The small goal of 280 votes was successfully achieved yesterday. The author was very happy and started to thank everyone for their support! So the author also fulfilled his promise and updated 10,000 votes.
Today's update is very late! I'm so sorry! (Leopard Head Cries).
There is a reason why it is so late. The author has not been in particularly good health recently, so the coding speed has also dropped a lot... I will try my best to adjust it in the future (crying in my arms)
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Grandfather Jiang can be said to be the real deal now and he doesn't even dare to show off.
The palms that were tightly covering his mouth and nose were even slightly soaked with cold sweat.
He widened his eyes and stared at Ogata who suddenly appeared and then killed the wolf beautifully.
The voice, height, body shape, style of the sword, sword skills, and... the look in his eyes when he used the sword to plunder lives, were all the same as the Ogata Isushi that his grandfather Jiang Yu saw on the Nijo Castle castle tower half a year ago.
The only difference is probably just their appearance.
The Ogata Isei seen at Nijo Castle is not very handsome, but his facial features are still pretty.
But the young man who now appeared in front of Grandfather Jiang was thrown into the street with an ordinary face, a face that could make people turn around and forget.
--This is how the same thing?
Grandfather Jiang asked loudly in fear.
——Did he use any method to disguise himself?
While Grandpa Jiang is racking his brains and wondering why Ogata Issei's appearance has changed, Ogata and Matsudaira Sadanobu are now having an awkward reunion.
…
…
When he saw that the person he rescued turned out to be Lao Zhong, whom he had not saved for several months, Ogata's mind actually went blank for a moment.
After coming back to his senses in an instant, the expression on Ogata's face uncontrollably became weird.
Ogata still clearly remembers the scenes in Edo a few months ago.
Because the article he wrote in the "Gozen Examination" literary test aroused great resonance with Matsudaira Sadanobu, Matsudaira Sadanobu admired him very much and directly expressed his intention to use Ogata as his nickname.
To become the nickname of such a big shot, in this era, is basically equivalent to a meteoric rise.
Whether it is the kind of nickname that only does ordinary attendant work, or the kind of nickname that not only does attendant work but is also responsible for comforting the master's loneliness, they are all very promising.
The vast majority of people would definitely accept the olive branch offered by Matsudaira Sadanobu without hesitation.
But Ogata happens to be that small group of people.
Putting aside the identity of the "most wanted criminal in the shogunate", he was busy dealing with Shiranui at that time and had no extra time and energy to deal with the matter of "being a junior high school student".
So Ogata used the "drag technique" at that time and told Lao Zhong, "Let him think about it and give him an answer after the 'imperial test match' is over."
Then dragging, dragging, events befell Ogata one after another. Ogata, who was dizzy from the rush, completely forgot about it...
It wasn't until they left Edo with Atachi that he remembered that he and Matsudaira Sadanobu had such an agreement.
Because he felt that he would never have the chance to meet Matsudaira Sadanobu again for the rest of his life, Oufang decided to just pretend that the "promise with Lao Naka" had never happened and just left...
Unexpectedly, in just a few months, in this frozen snow country, Oufon reunited with Matsudaira Sadanobu, whom he had let go for several months.
"...It's been a long time since I last saw you. You really made it easy for me to wait. You promised that you would give me your answer after the imperial trial is over, but I have been waiting for several months."
After hearing what Matsudaira Sadaino said in a nonchalant tone, Ogata twitched the corner of his mouth, reorganized his expression, and tried his best to squeeze out a smile.
"Okay, long time no see. Mr. Lao Zhong, are you not injured?"
"It's nothing serious." Matsudaira Sadanobu stood up with his knees on both sides, "I really thank you just now. If you hadn't showed up in time, I would have been buried in the wolf's belly by now."
"I owe you a huge favor."
"You're welcome. I just did what I could." After saying that, Ogata looked around and said, "Lao Naka-sama, why are you here?"
The wilderness that was still in its original state, and the noble second-in-command of the shogunate - Ogata couldn't connect the two.
"It's a long story..." Sadanobu Matsudaira said, looking up at the sky above his head, "We'd better find a place to avoid the snow now, it's starting to snow again."
Ogata raised his head and glanced at the sky - the sky had finally calmed down, and snowflakes were falling again.
"I just have a suitable hiding place right now..." Ogata said softly, looking at the sky where snow began to fall again above his head.
…
…
——Great! They're gone!
Looking at Ogata and Matsudaira Sadanobu leaving one after another, Grandfather Jiang felt that the tight string in his mind finally relaxed slowly.
He was extremely lucky now - the place where he was hiding was relatively far away from Ittozai, nearly 200 rooms (nearly 400 meters) away.
Thanks to the distance of nearly 200 spaces, the executioner Ittosai did not notice him hiding in this thick bush.
It wasn't until Ittousai and the middle-aged man had left his sight that Grandfather Jiang hurriedly escaped from the bushes where he was hiding, and then headed in the opposite direction to which Ittousai and the others left.
direction and fled desperately.
Grandfather Jiang didn't have the guts to rest next to a bear.
He just wants to escape quickly.
The further away from Ogata's power, which has killed countless people, the better.
…
…
While Ogata went to collect firewood, Amachi and the others were preparing tonight's dinner.
In the past few days, every time it was meal time and they entered an area with many animals, Ayzan and Yaxili would hunt some animals and bring them back so that everyone could eat fresh food.
The cave where A-Machi and the others currently live is adjacent to a forest, and there will definitely be many animals in that forest. However, because it is late and there is not enough time to go hunting, A-Machi and the others can only use their carry-ons tonight.
The dry food I brought was just enough for one night.
A-Machi laid out their dinners for tonight one by one, and put the dried meat and other items on the bonfire to roast.
Food such as dried meat can become softer and more fragrant after being grilled over a flame.
While Atachi was concentrating on roasting dried meat on the campfire, the voice she had been waiting for since the beginning finally sounded outside the cave.
"I'm back."
It was Ogata's voice.
"Slow to death!"
As soon as Ogata said "I'm back", Atachi turned to look at the entrance of the cave and said unceremoniously: "Why did you come back so late..."
Before Ating finished speaking, the remaining words were stuck in Ating's throat and he could no longer spit them out.
The scene that appeared in front of A-Machi not only made A-Machi look surprised, but also made Aizan and Ashley look shocked.
The reason why they are like this is because Ogata did not come back alone.
Ogata held a large bundle of firewood under his left arm.
Ogata's right arm was supporting a middle-aged man in his thirties.
After briefly surveying the scene inside the cave, the middle-aged man fixed his gaze on Atachi and the others:
"Mashima-kun, who are these?"
"Those two are my friends." Ogata pointed his chin at the seat where Aizan and Ashiri were sitting, "And this one is Uchiko-Mashimacho."
"My wife?" Matsudaira Sadanobu praised, "Your Majesty is really beautiful."
"Mr. Majima." Aizan asked at this time, "Who is this?"
Before Ogata could reply, Matsudaira Sadanobu took a step ahead of Ogata and said seriously:
"My name is Matsudaira Sadanobu. I have the official title of 'Laozhong' for the time being. You can just call me 'Laozhong'. If you find it troublesome, you can also call me 'Matsuhira'."
Majima knows his true identity.
Therefore, facing Majima's wife and friends, Matsudaira Sadanobu no longer had any need to hide his identity.
As Ainu people and not familiar with Japan, Aizan and Ashiri didn't know what the term "Laochu" stood for, and they didn't recognize the name "Matsudaira Sadanobu", so they looked confused.
As for Atachi...
A-machi:∑(っ°Д°;)っ"Matsuhira Sadanobu?!"
At this moment, she was like a female cat whose fur was exploding...
…
…
Ezochi, somewhere——
A red fox held a newly caught rabbit in its mouth and walked briskly on the white snowfield.
Its big, fluffy tail swung back and forth in joyful mood - unfortunately, its tail would soon no longer be able to swing so happily.
Because just now, its right front foot stepped on a ring made of thin wire.
Just hearing a subtle "click" sound, the ring made of thin wires tightened directly, wrapped around the right front foot of the big fox, and then directly hung the big fox up.
"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!"
The red fox that was suspended in the air was struggling like a fish being suspended, fluttering its limbs, and the rabbit in its mouth naturally fell to the ground.
"Hahahahahaha!"
A laugh filled with information sounded.
An old man with gray hair emerged from the bushes not far away.
If Ogata and Atachi had been present, they would have immediately recognized the old man after seeing him - this old man was the Yugami who sold pets before and informed them of important information about Xuanzheng and Xuanzhen.
"Not bad!" Tang Shen looked at the fat fox that was still jumping around, "This fox looks good! It will definitely sell for a good price!"
After that, Tang Shen took out two thick wires and tied up the limbs of the fat fox with skillful skills, and then let the fox down from the trap he made.
"I picked up a fat rabbit for nothing! It still has body temperature! Not bad! Today's dinner is in order!"
Tang Shen picked up the fat rabbit that had just fallen out of the big fox's mouth.
"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu——!"
He was caught, and the prey he finally caught was given an advantage for others - the big fox let out an even more sad cry.
Tang Shen had long been used to hearing these neighing sounds. He pinched the back of the big fox's neck with one hand and held the fat rabbit in his other hand. He strode towards his special sled parked not far away.
The crutch that never leaves his body is tucked under his left armpit.
After many days of hard work, Tang Shen has gained a lot and has successfully caught many red foxes, squirrels and other popular animals that are easier to sell.
After putting the newly caught red fox into the cage behind the sleigh, Tang Shen raised his head and glanced at the sky above his head.
"It's getting dark soon..." Tang Shen murmured, "It's time to find a place to spend the night..."
Tang Shen got on the sleigh and shouted "Let's go!" to the big dog responsible for pulling the sled.
The well-trained sled dogs quickly got up and then pulled the sled, under the control of Tang Shen, towards the vast snowfield not far away.
Tang Shen, who was concentrating on driving the sleigh, suddenly heard a loud noise coming from ahead.
He looked forward intently - there was a large group of people in front of him.
The number of people in this group was about 20. There was a carriage in the middle of the team, and there were only two skinny horses pulling the carriage.
Based on experience, Tang Shen concluded that this group of people should be a group of peace merchants.
The area where Yugami is currently located is a "Japan-friendly area". The Ainu people living in this area are generally close to Japanese people and are willing to interact with Japanese merchants. Therefore, Japanese merchants can often be seen in this area.
Walking around.
Meeting He Shang here, Tang Shen was already used to it.
But the sudden appearance of the merchant in front attracted Tang Shen's attention.
Because all of them looked panicked.
Tang Shen, who frowned slightly, shouted "stop" to the sled dogs pulling the cart in front of him.
After stopping the sleigh, Tang Shen asked the merchant in front of him who was getting closer and closer:
"Hey! What happened?"
The leader of this group of merchants seemed to be the middle-aged man driving the carriage.
The middle-aged man reined in the horse and stopped the carriage. He frowned and looked at Tang Shen up and down.
"I'm a pet dealer. I'm catching animals here." Tang Shen gestured with his thumb to the cage that currently held many animals at the back of his sled, and took the initiative to announce his home, "What happened?
Why are you all in such a hurry?"
"Don't you know yet?" the middle-aged man asked.
"What do you know?" Tang Shen asked.
"There's a war!" the middle-aged man shouted, "the shogunate is sending troops to the Ainu! If you don't want to be implicated in the war, just leave here quickly!"
"There's a war?!" Tang Shen's eyes widened.
Because he suddenly received such impactful news, Tang Shen's brain shut down for a moment.
When Tang Shen's head was shut down, the middle-aged man continued:
"I don't know the specifics. I only know that the shogunate sent a large army to advance into Ezo, and the target seems to be the Red Moon Fortress!"
"Red Moon Fortress?!" Tang Shen exclaimed again, "Is it the Red Moon Fortress with the iron cannon?"
The middle-aged man nodded.
"Why, why is it so sudden?! Why suddenly send troops to the Red Moon Fortress?!" Tang Shen was so excited that his voice broke.
"How do I know?" The middle-aged man frowned, "Didn't I just tell you everything? I don't know the details. Maybe the shogunate wants to expand its territory."
"In short - don't catch any more animals and run away! Wait until you are out of the limelight now!"
"Now the Japanese merchants in Ezo are rushing to flee!"
After that, the middle-aged man stopped talking to Tang Shen, shook the horse rein in his hand, and drove the carriage forward. His attendants and guards surrounded the carriage and passed by Tang Shen.
As for Tang Shen - he is currently sitting on the sled with a dull look on his face: "The shogunate actually sent troops to the Red Moon Fortress... This..."
The soup god seemed to be petrified, sitting motionless on the sleigh.
After a while, he seemed to have made up his mind. He gritted his teeth, stood up, walked to the cage behind the sleigh, opened the cage, and let go of all the animals he had worked so hard to catch these days.
Not only that, after releasing these animals, Tang Shen also threw the cage directly from the sleigh.
The reason why he did this was to reduce the weight of the sled vehicle and reduce the burden on the sled dogs.
After doing this, Tang Shen returned to the driving seat.
"Let's go!" Tang Shen shouted to the sled dogs.
The direction Yugami was heading was not to turn back to the south of Matsumae Domain.
Instead, he walked straight north without any hesitation.
…
…
In the cave where Ogata and the others live——
"Okay." After checking the bones of Matsudaira Sadanobu's right arm, Ayzan nodded to Matsudaira Sadanobu, "The muscles in my right arm are slightly strained, but they will be fine with just a few days of rest. There is nothing wrong with other parts of the body.
Serious problem."
The judgment and emergency treatment of bruises and injuries are one of the essential skills for an experienced hunter like Ayizan.
"Thank you." Matsudaira Sadanobu smiled at Aizan.
"Come, Lord Laonaka." At this time, Ogata handed a piece of heated dried meat to Matsudaira Sadanobu, "Let's have something to eat."
"Thank you." Matsudaira Sadanobu took the dried meat from Ogata.
After taking the dried meat, Matsudaira Sadanobu let out a long breath, and then said quietly:
"It's really unpredictable."
"I thought that the world is so big that I would never have the chance to see you again in the rest of my life. I didn't expect that only a few months later, I would meet you again in this frozen Ezo land, and be saved by you.
.”
"Since it's rare to meet again - can you tell me: Why did you participate in half of the 'Imperial Trial Combination' martial arts test at that time and then no longer participate in it?"
"And - after the 'imperial trial' is over, why don't you come see me and tell me your answer?"
After finishing his sentence, Matsudaira Sadanobu added:
"I...was waiting for you for a long time."
As soon as Matsudaira Sadanobu finished speaking, Ogata and Atachi's expressions became strange.
Ogata let go of Matsudaira Sadanobu's dove - Of course, Atachi knew about this.
Because of this, Omachi showed such a surprised expression when he saw Ogata bringing Matsudaira Sadanobu back to the cave.
Naturally, it was impossible for Ogata to confess so honestly, saying that he was busy dealing with Shiranui at that time, so he forgot about it.
"Uchiko's uncle who lives in her hometown had some disputes with some villagers in the village, and was injured by some people in the village." Ogata said seriously, "Uchiko's family is my family."
"The 'imperial trial' is certainly important, but it is far less important than my family."
"So after I learned that my wife's uncle was injured in my hometown, I didn't care about the 'imperial trial' and hurriedly took my wife back to her hometown to deal with her uncle's affairs."
"Because I was busy dealing with my uncle's affairs, I forgot about my agreement with you."
After Ogata finished speaking, Atachi, who was sitting next to Ogata, resisted the urge to cast a shocked and stunned look at Ogata next to him.
What Ogata said just now, if you take a closer look - it's all the truth...
Atachi's uncle, Uncle Qing, did have an entanglement with the "villagers" in their hometown: Shiranui, and was injured...
Then Ogata was really busy going back to their hometown with Amachi to deal with these things, and had no time to take care of the "Gozen Trial Match"...
After quietly listening to Ogata's explanation, Matsudaira Sadanobu asked:
"I see... you actually forgot the promise you made with me..." Matsudaira Sadanobu showed a self-deprecating smile, "That's all... anyway, it's all an old story from a few months ago. So much time has passed,
I didn’t care about this a long time ago.”
"And you have saved my life now. I owe you a huge favor. So you forget about your agreement with me - just let it go."
After saying that, Matsudaira Sadanobu picked up the dried meat that Ogata had just handed him and began to eat it gracefully.
Seeing that Matsudaira Sadanobu said that the past things had been wiped out, Ogata was a little relieved. Naturally, he was happy to see Matsudaira Sadanobu put aside the past grudges, because in this way, neither Matsudaira Sadanobu nor he would have to be embarrassed by the past.
Already.
"Loonaka-sama." At this time, Ogata asked, "Why are you in Ezochi? This kind of place is not a place where someone of your status would come."
Matsudaira Sadanobu glanced at Aizan and Ashley who were not far away, and then said slowly while chewing the dried meat:
"The reason why I came to Ezo is mainly for inspection."
"You must have heard of it to some extent, right? The country of Lucia has been restless in recent years and has made a lot of moves in Ezo."
"In order to guard against the Lucia Kingdom, I decided to strengthen the construction of the north with Matsumae Domain as the core."
"The reason I came to Ezo this time is to inspect the Matsumae Domain and the current situation of Ezo with my own eyes so as to prepare for the subsequent construction in the north."
"My goal is to unite all Ainu people who are willing to get close to us and form a defense line that can prevent the Lucians from moving south."
"In the past few days, I have taken people out for inspections. As a result, this afternoon, I accidentally encountered a snowstorm and an attack by a pack of wolves."
"During a fierce battle with wolves, the person who was responsible for carrying my sedan accidentally stepped on a snow cornice, and both the person who carried the sedan and I fell down the snow slope."
"As for what happened next, you should also know. I fell down the slope and luckily survived. I was caught up by a wolf, and then I was rescued by you."
Matsudaira Sadanobu told Ogata and others the reason why he was here in a concise and concise manner.
A-Machi has never seen Matsudaira Sadanobu before, and this is the first time she has seen the true face of Matsudaira Sadanobu. Because she is not familiar with Matsudaira Sadanobu, A-Machi has not taken the initiative to talk to Matsudaira Sadanobu since just now.
And now, after listening to what Matsudaira Sadanobu said just now, A-Machi couldn't help but say:
"You are so courageous... If it were someone else who is less courageous, they would definitely not dare to go to such a dangerous place in person..."
"This can be considered a habit of mine. I like to inspect things in person." Matsudaira Sadanobu sneered, "This can be considered a habit developed by being tortured by the people below."
"The temple can be built with only fifty taels of gold, but the people below dare to ask me for five hundred taels of gold."
"The 'Northern Construction' is a big matter, and the amount of money it will cost is measured in tens of thousands. If I had completely ignored this matter, God knows how much corruption would have arisen."
"So I have to take a look at the current situation of Matsumae Domain and Ezo Territory in person. Having an idea of how long the construction of the north will take and how much it will cost can effectively prevent the construction of the north from officially starting in the future.
, someone deceived me.”
"But I seem to have underestimated the dangers of Ezo Land."
Matsudaira Sadanobu laughed at himself again.
"If Majima-kun doesn't show up in time today, then the shogun will have to choose someone new or old."
By the time he finished speaking, Matsudaira Sadanobu had finished eating the dried meat that Ogata had just given him.
"Mashima-kun, what about you? Why are you here?"
"I came here to practice as a warrior." Ogata, who could not confess his true purpose of coming to Ezo, did not hesitate to use this very useful reason.
In fact, Ogata's words are not a lie - on the way to find Xuanzheng and Xuanzhen, Ogata's skills have been constantly improving, and he can be regarded as practicing as a warrior.
"Warrior training?" Matsudaira Sadanobu raised his eyebrows and glanced at Atachi, who was sitting next to Ogata, "Do you want to take your wife to join the warrior training?"
"There should be no rules in the world - you cannot take your wife to practice martial arts together." Ogata said in a joking tone.
"Are you taking your wife to practice as a warrior..." Matsudaira Sadanobu murmured.
For some reason, a smile slowly appeared on Matsudaira Sadanobu's face.
The color of memories slowly appeared in his eyes.
After a while, Matsudaira Sadanobu said slowly:
"Excellent swordsmanship, training as a warrior with your wife... Majima-kun. Now that I look carefully, you are exactly the person I have always dreamed of being when I was young."
"Looking at you reminds me of myself when I was young."
"Huh?" Ogata raised his eyebrows, "What do you mean?"
Matsudaira Sadanobu untied Kotetsu hanging from his left waist and held it with both hands.
He looked at Kotetsu in his palm with a look of reminiscence.
"When I was young... I also dreamed of becoming a skilled swordsman like you now, and then traveling around with my beautiful wife to practice. Then when I saw injustice on the road, I would draw my sword to help..."
"When I was young and ignorant, in order to realize my ideal, I foolishly practiced swordsmanship hard."
"When I grew up a little, I realized that my ideal was really far away from me."
"My background has already determined that I will not be able to practice as a warrior in the future."
"So, after I recognized the reality, I no longer practiced swordsmanship, and the dreams I had in my youth were gradually forgotten."
"The man who dreamed of becoming a great swordsman who could travel around has now become a middle-aged man who hardly even touches the sword, and his belly is getting bigger and bigger with age..."
"If the young me saw what I look like now, I really don't know what he would think..."
After saying that, Matsudaira Sadanobu smiled bitterly and hung the Kotetsu in his palm back to his left waist.
"Looking back now - the reason why I like to go and inspect in person is probably also influenced by the dream I had when I was young..."
…
…
"Drink...drink...drink..." Grandfather Jiang looked around, "It should be enough to escape here..."
In order to stay away from Ogata, his grandfather Jiang fled desperately.
Once a person encounters a crisis moment, under the influence of adrenaline, psychological suggestion and other factors, he will often burst out with extremely strong power.
Normally, Grandpa Jiang would never have been able to run at such a speed for so long.
But now, because he was anxious to stay away from Ogata's situation, the potential deep in Grandpa Jiang's body was stimulated in one breath. He ran without stopping for nearly half an hour until his legs became weak and he could no longer run.
until.
Grandfather Jiang was leaning against a big tree, recovering his strength while observing his surroundings - there were only trees around him. He was in a forest.
After observing the environment he was currently in, Grandfather Jiang raised his head again and glanced at the sky above his head.
The dark clouds that had sprinkled a lot of wind and snow and had been raging for nearly half the afternoon had now dispersed, revealing the sky. At this time, the sky had turned gray, and soon the black gauze would cover the sky.
Judging from the current weather, tonight will definitely be a moonless night.
——Let’s just spend the night in the tree tonight...
Grandfather Jiang no longer has the strength to find a new place to live.
During this period, he often did this - if he couldn't find a suitable shelter, he would climb into a tree and sleep in the tree overnight.
Grandfather Jiang looked around again, looking for a tree strong enough for him to sleep on.
But suddenly - he suddenly heard a "click, click, click" sound coming from behind him.
Grandfather Jiang immediately turned his head and looked back - several warriors in armor were rushing toward him with weapons in hand.
And this "click, click, click" sound is the sound of the armor plates colliding while running.
Grandfather Jiang Na's face, which was already pale due to exhaustion, became even paler at this time.
——Why are there soldiers here?!
Grandfather Jiang shouted in panic in his heart, and subconsciously wanted to turn around and run away.
However - Grandfather Jiang, who had been running wildly for a long time just now, has long since lost his strength.
After running a few steps, he was overtaken by these soldiers who suddenly appeared and then surrounded him.
"Don't move!" One of these soldiers, a young samurai wearing a jinhaori and even more exquisite armor, shouted at his grandfather Jiang.
…
…
When he learned that Matsudaira Sadanobu accidentally fell down the snowy slope, Kitano Shuki was as anxious as Tachibana.
He was one of the 50 elite shogunate troops who were assigned to Matsudaira Sadanobu by Inamori and were responsible for protecting Matsudaira Sadanobu's personal safety.
Among these 50 people, Kitano has the highest status and is the "general in command" in the army. Therefore, if something happens to Matsudaira Sadanobu, Inamori will definitely be the first to question him.
Even if he is not required to commit seppuku, he will definitely be removed from his current position of "general attendant".
So - from a rational level, Kitano cannot let anything happen to Matsudaira Sadanobu no matter what.
And from a perceptual level - Kitano doesn't want anything to happen to Matsudaira Sadanobu.
The first time he saw Sadanobu Matsudaira, Kitano was attracted by his sharp and thoughtful eyes.
This look gave Matsudaira Sadanobu, who was not very handsome, a different kind of charm.
Therefore, from a perceptual perspective, Kitano does not want any accidents to happen to a handsome man like Matsudaira Sadanobu who is full of unique charm.
So when he fought off the sudden attack of wolves and started looking for Matsudaira Sadanobu who had fallen down the snowy slope, Kitano's hard work was not inferior to that of Tachibana, who was Matsudaira Sadanobu's nickname.
Kitano led several of his subordinates into a forest under the snow slope, trying to find Matsudaira Sadanobu in the woods.
After searching for a long time, Matsudaira Sadanobu couldn't find it. Instead, he found a ragged, dirty young Kazuto wearing a kimono.
To meet a lonely Kazuto in such a wilderness - this made Kitano frown involuntarily.
Kitano led his men and ran towards the young Kazuto.
After discovering Kitano and the others, the young Kazuto looked panicked and ran away.
But before he could run a few steps, Kitano and the others caught up with him.
"Don't move!" Kitano yelled at the young Kazuto after surrounding him.
Young Kazuto was so frightened by Kitano's loud voice that his body trembled, and then he stood obediently, looking at Kitano and the others who were surrounding him in fear.
"What's your name? Why are you here alone?" Kitano asked the young Kazuto two questions in one breath.
"My, my name is Grandpa Ezaburo." The young Kazuto - Grandfather Jiang was nervous and stammered when he spoke, "Yes, yes..."
Grandfather Jiang racked his brains, thinking about how to answer Kitano's second question.
After seeing Grandfather Jiang stuttering and unable to speak a complete sentence for a long time, Kitano frowned slightly and cast a meaningful look at Grandfather Jiang.
"...You're not a gold digger, are you?" Kitano's tone was neither sad nor happy.
But these words, without any trace of sadness, made Grandfather Jiang feel as if he had heard the murmur of a devil.
According to the laws of the Edo shogunate, all gold diggers will be punished as serious crimes.
So after Kitano finished speaking, Grandfather Jiang quickly defended:
"No! I'm not a gold digger! I, I'm just... practicing as a warrior!"
Kitano ignored his grandfather Jiang's excuse and said to the two subordinates beside him:
"Search him for gold dust."
Two subordinates: "Yes!"*2
Seeing that Kitano was about to search him, Grandfather Jiang's face turned completely white, whiter than snow.
He subconsciously wanted to run away, but the two soldiers who were ordered to be searched by Kitano quickly stepped forward. One of them restrained Grandfather Jiang, while the other groped up and down Grandfather Jiang's body.
"Sir! I found this!"
Soon, the soldier responsible for the body search found a small cloth bag and handed it to Kitano.
Kitano opened the cloth bag - it was full of golden sand and gold particles.
"The evidence is conclusive, do you have anything else to say?" Kitano said to his grandfather Jiang in a joking tone, "Don't tell me that you picked up this bag of gold sand."
My grandfather's face was ashen as death.
But even so, Grandpa Jiang's desire to survive is still spurring him on, making him think hard about what he can say to escape guilt in this desperate situation.
"According to the regulations of the shogunate, all gold diggers are punished by beheading." Kitano said as he tied the bag containing gold sand tightly and put it away himself.
After hearing the word "beheading," Grandfather Jiang could no longer control his body, which was filled with fear, and his limbs began to tremble slightly.
But what Kitano said next made Grandfather Jiang seem to see a beam of light emitting from the depths of the abyss.
"But I'll give you a chance now." Kitano said seriously, "I'm looking for someone right now. If you see that person and provide relevant information about that person, I can spare your life."
"Then my gold sand...?" Grandfather Jiang asked subconsciously.
This gold sand carried his hope. He pinned the rest of his life on this bag of gold sand.
This bag of gold sand was no less than a second life to my grandfather Jiang.
"Hmph!" Beiye snorted heavily, "Of course it is impossible to return the gold sand you illegally mined to you! You have committed a serious crime of gold mining, and I am willing to give you a chance to save your life.
What a great gift!”
The light that had just appeared in Grandfather Jiang's eyes became dim again...
At this time, Kitano explained the physical characteristics of Matsudaira Sadanobu one by one.
Kitano thought: If this gold prospector was hanging out in this area, he might have seen Sadanobu Matsudaira who slipped to the bottom of the snow slope.
After listening to Kitano's description of Matsudaira Sadanobu's physical features, his grandfather Eichi was startled.
The figure of the middle-aged man with the exquisite sword on his waist that he had just seen jumped out in Grandfather Jiang's mind.
Grandfather Jiang quickly remembered that he had met this person just now.
Just now, I wanted to steal that person's knife, but in the end, the person was rescued by Ogata Issei, who used some unknown means to disguise himself...
But at this moment, Grandfather Jiang suddenly felt as if a bolt of lightning had flashed across his mind.
——Huh? Yes...! Why didn't I think of that...
Grandfather Jiang suddenly realized that he might have a way to save both his life and the bag of gold sand he had worked so hard to obtain.
Seeing that his grandfather Jiang didn't speak for a long time, Kitano seemed to have lost his patience.
"Hey!" Kitano's tone was full of displeasure, "Why are you so dazed? If you don't speak, I will chop off your head!"
——Take a bet! You might die!
Grandfather Jiang gritted his teeth. Determined to fight, he nodded vigorously.
"I have seen it! I have seen the person you are talking about!"
Kitano's eyes suddenly widened and he asked anxiously:
"Where did you meet that man?"
Grandfather Jiang did not immediately answer Kitano's question.
Instead he asked:
"Sir, you are wearing armor. You should be in the army, right? Not only have I seen the person you are looking for, but I also have information that is very important to you and may make you rich.
Or information that will make you famous.”
"I can tell you the location of the person I just bumped into you are looking for, as well as all this important information about me! Can you spare my life and return the gold sand to me?"
"Information that can make you rich or make you famous?" Kitano laughed dumbly, "You, who make a living by gold mining, what information can you have?"
"What I said is true!" Grandfather Jiang said urgently, "This important information of mine may really make you rich or famous!"
"...Then let's talk about it." Kitano was a little impatient, "If the so-called important information you call is really valuable, then this bag of gold sand will be returned to you. My ugly words are ahead - if you say
The 'important information' you provided is just nonsense, then I will kill you!"
"No problem!" After nodding vigorously, Grandfather Jiang took a deep breath.
Then, Grandfather Jiang pointed towards Grandfather Jiang in the direction in which he had just escaped.
"I just saw the person you are looking for lying on the snow! Just keep walking in this direction and you will reach the place where the person you are looking for fell to the ground."
"He happened to wake up when I bumped into him."
"He was attacked by a wolf when he just woke up, but he was rescued by a man in the end!"
"And that person - is the famous 'Executioner Ittosai' Ogata Issei!"
"Executioner Ittosai?!" Kitano's mouth opened into an "O" shape
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In order to take on the role of the Ainu as much as possible, the author has been writing while listening to Ainu folk songs these days.
It is recommended that you go to station B to watch the video "Collection of Ainu Folk Songs", which is 22 minutes long and contains many folk songs passed down by the Ainu people from generation to generation. Those who are interested can listen to it.
Although it sounds weird at first, it sounds pretty good once you get used to it. There isn’t a brilliant melody or fancy lyrics, but it just sounds pretty good. This is probably the unique charm of Lower Riba people.
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It's a pity that this video has no subtitles, so I can't understand what they are singing.