After a brief chat with Director Hosho for a while, finally - the door of Chiyoza opened.
Several people dressed as staff members stood outside the door, directing the spectators to enter in an orderly manner.
After the door opened, Ogata and Atachi followed the crowd in.
As soon as he passed through the gate, Oba saw Jiro Nishino.
Jiro Nishino stood outside the door, as if looking for someone, standing on tiptoe, constantly moving his eyes, looking among the crowd that was pouring in.
When he saw Ogata, he raised his hands high, waved them vigorously, and shouted to Ogata:
"Mashima-sama! Please come here!"
Seeing Jiro Nishino calling him over, Ofang said goodbye to Director Hosho beside him, saying that he was leaving, and then led Atachi towards Jiro Nishino.
"Mashima-sama, Mashima-san, good evening! You're here so early."
As soon as Ogata came in front of Jiro Nishino, he greeted Ogata and the other man very enthusiastically.
"Yeah." Ogata nodded with a smile, "I had nothing to do anyway, so I went to wait outside Chiyoza in advance."
"Then Majima-sama, you came earlier than me." Nishino Jiro said with a smile, "I just got here too. Majima-sama, come with me, I will take you to your seats. Your seats are next to mine."
"Yes." Ogata nodded, "Thank you for your help."
"Hahaha, it's just a small matter!"
Jiro Nishino led Ogata and the other two and walked around the Chiyo-za with ease.
Soon, a large stage appeared within Ogata's field of vision.
There are a lot of candles placed around the stage for lighting, making the stage as bright as day.
The stage has been set.
Below the stage is a densely packed auditorium.
The audience seats are divided into different levels according to their distance from the stage .
The closer the seats are to the stage, the more expensive they are, and vice versa.
Thanks to Jiro Nishino's backstage manipulation, Ogata, A-machi and others were seated in the best seats closest to the stage - and they didn't cost a penny.
These seats, which are very close to the stage, are equipped with cushions to make the occupants more comfortable.
"Mashima-sama! This is where we are!"
Jiro Nishino is on the left side of Ogata, and A-machi is on the right side of Ogata.
As soon as his buttocks sat on the cushion, Nishino Jiro continued:
"It will take a while before it officially starts, so just wait patiently for now."
A-Ming turned around and glanced at the seat behind him.
"There are so many people..." Ating murmured.
“Hahaha.” Jiro Nishino said with pride, “Everyone is looking forward to Ittosai! All the tickets for the performances from today to the next seven days are sold out.”
"They're all sold out?" Ogata uttered a low exclamation.
"Yeah." Nishino Jiro nodded, "I just found out from Baodaoya. The tickets are sold out. The popularity is beyond Baodaoya's imagination."
"I just hope that all these expectant spectators can return with joy..."
As he said this, Jiro Nishino's hands, which were resting on his knees, clenched unconsciously, and a hint of nervousness flashed in his eyes.
…
…
The time of waiting is often boring.
There is still some time before the show officially starts.
In order to kill time while waiting, Ogata decided to tell Jiro Nishino about the idea that had just occurred to him: "adapting the story of Kamado Fujosai into a Kabuki play."
"Nishino-kun, do you know Shendu Bujingzhai?"
"Shendu Bujingzhai?" Xiye looked confused, "I don't know."
Ogata had expected Nishino to answer with a bewildered look on his face. After all, Nishino was also a young man, so it was normal for him not to know about this swordsman who had disappeared for more than 40 years. In the entire Hosho Sword Hall, only the director of Hosho knew about this person.
"He was a swordsman who was famous in the Ou region."
Ogata said slowly.
"He is a remarkable hero. I think his story is suitable for adaptation into a Kabuki play."
"Oh?" Jiro Nishino's eyes sparkled with interest. "A swordsman... Lord Majima, can you tell me more about this person?"
…
…
The Matsumae Domain was located in the northernmost part of Japan. In name, the entire Ezo region belonged to the Matsumae Domain.
Of course, it's just in name only.
In fact, the Matsumae domain could only control a small piece of land in the southern end of Ezo, and the total number of stones was only a pitiful 10,000 stones.
Overall, it was a relatively poor small fiefdom.
But this poor little fiefdom has become increasingly lively in recent years—but not in a positive sense.
First, the Ezo people became increasingly restless. Not long ago, in the first year of Kansei (1789 AD), the Ezo people had launched a rebellion in Kunasilimenasi.
The Matsumae Domain, located in the northernmost part of Japan and adjacent to the Ezo's sphere of influence, has always had the obligation to monitor the Ezo's movements.
The Ezo people launched a large-scale rebellion, so the Matsumae domain naturally had to send troops to quell it.
However, the rebellion that broke out in Kunasilimenasi was so large in scale that the Matsumae clan alone was unable to suppress it.
In the end, it was only with the help of the shogunate that the Ezo people who had rebelled in Kunasilimenasi were finally put down.
In addition to the restlessness of Ezo, the country of Russia on the other side of the ocean also began to make small moves.
In order to guard against Russia, the shogunate had to send troops to be stationed in Matsumae Domain to monitor and guard against Russia.
And then - today, another big thing happened.
That is - the current elder councilor of the shogunate: Matsudaira Sadanobu, after spending nearly a month, finally arrived at Matsumae Castle, the capital of Matsumae Domain, today.
…
…
On the night of January 1, the third year of Kansei—
Matsumae Domain, Matsumae Castle——
Last spring, General Inamori, who was entrusted with an important task by Matsudaira Sadanobu and commanded the army stationed on the front line in the north, was now sitting in a spacious room wearing the most formal dress.
There are currently 5,000 shogunate troops stationed in the north.
General Inamori set up the main camp of his army at Matsumae Castle.
As the general commander of the army, Inamori naturally lived in Matsumae Castle for a long time.
When Matsudaira Sadanobu arrived at Matsumae Castle this afternoon, Inamori led all the senior generals of the army currently staying in the city, along with the lords and ministers of the Matsumae domain, out of the city to welcome Matsudaira Sadanobu.
A few hours after welcoming Matsudaira Sadanobu into the city, after dark, Inamori suddenly received a message: Matsudaira Sadanobu wanted to see him now.
After receiving the order, Inamori immediately put down all the matters at hand, changed into the most formal dress, and arrived at the room under the guidance of a special person.
At this moment, Matsudaira Sadanobu had not yet arrived.
Although there was no one else in the room except him, Inamori still kept his back straight, placed his hands on his legs, and sat in the most standard kneeling posture.
Even though he was very tired, he never had the thought of "changing his sitting position to relax before anyone else comes."
Like a stone, he sat upright, eyes closed, and rested.
Finally——the door in front of him was slowly opened.
At the same moment the door opened, Inamori suddenly opened his eyes.
As the door opened, two figures walked into the room one after the other.
The two people who walked into the room were Matsudaira Sadanobu and his nickname Tachibana.
Matsudaira Sadanobu walked in front, while Tachibana held Matsudaira Sadanobu's sword, kept a certain distance from Matsudaira Sadanobu, and followed closely behind Matsudaira Sadanobu.
After entering the room at a moderate pace, Matsudaira Sadanobu did not choose to kneel down in a rigid manner, but instead crossed his legs and sat cross-legged in front of Inamori in a very casual manner.
Tachibana held Matsudaira Sadanobu's sword respectfully and knelt behind Matsudaira Sadanobu in a very standard posture.
As a personal attendant, one of Xiaoxing's common tasks is to hold a sword for his master.
When his lord was meeting someone, he would sit at his side and behind him, holding his sword, to increase his majesty.
After Matsudaira Sadanobu entered the room, Inamori immediately placed his hands on the tatami below him and bowed his head to greet Matsudaira Sadanobu.
After Matsudaira Sadanobu sat down in front of Inamori, he said to Inamori, who was about to put his forehead on the tatami:
"Inamori, raise your head."
"yes!"
After Inamori raised his head, Matsudaira Sadanobu continued:
"Inamori, there's no need to be so reserved. Just sit casually like me."
After saying that, Matsudaira Sadanobu gently patted his legs that were casually crossed.
As soon as he finished speaking, Inamori immediately shook his head.
"How can I do such a disrespectful thing in front of the old Lord?"
Seeing that Inamori insisted on sitting upright, Matsudaira Sadanobu said no more.
After looking at Inamori's face carefully several times, Matsudaira Sadanobu raised the corners of his mouth and revealed a faint smile.
"Inamori, it's been a while since we last met."
"You seem to have lost some weight since we last met in Kii half a year ago."
"Eat well, take a rest, and don't work too hard."
"Thank you for your concern, Lord Elder!" Inamori responded respectfully, then lowered his head, which had just stood up, and saluted Matsudaira Sadanobu again.
When he raised his head again, Inamori continued.
"Compared with the hard work of the old Zhongshang, my little hardship is not worth mentioning at all!"
There was no flattery in Inamori's words.
He said this sincerely.
Inamori has always had a feeling of admiration for Matsudaira Sadanobu.
He admired Matsudaira Sadanobu very much. Both Matsudaira Sadanobu's talent and diligence made Inamori admire him very much.
In order to inspect the Ezo region with his own eyes, he went north in person.
Matsudaira Sadanobu spent the New Year of the second year of Kansei on the road.
It took nearly a month, and today, on the afternoon of January 1st, we successfully arrived at Matsumae Castle of Matsumae Domain.
Then tonight, I called Inamori over.
Inamori was very clear about the character of Matsudaira Sadanobu.
Matsudaira Sadanobu almost never does anything meaningless or pointless.
Inamori dared to conclude that the reason why Matsudaira Sadanobu called him on the first day of his arrival at Matsumae Castle was definitely not to just greet him simply, but to talk to him about some serious matters.
In response to Inamori's praise, Matsudaira Sadanobu just smiled.
Then he continued to greet Inamori.
Inamori responded to Matsudaira Sadanobu's greetings one by one.
While responding, Inamori's gaze unconsciously drifted to Tachibana, who was sitting behind Matsudaira Sadanobu and holding Matsudaira Sadanobu's sword.
No.
To be more precise, Inamori's gaze drifted to the sword of Matsudaira Sadanobu who was held in Tachibana's arms.
Looking at the knife in Tachibana's arms, Inamori's eyes glowed with uncontrollable fiery light.
As the most powerful person in the shogunate besides the shogun, Matsudaira Sadanobu's sword is naturally no ordinary item.
The sword used by Matsudaira Sadanobu was the famous Naga-sone Kotetsu.
Chosone Kotetsu is actually the name of a swordsmith.
Because of his superb skills and the extraordinary quality of the swords he made, all swords made by Naga Sone Kotetsu are called "Naga Sone Kotetsu".
So "Naga Sone Kotetsu" can be considered a brand name. There are quite a few Naga Sone Kotetsu in the world.
The legendary swordsmith Naga Sone has passed away, so there will never be a new Kotetsu in the world.
Although Naga Sone made many swords when he was still alive, because the swords he forged were already famous when he was still alive, there are many counterfeits circulating on the market.
Because Kotetsu is so famous and his quality is so good, even fakes of Kotetsu often sell for sky-high prices.
Even if you offer 100 taels of gold, you may not be able to buy a fake of Kotetsu.
To this day, due to the prevalence of counterfeits, there is a phenomenon that out of 100 Kotetsu swords, 99 of them are fake.
Finding the real Nagazone Kotetsu - this might be quite difficult for ordinary people, but for the shogunate, it is not something impossible.
When Matsudaira Sadanobu took office as the new Ro-chū, the current Shogun, Tokugawa Ienari, presented Matsudaira Sadanobu with a genuine Nagasene Kotetsu.
From then on, this Nagasone Kotetsu became Matsudaira Sadanobu's sword.
It’s just that he has never used this long-sone kōtō.
After all, Matsudaira Sadanobu, who was second only to the emperor and above everyone else, would never encounter a situation where he needed to draw his sword and fight.
Although he had never used the Naga Sone Kotetsu, Matsudaira Sadanobu had someone test the sword after receiving it from the shogun.
And the authentic Nagazone Kotetsu lived up to its reputation - 6 corpses stacked on top of each other, cut apart with just one strike.
After chopping the six stacked bodies from top to bottom, the blade easily cut into the soil underneath as if it were inserted into paper.
After testing the knife, I picked it up and looked at it - there was not even a single cut on it.
As a military man and one of the country's few great generals, these precious swords are extremely tempting to Inamori.
The sword that Inamori is currently using is just a "more powerful ordinary item" and is far from being called a precious sword.
It has always been Inamori's dream to own a sword like Nagazene Kotetsu.
Even if I can't own it, I still want to try to wield such a precious sword in battle - even if only once.
It is always impolite to stare at other people's swords like this, so Inamori only glanced at Matsudaira Sadanobu's sword for a few times and then retracted his gaze.
After briefly chatting with Inamori about some family matters, Matsudaira Sadanobu's tone suddenly became serious.
"Inamori, the reason I called you over here tonight is actually to ask you something."
In the previous sentence, he was still talking about family matters, but in the next sentence he suddenly changed to talking about serious things - this is one of the characteristics of Matsudaira Sadanobu's speech.
As soon as Matsudaira Sadanobu finished speaking, Inamori immediately straightened his back and looked as if he was listening attentively.
"Don't be so reserved." Matsudaira Sadanobu waved his hand, "Relax and answer with a relaxed attitude."
"What I want to ask is not a difficult question to answer."
"Inamori, between the time you sent a message back to Edo and the time I arrived here, have the Lucia people made any new moves?"
After hearing this question from Matsudaira Sadanobu, Inamori secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
He was suddenly summoned by Matsudaira Sadanobu tonight , so he didn't make any preparations.
Therefore, he was quite worried that Matsudaira Sadanobu would ask him some difficult questions.
After learning that it was such an easy question to answer, the stone that had been hanging in Inamori's heart fell off.
While I felt relieved, I also admired Matsudaira Sadanobu even more.
He just arrived at the front line a few hours ago, and immediately threw himself into work a few hours later - this seriousness was something that Inamori felt ashamed of.
After clearing his throat and organizing his words, Daosen said seriously:
"In the past two months, the Lucia people have been the same as usual, with no new changes."
"Just running around in Ezo."
"However, half a month ago, I successfully collected some new information about the Lucia people."
"Oh?" Matsudaira Sadanobu raised an eyebrow. "New information? Tell me about it."
"Yes. According to my investigation, the Lucia people currently in Ezo do not seem to have a unified commander."
"Each group of Lucia people is independent and does their own thing."
"Go your own way?" Matsudaira Sadanobu frowned even deeper.
"Different Lucia people do different things."
"Some did not cause any damage, but simply wandered around to investigate the topography of Ezo."
"Some not only investigated the topography of Ezo, but also took the initiative to provoke Ezo, and then clashed with Ezo."
"But so far, no Lucia people have taken the initiative to provoke us or anyone else."
The Japanese are to Japan what the Han people are to the Tang Dynasty.
"The Lucia people seem to be deliberately avoiding us."
"Once they see us from a distance, they will leave immediately."
"...Everyone is doing their own thing?" Matsudaira Sadanobu muttered, silently digesting the important news that Inamori had just said.
"Although they are not subordinate to each other, the weapons they use are basically the same." Inamori continued, "No matter which group of Lucia people they are, they all wear strange curved swords on their waists, use iron cannons without matchlocks, and ride tall horses."
"According to the soldiers who have witnessed the Lucia people, the horses they ride are much taller and bigger than our horses, and the Lucia people are very good at riding, coming and going like the wind."
When the Russians just started to take frequent actions in Ezo, people from Matsumae Domain sent messages to Edo, reporting basic information such as the Russians' appearance and equipment.
So the Russians used strange curved swords and iron cannons without matches - Matsudaira Sadanobu had known this for a long time.
The shogunate had always required merchants who traded with foreign countries to submit "Fengshuocha" describing foreign affairs.
Matsudaira Sadanobu had carefully read the "Stories" presented by these merchants - although in Matsudaira Sadanobu's eyes, except for a few countries such as Japan, Tang Dynasty, and Korea, all other countries were barbaric countries.
Because I have read some stories that briefly introduced the country of Russia, Matsudaira Sadanobu has some understanding of the country of Russia.
I know that it is one of the Western countries founded by the southern barbarians, just like the Netherlands, but its land area is much larger.
The Nanman now use a kind of iron cannon without a matchlock - this is no secret in the shogunate.
Therefore, when he learned a long time ago that the Russians in Ezo were also using the kind of iron cannon without a matchlock, Matsudaira Sadanobu was not surprised - after all, they were also southern barbarians.
As for the fact that the horses ridden by the Russians were much taller and larger than those used by the Japanese, Matsudaira Sadanobu had learned about this from a report a long time ago.
In a report long ago, the horses ridden by the Russians were described in detail: they were much taller and stronger than the horses used by the Japanese, and their height was basically half a foot (15 cm) to one foot (30 cm) taller than the horses used by the Japanese.
"They use strange scimitars and are very good at riding..." Matsudaira Sadanobu smiled and then continued in a half-joking tone, "Why do they sound so much like the nomads of Tang Dynasty?"
"I really want to see what the scimitars used by these Lucia people look like."
"Inamori, have you succeeded in confiscating the swords of the Lucia people?"
When he heard Matsudaira Sadanobu's question, a look of embarrassment appeared on Inamori's face.
"I'm very sorry. Because the Lucia people ran away when they saw us, we have not had any conflicts with them so far, so we have not succeeded in confiscating a Lucia knife."
"I see... Never mind. There will be another chance in the future."
"Inamori, continue with your report."
"Master Laozhong, I'm very sorry. This is the only new information we have discovered so far." The embarrassment on Inamori's face has not yet subsided.
"No more?"
Matsudaira Sadanobu raised an eyebrow.
"Well, it's a great achievement to know that the Lucia people who are currently in Ezo are not subordinate to each other and are independent."
As soon as Matsudaira Sadanobu finished speaking, Inamori suddenly seemed to remember something and was stunned.
Noticing Inamori's strangeness, Matsudaira Sadanobu asked:
"Inamori, what's wrong?"
"About a month ago, I received a report that was... a little strange." Inamori hesitated, "I don't know whether I should report it to you."
"Report." Matsudaira Sadanobu said without hesitation.
"Yes." Inamori cleared his throat. "About a month ago, a certain Ezo settlement that was friendly with us told a Chinese caravan that was doing business with them something."
"Three months ago, a group of Russians visited the Ezo settlement."
"The leader of that Lucia group can speak Ainu."
"According to the descriptions of the Ezo people in that settlement, the leader of that Lucia group had bright red hair."
"These Lucia people were very gentle. They only asked questions and did not offend the Ezo people in that settlement."
"After asking common questions like the surrounding terrain and whether there were any water sources, he asked a very strange question."
"What a strange question?" asked Matsudaira Sadanobu.
"Yeah." Inamori nodded, "Those Lucia guys are actually looking for someone."
"Their red-haired leader asked the Ezo people in that settlement whether they knew a person named 'Genichi Kinoshita'."
…
…
Oshu area, Nishikino Town, Chiyoza——
After Ogata introduced the deeds of Kamado Fujosai to Nishino Jiro in the simplest words possible, Nishino Jiro said with shining eyes.
"Fujosai, huh? His story is indeed very suitable for being adapted into a Kabuki play..."
"Mashima-sama, thank you. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have known that Ou had such a person."
After thanking Ogata, Nishino Jiro asked Ogata expectantly:
"Mashima-sama, do you know any other stories of swordsmen? Can you tell me as well?"
"I now feel more and more that these swordsmen are treasure troves, and their stories often have the potential to be adapted into Kabuki scripts."
Hearing Jiro Nishino's question, Ogata smiled bitterly and shook his head.
"I'm sorry, except for Shendu Fujingzhai, I don't know the stories of other swordsmen."
What Ogata said was true.
The only person he knew who could be called a "swordsman" besides those historical figures and Kamado Fujingsai was Genichi.
Although he had spent quite a long time with Genichi, Ogata didn't know much about Genichi's past.
Genichi didn't seem to like talking about his past very much.
When in Edo, Ogata took the initiative to ask Genichi about his past during their chat.
But when Ogata asked Genichi about his past, Genichi would always smile and say modestly:
"My past was actually very boring. It was just a cycle of 'going to a new place, making a new enemy, going to a new place, making a new enemy again'."
Genichi modestly described his past as "a troublemaker's suicidal journey" and was unwilling to say more, so Ogata couldn't ask any more questions.
Ogata doesn't think that Genichi Kinoshita, who is known as the "Sword Saint", has only been causing trouble in the past.
Ogata sometimes couldn't help but sigh:
Master Genichi is so modest when it comes to his swordsmanship and his past!