I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

First came "astonishment," followed by a faint "annoyance" and "bewilderment"... Amidst these myriad emotions, a hint of "relief" flashed by.

Suddenly, the fat man swung his fist and pounded the prayer mat beneath him, gritting his teeth:

"Damn it, how could this be... He's still alive...!"

The tall man standing to the side chimed in:

"Tsk, he's really lucky to be alive. He suffered such serious injuries and still managed to survive..."

Apart from Yoshiki Ichibashi, all four people present looked indignant, and a gloomy atmosphere hung between them.

In recent days, while awaiting the results of Tokugawa Iemochi's treatment, the shogunate has been experiencing a mix of joy and sorrow.

It goes without saying who will be happy and who will be sad.

For the members of the "Hitotsubashi faction", this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!

They all eagerly awaited the outcome, hoping the treatment would fail and that Tokugawa Ieyasu would die quickly!

Once Tokugawa Iemochi dies, Hitotsubashi Yoshinobu can naturally emerge from seclusion and inherit the position of shogun!

At that time, the "One Bridge Faction" will be able to make a comeback and vent their pent-up anger!

Tokugawa Iemochi's rise to power made the "Nanki faction" extremely popular.

The rise of the "Nanki School" signifies the decline of the "Hitotsubashi School".

Faced with the suppression from the "Southern School," they had long been seething with anger, just waiting for the day they could unleash it.

Of course, all of the above is based on the fact that Tokugawa Iemochi is dead.

If he doesn't make room for Yoshinobu Hitotsubashi, he won't be able to become the new general.

Therefore, it is not hard to imagine how much the members of the "Hitotsubashi faction" were looking forward to the news of Tokugawa Iemochi's death.

Unfortunately, the greater their expectations, the greater their disappointment.

To them, the news that Tokugawa Iemochi was still alive was the most devastating piece of bad news they could hear.

Just as everyone was secretly fretting, the skinny man suddenly said in a low voice:

"Although Tokugawa Iemochi survived, it is said that his body has become very weak and he is unable to wake up."

Yoshiki Ichihashi suddenly raised an eyebrow.

"What did you say? Tokugawa Iemochi is in a deep sleep and hasn't woken up?"

The skinny man nodded slightly, then succinctly recounted everything he knew.

From Tokugawa Iemochi's "unconscious state" to the point that he "could only survive on water and thin porridge."

After hearing this, the fat man slapped his thigh and glared angrily at the skinny man:

"Why didn't you say something so important sooner!"

The skinny man was speechless and lowered his head in shame.

In an instant, this unexpected new message caused a strange change in the atmosphere at the scene.

The tall man stroked his chin, his tone playful:

"Tokugawa Iemochi has become a half-dead cripple... This is going to be a real problem..."

If Tokugawa Iemochi were to die, that would be the best outcome.

If he is still alive, then he can only accept his bad luck and continue to wait for the opportunity to retaliate.

Unfortunately, he found himself in a state between "life" and "death," neither fully alive nor completely dead...

This situation was completely unexpected by Yoshiki Hitotsubashi and the others.

The Buddhist hall became quiet both inside and out...

In this silence, the skinny man, the fat man, the tall man, and the short man looked at each other, staring at each other, engaging in a silent exchange.

A variety of gazes, each with its own distinct emotion, wandered through the air.

Yoshiki Hitotsubashi did not join in.

He lowered his head, staring blankly at the ground in front of his knees, looking neither like he was in a daze nor like he was in a daze.

A moment later, their "exchange" ended.

The fat man, the thin man, and the short man all looked bewildered and hesitant.

Only the tall man looked resolute, as if he had made up his mind.

Then he turned his head, staring straight at Yoshiki Ichihashi, and cleared his throat:

"Your Highness, in my opinion, Tokugawa Iemochi's coma might be a godsend!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Yoshiki Ichihashi seemed to have anticipated what he was about to say. He suddenly raised his hands, covered his ears tightly, and curled up into a ball.

"Shut up... I don't want to hear it..."

Ignoring Yoshinobu Hitotsubashi's wishes, the tall man continued speaking to himself:

"Since Tokugawa Iemochi is not dead, then let's kill him."

He paused here, took a deep breath, adjusted his expression and tone, and then said solemnly, word by word:

"Assassinate Tokugawa Iemochi! Make sure he never wakes up again!"

Yoshiki Hitotsubashi covered his ears tightly, unwilling to listen to these terrible words.

However... this was all for naught.

Although he had covered his ears, the tall man's voice still penetrated his palms and clearly entered his ears.

Upon hearing this, the skinny man, the fat man, and the short man all changed their expressions.

The fat man struck first:

"Hey! What nonsense are you talking about?!"

The skinny guy followed closely behind:

Do you know what you're saying?

The tall man crossed his arms and responded casually:

"Of course I know what I'm talking about. I'm not talking nonsense or joking. I'm very serious."

"You don't really intend to wait for Tokugawa Iemochi to die naturally, do you?"

"How long will we have to wait?"

"I don't want to be someone who waits passively for opportunities to come to me!"

"'Assassinating the general' was a risky move, but also a brilliant one."

"If we can successfully kill Tokugawa Iemochi, we can turn the tide of the entire game!"

His words left everyone present speechless.

At this moment, Yoshiki Hitotsubashi finally lowered his hands from his ears, muttering in a daze:

"Assassinate the general... How could I... How could I do such a treasonous thing..."

Yoshiki Hitotsubashi's weak attitude surprised Takao.

He gritted his teeth and said urgently:

"Lord Hitotsubashi, those who aspire to great things do not concern themselves with petty benevolence or righteousness! Moreover, Tokugawa Iemochi is our enemy!"

"..."

Yoshiki Hitotsubashi did not reply and remained silent.

Suddenly, the dwarf, who had been deep in thought since the beginning, spoke up:

"Your Highness, please hear me out!"

As he spoke, he bent down and bowed deeply to Yiqiao Qingxi, his hands supporting him on the ground, his forehead barely an inch off the ground:

"Your subject also believes that assassinating Tokugawa Iemochi is imperative!"

"Leaving aside my personal motives, let's talk about the greater good!"

"We are at a critical juncture!"

"Internally, there are treacherous villains from Satsuma and Choshu; externally, there are powerful bandits from England and Russia!"

"Tokugawa Iemochi is unconscious and has lost the ability to govern the country!"

"Therefore, we urgently need a wise and capable general to lead us!"

At this point, he suddenly raised his head, looking directly at Yoshiki Ichihashi with a burning gaze.

"Your Highness, we need you! The world needs you!"

"Your subject sincerely believes that you will be able to lead the shogunate out of its predicament!"

"Killing a current general is certainly cruel."

"In extraordinary times, extraordinary measures should be used!"

"The death of Tokugawa Iemochi will bring about the shogunate... no, it will bring about the rebirth of the nation!"

The tall man and the short man shared the same idea.

The two who had formed a united front fell silent, simply looking at Yoshinobu Hitotsubashi and quietly awaiting his reply.

The fat man and the thin man exchanged a glance—they both saw a deep hesitation on each other's faces—as if they wanted to say something, but were unwilling to speak.

Finally, they both turned to look at Yoshinobu Hitotsubashi, waiting for his reply.

Under the watchful eyes and expectant gaze of the crowd, Yoshiki Hitotsubashi, with an unpleasant expression, finally broke his silence:

"This is a very serious matter... Let me think about it some more."

Having said that, he grabbed the sword beside him and made as if to leave.

Upon seeing this, the dwarf immediately adopted an expression of indignant disappointment:

"Your Highness, please do not hesitate!"

"We all look forward to your rise to power and are willing to make any sacrifice for it!"