Chapter 444 Ogata is going to be said by a book [8600 words]
"The Ezo in the 'Red Moon Fortress' are extremely xenophobic." The old man continued, "I hate associating with Hisam."
"Hisam?" Amachi asked.
"It's the Ezo language." The old man said, "The Ezo people collectively call all foreigners except themselves 'Hisam'."
"You actually know Ezo?" Ogata raised his eyebrows slightly in surprise.
"I only know a few simple words." The old man shrugged, "I learned it from a group of businessmen who stayed at our place and did business with Ezo."
"In short, the two guests should be careful of the 'Red Moon Fortress' after arriving in Ezo. The Ezo there does not welcome foreigners very much."
"It is said that the shogunate has recruited the Ezo people of the Red Moon Fortress to surrender many times, but the Ezo people of the Red Moon Fortress have always ignored the shogunate's offer of surrender and have remained independent."
"Although I heard that the Ezo people in the 'Red Moon Fortress' are not so xenophobic as to kill foreigners when they see them, they still don't get close if they can."
"I understand." Ogata nodded lightly, "Thank you for the reminder. We will pay attention to it later."
"There's something I don't quite understand." At this time, Omachi suddenly interjected, "You just said that the Ezo people in that place have a lot of iron cannons, right?"
"This is very strange. As far as I know, aren't the Ezos still a bunch of uncivilized barbarians? How do they get the ability to make iron cannons?"
"I don't know about that." The old man smiled bitterly and shook his head, "Maybe someone sold it to them."
After saying that, the old man raised his hand and made a "please" gesture toward Ogata and Atachi.
"Sorry, I seem to have talked a little too much and disturbed the two of you during your meal."
"You two, please have a meal."
All the questions I wanted to ask have been asked.
Ogata happens to be hungry now.
I was just busy asking questions to the old man, so I didn't have time to take a good look at the "Mutsu specialties" the old man said.
After the old man made a "please" gesture to them, Ogata took advantage of the situation and looked down.
The food on his and Atachi's tables are the same.
A bowl, a larger plate, and a smaller plate.
That bowl was filled with noodles.
The larger plate contained 4 pieces of fish patties shaped into leaves.
As for the smaller plate, there were 3 green mochi inside.
"The name of this noodle is 'Wanzi Soba'." The old man introduced Ogata and Omachi, "The fish cake is called 'Bamboo Leaf Fish Plate', and the green mochi is called 'edamame mochi'."
This is Ogata's first time coming into contact with local food from the Ou area. Looking at the three types of food in front of him that he has never eaten before, he can't help but feel curious and expectant.
After clasping his hands and saying "I'll start", Ogata picked up the chopsticks and then picked up the bowl of noodles.
Pick up a handful of noodles with chopsticks and stuff them into your mouth, then bite them into pieces with your teeth.
The name of this food already reveals what kind of noodles it is. It is a very popular food in this era: soba noodles.
But the bowl of buckwheat noodles in his hands now had a different texture than any kind of buckwheat noodles Ogata had ever eaten before.
The bowl of "Wanzi Soba" in my hand has an incredible texture and is very elastic. The noodles are soft and sticky, with just the right saltiness, which suits Ogata's appetite.
After tasting a bite of noodles, Ogata picked up the "bamboo leaf fish plate".
As soon as I put it in front of my nose, I smelled a faint smell of fish.
Just by lightly biting a piece, the aroma of fish spreads in the mouth, and the unpleasant fishy smell never appeared.
On the side, A-Machi happened to be tasting the "bamboo leaf fish plate" at this time.
A-Machi seemed to like this food very much. As soon as she put the "bamboo leaf fish plate" into her mouth, her eyes immediately lit up with joy.
"Is this fish cake made of cod?" Atachi asked.
"That's right. It's cod fish." The old man responded immediately. "First, shape the cod fish meat into the shape of bamboo leaves, then bake it on the fire, then add wine, sugar and other seasonings for seasoning."
"Sir, your tongue is very powerful. You can actually taste cod meat."
"Yeah. Because I prefer to eat fish." Because his mouth was full of this "bamboo leaf fish plate", A-Machi's words were a little slurred.
Ogata was tasting the "edamame mochi" at this time.
Just by looking at its name, you can tell what kind of dish it is: Mochi stuffed with edamame.
It's sweet, which suits Ogata's taste quite well.
"Then I'll take my leave first." The old man leaned over and bowed to Ogata and Atachi, "Please take your time, two guests, to taste it."
…
…
After the old man left, the only sounds left in the room were the chewing sounds of Ogata and Atachi, and the clinking of chopsticks and dishes.
The only background music was the howling of the wind and snow outside the window.
"It seems like we are the only two staying here tonight..." Amachi muttered.
After entering this "Shinta-juku", Ogata and Omachi paid attention to their surroundings.
I found that there were only two guests in this Shinta-juku tonight, as the old man said before.
From the time they entered Shinta-juku until now, Ogata and Omachi have only seen some staff of the inn headed by the old man, but no other guests besides them.
"Isn't it natural that there are few guests?" Ogata sighed softly, "The public security in this area is so bad that travelers and small-scale caravans must stay away from this place."
Before that, Ogata had heard a lot of various information related to the Ou area.
For example: Although the Ou area is large, more than 70% of its land is mountainous, and there are not many places suitable for living.
Therefore, although the Ou area has a large territory, its population is not large.
Another example: The Ou area is in chaos now. There are gangsters everywhere who are doing evil.
It wasn't until he stepped into the Mutsu region a few days ago that Ogata truly felt how chaotic this land was.
There are endless gangsters seeking wealth and death.
These gangsters who make a living by robbing are basically a bunch of gamblers betting that the person they are robbing is a soft persimmon.
As long as you can grab a soft persimmon who is both rich and easy to bully, you will make a lot of money.
On the other hand, if you grab something that is not easy to mess with...if you are lucky, you may be able to escape, but if you are not lucky, you will have to meet King Yama.
The gangsters who come to trouble Ogata these days are the kind whose good luck comes to an end.
In fact, we can't blame them for seeking death.
After all, in this era when martial arts are weakened and most warriors are either obsessed with pleasure or struggling to survive, how many warriors can there be who can defeat many warriors?
Ogata was alone, and with such a beautiful woman by his side, it was difficult to prevent those gangsters from having evil thoughts.
Since entering the Mutsu area until now, Ogata has solved several groups of robbers of different sizes.
After a group of gangsters are eliminated, a new group of gangsters will pop up before they have gone very far.
Ogata didn't know much about the Ou area, so he didn't know why there were so many gangsters.
In a place full of bandits, how could any travelers or small caravans dare to come?
I'm afraid even the locals don't dare to travel far.
…
…
Because this was the first hot meal the two of them had eaten in the past two days, both Ogata and Amachi cherished this meal tonight.
With a leisurely mood, I ate all the delicacies tonight.
In such an ancient society, nights have always been boring.
There is no TV to watch and no electric cars to play.
In those big towns, if you have money, you can still find something to do to pass the time.
But in this inn with nothing around except snow, there was nothing else to do except go to bed immediately.
Ogata and Omachi started having dinner around 18:00, and finished dinner around 18:30.
After resting briefly for a while, Ougon pulled out a bedding and spread it out at almost 19 o'clock.
…
…
Ogata and Omachi entered the bed at 19:00.
It wasn't until nearly 23 o'clock that they both fell asleep.
…
…
There was no need to sleep outdoors tonight, so both Ogata and Atachi slept soundly.
I didn't dream or wake up in the middle of the night. I slept until 7 o'clock the next day and didn't wake up.
After waking up, briefly washing up, and eating some dry food for breakfast, Ogata and Omachi were ready to leave Shinta-juku and continue their journey.
Their goal today is to reach the "Nishikino Town" that the old man told them last night before tonight.
When Ogata and Omachi were getting ready in front of the gate of Shinta-juku, the old man came to see Ogata and the others off in person.
"Two distinguished guests, I wish you a safe journey." The old man smiled at Ogata and A-Machi.
"Yeah." Ogata also smiled and said, "I'd like to lend you some good words."
"In addition to wishing you a safe journey, I also wish you peace."
Speaking of this, the old man suddenly let out a long sigh.
"Recently, Mutsu is becoming more and more uneasy... There are more and more ronin committing crimes."
"As you two guests can see, you two were the only ones staying here last night."
A self-deprecating smile appeared on the old man's face.
"Our place has a bad reputation, and not many travelers are willing to pass by us."
"Even the warriors who practice martial arts stay away from us."
"Now in the entire Ou area, the only places that are safe enough are castle towns and inns built by the shogunate like this Shinta-juku."
The old man stretched out his finger and pointed at his feet.
"Those thieves who make a living by committing crimes would not have the guts to approach the castle towns or the inns built by the shogunate."
"So if you two want to stay overnight, try your best to stay overnight in an inn built by the shogunate like ours like last night."
"It is safer to stay in an inn built by the shogunate than in an inn built by a private individual."
"Yes." Ogata silently wrote down the old man's advice, "Thank you for the reminder."
"Why is Tohoku so chaotic?" Amachi couldn't restrain her curiosity and asked the question that she and Ogata had always been confused about.
"It's because of poverty." The old man smiled bitterly and shrugged, "Mutsu, Deyu has never been rich here."
"Most of the land is mountainous, and the climate is cold. Crops cannot grow well in most places. Only a small area can be called rich."
"Poor people are poor, but when the situation is good enough, they can still live a so-so life."
"It's just that things like scenery can't always be good..."
"The 'Tianming Famine' seven years ago tortured us Ou people so much..."
"The reason why we in Ou are in such chaos now are all due to the 'Tianming Famine' seven years ago."
After hearing the word "famine at dawn" from the old man's mouth, Ogata and Atachi's expressions changed.
The word "famine at dawn" is a very heavy word for people of this era.
All of them can be described as talking about a tiger's face.
Ogata has never experienced the Tianming Famine. When he traveled to this era last year, the Tianming Famine had already ended for 2 years.
Although he had never experienced it, he had heard about this horrific famine from many people.
“Our Ou area was the hardest hit by the ‘Tianmei Famine’ seven years ago.”
"I have completely witnessed this disaster that lasted four years..."
The old man's face gradually turned livid.
It's like recalling some bad memories.
"After the disaster, neither the shogunate nor the feudal lords of Ou were able to cope with the famine and feed so many people."
"The vassal government of most of the vassal states has basically fallen into a state of paralysis, and they are unable to help the hungry victims."
"In order to survive, a large number of farmers have become displaced refugees."
"As far as I know, the small Hirosaki Domain alone lost nearly half of its population."
"Before the Tenmei Famine broke out, the Hirosaki Domain had a population of 130,000. After the Tenmei Famine ended, there were only 70,000 people left."
"The missing half of the population either fled to other places, or they have starved to death."
"At the beginning of the 'Dawn Famine', many middle- and lower-level warriors fell into bandits in order to survive."
"The gangsters that are now wreaking havoc across Ou and causing Ou to panic are basically middle- and lower-level samurai who turned into bandits in order to have enough to eat after the 'Tianmei Famine' broke out, or farmers who fled in the first place."
"I really hope that the shogunate and the Ou clans can wipe out these hateful gangsters as soon as possible."
The old man let out a long sigh.
"The 'Tianming Famine' ended three years ago."
"We are gradually able to eat local delicacies such as bowls of soba noodles and bamboo leaf fish plates again."
"Next, as long as we kill all these hateful gangsters, we, Oyu, can return to the stability before the outbreak of the 'Tianming Famine'."
Speaking of this, the corners of the old man's mouth turned up slightly.
The pupils of his eyes burst out with a nostalgic light, and he stared blankly ahead.
His appearance was like looking at the past.
It's like looking at a bright future not far from the present.
…
…
The weather is very good today.
The sun, which casts soft sunlight onto the earth, hangs high in the blue sky.
The white clouds, as loose as cotton, cover up the not strong sunlight more softly, and are often accompanied by a breeze that is not cold. The treetops covered with white snow will obediently shake their waists, blowing the snow on the treetops.
The blocks shake off.
With such good weather, it is really hard to imagine that there was such a terrifying snowstorm last night.
Such good weather made Ogata involuntarily take a deep breath of the fresh air.
In the hotel just now... to be precise, in front of outsiders led by the old man, Ogata had been wearing the human skin mask to hide his identity and transformed into "Mashima Goro".
After leaving the hotel and returning to the deserted wilderness, Ouri took off the human skin mask, revealing his true appearance.
The breeze blows on my real face, which is quite comfortable.
Ogata and Omachi moved their feet in moccasin boots and guessed the "squeaking" sounds one after another on the snow-covered road.
The pair of deerskin boots worn by the two of them were purchased from a clothing store selling Ezo clothes when passing through a small town a few days ago.
According to the owner of that shop, the pair of deerskin boots they bought were genuine Ezo products, and Ezo people usually wear these boots.
Ogata doesn't know whether these boots are from Ezo or not.
But these deerskin boots are really useful.
Wearing it while walking on the snow, I don’t feel cold at all. It is simply a “snow walking artifact” of this era.
When Ogata and A-Machi were walking forward on the snow with crutches, A-Machi suddenly whispered softly:
“Although it has been three years since the ‘Tianming Famine’, the subsequent impact of this great famine has not been interrupted until modern times..."
After the two of them had just listened quietly to the old man's explanation of why the Ou area was in such chaos, they said goodbye to the old man and set off on their journey again.
Although the two of them had reached the area where Shinda-juku's shadow could no longer be seen, the words the old man just said still lingered in Amachi's mind, lingering on them.
"I have a very deep impression of 'Famine at Dawn'..."
Atachi let out a long breath, and a look of memory appeared on his face.
"I remember it very clearly..."
"During that time, I couldn't eat enough every meal..."
"Because our Kansai side was less affected by the disaster, a large number of refugees poured into Kansai."
"After the refugees came, chaos broke out in Kansai."
"Although I haven't seen it with my own eyes, I heard that during that time, a large number of refugees attacked rice stores to steal rice, or directly attacked the execution office or the feudal government, demanding that the officials hand over the rice..."
After saying that, A-Machi let out a deep breath again, and then forced out a faint smile.
"Fortunately this famine is over."
"The common people can now eat again."
"Everyone is gradually living a good life again."
As soon as A-Machi finished speaking, Oubang showed a faint smile, and then whispered in a calm tone:
"A good day..."
"When everyone can live a life with enough to eat, new worries will arise."
"After eating a full meal, I want to put on better clothes."
"After putting on better clothes, I want to live in a bigger house."
“After living in a bigger house, I want to eat better food.”
"After eating better food, I want to wear better clothes..."
"'Being content' is easier said than done."
“Nowadays, everyone thinks that a life with enough food is a ‘good life’.”
"But when everyone can easily eat enough, everyone will begin to think that a life where they can have enough food, wear good clothes, and live in a big house is a 'good life.'"
"So the 'good days' may never come..."
"Thousands of years later, ordinary people may still be working hard to pursue the 'good days' of that era."
"As expected of the first place in the literature test of the 'Gozen Examination'..." Amachi stared blankly at Ogata beside him, "The words he spoke are different from an illiterate like me who can't even recognize a few Chinese characters.
"
"Although I don't quite understand what you just said, I still feel that what you just said is very powerful..."
"It doesn't matter if you don't understand." Ogata smiled and shrugged, "Just think of what I just said as the crazy words I spoke on a whim."
…
…
Last night, the old man told Ogata and Omachi: As long as you walk fast enough, you can reach Nishikino Town before evening.
And Ogata and Atachi happen to be the kind of people who walk very fast.
Except for a brief rest in the morning, noon, and afternoon, the two of them rushed towards Kinkino Town non-stop.
It was not until 15:00 in the afternoon, almost 16:00, that the two finally saw wisps of smoke on the horizon ahead.
After seeing the smoke, the two of them felt a little stronger in their bodies and accelerated their steps a little faster.
At the same time, Ogata also put on the human skin mask again.
After approaching and entering Nishikino Town, the unique noise of the town reached the ears of Ogata and Omachi for the first time in a long time.
Perhaps because of the proximity to the castle town, Ogata didn't encounter any gangsters who were planning to seek wealth or death throughout the whole day.
Nishikino Town is larger than Ogata imagined, and the population is also larger than Ogata imagined.
He and A-Machi were walking on an unknown street. Looking around, there were quite a lot of passers-by going back and forth.
"Should we find a hotel first?" Amachi asked.
"Of course." Ogata replied without hesitation, "First find a hotel to stay, and then go look for the 'Minamoto Tachibana House'."
Ogata casually asked a passerby where the nearest hotel was.
The hotel closest to Ogata and Amachi is an ordinary hotel that is only 2 stories high and is quite satisfactory in terms of size and price.
After looking at the rooms in the hotel and finding that the quality of the rooms was pretty good, the two booked a double room.
After finding a hotel to stay in, the two began to look for the Source Orange House.
Minamoto Tachibana House seems to be very popular in Nishikino Town.
Ogata asked someone casually and found out the location of the Minamoto Tachibana House, and then quickly arrived at the door of the Minamoto Tachibana House.
For a merchant who can own two merchant ships, his shop will definitely not be too shabby.
Ogata had imagined before that the Minamoto Tachibana House would be very grand.
After seeing the appearance of Minamoto Tachibana House with his own eyes, Ogata realized that it was indeed the case.
Minamoto Tachibana House is three stories high and covers a very large area. It is one of the most magnificent shops that Ogata has ever seen.
Ogata and Omachi stepped into the Minamoto Tachibana House and saw a young man sitting behind a counter right in front.
When the young man saw Ogata and Omachi entering the store, he immediately stood up and put on a soft smile.
"Welcome, what do you two need? Our company specializes in Ezo products. We have various types of Ezo products. Please choose as you like."
Ogata walked slowly to the counter and began to negotiate with the young man standing behind the counter.
"What?" The young man frowned slightly, "You want to meet the owner of our Genju House?"
"Yes." Ogata nodded, "We have a business... that we want to do with Minamoto Tachibana House."
"Business?" The young man raised his eyebrows.
After a moment of silence, the young man spoke out:
"It's a pity that we can't just let two outsiders go see our boss."
"If you have anything, you can talk to me directly."
"I am Nishino Ichiro, the eldest son of my employer."
"I can relay your words to my father for you later."
Ogata didn't expect that the person sitting behind the counter and looking after the store was actually the young owner of the Gentachi House, and a bit of surprise flashed across his face.
After thinking for a moment, Oburon explained the business he wanted to discuss with Minamoto Tachibana.
"...In other words, you want to take our merchant ship to Ezo Land?" Nishino Ichiro frowned again not long after he relaxed.
"Yes." Ogata nodded, "We want to go to Ezo for some reasons, so we want your merchant ship to take us a ride."
As soon as Ogata finished speaking, Nishino Ichiro immediately bowed to Ogata and Amachi and apologized:
"I'm sorry, we can't take you to Ezochi."
Ogata: "The price is negotiable..."
"This is not a question of price." Nishino Ichiro interrupted, "Our two merchant ships are the life of our Minamoto Tachibana House."
"You can't just let outsiders board it."
"Please rest assured." Ogata said immediately, "Neither my wife nor I are bad people! We will definitely behave ourselves! We will never cause you any trouble!"
Although Ogata tried his best to prove that he and Atachi would not cause trouble to them, Nishino Ichiro's attitude was quite firm and unmoved.
Seeing that he still couldn't persuade Nishino Ichiro, Ogata could only let out a helpless sigh.
"I understand." Ogata smiled bitterly and bowed lightly to Nishino Ichiro, "Sorry to disturb you."
Nishino Ichiro also hurriedly returned the favor: "I'm very sorry that I couldn't help you."
…
…
Ogata and Omachi slowly walked out of Minamoto Tachibana's house.
As soon as he left the Minamoto Tachibana House, Omachi said in a helpless tone:
"We got off to a bad start... The first time we asked a merchant to give us a lift, we were rejected."
"It's normal to be rejected." Ogata comforted Amachi, "After all, that person just said it was right. Merchant ships, such expensive things, can be said to be the life of these merchants who specialize in doing business with Ezo."
"Why would you let outsiders like us who don't know the details of the ship so casually?"
Because Ogata had long expected that the "sailboat trip" would not go smoothly, he was not too depressed now.
"Anyway, let's rest in Nishikino Town tonight."
Ogata continued.
"Leave here tomorrow morning and look for other merchants with merchant ships."
…
…
Ogata and Amachi have just left
Inside the source orange house
"Brother, what are those two guests here for just now? Are they here to ask for directions?"
A young male voice came from the corridor behind the counter.
Then, a young man whose appearance was somewhat similar to Nishino Ichiro walked out from the corridor and slowly came to Nishino Ichiro.
"Oh, it's Jiro." Nishino Ichiro said with a smile, "The two guests from out of town just now wanted to go to Ezo, so they wanted our merchant ship to give them a lift."
"Guests from out of town? Borrow our merchant ship?" The young man known as "Erlang"'s eyes lit up a little, "Where are those two guests from?"
"I don't know. I haven't had much contact with foreigners, so I can't tell where their accents come from."
"Brother, do you still remember what those two guests look like?"
"Huh? Why do you ask this?"
"It's a man and a woman." Although he didn't know what his brother wanted to do, Ichiro answered honestly, "The man is quite tall, has long hair, is a samurai, and has a sword and a sword on his waist.
Difference."
"As for that woman, she is very beautiful, and she has a wakizashi on her waist."
"Brother! Thank you very much! I'm going out for a moment! I'll be back soon!"
Having said that, without waiting for Nishino Ichiro to respond, the young man he called "Jiro" rushed out of Minamoto Tachibana's house.
When Nishino Ichiro shouted "Hey! Where are you going?", the young man had completely disappeared.
…
…
"Hey! Hey!"
Ogata and Atachi suddenly heard unfamiliar shouts coming from behind them.
Xun Sheng looked back and saw a young man waving to them and running towards them quickly.
After quickly running up to Ogata and Omachi, the young man panted and asked them:
"Ha... you two... ha... are the ones who just... ha... came to our Genju House... ha... to borrow a boat, right?" the young man asked while panting.
Ating nodded: "That's right. Who are you?"
"I want to ask you a question!" The young man ignored Atachi's inquiry about his identity. Instead, he cast his fiery eyes on Ogata and Atachi and asked urgently, "Where are you from?"
"Why are you asking this?" Ogata frowned slightly.
"I'll tell you the truth." The young man gradually calmed down his breathing, "I am Nishino Jiro, the second son of the owner of Minamoto Tachibana House!"
"Second son?" Ogata raised an eyebrow.
After carefully looking at the face of the young man in front of him, Ogata found that the young man's facial features were indeed very similar to the "Nishino Ichiro" he had just seen.
"Although I am the son of a businessman, I actually have no interest in doing business."
"I have always wanted to be a Kabuki playwright!"
"I am currently writing a masterpiece that will go down in history!"
"But because I have no material, I haven't been able to write smoothly."
"So now I urgently need someone from Izumo to help me complete my script!"
Having said that, Nishino Jiro once again cast his fiery gaze on Ogata and Amachi.
"So I want to know where you two were born! If any of you are born in Izumo, please help me!"
"Izumo..." A strange smile appeared on A-Machi's face.
He raised his hand and patted Ogata's back and said:
"What a coincidence, my husband's hometown happens to be in Izumo."
As soon as Atachi finished speaking, Nishino Jiro's eyes towards Ogata became even more intense.
"Are you from Izumo?"
"Well, I am indeed from Izumo. What script are you writing now?" Ogata crossed his hands on his chest, "You actually need someone from Izumo to assist you?"
"Because the Kabuki script I am writing now, the protagonist is an Izumo person." Nishino Jiro scratched his hair, "But I have never been to Izumo, so I don't know how the Izumo people speak, and I don't know
What do Izumo people usually eat?"
"If you don't understand the living customs and speech habits of Izumo, then the protagonist in my novel will have no real sense."
"So I have always wanted to find someone who is from Izumo to teach me the living customs and speech habits of Izumo people."
"The protagonist is from Izumo?" A bit of surprise flashed across Ogata's face.
Not only Ogata, but also Amachi, who was standing next to him, also had a look of surprise on his face.
A conjecture emerged in their minds at the same time...
"...Allow me to ask," Ogata said slowly, "Can you tell me what the Kabuki script you are writing is?"
Hearing Ogata's question, Nishino Jiro's face showed a look of pride and pride.
“The script is based on ‘The Executioner Ittousai’ Ogata’s righteous deeds of upholding justice for heaven and killing the tyrant!”
"I plan to write the script before the New Year."
"Then I will give it to my kabuki friends and let them perform my script on New Year's Eve!"