I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

In conclusion, the fact that this book has reached over 800 million words is not just something the author made up; it's a reasonable estimate.

Some readers may ask – why is your book so long?

The reason is quite simple: because the book is set in the Bakumatsu period.

Those familiar with the history of the late Edo period should know that the Edo Shogunate collapsed in 1868, and the history of the late Edo period did not truly begin to unfold until after 1863.

Without going into other details, the three events that occurred after 1863—the Ikedaya Incident, the Kinmon Incident, and the First Choshu Expedition—are all major events that could easily fill hundreds of thousands of words.

Mie-gumi, Tenchu-dō, Satsuma Army, Chōshū Army, Aizu Army, Riku-en-tai, Kai-en-tai, Tokugawa Iemochi's forces within the shogunate, Hitotsubashi Yoshinobu's forces... various forces take turns on the stage.

The plot includes assassinations, political infighting, large-scale street battles, massive open-air battles, and intimate encounters with all sorts of girls...

There are so many stories to write about, I'm never short of stories to tell.

Therefore, you don't need to worry at all that this book is so long, or that the plot will be as long and tedious as a foot-binding cloth.

Just writing all those diverse stories would be exhausting enough, let alone stuffing in filler content to reach the word count. I might really die.jpg

The sheer scale of this book has certainly spurred the author on.

Let me, Shushuzi, complete this unprecedented sword and spear novel! (Seal Rising.jpg)

Alright, since this chapter is the afterword to Volume 1, let's turn our attention back to the plot of Volume 1.

The plot and characters of Volume 1... there's not much to say, it just lays out the world and story in a conventional way.

After months of hard work, Qing Deng is finally leaving the Magistrate's Office and stepping onto a higher stage.

Throughout Volume 1, the only two characters the author wants to discuss in detail are Ii Naosuke and his wife, Aku.

Opinions vary widely regarding the merits and demerits of Ii Naosuke.

Some people believe that Ii Naosuke was a pillar of the shogunate.

Some people, however, felt that Ii Naosuke was a brutal dictator.

The Ii Naosuke portrayed in this book is, for the sake of argument, the Ii Naosuke as understood by the author—he was loyal to the shogunate and wanted to make it stronger again. However, he often appeared too arrogant, even making people wonder if he was foolish.

Even though he knew that assassins were going to kill him, he refused to increase his guards, citing the need to uphold the rules.

One widely circulated explanation for why the guards didn't remove the scabbards beforehand on such a snowy day is that Ii Naosuke felt that having the guards remove the scabbards would make him seem afraid of the assassins, so he instructed the guards to follow the rules and keep the scabbards securely covered.

As the author mentioned before, Ii Naosuke's wife, Aku, has a historical prototype.

Before Ii Naosuke became the lord of the Hikone Domain by a twist of fate, he was the fourteenth son of the family. Because he had no chance to succeed as the head of the family and no other daimyo was willing to take him in as an adopted son, he could only live as a parasite in a secluded little house.

He named his secluded retreat "Buried Wood Hut," comparing himself to a buried tree, a tree covered by fallen leaves, mocking his own eventual obscurity.

During these painful days when no one paid attention to him and his talents had nowhere to be used, the young Ii Naosuke met a woman by chance—Murayama Taka, a geisha from Gion, Kyoto, who was six years older than Ii Naosuke.

The two frequently corresponded, and love letters written by Ii Naosuke to Murayama Taka have survived to this day (a major social disaster scene):

[I know my beloved is far away; tonight the bright moon shines with sorrow, for you are not by my side, and the full moon reflects only its waning light.]

For Naosuke Ii, who had always lived a solitary life, the companionship of Taka Murayama was a unique form of salvation.

Unfortunately, it seems that Taka Murayama, who was a geisha, did not end up with Naosuke Ii, who later became the lord of the Hikone Domain and a senior official in the shogunate...

In this book, Aku, who silently accompanies and supports Ii Naosuke from behind the scenes as his wife, is an original character based on Murayama Taka.

Ii Naosuke's wife, Aku, has not yet left the scene.

There will be more to the story of Aku and the Hikone Domain she represents, so stay tuned.

Although some readers may feel that the passages describing the death of Ii Naosuke are just filler, from the perspective of the novel's plot structure, Ii Naosuke's death is the first major explosion of character and plot conflicts in the book.

The Sakuradamon Incident perfectly encapsulates the keynote of the late Edo period—bloodshed, violence, and the irrational use of force.

Assassins who considered themselves righteous and believed their swords could usher in a new era took the head of Ii Naosuke amidst a swirling snowstorm... The bad precedent set by these assassins set the era in disarray.

Until the end of the book, a large portion of the plot is directly or indirectly triggered by the death of Ii Naosuke.

Let's take the storyline so far as an example.

After the death of Ii Naosuke, who advocated "opening the country," a large number of "anti-foreign patriots," represented by the Expeditionary Group, were greatly encouraged and began to run rampant, directly triggering the subsequent "Battle of the Foreign Documents Exchange Center" and "Battle of the Settlement Area."

The death of Ii Naosuke led to the decline of the Nanki faction and the resurgence of the Hitotsubashi faction. Many readers were also eagerly anticipating the return of the "virgin widow" Tenshōin, who was asked by the Hitotsubashi faction to go into seclusion... What kind of plot will unfold after this is left to your imagination.

By the way—Tenshōin-neechan will finally meet Seito in Volume 2! (clapping.jpg)

It seems there's nothing more to say, so let's leave this postscript here for now.

The serialization of Volume 2, "Soaring to the Sky," will officially begin tomorrow.

As I mentioned earlier, the plot of Volume 2 is also extremely large, even more so than Volume 1, and should be able to continue writing until next spring.

I hope everyone can tune in to the new chapter on time tomorrow!

My deepest gratitude to all the readers who have supported this book!

……

……

Shumengshi

September 27, 2022

Chapter 195 "Nioh" Tachibana Aoto and "Shura" Ogata Itsuki

Soar into the heavens, reach a place higher than the moon!

—Foreword to Volume 2, "Soaring to the Heavens"

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August 3, the first year of Wanyan (1860).

Cicadas! Cicadas! Cicadas! Cicadas!

It was August, the height of summer.

This year's climate is indeed extremely abnormal. It was still snowing in March, but by May it was unusually hot, and by August it was so hot that people just wanted to take off all their clothes and peel off a layer of skin.

Under the scorching sun, cicadas helplessly hide in the shade of trees, emitting annoying groans. The continuous chirping of "zhiliao" sounds seems to come from a distant place, yet also seems to be right next to you, both blurry and clear.

The air in the streets of Edo was filled with heat and the smell of sweat.

Standing anywhere in Edo city and looking out, the scenery within sight is filtered through a layer of heatwave, as if the whole world is melting and turning into a viscous liquid because it can't stand the high temperature.

However, even in such sweltering heat, the liveliness of Ryogoku-hirokoji, Edo's famous entertainment district, remained undiminished.

……

"Come and see! Come and see! There's a musical fart! Music made from farts! You've never seen anything like it before!"

"Goldfish~ Medaka~ Anyone want to come and catch goldfish?"

"Watermelon! Watermelon! Look! Such a beautiful red watermelon, just chilled with well water! Buy it now and eat it right away! You can get such a big slice for only 5 coins!"

"Look, everyone! I'm going to cut this rotten apple in half with my eyes closed!"

……

Ryogoku Hirokoji, one of Edo's most famous entertainment districts, not only had numerous theaters but also a large number of street performers showcasing their specialties along the streets.

A "strongman" who lifts up a huge sack of rice or a massive rock to show off his might to the audience; a "singer" who eats a bunch of food that helps him fart and sings with his buttocks in a vulgar way; a down-on-his-luck samurai who performs his superb swordsmanship...

Vendors carrying watermelons, iced water, ice cubes, and other goods on shoulder poles weave through the crowds under the scorching sun, never worrying about finding a market.

These vendors selling watermelons and iced water are all making a fortune.

With beaming smiles, they silently thanked the sun high in the sky, which radiated such intense heat and made their business so prosperous.

Despite it being the sweltering heat of summer...

Despite the existence of extremist individuals and organizations such as the "radical anti-foreign faction," the security of Edo remained a serious threat...

Although the nation's situation remains turbulent due to unprecedented changes in a millennium...

Nevertheless, every day, large numbers of townspeople and samurai still flock to the pleasure districts represented by Ryogoku Hirokoji Street and the geisha districts represented by Yoshiwara Street, seeking a moment of peace in these places.

Today, in a storytelling venue on a street in two countries, stands a rather young and handsome storyteller.

This person's name is Cancanting Mengle, and Cancanting is the name of the school he belongs to.

As one of the most popular storytellers in Ryogoku Hirokoji, Meng Le once again presented a wonderful performance to the audience today.

Snapped!

With a loud "smack," Meng Le picked up the gavel and slammed it on the table.

He happened to be talking about the climax of the story, and all the listeners in the audience were listening intently.

Meng Le was talking about how her popularity had skyrocketed in the last two months, and how a large number of people would come to listen to her stories whenever she told them.

"Speaking of which, that night happened to be a dark and windy night."

"The moon was hidden behind the clouds, and a cold wind blew from the distant horizon."

As the saying goes, "Experts see the details, while laymen just watch the show."

Those in the know can tell just by looking at a few of Meng Le's movements and listening to the tone of her voice how superb her storytelling skills are.

His tone, sometimes passionate and sometimes soothing, and his rhythmic cadence, are very pleasant to listen to.

The audience below the stage stared intently at Meng Le, listening attentively as he recounted the story of "'Niou' Tachibana no Seito's Rescue of the Foreign Scripture Dispatch Office".

"The thugs of the Extermination Group are truly a bunch of heartless beasts."

"The servants in the Foreign Book Bureau were nothing more than a group of unarmed scholars."

"The beasts of the Extermination Group could actually bring themselves to kill these innocent people with such hatred."

"Under the slaughter of these beasts, the Fanshu Diaosu was a river of blood, a Shura field like a mountain of corpses and a sea of ​​blood."

"Fortunately, a man suddenly appeared, heroic and dashing, leading the charge! With only four men under his command, he charged straight into the enemy formation that had completely surrounded the Foreign Affairs Office!"

"If you ask who this person is, it is none other than Toshihiko, the head of the town of Hokuban-sho-sada. He is six feet tall, with a majestic and imposing presence. He is none other than Minamoto no Aoto Moriharu!"

Snapped!

Meng Le slammed the gavel down again.