I Was a Swordsman in Ancient Japan

"The Ezo in'Red Moon Fortress' is extremely xenophobic." The old man continued, "I hate dealing with Hisham."

"Hisam?" Ah Ding asked.

"It's Ezo language." The old man said, "Ezo people refer to all foreigners except them as'Hisam'."

"You still know Ezo?" Ogata lowered his eyebrows in surprise.

"I only know a few simple vocabulary." The old man shrugged, "I learned it from the merchants who had stayed with us before and who specialized in doing business with Ezo."

"All in all, after the two guest officials waited for the Ezo land, they should be careful of the'Red Moon Fortress.' The Ezo there doesn't welcome foreigners very much."

"It is said that the shogunate has recruited the Ezos of the'Red Moon Fortress' many times, but the Ezos of the'Red Moon Fortress' have always ignored the shogunate's proposal of surrender and have maintained their independence."

"Although I heard that the Ezos of the'Red Moon Fortress' are not xenophobic to the point where they kill when they see foreigners, they still don't get close if they don't get close."

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

"I don't understand a place very well." Ah Ding suddenly intervened at this moment. "You just said that the Ezos in that place have a lot of iron cannons, right?"

"This is very strange. As far as I know, aren't the Ezos 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 smiled bitterly and shook his head. "Maybe someone sold it to them."

After all, the old man raised his hand and made a "please" action towards Ogata and Amachi.

"Sorry, I seem to talk a little too much, so I disturbed the two of you to eat."

"Two, please have a meal."

I've finished asking all the questions I want to ask.

Ogata is also hungry 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 old man's "Mutoku specialties".

After the old man made a "please" action to them, Ogata also looked down.

The food on his and Ah Ding’s tables are the same.

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

The bowl was full of noodles.

Inside the larger plate are 4 pieces of fish cakes kneaded into leaf shapes.

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

"This noodle is called'Banzi Soba'." The old man introduced to Ogata and Amachi. "The fish cake is called'Zhuye Yuban', 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, I can't help but feel curious and expectant.

Putting his hands together and chanting "I'm going", Ogata picked up his chopsticks and then held up the bowl of noodles.

Use chopsticks to pick up a handful of noodles and stuff them into your mouth, then use your teeth to bite the noodles off.

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

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

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

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

As soon as he handed it to his nose, he smelled a faint smell of fish.

Just gently biting off a piece, the aroma of the fish diffused in the mouth, and the unpleasant fishy smell never appeared.

At this time, Ah Ding was also tasting this "bamboo leaf fish plate".

Ah Ting seemed to like this food very much. As soon as she sent the "bamboo leaf fish plate" into her mouth, her eyes immediately radiated joy.

"Is this fish patty made of cod?" Ah Ding asked.

"Yes. It is the cod." The old man responded immediately. "First, shape the cod into the shape of a bamboo leaf, then bake it on the fire, and season it with wine, sugar and other seasonings."

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

"Yeah. Because I prefer to eat fish." Because his mouth is full of this "bamboo leaf fish board", Ah Ding said something vague.

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

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

It's sweet, but it also fits Ogata's taste.

"Then-I will retire first." The old man leaned over and bowed to Ogata and Amachi. "Please take your time to taste the two guest officials."

...

...

After the old man left, only the chewing sound of Ogata and Amachi and the sound of chopsticks and dishes colliding in the room remained.

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

"It seems that we are really the only two of us staying here tonight..." A Ding mumbled.

After entering this "Shintajuku", Ogata and Amachi have paid attention to the surroundings.

I found out that this Shintajuku is really as the old man said before-there are only two of them guests tonight.

From entering Shintajuku to the present, Ogata and Amachi have only seen some staff at the post and lodge headed by the old man, and no other guests besides them.

"Isn't it taken for granted that there are fewer guests?" Ogata said softly, "The security in this area is so bad. Travelers and small-scale caravans must stay away from here."

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

For example, although the Ou area 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 Ou has a wide geographical boundary, it has a small population.

Another example: Ou area is now very chaotic. There are criminals everywhere.

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

Gangsters seeking money and killing are endless.

These gangsters who make a living by robbery are basically a bunch of gamblers-betting that the person he is robbery is a good 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 grab a tough stubble that is not easy to provoke...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 come to trouble Ogata these days are the ones whose luck comes to an end.

In fact, they can't be blamed for death.

After all, in this era where martial arts are abolished and most of the samurai are not indulging in pleasure or struggling to survive, how many samurai can have the strength of one enemy and many?

Ogata was alone, and with such a beautiful woman beside him-it would be hard not to let the gangsters think badly.

Since entering the Mutsu area, Ogata has solved several groups of robbers of various sizes.

Get rid of a group of gangsters, and before they go far, a new group of gangsters will pop out.

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

How can travelers and small-scale caravans dare to come to a place full of gangsters?

I'm afraid that even the locals dare not go far.

...

...

Because this is the first hot meal the two have eaten in the past two days, both Ogata and Amachi cherish this meal tonight.

With a leisurely mood, Meimeidi ate all these foods tonight.

In such an ancient society, the night was always boring.

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

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

But in this inn where there is nothing but snow, there is nothing else to do except go to bed immediately.

Ogata and Amachi started eating dinner around 18 o'clock. Then finish dinner at around 18:30.

After a brief rest, Xuyi pulled out a bedding and laid it out at about 19:00.

...

...

Ogata and Amachi entered the bed at 19 o'clock in the evening.

It was not until 23:00 that they both fell asleep.

...

...

There is no need to sleep in the wild tonight, so both Ogata and Amachi slept soundly.

Did not dream, did not wake up in the middle of the night, and did not wake up until 7 o'clock the next day.

After waking up, simply washing up and eating some dry food for breakfast, Ogata and Amachi were about to leave the Shintajuku and continue their journey.

Their goal today is to arrive at the "Kinye Town" that the old man told them last night before this evening.

When Ogata and Amachi were ready to go in front of the gate of Shintajuku, the old man came to see Ogata and them off in person.

"Two guest officials, I wish you all the best." The old man smiled at Ogata and Amachi.

"Yeah." Ogata also followed with a smile, "I borrowed you Ji Yan."

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

Speaking of this, the old man sighed suddenly.

"Recently, Mutsu's side has become more and more uneasy... There are more and more ronins who are criminals."

"As seen by the two guest officials, we were the only two of you staying here last night."

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

"We are notoriously well-known here, and not many travelers are willing to visit us here."

"Even the samurai who practiced the martial arts, also kept away from us here."

"Now in the entire Ou area, the only safe enough places are probably only castles and towns and post-stays built by the shogunate like this Shintajuku."

The old man reached out his finger and pointed at the foot.

"Those thieves who make a living by working as culprits don't have the guts to approach the towns, towns, or the posts built by the shogunate."

"So if the two of you want to stay overnight, try to stay as much as possible last night in our post-house built by the shogunate."

"It's safer to stay in a post house built by the shogunate than in a private hotel."

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

"Why is Tohoku so messy here?" Amachi couldn't restrain his curiosity, and asked a question that she and Ogata had always been puzzled by.

"Because of poverty." The old man shrugged with a wry smile, "Mutsu and Dewa have never been rich."

"Most of the land is mountainous, the climate is cold, and the crops in most places do not grow well. There is only a small area that can be called wealthy."

"Poor go to poor, but in the days when the situation is good enough, you can still live so casually."

"It's just that things like the situation can't always be good..."

"The'Tianming Hunger' seven years ago tortured our Ou people hard enough..."

"The reason why our Oyu is in such a mess now is also thanks to the ‘Twilight Hunger’ that happened 7 years ago."

After hearing the word "Tenmei Hungry" from the old man's mouth, the expressions of Ogata and Amachi changed.

Twilight famine-this term is an extremely heavy term for people of this age.

It can all be described by talking about the discoloration of tigers.

Ogata has never experienced the famine of the sky. When he crossed into this era last year, the famine of the sky had been over for 2 years.

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

"Seven years ago, the'Tianming Famine' was the worst disaster in our Ou area."

"I have completely witnessed this four-year disaster..."

The old man's face gradually turned pale.

It's like recalling some bad memories.

"After the disaster, the shogunate or the Ou domains were unable to cope with the famine and could not fill the stomachs of so many people."

"Most of the vassal states are basically paralyzed, unable to help the hungry victims."

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

"As far as I know, just a small Hirosaki clan lost nearly half of the population."

"Before the'Tenmei Famine" broke out, the Hirosaki Domain had a population of 130,000. After the Tianming Famine ended, only 70,000 people remained."

"The half of the population that disappeared either fled, fled to other places, or starved to death."

"At the beginning of'Tianming Hungry', there were many middle and lower-level warriors who fell into the grass in order to survive."

"The gangsters who are now raging around Ou and disturbing Ou are basically the middle- and lower-level samurai who fell to the ground to eat after the outbreak of the'Tawny Hunger' or the peasants who fled in the first place."

"I really hope that the shogunate and the Ou domains can quickly eliminate these nasty bandits."

The old hair let out a long sigh.

"'Tianming Famine' ended three years ago."

"Gradually, we can eat local delicacies like Wanzi Soba and Bamboo Leaf Fish Plate again."

"Next, as long as we kill all these wicked bandits, we Oyu can return to the stability before the outbreak of the'Tianming Hunger'."

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

Nostalgia burst into the pupils of his eyes, and his eyes stared at the front blankly.

He looked like he was looking at the past.

It's like looking at a bright future not far from the present.

...

...

The weather today is very good.

The sun projected soft sunlight to the earth, hanging high above the blue sky.

The loose white clouds like cotton conceal the not-so-strong sunlight more softly, and are often accompanied by a breeze that is not cold. The treetops covered with white snow obediently shook their waists to remove the snow on the treetops. The pieces shake off.

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

Such 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 always been wearing that human skin mask that conceals his identity, incarnate as "Mashima Goro."

After leaving the inn and returning to the uninhabited field, Xu Jian took off the human skin mask, revealing his original appearance.

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

Ogata and Amachi moved their feet in moccasins, guessing one after another "creak" on the snow-covered road.

The pair of moccasins on their feet were purchased from a clothing store that sells Ezo clothes while passing through a small town.

According to the owner of that shop, the pair of moccasin boots they bought were genuine Ezo products, and Ezos usually wear this kind of boots.

Ogata doesn't know if these boots are Ezo products.

But these moccasin boots are really easy to use.

Walking on the snow wearing it, it doesn't feel cold at all. It is simply the "snow walking artifact" of this era.

While Ogata and Amachi were walking forward on the snow with a cane and one foot shallowly on the snow, Amachi suddenly muttered softly:

"Although it has been three years since the'Tianming Famine', the follow-up effects of this great famine have not been interrupted until modern times..."

The two of them quietly listened to the old man's explanation of the reasons why the Ou area is so chaotic just now, and then said goodbye to the old man, and then set off on the journey again.

Although the two of them have already reached a place where the shadow of Shintajuku can no longer be seen at all, the words that the old man said just now still remain in Amachi's mind and can't go away.

"I am very impressed with'Tianming Hungry'..."

Ah Ding let out a sigh of relief, and a memory of memories appeared on his face.

"I remember clearly..."

"During that time, I couldn't have enough to eat every meal..."

"Because the disaster in our Kansai area is relatively light, a large number of refugees have poured into Kansai."

"After the refugees came, we in 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 rice shops to grab rice, or directly attacked the post or clan mansion, and demanded that the officials hand over the rice..."

After all, Ah Ding breathed out again, and then forced a slight smile.

"Fortunately, this famine has passed."

"The common people are now able to eat again."

"Everyone is living a good life again gradually."

As soon as Ah Ding's voice came to an end, Xu Jian showed a slight smile, and then whispered in a calm tone:

"A good day..."

"When everyone is able to live a full meal, new worries will appear."

"After eating, I want to put on better clothes."

"After putting on 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..."

"Something like'contentment'-easier said than done."

"Now everyone thinks that a full life is a'good day'."

"But when everyone can eat easily, everyone will start to feel that being able to eat, put on good clothes, and live in a big house is a'good life'."

"So the "good day" may never come..."

"Thousands of years later, the common people may still be struggling to pursue the ‘good days’ of that era."

"It deserves to be the first name of the literary test of the Imperial Examination..." Ah Ding stared at Ogata beside him in a daze, "What I said is different from an illiterate like me who doesn't even recognize a few Chinese characters. "

"Although I don't 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 smiled and shrugged. "Think of what I said just now as the crazy talk I was talking about on a whim."

...

...

Last night, the old man said to Ogata and Amachi: As long as he travels fast enough, he can reach Kinnocho before the evening.

And Ogata and Amachi are just the kind of people who can walk fast enough.

Except for a short break in the morning, noon, and afternoon, the two have been rushing towards Kinno Town without stopping.

Until 15 o'clock in the afternoon or nearly 16 o'clock in the afternoon, the two finally saw plumes of 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 accelerated their steps a little bit.

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

After approaching and entering Kinno Town, the unique noise of the castle town has passed into the ears of Ogata and Amachi for a long time.

Perhaps because of being close to the town, Ogata didn't run into any gangster who planned to make money or kill him at the end of the day.

Kinno Town is larger than Ogata imagined, and its population is larger than Ogata imagined.

He and Ah Ding are now walking on an unnamed street. Looking around, there are quite a few passers-by going back and forth.

"Should we look for a hotel now?" Ah Ding asked.

"Of course." Ogata replied without hesitation, "First find a hotel where you can stay, and then look for the ‘source orange house’."

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

The closest hotel to Ogata and Amachi is an ordinary hotel that is only two stories high, and both in size and in price.

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

After finding the inn where they were staying, the two began to look for Yuan Orange House.

Source Tachibana House seems to be very popular in this Kinno town.

Ogata asked someone casually, and then asked the location of Gen Tachibana House, and then quickly walked to the door of Gen Tachibana House.

A merchant who can own two merchant ships will certainly not be shabby.

Ogata had imagined that Gen Tachibana would be very grand.

After seeing the appearance of Gen Tachibana with his own eyes, Ogata found out that it was true.

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

Ogata and Amachi stepped into the Gen Tachibana House, and they saw a young man sitting behind a counter in front of them.

After seeing Ogata and Amachi entering the store, the young man immediately stood up and put on a soft smile.

"Welcome, what do you need? We source orange house specializes in Ezo products. We have all types of Ezo products. Please choose them at will."

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, "Do you want to see the owner of our Yuan Orange House?"

"Yeah." Ogata nodded, "We have a...business I want to do with Gen Tachibana."

"Business?" The young man raised his eyebrows.

After a moment of silence, the young man said:

"It's a pity that we can't just let two outsiders go to see the boss."

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

"I am the eldest son of the owner-Ichiro Nishino."

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

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

After thinking about it for a while, Xuyi explained the business he wanted to discuss with Yuan Tachibana.

"...In other words, you want to take our merchant ship to Ezo land?" Nishino Ichiro's brows frowned again not long after he stretched out.

"Yeah." Ogata nodded. "We want to go to Ezo for some things, so we want the merchant ship from your shop to pick us up."

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

"I'm sorry, we can't take you to Ezo land."

Ogata: "The price is easy to negotiate..."

"This is not a question of price." Nishino Ichiro interrupted, "Our two merchant ships are the life of our Yuan Tachibana."

"You can't let outsiders board casually."

"Please rest assured," Ogata said immediately, "Neither I nor Uchiko are bad guys! I will definitely stand by ourselves! I will never cause any trouble to you!"

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

Seeing that I could not move Nishino Ichiro, Ogata could only let out a helpless sigh.

"I see." Ogata smiled bitterly, and bowed lightly to Nishino Ichiro, "Sorry to bother you."

And Ichiro Nishino also hurriedly returned the gift: "I am very sorry for not being able to help you."

...

...

Ogata and Amachi walked out of the Yuan Tachibana House slowly.

As soon as he left the Yuan Tachibana House, Ah Ding said in a helpless tone:

"It's not good to be a teacher... The first time I asked the merchant to give us a ride, it was rejected."

"It's normal to be rejected." Ogata comforted Amachi. "After all, the person just said it was right. It can be said that such an expensive item as merchant ships is the life of these merchants who specialize in doing business with Ezo."

"How can you let us outsiders who don't know the details go on board?"

Because Ogata had long expected that the "downwind boat trip" would not go too smoothly, he is not so depressed now.

"Anyway, let's take a rest in this Kinno-cho tonight."

Ogata continued.

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

...

...

Ogata and Amachi just left——

Inside the source orange house——

"Big Brother. Why did those two guests come just now? Are they here to ask for directions?"

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

Then, a young man with a look similar to Ichiro Nishino walked out of the corridor and walked slowly in front of Ichiro Nishino.

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

"Guests from outside? Borrow our merchant ship?" The young man called "Jiro"'s eyes lit up a little, "Where did the two guests come from?"

"I don't know. I haven't had much contact with outsiders, so I can't tell where their accent is."

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

"Huh? Why are you asking this?"

"It's a man and a woman." Although he didn't know what his brother wanted to do, Ichiro answered honestly. difference."

"As for that woman is very beautiful, but she has a stalker in her waist."

"Brother! Thank you! I'll go out for a while! I'll be back soon!"

After all, without waiting for Nishino Ichiro to respond, the young man he called "Jiro" rushed out of the Gen Tachibana.

When Nishino Ichiro yelled "Hey! Where are you going?" The young man had completely disappeared.

...

...

"Hey! Hey!"

Ogata and Amachi suddenly heard strange shouts from behind them.

Xun Sheng looked back and saw a young man rushing towards them while waving his hands at them.

Quickly rushing to the front and back of Ogata and Amachi, the young man asked them while panting:

"Ha...you two...ha...just now...ha...to our Yuan Orange House...ha...the one who came to borrow the boat?" the young man asked, panting.

Ah Ding nodded: "Yes. Excuse me, who are you?"

"I want to ask you guys!" The young man ignored Amachi's inquiries about his identity. Instead, after casting his enthusiastic eyes on Ogata and Amachi, he asked anxiously, "Where are you from?"

"What are you asking about this?" Ogata frowned slightly.

"It's true." The young man gradually adjusted his breath at this time. "I am the second son of the owner of Yuan Tachibana-Jiro Nishino!"

"Second son?" Ogata raised his eyebrows.

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

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

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

"I'm currently writing a masterpiece worthy of a history!"

"But because of the lack of material. I have not been able to write smoothly."

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

After all, Jiro Nishino once again cast his enthusiastic eyes on Ogata and Amachi.

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

"Izumo..." A strange smile appeared on Ah Ting's face.

He raised his hand and patted Ogata's, and said:

"It's a coincidence, my son's hometown happens to be in Izumo."

As soon as Amachi's voice fell, Jiro Nishino's gaze toward Ogata became even more fiery.

"Are you from Izumo?"

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

"Because the Kabuki script I am currently writing, the protagonist is Izumo." Jiro Nishino scratched his hair. "But I have never been to Izumo, so I don't know how Izumo speaks, nor do I know. What do Izumo people usually eat."

"If you don't understand Izumo's living customs and speaking habits, then the protagonist in my writing has no real feelings."

"So I have always wanted to find someone from Izumo to teach me the living customs of Izumo~www.wuxiahere.com~ I have spoken habits of Izumo people."

"The protagonist is Izumo?" A bit of astonishment flashed across Ogata's face.

Not only Ogata, but Amachi on the side also showed a shock of error on his face.

A conjecture emerged in the minds of the two of them...

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

Hearing this question from Ogata, Jiro Nishino's face showed pride and pride.

"A script based on the action of'Executioner Ichitosai' Ogata Ishita acting for the sky and killing the tyrant!"

"I plan to write the script before the new year."

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