Ezo and pirates - in Ogata's opinion, these are two terms that are difficult to equate.
In Ogata's impression, Japanese pirates should be mainly active in Korea, Tsushima, Iki, Ryukyu, etc. How could pirates appear in Ezo in the north?
Like Ogata, Hayashi Shiping was also very confused and curious about the appearance of pirates in Ezo, so without Ogata's orders, Hayashi Shiping asked Trova about these pirates.
As Talova explained, Hayashi Ziping slowly translated for the Ogata couple.
Starting about two months ago, people suddenly and inexplicably disappeared in Tuohe Village.
All the missing persons were women. After the third woman in the village disappeared, all the villagers of Tuohe Village could no longer sit still. They concluded that someone must have kidnapped their villagers, so they began to investigate.
In order to find out who the culprit is, the villagers of Tuohe Village set a trap: let a young woman from the village stay alone in the mountains, pretending to be picking mushrooms.
The soldiers were lurking in various places around, waiting for the traffickers to take the bait.
They were lucky - their bait operation was a huge success the first time it was carried out.
As soon as the operation began, they saw four people with a faint fishy smell on their bodies rushing out, preparing to take away the woman who was acting as bait.
After these four Japanese appeared, the soldiers lurking around them immediately rushed forward and captured all four Japanese.
Afterwards, the four were severely tortured.
These four men were not strong-willed people. The villagers of Tohe Village just punched them a few times, and they told their identities, their purposes, and everything they knew.
They are a group of pirates based on Iki Island.
Iki Island is an island located between the Japanese archipelago and the Korean Peninsula. Due to its advantageous geographical location, pirates often appear in this area.
Different pirates have different "businesses".
Some pirates make their fortunes by robbing merchant ships.
Some pirates are just sea merchants in pirate disguise.
A very few pirates are explorers in pirate disguise.
This group of pirates who had offended Shangtuhe Village were engaged in the most unscrupulous "business" - human trafficking.
This group of pirates, based on Iki Island, mainly trafficked Koreans and Japanese, mainly young women.
Their sellers are a group of Dutch businessmen. After buying these young Korean and Japanese women, they resell them to Europe or America - these Asian women have always been in high demand.
This group of pirates, whose "main business" was trafficking Korean and Japanese women, appeared in the northern Ezo and began abducting Ainu women because of their boss, Ushigoro Anto.
Ezo is a treasure land rich in high-quality hot springs, and Yitong has always had a strong interest in hot spring bathing.
So when winter comes, Yi Tong will take some people north to Ezo to soak in hot springs and give himself a vacation.
At some point, Yitong, who had originally just wanted to come to Ezo to soak in the hot springs and spend some time on vacation, suddenly had an idea: I wonder if Ezo women are easy to sell?
So Yitong discussed the matter with the Dutch businessmen they had been cooperating with.
Those Dutch merchants had sold Ainu women before. Although Ainu women were not as popular as Korean and Japanese women in Europe and the United States, they were still easy to sell.
After knowing that Ainu women were quite valuable, Yi Tong's greedy heart, which had no conscience at all, began to stir.
From then on, every winter when Yi Tong came to Ezo for vacation, he would send his subordinates to abduct young Ezo women.
Vacation and make money at the same time.
According to the four people captured in Tohe Village, they had been trafficking Ezo women at least four years ago, but they had previously been active in areas further north, and only recently extended their claws to this area and targeted the girls in Tohe Village.
After learning that this group of people were evil human traffickers, the villagers of Tuohe Village were naturally furious.
In order to get back the abducted girl, they joined forces with other settlements with which they had good relations to fight against this group of pirates.
Although other settlements have not yet been poisoned by Tohe Village, they are not stupid and know that if they do not find a way to get rid of this group of pirates, they may be the next to be poisoned.
Therefore, the Tohe Village responded to the call with a hundred men. Men from several settlements formed a powerful expeditionary force and rushed to the base of the pirates according to the information provided by the four captives.
But who would have thought that when they arrived at the pirates' base, it was deserted. There were no pirates or abducted people in sight - they must have anticipated that the four captured subordinates would most likely expose the location of their base, so they evacuated in time.
Afterwards they further interrogated the four prisoners, trying to find out the location of the pirates' other bases, but unfortunately - the four prisoners said that they were just newcomers in the pirate group and didn't know much, so they didn't know the location of the other bases.
The villagers of Tuohe Village tried every possible means to torture the four prisoners - one of them was tortured to death, and the other three were half dead. Seeing that they really seemed to be unaware of the location of the other bases, they could only give up with regret.
Since the failure of the plan to raid the pirate base, the villagers of Tohe Village have never seen this group of pirates again, but the villagers of Tohe Village still dare not relax. Until now, no one in the village is strictly prohibited from going out without the accompaniment of more than two men.
After quietly listening to Lin Ziping's translation of Troyes' explanation, Ogata couldn't help but sigh:
"A pirate who specializes in kidnapping and trafficking people..."
Having escaped from his clan and wandered around until now, Ogata can be considered a man who has seen a lot of the world and the ups and downs of life.
Yakuza, bandits, ninjas, terrorists who want to blow up Kyoto, vicious Cossacks...
But I have never encountered pirates.
Ogata never expected that there would be pirates in this far northern land.
"Anyway - that's it." At this time, Trova added, "At this time, I can't let the villagers risk leaving the village to lead you."
"Lin Ziping, I hope you can understand us. (Ainu language)"
After Lin Ziping finished translating Trova's words, he turned to look at Ogata:
"Ogata-kun, Trova insisted on only drawing the map for us and not letting the villagers lead the way for us."
"Then let's do it this way." Ogata answered without hesitation, "Since they have their own difficulties, let's respect their opinions."
Lin Ziping nodded: "Yeah, I think so too."
Lin Ziping informed Trova of their decision.
"In that case, I will draw a map for you later." Trova said slowly, "Lin Ziping, you have been to Kantou Village once. Once you see the map I drew, you should be able to remember how to get to Kantou Village."
"I don't know why you suddenly want to go to Kantou Village again, and I won't ask any more questions."
"But I still want to remind you: you were driven out by the villagers of Kantou Village last time."
"You have to be careful. We are not very familiar with the people in Kanto Village. If anything happens to you, I can't help you. (Ainu)"
Lin Ziping smiled awkwardly: "Don't worry, Trova. I know what's going on. Last time, I just had some minor conflicts with the villagers of Kantou Village. I will pay more attention this time. (Ainu)"
"What were you talking to the village chief about just now?" Ogata asked.
"Nothing. The village chief told me that I was driven out by the villagers of Kantou Village last time, so he asked me to be more careful this time."
"Then I said: I know what's going on and I'll pay more attention."
"I guess the villagers of Kantou Village won't exclude us from the village just because of me..."
"It would be troublesome if we were barred from the village," Ating interrupted half-jokingly.
Ogata still remembered clearly what Hayashi Shiping had previously described about his experience when he first arrived at Kanto Village.
At first, he was treated friendly by the villagers. The doctor was also very friendly to Lin Ziping and even invited Lin Ziping to his home to entertain him.
But everything changed when Lin Ziping became curious about a closed room in the doctor's house and asked the doctor why the room was closed.
The doctor, who had been very friendly just now, suddenly became like a different person and hysterically drove Lin Ziping out.
The doctor enjoyed a high reputation in Kantou Village. To offend the doctor was to offend the entire village. So Lin Ziping was not only driven out of the doctor's home, but also out of the village.
"If they really reject us from the village..." Lin Ziping said with a wry smile, "We can only wait and see."
…
…
Trova was also a generous person. He directly vacated two empty houses for Ogata and his family to live in.
As for the allocation of these two empty rooms, it was natural that the Ogata couple would sleep in one room, and the bachelor Hayashi Shiping would sleep in the other.
The current time, converted into modern units, is around 9 o'clock in the evening.
Almost all the villagers in Tuohe Village have fallen asleep now.
But Ogata, Atachi and the others showed no intention of going to bed.
They were not engaging in any negative distance communication.
Instead, they maintained and sorted their weapons under the moonlight.
A-Ming cleaned the guns and counted and sorted the bullets and gunpowder.
Ogata applied new sword oil to Daishikōten and Daishizài.
In addition to preventing the blade from rusting, knife oil also has the function of reducing the erosion of blood and grease on the blade and making it easier to wipe them off after blood and grease splash onto the blade.
Tomorrow morning, they will set out into the mountains and head to Kantou Village in the mountains.
According to Lin Ziping, if nothing unexpected happens, we will be able to reach Kantou Village tomorrow afternoon.
Although it has been a long time since Lin Ziping last visited Kantou Village, his face is very recognizable here, so the villagers of Kantou Village are very likely to still remember Lin Ziping.
No one can predict how the villagers of Kantou, who had driven Lin Ziping out of the village, will react when they see Lin Ziping return again.
Ogata and the others have already made the best and worst plans.
The best plan, of course, is that the villagers of Kantou Village have forgiven Lin Ziping, and then they enter the village in peace.
As for the worst plan... it is that the villagers of Kantou Village come with weapons to hunt down Lin Ziping.
Lin Ziping helped them a lot, and no matter what, Ogata couldn't just watch Lin Ziping die like that.
So - in order to prepare for the worst-case scenario, Ogata and Atachi were both checking their weapons.
Ogata's only weapons were his two swords, so he wiped them quickly.
After wiping the two swords, Ogata opened his personal system interface.
[Name: Ogata Noriyoshi]
[Current personal level: Lv40 (360/6400)]
Personal attributes:
Strength: 20
Agility: 18
Reflexes: 15
Stamina: 21
Vitality: 36
【Skill:
[Sakakibara Ittoryu Level: 13th dan (11185/12000)
Wuwo's ​​dual swordsmanship level: 12th stage (13060/14000)
Shiranui Style Ninjutsu Level: 8th Stage (6990/7500)]
[Remaining skill points: 6 points]
…
[Sakakihara Itto-ryu (13 paragraphs):
Climbing: Intermediate
Water Fall: Advanced
Bird Thorn: Master Level
Dragon Tail: Advanced
…
【Muga Nisshin (11th level):
Step: Master
Blade Return: Grandmaster
Flow: Master
Breath of the Source: Grandmaster
Raikiri: Beginner
Cicada Rain: Elementary
Starfall: Primary
…
【Shiranui Style Ninjutsu (8th level):
Shiranui Stealth Technique: Intermediate
Shiranui Style Jujutsu: Advanced
Shiranui Breath Holding Technique: (Not unlocked)
Shiranui Assassination Technique: (Not unlocked)]
…
…
Although the battle with the shogunate army was difficult and dangerous, the rewards were also generous.
The personal level directly jumps by 2 levels to level 40, and 2 skill points are gained, bringing the skill points in stock to 6 points.
Because that battle basically only used swords, the Shiranui-ryu ninjutsu unfortunately did not gain any experience points. Only Sakakibara's Ittoryu and Muga's Two-Sword Ryu gained a lot of experience points. Although they did not level up, they were only a step away from leveling up.
——I hope I don’t get any experience points tomorrow…
Ogata thought silently in his heart.
If possible, Ogata naturally did not want the worst situation to occur tomorrow.
Ogata had just finished checking his personal system interface when Atachi, who was sitting opposite him, suddenly said softly:
"Da Shitian and Dashizai...are both covered in wounds now..."
Hearing Atachi's murmur, Ogata was stunned for a moment, then he smiled bitterly and pulled out the double swords that he had just put back into the sheath.
The blades of Mahakala and Mahadeva now... to use a vivid metaphor, are a bit like saws. Both blades have dozens of notches, which looks quite scary.
The two swords were already "covered in scars". After experiencing the great battle with the shogunate army, new wounds were added to the old ones, making the two swords look so horrible now.
"...When we return to Japan, we will find someone to repair our swords." Atachi said slowly, looking at the two swords in Ogata's hands.
"It would be very difficult to find a swordsmith to repair my swords." The bitterness on Ogata's face became even more intense. "I'm afraid that a swordsmith with lower skills wouldn't even know how to repair my two swords."
Ogata's Daishakuten and Daijizai are undoubtedly great swords. They accompanied Ogata on his trips to Choushima, Kyoto, Edo, and Ezo.
If it was an ordinary-made knife, after accompanying Ogata in so many tough battles, I'm afraid the blade would have broken hundreds of times.
If a sword of this quality were to be repaired by an average swordsmith, he would probably feel at a loss as to where to start.
"I don't know any skilled swordsmiths..." said Ating.
"Me too." Ogata agreed, "Now... we can only take one step at a time and see what happens. When I return to Japan in the future, I will slowly consider whether to find a swordsmith or... buy two new swords."
After saying this, Ogata put Daishakuten and Daishizai back into their sheaths.
…
…
The next day——
Today was a sunny day. The weather was really helpful. Ogata didn't want to be forced to stop because of a blizzard or something else when he was so close to Kanto Village.
As soon as the day was light, Ogata and his companions grabbed their horses and set off.
Kantou Village is located in the deep mountains next to Tohe Village. It is too dangerous to ride a horse on this mountain path that only a few people have walked on, so Ogata and his companions had to dismount and move forward, pulling radishes and grapes.
"Hmm..." Lin Ziping looked at the map Trova gave him this morning and nodded repeatedly, "My memory has revived. I slowly remembered how to get to Kantou Village. All we have to do next is keep going along this mountain road. Kantou Village is on the hillside of the mountain ahead."
"The mountainside..." Ating looked up at the mountain in front of him and twitched his lips.
"Don't worry." Lin Ziping comforted him, "It may seem far, but the road is actually quite easy to walk."
"I have done everything I can after I bring you to Kantou Village." Lin Ziping said calmly, "Everything after that is up to you."
Ogata nodded vigorously: "You just need to take us to Kanto Village. Leave the rest to us."
Lin Ziping was actually right: the mountain road was not that difficult to walk on, but a mountain road was still a mountain road, and no matter how easy it was to walk on, it was still much more difficult than walking on flat ground.
Ogata and his companions walked from the time the sun rose in the east to the time when the sun began to slowly set in the west, resting only twice along the way.
Fortunately, Ogata and the other two were not people who lacked physical strength, otherwise they would have collapsed from exhaustion long ago.
Ogata needs no mention.
A-Machi has been receiving ninja training since he was young. Although he has always been the laggard among his peers, his physical fitness is much stronger than that of ordinary people.
Lin Ziping has been traveling around to study since his youth and has developed a strong physique.
"We're almost there." Lin Ziping shouted to Ogata and Atachi behind him, "We're almost there. If I remember correctly, we'll reach Kantou Village a little further ahead."
"Are we finally there..." Ogata stroked the mane of Radish beside him and looked up at the sky, which was glowing orange as dusk approached. "It looks like we'll be able to arrive before dark..."
Before Ogata could finish his words, his pupils suddenly shrank, and then he immediately stopped, turned his head to look at the dense forest on the side of him, and subconsciously placed his right hand on the hilt of the Daishiten sword on his left waist.
The reason why Ogata suddenly reacted so strongly was not because of anything else, but because - the sound of footsteps being trampled on the snow came from that direction.
The footsteps were very loud, and the owner of the footsteps seemed to have no intention of hiding his footsteps. Even someone like Lin Ziping, who was not good at martial arts, could clearly hear the loud footsteps.
"Mr. Lin, hide."
After whispering this to Lin Ziping, Oofang took the lead in pulling the radish and hid under the slope next to him with Ating.
Ogata had already made an instant calculation just now - as long as they hid below this slope, due to the angle, it would be difficult for the person appearing from the dense forest to find them.
After hearing Ogata's instructions, Lin Ziping also rushed down the slope belatedly.
The footsteps became louder and louder.
Finally—a figure emerged from the depths of the dense forest.
He was a dishevelled fellow wearing Ainu clothing.
The clothes on his body and the exposed skin were all dirty, as if he had just rolled in the mud.
He had back-length hair and a thick beard. His hair had not been groomed for who knows how long. The beard on his lips and chin had not been groomed for who knows how long.
This person's face was so dirty that it was difficult to see his facial features or age.
When this guy who looked like a beggar showed up, Lin Ziping, who was secretly observing the situation outside with Ogata and Atachi, was stunned and muttered, "It's him..."
"Do you know this person? Is he a villager from Kantou Village?" asked Ogata, who was next to Lin Ziping.
"Of course I know him." Lin Ziping said in a deep voice, "This guy is the doctor who seems to have a problem with his brain."
…
…
In an inconspicuous alley in Edo.
"Finally I found you... I didn't expect you to be so good at hiding at such a young age."
In this inconspicuous alley where no one usually comes, a deep middle-aged male voice suddenly sounded.
"Alas……"
After the middle-aged man's voice fell, a young female voice full of fear and still childishness sounded.
At the end of the alley, a young girl in a cloak, with no way to retreat, collapsed on the ground.
The girl was probably only 12 or 13 years old.
At this moment, she was looking ahead with fear on her face, looking at the two warriors in front of her.
In front of him, two warriors, one tall and one short, both wearing wide bamboo hats, blocked the girl's way and walked slowly towards her.
In the girl's eyes, the two warriors walking slowly towards her looked like mountains and evil spirits.
"Just come home with me." The deep middle-aged male voice that just sounded came from the tall warrior's mouth. "Although I am curious about how you escaped, now that I have found you again, I am too lazy to pursue the matter."
"Come back with me obediently, and don't force me to use force."
"I hope you can understand that your existence can save many lives."
"If you run away, I don't know how many people will suffer."
"So, I hope you can understand the greater good..."
Before the tall warrior could finish his words, the girl seemed to have made up her mind. She gritted her teeth, stood up with all her strength, and rushed towards the two warriors in front of her.
She wanted to force her way through the obstruction of the two warriors.
"Stupid..." the tall warrior muttered softly.
Before the girl even touched the two warriors, she saw a flash before her eyes, and then a sharp pain in her stomach - the tall warrior kicked the girl in the stomach.
Judging from the strength of the tall warrior, he showed no mercy.
The girl who was kicked flew directly hit the wall behind her heavily. A handful of blood spurted out of her mouth. Then the girl slowly fell to the ground leaning against the wall like catkins in the wind.
"Really? If you just surrender obediently, you won't have to suffer this kind of physical pain." The tall warrior complained as he slowly walked to the girl's side and picked her up like a chicken.
"...Father..." At this time, the short warrior who had been silent since a while ago finally spoke.
"What?" asked the tall warrior.
"Please...be gentle." said the short warrior, "This girl is only 12 years old..."
“Gentle…” The tall warrior laughed so hard that his shoulders began to shake, as if he had heard something funny. “My dear son, you should know very well that no matter how much you beat or kick this girl, or even cut her open, she will not die, right?”
After saying that, the tall warrior pulled up the girl's clothes, revealing the part where she had been kicked just now - only to see the large area of ​​skin on her belly that was originally dark red, the dark red faded at a speed visible to the naked eye, and slowly turned into normal skin color.