Chapter 54 15. Journey to Kirishima

Saigo Takamori's "healing hot spring" is a salt-soaked hot spring surrounded by the peaks of Mt. Kirishima.Xixiang said: "If Satsuma people are injured, they don't go to see a doctor, they all go to soak in salt." He also said that the water in the salt soaked hot spring gushes from the bank of a deep mountain stream, and the surrounding scenery is like a paradise. "Please be sure to go there!" He strongly recommended to Ryoma. The reason why he is so enthusiastic about persuading Ryoma to go to Satsuma to recuperate is because he wants Ryoma to temporarily stay away from the vortex of political turmoil.If you continue to show your face like this, one day you will fall into the hands of the shackles.

"Please allow me to think for a moment." Ryoma wanted to go to Nagasaki to manage the Kameyama Trading Company.He has even thought of a new name for the trading company in his heart, which is called "Sea Aid Team". Although this name came to Ryoma suddenly, he liked it very much.Supporting Japan from the sea is exactly his Ryoma style.Every time he thinks of the name, he gets excited.Are you going on a recuperation trip now?Thinking of this, he felt a little lonely. After Xixiang returned to the room, he called Kosuke Yoshii and asked Kosuke to persuade Ryoma as well.

Xixiang was exiled to an isolated island twice.The first exile was when the Satsuma domain hid Saigo in order to avoid the investigation of the shogunate.The second time was due to political disagreement with Shimazu Hisamitsu, the father of the feudal lord, and it can be said that he was exiled to an isolated island as a criminal in a veritable name.When the shogunate was trying to restore the declining Ansei prison and the Gamyumon incident, he was on an isolated island, otherwise he would have been killed. Thinking of this, Xixiang will think that everything is God's will.He thought it was a gift from God to him.In order to save his Xixiang's life, and to make him write a mark in history, God let him experience the fate of being exiled to an isolated island.

The same goes for Ryoma, he thought.If the shogunate's intensified pursuit is regarded as "God's will", wouldn't it be just right for him to hide in the mountains of Satsuma?Ryoma also thought of another thing-the wedding trip. He heard from Sheng that there was such a Western custom.Wouldn't it be a pleasure to simply stay away from the political situation and take Aaron to Kagoshima, Kirishima, and Takachiho for a wedding trip?So it was decided. Longma quickly found Aaron and told her about it. "Aaron." Long Ma said shyly, "To celebrate the marriage between you and me, let's go sightseeing together."

The first person to bring this custom to Japan is probably Sakamoto Ryoma. On the twenty-ninth night of February in the second year of Qingying, Ryoma and Aaron set off from Kyoto, and Xixiang and others traveled together. In order to persuade the vassal state to agree to the alliance with Chief Sa, and to reorganize the armament and prepare for the revolutionary war, all the important figures who controlled the fate of the vassal state in Kyoto left Beijing.In addition to the three heavyweights Saigo Takamori, Komatsu Daidao, and Katsura Kogoro, Yoshii Kosuke, Ijichi Zhenxin and others also went together, and the only dignitary staying in Kyoto was Okubo Ichizo.

Miyoshi Shinzo, who plans to return to Changzhou, is also among them. Even in Satsuma, the Saba faction occupies the majority in the vassal state, and the higher the status, the more the Saba faction.If they heard about the secret plan that Xixiang was planning, which was enough to plunge the entire clan into the vortex of the revolutionary war, they would probably be terrified. Shimadzu Hisamitsu, the man in power in Satsuma, is a conservative in thought, and he is still hesitant to overthrow the shogunate.After the Restoration, Hisamitsu said, "The Restoration is a conspiracy carried out by Saigo without authorization."He attacked Xixiang very fiercely.This sentence is more emotional, Jiuguang and Xixiang have been displeased with each other since they met.In the eyes of Xixiang and others, it is necessary to try their best to get the conservatives in these domains to agree to this plan, and to let the Satsuma domain dominate the world.

Xixiang wants to bring Ryoma, the person who promoted the Sacho alliance, to Kagoshima and let him help persuade the conservatives. The group left Kyoto and came to Fushimi. From Fushimi, they took a night boat down the Yodo River and arrived in Osaka on the first day of March.They waited for two days at the Satsuma clan's mansion in Tosabori, Osaka, because they had to prepare the departure ship again, and finally set off on the Satsuma ship Sanbang from Tempozan Bay on the fourth day of the lunar new year. "It's really spring!" Ryoma stood on the deck, looking at the mountains and rivers along the coast of Osaka Bay that were soaked in layers of cherry blossoms, and sighed again and again.For him, the Sa Chang Alliance, the first major event in his life, was successful, and he married Aaron, the wife, and then he will start a journey of traveling in the mountains and rivers.It is indeed spring.

At dusk on the sixth day, the boat arrived at Maguan, where Ryoma bid farewell to Sanji Shenzang, a native of Changzhou, and then lived next to a hot pool called Hetang in Yanjian Hot Spring. A logging path hangs in the air on the cliff, and below the path, hot water gushes from the shallows of the stream.This is the only source of spring water.Above the hot pool stands a hut with only four pillars supporting a roof. Ryoma comes down from the inn twice a day to soak in the hot springs. "You can go together too." Long Ma persuaded Aaron.But Aaron is extremely resistant to showing his skin in front of people. "It's better to let me die than let others see my body," she said.

The water is reddish in color, and the hot water can soak up to the neck, and it keeps coming up from the ground. "There are only two such good hot springs in the whole world." The guard of the hot spring is an elderly Satsuma official. Every time he appears, he sticks a wooden knife in his waist.How good is the hot spring managed by yourself?There are only two locations in Japan!This has probably become the meaning of the old man's life. "Where is the other one?" Ryoma asked him.But the old man said about him from left to right: "Master Xixiang said so." What Xixiang said actually affected the little official in charge of the hot spring in the deep mountains.

Originally, Xixiang was just a secretary of the feudal county's administrative office, which was a humble position.In the domain, it should also belong to the lowest-level officials.Such a person, who was promoted again and again in the turbulent and tense situation, is now ranked under the elder of the executive family, and in fact has monopolized the diplomacy of the vassal state.Moreover, his personality charm is also extraordinary. The admiration of the young children in the feudal clan for Xixiang has already greatly surpassed their affection for the feudal lord. The next morning, the guard of the hot spring asked, "My guest, you are not from this domain, are you?"

"Well, I'm just a commoner." "I think so. Satsuma didn't allow people from other domains to enter until last year. Recently, some people have come in one after another. May I ask where you are from?" "From Tosa." "Ah, does Tosa have such a hot spring?" "Never seen." Ryoma had never been in a hot spring until he was an adult.The first time I went to a hot spring was when I went to Yamaguchi in Changzhou last year. I went to Yutian Hot Spring on the outskirts of Yamaguchi under the persuasion of Kogoro Katsura.This time is the second time. "Oh? Changzhou also has hot springs." "Have." "It's definitely not as good as here." "maybe." Ryoma couldn't help laughing at the love of the old man who was the hot spring caretaker. Ryoma said to Aaron: "Can you climb the mountain?" Since it is rare to come here, why not go to the top of the famous Mount Kirishima to find out? "I haven't climbed it, but I think I should be able to go up." Kirishima straddles Hyuga and Osumi prefectures, with the highest peak reaching 500 feet, soaring into the sky as it is called.The east and west peaks are connected, the east peak is named Gaochisui Mountain, and the west peak is named South Korea Mountain. The distance between the east and west peaks is at least 20 miles. "Takachiho is also known as Spear Peak. On the top of the peak stands a celestial spear. I want to see this thing." "I also want to see." The next day, before dawn, the two got up and packed their bags.The son of the hot spring guard also went to carry their luggage.Ryoma and his party set off.On the way, there are many dangerous roads, and sometimes it is necessary to climb huge rocks, which can be described as difficult and dangerous.Ryoma's left hand is temporarily useless.Several times, he stretched out his right hand to pull Aaron's hand. Walk through the wilderness of Shifuzaka, come to Kirishima Ming Shrine, and then climb about 800 to 900 meters to reach Huatateyan, and then climb more than 3,000 meters to reach Seto.From here, the climbing road becomes steeper, and the so-called Shiyan Rhododendrons also increase. While looking at the peak of Takachiho Peak in front of him, Ryoma took out the inkstone case he carried with him and began to draw the mountain. "Do you want to draw?" Aaron discovered Ryoma's unknown side, but Ryoma was not as talented in painting as his late friend Takeichi Hanpeita. "I'm going to tell my sister." This is the reason why he paints, and now he only wants to let Otome sister share this fun. "Sister is really an important person to you." Aaron's eyes widened under the bamboo hat, with a complicated expression on his face.Although they are siblings, but the relationship is so deep, I really don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing. Aaron doesn't know which part of Longma he should monopolize. After climbing hundreds of meters, we came to the foot of Huochang Peak.Although it is a mountain peak, a valley has been formed due to the recent volcanic eruption and the cracking of rocks.Flames still danced at the base of the caldera, and there was a low rumble from the ground. The three continued to move forward and came to the horse back.Here is the biggest difficulty.There are deep valleys on the left and right sides, and people walking on it seem to be walking on the edge of a knife.The wind blows sand and gravel from the bottom of the feet, and in some places, only crawling is possible. Suddenly, a strong wind blew by, and Aaron fell down.Long Ma immediately turned around and hugged Aaron with his right hand, so that the two embraced together. "Don't move," he said in the wind. Being hugged by Longma in the wind like this, Aaron even forgot his fear, and thought to himself, he really wanted to stay like this for the rest of his life.The body temperature emanating from Ryoma's arms brought tears to her eyes. The wind died down. "Stand up." Ryoma dropped these words, still put his left hand in his bosom, and continued to walk forward.The chic and elegant back seemed to be rejecting Aaron's sentimentality. It's not worth it, Aaron thinks it's a little funny. Not long after, we finally reached the top of Takachiho.Standing in the center of the mountain is what the world calls Tian Ni Xian. Everyone in the world believes that this gun was inserted here upside down when the sun descended in the age of theocratic gods.Although Longma is a diligent king, he never believes in such myths. "This should be fabricated by the people of Kirishima Akira Shrine to brag to the world," he said.There are also legends that this zinc has been standing on the top of this mountain since ancient times, but it was broken when it was broken, so in the next year, a craftsman in Kagoshima remade one and inserted it here. "Zinna is made of bronze, and its shape is a tengu." Ryoma specially drew the picture in his letter to Otome.He observed it carefully. Aaron also took a closer look.If you look closely at the sides of the zinc handle, you can indeed see the pattern of the tengu's face.In the era of theocratic rule, there should be no imaginary monsters like tengu.Ryoma was very happy, and said: "Aaron, everything in the world is like this. It seems mysterious when you look at it from a distance, but when you look closer, it turns out to be this kind of thing. Generals, daimyos, etc. are no different from this." Ryoma climbed up to the high platform and tried to hold Zinc's handle with his hands.Zinc was inserted deeply into the ground by force, and Ryoma wanted to know how long the part inserted into the ground was, so he wanted to pull it out to have a look. Only four or five feet long.Ryoma was a little frustrated.He realized it was just a bluff, so he let it go again. After Ryoma and Aaron finished their tour in Kirishima, they took a boat in Binshi on April 12th and returned to Kagoshima Castle by sea.They immediately went to Komatsu's house with the knife. Komatsu House is located in Yuanliang in the city.When Ryoma stayed here temporarily, young warriors from the city came to watch.Occasionally, when encountering Longma playing Go, he would make a fuss, making Longma dumbfounded.Ryoma told Aaron about these things along the way, and Aaron said in surprise: "Don't people know about ronin in Satsuma? It's really a countryside." No wonder Aaron expressed contempt. In recent years, Kyoto has become a gathering place for ronin. place.When it comes to the specialties of Kyoto recently, they are considered ronin—there are even such jokes, which shows how many ronin there are. The road turned uphill, and after a while, the two arrived at Yuanliang's Komatsu Mansion. The Komatsu family can be described as a famous family among Shimadzu's retainers for generations, and its mansion in the city is also very spectacular.Komatsu Mansion was built on a high hill.The back of the mansion is surrounded by undulating and continuous hills like a six-curved screen, and the front of the mansion is the entire Sakura Island.The courtyard in the mansion has Sakurajima as the distant view, and its magnificence can be imagined. That Lord Komatsu actually lives here!When standing in front of the Xiaosong Mansion, Aaron couldn't help but marvel that it was indeed the old mansion of the Dafan family. In this period of history at the end of the Bakumatsu, without Komatsu, a taciturn, calm and resolute young man with a sword, neither Saigo nor Okubo would be able to operate in the feudal domain.Both Saigo and Okubo gradually rose from low-level samurai to today's status, and Komatsu belt sword played an inestimable role in the process of establishing their activity base. Komatsu's riding skills are very good. It is said that whenever he returns from Nijo Castle to the Satsuma domain in the middle of the night, people can judge "that is Satsuma's Komatsu with a sword" by the light of the lantern on his horse.The flame of the lantern on the horse's back did not flicker at all, and even the footsteps of the servants surrounded by Xiaosong were very solemn.The Shinsengumi inspection team that occasionally met on the road would also stop to pay tribute to Komatsu. "How are you recuperating in the salt hot spring?" Komatsu asked Ryoma about the healing of his wound with a knife.Perhaps it was the salt dip that had worked, and the festering finally stopped. "There is good news from Nagasaki." Komatsu said with a knife, "The Giant Wave is coming to Kagoshima." "Okay!" Long Ma was overjoyed and slapped his knee vigorously.In recent days, there is nothing more gratifying than this news. "Great!" This is the first boat actually owned by Ryoma. When he and Komatsu went to Nagasaki with Dao, they bought the boat with Komatsu's permission. The purchase price was 7,800 taels paid by Samo, and the seller was Joel, a Prussian businessman from Nagasaki. No.It's a pity that the Julang has no steam engine, it's just a sailing ship.The ship was old, repainted and repaired in Shanghai. When Ryoma left Kyoto, the ship sailed into Nagasaki Port and was handed over to Ryoma's Kameyama Trading Company by Giordi. At that time, Ryoma was traveling in Kagoshima and had not heard of this incident.In short, while Ryoma was running around for the Saga Alliance, his career - Kameyama Trading Company was also developing steadily.Mutsu Yonosuke, Ikeuchi Kurata, and Kanno Kakuhei should all be very happy.Thinking of this, Ryoma felt relieved. The next day, a letter from Nagasaki Satsuma Domain reached Ryoma, explaining the situation in detail.It says that this voyage is to hold a naming ceremony in Kagoshima, and to serve as a trial voyage for Kameyama Trading Company. The names of the fourteen crew members were also sent.The non-commissioned officers are Kotaro Kuroki and Yunjiro Urata, and the captain is Kurota Ikeuchi.The water husbands are Toranoichi and Kumakichi, and the water husbands are Asakichi, Tokujiro, Nakajiro, Yuzo, Tsunekichi, Sadajiro, Jozo, Ichitaro and Erpei. Now Kurota Ikeuchi has become the captain!Thinking of this friend from his hometown, Ryoma couldn't help feeling deeply moved.Nei Zangtai is a typical ronin who walks around the capital with a sword.Ryoma once said that running around in vain is meaningless, and that's why he brought Nezota into his trading company. There is not only one ship.The letter stated that the Unity, which was funded by the Choshu Domain, would sail with Ryoma's Kameyama Trading Company.The Unity, manned by personnel from the Choshu Naval Bureau, will deliver Choshu rice to Satsuma.This is also the first material exchange after the success of the Salong Alliance, so it is a very commemorative voyage. Everything is going smooth.It really is spring, Ryoma thought.In Kagoshima, where the climate is warm, the cherry blossoms have already fallen, but in Sakurajima, there are gauze-like mist and clouds, and a leisurely spring that makes people lazy.Ryoma then bathed in this quiet spring. "The boat is coming!" Hearing the report, Ryoma immediately galloped out of Komatsu Mansion, running desperately on the long street leading to the sea in the city. For years he has dreamed of having a boat of his own, and now two are sailing into Kagoshima together.For him, there is nothing he can't wait for more than the moment he sees these two ships with his own eyes. run faster!Ryoma only felt that he was running too slowly.The Unity is piloted by people from Changzhou, but the Julang is piloted by my comrade Ikeuchi Kota and others. It is a ship purely belonging to a trading company! Nei Zangtai, I didn't expect him to really be able to sail a boat.The dragon horse ran, feeling incredible in his heart.It would be fine if it was Kanno Kakuhei and others, but Naizota has been in the political turmoil in Choshu all along, and has basically never learned how to sail a boat, let alone a sailboat.Sailing ships require more skill and difficulty to drive than steam ships.It was probably because of his unyielding temper that day, and he felt that this kind of thing could be done, so he boarded the ship with the feeling of going into battle to kill the enemy. It was only later that Ryoma found out that the Kameyama Trading Company in Nagasaki initially decided to have Kanno Kakubei as the captain, but Ikeuchi Kota said: "Your sailing skills are already very good, but mine is still far behind. Since it is Just let me pilot it." Ryoma continued to run, and Sakurajima stretched before his eyes, gradually occupying his entire field of vision.Perhaps because of the rain last night, the volcanic smoke cloud erupted more violently, billowing smoke straight into the sky, like a huge column hanging down from the sky. Ryoma ran until he could see the Tempozan trestle.On the sea between the pier and Sakurajima, the Unity was moored there.Strange, why is there no sign of the Giant Wave? The trestle was full of people, including people from Satsuma and people from Changzhou.The Changzhou people are the crew of the Unity, under the jurisdiction of the Changzhou Naval Bureau, and their captain is Shiro Nakajima. Everyone saw Ryoma running over.The dragon horse ran on the sandy ground with trees, and the sand splashed all over his body. "That person is Sakamoto Ryoma." The Satsuma man in charge of the reception whispered to Nakajima Shiro, the captain of Changzhou.Nakajima showed a serious expression. Ryoma finally ran over. "Where's the Billow?" he called aloud.Captain Nakajima silently approached Ryoma, bowing his head solemnly. "I really can't bear to speak." "what?" "The Julang encountered a storm off Shioyazaki and sank." For an instant, Ryoma's breathing almost stopped. "Where's the crew?" "Eleven non-commissioned officers Mizuo, including Ikeuchi Kurota and Kuroki Kotaro, were killed. The three junior non-commissioned officers Urata Unjiro, Mizuo Ichitaro, and Sanpei managed to swim to the shore to save their lives. It can be said that they narrowly escaped death." Nakajima Shiro said that on the day of sailing from Nagasaki to Kagoshima, the sea was calm and the weather was cloudless.In order to coordinate the speed of the two ships, the Unity used ropes to pull the Giant Wave all the way south. "Kangta Ikeuchi was in a very good mood that day," Nakajima said.The industrious man, who was not proficient in navigating a ship, was very proud of being the captain and sailing the ship, so he climbed onto the mainmast and said something loudly to the tugboat Union sailing ahead, as if "inadvertently inserted Willows and willows make shade". In the evening, however, the wind picked up.The air pressure dropped suddenly.After a while, it began to rain, and the wind and waves became stronger. In a blink of an eye, it was pouring rain.The Unity was trying desperately to fill the boiler with coal, the chimney was burning red, trying to get close to the nearby port, but the wind and waves were too strong, and the ship couldn't control it at all.Besides, it is completely unclear in which direction and how far the port of refuge is.There is another problem, and that is that the two boats are connected by a rope.Each time they were caught in the big waves, the ropes loosened and the two boats nearly collided several times. The storm became more violent.Finally, in order to prevent the two ships from colliding, the Unity had to decide to cut the rope and separate the two ships.After Nakajima Shiro made up his mind, he sent a signal to the Julang to cut the rope.He stood on the boat and looked out.After a while, I saw a signal from the Giant Wave behind me, and the lights flickered on and off in the wind and rain: I understand, I wish you peace. The rope was cut.The moment it was cut off, the Giant Wave disappeared into the darkness with a whoosh, as if it was sucked away by a huge force. Nakajima Shiro panicked and hurriedly sent another signal: I wish you peace.The signal was sent three times in a row, but there was no answer.Perhaps at the moment the rope broke, the Giant Wave was swept away by the raging waves. According to the narration of the surviving team member of the Julang and the junior officer Urata Yunjiro, the ship was rushed to the direction of the Goto Islands.The wind and waves were getting bigger and bigger, so the mast had to be cut off with an ax to prevent it from being blown over.Ultimately, however, the precautions didn't work.From the port side of the ship came a mountain-like wave and capsized the ship. Everyone was thrown into the sea, only three people including Urata swam to the beach of Shioyazaki, and all the others were killed. After dawn, the wind and waves subsided.The Unity immediately launched a sea search and rescue, and finally found the wreckage of the Giant Wave.When salvaging the bodies of the drowned, it was found that only Ikenei Zangtai was still sticking to the boat, and he did not leave his post until he died.Although he was not skilled in sailing, his performance in the face of death proved that he was indeed a competent captain. Over the years, Ryoma had seen and heard about the deaths of many comrades.Since the Bunku period, Tosa's people who left the feudal clan traveled all over the world, and many of them died unexpectedly.Only a few survived. "Everything is destiny." Ryoma said to himself, not allowing himself to be immersed in the grief of his comrade's death.Maybe one day, like them, I will have to face the fate of death.However, the death of Ike Nei Cangtai this time shook him. Hanpeita Takeichi and others were seppuku in prison, Shingo Nasu and others were killed by the shogunate army at Mt. Yoshino, Kameyata Mochizuki died at Ikedaya, Toshihei Nasu died at Kamagomon, and Kikujiro Senya committed suicide at Mt. Tenno.Only Ikeuchi Kurata, who had fought his way out of these bloody storms, was now a drowned corpse floating on the surface of Shioyazaki.This kind of death is really not decent enough.It's all my own responsibility.Nei Zang Tai was originally a Qin Wang Zhishi who had shown his talents in the capital, and he was obviously out of the matter, but he was dragged in by himself and let him learn sailing skills, which finally caused him to die so miserably. "Are you crying?" At night, Longma didn't enter the house for a long time, so Aaron went to the yard to look for him, only to find Longma curled up under the plum tree.Seeing his appearance, Aaron was taken aback. In the night sky, Sakurajima's fiery puff of smoke looked like a smear of blood. "I'm thinking about Nei Zang Tai." Ryoma patted his calf vigorously, and the mosquitoes fled in all directions. "This guy's lucky." I am afraid that there is no other noble person in the world who has such a tortuous experience as Ikeuchi Kangta.After he escaped from Tosa, he joined the Tenju group in the third year of Bunjiu. As the captain of the foreign gun, he attacked the shogunate government office in Yamato Gojo, killed the deputy official Suzuki Gennai, and then moved to the Uchiyake area in Yamato, and attacked Hikone in Shimoshi at night. Fan position, beat the opponent to defeat.After the defeat of the Tianzhu group, he came to Kyoto, joined the Changzhou Army camp during the Hayumen Incident in the first year of Yuanzhi, and fled to Changzhou after the defeat.In the same year, the Changzhou domain was attacked by the joint fleet of the four countries. He served as the staff officer of the guerrillas and fought bloody battles.Later, he defected to Longma.Ikeuchi Kōta walked through so many dead places all the way but survived miraculously. Such a person is now buried in a storm. This ending is really unacceptable.He is only twenty-six years old. "Let's write an inscription." Ryoma muttered to himself.He was originally a person who was never sentimental, but now he said these words, Aaron was also quite surprised. "I will erect a stone monument on the coast of Shioyazaki for the eleven comrades who drowned." Ryoma thought in his heart that if a samurai died by the sword, he could be regarded as a well-deserved death, and he had a good time, which is equivalent to praying for him and doing Buddhist deeds for him; The soul cannot be transcended. But Ryoma, who is in Kagoshima, has no time to dwell on the death of the Julang.Now a conundrum arises concerning the cargo on board the Union at the port of Kagoshima. These goods are 500 shi of military rations given to Satsuma, who is short of rice, from the rice-producing land Changzhou after the Satsuma Alliance and the diplomatic relations between the two feudal lords.In other words, the rice is a gift of gratitude and friendship, and it represents Changzhou's heart: Changzhou is grateful for your kindness.Please take care of me in the future. In order to facilitate this matter, Ryoma first persuaded Gui Xiaowulang, and Gui readily agreed, and ordered people to take out the rice from the treasury, and then set off from Shimonoseki to ship it here. While Ryoma mourned the deaths of Ikeuchi Kota and others, he also shouldered the important task of transferring the rice to the Satsuma Domain.Unexpectedly, Xixiang said: "We can't take this rice. I am very grateful for Changzhou's kindness, but if we have the audacity to accept these rice, Satsuma warriors will lose their reputation. Sakamoto-kun, what do you think?" Ryoma was speechless.It's not that he doesn't understand what Xixiang means.Changzhou is under artillery fire from the shogunate and the allied forces of the domains.The vanguard clans have already received mobilization orders. It is no exaggeration to say that the four areas of Changzhou may be filled with gunpowder tomorrow. "In Changzhou," Xixiang said, "not to mention farmers and businessmen, even women and children have taken up their swords and guns, and are ready to stick to the second state of defense and fight with their backs. Now even if it is a bullet or a grain of rations, it matters Their life and death. At such a critical juncture, how could Satsuma accept this life-saving rice and not shamelessly express his gratitude to others?" "It makes sense." But Longma was worried about the feelings of Changzhou people.For a long time, they have been fighting against the shogunate alone, and in the past few years they have been besieged by the shogunate, various vassals and even the imperial court. This kind of encounter made them extremely eccentric.The Satsuma alliance this time has finally changed the feelings of Changzhou people towards Satsuma, but this change is very unstable and may be reversed at any time.It is rare that the people of Changzhou are in a good mood and want to present rice to Satsuma. If Satsuma says that he cannot accept it, Changzhou is likely to be angry: "I have good intentions, but you don't appreciate it!" In this way, things will get out of hand the point.All the efforts that Ryoma has made so far are likely to be in vain just because of the five hundred shi of rice. Ryoma shared his concerns with Saigo. "Please think of a way to buy these rice." Hearing what Ryoma said, Saigo smiled. "Isn't it Sakamoto-kun's strong point to find ways to solve such problems?" In the end, in order to prevent the Changzhou people from misunderstood Satsuma, Ryoma decided to take the United Ship and return the rice to Shimonoseki himself. Longma and Aaron's honeymoon, it seems, can only be spent on a tossing and turning journey. "Aaron, we are going to Maguan." Long Ma told Aaron the news that morning. They then bid farewell to Komatsu, and boarded a boat from Tempozan Bay in order to take the Union.The boat left the land. Aaron looked at the Kagoshima market that was gradually going away, and thought that after marrying such an unusual person, it seemed that he was destined to live an unusual life in this life. Since two people are married, they have to live under the same roof. A wife should sweep the yard every day, take care of the housework, wash and cook for her husband, and enjoy the tranquility of life. This is the way of life for ordinary people.Like myself, he will either be chased and killed by the clerks, or go away to another domain, or take a ship to escort the army rations. What kind of newlyweds are they? What made Along even more terrified was what Ryoma said while facing the sea breeze: After arriving in Changzhou, maybe there will be a naval battle with the shogunate navy. naval battle!Is this my newlywed life? Aaron was forced to start thinking hard.I can't be with him anymore, she thought.She was not originally a woman who was good at sewing and cooking, and she was definitely not the kind of character who would honestly guard her home.Even so, when she was tossed about in this ever-changing life, she suddenly longed for the pleasures of ordinary life.What a strange and greedy creature man is, always harboring a desire for unattainable happiness. Aaron was silent after thinking about this.A stern expression Ryoma had never seen appeared on her face. "What's wrong with you?" Ryoma asked worriedly. "nothing." "The expression is very strange." Aaron tried to squeeze a little smile. "I have such a face." "There's really nothing I can do about you." Ryoma looked at Sakurajima.The plumes of Sakurajima Volcano are white and lifeless today.Ryoma didn't know the longing for happiness in Aaron's heart, even if Aaron told him, he couldn't understand it.All he could imagine was that wandering in a foreign land, Aaron was probably lonely.He speculated in his mind.So he racked his brains to comfort Aaron. "Aaron, go to Nagasaki to learn Yueqin, let's go now." All Ryoma can do is try to make her happy with Aaron's favorite topic. "Yeah, or go to Nagasaki." Aaron murmured to himself. Ryoma changed the course of the Unity, turned around and headed for Nagasaki.And all of this is just for Aaron alone.