"I'm sure you two are aware that since Matsudaira Sadanobu took office as the Elder Councillor in 1787, he has initiated a series of reforms."
"For example: dismiss the remnants of the former elder councilor Tanuma Okitsugu and rebuild the elder council agreement system with the three great families at the core and the hereditary daimyo as the backing."
"For example: revive the discipline of the samurai. Encourage samurai to learn literature and martial arts, ban prostitutes and geishas, ​​prohibit mixed bathing and erotic literature... and so on and so forth."
——Not only do I know about Matsudaira Sadanobu’s reforms, I have also chatted with him more than once…
Ogata complained silently in his heart.
The current Shogun, Tokugawa Ienari, is still very young, only 18 years old this year, and is still at the age where he relies on Matsudaira Sadanobu for everything.
Therefore, it is not an exaggeration to call Matsudaira Sadanobu the de facto head of the shogunate.
If people knew that the shogunate's current most wanted criminal and terrorist once had a casual chat and laughter with the shogunate's top leader, I'm afraid many people would be shocked.
Although he complained bitterly in his heart, Ogata remained silent and continued to listen quietly to Naoki's passionate speech.
"Matsudaira Sadanobu's so-called reforms. Each of them was just to allow the Edo Shogunate to continue to rule... no, to enslave this country."
At this time, Zhi Zhou was full of resentment.
"The reconstruction of the old-Chinese agreement system with the three great families as the core and the hereditary daimyo as the backing is the best example! Matsudaira Sadanobu's reform of rebuilding the old-Chinese agreement system is to make people with the surnames Tokugawa and Matsudaira rule the country for a long time and not let anyone or any force threaten their status."
"Matsudaira Sadanobu's reforms shattered any expectations we had for the Edo shogunate."
"So since Matsudaira Sadanobu came to power and took over the position of Elder Councillor, we have begun to plan and work for the purpose of overthrowing the Edo Shogunate."
At this point, Naozune paused, probably taking a break to listen to Ogata's opinion on what he had just said.
And Ogata did not disappoint him. As soon as Naoshige stopped, he immediately asked.
"...Since you want to overthrow the shogunate...then are you going to overthrow the shogunate? Excuse me, but the Edo shogunate, which directly controls a quarter of 's land, is not something you can just shout a few slogans and it will collapse."
"And - suppose you really defeat the Edo Shogunate, what are you going to do next? Don't tell me you want to build another 'Osaka Shogunate' in Osaka or somewhere else."
"Master Ittosai, that's a good question!" Naoshige's eyes lit up. "Although the Edo Shogunate is now very weak, it is indeed not an easy target."
"So - we have to use the opponent's force to counter the opponent's force."
"Use the power of the outer daimyo such as Satsuma and Choshu, who have little close relationship with the Edo shogunate, to defeat the Edo shogunate."
"After conquering the Edo Shogunate, we will follow the example of Tang and establish a brand new country centered entirely around the Emperor!"
…
…
Naoshige talked incessantly about how they planned to win over the daimyo such as Satsuma and Choshu who were at odds with the Edo Shogunate, and how they would build a country completely centered on the emperor after defeating the Edo Shogunate.
To put it simply, Naoshige and his men wanted Japan to return to the Nara and Heian periods hundreds of years ago.
In 646, Japan launched the Taika Reform. After comprehensively learning the advanced systems of the Sui and Tang dynasties, it entered two historical periods: the Nara period (710-794) and the Heian period (794-1192).
These two eras start with the time the capital was moved: the Nara period started with the move to Heijo-kyo (Nara), and the Heian period started with the move to Heian-kyo (present-day Kyoto).
In both of these eras, the emperor was the head of state who truly held state power.
It was not until 1192 that the power of the country was usurped by a samurai group headed by the Minamoto clan. The Minamoto clan established the first shogunate in the Kamakura area: After the Kamakura shogunate, the emperor became what he is today, a mascot with an empty title but no power at all.
After experiencing the Kamakura Shogunate, the Muromachi Shogunate, and the current Edo Shogunate, the emperor has been a mascot for nearly 600 years.
Naoshige's goal was to make the emperor become like the emperor of China again, a real head of state who ruled and managed the country.
It has to be said that it was quite smart of Naoshige and his men to use the banner of "respecting the emperor" to attack the Edo shogunate.
Although the emperor's presence is , and people in some remote areas may not even know that there is a big man called the emperor living in Kyoto, the emperor's influence cannot be underestimated.
After all, the emperor himself has a strong religious color - the royal family is considered to be the descendants of the creator goddess Amaterasu, and was sent by Amaterasu to govern the country.
Everyone, including the shogun, was responsible for governing the country on behalf of the emperor.
Therefore, as long as one raises the banner of the emperor, claims that the other party has usurped the power that should belong to the emperor, and then calls the other party "enemy of the court", then no matter what, one will never lose morally.
As for what Naoshige said about relying on winning over daimyo such as Satsuma and Choshu to attack the Edo shogunate, there is some truth to it.
Satsuma and Choshu are well-known feudal domains with strong power, but at the same time, they have poor relations with the Edo Shogunate.
Many outer daimyo, led by Satsuma and Choshu, were forced to surrender due to the powerful strength of the Edo Shogunate when it was first established.
These feudal states that were forced to submit had always been at odds with the Edo Shogunate. It was indeed a good choice to win them over to fight against the Edo Shogunate.
It's just that it's easier to invite gods than to send them away. It's easy to win them over to fight against the Edo Shogunate, but it's difficult to prevent them from having ambitions after the fall of the Edo Shogunate.
It is possible that the Tokugawa shogunate would disappear, and then the "Shimazu shogunate" or "Mōri shogunate" would appear.
Although what Naozune said was not something that could not stand up to scrutiny, after hearing Naozune say that their goal was to return to the Nara and Heian periods and establish a country centered on the emperor, Ogata no longer had the desire to listen.
——They criticized the Edo shogunate for a long time, but in the end, they just wanted to change from obeying a certain feudal landlord as their master to obeying another feudal landlord as their master...
After carefully listening to the speech just now by Naozune and his group, Ogata had some basic understanding of Naozune and his group - to put it simply, they were the rebels.
Dissatisfied with the tyranny of the Edo Shogunate, he attempted to overthrow the rule of the Edo Shogunate.
But... to use the words that Ogata learned in class in his previous life to evaluate Naoshige and the others... Naoshige and the others are very typical of those who have not escaped the limitations of the times.
Although he tried to launch an uprising to overthrow the Edo Shogunate's control over the country, he was just trying to replace another family with the one that ruled the country.
It's not about overturning the table, it's just about changing another group of people to play cards at the table.
But Ogata also understood this very well.
In Japan, which is still pursuing a policy of isolation, it is really too much to ask Naoshige and others to break through the limitations of the times and put forward ideas such as "breaking the feudal system".
From a certain perspective, Naoshige and his people were among the most open-minded people of that era. At least they were not foolishly loyal to the Edo shogunate, and they knew how to shout out words like "Fight against the corrupt Edo shogunate."
Ogata has no feelings for Japan as a country, so he doesn't really care where this country will go in the future.
After hearing that Naozune didn't say anything that impressed him, Ogata lost interest in Naozune and his friends' so-called ambitions and righteousness.
Naoshige seemed to notice Ogata's lack of interest in what he was saying, so he quickly changed the subject:
"And the reason why we would like to ask Master Ittosai to assist us is because you are now one of the few samurai in the country with rich combat experience, and you also possess unparalleled great energy."
"Although we want to rely on the power of the outer daimyo such as Satsuma and Choshu to overthrow the Edo shogunate, we do not want to entrust the formation of important military forces to Satsuma, Choshu and other feudal states."
"After all, if we do this, if they have bad intentions, we will become lambs to be slaughtered."
"So now we are using our respective strengths to develop our own unique armed forces."
"I am now the headmaster of Isshiki Sword Hall in Osaka."
"I am now secretly looking for and gathering those who are dissatisfied with the rule of the Edo Shogunate and are determined to overthrow the shogunate, and then secretly training them."
"but……"
Naoshige smiled bitterly.
"My abilities are limited, and I am unable to train them into warriors who can stand on their own."
"This country has been at peace for a long time, and warriors with real skills are rare."
"Today's samurai, myself included, can only swing the 'Dojo Sword'."
"And the 'Dojo Sword' is hardly of much use in a real battle."
"The period in our country's history when swords and guns were most needed and warriors were most needed to display their abilities was undoubtedly the chaotic Warring States period more than 200 years ago."
"How did the warriors of that period fight?"
"First of all, the place where we fight is completely different from a sword hall with comfortable tatami mats. We have to fight in the mountains, rivers, places full of gravel, and places full of mud."
"The weapons used by the opponents are also varied. They are not limited to swords. In a life-and-death duel, the enemy basically uses whatever weapon is convenient. But there is no way to comfortably fight with the opponent using swords in a sword hall."
"How effective can swordsmanship learned on a comfortable tatami mat be in a real battle?"
The bitterness on Zhi Zhou's face became even more intense.
"My battle with Ryoma against the invading pirates today perfectly demonstrated this: the 'Dojo Sword' is only a 'Dojo Sword' after all, and in a true death battle, it can only play a very limited role."
"That's why I told you, Master Itosai, that I wanted to invite you to my sword gym and be my sword instructor."
"I would like to ask Master Ittosai to teach and train those patriots I have found who are determined to overthrow the shogunate! You, who have experienced many battles, will surely be able to teach better than me, who has only fought a few actual battles!"
"Not only that, your joining will greatly boost our morale."
"To be honest, many of us admire you very much."
Having said this, Naoshige subconsciously glanced at Isshiki beside him.
And at this moment, a strange light was flashing in Yise's eyes.
"Your feat of slaying the tyrant and conquering Nijo Castle in Kyoto has moved us all deeply."
"There should be more and more people like you who challenge the corrupt Edo Shogunate!"
"Rather than being foolishly loyal to someone who is not worthy of loyalty at all."
"If you can come to help us, countless people who admire your name will gather here."
"With your participation, our plan to overthrow the Qing Dynasty will be accelerated by at least five years."
"So - Lord Ittosai, I hereby solemnly extend an invitation to you."
Naoshu suddenly leaned down and once again asked Ogata to get off his seat.
"Please join us!"
After Naoshu knelt and kowtowed in the dogeza posture, Isshiki hesitated for a while like he did today before slowly rising up to the dogeza posture towards Ogata.
"Of course, we won't just let you pay while we don't pay anything."
"If you can join us..."
Naoshige was probably going to say something next to tempt Ogata.
However, before he could finish his terms of inducement, Obi raised his hand to stop him from speaking.
"Mr. Isshiki. I understand everything you said."
“Thank you for your appreciation and kindness to me.”
"I am flattered to be trusted by you guys like this."
"I appreciate your kindness, but I'm sorry to refuse your invitation."
"I'm busy with something right now."
“I don’t know how much time and energy this will take up.”
"Therefore, please forgive me for not being able to contribute a little to your great cause."
"Please rest assured. I will keep the words I heard from you tonight to myself and will never tell anyone else."
Seeing Ogata refuse without hesitation, Naoshige's face showed anxiety.
"Master Ittosai..."
"No need to say more." Ogata interrupted again, "Mr. Isshiki, I have made up my mind."
Ogata's tone became a little more serious.
"Please stop pestering me."
"You're going to make it very difficult for me if you keep pestering me like this."
"...I...get it..." Nao Shuu sighed, "Since Lord Itosai has no intention of joining us, we will not force you to do so."
"Please rest assured, Master Itosai - I will never reveal your whereabouts to outsiders."
…
…
Naoshige and Isshiki left Ogata and their room one after the other.
After turning into an empty corridor, Isshiki lowered his voice so that only he and his grandfather could hear it clearly, and whispered:
"Grandpa...are you really going to give up just like that?"
"What else can I do if I don't give up?" Zhi Zhou said with a wry smile, "People with different ideals cannot work together. Since that gentleman has no intention of joining us, let's continue to go our separate ways."
"The gentleman just now has shown his firm attitude."
"If you keep pestering me, it would be our rudeness."
"So instead of continuing to pester him and causing him to be disgusted, it is better to give up decisively."
"Let's go, find a hotel, have a good night's rest, and set off at dawn tomorrow to continue our journey back to Osaka."
"Looking for a hotel..." Isshiki muttered, "Actually... there's no need to spend extra effort looking for a hotel. This hotel is pretty good."
"This hotel?" Zhi Zhou frowned slightly, "This hotel... is very expensive."
The hotel where Ogata, Naoshige and the others are now is a truly high-end hotel.
Not only are the rooms bright and comfortable, but they also have their own bathhouse specifically for the guests.
In short, this hotel is good in every way except that it is a bit expensive.
The reason why Tonnan Town has such a high-end hotel is probably because many travelers and traveling merchants pass through here.
As soon as he entered Toyonan Town, Isshiki ran into many people speaking with different accents.
"Just consider it as compensation." Isshiki said, "We have been drifting on the sea for so many days, and unfortunately we encountered pirates today."
"A night's rest in a luxurious hotel will be a compensation for our tired bodies and minds."
Zhi Zhou tilted his head and looked at Isse deeply.
"…You decided to stay here for a night because this hotel has its own bathhouse, right?"
As soon as Zhi Zhou finished speaking, Isshiki laughed awkwardly.
He seemed to be hesitant to speak, as if he wanted to refute but didn't know how.
"… Whatever. You do have a point. After several days of drifting on the sea, I am a little exhausted both physically and mentally. Let's just sleep in this hotel for one night. Anyway, I still have enough money."
Seeing that his proposal was accepted, Isshiki showed his joy without concealing it.
The two came to the hotel counter and booked an ordinary double room.
This inn has three floors. Ogata's room is on the third floor, while Isshiki's room is on the second floor, and the two rooms are a little far apart.
As soon as Isshiki and his grandfather entered the room, Naoshu suddenly turned stern and lectured Isshiki:
"Take a shower and rest early tonight, and leave at dawn tomorrow morning to return to Osaka."
"I also want to take a shower and rest early... But there must be a lot of people in the bathhouse right now, so I'd better go later."
"Remember not to leave it too late. If you leave it too late, there will be no hot water in the bathhouse."
"I know. I'm not stupid."
Isshiki said as he sat cross-legged on the ground.
While sitting cross-legged on the ground, Isshiki untied her high ponytail, and her waist-length hair fell down.
After sitting on the ground, Isshiki put his hands behind his clothes and back, as if he was unbuttoning something.
When Isshiki pulled his hands out from behind his back, he pulled out a long roll of something that looked like a bandage.
Then... as if by magic, the originally flat, wrinkle-free cloth on Isshiki's chest was inflated in one breath.
If Ogata was present, he would be surprised to find that in terms of the extent of the bulge... it is not inferior to Atachi's fullness.
At this time, Zhi Zhou sat down by the window with a tired look on his face.
Looking at Zhi Zhou who looked exhausted, Isshiki couldn't help but comfort him:
"Grandpa, didn't you just say that people with different ideas cannot work together? So don't be upset about that person not wanting to join us."
"I am not upset because that gentleman is unwilling to join us," Naoshige replied, "I have let it go."
"I'm just upset about the pile of things I have to deal with after returning to Osaka."
"We've been away for so long, there must be a mountain of things waiting for me to deal with."
“After returning to Osaka, I will be busy for a long time.”
At this moment, Naoshige suddenly seemed to remember something and turned to look at Isshiki.
"When we return to Osaka, in addition to dealing with those important matters one by one, I will also start arranging your marriage."
“Marriage?!” Isshiki jumped up like a cat whose tail was stepped on.
"Ryoma... No, Xiaohua. I can't continue to spoil you." Zhizhou said seriously, "Do you know how old you are this year? You are already 21 years old this year."
"Look around the entire Osaka Castle. Apart from those who are in extremely poor conditions, is there any woman like you who is still unmarried at this age?"
"When I introduced outstanding talents to you before, you always refused them on the grounds that you couldn't find the right person."
"During this time of traveling with you, I thought a lot."
"If you keep delaying like this, you'll become an old woman that no one wants."
"I have decided now - I will not spoil you anymore."
" I'll find a suitable candidate for you when we get back to Osaka."
"Within this year, I want to see an excellent son-in-law appear before my eyes."
"If you continue to be so willful, my Yise family will be extinct in your generation."
His face turned pale and blue, and he glared at Zhi Zhou fiercely.
"I don't want it!"
"Don't make decisions for me casually!"
After saying that, Isse sat cross-legged on the ground with his back to Zhizhou, leaving only his back to Zhizhou.
"I should be the one looking for a marriage partner, why are you guys helping me?"
"If you don't want us to help you find one, then you should find a talented person that we can all accept on your own." Zhi Zhou said seriously, "In short - within this year, I want to see an excellent son-in-law in front of me."