"I used to be a ronin who made a living by catching wanted criminals and collecting bounties!"
Grandfather Jiang tried to explain.
For the sake of his own life, and for the gold sand that would allow him to not have to worry about food for the rest of his life, Grandfather Jiang has decided to risk it all.
"Last summer, I saw Ogata Issei with my own eyes at Nijo Castle in Kyoto!"
"I was possessed by a ghost at the time , and I had a lucky mentality. I thought I had a chance to take down Ogata Yoshisuke, so I followed the others and rushed into Nijo Castle."
"I saw Ogata Yoshisei's appearance and swordsmanship with my own eyes."
"I also heard Ogata Yoshisei's voice with my own ears."
"So many people rushed forward, but they couldn't do anything to that Ogata Issei. I was completely frightened, so while Ogata Issei was still beheading the others, I fled Nijo Castle in a panic and luckily survived."
"Even though this happened more than half a year ago, I still remember Ogata Issei's voice and sword skills clearly!"
"I just saw with my own eyes that Ogata Yisei saved the person you were looking for from the wolf's mouth!"
"I don't know what Ogata Yisei did to change his appearance, but I still remember his voice, sword skills, and body shape! I recognized him immediately!"
"After rescuing the person you were looking for, Ogata Issei took that person away! I don't know where they went, but I remember which direction they took when they left!"
"You changed your appearance?" Kitano interrupted and asked, "What do you mean?"
"I don't know what method Ogata Yisei used to change his entire face." Grandfather Jiang replied, "Now he looks ordinary, completely different from before. He probably used this method to change his face to be able to get away with it until now, and he hasn't been caught yet!"
" ... Changing his appearance..." Kitano sneered a few times, "Why do I feel like you recognized the wrong person? You mistook an ordinary good citizen for Ogata Ittosai."
"I won't make a mistake!" Grandfather Jiang said anxiously, "That person must be Ogata Ittosai! I won't make a mistake!"
Grandfather Jiang looked at Kitano without any avoidance in his eyes and his tone was full of determination.
Looking at his grandfather Jiang, who claimed in a firm tone that he had not recognized the wrong person, Kitano's brows were now furrowed so tightly that they could pinch a mosquito to death.
What Grandfather Jiang said just now was so powerful that Kitano's brain was unable to process it for a while.
If everything Grandfather Jiang said is true, then the amount of information is really enormous.
The shogunate's most wanted criminal actually saved the shogunate's current second-in-command?
If I tell this kind of thing to others, I'm afraid others will think it's crazy.
Countless questions popped up in Kitano's mind.
What Kitano cares most about is, of course, whether Ogata Ittosai is really here.
If Ogata Ittosai is really in this snow country now - then this information really has the potential to make them rich or famous.
Anyone who pays a little attention to current affairs now knows the famous executioner Ittosai.
Kitano was born into a hatamoto family in Edo, and was also a samurai general with a high status in the army. He could obtain information related to the government much faster than ordinary people.
Before that, he had received accurate information - the emperor was dissatisfied with the shogunate's failure to capture Ogata Ittosai, and put pressure on the shogunate. In order to deal with the emperor, the shogunate had to further increase the bounty on Ogata Ittosai. Today, the bounty on Ogata Ittosai has reached 800 taels of gold, which is unprecedented and will never be surpassed.
If one could manage to take down Ogata Ittosai's head, the huge bounty would be more than enough for an entire family to live a leisurely and carefree life for several lifetimes.
Of course, Kitano was not someone who was good at martial arts, and he did not think he had the ability to take off Ogata Ittosai's head.
However, even if he could not take down Ogata Ittosai's head, if he could report to his superiors the relevant information about the shogunate's current most wanted criminal, the corresponding reward would definitely not be small.
Maybe his name would appear in future history books - the reason why Ogata Ittosai was defeated in the end was because he was discovered by a samurai general named Kitano Shuki.
Seeing that Kitano was still silent, Grandfather Jiang couldn't help but emphasize again:
"Please believe me! I didn't say a single word of falsehood."
Kitano, who had been lowering his head in deep thought, now slowly raised his head.
After taking a deep look at Grandfather Jiang in front of him, he asked:
"You just ran into Ogata Ittosai and the person we were looking for, in that direction - right?"
Kitano raised his hand and pointed in the direction that his grandfather Jiang had just pointed.
"That's right." Grandfather Jiang nodded repeatedly.
After another moment of silence, Kitano turned around and shouted to his subordinates:
"Let's go! And - tie this man's hands and take him with us." Kitano pointed at Grandfather Jiang.
Then, Kitano said to Grandfather Jiang in a blatantly threatening tone:
"You have to come with us."
"If what you just said is true, I will keep my promise, let you go, and return your gold sand to you."
"If I find out you're lying to me - I'll let you know there are more terrible things in this world than having your head chopped off."
Grandfather Jiang's body trembled with fear.
But at this point, Grandfather Jiang had no room to retreat or regret, so he gritted his teeth:
"I see!"
Kitano nodded his chin towards the two subordinates next to him, and then the two subordinates quickly stepped forward, tied up Grandfather Jiang's hands tightly with a thick rattan stick, and then held Grandfather Jiang on the left and right to prevent him from escaping.
…
…
In the cave where Ogata and his companions were staying——
Ogata had just been listening quietly to Matsudaira Sadanobu's story.
When Matsudaira Sadanobu was hanging Kotetsu back on his waist, Oo smiled faintly and said softly:
"Master Lao Zhong, although you don't have much chance to travel around now."
"But it's not a bad idea to try to realize your dream from your youth after you retire."
Matsudaira Sadanobu stared at Ogata in a daze: "Wait until I'm old and retired? How old will I be when I'm old and retired?"
At this point, Matsudaira Sadanobu changed his tone to a half-joking one.
"By then, I probably won't have the strength and energy to do so, and will have to live a secluded life in my hometown."
"That's true." Ogata shrugged with a smile, "But - compared to 'can we do it', 'should we do it' is our top priority."
Matsudaira Sadanobu was stunned.
Matsudaira Sadanobu, who usually had little expression, was stunned for a moment before he started laughing out loud.
"Well said! That's right!" Matsudaira Sadanobu said, "Don't ask 'can', ask 'should' first"
After laughing, Matsudaira Sadanobu let out a long sigh as if he was tired of laughing.
"Mashima-kun, you are such an interesting person."
"When I first read the essay you wrote in the Imperial Examination, I realized that your thoughts and mine coincided."
"At first... I was attracted by your thoughts which were very similar to mine, so I wanted to take you in as my concubine."
After saying this, Matsudaira Sadanobu suddenly looked at Ogata in front of him with a meaningful look.
"I don't like people who break their promises."
"If it was someone else, after making the mistake of 'forgetting the promise to me', I would definitely not treat him well."
"But now—I'd like to make an exception once in a while."
Matsudaira Sadanobu sat up straight, his face became solemn, and said to Ogata in front of him:
"Mashima-kun, are you willing to join me and become my junior?"
Matsudaira Sadanobu asked Ogata the same question he had asked him several months earlier.
Ayizan and Yashili were not clear about the identity of Matsudaira Sadanobu, and did not know the relationship between Matsudaira Sadanobu and Ogata, so they could not get involved in the topic from the beginning. They could only become "spectators", looking at Ogata, then at Matsudaira Sadanobu, and silently eating the melon.
As for Atachi, she was shocked when she heard what Matsudaira Sadanobu had just said.
She originally thought that after Ogata had stood up Matsudaira Sadanobu for several months, even if Matsudaira Sadanobu said that the past was forgotten, he would definitely still have some resentment in his heart.
Unexpectedly, Matsudaira Sadanobu once again extended an olive branch to her husband.
Looking at Matsudaira Sadanobu who was once again offering him an olive branch, Ogata was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said:
"Thank you for your kindness, Lord. But the life of a ronin suits me better."
Ogata used a tactful tone to throw back the olive branch thrown by Matsudaira Sadanobu.
Matsudaira Sadanobu's expression changed several times in an instant, and a look of confusion slowly emerged in Matsudaira Sadanobu's eyes.
At this time, Ogata continued:
"I have no interest in a career in government. Nor do I have the ability to enter it."
"I still prefer this free and easy wanderer life now."
"Although I can't live in a luxurious house or eat delicious food, I don't feel pain because I have my wife and friends around me. I don't want to change this life in any way."
"So - thank you for your kindness, Lord Laozhong."
After Ogata finished speaking, the confusion on Matsudaira Sadanobu's face slowly turned into regret.
"...Mashima-kun, you are the first young samurai to explicitly reject my invitation since I became an elder councillor." Matsudaira Sadanobu smiled bitterly. "In the past, whenever I invited young samurai I admired and gave them the opportunity to serve in the shogunate, they were all ecstatic without exception."
"I've never seen someone refuse directly like you, saying that you want to continue being a ronin..."
Matsudaira Sadanobu let out a sigh.
"...Forget it. Since you don't want to join my army, I can't force you..."
"But - if you ever change your mind, you can always come to me."
"My residence in Edo is not difficult to find. You can ask someone and find out where my residence is."
"If you change your mind in the future, you can come to my residence in Edo and find me."
"I will tell the servants in my mansion that if someone who claims to be 'Mashima Goro' comes to visit in the future, they should let him in immediately and let him come to see me."
Ogata knew that even if he arrived in the future, he would not be an official under Matsudaira Sadanobu, so Ogata just nodded and said casually:
"Yeah. I will."
"Even if you haven't changed your mind, you can come to my mansion to find me." Matsudaira Sadanobu added, "You saved my life. I have to repay this favor."
"If you run into any trouble in the future and need help, feel free to come to my residence in Edo to find me. I will definitely help if I can."
"Thank you." Ogata said politely, "If I have the chance in the future, I will come to bother you. But I probably won't have the chance to go to Edo for a long time in the future."
"…Excuse me, how long do you plan to travel in Ezo?" Matsudaira Sadanobu asked this question very abruptly.
"Hmm? For this kind of thing, it depends on the situation." Ogata said, "If I feel that I have had enough of traveling in Ezo, I will naturally leave Ezo."
"...I think you'd better leave Ezo as soon as possible." Matsudaira Sadanobu said seriously, "At least wait until next year before traveling here. The war has already started in Ezo, it's not a suitable place to travel."
"War?" Ogata's pupils shrank suddenly. "What happened?"
At this moment, Atachi, who was standing by, was also attracted by Matsudaira Sadanobu's words.
"From the beginning, I noticed that you seemed to have no idea what was happening in Ezo." Matsudaira Sadanobu said softly, "I didn't expect that I would be right."
"It's a good thing I asked you this specifically, otherwise you would have continued to foolishly travel around the war-torn land."
Matsudaira Sadanobu picked up his water cup, took a sip of water, and said slowly:
"Do you know the Red Moon Fortress?"
"The Ezo living in the Red Moon Fortress instigated the naturalized Ezo in Matsumae Castle to start a riot, which resulted in heavy casualties in Matsumae Castle and countless civilians were killed and injured. The riot in Matsumae Castle was not quelled until the army was dispatched."
"The Ezos of Red Moon Fortress have really gone too far this time."
"So in order to punish the Ezo in Red Moon Fortress, the shogunate officially declared war on Red Moon Fortress, assembled a large army and marched north, vowing to defeat Red Moon Fortress."
"Did the Ezo people in the Red Moon Fortress instigate the naturalized Ezo people in Matsumae Castle to start a riot?" Osamu looked surprised.
Ai Zan, who had already evolved into a qualified "translator", had been translating every word that Matsudaira Sadanobu said to Yashili, who did not understand Japanese.
After listening to Ayizan's translation, Yashili showed the same shocked expression as Ayizan.
Although neither Ai Zan nor Ya Xili wore the iconic bright red clothing of Red Moon Fortress, they are now residents of Red Moon Fortress.
Matsudaira Sadanobu's words just now were like a bombshell to those who had just become residents of the Red Moon Fortress.
“Sir!” Ai Zan said hurriedly, “Did you make a mistake? As far as I know, he…ah, no, the people of Red Moon Fortress don’t seem like the kind of people who would do such a thing!”
"I'm not lying." Matsudaira Sadanobu said calmly, "If you don't believe me, you can go to Matsumae Castle and see for yourself."
"Even now, there are still many people in mourning, mourning their relatives who died in the riots."
"And those thugs we captured all admitted it themselves - it was the Ezo people in Red Moon Fortress who supported them, which allowed them to launch such a large-scale riot."
"The army has now penetrated deep into the interior of Ezo."
"It won't be long before we can reach the Red Moon Fortress."
"If you don't want to be involved in the war, get away from here as soon as possible. It's best to return to Japan first."
Even after Matsudaira Sadanobu finished speaking, A-Ming, Aki-ri, and Aizan were still immersed in the shock of Matsudaira Sadanobu's words. They were too shocked to wrap their minds around them.
Ogata's reaction was quick.
Having seen many storms, Ogata quickly recovered and said softly to Matsudaira Sadanobu:
"… Lord Laochu, thank you for your reminder. If it weren't for your reminder, we really wouldn't know that such a big thing had happened in Ezo…"
"You're welcome." Matsudaira Sadanobu nodded. "Since you already know that Ezo is not peaceful right now, then leave quickly."
"If you insist on staying here and traveling... then I can't stop you."
"But my advice is to leave here quickly and come back to Ezo if you want to travel there again after the war dies down."
"...Yes." Ogata nodded. "But... Lord Rochu, I have a question - were those rioters really instigated by the Ezo people in Red Moon Fortress?"
"The evidence is irrefutable," Matsudaira Sadanobu answered without hesitation, "The thugs we captured all pointed out that the instigators were the Ezo people from the Red Moon Fortress."
"If we didn't have solid evidence, we wouldn't have sent troops to attack Red Moon Fortress."
Ogata said nothing more.
He just stared at Matsudaira Sadanobu in silence.
"...Lord Lao Zhong! Lord Lao Zhong!"
At this moment, both Ogata and the Laochu heard the voices of "Laochu-sama" coming from outside the cave.
"It seems that my people have finally found this place..." A hint of joy flashed in Matsudaira Sadanobu's eyes. He quickly stood up and walked towards the cave entrance.
Ogata also stood up and walked towards the cave entrance with Matsudaira Sadanobu.
After arriving at the cave entrance, Matsudaira Sadanobu shouted loudly to the outside of the cave, "I'm here!"
"Ah! It's the voice of Lord Lao-Chu!"
"Hurry! Go!"
"We found Mr. Laozhong!"
The dense sound of horse hooves gathered towards the cave entrance.
Soon, many people holding torches and riding horses rushed towards the cave entrance from all directions.
Among those who gathered around was someone Ogata knew—Tachibana, the nickname of Matsudaira Sadanobu.
The first person to rush to the cave entrance was Tachibana.
"Master Old Chu!" Tachibana leaped down from the horse and rushed to Matsudaira Sadanobu, looking like she was about to cry. "I finally found you! Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. I was rescued by Majima Goro-kun."
"Mashima Goro?" Tachibana looked surprised.
At this time, Matsudaira Sadanobu turned his body to the side so that Tachibana could see Ogata who was standing not far behind him.
Looking at Ogata, Tachibana's face was full of shock.
"Master, what's going on?" Tachibana asked stutteringly.
"I'll explain it to you slowly later," said Matsudaira Sadanobu. "Anyway - thank you for coming to see me."
"It is our fault that Lord Laozhong has suffered such an incident this time!" Tachibana said excitedly, "Please punish us later!"
Matsudaira Sadanobu waved his hand and said, "We'll talk about these things later."
After saying this, Matsudaira Sadanobu turned around and looked at Ogata and others in the cave.
"Thank you for your hospitality, everyone. My people have found me, and it's time for me to leave."
"Are you leaving now?" Ogata asked.
"Yes." Matsudaira Sadanobu nodded, "Since my subordinates have found me, there is no reason for me to stay here any longer."
"Besides - I have to go back as soon as possible. I have to let my subordinates see with their own eyes that I am still alive and reassure them. Also, my subordinates were attacked by a pack of wolves this afternoon, and I have to quickly check the casualties and losses."
After he finished speaking, Matsudaira Sadanobu stood up straight and bowed solemnly to Ogata.
"Thank you so much today."
"See you someday."
"If you change your mind in the future, or need help, remember to come to me."
At this moment, a faint smile appeared on Matsudaira Sadanobu's face.
"Don't forget what I said this time."
As Matsudaira Sadanobu finished his words, Tachibana had already led his horse over and stood behind Matsudaira Sadanobu.
Matsudaira Sadanobu turned over and sat on Tachibana's horse.
"Let's go." Matsudaira Sadanobu ordered Tachibana.
"Yes!" Tachibana sat in front of Matsudaira Sadanobu, then raised the reins and led Matsudaira Sadanobu into the depths of the woods not far away. The rest of Matsudaira Sadanobu's men followed closely behind.
Ogata stood there, watching Matsudaira Sadanobu until his figure completely disappeared from his sight.
"Hey..." At this time, A-Machi walked to Ogata's side with a worried look on his face, "What Matsudaira Sadanobu said just now... are they true or false...? Did Chanup and others really incite the naturalized Ezo people in Matsumae Castle to riot?"
Ayizan and Yashili also focused their panicked gazes on Ogata at this time.
Oobe turned his head expressionlessly and looked at A-Ming, Aizan, and Aki-ri, all of whom had panicked expressions on their faces.
"…The trip to Huxi Village will have to be postponed for now."
After a long silence, he said this.
…
…
"Hey! Are we really in this direction?!" Kitano roared at Grandfather Jiang.
Hearing Kitano's roar, Grandfather Jiang shrank his neck.
"Yes, it is in this direction, there is no mistake!"
"Tsk..." Kitano's face was full of impatience.
At this moment, he felt the entrance of his right hand was a little hot.
He turned his head and saw that the flame of the straw torch in his right hand was about to burn his hand.
The torch used by Kitano was a simple torch made of grass and wood.
Although it is simple to make, it is not very burn-resistant.
He had been concentrating on looking for Matsudaira Sadanobu and Ogata Issey, and had not noticed that the torch in his hand was almost burned out.
Kitano quickly pulled out another torch from his waist, lit the new torch, threw the old torch that was about to burn out to the ground, and then stomped it out with his foot.
"Damn it..." Kitano looked up at the sky and cursed, "It's almost dawn..."
According to Kitano's judgment, it would be dawn in less than an hour.
They searched for nearly an entire night, but found neither Matsudaira Sadanobu nor Ogata Issey.
Kitano and his subordinates were all feeling tired after staying up all night and trying hard to find someone.
But Kitano did not dare to slack off before finding Matsudaira Sadanobu and confirming his current situation.
It is possible not to find Ogata Issei, but Matsudaira Sadanobu must be found.
"The terrain here is quite complicated..." Grandfather Jiang said tremblingly, "So..."
Before Grandfather Jiang finished speaking, Kitano interrupted him rudely:
"Shut up!"
After being yelled at by Grandfather Jiang, Grandfather Jiang quickly shut his mouth and didn't dare to say another word, for fear of angering Kitano, who was now in a very bad mood and quite impatient.
Grandfather Jiang is actually more anxious than Kitano now.
If he couldn't find Matsudaira Sadanobu or Ogata Issei, Grandfather Jiang dared to believe that Kitano, who didn't seem to have much patience, might really mistake him for a "liar" and kill him with a knife.
Grandfather Jiang worshipped all the gods that could be worshipped in his heart, praying to the gods to find Matsudaira .
At this moment, Grandfather Jiang suddenly saw a little fire coming out from the depths of the dark woods ahead.
A flash of fire was approaching them.
This little bit of fire should be a torch.
However, because it was too dark, Grandfather Jiang could not see who was holding the torch.
Kitano also noticed the fire approaching them at the first moment.
"Who is it?!" Kitano shouted towards the direction of the torch.
As soon as Kitano finished speaking, Torch shouted in a joyful tone:
"Ah! Master Kitano! I finally found you!"
The speed at which "Torch" approached Kitano and the others suddenly increased.
As the "torch" got closer, the person holding the torch gradually emerged from the darkness.
He was a soldier wearing armor like Kitano and the others.
"Master Kitano!" As soon as the soldier appeared, he shouted to Kitano, "Master Tachibana has found you! You are safe and sound! Now you have returned to the camp safely under the protection of Master Tachibana!"
"Is the lord safe and sound?!" The big rock that had been hanging in Kitano's mind finally fell to the ground.
As long as Matsudaira Sadanobu was safe, he would not be punished severely even if his superiors punished him for failing to protect the enemy.
At this moment, Kitano suddenly remembered the matter of Ogata Yoshisei.
"Where did Tachibana-kun find the adults?" Kitano asked.
"Tachibana found you in a cave," the soldier replied. "You fell down a snowy slope and were rescued by a samurai, who then took you to the cave to heal your wounds."
"Rescued by a samurai?" Kitano's pupils shrank slightly.
What the soldier just said is exactly the same as what Grandfather Jiang just said.
"What's the name of that samurai?" Kitano asked, "Where is he now?"
"I don't know the name of that samurai. After Tachibana-sama took you back, you seemed to have separated from that samurai."
Kitano pursed his lips.
The soldier who was responsible for reporting the news didn't understand why Kitano was so concerned about the samurai who saved the old man, and he didn't pay much attention to the matter.
"Master Tachibana is now recalling all the teams sent out to look for him," the soldier said, "Master Kitano, please return to the camp!"
"...I understand." Kitano turned around and shouted to his subordinates, "Did you hear that? The lord has been found! Let's go back to the camp!"
As soon as Kitano finished speaking, Kitano's subordinates, who were already extremely tired, immediately cheered louder and louder.
Kitano did not have the same happy expression on his face as his subordinates.
He turned his head expressionlessly and looked at the two subordinates who had been standing on the left and right of Grandfather Jiang and escorting Grandfather Jiang.
"Keep an eye on this man!" Kitano ordered, "Bring this man back to the camp as well!"
…
…
The first thing Matsudaira Sadanobu did after returning to their camp was to check the total losses their team had suffered after being attacked by wolves.
Matsudaira Sadanobu's team suffered a total of 4 deaths and 8 injuries before they successfully repelled the attacking wolves.
All of these injured or dead people were Matsudaira Sadanobu's guards, and most of them were the 50 elite shogunate troops assigned to Matsudaira Sadanobu by Inamori. Among Matsudaira Sadanobu's original 32 red-armored cavalrymen, only two were slightly injured.
In addition to humans, horses also suffered certain losses.
Unfortunately, some horses were killed by wolves.
Some horses were frightened and ran away in panic and have not been found until now.
A total of 13 horses were missing or injured and unable to move.
In addition to Matsudaira Sadanobu, two other people who were responsible for carrying Matsudaira Sadanobu's sedan chair fell down the hillside.
These two people did not have the same conditions as Matsudaira Sadanobu, who could rely on wakizashi to slow down their fall when falling down the slope, nor did they have Matsudaira Sadanobu's good luck.
When Tachibana and the others went down the hillside to look for Matsudaira Sadanobu, they had already found these two people before they found Matsudaira Sadanobu.
It was very unfortunate that when these two people were found, they had already become cold corpses.
One of them fell down the snow slope and his head seemed to have accidentally hit a rock, and his skull was directly shattered.
The other was attacked by wolves and his body was bitten beyond recognition.
Compared with the two people who fell down the snow slope, Matsudaira Sadanobu was extremely lucky to survive without any injuries.
Only after confirming the casualties of the team did Matsudaira Sadanobu go to rest.
After going through so many things, Matsudaira Sadanobu was very tired. He lay on the bed, closed his eyes, and quickly fell asleep.
When I woke up again, it was already dawn.
Getting up from the bed and walking out of the tent, the warm sunlight shone on Matsudaira Sadanobu's face.
The sun slowly rises from the eastern horizon, and its sunlight shines on the white clouds that densely cover the sky, lifting the black veil that covers the sky, and the sky is gradually dyed with the colors of sunrise.
With such good weather, it is hard to imagine that such a terrible snowstorm occurred in the same place yesterday.
Matsudaira Sadanobu was not a follower of Shudo and had no interest in it at all.
Some people who are not averse to all sects, their little surnames are responsible for serving their masters personally and comforting their masters' loneliness.
Tachibana is only responsible for personal service and is not responsible for anything else.
Therefore, Matsudaira Sadanobu and Tachibana, who had different statuses, naturally slept separately.
The tent where Tachibana lived was located next to the tent of Matsudaira Sadanobu.
Last night, Tachibana first led people to search for Matsudaira Sadanobu. After bringing him back, he was busy sending people to inform the rest of the search team that "the old man is fine, return quickly", and dealt with other miscellaneous matters. He was busy until very late before falling asleep. The late sleep and fatigue made Tachibana still sleep soundly now.
After pricking up his ears and listening attentively, Matsudaira Sadanobu could still hear Tachibana's faint snoring coming from the tent next door.
Just as Matsudaira Sadanobu was thinking about whether he should go back to the tent to rest for a while and recuperate while it was still a little early, a familiar male voice sounded from beside him:
"Mr. Laozhong."
"It's Kitano-kun, you're back."
The owner of this sudden male voice was none other than Kitano Shuki.
When Tachibana brought Matsudaira Sadanobu back and sent people to recall the various search teams, the various search teams returned to the camp one after another.
After receiving the news that Matsudaira Sadanobu had returned, Kitano quickly led his men back to the camp, and only returned to the camp when it was slightly dawn.
"Yeah." Kitano nodded, "I just got back. I'm so glad to hear that you are safe and sound, sir."
After saying that, Kitano took a few quick steps, ran to the back of Matsudaira Sadanobu, then knelt on the ground with very skillful movements, posing in the extremely standard Dogeza posture in front of Matsudaira Sadanobu.
"It is because we failed to protect you properly that you have suffered such hardships! We..."
"That's enough ." Matsudaira Sadanobu waved his hand.
Before Kitano could finish his apology, Matsudaira Sadanobu took the initiative to wave his hand and interrupted Kitano.
"You are not to blame for this accident." Matsudaira Sadanobu said softly, "This accident was an unexpected one. Get up."
Hearing what Matsudaira Sadanobu said, Kitano secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and after loudly thanking Matsudaira Sadanobu, Kitano stood up from the ground.
"Thank you for your hard work last night. You must have suffered a lot to find me." Matsudaira Sadanobu glanced at Kitano's red eyes due to not sleeping all night, "You should go down and rest now."
Kitano: “Yes!”
Matsudaira Sadanobu put his hands behind his back and turned back to his tent.
Kitano raised his eyes and glanced at Matsudaira Sadanobu's back, a hint of hesitation flashing across his face.
It was not until Matsudaira Sadanobu was about to lift the curtain of the tent and enter his own tent that Kitano finally made up his mind.
"grown ups!"
Kitano called out to Matsudaira Sadanobu.
"What's the matter?" Matsudaira Sadanobu turned around.
"I, I caught a gold digger in the wild yesterday. The gold digger told me some important information... I don't know whether it is true or not. I think it is very necessary to tell you this information."
"Information?" Matsudaira Sadanobu frowned slightly, "Tell me about it."
"Sir, let's talk about this somewhere else." Kitano looked around and said, "I think... it's better not to let too many people know about this information."
“…Come in.”
After giving Kitano a deep look, Matsudaira Sadanobu turned and went into his tent, and Kitano hurriedly followed him.
In the tent of moderate size, there were only Matsudaira Sadanobu and Kitano.
"Go ahead." Matsudaira Sadanobu stood with his hands behind his back, "What information?"
Kitano swallowed his saliva. Then he lowered his voice and whispered the "important information" he had just claimed in a voice that only he and Matsudaira Sadanobu could hear.
Matsudaira Sadanobu originally had a blank expression on his face.
But when listening to this "important information" from Kitano, Matsudaira Sadanobu's eyes slowly widened with shock.
Even after Kitano closed his mouth and stopped talking, the look of shock still remained on Matsudaira Sadanobu's face for a long time.
It took a long time for Matsudaira Sadanobu to regain control of his expression.
He asked Kitano with a heavy face:
"Where is that gold digger now?"
"I brought that person back!" Kitano said hurriedly.
"Bring him here to me."
"yes!"
…
…
Grandfather Jiang was taken into a simple tent trembling with fear.
As soon as he was pushed into the tent, Grandfather Jiang saw a person in the tent.
And this person was exactly the middle-aged man who was saved by Ogata Ittosai whom he saw yesterday.
The middle-aged man standing in front of Grandfather Jiang was naturally Matsudaira Sadanobu.
At this moment, there were only Matsudaira Sadanobu and his grandfather Jiang in the tent.
After meeting Grandfather Jiang, Matsudaira Sadanobu didn't say any nonsense and asked directly:
"Are you that Grandfather Jiang?"
"Yes, yes!" Grandfather Jiang quickly replied, "My name is Grandfather Jiang Sanlang!"
While Grandfather Jiang was replying, he was thinking to himself: Who is this person?
The sword on his waist is obviously very expensive, and there are so many soldiers in the army who obey him.
Just when Grandfather Jiang was still guessing the true identity of the person in front of him, the new question asked by Matsudaira Sadanobu directly interrupted Grandfather Jiang's thoughts.
"I've heard that. Yesterday you witnessed me being rescued by a samurai, and you recognized that samurai as the executioner Ittosai. Am I right?"
As soon as Matsudaira Sadanobu finished speaking, Grandfather Jiang nodded vigorously.
"That's right! That man must be the executioner Ittosai! There's no mistake about it!"
Grandfather Jiang quickly told Matsudaira Sadanobu the whole story of how he had met Ogata Ittosai and how he recognized that man as Ogata Ittosai yesterday.
To summarize what Grandfather Jiang said - the samurai who saved Matsudaira Sadanobu yesterday, except for his different appearance, his voice, sword skills, reminders, hairstyle, style of sword... In short, except for his appearance, everything else is no different from Ogata Ittosai.
As Matsudaira Sadanobu listened carefully to his grandfather E's story, all kinds of memories of "Mashima Goro" began to emerge in the depths of Matsudaira Sadanobu's mind...
He remembered that when he first met "Mashima Goro", he had an accent from Izumo, and when he introduced himself, he also said that he was from Izumo.
He remembered that "Mashima Goro" had once defeated more than 20 fire thieves and officials in Yoshiwara by himself, and his swordsmanship was extremely superb.
He remembered that "Mashima Goro" suddenly appeared in Edo after the "Nijo Castle Incident" in Kyoto.
The time from the end of the "Nijo Castle Incident" to the appearance of "Mashima Goro" in Edo was enough for a person to walk from Kyoto to Edo.
Memories keep emerging from the depths of my mind.
The expression on Matsudaira Sadanobu's face was changing rapidly.
After his grandfather Jiang finished speaking, Matsudaira Sadanobu lowered his head slightly and remained silent.
Grandfather Jiang did not dare to disturb Matsudaira Sadanobu, and he also kept his mouth shut, allowing the atmosphere in the tent to fall into silence.
After an unknown amount of time, Matsudaira Sadanobu slowly raised his head and looked directly at his grandfather Jiang.
The way he looked at Grandfather Jiang...it's hard to describe in words.
Looking at Matsudaira Sadanobu's gaze, Grandfather Jiang didn't know why he felt an ominous premonition coming out of his mind...
Matsudaira Sadanobu didn't say another word to his grandfather Jiang.
Instead, he walked out of the tent quickly and shouted to the guards standing not far outside the tent:
"Take this man out of my tent! And call Kitano over to me!"
…
…
Suddenly receiving a message from Matsudaira Sadanobu, Kitano hurried to the tent where Matsudaira Sadanobu was staying.
As soon as he entered the tent, Matsudaira Sadanobu shouted angrily without saying any unnecessary words:
"I have just interrogated the gold digger myself."
"That guy is a total liar!"
"He just wanted to save his life and the gold sand, so he said the samurai who saved me yesterday was Ogata Ittosai."
"The samurai who saved me yesterday was just an ordinary samurai! He was not Ittosai at all!"
"Kitano-kun, you should be more careful in the future and don't be fooled so easily again."
Hearing the words in Matsudaira Sadanobu's eyes, Kitano turned pale with fright and quickly knelt on the ground.
After several years of working in the military, Kitano had developed a skill - if a superior hit or scolded him, he should not say anything back, let alone fight back. Even if he didn't know whether his superior was right or wrong, he just kept apologizing.
"Yes, I was stupid!" Kitano said loudly, "I mistakenly trusted a gold digger!"
"This man was guilty of gold mining before, and then he deceived us. Chop off his head! His bag of gold sand will be confiscated by the national treasury!"
“Yes, yes!”
"Go down." Matsudaira Sadanobu waved his hand.
Seeing that Matsudaira Sadanobu asked him to leave, Kitano immediately left quickly as if he had been pardoned, and Matsudaira Sadanobu was the only one left in the tent again.
After Kitano left, Matsudaira Sadanobu slowly raised his head and glanced at the ceiling of the tent above his head.
"well……"
Then he let out a long sigh.
His eyes were full of complex expressions, which were unpredictable and made it difficult to guess what he was thinking.