The bald man, who was in high spirits, took another sip of wine and continued:
"Fortunately, during this period, the government has finally begun to vigorously regulate the naturalized Ezo people in the domain."
"Some of the naturalized Ezo people who were offered a bounty were captured one by one."
"Now only this most troublesome one is still on the run."
After saying that, the bald man raised his hand and pointed at the wall covered with wanted posters.
"Well, warrior-sama, I think you can remember this face. If you meet someone with this face, remember to quickly avoid him and inform the nearby officials."
Ogata looked at the wanted poster that the bald man was pointing at.
He was just busy looking at his own wanted poster and didn't even look at the other wanted posters.
The wanted poster the bald man pointed to had a rather rugged face painted on it.
The extremely thick hair and beard on his face reminded Ogata of the image of Zhang Fei in Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
The artist who drew this wanted poster had extremely high skills, outlining the very profound facial features with just a few simple strokes.
Deep facial features and lush hair - a typical Yezo image.
Ogata glanced at the man's bounty - 20 taels.
Although it is incomparable to Ogata's current 800 ryo, Ogata is completely out of the question.
The other wanted criminals were just ordinary criminals, nothing like Ogata, who disregarded the dignity of the shogunate.
If we don't compare it with wanted criminals of Ogata's level, 20 taels of gold is undoubtedly a high reward.
As long as he or his head was presented to the government, 20 taels of gold would be enough to provide a family of three with food and drink for many years to come, provided that they were not wasted - of course, provided that there was no major disaster such as the "Tianming famine" that would cause a large devaluation of money.
"This man's name is 'Makano', and his given name is 'Hanamura Ichiro'. He is the only wanted criminal who is still at large among the naturalized Ezo people."
The bald man continued.
"This man is very cunning. The government has spent a lot of effort but can't find him. I don't know where he is hiding."
"In addition to being cunning, this man is also very dangerous. He has many subordinates, all of whom are naturalized Ezo. He has gathered all the naturalized Ezo who are dissatisfied with us and the people, and it is said that he has developed a small force."
"Alas, I really hope that the government can bring these guys to justice as soon as possible, so that we ordinary people can live and work in peace."
"Are there many naturalized Ezo here in Matsumae Castle?" Atachi, who had been listening quietly, asked, "I don't think I saw many Ezo on the street today."
From the time they landed until now, apart from encountering three naturalized Ezo who intended to kill them, Ogata and Atachi had not seen any other Ezo wearing kimonos.
"It's normal that you didn't see it." The bald man nodded, "Those naturalized Ezo people basically live in the northwest corner of the city."
"Except for the northwest corner, the number of naturalized Ezo is relatively small in other places."
"You can see more naturalized Ezo in the northwest corner."
…
…
at the same time--
In a very secluded house somewhere in the western suburbs of Matsumae Castle—
A younger Ezo tiptoed into a room in the house.
"Maka no sir." After entering the room, the young Ezo spoke to a dark shadow in the room in an extremely respectful tone.
The dark shadow in the corner of the room is actually a human figure.
As soon as the young Ezo finished speaking, the figure "crawled" slowly, and then a low voice came from the figure.
"What is it?"
If Ogata and A-machi were present, they might cry out in surprise when they saw the true face of the figure.
This figure was none other than Maka Nao, the only wanted criminal among the naturalized Ezo who the bald man had just told them to be careful of and who was still at large.
Maka Nao pulled the lush beard on his chin and cast a sharp gaze at the young Ezo in front of him.
"Three of our compatriots died in the city today." The young Ezo replied in a neutral tone, "They died in an alley. Because they were carrying bows and arrows, the government determined that they were robbing others with bows and arrows, and then were killed by the others."
"So the government now seems to have no intention of seriously investigating how these three compatriots died."
"We plan to close the case with the statement 'these three people were murdered during a failed robbery attempt.'"
"...Have you found out who the three dead people are?" Maka's beard pulling became rough.
"We have found out. It is He Pei, Xinole, and Ma Bo."
" ... I don't remember these three names." Maka said softly, "Are they our compatriots who recently moved into Matsumae Castle?"
"It's normal that you don't have any impression of Makano-sama." The young Ezo replied, "Although the three of them moved into Matsumae Castle very early, they have always lived a low-key life, so they have never been noticeable."
"Were the three of them really killed because they failed to rob?" Macanao asked.
"...It is very likely that this is the case." The young Ezo's voice, which had been devoid of any emotion until now, finally showed some fluctuations at this moment. "According to their friends, no one was willing to hire them for work."
"Some time ago, the three of them told their friends that they were starving and wanted to rob some money to eat."
"...It seems like three more compatriots have been forced into a desperate situation." Maka's voice was filled with hatred, "Damn Kazuto...!"
After saying that, Maka stood up and walked to the window next to her.
Standing by the window, you can clearly see the fire in the distance.
This area in the northwest corner of Matsumae Castle is where the naturalized Ainu people live, and it is also the poorest place in Matsumae Castle.
After nightfall, there was almost no light in this area, forming a stark contrast to other places in the city.
Maka looked out of the window and could see an extremely obvious difference - the area where he and his compatriots lived was pitch black, while other urban areas outside this area were brightly lit.
The same city, but two worlds.
Maka looked at the lights outside the window , hatred slowly emerging in his eyes.
"Tell the others."
Maka said to the young Ezo behind him.
"Let them be ready to fight at any time."
"We must take down the head of the leader of the Kazuto clan, Matsudaira Sadanobu!"
When Makano uttered the name "Matsudaira Sadanobu", his tone was sonorous and powerful.
It's like he's talking about something that's bound to happen.
…
…
Matsumae Domain, Matsumae Castle, inside a military warehouse—
"Master Lao Zhong, this way."
A middle-aged official made a "please" gesture to Matsudaira Sadanobu behind him, and then led Matsudaira Sadanobu to a corner of the warehouse.
There were two young officials on the left and right sides of this middle-aged official.
As for Matsudaira Sadanobu, he strode forward with his hands behind his back, led by the middle-aged official.
His nickname Tachibana and a group of guards followed closely behind.
The middle-aged official who led the way brought Matsudaira Sadanobu to a "sea of ​​wooden boxes" composed of huge rectangular wooden boxes.
The wooden boxes that make up this "sea of ​​wooden boxes" are all very large, more than enough for an adult male of average height of that era to lie down in them.
After bringing Matsudaira Sadanobu to this "sea of ​​wooden boxes", the middle-aged official immediately winked at the two young officials who had been following him.
The two fairly smart young officers quickly understood what was going on, and then worked together to open a wooden box in the "sea of ​​wooden boxes", revealing the contents of the box.
"Sir." The middle-aged official bowed and made a "please" gesture to Matsudaira Sadanobu, "This is the national bomb that just arrived. Please take a look."
Matsudaira Sadanobu stepped forward and looked inside the wooden box.
The wooden box was stuffed with a lot of dry straw.
In the middle of this pile of dry straw, a huge cannon barrel lay quietly.
The black gun body reflects a unique metallic luster.
Matsudaira Sadanobu raised his hand and gently stroked the gun barrel.
Feeling the cool touch of his fingertips, Matsudaira Sadanobu smiled faintly:
"I've been waiting for you for a long time..."
The collapse of a country is actually caused by artillery fire.
During the Warring States Period more than 200 years ago, the Portuguese introduced artillery to the Otomo clan, a vassal state located in the south of the country at that time.
The lord of the Otomo family at that time, Otomo Sorin, witnessed the power of the artillery with his own eyes and was so delighted that he named it "Kokubeng".
From then on, the Japanese began to refer to artillery as "kokubeng".
Of course, some people also call artillery "big barrels". Because there are quite a lot of big barrels, some of which are almost the same in style and firepower as cannons.
Matsudaira Sadanobu was a member of the "National Collapse Party" who used to refer to artillery as the collapse of the country.
This time, the troops are sent to the north, aiming at the Red Moon Fortress, and Matsudaira Sadanobu is determined to capture it.
This war actually involves many political elements.
Through this war, the Ainu, who were dissatisfied with them and the people, could witness the strength of them and the people with their own eyes, and make them realize the gap between their two nations.
Therefore, in order to make the Ezo people feel their power as deeply as possible, after persuading the Shogun to send troops to the north, Matsudaira Sadanobu immediately persuaded the Shogun to mobilize as many arquebuses (muskets), large cannons and national bombs as possible.
The Shogun, who was almost obedient to Matsudaira Sadanobu's orders, agreed to Matsudaira Sadanobu's proposal almost without hesitation.
It was a peaceful time, and it had been a long time since a large-scale war had come to this country. The military of both the shogunate and the feudal states had long been in disarray.
Therefore, after a mobilization, a total of 400 cannons, 9 munitions and 52 large barrels of various types were mobilized.
These firearms have been delivered to Matsumae Castle one after another in the past few days.
Just now, Matsudaira Sadanobu finally received the news - the 9-door national bomb was finally successfully delivered here and has been stored in the warehouse.
As for the iron cannons and large barrels, they will take some time to arrive.
Matsudaira Sadanobu, who had been waiting for these powerful weapons for a long time, could not wait to ask his subordinates to take him to the warehouse to see the latest delivered national bombs.
This is how the scene now happened where Matsudaira Sadanobu was brought into this warehouse by this middle-aged official.
After moving his fingers away from the barrel of the Kuniben cannon in front of him, Matsudaira Sadanobu turned his head and asked the middle-aged official beside him:
"Has all 9 gates of national collapse been delivered safely?"
“They have all been delivered.”
"Open them all and show them to me."
"yes."
The middle-aged official winked at the two young officials beside him.
Then the two young officers stepped forward and opened the other eight wooden boxes next to them - without exception, there were huge gun barrels inside.
After these gun barrels are equipped with wheels and other parts, they can be put into combat.
After confirming the number, Matsudaira Sadanobu continued:
"What about the shells? Have they been delivered?"
"Sixty shells have been delivered so far," the middle-aged official replied, "and more than a hundred shells will be delivered later."
"Where are the shells stored? I want to see."
"yes!"
The middle-aged official took Matsudaira Sadanobu to another warehouse.
For safety reasons, gunpowder, shells and other items were stored in another warehouse.
When he arrived at the warehouse where the shells were stored and saw the brand new shells, a smile full of satisfaction filled Matsudaira Sadanobu's entire face.
"Okay, okay." Standing in front of the boxes of shells, Matsudaira Sadanobu said "Okay" twice with a smile on his face.
Tachibana, who was standing behind him, showed a hint of surprise on his face - Matsudaira Sadanobu usually had a stern face, so it was rare for him to smile and say the word "OK" twice like this.
In fact, Matsudaira Sadanobu is indeed very happy now.
He couldn't wait to see the scene where their artillery would blow away all the Ainu entrenched in the Red Moon Fortress.
…
…
The "crab pot" tastes really good.
The crabs here were bigger and more delicious than any crabs Ogata had ever seen before.
After enjoying a sumptuous dinner of crab pot and hot wine, Ogata and A-machi left the restaurant contentedly.
Because the crab pot was very much to Ating's taste, after leaving the restaurant, Ating was still lingering on the taste of the crab pot.
"It tastes really good." Ating licked his lips and touched his belly which was still very flat even after a full meal. "Let's eat it later."
"Come back in two days." Ogata said, "If you eat it too often, you'll get tired of it soon."
After saying that, Ogata turned his head and looked at Atachi's slightly rosy face seriously.
"You seem to be more alert. Do you still feel dizzy now ?"
Before this, the aftereffects of seasickness still lingered in Ating's body, and he still felt a little weak and dizzy until before dinner.
"Yeah." Ating nodded, "I feel much better after eating. I don't feel dizzy anymore."
"That's good."
The end of the direction Ogata and Atachi were heading in was the hotel they were staying in.
Just as the hotel they rented appeared in front of their sight, two passers-by passing by Ating attracted Ating's attention.
The two passers-by were a woman and a little girl.
The woman's eyebrows had been shaved off and her teeth were dyed black - it was obvious at first glance that she was a married woman.
After getting married, women would shave their eyebrows and dye their teeth black - this was one of the trends during the Edo period.
However, this trend has declined to this day, and many women no longer do this - for example, Ating does not do this.
Nowadays, most women are like Ating who do not shave their eyebrows or dye their teeth black. It is rare to see people who shave their eyebrows or dye their teeth black after getting married.
The little girl looked to be only 6 or 7 years old and was held in the woman's arms.
The woman and the little girl have similar facial features, so they should be mother and daughter.
The mother and daughter who passed by Ogata and Atachi were talking and laughing, happily chatting about something.
Even though the mother and daughter had passed by Ating, Ating still turned his head and stared at them with a thoughtful look on his face.
"Ating, what's wrong?" Ogata noticed that Ating was acting strangely, turned his head and cast a puzzled look at Ating.
"Ah, nothing." Ating quickly withdrew his gaze from the mother and daughter, "Let's go, let's go back to the hotel."
…
…
After returning to the hotel, the two sat and rested for a while, then turned off the lights and prepared to go to bed and rest.
The two of them still spent most of the day at sea. Although Ah-Cheng had become much more energetic after dinner and the sequelae of seasickness had been alleviated a lot, there was definitely still a lot of fatigue accumulated in Ah-Cheng's body.
It was with this in mind that Ogata decided to eat and rest early today, and leave the important matter of investigating the whereabouts of Genzheng and Genzhi to tomorrow after a good rest.
In order to allow Ating to have a good rest today, we will not perform the Great Harmony of Life which we did every night before tonight.
But after getting into bed with Atachi, Ogata found that Atachi had his eyes wide open, staring at the ceiling, wondering what he was thinking.
"A-Ming, what's wrong?" Ogata asked, "Why are you so serious?"
"…Nothing." Ating said softly, "I just saw a mother and daughter when I was walking back to the hotel just now."
"Then it suddenly occurred to me that one day I would be like that woman, holding my own child and playing with him or her..."
"When I think about this, I feel a little... complicated."
"It's hard to imagine me holding my own child in my arms..."
Hearing this, Ogata was stunned.
Then he muttered:
"Children?... Hearing you say that...it's hard for me to imagine myself holding my own child in my arms..."
Holding the child with Atachi - this scene seems very far away at first, but if you think about it carefully, it is actually not far away... This scene that currently exists in Ogata's imagination may become a reality in a year or two.
Although Ogata consciously took protective measures when he first started to be honest with Atachi.
But the protection measures of this era were so backward that all Ogata could do was to deviate the asteroid from its orbit and prevent it from hitting the earth directly.
But this method does not provide perfect protection - Ogata had taken relevant courses in school in his previous life.
Moreover, Ogata has lost count of the number of times he has been too focused and slowed down by a little or a little, causing asteroids to pass by the earth or hit the earth directly.
Because it happened so often, if A-machi told Ogata that she was pregnant a few months later, Ogata would not be surprised at all.
"...When the scene of us holding our child really appears in the future." Ogata turned his head and smiled at A-Machi, "Let's work hard together."
"Let's raise the child together."
"I don't know whether our first child will be a boy or a girl." Ating murmured.
"It doesn't matter to me whether it's a boy or a girl. I don't care about this kind of thing. I won't favor one child over another based on their gender."
"Will you teach our child swordsmanship?" A-Ming asked, "If it is our child, he should be very talented in swordsmanship."
"Of course I will teach them. In this world, it is still necessary to learn some sword skills to protect yourself. But I won't force them to become great swordsmen or open a sword gym in the future."
"Compared to the sword hall, I hope our children can study more and open a private school in the future."
"Oh, yes, we can try to let our children and grandchildren learn Rangaku (Western learning)."
After saying this, Ogata gave a meaningful smile.
"Rangaku? Why?" Ating looked puzzled.
"Nothing, I just feel that studying Dutch studies has a better future."
Of course, Ogata couldn't tell Atachi that he was a time traveler and knew that 70 years later, American ships would blast open the door to Japan. From then on, people who were proficient in Dutch studies became popular.
Although he didn't know much about Japanese history in his previous life, Ogata still knew about the founding of Japan in the 19th century.
Because of this, Ogata knows that swordsmanship and the like will become useless after 70 years, so he doesn't really want his and Atachi's children and grandchildren to open a sword school in the future, as it has no future.
By the time of their great-grandchildren, Dutch studies had become a very popular subject, and as long as one understood Dutch studies, there was no worry of not being valued.
Ogata, who knows what will happen in the future, thinks this kind of thing is very interesting.
…
…
The next day——
Last night, Ogata and Atachi discussed for a long time about the future - basically, things about what is and isn't.
Before he knew it, Ating, tired from chatting, fell into a deep sleep.
After Atachi fell asleep, Ogata also closed his eyes.
Not long after dawn, Ogata and Atachi both got out of bed and changed their clothes.
They plan to officially start looking for clues related to the whereabouts of the master and disciple Xuanzheng and Xuanzhi today.
They are ready for a protracted war.
Although Matsumae Castle was not large, searching for two people who did not even know when they arrived in Ezo in such a castle was like looking for a needle in a haystack.
Moreover, even if we search the entire Matsumae Castle, we may not find any clues.
The two men had long been prepared for a protracted war. When they sailed to Ezo, they counted the money they had left in preparation for the protracted war that was about to begin.
When Atachi left Shiranui, she didn't have much money on her, so after reuniting with Ogata in Kyoto, Atachi basically used Ogata's money.
The money Kuranaga gave him when he escaped from the domain + the money he earned from the Imperial Examination + the money he earned from killing the bandits more than a month ago + the money that Nishino Jiro shared with him after "Ittosai" became a big hit + the money he took from those guys who robbed or wanted his head without knowing the consequences = Ogata's current total savings.
Excluding silver and copper coins, Ogata and Atachi now have a total of 186 taels of cash.
As long as they don't spend it recklessly, this money will be enough for the "protracted war" they are going to fight in Ezo.
After getting up, washing, and changing clothes, A-Machi asked Ogata:
"Where should we go to check first?"
"... Let's go to the port first." Ogata hesitated for a moment and replied, "If Genzheng and Genzhi had landed in Ezo through the port of Matsumae Castle in an orderly manner, then perhaps the port staff would remember them."
After quickly deciding on the first investigation location, Ogata and Atachi quickly left the hotel and headed towards the port.
Just as they were about to reach the intersection connecting the port and the city, A-machi's eyes suddenly lit up. He pulled Ogata's sleeve with his right hand and pointed to the street intersection not far away with his left hand.
"Ayi, look at that!"
Ogata looked in the direction of Atachi's finger and couldn't help but exclaimed: "Wow..."
I saw an old man sitting at the corner of the intersection connecting the port and the urban area in front.
There were many wooden cages in front of the old man.
These wooden cages contain many kinds of animals.
The only two species that Ogata could recognize were foxes and squirrels.
It looks like a pet stall selling pets.
Girls always like cute animals.
A-Machi is no exception.
With shining eyes, Atachi pulled Ogata and ran quickly towards the pet stall in front.
When arriving at the pet stall, Ating squatted down and looked at the small animals in the cages with joy on his face, like a child who had received a favorite gift from his parents.
"Hehe, take a look." The owner of the pet stall, the old man sitting behind the wooden cages, said to Ah-Ming while laughing, "If you like an animal, you can buy it home. The price is absolutely fair."
"My lord, what is this?" Ating pointed to an animal that looked like both a mouse and a rabbit and was trapped in a cage.
"It's called a pika," the old man replied. "It's a species that only lives in Ezo. Isn't it cute? It only costs 40 taels of silver."
After introducing the animal called pika, the old man began to introduce it to the animals in other cages.
"The pets I sell here are all animals that are unique to Ezo."
"This is a red fox."
“It’s a red squirrel.”
"This is Flying Squirrel."
…
A-Ming listened attentively to the old man's introduction.
Ogata accompanied Atachi and listened to the old man's introduction.
Ogata also likes cute animals.
So now he, like Ating, was looking at these cute little animals in the cage with great interest.
But even though he was having fun, Ogata didn't forget his business.
After the old man finished his introduction, Ogata looked up and asked:
"Sir, how many years have you been running this pet stall?"
"A long time ago. I sold pets here many years ago."
"Do you usually set up a stall here?" Ogata asked.
"Yes. I mainly do business with merchants who do business in Ezo and the mainland."
"This place connects the city and the port. People who land at the port have to pass through here if they want to enter the city, so it is convenient for me to do business with those merchants."
"The animals I sell are all unique to Ezo. So many merchants buy animals from me and then bring them back to their homeland to sell to the nobles and wealthy people who love to keep pets."
"You usually set up a stall here? Then why didn't my wife and I see you here yesterday?"
Ogata remembered very clearly that when he and Atachi landed in Ezo and left the port and entered the city yesterday afternoon, they did not see this pet stall.
"Oh, then you probably just missed the time when I opened my stall."
"I usually open my stall at 5am (8am) and close it at 4pm (4pm)."
"Because it takes a lot of time to bring so many pets back to where I live, I usually close my stall earlier."
Ogata recalled the time when he landed yesterday - when he and Atachi landed, it was already past 4 o'clock in the afternoon, which was just later than the old man's closing time.
After thinking for a moment, Ogata asked the old man:
"May I ask your name, sir?"
"Just call me God of Soup." The old man said with a smile.
"Mr. Tang Shen, I want to ask if you have any impression of these two men."
Ogata described the physical features of Gensho and Gennao one by one.
Previously, when they were in Kyoto, Xuanren, Xuanzheng's apprentice and Xuanzhi's junior brother, told Ogata and others the appearance characteristics of Xuanzheng and Xuanzhi.
Ogata already remembered the physical features of the two people Xuanren described by heart.
This old man has been setting up a stall here for many years.
This is the intersection connecting the port and the urban area. Anyone who lands at the port and wants to enter the urban area must go through this intersection.
Therefore - if Genzheng and Genzhi had landed at Matsumae Castle by boat in an orderly manner, the old man might have had an impression of them.
So Ogata decided to start with this old man and fire the first shot in this "protracted war" to find Genzheng and Genzhi.
In fact, Ogata had no expectations for this old man.
After all, this old man looks at least 60 years old, and many people see him every day.
Ogata had no expectations of his memory.
Not only Ogata, but Atachi also had no expectations.
"Hmm... an old man in his 50s and a young man in his 30s... speaking with a Kyoto accent..."
The old man muttered the physical characteristics that Ogata had just mentioned.
"Oh! Now I remember, I've seen these two people before. I have a pretty good impression of them."
“Cough, cough, cough…!” Ogata happened to be swallowing his saliva just now.
He had just swallowed half of his saliva when he choked on his own saliva after hearing the old man's answer.