I formed the strongest swordsman group.

Chapter 872 The era of the executioner is over! [5100]

Although Nagasaki was a territory directly under the jurisdiction of the shogunate, it was deeply influenced by Satsuma because of its proximity to the Satsuma region.

After a brief moment of astonishment, Goto Shojiro asked:

"Why did Sakamoto Ryoma go to Nagasaki? What did he do in Nagasaki?"

Itagaki Taisuke replied calmly:

"I don't really know the specific reason."

"At present, I only know that Sakamoto Ryoma has gathered a group of people in Nagasaki, and with the help of Satsuma, he has established a trading company called 'Kameyama Shachu', which specializes in shipping, and the business seems to be pretty good."

Shezhong——can be roughly understood as a company.

Guishanshe means "Guishan Company".

"Trading company? Shipping? What kind of goods does he transport?"

Itagaki Taisuke looked around, then lowered his voice and said in a deep voice:
"still not clear."

"However, according to the information we have so far, the goods transported by his Guishan Society are most likely weapons and equipment!"

In an instant, Goto Shojiro's pupils shrank slightly, and a strange expression appeared on his face.

"As expected of a Sakamoto family member, you have quite a business mind."

After muttering this, Goto Shojiro pursed his lips slightly, as if thinking.

Itagaki Taisuke waited quietly by the side.

About half a minute later, Itagaki Taisuke broke the silence:
"Goto-kun, I think that Sakamoto Ryoma is very valuable to win over right now."

Goto Shojiro did not seem surprised by Itagaki Taisuke's suggestion, and asked calmly:
"Oh? Tell me in detail."

Itagaki Taisuke cleared his throat and continued:
"First, although the specific relationship between Sakamoto Ryoma and Satsuma has not yet been confirmed, it is certain that he has a connection with Satsuma."

"In this case, he can serve as a bridge for us to communicate with Satsuma."

"Satsuma is one of the most powerful feudal states today."

"Strengthening the relationship between our domain and Satsuma will bring only benefits and no disadvantages."

"Secondly, Sakamoto Ryoma has now transformed himself into a shipping businessman."

"Westerners have demonstrated the importance of the ocean with brilliant achievements."

"We are a feudal state bordering the ocean. If we want to increase our national strength, we must vigorously develop maritime transport."

"It won't hurt for us to make friends with more successful shipping businessmen."

"If Sakamoto Ryoma can really deliver weapons and equipment, that would be even better. We are currently lacking advanced guns and artillery."

"In short, compared to the value that Sakamoto Ryoma possesses now, his crimes such as 'defection' and 'collusion with the Tosa Kinou Party' are not worth mentioning."

Goto Shojiro listened quietly.

After Itagaki Taisuke finished speaking, he laughed:
"Itagaki-kun, you and I are thinking the same thing."

"This Sakamoto Ryoma is quite capable, much better than his childhood friend."

The "childhood friend" he was referring to was naturally Takechi Hanpeita.

Whenever he talked about Takechi Hanpeita, a look of obvious disdain would always appear on his face.

"I will immediately send someone to Nagasaki to find Sakamoto Ryoma and try to contact him to find out if he is willing to cooperate with us or break off relations with Tosa."

Itagaki Taisuke nodded vigorously:
"Well, that's very good!"

After the two quickly reached a consensus, Goto Shojiro took out an exquisite pocket watch from his arms, checked the time, and said:
"Itagaki-kun, I have something else to do. I'll excuse myself now."

"So urgent? I was thinking about going for a drink with you after such a rare meeting. Is there something important?"

Goto Shojiro twitched the corner of his mouth and sneered:
"No big deal, just going to meet Takechi Hanpeita."

Itagaki Taisuke uttered "ah" softly, and then showed a helpless expression.

"Goto-kun, you are the chief judge of the Yoshida Toyo Murder Case, so it is not appropriate for me to interfere."

"But I still have to say this: the Lord has recently hinted that he wants to 'deal with' Takechi Hanpeita as soon as possible."

"So you'd better deal with Takechi Hanpeita as soon as possible, so as to avoid any more trouble."

The great master - that is, Yamauchi Dojo.

After saying this, Itagaki stepped aside half a step and made way.

Goto Shojiro said indifferently:

"Don't worry, I have my own sense of discretion."

After he finished speaking, he walked forward, and soon his figure disappeared at the end of the corridor.

……

……

Tosa Domain, Kochi Castle (the feudal hall of Tosa Domain), Takeshi Hanheita’s cell——

Takechi Hanpeita sat solemnly and steadily, his eyes closed, as if in meditation.

Compared to before, he looked much more haggard.

His skin was dull, his hair was messy, his beard was untidy, and he looked very sloppy and dishevelled.

However, even though he was a prisoner, he never gave up the pride of a samurai and never bent his back in front of Goto Shojiro and others.

Because it is a cell specially prepared for sergeants, all the facilities are very complete.

The floor is paved with tatami, and there are bedding and tables. Although the daily meals are not rich, they are not shabby either.

For Takechi Hanpeita, the only drawback of this cell...is probably that it is too close to his fellow prisoners.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhh-!"

"Enough, enough... I have already told you everything... I know... What else do you want from me?"

“Stop… Stop! I can’t take it anymore! Don’t… Aaaaaaaaaaah!”

Miserable screams came one after another, surrounding Takechi Hanpeita from all directions.

This was intentional on the part of Goto Shojiro.

Although Goto Shojiro had no intention of torturing Takechi Hanpeita, who was a "sergeant", it did not mean that he would let him go.

Goto Shojiro deliberately placed the execution site of Okada Izo and others next to Takechi Hanpeita's cell.

The purpose was to allow Takechi Hanpeita to hear the miserable screams of his companions from time to time, so that he would not have peace.

Just as Takechi Hanpeita closed his eyes to rest, footsteps were heard outside the cell approaching.

He opened his eyes and saw Goto Shojiro standing straight outside the prison door with his hands behind his back, looking down at him expressionlessly, and their eyes met.

"...Goto-kun, long time no see."

Takeshi Hanpingtai was the first to say hello.

Goto Shojiro was not grateful at all and said coldly:
"You must have heard about it, right? The Choshu army was defeated by King Ni and lost all their weapons and armor."

"..."

"The idea of ​​'respecting the emperor and expelling the barbarians' that you have always adhered to is a complete joke. Throughout history, whenever the emperor and the nobles were in turmoil, there would be chaos in the world. The Hogen and Taiji chaos, the Nanbokucho chaos, which time was not because of the court's greed for power, leading to widespread misery and misery for the people?"

"..."

"As for 'expelling the barbarians', it is even more absurd. Choshu's disastrous defeat in the Battle of Shimonoseki has already proved how irrational it is to go to war with Westerners."

"..."

"Takechi Hanpeita, isn't it about time you admitted defeat? Your ideas and your actions are completely wrong. It will be better for both you and me if you confess as soon as possible."

This time, Takechi Hanpeita did not remain silent.

He replied calmly:
"...I have a clear conscience. Everything I did was for the Lord, for Tosa."

Upon hearing this, Goto Shojiro responded immediately, as if by reflex, with a heavy snort.

"What a 'clear conscience'!"

"It's been more than a year, and you still don't change your mind!"

"You're only concerned with 'having a clear conscience'!"

"To put it bluntly, you only care about yourself! Have you ever thought about anything else?!"

These merciless words were directly rebuked.

"..."

Takechi Hanpeita did not respond and remained silent.

Goto Shojiro changed his tone to one of undisguised sarcasm and continued:
"Humph, you are such a heartless guy!"

As he spoke, he glanced around Takechi Hanpeita's cell.

"You have soft tatami to lie on, hot meals to eat, and even someone to help you with your toilet."

"While you were living comfortably, your accomplices were in hell, living a life worse than death."

"Many people bit off their tongues and attempted suicide because they could not endure the torture."

"Humph, they are so stupid, thinking that biting off their tongues will solve the problem."

"I'm sorry, but biting your tongue to commit suicide isn't that simple."

"Or swallow the half-severed tongue down your throat and choke yourself to death."

"Either they choke themselves to death with the gushing blood, or they wait for a while and die of blood loss after all the blood has been drained out."

“Those few who tried to bite their tongues were all rescued by us.”

"Tsk tsk tsk, what a pity."

"But they are not the most pitiful."

"Of all the people who were tortured, Okada Izo was the worst."

"He didn't even have the strength to bite off his tongue."

"Honestly speaking, after seeing Okada Izo's miserable state, even though I have a heart of stone and hate you to the core, I can't help but feel pity for you."

"Hey, Okada Izo is your favorite student, isn't he?"

"I heard you were always very caring towards that guy."

"Not only did you accept him as your disciple, you also personally funded his study abroad in Edo." "After forming the Tosa Kinno Party, you also always entrusted him with important tasks."

"It's just that the tasks you assigned to him were all dirty work that was shameful and unbearable."

As Goto Shojiro said this, he made a "beheading" gesture at his throat.

"I don't know what your feelings are towards Okada Izo."

"On the other hand, he is loyal to you."

"Whenever he was about to give up, he would keep muttering 'Takechi-sensei', 'Takechi-sensei'."

"He sees you as his only support."

"In my opinion, the most devout believers in the world are no more than this."

"You just watch him suffer?"

"Takechi Hanpeita, as long as you confess everything, your accomplices will no longer have to suffer."

"Listen, at this very moment, countless of your accomplices are suffering and are only thinking about dying."

"With just one word from you, these screams and groans will stop immediately."

"The innocent are released immediately."

"The guilty person should be executed on the spot, giving him a quick death."

Goto Shojiro's words gave enough room for retreat.

however……

"..."

Takechi Hanpeita remained unmoved.

Not to mention speaking, he just sat there in a daze, not even moving, treating the other person as air.

Seeing this, Goto Shojiro slowly lowered his eyelids, and a meaningful look flashed in his eyes.

"...That's right, there's no way you can agree to my requests."

"After all, you really want us to kill all your accomplices as soon as possible, especially that Okada Izo, right?"

It seems to be a rhetorical question, but in fact his words are full of confidence.

"..."

Takechi Hanpeita remained silent.

Goto Shojiro felt like he was communicating with a wooden man, and gritted his teeth in displeasure:

"Just keep idling away! Just keep idling away! Just take your time! I'll accompany you till the end!"

……

……

despair! despair! despair! despair! despair!
Goto Shojiro strode away with big strides, making dull "thump", "thump", "thump" sounds on the ground.

Even though the footsteps had faded away, Takechi Hanpeita still looked like he was "petrified on the spot", his body motionless and his face expressionless.

Suddenly, a voice came from outside the prison door:

"Teacher Takechi, are you... okay?"

A young samurai dressed as a jailer was squatting outside the prison door, looking at Takechi Hanpeita with a worried look on his face.

The jailer's name was Yataro Oishi.

Although he was not a member of the Tosa Kinno Party, he had always admired the talented Takechi Hanpeita.

Therefore, during the time that Takechi Hanpeita was in prison, he took care of him as much as possible.

Sometimes he would send some nutritional supplements, sometimes he would relay news from the outside world, and sometimes he would help report his safety to Takechi Hanpeita's family.

The arrival of Yataro Oishi finally made Takechi Hanpeita react and he was no longer "petrified".

"Oishi-kun, you're here."

"Teacher Takechi, are you... okay?"

Takechi Hanpeita smiled slightly:
"I'm fine, don't worry. I've heard Goto's platitudes enough in the past year. My ears are almost callused from hearing them."

After making a little joke, Takechi Hanpeita paused.

After a moment, he asked quietly:
"Izou, how is he?"

Oishi Yataro was stunned, looking embarrassed:

"Izo... it's so miserable..."

"I fainted from the pain, but was woken up by water. After I woke up, I was tortured again. Then I fainted from the pain again, and was woken up again... This repeated several times, every day..."

"If it were me, I wouldn't be able to hold on for more than a few days."

"I was able to hide and last for more than a year..."

"It's really... too tragic... too tragic..."

At the end, he couldn't say any more, and he let out a long sigh, his face full of sympathy.

After hearing this, Takechi Hanpeita pursed his lips, and a hint of struggle flashed in his eyes.

Then, he was seen staring at the void in front of him, as if thinking about something.

"...Oishi-kun, can you do me a favor?"

Oishi Yataro responded subconsciously:

"Hmm? Mr. Takechi, go ahead."

Takechi Hanpeita slid his knees, closing the distance between them and moved his body closer to the prison door.

Then he took out a snow-white steamed bun from his arms.

Japanese steamed buns are more like Chinese dumplings, with fillings inside.

Looking at the steamed bun, Oishi Yataro widened his eyes in surprise.

"Mantou? Mr. Takechi, where did you get these mantou?"

Takechi Hanpeita has steamed buns - this is not surprising.

The "prison meals" prepared for Takechi Hanpeita are always good.

Snacks such as steamed buns and glutinous rice balls often appear on their table.

However, as the prison guard in charge of Takechi Hanpeita, Oishi Yataro was very sure that there were no steamed buns in the meals delivered to Takechi Hanpeita recently.

Takechi Hanpeita said in a deep voice:

"Don't worry about where I got this steamed bun from."

"Oishi-kun, this is my last request - give this steamed bun to Izou to eat."

As soon as he finished speaking, Oishi Yataro was struck by lightning, his pupils shrank into pinholes, and his mouth opened uncontrollably into an "O" shape.

A steamed bun of unknown origin... and specifically requesting that it be given to Okada Izou to eat... No matter how dumb Oishi Yataro was, he understood what this meant.

“T-Teacher Takeichi, could it be that… this, this steamed bun is…?”

Takechi Hanpeita nodded solemnly:
"That's right, this steamed bun is mixed with poison. If you eat it, you will vomit blood and die within 10 breaths."

Although he had made sufficient mental preparation, after hearing the other party's personal confirmation, Yotaro Oishi still felt extremely frightened.

In an instant, his face turned pale, as if it had been bleached and dyed.

Oishi Yataro, who had been law-abiding all his life and had never killed a dog, saw a poisoned bun for the first time, and it was also the first time he was asked to kill someone.

He was so frightened that his body went limp and he fell to the ground, using his hands and feet to back away from Takechi Hanpeita.

“No, no no no… I can’t… I can’t… Mr. Takechi… I can’t kill anyone… I’m just a jailer… How can I kill anyone…!”

Seeing that Oishi Yataro was about to escape, Takechi Hanpei became anxious. He grabbed the bars of the prison door and said quickly:
"Daishi-kun, you are wrong. This is not murder. This is to help Izou get rid of his guilt!"

"You've seen it, right? Izo is in such a miserable state! He's suffering even while alive! He's suffering endlessly!"

"As long as he eats this steamed bun, he won't have to suffer anymore!"

“Please, please!”

“This is my lifelong request!”

Takechi Hanpeita, who was usually arrogant, lowered his head for a rare moment and asked others in an earnest tone.

Yataro Oishi looked at Hanpeita Takechi, then looked at the steamed bun in his palm, his facial expression dominated by strong hesitation and fear.

There was an eerie silence inside and outside the cell...the sound of the wind outside seemed unusually harsh.

About 10 seconds later, Oishi Yataro reached out his hand tremblingly and took the steamed bun...

……

……

Okada Izo's prison cell——

Compared to Takechi Hanpeita's luxurious cell, Okada Izo's cell is not even as good as a pigsty.

Don’t even think about tatami mats, tables or anything like that.

The floor was a cold, uneven stone slope.

The only thing that could be considered furniture was a commode.

However, even this only piece of furniture is purely decorative and has no use.

Because Okada Izo no longer had the strength to move his body, he sat on the toilet to relieve himself.

The cell was filled with a pungent and unpleasant smell, making people afraid to breathe deeply.

At this moment, Okada Izo, who had finally survived today's torture, was leaning against the wall, closing his eyes and resting.

Suddenly, a shuddering voice came from outside the cell:
"Um... I-Izang... do you eat steamed buns?"

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PS: The story of Takechi Hanpeita giving poisoned buns to Okada Izou was fabricated by later writers. However, this plot is reasonable because it is very much what Takechi Hanpeita would do.

The title of this chapter is a nod to Rurouni Kenshin. The real prototype of Shishio is probably Okada Izo, the abandoned "Executioner".

(End of this chapter)