I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

The afterword for Volume 5 will probably be released tomorrow. This afterword is quite long, so be sure to read it! (crying leopard head.jpg)

PS: You can review

Postscript to Volume 4

Ciallo~~

This is the novelist, Somu, who is holding Yakumi and Ayaji Nene in her right arm and Hitachi Mako and Komurasame in her left arm!

Thus, after nearly four months of serialization, Volume 4 of "Running Towards the Ikedaya" has successfully concluded! *Clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap!* (Leopard slapping its belly.jpg)

Volume 4 contains 56.7 words, making it the shortest volume since the book began serialization.

Although it has few words, the pace is very fast.

First, Aoto went to Osaka and formed an alliance with the Karasuya.

Then came Qingdeng's wedding.

Then the Battle of Ikedaya begins.

The battle of Ikedaya was just over, and the summer siege of Kyoto was right behind.

Finally, there was the decisive battle between Qingdeng and Banruo.

With so much content covered in 110 chapters, the pacing is quite brisk (self-praise from Leopard.jpg).

Leopard is constantly improving himself and striving to write better novels.

People often say my novels are superficial, with lots of words but little substance—in fact, I know this about myself.

Leopard didn't intentionally pad the word count; it was purely a bad habit.

Once you get into the flow of writing, it's easy to enter a state of selfless "frantically filling in content" (crying leopard head.jpg).

Therefore, Leopard has been constantly improving his writing style, striving to write a novel that satisfies him.

I'm quite satisfied with this volume.

Although the title of this volume is "Heading to Ikedaya", in fact, the Battle of Ikedaya is just a small interlude that serves as a bridge between the previous and subsequent parts of this volume.

The reason for choosing this name is purely as a tribute.

Firstly, there's an episode in the Taiga drama "Ryoma Den" called "Running Towards the Ikedaya," and I thought the name was cool, so I borrowed it.

Secondly, in historical fact, the "Ikedaya Incident" was the Shinsengumi's battle that brought them fame, and it was also a famous event in the late Edo period, so it has commemorative significance.

That being said, there's really not much to write about regarding the "Ikedaya Incident".

A review of the historical events surrounding the "Ikedaya Incident" reveals that the process was quite uneventful.

The Shinsengumi received intelligence, split into two groups, and successfully launched a surprise attack on the Ikedaya—that's it, that's all.

There was neither a dramatic plot nor exciting battles.

Kondo Isami led his team in a single attack, and the battle was almost over.

Only three members of the Shinsengumi died after the war.

The Zunrang faction suffered slightly more casualties, but only about ten people.

The street brawls among the gangsters might be even more intense.

Such a mundane battle is really not worth writing about.

Therefore, Leopard will focus the plot on the later Summer Siege of Kyoto.

To be honest, Leopard once considered killing Kiryu with the Hannya sword.

However... Leopard just couldn't bring himself to do it.

I am someone who easily develops feelings for a character.

For example, I fantasize about doing lewd things with Sanako and Ama every day.

I simply cannot bear to kill a character who has been with me for so many years.

So, Mr. Kiryu vomited up the bento he had already eaten halfway through.

Quickly say "Thank you, Leopard!" (Leopard looking proud.jpg)

Besides its short length and fast pace, another major feature of this volume is that it reveals many foreshadowing elements and fills in many plot holes.

The true identity of "Kyoto's No. 1 Geisha", the secret of Shintaro Toujou, and the official appearance of Orochi and others.

After millions of words of buildup, the previously hidden Yamata no Orochi, Ōtakemaru, and Tamamo-no-Mae have finally made their appearance.

Many readers have speculated about the identities, genders, and abilities of these three people.

Unfortunately, almost no one guessed correctly.

The leader, Yamata no Orochi, is actually an overweight middle-aged man.

The strongest fighter, Ōtakemaru, is actually deaf and mute.

Tamamo-no-Mae, who was in charge of intelligence work, was actually an old woman in her sixties.

To be honest, the character Ōtakemaru was inspired by Sasaki Kojiro from Takehiko Inoue's works.

In Takehiko Inoue's manga "Miyamoto Musashi," Sasaki Kojiro is a congenitally deaf-mute—a truly bold innovation.

Throughout history, Inoue Takehiko is probably the only author who dared to design Sasaki Kojiro as deaf and mute.

This character left a deep impression on Leopard Leopard, so when designing Ōtakemaru, he decided to pay homage to him, while also challenging himself.

How do you create a character who can't hear or speak?

For me, this is a very challenging topic.

In short, with the conclusion of this volume, all the core members of the Fazhu Party have made their appearance, and the confrontation between Qingdeng and the Fazhu Party will become even more intense.

Finally, let's talk about the next volume.

The next volume is titled "The Land Divided in Two"... Just hearing the name makes it sound extraordinary.

That is indeed the case.

The next volume is not the longest volume in the book, but it is likely to be the one with the most expansive plot.

Qing Deng will lead an army of 200,000 to conquer Changzhou in the west, launching the historically famous "Changzhou Campaign".

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the next volume will likely be between 100 million and 150 million words. I won't be able to write the afterword until next spring or summer (sigh).

That's about all I wanted to say.

Let's end the postscript here!

My sincerest gratitude to all the readers who have supported this book!

……

……

Shumengshi

October 13, 2024

Chapter 867 The Birth of the Party's Punishment by Law [5800]

Two weeks after Yamata no Orochi met with Takasugi Shinsaku and Katsura Kogoro—

Choshu, Hagi Castle, a small, unnamed inn, a certain room—

Since turning sixty, my energy has declined significantly.

Tamamo-no-Mae was greatly troubled by this.

After working for another two hours, fatigue arrived as expected, my eyelids started to droop, and my head gradually felt swollen.

As usual, she leaned against the armrest beside her and dozed off.

In a half-dream, half-awake state, she suddenly recalled old memories.

Various images appeared, disappeared, split, and merged before her eyes.

In no time, one of the scenes was captured, colored, lines were formed, and the outlines were deepened, quickly becoming a clear scene.

Although she couldn't speak in her dream, Tamamo-no-Mae couldn't help but exclaim in amazement after seeing the specific scene.

Heavy rain, deep mountains, the gathering of the Fazhu Group, an atmosphere of despair... No mistake, it was the day she first met Yamata no Orochi.

Although it happened twenty years ago, she still vividly remembers everything that happened that day.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh...

The torrential rain poured down relentlessly, drenching everyone.

About a hundred people gathered in the desolate mountains to discuss their future plans.

The meeting had barely begun when someone lost control and shouted:

"Bullshit 'legal punishment'! Bullshit uprising! We're just throwing our lives away!"

This statement was met with great enthusiasm.

"That's right! This is suicide! It's not an uprising! It's certainly not an overthrow of the Shogunate!"

"We're here to overthrow the Shogunate, not to die!"

"I've had enough! Whoever wants to stay can stay, I'm not playing along!"

"Me too! I'm quitting too!"

"Let's go! I'd rather go solo than stay and die!"

Amidst the rising and falling noise, more and more people got up and left.

At first there were two or three people, then a dozen or so, and then dozens...

"Wait! Don't go!"

"Although this defeat was devastating, we still have a chance to make a comeback!"

"Hey! What happened to the promise of 'We will not rest until the shogunate falls?!'"