I Was a Swordsman in Ancient Japan

As soon as Ogata's voice fell, everyone's eyes naturally fell on Ogata.

After everyone's eyes fell on him, Ogata immediately went on to say:

"Asai was right just now."

"Master Hasegawa is a military officer with a high status in the shogunate."

"If we are mutually beneficial with him, maybe we can exchange important information such as 'the exact location of Shiranui' and 'how many ninjas are currently staying in their base in Shiranui'."

Speaking of which, Ogata put on a half-joking tone and continued:

"If we can directly ask the exact location of Shiranui's base from Hasegawa's mouth, we don't even need to help Hasegawa to participate in the 'Gozen Trial'."

"You can directly start drawing up a plan to attack Shiranui, and then defeat Shiranui in one go."

"In this way, there will be no Shiranui ninja who can participate in the 'Gozen Trial'."

"At the same time, it can also indirectly help those vassals who oppose Shiranui achieve their goals."

"There is no need to object to Shiranui, after all, Shiranui is gone."

Ogata's joke made many people present laugh.

Even Lin, who was usually expressionless, turned up a little at the corners of her mouth when Ogata finished speaking.

But just as the corners of her mouth turned up a little, they were immediately flattened by her.

After pondering for a while, he said in a deep voice:

"Qibingwei, Ogata Yidaosai, you are right."

"If Hasegawa can give you a helping hand, it will indeed be of great benefit."

Lin moved her eyes and scanned the people in front of her.

"I agree with Hasegawa for mutual benefit. How about you?" Lin said.

As soon as Lin's voice fell, Xu conveniently said:

"I have no opinion."

After Ogata expressed his opinion, the rest of the people also expressed their opinions one after another.

Everyone agrees with this matter.

After all, if it is necessary to rely on the "Dongchengya" local snake to slowly find the exact location of the Shiranui base, God knows how long it will take for them to find out the location.

Seeing that everyone agreed, Lin nodded gently:

"...Then let's reciprocate with Hasegawa."

"If you want to agree with Hasegawa to reciprocate with us, and if you are willing to open your mouth to tell us the information we need, then we must first verbally agree to Hasegawa. Promise him-we will help him and send our masters to participate.' Trial before the imperial court'."

"If Hasegawa didn't verbally agree first, then he probably wouldn't open his mouth to tell us about the Shiranui-related information."

"Only men can participate in the 'Imperial Trial'."

"There are a lot of Uncle's enemies in Edo now, so Uncle can't participate in the 'Imperial Trial'. Letting Uncle participate in the 'Imperial Trial' will only cause problems."

"What a pity." Yuan Yi took a sip of the wine in his glass,

He said in a regretful tone, "If it wasn't for the more important thing to do to 'defeat Shiranui', otherwise even if there are enemies everywhere, I would still want to participate in the 'Imperial Trial'."

Lin ignored what Yuanyi said just now, and continued:

"Kuro is a wanted criminal by the shogunate. If you only rely on mud on your face as a disguise, you may still be exposed."

"So—the only ones who can participate in the 'Gozen Trial' are Yahachi, Shichibei, Katsurokuro, and..."

Lin turned her gaze to Ogata.

"Ogata, who owns such a convenient thing as a human skin mask, is dying."

"If it's just for mutual benefit with Hasegawa, then there is no need to send too many people on the field."

"Only one player is enough."

"Are any of the four of you very interested in the 'Imperial Trial Combination'?"

As soon as Lin spoke, a voice sounded immediately:

"Let me go."

The owner of this voice——is Ogata.

"Ayi." A-Machi, who was sitting next to Ogata, said in a surprised tone, "Are you so interested in that so-called 'Imperial Trial Match'?"

"...well." Ogata said with a smile after shrugging his shoulders.

"...Ogata Yidaosai." Lin, who was still expressionless, asked back, "Are you sure you really want to participate in the 'Imperial Trial'?"

"Yeah." Ogata nodded, "I'm still somewhat interested in this 'imperial test match' where I can compete with experts from all over the world."

——It can also help me earn some experience points by the way.

Ogata added in his mind.

"...That's fine." Lin gave Ogata a few meaningful glances, then sighed softly, "You and I are just allies, and I can't interfere with what you want to do."

After finishing speaking, Lin turned her head and looked at Mucun beside her.

"Mihachi, you can go to Hasegawa again tomorrow."

"Tell him: You can recommend him a friend who is good in skill and willing to participate in the 'Imperial Trial'."

"But the premise of recommending it to him is-"

Lin held out two fingers.

"Tell you the location of Shiranui's base."

"And in the days to come, help us pay attention to the information related to the movements of the ninjas in Shiranui, and share this information with us in time."

"Hasegawa is a member of the government. Through the channels of the government, you may be able to listen to some movements about the ninjas in Shiranui that are difficult for outsiders to detect."

"Understood." Mucun carefully wrote down what Lin said, and then asked, "If Hasegawa said that he didn't know where Shiranui's base is, what should we do?"

"...Even if you don't know where Shiranui's base is, it doesn't matter." Lin said, "Let Hasegawa, a senior military officer of the shogunate, help keep an eye on the movements of the ninjas in Shiranui—this advantage alone is actually enough. "

"If he rejects both of our two conditions, then you don't have to talk to him anymore."

"It would be best if Hasegawa knew the exact location of Shiranui."

"In this way, we may be able to defeat Shiranui before the start of the 'Imperial Trial'."

"Then Ogata Yidaosai won't have to bother to participate in the 'Imperial Trial Match' anymore."

Lin, who rarely uttered a witty remark, made many people present laugh.

Lian Xufang also showed a faint smile.

But after smiling, Ogata thought to himself:

——If possible... I would like to finish this "Trial Match" completely...

After that, Ogata raised his hand subconsciously, and touched the money bag lying quietly in his arms.

...

...

at the same time--

In Edo, in a certain mansion——

Crack, crack, crack...

The muffled sound of bare feet stepping on the tatami broke the silence of the room.

A middle-aged man who was not too old walked slowly towards the room placed in the corner of the room.

The middle-aged man had a broad forehead, faint fine lines piled up on the slightly drooping corners of the eyes, and a short beard hung down from his chin.

Because he had just come out of the bathroom, there was still a faint heat lingering on his body.

At the same time, because the middle-aged man had just taken a shower, his shaved hair was naturally loose and not tied into a bun.

After walking slowly to the mirror in the corner of the room, the middle-aged man stopped and looked at himself in the mirror expressionlessly.

This is a very large standing mirror. The height of this middle-aged man is not very high, and his figure can just be reflected in this standing mirror.

Through this mirror, the middle-aged man can clearly see that his complexion is a little haggard compared to a few months ago.

There is even a faint black mark on the lower eye sockets of his eyes.

These are not black marks on the eye sockets, but natural dark circles.

The middle-aged man raised his hand and touched the dark circle under his right eye.

Although there are dark circles around the eyes, the pupils of the middle-aged man's eyes still radiate arrogance and strength.

The faint dark circles set off the dazzling light in the eyes of the middle-aged man.

After briefly checking his current expression, the middle-aged man withdrew his gaze from the standing mirror in front of him, then walked slowly to a table not far away, and sat cross-legged beside the table Down.

On this table, there are pens, ink, paper and inkstones, and a piece of paper is spread.

Half of the paper has been covered with words as small as tadpoles.

After sitting down at the table, the middle-aged man picked up the writing brush on the pen mountain and continued writing on the paper.

The soft sound of brushes sliding on paper and the sound of burning candles dominate the room.

There was no noise outside the room, and there was no other person in this room other than the middle-aged man.

There was only this middle-aged man in the room.

It's a pity that this silence was not long before it was broken by an incredibly young voice outside the room.

"My lord. It's me."

As soon as the young voice fell, the middle-aged man who did not stop the brush in his hand said softly with a blank expression:

"Tachibana, come in."

"yes."

Wow.

The sound of the paper sliding door being pulled open was followed by respectful echoes.

The paper sliding door of the room was pulled open.

The person who opened the door was a young man who was probably just over 20 years old and knelt on one knee outside the room.

Standing up, entering the room, kneeling on one knee again, closing the door, and facing the middle-aged man—this series of movements has an elegant atmosphere from beginning to end, and any outsider will find it pleasing to the eye.

"Old and middle-aged adults." The young man said, "I have informed Ruo Nian Ji adults of the news of 'the banquet will be held at noon tomorrow'."

Ruo Nianji—an important post directly under the general after Laozhong, managing officials outside the scope of Laozhong's authority.

There are currently 4 Wakanen who are serving in the shogunate.

As soon as the young man's voice fell, the middle-aged man nodded gently:

"Tachibana, thank you for your hard work."

Called the "old middleman" by this young man, the identity of this middle-aged man is also ready to be revealed-it is the current old middleman of the shogunate: Matsudaira Sadanobu.

And this young man is Matsudaira Sadanobu's nickname: Tachibana Yuma.

Although Tachibana was young, but because of his intelligence and cleverness, he was promoted by Dingxin early to be a small surname around him, and was responsible for doing chores for Dingshin.

Tachibana has a dignified appearance, although he is the holder of the Chuhe Yidao style, but his skin is fair, and he does not look like a samurai who is proficient in swordsmanship.

Because of Tachibana's handsome appearance, many people with good deeds jokingly said that Sakanobu promoted Tachibana as his surname because of Tachibana's appearance.

It is not uncommon for the powerful and powerful to promote the handsome man they love to a small surname.

But anyone who knows a little bit about Sadanobu knows that these are just rumors, nonsense that deliberately or unintentionally smear Matsudaira Sadanobu.

Anyone who knows a little bit about Nobuo knows how strict Matsudaira is to others and to himself.

For beauty, Dingshin has always held the attitude of "not much interest".

After saying "Thanks for your hard work", Dingxin continued to say:

"Tachibana."

"Yes." Tachibana hurriedly replied.

"Obviously, we will hold a dinner with Ruo Nianji and conduct a new round of discussion on government affairs."

"You might be very tired tomorrow, and it's getting late now, so you should go down early and rest."

"Yes." After Tachibana answered "Yes" loudly, she paused.

He raised his head and looked at Dingxin in front of him... To be precise, he looked at Dingxin's haggard face. After the dark circles around his eyes were obviously darker than before, he felt a little worried. Zhise said in a tone of voice:

"My lord, please rest earlier."

"You seem to be falling asleep late every night lately. Please also pay more attention to your body."

As soon as Tachibana finished speaking, a faint smile appeared on Dingxin's face:

"I'm fine, I'm not old enough yet."

"I'm in the prime of life now, and this level doesn't make my body break down."

"It's just that there are a little more things to deal with recently."

"When the time is over, I'll go to bed early as usual."

After hearing what Dingxin said, Dingxin opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something else.

But after opening his mouth for a long time, he finally closed it again as if giving up.

After bowing to Matsudaira Sadanobu, when he was about to get up and leave, Tachibana paused as if he remembered something.

Then Chaosongping said:

"My lord, today I discovered an interesting thing related to the 'Imperial Trial Match'. I don't know if I should report it to you."

"Oh?" Dingxin stopped the brush in his hand, "What's interesting? Tell me about it."

After saying that, the brush in Dingxin's hand moved again.

"That's what I just heard today."

"It is said that a group of samurai from Banner and Royal family intend to show their skills in the "Imperial Trial", in order to gain your appreciation from the old middle-aged adults."

"Huh?" The brush in Matsudaira Sadanobu's hand stopped again, and he turned his head and cast his gaze on Tachibana, "Won my appreciation?"

"Well, I don't know where these people heard about it."

Tachibana seemed to be amused by the words he was saying now, with the corners of his mouth slightly raised.

"They seem to think that one of the important reasons why you insisted on organizing the 'Imperial Trial Coordination', Mr. Old Middle School, is to be selected in the 'Imperial Trial Coordination' at the moment when the shogunate reform is in full swing. Send out a few outstanding people who you appreciate to serve as your own staff."

After hearing Tachibana's words, Shunshin immediately burst into laughter.

"Are you going to pick out a few admired heroes in the 'Imperial Trial' to serve as your staff... Who is the first person to spread this rumor..."

"I heard that there are still a few very outstanding talents among this group of people." Tachibana continued, "For example - a student named Heiichiro Takikawa."

"Takigawa Heiichiro?" Junshin said calmly, "I haven't heard of it."

"I've heard about his deeds before." Tachibana said, "Among the younger generation of bannermen and descendants of the royal family, he belongs to a very outstanding category."

"He is the eldest son of the Takikawa family. If I remember correctly, the family salary of their Takikawa family is 3000 shi."

"It is said that he studied under the Baichuan Dojo in Edo, and he is a descendant of no outflow. Some time ago, he successfully obtained the certificate of "exemption from all transmission" in the Baichuan Dojo without outflow."

"In addition to his excellent swordsmanship, he is also a disciple of that master of Sinology—Xiangsheng Chunshui. He has quite profound attainments in Sinology."

Just after Tachibana's voice fell, Dingxin slightly raised his eyebrows:

"Is he still the disciple of Xiangsheng Chunshui... capable of both literature and martial arts, it seems that he is indeed an outstanding individual."

After saying that, the brush in Dingxin's hand moved again.

"I didn't even think about the idea of ​​finding outstanding people to serve as staff in the 'Imperial Trial'."

"but……"

Speaking of this, Ding Xin paused.

After a pause, he continued:

"I really want some capable staff now."

"If there are really outstanding people worthy of note in the "Trial in Front of the Emperor", then I can consider accepting them as a staff member or a small surname."

"My lord." Tachibana's face flashed with surprise, "Are you really planning to select outstanding people who can serve as aides or minor surnames in the 'Imperial Trial'?"

"It's just an 'if'."

Sadanobu Matsudaira emphasized the tone of the word "if".

"If there really is a person whom I appreciate, I don't mind accepting him as an aide or a small surname."

"But such a hero should be very difficult to appear."

"Compared with literary talent and swordsmanship, I pay more attention to other things now."

After saying this in a half-joking tone to finish, Matsudaira Sadanobu moved his shoulders.

"Okay, Tachibana, let's stop talking."

"I'm a little tired too."

"Go down and rest."

"After I've dealt with this last bit of business, I'm going to rest too."

"yes."

Tachibana was a little concerned about what Matsudaira Sadanobu just said, "Compared with literary talent and swordsmanship, I pay more attention to other things now."

But since Matsudaira Sadanobu said those words just now, Tachibana could only quickly respond loudly, and then quickly left the room.

After Tachibana left the room, Matsudaira Sadanobu put all his energy on the half-blank piece of paper on the desk in front of him, and slightly accelerated the writing speed.

*****

*****

I have mentioned it many times in the previous article, so I will mention it again here-the old middle school is similar to the prime minister and prime minister of our country, the kind who is under one person and above ten thousand people.

There is also a higher position called "big boss" in Lao Nakasakamoto, but this position is not permanent.

Because ancient Japan was the world's wealthiest people, the people in power were very young-this kind of thing often happened.

In 1790 AD, that is, on the current timeline of this book, Matsudaira Sadanobu was only 32 years old this year.

This age is considered youth in modern times, but in ancient times when the average life expectancy was pitifully short, this age was already considered middle-aged.

In the Edo period, even children might have been in their teens at this age.

By the way-Sadanobu Matsudaira became the new senior middle school in 1788, that is to say, at the age of 29, he became an existence under one person and above ten thousand people. You are being abandoned by your peers.jpg (manual dog head)

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