Starting from Takasugi Shinsaku, the "Teams" composed mainly of lower-class samurai and town people began to take action in various cities.
The mutiny began.
Takasugi Shinsaku led his troops to join up with the "Rikishi Team" led by the aspirant Ito Hirobumi who was also in Shimonoseki, and then raided the Isaki Club, snatching away all the materials in the club, including guns, ammunition and other military supplies, and then equipped them
own team.
Zuocun went straight to the feudal hall. His swordsmanship was destined to have no companions.
After easily tying up the feudal lord of the Choshu Domain, Samura sat in the feudal hall, waiting for the arrival of Takasugi Shinsaku.
Everything seems very simple.
However, at this moment when the Choshu Domain had just experienced huge changes and the Four-person Alliance was actively planning and taking actions, it seemed very logical.
Takasugi Shinsaku successfully seized control of the Choshu Domain.
Resistance to foreigners has become a thing of the past.
After everyone realized the impossibility and stupidity of resisting the foreigners, there was only one enemy left.
That is - the decadent shogunate.
...
Takasugi Shinsaku and Katsura Kogoro began to recuperate their energy.
Although they succeeded in seizing the power of the Choshu Domain, it was obviously unrealistic to destroy the shogunate with this level of military power.
A skinny camel is bigger than a horse. If you want to truly destroy the shogunate, you need more preparations.
Although the shogunate noticed the civil strife in Choshu Domain, it had no time to take care of it. Kyoto was in trouble, and now there were more important matters than Choshu Domain that needed to be dealt with by the shogunate.
After Ryoma was put into operation, it became the connection between Satsuma Domain and Tosa Domain, and Kameyama Shazhong was also transformed into "Tosa Kaiyuan" in 1865.
Zuocun, as usual, quietly disappeared on the way to Kyoto.
He will serve as the sharpest knife, lurking in the enemy's hinterland while looking for like-minded people.
At the same time, he left and had another thing to do.
That is, he received a letter from Souna, written by Souji Okita to Samura.
...
February.
"...I heard it from Mr. Kondo." Souji Okita looked at the man kneeling on the ground with anger and sadness in his eyes, "Mr. Shannan, you...
..Do you really want to choose me to be your intermediary?"
Shannan Keisuke was wearing a white shirt and kneeling in front of General Okita.
He had a complicated expression and nodded: "Yes... I'm sorry, Okita. As the deputy commander, the task I entrusted to you at the end turned out to be such a troublesome task."
He smiled bitterly twice, seeming to be laughing at himself: "It seems that I have been causing trouble all the time."
"As a deputy commander, I don't have the swordsmanship like you and Saito, nor the courage like Hijikata. I can't accomplish anything..."
He said with sigh.
"...Why didn't you run away then?" Souji Okita also calmed down and asked.
"Hahaha, you are the pursuer. How can I escape? Even if I resist, it will be useless." Shannan Keisuke scratched the back of his head and laughed twice.
In the battle some time ago, he delayed the opportunity to fight because...his staff officer, Koshiko Taro Ito, lost confidence in the shogunate.
His ending is self-evident in a group like the Shinsengumi.
"It's really too much for Hijikata to ask you to be the pursuer."
"Didn't I say it! Let you run away like this!" Souji Okita grabbed Shannan Keisuke's collar and shouted angrily, causing him to cough violently. "Mr. Hijikata did it just because he knew I would do this.
You will let me hunt you down, don’t you know?!"
"If you had run away, I would not have chased you!"
Shannan Keisuke lowered his eyes and said with a trembling voice: "Yeah... maybe... if I just leave like this, maybe I will really return to Edo."
"But...but."
"How should I put it..." Shannan Keisuke touched his head, "I can't figure it out anymore."
"From Edo to Kyoto, from the Shinsengumi to the Shinsengumi, under the command of Director Kondo, we are advancing desperately." Shannan Keisuke looked at the silent Okita General Secretary, with tears in the corners of his eyes, "Forward, forward...
..."
"But, Okita, one day, when I looked at my past -"
"That won't work."
Bang——
Shannan Keisuke hammered the ground, tears streaming down the ground.
"All that came to my mind were my hometown and the past. By the time I finally regained consciousness, I had already left the camp."
He took a few deep breaths and stopped crying.
After arranging himself, Shannan put his hand in front of him on the wakashi on the white cloth.
"It's time for me to hit the road."
He glanced out the window.
"Hijikata, that's it."
"That night, we, who chose Director Kondo, had no other choice."
Hijikata Toshizo stood outside the door, looking at the bright moon.
"...Go." He whispered.
"Are you sure? In this case, in a sense, you are endangering the enemy."
"It doesn't matter. Anyway, you don't want to see Shannan end like this."
"...You really understand me."
Bang——
"There is no other way, you ghost——"
Samura suddenly kicked in the door and kicked Shannan Keisuke in the head.
"Pfft..." Shannan Keisuke was kicked away by Zuomura.
Zuocun stood on the tatami and clapped his hands.
Shannan was kicked aside by Zuo Cun, lying on the ground with his butt sticking out, already unconscious.
"Zao Cun, it's too timely!" Chief Okita breathed a sigh of relief. She was just thinking about why Zuo Cun didn't come out. If he didn't come out, Shannan would really commit seppuku.
"After all, he is a person with feelings. It is impossible to let him die like this, and die in his own hands -" Samura looked at Hijikata Touzo at the door, "This is both an honor for the samurai...
.But it is also a shame. This is the last chance to retain dignity, because before this, dignity has been completely consumed long ago."
Hijikata turned his back to Zuocun and did not respond.
Samura lifted Shannan Keisuke up and put it on his shoulders. He touched Miss Okita's head: "Then, I will take this guy away."
"Yeah." Souji Okita smiled.
"Hijikata, although saying this will go against my principles, but... for the sake of us being brothers, let me remind you."
"The real chaos is coming... You must be prepared."
"Don't die."
After saying this, Zuocun took Shannan Keisuke and left quickly.