Chapter 256: Sincerity is the Ultimate Killing Move

The title of King of Japan held by Ashikaga Yoshiaki was a title bestowed upon the Muromachi Shogunate by the Great Ming, while the title of Seii Taishogun was bestowed upon Ashikaga Yoshiaki himself by the Japanese imperial court; this gave Ashikaga Yoshiaki a certain degree of rallying power.

After the news spread that Ashikaga Yoshiaki was re-establishing the Shogunate in Nagasaki, it still managed to summon a group of people to defect to his side.

Therefore, the Nagasaki Shogunate was not an empty shell; it had personnel and organizations to operate the regime.

For instance, the *Hoko-shu* (service corps), *Bugyo-shu* (magistrate corps), *Dobo-shu* (attendants), *Sarugaku-shu* (performers), imperial physicians, and the *Nyobo-shu* (court ladies) gathered in the row houses. These groups held little real power and mainly served Ashikaga Yoshiaki. The *Nyobo-shu*, in particular, left Sun Keyi and Ma Jin completely baffled; this "poverty-stricken Shogun" who begged for food everywhere was actually traveling with a massive entourage of female attendants.

Among them, the most powerful group was the *Daimyo-shu*.

Composed of the sons of various *daimyo*—such as Kitabatake Tomochika of Ise, Takeda Nobukage and Yanagisawa Motomasa of Wakasa, Naito Nyuan of Tanba, Rokkaku Yoshitaka of Omi, and Soga Harusuke of Echizen—these *daimyo* were the very people Sun Keyi mockingly referred to as the "Alliance of Losers."

The *Daimyo-shu* were former provincial governors, protectors, and deputy protectors whose lands had been confiscated or who had been expelled by Nobunaga. They came to Nagasaki to pay homage to Ashikaga Yoshiaki, seeking to recover their lands and positions. In total, the number of people directly participating in the Muromachi Shogunate was no fewer than 100.

"With just these people, dreaming of defeating the 'Great Demon King' of Owari is pure delusion. Since arriving in Nagasaki, they haven't shown any sign of 'sleeping on brushwood and tasting gall' (enduring hardship for revenge). They're either watching monkey shows, whoring, or competing in petty squabbles. All their money is spent on debauchery. Their only common trait is complaining about Oda Nobunaga. How could they possibly defeat the Great Demon King?" Sun Keyi was extremely dissatisfied with these people.

There are two ways to face failure: the first is to endure hardship and prepare for revenge, like the three thousand Yue soldiers who swallowed Wu; the second is to become disheartened, weak, and dissolute, with nowhere to turn.

Among this group of losers, the only one who truly wanted to resist Oda Nobunaga was the Shogun Ashikaga Yoshiaki himself. Regardless of his motives, Ashikaga Yoshiaki was earnestly trying to build a force to resist Nobunaga and return to Kyoto. He had become the most ambitious person among these failures.

As for the "monkey shows" Sun Keyi mentioned, they were not *Sarugaku*, but a type of *San-yue* (variety performance) originating from the Han Dynasty. However, once *San-yue* spread to Japan, it descended from a major key to a minor one, falling from the human realm into the underworld. Sun Keyi's remark about "monkey shows" was actually a display of contempt for Japanese culture.

Like most culture that spread from the Great Ming to Japan, they couldn't learn the human side, but the beastly nature took deep root. It was truly a case of being unable to steal the essence even when trying to copy it.

"No, no, no. We need exactly this group of cowards. Do you really expect our Shogun to have a staff filled with brilliant stars and talented people? If he truly had that many talented generals, how could he have been exiled and forced to beg for food everywhere?"

"The winner is the king, the loser is the bandit."

"It is precisely this group of people who can't accomplish anything but are good at ruining things that we need. This way, they won't have any burden when they do bad things under the banner of supporting the Shogun's return to Kyoto. Whatever we need, we can use them." Xu Wei, on the contrary, was very satisfied with the state of these people.

Relying on a group of defeated dogs to win a head-on fight against Oda Nobunaga would be like hoping a sow could climb a tree. Xu Wei never expected these people to achieve anything great. From the very beginning, he hoped these people would cause! dis! ruption! in Oda Nobunaga's territory.

On the battlefield, these people would just be fodder for the Great Demon King Oda Nobunaga. But if you change your perspective, these people could use their connections to gather intelligence, sabotage supplies, spread rumors, and so on—that is where their value lay.

"Sir is right." Sun Keyi paused, wondering what exactly his teacher had realized while in prison; there was absolutely no morality to be found in him.

"Has the messenger from the Mori clan arrived?" Xu Wei didn't even intend to speak to these people personally. When he needed them to do something, he would use Ashikaga Yoshiaki's name to promise benefits, and let them handle it.

Xu Wei was more concerned about Mori Terumoto of the Mori clan for two reasons: the frontal battlefield still relied on the Mori clan and the *daimyo* of Kyushu, and the other reason was what Xu Wei—and the Great Ming court—cared about most.

Oda Nobunaga's strategy of "Tenka Fubu" (unifying the realm by force) was currently pushing westward, attacking the Mori clan's territory. The Mori clan urgently needed an ally to support them against Oda Nobunaga's invasion, and this ally had to be powerful enough to help them hold off Oda Nobunaga's offensive.

"They say the adopted son of the Mori clan head has arrived," Sun Keyi said with an extremely strange expression.

When Xu Wei met this "adopted son," he immediately understood why Sun Keyi's expression was so strange. Xu Wei recognized this person; it was Mori Terumoto himself. There was no such thing as an adopted son; it was merely a pretext.

Compared to the "loser group," this other group—the group worthy of Xu Wei's personal reception—should be called the "resistance group."

There were over thirty people in this group, but the main protagonists—Omura Sumitada, Ryuzoji Takanobu of Hizen, Otomo Sorin, and Shimazu Yoshihiro—were all waiting.

Ryuzoji Takanobu and Otomo Sorin were both clan heads. Only Shimazu Yoshihiro was not; his older brother, Shimazu Yoshihisa, was the lord of the Satsuma Domain. As his right-hand man, Shimazu Yoshihiro's presence showed how much the Satsuma Domain valued this alliance.

If a painter were asked to paint this moment, the painting would be titled "The Nagasaki Shogunate Alliance," and the scene would certainly include Xu Wei, Sun Keyi, Ma Jin, Mori Terumoto, Omura Sumitada, Ryuzoji Takanobu, Otomo Sorin, and Shimazu Yoshihiro.

The Nagasaki Shogunate Alliance—where was the Shogun? The Shogun was, of course, at the alliance, but he was busy watching monkey shows with the Great Ming delegation.

The protocols for the domains did not explicitly stipulate the etiquette for receiving these people, but Xu Wei was still quite polite to them.

For example, Ryuzoji Takanobu was the lord of Hizen Province, and Nagasaki was located on his territory. Omura Sumitada, however, was just a minor landowner in Hizen. Omura Sumitada was only able to sit at the table because he had offered up Nagasaki.

As for Otomo Sorin, he claimed to be the head of Kyushu and controlled six of its provinces. This wasn't just bragging; he actually controlled six of Kyushu's nine provinces and even possessed territory on Honshu, having stood toe-to-toe with the Mori clan for many years without losing ground.

"The head of the Mori clan coming in person is truly gratifying." Before starting, Xu Wei exposed Mori Terumoto's identity, stripping away his "adopted son" mask so that everyone could speak clearly.

Mori Terumoto's expression changed several times. He couldn't help but think of those "Langli Baitiao" (white streaks in the waves)—the people who rode hydrofoil sailboats and galloped everywhere. In Japanese rumors, these people were like dragons in the sea, capable of anything in heaven or on earth.

This Great Ming envoy was able to see through his disguise at a glance, which meant he must have seen his portrait. And this portrait must have been very detailed for him to recognize him instantly.

This represented a terrifying intelligence-gathering capability. Just like the Great Ming Emperor who lived deep within the nine-fold palace, only court officials could see him daily, and court ministers could only catch a glimpse from afar on the third day of every month. Therefore, knowing the Emperor's exact appearance was a very difficult task.

Mori Terumoto's appearance had been leaked by those around him.

Xu Wei's words meant that if the Great Ming wanted to carry out an assassination, they would never kill the wrong person.

"The Heavenly Envoy is too kind." Mori Terumoto admitted his identity with a complex expression, while the others whispered among themselves.

"Everyone coming here today is naturally to congratulate the establishment of the Nagasaki Shogunate. Our Shogun, Ashikaga Yoshiaki, is not a weak coward. Although he has failed many times, he has always wanted to revitalize the Shogunate. Having sought help everywhere to no avail, he sought help from the suzerain state, the Great Ming Emperor. His Majesty has issued an imperial edict ordering me to act as circumstances require." Xu Wei signaled Sun Keyi to display the Great Ming Emperor's imperial edict.

Japan did not yet have its own writing system and used Classical Chinese. Everyone present could fully understand the content of the Emperor's edict.

Nagasaki was not powerful at this time; the Tang House and the Fujian Guild in the row houses had only a few thousand people in total. The Nagasaki Governor's Office was indeed weak, but Xu Wei's backing was extremely strong.

Standing behind him was the Great Ming, the Great Ming Emperor. This was the source of Xu Wei's ability to be high and mighty; it was the reason he summoned these people, and why they had no choice but to come.

If this Heavenly Envoy were angered and ordered the merchant ships arriving in Japan to stop trading with a certain Japanese province, that province would truly suffer a devastating blow.

Economics is also a form of power at times, especially before the mask is completely torn off; its might can even exceed that of military force.

To the barbarians surrounding the Great Ming, the Great Ming was the "Heavenly Dynasty." This was determined by national strength. Even after the long-standing "Japanese pirates" (Japanese pirate) scourge, which the Japanese *daimyo* had supported with all their might behind the scenes, it was eventually pacified by the Great Ming. Moreover, the greatest obstacle in pacifying the pirates actually came from the factional strife within the court, not from a lack of Great Ming strength.

Xu Wei signaled Sun Keyi to put away the edict and looked at Mori Terumoto, asking with a smile: "I heard that the Iwami Bai Yin Mine is in the hands of the Mori clan head?"

"Yes." Mori Terumoto nodded and said: "The Ouchi clan, the Amago clan, and my Mori clan fought over the Iwami Bai Yin Mine for over seventy years, ending with my grandfather's victory. It passed down to me. This is also the fundamental reason why Oda Nobunaga wants to push westward: silver."

Oda Nobunaga was a very ambitious man. He proposed "Tenka Fubu" and naturally wanted to end the chaotic warring states period in Japan. But this process also required real gold and silver, and the Iwami Bai Yin Mine controlled by the Mori clan was exactly that.

The Ouchi clan had been annexed by Otomo Sorin, the head of the six provinces of Kyushu.

"The Iwami Bai Yin Mine can produce 330,000 taels of silver a year now. The entire country of Japan only produces 1.5 to 1.8 million taels a year." Mori Terumoto knew the Iwami Bai Yin Mine he held very well. It was Japan's largest silver mine. Money always flows to where there is more money; the Iwami Bai Yin Mine was also Japan's largest distribution center for silver, with nearly 60% of Japan's silver being distributed through it.

"To be frank, His Majesty sent me to Japan for the sake of silver. The Great Ming needs as much silver as there is seawater." Xu Wei explained the court's intentions. The result of the court deliberations by Great Ming ministers was that they had little interest in destroying Japan, but great interest in Japan's silver.

The twenty-year long-term plan to destroy Japan was supported only by Zhang Juzheng and the Emperor, and the initial motivation for this plan was the refusal to be controlled by the inflow of silver.

Even if the Spanish King Philip II kept increasing the output of silver to the Great Ming, even if the Manila Galleon trade remained smooth, and even if Spain maintained its hegemony in the West, the Great Ming could not completely hand over the silver that concerned its lifeblood to others.

Xu Wei had been telling the truth all along; this was the highest realm of deception. How does one distinguish truth from falsehood when there are no lies?

Sincerity is the ultimate killing move.

"The Great Ming is interested in the Iwami Bai Yin Mine?" Mori Terumoto's brows were tightly locked. He was already somewhat nervous. If the Great Ming envoy had ambushed axe-wielders, he would never be able to walk out of Nagasaki today. The reason he wore a mask was precisely because he feared such things as axe-wielders.

"I reiterate: the Great Ming is interested in silver, not the silver mine. I am soft-hearted and cannot bear to see such suffering," Xu Wei said very sincerely.

Xu Wei knew the lives of the miners at the Iwami Bai Yin Mine very well.

A child would start working in the silver mine at the age of nine, and start going down into the pits after fifteen. Whenever a miner managed to live past thirty, the local village would hold a banquet to celebrate.

From the age of fifteen, they would go down into pits over thirty *zhang* deep every day, working day and night without stopping until they had dug enough silver ore to come up. The Iwami Bai Yin Mine, the Potosi Bai Yin Mine in the Spanish Viceroyalty of Peru, and the Huancavelica Bai Yin Mine were all very similar. The surrounding rock of the silver mines was loose and not solid, making them very prone to collapse. Moreover, the pits were filled with toxic gases—some suffocating, some explosive, some killing invisibly, and some causing lifelong harm.

The suffering of mining was only part of it. The miners had to use the cupellation method to refine silver every day. Now, Western missionaries had brought the amalgamation method, using mercury to extract gold and silver. These miners inhaled large amounts of mercury, and within a few days, they would develop receding gums, peeling skin on the upper surface of the mouth, diarrhea, and lethargy. As time passed, they would become forgetful, experience difficulty breathing, chest pain, back pain, and generalized edema.

In the amalgamation method of refining gold and silver, mercury poison continuously seeped from the skin into the bone marrow. The limbs would begin to tremble and weaken, the whole body would soften, and then death would follow.

Mercury poison could turn a strong man into a puddle of mush in just about four years. The silver mine was truly a living hell on earth.

Xu Wei was still telling the truth. He was a man who couldn't bear to see such suffering, so he simply chose not to see it. As long as the silver was delivered on schedule, that was enough.

If Xu Wei were truly left to manage the silver mine, he would completely ban the amalgamation method of refining silver. After all, as a beacon of civilization and an envoy of the Heavenly Dynasty, Xu Wei also had the common failing of Great Ming people: a high moral inferiority complex. Even if he could get past himself, the censor officials in the court who had nothing better to do would drown Xu Wei in spit if they knew he had done such a heartless thing.

The amalgamation method was highly toxic, but its output was truly high.

The Great Ming still used the cupellation method, which had a more backward process, to refine silver. Who told the Great Ming they had no silver mines? This industry simply couldn't develop.

"Ah, I see. You only want the silver, not the silver mine." Mori Terumoto finally revealed a brilliant smile.

He had been very worried that the Great Ming, as a Heavenly Dynasty, would obtain silver through barbaric, forceful means. But clearly, Mori Terumoto had underestimated the brilliance of Great Ming human nature. The lords from the Great Ming truly couldn't bear to see such suffering.

"I need silver, and the Mori clan head has silver. This is a perfect match. I have a detailed trade list here." Xu Wei had Sun Keyi deliver a trade list; the Great Ming's various commercial goods were dazzling and had everything one could ask for.

"I wonder if there is any military equipment for sale?" Mori Terumoto looked over the list and was very satisfied with the commercial goods. Things that could be bought in Songjiang Prefecture could all be bought from the Songjiang Far-Voyage Trading Company. But Mori Terumoto also wanted to buy something else.

"Yes." Xu Wei gave an affirmative answer and then had Sun Keyi take out another list, which contained military hardware.

Long and short weapons, bows and arrows, gunpowder, muskets, and cannons—everything was available. If Qi Jiguang were here, he would discover that these were all military hardware being phased out by the Great Ming military. For example, the matchlock muskets made in the 36th year of the Jiajing era could still be used, but they had been replaced, so they were all being phased out.

Whether in the West or the Great Ming, everyone agreed that money is the devil.

For the sake of silver, the Emperor actually took out military hardware to sell. Wasn't he afraid that the Japanese would use Great Ming weapons to continue harassing the Great Ming? The Japanese pirates scourge was only completely pacified in the second year of the Wanli era. In June of the fifth year of the Wanli era, a group of pirates harassing the Great Ming from Ryukyu was still being wiped out by the Songjiang Navy.

The Emperor was blinded by money, driven by greed. So what were the wise ministers in the court doing? Didn't they know to offer some advice?

The reason was actually very simple: because they weren't afraid.

In the 36th year of the Jiajing era, the Great Ming could only produce 10,000 muskets a year, and they only produced them for a total of five years before stopping because the court was so poor it couldn't even afford pants. Now it was completely different. The Great Ming's finances were gradually becoming sufficient, and the Great Ming military had begun to re-equip. Taking the current matchlock musket as an example, the annual production of the Great Ming Military Arsenal had increased from 10,000 to 30,000, and this production capacity was still climbing.

It was troublesome to destroy these phased-out weapons, and even more troublesome to keep them. It was better to sell them directly to the Japanese *daimyo*.

Zhang Juzheng had once discussed with the young Emperor that any grand-sounding memorial that didn't talk about costs was just nonsense and gibberish. Clearly, selling the phased-out military hardware at this time was also a cost, and the purpose was to stir up the waters of Japan once again.

The Mori clan couldn't beat Oda Nobunaga. But what if the Mori clan had the support of many *daimyo* from Kyushu? And what if the Mori clan also had the support of the Great Ming?

Mori Terumoto looked at that long list of military hardware names, looked at Xu Wei in extreme shock, and then looked at the list again, speaking only after several attempts: "Can the things on this list really be bought?"

"You have bought quite a few firearms from the 'Red-Haired Barbarians' (Dutch). Their prices are expensive, and the quantities are small. But the Great Ming has large quantities and is satisfying, and the quality is superior. Of course, they can be bought." Xu Wei's smile was very sincere. This was the second reason for the Great Ming to sell phased-out military hardware: if the Great Ming didn't sell to the Japanese, the Red-Haired Barbarians would sell to the Japanese—cannons, muskets, everything would be sold.

Everyone was here to grab the market. Before, the seas were closed, and the meat was eaten by the Red-Haired Barbarians. Now, the Red-Haired Barbarians wouldn't even get a sip of soup.

In the face of silver, there was nothing without a price, including the soul—the Western envoy, Riccio.

As a believer, Riccio was very resistant to gold and silver, but Spain needed silver to unite its scattered territory into one piece. This hatred and need was a very contradictory cognition.

Mori Terumoto's inner confidence finally filled out a bit. He asked with a hopeful expression: "Is there any grain for sale?"

"This, there really isn't." Xu Wei spread his hands and said: "You also know that grain ships are very easy to sink. Almost no sea merchants are willing to transport grain for sale because the risks are truly too great."

The Great Ming had the "Cao-grain" (tribute grain) system, but the quantity of tribute grain was completely insufficient for the Great Ming's own use. Where would they find the energy to transport grain to Japan? Moreover, the Great Ming also needed grain. Therefore, transporting grain out was a very difficult thing.

"Japan still needs to find a way to raise its own grain." Xu Wei had seen too many people starve to death since arriving in Japan. It was mainly due to a lack of food. The lack of food didn't mean there wasn't enough arable land. Although Japan appeared to have many mountains and little land, Japan, with a population of less than ten million, could still support itself in such a large place.

The lack of food was mainly due to Japan's frequent wars. Under the scourge of war, production and life had been severely damaged. Land lay fallow, irrigation was blocked, and there were many reasons: farmers fled, able-bodied men were dragged off to fight, and runaway soldiers became bandits who wreaked havoc everywhere. Japan also suffered from the Japanese pirates scourge.

This formed a vicious cycle: fallow land led to famine, famine became a reason for war, and famine and war simultaneously led to a decrease in population, further exacerbating the fallow land.

Japan had actually gradually found the answer to the problem in the chaotic wars of the last hundred years, and that was to end this chaotic world.

Oda Nobunaga appeared before everyone as the consensus choice, which could be said to be the will of the people. Even though Oda Nobunaga died at the hands of rebellious ministers, Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu, who followed him, were both striving for stability.

What Xu Wei was doing was extremely evil in the Great Ming's values. For the sake of silver, he was stirring up the waters of Japan, letting Japan fall into the scourge of war once again. This was what Xu Wei was doing.

In destroying Japan, the Great Ming military couldn't kill all the Japanese, but if they let the Japanese kill each other, that was something they could achieve.

Mori Terumoto and Otomo Sorin had conflicts because the Mori clan and the Ouchi clan had fought bloody battles over the Iwami Bai Yin Mine. Otomo Sorin, who had annexed the Ouchi clan, had to oppose the Mori clan. And Otomo Sorin also had conflicts with the Shimazu clan of the Satsuma Domain. The main conflict was that the Shimazu clan wanted to dominate, while Otomo Sorin, as the head of the six provinces of Kyushu, blocked the Shimazu clan.

Even they themselves couldn't explain the conflicts within this clearly. Having fought for so many years, they had long forgotten why they were fighting in the first place.

They had complex conflicts among themselves, yet Xu Wei had brought them together to sit down and talk business.

Bai Yin, sulfur, Japanese women, and fish oil were the four major commodities. The bulk of this was mainly silver, while the goods the Great Ming could provide were too numerous to count: tea, porcelain, silk, cotton cloth, writing brushes, ink, paper, inkstones, books, jade, and so on.

Xu Wei never forgot why he came to Japan: to let Great Ming merchant ships shuttle through Japan, collect all intelligence, send it back to the Great Ming, and prepare for the Great Ming's destruction of Japan. The "Langli Baitiao" were disguised as merchant guards to conduct espionage.

Collecting intelligence was a long-term job, and the first thing Xu Wei did after gathering everyone was to conduct trade.

After determining the trade list, the status of the Nagasaki Oriental World Trading House was completely established. The Westerners were even greedier than the Great Ming people. The Westerners wanted not only silver but also souls, while the Great Ming was much simpler: they only wanted silver.

After determining the trade list, Xu Wei immediately went with the flow and said: "Here is a treaty to ensure the smooth passage of Great Ming merchant ships. Everyone can take a look. If there are no objections, sign it. If there are objections, you can oppose it, and we can discuss it."

Xu Wei placed a treaty in front of everyone. The main content was a non-aggression treaty for merchant ships between the Mori Domain, Ouchi Domain, Satsuma Domain, Hizen Province, etc. This treaty mainly restricted the merchant ships of these provinces from attacking each other and did not restrict the Great Ming's merchant ships.

"What about the Great Ming's merchant ships?" Ryuzoji Takanobu keenly discovered the problem.

Xu Wei replied with a smile: "The Great Ming's attacks are mainly carried out by combat ships. Before long, the Great Ming will deploy a five-masted ocean-crossing ship in Nagasaki, and attacks will be carried out by the five-masted ocean-crossing ship."

"Ah, combat ships." Ryuzoji Takanobu finally reacted. Although the Great Ming's merchant ships were also armed merchant ships, their attack power was not very strong because the Great Ming's merchant ships possessed professional warships with maxed-out attack power.

"If everyone waits ten days, the five-masted ocean-crossing ship will arrive at the port. However, this one is a patrol ship from Songjiang Prefecture to Ryukyu and then to Nagasaki, not the one deployed to Nagasaki," Xu Wei continued: "The five-masted ocean-crossing ship deployed to Nagasaki will be faster, have more cannons, and more soldiers."

What was used to ensure the effectiveness of the treaty? It relied on the five-masted ocean-crossing ship, it relied on violence. The Great Ming Emperor had once precisely defined violence in the court gazette: violence is gunpowder, steel, silver coins, theory, and the human heart.

"This treaty is beneficial to everyone. I think everyone is very clear about this. If there are no questions, you can sign it. If you are unwilling to sign, you can leave directly. If you violate it after signing, the other signatories will agree to attack." Xu Wei elaborated on the rules of the game in detail. You don't have to sign; if you don't sign, Great Ming merchant ships won't go. But if you sign, you cannot go back on your word; violating the contract will require paying a price.

As the party presiding over the treaty, Xu Wei would absolutely not be polite to those who violated it.

What surprised Xu Wei very, very much was that Shimazu Yoshihiro of the Satsuma Domain was the first to sign and affix his seal to the treaty, and he did so impatiently. The one who understood the ferocity of the Great Ming Navy best here was the Shimazu clan, because the Shimazu clan was plotting against Ryukyu, and the Great Ming was conducting armed patrols in Ryukyu, which greatly deterred the Shimazu clan's ambitions.

The Shimazu clan understood very well that the Great Ming meant what it said.

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(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 257 =====