"Ayi." At this time, A-Ming beside him also asked Ogata, "Miss Lin and the others are not here, what should we do now?"
After pondering for a moment, Ogata turned his head to look at the setting sun which was only a short distance away from the horizon in the distance.
"…Let's prepare for the night now, and the rest can come later."
After saying that, Ogata turned his gaze back to the village chief in front of him.
"Village leader, can you let us stay in your village for one night? I can pay you for the accommodation."
“Hahaha, no need for that.” The village chief smiled and waved his hands quickly, “You are Mr. Kinoshita’s distinguished guests, how can we charge you money? It doesn’t cost much to let you stay overnight.”
Ogata talked for a few words with the village chief, and seeing that he was determined not to charge accommodation fees, Ogata stopped being pretentious and entangled, and accepted the chief's kindness frankly.
"By the way, village chief." As he was about to follow the village chief into the village, Ogata suddenly asked, "Where's Xuanren?"
"Oh, Doctor Xuanren. He happened to be in a nearby village treating patients."
"Is he doing well now?"
"He's doing well now." The smile on the village chief's face deepened. "He's a kind person, and his medical skills are great. People in our village and several nearby villages like him very much. The villagers have given him countless gifts of thanks for his medical skills. He has even gained some weight now."
Hearing the village chief say this, Ogata was secretly happy that Xuanren was living a good life now.
Since last summer, after Lin and his team rescued Xuanren from prison for offending the powerful, they brought him to this village with Xuanren's consent and let him settle down here.
The last time I met Xuanren was on the eve of his departure for Edo last year.
While feeling happy for Xuanren, Ogata also felt very fortunate.
Fortunately, Xuanren is not in the village now.
If Xuanren asked him whether he had seen his master Xuanzheng and his senior brother Xuanzhi in Ezo, Ogata really didn't know how to answer him...
Now Xuanren happened to be not in the village, so Ogata no longer had to worry about how to answer Xuanren's question.
…
…
That night——
"call……"
After soaking his entire body in the bathtub filled with hot water, Ogata couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief because of the comfort.
When was the last time he soaked in hot water? Ogata had no idea.
He only remembered that they had been living outdoors for a long time.
"Lord Ogata." At this time, the village chief's voice sounded outside the bathroom, "Is the water temperature suitable?"
"Yes." Ogata shouted outside the bathroom, "The water temperature is just right. Thank you for boiling hot water for me."
"Hehe." The village chief smiled, "You're welcome. Then just soak in the water and I won't disturb you anymore."
As he finished speaking, the sound of the village chief's footsteps could be heard outside the bathroom, gradually fading away.
There was no house in the village that could accommodate the three of them at the same time, so they were separated - Ogata and A-machi lived in the village chief's house with the largest house, while A-tsuku lived in the house next door to the village chief.
The conditions of the village chief's house are quite good. The house is spacious enough that even if Ogata and Atachi move in, it will not feel crowded. The house also has its own small bathroom.
The bathroom in the village chief's house was the most commonly used bathroom by civilians during the Edo period: a small square room with a bathtub in which a person could sit.
There is a small window on one side of the room for ventilation.
Once this small ventilation window and the bathroom door are closed, people outside the bathroom will not be able to see what is happening inside the bathroom.
There is a stove under the bathtub.
The stove mouth is outside the bathroom.
When you want to take a hot bath, you just need to light the stove, and then let someone outside the bathroom continue to add firewood into the stove through the stove mouth.
The village chief treated Ogata and his friends very well. Not only did he prepare a sumptuous dinner for them, he also took the initiative to help them boil hot water for a bath.
The village chief and his men were so enthusiastic that Ogata felt a little embarrassed.
Ogata leaned his head back on the edge of the bathtub and closed his eyes, relaxing his body and mind.
He wanted to just empty his mind and relax his brain, but the more he wanted to relax, the more he couldn't help but start thinking.
——Apart from Lin and the others, who else might know where there is a good swordsmith...
A big question mark appeared in Ogata's mind.
He wanted to ask Lin and the others, who must have a lot of connections, if they knew where there were any good swordsmiths, but to his surprise, none of the people from Huluya were in Owari...
It is not realistic to stay here and wait for Lin and the others to come back. After all, God knows when they will come back.
There is no other choice but to change the plan and seek help from others.
However, an embarrassing thing happened - Ogata's network of contacts was very narrow.
Ogata didn’t have many friends…
Since leaving the Hirose Domain, Ogata has basically only had a close relationship with the people of Hulusha...
——Besides the people at Huluwu, who else do I know who should have a wide network of contacts...
Ogata frowned and tried hard to recall.
However, just as I was beginning to recall, A-Machi's voice suddenly rang out from outside the bathroom:
"Ayi?"
"Hmm?" Ogata opened his eyes. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing, I just saw that you've been soaking for a long time, so I came to see if you would faint."
"It's impossible for me to get dizzy. I have a physique that doesn't easily get dizzy." Ogata said with a smile.
He was not bragging or talking nonsense. Ogata was indeed the kind of person who would not easily get dizzy from taking a bath. Since traveling to the Edo period, Ogata had never gotten dizzy from taking a bath for too long.
"I was just thinking about something, so I stayed in the bath for a little longer," Ogata added.
A-Ting: “Thinking about something?”
Ogata nodded. "I was wondering if there are any other people I know who should have a wide network of contacts besides Huluya."
Having said this, a wry smile appeared on Ogata's face.
"But I found that my network of contacts is very narrow. Apart from Huluwu, I don't seem to know anyone..."
Ogata's voice suddenly stopped at this point.
Then his pupils slowly widened.
"Hmm? Ayi?" Seeing that Ogata suddenly stopped talking in the middle of his words, A-Ming asked in confusion, "What's wrong? Why did you suddenly stop talking?"
“…Yes…” Ogata stammered.
"Hmm?" The puzzlement on Ating's face became more intense.
"How could I have forgotten that person..." Ogata felt as if the fog in his mind had suddenly dissipated, and excitement slowly emerged on his face. "Isn't there a person in Kyoto who should have a very wide network of contacts..."
"Kyoto?" Ating was stunned at first, and then he looked as if something had suddenly dawned on him.
…
…
The next morning, Ogata and his two companions left the village.
Head west, straight towards Kyoto.
Before leaving, Ogata gave the radishes and grapes to the villagers and asked them to take care of them.
Mainland Japan is not like Ezo. In Ezo, you can ride horses however you like and ride whatever horse you like, but that is not allowed in mainland Japan.
As Don River horses, Radish and Grape are much taller and larger than Japanese horses, so riding Radish and Grape in Japan is too eye-catching.
In fact, on the way from northern Oshu to Owari, Ogata and his companions had encountered many troubles because of their eye-catching radishes and grapes.
It was inconvenient to ride Radish and Grape in Japan, so Ogata and his companions simply left the two horses in the village and asked the villagers to take care of them and take them back later.
When handing the radishes and grapes to the village chief, Ogata also stuffed three taels of gold into his pocket as a fee for taking care of the two horses.
The village chief was reluctant to accept it at first, but in the end Ogata forced the three taels of gold upon him.
Ogata knew very well how troublesome it was to raise horses. Besides, they didn't know how long it would take them to come back and take the horses back. If they didn't give the village some care fees, Ogata would feel guilty.
Owari is not far from Kyoto. Between the two places is a vast plain composed of the Nobi Plain and the Kinki Plain. The road conditions and other infrastructure are extremely complete, so even if they were walking, Ogata and his companions did not spend too much time to reach Kyoto, which they had been away from for a long time!
…
…
Somewhere in Kyoto——
"Hey, dear guests, come and have a look! I have the latest southern barbarian goods here!"
"Get out of the way! Get out of the way! Be careful not to get hit by this truckload of goods!"
"The weather in Kyoto is getting more and more outrageous. It's still a long way from summer, but it's already this hot..."
…
The various words that reached Ogata's ears were basically all in the Kyoto accent that he was quite familiar with.
At this time, Ogata was in a busy city in Kyoto. Looking at the lively scenes in front of him, a smile appeared on his face.
"It's been a long time..." Ogata muttered softly.
"Yeah." Atachi, who was standing next to Ogata, also smiled and nodded, "It's been a long time since I last visited this city..."
While Ogata and Omachi were expressing their feelings about revisiting their old place, Otsuki looked around with shining eyes: "Is this Kyoto? The atmosphere is completely different from other cities. Where does the emperor live in Kyoto?"
This was the first time for Azhu to visit this ancient capital with hundreds of years of history. The surrounding scenery and the distinctive Kyoto accent that came into his ears were all particularly novel in his eyes.
"The Emperor should live in the Imperial Palace," Atachi said casually.
"Where is the Imperial Palace?" Azhu asked.
"Why?" A-Ming smiled playfully at A-Tsukushi, "Do you really want to visit the Imperial Palace?"
"That's not the case." Azhu shook his head like a rattle, "I just wanted to see how dilapidated the Imperial Palace is. I've always heard before that the Emperor is miserable, just a puppet at the mercy of the shogunate."
"Even the money for daily life is provided by the shogunate, which is very miserable. If the shogunate stops providing money to the emperor, the emperor and his men will have to rely on selling calligraphy and paintings for a living."
"Because the emperor doesn't have much money left, I heard that the imperial palace is in a state of disrepair."
"It's mostly true, but some parts are exaggerated." Ogata smiled. "Although I haven't seen the Imperial Palace, I heard that the emperor is not so poor that even the Imperial Palace is in tatters."
"The emperor is no longer a puppet at the mercy of the shogunate. After all, he is the nominal ruler of Japan and has some influence. The shogunate cannot completely ignore the emperor and the imperial court on certain matters."
After saying that, Ogata stretched vigorously.
"Okay, stop standing here like an idiot."
Ogata took the lead and walked towards an intersection not far away, while A-machi and A-tsuki, who were walking on his left and right sides respectively, hurried to follow.
"Ichi...Mashima-sama." Azuki almost shouted "Ittosai-sama" in public, but quickly changed his words, "Where does your friend live in Kyoto?"
When they just set out for Kyoto, Ogata told Azhu that they were going to Kyoto to visit an old friend of his who lived in Kyoto.
"He lives quite far from here," Ogata said. "He lives in an inconspicuous town in Kyoto."
"Oh! So are we going to go find him directly now?" Azhu asked.
"That's not urgent." Ogata said, "Before I go to see him, I have to buy some gifts. After all, he is not only my friend but also my elder. It would be rude to go to see him empty-handed."
After saying that, Ogata turned around and asked Atachi:
"A-Ting, what do you think is the best gift to give him?"
Instead of imagining it by yourself, it would be better to ask Ating, who has the longest friendship with that person.
"Hmm..." Ating hesitated for a moment, "From what I know, he doesn't like those flashy decorations or anything like that, so I think it would be fine to just give him something delicious."
"I remember he seemed to like sweets, so let's give him some sweets."
Ogata nodded: "Then buy some sweets."
Ogata stopped a passerby and asked where he could buy some high-quality snacks.
After learning that there was a teahouse not far away that sold a variety of well-known Kyoto confectionery (a general term for Kyoto's specialty snacks), Obe led A-machi and A-tsuki straight to the teahouse.
After entering the teahouse, Osamu directly asked a clerk who happened to be free inside what types of Kyoto confectionery the store sold.
This teahouse sells quite a few kinds of Kyoto confectionery. After Ogata picked out some sweet Kyoto confectionery, Tedai warmly invited Ogata and the others to sit down at a still empty table.
"Sir! Please wait a moment! We will prepare the Beijing sweets you ordered right away! Would you like some tea?"
Ogata turned his head and cast a questioning look at A-machi and A-chiku.
They both nodded, and Ogata was a little thirsty, so he raised three fingers to Shoudai: "Then give me three cups of your best tea."
"Okay!"
Not long after the assistant left, he brought up three cups of steaming hot tea at just the right temperature.
It was not known how long it would take to make this Kyoto confectionery. In order to kill time, Ogata sipped the tea in the cup while looking around.
Teahouses, pubs, and bathhouses - these three places were the three major social venues for the people of this era.
Judging from the attendance rate, this teahouse is really popular. Although it is not the busiest time period, 80% of the seats are still occupied.
The guests drank tea and ate Beijing fruit while chatting about all sorts of things.
Ogata had no intention of eavesdropping on the conversations of the people around him, but the conversation of the guests at the next table was so loud that Ogata couldn't help but listen.
"Hey! Have you heard? His Majesty the Emperor is very angry now." An old man with freckles on his face shouted.
"Very angry? Why?"
"Why else?" Freckles said in a lively tone, "It's because the 10,000-strong coalition army of the shogunate and the northeastern feudal domains was defeated by Ogata Ittosai in Ezo."
Ogata's pupils shrank slightly, and then he looked towards the guests at the next table in the direction of the sound. As he turned his gaze over there, Ogata raised his hand and lowered the bamboo hat on his head a little.
Not only Ogata was attracted by the conversation at the next table, but A-machi and A-tsuku's attention was also drawn there.
"Ogata Ittosai defeated an army of 10,000?" A man as tall as a bamboo pole looked shocked. "When did this happen?"
"Don't you know? At the beginning of this year, the shogunate sent an army of 10,000 to conquer the Ezo people in Ezo. But for some reason, they were attacked by Ogata Ittosai. The 10,000-strong army was defeated by Ogata Ittosai alone! The shogunate army suffered more than a thousand casualties!"
Freckles made a few awkward knife-swinging movements, and then continued:
"Ogata Ittosai should be considered a great swordsman who has never been seen before and will never be surpassed... He defeated an army of 10,000 people alone... Even storytellers dare not say so."
"Bullshit! You're just talking nonsense!" An acne-faced uncle sneered, "How could Ittosai defeat the shogunate army alone? He had companions at the time! There was a group of Russian cavalry helping him! And the shogunate didn't mobilize an army of 10,000. The total number of troops participating in that battle was only 5,000!"
"Ah?" Freckles looked at the acne-covered uncle with an unhappy face, "You said that what I just said was wrong, then are what you said completely correct?"
The acne-covered uncle: "It's definitely more accurate than yours anyway."
The two uncles, one with a face full of freckles and the other with acne, started a heated argument over whose version was more accurate.
At this time, Ogata silently withdrew his gaze and drank his tea calmly.
At this moment, Tedai happened to be walking towards Ogata holding a large cardboard box.
"Sir! Sorry to have kept you waiting! Here! Here are your Jingguozi."
"Yes, thank you." Ogata put down the empty cup of tea in his hand, and took the box of Kyoto sweets. "A-Machi, A-Tsukushi, let's go."
Ogata, holding on to his hat that was pulled down very low, walked out of the teahouse quickly.
As soon as he walked out of the teahouse, Azhu hurried to Ogata's side, looking up at Ogata's face hidden under the bamboo hat, and lowered his voice in surprise:
"M-Mashima-san, did you...really do something so amazing in Ezo?"
"It's just a trivial matter not worth mentioning." Ogata smiled calmly.
Ever since Azuki joined the group, Ogata had never told the child about his previous feats in Ezo.
One reason is that it is more difficult to explain.
Secondly, there is no need to spend extra time to tell everyone about it, after all, one day his feat will spread throughout Japan.
The defeat of an army of 10,000 - even if the shogunate wanted to block the news, it was destined to be only temporary, not permanent.
If the defeat was just an army of a few hundred or thousands, there might be a way to block the news, but it would be impossible to completely block the news of the defeat of an army of tens of thousands.
Ogata had long anticipated that the world would one day know that his executioner Ittosai had once again slapped the shogun several times, so he was not surprised by the scene in the teahouse just now where those uncles were discussing his deeds.
After witnessing the scene in the teahouse just now, Ogata's only feeling was that Kyoto really deserves to be one of the three major capitals of Japan... The speed of information circulation is much faster than in other cities.
Before this, Ogata had never heard anyone discussing his feat of defeating the shogunate's army in any city, town or village, whether from northern Oshu to Owari, or later from Owari to Kyoto.
Ogata guessed that after a while, the news of his defeat of the shogunate's army would probably spread gradually and radiate throughout the country, with Edo, Kyoto, and Osaka as the center.
At this moment, Azhu's jaw looked like it would drop at any moment.
"Mama-sama Majima..." Azuki stuttered, "S-So you, you, you really did such a thing in Ezo...!"
"I will tell you the whole story later." Ogata continued to smile calmly. "Now let's go find my old friend and senior."
…
…
When Ogata and the others had just left the teahouse——
While the two uncles, one with freckles and the other with acne, were still arguing, a young man calmly stuffed a red and white steamed bun into his mouth: "Come to think of it - I've also heard rumors about it."
The young man's words attracted the attentive attention of many people nearby.
"The shogunate's shameful behavior has made the Emperor furious." The young man took a sip of tea. "So in order to appease the Emperor's anger, the elder councilor Matsudaira Sadanobu seems to be in Kyoto right now, apologizing to the Emperor."
"Is Lord Rochu in Kyoto now?!" someone exclaimed.
"I don't know." The young man shrugged. "I just heard that. After all, the whereabouts of a person of Lord Laozhong's level would never be known to ordinary people like us."
"Humph, if Matsudaira Sadanobu really came to apologize to His Majesty the Emperor, the Emperor would definitely not let him go so easily." An old man shrugged, "Since the 'Honorary Title Incident', the relationship between Matsudaira Sadanobu and His Majesty the Emperor has been extremely bad. His Majesty the Emperor will definitely not miss this opportunity to disgust Matsudaira Sadanobu severely."
"Being disgusted by the Emperor is just a small matter for Lord Elder." The young man who just mentioned that the Elder Elder might be in Kyoto said, "How to guard against those forces in the shogunate that oppose him - this is a big matter for Lord Elder now."
"Many people are already very dissatisfied with the reforms implemented by Mr. Laozhong since he took office. Those who oppose Mr. Laozhong will definitely use this defeat as a bargaining chip to impeach and attack Mr. Laozhong."
…
…
Although the last time he came to Kyoto was last summer, Ogata still remembered the route to the adult's retreat clearly.
Walking straight along the route in my memory, the home where that adult lived was within reach.
"Master Itosai." As there was no one around, Azuki addressed Itosai, "How far is it from where your friend lives?"
"We're almost there." Ogata said.
"Lord Itosai, your friend...could he be some extraordinary and important figure?" Azhu shrank his neck.
"Hmm? Why do you say that?"
"Because...during this period, when I asked you what kind of person your friend was, you were very secretive... Could he be some big shot who would get into trouble just by knowing his name...? If he really is such a person, then you'd better not tell me his name..."
"Hahaha, well..." Ogata laughed dryly, "That's not the case."
That gentleman is now a hermit, and he has decided to spend the rest of his life in this Kyoto.
As he had already lived in seclusion, he naturally didn't want too many people to know his true identity, so Ogata deliberately did not tell Azhu the name of his old predecessor or what kind of person he was.
"He is just an ordinary old man in Kyoto that you can see everywhere." Ogata said casually, "So when you meet him later, just treat him normally. He is a very easy-going old man who is very easy to get along with."
"An ordinary old man from Kyoto?" Azhu nodded. "That's good... As long as he's not some scary person whose name you don't even know..."
As they were talking, Ogata and the others had already stood in front of an old house that was particularly familiar to both Ogata and Atachi.
Looking at the old house in front of him, Ogata was filled with mixed feelings.
He took a deep breath and was about to shout at the door, "Is anyone home?" when -
Boom boom boom!
Suddenly, encouraging footsteps were heard behind the door.
Wow!
The wooden door was pulled open, and the person who opened the door was a young man whom Ogata and the others had never seen before.
And then...
Crash!
The sound of chains swinging could be heard.
Bang!
A muffled sound suddenly sounded behind the young man who suddenly opened the door.
The young man's eyes rolled back and he fell heavily to the ground face down.
After the young man fell down, Ogata and others were finally able to see the scene behind him.
Behind the young man was a bald old man who was slowly pulling back the chain he had thrown.
"Ah... I'm really getting old... I can't even shoot accurately anymore... Hmm? Komachi?! Why are you guys here?"
After the young man fell to the ground, the old man also noticed Ogata and others who were standing in front of the door.
“…Hey.”
At this time, Ogata heard Azuki speak beside him.
Azuki turned her head and looked up at Ogata, blinking her big eyes.
"Can ordinary old men in Kyoto easily knock people to the ground with chains?"