Chapter 518 One person, two swords and two guns, alone in the barracks of the 3000 army (2) [7800 words]
Turn back time not long ago
"I was...listening to grandpa telling stories...(Ainu language)" Lilata, who became slightly calmer after being comforted by Ashili and others, sobbed while slowly talking about what she had just said.
What happened to them.
Ogata and Atachi knelt down on one knee so that their eyes were level with Lilata's, and listened quietly to Lilata's story.
And Aizan squatted beside Ogata and Atachi, interpreting simultaneously for them.
"Suddenly... there were a lot of strange sounds coming from outside the house."
"I followed my grandfather and opened the window, and I saw a lot of Kazuto in armor killing people everywhere."
"Grandpa took me to escape. My father and mother used bows and arrows to cover our escape."
"There are Kazuto wearing armor everywhere. No matter where you go, you can see them killing everyone they meet..."
Lilata's sobs became louder and louder.
"Our family ran around and finally found a place where there were not so many people."
"But at this moment, a tall Kazuto wearing red and black armor, wearing a piece of red and black clothes outside the armor, and holding a strange-looking spear in his hand caught up with us...
"
Ogata, who had been listening quietly, thought to himself at this moment:
There is also a piece of clothing on top of the armor... Jinhaori...
In the military, only general-level figures can wear Jinhaori, so the person who killed Grandpa Lilata must not have a low status in the military.
"The tall Kazuto who suddenly caught up with us used a strange-looking spear to fly Grandpa away..."
"My father and mother stopped this Kazuto in order to allow me to escape smoothly."
"I ran away with my life alone. I escaped from the village by luck and escaped all the way here..."
After finishing speaking, Lilata's sobs turned into howls again.
Ashley, who was kneeling next to Lilata, raised her hands again, patted Lilata's back, and comforted Lilata.
When Lilata told her story, Tang Shen was standing aside, listening quietly.
After Lilata's words fell, Tang Shen pursed her lips tightly and looked at Lilata who was crying in Ashley's arms with complicated eyes. Her left hand that was naturally hanging down was tightly clenched, holding her crutch.
His right hand also held the stick tightly.
However, only a moment passed, and Tang Shen seemed to suddenly remember something. The light in his eyes dimmed, and his tightly clenched left hand slowly let go...
After wailing loudly in Ashley's arms, Lilata raised her face that was already crying, looked at Ogata who was kneeling beside her, and then stretched out her pair of
Some dirty little hands tightly grasped the clothes on the chest of the man who had just arrived like a god from heaven and saved her from danger.
"Please...save my parents, save our village..."
On the side, Azimachi, Aizan, and Ashley all looked at Lilata with eyes full of complicated emotions.
Everyone present knew that according to Lilata's description just now, there were at least hundreds of people who attacked their village...
Before Lilata could escape, a large number of people were already dead. At this time, including her parents, there are probably not many living people in the village anymore...
Everyone looked at Lilata with complicated eyes.
But only Ogata's eyes looked calm.
Ogata lowered his eyes and looked quietly at Lilata's little hands that were tightly holding his clothes.
Then he raised his big, calloused hands and held Lilata's small hands.
"……I see."
Although Ogata's voice was not loud, his tone was full of determination.
Although Lilata did not understand Japanese, at this moment, based on Ogata's tone, expression and movements, she understood the meaning of what Ogata just said.
Lilata sobbed again, but this time she shed tears of joy, excitement, and seeing the savior.
Then, Ogata turned his head and said to Amachi beside him:
"A-Machi, please take care of this girl here for now. I'll go get the radishes and grapes."
"Wait, wait!" Tang Shen on the side suddenly said urgently, "Mashima-kun, are you really planning to help this girl?"
"I suggest you don't meddle in other people's business."
Yugami looked serious, as if he wanted to explain some truth to Ogata.
"If you meddle too much, you can easily get into trouble."
"In the end, I didn't get any benefits, but got into a lot of trouble."
"The people who attacked this girl's village are clearly the shogunate's generals."
"It is not a wise move to go against the shogunate's army. Not only is it very dangerous, but it is also very easy to get into disasters that may ruin the rest of your life."
"We'd better leave quickly, stay away from the army, and stop meddling in other people's business."
Yugami looked sincere and advised Ogata earnestly.
But after Tang Shen finished speaking, Ogata only smiled at him:
"thanks for your reminder."
"only"
Ogata changed the subject.
"When this girl grabbed my clothes and begged me to help her, I couldn't ignore the force coming from her palms."
Ogata's response was simple yet powerful.
Tang Shen was startled, and then showed a furious look:
"I've already advised you, but since you don't listen, I won't care about you anymore. Don't regret your nosy style in the future!"
"I'm taking the first step!"
"Are you leaving?" Ating asked.
"I don't want to accompany you in this muddy water."
"Since the generals of the shogunate have appeared here, it means that the large forces of the shogunate must be nearby, and it is no longer safe here."
"I want to leave here! Go somewhere else to spend the night! See you again in the future!"
After saying that, Yugami didn't stop for a moment, turned around and left as if running away, and soon disappeared from the sight of Ogata and the others.
After watching Yugami escape, Atachi turned his attention to Ogata and asked seriously:
"...Are you really going to help this girl?"
Ogata didn't respond vocally, only nodded vigorously.
"...Okay then." Ating sighed with a complicated expression.
…
…
Ogata brought the radishes and grapes as quickly as possible, and then under the guidance of Lilata, he rode to Takta Village.
As they gradually approached Takta Village, the strong smell of blood penetrated Ogata's nostrils.
As the smell of blood filled their nostrils became stronger, their expectations for the current situation in Takta Village became less optimistic.
"Go straight ahead for a short distance and you will reach our village. (Ainu language)" Lilata, who was riding on the same horse as Ogata and had almost lost her strength from crying, said to Ogata in a weak tone.
Fang said.
Knowing that Takta Village was approaching, Ogata and Omachi slowed down their horses slightly to prevent the horses from making too much noise.
After walking forward for a short distance, Takta Village finally appeared within Ogata's field of vision.
Because of the angle, Ogata and the others couldn't see the whole of Takta Village.
But just from the part of the scene that Ogata and the others can see so far, it is enough to see that Takta Village is now in a very miserable state.
As far as the eye could see, there was not a single Ainu alive.
Within Ogata's field of vision, there were only three or two Japanese people walking around, carrying corpses in the village.
Red blood and white snow blend together to form the background of the painting; corpses in various forms of death become the main body of the painting; broken limbs are scattered around, dotting the painting.
The picture scroll of hell that appeared in front of them made Aizan and Ahili, who had never seen such a scene, look pale.
With a complex expression, Ashley even covered her mouth and nose to prevent herself from spitting out.
As for Lilata, who finally stopped howling, her eye circles turned red again.
But she didn't cry. She knew that if she cried or made any noise now, it would attract the attention of the people in the village, so she held it back, buried her head low, and bit her lower lip.
While holding back the tears, he did not let himself see such a cruel scene.
Even Ogata and Omachi, who were used to seeing all kinds of bloody scenes, could not help but darken their faces after seeing this scene in front of them.
Ogata took out the telescope he had won from Vasili before, and after briefly observing the current situation in the village, he whispered to Amachi beside him:
"A-Machi, you, Aizan, Ashili, Lilata, and our two horses are all staying here."
"If something happens, just shout and I will rush over immediately."
A-Machi didn't say anything, and just nodded vigorously.
After Omachi nodded, Ogata pulled out his freedom, lowered his body's center of gravity, and walked slowly toward the Takta Village in front of him, which had turned into a dead village.
Ogata used the Shiranui-ryu stealth technique and relied on every house in the village to sneak carefully in the village.
What Ogata wants most now is information.
According to Lilata's previous account, there were at least hundreds of generals who attacked their village.
But now the soldiers in this village are sparse and the number is pitifully small.
Where have the rest of the generals gone? This is what Ogata wants to know the most right now.
Soon, Ogata found a suitable person to question. Ogata was moving in the shadow of the house and turned into an inconspicuous path. There were only two soldiers in this path.
One soldier has a scar on his face, while the other soldier is plain-looking and has nothing special about his appearance.
Ogata's lurking position was closer to the ordinary samurai and further away from the scarred samurai.
The two men were chatting there while carrying the dead body.
Ogata didn't pay attention to what they were talking about. He just waited for the best time to strike.
These two soldiers did not keep Ogata waiting any longer.
Soon, both of them turned their backs to Ogata.
Seeing that the time to strike had arrived, Ogata didn't hesitate at all and quickly stepped out from his hiding position and pounced on the ordinary samurai from behind.
Cover his mouth and nose with your left hand, hold Da Zi Zi's right hand and aim it at the back of the ordinary warrior's neck.
Sakakihara Ittōryū·Toritsu.
The tip of the sword emerged from the throat of an ordinary warrior.
Because Ogata's movements were too fast, the ordinary samurai didn't even realize what happened, and he didn't have time to let out any groans, so he rolled his eyes and died.
[Ding! Use Sakakibara Itto style Bird Thorn to kill the enemy]
[Acquire 65 personal experience points and 60 swordsmanship "Sakakibara Itto-ryu" experience points]
[Current personal level: LV38 (6306000)]
[Sakakihara Itto-ryu Level: 13th Dan (581512000)]
After quickly getting rid of the ordinary samurai, Ogata let go of him, raised his sword and rushed towards the scarred samurai in front.
"Hey, this Ezo woman is quite beautiful, and she doesn't have any tattoos on her face. Hey, come and take a look! I found a very beautiful Ezo woman. It's such a pity that such a beautiful Ezo woman died...
Huh? Did you hear me?"
The scarred samurai turned his head with confusion, and happened to see Ogata, who had just killed the ordinary samurai.
He only discovered Ogata now, it was already too late.
From the moment the Scar Warrior discovered Ogata, to the moment Ogata pressed his throat and covered his mouth and nose with his left hand, the Scar Warrior felt that only a moment had passed.
The skin on the Scar Warrior's neck could clearly feel the breath of the sharp blade, and large beads of cold sweat broke out from the Scar Warrior's face. He subconsciously wanted to scream, but because his mouth and nose were covered,
Because of this, he could only make a low "Woo" sound.
"Don't move." Ogata said to the Scar Warrior in a low voice, "I have some questions to ask you. I will let go of your mouth and nose later. Just answer whatever I ask. Don't shout, otherwise
"
Ogata didn't say anything further, and just let the blade of Wakizashi press closer to the scarred warrior's skin.
The Scarred Warrior, who had more cold sweat on his face, was so frightened that he nodded quickly.
Ogata let go of his left hand covering the scarred warrior and asked:
"Why are there only so few soldiers in the village? Where are the other soldiers?"
"Everyone, everyone left." The Scar warrior was nervous and stammered when he spoke, "After killing all the Ezo in the village, the general left with his large army, leaving us alone in the village.
Cleaning up the battlefield and waiting for the return of our companions who are hunting down the fleeing Ezo."
"Then where did your large army go?" Ogata asked.
"I, I don't know... I'm just an ordinary soldier. It's impossible to know the specific military orders from above..."
"How many soldiers are there in the village now?"
"Big, there are about 30 people...I don't know the specific number."
Ogata was silent. After a while, he quietly asked a question again:
"You just said that in addition to cleaning the battlefield, you are also responsible for waiting for the return of your companions who are chasing the escaped Ezos, right? How many of them are back now?"
"As far as I know, there doesn't seem to be one..."
"…Thank you very much."
Ogata pushed Da Zi Zai forward and penetrated the Scar Warrior's throat with the blade.
The system prompt for gaining experience sounded in Ogata's mind again.
After the Scar Warrior made no sound, Ogata sheathed the sword, and then dragged the bodies of the Scar Warrior and the ordinary warrior into a nearby house.
Now these soldiers who stayed in the village to clean up the battlefield are scattered everywhere. It would be too time-consuming to assassinate them one by one.
So Ogata just now thought of a way that, if successful, could bring together the soldiers scattered throughout the village.
After dragging the corpses of the scarred warriors and ordinary warriors into the nearby room, Ogata took off the Daishiten and Daizizai from his left waist, placed the two swords in a corner of the room, and then began to take off his body and body.
The armor worn by the Scar Warrior he resembles.
Ogata is going to use the trick he used on Butterfly Island again.
…
…
Takta Village, a spacious open space in the center of the village.
Izawa, who was responsible for commanding the troops cleaning the battlefield, was bored and holding the spear in his hand, practicing "throwing the spear".
The target he used to practice shooting was the body of a young villager from Takta Village who had been placed against the wall of a house and had been extinct for a long time.
Ize squinted one eye and took aim. After realizing that he had accurately hit the target, Ize threw the spear in his hand hard.
The spear drew a straight line, hit the corpse's chest, and the gun tip sank directly into the corpse's body.
"Very good." Ize smiled and nodded, quite satisfied with the shot he just made.
Just when Izawa was about to take back his spear and continue practicing spear throwing, he suddenly heard anxious shouts one after another coming from his side.
"My lord! My lord!"
When Yi Zexun heard the news, he saw a soldier with his face and armor covered in blood, stumbling towards him.
"What's wrong?" Ize's brows frowned instantly.
This "blood-stained soldier" covered in blood stumbled all the way, fell down behind Ize, and said urgently:
"Attachment, a large number of Ezo appeared nearby! A large number of Ezo appeared nearby!"
As soon as the "blood-stained soldier" finished speaking, the expressions of Ize and the soldiers next to Ize all changed dramatically in an instant.
"What on earth is going on?!" Ize squatted down, holding the shoulders of the "blood-stained soldier" tightly with both hands, and asked urgently.
"I, I have just been chasing down an escaped Ezo with my companions."
"That Ezo moved very fast, and we chased him all the way to a very deep place. Just when we were about to catch him, a lot of Ezo suddenly appeared in the woods!"
"There are at least 100 people!"
"My companions were all killed by Ezo who suddenly appeared. I, I managed to escape by myself!"
Ize's face was now ashen as if water was dripping from his face.
"In which direction did those Ezo appear?" Izawa asked.
"Then, over there... the bloodstained warrior" raised his hand and pointed to the north.
"Damn it...could it be that the fleeing Ezo invited reinforcements...!" Izawa cursed loudly, letting go of the shoulders of the "blood-stained samurai", then stood up and gave orders to the samurai beside him.
road:
"Listen, you guys, go and ask everyone in the village to immediately put down all the work they are doing and gather here quickly!"
The soldiers nodded vigorously, then dispersed to carry out the tasks assigned by Izawa.
Ize turned his attention back to the "Bloodstained Warrior" and asked, "Are you injured anywhere?"
"I'm fine... The Bloodstained Warrior" whispered, "I just feel very tired..."
"Thank you for your hard work, please go aside and sit down to rest."
"yes……"
After a while, the soldiers who were scattered throughout the village returned to Ize one by one.
After quickly ordering his troops, Ize's expression darkened.
"Why are there two people missing? Is there anyone else who is not here?"
Ize growled impatiently at the soldiers in front of him.
At this moment, he didn't know that when he was roaring impatiently at the soldiers in front of him, the "blood-stained warrior" who was sitting aside and resting suddenly stood up slowly.
Then, with lightning speed, he pulled out the wakizashi from his waist and rushed towards Izawa who was only a few steps away from him.
The distance between the two was too close, and the movements of the "Bloodstained Warrior" were too fast. Izawa had no time to react, and his left hind knee, which was not protected by armor, was inserted into the hilt.
"Ahhhhhhhhh!"
A scream that seemed to tear his vocal cords apart erupted from Izawa's throat.
…
…
The first army camp, the commander's camp.
At this moment, the lights in the big tent of the head coach Sheng Tianmu are still not extinguished.
Inside the camp, two figures were cast in the corner of the tent under the light of the lights, their shadows swaying slightly as the lights swayed.
The owners of these two figures are none other than Ikutenmu and Matsudaira Sadanobu.
Not long ago, when he learned of Matsudaira Sadanobu's sudden visit, Sheng Tianmu hurried to Yingkou.
After arriving at Yingkou, Sheng Tianmu saw the travel-worn Matsudaira Sadanobu and his entourage.
Although there were all kinds of doubts in his heart, he didn't know why Matsudaira Sadanobu, who should be with Inamori in the Second Army, was here, but Tenmei quickly took Matsudaira Sadanobu into the camp first, and then took Matsudaira Sadanobu to his residence.
In the coach's tent.
Although there is no alcohol in the military camp, there is some tea.
After ordering people to quickly boil the tea and finishing all the hospitality for Matsudaira Sadanobu, Tenmoku finally spoke up and asked Matsudaira Sadanobu the reason for his sudden visit here.
Matsudaira Sadanobu talked about his experiences during this period while drinking the tea provided by Sheng Tianmu.
From leading men and horses to inspect the strait, he talked about the unfortunate encounter with a blizzard and a pack of wolves, and he accidentally fell down the snowy slope, but luckily he was saved.
After learning that Matsudaira Sadanobu had encountered so many things, Ikutenmu was quite shocked and said with emotion:
"Sir, Lao Zhong, I really didn't expect so many things to have happened to you along the way."
Matsudaira Sadanobu, who was changing cups with Sheng Tianmu, lowered his eyes and looked at the tea in the tea cup in his hand.
"Yeah... Now when I look back and think about it carefully, a lot of things really happened..."
"Sir Laozhong, it is too dangerous to inspect the terrain in person...especially in a place like Ezo." Sheng Tianmei smiled bitterly, "In a place like Ezo, even if you bring a hundred people with you,
Guards cannot guarantee absolute safety."
"There is absolutely no need for you to do such dangerous things yourself. Please don't go to dangerous places in person in the future."
Sheng Tianmu's words were full of sincerity in his tone.
He said what he just said not out of politeness or for the favor of Hiromatsupei Sadanobu. He was sincerely worried about Matsudaira Sadanobu's personal safety.
Ever since Matsudaira Sadanobu came to power and became the new veteran of the shogunate and promulgated quite a few reform measures aimed at boosting the strength of the shogunate, Ikutenmu has always respected Matsudaira Sadanobu very much.
As a middle-aged man in his forties, Tenme Nobu experienced personally the "Tanuma Era" when his predecessor, Tanuma Etsuji, commanded the shogunate.
The born third eye hated Tanuma Yiji very much.
Regardless of Tanuma Yiji's identity, or the various political orders issued by Tanuma Yiji after taking office as Laozhong, they all made the Third Eye extremely disgusted.
Unlike Matsudaira Sadanobu, a powerful man with the blood of a general in his veins, Tanuma Yiji was just a lower-level samurai of the Kii Domain at the beginning.
He was good at making fortunes and maneuvering, and by virtue of his singing and dancing skills, he won the favor of the 9th and 10th shoguns at that time, and completed a miraculous counterattack. He was a low-level samurai and became an old man.
The big one in the middle.
Sheng Tianmu has always believed that people with low bloodline are not qualified to sit in the high position of Laozhong. Only those powerful people with some excellent bloodlines can sit in the high position of Laozhong.
Therefore, since Tanuma Yiji came to power, Sheng Tianmu has always disliked Tanuma Yiji.
And all the things Tanuma Yiji did after he became a senior lieutenant in the shogunate made the Ikutenmu's disgust towards this person grow day by day.
Until now, Ikutenmu insists that the reason why today's samurai are so corrupt and degenerate is because Tanuma Yiji was harmed.
After Tanuma Yiji gained power, he changed the traditional national policy of "emphasis on agriculture and suppression of business" and vigorously developed commerce and handicrafts. His behavior of vigorously developing commerce led to the atmosphere of "money worship" permeating the society.
Sheng Tianmu witnessed with his own eyes how during the "Tanuma Era", the samurai were corrupted by the "money worship" culture. They no longer pursued swordsmanship and academics, but instead pursued money.
After Tanuma Yiji stepped down and Matsudaira Sadanobu came to power, as much as Shen Tianmu hated Tanuma Yiji, he loved Matsudaira Sadanobu.
After Matsudaira Sadanobu came to power, his series of decrees were basically the opposite of those of Tanuma Yiji.
Tanuma Yi's second emphasis was on commerce, while Matsudaira's Sadanobu's emphasis was on agriculture, making the country regain its national policy of "emphasis on agriculture and suppression of commerce".
Tanuma Eiji's "money worship" corrupted the minds of the samurai and filled the society with extravagance. Matsudaira Sadanobu vigorously promoted the discipline of the samurai family, encouraged the samurai to practice literature and martial arts, and strictly prohibited extravagant enjoyment.
In the eyes of Sheng Tianmu, these policies of Matsudaira Sadanobu are the policies that can put the country on the right track. Only by strictly adhering to the traditional national policy of "focusing on agriculture and suppressing business" will the country not be turbulent or have any inexplicable bad ideas.
Ikutenmu has always regarded Matsudaira Sadanobu as a heroic figure who turned the tide and brought a country that had gone astray back to the right path.
Out of respect for Matsudaira Sadanobu, when he learned that Matsudaira Sadanobu almost died during this field trip, his panic and worry, and his hope that Matsudaira Sadanobu would not take risks again in the future, were all genuine.
of.
Matsudaira Sadanobu did not respond vocally to the suggestion that Tenmu had just given him. He only smiled and silently sipped the tea in his cup.
"Sir, Lord Celestial Eye is born! Lord Celestial Eye is born!"
At this time, a loud announcement suddenly sounded outside the camp.
"Lord Mogami, he is back!"
"Oh! Is Mogami back? Hurry! Let Mogami come here to see me as soon as possible!" Sheng Tianmu ordered across the camp to the soldier who came to report the information.
"Yes!" The footsteps quickly disappeared from the account.
"Mogami..." Matsudaira Tadanobu chewed the name "Mogami" a few times before a look of sudden realization appeared on his face, "Oh, I remembered, it's Yoshihisa Mogami, one of the 'Seven Guns of Senshu', right?
"
"Yes!" A little excitement appeared on Sheng Tianmu's face, "It's really frightening that Master Lao Zhong actually knows his name."
Matsudaira Sadanobu smiled and waved his hand: "I have heard the names of the seven Senshu Seven Gunsmen a long time ago, but I have only seen you, Kuroda-kun, Akizuki-kun, and you three so far."
A while ago, Matsudaira Sadanobu was still staying in Matsumae Castle, and the entire army was still making final preparations for the expedition. Tendou and Mogami had been staying in the army to manage the army, so Matsudaira Sadanobu still didn't know about Tendou and Mogami.
What does it look like?
"Did you send Mogami-kun on any mission?" Matsudaira Sadanobu asked.
"Yes." Shen Tianmu nodded vigorously, and then introduced the task he assigned to Mogami today concisely and concisely to Matsudaira Sadanobu.
Just after Tenmu introduced the content of Mogami's mission today, powerful footsteps from far to near could be heard outside the tent.
The curtain of the tent was lifted, and Mogami followed the lifted curtain and entered the tent.
After seeing Sadanobu Matsudaira sitting next to his uncle, Mogami, who had never seen Sadanobu Matsudaira before, froze on the spot, thinking about who this person was.
Before Mogami could figure out the reason, Sheng Tianmu immediately helped him figure it out.
"Mogami! Why don't you bow quickly? This person is Lao Naka Matsudaira Sadanobu!"
Mogami's pupils shrank suddenly, and after a blank look at the Tenmu, he knelt down in front of Matsudaira Sadanobu at a speed that could create an afterimage, saluted Sadanobu Matsudaira, and apologized for not bowing in time just now.
And apologize.
Matsudaira Sadanobu waved his hand and signaled Mogami to get up. He looked at Mogami carefully several times from head to toe, and then nodded gently.
"He is indeed your nephew, Lord Shengtianmu. This majestic figure is really intimidating."
Matsudaira Sadanobu, who had heard of the name "Senju Seven Guns" for a long time, naturally knew about the relationship between Ikutenmu and Mogami.
"Sir Lao Zhong, you have given me a reward."
The reason why Ing Tenme asked Mogami, who had just returned to camp after completing his mission, to come to his tent immediately was so that his nephew could look familiar to Matsudaira Sadanobu.
Therefore, seeing that his goal was initially achieved, although he was polite and modest, the joy that could not be hidden appeared in the eyes of Sheng Tianmu.