I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"I am a member of the feudal domain. Unless I obtain special permission from the domain government or leave the domain directly, I cannot leave the domain for an extended period of time!"

"As long as I am a Tosa man, I will not be able to serve you, sir!"

"As for my family... the Tosa Domain is currently being held hostage by a bunch of madmen who can't reason."

"My family is my only treasure!"

“I simply cannot bear to leave my family in the turbulent Tosa Domain!”

"Only by freeing my family from being trapped in Tosa can I wholeheartedly assist you, my lord, without any worries!"

After speaking, Iwasaki Yataro lowered his already bowed head even further, pressing his forehead against the tatami mat as if trying to become one with it.

Qingdeng pondered to himself.

Seeking justice for his father; gaining a freer and safer identity for himself and his family... Yataro Iwasaki's wishes are quite reasonable.

In fact, if Aoto wanted to use Iwasaki Yataro, he would have to find a way to resolve his household registration issue.

As long as Yataro Iwasaki remains registered in Tosa, he will inevitably face restrictions in many ways.

Even going on a long trip requires applying to the princely government... Under such circumstances, how can they be of any use?

Obtaining an Edo household registration for someone was, to Aoto, an easy task, if not effortless.

As is widely known, Seito is quite famous throughout Japan and has considerable influence within the shogunate.

Having worked at the Hokuban-do for a period of time, Aoto was quite familiar with the officials of the Edo Magistrate's Office.

As long as he writes a letter, countless people will fight tooth and nail to help him with this small favor.

However, in order to free the Iwasaki family from the shackles of the domain, the Tosa Domain must first agree to release them... and that is not so easy.

Furthermore, restoring Iwasaki Yataro's father's innocence was no easy task.

No matter how you look at it, the Tosa Domain has always been an independent local power.

Nowadays, the major feudal domains are becoming less and less afraid of the shogunate, which has lost all its authority, resulting in the shogunate and its pro-shogunate forces having a weaker and weaker voice.

The titles of Prince Ni and Governor of the Capital Region only had a high level of influence in the Kanto region.

In other words, outside the shogunate's sphere of influence, Seito's influence wasn't as effective.

If the Tosa side is unwilling to cooperate, then it will be difficult for Aoto to do things.

He had no prior dealings with the Tosa Domain and lacked the necessary connections.

Under such circumstances, it would be difficult for him to make demands on the Tosa Domain, as doing so could be seen as interfering in the internal affairs of another country, and could escalate into a troublesome diplomatic issue.

Just as Qing Deng was pondering how to effectively and gracefully fulfill Iwasaki Yataro's wish... the other party saw through his concerns.

Iwasaki Yataro quietly raised his eyes and stole a glance at Aoto's expression.

After a moment's hesitation, he called out loudly:

"Lord Nioh! The leader of the Tosa Kinou Party, Takeichi Hanheita, is in Kyoto right now!"

"Takeichi Hanpeita is the leader of the loyalists of the Tosa Domain! He currently holds a very important and prestigious position in the Tosa Domain!"

"If I could get his help, my wish would be insignificant!"

Qingdeng raised an eyebrow and muttered softly:

"Takeshi Hanheita?"

He pondered for a moment, and then quickly remembered who this person was.

Its origins... must be traced back to the history of the Tosa Domain in recent years.

With a vast territory of 24 square kilometers, the Tosa Domain was one of the most powerful and influential domains in western Japan. Such a size meant that it could not remain unscathed in the earth-shattering upheaval of the "Western invasion".

At the time of the "Black Ships Incident," the ruler of the Tosa Domain was the 15th lord, Yamanouchi Yodo, whose real name was Yamanouchi Toyonobu. He was born in 1827 and was 37 years old. "Yodo" was his pseudonym.

When he ascended to the position of feudal lord [in the second year of Kaei (1849)], he was only 22 years old.

Although he is very young, his vision is quite broad.

Faced with a series of complex situations arising from the opening of the country's borders, he resolved to carry out reforms of the domain administration and strengthen the national power of Tosa.

For this reason, he appointed a progressive politician named Yoshida Toyo.

Yoshida Toyo was born in 1816 (the 13th year of Bunka). In July 1853 (the 6th year of Kaei), he was promoted by Yamanouchi Yodo and in December, he served as a councilor and vigorously advocated for the reform of the domain administration.

This person is well-versed in both Chinese and Western studies, and has a much deeper understanding of Western civilization than the closed-minded and conservative expulsionists.

He believes that rejecting globalization and excluding the West is nothing but pedantic and ignorant Confucianism.

In short, Yoshida Toyo advocated opening ports to trade, learning from the world's advanced cultures, strengthening ourselves, and then standing tall among the nations of the world.

He aimed to reform the country by breaking down class barriers, promoting industry and commerce, reforming the military system, and establishing trade, thereby enriching the nation and strengthening its military.

In terms of political stance, Toyo Yoshida was a staunch supporter of the Shogunate.

In his view, the idea of ​​respecting the king and expelling barbarians was absurd and unworthy of being refuted.

Yoshida Toyo was well-versed in Japanese history, so he knew very well that the Kyoto court had long since lost its leadership authority and governing ability during the rise of the samurai class.

The Emperor, who now resides deep within the Imperial Palace, is nothing more than a nominal High Priest of Shinto, a spiritual symbol.

Currently, forces like Choshu are loudly proclaiming their support for the Emperor, but their real political aim is to use the pretext of establishing the Emperor as the supreme ruler of the land to mask their ambition to push the situation towards overthrowing the Shogunate and redistributing power.

Distrust of these ambitious individuals, especially the belief that the Kyoto court was incapable of leading the country, Yoshida Toyo, like other pro-shogunate figures, scoffed at the concept of "revere the emperor and expel the barbarians," believing that such a concept was nothing more than wishful thinking, empty rhetoric, and a disservice to the country and its people!

This, in turn, clashes with Takechi Hanpeita's beliefs.

Takeshi Hanpeita was born in 1829 (the 12th year of the Bunsei era). His given name was Kotane, and he was commonly known as Hanpeita. His pseudonym was Ruizan. His social class was that of a Shiratsu-shi (白札乡士), which was between a shōshi (上士) and a guōshi (乡士).

In the Tosa Domain, where the hierarchical system was extremely strict, the status and treatment of the Shiraza village samurai were slightly better than those of the village samurai, but overall, they were still a lower class that suffered discrimination and oppression from the upper samurai.

Despite his humble origins, Takeshi Hanpeita achieved remarkable success through astonishing perseverance and exceptional talent.

His dissertation demonstrates his mastery of numerous disciplines, including Sinology, classical Chinese studies, and Mito studies.

In terms of martial arts, he studied at the Momoi Dojo, one of the three major dojos in Edo, and became its headmaster. He was a first-rate swordsman of the Kyoshin-meike-ryu school.

In addition to being skilled in both literature and martial arts, he was also very good at waka poetry and painting, especially bijin paintings.

Not only that, he is also a handsome man with fair skin, good looks, and a strong physique. It is said that he is over 180cm tall.

In 1849, he opened a swordsmanship dojo in Shinmachi, Kochi Castle (the capital of the Tosa Domain), specifically for the swordsmen and scholars of the domain.

In addition to teaching swordsmanship, he also taught cultural knowledge.

Due to their class status, the Shirazuka gentry and other gentry of the Tosa Domain had difficulty receiving a good education.

Takechi Hanpeita's actions, comparable to "Prometheus passing on the fire," greatly increased his prestige within the domain.

Not to mention the local gentry and the villagers, even many high-ranking officials have a great fondness for Takeshi Hanpeita.

For this reason, even those who are not Takechi's apprentices often respectfully address him as "Mr. Takechi" or "Teacher Takechi".

Unlike Yoshida Toyo, Takechi Hanpeita was a staunch supporter of the anti-Japanese faction.

In 1860, the first year of the Man'en era, the "black swan event" of the Sakuradamon Incident occurred, and the Grand Elder Ii Naosuke was killed, leading to the rise of the Sonno Joi (Revere the Emperor, Expel the Barbarians) movement throughout the country.

Determined to dedicate himself to the cause of overthrowing the enemy, Takechi Hanpeita, under the guise of studying swordsmanship, led many students on a tour of various domains to understand the domestic and international situation and to make contact with other patriots in other domains.

He frequently interacted with Choshu Domain samurai of the pro-imperial faction, such as Katsura Kogoro, Kusaka Genzui, and Takasugi Shinsaku.

In 1861, he put forward the slogan "One Domain Loyalists to the Emperor" and gathered many comrades in the Tosa Domain to form the "Tosa Loyalist Party".

As the initiator of the organization, Takeichi Hanpeita was naturally elected as the leader of the Tosa Loyalist Party.

The organization's goals and political stance are immediately apparent from its name alone.

Yoshida Toyo's attitude towards Takechi Hanpeita and his Tosa Loyalist Party's advocacy of "respecting the emperor and overthrowing the emperor" can be summed up in one word—disdain!

Takeichi Hanpeita personally went to the domain office to try to persuade Yoshida Toyo to support the Soshin-Ou movement.

As a result, Yoshida Toyo mercilessly mocked Takechi Hanpeita: "Mr. Zuizan really doesn't understand Japanese history! Whenever the Emperor and court nobles cause unrest, the country is bound to be in chaos! The Hogen and Heiji Rebellions, the Nanboku-cho Rebellion, which one of them wasn't caused by the court's greed for power, leading to widespread suffering and misery?"

Takeichi Hanpeita was the most outstanding figure among the local scholars, but Yoshida Toyo was also the most talented among the upper-class scholars.

In terms of eloquence and knowledge, the latter is no less capable than the former.

Yoshida Toyo's eloquent words left Takeshi Hanpeita speechless.

Thus, Yoshida Toyo developed an irreconcilable feud with the powerful faction within the domain that sought to overthrow the powerful.

In addition to the pro-imperial forces, Yoshida Toyo also clashed with the conservative forces within the domain.

After launching sweeping reforms of the domain administration, Yoshida Toyo ruthlessly purged a large number of senior retainers from the domain, such as the hereditary chief retainer Fukada Teio, and other chief retainers like Fukuoka Miyauchi and Fukao Hiroto.

These veteran retainers were accustomed to a life of ease and complacency, lacking ambition and acting conservatively. Yoshida Toyo dealt with them not out of personal grudges, but to reduce resistance to reforming the domain's administration. Without removing these conservative elements, many obstacles would arise.

These high-ranking officials, whose salaries were cut and whose official positions were revoked, naturally harbored deep resentment towards Yoshida Toyo.

Punching the supremacists and kicking the conservatives... such an aggressive approach is certainly satisfying.

But what will be the price?

On the night of April 8, 1862, Yoshida Toyo was giving a lesson to the young lord as usual. On his way home after class, he was attacked by an unknown assailant and died on the spot. His head was chopped off. He was 46 years old.

To this day, the true culprit who murdered Yoshida Toyo has not been found.

However, any human being with normal intelligence can guess who is the most suspicious.

Although no conclusive evidence has been obtained, according to the most widely circulated claim, both the Tosa Loyalist Party and the conservatives were involved in the assassination of Yoshida Toyo.

It is said that the Tosa Loyalist Party joined forces with the out-of-power conservatives, with the former accusing Yoshida Toyo of assassinating him and the latter taking the opportunity to regain control of the domain.

After the matter was accomplished, in exchange, the conservative elders had to agree to appoint a few loyalists with the rank of sergeant to important positions within the domain and to support the "respect for the emperor and expulsion of barbarians" policy.

At that time, Yamanouchi Yodo had already abdicated.

Yamanouchi Yodo was a core member of the "Hitotsubashi faction" and was very active in the "succession struggle" between Tokugawa Iemochi and Hitotsubashi Yoshinobu for the shogunate.

After Ii Naosuke became the Grand Elder and initiated the Ansei Purge, he was ordered to live in seclusion in Edo. His adopted son, Yamauchi Toyonori, succeeded him as the 16th lord of the Tosa Domain.

It was at this time that Yamanouchi Yodo gave himself the nickname "Nindo" (忍堂), and later, on the advice of others, he changed "Nindo" to "Yodo" (容堂).

The young lord's power was insufficient, and the old lord was far away in Edo... The absence of supreme authority was one of the important reasons why the murderer dared to openly assassinate Yoshida Toyo.

The veracity of the rumor that "the Tosa loyalists and conservatives joined forces to kill Yoshida Toyo" remains unknown.

However, what happened next was exactly as the rumor had said.

Shortly after Yoshida Toyo's sudden death, officials from Yoshida's faction within the domain were purged completely.