A thousand alpacas were galloping through the translator's mind. Actually, he didn't know many languages and could only communicate with Yamamoto Shiro by using gestures.
The translator said to Yamamoto Shiro, "You may admire the porcelain, but if you wish to marry our Lord Zhao Li, that's impossible. The men of our Song Dynasty only like women."
Zhao Li was furious. He kicked the translator and said, "I told you to translate that shit for him, too, you bastard!"
The translator had no choice but to follow up, "Baga! We Song Dynasty men only like women!"
Yamamoto Shiro was bewildered. He didn't know why Zhao Li was angry, but he understood that Song Dynasty men liked women. So, a smile spread across his face. "Don't worry, Song Dynasty envoys! We have plenty of geishas in Japan. We'll prepare them right away." Turning to his men, he shouted, "Assholes! Go get all the prostitutes in Nagasaki County and have them reward these Song Dynasty envoys!"
Japanese courtesans were of low status and were taught from childhood to serve men. They considered it a supreme honor to serve men and make them feel happy.
The men hurriedly bowed and walked backwards, as this was Japanese etiquette. They had learned this from the Tang Dynasty, which stipulated that when Chinese officials left the palace after meeting the emperor, they could not turn their backs to the emperor. Instead, they had to bow and walk backwards out of the emperor's palace.
When Japan sent envoys to the Tang Dynasty, they learned this rule. The difference is that Japan has over-interpreted this etiquette. Not only do they walk backwards to say goodbye to the emperor, but subordinates also do the same when receiving orders from their superiors.
Zhao Li had no idea what Yamamoto Shiro was saying. He recognized the "baga" in Yamamoto Shiro's words and knew it meant "dog-fuck." So he asked the translator, "What is this bastard saying?"
The translator felt relieved, his mind suddenly clearing. "I'm the only one who understands Japanese anyway. Even if I make a mistake, you won't know." The thought of this immediately made the translator feel relieved. He had been trembling with fear, fearing he would be punished for any translation errors.
The translator bowed and said, "Your Highness, the Japanese said they would gather all the prostitutes in the county to come and comfort our Song soldiers."
Zhao Li was delighted. "Hey, I thought this damn Japanese official was quite tactful. He knows that our soldiers are adrift at sea and have no comfort. Fine! Tell him we accept the gift. He just wants to see the porcelain, right? Take him to the Xuanwu ship to have a look."
When the translator told this to Yamamoto Shiro, Yamamoto Shiro was overjoyed. He bowed deeply to Zhao Li and started mumbling nonsense again.
The translator was about to speak when Zhao Li waved his hand and said, "Don't translate this. I know it's just flattery. Tell him, what is the name of this bastard official?"
"Your Highness, his name is Yamamoto Shiro."
Zhao Li nodded. "Yes, this Yamamoto Shiro. Tell him that everything else is easy to deal with, just the real things and fresh water. We must have them prepare them as soon as possible."
Yamamoto Shiro boarded the dragon boat and was completely stunned. He couldn't imagine that the Song Dynasty could build such a huge ship. He arrived at the Xuanwu, and Pan Bufeng showed him the porcelain in the warehouse. Song Dynasty porcelain was famous overseas, and there was an entire warehouse full of porcelain. Yamamoto Shiro felt like he had entered a jewel vault. His breathing was rapid, and his face flushed. "We want it! We will exchange it with the finest and most exquisite gold and silver in Japan!"
Pan Bufeng smiled and said, "It's not up to me to decide whether to change it or not. This has to be decided by our commander, Lord Zhao Li."
After the interpreter finished explaining, Yamamoto Shiro excitedly shook Pan Bufeng's hand and said, "Anything, anything is fine. We only want porcelain from the Song Dynasty. We have gold and silver, food and water, and beautiful girls. We can give them all to you."
Pan Bufeng hurriedly shook off Yamamoto Shiro's hand: "He had heard from the translator a long time ago that this Yamamoto is always thinking about marrying Master Zhao Li. It's best to stay away from such a pervert."
Zhao Li ordered the navy to make a brief stop off the coast of Nagasaki Prefecture to resupply. Zhao Li was a natural businessman, accustomed to dealing with the savages of the market, and his business was booming. He negotiated a large deal with Yamamoto Shiro for a small amount of porcelain, and Yamamoto Shiro promised to fully resupply the seventy or so dragon boats.
Zhao Li's translator was called Pi Guanglin, and he was indeed quite naughty. As the interpreter between China and Japan, he finally managed to reach an agreement between the two sides, despite some hesitation. After many slow translations, Pi Guanglin became familiar with Japanese and finally stopped making mistakes.
"Prince Zhao, we will prepare all the supplies for the Song Dynasty's dragon boat. I have already sent someone to Heian-kyo to inform the Emperor. Our respected Emperor will personally welcome your envoy in Toyama." said Shiro Yamamoto.
Zhao Li nodded: "You, Japan, must remember that our Great Song is your superior country. You must have awe for China!"
Yamamoto Shiro was shocked: "I don't know what your Excellency's intention is. We have always treated you with great respect. How dare we not be in awe of you?"
Zhao Li said angrily, "Then why do you still want my silk? Remember, giving you porcelain is already a loss-making business. Didn't you send someone to tell your emperor? Then tell him by the way that we can go to Toyama to give your emperor ten thousand rolls of silk and a certain amount of porcelain. But you must pay tribute to our Song Dynasty. From now on, Japan will be a vassal state of the Song Dynasty!"
It turned out that Yamamoto Shiro was greedy and had traded food and gold and silver for a batch of porcelain, and now he had his eye on the silk on the ship. Zhao Li was manipulating the price of silk, driving it sky-high. Pan Bufeng had once advised him that there was plenty of silk on the dragon ship, so he could just give them a batch and get them done.
But Zhao Li said that scarcity makes things valuable, and he was deliberately raising the price. The higher the price, the more the Japanese would treasure it. As expected, Yamamoto Shiro exhausted Nagasaki Prefecture's resources, determined to promote the silk trade. Zhao Li simply refused to give in.
Yamamoto Shiro was shocked. Submitting himself to the Song Dynasty as a vassal state was not something a small local official could decide. So he said, "Dear Song Dynasty envoy, Mr. Zhao Li, I cannot meet your conditions. This requires the Emperor's permission."
Zhao Li hummed, then pretended to be embarrassed and said, "Yamamoto Shiro, I find you quite honest. Therefore, I will privately and personally give you 3,000 rolls of silk. I hope you will remember this favor today."
Yamamoto Shiro was pleasantly surprised to hear this. Three thousand rolls of silk were presented to him personally. How could he not be delighted? He immediately bowed respectfully and said, "Prince Zhao, I am deeply grateful for your kindness!"
Zhao Li nodded and said, "These three thousand pieces of silk are not given to you for nothing. Go back and tell your emperor to issue an imperial edict declaring that the Diaoyu Islands belong to our Song Dynasty!"
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