I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"Expelling the barbarians" is definitely not feasible; "establishing a new nation" has become an inevitable trend of the times.

In addition, the "revere the emperor" proposition of the Zunjō movement was also unacceptable to the shogunate.

There can be no two suns in the sky, nor two rulers in a country.

As the authority of the Emperor and the Kyoto court rises, the authority of the Shogun and the Edo Shogunate will inevitably decline—this is absolute and unavoidable.

"Respect the Emperor" and "Expel the Barbarians" were both taboo terms for the shogunate.

The principles of the Zunyao Movement were completely contrary to the interests of the Edo Shogunate.

Therefore, in order to suppress the Soshin-Jō movement, save the increasingly declining national power, and restore the Tokugawa authority, the Edo Shogunate decided to restart the "Kōbu-Gōtai" (a system of combining court and military power).

As early as when Ii Naosuke, the first mentor of Seido, was still alive, he was pushing a military strategy—to have the shogun (Tokugawa Iemochi) marry a woman from the imperial family, thus forging an inseparable relationship between the shogunate and the imperial court.

Ii Naosuke believed that if Edo and Kyoto remained enemies for a long time, it would be very detrimental to the future of the country, and therefore a cooperative mechanism had to be established.

So he proposed marriage to the royal family and asked, "Which one would be more suitable to marry the general?"

At that time, there were three princesses from noble families who were suitable to marry.

Princess Toshihime, daughter of the late Emperor Ninko, is 30 years old, and Princess Kazu is in the prime of her youth.

The current emperor also has a princess, Princess Fugui, who was only five months old when she was born.

It would be inappropriate for a dignified general to marry either a 30-year-old woman or a five-month-old baby.

Therefore, the only princess suitable for marriage was Princess Kazu, who was about the same age as Tokugawa Iemochi.

Just as the shogunate and the imperial court were slowly discussing the matter, the "Sakuradamon Incident" broke out, Ii Naosuke was killed, and the "Kōbu Gatai" (union of the court and the military) was temporarily suspended.

After the shogunate decided to restart the "Kōbu Gatai" (a system of government and military alliances) in order to counter the Zunpu movement, the succeeding senior councilor, Ando Nobumasa, continued to negotiate with the imperial court.

[Note: To prevent the concentration of power, the Edo Shogunate had many senior officials, with a fixed number of four to five. They took turns managing different affairs on a monthly basis, and the person who held a leading position was called the "senior official."]

After repeated discussions, both parties finally decided to do their utmost to facilitate the marriage.

However... Princess Kazuya strongly opposed the marriage alliance.

She was betrothed to Prince Arisugawa Akira when she was young, and the two were deeply in love. She was unwilling to leave her beloved.

In addition, the people of the capital region generally discriminated against the people of Kanto, regarding Kanto as an undeveloped, barbaric, and miasma-ridden land, and considering the people of Kanto as a bunch of rude and uncivilized "Eastern barbarians." Such prejudices made the princess even more resistant to the marriage alliance.

Emperor Tonin personally tried to persuade his sister to marry Tokugawa Iemochi, but Princess Kazu resolutely refused.

She bluntly declared, "I refuse to go to Edo. Even if I become a nun, I will not marry into the Kanto region!"

As things went wrong at court, unrest began to break out in the outside world.

The shogunate's move of "union of the court and the military" was a devastating blow to the Sovereign and Exile movement. The shogunate and the imperial court were now one family, so it was inappropriate for them to interfere with the shogunate's policies and demands.

Those who uphold the ideology of respecting the powerful and resisting the weak are naturally unwilling to be led by the nose by the shogunate.

Therefore, they launched a fierce attack on the Gongwu Union Movement.

Kazumiya refused to marry into a samurai family, and just when the situation reached a stalemate, a capable man named Iwakura Tomomi appeared.

This person was a waka disciple of Kanpaku Takashi Masamune, and was good at pleasing Takashi Masamune. In the first year of Ansei (1854), he became his personal attendant.

[Note: Kanpaku: An official position in the Kyoto Imperial Court. Responsible for assisting the Emperor in handling state affairs. The Kanpaku's role in the Kyoto Imperial Court was similar to that of the Rōjū (senior councilors) in the Edo Shogunate.]

This man was exceptionally intelligent. Compared to those unruly nobles who only knew how to compose poems, he was outstanding, broad-minded, strategic, and politically astute.

Iwakura Tomomi said to Emperor Tonin, “This is a rare opportunity. Since the shogunate is so eager to ask of us, we should adopt this suggestion and grant them this favor. In this way, we can set conditions, namely, the abolition of the Ansei Provisional Treaty (the Treaty of Amity and Commerce between Japan and the United States) signed by Ii Naosuke. This would reverse the situation once again and allow us to propose a policy of expelling foreigners. In this way, although the administration will be entrusted to the shogunate, the shogunate must consult the imperial court before taking any action. Ultimately, the real power will be in the hands of the imperial court.”

Emperor Tonin also believed that in order for the shogunate to implement the policy of expelling foreigners again, it was necessary to adopt the opinion of Iwakura Tomomi.

There were also people in the court who opposed marrying Kazumiya to Kanto. Iwakura Tomomi met with them directly, or bribed the poor courtiers, and sometimes even threatened them with demotion.

In short, he used every trick in the book to consolidate his power.

In the end, even Prince Arisugawa Taruhito, who was betrothed to Prince Kazu, gave in.

Left isolated and helpless, Kazuya had no choice but to agree to the marriage.

On the other hand, the shogunate was completely unable to meet the conditions imposed by the imperial court, namely, to abolish the treaties signed with foreign countries.

Therefore, the shogunate racked its brains and requested the imperial court to give it 10 years to find a solution.

In short, the shogunate wanted to maintain good relations with the imperial court, so it accepted most of the conditions and married Princess Kazu.

Iwakura Tomomi, through his exceptional political maneuvering, facilitated a marriage alliance between the court nobles and the samurai, achieving his own goals. Due to his cold-blooded nature, he was known as "The Gecko."

After much effort and compromise, He Gong finally managed to marry into the Kanto region.

There was a waka poem at that time that went like this: "For the sake of the ruler and the people, I will vanish with the dew of Musashino."

The image of the princess crying her eyes out became widely known.

On the occasion of the wedding, the Imperial Family dispatched six capable aides to Prince Kazu, including Iwakura Tomomi, who had been promoted to Right General of the Imperial Guard. Their mission was not only to protect Prince Kazu but also to directly convey the Imperial Court's requests to the Shogunate, thus bearing the significant responsibility of overseeing the Shogunate's actions.

The original intention of the "Kōbu Gatai" (公武合体) was to eliminate the estrangement between Edo and Kyoto, strengthen national power, and suppress the Zōyō movement.

However... the marriage between Tokugawa Iemochi and Princess Kazu was not enough to ease the tension between the two sides; on the contrary, it aroused the resentment of the pro-imperial and anti-foreign faction.

"The imperial family and the samurai family should unite as one family"—this makes no sense to the pro-imperial and anti-foreign faction outside the imperial court.

They believed that the imperial court had no need to flatter the shogunate, which sparked an even more intense movement to overthrow the emperor.

They referred to the four court ladies, including Iwakura Tomomi, who had devoted themselves to the marriage of the Prince of Kazu, as well as the ladies-in-waiting Imajo Shigeko and Horikawa Noriko (Iwakura Tomomi's sister), as the "Four Traitors and Two Concubines," and listed them as targets of "divine punishment."

In Kyoto, ronin, deserters, and disgruntled courtiers formed an alliance and began an increasingly radical movement, which swept through the streets and alleys of Kyoto.

Following the "Nanki faction" and the "Hitotsubashi faction," new, mutually hostile political groups—the "Kōbu Gatai faction" and the "Zunō Expel the Barbarians faction"—emerged on the historical stage.

Compared to the "Nanki-Ichikyo Bridge Dispute," this partisan struggle is more intense and brutal, and it is about to escalate into a war!

The first to make a move was the Choshu Domain, which had been silent, observing the situation, and lying low for a long time.

The Choshu Domain produced a clever man named Nagai Gakura, who received a stipend of 150 koku.

He assessed the global situation and believed it was essential to prevent domestic unrest. Based on this, he devised a "strategy for long-distance navigation," the main contents of which are as follows:

[Abandoning treaties and expelling foreigners are both child's play. It would be better to actively accept treaties, with the Imperial Court and the Shogunate working in unison to strengthen our national military. Therefore, it is necessary to send inspection teams overseas to learn from foreign countries' strengths and change the hearts and minds of our people, and then consider various other methods. This is the strategy for maritime exploration.]

"Navigation strategy" means to plan for the long term.

Nagai Gakura proposed this strategy to Mori Takachika, the lord of the Choshu Domain, and received his approval.

Therefore, Mori Takachika submitted this plan to the Imperial Court, attempting to strengthen the connection between the Imperial Court and the Shogunate and resolve the chaotic situation.

Emperor Tonin, who disliked foreign countries, greatly appreciated this approach, and the court officials also felt that this method was feasible.

Having gained power, Nagai Gakura went to Edo and submitted the plan directly to the cabinet ministers of the shogunate.

The cabinet ministers of the shogunate greatly appreciated this and adopted the plan. Having finally eased relations with the imperial court through the marriage of Princess Kazu, they could then use this as an opportunity to fully utilize this strategy, and the situation would become much smoother.

The case also received support from another powerful figure in the Choshu Domain, Shubu no Seiji, and a consensus was reached within the domain.

Thus, the Choshu Domain entered the political center and became one of the players in this grand game where the "ownership of the nation" was the stake.

Whether Choshu's purpose was to use this plan to mediate between the shogunate and the imperial court, thereby gaining political dominance, remains unknown. In any case, Choshu entered the historical stage.

If the "strategy for distant seafaring" proceeds smoothly, the marriage between the princess and the emperor will be successful, and the movement to revere the emperor and expel foreigners will be suppressed. Both the imperial court and the shogunate will take the opportunity to abandon their confrontation and ease tensions.

However, the "Revere the Emperor and Expel the Barbarians" faction would naturally not accept this proposal.

Kusaka Genzui of the Choshu Domain, Honma Seiichiro of the Echigo Domain, Saigo Takamori of the Satsuma Domain… These capable individuals of the “Revere the Emperor, Expel the Barbarians” faction made contact with each other and began to plan and promote a larger-scale movement.

The shogunate and the imperial court wanted to reconcile, but the rebellion against the emperor was difficult to contain, and the situation became increasingly chaotic.

On January 15, 1862, the chief of the senior council, Ando Nobumasa, was attacked by six loyalists from the Mito and Utsunomiya domains at the Sakashita Gate.

Having learned from the "Sakurada Gate Incident," they strengthened their defenses, so Ando Nobumasa only suffered minor injuries and defeated the assassins.

All the assassins were killed, and the incident was temporarily brought under control.

However, Nobumasa Ando was forced to leave the central position of the Shogunate cabinet due to his injury, and Gyagaku Nagai's work was also temporarily suspended. The work that had been progressing with great difficulty was forced to stop due to this assassination attempt.

Furthermore, even Choshu, which had previously maintained a unified stance on the issue of domains, began to experience debate.

The initial consensus was to manage the country through a joint government and military force, and Choshu was involved in this process. However, the pro-imperial and anti-foreign faction within the Choshu Domain raised the banner of rebellion and gradually grew in strength, beginning to shake the Choshu Domain.

Zhou Buzhengzhi also began to change his previous opinion and befriended Kusaka Genzui, a member of the pro-imperial and anti-foreign faction.

At the same time, Mori Takachika, the lord of the Choshu Domain, suddenly stated that the "strategy of long-distance navigation" was not feasible and that the future development path of the Choshu Domain needed to be re-examined.

Thus, the "long-range maritime strategy" that was on the verge of success completely failed. Nagai Gakura was also held accountable for doing something unnecessary, and many members of the pro-imperial and anti-foreign faction strongly demanded that Nagai Gakura commit seppuku as an apology.

Due to the change of attitude of the Choshu Domain, the ongoing effort to unite the court and the military has been abandoned.

At this moment, another powerful "player"—the Satsuma Domain—stripped its fangs.

In 1858, Shimazu Nariakira, the 11th lord of the Satsuma Domain, the adoptive father of Tenshōin, and the culprit who caused Tenshōin to marry a disabled man, died of illness.

When Shimazu Nariakira, who had no children, passed away, he left a will in which he believed that if the position of lord of the domain were handed over to his younger brother, Shimazu Hisamitsu, it would definitely cause trouble that would be difficult to resolve.

Therefore, he decided that Shimazu Tadayoshi, the son of Shimazu Hisamitsu, would succeed him as the lord of the Satsuma Domain.

In fact, his actions were no different from directly passing the mantle to Hisamitsu Shimazu.

Hisamitsu Shimazu became the father of the lord of the domain, which was no different from him becoming the lord himself.

Hisamitsu Shimazu, who inherited the mantle of Nariakira Shimazu, began to govern and lead the Satsuma Domain as the father of the nation.

He is a very open-minded person who is insightful about current affairs.

He realized that the current reality in the country was that the "respect the emperor and expel the barbarians" faction held the upper hand, and even if enlightened opinions were offered, they would not accept them.

Therefore, while Shimazu Hisamitsu appeared to be a "respect the emperor and expel the barbarians" at first glance, he actually harbored the idea of ​​"unity of the court and the military".

In addition, he was an ambitious man who aspired to a leadership position.

After Nagai Gakura's prudent strategy collapsed, he led 1000 domain soldiers, armed with cannons, to Kyoto to suppress the unstable or ambitious ronin in the city. He arrested all the restless pro-imperial and anti-foreign faction members and imprisoned them in the Satsuma Domain residence and inns, carrying out a thorough purge of them.

His purpose in doing so was to consolidate his position and increase his influence in the court.

Saigo Takamori, who held a leading position in the "Revere the Emperor, Expel the Barbarians" faction of the Satsuma Domain, was also exiled to Tokunoshima by him.

However, even though Shimazu Hisamitsu had gone to such extremes, there were still people who did not know what he was thinking, and some even regarded him as the leader of the "Revere the Emperor and Expel the Barbarians" faction.

When Shimazu Hisamitsu led his army to Kyoto, the people of Satsuma were in high spirits. They thought, "This is a golden opportunity. Now is the perfect time to support Hisamitsu-kun as general, make a name for ourselves in Kyoto, drive out the shogunate forces, and let our Satsuma Domain seize the world."

They even devised a plan to take the Emperor to Mount Hiei and wage a full-scale war against the shogunate should a crisis arise.

These guys' bizarre ideas terrified Shimazu Hisamitsu, and he immediately took action to suppress their movements.

On April 23, 1862, more than thirty members of the “Revere the Emperor and Expel the Barbarians” faction gathered at the Funaya-jita-ya in Fushimi to discuss future strategies.