I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

At this point, Tamamo-no-Mae seemed to remember something and cast a wistful glance at Orochi.

"Another twenty years have passed... Orochi, we must succeed this time."

Even though the other party was speaking incoherently, Orochi quickly grasped its meaning and smiled calmly:

"Yes, we will definitely succeed! This time, we will surely destroy the Edo Shogunate!"

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New volume released! Please vote with monthly tickets! Please recommend! (Like a leopard crying.jpg)

I originally planned to take a day off under the pretext of starting a new exam, but Leopard managed to overcome his laziness with amazing perseverance! Leopard is incredible! (Leopard Hi.jpg)

PS: Although this book occasionally mentions the darkness of the Edo period, the content covered is only the tip of the iceberg.

One document states that for a period of time, the total population of the Edo period stagnated, neither decreasing nor increasing. Because life was so difficult, it was common for people to drown newborn babies.

Chapter 868 Suffering from Stockholm Syndrome [5100]

The first year of Yuanzhi (1864), December 9th——

Hatazu Domain, Otsu, Tachibana Residence, Aoto's office—

After recovering from his serious illness, Qingdeng returned to work.

At this moment, he was engrossed in his work, holding a letter in his hands, studying it intently with a serious expression.

This letter was written by Tokugawa Iemochi and has just been delivered to Aoto.

Recently, the two have been exchanging letters very frequently, with messengers traveling between Edo and Otsu almost every day.

If anyone were to see the contents of these letters between the two of them, they would probably be quite surprised.

Every letter discusses the same thing: reforming the Shogunate's military system!

Shortly after Aoto was officially promoted to "Commander-in-Chief of the Army," he received a secret letter from Tokugawa Iemochi.

The letter was quite long, but in essence, it boiled down to one point: the 80,000 cavalrymen of the banner army were unfit for service! Reforming the current military system was urgently needed!

Eighty thousand cavalrymen—the core military force of the Edo Shogunate.

This statement certainly doesn't mean that the Edo Shogunate had 80,000 hatamoto (military officers), and that even if the entire Shogunate were sold off, it wouldn't be able to support that many hatamoto.

After the shogunate issued a general mobilization order, both hatamoto (chieftains) and gokenin (retainers) were obligated to send their retainers to participate in the war.

Back when Aoto was still a retainer of the Hundred Koku family, his only retainer was the old servant Kyubei.

If the shogunate issues a general mobilization order, then not only will Aoto go to the battlefield, but Kyubei will also have to participate in the war.

The hatamoto, gokenin, and their retainers could gather a total of 80,000 troops, which is the origin of the "80,000 hatamoto cavalry".

Hatamoto and Gokenin were warriors who undertook specific combat missions.

Their retainers served as auxiliary soldiers, responsible for logistical tasks such as transporting grain, digging trenches, and building fortifications.

In feudal times, this system was considered quite advanced.

There were both full-time professional warriors and auxiliary soldiers with decent skills.

With this system, the Edo Shogunate, which commanded an army of 80,000, ensured that no domain in the country dared to disobey.

However, times have changed.

The 80,000 cavalry of the Hatamoto clan are no longer able to adapt to the current situation.

Moreover, the corruption of hatamoto and gokenin is an old problem.

No one would think that these guys, whose bodies have been drained by sensual pleasures, could have any fighting power.

Tokugawa Iemochi's idea was simple: to learn from the Shinsengumi model, vigorously introduce advanced Western equipment and tactics, and build a new Western-style army.

Putting aside those grand goals, the mere thought of causing trouble for the 80,000 cavalry of the Hatamoto clan was enough to pique Aoto's interest.

Once the military system is successfully reformed and a new army is formed, the status of the 80,000 bannermen cavalry will inevitably be shaken.

Qingdeng had long been quite annoyed by these good-for-nothings who spent their days eating, drinking, and having fun.

Therefore, he was naturally happy to see these guys get their comeuppance.

Now, Aoto is the Commander-in-Chief of the Army, in control of the entire army force of the Shogunate.

If the military system of the shogunate is to be reformed, then it would be most appropriate for Tokugawa Iemochi to take the lead and for Aoto to be in charge of the specific affairs.

However... although "reform" is just two simple words, it carries immense weight!

Reforming the military system would mean taking away the 80,000 cavalry of the Banner Army.

There is a saying that goes, "Cutting off someone's source of income is like killing their parents."

History has proven countless times that the interests of powerful groups are not so easily threatened; a single misstep can lead to bloodshed.

The only thing that hatamoto and gokenin relied on was their status as the "core military force of the shogunate".

They could have simply rested on their laurels and lived a life of leisure.

And now, you want to strip them of their privileged status?

They were already feeling uneasy when the Shinsengumi rose to power.

It was only because Aoto's prestige was so high, and because the Shinsengumi's headquarters were in the Kinai region, far from the hometowns of the Hatamoto and Gokenin (Kanto), that the opposition was somewhat smaller.

It is easy to imagine that when Tokugawa Iemochi announced the reform of the military system, the opposition was like a tsunami!

At that time, it won't be possible to suppress it simply by relying on Tokugawa Iemochi's status as shogun or Aoto's personal prestige.

It's no exaggeration to say that it's not impossible for someone to stand up and shout the slogan "Execute Qingdeng and cleanse the court of corrupt officials."

This is a matter of great importance; we must not act rashly.

Therefore, the messenger responsible for delivering the two letters was not an ordinary flying kicker, but an elite ninja of the new Oniwaban, ensuring that not a single word was leaked.

In short, if they wanted to reform the military system, there were only two options facing Aoto and Tokugawa Iemochi.

First, mobilize all the troops that Aoto can muster, including the Shinsengumi and the Hachioji's thousand-strong army, to wage a devastating civil war! Eradicate the 80,000 Hatamoto cavalry from the root and completely eradicate this festering sore!

The second approach is to use a slow, gentle method—like cutting flesh with a dull knife—to gradually diminish the influence of the 80,000 cavalry of the Hatamoto clan without provoking the other side.

The former is definitely not advisable.

If a civil war breaks out at this time, what will happen to the "Chōshū Expedition"? What will happen to the imperial court, which has just calmed down? What will happen to the Satsuma, Tosa, and Hizen domains, which are eyeing us covetously? What will happen to Maro's method of punishing his cronies?

Qing Deng did not believe that he currently possessed enough power to wage war against so many forces.

Furthermore, if the 80,000 cavalry of the Hatamoto were wiped out, would the Edo Shogunate still exist?

The 80,000 cavalrymen of the Hatamoto were the cornerstone of the Edo Shogunate's rule.

In other words, they were one of the embodiment of the ruling will of the Edo Shogunate.

"Eliminating 80,000 cavalrymen of the Hatamoto" is no different from "eliminating the Edo Shogunate".

How exactly should we proceed?

How can we minimize the cost of reform?

Recently, Aoto and Tokugawa Iemochi have been engaged in a lengthy discussion surrounding these two issues.

There were more than twenty letters exchanged between them—thankfully Japan is not large, and the distance from Edo to Otsu is not far, otherwise the round trip would have exhausted the messengers.

As of today, they have finally reached a consensus: to use the Hachioji Thousand-Man Unity Army and the "Jiangwu Army" as pilot units.

It's unrealistic to start with a comprehensive reform that would cause serious damage.

Therefore, we can only take it slowly.

Start with reforming one or two units first, and then gradually expand the scope, like cutting meat with a dull knife or boiling a frog in lukewarm water.

Although there will certainly be some people who will still complain, the noise will be much smaller, and they can be completely suppressed by the prestige of Aoto and Tokugawa Iemochi.

The Eight Princes and Thousands of People are united as a militia armed with half soldiers and half peasants.

Because they have been farmers for generations, and due to their local customs, they are not as corrupt as the hatamoto or gokenin. They are a truly good family unit, loyal and capable in combat, making them the perfect choice for the pilot unit.

The same applies to the "Jiangwu Army".

"Jiangwu Army" is the abbreviation for the new army of Jiangwu Institute.

Long ago, the Military Academy, under the orders of the shogunate, established and trained a new army with guns and cannons as its main weapons.

Unfortunately, due to various reasons such as funding shortages and malicious attacks by 80,000 bannermen, the development of the "Jiangwu Army" was quite tortuous, and it underwent several downsizings.

As of now, its total strength is around 500 people, and it is not considered a true Western-style army.

To put it simply, it is an "ancient army armed with advanced guns and cannons," with a lot of room for reform.

In conclusion, targeting these two units as the primary targets of military reform is the most appropriate choice.

While there's no guarantee that this approach will be effective, at the very least, having two Western-style armies skilled in firearms under one's command could significantly increase the chances of victory should a civil war break out in the future.

The letter that Qing Deng is currently studying mainly contains Tokugawa Iemochi's message to him: He should soon allocate resources to the Hachioji Thousand-Man Co-op and the "Jōmū Army" in order to achieve results within three months.

After reading the letter, Qingdeng silently closed it, looked up at the sky, let out a long breath, and murmured:

“Being the ‘Commander-in-Chief of the Army’ is definitely not an easy job…”

Since his promotion, Qingdeng has often felt that while his power has not expanded, the burden on his shoulders has become much heavier.

Just then, a waiter's voice suddenly rang out from outside the door:

"My lord, Shintaro Toujou, the Kyoto Censor, has arrived!"

Qing Deng paused for a moment, then quickly said:

"Yes, let him in quickly."

"Yes!"

After the Siege of Kyoto ended, the people who had fled from the war gradually returned to Kyoto.

This was supposed to be a good thing, but many criminals took the opportunity to occupy the roads and rob these people returning to the city.

Faced with such heinous acts, Qing Deng, as the garrison commander of the capital region, could not remain indifferent.

Since Shintaro Tojo took office as the Kyoto governor, he has been primarily responsible for maintaining public order in Kyoto.