Chapter 441 The shogunate preparing to launch a war【13000 words】
When Ogata put the Yashamaru into his arms, he casually asked Shuntaro:
"Foroku, now that Shiranui is gone, what are you going to do after your injury heals?"
"I had originally planned to leave Shiranui to practice as a warrior."
"Now that Shiranui is gone, I naturally plan to start practicing as a warrior."
Shuntaro answered without any hesitation.
"I plan to travel around the world to practice my body, mind and skills."
"So, Ittousai, we might meet somewhere again in the future."
"But practicing as a warrior requires a certain amount of travel expenses."
"And all my savings are kept at Shiranui's home."
"I can be said to be penniless now."
"So I plan to do some work first and save some money."
"After the incident of Ah Chang being kidnapped, I saw that Meiwu was recruiting new thugs in order to prevent such things from happening again in the future."
"I may work at Mimewu's for a while first - provided that after I recover from my injury, Mimewu is still recruiting people."
"Do you practice martial arts..." Ogata smiled, "Then you should work hard. I look forward to seeing you somewhere in the future with more refined skills."
"I'll lend you your good words. Let's have a good competition until then." Shuntaro's eyes were filled with fighting spirit.
However - at this moment, Shuntaro suddenly seemed to remember something.
The light in his eyes stopped.
Then he slowly put on a serious face.
"I almost forgot about that..."
"Ittousai, let's stop talking about the light topics first."
"Let's talk about something...a little more serious."
"Serious matter?" Ogata raised his eyebrows.
Seeing Shuntaro suddenly put on such a serious face, Ogata couldn't help but become serious too.
"Ittosai, do you know Toyotomi?" Shuntaro asked.
"Toyotomi? I know." Ogata nodded, "I just heard someone talking about Toyotomi."
"Have you just heard someone talking about Toyotomi?" Shuntaro frowned.
"Hmm? Shuntaro, don't you know that yet?"
Ogata briefly and concisely relayed to Shuntaro what he had just heard from passers-by about the "attack on the Kitamachi Administrative Office."
"There is actually the Toyotomi clan's family crest on the wall of the Kitamachi Administrative Office?" Shutaro's face was full of horror.
After subconsciously clenching his hands, Shuntaro said in a deep voice:
"Ittosai... let me give you a warning first - what I am going to tell you next may make you unbelievable, so you should be mentally prepared first."
Shuntaro told Ogata about Shintaro, Eitaro and the others in as short a sentence as possible.
After Shuntaro finished speaking, Ogata frowned.
"The remnants of the Toyotomi clan..." Ogata couldn't help but murmur in a tone of astonishment.
Although just after seeing Shuntaro put on such a solemn expression, Ogata vaguely guessed that what he was going to talk about next would be something very serious.
But he didn't expect it to be so serious.
Ogata never expected that there were other forces behind Shiranui.
"What you just mentioned about the 'attack on the Kitamachi Enforcement Office'... I suspect it was really the work of Toyotomi's remnants." Shuntaro said softly, "Shintaro told me before that they no longer care whether the world knows or not.
I know there is still Toyotomi’s bloodline…”
"I didn't expect that what he said was actually true..."
"To actually paint Toyotomi's family crest on the wall of the Kitamachi Shrine in such a grand manner..."
"Ittousai, let me ask you: If it were you, when would you stop caring about whether the world knows that Goro Majima is Issei Ogata?"
"Of course that is when it doesn't matter even if the world knows that Majima Goro is Ogata Issei..." Ogata said softly.
"That's right." Shuntaro smiled bitterly, "That's the truth... So for Toyotomi's remnants, it doesn't matter whether the world knows about their existence..."
"Therefore——please pay more attention to it in the future, Ittousai."
"The reason why I tell you this is just to give you a warning."
"Be careful with Toyotomi on your next journey."
"No one knows what these people who no longer care whether the shogunate knows about them will do in the future..."
"...Yeah." Ogata nodded, "I understand. Thank you for the reminder."
——Toyotomi...?
Ogata whispered in his heart this surname that should have been extinct for 200 years.
Dong dong dong...
At this time, footsteps suddenly sounded outside the door.
Then the voice of the woman named "Hefeng" sounded outside the door:
"Get ready to change the dressing."
"Is it time to change the dressing so soon..." Shuntaro's face darkened, as if he heard some devil's whisper.
"It's almost time for you to rest." Ze Feng's somewhat cold voice sounded again, "Your body is still very weak. Don't talk for too long, as it will be bad for your wound recovery."
"Hurry up and get ready. I'll bring the medicine later."
After the words fell, the footsteps sounded again.
But this time the footsteps moved from near to far, and were the footsteps of leaving.
After Zefeng left, Ogata said to Shuntaro in a joking tone:
"It seems you don't like changing dressings either."
"Who would like medicine that makes it very itchy when applied to a wound?"
"Both each other. I also hate changing dressings very much..." Ogata grabbed the Daishiten placed beside him and stood up.
"Then - in order not to disturb your dressing change and rest, I will leave first."
"Are you leaving?"
"Well. If I stay here any longer, I will disturb your dressing change and rest."
"And I still have places to go and other people I want to say goodbye to. So let's talk about this first."
Shuntaro was not a mother-in-law person either. Seeing that Ogata was about to leave, he didn't say anything else and only showed a smile.
"Then I'll see you again in the future, Ittousai, and remember not to neglect your swordsmanship practice."
"Yes." Ogata nodded seriously, "Wu Liu, I'll see you again in the future."
After saying these words, a touch of sadness emerged uncontrollably from the bottom of Ogata's heart.
Just now when I was saying goodbye to Taifu, Shirobei and others, I had a similar sad feeling in my heart.
In this era of underdeveloped communication, after separation, who knows when we will meet again next time?
Silently suppressing this sadness, Ogata quietly exited Shuntaro's room...
…
…
In Edo, the current residence of Ogata and others, in Uncle Kei's room——
"Well, not bad." Ating, who was kneeling down behind Uncle Qing, carefully looked at Uncle Qing's wound several times, then joy appeared on his face, "The wound is recovering well. In another half month, Uncle Qing, your wound will
It will probably be cured."
After that, Ating took the medicine jar next to him and slowly applied the ointment contained in the medicine jar to Uncle Qing's wound.
When A-Ting was helping Uncle Qing apply the medicine, Uncle Qing said in a helpless tone to A-Ting who was sitting behind him:
"A-Machi, I can move around freely now. You don't need to help me every time for things like changing dressings."
"That's not possible." A-Machi said without hesitation, "Your wound is located on your side and abdomen. If there is no one to help, it will be difficult to apply medicine to your wound by yourself."
Seeing that he couldn't speak to Ah Ding, Uncle Qing could only look away, shook his head with a wry smile, and stopped talking.
Uncle Qing sat cross-legged silently and asked Ating to apply medicine to him.
Ating also silently changed the medicine for Uncle Qing.
The room fell into a peaceful tranquility.
But the tranquility did not last long. Uncle Qing suddenly raised his hand slowly, looked up at the ceiling, and then abruptly asked A-Machi a question, breaking the tranquility.
"Atachi, when will you and Ogata-kun leave Edo?"
Hearing Uncle Qing's question, Ating was stunned for a moment.
The speed of applying medicine to Uncle Qing also unconsciously slowed down a bit.
He pursed his lips and said softly:
"It's not confirmed yet, but it will probably be in a few days."
"In a few days..." Uncle Qing muttered softly for a while, then laughed softly, "Machi, if you are not happy with Ogata-kun in the future, just go back to Edo to find me."
"I plan to settle here in Edo from now on."
"Uncle Qing, do you plan to stay here in Edo for a long time?" A Machi's eyes flashed with surprise.
"Yes. I can do a lot of handicrafts." Uncle Qing continued, "I plan to rely on handicrafts to spend the rest of my life peacefully."
"So if you, Omachi, are unhappy with Ogata-kun in the future, just go back to Edo and find me."
"There is a home you can return to in Edo."
"Well..." A smile mixed with emotion and gratitude bloomed on Ating's face, "I will."
Having said that, Ah Ding stopped talking and continued to concentrate on applying medicine to Uncle Qing's wounds.
But her silence only lasted a moment.
"...Uncle Qing." Amachi said softly, "I'm sorry...I finally reunited with you, but I have to separate from you again and leave you alone in Edo..."
"Hahahaha." Uncle Qing laughed a few times, "What's there to apologize for?"
"You are not a little girl who is only a few years old."
"You are already 18 years old this year. You are already an independent adult."
"As an adult, you should do what you want to do instead of staying with your elders all the time."
"If you plan to stay with me in Edo, I will be troubled."
"If your father Setaro was still alive, he would be very happy to know that you now have your own ideas and no longer have to rely on us elders."
Speaking of this, Uncle Qing sighed softly, with a look of reminiscence in his eyes.
Setaro - the name of Atachi's father.
A-Machi's parents were both genin in Shiranui. His mother, A Wei, died in a mission when A-Machi was 5 years old.
His father, Setaro, also followed in the footsteps of his wife when Atachi was 15 years old, and died during a mission.
After both his parents passed away, Uncle Qing, who had a close relationship with his father, became the only elder in A-Ting.
Hearing his father's name from Uncle Qing's mouth for the first time in a long time, Ating couldn't help but recall the past when his father was still alive.
"Setaro is the person I admire most in my life."
Uncle Qing said slowly while recalling this friend who had passed away.
"There are many things I admire about him."
"What I admire most about him is that he is a person who has always implemented his own will."
"Even if others are obstructing him and saying all sorts of sarcastic things, he will do what he wants to do wholeheartedly."
"Everyone said that firearms were useless, and insulted him because he was just making some useless junk. He remained unmoved at all and kept concentrating on studying his favorite firearm."
"A-Machi, do you still remember the tunnel your home used to have?"
"Yes, remember." Ating nodded, "It's the tunnel that was originally intended to be used for escape, right?"
Omachi clearly remembers that when she was still young, probably only 6 or 7 years old, her father Setaro spent a lot of time secretly digging a tunnel at home that led to Shiranui and beyond.
At that time, Amachi and his family's home happened to be located in the outermost area of Shiranui.
Therefore, the total length of this tunnel that leads directly to Shiranui is actually not very long, only about 300 meters.
Amachi remembered that Uncle Qing had also participated in the excavation of this tunnel.
The two of them worked together to successfully dig the tunnel.
According to what Setarō told Amachi at the time: he dug this tunnel just in case.
If you can't survive in Shiranui in the future, you can take the whole family and escape along this tunnel.
It's a pity that this tunnel was only used once after it was dug.
It was the time when he helped Feng Mo and his men escape.
10 years ago, a full-scale war broke out between Shiranui and Fuma no Sato.
Balrog captured Feng Mo's subordinates and planned to use them to blackmail Feng Mo.
But who would have expected that Fuuma would single-handedly attack Shiranui and rescue all his subordinates by himself.
When Fuma was leading his subordinates, he was looking for a way to leave Shiranui smoothly.
When Fuma and the others were fleeing, by chance, they happened to arrive in front of Atachi's house.
At that time, Atachi's father extended a helping hand to Fuma and the others.
At that time, the tunnel for Atachi's house had just been dug.
Setaro asked Fuuma's subordinates to escape from Shiranui along this recently dug tunnel.
It was also at that time that Fuma and Atachi's family got to know each other.
The tunnel in Atachi's house was only used once.
After the dispute with Fuma no Sato ended, Enma suffered the humiliation of having his base attacked and decided to rearrange the layout of the houses in Shiranui Sato and transform Shiranui Sato into a fortress-like village.
Because Enma rearranged the layout of the houses in Shiranui, Omachi and his family had to move, and they had to fill in the tunnel that took a lot of effort to dig.
After moving to a new home, the number of neighbors around the new home increased. There were neighbors in all directions, and there was no way to dig another tunnel. Therefore, after moving to the new home, Atachi's father never dug another tunnel in the new home.
"That's right." As soon as A-Ding finished speaking, Uncle Qing nodded, "That's the tunnel."
"Your father and I worked together to dig that tunnel."
"It was a thrilling time."
Uncle Qing's face showed emotion.
"We have always been on tenterhooks, fearing that someone would discover that we were doing such a treasonous thing."
"Fortunately, your home at that time was located in a quite remote place, with almost no neighbors. Until the tunnel was dug, no one discovered the existence of this tunnel."
"Omachi, although that tunnel is indeed as you said just now, it is just in case, if you can't survive in Shiranui, you can use it to escape."
"But - do you know another purpose for this tunnel?"
"Huh?" A-Machi looked surprised, "Does that tunnel have another purpose?"
Uncle Qing nodded gently:
"Your father has always hated Shiranui."
"I hate the depressing atmosphere in Shiranui and all the inhumane rules in Shiranui."
"So when he decided to dig a tunnel that leads directly to the outside of Shiranui, his other purpose was to use this tunnel to help those who were oppressed by Shiranui and could not survive in Shiranui to escape."
"That's why 10 years ago, after meeting Fuma Kotaro and the others, your father resolutely extended a helping hand to them."
"To be honest, after the 'Feng Mo Rebellion' ended, when I learned from your father that he actually helped Feng Mo and the others escape, I was so scared that I almost collapsed on the ground."
Uncle Qing smiled bitterly.
"If people like Enma find out about this kind of thing, both you and your father will be finished."
"This is something that most people don't have the guts to do, but your father is able to do it according to his own will."
"I feel helpless and admirable for your father's behavior of always carrying out his own will."
"A large part of the reason why your father and I became good friends is because he and I both hate Shiranui."
"We all sympathize with those who are oppressed by Shiranui and are almost unable to live in Shiranui."
"I'm not a very courageous person."
"But in getting along with your father, I was also influenced by your father unknowingly."
"I gradually started to do what I want to do like your father."
Speaking of this, Uncle Qing let out a sigh of relief.
Then he turned his head and looked directly into A-Machi's eyes.
"Now Shiranui has been destroyed. Omachi, let me tell you what I have been hiding from you."
"Atachi, actually a long time ago, when you were just a child, I began to secretly help the Kuu escape."
"Huh?" Because he was too surprised, the hand that was helping Uncle Qing to apply the medicine stopped unconsciously again.
The uncle whom he has always respected has been doing such dangerous things for a long time - Amachi only knows about this kind of thing now.
"I don't remember when it started. I just remember that a long time ago, I really wanted to help those poor dirties."
"But I never found the courage."
"It wasn't until I got to know your father and was gradually infected by your father that I slowly began to do what I had always wanted to do but didn't dare to do - help the Kuzu escape from this hell in Shiranui."
"The first time I successfully helped a 'Zu' escape, you were only 14 years old."
"At that time, your father also assisted me."
"It's a pity... your father passed away not long after I officially started assisting the Grimes to escape, leaving me to fight alone."
"Because we were afraid of injuring you, your father and I never told you that I had been doing such dangerous things."
"In addition to assisting the "Zu"s in escaping, I also frequently suggested to the Balrogs to relax the pressure on the "Zu"s. Unfortunately, these suggestions of mine were never adopted..."
"I have always insisted on lending a helping hand to 'Zu'."
"Even after moving my base to Edo, I still persisted."
"It's a pity that after moving to Edo, I couldn't continue my previous good luck. Some time ago, Enma and the others finally discovered my behavior, and they had to defect."
"If it weren't for the chance encounter with Ogata-kun, I might have been eliminated by Shiranui's pursuers..."
A-Machi has been listening quietly.
After Uncle Qing finished speaking, Ating looked like he had suddenly realized something and said softly:
"I finally understand why, Uncle Qing, you were forced to become a traitor because you helped the Kuu people escape..."
"I also understand why you didn't run away with me when you told me that you were being demoted as a 'scum' and I asked you to run away with me."
"Uncle Qing, are you doing it to continue to stay in Shiranui and continue to help those 'Ku' people?"
"...That's just one of the reasons." Uncle Qing smiled slightly, "The other main reason is because if I run away with you, it will only hurt you."
"I'm a jounin. And you should also know, Omachi, that the higher the level of the rebellious nin, the more Shiranui Ribei will not let go."
"If I follow you and escape, it will only attract more ninjas to hunt us down."
"So I can't go with you no matter what at that time."
Speaking of this, Uncle Qing couldn't help but let out a long sigh full of emotion.
"If you think about it carefully...fate is such a wonderful thing..."
"Our uncle and nephew were actually saved by Ogata-kun..."
During the days when Uncle Qing was recuperating in this house, he had already heard from Atachi about her experiences in Kyoto.
"Yeah..." The smile on A-Ting's face became a little more tender, "If it weren't for A-Yit, I really don't know what we would have become."
"...Omachi." Uncle Qing suddenly changed into a very serious tone, "Let me confirm, you didn't decide to be with Ogata-kun just to repay his kindness to you, right?"
"Of course not." Amachi said without thinking, "The kind of person who marries someone else just to repay a favor should only survive in the mouths of storytellers, right?"
Uncle Qing pursed his lips, as if thinking about something.
After a while, Chong Azimachi said sternly:
"Omachi, seriously. If you are unhappy with Ogata-kun in the future, you can always come back to Edo to find me."
"I know." A Ding smiled helplessly, "Uncle Qing, you have said this just now."
"I'm just afraid you'll forget..."
Speaking of this, Uncle Qing remained silent again.
Ah Ding, who noticed that Uncle Qing's appearance was different, was about to ask Uncle Qing what was wrong, but Uncle Qing said slowly and in a low voice:
"A-Machi... to be honest... I don't really support your marriage to Ogata-kun..."
"...A-Machi, I have always regarded you as my daughter. As a parent... you will definitely not want your child to be with a wanted criminal... and it is also the most wanted criminal that the shogunate wants to catch at the moment.
of."
Hearing Uncle Qing's words, A Ding was speechless for a moment.
Uncle Qing went on to say:
"You follow Ogata-kun... I don't know when you will be able to live a stable life in the future, and you won't have to worry about the days when officials from the shogunate come to your door..."
"I have also been in contact with Ogata-kun during this time."
"He is indeed a man worthy of entrusting the rest of his life to him."
"But...compared to Ogata-kun who may not be able to find a serious job or live a stable life in the future, I hope you can find a more ordinary man..."
As Uncle Qing finished speaking, the room fell into an eerie silence.
After an unknown amount of time, the smile reappeared on A-Machi's face.
"...Uncle Qing, I understand your concerns."
"But for me, as long as I can be with Ayi and Ayi can always be safe, that's enough."
"As for the difficulties you mentioned, Uncle Qing, about not being able to find a serious job or finding a stable place to live..."
Ating gave Uncle Qing a sly smile.
"When we encounter these difficulties in the future, we can work together with him to find a solution."
"These difficulties are not so easy to solve..." The bitterness on Uncle Qing's face became more intense.
"Maybe. But I have made up my mind to share weal and woe with Ayi for the rest of my life."
"I will always implement this will of mine."
A-Machi raised his gaze and looked directly into Uncle Qing's eyes without any fear or avoidance.
"Just like you and your father have always carried out your own will."
Uncle Qing seemed to have not expected that Ating would answer him like this, and was completely stunned.
After slowly coming back to his senses, Uncle Qing smiled helplessly and sighed softly.
"It seems...A-Machi, you have really grown up..."
"Not only do I look more and more like your father now, but my words and actions are also more and more like your father..."
"Then this is a good thing." Amachi laughed.
…
…
Edo, Fire Bandits Headquarters, Hasegawa's office——
Hasegawa cast complicated eyes on Ogata, who was kneeling in front of him.
Just now, Hasegawa, who was at work, suddenly received news - a samurai who called himself Majima Goro came to visit and expressed that he wanted to see Hasegawa.
He was stunned, with a look of shock on his face, and then immediately asked his subordinates to bring the samurai who called himself Majima Goro. The above is Hasegawa after learning about Majima... no, it should be said that after learning about Ogata's visit,
a series of reactions.
After asking his subordinates to bring Ogata to his office, there was now a scene where Hasegawa and Ogata were sitting opposite each other.
The relationship between Ogata and Hasegawa has always been complicated.
We once had a fight, but we also once fought side by side in Kyoto.
After their reunion in Edo, they cooperated with Hasegawa again, and together they worked together to thwart Shiranui's attempt to regain his reputation by relying on the "Gozen Trial".
In Ogata's mind, Hasegawa is also one of those people who must be said to someone else.
So just after leaving Yoshiwara, Obelo rushed to the headquarters of Huoshu Thief Kai without stopping.
"...Ittosai." After looking at Ogata up and down with complicated eyes for an unknown number of times, he closed his eyes and sighed softly, "It's been a while since we last met..."
"Yeah. It's been a while since we've seen each other." Ogata nodded.
"Before you tell me your purpose of coming, let me ask you a question."
Hasegawa sighed again before continuing:
"The attack on Shiranui...you must have been involved, right?"
Although Hasegawa's sentence is a question, the tone is that of an affirmative sentence.
It was as if he already knew the answer to this question.
"That's right." Ogata answered without any hesitation.
"...Sure enough." A hint of helplessness appeared in the depths of Hasegawa's eyes, "I guessed it right...At that time, after I learned that Shiranui was attacked by an unknown person, I vaguely guessed that you must have
Give it a try..."
Ogata was not surprised that Hasegawa had guessed that he was involved in the attack on Shiranui.
After all, when he agreed to cooperate with Hasegawa, the condition he proposed was to inform them of the approximate location of Shiranui's base and to inform him of Shiranui's movements as much as possible.
Although Ogata didn't tell Akira Hasegawa that they were going to find trouble in Shiranui at that time, Hasegawa was not an idiot either.
Even though Ogata and the others didn't say it explicitly, Hasegawa also inferred that Ogata, who asked about the approximate location of Shiranui's base, was definitely not doing a friendly sightseeing trip to Shiranui.
Ogata had just asked for the approximate location of Shiranui Ri's base, but after a while, Shiranui Ri was gone - it was difficult not to suspect Ogata.
"During this period of time, the shogunate has been investigating who attacked Shiranui." Hasegawa said softly, "You are so bold, you actually appeared in front of me, the shogunate, so arrogantly."
"Because I know you won't do anything to me." Ogata smiled and shrugged.
As soon as Ogata finished speaking, a faint smile appeared on Hasegawa's face.
"Overall - Ittousai, I still want to thank you."
Hasegawa folded his arms in front of his chest like Ogata did.
"Shiranui is gone. Those officials in the shogunate who hate Shiranui are overjoyed."
"Although Shiranui was destroyed by unknown persons, for those officials who hate Shiranui, it is enough as long as Shiranui is gone. They are too lazy to care about who destroyed Shiranui."
"Shiranui is gone, and I have benefited a lot from him."
"Ittousai, you should still remember, right? The reason why I cooperated with you and let you participate in the 'Gozen Trial Combination'."
Ogata: "Of course I remember."
Hasegawa was originally a neutral person, but a high-ranking official who hated Shiranui suddenly came to Hasegawa and wanted Hasegawa to help deal with Shiranui.
The favor that the high-ranking official asked Hasegawa to do was to mobilize the elite soldiers and generals under his command who had been reformed by the Hufu Thieves to participate in the "Gozen Trial Combination" to thwart Shiranui's attempt to restore his image through the "Gozen Trial Combination".
The senior official promised Hasegawa that as long as Hasegawa was willing to help, he would strongly support Hasegawa's "personnel transfer field" afterwards.
As a result, Hasegawa joined the "anti-Shiranui Ri" camp, and Hasegawa proposed cooperation to Ogata, and a series of subsequent events.
"Shiranui suddenly disappeared before the 'Gozen Trial Combination' was over."
Hasegawa continued.
"It also seems to have been completed in disguise to prevent Shiranui Ri from getting a good ranking in the 'Gozen Trials'."
"Those officials who hated Shiranui are very happy now."
"They have promised me that they will put in a few kind words for me afterwards and do everything they can to support my football team."
"With their support, my pressure can be reduced a little bit..."
"It's not easy for you to run your business as well..." Ogata couldn't help but sigh.
Ogata naturally knew what a human foot garden was. After all, when he and Lin and others were discussing whether to cooperate with Hasegawa, Mamiya and others had introduced Ogata to what a human foot garden was.
To put it simply, a labor camp is a labor camp.
It was built by Hasegawa to imprison some people with minor crimes and then teach them skills so that they can have skills when they regain their freedom in the future.
Ogata still admires Hasegawa for establishing and operating the foot-boarding field at all costs.
In this old society with strict hierarchical system and full of oppression, it is really rare for Hasegawa to have the idea of establishing an organization to help prisoners to rehabilitate, and the ability to carry out this idea.
After hearing Ogata's emotion, the smile on Hasegawa's face became a little more meaningful.
"The pedagogy is my passion."
"I will keep operating the football field at all costs."
"And in fact - I did risk everything for the sake of having enough people on the pitch."
Having said this, Hasegawa let out a few self-deprecating chuckles.
"In order to raise enough funds, I started doing something a long time ago that if someone from above discovered it, I might be asked to commit hara-kiri."
Ogata looked surprised and raised his eyebrows.
"Apologies to seppuku? Mr. Hasegawa, what did you do?"
"It's not a very glorious thing." Hasegawa smiled bitterly and shook his head, "It's better that you don't know."
"Okay, let's talk about you."
"Yittousai, why did you come to my headquarters of Huofu Thief Gai today?"
Hasegawa did not want to say more about the incident that would have caused him to commit hara-kiri and apologize, and it was not convenient for Ogata to ask further questions.
Seeing Hasegawa asking him about his purpose of coming, Oubono took advantage of the situation and said:
"There's no special reason for coming."
"I will leave Edo soon."
"So I just came to say goodbye to you."
"You want to leave Edo?" Hasegawa raised his eyebrows in surprise.
"Well, we'll leave in a few days."
"Did you come to me specifically just to say goodbye..." Hasegawa chuckled a few times and sat upright, "I wish you a safe journey."
"And - I hope the two of us won't run into each other again in the future."
Speaking of this, Hasegawa's face slowly showed complicated emotions.
"After all, you and I fought our lives together in Kyoto, and we fought against Shiranui in Edo together."
"So I don't want to do anything to you."
"But - no matter how you say it, I am an official, and you are a thief."
"If we meet in private, that's fine."
"But if we meet in public...it will be very difficult for me."
Ogata nodded slightly: "Yes, I can understand."
"but--"
Ogata changed the topic and changed into a tone that contained a joking tone.
"Although I think the two of us have always been destined, I don't think we are destined enough to meet again somewhere."
Ogata has always felt that he is very destined to the two groups of people.
The first group of people was the Huluwu group.
Ever since he met Mamiya by chance at Tatsuno Domain... no, it should be said that since he obtained the secret book of Mugo Rado-ryu from Hirose Domain, he became associated with Gourdiya.
The second group of people were the officials led by Hasegawa, who had been converted into thieves by fire.
The first time I met Hasegawa was in Tatsuno Domain at the beginning of this year.
Later, in the summer, I met Hasegawa again in Kyoto.
Just a few months later, we met again in Edo and Hasegawa.
The fate with Hasegawa was so great that even Ogata felt a little stunned.
Hasegawa seemed to be amused by Ogata's words just now. After smiling, he said:
"Anyway - I wish you a safe journey."
"In the years to come, remember not to do bad things."
"Especially don't steal or set fire to something."
"I don't want to suddenly receive an order to pursue the arsonist Ogata Issei one day in the future."
As soon as Hasegawa finished speaking, Oubono immediately nodded:
"I will do my best to ensure that the target you are chasing does not have the name 'Ogata Issei' as much as possible."
…
…
After saying goodbye to those who needed to say goodbye one by one, Oufon returned to his residence.
In the remaining days, Ogata and Atachi devoted themselves to preparations for the long journey.
Purchase all necessary props for a long journey, buy enough thick clothes, buy enough dry food...
Finally - three days later, on November 15th, they completed all the preparations required for the journey.
Then it was decided to officially set off on the morning of November 16th...
…
…
In the second year of Kanzheng (1790), November 16——
Edo, somewhere in the northern suburbs——
It's morning now.
The wind is freezing cold.
Although it was very cold and windy now, the people from Calabash House still insisted on coming to see Ogata and Amachi off.
In addition to the people from Calabash House, those who came to see him off were Uncle Qing, Kondo and Gua Sheng.
Ogata and Atachi stood in front of them.
Both Ogata and Omachi are now carrying thick bags and wearing hats on their heads.
The luggage is filled with dry food for two people, clothing, money, and various necessary items for a long journey.
Looking at the people who came to see him and A-Machi off, it was impossible not to feel sad.
When he said goodbye to Shuntaro, Hasegawa, Taifu, Shirobei and others one by one, Ogata felt a little sad.
But now when facing these people in front of me, this sadness is even more intense.
Because these people in front of him can be said to be his closest friends at present.
In this era, there are no mobile phones, and long-distance communication between people can only rely on letters.
This time I say goodbye to Lin, Genichi, Kondo, and Guasheng, and I don’t know when we will see each other again.
After traveling to this era for more than a year, Ogata has come to understand more and more why the ancients often wrote poems to express their sadness and reluctance when they parted from their friends - because it is not convenient to exchange information in this era.
In this era, parting with friends is indeed a very sad thing.
Ogata and A-Machi walked forward and said goodbye to everyone one by one.
"See you again in the future, Kondo." Ogata walked up to Kondo first, "You must continue to hone your skills, and remember to clearly distinguish the occasions when using 'Ogata-ryu'."
"Yes." Kondo, whose eyes were slightly red, nodded vigorously, then stepped forward and hugged Ogata, "Master, you need to take more care."
Ogata walked up to the man standing on Kondo's right side.
The person standing on Kondo's right side is Gua Sheng.
"Lord Ogata, please take care of yourself." Gua Sheng said first, "Whenever you return to Edo in the future, you can come to me at any time."
Gua Sheng's eye sockets were slightly red like Kondo's.
Then, Ogata walked up to Uncle Qing again.
"A-Machi can be considered my daughter." Uncle Qing looked at Ogata with complicated eyes, "So... take good care of my daughter."
After saying goodbye to Kondo, Guasheng, and Uncle Qing, Ogata began to say goodbye to everyone in Calabash House one by one.
In the Calabash House, the people who have the best relationship with Ogata are undoubtedly Genichi and Makimura.
After all, Yuan Yi is a person who has seen all kinds of storms and waves, and experienced all kinds of joys and sorrows.
So facing Ogata, who didn't know when he would meet again next time, Genichi behaved quite calmly.
He just smiled and said softly:
"Ogata-kun, please pay attention to your health. On the way to Ezo, you did not forget to neglect your sword training."
On the other hand, Makimura is in a more excited mood now.
Makimura is a very emotional person.
He directly gave Ogata a big bear hug, which made Ogata breathless.
Finally——Ogata came to Lin.
Lin was the last person he wanted to say goodbye to.
Lin's farewell was also very brief.
"Ittousai, I wish you a safe journey and a safe journey."
"Yes." Ogata smiled and nodded, "I wish you all the best in Calabash House."
After saying goodbye to everyone, Ogata and Omachi stood side by side in front of everyone.
"Everyone, thank you for coming to see us off."
From just now, there has been a trace of sadness on Ogata's face that cannot be concealed.
"I believe our fate will not end here."
"When the time is right in the future, we will meet again."
After saying that, Ogata and Atachi bowed to everyone who saw them off in the cold wind with great tacit understanding.
…
…
Ogata and Omachi walked side by side on the highway leaving Edo and leading directly to the north.
However, Lin, Genichi, Uncle Qing, Kondo, and Guasheng did not leave immediately.
Instead, he continued to stand where he was, watching Ogata and Atachi.
Until the two of them can no longer be seen.
…
…
When the time came to almost 9 o'clock in the morning, the weather became slightly clearer and the sun emerged from behind the thick clouds.
Because of the extra warm sunshine, the chill has eased slightly.
But it's only a little lighter.
"I heard that there are snow-capped mountains all over Ezochi." Atachi warmed his hands and talked to Ogata beside him, "I don't know how cold it will be..."
Ogata: "When we get to Ezo land, we can buy Ezo clothes to wear. Since Ezo can survive in such a cold place, their clothes must be very warm."
"Huh? Ayi, what's wrong? Are you worried about something?" A-Machi keenly noticed that Ogata seemed a little absent-minded now, as if he had something on his mind.
"There's nothing on my mind." Ogata smiled bitterly and scratched his hair, "I just always feel... as if I've forgotten something..."
"Did you forget to bring something?" Ating asked.
Ogata shook his head: "No. I have checked it many times and I have brought everything that should be taken."
"Did you forget to say goodbye to someone?"
"I should say goodbye to everyone who should say goodbye properly..."
After saying goodbye to Lin and others just now and officially leaving Edo, Oconi felt that he seemed to have forgotten something.
But I just can't remember what I forgot.
"Since you can't remember it, don't think about it." Ating smiled and said, "Just relax first. After you relax, you might suddenly remember what you forgot."
"...That's right." After taking a deep breath, Ogata stretched out his left hand and grabbed Omachi's right hand.
After receiving this sudden attack from Ogata, Atachi let out a small scream.
"Atachi, let's speed up the pace a little bit." Ogata smiled.
"What are you doing?" Amachi blushed slightly and subconsciously waved his right arm, trying to get rid of Ogata's hand.
After all, this is still an ancient society. Although the customs in ancient Japan were relatively open, holding hands in public was still a very bold thing in this era.
Ogata ignored the shy Amachi. Not only did he not let go of Amachi's hand, but he held it tighter.
Seeing that she couldn't get rid of Ogata's hand, and Ogata had no intention of letting go of his hand, A-Machi could only blush, but Ogata was still holding her hand.
The two of them walked all the way north.
After walking for almost an hour, the two came across a teahouse opened on the roadside.
"Would you like to have some tea and take a rest?" Ogata asked.
Ating nodded: "Okay. I happen to be a little thirsty."
Ogata and Omachi came to the door of this teahouse and shouted to an old woman who was busy inside:
"Mother-in-law! What kind of tea do you have here?"
“Only green tea and oolong tea.”
"What do you want to drink?" Ogata asked Amachi.
"Oolong tea bar."
"Then I'll drink oolong tea too, mother-in-law! Then let's have 2 cups of oolong tea!"
"Okay! You two sit down and wait for a while!"
Ogata and Omachi sat on the bench outside the tea house, silently waiting for tea.
But while waiting for the tea, Ogata heard bursts of conversation coming from the tea house - two people dressed as samurai were talking there.
“Have you ever gone to see the ‘Imperial Trial Match’?”
"Of course I'll watch! There are still many masters in the martial arts test of the 'Imperial Trial Combination'."
"Yes, I also enjoyed watching it very much. This 'imperial trial match' organized by Mr. Lao Zhong is really good. I really hope it can continue."
Hearing this conversation between these two samurai...
No, it should be said that Ogata's pupils shrank suddenly after hearing the word "Laozhong" from the conversation between the two samurai.
Then he screamed involuntarily.
Amachi was startled by Ogata's sudden scream, and quickly turned to ask Ogata:
"What's wrong? Why did you shout suddenly?"
"I remembered that I forgot something..." Ogata made an action like the famous painting "The Scream", "I forgot to reply to Lao Zhong..."
Previously, Ogata was invited by Matsudaira Sadanobu to be his nickname because he was appreciated by the elder Matsudaira Sadanobu. He bluntly told Ogata: After promoting Ogata to his nickname, if it is found that Ogata is indeed a useful talent, he will
Will not hesitate to reuse and promote.
In order to avoid trouble at that time, Ogata neither agreed nor refused, but used the "drag" technique, indicating that he would give him a formal reply after the "imperial trial" was over.
Then Ogata was too busy and encountered too many things, so he gradually forgot about this matter...
It was only now that Ogata heard the word "Laozhong" from passers-by that he finally remembered this matter.
"Huh? What should we do now? Do we want to go back to Edo?" Amachi asked anxiously.
Ogata thought for a moment, and then——
"...Forget it, ignore it."
As he spoke, he sighed softly.
"We have already left Edo so far, and I am too lazy to go back."
"Anyway, I probably won't have the chance to meet Lao Zhong again in the future."
"Just pretend that the incident of 'the old man inviting me to use my nickname' never happened."
Ogata said this confidently.
…
…
At this moment——
Edo, the residence of old Naka Matsudaira Sadanobu——
"Tachibana."
Matsudaira Sadanobu, who was sitting behind the desk and looking at a letter, softly called his nickname.
As soon as Matsudaira Sadanobu finished speaking, the door next to him was immediately opened.
"Lao Zhong-sama, what are your orders?" Tachibana, who was kneeling on one knee outside the door, asked respectfully.
"Go and help me gather the Wakatani brothers." Matsudaira Sadanobu slowly put away the letter in his hand, "I want to have a good discussion with them about sending troops to completely annihilate the gang of rebels in Ezo."
*******
*******
PS1: In the disappeared extra chapter of Volume 6, there are stories about Atachi’s parents and also about Ogata’s parents.
PS2: The story about Atachi’s father using the tunnel to save Fuma and the others is included in the fully ordered extras of this book.
Use the Qidian APP to open this book, and then scroll to the bottom of the book to see the fully ordered extra "The Last Fuma Kotaro".
There is an appearance by Atachi's father and an appearance by Atachi himself.
At that time, Amachi was still a little loli.
If you are interested, please check out the extras.
*******
The author will go back to school tomorrow for his graduation defense... I have to go back to school today to prepare, so I may not have time to write tomorrow's chapter today, and I may have to take a day off tomorrow... Therefore, I specially updated a few more today.
Everyone, please be prepared that I may have to take leave tomorrow.
By the way, please give me your blessings! It’s time to defend, and the author is very nervous now (leopard’s head is in pain)