The ship travels at extremely high speed on the sea!

In just a few days, a massive fleet of more than twenty ships from the Beiyang Fleet had arrived off the coast of Hirado Domain in Japan.

The moment the fleet arrived off the coast of the Hirado Domain, it alerted the entire domain.

The news quickly reached the Hirado Domain Lord's office.

Upon hearing this news, Matsuura Takanobu, the lord of the Hirado Domain, turned pale with shock and exclaimed, "Why is the fleet of the Great Gan Kingdom here in our Hirado Domain? It's the fleet of the Beiyang Fleet of the Great Gan Kingdom! What are they up to?"

Matsuura Takanobu exclaimed repeatedly, but none of his retainers could answer the question that was on his mind.

The retainers exchanged glances, their expressions tinged with melancholy, and remained silent.

Just then, a samurai rushed to the lord's residence, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "My lord, the commander of the Beiyang Fleet of the Great Gan Kingdom has sent a letter requesting that you board the ship to welcome him."

"Welcome?"

Lord Matsuura Takanobu of the Hirado Domain was taken aback for a moment, then asked, "What are you welcoming?"

"Lord of the feudal lord,"

The warrior hesitated for a moment, then said, "Judging from the banners, it seems that His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Gan Kingdom has come in person."

"What?"

This made Matsuura Takanobu, the lord of the Hirado Domain, even more shocked.

"What's happening in my Japan?"

Matsuura Takanobu's expression changed slightly, and he murmured, "Is it worth it for His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Gan Kingdom to personally lead the Beiyang Fleet to my Hirado Domain?"

For a moment, Matsuura Takayuki was horrified.

However, with the army stationed outside, even if Matsuura Takanobu was unwilling, he had no choice but to leave.

"Pass down the order,"

Matsuura Takanobu took a deep breath and said, "Immediately inform Kyoto and request the Lord's assistance."

"Furthermore, assemble the garrison troops within the Hirado Domain, stand ready, and await further news!"

"Hai!"

The samurai beside him quickly responded.

"Lord of the feudal lord,"

Retainer Yokokawa Junichiro frowned and said, "Are you going to board the ship to greet me?"

"Otherwise what?"

Lord Matsuura Takanobu of the Hirado Domain gave a bitter smile and said, "Outside my Hirado Domain lies the main fleet of the Beiyang Fleet of the Great Qian Kingdom! If I don't go to greet them, I'm afraid our Hirado Domain will be lost!"

"Too."

Retainer Junichiro Yokokawa sighed helplessly and nodded.

They are very familiar with the current strength of the major powers.

After all, since Emperor Li Xin of the Da Gan Kingdom ascended the throne in the capital, the entire Da Gan Kingdom has undergone a dramatic transformation. Its military strength has also increased day by day and should not be underestimated.

Especially recently, they have successively quelled the grassland bandits, the Saman Khanate in the Western Regions, and the forces on the snowy plateau!

In this way, the border troubles that had plagued the entire Daqian Kingdom for hundreds of years were finally completely resolved.

Such a powerful and arrogant nation as Daqian is naturally not one they can afford to provoke.

Naturally, as the lords of the Hirado Domain, they had no choice but to accept the orders of the Beiyang Fleet.

With a helpless sigh, his retainer Junichiro Yokokawa said, "Lord, I shall accompany you aboard the ship to greet you!"

Immediately, the Hirado Domain lord Matsuura Takanobu, his retainer Yokokawa Junichiro, and others began preparations.

After preparations were complete, Matsuura Takanobu, along with his retainer Yokokawa Junichiro and others, left the lord's residence and arrived at the Hirado Domain dock.

As soon as he arrived at the dock, Matsuura Takanobu immediately spotted dozens of large ships anchored in the coastal area near Hirado Domain.

At the very front were four strange ironclad ships with tall smokestacks standing on their decks.

Upon seeing these ships, Matsuura Takanobu frowned slightly.

Suddenly, Matsuura Takanobu remembered the news a merchant had brought back before the New Year. These ships were probably the latest steam-powered ironclad warships of the Great Gan Kingdom!

And those three-masted sailing warships behind them were all much larger than the current Japanese navy ships!

What shocked Matsuura Takanobu the most was the sight of fully armed soldiers standing neatly on the deck.

These soldiers, all armed, looked imposing.

Seeing this, Matsuura Takanobu frowned even more deeply.

What is the Great Gan Kingdom trying to do here?

Why did such a large army arrive?

With these questions in mind, Matsuura Takanobu sailed to the vicinity of the Beiyang Fleet's flagship, the Zhenyuan.

At that moment, a long rope ladder was thrown down from the Zhenyuan warship.

Looking at the rope ladder, Hirado Domain Lord Matsuura Takanobu was stunned for a moment, then reached out and grabbed the rope, climbing up with all his might.

Retainers and attendants also climbed onto the Zhenyuan warship.

Standing on the deck, Matsuura Takanobu immediately spotted a young man at the bow of the ship directly in front of him.

The young man, around thirty years old, stood proudly at the bow of the ship, his gaze calmly fixed on Hirado Castle.

The surrounding generals stood respectfully to the side, bowing deeply.

In an instant, Matsuura Takanobu realized what was happening.

This young man is probably none other than His Majesty the current Emperor of the Great Gan Kingdom—Li Xin.

Realizing this, Matsuura Takanobu immediately knelt on the ground, kowtowed and said, "Your subject, Matsuura Takanobu, lord of Hirado Domain, pays his respects to His Majesty the Emperor of Ōkan Province!"

The retainers and others around him also immediately knelt down.

Hearing the voice behind him, Li Xin turned around and looked at the people kneeling on the ground.

Li Xin had a natural aversion to these Japanese people.

It wasn't just during this period that the Kingdom of Japan was secretly targeting Qingyu Trading Company. It was also because of the many national and personal grudges from their past lives!

Looking at Matsuura Takanobu, Li Xin snorted coldly and said in an unfriendly tone, "Matsuura Takanobu? Lord of Hirado Domain?"

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