I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

He was politically naive and had never considered such a question before. After a moment's thought, he shrugged indifferently.

"What else could be the reason? It must be because the people of Changzhou have been inciting unrest!"

"Before joining the Shinsengumi, I traveled all over the five provinces and seven provinces and met all sorts of people."

"After witnessing all sorts of strange people and events, I've come to realize one thing: the vast majority of people in this world are fools."

"Any fool is easily swayed."

"Say some nice things and offer a little something sweet, and you can fool these ignorant people into believing you've sold them out. They'll even be counting the money for you."

After saying that, Oishi Kuwajiro changed the subject, switching back to a cheerful tone:

"Captain, let's not think about these complicated problems."

"We've done another great job tonight, we should celebrate! Let's go grab a drink later!"

As he spoke, Oishi Kuwajiro made a "raising a glass" gesture.

As a seasoned veteran with extensive experience in both the underworld and legitimate society, Oishi Kuwajiro is well-versed in human relationships and has always wanted to find an opportunity to get closer to Saito Hajime.

Unfortunately, his enthusiastic invitation was met with a refusal from Saito Hajime.

"No, I have to go back to Otsu tomorrow."

Having said that, Saito Hajime turned and left without the slightest hesitation.

Seeing this, Oishi Kuwajiro scratched the back of his head helplessly, then turned to his subordinates and shouted:

"Hurry up! Get these bodies out of here! After we're done, I'll take you guys out for drinks! It's on me!"

The moment he finished speaking, cheers erupted from the crowd.

……

……

The next day, Qinjin Fan, Dajin, Judi——

Today is the day for the "team meeting".

The so-called "team meeting" can be understood as the Shinsengumi's "grand assembly".

Every month around the middle, Aoto would summon the captains of the Shinsengumi and ask them to report on the current situation of their respective teams.

Saito Hajime, who was working tirelessly in Kyoto last night, rushed back to Otsu this morning to report on his work.

In addition to the team leaders, the attendees included the "chiefs" headed by Hijikata Toshizo, and the assistants headed by Ito Kashitaro.

[Note: The adjutants of the General Affairs Department, the Censorate, and the Finance Office were all called "Assistant Officers"]

The enthronement of the Prince of Kazu was like throwing a huge bomb into a lake. After the ripples and splashes, the lake returned to calm. However, beneath the seemingly mirror-like surface, the undercurrents were becoming increasingly turbulent!

Because both the East and the West are quietly accumulating strength, overall, there haven't been any major events worth mentioning recently.

For this reason, the team meeting was rather dull.

The team captains basically just read out some data—how the new recruits were training, how much training equipment had been damaged—there wasn't much else to pay attention to.

"...That concludes the current status of the Eleventh Division."

The last person to step forward to report, Abe Juro (captain of the 11th Division), bowed slightly to Aoto after speaking and slowly closed the thick book in his hand.

Qingdeng nodded slightly and waved his hand:

"Jiro, thank you for your hard work. You may leave now."

Abe Juroch responded with a spirited "Yes," and then returned to his original position.

"Do you have anything else to report?"

As Qingdeng spoke, he looked around the room, but no one spoke.

"Since you have nothing to report, then..."

Before he could finish speaking—

"...Mr. Ju, I have something to report."

Then someone interrupted.

Instantly, everyone turned their heads, and all eyes were focused on Saito Hajime.

Saito raised his gaze and stared straight at Aoto, his eyes deep and unfathomable.

"Mr. Ju, I believe that the enthronement in the palace is against etiquette and has already caused a bad influence."

quiet……

An eerie, deathly silence dominated the entire scene...

The expressions on everyone's faces changed drastically.

Ito Kashitaro raised an eyebrow, staring intently at Saito Hajime, a strange glint flashing in his eyes.

*******

*******

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Chapter 1105 The Conflict Between Aoto and Saito Hajime! The Establishment of "Ito Juku"! [6400]

In an instant, only two expressions remained on the scene—shock and bewilderment.

So shocked were many people that they forgot to breathe.

Saito became the center of attention, with everyone present staring intently at him, their eyes questioning, "Are you still half asleep?" and "What nonsense are you spouting?"

If it weren't for Aoto's strict prohibition against making noise during the "team meeting," I'm afraid that by now, Nagakura Shinpachi, Harada Sanosuke, and other straightforward people would have already been unable to contain themselves and loudly questioned Saito Hajime.

Aside from necessary reports, Saito Hajime rarely spoke at team meetings.

His long-awaited speech, followed by such shocking remarks... was truly unexpected.

If we were to name the most sensitive issue at present, it would be whether "the accession of Prince Kazuya is legitimate."

This is a matter of great importance; the struggle is for "legitimacy" and "discourse power"... If this is shaken, it will lead to irreparable consequences!

In conclusion, no one had ever dared to mention this matter in front of Aoto before, and Saito Hajime set a precedent...

Faced with Saito Hajime's sudden attack, Aoto did not respond immediately.

But he lowered his eyelids slightly, staring intently at the other person with a deep gaze, as if he were thinking, "How should I punish him?"

The latter stared back without flinching.

Their eyes met in mid-air, radiating an invisible pressure that made the surrounding air feel heavier and more suffocating, making it hard to breathe and giving one the urge to escape.

About 10 seconds later, Qing Deng spoke calmly:

“…Ah Yi, feel free to speak your mind.”

Aoto was willing to communicate with Saito Hajime instead of directly "silencing" him and imposing severe punishment... Nagakura Shinpachi and the others couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

However, just as they relaxed, Saito's next words made their hearts leap into their throats again.

"Mr. Ju, without any evidence, to claim that the new emperor is a 'false emperor' and to forcefully enthrone the Prince of He is not only illegal and unreasonable, but also lacks any sense of righteousness!"

"In my opinion, the reason why the patriots in Kyoto cannot be completely killed or eliminated is because our side has lost its sense of righteousness! As a result, countless men have devoted themselves to Choshu!"

quiet……

Another deathly silence.

The only difference compared to before was that the expressions of shock and confusion on everyone's faces had become even more intense.

They didn't dare to breathe loudly, and could only look at Qingdeng with tense expressions, waiting for his reply.

Qingdeng's facial expression remained unchanged, devoid of any emotion, neither sad nor happy... This only made it more terrifying!

"...Ah Yi, are you too tired? Or are you drunk?"

Just as Aoto finished speaking, Harada Sanosuke, scratching the back of his head and feigning a simple-mindedness, abruptly interrupted:

"That's right! Saito is drunk!"

"Oh dear, it's all my fault, I'm so sorry!"

"As soon as Saito returned to Otsu this morning, I dragged him to taste the new wine I bought!"

"Knowing that the 'team meeting' was about to start, I still treated him to drinks and made him drunk. I feel so bad about it..."

Harada Sanosuke, who is not good with words and not very bright, has tried his best to smooth things over in order to help Saito Hajime out of the predicament.

Unfortunately, Saito Hajime did not appreciate it:

"Zanosuke, thank you for your kindness, but you don't have to do this."

"I want to take this opportunity to say everything that needs to be said!"

At this point, Saito Kazushige raised his gaze again, staring intently and resolutely into his eyes.

"Mr. Ju, I believe that to truly quell the unrest caused by the patriots who seek to revolt, swords alone are far from sufficient!"

"Blindly killing is ultimately just a stopgap measure!"

"Only by upholding righteousness can one win the hearts of the people!"

"Otherwise, even if we were to raze the two countries of Defense Minister and Minister of Defense to the ground, there would be a constant stream of patriots who resent the Shogunate, or any other patriots!"

"Please allow His Highness to return the divine artifact and end the division within the court!"

[Note: Choshu encompassed the provinces of Suō and Nagato, hence the term "Suō and Nagato provinces" was used as a synonym for Choshu.]

Qingdeng has already given them a way out; he has done everything he could to be kind and righteous.

Since Saito Hajime was unwilling to accept the way out he offered, he wouldn't hold back either:

"First of all, the reason why the turmoil caused by the veneration of patriots is difficult to eradicate has nothing to do with His Majesty's (the Empress's) ascension to the throne."

"It is all because of the behind-the-scenes manipulators that the people of Kyoto are suffering."

"Secondly, Changzhou abducted the late emperor and the crown prince, committing such a heinous act of rebellion. What legal basis is there for this?"