Chapter 200 The Wrath of Kai
When Toyotomi Hideyoshi saw that his negotiating partner was Narita Ujinaga, he felt like he had swallowed a dead rat. But since Ujinaga was in Narita's hands and the dwarf he had arranged to meet had not yet shown up, he could only force a smile and wait to be slaughtered.
Narita Ujichō's demands were not high: first, the Toyotomi family should pay for the compensation of those who died in battle; second, a "bonded zone" should be established in Edo Port and Hirado Port, with a length and width of ten ri, where free trade could be conducted without interference.
Toyotomi Hideyoshi looked at Article 2 of the "Treaty." "Boundary zone" was a concept he had never heard of before, but he could think of it as a territory being carved out and a new daimyo being appointed, except that the daimyo was not under his control.
"I will discuss this with the Emperor, but what about my elder brother's matter?" Hideyoshi put the treaty aside and asked casually, as if the matter of Hidenaga was not urgent.
"Lord Xiu was a guest in my Ninja Castle when he met this woman. After sparring, they became kindred spirits and discussed martial arts and Taoist techniques for several days, each gaining something from the experience. Lord Xiu was deeply impressed by the woman's cultivation and thus decided to make peace and withdraw his troops. What do you think...?"
"That's excellent!"
Toyotomi Hideyoshi was very satisfied. Compared to paying reparations and ceding territory, the face of the Toyotomi family was the most important thing. He had rashly attacked and was forced to retreat in disgrace. He had to give the other daimyo lords a good answer. Narita Uchinaga's answer was very good. Toyotomi Hidenaga was impressed by Kaihime's skills and persuaded Hideyoshi to shake hands and make peace.
The story of Kaihime single-handedly rescuing Oshi Castle from danger quickly spread throughout Japan. After Toyotomi Hidenaga coldly confirmed it, the doubts of the Japanese monks about Kaihime's martial prowess vanished. Hidenaga's subsequent seclusion and dedication to training led everyone to speculate... was Hidenaga spurred on by shame?
When the Narita family began hiring people to dismantle a dock on the east side of Edo Port, everyone finally realized that the Toyotomi family was probably getting away with nothing this time, otherwise they wouldn't have set aside such a large area for Kaihime.
Although it was nominally an imperial decree to establish a "bonded zone" to facilitate commercial trade and commerce, once the three points of "freedom of trade, self-determined taxes, and self-determined laws" were announced, everyone understood that this was a new territory, and the lord was Kaihime.
Kaihime was completely indifferent to the great fame she had gained. When she went to Great Xia as a mercenary, she dreamed of becoming a cultivator to escape her fate of being manipulated by others. Now, her achievements have far exceeded her original goals, but she no longer cares about such illusory things. She has stood higher and seen further.
She was reading a letter. This morning, the Tai Ming Guild Hall had delivered an urgent letter from Qin Mo. The matter in the letter puzzled her, but both the handwriting and the markings indicated that it was Qin Mo's own. She decided to investigate as soon as possible.
This harbor, designated as a "bonded zone," is adjacent to the new port area of Edo Port. A large number of merchant ships have taken over the original berths of fishing boats, and this harbor has become a fishing port, dotted with several fishing villages and wharves.
Princess Kai designated a plot of land to accommodate the anxious fishermen, promising them that everything would continue as before and that new houses would be built for them. The remaining fishing villages were to be demolished and replaced with commercial districts.
When Kaihime advertised for demolition workers, all the young men from the Edo area came, not for anything else, but just to catch a glimpse of the goddess from afar.
In a few short periods of time, several fishing villages were almost completely demolished, leaving only the village closest to the new port area standing there all alone. It wasn't that they couldn't be demolished, but Princess Kai specifically instructed that they be preserved for future use, and invited everyone to come and watch the spectacle today.
As soon as it got light, the area around the "bonded zone" was packed with people, many of whom had set off from the countryside in the middle of the night, clearly lacking any entertainment!
The invitation from the most prominent Kai-hime has alarmed various factions, and even Toyotomi Hideyoshi sent his adopted son, Hidetsugu, to investigate.
"Toyotomi-kun, why did Kai-hime invite these people here? Don't you know anything about it?"
"I don't know, Mr. He. You're from the Great Xia, so what rumors might you have heard?"
He Su shook his head. He had come to Japan with Qin Su, the Minister of Rites, for "exchange." After Qin Su returned to Great Xia, he kept He Su behind, instructing him to keep an eye on the impending war in Japan, paying particular attention to whether any Great Xia people were involved.
The so-called great battle ended after only one fight. He Su was completely confused and didn't understand what had happened, but it was certain that both sides were Japanese. Feeling that his mission was accomplished, He Su, accompanied by Toyotomi Hidetsugu, began a friendly "exchange" that lasted for half a month, conducting in-depth research on the differences in body shape between women from Great Xia and Japan, and obtaining valuable research results.
This morning, when Xiuci came to see him, he thought he had found a new research subject, but he didn't expect that she was just sunbathing at the beach. Her inexplicable question made He Su feel that perhaps there would be some new discoveries today.
Just as everyone's enthusiasm was waning, a sailboat sailed by. Judging from its appearance, it was clearly a ship belonging to a high-ranking official, but the flag flying on its mast was not well-known to everyone.
A group of Japanese warriors re-entered the village that had not been demolished, searched the area, and after confirming that no one was around, raised their flags toward the ship.
"Toyotomi-kun, are these Narita clan's armored soldiers? They do look quite formidable, but they're rather short."
He Su was a typical scholar of the Great Xia Dynasty, proud and arrogant, and regarded the surrounding countries as barbarians. When he saw the size of the group of armored soldiers, he made his comments without any restraint.
“Those are not Narita family soldiers, those are Narita Kai’s personal guard.”
Toyotomi Hidetsugu replied sullenly. This He Su did have unique attainments in Chinese studies, but his superior attitude made him unapproachable. However, he was the liaison between the Toyotomi family and the civil officials of the Great Xia Dynasty, so it was not good to offend him!
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