My Gang of Swordsmen-Chapter 116 - 80: The Niō Stands Tall!

His left hand tightly gripped the long, cloth-wrapped bundle he was holding with his left palm, exerting such force that the knuckles of his five fingers turned slightly white.

Whew...

At this moment, a gentle breeze blew past, lifting the edge of Kiryu’s cloth-wrapped bundle, revealing the item hidden beneath the white cloth—a sword with a black and purple hilt and scabbard...

...

...

"Whew... whew... whew... whew..."

Aoto scanned the surroundings, his gaze sweeping over Mogami’s corpse at his feet and the enemy forces that had all retreated.

"Did we... win?"

Suddenly, a tingling sensation emerged from deep within Aoto’s eyeball.

The sudden sensation caused Aoto to instinctively let out a low cry of pain and then raise his hand to cover his eyes.

When he opened his eyes again, Aoto realized that—his vision had returned.

He could no longer "overlook" this land.

Nor could he see the bizarre "Qi Stream" anymore.

He raised his head, looking at Oomura and the others, who were gradually coming to their senses and cheering for victory... He could no longer sense their strength...

"Tachibana..."

"Saito...?"

Aoto turned his head to see Saito limping toward him, using his sword as a crutch.

"Saito, are you hurt?"

Saito shook his head: "Just some minor wounds. How about you? Are you injured?"

Aoto smiled slightly: "Just like you. Just some minor wounds..."

After saying that, Aoto’s body swayed slightly before slowly falling forward.

Seeing this, Saito quickly stepped forward swiftly, catching Aoto.

The battle was over, and the strength enhancement brought by the "Lone Brave" was gradually fading.

And the nerves that had been tightly stretched were slowly relaxing.

A powerful weariness pressed down on Aoto like a waterfall falling from the sky.

"Saito... sorry..." Aoto smiled, speaking to Saito in a half-joking tone, "I seem to be unable to stand... can you help me?"

Saito did not respond.

He simply nodded resolutely and helped Aoto toward a spot with less snow.

At this time, Oomura and others ran toward Aoto, who led them to victory tonight, amidst cheers.

This battlefield, which had been filled with shouts and killing not long ago, now only had joyful cheers and cries left.

...

...

Four days later, at night—

Edo, Ii Family Residence—

In a room within the Ii Family Residence, candlelight flickered.

It was an extraordinarily spacious room.

Even though there was a tall floor candleholder in each corner, it couldn’t completely brighten the room.

The candlelight, swaying with the occasional breeze, cast the shadow of an elderly figure long.

This was an elderly man nearing fifty.

His neatly shaved Tsukushi haircut and the short beard on his chin were mixed in black and white, his face was wrinkled, and his small eyes bore faint dark circles, his cheeks dim gray showing signs of insufficient rest.

However—despite his poor complexion, the old man’s eyes were extraordinarily spirited.

His black and white eyes emitted a proud and resolute gaze, and the faint dark circles under his eyes only accentuated the dazzling brightness in his middle-aged eyes.

The old man leaned on the armrest beside him, staring expressionlessly at a middle-aged man kneeling respectfully in front of him, who seemed to be in his early forties.

"Tairō."

The middle-aged man bowed his head, speaking slowly and calmly to the tatami beneath him.

"You seem to be more exhausted now."

"I heard that you have been sleeping late every night recently, please take care of your health."

"The Shogunate... No, this nation cannot be without you now."

Just as the middle-aged man finished his words, the elderly man chuckled a few times.

"Ando, don’t worry. I’m fine, my health is still strong."

The elder raised his hand, rubbing the dark circles under his eyes.

"I’ve been sleeping late recently just because the official duties have been busy."

"Once things calm down, I’ll return to my normal routine."

This middle-aged man called the elder "Tairō"...

In today’s world, there is only one man who could be called Tairō.

The identity of the elderly man was now evident—it was none other than the current influential figure in the government: Ii Naosuke!

And the one sitting before Ii Naosuke, whom Ii Naosuke referred to as "Ando", was none other than one of the current Senior Councillors of the Shogunate: Ando Nobuaki.

After briefly exchanging pleasantries with Ando Nobuaki while smiling, Ii Naosuke let out a strong yawn.

"Alright, Ando, quickly tell me about official matters."

"The sooner we finish discussing official matters, the sooner I can rest."

Saying that, Ii Naosuke yawned forcefully again.

"Late at night, rushing to see me, is there anything urgent you need to report?"

Upon hearing these words from Ii Naosuke, Ando Nobuaki pressed his lips together.

After a brief silence, Ando Nobuaki took a deep breath and said slowly, with an extremely serious expression:

"...Tairō."

"There is change in the Mito Domain!"

The Mito Domain—upon hearing this term, the gaze in Ii Naosuke’s eyes flickered, his previously downward gaze on the tip of his nose gradually raised, staring at Ando Nobuaki.

"According to the intelligence sent back by spies within the Mito Domain: a group of highly radical vassals from the Mito Domain plan to infiltrate Edo in the coming days."

"They... intend to emulate Yodogiri Jizai and assassinate you, Tairō!"

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You can understand this "Tairō" and "Senior Councillor" as the "Chancellor" and "Prime Minister" from the Pre-Qin and Han Dynasty periods in China.

There could be many "Prime Ministers". But there is only one "Chancellor", whose status and power far exceeded that of any Prime Minister.

Therefore, at the end of this Chapter, you can understand the discussion between Ii Naosuke and Ando Nobuaki as being similar to the discourse between a "Chancellor" and "Prime Minister" on state affairs.