I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

*******

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Chapter 1103 Eight Strategies from the Ship [6400]

Kondo Isami didn't know how to get rid of this feeling of unease in his heart.

Only now has he belatedly realized that long ago, he had already realized that his former companions, such as Hijikata Toshizo and Yamanami Keisuke, had far surpassed him.

However, due to his pride, he has always been unwilling to face this fact.

Now that things have come to this, and he's being ridiculed by others, it's impossible for him to continue pretending to be confused.

This can't go on... He doesn't want to go on like this... He wants to make a change.

What should we do to get out of this predicament?

After much contemplation, the only solution he could think of was to read more books and increase his knowledge.

His late father, Kondo Shusuke, once admonished him: As a dignified samurai, one cannot blindly wield a sword. In addition to practicing martial arts, one must also read more books to improve one's knowledge. "Thinking" is the most powerful force in the world. If one does not think, one will lack the keen insight to see the times and the wisdom to overcome difficulties. "Thinking" is based on "knowledge", so one must never let one's mind be empty.

Unfortunately, he never took his late father's advice to heart, assuming that all a samurai needed to do was be brave and good at fighting, and that the mental tasks should be left to others.

Looking back now, I truly regret it deeply.

Today, he truly understands the meaning of "you only realize how little you know when you need to use it."

Since we don't know what to do right now, let's start by reading!

As long as I possess military strategy comparable to Hijikata Toshizo and knowledge comparable to Yamanami Keisuke, the world will not think of me as a brute who only knows how to wield swords!

According to Kondo Isami, in addition to classical subjects such as Sinology and Mito studies, Ito Kashitaro also had some knowledge of military affairs—making him the most suitable teacher for Kondo Isami, who was eager for "all-round development"!

As Ito Kashitaro just said: Influenced by his awkward pride, Kondo Isami was unwilling to seek advice from Aoto and others.

In any case, he wanted to present himself as a "reliable elder brother" to Qing Deng and the others, and did not want to show his weakness in front of them.

Faced with Kondo Isami's earnest request, Ito Kashitaro did not keep him waiting for long.

"……All right."

Ito Kashitaro curled the corners of his mouth into a smile.

"You are so sincerely asking for my advice, it would be too heartless of me to refuse."

"Although I dare not call myself a 'learned scholar' or say I can help you in any way, I will do my best to help."

Upon hearing this, Kondo Isami's eyes lit up, and his already flushed cheeks became even redder.

After his initial excitement subsided, he bent down and bowed respectfully to express his gratitude.

"Mr. Ito, I am extremely grateful!"

Ito Kashitaro reached out and helped Kondo Isami to his feet.

"Director Kondo, you're too kind. There's no need for such formalities. I'm extremely busy and rarely have any free time. I can only give lectures irregularly. Please forgive me."

Kondo Isami hurriedly said:

"It's alright! I would be extremely grateful if you would be willing to guide someone as dull as me!"

……

……

That night--

Dajin, a dark alley——

A samurai wearing a low-brimmed straw hat and simple clothes leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, seemingly waiting for something.

Suddenly, several swaying figures burst into the alley.

These men were all ordinary townspeople with no swords at their waists, reeking of alcohol, and walking with a limp gait. They managed to make a short, straight stretch of road appear as a winding mountain path.

If Kondo Isami were here, he would recognize them at a glance: these are the guys who mocked him so vehemently in the izakaya today!

Seeing these people finally appear, the samurai in the straw hat slowly straightened up and said in a deep voice with dissatisfaction:

"You're late."

The leading townsman, with a forced smile, stammered and mumbled:

"Master Wu, we're so sorry! We've had too much to drink, and we can hardly tell which way is which. Please forgive us!"

The samurai in the straw hat snorted coldly, no longer dwelling on the men's lateness, and adopted a tone devoid of joy or sorrow:

"You did a great job today."

As he spoke, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a heavy money bag.

"Take it. Remember, you must not reveal what happened today."

The samurai in the straw hat threw out the money bag in his hand, which was caught by the person opposite him in a flurry of activity.

Feeling the weight of the money bag, all of them revealed a greedy expression.

"Of course! Even if you tear our mouths apart, we won't utter a single word! You can rest assured!"

The samurai in the straw hat waved his hand:

"That's good. You're all done here. Get lost."

"Sir Samurai, if you need any similar work in the future, please feel free to come to us!"

After leaving behind some boastful words, the group happily left together, intending to find a secluded place to divide the money.

But in the instant they turned around, their backs to the samurai in the straw hat—

call out!

The blade slices through the night wind.

The samurai in the straw hat suddenly drew his sword from his waist and slashed diagonally! It struck the "number one" squarely on the back of the head.

Brain matter and blood splattered everywhere... The victim didn't even have time to scream before he died.

The sudden change stunned everyone else, their minds went blank, and they stood frozen in place.

By the time they came to their senses, the straw-hatted samurai had already unleashed his next slash.

The second person had their throat slit, the third person had their heart pierced... The swift knife work, one strike, one kill.

In no time, the warrior in the straw hat stood amidst the pile of corpses; all those men were dead, none had survived.

The swordsman in the straw hat forcefully swung his sword, shaking off the remaining blood... At that moment, a cold male voice suddenly came from behind him:

"Sanlang, take all their valuables to create the illusion that they were robbed and murdered."

Before he could finish speaking, a tall figure emerged from the depths of the alley—Ito Kashitaro slowly moved to the side of the samurai in the straw hat.

"Yes."

The swordsman in the straw hat responded, sheathed his sword, then squatted down, picked up the thick money bag he had just given them, and searched all the valuables on the men.

The only person who could be called "Saburo" by Ito Kashitaro was naturally his younger brother, Suzuki Miki Saburo.

When Ito Kashitaro joined Aoto, his younger brother Suzuki Mikisaburo also joined the Shinsengumi and is currently the fourth seat in the third division.

After Suzuki Mikizaburo finished cleaning up the mess, Ito Kashitaro asked:

"You're not covered in blood, are you?"

"No."

"That's good, let's go."

"Yes."

As the two brothers left the dark alley one after the other, Suzuki Mikisaburo suddenly asked Ito Kashitaro:

"Brother, how did the negotiations with Kondo Isami go?"

Ito Kashitaro smiled slightly:

"It went even more smoothly than I expected. I only wanted to take this opportunity to get closer to him, but I didn't expect him to directly ask me to be his teacher and want to learn from me."

He succinctly recounted to Suzuki Mikisaburo the general process of "Kondo Isami's apprenticeship".

After listening, Suzuki Mikisaburo couldn't help but chuckle a few times.

"Kondo Isami becoming your student... that couldn't be better."

Ito Kashitaro nodded:

"Yes, that's perfect."

As he spoke, he gave a meaningful smirk.

But his demeanor was no longer as gentle as usual; his eyes gleamed with a cold, wolf-like light.

……

……

In the Tosa Domain, in a certain sea area near Kochi Castle (the domain headquarters of the Tosa Domain), on a certain ship and vessel—

"Wow! What a comfortable breeze!"

Longma leaned against the ship's railing and cheered loudly.

This is an old-fashioned Japanese boat, very small, like a "large wooden boat".

Sitting on the edge of the boat, you can touch the seawater with just a slight bend.

Aside from the two boatmen at the helm, the only other people on board were Sakamoto Ryoma and the young samurai sitting in front of him—the latter being Goto Shojiro, the leader of the "Three Heroes of Tosa" and now in charge of the Tosa Domain.

"Ryoma, you're really in high spirits."

No sooner had Shojiro Goto finished speaking than Ryoma gave a carefree laugh:

"I love the sea the most! Every time I see the vast and boundless sea, I feel happy!"

After saying that, Sakamoto Ryoma looked out at the sea again, his face full of interest.