Although Shintaro asked Shuntaro to find a place to sit down as well, Shutaro did not make the slightest move and continued to stand where he was, keeping his eyes firmly fixed on Shintaro who was already sitting on a big rock.
"Shuntaro, I know you were born on the banks of the Rashomon River in Yoshiwara, and you may not know much about history, so you have to listen carefully and don't miss anything."
"Even someone like you who has never studied in a school should know this, right? More than 200 years ago, this country was in the Warring States Period, and wars were everywhere."
"Every daimyo was fighting fiercely, and finally a daimyo named Oda Nobunaga stood out. Relying on his genius strategy, he conquered all the daimyo."
"At that time, under Oda Nobunaga, there was a capable general named Hashiba Hideyoshi."
"When Oda Nobunaga was only one step away from unifying Japan and ending the warring states, he was rebelled against by another subordinate, Akechi Mitsuhide, and died tragically at Honnoji Temple."
"And the subordinate named Hashiba Hideyoshi quickly sent troops to defeat Akechi Mitsuhide after learning that Oda Nobunaga was killed by Akechi Mitsuhide."
"With his achievements of 'putting down the rebellion and avenging his lord', Hashiba Hideyoshi quickly became prosperous in the Oda family."
"In the end, Hideyoshi Hashiba seized most of Oda Nobunaga's inheritance, replaced Oda Nobunaga, and became the most powerful daimyo in Japan."
"We in Shiranui also joined Hideyoshi at this time and became the ninja army under Hideyoshi. We will continue to dominate Hideyoshi's future."
"The second most powerful daimyo in the country at that time: Tokugawa Ieyasu was far from a match for Hideyoshi Hashiba. He surrendered to Hideyoshi early and became Hideyoshi's vassal."
"Hashiba Hideyoshi finally established the hegemony that Oda Nobunaga failed to complete and unified the world."
"He rules over the whole of Japan and is called the 'people of the world'."
"Hideyoshi built the world-famous city: 'Osaka Castle' and designated Osaka as his family's new base."
"In the process of unifying the world, Hashiba Hideyoshi was given the surname 'Toyotomi' by the emperor."
"From then on, Hashiba Hideyoshi became Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and the Hashiba family became the Toyotomi family."
"Shiranui's momentum and strength reached their peak when Toyotomi Hideyoshi unified the world."
"It's a pity that the good times don't last long."
"Toyotomi Hideyoshi was already old when he succeeded in unifying the world."
"He passed away after sitting on the throne of 'People of the World' for only a few years."
"After the death of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, only the young heir Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Toyotomi Hideyoshi's brainless mother: Yodono were left."
"Not long after the death of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Tokugawa Ieyasu began to bully orphans and widowed mothers."
"In the 'Battle of Sekigahara' in the fifth year of Keicho, Tokugawa Ieyasu defeated Ishida Mitsunari, who was loyal to the Toyotomi family, and the Toyotomi family began to lose power."
"The world was replaced by the Tokugawa clan."
"Three years after the end of the Battle of Sekigahara, Tokugawa Ieyasu was named the 'General for Conquering the Barbarians' by the Emperor, and Tokugawa Ieyasu founded the 'Edo Shogunate' in his base of Edo."
Shintaro turned his head and looked in the direction of Edo Castle.
But because of his field of vision, he naturally couldn't see anything.
"That's why history is so interesting."
Shintaro showed a somewhat self-deprecating smile.
"After the death of Oda Nobunaga, Hideyoshi, who was originally a minister of Oda Nobunaga, led his family and replaced the Oda clan."
"After Hideyoshi's death, Tokugawa Ieyasu, who was originally Hideyoshi's minister, led his Tokugawa family to replace him with the Toyotomi clan."
"The stories of Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and Tokugawa Ieyasu tell us that you must have children as early as possible to ensure that when you die, your heir will be a person who can take charge of his own affairs."
"Shuntaro, do you think it makes sense?"
Shintaro's words were somewhat joking. When he said these words, he turned his gaze back to Shintaro, with a look of expectation in his eyes.
This look seemed like he was telling Shuntaro: I told a pretty funny joke, please laugh.
Unfortunately, the corners of Shintaro's mouth remained motionless and he continued to direct his cold gaze at Shintaro.
Shintaro, who was asking for trouble, curled his lips and continued:
"After the Toyotomi clan lost power, Shiranui did not abandon the Toyotomi clan. In order to repay Toyotomi Hideyoshi's kindness, he continued to assist the Toyotomi clan wholeheartedly."
"Although the Toyotomi clan has lost power and is no longer able to fight against Tokugawa Ieyasu's Edo shogunate, Tokugawa Ieyasu has always regarded the Toyotomi clan as a thorn in his side."
“Eleven years after the establishment of the Edo shogunate, Tokugawa Ieyasu launched the ‘Battle of Osaka’ in the 19th year of Keicho.”
"Through the two battles of 'Osaka Winter Formation' and 'Osaka Summer Formation', the Toyotomi clan was completely uprooted."
"Historical data records that after losing to the Tokugawa clan, Toyotomi Hideyori, the head of the Toyotomi clan, committed suicide at the age of 23."
"His son Toyotomi Kunimatsu was captured alive and then beheaded in Rokujo Kawara at the age of 8."
As soon as he finished speaking, a meaningful smile appeared on Shintaro's face.
"But this is actually what the historical data says."
"The real situation is that Toyotomi Kunimatsu is not dead."
Just these words from Shintaro made Shuntaro's pupils shrink slightly.
"When Tokugawa Ieyasu launched a large army to attack Osaka and Osaka Castle was reduced to a sea of flames, a group of people risked their lives and rushed into the sea of fire to rescue Toyotomi Kunimatsu."
"And these people are the Shiranui ninjas who are loyal to the Toyotomi clan to the end."
"After the ninjas in Shiranui rescued Toyotomi Kunimatsu, they brought Toyotomi Kunimatsu to Satsuma in Kyushu."
"The person who was beheaded in Rokujo Kawara was Toyotomi Kunimatsu's substitute."
"After rescuing Toyotomi Kunimatsu, in order to prevent the Edo shogunate from discovering that Toyotomi's bloodline still existed, he took the initiative to sever ties with the descendants of the Toyotomi clan and stopped communicating with them."
"At the same time, they also took the initiative to forget the history of rescuing the blood descendants of the Toyotomi clan."
"The ninjas who participated in the rescue of Toyotomi Kunimatsu were all silent about this period of history."
"Neither inform others nor record this history in writing."
"After the group of ninjas who participated in the rescue of Toyotomi Kunimatsu died one by one, the remaining ninjas in Shiranui naturally forgot about this period of history."
"Now that I think about it carefully, the ninjas in Shiranui were really loyal."
Shintaro smiled softly and shook his shoulders.
"After the Toyotomi clan lost power, he still remained loyal to the Toyotomi clan."
"When the Toyotomi clan was about to perish, he sacrificed his life to save the Toyotomi clan's bloodline."
"As far as I know, many ninjas died in order to save the Toyotomi clan's bloodline."
"After successfully rescuing the Toyotomi clan's bloodline, in order to prevent the Edo shogunate from discovering that Toyotomi's bloodline still existed, he took the initiative to alienate his former master and forgot about this period of time that could have left a dazzling mark in history.'
Operation Savior'."
"To this day, neither outsiders nor the ninjas in Shiranui know the legend created by a group of ninjas 200 years ago in the burning Osaka Castle."
"After successfully defeating the Toyotomi clan, there will be no other family in the world that can threaten the Edo shogunate."
"From then on, the Edo shogunate reigned supreme over the world for 200 years until"
Shintaro raised his right index finger and pointed at the ground beneath his feet.
"today."
"The rescued Toyotomi bloodline has survived tenaciously during these 200 years."
"And...in the past 200 years, the descendants of the Toyotomi family have never forgotten their hatred against the Edo shogunate."
"The descendants of the Toyotomi clan have been working hard for 200 years in a real sense!"
Shintaro's tone gradually became excited.
"Finally, as the Edo shogunate is declining, the descendants of the Toyotomi clan are determined to start from now on! Take back everything that should belong to them from the Edo shogunate!"
"Money, fame, and...the world!"
The corners of Shintaro's mouth were pulled upward in an exaggerated manner.
The smile he showed was terrifying and ferocious.
Shintaro's appearance at this time made Shintaro feel a little creepy.
The Shintaro at this time is completely different from the Shintaro that Shuntaro knew in the past.
Shintaro in Shuntaro's memory was low-key, taciturn, quietly doing all the tasks assigned to him like a diligent old scalper.
At this time, Shintaro showed a ferocious and even weird smile, and spoke in an excited tone about the "real history" that had shocked Shintaro from just now.
If someone else had told Shuntaro about the story of "Toyotomi's bloodline remains and is waiting for revenge", Shuntaro would definitely think that his story was well written, and it would be a pity not to sell this story to the storyteller.
But now that so much has happened tonight, with Shintaro telling this story, Shuntaro's understanding of history can't help but be shaken...
While Shintaro was still immersed in shock, Shintaro continued what he had just said.
"Shuntaro, it's just like what I told you just now."
"Me, Eitaro, Hannosuke and the others have been companions a long time ago."
"We are all...Toyotomi's retainers...!"
Shintaro had just vaguely guessed that Shintaro and the others might be related to the "surviving Toyotomi descendants" he just mentioned, but after hearing Shintaro and the others admit that they were Toyotomi's retainers, Shintaro's face changed.
Go up, still can't hide the surprise in his eyes.
"Shuntaro, Eitaro and I are 'foreign ninjas' just like you."
Shintaro continued.
"You were born on the banks of the Rashomon River in Yoshihara, and then you were spotted for your talent, and then you were invited to enter Shiranui."
"And Eitaro and I are just like you, we are all foreigners."
"Before entering Shiranui, we were already Toyotomi's retainers."
"In order to control Shiranui from the inside, we have started making preparations long ago."
Shuntaro's two fists were clenched tightly, and the half of the kimono sleeve and the letter in his hands seemed to be crushed by him.
"Control Shiranui from the inside..." Shuntaro said solemnly, "Have you been thinking about controlling Shiranui since six years ago... What do you want to do? To bring Shiranui back under the Toyotomi clan?
?”
In Shintaro's impression, Shintaro joined Shiranui 6 years ago.
And not long after, Eitaro also became a member of Shiranui.
"Well... that's right." Shintaro shrugged, "In order to completely destroy the Edo Shogunate, we need to unite and master all the power we can."
"To this end, we have roped in the remaining ninjas from Iga no Sato."
Shintaro grinned.
From now on, he looked like a child who had succeeded in a prank, happily showing off his successful prank to Shuntaro.
"After Iga no Sato was destroyed 40 years ago, we consciously searched for and contacted the surviving Iga no Sato ninjas and brought them over."
Shuntaro turned his head and glanced at Hannosuke who was not far away.
Hannosuke remained silent, probably acquiescing to what Shintaro just said.
"We have been preparing for tonight for a long time..."
Shintaro raised his head, closed his eyes, and let out a long sigh.
"In order to gain enough voice in Shiranui, I climbed all the way up to the position of one of the Four Heavenly Kings."
"About a year ago, we made all the preparations to seize the power of Shiranui. We can begin to officially take control of Shiranui."
"First, convince Enma to submit to the shogunate and move his base in Shiranui to Edo."
"At that time, I didn't know how much effort it took to successfully persuade Enma to surrender to the shogunate."
"In the past few months after moving the base to Edo, we have been looking for the most suitable time to take action."
"Then finally today, I waited for the best time to implement the plan."
"Both you and Ji Tairou happened to have missions tonight and didn't stay in the village."
"There's no better time than tonight to take action."
"In order to control Shiranui, I have already made a plan for who to get rid of."
Shintaro sneered, raised his hand and scratched his neck.
"First of all, the Enma who rules the entire Shiranui must die."
"Next is Gokutaro and Kotaro."
"As long as three of them die."
"It doesn't matter if the ninjas other than the three of them live or die."
"Enma, this old guy who only wants to revitalize Shiranui, is really getting in the way."
"Gokutaro and Kotaro not only have high status and power in Shiranui, but they are also the kind of people who have no worries."
"Gokutaro is greedy for wine and sex."
"Xingtaro is not greedy for wine, only for sex."
"This kind of person who has no worries is the most troublesome and difficult to control."
"In order to deal with Gokutaro, I sent Eitaro to Gokutaro's side five years ago. I made Eitaro and Gokutaro act as brothers on the surface, but actually monitored Gokutaro."
"And be prepared to kill him when the opportunity comes."
"As for Kotaro, I had corresponding arrangements for him, but Kotaro was already killed by Ogata Ittosai, so I saved a little effort."
"This evening, I managed to add poison to Balrog's dinner today."
"Although this poison takes some time to take effect, it is a powerful drug that will kill you if you take it."
"When we came to Edo this time, in addition to assisting Shintaro and the others, we also really looked for Kinoshita Genichi in Edo to see if Kinoshita Genichi was attracted to Edo by the 'Gozen Trial Combination'."
"...You are so generous." Shintaro said with a hint of ridicule in his tone, "You are so generous and generous in saying that you still have the blood of the Toyotomi clan and are trying to take revenge on the Edo shogunate."
Tell me such important news."
"Aren't you afraid that I will leak this important information to others, or directly to the shogunate?"
"You go ahead and leak it." Shintaro spread his hands, "Since I dare to tell you that 'Toyotomi is not dead,' it means that I am not afraid of you at all leaking this news."
"Whether the shogunate knows that Toyotomi's bloodline has not been cut off is no longer important to us."
"We don't care whether the shogunate knows that 'Toyotomi's bloodline has not been cut off' or that 'Toyotomi intends to take revenge on them.'"
"We are fully fledged and have no fear of the shogunate for a long time."
"What's more, our base is located...in a place that is difficult for the shogunate's hands to reach."
"With this convenient location, we are even more confident."
"You are so confident." Shuntaro said coldly, "What do you mean by telling me so many secrets? Do you plan to draw me into the Toyotomi clan and make me his retainer?"
"It would be best if you are willing to join our Toyotomi clan. But based on my understanding of you, you will definitely not join." Shintaro smiled, "The reason why I tell you all these things is because
There will be some important tasks to be entrusted to you who are very skilled."
"For the sake of convenience, I'm telling you these things that are actually not that important."
"Okay, let's stop talking about these relaxing and pleasant things first."
"It's time to talk about something more serious."
"Shuntaro, I have a mission now and I need your cooperation."
"In order for Mr. Feng Chime to have both hands and feet, you will definitely cooperate with me, right?"
There was a touch of sarcasm on Shintaro's face, and he did not hide the joking in his tone.
If a sharp enough gaze could stab someone to death, then Shintaro must have been stabbed to death countless times by Shuntaro who stared at him fiercely.
It's a pity that this kind of thing can only be an "if".
…
…
Edo, outside Yoshiwara, Orikasa Tea House
The owner of the Nori Kasa Tea House has always cared about the one-eyed old man since he entered the shop.
When the one-eyed old man entered the store, a table near the window was still empty, so the owner asked the one-eyed old man to sit at this table.
Although their tea house mainly sells tea and refreshments, they also sell some wine.
After the one-eyed old man took his seat, he directly ordered a bottle of sake without ordering any appetizers.
Just like this, a person was holding a bottle of sake and drinking it in small sips.
Now there are fewer and fewer customers in the store.
The official servants from the town fire who came to the tea house to have a few drinks and take a rest, as well as the official servants from the Shirobei Club, all left the tea house in twos and threes.
Originally, nearly 80% of the seats in the teahouse were occupied, but now there are only a few tables left occupied.
Seeing that he had been busy for so long and could finally rest, the owner leaned against the wooden pillar behind him and exhaled a long breath.
But before the owner could take a good rest, he suddenly heard an old voice:
"Any more wine?"
It was the voice of the one-eyed old man.
As soon as the one-eyed old man finished speaking, the boss immediately nodded vigorously like a conditioned reflex:
"have!"
"Give me another bottle of sake."
"Okay!"
The host ran into the kitchen neatly and brought out a bottle of sake.
When he came to the one-eyed old man's desk and offered the bottle of sake, the one-eyed old man opened the bottle without saying a word and poured it into the small wine glass in his hand.
"Sir, would you like to order some food or drinks?"
One-eyed old man: "No need."
"Then please enjoy it slowly!"
After smiling politely at the one-eyed old man, the host was holding the dinner plate and getting ready to leave.
"Wait a moment."
The one-eyed old man suddenly stopped his boss again.
"Sir, do you need anything else?" The host knelt down next to the one-eyed old man again.
"Do you sell that kind of dry food here?"
"Yes, yes...but the only dry food we sell here is dried sweet potatoes."
"It doesn't matter."
After that, the one-eyed old man took out some money from his arms and spread it out on the table in front of him.
"You can buy as many dried sweet potatoes as you can with the money."
"Okay! I'll get ready right away!"
…
…
Edo, the hotel where Ogata and others stayed
Ogata, Amachi had just chatted with Uncle Kei, when Chiba came to Ogata and informed Ogata that the treatment of Guasheng was over.
When Chiba finished treating Guasheng, Lin's lecture to Genichi also just ended.
Lin looked like she was still angry.
The source is that what it was before is what it is now...
According to Chiba, although there were many injuries on Guasheng's body, they were not serious. They could be cured by applying medicine, taking good medicine and resting for a while.
Chiba was really helpful tonight. After handing over the medical fees for Uncle Qing and Guasheng to Chiba, Ogata originally wanted to send Chiba and Kondo back to the Beifong House where they were currently staying temporarily.
He expressed his sincerity and gratitude, but was strongly rejected by Chiba and Kondo, especially Kondo.
Seeing that the two strongly refused, Ogata couldn't force it, so he could only do the next best thing, send the two out of the hotel, and then watch them leave.
Of course, because Chiba still didn't know that "Mashima Goro" was "Ogata Issei", Ogata wore a human skin mask when handing over Chiba's medical fees and sending them away.
After sending Chiba and Kondo away, he returned to the large room where he lived and said to everyone: I am going to Yoshiwara.
As soon as Ogata finished speaking, Mamiya took the lead and asked in confusion:
"Ogata-kun, why did you go to Yoshiwara again for no reason?"
"When I went to rescue Gua Sheng, a fire suddenly broke out in Yoshiwara." Ogata said concisely and concisely, "So I plan to go and see how the fire is doing, and I will come back as soon as I go."
When I rushed to Yoshiwara just now, I was busy saving Guasheng and had no energy left to take care of the fire in Yoshiwara.
Now that Gua Sheng has been rescued, her and Uncle Qing's treatment has ended, and there is nothing to worry about for the time being, Ogata plans to return to Yoshiwara to see how the fire that devastated Yoshiwara is going.
After all, Ogata worked in Yoshiwara for a short period of time. He is still considered one of Yoshiwara's servants.
Whether it was public or private, Ogata couldn't just sit back and ignore Yoshihara.
As soon as Ogata said this, he immediately received Gua Sheng's response:
"I also need to go!"
"You stay here, and you don't leave here until tomorrow morning." Ogata responded to Gua Sheng without hesitation, "We can't ignore that after the first batch of ninjas sent to hunt you failed, Satomi Shiranui sent a second batch of ninjas.
The possibility of coming to assassinate you."
"So you'd better not get close to Yoshihara now."
"You will stay with us tonight. It may not be as comfortable as your home, but at least it is safe."
"What's more, you are still injured and can't even walk quickly. You should stay here peacefully."
Although Gua Sheng wanted to refute Ogata, she had to admit that what Ogata said was right, so she could only nod her head with a bit of reluctance.
"Ogata-kun, I'll go with you." Another person suddenly expressed his intention to go with Ogata.
This person is none other than Yuan Yi.
As soon as Yuan Yi finished speaking, he immediately received a terrifying look from Lin.
To be precise, it is a rather terrifying sight.
Before Lin could say anything, Yuan Yi turned his head, looked at Lin, and spoke first.
"Shirobei and I are old acquaintances."
Yuan Yi rarely used a somewhat serious tone.
"I'm a little worried about how Shirobei is doing now."
"Based on what I know about him, after a fire breaks out, he will definitely rush to the front line to put out the fire."
"Let me go see how my old friend is doing."
Perhaps it was because it was rare to see Genichi in a "serious state", Lin was stunned for a moment.
After pursing her lips and being silent for a while, Lin let out a low sigh:
"I know, go and come back quickly...remember to stay calm and don't cause any trouble again."
"I just went to see how my old friend was doing." Yuan Yi smiled, "What trouble can it cause?"
Ogata had no reason to stop Genichi, so he naturally agreed to let Genichi go with him.
After Ogata and Genichi inserted their respective swords at their waists, they rushed towards Yoshiwara one after another...
…
…
Edo, outside Yoshiwara, Orikasa Tea House
"Any more wine?"
"have!"
“Another bottle of sake.”
"Okay! Sir, do you really not need any food or drinks?"
"unnecessary."
"Okay! Here, your sake!"
The owner again politely placed a bottle of sake on the one-eyed old man's desk.