The bandits who had been targeting them had been wiped out by the invited warriors. The villagers were so overjoyed that it seemed an understatement to describe their mood.
If some villagers had not seen the food that Ogata and others brought back from the bandits, they would not even have dared to believe whether what Ogata and others said was true.
What made the villagers even happier was that Ogata and his men gave them all the food they had taken back from the bandits.
Their village was extremely poor, and the amount of grain stored in the village was just enough to feed the entire village.
The food sent by Ogata and others was really a timely help for the villagers of this village.
In order to thank Ogata and others for their kindness, the villagers said they would prepare an extremely sumptuous lunch to entertain Ogata and others.
But Ogata declined.
Now that the bandits have been defeated and he has gained both experience points and money, Ogata has no reason to stay in the village any longer.
All Ogata wanted now was to return to Kinno-cho as soon as possible, and go back to his regular life of gaining experience at Hosho Kenkan every day, and waiting for the merchant ship of Minamoto Tachibana to sail to Ezo in January of next year.
The last time they got from Kinno-cho to this village, it took them almost a day - they set out in the morning and arrived at the village in the evening.
Even if Tsuchiya and the two villagers didn't slow down the return to Kinno Town, it would still take at least half a day to get back to Kinno Town.
It was almost 9 o'clock in the morning when we returned to the village. If we stayed for lunch, we would not be able to get back to Kinno-cho before dark.
Therefore, no matter what the villagers and Hizaka and others said, Ogata insisted on leaving before lunch.
However, Ogata and Atachi did not plan to leave immediately.
They just returned to the village from the bandits' base, and they walked along the mountain road for nearly three hours.
Mountain roads are much more difficult to walk on than flat roads.
And it was a mountain road covered with heavy snow, which made it even more difficult to walk on.
Walking on a snow-covered mountain road for more than three hours was nothing for Ogata.
But for Ating now, it is not so easy.
If Ating was in her normal state, walking on the snow-covered mountain road for more than three hours would not be a difficult task for her.
But last night, Atachi followed Ogata into the bandits' base and assassinated the bandits.
Afterwards, they checked the bandits' bases together, and together they found and buried the bodies of the bandits who died in the assassination by her and Ogata.
Physical strength is not the strong point of Ating, who is a girl.
Although he slept for a few hours, this short time was not enough for Ating to recover his strength.
So after walking the mountain road from the bandit base to the village in a "not at his best" state, Ating felt a little tired.
Therefore, Ogata planned to rest in this village for a while, let Atachi's feet relax a little, and then leave.
…
…
In the house provided by the villagers to Ogata and Omachi——
"ha……"
Ah-Ming was lying on the floor in a spread-eagle position, with no image at all.
"It's much easier than I thought..."
Because it was so comfortable lying on the floor, Ating unconsciously closed her eyes out of comfort.
"I was worried that we would have to fight those bandits for a long time..."
"I didn't expect to get rid of those bandits so quickly."
"We arrived at this village the evening before yesterday and can go back today."
To have dealt with the bandits so quickly was not only beyond Atachi's expectations, but also beyond Ogata's expectations.
Ogata was already prepared for a protracted war.
But unexpectedly - I was quite lucky.
On the second day after arriving in the village, they successfully captured the group of bandits.
At the same time, there was an unexpected surprise. They got 31 taels of gold from the bandits, which made Ogata and Atachi more financially powerful.
When Ogata learned from the bounty list provided by Hizaka the night before that his head was worth 500 taels of gold, he thought that if he ran out of money in the future, he could try to fleece the government.
First he pretended to be caught, then let Atachi collect the reward of 500 taels of gold, and then Ogata would find a way to escape from prison.
At present, it seems that Ogata's plan of "fleecing the government" will be of no use for a long time in the future.
Ogata has not yet spent all the large sum of money that Kuranaga family elder gave him when he left the domain at the end of last year.
The money given by the elder of the Kuranaga family, the money obtained in the "Imperial Trial", and the money obtained from the bandits this time - these three sums of money added together have made Ogata and Atachi wealthy men now.
With their current financial resources, it is enough to buy a small house and live a lazy life without working for at least 10 years - of course, the premise is that they only use the money to buy some necessities of life instead of buying all kinds of messy luxury goods.
After Atachi lay on his back on the ground in the shape of a "大" character, Obe took off the Daishikuten from his left waist, held it in his arms, and sat cross-legged next to Atachi.
"Do you need me to give you a massage?"
It was not uncommon for Ogata to give Atachi a massage.
Long before they took a boat from Owari to Edo, Ogata gave a massage to the seasick Atachi, so that she could feel a little better from the ravages of the wind and waves.
Since leaving Edo and heading north to Ezo, Ogata has frequently given massages to Atachi, who was not very physically fit.
As soon as Ogata finished speaking, Atachi immediately said:
"No, that's all. I'll just lie here."
After saying that, Atachi opened her eyes which had been tightly closed and looked at Ogata beside her.
"Ayi, I've wanted to say this for a long time - I've always thought you were weird."
"Huh? Why am I weird?"
"Many warriors would not even allow their wives to walk with them, let alone give them massages."
"But you don't seem to have this concept of male superiority and female inferiority."
"I feel like warriors like you are rarer than cats who like to swim."
Hearing what Atachi said, Ogata couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Although women were relatively free in Japan during the Edo period.
Except for the nobles and samurai families with strict family rules, daughters of commoners could walk freely on the streets, work in many kinds of jobs, and there was no such insane custom as foot binding.
However, the overall social atmosphere is still that men are superior to women, and the status of women is far inferior to that of men.
What Atachi said just now is also true. Many samurai do not even allow their wives to walk side by side with them, or walk in front of them. They can only walk three steps behind them.
Therefore, there is a saying circulating in society: "A wife should be three steps away from her husband."
Giving his wife a massage personally - this is simply unimaginable for these "traditional warriors".
As a time traveler, Ogata naturally does not have such messy ideas of superiority and inferiority.
He would not think that giving his wife a massage is shameful or damaging to his image as a man.
Not only are they not ashamed of it, but they are proud of it.
Many people don't even have a wife who can give them a massage.
So, as soon as Atachi finished speaking, Obe said in a relaxed tone:
"This may have something to do with my upbringing. My parents always taught me not to have the idea that men are superior to women."
Ogata wasn't lying.
His parents in his previous life did teach him that he should not have the concept of "discrimination".
Whether it is sexism or racial discrimination, it is unacceptable.
Ating couldn't help but feel emotional.
I feel deeply about the specialness of Ogata and his parents.
In this environment where the vast majority of people believe that men are superior to women, there is actually such a special concept.
As Ogata's wife, A-machi is also happy to see that her husband is a man with such unique ideas and does not use all kinds of messy rules to restrict her.
After a brief chat with Ogata, Atachi closed his eyes again, enjoying the feeling of lying on the ground like a pile of mud.
A-Ming really likes the feeling of lying on the ground in a "big" shape.
She is in a pretty good mood now.
She originally didn't support Ogata's decision to go to this desolate village to help these farmers.
It’s not because Ating is cruel and unwilling to lend a helping hand to those in need.
She was simply worried about Ogata.
After being "frank" with Ogata and confirming their relationship as husband and wife in Owari a few months ago, Atachi became much more timid.
A-machi hopes that Ogata will not do anything that may bring danger to himself.
Although she knew that Ogata was very powerful, he could wipe out even a bandit group of hundreds of people.
But no matter how strong you are, fighting with others always involves risks.
Therefore, Atachi, who did not want Ogata to encounter any accidents or get injured, had not been very supportive of Ogata's move to help the farmers in this village.
Now that the bandits have been defeated, the heavy stone in Ating's heart has finally fallen to the ground.
She and Ogata were both safe and sound, and she unexpectedly received a large sum of money.
Ogata gave the money to A-machi for safekeeping.
Now the cloth bag containing 31 taels of gold was lying quietly in Ating's arms.
Currently lying on her back on the ground, Ating could clearly feel the weight of this big bag of money.
After establishing a relationship with Ogata, in addition to becoming timid, Atachi also began to care about money, just like Ogata.
A-Ming unconsciously raised his hand and patted the small purse in his arms.
Feeling the heavy little purse in his arms, A-Machi suddenly seemed to remember something, raised his eyebrows, then opened his eyes again and looked at Ogata beside him.
"Ayi, the reason you decided to help these farmers is not just to get money from the bandits, right?"
This is what Ating suddenly thought of just now.
Ogata had a similar criminal record before.
For money, he participated in the "Imperial Trial".
Because of his previous similar criminal record, Atachi thought that it was possible that Ogata could do such a thing as "for the sake of money, he decided to take money from the bandits and help those poor farmers at the same time."
When Ogata heard the question raised by Atachi, he was stunned for a moment.
Then he smiled helplessly and said:
"You're overthinking it."
"I didn't think of taking money from the bandits at first."
"It's a complete surprise for me to get this money now."
"Then why did you decide to help these farmers?" A-Ming asked puzzledly, "Could it be that you really want to stretch your muscles because you haven't exercised for a long time?"
"Why did you decide to help these farmers..."
After muttering, Ogata smiled bitterly.
Then he hugged Da Shitian tighter in his arms.
"…At that time, when I saw the two peasants begging us to help them at the Hosho Sword Hall, for some reason, I suddenly remembered the night when I returned to the sword hall and found that my master and fellow apprentices had all been killed by Matsudaira Gennai."
Ogata's tone was calm.
It was like he was talking about something that had nothing to do with him.
Atachi, who was standing by, was stunned after hearing what Ogata had just said, and then showed a complicated expression.
"When I saw my master and fellow apprentices dying with their eyes wide open, I thought - if... someone could appear when they were killed and save them, that would be great."
"If we don't lend a helping hand to the farmers in this village, even if they are not killed by the bandits, many of them may not survive the winter because their money and food have been looted, which is equivalent to being indirectly killed by these bandits."
"I can relate to the fact that my friends and relatives were brutally murdered without any sense."
"I think the fewer people who experience this kind of pain, the better."
"So somehow I decided to do whatever I could to help these farmers who happened to be in need of help."
Ogata's tone was calm from beginning to end.
He was clearly talking about his past which he did not want to recall, but his face looked calm.
On the other hand, Ating’s expression had been very complicated since just now.
When Ogata was only halfway through his words, Atachi had already slowly sat up.
After Ogata finished speaking, Atachi's face showed a complex expression of extremely strong emotions that were difficult to tell.
She opened her lips as if she wanted to say something to Ogata.
But after opening his lips, he had no idea what to say in this situation.
Finally, after hesitating and thinking for a moment, A-machi opened her arms and hugged Ogata like a mother bird protecting her chicks.
Because Atachi was sitting on Ogata's left, when Atachi opened her arms and hugged Ogata, Ogata's left arm immediately felt a gentle, soft and elastic touch.
Ogata's face showed a bit of surprise at Atachi's sudden hug.
"What's wrong?"
"My father would hold me like this when I used to feel bad."
As Atachi spoke, she gently patted Ogata with her right hand. This gentle movement was like helping a baby fall asleep.
Ogata couldn't help but smile at Atachi's action.
Ogata found it funny and touching at the same time that Atachi didn't know what to say to comfort him, so she just used the method her father used to comfort her.
"Don't comfort me. I'm not sad."
Recalling and retelling that sad and bloody past did not make Ogata feel sad or heartbroken.
After all, it happened more than a year ago.
Just recalling that memory no longer makes Ogata feel any discomfort.
Although Ogata said "there's no need to comfort him", Atachi didn't seem to have any intention of letting Ogata go - maybe she mistakenly thought that Ogata was lying to her when he said "I'm not sad".
Since Ating didn't let him go, Ogata didn't say anything else. After all, he was also happy to be held by Ating.
The body was embraced, the touch was warm and soft, and it felt like the body was about to melt away.
In Ating's arms, Ogata really felt at ease.
Just as Ogata was quietly enjoying the feeling of boating on the peaceful lake at night, a young male voice suddenly came from outside the house:
"Excuse me! Is Mashima-kun here?"
This is Mizuno's voice.
There was obvious nervousness in his voice.
Ogata, wondering why Mizuno suddenly came to see him, said loudly:
"I am here."
"Can I come in, please?"
Ogata and Omachi exchanged glances.
A-machi nodded and let go of Ogata.
"Come in."
"Thank you very much!"
Mizuno pushed open the old wooden door and appeared in Ogata's field of vision.
Ogata: "What's the matter?"
"Mashima-sama! I want to ask you something!"
Mizuno looked directly at Ogata, his eyes full of passion.
"Can I ask you something?" Ogata raised his eyebrows, then raised his hand and scratched his hair. "What do you want to ask me? Don't ask me something that is difficult to answer."
"After all, my wife and I will be leaving in a little while."
"Mashima-sama!"
Mizuno said in a loud voice.
"I admire your swordsmanship!"
"I would like to ask you for advice on how to improve your swordsmanship!"
The fiery look in his eyes became even more intense.
"Mashima-sama, may I ask how you normally practice swordsmanship?"
Mizuno knew that Ogata and Atachi would be leaving soon.
So he mustered up his courage, and secretly came to Ogata to ask for advice while Ogata and Atachi were still there.
Ogata is a rare great swordsman.
Mizuno, who also pursues swordsmanship, is unwilling to miss the opportunity to learn from the swordsman.
Ogata froze when he heard Mizuno's question.
Ogata was not surprised that Mizuno came to him to ask for advice on swordsmanship training.
He had noticed before that Mizuno seemed to admire him very much and was quite impressed by his swordsmanship.
Mizuno's question directly made Ogata feel troubled...
How to practice swordsmanship?
Ogata couldn't just tell him - I only have the current strength thanks to the system...
After scratching his hair and organizing his words, Ogata said slowly:
"There are no shortcuts in swordsmanship."
"We must keep our feet on the ground and not aim too high."
"If there is any way to quickly improve swordsmanship, it should be more actual combat."
"Swinging your sword at the air ten thousand times in the dojo may not bring as much progress as one hearty actual combat."
"I have reached my current level through one actual battle after another."
After doing his best to speak in the most graceful way possible, Ogata couldn't help but admire himself.
Because what he just said was completely true, without a trace of falsehood.
It was indeed through fighting one battle after another that he became the world-famous "Executioner Ichitosai".
"Actual combat?" Mizuno muttered, looking thoughtful.
At this moment, a voice came from outside the house again:
"Mashima-sama! Are you there?"
This time, it was the voice of the old village chief.
"I'm here." Ogata responded immediately.
"May I come in, please? I have something to give you."
"You got something for me? Please come in."
After obtaining Ogata's permission to enter, the old village chief, who was severely hunched over, slowly appeared in front of Ogata with the help of several villagers.
Seeing Mizuno and Atachi were also there, the old village chief hurriedly greeted them.
"Mashima-sama, this is for you."
The old village chief handed Ogata two small sachets that were only slightly wider than an adult's thumb.
"What is this?" Ogata took the small sachet and squeezed it. It was empty inside.
It was just an ordinary little red bag with nothing in it.
“This is a homemade amulet.”
The old village chief said.
"We really appreciate your help."
“Without you, we don’t know what we would do.”
"Since you and Ling Zheng are unwilling to stay for lunch, please at least accept our thank you gift."
"Our village is very poor. We can't give anything worth mentioning."
"I can only give you and Lingzheng one amulet each. Please understand."
"You guys are so thoughtful." Ogata smiled and played with the two small sachets in his hands.
"Okay, we will accept your thank you gift and your kindness." Ogata handed one of the small sachets in his hand to Ating beside him, "Thank you for your amulet."
Others come to you specially to give you a thank-you gift, and it’s not something extremely valuable anyway. If you don’t accept it, it would be impolite.
In response to Ogata's thanks, the old village chief quickly said, "I don't deserve it."
After exchanging a few words with Ogata, the old village chief led the villagers who were supporting him away.
After watching the old village chief and others leave, Mizuno murmured:
“The villagers are very happy…”
"Of course." Ogata said, "After all, the bandits who were eyeing their money and food are gone."
Hearing Ogata's words, Mizuno suddenly gave a bitter smile.
"…Mashima-sama, do you think that our act of lending a helping hand to them is meaningful?"
"Hmm?" Ogata raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"
Mizuno pursed his lips.
After a moment of silence, he slowly opened his lips and said:
"Mashima-sama, I don't think I've ever told you about my past..."
"I come from a lower-ranking samurai family in Edo."
Mizuno fished out the memories in his mind bit by bit.
"Like many people, I wanted to become famous through swordsmanship, so I decided to leave Edo two years ago to practice martial arts."
"Now that I think about it, I don't know whether I should describe my behavior as bold and fearless, or as childish and ignorant."
"Not long after I left Edo, I ran into Master Hizaka."
"Because I admired the master's swordsmanship and his heroic character, I became his disciple and began to practice with him everywhere."
"Not long after my master and I started traveling together, something happened... something that still bothers me to this day."
As he said this, a hint of loneliness appeared on Mizuno's face.
"Not long after we started traveling together, my master and I happened to pass by a village."
"That village suffered exactly the same thing as this village—they were targeted by a group of bandits."
“But the situation is a little different.”
"The villagers of that village failed to realize in time that they were being targeted by the bandits, so they were completely defenseless and allowed the bandits to enter the village."
"Money, food, and young women were all taken away by the bandits."
"The villagers in that village wanted to get their money, food and women back, so they decided to report to the police."
"The local government is quite capable. As soon as the villagers came to the government, the government immediately organized manpower and prepared to encircle and suppress the bandits."
"My master and I happened to pass by that village just before the officials were about to march in to encircle and suppress that group of bandits."
"Master is a kind-hearted person. Seeing that the villagers of this village were in trouble, he decided to lend a helping hand to the officials and work with them to wipe out the bandits."
"The government was also happy to see a ronin come to our aid, so they agreed to let my master and I join the campaign against the bandits."
"The suppression of that group of bandits went smoothly."
"With the advantage of numbers and weapons, the bandits were wiped out. The money, food and women that were robbed from the villagers were all taken back."
"That was my first time participating in a real battle with real weapons."
"It was also my first time killing someone... Although I was only chasing a bandit who had lost his will to fight, I was lucky enough to kill a bandit who had even thrown away his weapon."
"The bandits are gone, the villagers' money, food, and women are all taken back, and the villagers can live and work in peace again - this should be a happy ending for everyone..."
"After my master and I assisted the government in wiping out that group of bandits, we left the village and continued to travel around and practice martial arts."
"A year later, my master and I passed through that village again because of some matters."
“But I found that the village was gone.”
"I found out after asking someone that all the villagers in that village had been killed by another group of bandits a few months ago..."
"That group of bandits was not as 'gentle' as the previous ones. While stealing money, food, and women, they also killed all the men in the village and all the women they disliked."
"Even... the children were not spared..."
From then on, Mizuno's head was lowered lower and lower.
At this moment, Mizuno's head was lowered to the point where his chin was almost touching his chest.
"We finally managed to save those villagers, but in the end they still died at the hands of other bandits..."
"After this incident, I have been thinking: Is it meaningful for my master and I to help these poor people..."
"My teacher and I's actions of lending a helping hand to others... I feel like it's just treating the symptoms and not the root cause. It seems like we're just repeating a meaningless thing..."
"We helped the people in this village today, but in a few months, this village might be targeted by another group of bandits..."
Ogata had been listening silently beside him.
After hearing this, Ogata finally understood what Mizuno was worried about.
After Mizuno finished speaking, Obe asked Mizuno in a calm tone:
"…Mizuno, you just said you admire my swordsmanship, right?"
"Ah? Yes, that's right." Although he didn't know why Ogata suddenly asked this question, Mizuno nodded in response.
"How strong do you think my swordsmanship is?" Ogata asked.
"Ah?" Stumped by this question, Mizuno hesitated and stammered for a long time before finally saying softly, "My swordsmanship is average, so I don't know how to describe your swordsmanship."
"In that case, I will show you how strong my swordsmanship is."
Ogata showed a meaningful smile, slowly stood up, and then pulled out the Daishakuten from its sheath at his waist.
"Mizuno, do you think a human can split the sky in half?"
"Ah?" Mizuno's eyes widened, his face full of surprise.
Atachi on the side also showed a similar expression to Mizuno, her beautiful eyes widened and she looked at Ogata in surprise.
"Mashima-sama, how can a person split the sky?"
"Then you'll see."
After saying that, Ogata walked out of the house quickly.
After walking out of the house, Ogata raised his upper body and looked at the clear sky above his head. At the same time, he clenched the Daishakuten in both hands and slowly raised the Daishakuten in his hands above his head.
This posture seemed as if it was really going to cut the sky in half.
Ogata's serious look made Mizuno and Atachi think the same thing:
——Split the sky? How is that possible?
Although they felt it was impossible, the two of them still stared at Ogata uncontrollably, and even their breathing slowed down unconsciously.
Ogata did not confront the sky above his head for too long.
After accumulating enough strength, Xu Fang aimed at the sky above his head and slashed down the Great Shitian in his hand!
The wind pressure created by the swing of the blade pierced straight into the clear sky!
Then--
Nothing happened.
The sky was not split, and the few white clouds within the field of vision were still floating lazily.
"Mizuno, did you see that?"
Ogata shrugged as he sheathed the Daishakuten.
"You were right just now. How could a human split the sky?"
"The sky is ten thousand miles wide, but a sword is only three feet long. Even a swordsman or swordsman who has mastered the art of swordsmanship to the highest level can only cut something within three feet, let alone split the sky."
"We are just ordinary people who know a little swordsmanship, not gods."
Ogata went back inside and sat back down where he had been sitting.
"We can't predict everything, nor can we do everything. All we can do is swing our swords to kill some evil people who happen to appear in front of us."
"As for helping people, it's enough for an ordinary person who knows a little swordsmanship to do it. Why do you have to think about so many messed up things?"
“Give some light if you can. Even if it is as light as a firefly, it can still bring some light to the darkness. There is no need to wait for a torch to illuminate the darkness.”
Ogata once again brought out the words he had used to counsel Uesugi.
Although this sentence was also "modified" by Ogata from a great writer whom he admired in his previous life.
As soon as Ogata finished speaking, the look of astonishment and surprise appeared on Mizuno's face at a speed visible to the naked eye.
"If you can shine as much light as possible, then shine as much light as possible..." Mizuno chewed over what Ogata had just said.
He had a thoughtful expression on his face, probably thinking about and savoring what Ogata had just said.
At this moment, Hizaka's loud voice suddenly rang out from outside the house:
"Mizuno! Mizuno! Where have you been?!"
Hearing Hizaka's loud shouts one after another, Mizuno was stunned.
"I'm sorry, Master Majima." Mizuno smiled bitterly, "My master seems to be looking for me. I'll excuse myself now."
"Excuse me, Master Majima, when will you and Reizheng leave here?"
Ogata turned his head and gave Atachi a questioning look.
"I just need to rest for two more incense sticks." Ating stretched out two fingers.
"Then we will leave in two incense sticks." Ogata turned his head and answered Mizuno.
"Two incense sticks?... It seems like it's too late to continue asking for your advice..." The bitterness on Mizuno's face became even more severe.
After adjusting the expression on his face, Mizuno stood at attention and bowed respectfully to Ogata.
"Mashima-sama, thank you very much for your advice."
"Whether it is the advice you just gave me on swordsmanship or your guidance to me, I have benefited a lot from it."
"I was just making it up casually," Ogata said modestly.
After thanking Ogata respectfully, Mizuno quickly left from the sight of Ogata and Atachi.
After Mizuno left, Atachi couldn't wait to say to Ogata:
"As expected of someone who can take first place in the 'Gozen Test'."
“It’s just culture.”
"'The sky is ten thousand miles wide, but the sword is only three feet long'... this is a great quote."
Ogata was about to explain to Atachi that these words, as well as his action of splitting the sky with the sword, were not his original idea.
He just copied what Yuanyi did and said to him a few months ago...
But after seeing Atachi looking at him with admiration and countless little stars shining in her eyes, Ogata silently suppressed the words of explanation.
"Nothing, just something I thought of casually."
Ogata tried hard to put on a nonchalant smile that was typical of an expert.
——Master Genichi, I’m sorry…
Ogata decided to be shameless.
…
…
A-Machi just told Ogata that she would just need to rest for another two incense sticks.
And Ating didn't say anything nonsense. After two incense sticks, Ating said that she had rested enough.
So Ogata and Atachi packed their luggage and prepared to leave.
At the time of parting, Hizaka and others and the villagers of this village came to see Ogata and Atachi off.
The villagers of this village were also very kind. The village chief personally led the villagers to see Ogata and Atachi off - but there were still few young girls to be seen.
Ogata guessed that most of these villagers probably wanted them to leave.
After all, now that the bandits who were targeting them have been destroyed, there is no need for Ogata and the others to stay in this village any longer.
To put it bluntly: Ogata and his companions are no longer of any use to the villagers.
So seeing Ogata leave so happily, many villagers in this village must be very happy.
But Ogata didn't care about it.
As a time traveler, Ogata had not been influenced by the so-called Bushido ideology of that era, so he did not have the idea that samurai were superior to peasants and looked down on them.
He could understand the peasants' respect and fear for the samurai.
Hizaka and the others tried to persuade Ogata to stay, telling him that he didn't need to leave in such a hurry - especially Mizuno, who was the most vocal in wanting Ogata to not leave in such a hurry.
He probably wanted to ask Ogata more about swordsmanship.
However, Ogata, who had achieved his purpose of coming here, no longer wanted to stay here, so he politely declined Hizaka and the others' requests to stay.
After bidding farewell to Hizaka and the other villagers, Ogata and the others set out on the journey back to Kinno Town.
…
…
The weather is pretty good today.
It wasn't snowing, and there were no unpleasant looking dark clouds in the sky.
Today's luck is also very good.
We didn't encounter any "road bullies" who tried to rob people on the road along the way.
Ogata and Atachi walked forward at a steady pace, stepping on the layers of snow accumulated on the ground in a leisurely mood.
When they went to the village before, they set out early in the morning and arrived in the evening. The reason why it took so long was mainly because Tuwu and the two farmers who led the way were not in good physical condition and had to rest many times along the way.
Now that there was no "burden", Ogata and Atachi only took one break during the trip, for lunch.
When sunset appeared in the sky, Kinno Town, which had been away for nearly two days, finally appeared again in the sight of Ogata and A-machi.
Because the hotel he stayed in before was quite comfortable, Ogata found the hotel again and booked a new room.
After returning to Kinno-cho, Ogata wanted to say hello to Jiro Nishino and the people from Hosho Kenkan.
But as it seemed a little too late, he had to give up and planned to visit them one by one after tomorrow morning to tell them that he was back.
After spending an intense first half of the night and a peaceful second half with Atachi in the hotel bed, at about 7 o'clock in the morning, Obaya woke up, got dressed, put on Daishikage and Daishizai, and left the hotel.
Ogata’s first stop was the rehearsal space at Takarajima-ya.
Pushing open the door of the rehearsal venue of Takarajima-ya, Osamu saw everyone in Takarajima-ya who were diligently rehearsing "Ittosai" early in the morning, and Jiro Nishino who was already watching their rehearsal.
Seeing Ogata suddenly appear, Nishino Jiro exclaimed:
"Mashima-sama! You're back?"
"Yeah, I came back last night." Ogata walked slowly to Jiro Nishino's side.
"How was it? Did you encounter anything interesting when you arrived at the nearby town?"
In order to make it easier to explain, Ogata did not tell Jiro Nishino and the others that the reason he left Kinno Town was to fight bandits. He only said that he was going to the nearby town for fun and sightseeing.
"I didn't encounter anything interesting." Ogata shrugged, "Because I didn't encounter anything interesting, I came back early."
"Mashima-sama, I don't know if you know." Nishino Jiro lowered his voice, as if he was about to tell a secret, "During the two days you were away from Kinno-cho, something big happened in Kinno-cho."
"Big news?" Ogata frowned, "What happened?"
"Well, if I must say it... it's not a big deal." Nishino Jiro spread his hands and shrugged, "Yesterday afternoon, the army entered our vicinity of Kinno Town."
"Army?" Ogata's pupils shrank slightly.
"Yes." Nishino Jiro nodded, "It is said that the military camp of this army is now located one mile southwest of Kinno Town."
One ri in the Edo period is roughly equivalent to 4 kilometers today.
"Some brave ones went to see the flag of this army yesterday, wanting to see whether it was the army of the shogunate or the army of some other feudal domain."
"And...Mashima-sama, guess where that army is from."
Jiro Nishino kept the secret.
"Hmm..." Ogata hesitated for a moment, then said casually, "Is it the shogunate's army?"
Jiro Nishino shook his head.
"It's not the shogunate's army."
"Those who went to look at the military flag yesterday saw the 'bamboo sparrow pattern', which was the army of Sendai Domain."
"Sendai Domain?" Ogata's brows furrowed even more tightly.
The name of Sendai Domain is well-known throughout the country.
The Date clan, which ruled the Sendai Domain, was one of the powerful feudal lords that had the strength to dominate the world during the Warring States period 200 years ago.
The Date clan was defeated by the Tokugawa clan and eventually surrendered to them. After the Tokugawa clan established the Edo shogunate, the Date clan was granted the title of "Sendai Domain" and ruled over a large area of ​​the Ou region.
Judging from the data on paper, Sendai Domain was undoubtedly the strongest domain in the Ou region.
Rich in mineral resources, close to the ocean, and with excellent ports and pastures, Sendai Domain's mining, animal husbandry, smelting, fishery and other industries were extremely developed.
Because of the large amount of fertile land, the total rice production of Sendai Domain in a year was as high as 620,000 koku from agriculture alone. It was a powerful domain with a total rice production of more than 620,000 koku.
If the income from industries such as mining and animal husbandry is added, the financial scale of Sendai Domain has reached an extremely terrifying level.
In terms of financial resources, there are probably no more than five feudal states in the country that can surpass Sendai Domain or are on par with Sendai Domain .
"How many people are there in the Sendai clan army stationed near Kinno-cho?" Ogata asked.
"I don't know. Those who went to see the military flag yesterday didn't dare to get too close to the military camp, so they came back after seeing the military flag from a distance."
"Why are the Sendai Domain troops here?" Ogata asked, "Is there going to be a war somewhere?"
As a feudal state, Sendai Domain naturally could not mobilize their army at will.
If you mobilize the army at will, the shogunate might suspect you of rebellious intentions.
The town where Ogata is currently located is located in the direct jurisdiction of the shogunate.
The Sendai Domain's army was able to march so brazenly into the shogunate's direct jurisdiction, which must have been due to the shogunate's permission.
"Who knows..." Nishino Jiro smiled bitterly and shook his head, "Maybe there's another peasant uprising somewhere... As long as it doesn't involve us, that's fine."
Suddenly, a group of Sendai Domain troops stopped near Kinno-cho - this made Ogata somewhat concerned.
But Jiro Nishino didn't know much about this suddenly appearing army, and he told Ogata everything he knew.
Seeing that he couldn't get any other information about this army, Ogata could only suppress his curiosity for the time being.
The movements of the actors at Takarajima-ya are much more skillful than when Ogata left Kinnocho, which is a good thing to be celebrated.
After briefly watching the rehearsal of Baodaoya and then chatting briefly with Jiro Nishino, Obe left the rehearsal venue of Baodaoya and went to Hosho Sword Hall to say hello to the masters and disciples of Hosho Sword Hall whom he had not seen for two days, and then began to gain experience as usual.
He walked through the streets of all sizes with ease, and the familiar walls and gates of Hosho Sword Hall gradually appeared in front of Ogata.
After passing through the gate of the wall and walking on a path paved with white fine sand, we arrived at the gate of the gym.
As usual, there were two apprentices guarding the gate of the museum.
As Ogata was a customer of Hosho Sword Hall, the two apprentices naturally recognized Ogata.
Seeing that the person coming was Ogata, the two apprentices hurriedly ran towards Ogata with anxious looks on their faces.
"Mashima-sama! You're back!"
"Yeah. I just got back to Kinno-cho last night."
"Master Majima! You're back just in time! A group of strange people just entered our sword hall! They said they wanted to learn from us!"
"Someone's here to challenge us?" Ogata raised his eyebrows.
"That man is very powerful. Several of the 'Ten Swords of Hosho' have already been defeated!"
"I see." Ogata nodded, "I'll go to the dojo now to check the situation."
After bidding farewell to the two apprentices guarding the gate, Ogata hurried towards the dojo.
After opening the door of the dojo, Ogata was so shocked by the scene inside that he stood there in a daze.
Director Baosheng sat in the main seat of the dojo.
The apprentices of the sword hall sat on both sides of the sword hall.
A dozen unfamiliar warriors knelt solemnly in a corner of the dojo.
In the center of the dojo, there stood a "giant".
The man standing in the center of the dojo was over 1.9 meters tall - in the eyes of people of that era, such a height was no different from a giant.
On his shoulder was a large wooden gun with a handle as thick as half a bowl and a total length of 3 meters.
The most eye-catching thing is that this man is wearing a heavy armor with dark red as the main color and black as the accent.
Helmets, breastplates, hand armor, leg armor, everything is available, armed to the teeth.
Over the armor is a black feather robe with a hem that covers the buttocks, which is very cool.
The haori is embroidered with "bamboo sparrow patterns".
The dozen or so strange warriors sitting in a corner of the dojo all had the same "bamboo sparrow pattern" printed on their clothes.
After Ogata opened the door and entered the dojo, everyone's eyes naturally focused on Ogata.
"Lord Majima!" Everyone in the sword hall, led by Director Hosho, called out with joy.
As for the dozen or so strange warriors sitting in a corner of the dojo, and the man in armor standing in the center of the dojo, they looked at Ogata with curiosity and doubt.
"Who are you?" the man in battle armor asked, "Are you also from this sword hall?"
"I guess so." Ogata replied, "I am a guest of this sword hall."
"Oh?" The armored man pulled the corner of his mouth, smiled, and moved his eyes again, looking at Ogata a few more times, "It seems that you are very strong."
After saying that, the armored man stood up straighter, and then announced his home in a louder voice:
"I am Qiu Yueliqian, the Seven Spears of Xianzhou! May I know your name?"