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Qingdeng now has no time to worry about the war at Xiaguan.

All his thoughts are currently focused on the "Makuying Negotiation" in front of him.

There was no entourage and he did not carry too much luggage. Qingdeng only brought some dry food and a few changes of clothes.

Qingdeng, who traveled lightly and simply, was able to concentrate on his journey.

The road he took was Donghai Street, and he planned to arrive in Edo within five days.

As a result, plans cannot keep up with changes.

It was the rainy season, and it rained almost every day. The raindrops kept falling, and the sky was almost never sunny.

There are no cement roads or asphalt roads in Japan today, only compacted and trampled dirt roads.

One of the characteristics of dirt roads is that "dust rises on sunny days and turns into swamps on rainy days".

As a result, under the heavy rain, the streets of Donghai turned into swamps one after another.

No matter how powerful the mount is, it cannot fly in the swamp.

The radish marched hard with one foot deep and one foot shallow.

It became a "mud cow" and Qingdeng also became a "mud man".

Being dragged down by the "Mud General", it ended up taking far longer than expected.

It was not until June 9 that he finally arrived in Edo.

On the day Aoto arrived in Edo, Tokugawa Iemo, Tenjoin and others who were far away in Kyoto also started to return east.

Although the result was beyond everyone's expectations, the much-anticipated "Ekakusha Talks" have indeed come to an end.

Tokugawa Iemo, Tenjoin and others have no reason to stay in Kyoto.

On June 9, they officially set off, leaving Kyoto and returning to Edo.

With the departure of Tokugawa Iemo, Tenzouin and others, Kyoto, which was bustling for a while, returned to tranquility.

However, everyone can see that this "tranquility" in Kyoto will not last long.

…

…

Wenjiu three years (1863), June 9——

Today's weather is fair.

Although it didn't clear up, it finally stopped raining.

Aomori held his head high, stretched his neck, and looked at Edo Castle in the distance.

Under the majestic Edo Castle is the familiar "Edo 808 Town".

Looking at the familiar scene in front of him, a look of deep emotion gradually appeared on Qingdeng's cheeks.

More than four months have passed since he led the Shinsengumi to Los Angeles on February 1.

Although the time was not long, he really had a strange feeling of "a changing world".

For him, Edo really carries too many memories.

Almost all of his interpersonal relationships - brothers, lovers, colleagues, bosses - all start from this town.

It is no exaggeration to say that although this place is not Qingdeng’s hometown, it is still better than his hometown.

When he first came to Luo, he fantasized about many ways to return home.

For example: The army led by the Shinsengumi marched through the streets in a mighty manner under the welcome of the people.

Unexpectedly... on his first return to his hometown, he would rush back to wipe the shogunate's butt.

At this time, Qingdeng suddenly saw a series of familiar or unfamiliar figures appearing in front of him.

A group of senior shogunate officials currently stationed in Edo - Ogasawara Nagayuki, Inoue Takarazuka, Katsu Rintaro, etc. - learned that Aoto would arrive in Edo today, so they waited here early to prepare for the reception

Qingdeng.

Seeing Qingdeng coming, they quickly straightened their backs and cheered up.

Ogasawara Nagayuki, a veteran, took the lead in stepping forward:

"Original Military Department, it's been a long and tiring journey all the way. Thank you very much for your hard work."

As he spoke, he bowed down respectfully, with a look of humility written on his face.

The other officials behind him also looked like this - staring at Qingdeng eagerly.

The reason why this is so is not complicated.

First of all, Qingdeng is now a powerful border general, and even the old and middle-aged men cannot act arrogantly in front of him.

Secondly, Qingdeng came back this time to save them.

In recent days, in order to deal with the British ships in Edo Bay, all the senior officials of the shogunate present were worried about losing their hair.

The scholars and people of Edo have been urging them to come up with effective measures as soon as possible to restore peace to Edo.

The British fleet on the bay is always showing its teeth and claws, and a while ago it even fired directly into the sea.

Being criticized on both sides is a huge pressure.

Suddenly, they received news that the "Nioh" who was far away in Kyoto would serve as a temporary envoy and be solely responsible for negotiating with the British side.

Even if you exhaust all the words in human language, you can't describe the mood of Ogasawara Nagayuki and others after hearing the news.

How dare anyone take over this hot potato that can burn the palms of people's hands?!

It can be said with certainty: For Ogasawara Nagayuki and others, Aoden, who rushed back to rescue at this critical moment, is really like a savior!

In this case, it is not difficult to understand that they would show such a respectful attitude in front of Qingdeng.

They just knelt down and shouted to Qingdeng, "Dad! You are finally back!".

Aoden responded with a few words of calmness, then got on the back of the cow again, and slowly entered Edo surrounded by senior officials.

"Qingdeng, long time no see."

Suddenly, a familiar middle-aged male voice sounded from behind Qingdeng.

Katsurin Taro rode his horse forward and walked side by side with Ayoto.

Compared to Ogasawara Nagayuki and others whom he was not familiar with, Katsurintaro was Ayoto's friend for many years and had a very close relationship.

Therefore, Qingdeng changed his plain appearance and put on a light smile.

"Rintaro, it looks like you haven't slept well recently."

Katsurin Taro smiled bitterly:

"Hey, aren't you asking questions knowingly?"

As a rare "Western expert" in the shogunate, Katsurintaro was naturally responsible for an important position in this "Makui Negotiation".

I saw a lot of red bloodshot eyes in his eyes, conspicuous dark circles under his eye sockets, and his complexion was sallow.

Based on his appearance, it is not difficult to tell that his life has not been easy recently.

After a few simple greetings, Qingdeng slightly suppressed the smile on his face and said seriously:

"Rintaro, let me ask directly: While I am rushing back to Edo, is there any new progress in the 'Makuei Negotiations'?"

Because there are no convenient things like telephones and the Internet, Qingdeng was basically in a state of "disconnection" while he was on the road.

He cannot obtain information from the outside world, and others cannot contact him.

God knows if there will be any big changes in recent days.

Therefore, Qingdeng now urgently needs information.

Katsurin Taro was silent for a while, and then sighed softly:

"All I can say is: you came back at the right time."

"If you come back three days later, the 'Makuei Negotiations' will be over."

Qingdeng asked:

"Why do you say that?"

Katsurin Taro sighed again:

"The British side released news: If the shogunate still does not accept their conditions within the deadline of June 12, then they will bombard Edo on this day."

"I estimate that even if a shelling is really necessary, the British side will probably not take any serious action. At most, they will just fire a few shells to increase the intensity of intimidation."

"However... even one cannonball is enough to bring disaster to Edo."

"After all, Edo is a city where even a broken sleeve on fire may be destroyed."

The broken sleeve that caught fire - what Rintaro Katsu was referring to was the "Furisode Fire Incident" that happened more than 200 years ago.

The ultra-high housing density and basic wooden building structure make Edo's "weak fire" attribute basically full.

If a few shells really fell into Edo Town, the consequences would be truly disastrous!

Katsu Rintaro’s words continued:

"Therefore, Ogasawara-sama has personally made a decision: If you fail to return to Edo before June 12, or even you cannot persuade the British ships in the bay to retreat, then you will fully accept the British terms and deliver the goods.

A compensation of 100,000 pounds will put the matter to rest."

After Qingdeng heard this, he couldn't help but twitch the corners of his mouth several times, showing displeasure.

"100,000 pounds...that's a lot of money."
To be continued...