I Was a Swordsman in Ancient Japan

, I was a swordsman in ancient Japan

Someone will beat me someday, but it won't be today, and it won't be you.

*****

*****

Five days after the literary test was released—the military test began.

On the list with the names of those who passed the essay test, there were only 408 names in total.

Ogata did not know exactly how many people participated in the "Imperial Trial".

But according to the gossip he heard from various sources, the total number of people who participated in the "Imperial Trial" was around 500 people.

In other words, a single essay test directly screened out over a hundred people, and nearly one-fifth of the participants were eliminated.

The venue for the martial arts test is located on a certain river beach on the outskirts of Edo.

The martial arts test officially started at five o'clock in the morning.

When Ogata and others arrived at the scene, it was almost 7 o'clock in the morning.

Although it was some time before the martial arts test started, quite a few people had already gathered at the scene.

Shimada was speechless: "There are so many people..."

"The vast majority of those who will come here are those who come to participate in the 'Imperial Trial'." Mu Cun said, "There should not be many people like us who simply come to join in the fun."

The only people who accompanied Ogata to the Imperial Trial and joined in the fun were Makimura and Shimada.

Now in the early morning, at this point in time, the only people who can come to join in the excitement of the "Imperial Trial Match" are those idle people who have no job and have nothing to do on weekdays.

The venue for the martial arts test is located in a certain field on the outskirts of Edo, and it takes half an hour to leave Edo and walk to the venue.

Such a long distance is enough to daunt most idlers who want to join in the fun.

So in the end, there are very few people who will come here as spectators, and they are basically idlers who have a strong interest in the art of war.

Ogata expected that there would be very few people who would come to join in the excitement of the martial arts test, so he didn't let A-machi come along.

There are absolutely very few women who will go so far to watch a bunch of rough guys compete and compete.

If A-Machi is allowed to follow, A-Machi will definitely be very conspicuous and attract too much attention.

Although A-Ming has one of the "Four Great Asian Sorcery" makeup techniques as a cover, it is still too risky to show his face in such a conspicuous environment.

To be on the safe side, Ogata asked A-Machi to stay in the hotel and did not allow A-Machi to accompany him to the martial arts test.

And Ogata's judgment was correct—there were indeed pitifully few women at the scene.

When Ogata looked around, he didn't see a woman, but a bunch of rough men of different ages.

Asai had no interest in the "Gozen Trial Match".

Yuan Yi was very interested, and last night he also proposed to join in the fun with him.

But Lin sternly refused.

Uncle, have you forgotten that there are many enemies of yours in Edo now? Don't go looking for trouble at this time - these are the exact words that Lin said when she rejected Yuan Yi last night.

Ogata was very curious: if Lin knew that Genichi actually sneaked out every night to kill his enemies one by one, how would he feel? What expression...?

After being rejected by Lin's stern words, Ogata originally thought that Yuan would argue for a while.

But unexpectedly, after being rejected by Lin, Yuanyi nodded obediently in agreement, patted his chest and said: Got it, don't watch it unless you watch "The Imperial Trial".

Mamiya is also one of the most wanted criminals in the shogunate. He should try to avoid such places where a large number of people gather and officials are definitely present.

Although Lin doesn't need to hide her head and tail like Mamiya, she, like Asai, lacks interest in "Imperial Trial Match".

So in the end, the only ones who accompanied Ogata to participate in the martial arts test were Mucun and Shimada.

The breath exhaled by hundreds of people made the surrounding air cloudy and stuffy.

Not far away is a winding river nearly 3 meters wide.

The ground that Ogata and the others stepped on was the riverbank that had been washed out by the river over the years.

The terrain is flat, and the soles of the feet are covered with hard soil or broken stones-this kind of terrain is indeed quite suitable for use as a test site.

"Look." Shimada suddenly pointed in a certain direction, "What is that?"

Ogata and Makimura looked in the direction Shimada pointed.

At the end of the direction pointed by Shimada's finger, several people dressed as officials are hurriedly erecting three pieces of clean and flawless white curtains in a neat way.

These 3 pieces of erected white curtains just formed a rectangle with one side missing.

In this "rectangle with one side missing" surrounded by three pieces of white curtains, there are more than a dozen small stirrups.

At this moment, quite a few people have already sat down on these dozens of pony stools.

The people who sat on these pony stools, without exception, were wearing clothes that looked expensive at first glance, and wore sabers that looked very ordinary at the waist.

Everyone is accompanied by one or several people with small surnames.

"It should be a special seat for dignitaries who are interested in the military test to watch the test." Ogata said.

"It should be." Mucun nodded, "Those people should be high-ranking officials of the shogunate, and they came here to join in the fun."

In order to prevent outsiders from approaching, and to demonstrate the authority of these dignitaries, the seats of the group of Yueqing Yunke were surrounded by white curtains on three sides. Only the front was not covered by the cloth because it was still needed to watch the trial.

Ogata couldn't help laughing as he looked at these "masters" who had already taken their positions inside the three white curtains and were waiting for the official start of the martial arts test.

This scene made Ogata involuntarily recall the "God-worshiping performance" he participated in when he was not "Executioner Yidao Zhai".

At that time, many "superior people" from the Hirose Clan came to the competition venue to join in the fun.

Looking at the little surnames in the white mantle who were accompanying those big men.

Ogata recalled for no reason that he was believed by Matsudaira.

A few days ago, after being invited by Lao Zhong to be his surname, Ogata used the word "drag" to successfully delay the matter.

After returning to the hotel where he was staying, because there was nothing to hide about such a thing, Ogata told Atachi and the others the breaking news that "he was spotted by the old middle-aged man".

After A-Ming and the others learned from Ogata that he had been favored by the old middle school, their first reaction was—whether Ogata had a fever.

Ogata understood the reaction of A-Machi and others very well.

After all, in the Edo period, when hierarchical order was very important, family status was emphasized, and circulation between classes was almost impossible, "people with low status were photographed by big bosses, and then they ascended to the sky"-this kind of thing is very unimaginable.

It took Ogata a lot of effort to convince A-Ming that he wasn't talking nonsense, talking nonsense, and he didn't have a fever.

After believing that Ogata was telling the truth, A-Machi asked Ogata first: "How do you plan to reply to Lao Zhong in the future?"

And Ogata replied without hesitation at the time: "I won't make any response for now, and I will talk about it after Shiranui is defeated."

The reason why Ogata did not reject Matsudaira Sadanobu on the spot at that time was because he was afraid of offending Matsudaira Sadanobu.

That night, Ogata and Matsudaira Sadanobu met for the first time. Ogata knew nothing about Matsudaira Sadanobu's character, whether he is the kind of person who "hates others to reject him".

No matter how you think about it, it is very irrational to annoy the country's second-in-command at the moment when Shiranui has not been defeated.

And it is impossible for Ogata to agree to Matsudaira Sadanobu, he has not forgotten that he is a guilty body.

So for the sake of caution, Ogata replied to Matsudaira Sadanobu at that time, "Let me think about it." This answer is the most conservative.

And Ogata was also very lucky, Matsudaira Sadanobu agreed to set aside time for Ogata to consider, and did not set any time limit.

Ogata intends to put the matter of Matsudaira Sadanobu behind for the time being, and deal with the matter of Matsudaira Sadanobu after Shiranui is defeated.

At that time, it doesn't matter whether he annoys Matsudaira or not, the worst is to escape from Edo directly.

...

...

The waiting time is always boring.

In order to pass this boring time, Ogata silently opened his personal system interface to check his current status of each experience bar.

[Current personal level: LV33]

[Sakakibara Ichikatsu level: 11th dan]

[Nugo Two Swords Level: Level 10]

[Shiranui Ninjutsu Level: 6th Stage]

These days, Ogata would sneak out of the hotel together to "rat hunt" almost every night.

It is a small probability event to run into an enemy that Yuan Yi still remembers.

It was not until the night before yesterday that I finally encountered the second group of mice after the "rat hunting" operation: a group of Yakuza, a total of ten people,

According to Genichi, these samurai were his enemies 4 years ago. At that time, Genichi went out to the Suruga area for some things and ran into a Yakuza family.

After some incidents happened, Yuanyi gave away the stronghold of these Yakuzas. These people should have come to seek revenge.

In addition to assisting Yuanyi in annihilating his enemies, Ogata has also dealt with many troublemakers in Yoshiwara these days.

After the paper test results were released, Yoshihara's crime rate skyrocketed.

The reason is that many people who failed the essay test came to Yoshihara to relieve their worries.

They are already full of negative energy, and after a few cups of yellow soup, it is very easy to mess up all kinds of things.

These days, Tian Ogata also successfully subdued no less than Yoshihara's troublemakers, and gained some personal level and experience points of Sakakibara's sword style.

The experience value of the personal level increased by 2250 points, the experience value of Sakakibara's one-sword style increased by 460 points, and the experience value of Wuwo's ​​two-sword style increased by 1450 points-this is what Ogata has gained these days.

...

...

After looking at my personal system interface countless times and yawning countless times, I finally heard the sound of a taiko drum.

As soon as the sound of the taiko drum fell, Shimada at the side immediately poked Ogata with his elbow.

"Master Ogata, the martial arts test seems to be about to begin."

The sound of the taiko drum was so loud that it directly suppressed the noise of the scene and drew everyone's attention.

There are 3 taiko drums erected at the edge of the test site, and 3 shirtless and strong men stand in front of the 3 taiko drums and beat the drums vigorously.

After the drums fell, a potbellied official with an unusually loud voice appeared and reiterated the rules of the martial arts test to everyone.

The rules of the martial arts test are very simple and rude.

It is to constantly fight in the ring, lose those who are eliminated, and those who win are advanced.

Just play round after round.

Play until the final winner emerges.

When the government publicized the "Imperial Trial", it specified that the reason for holding the "Imperial Trial" was to encourage people to practice literature and martial arts.

This simple and rude form of letting everyone fight directly is indeed in line with the original intention of "encouraging people to practice literature and martial arts".

Because there are about 400 people who have passed the literary test and are qualified to participate in the martial arts test. In order to speed up the progress, it is divided into 2 venues-"A field" and "B field". The 2 venues were tested at the same time.

There will be an official with a very loud voice calling your name, and the person whose name is called will come forward, and if you don't show up, it will be deemed that you have given up.

You can use any weapon, even barehanded, if you like.

The above are the rules of the martial arts test.

Whether it is the form or the rules of the martial arts test, there is an air of immaturity that needs to be continuously improved.

But after all, this is the first time since the opening of the Edo Shogunate 200 years ago that such an event related to examinations has been held. Without any examples for reference, it is not easy to achieve this level.

After the official with a loud voice announced the rules, the martial arts test began.

Because the competition venue is divided into "Site A" and "Site B", the participants who are eager to play and a small number of spectators are naturally divided into two groups to watch at the venues they are interested in.

"Makimura, Shimada." Ogata took out his cuffs and fastened his sleeves with skillful movements, and said to Mucun and Shimada beside him, "If you hear my name later, remember Call me."

Although he didn't know when he would hear his name and it was his turn to play, Ogata decided to prepare in advance and fasten his sleeves first.

Mucun: "No problem."

"I think even if you don't have to concentrate on listening, you can clearly hear whether someone calls your name." Shimada smiled wryly.

The official who was in charge of calling out his name had an unusually loud voice.

It is the loudness that can suppress the noise of hundreds of people.

With such a loud voice, if you can still miss your own name, it only means that you may have a problem with your ears.

I have to say - the shogunate is very conscientious.

They provide protective gear for all participants.

It's just that it's not the kind of very mature and complete kendo protective gear on the modern earth.

The protective equipment provided by the shogunate to the participants is a piece of "upper body armor" made of bamboo and wood.

Then give you a forehead guard to protect your head.

Then the limbs and lower body do not have any protective gear.

Although it is completely incomparable with the armor that protects the teeth of the modern earth, the armor provided by the shogunate is actually very advanced from the perspective of this era.

At this time, most samurai do not have the concept of "wearing armor" when practicing swords.

The weapons provided by the shogunate are also very complete, such as wooden swords, wooden wakizashi, wooden spears, and wooden taitai swords... As long as you don’t use any special unpopular weapons, you can basically use these weapons provided by the shogunate Among them, find what you are comfortable with.

...

...

The three of Ogata stood in the middle of "Site A" and "Site B", watching the trials one after another in these two fields together boredly, while silently waiting for an official to shout "" Goro Mashima".

After waiting for an unknown amount of time, finally——

"Goro Mashima! Goro Mashima! Please come forward!"

"B field" sounded his name.

After turning his head and glanced at the "B field" not far away, Ogata smiled: "It seems that my trial venue is the "B field"..."

Just as Ogata was about to turn around and walk towards "B Field", there was another loud shout in "B Field", which made Ogata's face slightly surprised.

"Takigawa Heiichiro! Takigawa Heiichiro! Please come forward!"

This big drink not only surprised Xu Fanglu.

At the same time, Takigawa Heiichiro, who was on the edge of the "B field", was surprised.

It's just that - the surprised look on Takigawa Heiichiro's face was also mixed with a rich look of joy.

...

...

The two venues of "A field" and "B field" have several officials who are responsible for managing these armors.

When someone is about to enter the field, help them put on their armor.

After some are off, help them take off.

After checking his identity, Ogata quickly put on the armor that only protected him, and tied the forehead guard on his head with the help of two officers in charge of armor management in "Yichang".

There is an iron plate tied to the forehead, and when the opponent stabs you in the head, this iron plate can cushion the impact, and it may save your life.

After putting on all the armor and picking up a wooden knife, Ogata set foot on the field of "B field".

Standing opposite Takikawa who was already standing on the opposite side.

After the officials called out the name "Mashima Goro", the number of people surrounding the "B field" and preparing to watch the battle immediately increased a lot.

Anyone who pays attention to the essay test knows that the first name of the essay test was taken by a person named "Mashima Goro".

After learning that "Mashima Goro" was on the stage, everyone heard the news and wanted to see with their own eyes what the person who took the next test for the first name looked like.

At the same time, let's take a look at the skill of the person who takes the first place in the test below.

Looking at Ogata who had been away for several days, a somewhat ferocious smile appeared in Takigawa.

"Mashima-kun, I really didn't expect that my first opponent in the martial arts test would be you. It seems that we have a very special fate."

"Yeah." Ogata said lightly, "I think so too, maybe the two of us really have a very special fate, no matter where we go, we can always meet you."

Takigawa sneered: "I also want to thank you for the wonderful fate between us, for giving me the opportunity to face you with swords and swords openly!"

After finishing speaking, Takigawa slowly raised the wooden knife in his hand, and took a mid-section stance.

...

...

These days, Takigawa's life can be described in one word, that is—suffering.

Being able to be addressed as a "guest" or "subordinate" by Matsudaira Sadanobu - this has always been Takikawa's long-cherished wish.

The purpose of his participation in the "Imperial Trial" is to gain the appreciation of Matsudaira Sadanobu, and then to enter the official career smoothly.

Unexpectedly, unexpected accidents appeared one after another.

First, he couldn't even get into the top 10 in the literary test, and the one who won the first place in the lower test was the ronin Mashima Goro who had a previous festival and he looked down upon very much.

Later, they witnessed Matsudaira Jonobu calling Mashima Goro a "guest" at the Yangmei House, and at the request of Matsudaira Sadanobu, they had to compensate the Yangmei House and go to the Shirobei Club to receive the punishment.

The punishment Takikawa and the others received from Shirobei Clubhouse was to pay a fine and then live in the prison of Shirobei Clubhouse for 2 days.

Among this series of blows, the one that hit Takikawa the most was that Matsudaira Sadanobu called Mashima Goro a "guest".

The person I had been looking down on before was actually called a "guest" by Matsudaira, and was protected by Matsudaira - such a gap, and... the jealousy of Ogata, made Takikawa sleepless these days.

He was jealous of how he was just a ronin who worked in the Shirobei Club, why he won the first place in the literary examination, and why he was called a guest by Matsudaira Sadanobu.

With the passage of time, jealousy turned into grief and resentment towards Ogata.

...

...

"Maybe you don't know?" Takigawa sneered, "I'm a non-dissident, so everyone can tell!"

After uttering the words "exemption from everyone", Takikawa puffed out his chest proudly.

"Cheer up, there are not many chances to compete with the holders of the No Outflow Exemption Pass!"

"It's cheap for you!"

What Takikawa said just now, did not deliberately lower the volume.

After hearing Takikawa's words just now, the spectators standing on the edge of the "B field" all let out low exclamations.

...

"It's not allowed to spread... true or false..."

"It's really amazing... so young to be the holder of the free pass, and it's the free pass without any outflow."

"Hmph, maybe this person is bragging. Everyone has something to say, and I even said that I am a Katori Shinto-style student, so I don't want everyone to pass it on."

"This person's exemption is rumored or bought."

...

At a time when the samurai class has decayed, and both of them are unlearned and incompetent, the name of exempting everyone from passing on undoubtedly has a strong deterrent effect. If you mention this title, other people's eyes will instantly change when they look at you.

It's a pity—because in recent years, there have been more and more scandals of "spending money to buy free rumors", the gold content of free rumors has also dropped a lot.

Takigawa is capable of writing and martial arts, and he is the holder of the universal pass without exile. Ogata knew this kind of thing a long time ago.

As soon as Takigawa finished speaking, Ogata couldn't help showing a weird smile.

While slowly raising the wooden knife in his hand, Ogata asked:

"Let me ask a little more - do you know what happened to Yoshihara recently? For example, the officials sent by Huo Fu Thief Kai came to Yoshihara to grab credit and so on."

"I don't care what happens to the little Yoshihara every day." Takikawa said coldly.

——It seems that this guy doesn't know that there is a person named "Mashima Goro" who has repelled the officials who came to steal the credit by himself...

The smile on Ogata's face became even weirder.

Between the two stood a referee who was in charge of deciding whose attack was effective and who won.

Seeing that both Ogata and Takikawa were ready, the referee shouted loudly without any hesitation:

"start!"

"There is no outflow, Takikawa Heiichiro, come on!" Although he wished to beat Ogata to the ground now, but the pride of being a samurai still made Takikawa present the etiquette of a samurai before the battle.

"Gu Mu Yidao Liu, Mashima Goro." Ogata said lightly, "Come on."

It was Takikawa who attacked first.

After confronting Ogata with the sword for about a few breaths, Takigawa sent out a full-fledged kiha while slashing at Ogata with the knife.

No Outflow is also a well-known school of swordsmanship.

Known for its high practicality.

Because of its high practicality, it has the nickname of "Killer Sword".

Facing Takikawa's knife, Ogata didn't panic or rush, he raised the wooden knife in his hand, used his own knife to meet Takikawa's knife, and blocked Takikawa's slash.

The first attack was resolved, Takigawa did not show any frustration or resignation, just continued to sullenly, retreated a step, widened the distance between himself and Ogata, and launched a new round of attack on Ogata.

After Takikawa launched a fierce attack on Ogata like a continuous wave, those who were watching the battle around and questioned whether Takikawa really has the strength that cannot be passed on, all shut up at this moment.

Anyone who has learned a little bit of swordsmanship can see how sharp this series of attacks by Takikawa is.

Not to mention other things - Takikawa's first knife just now, for someone with slightly worse swordsmanship, he would definitely not be able to block it, and he would be instantly killed by Takikawa.

...

"That guy is really strong... Looking at his swordsmanship, it seems that he really has the strength to be passed on..."

"At such a young age, he is the holder of the No-Outflow-Free-All-Less Pass...I'm really envious. I can open a sword gym to support myself in the future."

"Fortunately, the opponent I met just now was very weak, and I didn't meet this guy..."

"Sure enough, there are many masters participating in this 'Imperial Trial'..."

...

Takikawa did not come to participate in the martial arts test alone.

Uesaka, as well as some other friends from Takikawa who also participated in the "Gozen Trial" were present.

At this moment, Uesaka and the others were standing on the edge of the "Otoba", watching the contest between Takikawa and Ogata.

Looking at Takikawa who has successfully suppressed Ogata with a fast attack like a raging wave, Uesaka nodded with a smile:

"It seems that the victory and defeat are about to be decided..."

Many people at the scene had the same opinion as Uesaka, who felt that the winner was about to be decided.

Takikawa, who took the lead, continued to launch a continuous attack on Ogata.

On the other hand, Ogata could only passively defend with a wooden knife, without even a chance to counterattack.

Ogata's movements were clumsy, as if he hadn't swung the wooden sword very much, which was in stark contrast to Takikawa's brisk and nimble movements.

One is the holder of the no-outflow exemption, and the other moves clumsily, as if he has never used a wooden knife, and the victory is already divided-this is the thinking of the vast majority of people present.

But there are also some people who have different voices.

...

"Mashima Goro...I always feel like I've heard this name somewhere..."

"He is the first name in the literary examination. Of course you have heard his name."

"No, I seem to have heard about some of his deeds that have nothing to do with the literary test, but I don't remember what he did..."

"Coincidentally, me too, I seem to have heard of this name somewhere a while ago... This guy seems to have done something extraordinary..."

...

Takikawa put all his attention on Ogata in front of him, and he couldn't hear the discussion of people around him.

Looking at Ogata who was wielding the wooden sword clumsily in front of him and could only passively parry his attack, a strong look of joy appeared on Takikawa's face.

- can win! I can win!

Takikawa shouted excitedly in his heart.

He slashed at Ogata with the wooden knife in his hand one after another. Seeing this guy who gave him huge blows again and again, he could only passively block or parry his attacks, without even a chance to counterattack, Taki Chuan felt extremely excited.

There is a kind of pleasure of revenge.

——So what if you take the title of the next test head and be called a "guest" by Matsudaira Sadanobu? Isn't he far inferior to me in swordsmanship?

Takikawa said this to himself.

Or rather... so comforting to myself.

Boom!

The wooden knives of the two collided again in mid-air.

This time, the two did not separate quickly after the swords collided.

Instead, start wrestling like two bulls.

"Looking at you, you don't seem to be very good at wielding a wooden knife."

In an excited and proud tone, Takikawa continued to talk to Ogata, who was separated by two intersecting wooden swords.

"The outcome has been decided! You lost!"

After all, Takigawa took the initiative to jump back and withdrew from the wrestling with Ogata.

As soon as his feet touched the ground, Takikawa rushed towards Ogata again like a beast pounced on its prey.

Ogata remained unhurried from the beginning to the end. This is the case even if he was directly suppressed by Takikawa just now.

After Takikawa took the initiative to jump back and withdraw from the wrestling with him, Okai whispered to Takikawa in a calm tone:

"Someone will beat me someday, but it won't be today, and it won't be you."

After all, Ogata changed his focus.

Adjusted the "dedicated center of gravity when using a wooden knife" that has not been used for a while, is quite unfamiliar, and has only gradually become familiar again until now.

Facing Takikawa who was rushing towards him again, Ogata only put on an ordinary mid-section stance.

Whoosh!

Takigawa's wooden sword was packed with huge potential energy, and it slashed at Ogata from top to bottom.

Ogata did not block Takigawa's knife as before.

Instead, rotate clockwise around the left foot.

Ogata's rotation not only avoided Takikawa's knife.

While dodging Takigawa's slash, he used a special technique to charge his power. The strength is transmitted from the feet to the waist, and from the waist to the right arm.

Turning around clockwise and dodging Takikawa's strike, Ogata's face turned to Takikawa again.

Like flicking a whip, after Ogata's body turned around clockwise, he "swinged" the wooden sword that had accumulated a wave of strength after following his body around, and swept towards Takikawa's side chest.

Dragon Tail Flash!

Boom!

The sound of violent impact and the sound of breaking wood sounded at the same time.

Ogata's wooden knife accurately slashed Takikawa's side chest, and cracked the armor of Takikawa's hit part.

The expression on Takikawa's face also began to change drastically.

The facial features were distorted by the pain, from a face full of joy to one full of pain.

After flying 2 steps horizontally, Takikawa fell heavily to the ground.

【Ding! Defeat the enemy with Sakakibara Ichidou Ryume】

[Gain 80 personal experience points, and 180 experience points for swordsmanship "Sakakibara Ichidou\