I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"Cowards! You bunch of cowards!"

At that time, Tamamo-no-Mae, who was just over forty and still had a charming appearance, sat blankly in the crowd, neither getting up to leave nor persuading those who were leaving.

—There's nothing we can do now that things have come to this.

She thought to herself pessimistically.

If she hadn't hated the shogunate to the core and had nowhere else to go, she might have gotten up and left.

Just half a month ago, the Fazhu Group—which at that time had not yet been renamed the Fazhu Party—launched a new uprising.

The uprising took place in Kobe.

Kobe is located in the southwest of the Kinai region, far from the core territory of the shogunate (Kanto), where the Tokugawa family's rule was relatively weak.

Raise the banner of "overthrowing the shogunate," capture Kobe, and then use it as a base to recruit soldiers, expand power, and destroy the shogunate in one fell swoop, bringing peace to the world—this is the plan of the Hojukugumi.

The assembly of personnel, the stockpiling of weapons, and the training of tactics were all carried out in an orderly and steady manner without any mishaps.

However... despite their thorough preparations, everything they faced and encountered after the uprising officially began was completely different from what they had anticipated...

Swords and blades, lacking both imposing attack range and terrifying armor-piercing capabilities, are essentially useless on the battlefield, far less effective than spears.

It is incredibly convenient to use it to chop down unarmored civilians.

The warriors of the Hojuku Group displayed unparalleled bravery during the attack on Kobe.

However, they were still unable to contend with the well-equipped samurai group.

The samurai wielded their swords mercilessly, routing the Fazhu group.

In just half a day, the uprising that the Fazhu Group had been planning for a long time ended in a crushing defeat.

All the precious fighting force that had been painstakingly accumulated was given away in an instant.

From the perspective of the shogunate, this was just an ordinary suppression of a rebellion.

The rebellion was quelled with little effort, and it wasn't even worth recording in history books.

For the Fazhu Group, this was undoubtedly a disaster.

Thus, we have the scenes of "loudly cursing" and "getting up and leaving" that we see today.

To condemn those who decided to leave the Law Enforcement Group as "cowards" is perhaps too harsh—Tamamo-no-Mae, in any case, understands them quite well.

To give it your all only to suffer a crushing defeat... such a devastating reality would leave anyone feeling frustrated and devastated.

Even Tamamo-no-Mae, a veteran member of the Law Extermination Group, couldn't help but feel the urge to back down.

Although the Hojukumi was a long-established society, it was constantly on the verge of collapse under the repeated blows from the shogunate and various domains.

Before the "Black Ships Incident" severely damaged the prestige of the shogunate, the Edo shogunate, which controlled a quarter of Japan, was a terrifying behemoth.

Lacking both a brilliant leader with strategic vision and a well-organized structure, with neither manpower nor funds, it was utterly absurd to think that one could overthrow the Edo Shogunate with just passion.

How did I get to where I am today?

Suddenly, Tamamo-no-Mae asked herself this question.

This is a story from a very long time ago...

Once upon a time, she was just an ordinary farm girl.

A dignified father, a kind mother, a thatched hut, and a few acres of meager land.

It wasn't great, but it wasn't bad either; at least there was no risk of starving to death.

In an environment where "the rich own vast tracts of land while the poor have nowhere to stand," having land to cultivate is an incredibly fortunate thing.

No disasters, no accidents, no surprises... She lived the first eight years of her life in this uneventful way—until the arrival of the "help the village" order.

Speaking of "helping the countryside," this is truly a system that makes countless people grit their teeth.

Simply put, this was a form of corvée labor during the Edo period.

When the post station (relay station) is short of manpower and horses, neighboring villages must provide manpower and horses.

These people, who were forcibly conscripted to help, received no wages whatsoever; they were working for nothing.

If, during the process of assisting in the transport of goods, the horses you provide are killed or injured, or you yourself are killed or injured, then it is your bad luck, and the shogunate will never provide any compensation.

What's even more disheartening is that the "helping the village" is mandatory and allows no refusal.

Once an order is received, regardless of whether it is the busy or slack season for farming, everyone must put down all their current affairs and rush to the camp to report.

One day when Tamamo-no-Mae was eight years old, her father was conscripted by the neighboring Hakone-juku to transport goods.

Hakone, a famous hot spring town, is known worldwide for its "Seven Hot Springs of Hakone".

The thing that Tamamo-no-Mae's father was going to transport... was hot spring water from Hakone.

In the early part of the Kanbun era (1661-1673), during the reign of the fourth shogun Tokugawa Ietsuna, the "Okuriyu" (御騰湯) appeared.

The so-called "Royal Hot Spring" refers to the hot spring water used by the general's family.

Hot springs, which can both uplift one's mood and heal wounds, have long been highly sought after by the Japanese nobility.

However, it was impossible for a noble shogun's family to leave Edo just to soak in a hot spring.

Therefore, in order to allow the general's family to enjoy the hot springs at any time, "Yuji Hot Spring" came into being.

How were the hot springs transported to Edo for the shogun's enjoyment?

It's very simple; they transported it by wooden barrels one by one!

Under the instructions of the shogunate officials and magistrates, the use of hot spring water was subject to strict procedures.

First, the shopkeeper, dressed in formal attire with family crests and wearing hakama and a veil, used a long-handled ladle to scoop water from the large soup and pour it into a brand-new cypress wood bucket, then sealed the bucket.

Then, using the village assistance system, they transported the soup buckets, working day and night in a relay to move them to Edo.

First, they were transported to Edo Bridge, and then other laborers carried them to warehouses inside Edo Castle for storage.

Hot springs from various hot spring areas, such as Atami, Hakone, and Kusatsu, would offer hot spring water to the Shogun's family.

And so, in order to allow the shogun's family to soak in the freshest hot springs, Tamamo-no-Mae's father was forcibly conscripted to the post station.

That's fine then.

Unfortunately, the time he was conscripted to transport hot springs coincided with the busy farming season.

As we all know, there are only a few days a year when it is suitable for planting.

If we miss this period, we will have no harvest this year.

Despite Tamamo-no-Mae's father's earnest pleas for more time, he was met with a cold rejection.

This trip lasted for two months.

By the time he returned home, the busy farming season was over, and even if he tried to salvage the situation, it would be too late.

To make matters worse, he twisted his back while carrying the heavy soup bucket.

When he finally made it home, his injuries were so severe that he could barely walk.

It not only delayed their farm work and damaged their health, but also made such a huge sacrifice. Yet the shogunate refused to pay a single penny in compensation, leaving them to fend for themselves.

Humiliation, grief, hatred... a torrent of painful emotions engulfed Tamamo-no-Mae's father.

Overcome with anger, he vomited blood and collapsed to the ground, dying shortly afterward.

Despite their dire situation, their family's tragedy is far from over.

In feudal times, farmers had no means to protect themselves from disasters; if they stopped working, they would not have food to eat.

Even in years of exceptional harvest, they could barely make ends meet.

Even in years of plenty, this is the case; how much more so when crops fail due to missing the planting season?

The shogunate will not exempt you from taxes just because you lack money or food or because a family member has died.

The pressure of feeding the family, the pressure of paying taxes... even selling all the valuables in the house would still be a drop in the ocean.

Tamamo-no-Mae's mother was already frail and couldn't withstand such an ordeal at all.

Her husband died, she was unable to pay taxes, and she was starving... Under multiple blows, she also left Tamamo-no-Mae.

Those blissful days, those carefree days with both parents, vanished like smoke, as if it were all a dream.

The family was destroyed and people died... all because of a hot spring in the general's house.

For an 8-year-old girl, the only way to survive was to beg on the streets.

Fortunately, not long after she started wandering, she was taken in by the owner of a brothel in Yoshiwara.

After several years of training, she became a courtesan in Yoshiwara.

With her beautiful face and quick wit, she thrived in Yoshiwara.

Although she couldn't become the most popular courtesan, she still had no shortage of patrons and was one of the most popular prostitutes in the shop.

She has never forgotten, nor dared to forget, the tragedies she once experienced.

Her hatred for the shogunate did not fade with time; on the contrary, it grew stronger—living in Yoshiwara, a place both glamorous and filthy, she witnessed more darkness firsthand.

One day, by chance, she learned of the existence of the Law Enforcement Group.

Upon learning that the Hojukuku was a secret society founded during the Kansei era (1789-1800) with the mission of overthrowing the shogunate, she immediately developed a strong interest in it.

Harboring intense hatred for the shogunate, she joined the Hojuku group without hesitation.

Taking advantage of her position, she began to deliberately get close to high-ranking officials in the shogunate to gather intelligence for the Law Enforcement Group.

With very few exceptions, Ms. You's retirement age is 28.

Upon reaching this age, one either raises enough money to redeem oneself and regain freedom, or retires to a secondary role, engaging in logistical work and serving the young prostitutes in the shop.

As one of the top courtesans in the shop, she had long since earned enough money to buy her freedom.

However, although she redeemed herself, she did not leave Yoshiwara. Instead, she changed jobs to become a clerk who was responsible for supervising and training courtesans, and continued to stay in Yoshiwara while also collecting intelligence for the Hojukugumi.

In the blink of an eye, more than twenty years have passed.

She has gone from a beautiful young woman to her current aged and faded appearance.

The Legal Punishment Group remains the same Legal Punishment Group.

The shogunate is still the same shogunate.