Chapter 47

After carefully examining the remaining caves, Masahiro discovered over a hundred long spears, dozens of swords and sabers, and more than forty sets of crude armor. The hundreds of pounds of iron and copper also made Masahiro very happy, as this would perfectly solve the current shortage of farming tools in the territory. The discovery of dozens of bolts of cloth almost brought tears to Masahiro's eyes; his two sets of clothes had been damaged in several battles and had been patched up by Matsuko and Kikue. Now, with these bolts of cloth, he wouldn't have to look like a beggar anymore.

Carefully covering the secret storage area, Masahiro left two ashigaru to guard the entrance to the small forest and hurriedly returned to the courtyard of Daishi-no-ni with everyone else. At this time, Tōgō Heisuke was already waiting there with the patrol squad.

Seeing Masahiro return, everyone bowed. After the formalities, Tōgō Heisuke, moved, said, "Your Highness, I, on behalf of the people in the valley, thank you for avenging our great wrong. We have finally rid ourselves of the threat of these damned bandits." Tōgō Heisuke, who had long suffered from the bandits' oppression, trembled slightly and was choked with emotion.

"Alright, Heisuke, everything is over, but there are still many things we need to handle," Masahiro walked up to Tōgō Heisuke and gently patted his shoulder to comfort him. This man in his forties, who had been exiled and forced to wander here, had led the townspeople in fighting against the bandits for several years. It was no wonder he was momentarily overwhelmed now that the greatest threat had been eliminated.

"Yes, Your Highness, I will follow you to the death," Tōgō Heisuke knelt on both knees to show his loyalty. Previously, he had been forced to support this lord for survival, but now he was truly convinced.

"Heisuke, you and Kōsuke, take these young men and thoroughly search the entire bandit camp to ensure not a single grain or coin is left behind," seeing Tōgō Heisuke gradually calm down, Masahiro pointed to the patrol squad standing in two rows in the courtyard and instructed.

"Yes, Your Highness," Tōgō Heisuke immediately accepted the order.

"Your Highness, Your Highness..." Just as Masahiro was about to give further instructions, an ashigaru rushed in, "Your Highness, Lord Tsuda requests you to go over there."

Masahiro's heart skipped a beat. Could something have gone wrong? He quickly asked, "What happened?"

"Your Highness, a small copper mine was discovered over there, so Lord Tsuda asks you to come and take a look," the ashigaru hurriedly replied.

"A copper mine?" Masahiro was extremely surprised and looked at Kōsuke.

"Your Highness, I didn't know there was a copper mine in the bandit camp either," Kōsuke was clearly also shocked by the news.

"Alright, take me there immediately, and you all come along," leaving two ashigaru to guard the courtyard's warehouse, Masahiro, accompanied by the messenger ashigaru, headed to where Tsuda Masahide had discovered the copper mine. Following the path in the bandit camp, they walked north for about half an hour and saw several people standing at the foot of the hill where the bandit camp met the northern peak, one of whom was Tsuda Masahide.

"Your Highness," seeing Masahiro arrive, Tsuda Masahide quickly walked over, "These few are the miners who were imprisoned in the Itakura family's dungeon. From them, we learned that there is a small copper mine here, which has been mined for nearly a year," Tsuda Masahide pointed to the people behind him.

"Oh? Where is the copper mine?" Masahiro asked, looking at the people behind Tsuda Masahide.

"Your Highness, the copper mine is just ahead. It was discovered accidentally while digging mud and stones to build the bandit camp. I just went inside and saw that the mine has been dug quite deep," Tsuda Masahide replied.

"Are there any skilled miners among them? How long can this copper mine be mined?" Masahiro continued to ask.

"Your Highness, the miners say that the person who discovered this copper mine died from overwork half a year ago. Before he died, he said that this small copper mine could only be mined for another two years, and it is estimated that only a few tens of thousands of pounds of copper can be extracted," Tsuda Masahide seemed to have already obtained a lot of information from the miners.

"What a pity," Masahiro couldn't help but feel regretful, "Have you found any copper ore that has already been mined?"

"Your Highness, we only found a few hundred pounds of copper ore in the courtyard in front of the mine. According to the miners, the copper ore is transported away every month. This batch was left behind because Itakura Daisuke was unconscious and unable to arrange the transport," Tsuda Masahide replied.

"Your Highness, this copper ore is likely being transported down the mountain," Kōsuke suddenly said, "Every month, Itakura Daisuke arranges for some loyal subordinates to transport a batch of goods down the mountain to exchange with the Tawara family. I suspect that the main item is this copper ore."

"The Tawara family?" Masahiro looked at Kōsuke with confusion.

"Your Highness, two years ago, the Tawara family colluded with Itakura Daisuke to attack the old leader in the valley. So, Itakura Daisuke has maintained contact with the Tawara family," seeing Masahiro's confusion, Kōsuke quickly explained, "A year ago, this area was suddenly off-limits to everyone, so most of the bandits didn't know that a copper mine had been discovered here. Considering the increase in food supplies over the past two years, it is likely that these copper ores and the goods they stole were exchanged for food."

"It seems our neighbors are also quite wealthy," Masahiro couldn't help but sigh. Kōsuke and Tsuda Masahide exchanged glances, seemingly surprised by the lord's sudden strange remark.

"Masahide, take good care of these miners. Heisuke, Kōsuke, follow the original plan and go down separately," Masahiro, ignoring their surprise, thought for a moment and continued to give instructions. Regardless of the situation with the surrounding powerful families, it was best to finish dealing with the bandit camp first.

"Yes, Your Highness," everyone responded in unison and left to carry out their orders.

"Kizō, how is the task I assigned you coming along?" After everyone left, Masahiro turned to the two young attendants who were following him.

"Your Highness, the remaining people in the bandit camp are being gathered at the main gate by Tadajirō and the others. They are cooperating with Lord Ōnishi, and there have been no unusual actions. The bandit leader, Itakura Daisuke, has also been found. When we found him, there were no men left in the Itakura family's courtyard, and Itakura Daisuke was unconscious. The search was not obstructed in any way," Kizō reported.

"Hmm, continue to follow Tadajirō and keep an eye on their actions," Masahiro frowned. After all, Tadajirō and the others were new defectors, originally bandits, and it was best to be cautious until he knew them better. Although the bandits had been defeated, there were still powerful families and other bandits in the surrounding area who might take action if they learned of the situation here. If the internal situation of the territory also became unstable, the situation would be very precarious.

"Your Highness..." Kizō suddenly knelt down, his voice choked with emotion.

"What's the matter?" Masahiro was taken aback by Kizō's sudden action and quickly asked.

"Your Highness, please help me find my sister," Kizō pleaded, bowing his head.

"Sister?" Masahiro was puzzled but quickly thought of something and asked, "Is your sister in the bandit camp?"

"I don't know," Kizō burst into tears, "But she was captured by these bandits a year ago in the town. During that incident, my father was killed protecting us, and my sister couldn't be rescued. In the end, only my mother and sister were left, and my mother has been bedridden ever since. If we can find my sister, my mother's illness will surely improve."

"This..." Masahiro didn't expect such a situation and felt very uncomfortable. He could only comfort Kizō, "Kizō, after everyone is gathered, you can search for her. I will find a herbalist for your mother as soon as possible." Now, that was all he could do. As for his sister, the chances of finding her in such a den of wolves were slim.

"Thank you, Your Highness, thank you, Your Highness," Kizō bowed his head in gratitude.

"Alright, Kizō, take me to Itakura Daisuke's courtyard first, and then go to the main gate to assist Lord Ōnishi in gathering everyone," Masahiro instructed. Given the situation, he wouldn't have the energy to continue monitoring Tadajirō and the others, but with Ōnishi Kuniyoshi and Tsuda Masahide watching, there shouldn't be any major issues.

"Let's go, we'll take a look ahead," Masahiro said and led the two young attendants forward.

PS: This is the third week of the new book release. It has already been A-signed and has been updated with over 120,000 words, with no plans to stop. At least 1.5 million words are expected. This week, it is on the Sanjiang Potential List, and next week it will be on the New Book Recommendation List for the category. Please don't leave quietly. Click and leave your collection and recommendation. I, the author, 360-degree nakedly kneel and beg for clicks, collections, and recommendations. Enjoy writing, enjoy solitude.