Chapter 30 Eight, the dragon horse is exonerated

Grab a lot of beans with both hands and sprinkle them on the ground. In some places there will be a lot of beans, while in some places there will be few beans, with different densities.The same is true in a person's life. In some periods, many things will concentrate.This period of Ryoma is like this. So busy, he felt this way for the first time since he was born.It's not that he has undergone any huge changes personally, he is still a Ryoma, and it is the surrounding environment that makes him start to have vitality. "Luck is here." If someone said that to Ryoma, he might be angry.

"What fate do people have? Life is like a play." He would sigh, "But life also has many differences from plays. The stage of a theater actor is designed by others. But the real life is your own hard work. Honestly build a stage that suits you, and then act on it. No one else will design a stage for you.” Ryoma's stage has gradually taken shape, and his drama is about to kick off.Many years later, some biographers used the term "Sakalong Feiteng" to describe Ryoma at this time.The "dragon" in Sakamoto Ryoma's name means soaring through the clouds and fog.

The story to be told next happened when he was about to take off. One day, when he came to Sheng Mansion, Sheng Haizhou said to him: "Tomorrow, I will take you to Osaka with a warship." It happened suddenly, and Longma was very excited. "You are so interested in everything." Sheng Haizhou sighed, "Seeing you like this makes me happy too." In Masaru's view, people like Ryoma are really taking advantage.Usually, he always puts on an unkind face, which in Tosa's words is a deaf face, but once he is happy, he can always convey his joy to the other party's heart.

"You are really taking advantage. Seeing you like this, I will find a way to make you happy. The warship I will take tomorrow is called Shundong, and it is currently docked in Shinagawa Bay. It will come to the training center tonight, and you will be there before tomorrow morning. Just come up to the pier.” "Okay." Long Ma responded and rushed back to Chiba Martial Arts Hall. Ryoma is very clear about the details of the warship Shundong.This is a newly built warship purchased by the shogunate from the United Kingdom for US$150,000 in September, and Yukatsu performed sea trials in Yokohama Bay on behalf of the shogunate.The ship has a load of 450 tons, which is much larger than the Xianlin, and has enough horsepower, with 350 tons.And, even more rarely, the ship's hull was covered in iron sheets.It is called a warship, but strictly speaking it is a transport ship.As a steamboat, this ship has reached the world standard for this time.

Ryoma returned to the Chiba martial arts school, just in time for Fujibei to arrive at bedtime. "Fujibei, wait for me for a while." Ryoma hurried into the martial arts hall after finishing speaking, patted Shigetaro who was teaching his disciples how to practice swords, and said, "Come to my room." After finishing speaking, he came out, Met Sanako again. "What are you busy with?" "Go to my room, I have something to do." "Shall I go with you?" "certainly." Chojiro Kondo, from Kajibashi Tosa Clan's prefecture, also happened to come to the martial arts school.

Ryoma had known this fair-skinned young man since he was a child.He was born in a businessman under the city, with outstanding talents, and he also learned Lan Xue from Hetian Xiaolong.He followed Ryoma all the time.After meeting Shinsaku Takasugi, Takasugi commented on him as "a genius at a glance".It can be seen from this that he is indeed outstanding, but in the eyes of Longma, "he has a hundred talents but lacks sincerity". "Chojiro, it's a coincidence for you to come." Ryoma called him aside, and said, "I'll take you on a warship tomorrow, and you should get ready."

Kondo Chojiro was naturally very happy. "Xiaolong, do you want me to take the boat with you?" Chiba Shigetaro shouted angrily, but in the end he couldn't resist the temptation to take the British-made iron boat, so he said in a benevolent tone Said: "I just went to sit for you." Sleeping Dai Fujihei was already overwhelmed with excitement.It was like a dream for a thief to have the opportunity to be on the same ship as the shogunate's generation warship. Sanako came in and then hurried out, Shigetaro stopped her and asked, "What are you going to do?"

"Change your hairstyle and pretend to be a man." "Wait." Shigetaro was terrified, and said, "You don't want to take a boat, do you?" "Ryoma said yes. I also want to sit once." "Don't mess around." Shigetaro said with a downcast face, "If there is a storm at sea, you won't be able to bear it." "Really?" Sanako's eyes sparkled.Although she is a woman, she has obtained the qualification of Beichen Yidao Style, so she doesn't pay much attention to warships. "Xiaolong, what should we do?"

"Hehe." Ryoma was noncommittal, just grinning. At this time, the head of the house, Zhenji, came out and shouted: "Bastard, what are you going to do with girls!" About an hour before dawn on the second day, the acting warship Hikatsu Kaishu set off from his home in Akasaka Hikawa.He is on horseback, with a leader and a young attendant each.He let people hold a lantern with the pattern of sword flower and diamond pattern on it, and rode forward leisurely.This voyage has a very important significance in the political history of the end of the Tokugawa period. This time, the old Nakamaka Ogasawara went with him, the purpose of which was to inspect the coastal defense of the old shogunate.In fact, this is just the vanguard of the inspection team.Next, Yoshinori Hitohashi, the general's assistant, and Matsudaira Harugatake, who is known as the governor of the shogunate, will also visit Osaka, and finally arrange for the general Iemo to go to Beijing.

Under the influence of the imperial court's "supervising and expelling barbarians", the power centers of Edo will gather in Kyoto.At this time, the Kyoto court pursued extreme anti-barbarian doctrine, while the shogunate, as the recognized government of various countries, signed various treaties under the strong request of various countries, adopting the principle of gradual and orderly founding of the country. From the military point of view, it is the responsibility of the veteran Nagayuki Ogasawara and the generation of warships to perform the duties of Sheng Haizhou. It was pitch black on the shore.Ryoma, Chiba Shigetaro, Kondo Chojiro, and Nedai Fujibei listened to the tide while waiting for Katsu Kaishu to arrive.Soon, Fujihei exclaimed, and he heard the sound of horseshoes in the distance.As expected of a gentleman on Liang, he has very good ears. "It seems to be here."

"Oh." Ryoma folded his hands on his chest. In a moment, a light appeared in the darkness in the distance.Ryoma is nearsighted and can't see clearly. "Xiaolong, it seems to be here." "Then shake the lantern." "Okay, here we come." Under the blowing of the night wind, Shigetaro held up the lantern with the Chiba family's moon and star pattern printed on it high. Victory off the horse. "There are so many people." He was very surprised, and when he saw the few people present, he felt even more helpless. "You are the swordsman who came to kill me." He glanced at Shigetaro, then at Kudai Fujibei, and said, "Does even a thief have to board a warship?" Katsu was a little worried at the beginning, but later found it very interesting.Finally, he glanced at Chojiro Kondo and said, "Only you look more decent. But as Ryoma's subordinate, you look too good." "He's a scholar." Hearing Ryoma's introduction, Sheng couldn't help laughing, and said: "The person Ryoma calls a scholar must not be a great scholar." Soon, Nagayuki Ogasawara also boarded the boat.He is the eldest son of the 60,000 stone city lord of Dangjin, and he became the senior middleman of the shogunate when he was the eldest son.The Ogasawara family is a famous and famous family in the shogunate genealogy. The ancestor is Silla Saburo Minamoto Yoshimitsu.In comparison, his family lineage is much purer than that of the Tokugawa family after Genji. The long line is forty-one at this time.At this age, he is still called the young master.The world took his nickname and called him "Mingshan Gongzi". He was famous for his talents when he was young.When Ryoma was four years old, that is, in the ninth year of Tianbao, Changxing moved to Edo and made friends with scholars, commentators and literati.Later, he was promoted by the shogunate and became an old middle school.In the history of the shogunate ruled by the shogunate, he was the only one who became the old middle school as the son of the prince. Changxing boarded the ship with his retainers, the shogunate inspector, foreign officials and translators.It can be said that part of the shogunate is on board.In addition, there are also people from the warship training center and the training center, a total of 150 people. There were only four dragons and horses on board who were not vassals.As they strolled leisurely on the deck, the mountains on the Boso Peninsula in the distance slowly turned purple, and then the sun slowly rose. "What a magnificent ship." Ryoma walked up and down on the deck, sighing several times. Thinking about it this way, Ryoma should be sentimental.In the sixth year of Kayong, when he first came to Edo at the age of nineteen, Perry led the fleet to Uraga.The whole country panicked, and people with lofty ideals flocked to call for the extermination of the barbarians.The turmoil at the end of the shogunate began. By chance, or in other words, fate, when Ryoma came to Edo at the age of nineteen, he saw Perry's arrival with his own eyes.Nineteen years old is an age of awakening, black ship left an unforgettable impression on Ryoma.But now, Ryoma boarded the "black ship".As he walked the deck, tears glistened in his eyes, and eventually the tears rolled down his cheeks, uncontrollable. Finally, he boarded the black ship as he wished.However, he sighed again: It would be nice if this were my boat. This is the ship of the shogunate.This made Ryoma dissatisfied. Owning a fleet is his biggest dream at the moment.He is only obsessed with this matter.This attachment is by no means indulging.He believes that a man's ambition should be concise and clear.Only the boat is his lifelong pursuit.There are ships and warships, form a fleet, and then use its power to overthrow the shogunate and establish a new Japan.This is his unique way of discussing the curtain.Xixiang in Satsuma, Gui in Changzhou, and Wushi in Tuzhou did not think of this way.People should open up the world in the way they like, Ryoma once said this. Katsu prepares a non-commissioned officer's room for Ryoma.Unexpectedly, this caused a small controversy. "Master Sheng, this is not acceptable." The speaker is the big supervisor.What the supervisor said is naturally reasonable.The passengers on the boat were all middle-ranking senior officials of the shogunate. Even if they were not senior officials, they could directly meet the general's ministers. In terms of the rank of military officer, they were high-ranking non-commissioned officers.The number of non-commissioned officers' rooms and upper class rooms is limited, and they cannot even accommodate half of the people.Under such circumstances, Katsura had to fight for a non-commissioned officer's room for Ryoma. How can there be any reason to let a ronin of unknown origin enter the non-commissioned officer's room? "Really?" Sheng looked disgusted and his tone was arrogant.This is exactly what he has always been hated in the Mu Pavilion.Even Qingxi, the fifteenth generation general known as Xianjun, recognized his talent, but hated him to the core.In his life, Sheng has never done a thing of selfishness, but there is only one bad thing, that is, he always thinks that others are too stupid. What Sheng thought was that all of those Banner disciples were rotten wood, but they only wore hair buns on their heads.Compared with them, Ryoma, who is unofficial and unpaid but talented, should enjoy the treatment of the non-commissioned officer's office.The more you treat him favorably, the more he can grow. As long as Sheng thinks someone is a character, he will give preference.Moreover, because he was very picky, there were very few people who were regarded as characters by him before his death at the age of 77 in Meiji 32.In his eyes, except for these few people, everyone else is an idiot. "Then please do it." Sheng said angrily. Ryoma didn't know this on the deck at this time.He was assigned to the large room at the bottom of the ship.This is a matter of course.The large room at the bottom of the ship is divided into many areas by curtains, and the vassals who are not qualified to directly meet with the general and the retainers of the old man live here. "No, I'll just sleep on the deck." Ryoma said to the official who allocated the room.He doesn't seem to care about anything, but he is a person with strong self-esteem.His identity is just a ronin, born as a villager in Tosa, and his status is very low.Because of this, he could not bear the practice of assigning cabins according to rank and status. "A Zhong, let's sleep in the short boat on the deck." Of course Shigetaro agreed.He is the young master of the famous Chiba family of swordsmanship. He served in the Tottori Domain and enjoyed the treatment of a sergeant.But he is kind-hearted, as long as he is by Ryoma's side, everything doesn't matter. Shundong began to ride the wind and waves. Ryoma walked around the ship every day, tirelessly. "what are you doing?" "Can you lend me that?" He often operates warships from the wheelhouse. The non-commissioned officers of the shogunate all rolled their eyes at this unknown Ryoma, but for some reason, the waterman and fireman who operated the warship were very friendly to Ryoma.Most of them are veterans who used to work on the Xianlin.When the Xianlin went to the United States, the shogunate mainly recruited fishermen from the Yanba Islands in the Seto Inland Sea to serve as junior crew members. The Shioba Islands are located in the sea of ​​Sanuki. There are 16 or 17 big islands alone, such as Main Island, Hiroshima, Yoshima, Takami Island, Awashima, etc., with a long history.In the Heian period, there were famous salt pirates. In the Genpei period, they were active as a navy. In the Ashikaga period, they became Japanese pirates. Salt-filled people are brave and brave, and they all say: "Salt-filled people are the best at maneuvering a ship." Whenever the shogunate buys warships or steamships, they will recruit salt-filled people to be watermen and firemen. In particular, the helmsman Tomura Daisuke is one of the most outstanding watermen recruited. He has a great affection for Ryoma and is full of enthusiasm. "I'll teach you everything." Daisuke Bopu once went to the United States with the Xianlin. He was a big alcoholic and was rude. His colleagues gave him the nickname "Dasuke of the Evil".There are many anecdotes about him.It is said that he quarreled with ten Spanish ship crew members in San Francisco harbor, threw several of them into the sea, and said to them, "Don't you know Daisuke from Japan?" After his return, he received a huge bounty from the shogunate.He exchanged all the money for a vermilion silver and put it into a liter of analysis.On the night before the beginning of spring, he went to the brothel in Yoshihara, summoned the prostitutes, shouted "the evil spirits come out, the gods come in", just like throwing beans, and spent all the money overnight.Later, because he often hung out with prostitutes in brothels, he developed a big sore on his waist.When he arrived at the Ogasawara Islands on a shogunate ship, he pierced the tumor with hot chopsticks, shouted "stop the ship", jumped into the sea, washed the wound with tide water, and finally healed. Soon, the Shundong broke down at Tempozan Bay in Osaka, and Ryoma and others went ashore. He planned to go to the ever-changing Kyoto from here. Ryoma bid farewell to Shigetaro in Osaka. "Why did I come here?" Shigetaro asked blankly.He was dragged by Longma on a boat to Osaka, but the martial arts school in Edo was still waiting for him.Moreover, he will also be on duty at the Edo Domain of the Tottori Domain. "Xiaolong, what should we do next?" "I'm going to Kyoto. There are Tianzhu incidents happening everywhere, and it's bloody." "I'm going back to Edo." Fortunately, Sheng also wanted to go back to Edo on the Shundong, so Shigetaro decided to go back with him. "You're just visiting Osaka for a few days. Is this your first time here?" "Exactly." "Just, let me tell you." Ryoma said seriously, "No matter what happens, you can't leave Mr. Sheng. You have to stand in front of the door and wait for Mr. Sheng to go to the toilet." "why?" "There are a lot of patriots in Kyoto and Osaka. If you hear that the founder of the country is coming, maybe some idiots will come to kill him. No, there will definitely be. Choshu, Mito, and our Tosa are the lairs of these people. Takeshi Banheita is the leader of the Tenchu ​​team." "Hey, little dragon." "what?" "You brought me to Osaka on purpose, isn't it just to let me protect Sheng?" "You always think the worst about people." "Of course I think so." Shigetaro laughed.As the protector of the eldest son of Chiba Zhenji, Bei Chen must be the number one bodyguard in the world. "I do not want to." "Why?" Ryoma stared at Jutaro in disbelief.Shigetaro laughed even harder. "That's needless to say. I was going to assassinate Sheng at the beginning, but now I want to be his bodyguard. It's too frivolous." "please." "Xiaolong, I haven't completely abandoned my theory of banishing barbarians, I still hate Sheng's theory of founding a country." "Anyway, please." "It's really helpless. With you, I become inexplicable." "Please." Ryoma set off from Osaka to Kyoto.Not long after that victory, he sailed back to Edo from Tempozan Bay.On the way, the wind and waves became stronger, and the ship sailed into Shimoda Port in Izu. At this time, it happened to meet the steamboat Rocco, which was heading west from the Chikuzen Kuroda Clan.The Dapeng was temporarily lent to Tosa, so now there is a retired old vassal on board. Sheng Haizhou cherishes talents like his life, as long as he thinks that someone is a talent, he will take extra care of him.He wanted to create a stage for Ryoma to display his talents. The non-commissioned officer of the Shenghaizhou Mingshundong put down the short boat and said, "I'll go to the Dapeng." After speaking, he boarded the short boat and sailed towards the opposite ship facing the wind and waves. He wanted to see Shan Contentang on the Dapeng.On the mast of the Roc, the three-leaf cypress of the Yamauchi family fluttered high in the wind.Sanye cypress, also known as Tosa cypress, is the family crest of the Yamauchi family.The flag fluttered in the wind in Shimoda Port.Sheng asks Rong Tang, hoping that Rong Tang can forgive Ryoma's crime of leaving the feudal domain.When Katsura rode forward in the short boat, the Aoi-mon flag of the Tokugawa family fluttered in the wind at the stern of the short boat. Create a broad stage for Ryoma.Sheng thought that walking in the world as a traitor would have many fears and constraints.For example, he was unable to live in the Tosa Domain prefectures in Edo, Kyoto, and Osaka.But will the unkind Rong Tang listen to my advice?If he hadn't been born in the family of the Tosa feudal lord, perhaps Rong Tang would have become an outstanding talent. He once uttered such a bold statement in Chiyoda's main hall: "Hitsubashi's wisdom, Harugatake's honesty, and my decisiveness, with these three, the world can be ruled." According to Sauchi Hashimoto, a precocious genius who was born in the Echizen Fukui clan and is known as a miraculous, "Yongtang Gong is bold, informal, but surprisingly decisive. I personally think that this person is the number one among the great names. In his eyes, everyone in the world is stupid, except for himself, everyone else is worthless, and he only respects and admires Fujita Donghu." However, Donghu's first impression of Rongtang was: "A son of a nobleman, a conceited Konoha Tengu." Although Rongtang is the lord of a feudal clan, he worked hard to practice swordsmanship and horsemanship and became a master; in terms of poetry and prose, he can also be regarded as one of the great poets at the end of the Tokugawa period; he is also good at drinking, and his drinking capacity is also the first among the princes . The Roc, which Tosa had borrowed, was a wooden schooner, not particularly large.Sheng tied the skiff to the side of the boat.The sunflower pattern fluttering in the wind on the short boat is still very powerful at this time.Someone lowered the ladder from the Roc. "It's hard work." Sheng climbed onto the deck very quickly, "I am Rintaro Katsu, the deputy commander of the warship, please see Mr. Rongtang." Katsuki wore a black hat with a gold inlay that only daimyos and banners could wear, a black patterned suit and a high-waisted hakama of Sendai, and a wax-colored double saber scabbard on his waist.It's just that his expression is not serious, which doesn't suit this solemn attire. "Yes." Rongtang's bodyguard retreated and ran to report.Although they were personal bodyguards, there wasn't a single villain around Rong Tang who made a fool of himself, but they were all warriors of the Warring States Period.Those who were on the boat together at the time were Taisuke Mikami, Tadashichi Yamaji, Yuihachi Ogasawara, and their boss Tanba Fukao, Sazen Daimonjimura, and Goroemon Kominami. "What, Mr. Sheng?" The guest hall immediately stood up and went to the deck to greet him in person.His boldness is also rare among daimyos. "It's just in time. I'm looking for a drinking buddy." He asked his retainers to prepare, and went ashore with Sheng in a short boat.The two went to a restaurant by the sea to drink. After drinking for three rounds, Dang Sheng raised his eyebrows, but Rong Tang seemed to be drunk. "You have a man named Sakamoto Ryoma, do you know?" "Longma?" Rong Tang had a vague impression.Isn't it the Beichen Yidao-style swordsman who once won the great contest held in the Edo Kajibashi vassal mansion?Rong Tang is indeed very bold, talented, and courageous, but there is only one shortcoming, that is, he always shows off his boldness in front of others. "I don't know." He pretended to be bewildered and looked at Sheng.The expression seems to say, how can my imposing 240,000 shi fan know every samurai in the fan? This point is somewhat similar to Sheng, with a stubborn temperament, everyone is a fool, bold and uninhibited. Before the offending incident of the governor of the Changzhou feudal clan, there was an incident: Zhou Bu, Hisaka, and Takasugi of Changzhou and other radicals who respected the king and expelled barbarians gave Rongtang a jar of famous wine named "Japanese Soul" and mocked Xiaotang's Qin Wang Zumu.Rong Tang suddenly changed color. "Tui Zhu, use this as a gift in return." He said and handed Tui Zhu a piece of paper, on which "Idiot" was clearly written in ink.What he meant was that you people are obviously ignorant, but you put on the face of a hero all day long. "Sheng, how do we do this?" Rong Tang made a posture of resting on his arm.What he meant was that he was drunk, so he was more comfortable lying down and talking. Sheng Haizhou doesn't like drinking very much.But he has wine in his belly, and on some occasions, everyone gets drunk if the wine is not intoxicating.After hearing Rong Tang's words, he immediately lay down and said, "Please forgive me for being rude." The host Rongtang also lay down. One is the senior official of the shogunate acting on behalf of the warship, and the other is the vassal of Tosa's 240,000 stones, talking like this. "How is the dragon horse?" Rong Tang asked. "Lyoma should be called the number one person in Hainan." "Oh?" "In the future, he will become a pillar of the country. Now he is suspected of assassinating Toyo Yoshida, who participated in politics, and he is also charged with the crime of leaving the domain. Can you pardon him? Haizhou is willing to intercede for him." "En." Rong Tang drank the wine in one gulp, "I didn't expect him to be such an outstanding talent. Then who does he take as his teacher?" Rong Tang is eager to learn, so he doesn't like uneducated people. "This..." Sheng tilted his head and said, "His teacher should be God." "God?" "When he was young, the private school teacher refused to teach him on the grounds that children cannot be taught. From this point of view, his knowledge should not be worth mentioning." "For such an ignorant person, it's strange that someone like Mr. Sheng would regard him as a character." Rong Tang always only liked learning. "I said his teacher is God, because..." Sheng said in a sarcastic tone, "Although he is not a scholar, he is better than Oda Nobunaga in terms of learning. Although Nobunaga is not knowledgeable, he is also Completed the great cause of distributing martial arts in the world. Taiko Toyotomi Hideyoshi came from a humble background and had no knowledge, but he knew the sky, geography, and people's hearts, and finally created a peaceful world. Many people in this world are gifted." "Han Gaozu?" "Yes, the same is true of Han Gaozu." "Mr. Haizhou, are you saying that Ryoma Sakamoto of my clan is a hero?" Rong Tang was a little dissatisfied.He believes that only he can be called a hero in the world. "It's hard to say. The so-called hero will only give luck and timing when God needs him. Whether Longma has such luck and timing will not be known until later. What I can say now is that he is definitely not Chi Ningzhi." thing." "About the matter Mr. Sheng said." Rong Tang sat up.He wants to give Sheng an answer. "Then, that..." Rong Tang seemed unable to remember the name, "What's it called, Sakamoto..." "Ryoma." Sheng said. Rong Tang is indeed the vassal of the 240,000 shi clan, he has the world in his heart, and he doesn't seem to remember the name of a villager at all. "For Mr. Haizhou's face, I will forgive him the crime of leaving the feudal clan and allow him to return to the feudal clan." "Return to the vassal." Sheng immediately said, "I'm not saying let him go back to the vassal state, but allow him to be free." "of course can." There was contempt in Rong Tang's tone.A person who doesn't even have the qualifications to meet himself, who cares where he goes. Sheng very carefully. "Drunken words are not enough to prove. Please leave me a proof." "Oh?" Rong Tang made a disappointed expression, but Sheng didn't let it go. "Just one stroke," he said, crossing his arms across his chest. Rong Tang had no choice but to clap his hands for someone to bring a pen, ink, paper and inkstone, and snapped open a white fan. "Is this okay?" After speaking, he threw the fan to Sheng Haizhou's leg.He wrote "Three Hundred and Sixty Chapters of Sui Zui" and signed "Ji Hai Zui Hou".It means that he can't wake up drunk all year round, "Jihai Zuihou" is his nickname. "Thank you." After Sheng waited for the ink to dry, he closed the fan and put it in his arms. There is another story about the crime of pardoning Ryoma.Harutake Matsudaira, the political chief executive of the shogunate, came to Osaka not long after.This feudal lord was not as stubborn as Rongtang, but he was also a celebrity at the end of the shogunate.He is not only knowledgeable, but also has a keen sense of politics, and he has no airs of a feudal lord at all.If he thinks that someone is a talent, he often condescends to pay a visit.He and Rongtang are good friends, and the relationship with Haizhou is also very close.In order to promote Longma, Haizhou wrote a letter of recommendation for him and asked Longma to meet Chunyue. When Longma went to see Chunyue with the book, it was the time when Haizhou met Rongtang at Shimoda Port. Among the daimyos, apart from the Yusanjia Yusanqing, the Chunyue family has the highest status.Moreover, he is currently the political affairs president of the shogunate.Now he met a ronin Ryoma.After seeing Ryoma, he liked him very much and later became a supporter of Ryoma.Of course, this is something.Chunyue was thirty-six years old at the time, with a dignified appearance. He was known as Jinzhicheng Lord since he was a child, and he could be called a handsome man.He has a full forehead and just the right amount of slender cheeks under small eyes.This is the face of a learned man.His temperament is for thinking, not for action. The reason why he was selected as the "prime minister" of the shogunate has a complicated political background.The shogunate could no longer ignore the speeches of the imperial court and those with lofty ideals, so it could only use the Echizen Fukui feudal lord who was welcomed by the imperial court from the Tokugawa family.The powerful Ii Naosuke can no longer cope with the current situation.A long time ago, there was a saying of "four virtuous princes in the world".Among the four wise daimyos, Satsumahou Shimazu Qibin was also very good at knowing people and employing people. Unfortunately, he passed away when he failed to achieve his ambition in the fifth year of Anzheng.The remaining three virtuous princes are the lord of the Tosa feudal clan, Yamazokudo, the lord of the Iyo Uwajima feudal clan, Date Sojo, and this Harutake.The three princes are friends, and the ministers of the Sanjo family, Tomita Oribe, came to Edo from Kyoto. After meeting the three princes in the Tosa domain, they left several very interesting short comments. "Marquis Tosa is in his prime, full of heroism." "Hou Uwajima is eloquent and likes to be lively." "Echizenhou was taciturn and open-minded." This can be said to be the best summary of Chunyue. "How is it, Ryoma?" Chun Yue said when they met Ryoma, "Your master Rong Tanggong has a very good relationship with me. Let me help you talk about it and let you return to the feudal clan." Ryoma lowered his head heavily.This action of his seemed very funny to Chunyue, and made him laugh for a long time. "Then I'll just ask you." "You're so interesting." Chun Yue laughed.How could Ryoma say such a thing? "Ryoma is simple and cute." Chunyue said this to Rong Tang later, and asked him to pardon Ryoma's crime of leaving the feudal domain.Since Rongtang also promised Haizhou, he passed the matter on to his ministers and formally handled the matter. On February 25th of the third year of Bunjiu, the Tosa Domain government issued a notice exempting Ryoma from the crime of leaving the domain. At this time, Ryoma was traveling between Osaka and Kyoto like a messenger. "Ryoma's legs are so fast." When people said that about him, he always said that he was not fast on his feet, and he couldn't do things well.Among the descendants a little later than Ryoma, there is a young Satsuma vassal named Oyama Yasuke, who is said to have traveled between Edo and Kyoto more than 30 times before the Restoration. One day, Ryoma was passing by the gate of the feudal mansion in Kawaramachi, Kyoto, when he heard someone calling him. "Ryoma! Isn't this Ryoma?" Mochizuki Kameyata, who used to practice swordsmanship at the Hineno Martial Art Museum under Kochi Castle, stopped him.Kameyata is a corporal who belongs to the new left-behind team. He is good at poetry and swordsmanship.In the summer of the first year of Yuanji, he was killed by the Shinsengumi during the conspiracy of Ikedaya, an inn in the west of Sanjo Bridge. "The dragon horse is coming." Mochizuki hurriedly shouted to the feudal mansion.Everyone cheered and ran out. "What do you want to do?" Ryoma took off the straw sandals and put them in his arms, considering whether he should run away. "Wait, Ryoma, I didn't want to fight you. The feudal government has pardoned you for leaving the feudal clan. Everyone is looking for you." "Really? Pardoned? Yes, yes." Longma threw the straw sandals on the ground, put them on and said, "Can you let me have a meal at the feudal mansion?" It was noon, and Ryoma was hungry. "of course can." They surrounded Longma and rushed him into the feudal mansion. Although they belong to the same domain, there are many people who don't know Ryoma, but everyone has heard of Ryoma.Everyone stared at him curiously.Recently, Ryoma's name has become more and more famous, and people can often hear people talking about him. "Let's go and say hello to the resident servant of the imperial residence first." Mochizuki took him to a room. The imperial servant is the chief of the feudal mansion, a middle-aged sergeant with a burly appearance. "Oh, you are Ryoma?" After reading the notice from the feudal hall, the imperial guard rolled up and said, "Punish yourself and think about it for seven days." His expression was serious. So Ryoma was immediately taken to a room, counting from that day, facing the wall for seven days. "Hmph, if I'm still a ronin, I don't have to be so aggrieved." Ryoma complained loudly. After seven days, everyone toasted Longma to celebrate.But the person who should have come the most did not come, that is Hanpeita Takeichi, the leader of the people of Kyoto. Takeshi is not a single-handed warrior now, and all the lower-level samurai of the Tosa domain are under his control.Moreover, since the assassination of Yoshida Toyo, who participated in the administration of the feudal state, and the launch of the coup, even among the high-ranking people in the feudal government, there have been "Wushi people".Not only that, but he is also very popular among extremist ministers.He now guides them to destroy the curtain.Wushi even had his own assassination group. The leader of this assassination group was San Tian Yizang. They haunted Jingluo and assassinated important figures of the Saba faction.Although Takeshi had never personally acted, he was behind the major assassination incidents in Kyoto. The money of the vassal government is often distributed to the assassins through the hands of Wushi.It was Tosa's assassin who beheaded Tada, the concubine son of the Nagano master who had been arrested and persecuted in the Ansei Prison.Although it was Tanaka Shinbei, a Satsuma man known as the killer Shinbei, who killed the Kujo family's senior officials, Shimada Sakon, and others, Takeichi also had a driving force.It was the murderer Yizang and others who killed Yuxiang Xuanfan, the counselor of the Jiutiao family. It can almost be concluded that Wushi was behind the plot.In addition, the bloody incidents that took place in Jingluo, such as the assassination of the catcher Wenji, were almost all involved in Takeshi Hanheita. Ryoma feels sorry for Hanpeita.He thought to himself that although assassination is also a political act, since ancient times there has been no such thing as a major event.He believes it.Has there ever been a precedent for the first-class figures in ancient and modern times to succeed in assassination? Ryoma sat among his acquaintances in the Kyoto domain, drinking in silence.Almost all the vassals who surrounded Ryoma and congratulated them were Wushi's disciples, admirers, or people influenced by him. Ban Pingtai's influence is already so great.While Ryoma was surprised, he couldn't understand Ban Pingtai's way of using these people as assassins.He will definitely be famous in history, but he will definitely not be a first-class historical figure. This is what makes Wushi puzzling.This person's high style can rival that of Satsuma's Saigo, his strategy can be compared with Satsuma's Okubo, and his cultural accomplishment can even surpass both.Even if his charisma is not as good as Changzhou's Yoshida Shoin, it is still somewhat close.There is only one important aspect in which he differs from these men.Desperate for success, he resorted to force and turned into a murderous maniac. "Tianzhu" has a good name, but this kind of behavior is too vicious.Because of the darkness, it will eventually lose the hearts of the people. "How about Wushi?" Longma finally asked. The audience was silent.They all knew that Takeshi once called Ryoma "a worrying guy", and they didn't want the two of them to meet. There is a hiding place in Wushi, and Ryoma still knows the details. "I'm going to find him now." He lifted the knife and stood up. "Wait. If you go, you will be in trouble." A disciple of Wushi said. "What's the trouble?" "You are pursuing the founding of the country now, and you originally had the ambition to bring down the curtain, but now you are close to the shogunate Katsu Rintaro. Mr. Takeichi once said that if it were someone else, he would have killed him long ago." "Kill me?" Ryoma stared at the other party incredulously, without hesitation. "Can you kill me?" "I, Ryoma, don't know anything about founding a country and fighting barbarians. I'm a fool, how can a fool understand such a profound question? But, I want to say something." Ryoma looked around the crowd, "In an instant, Rumble came." Everyone was stunned. "Foreigners are coming to rob us of Japan. At that time, do you want to use the swords and armors of three hundred years ago to deal with it? Then Japan will not win." "The vassal state has also gradually begun to use foreign-style muskets." "That's not enough. I will lead the warship to defend Japan. Before that, please don't point fingers at my actions. People should take a long-term perspective." "but……" "Leave me alone until then." "We know it, and Mr. Wushi knows it too. That's why we held a banquet for you. If it weren't for that, we would have split you in two." "can you?" "certainly." The doorman drew out his knife with a clatter.Ryoma said helplessly: "I have to escape." Then he started to walk out without any haste. Everyone thought his appearance was ridiculous, and burst out laughing. "Give it up?" Ryoma turned around.The other party also scratched his head and smiled. "Then I'm going to the place where Wushi lives, and you show me the way." The doorman had no choice but to lead him the way. Takeshi lived in Kawaramachi, not far from the feudal mansion, just after Sanjo of Kiyamachi.In the evening, there are orchestral songs singing together, which is the famous flower street and willow alley in Kyoto. In Kiyamachi, there is a restaurant called Tantoro, whose owner is Shikokuya Juhei.The store was later raided by the Shinsengumi.Wu Shi rented a side room in the restaurant. Ryoma walked slowly into Danhu, and met the boss Chongbei inside.From the name of Shikokuya, it can be seen that the ancestor of Shigebei was from Tosa, so he has been taking care of Hanpeita Takeshi all the time. "The younger one is Dantora's boss, Shikokuya Shigebei." "Is Banping Tai there?" Juhei was evasive, and only said that please drink tea first, and then withdrew. A woman walks in.并不是个美人，却长着一张圆脸，显得天真可爱。这种女子，只有在京都才能见到。 给龙马带路的门人已经和重兵卫一起出去了，房间里只剩下龙马和这位女子。 “粗茶不成敬意，请慢用。” 女子用一种稍带戒备的眼神看了看龙马，然后低下头，递过茶碗。 "Thank you." 龙马正好口渴得很，一口气喝了下去。 “啊，小心烫。” "Ok." 龙马一脸怪相，等着这股热茶汤从喉咙流到肚子里去。 女子笑着离开了。她大概已经看出龙马不是个歹人。不一刻，她又走了进来，请龙马跟她去武市的房间。“武市先生有事外出，但应该会马上回来。” "Is there any wine?" “有，只是先生不让在这个房间里喝酒。” 武市依然那么谨直。他现在是京都志士头领，却依然过着苦行僧似的生活。 “你是老板的千金吗？” “是，小女子多多。让您见笑了。”她笑着出了房间。 这个房间只有三叠，但是，是非常豪华的茶室，就连龙马也能看得出来，重兵卫花了重金装饰这间屋子。 首先，漂亮的壁龛柱映入眼帘。地板是罕见的楠木，木纹很漂亮。打开东面的隔扇，可见鸭川。可以想象，早晚窗外的东山是多么壮观。 半平太好似偶尔作画，房间里能够看到一些画具。他幼时曾专门学过绘画，水平与画师无异。在这个小小的房间中，时而拿起彩笔，时而酝酿暗杀计划，有时则与同志一起商议应对朝廷和诸藩的大事。 “久违。” 一个伟岸的白面武生走了进来。正是半平太。“龙马，我本来不想见你。但是没办法。” 半平太让人备了酒。 “原本我们在这个房间里思考和谈论天下大事，因此禁止饮酒，但既然你来了，便破个例。” 谨严的半平太要打破自己立的规矩，此事非同小可。 “酒？”多多听到半平太的吩咐，吃惊地问道，“先生，可以吗？” 龙马非常聪明，他马上明白了武市的意思。往好处想，他这是想要给旧日知己殊遇。但往坏处想，那就是武市已经不把龙马当成同志了。如果是同志，武市会与他在此谈论国事。反正不再是同志，不如一边喝点小酒，一边聊聊故乡。或许在武市心中，这两种感情都有。好恶交错，凝聚成一个“酒”字。 “半平太，我不喝酒也无妨。”龙马故意说道。 “别这么说，喝吧。让我们都忘了国事。” 如果二人议论起来，定会大打一架。一旦大打出手，必然产生隔阂，最终可能导致流血冲突。 “武市，我就问你一句。”龙马说道。 "What's up?" 武市坐正心想，如果龙马胆敢对自己倾尽才华和热情构建起来的尊王攘夷论提出半点异议，就给他当头一棒。“你且说来。” “这个家哪边是屁股？” “屁股？” “是朝西还是朝东？” “屁股朝东。” “那我再问你。” 龙马自小不辨方向，因此被朋友和附近的孩童嘲笑。 “龙马，这一点你还没明白啊。” 武市笑了起来。 “好不了了。我问你，鸭川在哪边？” “在隔扇外边啊。” “是吗，那鸭川往何处流呢？” “从北往南流。” “半平太，这些你都明白。万事不能强求，应该循序渐进。河水汹涌之时，切断堤坝，引出洪水，必能改天换地。但是，太早决堤是不行的。” “龙马。”武市本想要说什么，但又马上变了脸色，道，“我们不要争论这些。喝酒。”他拿起酒壶，接着说道：“酒就是为这种场合预备的。龙马，我不说，你也不要说了。” “我要说。”龙马一口气喝完一杯酒，道，“我要说。半平太，你是打算杀掉幕臣胜麟太郎先生吧？” 武市佯装不解。龙马却紧紧地盯着武市，又道：“你让冈田以藏去杀胜。我方才进藩府的时候见到了以藏。本来以藏看见我就会像狗一样来说话。但那时他却一脸尴尬，偷偷地躲到了花坛后面。我坂本龙马虽然近视，但自认为还能察言观色。” “以藏想要干什么，我半平太怎么知道？” “但是，他是在你的感化下行动的。你总是在破口大骂胜的开国主张吧？杀人魔以藏不懂什么道理，他就知道，只要是武市先生破口大骂的肯定就是恶人。所以，这可以说是你的指使。” “龙马。”武市怒道，“你已经堕落成胜的走狗了吗？” “是门人。” “还不是一回事？以前你曾经与我一起发誓倒幕回天，难道你都忘了？” 攘夷即是勤王，开国即是佐幕。这是时下的等式。以此际日本的国力，是不可能赶走洋人的。但是天皇却相信日本能够做到，公卿也相信这一点，而且武市等攘夷志士鼓动朝廷对幕府提出了这个要求。可怜的是幕府。幕府不能说“做不到”，只能一方面和洋人签订各种条约，逐渐开国，另一方面与朝廷调协，承诺“循序渐进”。“期限是哪日？”朝廷紧紧逼问。在背后操纵朝廷的其实是长州藩与土佐藩的志士。一旦幕府称不能攘夷，他们便一举而起，推翻幕府。他们打算把这个当成讨幕的理由。所以，对于武市等人来说，开国即是佐幕。 “志向没变。我是要倒幕。我要用自己的方法做。所以在此之前你不要妨碍我。” “我不妨碍你。” “但是你要杀胜就是在妨碍我。半平太，这一点，我必须告诉你。”