I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Originally, the Emperor was to present the Expulsion Sword to one of his military commanders on the mountaintop.

If Hitotsubashi Yoshinobu were to accept this sword of expulsion from the barbarians, the shogunate would truly be roasted over a fire, unable to advance or retreat.

Fortunately, Yoshiki Hitotsubashi managed to get away with it by using the "excrement escape" tactic.

The sword-presentation ceremony had to be cancelled due to Yoshinobu Hitotsubashi's absence.

Although they survived this ordeal, the nobles and patriots of the Zunpu faction certainly wouldn't give up so easily.

The loyalists of the pro-imperial faction were extremely angry at Yoshiki Hitotsubashi's passive attitude of repeatedly shirking responsibility and running away.

On May 5, someone wrote a sign on the Sanjo Bridge accusing Tokugawa Iemochi and Hitotsubashi Yoshinobu.

It is said that Tokugawa Iemochi was "feigning illness," which is an insult to the imperial court and he should be executed.

However, Tokugawa Iemochi was, after all, the Shogun, and it would be inappropriate to openly cause him trouble.

Therefore, they used the excuse that "the general is still young" to claim that the actions of "feigning illness" and "escaping to defecate" were all the work of treacherous ministers around the general—basically a roundabout way of criticizing Yoshinobu Ichihashi—and thus forgave the general.

However, "the crimes of the traitors must be exposed as soon as possible and dealt with seriously. It must not exceed ten days, and they must be punished by Heaven."

The anti-foreign faction openly clamored for "divine punishment" of the shogunate's high-ranking officials... It can be said that at this time, the power of the pro-anti-foreign faction had reached its peak.

House seemingly endless rain.

At the same time that the "Shogunate-Aggression talks" in Kyoto reached a stalemate, a major problem arose in Edo.

An enormous problem!

Nine British warships, armed with hundreds of cannons, assembled in Yokohama Bay, formally demanding that the shogunate pay compensation for the Namamugi incident—£100,000, equivalent to approximately 270,000 taels!

The British questioned the shogunate: "How can you bear the responsibility for killing our citizens? Although the Satsuma people were killed, the responsibility lies with the shogunate."

In response to this matter, Tokugawa Yoshiyoshi, the lord of the Owari Domain, rushed to Edo Castle as his deputies, but quickly fled in disarray.

So the British fleet remained in Yokohama Bay, its alarm bells ringing, poised to bombard Edo at any moment.

The people of Edo had never seen anything like this before...

For the first time, they experienced the terrifying oppression of "war coming."

In an instant, tabloids flew everywhere in Edo, creating a terrifying atmosphere. The townspeople, sensing that danger was coming, packed their belongings and prepared to flee.

Edo was in complete chaos.

The imperial court in Kyoto is entangled in endless disputes.

Edo had an aggressive British army.

It can truly be described as beset by internal and external troubles...

The so-called "internal and external troubles" are nothing more than this.

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PS: For readers with a PS5, you absolutely must play the newly released "Rise of the Ronin". It's an open world set in the Bakumatsu period, and characters like Chiba Sanako and Tenshōin make appearances. It's definitely worth playing!

Chapter 688 The War to Expel the Barbarians Begins! [4400]

Wenjiu three years (1863), January 6th——

Kyoto, Mibu Village, Shinsengumi Garrison, the dojo for the generals—

"Haa ...

Nagakura Shinpachi raised his wooden sword high and, with the force of splitting a mountain, slashed fiercely at Saito Hajime's skull.

Saito deftly deflected Nagakura Shinpachi's attack with a sword held overhead.

Harada Sanosuke and Todo Heisuke, who were watching from the sidelines, started chatting.

"I think this time it's definitely Yongcang Xinba who will win!"

No sooner had Harada Sanosuke finished speaking than Todo Heisuke retorted:

"No! I bet the winner will be Mr. Saito! Look, Mr. Nagakura was too impatient in this battle, his breathing is already disordered, and it won't be long before he falls into a disadvantageous position."

"I see... That makes sense. Alright, I'll bet Saito will win this time!"

"Hey! Didn't we agree that the winner of the bet would treat everyone to dinner? How can you just change who you bet on like that?"

Although Nagakura Shinpachi and Saito Ichi are different types of swordsmen, their strengths are roughly equal.

For martial artists of the same level and with comparable strength, the key factors in determining victory or defeat often boil down to a few subtle points.

For example, whether you've adjusted your mood, whether you slept well last night, whether you ate enough at the last meal, or whether you're lucky today.

In addition to allocating a dedicated training ground for himself, Qingdeng also allocated training grounds for his generals to use, so that they could practice martial arts and hone their skills.

Only officers of the rank of captain or above in the sword-drawing squad are qualified to use this dojo.

The Shinsengumi members commonly referred to this dojo, which was reserved for generals, as the "General-level Dojo."

Today's "General-Level Dojo" is truly a gathering of stars.

At this moment, apart from Nagakura Shinpachi and Saito Hajime who are sparring, and Harada Sanosuke and Todo Heisuke who are watching their match, Kondo Isami, Yamanami Keisuke, Souji, Kinoshita Mai, Sanako, and Inoue Genzaburo are all gathered here.

Hijikata Toshizo was still in charge of conscription in Edo.

It can be said that, apart from Hijikata Toshizo, all the members of the "Shieikan faction" are here.

Having just finished sparring with Sanako, Souji wiped the fine sweat from his forehead with a thin cloth and casually remarked:

"Speaking of which, how did the 'Shogunate-Assassination Conference' go?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Kondo Isami, who was not far away, shrugged:

"What else can we do? The two sides are deadlocked."

"The imperial court repeatedly demanded that the barbarians be expelled as soon as possible."

"The shogunate repeatedly emphasized that 'the barbarians must not be expelled.'"

"And so it goes, over and over again."

Inoue Genzaburo suddenly interjected:

"Tsk! It's amazing that the shogunate and the imperial court can drag this out for so long."

"Is it necessary to discuss whether or not to expel the barbarians now?"

"The officials and ministers of the court don't even need to do anything; they don't need to read books or conduct detailed investigations."

"Just go to Yokohama, or if that's too far, go to the port of Osaka and take a look at the Western warships. Wouldn't that solve the problem?"

"Unless someone is mentally unstable, anyone who takes one look at the Western barbarians' warships will understand just how powerful they are."

"Although I am reluctant to admit it, our country is indeed lacking in many aspects compared to the military strength of the Western barbarians."

"Even if we combine the full strength of the shogunate and the various domains, we still cannot resist the Western barbarians."

"If we try to expel the barbarians now, we will definitely be utterly defeated by the Western barbarians."

"The strategy currently being practiced by the shogunate, which is to 'learn from the Western barbarians and then expel them when we are strong enough,' is the most correct path."

"Why can't those court officials who only know how to compose poems about the wind and moon understand this principle?"

“Even a thousand years ago, the imperial court was still able to humbly send envoys to Tang China.”

"Why is the current court so stubborn and inflexible?"

Inoue Genzaburo was not a talkative person.

He rarely takes the initiative to discuss matters related to politics.

Despite his emotions, he couldn't contain himself and angrily criticized the court... It's clear that even though he didn't want to get involved in politics, he couldn't help but feel resentful about this protracted "Shogunate-Chōhō meeting."

Yamanami Keisuke gave a wry smile and interjected:

That's not quite how it works.

"Even a thousand years ago, the imperial court only began to humbly send envoys to Tang China after suffering a crushing defeat at the Battle of Baekgang."

白江口之战——亦称白村江之战，指的是663年8月27日至8月28日，唐朝与日本于白江口发生的大战。

In this battle, the Tang Dynasty navy fully utilized its advantages and defeated the Japanese navy, which had several times the number of troops and ships. It can be called a classic naval battle in which the outnumbered won.

After the war, the Japanese court had to face reality and, after careful consideration, restore diplomatic relations with the powerful Tang Dynasty, and began to send envoys to Tang China to learn about its excellent culture and advanced systems.

Sanako also joined the discussion:

"The stubbornness of the court officials is not without reason."

While rapidly swinging her wooden naginata to strengthen her arms, she continued the conversation unhurriedly:

“Since the Heian period, no official in the imperial court has ever stepped out of the capital.”

"He only knew how to compose poems and couplets all day long, and paid no attention to worldly affairs."

"There is a lack of proper understanding of the world outside of Kyoto."

"In their eyes, Westerners from distant lands were all savages who ate raw meat and drank blood."

"Their understanding of war comes entirely from books."

"They believed that as long as everyone was of one mind, there was no enemy they could not defeat."

"That's...so stupid."

Yamanami Keisuke nodded slightly to show his appreciation for Sanako's remarks.

He then picked up where Sanako left off:

"That's true."

"However, it cannot be denied that some of the high-ranking officials were pretending to be ignorant when they knew the truth."

"They understood the strength of the Western Barbarians and were well aware of their power."

"The reason they keep demanding that the shogunate expel the barbarians as soon as possible is simply to use the pretext of 'expelling the barbarians' to suppress the shogunate."

"Alas... At this time of national crisis, instead of working together, they are turning against each other... It is truly disheartening for those with insight..."