"Uh-well." Shannan Keisuke scratched his head, reluctantly opened his eyes, and sat up from the tatami, "Here... huh?"
He suddenly woke up.
"No? Where is this?"
"You're awake, Senior Brother Shannan." A voice came.
Shannan Keisuke looked towards the source of the sound and found that it was a rather familiar face.
"Are you...Sakamoto?" Shannan looked at Ryoma, feeling a little fragmented?
"No, I remember... wasn't I committing seppuku?" Shannan was confused. What happened?
"I heard that you wanted to commit seppuku." Ryoma sat next to Shannan, "Zo Cun rescued you. Although I don't know the specific situation, but... you still want to commit suicide now.
?"
Shannan was stunned by this question.
After thinking for a while, he shook his head.
"Yeah, it's better to be alive after all." Ryoma smiled.
"...So where is Zuocun?" Shannan Keisuke avoided this question and asked a question that he was very confused about.
Since it was Zuo Cun who rescued him, what about the Zuo Cun people?
"Samura still has a lot of things to be busy with. He has already left for Kyoto, and we are now...in Tosa."
"Why?"
...
After a period of adaptation, Shannan Keisuke accepted the status quo.
He knew the truth of the matter, and after sighing, he took Ryoma's letter of recommendation and went to the Choshu Domain to start a new life.
Takasugi Shinsaku placed Shannan Keisuke in an administrative position, and planned to wait until Zuo Cun returned, with Shannan Keisuke as Zuo Cun's deputy, specifically responsible for collecting intelligence and procuring other things for Zuo Cun.
Shannan has no objection to this. His life should have ended, but now that he has survived, as long as the work he is doing is legitimate, he will not be picky.
Time passes slowly.
July.
"So, we will take action soon." Zuo Cun looked at the young man in front of him with a smile, "At that time, some things will really need you to handle as the ruler."
Mu Ren looked longingly: "Really..."
He made up his mind to be a good king.
What Zuo Cun said is not without foundation.
Emperor Xiaomei has reached the end of his strength, and his health is getting worse day by day. I believe it will not take a few years...
He stood up: "I'm leaving, Mu Ren."
"Mr. Zuocun left very early today." Mu Ren raised his head and glanced at Zuocun.
In fact, it was not only Zuocun, but also other people with lofty ideals who had approached Mu Ren through various channels.
Their names are Taitai Polytong and Xixiang Moritaka.
At this time, with the help of the British, the Choshu Domain and the Satsuma Domain also completed cooperation in the true sense and formed an alliance, with the central figures being the original four-person alliance.
However, the Choshu Domain advocated overthrow by force. Although the Satsuma Domain had already favored overthrow, it was still a little timid and expressed that it wanted to observe it again.
Choshu had no objection, because Satsuma would see clearly the incompetence and powerlessness of the shogunate sooner or later, and since he had not accumulated enough strength, it was not appropriate to send troops.
"The reason why I left is because a friend is going to be executed today." He said with exclamation and sadness.
...
Ruishan, Wushi, is about to be executed.
A few years ago, when Zuocun went to deliver a letter to Takeshi Tomiko, Takeshi Tomiko cried and asked Zuocun why he didn't rescue Takeshi Ruishan. Zuocun had nothing to say.
"Mr. Takeichi chose this path himself" is something that cannot be said no matter what...
But at least, I can come and watch you on your last journey.
After Zuocun disguised himself, he entered the house that was chosen to be the last place in Ruishan, Wu City.
Wushi Ruishan was sitting on his knees on the ground, and standing next to him was Jiecuo.
He had long expected this day, so he didn't hesitate at all.
With a smile, he picked up the wakizashi.
"Thank you for your thoughts." Wu Shi Ruishan's image has not changed from before. He looks a little thin, but he is extremely energetic.
"Since the first year of Wenjiu, we have taken advantage of the world situation to form secret parties and incite people's hearts." He said loudly, looking out the door and looking at the sky.
"Later, he rashly criticized the officials in the capital, and made various suggestions to Mr. Yamauchi rudely." He listed his crimes in a loud voice.
"Completely losing the status of a minister, despising superior authority, and disrupting the country's constitution."
"Hahahahahaha!"
Suddenly, he laughed several times.
"Blessed with grace! Now - I'm going to commit seppuku!"
Wrapping the cotton cloth around the handle of Wakizashi's sword, Takeshi Zuishan shouted: "Excuse me!"
Poof——
There was a hole in his stomach, Takeshi Ruishan pulled out the wakizashi, and then——
Poof——
Pull it out again.
Poof——
Ruishan, Wu City, was stabbed three times.
The word "three" appeared on his belly.
Putting the wakizashi aside, he held his hands on the ground with trembling hands.
Boom!
The sound of grabbing the ground with one's head sounded.
"grateful!"
Zheng——
The wrong man drew out his knife and slashed Wu Shi Ruishan's neck.
The head and body are divided into two.
Wu Shi Ruishan's head was wide open with anger, and he happened to look in the direction of Zuo Cun.
But after seeing Zuo Cun's face, his bodyless head somehow showed a smile.
The eyes slowly closed.
Zuocun gritted his teeth and let tears fall into his mouth.
He made no sound, just cried silently.
Just...just crying...
...
The one who cried more miserably than Zuocun was Okada Izo who was far away in Changzhou.
He held the souvenir from Ruishan in Wu City and committed suicide by committing seppuku, and he burst into tears in his room.
Now in the Choshu Domain, he became a member of the "Teams" and established the "Tenchu Team" under Takasugi Shinsaku.
Zuo Cun bought some snacks and went to the beach.
"You once told me that you are not good at drinking, and your favorite thing is all kinds of sweets..."
He looked at the sea and threw the snack into the sea.
"You haven't been buried yet, and I don't know where to pay homage to you... Let the sea, which you also love most, take away your favorite food."
Watching the bag filled with snacks floating further and further away with the current, Zuocun wiped the corners of his eyes and suddenly gave himself a slap.
"Just a hypocrite."
After cursing, Zuo Cun turned around and left.
Mr. Takeshi, we will not waste what you have fought for us. Over the years that we have developed, we have found the right direction and accumulated strength.
We...will definitely bring your share to usher in a new era.
...
In 1865, nothing earth-shattering happened.
This year, it just flows slowly like a long stream of water.
The Choshu clan is hiding its power and biding its time, the shogunate is accumulating strength, and everything seems so peaceful.
Everyone knows that this kind of calm often means that a bigger wave is coming.
In this era when the real dragon comes to the world, the unicorn steps on the ground, and the eagle strikes the sky.