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"What?! Is the shogunate crazy?!"

"The fight against the foreigners started on May 10th? Today is already May 7th!"

"What should we use to fight off the foreigners? Do we really need to use samurai swords to fight against the warships and guns of Western countries?"

"Wow! The shogunate finally has some style of the martial arts!"

"It's long past time to fight back! I've been waiting for this day for too long!"

"Brothers! Sharpen your swords and prepare for war!"

…

Shock, confusion, panic, ecstasy... Inside and outside Kyoto, it was like an overturned spice plate, with all kinds of sweet, sweet, bitter, and spicy sounds, and all kinds of emotions of joy, anger, sorrow, and joy emerging one after another.

People who are loyal to the shogunate naturally cannot understand what Hitotsubashi Keiki did.

How could the dignified second-in-command of the Edo shogunate be led by the imperial court?

Isn't it always the specialty of the Edo shogunate to evade responsibility and be a "non-stick pan" that doesn't stick to anything?

Even if you have to accept the imperial edict to "repulse the barbarians immediately," shouldn't you still practice Tai Chi?

For example: Make a guarantee to the court: We will definitely fight against the foreigners! However, it will take at least 10 years to prepare the army for war.

The fight against the foreigners started on May 10th? The fight against the foreigners started three days later?!

Even opening the arsenal and mobilizing the troops will take at least 30 days, right?!

The Zuomu faction was worried and panicked.

On the other hand, the Zunban faction showed a completely different reaction.

They were overjoyed, just like celebrating a festival.

Everyone was gearing up, eager to rush to the battlefield immediately, kill the Western barbarians, and make great achievements.

Of course, only the middle and lower class members of the Zunbang faction would be happy about this.

The vast majority of the middle- and lower-class members of the Zunban sect are country bumpkins who have never seen the world and lack a correct understanding of the world.

They were just like some of the Zunhu faction officials in the imperial court, who thought that the Western Yi were just a bunch of barbarians with no merit except for having bigger ships and more advanced firearms.

As long as you show your momentum and fighting spirit, you can defeat them easily.

As for the upper-level members of the Zunban faction...or the cunning elements in the Zunban faction who knew that the Western countries were very powerful but still used the slogan of "repelling the foreigners" to oppose the shogunate, they were not so optimistic.

They were also particularly puzzled by Hitotsubashi Keixi's strange operation of rashly agreeing to resist the foreigners...

…

…

Kyoto, Satsuma Domain Residence——

The three heroes of the Satsuma Domain - Saigo Kinosuke in charge of military affairs, Komatsu Kato in charge of diplomacy, and Okubo Ichizo in charge of domestic affairs - the first two gathered in a secret room in the feudal residence and started a confidential conversation.

Komatsu, who was wearing a knife, frowned and said in a deep voice:

"Xixiang-kun, what do you think?"

Saigo Yoshinosuke crossed his legs and folded his arms in front of his chest, as if in deep thought.

After a moment, he murmured quietly:

"...That Hitotsubashi Keiki really made a 'cunning move'..."

Komatsu brought a knife: "Could he have some back-up plan?"

Saigo Kinosuke was silent for a while.

"...I don't see it. What kind of back-up can he have?"

After hearing this, Komatsu brought the knife and frowned even more.

"Is it possible... that the shogunate really plans to fight against the barbarians?"

"Humph, God knows."

Saigo Kinosuke sneered and shrugged.

"Anyway, today is already May 7th, and in three days it will be May 10th."

"On May 10th, we will know whether the shogunate really plans to fight against the barbarians."

"Anyway, Satsuma remains silent."

"Our current strategy remains unchanged - wait and see for changes, wait for opportunities, and never end easily."

…

…

Kyoto, Choshu feudal residence——

The three heroes of Choshu - Takasugi Shinsaku, Hisasaka Genzui, and Katsura Kogoro - gathered together.

The three of them sat in a "pin" shape, with Takasugi Shinsaku taking the first seat.

"No, I still feel it's too weird!"

Katsura Kogoro hit the ground with his fist and said loudly.

"How could the shogunate agree so readily to fight against the foreigners?"

"Obviously before this, the shogunate had always been tough and unwilling to give in."

"Why was there such a huge change overnight?"

"Conspiracy! There must be a conspiracy!"

Takasugi Shinsaku glanced at Katsura Kogoro, then pursed his lips, his face full of thinking.

"...Gui, you are right, this matter is indeed very strange..."

Before he finished speaking, Kusaka Genrui beside him said excitedly:

"In my opinion, you both think too much!"

"There was nothing thoughtful on the part of the shogunate."

"They simply couldn't withstand the pressure from the court and had to give in!"

"In any case, our goal has been achieved!"

"The shogunate has agreed to fight the barbarians."

"On May 10, the order of the shogunate and all the feudal lords must be determined to fight to the death against the Western barbarians and fight to the death with the Western barbarians."

"Whether it's the shogunate or the vassals, there's no turning back."

"I want to see now how the shogunate will react on May 10th!"

“This is an eternal opportunity that can only be encountered but cannot be sought!”

"Take this opportunity to let the whole world see the backbone of our Changzhou people!"

After saying that, Kusaka Genrui grabbed the saber beside his leg and stood up with a leap.

Upon seeing this, Takasugi Shinsaku immediately frowned and said quickly:

"Kusaka, what do you want to do?"

Kusaka Genrui replied calmly:

"What do I want to do? Do you even need to ask?"

"Of course I will return to the feudal clan immediately and preside over the war against the foreigners!"

"Changzhou is adjacent to the Shimonoseki Strait, and a large number of Western ships pass through it every day."

"In the past, we could only watch these hateful Westerners swaggering past our door."

"Now, we can finally fight back!"

"Shimonoseki Strait is the front line of resistance against the foreigners!"

“On May 10, three days later, if we in Changzhou do not take the lead, wouldn’t we be making others laughable?”

Shimonoseki Strait - also known as the Shimonoseki Strait. The waters between the western end of Japan's Honshu Island and the northern end of Kyushu Island, the western gateway to the Seto Inland Sea, and the hub of land and sea transportation in western Japan.

The Choshu Domain is adjacent to the Shimonoseki Strait, and for this reason, they can collect a large amount of customs duties from it every year.

On the surface, the Choshu Domain's total stone height is 90,000, and its territory and grain production are not outstanding.

As a result, it simply relied on the customs revenue from the Shimonoseki Strait to earn a lot of wealth, and its actual financial resources surpassed all other vassals!

At the same time, precisely because of its strategic geographical location, a large number of Western ships have passed through the Shimonoseki Strait every day since the founding of Japan.

As soon as Gensui Kusaka finished speaking, Shinsaku Takasugi sternly refuted:

"No!"
To be continued...