My Gang of Swordsmen

Chapter 299: Chapter 124: Aoto Promoted! Salary Increased by 400-koku!

The combat power and equipment that the Arson and Theft Magistrate can deploy are far superior to those of the Magistrate’s Office.

The Magistrate’s Office can only use various cold weapons, while the Arson and Theft Magistrate can muster a large quantity of bows, firearms, and even war horses.

Therefore, the real positioning of the Arson and Theft Magistrate is similar to a 21st-century SWAT team.

Nominally a security organization, it is actually an army, considered one of the Shogunate’s most important, most powerful standing forces.

Any fool can see — tonight’s fire is definitely arson!

No way it could be such a coincidence, with so many fires starting simultaneously in the Castle Town!

Tokugawa Iemochi is truly furious now.

To commit arson in Edo... how outrageous! It’s as if a million lives in Edo are being disregarded!

If the tragedy of the Great Fire of Meireki were to be repeated, it’s unimaginable how many people would perish in the sea of flames!

Tokugawa Iemochi has already secretly made up his mind — no matter what, he must capture and severely punish the villains who committed arson tonight!

Standing beside Tokugawa Iemochi, Tenshōin heard his resolute murmuring and responded with a stern demeanor.

Like Tokugawa Iemochi, she is extremely angry about someone committing arson everywhere in Edo tonight.

At this moment, a report suddenly sounded outside the room:

”Lord Shogun! There’s an urgent order from the Magistrate’s Office!”

The caller was the pageboy who had just withdrawn from the room.

”Urgent order from the Magistrate’s Office?” Tokugawa Iemochi furrowed his brows, ”Come in!”

Whoosh — the door was opened, and the pageboy returned before Tokugawa Iemochi and the others.

He quickly ran to Tokugawa Iemochi and knelt down, presenting a tightly bound scroll in his hand.

Tokugawa Iemochi took the scroll, waved his hand to signal the pageboy to leave for now.

Once the pageboy left the room again, Tokugawa Iemochi untied the scroll and spread it out.

Glancing rapidly at the characters on the scroll — Tokugawa Iemochi’s expression suddenly changed.

Noticing the change in Tokugawa Iemochi’s face, Tenshōin quickly asked:

”Lord Shogun, has something happened?”

”...” Tokugawa Iemochi, with a sullen face, silently handed the scroll to Tenshōin.

Tenshōin took the scroll and quickly read it — then, like Tokugawa Iemochi, her expression drastically changed.

After multiple reports, a malicious incident no less serious than tonight’s ”arson event”: ”Attack on the Foreign Language Research Institute”, was finally presented to the highest ruler of the Edo Shogunate.

In this scroll, Hosoi and Atsukawa jointly detailed the events of today with a meticulous tone.

The Magistrate’s Office fortified the city to prevent the Anti-foreigner Group; the Foreign Language Research Institute was attacked; Katsu Rintarō and others staying at the Foreign Language Research Institute narrowly escaped death...

At the end of the scroll, Hosoi and Atsukawa pointed out: The Magistrate’s Office seriously suspects that tonight’s ”arson event” was also orchestrated by the Anti-foreigner Group.

A simple scroll caused Tokugawa Iemochi and Tenshōin to be taken aback.

The Foreign Language Research Institute, built by the Shogunate at great expense, is a dedicated academic center for Western Studies, and in the minds of Tokugawa Iemochi and Tenshōin, it represents the hope to revitalize the nation.

As for Katsu Rintarō, he is a trusted minister highly valued by both of them.

There have been rumors circulating that Tokugawa Iemochi intends for Katsu Rintarō to become the Edo Shogunate’s first ”Navy Marshal”... this rumor is actually true.

Tokugawa Iemochi indeed plans for this precious talent versed in Western military science to form their Shogunate’s naval forces.

Reading about the Foreign Language Research Institute being attacked and Katsu Rintarō, who happened to be working there tonight, caused Tokugawa Iemochi and Tenshōin to break out in cold sweat.

Seeing that the Foreign Language Research Institute was not completely destroyed and that Katsu Rintarō was rescued, they finally breathed a sigh of relief.

”Anti-foreigner Group...” Tokugawa Iemochi pressed his fingers against his temples again, his expression extremely grave, ”Tsk... just as one wave is calmed, another wave arises...”

Tokugawa Iemochi closed his eyes and let out a heavy and long sigh.

This period... to be precise, since the ”Sakurada Gate Incident”, Tokugawa Iemochi has practically not stopped for rest, maintaining a high level of tension.

In order to quickly restore order to the Shogunate that became particularly chaotic due to Ii Naosuke’s death, Tokugawa Iemochi swiftly promoted his highly trusted Ando Nobuaki as Senior Councillor Chief, striving to quell the chaos with the assistance of Ando Nobuaki and Tenshōin.

But the disturbances triggered by Ii Naosuke’s death are not easily resolved.

While managing the chaos caused by the power vacuum, Tokugawa Iemochi also has to divert attention to address the issue of war.

Because the assassins who murdered Ii Naosuke were mostly vassals of the Mito Domain, during this period, many ministers have been clamoring for the ”Mito Expedition”, calling for the assembly of the Shogunate Army and feudal armies from various domains to attack the Mito Domain!

Where there is a war faction, naturally there is a peace faction.

Concerning whether to attack Mito, the war faction and the peace faction are nearly evenly matched, their arguments resounding throughout the matter, leaving Tokugawa Iemochi feeling overwhelmed.

The various internal problems within the Shogunate remain unresolved... and external threats keep arising...

About the Anti-foreigner Group that gathered over two hundred people more than two months ago to assassinate a French Merchant, Tokugawa Iemochi also heard some whispers.

He originally thought it was just a larger-scale ”Radical Anti-foreigner Faction” organization, but after reading the report on the scroll, he realized — this Anti-foreigner Group is far more insane and terrifying than he imagined!