At this time, Katsura Kogoro was sweating profusely trying to persuade his fellow disciples. Although he had good vision and intelligence, he was too young and had little reputation. At most, he could only influence his fellow countrymen and friends from the Choshu Domain. Other senior fellow disciples were still the same.
He looked arrogant, and even more impatiently, he began to curse Kogoro as a traitor to the clan, pointing the finger directly at the Choshu clan.
At this time, although the Choshu clan did not dare to directly raise its flag to rebel, it had already become the headquarters of samurai ronin who were dissatisfied with the rule of the Tokugawa family.
The Maori family, which was originally the lord of the feudal lord, was the world's top power with ten kingdoms in its heyday, with a net worth of 1.2 million den. At that time, Tokugawa Ieyasu, whose surname was Matsudaira, was just a small name in Mikawa Kingdom. Even if the Maori family would later
The family's power declined and they had to form an alliance with Oda Nobunaga, who was also one of the five major powers in the world. How could he look down on the Tokugawa family who was born a country bumpkin.
After the establishment of the Tokugawa shogunate, the much-suspected Maori family was sent to the Chosu Domain. From one of the world's most powerful men to a much-suspected daimyō, they were humiliated and oppressed by the shogunate in various ways for nearly three hundred years.
The Choshu clan also never stopped resisting the Tokugawa shogunate.
If it had not been for the blessing of maritime trade, it had quickly become one of the most powerful vassals in the world in the past few decades. It is expected that it would have continued to guard the barren mountains and eat ashes, forever being excluded from Japan's core political forces.
The Choshu clan, which has grown in power in recent years, is even more dissatisfied with the increasingly weakened Tokugawa shogunate. Although it is still three years away from the "Black Ship Incident" that has changed the world, the famous concept of "respecting the king and repelling the barbarians" has not yet been
It was formally proposed, but secretly gathering strength to prepare to overthrow the shogunate has been going on, and various actions have also aroused dissatisfaction among those loyal to the shogunate.
Especially in Edo, the headquarters of the Tokugawa family, the samurai from the Choshu clan had never received a good look.
Hearing those unpleasant accusations, several swordsmen from Choshu suddenly changed their expressions. Even the youngest Shinsaku Takasugi gripped the handle of his sword angrily, seeing that an intra-sect fight was about to happen.
At this moment, the door of the Sorayama Kianryu Dojo was opened, and the two teachers, Torataro and Kira, who were hanging their arms, came out and stood in front of the dark crowd.
Unlike Kira, who looked hesitant, Torataro hated Shinto Muken-ryu with all his heart. His arm was broken by Zaisinya. If that was all, then forget it. He couldn't blame others for not being good at learning. But he clearly knew it at the time.
The arm was broken, but out of dignity as a swordsman he did not abandon his sword and admit defeat.
Besides, even a deaf person could hear such a loud click. Serizawa Kamo, who took the action himself, could not have known it. But he actually ignored the rules and wanted to break his own leg! There is nothing more disgusting than this kind of thing.
It will take at least half a year for him to pick up the sword again, and it may take even longer for a formal duel.
He squinted his eyes and stared at the chaotic Shinto Wu Nian disciples with some contempt. After witnessing Sorayama Yiye and his sword defeating hundreds of opponents like chopping melons and vegetables, he no longer cared so much about the so-called disciples of the big sect.
Moreover, his understanding of his own martial arts has reached a new level. If he were to fight Serizawa Kamo now, even if he couldn't win, he was confident that he could trade his injuries for injuries, or at least get a draw.
"Everyone, please be quiet for a moment." Torataro said loudly: "I sent the highest teacher, 'Kiichi' Sorayama Kazuha-senior, to give orders. Anyone who wants to challenge the senior should win all the people who wrote on the wooden sign yesterday. Otherwise, please do not come in.
Bringing humiliation to oneself.”
These extremely unreasonable words caused the Shinto Wu Nian-ryu disciples below to immediately burst into an uproar. Some of them even irritably drew their swords in their hands, yelled angrily, and wanted to rush in regardless. If their companions hadn't stopped them, they might have had to.
First, kill Torataro in the street, and then bloodbath this daring little sect.
Katsura Kogoro furrowed his brows and smacked his tongue secretly, thinking that Master Kongshan doesn't seem to be an arrogant and ignorant person. You can tell something from the opponent's sword skills. No matter how he strikes, he can kill with one blow.
No matter how the seniors of our sect try to deceive, no matter how realistic the "sacrifice skills" are, they eventually turn into real sacrificial attacks, which shows their calmness and accurate judgment.
But at this moment, when he sends someone out to provoke, isn't he afraid that the nearly a hundred Shinto Wu Nian-ryu disciples outside the door will lose their minds and wash away the dojo with blood? Or is he already confident enough that he can fight one against a hundred?
His small low-level disciples couldn't stop the current situation at all, so he could only try to restrain his fellow sect members from being impulsive.
Outside the alley, Saito Shintaro's figure appeared, followed by more than a dozen internal disciples and teachers. He could be said to be the elite of the Shinto Wu Nian elite, and every one of them was a famous swordsman in Edo.
He separated from the crowd and walked to the front. He stood in front of the huge wooden sign and stared at the name on it without saying a word. As he arrived, the scene gradually became quiet. As the second most important person in the training hall,
He is also the actual controller. Saito Shintaro's prestige is second only to his father, and he is also the one with the highest martial arts skills among the people.
The hundreds of names on the wooden sign made his heart bleed. These are the future of the sect! Including Serizawa Kamo, Katsura Kogoro and others who his father was also very optimistic about. Can they maintain their swordsmanship after suffering such a heavy blow?
Sharpness is not necessarily necessary. After all, swordsmanship is about the sword, but also the heart! Without the indestructible and courageous heart of the sword, no matter how high your martial arts skills are, you will only be a master of swordsmanship in the dojo, and you will never become a true swordsman.
And even if they still have high morale, according to the general rules of this era, they will probably rejoin the sect of the person who defeated them personally and study hard. At most, only half of them can continue to practice in the sect.
He didn't care about the little moonlight, but the influence and future potential of the entire sect in Edo. The Shinto Wu Nian style, which was originally the largest sect in Edo, might be surpassed by the eyeing Beichen Itto style.
, you must know that the opponent's sect leader Chiba Shusaku is also an amazing figure as famous as his father. Even Chiba Shusaku, who has been studying kendo, should have surpassed his father who devoted himself to Lan Xue in martial arts at this time, although his influence is still far less.
, but swordsmanship ultimately relies on the sword to speak for itself.
Katsura Kogoro looked at the silent Nidaime and let out a breath. The situation was finally under control. Based on his understanding of Saito Shintaro, the other party would definitely not order everyone to rush in and kill them, unlike ordinary samurai.
, he is a highly cultivated swordsman who likes art, painting, and Confucianism, and naturally has an air of elegance.
Kogoro hesitated for a moment, and finally stepped forward and said respectfully: "Master, although my faction has suffered a huge loss of face, Master Kongshan who missed the flow won the formal competition without any adulteration. It can be said to be upright. On the contrary,
We have some, some... Do you think you should let everyone go back and calm down for a while, and then respectfully invite each other to come and be our guests..."
"No need, Kogoro." Shintaro Saito shook his head gently, "Now that we are here, it would be rude to leave without saying hello to the host. You did a good job this time."
Ignoring the somewhat shy Katsura Kogoro, he gently bowed to the ever-wary Torataro and said, "I have already heard from Tomura Shihan about Serizawa. He went too far in this matter. I will take care of him."
He apologized to your faction."
When Torataro heard this, he quickly bowed in return. He was reckless, but he was not stupid at all. As the current owner of the military training venue, this kind of person who could only be heard about in legends was willing to personally deal with a small sect.
The apology has already shown a good attitude. If I still have an arrogant attitude, not only will my master Ohno Fuji break my other arm when I go back, but I will probably never have a place for myself in the whole of Edo.
"Can you tell me that Shintō Musen-ryu Saitō Shintaro came to visit your sect and hopes to have a talk with Mr. Oniichi to resolve the estrangement between the two sects." He politely took out a plain white greeting card from his sleeve.
Post it, pass it over with both hands.
Kira rushed in front of Torataro who was hanging his arms and bowed as well. He took the greeting card with his hands at the same level as his forehead, "No need to be polite, Saito-sama, I will..." Before he could finish his words, he saw Ohno Fuji rushing in.
He ran out, bowed and saluted: "Master Saito, please, Senior Kiichi Sorayama Kazuyo is waiting for you."
Saito Shintaro felt a little at ease. It seemed that the other party did not want to have a complete showdown with Shinto Muken-ryu. He was not the father Sorayama Kazuha had specified that he wanted to see him, but he still sent the owner of the hall to greet him in person, indicating that he was still willing to respect him.
of.
But what he didn't expect was that Kazuyo Sorayama no longer regarded Yakuro Saito as an opponent he wanted to fight urgently, and Shintaro, whose martial arts was at a lower level, although his martial arts was not high in his opinion, after all, his status was
There, if you still want to live a good life in this era, why bother to rashly establish strong enemies.
Saito Shintaro turned back to the disciples and said seriously: "Okay, everyone, go back. If you continue to make noise here, how are you different from those street gangsters? Have you forgotten my usual teachings? Victory does not depend on who has a louder voice.
, go back and practice harder!" He then turned to Katsura Kogoro gently and said: "Kogoro, come with me in."
After saying that, amid the ashamed, puzzled, and disappointed looks of all the disciples, he strode into the dojo without looking back.
Kazuha Sorayama was still feeding the fish by the pond at this time. He heard clearly what was going on outside the door and knew that a big fish had finally appeared. Although it was not Yakuro Saito, which made him a little regretful, he actually didn't think about it.
Maybe if you come in person, the other person's identity is not only a swordsman, but also a half-political figure. He represents not only himself, but also a community of interests built around him. No words or deeds can be wrong.
My own status is far from being equivalent to that. Perhaps only when I truly become the number one swordsman in Japan can I have no worries.
"Forget it, it doesn't matter if the young one is here. It is said that he is about the same age as me. Let me try how strong this talented swordsman is..."
As the footsteps got closer and closer, Ichiyo Sora continued to increase his momentum. From a radius of five feet to a radius of ten feet, and then to a radius of twenty meters, any area covered by his momentum seemed to have condensed into a kind of air.
In a viscous state, the space is firmly locked.
The koi in the fish pond had already ignored the temptation of delicious food and instantly dived into the deep water and disappeared without a trace, leaving only ripples in the air.