"The man you captured is finally willing to speak? So soon?" Ogata followed the sound and turned his head to look for Makimura.
As soon as Makimura's voice sounded, Amachi immediately pulled her hands out of Ogata's palms.
"Yeah. It's really not easy." Makimura's burly body appeared from behind the corner of the corridor beside Ogata, "Mamiya used some tricks to finally get that guy to speak."
"Plan? What did Mamiya do?" Ogata slowly stood up and patted the dust on his butt.
"Well... before I talk about this..." Makimura walked quickly to Ogata, and then patted Ogata's shoulder with neither light nor heavy force, "Brother Ogata, let me tell you first.
Let’s do it.”
"After absorbing that 'immortal power', your body didn't show any abnormalities, right?"
Hearing this question that he had heard countless times, Ogata smiled helplessly.
"Don't worry, I'm fine. Except that my physical fitness and recovery ability have become much better than before, everything else remains the same. Come on, tell me what trick Mamiya used to make the prisoner speak so quickly.
"
"This strategy is not complicated either..."
…
…
Turn back time not long ago
"Pfft... cough cough... gurgling..."
With an anxious look on his face, Asai poured all the water in the water bottle onto Jiezheng's face and then lifted the white cloth covering Jiezheng's face.
However, before he had time to ask anything, Jiezheng coughed, spitted out saliva and snot, and said intermittently:
"I...ahem...I can't say anything...ahem...!"
"Damn it!" Qian Jing, who had a bad temper, gritted his teeth, "This guy is really troublesome... I really want to chop him with a knife..."
"Well..." Shimada nodded, "I feel the same way..."
Asai was impatient, and Shimada's face was equally ugly.
Jie Zheng's overly harsh words have almost exhausted the patience of the two of them.
"Come again." Asai put the white cloth back on Jiezheng's face, "I want to see how long this guy can last."
"Asai. Stop for a moment."
"Huh?" Asai was stunned for a moment, then turned to look at the person who had just stopped him, "Mamiya? Huh? Makimura, why are you here too? Don't you two need to torture that left and right guard and that kunoichi?"
The person who stopped Asai was none other than Mamiya.
Mamiya stood at the corner of the corridor not far away, and beside him stood Makimura.
No wonder Asai would be confused about Mamiya and Makimura who suddenly appeared here.
Because according to the assignment of tasks, Mamiya and Makimura should be busy questioning Zuemon and Haru now.
They currently count three prisoners, Zuoemon, Jie Zheng, and Aqing.
Regarding how to torture these three people, Mamiya and others made the following arrangements
Makimura, who had the most experience in torture, tortured the left and right gates alone. The left and right gates were tied to wooden posts with iron chains and could not even move. Makimura alone was competent enough to torture the left and right gates.
Mamiya was solely responsible for the torture of A Qing.
Asai and Shimada were jointly responsible for dealing with Jie Cheng.
Three groups of people were tortured in different places.
"Asai, Shimada, don't worry about that guy for now." Mamiya glanced at Jiezheng, who was still coughing and had not yet taken a breath, "You two come here first."
Although they were wondering what kind of medicine was sold in Mamiya's gourd, Asai and Shimada got up obediently and walked towards Mamiya.
Jiezheng and others were tied up tightly and it was impossible to escape, so Mamiya and the others could safely leave them alone for the time being.
Mamiya led Makimura, Asai, and Shimada to a deserted corner quickly before finally stopping.
"Asai, Shimada, how are you?" Mamiya just paused and immediately asked the two Asai, "Does the guy you two are responsible for interrogating show any signs of planning to speak?"
"No." Asai shook his head without thinking, "That guy has a very tough mouth. I really want to kill him with a knife."
"We have no results here either." Mamiya said, "Both the Iemon and the kunoichi are very tough-mouthed and unwilling to say anything."
"If this continues, I don't know how long it will take before we can get them to let go."
"So I think we should use another method to torture them."
"Another method?" Shimada raised his eyebrows, "Is there any torture method more powerful than waterboarding?"
"It's not about using any new torture methods, but it's about trying to break their fighting spirit."
"The reason they were able to withstand the waterboarding was simply because of their firm will and high morale."
"So as long as we can deal a heavy blow to their fighting spirit, the next thing will be much easier to handle."
Mamiya leaned against the wall behind him and spoke loudly.
"That Zuemon is a close confidant of Toyotomi Nobuhide."
"To be regarded as a close confidant by Toyotomi Nobuhide, and since he now looks like he would rather die than surrender, we can conclude that he is extremely loyal to the Toyotomi clan. It would be too difficult to get him to reveal the information."
"As for the Iga kunoichi, it can be seen that she must have received relevant training, and it is equally difficult to get her to let go."
"So, let's start with the guy you are responsible for, Asai."
"What should we do?" Asai asked, "We have to water torture him continuously. Don't tell me to intensify the torture. If we intensify the torture, he will probably drown."
"The reason why I brought you all here is to announce to you a little plan I just thought of." An intriguing smile appeared on Mamiya's face, "Later, I need you to cooperate with me a little bit. I
If that plan succeeds, it should greatly dampen that guy's fighting spirit."
…
after a while
…
Say nothing...I won't say anything...
Toyotomi...is my hope for success...
As long as you persevere... maybe there will be a slight improvement... persevere...
Jie Zheng, whose breathing had been straightened out, closed his eyes tightly and cheered himself up in his heart over and over again.
However, no matter how he cheered himself up...the words Mamiya and others said to him before always popped up in his mind automatically.
(Your Toyotomi clan’s troops in Osaka have been defeated)
Along with these words, what popped up in Jiezheng's mind was that Mamiya and others took him to see Ioemon, who was also a prisoner of his subordinates.
Our Toyotomi Army...were we really defeated...?
As soon as this idea came to his mind, Jiezheng yelled in his heart:
No! You can’t have such pessimistic thoughts!
It's just that Lord Zuemon was also captured! This doesn't mean anything! Osaka's troops must still be fine!
It would be better to say that Lord Uemon was captured just in time.
Lord Uemon is Lord Toyotomi's confidant. He has been captured, and the Toyotomi army will definitely do their best to rescue him.
In this way, I can also have a chance to be rescued. Yes... I have to hold on...
A series of self-consolations helped Jiezheng regain his composure from his panicked mood.
However, even though Jiezheng regained his composure, he still felt a little knotty in his heart...
Click, click...
At this time, footsteps came from the end of the corridor beside me.
Jie Zheng turned around and saw that Asai and Shimada were back.
After looking at Asai and Shimada who had returned, Jie Zheng turned his gaze back with a disdainful expression on his face and never looked at them again.
"Okay!" Asai said loudly, "Let's continue! Bite your teeth, Shimada, you stay here, I will bring water over. This time I want to fill both buckets."
"yes."
It's up to you.
Jie Zheng said secretly in his heart.
No matter how you torture me, I will never let go... huh?
Jiezheng's eyes suddenly opened slowly.
Because he saw not far in front of him, someone wearing glasses was escorting a very familiar girl.
When the glasses and the girl passed in front of Jiezheng, the girl noticed Jiezheng, stopped, turned around and cast a surprised look at Jiezheng.
"I... seem to have seen you before. Are you from the Musketeers?"
The girl looked at Jiezheng in astonishment.
At this time, Jiezheng also looked at the girl with shock on his face.
"Are you... the first light of Iga?"
Jie Zheng has a very good relationship with Qing, who is a kunoichi in Iga, so thanks to Qing's relationship, Jie Zheng unknowingly got to know some famous people in Iga, including Hatsumi.
Hatsumi is an undoubted celebrity in Igari. Almost everyone knows that Yoshihisa is very partial to Hatsumi who he raised with his own hands, and completely cultivates Hatsumi as his heir.
"Chu Guang!" Jie Zheng said hurriedly, "You...don't want to arrest me either?"
He vaguely remembered that Chu Guang should be responsible for staying at Longshui Temple tonight and serving as the messenger.
"Longshui Temple suffered a surprise attack. All the troops staying at Longshui Temple were wiped out. Lord Yoshijiu and Lord Lao Furen were all killed..." Chu Guang showed a worried expression, "Many of them, including me, were captured...
"
Before Chu Guang finished speaking, he stood behind her, escorting her glasses and yelled loudly.
"Stop talking nonsense! Hurry up and move forward!"
After being yelled at by the glasses, Chu Guang quickly closed her mouth and continued to let the glasses lead her forward obediently.
Jie Zheng stared blankly at the figure of Chu Guang, who was about to disappear from his sight.
"Why are you showing such an expression?" At this time, Jie Zheng heard Asai sneer next to him, "Didn't I tell you when I took you to see Ichiemon who had both of his hands chopped off by us just now?
? All your Toyotomi troops in Osaka were defeated by us."
After that, Asai covered Jiezheng's cheek with the white cloth again: "Now, let us continue to feed you water."
…
After escorting Chu Guang to a place where Jie Zheng could not see, Mamiya let out a sigh of relief:
"Thank you for your cooperation, Miss Chuguang."
"As long as it can cause trouble for the Toyotomi clan and Iga, I will be happy to do it." Hatsumi showed a meaningful smile and shrugged, "Fortunately, the guy just now recognized me. If he didn't recognize me,
, your plan has completely failed."
"Yes. It's really dangerous." Mamiya breathed out again, "Fortunately, he knows you. Next... let's wait and see whether that guy's fighting spirit will be destroyed."
…
A steady stream of water poured on Jiezheng's face again.
However, compared to the physical pain, the inner pain at this time made Jiezheng feel even more tortured.
What Chu Guang said to him just now echoed over and over again in Jiezheng's mind uncontrollably.
Ryushui Temple... was actually breached...? Yoshihisa-sama and the branded woman... were both dead...?
In this case... it makes sense why Lord Saemon was captured alive...
Were Osaka's troops...really defeated?
No...impossible...
But... even the first light who stayed behind at Longshui Temple was captured...
Waterboarding is an extremely painful punishment.
Water was continuously poured into the mouth and nose, and the trachea and lungs were stimulated to secrete a large amount of thick mucus. The mucus and saliva flowed out of the mouth and nose uncontrollably, and the tortured person suffered from suffocation.
It takes a strong will to survive waterboarding.
Psychological defense is a very strange thing.
As long as your will wavers even a little bit, your psychological defenses will collapse at an alarming speed.
Jiezheng is now in such a situation.
The appearance of Chu Guang and her words just now caused Jiezheng's will and belief, which already had some small cracks, to be greatly shaken.
At this moment, a thought was "surging" in Jiezheng's mind. Was Osaka's troops really defeated?
At a time when his will and belief were already wavering, he happened to be undergoing painful water torture.
The tremendous pain of waterboarding made it difficult for Jiezheng to concentrate on thinking, and it also accelerated the collapse of Jiezheng's psychological defenses.
Jiezheng, whose psychological defense finally collapsed, completely lost the power to contend with waterboarding.
"I said...cough! Ahem! I said...everything!"
Jie Zheng, whose face was covered with a white cloth, muttered vaguely.
Listening to Jiezheng's vague murmur, joy surged into Asai and Shimada's cheeks.
…
…
time back to now
Ogata and Amachi followed Makimura to the place where Suesheng was tortured, while quietly listening to how they used small strategies to undermine Suesheng's fighting spirit.
"That Hatsuguang actually agreed to help you so readily?" Ogata asked back.
"Yes." Makimura nodded, "When Mamiya went to find her, she agreed very readily. She said that as long as it can cause trouble for the Toyotomi clan and Iga, she will be happy to do it."
While Ogata and Makimura were talking, they had already arrived at the place where Jie Zheng was being tortured.
Because waterboarding is so painful, the tortured person often experiences stress reactions in his body and becomes incontinent due to the excessive pain.
Although Jiezheng was not incontinent, he peed quite happily, so when he got close to Jiezheng, the unpleasant smell of urine penetrated his nostrils continuously.
Ogata and others were the last to arrive.
Gourd's group, Feng Mo, Azuki, and Isshiki Hana, who just went to rest in a certain room, are all gathered together now.
Seeing Ogata and A-Machi arriving, when everyone finally arrived, Genichi briefly greeted Ogata and A-Machi, and then squatted down beside Jie Zheng.
"Okay." Yuan Yi said, "Tell me everything you know. Don't miss anything."
Jiezheng looked frustrated and hopeless, with his head drooped and his tone weak.
"I... don't know Kinoshita Rin..."
"I don't know much about the mission to capture Kinoshita Rin alive..."
"But I remember... was Division 16 ordered to go to Maruyama Town tonight to perform a special secret mission... The content of the mission... seems to be to catch someone... and then take that person to Mount Koya..."
After hearing the place names "Maruyama Town" and "Koyasan", the group of Calabash Houses headed by Genichi exchanged glances, and then turned their attention back to Jiezheng.
"...How much do you know about the Toyotomi clan's stronghold in Mount Koya?" Minamoto asked, "No matter how capable the Toyotomi clan led by Nobhide is, he cannot assimilate the entire Mount Koya to his own people.
Which places on Mount Koya are the strongholds of the Toyotomi clan? Is there a place on Mount Koya specifically used to detain people?"
"I...have never been to Mount Koya's stronghold...Koyasan is...Toyotomi-sama's most important stronghold in Japan..."
"It's not like someone of my level can come in and out at will..."
"I only know that...the abbot of Sengen Temple in Mount Koya...Master Sengen is our ally..."
"...It seems that your mouth is still very tough." Asai silently picked up the water bottle at his feet.
"I...I'm not lying..." Jiezheng's body trembled, "I'm really not familiar with Mount Koya..."
"... Let's change the question." A look of thought appeared on Genichi's face, "How many troops is Nobuhide currently deployed on Mount Koya?"
"This... I don't know... I only know that Lord Toyotomi has deployed a large number of Iga ninjas for security at various strategic locations on Mount Koya..."
"So, besides the Musketeers and Iga Ninjas, does Nobhide have any other armed forces under his command?" Genichi continued to ask.
"I don't know about this... I'm just a middle-level cadre in the Musketeers... I really don't know a lot of things..."
"...That's right." Yuan Yi sighed softly, then stood up slowly, "Asai, take this guy down for now."
Qian Jing responded, then walked to Jiezheng's side, preparing to drag him away.
But at this moment
"I have a question for you."
The speaker is Ogata.
Asai stopped tugging on Jie Zheng's hand, and together with the others, turned their confused eyes towards Ogata.
"A few days ago, Isshiki Naoshu of the Isshiki Kenkan and his son and daughter-in-law were captured by your Toyotomi army." Ogata asked word for word, "Do you know where they were captured?"
As soon as Ogata asked this question, Isshikika, who was standing not far from Ogata, immediately froze on the spot.
"Isshiki...I seem...to have some impression...Louluo-sama seemed to have been ordered to transfer someone before...but where...I don't know..."
"...Thank you for your answer." Ogata said calmly, "I have no other questions to ask, Asai, drag this guy away."
Asai nodded, and then dragged Jiezheng away like a dog.
After Asai came back, Shimada said solemnly:
"Maruyama Town...that's where the lord was captured..."
"Hmm..." Mamiya nodded, "Based on all the information currently known... it is very likely that my lord was captured and taken to Mount Koya."
"Tsk... Damn it..." Makimura grabbed his hair hard and cursed, "I was caught in such a troublesome place..."
"There is still too little information..." Genichi frowned slightly, "There is no information about Nobhide's force deployment and stronghold location on Mount Koya..."
"Not to mention Toyotomi Nobhide's troop deployment and stronghold location on Mount Koya." Mamiya added silently, "We don't even know the terrain and conditions of Mount Koya. We don't even know where Sengenji Temple is located in Mount Koya.
have no idea."
"Mamiya." Makimura asked, "Have you never memorized a map of Mount Koya before?"
"Don't think of me as a god." Mamiya rolled his eyes at Makimura, "I don't believe in Buddhism, and I have never been to Mount Koya before. I don't even know how many temples there are in Mount Koya."
"Is there a store selling maps of Mount Koya around here?" Shimada asked.
"All the citizens of Osaka have already fled." Asai's lips slightly lowered, "There's no place to go if you want to buy something."
In the Calabash House, the group of people were there when you said something and I said something
"……that……"
A pleasant female voice, slightly unfamiliar to everyone in Calabash House, suddenly broke into the conversation.
After the eyes of Yuan Yi and others flashed with surprise for a few times, they followed the sound and looked at the owner of the female voice just now.
Under the gaze of everyone, Isshiki Hana couldn't help but look a little nervous on his face. After swallowing, taking a deep breath, and calming down the nervousness a little, he said slowly:
"I...have been to Mount Koya many times..."
"I can't say that I'm very familiar with Mount Koya."
"But I know the general topography of Mount Koya and... the locations of major temples such as Sengenji Temple..."