Tokyo, Twenty Rooms
Twenty Rooms was a new work in Kyoto. It was a two-storey Japanese-style villa located on the site of an ancient temple. It was adjacent to the Toshiko Hotel and the Kyoto National Museum. It was located in a good location and was very expensive.
It belonged to Yoshitomo Yuichi, the head of the Kobe Iron and Steel Group. The Kobe Iron and Steel Group was one of the giants in the Japanese steel industry. It was said that they had deep ties with the shogunate.
At this time, the second floor of the conference room was filled with soft lights. Music was playing. The carpet was of excellent quality and the air was filled with the fragrance of sandalwood. The owner of the meeting sat silently.
Yoshitomo Yuichi's face was old and his hair was white. His face was dotted with age spots, but his eyes were bright and sharp.
The conference table was filled with people.
Hosoya Hidetoshi was speaking, "Yuichi -sama, please allow me to introduce Yamada Shinji's new work, 'Seven Samurai', to the fifth volume. The plot has reached the Meiji period."
"According to the contents of the fourth volume, there is a special reason why the Emperor gained power." Hosoya Hidetoshi was dressed in a neat suit and white shirt. He lowered his head and introduced, "The shogunate has a policy. Do I need to say more?"
No one said a word. This was common sense.
The policy was for the daimyo to visit the shogunate in Edo and stay there for a period of time before returning to their own territories.
"Every year, including the time spent on the road, the vassal could not stay at home for long. He could only command from afar. The retainers gradually took control of the vassal government. The heir lived in Edo and only returned after his father died. This further weakened the control of the vassal government."
"This policy was implemented for 200 years. When the Tobaku fell, the army belonged to the vassal in name but was actually controlled by the retainers. The daimyo also guarded against the retainers. This resulted in a large number of samurai and even new ronin to control the new army."
Everyone listened quietly. Yuichi Yuichi's eyelids twitched as he took off his glasses and wiped them. Meanwhile, Hidetoshi Hosoya's voice continued, "Actually, it's still better to rely on the traditional high-ranking officials. They can fight against the feudal lords without being defeated. However, the middle-ranked and low-ranked samurai and ronin are all ingrates. Please take a look at the appendix to the next article – The Bankruptcy of the middle-ranked and low-ranked samurai."
"Warriors are as poor as farmers. It's difficult for them to advance. After being suppressed for two hundred years, they hate the old system to the bone."
"The downtrodden samurai Sekiguchi Yuki screamed before his death, 'It's all Daimyo's fault. Otherwise, why would I be so downtrodden?'
"The Emperor had no real power and did not do anything. Instead, he became the most perfect monarch. Therefore, the middle and lower level samurai and ronin all respected and loved the Emperor. They collectively defected to the Emperor, and thus the Emperor gained great power."
"It could be said that the Mikado's victory was the result of the shogunate's policies.
"And in the fifth volume, when the Mikado came to power, the merchants in Osaka collectively went bankrupt, agricultural taxes were increased, and samurai were laid off. The severity was several times worse than the shogunate."
"The fifth generation of the book observed the continuation of the entire policy in this context, and raised their swords against the old samurai."
"Let's not look at the sixth and seventh volumes. These five volumes alone have clearly explained the Warring States period, the Tokugawa era, and the Meiji era."
"Yuichi -sama, what do you have to say about this?" At this point, Hidetoshi Hosoya raised his voice. "Is history changing like this?"
"If this is the case, I can't see where Tokugawa Ieyasu, the Divine Lord, is. Did he seize the world by bullying widows and children?"
"Meiji is not wise and powerful, he is just a gift from history."
"Please forgive me for being rude, but I don't think Oda Nobunaga and Tokugawa Ieyasu can be compared to the Great Shogun Shinagawa, let alone the monkey."
"I also don't think that Meiji is better than the peaceful Shogunate."
The entire hall was silent. Yoshitomo Yuichi ignored this voice and only took a sip of tea. He looked at the watch on his wrist and remained silent.
Shiroaka Kuniaki looked at the clock on the opposite wall and said with a smile, "Hidetoshi, young people shouldn't be so hot-tempered. It's bad for your health!"
"When you reach my age, it will be too late for regrets!"
Shiroaka Kuniaki and Yoshitomo Yuichi had the same status, and Hidetoshi Hosoya was questioning the Tokugawa investment group.
Hidetoshi Hosoya was very young, in his early 30s. He had shaved his hair short, and he looked very sharp.
Although Hidetoshi Hosoya was from a powerful family, he had managed to control Qian Fang Securities Investment Company at such a young age.
Qian Fang Securities Investment Company might sound ordinary, but it was a top-notch company in the investment circle. It was also the organization that had invested the most in the Tokugawa.
There were more than twenty people sitting at the conference table. If these people were exposed, it would cause an earthquake in Japan's economy.
This was because all the people in the conference table were top figures in their respective industries. They were either tycoons, tycoons, or leaders of consortiums.
Hidetoshi Hosoya's question was what many investors were thinking.
Indeed, in the past, they did not know the inside story, and they were looking forward to Tokugawa and Meiji. But now, they felt that Tokugawa and Meiji were just so-so.
This was a terrifying blow to their confidence.
Seeing Shiroaka Kuniaki's indifferent attitude, another investor, Tiger Island, could not stand it anymore. He said in a deep voice. "Mr. Kuniaki, don't you think you are being too rude?
I have to reconsider if it is appropriate to invest in the Tokugawa. "
"Tiger Island, are you going to betray the Emperor?" Another Tokugawa member asked.
"Hmph! The Emperor I am loyal to is Emperor Jōroku. I have never heard of Meiji." Tiger Island said coldly. "Also, according to the agreement, we have the right to stop our investment if we have a good reason!"
"Now, my company has lost one-third of its assets because of the Tokugawa. Isn't this reason enough?"
Tiger Island's consortium had been targeted by the Tokugawa. Although they had not found any concrete evidence, it was hard to cover up any traces. So, the Tokugawa had suppressed their businesses, and they had suffered heavy losses.
"That's right. You had agreed on this!" The third investor, Hidetoshi Hosoya, closed his eyes and said slowly. "Now, please end this in a dignified manner!"
"Don't tell me you want to break the agreement?" Kumamoto sneered. He was a consortium in the heavy industry and owned two military factories. He had close ties with the Tokugawa, but no one knew that he had secretly invested in the Tokugawa.
"Lord Yoshimo, Lord Shirasaka, please don't make a mistake!" Kumamoto said in a low voice. The power of the Tokugawa Faction was nothing to be afraid of in front of a consortium that was familiar with them.
After Kumamoto's speech, two-thirds of the people in the meeting wanted to stop their investment in the Tokugawa Faction.
Yoshimo Yuichi was not angry. He stood up and looked at the watch on his wrist. "If that's the case, please wait for a while."
"I'll send someone to bring the termination procedures here."
Tiger Island's Tokugawa's expression turned cold. He felt that something was wrong and immediately said loudly, "Yuichi -sama, are you trying to play tricks?"
"We are just here to express our stance. We don't need your so-called procedures!" Hosoya Eisho was calm and agreed.
Shirasaka Kuniaki was still smiling, but his smile was deeper.
Just at this time, a "bang" sound rang out, and the pavilion suddenly swayed. There was a huge tremor, and everyone's expression changed.
"This is an earthquake?"
Yukinori Kumamoto's cold face couldn't help but turn pale. He wanted to run away with all his might, but he found that his limbs were too weak to move.
"Run!" Hisashi Hosoya shouted and rushed out of the conference room.
The resolute Tiger Island warrior swayed and fell, smashing into a chair. The hard wood smashed heavily on his head, and he could not help but let out a painful groan.
However, the Tiger Island resolute warrior endured the pain and quickly got up.
"Brave warrior, quickly go downstairs." Hosoya Eisho shouted loudly. He extended his hand to help Tiger Island's brave warrior up and brought him downstairs.
"Let's go down too!" Akashi Haruo, Hidekazu Hirashima, and Kenichi Maekaji were about to leave the conference hall when they saw a shocking scene!
The anti-Buraku faction, led by Shirasaka Kuniaki and Yoshitomo Kōichi, ignored the tremors and knelt towards the east. At some point in time, a huge window facing the east had been opened in the conference hall.
The conference hall was very big, two hundred square meters. Other than the people who were already attending the conference, there were also some service staff, and these staff were all provided by Yoshitomo Kōichi.
Now, these people were silent and solemnly knelt down.
At the same time, a fog appeared unknowingly, shrouding the stairs.
Yoshitomo Kōichi stood up, and his old body seemed to have become younger. He said loudly, "Everyone, don't panic.
Thank you for all your support all these years. Now, it's time to repay — God's Descent has arrived! "
Yoshitomo Kōichi paused for a while, and his face became somewhat ferocious. "We are not stingy to those who support us, but we will not forgive those who betray our cause!"
"Now, justice has arrived."
"No, you can't do this to us!" Hisashi Hosoya shouted in panic. Two service staff stood up, grabbed him, and pressed him down. No matter how Hisashi Hosoya struggled, he could not get rid of them!
"No!"
"How dare you, Qianfang Securities Investment Company will take revenge!"
Before he could finish his words, there was a flash of a sword, and a bloody head fell down, rolling into the fog and disappearing into the stairs. The Tiger Island soldier's expression changed. Seeing a sword coming at him, he quickly begged for mercy. "Please give me another chance, I support the overthrow of the Tobaku, I will join you!"
But it was meaningless. With a slash, the long sword pierced through his back, and the tip of the sword came out. The Tiger Island soldier let out a long cry, rolling down the second floor and smashing heavily on the ground.
Two people were killed, and the remaining people were scared pale. They said repeatedly, "This is a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding, we will still contribute to the overthrow of the Tobaku."
At this time, Shirasaka Kouaki came in front of them and said with a smile, "That's for the best. Everyone, believe in us, cooperation is the only way for you to survive — go, call Hiura Kazuo, it's time!"
Shirasaka Kouaki knew that the people present were angry, and he also believed that once they left, they would take revenge, but they did not understand the meaning of God's Descent.
To many people, the rules of society had changed.
"Yes!" the service staff replied.
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