I Was a Swordsman in Ancient Japan

"The Ezo in the 'Red Moon Fortress' are extremely xenophobic." The old man continued, "I really hate dealing with Hisam."

"Hisam?" Tomachi asked.

"It's in the Ainu language." The old man said, "The Ainu collectively refer to all foreigners except themselves as 'Hisam'."

"You actually know Ainu language?" Ogata slightly raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"I only know a few simple vocabulary." The old man shrugged, "I learned it from a group of businessmen who stayed with us and did business with Ezo."

"All in all, the two guest officers should be careful of the 'Red Moon Fortress' after arriving in Ezo Land, the Ezos there don't welcome foreigners very much."

"It is said that the shogunate has recruited the eizu of the 'Red Moon Fortress' many times, but the eizu of the 'Red Moon Fortress' have always ignored the shogunate's proposal to surrender and have maintained an independent state."

"Although I've heard that the Eizo in the 'Red Moon Fortress' are not xenophobic to the point of killing foreigners when they see them, they still don't get close if they can."

"I see." Ogata nodded lightly, "Thank you for your reminder. We will pay attention to it later."

"I don't understand one thing very well." At this moment, A-Machi suddenly interjected, "You just said that the Ezos in that place have a lot of iron guns, right?"

"This is very strange. As far as I know, aren't the Eminos still a bunch of uncivilized barbarians? Where do they have the ability to make iron cannons?"

"I don't know about that." The old man shook his head with a wry smile, "Maybe someone sold it to them."

After finishing speaking, the old man raised his hand to say "please" to Ogata and A-Machi.

"Sorry, I seem to have said too much and interrupted your meal."

"Two, please have dinner."

All the questions I want to ask have been asked.

Ogata happened to be hungry right now.

I was only busy asking questions to the old man just now, so I didn't have time to take a good look at the "Mutsu specialties" that the old man said.

After the old man made a "please" gesture to them,

Ogata also looked down.

The food on his and Ah-cho's tables are the same.

A bowl, a larger saucer, and a smaller saucer.

That bowl was full of noodles.

The larger plate contains 4 fish patties pinched into leaf shapes.

As for the smaller dish, there are 3 green mochi.

"This noodle is called 'Wanzi Soba'." The old man Asaogata and Atachi introduced, "The fish cake is called 'Bamboo Leaf Fish Ban', and the green mochi is called 'Edamame Mochi'."

This is the first time Ogata has come into contact with the local food in the Ou area. Looking at the three kinds of food in front of him that he has never eaten before, he can't help feeling curious and looking forward to it.

After clasping his hands together and muttering "I'm going", Ogata picked up the chopsticks and then the bowl of noodles.

Pick up a handful of noodles with chopsticks and stuff them into the mouth, and then bite the noodles with your teeth.

The name of this food already reveals what kind of noodles it is - it is a very popular food in this era: soba noodles.

But the bowl of soba noodles in his hand at this time has a different taste from any soba noodles that Ogata has eaten before.

The bowl of "Wanzi Soba" in my hand has an incredible texture and is very springy. The soft and sticky noodles have just the right amount of saltiness, which suits Ogata's appetite.

After taking a bite of the noodles, Ogata picked up the "bamboo leaf fish board".

As soon as I passed it to my nose, I smelled a faint fishy smell.

Just lightly biting off a piece, the aroma of the fish spread in the mouth, and the unpleasant fishy smell has never appeared.

At this time, Ah-machi was tasting the "Bamboo Leaf Fish Bowl".

A-Ming seemed to like this food very much, as soon as she put the "bamboo leaf fish plate" into her mouth, her eyes immediately shone with joy.

"Is this fish cake made of cod?" Tomachi asked.

"That's right. It's the cod." The old man responded immediately, "First shape the cod meat into the shape of bamboo leaves, then bake it on the fire, and add wine, sugar and other seasonings for seasoning."

"Guest officer, your tongue is so powerful, you can actually taste it as cod meat."

"Yeah. Because I like to eat fish better." Because his mouth was full of this "bamboo leaf fish plate", A-Machi's speech was a bit vague.

Ogata is tasting the "edamame mochi" at this time.

This "edamame mochi" can tell what kind of dish it is just by looking at its name: mochi stuffed with edamame.

It's sweet, which suits Ogata's taste.

"Then——I'll take my leave first." The old man bowed to Ogata and A-Ming, "Please take your time, two guests."

...

...

After the old man left, the only sounds left in the room were the chewing sounds of Ogata and A-Machi, as well as the sounds of chopsticks colliding with dishes.

The only background music is the whistling wind and snow outside the window.

"It seems that the two of us are really the only ones staying here tonight..." A-cho muttered.

After entering this "Xintianjuku", Ogata and A-machi have been paying attention to their surroundings.

I found that this Xintian hotel was really as the old man said before—there were only the two of them as guests tonight.

From entering Xintianjuku to the present, Ogata and A-machi only saw some staff of the inn headed by the old man, and did not see other guests except them.

"Isn't it natural that there are few customers?" Ogata sighed softly, "The security in this area is so bad that travelers and small-scale caravans must stay away from this place."

Prior to this, Ogata had heard a lot of various information related to the Ou area.

For example: Although Ou has a large area, more than 70% of its land is mountainous, and there are not many places suitable for people to live in.

Therefore, although the territory of the Ou area is large, the population is not large.

Another example: the Ou area is in chaos now. There are gangsters everywhere.

After stepping into the Mutsu area a few days ago, Ogata really felt how chaotic this land is.

There are endless bandits who seek money and kill.

These gangsters who make a living by robbery are basically a group of gamblers-betting that the person they are robbing is a soft persimmon.

As long as you can grab a soft persimmon that is both rich and easy to bully, you will make a lot of money.

On the other hand, if you get a hard stubble... If you are lucky, you may be able to escape, if you are not lucky, you can only go to see King Yama.

Those gangsters who came to trouble Ogata these days belonged to the kind whose luck ran out.

In fact, you can't blame them for dying.

After all, in this era when martial arts are slack and most of the samurai are either indulging in pleasure or struggling to survive, how many samurai can have the strength to outnumber one enemy?

Ogata was alone, and with such a beautiful woman beside him - it was very difficult to keep those gangsters from thinking evil.

Since entering the Mutsu area until now, Ogata has solved several groups of robbers of different sizes.

Get rid of a group of gangsters, and before you go far, a new group of gangsters will pop up.

Ogata didn't know much about the Ou area, so he didn't know why there were so many bandits.

In a place full of bandits, how could travelers and small-scale caravans dare to come?

I'm afraid that even the locals are afraid to go far.

...

...

Because this was the first hot meal the two had eaten in the past two days, both Ogata and A-machi cherished this meal tonight.

With a leisurely mood, I ate all the delicacies tonight.

In such an ancient society, nights were always boring.

There is no TV to watch, no video to play.

In those big cities and towns, if you have money, you can still find some things to pass the time.

But in this inn, surrounded by nothing but snow, there was nothing to do but go to bed immediately.

Ogata and A-machi started eating dinner around 18:00. Then finish dinner around 18:30.

After a brief rest, Xu conveniently pulled out a quilt and laid it out at about 19:00.

...

...

Ogata and Machi got into the bed at 19:00 in the evening.

It wasn't until close to 23 o'clock that both fell asleep.

...

...

There is no need to sleep outdoors tonight, so both Ogata and A-machi slept soundly.

I didn't dream, and I didn't wake up in the middle of the night. I didn't wake up until 7 o'clock the next day.

After waking up, washed up briefly, and ate some dry food for breakfast, Ogata and A-machi prepared to leave this Shinta-juku and continue their journey.

Their goal today is to reach the "Jinye Town" that the old man told them about last night before this evening.

When Ogata and A-machi were getting ready to leave in front of the gate of Shintajuku, the old man came to see Ogata and the others off in person.

"Guest officers, I wish you all the best of luck." The old man smiled at Ogata and Ah-ding.

"Yeah." Ogata also smiled, "I would like to borrow your good words."

"In addition to wishing you a smooth journey, I also wish you peace."

Speaking of this, the old man suddenly let out a long sigh.

"Recently, Mutsu's side has become more and more uneasy... There are more and more ronin who commit crimes."

"As the two guest officers saw, we were the only ones staying here last night, the two of you."

A self-deprecating wry smile appeared on the old man's face.

"We have a notorious reputation here, and not many travelers are willing to pass by us."

"Even those warriors who practice martial arts, they also respect us at a respectful distance."

"Right now in the entire Ou area, the only places that are safe enough are the towns and the post houses built by the shogunate like this Nitta-juku."

The old man stretched out his finger and pointed to his feet.

"Those thieves who make a living by committing crimes don't have the guts to approach the city town or the inn built by the shogunate."

"So if the two of you want to spend the night, try to spend the night in an inn built by the shogunate like we did last night."

"It is safer to spend the night in an inn built by the shogunate than in an inn built by a private individual."

"En." Ogata silently wrote down the old man's advice, "Thank you for your reminder."

"Why is it so chaotic here in the northeast?" A-Ming couldn't hold back his curiosity, and asked a question that both she and Ogata had been confused about.

"Because of being poor." The old man shrugged with a wry smile, "Mutsu and Izuha have never been rich."

"Most of the land is mountainous, and the climate is cold. The crops in most places are not good. There is only a small area that can be called rich."

"Poor is poor, but when things are good enough, life can be so-so."

"It's just that the situation can't be good all the time..."

"The 'Tianming Famine' seven years ago tortured our people in Ou..."

"The reason why we in Ouyu are in such a mess now is also thanks to the 'Tianming Famine' seven years ago."

After hearing the word "starvation in the morning" from the old man's mouth, Ogata and Atachi's expressions changed one after another.

Starvation at dawn—this word is an extremely heavy word for people of this era.

They can all be described as turning pale.

Ogata has never experienced the Tianming Famine. When he traveled to this era last year, the Tianming Famine had ended for 2 years.

But—although he has never experienced it, he has always heard about this terrible famine from many people.

"The 'Tianming Famine' seven years ago, our Ou region was the hardest hit."

"I have fully witnessed this disaster that lasted 4 years..."

The old man's face gradually turned livid.

Like recalling some bad memories.

"After the disaster, neither the shogunate nor Ou's vassals were able to deal with the famine, and they couldn't feed so many people's stomachs."

"The vassal government of most of the vassal states has basically fallen into a state of paralysis, unable to help the hungry victims."

"In order to survive, a large number of farmers have become displaced refugees."

"As far as I know, the small Hirosaki Clan has lost nearly half of its population."

"Before the 'Tenming Famine' broke out, there were still 130,000 people in the Hirosaki Domain. After the Tianming Famine ended, there were only 70,000 people left."

"The missing half of the population either fled, fled elsewhere, or starved to death."

"At the beginning of the 'Tianming Famine', there were many mid- and low-level warriors who turned into bandits in order to survive."

"The gangsters who are raging all over Ou and disturbing Ou are basically middle and low-level samurai who fell into bandits in order to have enough food after the outbreak of the 'Tianming Famine', or farmers who fled in the past."

"I really hope that the shogunate and the Ou feudal clans can quickly wipe out these hateful gangsters."

The old man let out a long sigh.

"'Sunshine Famine' ended 3 years ago."

"Gradually, we can eat local delicacies such as bowl soba noodles and bamboo leaf fish board again."

"Next, as long as we kill all these hateful gangsters, we Ou Yu will be able to return to the stability before the outbreak of the 'Daylight Famine'."

Speaking of this, the corners of the old man's mouth turned up slightly.

The nostalgic light burst out from the pupils of both eyes, and the eyes stared blankly ahead.

He looked like he was looking at the past.

It also seems to be looking at a bright future not far from now.

...

...

Today's weather is very nice.

The sun, which casts soft light on the earth, hangs high above the blue sky.

The loose white clouds, like cotton, cover the mild sunlight more softly, often accompanied by a gust of cool breeze, and the treetops covered with white snow obediently shake their waists and shake the snow on the treetops. Blocks shake off.

With such good weather, it is really hard to imagine that there was such a terrible snowstorm last night.

Such a fine weather made Ogata involuntarily take a deep breath of the fresh air.

In the hotel just now... To be precise, in front of outsiders headed by the old man, Ogata has been wearing that human skin mask to conceal his identity, incarnate as "Mashima Goro".

After leaving the hotel and returning to the wilderness with no one around, Xu conveniently took off the human skin mask, revealing his original appearance.

The breeze was blowing on his real face, which was quite comfortable.

Ogata and A-Machi moved their moccasin boots, and heard one after another "squeak, squeak" on the snow-covered road.

The pair of moccasin boots on their feet were bought from a clothing store that sold Ezo clothes when passing through a small town a few days ago.

According to the owner of the shop, the pair of moccasin boots the two bought were genuine Ezo boots, the kind that Ezo people usually wear.

Whether these boots are Ezo or not, Ogata does not know.

But these buckskin boots are really easy to use.

Wearing it to walk on the snow does not feel cold at all. It is simply the "snow walking artifact" of this era.

When Ogata and A-Ming leaned on crutches and walked forward on the snow, A-Ming suddenly sighed softly:

"Three years have passed since the 'Tianming Famine', but the aftermath of this great famine has not been interrupted until modern times..."

After the two quietly listened to the old man's explanation of why the Ou area is now in such a mess, they said goodbye to the old man and started their journey again.

Although the two of them had reached a place where the shadow of Nittajuku could no longer be seen at all, what the old man said just now still lingered in Ah Machi's mind.

"I'm very impressed with 'Tianming Famine'..."

A-Machi let out a sigh of relief, and a look of reminiscence appeared on his face.

"I remember it very clearly..."

"During that time, I couldn't get enough for every meal..."

"Because our Kansai side was less affected by the disaster, a large number of refugees flooded into Kansai."

"After the refugees came, our Kansai became chaotic."

"Although I haven't seen it with my own eyes, I heard that during that time, a large number of refugees attacked the rice store to rob rice, or directly attacked the execution office or the feudal mansion, demanding that the officials hand over the rice..."

After all, A-Machi let out another breath, and forced out a faint smile.

"Luckily this famine is over."

"The common people can now eat again."

"Everyone is gradually living a good life again."

As soon as A-Ming's voice fell, Ooyoshi showed a faint smile, and then said softly in a calm tone:

"Is it a good day..."

"When everyone can live a life where they can eat enough, new troubles will appear."

"After eating enough, I want to wear better clothes."

"After wearing better clothes, I want to live in a bigger house."

"After living in a bigger house, I want to eat better food."

"After eating better food, I want to wear better clothes..."

"'Contentment' is something that's easier said than done."

"Now everyone thinks that a life with enough food is a 'good day'."

"But after everyone can easily eat enough, everyone will start to think that a life that can eat enough, wear good clothes, and live in a big house is a 'good life'."

"So the 'good days' may never come..."

"Thousands of years later, ordinary people may still be working hard to pursue the 'good days' of that era."

"As expected of being the head name of the literary examination of the 'Gozen Trials'..." A-Machi looked at Ogata next to him in a daze, "What he said is different from an illiterate like me who can't even recognize a few Chinese characters. "

"Although I don't quite understand the meaning of what you just said, I always feel that what you just said is very powerful..."

"It doesn't matter if you don't understand." Ogata shrugged with a smile, "Take what I said just now as the crazy words I said on a whim."

...

...

Last night, the old man told Ogata and A-cho: As long as you walk fast enough, you can reach Nishikino-cho before evening.

And Ogata and A-Machi happen to be the kind of people who can move fast enough.

Except for a brief break in the morning, noon, and afternoon, the two of them have been rushing towards Nishino Town non-stop.

Until 15:00 or 16:00 in the afternoon, the two finally saw wisps of cooking smoke on the horizon ahead.

After seeing the cooking smoke, the two felt that the strength in their bodies had increased a bit, and they sped up their pace a little more.

At the same time, Ogata also put on the human skin mask again.

After approaching and entering Nishikino Town, the unique noise of the city town came to the ears of Ogata and Atachi after a long absence.

Perhaps because of the proximity to the city, Ogata didn't run into any gangsters who planned to murder him all day long.

Nishino Town is larger than Ogata imagined, and the population is also larger than Ogata imagined.

He and Ah-Ming were walking on an unknown street, and as far as the eye could see, there were quite a lot of passers-by passing by.

"Should we find a hotel first?" A-cho asked.

"Of course." Ogata replied without hesitation, "Find a hotel to stay first, and then look for the 'Original Tachibana House'."

Ogata casually asked a passerby, and then asked where the nearest hotel was.

The hotel closest to Ogata and Atachi is an ordinary hotel with a height of only 2 floors, both in terms of size and price.

After looking at the rooms in this hotel, they found that the quality of the rooms was not bad, so the two opened a double room.

After finding a hotel to stay in, the two began to look for Yuanju House.

Yuanjuya seems to be very popular in this Nishikino town.

Ogata asked someone casually, and found out the location of Yuan Tachibana House, and then quickly arrived at the door of Yuan Tachibana House.

For a merchant who can own 2 merchant ships, his shops will certainly not be so shabby.

Ogata had already imagined that Minamoto Tachibana House should be very grand.

After actually seeing the appearance of Yuan Tachibana House with his own eyes, Ogata found out—it really is.

Yuanju House is 3 stories high and covers an extremely wide area. It is one of the most magnificent shops that Ogata has ever seen.

Ogata and A-Machi stepped into Gentachibana, and saw a young man sitting behind a counter right in front of him.

The young man stood up immediately after seeing Ogata and A-machi entering the store, and then smiled softly.

"Welcome, what do you two need? Our Tachibana House specializes in Ezo products. We have all kinds of Ezo products. Please choose as you like."

Ogata walked slowly to the counter, and then began to negotiate with the young man standing behind the counter.

"What?" The young man frowned slightly, "You want to meet the owner of our Yuanju House?"

"Yeah." Ogata nodded, "We have a... business with Gentachibana."

"Business?" The young man raised his eyebrows.

After a moment of silence, the young man said:

"Unfortunately, we can't just let two outsiders go to see the owner."

"If you have anything to do, you can talk to me directly."

"I'm the eldest son of the master—Ichiro Nishino."

"I can relay your words to my father for you later."

Ogata didn't expect that the person who was sitting behind the counter looking at the store turned out to be the young master of this original orange house, and a bit of surprise flashed across his face.

After thinking for a while, Xu conveniently explained the business he wanted to discuss with Yuanjuya.

"...In other words, you want to take our merchant ship to Ezodi?" Nishino Ichiro frowned again after he had just relaxed.

"Yeah." Ogata nodded, "We want to go to Ezo for some reasons, so we want the merchant ship from Guipu to give us a ride."

As soon as Ogata finished speaking, Ichiro Nishino immediately bowed and apologized to Ogata and Atachi:

"Sorry, we can't take you to Ezodi."

Ogata: "The price is negotiable..."

"It's not a question of price." Ichiro Nishino interrupted, "Our two merchant ships are the life of our Tachibana House."

"You can't let outsiders board casually."

"Please don't worry." Ogata said immediately, "My wife and I are not bad people! We will definitely keep our own place! We will never cause you any trouble!"

Although Ogata tried his best to prove that he and A-Machi would not cause them trouble, Nishino Ichiro's attitude was quite firm and unmoved.

Seeing that Nishino Ichiro was still unable to be persuaded, Ogata could only let out a helpless sigh.

"I see." Ogata smiled wryly, and bowed lightly to Ichiro Nishino, "Sorry for bothering you."

And Ichiro Nishino hurriedly returned the gift: "I'm very sorry that I couldn't help you."

...

...

Ogata and A-Machi walked out of Gentachibana slowly.

As soon as he left Yuan Tachibana House, A-Machi said in a helpless tone:

"It's a bad start... The first time I asked a merchant to give us a ride, I was rejected."

"It's normal to be rejected." Ogata comforted A-Machi, "After all, the person just said was right. Merchant ships are so expensive, and they can be said to be the fate of these merchants who specialize in doing business with Ezo."

"How could we casually let outsiders like us who don't know the details aboard?"

Because Ogata had already expected that the "ride with the wind" would not be smooth, so he is not very depressed now.

"Anyway, let's rest in Nishino Town tonight."

Ogata continued.

"Leave here tomorrow morning and look for other merchants with merchant ships."

...

...

Ogata and Machi had just left——

In Yuanju House——

"Brother, what did those two guests come for? Are they here to ask for directions?"

A young male voice came from the corridor behind the counter.

Afterwards, a young man who looked somewhat similar to Ichiro Nishino came out from behind the corridor and slowly came to Ichiro Nishino.

"Oh, it's Jiro." Ichiro Nishino smiled, "The two guests from other places just now wanted to go to Ezo, so I want our merchant ship to take them for a ride."

"Guests from other places? Lend our merchant ship?" The eyes of the young man called "Erlang" lit up a little, "Where did those two guests come from?"

"I don't know. I haven't had much contact with foreigners, so I can't tell where their accents are from."

"Brother, do you still remember what those two guests looked like?"

"Huh? Why are you asking this?"

"It's a man and a woman." Although he didn't know what his younger brother wanted to do, Ichiro replied honestly, "The man is quite tall, with long hair, a samurai, with a sword and a threat in his waist." Difference."

"As for that woman, she is very beautiful, and she has Hawakizashi in her waist."

"Brother! Thank you very much! I'll go out for a while! I'll be right back!"

After all, without waiting for Ichiro Nishino to respond, the young man he called "Erro" rushed out of Gentachibana House.

When Ichiro Nishino shouted "Hey! Where are you going?", the young man had completely disappeared.

...

...

"Hey! Hey!"

Ogata and A-Machi suddenly heard a strange voice behind them.

Looking back at the sound, I saw a young man waving at them and running towards them quickly.

Quickly running to the front and back of Ogata and Atachi, the young man panted and asked them:

"Ha... you two... ha... the one who just... ha... came to our Yuanju House... ha... to borrow a boat, right?" the young man asked while panting.

A-cho nodded: "That's right. May I ask who you are?"

"I would like to ask you!" The young man ignored A-Ming's question about his identity, but turned his fiery eyes on Ogata and A-Ming, and asked anxiously, "Where are you from?"

"Why are you asking this?" Ogata frowned slightly.

"To be honest." The young man gradually calmed down his breathing at this time, "I am the second son of the owner of Yuanju House—Nishino Jiro!"

"Second son?" Ogata raised his eyebrows.

After carefully looking at the face of the young man in front of him, Ogata found that the facial features of this young man were indeed very similar to the "Ichiro Nishino" he had just seen.

"Although I am the son of a merchant. But I have no intention of doing business."

"I have always wanted to be a Kabuki playwright!"

"I'm now writing a masterpiece that will be famous in history!"

"But because of the lack of material, I have been unable to write smoothly."

"So now I urgently need people from Izumo to help me complete my script!"

After finishing speaking, Jiro Nishino once again cast his fiery eyes on Ogata and Atachi.

"So I want to know where the two of you are from! If any of you are from Izumo, please help me!"

"Izumo..." A strange smile appeared on Machi's face.

After raising his hand and patting Ogata's, he said:

"What a coincidence, my husband's hometown happens to be in Izumo."

As soon as A-Machi finished speaking, Jiro Nishino's gaze at Ogata became even hotter.

"Are you from Izumo?"

"Well, I am indeed from Izumo. What is the script you are writing now?" Ogata folded his arms around his chest, "You still need someone from Izumo to assist you?"

"Because of the kabuki script I'm writing now, the protagonist is the Izumo." Jiro Nishino scratched his hair, "But I've never been to Izumo, so I don't know how the Izumo people talk, and I don't know What do Izumo people usually eat?"

"If you don't understand the living customs and speaking habits of Izumo, then the protagonist in my writing will have no real sense."

"So I have always wanted to find someone from Izumo to teach me the living customs of Izumo, and the speaking habits of people from Izumo."

"The main character is Izumo?" Ogata's face flashed with astonishment.

Not only Ogata, but A-Machi beside him also had a look of astonishment on his face.

A conjecture emerged in the minds of the two of them at the same time...

"...Let me take the liberty to ask." Ogata said slowly, "Can you tell me what kind of script this kabuki script you are writing is?"

Hearing this question from Ogata, Jiro Nishino showed complacency and pride on his face.

"A script based on the righteous deeds of "Executioner Yidao Zhai" Ogata Yasushi acting on behalf of the heavens and killing the tyrant!"

"I'm going to have the script written before the new year."

"Then give it to my familiar Kabuki friends, and let them perform my script on New Year's Eve!"