The mistakes of bandits are like combing, the mistakes of soldiers are like rakes, and the mistakes of officials are like shaving.
——Ancient Chinese Proverb
…
…
At this moment——
"Lilata, look."
In a forest not far from Sivasi Village, Ulape smiled and held up a huge mushroom in his hand to Lilata beside him.
"I found something good. These mushrooms are big and fresh. They must be delicious."
After being taken into the woods by Ulape to pick mushrooms, Lilata's whole state was obviously different, and her eyes became more lively. When she saw the big mushroom in Ulape's hand, she smiled with a hint of joy.
Urape, who had been paying close attention to Lilata's condition, couldn't help but feel relieved at this moment.
"There are still some mushrooms under that tree." Ulape pointed to a big tree not far away, "Let's pick the mushrooms there and go back."
Lilata nodded slightly, fiddling with the blades of the windmill in her hand.
…
…
"Lord Mogami! Look! The villagers in that village are coming out with weapons!"
A general wearing mighty armor and speaking with a heavy accent who was riding a horse beside Mogami shouted loudly to Mogami.
This general with a heavy accent was named Sakaguchi and was from the Morioka Domain.
In this mission, he can be considered the top deputy general .
Mogami, who was riding at the front of the team and rushing towards Siwasi Village which had appeared in his sight, heard the reminder from Sakaguchi beside him and looked forward carefully. He saw many villagers standing outside the village in front of him, and most of them were holding spears, bows and arrows and other weapons.
Mogami raised his hand and signaled the soldiers behind him to slow down.
He slowed down his horse and walked towards the villagers in front at a steady pace.
"Everyone! Don't be nervous!" Mogami shouted to the villagers of Siwasi Village in front of him, "We have no ill intentions!"
As soon as Mogami finished speaking, a soldier behind him who was fluent in both Japanese and Ainu loudly repeated what Mogami had just said.
The villagers of Siwasi Village would naturally not let down their guard because of Mogami's words.
After discovering the sudden appearance of the superior man, the village chief immediately summoned all the people in the village who could hold weapons to pick up their weapons and prepare for battle.
At this moment, these armed villagers were relying on the houses in the village, looking at the superior people who were approaching them with vigilance and fear on their faces.
Mogami led his soldiers to a distance of about 50 steps from the village and continued to shout loudly:
"Don't be so nervous! We just want to ask you something!"
"As long as you are willing to cooperate with us, we promise you that we will never hurt a hair on your head and will leave immediately!"
"My question is simple - have you ever seen anyone with our and others' knives on them?"
"The knife in my hand is the knife we ​​use against others!"
After saying that, Mogami took off the sword from his waist, then held it high up to show his samurai sword to the villagers of Siwasi Village in front of him.
After listening to the soldier's translation to Mogami, the village chief's pupils shrank slightly.
The man with the samurai sword—he had just seen him...
After a long silence, the village chief cleared his throat and responded loudly:
"I haven't seen it! No outsiders with your or human swords have come to our village recently! (Ainu)"
The village chief didn't know why these sudden visitors were looking for someone with a samurai sword.
But the village chief's intuition told him that these Japanese people were definitely not looking for the man with the samurai sword with friendly intentions.
Ogata had just told them the important news that "there are troops nearby". So Ogata was indebted to them, so the village chief did not want to be ungrateful unless it was absolutely necessary.
Hearing the negative answer from the village chief, there was no trace of surprise on Mogami's face.
He looked calm, and while hanging his sword back on his waist, he asked calmly, "Is what you said true?"
Village chief: "I didn't lie to you! (Ainu)"
"…Then let's change the question."
Mogami smiled faintly.
"For some reason, we need to find someone with a samurai sword. Could you let us enter the village to check?"
Although it was a question, there was no hint of negotiation in Mogami's tone.
"I want to confirm whether there are people with samurai swords lurking in your village, or if there are any related clues."
Upon hearing what Mogami said, the village chief's expression changed several times.
While the village chief was silent, thinking about how to respond, Mogami continued:
"What? You don't want us to come in? Since you dare to say that so confidently, you shouldn't be afraid of us coming in, right?"
"If you're worried about whether we'll do something extreme after entering your village, then you can rest assured! I promise you - we'll only inspect, and won't do anything else!"
Having said this, Mogami paused.
Then he changed to an unusually calm tone and said slowly:
"I hope you can cooperate with us. This will benefit both of us."
Mogami didn't say any threats directly, but the words he wrote were full of threats.
The village chief pursed his lips, with an indignant look on his face.
It wasn't just the village chief. Most of the villagers who heard what Zui Shang had just said all showed the same resentful look on their faces as the village chief.
Because they all know that they don't have any right to choose...
There were less than 150 people in their Siwasi village, and the number of warriors who could take up arms and fight was less than the number of soldiers brought by Mogami.
Not only are they outnumbered by the enemy, but their equipment is also far inferior to theirs.
The Ainu people's biggest killer weapon is poison arrows, and the armor on people's bodies is a natural counter to their biggest killer weapon.
To kill these armored soldiers with poison arrows, one can only use brute force to penetrate the armor, or accurately shoot at the parts not protected by the armor - whether it is the former or the latter, only extremely skilled archers can accomplish this.
If we fight Mogami and the others head-on, we can imagine what the consequences will be...
If we allow Mogami and his friends to enter the village, maybe everyone in the village will be safe in the end.
And refusing Mogami and his men from entering the village... Mogami had just threatened them in a very tactful tone...
Their weak strength made them unable to choose other options...
The village chief sighed heavily:
"...I understand, but I will only allow 10 of you to enter. (Ainu)"
Zuikami raised an eyebrow: "...Alright. 10 people is 10 people."
"Village Chief." A villager standing next to the village chief whispered anxiously, "Do we really want to let these people enter our village?"
"What else can we choose..." The village chief sighed again, "Refuse them to enter and then fight them to death? Are we a match for them?"
The village chief's words made the resentment on the faces of the people around him even more intense.
"Don't worry." The village chief comforted the villagers around him, and also comforted himself, "There is no one with a samurai sword in our village now. After they check and confirm that there is nothing unusual, they should leave..."
…
…
Mogami led nine soldiers and strode towards the village of Siwasi, with the village chief personally serving as their "leader".
After looking at the scenes in several houses in one go, Mogami asked the village chief who was walking in front of them in a nonchalant tone:
"Every household in your area is packing their bags. Are you preparing to escape?"
The village elder had long guessed that Mogami would most likely ask this question, so after swallowing hard, he answered with the answer he had prepared long ago:
"A young man from our village discovered your army when he was out hunting yesterday. We are afraid of being implicated in the war, so we are planning to temporarily flee to the mountains. (Ainu language)"
Mogami nodded gently: "Is that so... Yeah, I understand."
Seeing that Mogami didn't seem to care about their village's plan to escape anymore, the village chief breathed a sigh of relief... and prayed that things would go so smoothly in the future, and prayed that Mogami would leave obediently.
…
…
"Huh? What happened to the village?" Holding Lilata's little hand, Ulape returned to the village from the east side of the village and looked around with a puzzled look on his face.
The atmosphere in which the whole village was busily packing their luggage and preparing to flee had completely disappeared at this moment.
Instead, there was a strange dead silence...
Urape and his men returned to the village from the east, while Mogami's troops were on the west, so Urape and Lilata missed Mogami and his men perfectly.
Just as Urape was holding Lilata's hand and standing in a corner of the village, looking around with a puzzled look on his face, a somewhat anxious voice sounded from beside Urape:
"Ulape, are you guys back ? Don't wander around, something's wrong."
The owner of this voice was an old woman who was hiding half of her body behind a door curtain in a house not far from Ulape and the others.
The old woman had a good relationship with Ulape on weekdays, and now her eyes were full of anxiety.
"What happened?"
As soon as Ulape asked this question, she suddenly heard a strange "crackling" sound of iron colliding coming from the corner in front of her.
She looked in the direction of the sound and saw the village chief leading the most superior people appearing from the corner in front.
That strange "clicking" sound was exactly the sound of their armors colliding when they were walking.
Looking at these armored people who suddenly appeared, Urape's face turned pale, and he subconsciously pulled Lilata behind him.
Although Urape moved quickly, Mogami, who was following closely behind the village chief, still saw Lilata's face.
After seeing Lilata's face, Mogami's eyes narrowed slightly - but no one noticed this subtle change in Mogami's expression.
The village chief, knowing that Ulape and Lilata had a close relationship with the "man with a samurai sword" who had just left their village, acted quickly:
"Ulape, you are back. There are guests coming to our village. Don't wander around the village now. Go home first. (Ainu language)"
After he finished speaking, the village chief turned his head and smiled at Mogami behind him:
"I'm sorry, there are very few people visiting this village, they were just a little scared just now. (Ainu language)"
"It's okay." Mogami smiled slightly, "I understand. Let's go somewhere else."
The village chief led the best people away.
After watching Mogami and the others leave, Ulape felt relieved and let out a long breath.
"Why are there Kazuto soldiers here... Hmm? Lilata? What's wrong with you?"
It was not until this moment that Urape discovered that Lilata, who he had just pulled behind him, was shaking violently and her face was pale, as if she had seen something extremely terrifying.
"Yes, it's that person...it's that person..." Lilata's voice was trembling along with her body.
Just now, after seeing Mogami following closely behind the village chief, Lilata's mind began to resurface with memories of the night before...
A sturdy man in red and black armor, wielding a strange spear, killed her grandfather. Her own parents desperately tried to stop her, giving her time and a chance to escape...
Lilata will never forget the face of that sturdy man...
That sturdy man... was the one who had just been following the village chief...
…
…
There was still about half of the village left to be visited, so Mogami suddenly told the village chief that it was enough, and the inspection was almost done here.
Although he didn't know why Mogami suddenly gave up halfway, the village chief was eager for him to leave.
The village chief personally escorted Mogami back to the west side of the village where his troops were located.
After returning to the west side of the village and after his own troops appeared within his field of vision, Mogami continued walking towards his troops while suddenly curling up the corners of his mouth slightly.
"Village Chief, thank you for your cooperation."
Mogami suddenly thanked the village chief beside him.
Before the village chief could say anything, Mogami continued to speak slowly to himself:
"My luck today... seems to be pretty good..."
"I was prepared to find no clues in your village."
"I never expected to find such an unexpected surprise in your village."
After saying that, Mogami raised his hand and gestured to the troops in front.
This gesture was the one that Zui Shang had agreed upon in advance with his generals and soldiers.
The specific meaning of this gesture is - attack.
The moment after Zuigami made this gesture, the soldiers who were already ready for battle raised their weapons in unison.
Ten arrows flew up from the line, and then hit the villagers holding weapons who were standing against Mogami's subordinates on the west side of the village...
…
…
Ogata, who was concentrating on riding his horse slowly along a trampled dirt road, suddenly stopped.
Then he slowly turned his head and looked in the direction of Sivasi Village, which he had just left not long ago.
"Huh? What's wrong?" Atachi turned around and gave Ogata a puzzled look.
"…Nothing." Ogata said softly, "I just felt a little uneasy for some reason just now…"
…
…
"Mogami-sama."
Sakaguchi, Mogami's deputy commander, strode towards Mogami, who was resting under a big tree.
Mogami is now sitting under a big tree and taking a rest.
Next to the big tree, there were a large number of Ainu people squatting on the ground, some with sad expressions, some crying - they were all villagers from Siwassi Village.
There were more than twenty soldiers guarding them around them.
Just now, after giving the order to attack, he and his men, relying on their powerful equipment and excellent training level, captured the village of Sivasi after suffering only a few casualties.
All those who dared to resist were killed.
Those who had given up resistance or were unable to resist were now all herded together like livestock and managed centrally.
Mogami personally led his men to look after the remaining villagers of Siwasi Village, and then handed an important task to his deputy Sakaguchi.
The task is to torture some villagers and extract information from them.
"We have interrogated some villagers, but they all said they didn't know."
After walking up to Mogami, Sakaguchi reported in his heavily accented voice.
"Only the village chief and the old woman revealed a lot of information."
"After beating the village chief half to death, the village chief admitted that two men and two women had visited their village just now. One of the men and the woman were Japanese, and the Japanese man was carrying a samurai sword."
"The village chief said: The two men and two women just left the village from the north side."
"But the village chief doesn't know their names."
"The old woman gave more information."
"The old woman said that it was the two men and two women who saved her granddaughter who lived in Takta Village."
"These four people left from the north side of the village not long after they brought her granddaughter here."
"We also asked the old lady if she knew the names of the four people, but she said she didn't know. The four people left in a hurry after dropping off her granddaughter. They didn't introduce themselves, and the old lady didn't have time to ask."
"Although the village chief and the old woman did not know the names of the two men and two women, they both knew their physical features."
Mogami, who was resting under a big tree, heard the news and grinned, "...My luck today is really good. I didn't expect to get a clue so soon. Left from the north side of the village... I didn't expect you to pry the information out of the old woman so quickly. Well done."
Hearing Mogami's praise, Sakaguchi smiled modestly:
"It took us a lot of effort to get the information out of that old woman."
"At first, no matter how we tortured her, she wouldn't say anything. Until we threatened her: If she doesn't tell us everything we know, we will chop off your granddaughter's fingers one by one in front of you."
"After hearing our threat, the old woman finally gave in. She told us everything she knew and begged us not to hurt her granddaughter."
At this point, Sakaguchi paused, then quickly added:
"In order to ensure the accuracy of the information, we have informed the tortured people according to your instructions: if the information they said does not match that of others, they will be killed."
In order to ensure the accuracy of the intelligence, people who may possess the intelligence are placed in different places so that they cannot see each other, and then they are threatened: If the intelligence you say does not match, you will feel what "pain" is - this is a very common means of obtaining intelligence.
Mogami nodded slightly, his face showing even more joy: "Well done."
"This is all thanks to you, Master Mogami." Sakaguchi flattered Mogami, "Master Mogami, how did you know that there was something wrong with the people in this village?"
Mogami smiled and shrugged, "It's just luck."
Moegami slowly stood up from the ground.
"By the way, what about that little barbarian? Does the information he provided match that of the old woman?"
"Well..." Sakaguchi's face showed a hint of difficulty, "That little barbarian...hasn't said a word until now..."
Mogami frowned slightly.
Sakaguchi immediately added:
"We first intimidated the little barbarian."
"I thought that the little barbarian was so young that he would confess everything after just a little intimidation."
"But no matter what we said, that little barbarian refused to say a word."
"And then?" Mogami asked, "Did they torture her?"
Sakaguchi nodded quickly: "When we saw that intimidation didn't work, we started to torture her."
"But until now, that little barbarian still said nothing..."
"I see..." Mogami said calmly, "...Take me to see that little barbarian."
Sakaguchi: “Yes!”
Sakaguchi led Mogami quickly towards the place where the little barbarian, Lilata, was being tortured.
Soon, Mogami was led by Sakaguchi to a corner of the village, where he saw Lilata lying on the ground and four soldiers standing beside her to interrogate her.
After seeing Mogami and Sakaguchi, the four soldiers immediately stopped the interrogation and saluted Mogami and the other two.
The skin exposed outside the clothes is covered with bruises and blood - this is what Lilata looks like now.
With so many bruises and blood, it is hard to imagine what this child has just experienced.
The pain coming from all over her body made Lilata's face pale, her eyes closed, and her face covered with cold sweat.
Looking at Lilata's miserable condition, Mogami - his expression did not change at all.
After glancing at Lilata expressionlessly, he said softly:
"I didn't expect this little barbarian to be so courageous."
"It's a pity that we don't have any torture instruments at hand." Sakaguchi on the side sighed, "The pain and torture caused by torture instruments cannot be compared with punches and kicks. If we had torture instruments, we would definitely make this little barbarian spit out everything he knows."
After hearing Mogami's voice, Lilata, who was lying on the ground dying, trembled violently, then she opened her eyes with all her might and looked at Mogami.
Looking at Mogami who was looking at her with a smile, Lilata's already pale face instantly turned as pale as snow.
Tears slowly emerged and rolled around, and a complex mixture of various emotions emerged in her eyes - anger, panic, fear...
"Looking at your appearance, you seem to still remember me." Mogami smiled, "You remember me, and I remember you too. I should say 'thank you' to you, because it is thanks to you that I was able to obtain useful information so quickly."
The battle the night before was the first battle of this campaign, so Mogami still remembers it vividly.
He remembered it very clearly - when he was happily wielding his sickle spear, he once chased and killed a pair of "an old man and a little girl".
After knocking the old man away with the sickle spear, when he was about to kill the little girl as well, a man and a woman suddenly jumped out and stopped him.
Because he was stopped by the man and the woman, Mogami missed the opportunity to kill the little girl.
Although he failed to kill the little girl, Mogami still remembered her appearance.
At the same time - he also remembered that he saw with his own eyes four soldiers chasing and killing the little girl on his behalf.
Just now, after seeing Lilata, Mogami instantly remembered that this was the girl who had narrowly escaped from his gun the night before.
How did such a young girl escape from the pursuit of four soldiers and run here? This question made Mogami suspicious of this village.
So they decided to use simple and crude means to extract intelligence from the village.
It was for this reason that Mogami designated Lilata and her grandmother Ulape as "targets of special care" and the grandmother-grandson and the village chief as "targets who must be interrogated."
Fortunately, Mogami made the right bet.
There is something wrong with this village.
"I'm really lucky today..." Mogami let out a long sigh, "I thought it would take a lot of effort to collect information... Hmm? What is this?"
At this moment, out of the corner of his eye he noticed a small object on the ground not far away - a small windmill made of branches and leaves.
After Mogami picked up the small windmill, Sakaguchi beside him quickly explained:
"This is what the little barbarian had been holding in her hand. When we threw it away from her hand, she tried to snatch it back. We slapped her twice before she became obedient."
"A windmill made of branches and leaves..." Mogami frowned, "It looks disgusting..."
After saying that, Mogami threw the small windmill in his hand directly to the ground with an action as if he was throwing away some disgusting garbage.
Windmills made of branches and leaves are inherently very fragile.
After being casually thrown aside by Mogami, the windmill touched the ground headfirst, and one of its blades fell directly off the pole made of branches.
"Lord Mogami," Sakaguchi asked at this time, "are you going to continue to torture this little barbarian, or other villagers?"
Mogami hesitated for a moment and said, "... Never mind. We have collected enough information so far."
"Sakaguchi, notify everyone - get ready to go. Target: the north side of the village."
At this point, Mogami grinned:
"We might be able to catch up with those two men and two women now."
"Then...what about these villagers?" Sakaguchi glanced at Lilata lying on the ground next to him.
Mogami glanced at Lilata and said, "Let them fend for themselves. I have no interest in them anymore, and I don't want to waste my precious time on them anymore."
After saying that, Mogami didn't even look at Lilata on the ground. He threw away the feather robe on his body and walked away.
"Move! Sakaguchi! I want to see the team ready to go within one stick of incense!"
"yes!"
…
…
"Mr. Majima, look! The tree in front is very suitable for building a hunting lodge!" Ai Zan, who was sitting behind Ogata, pointed forward.
At the end of the direction where Ayizan pointed his finger was a fir tree growing right next to a small slope. The trunk was so thick that it required an adult man to hug it.
Fir trees are the most common trees in Ezo. No matter where you go, you can always see fir trees.
"It's getting late now, and I think the weather is not very good. It will probably snow soon. Shall we stay here tonight?" Ayizan continued.
Ogata looked up at the sky above his head.
According to Ogata's estimation, the time is now almost 5pm.
At this time, the sky was covered with a thin layer of dark clouds, as if covered with a layer of black gauze.
Ogata nodded gently: "Okay, let's stay here tonight."
Ogata and Atachi tied the radishes and grapes to a big tree, while Ayizan took his machete and chopped down the fir tree that happened to be growing next to the small slope. In just a few minutes, they built a "temporary hunting lodge" that was big enough for the four of Ogata to lie down and rest.
After Ogata and his four companions entered the hunting lodge, Ayizan sighed softly:
“If only the path we first took hadn’t been blocked by the avalanche. We could be out of this mountain now.”
Not long after leaving Siwasi Village today, Ogata and his team encountered a small accident - the road ahead was blocked by trees crushed by an avalanche. Ogata and his team had to take a detour, wasting a lot of time.
"Forget it." Ogata smiled, "It doesn't make much difference whether we leave this mountain earlier or later."
"Mr. Aizen." Yashili said at the side, "Let's go hunt some prey while it's still light, shall we?" (Ainu)
"Hmm... That's true. The sky is dark now (Ainu)"
Ayi Zan turned his head and looked at Ogata:
"Mashima-san, Akihiri and I are going to go hunting now. You two should just rest up here. We'll be back as soon as possible."
"Yes." Ogata nodded, "Be careful. If you can't catch any prey, just come back."
After Ai Zan responded, he and Yashili carried their bows and arrows and walked out of the hunting lodge, both disappearing into the depths of the woods nearby.
After Ayizan and Yashili left, Ating, who was sitting cross-legged next to Ogata, suddenly asked Ogata in a joking tone:
"Now that I think about it, the life we ​​have now is pretty comfortable."
"We don't have to worry about eating. Every time it's mealtime, Ayizan and Yashili will get us fresh food."
Hearing what Atachi said, Ogata couldn't help but smile:
"You should cherish the life you have now." Ogata changed his tone to a joking one, just like Atachi just now. "When you get older, you probably won't be able to live the good life you have now where someone will help you hunt for food."
After saying that, Ogata untied the Daishikuten that was inserted into his left waist, and then pulled the Daishikuten out of the sheath.
"Do you want to change the oil in your knife?" asked Ating.
"Yeah." Ogata nodded, "I haven't changed the knife oil for a while."
Ogata took out the knife powder stick, knife powder for removing knife oil, and knife oil to be applied on the knife to prevent rust.
Ogata knew that after arriving in Ezo, he would have no other channels to get knife powder and knife oil, so before leaving for Ezo, Ogata bought a "oil replenishing set" that would be enough for him to use for two years.
Changing the oil on a knife - Ogata was already very familiar with this kind of thing.
Just as Ogata was about to apply the powder to the blade after dipping the powder stick into the blade powder, A-Machi suddenly called out to Ogata:
"Wait a moment."
"Hmm? What's wrong?"
Ah-Ming tapped her cheek.
"Now that Ayzan and Yashili are not here, please take off your mask for the time being."
"You've been wearing it for a while, I think it's time to let your face breathe." Ating changed his tone to a teasing one.
"...That's true." Ogata put down the powder stick in his hand, put his fingers to the base of his left ear, and peeled off the human skin mask that he had been wearing on his face for a long time.
"Hmm..." Ating stared straight at the face whose human skin mask had just been peeled off.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Nothing." Ating smiled, "It's just that I haven't seen your true appearance for too long, and I feel a little unfamiliar with your true appearance."
"Then I have to wear this human skin mask as little as possible in the future." After responding to Ating with a joke, Ogata picked up the powder stick again, rubbed blade powder on the blade with skillful movements, and then wiped off the old blade oil remaining on the Da Shitian Blade bit by bit.
When Ogata was changing the oil in his sword, Atachi was sitting beside him, quietly watching Ogata who was carefully changing the oil in the sword, and the Daishikuten in Ogata's hand which was being applied with new oil bit by bit.
Suddenly, Ating murmured in a low voice:
"…Your sword is also covered with wounds…"
"Yeah. That's right." Ogata responded softly, "No matter how tough a sword is, it has its limits after all."
"Thinking back carefully - these two swords have been with me for a long time, almost a year..."
While Ogata was sighing quietly, Atachi had been looking at the Daishikuten in Ogata's hand, which already had many cracks, with a complicated look.
After Ogata's sigh fell, Atachi was silent for a moment, then suddenly said quietly:
"Ayi... now that we are alone... I have something to tell you..."
"Hmm?" Ogata stopped what he was doing and looked at Ating. "Just say what you want to say. I'm all ears. Don't be so mysterious."
"You may not like what I'm going to say next, but I'm going to say it anyway."
After saying that, Ating took a deep breath, as if to give himself courage.
After taking several deep breaths, Ating said with a serious expression, word by word:
"Ayi, I have no objection to you doing what is right."
"But I think... while you are doing what is right, you should also protect yourself..."
"To be honest... the night before last, when I saw you confronting the country's army, I was actually a little scared..."
At this point, A-Ming couldn't help but purse her lips.
And Ogata——at this moment, he just laughed in silence.
"…Are you afraid that I'll fail and get killed?"
A-Machi shook his head: "I am afraid that your identity of 'Mashima Goro' will also be wanted nationwide, or... 'Ogata Yoshisei' will further anger the shogunate and be hunted down by the shogunate..."
"You should know how bad your situation in Japan is now, right?"
"First, there was the serious crime of suicidal lord, and then there was the offense of attacking Nijo Castle..."
"You have already offended the shogunate badly."
"I'm worried that if you offend the shogunate further, the shogunate might decide to use unprecedented hunting methods and use the whole country's strength to hunt you down..."
"I think if you further anger the shogunate, they might actually do something like this..."
"The shogunate rules all of Japan. No matter how strong one's martial arts skills are, one cannot shake such a huge monster."
"Even though Shiranui is so powerful, he has to rely on the shogunate in order to survive."
"So - Ayi, promise me."
A-machi raised her hands and pressed Ogata's cheeks.
"Anything that may further offend the shogunate should be done as little as possible, or even better, not done at all. Live as low-key and anonymously as possible in the future, okay?"
"I can guarantee you something like this..." Ogata smiled bitterly, "The world is unpredictable, and there will always be things that happen beyond your control..."
Ogata paused before he could finish his words.
Because he saw Ating's eyes looking straight at him.
There was not a single unnecessary emotion in Ating's dark eyes.
What he did have was only seriousness and - genuine concern for Ogata's future.
Looking directly into A-Machi's eyes, Ogata sighed silently:
"...I understand." Ogata smiled bitterly, "I promise you. I will try my best to avoid doing things that may offend the shogunate."
Hearing Ogata's assurance to her, A-machi gave Ogata a big smile and then let go of Ogata's cheeks.
"Oh no." Ating looked outside the hunting lodge, "It's snowing..."
Ogata also turned his gaze to the outside of the hunting lodge - he saw specks of white snow falling from the dark clouds.
Judging from the current situation, the snowfall seems to be tending to increase further.
While brushing off the dust on her butt, Atachi slowly stood up:
"Okay, I'll find something to do now."
"I just saw a clean river not far from here. I'll go get some water. Give me your kettle."
"It's snowing outside now, do you still want to fetch water?" Ogata said.
"It's not a snowstorm so severe that I can't walk. I'll be back soon."
"Ah, since you are oiling your knife now, why don't you help maintain my weapon as well?"
A-machi took out her Suzaku and Hizaku and handed them to Ogata.
"My two short guns haven't been properly maintained for a long time, so I'm sorry to bother you."
"Ah, and - when you hear Ayzan and Yashili coming back, remember to put the human skin mask back on in time."
After saying that, without waiting for Ogata's response, Atachi took her and Ogata's water bottles and went out of the hunting lodge, leaving Ogata alone in the hunting lodge.
Ogata glanced at the sword in front of her that had not yet been properly oiled, and the two pistols that Atachi had just thrown to her.
"Come to think of it... My gun seems to have not been maintained for quite some time..."
After muttering this to himself, a helpless smile appeared on Ogata's face. Then Ogata temporarily put away his knife, picked up Atachi's Suzaku, and began to maintain Atachi's weapon.
…
…
Following his memory, A-Ming walked quickly towards the clear river he had just seen.
After a while, Ating heard the sound of gurgling water.
After hearing the sound of water, Ah Ting quickened his pace a little. After a while, he saw a clear river.
"Woo...it's so cold..." After putting the opened kettle into the cold river water, Ating immediately shivered all over due to the cold.
…
…
Zuishang held a telescope in his hand, stood on a high slope, and looked around.
Although telescopes are now considered expensive and luxurious imported products in Japan, Mogami, as a senior general, is still qualified to own one.
When Mogami was observing the surroundings with a telescope, his deputy general Sakaguchi and other generals and soldiers stood around him, silently waiting for Mogami to finish his observation.
Soon, Mogami put down the telescope in his hand and frowned tightly.
"Mr. Mogami," Sakaguchi asked, "didn't you notice anything?"
Mogami shook his head: "I didn't see any people along the way. But I saw a lot of deer."
After obtaining information about Ogata from the villagers of Siwasi Village, Mogami and the others followed the direction indicated by the villagers of Siwasi Village and pursued them.
However, until now, Mogami and the others have not discovered anything.
Sakaguchi, with a look of regret on his face, looked up at the sky above his head .
"Lord Mogami, it's almost dark now. Let's find a place to stay for the night and continue our pursuit of the 'mysterious swordsman' tomorrow morning."
Mogami did not respond to Sakaguchi.
With a hint of reluctance on his face, he raised the telescope in his hand again.
"……Um?"
After raising the telescope again, Mogami suddenly uttered a surprised "hmm", and his originally furrowed brows suddenly relaxed.
Mogami's expression suddenly changed so much, just because - he saw a scene through the telescope that surprised him extremely.
He saw a river not far away.
There was a woman squatting beside the river, apparently drawing water.
"...My luck is really good today." Mogami put down the telescope in his hand, grinned and revealed a happy smile.
…
…
Enduring the biting chill of the river water, A-Machi filled her and Ogata's water bottles with one hand and tightened her clothes with the other.
"The snow is getting heavier..." Ating murmured as he looked at the sky above his head.
It was still snowing lightly when Ating just left the hunting lodge.
At this moment, the original fine snow turned into heavy snow, accompanied by a strong wind.
After tying his clothes tightly, Ating ran quickly back to the hunting lodge.
All that reached Ating's ears were the sounds of wind and snow, and the low sound of wind breaking after running fast.
However, at this moment - quite abruptly, Ating suddenly heard some strange noises.
Suddenly, Ah-Ming heard a slight strange noise behind him.
When the strange noise first sounded, Ating didn't pay much attention to it and just thought it was the sound of wind blowing.
It wasn't until the noise got louder and louder that Ah-Ming gradually realized something was wrong...
A-Ming gradually discovered that the sound did not seem to be the sound of wind.
But...the sound of horse hooves!
After noticing that the unusual sound was the sound of horse hooves, Ating's pupils suddenly shrank in surprise.
Wanting to hide temporarily - it was too late.
One after another, cavalrymen emerged from the wind and snow behind Ating.
How fast the horse is - no words are needed to describe it.
From the moment his figure appeared to the moment he quickly blocked Ating's path and surrounded her - it only took less than two breaths.
Ah Ming looked at the enemies who surrounded her. Although she tried to control herself, a hint of fear still emerged in the depths of her eyes.
——Damn it... the sound of the wind and snow has covered up the sound of their horses' hooves...
It was the first time that Ating hated the wind and snow so much.
The sound of the wind and snow covered the sound of the horses' hooves of the uninvited guests, so A-Ting failed to find the cavalry in time and missed the best opportunity to hide or escape...
"She has a wakizashi hanging from her waist. She is very pretty and has a big chest... Her appearance is the same as the information extracted from Siwassi Village..."
A-Machi looked in the direction of the voice. The owner of the voice was a military commander wearing red and black armor and carrying a sickle spear.
"Who are you?" Ating tried to remain calm. "Why are you blocking my way?"
"Okay, my beautiful lady. I don't want to waste too much time on nonsense, so let's get straight to the point." The general, Mogami, shrugged. "You should have three companions, two men and one woman, right? Where are they now? Can you tell me their location?"
A-Ming's pupils shrank slightly. "What are you talking about? Two men and one woman, three companions?"
"I knew you wouldn't just tell me the information so easily." Mogami sneered, "It doesn't matter. We have plenty of ways to make you tell us the information. Hey, tie up this woman and take her away!"
After hearing Mogami's order, several soldiers closest to A-Ming dismounted from their horses, then slowly approached A-Ming with spears in hand.
"Wait!" Ah-Ming shouted, "I really don't understand what you mean by two men and one woman, three companions!"
The best was unmoved.
The soldiers who received the order to tie up Ating continued to approach Ating with spears in hand.
Seeing this, Ating gritted his teeth.
Then he let out a long sigh.
"I know! I'll tell you everything I know!"
Hearing what Ating said, Mogami raised his eyebrows, then raised his hand to signal the soldiers who were ordered to tie up Ating to stop.
"Then tell us everything you know." Mogami smiled and put on a condescending and arrogant attitude. "Don't worry - as long as you cooperate, we won't do anything to you."
Ating nodded silently.
Then he took a deep breath.
then--
“There’s an enemy—!”
He shouted at the highest volume he could.
…
…
“…Okay.” After looking at the beautifully maintained Suying and Feiying in his hands several times, Ogata nodded with a look of satisfaction.
After temporarily placing the two guns in his hands on the ground beside him, Ogata turned his head and took a look at the sky outside.
The sky outside was beginning to darken slightly.
"Why hasn't Atachi come back yet... Is that river so far away..." Ogata muttered.
After muttering, Ogata picked up the Daishikuten that he had just half-maintained, and prepared to continue maintaining his own sword.
But at this moment——
“There’s an enemy—!”
A scream penetrated the layers of snow and reached Ogata's ears.
This scream seemed to have some magical power.
Ogata, who had just looked calm, suddenly changed his expression the moment he heard the scream...
…
…
After screaming "Enemy!", Atachi quickly pulled out the wakizashi from her waist and pounced on the enemy on her right.
Now she only hoped that Ogata and the others could hear her screams, and... that she could successfully break through the encirclement of these cavalrymen, or wait for support from Ogata and the others.
Just after being surrounded by this sudden cavalry, A-Ming noticed that the defense on her right side was weaker.
Although Ating's skills are not very advanced, she is not lacking in combat experience.
After pouncing on the soldier on her right at an extremely fast speed, A-machi swung the wakizashi in her hand and cut the soldier's throat.
Then, like a cat, it jumped towards another soldier nimbly.
However...something strange happened.
A-Ming suddenly heard heavy footsteps coming from beside him.
He turned his head to look at his side—Mogami was carrying his Katayama spear and striding towards Atachi.
Just now, after seeing Ating's agility, Mogami's face showed a strong interest, then he turned over and jumped off the horse and rushed towards Ating.
This was the first time that Mogami had met a woman with such great skills.
He decided to meet this rare female warrior.
Mogami, who was armed with a sickle spear, relied on his extremely wide attack range and launched a stabbing attack when he was nearly 2 meters away from Atachi.
call--!
There was a sharp sound as the gun tip pierced the air.
Looking at the gun tip that was rapidly enlarging in his field of vision, surprise appeared on Ating's face.
Atachi tried his best and narrowly avoided Mogami's stab.
Seeing that Ating was able to dodge his attack, Mogami's interest became even more intense. He grinned happily and launched a new round of attacks on Ating.
Seeing Mogami personally step forward to fight with Atachi, the surrounding soldiers obediently stepped aside, leaving enough space for the two of them to fight.
Facing Mogami's sharp stabs one after another, A-Ming's face was full of anxiety.
Suying and Feiying - her two most powerful weapons, are now with Ogata.
The only weapons that Ah-Machi has now are the wakizashi hanging on his waist and a few kunai that he carries with him...
She uses wakizashi as a weapon, and her attack range is only a fraction of the upper one...
So when the battle with Mogami just started, Atachi was directly suppressed by Mogami...
Knowing that he would lose if he continued like this, Ating gritted his teeth.
She decided to give it a try.
After dodging Mogami's stab once again, Atachi pulled out three kunai from his waist at lightning speed, and then threw all three kunai at Mogami in one breath.
Looking at the three kunai coming towards him, Mogami's pupils suddenly shrank, then he retracted the sickle spear in his hand and swept it, knocking down all three kunai in one breath.
Just as Mogami knocked down the three kunai, Atachi clenched the wakizashi in his hand, seized the rare opportunity, and rushed towards Mogami.
Facing Mogami, who has an extremely wide attack range, it would be difficult to escape.
So A-Ming quickly came up with the best and most feasible plan at the moment - to subdue Mogami, take Mogami as a hostage, and force these cavalrymen to retreat.
It's a pity that Ah-Ming's plan was very perfect, but the reality was very cruel...
She underestimated Mogami's strength.
After sweeping away those kunai with one shot, Mogami turned the spear in his hand at a speed far faster than any of his previous stabbing attacks on Atachi, and aimed the butt of the spear at Atachi who had not yet had time to get close to him.
bump!
Mogami aimed the butt of the gun at Atachi's stomach and stabbed it hard. Atachi's facial features twisted in pain and his forward momentum came to an abrupt halt.
Then...
laugh!
The sound of a sharp blade cutting through flesh and blood was heard.
Mogami turned the sickle spear in his hand, and the sickle blade of the spear head swept towards Ating's left collarbone...
Blood flowers bloomed from Ating's body...
Mogami's offensive did not stop.
Instead, he turned the gun again and stabbed the tip into the flesh under Ating's left collarbone. Then he pushed it forward and pressed Ating's petite body against the trunk of a large tree behind her.
"When you said 'enemy' just now...were you warning your companions who happened to be nearby?" Mogami asked Atachi in a deep voice.
Atachi ignored Mogami.
She was pressed against the tree trunk, enduring the severe pain while looking up with an unyielding gaze.
"…If you don't want to talk, that's fine. I hope you can still be so stubborn after I torture you later. I like to torture women the most, because there are many ways to torture women that I can't use when torturing men."
After saying that, Mogami took back the gun in his hand.
And Ating also fell from the tree trunk.
"Tie up this woman!" Mogami ordered the four soldiers behind him, "Take her away! After tearing off a few of her fingers, I'll see if her mouth can still be so tight!"
"yes!"
The four soldiers responded in unison and quickly walked towards Ating, where the snow was dyed red by their blood.
As for Mogami - he turned and left with his sickle spear in his hand, looking very proud.
"Lord Mogami." Sakaguchi at the side flattered Mogami, "It seems that we will soon find the 'mysterious swordsman' who dared to kill our generals and soldiers."
Mogami did not respond to Sakaguchi's flattery.
Mogami just smiled smugly.
Smiling at how smoothly the mission went.
He smiled as he was thankful for his good luck recently.
Smile with joy at feeling that you are almost completing this task.
"Hurry up and tie up that woman! Oh, yes, stop her bleeding at the same time." Mogami shouted loudly to the four soldiers he had just sent to tie up Ating without turning his head, "After tying her up, let that woman go on my horse..."
…
…
Plop, plop, plop, plop…
…
…
Before Mogami could finish his words, four strange sounds of heavy objects falling to the ground were heard suddenly, interrupting Mogami's words.
As these four strange noises rang out, the generals and soldiers around Mougami screamed as if they had seen some strange sight.
Mogami was startled for a moment, then slowly turned around - only to see that the four soldiers who were responsible for tying up Atachi had all fallen to the ground.
A strange warrior held a knife that was still dripping with blood in his right hand, and supported Ating with his left hand, whose clothes had been stained with blood to the extent of half his body.