I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

With such an expression and such words, Saigo Kichinosuke could not ignore it.

Then, these scenes were etched into the screen.

After setting down his teacup, Sakamoto Ryoma straightened his posture slightly:

"Lord Saigo, I will be frank: please form an alliance with Choshu! Let us establish the 'Satsuma-Choshu Alliance'! And then unite the entire western province! Let us jointly attack the Shogunate!"

"'The Saga-Chang Alliance'?"

Saigo Kinosuke raised an eyebrow, his expression playful.

Longma nodded vigorously:

"That's right!"

"The shogunate is a rotten tree with decaying roots."

"Even pruning and fertilizing cannot revive it!"

"When faced with an irreparable rotten tree, what we should do is uproot it and then plant a new one!"

"Without overthrowing the shogunate, this country... Japan will never be reborn!"

"To achieve this great undertaking, the unity and cooperation of the various vassal states of the West are indispensable!"

"Among the various domains of the Western Kingdom, Choshu is the most important! Establishing the 'Satsuma-Choshu Alliance' should be the top priority!"

"Saigo-kun, Satsuma, as the most powerful domain in the west, should stand up and fight for the people!"

"If you do not mind, I, Sakamoto Ryoma, am willing to act as your envoy, to contact the various domains of the Western Lands, and to contribute my modest efforts to the establishment of the 'Western Lands Alliance'!"

“I do not belong to any faction. The Tosa Domain has long since expelled me, so it is most appropriate for me to serve as the envoy!”

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Chapter 1031 Defeating Tachibana Aoto, Establishing an Unparalleled Merit! [5000]

In order to facilitate the implementation of the "honoring and rebellion" activities, Sakamoto Ryoma resolutely broke away from the feudal domain in 1862.

According to the laws of the Edo period, it was a serious crime for a samurai to desert his domain. Not only would he be executed, but his entire family would also be implicated.

After Sakamoto Ryoma broke away from his domain, his sister Otome was forced to divorce, and his sister Sakae, who had given him a famous sword, committed suicide out of guilt. His elder brother spent a large sum of money to finally escape the disaster.

From then on, he never returned to his hometown, nor did he ever see his family again.

Legally speaking, after leaving his domain, Sakamoto Ryoma was no longer a Tosa native; he was now a true "free man" who did not belong to any faction.

While Sakamoto Ryoma delivered his impassioned speech, Saigo Kinosuke remained calm throughout, his face showing neither joy nor sorrow.

After the former finished speaking, the latter's reaction was very calm, almost without any ripples.

However, a word that the other party had just mentioned caught his attention.

"Japan……"

Saigo Kichinosuke murmured softly, as if deep in thought.

The New Book of Tang records: "In the first year of Xianheng (670), an envoy was sent to congratulate the pacification of Goryeo. He gradually learned the Chinese language and disliked the name Wa (倭), so he changed it to Japan. The envoy himself said that the country was named after the place where the sun rises.

In a letter to Emperor Yang of Sui in 607, Prince Shotoku shamelessly wrote, "The Emperor of the Land of the Rising Sun sends a letter to the Emperor of the Land of the Setting Sun."

Although the name "Japan" has existed since ancient times, people today do not have a unified understanding that "we are compatriots".

To put it more bluntly: people from Choshu will feel like they are from Choshu, and people from Satsuma will feel like they are from Satsuma, without having the idea that "we are all Japanese".

Since the Warring States period, prolonged division has led to alienation among the people.

The shogunate and the various domains were independent political entities. Although they spoke the same language and used the same script, they had no concept of "unification".

Therefore, when Sakamoto Ryoma made such a bold statement—not for personal gain, nor for the benefit of a particular domain, but based on the newer and more far-reaching concept of "Japan"—Saigo Kichinosuke couldn't help but feel a sense of novelty.

About 10 seconds later, he smiled and said, half-jokingly:

"Sakamoto-kun, what's wrong with you? You've given up being a businessman and become a strategist?"

Sakamoto Ryoma remained unmoved and solemn in the face of Saigo Kinosuke's teasing:

“Saigo-kun, I’m very serious, so please don’t joke with me now.”

Seeing that the other party's attitude was very firm, Saigo Kinosuke consciously put away his smile.

He pursed his lips, crossed his hands and tucked them into his sleeves, and said softly:

“Sakamoto-kun, you are not the first person to propose ‘establishing a Western Alliance’ to me.”

“Ichi-kun made the same suggestion to me a while ago.”

Ijichi-kun—also known as Ijichi Ryuemon, the strategist of the Satsuma army.

"What you said makes a lot of sense."

"To facilitate the Satsuma-Choshu Alliance, and then to establish the Western Provinces Alliance. In this way, we will have the military strength to fight against the Shogunate."

"but--"

Upon hearing the word "but," Sakamoto Ryoma immediately perked up, held his breath, and listened attentively.

As we all know, what comes before “but” is all nonsense and polite talk, while what follows is the real topic.

Kichinosuke Saigo stared intently at Ryoma Sakamoto, his eyes sharp.

Why should I insist on establishing the 'Western Alliance'?

Let me put it more clearly—why do I have to oppose the shogunate?

"At present, Tachibana Seito has expelled the Hitotsubashi faction, subdued the domains of Oshu, and seized power."

"The shogunate, the Hatatsu Domain, and its staunch allies such as the Aizu Domain and the Kuwana Domain... Tachibana Aoto now controls half of the country."

"His power has reached an unprecedented peak in nearly a century."

“Even if we establish the ‘Western Alliance,’ we may not be able to defeat such a powerful enemy.”

Why should I fight such a dangerous battle?

"Why don't I comply with Tachibana Aoto's request?"

At this point, Saigo Kinosuke paused for a moment.

After a moment's thought, he continued:

"To be honest, just a few days ago, Tachibana Seiden's envoy came to visit."

Upon hearing this, Sakamoto Ryoma's facial expression underwent a subtle change.

Although surprised, he kept quiet and continued to listen.

"The conditions proposed by the other party are very simple."

"As long as Satsuma can remain neutral and not side with either side, the shogunate will not hold past transgressions against them and will even reward them handsomely."

"The benefits offered by Tachibana Seiden include, but are not limited to, promotions in official rank and the division of Choshu's territory."

“If Satsuma were willing to side with the shogunate, the rewards would be even greater.”

"So, Sakamoto-kun, did you understand?"

“Even if we remain neutral, Satsuma will still be the most powerful vassal state in the West, and our interests will not be harmed in any way.”

"Now, Sakamoto-kun, please tell me, what reason do I have to establish the 'Western Country Alliance' and rebel against the shogunate?"

After speaking, he leaned back slightly, raised his chin, and struck a pose as if to say, "Let's see how you respond."

Sakamoto Ryoma remained calm in the face of Saigo Kinosuke's aggressive statement.

He calmly countered with:

"Saigo-kun, have you read Su Xun's 'On the Six States'?"

Before the other person could respond, he began reciting to himself:

"To appease Qin with land is like carrying firewood to put out a fire; the firewood will never be exhausted and the fire will never be extinguished!"

"The six states of Guandong thought that as long as they offered up land and bribed Qin, they could obtain peace and prosperity, but in the end, they were defeated one by one by Qin!"

"Lord Saigo, how can you guarantee that Qingdeng is not an ambitious King of Qin?"

"If Choshu falls, the western provinces will completely lose the ability to rival the shogunate!"

"At that time, whether it's Satsuma, Tosa, or Hizen, all the western domains will become meat on his chopping block! They will be at his mercy!"

"As long as Ju Qingdeng has the will, he can easily lead his army westward and completely wipe out the Western Kingdom, just like the Qin Kingdom back then!"

"The Qin state destroyed the six states, and the Qin Jin vassal state eliminated the Western State... Ah, it's all 'Qin state,' what a wonderful coincidence."

“Lord Saigo, your subservience will only lead Satsuma to repeat the mistakes of Qi—the people of Qi never bribed Qin, yet they were among the five states that perished!”

Sakamoto Ryoma's tone was very harsh and his words were very sharp; he was practically pointing his finger at Saigo Kinosuke and cursing him.

However, the latter remained unmoved.

He stared at Sakamoto Ryoma expressionlessly.

Although he didn't say anything, his expression... seemed to be urging: What? Are you done? Is that all you wanted to say?

Seeing that the other party did not react, Sakamoto Ryoma frowned slightly, a hint of anxiety flashing in his eyes.

Suddenly, as if he had made up his mind, he took a deep breath:

"Saigo-kun, is this all the magnanimity you have? Are you really content to be just a foil for Tachibana Seito?"

Upon hearing this, Saigo Kinosuke finally reacted—his pupils contracted slightly, and his eyes flickered.

His changing expression was observed by Sakamoto Ryoma.

Seeing this, Sakamoto Ryoma knew his words had worked, so he quickly continued the conversation:

“When I was still a wandering ronin who had left his domain, I traveled through many villages and towns.”

"Wherever I go, I always hear the people say: Now is the era of 'Niou' Tachibana Aoto!"