Chapter Nine Temporary Workers

"Allen, do you think I can use that Moonlit Bow to unleash its full power? Or are you not going to protect your poor brother by my side?" When Qin Mo heard that Allen wanted to give her his bow, she knew he had misunderstood. She only wanted to improve an ordinary elven longbow, but Allen thought she was complaining that the bow made by Siman was not good enough.

Allen looked at Qin Mo with a puzzled expression. Ever since his junior brother and nephew resolved his physical problems a few months ago, his personality had changed a lot.

The Qin Mo of the past was taciturn and spent most of her time holed up in her castle. But now, she's become increasingly cheerful, wandering around Danshui City and constantly causing all sorts of inexplicable trouble. However, it doesn't take long for these antics to shatter Allen's worldview. Allen has asked Qin Mo about it, and she always attributes her success to the removal of a seal from her body.

“Syman, why don’t you try it out for the Crown Prince? If it works, it will be a good thing. Many of your brothers and sisters will be following the Crown Prince on this expedition, and they will need stronger bows.” Allen stopped refusing Qin Mo and began to instruct Syman, which was a silent answer to Qin Mo.

"Why should they come with me to the battlefield? This has nothing to do with them, don't drag them into this." Qin Mo immediately became anxious upon hearing Allen's words.

“They did it voluntarily.” Allen’s face was expressionless, only his resolute eyes conveyed his insistence.

"I..." Qin Mo couldn't quite articulate what she was thinking. Elves did indeed dislike being too close to people, but their hearts were the most sincere, and once they set their minds on something, they would never change their minds.

Since the Elven Royal Court withdrew from the Western Continent, the remaining elves on the continent have been like rootless duckweed, losing their foundation. As time passed, pure-blooded elves became fewer and fewer, and their strength weakened. But this wasn't the most fatal flaw; the most fatal flaw was the covetousness of other races towards them.

Elves, half-elves, and even humans with elven blood possess exceptionally beautiful appearances, making them favorite playthings among the upper classes of humans and vampires. When the Elven Royal Court was in power, no one dared to be too presumptuous. Now, with the elven elites almost entirely wiped out, those with ulterior motives have become unrestrained, rampantly hunting down humans with elven blood for their own pleasure.

Thirty years ago, after Luna and Qin Lan married, they began to protect half-elves and humans with elven blood. Upon arriving in Dayuan, far from the mainland, countless elves flocked to this rare peaceful paradise. Now, the number of half-elves and humans with elven blood residing in the Dayuan jungles is as many as three or four thousand.

After arriving in Dayuan, these half-elves mostly settled in the mountains, seeking out forests they liked. Strangely enough, the native inhabitants of the mountains, who were usually extremely xenophobic, were quite friendly towards these elves. Qin Mo sighed upon learning this... No matter when or where, good looks are always a powerful weapon.

Fusang, the Hirado Domain, is located in the northwest of Nagasaki. It is the westernmost town in Fusang, and the castle town of Hirado Domain is the most important starting point for traveling from Fusang to Daxia Kingdom, without exception.

As the most important trading port between Japan, Daxia, and Goryeo, the castle town boasts a distorted prosperity. Ronin, pirates, and merchants mingle together, all posing as legitimate businessmen. Perhaps they'll all revert to their wolfish nature after setting sail tomorrow, but as long as they're in the city, they'll be all smiles and haggling over prices.

A sailboat with pointed prows and sterns rapidly approached the dock, attracting everyone's attention. As people who made their living at sea, they naturally saw that approaching the shore at such a speed was utterly insane; even the best sailor and first mate couldn't reach the shore at that speed. Everyone watched the ship, waiting for it to crash into them and leave a gaping hole. But the ship made a clean turn and precisely docked at the berth. The steering, lowering of the sails, and pole-steering were all executed flawlessly in one smooth motion, drawing cheers from the onlookers. The entire docking process was perfect, without a single unnecessary maneuver; clearly, the sailors on board were exceptionally skilled seafarers.

Lin Yongqian disembarked, looked at the curious crowd, took a breath, waved, and walked deeper into the city. Behind him followed twenty tall warriors in full armor, which dispelled Xiao's ill intentions. Armored guards were not to be trifled with by thugs and ruffians.

Lin Yongqian first went to Chinatown and found an inn run by people from Fuzhou to stay in. Then he bathed and changed his clothes, preparing to go and see Matsuura Takanobu, the daimyo of the Hirado Domain. The Japanese value face and cleanliness, and if he went to pay his respects covered in dirt, it would probably cause trouble.

Although Lin Yongqian looked down on the Japanese, thinking that a tiny place with only a few thousand or even a few hundred soldiers could be called a daimyo, he still swallowed his anger and did his job in accordance with the prince's orders.

Upon arriving at the Daming mansion, Lin Yongqian followed Qin Mo's instructions and presented a whole bolt of silk. He was quickly granted an audience with the Daming man.

Matsuura Takanobu was nearly fifty years old, yet his back remained straight. His seemingly frail body concealed a murderous aura honed through countless battles. He had become a daimyo by conquering northern Hizen Province and Iki Province, a feat far beyond the reach of second or third-generation daimyo who merely inherited their positions.

"Your Excellency Matsuura, my Crown Prince has sent me to Japan, firstly for the common good of both sides, and secondly to recruit some ronin to serve my prince temporarily." Although he paid his respects to Matsuura Takanobu with proper etiquette, Lin Yongqian, as a scion of a military family from a superior nation, naturally spoke with the arrogance of a superior.

"I wonder what common interests Prince Heng is referring to? Recruiting ronin? How many people does Your Highness intend to recruit?" Matsuura Takanobu did not object to Lin Yongqian's suggestion to recruit ronin, as he also had a lot of headaches about these ronin.

A ronin is a samurai who has left his master and wanders aimlessly. Simply put, it's someone whose master has died, leaving them with nowhere to go. They have no skills other than fighting, so they wander from place to place, hence the name ronin. These people have tasted the benefits of being a high-ranking official, and now that they have nothing left, they are naturally resentful and cause trouble everywhere.

In recent years, Japan has been embroiled in constant warfare, resulting in the deaths of countless daimyo, not to mention the countless samurai! Lin Yongqian's recruitment of ronin can be seen as helping Matsuura Takanobu purify the social environment and improve public security.

"My Crown Prince needs seven thousand men. I wonder if the Hirado Domain has that many ronin?" Lin Yongqian actually knew nothing about Japan. The Daimyo had never done maritime trade before, not because they didn't want to, but because they didn't have the capital. They sold their products directly to Da Xia for silver, which was then squandered as adventure funds for sea explorations.

"Seven thousand people? Yours is seven thousand people, not seven hundred?" Matsuura Takanobu wondered if his Chinese was not good enough, as he could not even distinguish between "thousand" and "hundred".

"Naturally, it's seven thousand men. What good are seven hundred men?" Lin Yongqian looked at Matsuura Takanobu with disdain. Do you think our Great Xia is like Japan? You dare to send a few hundred men out to fight? A duke-level lord has hundreds of personal guards.

"Well, the Hirado Domain is a poor, remote place. If you want to recruit so many ronin, you'll need to go to Edo. It's a wealthy place, a gathering place for ronin." Matsuura Takayuki felt a chill run down his spine. Great Xia really was a superior nation; even temporary workers were recruited with such arrogance.