I formed the strongest swordsman group.

Chapter 867: The Birth of the Law-Punishment Party [5800]

  Half a month after Yamata no Orochi met with Takasugi Shinsaku and Katsura Kogoro——

In a room in an unknown inn in Hagi Castle, Choshu—

Since I turned 60, my energy has declined significantly.

Tamamonomae was very troubled by this.

After working for another two hours in a row, fatigue set in as expected, my eyelids began to droop, and my head began to swell.

She dozed off, leaning on her elbow as usual.

Half asleep and half awake, she suddenly recalled the old past.

Various images appeared, disappeared, split, and merged before her eyes.

In a short while, one of the scenes was frozen, colored, with lines condensed and outlines deepened, and soon it became a clear scene.

Although he could not speak in his dream, Tamamonomae could not help but exclaim in amazement after seeing the detailed picture of the scene.

Heavy rain, deep mountains, gatherings of the Law Enforcement Group, an atmosphere of despair... That's right, it was the day when she first met the Yamata no Orochi.

Even though this happened twenty years ago, she still remembers vividly what she experienced that day.

Hualalalalalalalalalalal…

The heavy rain poured down mercilessly on everyone.

About a hundred people gathered in the desolate mountains to discuss future plans.

  The meeting had just begun when someone lost control of his emotions and shouted:

"Bullshit 'Law of Punishment'! Bullshit uprising! We are just sending ourselves to die for nothing!"

As soon as this statement was made, there were many responses.

"That's right! This is suicide! This is not an uprising! This is certainly not the overthrow of the Qing Dynasty!"

"We are here to overthrow the Qing Dynasty, not to die!"

"I've had enough! Whoever wants to stay can stay, I'm not going to keep you company any longer!"

"Me too! I'm quitting too!"

"Go, go, go! I'd rather go it alone than stay and die!"

As the noise continued, more and more people stood up and left.

At first there were two or three people, then a dozen people, and then dozens of people...

"Wait! Don't go!"

"Although this defeat was tragic, we still have a chance to make a comeback!"

"Hey! Where's your promise of 'never giving up until the shogunate falls'?!"

"Cowards! You cowards!"

Tamamonomae, who was just over 40 years old at that time and still had her charm, sat in the crowd with a wooden expression. She neither stood up to leave nor tried to persuade those who were leaving.

——Now that things have come to this, there is nothing we can do.

She thought this pessimistically.

If she didn't hate the shogunate so much and had nowhere else to go, she might have gotten up and left.

Just half a month ago, the Law and Execution Group - which had not yet been renamed the "Law and Execution Party" at that time - launched a new uprising.

The location of the uprising was chosen as Kobe.

Kobe is located in the southwest of Gyeonggi Province, far away from the core territory of the shogunate (Kanto), and the Tokugawa family's ruling power is relatively weak.

Raise the banner of "overthrowing the shogunate", capture Kobe, and then use it as a base to recruit soldiers and expand strength, destroy the shogunate in one fell swoop, and clear the world - this is the plan of the Law Enforcement Group.

Gathering personnel, stockpiling weapons, training tactics, everything went according to plan, steadily and without any problems.

However... although they had made every possible preparation, after the uprising was officially launched, everything they faced and encountered was completely different from what they had imagined...

Swords and knives have neither a terrifying attack range nor terrifying armor-piercing ability. They are just decorations on the battlefield and are far less useful than spears.

It can be used to chop down civilians who are not wearing armor, which is very convenient.

During the attack on Kobe, the performance of the warriors of the Law Enforcement Group was nothing short of heroic.

However, it is still difficult to resist the well-equipped samurai group.

The warriors wielded their swords mercilessly, killing the Fazhu group and making them completely defeated.

In just half a day, the uprising that the Law Enforcement Group had been planning for a long time ended in a disastrous defeat.

The precious fighting power that had been accumulated with great difficulty was just wasted.

In the eyes of the shogunate, this was just an ordinary rebellion.

The rebellion was quelled with little effort, hardly even worthy of being recorded in the history books.

But for the Fazhu Group, this was undoubtedly a disaster.

As a result, we have the scenes of "shouting and cursing" and "standing up and leaving" today.

It would be too harsh to call those who decided to withdraw from the Law Enforcement Group "cowards" - after all, Tamamonomae could understand them very well.

Trying your best but failing miserably... Such a tragic reality would make anyone feel frustrated and collapse.

Even Tamamonomae, a veteran of the Law Enforcement Group, couldn't help but feel like retreating.

Although the Hojugumi was an association with a long history, it was always on the brink of collapse due to repeated attacks from the shogunate and the feudal domains.

Before the "Black Ship Incident" seriously weakened the shogunate's prestige, the Edo Shogunate, which controlled a quarter of Japan, was a terrifying behemoth.

There was neither a wise leader to strategize, nor an orderly organizational structure. There was no people and no money. It was nonsense to want to overthrow the Edo Shogunate based on passion alone.

  How did you get to where you are today?

Tamamonomae asked herself this out of the blue.

This is such a distant story...

Once upon a time, she was just an ordinary farm girl.

A majestic father, a kind mother, a thatched hut and a few acres of thin land.

Although it is not superior, it is not bad either. At least there is no risk of starving to death.

In such an environment where "the rich have fields stretching for miles, while the poor have no place to stand", having land to farm is an extremely lucky thing.

There were no disasters, no accidents, no surprises... She spent the first eight years of her life in such an ordinary way - until the arrival of the "help the village" order.

Speaking of "helping the countryside", this is truly a system that makes millions of people grit their teeth.

Simply put, this was a form of labor during the Edo period.

When the post station was short of manpower and horses, the neighboring villages had to provide manpower and horses.

These ordinary people who were forcibly recruited to help did not receive any wages at all and worked for nothing.

In the process of assisting in the transportation of goods, whether the horse you provided is killed or injured, or you yourself are killed or injured, it is considered bad luck for you, and the shogunate will never give you any compensation.

What is even more frustrating is that “helping the countryside” is mandatory and no excuses are allowed.

Once an order is received, no matter whether it is the busy farming season or the slack farming season, everyone must put down everything at hand and rush to report to the barracks.

One day when Tamamonomae was 8 years old, the nearby Hakone inn forced her father to transport goods.

Hakone is a famous hot spring town, and its "Hakone Seven Hot Springs" are world-famous.

What Tamamonomae's father was going to deliver... was the hot spring water from Hakone.

"Okiyu" appeared in the early Kanbun period (1661-1673) during the reign of the fourth shogun, Tokugawa Ietsugu.

The so-called "Gokiyu" refers to the hot spring water used by the general's family.

Hot springs, which can both cheer people up and heal injuries, have always been popular among Japan's nobles.

However, the noble Shogun family would never leave Edo just to soak in a hot spring.

Therefore, in order to allow the general's family to enjoy hot springs at any time, "Yujiyu" came into being.

How were the hot springs transported to Edo for the Shogun to enjoy?

It’s very simple, just ship it in wooden barrels!

Under the instructions of the shogunate officials and magistrates, there was a strict procedure for the use of the Gokkei bath.

First, the shop owner, who was wearing a formal outfit with a family crest, a hakama and a mask, used a long-handled ladle to scoop water from the soup, poured it into a brand new cypress bucket, and then sealed the bucket.

Then, the soup barrels were transported using the system of supporting villages, and were moved to Edo in a relay manner day and night.

It was first transported to Edo Bridge, and then sent to the warehouse in Edo Castle by other workers for storage.

Hot spring water from hot spring areas such as Atami, Hakone, and Kusatsu would be offered to the Shogun's family.

In this way, in order to allow the Shogun's family to soak in the freshest hot springs, Tamamonomae's father was forcibly conscripted to the post station.

That’s all.

But as luck would have it, the time when he was conscripted to transport hot springs happened to be the busy farming season.

As we all know, there are only a few days in a year that are suitable for farming.

If you miss this period, you will have no harvest this year.

Although Tamamonomae's father begged for more time, he was ruthlessly rejected.

This trip will last for two months.

By the time he returned home, the busy farming season had undoubtedly passed and it would be too late to remedy the situation.

To make matters worse, he accidentally sprained his waist while carrying the heavy bucket of soup on his back.

When he managed to get home, his injuries were so severe that he had difficulty walking.

Not only did they delay farm work, but they also hurt their bodies and made such a huge sacrifice, but the shogunate refused to pay even a penny in compensation, leaving them to fend for themselves.

Humiliation, grief, hatred... a torrent of painful emotions engulfed Tamamonomae's father.

In a fit of rage, he vomited blood and fell to the ground, and died soon after.

Even though it had gotten to this point, their family's tragedy was not over yet.

Farmers in feudal times had no means to resist disasters and could only work and eat.

Even in years with excellent harvests, it was still barely enough to fill the stomach.

This is the case even in a good year, let alone a year with no harvest due to missing the farming season?

The shogunate will not exempt you from taxes just because you lack money and food or because a family member has died.

The pressure of filling one’s stomach, the pressure of paying taxes…even if one sells all the valuable things in the house, it is still a drop in the bucket.

Tamamonomae's mother was already weak and could not withstand such torture at all.

The death of her husband, her inability to pay taxes, and her hunger...under such multiple blows, she left Tamamonomae.

Those happy days, those days when I had both parents and no worries, disappeared like a dream.

The family was broken up... all because of a bucket of hot spring in the general's house.

For a girl who is only 8 years old, the only means of survival is to wander around and beg.

Fortunately, not long after she started wandering, she was taken in by the owner of a brothel in Yoshiwara.

After several years of training, she became a prostitute in Yoshiwara.

With her pretty face and eloquent speech, she felt at home in Yoshiwara.

Although she could not become an oiran, she had no shortage of patrons and was one of the most popular prostitutes in the shop.

She never forgets, nor dares to forget, the tragedies she had experienced.

Her hatred for the shogunate did not fade over time, but became stronger. In Yoshiwara, which was both glamorous and filthy, she witnessed more darkness. One day, by chance, she learned about the existence of the Law Enforcement Group.

After learning that the Hojugumi was a secret society founded during the Kansei period (1789-1800) with the mission of overthrowing the shogunate, she immediately developed a strong interest in it.

With a strong hatred for the shogunate, she joined the Law Enforcement Group without hesitation.

Taking advantage of her status, she began to deliberately get close to high-ranking officials in the shogunate to collect intelligence for the Law Enforcement Group.

With very few exceptions, the retirement age for prostitutes is 28.

At this age, one can either raise enough money to redeem oneself and become free again, or retreat to the second line and do logistics work, specifically serving the young prostitutes in the shop.

As one of the top girls in the store, she had already earned enough money to redeem herself.

However, although she redeemed herself, she did not leave Yoshiwara. Instead, she changed her job to become a dispatcher who was responsible for supervising and training prostitutes. She continued to stay in Yoshiwara and continued to collect intelligence for the Law Enforcement Group.

In a blink of an eye, more than 20 years have passed.

I have gone from being a beautiful lady to an old and ugly woman.

The Law and Punishment Group is still the same Law and Punishment Group.

The shogunate is still the same shogunate.

Over the years, all their efforts to overthrow the Qing Dynasty have ended in failure.

The old men died or quit one after another...before they knew it, Tamamonomae had become the most senior person in the organization.

"Overthrow the shogunate"...seems to be an unfulfilled dream forever.

Tamamonomae couldn't help but think:

——The history of the Law Enforcement Group probably ends today...

Gradually, she came back to her senses.

Looking up, there was nothing around.

Everyone was gone.

Those who claimed "I won't keep you company" ran away without a trace.

Those who advised others not to leave and called them "cowards" probably saw that most people had left and they no longer had the confidence to hold on, so they also ran away.

The association that lasted for nearly half a century had come to such a sad end...

——Well... let's just leave it at that...

Failures one after another have completely exhausted Tamamonomae's energy.

At this moment, she felt no sadness or joy.

She stood up with a slender expression and stiff movements, looking very much like a clay or wooden sculpture.

  Where to go next?

Where else could I go?

How will I live after this?

As she was silently pondering these heavy questions——

"Great! This is a great place! Let's use this as our base for a comeback!"

The sudden young voice made her startled.

She mechanically turned her head and looked in the direction of the voice - she saw a young man in his 20s standing with his head held high, his hands on his hips, looking at the open space under his feet with confidence.

Not ugly nor handsome, not fat nor thin, not tall nor short... this person exudes an "ordinary" aura from the inside out.

Tamamonomae recognized this young man. He had just joined the Law Enforcement Group not long ago. Due to his short experience, she could not remember his name.

"...Why don't you leave?"

Driven by curiosity, Tamamonomae couldn't help but ask.

The young man looked at her and raised his eyebrows:

"Eh? Grandma, you're still here? I thought you were all gone."

Because of her seniority, Tamamonomae is often respectfully referred to as "Granny" within the organization.

At this moment, Tamamo suddenly realized that there was a child following the young man... to be more precise, a child holding a baby.

The child was about 3 or 4 years old. He stood next to the young man with an expressionless face. His demeanor showed unusual maturity, which was not at all like the appearance of a child of his age.

It is worth mentioning that he was holding a baby in his arms - judging from her appearance, it should be a baby girl.

The baby was covered with a raincoat. I don't know if she was careless or what, but she fell asleep in the wind and rain, not affected by the external environment at all.

  The young man noticed Tamamonomae's gaze and smiled:

"These two children were adopted not long ago."

"My brother is a congenitally deaf and mute, and my sister is still a baby."

"I felt sorry for them, so I adopted them."

After saying that, he raised his big hand affectionately and rubbed the boy's little head.

Tamamonomae doesn't care about what's happening to this brother and sister for the time being.

She was now focused on only one thing: What was wrong with this person? Why was he still here?

"Why don't you leave?"

  Tamamonomae repeated the question and added:

"Didn't you see that the team had dispersed?"

Faced with Tamamonomae's questioning, the young man reacted quite calmly.

He just spread his hands, shrugged his shoulders, and smiled optimistically:

"Although the team is broken up, we are not dead yet, right?"

"As long as we are still alive, we still have a chance to make a comeback!"

"Mother-in-law, look, this place is beautiful, and most importantly, it's in a remote location, so it's not easy for the government to find it. It's really a good place to build a base!"

"I have decided to rebuild the Law Execution Group right here!"

"It's a reconstruction anyway, so let's change the name as well."

"From now on, the 'Law and Punishment Group' will be renamed the 'Law and Punishment Party'!"

“This name is not only majestic, but also better reflects the nature of our association.”

Tamamonomae stared at the young man blankly, with a dazed look on her face.

  After a while, she frowned slightly and said in an unhappy tone:

"What are you talking about?"

"Establishing a base and changing the name... Do you think you are the leader of the Law and Punishment Group?"

  The young man smiled and said calmly:

"Mother-in-law, as you can see."

He pointed to the empty ground beneath his feet.

"The team has broken up, hasn't it?"

"The only remaining members of the Law and Punishment Group are you and me."

"Mother-in-law, although you are an experienced elder, you are not suitable to be a leader."

"In this case, it is only natural for me to become the new leader of the Law Enforcement Group!"

Tamamonomae blinked hard, unable to suppress her astonishment.

  This man's behavior told Tamamonomae that he was not joking, he was serious!

"...That's enough. Stop struggling in vain."

  Tamamonomae lowered her head, stared closely at her toes, and said in a deep voice:

"Even if the Law Enforcement Group is rebuilt, what can we do?"

"It has been twenty years since I joined the Law Enforcement Group."

"We have been failing for the past 20 years."

"We have failed time and again... and there is almost no sign of success."

"Young man, listen to my advice and leave. Living a good life is better than anything else."

As soon as Tamamonomae finished speaking, the young man repeated the word she had just said loudly, as if in response to stress.

"'Alive'?"

In an instant, the young man's expression changed drastically.

The optimistic smile disappeared, and the facial lines became distorted and hideous.

"The reason I joined the Law Enforcement Group is because I couldn't survive any longer!"

After saying this, under the influence of excitement, his chest rose and fell rapidly, and he breathed heavily with "huff, huff".

Hearing the other party's roar, Tamamonomae seemed to sense something and her body trembled slightly.

About half a minute later, the young man let out a long sigh and his facial expression returned to normal.

"Granny, when I decided to fight against the shogunate and realize my ideals, I was determined to die."

"I am not afraid of death, so why should I be afraid of defeat?"

After hearing this, Tamamonomae slowly raised her eyes and stared at the young man blankly.

She couldn't remember what happened after that.

I only remember that from that day on, the "Law and Punishment Group" was officially renamed the "Law and Punishment Party."

Also from that day on, she began to follow and serve the young man, becoming his first subordinate.

……

……

“Mother-in-law… Mother-in-law…! Mother-in-law!”

Tamamonomae felt someone shaking her body.

The dream is broken and consciousness awakens.

She slowly opened her eyes…before she saw anyone, she saw her belly first.

Yamata no Orochi stood beside her with a smile on his face and a round belly.

"Mother-in-law, if you want to sleep, you'd better go to bed. You're prone to back problems if you stay like this. You're already old, so you should take good care of your body."

He raised his eyebrows as he spoke, then stared at the other person's face with curiosity.

"Hmm? Grandma, you seem very happy. What kind of dream did you have?"

  Tamamonomae smiled:

"Nothing, just dreaming about some of our past."

"Oh? Can you tell me more about it?"

"No, it's embarrassing to say it out loud."

Having said this, Tamamonomae seemed to remember something and cast a look of emotion towards the Yamata-no-Orochi.

"Another twenty years have passed... Orochi, we must succeed this time."

Although the other party's words were incoherent, Yamata no Orochi quickly understood his meaning and smiled calmly:

"Yes, it will definitely succeed! This time, the Edo Shogunate must be destroyed!"

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New volume opens! Please vote for me! Please vote for me! (Leopard head crying.jpg)

I wanted to take a day off in the name of opening a new volume, but Leopard successfully overcame his laziness with amazing perseverance! Leopard is so amazing! (Leopard Hi.jpg)

PS: Although this book occasionally mentions the darkness of the Edo period, the content involved is just the tip of the iceberg.

A document once wrote: For a period of time, the total population of the Edo period stagnated, neither falling nor rising. Because life was so hard, people often drowned their newborn babies.