Chapter 72 16. Longma returns home

Zhentian sailed past Xuanhai Beach and entered Changzhou Maguan Port the next day.Sakamoto Ryoma and others immediately went ashore and rushed to the branch of the sea rescue team - Dr. Itosuke, the boat company in Maguan, and found that Shunsuke Ito and Sanyoshi Shinzo from Changzhou had arrived. "I'm going to unload part of the cargo, please two." Ryoma said to Ito and Sanyoshi.The shipment he was talking about was part of that shipment of rifles.Of the 300 guns owned by the Sea Aid Team, 100 will be reserved for the Nagasaki headquarters, and the remaining 200 will be held by Mutsu Yonosuke, Kanno Kakuhei and others who will go directly to Kyoto on another ship.

"This is emergency military expenses during this period, and it must be used wisely." Ryoma said, and handed over a hundred taels of gold coins to Mutsu and Kanno.They will go directly to the turbulent place in Kyoto, so they will bid farewell to the Zhentian on which Ryoma is going to Kochi, and then find a suitable ship to go to Osaka. "It's like Ako Ronin who is about to attack." Mutsu was very excited.But this time the target of their attack was not Kira Uenosuke, but the Tokugawa shogunate. Then, Ryoma said to Miyoshi Shinzo: "I will leave this luggage to you." He pointed to Aaron who was standing beside him.

"Understood. I have already greeted my lord. Madam is temporarily staying in Changfu City." "This luggage is not very obedient, it will make you tired." "Really, there is no such obedient luggage as me." Aaron said angrily.Miyoshi Shinzo has become friends with Aaron since Teradaya was attacked, and he couldn't help laughing out loud after hearing this.Aaron is indeed not an honest and obedient woman, and she is still a bag to Ryoma. "Mr. Sakamoto." The young Shunsuke Ito asked, "Is Tosa okay?" The Tosa Domain is different from the Satsuma and Changzhou Domains, and the power is in the hands of Rongtang.What the lord who is as difficult to deal with as iron digs thinks is exactly what Satsuma and Changzhou's two vassals are worried about.

"I don't know. However, if Goto fails, there will be a retreat. As long as there is gunpowder here in Kyoto, Kan will lead the soldiers to the battlefield alone regardless of everything." Ryoma said, "I'm going back to the clan this time, and I don't intend to Spend too much time trying to influence the vassal’s theory, but donate a thousand new-style rifles to the vassal state to force it to make up its mind quickly.” Instead of debating, take action, this is what Ryoma has been doing since leaving the vassal. Ito smiled strangely. "What are you laughing at?" Ryoma asked involuntarily.

Shunsuke Ito was just a kid running around beside Katsura and Takasugi before, but recently he has suddenly become mature and speaks decently. "What are you trying to say?" "Exactly. If Tosa doesn't want the thousand new-style rifles, the Changzhou Domain will accept them immediately without saying a word." Ito's words shocked Ryoma's heart, and accepting guns meant raising troops. brat!Longma couldn't help asking bitterly: "When I entered the port just now, I saw a ship sailing away with billowing black smoke. What kind of ship is that?" "It's the boat that Okubo Ichizo-sama took." Ito said.For the last meeting before raising troops in Kyoto, Okubo personally came to Changzhou by boat, negotiated carefully, and returned to Kyoto, passing Ryoma.

The big show is finally about to start.Thinking of this, Ryoma was as excited as a samurai before the Great War. The Zhentian left Shimonoseki that day and sailed towards Kochi in a sunny and sunny day. It first took the Bungo Waterway, went south and turned left when it arrived at the Cape of Wadang. "Mr. Sakamoto, is there something wrong with you breaking into Kochi suddenly?" said Shuntaro Okauchi, a vassal. In any case, Ryoma is still out of the feudal clan, if the vulgar officials in the feudal hall start a fight on the grounds of violating the law, I am afraid that the key business will be ignored because of those vulgar discussions.Not only that, the Tosa clan sergeant's inclination toward samurai has recently intensified, and some young warriors even threatened to kill all the remnants of King Qin's faction.The situation in the domain has become extremely dangerous.In this situation, once Ryoma came ashore, the Saba Sect would probably organize a group of assassins to assassinate them.

"My safety is all in your hands. Do it well." Ryoma entrusted everything to Okane, and he trusted his intelligence. On the morning of September 24, Zhentian gradually sailed into Urado Bay.On the mast, the eagle-feathered flag of Marquis Asano of Yizhou fluttered high. Soon, the ship turned off the engine and lowered a small boat with only Ryoma on board.Ryoma bid farewell to the ship and went ashore alone. This is Guibin.The small boat will sail all the way into the depths of Urado Bay. Okaui will disembark at Kochi Castle. He will greet Watanabe Yakuma in advance and tell him that Ryoma has arrived in Katsurabin. This trip to Kochi is legal and valid.

Ryoma got off the boat alone.The sea water wet his clothes, he went all the way to the beach, and found that the sea breeze was blowing from the southwest, and there were waves of pines coming from near and far.At the end of the long coast, you can see Longwang Cape stretching out facing the sea, and the waves keep beating the rocks and breaking into waves. Ryoma walked step by step, enjoying the pleasure of leaving footprints on the sand.As I walked, my heart gradually became sentimental.For those born in Tosa, Katsurahama is their hometown. "The moon in Guibin is the most beautiful." Just like the slang song, people in Kochi City will gather on this seashore every Mid-Autumn Moonlit Night to enjoy the moon and drink and chat all night long. This has become a yearly event. festival.

Ryoma found a simple inn in the pine forest and stayed there, waiting for the messenger from Kochi. But Shuntaro Okauchi got off the boat in Urado Bay and drove all the way into Kochi Castle, and the sun had already set.Okanei did not go home, and immediately visited Yakuma Watanabe, who was in politics.He went straight to Watanabe because Watanabe was still a reasonable figure among the cabinet members who stayed in the domain. "What's the reason for visiting late at night?" Watanabe walked to the living room while arranging his clothes. Okane whispered everything. Watanabe was amazed.In order to persuade the Tosa clan to participate in the revolution, Sakamoto Ryoma, who is in control of the world situation, actually came to Guibin and brought a thousand new-style rifles to present to the clan.These two events can be regarded as major events in the past three hundred years of the Tosa clan.

"Ryoma said," Okane lowered his voice again, "If Tuzhou doesn't join the revolution now, it will end up following Satsuma and Changzhou and picking up some small fish and shrimp." Okauchi took out Ryoma's letter to Watanabe.Watanabe read it quickly. "On the twenty-sixth of this month, two groups of Saxon soldiers will secretly enter Beijing. At that time, there will also be three teams from Changzhou. The situation is urgent." The matter of a thousand rifles was also mentioned. "No matter what, you can't leave Ryoma on Guibin to enjoy the sea breeze." Regardless of the darkness of the night, Watanabe quickly sent someone to invite Chief Supervisor Motoyama Jiichiro.Benshan's mansion is next to his home.Not long after, Ben Shan ran in with a bark of dogs.

"This is the top priority." After hearing this secret matter, Ben Shan was speechless for a while, as if trying to calm his beating heart. Although Ryoma cannot be favored publicly, he must be transferred to a suitable place first.Sujiang River is located on the north bank of Urado Bay, and it is the best place to enjoy the scenery in the bay.Naturally, there are many high-end teahouses there. "Let's choose Songbi Tea House, and keep it absolutely confidential," Ben Shan said. Okane hurriedly said goodbye and contacted Ryoma.Watanabe and Motoyama sent envoys to comrades' homes overnight and invited them to gather at Watanabe's home. Okaui rushed all the way towards Guibin, while thinking about how to convey the news he heard from Watanabe Yakuma to Ryoma.He was afraid that Longma would be disappointed. The result of Ryoma's discussions with Xixiang and Gui at the beginning was that Goto went to Beijing, not only with a piece of paper with a plan to return the great government, but to lead two teams of vassal soldiers to go together.Goto agreed at the time.These vassal soldiers will be left in Kyoto, and once the plan to return the government fails, they will immediately raise troops with Satsuma and Changzhou.However, Goto has rushed to Kyoto alone without a single soldier.Of course, Goto once begged Rongtang: "The Shinsengumi in Kyoto is domineering, which will definitely hinder the implementation of this plan. Please allow me to lead troops there for protection." Rongtang sensed the intention behind the matter, and did not nod. After Okanei arrived in Guibin, he found the small inn in the pine forest.It is said to be an inn, but in fact it is just a fisherman's home, occasionally taking in guests who stay overnight. Ryoma was enjoying his dinner at home, and hadn't forgotten to ask the family to cook him grilled fish. "Ah, come in!" Ryoma waved his chopsticks recklessly when he saw Okane, as if he had lived in this house for twenty years. Okane felt a little funny.Ryoma seems to have become very close to the old couple of fishermen and their daughter. Although they only rested here for two or three hours, the whole family is very reluctant to let him go, which makes Okachi very surprised. Long Ma put down the money for the drink and went out. The fifteen or sixteen-year-old daughter of the family chased him out and asked Long Ma's name. "I am a pilgrim," Ryoma said.The little girl felt that she had been teased and was very angry.Ryoma patted her hard, turned and left. On the way, Okanei carried a lantern and conveyed the meaning of Watanabe's participation in politics and Motoyama's supervision, and then talked about Goto's entry into Beijing. "As soon as the news that the incident with the British sailors had been resolved reached Kochi, Goto immediately took a boat to Kyoto. However, he did not bring a single soldier with him." "Could it be that he only brought a letter of proposal for return from the great government?" Ryoma's footsteps slowed down, as if all the strength in his body had slipped away. Ryoma's disappointment terrifies Okauchi.Now only Ryoma can save the Tosa clan from the bottom of the trend of the times, and it will be over if this person fails to recover. "Don't be angry!" "I won't be discouraged. Instead of being downcast, it's better to take the time to think about the next step. That's the kind of person I am." Although he said so, Ryoma's footsteps still seemed heavy.Okanei naturally became talkative. "Mr. Rong Tang said that leading the soldiers to submit proposals seems to force the other party to accept his own ideas. This is not what a man does. He ordered everything to be done according to public opinion." "What the vassal lord said is very true. All affairs of the country are decided according to public opinion, and it is my daily ambition to create such a world." It is precisely for this reason that Ryoma wrote the Eight Strategies in the Boat, as a reliable plan for the return of the great government. backing. "The Tokugawa family will not take action based on verbal arguments and a piece of paper. In the past, Lord Ieyasu won the world immediately, and since then his fifteen generations of descendants have ruled more than 60 states by force. Lord Rongtang will not Are you planning to use a piece of paper to force the Tokugawa clan to hand over power?" What a noble man, Ryoma had no choice but to think so.It seems that no matter how clever the noble lord is, he is still ignorant of the world in the end. "What happened to Gan Tui Zhu?" Okauchi said: "I opposed Goto's going to Beijing alone, and ran to the Rongtang to say that Tokugawa Ieyasu once won the world and achieved three hundred years of hegemony. Now it is tantamount to trying to overthrow his hegemony with words, and it is suitable for soldiers and horses." settle this matter." Rong Tang just gave a wry smile, then shouted him off.He even revealed the idea of ​​sending Tuizhu to study abroad. In the deepest part of the bay, commonly known as "Sanri Urado", is Sui River.If it was in the daytime, the "Ten Views of Sujiang River" would definitely feast Longma's eyes, but now it is night.Ryoma walked into the Songbi Teahouse, and saw that Yakuma Watanabe was already waiting there.Soon, the chief inspector Motoyama Jiichiro and his colleague Mori Quanji also arrived.They called Ryoma "Mr. Sakamoto".The dignitaries of the vassal state addressed the ronin of Tosa as "Sir", not so much to express respect, but to say that the new situation after Ryoma's death made them fight against difficulties. "I wanted to have a drink with my husband, but I felt that it would be bad to get drunk at such an important gathering, so I prepared sweet wine." Said Watanabe, took out the homemade sweet wine.Needless to say, the people in the teahouse have been dismissed. These high-ranking officials present here had only heard of Ryoma's name before, and today was the first time they saw him in person.They had heard that this person had a cold attitude, was usually slovenly, had long hair, and was unusually tall and burly. When they saw him today, he was indeed exactly as the rumors said. At first, they looked at Ryoma as if they were looking at a monster. The expressions on their faces were half fear, half curiosity, and very vigilant.However, after about a quarter of an hour, these people were conquered by Ryoma.Ryoma's remarks are not high-spirited, sometimes he stutters, sometimes he falls silent, and sometimes he suddenly tells a metaphor that makes everyone laugh. Surprisingly, Ryoma never mentioned "King Qin".He repeatedly said this sentence: "Ideas should be another matter." He went on to say that people can have various ideas, and the debate on this aspect is left to those idlers.History has now transcended thought, sentimentality.In the present juncture, history is more of a physical phenomenon.When he spoke, he never used abstract expressions, but described each specific example in detail, and the theme of his discussion was the word "benefits and disadvantages".He talked about what kind of action is beneficial to the Tosa domain at present.Without this kind of rhetoric, it would be impossible to catch these high-ranking officials who were sergeants, and Ryoma knew this very well.He also mentioned the evaluation of the Tosa clan in the world. "It's too bad. The Tosa clan is being despised by the world. If this continues, we will be despised by history." He also quoted Tosa's words in Maguan Port that if the Tosa people don't want guns, the Changzhou people will accept them. There is also some remarks by Katsura Kogoro. Could it be that the Tosa clan said: "Do you want to continue to stand by? In a few days, the great cause of returning to heaven will begin. Only a few days away, if you don't rise up now, you will become a loser. History will not do anything to cowards Your lords shoulder the fate of the entire Tosa clan, are you going to watch the lord and the clan fall into failure?" Ryoma used examples to explain everything, and the three of them were convinced by Ryoma. They were extremely excited, and their nervousness, anxiety, and anger made them restless. Even Ryoma found this scene unbelievable. crazy?" "Ryoma," Watanabe began to call him by his first name affectionately, "the problem is this..." He raised his fist and gave a thumbs up.He was referring to Rong Tang. "Can you meet your lord's valet? If you don't change them, nothing will happen." But the meeting place is a problem.Where should Ryoma hide? Watanabe and Motoyama discussed this issue quietly. "I'm not going anywhere." Ryoma was a little unhappy.Up to now, these people are still scruples about his insignificant crime of leaving the domain, and do everything possible to find a hiding place for him. This kind of narrow-mindedness makes Ryoma very disgusted. "My safety is not important, I hope that you will put your mind on the policy of the vassal state." As soon as this remark was said, everyone immediately panicked and said "it makes sense", perhaps to please Ryoma, and everyone smiled neatly. In the end, they took a pseudonym for Ryoma—Shoji Ozawa, the vassal of Aki Hiroshima Asano, and submitted this identity to the Fan Hall, hoping to make Ryoma's stay in Kochi City legal through this move. "After all, we have to consider the law of the feudal kingdom, as well as the Saba faction in the feudal clan, so please be patient." Ben Shan persuaded.As the magistrate of the vassal state, he might have to do this, but Ryoma felt somewhat desolate in his heart. "It doesn't matter." His answer seemed to be open-minded, but on the other hand, he also deeply realized how difficult it is for Tosa to accept his enthusiasm. However, Watanabe and Benshan have already felt the urgency of the situation.That night, after they bid farewell to Ryoma, they rushed straight to the residence of Hikoshiro Nishino, the secretary of Rongtang's close minister, and informed Ryoma of his return to the feudal domain, and asked him to persuade Rongtang to raise troops. In the early morning of the second day, Nishino Hikoshiro led several other close ministers, together with Watanabe and Motoyama, to the lower place of Ryoma. Ryoma didn't talk eloquently this time, but took out a rifle and a box of bullets he had brought from Nagasaki.He understood that doing so was a silent incentive with only one purpose, which was to prompt the Tosa clan to make up their minds quickly. It was a seven-shot rifle. Going back more than ten years, it was the heyday of rifles worldwide, and the representative Western rifle in Japan was the Gabel rifle.This gun is no different from an arquebus, the only difference is that instead of a matchlock, a flint with a spring is used for ignition.The bullet is inserted from the muzzle, which is also the same as the matchlock gun.The shogunate and various developed vassal states purchased a large number of these Gabel rifles, thinking that this is "Western-style armament."The Choshu Domain also used the Gabel rifle as their main weapon.However, it didn't take long for Europe and the United States to develop breech-loading rifles, which were soon introduced to Japan and became terrifying new weapons.The bullets are loaded from the end of the rifle, which makes each bullet fired ten times faster than the Gabel rifle. Once equipped with this rifle, the strength of the army may jump to ten times the original.Moreover, the barrel of this breech-loading rifle is engraved with spiral rifling, and the rice-shaped bullets rotate and fly out along the rifling, which greatly extends the range and improves the hit accuracy.Due to these advantages, the appearance of breech-loading rifles made almost all previous rifles waste products.However, even the Shogunate, Satsuma Domain, Choshu Domain, Saga Domain, Tosa Domain, etc. only obtained a few new rifles. As for the eastern Japanese domains, they still used matchlock guns as their main weapons and only had a small number of Gabel rifles.However, these new rifles brought by Ryoma were enough to eclipse the precious breech-loading rifles.The previous rifles were single-shot, but this new rifle has seven bursts. "If one thousand people were equipped with this kind of rifle, it would be enough to withstand 30,000 enemy soldiers. As long as they have this kind of rifle, Tosa can become the most powerful vassal state in Japan." Ryoma said. Ryoma picked up the gun, and the words "New York 1860" were engraved on the body of the gun. "This is how the bullets are put in." Ryoma clicked open the tail bolt, then stretched out his right hand, pulled out the magazine, and opened the cover.It contained one hundred and twenty rounds of ammunition. "This is the bullet." Ryoma grabbed a pointed bullet that looked like a rice tree fruit.Everyone gasped. Speaking of bullets, people usually think of something round and round like rabbit shit, but the thing Ryoma is holding between his fingers is completely different from their preconceived impression. "From round to pointed, this change alone is enough to show that the history of the world is not static." Ryoma stuffed seven bullets into the chamber, clicked the bolt, and finished loading. Then he picked up gun, aimed at the sea across the window, and said: "This will fire seven bullets in a row." He didn't pull the trigger.Those present were speechless for a moment. "Only a warrior with a patriotic heart is eligible to take this gun. On the contrary, I will never hand over the gun to those who intend to support the shogunate that has completely become a cancer in Japan." The implication is, If the Tosa people have the ambition to crusade against the shogunate, they will give them guns. If they don't have this ambition, they will become the bane of endangering the country, so they will not give them guns.In this way, if accepting Ryoma's donation, it means that they are determined to crusade against the shogunate. "How?" Ryoma stopped talking and lazily threw the gun onto the tatami. Later, Rongtang's close officials asked Longma about the situation in the world, and Longma replied sincerely one by one.They agreed with Ryoma from the bottom of their hearts, and they were very reluctant to say goodbye, as if they cherished the time with Ryoma very much.These people should report to Rong Tang and hold an emergency meeting in the Fan Hall. When he was leaving, Watanabe called Okauchi to the entrance, and asked in a low voice, "Isn't Ryoma going home?" He heard that Ryoma didn't go back to the city when he showed up at Susaki Port, probably because Ryoma was afraid of his own. People who leave the domain will bring trouble to the family. "I will find convenience for him in the hall, and you can tell him that you can go home quietly. We can at least repay his kindness in this way." "Understood, I will tell him." After sending these people away at the gate, Okane went up to the second floor and told Ryoma what he said just now. "Yeah." Ryoma nodded, turned his face away, his eyes suddenly became moist.In fact, because he was worried that it would bring trouble to his family, he had already planned not to go home this time. "Then I'll go back and have a look?" He said shyly.How many years have passed since he and Sawamura Shojo left the feudal clan under the guise of appreciating flowers in the second year of Bunjiu?Seems like a long, long time ago. Just when Ryoma's heart was turning a thousand times, Toda Masaku, the secret envoy of Dazaifu Sanjo Mimi who came with him from Nagasaki, came.This person is a liaison officer, and his task is to report to Dazaifu the real situation of the drama that Ryoma is about to direct in Kyoto. "Ozaki-kun, how about going to my house?" Ryoma said suddenly.In fact, Ryoma misses his family so much that he is afraid to go home alone. "Yes, I am willing to accompany you." The young Kyoto native said lightly.His real name was Miyoshi Ozaki, the son of various officials of the Ninnaji imperial family of the imperial family, born in the village of Saiin outside Kyoto, and later held various positions in the new government, and was awarded the title of baron. In the afternoon, the two set off from Suijiang by boat and rowed towards the opposite bank. "The sea water here tastes great." Ryoma dipped his hand in the water, then took it out and licked it.The fresh water of the Shioe River and the sea water of Urado Bay meet here, and the water has just the right amount of saltiness. "I've been swimming here since I was a kid." Ryoma misses the tide here like an old friend.Looking around, countless parasailing boats appeared on the surrounding sea.The sails in the shape of oil-paper umbrellas push the boat forward, and the fisherman is alone on the boat.On the opposite side of this mighty sail is the castle tower of Kochi Castle. Soon, the two landed.In order to avoid people's eyes and ears, they walked along the riverside path with fewer pedestrians.It is more than six miles away from my home in Honmachi 1-chome. When we walked to Nishi Tangjincho, a large bridge flashed in front of us. On the other side of the bridge was Bishan Mountain. A middle-aged samurai was fishing by the bridge. "Ah!" The middle-aged warrior suddenly threw away his fishing rod, jumped up, and the fishing rod floated away along the river. "This, isn't this Ryoma!" This person is Jutaro Goshishimamura, who lives in Tabuchi-cho, Shinmachi, east of the Jojo, and is the brother-in-law of the late Takeichi Hanheita. "You're not a ghost, are you?" "Hush!" Ryoma put his finger on his lips, shook his shoulders exaggeratedly, said "Secret! Secrecy", then left the stunned Shimamura and walked away. Not long after, Ryoma walked all the way to Honmachi along the quiet alleys of Minamihoko, and stood in front of the gate of his house.Unlike usual, the door was open. It hasn't changed at all, Ryoma looked around for a while before stepping in the door. "Wow—" Otome, who was hiding behind the door like a child playing hide-and-seek, yelled, trying to scare Ryoma.Ryoma suddenly laughed, everything was the same as when he was a child. Just half an hour ago, the Sakamoto family had learned that Ryoma was about to return home through the secret notice sent by the feudal hall.It is said that Ryoma was spotted by the old source who was in charge of the investigation when Ryoma was turning north in Nanfeng Gongjin Town, and he flew back to report the letter. Long Ma looked around the door, and the shade of trees in the yard can be seen everywhere, and his relatives are standing under the green shade: here is the old source, there is the niece Chunzhu, and the wet nurse Ayapo.Grandma's eyes were already swollen from crying, and her face was also swollen. "Ah, I'm back!" Ryoma stomped his feet happily, introducing Toda Masara, a samurai from Kyoto, to his family.Toda Masaku was taken aback by the Ryoma family's open family style that did not match the samurai mansion.This family is really interesting, like a businessman's family.From this point of view, Saitani House, a wealthy businessman of the Sakamoto family, which is adjacent to this mansion, deeply affected the temperament of the Sakamoto family.After coming to this home, Toda Masaku finally understood why Ryoma, as a samurai, had such a keen economic acumen. Later, Toda Masara, accompanied by Ryoma, went to the main hall of the inner house, and met Sakamoto Patriarch and Ryoma's elder brother Kwon Ping.Although he is the older brother, Kwon Pyong and Ryoma are far behind in age, enough to be Ryoma's father.The only similarity between him and Ryoma is his tall stature.Kwon Ping is obese and has an ordinary appearance, but his hair has become thinner, not curly like Ryoma's.Toda had heard that Kwon Ping was a master of archery, but at first glance he looked like a reclusive rich man.His little eyes were now filled with tears. In the evening, the Sakamoto family held a reunion banquet.On the front is his elder brother Kwon Ping, guests Toda Masara, Ryoma and others lined up in sequence.Seated next to them was Harubo's uncle Seijiro, followed by Otome, Takeichi Hanpeita's widow Tomiko and others, and Harubo was busy directing the serving of dishes.In the next room were the family members of the Sakamoto family and the shopkeeper of Saitaniya, and others. In the wooden house on the lower ground were the servants such as old source, the boy, and the maid who directed Doma's maid to do the work.There were thirty people in total, it was a lively banquet.Longma's return to his hometown is kept secret this time, and it is not easy to have so many family members come here. This family is so lively.Toda Masara felt a little funny. Kwon Ping has an amazing capacity for drinking, and he kept drinking while smiling from the beginning to the end.Otome is the same, usually she is polite, but on this occasion, she can drink two liters of wine.Her curly hair is exactly the same as Ryoma's. "Otome-san looks a lot like Sakamoto-san." "It's like the hair." Ryoma smiled.When he was a child, his father went to Edo once, bought a wig and gave it to Otome, which is enough to show how much he cares about his daughter's curly hair. Spring Pig may be because she looks like her late mother, which is a different look altogether.She always giggles.Longma loves her very much. "Chun Zhu, there's no more wine!" Long Ma beckoned her to come over and pour wine, but he poured her down instead.Chunzhu can be particularly noisy when drunk, which is really interesting.She already has two daughters, Tsurui and Tumi.They were still young and did not attend the table. "There are animals in the name." "That's right. In other words, pigs gave birth to cranes and rabbits. In Tosa, people like to name animals after them." Ryoma said. Toda Masara found it meaningful that none of the people present asked what Ryoma was doing now, and it seemed that everyone still had some scruples. It is said that Tosa people love to discuss state affairs, but this family seems to be different.Toda thought.They do not comment, but perform their own performances.Here, everyone has their own unique skills.Kwon Pyung sang a wonderful piece of Joruri to the accompaniment of Haruu Sanmisen, Otome took out a ichisen and played a song, and Harui performed a dance to the accompaniment of Ryoma Sanmisen. "Mr. Toda, please come for a while!" Otome didn't even let the guests go.In desperation, Toda had no choice but to sing a lame ballad. The rough style was somewhat incompatible with the lively and cheerful atmosphere of the scene. After the banquet, Toda was put to bed. Ryoma went up to the second floor, and entered the room he had been using since he was a child.Otome has been living in this house since she returned to her mother's house. Otome went upstairs with the unfinished wine, saying that she would drink until dawn tonight. "That can't be done. Unlike my sister, I can't drink so much." "It seems that your drinking capacity is not growing." Otome sat down with a plop.Standing five feet eight inches tall, she was called "the door god of the Sakamoto family" when she was a little girl. Now her majestic physique has grown a lot because of her fat. "Sister, have you given up your plan to leave the domain?" Ryoma joked.He was talking about the fact that Otome mentioned in her letter that she wanted to become a nun and travel to various feudal clans for the nuns, and that she wanted to dress up as a man to engage in sage activities. Otome smiled and was speechless. Afterwards, the siblings drank too much and passed out in the middle of the night. Early the next morning, the officials of the feudal administration and the retainers of the Fukuoka family came to Sakamoto's house and reported to Quan Heitong: "Last night, the feudal administration decided to forgive the crime of making my brother leave the feudal clan." Ryoma's status as a vassal is "the younger brother of Goshi Sakamoto Gonpei" and "the person who takes care of Goshi Sakamoto Gonpei", so he will always tell his elder brother Gwonhei about such things. "But since it's an internal decision, please don't openly walk around the city." That was their condition. However, Ryoma went out anyway.He walked eastward along the coastline from Kochi, and came to the small town of Yasuda in Aki County, more than a hundred miles away.His elder sister, Qianhe, married Takamatsu Junzo, a country scholar and doctor in this city.Ryoma has regarded this place as his own home since he was a child. "I'll take a look at everyone." Saying this, Ryoma walked into Takamatsu's house.After about an hour, he hurriedly said goodbye again.He didn't have any important business here, he just wanted to meet his family. He left a rifle and some ammunition as a gift when he left. Ryoma is busy.After visiting Takamatsu's house, he went to Tanezaki Village outside the city to visit his relative Ogawa Kamejiro.This day happened to be the day when Tanezaki held a sacrificial ceremony, and many delicacies from mountains and seas were prepared in the village. It can only be said that Ryoma was very lucky. "I'm blessed!" Long Ma was very happy, facing the delicious food and wine, feasting on it.Not long after, however, an unexpected guest arrives.The person who came was a nearby villager, who was also the old man Doi Yogoro who was Ryoma's acting master when he was practicing at the Hineno Martial Art Museum. "What? The dragon horse is here?" The old swordsman was overjoyed and rushed into the house.Ryoma was taking a bath in the bathroom in the back room. "Ah! Master!" Ryoma shouted without thinking about getting up. The old man who lived in the earth happened to be bringing his little grandson Ah Yi with him that day. The little guy seemed to have fallen somewhere, his knees were scratched, and he was crying loudly. Ryoma waved to the child from the bath, "Come in too!" As he said that, he was about to come up to help him undress.However, the child's belt was grabbed by the dragon horse, and he cried even harder.Ryoma had no choice but to point to his left chest, and said, "Look, it's a knife wound. Uncle wouldn't cry even if he was cut. If you were a man, you shouldn't cry." Afterwards, Longma came to the living room and chatted with the old man who lived in various places. The child felt bored and cried more and more. "Uncle, I'll draw a drum and a chicken for you right now, don't cry anymore." After speaking, Ryoma took out the inkstone box, and drew a picture with three strokes and two strokes.The painting is so charming that even Ryoma himself can't help being intoxicated by it, but the strange thing is that the little baby is still crying. Ryoma was very frustrated, he took out three glass mirrors from his arms and gave them to the child.After lingering for a long time, the old swordsman Fang was dragged back by his little grandson. On the other side of the fan hall, there is still a mess of arguing about whether to send troops or not.However, during his stay in his hometown, Ryoma just passed the time in some trivial matters, and never raised his claim again. Let the Tosa clan choose their own destiny.This was Ryoma's true thought, and he had almost given up. Ryoma bid farewell to his hometown on the first day of October and left Urado Bay on the Zhentian. Around this time, Goto Shoujiro had already arrived in Kyoto as Rongtang's special envoy, running around to persuade the bureaucrats to accept the plan of returning the government. When Goto went ashore in Osaka, he happened to meet Takamori Saigo. "Let's start by convincing Xixiang." Goto thought, and went to visit the inn where Xixiang was staying. There was also a person named Teramura Zuozen who was introduced by Rongtang to accompany him.Among Rongtang's close ministers, Teramura was a very radical samurai.Rongtang placed him next to Goto, in order to prevent Goto from acting arbitrarily, cutting first and playing later. Hearing that Goto was coming, Xixiang patted his knees and said, "Looks like it's finally time to raise the army." Unable to help but smile, he hurried to the living room.However, what surprised him was that Teramura Sazen, a well-known samurai, stood beside Goto.Xixiang was disappointed. "This is the proposal for the return of the great government that our domain will present to the general." Goto handed Xixiang a document.The whole article is righteous and reasonable, discusses the changes and development of the current situation, expounds the legitimacy of the return of the great government, and even mentions that after the establishment of the Emperor's government, the establishment of a parliament composed of the upper house and the lower house allows ordinary people to have the right to vote for members And the right to be elected, it even talked about the military, diplomatic, and educational systems.This is undoubtedly a wonderful article. For Saigo, who had heard about the original case of the letter from Ryoma, these were not new arguments.He read it and said, "Not bad." He closed the paper and spent the rest of the time listening absentmindedly to Goto.What he wanted was not Tosa's high-spirited talk, but Tosa's force.Finally, he couldn't help but interrupted Goto: "Master Goto, you didn't bring any troops here." Goto was hit to the point, and after a short silence, he immediately said: "The army is placed in the domain." "Haha, put it in the domain?" Xixiang thought this answer was funny. Which domain in the world didn't put the army in its own domain? "Since that's the case, Summer can't agree." The meeting broke up badly. Saigo quickly sent someone to notify Okubo in Kyoto, and then got up and went to Beijing himself, as if chasing his letter.Goto and others followed closely behind and went to Kyoto. Saigo was completely disappointed in Tosa. "Goto's generation, actually think that only a piece of paper can change the world?" He was full of indignation, and said to Okubo Ichizo.西乡听说龙马的大政奉还方案是以武力为后援的，可是这个方案被土佐藩变成了堆砌着冠冕堂皇的辞藻的一纸空文。 “土佐已经无可救药了。”大久保一藏也这样认为，他准备放弃土佐藩。如此一来，武装起兵只能由萨摩和长州两藩来完成。 然而，后藤并没有放弃，他一遍遍拜访萨摩藩府，对着西乡高谈阔论，不厌其烦地劝说。最后，后藤改变了说法。“在武装起义以前，请与土佐藩共进退！”他希望萨摩能够答应这一点。萨摩不得不应了下来。 当然，后藤要劝说的对象不仅仅是萨摩藩，还有艺州浅野家。艺州是安艺广岛四十二万六千石的大藩，原本就是长州的近邻，很容易受到长州的影响。而且藩国的家老辻将曹对于时势颇有预见，也有胆量，最近同萨摩、长州走得很近。 “接下来将会是西国雄藩组建的联邦国家。”辻如此认为。为了参加与西乡约定好的武装政变，他正在计划调动一千名藩兵进京。 后藤赶来劝说辻将曹，口若悬河，在一夜之间让辻将曹接受了土佐藩的和平革命主张。 后藤有雄辩之才。总计他这一生，唯有这段时期最是辉煌灿烂。维新以后，国家太平了，他的想法全都显得过于宏大，也过于空泛，最后在失意中离开了人世。 后藤自然也会拼死劝说幕府要人拱手让出政权。他选择的重点对象是玄蕃头永井尚志。 永井是幕阁中数一数二的人才，而且他为官多年，熟知幕府的内情和实力，他非常清醒，今后无论从财政、民心还是对外的信用来看，幕府已经一无是处。 龙马之前曾经询问永井尚志：“请问，今后若是萨摩和长州联合起来同幕府交战，幕府能够取胜吗？” 永井垂头丧气地说：“不能。” 或许因为他是个文官，少刚强，所以显得很悲观。不仅如此，自从将军庆喜的谋臣原市之进被暗杀以来，永井几乎成了庆喜的秘书官，原来的若年寄一职反倒不怎么显眼了。要想说服庆喜，首先说服永井尚志或许有用。因此，龙马在今年春天把后藤介绍给了永井，随后他说：“城堡的石墙看起来岿然不动，可是总有一处要害，若是将那里的石头拔出来，整面墙就会坍塌。如果说德川庆喜是城墙，那么永井尚志就是那块石头。” 德川幕府这座石城的要害完全维系在永井尚志这样一个孱弱的书生身上，这或许是一种宿命。之所以这样说，是因为庆喜本人知书识理，他自然更喜欢适合与自己交谈的知识分子，而不是那些粗鲁的执著于信念之人。 后藤拼命劝说永井。他并非力主尊王，而是颇尊重幕府，这也显示出他确是个优秀的谋士。“容堂公敬重幕府，在下也敬重幕府。目前这种局势下，恐怕再也没有比我们土佐主仆更加坚定的尊幕之士了。就算幕府瓦解了，我们也一定要保住德川家。让德川家继续存活下去的办法只有一个，那就是大政奉还。”永井尚志自然已将后藤呈上来的建言书献给了将军庆喜，并且充分转达了后藤的主张。然而，庆喜没有回答。 后藤每天都去永井的住处拜访。“我并没有催促的意思，只是想再说一说我的想法。”他又将老一套拿出来，高谈阔论一番后便回去。 永井还誊抄了一份建言书给身在大坂的幕府老中首领板仓胜静，连同后藤的意见也一并写在信里。 幕府无法对这封建言书视而不见。若是驳回的话，萨摩、长州便会以此认定幕府才是朝廷的敌人，到那时他们一定会发动军队讨伐幕府。 自然而然，哪怕后藤每天来两趟，永井尚志也不敢流露一丝一毫不快之色，而是郑重其事、优待有加，他只能这样做。然而，将局势酝酿到这个地步、将幕府逼到走投无路的人，实际上既不是容堂也不是后藤，而是后藤背后的那个人。永井尚志非常明白，是坂本龙马，可是不知为何，后藤压根儿不提坂本龙马的名字，是因为他想独占功劳，还是有什么别的理由？看来后藤是个老奸巨猾的家伙，永井心想。这反倒让永井觉得后藤颇有些意思。 某天，后藤照例来拜访永井，说完了要事正要辞别时，永井说道：“有个人想介绍给你认识。” 后藤心中正纳闷，左手边的格子门拉开了，出现一位面色微黑、下巴丰满、目光锐利的人，他恭恭敬敬地对后藤行了一礼。此人年龄三十四五岁，没有剃发，梳着大大的发髻，家纹的图案是圆圈中画两根横线，身穿奢侈的黑绸衣服。 Who is this person?后藤正在犯嘀咕，对方摆出一副殷勤的态度，自报家门道：“鄙人近藤勇，今后还请多多关照。” 后藤心中一惊，感觉就像在大白天见到了怪物。事实上，近藤在目前比怪物更可怕。只要他一声令下，志士都会殒命。他指挥的新选组不知杀了多少有名无名的志士。只要是他想要杀人，甚至可以无视幕府法令，不必履行所司代、奉行所的手续。最初他们的身份也是浪人，由会津藩主代管，但今年的六月初十，新选组全体成员成了幕府直参，近藤更是成为将军近卫队队长。 近藤昨日忽然来找永井，请求道：“在下想见一见策划大政奉还方案的土佐藩家老后藤象二郎大人。” 永井注意到，这些日子近藤开始对政治表示出兴趣，便答应了。另一个原因就是，他很好奇，后藤见了近藤会如何反应？而且他也很有兴趣试探一下后藤的人品，还想看看后藤的雄辩若是用在几近冥顽不化的近藤勇身上，究竟是否还有效果。 “啊呀，不敢当。”后藤端正了坐姿，微微颔首回礼，报出了自己的姓名。然后，他指了指近藤勇腰间佩带的短刀，说：“鄙人天生就不怎么喜欢阁下腰间那长长的东西，请先把那个取下来吧。然后你我再舒舒服服地随意畅谈，如何？”他半开玩笑地说了这番话。 上座的永井尚志不禁惊叹后藤胆量过人。此人落落大方、从容不迫、机智婉转，在这尔城里恐怕再也找不出第二人。再加上土佐重臣的身份，还代表天下闻名的贤侯容堂，深厚的背景更增加了此人的分量。 看到后藤的这番男子汉气概，近藤也暗暗佩服，一向严肃的他竟然大笑起来，从腰间解下短刀，远远甩了出去。 后藤却认为这位新选组首领是个蠢材。他从一开始便是这样评价暗杀者的，后来英国公使巴夏礼险些被刺客杀害，后藤在巴夏礼面前辩解道：“请您莫要误以为日本人都是这副德行，任何国家都会有无赖和白痴。”在后藤看来，暗杀者无异于无赖白痴。即便是近藤勇，也只是无赖和白痴的头头而已。 但是，后藤同时也惧怕这些无赖和白痴的发作。他为了收服近藤，口若悬河，大展奇才，近藤似乎已经上钩，几乎已经心悦诚服。 来这里之前，近藤只是将后藤看做一个四处宣杨大政奉还的不肖之人，但是目睹了后藤的这番风釆，他开始觉得，既然是如此了得的人提出的方案，还是有讨论价值的。他这次来的目的之一，就是借一份大政奉还方案的手抄本。 “好说。”后藤将一份手抄本交给近藤，开始解释上面的内容。“这虽然是新政府成立的方案，但同时也是一份拯救德川家的方案。”若是这个方案能实现，德川家就可以扔掉政权这个麻烦的包袱，在保有八百万石广阔领地的同时作为诸侯的盟主存留下来。“在下久仰阁下大名，认为阁下是这个国家最杰出的人物。想到日本国的永世繁荣，在下愿意和阁下一起共同推进这个方案。” 把近藤说成是日本最杰出的人物，并且当做当代重要的政治家来对待，这样做满足了近藤的虚荣心。 近藤说到底不过是个武夫，后藤这一番巧妙的哄骗果然奏效，最后他竟然感叹道：“啊呀，您的主张真好似醍醐灌顶！” 一直在一旁观察近藤的永井尚志到此方松了一口气。事实上，永井已经开始觉得，大政奉还正是把德川家从政权的桎梏中解放出来的绝妙方案，只是他却没有信心说服幕府内部。现在看到新选组局长这个幕府内部最强硬之人也表示认同，他不禁想，这个方案看来真能成功。 永井终于得到了信心，感到安心。 近藤唯一不赞成的便是对长州的处置。长州藩既是朝廷的敌人，又是幕府的敌人，而土佐主张宽恕一切，让长州复活。近藤自始至终都坚持认为长州不可饶恕。 后藤对他的言论逐一反驳，又为他分析世界形势，说若是继续内战，日本只有灭亡。他说，如果是站在拯救日本的立场上，就必须立刻宽恕长州。 近藤勇对此最终一言未发。 虽然近藤在长州问题上持有不同意见，他对大政奉还方案并不反感。后藤弄明白了这一点，心道如此一来，就不用担心被新选组盯上了。 近藤似乎对后藤十分中意。“您要是有时间，请一定到我们的驻地坐坐。” 后藤多少把这当成了寒暄的客套话，于是随便敷衍了一句：“方便的话明天我就前去拜访。” 结果近藤这个武州乡下出身的武官把后藤的客套话当真了，第二天果然等了一整天。当他终于明白后藤不会来了，便写了一封催促的信。 后藤收到信后，对近藤的耿直古板大吃一惊，连忙写了一封道歉的信，差遣本藩的下村娃太郎、望月清平二人前去送信。除了信以外，还带了礼物。 要是惹此人不高兴，命就没了。后藤只担心这一点。 近藤愈发地佩服后藤的彬彬有礼、人品和识见，召集了新选组的头领，下令道：“不准对土州的后藤动手。” 近藤的这句话，对于那些在京都活动的人来说是宝贵的护身符。 近藤还想再和后藤见面，便写了一封信：“若是您不便前来，鄙人想登门拜访，不知何时方便？” 后藤的回信道：“昨夜游歲山，偶染风寒，一直卧床。”看来他渐渐觉得近藤有些烦了。即便如此，近藤还是颇不识相地写了封信来慰问，在信中还在追问何时能与他见面。 后藤被逼无奈，最后终于约了个日子，定下在祇园的高级饭庄里见面。 新选组局长近藤勇乃是武藏南多摩农家之子，他学的是在附近乡下十分流行的天然理心流，成为本家的养子，后来又继承了本家。他在江户也有小武馆。文久三年，他应征清河八郎的浪士组。抵达京都后他和浪人分道扬镳，创立了新选组，所有经费都是经京都守护松、平容保之手由幕府提供的。 新选组队规严格，队员勇猛果敢。当然，他们最初是为尊王攘夷而聚集起来的，可是不知从何时起，这种想法淡薄了，而最终变成幕府的爪牙，这主要是头领近藤和副手土方岁三的性格决定的。 土方对政治丝毫不感兴趣，反而对让新选组强大表现出异常的热情，只专注于这件事。近藤和他有些不同，随着新选组在政局中的特殊性渐渐凸显出来，近藤开始尝试着在政局中发言。尤其是长州在元治元年晚夏的給御门之变中溃败以来，近藤与各藩的留守居役在祇园和岛原频频聚会，逐渐加入了他们的讨论。 本来，近藤不过是一介剑客，要说教养，大抵只是读过《日本外史》罢了，可是，他天生是个聪明人。尤其是来到京都，接触了各种事情，他逐渐悟出了政治的本质。处理队中事务之余，他还抄写赖山阳的著作练习书法，并且学会了如何写信。 近藤正是这样一个有着极强上进心的人，只是他有一个致命的愚蠢之处。 “将军大人至高无上。”这种农民的信仰深深地扎根心中，毫不动摇。他的出生地武藏南多摩距离江户不远，并且是将军的直辖领地。这片土地上的农民对将军的尊崇之情，当然比旗本、御家人这类直参武士还要强烈。这种信仰已经成为他所有思想的根基。在他眼中，长州人等勤王浪人都是反抗将军大人的谋逆之人，就算是将这些罪大恶极之人扔进锅里煮了炸了都不足以解心头之恨。新选组和长州人原本都是尊王攘夷的，然而在现实中却南辕北辙，究其原因正在于此。 而且近藤的上进心太强了。他最初是以志士的身份来到京都，却没有选择志士应该走的不计回报、无私奉献之路，而是向幕府权力靠拢，憧憬着有朝一日荣爵加身，而后终于如愿以偿地成了旗本。行将灭亡的政权惯用的手段便是“以位杀人”，近藤便栽在这一招上。 近藤的野心并没有就此打住，他已经不满足于仅仅做一个幕府的武官，而是想以政客的身份结交雄藩的代表。他那近乎异常的接近后藤象二郎的方式正是出于这种想法。 在和后藤的第二次会面中，因后藤这个好酒之人的带动，近藤酩酊大醉。“我很羡慕大人。”他开始说“可爱”的话。“如果我也出生在贵藩，或许不会是现在这个样子，就能够做自己想做的事情了。” 可见这一时期的近藤的内心并没有那么单纯，他已经能够看出些苗头，却不得不站在愈发偏离时势潮流的幕府一方，这多少让他感到了寂寞。