Chapter 867 The Birth of the Law Punishment Party【5800】
Half a month after Yamata no Orochi met with Takasugi Shinsaku and Katsura Kogoro——
Changshu, Hagi, a certain unknown small hotel, a certain room——
Ever since I turned 60, my energy has dropped sharply.
Tamamozen was very troubled by this.
After working continuously for another 2 hours, fatigue set in as expected, my eyelids began to fight, and my head gradually became swollen.
As usual, she leaned on the elbow rest beside her and dozed off.
Half asleep and half awake, she suddenly recalled the old past.
Various images appeared, disappeared, split, and merged before her eyes.
Within a moment, one of the scenes was frozen, colored, lines condensed, outlines deepened, and it soon became a clear scene.
Although he could not speak in his dream, Tamamo Mae could not help but marvel after seeing the specific scene of this scene.
Heavy rain, deep mountains, a meeting of the Punishment Team, an atmosphere of despair...it was indeed the day she met Yamata-no-Orochi for the first time.
Although this happened twenty years ago, she still vividly remembers everything she experienced that day.
Hua Hua Hua Hua Hua...
The torrential rain poured down on everyone mercilessly.
Hundreds of people gathered in the desolate mountains to discuss future plans.
The meeting had just begun when someone shouted out of control:
"Bullshit 'punishment'! Bullshit uprising! We are simply dying in vain!"
As soon as this statement came out, the response was very serious.
"That's right! This is a suicide! It's not an uprising! It's not even the end of the curtain!"
"We are here to bring down the curtain, not to die!"
"I've had enough! Keep whoever you want, I won't keep you company anyway!"
"Me too! I quit too!"
"Let's go! I'd rather go alone than stay and die!"
As the noise continued, more and more people got up and left.
At first there were two or three people, then more than a dozen people, then dozens of people...
"Wait a minute! Don't leave!"
"Although this defeat is tragic, we still have a chance to make a comeback!"
"Hey! What about the promise that we will never give up until the shogunate falls?"
"Cowards! You cowards!"
Tamamo-mae, who had just turned forty at that time and still had charm, sat in the crowd with a blank expression, neither getting up to leave nor persuading those who left.
——The matter has come to this, and there is nothing that can be done.
She thought to herself pessimistically.
If she hadn't hated the shogunate so much and had nowhere to go, she might have gotten up and left.
Just half a month ago, the Fa Zhu Group—which had not yet been renamed the “Fa Zhu Party”—launched a new uprising.
The location of the uprising was chosen in Kobe.
Kobe is located in the southwest of Gyeonggi Province, far away from the core territory of the shogunate (Kanto), and the Tokugawa family's ruling power is weak.
Raise the flag of justice to "fall the curtain", capture Kobe, and then use it as a base to recruit troops, expand strength, attack the shogunate in one fell swoop, and clarify Uuchi - this is the plan of the Hōsūgumi.
Assembling personnel, stocking weapons, training tactics, everything was done step by step, steadily, without any mistakes.
However... even though they had made full preparations, after officially launching the uprising, everything they faced and encountered was completely different from what they had imagined...
Swords and the like have neither terrifying attack range nor terrifying armor-breaking ability. They are just displayed on the battlefield, far less useful than spears.
It can be used to chop down civilians who have no armor to wear, and it is very easy to use.
During the attack on Kobe, the performance of the soldiers of the Fuzhu Group could not be described as heroic.
But facing the well-equipped samurai group, it is still difficult to fight against them.
The warriors waved their swords mercilessly, killing the Fa Zhu group until they were completely defeated.
In only half a day, the uprising that the execution team had planned for a long time ended in a disastrous defeat.
The precious combat power that had been accumulated so hard was just wasted.
From the perspective of the shogunate, this was just an ordinary counterinsurgency.
The rebellion was put down without much effort, not even worth mentioning in the history books.
But for the Fa Zhu Group, this is undoubtedly a disaster.
As a result, there are today's scenes of "shouting loudly" and "getting up and quitting".
It would be too harsh to denounce those who decided to withdraw from the Judgment Team as "cowards" - anyway, Tamamo Mae understands them very well.
Trying your best but failing miserably... Such a tragic reality would make anyone feel depressed and collapse.
Even Tamamo Mae, who was a senior member of the genjutsu team, couldn't help but feel like quitting at this time.
Although the Hōzū-gumi is an association with a long history, it has always been on the verge of collapse under the repeated attacks from the shogunate and various vassals.
Before the "Black Ship Incident" seriously weakened the prestige of the shogunate, the Edo shogunate, which controlled a quarter of Japan, was actually a terrifying behemoth.
There is neither a wise leader to strategize nor an orderly organizational structure. It wants people but no one, and wants money but no money. It is really nonsense to want to overthrow the Edo shogunate with just a passion.
How did you get to where you are today step by step?
Absolutely, Tamamo-mae asked herself.
This is really a distant story...
Once upon a time, she was just an ordinary farm girl.
A majestic father, a kind mother, a thatched house, and several acres of thin fields.
Although it's not superior, it's not bad either. At least there's no risk of starving to death.
In such an environment where "the rich have vast fields and the poor have no place to stand", it is extremely lucky to have fields to plant.
There were no disasters, no accidents, no surprises... She just spent the first eight years of her life in an ordinary way - until the order to "help the hometown" came.
Speaking of "helping the countryside", this is really a system that makes thousands of people gnash their teeth.
To put it simply, this is a form of labor in the Edo period.
When the camp (post station) is short of people and horses, nearby villages must provide manpower and horses.
These people who were forcibly recruited to help did not get any wages, so they worked for free.
In the process of assisting in transporting goods, whether the horses you provided are killed or injured, or you yourself are killed or injured, you will be considered unlucky, and the shogunate will never provide any compensation.
What’s even more frustrating is that “helping rural residents” is mandatory and cannot be excused.
Once you receive an order, no matter whether it is busy farming or slack farming, you must put aside everything you are doing and rush to the camp to report.
One day when Tamamo-mae was 8 years old, his father was forced to transport goods by the nearby Hakone Shuba.
Hakone is a famous hot spring town, and its "Hakone Seven Hot Springs" are famous all over the world.
The thing Tamamo-mae's father wants to transport...is Hakone's hot spring water.
During the Fourth Shogun Tokugawa Ietsuna's era, early in the Kanbun era (1661-1673), "Okaito" appeared.
The so-called "Oka Hot Spring" is the hot spring water used by the general's family.
Hot springs that can not only make you happy but also have healing effects have always been enthusiastically sought after by Japan's public and military nobles.
However, it was impossible for the noble Shogun family to leave Edo just to soak in a hot spring.
Therefore, in order to allow the general's family to enjoy hot springs at all times, "Oka Hot Spring" came into being.
How to transport hot springs to Edo for the shogun to enjoy?
It's very simple, just transport it in wooden barrels!
Under the instructions of the officials of the shogunate and the generals, there are strict procedures for the use of Okaito.
First, the shopkeeper, who was wearing a formal attire with a family crest and a hakama and a mask, took water from the large soup with a long-handled ladle, poured it into a brand new cypress wood bucket, and then sealed the bucket.
Then, the soup barrels were transported using the rural assistance system, and they were moved to Edo in a relay system, traveling day and night.
It was first transported to Edobashi, and then sent to a warehouse in Edo Castle for storage by another labor force.
Atami, Hakone, Kusatsu and other hot spring areas will donate hot spring water to the shogun's family.
In this way, in order to let the shogun's family soak in the freshest hot springs, Tamamo-mae's father was forced to stay in the camp.
That's all.
Fortunately, the days when he was drafted to transport hot springs coincided with the busy farming season.
As we all know, there are only a few days in the year suitable for farming.
If you miss this period, you will have nothing to gain this year.
Although Tamamo Mae's father begged and begged for some time, he was still ruthlessly rejected.
It's been two months since I left.
By the time he returned home, there was no doubt that the busy farming season was over, and even trying to make up for it would not help.
To make matters worse, he accidentally sprained his waist while carrying a heavy soup bucket.
When he managed to get home, his injuries were so severe that it was difficult to even walk.
He was delayed in farm work, injured his body, and made such a huge sacrifice, but the shogunate refused to pay even a penny in compensation and left him to fend for himself.
Humiliation, grief, hatred... a torrent of painful emotions swallowed up Tamamo Mae's father.
He was so angry that he vomited blood and fell to the ground. He died soon after.
Even though they have been so miserable, their family's tragedy is not over yet.
Peasants in the feudal era had no means of resisting disasters, so they stopped talking.
Even in years with excellent harvests, they can barely feed themselves.
This is true even in good years, let alone the loss of harvest due to missing the farming season?
The shogunate will not exempt you from taxes because you lacked money and food and your family died.
The pressure of filling your stomach, the pressure of paying taxes... Even if you sell all the valuable things in the house, it will still be a drop in the bucket.
Tamamo-mae's mother was already weak and could not withstand such a torment.
Her husband died, she was unable to pay taxes, and she was hungry... Under multiple blows, she also left Tamamo-mae.
Those happy days, those days when both parents were healthy and carefree, disappeared like a dream.
The family was destroyed... all because of a bucket of hot springs from the general's house.
As an 8-year-old girl, the only way to survive is to wander and beg.
Fortunately, not long after she started wandering, she was taken in by the owner of a girls' house in Yoshihara.
After several years of training, she became a wandering girl in Yoshihara.
With her good looks and sharp tongue, she was like a fish in water in Yoshiwara.
Although she can't become an oiran, she still has many benefactors and is one of the most popular oiran girls in the shop.
She has never forgotten the tragedies she has experienced, and she does not dare to forget them.
Her hatred for the shogunate has not faded over time, but has become stronger. Living in Yoshihara, which is both glamorous and dirty, she has witnessed more darkness with her own eyes.
One day, by chance, she learned of the existence of the Punishment Group.
After learning that the Hōzhu-gumi was a secret society established during the Kansei period (1789-1800) with the mission of overthrowing the shogunate, she immediately became strongly interested in it.
With a strong hatred for the shogunate, she joined the execution group without hesitation.
Taking advantage of her identity, she began to deliberately get close to the dignitaries of the shogunate to collect intelligence for the execution team.
Except for a few exceptions, the retirement age for women is 28 years old.
When you reach this age, you can either raise enough money to redeem yourself and regain your freedom, or you can retreat to the second line and engage in back-office work, specifically serving the young wandering girls in the store.
As one of the top names in the store, she had already earned enough money to redeem herself.
However, although she redeemed herself, she did not leave Yoshiwara. Instead, she was transferred to a job specifically responsible for supervising and training wandering girls. She continued to stay in Yoshiwara and continued to collect intelligence for the Execution Team.
In the blink of an eye, more than twenty years have passed.
She has gone from being as beautiful as a flower to being as old as she is now.
The Dharma Execution Team is still the same Dharma Execution Team.
The shogunate is still the same shogunate.
Over the years, all their efforts to bring down the curtain have ended in failure.
Old people died and quit one after another... Unconsciously, Tamamo Mae became the oldest person in the organization.
"Down with the shogunate"... seems to be an unfulfilled dream forever.
Tamamo Mae couldn't help but think:
——The history of the Fa Zhu Group probably ends today...
Gradually, she slowly came back to her senses.
Looking up, the surroundings were empty.
Everyone was gone.
Those who said "I won't accompany you" ran away completely.
Those who advised others not to leave and called them "cowards" probably saw that most people had left and no longer had the confidence to persist, so they also ran away.
The association that lasted for nearly half a century has come to such a tragic ending...
——Forget it...that's it...
Failure after failure has completely exhausted Tamamo Mae's energy.
At this moment, she couldn't feel any joy or sorrow.
She had a messy look on her face and stood up stiffly, resembling a clay or wood sculpture.
Where to go next?
Where else can I go?
How will I live in the future?
While she was silently thinking about these heavy questions——
"Okay! This place is good! Let's use this place as the base for our comeback!"
The sudden young voice made her startled.
She turned her head mechanically and looked around - only to see a young man in his 20s standing with his head held high, his hands on his hips, and looking confidently at the open space below his feet.
Neither ugly nor handsome, neither fat nor thin, neither tall nor short... This person exudes an "ordinary" atmosphere from the inside out.
Tamamo recognized this young man. He had just joined the Punishment Team not long ago. Due to his junior status, she did not remember his name.
"...Why don't you leave?"
Driven by curiosity, Tamamo Mae couldn't help but ask aloud.
The young man looked at her and raised his eyebrows:
"Huh? Mother-in-law, are you still there? I thought you were all gone."
Because of her seniority, Tamamo-mae is often addressed as "Mother-in-law" within the organization.
At this time, Tamamo suddenly discovered that there was a child next to the young man... Correction, it was a child holding a baby.
The child was about 3 or 4 years old. He stood next to the young man with an expressionless face. His expression showed a strange maturity, which was not at all what a child of his age would look like.
It is worth mentioning that he was holding a baby in his arms - judging from the appearance, it should be a baby girl.
The baby was covered with a raincoat, and I don't know if it was because of her big heart or something else, but she fell asleep in the wind and rain without being affected by the external environment at all.
The young man noticed Tamamo Mae's gaze and smiled:
"These two children were adopted not long ago."
"My elder brother is a deaf and mute person who was born deaf, and my younger sister is still an infant."
"I thought they were pitiful, so I adopted them."
After saying that, he raised his big hand affectionately and rubbed the boy's little head.
Tamazomae doesn't care what happens to the brother and sister.
She only focuses on one thing now: What's going on with this person? Why is he still here?
"Why don't you leave?"
Tamamo Mae restated the question just now, and then added:
"Didn't you see that the team has dispersed?"
Faced with Tamamo Mae's questioning, the young man's reaction was quite calm.
I saw him spreading his hands, shrugging, and showing an optimistic smile:
"Although the team is broken up, we are not dead yet, are we?"
"Since there is still three inches of breath under our nose, we still have a chance to regain our strength!"
"Mother-in-law, look, this place has beautiful mountains and clear waters. The most important thing is that it is in a remote location and is not easily discovered by the government. It is really a good place to establish a base!"
"I have decided to rebuild the Dharma Execution Team here!"
"It's a reconstruction anyway, so let's change the name."
“From now on, the ‘Fa Zhu Group’ will be renamed ‘Fa Zhu Party’!”
"This name is not only powerful, but also better demonstrates the nature of our association."
Tamamo Mae looked at the young man blankly, with a dumbfounded expression on his face.
After a while, she frowned slightly and said in an unhappy tone:
"What are you talking about?"
"Establishing a base area and changing the name...do you think you are the leader of the Execution Team?"
The young man smiled slightly and said calmly:
"Mother-in-law, as you can see."
He pointed to the empty ground beneath his feet.
"The team has broken up, hasn't it?"
"The only remaining members of the Execution Team are you and me."
"Mother-in-law, although you are a very senior old man, you are not suitable to be a leader."
"In this case, it is reasonable for me to become the new leader of the Execution Team!"
Tamamo-mae blinked hard, unable to suppress her shock.
The various behaviors of this man told Tamamo Mae that he was not joking, he was serious!
"...That's enough, don't do this useless struggle anymore."
Tamamo Mae lowered his head, stared closely at his toes, and said in a deep voice:
"Even if the Fa Zhu Group is rebuilt, what will happen?"
"It has been twenty years since I joined the Fa-Zhu Group."
"For two decades, we have been failing."
"Failed again and again...there was almost no sign of success."
"Young man, listen to my advice and leave. Living a good life is better than anything else."
As soon as Tamamo Mae finished speaking, the young man repeated the word she just said loudly, as if in a state of stress.
"'Alive'?"
Suddenly, the young man's expression changed suddenly.
The optimistic smile disappeared, and the facial lines became distorted and ferocious.
"The reason why I defected to the Fa Zhu Group was because I couldn't survive anymore!"
After saying that, under the influence of excitement, his chest rose and fell rapidly, and he breathed heavily, "whoosh" and "whoosh".
Listening to the other party's roar, Tamamo Mae seemed to feel something, and his body trembled slightly.
After about half a minute, the young man breathed a sigh of relief and his facial expression returned to normal.
"Mother-in-law, when I decided to fight against the shogunate and realize my ideal, I was determined to die."
"I'm not even afraid of death, so why should I be afraid of defeat?"
After hearing this, Tamamo Mae slowly raised her eyes and stared blankly at the young man.
She couldn't remember clearly what happened after that.
I just remember that from that day on, the "Fa Zhu Group" was officially renamed as the "Fa Zhu Party".
From that day on, she began to follow and serve this young man, becoming his first subordinate.
She slowly opened her eyes... She didn't see anyone before she saw her belly.
Yamata no Orochi stood beside her with a round belly and a smile.
"Mother-in-law, if you want to sleep, it's best to go to bed. You can easily get back problems like this. You are quite old, so you should take good care of your body."
He raised his eyebrows as he spoke, then stared at the other person's face with curiosity.
"Hmm? Mother-in-law, you seem to be very happy. What are you dreaming about?"
Tamamozen smiled:
"It's nothing, I just dreamed about some of our past."
"Oh? Can you tell me in detail?"
"Farewell, it's embarrassing to say it."
Having said this, Tamamo Mae seemed to have thought of something, and cast a look at Yamata no Orochi filled with emotion.
"Another twenty years have passed...Orochi, we must succeed this time."
It was clear that the other party was saying something that did not match the preface and the follow-up, but Yamata no Orochi quickly understood its meaning and said with a calm smile:
"Well, we will definitely succeed! This time, we must destroy the Edo shogunate!"
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A new volume is opening! Please give me a monthly ticket! Please give me a recommendation vote! (Leopard Head Crying.jpg)
I originally wanted to take a day off in the name of opening a new volume, but Bao Baozi successfully overcame inertia with amazing perseverance! Bao Baozi is so awesome! (Bao Baozi.jpg)
PS: Although this book sometimes mentions the darkness of the Edo period, the content covered is just the tip of the iceberg.
A certain document once wrote: For a period of time, the total population in the Edo period stagnated, neither falling nor increasing. Because life was too hard, people often drowned their newborn babies.
