Chapter 685: Each Has Their Own Plan

When Pan Yun held a meeting, everyone lost sleep.

Not only the heroes, but also Chang Wenzhuan, Guo Dashan, and others who had silently trailed the group were too agitated to sleep.

They were men under Commander Chen Wen, sent to guide Pan Yun.

Because only they could read sea charts and operate ocean vessels, everyone along the way treated them with special care.

They got priority for medical treatment, were protected during charges and ambushes, and sometimes had blades deflected for them.

Among so many people, losing one was no big deal—but if these three died, they'd never make it home.

Guo Dashan tossed and turned, unable to sleep; he wriggled over to Chang Wenzhuan and whispered, "The treasure's here… but what about the one at sea…?"

"Shut up!" Chang Wenzhuan clamped his hand over Guo's mouth, glanced cautiously outside, and hissed, "Do you want to die? Every hero here has ears sharper than a hawk's!"

The soldier beside them also whispered, "Talk about it when we get back."

But Guo Dashan was bursting to speak: "Master Pan took Ah Xin and the other five away—where did they even go…?"

Chang Wenzhuan said nothing—he already knew the answer.

Of our ten-person team, the most vital skill was sailing; Pan Yun gave one order and Wang Cong took Ah Xin and the other five away—clearly to sail.

Qiwēi Harbor isn't far from here—they probably went to Qiwēi Harbor…

Chang Wenzhuan's thoughts spiraled further; Guo Dashan remained lost in the fog of treasure.

He frowned in distress, thinking: If this treasure is the same one, then to claim it, we'd have to settle permanently in Wa country?

Sure, going home's hard even on that island—but at least it's our own land, full of compatriots who speak Han Chinese; here…

Guo Dashan didn't want to come here.

A temporary business trip was tolerable; permanent residence was out of the question.

But clearly, he had no say in the matter—he lay awake all night, exhausted by dawn.

The heroes also didn't sleep, but they were full of energy.

They vaguely understood Pan Yun's plan—she didn't forbid them from spreading the news after returning.

In fact, she might even hope they would.

If the imperial court isn't tempted, doesn't act, then let the capable take it…

A million taels of silver piled here—whether wandering heroes, merchants, nobles, or common folk, all would be tempted.

Not to mention the sea bandits.

They say Great Ming is awash in gold and silver; once this spreads, Wa country will be the land awash in gold and silver.

Rather than raiding fellow Han on land, drawing curses and scorn, and risking exposure that could doom your clan and neighbors, why not be bolder—come here to plunder?

Once the heroes grasped this, they looked at Pan Yun and thought: Her tactics are brilliant—and cruel.

"Once this spreads, the martial world will drown in bloodshed."

Zhang Weiyi sighed: "Even we can't resist being tempted—how much less others?"

He lowered his gaze, looking down at Zhang Weiliang propped up on the bed, and frowned: "What courage did you ever have to provoke her?"

Dazed, Zhang Weiliang snapped back, lifting his chin: "I at least fought her before."

Zhang Weiyi: "... Is that something to be proud of?"

Zhang Weiliang: "Of course."

Xue Hua: "Stop bickering—Yeda Shintai has arrived."

Yeda Shintai came to deliver Pan Yun's reply: the Yeda clan agreed to her terms—if they could deliver a sea vessel capable of carrying over two hundred liao within twenty days, they would immediately fund the construction of Onsen Jintinggang and grant half its usage rights to her.

Usage rights—not operational rights.

He showed her the planned harbor blueprint: the Yeda clan intended to build a port capable of mooring two sea vessels at once.

Tiny compared to those of the Uchimura clan, but for Onsen Jinting, it was a massive leap forward.

Currently, it could only accommodate fishing boats; sea vessels risked running aground if they came too close.

Pan Yun's eyes flickered; she agreed instantly, adding generously: "I can let you see the cargo first."

"Cargo?"

Two days later, they saw a sea vessel approaching Onsen Jinting from afar.

Watching Wang Cong waving from the deck, Yeda Shintai fell silent for a long while.

The sea vessel couldn't dock, so Wang Cong and others lowered a small boat, then leapt from the ship onto it and rowed laboriously toward shore.

Yeda Shintai kept feeling the ship looked familiar; he raised his telescope and examined it closely—sure enough, the Uchimura clan's emblem was painted on its side.

Yeda Shintai: "..."

He hesitated, asking: "This ship… did you steal it?"

Pan Yun: "No. Dainai Jiaohong gave it to us."

Yeda Shintai's gaze flickered—he now vaguely understood why Pan Yun had withdrawn without pressing her attack on Shankou Fortress.

Pan Yun: "Besides the ship, there's Qiwēi Harbor."

Yeda Shintai's eyes widened slightly: "Qiwēi Harbor?"

Pan Yun nodded, smiling lightly: "So, Master Yeda, I do have a docking port—Qiwēi Harbor is entirely mine. But to cooperate with you, I'd prefer to move goods through Onsen Jintinggang."

Yeda Shintai was deeply moved; back home, he told his father: "Pan Yun has taken Qiwēi Harbor, but she can't fully control it—once cargo leaves the port, its ownership may shift. It's safer to use our Onsen Jintinggang."

"No wonder she took Qiwēi Harbor yet still favors our Onsen Jinting," the elder Yeda said. "Indeed, acquiring something is not the same as owning it."

Yeda Shintai whispered: "Father, she's an outsider, with only a hundred or so slaves—most of them old, weak, or sick—she can't possibly manage Qiwēi Harbor. What if we partner with her to jointly manage it?"

"Aren't there many young men in her group with great wisdom and martial prowess?"

"I asked. Only a dozen stayed behind; the rest left with the ship."

The elder Yeda hurriedly asked: "And the ship…?"

"They sailed it away. It'll return at the latest in two months—by then, our port will be finished and ready to dock it."

In other words, they had to ship a cargo first, and once the port was built, the cargo could enter the port.

Old Masuda's gaze flickered slightly: "Can we send people to follow the ship?"

"I've already mentioned it to Pan Yun, using the pretext of inspecting whether the sea vessel is seaworthy. Pan Yun agreed. I plan to select ten disciples from the clan to follow the ship, and bring along some warriors, fifty people in total."

Old Masuda was slightly stunned: "She agreed to that many people?"

Masuda Nobuta paused, then said: "Yes."

"Truly, great skill breeds great boldness. I'm even more eager to meet this warrior who came from the Celestial Kingdom for revenge."

Masuda Nobuta said: "She's already agreed to come as a guest this evening. I want to sound her out tonight. If she agrees, then Nanao Port..."

Old Masuda felt a little uneasy inside: "This person's abilities are unfathomable. Scheming against her always leaves me feeling uneasy."

Masuda Nobuta: "Her martial strength is high, and she's extremely clever, but she's young. Most geniuses have one weakness—arrogance. Someone like that, once she agrees to cooperate once, there will be a second time. Father, when the time comes, we can slowly devour her!"

Pan Yun was also telling Xue Shao, Wang Cong, and others her plan: "Cooperating with the Masuda clan is to make them work for us, to devour the Ōuchi clan and the Yamana clan."

She said: "Masuda Nobuta is a clever man, clever and ambitious. This means he won't submit to Yamana Mochitoyo.

We are outsiders in Japan, naturally viewed with hostility and wariness, and we have very few people we can use. Winning hearts takes time..."

Pan Yun smiled slightly: "Since the Masuda clan is willing to cooperate with us and needs to rely on us in certain matters, there is no more suitable partner than them."

Wang Cong scratched his head: "What if we have conflicts and clashes with them..."

"Focus on the big picture, let the small things go," Pan Yun said. "Don't let go of major matters, but on small ones, yield where you can. Let them deal with the Ōuchi clan and the local powerful families."

Xue Shao added: "Nanao Port is nominally ours, but managing the port requires manpower, and we don't have that many people at present. Although Ōuchi Dainai Jiaohong has agreed that the Ōuchi clan absolutely won't make a move to seize Nanao Port, besides him there are the local powerful families, and even those ronin won't let us take over Nanao Port smoothly. Hand it to the Masuda clan, let them subdue Nanao Port for us. We just need to stay hidden behind the scenes and hold onto one thread."

Wang Cong: "What thread?"

Xue Shao: "The cargo going in and out of the port can be exempt from inspection."

Pan Yun: "Once the imperial court sends people to take over, or people come from the homeland, they'll slowly take back the rights."

As for the intelligence and ability of her compatriots, Pan Yun never doubted them.

As long as they were willing to put in effort, she didn't think the Masuda clan could outfight them.

Xue Shao thought the same.

So they unanimously decided not to tightly grasp port authority, and to give up some interests.

Qu Le felt a pang of heartache: "We're just ceding half the rights of our port like this?"

Pan Yun was uncommonly amiable: "You have to give up something to gain something! I have a premonition we'll have a great harvest."

Qu Le muttered: "Sounds so confident, but whether the imperial court is willing to send people over is still uncertain..."

Pan Yun shot him a glance and snapped: "Shut your crow's mouth!"

Qu Le stuck out his neck and said: "I'm not wrong. The civil and military officials in court are very lofty and pure—such unjust matters they mostly won't do."

Pan Yun nearly jumped in fury: "What unjust matter? We are resisting the Japanese pirates. Japan lets the Japanese pirates raid our coastal areas, causing our Great Ming to ban seafaring for decades. What's wrong with our court sending envoys to come and question them?"

The moment Qu Le opened his mouth, Zhang Weiyi, quick as a flash, snatched up a steamed bun and stuffed it in his mouth: "Shut your mouth!"

Pan Yun rose with a cold face: "Tonight we go to the Masuda house as guests. Xue Shao, Wang Cong, Zhang Weiyi, Gao Zhiming, Chen Liutao, and Qu Zhixing will accompany me."

Having said that, she turned and left.

The others rose and saw her off with their eyes.

Once she had gone far away, Zhang Weiyi frowned at Qu Le: "What are you doing provoking her for no reason?"

Qu Le: "Am I not just speaking the truth? Dare you swear you came not for the silver mine, but for great righteousness?"

Everyone fell silent.

Xue Shao laughed and said: "It's both for profit and for righteousness. Most things in the world can only be one or the other, which fills people with helplessness. Yet Daoist Pan has united profit and righteousness for everyone—this is a great thing. Why must Young Hero Qu insist people give up one of them?

Having the best of both worlds—wouldn't that be even better?"

Gao Zhiming instantly came back to himself and nodded repeatedly: "Right, right, having the best of both worlds—isn't that better?"

Wang Cong muttered: "Truly suffering for no reason."

Qu Le:...

His eyes went wide, his face blank: Could it be that I'm really suffering for no reason? (End of chapter)