Nimukai-cho, Kyoto.
A certain open space in Nixiang Town was now full of people.
The people occupying this open space are the remaining disciples of the six major sword halls... no, to be precise, the majority of them are the "gravediggers" who have sneaked into the six major sword halls.
Hexian stood in a shadow not far from here, looking at the open space that was already crowded with people.
"Master Hexian..."
"Master Ryunosuke, you're back... huh? How did you get hurt?"
Ryunosuke slowly emerged from the shadows behind Tsurugagen, holding his left shoulder.
"It's just a minor injury... I just went back to the base on Third Prince Street and found that the base was in a mess. All my subordinates deployed there were dead."
"Oh?" He Xian's eyes narrowed. "Someone actually found your base for assembling explosive bombs... Was it the officials who did it?"
"No." Ryunosuke shook his head, "The guys who attacked my base captured Ichi Saburo alive."
Ichizaburo - the name of the bald man who was captured alive by Ogata and his group.
"Fortunately, Ichi Saburo was not stupid. After being captured alive by the group, he inflicted wounds on his body in time and spilled blood on the ground, leaving a blood trail extending from the base to the place where he was trapped."
"I followed the blood trail and found the group that dared to attack my base."
"In order to get rid of them all at once, I used the explosive bombs that I usually carry with me for self-defense."
"You are such a cruel fellow." Tsurugen said in a half-joking tone, "You are planning to blow up your own subordinate named Ichi Saburo as well?"
Ryunosuke did not respond to Tsurugen's joke, but continued:
"It's a pity that I missed it."
"One of the guys had a sawed-off rifle. He shot me in the left shoulder, causing my round to miss."
"The bomb that was thrown off target rolled to...someone's feet, and was thrown back by that guy."
"No wonder you look so dirty." He Xian shrugged. "Did your bomb successfully kill those people?"
"No. After the bomb exploded, I took a special look and found that all the limbs of that group of people were intact."
"Because they had a lot of people and I was alone, I would not have the upper hand if I confronted them head-on, so after throwing the bomb, I retreated."
Having said this, Ryunosuke paused.
Then, he muttered in a low voice that only he could hear: "It's a good thing that he was not blown to death..."
"Then the injury on your left shoulder is not serious, right?" He Xian asked.
"It's nothing serious. The bullet didn't penetrate my shoulder, it just grazed it. I've already bandaged it."
"It's a pity that the light was dim and time was very urgent. I didn't have time to see what the guy with the short gun looked like. As a result, I couldn't find anyone to take revenge on in the future."
"Forget it!" Hexian raised his hand and patted Ryunosuke on the back, "The base is gone, so what! Anyway, the bombs you need have been assembled, right?"
Ryunosuke did not comment on Tsurugan's words.
Ryunosuke turned his head and looked at the open space not far away that was already full of people.
Looking at the empty space full of people, Ryunosuke curled his lips and said:
"…Lord Tsuruga. You see, I changed the plan as you wished. All my subordinates who were supposed to set fires all over Kyoto have been transferred here to prepare to fight against Ogata Ittosai."
"Thanks to you." Ryunosuke's tone was full of displeasure at this time, "My plan is now a mess."
Ryunosuke's original plan was quite perfect.
First, use explosive bombs to explode the designated area, and then let these subordinates who have infiltrated the six major sword halls set fire everywhere to completely destroy Kyoto.
After the deed is accomplished, Kyoto will suffer heavy losses, and at the same time, the blame can be put on the six major sword halls, making the masters and real disciples of the six major sword halls suffer a fate worse than death.
As a result, because of Tsurugan's casual words "I want to capture Ogata Ittosai alive", his originally perfect plan was now turned into a mess.
Although he didn't know why Tsurugan wanted to capture Ogata Ittosai alive, since Tsurugan said so, Ryunosuke had to follow his wishes and change his originally perfect plan.
The force that Tsurugagen belonged to provided considerable help to the "gravediggers" led by Ryunosuke.
Whether it was weapons or the raw materials needed to assemble the bombs, they were all provided by the force that Tsurugen belonged to.
As a result, Tsurugagen has considerable say in front of Ryunosuke.
Ryunosuke had to listen to Tsurugen's request.
So, under Tsurugen's various suggestions, Ryunosuke changed his plan to what it is now: let his subordinates who sneaked into the six major sword gyms kill all the masters of the six major sword gyms and those disciples who were not members of their "Gravediggers".
Then they declared that they suspected that it was Ogata Ittosai who killed their master and fellow apprentices, and demanded that Ogata Ittosai go to Nimukai-cho to confront them.
This new plan that was temporarily changed is currently progressing smoothly - except for the master of the Metaphysics Hall, the other five masters, as well as those real disciples that could be found in the six major sword halls, have all been killed by them.
Ryunosuke's subordinates who had infiltrated the six major sword halls have already gathered in Nimukai-cho, waiting for Ogata Ittosai to arrive.
Tsurugan seemed not to notice the displeasure in Ryunosuke's tone and laughed:
"Thank you for your cooperation, Ryunosuke! Once I succeed in capturing Ogata Ittosai alive, I will reward you handsomely!"
"Ha!" Lord Ryunosuke sneered, "Capture Ogata Ittosai alive? Let's wait until Ogata Ittosai really comes! It's even a question whether Ogata Ittosai will come!"
Although the plan that Ryunosuke and Tsuruga had improvised successfully forced Ogata into a difficult situation where if he didn't come he would indirectly be labeled as "I have something to hide", no one was sure whether Ogata would come or not.
He Xian chuckled:
"If Ogata Ittosai doesn't come, then forget it. Anyway, even if Ogata Ittosai doesn't come, I won't lose anything. If Ogata Ittosai doesn't come, Lord Ryunosuke, you can proceed with the original plan and let your men burn Kyoto."
"Hmph!" Ryunosuke snorted coldly, and then fell silent.
After a moment of silence, Ryunosuke said in a serious tone:
"Lord Hexian, I will leave all my subordinates here to your command."
"I'll only give you half an hour."
"If Ogata Ittosai doesn't come in half an hour, you will have to lead these men of mine to carry out the original plan and set fire to various places in Kyoto."
"No problem!" He Xian said readily.
"Then - this place and my subordinates here are all handed over to you."
After saying that, Ryunosuke turned and left.
"Lord Ryunosuke, where are you going?" asked Tsurugi.
"…I have somewhere I have to go. Don't worry about me."
…
…
Kyoto, Kinraku's residence.
"...I see." Makimura nodded gently, "Master Jinle, thank you for your help."
Just now, Shimada explained the whole story to Makimura in a concise manner.
Jinle’s home is located not far from Sanwangzi Street.
After hearing the explosion, Jinle, who was curious, went out to check what happened.
When we arrived at Three Princes Street, we heard a noisy sound.
So Jinle chased after the noisy sound again.
The noisy sound was the sound of the police chasing Mucun and others.
So Jinle happened to meet Makimura and others who were trying to escape from the pursuit of the officials, and then he extended a helping hand to Makimura and others. While helping them escape from the pursuit of the officials, he took Makimura and others to his home and treated the injuries of Makimura and Hasegawa.
"You're welcome, Makimura-kun." Jinle smiled carefreely, "Just consider it as a return gift for the two companions you entrusted to pass on the message to me this evening, reminding me to be careful."
Makimura knew that the two companions that Jinle was referring to were Lin and Asai.
"Makimura-kun, it's not easy for you either." Jinle continued, "You have been fighting alone against a bunch of lunatics who are planning to destroy Kyoto until now."
"Master Jinle, do you know everything?"
"Yeah." Jinle nodded at Shimada next to him, "This guy just told me everything you did tonight."
Having said that, Jinle put down the ointment in his hand and patted Mucun on the shoulder:
"Okay. The wound on your forehead has been treated with medicine. The wound on your forehead is not serious. Now that the medicine has been applied, do you feel much better?"
Mucun held his head and slowly sat up.
Just as Jinle said - Mucun now felt his head was much better and not so dizzy.
After Makimura stood up, he asked Shimada beside him, "How is that bald guy?"
"Don't worry, Makimura-senpai." Shimada responded, "The bald guy is being held in the next room right now."
"Just now, the bald guy woke up. I have just asked him where they placed the explosive bombs on your behalf."
"Where did they place the bombs?" Makimura asked anxiously.
"...Yamaboko." Shimada said solemnly, "They put the bomb in the Yamaboko."
"They mixed their assassins into the haulers responsible for pulling the Yamaboko. They planned to detonate the explosive bomb installed in the Yamaboko when the Yamaboko was halfway through its parade."
“…I see.” Makimura’s face suddenly darkened, “Is it Yamaboko…They really know how to pick positions…”
Those yamaboko were always assembled by civilians rather than by the government.
Therefore, if you plan to secretly install a Yamaboko in a Yamaboko, it is extremely easy.
If the explosive bomb installed in the Yamaboko is detonated, the damage caused will be extremely great.
The scene of the Yamaboko parade was packed with people.
Detonating a bomb in the middle of a street surrounded by people on both sides... That scene... is terrifying just to think about...
"If you plan to go to the Yamaboko parade, it might be a little late now." Chikamura suddenly said, "The Yamaboko parade has already started."
…
…
Shijo Street, Kyoto.
Shijo-dori, the starting point of the Yamaboko patrol, was already packed with people.
In order to watch the Yamaboko Parade which only takes place once a year, nearly half of the people in Kyoto gather here.
Those who arrived early have already grabbed a good seat.
Those who arrived late could only regret in secret outside Shijo-dori.
Some brave and nimble people even climb onto the roof to watch the parade of the yamaboko.
In order to maintain public order, the common people of Kyoto even had to spontaneously form a "temporary security team".
The members of this "temporary security team" had their backs to the center of the street and were facing the houses and shops on both sides of the street.
He held the long wooden sticks in his hands horizontally and connected them one by one to form two temporary human walls. He then circled all the people who were crowded and close to each other outside the human walls, leaving the center of the street empty so that Yamaboko could pass safely.
Granny Gao was one of those who came early to grab a seat.
Grandma Gao is very lucky.
She just happened to grab the position closest to the long sword hoko.
The most classic type of Yamaboko is the Nagatohoko. Due to various historical reasons, the Nagatohoko always takes the lead in the Yamaboko parade.
The Nagatohoko is not only the most classic Yamaboko, but also the most special Yamaboko.
A "Child" must be placed on each Yamaboko.
The so-called "children" are the messengers of gods.
The children at the Gion Festival are there to purify the procession path so that the Yamaboko can reach the realm of the gods.
The children on other yamaboko are all dolls, but the child on the nagadoboko must be a real person, and must be a boy around 10 years old.
Grandma Gao was silently chewing the grandma cake in her hand while waiting for the Yamaboko parade to begin.
At this moment, Granny Gao suddenly heard someone beside her shouting:
"Look! The kid on the long sword hoko is about to cut the shimenawa!"
Hearing the shout from the person beside her, Granny Gao quickly looked towards the long sword in the middle of the street.
On the long sword hokori, a child with white makeup on his face and dressed in fancy clothes was seen holding a long sword and cutting the shimenawa in front of him with an extremely solemn movement.
As the rope on the long sword hoko broke, people on both sides of the street immediately cheered like a landslide and tsunami.
"The young child on the long sword hoko cuts the shimenawa" - this is a very solemn ceremony.
This ceremony indicates that the barrier has been opened and each yamaboko can move towards the divine realm.
In other words - it means the Yamaboko Parade has begun.
As the shimen rope on the nagahobori broke, the dozens of pullers responsible for pulling the nagahobori immediately put in all their strength and pulled the nagahobori slowly forward.
No one noticed that some of the pullers in charge of pulling the yamaboko showed strange and cold smiles.
…
…
Kyoto, the home of Chikagura.
"Master Jinle." Makimura put his large sword on his back and said to Jinle loudly, "Thank you for your help. I'm leaving now."
"Are you going to stop that group of lunatics from destroying the Yamaboko parade? Excuse me, it may be too late." Chikamura said in a cold tone, "Also, although I don't know why, I just got wind of it: it seems that all the officials in Kyoto are looking for you now."
"All the officials in Kyoto are looking for me? Ha! That's perfect! If all the officials in Kyoto are looking for me, then it will save me a lot of trouble."
After grinning, Mucun spoke seriously to Jinle.
"Master Kinraku, I'll leave Master Hasegawa in your care. Oh, and I'll ask you to keep that bald guy in custody for the time being. Shimada, let's go."
"Wait..." At this moment, Hasegawa's voice suddenly sounded, "I'm going too..."
Hasegawa, who had been resting on the bed beside him, woke up at some point and struggled to get up from the bed.
"If you want to go with us, hurry up." Makimura didn't say any nonsense to Hasegawa like "you stay here and rest."
Because Makimura knew very well that with Hasegawa's personality, even if he told him not to come, Hasegawa would definitely come.
Hasegawa did not keep Makimura, Shimada and the others waiting for long. He got up from the bed and quickly put his sword back into his waist and put on his straw sandals .
Just as the three were about to rush out of Jinle's house, Jinle suddenly said to Mucun:
"Makimura-kun."
"What is it?" Mucun said, "Master Jinle, if there is anything important you want to tell me, please tell me as soon as possible. I am in a hurry."
"Makimura-kun, you are no longer a powerful figure in Kyoto. You are just a commoner. You do not need to shoulder the responsibility of protecting Kyoto's public security."
Jinle stared straight at Mucun with a sharp gaze that seemed to pierce through Mucun's entire body.
"Since you have no responsibility to do anything for Kyoto, why are you working so hard?"
Mucun did not answer Jinle's question.
After just looking at Jinle for a few seconds with a look whose emotions were hard to read, he led Shimada and Hasegawa out in silence.
Jinle looked straight in the direction where Mucun's back disappeared.
Then, an intriguing smile appeared on Jinle's face.
"Red Dragon... I wish you good luck in martial arts..."
As soon as he rushed out of Kinraku's house, Shimada said to Makimura urgently:
"Makimura-senpai! How can we stop the 'gravediggers' from destroying the Yamaboko parade site?"
"No matter what we do, we can't stop it with just the three of us." Makimura said calmly, "So - we have to find help."
…
…
Heitaro, who was in pain all over his body, just opened his eyes and saw the old man who had just defeated them single-handedly, as well as a man and a woman.
Heitaro didn't recognize the man, but he recognized the woman.
"A-Ming!"
After seeing the woman's appearance clearly, Heitaro subconsciously called out the woman's name.
"Good evening, Heitaro." A-Machi said with a cold face, "Are you here to arrest me like Ryutarou and the others?"
"Ryutaro?" When Ah-Machi mentioned Ryutaro's name, Heitaro's pupils shrank slightly. "Have you seen Ryutaro?"
"Of course. I killed Ryutaro and the others."
"What?" Heitaro's eyes widened in astonishment. "Killed? Just by you?!"
"Don't underestimate female kunoichi. You guys are really haunting me... I just got rid of Ryuutarou, and now you're here again..."
"Heh..." Although his whole body was in pain and even speaking was quite strenuous, Heitaro still forced himself to be strong and sneered, "What? Are you finally afraid?"
"Don't be afraid. When you decided to defect from our Shiranui, you should have thought that this day would come, right?"
Heitaro's tone was full of naked sarcasm.
Ogata frowned at Heitaro's sarcasm.
Ogata just opened his mouth and was about to say something to Heitaro, but Atachi beside him raised his hand and signaled Ogata not to speak.
Seeing Atachi make this move, Ogata could only close his mouth which had just opened.
"I'm not afraid!" Ah Ting said loudly, "Come on! I'll kill as many as you come!"
"Heh..." Heitaro sneered again, "It turns out that anyone can talk big."
"You can say such things, don't you feel ashamed?"
"How many more will come? How many will be killed?"
"You may not know this, right? We in Shiranui have teamed up with the shogunate!"
"I know." Atachi said solemnly, "Ryutaro told me all these things."
"Now that you know this, I find you even more ridiculous! You know that our Shiranui has cooperated with the shogunate, yet you can still say such shameless words!"
Heitaro raised his hand with all his strength and pointed towards Nijo Castle in the distance.
"Have you seen Nijo Castle? Lord Kotaro, one of the 'Four Heavenly Kings' in our Shiranui, is leading the rest of our companions to guard Nijo Castle!"
"The mission of defending Nijo Castle only lasts until the end of tonight's banquet!"
"After tonight's banquet is over and there are no more missions to accomplish, Lord Kotaro will lead all the remaining forces under his command to hunt you down to the death!"
"You may be able to defeat Ryutaro with a bit of luck, but do you think you can defeat Lord Kotaro with luck?"
"You should still remember Ah Zhu! Ah Zhu is your future fate."
After hearing the name "Atake" from Heitaro's mouth, A-Machi's face turned pale.
Just as Heitaro opened his mouth and wanted to say something, a slender black shadow rushed towards him quickly and hit him hard on the mouth.
This black shadow is Da Shitian.
Ogata pulled the Daishakuten from his waist with its scabbard and then used the bottom of the scabbard to hit Heitaro hard in the face.
Ogata showed no mercy.
After the bottom end of the Daishikuten scabbard hit Heitaro's face, Heitaro flew sideways and several teeth flew out of his mouth.
Heitaro, who had just woken up, fainted again.
"Ating, ignore what this guy just said."
Ogata put the Daishakuten back into his waist and turned to say this to Atachi.
After turning his gaze back to Atachi, Ogata was stunned, his eyes widened in shock.
I saw that Ah-Ming, who had just shouted with great vigor, "I will kill as many as you come", was now pale and his hands and feet were shaking uncontrollably...
…
…
"Akiyama-kun, have you and your men found Makimura?"
Akiyama shook his head: "No. Shiina-kun, what about you?"
Shiina - Like Akiyama, he is also a yoroki from Kyoto. He has a neatly shaved head and a delicate face. Although he looks young, he is actually nearly 40 years old and is one of the elders of Kyoto Town Bugyo.
Just now, Akiyama, Shiina, and the rest of the forces received an order from Abe Risato: to do their best to capture the prison-escaped Makimura Yahachi.
Although they were quite disgusted with the order to "arrest Makimura Yahachi", it was an order from their direct superior after all, so Akiyama and Shiina dared not disobey it.
Where is Makimura Yahachi now?
have no idea.
Are there any clues related to Makimura Yahachi?
The only clue is that Makimura Yahachi just appeared on Sanzi .
Therefore, Akiyama, Shiina, and the rest of the Yoriki could only lead their subordinates to conduct a search with Sanji Street as the center.
But until now, there has been no sighting of Yahachi Makimura.
Doing this kind of task that doesn't really count is very tiring.
Therefore, Akiyama and Shiina, two close friends who usually have a good personal relationship, secretly gathered together to recover their strength and chat.
"I didn't expect that Makimura-kun would return to Kyoto..." Shiina smiled, and his smile was full of nostalgia, "He is always like this 'suddenly'... He suddenly appeared 7 years ago and became Yoriki, and suddenly disappeared from Kyoto 2 years ago, and now he suddenly returns to Kyoto..."
"I actually saw Lord Makimura today during the day." Akiyama smiled bitterly, "Lord Makimura caused a big fuss right after he returned to Kyoto..."
After that, Akiyama told Shiina the series of events in which he happened to encounter Makimura fighting with the Yakuza on the street this afternoon, and then Makimura gave him face and surrendered obediently, allowing Akiyama to put him in jail.
"Standing up for a little girl whose candy was stolen, and choosing to go to jail to help a friend..." Shiina smiled, "These two things are really in line with Makimura-kun's style... Makimura-kun is just like that, he always has a 'chivalrous' demeanor when doing things."
"'Renxia'...haha." Akiyama laughed along with Shiina, "This description is so apt!"
At this moment, Akiyama's eyes revealed admiration and longing.
"Master Makimura has always been someone I admire very much..."
Akiyama said slowly as he spoke softly.
"Two years ago, on the day of the Tenmei Fire, when all of us had to obey Lord Toda's order to protect Nijo Castle, only Lord Makimura and Lord Kunieda did not obey the order and resolutely chose to evacuate the civilians of Kyoto..."
"At that time, I still remember the backs of the two of them rushing in the opposite direction from us..."
Shiina nodded: "Me too..."
Shiina took off a gourd full of wine hanging from his waist, took a sip, and handed it to Akiyama: "Would you like a drink?"
"No." Akiyama waved his hand.
Seeing that Akiyama didn't drink, Shiina took the gourd back and drank from it in small sips while whispering:
"In fact, there are many people in the entire magistrate's office who worship Makimura-kun and Kunieda-kun just like us."
"I've noticed just now that many people are simply perfunctorily carrying out the mission of 'arresting Makimura Yahachi' issued by Abe Riri."
“Hahaha.” Akiyama laughed a few times, “That’s right! I noticed it too!”
At this point, Akiyama paused, then added:
"I believe in Lord Mucun's character! I don't believe Lord Mucun would do anything bad!"
"This guy Abe Riri is probably trying to cause trouble for Master Makimura!"
"I think so too." Shiina nodded seriously, "Abe Riri and Makimura-kun have always had a bad relationship. Abe Riri even had a funny scene on the day of the Tenmei Fire when he was knocked down by Makimura's glare."
"Abe Riri is always vindictive. He must still be holding a grudge against Makimura-kun. I think he is deliberately trying to cause trouble for Makimura-kun."
Akiyama couldn't agree more with Shiina's words.
After nodding vigorously, Akiyama shrugged:
"Anyway - I trust Makimura-sama more than Abe Riri. I hope that Makimura-sama can hide well and run away like he is now, so that we don't run into him..."
Before Akiyama could finish his words, one of his fellow soldiers ran towards him, panting.
While running towards him, he shouted:
"Master Akiyama! We found Makimura Yahachi!"
Hearing Tongxin's words, Akiyama and Kunieda's faces were both filled with astonishment.
"What did you say?" Akiyama exclaimed, "We found Master Makimura?! Where did you find him?!"
"It's nearby Dongshandori!"
"Take me there now!"
Under the guidance of this like-minded person, Akiyama and Shiina quickly arrived at Higashiyama-dori Street which was not far away.
Higashiyama-dori is an ordinary street that can be seen everywhere in Kyoto.
At this moment, this ordinary street was filled with police officers, there were already hundreds of them, and the number was still increasing.
The pedestrians on the street didn't know what was going on, but when they saw so many officers gathered there, they instinctively thought that some case might have happened, so they hid far away.
The only people left on Higashiyama Street were the officials, and three people, Makimura, Shimada, and Hasegawa, who were standing opposite the officials.
Akiyama and Shiina pushed aside the officers who were blocking their way and came to the front of them.
"Mr. Makimura..." Looking at Makimura in front of him, Akiyama's expression became complicated, "Why do you show up so blatantly...?"
Just now, when they asked the fellow believer to lead the way, Akiyama and Shiina learned from the fellow believer that Makimura was not found.
Makimura walked alone on the street, shouting loudly "I am Makimura Yahachi", attracting all the officials.
Shiina looked around - five other members including him and Akiyama had gathered around.
The five people including the two of them all had complicated expressions on their faces at this moment.
Their wanted target: Makimura Yahachi is right in front of them.
But no one waved his hand to order his subordinates to bring Makimura Yahachi to justice.
Everyone turned their eyes towards Mucun with mixed emotions.
They all looked at Makimura and asked, "Why did you show up?"
"Everyone!" Mucun said with a smile on his face, "Long time no see! Although there are many new faces, there are also many familiar faces!"
"If possible, I would like to chat with you more, but I don't have the time now!"
"Everyone, please lend me a hand!"
"I need your help now!"
"A bunch of lunatics are planning to detonate something called a 'bomb' in Kyoto."
"You can think of 'explosive bombs' as shrapnel bombs that don't require artillery fire."
"These lunatics installed 'explosive bombs' in each of the Yamaboko."
"Once the bomb installed in the Yamaboko is detonated, the consequences will be disastrous."
"Countless civilians will be killed."
"And then countless civilians will be trampled to death in the ensuing panic."
"We must stop those lunatics from detonating the Yamaboko at all costs!"
"It is impossible for me to dismantle the bombs hidden in more than 20 Yamaboko with my own strength!"
"But it would be different with your help!"
"I don't need too many helpers, just 50 people are enough!"
"With only 50 people, we can defuse the bombs in the twenty or so Yamaboko!"
"Everyone, please lend me a hand!"
After saying that, Makimura bowed deeply to the officials in front of him, led by Akiyama and Shiina.
The helpers that Makimura, Shimada, and Hasegawa had just mentioned about "looking for helpers" were the officials in Kyoto.
Now that the Yamaboko parade has begun, the only way to dismantle the bombs in the twenty or so Yamaboko in one go is to rely on the power of the Kyoto officials - there is no other way.
As soon as Makimura finished speaking, Hasegawa, who was standing next to Makimura, also said loudly:
"I am the leader of the Fire Thieves - Hasegawa Heizo! Everything that Makimura-kun just said is true! I can prove it!"
Akiyama, Shiina and others looked at each other in bewilderment.
What Makimura just said contained a lot of information and was very impactful.
Most of the people present were still in shock.
Akiyama, who was the first to recover from his shock, pursed his lips, opened his mouth, and was about to say something to Makimura.
Da da da…
A series of horse hooves suddenly sounded.
Akiyama, Shiina and others looked in the direction of the voice and their faces immediately darkened.
It's Abe Riri who's here.
Abe Lili rode a horse, led by several close confidants, and galloped towards them with excitement on his face.
The officials hurriedly moved to both sides to make way for Abe Rili to pass.
After riding his horse to the front of the officials in one breath, Abe Riri jumped off his horse and laughed:
"Makino Yahachi! I finally found you! Hey! What are you guys standing there for? Hurry up and tie up Makino Yahachi!"
Abe was gesticulating with excitement on his face.
However, Akiyama, Shiina and others around him did not immediately respond to Abe's order.
Seeing that his subordinates around him were slow to act, Abe's face showed displeasure.
"Hey! What are you doing? Didn't you hear my order?"
Akiyama pursed his lips, then mustered up the courage to speak loudly:
"Lord Abe! Lord Makimura just said that a group of lunatics are planning to disrupt the Yamaboko Parade..."
Before Akiyama could finish his words, Abe interrupted him rudely:
"What nonsense are you talking about! Do you believe everything that guy Makimura says?"
"Abe Riri!" At this moment, Hasegawa suddenly shouted, "Think carefully! If those lunatics really succeed in destroying the Yamaboko parade, you, as the boss, will not be able to escape responsibility!"
“Hmm…” Abe’s face darkened, “Hasegawa… you’re here too…”
Just now, I was too excited and only had eyes for Makimura, and I ignored Hasegawa who was standing next to Makimura.
"Hasegawa!" Abe shouted, "Do you really think I'm afraid of you? You're just the leader of the Fire Thieves Kai, I'm really not afraid of you!"
"You don't have any evidence at all, just your mouth! You said there's a lunatic trying to disrupt the Yamaboko Parade! Why should I believe you!"
"…Because I am Makimura Yahachi!" Makimura Yahachi, who had been silent from the beginning, said in a sonorous and powerful voice, "Everyone, are you willing to believe me, Makimura Yahachi?"
Makimura's words seemed to have some magic power. After hearing Makimura Yahachi's words, Akiyama, Shiina, and the other Yoriki present all had a different kind of light in their eyes.
"Hurry up and arrest Makimura Yahachi! Do you want to disobey my orders?"
The success of Abe's plan of "killing four birds with one stone" depends entirely on whether he can capture Makimura Yahachi.
In order to successfully implement his perfect "kill four birds with one stone" plan as soon as possible, Abe Riri became hysterical at this time.
And Abe's words seemed to have a strange magic, causing the strange light that had just appeared in the eyes of Akiyama and others to slowly dim.
"... Makimura-kun, I'm sorry." Shiina was the first to speak, and sighed, "We... are samurai after all... obeying the orders of our superiors... is one of our duties..."
Then, Shiina slowly pulled out the ten hands hidden in his arms.
The subordinates behind Shiina also broke the fishing gear in their hands.
Akiyama and the other Yoriki on the side also had heavy expressions on their faces and reached for their respective fishing gear.
The expressions on Makimura, Shimada, and Hasegawa's faces gradually became ugly.
Shimada even subconsciously reached for the knife at his waist...
"Lord Abe!"
Just then, a loud shout suddenly rang out.
This sudden shout suddenly eased the originally tense atmosphere.
Abe looked in the direction of the voice with a look of surprise.
He recognized the voice—it was the voice of Toda's confidant.
As a member of the "Toda faction", Abe naturally recognized the appearance and voices of Toda's confidants.
And the person who came was indeed one of Toda's confidants.
"What's the matter?" Abe asked back with a frown.
This confidant of Toda rode his horse up to Abe and said to him loudly:
"Lord Abe! Lord Toda has ordered - put aside everything at hand! Focus on hunting down the mysterious force that possesses the new Nanban Cannon and kidnapped the master of the Metaphysics Hall, Inaba!"
"What?!" Abe suspected that he had heard it wrong.
And Toda's confidant repeated what he had just said.
After hearing Toda's order again, Abe looked confused.
He had no idea what the order was.
New Nanman cannon? Kidnapped the wife and daughter of Master Inaba of the Metaphysics Museum? What are these?
Abe didn't know that Toda Tadahiro had just been scolded by Tokugawa Munemitsu at the banquet.
After Toda was called to the scene by Tokugawa Munemichi, he asked Toda, "A mysterious group of people with new Nanman iron cannons appeared in Kyoto. They even kidnapped the wife and daughter of a sword hall owner. Lord Toda, do you know about this?"
Of course, Toda didn't know about this.
Therefore, Toda could only be vague and evasive.
Toda's hesitating and evasive attitude indirectly confirmed the fact that he was derelict in his duty and had no idea that such a thing had happened in Kyoto.
So, Tokugawa Munemitsu scolded Toda.
He cursed Toda for dereliction of duty and said that fortunately the Osaka castle governor reported the matter to him.
After scolding Toda, Tokugawa Munemitsu gave a direct order to Toda, asking Toda to find out the mysterious force that possessed the new Nanban cannon as soon as possible, otherwise he would report to the Shogun that "the Kyoto Shoshidai had committed dereliction of duty."
The second half of Tokugawa Munemitsu's words almost scared Toda to death.
Tokugawa Munemitsu was one of the "Tokugawa Gosanke" and one of the most powerful daimyo in the country. He also had a close relationship with the shogun and had a lot of say in front of the shogun.
If Tokugawa Munemitsu had mentioned the "Kyoto Shoshidai's dereliction of duty" in front of the Shogun, who knows what kind of trouble would have befallen Toda.
After Toda, who was frightened, staggered back to his seat, he immediately called his confidant and asked him to give Abe this death order: all the current matters should be put on hold and all efforts should be made to hunt down this mysterious force.
Abe, who had no idea what had happened to Toda, looked confused and still couldn't understand what this sudden order meant.
But he understood that Makimura Yahachi could not move anymore!
Because the order from Toda was very clear: put aside all current matters!
Toda rarely issued such harsh death orders, and he even specially sent his confidants to deliver the order.
This shows that this order is of great importance.
If you do anything unnecessary after receiving this order, it is very likely to cause dissatisfaction from Toda.
Toda is Abe's backer.
Even if Abe had a hundred guts, he would not dare to disobey any of Toda's orders.
Moreover, if Mucun was captured now, he would most likely get into trouble.
Abe knew nothing about the "mysterious force that possesses the new Nanban cannon" mentioned in the order just now.
Let’s just assume that this mysterious force really exists.
If Abe captured Makimura at this time, and this mysterious force really existed and did something big afterwards, then Toda could take the opportunity to put the blame on Abe - the reason why the accident happened was all because of you wasting your fighting power on the irrelevant Makimura Yahachi.
Abe is also one of Toda's confidants, and because he is Toda's confidant, Abe also knows Toda's temper - Toda will not hesitate to push the responsibility to his subordinates and let his subordinates take the blame in order to avoid difficult troubles.
After thinking through the interests involved, Abe's face instantly turned ugly.
He turned his head and looked at Mucun with an extremely complicated look.
Makimura Yahachi is right in front of him, but he can't catch him now...
Abe now feels like he has eaten a hundred flies...
After all, Mucun had been a laborer for five years.
Naturally, they are much more sensitive to such official orders than ordinary people.
Therefore, when Makimura heard the new order given by Toda to Abe, he immediately realized that he was safe now.
"...Lord Abe." The corners of Makimura's mouth curled up in an intriguing arc, "It seems that - I am lucky."
After mocking Abe, whose face turned pale and blue, in such a nonchalant tone , Makimura turned his head and cast his gaze again at Akiyama, Shiina and others.
"Everyone, are you willing to believe me?"
Akiyama, Shiina and others looked at each other again.
"...Mura-sama!" Akiyama gritted his teeth, "Two years ago... on the day of the Tenmei Fire, you and Kunieda-sama did not follow everyone to protect Nijo Castle, but ran to evacuate the civilians. Later, you two were thrown into prison for disobeying orders..."
"Master Makimura, have you ever regretted your disobedience two years ago?"
Akiyama suddenly asked a question that had nothing to do with the atmosphere at the scene.
Makimura was also slightly stunned after hearing this sudden question.
But after being stunned for a while, Mucun said word by word without hesitation:
"I've never regretted it!"
After hearing Makimura's answer, Akiyama fell silent.
During the silence, a faint smile appeared on Akiyama's face.
It was like some knot in my heart was untied.
The unique light that had just dimmed bloomed again in his eyes.
"Everyone under my jurisdiction, listen up!" Qiushan turned around and shouted to the officers behind him, "Get ready! We are heading to Shijo-dori immediately!"
Akiyama's words caused the heavy atmosphere that had almost gathered around them to suddenly dissipate.
Then, as if a chain reaction had started, Shiina gritted his teeth, turned around, and shouted to his subordinates an order that was almost exactly the same as what Akiyama had just said.
Then came the 3rd and 4th place...
Abe looked at Akiyama, Shiina and others with astonishment and shock.
"What are you doing?" Abe shouted, "Do you really want to believe the one-sided words of that guy Makimura Yahachi? No one is allowed to follow Makimura Yahachi to the scene of the Yamaboko parade! I have a new mission for you! We are going to find a mysterious force..."
Before Abe could finish his words, he was interrupted by Akiyama:
"Lord Abe! If it was anyone else, I probably wouldn't have believed him."
"However..." A smile slowly appeared on Akiyama's face, "If the other party is Makimura Yahachi, then it will be different."
"I want to believe in the Lord Makimura Yahachi who disobeyed orders to evacuate the civilians two years ago."
Makimura moved his gaze, passing through the faces of Akiyama, Shiina and others in front of him one by one.
Looking at these people's faces, a smile mixed with complex emotions appeared on Mucun's cheeks.
…
…
The total number of officials successfully mobilized by Mucun numbered more than eighty people - the total number far exceeded Mucun's expectations.
"Shimada, Lord Hasegawa."
While leading the eighty-odd officers to the site of the Yamaboko patrol, Makimura suddenly spoke to Shimada and Hasegawa beside him.
"You two should remember what the bombs look like, right?"
Shimada and Hasegawa both nodded.
"That's good. You two will lead the officers to dismantle the bomb on the Yamaboko. I'm going to go somewhere."
"Eh?" Shimada looked surprised. "Makimura-senpai, where are you going?"
"I have to go somewhere... I have to go. I'll leave the Yamaboko bombs in your hands!"
Makimura turned around and told Akiyama and others behind him to follow the instructions of Hasegawa and Shimada, then turned and turned into another street next to him.
Mucun moved through the streets and alleys as if he was familiar with the place.
Finally - he arrived at his destination: a remote empty space in Kyoto that didn't even have a name.
This vacant lot is so remote that the ground is covered with weeds and there is not even a passerby.
After arriving at the open space, Mucun slowed down and walked slowly towards the center of the open space.
There should have been no human figure in the open space, but suddenly there was a person standing in the middle.
This person had his back to Mucun, and when he heard footsteps slowly approaching him from behind, he did not turn around.
Looking at this man's back, the expression on Mucun's face gradually became complicated.
After coming to a distance from the man, Mucun stopped.
After Mucun stopped, he slowly spoke:
"Ah Ba, I've been waiting for you for a long time."
After saying this, the man slowly turned around.
If it was Tsurugen, or the bald man captured by Makimura and his men, who saw this man's face, they might subconsciously call out the name "Ryunosuke".
However, after seeing this person's face, Makimura called out another name.
"... Shunroku, long time no see."