I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

The process of testing poison for the emperor was also subject to very complicated regulations.

After the steward had eaten the meal prepared by the general and others, and waited for a period of time to confirm that the food was not poisonous, the meal was officially handed over to the general and others.

For this reason, the general and his men could only eat cold food every day, and almost never had a hot meal.

Although they paid the price of eating cold dishes every meal, they successfully minimized the possibility of death from poisoning!

At first glance, "poisoning" also seems impractical.

However, Gao Lao and the others did not think so.

They believed that they had every opportunity to poison Tokugawa Iemochi!

The reason was simple: they were gambling—gambling that order in Edo Castle had not yet returned to normal after a fierce battle!

The previous battle brought Edo to a standstill, and many officials and servants who had gone there to seek refuge had not yet returned.

In this chaos, there might be an opportunity to take advantage of it!

In order to seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, Gao Lao and his men mobilized all the spies lurking in Edo Castle and ordered them to poison Tokugawa Iemochi's food at all costs!

They seized the opportunity with great precision, but... they ultimately underestimated the abilities of the Tenshōin.

Based on the intelligence they currently possess, Aoto and his group moved Tokugawa Iemochi to the Ooku (inner palace).

The Ooku is the territory of Tenshōin.

The main responsibility of the Ōmikado was to assist the shogun in managing the Ōoku (inner palace).

After years of effort, Tenshōin had already made the Ooku as impregnable as an iron fortress, making it extremely difficult for outside forces to infiltrate.

Previously, the Hitotsubashi faction had tried to plant spies in the Ooku (the inner palace).

Unfortunately, the women of the Ooku (inner palace) disliked the "Hitotsubashi faction" quite a bit.

The key figure of the "Hitotsubashi faction," Hitotsubashi Yoshinobu's biological father, and Tokugawa Nariaki, the former lord of the Mito Domain, once advocated cutting the budget of the Ooku (inner palace), severely offending the women of the Ooku.

After Tenshōin's efforts, the Hitotsubashi faction was left with no room to infiltrate the Ooku.

The previous battle had indeed severely damaged Edo Castle, turning it into a chaotic and disorderly city, much like a poorly managed marketplace.

Those who are not interested in working take the opportunity to slack off.

Those who are determined to get things done don't know what to do.

Tenshōin knew that it was absolutely impossible to restore order to Edo Castle in a short period of time.

Therefore, she prioritized the two most important departments: the Ooku and the Imperial Kitchen.

As long as these two places are well taken care of, Tokugawa Iemochi's life will be safe!

With her exceptional skills, she restored the two departments to their former stability and significantly increased their alert levels within a single day!

No matter how hard the spies of the "Hitotsubashi faction" tried, they could not get close to Tokugawa Iemochi's food.

At this point, the plan to "kill Tachibana Aoto and Tokugawa Iemochi through safe and discreet means" was no longer feasible.

In that case, only one last resort remains—launch a military coup! Seize power with sword and fire!

This move is undoubtedly a risky move, but once they get through this thorny path, a broad road lies ahead of them!

Tokugawa Iemochi is unconscious, Tachibana Aoto is seriously injured, and both of them are currently in Edo, which is the opportune moment.

The Akasaka Gate was reduced to ruins, and a huge loophole appeared in the "Thirty-six Appearances," which was a geographical advantage.

There is no significant difference in combat strength between the two sides; this is due to the human element.

With favorable timing, location, and human factors all in place, why wouldn't we give it our all?

Therefore, Gao Lao and others advised Yoshiki Ichihashi to raise an army and mobilize the masses to uphold justice!

In any military coup, the first thing to do before launching an attack is to seize the political high ground.

An impeccable political high ground is worth more than a million lions.

Therefore, even if it is fabricated, a reasonable and convincing reason for sending troops must be created.

After careful discussion, Gao Lao and others finally decided on the banner of "punishing the traitors of the Orange Kingdom".

Tokugawa Iemochi was already dead, and Tachibana Aoto attempted to usurp the throne. Therefore, he falsely claimed that Tokugawa Iemochi was still alive, using this as cover to secretly prepare for his power grab. The fact that the Shinsengumi controlled the "Thirty-Six Imperial Appeals" is indisputable evidence of this. To eliminate the traitor, restore order to the shogunate, and restore peace to the land, Hitotsubashi-kun personally led a large army to attack Tachibana Aoto – this was the "coup script" meticulously designed by Takashi and his associates.

At first, Yoshiki Hitotsubashi was very hesitant and couldn't make up his mind for a long time.

After much persuasion from Gao Lao and others, with a few even breaking down in tears, he finally gave a definite answer after a long while.

"...Very well, in that case, please prepare yourselves for certain death!"—At that moment, Yoshinobu Hitotsubashi said this in a powerful and resounding voice.

In recent years, neither Tokugawa Iemochi's seizure of the shogunate nor Hitotsubashi Yoshinobu's forced retirement has discouraged the core members of the "Hitotsubashi faction"!

Under the leadership of Yoshiki Hitotsubashi, the "Hitotsubashi faction" has been constantly building up its strength! They haven't slackened for a single day!

They emulated the Sima family of the Three Kingdoms period, secretly training loyal and courageous warriors who were scattered throughout the land.

To seize power by force, the difficulty was not "how to attack Edo Castle" or "how to search for Tokugawa Iemochi in Edo Castle"; these were minor matters.

The real challenge was how to gather assassins right under the noses of the "Southern School"!

If the "Southern Faction" learns that they are mobilizing their forces, they will lose the initiative and become subject to their control in every way.

Regarding how to get rid of the "Nanki Faction's" spies, Yoshiki Hitotsubashi and others came up with a brilliant idea: take advantage of the current "Great Reconstruction of Edo"!

Edo at that time was full of construction sites, and countless young men came from other places, just to find a well-paid job in Edo.

Yoshiki Hitotsubashi and his men disguised their assassins as workers, thus evading the surveillance of the "Nanki Faction" and allowing the assassins to enter Edo in a straightforward manner.

Next, clever confidants would be disguised as nightingales and peddlers, acting as "messengers".

These professions all have one thing in common: they can walk openly down the street without arousing suspicion.

Thus, through a series of ingenious arrangements, Yoshinobu Hitotsubashi and his men successfully assembled the largest force they could muster—two thousand elite soldiers!

The number of people was not large, but it was enough to attack Edo Castle, which had few defenders!

Furthermore, they have a backup plan.

While secretly conscripting suicide soldiers, Hitotsubashi Yoshinobu sent orders to the domains of Fukui, Mito, and others, demanding that they mobilize their troops and come to Edo to join the battle!

The Fukui Domain, the Mito Domain, and other domains were all staunch allies of the "Hitotsubashi faction."

Yoshiki Hitotsubashi was certain that these domains would respond to his call once they received his secret orders.

According to the original plan, Yoshinobu Hitotsubashi and others intended to wait a while longer until reinforcements from the domains of Fukui and Mito arrived before formally launching the coup.

However, just yesterday, they received a piece of intelligence that made them very uneasy: Qin Jin Domain in the capital region was making strange moves!

Kondo Isami, who is currently stationed in the Hatatsu Domain, seems to be gathering troops!

Moreover, the Aizu Domain in the northeast is no longer as peaceful as before.

What this means is self-evident—the "Southern School" is also gathering a large army!

Although they were somewhat prepared, Yoshiki Hitotsubashi and the others were still deeply worried after hearing this series of bad news.

Whether their reinforcements would arrive first, or the elite troops of the Shinsengumi and Aizu army would arrive first... Hitotsubashi Yoshinobu and the others dared not gamble.

At present, judging from the data, the "One Bridge Faction" with two thousand elite soldiers has a certain advantage.

If we start fighting immediately, we might be able to strike first.

Therefore, they had no choice but to change their plans—to launch a coup ahead of schedule! On January 1st of the new year, they would fight to the death against the "Nanki Faction"... and against Tachibana Aoto!

Yoshiki Hitotsubashi and the others had done everything in their power and done all they could.

The rest... we can only leave it to fate!

At that moment, Gao Lao suddenly noticed the strange look on Ichihashi Yoshiki's face.

He looked at the other person intently, then said quietly:

"Lord Hitotsubashi, once the arrow is released, there's no turning back..."

Before he could finish speaking, Yoshiki Hitotsubashi interrupted him in a detached tone, devoid of any emotion:

"I see."

After he finished speaking, he paused, half-closed his eyes, and took a deep breath.

Then, his deep voice echoed in the room:

"There is no turning back now. It's either victory or death!"

……

……

Edo Castle, Sannomaru—

"My lord! My lord!"

Shimada Kai, covered in burlap, rushed into Aoto's room.

"The rebels are attacking! Our forces are engaged in battle with the enemy at Akasaka-Mikado!"

Qingdeng nodded slightly:

"Yes, I heard you."

As he spoke, he turned to look in the direction of Akasaka Mikado.

"Any movement from the other gates?"

"Not at the moment!"

"...Shimada-kun, come with me."

As he spoke, he grabbed the Vairocana pendant beside his leg and stood up abruptly.

"My lord, where are we going?"

"Akasaka Mikado."

"My lord, this won't do! Master Beifang specifically instructed that you are in no condition to fight! Once your wounds reopen, even Hua Tuo reborn won't be able to save you!"

“I know. I’m just going to the front lines to oversee the battle; I don’t intend to fight myself. There’s no need to be nervous.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he darted past the other person like the wind and arrived in the corridor in the blink of an eye.

"My lord! Wait for me!"