Volume 4: The Undead Chapter 261 Negotiations with the Shogunate
"That's all I have to say for now." Ogata smiled and said in a relaxed tone, "Since my life is no longer in danger , I'll talk about my life later."
"Let's finish dealing with the current matter first."
"Our ship is still docked at Butterfly Island, right?"
Mamiya and others nodded.
"Can such a large warship be maneuvered?" Ogata couldn't help but ask this question that had occurred to him the first time he saw the warship.
This warship, which can carry hundreds of generals and soldiers, is very large and is not an ordinary boat.
Whether it is possible to operate such a large warship - this has become a problem that Ogata is very concerned about now.
He didn't want to go through so much trouble to seize a ship only to end up being unable to operate the ship.
As soon as Ogata finished speaking, Mamiya answered without hesitation:
“I can.”
"During the time you were unconscious, I taught the villagers how to operate this type of warship. Now they can roughly drive this warship."
Ogata's eyes immediately widened: "You can even operate a warship?"
"I have learned how to operate various types of warships in Yuanjiang before."
As soon as Mamiya finished speaking, Chikanosuke beside him immediately took over and said:
“Now the ship is ready to go.”
"I plan to leave soon and go to the main island of Japan to find the officials of the shogunate."
"Life or death...it will be decided today."
"Lord Ogata, this ship carries two small boats for escape."
"You can leave here in one of the boats."
“The next thing…we will do it ourselves.”
Chikanosuke knows the identities of Ogata and the others.
Ogata and his companions were prisoners thrown onto Chou Island. If they took a large ship and followed them to find the officials of the shogunate, they would be seeking death.
Even if Chikanosuke and his men could really convince the shogunate to give these islanders a chance to live, the shogunate would never give Ogata and his men a chance to live.
Even if Ogata and the others were not executed on the spot, they would definitely be thrown back into prison.
Therefore, the best option for Ogata and his team at the moment is to do as Chikanosuke just said - to take a small boat and part ways with Chikanosuke and his team.
Chikanosuke and his men boarded this warship to negotiate with the shogunate in order to find a way to survive.
Ogata and his companions fled away on the small boat carried by the warship and returned to their life as ronin.
Ogata did not comment on Chikanosuke's suggestion.
He only asked Chikanosuke:
"Have you thought of a line to convince the shogun to let you go?"
"Donor Ogata..." As soon as Ogata finished speaking, Munehi smiled and said, "The person in charge of direct negotiations with the officials of the shogunate has been changed from Lord Chikanosuke to me ."
"Huh?" Ogata looked at him in surprise.
"During the time that you, Donor Ogata, were unconscious, I confessed everything to Master Chikanosuke and the other villagers."
Having said this, a faint smile appeared on Zong Hai's face.
At this time, Chikanosuke also revealed a helpless smile.
"I have confessed to everyone that I concealed the fact that I knew there was something wrong with the water in the Linon."
"Fortunately, everyone treated me with generosity, so I didn't get beaten up by everyone."
"Master Ogata, I still remember what you said to me before the gate of Tenmanji Temple."
"After this, I reflected on my actions."
"I have decided now - I will do my best to make amends."
"And I will do everything I can to get the shogunate to let all the residents of this island live. This is the first remedy I will do."
"I am a monk. What monks say is more likely to be heard by high-ranking officials of the shogunate."
"At the same time, I am quite confident in my eloquence."
"And - Donor Matsumoto Kiyohiro will also go with me."
"Donor Matsumoto has agreed to stand with us and speak for us."
"With the help of Donor Matsumoto, the possibility of convincing the shogunate officials should be higher."
"Matsumoto..." Ogata muttered the name, and a faint smile appeared on his face.
He didn't expect that the person that Mamiya and Makimura "picked up" casually could play such a big role.
Ogata heard from Matsumoto that he was one of the researchers sent to the island by the shogunate. According to him, he was also a well-known doctor in the medical circle and had treated many high-ranking officials and celebrities of the shogunate.
With the assistance of Matsumoto, a man who had worked for the shogunate and was quite prestigious, Chikanosuke and his team would indeed have a higher chance of success in the negotiations.
"When you meet the officials of the shogunate, you will inevitably be asked by them - what happened to the soldiers who landed on the island? How did you get this warship?"
Zong Hai said this with a wry smile.
"If the officials of the shogunate asked me this, Master Ogata, would it be okay for me to answer like this?"
"I'll say it directly - it was a few prisoners who killed them. After killing all the soldiers who landed on the island, they forced us islanders to help operate the warship because there were not enough people to operate it."
"When the boat was halfway out, the prisoners discovered that there was a small boat on board."
"So he left us and took off in a small boat."
"Okay." Ogata nodded without hesitation. "Except for forcing you to operate the ship, everything else is actually correct..."
"You can just say that all the soldiers of the shogunate army were killed by a ronin wearing a light green haori and a long hair."
"No need to bring A-machi, Mamiya, and Makimura along."
"Anyway, I'm a wanted criminal in Japan."
"I wouldn't mind having my head worth a little more."
The reason why Ogata said this was to protect Atachi and the others.
So that they will not be noticed by the shogunate and will not be wanted by the shogunate in the future.
As soon as Ogata finished speaking, Mamiya smiled:
"Take me with you. It's more believable that more than a hundred shogunate soldiers were killed by two people."
"I am a wanted criminal anyway, so I am not afraid of being wanted."
"In fact, there is no need to describe in detail to the shogunate what the prisoners who killed the soldiers looked like." Zong Hai smiled bitterly, "Just mention some general features such as 'small eyes' and 'average height'."
"It's up to you. Whether you want to describe my appearance in detail or just make up something, I don't care." Having said this, Ogata paused.
He turned his head and looked at Chikanosuke and Sokai for a few seconds, gave them both an encouraging look, and then continued:
"We have done everything we can to help you."
"The rest is up to you."
"I wish you good luck in fighting."
After receiving Ogata's blessing, Chikanosuke and Sokai both smiled faintly.
"Yes." Zong Hai nodded vigorously, "I also wish all donors good luck in martial arts!"
…
…
"Lord Inamori! Lord Inamori!"
Suddenly, an urgent shout was heard outside the tent.
"What's the matter?" Inamori, who was handling military affairs in the tent, asked in a deep voice.
"The troops that landed on the island are back!"
"Are you finally back?"
After muttering this, Inamori stood up and walked out of the tent.
It is now dusk.
The troops that landed on Die Island last night should have returned home smoothly by noon today according to the original plan.
Coming back so late, Inamori couldn't help but wonder what had happened to them on the island and why they didn't come back until dusk.
After running quickly to where he could see the warship, Inamori stopped and looked into the distance.
A warship was heard on the sea not far away.
This warship was the one that was responsible for transporting the 150 soldiers to the island last night.
"…What's going on?" Inamori's brows knitted together, "Why aren't they moving?"
After the warship sailed to a position some distance away from the coast, it suddenly stopped on the sea.
As soon as doubts arose in Inamori's mind, he saw a small boat being lowered from the warship and slowly sailing towards the coast.
With his relatively good eyesight, Inamori could barely see that there were two people sitting on the small boat.
“What the hell is going on…!” Realizing that something was wrong, Inamori shouted in a deep and cold voice while walking quickly towards the coast.
When Inamori arrived at the coast, the small boat carrying two people also arrived at the shore.
There were two people on the boat, one of whom was a monk with a bald head and wearing monk's robes.
The other was a young man of ordinary appearance.
When the two men saw the many soldiers surrounding them, the young man showed fear on his face.
As for the monk, he remained calm.
"I am a monk practicing in seclusion on Butterfly Island!"
"We have important news about the cannibal to tell the officials of the shogunate!"
The monk's words made Inamori's expression change several times.
How did your ship get here? Where are the soldiers who landed on the island? What is the important news about the cannibals... I have so many questions to ask.
After a moment of hesitation, Inamori said to a subordinate beside him:
"Take these two people to the open space in the camp."
Although I have a lot of questions, this is not the right place to talk.
——Let’s take them to a place suitable for conversation first.
While saying this in his heart, Inamori turned and left.
…
…
Led by the soldiers, Zong Hai and Matsumoto were brought to a relatively open space in the camp.
After kneeling in the middle of the open space, the two men quietly waited for the arrival of the officials who would negotiate with them.
In order to prevent others from hearing their conversation, the area around the open space seemed to be cleared. Looking around, there was no one else to be seen except Zong Hai and Matsumoto.
Zong Hai and Matsumoto didn't wait too long.
After a while, four people, escorted by some soldiers, slowly appeared in front of Zong Hai and Matsumoto from one side of the open space.
These four people are none other than Matsudaira Sadanobu, Inamori, Kamiyama Kosenosuke, and Hanai Sogen.
Inamori originally wanted to talk to Zong Hai and the others by himself.
But he didn't expect that after Matsudaira Sadanobu learned that an islander from Choujima had come to him and said that he had important news about the man-eating ghost, he actually showed some interest and took the initiative to meet Sokai and the others.
After seeing these four people, Matsumoto, who was kneeling beside Zong Hai, suddenly shouted excitedly:
"Mr. Hanjing!"
"Huh?" Hanai looked startled, then ecstatic, "Matsumoto! You're still alive?!"
"Oh?" Shenshan, who was standing next to Banjing, raised his eyebrows, "Master Banjing, do you know this person?"
"Yes!" Ban Jing nodded vigorously, "He is one of my students."
"He was one of the researchers who was responsible for going to the island to study the cannibal ghosts."
"Matsumoto!" Tears flashed in Hanai's eyes, "I thought you were dead! I didn't expect you to be still alive!"
"Yes!" Matsumoto's eyes also flashed with tears, "I never thought that I would have the chance to meet you again in this life!"
Seeing that Ban Jing actually knew Matsumoto, Zong Hai's face also flashed with surprise.
While showing a flash of surprise, there was also a hint of joy.
The people on their side had a fairly close relationship with the high-ranking officials of the shogunate on the other side - this was ultimately good news that would be beneficial to their subsequent negotiations.
Matsudaira Sadanobu was not very interested in the meeting between Han'ai and his disciples.
After glancing at Zong Hai, he said in a tone that was neither salty nor bland:
"May I have your name?"
"My Buddhist name is Zong Hai. I came to your place this time to tell the shogunate some very important news about the cannibal ghosts."
"Master Zong Hai, before that, please tell me what happened to the 150 soldiers who landed on the island." Matsudaira Sadanobu said softly, "And - how did your warships come here?"
In response to Matsudaira Sadanobu's question, Sokai answered with the answer he had agreed upon with Ogata and the others.
For example, all the generals and soldiers who landed on the island were killed by the six prisoners.
After killing all the soldiers who landed on the island and seizing the warship, they found that six people could not operate such a large warship, so they forced the islanders to help operate the ship.
After killing all the soldiers who landed on the island, the six prisoners extracted the reasons why they, the shogunate soldiers, landed on the island from the remaining soldiers.
The six prisoners were threatened with the excuse that "the shogunate was planning to kill all the living people on the island, and if they didn't want to die, they had to escape with them."
These unarmed civilians could only submit to the tyranny of these six prisoners.
When the warship was halfway across the sea, the six prisoners were shocked to discover that there was a small boat on board.
So the six prisoners left them alone in the boat, leaving the warship to the islanders to fend for themselves.
In order to enhance credibility, Zong Hai pretended not to know the names of the six prisoners and only gave a brief description of their appearance.
Of course—Zong Hai’s description of the six prisoners’ appearances was all bullshit.
He just made some rather general descriptions like "one of them has smaller eyes" and "the other one is stronger".
It is also difficult to find fault with Zong Hai's summary of the six prisoners' appearance - after all, it is really difficult to describe what a person looks like just by looking at his mouth.
In order to increase the credibility of Zong Hai's words, Matsumoto on the side also echoed seriously, saying that everything Zong Hai said was true.
After listening to Zong Hai's story, Matsudaira Sadanobu remained calm throughout.
But Inamori's expression changed several times.
After all, it was his soldiers who died.
"Hey!" Inamori shouted angrily, "Six people killed hundreds of our soldiers? Who are you kidding?!"
There are many doubts about Zong Hai's statement just now.
Just as Inamori was about to question Sokai about these doubts one by one, Matsudaira Sadanobu raised his hand and waved at him.
He used gestures to signal Inamori not to say too much.
Seeing Matsudaira Sadanobu make this move, Inamori could only suppress his anger and doubts.
Matsudaira Sadanobu was different from Inamori - he actually didn't care much about what the 150 soldiers who landed on the island encountered.
Who killed these soldiers? Did these islanders participate in the attack on the soldiers who landed on the island? Matsudaira Sadanobu didn't care about these questions and was too lazy to investigate.
He was more concerned about why Zong Hai, an islander, dared to come to the shogunate even though he knew that the shogunate was going to massacre Die Island.
He didn't believe that Zong Hai came to them specifically to tell them important information about the cannibal ghost.
