The bear that suddenly appeared was much larger than the one that Ogata and Atachi had just killed.
The bear that the two men had just killed was about 2.5 meters tall when it stood up.
And this new big bear that suddenly appeared was definitely more than 3 meters tall when it stood up, according to Ogata's visual estimation - almost as tall as two Atachis put together.
The body of the bear lying at Ogata and Atachi's feet was still warm, and Ogata and the others were already on edge.
Now a new bear appeared, and with their nerves still tense, Ogata and Atachi quickly took out their weapons again.
A-Ming took out Suying, who had just been put back into her arms.
Ogata also took out Kasumi again.
The two men's pistols had just been loaded with bullets and were ready to fire at any time.
The newly appeared big bear did not pounce directly like the previous bear.
After letting out a loud roar that caused all the birds around to fly away in panic, the bear stopped where it was and did not make any other moves.
I just watched Ogata and Atachi from a distance.
Seeing that the bear did not attack them, A-Machi asked Ogata in a cautious tone:
"This bear didn't pounce on me. Could it be an ordinary bear that has never eaten human flesh?"
"Who knows?" Ogata answered without hesitation, " Anyway - don't let your guard down."
The bear did not attack Ogata and Atachi directly, which made Ogata feel a little relieved - because this meant that it might just be an ordinary bear that happened to pass by here.
However, although he breathed a sigh of relief, Ogata did not relax every nerve in his body.
His left hand tightly grasped Kasumi, ready to raise his gun and shoot at any time.
Raise your right hand slightly and bend your fingers to make it easier to draw the sword.
The two bears just stared at each other.
After a while, the bear suddenly turned its head and looked to the west of Ogata and A-Machi.
Then he turned and left without looking at Ogata and Atachi anymore.
After confirming that the bear had really left, Ogata and Atachi breathed a sigh of relief at the same time in tacit understanding.
Bears are not easy to deal with. Without using Motozakura and Kasumi, Ogata would also find it difficult to deal with them. So no matter what, it would be best to avoid fighting with the bear.
Moreover, Ogata cannot gain any experience points by fighting the bear.
Ogata can only gain experience points when fighting humans.
Fighting with animals other than humans does not give any experience points.
So after Ogata killed the bear just now, no system sound sounded in his mind, and he did not gain any experience points.
After letting out a long sigh, Ating put away her Suying and murmured:
"My luck today is so bad... I encountered two bears one after another..."
"Luckily, the bear just now didn't attack us like this bear did. It seems to be a bear that doesn't eat human flesh."
"It turns out that as long as you look at an ordinary bear and don't do anything out of the ordinary, the bear will leave on its own..."
At this time, Ogata also put away his Kasumi Nagi, then turned his head to look at the dead bear at his feet, which still had some body temperature left.
Since we have finally killed a bear, it would be a real loss if we don’t retrieve something valuable from it.
After thinking for a while, Ogata asked seriously:
"A-Ting, can you skin a bear and take out its gall?"
"Ah? You want to skin this bear and sell it later?"
"I'm not selling it. I just think that this bear skin and gall can be used to trade with the Ezo people in the various Ezo settlements."
"The Ezo people still live in settlements that rely on barter, and they don't have their own currency."
"There may not be many Ezo settlements willing to accept our currency."
"So we take these treasures from the bear, maybe we can exchange them for something useful from the Ezo people later."
"Useful information, or useful items."
As Ogata finished speaking, Atachi showed a look of sudden enlightenment.
"I see."
"That makes sense... these treasures on the bear can be used as currency in the Ezo settlements..."
"but……"
Ating looked bitter.
"I haven't tried skinning an animal..."
"I don't know which one the bear's gallbladder is..."
Atachi's words made Ogata look helpless: "I don't know how to skin a bear either..."
At this moment, Ogata's face changed slightly, and then he quickly took out Kasumi, who had just been put in his arms, and pointed the gun at a bush covered with snow on the west side.
"Come out." Ogata said to the bushes in a low voice.
Years of bloody battles have enabled Ogata to develop keen senses far beyond those of ordinary people.
They are especially sensitive to sounds like footsteps.
Just now, although the sound was very light, Ogata still heard a strange sound of footsteps on the snow coming from the bushes to the west of them.
Apart from his eyesight being much better than Ogata's, A-Machi's other senses were not as sharp as Ogata's, so he did not hear any unusual noise coming from the bushes on the west side.
But seeing Ogata suddenly pull out a gun and aim at the bushes on the west side, Atachi roughly guessed what had happened, so she hurriedly took out her Suying and prepared to deal with any possible emergencies.
After Ogata shouted "Come out", there was nothing unusual in the bushes at first.
Then suddenly there was a rustling sound.
Then, a young man in strange clothes, with his hands raised high, slowly walked out from behind the bushes.
Looking at the young man who appeared from behind the bushes, Ogata and Atachi both showed surprise on their faces.
The young man looked to be around 25 years old. He had much deeper facial features than the yellow race, and a thick beard on his chin that could rival Zhang Fei in Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
He carried a bow on his back, a short sword on his waist, and wore strange clothes that were very different from kimono.
This person's identity is self-evident - he is Ezo.
This was the first human that Ogata and Atachi had encountered since they left Matsumae Domain and traveled northward.
Before Ogata and Omachi could say anything, the Ezo said in unstandard but fluent Japanese:
"Kazuto, don't be nervous. I mean no harm. Look, I don't have any weapons in my hands."
"There is no one else besides me."
This Ezo shook his raised hands as if to prove that he was indeed not holding any weapons.
"I just heard the sound of cannon fire and the roar of a bear, so I came to check out the situation."
At this point, the Ezo turned his head and glanced at the dead bear lying at the feet of Ogata and A-Machi, then uttered a low cry of surprise:
"It's really Unkamuyi..."
"We chased it for so long, but we didn't expect it to be hunted down by you two."
Ezo cast an admiring look at Ogata and Atachi.
But he quickly put away the admiration in his eyes, and then asked Ogata and the others in a serious tone:
"In addition to the bear you have killed, I heard the roar of another bear."
"And the other bear? Where did it go?"
"That bear?" The image of the big bear that just walked away appeared in Ogata's mind.
"It just ran away." Atachi answered for Ogata.
"It ran away again..." Ezo smiled bitterly, "That means... there is still one Unkammui left that has not been hunted down..."
…
…
Songqian Castle, Northwest District, inside a certain teahouse——
The common people of Matsumae Castle might never have imagined that the second-in-command of the shogunate was now in this teahouse located in the northwest area of ​​Matsumae Castle.
At this time, Matsudaira Sadanobu was in a compartment on the second floor of the teahouse.
Standing by the window, looking out at the street below.
Tachibana, who was almost inseparable from Matsudaira Sadanobu, naturally stood by Matsudaira Sadanobu's side.
Several guards in plain clothes stood behind Matsudaira Sadanobu.
In front of Matsudaira Sadanobu stood an official with a big belly.
This official was the Matsumae clan elder, Yasunobu.
The reason why Matsudaira Sadanobu decided to go to Ezo in person was not only to urge the army to conquer the Red Moon Fortress, but also to inspect the current situation of Ezo with his own eyes in order to prepare for the "Ezo Development" that was planned to be launched later.
Today, Matsudaira Sadanobu suddenly said that he wanted to see with his own eyes the living conditions of the naturalized Ezo people in Matsumae Castle.
Facing the second-in-command of the shogunate, Yasunobu, as the elder of the Matsumae clan, did not dare to neglect any request of Matsudaira Sadanobu.
So he personally led the team and took Matsudaira Sadanobu to the northwest corner of Matsumae Castle where the naturalized Ezo people lived, and took Matsudaira Sadanobu to see the living conditions of the naturalized Ezo people in the city.
Therefore, there is the scene where Matsudaira Sadanobu and others are squeezed in a cubicle on the second floor of this teahouse, looking out at the street view through the window.
"Master Lao Zhong, please look."
An Sunzi, who was leaning against the window, put on a flattering smile and spoke to Matsudaira Sadanobu.
"At present, most of the naturalized Ezo in Matsumae Castle have been civilized by us."
"Some of their ancestors were naturalized Ainu people, and now they basically have no barbaric habits."
Looking down through the window, you can see the entire street in front of the teahouse.
This place is where the Ezo people live, so you can see many Ezo people wearing kimonos walking on the streets.
You can even see some Ezo working there.
Or they are moving rice or wood.
Or they might be setting up a small stall and selling things.
At first glance, it seems that the Ainu people here have been perfectly integrated into their society and that of humans.
But who would have thought——Matsudaira Sadanobu, who had been silently looking at the street view outside the window, sneered after hearing what An's grandson had just said:
"Master An Sunzi, although I also like to hear nice words, I still respectfully decline such overly nice words."
"Do you think I didn't send someone to investigate your domain before coming to Ezo?"
"Do you think I don't know that the conflict between the Japanese people in your domain and the naturalized Ezo is quite acute?"
"The Japanese despise naturalized Ezo, and many Japanese are unwilling to employ naturalized Ezo."
"Many naturalized Ainu cannot find any decent jobs and have to resort to evil ways."
Ever since Matsudaira Sadanobu opened his mouth, cold sweat has been pouring down Anson's forehead and back.
An Sunzi now felt a chill on his forehead and back.
Just as An Sunzi was racking his brains, thinking about what to say to make amends, Matsudaira Sadanobu suddenly raised his hand and patted An Sunzi on the shoulder.
"It's human nature to only say nice things to your superiors."
"So I don't blame you."
"I just hope you don't make this mistake again next time."
After hearing what Matsudaira Sadanobu said, An Sunzi immediately felt as if he had been pardoned. He quickly bowed to Matsudaira Sadanobu and apologized and thanked him.
"If we want to develop the Ezo area, the conflict between us and the naturalized Ezo is an issue that we can never avoid."
"Your Highness needs to pay more attention to this issue."
After saying this in a calm tone, Matsudaira Sadanobu put his hands behind his back and turned away.
"Master Laozhong." An's grandson hurriedly followed, "Are you going back home?"
"Yeah. I've seen everything I wanted to see. There's no need to stay here any longer."
Under the escort of Tachibana and others, everyone left the teahouse.
"Sir." Tachibana, who was walking beside Matsudaira Sadanobu, whispered, "Do you need to arrange a sedan chair?"
"No need." Matsudaira Sadanobu rejected Tachibana's proposal without hesitation, "I've been staying at home recently and haven't exercised much."
"I'll take this opportunity to get some exercise."
Matsudaira Sadanobu looked up at the position of the sun in the sky - there was still some time before dark, but this time was enough for him to walk back home before dark.
Seeing that Matsudaira Sadanobu wanted to walk back home, Tachibana said no more. He and the other guards just observed the surroundings quietly to prevent unknown people from approaching Matsudaira Sadanobu.
Matsudaira Sadanobu, with his hands behind his back, walked forward at a leisurely pace, his face solemn.
He was thinking about ways to ease the conflict between the local people and the naturalized Ezo.
Just as he had just said to An Sunzi - if we want to develop the Ezo area, the conflict between us and the naturalized Ezo is a problem that can never be avoided.
If the naturalized Ainu are not allowed to live in harmony with the people, there is no telling when these naturalized Ainu will revolt.
At this moment, Matsudaira Sadanobu actually missed the four young men headed by Kitagawa Toshiki.
These four young novices, whose status in the shogunate was second only to his and who had always assisted him in handling various government affairs, often had differences of opinion with Matsudaira Sadanobu on political issues.
But he also often puts forward very unique insights and opinions.
It has been some time since Matsudaira Sadanobu arrived in Matsumae Domain.
During this period, Matsudaira Sadanobu also met with all the high-ranking officials of the Matsumae domain and briefly observed them.
According to Matsudaira Sadanobu's observations, every single one of the high-ranking officials in the Matsumae domain was either a good-for-nothing or a mediocre official.
Now, Yasunobu, who was walking respectfully beside Matsudaira Sadanobu, was considered a better person among the high-ranking officials of the Matsumae domain - at least his abilities were just mediocre.
Discuss with these people the measures to "ease the conflict between naturalized Ainu and Japanese" - they certainly won't be able to say anything valuable.
Therefore, Matsudaira Sadanobu now misses the four young and capable people under his command very much, and hopes that there can be a few capable people to brainstorm with him.
…
…
Matsudaira Sadanobu was thinking as he walked.
Before I knew it, I had successfully walked back home.
Of course - until he returned home, Matsudaira Sadanobu still had not come up with any way to ease the conflict between the local naturalized Ezo and the Wa people.
After returning to the room where he had been living for a while, Matsudaira Sadanobu was just about to take a bath to wash off the dust left by running around outside for half a day when Tachibana suddenly ran towards Matsudaira Sadanobu in a hurry, holding a letter.
"Lord Rochu!" Tachibana knelt on one knee, holding a sealed envelope in both hands, "There is a letter from Edo! The sender is Lord Kitagawa!"
"Kitagawa?" Matsudaira Sadanobu frowned slightly, then quickly raised his hand to take the letter from Tachibana's hand, then quickly opened it and took out the letter paper inside.
After unfolding the letter, he read it quickly, ten lines at a glance.
"……snort."
After his eyes swept over the last word on the letter, a cold snort came out of Matsudaira Sadanobu's nose.
"Ogata Issei is truly amazing."
"Ogata Issei?" Tachibana's face showed a strong look of surprise.
It is natural that Tachibana, the current most wanted criminal of the shogunate, does not know who he is.
"What happened to Ogata Issei? Did he do something again?"
Tachibana subconsciously thought that this guy who killed his lord like a madman and then attacked Nijo Castle must have done something sensational again.
"I didn't do anything extra. You can see for yourself."
After saying that, Matsudaira Sadanobu threw the letter he had already read to Tachibana.
After taking the letter, Tachibana read it quickly.
The letter used very brief sentences to explain an incident that happened in Edo after Matsudaira Sadanobu left, which was not too big but not too small to be ignored.
That is——
Not long after Matsudaira Sadanobu left Edo, the emperor in Kyoto reported to the shogunate and asked it to capture the "executioner Ittosai" Ogata Issey as soon as possible.
Ogata's previous act of burning Nijo Castle in Kyoto was not only a slap in the face of the shogunate, but also a disguised slap in the face of the Kyoto court headed by the emperor.
Kyoto was the emperor's residence and the royal land. Ogata's unruly behavior on the royal land also aroused the emperor's dissatisfaction.
Japan has had two governments since a samurai named Minamoto no Yoritomo seized power from the emperor more than 700 years ago.
The imperial court led by the emperor, and the shogunate led by the shogun.
There have been two shogunates so far. The Edo Shogunate, which now rules all of Japan, is the third shogunate in history.
However, the imperial court led by the emperor has never changed, and has always been based in Kyoto, acting as a mascot without any power.
So even though the emperor was very angry about Ogata's behavior of running wild in the royal land, he could do nothing and could only hope that the shogunate could capture or kill Ogata as soon as possible.
But now, nearly half a year has passed since the attack on Nijo Castle in Kyoto.
The shogunate still hadn't caught or killed Ogata.
This made the emperor feel very dissatisfied, so he asked the shogunate to get rid of this treasonous traitor as soon as possible.
When the Emperor's request to "punish Ogata severely as soon as possible" reached Edo, Matsudaira Sadanobu had already left Edo.
Although the emperor has always had little power and presence, and some ordinary people even only know the shogun but not the emperor, he is the nominal head of state after all, so we still have to listen to what he says and give him the face he deserves.
After Matsudaira Sadanobu left Edo, the task of commanding all officials to assist the Shogun in handling government affairs was temporarily taken over by Kitagawa Toshiki, one of the four young novices.
In order to appease the Emperor, Kitagawa Toshiki promised the Emperor that the shogunate would mobilize the entire country to capture Ogata Yoshisuke, who might still be on the run somewhere.
To show his determination, Kitagawa Toshiki waved his pen and significantly increased the bounty on Ogata Issey - from the original 500 taels of gold to 800 taels of gold.
He also mobilized all the painters working for the government in Edo City to produce new wanted posters as quickly as possible, and sent the fastest horses to deliver the latest wanted posters to all parts of the country.
In short, with all the efforts of Kitagawa Toshiki, the emperor was finally sent away successfully.
This letter was written by Kitagawa Toshiki himself, and his signature was also left at the end of the letter.
At the end of the letter, Kitagawa Toshiki did not forget to explain that because this matter involved the Emperor, it was necessary to write a special letter to inform Matsudaira Sadanobu who was heading north to Ezo.
After reading everything written in the letter, Tachibana put down the letter in her hand and looked at Matsudaira Sadanobu with a complicated expression.
"Master Rochu, you are right. Ogata Issei is truly extraordinary... He even alarmed the Emperor and personally asked the shogunate to capture or kill him as soon as possible... This should be considered unprecedented and will never be repeated..."
Matsudaira Sadanobu was standing with his hands behind his back, looking at a corner of the tatami at his feet, as if in deep thought.
After thinking for a moment, he sighed heavily and then said softly:
"It's such a pity for Ogata Issei."
"It would be great if such a swordsman could be used by our shogunate."
"If we take him in as a swordsman, we might be able to teach him many swordsmen with superb swordsmanship."
"If we put him in the army, he will definitely become a rare and powerful general."
“What a pity.”
"Such a valuable talent, yet he is an enemy of the shogunate..."
Matsudaira Sadanobu sighed heavily again.
"That's fine. We can increase the bounty on Ogata Noriyoshi and the intensity of the hunt for him now."
"Ogata Issei first killed the lord of Hirose Domain, and then attacked Nijo Castle in Kyoto. No matter what, we cannot let a man like him who has outstanding abilities but is disloyal to the shogunate live!"
After saying this, a hint of coldness flashed from Matsudaira Sadanobu's eyes.
This is actually not the first time that Matsudaira Sadanobu has talked about Ogata Issey.
In Tachibana's impression, Matsudaira Sadanobu had talked about this person many times in public and private - most of his talks expressed regret for the shogunate not having such a talent, and expressed his disgust at Ogata Issue's attack on Nijo Castle.
Samurai killing their lord - this kind of thing has never happened since the opening of Edo.
Therefore, when the news of Ogata Yoshisuke's murder of his lord reached Edo, the entire shogunate was shocked.
At that time, Matsudaira Sadanobu's feelings towards Ogata Issei were mainly regretful.
Although Ogata's act of killing his master was extremely heinous, his reasons for wielding the knife to kill his master were very sufficient and reasonable.
Matsudaira Gennai's notoriety was also often heard by Matsudaira Sadanobu, who lived far away in Edo.
Matsudaira Gennai killed Ogata's master and fellow apprentices, and Ogata took revenge with a sword - quite reasonable.
So at that time, when Matsudaira Sadanobu talked about Ogata Issei, he basically felt sorry for Ogata Issei - it was such a pity that a swordsman with such superb swordsmanship had gone astray.
But more than half a year later, Ogata caused a second incident that shocked the whole country.
That is - attacking Nijo Castle in Kyoto and burning down the castle tower.
This incident, like Ogata's previous "master-killing", is unprecedented and will probably never happen again.
When the news of the attack on Nijo Castle in Kyoto by Ogata Noriyoshi reached Edo, Matsudaira Sadanobu was so shocked that he was speechless for a long time.
Nijo Castle was the residence of the shogun built by the shogunate in Kyoto.
In a nutshell - it is the Shogun's home in Kyoto.
Ogata attacked Nijo Castle - this behavior was simply a provocation to the shogunate.
Matsudaira Sadanobu has always been loyal to the shogunate.
Ogata Issei had previously murdered Matsudaira Gennai, but Matsudaira Sadanobu thought it was justifiable.
However, Matsudaira Sadanobu found it difficult to accept and understand this attack on Nijo Castle.
It was also from that time that Matsudaira Sadanobu began to complain more about Ogata Issue - but he would still feel sorry for Ogata Issue occasionally.