Chapter 509 The old man's eyes are so beautiful (swallowing saliva) [6800 words]
Keep everyone waiting QAQ
I feel like I've been cursed.
Ever since I told everyone that the update time has been delayed to 11:30, it seems that not a single day has passed on time QAQ
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When Esuma and others had just parted from Ogata,
"That, that! Aisuma!" Puccina, who had been walking behind Aisuma, suddenly shouted loudly.
"Huh?" Aisuma turned back and cast a confused look at Puccina, "What's wrong?"
"Here, this is for you!" Puccina stammered, while he put his big furry hands into his arms and took out a beautiful flower from his arms.
"Ah, thank you." Aisuma raised her hand and took the flower, "This flower is so beautiful."
"This is the flower I just found." Puccina showed a naive smile, "In order to give this flower to you, I just looked everywhere for you."
"Thank you." Aisuma put the flower in front of her nose and sniffed it gently, "Thank you for your trouble."
"No, no, you're welcome." Puccina's stuttering was more serious than before, "You can just like it."
"I'm going to take my brother to practice bowing now." Aisuma continued, "Do you want to come with me? I think you seem to have neglected your bowing skills recently, so you have to practice hard."
"I don't have time tonight..." Puccina scratched his hair, "I have an appointment with my friends."
"That's it... Okay, let's practice bowing together later. My brother and I are going to practice bowing at the place we usually use. See you tomorrow!"
Aisuma waved to Puchina, then grabbed her brother's arm and strode towards a side road.
Puccina continued to smile innocently and watched Aisuma leave.
However, just when Esuma was about to leave, Puccina suddenly remembered something and immediately said loudly:
"Aisuma!"
"Huh?" Aisuma stopped and turned back.
"That, that..."
Puccina's face showed a tangled look, with a hint of hesitation in his eyes.
After hesitating like this for a moment, Puccina finally gritted his teeth, and the tangled look on his face gradually disappeared and turned into a faint determination.
"In the future...can you stop studying with that Kazuto? I think it's better not to learn that kind of knowledge from that Kazuto..."
After finishing speaking, Pucciner added in his mind:
The knowledge of how to kill people efficiently... This kind of knowledge is really terrifying...
After Asuma heard Pucina's words, her eyes first flashed with doubts, and then a look of understanding appeared on her face.
Puccina, doesn’t he want me to learn Japanese culture...
Puccina is Aisuma's childhood sweetheart. Not only are they the same age, they have also played together since childhood.
Because they grew up together since childhood, Aisuma also knew the character of her best friend very clearly.
She knew that Puccina was a very conservative person and had never liked foreigners.
It can be said that the reason why Pucciner has such conservative thoughts is due to his father.
His father, Retennoe, was notoriously conservative.
Retannoe advocated the concept of "obeying tradition" and believed that the Ainu people should abide by tradition, live a traditional fishing and hunting life using hunting skills passed down from generation to generation, live a self-sufficient and peaceful life, and not follow anyone.
Foreign people come and go.
As the son of Retannoe, Puccina's thoughts were naturally influenced by his father.
Although he is not as conservative as his father, he also adopts a "keep a respectful distance" attitude towards foreigners.
Although I could understand Puccina's mentality of not wanting her to interact with Kazuto, Isuma still felt slightly unhappy after hearing what Puccina said just now.
Aisuma doesn't like others to dictate her private life.
Aisuma feels that she is free to chat with whom she wants and what she wants to talk about, and outsiders have no right to interfere or tell her what to do.
"Pucina." Pucina is her childhood sweetheart after all, so Aisuma didn't say anything too unpleasant. "It's very impolite to interfere in other people's private lives so casually."
After that, Aisuma ignored Puccina and led her brother away in stride.
Puccina, on the other hand, suffered an overly strong "spiritual attack" and stood there stupidly, watching Aisumana's back gradually disappear until it completely disappeared from sight.
"Hey! Puccina!"
At this time, several voices that were very familiar to Pucina sounded behind him.
They were Pucina's three friends who had just followed him to find Esuma.
"Why are you here?" Pucina asked blankly.
"Because we have been following you. We have been watching you and following you from a distance just now. Did you successfully hear what Aisuma and that Kazuto were talking about?"
"I heard it, but I didn't say it." Puccina shook his head like a rattle.
"Ah? Why?"
"I just won't say it." Pucina shook his head again.
The Aisuma siblings were learning knowledge about killing from Kazuto. Puccina didn't want anyone to know about this matter, which might cause Aisuma to be criticized.
Therefore, Puccina decided to keep this matter in his stomach and not tell any outsiders.
"Then what did you say to Aisuma just now? Why did Aisuma look so unhappy just now?"
"...I seem to have made Esuma angry..." Puchina drooped his head.
Puccina, who was as strong as a bear, lowered his head and looked aggrieved. The strong contrast produced a bit of joy.
Pucina told his friend exactly what he had just said to Esuma.
"Are you a fool...?!" One of Puccina's three friends directly put on a look of hatred, "Even someone like me who doesn't know Aisuma very well knows this.
Aisuma has a strong personality and hates it when others dictate her life... How could you say that to Aisuma..."
Listening to the scoldings of his friends, Pucina's head hung lower...
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Red Moon Fortress, where Lin Ziping was imprisoned
"You just said that Huxi Village is not very far from Red Moon Fortress. The word 'not very far' is too vague." Ogata asked Lin Ziping in front of him, "How far is it specifically?"
Lin Ziping pondered, thinking.
"... Huxi Village is located southwest of Red Moon Fortress, about 10 miles away in a straight line."
"I have been studying the geography of Ezo for a long time. So I can't remember it wrong. I basically know the geography of Ezo by heart! The Hushi Village is located in the Red Moon Fortress
Ten miles away to the southwest!"
"Ten miles..." Ogata frowned slightly.
One mile in the Edo period is approximately equal to 4 kilometers in modern times.
So 10 miles equals 40 kilometers.
It's not far but not very close either.
Even if Ogata and the others have horses to travel with, it may still take a lot of time to travel between the two places.
In a place like Ezochi, you cannot use simple numbers to calculate the round trip time between two places.
The current Ezo area, to use modern terminology, has “extremely poor infrastructure.”
Except for the Matsumae Clan in the far south, which is controlled by the Kazuto, the rest of the Ezo Territory is "completely undeveloped" and there is nothing that can be called a "road".
"I currently lack strong evidence that can prove that I am a scholar and not a spy of the shogunate." Lin Ziping added at this time, "If we can get those three books, we can get rid of the fact that we don't have any
Substantial evidence is now available.”
Ogata nodded slightly.
The method described by Lin Ziping is undoubtedly useful. If we can get the three books written by him, it will be a strong evidence to prove his status as a scholar.
But this method is actually trying your luck.
Those three books were given to others by Lin Ziping four years ago. After such a long time, it is still a question whether those three books have been completely preserved.
And maybe the old village chief who received the book from Lin Ziping is already dead.
In this era of underdeveloped medical care, it is not surprising for elderly people to die anytime.
Although "Searching for Books" has all kinds of uncertainties, after thinking about it carefully, Ogata found that they had no better way to clear Lin Ziping's suspicion of being a spy than "Searching for Books".
As for Lin Ziping, who held information that might be very useful to Ogata, Ogata naturally hoped that he could be freed as soon as possible, and then let Lin Ziping take him and A-Machi to find that very strange and suspicious doctor.
So, after thinking carefully, Ogata sighed softly:
"...Okay, then I'll go to Huxi Village."
"Please!" Lin Ziping's eyes were full of excitement.
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Ezo area, the camp of the 2nd shogunate army
Matsudaira Sadanobu is currently in his tent, reading "Han Feizi" silently.
Matsudaira Sadanobu most admired two people in the Tang Dynasty, Shang Yang and Han Feizi.
The former made the weak Qin country strong, and Matsudaira Sadanobu always hoped that one day he could be like "Shang Yang saved Qin" and make the currently weak shogunate strong again.
The latter idea is one that Matsudaira Sadanobu admires very much.
Matsudaira Sadanobu, who admired Han Feizi's thoughts very much, would carry Han Feizi's works with him wherever he went. Whenever he was free, he would pick them up and read them. Every time he read them, he would gain new insights.
Matsudaira Sadanobu is now the only one in the huge camp.
Tachibana, who was always inseparable from Matsudaira Sadanobu on weekdays, was no longer by Matsudaira Sadanobu's side now.
Because Tachibana is currently busy organizing an "inspection team".
"Organizing a team" seems simple, but in fact there are many things to do, including counting people, counting the food, water and other materials they carry... For a person with mediocre ability, it may take half a quarter of an hour.
Even with all the time, the team could not be organized beautifully.
Because Matsudaira Sadanobu felt that this task was a good training opportunity for the still young Tachibana, Matsudaira Sadanobu gave Tachibana the task of organizing an "inspection team" and gave Tachibana full authority to handle the task.
The reason why Tachibana became Matsudaira Sadanobu's nickname is because Matsudaira admired Tachibana's talents and talents and felt that he was a malleable talent, so he chose him as his nickname and asked Tachibana to study and train with him all the time.
Therefore, Matsudaira Sadanobu often entrusts Tachibana with tasks that can train people well, as he does now.
Matsudaira Sadanobu is currently reading a book while silently waiting for Tachibana to organize the "inspection team".
After an unknown amount of time passed, Tachibana's voice finally sounded outside the tent:
"Sir Lao Zhong! The team has been organized! It's ready to go at any time!"
After Tachibana finished speaking, Matsudaira Sadanobu glanced at the candle next to him.
He had been relying on candles to calculate the time it took Tachibana to organize his team.
After discovering that the time Tachibana spent was much shorter than what Matsudaira Sadanobu expected, Matsudaira Sadanobu nodded gently, then folded the "Han Feizi" in his hands, put it into his arms, and then walked out of the tent with his hands behind his back.
After leaving the tent, Matsudaira Sadanobu saw Tachibana standing respectfully outside the tent.
"Not bad." Matsudaira Sadanobu forced out a smile, "It took much less time than I expected."
Hearing this compliment from Matsudaira Sadanobu, a hint of joy appeared on Tachibana's face.
But Tachibana didn't dare to show too much joy on his face, so as soon as the joy appeared on his face, he quickly put it away and said some self-effacing words.
"Let's go." Matsudaira Sadanobu nodded.
Tachibana: "Yes!"
Tachibana led Matsudaira Sadanobu towards the gathering place of the "inspection team".
This "inspection team" consists of three people.
1: Matsudaira Sadanobu and Tachibana who are in leadership positions.
Two: The warriors responsible for guarding.
Three: The experts responsible for inspecting the fjord, and the handymen responsible for carrying Matsudaira Sadanobu's sedan chair.
This time leaving Edo and heading north to Ezo, Matsudaira Sadanobu not only brought along guards, he also brought a group of experts from all walks of life with him from Edo.
The task of these experts is to assist Matsudaira Sadanobu and help Matsudaira to investigate the current situation of Ezo Land and jointly study the "Ezo Land Development Plan".
There are nearly 50 people in this "expert group" composed of experts from all walks of life. Among them are experts responsible for checking whether the land is suitable for reclamation into farmland, some are responsible for checking whether the coast or fjord is suitable for building a port, and some are responsible for checking which
The place is suitable for the experts who built the castle town...
For this outing, Matsudaira Sadanobu brought along several "seaport experts" from the "expert team".
Tachibana, who was walking in front of Matsudaira Sadanobu, led the way and introduced Matsudaira Sadanobu:
"Lao Naka-sama, Inamori-sama, the ones he sent to escort us are 50 elite soldiers from the cavalry. The leader is a general named Kitano Shuki."
"Kitano Shuki..." Matsudaira Sadanobu muttered, "I seem to have heard this name somewhere..."
"If Mr. Laonaka has heard of this name, it is normal." Tachibana smiled and said, "He is the second son of the Hatamoto Kitano family. He is famous for his bravery and is somewhat famous among our shogunate army."
"Oh... I remember when I heard this name." Matsudaira Sadanobu nodded, "When I was chatting with Inamori before, Inamori mentioned to me the talents he has discovered in the military that are worth cultivating.
of malleable talent.”
"Inamori mentioned this name at that time."
"I have heard of Kitano Shuki's name a long time ago." Tachibana said at this time, "But...at the beginning, what I heard were some rumors about Kitano Shuki that I don't know whether they are true or false."
"What rumors?" Matsudaira Sadanobu asked.
"It is said..." Tachibana lowered his voice, "That Kitano Shuki prefers to play with men than women."
Tachibana's words were very tactful.
Matsudaira Sadanobu was stunned for a moment, then smiled:
"Whether this rumor is true or false, it doesn't matter."
"It's just that people have different preferences. There is no distinction between high and low."
"Compared to this kind of thing, I care more about a person's talent."
While talking and laughing, Matsudaira Sadanobu and Tachibana had arrived at an open space.
In that open space, there was a sedan. It was Matsudaira Sadanobu's sedan.
There were nearly a hundred warriors in armor standing on the left and right sides of the sedan.
The samurai on the left side of the sedan are wearing uniform red armor. These are Matsudaira Sadanobu's original bodyguards: the red cavalry.
The samurai on the right side of the sedan are more numerous, all wearing ordinary black armor. These are the 50 additional elite soldiers sent by Inamori to Matsudaira Sadanobu.
At the front of these 50 elite soldiers sent by Inamori, stood a young samurai wearing fine armor and a beautiful formation.
After Matsudaira Sadanobu appeared, the young samurai quickly lowered his head and saluted:
"Welcome to you, Mr. Lao and Chinese!"
Matsudaira Sadanobu looked up and down several times at this young samurai who was completely different from the people around him just because of his armor.
"Are you Kitano Shuki?"
"Yes!" Matsudaira Sadanobu could call out his name accurately, which made the young samurai feel a little flattered, "I am Kitano Shuki!"
"I'll leave it to you to protect me this time." Matsudaira Sadanobu said calmly.
The young samurai, Kitano Shuuki, was startled for a moment, and then hurriedly responded respectfully: "Yes! I will definitely die in this place!"
Having said that, Matsudaira Sadanobu said no more, walked around Kitano Shuki in front of him, and got into his sedan chair.
When Matsudaira Sadanobu walked around him and passed by him, Kitano subconsciously wanted to turn his head to look at Matsudaira Sadanobu.
But reason finally defeated sensibility, allowing Kitano to resist the urge to commit such disrespectful acts.
The eyes of the old and middle-aged adults... are so beautiful...
Kitano Shuki secretly thought to himself while swallowing quietly.
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Red Moon Fortress, somewhere
"Your feet are too far apart! Keep your feet and shoulders parallel!"
"Your shoulders are too stiff! Relax! Relax more!"
"Your breathing is messed up! If you are not breathing steadily, you will not be able to hit the target!"
Aisuma, standing next to Otunpui, constantly corrected Otunpui's bow-drawing movements.
The Aisuma siblings are currently in an inaccessible area of the Red Moon Fortress.
Because not many people passed by this place, Aisuma often brought her brother here to practice bowing.
After parting ways with Puccina, Aisuma brought her brother here without stopping and started tonight's archery practice.
Otunpuyi stood sideways, holding the bow of the hunting bow in his left hand, and pulling the bow string into a full moon shape with his right hand. An arrow without an arrow was placed on the string, and the arrow pointed directly at a big tree not far away.
Although Otunpuyi has been following his sister's instructions and trying hard to correct his movements, no matter how he corrects them, his movements make his sister frown.
"Okay!" Aisuma shouted, "What are you practicing today?! Why are you so absent-minded?"
Aisuma's rebuke was quite severe.
Listening to his sister's scolding, Otunpuyi silently put down the bow in his hand and lowered his head.
Aisuma originally wanted to reprimand her brother a few more words, but when she saw Otunpuyi with his head lowered, all the words of reprimand that he had planned were blocked in his throat.
Can't say it.
After a long moment of silence, Aisuma turned the words she intended to scold Otunpui into a long sigh.
"……well."
"Otongpuyi, what happened to you tonight? Why is your condition so bad? You wouldn't have practiced so badly before."
"Are you feeling uncomfortable somewhere in your body?"
Otunpuyi shook his head: "There is nothing uncomfortable..."
"Since you are not feeling unwell, cheer up quickly!" Esuma's tone became serious again, "How can you participate in the 'Hunting Festival' in this state!"
As if he didn't hear Aisuma's words, Otunpuyi continued to lower his head and look at his toes.
Aisuma, seeing Otunpuyi's strange appearance, was about to say something else when Otunpuyi suddenly said coldly:
"...Sister. We have been living this kind of life of hunting for a living...is it really okay...?"
"Huh?" Aisuma tilted her head and cast a puzzled look at her brother, "What are you talking about? If we don't hunt, what will we eat?"
"I mean, is it really okay for us to keep not trying to change our lives?"
Otunpuyi suddenly raised his head, his burning eyes piercing straight towards his sister.
"When I was chatting with Mr. Majima just now, I thought about a lot of things..."
Otunpuyi said slowly.
"The materials and workmanship of the clothes worn by Mr. Majima and Ms. Atachi are much better than our clothes. Kazuto's clothing craftsmanship is far superior to that of us Ainu people."
"Mashima-san's swords are far sharper and harder than our mountain swords. Kazuto's iron craftsmanship is also superior to that of our Ainu people."
"Kazuto's other skills must far surpass ours."
"Kazuto... is much more advanced than us Ainu people..."
"In Kazuto's eyes, we must be just a bunch of savages with low living standards..."
"Why don't we try to learn from Kazuto?"
Otunpuyi's tone gradually became excited.
"If we humbly learn from Kazuto, we might be able to use such good cloths, use such great swords, and have better medical skills like Kazuto."
"No need to live the primitive, barbaric fishing and hunting life now..."
"That's enough!" Before Otunpui finished speaking, Aisuma interrupted him rudely, "Why do you have such a bastard idea!"
"Don't say it to anyone again after those bastard words you just said! Especially not to those who have issues with Kazuto!"
"elder sister!"
Otunpuyi, who usually speaks softly, rarely shouted loudly at this time.
"Don't you want to live a civilized, advanced life like Kazuto's?"
"Didn't I say enough?!" Esuma used a voice that was one degree higher than Otunpuyi's, overpowering Otunpuyi's voice, "Don't talk about this matter again!"
After saying that, Aisuma let out a long breath and held her forehead with a tired look.
"...No wonder your bow practice state is so bad tonight...have you been thinking about such ridiculous things..."
Otunpuyi did not deny it, but remained silent.
"...That's it for tonight's bow and arrow training."
Aisuma lowered her hand on her forehead.
"You can't do anything in your current state. Just go home and rest tonight."
"...Okay." Otongpuyi nodded slowly.
"Remember not to mention the words you just said to anyone again." Aisuma said seriously, "The words you just said are very dangerous...if some people hear them.
, will cause trouble."
"...I understand..." Otunpuyi nodded again.
"You should stop thinking about such ridiculous things as 'living a peaceful life'." Isuma continued, "We Ainu people have our own Ainu life. There is no need to forcefully change our lives."
The current life is a life lived with others.”
"But..." Otonpui gritted his teeth, "I don't think what I just said was wrong... What's wrong with learning from Kazuto and living a life like Kazuto?"
"That's enough." Aisuma seemed to have no energy to argue with Otunpuyi anymore, "I don't want to argue with you now."
"You should go home now. The moonlight is not very bright tonight. Remember to pay attention to your steps when you go back alone."
Otunpuyi raised his head: "Sister, won't you go home with me?"
"I don't want to go home so soon." Aisuma said expressionlessly, "I'm so angry with you right now. I want to go outside to enjoy the breeze and wait until the anger in my stomach subsides before I go home."
"...I know..." Otunpuyi lowered his head again.
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Let me share with you a piece of trivia: Many of the referees in this Olympics are blind. It’s really a good idea to let blind people find jobs again. I finally understand why the budget of this Olympics is so high. It turns out that all the money is used to hire blind people to do the work.
The referee of the Olympic Games is really a beautiful country. In order to re-employ the blind, we will do this at all costs.