I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"When Mr. Ōshio launched the uprising, he went into battle as the 'vanguard of the Shogunate army,' transforming from a brave and invincible samurai into a ruthless executioner!"

*******

*******

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

Chapter 788 A Darker Version of Tachibana Aoto! [4600]

Todoro looked up at Aoto.

"Your Excellency, I don't think I need to go into the details of the 'Great Salt Uprising,' do I?"

Qingdeng nodded.

Thanks to the detailed explanation given by that guy who slandered Ōshio Heihachirō a few days ago, Aoto now has a fairly good understanding of the "Ōshio Heihachirō Uprising".

Touko nodded slightly.

"That's great. This way, I can save myself some breath."

At this point, Touko stopped again.

His pause this time was quite long.

He seemed to be crafting his words and reminiscing about the past, a look of recollection gradually appearing on his cheeks.

Aoto and Kinoshita Mai did not urge them, and simply waited silently.

Kyoto Musou, Naraku's Kirin Child... It's both "Musou" and "Kirin".

Although Qingdeng was used to all sorts of titles, some majestic and some comical, he rarely saw such a cool title.

Although the Japanese love to give people titles, to possess such a rare title, this person must have some talent.

If he was such a remarkable person, why did he disappear into the annals of history, to the point that Qing Deng had never even heard of him?

Based on what the old monk just said, this person became famous about 30 years ago.

30 years... that's not a very long time span.

Even if information exchange is underdeveloped, surely some of their deeds will still be passed down?

At least Kinoshita Mai, who is from Osaka, must have heard of this person's name, right?

However, it turned out that Kinoshita Mai had never heard of this person either.

In any case, Touko's words piqued Aoto's curiosity.

He was eager to know: what kind of man was this spearman who could be called "Peerless" and "A Prodigy"?

I'd like to know even more: what did he do to make Toukoro, a former member of the "Great Salt Army," so disgusted with him and denounce him as a "murderer who has killed countless people"?

And so, he and Kinoshita Mai watched Togoro with bated breath, scratching their heads and waiting in vain.

About two minutes later, Touko finally spoke slowly and deliberately:

"...Losers have no voice."

Instead of continuing to elaborate on Kazami Kazuma's official career, he suddenly started spouting strange and incomprehensible words.

"When you fail, the victors will step over your corpse and shout triumphantly: 'Look, this is a worthless wretch who doesn't know what's good for him.'"

Touko gave a sneer that was half self-deprecating and half hateful.

"I want to make it clear beforehand—every word I am about to say is an unquestionable truth."

"Whether you believe it or not is entirely up to you."

"26 years ago, after Mr. Dayan launched the uprising, we... our peasant army did not collapse without a fight!"

"We fought!"

"We took up arms and fought bravely!"

"But... the enemy... that damned Kazami Kazuma...! He's just... too strong..."

When he uttered the first part of his sentence, "Damn Kazami Kazuma," his face turned even redder, and the veins on his forehead became even more prominent.

He clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white, and he didn't even notice his nails digging into his palms.

But in the latter part of his speech, he deflated like a punctured balloon, slowly and dejectedly letting go of his hands and lowering his head.

He continued the conversation while looking at his toes:

"The sudden appearance of a large-scale uprising deeply alarmed the shogunate."

"Suppressing unscrupulous merchants, providing relief to disaster victims, quelling famine... Faced with these practical things that benefit the people, the officials of the shogunate remained oblivious."

"Inaction and lack of responsibility."

"The only thing they know how to do and are good at is to make excuses, make excuses, and make excuses again."

“‘This isn’t my responsibility,’ ‘Please be patient, we’re trying to figure something out,’ ‘We work on a monthly basis, I’m not responsible for this month’s work, come back to me the month after next’… We’ve heard enough of these empty promises, we’re sick of them…”

"Everyone is starving to death and turning into skeletons, yet these damned corrupt officials still stand by and watch."

"Only in the matter of 'suppressing the people' can the shogunate unleash astonishing enthusiasm."

"On the very day the uprising began, the shogunate quickly assembled an army and also swiftly mobilized the armies of nearby domains such as Amagasaki, Kishiwada, and Koriyama, ordering them to send troops to support the uprising immediately."

"The long period of peace and the comfortable life without fighting have left the warriors with no opportunity to use their skills, and they are unable to turn their lives around through military merit like their ancestors in the Warring States period."

“Those high-ranking samurai who live in luxury may have lost the motivation to advance.”

"But the vast majority of lower and middle-ranking samurai always longed for war—a war that would allow them to show their skills and rise to the top."

"Therefore, when the shogunate ordered the suppression of the rebel army, a large number of samurai actively participated in the war."

"Their goal was simple—to gain fame and fortune on the battlefield, and to secure a position for their wives and children."

"Kazami Kazuma is one of them."

"With his illustrious reputation as the 'Kyosaka Musou' and the 'Naniwa Kirin', Kazami Kazuma was given important responsibilities as soon as he joined the army and was promoted to the position of vanguard general in one fell swoop."

“From the shogunate’s perspective, Kazami Kazuma did a great job; he truly lived up to his mission.”

At first glance, it seems that Togoro is praising the other person.

But in the next sentence, his words and tone turned into blatant sarcasm.

"He's truly a good dog of the shogunate."

"The shogunate merely threw him a bone, and he was moved to tears, filled with fervent patriotism, and wished he could immediately rush to the battlefield to personally put into practice the saying 'a scholar will die for one who understands him.'"

"Soon, this hastily assembled army arrived at Osaka and was deployed to the battlefield."

"Then... we encountered the vanguard led by Kazami Kazuma himself."

"As soon as the battle began, Kazami Kazuma took the lead, charging straight at us all by himself."

At this point, Toukoro seemed to recall something terrible. His previously flushed face gradually turned pale, and the veins on his forehead disappeared, replaced by beads of cold sweat.

"Their offensive was so fierce that they disregarded life and death."

"He tirelessly brandished his gun and committed acts of violence like a mad dog."

"With each swing of his massive spear, several bodies would fly into the sky..."

"With each movement of his figure, another battle line was breached..."

"We really fought..."

"We really fought hard...!"

“I gripped the bamboo spear tightly in my hand, thinking, ‘Just one thrust, just one thrust.’”

"If we can stab Kazami Kazuma, even with just a simple stab, we can weaken his strength and thus reduce the pressure on our comrades."

"But... I can't even get close to him."

“It’s not because I’m far away from him, but because… I can’t move.”

"After witnessing Hiiragi Taro... my best friend who I could talk to about anything being swept away by that huge gun shadow and shattered into pieces of flesh, I couldn't hear any sound anymore, and I forgot that I was on the battlefield. It felt like I was underwater."

"When I came to my senses, I found myself slumped on the ground, my legs as limp as noodles."

"No matter how much I pounded my legs, no matter how much I prayed, I couldn't stand up again..."

"We...can't stop Kazami Kazuma..."

"In the short time it takes to burn half an incense stick, countless comrades fell to his spear, and his spear blade was covered with bits of flesh."

"He single-handedly broke through our army's formation."

"The enormous casualties, and the fear of Kazami Kazuma, broke us down."

"We scrambled to escape, just to get away from Kazami Kazuma, to get away from this god of death..."

"This is... the truth behind the peasant army's collapse without a fight..."

"We didn't collapse without a fight...we were just...too weak..."

"Unable to defeat a powerful enemy... all we can do is flee like rats in the street..."

Toukorō stopped speaking again.

His head was bowed very low, his chin almost touching his chest, as if he wanted to fill his chest with his entire head.

His trembling shoulders and listless, dispirited posture... all revealed his extremely unstable and depressed mood.

"...After our collapse, Kazami Kazuma intended to press his advantage."

He resumed speaking, but his voice had become much hoarse.

"Fortunately, at the critical moment, one of Mr. Daishio's disciples shot him in the right abdomen with a homemade rocket, temporarily incapacitating him."

“I saw it clearly… after the rocket hit his right abdomen, the raging flames scorched his skin with gruesome, irreparable wounds.”

"In terms of military achievements, Kazami Kazuma undoubtedly made a huge contribution to the shogunate."

"Haha, he probably never imagined that he, who had made such a great contribution, would end up like the 'hunting dog being cooked after the cunning rabbit dies'!"

"Although Mr. Ōshio's uprising failed, it successfully aroused the resentment and dissatisfaction of the people of Osaka against the shogunate."

Even though the shogunate announced that 'Ōshio Heihachirō has been beheaded,' many people still firmly believed that Mr. Ōshio was still alive.