My Portable Ming Dynasty

Chapter 498 Heaven Punishes the Traitor (Sorry, the timing was wrong)
"Of course, everything will be settled once the Ming navy arrives at Sakai Port!"

Huang Wenbin said:
"That's how the Japanese are. They fear power but don't appreciate virtue. As long as someone is stronger than them, they will worship and admire you."

"But when facing a strong opponent, the Japanese have their own agendas and always try to do some underhanded tricks."

"The Japanese are like this; they need to be constantly warned before they will submit."

Huang Wenbin then said to Li Changshun:

"Once Manager Li takes back the Rishengchang branch this time, I can return to my country."

Li Changshun felt a little regretful. If Huang Wenbin, who was an expert on Japan, had been in Japan, his future work would have been much easier.

However, he also knew that Huang Wenbin had made great contributions to Japan, and the Japanese Ministry of Communications had been established and was operating smoothly. If nothing unexpected happened, he should indeed return to Japan.

Unfortunately, despite all the careful planning, things still took an unexpected turn.
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The following day, Li Changshun, representing the Woyin Company, officially appeared at social events in Sakai Port.

Huang Wenbin, in his capacity as president of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce, welcomed Li Changshun. The Woyin Company's office in Sakai Port also held a grand welcoming ceremony to greet this plenipotentiary representative of the company.

As per the previous agreement, Li Changshun's new trade policy of "friendship with the Ming Dynasty" declared that the Woyin Company would henceforth only do business with Japanese trading companies that were friendly to the Ming Dynasty.

Li Changshun then announced the first batch of "friendly" merchant companies, most of which were workshops under the Sakai Port temple. Li Changshun also announced cooperation with these workshops, allowing them to act as agents for the sale of "Ming gunpowder".

These two pieces of news directly triggered a business storm in Sakai Port.

Imai Munehisa, the leader of the Thirty-Three of Sakai Port and the largest merchant in the entire port, was not on the first list of those friendly to the Ming Dynasty.

The upper echelons of Sakai Port were also aware of Imai Munehisa's recent activities and were speculating about his future moves.

Kinoshita Hideyoshi, on the other side of Sakai Port, also remained inactive. As someone who rose from humble beginnings under Oda Nobunaga, Kinoshita Hideyoshi was quite shrewd.

If the Oda clan were to rashly intervene in the internal power struggles within Sakai Port, it would be to completely offend the Ming Dynasty.

Currently, it seems that the Ming Dynasty is only dealing with Imai Munehisa. In that case, the Oda clan has no reason to make a sword for Imai Munehisa.

Furthermore, the Ming Dynasty's previous bombardment of Sakai Port had left Kinoshita Hideyoshi with a psychological trauma. The Ming Dynasty's navy was stationed on Jeju Island and could reach Sakai Port in just a few days. Kinoshita Hideyoshi did not believe that his small force could stand against the Ming Dynasty's navy.

Since the Ming Dynasty has sent a representative from the Japanese Silver Company, it means that the current problem in Japan is only a commercial one, so there is no need to escalate the issue.

So far, everything is still under discussion between Huang Wenbin and Li Changshun.

Excluded from the "pro-Ming list," Munehisa Imai felt an unprecedented sense of isolation and hostility.

Rumors circulating among the public, at Huang Wenbin's behest, that he had embezzled funds from the Rishengchang Treasury and colluded with Oda Nobunaga to harm the overall interests of Sakai merchants, intensified.

Those small and medium-sized merchants who were not selected for the list and who were already dissatisfied with Imai Munehisa's monopoly on trade, as well as local artisans who were suffering from the squeeze of Western goods, had resentment in their hearts like dry tinder, ready to ignite at any moment.

According to Huang Wenbin, Imai Munehisa is not a particularly tough person; if he were too tough, he wouldn't be able to be a businessman.

If Imai Munehisa yields, the problem of Sakai Port will be pretty much solved.

Then I can return to the Ming Dynasty safely.

However, the script doesn't always go according to the screenwriter's plan. Once the actors are on stage, how they perform is no longer within the screenwriter's control.

No one expected that the first to break free of control would be the underground force that Huang Wenbin had personally bribed to intimidate Sakai Port—the Sun Yee Group.

The Shingigumi were originally samurai of the Shimazu family who were bribed by Huang Wenbin.

These Shimazu samurai were originally there to guard Huang Wenbin, but after being bribed by him, they became his bodyguards.

These Shimazu samurai also included some of their friends and relatives who were down on their luck in the lower ranks. Huang Wenbin offered them high prices, and this group of lower-ranking samurai joined the Shingigumi.

These samurai were mostly from the Kyushu region (formerly known as Kyushu, renamed by the Ming Dynasty). The Shimazu clan ruled Kyushu from the Satsuma region, so these samurai were also called Satsuma samurai.

Most of these warriors came from poor backgrounds, and while working with Huang Wenbin, they also learned some Chinese Confucianism.

Huang Wenbin sometimes needs them to do things, so he also teaches them some reading and writing skills.

While this knowledge would be considered elementary school level in the Ming Dynasty, it was considered quite advanced in Japan, where knowledge was highly valued.

Huang Wenbin was a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) of the Ming Dynasty and had served as a Doctor of the Imperial Academy. His teaching level was also quite high. These Japanese samurai not only learned to read and write, but could even read some newspapers from the Ming Dynasty.

The Shingigumi also had its own leader, a lower-ranking Satsuma samurai named Yoshitaka Okubo.

However, these Satsuma samurai of the Shingigumi were not interested in the practical learning of the Ming Dynasty, but instead highly admired the content of Yangming's philosophy of mind.

Therefore, the most popular newspapers in Japan were not newspapers like "Yakufu Shinpo", but "Jiangzuo Yapo" and "Shopo".

The Commercial Gazette goes without saying; it was a newspaper that Japanese merchants all read, using it to understand the state of commerce in the Ming Dynasty.

The Jiangzuo Yabao was a platform for public opinion among the gentry of Jiangnan. The newspaper's ideology was mainly based on Yangming's philosophy of mind, and it often featured articles by prominent Confucian scholars from Jiangnan on the study of this philosophy.

In fact, given the level of Confucianism among lower-ranking samurai like Okubo Yoshitaka, they didn't understand the philosophy of mind.

However, Confucianism always has its own interpretation.

The samurai, including Okubo Yoshitaka, were drawn to the concept of "mind" in "the study of mind."

Isn't the heart simply about following one's heart?
The most important motto of the philosophy of mind is the unity of knowledge and action.

Isn't it simply about doing what you think of? If you have a thought, act immediately! That's the way of the samurai!

Furthermore, these lower-ranking warriors discovered a new theory while studying the philosophy of mind and learning from the Ming Dynasty.

The current state of Japan is all due to the mistakes of these corrupt daimyo!
It was precisely because of these rebellious daimyo who disrespected the King of Wa, and the repeated emergence of inexplicable traitors like the Shogun, who often served as regents for several generations, that Wa was governed in such a state.

The Ming Dynasty was so powerful because after Emperor Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang, the Ming Dynasty exclusively respected the emperor, which enabled it to achieve such brilliant accomplishments.

The idea of ​​"respecting the king" combined with the part of Wang Yangming's philosophy about loyalty to the emperor, and became a kind of "philosophy of mind" that even if Wang Yangming were to be resurrected, he would not understand.

After dark, the Shin-Gi-gumi warriors held a meeting in a house next to the Chinese Chamber of Commerce.

Yoshitaka Okubo began by saying:
"Imai Munehisa is a cancer on Sakai Port! He colludes with Western cults and ambitious daimyo, betraying the interests of Sakai Port! Such a traitor must be eliminated!"

Another ronin samurai, Saigo Jinpachi, also said:

"The Oda clan is an ambitious daimyo. Oda Nobunaga recently shouted the slogan 'To unify the country by force,' revealing his ambition to replace the Ashikaga clan and become the regent shogun!"

"If the Oda clan succeeds, won't our Japan be forced to repeat the same cycle again?"

The samurai present all nodded in agreement.

They had already determined that the shogun and daimyo were the root cause of the turmoil in Japan, so the Oda clan, which had defeated the former Ashikaga shogunate and might eventually become the new shogunate, became the Shingigumi's greatest enemy.

Moreover, many of them were samurai from the Shimazu clan, which itself was in competition with and hated the Oda clan, so it was easy for them to direct their resentment at Oda Nobunaga.

Okubo Yoshitaka then said: "Imai Munehisa has converted to a heretical cult and is a henchman of the Oda clan. Now, due to his greed, he has plunged the entire Sakai Port into injustice and offended the Celestial Empire. Sakai Port will never be at peace unless such a traitor is eliminated."

Saigo Jinpachi drew his sword directly:

"Unity of knowledge and action begins today! Slay the traitors, honor the king, expel the barbarians, and emulate the Ming Dynasty!"

The samurai drew their swords and, along with Saigo Jinpachi, shouted the slogan "May the traitor be punished by heaven!"

Seeing that the atmosphere was already heated, Yoshitaka Okubo still had something to say.

"What we did today was behind Chairman Huang's back. What are we going to do in the future?"

Saigo Shinpachi was considered one of the more intelligent people among these Japanese. He asked:

"Chairman Huang is overjoyed that we killed Imai Munehisa, so why would he blame us?"

Looking at his companions, Okubo Yoshitaka realized that these people still had a very limited perspective, so he had no choice but to explain:
"Chairman Huang did not want to escalate the situation, so he used business methods. This is for the greater good."

"Imai Munehisa is the leader of the Thirty-Three of Sakai Port and a representative recognized by all forces in Sakai Port. As far as the Ming Dynasty is concerned, as long as Imai Munehisa is obedient, it is possible to negotiate."

Okubo Yoshitaka quickly tried to find a reason for the Ming Dynasty, saying:

"This is because our Japan is too weak and insignificant. The Ming Dynasty is naturally unwilling to invest its efforts in our Japan."

"We must strive to improve ourselves so that the Ming Dynasty will look up to us and see the value of our New Righteous Group."

Everyone nodded.

Saigo Shinpachi asked:

"Then, should we kill Imai Munehisa?"

Yoshitaka Okubo said:
“Kill him! Imai Munehisa has offended the Ming Dynasty. Killing him will not anger the Ming Dynasty.”

“But we need to stabilize Sakai Port, not kill Imai Munehisa and let Sakai Port descend into chaos, otherwise the Ming Dynasty will despise us.”

Saigo Shinpachi nodded in agreement, saying that Okubo Yoshitaka was the most thoughtful.

But is it possible to assassinate Imai Munehisa at the same time and prevent Sakai Port from descending into chaos?
Yoshitaka Okubo said:
“Kinoshita Hideyoshi, who is on the other side of Sakai Port, has five hundred soldiers under his command.”

"Kinoshita Hideyoshi also represented the Oda clan in the Sakai Port negotiations back then and had contact with the Ming Dynasty. He is a force capable of stabilizing Sakai Port."

Saigo Jinpachi, however, said with difficulty:

"Kinoshita Hideyoshi is a general under Oda Nobunaga. Wouldn't we be helping the Oda clan control Sakai Port by doing this?"

Yoshitaka Okubo said:
“I’ve also inquired about it. Kinoshita Hideyoshi comes from a humble background, just like us. He’s someone we can try to win over.”

"If Kinoshita Hideyoshi could become a member of our Shingigumi, I would be willing to give up my position as group leader!"

When Yoshitaka Okubo said this, everyone agreed.

Therefore, it was decided that the Shin-gi group would split into two groups.

Okubo Yoshitaka took a ferry to Kinoshita Hideyoshi's camp, invited him to join the Shingigumi, and then entered Sakai Port to stabilize the situation.

Saigo Jinpachi led the core members of the Shingigumi to assassinate Imai Munehisa!
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The night was as dark as ink, and the air in Sakai Port was thick and oppressive.

Saigo Jinpachi stood in the shadows of an inconspicuous rooftop opposite Imai Munehisa's teahouse, with six of Shingigumi's most valiant core members behind him.

Besides being a successful businessman, Imai Munehisa was also a master of the tea ceremony. His tea house served as both his residence and his office.

This teahouse is also proof of Imai Munehisa's power in Sakai Port.

“Remember,” Saigo Jinpachi’s voice was extremely low, “the traitor Imai, who betrayed the nation, colluded with foreign invaders, and desecrated the Celestial Empire. This is divine retribution! Decapitation! It must be a swift and decisive blow, without disturbing anyone else, and a quick victory!”

"Hi!" the six responded in unison.

Imai Munehisa's teahouse was not a forbidden place; the group had already scouted it out.

Inside the mansion, Imai Munehisa was having a private conversation with a Jesuit priest from France.

Several nautical charts and some cargo lists were spread out on the table, and the atmosphere was somewhat somber.

Imai Munehisa's obese face was filled with anxiety: "Father, I'm not on the new list of Ming people! They're isolating me! The Oda clan's army is right on the shore, but they haven't moved an inch."

"That old fox Huang Wenbin, and that newcomer Li Changshun, I can't hold on much longer."

“Calm down, my friend,” the Jesuit priest tried to reassure him. “The Ming Dynasty is a behemoth; we need patience and wisdom. Perhaps we can find other ways…”

The words have not yet been spoken!

With a loud crash, the exquisite paper sliding door was smashed open from the outside by a violent force, sending wood chips flying everywhere!
Seven dark figures instantly surged into the room!

"May the traitor Imai Munehisa be punished by Heaven!" Saigo Jinpachi roared.

A flash of cold light! Several samurai swords, accompanied by a piercing sound, stabbed precisely at Imai Munehisa, who was slumped on the cushion, from different angles.

No unnecessary words, no protracted fighting, only the most direct and violent assassination!

It couldn't even be called an assassination; it was a clean execution.

The sounds of sharp weapons piercing flesh rang out rapidly. Imai Munehisa's obese body trembled violently, his eyes widened, and his face froze in disbelief, astonishment, and boundless fear.

He didn't even have time to put up any decent resistance before several blades were deeply embedded in his chest and abdomen, one of which precisely sliced ​​open his throat, and blood gushed out like a fountain, instantly staining the expensive silk cushions and tatami mats red.

The whole process took only a breath!

The Jesuit priest was terrified, his face ashen, and he collapsed to the ground, his lips trembling as he recited a prayer that no one could understand.

Saigo Shinpachi didn't even glance at the corpse on the ground, his cold gaze sweeping over the terrified priest and the several Imai family servants who rushed in at the sound.

He abruptly pointed his blood-stained katana at the door and shouted sternly, "The Shingigumi acts on behalf of Heaven! We will kill Imai, the traitor who colludes with foreign invaders and wreaks havoc on Sakai Port! You shall all leave immediately, or you will be killed without mercy!"

The servants, terrified by the bloody scene and the chilling murderous aura, screamed and scrambled out of the room. The Jesuit priest also disappeared outside the door in a panic.

Saigo Jinpachi bent down and carefully wiped the blood off the blade with Imai Munehisa's ornate robe. After confirming that Imai Munehisa was dead, Saigo Jinpachi decisively led his men to retreat.

Meanwhile, across from Sakai Port, in the Oda army's makeshift camp.

Okubo Yoshitaka knelt alone in front of Kinoshita Hideyoshi.

(End of this chapter)