I Was a Swordsman in Ancient Japan

The latest website: In the Edo period, leaving the domain was a felony.

In order to maintain feudal rule, the Edo shogunate not only restricted class mobility, but also restricted population mobility.

Since the establishment of the Edo Shogunate, it has promulgated regulations: warriors and common people in each vassal state are not allowed to leave the vassal state to which they belong without authorization.

Those who leave the vassal state without authorization are regarded as "those who left the vassal".

Once the defectors were caught, they would be sent back to their original vassal state immediately and sentenced to severe punishment.

In other words, once you leave the domain, you will immediately become a wanted criminal across the country.

Itagaki and the others did not hesitate to leave the feudal clan, but also came to hunt down Ogata and avenge Toyama—their determination really made Ogata wonder what expression to put on.

"... After I left the Hirose clan, did there any new changes in the Hirose clan?" Ogata asked softly.

"After you killed Matsudaira Gennai, the newly appointed feudal lord's ability is not outstanding, but fortunately he is also a normal person." Ishikawa said slowly, "Under his rule, the people of the Hirose clan are not very It’s as good as it gets, but it’s also much better than before.”

"Where is the Sakakibara Sword Gym? Is the Sakakibara Sword Gym still there?" Ogata asked.

"The Sakakibara Sword Gym is still there." Ishikawa continued, "Probably at the beginning of last year, the feudal government seemed to be planning to tear down the Sakakibara Sword Gym."

"But it was opposed by many people in the domain."

Having said that, Ishikawa showed a smile with the color of memories.

"Your righteous deed of killing the tyrant Matsudaira Gennai has gained a lot of hearts in the Hirose Domain."

"Those who support you are all over the countryside, cities, towns, business circles, and feudal palaces."

"Under their concerted efforts, the feudal government canceled the plan to wipe out the Sakakibara Sword Hall."

"That's it..." A smile burst from Ogata's cheeks, "It's good that the sword hall is still there..."

"Not only is the Sakakibara Sword House still there, but it is also very well maintained. Many people spontaneously went to the Sakakibara Sword House to clean it."

"Especially a mother and daughter who run an izakaya, the two of them will definitely go to the Sakakibara Sword Gym every 7 days, and clean the inside and outside of the Gym.

"

"Mother and daughter who run an izakaya?" Ogata was startled, and then quickly asked, "Are those mother and daughter called Azaki and Afu?"

This time Ishikawa was startled: "Yes. Are they two your acquaintances?"

"I have been taken care of by the two of them before." Ogata put on a relieved expression, "Ha... It seems that the two of them are living a very peaceful life now..."

Ogata tilted his head back, leaning against the wall behind him.

"Obviously it's only been more than a year since I left, but just listening to your narration, I already have a feeling that things are different..."

"You can find an opportunity to go back to the Hirose Fandom in the future." Ishikawa said, "Unlike those feudal states that are located in dangerous areas and are difficult to cross, if you want to mix into the Hirose Fan, there are still many ways and paths. "

"If I'm still alive, I'll consider going back to my hometown." Ogata responded half-jokingly.

Speaking of this, Ishikawa just finished bandaging Ogata's wound.

"Okay, the wound is wrapped up, check to see if it's wrapped too tightly."

"It's perfect. It's neither too tight nor too loose." Ogata raised his hand and caressed the thick circle of sackcloth covering his wound, and then changed into a joking tone, "Speaking of which——Ishikawa-sama, you The heart is really big enough."

"Don't ask me what happened to me just now, don't ask me how I got this injury, just help me bandage the wound and give me clothes."

"Because I think these are stupid questions." Ishikawa Okio smiled, "It's just a normal thing for someone of your status to be attacked and chased by others suddenly, isn't it?"

"Haha, that's true. There is indeed no need to ask why a 'National Most Wanted Criminal' is so scarred."

Ogata stood up slowly, leaning on the wall of the house.

"Master Ishikawa, thank you very much for your help. I will never forget your help."

He once again thanked Ishikawa in a sincere tone.

"you are welcome."

Ishikawa stood up with Ogata with a smile on his face.

"The reason why I extended a helping hand to you is to make amends."

A faint feeling of guilt emerged in Ishikawa's eyes.

"Ogata-kun, I have always been guilty of you and Yuanshan."

"If I were a qualified teacher, if I could discipline Yuanshan and the others well, perhaps the series of tragedies at the beginning would not have happened."

"The second is to thank you."

Ishikawa stretched out his finger and pointed at himself.

"I'm also one of the people who was moved by your act of killing the tyrant."

"I also hate that bastard in Matsudaira Gennai."

"It's just... I don't have your courage and strength."

"Three times... also to allow you to continue to live well."

Ogata was taken aback: "Let me continue to live?"

Ogata can still understand the first two reasons for extending a helping hand that Ishikawa just said.

But for the third reason, Ogata is a bit confused.

Ishikawa chuckled: "The news that you broke Nijo Castle in Kyoto was brought to the Hirose Domain at the end of last summer."

"I didn't understand you at the time."

"The killing of Matsudaira Gennai is an unquestionable act of righteousness in my eyes."

"But to break Ertiao City, I can't link this matter with 'benevolent deeds' no matter what."

"I thought you had depraved and become a violent thug."

"But after I left the Hirose Domain to find Itagaki and others, my mind changed."

"This is the first time in my life that I have traveled far."

"After leaving the Hirose Domain, I witnessed with my own eyes how miserable the common people were under the rule of the Edo Shogunate."

"I can only say this to you Ogata-kun: After witnessing this tragic scene, I began to doubt whether the current Edo shogunate is worth our following."

"As a result, I changed my original idea of ​​seeing you as a 'degenerate thug'."

"After witnessing the incompetence of the Edo shogunate's rule, I began to feel that your attack on Nijo Castle in Kyoto and the defeat of the shogunate army in Ezo were all acts of righteousness."

"At my age, I am doomed to die without any great achievements."

"And you, Ogata-kun, are different."

"You are still young, and you have power. And it is the kind of power that might change the world."

"Your various deeds may be able to force some new changes in this world."

Ishikawa's eyes gradually became sharper, and his tone became firmer.

"So - I don't want you to be killed by some unknown cat or dog, I hope you can live."

Ishikawa raised his hand and pressed Ogata's shoulders who were much taller than him.

"I don't know if your existence will make the future world better or worse."

"But I'm happy to wait and see for myself."

Sonorous and powerful—this idiom probably couldn't be more suitable to describe what Ishikawa said just now.

Looking at Ishikawa who was pressing his shoulders in front of him, Ogata showed surprise at first.

Then the surprise on his face turned into a helpless smile.

"Master Ishikawa, thank you for your love."

"But I'm actually not interested in changing the world."

"What I have always done has not changed - I will swing a knife at anyone who swings a knife at me and the people around me."

"The only thing I can assure you is—"

Ogata changed into a firm tone like Ishikawa's just now.

"Even if it is a disease, I will not let it easily take my life."

"As for whether the world will change because of my existence... then let it be. Anyway, I will not take the initiative to get involved in troublesome things like 'changing the world'."

Listening to Ogata's words, Ishikawa didn't show any dissatisfaction, displeasure or embarrassment on his face.

He just smiled and patted Ogata's shoulders.

Ogata, who smiled along with Ishikawa, took a deep breath, and then slowly exhaled the air in his lungs.

"Master Ishikawa, can you make a deal with me?"

While talking, Ogata put his hand into his bosom.

After fumbling for a while, I took out 5 taels of gold.

This is all the money that Ogata is currently carrying.

"I want to use these 5 taels of gold and my present Dao to exchange for your Dao."

"Although my current knife is a bit tattered, if I sell it, I can still sell it for some money."

After saying that, Ogata gently pulled out the sword from his waist, revealing its notched blade.

The wakizawa that Ogata is wearing on his waist is the wakizawa he took from Yuhachiro just after beheading Yuhachiro to death.

The weapons Uohachiro used were two wakizashis, so although the wakizashis were successfully replaced with new ones, Ogata's sword is still the old tattered one.

Ishikawa raised his eyebrows, looked at the five taels of gold in Ogata's hand, and the tattered knife at his waist, and laughed dumbfoundedly:

"Although my Dao is not a famous or treasured sword, it is not cheap either."

After finishing speaking, Ishikawa pursed his lips and looked at Ogata's face with a thoughtful look on his face.

"...but that's all. Just change it."

Ishikawa shrugged his shoulders with a wry smile, then took off the sword on his left waist and handed it to Ogata.

"Thank you very much." Ogata took Ishikawa's knife, then handed the money and the knife at his waist to Ishikawa, and said seriously, "Master Ishikawa, there are some unknown guys who are destroying Osaka everywhere."

"If conditions permit, you should leave Osaka now."

"At least get off the block."

Ogata changed into a joking tone at this time.

"After tonight, this block...maybe become one of the famous ancient battlefields in the future. So you should leave here as soon as possible, as far as you can."

Ishikawa didn't quite understand what Ogata said just now, but he nodded vigorously:

"I see. Then——Ogata-kun, let's just say goodbye. I hope we will meet again in the future, and I wish you prosperity in martial arts."

After speaking, Ishikawa bowed lightly to Ogata, turned and left.

But as soon as he turned around, Ishikawa's figure suddenly paused.

"...Ogata-kun, can you do me a favor?"

Ishikawa turned his body back.

"If you meet Itagaki and the others in the future... please help me give them a word."

"You tell them: I am a master, regardless of my age, I left my hometown alone just to find them back, and I have suffered a lot for this, even if it is for the sake of being a teacher, Hurry up and go back to the Hirose Domain."

"If they don't listen to you and still insist on taking your life..."

Ishikawa pursed his lips tightly.

"...Leave it to you."

Ogata: "...Understood. If I meet Itagaki and the others in the future, I will bring your words to them."

"Well... sorry to trouble you..."

After Ishikawa bowed lightly to Ogata again, he quickly left.

After watching the old man leave, Ogata closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

Then, resisting the discomfort in his body, he looked around with a scrutinizing gaze.

"This is really a good place..."

Ogata murmured.

"Every house is closely arranged, the roads are all narrow, and they lack commanding heights, making it difficult for people to find me... There is no battlefield more suitable for me..."

Ogata held the sword he bought from Ishikawa just now, and while walking in this "poor settlement", he looked at every street and every house.

After Ogata walked nearly half of the streets in this "poor settlement"——

Chachacha...

The sound of extremely light footsteps suddenly sounded from a place not too far away.

Ogata, who caught the sound of footsteps in time, immediately turned his head to follow the sound...

"Finally...is someone here..."

...

...

——Damn it, the houses here are too dense, how can I find this...

Kagenosuke, who was squatting on the roof of a private house, frowned and looked around.

In order to get Ogata out smoothly, most of the Iga ninjas were sent out to serve as the "eyes" of the entire army.

Kagenosuke is one of the ninjas sent to act as "eyes".

Just now, he saw red fireworks appearing in the sky.

After rushing to the scene, he met Yu Hachiro's subordinates on the river bank who were struggling to fish up U Hachiro's body.

After inquiring in detail, they learned that they had successfully encountered Ogata, but they let Ogata dive and escape.

I don't know which direction Ogata escaped along the river, so Kagenosuke relied on his intuition, followed the flow of the river, and looked for the downstream of the canal.

After a while, he found an area in the lower reaches of the canal that was obviously a "poor settlement".

The houses in this area are all dilapidated and old, and the houses are next to each other. If you look down from the sky, the denseness of the houses in this area can make the scalp of dense phobia suffer from numbness.

This kind of place where the houses are closely arranged is most suitable for Tibetans.

So Kagenosuke walked into this neighborhood with the mentality of "trying his luck".

Before entering this neighborhood, Kagenosuke knew that it would be difficult to find someone in such a densely packed place, but he didn't expect it to be so difficult.

It's like trying to find a copper coin in a utility room full of all kinds of sundries.

——Is there no place with a higher height here...

Kagenosuke raised his head and looked around with a hint of impatience.

Just when he raised his head—

Crack!

A black shadow flashed behind Kagenosuke at a speed so fast that even Kagenosuke couldn't react.

Kagenosuke just noticed that someone appeared behind him, and before he had time to react, a sharp pain came from his side suddenly - the bottom of the sheath of a knife hit his side hard.

"Puff!"

The severe pain in the flank made Kagenosuke vomit out everything in his stomach.

He vomited and collapsed to the ground.

The intense pain caused Kagenosuke's body to convulse directly, and it was difficult to even speak.

Kagenosuke turned his neck with difficulty, and moved his eyes to see who the attacker was.

After seeing clearly who the person who attacked him just now was, Kagenosuke's pupils contracted violently immediately.

"Xiu... Luo..."

It was Ogata who launched a sneak attack on him just now and knocked him down with one blow.

On the emotional side, he squatted down expressionlessly and groped in Kagenosuke's arms.

After a while, a small wooden barrel was found.

"Is this the one..." Looking at the wooden tube, Ogata murmured, "It's really lucky...the man in black with the fireworks will come to your door soon."

After whispering, Ogata smiled joyfully.

——Damn... I didn't have time to set off the fireworks...

The severe pain in the flank made Kagenosuke unable to speak out for the time being, so he could only yell in annoyance in his heart.

——If I could release the fireworks in time just now and help others mark Shura's location...then even if I die, it will be considered worthwhile...

Looking at the smile on Ogata's face, Kagenosuke felt out of breath.

——Laughing fart...!

——If I just set off the fireworks in time just now, you can tell if you still laugh... Huh?

Kagenosuke's eyes slowly widened at this moment.

Because he saw... Ogata stood up slowly.

And aim the wooden barrel that was taken out of him just now at the sky.

Then without hesitation, he pulled the rope at the bottom of the barrel.

laugh--!

A red firework rushed into the sky, and a gorgeous "safflower" bloomed in the air, illuminating Kagenosuke's face full of astonishment.

poof...

Ogata threw the empty wooden barrel back on Kagenosuke.

"Let's all come here," he said.

bass!

Ogata suddenly pulled out the sword that he had exchanged from Ishikawa just now, and pierced Kagenosuke's throat with the point of the sword.

"Goo...!"

Kagenosuke's body convulsed violently for a while, and then he looked around, completely silent.

He still had to set up the "battlefield" later, and he didn't have time to slowly collect information from Kagenosuke, so Ogata sent him on the road without hesitation.

When receiving Ishikawa's treatment just now, Ogata finally had a rare chance to breathe, allowing Ogata to calm down and think.

After carefully reviewing tonight's encounters, Xu Fang was shocked: from the first attack tonight to the present, every time he fought, he was too passive.

He was first found by the enemy, and then the enemy swarmed up and launched a wheel battle against him, and he responded passively.

This group of enemies each had a flintlock gun. Even in his heyday, he didn't dare to take firearms too lightly, let alone when he was in extremely poor physical condition.

It is too bad for him to passively meet the enemy's attack.

Just letting myself fall into such a passive state, I am afraid that when I return to the hotel, I will only have half my life left.

That being the case, then turn the enemy into an army! Take the initiative to face the enemy, lead the enemy to the preset terrain that is extremely beneficial to you, and have a decisive battle with the enemy! Take the initiative of the battle into your own hands!

Just now when he climbed out of the canal and came to this "poor settlement", Ogata immediately noticed the superiority of this block.

The houses are closely arranged, lacking commanding heights, and the roads are narrow, and the widest road is only enough for three people to walk side by side.

There is no better terrain for taking on musketeers than this.

So Ogata decided to lure the enemy to this place, taking advantage of the fact that his body is not so bad that he can't even hold a knife, and start a decisive battle with the enemy here!

Kill the enemy completely, and no one will stop him from going back to the inn.

Ogata is not in a hurry to go back to the hotel now.

If these enemies are not killed, it is very likely to "lead wolves into the house".

His current perception ability is not as good as it was in its heyday, and he doesn't have the assurance that people will never follow him.

If he returned to the inn without killing all the enemies, he might also put Amachi and the others in danger.

And after calming down and thinking, Ogata found that the hotel he was staying in should be safe now if nothing unexpected happened.

If the enemy knew where Ogata lived, there would be no need to ambush Ogata on the street.

In the middle of the night, when Ogata was sleeping, the success rate of rushing into the hotel to assassinate him was not higher than the success rate of assassinating him on the street?

Since the enemy didn't use this obviously more effective method, it means they don't know where Ogata is.

He is only afraid of one thing now—A-Ming saw that he hadn't returned, so he ran out to find him, and then encountered some accident...

blah blah blah...

In the northwest of the block, there were dense footsteps at this time.

"It's coming so soon... I'm still thinking about setting up the battlefield again."

Ogata flicked the sword in his hand, and flung away the blood left on the tip of the knife that had pierced Kagenosuke's throat just now.

"If you want to kill me so much, let's see if I'm exhausted first, or your people die first."