Chapter 233 The Cunning Narita
Narita Ujigatsu dared to lead his troops straight into the Toyotomi family's territory without prior notification, but he dared not lead his troops directly into Daimyo. After passing through Ryukyu, he sent one of his subordinates in a fast ship to Daimyo to report in order to avoid any misunderstanding.
Soon, two distinctive fast ships arrived to guide the Narita family's fleet. Narita Ujicho recognized these fast ships, unique to high-ranking officials, as the scouting ships. The Narita family samurai were incredibly envious of the dark, six-pound cannons mounted on the side decks.
"My lord, we've come to Taiyuan... why bring so many armored soldiers?" Nomura asked, finally voicing his doubts as he looked at the treasurer patrolling the sides of the fleet.
"Nomura, why do you have your current status? Is it because of your big belly?"
"Your subordinate is utterly loyal to you, and is willing to die for you..."
Narita looked at Nomura with satisfaction and said calmly, "You have your current position because you are useful to me, and today we have come to Daikan to make people feel that we have strength and are useful."
As the fleet approached Tamsui Port, the waterway became congested. The large number of ships coming and going turned the wide harbor waters into a bustling street. The sailors of the Narita family had to lower their sails to half-mast. Their voyage was fraught with danger, as all the ships were from Daxia. It would be bad if they were to compete for passage.
Two scull-type reconnaissance ships signaled for the Narita family's fleet to follow, and then began to turn south towards a channel with very few ships, clearly a special channel that not just any ship could navigate.
Narita Ujigatsu's ego was greatly satisfied, and he instantly felt like a distinguished guest, a highly regarded figure. He instructed Nomura, "Have the samurai begin to don their armor. Don't disgrace the Narita family."
The Narita warriors, who had been vomiting all the way, began to put on their armor. The heavy armor, weighing fifty or sixty pounds, was already difficult to put on, and the Japanese warriors, whose legs were weak from the bumpy ride, struggled to put on their armor. They lined up on the deck, trying their best to look like elite soldiers.
The fleet finally entered the harbor. This port area was clearly not a commercial port. A large number of three-masted warships were moored in the harbor, rising and falling with the waves, which also made Fusang's heart ripple.
"Master, these... these are all the same warships as my sister's ship?" Nomura's voice trembled. He had seen Kaihime's Kai from afar. During the "forced demolition" project in the Edo Free Trade Zone, the scene of thunderous destruction shocked Nomura and the others.
They had always assumed that such a treasure must be incredibly valuable, but what they saw now was at least twenty identical warships in the harbor, and they even spotted an even larger one in the distance.
Nomura, my eyesight isn't what it used to be. Can you look at the flag on that biggest ship? What does it say?
Nomura immediately roared at the sentry at the top of the mast. He was now surrounded by wives and concubines, and was very weak. His eyesight was not even as good as Narita's.
“Master, the flag has the Chinese characters for Great Xia written on it... it’s the two characters ‘Kafei’.”
"oh!"
Not only Narita Ujicho, but all the samurai who heard this exclaimed in satisfaction, feeling extremely pleased.
The ship finally docked. As soon as it was firmly in place, Narita Ujō quickly disembarked and walked briskly to a one-armed man, respectfully asking, "Excuse me, are you Lord Xu?"
Xu Liyan smiled and said, "I am not some adult. I am just Kai's godfather. Lord Narita, there is no need for such formalities."
"No, no, how could I be worthy to be called 'Lord' in front of you? I have long admired Lord Xu's great reputation, and it is my great honor to meet you today."
It must be said that Narita-no-Chang was very hardworking. Over the years, he had mastered the language of the Great Xia and was also very proficient in etiquette.
Xu Liyan breathed a sigh of relief when he saw what Narita looked like. If he had encountered an arrogant fellow, there might have been some trouble when discussing marriage.
"Oh! Where is Lady Kai?" After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Narita Ujinaga couldn't see Lady Kai coming to greet him, so he asked.
“Narita, Kai is different now. It’s inconvenient for her to come here to greet you. She’s waiting for you at the royal palace.”
"Oh! Clan head, please forgive my rudeness, Lord Xu!"
"In that case, Lord Narita, please follow me!"
"Please go first, Lord Xu!"
Narita Ujigatsu and Xu Liyan politely deferred to each other as they walked towards the dock, where a carriage was already waiting.
"Nomura, who is that one-armed man? He's dressed in plain clothes, yet the lord treats him with such respect?"
The samurai under Narita Ujicho couldn't understand why their usually arrogant master was bowing so low as to almost touch the ground.
"That's my sister's adoptive father, a cultivator at the Realm of Cultivation. What do you think the Lord should do with him?"
"oh…"
The warriors sighed in unison again, their admiration for Xu Liyan mixed with envy and jealousy.
From the dock to the royal palace, a wide street connects the two sides, which are the most prosperous areas of Tamsui City. Neatly dressed merchants, women and girls in gorgeous dresses, and shops lined up one after another—all of this made Narita Ujō look on with envy. Compared to Tamsui City, Edo City seemed like a rural aristocratic village.
A number of people were already standing outside the gate of the Prince's mansion. They were all subordinate leaders and maids of Kaihime. Under these circumstances, it was inconvenient for Qin Mo to show himself. He could not accurately address Narita-no-Chang, and it would be impolite to call him by his name directly. Calling him father-in-law was still too early.
"Father, you must be tired from your journey. Please come in and rest."
Kaihime bowed formally to Narita Ujinaga, making Ujinaga feel awkward. He didn't know whether to return the bow or not; he couldn't very well act like a father. For a moment, the atmosphere was somewhat awkward.
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