On a certain coast in the southern part of the Kii Domain - thousands of troops holding high the Tokugawa family's family crest: the "three-leaf sunflower pattern" gathered here.
And the general in charge of these thousands of troops, Inamori Masaya, was wearing his iconic red general's armor, standing on a high ground with a good view, looking at the sea in the distance.
To be more precise, it is the large blurry shadow on the distant sea skyline.
This large blurry shadow is an island.
It is such an island that should be quite ordinary, but it has become Inamori's nightmare in the past few months.
Almost all the nightmares I have had in recent days are related to this island.
He dreamed that the monsters entrenched on this island came across the sea and easily defeated the thousands of troops under his command...
While Inamori stared blankly at the island in the distance, a young man who was also wearing battle armor, but whose armor was obviously not as advanced as Inamori, slowly climbed up to the high ground.
"Lord Inamori, Lord Kamiyama just sent us a message."
"What did Lord Kamiyama say?" Daomori asked in a calm tone without looking back.
"Master Shenshan said: The fourth batch of prisoners will be assembled soon, and the fourth batch of prisoners will be released to the 'Butterfly Island' around mid- or late April."
After quietly listening to his subordinate's report, Daomori just nodded slightly, and then said in a calm tone:
"knew."
After completing the report to Inamori, the young man said with emotion:
"Kamiyama Koshinosuke-sama's reputation as a 'faithful' is not in vain. Not only are the prisoners gathered from all over the country managed in an orderly manner, but our army's logistical supplies are also managed perfectly."
"This kind of way of doing things is admirable."
"It is really a blessing for the people and the world to have such officials."
As soon as his subordinate finished speaking, the corners of Daomori's mouth slightly raised and he let out a sneer.
"Master Shenshan has outstanding talents and lives up to his name of 'faithfulness' - I admit this."
"But you must not think that Mr. Shenshan is just an upright and loyal person."
"I know him a little bit."
"Kamiyama Koshinosuke, how should I describe him..."
"He is the kind of person who will use any means to achieve his goals."
"In order to achieve the goal, we will not hesitate to cooperate with people from all walks of life."
"And in fact, he did."
"So I advise you to be like me and stay away from people who do whatever it takes to achieve their goals."
…
…
At this moment, the feudal hall of the Kii Domain - Wakayama Castle.
In a spacious room filled with various scrolls, papers, and books, a middle-aged man was sitting in front of a desk and sleeping.
He crossed his arms over his chest and raised his head high.
His face was covered with a thin scroll, and his chest rose and fell rhythmically.
If someone who is not familiar with this middle-aged man sees this scene, he may be quite shocked.
But if someone familiar with this middle-aged man were present, they wouldn't think there was anything strange about this scene.
Sleeping while sitting - this is this middle-aged man's unique skill.
When he was tired from working, the middle-aged man would throw his head back, cover his face with an open scroll or book, and then fall asleep like that.
Just when the middle-aged man was sleeping soundly, a loud shout sounded outside the door:
"Lord Kailash! The new prisoner list has been compiled!"
As soon as the announcement came down, the middle-aged man known as "Master Shenshan" suddenly opened his eyes, took a deep breath, blew hard, and blew away the thin scroll covering his face, and then
He shouted loudly outside the room:
"Send it in!"
"yes!"
A middle-aged man dressed as a civil servant opened the paper sliding door, and then respectfully delivered a tied scroll in his hand to Kamiyama Koshinosuke's desk.
After waving his hand to signal the civil servant to step aside, Shenshan slowly spread out the list of new prisoners he had just compiled.
On this scroll? Written are the names of every prisoner who has arrived at the Kii Front or is about to arrive at the Kii Front.
At the same time, there is also a note written behind the prisoner's name indicating what crime the prisoner has committed before.
As the names of people on the sacred mountain were read down one by one, surprise appeared in his eyes bit by bit.
"'Executioner Ittosai', 'Rukou Hachiman', 'Monk'... there are so many masters among the new batch of prisoners..."
"I hope this group of people can achieve some results after landing on the 'Butterfly Island'..."
Shenshan muttered, while continuing to look down.
Finally——Kamiyama’s eyes stopped on a person’s name.
Different from other people who just swept by? Shenshan's eyes were fixed on this person's name for a long time...
Moreover, the expression contained in his eyes gradually became more complicated.
The name of the person who directly fixed the gaze of the sacred mountain has only four simple Chinese characters - Makimura Yahachi.
The note marked after it clearly stated what crime he had committed before: fighting.
Looking at the words "fight and fight", Shenshan couldn't help but smile.
"Long time no see..." Shenshan looked at the name and said softly, "I never thought... I would still see your name in my lifetime... 'Stegodragon'!"
After roughly reading the remaining names one by one, Shenshan rerolled the scroll and threw it aside casually.
…
…
Kara, Kara, Kara, Kara...
Ogata had become very accustomed to the sound of wheels rattling forward.
Now Ogata has become so skilled that even if the carriage under his butt is moving forward rapidly, he can still stay still and sleep soundly.
Just when Ogata, who had nothing to do, was about to take another nap, the carriage suddenly stopped.
Then a big hand passed a bowl of white porridge with a few slices of dried radish and a pair of chopsticks in through the small window for ventilation.
"Ogata Yoshi? Dinner is ready."
"Why is it white porridge with dried radish again... Don't you have any other meals?"
"How dare you make so many demands for a mere prisoner!" the official responsible for delivering food to Ogata said angrily, "It's great if we are willing to provide you with three meals a day! Please do it with a grateful heart."
Eat this bowl of porridge cleanly!"
"Okay, okay..." After dismissing the official with a perfunctory tone, Ogata picked up the bowl of white porridge and started to eat it happily.
Although the food provided to him every day by the official servants who had been reformed by Huo Fu Thieves was not very rich, the advantage was that it was still plentiful. Therefore, although the food was not good, Ogata was not hungry.
Just as Ogata was enjoying his meal, a familiar middle-aged male voice sounded outside the prison car: