Chapter 154: Don't Trust Women, You'll Become Unfortunate

News of the Ming Army breaking through Liuchuan City and Xiaocang City flew to every corner of Kyushu Island like snowflakes.

As the hegemon of southern Kyushu Island, the Shimazu Clan naturally received this news at the first opportunity.

The Shimazu Clan Head, Shimazu Yoshihisa, immediately summoned his three younger brothers to discuss the matter.

Inside the Japanese-style room, the four brothers sat cross-legged on cushions in order.

At this moment, the usually unruly Shimazu Yoshihiro had also become quiet, his eyes flashing with sharp light as he looked toward the Clan Head sitting in the seat of honor.

Sweeping his gaze over his three younger brothers, Shimazu Yoshihisa spoke with a hint of apprehension: "Gentlemen, the Great Ming's army is even more formidable than I imagined; it has been less than ten days since they landed and took the two cities."

"Clan Head, that is all the more reason for us to take this opportunity to crush the Ryuzoji Clan and the Otomo Clan in one fell swoop," Shimazu Iehisa suggested with excitement.

Shimazu Yoshihiro's city was located on the very front line of the entire Shimazu Clan, and he bore the brunt of every enemy incursion.

Now that there was an opportunity to expand their territory, he was ten thousand times willing.

As soon as Shimazu Iehisa's words fell, Shimazu Yoshihiro immediately stood up, cupped his hands, and said: "Clan Head, I am willing to lead the retainers into battle to expand the family's territory and annihilate the Ryuzoji Clan in one stroke."

"Good, this time you shall lead three thousand samurai to conquer the Ryuzoji Clan."

"Yes!"

Shimazu Toshihisa, who had not yet spoken, saw his brothers being so reckless and could not help but remind them: "Gentlemen, do not forget that the Ryuzoji Clan's territory has nearly twenty thousand Battle Soldiers; the Ming Army certainly cannot defeat them this time."

"Bah, have you gone senile, Third Brother? When a wall is about to collapse, everyone gives it a push; once they see the Ryuzoji Clan in trouble, those retainers will surely rebel one after another," Shimazu Yoshihiro replied with a smile, quite confident.

Their Shimazu Clan was the same.

Apart from them, the direct line, there were many retainers. These retainers controlled cities and armies, usually obeying the Clan Head's orders to attack cities and seize territory for him.

But this was all built on one premise—that the Clan Head still held absolute authority.

If the Clan Head's strength were to wane, these retainers would immediately turn into hungry wolves, baring their fangs to tear the Clan Head apart and devour him.

Shimazu Toshihisa naturally understood this principle, but he still felt uneasy and continued to earnestly advise: "If we send troops now, we might gain some benefits, but afterwards, we will surely be despised by the daimyo of the world."

"Hahaha, Third Brother, your courage is too small," Shimazu Yoshihiro said with a smile and a shake of his head, then added with a look of longing, "As long as we crush the Ryuzoji Clan and then destroy the Otomo Clan, the nine provinces of Kyushu will be in my hands. Who would dare look down on our Shimazu Clan? Being feared is better than being loved!"

How vast is Kyushu Island? As long as they integrate Kyushu Island, why would his Shimazu Clan need to look at others' faces?

Shimazu Toshihisa wanted to say more, but at this moment, Shimazu Yoshihisa frowned and interrupted him, saying: "Third Brother, I have also weighed the pros and cons of this matter for a long time; in the end, the disadvantages outweigh the advantages. You must know that there is no free lunch in this world; to gain something, one must always lose something."

"But..."

"There is no 'but'; I have already decided on this matter."

Shimazu Yoshihisa narrowed his triangular eyes, put on the airs of a Clan Head, and commanded forcefully: "Shimazu Yoshihiro, I order you to first lead three thousand soldiers to reinforce Liuchuan City. Shimazu Toshihisa, you send someone to contact Toyotomi Hideyoshi and tell him that we have no intention of offending him, so as to stabilize him first."

"Shimazu Iehisa, the contact with the Ming Army commander is up to you."

"Yes." The three immediately agreed and then went off to attend to their own affairs.

After exiting the Japanese-style room, Shimazu Iehisa immediately went to find Ai Neng to inform him of the Clan Head's decision.

Upon hearing this, Ai Neng let out a long sigh of relief, grinned, and said: "Mr. Iehisa, you are a smart man, and your Clan Head is also a smart man. I think our cooperation will be very pleasant."

"Then shall we wish for a pleasant cooperation in advance?!" Shimazu Iehisa smiled brightly.

While the two were exchanging pleasantries, Zhang Yunxiu, in order to expand the results of the battle, left only the soldiers of the Tianjin Guard by his side and sent out all the guards of the fleet.

Most of these people had been recruited from Buddhist monks in temples.

It is said that at the end of the eleventh year of Wanli, Zhang Juzheng used thunderous means to forcibly reduce the number of monks in the country from one hundred thousand to just over ten thousand.

At the same time, he also disbanded the warrior monks.

The reason was also very simple.

Our Great Ming is peaceful and the world is stable, so why are you keeping warrior monks in a temple? Who are you planning to guard against? And so, the warrior monks of the Great Ming all became unemployed.

After becoming unemployed, they still had to live, and farming was impossible.

Then there was only one path—to guard the homes of wealthy families.

Although it did not look good on the surface, they could at least manage to keep their bellies full.

Seeing that these people were strong and healthy, Zhang Yunxiu recruited quite a few into his fleet.

After more than a year of training, these people not only kept up their martial arts skills but also became increasingly proficient with firearms.

They were now no worse than a formidable border army.

After sending these people away, Zhang Yunxiu leaned against the bow of the ship and quietly admired the seascape. It was already noon, and the crimson sun hung high in the dome, casting down blinding red rays.

On the sea surface not far away, the seawater shimmered, flashing with pearl-like colors.

The maple trees on the shore swayed in the wind, as if welcoming the master of this port.

Zhang Yunxiu was momentarily mesmerized when Han San "thump-thump-thumped" onto the ship, bringing a woman behind him.

She appeared to be about seventeen or eighteen years old, wearing a moon-white, pleated skirt made of crimson-patterned fabric; she was tall, with delicate features, red lips, and white teeth.

Her black hair was tied behind her head into a beautiful cloud-like bun, adorned with a beautiful Amber Ruyi Hairpin.

A large gemstone was embedded in the head of the hairpin, which, under the reflection of the sunlight, emitted a beautiful white glow.

"Young Master!" Han San called out respectfully.

Hearing the call, Zhang Yunxiu turned his head to look.

He first saw Han San, then saw the woman beside him, and immediately felt displeased, muttering: "Didn't I say, stop trying to test me with these things; I don't buy that."

"Young Master, you wrong me; this was sent specifically by Boss Hao via ship," Han San grinned and pushed the woman in front of Zhang Yunxiu.

The woman had a flushed face, shy eyes, and called out delicately: "Young Master..."

Smelling the fragrance on the woman and looking at her luscious appearance, Zhang Yunxiu suddenly felt a surge of heat in his heart.

As the saying goes, after two months at sea, even a sow can look like a beauty.

Now that such a charming woman was delivered to his eyes, how could he not be tempted? "What is your name?"

"This servant is called Yahan," the woman said, a blush appearing on her neck unconsciously. "Where are you from?"

"From the capital."

The two asked and answered until everything was clear, then Zhang Yunxiu shook his head with a smile and clicked his tongue: "This Hao Ren, all day long he doesn't think about how to do business properly, he only wants to scheme against me."

"Young Master, I hear that Hao Ren keeps over ten beautiful wives and concubines in his manor, each with her own unique charm," Han San took the opportunity to interject at this moment.

"That's enough, you go on down first. I have some important matters to discuss with this young lady." Waving his hand at Han San, Zhang Yunxiu strode toward the ship's cabin. Han San smiled knowingly, raised his hand to take his leave, and at the same time did not forget to remind Yahan: "Behave yourself, and serve the man well for me."

Yahan nodded slightly and moved with lotus steps to follow Zhang Yunxiu into the room.

The interior was quite spacious, with a three-meter-long bed placed in the center, covered with a red bedspread and a silk quilt.

To the left of the bed was a three-foot-square window, through which one could see the distant seascape.

To the right were leather-upholstered chairs and a round table.

The solid wood floor was also covered with layers of red carpets.

A lone man and a lone woman, a strange spark instantly ignited within the confined space.

Yahan lightly stuck out her fragrant tongue, gently lifted a strand of dark hair, held it between her lips, and then looked at Zhang Yunxiu with eyes as seductive as silk.

Watching the heat rising in the man's eyes before her, a trace of triumph flickered in Yahan's eyes.

She swayed her waist and moved slowly forward, unbuttoning her moon-white long dress as she walked.

One button, two buttons, three buttons.

The woman's fair, smooth neck was suddenly exposed.

"Gulp."

Zhang Yunxiu suddenly felt his mouth go dry and swallowed a mouthful of saliva hard.

Yahan crossed the distance of a few steps in an instant. By this time, the long dress on her body had already slipped to her waist.

She stood on her tiptoes, moved her lotus-root-like arms to hook around Zhang Yunxiu's arm, blinked her fluttering apricot eyes, and asked with orchid-scented breath: "Young Master, do you think Yahan is beautiful?"

Zhang Yunxiu did not speak.

Yahan was even more triumphant, pouncing on Zhang Yunxiu as she moved toward the bed.

Just as Zhang Yunxiu's brain was heating up, a flash of coldness crossed Yahan's eyes, and she suddenly pulled out the Wish-fulfilling Hairpin from her head and thrust it violently at Zhang Yunxiu.

The sharp force of the wind hit his face, and Zhang Yunxiu woke up instantly.

He hurriedly tilted his head to dodge the assassination, then kicked out at Yahan.

Yahan let out a cry of pain and fell backward to the ground.

Zhang Yunxiu hurriedly stepped forward and stomped on her small hand holding the hairpin; Yahan let out a delicate cry of pain and released the jade hairpin from her hand.

Zhang Yunxiu took the opportunity to kick the jade hairpin away, then pinned her down and demanded fiercely: "Speak, who exactly are you? Why did you come to assassinate me?"

"Hmph, a lecherous demon like you who wallows in luxury and vice deserves to be executed by everyone!" Yahan was also quite tough; she spat fiercely and then turned her head away to avoid looking at Zhang Yunxiu.

Zhang Yunxiu did not believe this reason in the slightest.

For this woman to be willing to use her own body as bait to assassinate him, she was either directed by someone or had some deep-seated hatred for him.

However, this woman's strength was as weak as a rabbit's, and her technique was clumsy; she should not be a professional assassin.

Then there was only one reason—she had an irreconcilable, deep-seated hatred for him.

After figuring this out, Zhang Yunxiu rubbed his chin, squeezed out a lecherous look, and teased: "I know who you are now. I didn't expect you to come and avenge that person, but with your amateur skills, isn't this just a lamb walking into a tiger's den?"

Hearing this, a trace of panic was clearly visible in Yahan's eyes, and she subconsciously wanted to use both hands to protect her chest.

Zhang Yunxiu smiled triumphantly: "Don't worry, none of you will get away; I am a person who does things thoroughly!"

"You dare!"

"A woman like you dares to come and assassinate me? What is there for a grown man like me not to dare?" Zhang Yunxiu said, suddenly knitting his brows, and questioned, "Speak, are you a family member of the culprits in the Silver Dollar Case?"

"So what if I am?" Yahan's eyes darted around, and she gritted her teeth.

It really was? Zhang Yunxiu thought, he had only offended these people recently.

Originally, the Silver Dollar Case should have resulted in the execution of the entire family, but it was he who did not want to commit more slaughter, so he only dealt with the ringleader.

"Who is your father?" Zhang Yunxiu asked her.

Yahan suddenly became agitated; her cheeks flushed with anger, and she roared with a red neck: "Sun Xiang! He was just working for the Wuqing Marquis, but the Wuqing Marquis, the ringleader, didn't die, and you killed him instead! You bunch of corrupt officials only know how to protect each other."

"Ah? It's him?"

Now, it was Zhang Yunxiu's turn to be surprised.

This person was also one of the culprits and was the ironclad evidence that sealed Qian Liang's fate.

When Qian Liang was executed, Zhang Yunxiu did not take his life either, but randomly found a death-row prisoner to die in his place.

He was still locked up in the Embroidered Uniform Guard's prison, waiting for the heat to die down before being released.

As a result, this man's daughter had come to his door.

"Ahem... well, your father is not dead." Scratching his head awkwardly, Zhang Yunxiu said in a gentle voice.

"Hmph, still trying to lie to me."

"By the end of the year at the latest, your father will be able to come back to life with a new identity."

"Really?!" Yahan widened her beautiful eyes and looked at Zhang Yunxiu in disbelief.

"Do I have any reason to lie to you?"

As Zhang Yunxiu spoke, he picked up the hairpin and put it away, then released the disheveled Yahan.

(End of this chapter)