Chapter 632: Going Ashore

Zhang Weiliang was even more direct: "These people are old, weak, or children—what use are they? They wouldn't even last one slash from the Uchimura clan."

Pan Yun: "Who told you to use them as shields? I'd never sacrifice them, even if you would."

She looked up at the captives on deck—those elderly men, once pirates, now too old and frail to have saved any wealth, forced to stay on the island;

others captured and enslaved as oarsmen, kept on the island against their will;

as for the women, they were either bought by pirates and brought to the island, or simply seized by force.

Among them, eight were from Korea, eleven from Ryukyu.

All were taken from villages sacked by Japanese pirates.

They had all borne children, with no chance of returning home, so when Pan Yun brought them aboard, they hoped either to find their husbands' homes using the little information they had, or to become slaves in Japan.

But no one loves those who force them, even after being forced to bear children.

It was all just to survive.

After seeing Pan Yun's integrity, they decided to stay.

"Whether old, women, or children, they're either Japanese or have lived among them for a long time—in Japan, they have natural advantages."

Pan Yun turned her gaze away: "We're newcomers; what we lack most is information—about this country, all kinds of information."

Zhang Weiyi: "You plan to use them as spies?"

"Can't I?" Pan Yun tilted her head at him.

Zhang Weiyi frowned: "The abducted women might be fine, but will the others be loyal to us?"

"Loyalty is cultivated through interest," Pan Yun said. "I'm not so arrogant as to expect loyalty from empty words. As long as they're enticed by the benefits I offer and are willing to work for me, that's enough."

Wang Cong couldn't help saying: "Thank heaven we raided the three Benshan families—otherwise, even if we sold every last bit of cargo, we couldn't afford to feed so many."

Everyone turned to look at Pan Yun.

Pan Yun sat up straight at once, protesting: "What are you thinking? Before we made landfall, I had no intention of raiding—I was defending myself!"

Hu Jing was skeptical; his image of her had long turned into that of a cunning schemer: "But you must've already planned how to use them before you brought them aboard, right?"

"That part I did plan," Pan Yun said solemnly. "But raiding—pfft—was a spur-of-the-moment decision, not premeditated. As for feeding them… money isn't an issue for me."

"Pan Daochang is truly formidable—treating gold as dirt, yet finding it no problem to feed so many."

"Of course it's no problem," Pan Yun said. "We're here to avenge the Uchimura clan—do you think the Uchimura clan has no money? Did I foresee before boarding that Kōchi would have these three fools—Benshan Yousun—abandoning good business to raid me?"

Pan Yun shook her finger at them: "Gentlemen, though I am no saint, I am no villain either—how could I commit acts against the Dao? It was all out of necessity."

Everyone listened, recalled carefully, and realized it was true—Pan Yun never struck first, always responding after others moved.

Whether in combat or strategy, it was always so.

Outside, shouts rang out. Qu Le rushed in: "They say we're approaching the checkpoint."

This was the third checkpoint—and the last.

Beyond this checkpoint, we'd reach the west coast of Honshu, near Izumo Province in Shimane Prefecture.

Yi Jianren said his family knew a small fishing port, unused by the Uchimura clan, where we could land.

Shimane Prefecture was split into two spheres of influence: the west, Izumo Province, controlled by the guardian daimyo Kikuchi clan;

the east, Iwami Province, controlled by the guardian daimyo Uchimura clan.

Landing in Izumo Province meant we'd be outside Uchimura territory.

"But these past two years, the Uchimura clan has gained greater influence in the shogunate, repeatedly seizing Kikuchi lands—several ports now have Uchimura presence, so we must be cautious," Yi Jianren explained to Pan Yun why they'd chosen the small port.

"So after landing, we can avoid Uchimura spies?" Pan Yun asked.

Yi Jianren said: "Seventy percent certainty."

He explained: "For years, maritime trade has been monopolized by the Uchimura clan—especially last year and this year. For some reason, since spring last year, they've sent out large forces to seize coastal ports and villages. Land checkpoints have been left unguarded, growing lax. My family started our land route last year—once you cross from Shikoku to Honshu, you can travel overland for trade."

Pan Yun: "We don't have your household registration or travel permits?"

Yi Jianren shrugged: "Even our own people often lack identity papers—because of war, people are driven from one place to another tomorrow. Who bothers checking?"

Fearing she thought him insincere, Yi Jianren hurried on: "Even if someone checks, it's no problem—I can provide you with documents."

Japan had no strict household registration or travel permit system like Great Ming. Checkpoints were mostly set up by local guardian daimyos, powerful clans, or temples.

For example, the port where Pan Yun docked in Kōchi was seized by the Benshan family—she only needed their permission to land.

All checkpoints along the way were established by daimyos, and Uchimura men blended into them.

Every coin collected, the Uchimura clan took a cut.

"This port is a wild port," Yi Jianren said. "For foreign ships, we just pay a passage fee to the local clan. If we meet a checkpoint along the way, we can simply pay for a pass or handform—it's easy. As long as you have money, you can pass."

Pan Yun murmured: "No wonder Third Master and Fourth Sister could roam Japan freely—they can't even catch a shadow of them…"

The ship reached shore.

People surged toward them from all sides.

They were ragged, mostly wearing short sleeves and shorts—so the three men in long sleeves and long pants stood out sharply, even though their clothes were patched over patches.

Yi Jianren looked at Pan Yun.

Pan Yun gave him a slight nod.

He stepped forward, waved in Japanese, and ordered the crowd to line up.

The three long-sleeved men pushed through the crowd and approached, raising their heads to negotiate with Yi Jianren.

With Japanese heavily accented, Pan Yun understood only seventy percent; the remaining thirty percent, combined with their gestures and context, she deduced instantly.

Xue Shao had quietly come to her side and whispered: "They're too poor to buy any of our goods—we must take the cargo with us."

Pan Yun nodded slightly: "We must leave the ship here. We don't know if we'll seize a large vessel from the Uchimura clan later, so we need a fallback. What if we use marble bricks as deposit?"

Xue Shao raised his eyes to look at her; their gazes met, and an unspoken smile flickered in both.

Xue Shao nodded: "Good idea."

Pan Yun chuckled.

(End of chapter)