Chapter 758

The shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa had just been installed, and last year his same mother's elder brother, Ashikaga Yoshikatsu, who had ruled for less than two years, died of illness at the age of nine.

Afterward, the position of shogun remained vacant, and the various guardian daimyo and kanrei nearly fought each other to the point of defecating blood.

One reason the Uesugi clan fell so quickly under Pan Yun's alliance with the Yamana clan was that he had stationed his chief strategists and main forces in the capital.

Pan Yun acted too swiftly; his men had no time to reinforce.

Oh, I forgot to mention—Ashikaga Yoshimasa had barely become shogun when, shortly after Pan Yun shattered the Uesugi and Uesugi Hiromi "died of illness," he was formally enthroned.

The nine-year-old Ashikaga Yoshimasa had an instinct: if he wished to survive, he must cling tightly to this opportunity, for the suzerain state favored him.

So, before the Kanrei like Oda could speak, he directly agreed to Yang Shan.

Yang Shan's lips curled slightly; after this test, he had found his ally.

While Pan Yun and the others holed up in the mountains continuing their research on the silver refining production line, news from the capital had already raced to Masuda's home in Onsen Jintinggang.

The shogun's decree: to strengthen ties with the suzerain state, the envoy of the superior nation is hereby permitted to establish an Imperial Envoy Office in Sakai Port and Onsen Jintinggang, as many Han people gather in the Onsen Jintinggang region, and these Han people have contributed to the stability of the border between the two nations—Japan must comfort them.

The shogun has decided to designate Omori Village as a Han village, to soothe the homeland longing of the superior nation's people.

Masuda Shintaro heard this and leapt to his feet: "What exactly is in Omori Village that they're going to such elaborate lengths to seize?"

The Masuda clan head hesitated: "Perhaps you're overthinking it—the superior nation may truly just want to open maritime trade and is using this place as a base."

"Impossible!" Masuda Shintaro said. "If it were Pan Yun, I'd believe it—she's just one person—but the Great Ming..."

"The Great Ming is the superior nation. An angel from the superior nation has already been granted permission to establish an Imperial Envoy Office in Sakai Port—how could they establish another one in Onsen Jintinggang?" he said. "What is Sakai Port? It is one of Japan's largest seaports, the designated port for the kan'i trade approved by the shogunate."

If Sakai Port already exists, why would they even care about Onsen Jintinggang?

There must be something in Omori Village that drew so many people.

Masuda Shintaro felt as if a cat were scratching inside his chest: "Has no one we sent out found anything?"

The man beside him said: "They can only reach the villages at the foot of the mountain; once they enter the mountains, they're spotted—but they can hear constant clanging sounds from within, and occasionally the boom of gunpowder blasting rock. When asked, they say they're building a Daoist temple and quarrying stone to lay roads."

The man paused, then added: "Our own men are also blasting through the mountains to clear paths, Master Masuda. The gunpowder they sell us is extremely effective—if used on warships, it could rival the Uesugi fleet's escort vessels."

Masuda Shintaro: "That gunpowder deteriorates too easily at sea—it's not as reliable as on land—but we might use this as a basis to research cannonballs."

"Have you managed to reverse-engineer the gunpowder formula yet?"

"No. Every time, they just deliver it directly to the road. We asked to visit their gunpowder refining workshop, but they refused."

Kuang Ping also praised Miao Zhen's gunpowder: "It's safer and more stable than the gunpowder our Ministry of Works produces. How did you develop your formula?"

Miao Zhen: "The gunpowder formula is nothing difficult for Daoist Priests—it's practically public knowledge. The only differences lie in the proportions and ingredients, depending on the purpose. We just blew up a few furnaces and figured it out."

Kuang Ping opened his mouth but hesitated.

Pan Yun, seeing his hesitation, casually asked: "Does your Ministry of Works want the formula?"

Kuang Ping said: "Our Ministry has several formulas we've improved—some are more powerful but unstable; others are stable but far weaker. This one has consistent performance—even when workers accidentally dropped or smashed it, it didn't detonate. I believe it's ideal for torpedoes and Divine Machine Cannons."

Pan Yun became interested: "Divine Machine Cannon?"

"Yes. It's a new cannon jointly developed by our Ministry of Works and Ministry of War. It fires once every thirty breaths, with a direct range of sixty to sixty-five zhang—but it's extremely unstable. In rainy weather, it often misfires; if transported roughly, it can detonate, causing heavy casualties."

Pan Yun sized up Kuang Ping: "You're researching cannons in the Ministry of Works?"

Kuang Ping smiled faintly: "I don't just research cannons—I've also contributed to the development of fire lances, thunder cannons, and the Hundred Beads Continuous Fire Gun. Since these weapons demand extremely strict materials, I've also studied metallurgy..."

Pan Yun's face turned green: "Why did the imperial court send you here?"

"What?" Kuang Ping was bewildered, not understanding why she suddenly grew angry.

Pan Yun: "Someone with your talent should be protected, given space to focus entirely on materials and cannons. Why did they send you to Japan?"

Is Japan some kind of paradise?

Not to mention the current ambiguous relations between the two nations, which could erupt into chaos and death at any moment—just the vast sea crossing alone, plus the risk of unfamiliar climate and illness in a foreign land, could kill you.

The imperial court sent Kuang Ping, such a vital person, here.

Pan Yun was furious.

Kuang Ping, however, paused, then laughed, soothing her: "To come here and refine silver for Your Majesty is a blessing for this humble servant—it shows the court trusts me and deems me loyal."

Pan Yun stared at him.

A warm current flowed through Kuang Ping's heart; though still embarrassed, he found the courage to speak: "Master Pan, could I see the gunpowder formula? I'm willing to pay, though I have little money—but if I succeed in my research, I will surely petition the court to grant you credit."

Pan Yun waved her hand: "This gunpowder formula isn't mine—it belongs to my disciple-niece, Miao Zhen. Ask her."

Miao Zhen nodded directly: "Fine. No need for money. As for credit—if you're willing, please assign the credit to my master, Xia Guanzheng of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau."

Kuang Ping happily agreed.

Wonderful—he could continue researching cannons here. What a stroke of luck.

Pan Yun thought this was a misfortune for the Great Ming.

She cursed the dog emperor in her heart, then copied a stack of documents Pan Xiaohei had dug up, and her mood improved slightly.

Pan Xiaohei: "... So much stuff. How long are you going to copy?"

"These are all crystallizations of past wisdom. I'm copying ready-made material—why should I complain about the volume or the time?" Pan Yun said. "By the way, find more documents on cannon and firearm manufacturing, and their materials and component production."

Pan Xiaohei: "Are you also planning to find blueprints for machine tools?"

"Huh? Didn't you look for those?"

Pan Xiaohei:...

Pan Yun: "With the craftsmanship and material technology of the Great Ming's artisans today, they could easily produce cannons with greater power and more portable firearms. I think their slow technological progress is simply because they use these weapons too little."

Pan Xiaohei: "You're being a bit ruthless. Don't forget—you're cultivating virtue. Getting involved in military affairs like this will cost you virtue."

Pan Yun agreed: "I know, I know. I'm just giving the spark. Whether they can build it, and what kind of result they get, depends entirely on Kuang Ping and his team." Pan Xiaohei had no choice but to keep helping her find documents.

As the sun set, Xue Shao entered with several official documents: "I've compiled the totals. Including today's refined silver, we now have enough for two hundred thousand taels. The new production line is stable and efficient. Now, the miners are extracting ore slower than we can refine it—and winter is coming; sea travel will soon become inconvenient."

Pan Yun put down her brush and pondered: "Is the Great Ming's envoy still in the capital?"

Xue Shao said: "That's exactly what I wanted to tell you. Rumor has it they've departed for Sakai Port to return home. Should we catch up with them and travel with them?"

Pan Yun thought for a moment, then nodded: "Good. Our ship needs imperial escort to sail back."

Two hundred thousand taels of silver — that was no small sum.

Wang Cong began arranging for men to orderly transport silver bricks onto the ships at Onsen Jintinggang.

To this end, he spent money buying quite a few local specialty goods, hiding the silver beneath them, and shipping them aboard crate by crate.

Seeing this, the other factions all hastened their mining pace, striving to keep Wang Cong's and the imperial court's several silver-refining production lines from ever stopping.

After all, the more ore they mined, the more money they would get in the final split.

When the final accounts were settled, Xue Shao's books showed well over two hundred thousand taels. According to their original agreement, after distributing the silver to the various parties who had delivered ore, the remainder was recorded by Xue Shao in the public accounts for Kuang Ping and Wang Cong to use as expenses for the mine.

Wang Cong also received a sizable share; he kept none of it for himself, distributing it directly to Song Dalin and the others.

Then he went to find Kuang Ping and said with a smile: "My junior martial uncle's agreement with the imperial court has been fulfilled. This first ship's silver will all be transported back and handed over to the imperial court. From now on, we each refine our own, and have nothing to do with each other."

Kuang Ping's expression grew solemn — he knew that from here on, they had to rely entirely on themselves.

Song Dalin received forty-eight taels of silver, of which twenty-four taels were wages. His monthly wage was six taels, but there was an additional one tael of high-heat subsidy and one tael of homesickness subsidy, so he actually received eight taels a month.

They had been here working for three months and had been paid three months' wages; the remaining twenty-four taels were a reward from Wang Cong.

In Wang Cong's words: "We have only this handful of people, the furnaces are newly built, everything is new. Everyone was able to complete the imperial court's task within three months in such difficult times — they deserve reward!"

"After this, when we refine silver, it will be for ourselves. From now on, your base wages stay the same, but we'll add profit-sharing, calculated based on each quarter's total silver refined and each individual's contribution."

He declared loudly: "I know that all of you followed my junior martial uncle across mountains and seas to a foreign land for the sake of earning money, for the sake of living well! Since I have taken you over from my junior martial uncle, I will uphold the promise she made — to share hardship with you all, and to share prosperity!"

Song Dalin and the others clutched the cold silver against their chests, yet their hearts burned hot; they gripped their fists and answered loudly: "Share hardship! Share prosperity!"

A mountain ridge away, Kuang Ping stood on a hilltop gazing into the distance. Hearing the faint sound of cheering, he could not help sighing: "If the imperial court does not send a great army, I'm afraid we cannot snatch this silver mountain from Wang Cong."

The Embroidered Uniform Guard beside him felt he was overthinking, and said: "Once this ship of silver is shipped out, the Japanese here will notice before long. Rather than worrying about Wang Cong, we'd better worry about these Japanese."

Kuang Ping said: "The Muromachi shogunate has already given us Omori Township as a Chinese settlement."

The Embroidered Uniform Guard said: "My lord, the shogunate's general cannot dictate to the local daimyo. Not to mention this chaotic Japan — even in our Great Ming, isn't it the same as a strong dragon not suppressing a local serpent? Otherwise, why would the unauthorized mining of silver ores in Jiangxi, Zhejiang, and Fujian be banned repeatedly yet never stopped?"

Kuang Ping fell silent.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard said: "Pan Yun presented this silver mountain to the imperial court, then turned around and had her martial nephew open the silver mine for excavation — she had calculated that we could not monopolize it. Including those men of the jianghu, everyone is digging with the mentality of mining for as long as they can."

So although there was competition among them, they were very united, because beyond them lay even stronger opponents.

Pan Yun had calculated this point to death, and Wang Cong knew it too. That was why he could confidently hand over the silver mine matters to Song Dalin and Wang Xiaojing, and then follow part of the imperial court's forces to escort the silver back.

Pan Yun and her group, meanwhile, were in no hurry to leave — after all, they could fly back.

But they could not stay away too long either, because they had to protect the sea ships.

Whether the maritime ban could be lifted hinged critically on this silver.

Only when the Emperor and the imperial court saw the profits of this silver mountain would they be willing to take that step.

This time two ships returned; as usual, Pan Yun left one ship behind for the people in Japan.

It was also because of this ship that many men of the jianghu decided to stay and mine; only a very small number took their share of money and went back with Wang Cong.

Xue Hua and Zhang Weiliang played rock-paper-scissors, and in the end Xue Hua got to return to the country, while Zhang Weiliang stayed to spread the faith.

That's right — their two tasks had nothing whatsoever to do with mining silver. When Pan Yun came, she had brought a letter from the Academy.

The Master had given orders, commanding them to stay in Japan and spread the gospel of the Three Pure Ones.

Zhang Weiliang was quite puzzled — why on earth were they spreading this?

Did their Daoist school lack believers?

Weren't they supposed to go with fate?

The Dao is not to be passed beyond six ears — how could they spread it to all and sundry?

During this period he had also come into contact with quite a few Japanese, and he felt they had no immortal affinity at all — there was absolutely no need to preach here.

But he was very far from Long Hushan, and even if he wrote out everything in his belly, a letter would take a very, very long time to get back.

It would have to wait for Pan Yun to fly back and carry it, then be sent via the post office in Quanzhou to Long Hushan.

Yet Pan Yun had recently been obsessed with researching the silver-refining production line, and had only gone back three times in total.

All his hopes rested on this return trip, and in the end he lost the finger-guessing game.

Zhang Weiliang stood at the harbor, watching them leave forlornly.

Tao Yanbai stood behind him, patted his shoulder sympathetically and said: "Don't be sad. Given our eldest martial brother's money-loving nature, it won't be long before he comes back, and then you can take the next ship home."

Zhang Weiliang said expressionlessly: "Five months ago when you all left, you said the same thing — that I was injured, and once I healed I'd take the next ship back. So how about now?"

Tao Yanbai looked a little embarrassed and withdrew his hand: "We didn't expect the Academy to make such arrangements either."

Zhang Weiliang snorted: "You may not have known, but Pan Yun certainly did. This Daoist temple is what she wanted to build, so she must have known about leaving someone here to preach — maybe she was even the one who proposed it."

Tao Yanbai fell silent, because this matter really had been proposed by Pan Yun.

Zhang Weiliang took one look at his face and knew, gritting his teeth: "She's abusing her power for personal revenge!"

(End of chapter)