Chapter 449 The shogunate went on an expedition and Songping Dingxin went on a personal expedition! [9800 words]
While Ogata was living a regular life in Nishikino Town during the day and practicing different swords at night, two major events happened in Edo, the heart of the shogunate.
The first major event is that the current shogun: Tokugawa Ieqi agrees to use troops against the "Red Moon Fortress" in Ezo!
Although the nominal head of state of Japan is the emperor of Kyoto, the shogun of Edo is only the second-in-command of the country in name.
But as early as hundreds of years ago in the 12th century, the emperor no longer had any real power and became the country's mascot.
During the Edo period, the emperor's presence was so thin that except for people in Kyoto who still remembered such a head of state, ordinary people in many places did not know what the emperor was.
"What? The Emperor? What is that? Ha? Isn't the most noble person in this country the shogun of Edo?" - If you ask ordinary people in some remote places, you will get this answer nine times out of ten.
Such an important matter as dispatching an army, no matter how large or small the size of the troops dispatched, no matter how close or far the attack distance is, cannot be decided by Matsudaira Sadanobu alone. It must be reported to the general and let the general make the decision.
The current shogun, Tokugawa Ieqi, ascended to the throne three years ago and became the de facto leader of the country.
Tokugawa Ieashi was 14 years old when he ascended the throne three years ago, and he is only 17 years old this year.
Although he is young, he has great ambitions to revitalize the shogunate.
It can be said that he and Matsudaira Sadanobu have the same ambition.
After ascending to the position of Laochu three years ago, Tokugawa Ieqi immediately deposed the "former Laochu" Tanuma Yiji and replaced him with Matsudaira Sadanobu.
It can be said that Tokugawa Iesai and Matsudaira Sadanobu became the first and second leaders of the shogunate at almost the same time.
Tokugawa Ieqi had the utmost trust in Matsudaira Sadanobu. No matter what reform projects Matsudaira Sadanobu proposed, Tokugawa Ieqi would basically pass them.
Some ministers who wanted to please Matsudaira Sadanobu, in order to flatter Matsudaira Sadanobu, praised Matsudaira Sadanobu several times in public and private. The relationship between Tokugawa Ieqi is very similar to Zhuge Kongming and Liu Chan during the Tang and Three Kingdoms periods.
It is precisely because of Tokugawa Iesai's almost unconditional trust and support that Matsudaira Sadanobu was able to carry out reforms one after another so efficiently in the past three years.
When Matsudaira Sadanobu proposed an expedition to Red Moon Fortress to Tokugawa Ieki, many ministers speculated that the shogun would definitely listen to Matsudaira Sadanobu again this time.
As expected - Matsudaira Sadanobu simply stated to the shogun the importance of the expedition to the Red Moon Fortress, and Tokugawa Ieki laid out the plan very happily: Following Matsudaira Sadanobu's wishes, he issued an order to the Ou vassals to send troops to help.
, sent 10,000 troops to expedition to the Red Moon Fortress in Ezo.
The shogunate decided to use troops against the "Red Moon Fortress" in Ezo—this was the first major event that happened in Edo.
As for the second major event, it is also related to Matsudaira Sadanobu and Ezo Territory.
That is - Matsudaira Sadanobu decided to go to Ezo in person, conduct an on-the-spot investigation of Ezo, and at the same time supervise the army's attack on the "Red Moon Fortress".
The country of Lucia, which has been making small moves in recent years, has given Ezo, which is located between Lucia and Japan, a higher and higher status in Matsudaira's confidence.
Matsudaira Sadanobu has designated "developing Ezo Land and turning Ezo Land into the frontline position to defend against Lucia" as one of the most important "national grand strategies".
Matsudaira Sadanobu has always been a person who likes field trips, seeing and seeing things with his own eyes.
When the "Ogre Rebellion" broke out on Butterfly Island, Matsudaira Sadanobu also went to Kii in person to see with his own eyes what the cannibals looked like and how the suppression of Butterfly Island was going.
Now that he has made up his mind to develop Ezo in the future, Matsudaira Sadanobu also decided to make early preparations and go to Ezo for an on-site inspection now.
While conducting an on-site inspection of Ezo, he also supervised the army's attack on the "Red Moon Fortress".
The destruction of the "Red Moon Fortress" is considered the first step of Matsudaira Sadanobu's "Ezo Land Development Plan".
If we don't first uproot the "Red Moon Fortress" that occupies an important geographical location, has been unwilling to surrender to the shogunate, and is extremely obstructive, there will be no follow-up development plan.
Therefore, Matsudaira Sadanobu also placed high hopes on this attack on the "Red Moon Fortress" - only success is allowed, no failure is allowed.
…
…
In the second year of Kanzheng (1790 AD), November 30th——
Edo, the residence of Matsudaira Sadanobu——
"Lao Zhongsheng..."
Tachibana, Matsudaira Sadanobu's nickname, accompanied Matsudaira Sadanobu with a look of hesitation on his face.
Tachibana took a deep breath, mustered up his courage, and then continued:
"Ezo is a barren and smoky land. Please stay in Edo."
Matsudaira Sadanobu and Tachibana were currently in Matsudaira Sadanobu's study.
At this moment, Matsudaira Sadanobu was selecting books to read on his way to and from Ezo.
Yesterday, Matsudaira Sadanobu had already set the departure time - to take a boat to Matsumae Domain on December 2.
,
Just as Tachibana finished speaking, Matsudaira Sadanobu took down a treasured volume of "The Analects of Confucius" from the bookshelf.
"Tachibana."
Matsudaira Sadanobu showed a faint smile, put the "Analects of Confucius" in his hand on the tatami beside him, and asked Tachibana.
"You can't be reluctant to leave the prosperous Edo, right?"
"Of course not!" Tachibana quickly denied, "I'm just simply worried about your safety, Mr. Laozhong!"
"If there is any emergency, Mr. Lao Zhong, then..."
Before Tachibana finished speaking, Matsudaira Sadanobu quickly raised his hand to signal Tachibana not to say any more.
"I know, I know. I was just joking with you. I know you are worried about me and want me to stay in Edo."
"But Ezo will be the focus of our country's future defense."
"The country of Lucia will definitely be a serious problem for our country in the future."
"Therefore, there is no room for error in the development of Ezo Land. The same cannot be done about the attack on the Red Moon Fortress."
"I have made up my mind. I will inspect the details of Ezo Land with my own eyes and supervise the army's attack on the 'Red Moon Fortress'."
"So Tachibana, you don't need to persuade me anymore."
Hearing what Matsudaira Sadanobu said, Tachibana sighed helplessly in his heart.
A similar thing happened this spring.
Matsudaira Sadanobu has always been a person who likes to use his own eyes to conduct on-site inspections, and then make plans based on what he sees and hears.
In the spring of this year, Matsudaira Sadanobu also insisted on setting off for Kii in person to inspect the details of Butterfly Island and see with his own eyes what the ogres looked like.
At that time, Tachibana also tried his best to persuade Matsudaira Sadanobu to stay in Edo and stop running around.
However, his tongue could not hold Matsudaira Sadanobu's legs.
Tachibana never expected that the same thing would happen again this winter.
After quickly packing up the books he wanted to take away, Matsudaira Sadanobu suddenly seemed to have remembered something. He paused, then turned to Tachibana and asked:
"By the way, Majima Goro-kun still hasn't come today?"
Tachibana shook his head.
After receiving Tachibana's reply, Matsudaira Sadanobu frowned slightly:
"More than a month has passed since the end of the 'Imperial Trial Match'... It really makes me wait."
There are very complex emotions in what Matsudaira Sadanobu said.
Even Tachibana, who had followed Sadanobu Matsudaira for many years, could not tell clearly what emotions were behind the words Matsudaira Sadanobu just said.
Matsudaira Sadanobu has been waiting for Majima Goro to come to hand over his answer - whether he is willing to take his nickname.
But Majima Goro's figure never appeared in front of Matsudaira Sadanobu.
During this period, people were also sent to the Yoshiwara Shirobei Club where Majima Goro worked to inquire - only to learn that Majima Goro no longer worked at the Shirobei Club.
Matsudaira Sadanobu still held on to the slightest expectation, hoping that Majima Goro would suddenly appear - but this expectation has obviously come to nothing.
"...Could he have forgotten?" Tachibana cautiously raised a possibility, "Sir Lao Zhong, do you need to send someone to find him?"
"...No need." Lao Zhong shook his head, "If he forgets his agreement with me, it means that he is not interested in having the opportunity to use my nickname."
"He probably has no intention of becoming an official."
"Everyone has his own ambitions, so just follow them."
After saying that, Matsudaira Sadanobu sighed lightly.
There was a bit of regret on his face.
After taking a moment to adjust his emotions, Matsudaira Sadanobu asked Tachibana again:
"Tachibana, what time is it now?"
"Just after eight o'clock (2 p.m.)."
"Eight o'clock in the morning..." Matsudaira Sadanobu muttered, "It's quite early..."
Matsudaira Sadanobu lowered his head slightly, as if in deep thought - he didn't know what he was thinking about.
After thinking for a moment, Matsudaira Sadanobu slowly said to Tachibana:
"...Tachibana, get ready to go out."
"Yes!" Tachibana immediately responded, "Sir Laozhong, where are you going?"
"Go find Hasegawa Heizo." When he said the name Hasegawa Heizo, an intriguing smile appeared on Matsudaira Sadanobu's face.
"Hasegawa Heizou?" Tachibana raised his eyebrows in surprise, "Lao Naka-sama, what do you want to do with the commander who has been reformed by thieves?"
Although the Huofu Thieves Kai were disguised as a "security organization", both the officials of the shogunate and ordinary people regarded the Huofu Thieves Kai as an army.
The commander of the Huofu Thief Reform was undoubtedly a senior military attache in the shogunate, directly subordinate to Lao Zhong and under the direct jurisdiction of Lao Zhong.
Tachibana searched through the memories in his mind - he couldn't think of any recent urgent government affairs related to the fire bandit Kai.
"Some time ago, I found out that Hasegawa Heizou did something... that I can't ignore."
The intriguing smile on Matsudaira Sadanobu's face became more and more intense.
"So I plan to have a good chat with Hasegawa Heizo about what he has done while I still have some time today, before I leave Edo."
…
…
Sumida River: A river flowing through Edo.
Ishikawajima is a small island located in the center of the Sumida River.
The Sumida River was originally just an ordinary river, and Ishikawa Island was originally an ordinary island on the Sumida River that was naturally formed after being washed away by the river.
But starting a few years ago, this Ishikawa Island has become less ordinary.
Hasegawa Heizo, the commander-in-chief of the Hufu Thieves Reform, spent a lot of money to build a training camp on Ishikawa Island.
…
…
Edo, Sumida River, Ishikawa Island, foot bath——
Hasegawa stood with his hands behind his back, standing quietly outside a room. He opened the door of the room a little, and through the crack in the door, he quietly looked at the scene in the room.
In the room, there was a loud sound of crackling abacuses.
About twenty men were sitting neatly in the room.
These twenty or so men are of different ages, some are only in their teens and still have a bit of childishness on their faces, while some even have gray hair.
There is a table in front of each of them, and an abacus is placed on the table.
These twenty or so men of various ages were just crouching at their desks, making calculations.
An old man, probably about 50 years old, had his hands behind his back and looked back and forth beside them.
Once he saw that someone's abacus was incorrect, the old man would immediately step forward to correct him.
Looking at the people in the room who were seriously learning how to use an abacus, and the old man who was already teaching the skills of using an abacus seriously, a smile of satisfaction appeared on Hasegawa's face.
After nodding in relief, Hasegawa sewed the door shut.
Those in the room who were learning how to read an abacus were all prisoners.
To be more precise, they are the prisoners who were captured and rehabilitated in the prison camp.
Three years ago, not long after Hasegawa became the commander of the Hōfu Thieves Rehabilitation Unit, he launched an initiative to establish a facility to help prisoners rehabilitate themselves.
When Hasegawa made this proposal, the senior minister in the shogunate was not Matsudaira Sadanobu but Tanuma Yiji.
Hasegawa had previously served as the "Nishinomaru False Goshinmonoban". The main job of this position was to manage the tributes paid to the shogun from various places.
While serving as the "Nishinomaru Kagoshinmonoban", Hasegawa met the old Nakadanuma Yiji and gradually became friends with him.
Tanuma Yiji agreed and supported the proposal of "building a facility to rehabilitate prisoners" issued by Hasegawa, who was considered one of his subordinates, without much thought.
This is how the foot lodging field was established.
Since the establishment of the pedagogy, prisoners with minor crimes in Edo and its surrounding areas have been sent to the pedagog for rehabilitation.
The method of rehabilitation is to teach prisoners skills so that they can have a craft to survive after they regain their freedom, and they will not have to embark on the road of re-offending.
The skills taught to prisoners in the prison camp are basically skills that make it easier to find a job.
For example: abacus; simple carpentry work; methods of making umbrellas, birdcages and other small objects...
Since it was Hasegawa who proposed the establishment of a facility to help prisoners rehabilitate, Tanuma Yiji took the opportunity to hand over the jurisdiction of the pedagogy to Hasegawa.
Therefore, after the pedestal was built, Hasegawa has been playing two roles: while commanding the fire bandits, he is also responsible for managing the pedestal.
From time to time, Hasegawa would secretly check whether the prisoners in the foot yard were studying hard, as he did now.
After silently sewing the door of the room shut, Hasegawa, still holding his hands behind his back, walked slowly outside the "teaching building".
Just as he was about to leave this "teaching building", a somewhat helpless young voice sounded behind Hasegawa:
"Hasegawa-sama!"
A young man who was probably only in his early twenties ran quickly towards Hasegawa.
"Oh!" Hasegawa turned his head and looked back, "It's Karasawa. I just wanted to find you."
This young man's name is "Hiroyuki Karasawa", he is the appraiser of the pedagogy and is responsible for managing the finances of the pedestal.
Although Tang Ze is young, his talents are extremely outstanding.
Hasegawa is not always on the pitch.
When Hasegawa is away from the pedestal, Karasawa is usually responsible for managing the pedestal.
With his outstanding talents, Karasawa managed the football field in an orderly manner and won Hasegawa's trust.
"Hasegawa-sama." Karasawa rushed to Hasegawa's side and sighed angrily, "Can't you inform me in advance when you are coming to the training camp?"
"I just made a spur-of-the-moment decision today." Hasegawa smiled, "So I didn't have time to inform you."
"What?" Hasegawa said in a half-joking tone, "Are you afraid of my surprise inspection of the football field?"
"I'm not worried." Karasawa smiled confidently, "I've never worried about Hasegawa-sama's surprise inspections."
"I'm just afraid that I won't be able to entertain you well after your sudden visit."
Hasegawa waved his hand: "You don't have to think about how to entertain me. As long as you can let me see a well-kept and well-kept guesthouse, that is the best hospitality for me."
"Tang Ze, you came just in time, I was just looking for you."
"Tell me about the financial situation of the football stadium in the past half month."
"yes!"
Hasegawa and Karasawa walked one after another on the way out of the "teaching building" of the football field.
Karasawa, who was half a step behind Hasegawa, roughly reported the current financial situation of the football club to Hasegawa.
After listening to Karasawa's report silently, Hasegawa said in a deep voice:
"That is to say... the Football Association currently has sufficient funds?"
"Yeah." Tang Ze nodded lightly, "But... there isn't much leftover. It can only last another month."
"One month..." Hasegawa nodded gently, "Yes, I understand."
"I will allocate new funds to you as soon as possible."
"It should be easier to operate the foot lodging facility in the future."
Hasegawa smiled at Karasawa.
"I have successfully persuaded several senior officials of the shogunate. They have agreed to support our foot training field."
"Really?" Tang Ze looked happy.
"Well, it's true."
Hasegawa reported the names of senior officials who were willing to support the football field to Karasawa one by one.
Without exception, the names reported by Hasegawa are the names of high-ranking officials who are now well-known in the shogunate.
The admiration in Tang Ze's eyes became more intense.
"Hasegawa-sama, how did you persuade these senior officials?"
It was naturally impossible for Hasegawa to tell Karasawa the truth: these officials were all members of the "Anti-Shiranui Group", and because he had contributed to the opposition to Shiranui before, he got these officials
s help.
"Of course I drank a lot with those high-ranking officials." Hasegawa thought of a random reason and fooled Karasawa.
Hasegawa and Karasawa both left the "teaching building" of the football field at this time.
At this moment, an anxious shout sounded from beside the two of them:
"Hasegawa-sama! Karasawa-sama! I finally found you!"
This voice was also extremely familiar to Hasegawa - it was Irino's voice.
Irino is also one of the officials of the human foot field. In terms of status, he is only lower than Karasawa, and he can be regarded as Karasawa's deputy.
Unlike Karasawa, who is relatively slender, Irino is fatter and not very good at sports.
Hasegawa followed the sound and saw Irino running towards them with a big belly and a groan.
From a distance, it looked like a ball rolling towards them.
"Irino. What's wrong?" Hasegawa asked before Irino ran behind him, "Why are you running so fast? What happened?"
"Hasegawa-sama." Irino's face turned pale, as if something terrible had happened to him, "Lao Naka-sama came to visit unexpectedly!"
…
…
Under the guidance of Irino, Hasegawa arranged his clothes and hair while running towards the reception room of the foot salon with a solemn expression.
The door to the meeting room was opened, and Hasegawa saw two figures.
One of the figures was none other than Hasegawa’s immediate superior, Matsudaira Sadanobu.
The other figure is Matsudaira Sadanobu's nickname: Tachibana.
After gesturing with his eyes to Irino who was leading him to leave first, Hasegawa entered the reception room alone and closed the door.
Kneeling in front of and behind Matsudaira Sadanobu, Hasegawa bowed respectfully to Matsudaira Sadanobu.
"I didn't know that Mr. Lao Zhong was coming to visit me, but I missed the welcome from afar. Please forgive me, Mr. Lao Zhong!"
Just now, Matsudaira Sadanobu, with only Tachibana and a small number of guards, went to the headquarters of the Huofu Thieves Kai to look for Hasegawa.
But who knew that Hasegawa happened to be away from the headquarters of Huo Fu Thieves Kai? When I asked him - he had gone to the human foot delivery yard.
So Matsudaira Sadanobu had no choice but to change his route and go to the Renzu Yoruba. Fortunately, the distance from Huoshu Thieves to the Renzu Yorach was not too far.
"No courtesy, Hasegawa. Just be more natural." Matsudaira Sadanobu smiled slightly at Hasegawa, "Now that I think about it carefully - it seems that we haven't seen each other for a while."
While Hasegawa responded to Matsudaira Sadanobu's every greeting respectfully, he carefully thought about the reason for Matsudaira Sadanobu's sudden visit.
Although he directly belongs to Laozhong and is under the direct jurisdiction of Matsudaira Sadanobu, Matsudaira rarely interferes with his work.
Hasegawa himself had forgotten the last time Matsudaira Sadanobu came to see him.
Matsudaira Sadanobu was a workaholic who never did meaningless things - this matter was known to all ministers in the shogunate.
Therefore, Hasegawa firmly believed that Matsudaira Sadanobu came to him for no reason and must have come for some purpose.
Although Matsudaira Sadanobu had been smiling at him, the smile on Matsudaira Sadanobu's face not only did not make Hasegawa feel any warmth, but also caused an unknown premonition to emerge from Hasegawa's heart...
After a brief exchange of greetings with Hasegawa, Matsudaira Sadanobu sat up slightly straighter and then changed to a slightly more serious tone:
"Hasegawa, you must be wondering why I came to you suddenly, right?"
"I won't talk about other nonsense, just get to the point."
Having said this, Matsudaira Sadanobu raised his eyes and directed his somewhat cold gaze towards Hasegawa.
"Hasegawa, you are so brave."
"How dare you use the funds allocated to you to pay off thieves elsewhere under my nose."
As soon as Matsudaira Sadanobu finished speaking, Hasegawa's pupils shrank suddenly.
Then, cold sweat appeared on Hasegawa's forehead at a speed visible to the naked eye.
"Hasegawa, your account books are very beautifully done. Most people may not be able to find any clues from your account books."
"But-"
Matsudaira Sadanobu raised his left index finger and tapped his left eye socket.
"Your account book is good enough to fool other people, but it's too hard to fool me."
"Two months ago, I discovered that your account books were a little weird."
"I sent people to investigate for two months, and finally discovered your little secret a few days ago."
More and more cold sweat broke out on Hasegawa's forehead, to the point where it was almost dripping onto the tatami.
"In order to have sufficient funds to operate the Renzuyori Yard, you diverted part of the funds that the shogunate gave to the fire thieves to purchase coins."
"Then take advantage of the fact that the conversion prices of gold, silver, and copper in the market are always fluctuating frequently, buy coins at low prices, and then sell them at high prices. You will successfully earn enough funds to continue operating the currency exchange."
"I have to say, your account books are really beautifully done."
"I didn't find out until two months ago that you had been making false accounts."
"Hasegawa, did I...did I say something wrong?"
After finishing speaking, Matsudaira Sadanobu quietly looked at Hasegawa in front of him.
Hasegawa pursed his lips and remained silent.
He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then opened them again. His eyes were full of determination, as if he had already made some kind of awakening.
"No."
"Then have you confessed?"
"Pleas guilty."
Seeing Hasegawa admit the crime he committed so readily, a look of satisfaction flashed across Matsudaira Sadanobu's face.
But these hints of satisfaction were fleeting.
After sneering, Matsudaira Sadanobu continued:
"Needless to say, you should also know the consequences of misusing public funds allocated by the shogunate and doing such speculative things, right?"
"...I know." Hasegawa tapped the warhead gently.
The lightest punishment for misusing public funds allocated by the shogunate is to be beaten to the bottom and lose your official position.
As for the heaviest punishment...that is to commit seppuku.
"...Sir Lao Zhong." Hasegawa said softly, "No matter what kind of punishment, I am willing to accept it."
"I just hope you won't close down the football field."
"Let us continue the operation of the footrest field."
After saying that, Hasegawa leaned over, put his hands on the tatami, pressed his forehead against the tatami, and assumed a seated posture.
The Huofu thief-turned-chief, who was making a big fuss outside, was begging the powerful holder of the country in front of him in the most humble manner, who was 10 years younger than him.
Matsudaira Sadanobu's gaze towards Hasegawa still contained no emotion at all.
"...Hasegawa, it seems that this football stadium is really important to you."
Matsudaira Sadanobu's tone remained calm - terrifyingly calm.
"Not only did he not hesitate to commit such a serious crime that might cost him his head, just to maintain the operation of the football field."
"Even though I might die soon, I still begged me not to close the football field."
"You said you were willing to accept any punishment... If I asked you to commit hara-kiri here right now, would you be willing?"
"Yes." Hasegawa answered without any hesitation or hesitation.
Because Hasegawa pressed his forehead firmly against the tatami, Matsudaira Sadanobu could not see Hasegawa's current expression.
But just based on the determination contained in Hasegawa's "willing" just now, Matsudaira Sadanobu could roughly guess what Hasegawa's expression was like now.
"...Relax, Hasegawa." Matsudaira Sadanobu smiled and shrugged, "I have no interest in your intestines."
"Keep your head up, Hasegawa."
After receiving Matsudaira Sadanobu's order to raise his head, Hasegawa hesitated for a while, then raised his head again and looked directly at Matsudaira Sadanobu.
"I came to see you today not to ask for punishment."
"I'm here to praise you."
"I didn't expect you to have some business acumen and know how to make money by buying and selling coins."
“It’s not that I don’t understand the benefits of building and operating a staffing facility.”
"If the shogunate's financial situation is good, I would also like to continue operating the football stadium."
"So if you can rely on the funds allocated by the shogunate to the Huo Fu Thieves Kai to support both the Huo Fu Thieves Kai and the Renzu Yoruba. Then I have to praise you well - you have successfully used the least amount of money to do so.
He has done the most things, and he is a rare capable minister."
"So I will continue to pretend that I don't know your 'secret' and maintain the status quo."
"You can continue to do business as you are now, using fire to pay the thieves to change the funds, and earn money to operate the airport."
"Just--just work hard."
When talking about the words "work hard", Matsudaira Sadanobu specially emphasized his tone.
After hearing Matsudaira Sadanobu's emphatic words of "work hard", Hasegawa's pupils shrank slightly.
"Okay. I've said all that needs to be said. My time is quite tight, so I'll leave first." Matsudaira Sadanobu stood up.
Hasegawa was about to stand up to see him off, but Matsudaira Sadanobu raised his hand to stop him:
"There's no need to see me off. I remember the way out."
"Work hard, Hasegawa."
After leaving these words quietly, Matsudaira Sadanobu led Tachibana out of the room.
After Matsudaira Sadanobu led Tachibana to leave first, Hasegawa was the only one left in the reception room.
Hasegawa stared blankly at the air in front of him, and after a long while he sighed.
"I was...caught..." Hasegawa showed a helpless smile.
…
…
Matsudaira Sadanobu led Tachibana and the guards who had been waiting outside just now, and walked straight out of the pedestal, preparing to return to the mansion.
When he had already reached the river bank and was about to leave by boat, Tachibana couldn't help but asked Matsudaira Sadanobu:
"Lao Naka-sama, are you just going to let Hasegawa Heizo go?"
"Then what do you plan to do with Hasegawa?" Lao Zhong asked, "Are you going to order him to commit seppuku on the spot?"
Tachibana was speechless for a moment.
Out of rules, Tachibana felt that Hasegawa must be severely punished for misusing public funds.
However, out of moral reasons, Tachibana believed that the reason why Hasegawa misused public funds was not for food, drink and fun, but for the operation of the football stadium, so it was inappropriate to give him such a severe punishment.
"Although I don't get along well with Hasegawa's personality. I don't like Hasegawa very much either." Matsudaira Sadanobu said softly, "But there is no denying that Hasegawa is a rare and capable official."
"He should be regarded as one of the best officers since the establishment of the Huofu Thief Kai."
"His title of 'Ghost Ping' shocked Xiaoxiao quite a bit."
"And just like what I said to Hasegawa just now - it's not that I don't understand the benefits of operating a foot-lodging facility."
"Operating internment camps can prevent a large number of prisoners from committing crimes again after being released from prison - how could I not know this truth?"
"It's just because of the poor financial situation of the shogunate that I haven't sent too much money to the shogunate."
"If Hasegawa can run the two places, Huofu Thieves Kai and Renzu Yinjing, with just the funds allocated to Huofu Thieves Kai, I would be happy to see it happen."
"So just for this reason, it is a pity to move such a rare and capable official to the left or to die."
"So I came here this time just to remind Hasegawa."
A smile that was not warm at all appeared on Matsudaira Sadanobu's face.
"Remind him: I already know his little secret. And I can use your little secret to treat you at any time."
"From now on, Hasegawa, who is under my control, will probably serve the public more diligently."
"Whether it's catching thieves or operating a human transportation facility, we should not dare to be careless."
"I see..." Tachibana smiled bitterly, "It seems... I really still have a lot to learn from you, Lao Zhong..."
Having said this, Tachibana seemed to have remembered something, paused, and then gave a piece of advice to Lao Zhong in front of him.
"Lord Naka, why don't you let Hasegawa investigate the previous incident of 'attack on the Kitamachi Enforcement Office'?"
Of course, Matsudaira Sadanobu knew what the "attack on the Kitamachi Administrative Office" that Tachibana was referring to.
About a month ago, the Kitamachi Justice Office was attacked by unknown thieves. After killing all the officials who were staying at the Kitamachi Justice Office, the thieves painted "Taiko Kiri" on the walls of the Kitamachi Justice Office, and
The words "We will avenge the Battle of Osaka" were written on it.
When this incident first broke out, Edo became increasingly noisy.
Everyone is discussing whether the people who studied at the Kitamachi Administrative Office are really Toyotomi's remnants.
In order to avoid causing panic, Matsudaira Sadanobu issued an order to refute the rumors in the name of the government to the public not long after the incident: Toyotomi's remnant party and so on are just fabrications, and everyone should not panic.
While calming the public down, Matsudaira Tasanobu intensified the search efforts - however, no progress has been made in this case until now.
The group of people who massacred the Kitamachi Prison were not only very skilled, but also extremely smart. They did not leave a single clue at the Kitamachi Prison.
After hearing this suggestion from Tachibana, Matsudaira Sadanobu shook his head after pondering for a moment:
"No. We cannot leave this case to Hasegawa."
"Hasegawa is the commander of the Hufu Thieves Reform. He is only responsible for catching thieves and arsonists."
"And the group of people who massacred Kitamachi Prison did not steal or set fire, they just killed people. This is not the area that Hasegawa is responsible for."
"If this case is forcibly handed over to Hasegawa, it will only arouse the dissatisfaction of many people."
"So there is no need to move the team responsible for this case now."
"When the people currently in charge of this case really don't get any results, we can then consider whether to replace them with others."
"Tachibana, you go and make a trip tonight to tell the people who are currently in charge of this case that when I come back from Ezo, hand over the results that satisfy me."
"Yes." Tachibana responded respectfully while silently writing down Matsudaira Sadanobu's order.
…
…
Hasegawa returned to the headquarters of Huoshu Thief Kai in the evening.
After returning to the headquarters, Hasegawa called his adjutant, Imai, and told him everything that happened at the foot massage facility today.
Imai is one of the few people who knows that Hasegawa has always used fire to pay thieves to change the funds to speculate in coins and make money.
Imai's eyes widened after learning that Lao Zhong actually knew Hasegawa's secret.
"Chief, Master Hasegawa, what should we do now?"
Because he was so shocked, Imai stuttered when he spoke.
"What else can I do..." Hasegawa's face was filled with bitterness, "In short - my life has been saved."
"Lao Zhong already hinted to me today - he won't do anything to me."
"But the premise is - I have to work hard and serve the public well."
After saying that, Hasegawa let out a sigh of relief.
"The handle was pinched..."
"If there is anything I do in the future that dissatisfies Mr. Lao Zhong, Mr. Lao Zhong can use this excuse to punish me at any time..."
"So from now on, I can only work like a cow or a dog as Mr. Lao Zhong wishes, and show my loyalty to Mr. Lao Zhong..."
After another long sigh, Hasegawa smiled slightly at Imai.
"But that's okay... Thinking on the bright side, at least as long as I work hard and don't annoy Mr. Lao Zhong, Mr. Lao Zhong probably won't do anything to me."
"All in all - in order to save my life and to ensure that I have enough people to stay on the field, I will work hard now..."
"Imai, are there any other thieves that we are still tracking but haven't caught yet?"
"There are not many left." Imai said, "Currently, we, the Huofu Thief Kai, are in charge, but the thieves who have not yet been captured include Kirijiro, the Flower Monk, and...Buddha's Enemy..."
After hearing the name "Buddha's Enemy" from Imai's mouth, Hasegawa couldn't help but raise his hand and scratch his hair.
"'Buddha's Enemy'... Among the three thieves who have not yet been captured, he is the most troublesome..."