I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"Mr. Gui, please wait a moment, I'll be right back."

Having said that, without waiting for Katsura Kogoro's response, Iwakura Tomomi turned and left the room, his footsteps fading into the distance.

Katsura Kogoro was confused and could only stay where he was and wait.

About 20 minutes later, Iwakura Tomomi returned through the door—and there was a boy standing next to him.

The boy was about 15 years old, not very tall, and rather thin, with a nervous and uneasy expression on his face.

Who is he? Why did Mr. Iwakura bring him here?

Just as Katsura Kogoro was feeling puzzled, he suddenly realized that the boy looked remarkably like the prince.

In that instant, Katsura Kogoro understood something.

Iwakura Tomomi patted the boy on the shoulder, confirming Katsura Kogoro's guess with firm words:

"Mr. Katsura, this is Ōmuro Toranosuke of the Kiheitai. From now on, he will be the new Emperor."

"...Huh?"

Katsura Kogoro cast an incredulous look at Iwakura Tomomi.

"Mr. Iwakura, do you... do you know what you're saying?"

Iwakura, head held high, spoke with righteous indignation:

"Of course I know. Mr. Gui, this is the only remedy. It's fate that I found this boy who looks so much like the Crown Prince just when I was worried."

Katsura Kogoro glanced at Iwakura Tomomi, then at the boy... namely, Ōmuro Toranosuke.

He scratched his head, touched his face; clicked his tongue, fidgeted with the hem of his clothes… After standing there bewildered for a while, Katsura Kogoro took a deep breath and then demanded furiously:

"Mr. Iwakura, have you gone mad? You actually want to use an ordinary person to impersonate the Emperor?"

Iwakura Tomomi said calmly:

"So what? As long as we can overthrow the shogunate, what do these tricks matter?"

Katsura Kogoro felt all the blood rushing to his head.

He knew Iwakura Tomomi's character well; the nickname "Gecko" was well-deserved.

He would stop at nothing to achieve his goal, just like Jia Xu from the late Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period, who would never be held back by emotions or principles.

Although he knew the other party was ruthless, he never expected them to be so audacious! To actually switch the prince with a cat!

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PS: The real Emperor Meiji died long ago. The Emperor Meiji that everyone knows was actually a Choshu samurai named "Ōmuro Toranosuke" in disguise. This is not something I made up; it is a widely circulated rumor.

Chapter 1095 The Difference Between "Nioh" and "Shura" [4800]

The idea that the royal family are descendants of gods, that they have divine blood flowing through their veins—this utterly absurd claim was something Katsura Kogoro had always scoffed at.

He never thought of the Emperor as some sacred and inviolable supreme being—even if he were truly a descendant of Amaterasu and possessed divine power, he wouldn't have become a puppet or a "mascot," manipulated like a toy by the pro-shogunate and pro-imperial forces.

But... but... even so, hiring someone to impersonate the Emperor still far exceeded Katsura Kogoro's bottom line!

In any case, the Imperial Family is one of the oldest families in Japan and has been the nominal head of state of Japan for thousands of years.

Even someone as resolute as him wouldn't dare to issue such an order lightly, much less bear the series of responsibilities that would result from it!

If exposed, they will be condemned by all! They will be nailed to the pillar of historical shame! Like Wang Mang and Sima Yi, they will be infamous for eternity!

Katsura Kogoro remained silent for a long time, his face grim.

Distress, helplessness, fear... all sorts of emotions crept onto his face.

At this moment, he was the very embodiment of the word "struggle".

After a long while, he looked into Iwakura Tomomi's eyes, their eyes met, and his voice was hoarse:

"...Mr. Iwakura, is this really the case?"

Iwakura Tomomi frowned slightly, his tone revealing sternness and impatience:

"Mr. Gui, I would like to ask you a question instead: Is there any other way?"

"With both His Majesty the Emperor and His Highness the Crown Prince passing away, is there any better way for us?"

Katsura Kogoro pursed his lips and remained silent.

Iwakura Tomomi pressed her advantage:

"Although we have done our utmost to take care of His Majesty the Emperor and His Highness the Crown Prince, and have no intention of harming them, the world will not care about such things!"

“They can only see the reality that ‘His Majesty the Emperor and His Highness the Crown Prince died together in Choshu,’ and therefore subconsciously conclude that we have mistreated the Imperial Family!”

"At that time, even if we have a mouth full of words, even if we squeeze out every last drop of the essence of Japanese to argue cleverly, we still won't be able to explain it!"

"Mr. Gui, I'm sure you can imagine the severe consequences this will cause without me having to explain it in detail."

"The shogunate's lackeys will laugh wildly!"

"The fighting spirit of us patriots will be dealt a blow!"

"We must prevent this from happening in any way!"

"No matter what, we must bring His Highness the Crown Prince back to life!"

"His Highness the Crown Prince has lived in the deep palace for a long time, and few people have seen his true appearance."

"As long as we act carefully, we can keep this secret forever sealed in history!"

At this point, Iwakura Tomomi had to stop, panting heavily to calm himself down, because he was so emotional.

After a while, once he had caught his breath, he resumed the conversation:

"...Mr. Gui, I have said everything I need to say, that's all I have to say."

"The decision on how to proceed is entirely up to you."

"Changzhou and I have long been in the same boat."

"I have no way out but to stand with you through thick and thin."

"Therefore, whether it is to reveal the truth or to deceive the world, I will be by your side and overcome all obstacles with you."

After speaking, Iwakura Tomomi remained silent, standing quietly to the side, giving Katsura Kogoro enough time to think.

Katsura Kogoro lowered his head, concealing the change in his expression.

A strange atmosphere filled the air... to the point that even the flow of time in the room became bizarre.

It seemed like only two or three minutes had passed, yet it also felt like several hours had gone by.

In short, after an incredibly long period of time, Katsura Kogoro took a deep breath, raised his head, his expression solemn, and turned to look at Ōmuro Toranosuke beside him:

"Your name is Ōmuro Toranosuke, right?"

The sudden call made Ōmuro Toranosuke shudder, instinctively straightening up and quickly saying:

"Yes, yes! I am Ōmuro Toranosuke!"

How old are you this year? Do you have family?

"14 years old! No family! My parents died of cholera when I was young, so I am all alone! I have no ties!"

Katsura Kogoro nodded slightly:

"Omuro Toranosuke, as the supreme commander of the Special Forces, I have a top-secret mission to entrust to you—to replace the deceased Crown Prince Mutsuhito!"

Despite having prepared himself mentally, Ōmuro Toranosuke was still terrified, his face turned pale, and beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead.

Katsura Kogoro continued the conversation:

"This is a task that will take you a lifetime to complete."

“Once you accept this important task, you will no longer be Ōmuro Toranosuke, and there will be no more Ōmuro Toranosuke in this world.”

"All your past friendships will be severed, and you will henceforth be draped in incredibly heavy finery."

"You will not receive any reward, and no one will know of your achievements."

"You must keep all the truth buried inside until you die!"

"Ōmuro Toranosuke, are you willing to accept such an important task? Can I trust you?"

The moment they finished speaking, Katsura Kogoro and Iwakura Tomomi stared at Ōmuro Toranosuke with sharp, oppressive eyes, as if they were looking at Ōmuro Toranosuke not with two eyes, but with two mountains!

Meeting their unwavering gazes, Ōmuro Toranosuke gritted his teeth:

"Mr. Gui! Please hand it over to me!"

"Though I am a lowly lower-ranking samurai, I have a heart willing to dedicate myself to the great cause of honoring the king!"

"If I can contribute to the great cause of honoring the emperor, I am willing to go no matter how terrifying or treacherous the path may be!"

He responded loudly, giving her a firm look in return.

Their eyes met... Katsura Kogoro stared intently into Omuro Toranosuke's eyes, as if trying to find any negative emotions such as timidity or cowardice to confirm his sincerity.

The results came quickly—no matter how he observed or stared, there was nothing but unwavering determination in Omuro Toranosuke's eyes.

"……very good."

Katsura Kogoro nodded slightly, his tone becoming extremely solemn:

"From this moment on, you are no longer 'Ōmuro Toranosuke,' a member of the Special Forces, but Crown Prince 'Mutsuhito'!"

……

……

A sea area east of Osaka Bay—

Xianlin Maru, bow of the ship—

Qing Deng leaned against the railing at the bow of the ship, gazing expressionlessly at Osaka Castle, which was getting closer and closer.

Finally, we're going home! A wave of cheers erupted from the deck and deck of the Xianlin Maru.