I Was a Swordsman in Ancient Japan

When Ogata was living a regular life in Nishinocho, practicing different swords during the day and night, two major events occurred in Edo, the heart of the shogunate.

The first major event is - the current shogun: Tokugawa Jiaqi agreed to use troops against the "Red Moon Fortress" in Ezo!

Although the nominal head of state of Japan is the emperor of Kyoto, the shogun of Edo is only the second in command of the country in name.

But as early as hundreds of years ago in the 12th century, the emperor had no real power and became the mascot of the country.

In the Edo period, the presence of the emperor was even so thin that, except for the people in Kyoto who still remembered such a head of state, the common people in many places did not know what the emperor was.

"What? The Emperor? What is that? Huh? Isn't the most honorable person in this country the Shogun of Edo?"—If you ask some ordinary people in remote places, you will get this answer in all likelihood.

Such an important matter as dispatching troops, regardless of the size of the troops dispatched, no matter how far or short the attack distance is, cannot be decided by Matsudaira Sadanobu on his own. It must be reported to the general and let the general decide.

The current shogun, Tokugawa Iezari, ascended to the throne three years ago and became the de facto ruler of the country.

Tokugawa Iezai was only 14 years old when he took the throne three years ago, and he is only 17 years old this year.

Although he is young, he has great ambitions to revitalize the shogunate.

And Matsudaira Sadanobu who has the same ambition can be said to be congenial.

After ascending to the position of senior middle school three years ago, Tokugawa Iezari immediately deposed the "former senior middle school" Tanuma Yiji and replaced him with Matsudaira Sadanobu.

It can be said that Tokugawa Jiaqi and Matsudaira Sadanobu became the first and second leaders of the shogunate almost at the same time.

Tokugawa Jiaqi has great trust in Matsudaira Sadanobu. No matter what reform project Matsudaira puts forward, Tokugawa Jiaqi will basically pass it.

Some vassals who wanted to please Matsudaira, in order to flatter Matsudaira, praised Matsudaira in public and private several times.

It is precisely because of Tokugawa Iezari's almost unconditional trust and support that Matsudaira Sadanobu has been able to carry out reforms one after another so efficiently in the past three years.

When Matsudaira Jonobu proposed an expedition to the Red Moon Fortress to Tokugawa Jiaqi, many vassals speculated: Lord General will definitely listen to Matsudaira Jonobu this time.

Sure enough—Sadanobu Matsudaira simply stated to the general the importance of the expedition to the Red Moon Fortress, and Tokugawa Iezai typed it very happily: According to Sada Nobuo Matsudaira's intention, he issued an order to the Ou feudal clans to send troops to help , sent 10,000 troops to expedition to the Red Moon Fortress in Ezo.

The shogunate decided to use troops against the "Red Moon Fortress" in Ezo - this was the first major event that happened in Edo.

As for the second major event, it is also related to Matsudaira Sadanobu and Ezo.

That is——Sadanobu Matsudaira decided to go to Ezo in person, and while conducting on-the-spot inspections of Ezo, he also supervised the army's attack on the "Red Moon Fortress".

In recent years, the country of Lucia, which has been making small moves, has made Ezo, which is separated from the country of Lucia and the mainland of Japan, more and more important in Matsudaira's confidence.

Matsudaira Sadanobu has designated "developing Ezo and turning Ezo into a frontline position against Lucia" as one of the most important "national grand strategies".

Matsudaira Sadanobu has always been a person who likes field investigations, seeing with his own eyes, and seeing for himself.

When the "Ogre Rebellion" broke out in Butterfly Island before, Matsudaira Sadanobu also went to Kii in person to see with his own eyes what the cannibals looked like and how the suppression of Butterfly Island was going.

Now that he has made up his mind to develop Ezodi in the future, Matsudaira Sadanobu also decided to make preparations early, and now he will go to Ezodi for a field trip.

While inspecting the Ezo land on the spot, he also supervised the army's attack on the "Red Moon Fortress" by the way.

Destroying the "Red Moon Fortress" is the first part of Matsudaira Sadanobu's "Ezo Land Development Plan".

If the "Red Moon Fortress" that occupies an important geographical location, has been reluctant to surrender to the shogunate, and is extremely obstructive is not uprooted first, there will be no way to talk about subsequent development plans.

Therefore, Matsudaira Sadanobu also placed high hopes for this attack on the "Red Moon Fortress"-only success is allowed, and failure is not allowed.

...

...

In the second year of Kanzheng (1790 AD), November 30th——

Edo, the residence of Matsudaira Sadanobu——

"My lord..."

Matsudaira Sadanobu's small surname - Tachibana attendant beside Matsudaira Sadanobu, showing hesitation.

Tachibana took a deep breath, mustered up her courage, and then continued:

"Ezo is a wild and smoky place, please stay in Edo."

Matsudaira Sadanobu and Tachibana are currently in Matsudaira Sadanobu's study.

At this moment, Matsudaira Sadanobu is choosing the books to read on the way to and from Ezo.

Yesterday, Matsudaira Sadanobu had already set the departure time - on December 2, he would take a boat to Matsumae Domain.

,

Just as Tachibana's voice fell, Matsudaira Sadanobu just took a treasured "The Analects of Confucius" off the shelf.

"Tachibana."

With a slight smile, Matsudaira Sadanobu put the "Analects of Confucius" in his hand on the tatami beside him, and asked Tachibana.

"Couldn't you be reluctant to part with the prosperous Edo?"

"Of course not!" Tachibana quickly denied, "I'm just worried about your safety, my lord!"

"My lord, if something happens to you, then..."

Before Tachibana finished speaking, Matsudaira Sadanobu quickly raised his hand to signal Tachibana not to continue.

"I know, I know. I was just joking with you just now. I know you are worried about me, so you want me to stay in Edo."

"But Ezodi will be our country's future national defense focus."

"The country of Lucia must be a serious problem for our country in the future."

"Therefore, the development of Ezo cannot be missed. The attack on the 'Red Moon Fortress' is also not allowed to be missed."

"I've made up my mind. I want to inspect the details of Ezo with my own eyes and supervise the army's attack on the 'Red Moon Fortress'."

"So Tachibana, you don't have to persuade me anymore."

Hearing what Matsudaira Sadanobu said, Tachibana sighed helplessly in his heart.

Something similar happened this spring.

Matsudaira Sadanobu has always been a person who likes to use his own eyes to conduct field inspections, and then make plans based on what he sees and hears.

In the spring of this year, Matsudaira Sadanobu also insisted on going to Kii himself to investigate the details of Butterfly Island and see what the ogre looks like with his own eyes.

At that time, Tachibana also tried his best to persuade Matsudaira to stay in Edo and not to run around.

However, his tongue could not hold Matsudaira Sadanobu's legs.

Tachibana never expected that the same thing and the same scene would happen again this winter.

After quickly packing up the books he wanted to take away, Matsudaira Sadanobu suddenly seemed to remember something, he paused, then turned his head and asked Tachibana:

"By the way, Mashima Goro-kun still hasn't come today?"

Tachibana shook her head.

After receiving Tachibana's reply, Matsudaira Sadanobu frowned slightly:

"It's been more than a month since the end of the 'Imperial Trial'... It really made me wait."

There are very complicated emotions in the sentence that Matsudaira Sadanobu said.

Even Tachibana, who has followed Matsudaira Sadanobu for many years, could not distinguish the emotions in each of Matsudaira Sadanobu's words just now.

Matsudaira Sadanobu has been waiting for Mashima Goro to come to his door to hand over his answer-whether he is willing to be his surname.

But the figure of Mashima Goro has not appeared in front of Matsudaira Sadanobu for a long time.

During the period, people were also sent to the Yoshihara Shirobei clubhouse where Mashima Goro worked-but they learned that Mashima Goro no longer worked at the Shirobei clubhouse.

Matsudaira Jonobumoto still held a trace of expectation, hoping that Mashima Goro would appear suddenly - but this expectation has obviously failed.

"...Could it be that he forgot?" Li Hua cautiously raised a possibility, "Master Lao Zhong, do you need to send someone to look for him?"

"...No need." Lao Zhong shook his head, "If he forgets the agreement with me, it means that he doesn't care about the 'chance to be my surname'."

"He probably has no intention of becoming an official."

"Everyone has his own aspirations, just follow him."

After all, Matsudaira Sadanobu sighed lightly.

There was a bit of regret on his face.

After spending a moment to adjust his emotions, Matsudaira Sadanobu asked Tachibana abruptly again:

"Tachibana, what time is it?"

"Just past eight o'clock (2 p.m.)."

"It's eight o'clock..." Matsudaira Sadanobu muttered, "It's still early..."

Sadanobu Matsudaira lowered his head slightly, as if in deep thought——I don't know what he was thinking.

After thinking for a while, Matsudaira Sadanobu slowly said to Tachibana:

"... Tachibana, ready to go out."

"Yes!" Tachibana responded immediately, "My lord, where are you going?"

"Go to Hasegawa Heizo." When Hasegawa Heizo was said, an intriguing smile appeared on Matsudaira Sadanobu's face.

"Hasegawa Heizo?" Tachibana raised his eyebrows in surprise, "My lord, why are you looking for the chief of Huo Fu Thief Kai?"

Although the Huofu Thief Gai is disguised as a "security organization", both officials of the shogunate and ordinary people regard the Huofu Bandit Gai as an army.

And the chief of Huofu Bandit Gai is an undoubted senior military officer in the shogunate, directly belonging to the old middle school and under the direct jurisdiction of the old middle school.

Tachibana searched the memory in his mind - he didn't think of any important government affairs recently related to Huofu Thief Kai.

"Some time ago, it was found out that Heizo Hasegawa had done something... that I couldn't ignore."

The intriguing color in the smile on Matsudaira Sadanobu's face became more and more intense.

"So I plan to take advantage of the time today, and before I leave Edo, to have a good chat with Hasegawa Heizo about what he has done."

...

...

Sumida River: A river that flows through Edo.

Ishikawa Island is a small island in the middle of the Sumida River.

Sumida River was originally just an ordinary river, and Ishikawa Island was originally an ordinary small island formed naturally after being washed by the river on Sumida River.

But since a few years ago, this Ishikawa Island has become less ordinary.

Because the chief executive of Huofu Thief Kai, Hasegawa Heizang, spent a lot of money to build a foot camp on Ishikawa Island.

...

...

Edo, Sumida River, Ishikawa Island, Renzuyuba——

Standing with his hands behind his back, Hasegawa quietly stood outside a room, opened the door of this room a little, and quietly looked at the scene in the room through the crack of the door.

In the room, the crackling sound of the planning board was heard.

Twenty or so men sat neatly in the room.

These twenty or so men were of different ages, some were only in their teens, with a childish face, and some even had white hair.

There is a table in front of each of them, and an abacus is placed on the table.

These twenty or so men of various ages just leaned over their respective desks, crackling their calculations.

An old man, about 50 years old, with his hands behind his back, patrolled back and forth beside them.

Once he sees that someone's abacus is not right, the old man immediately steps forward to correct him.

Looking at the people in the room who were earnestly learning how to abacus, and the old man who was already teaching how to use the abacus earnestly, a satisfied smile appeared on Hasegawa's face.

After nodding in relief, Hasegawa sewed the door shut.

Those in the room who are learning how to abacus are all prisoners without exception.

To be more precise, they were the prisoners who were captured and re-reformed in the human foot yard.

Three years ago, not long after Hasegawa became the chief of the Huofu Bandit Kai, Hasegawa issued an initiative: to establish a facility to help prisoners rehabilitate.

When Hasegawa made this proposal, the old middle man of the shogunate was not Matsudaira Sadanobu, but Tanuma Giji.

Hasegawa had worked as a "Nishinomaru Fake Gojinmono" before, and the main job of this position was to manage the tributes paid to the shogun from various places.

When he held the position of "Nishinomaru Fake Goshomonoban", Hasegawa got to know the old Naka Tanuma Yiji and gradually became friends with him.

Regarding the proposal of "establishing a facility for reforming prisoners" issued by Hasegawa, who is regarded as his subordinate, Tanuma Keiji agreed and supported without thinking too much.

This is how the Renzu Jichang was established.

Since the establishment of Renzuyao Yard, prisoners with relatively minor crimes in Edo and its surrounding areas will be sent to Renzujong Yard for reformation.

The reform method is to teach the prisoners skills, so that they have a skill, and when they are free, they can have a craft to survive, and they don't have to embark on the road of re-crime.

The skills taught to the prisoners in Renzujiu are basically skills that are more convenient for finding jobs.

For example: abacus; simple carpentry; how to make umbrellas, birdcages and other small objects...

Because it was Hasegawa who proposed to build a facility to help prisoners reform, Eiji Tanuma handed over the jurisdiction of the Renzu Yard to Hasegawa.

Therefore, after the completion of the Renzuyaochang, Hasegawa has been holding two roles: while leading the Huofu Thief Reform, he is also in charge of the Renzuyaochang.

From time to time, Hasegawa would secretly check to see if the prisoners in the Renzu Depot were studying hard.

After silently closing the door of the room, Hasegawa, still with his hands behind his back, walked slowly towards the outside of the "teaching building".

Just as he was about to leave this "teaching building", a young voice with a bit of helplessness sounded behind Hasegawa:

"Master Hasegawa!"

A young man in his early twenties ran towards Hasegawa quickly.

"Oh!" Hasegawa turned his head and looked back, "It's Tang Ze. I just wanted to find you."

The young man's name is "Tang Zeguangzhi", and he is the appraiser of Renzujichang, who is responsible for managing the finances of Renzujichang.

Although Tang Ze is young, he is extremely talented.

Hasegawa wasn't always at Renzuyojo.

When Hasegawa is not in the Renzujiao, Tang Ze is usually in charge of managing the Renzujiao.

Relying on his outstanding talent, Tang Ze manages the people's foot yard in an orderly manner, which has won Hasegawa's trust.

"Master Hasegawa." Tang Ze rushed to the front and back of Hasegawa, and sighed angrily, "Can't you notify me in advance when you are coming to the Renzu Depository?"

"It's just a temporary idea today." Hasegawa smiled, "So it's too late to inform you."

"What?" Hasegawa changed into a half-joking tone, "Are you very afraid of my surprise inspection of the foot yard?"

"I'm not worried." Tang Ze smiled confidently, "I'm never worried about your surprise inspection, Mr. Hasegawa."

"I'm only afraid that after your sudden visit, I may not be able to entertain you properly."

Hasegawa waved his hand: "Don't think about how to entertain me, as long as you can let me see a well-organized foot yard, it will be the best entertainment for me."

"Tang Ze, you came just in time. I was just looking for you."

"Tell me about the financial situation of the foot station in the past half month."

"yes!"

Hasegawa and Tang Ze walked one after the other on the way out of the "teaching building" of the Renzu Depot.

Tang Ze, who was half a stature behind Hasegawa, roughly reported the current financial situation of Renzujichang to Hasegawa.

After silently listening to Tang Ze's report, Hasegawa said in a deep voice:

"That is to say...there is still enough funds for the Renzu Depository?"

"Yeah." Tang Ze nodded lightly, "But...there's not much to spare. It can only last for another month."

"One month..." Hasegawa nodded lightly, "Well, I see."

"I will allocate new funds to you as soon as possible."

"In the future, it should be easier to manage the Renzu Depot."

Hasegawa smiled slightly at Tang Ze.

"I have successfully persuaded several senior officials of the shogunate. They have agreed to support our Renzujichang."

"Really?" Tang Ze smiled happily.

"Well, it's true."

Hasegawa reported to Tang Ze the names of the senior officials who were willing to support the football field.

The names reported by Hasegawa are without exception the names of high officials who are now well-known in the shogunate.

The admiration in Tang Ze's eyes became stronger.

"Master Hasegawa, how did you move these senior officials?"

It is naturally impossible for Hasegawa to tell Tang Ze the truth: these officials are all members of the "anti-Shiranui Group", and he got these officials because he also contributed to the opposition to Shiranui before. s help.

"Of course I drank wine with those high-ranking officials." Hasegawa thought of a random reason and fooled Tang Ze.

Both Hasegawa and Tang Ze left the "teaching building" of the foot camp at this time.

At this moment, an anxious shout sounded from the sides of the two:

"Master Hasegawa! Master Tang Ze! I finally found you!"

This voice was also extremely familiar to Hasegawa—it was Irino's voice.

Irino is also one of the officials of Renzujichang. In terms of status, he is only under Tang Ze, and he can be regarded as Tang Ze's deputy.

Unlike Tang Ze, who is thinner, Irino is fatter and not very good at sports.

Hasegawa followed the prestige, and saw Irino running towards them with a big belly, grunting.

From a distance, it looks like a ball is rolling towards them.

"Irino. What's the matter?" Before and after Irino rushed to him, Hasegawa asked first, "Why are you running in such a hurry? Is something wrong?"

"Master Hasegawa." Irino's face was pale, as if he had encountered something terrible, "Master Laozhong came to visit suddenly!"

...

...

Led by Irino, Hasegawa tidied his clothes and hair, and ran towards the meeting room of the Renzu Depot with a solemn expression.

The door of the meeting room was opened, and Hasegawa saw 2 figures.

One of the figures was Hasegawa's immediate superior - Matsudaira Sadanobu.

The other figure was Matsudaira Sadanobu's nickname: Tachibana.

After indicating with his eyes that Irino, who was leading the way, left first, Hasegawa entered the guest room alone and closed the door.

Kneeling in front of Matsudaira Sadanobu, Hasegawa respectfully saluted Matsudaira Sadanobu.

"I don't know that the old middle-aged man is here, and I am far away from welcoming you. Please forgive me, the old middle-aged man!"

Just now, Matsudaira Sadanobu took Tachibana alone and a small number of guards, and went to the headquarters of Huofu Bandit Kai to look for Hasegawa.

But who knew that Hasegawa happened to be not in the headquarters of Huofu Thief Kai, and when he asked - he went to Renzujiao.

So Matsudaira Sadanobu had no choice but to divert to the Renzu Depot. Fortunately, the distance from Huofu Thief to Renzu Depot was not too far.

"Excuse me, Hasegawa. It's better to be natural." Matsudaira Sadanobu smiled at Hasegawa, "Now that I think about it carefully - it seems that we haven't seen each other for a while."

Hasegawa respectfully responded to every greeting from Matsudaira Sadanobu, while carefully thinking about the reason for Matsudaira Sadanobu's sudden visit.

Although he directly belongs to the old middle school and is under the direct jurisdiction of Matsudaira Sadanobu, Matsudaira Sadanobu has never been involved in his work.

Hasegawa himself forgot when was the last time Matsudaira Sadanobu came to him.

Matsudaira Sadanobu is a workaholic who never does meaningless things-this is known to all the shogunate in the shogunate.

So Hasegawa firmly believed that Matsudaira Sadanobu came to him for no reason, and must have come for some purpose.

Although Sadanobu Matsudaira has been smiling at him, the smile on Sadanobu Matsudaira's face not only did not make Hasegawa feel any warmth, but also made Hasegawa feel an ominous premonition in his heart...

After briefly exchanging greetings with Hasegawa, Matsudaira Sadanobu sat up a little bit more straight, and then put on a slightly more serious tone:

"Hasegawa, you must be wondering why I suddenly came to you, right?"

"I won't talk too much nonsense, just get straight to the point."

Speaking of this, Matsudaira Sadanobu raised his eyes, and pierced Hasegawa with a somewhat cold gaze.

"Hasegawa, you are really brave."

"How dare you spend the funds allocated to you Huofu Thief Kai under my nose."

As soon as Matsudaira Sadanobu's voice fell, Hasegawa's pupils suddenly shrank.

Afterwards, cold sweat emerged on Hasegawa's forehead at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"Hasegawa, your account book is very beautiful, and ordinary people may not be able to find clues from your account book."

"But ah—"

Matsudaira Sadanobu raised his left index finger and tapped his left eye socket.

"Your account book is good enough to fool other people, but it's still too reluctant to fool me."

"Two months ago, I found out that your account book is a bit weird."

"I sent people to investigate for 2 months, and finally discovered your little secret a few days ago."

There was more and more cold sweat on Hasegawa's forehead, so much that it was about to drip onto the tatami.

"In order to have sufficient funds to operate Renzuyaochang, you set aside part of the funds that the shogunate gave to Huofu Thieves to buy coins."

"Then take advantage of the fact that the conversion prices of gold, silver, and copper in the market are always fluctuating frequently, buy coins at low prices, and then sell them at high prices. You have successfully earned enough funds for you to continue to operate the Renzu depository."

"I have to say that your account book is really beautiful."

"I didn't find out until two months ago that you've been falsifying your accounts."

"Hasegawa, I... did I make a mistake?"

After finishing speaking, Matsudaira Sadanobu quietly looked at Hasegawa in front of him.

Hasegawa pursed his lips tightly and remained silent.

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath and opened them again, his eyes were full of determination, as if he had already made some resolution.

"No."

"Then you pleaded guilty?"

"A guilty plea."

Seeing that Hasegawa readily admitted the crime he committed, a look of satisfaction flashed across Matsudaira Sadanobu's face.

But these few touches of satisfaction are only fleeting.

After a sneer, Matsudaira Sadanobu went on to say:

"I don't need to tell you, you should also know what the consequences will be if you misuse the public funds allocated by the shogunate and engage in such speculative things?"

"...I know." Hasegawa nodded gently.

The lightest punishment for using the public funds allocated by the shogunate indiscriminately is to be beaten to the end and lose his official position.

As for the heaviest punishment... that would be to apologize by harakiri.

"...Master Lao Zhong." Hasegawa said softly, "No matter what kind of punishment, I am willing to accept it."

"I just hope that you don't shut down the Renzu Depository."

"Let the Zujichang continue to operate."

After finishing speaking, Hasegawa leaned over, put his hands on the tatami, pressed his forehead against the tatami, and assumed the posture of Doshizaza.

Huofu Thief Gaiguan, who was shocked outside the situation, begged with the most humble attitude the owner of national power who was 10 years younger than him.

Matsudaira Sadanobu's gaze towards Hasegawa was still devoid of any emotion.

"...Hasegawa, it seems that this legitimacy site is really important to you."

Matsudaira Sadanobu's tone was still calm—terribly calm.

"Not only did he not hesitate to commit such a felony that might lose his head to maintain the operation of the foot station."

"Even though I might die soon, I begged me not to shut down the Renjiao Depot."

"You said that you are willing to accept all punishments... If I ask you to apologize right now, would you be willing?"

"Yes." Hasegawa replied without any hesitation or hesitation.

Because Hasegawa pressed his forehead firmly against the tatami, Matsudaira Sadanobu couldn't see Hasegawa's current expression.

But just based on the firmness contained in Hasegawa's "willing" just now, Matsudaira Sadanobu can roughly guess what Hasegawa's expression is like now.

"...Relax, Hasegawa." Matsudaira smiled and shrugged, "I'm not interested in your intestines."

"Raise your head, Hasegawa."

After receiving Matsudaira Jonobu's order to raise his head, Hasegawa hesitated for a while, then raised his head again and looked directly at Matsudaira Jonobu.

"I came to look for you today, and I didn't come to Xingshi to inquire about crimes."

"It's here to compliment you."

"I didn't expect you to have some business acumen and know how to make money by buying and selling coins."

"It's not that I don't understand the benefits of setting up and running a human foot farm."

"If the shogunate's financial situation is good, I also very much hope that the people's foot farm can continue to operate."

"So if you can rely on the funds allocated by the shogunate to Huofu Thiefkai to support Huofu Thiefkai and Renzu Jichang at the same time. Then I have to praise you-you succeeded in using the least amount of money to do business. What happened the most is a rare capable minister."

"So I will continue to pretend that I don't know your 'secret' and maintain the status quo."

"You can continue to do business like you are doing now, using the funds from Huo to pay the thieves to earn money for operating the farm."

"Just—just work hard."

When it came to the words "work hard", Matsudaira Sadanobu specially emphasized his tone.

Hasegawa's pupils shrank slightly after hearing Matsudaira Sadanobu's accentuated "work hard".

"Okay. I've finished what I need to say. I'm short on time, so I'll take my leave first." Sadanobu Matsudaira stood up.

Hasegawa was about to get up and see him off, but Matsudaira Sadanobu raised his hand one step ahead to stop him:

"No need to see me off. I remember the way I left."

"Work hard, Hasegawa."

After quietly leaving this sentence, Matsudaira Sadanobu led Tachibana out of the room.

After Matsudaira Sadanobu led Tachibana to leave first, only Hasegawa was left in the guest room.

Hasegawa stared blankly at the air in front of him, and then heaved a long sigh after a while.

"I was caught by..." Hasegawa smiled helplessly.

...

...

Sadanobu Matsudaira led Tachibana and the guards who had been waiting outside just now, and walked straight towards the outside of Renzuki, preparing to return to the mansion.

When he had reached the bank of the river and was about to leave by boat, Tachibana couldn't help but asked Matsudaira Sadanobu:

"My lord, do you just let Hasegawa Heizo go like this?"

"Then what do you plan to do with Hasegawa?" The old man asked back, "Order him to apologize on the spot?"

Tachibana was at a loss for words for a moment.

Out of rules, Tachibana felt that Hasegawa, who abused public funds, must be severely punished.

But out of morality, Tachibana also believes that the reason why Hasegawa misuses public funds is not for eating, drinking and having fun, but for the operation of the foot farm, so it is not appropriate to give him too heavy a punishment.

"Although I don't get along well with Hasegawa's character. I don't like Hasegawa very much either." Matsudaira Sadanobu said softly, "But it cannot be denied——Hasegawa is a rare capable official."

"He should be regarded as one of the best officers since the establishment of Huofu Thief Reform."

"His title of 'Guiping' has shocked Xiao Xiao who is not small."

"And just like what I said to Hasegawa just now-it's not that I don't understand the benefits of running a Renzuyojo site."

"Operating the Renzu Depot can prevent a large number of prisoners from committing crimes after they are released from prison—how can I not know this truth?"

"It's just because the shogunate's financial situation is not good, I have not sent too much money to the people's feet."

"If Hasegawa can manage the two places, Huofu Thiefkai and Renzujichang, only with the funds allocated to Huofu Thiefkai, I would be happy to see the success."

"So for this reason, it is a pity that such a rare and capable official is moved to the left or given to death."

"So I came here this time just to remind Hasegawa."

There was a smile on Matsudaira Sadanobu's face that didn't feel warm at all.

"Remind him: I already know his little secret. And I can use your little secret to cure you at any time."

"From then on, Hasegawa, who was held by me, should be more dedicated to serving the public."

"Whether it's catching thieves or operating the Renzujiao, you shouldn't dare to relax."

"So that's how it is..." Li Hua smiled wryly, "It seems... I really still have a lot to learn from you, Lao Zhong..."

Speaking of this, Tachibana seemed to have remembered something, paused, and then offered a suggestion to the elder in front of him.

"My lord, why don't you ask Hasegawa to investigate the previous incident of 'the attack on the Kitamachi Magistrate's Office'?"

Matsudaira Sadanobu naturally knew what Tachibana was talking about about the "Attack on the Kitamachi Magistrate's office".

About a month ago, the Kitamachi Prison Office was attacked by unidentified thieves. After the thieves killed all the officials who stayed at the Kitamachi Prison Office at that time, they painted "Taige Tong" on the wall of the Kitamachi Prison Office. The words "We will avenge the battle of Osaka" were written on it.

When this incident first came out, the hustle and bustle of Edo was on the rise.

Everyone is discussing—whether the people who studied at the Kitamachi Magistrate are really Toyotomi's remnants.

In order to avoid panic, Matsudaira Sadanobu ordered to refute the rumors to the public in the name of the government not long after the incident: Toyotomi's remnant party and so on are just non-existent things, please don't panic.

While calming the public down, Matsudaira Sadanobu stepped up the search—however, no progress has been found in the case until now.

The people who bloodbathed the Beiding Prison Office were not only skilled, but also extremely smart. There is not a single trace left in the Kitamachi Magistrate's Office.

After hearing Tachibana's suggestion, Matsudaira Sadanobu shook his head after pondering for a moment:

"No. This case cannot be handed over to Hasegawa."

"Hasegawa is the chief of Huo Fu Thief Kai, and he is only responsible for catching thieves and arsonists."

"As for the people who bloodbathed the Kitamachi Prison Office, they didn't steal or set fire, they just killed people. It's not the area that Hasegawa is in charge of."

"If this case is forcibly handed over to Hasegawa, it will only cause dissatisfaction among many people."

"So the team in charge of this case doesn't have to move now."

"Wait until the people in charge of this case really can't get any results, and then consider whether to replace them with other people."

"Tachibana, you are going to make a trip tonight to inform those who are in charge of this case now - when I return from Ezo, hand in the results that satisfy me."

"Yes." Tachibana respectfully responded, and silently wrote down Matsudaira Sadanobu's order.

...

...

Hasegawa returned to the headquarters of Huofu Thief Kai in the evening.

After returning to the headquarters, Hasegawa called his adjutant, Imai, and told him what happened at Renzujiao today.

Imai is one of the few people who knows that Hasegawa has always used the funds from Huofu Thief Kai to speculate in coins and make money.

After learning that Lao Zhong actually knew Hasegawa's secret, Imai's eyes widened.

"Master Hasegawa, what should we do now?"

Because he was so shocked, Imai stuttered when he spoke.

"What else can I do..." Hasegawa's face was full of bitterness, "In short - my life is saved."

"Lao Zhong already hinted at me today - he won't do anything to me."

"But the premise is - I have to work hard and serve my duties well."

After all, Hasegawa let out a sigh of relief.

"I was pinched..."

"If there is anything I do in the future that dissatisfies the old lord, the old lord can take out my handle to punish me at any time..."

"So in the future, I can only work like a cow or a dog as the old man wishes, and show my loyalty to the old man..."

After another long sigh, Hasegawa smiled slightly at Imai.

"But it's okay... Looking at the bright side, at least as long as I work hard and don't annoy the old man, the old man should not do anything to me."

"All in all - in order to save my life, and to save my life, I will work hard now..."

"Imai, are there any thieves that our Huofu Thief Kai is still tracking but haven't caught yet?"

"Not much more." Imai said, "Currently we are responsible for the Huofu Thief Gai, but the thieves who have not been caught include Tongjiro, Hana Monk, and... Buddha's Enemy..."

After hearing the name "Buddha's Enemy" from Imai's mouth, Hasegawa couldn't help raising his hand and scratching his hair.

"'Buddha Enemy'... Among the three thieves who have not been caught, he is the most troublesome..."