I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

In January, the "White Horse Recreation Ceremony" at Kamigamo Shrine; in February, the "Setsubun Festival and Resurrection Ceremony" at Yoshida Shrine; in March, the "Tangdi Dance" at Suishin-in Temple; in November, the "Fire Burning Festival" at Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine; and in December, the "Sumitejin" at Kitano Tenmangu Shrine.

Among these many festivals and celebrations, the most famous and grandest is undoubtedly the "Gion Matsuri" in July.

The Gion Matsuri is one of the three major festivals in Japan, along with the Kanda Matsuri of Edo and the Tenjin Matsuri of Osaka.

In 869 AD, a plague ravaged Kyoto. To ward off the plague, the Emperor ordered 66 spears to be erected in the Shinsen-en Garden in Kyoto, and the statue of the deity of Gion Shrine to be moved there. This was the precursor to the Gion Festival, the "Gion Goryo-e."

Nowadays, from July 1st to 31st every year, various Gion Festival events are held in Kyoto, and the entire month of July is the time for the Gion Festival.

The climax of the Gion Festival is undoubtedly the "Yamahoko Jungo" on July 17th.

The so-called "Yamahoko" is a beautifully decorated float carried by manpower, used specifically for parading during festivals. It is decorated with exquisite paintings and ornaments, and sometimes includes performances by people, reflecting Japanese historical stories, myths and legends, and natural landscapes.

On July 17th, a magnificent and colorful Yamahoko procession will parade through Kyoto, warding off evil spirits and misfortunes for the townspeople. Along the way, the sounds of music, shouts, and cheers from the audience intertwine, bringing the festival to a climax.

Shintaro Toujou continued the conversation quietly:

"The Choshu... or rather, the patriots who advocate overthrow the shogunate, have a very clear goal: to find ways to cause trouble for the shogunate and weaken its power by any means necessary."

"Assassination, arson... these brutal acts were all carried out in order to achieve the ultimate goal of 'destroying the shogunate'."

"Kyoto is the residence of the Emperor."

"Without a doubt, if Kyoto is plunged into a huge crisis and the Emperor is put in imminent danger, the Shogunate will become the target of everyone's criticism."

"In addition, it can also make the commander of the capital region bear the reputation of being 'incompetent'."

At this point, he deliberately rolled his eyes and glanced at Qingdeng.

"In that case, there is no better time to strike than at the Gion Festival."

“The Gion Festival is the largest and grandest festival in Kyoto, and its popularity goes without saying.”

“Especially during the ‘Mountain Hoko Parade,’ people flock to the streets to admire the exquisite hoopoes.”

"When speculating on the intentions of the loyalists, if we take 'destroying Kyoto and causing the shogunate a lot of trouble' as the premise, it is not difficult to find that 'taking action during the Gion Festival' is their best choice."

“If I were a patriot, I would definitely use fire.”

"A simple fire can devastate a town; there is no more effective means."

"I will choose to light the fire upwind when the people are all attending the festival, and use the power of Zhurong to destroy the capital."

"The Gion Festival, the streets are deserted, sparks fly, pillars of fire rise... I leave the rest to your imagination."

Shintaro Toujou has finished speaking.

The banquet hall became exceptionally quiet; you could hear a pin drop.

Qing Deng lowered his eyelids and gazed intently at the Kyoto map in front of him, a thoughtful expression on his face.

As for Yamanami Keisuke and the others, they looked at each other in disbelief—they all saw intense horror on each other's faces.

"This...this is impossible..."

Keisuke Yamanami was the first to break the silence.

His face was grim and ashen.

"Burning down Kyoto... and doing it during the Gion Festival... this, this..."

"Even if they are incomprehensible lunatics, such things still..."

Keisuke Yamanami couldn't continue speaking.

He pursed his lips, his face filled with astonishment and disbelief.

Nagakura Shinpachi and Harada Sanosuke, standing to the side, also clenched their fists, their faces grave.

Even the dim-witted Sanosuke Harada knew how terrifying the scenes Shintaro Toujou had just described would be.

The phrase "mountain boat patrols" goes without saying.

As the highlight of the Gion Festival, when the hokomuri (a type of palanquin) travels through the streets, the streets on both sides are absolutely packed with people, making it impossible to move.

Even when there are no Yamahoko to see, crowds celebrating the Gion Festival can be seen everywhere on the streets.

Every night, many vendors set up stalls in the town, selling snacks such as grilled squid and grilled eel, or offering games such as pitch-pot and archery.

[Note: Monzencho: A street area formed in front of a shrine or temple]

The townspeople, dressed in yukatas, went in groups of three or five to the nearby Monzencho, laughing and joking, creating a lively atmosphere.

If the patriots were to actually set fire to Kyoto... without a doubt, it would trigger an incredibly horrific tragedy!

Regardless of the damage the fire caused to the town.

When the flames suddenly ignite and illuminate the sky, panic will inevitably spread as rapidly as a plague!

Given the large number of people at the Gion Festival, if panic were to spread, it would be no laughing matter!

Imagine it—

Streets teeming with people, fire raging, terror raging, screams, shoving, wailing, trampling...

These scenes are chilling just to imagine!

Regardless of factions or stances... even if one were to think from the perspective of a "normal person," Yamanami Keisuke and others could not believe that the loyalists would go so far as to cause such a heinous human tragedy in order to strike at the shogunate!

"...To be honest, I couldn't believe it either."

Suddenly, Qingdeng spoke up.

"However, for leaders, 'always being pessimistic' is a fine virtue."

"I believe that Mr. Dongcheng's statement was not unfounded."

"His opinion is very helpful."

"In fact, after considering all the intelligence we have so far, I am also guessing that the patriots are planning to launch a large-scale, chilling terrorist operation in the near future."

"In this way, it can be connected with the intelligence we recently received, such as 'a large number of unidentified people entering and leaving Ikedaya' and 'Miyabe Teizō sneaking back to Kyoto'."

"It's always better to be prepared than to dig a well when you're thirsty."

Upon hearing this, Yamanami Keisuke nodded slightly.

"...Yes, Tachibana-kun, you're absolutely right."

Qing Deng raised his gaze and looked at Yongcang Shinpachi.

"It's quite new. This month it's the Second and Fourth Divisions' turn to patrol Kyoto."

"You all need to be on your guard."

"If you discover criminals or encounter an emergency, you do not need to consult Otsu; you can make your own judgment and take action."

Nagakura Shinpachi sat up straight and said solemnly:

"Yes, Mr. Tachibana! Please rest assured, I, Shinpachi, will certainly not fail in my mission!"

At that moment, Shintaro Toujou seemed to recall something amusing and chuckled a few times.

Nagakura Shinpachi thought the other person was mocking him, so he frowned slightly and asked in displeasure:

"Mr. Dongcheng, may I ask what you're laughing at?"

Realizing he had made a misunderstanding, Shintaro Toujou quickly clarified:

"I'm sorry, it just suddenly occurred to me: the Gion Festival in Kyoto has really had a lot of misfortunes."

"It is said that 70 years ago, during the Kansei era, a group of criminals planned to turn Kyoto into a living hell while the Gion Festival was being held."

"Fortunately, the 'Eternal Sword Saint' Ogata Ittosai and another righteous man stepped forward and joined hands to thwart the enemy's plot, thus saving Kyoto from disaster."

"Unexpectedly... 70 years later, history has repeated itself."

As soon as he finished speaking, Yamanami Keisuke gave a helpless smile:

"'Ogata Ittosai and the anonymous hero secretly saved Kyoto'... I've heard that story too, but it's just anecdotal history and not true."

Shintaro Toujo shrugged:

"Although unofficial histories and rumors always contain elements of fabrication, the protagonist of this unofficial history is none other than Ogata Ittosai."

"If that's the case, then even the most bizarre and unbelievable stories might actually be true."

Yamanami Keisuke wanted to say something more, but Aoto interrupted first:

"Alright, let's leave this topic aside for now."

"In the end, this happened more than 70 years ago."

"No one can distinguish right from wrong, truth from falsehood anymore."

"In my opinion, this 'enlightenment' of not knowing the truth is precisely the unique charm of these legends."

"Let's get back to the main topic now."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Your Highness, apart from the unusual activity at the Ikedaya, have the loyalists made any other moves in Kyoto?"

"Of course there is. If I were to explain in detail, it would probably take all night to finish. Thank you."

Upon hearing Qing Deng's call, Yamanami Keisuke understood and bent down, pointing to the map with his finger.

“Mr. Dongcheng, please look here…”

……

……

Compared to those corrupt and incompetent officials who occupy positions without doing their jobs, Shintaro Toujou was a very dedicated official.

The day after arriving in Kyoto, he quickly took up his post and devoted himself wholeheartedly to his work.

His office... that is, the office of the Kyoto Governor, was located on Shichijo-dori, west of the Kamo River, next to Nishi Hongan-ji Temple.

The people of Kyoto commonly referred to this new government office as the "Tokushifu" (滅積府).

The security situation in Edo was far from peaceful and secure, so it was impossible to spare too many criminal investigation personnel to support Kyoto.

Therefore, Shintaro Tojo did not bring many subordinates with him when he went to Tokyo to take up his post.

While he cannot be described as a "lone commander," his team was indeed pitifully small, with only two or three subordinates whom he could command at will, which was quite inconsistent with his prestigious title as the Kyoto Censor.

In any case, Shintaro Tojo is now considered a direct subordinate of Aoto.