The bald head, who was excited about this, poured another mouthful of wine into his mouth, and then continued:

"Fortunately, during this period, the government finally began to vigorously rectify the naturalized Ezo in the domain."

"Some of the naturalized Ezo who were offered bounties were captured one by one."

"Now only the most troublesome one is still on the run."

After saying that, the bald man raised his hand and pointed at the wall covered with wanted posters.

"Well, Sir Samurai, I think you can remember this face well. If you encounter someone with this face, remember to avoid it quickly, and then notify the nearby official."

Ogata looked at the wanted poster pointed by the bald man.

He was only looking at his own wanted notice just now, and didn't even look at other wanted notices.

The wanted poster pointed by the bald man had a rather rough face.

The hair on his face was extremely thick, which reminded Ogata of the image of Zhang Fei in "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms".

The artist who drew this wanted poster was very skilled, and he was able to outline very profound facial features with just a few strokes.

Deep facial features coupled with luxuriant hair—a typical Ezo image.

Ogata glanced at this man's bounty - 20 taels.

Although it is completely incomparable to Ogata's current 800 ryo, Ogata is completely out of touch.

The other wanted criminals are just ordinary criminals, unlike Ogata who has no regard for the dignity of the shogunate.

If you don't compare it with a wanted criminal of Ogata's level, 20 taels of gold is undoubtedly a high reward.

As long as he or his head is presented to the government, 20 taels of gold will be enough for a family of three to have food and drink for many years to come without spending it arbitrarily - of course, provided there is no "famine at dawn"

Such a catastrophic disaster will cause a huge devaluation of money.

"This man's name is 'Maka Nao', and his nickname is 'Hanamura Ichiro'. He is the only wanted criminal who was naturalized in Ezo and is still at large."

The bald man continued.

"This man is very cunning. The government has spent a lot of effort but can't find him. I don't know where he is hiding."

"In addition to being cunning, this man is also very dangerous. He has many subordinates, all of whom are naturalized Ezo. He has gathered all the naturalized Ezo who are dissatisfied with us and our people, and it is said that he has developed a powerful force.

It’s a small force.”

"Oh, I really hope the officials can bring these guys to justice quickly, so that we ordinary people can live and work in peace and contentment."

"Are there many naturalized Ezo here in Matsumae Castle?" Amachi, who had been listening quietly just now, asked now, "I don't seem to see many Ezo on the street today."

From the time they landed until now, except for three naturalized Ezo who wanted to kill them, Ogata and Atachi have never seen another Ezo wearing kimono.

"It's normal that you didn't see it." The bald head nodded, "Those naturalized Ezo basically live in the northwest corner of the castle town."

"Except for the northwest corner, the number of naturalized Ezo is relatively small."

"You can see more naturalized Ezo when you go to the northwest corner."

…

…

at the same time--

Matsumae Castle, in an extremely secluded house somewhere in the western suburbs——

A relatively young Ezo tiptoed into a certain room in the house.

"Maka, sir." After entering the room, young Ezo said in a most respectful tone to the black figure in the room.

The black shadow in the corner of the room is actually a human figure.

Just after the young Ezo finished speaking, the figure "squirmed" at a slow speed, and then a deep voice came from the figure.

"What's the matter?"

If Ogata and Atachi had been present, they might have made a sound of surprise when they saw the true face of this figure.

This figure was the only wanted fugitive among the naturalized Ezo who was still at large, whom the bald head had just told them to pay attention to - Maka Nao.

Maka Nao tugged at the lush beard on his chin while casting his sharp gaze at the young Ezo in front of him.

"Today, three of our compatriots died in the city." Young Ezo responded in a tone that was neither salty nor indifferent. "They died in a certain alley. Because the three of them had bows and arrows on their bodies, the government judged them three

He used bows and arrows to rob others, and then he was killed by others."

"Therefore, the government seems not to seriously investigate how our three compatriots died."

"The plan is to close the case by saying, 'these three people were killed instead of robbing them.'"

"...Have you found out who the three dead people are?" Maka's movements of pulling her beard became rough.

"I found out. They are Hepei, Xinolai and Mabo."

"...I don't have much impression of these three names." Maka Nao said softly, "Are they compatriots who just lived in Matsumae Castle recently?"

"It's normal for you to have no impression of Maka Nao-sama." Young Ezo replied, "Although the three of them moved into Matsumae Castle very early, they have always lived a low-key life, so they have always been inconspicuous."

"Were the three of them really killed because they failed in the robbery?" Maka Nao then asked.

"...It's very possible that this is indeed the case." Young Ezo's voice, which had always contained no emotion at all, finally showed some fluctuations at this time, "According to friends of the three of them, because they have never been willing to hire

They work."

"Some time ago, the three of them said to their friends, 'They are starving and want to grab some money to eat.'"

"...It seems that there are three more compatriots who have been forced to die." Maka's voice was full of hatred, "Damnable Kazuto...!"

After saying that, Maka got up and walked to the window next to her.

Standing by the window, you can clearly see the firelight in the distance.

This area in the northwest corner of Matsumae Castle is where the naturalized Ezo people live, and it is also the poorest part of Matsumae Castle.

After night falls, there is almost no firelight in this area, forming a very sharp contrast with other places in the city.

Ma Ka Nao looked out through the window and could see an extremely obvious difference - the area where he and his compatriots lived was dark, while other urban areas outside this area were brightly lit.

The same city, but two worlds.

Maka looked at the lights outside the window, hatred slowly appearing in her eyes.

"Tell others."

Maka said to the young Ezo behind her.

"Let them be ready to fight at any time."

"We must take down the head of Kazuto's leader, Matsudaira Sadanobu!"

When she said the name "Matsuhira Sadanobu", Maka Nao's tone was sonorous and powerful.

It was as if he was talking about something that was inevitable.

…

…

Matsumae Domain, Matsumae Castle, inside a military warehouse——

"Sir, Lao Zhong, let's go this way."

A middle-aged official made a "please" gesture to Matsudaira Sadanobu behind him, and then led Matsudaira Sadanobu toward a corner of the warehouse.

There were two young officials on the left and right of this middle-aged official.

As for Matsudaira Sadanobu - he strode forward with his hands behind his back, led by this middle-aged official.

His nickname, Tachibana, and a group of guards followed closely behind.

The middle-aged official who led the way brought Matsudaira Sadanobu to a "sea of ​​wooden boxes" composed of boxes of huge rectangular wooden boxes.

The wooden boxes that make up this "sea of ​​wooden boxes" are very large, more than enough for an adult male of average height in this era to lie inside.

Before and after bringing Matsudaira Sadanobu to this "sea of ​​wooden boxes", the middle-aged official immediately winked at the two young officials who had been following closely just now.

These two relatively eye-catching young officers quickly understood what was going on, and then stepped forward and worked together to open a wooden box in this "sea of ​​wooden boxes", revealing the scenery inside the wooden box.

"Sir, Lao Zhong." The middle-aged official bowed and made a "please" gesture to Matsudaira Sadanobu, "This is Yu Guobeng who just arrived. Please take a look."

Matsudaira Sadanobu stepped forward and looked into the wooden box.

There is a large amount of dry straw stuffed inside the wooden box.

In the center of this pile of dry straw, a huge cannon barrel lay quietly.

The jet black gun body reflects a unique metallic luster.

Matsudaira Sadanobu raised his hand and stroked the cannon body gently.

Feeling the cold touch on his fingertips, Matsudaira Sadanobu showed a faint smile:

"I've been waiting for you for a long time..."

The collapse of the country is actually artillery.

During the Warring States Period more than 200 years ago, the Portuguese introduced artillery to the Otomo family, the princes in the south of the country at that time.

The head of the Otomo family at the time: Otomo Sorin, after witnessing the power of the artillery with his own eyes, named it "National Collapse" with great joy.

Since then, the Japanese have been accustomed to referring to artillery as the collapse of the country.

Of course, some people refer to artillery as "big barrels". Because there are many models of big barrels, and the style and firepower of some big barrels are no different from cannons.

Matsudaira Sadanobu was accustomed to referring to artillery as the "National Collapse Party"

This time we send troops to the north, aiming at the Red Moon Fortress, Matsudaira Nobunobu is bound to win.

This war actually has many political elements.

Through this war, the Ezo, who were dissatisfied with them and their people, could witness their power and let them recognize the gap between their two nations.
To be continued...