That day was a heavy one for the executioner Itosai and the Ainu people of Heyezhe.
But that day was also the first day the legend began.
——In later generations, a swordsman wrote down this comment while studying this period of history
…
…
Ogata listened quietly to Chanup's kind advice.
After Chanup finished speaking, Ogata slowly responded. He whispered:
"Mr. Chanup, I've also encountered some accidents here. I may not be able to leave here immediately..."
After he finished speaking, a hint of helplessness appeared on Ogata's face.
"Accident? What happened?" Chanup frowned.
Ogata briefly informed Chanup that Atachi was injured and would be unable to move for a short period of time.
“I have to stay in bed for a month...?” Chanup looked surprised.
"That's what the doctor named Kunoya said." Ogata sighed softly.
"Then...Mashima-san, what are you going to do next?"
Ogata did not immediately respond to Chanup.
After lowering his head and being silent for a moment, he said in a neutral tone:
"Let's just take it one step at a time now."
After saying that, Ogata grabbed the Daishakuten placed on the right side of his body.
"Mr. Chanup, I have said everything I wanted to tell you."
"My wife is still in Kunoya's clinic. I want to return to her as soon as possible. So I will take my leave now."
"Thank you for your help tonight." Chanup once again performed a polite gesture to Ogata, "If you need any help in the future, just come to me. I will do my best to assist you and Lingzheng."
Ogata stood up with his sword in hand, bowed to Chanup in return, then turned and left without any reluctance.
Chanup and Tangshen watched Ogata leave.
After Ogata disappeared from their sight, Chanup turned around and asked Tang Shen beside him in Ainu:
"I still find it incredible that you and Mr. Majima know each other. Please tell me later how you and Mr. Majima got to know each other."
"Of course I can..." Tang Shen sighed, "But I've only met Mr. Majima a few times, so we're not that familiar with each other."
"Would you like to go catch up with Mr. Majima later?"
"If I have the opportunity and time, I will go again." Tang Shen smiled bitterly, "As I just said, Mr. Mashima and I are not that familiar with each other. To put it bluntly... I don't really care what kind of person he is."
"Let's not talk about Mr. Majima anymore. Now that Mr. Majima is gone , let's talk about something serious."
Tang Shenlian took several deep breaths, adjusted his face, and put on a serious expression.
"Chaanup. The Shogunate's invasion...can no longer be delayed."
"Don't keep worrying about it here."
"Don't think I don't know what you're thinking."
"You and I are old acquaintances."
"I know what you want to do."
"You want to live and die with He Yezhe - am I right?"
Chanup: "..."
Chanup was silent.
He silently held the pipe in his hand and smoked it in big puffs.
"Although I have said similar things many times these days, I still want to tell you again now."
"Stop dreaming about a head-on battle with the shogunate army and then defeating the shogunate army."
"The shogunate has dispatched a full 10,000 troops this time."
"How many of you are able to take up arms and go to the battlefield? 300? 400?"
"You are at an absolute disadvantage in terms of numbers, and your equipment is far inferior to that of the shogunate army."
"The shogunate army has solid armor and weapons that are far stronger than yours. They must also be equipped with a large number of firearms."
"If you choose to fight the shogunate army head-on, you will probably only be able to hold out for a few days before the city is destroyed and people are killed."
"Give up your unrealistic fantasies. Run away quickly..."
"...Escape?" Chanup said in a deep voice, "Where can we escape to?"
"If the Japanese sent cavalry to pursue us, do you think we could escape successfully?"
"But the success rate of survival is always higher than a head-on battle with the shogunate army..." Tang Shen responded in a low voice.
Chanop: “…”
Chanup said nothing more.
Just smoking silently...
At this moment, a loud shout suddenly came from outside the house:
"Mr. Chanup! Are you there?"
"Oh, it's Puchina. I'm here." Chanup took the pipe in his hand and asked, "What's wrong?"
Chanup immediately recognized that this was the voice of Puchina, the only son of Retannoe, the second-in-command of their Heyezhe and the only son of Retannoe, with whom he often had disagreements, big or small, on various matters.
"My father asked me to tell you something!" Puchina shouted, "My father said that he has something to discuss with you and hopes that you can go back to the old place as soon as possible."
"The old place..." Chanup showed a strange expression, "...I see. Puchina, thank you for delivering the message."
“This is what I should do!”
After a few humble words, Puchina strode away from Chanup's house.
"...Are those people asking you to discuss how to deal with the invading shogunate army?" asked Tang Shen.
"What other reason could there be?" Chanup shrugged.
"It seems that those people also know the current situation. It's already urgent..." Tang Shen said lightly.
Chanup sighed softly, then stood up, holding the pipe that he almost never let go of.
"Since they asked me to go, I have no choice but to go..."
"Chanoup." Tang Shen looked at Chanoup who had stood up, his eyes complicated, "Hurry up and discard those unrealistic fantasies, abandon He Yezhe and run for your life..."
Chanup still did not respond to Tang Shen's words.
After looking at Tang Shen deeply with a look that made it difficult to guess his specific emotions, Chanup strode out of his home with a pipe in his mouth.
…
…
As soon as Ogata walked out of Chanup's house, he saw Aisuma and Otunpuyi, who had been ordered by Chanup to temporarily retreat outside the house to avoid the danger.
"I have said everything I wanted to say to your father." Ogata, who was not in a very good mood at the moment, forced a smile at the two people in front of him, "I have to go back to Kunoya's clinic now."
"Then I'll take you back." said Asuma.
Ogata shook his head: "No, I memorized the way when I came here from the clinic just now."
"I want to be alone now, so I can go back alone."
"Mr. Majima, are you going back alone?" A slight disappointment appeared on Ottompui's face, and he muttered in a low voice, "I wanted to chat with you more before taking you back..."
"I've always wanted you to share more about your life with others... Really... Why can't I always find a chance to chat with you more..."
Before Otungpuyi could finish his mumbling, his sister nudged his side with her elbow in annoyance. Otungpuyi, feeling the pain, swallowed the rest of the words back into his stomach.
"Let's have a good chat again if we have a chance in the future." Ogata smiled at Otonpui.
After bidding farewell to Aizuma and Otunpui, Ogata walked alone on the way back to Kunoya's clinic.
Although it is now night, for the Ainu people who still lead a life of fishing and hunting and lack entertainment and nightlife, when night falls, everyone goes back to their homes and prepares to sleep or contribute to the reproduction of the population.
On the way back to Kunoya's clinic, Ogata could count the number of people he met on the road on one hand.
After returning to the clinic filled with the smell of medicine, Obe saw Atachi who was still sleeping soundly, Kunoya who was sitting next to the medicine pot decocting the medicine, and Yashili who was sitting next to Atachi and helping to take care of Atachi.
"I'm back. Sorry, Yashili, I kept you waiting for so long." Ogata knelt down beside Yashili, "Thank you for taking care of Ating for me."
"It's getting late now, you should go back soon."
"I will take care of Atachi from now on."
"Ah, Kunoa, could you please translate what I just said to Yashili?"
"Oh, so this kid doesn't understand Japanese?" After saying that, Kunoya translated what Ogata had just said into Ainu and conveyed it to Yashili.
Yashili hasn't seen her relatives and friends for some time, so she didn't act pretentiously after hearing what Ogata said, even though she already missed them very much.
After nodding and telling Ogata that "if you need any help, just come to her," Yashiri left.
Watching Yashili's back as he left, Ogata couldn't help but think to himself:
——I really owe Ayezan and Yashili a lot of favors...
If we count the help that Ayizan and Yashili have given to Ogata during this period, it is really too much to count.
First, he agreed to go on the journey with Ogata without any hesitation and hardship, and went to the village called "Huxi Village" to take back several books that Lin Ziping had given to the village chief several years ago, which could strongly prove Lin Ziping's identity as a scholar.
After Ating was injured, the two of them took care of him wholeheartedly, working hard and without any complaints.
After Ayizan and Yashili learned that he was wearing a human skin mask to hide his real face, Ogata told them not to let other people know about it. They both assured Ogata in a firm tone that they would keep it a secret and would never let anyone else know about it.
Ogata believes that Ayizan and Yashili will do what they say.
The two of them gave Ogata a lot of help.
The fact that both of them helped take care of the injured Atachi with all their heart and soul made Ogata wonder how he could repay this great favor.
——By the way...I don't know how Lin Ziping is doing now...
The reason they left the Red Moon Fortress this time was all for Lin Ziping, to prove Lin Ziping's innocence.
But now there are too many things and problems facing Ogata, so Ogata does not have the extra energy to take care of Lin Ziping's affairs.
Putting Hayashi Shiping's matter aside for the time being, Ogata turned his attention to Atachi who was still sleeping in front of him.
The quilt covering Ating's body rose and fell in an even rhythm. Judging from Ating's expression, she was sleeping soundly.
Because of the pain from the wound, Ating often had trouble sleeping these days. He hadn't slept as soundly as he did now for a long time.
"Kunoya, is the medicine working?" Ogata asked Kunoya who was conscientiously decocting the medicine. "My wife hasn't slept so well in a long time."
"The medicine I applied to her wound has some analgesic effect." After saying that, Kunoya opened the pot in front of her, looked at the medicine in the pot, and nodded, "Okay, boil it for another half an hour, and the medicine will be ready."
After replacing the lid of the medicine pot, Kunoya subconsciously picked up the pipe at hand.
But as soon as she picked up the pipe, she suddenly remembered that there was someone sleeping soundly next to her.
After taking a look at Atachi not far away, Kunoya smiled bitterly and said to herself:
"Forget it... I'd better go outside and smoke."
"Young man, I'm going to go outside to smoke a cigarette. Keep an eye on the temperature of the medicine pot and keep it at the current level."
Kunoa's words were naturally directed to Ogata.
After saying this, Kunoya picked up her own pipe and prepared to get up and walk out of the house.
But just as she stood up, she heard Ogata suddenly say:
"Kunoya, does my wife have to rest for a month?"
"Hmm?" Kunoya cast a puzzled look at Ogata, "Why? Do you two have something important to do that prevents you from staying here for long?"
"I guess so." Ogata nodded slightly.
"Ah..." Kunoya sighed, "Really... Why are you patients always unwilling to listen to the doctor's advice..."
With her eyes closed, Kunoya rubbed her brows with her thumb with a slightly tired look, then slowly opened her eyes:
"The ideal situation is to have your wife stay here with me for a month."
"But if you really have something urgent and can't stay here for long... then you have to stay here for at least 8 days... no, 10 days."
"During these 10 days, as long as your wife takes my medicine and rests peacefully, her physical condition will get much better."
"If your wife doesn't show any abnormalities in her body after 10 days, then there shouldn't be any major problems."
"Of course - as a doctor, I still suggest that you let your wife lie here quietly for a month."
"...10 days?" Ogata murmured, "...I see. Thank you for letting me know."
Kunoya nodded slightly to Ogata to show her gratitude, then she didn't stay any longer and walked out of the clinic quickly with her pipe in hand.
According to Ogata's observation, Kunoya is a heavy smoker.
Since she went out to smoke, she has not come back. She has been standing outside, smoking a pipe and taking big puffs.
On the way, Ogata saw that Kunoya had not returned for a long time, so he went outside to take a look . When he looked outside, he saw Kunoya smoking continuously.
After finishing a roll of tobacco, put another roll of tobacco in it.
Only when the medicine was almost ready did Kunoya return to the house with the pipe.
She opened the medicine pot, took a look at the medicine soup inside, nodded, and then extinguished the flame at the bottom of the pot.
"The medicine is ready, young man." Kunoya took out a bowl and poured the medicine from the pot into it. "Help your wife blow on the medicine to cool it down first. When it's not so hot, let your wife drink it all in one breath. I'll lend you this small fan. If you use it to fan the medicine, it will cool down faster."
Ogata raised his hands, took the medicine in one hand and the fan in the other.
"Okay, I'm going to go outside and continue smoking. Call me after you've given your wife the medicine."
After leaving these words lightly, Kunoya didn't wait for Ogata to respond, and impatiently took the tobacco and pipe and left Ogata's sight again.
Ogata stared at Kunoya's departing back in amazement. Whether in his previous life or now, this was the first time he had seen someone smoke so heavily...
After the shock, Ogata cheered himself up, put the medicine on the ground aside, and then used the small fan in his hand to create a breeze to cool the bowl of medicine.
But at this moment, Ogata suddenly saw Atachi beside him move out of the corner of his eye.
Then she slowly opened her sleepy eyes.
"Hmm...? What are you doing...?"
"You're awake." Ogata stopped blowing the medicine to cool it down. "I'm helping you cool it down. Sorry, did I disturb you?"
"No... I woke up naturally..."
Ah-Ming turned around and looked around: "Where's that doctor...?"
"She's outside smoking now."
Having said this, Ogata began to fan his fan again.
"Wait a moment, I'll help you cool the medicine down quickly."
A-Machi turned her head and looked at Ogata's face as he was trying to help her cool down the medicine, and said:
"Ayi, we are really lucky... I was a little worried that the doctor here in Red Moon Fortress might be unreliable... I didn't expect to meet such a great doctor in the end..."
"Yeah." Ogata let out a long sigh and said with emotion, "I'm really lucky..."
Originally, Ogata and his men had returned to the Red Moon Fortress for only one purpose - to convey the news that "the shogunate army is about to arrive at the city."
After Atchin was injured, Ogata and his team had another goal - to get the doctors at the Red Moon Fortress to help heal Atchin.
Ogata's medical skills...can only be considered as "superficial", and Ogata also knows that the treatment he gave Atachi was very rough.
Therefore, after Ating was injured, Ogata had always wanted to let a professional doctor give Ating more detailed and professional treatment. After seeing that Ating's body temperature had not dropped and he was in a "semi-comatose" state every day, Ogata's idea became even stronger.
As a "professional injured person", Ogata knew very well what the consequences would be if the body temperature could not be lowered after suffering such a serious injury - if it was delayed any longer, the wound might become inflamed.
In this era without antibiotics, wound inflammation can easily lead to death...
Looking around, they had no other place to go except the Red Moon Fortress - if it weren't for the fact that Ating was weak and couldn't withstand the strong bumps, Ogata would have wanted to ride a horse all the way back to the Red Moon Fortress, even if it meant tiring the horse to death.
Just as Ah-Ming said just now - before returning to Red Moon Fortress, they were still worried about whether the doctors here were good enough. But now, they finally felt relieved.
Ating, who had just been expressing his "good luck" with a look of relief on his face, suddenly had a change of expression on his face.
The relief on his face slowly turned into... uneasiness.
"Ayi...what should we do next?"
A-machi lowered her voice, so low that only she and Ogata could hear it.
Since there were no outsiders around, A-machi felt free to use her nickname for Ogata again.
"The doctor said I had to stay in bed for a month..."
"But the shogunate's army is about to attack us..."
"How about... we just leave tomorrow...? My health has always been good and I rarely get sick. Even if I leave tomorrow, I won't..."
Before Atachi could finish her words, Oobian interrupted her in a calm tone, neither salty nor bland:
"Don't say such nonsense. How can I take you away tomorrow in your current state?"
"I just asked Kunoya - she said you need to rest for at least 10 days."
"10 days..." Ating's eyes widened slightly, "This is still a long time..."
"A-Machi." Ogata said soothingly, "Don't be impatient."
"Calm down and think carefully - do we have any options other than 'wait for your body to recover first'?"
"Before returning to the Red Moon Fortress, you had a high fever and were in a semi-comatose state every day."
"Back on the eve of Red Moon Fortress, you couldn't even sit on horseback."
"Now you have finally received treatment from a professional doctor and have just completed the treatment, but you still need some time to rest for your body to recover."
"Do you think there's any way to get out of here now that you can't even sit on a horse?"
Hearing this, Ating pursed his lips.
At this time, Ogata continued:
"There's no way, right?"
"Whether we can successfully leave with you when you are so weak is another matter. Even if we can leave successfully, I am afraid it won't be long before you fall ill or your injuries worsen due to the hardship of the journey."
"I'm not Mamiya. I don't have Mamiya's ability to do everything."
"If you become ill or your injuries worsen, there's nothing I can do except wipe your sweat."
"So now we have no other choice but to wait for your body to recover."
"If you don't recover quickly, everything else will be in vain."
"At least you have to wait until your body recovers enough to sit firmly on the horse before you can leave here."
"But..." A-Ming still had a look of anxiety on his face, "What if the shogunate troops come before my body recovers?"
Hearing this question from Atachi, Ogata paused, then smiled:
"If that time comes...you don't have to worry."
"I have already thought of a way to break through this situation if it really happens."
"What method?" Ating asked anxiously.
Ogata raised his right index finger and pressed it against his lips: "I won't tell you yet~ When this situation really happens, I will tell you my 'method to break the impasse'."
"What..." Ating said unhappily.
"Anyway, I won't tell you yet." After saying that, Ogata put down the fan in his hand, "Okay, the temperature of this medicine should be about right."
"Come, I'll help you up and take the medicine."
Ogata held Ating's back with his left hand and helped him up. He held the medicine bowl in his right hand and handed it to Ating's lips.
Ating took a sip of the medicine, and then his whole face immediately wrinkled.
“It’s so bitter…”
Ogata: “Be patient.”
Ating frowned, endured the bitter taste that made her scalp numb, and drank up all the medicine in the bowl.
"Come to think of it..." After finishing the medicine and lying down with the help of Ogata, Ating said slowly, "The people in Red Moon Fortress... don't seem to know their current situation..."
Ogata: "Just now, while you were sleeping, I went to meet with Chanup."
Ogata briefly told Ating about his recent meeting with Chanup.
"We are just guests of Red Moon Fortress. We have no right to interfere with how the people of Red Moon Fortress act in the future."
"I have done what I should do. What remains is for Chanup and the others to decide when to inform the tribe members of this bad news and how to overcome this crisis."
After saying that, Ogata adjusted the bearskin blanket covering Atachi.
"Okay, let's stop chatting. Go back to sleep. You need to get more rest now."
Ah-Ming nodded obediently and closed his eyes.
In just a few breaths, the bearskin blanket covering Ating began to rise and fall rhythmically again.
…
…
at the same time--
In a small house in Red Moon Fortress——
At this moment, the cottage was very lively, with more than ten people sitting in a circle inside.
Now, if there was a member of the Red Moon Fortress present here, he would be shocked when he saw the faces of these people gathered here.
Chanup, the "second in command" Retannoe... almost all the famous people in the Red Moon Fortress are now gathered here.
Everyone sat in a circle according to Ainu customs.
Many people present are heavy smokers, so the small house is now like a "fairyland", filled with smoke and many people puffing away.
Chanup, one of the "old smokers", was holding his old cigarette with the tip bitten to the point of paint falling off.
The rest of the people present formed a great contrast with Chanup, who was smoking and silent - except for Chanup, almost everyone else was now making impassioned speeches.
"Why can't you people understand? What other options do we have besides fighting to the death?"
The person who said this was the second-in-command, Reitannoët.
His eyes were as sharp as torches, staring straight at some people around him.
As soon as Reitannoe finished speaking, a middle-aged man sitting opposite Reitannoe immediately said in a hurry:
"Fight to the death with the Japanese? Don't be ridiculous! Didn't Chanup's friend say that? The attacking Japanese army has tens of thousands of troops! Even if we count the elderly, the weak, women and children, our population of Heyezhe is barely over a thousand! There are only 300 to 400 people who can hold weapons. How can we fight?"
The "friend of Chanup" mentioned by the middle-aged man is naturally the God of Tang.
A few days ago, after learning the bad news of "the Shogunate army's invasion" from Yushin, in order to avoid causing large-scale panic, Chanup decided to "think of countermeasures first, and then publicize the bad news." He only informed a very small number of senior officials headed by Retanoe, and then discussed with these people what to do.
The people in the room at this moment were the only ones in Red Moon Fortress who knew that they were in great danger...
Originally, Reitannoe and the others did not dare to believe Thompson's one-sided statement.
It was not until the survivor of Takta Village escaped to them and told them that Takta Village had been razed to the ground by the Japanese army that they finally believed that a huge crisis had befallen them...
They have held countless similar meetings these days.
But until now, they haven't come to a conclusion...
After the middle-aged man who advocated "escape" finished speaking, Reitannoe glared at the middle-aged man who disagreed with him.
"It's not a question of 'whether to fight' now."
"The situation now is 'must fight'."
"The Japanese army is approaching. What else can we do except fight back?!"
"And we are not without a chance of winning! We have this fortress left by the Lucia people!"
"Relying on this fortress, even if there are only a few hundred warriors, we can still hold out for a considerable period of time under the attack of tens of thousands of troops."
"The Japanese have dispatched such a large army. With so many people eating and horses chewing every day, the amount of food they consume every day must be unimaginable."
"As long as we can hold out until the supplies of the Kazuto army run out, we can be saved!"
The middle-aged man who had just contradicted him snorted coldly:
"Retannoy, what do you think is the chance of success of this 'wearing down the enemy and replenishing their supplies' tactic?"
"Do you really think that with our small numbers we can hold out until the enemy army's supplies are cut off?"
Retannoy remained silent.
After a long while, he slowly said:
"…The odds of winning are indeed not high, but at least there is a glimmer of hope."
The middle-aged man snorted again, and then, like Retannoy, glanced at the people around him.
"Everyone, don't listen to Retannoy's nonsense."
"If we fight to the death with the tens of thousands of Japanese troops, we Heye Zhe will be destroyed."
"Let's abandon this place and escape before the Japanese army arrives."
"Escape?" This time it was Reitannoe who snorted coldly, "Where can we escape to?"
"If we abandon this fortress left by the Lucia people, we will be doomed!"
"Our greatest weapon is this fortress left by the Lucia people."
"If we lose the protection of this fortress, the Japanese army will destroy us with just one charge."
Retannoy looked at the few people present who were about his age.
"Many of the people present are old companions who went south together to find a new home and went through hardships together."
"You should all know how slow the team moves when carrying so many elderly, weak, women and children."
"And people have horses and cavalry, and they are very fast."
"This time they are clearly out to destroy us. I don't think they will just let us get away."
"If they send out cavalry, they can catch up with us in a blink of an eye."
"If we fight a wild battle with the Japanese, we will definitely lose."
"So we can't abandon this fortress no matter what!"
"How dare you say that my chances of winning the 'defending the fortress' are slim? How high are your chances of winning the 'escape'? I'm afraid they are not even as high as my chances of winning the 'defending the fortress'!"
After being retorted by Reitannoe, the middle-aged man said stiffly:
"Maybe Kazuto just wants the fortress left by the Lucia people. As long as we lose the fortress, Kazuto will not spend extra energy chasing us."
"'Maybe'?" Retannoy sneered, "So you're going to bet everyone's life and property on this guy showing mercy?"
As soon as Reitannoe finished speaking, several voices echoed him:
"Retannoy is right! We must not abandon this fortress!"
"This is our new home that we found and built with great difficulty! I will never abandon our home!"
"Let's fight to the death with Kazuto! Just as Retanoe said just now! We are not without a chance of winning! With the support of this fortress, we have a chance to drain Kazuto's supply!"
…
If some people support Retanoë, naturally there will be people who support the middle-aged man who advocates "escape".
The "pro-war" faction and the "pro-escape" faction argued fiercely and expressed their own opinions.
But there were also a very small number of people who remained silent the entire time - Chanup was one of these "very small number of people".
Chanup had been smoking silently with his head down and not saying a word, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking.
At this time, Retannoe noticed that Chanup had hardly spoken since the meeting began.
"Chanoup! Tell me what you think!" Retannoe looked at Chanoup, "Do you support fighting or fleeing?"
As soon as Reitannoe finished speaking, the "war of words" that had reached a fever pitch gradually came to a halt, and everyone turned to look at Chanup.
Under the gazes of the crowd, Chanup looked calm.
After taking a few puffs of his cigarette, he let out a long sigh:
"…Let me think about it."
After saying this, Chanup slowly stood up.
"I'm very tired now... I don't have the energy to participate in the discussion anymore. I'm leaving now. If you want to continue the discussion, please continue."
After saying this, without waiting for anyone else to respond, Chanup walked straight towards the gate.
"Hey! Chanup! Wait!" Retannoe stood up and blocked Chanup's way. "Why did you suddenly leave the table? Do you know that the situation is urgent now?"
"I know." Chanup whispered, "But...please let me rest for a while now..."
Reitannoebben wanted to say something else.
But after seeing Chanup's tired face, he felt that all the words he wanted to say were stuck in his throat.
Chanup walked around Retannoe and continued towards the door of the house.
This time, Retannoe did not try to stop Chanup.
The rest of the people didn't know what was going on and didn't know what to do. They just sat there, looking at each other.
No one tried to stop him, and Chanup successfully left the hut and disappeared from the sight of everyone in the house.
Reitannoe turned his head, glanced at the door with complicated eyes, and said loudly:
"Since Chanup is tired, let him rest first! Let's continue what we need to do!"
"Who just said that our warriors only number 300 at most? We have at least 400 people who can fight with bows and spears!"
The "war of words" that had originally stopped started again in full swing.
…
…
3 days later——
"Come, little girl, it's time to change the dressing. Young man, help me lift your wife up."
"good."
Ogata helped Atachi to sit up, and then Kunoya began to untie the linen that tightly wrapped most of Atachi's upper body.
At this moment, Ogata and A-Machi are in Kunoa's clinic.
In order to make it easier for Atachi to receive treatment, with Kunoya's consent, Ogata and his companions have been staying in the clinic for the past three days.
During these three days, Ogata and Atachi spent their time "taking care" and "recuperating".
In order to recover quickly so as to leave here with Ogata, Atachi has been cooperating with Kunoya's treatment for the past three days.
Ogata has always been by Atachi's side, giving her meticulous care.
While untying the sackcloth for Atsumi, Kunoya asked Atsumi:
"Little girl, do you feel uncomfortable today?"
"No." Ating answered honestly, "It's still the same - the wound hurts a lot, and I feel so tired every day... I still can't sit up by my own strength..."
"This is normal. After all, your injury is not light. Judging from the color of your lips, you have lost a lot of blood. It will take a long time for you to recover."
After she finished speaking, Kunoya had just untied the thick linen wrapped around Atachi's body.
" Hmm... the wound is healing well at the moment." Kunoya carefully looked at Ating's wound several times, "It seems that you have listened to me and rested well."
"As long as you keep doing this, your recovery should be sooner."
"Really?" A-Ting asked in surprise.
"Of course it's true." Kunoya nodded, "Okay, stop talking, I'm going to apply the medicine."
Kunoya applied the medicine evenly on Ating's wound, then took out a new roll of linen and rewrapped Ating's upper chest.
"Just keep lying there." Kunoya took out her pipe. "I have some things to deal with now. I have to go out for a while. I will be back soon. You two can help me look after my clinic for the time being."
Ogata: “No problem.”
Kunoa strode away.
As soon as Kunoya left, Atachi suddenly let out a long sigh.
"I really want to take off these sackcloths as soon as possible..."
"What's wrong?" Ogata asked, "Did Kunoya tie it too tight just now?"
"It's not a question of whether it's tight or not..." Ating shook his head, "Don't you think it's uncomfortable whether the sackcloth is tied tightly or loosely?"
"Ah, I can somewhat understand that." Ogata nodded.
Ogata, who has tried wrapping his body like a dumpling several times, can understand how uncomfortable it is to be wrapped in sackcloth.
There were no bandages at that time, and the linen used as a substitute for bandages was quite average in terms of comfort.
Having a large area of ​​the body wrapped in sackcloth was quite uncomfortable.
Hearing Ogata agree with her words, Atachi smiled bitterly, raised her hand, and patted her chest, which was still slightly bulging even though it was wrapped in sackcloth.
"For someone with my body type, it would be even more uncomfortable to have sackcloth wrapped around my chest..."
"I feel like there are two lumps of dough pressing on my chest...even breathing has become more difficult than before..."
"Be patient for a while." Ogata said with a wry smile, "Be patient for a while longer, and you won't have to wear this sackcloth anymore."
"I really hope the day will come soon when I don't have to tie sackcloth anymore..."
After saying that, Ating smiled and closed his eyes.
Ogata: "You seem to be in a good mood."
"Because I finally heard good news." A-Machi said, "Didn't Kunoya just say that? I'm recovering well."
After saying that, Atachi opened his eyes, looked at Ogata, and acted as if he was relieved:
"We might be able to leave before the shogunate arrives..."
Woo——! Woo——! Woo——!
Before Ating could finish his words, the sound of conch shells exploded one after another from afar.
As the sound of the conch shell suddenly rang out, Ating, who had been smiling, suddenly turned pale.
And Ogata's expression also changed slightly...