政府の目的は明白でした。
残留民に対して期限を付けて立ち退きを迫る。
応じた者には土地と家の買収価格を上乗せするが、拒否する者は、強制的に家を破壊し、その費用を請求すると言うものでした。
この時残留民は500人いましたが、
大半が買収に応じました。
残るは16世帯、160人。
彼らは政府より派遣された警察や役人の恫喝に怯む事なく、徹底的に抵抗しました。
その人間の盾とも言うべき人々の中心に田中正造は居ました。

財産のほとんどを反対運動に費やし、この頃には乞食同然の身なりに成り果てた正造でしたが、政府に対する怒りの気持ちはいささかも揺らぐ事はなかったのです。

ただ、時にそれが行き過ぎた暴言を正造に吐かせる事にもなりました。

ある時、栃木県(ひいては明治政府)の意向で谷中村民に土地を明け渡すよう動いていた鈴木豊三村長代行に対し
「この鈴木という男は村の土地を議会に諮問(しもん)する事なく取り上げようとしている泥棒だ。取り調べてくれ。」と鈴木に同行していた警官に言い放った事がありました。
鈴木は怒り、官吏侮辱罪として正造を拘置所にぶちこみました。
6度目の投獄。

私(allowance )はここに田中正造という人間の本質を見ます。
すなわち、己が正しいと信じた事は、相手を徹底的にやり込める迄貫くという、一種狂気めいた性分です。

だから、6度も投獄されたし、考え方の行き違いで無用に敵を作り過ぎたし、その美し過ぎる精神で、魚も住めないような息苦しさを敵だけでなく味方にももたらしたのです。

6月末。

栃木県による残留民の強制連行と家屋の破壊が始まりました。

The Meiji government's goal was clear.
The government imposed a deadline on the remaining residents to vacate the area.
Those who complied would be given an additional acquisition price for the land and house, but those who refused would be forced to destroy their homes and be charged for the cost.
There were 500 remainers at this time, and the majority agreed to be bought out.

The remainder were 16 families, or 160 people.
They were not intimated by the threats of the police and officials dispatched by the government, and resisted thoroughly.
Shozo Tanaka was in the center of those who should be called human shields.

Although Shozo had spent most of his wealth on the opposition movement, and by this time was reduced to the staus of a beggar, his anger toward the government had never wavered.

However, this sometimes led to Shozo's outbursts that went too far.

On one occasion, Shozo said to a police officer who was accompanying Toyozo Suzuki, the acting mayor of Yanaka Village, who was working at the behest of Tochigi Prefecture(and by extension, the Meiji government) to have Yanaka villagers vacate their land, "This man Suzuki is a thief who wants to take away the village's land without consulting the assembly.
Please investigate him."
Suzuki was furious, and had Shozo thrown in jail for insulting an official.
This was six times injailing. 

I see here the essence of Shozo Tanaka as a human being.In other words, he has a kind of insane nature to do what he believes to be right until he has thoroughly beaten his opponents to the ground.

So he was imprisoned six times, he made too many enemies needlessly because of misconceptions, and with his too beautiful spirit, he caused suffocation not only to his enemies but also to his allies, so that not even fish could live there.

End of June.

The forced removal of the remaining residents and destruction of their homes by Tochigi Prefecture began.