Chapter 1612: No Need to Hide It Anymore

Naitō Tadashige instinctively sensed danger in this, but by now he could no longer afford to care about so much.

Because an even greater danger had already descended upon them.

"If the Great Han warships sail here, can we hold them off?" As the two conferred, Soga Koyū suddenly asked him directly.

"I fear it will be very difficult," Naitō Tadashige answered bluntly.

Since it was just the two of them in secret discussion, he was not afraid of damaging morale and spoke his mind directly. "At most we can put up a brief resistance here, but we likely cannot hold Nagasaki. The Great Han army and navy will attack from both sides; their cannon fire is simply too overwhelming. I am afraid it will be hard to withstand."

"Then... what does the Elder mean to do?" Soga Koyū asked.

"We can only hold firm in Nagasaki for a while. If we truly cannot hold, we retreat—fall back to the inland Kurume Domain, and there fortify the main castle, entangling the Great Han army, dragging out the time, delaying as long as we can," Naitō Tadashige laid out his plan. "However, we cannot leave a usable Nagasaki to the Great Han. Before that, we must destroy all the port facilities, so that the Great Han cannot rely on Nagasaki to continue their next phase of operations inland, and we can buy even more time."

"Destroy all of Nagasaki..." Soga Koyū drew a sharp breath.

Although he knew that what Naitō Tadashige said was perfectly sound, he had previously been appointed Nagasaki Magistrate by the Shogun, full of ambition to come here and accomplish great things. How could he have imagined that after arriving, he would instead have to destroy Nagasaki with his own hands?

"Then... what about the common people of Nagasaki?" he finally asked. "Their homes are all here. If Nagasaki is destroyed, how will they live?"

"We cannot worry about so much anymore. Have them evacuate at once!" Naitō Tadashige raised his voice. "Our duty is to defend Nagasaki and defend Kyushu. How can we concern ourselves with so much now? Do it quickly! If the Great Han does not attack, then expelling and evacuating the residents of Nagasaki is merely a disturbance, something that can ultimately be suppressed. But if the Great Han does attack, then won't these civilians simply become a burden? Moreover, at that time they would be even more likely to die under the Great Han's cannon fire! If we drive them away, at least they still have a chance to survive."

"Yes..." After hesitating for a moment, Soga Koyū agreed with the Elder's view.

Then, he personally issued an urgent proclamation, ordering the civilians to leave Nagasaki first and take refuge in the mountains and forests. However, for the sake of military operations, the granaries were not opened; the civilians were merely told to bring their own provisions. This was tantamount to sending them away from Nagasaki to fend for themselves.

Most of Nagasaki's civilians were naturally unwilling to leave, but under Soga Koyū's urging, the soldiers under his command began forcible expulsion. The local Nagasaki garrison troops were tolerable enough, being from their native soil, but the soldiers sent from the various domains showed no such courtesy. As they drove out the residents, they looted along the way, seizing their property for themselves. Although Soga Koyū explicitly forbade this, he lacked the manpower to stop it entirely, and could only watch helplessly as, within a few days, Nagasaki was turned into a place filled with wailing and misery.

Just as they were making every preparation in extreme tension, fearing they would run out of time, the Great Han army had already finished assembling at Busan, fully equipped and ready to depart.

The morning light was bitterly cold, and everything seemed shrouded beneath a veil of blue-green gauze. Yet, warship after warship and transport vessel lay anchored in Busan Harbor, their great sails already fully unfurled. Seen from afar, they resembled a vast expanse of white cloaks, flaunting themselves between heaven and earth—a sight that seized the heart at a single glance.

Company after company of soldiers boarded the seagoing ships in silence. Their weapons had been polished to a gleaming shine, and the clothes on their bodies had been mended and made impeccably neat, as if they were about to take part in a grand military parade. However, on this morning of the twenty-fourth day of the fifth month, they were certainly not about to participate in an ordinary review, but rather, as the vanguard of the entire expeditionary army against Japan, they were to attack Kyushu and fire the first shot of this war between the two nations.

Because the officers had already informed all the soldiers of the objective of this operation before the battle, and multiple drills had been conducted beforehand, everyone already knew what they were supposed to do and understood where their duties lay. Thus, no one felt flustered; they boarded the ships with expressions that were almost solemn.

However, the most important group of commanders for this war had not yet boarded, because they were waiting for the Crown Prince to see them off in person.

To clarify the hierarchy of the officers, and also to proclaim their own status, these officers all wore the newest military uniforms, with the medals they had earned in each of their previous campaigns pinned to their chests. Under the illumination of the newly emerged dawn light, each medal was dazzling, radiating brilliant, eye-catching splendor beneath the sun's rays.

The Crown Prince was also among this group. For today's ceremony, he had specially donned a tailored red military uniform. Though his chest bore no medals, his face was solemn yet carried an air of authority, possessing something of his Imperial Father's heroic and martial bearing.

Holding a telescope, he nervously watched the troop movements in the distance.

Right before his gaze, row after row of soldiers boarded the ships, embarking on the expedition toward the distant island nation, bravely fighting and laying down their lives for his family's foundation. How could such a scene not stir his emotions?

Under his participation and supervision, all preliminary preparations were now complete. The soldiers had also received extremely thorough training and supplies; their spirits were full and their will to fight was high. Even though their numbers were not very large, they were enough to become a sharp sword, piercing through any enemy of the island nation across the sea.

Now... the sharp sword had been drawn from its scabbard. All that remained was to see how it would return after drinking its fill of blood.

Facing the sea breeze tinged with a faint briny smell, he took a deep breath. Having been by the seaside every day recently, he found that he had already grown fond of this scent.

A moment later, he steadied his mind, turned back around, and looked at this group of generals who were about to decide the war's outcome as its commanders.

"Everyone, you will soon be fighting bravely, so I do not intend to disturb your minds with a lengthy speech..." He looked at them, enunciating each word slowly. "I only wish to say one thing: the nation and my Imperial Father have entrusted this heavy responsibility to you all. That is absolute trust in you. I implore you all, do not betray my Imperial Father's trust."

"Your servant will exert himself to the utmost to share His Majesty's burdens and win this war for the nation!" Zhao Song bowed deeply. "Please rest assured, Your Highness. I, Zhao Song, have roamed battlefields for so many years without a single defeat, making the Jurchens and Mongols tremble at the mere rumor of my approach. What do mere Japanese count for!"

"Grasping the Jade Dragon, we die for our lord; until Loulan is broken, we shall not return!" At this moment, Li Huanghe also shouted loudly from the side.

Although these two lines of poetry came from different Tang poems, spliced together here, they unexpectedly felt perfectly suited to the occasion.

"Grasping the Jade Dragon, we die for our lord; until Loulan is broken, we shall not return!" The others also shouted in unison.

"Good... good. It is best that you all possess such spirit. I only hope you will swiftly send back word of victory." The Crown Prince smiled with gratification. "You need not worry about matters in the rear, either. I am personally supervising here in Busan; no one would dare be negligent. I will absolutely not let you soldiers at the front shed blood in fierce battle only to lack supplies."

"Our Great Han's elite troops are invincible under heaven. The only concern in a distant expedition is logistical difficulty. As long as the logistics keep up, what have we to fear?" Zhao Song laughed heartily. "Please, Your Highness, quietly await tidings of victory!"

"I came here precisely to let you all fight without worry." The Crown Prince also laughed. "Furthermore, amidst the slaughter of the battlefield, I must also ask you all to take good care of your health, and to cherish the soldiers. The nation is waiting to richly reward you; the more men who return, the better."

"Yes! Your servants understand!" The group shouted out simultaneously.

Just then, the sun finally revealed its full form from the sea's surface. Set against the deep purple ocean, it was like a Golden Core just spat out by a giant dragon. The Crown Prince raised his head to watch this scene. Though he had witnessed such magnificent sights countless times these past days, each time he saw it, he could not help but feel his mind expand with exhilaration.

"Then I wish you all a smooth journey!" He suddenly shouted, then waved his hand toward the sea.

As if receiving an order, these officers simultaneously bowed their heads to him in farewell, then turned one after another and walked toward the beach, boarding the small boats waiting for them. The small boats carried them toward the warships.

From this moment on, they became the masterminds of this expedition, and also the supreme executors of the Central Plains dynasty's centuries-long effort to conquer Japan.

And on this same morning, in the Great Han capital, there was likewise restless stirring.

Under the morning's overcast clouds, a middle-aged man with a full beard, accompanied by several people, walked briskly into the government offices of the Great Han Ministry of Commerce.

He was the Shogunate's envoy to the Great Han, Yagyū Gensai. Due to the trade disputes between the Shogunate and the Great Han, he had been staying in the Great Han capital for the past several months, negotiating and discussing with Great Han officials how to resolve the disputes.

However, because of the continuous mental strain, he had aged and weakened considerably, and his steps were much less firm than before. This was not, however, because the Great Han's treatment of him was insufficiently good, but rather stemmed from psychological pressure.

Over the past few months, they had conducted multiple rounds of negotiations, but the Great Han had consistently refused to make any concessions, and their tone had grown increasingly severe, causing him extreme torment. Yet his home country had also offered him little comfort, instead constantly urging him to reach a compromise with the Great Han as quickly as possible on the terms the Shogunate insisted upon.

Caught between these two pressures, it was no wonder Yagyū Gensai was so tormented.

Recently, as the Great Han's attitude became increasingly rigid, this torment grew more and more intense. Yagyū Gensai struggled to cope, inwardly groaning in misery, but what was strange was that no matter how he sent letters urging the high-level officials back home to make a decisive concession quickly, no new instructions ever came from his country—no sign of agreement, and no sign of refusal. It was as if everything had sunk like a stone into the sea, and he himself had been forgotten.

This abnormal phenomenon caused Yagyū Gensai's psychological pressure to increase day by day, and even his hair had turned considerably white. If someone who knew him well were by his side, they probably would not believe that the great swordsman who had walked with a dragon's stride and a tiger's step just a few months ago had now become such a figure.

He silently followed the attendants to the government office he was already all too familiar with, entered the room where he had stayed so many times, and quietly waited for the Great Han officials to arrive.

Based on his experience over the past few months, today would probably yield no results either, and would ultimately end with this group of Great Han officials launching a concerted attack on him. He had already mentally prepared himself to be pushed into a corner.

However, although relations between the two nations were still very tense, the officials of the Great Han Ministry of Commerce were all quite cultivated. Except for refusing to yield an inch during negotiations and insisting on their position to force the Shogunate into concessions, at other times they were generally courteous and polite, showing him no disrespectful behavior.

He did not have to wait long before the door was opened again, and the Great Han officials filed into the room one after another, sitting down opposite him.

Because they had dealt with each other many times, he had memorized the faces and names of these officials, and he hurriedly rose to greet them. Among these officials, the one he was most familiar with was Deputy Director He Jingkun, who had also acted as the primary representative of the Great Han in many negotiations. Although his round face was always smiling cheerfully, during negotiations he had given Yagyū Gensai more than enough grief.

However, what surprised Yagyū Gensai was that beside He Jingkun there was another person. This man appeared to be around thirty or forty years old, wore a thin mustache, and had a very stern face. He Jingkun seemed extremely respectful toward him.

And, even more surprising to him was that when the Great Han officials took their seats, He Jingkun did not sit in the main seat as he had before; instead, it was this middle-aged man who had come for the first time today who sat down.

Could this be... Yagyū Gensai's heart, which had already been like dead ashes, suddenly stirred with a faint tremor.

"Lord Yagyū, allow me to introduce someone." He Jingkun looked at Yagyū Gensai with a beaming smile, assuming the manner of an old friend and longtime acquaintance. "This gentleman is Director Kong of our Great Han's Foreign Affairs Department..."

"Director Kong?!" Even though he had already had some inkling in his heart, upon actually hearing it, Yagyū Gensai still could not help but tremble all over.

He had long heard of the name of Kong Zhang, Director of the Foreign Affairs Department. He was in charge of the Great Han's external diplomatic affairs. Logically speaking, Yagyū Gensai should have been dealing with this man from the start, but because the Shogunate and the Great Han did not currently have a very formal diplomatic relationship, he was now only considered the Shogunate's commercial representative in the Great Han and had always dealt with the Ministry of Commerce.

He had been in Great Han for several years now and was well aware of certain unspoken rules within the Great Han bureaucracy. Although the Foreign Affairs Department's official rank was low, it was a division directly subordinate to the Grand Chancellor of Great Han and received the Chancellor's personal attention. As a result, the Great Han bureaucracy had always regarded the Foreign Affairs Department as a branch of the Inner Cabinet. This Kong Zhang, Minister Kong, could naturally be considered a minister without the title of minister.

Compared to the shogunate, that was equivalent to Elder of the Senior Council, a rank one level above his own. Since He Jingkun treated him with such deference, he himself should naturally be even more reverent.

Yet a doubt lingered in his mind: why had they brought this Director Kong to today's negotiations?

"Lord Yagyu, I have long heard of your esteemed name." Director Kong also wore a face full of smiles and appeared very amiable. "I have always heard that you treat others with humility yet are extremely seasoned in negotiations, giving our Great Han officials no end of headaches. Seeing you today, you truly have the bearing of a worthy minister."

"I have always hoped to preserve the relations between our two nations so that everyone may prosper in harmony. However, I am now bound by orders from above and must hold firm to my views to safeguard my country's interests, which has led me to offend several lords. I am ashamed, deeply ashamed..." Yagyu Gensai shook his head and sighed, looking somewhat dispirited.

After these months of turmoil, he had indeed grown somewhat disheartened. He resolved that once this storm had passed, he would find a way to resign this post from the shogunate and return home.

"Not at all, not at all. Serving one's country with utmost loyalty is the fundamental duty of a subject. Since Lord Yagyu serves as a shogunate retainer, it is only right that you yield not an inch for the shogunate's interests. To be honest, when we speak of you in private, we rather admire you." Kong Zhang laughed heartily. "I only hope that Lord Yagyu will not be so stern with me in a moment. I am a man who enjoys making friends far and wide."

"Is Lord Kong also to take part in the negotiations?" Yagyu Gensai's heart stirred.

"Yes, of course. The negotiations with our colleagues from the Ministry of Commerce have been making scant progress, and our superiors are extremely furious. They had no choice but to send me to try my luck..." Kong Zhang nodded with a smile.

"My country's position remains as before. We earnestly hope that trade will not be disrupted and that relations between our two nations can continue in their prior state of amity." The moment he heard the other party was a negotiating opponent, Yagyu Gensai promptly turned solemn again and expressed his position with a needle hidden in silk. "We are now fully prepared to resume copper exports. With but a single order from your esteemed nation, trade between our two countries can be restored immediately and will no longer face obstruction."

"Lord Yagyu is truly devoted to his duties. I had not even finished my idle chatter, and you have already laid out your stance so swiftly. No wonder everyone says you are troublesome!" Kong Zhang, however, did not state his position right away. Instead, he continued laughing heartily. "I imagine Your Lordship has not yet heard of our side's new negotiating terms?"

"Negotiating terms?" Yagyu Gensai was stunned. "Is your esteemed nation going to add new negotiating terms?"

He did not understand what this was about. The shogunate had never authorized him to make concessions, so all these days he had been holding firm to his original position. He had essentially agreed to none of the terms Great Han had proposed thus far. If that were the case, why would Great Han add even more terms? Was this not a plainly meaningless exercise?

But Kong Zhang shook his head. "Not adding — we are putting forward new terms. The previous negotiation process was far too slow, and the imperial court can wait no longer. It has therefore decided to replace the negotiating terms entirely. There are three main articles. Might I ask Your Lordship to listen carefully?"

Had Great Han finally succumbed to the pressure and prepared to make concessions? In an instant, boundless joy welled up in Yagyu Gensai's heart. Yet this joy was soon shattered by cruel reality.