I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

It's almost the end of the month again! Another positive day, another drop in temperature—this month has truly been eventful... Readers with monthly tickets, please be sure to vote for this book! (Crying leopard head.jpg)

Please vote with monthly tickets! Please vote with recommendation tickets! (Leopard crying.jpg)

P.S.: When I was playing Sekiro, I always thought that banner with the slogan "To die is honorable, to live is shameful" was so cool. Now I've finally written it into my story! (Leopard High.jpg)

Chapter 632 The Shinsengumi Fights the Bandit Army Alone? One Hundred Against Ten Thousand! [4200]

The messenger was not brought in; he was carried in.

Four burly men—who are now the gatekeepers of the garrison—placed the messenger on a dismantled door panel and hurriedly carried him into the council hall.

When he saw the messenger, Qingdeng's first reaction was: Is this person still alive?

To be honest, since express sedan chairs are only used in extremely urgent and special circumstances, this was the first time Qingdeng had ever seen someone riding in an express sedan chair.

This is exactly what they mean by "seeing is believing".

Despite having heard of the horrors of the fast car, even the resilient Qingdeng couldn't help but gasp when he actually witnessed the miserable state of those who rode in it.

The messenger's face was completely drained of color.

No, there was still some blood, but it was blood flowing down his nostrils.

The idioms "on the verge of death," "half-dead," and "pale as a ghost" seem far too inadequate to describe this person.

He took a breath and then seemed not to exhale.

Its body was covered in grime of various colors, including white, yellow, and gray, and it reeked of a nauseating stench.

The gruesome sight, indistinguishable from that of a dead person, coupled with the overwhelming stench... Qingdeng genuinely believed they had brought over a corpse.

Is this person still breathing?

The question had just formed in Qingdeng's mind when he saw the messenger struggle to lift his eyelids... Although he only opened them slightly, Qingdeng breathed a sigh of relief: Thank goodness, this person is still alive.

The other person turned their head and stared straight at him.

"Your Excellency, Commander... I am very... sorry... please forgive me... I am unable to rise... to pay my respects..."

Qing Deng immediately said:

"It's alright, just lie down! What happened? Report back quickly!"

Immediately afterward, he heard those words.

An uprising broke out in Ise... the enemy force exceeded ten thousand...

The incredibly brief sentence instantly plunged the entire council chamber into a deathly silence.

The air, both indoors and outdoors, seemed unusually heavy.

Kiyohachiro's face changed color.

Yamanami Keisuke's expression immediately changed.

Kondo Isami's face was also filled with shock and astonishment.

Hijikata Toshizo frowned and pursed his lips.

Qing Deng narrowed his eyes, his expression serious.

Ise – Located southeast of Kyoto, bordering the Pacific Ocean, and connected to the Nobi Plain to the north.

When it comes to Ise, the most well-known place is undoubtedly the Ise Grand Shrine.

Ise Grand Shrine is one of the oldest shrines in Japan and the most sacred place in Shintoism.

Because the deity it worships is Amaterasu, the sun goddess and supreme deity in Japanese mythology.

It is said that the Yata no Kagami, one of the three sacred treasures in ancient legends, is enshrined here.

The term "一揆" is originally a Chinese word.

The saying comes from Mencius, Book 4, Part 2: "The distance between places is more than a thousand li; the time between generations is more than a thousand years. When one achieves one's ambitions in the Central Plains, it is as if one's actions are in accordance with the rules. The principles of the former sages and the latter sages are the same."

This means that the actions of the ancient sage Shun and the later sage King Wen were exactly the same.

Later, "一揆" came to mean the same principle or the same appearance, and was literally interpreted as "united as one".

For example, Fan Ye's "Biography of Xun Shuang" in the Book of the Later Han Dynasty states: "The principles of Heaven and Earth and the Six Classics are the same."

For example, in Su Shi's "Record of the Land of Drunkenness": "The atmosphere there is peaceful and uniform, without darkness or light, cold or heat."

When this term was introduced to Japan, it came to mean "united uprising," which in plain language means popular uprising or civil unrest.

Originally, it referred to a group that swore an oath of unity before the gods or the battles they launched. Later, it came to refer generally to peasants' resistance against the rulers.

Throughout Japanese history, there have been two main types of uprisings.

One was the spontaneous struggle of the peasants, known as the "Tu Yi Kui" (土一揆).

The second was the uprising led by the Ikko-ikki, known as the "Ikko-ikki".

Ikko-shu is a sect of Buddhism, a branch of the Pure Land sect, also known as Jodo Shinshu, and originated in Japan.

In some ways, Japan's Ikko-shu is similar to China's White Lotus sect—both are very capable of causing trouble!

The Ikko-shu sect claims that one does not need to understand Buddhist scriptures or participate in complicated temple rituals; simply joining the sect and constantly reciting the mantra "Amitabha" will allow one to enter the Western Paradise after death.

There is no need to study Buddhist teachings or undergo arduous practice; one can ascend to the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss simply by reciting a few slogans. Such a convenient method of attaining Buddhahood is naturally very popular among the people.

Thus, with its simple doctrines and easy practice, Ikko-shu quickly grew and prospered.

Because they encourage believers to donate, Ikko-shu monks also like to occupy public land to build temples.

Over time, the Ikko-ikki sect evolved into a powerful theocratic group that controlled a region.

During the Warring States period, after accumulating various resources, the Ikko-ikki sect reached its peak of power. They began to intervene in secular disputes over power as monks, often occupying the lands of feudal lords to build temples. They also frequently incited the people to be dissatisfied with the feudal lords, causing the Ikko-ikki uprising, which caused the feudal lords a great headache, resulting in many conflicts and causing great problems.

Although there is no explicit rule, Buddhism has held a lofty position in Japan since the Heian period (794-1192), almost becoming the state religion.

No faction dared to openly oppose the Ikko-shu, fearing the infamy of being labeled an "enemy of Buddhism"—until a ruthless figure named Oda Nobunaga suddenly appeared.

As a rare and exceptional diplomat and strategist in Japan, Oda Nobunaga never tolerated the Ikko-kō sect members who frequently caused trouble.

He directly set fire to Mount Hiei, a sacred Buddhist site in Japan.

Then they burned down the Genhon Chudo Hall and the Sanno 21 Shrine in Enryaku-ji Temple, which is known as the "Mother Mountain of Japanese Buddhism".

It took them nearly 10 years to conquer and burn down Ishiyama Honganji, the head temple of the Ikko-shu sect.

After Toyotomi Hideyoshi came to power, he built a prosperous new castle on the site of Ishiyama Hongan-ji Temple, which is easy to defend and difficult to attack. This is today's Osaka. But that's another story.

Thanks to Oda Nobunaga's powerful offensive and Tokugawa Ieyasu's subsequent maneuvering, the Ikko-shu sect lost its former prestige and essentially lost all power.

Throughout the Tokugawa reign, no large-scale Ikko-ikki uprisings occurred among the Japanese people again, and the term "monk soldier" became a dusty historical term.

Although the Yixiang Yikui is gone, the Tu Yikui... that is, the spontaneous armed uprising of peasants, has always existed.

After all, it is impossible to completely eliminate it at its root.

As long as class contradictions exist, and as long as the Edo Shogunate remains a feudal regime representing the interests of the samurai class, the Doi Ikki (rebellion of the samurai class) will never be completely quelled.

Even before the Western powers invaded, Japan already had serious social contradictions.

In an effort to quell the unrest and salvage the shogunate system, the shogunate launched the Kansei Reforms (1787-1793) and the Tenpo Reforms (1841-1843). However, both reforms ended in failure, and social contradictions intensified.

The situation worsened after the "Black Ships incident".

With the intrusion of Western capital and the impact of foreign goods, the traditional economic structure underwent drastic changes, and the old small-scale peasant economy gradually disintegrated.

Farmers are finding it increasingly difficult to make ends meet... Social conflicts are intensifying to an unprecedented degree.

Thus, it became a natural occurrence for the starving people to rise up in rebellion, shouting, "The people are suffering terribly, and your families are suffering too!", "The sea is turbulent, and Mount Fuji is shrouded in dark clouds. Living in this corrupt era, my blood is boiling!", and "Listen to me, you people! The Shogun would never want the people to suffer like this!"

Thus, since the Kaei era, peasant uprisings in Japan have been escalating ever since!

As a subordinate official and servant of the Tokugawa shogunate, Aoto assisted Tokugawa Iemochi and Tenshōin in handling the shogunate's affairs for nearly two years, so he was very clear about the true details of the peasant uprisings in recent years.

The average number of peasant uprisings during the Jiayong era (1848-1853) was 45.3 per year.

During the Ansei era (1854-1859), this number rose to 54.5 times.

The data from the Wanyan era (1860) is the most alarming.

Wanyan was a reign title that was used for less than a year.

In less than a year, a total of 91 peasant uprisings occurred! That's an average of one peasant uprising every four days!

Because the Munju era has not yet passed, specific data from that period has not yet been compiled.

However, before leaving the central government of the shogunate, according to Seito, in the past Bunkyu 1 (1861) and Bunkyu 2 (1862), although the number of peasant uprisings had decreased significantly compared to the Man'en era, the data was still terrifying. Even according to the most conservative estimate, there were nearly 50 uprisings!

To be fair, given such a perilous national situation, it is not surprising that peasant uprisings broke out.

but……

The army's strength exceeded 10,000... Such a large-scale peasant uprising was indeed both rare and astonishing!

At this moment, the messenger seemed to have regained some strength. He swallowed hard and continued the report, albeit haltingly:

"The rebel army... rose up in Ise... and everywhere... burned, killed, and looted..."

“Collect…weapons…and…supplies…”

"Currently... they... have bypassed... all the... castles and towns... and are rushing... straight towards Kyoto without stopping...!"

"The villages along the way...all suffered greatly...!"

Upon hearing this, Kiyokawa Hachiro's eyes widened in fury, and he gritted his teeth:

"What did you say? They're marching on Kyoto? What are they planning to do?! Attack Kyoto?!"

Everyone present, except Qingdeng, glanced at each other—a heavy silence settled between them.

The enemy forces were not only numerous, but they were also heading straight for Kyoto... The situation was even worse than they had imagined!

In the silence, Qingdeng, in a tone devoid of sorrow or joy, softly asked:

"Do you have more information about the rebels' commander, marching routes, movements, and other important details?"

The messenger looked regretful:

“I’m very… sorry… because I was in a hurry to send the news of the rebellion to Kyoto… so I didn’t have time to… gather further… intelligence…”

Qingdeng seemed to have anticipated this outcome, and nodded expressionlessly.