Chapter 871 Tosa has a new atmosphere, looking for Sakamoto Ryoma【5100】
"Ho...! Ho...! Ho...! Ho...!"
The hoarse and weak moan makes those who hear it shudder.
Being forced to kneel on the ground is already uncomfortable, and heavy stones are placed on the legs... Because it brings great pain to the victim, "stone hug" has always been one of the most popular punishments among executioners.
.
Okada Izo fell forward softly, and the two boulders pressing on his legs became his support.
I saw him using a stone as a pillow and breathing heavily.
However, before he could take a breath, the executioner on the side grabbed his hair and lifted him up.
"Hey! Who told you to rest!"
Under the brutal pull of the executioner, Okada Izo's face was exposed to the sun.
The face that had not been washed for an unknown amount of time was covered with thick dirt and stains of blood. With just a gentle rub, a ball of mud as big as a finger could be formed.
His hair was knotted, his eyes were bloodshot, his expression was numb, and his eyes were dull... At first glance, he looked like he was half dead.
Under the instructions of Goto Shojiro, Okada Izo became a "key focus".
Stone hugging, Hai Lao, whipping...all kinds of tortures came to him in turn.
After more than a year of repeated torture, the "people who were killed and hidden" who once shocked Kyoto have become the miserable appearance they are now, inhuman and ghostless.
Fortunately, Okada Izo is a martial arts practitioner, with a strong body and strong bones, and his ability to withstand blows and recover is top-notch.
Otherwise, an ordinary person would never be able to withstand such torture.
At this time, another executioner came forward and sang Red Face:
"Okada Izo, you can rest if you want."
"As long as you expose all the dirty things your master Takeichi Hanheita has done, you won't have to suffer anymore."
"Not only that, not long ago, Mr. Goto personally agreed that as long as you are willing to identify Takeichi Hanheita, you will be guilty and meritorious."
"Afterwards, he will promote you to the title of 'Baizha Township Scholar'."
"For 'Ashigaru', this is already a great opportunity, you must seize it."
When the word "Ashigaru" was mentioned, the executioner emphasized his tone.
Okada Izo's status is very humble.
He was born in Ashigaru and was the lowest among the villagers.
In Tosa, Ashigaru are treated no differently than dogs and cats on the roadside.
When he was a boy, Okada Izo was bullied for being inferior to others. His heart was filled with a deep desire to "get ahead", so he practiced swordsmanship assiduously.
With his status, it was difficult for him to enter a first-class dojo to study, so he could only hide outside the dojo and learn secretly.
It wasn't until he met Takeichi Hanheita that his miserable life like a rag finally turned around.
Wu Shi Hanping Taixiang was impressed by his talent, and not only did he not dislike his background, but he also accepted him as his apprentice, so that he finally got the opportunity to officially learn from his master.
Later, Takeichi Hanheita sponsored him to study abroad in Edo, where he became a disciple of the "Momoi of the Sea" Haruzo Momoi, studied Kashin Akechi-ryu, and finally succeeded in obtaining a license to do so.
Then, Takeichi Hanheita took him to travel and practice in the defense minister and Kyushu areas, and on the way he learned the Jichi-ryu swordsmanship in Bungooka Domain.
This is the origin of Okada Izo's superb swordsmanship.
At the same time, this is also why Okada Izo admires Takeichi Hanheita so much - the kindness of knowing and meeting him is unforgettable!
Facing the "red and white duet" of the executioners, Okada Izo endured the severe pain, pulled the corner of his mouth, and showed a sarcastic smile:
"Stop... talking nonsense..."
"The noise makes my... ears hurt..."
"If you have any tricks... just use them..."
"If I...cry out in pain...I will be...a bastard..."
"I will never...betray...Teacher Wu Shi..."
"You...open your eyes...take a good look..."
"History will eventually prove...Teacher Wushi...is the right one!"
At the end of his words, Okada Izo gathered his strength and roared loudly, startling the executioners.
After they calmed down, the executioners scolded angrily:
“Even now, I still don’t know how to repent!”
"We're still talking about 'respecting the king and repelling the barbarians' here! Let me tell you, not long ago, Changshu mobilized 10,000 troops to attack Kyoto eastward, but was defeated by the benevolent king. Stop thinking about 'respecting the king and repelling the barbarians'!"
"It's all because of you short-sighted guys who brutally killed Yoshida-sama! If Yoshida-sama is still alive, under his wise leadership, our national power in Tosa will definitely increase greatly!"
"Since you are still so energetic, let me add another stone to you!"
"Come on, bring another stone!"
After a while, another stone was brought over and placed on Okada Izo's thigh.
Three boulders stacked on top of each other are taller than half of Okada Izo's body.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh-!"
The terrifying screams spread again.
…
…
At this moment, when Okada Izo was being tortured, Goto Shojiro stood on a pavilion not far away with his hands behind his back, looking down expressionlessly, looking coldly at the tortured Okada.
To hide.
A certain attendant standing behind Goto Shojiro sighed softly:
"Mr. Goto, I am not praising the thief, but... this Okada Izo really had a hard time. He was tortured for more than a year, but he still preferred to die."
After hearing this, Goto Shojiro snorted coldly:
"Would you rather die than surrender? In my opinion, this guy is stubborn!"
"We have come to this point, but we still can't realize the mistake of Takeshi Hanheita."
"If you can't use your integrity on the right path, you will just help the evildoer!"
Compared with the past, Tosa today has undergone earth-shaking changes.
The current lord of the Tosa Domain is Toyonori Yamauchi (the 16th lord of the domain).
But in reality, the power of the feudal government has always been firmly in the hands of the former feudal lord Yamauchido (the 15th generation feudal lord).
Although Yamauchi Do is not too old (he was 37 years old at the time), he is indeed a politician with sophisticated methods and a keen sense of smell.
When the fight between the Zumu faction and the Zunbang faction was in full swing, he himself never stood up and clearly stated his political stance.
After Seito and others launched the "August 18th Coup" and expelled the Choshu forces from Kyoto, and the Sabaku faction gained an overwhelming advantage, he quickly took action, declaring the Tosa Kinou Party an evil association that had brought disaster to the country and the people, banned it, and went on a rampage
Search for relevant members.
In this way, we show our loyalty to the shogunate with practical actions: We, the Tosa Domain, will always stand with the Tokugawa family!
Although this behavior of jumping at the speed of light makes people laugh, it does work.
Tosa Domain is one of the most powerful feudal states in the Western Kingdom (territory of 240,000 koku).
Its speed of light rebound can serve as a good example and indirectly help increase the authority of the shogunate - based on this alone, the shogunate cannot but treat the Tosa Domain with courtesy.
The Tosa Kinnobu Party, which once controlled the feudal government, fell overnight.
After banning the Tosa Kinnoi Party, Yamauchi Hall vigorously promoted Goto Shojiro and entrusted him with the important position of Grand Superintendent of the Tosa Domain (the highest governor of the domain, equivalent to the Prime Minister of the country).
In addition, he also ordered Goto Shojiro to have full jurisdiction over the "murder case of Yoshida Toyo".
You know, Yoshida Toyo is a close confidant handpicked by Yamauchi Hall.
After the murder of Toyo Yoshida, the Yamauchi Church did not show any signs of action and allowed the Tosa Kinnobu Party, which was heavily suspected, to become powerful.
Only when the time is right can it be uprooted... This kind of mind alone is beyond the reach of human beings.
In fact, anyone with a bit of political sensitivity can see that Yamauchido deliberately allowed the Tosa Kinnoi Party to mess around.
The purpose was to leave enough space for the Tosa Domain to "jump left and right".
Once the Zunbang faction wins, the Tosa Qinwang Party will be an excellent association that gathers all the talents.
Once the Samu faction wins, it will be like this miserable situation of "watching it feasting on guests and watching its building collapse".
Goto Shojiro—26 years old at the time, was a well-known hero of Tosa Domain.
"When talking about the young talents of the Tosa Domain, we have to talk about Goto Shojiro" - his talent and popularity reached this level.
His father died when he was young, and he was raised by his uncle and uncle Yoshida Toyo. He studied both civil and martial arts since he was a child. He studied at the Shaolin School founded by Yoshida Toyo, and was deeply influenced by his uncle Toyo, an enlightened politician who knew both China and the West.
At the same time, he studied under Oishi Zhongshang, a vassal scholar of Liuhe Domain, and practiced Oishi Shenying Ryu. In terms of swordsmanship, he was also a good hand.
Yoshida Toyo is proficient in Chinese studies and foreign studies, and his understanding of Western civilization is much deeper than that of the closed-minded and conservative Zongxunists.
In his view, rejecting globalization and rejecting the West are completely corrupt and empty talk.
Therefore, during his political participation in the Tosa Domain, he vigorously promoted a series of reforms, advocating the elimination of family status, colonization and industrial development, military reform, national construction and trade, and enriching the country and strengthening the army.
Many people are thinking: If Yoshida Toyo had not died, why would our Tosa Domain have to take such a long detour like today?
Whenever they think of this, they hate the short-sighted thief who killed Toyo Yoshida even more.
After Goto Shojiro came to power, he continued Yoshida Toyo's governance philosophy, advocated innovation, and established the "Kaiseikan" agency to promote reform.
Under the governance of Goto Shojiro, the Tosa Domain has taken on a new look, its national power is increasing day by day, and it is gradually transforming into an enlightened country that "blends Japan and the West" like Satsuma.
While concentrating on governing the country, Goto Shojiro did not forget to find the real culprit who killed his uncle Toyo.
Takeichi Hanheita has always been suspected of being the real murderer of Yoshida Toyo.
After all, after Toyo Yoshida's death, Hanpeita Takeichi would benefit the most.
Yamauchi Dou ordered Goto Shojiro, who was both a relative of Toyo Yoshida and his beloved disciple, to try the case... It was obvious that Yamauchi Dou was determined to kill Takeichi Hanheita and the Tosa Gin nobility.
For Goto Shojiro, Yoshida Toyo is not only his closest relative, but also his boss.
Toyo Yoshida was killed and even his head was chopped off - for a samurai, this was really a great shame - Goto Shojiro's inner grief was indescribable.
Therefore, after being assigned to try the "Murder Case of Toyo Yoshida", he immediately exerted great energy and vowed not to give up until he found out the truth of the case!
In this way, the members of the Tosa Kin royal family were tortured one by one until they were unable to survive or die.
Although many people have surrendered one after another, they have never been able to obtain the irrefutable evidence that would convict Wu Shi Hanping Tai.
Suddenly, after hesitating for a moment, the attendant behind Goto Shojiro suggested:
"Mr. Goto, there is no way to continue like this. I think we still have to torture Hanpeita Takeichi directly!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Goto Shojiro refused without thinking:
"No! How many times have I told you that this approach is short-sighted and undesirable!"
According to the laws of the Tosa Domain, sergeants were exempted from torture.
After the rise of the Tosa Kinnoi Party, Takeichi Hanheitai, who was originally just a "Hakuza Ryoshi", took advantage of the situation and was promoted to a "sergeant".
For this reason, when Okada Izo and others were tortured until they were reduced to human form, Takeichi Hanpei stayed comfortably in a clean and spacious cell. Apart from being restricted in his personal freedom, he did not suffer any grievances.
There are many people who criticize the privileges he possesses.
Since Goto Shojiro officially tried the "murder case of Yoshida Toyo", many people have suggested to him: demote Takeichi Hanheita back to "Shirasashiroshi", so that he can be tortured in a logical way!
With Goto Shojiro's current power, he can definitely do this.
But he was very resistant to this approach.
In his view, such an approach would have a very bad start.
To arbitrarily deprive others of their "sergeant" status in order to facilitate torture... This would greatly shake up the Tosa Domain's class order and make the "senior sergeant" rank lose its sanctity.
It is not worth it to lay such a big disaster for a mere Wushi Banpingtai.
Therefore, Goto Shojiro always adhered to the bottom line of "not depriving Takeichi Hanheita of his status as a 'sergeant'".
"..."
Goto Shojiro looked straight at Okada Izo, who was still wailing, without saying a word, as if thinking.
After a moment, he whispered:
"...Anyway, let's maintain the status quo for now."
"Anyway, I have plenty of time."
"I would like to see whether Takeichi Hanheita, Okada Izo and the others fail first, or whether my patience is exhausted first."
After that, he turned and left.
He is a member of the country's political affairs who has many things to do, but he does not have the spare time to spend a lot of time on these homeless dogs.
As he was striding forward, he suddenly saw a 26- or 7-year-old young man walking towards him.
When the young man saw Goto Shojiro, he immediately shouted:
"Goto-kun, it turns out you are here! I finally found you!"
Goto Shojiro asked calmly:
"Itagaki-kun, is something wrong?"
Itagaki Taisuke—the name of this young man.
There are three heroes in Satsuma (Saigo Yoshinosuke, Komatsu Kato, and Okubo Ichizo).
There are also three heroes in Choshu (Kusaka Genzui, Takasugi Shinsaku, and Katsura Kogoro).
Tosa also has three heroes.
The "Three Heroes of Tosa" are Goto Shojiro, Itagaki Taisuke, and Sasaki Takayuki.
Among them, Sasaki Takayuki is relatively low-key, so he is not well-known.
Therefore, when talking about the "Three Heroes of Tosa", people most often talk about Shojiro Goto and Taisuke Itagaki.
Goto Shojiro was in charge of politics, Itagaki Taisuke was in charge of military affairs, and both of them were the confidants of Yamauchi Do.
After the collapse of the Tosa Kinnoir Party, they both became central figures in the Tosa feudal government with the vigorous promotion of Yamauchido.
Faced with Goto Shojiro's inquiry, Itagaki Taisuke did not respond immediately, but glanced at the entourage behind him.
Goto Shojiro turned his head understandingly and said to his entourage:
"You leave first."
"yes."
The entourage responded with a greeting and stepped back three steps at a time.
After the sound of his footsteps gradually faded away and dissipated, Itagaki Kasuke said seriously:
"Goto-kun, I found Ryoma Sakamoto."
Sakamoto Ryoma——Hearing this name, Goto Shojiro immediately focused his eyes with a serious look on his face.
Speaking of Sakamoto Ryoma, this man is truly a man of the hour in the Tosa Domain.
He was born into a family of merchants. His ancestors specialized in selling sake, and their business spanned the whole domain. Later, he paid for the status of a rural scholar.
Although his status was low, his family was very wealthy. The Sakamoto family was one of the richest businessmen in Tosa.
Because of his outstanding talent in swordsmanship, he was already a famous genius swordsman at a young age.
In the first year of Ansei (1854), he went to Edo to study and became a student of Chiba Nobuyoshi.
In the fourth year of Ansei (1857), Yamauchi Do held a martial arts competition in Edo. He won the championship with overwhelming strength and became famous in Edo.
In the same year, his study abroad period expired and he returned to his hometown.
Up to this point, he is just an enviable young man with a wealth of money and outstanding talents.
The turning point in his life was when Banheita Takeichi formed the Tosa Kinou Party.
As Takeshi Hanheita's childhood friend and best friend, Sakamoto Ryoma also pursues the idea of respect and opposition.
In the first year of Bunkyu (1861), after Takeshi Hanheita established the Tosa Kinnoi Party, Sakamoto Ryoma resolutely joined it.
Soon afterwards, in order to facilitate the Zunban movement, he decisively broke away from the feudal clan and fled along the mountain path, thus becoming a wandering wanderer.
During the Edo period, it was a serious crime to secede from the feudal clan.
Not only will he be executed, but his family members will also be punished.
After Ryoma Sakamoto left the feudal domain, the domain immediately issued a wanted order for him.
Immediately afterwards, his family members all suffered.
The eldest sister Otome had to divorce.
Knowing that he was going to break away from the feudal clan, he still gave him a famous sword as a farewell gift. The second sister Ah Rong committed suicide.
His brother, the current head of the Sakamoto family, spent a lot of money and exhausted all his connections to finally avoid subsequent punishment.
Later, for unknown reasons, he broke away from the Tosa Kinou Party and began to act alone.
After that, there was no news from him and his whereabouts were unknown.
Although he has not been a member of the Tosa Kintoi Party for a long time, Goto Shojiro was able to capture him based on his dual identities as "the veteran of the Tosakin King's Party" and "the younger brother of Takeichi Hanheita"!
What's more, since he had escaped from the feudal clan, arresting him was actually a reasonable matter.
Over the past year, Goto Shojiro has made a lot of efforts to find his traces.
After hearing the news about Itagaki's resignation, he immediately asked impatiently:
"Itagaki-kun, have you found Ryoma Sakamoto? Where is he?"
"He is now in Nagasaki... to be more precise, he is now under the command of Satsuma."
"Satsuma?"
Goto Shojiro was slightly startled, then frowned.
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PS: The completion of the Kyoto Summer Formation can be regarded as the end of the "first half" for the time being. Now it is time for the "second half". All forces are preparing secretly for the final competition.
Everyone should keep in mind the names "Goto Shojiro" and "Itagaki Taisuke". The former is the "wen" of Tosa, and the latter is the "martial arts" of Tosa. They are the central figures of Tosa's forces. What will happen next
