shop? I haven't seen him lately."

Goro Komaki explained calmly:

"He moved. He said Kyoto is too dangerous now and not suitable for living at all."

"So after those scoundrels who bullied him were killed by the righteous men, he moved his whole family to Nara, feeling like he had survived a catastrophe. He even came to say goodbye to me before he left."

"Kyoto right now is a complete mess."

"Good people, bad people, saints, rotten people, weirdos... all sorts of people are flocking to Kyoto."

"Who knows if some benevolent and charitable person just happened to dislike the Nanmu Group and took the opportunity to wipe it out."

Heigorō forced out an awkward, bitter smile:

“Mr. Gomak, such a wonderful thing, like a pie falling from the sky, is best left to dream about.”

"Even if a chivalrous hero does appear to uphold justice, so what?"

"Can he really wipe out the Nanmu Group?"

“Disorganized and disorderly ronin can’t compare to the Kusunoki Group.”

His words seemed to resonate with the elderly, who all wore somber expressions and began to speak at once:

"The Kusunoki Group is incredibly powerful now. Not only are they numerous and powerful, but they have also recruited many skilled samurai."

“These days, even the most capable warriors are starving and have no choice but to serve the Yakuza.”

"This year is really unlucky. I'll have to find some time to go and pray to Buddha later."

"Sigh... Businesses are deserted, while temples and shrines are thriving. Hell is really getting worse and worse."

[Note: During the Edo period, due to the flourishing of Buddhism, many people donated money to temples in exchange for the right to enter the Pure Land, similar to the "indulgences" of medieval Europe. Therefore, it was said that fewer people went to hell, hence the term "hell is in decline."]

"The Kyoto Shojidai and Kyoto Machigō are utterly useless, and the Kyoto Guardian is overwhelmed with duties. We can only hope that the newly appointed Kyoto Garrison Commander will live up to expectations."

Qingdeng's eyebrows unconsciously twitched slightly upwards.

"Speaking of which, what exactly is the Jingji Zhenfu Shi (京畿镇抚使) responsible for?"