Arrival
We had decided to sail further south aboard The Nobleman.
After about three days of sailing, we finally arrived at the Satsuma region, the stronghold of the Shimazu clan.
“From here on, it’s the territory of the Shimazu clan. Since the Shimazu clan hasn’t been hostile to our family, I’ll guide you.”
Hmm, as expected from a subordinate of that bat-like bastard, there was a reason he recommended the Shimazu clan to us.
When one thinks about it, regions with adjacent territories can never get along well.
For example, if you asked 21st-century Koreans to name three countries they detested, most would have unhesitatingly chosen North Korea, Japan, and China.
Similarly, the country that the United Kingdom detested would have been France, and France would have detested both Germany and Britain.
In other words, that bat-like bastard Sō Yoshitōshi couldn’t have had good relations with the Mori and Ōtori clans.
Of course, if the Shimazu clan unified Kyushu, they could pick a fight with Sō Yoshitōshi again.
Guided by Shigenobu, we reached Shimazu Castle, located in what is now Kagoshima Prefecture.
Shimazu Castle embodied the unique characteristics of Japanese castles, boasting a moat and high walls despite its small size.
The soldiers’ armament was also quite peculiar, with two out of every ten soldiers armed with arquebuses.
Upon seeing this, my youngest uncle nodded.
“Indeed, they say it’s the greatest clan in Kyushu, and the soldiers all seem disciplined.”
“You’ve observed well. The soldiers of the Shimazu clan are especially renowned for their bravery.”
“Now, we’ll furl the sails and dock at the harbor.”
“Proceed.”
Up close, it was even more impressive.
The Kyushu region had opened up to reform earlier than the Japanese mainland.
Perhaps that was why the Shimazu soldiers’ arquebuses resembled Western ones more closely.
How should I put it?
They seemed a bit more refined.
The arquebuses I was familiar with had a crude feel, with iron barrels mounted on wood, but the ones the Shimazu soldiers carried had quite ornate decorations on the stocks.
It seemed they were not Japanese-made arquebuses but rather imported matchlock muskets from the West.
In the West, muskets were known to be quite expensive.
Directly importing Western muskets indicated that the Shimazu clan’s financial power had been far from ordinary.
Perhaps trading with the Shimazu clan might have yielded more than I had anticipated.
Soon, with Su Dal-ajeossi’s smooth steering, The Nobleman docked at the harbor.
The Shimazu clan soldiers rushed over, filling the pier.
Judging by their demeanor, it seemed they were quite experienced.
Among the soldiers, a samurai appeared.
“Who are you?”
“I am Inagawa Shigenobu, a retainer of Lord Sō Yoshitōshi of Tsushima. I’ve come to see the lord.”
“From Tsushima? Hmm, wait here.”
The samurai disappeared, and shortly after, a Japanese officer in red armor appeared.
His armor was so splendid compared to the samurai guarding the harbor that it was clear he was of a higher status.
“What brings a retainer of Yoshitōshi to Satsuma?”
“This ship is from Joseon, and we’ve come to sell goods.”
“Joseon? Smuggling, is it? For a smuggling ship, it seems quite serious.”
“I’m not sure, but it seems they built it to avoid the eyes of the Joseon king. Recently, there’s been a bountiful harvest in Joseon, and a significant amount of grain is being produced, so isn’t it to sell that?”
“Hmm, very well. I permit you to disembark. My elder brother will meet you personally, so prepare your attire and wait.”
Elder brother?
So, did that mean he was the younger brother of Shimazu Yoshihisa, the daimyo of the Shimazu clan?
The four Shimazu brothers, along with the three Mori brothers, were known as exemplary figures of Japan’s Sengoku period.
Among them, the Shimazu clan had caused quite a stir during the Imjin War.
The 17th head of the Shimazu clan, Shimazu Yoshihiro, had a rather uncomfortable relationship with Admiral Yi Sun-sin, so it would have been great if he and the Japanese monkey general had self-destructed.
“The person we just spoke with is Shimazu Yoshihiro, the second of the Shimazu clan. In the Kyushu region, Yoshihiro is considered the foremost warrior. The only one comparable to him would be Takahashi Shoun, the disciple of the Thunder God.”
…So that guy was Yoshihiro?
No wonder he looked like a thug!
“Thunder God?”
“It’s the nickname of Tabachina Dosetsu, who died three years ago. In his youth, he survived being struck by lightning, hence the name Thunder God.”
Japanese people’s exaggerations were no less than those of the Chinese.
“I think it’s just that they didn’t choose the right spot for their ancestors’ graves…”
In Joseon, being struck by lightning implied divine punishment.
“Maybe they lived well because they chose the right spot for their ancestors’ graves?”
“That makes sense too.”
Even though Joseon hadn’t fully embraced Confucian fundamentalism yet, Daeyong-ajeossi and my youngest uncle had seriously pondered the efficacy of ancestral graves.
Listening to their conversation, Teacher had seemed dizzy and started chanting.
“Namu Amida Butsu.”
While we were engrossed in discussing whether surviving a lightning strike made someone a Thunder God or not, a samurai approached.
“The lord has granted permission.”
Now it was time to meet the head of the Shimazu clan.
Head of the Shimazu Clan
We entered Shimazu Castle under the escort of the samurai.
Inside, in a room with the distinctive tatami mats often seen in Japanese films, sat Shimazu Yoshihisa.
“Welcome. Are you the only one in your group who speaks Japanese?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
Yoshihisa seemed pleased and began asking questions he was curious about.
“They came from Joseon, you say? Their clothing does resemble that of Joseon, but I heard their ship looked a lot like those from the West?”
“I’m not entirely sure, but it seems a shipbuilder from the West was shipwrecked and ended up building a ship in Joseon.”
“Indeed, it was said to be smaller and cruder than Western ships, isn’t it?”
It wasn’t that crude, you know?
Ah, hold it in.
I couldn’t let it slip that I understood Japanese here.
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Is all they brought just grain?”
“From what I checked, it was grain and cotton fabrics.”
“Hmm, what did they want in return?”
“Silver, perhaps?”
Not really.
“Those who engaged in smuggling from Joseon preferred to exchange silver for goods from Ming, you see.”
Ah, was that so?
Well, considering this era’s Japan had developed silver mines, it made sense.
“Then how about trading at 10 nyang of silver per seok?”
“Doesn’t it cost 20 nyang to buy a seok in Japan?”
“Well, they might not have been familiar with the market prices, and there was no guarantee they would return to Kyushu, so we should maximize our profit.”
Ah, so they were planning to blatantly rip us off now.
These guys were hopeless.
Someday, I would show them the taste of 21st-century capitalism.
“Uh, Lord of the Merchant Guild, the daimyo is offering to trade grain at 10 nyang of silver per seok.”
“Silver? We don’t need silver.”
“What? You don’t need silver? What do you mean…?”
“Silver isn’t important in Joseon! Do you think we crossed the sea to trade because we had nothing better to do?”
“But if you go to Ming, you can get things like Ming’s fine brushes, can’t you?”
“I don’t understand why you think we’re going to Ming!”
“Well…”
“Since it seems hard for you to understand, let me tell you what we need! What we need is sulfur.”
“What? Sulfur? What do you plan to do with that?”
“Do I have to tell you everything?”
“Ahem, no. I’ll inform the clan head that you are looking for sulfur.”
“They aren’t after silver, but sulfur.”
“Sulfur?”
Yoshihisa confirmed again to make sure he had heard correctly.
“Yes, they definitely said they wanted sulfur.”
“Isn’t it? It’s widely known that sulfur is a component of gunpowder, and collecting gunpowder personally is akin to rebellion, isn’t it?”
“Excuse me?”
“Isn’t it? It is widely known that sulfur is a component of gunpowder, and collecting gunpowder personally is akin to rebellion, isn’t it?”
As expected, with a brain steeped in the ways of the Japanese archipelago, all they could think about was betrayal.
Honestly, after meeting Seonjo, I did consider betraying him if he turned out to be completely useless, but my conclusion was, “No matter how much of a bastard he is, he’s better than a madman or an idiot!”
And part of my master plan included putting a leash on that bastard.
Of course, putting a leash on a rabid dog like Seonjo would be as challenging as putting a bell on a cat.
“I don’t think that’s the reason. As far as I know, there have been some disturbances in the north, but nothing major.”
Oh?
These guys had a surprisingly solid intelligence network.
I would have Yi I tighten the security.
“Should I ask what they plan to use it for?”
“…No, we have plenty of sulfur anyway, so it doesn’t matter what they do with it!”
I was envious of their abundance of sulfur.
In Joseon, we had to struggle even for that.
Well, considering Kyushu was a volcanic region, volcanoes probably spewed sulfur from time to time, and mining the solidified sulfur was like having an open-pit mine, making it relatively easy to extract.
Of course, mining itself would require a tremendous amount of labor, but still…
“I’ll offer the same weight in sulfur ore.”
“What? No matter how you look at it, the price won’t match…”
“Anyway, since we’ve secured a lot of labor by dominating the Kyushu area, if we can obtain food to feed the soldiers, we can afford that kind of loss.”
He was a commendable fellow.
“He says he’ll offer the same weight in sulfur ore.”
My youngest uncle glanced at me.
I gave a slight nod.
“Hmm, not bad. After all, we need to fill the ship with goods. Perhaps you could ask if he’s interested in some rare medicinal herbs we brought from Joseon?”
“Medicinal herbs, you say?”
“Yes, it’s our first trade, so we can’t come empty-handed. It’s a medicinal herb called baekgeup, used as a hemostatic in Joseon. You can sprinkle the powder directly or make it into pills.”
“Ah! Understood.”
“He says he’s satisfied with this trade and will give us a medicinal herb called baekgeup, used as a hemostatic in Joseon.”
“Baekgeup?”
“Yes, you can sprinkle it directly on wounds or make it into pills.”
“Oh, really?”
Yoshihisa looked at us with a smile on his face.
“Thank you very much.”
“What did he say?”
“He says he’s truly grateful. It seems he was quite thankful.”
Phew, the bait seemed to have worked well.
Fortunately, the unloading and loading of the sulfur ore were completed in half a day.
However, there was a bit of commotion during the loading and unloading process.
Contrary to the Shimazu family’s expectation of just a slightly larger pouch of baekgeup, endless amounts of baekgeup powder poured out from the hold, prompting even Lord Yoshihisa to come out and check the quantity.
The baekgeup powder we prepared was about 100kg!
After all, it was enough to affect the market price of baekgeup in Gyeongsang Province.
After confirming the enormous amount of baekgeup, Yoshihisa didn’t let us leave just like that.
“After receiving such a great gift, I can’t just let you go. I’ll host a grand banquet, so please depart tomorrow.”
Since we were fatigued from the journey to Kyushu, there was no need to refuse such an offer.
Besides, there was no need to upset a business partner.
After receiving the lavish hospitality from our business partner, we headed back to Joseon.
