I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

As soon as Hijikata Toshizo finished speaking, Kondo Isami chuckled lightly.

"To be honest, there was a time when I did have the idea of ​​'leaving the Shinsengumi'."

Aoto and Hijikata Toshizo were not alarmed by Kondo Isami's "terrifying words," but simply walked forward silently, listening attentively.

Kondo Isami gently continued the conversation:

"Back then, when I went to Luoyang with everyone, I was full of ambition, thinking about making achievements and bringing glory to my family."

"I never imagined that you guys were all monsters."

"In the blink of an eye, you all spread your wings and flew to a height that I could not see even with my best eyesight."

"It's a pity that although I have the title of 'Director of the Censorate,' I have never achieved anything worthwhile."

"Over the years, the only commendable achievement is being the first to capture Ikedaya."

"I thought that once the Shinsengumi grew stronger, I could show off my power in front of the younger generation."

"But as a result, after the new election group grew into a huge army, talented juniors such as Soma Kazue, Nakazawa Sadagi, Nakazawa Koto, and Oishi Kuwajiro emerged one after another, making it even harder for me to stand out."

"Now that I think about it carefully, there is a deeper reason why I had the idea of ​​'leaving the Shinsengumi': I wanted to get away from you guys."

"It's so uncomfortable to be around you monsters."

"Although this feeling of frustration is very agonizing, deep in my mind, a voice keeps telling me: if I really leave the Shinsengumi because of these weak reasons, then I will never be able to be your elder brother again."

"I want to protect Shieikan, I want to protect everyone, and I want to become the big brother you can always rely on."

Compared to this wish, worldly fame and fortune seem insignificant.

After listening to Kondo Isami's heartfelt words, Aoto and Hijikata Toshizo exchanged a glance and then chuckled softly.

Kondo Yuya smiled as well.

The three of them laughed as they walked, bathed in the autumn breeze... just like always.

Suddenly, Kondo Isami spoke in a calm yet firm tone:

"Tachibana-kun, once the world is at peace, I want to resign from all my official positions and return to Edo to run the Shieikan."

Hijikata Toshizo raised an eyebrow:

"Ah Sheng, are you serious?"

Even Qing Deng couldn't help but show surprise after hearing this.

Kondo smiled:

"Of course it's true."

"I have no other skills besides swordsmanship."

"In that case, I'll go back to the place that suits me best."

"The Shiwei Hall is the culmination of my father's life's work; it would be a real pity to leave it abandoned."

Currently, the people in charge of Shieikan are Kondo Fumi (Kondo Isami's mother) and Souji's older sister, Okita Hikaru.

After Kondo Shusuke's death in battle, Shieikan was left in an awkward situation of being leaderless.

The reason for this is that all those qualified to take charge of the Imperial Guard are now under Qing Deng's command.

Left with no other choice, Kondo Fumi and Okita Hikaru, two women, had to step in to save face.

Although they are heroines, they are not professional managers, nor are they sword masters who are proficient in the Natural Rinpoche style.

All they could do was barely keep the structure of the testing center from collapsing.

After a pause, Kondo Isami continued:

"Besides... this sword club is our home."

"Since it's a home, someone has to take care of it."

"Otherwise, when you suddenly feel like going home one day, you'll only find a deserted doorway. How lonely would that be?"

Seeing that Kondo Isami genuinely wanted to retire and live a peaceful life after the country was at peace, a dark glint flashed in Aoto's eyes, but he quickly concealed it and instead joked:

"In that case, you'd better take good care of the courtyard of the Shieikan, and it would be best to plant a few cherry blossom trees."

"Xiao Si complained to me more than once that the courtyard of the Shiwei Hall was too monotonous, with not a single flower to admire."

Kondo Isami chuckled to himself:

"Our Swordplay Hall is a sword-fighting hall, not a nobleman's private residence. Why would we need such a beautiful courtyard?"

"Very well... Since it's Xiaosi's wish, I might consider it."

"I will try to plant cherry blossom trees in the garden of Shieikan later."

Hijikata Toshizo chuckled and suddenly interjected:

"In that case, let's plant some medicinal herbs while we're at it."

"There are large tracts of land in the courtyard of the Shieikan Museum that are left unused, which I have always felt is a pity."

"Why not make use of all this land and plant it full of medicinal herbs?"

"In this way, when I want to retire someday, I can rely on these herbs to pick up my old job as a 'medicine seller' again."

Qingdeng nodded solemnly:

"Hmm, that's a good idea. To be honest, I've always wanted to grow vegetables in the courtyard of the Shieikan."

Kondo Isami rebuked him impatiently:

"Not bad at all! One wants to plant cherry blossom trees, another wants to plant medicinal herbs, and yet another wants to plant vegetables. Where in our courtyard do we have enough space for you to plant all sorts of things? Since we are a samurai family, we should plant more arrow bamboo!"

The three of them engaged in a long, tedious, but enjoyable discussion about "how to manage the courtyard of Shieikan".

The three men's laughter rose and fell, blending into the night and drifting into the distance.

……

……

Satsuma Domain, Kagoshima Castle —

"Ryoma, Shintaro, thank you for your hard work!"

Seated in the main seat, Saigo Kinosuke looked at Sakamoto Ryoma and Nakaoka Shintaro with a smile on his face.

"Without your tireless efforts, the formation of the 'Western Alliance' would have been far more difficult!"

"On behalf of all righteous people in the world, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to you!"

Having said that, Saigo Kinosuke bowed deeply and paid his respects to the two people in front of him with utmost solemnity.

Sakamoto Ryoma and Nakaoka Shintaro hurriedly returned the greeting without any distinction between them.

Shintaro Nakaoka said loudly:

"Lord Saigo, you flatter us! We were merely doing what we were supposed to do!"

Both sides were extremely polite, and the air inside and outside the room was filled with a cheerful atmosphere!

Based on their achievements, Sakamoto Ryoma and Nakaoka Shintaro certainly deserve to be treated with respect by Saigo Kichinosuke.

With lightning speed, he quickly persuaded the Tosa and Hizen domains, making the formation of the "Western Country Alliance" far exceed Saigo Kichinosuke's expectations... Such a great achievement deserves no reward, no matter how generous!

Just as the guests and hosts were enjoying themselves, Sakamoto Ryoma suddenly spoke up:

"Mr. Saigo, it's a pleasure to meet you today. There's something I'd like to discuss with you!"

Before the other party could respond, Sakamoto Ryoma began to speak loudly on his own:

"Saigo-kun, after defeating Tachibana Aoto, please do not retaliate against 'Hokucho'! Please subdue 'Hokucho' with a policy of appeasement!"

The moment those words were spoken… in an instant… truly an instant! The joyful atmosphere vanished!

Instead, a solemn and dignified atmosphere prevailed!

Saigo Kinosuke frowned slightly, his eyelids drooped, and two beams of light shot straight at Sakamoto Ryoma.

"Oh? Sakamoto-kun? Are you giving me advice?"

As he asked the question, he curled the corners of his mouth into a smile that was devoid of any warmth.

Sakamoto Ryoma raised his head, met Saigo Kinosuke's gaze with an air of self-righteousness, and replied without hesitation:

"Indeed, that is exactly right! Please forgive my bluntness, but taking retaliatory action against the 'Northern Dynasty' is absolutely unacceptable! Any action that would result in massive casualties is unacceptable!"

"..."

Saigo Kinosuke did not respond immediately, but simply smiled and gazed at Sakamoto Ryoma with a meaningful look.

In this deathly silence, Shintaro Ooka displayed an incredibly fascinating range of expressions.

The smile on Sakamoto Ryoma's face froze the moment he spoke.

Immediately afterwards, the smile turned into a complex expression of half sadness and half annoyance.

At that moment, he turned his head and cast an "emotionally" look at Sakamoto Ryoma.

"You brat! What nonsense are you spouting now!" —Even though Shintaro Ooka didn't say anything, everyone present could hear the shout.

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Chapter 1118 The Red Reporting Team and the "Annual Tribute Halving Order" [5500]

Besides Saigo Kichinosuke, the other two members of the "Satsuma Three Heroes"—Komatsu Tateto and Okubo Ichizo—are also here.

Just like Saigo Kinosuke, Komatsu Tateto and Okubo Ichizo also cast sharp glances at Sakamoto Ryoma.

Saigo Kinosuke twitched the corners of his mouth, half-sneer and half-criticism as he retorted:

"Sakamoto-kun, I don't understand what you mean."

What does it mean that 'any action that leads to mass casualties is unacceptable'?

"We're at war."