While Ogata was living a regular life in Nishikino-cho, practicing different swords during the day and night, two major events occurred in Edo, the heart of the shogunate.
The first big event is that the current Shogun: Tokugawa Ienari agreed to use military force against the "Red Moon Fortress" in Ezo!
Although the nominal head of state of Japan was the Emperor in Kyoto, the Shogun in Edo was nominally only the country's second in command.
But the emperor had lost any real power as early as the 12th century, hundreds of years ago, and had become a mascot of the country.
During the Edo period, the emperor's presence was so weak that, apart from the people in Kyoto who still remembered that there was such a head of state, ordinary people in many places didn't know what the emperor was.
"What? The Emperor? What's that? Huh? Isn't the most honorable person in this country the Shogun of Edo?" - If you ask some ordinary people in remote areas, you will most likely get this answer.
Such a major matter as dispatching troops, no matter how large or small the scale of the troops is, no matter how far or near the attack distance is, is not something that Matsudaira Sadanobu can decide on his own. He must report to the general and let the general decide.
The current shogun is Tokugawa Ienari, who ascended the throne three years ago and became the de facto ruler of the country.
Tokugawa Ienari was only 14 years old when he ascended the throne three years ago, and he is only 17 years old this year.
Although he was young, he had great ambitions to revitalize the shogunate.
He and Matsudaira Sadanobu, who had the same aspirations, were like-minded.
After ascending the throne of Shogun three years ago, Tokugawa Ienari immediately deposed the "former elder councilor" Tanuma Okitsugu and replaced him with Matsudaira Sadanobu.
It can be said that Tokugawa Ienari and Matsudaira Sadanobu became the top and second-in-command of the shogunate almost at the same time.
Tokugawa Ieshige had the utmost trust in Matsudaira Sadanobu, and no matter what reform projects Matsudaira Sadanobu proposed, Tokugawa Ieshige would basically approve them.
Some shogunate retainers who wanted to please Matsudaira Sadanobu praised Matsudaira Sadanobu in public and private many times in order to curry favor with him. The relationship between them and Tokugawa Ienari was very similar to that between Zhuge Kongming and Liu Chan during the Tang and Three Kingdoms period.
It was precisely because of Tokugawa Ienari's almost unconditional trust and support that Matsudaira Sadanobu was able to carry out one reform after another so efficiently over the past three years.
When Matsudaira Sadanobu proposed an expedition to the Red Moon Fortress to Tokugawa Ienari, many shogunate retainers speculated that the Shogun would definitely listen to Matsudaira Sadanobu again this time.
As expected - Matsudaira Sadanobu simply explained to the Shogun the importance of the expedition to the Red Moon Fortress, and Tokugawa Ieshige readily arranged it: according to Matsudaira Sadanobu's wishes, send orders to the Oshu domains to ask them to send troops to help, and send 10,000 troops to expedition to the Red Moon Fortress in Ezo.
The shogunate decided to use military force against the "Red Moon Fortress" in Ezo - this was the first major event that occurred in Edo.
As for the second major event, it was also related to Matsudaira Sadanobu and Ezo.
That is - Matsudaira Sadanobu decided to go to Ezo in person to conduct a field investigation in Ezo and supervise the army's attack on the "Red Moon Fortress".
In recent years, Russia has been making small moves, which has made the Ezo region, which is located between Russia and the Japanese mainland, increasingly important in Matsudaira Sadada's confidence.
Matsudaira Sadanobu has classified "developing Ezo and turning it into the front line against Russia" as one of the most important "national grand strategies."
Matsudaira Sadanobu has always been a person who likes to conduct field trips, to see things with his own eyes, and to watch them in person.
When the "Ogre Rebellion" broke out on Choujima Island, Matsudaira Sadanobu also went to Kii in person to see with his own eyes what the cannibals looked like and how the suppression on Choujima Island was going.
Since he had already made up his mind to develop Ezo in the future, Matsudaira Sadanobu decided to make preparations early and go to Ezo for an on-site inspection now.
While conducting on-site inspections in Ezo, he also supervised the army's attack on the "Red Moon Fortress".
The destruction of the "Red Moon Fortress" was the first step in Matsudaira Sadanobu's "Ezo Development Plan".
If the "Red Moon Fortress", which occupies an important geographical location, is reluctant to submit to the shogunate, and is extremely troublesome, is not eradicated first, there will be no subsequent development plans to talk about.
Therefore, Matsudaira Sadanobu also placed high hopes on this attack on the "Red Moon Fortress" - only success was allowed, failure was not allowed.
…
…
November 30, 1790 -
Edo, the residence of Matsudaira Sadanobu——
"Mr. Laozhong..."
Tachibana, the nickname of Matsudaira Sadanobu, was standing beside Matsudaira Sadanobu, with a hesitant look on his face.
Tachibana took a deep breath, mustered up her courage, and then continued:
"Ezo is a wild and smoky place. Please stay in Edo."
At this time, Matsudaira Sadanobu and Tachibana were in Matsudaira Sadanobu's study.
At this moment, Matsudaira Sadanobu was selecting books to read on his way to and from Ezo.
Yesterday, Matsudaira Sadanobu had already set the departure time - to take a ship to Matsumae Domain on December 2nd.
As Tachibana finished speaking, Matsudaira Sadanobu happened to take a treasured copy of "The Analects of Confucius" from the bookshelf.
"Tachibana."
Matsudaira Sadanobu smiled faintly, casually placed the "Analects of Confucius" in his hand on the tatami beside him, and asked Tachibana.
"Are you reluctant to leave the prosperous Edo?"
"Of course not!" Tachibana quickly denied, "I'm just worried about your safety, Lord Senior!"
"If anything happens to you, Master, then..."
Before Tachibana could finish her words, Matsudaira Sadanobu quickly raised his hand to signal Tachibana not to continue.
"I know, I know. I was just joking with you. I know you are worried about me, so you want me to stay in Edo."
"But Ezo will be the focus of our country's future national defense."
"Russia will surely be a great threat to our country in the future."
"Therefore, the development of Ezo must not be missed. The attack on the Red Moon Fortress must not be missed either."
"I have made up my mind. I will personally inspect the details of Ezo and supervise the army's attack on the Red Moon Fortress."
"So you don't need to persuade me anymore, Tachibana."
Hearing what Matsudaira Sadanobu said, Tachibana sighed helplessly in his heart.
Something similar happened this spring.
Matsudaira Sadanobu has always been a person who likes to conduct field investigations with his own eyes and then make plans based on what he sees and hears.
This spring, Matsudaira Sadanobu also insisted on going to Kii in person to investigate the details of Choujima Island and see the appearance of the cannibal with his own eyes.
At that time, Tachibana tried his best to persuade Matsudaira Sadanobu to stay in Edo and not run around.
However, his tongue could not hold back Matsudaira Sadanobu's legs.
Tachibana never expected that the same thing and the same scene would happen again this winter.
After quickly packing up the books he wanted to take away, Matsudaira Sadanobu suddenly seemed to remember something, paused, then turned to Tachibana and asked:
"By the way, is Majima Goro still not here today?"
Tachibana shook her head.
After receiving Tachibana's reply, Matsudaira Sadanobu frowned slightly:
"It has been more than a month since the end of the 'Imperial Trial'... I have been waiting for so long."
There are very complicated emotions hidden in what Matsudaira Sadanobu said.
Even Tachibana, who had followed Matsudaira Sadanobu for many years, was unable to discern the emotions contained in Matsudaira Sadanobu's words just now.
Matsudaira Sadanobu had been waiting for Majima Goro to come and give his answer - whether he was willing to be his nickname.
But Goro Majima's figure did not appear in front of Matsudaira Sadanobu.
During this period, people were sent to the Yoshiwara Shirobei Club where Majima Goro worked to inquire - but they learned that Majima Goro no longer worked at the Shirobei Club.
Matsudaira Sadanobu still held a glimmer of hope, hoping that Majima Goro would suddenly appear - but this hope was obviously dashed.
"...Could it be that he forgot?" Tachibana cautiously raised a possibility, "Master Old Chu, do we need to send someone to look for him?"
"...No need." The old man shook his head. "If he forgot the agreement with me, it means he doesn't care about the opportunity to be my junior."
"He probably has no intention of becoming an official."
"Everyone has his own aspirations, so just follow him."
After saying that, Matsudaira Sadanobu sighed softly.
A hint of regret appeared on his face.
After taking a moment to adjust his emotions, Matsudaira Sadanobu asked Tachibana again out of the blue:
"Tachibana, what time is it now?"
"Just after 8:00 a.m. (2:00 p.m.)"
"Eight o'clock?" Matsudaira Sadanobu muttered, "It's still quite early..."
Matsudaira Sadanobu lowered his head slightly, as if in deep thought - no one knew what he was thinking about.
After thinking for a moment, Matsudaira Sadanobu slowly said to Tachibana:
"…Tachibana, get ready to go out."
"Yes!" Tachibana immediately responded, "Master Laozhong, where are you going?"
"Go find Hasegawa Heizo." When the name Hasegawa Heizo was mentioned, an intriguing smile appeared on Matsudaira Sadanobu's face.
"Hasegawa Heizo?" Tachibana raised an eyebrow in surprise, "Sir, why are you looking for the leader of the fire thief Kai?"
Although the Fire Thieves Kai was disguised as a "law enforcement organization", both the shogunate officials and ordinary people regarded the Fire Thieves Kai as an army.
The chief of the Hōtsuke Bandits Kai was undoubtedly a high-ranking military officer in the shogunate, reporting directly to the Rojuku and being under his direct jurisdiction.
Tachibana searched through the memories in her mind - she couldn't think of any important government affairs recently that were related to the Fire Thief Kai.
"Some time ago, I found out that Hasegawa Heizo had done something... something I couldn't just ignore."
The intriguing smile on Matsudaira Sadanobu's face became more and more intense.
"So I plan to take advantage of the time I still have today and before I leave Edo to have a good talk with Hasegawa Heizo about what he has done."
…
…
Sumida River: A river that flows through Edo.
Ishikawajima is a small island located in the center of the Sumida River.
The Sumida River was originally just an ordinary river, and Ishikawa Island was also originally an ordinary small island on the Sumida River that was naturally formed after being washed by the river.
However, a few years ago, Ishikawa Island became less ordinary.
Because the chief of the fire thieves, Hasegawa Heizo, spent a lot of money to build a human foot station on Ishikawa Island.
…
…
Edo, Sumida River, Ishikawa Island, Hitoshiyosa
Hasegawa stood with his hands behind his back, quietly standing outside a room. He opened the door of the room a little, and through the gap, he quietly looked at the scene inside the room.
In the room, the sound of abacus clacking could be heard.
About twenty men were sitting neatly in the room.
These twenty or so men were of different ages, some were only in their teens with childish faces, while others even had white hair.
In front of each of them was a table, on which was placed an abacus.
Twenty or so men of different ages were bent over their desks, clacking away on their abacus.
An old man who was about 50 years old was walking around them with his hands behind his back.
Once the old man sees someone making a mistake in their calculations, he will immediately step forward and correct them.
Looking at the people in the room who were seriously learning how to use the abacus, and the old man who was seriously teaching them how to use the abacus, a satisfied smile appeared on Hasegawa's face.
After nodding with satisfaction, Hasegawa sewed the door shut.
All those in the room who were learning how to use an abacus were prisoners without exception.
To be more precise, they are prisoners who were captured and sent to the Renzuojichang for reformation.
Three years ago, not long after Hasegawa became the chief of the Fire Thieves, he initiated the establishment of a facility to help prisoners with their reformation.
When Hasegawa made this proposal, the elder councilor of the shogunate was not Matsudaira Sadanobu, but Tanuma Okitsugu.
Hasegawa used to work as a "Nishinomaru Kagoshinmonoban", and the main job of this position was to manage tributes from various places to the Shogun.
While serving as the "Nishinomaru Kagoshinmonoban", Hasegawa met the elder Nakagawa Tanuma Okitsugu and gradually became friends with him.
Tanuma Okitsugu agreed and supported the proposal of Hasegawa, who was considered his subordinate, to "build facilities to reform prisoners" without giving it much thought.
The Renzu Post Station was established in this way.
Since the establishment of the Hijiki-jo, prisoners with less serious crimes in Edo and its surrounding areas were sent to the Hijiki-jo for reform.
The reformation method is to teach prisoners skills so that they can have a skill. When they regain their freedom, they can have a craft to survive and do not have to go down the path of committing crimes again.
The skills taught to the prisoners in the Renzuji facility are basically skills that are easier to find jobs with.
For example: using an abacus; simple carpentry work; making methods for various small objects such as umbrellas and bird cages...
Since it was Hasegawa who proposed to build a facility to help reform prisoners, Tanuma Okitsugu handed over the jurisdiction of the Hitoshiyomeba to Hasegawa.
Therefore, after the construction of the Renjojiba, Hasegawa has been holding two positions: while commanding the fire thieves Kai, he is also responsible for the management of the Renjojiba.
From time to time, Hasegawa would secretly check on the prisoners at Hitoshiyome Field to see if they were studying well, like he was doing now.
After silently sewing the door of the room, Hasegawa, still with his hands behind his back, slowly walked out of this "teaching building".
Just as they were about to leave this "teaching building", a young voice with a hint of helplessness sounded behind Hasegawa:
"Master Hasegawa!"
A young man who was probably in his early twenties ran towards Hasegawa quickly.
"Oh!" Hasegawa turned his head and looked back, "It's Tang Ze. I was just about to look for you."
The young man's name was "Hiroyuki Karasawa". He was the surveyor of the Renzukujichang and was responsible for managing the finances of the Renzukujichang.
Although Tang Ze is young, he is extremely talented.
Hasegawa wasn't always at the Hitoshigi field.
When Hasegawa is not at the Renzoku ground, Karasawa is usually in charge of the Renzoku ground.
With his outstanding talents, Karasawa managed the human foot farm in an orderly manner and won the trust of Hasegawa.
"Mr. Hasegawa." After Karasawa ran to Hasegawa, he sighed unhappily, "Couldn't you have informed me in advance when you were coming to the Hitoshigi field?"
"I just had this idea today." Hasegawa smiled, "So I didn't have time to inform you."
"What?" Hasegawa changed his tone to a half-joking one. "Are you afraid of my surprise inspection of the Hitoshigi Field?"
"Not worried." Tang Ze smiled confidently, "I never worry about your surprise inspection, Lord Hasegawa."
"I am only afraid that I shall not be able to entertain you properly after your unexpected visit."
Hasegawa waved his hand and said, "Don't worry about how to entertain me. As long as you can show me a well-kept human footpath, that will be the best treat for me."
"Tang Ze, you came at the right time. I was just looking for you."
"Tell me about the financial situation of Renzu Post Station in the past half month."
"yes!"
Hasegawa and Karasawa walked one after the other on the road leading away from the "teaching building" at Hitoshiyome Field.
Karasawa, who was half a body length behind Hasegawa, reported the current financial situation of the Masato Souji Stadium to Hasegawa in general.
After listening to Tang Ze's report silently, Hasegawa said in a deep voice:
"That is to say... Renzu Post Station still has surplus funds?"
"Yeah." Tang Ze nodded gently, "But... there's not much left. It can probably only last another month."
"One month?" Hasegawa nodded gently, "Yes, I understand."
"I will allocate new funds to you as soon as possible."
"It should be easier to operate the Renzu post office in the future."
Hasegawa smiled at Tang Ze.
"I have successfully persuaded several high-ranking officials of the shogunate. They have agreed to support our people."
"Really?" Tang Ze looked happy.
"Yes, it's true."
Hasegawa reported to Tang Ze the names of the senior officials who were willing to support the Hitotsukiya camp one by one.
Without exception, all the names reported by Hasegawa are the names of high-ranking officials in the shogunate.
The admiration in Tang Ze's eyes became even more intense.
"Lord Hasegawa, how did you convince these high-ranking officials?"
Of course, Hasegawa would not tell the truth to Tang Ze: these officials were all members of the "Anti-Shiranui Group", and he got the help of these officials because he had previously contributed to the opposition to Shiranui.
"Of course, it was because I drank round after round of wine with those senior officials." Hasegawa made up a reason and fooled Tang Ze.
At this time, Hasegawa and Karasawa both left the "teaching building" of Renzukiya Stadium.
At this moment, an anxious shout sounded from beside the two of them:
"Lord Hasegawa! Lord Karasawa! I finally found you!"
This voice was also very familiar to Hasegawa - it was Irino's voice.
Irino was one of the officials of Hitoshi Yoshinori. In terms of status, he was only below Karasawa and was considered Karasawa's deputy.
Unlike Karasawa who has a slim figure, Irino is rather fat and not very good at sports.
Hasegawa looked in the direction of the sound and saw Irino running towards them with a big belly, panting.
From a distance, it looked like a ball was rolling towards them.
"Irino. What's wrong?" Hasegawa asked before Irino ran over to him, "Why are you running so fast? What happened?"
"Lord Hasegawa." Irino's face turned pale, as if he had encountered something terrible. "Lord Rochu came to visit unexpectedly!"
…
…
Led by Irino, Hasegawa tidied his clothes and hair while running towards the reception room of Hitoshiyome with a solemn look on his face.
When the door of the reception room was opened, Hasegawa saw two figures.
One of the figures was Hasegawa's direct superior, Matsudaira Sadanobu.
The other figure was Matsudaira Sadanobu's nickname: Tachibana.
After Irino, who had been leading the way for him with his eyes, left first, Hasegawa entered the guest room alone and closed the door.
After kneeling in front of Matsudaira Sadanobu, Hasegawa bowed respectfully to him.
"I didn't know you were coming, Lord. I'm sorry for not welcoming you. Please forgive me!"
Matsudaira Sadanobu had just gone to the headquarters of the Fire Thief Kai with only Tachibana and a small number of guards to look for Hasegawa.
But who knew that Hasegawa was not at the headquarters of the Fire Thief Kai, and when asked, he went to the Hitoshigi field.
So Matsudaira Sadanobu had to change his route to Hitoshigiba. Fortunately, the distance from the fire thieves to Hitoshigiba was not far.
"No need to be polite, Hasegawa. Just be natural." Matsudaira Sadanobu smiled at Hasegawa. "Now that I think about it, it seems like we haven't seen each other for a while."
While Hasegawa responded respectfully to every greeting from Matsudaira Sadanobu, he was also carefully thinking about the reason for Matsudaira Sadanobu's sudden visit.
Although he was directly under the jurisdiction of Matsudaira Sadanobu, Matsudaira Sadanobu rarely interfered in his work.
Hasegawa himself had forgotten when Matsudaira Sadanobu last came to see him.
Matsudaira Sadanobu was a workaholic who never did meaningless things - all the shogunate retainers knew this.
Therefore, Hasegawa firmly believed that Matsudaira Sadanobu came to him for no reason and must have come for some purpose.
Although Matsudaira Sadanobu was smiling at him, the smile on Matsudaira Sadanobu's face not only did not make Hasegawa feel any warmth, but also made Hasegawa feel a sense of foreboding...
After exchanging a few simple pleasantries with Hasegawa, Matsudaira Sadanobu sat up a little straighter and then changed his tone to a more serious one:
"Hasegawa, you must be wondering why I came to you suddenly?"
"I won't say any more nonsense, let's get straight to the point."
Having said that, Matsudaira Sadanobu raised his eyes and directed his cold gaze straight at Hasegawa.
"Hasegawa, you are really brave."
"How dare you use the funds allocated to you, the Fire Thief Kai, for other purposes right under my nose."
As soon as Matsudaira Sadanobu finished speaking, Hasegawa's pupils suddenly shrank.
Then, cold sweat appeared on Hasegawa's forehead at a speed visible to the naked eye.
"Hasegawa, your account book is very well done. Most people may not be able to find any clues from your account book."
"But——"
Matsudaira Sadanobu raised his left index finger and tapped his left eye socket.
"Your account book may be good enough to fool other people, but it's a bit too much to fool me."
"Two months ago, I discovered something strange about your account book."
"We sent someone to investigate for two months, and finally discovered your little secret a few days ago."
More and more cold sweat appeared on Hasegawa's forehead, to the point where it was about to drip onto the tatami.
"In order to have sufficient funds to operate the Renjouyō field, you used part of the funds that the shogunate gave to the fire thieves to buy coins."
"Then, you can take advantage of the fact that the exchange rates of gold, silver, and copper in the market are always fluctuating frequently. You can buy coins at a low price and then sell them at a high price. You will successfully earn enough funds for you to continue operating the human football field."
"I have to say, your account book is really beautiful."
"I didn't realize you had been cooking the books until two months ago."
"Hasegawa, did I... say something wrong?"
After saying this, Matsudaira Sadanobu looked quietly at Hasegawa in front of him.
Hasegawa pursed his lips and remained silent.
He closed his eyes, took a deep breath and then opened them again. His eyes were full of determination, as if he had already made up his mind about something.
"No."
"So you plead guilty?"
"Please plead guilty."
Seeing Hasegawa admit his crimes so readily, a look of satisfaction flashed across Matsudaira Sadanobu's face.
However, these hints of satisfaction were only fleeting.
After sneering, Matsudaira Sadanobu continued:
"You should know the consequences of misusing the public funds allocated by the shogunate and engaging in such speculation and profiteering, right?"
"...I know." Hasegawa nodded lightly.
The lightest punishment for misusing public funds allocated by the shogunate is to be demoted to the lowest position.
As for the most severe punishment... that is seppuku to apologize.
"… Your Excellency." Hasegawa said softly, "I am willing to accept any punishment."
"I just hope you won't shut down the human foot mailing station."
"Let the football field continue to operate."
After saying that, Hasegawa leaned over, placed his hands on the tatami, pressed his forehead against the tatami, and assumed the posture of sitting in the dogeza position.
The fire thief Kai, who was a big shot in the outside world, was now pleading with the most humble attitude to the powerful man in front of him who was 10 years younger than him.
There was still no emotion in Matsudaira Sadanobu's gaze towards Hasegawa.
"…Hasegawa, it seems that this Hitoshiyori Field is really important to you."
Matsudaira Sadanobu's tone remained calm - so calm that it was terrifying.
"Not only did they not hesitate to commit such a serious crime that could cost them their lives in order to maintain the operation of the human foot delivery station."
"Even though his life might be in danger, he still begged me not to close the human foot mail yard."
"You said you were willing to accept any punishment... If I asked you to commit seppuku right here and now, would you be willing?"
"Yes." Hasegawa answered without any hesitation.
Because Hasegawa pressed his forehead tightly against the tatami, Matsudaira Sadanobu could not see Hasegawa's expression.
But just based on the determination contained in Hasegawa's "yes" just now, Matsudaira Sadanobu could roughly guess what Hasegawa's current expression was like.
"…Relax, Hasegawa." Matsudaira Sadanobu smiled and shrugged, "I have no interest in your intestines."
"Look up, Hasegawa."
After receiving Matsudaira Sadanobu's order to look up, Hasegawa hesitated for a moment, then raised his head again and looked directly at Matsudaira Sadanobu.
"I came to you today not to call you to task."
"I came to compliment you."
"I didn't expect you to have some business sense and know how to make money by buying and selling coins."
“It’s not that I don’t understand the benefits of building and operating a human-powered logistics center.”
"If the shogunate's financial situation is good, I would also like to be able to continue operating the Hitoshiyome."
"So if you can use the funds allocated by the shogunate to support both the fire thief Kai and the human foot thief Kai, then I have to praise you very much - you have successfully used the least money and done the most things. You are a rare capable minister."
"So I will continue to pretend that I don't know your 'secret' and maintain the status quo."
"You can continue to do business as you are doing now, using the funds from the Fire Thieves to earn money from operating the Human Foot Mailing Station."
"Just--just do your job well."
When talking about "working hard", Matsudaira Sadanobu emphasized the words.
After hearing Matsudaira Sadanobu's words "Do your job well" with an emphasis on the topic, Hasegawa's pupils shrank slightly.
"Okay. I've said everything I need to say. My time is pretty tight, so I'll take my leave now." Matsudaira Sadanobu stood up.
Just as Hasegawa was about to stand up to see him off, Matsudaira Sadanobu raised his hand to stop him:
"No need to see me off. I remember the way out."
"Try your best, Hasegawa."
After saying these words quietly, Matsudaira Sadanobu led Tachibana out of the room.
After Matsudaira Sadanobu led Tachibana away first, Hasegawa was the only one left in the guest room.
Hasegawa stared blankly at the air in front of him, and after a long while he let out a long sigh.
"I've been... caught..." Hasegawa gave a helpless smile.
…
…
Matsudaira Sadanobu led Tachibana and the guards who had been waiting outside and walked straight to the outside of the Hitoshiyome field, preparing to return to the mansion.
When they had reached the river bank and were about to leave by boat, Tachibana could not help but ask Matsudaira Sadanobu:
"Lord Rochu, are you just going to let Hasegawa Heizo go?"
"So what do you plan to do with Hasegawa?" the elder asked, "Are you going to order him to commit seppuku on the spot?"
Tachibana was speechless for a moment.
Out of rules, Tachibana felt that Hasegawa, who misused public funds, must be severely punished.
But out of morality, Tachibana believed that Hasegawa misused public funds not for eating, drinking and having fun, but for the operation of the human foot station, so it would be inappropriate to give him too severe a punishment.
"Although I don't get along with Hasegawa's personality. I don't like Hasegawa very much either." Matsudaira Sadanobu said softly, "But I can't deny that Hasegawa is a rare and capable official."
"He should be considered one of the best commanders since the establishment of the Fire Thieves Kai."
"His title of 'Gui Ping' frightened many villains."
"And as I just said to Hasegawa - I am not ignorant of the benefits of operating a human foot field."
"Operating a human settlement facility can prevent a large number of prisoners from committing crimes again after being released from prison - how could I not know this truth?"
"It's just that the shogunate's financial situation is not good, so I haven't given too much money to the Shizuoya."
"If Hasegawa can run the two places, the Hidden Thieves' Office and the Human Footprints Office, with only the funds allocated to the Hidden Thieves' Office, I would be happy to see it happen."
"It is a pity to demote such a rare and capable official or sentence him to death for such a reason."
"So I came here this time just to remind Hasegawa."
A smile appeared on Matsudaira Sadanobu's face, but it did not convey any warmth.
"Remind him: I already know his little secret. And I can use this little secret of yours to punish you at any time."
"From now on, Hasegawa, who has been given the upper hand by me, should be more diligent in his duties."
"Whether it's catching thieves or operating the football field, they should not let their guard down."
"I see..." Tachibana smiled bitterly, "It seems... I still have a lot to learn from you, old man..."
Having said that, Tachibana paused as if he remembered something, then gave a suggestion to the elder in front of him.
"Master Rochu, how about letting Hasegawa investigate the previous 'Attack on the Kitamachi Magistrate's Office' incident?"
Matsudaira Sadanobu naturally knew what the "attack on the Kitamachi Magistrate's Office" incident that Tachibana mentioned was.
About a month ago, the Kitamachi Bugyosho was attacked by unidentified thieves. After killing all the officials who were staying at the Kitamachi Bugyosho at that time, the thieves painted "Taikotsu" on the wall of the Kitamachi Bugyosho and wrote the words "We will avenge the Battle of Osaka".
When this incident first happened, Edo was in turmoil.
Everyone is discussing whether the people who are learning from the Kitamachi Bugyosho are really the remnants of Toyotomi.
In order to avoid causing panic, Matsudaira Sadanobu issued an order in the name of the government to dispel rumors to the public shortly after the incident: the remnants of Toyotomi were completely fictitious and everyone should not panic.
While calming the public, Matsudaira Sadanobu intensified the search efforts - however, no progress has been made in the case until now.
The group that massacred the Kitamachi Magistrates' Office were not only very skilled, but also extremely smart. They did not leave any clues in the Kitamachi Magistrates' Office.
After hearing Tachibana's suggestion, Matsudaira Sadanobu pondered for a moment and then shook his head:
"No. We can't leave this case to Hasegawa."
"Hasegawa is the chief of the Fire Thieves Kai, and is only responsible for catching thieves and arsonists."
"And the group of people who massacred the Kitamachi Magistrate's Office did not commit theft or arson, they just killed people. It is not the area that Hasegawa is responsible for."
"If we force this case to be handed over to Hasegawa, it will only cause dissatisfaction among many people."
"So the team currently in charge of this case does not need to be moved."
"When the people currently in charge of this case really can't achieve any results, then consider whether to replace them with others."
"Tachibana, you should go there tonight and inform the people who are in charge of this case. When I return from Ezo, you should hand in results that will satisfy me."
"Yes." Tachibana responded respectfully and silently took note of Matsudaira Sadanobu's order.
…
…
Hasegawa returned to the Fire Thief Kai's headquarters in the evening.
After returning to the headquarters, Hasegawa called his adjutant, Imai, and informed him of everything that had happened at the Hitoshiyo site today.
Imai is one of the few people who knows that Hasegawa has been using the funds from the Fire Thief Kai to speculate in cryptocurrencies and make money.
After learning that the elder councilor already knew Hasegawa's secret, Imai's eyes widened.
"Master Hasegawa, what should we do now?"
Because he was so shocked, Imai stuttered when he spoke.
"What else can I do..." Hasegawa's face was full of bitterness, "In short - my life is saved."
"The Chinese leader has already hinted to me today that he won't do anything to me."
"But the prerequisite is that I have to work hard and serve the public."
After saying that, Hasegawa let out a long sigh.
"I've been caught with something..."
"If I do anything that displeases Lord Lao Zhong in the future, Lord Lao Zhong can always use this as a handle against me..."
"So from now on, I can only work like a cow or a dog as Mr. Lao Zhong wishes and show my loyalty to him..."
After another long sigh, Hasegawa smiled at Imai.
"But it doesn't matter... Think about it on the bright side. At least as long as I work hard and don't annoy Lord Lao Zhong, Lord Lao Zhong shouldn't do anything to me."
"In short - to save my life and for the sake of the people, I will work hard now..."
"Imai, are there any thieves that our Fire Thief Kai is still tracking but hasn't caught yet?"
"Not many." Imai said, "At present, we, the Fire Thieves, are in charge, but the thieves who have not been caught yet include Kirijiro, the flower monk, and... the Buddha enemy..."
After hearing the name "Enemy of Buddha" from Imai's mouth, Hasegawa couldn't help but raise his hand and scratch his hair.
"'Buddha's enemy'?... Among the three thieves who have not been caught yet, he is the most troublesome..."