(The outbreak day is coming, ask for monthly ticket support)

The Fuso shogunate and the local forces did not last long, and the fear of yokai came not only from the people of Kyoto, but also from Tokugawa Yoshiki's men. As a result, this "big war of small countries" lasted only about half a month, and it stopped just before the spring breeze began to enter Kyoto.

There is no doubt that Tokugawa Yoshiki was the biggest loser in this war, his army was stripped away by the local tycoons, and when the most powerful shogun fled to Edo, he had less than 30 soldiers with him.

To make matters worse, unlike in history, the shogun was not able to enter Edo at all. Historically, after the Battle of Toba Fushimi, there was also an Edo bloodless castle. And this time, history has finally gone a little wrong. In Edo, rumors have begun to circulate in the same way as in Kyoto, and Tokugawa Yoshiki is colluding with yokai in an attempt to destroy Kyoto and regain control of the situation. Therefore, when the yokai were most wreaking havoc in Kyoto, the most relatable, the most rebellious general, was staying in Osaka at this time. While the local heroes of Kyoto fought to the death with the monsters, the Shogun brought soldiers from Osaka to King Qin.

All this, under the deliberate combination of rumors, is no longer a coincidence, but an inevitability. In other words, the people of Edo were fully convinced that the evidence of Tokugawa Yoshiki's collusion with the yokai was conclusive.

If it had been a few years ago, when the Shogun was still very powerful, most of Edo would not have had the ability to resist. But now, the Shogun's men have little power, and the yokai allied with him may bring bloody rain to Edo. The bigger problem is that these rumors keep hinting back. Kyoto is able to resist living monsters. Not necessarily in Edo. Under such rumors. Edo did not open the gates to the Shogun, but first welcomed the soldiers of the Choshu Domain.

Three days later, a desperate Tokugawa Yoshiki finally announced his surrender, and the biggest obstacle before the Meiji Restoration was removed.

The gloom did not dissipate there, and foreign warships in Edo continued to send soldiers. The previous agreement with the Emperor gave these foreign soldiers more reason to get involved in the country, even though they didn't need it before. In order to avoid foreign interference in Fuso, similar agreements must be terminated as soon as possible. and quickly calming down the political situation.

If the war with Tokugawa Yoshiki represented pulling Fuso out of the quagmire of the past, then simply pulling it out did not guarantee that Fuso would be given a new lease of life.

The battle to determine the fate of Fuso is about to begin.

The atmosphere in Kyoto was becoming more solemn, and Tokugawa's surrender did not allow the city to settle down. In fact, Tokugawa Yoshiki's surrender only increased tensions in Kyoto. The royal family and the local tycoons are all staring at the fruits of victory, and everyone wants more for themselves.

If in history, there was a great deal of compromise and exchange of interests at this time, which ultimately ensured the normal start of the Meiji Restoration. But in the present gaps in history. The course of history is destined to go further and further.

Xiao Yan was sitting in the corner of the conference room, opposite him. The injury has improved a lot, and Okubo Ritsu looks depressed. Next to this conference room, Xiao Yan's companions sat with different expressions, waiting for the outcome of the negotiation. Katsura Kogoro, who was originally the most suitable for mediation and coordination between the two sides, was not here, and Okubo Ritsu's companion, Saigo Takamori, was a certain distance away from his fellow countrymen, so it's hard to say whether this behavior was unintentional or intentional, but at least Okubo Ritsu is now a little lonely.

"I don't want to continue wasting time here," Xiao Yan looked at the middle-aged Fuso man opposite, and whispered, "Actually, we have wasted too much time here, and you should have shifted your target when Tokugawa Yoshiki failed and fled to Edo." If so, I wouldn't be here now, and you wouldn't have to argue with me about anything. ”

Okubo Ritsu stared at Xiao Yan, the scars on his face that had not yet fully healed made this middle-aged man look a little embarrassed, but his eyes were very energetic, and it could even be said that his eyes looked more like an 8-level master than an ordinary person. Hearing Xiao Yan's complaint, Okubo Ritsu shook his head slightly, and said firmly: "I'm waiting for evidence!" Xiao Jun, we have set a rule, so we must act according to this rule. If you break a rule arbitrarily, just by guessing and reasoning to solve the problem, the result is that everyone can break the rule. ”

Xiao Yan rubbed his brows, he admitted that Okubo was right, once the rules are broken, the future will become uncontrollable. The problem is, they are afraid of breaking the rules, and the devil is not afraid. They are bound by their own rules, while the demons can be unscrupulous, and with each other, it will only become more and more difficult for them to solve problems instead of the other way around.

Saigo Takamori coughed beside him, turned his head to look at Xiao Yan, and asked, "Is there still no definite evidence?" ”

Xiao Yan shook his head slightly and said, "If a demon can leave a conclusive clue so easily, then it is not a demon. ”

Saigo Takamori turned his head to look at Scarlet Village Mayan, who was sitting behind him, and asked, "Don't you even have a human certificate?" ”

Shimura Maran shook her head slightly, then raised her head to look at Saigo Takamori and said, "For us, for the goal of protecting us, it doesn't matter whether the evidence exists or not. ”

"That's going to cause flooding!"

Okubo said in a deep voice, "You protect your targets, but who will make sure your protection is correct?" If you are not constrained, you will not be able to get help either. ”

Saigo Takamori turned his head to look in the other direction, where the Great Cooking Imperial Gate Honzo was kneeling with a complicated expression. Regarding the controversy between Xiao Yan and Okubo Ritsu, the representative of the royal family did not care very much. In his opinion, things like rules have always constrained small people, and powerful people exist to break the rules.

It's just that no matter how the rules are set, the reality is that the tension between the royal family and the local forces is rising sharply, but the Daichi Gomon Motozou is not a politician, and he doesn't know how to mediate all this.

"Toranomon Saburo (Daicho Mimon Honzo's nickname), what do you think?"

Saigo Takamori asked in a deep voice: "Things can't drag on like this forever, neither for the royal family nor for us, there is no benefit. Whether we have definite evidence in our hands or not, you can only make a decision based on our current inferences, please tell me, what do you choose? ”

Daichi Gomon Honzo was quiet for a while, and then asked, "What can you guarantee?" ”

Saigo Takamori glanced at Okubo Ritsu, who had always insisted that there must be conclusive evidence, sighed, turned to Okubo Gomon Honzo and said, "Yes, we are fully prepared, and the royal family will still maintain its status according to the model of the English country." ”

Daiki Gomon Honzo lowered his head and thought for a while, and said, "But, in this way, what is the difference between it and the shogunate?" ”

"It makes no difference," Xiao Yan interjected, "you have to accept this reality!" Going against the trend will only bring disaster to you, and frankly, you have no better choice but to make decisions that are less bad and worse. ”

"Xiao Jun, please pay attention to your language. We still have the respect for the royal family, and if possible, we hope that this matter can be resolved more decently. ”

Xiao Yan turned his head to look at Okubo Ritsu and said, "Do you like lies so much?" More decent? Even if there is no evidence, we know that this matter cannot be resolved with dignity. This is the division between life and death, one step back is your death, and the next step is your life. Even this division has to be decent, that's the rule you want? Taking a step back, even if you don't talk about life and death, you are in a bad situation. Yes, Tokugawa Yoshiki gave back all his rights, but to whom did his rights go? You tell me that all the blood and sacrifice you have paid for this has been in vain? ”

Okubo was quiet for a moment and said, "We have no evidence. ”

This is the biggest defense line of the big man, and Xiao Yan has not been able to break through this line so far. Eventually, he gave up his intention to continue arguing with Okubo Ritsu, and instead turned his head to look at Okubo Gomon Honzo and said, "Make a decision, it's now, tell us your choice." Worse or less so bad? ”

Daikai Gomon Honzo let out a long breath and asked, "What's in it for me?" ”

Saigo Takamori glanced at Xiao Yan, and then said, "Wealth and land, Torano Saburo, you will have more than you have now." ”

Daichi Gomon Honzou was silent for a moment and said, "I need a guarantee. ”

Xiao Yan pointed to Okubo Ritsu and said, "Ask him, he is a person who absolutely abides by the rules, so the guarantee he gives you is more effective than ours." ”

Okubo said firmly: "Give me the evidence, I will give you what you need." ”

At this moment, there was a soft knock on the wooden door from outside, and then a voice came: "Mr. Yoshinosuke, we have found it." ”

Saigo Takamori looked up at Okubo Ritsu, whose expression had also changed drastically, and then said, "Come in." ”

The door was pulled open from the outside, and two samurai entered, behind them a burlap bag that was still moving.

There is no need to look at what is in the sackcloth pocket, the white flagella that appear outside the pocket already speaks for itself.

Seeing Saigo Takamori's gaze, a samurai bowed his head and said, "Sir, we found this there." ”

Saigo Takamori looked at those flagella solemnly, and after a while, he turned his head and asked Xiao Yan: "Xiao Jun, what do you think?" ”

Xiao Yan stood up and whispered, "Gentlemen, I will work with you to create a completely different history. (To be continued......)