I formed the strongest swordsman group.

Chapter 871: A New Tosa, Searching for Sakamoto Ryoma [5100]

"Ho...! Ho...! Ho...! Ho...!"

The hoarse and weak moans made those who heard them shudder.

Being forced to kneel on the ground is already very uncomfortable, and having heavy stones on the legs... Because it causes great pain to the person being punished, "stone hugging" has always been one of the most favored punishments by executioners.

Okada Izo fell forward limply, and the two huge rocks pressing on his legs served as his support.

I saw him using a stone as a pillow and breathing heavily.

However, before he could catch his breath, the executioner at the side grabbed his hair and pulled him up.

"Hey! Who told you to rest?"

Under the rough pulling of the executioner, Okada Izo's face was exposed to the sun.

The face, which had not been washed for a long time, was covered with thick dirt and dotted with blood. With just a light rub, a mud ball as big as a finger could be rubbed out.

His hair was tangled, his eyes were bloodshot, his expression was numb, and there was no light in his eyes... At first glance, he looked half dead.

Under the instructions of Goto Shojiro, Okada Izo became a "key focus".

He was subjected to various tortures, including stone hugging, shrimp beating, and whipping.

After more than a year of repeated torture, the "Renzan Izo" who once dominated Kyoto has become this miserable appearance, neither human nor ghost.

Fortunately, Okada Izo is a martial artist with a strong body, and his ability to withstand blows and recover is first-class.

Otherwise, ordinary people would definitely not be able to endure such torture.

At this time, another executioner came forward and played the villain:
"Okada Izo, you can rest if you want."

"As long as you reveal all the dirty things that your master, Takechi Hanpeita, has done, you won't have to suffer anymore."

"Not only that, not long ago, Mr. Goto personally promised that as long as you are willing to identify Takechi Hanpeita, you will be rewarded for your crimes."

"Afterwards, he will promote you to the rank of 'Bai Zha Xiang Shi'."

"For an Ashigaru, this is already a great opportunity, you must seize it."

When mentioning the word "Ashigaru", the executioner emphasized the word.

Okada Izo was of very humble status.

He was born into a family of "Ashigaru", the lowest class among the country folk.

In Tosa, the foot soldiers were treated no differently than street cats and dogs.

As a teenager, Okada Izo was bullied because he was inferior to others. His heart was filled with a strong desire to "stand out from the crowd", so he practiced swordsmanship diligently.

With his status, it was difficult for him to enter a first-class dojo to study, so he could only hide outside the dojo and learn secretly.

It wasn't until he met Takechi Hanpeita that his miserable life, which was like a rag, finally began to turn around.

Takechi Hanpeita was impressed by his talent and not only did not despise his background, but he also accepted him as his apprentice, giving him the opportunity to finally become a formal apprentice and learn skills.

Later, Takechi Hanpeita sponsored him to study abroad in Edo, where he became a disciple of "Momoi no Utsui" Momoi Shunzo, practiced the Kagami Shinmei-ryu, and eventually succeeded in obtaining the Menkyo Kaiden.

After that, Takechi Hanpeita took him to travel and practice in Bocho and Kyushu, and on the way he learned the Jikji-ryu sword technique in Bungo Oka domain.

This is the origin of Okada Izo's superb swordsmanship.

This is also why Okada Izo admired Takechi Hanpeita so much - he will never forget your kindness!

Facing the executioner's "red and white duet", Okada Izo endured the severe pain, pulled the corners of his mouth, and revealed a mocking smile:

“Stop… talking nonsense…”

"It makes my ears hurt..."

"If you have any tricks, just use them..."

"If I... cry out in pain... I'm... a bastard..."

"I will never... betray... Mr. Takechi..."

"You guys... open your eyes wide... and watch carefully..."

"History will eventually prove that...Teacher Takechi...is right!"

At the end of his words, Okada Izo gathered his strength and roared loudly, scaring the executioners.

After they recovered from the shock, the executioners angrily shouted:
"You still don't repent even after all this!"

"You're still talking about 'respecting the king and expelling the barbarians'! Let me tell you, not long ago, Choshu mobilized 10,000 troops to attack Kyoto from the east, but was defeated by King Ni. Don't even think about 'respecting the king and expelling the barbarians' anymore!"

"It's all your fault that you short-sighted fellows brutally murdered Lord Yoshida! If Lord Yoshida were still alive, under his wise leadership, our Tosa's national strength would surely increase greatly!"

"Since you are still so energetic, I will give you another stone!"

"Come on, bring another stone!"

In a moment, another stone was brought over and placed on Okada Izo's thigh.

The three huge rocks stacked together were taller than half of Okada Izo's body.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh-!"

The terrifying screams spread again.

……

……

At this moment, when Okada Izo was being tortured, Goto Shojiro stood on a pavilion not far away with his hands behind his back, looking down expressionlessly, coldly watching the tortured Okada Izo.

A certain follower standing behind Goto Shojiro sighed softly:

"Mr. Goto, I'm not praising the thief, but... this Okada Izo is really capable. He was tortured for more than a year, but he would rather die than surrender."

After hearing this, Goto Shojiro snorted coldly:
"Would rather die than surrender? In my opinion, this guy is stubborn and will never repent!"

"It has come to this, but you still can't recognize Takechi Hanpeita's mistake."

"If you don't use your courage for the right purpose, you are only helping the evil!"

Compared to the past, Tosa has undergone tremendous changes today.

The current lord of Tosa Domain is Yamauchi Toyonori (the 16th lord).

But in reality, the power of the feudal government has always been firmly in the hands of the former feudal lord Yamamoto no Nakadori (the 15th feudal lord).

Although Yamauchi Tōng was not old (he was 37 years old at the time), he was indeed a politician with sophisticated means and a keen sense of smell.

When the pro-shogunate faction and the sonnōjō faction were fighting fiercely, he never stood up and clearly stated his political stance.

After Qing Deng and others launched the "August 18th Coup" and expelled the Choshu forces from Kyoto, and the pro-shogunate faction gained an overwhelming advantage, he acted quickly, declaring the Tosa Kinno Party to be an evil organization that brought harm to the country and the people, banned it, and launched a large-scale hunt for related members.

In this way, we show our loyalty to the shogunate through practical actions: We, the Tosa clan, will always stand on the side of the Tokugawa family!
Although this light-speed rebound behavior is hilarious, it is indeed useful.

Tosa Domain was one of the most powerful domains in the western part of the country (with a territory of 24 koku).

Its light-speed rebound can serve as a good demonstration and indirectly boost the authority of the shogunate - based on this point alone, the shogunate had to treat the Tosa domain with courtesy.

The Tosa Kinno Party, which once controlled the feudal government, fell overnight.

After banning the Tosa Kinno Party, Yamanouchi Dodo strongly promoted Goto Shojiro and appointed him to the important positions of Tosa Domain's Grand Supervisor and Councillor (the highest regent of the domain, equivalent to the prime minister).

In addition, he also ordered Goto Shojiro to have full authority to try the "Yoshida Toyo murder case."

You know, Yoshida Toyo is a close and trusted aide promoted by Yamauchi Dodo.

After Yoshida Toyo was murdered, Yamauchi Dodo did not say anything and allowed the Tosa Kinno Party, which was heavily suspected, to grow stronger.

Only when the time is right will they eradicate it completely... This kind of mentality alone is beyond the reach of ordinary people.

In fact, anyone with a little political sensitivity can see that Yamauchi Dodo deliberately allowed the Tosa Kinno Party to mess around.

The purpose was to give the Tosa clan enough room to "jump left and right".

Once the Sonjo faction won, the Tosa Kinno-tō would become an excellent association of all the wise men.

Once the pro-shogunate faction won, the current miserable situation would occur: "watching it entertain guests, and watching the building collapse."

Goto Shojiro - He was 26 years old at the time and was a well-known hero in Tosa Domain.

"When talking about the young talents of Tosa Domain, we have to mention Goto Shojiro" - his talent and fame reached this level.

He lost his father at a young age and was raised by his uncle Yoshida Toyo and his uncle Kenji. He learned both civil and martial arts since childhood and studied at the Shaolin School run by Yoshida Toyo. He was deeply influenced by his uncle Toyo, an enlightened politician who was well-versed in both Chinese and Western culture.

At the same time, he studied under the Yanagikawa samurai Oishi Tanemachi, learning the Oishi Shinkage Ryu. He was also an expert in swordsmanship.

Yoshida Toyo was proficient in both Chinese and Western studies, and his understanding of Western civilization was much deeper than that of the closed-minded and conservative Japanese imperialists.

In his view, rejecting globalization and excluding the West is nothing but empty talk by corrupt scholars with water in their brains.

Therefore, during his tenure as councilor of Tosa Domain, he vigorously promoted a series of reforms, advocating the abolition of family background, the development of industry and commerce, military reform, the establishment of national trade, and the enrichment of the country and strengthening of the military.

Many people thought: If Yoshida Toyo had not died, why would our Tosa Domain have to take such a long detour like today?

Whenever they thought of this, they hated the short-sighted thief who killed Yoshida Toyo even more. After Goto Shojiro came to power, he continued Yoshida Toyo's philosophy of governing the country, advocated innovation, and established the "Kaiseikan" to promote reform.

Under the governance of Goto Shojiro, Tosa Domain had a new look, its national strength grew day by day, and it was gradually transforming into an enlightened country like Satsuma that "blended Japanese and Western cultures."

While concentrating on governing the country, Goto Shojiro did not forget to find the real murderer who killed his uncle Toyo.

Takechi Hanpeita has always been suspected of being the real murderer of Yoshida Toyo.

After all, after Yoshida Toyo's death, Takechi Hanpeita was the one who benefited the most.

Yamauchi Dojiro ordered Goto Shojiro, who was both a relative of Yoshida Toyo and his favorite disciple, to try the case... It was obvious that Yamauchi Dojiro was determined to kill Takechi Hanpeita and the Tosa Kinno Party.

For Goto Shojiro, Yoshida Toyo was not only his closest relative, but also his mentor.

Yoshida Toyo was killed and even his head was chopped off - for a samurai, this was a great shame - Goto Shojiro's inner grief was beyond words.

Therefore, after being ordered to try the "Yoshida Toyo Murder Case", he immediately put in his utmost effort and vowed not to give up until he found out the truth of the case!

In this way, the Tosa Loyalists were tortured to the point where they were unable to live or die.

Although many people were forced to confess under torture, they were still unable to obtain solid evidence to convict Takechi Hanpeita.

Suddenly, the attendant behind Goto Shojiro hesitated for a moment and then made a suggestion:

"Mr. Goto, this is not a solution. I think we should interrogate Takechi Hanpeita directly!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Goto Shojiro refused without hesitation:

"No! I've told you so many times, this is short-sighted! It's not worth it!"

According to the laws of the Tosa domain, sergeants were exempt from torture.

After the rise of the Tosa Kinno-tō faction, Takechi Hanpeita, who was originally just a "shiraza no kunisa", was promoted to "joshi sergeant".

For this reason, when Okada Izo and others were tortured beyond recognition, Takechi Hanpeita stayed comfortably in a clean and spacious cell, and apart from the restriction of his personal freedom, he did not suffer any injustice.

Many people have complained about the privileges he enjoys.

Ever since Goto Shojiro officially tried the "Yoshida Toyo Murder Case", many people suggested to him: demote Takechi Hanpeita back to the level of "White Note Country Savant", so that he can be tortured naturally!

With Goto Shojiro's current power, he can definitely do so.

But he was very opposed to such an approach.

In his opinion, this approach would set a very bad precedent.

Arbitrarily depriving others of their "sergeant" status for the convenience of torture... This would greatly shake the class order of the Tosa domain and make the "sergeant" rank lose its sacredness.

It's totally not worth it to create such a huge disaster just for a mere Takechi Hanpeita.

Therefore, Goto Shojiro always adhered to the bottom line of "not depriving Takechi Hanpeita of his status as a 'sergeant'."

"..."

Goto Shojiro stared at Okada Izo who was still wailing, without saying a word, as if thinking.

After a moment, he whispered:
"...Anyway, let's maintain the status quo for now."

"I have plenty of time anyway."

"I want to see whether it's Takechi Hanpeita, Okada Izo and the others who give up first, or my patience runs out first."

After that, he turned and left.

He is a national councilor who is busy with all kinds of affairs, and he doesn't have the time to waste a lot of time on these stray dogs.

As he was striding forward, he suddenly saw a young man of about 26 or 7 years old walking towards him.

When the young man saw Goto Shojiro, he immediately shouted:
"Goto-kun, so you're here! I finally found you!"

Goto Shojiro asked calmly:

"Itagaki-kun, is there something wrong?"

Itagaki Taisuke—the name of this young man.

There are three great masters of Satsuma (Kichinosuke Saigo, Taito Komatsu, and Ikzo Ōkubo).

Choshu also had three heroes (Kusaka Genzui, Takasugi Shinsaku, and Katsura Kogoro).

Tosa also has three heroes.

The "Three Heroes of Tosa" are Goto Shojiro, Itagaki Taisuke, and Sasaki Takayuki.

Among them, Sasaki Takayuki is relatively low-key, so he is not very famous.

Therefore, when talking about the "Three Heroes of Tosa", the ones people often talk about are Goto Shojiro and Itagaki Taisuke.

Goto Shojiro was in charge of politics, and Itagaki Taisuke was in charge of military affairs. Both of them were Yamanouchi Tomo's confidants.

After the fall of the Tosa Loyalist Party, they both became central figures in the Tosa domain government under the strong promotion of Yamanouchi Dodo.

In response to Goto Shojiro's question, Itagaki Taisuke did not answer immediately, but glanced at the followers behind him.

Goto Shojiro understood and turned his head, saying to his attendant:

"You leave first."

"Yes."

The follower responded and retreated in two steps at a time.

After the sound of his footsteps gradually faded away, Itagaki Taisuke said seriously:
"Goto-kun, I found Sakamoto Ryoma."

Sakamoto Ryoma——upon hearing this name, Goto Shojiro immediately fixed his eyes and looked serious.

Speaking of Sakamoto Ryoma, he was truly a prominent figure in Tosa Domain.

He was born into a merchant family. His ancestors specialized in selling sake and their business empire spread throughout the domain. Later, he paid money to purchase the status of a country samurai.

Although he was of humble origin, his family was very wealthy and the Sakamoto family was one of the richest businessmen in Tosa.

Because of his outstanding talent in swordsmanship, he was already a famous and talented swordsman at a young age.

In 1854, he went to Edo to study and became a disciple of Chiba Sadakichi.

In 1857, Yamauchi Dodo held a martial arts competition in Edo. He won the championship with his overwhelming strength and became famous in Edo.

In the same year, his study abroad period ended and he returned home.

Up to this part, he was just an enviable young man with a lot of money and outstanding talents.

The turning point in his life was when Takechi Hanpeita formed the Tosa Kinno Party.

As Takechi Hanpeita's childhood friend and close friend, Sakamoto Ryoma also advocates the idea of ​​sonnōjō.

In 1861, after Takechi Hanpeita formed the Tosa Kinno Party, Sakamoto Ryoma resolutely joined it.

Shortly thereafter, in order to facilitate the Sonno Nikki Movement, he decisively left his domain and fled the domain along the mountain paths, becoming a ronin who wandered around the world.

During the Edo period, it was a serious crime to secede from the feudal clan.

Not only will the person himself be executed, but his family will also be implicated.

After Sakamoto Ryoma escaped from the feudal domain, the domain immediately issued a wanted notice for him.

Then, his whole family suffered.

The eldest sister, Otome, had to get a divorce.

Knowing that he was going to escape from the clan, his second sister Arong still gave him a famous sword as a farewell gift and committed suicide.

His elder brother, the current head of the Sakamoto family, spent a lot of money and used all his connections to finally avoid subsequent punishment.

Later, for unknown reasons, he left the Tosa Kinno Party and began to act on his own.

After that, there was no news of him and no one knew where he was.

Although he was no longer a member of the Tosa Kinno Party, Goto Shojiro was sure to catch him based on his two identities as "a veteran of the Tosa Kinno Party" and "a childhood friend of Takechi Hanpeita"!

What's more, he was a fugitive, so arresting him was reasonable.

Over the past year, Goto Shojiro has put a lot of effort into finding his whereabouts.

After hearing the news about Itagaki Taisuke, he immediately asked impatiently:
"Itagaki-kun, have you found Sakamoto Ryoma? Where is he?"

"He is in Nagasaki now... To be more precise, he is under Satsuma's command now."

"Samo?"

Goto Shojiro was slightly startled, then frowned.

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PS: The end of the Kyoto Summer Battle is the end of the "first half", and now it is time for the "second half". All forces are secretly preparing for the final battle.

Everyone should remember the names "Goto Shojiro" and "Itagaki Taisuke". The former is "Wen" in Tosa, and the latter is "Wu" in Tosa. They are the central figures of the Tosa forces, and there will be a lot of drama in the future.

(End of this chapter)