I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

……

Although Goto had already passed away, Aoto still habitually maintained his lingering spirit.

因为有“强肌+1”、“元阳+1”、“铁肺+2”、“神脑+9”在身，所以哪怕刚打完一场“1vs23”的乱斗，青登依旧精神满满，肌肉不酸、脑子不累。

He let out a long breath and looked around at the now quiet surroundings.

This night, which has felt exceptionally long since I stepped through the gates of Yoshiwara, should finally come to a temporary end.

Next, all we need to do is take the unconscious Kitahara Kōnosuke and the others back to the Tsukimiya Shrine...

Aoto took out a piece of paper from his waist and wiped the blade of Echizen-suke Tsutachi-no-kami Kanetsugu.

Just then, as if he had suddenly remembered something important, he blinked hard a few times.

"Oh right... I almost forgot..."

Aoto sheathed his sword, then turned around and strode quickly toward Kitahara Konosuke.

After arriving at the unconscious Kitahara Konosuke's side, he carefully searched the surroundings inch by inch.

Soon, he found what he was looking for—Kounosuke Kitahara's severed arm.

To be precise, it was the revolver that was being tightly gripped by the severed arm.

Qingdeng pried open the fingers of the severed arm and snatched the gun away.

This was the first time Qing Deng had ever touched a firearm from this era.

Because he was unfamiliar with it, it took him a while to finally open the chamber.

At this moment, both good news and bad news came to Qingdeng.

The good news is that Qing Deng has finally gotten the pistol he's been longing for.

The bad news is: it's a pistol that's basically out of bullets.

Inside the lotus-root-shaped gun barrel, there was only one bullet left.

"Is there only one left...?"

Looking at the single bullet in the gun barrel, a helpless, bitter smile crept onto Qingdeng's cheeks.

*******

*******

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Chapter 392 Niou finally got his first revolver! [4300]

Ever since he transmigrated to this world, Qing Deng has longed to own his own handgun.

Although this is a "low-martial arts world" with a high average combat strength, firearms still hold a dominant position in terms of lethality.

Otherwise, the Western powers in this world wouldn't be able to dominate the world with their advanced industrial civilization, just like the Western powers in the world Qing Deng transmigrated from.

Having a pistol by your side makes you walk with a straighter back.

For a long time, Qing Deng had been searching for the pistol without success.

Although Japan has opened its doors to the world, the country remains in a strange state of "opening up but not fully opening up" because conservative forces are still very strong.

Even a shogunate officer of Aoto's rank couldn't find a way to acquire Western firearms.

Moreover, due to his status, he absolutely could not openly handle a gun—especially not to ask Tokugawa Iemochi and Tenshōin for help.

One of these men was the Shogun, and the other was the Grand Master of the Imperial Household. Given their relatively high status in the Edo Shogunate, acquiring Western firearms would certainly not have been difficult for them.

However! No matter what, you absolutely must not ask these two gentlemen for help in buying guns!

Otherwise, you'll be committing a major taboo!

Qing Deng does have this much political sensitivity.

Qing Deng knew he was innocent. The only reason he wanted the pistol was to enhance his own combat capabilities.

But what would Tokugawa Iemochi and Tenshōin think?

From their perspective, it's like one of their subordinates suddenly wanting to buy a weapon that's easy to conceal, can kill from a distance, can protect them, and can also be turned around and aimed at them...

Although at this stage he has a particularly good relationship with Tokugawa Iemochi, Tenshōin, and especially Tenshōin, the friendship between ruler and subject in the feudal era is like a castle built of fine sand—it collapses with a single push.

Qingdeng did not believe that his relationship with these two people had reached the level of Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang.

A common man is innocent, but possessing a treasure is a crime...

Until tonight, until now, Qing Dengcai has finally gotten his first pistol—although it only has one bullet.

At that time, revolvers could not yet fire in bursts.

After firing one shot, you must pull the hammer to fire the second shot.

"Only this many bullets...?"

Aoto turned around and went back to Kitahara Konosuke's side, carefully touching his body.

Then, he sighed in disappointment—he searched Kitahara Konosuke's entire body but found no extra ammunition.

It seems that Kitahara Konosuke's earlier statement that "ammunition is precious, and every shot fired reduces the supply" was not just empty talk.

"never mind……"

Qingdeng turned his regret into sound with a "whoosh".

"One bullet is fine... something is better than nothing..."

A revolver with only one bullet in its chamber cannot be used as a primary weapon in combat.

But it is an excellent concealed weapon!

When the enemy is off guard, suddenly unleash an "American Iai" attack... a tough battle that might be very close, or even result in defeat, could end in a "complete victory for Qingdeng".

Thinking of this, Qingdeng happily tucked the revolver with only one bullet left into his pocket.

……

……

Edo, Tsukimiya Shrine, Tenshōin's room—

"Ugh……"

A weary sigh escaped softly from Tenshōin's red lips.

Tenshōin lay supine on the tatami mats in the room.

It was just an extremely casual lying posture, but the scene was so beautiful and moving that it looked like a masterpiece painted by a top artist.

White robes, purple trousers, rosy skin, red lips, jet-black hair...

All colors find their best expression on this mature and alluring body.

"Ugh……"

Another sigh.

Tenshōin rolled over, pressing her delicate face lightly against the fresh-smelling tatami mat. Her straight legs were together, her rounded toes, encased in white tabi socks, tightened, and she curled up completely.

Tenshōin rarely showed this "weak" side.

But the recent string of troubles has left her feeling utterly exhausted.

His beloved general, Tachibana Seiden, is being hunted by an unidentified gang of bandits, and the investigation into the "strange drug" has made no new progress... Let's leave these matters aside for now.

The main reason why Tenshōin is in its current weakened state is that the shogunate's political situation has become turbulent again.

The assassination of the chief minister, Ii Naosuke, was a "black swan event" that severely undermined the authority of the Edo shogunate.

After Ii Naosuke's death, Ando Nobumasa became the head of the senior councilors, jointly managing government affairs with another senior councilor, Kuze Hiroki.

[Note: There are usually 4 or 5 senior officials who hold a position similar to that of a "prime minister," and the one ranked first among them is called the "chief senior official."]

In an effort to salvage the dignity of the shogunate, Ando Nobumasa proposed the "union of the court and the military."

This means uniting the imperial court (the court nobility) and the shogunate (the military establishment) to reform the shogunate's power, using the imperial court's authority to strengthen the shogunate's influence, suppressing the increasingly intense pro-imperial and anti-foreign movements in the Kinki region, in order to prevent the collapse of the Edo shogunate and further strengthen its position.

The specific means of implementation was political marriage.

This means that Tokugawa Iemochi, who is 15 years old and of marriageable age, will marry a princess of the imperial court.

Even when Ii Naosuke was still alive, he was already actively promoting cooperation between the court nobles and the samurai.

Although the matter was temporarily suspended after the "Sakuradamon Incident", Ando Nobumasa and Kuze Hiroshi resumed the work that Ii Naosuke had not completed.

[Note: The Sakuradamon Incident refers to the assassination of Ii Naosuke.]

There are three princesses from noble families suitable for marriage: Princess Toshihiko, daughter of the late Emperor Ninko, who is currently thirty years old, and Princess Kazu, who is fourteen years old. The current Emperor also has a daughter, Princess Fuki, who is only five months old.

In summary, the only suitable marriage partner is Kazuya.

As soon as Ando Nobumasa proposed the idea of ​​"union of the public and the military," it received strong support from many shogunate officials and local daimyo.

Hitotsubashi Yoshinobu, leader of the Hitotsubashi faction; Matsudaira Katamori, lord of the Aizu Domain; Matsudaira Yoshinaga, lord of the Fukui Domain; Yamanouchi Yodo, former lord of the Tosa Domain; Date Munekiro, former lord of the Uwajima Domain; Shimazu Hisamitsu, the father of the Satsuma Domain… These powerful daimyo whose territories were worth hundreds of thousands of koku all expressed their support for the “Kōbu Gatai” (union of the court and the military).

While all the bigwigs were applauding the "unity of public and military forces"... Tenshōin held a different opinion—

First of all, Kazuya was already engaged. She had been betrothed to Prince Arisugawa Akira since childhood, and the two were in love. Her act of demanding that Kazuya break off her existing engagement and instead marry Tokugawa Iemochi was an act of stealing someone else's love, which was against the rules of propriety.

Secondly, she believed that the current decadent situation could not be saved by marrying into the imperial court.

Thirdly, Tokugawa Iemochi is still young. It's too early for him to get married now.

Fourth, the government cannot be trusted.

In order to ensure the Tokugawa family's rule, Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first shogun of the Edo shogunate, used a series of measures to completely confine the power of the court nobles.