I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"I firmly believe in Hitotsubashi's character! I also firmly believe that he can restore the former glory of the shogunate and us samurai!"

"No matter what, I will stand with Hitotsubashi! Anyone who wants to fight alongside me, come with me!"

Having said that, the samurai said no more, nor did he linger. Without hesitation, he turned and left, heading towards Akasaka Mikado.

His friends remained where they were, looking at each other in bewilderment.

Before long, more than a dozen people caught up with the warrior!

On their way to Akasaka Mikado, they kept meeting like-minded companions.

Are you also going to support Hitotsubashi-san?

“That’s right! The ‘Southern School’ is acting against the natural order and fawning on the barbarians! I’ve long disliked the ‘Southern School’!”

"I've had a feeling something was off about Tachibana Seiden for a long time! He must be a traitor!"

"The time has come to achieve fame and fortune!"

……

……

Edo, a certain samurai family's residence—

"Shameless! Utterly shameless! That Yoshinobu Hitotsubashi is so audacious! He actually dared to launch a coup!"

"Don't get excited. For us, this might be a great opportunity."

"what do you mean?"

"It might be a good thing to make Hitotsubashi our new general! Judging from Hitotsubashi's current attitude, he has no intention of forming a 'new army'!"

*******

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PS: The end of this chapter actually reveals the biggest advantage that the "Hitotsubashi faction" possesses, and this advantage should not be underestimated.

Chapter 978 Mito Domain Joins the War! [4300]

"Rebuild the shogunate's order!"

"We will never allow the 'Southern School' to continue its reckless behavior!"

"Those who refuse to continue wallowing in despair, join me in fighting with all your might!"

……

Similar shouts echoed throughout Edo.

Countless samurai—mostly sons of high-ranking officials with family titles and stipends—shouted "Support Hitotsubashi!" and "Slay the Tachibana thieves!" and surged toward Akasaka Mikado to join the battle!

[Note: Direct Advisors: The term for samurai directly under the shogunate, namely hatamoto and gokenin.]

At first glance, it seems that the "Nanji School" has lost all popular support, while the "Yitiao School" is the popular choice.

In fact, that's not the case at all!

This situation arises purely from self-interest.

The discord between Tokugawa Iemochi and his direct subordinates is common knowledge and no secret.

For the direct associates, the most desirable situation is naturally "unchanged".

No matter who is the General Who Conquers the Barbarians, and no matter what kind of turmoil occurs, as long as their interests are not harmed, they will be satisfied.

Maintain the existing system, let them continue to enjoy their privileges, and continue to live a life of decadent bliss.

And this is precisely what Tokugawa Iemochi hated most.

He has always hated the corrupt and decadent sons of the direct subordinates.

Since taking office, one of his major policy directions has been to eliminate the political influence of his direct advisors and the financial burden caused by their extravagant lifestyles and lack of participation in infrastructure development.

The deeply entrenched interests of the "directly affiliated group" cannot be brought down by mere tricks.

The shotgun cannot hit its own trigger... Self-improvement alone cannot cure this chronic problem.

Tokugawa Iemochi understood very well that if he wanted to completely suppress the direct advisors, what he needed was "reform," not "improvement"!

Since this "mountain of accumulated excrement" cannot be cleaned up, then we can only build a new one.

The "formation of a new army" that Tokugawa Iemochi has been vigorously promoting in recent years is a concrete realization of this idea.

The formation of a new army... Since the "Black Ships Incident," this matter has been mentioned countless times and implemented many times, but it was always shelved due to various unforeseen circumstances.

However, with Hitotsubashi Yoshinobu's retirement and Aoto's rapid rise, Tokugawa Iemochi's authority grew day by day.

Several months ago, when Tokugawa Iemochi mentioned "forming a new army" again, he already had the high spirit of "being determined to accomplish this task".

In fact, with his dedicated resources and personal supervision, the military building process indeed progressed rapidly.

Other things are one thing, but the formation and promotion of the new army is a real violation of the interests of the Direct Staff, and even their fundamental interests!

In name only, the Direct Advisors were the regular army of the shogunate.

If any war breaks out, they will be conscripted to fight for the shogunate.

If we have a new army, then what's the point of having a direct staff?

Now that a more capable new army has emerged, it's only a matter of time before the old army is gradually marginalized!

The cornerstone of the privileged status of the direct advisors was their exalted position as "the regular army of the shogunate".

In other words, the formation of the new army was digging up the very roots of the direct military command!

Once the new army is fully formed and successfully deployed, the influence and presence of the Direct Staff will inevitably be greatly reduced—that's for sure!

Their core interests have been violated... How can the children of the direct staff tolerate this?

In conclusion, the anxiety and frustration of the children of direct subordinates are understandable.

Tokugawa Iemochi sought reform, while the direct advisors only wanted to maintain the existing system... There was simply no room for negotiation between the two sides.

This is a conflict that cannot be eased simply by spending some money or saying some nice words.

This is an irreconcilable and fundamental contradiction!

As a result, more and more of his direct subordinates came to hate Tokugawa Iemochi.

They used the pretext of "unauthorized alteration of ancestral rules" and "disruption of the established order" to slander Tokugawa Iemochi to the extreme.

Under the influence of the saying "hate the crow because of the crow," some people even came to hate Qingdeng.

As for why they hate Aoto, their reason is that "Aoto corrupted Tokugawa Iemochi! His Shinsengumi was too powerful, which led Tokugawa Iemochi to have the mistaken idea of ​​'vigorously promoting the new army'!"

Gradually, they came to a consensus: if Tokugawa Iemochi continues to rule, our loyal supporters might really be gone!

Tokugawa Iemochi must be removed from power!

However, it is obvious that it is impossible to defeat Tokugawa Iemochi by fighting alone.

Only by establishing a leader who can unite and command them can they compete with Tokugawa Iemochi.

A leader who could rival Tokugawa Iemochi... there was no other like him besides Hitotsubashi Yoshinobu.

From any perspective, Yoshinobu Hitotsubashi is the ideal leader for the children of the Direct Military Advisors.

First of all, from the very beginning, the "Hitotsubashi faction" has presented itself as a conservative.

The Hitotsubashi faction advocated "expelling the barbarians, restoring the 'seclusion edict,' and returning the shogunate to its former 'right track'"—which happened to coincide with the direct advisors' ideals.

Secondly, Yoshiki Ichibashi was known for his virtue.

Even now, many people still insist that Hitotsubashi Yoshinobu's talent surpasses that of Tokugawa Iemochi, clamoring that "if Hitotsubashi Yoshinobu were to become shogun, he would definitely achieve far more brilliant results than Tokugawa Iemochi."

Finally, Yoshinobu Hitotsubashi's biological father was Tokugawa Nariaki, the former lord of the Mito Domain.

Tokugawa Nariaki was a well-known conservative.

He opposed all reform proposals, believing that only by adhering to the ancestral rules could the world enjoy lasting peace and stability.

Although Tokugawa Nariaki is long dead, his spirit lives on in the hearts of countless comrades.

Influenced by him, his son Yoshinobu Hitotsubashi became a kind of "spiritual totem" for the conservatives.

Although the current battle was sudden, the astute officers all noticed that this was a golden opportunity to remove Tokugawa Iemochi from power and install Hitotsubashi-kun in the new position!

What the truth is is completely irrelevant.

They didn't care whether Tokugawa Iemochi was dead or not, nor did they care whether Tachibana Aoto was a traitor.

They only care about whether their own staple crops can survive!

As long as the "Nanki Faction" is defeated and Edo Castle is captured, Tokugawa Iemochi will be doomed, even if he doesn't die! Tachibana Aoto will be labeled a traitor even if he isn't!

Thus, the scene of "countless direct staff rushing to Akasaka-Mikado to reinforce Hitotsubashi Army" came into being.

Ultimately, it all comes down to profit.

The claims that "King Hitotsubashi was a wise ruler" and "Iemochi is dead, Yoshinobu should be the successor" are all just excuses used to cover up their despicable acts.

Of course, not all direct subordinates wanted to oppose Tokugawa Iemochi.

Some of the direct subordinates upheld the principles of "loyalty and righteousness" and were unwilling to betray the general.

Unfortunately, all of these loyal advisors who supported Tokugawa Iemochi and were willing to fight for him had fought bravely in the previous "Battle of Edo Castle" and suffered considerable casualties.

Those who hated Tokugawa Iemochi all chose to passively avoid battle after the start of the "Battle of Edo Castle".

As soon as the Faki coalition launched its attack, they would either run away immediately or simply play dead, thus surviving unscathed.

There are very few direct advisors left who stand with Tokugawa Iemochi...

There are still many direct subordinates who are sworn enemies of Tokugawa Iemochi...

At first glance, it seems to give people the false impression that the "Southern School" has lost the support of the people and is isolated.

……

……

Edo Castle, Akasaka Gate—