Chapter 814 The situation suddenly changed! Reinforcements from the Great Salt Party! [Leopard Update 6K3]
Kyoto, Sanjo Bridge (west of Kamogawa River), Ikedaya——
Odaka Matajiro cleared his throat, and then delivered the first sentence of this meeting:
"Time is tight, so just skip the meaningless greetings and opening remarks."
"Before we officially start today's agenda, I would like to present an equally urgent agenda - should we storm the Shinsengumi camp and rescue Shuntaro Kotaka?"
Shuntaro Kodaka—that is, the lofty idealist whose pseudonym is "Yuya Kiemon" whom Nagakura Shinpachi uncovered during the day.
After hearing this, Katsura Kogoro looked stern - he had already heard a little bit about what happened.
After Shuntaro Kotaka was captured and sent to the Shinsengumi camp in Mibu Township, there was no news at all, and his life and death are unknown.
As for whether to rescue Shuntaro Kotaka, a huge dispute broke out within the Zunbo faction, and there has been no conclusion yet.
"Do you even need to ask? Of course we need to save him!"
The speaker is the "majestic warrior" again.
The real name of "Majestic Samurai" is Matsuda Shigesuke, and he is also a radical with extreme ideas.
"Gu Gaojun is our companion! How can we ignore our companions?"
As soon as he finished speaking, someone opposite him retorted unceremoniously:
"Rescue? Matsuda-kun, what you said is so easy! May I ask how we should rescue Kougao-kun? Should we directly attack the Imyo camp? Don't forget that the person currently guarding the Imyo camp is the 'tyrant' Serizawa Kamo.
!”
Serizawa Duck——After hearing this name, many people present looked timid.
When talking about "the ranking of the swordsmen of the Shinsengumi", the most common saying is undoubtedly "Ichi Tachibana, Two Okita, Three Nagakura, and Four Saito".
There is no objection to the top two among them - Tachibana and Okita. There is a huge gap between them and the others. One is T0 and the other is T1.
No one in the Shinsengumi can match their strength, they are all hovering at T2, T3 and below.
Therefore, the ranking of strength after Qingto and the General Secretary has always been quite different.
In terms of swordsmanship alone, Nagakura Shinpachi is indeed slightly better than Saito.
But the question is: Can Saito Ichi really not be able to beat Nagakura Shinpachi?
No one would think that when Shinpachi Nagakura faced off against Ichi Saito, the former would be a sure winner.
People who are also in the Shinsengumi T2 include Isamu Kondo, Toshizo Hijikata and Kamo Serizawa.
Their strength is no worse than Nagakura Shinpachi and Saito Ichi.
If they were allowed to fight with real swords and guns, it's hard to say who would win in the end.
Interestingly, there is a consensus widely circulated among the vast number of people with lofty ideals - I would rather encounter Nagakura Shinpachi and Saito Ichi than fight Serizawa Kamo!
The reason why people with lofty ideals "fear a duck as much as a tiger" is not because of how superb and exquisite Serizawa's swordsmanship is.
But because he is too cruel!
Serizawa Kamo is a rough and arrogant person.
He used his brutal style in battle and the Shinto Mu-Nen-ryu he was proficient in.
Whenever he faces a battle, he will burst out with a terrifying aura that "swears to tear the enemy into pieces". With one strike, the person hit by the knife will be directly torn into pieces! It is really terrifying!
Not to mention anything else, the visual impact alone is enough to make people with lofty ideals feel scared.
It is precisely because of his ferocious and violent swordsmanship that he is so feared by those with lofty ideals.
I don’t know who started it, but Serizawa’s title of “tyrant” gradually spread among people with lofty ideals and became popular.
If the people guarding the Mibu camp were T3 level generals such as Inoue Genzaburo and Toudo Heisuke, then the Zunbo faction might still have the confidence to gather manpower and storm the Mibu camp.
However, it seems that the person who is currently leading the team to guard the Imyo camp is the "tyrant" Serizawa Kamo...
This caused many people with high lofty ideals to retreat.
The "Majestic Samurai"...that is, Matsuda Shigesuke, naturally understands the little Jiujiu in these people's hearts.
He slapped his thigh, showing an expression of grief and indignation:
"It's just a Serizawa duck. Look how scared you are! You are really a bunch of cowards!"
As expected - as soon as this statement came out, the "internal fighting" started again.
"What did you say?!"
"Matsuda-kun, watch your words!"
"We are definitely not cherishing our lives! We are just trying to find the best answer after calculating the gains and losses!"
They criticized Matsuda Shigesuke unceremoniously with sharp words.
Matsuda Shigesuke and his followers immediately launched a counterattack:
"If our comrades are in trouble and we go to rescue them, what's wrong with us?"
"'Calculating gains and losses'? Gu Gaojun has a lot of important information. We rescued him to prevent the information from leaking. Isn't this 'gain' not as good as the 'loss'?"
"How can we accomplish the great cause of respecting each other by being together with you, a bunch of insects who are greedy for life and afraid of death?!"
Looking at the two groups of people who were arguing fiercely, Katsura Kogoro sighed heavily, raised his hand to press his eyebrows, and a strong look of exhaustion appeared on his cheeks.
Prajna beside him was in great spirits.
He raised his right arm, supported his head, and watched the quarreling people from side to side with interest. It looked... like he was watching an animal show.
About 10 seconds later, Miyabe Daizo called out to stop the dispute:
"Stop making noise! Be quiet!"
In the blink of an eye, the room that was noisy one second ago became audibly noisy this second.
Everyone turned to look at Miyabe Daizo - they saw him with a sullen face and an unhappy expression.
"Everyone, please listen to what I have to say."
"It is true that Gu Gaojun is our important companion,"
"Not only that, he also possesses a large amount of confidential information."
"We should rescue him."
"but!"
He suddenly changed the subject, emphasized his tone, and his eyes became sharp.
"If we try to rescue Gu Gaojun now, it will definitely do more harm than good!"
"Don't forget, the Shinsengumi troops responsible for patrolling Kyoto this month include not only Serizawa Kamo's fourth division, but also Nagakura Shinpachi's second division."
"In other words, if we forcefully break into the Mibu Township camp now, we will not only encounter Serizawa Duck, but also Nagakura Shinpachi."
"At the same time, we are enemies of Nagakura Shinpachi and Serizawa Kamo. What are our chances of winning?"
"Even if we successfully rescue Gu Gaojun in the end, the price we will pay will be extremely heavy!"
"Now is a critical time for Zunzheng's great cause."
"We shouldn't waste our precious combat power in a place like this!"
"So... the issue of 'rescuing Shuntaro Kotaka' will be put on hold for the time being! We will discuss it later!"
Miyabe Daizo's words were like a hammer falling.
Those who opposed rescuing Shuntaro Kotaka all breathed a sigh of relief and looked happy.
Matsuda Shigesuke and his party members all looked frustrated.
Although Miyabe Naizo said "we will discuss it later", everyone knew in their hearts: there will definitely not be any further discussion!
Miyabe Daizo just used a euphemistic way of saying it.
In essence, his meaning has been made very clear: abandon Shuntaro Kotaka!
Katsura Kogoro pursed his lips, and then opened his mouth again, as if he wanted to say something to Miyabe Daizo.
But in the end, he still chose to remain silent and not say a word.
Katsura Kogoro is actually inclined to "rescue Shuntaro Kotaka".
But... while he sympathized with Shuntaro Kotaka, he also understood that although Miyabe Daizo's decision was cruel, it was not wrong.
To put it harshly, Kotaka Shuntaro was not important enough for them to rescue him at all costs.
At this time, Odaka Matajiro, who was in charge of presiding over the meeting, stood up again:
"Everyone, since the matter of 'rescuing Shuntaro Kotaka' has been confirmed to be shelved, let us officially start tonight's topic - whether to implement the plan of 'burning Kyoto and kidnapping the emperor'!"
Seeing that he finally got to the point, Katsura Kogoro's eyes suddenly lit up.
Odaka Matajiro was about to continue what he said, but was intercepted by Katsura Kogoro:
"Everyone, I won't talk about unnecessary nonsense."
"Let me just say one thing - your plan is so ridiculous!"
"Throughout the past and present, no one has ever done such a crazy thing!"
"We must not burn down Kyoto, let alone kidnap the emperor!"
"If we do such ridiculous things, how will the world view us?"
"If you lose your territory, you can get it back again."
"If you lose your money and food, you can still make it back."
"But if the people's support is gone, we will be unable to do anything!"
"We will live in infamy! We will be looked down upon by future generations!"
His words were as fierce as thunder.
His attitude is as firm as a rock.
His eyebrows were raised upright, his eyes were protruding, and his body seemed to be filled with vigorous energy that could erupt at any time.
However, as soon as he finished speaking, someone immediately jumped out to refute:
"Mr. Gui, we understand your concerns very well."
The speaker's name is "Kitajima", he has superb swordsmanship and radical ideas, and is a fan of Kusaka Genrui.
"This plan is risky, but this is a clever move for us to reverse the current situation in one fell swoop!"
"If we can successfully welcome the emperor to Choshu, the morale of the feudal kingdom will be greatly boosted!"
"At that time, we can use the power of the emperor to overthrow the shogunate in one fell swoop! Then drive the barbarians back to the sea!"
"Indeed, Zhu Rong's power cannot be underestimated."
"When the city is burned down by fire, thousands of people will be buried in the sea of flames and become homeless."
"But these are necessary sacrifices!"
"Mr. Gui, is there any struggle in this world without bloodshed?"
"Mother-in-law, mother-in-law, looking forward and backward, being so indecisive, can you still succeed if you have the kindness of a woman in your heart?"
"As long as we can achieve the great cause of respecting each other, what is this small sacrifice?"
"In the future, when we clarify the inner world and get rid of the smell, I believe that the people who are suffering will also feel relieved under Jiuquan."
After Beitian Jimo finished speaking, many people immediately echoed his words.
"That's right!"
"Beitian-kun is right!"
"Mr. Gui, if you keep cutting off, you will suffer chaos!"
Although Katsura Kogoro was fully prepared mentally, after hearing this fallacy from Kitagi Mo, he still felt dizzy and his teeth were cold!
Whenever he comes into contact with radical people, Katsura Kogoro will feel extremely tired - he always feels like he is not communicating with normal people, but more like talking to people from other worlds!
I can't make any sense here.
As for the "reasons" on the other side's side, calling them fallacies is an understatement!
Katsura Kogoro has finally seen through the radicals - their political level and military level are very naive! Horribly naive! They are still at the level of "as long as the emperor is on my side, we will have a huge advantage."
They thought that as long as they took the emperor to Changshu, they could turn the tide, punch Qin, Hui, Sa, and kick the shogunate.
Katsura Kogoro took a deep breath and tried to calm down.
After he calmed down a bit, he gritted his teeth and said word by word:
"What a beautiful thought you have!"
"Do you think that as long as the emperor is escorted to Changzhou, everything will be fine?"
"I'm telling you, if this comes true, it will only be true! Give others a handle!"
"When the time comes, the shogunate will be eager to declare us as traitors and traitors who kidnapped the emperor."
"The shogunate, which holds indisputable righteousness, will be supported by all parties! But we are alone!"
"As a district chief, I can defend two countries and fight against the soldiers of the world. What are the chances of winning?!"
[Note: Chang, Fang Two Kingdoms: namely the territory of Choshu Domain, Nagato Kingdom and Zhou Fang Kingdom]
At the end, Katsura Kogoro finally couldn't suppress his excitement.
At this moment, he showed the style of "Swordsman Kogoro"!
He straightened his upper body and glared at the audience, with a lion-like majesty between his brows.
Even though the blade has not been drawn and the cold light has not appeared, it still makes the rats tremble with fear!
Everyone at the scene was oppressed by his aura, and they all lowered their bodies and heads, not daring to look at him.
Of course, how could the stubbornness of the radicals be shattered by Katsura Kogoro's few words?
Soon, they calmed down and began to argue:
"Mr. Gui, why do you want to enhance other people's ambition and destroy our prestige?"
"What are the soldiers of the world? As long as we show the courage of the men of Changzhou, we will make them abandon their armor!"
"That's right! We are not afraid of the shogunate! Let the lackeys of the shogunate come over as they please!"
The room, which had been quiet for a short while, became chaotic and noisy again.
At this moment, Miyabe Kanae suddenly spoke:
"Guijun, everyone, please be patient and don't be impatient!"
"I almost thought I was in Jin Market just now."
[Note: Nishiki Market: The most famous fish, meat and poultry market in Kyoto, known as the "Kyoto Kitchen"]
"Isn't the reason why we are gathered here tonight just to sit down and have a good discussion and jointly explore a result that is acceptable to both parties?"
"What's the point of arguing until your face is red and your neck is thick? Even if you argue until dawn, you won't be able to find a reason."
"Sit down now. Don't be so excited. If you have something to say, talk it over."
At this moment, Miyabe Daizo's lofty prestige came into play again.
Under his mediation, the scolding stopped.
The radicals are no longer aggressive.
Katsura Kogoro sat down again - but his expression was still ugly.
"Guijun, I understand how you feel."
As Miyabe Daizo spoke, he personally poured a glass of wine for Katsura Kogoro.
"Irritability, anxiety, panic...these emotions will only intensify the conflict."
"Tonight is still long, let's talk slowly."
Katsura Kogoro said softly "Hmm", then raised the wine that Miyabe Daizo poured for him and drank it all in one gulp.
Because he was concentrating on the wine glass in his hand, he didn't notice that when Miyabe Daizo said the words "Let's talk slowly", a meaningful look flashed in his eyes...
…
…
Kyoto, Nawate Street (east of Kamogawa), somewhere——
Looking at Saitoichi and Nakazawa Saduki who came back to life, Aoto asked:
"Ah Yi, how are you doing there?"
Saitoichi shook his head silently.
Then, Aoden saw Serizawa Kamo and Niimi Nishiki who had also come back to life.
"Serizawa, did you find anything?"
Serizawa Duck snorted coldly:
"I didn't find any people with lofty ideals, but I found a pair of adulterers and adulterers who went out to have an affair."
"An adulterer and a slut who went out to have an affair?!"
Harada Sanosuke on the side made an excited voice.
In normal times, he might have asked about the specific details with great interest.
But as slow as he was, he also knew that now was not the time to ask about such things, so he suppressed the curiosity in his heart and retreated silently.
After a while, the generals sent by Qingdeng returned in twos and threes - without exception, they all returned without success.
A group of people stood in the middle of the street, staring at each other.
The search area east of Kamogawa is large.
In order to improve the efficiency of the search, Qingdeng had to split his manpower into groups of two or three to act separately.
Although the efficiency is high, the results are not ideal.
I didn't find half of the people with lofty ideals, but I found a lot of strange people.
Harada Sanosuke squatted on the ground, relaxing his legs that were starting to get sore, and asked Aoto:
"Mr. Ju, is it possible that the meeting place of the Zunbo Sect is not here?"
Qingdeng responded without hesitation:
"Sanosuke, don't be careless. Don't let down your guard until you have searched the last hotel and izakaya. God knows where those guys went to have meetings."
At this time, Hijikata Toshizo murmured:
"I don't know how Asheng and the others are doing now..."
Qingden nodded slightly to show his agreement - he was also concerned about the current situation of the other team.
Qingdeng once again felt the inconvenience and pain of lack of communication means.
After dividing the troops, the two teams became two isolated islands.
Ayoto and others have absolutely no idea what is going on with "Team Kondo" right now.
They may have gained nothing like the "Qingdeng Team", or they may have... found the meeting place of the Zunbo Sect and taken over!
Just when Qingto was secretly thinking about whether to send someone to check the current situation of "Team Kondo", he suddenly seemed to sense something, his eyes narrowed slightly, he pressed the handle of the knife, and turned back.
Just as he turned around——
"...Mr. Tachibana."
A deep middle-aged male voice suddenly sounded from behind him.
In an instant! All the generals around Qing Deng felt as if they were facing a formidable enemy!
Choke! Choke! Choke! Choke! Choke! Choke!
The sound of drawing swords is everywhere!
The generals stabilized their weapons, took up their positions, and looked directly at the source of the sound - a dark alley with no end in sight - ready to fight at any time!
"Everyone in the Shinsengumi, please don't be nervous! I don't mean any harm, I just want to meet Mr. Tachibana!"
The middle-aged male voice came from the dark alley again.
Immediately afterwards, Qingdeng and others heard footsteps approaching from far away.
Qingden raised an eyebrow - he always felt that the voice sounded familiar, as if he had heard it somewhere before.
After thinking for a moment, a look of surprise appeared on his face - he remembered who the owner of the voice was!
At the same time as he recalled it, he saw a middle-aged man with his hands raised in a gesture of surrender, walking out of the alley gracefully and appearing in front of everyone.
Looking at each other, Qingdeng took the lead in saying hello:
"Mr. Ebina, long time no see."
Ebina--During the "Pursuit of Phantom Lake" operation 4 years ago, an important member of the Great Salt Party who once fought side by side with Qingdou: Ebina Ye Zong!
After not seeing each other for 4 years, Ebi Ming Ye Zong, who was already in his late fifties, looked a little older, with a few more fine wrinkles at the corners of his eyes.
"Mr. Ju, Gui'an. I haven't seen you for many years, and you have become more and more heroic."
Ebina Ye Zong said, curling the corners of his mouth and showing a smile full of kindness.
Such a situation made Hijikata Suisan and others look at each other in confusion.
They did not know Ebina Ye Zong.
Judging from the current situation, the opponent seems to be an acquaintance of Qingdeng, so they have lifted their "fighting posture" but still remain vigilant.
After banning Huanfudian and saying goodbye to Ebina and others, Qingden never saw anyone from the Great Salt Party again.
He also tried to collect information related to the Great Salt Party on weekdays, but found nothing.
The members of the Great Salt Party are all very mysterious, and can be hidden even better than the French Execution Party.
The Great Salt Party, which is rarely seen on weekdays, took the initiative to jump out at this time...
The last time they showed up on their own initiative was to work with Qingdeng to take down the Huandu Lake.
This time... even if I think about it with my buttocks, I know that they are definitely not just chatting with Qingdeng and reminiscing about old times.
As a result, Qingdeng didn't talk nonsense, bypassed the greetings and greetings, and asked directly:
"Ebina, suddenly appeared, why?"
Seeing Qing Deng coming straight to the point, Ebi Ming Ye Zong no longer hides and tucks away.
He put on a serious look and said seriously:
"Mr. Tachibana, could you please take a moment to speak? We have something very important to say to you alone!"
"'Alone'? Can you only say the 'very important words' you say to me?"
Ebina Ye Zong nodded vigorously:
"That's right!"
Qingden lowered his eyelids, narrowed his eyes slightly, and a look of thought appeared on his cheeks.
He didn't think about it for long.
Only 5 seconds later, he turned his head and faced the generals:
"You guys stay here for now, I'll be back soon."
Hijikata Toshizo suddenly frowned:
"Tachibana, you...really want to go?"
Although Hijikata Toshizo didn't say it explicitly, his eyes and expressions already expressed the underlying meaning: Is it really okay to go to an unknown place alone?
Others have the same concerns.
Facing the generals' concerns, Qingdeng smiled slightly:
"Don't worry, the other party is not a suspicious person. Even if they want to play any tricks, they can't make trouble in front of me!"
After leaving these words, Qingteng stopped lingering and strode towards Ebina Mingye Zong.
"Mr. Orange, please come with me."
Ebina Ye Zong turned sideways, made a "please" gesture, and then led the way in three steps and two steps at a time, leading Qingden into the alley behind him.
The two of them walked straight forward, heading straight to the deepest part of the alley.
This alley was longer and more complicated than Qingdeng expected.
After seven turns and eight rounds, we haven't reached the end yet.
After walking a long distance and confirming that no one was around, Qingdeng asked aloud while continuing to move forward:
"Mr. Ebina, can you tell me now? What is the 'very important thing' you want to say to me?"
Ebina Ye Zong did not answer immediately, but hesitated for a moment.
After a while, he said quietly with a sullen face:
"Miyabe Daizo and other radicals are determined to burn down Kyoto and kidnap the emperor. They don't even want to negotiate with Katsura Kogoro!"
"Tonight's meeting is just a pretense! It's just to delay Katsura Kogoro from getting in the way!"
"While Katsura Kogoro is being held back, the radicals have sent out a secret force, preparing to follow the original plan and take advantage of the 'Yamaboko Parade' being held tonight to plunge Kyoto into a sea of flames!"
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Please give me monthly votes! Please vote for recommendations! (Leopard Head Cries.jpg)
PS: While writing this book, I realized one thing from the bottom of my heart: "Unity" is really a great subject! Whether it is the Samu sect or the Zunbang sect, they are always fighting among themselves and holding each other back.
They are not tired, even leopards and leopards are tired from writing...
