I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"Lord Orochi! It's dangerous here! And you shouldn't be out in the wind for too long! Please go back to your cabin!"

As she spoke, she grabbed the haori in her hand and draped it over the back of the Yamata no Orochi.

"unnecessary!"

The Yamata no Orochi shrugged and shook off the haori that the Wet Woman had draped over her shoulders.

"I feel great right now! I'm all warm and cozy!"

"The long-planned overthrow of the shogunate will finally be carried out tonight!"

"How could I not be in the 'chief' position at such a wonderful moment? Hahahaha!"

Having said that, he raised his right arm, pointed to the shore that was so close at hand, and shouted with great force:

"Charge! Land on Nobi! Toll the death knell for the Shogunate!"

……

……

At this very moment—

Flagship, cabin—

Although this hold is specifically designed for cargo, it could also be used to carry people.

After a simple renovation of the cabin, some members of the Special Forces lived there.

The roar of the waves could be heard repeatedly from outside the cabin.

The candles inside the cabin emitted a weak, dim light.

The atmosphere was oppressive... No one spoke in the entire cabin, except for occasional groans and vomiting.

Anyone who has ever traveled by boat knows that it is a skill.

Some people have a very high "affinity" for ships and the sea.

No matter how the ship rocked or how turbulent the waves were, he ate with gusto and showed no discomfort whatsoever.

Of course, these exceptionally gifted individuals are only a very small minority.

Most people would feel extremely uncomfortable if they boarded a ship and went out to sea without training.

In comparison, the sea is relatively calm tonight.

There was neither wind nor rain.

Even so, the constant waves and troughs were enough to give the members of the Special Forces in the cabin a run for their money.

First, my body floated upwards, then fell downwards, and so on. The intense feeling of weightlessness dominated my internal organs, and I had a faint urge to urinate.

The resulting brain swelling and dizziness are unbearable.

"Ugh! Ugh! Ugh! Ugh! Ugh! Ugh! Ugh!"

"Hey! Damn it! You threw up on me!"

"What did you eat today, you little brat? It smells terrible!"

In addition to the oppressive atmosphere, the air in this cabin was also filled with a foul, sour smell.

Vomit was everywhere... and people who had lost consciousness due to seasickness were everywhere...

Even the physically strong swordsman Kogoro Katsura could not withstand the power of nature.

"Ugh...! Ugh...!"

He was sitting cross-legged in the corner of the cabin, his face as white as paper, his cheeks devoid of any color, and his features contorted in pain.

Although he didn't vomit as much as the others, anyone could see that he was in terrible condition and probably couldn't even stand up.

"Come on, Gui, apply this ointment to your temples."

Takasugi Shinsaku suddenly walked up to Katsura Kogoro and handed him the ointment.

Katsura Kogoro, bewildered, took the tube of ointment, glanced at it, and weakly asked:

"Ointment...? What kind of ointment is this...?"

Shinsaku Takasugi shrugged:

"I don't know either. Inoue-kun just gave it to me, saying that rubbing it on your temples can effectively relieve seasickness."

Inoue-kun——Inoue Wenduo.

In 1863, Inoue Monta, along with five others including Ito Shunsuke, was sent by Choshu to study in England.

After the outbreak of the Shimonoseki War, Inoue Monta and Ito Shunsuke rushed back to Japan, advocating military preparedness and submission, and attempting to conduct peace negotiations.

Their brief period of studying abroad changed their thinking, transforming them from "blindly resisting foreigners" to "opening up the country and making progress."

People like them are destined to be rejected by radicals.

Not only did they fail to prevent the outbreak of the Xiaguan War, but they were also denounced by radicals as "traitors who betray their country."

Afterwards, Inoue Monta was unfortunately assassinated by radicals and was seriously injured and on the verge of death. He barely managed to survive.

Due to the deliberate suppression by radicals, the two were never given important positions.

It wasn't until the radicals fell that they finally got their chance to shine.

Currently, they have become the key individuals that Gui and Gaoshan are grooming.

This operation is of great importance, as it relates to the future destiny of Changzhou.

After repeated discussions, Katsura Kogoro and Takasugi Shinsaku decided to leave Ito Shunsuke in Hagi Castle to oversee the overall situation.

As for Inoue Monta, he went to sea with them to fight!

Upon hearing that the medicine was sent by Inoue Wenda, Katsura Kogoro had no doubts. He simply unscrewed the tube, squeezed out the ointment, and applied it to his temples.

In an instant, a minty coolness spread from his temples to his forehead and the back of his head, and he immediately felt much better.

Slightly more alert, Katsura Kogoro raised his gaze to Takasugi Shinsaku beside him and asked in a half-joking tone:

"Takasugi-kun, are you one of those people who are born blessed by the sea and never get seasick?"

After hearing this, Shinsaku Takasugi chuckled a few times:

"Hmph! How could that be!"

"I'm just more experienced than you."

"Have you forgotten? Three years ago, I traveled across the ocean to Shanghai."

Katsura Kogoro gave a soft "Oh".

“I almost forgot… there really was such a thing…”

In the first year of Bunkyū (1861), the feudal lord Mōri Yoshichika (Mōri Takachika) allowed Shinsaku to inspect overseas.

In February of the following year, when the shogunate dispatched the "Chitose Maru" to Shanghai for trade, he went on the ship with Godai Tomoaki of the Satsuma Domain and Nakamura no Suke of the Saga Domain.

In early June, "Chitose Maru" arrived in Shanghai.

During his two-month stay in Shanghai, Shinsaku Takasugi took every possible measure to observe the situation in China.

Looking at the foreign merchant ships navigating and competing in the port; looking at the rows of foreign trading houses on the streets; looking at the squads of foreign sailors disembarking from warships to carry out their missions; looking at the Waibaidu Bridge, which is only open to foreigners free of charge... Takasugi Shinsaku felt deeply worried.

This trip to Shanghai completely changed Shinsaku Takasugi.

He transformed from a radical, much like Genzui Kusaka, into an enlightened individual, much like Kogoro Katsura.

In August of that year, as soon as Takasugi Shinsaku returned to Nagasaki, he took it upon himself to hastily sign an agreement with Dutch merchants to purchase warships on behalf of the domain. However, this was not only rejected by the domain, but also became a laughing stock.

"Sigh...I really didn't expect this..."

Memories flooded back... As Takasugi Shinsaku sat down next to Katsura Kogoro, a look of deep emotion crossed his face.

"That rascal who used to be ridiculed every time he suggested 'purchasing warships to strengthen coastal defense' is now embarking on a journey to 'conquer Edo and destroy Tokugawa' in a black ship."

"Hahaha! To personally witness such a heroic act is truly worthy of my title of 'The Madman of the Orient'!"

Black Ships – Due to the influence of the “Black Ships Incident,” even 11 years later, many people still refer to steamships emitting black smoke as “black ships.”

Katsura Kogoro listened quietly, smiled slightly, then turned his head and looked westward.

"I wonder how Changzhou is doing now..."

Takasugi Shinsaku tilted his head and said calmly:

"If nothing unexpected happens, the Mu army should have already broken through Yizhou Pass and reached Zhou Nan."

Katsura Kogoro let out a long breath.

"Then we'd better speed things up... We must take Edo before Hagi Castle falls. At this point, there's no room for retreat or backing down...!"

Shinsaku Takasugi nodded slightly.

"Yeah, that's right... We can't turn back now, we can only keep going down this 'path of demons' to the very end...!"

……

……

The only outpost on the shore that could be considered "coastal defense" has been bombarded by artillery fire.

Under the intense bombardment, the shore was now devoid of anything but sand, broken wood, and charred human remains.

Therefore, Katsura Kogoro and his men landed with exceptional ease, as if they were taking a stroll in their own backyard.

The three warships approached the shore effortlessly.

Finally, they could return to land and get rid of seasickness. With this joy, everyone rushed to climb over the rope ladder on the side of the ship, board the small boat, and wade through the water and rush down the beach, yelling with excitement.

After landing, they quickly and efficiently formed ranks and arrayed themselves.

"Stop dawdling! Run! Everyone run! Line up now!"

"Ugh... damn it... my head is still spinning... let me catch my breath..."

"Stop complaining! There's no time for you to rest now!"

"We must act quickly! We must seize Nagoya Castle before the Owari Domain can react! If we don't get the supplies from Nagoya Castle, we'll all starve to death in a few days!"

Nagoya Castle – the domain headquarters of the Owari Domain.