After reaching the top floor of the North Guard Station, Aoto and the others stopped in front of an imposing paper sliding door.
Arima announced loudly into the room, and after receiving permission to enter, he led Aoto and the others inside.
As soon as they entered the room, Aoto saw a clean-looking fat man—it was Hosoi Chosiro, the North Station Town Magistrate, who had seen them off the previous night as they set out to subdue the "Righteous Group."
As one of Edo's two "mayors," Hosoi exuded an air of prosperity in both appearance and demeanor.
"Oh, Arima, you've arrived. You're the first to come." After a brief greeting with Aoto and the others, Hosoi gestured toward the tatami on the left side of the office, making a "please" motion, "Have a seat first."
Arima led Aoto and the others to sit properly on the left side of the room.
After a while, the door to Hosoi's office was opened again, revealing a group of people who made the expressions of Aoto and the others turn peculiar.
"Ah..." Inagawa murmured softly, "The faces of the Tojo Group are really getting more annoying the more I look at them..."
The newcomers consisted of four people.
The leader was a middle-aged man around 40 years old.
Compared to his body, this middle-aged man's head seemed large, with unkempt hair that looked like it hadn't been groomed for days.
His facial features, once quite presentable, were slightly distorted due to plump cheeks.
His face was greasy, and there was a hint of sleepiness in his eyes, giving the appearance of someone who had just woken up and had not yet washed his face.
During the Edo period in Japan, beards were not very fashionable, and most adult men regularly shaved their facial hair clean.
However, this man went against the trend—sporting a bushy sideburn that was as unruly as his hair.
His swollen belly jiggled with each step, creating an inexplicable urge to squeeze it.
Despite his sloppy appearance, his gaze was surprisingly clear.
Such a disheveled face with such bright eyes looked particularly incongruous, like a muddy pond with two springs of clear water.
An unkempt, nondescript middle-aged man—anyone looking at him would think so.
Tojo Shintaro—this was the middle-aged man's name.
This carefree uncle was the other Yoriki in the North Station Town Patrol, besides Arima.
Following Tojo were three Dōshin under his jurisdiction.
The entire North Station Town Patrol was now assembled.
For convenience, the officials at the North Guard Station referred to Arima and those under his jurisdiction as the "Arima Group." Meanwhile, Tojo and his three Dōshin were called the "Tojo Group."
The North Station Town Patrol was essentially divided between these two groups.
In the officialdom, scheming and competition are inevitable, even in a department with only eight members like this one.
The Arima Group, to which Aoto belonged, and the Tojo Group were always in competition.
In the struggle for easy-to-achieve cases, loud arguments between the two groups were one of the most common sights at the North Guard Station.
The two groups often fought over cases, and naturally, their relationship was not good.
When the Tojo Group entered, the most lively Inagawa immediately glared at them ferociously.
The usually silent Ushiyama also glared sharply at the Tojo Group.
While Inagawa and Ushiyama were glaring at the Tojo Group, members of the Tojo Group were staring back unflinchingly.
The Yoriki of both groups did not join this "staring battle."
Usually indifferent to fame and gain, Arima kneeled respectfully, his eyes fixed forward and focused inward.
On the other hand, Tojo sat cross-legged, staring at the ceiling and absentmindedly picking his right foot's toes, then used his right hand to blow his nose...
While the two groups stared daggers at each other, Aoto remained aloof.
At present, Aoto was engrossed in the bookshelf beside him.
Reading was Aoto's greatest pleasure besides physical fitness in his previous life.
Though he was a fitness enthusiast who sought to build muscle even in his brain, his reading tastes were quite literary.
He loved poetry, especially Russian poetry, and his favorite poet was the famous literary giant, Pushkin.
As soon as he entered Hosoi's office, Aoto's attention was immediately drawn to the bookshelf filled with books on one side of the office.
In this era, Japan was still heavily influenced by Chinese culture, and intellectuals of the Edo period invariably read Chinese classics.
The books on the shelf in Hosoi's office were mainly Confucian classics, such as The Analects and the Four Books and Five Classics.
While Aoto's attention was focused on the bookshelf, another wave of people entered Hosoi's office.
This time, it was the people from the Temporary Patrol.
The Temporary Patrol is an elite department selected from those who have worked in the Fixed Town Patrol for a long time, tasked with guiding and assisting the Fixed Town Patrol. The composition is also 2 Yoriki and 6 Dōshin.
Simply put—they are the training team and firefighting squad and universal brick of the Edo police.
Wherever they're needed, they'll be moved there.
Because all members of the Temporary Patrol used to be elites in the Fixed Town Patrol, they tend to be older; even the youngest among them is over 30 years old.
"Ah…" Inagawa beside him then made a low remark that only he, Aoto, and Ushiyama could hear, "The Temporary Patrol guys are still as fierce as ever…"
The elite-staffed Temporary Patrol is often dispatched to tackle extremely troublesome cases.
This has led to the Temporary Patrol's "dark circle rate" being unusually high.
Everyone's eyes carry a "What do you want? I'm very busy! Don't bother me!" irritable air.
Once the 8 members of the Temporary Patrol arrived, Hosoi's office immediately became crowded.
Trailing behind the members of the Temporary Patrol were two very young men.
These two young men are the only two Dōshin of the Hidden Patrol, the department with the fewest people in the North Guard Station and without middle-level officers.
If there is a phrase to describe the appearance of these two Dōshin of the Hidden Patrol, it would be—utterly ordinary.
The job of the Hidden Patrol is to carry out intelligence activities across Edo, gathering information for the Fixed Town Patrol and Temporary Patrol.
Thus, the nature of this work requires that all members of the Hidden Patrol must appear utterly ordinary in looks and demeanor.
If their appearance lacks any sense of presence, makes them forgettable at a glance, and they become unnoticeable in a crowd—it's ideal!
Responsible for front-line combat are 8 members of the Fixed Town Patrol and both front-line combat and universal brick duties fall on the 8 members of the Temporary Patrol, while intelligence activities are entrusted to the 2 members of the Hidden Patrol—all the police forces of the Edo North Guard Station are here.
Seeing all members of the "Three Patrols" gathered, Hosoi stood up slowly with his hands behind his back.
"It seems everyone is here."
"In order not to hinder everyone's work today, I will get straight to the point."
Hosoi cleared his throat vigorously, then took a deep breath, and loudly declared:
"Ii Dairou has issued an order: On March 1st, a large-scale assessment will be held!"
"Assessing the political achievements of all officials of the South and North Guard Stations 'Three Patrols'!"
"Those whose achievements are not up to standard—will be dismissed immediately!"
Upon Hosoi's words, the previously quiet office immediately became noisy.
Everyone widened their eyes, casting astonished glances at Hosoi.
"Ii Dairou wants to assess our achievements on March 1st?" Arima, who sat directly ahead of Aoto, also stared at Hosoi with unwavering eyes, filled with astonishment, "Lord Governor, why so suddenly?"
Ii Dairou—this is not a person's full name.
The "Tairō" at the end is a title.
As the current government organization ruling Japan, the Edo Shogunate naturally has a mature system of official titles.
Standing at the apex of the Edo Shogunate is the "General of Expedition," whose position is similar to the Emperor of China, passed down through generations of the Tokugawa family.
Usually, the position beneath the General of Expedition is "Senior Councillor."
The position of Senior Councillor is similar to the Chancellor of China.
However, in special circumstances, a position and power above the Senior Councillor is established—this is the Tairō.
The Tairō position is not permanent, only established during special periods, possessing immense power. Therefore, throughout more than two hundred years of Shogunate history, those who have held the Tairō position are few.
And coincidentally—just 2 years ago, in Year 5 of Ansei (1858), due to national turmoil and various reasons needing a strong individual to stabilize the situation, the Tairō position was reinstated.
A strong individual named Ii Naosuke was pushed into this position.
What Hosoi meant by "Ii Dairou" refers to this Ii Naosuke.
The Tairō's power exceeds that of a Senior Councillor akin to China's Chancellor—imagine the status of Ii Naosuke, currently sitting in the Tairō position, in contemporary Japan.
His status is undoubtedly second only to the Shogunate's General of Expedition, "one man beneath, above everyone."
"What else?!" Hosoi tugged his mouth, showing an impatient expression, "Isn't it because of those rebels who constantly talk about 'expelling foreigners?!'"
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