I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

—It really is time for me to seriously think of a solution.

—How can I marry Sanako, Mai, and Souji at the same time, and make them all accept this fact willingly?

……

……

Qingdeng is not simply a place for vacation and leisure.

While enjoying his vacation, he remained constantly aware of the global situation... especially the movements of Satsuma in Kyoto and the latest battle situation in Shimonoseki.

Despite numerous doubts, the imperial court has now identified the assassin of Anagokoji Kimichi as Tanaka Shinbei from Satsuma.

This case saddled Satsuma with the infamy of "murdering a nobleman" and made him a target of public criticism.

To date, Satsuma has been relieved of his duty to guard the palace gates.

Led by Sanjo Sanetomi, the pro-imperial court nobles fiercely criticized the rebellious Satsuma.

Judging from the current situation, Samoyeds are in a state of "complete disfavor".

The imperial court seemed poised to expel the Satsuma people from Kyoto.

How Satsuma will react next and how they will break the deadlock will profoundly impact the current political landscape in Kyoto.

As for the latest battle situation in Shimonoseki, that goes without saying.

This sudden "anti-foreign war," in which Choshu fought alone, will profoundly influence the subsequent history of Japan, regardless of the outcome!

On June 6, the American and French warships that had arrived at Shimonoseki first unsurprisingly gave Choshu a sound beating.

They not only sank the warships of Choshu, but also destroyed all the cannons on its shore.

After achieving a complete victory, the warships of the United States and France set sail and departed—they were not simply heading home.

Destroying the warships and shore artillery of Choshu was merely an "appetizer".

According to reliable intelligence, the reason why the warships of the United States and France withdrew was to prepare to join forces with Britain and the Netherlands to form a "four-nation coalition," to bring in more troops from their home countries and to raise sufficient supplies—which would take about a year—so that they could once again conquer Shimonoseki the following year and teach Changshu a profound lesson!

The Western barbarians only sent a few warships, yet they utterly defeated them, leaving them powerless to fight back... However, faced with such an overwhelming and devastating defeat, the patriots of Changzhou did not become discouraged.

On the contrary—they became even more insane!

Whether it was the immense pressure that gradually drove them to madness, or something else entirely, the behavior of the patriots in Choshu became increasingly perplexing.

Now, in Changzhou... to put it bluntly, the entire fiefdom has gone mad!

Given their current state, it wouldn't be surprising if they made some big news.

Sure enough, they've pulled another stunt recently!

On June 18th, the Choshu Domain launched a surprise attack on the Kokura Domain across the Shimonoseki River! They occupied Tanoura!

Tanoura—a beach adjacent to the Shimonoseki Strait, was part of the Okura Domain.

You haven't even managed to expel the Western barbarians yet! Why waste precious resources to launch a sneak attack on an innocent neighboring domain? What happened to the "war to expel the barbarians"? Was the Ogura Domain also barbarian?

Changzhou's incredible move left everyone speechless.

After seizing Tanoura, the Choshu authorities announced their reasons for sending troops.

Its content is absolutely explosive—

While Choshu was making every effort to expel the barbarians, the Kokura Domain, located across the Shimonoseki Strait, remained aloof and did not send troops to assist Choshu. To not strive to expel the barbarians is to strive without striving to do so! Therefore, the Kokura Domain needed to be taught a lesson!

Such a baseless and illogical reason for sending troops is naturally unconvincing.

For a long time, the various vassal states have maintained a high degree of political tacit understanding: they can play games and make trouble, but they should not touch each other's territories or hurt each other's "cake".

However, Choshu broke this tacit agreement.

This action is undoubtedly a shameless act of aggression by one vassal state against another!

For a time, the shogunate and various domains denounced Choshu, condemning its inhumanity and injustice.

Although the shogunate and various domains have been vehemently denouncing the actions, none of the various forces have taken any concrete action, and they have been engaging in verbal sparring from afar.

It must be said that there were reasons why the Tokugawa family was able to maintain their rule over Japan for more than 250 years.

Through a series of systems, such as the system of audience with the emperor, the power of the various vassal states was repeatedly weakened.

As a result, today, all the vassal states in the land are weaker than the last.

Even though the practice of paying homage to the emperor has been abolished, it will take the various feudal lords at least 10 years to recover their strength.

Only a handful of powerful domains, such as Satsuma and Aizu, were capable of attacking Choshu.

These powerful domains were not adjacent to Choshu, making it difficult to send troops there; and they were unwilling to stand up for the worthless Kokura domain.

Therefore, all the shogunate and other domains could do in response to the tragic plight of the Okura Domain was to provide all support except for assistance.

However, it would be incorrect to say that Choshu was unharmed.

Even if the people remain silent about Changju's shameless behavior, they will remember it deeply.

Never underestimate the influence of "image" or the power of "public opinion".

Without a doubt, the actions of the patriots in Choshu have placed them in an increasingly unfavorable position.

……

……

On June 20, after many days of trekking, Tokugawa Iemochi, Tenshōin and their entourage finally returned to Edo.

Upon returning to Edo, Tokugawa Iemochi immediately announced: a conference to reward meritorious service would be held!

The protagonist of this merit-based reward ceremony was naturally the Qing Deng, who had successfully driven away the British warships.

At this conference, Tokugawa Iemochi truly gave Aoto a lot of face.

The event was a grand affair, with all the retainers of the shogunate from Edo (present-day Tokyo) required to attend.

During the conference, Tokugawa Iemochi also formally bestowed upon Aoto the official title of "Hachioji's Thousand Hearts" through a personal oral instruction.

With the complete decline and weakening of the Hitotsubashi faction, Tokugawa Iemochi was finally able to concentrate the resources of the shogunate.

He announced publicly at the conference that from this day forward, the Shinsengumi would receive an annual military pay of 2 taels of gold!

*******

*******

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

I haven't had a break in a while, so I'd like to ask for a day off tomorrow to visit the mother leopards at the aquarium. (Leopard excited.jpg)

Chapter 710 Qingdeng Receives the Natural Principles of Mind and Is Granted the Right to Transmit the Teachings! [4300]

A small correction to the end of the previous chapter—it's no longer "receiving 2 taels of gold per month," but "receiving 2 taels of gold per year." Please be aware of this.

*******

Through what he saw and heard, as well as his own practical experience, Qing Deng realized a truth—partisan strife is the number one scourge of politics!

Once a factional struggle erupts, even the largest organization or the most powerful group will become precarious.

A great deal of energy and resources were poured into endless infighting.

The most prominent and tragic example of how "factional strife ruined the country" is the Southern Ming Dynasty in China.

The once mighty dynasty was destroyed by infighting and repeated factional struggles, resulting in the fragmentation of its land and the collapse of its former state.

The recent shogunate has shown a similar style to the Southern Ming dynasty.

The "Nanki faction," led by Tokugawa Iemochi and Tenshōin, and the "Hitotsubashi faction," led by Hitotsubashi Yoshinobu and Matsudaira Haruaki, fought fiercely and relentlessly.

The struggle between the two sides has almost reached the highest form of partisan strife—opposing for the sake of opposing.

The Hitotsubashi faction opposes all claims put forward by the Nanki faction, regardless of whether they are right or wrong.

Conversely, the same applies to all proposals put forward by the "Hitotsubashi faction," regardless of whether they are correct or wrong. The "Nanki faction" has only one attitude: No way!

The administrative efficiency of the shogunate was already unusually slow due to the excessive number of officials and staff.

Now, due to the increasingly fierce party struggle between the "Nanki faction" and the "Hitotsubashi faction," administrative efficiency is getting worse and worse.

What should have been a 3-day task took more than a month, or even longer, to finally get it done.

Hitotsubashi Yoshinobu is the current head of the Hitotsubashi family, one of the "Three Lords of the Household". His father was Tokugawa Nariaki, the former lord of the Mito Domain, who was highly respected. Hitotsubashi Yoshinobu himself was also known for his virtue.

Whether in terms of family background or personal prestige, Yoshiki Ichibashi can be considered one of the best in the world.

In addition, he also had the strong support of a number of powerful daimyo such as Matsudaira Haruaki and Shimazu Hisamitsu.

With so many positive buffs, the political power of the "Hitotsubashi faction" is in no way inferior to that of the "Nanki faction".

I'm sure everyone would think so – the struggle between the two factions will last for quite a long time.

However... facts have proven that human history is indeed full of unpredictability!

At the critical moment when Tokugawa Iemochi fell ill, Hitotsubashi Yoshinobu was appointed to represent the shogunate in negotiations with the imperial court.

But what was the result? He lost control of his emotions and spoke recklessly due to a moment of anger and blood rushing to his head!

Making a reckless political promise to "begin expelling the barbarians on May 10th" has put the shogunate in an extremely unfavorable situation!

Having caused such a huge disaster, instead of trying to make amends, he hid in Nijo Castle and refused to meet with anyone.

After nightfall, without saying goodbye to anyone, including Matsudaira Haruaki, he sneaked back to Edo alone.

Such brainless, unscrupulous, and irresponsible behavior is truly shocking!

It's no exaggeration to say that Yoshinobu Hitotsubashi's outrageous actions directly caused a huge "political storm"!

The political landscape of the shogunate changed drastically!

The first consequence was the disgrace of Yoshinobu Hitotsubashi and the decline of the "Hitotsubashi faction".

Prior to this, in order to enhance Hitotsubashi Yoshinobu's reputation, the members of the "Hitotsubashi faction" had been sparing no effort in promoting him.

He was hailed as a "wise man skilled in both literature and martial arts," and "the only one capable of rebuilding the shogunate"... They practically hailed him as a "reincarnation of Yao and Shun."

There's a saying that goes like this: Don't get angry easily, because once you get angry, you'll use your true abilities, and then people will find that your true abilities are terrible.

Applying this proverb to Yoshiki Hitotsubashi is absolutely fitting.