I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Despite this, the old man's face showed no sign of conviction.

Judging from his tense facial features, he still cannot agree with Qingdeng's idea that "the people are both a 'spear' and a 'shield'".

"...Mr. Tachibana, although we cannot agree on some issues, we share a common vision of 'yearning for a prosperous era'."

He spoke with a bitter expression on his face.

"I'm old... I don't have many years left to live."

"I have lived a mediocre life, without achieving anything of note."

"Now that things have come to this, rather than struggling to survive, we should entrust the ideal of 'universal harmony' to a trustworthy person and do our best to assist them."

"In this way, my already decaying body can still contribute some of its remaining energy."

At this point, Ōshio Heihachirō raised his straight gaze, his eyes bright and brimming with youthful vigor.

"Mr. Tachibana, if you can uphold your original aspiration of 'saving the common people,' I and all the comrades of the Great Salt Party are willing to serve you like dogs and horses!"

After saying this, he bowed respectfully and gave Qingdeng a very solemn salute.

Upon seeing this, Qing Deng was taken aback at first, then straightened his face and returned the greeting formally.

"I will do my utmost and will never fail your trust!"

……

……

The fact that the Big Salt Party agreed to ally with him was undoubtedly the most encouraging piece of good news for Qing Deng in recent days.

The two sides already have a broad foundation for cooperation and rich experience in cooperation, so the alliance today is a natural progression.

In fact, Qing Deng could see that the reason why Ōshio Heihachirō readily agreed to form an alliance with him was not only because his political ideals aligned with those of the Ōshio Party, but also because he was seeking protection from the Hoshō Party's invasion.

On the night of rescuing Ōshio Heihachirō and the others, Yamata no Orochi made a threatening statement: given the changed situation, the Hōshū-dō will launch a merciless offensive against the Ōshio-dō.

In fact, he wasn't just boasting; he genuinely had the ability to do it!

The meeting place between Ōshio Heihachirō and Akihiro—such a top-secret information—was actually leaked…

This shows that the French Extermination Party's intelligence capabilities have surpassed those of the Great Salt Party!

If they don't find a powerful backer, the Big Salt Party might really be wiped out by the Law Enforcement Party...

Although the oath between the two sides harbored a hidden agenda of "mutual exploitation," Qing Deng did not care about it.

In any case, he and the Fazhu Party were sworn enemies, and he was happy to provide the Da Yan Party with a solid sanctuary.

This small price to pay is nothing if it can secure the power of the Great Salt Party.

Although it is not a large force, its talent pool is not to be underestimated.

Because Ōshio Heihachirō pursued an "elite policy," the members of the Ōshio Party were mostly outstanding individuals with strong will and exceptional abilities.

Of course, compared to the talents of the Big Salt Party, Qing Deng preferred its intelligence network.

Thirty years of consistent "rooting in the grassroots" approach has enabled the Great Salt Party's intelligence network to reach a considerable level—this is exactly what Qing Deng urgently needs and desires now.

The Shinsengumi's Ninth Division has a very short history and lacks experience. Even today, its intelligence gathering capabilities are still lackluster.

In conclusion, Qingdeng warmly welcomes the addition of the Big Salt Party.

Facing the upcoming "East vs. West showdown," he has gained another powerful winning chip!

With the assistance of the Big Salt Party, the new electoral group will be even more powerful!

However, before Aoto could be happy for long, Yamanami Keisuke brought him bad news...

……

……

January 5, 1866 (the second year of the Kuangtian era/Meiji era), early morning—

Hatazu Domain, Otsu, Tachibana Residence, Aoto's office—

"What? Sakamoto Ryoma is dead?"

Aoto was stunned, staring at Yamanami Keisuke in front of him with a look of astonishment.

The latter nodded solemnly and then succinctly explained the reason behind it.

Last night, under the command of Sanosuke Harada and Jiro Oishi, the Mibu garrison soldiers sealed off the Omi-ya and removed all the corpses inside to investigate their identities.

The final investigation results were truly astonishing—the two victims who died on the second floor were none other than Sakamoto Ryoma, the captain of the Kaientai, and Nakaoka Shintaro, the captain of the Rikuentai!

Although these two were not key figures in the "Southern Dynasty," they were still rising stars in recent times.

They died mysteriously in a corner of Kyoto... It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a "black swan event".

After listening to Yamanami Keisuke's report, Aoto lowered his eyelids and appeared deep in thought.

As agreed, today was the day he was supposed to meet with Sakamoto Ryoma.

The other party just happened to die at this critical juncture... To call it a coincidence would be too far-fetched.

After a short while, Qingdeng asked Shannan Jingzhu in a low voice:

"...Keisuke, who do you think killed Sakamoto Ryoma?"

Yamanami Keisuke answered without hesitation:

"I suspect he was killed by his own people!"

"Sakamoto-kun is a 'moderate' in the 'Southern Court,' advocating that the war be kept within a controllable range and not escalated."

“On the other hand, those who currently control the ‘Southern Court’, such as Saigo Kichinosuke and Okubo Ichizo, are all ruthless ‘powerful’ figures.”

"Assassinating opponents has always been one of their specialties."

"It's highly likely that Sakamoto-kun was killed because of suspicion!"

"As for Shintaro Nakaoka... he must have happened to be with Ryoma Sakamoto, so he was unfortunately implicated."

After saying this, Yamanami Keisuke lowered his head, his face darkening.

Back when he and Sakamoto Ryoma were studying at the Chiba Kenkan together, they weren't exactly best friends, but they did have a good relationship.

At this moment, faced with the sudden passing of his friend, he felt overwhelmed with mixed emotions.

After hearing this, Qing Deng remained silent for a long time.

His idea was exactly the same as Yamanami Keisuke's.

However... there are very few clues at the moment, and it is impossible to find out the truth in a short period of time.

Perhaps there is no conspiracy theory behind it.

It's not impossible that Sakamoto Ryoma died because of a personal grudge.

The more Qingdeng thought about it, the more puzzled he became, and he couldn't help but sigh softly.

He was very interested in Sakamoto Ryoma and looked forward to meeting him.

According to Qingdeng's plan, after delivering a decisive blow to the "Southern Dynasty" on the battlefield, it would eventually have to go through a process of transforming from a "military battle" into a "political battle".

The current "Southern Dynasty" is a huge political group. To completely "cleanse" it from top to bottom, regardless of feasibility, is a brutal act that Qingdeng would not want.

In trying to win over and divide the centrists and moderates of the "Southern Court," they might be able to get the help of Sakamoto Ryoma.

If we can recruit him, we can make up for the lack of debaters under his command.

What a pity... Sakamoto Ryoma is dead, and Aoto's plan has come to nothing.

For some reason, Qing Deng had a vague premonition: the sudden deaths of Sakamoto Ryoma and Nakaoka Shintaro would cause a major turning point in the current situation!

……

……

As it turns out, Qing Deng's conjecture was correct.

Just like the butterfly effect, this incident triggered a huge storm just ten days later!

On January 15, the "Southern Court" issued a public statement: Sakamoto Ryoma and Nakaoka Shintaro were killed by the Shinsengumi!

According to eyewitness testimonies, the murderers were Harada Sanosuke, captain of the 10th Division of the Shinsengumi, and Oishi Kuwajiro, vice-captain of the 8th Division.

Regarding the details, the Southern Dynasties said this:

Kichinosuke Saigo is kind-hearted and wants to negotiate with Aoto Tachibana to bridge the gap between the two sides. So he secretly sends Ryoma Sakamoto and Shintaro Nakaoka to make contact with Aoto.

Unexpectedly, Tachibana Aoto outwardly agreed to meet with Sakamoto Ryoma and Nakaoka Shintaro, but in reality, he had no intention of negotiating with the "Southern Court".

After discovering the hiding place of Sakamoto Ryoma and Nakaoka Shintaro, he immediately dispatched assassins to kill them.

And just like that, a large bucket of sewage was poured directly onto Ju Qingdeng's body.

Although such claims are full of doubts, people only want to believe what they want to believe.

Upon the release of this announcement, those who already disliked Qingdeng felt as if they had found a magic potion, and they all began to denounce Qingdeng.

Soon, comments such as "Tachibana Aoto is a treacherous villain" and "The Shinsengumi are indeed the brutal wolves of Mibu" appeared among the people in various places.

The fatal flaw was that Aoto lacked strong evidence to refute the claims—the murder scenes of Sakamoto and Nakaoka were exceptionally clean, leaving nothing to prove the assassins' identities, and not even a single survivor.

The "evidence" held by the "Southern Dynasty" was indeed quite unfavorable to Qingdeng.

That night, many Kyoto residents saw Harada Sanosuke and Oishi Kuwajiro hanging around Kawaramachi (the location of Omi-ya) – their light blue haoris were really eye-catching.

Although the two of them rushed to Omi-ya because they smelled blood, the common people had no idea about that.

Sakamoto Ryoma and Nakaoka Shintaro were always well-liked in the "Southern Court".

Their sudden deaths shattered the recent tranquility of the Northern and Southern Dynasties!

In an instant, the entire Southern Dynasty was filled with righteous indignation! The members of the sea and land support teams were even more outraged!

Saigo Kichinosuke raised the slogan of "revenge" and took the opportunity to incorporate the two units—the Kaientai and Rikuentai, which were originally independent, into the regular army of the "Southern Court".

Qingdeng was annoyed at being unfairly accused, but he wasn't worried about it.

Those who hate him have never stopped belittling and slandering him.

He already bears a multitude of unfounded accusations, so one or two more won't matter.

Compared to these harmless slanders, it was the fact that "Southern Court" was using the deaths of Sakamoto and Nakaoka to rally people's hearts that made Aoto feel more troubled.