Chapter 459 Encounter! Seven guns in Xianzhou! [Explosion 1W2] (Thanks to the leader of the moon cup shadow!)
A new leader appeared yesterday [L5??]
Thanks to the new leader [L5??] for the reward! Thank you boss!
The leader's team is gradually growing, which is gratifying and gratifying.
When a new leader appears, you have to update it and write a big chapter of 1,000 to 2,000 words.
But because my book friend [Zhan Yue Bei Ying] also rewarded me as a leader the day before yesterday, I didn’t have time in the first two days, so I kept owing him more rewards.
So today’s chapter is an additional update for [Moon Cup Shadow].
Let’s leave the updates for the new leader [L5??] until later...
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The mood of the villagers, who were worried that their bandits had been dispatched by the samurai who had been invited to wipe out the village, seemed to be a bit unqualified to describe them as ecstatic.
If they hadn't seen the food that Ogata and others took back from the bandits, some villagers wouldn't even believe that what Ogata and others said was true.
What made the villagers even more happy was that Ogata and the others gave them all the food they took back from the bandits.
Their village is extremely poor, and the amount of food stored in the village is just enough to "barely feed the whole village."
The food sent by Ogata and others is really a timely help for the villagers in this village.
In order to thank Ogata and others for their kindness, the villagers said they would prepare a sumptuous lunch to entertain Ogata and others.
But Ogata declined.
Now that the bandits have been wiped out and the experience points and money have been harvested, Ogata has no reason to stay in the village anymore.
Ogata now just wants to return to Nishikino Town as soon as possible, and then go back to the regular days of gaining experience at the Hosho Sword Hall every day, and waiting for the merchant ship of Minamoto Tachibana House to leave for Ezo in January of the next year.
The last time they went to this village from Kinkino Town, it took almost a day, starting in the morning and arriving at the village in the evening.
Even if Tsuchiya and the two villagers didn't slow us down when we returned to Kinkino Town this time, it would still take at least half a day to return to Kinkino Town.
It was almost 9 o'clock in the morning when we returned to the village. If we stayed for lunch, we would not have time to return to Nishikino Town before dark.
Therefore, no matter what the villagers and Higasaka and others said, Ogata insisted on leaving before lunch.
However, Ogata and Amachi do not intend to leave immediately.
They had just returned to the village from the bandits' base, and they had walked on the mountain road for nearly three hours.
Mountain roads are much more difficult to walk than flat roads.
Moreover, it is even more difficult to walk on a mountain road covered with heavy snow.
Walking on a snow-covered mountain road for more than three hours was nothing to Ogata.
But for Amachi now, it's not that easy.
If A-Machi was in a normal state, it would not be difficult for her to walk on a snow-covered mountain road for more than three hours.
But last night, Amachi followed Ogata and sneaked into the bandit's base area to assassinate the bandits.
Later, they went around to inspect the bandit's base, and together they found and buried the bodies of the bandits who died under her and Ogata's assassination.
Physical strength is not the strong point of Atachi, who is born as a girl.
Although he slept for a few hours, it was not enough time for Atachi to regain his strength.
So after walking the mountain road from the bandit base to the village in a "not at full strength" state, A-Machi felt a little tired.
Therefore, Ogata planned to rest in this village for a while to let Amachi's feet relax a little before leaving.
…
…
In the house provided by the villagers to Ogata and Atachi
"ha……"
Atachi was lying on his back on the floor of the room in a "big" shape without any image.
"It's much easier than expected..."
Because lying on the floor was very comfortable, A-Machi unconsciously closed his eyes due to the comfort.
"I was worried before that I would have to fight with those bandits for a long time..."
"I didn't expect that the bandits would be eliminated so quickly."
"I arrived in this village the evening before yesterday and can go back today."
To be able to deal with the bandits so quickly was not only beyond Amachi's expectations, but also beyond Ogata's expectations.
Ogata was already prepared for a protracted war.
But I didn't expect that my luck was quite good.
On the second day after arriving in the village, we successfully defeated this group of bandits.
At the same time, there was an unexpected surprise: they received 31 taels of gold from the bandits, which made Ogata and Atachi's financial resources stronger now.
When Ogata learned from the reward list provided by Huosaka the night before that his head was worth 500 taels of gold, he also thought that if he ran out of money in the future, he could try to harvest the government's wool.
First, he pretended to be arrested, and then asked A-Machi to collect the 500 taels of gold bounty, and then Ogata tried to find a way to escape from prison.
At present, it seems that Ogata's plan to "snatch the government's wool" will not be useful for a long time to come.
Ogata has not spent all the large sum of money that the Kurunaga family gave him when he broke away from the feudal clan at the end of last year.
The sum of the money given by the Kurunaga family elders, the money obtained in the "Gozen Trial Match", and the money obtained from the bandits this time makes Ogata and Atachi completely wealthy now.
With their current financial resources, they are completely enough to buy a small house and live a useless life without working for at least 10 years. Of course, the premise is that the two only use the money to buy some daily necessities instead of
Buying all kinds of random luxuries.
After Omachi lay on his back in the "big" shape on the ground, Oubon untied the Daishiten from his left waist, held it in his arms, and sat cross-legged next to Omachi.
"Do you want me to give you a massage?"
It's not uncommon for Ogata to give Omachi a massage.
Long before taking a boat from Owari to Edo, Ogata gave the seasick Omachi a massage to make her feel a little better despite the torment of the wind and waves.
Since leaving Edo and heading north to Ezo, Ogata has also frequently given massages to Atachi, who was not very physically strong.
As soon as Ogata finished speaking, Amachi immediately said:
"No need. I just need to lie down like this."
After saying that, Atachi opened his eyes that were closed tightly and looked at Ogata beside him.
"Ayi, I've wanted to say it for a long time. I always thought you were weird."
"Huh? Why am I weird?"
"Many samurai not only massage their wives, they don't even allow their wives to walk side by side with them."
"But you don't seem to have this concept of men being superior to women."
"A warrior like you always feels rarer than a cat that likes to swim."
Hearing what Atachi said, Ogata couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Although in Japan during the Edo period, women were relatively free.
Except for those ministers and samurai families with strict family rules, the daughters of common people can walk freely on the streets and engage in many kinds of jobs, and there is no such crazy and crazy habit as foot binding.
However, the social atmosphere is generally one where men are superior to women, and the status of women is far inferior to that of men.
What Atachi said just now is also true. Many samurai do not even allow their wives to walk side by side with them, nor can they walk in front of them, but can only walk three steps behind them.
Therefore, there is a common saying in society: "A wife should keep three steps away from her husband."
For these "traditional samurai", giving a massage to their wives is simply unimaginable.
As a time traveler, Ogata naturally does not have such messy thoughts of superiority and inferiority.
Not to mention that giving a massage to his wife would be shameful and detrimental to the image of a man.
Not only am I not ashamed, but I am proud of it.
Many people don't even have a wife who can give them massages.
So just after Omachi finished speaking, Oubon said in a relaxed tone:
"This probably has something to do with my tutoring. My parents have always taught me that men are not superior to women."
What Ogata said actually didn't lie.
His parents in his previous life did educate him not to have the concept of "discrimination".
Neither gender discrimination nor racial discrimination is advisable.
A-Machi couldn't help but feel emotional.
Feeling deeply about how special Ogata and Ogata’s parents are.
In this environment where most people believe that men are superior to women, there is such a special concept.
As Ogata's wife, Atachi is also happy to see that her husband is a person with such special ideas and does not restrict her with all kinds of messy rules.
After a brief chat with Ogata, Omachi closed his eyes again, enjoying the feeling of lying on the ground like mud.
Amachi really likes the feeling of lying on the ground in a "big" shape.
She is in a pretty good mood now.
She originally didn't support Ogata in looking for trouble and rushed to this small, useless village to help these farmers.
It's not because Ating is cruel and unwilling to lend a helping hand to those in need.
She was simply worried about Ogata.
A few months ago in Owari, after "being honest" with Ogata and confirming their relationship as husband and wife, Atachi became a lot more timid.
Amachi hopes that Ogata will not do anything that may bring danger to himself.
Although she knew that Ogata was very powerful, even a bandit group with hundreds of people could be wiped out by Ogata.
But no matter how strong you are, there will always be risks involved in fighting with others.
Therefore, Amachi, who did not want Ogata to encounter any accidents and get injured, has not been very supportive of Ogata's act of lending a helping hand to the farmers in this village.
Now that the bandits have been eliminated, the big stone in Ah Machi's heart has finally fallen to the ground.
Both she and Ogata were safe and sound, and unexpectedly received a large sum of money.
Ogata gave the money to Atachi for safekeeping.
Now the bag containing 31 taels of gold is lying quietly in A-Machi's arms.
Atachi, who was currently lying on his back on the ground, could clearly feel the weight of this big bag of money.
After establishing a relationship with Ogata, in addition to becoming timid, Atachi also started to care about money just like Ogata.
Ating unconsciously raised his hand and patted the small money bag in his arms.
Feeling the weighty little money bag in his arms, Atachi suddenly seemed to remember something and raised his eyebrows, then opened his eyes again and looked at Ogata beside him.
"Ayi, the reason why you decided to help these farmers is to get money from the bandits, right?"
This is what Amachi suddenly thought of just now.
Ogata had a similar record before.
For money, he participated in the "Imperial Trial Match".
Because he had a similar criminal record before, Amachi felt that it was really possible for Ogata to do something like "for the sake of money, he decided to go to the bandits to get money and help the poor farmers."
Upon hearing this question from Atachi, Ogata was slightly stunned at first.
Then he smiled helplessly and said:
"You are thinking too much."
"I didn't think about taking money from bandits at first."
"It's a complete surprise for me to get this money now."
"Then why did you decide to help these farmers?" Amachi asked puzzledly, "Is it really because you haven't exercised your muscles for a long time, so you plan to stretch your muscles?"
"Why did you decide to help these farmers..."
After muttering, Ogata smiled bitterly.
Then he hugged Da Shitian tighter in his arms.
"...At that time, when I saw the two farmers begging us to help them in the Hosei Sword Hall, for some reason, I suddenly remembered that when I returned to the sword hall, I found that the master and brothers were all killed by Matsudaira Gennai
That night."
Ogata's tone was calm.
It's like he's talking about something that has nothing to do with him.
Atachi, who was on the side, was stunned after hearing what Ogata said just now, and then showed a complicated expression.
"When I saw my master and fellow apprentices clinging to death, I thought it would be great if... when they were killed, someone could show up and save them."
"If we don't lend a helping hand to the farmers in this village, even if they are not killed by bandits, many of them may not survive the winter because their money and food have been looted. They are indirectly killed by these bandits."
"I feel very strongly about relatives and friends being brutally murdered without reason."
"I think the fewer people who have to go through this kind of pain, the better."
"So by some strange coincidence, I decided to do my best to help these farmers who happened to be in front of me and were in desperate need of help."
Ogata's tone was calm from beginning to end.
He was obviously talking about his unbearable past, but he looked calm.
On the other hand, Atachi's expression was very complicated from the beginning.
When Ogata was only halfway through what he said, Atachi had already slowly sat up.
After Ogata finished speaking, Omachi's face was filled with a complex expression that was so intense that it was difficult to distinguish what emotions were mixed together.
She opened her lips, as if she wanted to say something to Ogata.
But after opening his lips, he had no idea what to say in this situation.
Finally, after hesitating and thinking for a moment, Atachi opened his arms and hugged Ogata like a mother bird protecting her chicks.
Because A-Machi was sitting on Ogata's left side, when A-Machi opened his arms to hug Ogata, Ogata's left arm immediately felt a gentle, soft and elastic touch.
Ogata's sudden hug caused a bit of surprise to appear on Ogata's face.
"What's wrong?"
"When I was in a bad mood, my father would hug me like this."
As Omachi spoke, he gently stroked Ogata with his right hand. This gentle movement was like helping a baby fall asleep.
Ogata couldn't help but smile at Atachi's move.
Ogata's behavior that he didn't know what to say to comfort him and simply used the method his father used to comfort him to comfort him made Ogata feel a little funny, but also a little touched.
"No need to comfort me. I'm not sad."
Memories and retelling of the past that was full of grief and blood did not make Ogata feel sad or sad.
After all, it was more than a year ago.
Just recalling that memory no longer makes Ogata feel any discomfort.
Although Ogata said "there is no need to comfort him", Amachi didn't seem to let Ogata go. Maybe he mistakenly thought that Ogata, who said "he didn't feel sad", was telling lies to fool her.
.
Since A-Machi wouldn't let him go, Ogata wouldn't say anything anymore. After all, he was happy to be held by A-Machi.
The body was embraced and felt warm and soft, as if the body was about to melt.
Being in Amachi's arms really made Ogata feel a little at ease.
Just as Ogata was quietly enjoying the feeling of boating on the calm lake at night, a young male voice suddenly came from outside the house:
"Excuse me! Is Majima-kun here?"
This is Mizuno's voice.
There was an obvious nervousness in his voice.
Ogata, who was wondering why Mizuno suddenly came to him, said loudly:
"I am here."
"Can I come in?"
Ogata and Atachi exchanged looks.
Atachi nodded, and then let go of Ogata in his arms.
"Come in."
“Thank you very much!”
Mizuno pushed open the old wooden door and appeared within Ogata's field of vision.
Ogata: "Is something wrong?"
"Mashima-sama! I want to ask you something!"
Mizuno looked directly at Ogata, his eyes full of fire.
"Ask for advice?" Ogata raised his eyebrows, then raised his hand and scratched his hair, "What do you want to ask for? Don't ask me something that is difficult to answer."
"After all, I will be leaving with my wife in a while."
"Mashima-sama!"
Mizuno said in a loud voice.
"I admire your swordsmanship!"
"I would like to ask you how to improve your swordsmanship!"
The fiery color in his eyes became more intense.
"Mashima-sama, how do you usually practice swordsmanship?"
Mizuno knew that Ogata and Omachi would be leaving in a while.
So he mustered up the courage to secretly come to Ogata and ask Ogata for advice before Ogata and Atachi left.
Ogata is a rare great swordsman.
Mizuno, who also pursues swordsmanship, does not want to miss this opportunity to learn from the swordsman.
Upon hearing Mizuno's question, Ogata froze.
Ogata was not surprised that Mizuno came to him to ask him how to practice swordsmanship.
He had noticed before that Mizuno seemed to admire him and admired his swordsmanship.
Mizuno's question directly put Ogata in trouble...
How to practice swordsmanship?
It's impossible for Ogata to tell him directly that I only rely on the system to achieve my current strength...
After scratching his hair and organizing his words, Ogata said slowly:
"There is no shortcut to the practice of swordsmanship."
"You must be down-to-earth and don't aim too high."
"If there is any way to quickly improve your swordsmanship, the only way is to practice more practice."
"Swinging the sword into the air ten thousand times in the dojo may not bring as much improvement as a hearty actual battle."
"I have reached my current state just by practicing one battle after another."
After trying his best to say something as elegant as possible, Ogata couldn't help but admire himself.
Because what he just said is completely true, without any falsehood.
It was indeed through fighting one battle after another that he became the world-famous "Executioner Ittosai".
"Actual combat..." Mizuno muttered, with a thoughtful look on his face.
At this moment, a voice came from outside the house again:
"Mashima-sama! Are you here?"
This time, it was the voice of the old village chief.
"I'm here." Ogata responded immediately.
"Can I come in? I have something I want to give you."
"You have something for me? Please come in."
After obtaining Ogata's permission to enter, the old village chief, who was severely stooped, slowly appeared in front of Ogata with the support of several villagers.
Seeing that Mizuno and Atachi were following, the old village chief quickly said hello to the two of them.
"Mashima-sama, this is for you."
The old village chief handed Ogata two small tips, which were only slightly wider than an adult's thumb.
"What is this?" Ogata took the small bag of tips and kneaded it a little, but it was empty.
It's just an ordinary little red bag with nothing in it.
"This is our homemade amulet."
The old village chief said.
"We really appreciate your help."
"Without you, we really don't know what we would do."
"If you and Ling Zheng are not willing to stay for lunch, then at least please accept our thank you gift."
"Our village is so poor that we can't give away anything worth mentioning."
"I can only give you and Lingzheng one piece of our homemade amulet each. Please forgive me."
"You are really thoughtful." Ogata smiled and played with the two small tips in his hand.
"Okay, we will accept your thank you and your kindness." Ogata handed one of the small tips in his hand to Atachi, "Thank you for the amulet."
Someone comes here specifically to give a thank you gift, but it is not an extremely valuable thing anyway. If you don't accept it, it would be rude.
In response to Ogata's gratitude, the old village chief quickly said, "I don't dare to accept it."
After exchanging a few words with Ogata, the old village chief led the few villagers who supported him and left.
After watching the old village chief and others leave, Mizuno murmured:
"The villagers are very happy..."
"Of course." Ogata said, "After all, the bandits who are worried about their money and food are gone."
Upon hearing Ogata's words, Mizuno suddenly showed a wry smile.
"...Mashima-sama, do you think our act of lending a helping hand to them is meaningful?"
"Huh?" Ogata raised his eyebrows, "What do you mean?"
Mizuno pursed his lips.
After a moment of silence, he opened his lips and said slowly:
"Mashima-sama, it seems that I have never told you about my past..."
"I come from a low-level samurai family in Edo."
Mizuno retrieved the memories in his mind bit by bit.
"Like many people, I hope to become famous through swordsmanship, so I decided to leave Edo two years ago to train as a warrior."
"Now that I think about it carefully, I really don't know whether my behavior should be evaluated as bold and fearless, or whether it should be evaluated as young and ignorant."
"Not long after I left Edo, I met Master Hosaka."
"Because I admired my master's swordsmanship and his heroic character, I became my master and began to practice with him everywhere."
"Not long after my master and I traveled together, something happened... something that still bothers me to this day."
Speaking of this, a faint look of loneliness appeared on Mizuno's face.
"Not long after we walked together with the master, the master and I happened to pass by a village."
"That village suffered exactly the same thing as this village and was taken into consideration by a group of bandits."
"But the situation is slightly different."
"The villagers in that village didn't realize in time that they were being targeted by bandits, so they let the bandits enter the village almost completely defenseless."
"Money, food, and young women were all robbed by bandits."
"The villagers in that village wanted to get their money, grain, and women back, so they chose to report it to the official."
"The government in that place is pretty capable of handling things. As soon as the villagers took office, the government immediately organized manpower to prepare to encircle and suppress the bandits."
"And the master and I happened to pass by that village just before the officers were preparing to march to encircle and suppress the bandits."
"Master is a very warm-hearted person. When he saw that the villagers in this village were in trouble, he decided to lend a helping hand to the officials and work with them to exterminate the bandits."
"The government is also happy to see rogues drawing swords to help, so they agreed to let my master and I join in the encirclement and suppression of bandits."
"The encirclement and suppression of the bandits went smoothly."
"With the advantage of numbers and weapons, the bandits were wiped out. The money, food and women that were robbed from the villagers were all taken back."
"That was the first time I participated in a real battle with real swords and guns."
"It was also my first time to kill someone... Although I was just chasing a bandit who had no intention of fighting, I luckily killed a bandit who had even lost his weapon."
"The bandits are gone, the villagers' money, food and women have all been taken back, and then the villagers can live and work in peace and contentment again. This should be such a happy ending..."
"After assisting the government in wiping out the bandits, my master and I left the village and continued to travel around and practice as warriors."
"A year later, my master and I visited that village again because of some things."
"But I found that the village was gone."
"After asking someone, I found out that all the villagers in that village had been killed by another group of bandits a few months ago..."
"That group of bandits was not as 'gentle' as the previous group of bandits. While stealing money, food, and women, they also killed all the men in the village and all the women who looked down upon them."
"Even... the children were not spared..."
From now on, Mizuno's head lowered lower and lower.
At this moment, Mizuno's head had dropped to the point where his chin was almost touching his chest.
"It took a lot of effort to save those villagers, but in the end, those villagers died at the hands of other bandits..."
"Ever since this incident happened, I have been thinking: Is it meaningful for my master and me to help these poor people..."
"My master and I's behavior of lending a helping hand to others... feels like it's just treating the symptoms, not the root cause. It seems like we're just repeating a very meaningless thing..."
"I helped the people of this village today. In a few months, this village may be targeted by another group of bandits..."
Ogata has been listening silently.
Hearing this, Ogata finally understood what Mizuno was worried about.
After Mizuno finished speaking, Oubon asked Mizuno in a calm tone:
"...Mizuno, you just said you admired my swordsmanship, right?"
"Ah? Well, yes." Although he didn't know why Ogata suddenly asked this question, Mizuno nodded in agreement.
"How strong do you think my swordsmanship is?" Ogata asked next.
"Ah?" Mizuno, who was stumped by this question, looked hesitant. He hesitated for a long time, and finally said softly, "My swordsmanship is mediocre, so I don't know how to describe your swordsmanship."
"In that case, let me show you how strong my swordsmanship is."
Ogata showed a meaningful smile, stood up slowly, and then pulled out the Daishiten around his waist from its sheath.
"Mizuno, do you think a person can split the sky in half?"
"Ah?" Mizuno's eyes widened with astonishment on his face.
On the side, Atachi also showed an expression similar to Mizuno's. His beautiful eyes widened and he looked at Ogata in surprise.
"Mashima-sama, how can a human split the sky?"
"Then just take a look."
After saying that, Ogata quickly walked out of the house.
After walking outside the house, Ogata raised his upper body and looked at the clear sky above his head. At the same time, he clenched the daisetsu in his hands with both hands and slowly raised the daisetsu in his hand above his head.
This posture seemed to really cut the sky in half.
Ogata's serious and serious look made both Mizuno and Atachi think the same thing:
Split the sky? How is that possible?
Even though they thought it was impossible, the two of them still stared at Ogata uncontrollably, and even their breathing slowed down unconsciously.
Ogata did not confront the sky above his head for too long.
After gathering enough strength, Xu aimed at the sky above his head and violently chopped down the Great Release Sky in his hand!
The wind pressure caused by the swing of the blade stabbed straight into the clear sky!
Then
Nothing happened.
The sky has not been split, and the few white clouds within the field of vision are still floating lazily.
"Mizuno, did you see it?"
Ogata shrugged his shoulders and put the sword back into its scabbard.
"You were right just now. How can a person split the sky?"
"The sky is thousands of miles wide, but the sword is only three feet long. Even a swordsman who has practiced swordsmanship to the pinnacle, a sword master, can only kill things within 3 feet, let alone split the sky."
"We are just ordinary people who know a little bit about swordsmanship, not gods."
Ogata returned to the room and sat back down where he had just sat.
"We can't predict everything, and we can't do everything. All we can do is kill some evil people who happen to appear in front of us."
"When it comes to helping people, just do what an ordinary person with some swordsmanship can do. Why do you think about so many messy things?"
"Send as much light as you can. Even if the light is like a firefly, it can bring some light to the darkness. There is no need to wait for a torch to illuminate the darkness."
Ogata repeated the words he used to enlighten Gua Sheng.
Although this sentence was "transformed" by Ogata from a certain great writer whom he admired very much in his previous life.
As soon as Ogata finished speaking, the look of astonishment and surprise appeared on Mizuno's face at a speed visible to the naked eye.
"Shine as much light as you can..." Mizuno chewed on Ogata's words just now.
With a thoughtful expression on his face, he must be thinking about what Ogata said just now.
At this moment, Kasaka's loud voice suddenly sounded outside the house:
"Mizuno! Mizuno! Where have you been?!"
Mizuno was stunned when he heard Huosaka yelling one after another.
"I'm sorry, Majima-sama." Mizuno smiled bitterly, "My master seems to be looking for me, so I'll excuse you for now."
"Allow me to take the liberty of asking Majima-sama, when will you and Reimasa leave here?"
Ogata turned his head and cast a questioning look at Omachi.
"I'll just rest for 2 more incense breaks." Ating stretched out two fingers.
"Then we will leave after two incense sticks." Ogata turned to Mizuno and replied.
"2 sticks of incense... It seems it's too late to ask you for advice..." The bitter look on Mizuno's face became heavier.
After sorting out the expression on his face, Mizuno stood at attention and bowed respectfully to Ogata.
"Mashima-sama, thank you very much for your advice."
"Whether it's the advice you just mentioned on practicing swordsmanship or the enlightenment you just gave me, I have benefited a lot."
"I'm just making random nonsense." Ogata said modestly.
After thanking Ogata respectfully, Mizuno quickly left the sight of Ogata and Omachi.
After Mizuno left, Amachi couldn't wait to say to Ogata:
"As expected of someone who can take the first place in the literary examination of the 'Imperial Examination'."
"It's just culture."
"'The sky is thousands of miles wide, but the sword is only three feet long'... This sentence is great."
Ogata just wanted to explain to Atachi that these words and his action of slashing the sky with a sword just now were not his original creation.
He just copied what Yuan Yi did to him and what he said to him a few months ago...
But after seeing Omachi looking at him with admiration, with countless little stars shining in his eyes, Ogata silently suppressed his words of explanation.
"It's nothing, just a random thought."
Ogata tried his best to put on a calm smile that showed the demeanor of a master.
Mr. Genda, I'm sorry...
Ogata decided to be shameless.
…
…
A-Machi just told Ogata that she would be fine if she rested for two more sticks of incense.
And A-Ting was not talking nonsense. After two sticks of incense, A-Ting said that she had had enough rest.
So Ogata and Atachi picked up their luggage and prepared to leave.
When it was time to say goodbye, Hosaka and the others, as well as the villagers of the village, came to see Ogata and Amachi off.
The villagers in this village are also very interesting. The village chief personally led the villagers to bid farewell to Ogata and Atachi, but there were still not a few young girls in sight.
Ogata guessed that most of these villagers were eager for them to leave.
After all, the bandits who were worried about them have been eliminated, and there is no need for Ogata and the others to stay in this village anymore.
To put it bluntly: Ogata and the others are no longer of use to the villagers.
So seeing Ogata leaving so happily, many villagers in this village should feel very happy.
But Ogata didn't care about this.
As a time traveler, Ogata has not been influenced by the so-called bushido ideology of this era, so he does not have the idea that samurai are superior to farmers and have no regard for farmers.
He could understand the respect and fear the peasants had towards the samurai.
Kasaka and the others tried to persuade Ogata to stay, so that Ogata wouldn't have to leave in such a hurry, especially Mizuno, who had the strongest opinion of hoping that Ogata wouldn't leave in such a hurry.
He probably wanted to learn more about swordsmanship from Ogata.
However, Ogata, who had achieved his purpose of coming here, no longer wanted to stay here, so he declined Kasaka and the others' offers to stay one by one.
After bidding farewell to Hosaka and the other villagers, Ogata and the others set out on their way back to Nishikino Town.
…
…
The weather is not bad today.
It didn't snow, and there were no dark clouds in the sky that made people feel unhappy to see them.
Today's luck is also very good.
Along the way, I didn’t encounter any “road bullies” who would block roads and rob people.
Ogata and Omachi walked forward at a steady speed through the layers of white snow accumulated on the ground with a relaxed mood.
When they went to that village before, they set off early in the morning and arrived in the evening. The reason why it took so long was mainly because the Tsuchiya and the two farmers who led the way were not very strong, and they rested many times along the way.
There is no "oil bottle" now, and Ogata and Omachi only took a break for lunch.
When the sunset appeared in the sky, Nishikino Town, which had been away for nearly two days, finally appeared in the sight of Ogata and Omachi again.
Because the hotel he stayed in before was quite comfortable, Ogata found the hotel again and opened a new room.
Returning to Nishino Town, Ogata wanted to say hello to Nishino Jiro and the people at the Hosei Sword Hall.
But seeing that it was too late, he had no choice but to give up and plan to visit them one by one after dawn tomorrow to inform them that he was back.
After spending the first half of the night intensely and the second half of the night peacefully with A-Machi on the bed of the hotel, Oburo woke up at about 7 o'clock in the morning, got dressed, put on the Great Release and Great Freedom, and went out.
Got to the hotel.
Ogata's first stop was the rehearsal venue at Takarashimaya.
Pushing open the door of Takarashimaya's rehearsal venue, Obelo saw everyone in Takarashimaya who had been diligently rehearsing "Ittōsai" early in the morning, and Nishino Jiro who was already watching their rehearsal.
After seeing Ogata suddenly appearing, Nishino Jiro exclaimed:
"Mashima-sama! Are you back?"
"Well, I came back last night." Ogata walked slowly to Nishino Jiro's side.
"How's it going? Did you encounter anything interesting when you arrived at the nearby castle town?"
It was easier for Ogata to explain before, so he did not tell Nishino Jiro and others that the reason why he left Nishino Town was to fight bandits. He only said that he was going to a nearby castle town for fun and sightseeing.
"I didn't encounter anything interesting." Ogata shrugged, "Because I didn't encounter anything interesting, I came back early."
"Mashima-sama, I don't know if you know." Nishino Jiro lowered his voice and pretended to tell a secret, "In the two days since you left Nishino Town, something big happened here in Nishino Town.
Woolen cloth."
"Big deal?" Ogata frowned, "What happened?"
"Well, if I have to say it...it's actually not a big deal." Jiro Nishino spread his hands and shrugged, "Yesterday afternoon, troops stationed near our Nishino Town."
"Army?" Ogata's pupils narrowed slightly.
"Yes." Nishino Jiro nodded, "It is said that the military camp of this army is currently located one mile southwest of Nishino Town."
One mile in the Edo period is almost equal to 4 kilometers in modern times.
"Some of the brave ones went to look at the flag of this army yesterday to see if it was the army of the shogunate or which vassal state it was."
"Then...Mashima-sama, guess where that army is."
Nishino Jiro sold it out.
"Hmm..." Ogata pondered for a moment, and then said casually, "Is it the shogunate's army?"
Nishino Jiro shook his head.
"Not the shogunate's army."
"Yesterday, those who ran to see the military flag saw the 'bamboo bird pattern', which was the Sendai clan's army."
"Sendai Domain?" Ogata's brows furrowed even more.
The name of the Sendai clan is considered to be famous throughout the country.
The Date clan who ruled the Sendai Domain was one of the powerful feudal lords who fought for hegemony in the Warring States Period two hundred years ago.
Because the Date clan was defeated by the Tokugawa clan, they finally surrendered to the Tokugawa clan. Because of the Date clan's awareness of current affairs, after the Tokugawa clan established the Edo shogunate, they were granted the title of "Sendai Domain" and governed the vast land in the Ou area.
Judging from paper data, Sendai Domain is undoubtedly the strongest domain in the Ou region.
Rich in mineral resources, close to the ocean, and with excellent ports and pastures, Sendai Domain's mining, animal husbandry, smelting, fishery and other industries are extremely developed.
Because it has a large amount of fertile farmland, the Sendai Domain's total rice output in agriculture alone is as high as 620,000 koku in a year. It is a feudal domain with a stone height of more than 620,000 koku.
If you add in the income from industries such as mining and animal husbandry, the financial scale of the Sendai Domain has reached an extremely terrifying level.
In terms of financial resources, there are probably no more than five vassal states in the country that surpass or are on par with the Sendai Domain.
"Approximately how many people are there in the Sendai clan's army stationed near Nishikino Town now?" Ogata asked.
"I don't know. The people who ran to see the military flag yesterday did not dare to get too close to the military camp, so they came back after seeing the military flag from a distance."
"Why are the Sendai Clan's troops here?" Ogata then asked, "Is there a war somewhere?"
As a vassal state, Sendai Domain naturally cannot dispatch its troops casually.
If you mobilize the army at will, the shogunate may be suspected of treason.
The town of Nishikino where Ogata is currently located is within the direct jurisdiction of the shogunate.
For the Sendai Clan's army to enter the area under the direct jurisdiction of the shogunate with such arrogance, they must have obtained permission from the shogunate.
"Who knows..." Nishino Jiro smiled bitterly and shook his head, "Maybe a peasant uprising broke out somewhere... As long as it doesn't involve us."
Suddenly, an army of the Sendai clan was stationed near Nishikino Town, which made Ogata a little concerned.
But Nishino Jiro didn't know much about this sudden army, and he had told Ogata everything he knew.
Seeing that he could not find out any other information related to this army, Ogata could only suppress his curiosity for the first time.
The actors in Takarashimaya are more skilled in their movements than when Ogata left Nishikino Town, which is a gratifying good thing.
After briefly watching the rehearsal of Takarashimaya, and then briefly chatting with Nishino Jiro, Ogami left the rehearsal venue of Takarashimaya and went to the Hosei Sword Hall, where he had been away for two days.
The masters and apprentices said hello and then began to gain experience as usual.
As he walked through the large and small streets with ease, the familiar walls and gates of the Hosho Sword Hall gradually appeared in front of Ogata's eyes.
After passing through the gate of the wall and walking on a path paved with white fine sand, you arrived at the gate of the gym.
In front of the hall, as usual, there were two apprentices guarding the door.
As Ogata is a diner at the Hosei Sword Hall, these two apprentices naturally recognize Ogata.
Seeing that the person coming was Ogata, the two apprentices quickly ran towards Ogata with anxious faces.
"Mashima-sama! You are back!"
"Well. I just returned to Nishikino Town last night."
"Mashima-sama! You came back just in time! A group of strange people entered our sword hall just now! They said they wanted to ask us for advice!"
"Is there anyone coming to play?" Ogata raised an eyebrow.
"That man is so strong. Several of the 'Ten Swordsmen of Treasures' have already been defeated!"
"I understand." Ogata nodded, "I will go to the dojo now to check the situation."
After bidding farewell to the two apprentices guarding the door, Ogata hurried towards the dojo.
After opening the door of the dojo, the scene inside the dojo made Ogata froze in shock.
Director Baosheng is sitting on the main seat of the dojo.
The apprentices in the sword hall sat on both sides of the sword hall.
A dozen fresh-faced warriors knelt in a corner of the dojo with solemn expressions.
In the center of the dojo, there is a "giant" standing.
The man standing in the center of the dojo is over 1.9 meters tall. In the eyes of people of this era, such a height is no different from a giant.
On his shoulder was a large wooden gun with a handle half as thick as a bowl and a total length of 3 meters.
The most eye-catching thing is that this man is also wearing a set of heavy armor with dark red as the main color and black as an accent.
Helmets, breastplates, gauntlets, and leg armors are all available, and they are armed to the teeth.
The armor is also covered with a very cool black jinhaori hem that can cover the buttocks.
The feather fabric is embroidered with "bamboo bird pattern".
The dozens of strange warriors sitting in the corner of the dojo also had the same "bamboo bird pattern" tattooed on their clothes.
After Ogata opened the door and entered the dojo, everyone's eyes naturally focused on Ogata.
"Mashima-sama!" Everyone in the sword hall, headed by Director Baosheng, shouted in joy.
As for the dozen unfamiliar warriors sitting in the corner of the dojo, and the man in armor standing in the center of the dojo, they looked at Ogata with curious and doubtful eyes.
"Who are you?" The man in battle armor asked, "Are you also from this sword hall?"
"That's right." Ogata responded, "I am a diner at this sword hall."
"Oh?" The man in battle armor twitched his lips, smiled, and then moved his eyes again, looking at Ogata a few more times, "I feel like you are very strong."
After saying that, the man in battle armor stood up straighter, and then announced the door of his house in a louder voice:
"I'm going to lay down the 'Xianzhou Seven Spears' Qiuyue Liqian! I don't know what the name is?"
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Please give me a monthly ticket! Please give me a monthly ticket! Please give me a monthly ticket!
Please give me some monthly tickets for the sake of my diligence as a donkey! (Leopard Head Pain.jpg)