Wenjiu three years (1863), May 6——

Kyoto, Mibu Township, the Shinsengumi camp, the exclusive dojo for generals——

“Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!”

Nagakura Shinpachi raised his wooden sword high and struck Saito Ichi's Tianling Gai with all his might.

Saito used his sword over the top and deflected Nagakura Shinpachi's attack with ease.

Harada Sanosuke and Toudo Heisuke, who were watching the battle, chatted about the mountains.

"I think Nagakura Shinpachi will definitely win this time!"

As soon as Sanosuke Harada finished speaking, Heisuke Toudo retorted:

"No! I bet that the winner will be Mr. Saito! You see, Mr. Nagakura was too impatient in this battle and his breath was confused. It won't take long before he will be at a disadvantage."

"That's right...that's right. Well, I also bet that Saito will win this time!"

"Hey! Didn't you say that the person who wins the bet will be invited to dinner? How can you change the object of your bet at will?"

Although Nagakura Shinpachi and Saito Ichi are different types of swordsmen, their strength is only between the two.

For warriors like them who are at the same level and equally powerful, the key factors that determine the outcome are often only some subtle points.

For example, whether you have adjusted your mood well, whether you slept well last night, whether you had enough from the last meal, and whether your luck today is good enough.

In addition to allocating a dedicated dojo for himself, Qingdeng also allocated dojos exclusively for the generals under his command to facilitate their practice of martial arts and hone their skills.

Only captains of the Bato team and above are eligible to use this dojo.

The members of the Shinsengumi often call this dojo dedicated to generals the "general-level dojo."

Today’s “General Level Dojo” can be described as a gathering of stars.

At this moment, in addition to Nagakura Shinpachi and Saito Kazuo who are competing, and Harada Sanosuke and Toudo Heisuke who are watching their competition, Kondo Isamu, Yamanan Keisuke, Souji, Kinoshita Mai, and Sanako

, Inoue Genzaburo, all gathered here.

Hijikata Toshizo was still in charge of recruiting soldiers in Edo.

It can be said that except for Hijikata Toshizo, all the members of the "Taiweikan Sect" are here.

Souji, who had just finished sparring with Sanako, wiped the sweat on his forehead with a thin cloth and said casually:

"Speaking of which, how did the 'Bakucho Talks' go?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Kondo Isamu not far away shrugged:

"What else can we do? The two sides are at a stalemate."

"The imperial court repeatedly requested to 'repel the foreigners as soon as possible.'"

“The shogunate repeatedly emphasized that ‘we must never resist the foreigners’.”

"It goes over and over again."

Genzaburo Inoue suddenly interrupted:

"Tsk! It's a shame that the shogunate and the imperial court were able to argue over such a trivial matter for so long."

“‘Should we resist the foreigners now?’—Is this a question that needs to be discussed?”

"The ministers of the imperial court don't even need to do anything. They don't need to read books or conduct detailed inspections."

"As long as you go to Yokohama, or if it's too far, go to the port of Osaka and take a look at the Western warships. Won't this problem be solved?"

"Unless you are the kind of person with brain problems, you can understand just how powerful Xiyi is by taking a look at Xiyi's battleships."

"Although I really don't want to admit it, compared to the military strength of the Western Yi, our country does have many shortcomings."

"Even if we gather the full strength of the shogunate and the feudal lords, we still cannot defeat the Western Yi."

"If we resist the foreigners now, we will definitely be beaten to a pulp by the Western barbarians."

"The strategy currently practiced by the shogunate of 'learning from the Western barbarians and then expelling the Western barbarians when they become stronger in the future' is the most correct path."

"Why don't those officials in the imperial court who only know how to chant the wind and the moon understand this truth?"

"Obviously, the imperial court a thousand years ago was still humbly sending envoys to the Tang Dynasty."

"Why is the current imperial court so stubborn and ineffective?"

Genzaburo Inoue is not a man of many words.

He rarely takes the initiative to discuss political matters.

Such a man could not hold back his emotions and angrily complained to the court... It can be seen that even though he did not want to get involved in politics, he could not help but complain about this long-standing stalemate.

Shannan Keisuke smiled bitterly and interjected:

"That's not what you said."

"Even a thousand years ago, the imperial court was defeated by the Tang army in the Battle of Baijiangkou before it began to humbly send envoys to the Tang Dynasty."

The Battle of Baijiangkou - also known as the Battle of Baicunjiang, refers to the battle between the Tang Dynasty and Japan at the mouth of Baijiang River from August 27 to August 28, 663.

In this battle, the Tang Dynasty navy gave full play to its advantages and defeated the Japanese navy, whose strength and ships were several times larger than its own. It can be called a classic naval battle in which a small number defeated a large number.

After the war, the Japanese court had to recognize the reality, assess the situation and restore diplomatic relations with the powerful Tang Empire, and began to send envoys to the Tang Dynasty to learn from the excellent culture and advanced systems of the Tang Dynasty.

Sanako also joined the discussion:

"The stubbornness of the officials in the imperial court did not come out of nowhere."

She quickly swung her wooden naginata to exercise her arm strength, and continued her words in a leisurely manner:

"Since the Heian period, the ministers of the imperial court have never set foot outside Kyoto."

"I only know how to recite poems and write poems all day long, and don't care about worldly affairs."

"Lack of proper understanding of the world outside Kyoto."

"In their eyes, Westerners from distant countries are all savages who drink blood and hair."

"Their understanding of war all comes from books."

"I believe that as long as we unite as one, there is no invincible enemy."

"It's... so stupid."

Shannan Keisuke nodded slightly to show his appreciation for Sanako's remarks.

Immediately afterwards, he took over what Sanako said:

"Indeed."

"However, it is undeniable that some ministers pretend to be confused while pretending to understand."

"They understand how powerful Xiyi is and are very aware of Xiyi's strength."

"The reason why they have been asking the shogunate to expel the barbarians as soon as possible is purely to use the name of 'repelling the barbarians' to suppress the shogunate."

"Sigh... At this time of national crisis, instead of working together as one, we are fighting against each other... It really hurts the hearts of knowledgeable people..."

Everyone said something to each other, and the atmosphere around them became heavier and heavier...

At this moment, Nagakura Shinpachi and Saitoichi came over after finishing their sparring session.

"Hey! Never mind that!"

Nagakura Shinpachi grinned and showed a smile

"I only know how to wield a sword! All matters other than this are beyond my scope of consideration! It doesn't matter whether they fight enemies or not, I just kill them when I encounter them!"

Kinoshita Mai raised her gaze, scanned everyone, blinked her beautiful eyes a few times, and showed a thoughtful expression.

After a moment, she asked quietly:

"Do you think...will the shogunate be forced to take measures to resist the foreigners due to pressure from the imperial court?"

As soon as Kinoshita Mai finished speaking, Shannan Keisuke immediately replied without thinking:

"Impossible."

"Unless Mr. Hitotsubashi and others have lost their minds, it is impossible for them to agree to fight against the foreigners."

The general manager blinked his beautiful eyes a few more times:

"If... I mean if, if Hitotsubashi and others really lose their minds and implement the policy of resisting the foreigners, what should we do?"

"..."

Shannan Keisuke stopped talking.

Souji, Sanako and others also kept their mouths shut.

After a long time passed like this, Shannan Keisuke responded slowly, half helplessly and half sadly:

"If that's the case... then let's sharpen our swords and prepare for war."

…

…
To be continued...