Chapter 1580: Can We Win?

"You really are a true merchant." Matsuura Takanobu, seeing him so utterly audacious, actually felt a measure of admiration. "Aren't you afraid of being punished by the shogunate for violating the ban?"

"If the domain lord didn't want to trade with us, he probably wouldn't have agreed to meet us, would he?" Zhou Pu immediately countered. "If your domain doesn't want to import our goods, then naturally you'll need to export goods to us. Right now, copper is the most profitable, so we wish to import copper from you, domain lord. Once this business opportunity passes, we'll purchase other goods."

"You want to maintain long-term trade with us?" Matsuura Takanobu frowned slightly, looking somewhat puzzled.

"If the domain lord agrees, we are willing to maintain ongoing trade with your domain." Zhou Pu answered at once. "Nagasaki is fine, but after all, it's under the direct control of the shogunate, which makes things somewhat inconvenient at times, and we must rely on other channels."

"You… are merchants with special connections?" Matsuura Takanobu's expression grew more solemn as he stared intently at Zhou Pu. "Do you also have connections in the Great Han?"

"You could say we do, in a manner of speaking." Zhou Pu was noncommittal. "If the domain lord is willing to do this first deal with us, I imagine we'll have many more opportunities to cooperate in the future."

Then, the room suddenly fell into silence. Matsuura Takanobu closed his eyes, as if pondering some matter of great importance.

"Very well… I can help you find copper and help you export it from Hirado Port." After a long while, he abruptly reopened his eyes and looked at Zhou Pu. "But correspondingly, to sustain this trade, you must also import a certain type of goods to us."

"Domain lord… you wish to import goods from us?" Zhou Pu was taken aback. Hadn't the domain lord just said he didn't want to import goods from the Great Han? Why the sudden change of tune?

"Indeed, I do wish to purchase goods from you." Matsuura Takanobu remained impassive. "And it's a type of goods that only a merchant with connections like yours can deal in."

"What does the domain lord mean?" Zhou Pu was still thoroughly baffled.

"Your Great Han firelocks are astonishingly powerful, finely crafted, and highly accurate." Matsuura Takanobu spoke in an extremely steady tone. "I wish to import a batch of firelocks from you, with the cost deducted from the copper."

"What?" Zhou Pu was even more astonished. "The domain lord wants firelocks… but those are goods the shogunate forbids ordinary daimyo from importing, aren't they?"

The Great Han's firearms were exceptionally fine, and because of their high output and short shipping distance, their price was also very cheap compared to Western firearms, making them a commodity the whole of Japan scrambled for. However, to prevent regional daimyo from using them to grow too powerful, the shogunate strictly forbade daimyo from importing firearms. Zhou Pu had not expected that Matsuura Takanobu, who had just moments ago taken the shogunate's ban so seriously, would turn right around and ask him for weapons.

"Yes, I want firelocks." Matsuura Takanobu remained as impassive as ever. "You are all merchants from the Central Plains. You come to Japan for money; surely you don't have that many scruples."

"As for scruples, we do have some, admittedly. However… if the domain lord absolutely requires them, it's not that we couldn't find a way." After a moment, Zhou Pu answered hesitantly, as if deeply concerned. "But the quantity won't be large, and it will take some time. After all, we need time to make the arrangements."

Though he appeared deeply troubled on the surface, inside he was already overjoyed. He hadn't expected this visit to go even more smoothly than anticipated. Matsuura Takanobu had agreed to cooperate in smuggling copper and even wanted to import Great Han firearms, showing he had no deep-seated fear of the shogunate. When the time came to incite them to oppose the shogunate alongside the Shimazu clan, it should be very promising.

"Very well, then I shall wait to see your sincerity." Matsuura Takanobu abruptly stood up. "But you must first give us a deposit. We cannot work for nothing."

"As for the deposit, we will deliver it to your domain very soon." Zhou Pu answered immediately.

"Good, then go back and prepare the deposit." Matsuura Takanobu rose from the dais, then left the room without a backward glance.

…………………………

In the late afternoon twilight, Zhou Pu and his party left the tenshu of Hirado Castle and boarded the Dutch merchant ship once more, preparing to return to Nagasaki.

"I wonder why you were so courteous to the Matsuura clan?" Just as they were about to arrive back in Nagasaki, Tōgō Shigekata, who had been at Zhou Pu's side, could not help but ask. "The Matsuura are nothing more than a small domain with few samurai in their territory. Even if they joined our side, they wouldn't be of much help in the end. By establishing a line with them, you are only needlessly increasing the risks we face."

"Kyushu is a vast region. Although your domain is powerful, it cannot guarantee swift control of the entire island. To accomplish the mission, I need to find some additional helpers. This benefits both of us." Zhou Pu answered him politely. "Though the Matsuura clan is not strong, they have been entrenched in Kyushu for many years. If we can borrow their strength, it will be an aid in pacifying Kyushu. Besides, the Matsuura clan harbors deep enmity toward the shogunate. With proper guidance, they will surely be happy to cooperate with us — judging by the results of today's visit, our trip was worthwhile. They do indeed have other ambitions."

He knew that although this Tōgō Shigekata was nominally assigned by Shimazu Yoshihiro to protect him, in reality he also bore the task of surveillance. Anything he said to the man could be reported back to Shimazu Yoshihiro himself, affecting the cooperation between the two sides. For this reason, he had always treated this sword-mastery-proficient retainer with great respect, never regarding him as a subordinate.

At the same time, his active pursuit of contacts with other powerful clans in Kyushu was also to avoid over-reliance on the Shimazu clan. If, after the Great Han invaded Kyushu, only the Shimazu clan was usable, that would not be a good thing for the Great Han, nor for himself. He had to find some people to rely on, or rather to support, and use them to weaken the Shimazu clan's influence, both now and in the future.

"The Matsuura clan having other ambitions may not be a good thing for us, my lord." Tōgō Shigekata's face remained stern; he was clearly still not convinced by Zhou Pu. "If you truly intend to bring the Matsuura in as well, how do you plan to reward them afterward? Kyushu is not that large."

During Zhou Pu's secret talks with Shimazu Yoshihiro, the condition he had offered Shimazu Yoshihiro was that after the Great Han pacified the shogunate, the entire island of Kyushu, except for Nagasaki, would be granted to the Shimazu clan. It was precisely for this enticing condition that the Shimazu family had thrown themselves into it without hesitation, becoming the vanguard that invited the wolf into the house. Given their position, they were naturally unwilling for other powerful Kyushu clans to also participate and carve up the island they already regarded as their prize — they even wanted to take the Matsuura clan's territory.

Zhou Pu could of course see through the young man's thoughts. To ease the atmosphere, he smiled slightly. "You need not worry. We of the Great Han honor our word and keep our promises; we will not go back on the terms we've stated. Even if the Matsuura clan joins in, the territory previously promised to your domain will absolutely not be reduced."

"What do you mean by this?" Tōgō Shigekata was even more confused.

"If the Matsuura clan truly participates in our great enterprise of overthrowing the shogunate, then naturally they will be meritorious subjects. Meritorious subjects require rewards, but those rewards need not necessarily be given in Kyushu. After the war, if the Matsuura clan has rendered meritorious service, your nation's imperial court can grant them a new fief elsewhere… Other powerful clans and daimyo who aid the Great Han can also be handled in this manner. Only then will more and more people rally to us and oppose the shogunate, isn't that so?"

Tōgō Shigekata pondered in silence for a moment, and finally nodded slightly, asking no further questions. After the shogunate took power, the transfer and reassignment of daimyo across regions had been very frequent; many powerful daimyo had their domains moved. So the method Zhou Pu described did not seem unreasonable to him. If the Matsuura clan were relocated elsewhere after the war, even with an enlarged fief, they would no longer have any negative impact on the Shimazu clan's Kyushu island.

"We are deeply grateful that you have kept the previous promise in mind." Just then, Jiang Xiamingxian, who was nearby, also spoke up. "The batch of firearms you sent over earlier has been received by the domain lord, and he is very satisfied with the quality. They are indeed fine products of Great Han craftsmanship. However… the domain lord feels the quantity is too small and wishes for you to send another supplementary batch as soon as possible."

After the two sides reached a tacit understanding, Zhou Pu, at Shimazu Yoshihiro's request and through people like Jiang Xiamingxian, had secretly transported a batch of weapons currently stored at the Great Han trade house to Shimazu Yoshihiro. After testing these weapons, Shimazu Yoshihiro was very pleased and equipped his most trusted unit of household samurai with them. However, to continue expanding his army, he wanted even more weapons from Zhou Pu.

"Transporting weapons is extremely difficult. We have already given the majority of the trade house's stored weapons to your domain, and we need to wait some time before we can ship another batch to you." Zhou Pu gently shook his head. "Please ask the domain lord to wait just a little longer."

In truth, Great Han merchant ships had been smuggling large quantities of weapons into the Nagasaki trade house all along, and there was already a considerable stockpile inside. But Zhou Pu did not want to give all the weapons currently in the trade house to them just yet, so he made an excuse to delay.

"Time is precious. Please, my lord, you must get the weapons here as quickly as possible." Jiang Xiamingxian accepted Zhou Pu's explanation but continued to press him. "The current weapons are too few, not even enough to fully arm the domain lord's personal retinue. The domain lord is about to purge the opposition forces within the domain. Without the weapons you've sent, it may be delayed for a long time."

Before rising in revolt to aid the Great Han's advance into Kyushu, Shimazu Yoshihiro wanted to suddenly raise troops to purge his own opposition within Satsuma Domain. This was now imminent, so he had prioritized supplying the weapons he received from the Great Han trade house to his trusted personal followers, ready to strike at any moment.

"I understand. I will urge them as soon as I return." Zhou Pu nodded. "I wonder, how many troops can your domain ultimately mobilize?"

The question Zhou Pu asked struck directly at the heart of the matter, so Tōgō Shigekata hesitated slightly before answering.

"That depends on how smoothly the domain lord's purge of the opposition within the domain goes. After all, if we don't first achieve unity of purpose from top to bottom, we cannot fully prepare for war, or else we would alert the shogunate prematurely and invite unnecessary trouble." He seemed unwilling to show weakness in front of Zhou Pu, so he spoke quickly. "If all goes well and the domain lord succeeds in purging the rebels, we should be able to muster around three to four thousand men by summer."

"If all goes well, you can still only muster three to four thousand men?" Zhou Pu asked back, somewhat astonished. "Why so few?"

He was indeed rather puzzled. Shimazu Yoshihiro nominally possessed a fief with a assessed yield of nearly seven hundred thousand koku, and a population of at least several hundred thousand. Why could he only field so few men when undertaking such a major endeavor?

"Troops are valued for quality, not quantity. War relies on elite soldiers, not just piling up numbers. I'm sure you understand this, Sir Zhou." Tōgō Shigekata's expression was somewhat awkward. "During the Warring States period, the Shimazu clan fought for many years and accumulated many veteran retainers and samurai rich in war experience and years of leading troops, who could each command their own men and finally combine into a single army. Now, Japan has been at peace for many years. Most of the old generals have passed away, and hindered by the shogunate's regulations, we cannot conduct large-scale military training. Thus, on short notice, we cannot produce enough samurai to lead the troops. If we were given a year or two, we might be able to organize twenty to thirty thousand men, but between now and summer, organizing three to four thousand is already very difficult. If we conscript peasants and arbitrarily form an army, we could certainly make up the numbers, but what use would such an army be?"

"So that's how it is… I understand." Zhou Pu nodded, accepting this seemingly reasonable explanation. "Your domain should hurry with preparations. The more troops you can muster when the time comes, the better."

In fact, there was another important piece of information Tōgō Shigekata did not disclose to him. During land surveys, Satsuma Domain claimed a kokudaka of seven hundred thousand koku, but the actual output was probably only three to four hundred thousand. Because Satsuma Domain bordered the sea, it frequently suffered from natural disasters, and with more rainfall than other areas, its agriculture was underdeveloped. The population it could support was far smaller than it appeared. He was unwilling to reveal the domain's internal hardships to Zhou Pu.

"We will certainly do our utmost to prepare. After all, our lives and fortunes are at stake." At this point, Jiang Xiamingxian also spoke. "But if only we do our utmost, the great enterprise will ultimately fail. In the end, it still depends on the outcome of the war between the Great Han and the shogunate. If the Great Han cannot defeat the shogunate in one stroke, then wouldn't all our efforts be in vain…"

He was a descendant of naturalized Ming citizens; three generations of his family had served in Satsuma Domain, and he had long since regarded himself as Japanese. So speaking these words did not feel at all improper to him.

"Why do you say that?" Zhou Pu faintly sensed that the other party seemed to have an ulterior meaning.

"Sir Zhou, to be frank, we recently received a piece of news, rather bad news." Jiang Xiamingxian kept his eyes fixed on Zhou Pu. "The shogunate's shogun, Tokugawa Iemitsu, plans to march his troops up to the capital next year. They are already mobilizing soldiers within the Tenryō, and are expected to concentrate a large force within a few months. Although this is not because they have discovered our plot, in terms of the outcome, it brings us great trouble as well…"

"What? Such a thing is happening?" Zhou Pu's eyes widened slightly in shock.

"My lord, we would not joke with you." Jiang Xiamingxian answered, weighing each word.

No wonder these two retainers of the Shimazu family had seemed so strange today. So they had received such bad news and their hearts were wavering.

Tokugawa Iemitsu wanted to march troops up to the capital to demonstrate his might to the imperial court and all the daimyo of western Japan. And from the tone of these two men, it was likely to be an all-out mobilization, at least of a sufficiently intimidating scale. It was foreseeable that when the Great Han advanced on Kyushu and Honshu, the shogunate would have already assembled a large army in advance. Whether they marched toward Kyoto and Kyushu or defended their strongholds in Edo and Sekigahara, it would bring greater trouble to the Great Han's forces. Especially since the army the imperial court had dispatched this time was only a single brigade…

This bad news must be relayed to the imperial court immediately so they could find a way to respond as soon as possible.

For an instant, his mind raced, and he was actually unable to speak.

But he quickly noticed that the two men beside him were both secretly observing him, and their eyes flickered somewhat.

Not good, I absolutely must not show any fear! He thought to himself.

The Shimazu family was not yet fully entangled in this affair and was still secretly seeking a path of retreat. If he appeared flustered and at a loss, who knew if they might waver because of it, or even simply abandon the plan outright. If they truly abandoned it, his own life would probably be in danger as well.

At that thought, Zhou Pu forcibly suppressed the panic in his heart, and instead a cold sneer appeared on his face, as if mocking the shogunate's move. "This is actually good luck for us! Excellent!"

"What's good about it?" Tōgō Shigekata did not understand his meaning and pressed the question at once.

"The faster the shogunate masses its armies, the sooner they will come to fight a decisive battle with our forces — is that not a good thing?" Zhou Pu swept his gaze across those beside him with an air of supreme confidence, brimming with assurance as he looked around. "Do you two know what our commanding general was most worried about before I came?"

"What?" They asked, just as Zhou Pu intended.

"What we worried about most was that the shogunate's armies would mass too slowly and be unable to fight a swift decisive battle with our great army! Failing to decide things quickly would actually be to our disadvantage." Zhou Pu deliberately raised his voice, making it all the more compelling. "Our commanding general believes that crushing the shogunate's armies is easy, but maintaining the rear supply lines for a large army is very troublesome. If the campaign drags on, not only will the pressure on the rear increase, but the morale of the officers and men at the front will also be affected — after all, they are fighting in a foreign land. Moreover, our army is, in the end, an expeditionary force in a foreign country, and it would be inconvenient to disperse across the land to mop up resistance. So what he has been thinking about day and night is how to provoke the shogunate into massing its great army as quickly as possible to fight a decisive battle with us. Once we smash the shogunate's main forces in that decisive battle, they will never be able to resist again, and the daimyō rising up across the land will be able to mop up their remaining forces... So, you see, is this not wonderful news? Truly, Heaven aids our dynasty! That Tokugawa Iemitsu is obstinate and self-opinionated, and wildly arrogant. Once he has massed his armies, he will certainly seek a decisive battle with us at all costs, and when that time comes, the celestial soldiers of Great Han will reduce him to ashes and smoke."

"Can the great army of Great Han truly overwhelm the shogunate's full might?" Tōgō Shigekata asked again. "Sir Zhou, although the shogunate's great army is not as well-equipped as your honored forces, their numbers are still there for all to see —"