Chapter 1667: No Innuendo or Speculation

Zhou Pu treated these merchants with courtesy, certainly not because he liked them, but because they had something worth exploiting. Within the shogunate's system, these wealthy merchants faced thorough political discrimination under a rigid hierarchy, yet economically the shogunate relied heavily on them, and they controlled vast resources.

If he could establish good relations with these wealthy merchants, the shogunate would suffer enormous losses as a result, while his own side could use the merchants' resources to quickly stabilize order in the occupied territories, which would even be a great help in attacking the Kinai region.

Mitsui Takamatsu was soon brought before Zhou Pu by the soldiers.

The moment he saw Zhou Pu, he immediately fell to his knees and paid his respects with the utmost deference. "I am Mitsui Takamatsu, at your service, my lord."

On his way here, he had already been informed that the Great Han envoy himself would receive him; surprised, he also felt deeply gratified, even a little overwhelmed by the honor. In the past, though these wealthy merchants were rich, they were discriminated against within the shogunate — let alone the shogun himself, they could not easily even meet a senior minister. Yet the Great Han envoy was now a figure of immense power in the western provinces, able to summon wind and rain. That he was willing to grant a personal audience showed that Great Han valued merchants far more than the shogunate ever did.

"Lift your head," Zhou Pu said. Though his manner was mild, he dispensed with pleasantries. "You came seeking an audience with me — for what matter?"

"I have come on behalf of a group of wealthy merchants from Sakai and Osaka." Mitsui Takamatsu raised his head, then drew several sheets of paper from inside his robes. "We have long admired the splendor of Great Han and have always wished to develop trade with your nation. Now that you, my lord, have graced Japan with your presence, we are profoundly honored. My lord, we have prepared some small gifts for you — this is the gift list..."

As he spoke, he held the gift list out before him.

Zhou Pu did not stand on ceremony or make a show of declining; he directly took the list and gave it a cursory glance.

The gifts were fairly abundant and quite valuable, but Zhou Pu was hardly moved. Recently, leading his army on a northward campaign, his subordinates had plundered and sent up who knew how many things; his horizons had long since changed. What mattered was the names of the wealthy merchants written on that list — those people had sent gifts to secure their own lives.

"I understand." After reading it, Zhou Pu casually tossed the gift list onto the side table. "I am deeply grateful for your sentiments. Rest assured, we of Great Han have always been magnanimous. So long as you sincerely refrain from opposing us, we will absolutely not make trouble for you."

"My lord... we who engage in trade merely toil for meager profit and have absolutely no desire to involve ourselves in political affairs. We have no wish whatsoever to be enemies of Great Han..." Mitsui Takamatsu grew even more deferential. "It is just that, in our past dealings, there were many areas where we inevitably had to interact with the shogunate, and thus unavoidably many people had dealings with them..."

"That is of no consequence. Previously, under the shogunate's rule, there were many things you were compelled to do — that cannot be counted as wrongdoing." Zhou Pu waved his hand magnanimously. "Let bygones be bygones — that is the principle I uphold. Look at the daimyo under my command — was there a single one who did not bow their heads obediently under the shogunate before? Circumstances compelled it; that is no crime. So long as you abandon darkness for light, everything in the past can be let go."

"Thank you for your understanding, my lord!" Mitsui Takamatsu was overjoyed, then immediately lowered his head again. "However, I must still beg your understanding, my lord. The shogunate, after all, still controls the Kinai and the surrounding provinces, so for a time we will still be forced to let them order us about..."

"What do you mean?" Zhou Pu was somewhat puzzled.

"My lord, we have always had business dealings with the shogunate, undertaking many transport tasks for them. But recently, the shogunate has suddenly requisitioned large numbers of our carts, boats, and personnel to move supplies for them, and now our own commerce has largely ground to a halt... So, my lord, please understand — we have no choice in this."

Zhou Pu was certainly not going to get angry over this. With the shogunate's great army massing, what could these merchants do when their carts, boats, and men were requisitioned? He was, rather, quite interested in the shogunate's movements.

"These carts and boats they requisitioned from you — are they transporting provisions? Roughly how much is moved each day?"

This was indeed extremely important intelligence. If he could use these merchants to ascertain the shogunate's grain transport volume to the western provinces and the Kinai region, he could roughly estimate the troops the shogunate had already deployed and was preparing to move in the west, and also deduce their next moves.

"The carts and boats coming from Kanto are used to transport provisions. For the others, we are not yet entirely clear, but the grain moved each day through our carts and boats alone amounts to several thousand koku... and it has been continuous and unbroken." Mitsui Takamatsu answered at once. "However, quite a few carts and boats have also been requisitioned elsewhere, used to move people, grain, and supplies to Kanto, on an enormous scale. Even many of the goods in our own trading houses were directly requisitioned by them and sent to Kanto..."

Hearing this account, Zhou Pu felt a slight stir in his heart.

The shogunate's actions were clearly, on one hand, reinforcing their troops in the western provinces, and on the other, stripping the countryside between Kanto and Kansai — they were already preparing to hold Kanto after the loss of Kansai.

These people are really quite sharp, he thought.

"Your carts and boats were requisitioned under duress — I can understand that, and I will not blame you for it." He answered immediately. "However, if they try to requisition your supplies again from now on, you must absolutely not hand them over so readily, and even more so, you must not cooperate with their operations any further!"

"Yes, my lord! We will certainly obey your command!" Mitsui Takamatsu agreed at once.

Ever since the shogunate resolved to strip the western provinces, they had begun relocating large numbers of people and supplies from the west and the Kinai region, not even sparing craftsmen and goods. As they carted away vast quantities of supplies, the merchants of the Kinai had all suffered greatly — the Mitsui house was no exception. A major reason these wealthy merchants had so quickly begun making contact with Great Han was precisely this.

Even without Zhou Pu saying so, these wealthy merchants were already planning to passively resist the shogunate's requisitions. Beyond directly seizing their assets and supplies, the officials handling the requisitions had also taken the opportunity to extort money from them. In just this short span of time, their family fortunes had suffered enormous losses; they truly could no longer endure the shogunate's exploitation.

These merchants had little sense of nation; to preserve their family wealth, they would rather throw in their lot with Great Han — so long as Great Han could guarantee not to exploit them. Judging from the conduct of the Great Han army all along the way, they had determined that it was targeting only the shogunate and had no intention of making enemies of everyone. Moreover, with the army sweeping all before it and about to reach the Kinai, the idea of defecting to them had taken root.

And Zhou Pu's assurances had undoubtedly given them hope.

"Beyond passively resisting them, you must also be careful to gather intelligence on them in the near future and find ways to report it to us — especially intelligence regarding troop strength, deployments, and supply movements; the more detailed, the better." Zhou Pu continued issuing orders. "So long as you do this well, we will record your merits. When we reach the Kinai, not only will we refrain from encroaching on your enterprises, we will reward you according to your contributions."

"Yes, upon my return, I will certainly have my house devote itself to gathering intelligence on the shogunate." Mitsui Takamatsu answered at once.

"Also, after you return, find a way to ship some grain here to us — the more, the better," Zhou Pu suddenly said.

"My lord? That... that may be somewhat..." Mitsui Takamatsu looked troubled and answered uneasily, "With the two armies currently at war, the shogunate's blockade of the surrounding area is extremely tight. I fear... I fear that even if we wished to ship grain over, it would not be so easy... And most of the grain we currently hold has already been requisitioned by the shogunate; it would truly be difficult to meet your army's needs!"

"I know this is not easy, but I know even better that such a small matter cannot stump you. You have operated for so many years; your roots and connections run deep at every level. Who knows how many eyes and ears you have bought within the shogunate — accomplishing this is truly not difficult." Zhou Pu cut him off. "Since you wish to pledge loyalty, you must let us see your sincerity. Do you understand?"

"My lord..." Mitsui Takamatsu seemed hesitant, but still did not agree. "Allow us... allow us to go back and attempt it. If it truly can be done, we will certainly do it."

Zhou Pu understood the other's misgivings. After all, they were currently under the shogunate's rule; smuggling grain and supplies to Great Han was no joking matter — once discovered, it would bring calamity down upon their heads.

"Don't be afraid. We are not asking you to send grain across the battle lines. If you cannot transport it overland, you can try other methods." Zhou Pu softened his tone. "Our army has already seized many seaports in the vicinity; you can ship grain to these ports. And rest assured, unlike the shogunate, we will not forcibly requisition your supplies — we will pay in full. Name your price; so long as it is reasonable, that will do."

"My lord...?" Mitsui Takamatsu had not expected Zhou Pu to offer such generous terms and for a moment seemed almost unable to believe it. "Is what you say true?"

Zhou Pu's primary aim in doing this was to win over these wealthy merchants.

As wealthy merchants who had operated for many years, they held grain reserves and vast resources. If he could secure their support, Zhou Pu could use their dense, web-like commercial channels to obtain intelligence on the shogunate, turning the tables and nullifying the shogunate's territorial advantage.

Having these wealthy merchants ship grain to him would, on one hand, somewhat ease the logistical problems plaguing him, but the more important goal was to entangle these merchants with him, binding them to his warship.

To achieve this, he was willing to pay high prices for the supplies these merchants transported over — after all, the money he had to pay was plundered from elsewhere; spending it cost him no heartache at all.

"Of course it is true. Since when has Great Han needed to deceive people with lies?" Zhou Pu frowned. "Listen — this time you may take a batch of deposit money back with you. Then, upon your return, immediately go and arrange a shipment of grain and bring it over. No matter what method you use, so long as you accomplish this, we will pay you, and we will also record your merits. When the time comes, there will be other rewards as well."

Hearing Zhou Pu's promise, Mitsui Takamatsu was already greatly stirred.

All along, though the shogunate relied on them, it also held them in deep contempt, and recently it had been incessantly exploiting their assets. Yet Great Han valued them so highly and had even decided to purchase the grain they shipped over at high prices. Whatever the objective reasons on either side, to them, the contrast between Great Han's conduct and the shogunate's was stark and unmistakable.

Because of the recent upheaval, the Mitsui house's assets and supplies had suffered greatly, and even their funds were beginning to run short. If they could receive an infusion of capital from Great Han, they could weather this crisis.

"Other rewards... what exactly do you mean by other rewards?" Mitsui Takamatsu boldly asked.

In truth, even the current terms were tempting enough for them; it was simply a merchant's nature to covet more once they had gained something. So, hearing there might be further benefits, he could not help but want to get to the bottom of it.

"You really are impatient." Zhou Pu laughed aloud. "Very well, I may as well make it clear to you now. The shogunate has stirred up such great calamity, drawing our two nations into war and greatly angering the Imperial Court. That being the case, trade between our two nations can absolutely no longer be dominated by the shogunate. Our Imperial Court has already decided that henceforth, it will only conduct trade with those Japanese merchant houses that have received our authorization."

After a pause, he continued explaining to the other party, "That is to say — previously, to participate in trade between the two nations, the shogunate issued you red-seal licenses. Now, we no longer recognize those things. To participate, you will need a special permit issued by our Imperial Court. Without a special permit, participation will not be allowed."

Mitsui Takamatsu very quickly grasped Zhou Pu's implication.

He had undoubtedly made it very clear: once Great Han defeated the shogunate, control over trade between the two nations would shift from the shogunate to the Great Han Imperial Court. And among the wealthy merchants of the Kinai, those who cooperated with Great Han could become their designated trading houses, participating in the trade between the two nations.

With trade between the two nations so vast, and with a monopolistic position on top of that, the profits a wealthy merchant could reap from it went without saying.

In that instant, Mitsui Takamatsu felt all the hot blood in his body rush to his head; he could barely kneel steady. He felt immensely fortunate to have seized the chance to establish ties with a Great Han official ahead of others, fortunate to have been the first to hear this news.

If they could become the monopoly intermediary for trade between the two nations, the Mitsui house would surely rise another level, becoming the very top among Japan's wealthy merchants, and his own standing within the family would certainly rise in tandem.

"My lord, you have been so open and sincere with me — I cannot express my gratitude enough!" Overcome with emotion, he abruptly kowtowed to Zhou Pu, then answered loudly, "My lord, once we return, we will arrange supplies for you, and we will absolutely no longer assist the shogunate. Furthermore... for the first batch of supplies, we will not take the deposit you offer, nor even the payment for the goods — let it serve as a demonstration of our sincerity."

"Is that truly all right?" Zhou Pu asked with a smile.

"We have been repeatedly oppressed by the shogunate and have long burned with indignation. Now that the royal army of Great Han has come to deliver justice for us, we are beside ourselves with joy — how could we dare demand payment from the Celestial Court? Please rest assured, my lord, we will do everything in our power to ship grain to you next." Having made up his mind, Mitsui Takamatsu no longer hesitated and directly declared his resolve to the other party. "You hold us in such high regard, my lord — even if we were crushed to powder, we could not repay it. Even at the risk of our lives, we will certainly fulfill your command!"

Faced with such generous returns and profits, even betraying one's country gave no cause for hesitation. Besides, was not the Imperial Court itself standing on Great Han's side? In terms of righteous cause, at most this was merely betraying the shogunate — that pack of rebellious traitors and villains.

"It is excellent that you possess such resolve," Zhou Pu said with a faint smile, clearly very satisfied with their decision. "So long as you are willing to serve us, we will certainly not treat you poorly."

"And we will absolutely not fail Your Excellency," Mitsui Takamatsu said pointedly. "If Your Excellency can intercede on our behalf and secure us a special license, then we shall never forget Your Excellency's great kindness in the days to come!"

"Future matters can be discussed in the future. For now, go back quickly and make your preparations." To this hint, Zhou Pu neither agreed nor disagreed; he merely waved his hand, signaling them to leave.

After Mitsui Takamatsu had departed, Zhou Pu watched his figure recede into the distance. The smile on his face gradually faded, replaced by an expression of deep gravity.

These wealthy merchants—their hearts hold only their family enterprises, haggling over nothing but private gain. Where is the slightest trace of loyalty to nation or the great cause of their people? For the bait he had dangled before them, they were willing to risk calamitous danger to smuggle grain to him. Their greed was plain to see.

And such greed was hardly unique to Japanese merchants alone. Even in the former Great Ming, were there not merchants who secretly trafficked with the Jian slaves for profit, helping the Jian slaves sell off plunder and trade in human beings? Merchants value profit and forget righteousness—this is the worst of it.

The Great Han has always valued commerce. Valuing commerce can fill the imperial treasury and bring prosperity to every trade—that is certainly good. But if a group of merchants so devoid of great righteousness were truly allowed to dominate the court, that would be an omen of national ruin. The court must, while these wealthy merchants have not yet grown too powerful, bring them under control so they cannot endanger the state. Otherwise, when the time comes, such calamities will surely cycle back to the Great Han.

With a nameless anxiety welling up unbidden within him, he resolved to include this counsel in his memorial of merit, to be sent to the capital so that His Majesty might also take preventive measures against it.