I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"Sakamoto Ryoma! You've gone too far!"

"Don't think that just because you're Mr. Gui's friend we won't dare to do anything to you!"

Those who stood up in anger, those who glared angrily... the anger of the crowd was rising rapidly, and some even had their swords drawn.

Seeing this, Nakaoka Shintaro secretly groaned and got up to persuade him.

"Please calm down! Ryoma is outspoken; he absolutely did not mean to mock Choshu..."

Before Shintaro Nakaoka could finish speaking, Ryoma Sakamoto suddenly interrupted him:

"No, Shintaro, I was indeed mocking Choshu!"

"I thought that after suffering so much, the talents of Changzhou would have learned their lesson and would no longer be as arrogant as before."

"I never expected you'd still be going around in circles!"

"Where do you get the audacity to say 'Changzhou will not perish'?"

"I ask you, do you have an elite force that can defeat the Shinsengumi?"

"I ask you, do you have any swordsmen who can rival 'Nioh' and 'Tenken'?"

"I ask you, do you have enough territory to drag down the Shogunate army?"

"I ask you, do you have equipment advanced enough to suppress the Mongol army?"

"I ask you, when have you ever won a single victory against the formidable might of the Mongol army?!"

At the end, Sakamoto Ryoma suddenly raised his voice, exuding a powerful aura.

His five consecutive questions were so powerful that they stunned everyone present.

For a moment, Sakamoto Ryoma became the sole center and focus of the room.

Before anyone could respond, he continued speaking:

"Too ashamed to answer, right?"

"Choshu today is no match for the shogunate at all!"

"Aren't those repeated defeats and the crushing defeats by Tachibana Seiden enough to wake you up?"

"The previous 'Chōshū Campaign' was purely a matter of luck. The instability in the rear of the shogunate forced Tachibana Seito to personally lead the Shinsengumi back to reinforce the area, which gave Chōshū a precious chance to catch its breath."

"But what about next time? And the time after that? Will you be so lucky again?"

"I understand that you cannot bear to face the enormous gap between Choshu and the Shogunate!"

"But no matter how much you deceive yourself, you should never let your delusions override reality!"

What's the point of just shouting "Changzhou will not perish" here?

"Without Satsuma's assistance, Choshu, fighting alone, would surely perish—that's the reality!"

"If you think what I said is wrong, then come and cut off my head!"

"Take this as a lesson for me, for naively believing that the Choshu samurai could succeed!"

"You may not be able to take Tachibana Aoto's head, but taking the head of a mere ronin like me should be easy, right?"

After saying that, Sakamoto Ryoma lowered his head slightly, brushed aside his messy hair, and exposed the back of his neck so that the Choshu samurai could have a more convenient angle for slashing.

The Choshu samurai present were mostly standing behind Sakamoto Ryoma.

They only needed to step forward and draw their swords to easily cut off Sakamoto Ryoma's head.

Shintaro Nakaoka, who was watching all this, swallowed hard.

He was terrified that someone in a fit of rage might actually chop off Sakamoto Ryoma's head.

In fact, he had already keenly noticed that several people were already itching to make a move.

He silently gathered his strength, his right hand stealthily reaching for the wakizashi at his left waist, preparing to rush forward to rescue Sakamoto Ryoma.

Sakamoto Ryoma didn't value his own life, but he couldn't bear to watch his friend die violently in front of him.

Fortunately, the sound of drawing a sword did not occur.

Those radical, delusional fanatics who were not thinking straight mostly followed Hisaka Genzui to their deaths.

Most of the Choshu talents who are still alive and highly valued by Katsura Kogoro are rational and steady individuals.

Despite their grief and indignation, they had to admit that Sakamoto Ryoma was right; every word he said made sense.

Their anger was nothing more than a powerless rage born of resentment towards reality.

If they were to kill Sakamoto Ryoma out of anger and embarrassment, they would become ungrateful buffoons.

Frustration replaced anger, and dejection replaced regret... The tense atmosphere that had permeated the room gradually dissipated.

Speechless after being refuted by Sakamoto Ryoma, the Choshu samurai returned to their seats one after another, staring solemnly at the tatami mat in front of them, remaining silent for a long time.

Sakamoto Ryoma raised his gaze and looked directly at Katsura Kogoro in front of him again:

"Mr. Katsura, please think it over. Without Satsuma's assistance, Choshu would truly perish."

Sakamoto Ryoma's bold words just now seemed to have completely failed to impress Katsura Kogoro.

Katsura Kogoro snorted coldly:

"I think this works too! Let the shogunate destroy Choshu!"

“Satsuma’s Saigo Kichinosuke, Komatsu Tateto, and Okubo Ichizo were all outstanding individuals who stood out from the crowd.”

"Once Choshu is destroyed, they will surely be able to help Tachibana Seiden create a better new era."

Sakamoto Ryoma, exasperated, slapped his thigh, half in helplessness and half indignation:

"Mr. Gui, now that things have come to this, let's not say such hurtful things!"

At this moment, Shintaro Nakaoka, who had barely spoken since earlier, suddenly interjected:

“Mr. Gui, I am mainly responsible for persuading the Satsuma side.”

"Therefore, I know Saigo Kichinosuke's character very well."

"I swear on my life, Saigo Kichinosuke wants to forge the 'Satsuma-Choshu Alliance' more than anyone else!"

"He harbors great ambitions and is determined to contend with 'King Ren' for the world. How could he possibly be willing to serve 'King Ren'?"

"He's only putting on airs because he's concerned about saving face and because he wants to test Changzhou's bottom line."

"As long as both sides calm down, they will definitely be able to reach a consensus!"

Shintaro Nakaoka paused here, then offered his suggestion:

"How about this, you and Saigo Kinosuke should stop seeing each other. You two should stay in the room, and Ryoma and I will act as your 'megaphones'!"

"Tell us your conditions, and we will convey them to you."

"In return, we will relay Samo's terms to you."

"In this way, conflicts between the two sides will be less likely to arise, and communication will become much smoother!"

“In the past few months, Ryoma and I have traveled back and forth between Hagi Castle and Kagoshima Castle (the domain headquarters of the Satsuma Domain) countless times, wearing out countless pairs of straw sandals, but we don’t care about the short distance we have to walk through the corridors!”

Sakamoto Ryoma was overjoyed:

"Shintaro, your method is excellent! Mr. Katsura, let's do it this way!"

Katsura Kogoro pursed his lips in thought, his brows furrowed slightly.

Sakamoto Ryoma and Nakaoka Shintaro waited anxiously.

About three minutes later, Katsura Kogoro silently let out a long breath and nodded slightly:

"...Okay then, let's do it this way."

"I don't want this meeting to turn into a long and drawn-out mess."

"Therefore, I will directly state our bottom line for Changzhou."

“If Satsuma agrees, then from tonight onwards, Choshu and Satsuma will be allies who share both good and bad fortune.”

“If Samo doesn’t agree, then there’s no point in negotiating. I’ll head back immediately and never see the Samoans again.”

As he spoke, Katsura Kogoro reached into his robes and pulled out a piece of paper.

“Tell Saigo Kichinosuke that Satsuma must fulfill all five conditions written on this paper, and not violate a single one.”

Katsura Kogoro handed the paper in his palm to Sakamoto Ryoma.

Sakamoto Ryoma reached out and took the paper, unfolding it. Nakaoka Shintaro leaned closer, and the two carefully read the contents of the paper.

1. We vow to defend the imperial court to the death.

2. It acknowledges that Changju was an official military force and refutes the fallacy that "Changju was an enemy of the court".

3. If the shogunate and the domains of Hatatsu, Aizu, and Kuwana insist on invading Choshu, violating justice, and repeated appeals are useless, then we have no choice but to fight to the death.

4. In the event of war, Satsuma must lead its troops to assist in the battle.

5. Even if the battle situation is unfavorable, Choshu and Satsuma must not turn their backs on each other and must fight with all their might until the last moment.

After quickly reading it, Sakamoto Ryoma and Nakaoka Shintaro exchanged a glance.

Overall, the five treaties proposed by Choshu are not excessive and are considered normal cooperative treaties.

Of course, whether or not to accept these five treaties is not up to them; it is up to Saigo Kichinosuke to make the final decision.

"I understand! Let's go find Saigo-kun right now!"

Sakamoto Ryoma carefully folded the paper in his palm, got up and left, followed closely by Nakaoka Shintaro.

The two rushed out of the room, their footsteps fading into the distance.

……

……

The Satsuma samurai's rest area was right next door; Sakamoto Ryoma and Nakaoka Shintaro could reach it in just a few steps.

Upon opening the door, Sakamoto Ryoma heard Saigo Kinosuke's teasing:

"Sakamoto-kun, Nakaoka-kun, I just heard a lot of noise. What's wrong? Did you have a bad talk with Mr. Katsura?"

In the large room, the Satsuma samurai sat on both sides, while Saigo Kinosuke and Komatsu Tateki sat side by side on the main seat.