Chapter 190: Section Seven: Assistance

The Shuzui family originated from the Takeda clan of Koshu in Japan, and the Takeda clan of Koshu in turn originated from the Minamoto clan. This Shuzui Nobuyoshi's ancestor was also a son of Takeda Shingen, the "Mountain Monkey." After Lord Katsuyori died for his village, the Shuzui family fled to the Kansai region of Japan. In the history Huang Shi originally knew, this family ultimately worked as merchants until the end of the shogunate, and their lineage was always known for sharp wits and skill at shifting with the wind.

This Shuzui Nobuyoshi was only twenty years old this year. Last year he had just pledged himself to the Choshu domain and become an ashigaru squad leader, with an annual stipend of fifty koku of rice. When the domain suddenly began secret mobilization last month, Shuzui Nobuyoshi thought the shogunate was finally about to make a ruthless move against Choshu. But when he marched into the battle formation filled with tragic resolve, the commanding samurai general leading the unit told him they were actually going to fight a group of "sea bandits."

Sea bandits like Wang Zhi were called Japanese pirates in China, and in Japan they were once called "Ming bandits." Later the shogunate dared not use that term anymore, so they switched to the term sea bandits. In the Great Ming, Japanese pirates were constantly pursued and attacked by the Chinese government, but in Japan they often pursued and attacked the Japanese government's forces. During Japan's Warring States period, the powerful "feudal lords" were always extremely polite to large bands of sea bandits — because the sea bandits were generally stronger than Japan's feudal lords. It was not until the shogunate period that the balance of power gradually shifted. After the Korean War, the Tokugawa shogunate finally got ruthless, desperately wiping out many of the surrounding sea bandits, terrified of giving the Great Ming an excuse to launch a war.

As for the most powerful bands of sea bandits, the Tokugawa shogunate buried its head in the sand and called them "maritime merchants." People like Li Dan and Zheng Yiguan — each of these fellows could mobilize tens of thousands of troops, had countless ties to the Great Ming, and were affiliated with the Great Ming as Fujian merchants. The Tokugawa shogunate knew full well it could never suppress them, so it turned a blind eye to their seizure of Japanese land and cities.

Upon hearing that the opponents were sea bandits, Shuzui Nobuyoshi and the peasant soldiers under his command saw their morale soar — since the other side could not be called "Great Ming maritime merchants," that meant they had no real strength. Along the way, the lower-ranking samurai and peasants also heard that these several hundred sea bandits had seized the port of Shimonoseki in Choshu domain and were openly extorting the domain, which made them even happier. Because this time Choshu domain had mobilized nearly three thousand troops, with two thousand of them being combat soldiers. Dealing with a few hundred sea bandits who had come ashore would be child's play, right?

But as soon as they neared Shimonoseki, Shuzui Nobuyoshi sensed something was wrong. The rows of soldiers opposite them did not look like bandits at all. Their formation was even more orderly than that of the samurai on his own side. When both sides began deploying their troops in formation, things felt even more off. The "sea bandits" opposite were clad entirely in iron armor. Shuzui Nobuyoshi's superior stared blankly, even forgetting to issue the standard formation commands, and the other samurai were all dumbstruck. Shuzui Nobuyoshi was not as ignorant as his country bumpkin colleagues; during his time in Sakai he had heard many tales of the Great Ming. The iron armor before his eyes was clearly the military weaponry of the Great Ming, the kind of thing that money alone could not buy anywhere.

Shuzui Nobuyoshi swept his gaze over them and estimated that even all the "maritime merchants" recognized by the shogunate combined could not produce this much iron armor. He cautiously voiced his misgivings to the squad leader, who then sent him to speak with the overall commander of this operation. That overall commander, upon seeing the dazzling equipment on the other side, was struck speechless like a toad hit by lightning. After hearing Shuzui Nobuyoshi's report, the overall commander cursed the military intelligence frauds in the domain, then hemmed and hawed as he sent a subordinate forward to tentatively open communications.

That envoy walked to within twenty meters of the sea bandits' front line and shouted: "I am of the Mori house of Choshu domain... Ah—" Halfway through his words, the unlucky fellow was shot into a beehive by arquebuses. Before Yang Zhiyuan came, Huang Shi had briefed him on some local customs of Japan. Before Kuroshima had even finished translating, Yang Zhiyuan concluded that this ceremony was a pre-battle challenge. Mobile Corps Commander Yang, who had long been waiting impatiently, immediately ordered the attack to begin.

Cannonballs from the three-pounder and six-pounder guns howled over the heads of the Choshu army. The artillery skills of Changsheng Island had improved considerably compared to a few months ago. The opponent's long-range firepower and cavalry were both very poor, so Changsheng Island's artillery pushed the cannons forward to conduct ricochet fire. One precise salvo tore a bloody alley through the dense formation of the Choshu army — the scorching iron balls meant death at a graze, fatality at a touch. Ming army regulations called for two-man gun crews, and even the eighteen-pounder red-barbarian cannons were only specially reinforced to four-man crews. But the Changsheng Army's twenty-man gun crews, custom-made for field battles, provided abundant manpower, and the cannons' rate of fire even surpassed that of matchlock guns. The three-pounder cannons could now achieve three rounds per minute, with room for further improvement.

According to Kuroshima Kazuo, Japan had not fought a war in two generations, and indeed the Choshu samurai and peasants present were all witnessing field artillery for the first time. But what astonished Yang Zhiyuan was... they actually withstood it. And after enduring the Ming army's cannon fire for a full quarter of an hour, they still showed no signs of collapse. This kind of tenacity filled Yang Zhiyuan with admiration. Sickness from adjusting to the new environment had rendered nearly twenty percent of the Ming army's combatants unable to take the field, so Yang Zhiyuan had been hoping the Choshu army could be frightened off by the artillery.

But they could wait no longer. Yang Zhiyuan feared the opponent would sooner or later recover from their initial shock, so he ordered the infantry to advance. The first piece of intelligence Kuroshima Kazuo provided seemed not very accurate, but he hoped Kuroshima would not make a second mistake. It was said that the Choshu army was mainly composed of peasants. Yang Zhiyuan hoped that during the bayonet charge the peasant soldiers would scatter in a panic, and then they could rely on numbers to eliminate those samurai who did not flee.

After the charge was launched, Yang Zhiyuan was even more shocked to see the entire Choshu army scatter in chaos. Those hereditary samurai ran even faster than the peasants. That an army which had just displayed astonishing discipline and quality would exhibit such behavior made Yang Zhiyuan very worried. He halted the planned pursuit for fear of a trap and ordered the interrogation of prisoners — Huang Shi's order to Yang Zhiyuan was to treat prisoners well. The Changsheng Army in Japan had to be both a mighty force and a civilized force. Huang Shi's current objective was to do business; provoking a people's war would be far too unwise.

Through interrogation, Yang Zhiyuan came to understand that he had committed a doctrinal error. The Choshu army's initial steadfastness was not due to bravery, but because everyone from top to bottom had been frozen with terror — in fact, they had been scared stiff. And when the Ming army launched its bayonet charge, the Choshu army, having snapped out of it, naturally disintegrated at top speed.

That evening, after the Choshu domain discovered that Shuzui Nobuyoshi could speak Chinese and had a very sharp mind, they promoted him on the spot to commanding samurai general to negotiate with the "sea bandits." Upon learning that the shadowy backer behind this counterfeit coin operation was the Grand Guardian of the Heir Apparent of the Great Ming, the faces of the Choshu domain samurai turned green with fear. They reckoned someone would have to atone with his life by self-sacrifice this time. In the end, this glorious task once again fell upon Shuzui Nobuyoshi, who had just returned from a near-death mission. On the same day he was promoted to commanding samurai general, he was further promoted to domain elder of Choshu, and then dispatched to the Great Ming to apologize and atone.

The two Choshu domain deputy envoys accompanying Shuzui Nobuyoshi on this journey constantly instilled in him the principle that the master's house is paramount, and ceaselessly hinted that Shuzui Nobuyoshi must step forward at the "critical moment" and bravely "shoulder the responsibility." Shuzui Nobuyoshi spoke with impassioned fervor, but in his heart he cursed endlessly — I've barely eaten meat for more than a few days, I don't even have a wife yet, who the hell is going to cut open his own belly?

When these three envoys, each harboring his own secret schemes, followed the messenger ashore onto Changsheng Island, they were already too astonished to speak. Although they had known since childhood that the Great Ming was a colossal entity and had constantly reminded themselves that the Great Ming's strength was unfathomable, when they saw that even such a small place as Changsheng Island had large numbers of iron-armored soldiers, the spirits of all three finally reached the brink of collapse.

As for why the Grand Guardian of the Heir Apparent of the Great Ming was here? That was easy to explain. The Grand Guardian of the Heir Apparent was personally commanding operations against barbarians on the front line. After seeing the rows upon rows of iron-armored soldiers on Changsheng Island, these three fellows clung firmly to one thought: they absolutely must not provoke the Great Ming or cause her the slightest displeasure.

Shuzui Nobuyoshi's stipend had already risen to two hundred koku, but this ungrateful wretch still did not have the slightest awareness that he should disembowel himself for Choshu. The moment he saw Huang Shi, he threw himself to the ground, took all the blame upon himself on behalf of Choshu domain, and prepared to accept all of the other party's demands.

Huang Shi, for his part, had no intention of making excessive demands. The relationship between the southwestern domains and the shogunate was one of watching each other's misfortunes, but no matter what, behind Choshu there was still the Tokugawa shogunate. Regardless of its quality, a shogunate that could mobilize over a hundred thousand troops, with tens of thousands of professional warriors among them, was not to be underestimated, nor was it something the current Huang Shi could handle.

Shuzui Nobuyoshi quickly noticed that Huang Shi did not seem entirely confident in his position, so he swiftly explained Choshu's actions and successfully shifted the blame onto the Tokugawa shogunate. In the end, both sides reached a consensus: Huang Shi could continue his copper coin trade, but all copper coins were to be sold to Choshu domain, and Choshu domain would use its own channels for distribution. After reaching this agreement, Shuzui Nobuyoshi could not help but secretly rejoice. It looked like he would be able to return alive. Moreover, this would allow them to establish a strategic partnership with the Great Ming. Choshu domain would probably be quite satisfied as well, and at the very least would not kill him to vent their anger.

Another condition Huang Shi proposed was missionary work. He demanded that Choshu domain allow the Loyalty to the Sovereign and Patriotic Catholic Church to enter Choshu. This proposal made Shuzui Nobuyoshi ponder for a long time. In the end, he proposed that to save face for the shogunate, this church would have to change its name — for example, to the "Loyal to the Emperor and Patriotic to Choshu Church." Shuzui Nobuyoshi felt that this demand of Huang Shi's was merely an additional condition from a believer and nothing serious. To please Huang Shi, he was even willing to become the first Japanese to join this church. When Huang Shi told him there was already a fellow believer named Kuroshima Kazuo, Shuzui Nobuyoshi even seemed a bit disappointed.

In Huang Shi's calculations, he needed a breakthrough point to penetrate Japan. Although at this time Japan's national consciousness and sense of nationhood were far from awakened, and historically had not been stimulated by the Dutch either, now there was an additional factor — Huang Shi. This made things hard to predict. And religion was undoubtedly something that could produce a profound sense of identity. Using religious identity to infiltrate a feudal state was still relatively easy.

Early in the sixth month of the fifth year of the Tianqi reign. On the ship returning to Japan, Shuzui Nobuyoshi was accompanied by two priests of the Loyalty to the Sovereign and Patriotic Catholic Church. When the ship stopped to take on water in the Kugahara region, these two priests were devoutly praying on the dock. A Japanese peasant child who looked only five or six years old followed them in making the sign of the cross, then knelt beside the two priests and began praying in Japanese in a childish voice.

"This child is so endearing," one Changsheng Island priest said, looking at the child's clear, large eyes. He could not resist taking out two small steamed buns and stuffing them into the child's hands. While stroking the child's head, he asked Shuzui Nobuyoshi beside him: "What is this child's name?"

Shuzui Nobuyoshi sized up the peasant child with a couple of glances and said with a snort of contempt: "A peasant's son, he has no surname." Many samurai in Japan would rather starve to death than become peasants, precisely because Japanese peasants had no surnames. Once a fallen samurai became a peasant, it meant the severing of his family crest.

The child was wolfing down the steamed buns. Shuzui Nobuyoshi half-crouched and asked: "You, child, what is your name?"

The child's eyes opened wide, and he answered in a crisp voice: "I have a surname."

"Oh, so young and already aspiring to be a samurai. Impressive." Shuzui Nobuyoshi burst out laughing: "Ambitious child, what surname have you given yourself?"

The boy offered no further explanation. In a clear, proud, childish voice he said: "My name is Amakusa Shiro Tokisada."

That same month, Sun Chengzong ascended the general-appointing platform at Shanhai Pass. He personally requested the Imperial Sword for Ma Shilong and recommended Ma Shilong for promotion to Right Chief Military Commissioner, granting him authority over all Regional Commanders of Guanning. In this timeline, the career path that had been affected by Huang Shi finally returned to its original point because of Huang Shi's deflection, only the timing was slightly later.

Overwhelmed with gratitude, Ma Shilong solemnly received the Imperial Sword. On the general-appointing platform, before the assembled crowd, Sun Chengzong performed the clasped-hand salute three times in succession: "The eastern affairs are entrusted to Marshal Ma. This humble headquarters will gather provisions and fodder for the Marshal, and will absolutely not interfere in specific military matters."

Ma Shilong knelt on one knee and swore by heaven and earth: "My lord Sun, rest assured. This humble general will not fail the trust of the nation and His Majesty. I shall surely sweep away the Jian slaves in one stroke!"

According to Ma Shilong's plan, his trusted general Lu Zhijia would form a mobile force. This mobile force would consist of one chariot-and-cannon battalion and one armored cavalry battalion. Two naval battalions would be responsible for transport. The entire mobile force would have five thousand combat soldiers, five thousand auxiliary soldiers, three hundred war chariots, three thousand warhorses and packhorses, one thousand four hundred ships, and be equipped with one hundred cannons — including two red-barbarian cannons and three thousand firearms of various types. Once a weak point in the Later Jin army's defenses was discovered, Ma Shilong would use this powerful mobile force to launch a thunderous assault to open a breach, and then he would personally oversee the follow-up advance of the main Guanning army from the rear, determined to deal the Later Jin army a heavy blow.

Ma Shilong also personally examined the fierce general Li Chengxian, whom Lu Zhijia had recommended, and he was very satisfied with this military officer. Li Chengxian answered questions on military strategy and tactics fluently, and his skills both mounted and on foot were quite impressive. Ma Shilong immediately decided to promote him to Assistant Regional Commander of Guanning, and had Lu Zhijia personally bestow the vanguard commander's seal upon Li Chengxian.

"Jin Guan and Yao Yuxian will command the two naval battalions, Li Chengxian will be responsible for the chariot-and-cannon battalion, Zhou Shoulian will lead the armored cavalry battalion..." Lu Zhijia enthusiastically deployed the tasks. The mission of the Guanning naval battalions was similar to that of Changsheng Island — both were responsible for ferrying the sick and weapons across the river, and transporting grain and the wounded. Lu Zhijia pointed to each man one by one, repeating and clarifying each person's responsibility. The assembled officers in the camp roared their assent.

After the military deployment was finished, Lu Zhijia did not forget to foster personal bonds. After all, fighting a war is a matter of risking one's life: "Brothers, come to my place tonight for a gathering."

The several officers once again voiced their approval, clamoring noisily: "My lord Lu's wine — naturally we must go and ask for a cup."

When the drinking reached the point of flushed faces and heated ears, Lu Zhijia even called out singing girls to entertain. He himself went out of his way to urge the guests to drink, afraid of neglecting any of his subordinates. Each of these subordinates held military power in their hands; they were both the guarantee of his life and the source of strength for achieving merit and establishing his career.

"Brother Lu, this little brother has heard that Regional Commander Ma doesn't think very highly of us." Zhou Shoulian, emboldened by drink, brought up a very sensitive topic. This question made Lu Zhijia's heart thump.

"How could that be? Haha, Brother Zhou jests." Lu Zhijia feigned nonchalance and laughed it off. Ma Shilong's ancestors were from the Ningxia Guard military household. Although Ma Shilong had been speaking in the Liaoxi manner for these years, and he himself was destined to stay in Liaoxi for the long term, many Liaoxi people still regarded Ma Shilong as an outsider and cursed Lu Zhijia behind his back as a traitor. Lu Zhijia was deeply indebted to Ma Shilong's kindness and had long since determined that Ma Shilong was the superior he would follow for life: "Brothers, I, Lu Zhijia, can beat my chest and swear that Marshal Ma has our best interests at heart."

Li Chengxian, sitting to one side, also felt that Ma Shilong was a very good man. He chimed in with his loud voice in agreement: "Indeed, Marshal Ma's military strategy and tactics are very good, but most importantly, he is generous and kind. I trust Marshal Ma, and I entrust my life to him..."

"If that's the case, then good, then good." Zhou Shoulian was overjoyed at these words and quickly toasted Lu Zhijia: "Then Brother Lu must put in a few good words for us brothers."

"Certainly, certainly." Lu Zhijia laughed heartily and drained a cup with Zhou Shoulian. Jin Guan's toast arrived at that moment as well, and Lu Zhijia downed it in one gulp...

After leaving Lu Zhijia's main camp, Zhou Shoulian immediately shed the smile that had covered his face. He coldly asked Jin Guan and Yao Yuxian: "What do you think?"

Jin Guan gave a cold snort: "That Lu Zhijia, that bootlicker. I always said he was a traitor, and you didn't believe me."

"Who didn't believe you?" Yao Yuxian retorted, his face red and his neck bulging: "It's just that Lu Zhijia is, after all, one of us Liaoxi men. We prosper together, we suffer together. If we really let that Hui Ma Shilong ride over our heads, none of us will come out well. How can he not understand such a simple principle?"

"He doesn't want to understand at all. Hmph, today you still wanted to persuade him, and in the end he wanted to persuade you too. Haha, I nearly died laughing at the time." Jin Guan burst into loud laughter as he spoke.

"Shh — keep your voice down." Zhou Shoulian made a silencing gesture toward Jin Guan. From the distance came the voice of Li Chengxian. That man, dead drunk, was also taking his leave: "Ma Shilong tossed him the broken biscuit of an Assistant Regional Commander, and this dog immediately forgot his own ancestors."

Early in the sixth month of the fifth year of the Tianqi reign, Changsheng Island.

The first batch of soldiers sent to Japan had already returned. The order Huang Shi had given Yang Zhiyuan was to withdraw and return home at top speed after displaying military might. He, Huang Shi, was a complete paper tiger, and he was also relying on the Great Ming's prestige accumulated over centuries. If the Japanese had insisted on resisting, then he could only treat it as troop training, but as things looked now, the results were fairly satisfactory.

Huang Shi had recently received a letter from Sun Chengzong. The letter was very vague, but it was apparent that Sun Chengzong had intentions regarding Liaodong. Although Huang Shi did not understand why Sun Chengzong was unwilling to speak plainly, he believed that Sun Chengzong must have his reasons for doing so. According to Huang Shi's judgment, Sun Chengzong's objective should be in the area between Sanchahe and Niangniang Palace. The Guanning Army prided itself as the empire's strongest force, with abundant warhorses and firearms. Ma Shilong, an outsider military officer, seeing so many troops and weapons, would surely go straight to pick a fight with the Later Jin main force. Besides, for Ma Shilong, an officer from outside the system, to establish himself in Liaoxi, he also needed a respectable battle achievement. After all, Sun Chengzong would sooner or later have to leave.

Thinking of Ma Shilong's current situation, Huang Shi felt a faint sense of sympathy in his heart. It reminded him of the hardships he had endured when he first arrived at Dongjiang. Huang Shi read Sun Chengzong's letter once more, carefully savoring the meaning within — Lord Sun wants me to take the initiative to lend Marshal Ma a hand, right? But he fears hurting Marshal Ma's pride... Hmm, judging by the tone and wording of this letter, perhaps Marshal Ma's pride has already been hurt. Ah, what should I do?

Huang Shi's troubles did not come solely from Liaoxi. Just two days before receiving Sun Chengzong's letter, a secret letter had also arrived from the Dongjiang headquarters. A confidant of Geng Zhongming had come by ship to Liaonan, personally bringing Geng Zhongming's offered goodwill.

In that secret letter, Geng Zhongming informed Huang Shi: Chen Jisheng had recently been wanting to launch an offensive, and had already sent two letters to Mao Wenlong for this purpose. Although both letters had been rejected by Mao Wenlong, the tone of Mao Wenlong's second letter seemed to show some signs of wavering. Chen Jisheng was currently writing a third letter. Geng Zhongming, as a friend and as a close friend of Kong Youde, reminded Huang Shi that he absolutely must not let Chen Jisheng steal the limelight. At the end of the letter, he also casually added a couple of lines, saying that the outside-system military officers of Dongjiang all greatly admired Huang Shi, feeling that he had brought honor to outside-system officers and made them feel proud and elated.

Mao Wenlong's adopted sons talking about outside-system military officers... Huang Shi's first reaction was to find it laughable. But when he calmed his mind and pondered it, he felt wave after wave of wild joy, because it showed that his influence was already great enough. At least a considerable number of Dongjiang officers were already watching and regarding him as Mao Wenlong's successor. For instance, this Geng Zhongming and Kong Youde had already placed their bets on him, Huang Shi.

Huang Shi gazed at the map for a long time, but what flowed before his eyes was Sun Chengzong's head of silver hair, and what echoed in his ears were the stories he had heard recently — those tales of utter human tragedy unfolding on the land of Liaodong.

——As long as I strike Fuzhou before Ma Shilong does, I should be able to draw more of the Later Jin's attention. That should help Ma Shilong, shouldn't it? A large-scale siege of Fuzhou would also throw another weight onto the scales in the minds of the Dongjiang fence-sitters… If Heaven has destined me to be a second Qi Jiguang, then I shall have to content myself with a marquisate.