Chapter 64 8. Flying misfortune

Sakamoto Ryoma's business is booming, and even Tango's Tanabe domain has started a business with the sea aid team. The Tanabe domain is a small domain with an annual salary of only 35,000 koku, and the lord of the domain is Makino Toyomae.Such small vassals all sent vassal officials to Nagasaki, actively wanting to make profits through trade, it has to be said that it is due to the current situation. The official sent by Tanabe to Nagasaki was Kengo Matsumoto.As soon as he came to Nagasaki, he went straight to Ryoma.It must be because the image of Longma's sea aid team as a "trading agency for warriors of various feudal clans" has long been spread in the world, and the officials of these small feudal clans have come to Ryoma one after another.

"Understood, understood." Ryoma advised them, helped them finalize which products could be sold to foreign countries, and also found foreign businessmen for them to buy the goods. It is indeed a convenient institution.For Xiaofan, this matter is naturally very convenient. "These products will be transported by my humble servant," Ryoma said. Even the problem of sea transportation has been solved.Xiaofan is naturally very happy, and Longma's business is booming day by day. According to the contract signed with Kengo Matsumoto of the Tango Tanabe Clan, the sea rescue team needs to transport the products of Tango, Tamba, and Wakasa acquired by Tanabe to Nagasaki on the Daigoku, and then provide Tanabe in Nagasaki. Fan purchased the Western equipment needed.

Due to these contracts, the only ship in the team, the Great Pole, was very active.However, once you get busy, the cabins are not enough. "I still have to buy a boat." Ryoma only muttered this sentence all day long.The Great Pole is a sailing ship, and it would be even better if we could get a steamer.Long Ma was always thinking about it, so he used his brains, thought over and over again, and tried to find a good idea.At this time, a man named Kunishima Rokuzaemon, who he knew in the Iyo Ozu Domain, came to visit because of business matters.Iyo's Ozu clan has an annual salary of 60,000 shi, and the lord of the clan is Kato Toe Mori Yasuki.

"Dazhou is going to start a business too?" Longma Joy immediately offered advice.Since he was a child, he felt close to Tosa's neighbor, Iyo, and had many confidants in the Uwajima and Ozu domains. Kunishima Rokuzaemon was one of them. one. "How? The Ozu Domain simply buy a steam ship." Ryoma suggested.Kunishima was taken aback. "Dazhou is in the mountains, and even if you buy a ship, no one can drive it." "Let's drive." Ryoma persuaded enthusiastically, and then talked about the various benefits of having a boat.Kunishima was gradually persuaded.

In name, Long Ma became the captain of the Haiyuan team, but there was no budget in the team.Therefore, he can always come up with some ideas to use the chicken to lay the egg.In a word, what he does is a middleman's business. "Let's do it like this." Kunijima Rokuzaemon agreed on which day it was. "I think that although my continent is a mountainous domain, it would not be a bad thing if one or two steamships were moored at the mouth of the Huechuan River for emergencies." The place where the agreement was signed was chosen in the middle of the wide courtyard of Maruyama Hikitaya.This is to prevent assassins from attacking.Ryoma believes that it is very dangerous to be inside the house.Generally, three sides of a Japanese-style house are covered with partitions. If the partitions on three sides were suddenly opened and an assassin broke in, even if Miyamoto Musashi and Chiba Shusaku were reborn, they would have no choice but to capture them without a fight.He knows how powerful it is.On the contrary, a wide courtyard is an ideal location.The four directions can be seen clearly, and it is easy to spot if there are people.Once you get started, the place is spacious and easy to move, and there are many trees and stones that can be used as shelters during battle.

Why did Ryoma, who has a weak sense of self-defense, bother so much this time?This is because the country island that signed the treaty with him is in danger.Kunishima Rokuzaemon is one of the most radical and loyal servants of the Ozu Domain. Naturally, he has been strongly criticized by the retainers of the Saba faction, and has been attacked by assassins many times in the domain.Now in Nagasaki, there are also people sent by the Saba faction. Maybe that person will come to assassinate him at any time. "I searched all over the foreign trading houses on the coast of Oura to see if there was anything suitable for sale, and I found it. The Dutchman Baldwin has a boat at a reasonable price."

"What kind of ship?" "Naturally, it's a steamship. One hundred and sixty tons, although it's a bit small, it's enough for sailing in the Seto Inland Sea." "Then please take care of everything." "Let me confirm again, Dazhou Fan is the owner of the ship, and the Sea Aid Team chartered the ship. As for the rent, how about five hundred taels per voyage?" "it is good." In this way, the ship's registry is in the Sea Aid Team. This is a so-called international practice, and Guodao has no objection. On the second day, Ryoma and Kunishima went to the port and inspected the steamship staying in the port. They found a statue of a beautiful woman at the stern of the ship.

"What is this?" Kunishima asked the seller, Baldwin. "She is a beautiful woman named Abiso. For so many years, I have been sailing under the protection of Abiso." After speaking, the foreigner flew to Abiso to kiss farewell, and then Then wept exaggeratedly. Guodao returned to the continent, but soon, unfortunately happened.The Zuoba faction attacked him on the grounds of secretly colluding with the Fanwai faction. As a result, he had to commit suicide by harakiri.However, it was a long time later that Ryoma learned that the country was in trouble. Thanks to the acquisition of a steamship, the Sea Aids flourished.

"Fate is just like a wave." Ryoma didn't like to say emotional words, but at this moment, he sighed with deep understanding.People's fate is really ups and downs.Not long ago, Kameyama Trading Co. was in a predicament with no ships, no money, and even sailors, but now it has a Western sailing ship and a steam ship.Although I don't know how the shogunate and those great feudal clans are, the only people who can own two western ships are the Sea Aid Squad. This is enough to dominate the Seto Inland Sea, Ryoma thought.The shipping companies in the Seto Inland Sea are all Japanese ships, and none of their peers own Western ships.Ryoma named the ship Iroha.

"Is there anything to say about this name?" Mutsu Yonosuke asked. "It means the beginning of all things." Ryoma said, Iroha refers to the first step when practicing calligraphy.Some usages are derived from this, such as "redo from Iroha", which is sometimes used to refer to starting from scratch.Ryoma wants to use this ship to lay the cornerstone of the Sea Aids career. "It's a pirate ship," said Yataro Iwasaki, the governor of the feudal kingdom who came to see the ship.As a vassal in Nagasaki, he also served as the accountant of the Sea Aid Team, and there was no trace of emotion in his dry voice.

"Are you talking bad things?" Ryoma stood on the shore, looking back at him and said. "I'm complimenting it." "Okay." Ryoma nodded with satisfaction.He wrote down in his notebook: Pirates are the learning of the navy, so you must be careful and careful, and don't let it pass by. Then let's talk about the cargo of this ship. The cargo can be said to be as much as it needs.For example, Samotto and the others purchase new-style firearms and ammunition, and after the purchase is completed, these arms need to be transported to Osaka.One day, these guns and ammunition will definitely come in handy in the coup in Kyoto.Ryoma decided to make this transport the Iroha's first voyage. Next is the personnel arrangement.Since everyone in the team is equal, the captain and officers are appointed before each voyage.The captain is Kunishima Rokuzaemon, a vassal of Ozu.Of course, this is the honorary captain. He himself has returned to his hometown and is not in Nagasaki.The team did not have the title of Chief of Staff, so Ryoma asked Kenkichi Oka, the chief secretary, to choose the word, and gave this position a rather incomprehensible name-"bookmaker".The bookmaker was chosen as Nagasaki businessman Hideshiro Kosone. Ryoma was staying at Osone's house, so it didn't take much trouble to talk about it. "I am very happy," said the gentle Eishiro. The chief mate is Takaji Mito ronin, and the chief engineer is Koshijiro Echizen ronin. Ryoma ordered that the crew of the Iroha must wear Western-style uniforms.The uniform is dark blue fabric with gold stitching on the sleeves.This is what he asked his team members to collect from second-hand clothing stores in Nagasaki City, both British and French.He asked someone to re-cut it and adjust the size to fit. "No." Koshijiro and the others said.The original team uniform is a white hakama. "The original one is pretty good." Yao Yue said. "Put it on, it's very convenient to move around." This kind of Western-style uniform is no longer a rare thing.Even General Yoshiki took photos wearing the marshal uniform given to him by Napoleon III. The soldiers of the shogunate used narrow-sleeved dresses as uniforms, and the shogunate navy adopted the military uniform designed by Wu Yang, a model returned from the Netherlands.The local armed forces in Changzhou have also put on simple and improved western clothes. As for the fashionable Samosian infantry and artillery, they have already put on well-fitting military uniforms. On the Iroha, only the leader of the watermen, Meggie, and others are unwilling to wear Western-style uniforms anyway, and they are still dressed in the past. Ryoma himself said: "I'll forget it." It was obviously he who gave the order, but he was still dressed as a down-and-out ronin, with a black cotton kimono with a family pattern on his upper body, a crumpled small kura hakama, and only his feet. Put on a pair of boots.Boots are very convenient when walking on a boat, but once he wears a foreign dress, he has to button it, which is the most troublesome thing for him.For some reason, his fingers couldn't get the button into the buttonhole smoothly. The flag of the ship was also re-enacted.The pattern is very simple, only red and white. This is also the flag of the "World Sea Aid Team" that Ryoma often talks about.The flag of Satsuma completely copied the Shimadzu family crest, with a pattern of a "ten" in a circle. The Tosa Domain also took the Yamauchi family crest, which was a pattern composed of a circle and three oak leaves. Ryoma and others practiced for several days outside Nagasaki Port in order to become proficient at driving the steamship as soon as possible. Because Ryoma is already the captain, he will no longer be the captain.Out of sympathy, the captain was nominally appointed to be Rokuzaemon, Kunishima of the Ozu Domain, and Ryoma was appointed as the acting captain. Now he is not only able to steer the ship very skillfully, but also masters the "public laws of all nations" that are indispensable in sailing, and has become one of the few people in Japan with practical professional knowledge in this area. Here's a secret. Ryoma has Nagaoka Kenji, an English master, by his side.In the past few months, he asked Nagaoka to translate the "Public Law of the Nations" for him, and kept these in his mind while listening.Because he is a person who is used to understanding things from the essence, he understands very quickly. As the captain, Ryoma can already be regarded as an expert. On April 19th of the third year of Qingying, the Iroha sailed from Nagasaki Port, destined for Osaka. The purpose of this voyage was not only to transport firearms and ammunition, but Ryoma also planned to take the opportunity to train the unskilled crew, so he was very busy as soon as he set sail. "Drive slower, you can't drive at this speed in the port." After issuing the instructions, he asked the crew to measure the wind speed and humidity, and everyone was extremely busy. After leaving the port, the ship passed between Nakajima and Iojima, turned its course to the north, adjusted the engine to run at a low speed, and then raised the sails. At this time, the sky was clear and the ship sailed smoothly through the waves. This is our ship!Thinking of this, Ryoma was so happy that he couldn't control himself, jumped onto the top deck, and shouted: "Everyone sing together!" He directed everyone to sing the song that he wrote and composed at the celebration dinner last night, standing on the mast and pulling the sails. Those on the ropes, as well as those in the engine room, sang loudly. Although it is an extremely simple song, singing it loudly in the humid sea breeze is also exciting.Everyone even began to feel that the Iroha seemed to be sailing towards the dawn of Japan. "Sing one more song!" Ryoma took the lead in singing, this time changing the lyrics. The first day was spent sailing through Hizen Aigura.In the early morning of the second day, with the arrival of dawn, the wake-up call sounded at the stern, and everyone got up to put away the hammocks, and stood in line on the deck at the stern.This is the style on a warship. Wearing a golden silk satin uniform, Echizen ex-dominant ronin Koshijiro took a step towards Ryoma, and reported: "All personnel are assembled!" After speaking, he stood at attention and saluted. Then, the red and white flag of the Sea Aid Team was hoisted at the stern. "At this time, there should be Western drums playing." Ryoma explained to everyone while looking up at the flag raised to the top.He once heard Sheng Haizhou say that the shogunate navy imitated the Dutch approach, and that's it. "It turns out we're going to use western drums." Koshiro Koshiro, the chief engineer, nodded in admiration.Private navies like theirs, which learn by watching and have little money, don't have that kind of gorgeous gadgets. The next day, the ship sailed through the Shimonoseki Strait and entered the Seto Inland Sea.The weather was normal for two days in a row. On the night of April 23rd, the Iroha was still heading east. "The moon doesn't seem to be out yet." In the captain's cabin, Ryoma said to Nagaoka Kenkichi.It is already Xu time. Nagaoka turned around and looked out from the round porthole.Both the sky and the sea were gloomy and dark. "It doesn't seem to come out." Satsumaya, a merchant in Tosabori, is the office of the Sea Aid Team in Osaka. Ishida Hideyoshi, Kanno Kakuhei, Nakajima Sakutaro and others in the team should have arrived there first in order to handle the delivery of goods. "Then let's continue." As he spoke, Nagaoka Kenkichi opened an English book about the American parliamentary system.He went on to translate. Ryoma lay casually on the bed, listening patiently.Nagaoka's translation was stuttering, and sometimes it took a lot of time to move forward a line, but even so, Ryoma couldn't listen enough.He wants to explore a new national system by understanding the political systems of the United Kingdom, the United States, and the Netherlands.He suddenly turned over and said, "Mr. Nagaoka, how about the Haiyuan team trying to publish some books?" This was not the whim of Ryoma's idea. He had planned to try out his enlightenment publishing career before.The Sea Aid Team is said to be an anti-murder company at sea. It not only needs to develop military and financial resources, but also should be an ideological research institute. "That's a good idea." Nagaoka said enthusiastically.Afterwards, the two discussed the publishing plan enthusiastically. Shortly thereafter, the cause was realized.Ryoma dictated an article on the concept of a new country called "Fan Lun", which was then sorted out by Nagaoka.Nagaoka himself wrote an article on religious issues called "Xiancholu".Neither of these two articles was signed, and they were finally published under the name "Haiyuan Team Tibetan Edition".This is for later. Just after Haishi, Ryoma was patrolling the ship, came to the wheelhouse, and met the crew member Mito Ronin Sayanagi Takaji. "Have you reached the Sanuki Sea?" "Yes, we are about to reach the sea surface of Guanyin Temple." "course?" "East, slightly south." "In half an hour or an hour, we will travel between the islands of Yanbao?" "Yes." It was Meggie, the head waterman who was born on Yanbao Island, who answered. From the Shioba Islands to Shodoshima, there are many islands, and there are many dangerous straits and many hidden reefs. Ryoma is worried about this. "Meggie, please!" "Yes. The sea area near here is where Zixia was born. Even though it's night, I won't take my eyes off it easily." It was foggy, and this fog made Ryoma faintly worried. Ryoma returned to the captain's cabin, sat on the bed, pulled out Mutsu Moriyoshi from the sheath around his waist, and wiped it.He was not very fascinated by swords, and he also looked down on the plaything hobby of samurai.Once on the boat, perhaps due to the sea breeze, the knife turned out to be rusted after two or three days of neglect. "Oh? Admire, admire!" Mutsu Yonosuke walked in. He rarely saw Ryoma's meticulous look. "A new world is coming soon, when people don't need to wear this thing when they walk." "yes?" "It's the same now. The sword is not so much a weapon as it has become a symbol of oneself. With both long and short swords, even those incompetent people can do things. However, this kind of thing will not work soon." "That's right, because Mr. Sakamoto's wish is to make a clog seller a general." Mutsu liked Ryoma's idea very much.As long as he has the ability, even a small person who sells clogs can become the supreme chief executive of Japan through election.Before that, the hereditary system of the rich and powerful families must be smashed. "In this way, it will become a world that only speaks by strength." "I am afraid that the daimyo, the banner, and the people of various vassals who have enjoyed salaries for generations will object." "They have been eating their hereditary salary for three hundred years, and it is really outrageous greed to continue to eat it. History will punish those who cling to their salary." "But I'm afraid it will fall into chaos again." A hereditary family is like a bird kept in a cage. It doesn't have to go through the hard work of foraging for itself, and there will be ground bird food delivered to its mouth every day.And since they have been raised by humans, if they are suddenly released from the cage and let them go to the mountains to find food in nature, they will definitely be extremely confused. "Who is the one who can survive after abandoning the double swords in the Kaiyuan team?" Mutsu asked. "Only two people." Mutsu held his breath. "Which two people are they?" "you and me." Ryoma answered casually while handling his sword.For Ryoma's words, Mutsu never forgot his whole life. "Still sleeping?" "Yeah, everyone hasn't slept yet, this fog is really worrying." "What's the situation now?" "The fog is getting thicker." At sea, as the saying goes, one is afraid of the storm and the other is afraid of the fog. They are the most terrible enemies when sailing. "Is the sidelight still on?" "no problem." "Just to be on the safe side, you'd better go check it out. It seems that it's not right to be on duty alone tonight." A trace of uneasiness flashed across Longma's heart. Ryoma's watch stood in the wheelhouse, and the hour hand pointed to eleven o'clock.At this time, the sea suddenly bulged up, and a huge black shadow appeared directly in front of the Iroha. Is it an island?This was the first reaction of the duty crew member Takaji Sayanagi.The ship's heading is still east by south, and the starboard side should be Sanuki's Hakozaki Cape. There can be no islands nearby. It's a boat, Zuo Liu thought again.If it is a ship, it is really a big ship.He yelled, "Horn!" Meggie, the waterman chief, jumped aside, grabbed the rope of the whistle, and hung himself on it.The whistle didn't go off immediately, but fortunately it finally sounded after two or three seconds. The helmsman is Jinhei, an experienced salt man who knows the Seto Inland Sea like his own home.At this time, his face was pale and he turned the rudder quickly. It was indeed a steamer, a huge steamer, with white mast lights flashing on the mast, and a green starboard light could be seen on the starboard side.The ship was heading towards the Iroha with astonishing momentum. "It's nonsense!" Jinbei shouted, while turning the rudder like crazy, he wanted to turn the rudder to the left as soon as possible, trying to avoid the approaching ship.But the opponent didn't know which tendon was wrong, so he turned the rudder to the right, and drove closer, so to speak, rushing towards the Iroha. Since the Iroha was turning to the left, the starboard side of the ship was exposed to the opponent.There was only a loud bang, and the bow of the incoming ship hit the right side of the Iroha's belly.What a brutal hit. The bow of the incoming ship crushed the Iroha, smashed the engine room, knocked the funnel up, and broke the center mast at the root. Ryoma was startled, quickly put the knife in his waist, and galloped out of the captain's room.At this moment, the boat tilted suddenly, and the sea water surged in. Longma secretly called it unlucky, but he didn't care too much, and immediately began to make clever arrangements. "Everyone jump to the opposite ship!" he shouted from the uppermost deck, and an uncontrollable anger filled him with murderous intent. Koshijiro, the chief engineer, threw the anchor on the boat to the side of the incoming ship, and climbed up the rope at an extremely fast speed.Everyone else followed him and climbed up. Longma is worthy of being a swordsman, and his movements are as agile and accurate as the wind.He grabbed the end of the rope from the gradually tilting Iroha, jumped with both feet, flew into the air, hooked his feet to the side rope of the opposite ship, and landed on the deck of the incoming ship in an instant. Except for knowing that the ship was called Mingguang, there was no one on the deck. It seemed that this was a Kishu feudal ship, and Ryoma decided that it was the family crest on the tent on the deck. The most astonishing thing was that the huge ship was handed over to only one helmsman, and the captain and others were sleeping soundly. How could there be such a stupid thing!Ryoma was busy on the deck. "The watermen stay on the deck. Yaoyue is in charge of monitoring this side of the ship, keeping a detailed record of every move of the sleeping waterman on the Mingguang. Zuo Liu Gaoji come with me!" He gave orders quickly.Like that, he looks like a pirate ship captain in the West. In fact, Ryoma was simmering with anger.The Iroha, which had been looking forward to so much, was hit and sunk in the blink of an eye, and guns and other goods worth tens of thousands of taels sank to the bottom of the sea. But Ryoma will never think that he can't do anything. What's incredible about him is that his backbone is made of springs.In this case, he will not despair, but will quickly jump to the next step.He turned into a pirate.No, to be more precise, when things have come to this point, the only option is to put aside everything and compete with Dafan Kishu.When forced to do so, he will resort to force, but before that, he still intends to use the "Public Law of the Nations" that he is good at to launch a tough offensive against the opponent until they are cornered. The collision between Iroha and Meiko was unprecedented.Using international law to deal with the aftermath is a new hope for Ryoma to jump out of the current tragic situation.Not to mention Kishu, I am afraid that all Japanese do not know about the "Public Law of the World", and no one knows about maritime arbitration.Instill this concept in them, persuade them, and even refute them, and then get compensation to establish a "law" for Japanese maritime accidents.If the Jizhou Fan ignored the "Public Law of the Nations", they could only use force to achieve justice.Ryoma has already prepared for the worst. Ryoma broke into the duty room on the deck and grabbed the logbook. "Zao Liu, take good care of this logbook here, and never give it to the other party even if you draw your sword. Give them our logbook." This is to prevent the other party from modifying the logbook. When he returned to the deck, he saw the three watermen of the Meiguang coming out, and Yoshikoshi Jiro was asking them questions. "Which clan's ship is this?" Yaoyue asked.All the watermen were silent, and the captain did not come out during this period. It's really a wave of ups and downs, and another wave.At this time, the wheelhouse of the Mingguang made another wrong operation.The helmsman may have been frightened by the impact, and hurriedly switched to driving backwards, and the ship suddenly backed up.As a result, the rope connecting the two ships broke, and the few remaining people were left on the Iroha.The tragedy has not stopped yet.The Meiguang, which had already retreated, drove forward for some reason, and hit the Iroha again heavily. "You, what are you doing?" Yoshikoshi Jiro cried out in grief. The sailing skills of the people on the Mingguang are terrible.The helmsman of the Meiko is Nagao Motoemon, who once boarded the shogunate warship Hamrin. He was a fisherman from Sanuki Shiobu Island. Later, he became a special helmsman of the Kishu Clan and was awarded samurai status.This person was an experienced person, but for some reason he made such a move.The captain of the Meiko is Takayanagi Kusanosuke, a Kishu feudal vassal, who has reached middle age. Due to the emergence of steamships, a new type of transportation, all the previous boatmen were useless, so the shogunate and the feudal clans began to try their best to find and hire technicians in this field.Takayanagi Nannosuke was originally not a vassal of Kishu, but the son of a doctor of the Ando family.He studied orchidology since he was a child, studied Dutch and medicine under the guidance of the famous Ito Genpu, and later went to Hakodate, where he learned some navigation skills from Westerners.Leaving aside his medical skills, just looking at his experience in navigation is really worrying.However, a person like him can be regarded as a "person skilled in Western equipment", which is quite satisfactory. Kishu's watermen finally boarded the deck one after another. "Who is the captain?" Ryoma asked. "I am." Gao Liu said in a slow tone.After all, he is a retainer of the Three Imperial Clans.For three hundred years, the warriors of the Yusan family have been highly valued, and their family status is even comparable to that of Banner.This sense of superiority inevitably came out. Ryoma's heart surged with anger, and he felt that it would be more beneficial to report the domain name at this time, so he said, "I am Saitani Umetaro of Tsushu, and I am the little steamship that is sinking after being hit by your ship. The captain of the ship. The situation is extremely urgent now. I want to know how your Excellency, as the captain of this ship, will deal with this matter?" "Save people immediately." Gao Liu issued an order to his own people, ordering them to put down the boat and carry out rescue. "I'm afraid this alone is not enough. I still have cargo on board. Please connect the two ships with ropes so that my ship does not sink to the bottom of the sea." "This, this is not acceptable!" Gao Liu was afraid that the two ships would sink together.Long Ma once again forced him to take measures, but Gao Liu refused firmly, with that hateful face, he was clearly using his pro-vassal power to play prestige. The Iroha could not withstand the two impacts, and the hull tilted sharply. The small boat on the deck made a loud noise and began to slide, and fell into the sea not long after. Ryoma looked sad, watching the ship disappear into the sea little by little.This steamship, which he poured countless efforts into, sank just like that.How does this make him accept it!He sighed: My fate is always full of ups and downs, full of drama. Meggie and Kanbei, who were the last to leave the boat, pulled hard on the rope of the siren and tied them up.The siren roared frantically, as if saying a final farewell to Ryoma. Meggie and Kanbei jumped into the sea and swam towards the Meiko.Ryoma leaned out from the side of the ship and hung the kerosene lamp with a rope, illuminating the rope ladder for the two of them. The two climbed up, Meggie with the Seaman flag wrapped around her stomach. The ship sank. On Cape Hakozaki, Sanuki, a half-curved moon rose, and the fog was still thick. "Are you Takayanagi Nannosuke?" Ryoma said. "My ship sank. I want to talk to you about the aftermath." "This ship is bound for Nagasaki." The direction of Ryoma's ship is completely opposite.By saying this, Takayanagi intends to propose negotiations with Ryoma and others on the way to Nagasaki. "You're wrong." Ryoma said.Maritime casualties must be resolved close to the scene.This is common sense internationally.Ryoma knew this very well. "Speaking of the nearby port, it's a backup vehicle. Please drive the ship there." "I have a feudal life with me," Gao Liu said. Kishu decided to buy a steamship in Nagasaki, but there was a dispute over the business, and the Meiko rushed to resolve the matter. The dignitaries of the vassal state dispatched to resolve the dispute were also on board, such as Ichiro Moda, Kotaro Yubi Yamamoto, Banemon Shimizu, who was in charge of finance, and Hidejuro Hayami, who was in charge of finance.In terms of Captain Gao Liu's state of mind, at this time he has to cheer up and strive to win. "I can't get there," he said.Mota Jijiro, who happened to be on the deck, also said behind him: "Takayanagi, the aftermath will be carried out on the ship, hurry up and sail." Ryoma was furious.He pressed the handle of the knife, his face changed. "It seems that you only consider your own interests from the beginning to the end. There is the "Public Law of the Nations" in this world. If you don't abide by it, I will kill all the people on this ship. After that, I will kill myself. You should think about it before answering! " Seeing Ryoma's momentum, Mingguang had to turn the bow and drive towards the vehicle. It has been one of the largest commercial ports in the Seto Inland Sea since ancient times, and it is still very prosperous today.There is a boat company called Xiwu here.It just so happened that Eishiro Kosone, the book-raiser of the Haiyuan team, had a good relationship with the owner, Kiyozaemon, and the thirty-four members lived here temporarily. "I want to avenge the Iroha!" Ryoma declared to everyone. On the same day, Ryoma chose Uoshi Yubei in Haechigo Town as the venue for negotiations, and met again with Takayanagi Kunosuke, the captain of the Meiko. "This incident should be resolved in accordance with the law and public opinion." Ryoma expressed the principle to Takayanagi. "Does your fan have any objections to this?" "I don't understand what you mean by that." "This kind of ship collision accidents in Japan will increase in the future. In order to set a good precedent, I do not intend to make that kind of casual compromise that is limited to the two. resolve it based on principles.” "I am a vassal of the Kishu Tokugawa family, and I only obey the orders of the lord and the vassal state from the beginning to the end." "It seems that you are unwilling to obey the law and public opinion." "That's not what a samurai would do." "Then there will only be a fierce battle." Ryoma suddenly skipped the current discussion.Takayanagi only obeyed the orders of the vassal, and Ryoma also only obeyed the orders of the vassal. In this way, they lost the channel of solution and could only resort to force in the end. "Also," Ryoma continued, "You must call yourself a vassal state, but don't forget, you are still the captain of the Mingguang. The captain is responsible for everything." "I obey the principle you said." Gao Liu didn't insist anymore, and said helplessly, "But I have a feudal life, and I am in a hurry, so I can't stay in the car for too long." "At a time like this, you still only care about yourself! Sinking someone else's boat and saying you have to rush on your way, how can there be such a reason in the world? Could it be that a pro-vassal official can kill people casually at sea?" "Fan's life is in the body, so it's hard to obey!" "Have you ever considered my feelings? My boat is gone, and the goods are gone, and you still insist on your life, and hurry on your way!" "I must leave as soon as possible!" Gao Liu felt in his heart that at this time, he had to use his pro-vassal authority to force the other party to submit.His attitude made Ryoma even more anxious. "Until the matter is resolved, there is no way to leave!" Long Ma pressed on step by step without giving in.Gao Liu also refused to compromise.The voices of the two gradually became higher.Looking at the right time, Ryoma suddenly threw out a compromise plan. "Then, you and I will negotiate in Nagasaki. But our ships, goods and money are all gone, and we are now penniless. Please give us 10,000 taels for emergency use." Gao Liu was taken aback, and said that he could not reply immediately, and that he was going to discuss with Mota Ichiro, the governor of the feudal state on the Mingguang, and left the table. The Kishu clan has already seen that Ryoma and others are not from the Tosa clan, but just a ronin association, but for the convenience of activities, they borrowed the name of the Tosa clan. "These people are rogue ronin," said Mota Ichiro.If the other party was the Tosa clan, they would get into trouble in terms of domain diplomacy, but since it was a private association of ronin, it was no big deal. "Give them a pension, and there should be no trouble." "Extremely true." Takayanagi Nannosuke also had the same idea, and came to Ryoma's residence in the evening. "Please accept." He took out the pension. "This is a temporary pension." There are more than twenty taels in the envelope.Ryoma sank a ship and lost all its cargo, and these were their confessions to Ryoma.Ryoma proposed that the ship should not leave the port until the negotiation reached a conclusion, and took out 10,000 taels as an emergency, but Kizhou Fan completely ignored it. "What is this?" Ryoma was really furious this time, his face was ashen, and his expression was horrifying. "Gao Liu-kun, are you still a warrior? Don't you feel ashamed to come to me like this?" Long Ma didn't even touch the money, and drove Gao Liu back. On the second day, Takayanagi did not come, and was replaced by a subordinate named Naruse Kunisuke. "My Fan will advance 10,000 taels for you, but you must tell us clearly when you can repay it." "Could the Kishu Fan be a bandit?" The other party's extremely arrogant and ignorant attitude made Ryoma dumbfounded. "Bandits? I can't ignore these words!" "What? Do you want to do something?" Ryoma said slowly, "Narase-kun, it seems that your vassal's survey and appointments are born with a bandit temper. You shouldn't be, I just told you, what is it like to pay 10,000 taels in advance? Yes The noble clan sank our ship and cargo first, but now the money has been paid to us in advance, and the date of return is even specified. I am ugly to say before, could it be that the Kizhou clan, one of the three imperial families, was able to kill innocent people at sea without being punished? Sanctions! The 10,000 taels I mentioned is a set money for compensation, and there will be no return period." "We disagree." After speaking, Naruse Kunusuke left the table, and the negotiation broke down again. As soon as Naruse left, Takaji Sayanagi and Koshijiro Koshi came to him. "Captain, we are leaving the Haiyuan team." The two said with a pale face.They are going to enter the Mingguang. "Into the Mingguang?" Ryoma was sitting in the second-floor room of Seiya Seizawaemon, facing Sayanagi and Yokoshi.The house faces south.The latticed door was wide open, revealing a panoramic view of the harbor opposite.There, the gigantic hull of the Kishu feudal ship Meiko lay shamelessly on the surface of the sea. "Counting the appointment and the captain, there are at least hundreds of people on that ship, and there is no chance of winning." Takaji Sayanagi from Mito was usually a gentle young man, but at this time he was full of anger, as if he had changed.The same is true for Echizen's waist Eshijiro.Zuo Liu was the chief mate of the shipwreck, and Yao Yue was the chief engineer.They feel that they are responsible for the accident, and because of this, they are more angry with Kishu Fan than anyone else. "The two of us are ready to die in battle." 看来这两个人是动真格的了，龙马心想。“我的原则是不打没有把握之仗。既然要打，就要下决心彻底打垮纪州，而且要有扎实的对策。” "but……" “就算你二人战死在明光号的甲板上，我们的船和货物也回不来了。交给我吧。不到万不得已不能拔剑。真到了走投无路时，我也会拔剑。不过只有等我筹划好彻底击垮他们的对策，那个时候才是我们最后拔剑之时。” 二人虽然答应了，却仍有些不服气。这种事情能指望吗？他们的脸上写着这句话。纪州藩想用一个信封来打发他们，向这样的对手索要几万两的赔偿金原本就已经非常困难，更何况以浪人结社海援队的微弱力量打败五十五万五千石的纪州德川家。 “一定能赢。”龙马断言道，“这件事就按照我的意思来办吧。昨天晚上想了一夜，现在有了成功的把握。” 龙马话音未落，腰越看着大海，大叫了一声。浮在港内的明光号的烟囱里升起了黑烟，他们开始烧锅炉了。 “看来他们要逃。”腰越已经欠身弓腰，随时准备冲出去。 龙马扭过头，眯起眼，仔细看了看港内的明光号。这帮混账，真是恬不知耻！如此一来，龙马也无法悠然坐在这里了。 “佐柳君、腰越君，立刻坐小艇登上明光号。你们去是为了监视。如果纪州人坚持要去长崎，就随他们去。我会乘坐其他船赶往长崎。一切等到了长崎以后再作打算。” “遵命！”佐柳和腰越飞奔出去。 龙马此时已经抱定了必死的决心，他给身在长州的三吉慎藏写了封信，上书：“如若我遭遇不测，阿龙就托付给你了。”写完派急使送了出去。 这个天保六年出生、已经不算年轻的男子，从这时起变成了名副其实的腾龙飞马，万里奔驰，展示了超人般的活动能力。龙马虚岁已三十三。十几岁时近乎痴儿，二十出头时有愚钝之风，了解他过去的人恐怕会觉得今日这个龙马完全变了个人。 唯有他的友人武市半平太在龙马二十出头时就看出他日后定会大有作为，评价道：“龙马的气量非土佐这个偏僻藩国所能容。”他还专门为这位年轻友人作了一首诗。 武市做出了如此一番预见。不过即便是龙马的朋友，都觉得这首诗对龙马有些赞美过头了，还曾经拿来说笑打趣。许多同乡的友人都不怎么看好龙马，这也正常。当众多同志醉心于天诛时，他这剑术天才却热衷航海。大约是因为他的步调和动荡的时势不合，看上去就像是一匹四处闲逛的驽马。三十岁过后，龙马终于像武市预言的那样开始了“偏不辱龙名”的系列活动，逐渐成了名震天下的志士。他神出鬼没，足迹遍及日本的每一个角落。 闲话少说，此时刚巧有一艘开往大坂的萨摩藩船驶入輛港，龙马写了两封长信托萨摩船带走。一封写给西乡隆盛，一封写给大坂的同志。海援队的菅野觉兵卫和高松太郎正在大坂处理商务，龙马告知他们轮船沉没之事，阐明了自己处理事件的决心。 “详细情形我都写在了送给西乡的信中，你们去萨摩府，将那封信也一并读了。我这就前往长崎，在长崎做个了断。这事恐怕终归要流血才能解决。一旦纪州藩和海援队之间不得不交战，获得舆论上的支持至关重要。给西乡写信也是这个原因。诸君定要在京都、大坂制造有利于我方的舆论。” 接着又有开往马关的长州藩船进港。龙马跳上长州藩船，在马关下船，向长州藩的盟友阐明了同样的主旨。 “明白了。一旦交战，我藩决不袖手旁观。” 得到桂小五郎等人的明确表态后，龙马又登上一艘英国货船，一路追赶明光号，抵达长崎。 五月十三，龙马抵达长崎。他来到小曾根府上，站在土间，将阿龙从里面叫了出来。他呆了呆，突然说道：“如果我死了，你什么也不要说，什么也不要问，直接去投奔长府的三吉慎藏。”说完，将身上所有的钱搜出来交给阿龙。 阿龙惊魂未定，龙马已经转身走了，他的背影如此匆忙，转眼间便不见了踪迹。这个人是怎么了？阿龙呆立当场，不由得愣住了。龙马的态度在她看来已经近乎疯狂了。 龙马既然以一介浪人之身同御三家纪州藩大吵了一场，便做好了随时赴死的思想准备。他认为敌人定会放出刺客，所以绝不能去阿龙所在的小曾根家住宿。万一被袭，会连累阿龙。 龙马决定，在这起争端解决之前，决不靠近阿龙。 因此，龙马的居所连纪州藩也搞不清楚。他有时在土佐屋，有时又到土佐商行去休息，有时还会住在丸山的引田屋。 却说与纪州藩的第一次谈判于五月十五举行。海援队方面有八人参加，纪州藩则是船长高柳楠之助等九人。 一番激烈争论过后，龙马总算逼对方承认两船相撞时明光号甲板上没有士官以及后来两度撞击伊吕波号右舷这两条。 纪州藩在长崎没有藩府，因此众人便暂时找了家客栈住下。客栈位于中岛河畔的长久桥桥头，再向前走一段路便是大海。 与龙马谈判破裂的晚上，这座充满海腥味的客栈里召开了一次秘密会议。 “高柳君，你应该做好思想准备了吧？”勘定奉行茂田一次郎说。 “您的意思是什么？”高柳楠之助问道。 “既然已经抬出了纪州的门第家声，此一战绝不能输。” “属下明白。大人所说的思想准备，是要在下切腹吗？” “如果你切腹能令事态平息，那事情就好办了。而且如果你慌里慌张地切腹自杀了，就等于向天下宣告错在纪州藩，只能让纪州再次蒙羞。” 茂田一次郎从一介书记被提拔为佑笔组长，再后被任命为手枪队队长，直至成为勘定奉行。他是家臣中一等一的才子。 “龙马这些人虽然自称属土州，实际不过是些没了藩籍的浪人。” “我也听说了。” “这种人竟然敢同我们争吵，太狂妄了。” 三百大名中地位最尊贵的纪州家臣竟然和一帮浪人平起平坐，谈判争论，单单这件事就不成体统。“高柳君，你断不能让步，我会让长崎奉行所出面。” 茂田说。如果拿出纪州家的威严，长崎奉行应该不敢不从。 长崎奉行是幕府在九州的最高权力机关，一旦发生内乱或是有外寇来袭而进入战时状态，长崎奉行甚至有权指挥九州大名作战。 “还有，”茂田说，“既然对方是浪人，你还要做好另一手准备。” "how do I say this?" “这个嘛，不能让其他人听见。”茂田屏退他们，将高柳叫到近前。“杀了龙马。”他说。 高柳不禁一惊。 “这是最快的解决办法。但绝不能让别人看出来是纪州藩干的，得想想办法。长崎城里有没有人肯干这种买卖呢？” “办法……”高柳一时间大汗淋漓。他原本是个学问人，实在不适合谈论这种话题。“属下会想想看。” “我也会仔细想想。出了这种事，必须动用一切手段来解决。另外，把那些在长崎设有藩府的藩国，像是肥前佐贺、筑前福冈、肥前五岛、肥前平户这些藩的人都叫到丸山来，我要获取他们的支援。” 第二天，龙马收到了长崎奉行所的传票，他料定必是撞船之事。想必是纪州藩依仗着亲藩的威势，动用了长崎的幕府最高机构。 “可恶！”龙马突然将传票贴到鼻子上，擤了擤鼻涕。 一众队员顿时吓得脸色惨白。长冈谦吉看不下去，告诫道：“龙马，这么做是犯法的。” 最后，由长冈和岩崎弥太郎去奉行所。岩崎长了一张凶神恶煞的脸，奉行所官员似乎甚是害怕这张脸，接待起来出乎意料地殷勤。 长冈是个善辩之人。他说话冷静却又滴水不漏，不给奉行所官员丝毫可乘之机。最后，最年长的与力竟然嘟囔道：“这样看来，是纪州不对啊。” 岩崎立刻抓住了时机。“这句话我们可否记录下来？” 此言一出，官员们顿时慌了，连忙说：“刚才是我打了个哈欠。”这是幕府官僚的毛病。 “原来如此。在长崎，竟然能打出这么有意思的哈欠来！” 不愧是岩崎，他此时并没有用那种激怒对方的讽刺语气，只是不住地点头，做出十分佩服的样子。由于他纠缠不休，就连长冈也开始拽他的衣袖提醒：“岩崎大人，请您适可而止。” 岩崎仍在感叹。“长崎的哈欠果然很长，和土佐不一样。”他嘟嘟囔囔说个没完。他的企图很明显，即便老与力的那句话不是正式发言，他也要通过这个玩笑让在座所有人都牢牢记住这句话。只要加深了印象，也就相当于记录下来了。 最后，长冈道：“请问奉行所的立场如何？”他的言外之意是，难道你们要仰仗幕府介入这场海难事故吗？本来，按照幕府的旧例，只要藩国之间的争端没有威胁到天下的治安，幕府便不必插手。 “呃，这个嘛，我们没有其他意思，只是担心两藩的争端升级会导致意想不到的事，出于负责，询问一下事情经过而已。” 官员们的态度一下子软了下来。 长冈和岩崎辞别时，觉得这下没问题了。奉行所今后应该不会自找麻烦，再去帮纪州藩说话。 有人要取龙马性命，城里最近出现了这样的传言。 传言似乎是出自长崎百姓之中。由于三百年来一直垄断外国贸易，所以长崎富人居多。即便是那些小手艺人，也都能唱上一两支小曲。诸事耽于玩乐，整个城市洋溢着一种安逸的氛围。百姓收入不菲，而且由于是幕府领地，不会像大名领地那样小气抠门，一切都优哉游哉。也是因为这个缘故，大白天就有许多人在街上游荡，当地甚至有一种“晃悠小调”专门来唱这种现象。 这些闲来无事的百姓议论的话题，最近就要数纪州和海援队的争执了。 百姓分成了两派。支持海援队的自然占了多数。毕竟海援队是浪人结社，论地位，也就比商人稍微好一点。百姓不由自主地便会袒护他们。而且海援队人少，和五十五万余石的纪州比起来，只不过是沧海一粟。这颗小米粒竟然敢同三百大名的老大纪州藩争斗。极易同情弱者的百姓从中感受到了一种无法克制的痛快淋漓的感情。 因为这里的人们终日无所事事，而且热心人又多，所以每天都有无数商人来西滨町的海援队本部土佐屋拜访，都会说一声：“请坚持住，务必要赢！” 其中有一个人透露了这样一个消息：“有几个浪人似乎要害坂本先生。” 队士仔细一打听，得知刺客是流落在长崎的无赖，并没有人认得。听说那几个人是在寄合町的妓馆商量此事，名字无从得知，不过其中一人的衣服上确实印着龙胆图案的家纹。 “衣服上有龙胆家纹的人遍地都是。”龙马并没太当回事。“被别人追杀原本就是我的常态。”他说了句莫名其妙的话，仍旧一个人在城中来去。 某一天，一位衣着华丽的武士来到了海援队本部，正是长州的桂小五郎。 “你来得正好！”龙马一走出土间，便拽着桂上街了，说是要到丸山的引田屋去。 二人并肩而行。一想到身边这人自从文久三年八月禁门之变以来，也成了幕府虎视眈眈一直搜寻的人，两个命悬一线的人颇要好地并肩走在傍晚的街市上，还要一起去饮酒，这种情景让龙马不由得想发笑。 弓旧屋有中式房间。铺了地板，屋顶、窗户、装饰灯和日用家具都是中国式的，房里摆放着桌椅。 龙马和桂坐了下来。像往常一样，他叫来了艺伎阿元。阿元在席间周旋了一阵，待到二人开始谈论正事，便到庭院里去了，她要用自己的方式来防备不速之客。 “坂本君，不要喝太多酒。”桂说。他的酒杯就放在桌上，但他一滴酒也没喝，这是为了在情况突变时保持头脑清醒。 “明白。”龙马说。引田屋原本就只接待熟客，而且这家店对龙马怀有好感，只要龙马一来，不仅是阿元，连侍女们也会提高警慑，多加留意。 “伊吕波号出事以后，事情有何进展？”桂问。这位长州藩的领袖原本是来找龙马商议采购兵器之事的，现在碰到这个难题，他觉得可以视情形做海援队的后援，与纪州藩打上一仗也未尝不可。 “我不是说着玩的。”桂说，“已经下定决心了。如果真有那一天，萨摩应该也会作为援军站出来。” 龙马明白桂心中所想。第二次幕长战争以长州的胜利告终，幕府以将军家茂之死为由与长州讲和。此后长州频频购买兵器，整顿军制，现在甚至开始梦想着取得革命战争的胜利，所以现在长州需要发动战争的导火索。既然如此，若以支援龙马和纪州藩之争的形式挑起战端怎不是机会？纪州乃是御三家之一，前任将军家茂也是从纪州家被选出来继承了宗家，幕府恐怕不会袖手旁观，到时就可以趁机将它打个落花流水。 长州开始着急了，龙马心想。据他观察，长州的焦虑也是逼不得已。首先，长州的经济已成问题。长州俸禄仅有三十六万九千石，虽然在德川三百年间，他们努力开垦，填海造田，发展造纸、制盐，已经具备了和百万石大藩并驾齐驱的实力，但是经历了和四国舰队的战斗、蛤御门之变、幕长战争等一系列大事之后，财政早已疲敝不堪，而最近他们又搞起了军备扩张。事已至此，如若不尽快发动革命战争，藩国就会由于军备负担过重而自取灭亡。 时势终于要有一场剧烈变动了，龙马根据长州的经济状况和挣扎的情形，对今后的形势作出了预见。 纪州开始敷衍塞责，找借口逃避，渐渐竟没了回应。龙马派人前去，对方也只是说，责任人不在，请明天再来。 “我们杀进去！”佐柳和腰越再次叫嚷了起来。龙马坚决制止了他们，他要将日本第一起轮船相撞事件作为用法律解决的先例而载入史册，这正是他所有热情的来源。 一天，龙马带着队士们来到丸山，叫来阿元等十几名相识的艺伎。“我谱了一首曲子。”他抱过三味弦，唱起了自己作的小曲。 艺伎们觉得甚是有趣，便和着唱起来。这首歌随即便在长崎的烟花巷里大肆流行起来。 这是一首简单质朴的歌摇，词曲简洁，易于传唱。于是不久，在长崎，不仅是商人，甚至连各藩藩士都十分同情龙马等人。每到掌灯时分，他们便在酒席上弹这首曲子。 “不取钱，取藩国，好气魄！”这是酒客们最中意的一句话。一介浪人竟然说要将三百年来作威作福的纪州德川家收作囊中之物。 “感人泪下！”土州人用土州方言感叹，肥后人也感动不已，说：“真是条汉子！” 面对龙马的这一番作为，纪州哑口无言，全天下都已明显认定错在纪州。 这时，士佐藩参政后藤象二郎赶到了长崎，他找到龙马，和他商议解决办法。 “把这个问题交给藩国来解决，如何？” 龙马答应了。有土佐藩站出来做挡箭牌，料想纪州藩不会那么嚣张了。 “后藤君，我有一个想法。”龙马献策道。现在长崎港中停泊着英国的东洋舰队，何不去拜托舰队的司令官金来做仲裁。“当然，不是请他做裁决，而是要让他做知情人来听取世界通行的公论。” “好。”后藤立刻向纪州藩提出。这下又给纪州藩来了个措手不及，他们只说了一句“容我们讨论一下”，便请后藤先回。 纪州人也并没有打算一直依仗藩国威名撑下去，他们自有本藩的正义和感情。“是伊吕波号不对。”他们一直相信。他们说，撞船时伊吕波号没有点舷灯。 纪州人还认为，伊吕波号是小船，行动轻巧，易于驾驶，因此自然应该小心避让，在这一点上是龙马疏忽了。 纪州人为了坚持自己的立场做出了很大努力。船长高柳楠之助暗地里将两船的航海日志、撞击前的情况、撞击后双方的说辞等都译成了英文。以时下日本人的外语学习能力来讲，把这么多的内容译成英文这件事本身就已经很了不起了。而且做这件事的高柳虽然懂荷兰语，英语却只知道几个单词。在长崎奉行所的英语翻译官品川的帮助下，连着两个通宵，总算是译完了。 纪州人把这份英文资料拿去给停泊在长崎港的英国军舰舰长看，这么做是为了获得“公论”的支持。 这番努力自然是徒劳。“很遗憾，情况对纪州藩不利。”舰长看后说。 “真若是到了无计可施之时，只有一死，要和对方同归于尽。”有人已经做好了这样的思想准备。此人正是纪州藩明光号的副船长冈本觉十郎。冈本的这个决定里包含的感情和逻辑，唯有时下的武士才能理解。 首先让他无法忍受的便是土佐藩参政后藤象二郎的态度。后藤和纪州藩茂田一次郎在圣德寺举行第一次会面，谈判结束后，后藤说：“贵藩此前的作风甚是冷酷，今后如若仍不以诚意示我，后果将会不堪设想，请谨记。”他算是厉声恐吓。当时坐在末席的冈本忍不住将手按在刀上，坐在旁边的高柳楠之助连忙拦住了他。 接着又有在长崎的烟花巷里流行起来的小曲。这首曲子不仅在酒楼传唱，甚至连巷子里玩耍的孩童都唱开了。 土州竟敢如此粗暴傲慢！冈本觉十郎不禁大怒。 进而向英国舰长询问的结果，也竟然是对纪州藩不利！ 看来败局已定，他心想，纪州不但要付给对方巨额赔偿金，而且名誉尽失，必将遭到天下人的耻笑。 茂田一次郎曾经试图调唆市井的无赖之徒刺杀龙马，但冈本认为，那样的做法太仁慈了，而且卑鄙无耻。要做的话，就由他这个明光号高级船员光明正大地报上姓名，同龙马决一死战，而且要一刀毙命，瞬间把事情解决。他把想法告诉了上司须山藤左卫门。须山在纪州藩的职位是采购总管，这是为了购买西洋设备而设立的新职位。 “我不应阻挡武士的志气。”须山说。在他看来，只要龙马死了，事情就解决了。但他也明白，冈本就算将龙马杀了，他自己也不得不切腹。 “不管怎样，我的这条性命是保不住了，我现在唯一挂念的就是家乡的老母亲。” “我明白了。你放心。”须山点了点头，将自己佩带的刀交给冈本。“虽然只是把没有落款的备前货，但锋利无比。” 冈本当天便开始跟踪龙马，到了第二天夜里，龙马从丸山出来正从山坡上往下走时，冈本终于逮着机会，他拔刀砍了过去。哪知只一个回合，便被龙马打翻在地。 “我不会问你的藩名和姓名。”龙马对着倒在石阶上的冈本豁达地笑了笑，转身离去。自此之后，冈本再也没动过刺杀龙马的念头。 冈本常常自问：他莰刀了吗？他甚至连这个都记不清了。唯一记得的是，从山坡上走下来一个人影。来人脚步有些瞒跚，却也不像是喝了许多酒。是龙马。冈本看得分明，顿时血气上涌。 冈本应该是拔刀之后立刻杀向了龙马，然而就在那一瞬间，他的身体突然悬空了，随后被扔了出去，重重摔到石阶上。 我命休矣，他心道，刚想要翻身跳起，竟全身瘫软，使不上劲。他就躺在那里，一动也动不了。