I formed the strongest swordsman group

Kyoto, Sanjo Bridge (west of Kamogawa), Ikedaya——

Odaka Matajiro cleared his throat, and then delivered the first sentence of this meeting:

"Time is tight, so just skip the meaningless greetings and opening remarks."

"Before we officially start today's agenda, I would like to present an equally urgent agenda - should we storm the Shinsengumi camp and rescue Shuntaro Kotaka?"

Shuntaro Kodaka—that is, the lofty man with the pseudonym "Yuya Kiemon" whom Nagakura Shinpachi uncovered during the day.

After hearing this, Katsura Kogoro looked stern - he had already heard a little bit about what happened.

After Kotaka Shuntaro was captured and sent to the Shinsengumi camp in Mibu Township, there was no news at all, and his life and death are unknown.

Regarding whether to rescue Shuntaro Kodaka, a huge dispute broke out within the Zunbo faction, and there has been no conclusion yet.

"Do you even need to ask? Of course I want to save him!"

The speaker is the "majestic warrior" again.

The real name of "Majestic Samurai" is Matsuda Shigesuke, and he is also a radical with extreme ideas.

"Gu Gaojun is our companion! How can we ignore our companions?"

As soon as he finished speaking, someone opposite him retorted unceremoniously:

"Rescue? Matsuda-kun, you are so easy to say! May I ask how we should rescue Gu Gaojun? Should we directly attack the Imyo camp? Don't forget that the person currently guarding the Imyo camp is the 'tyrant' Serizawa Kamo. !”

Serizawa Duck——After hearing this name, many people present looked timid.

When talking about "the ranking of the swordsmen of the Shinsengumi", the most common saying is undoubtedly "One Tachibana, Two Okita, Three Nagakura, and Four Saito".

There is no objection to the top two among them - Tachibana and Okita. There is a huge gap between them and the others, one is T0 and the other is T1.

No one in the Shinsengumi is as powerful as them, they are all hovering at T2, T3 and below.

Therefore, the ranking of strength after Qingto and the General Division has always been quite different.

In terms of swordsmanship alone, Nagakura Shinpachi is indeed slightly better than Saito.

But the question is: Can Saito Ichi really not be able to beat Nagakura Shinpachi?

No one would think that when Nagakura Shinpachi faced Saito Ichi, the former would be a sure winner.

Also in the Shinsengumi T2 are Kondo Isamu, Hijikata Toshizo and Serizawa Kamo.

Their strength is no worse than Nagakura Shinpachi and Saito Ichi.

If they were allowed to fight with real swords and guns, it's hard to say who would win the final victory.

Interestingly, there is a consensus widely circulated among the vast number of people with lofty ideals - it is better to encounter Nagakura Shinpachi and Saito Ichi than to fight Serizawa Kamo!

The reason why people with lofty ideals "fear a duck as much as a tiger" is not because of how superb and exquisite Serizawa's swordsmanship is.

But because he is too cruel!

Serizawa Kamo is a rough and arrogant person.

He used his brutal style in battle and the Shinto Mu-Nen-ryu he was proficient in.

Whenever he faces a battle, he will burst out with a terrifying aura that "swears to tear the enemy into pieces". With one strike, the person hit by the knife will be torn into pieces! It’s really horrifying!

Not to mention anything else, the visual impact alone is enough to make people with lofty ideals tremble.

It is precisely because of his ferocious and violent swordsmanship that people with lofty ideals are so afraid of him.

I don't know who started it, but Serizawa's title of "tyrant" gradually spread and became popular among people with lofty ideals.

If the people guarding the Mibu camp were T3-level generals such as Inoue Genzaburo and Toudo Heisuke, then the Zunbo faction might still have the confidence to gather men and storm the Mibu camp.

However, it seems that the person who is currently leading the team to guard the Imyo camp is the "tyrant" Serizawa Kamo...

This caused many people with lofty ideals to retreat.

The "Majestic Samurai"...that is, Matsuda Shigesuke, naturally understands the little Jiujiu in these people's hearts.

He slapped his thigh, with a sad and angry expression on his face:

"It's just a Serizawa duck. Look how scared you are! You are really a bunch of cowards!"

As expected - as soon as this statement came out, the "internal fighting" started again.

"What did you say?!"

"Matsuda-kun, watch your words!"

"We are definitely not cherishing our lives! We are just trying to find the best answer after calculating the gains and losses!"

They criticized Matsuda Shigesuke unceremoniously with sharp words.

Matsuda Shigesuke and his followers immediately launched a counterattack:

"If our comrades are in trouble, what's wrong with us going to rescue them?"

"'Calculating gains and losses'? Gu Gaojun has a lot of important information. We rescued him to prevent the information from leaking. Isn't this 'gain' not as good as the 'loss'?"

"How can we accomplish the great cause of respecting each other by being with you, a bunch of insects who are greedy for life and afraid of death?!"

Looking at the noisy two groups, Katsura Kogoro sighed heavily, raised his hand to press his eyebrows, and a strong look of exhaustion appeared on his cheeks.

The Prajna beside him was in high spirits.

He raised his right arm and supported his head, watching the people quarreling from side to side with interest. It looked... like he was watching an animal show.

About 10 seconds later, Miyabe Daizo called out to stop the dispute:

"Stop making noise! ​​Be quiet!"

In the blink of an eye, the room that was noisy a second ago became audible in this second.

Everyone turned to look at Miyabe Daizo - they saw him with a sullen face and an unhappy expression.

"Everyone, please listen to me."

"It is true that Lord Gu Gao is our important companion,"

"Not only that, he also has a lot of confidential information."

"We were supposed to get him out."

"but!"

He changed the topic suddenly, emphasized his tone, and his eyes became sharp.

"If we try to rescue Lord Gu Gao now, it will definitely do more harm than good!"

"Don't forget, the Shinsengumi troops responsible for patrolling Kyoto this month include not only Serizawa Kamo's fourth division, but also Nagakura Shinpachi's second division."

"In other words, if you forcefully break into the Mibu Township camp now, you will not only encounter Serizawa Kamo, but also Nagakura Shinpachi."

"At the same time, we are enemies of Nagakura Shinpachi and Serizawa Kamo. What are our chances of winning?"

"Even if we succeed in rescuing Gu Gaojun in the end, the price we will pay will be extremely heavy!"

"Now is a critical time for the great cause of Zun Zheng."

"We shouldn't waste our precious combat power in a place like this!"

"So... the issue of 'rescuing Shuntaro Kotaka' will be put on hold for now! We will discuss it later!"

Miyabe Daizo's words were like a final hammer.

Those who opposed rescuing Shuntaro Kotaka all breathed a sigh of relief and looked happy.

Matsuda Shigesuke and his party members all looked frustrated.

Although Miyabe Naizo said "we will discuss it later", everyone knew in their hearts: there will definitely not be any further discussion!

Miyabe Daizo just used euphemisms.

In essence, his meaning has been made very clear: abandon Shuntaro Kotaka!

Katsura Kogoro pursed his lips, and then opened his mouth again, as if he wanted to say something to Miyabe Daizo.

But in the end, he still chose to remain silent and not say a word.

Katsura Kogoro is actually inclined to "rescue Shuntaro Kotaka".

But... while he sympathized with Shuntaro Kotaka, he also understood that although Miyabe Daizo's decision was cruel, it was not wrong.

To put it harshly, Kotaka Shuntaro was not important enough for them to rescue him at all costs.

At this time, Otaka Matajiro, who was in charge of presiding over the meeting, stood up again:

"Everyone, since the matter of 'rescuing Shuntaro Kotaka' has been confirmed to be shelved, let us officially start tonight's topic - whether to implement the plan of 'burning Kyoto and kidnapping the emperor'!"

Seeing that he finally got to the point, Katsura Kogoro's eyes suddenly lit up.

Odaka Matajiro was about to continue what he said, but was intercepted by Katsura Kogoro:

"Everyone, I won't talk about any unnecessary nonsense."

"Let me just say one thing - your plan is so ridiculous!"

"Throughout the past and present, no one has ever done such a crazy thing!"

"We must not burn down Kyoto, let alone kidnap the emperor!"

"If we do such ridiculous things, how will the world view us?"

"If you lose your territory, you can get it back again."

"If the money and food are gone, you can still make it back."

"But if the people's support is gone, we will be unable to do anything!"

"We will live in infamy! We will be looked down upon by future generations!"

His words were as fierce as thunder.

His attitude is as firm as a rock.

His eyebrows were raised upright, his eyes were bulging, and his body seemed to be filled with vigorous energy that could erupt at any time.

However, as soon as he finished speaking, someone immediately jumped out to refute:

"Mr. Gui, we understand your concerns very well."

The speaker's name is "Kitajima", he has superb swordsmanship and radical ideas, and is a fan of Kusaka Genrui.

"This plan is dangerous, but this is a clever move for us to reverse the current situation in one fell swoop!"

"If we can successfully welcome the emperor to Choshu, the morale of the feudal kingdom will be greatly boosted!"

"At that time, we can use the power of the emperor to defeat the shogunate in one fell swoop! Then drive the Yi Di back to the sea!"

"Indeed, Zhu Rong's power cannot be underestimated."

"When the city is burned down by fire, thousands of people will be buried in the flames and become homeless."

"But these are necessary sacrifices!"

"Mr. Gui, is there any struggle in this world without bloodshed?"

"Mother-in-law, mother-in-law, you look forward and backward, you are so indecisive, and you still have the kindness of a woman, how can you make it happen?"

"As long as we can achieve the great cause of respecting each other, what does this small sacrifice mean?"

"When we clarify the inner world and get rid of the smell in the future, I believe that the people who are suffering will also feel relieved under Jiuquan."

After Beitian Jimo finished speaking, many people immediately echoed his words.

"That's right!"

"Beitian-kun is right!"

"Mr. Gui, if you keep cutting off, you will suffer chaos!"

Although Katsura Kogoro was fully prepared mentally, after hearing this fallacy from Kitagi Mo, he still felt dizzy and his teeth were cold!

Whenever he comes into contact with radical people, Katsura Kogoro will feel extremely tired - he always feels like he is not communicating with normal people, but more like talking to people from other worlds!

I can't make any sense here.

As for the "reasons" on the other side's side, calling them fallacies is an understatement!

Katsura Kogoro has finally seen through the radicals - their political level and military realm are very naive! Horribly childish! It is still at the level of "as long as the emperor is on my side, we will have a huge advantage."

They thought that as long as they took the emperor to Changshu, they could turn the tide, punch Qin, Hui, and Sa, and kick the shogunate.

Katsura Kogoro took a deep breath and tried to calm down.

After he calmed down a bit, he gritted his teeth and said word by word:

"You are dreaming!"

"Do you think that as long as we kidnap the emperor... and take him to Choshu, everything will be fine?"

"I tell you, if this happens, it will only give people a reason to criticize us! Give them a handle!"

"At that time, the shogunate will be eager to declare us as traitors who kidnapped the emperor."

"The shogunate, which holds the indisputable justice, will be supported by all sides! And we are isolated and helpless!"

"With only two provinces, Nagato and Suo, against the soldiers of the world, what are the chances of winning?!"

[Note: Nagato and Suo: the territory of the Choshu domain, Nagato and Suo]

At the end, Katsura Kogoro finally couldn't suppress his excitement.

At this moment, he showed the style of "Swordsman Kogoro"!

He straightened his upper body, glared at the audience, and his brows were full of lion-like majesty.

Even if the blade was not drawn and the cold light was not seen, it still made the rats tremble!

Everyone at the scene was oppressed by his momentum, and they all lowered their bodies and heads, not daring to look him in the face.

Of course, how could the stubbornness of the radicals be broken by Katsura Kogoro's few words?

Soon, they recovered and started a war of words:

"Mr. Katsura, why do you want to boost others' ambitions and destroy our prestige?"

"What are the soldiers in the world? As long as we show the spirit of Choshu men, we will make them throw away their armor and weapons!"

"That's right! We are not afraid of the shogunate! Let the shogunate's lackeys come!"

The room, which had just been quiet for a while, became chaotic and noisy again.

At this moment, Miyabe Teizo suddenly spoke:

"Katsura-kun, everyone, calm down!"

"I almost thought I was in Nishiki Market just now."

[Note: Nishiki Market: Kyoto's most famous fish, meat and poultry market, known as the "Kyoto Kitchen\