I formed the strongest swordsman group

Although Nagasaki was a territory directly under the shogunate, it was deeply influenced by Satsuma due to its proximity to it.

After a brief moment of astonishment, Goto Shojiro asked:

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

Itagaki Taisuke replied calmly:

"I don't know the specific reason."

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

Shezhong - can generally be understood as a company.

Guishan Society 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:

"It's not clear yet."

"However, according to all the information currently known, the goods transported by his Guishan Society are most likely weapons and equipment!"

Suddenly, Goto Shojiro's pupils shrank, and a strange color appeared on his face.

"As expected of a member of the Sakamoto family, he is quite business-minded."

After murmuring like this, Goto Shojiro slightly pursed his lips, thinking.

Itagaki Taisuke waited quietly.

About half a minute later, Itagaki Taisuke broke the silence:

"Goto-kun, I think Sakamoto Ryoma has high win-win value."

Goto Shojiro didn't seem surprised by Itagaki Taisuke's suggestion, and asked calmly:

"Oh? Please tell me in detail."

Itagaki Taisuke cleared his throat and said softly:

"First of all, although Sakamoto Ryoma's specific relationship with the Satsuma Domain has not yet been confirmed, it is certain that he is related to the Satsuma Domain."

"In this case, he can be a bridge of communication between us and Satsuma Domain."

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

"Strengthening the relationship between this domain and Satsuma will have all the advantages and no disadvantages."

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

"Westerners have proven the importance of the ocean with brilliant results."

"Tosa is a vassal state on the edge of the ocean. If we want to increase our national power, we must vigorously develop maritime transportation."

"There is no harm in us making friends with more successful shipping businessmen."

"It would be better if Ryoma Sakamoto could really transport weapons and equipment. We are currently lacking advanced guns and artillery."

"All in all, compared with the value Sakamoto Ryoma possesses today, his sins such as 'removing the feudal domain' and 'colluding with Tosa Kinou's party' are nothing worth mentioning."

Goto Shojiro listened quietly.

After Itagaki finished speaking, he laughed:

"Itagaki-kun, you and I want to be together."

"This Sakamoto Ryoma has some abilities, much better than his little one."

The "faxiao" he said naturally refers to Wushi Banpingtai.

Whenever he talks about Takeshi Hanheita, a look of explicit disdain always appears on his cheeks.

"I immediately ordered people to go to Nagasaki to find Sakamoto Ryoma, try to contact him, and find out what he thinks. Is he willing to cooperate with us, or to sever ties with Tosun?"

Itagaki Tesuke nodded vigorously:

"Well, that's great!"

After the two quickly reached a consensus, Goto Shojiro took out an exquisite pocket watch from his arms, looked at the time, and said:

"Itagaki-kun, I have something else to do, so I'll excuse you now."

"So urgent? I was thinking of going to have a drink with you after a long time since we rarely meet each other. Is it something big?"

Goto Shojiro twitched the corner of his mouth and sneered:

"No big deal, just going to see Takeshi Hanheita."

Itagaki Taisuke said softly, "Ah", and then looked helpless.

"Goto-kun, you are the presiding judge of the 'Murder Case of Toyo Yoshida', so I can't comment on it."

"But I still want to say one thing: The eldest lord has recently vaguely revealed his intention to 'deal with' Takeshi Hanheita as soon as possible."

"So you'd better deal with Wu Shi Hanping Tai as soon as possible to avoid long nights and nightmares."

The great lord - that is, Yamauchi Hall.

After saying that, Itagaki stepped back and stood half a step aside to make way for him.

Goto Shojiro said calmly:

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

After finishing speaking, he raised his feet and moved 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——

Wushi Banpingtai was sitting dignifiedly and steadily, with 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 unkempt, and he looked very slovenly and embarrassed.

However, even though he was a prisoner, he never gave up his pride as a samurai and never allowed his waist to bend in front of Goto Shojiro and others.

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

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

For Takeichi Hanheita, the only drawback of this cell... was probably that it was too close to his companions who were being tortured.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhh-!"

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

"Stop...stop! I can't do it anymore! Stop...ahhhhhhhhhhhh!"

One after another, miserable screams surrounded Wushi Hanpingtai from all directions.

This was intentional by 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 specially made the scene of the torture of Okada Izo and others adjacent to Takechi Hanpeita's cell.

This was so that Takechi Hanpeita could always hear the miserable screams of his companions and make him restless.

Just as Takechi Hanpeita closed his eyes to rest, footsteps came from far away outside the cell.

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

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

Takechi Hanpeita was the first to greet.

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 everything."

"..."

"The idea of ​​'respecting the king and expelling the barbarians' that you have always adhered to is a complete joke. Throughout history, whenever the emperor and the nobles are in turmoil, there will be chaos in the world. The chaos of Hogen and Heiji, the chaos of the Northern and Southern Dynasties, which time was not caused by the court's greed for power, leading to widespread misery and misery?"

"..."

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

"..."

"Takechi Hanpeita, it's about time you admit defeat, right? Your ideas and your actions are completely wrong. It will be good for both you and me if you confess your guilt 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 great lord and for Tosa."

Goto Shojiro responded immediately as if it was a conditioned reflex, and snorted heavily.

"What a 'clear conscience'!"

"It's been more than a year, and you are still stubborn!"

"You only care about 'clear conscience'!"

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

This merciless remark was directly choked back.

"..."

Takechi Hanpeita did not respond and remained silent.

Goto Shojiro changed to an undisguised sarcastic tone and continued:

"Humph, you are really heartless!"

As he spoke, he swept his eyes around Takechi Hanpeita's cell.

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

"While you were living comfortably, your accomplices were trapped in the eighteenth level of hell, living a life worse than death."

"Many people bit off their tongues and tried to commit suicide because they couldn't stand the torture."

"Humph, they are so stupid, thinking that biting off their tongues would be the end of everything."

"I'm sorry, but biting off your tongue to commit suicide is not that simple."

"Either swallow half of the severed tongue into your throat and choke yourself to death."

"Or choke yourself to death with the gushing blood, or wait for a while and die of blood loss after the blood is drained out."

"Those who tried to bite their tongues were all rescued by us."

"Tsk tsk tsk, so pitiful."

" However, they are not the most pitiful. "

"Among all the victims, Okada Izo is the most miserable."

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

"To be honest, 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."

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

"I heard that you have always been very caring towards that guy."

"Not only did you accept him as your apprentice, but you also personally funded him to study abroad in Edo."

"After forming the Tosa Kinno Party, you always entrusted him with important tasks."

"It's just that the tasks you gave him were all dirty and shameful work."

Goto Shojiro said, making a "beheading" gesture in his throat.

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

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

"Whenever he can't bear it anymore, he will keep muttering 'Takechi teacher', 'Takechi teacher'."

"He regards you as his only support."

"In my opinion, the most devout believer in the world is 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 moment, countless of your accomplices are suffering and want to die."

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

"The innocent will be released immediately."

"The guilty will be executed on the spot, give him a quick death."

Goto Shojiro's words are enough to give him a way out.

However...

"..."

Takechi Hanpeita was 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 burst out in his eyes.

"...That's right, you can't agree to my requests."

"After all, you really hope that we can 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 a firm tone.

"..."

Takechi Hanpeita still didn't say anything.

Goto Shojiro, who felt like he was communicating with a wooden person, gritted his teeth with displeasure:

"Consume it! Consume it! Just consume it slowly! I will accompany you to the end!"

…

…

despair! despair! despair! despair! despair!

Goto Shojiro strode away, making a dull and loud sound of "ta", "ta", "ta" on the ground.

Although his footsteps have faded away, Takeshi Hanheita still looks like "petrified on the spot", with his body motionless and no expression on his face.

Suddenly, a voice came from outside the cell door:

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

A young samurai dressed as a jailer was seen squatting outside the cell door, looking at Takeichi Hanheita with a worried expression.

The jailer’s name was Oishi Yataro.

Although he is not a member of the Tosa Kinnoi Party, he has always admired the talented Hanheita Takeichi.

Therefore, during the days when Takeshi Hanpingtai was in prison, he had been taking care of each other as much as possible.

Sometimes he would send some nutritional supplements, sometimes he would relay the news from the outside world, and sometimes he would help inform Ban Ping Tai's family in Wushi that he was safe.

The arrival of Oishi Yataro finally made Takeichi Hanheita react and no longer "petrified".

"Oishi-kun, you are here."

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

Wushi Banpingtai smiled slightly:

"I'm fine, don't worry. I've heard enough of Goto's clichés this year that my ears are almost numb."

After making a small joke, Takeshi Banping paused.

After a moment, he asked quietly:

"What's wrong with him...?"

Oishi Yataro was startled, with a troubled expression on his face:

"It's so miserable to hide him..."

"After fainting from the pain, I woke up with water. After I woke up, I continued to be tortured. Then I fainted from the pain again, and then I was woken up again... This happened several times, every day..."

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

"It can be hidden but it lasted for more than a year..."

"It's really... so tragic... so tragic..."

At the end of his words, he really couldn't talk any more, and he let out a long sigh, with a look of sympathy on his face.

After hearing this, Wu Shi Banping pursed his lips, and a look of struggle flashed in his eyes.

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

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

Yataro Oishi responded subconsciously:

"Huh? Teacher Wushi, tell me."

Takeshi Hanheita slid his knees to close the distance between the two, and leaned close to the cell door.

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

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

Looking at this steamed bun, Oishi Yataro's eyes widened in surprise.

"Steamed buns? Teacher Wushi, where did your steamed buns come from?"

Wushi Banpingtai has steamed buns - this is not unusual.

The "prison meal" prepared for Takeshi Hanheita has always been good.

Snacks such as steamed buns and glutinous rice dumplings often appear on his dining table.

However, as a jailer who specializes in guarding Takeshi Hanheita, Oishi Yataro is very sure: the recent meals sent to Takeshi Hanheita did not include steamed buns at all.

Wushi Banpingtai said in a deep voice:

"Don't worry about where my steamed buns come from."

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

As soon as he finished speaking, Oishi Yataro felt as if he had been struck by lightning. His pupils shrank into pinhole shapes and his mouth opened uncontrollably into an "O" shape.

The steamed buns of unknown origin... called by name and asked to be given to Okada Izo to eat... No matter how stupid Oishi Yataro is, he will understand what this means.

"Teacher Wu, Wu Shi, could it be that... this, this, this steamed bun is...?"

Takeshi Hanpingtai nodded solemnly:

"Yes, this steamed bun is mixed with poison. If you eat it, you will vomit blood and die within 10 breaths."

Although he was fully prepared mentally, Yataro Oishi still felt extremely frightened after hearing the other party's personal verification.

Suddenly, his face turned pale, as if it had been bleached.

Oishi Yataro, who has abided by the law all his life, not to mention killing, has never killed a dog. This is the first time he saw poisonous steamed buns, and it was also the first time he was asked to kill someone.

He was so frightened that his body became weak, and he fell to the ground, using his hands and feet to move back away from Takeshi Hanheita.

"No, no, no, no... I can't... I can't... Mr. Takeshi... I can't kill people... I'm just a jailer... How can I kill people...!"

Seeing that Oishi Yataro was about to escape, Takeichi Hanpei was too impatient. He grabbed the railing of the cell door and said quickly:

"Oishi-kun, you are wrong, this is not killing, this is helping Izo to escape!"

"Have you seen it too? Izo is so miserable! Even if he is alive, he still suffers! He suffers endlessly!"

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

"Please, please!"

"This is my lifelong request!"

Takeichi Hanheita, who was usually arrogant, lowered his head for a rare moment and begged others sincerely.

Oishi Yataro looked at Takeichi Hanheita, and then at the steamed bun in his palm. His facial expression was dominated by strong hesitation and panic.

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

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

…

…

Okada Izo's cell——

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

Forget about tatami mats, desks, etc.

The floor is a cold, uneven stone slope.

The only furniture is a toilet.

However, even this only piece of furniture is purely decorative and useless.

Because Okada Izo has long lost the strength to move his body, he sat on the toilet.

The cell is full of pungent and unpleasant smells, making people dare not breathe deeply.

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

Suddenly, a shivering voice came from outside the cell:

"That... I, Izo... do you eat steamed buns?"

Please give me a monthly ticket! Please give me a recommendation ticket! (Leopard head crying.jpg)

PS: Takechi Hanpeita gave poisoned buns to Okada Izo, which was fabricated by later writers. However, this plot is reasonable, because it is very much like what Takechi Hanpeita would do.

The title of this chapter is a tribute to "Rurouni Kenshin". The real prototype of Shishio should be Okada Izo, the abandoned "executioner".