Chapter 219: Chapter 104: Outside Sakurada Gate, the Rampaging Era!

Ii Naosuke glanced at the old minister and signaled him with his eyes: Enough said! Step aside!

The old minister stared at Ii Naosuke’s resolute face, clenched his teeth, and quickly stepped aside.

"Let’s go, my lady." Ii Naosuke raised his hand and gestured to Ajiuu.

Ajiuu followed by Ii Naosuke’s side, and the two walked outside in silence.

"Ah..." Ajiuu raised her head, blinking at the snowfall fluttering down overhead, "It’s snowing..."

Ii Naosuke looked up at the snow with Ajiuu: "Snowing this late in the season... It’s quite rare."

"Did you dress warmly?" Ajiuu asked.

"Of course." Ii Naosuke smiled and patted the thick clothes at his chest.

"It’s good to be warmly dressed." Ajiuu smiled, "Make sure not to catch cold."

Suddenly, a cold snowflake lazily landed on Ajiuu’s nose.

Seeing this, Ii Naosuke laughed and reached out his finger to brush away the snowflake on Ajiuu’s nose.

"The snow came at just the right time," Ii Naosuke chuckled, "I was just troubled by the bottleneck in the creation of the new tanka poem with the snow theme I mentioned before."

"I hope this unseasonal snowfall can bring me new creative inspiration."

Ajiuu covered her mouth, smiling, "Then please don’t waste this rare snowfall."

"Quickly gain new inspiration from this early spring snow." Ajiuu playfully said, "I’m waiting to appreciate your new tanka poem. I haven’t seen your new works for a long time."

Ii Naosuke smiled and nodded, "Since my lady expects it so much, I must write a better one."

"Lord." A husky voice spoke at this moment, "It’s about time."

The burly man was a confidant of Ii Naosuke—the Deputy Captain of Ii Naosuke’s guard team: Kawasakizawa Chosamemon, an outstanding swordsmanship expert of the Ii family.

"Hmm." Ii Naosuke nodded, "My lady, I’ll be off."

Ajiuu nodded: "Take care on the road."

Ii Naosuke once again reached out to brush away a snowflake that fell on Ajiuu’s face, then bent to climb into the palanquin.

The attendants standing by the palanquin door swiftly closed the door once Ii Naosuke entered.

The last moment before the palanquin door closed, Ii Naosuke glanced sideways, deeply looking at his wife, still bearing a charming smile...

"Raise the palanquin!" Kawasakizawa Chosamemon shouted.

More than seventy attendants and guards kneeling around the palanquin holding their blades stood up.

They formed a long procession, guarding the palanquin in which Ii Naosuke rode.

Whoosh...! Whoosh...! Whoosh...!

The wind suddenly intensified.

In the increasingly fierce wind, Ii Naosuke’s team, in high spirits, stepped out from the Ii family’s residence, turned onto the main road outside, and at a steady pace arrived... outside Sakurada Gate.

Sakurada Gate is one of the gates of Edo Castle’s moat, located between Sakuradahori and Triumphal Moat.

Due to the early hour and the poor weather today, the main road outside Sakurada Gate had only a few scattered tea stalls and a sparse number of passersby.

This main road outside Sakurada Gate is a necessary route for Ii Naosuke to reach Edo Castle.

The sudden appearance of the Ii family team caught the quiet street alive and bustling.

The tea stall clerks and the pedestrians on the street... They raised their heads, throwing curious glances at the massive team of the Ii family.

At this moment, among the curious gazes directed towards the Ii family team, there were some... peculiar looks mixed in.

samurai hidden in various places outside Sakurada Gate slowly raised their eyes.

With a determined gaze, they stared intensely at the center of the Ii team, at the palanquin guarded by over seventy guards.

...

...

Originally only planning to rest with closed eyes, Arimura Jisaburo ended up asleep.

In his dream, amid chaos, he felt his vision gradually clear.

Looking at the scene suddenly appearing before him, Arimura Jisaburo realized immediately—I am dreaming.

Despite knowing he was dreaming, Arimura Jisaburo felt unable to wake up.

He dreamt of the day before... March 1, when he and his companions held their final combat meeting...

On March 1, he and his comrades gathered under the guise of a "Calligraphy and Painting Association" at Yamazaki’s rented house on Nihonbashi West Riverbank.

Their leader—Sakai Tetsu no Suke sat cross-legged in the center of the room, while Arimura Jisaburo and the others surrounded Sakai Tetsu no Suke.

"The Celestial Punishment for the national traitor Ii Naosuke is set for March 3!" Sakai Tetsu no Suke’s voice was terrifyingly low, "The date will not be changed."

"This day is Shangsi Festival, when any ranked officials ascend Edo Castle to celebrate the festival with Lord Shogun."

"By setting the Celestial Punishment on this day, our ambush will not be in vain!"

"Now—I will again explain the assassination steps after my last revisions."

With Sakai Tetsu no Suke’s words, Arimura Jisaburo and the others immediately roused themselves, focusing intently.

"When the Ii family’s procession crosses the bridge outside Sakurada Gate, first cut down the vanguard guards."

Sakai Tetsu no Suke raised his hand and pointed to the map spread before him.

"In this way, the others in the procession will be drawn by the sudden change and rush to the front, weakening the defense around the palanquin."

"The rest will then launch an attack from the weakened defenses on both sides of the palanquin, taking Ii’s head in one stroke."

Sakai Tetsu no Suke lifted his head and looked at a burly man sitting to his left.

"Mori Goroichiro is responsible for killing the guards at the front of the procession."

"Mr. Mori, on the day of action, disguise yourself as a ronin seeking justice near the front of the procession."

"When the guards at the front, puzzled, come to drive you away, you seize the opportunity to draw the sword and kill."

"Yes!" Mori Goroichiro nodded firmly.

"Those responsible for attacking from the left flank, the side of Samurai House are—" Sakai Tetsu no Suke looked towards several youths to his right, "Kurosawa Chuzaburo, Yamaguchi Tatsunoshin, Sugiyama Yichiro, Arimura Jisaburo, Zengzi Jinba."

"Kurosawa Chuzaburo will serve as the vanguard of the left flank."

"Those responsible for the right flank, the moat side, are: Washichiro Ozeki, Sanohara Takeshi, Inada Shigetaka, Moriyama Honyuji, Hirooka Sonosuke, Kaihou Choushijima."

"The rear support will be provided by Liantian Shigoro, Koiyama Influential Person, Hiroki Matsushige."

With each name Sakai Tetsu no Suke pointed to, the person named resonantly responded, "Yes"...

...

...

"Hey, Mr. Arimura, wake up, stop sleeping. The traitor is here."

Arimura Jisaburo heard Kurosawa Chuzaburo’s voice and felt his body being lightly shaken.

The dream immediately shattered.

Returning to reality from this dream recalling past events, Arimura Jisaburo slowly opened his eyes.

Once he opened his eyes, the Tachibana emblem of the Ii family immediately came into view.

Looking at the Ii team’s lineup not far away, Arimura Jisaburo, hiding in a dark alley with Kurosawa Chuzaburo, let out a deep breath, then extended his hands, which had been kept warm within his bosom, and unsheathed the tachi from his waist...