"Well, Kono-kun, you have worked hard these past few months, and the Tachihara family will never forget you." Tachihara Shanchuan showed a rare expression of gratitude on his face, and his sharp eyes also gleamed with excitement.
"Lord!" Kono kowtowed to the ground again, tears flashing in his eyes, then raised his head and said in a slightly sobbing voice: "Kono will repay the lord's trust with his whole life."
"Very good. Our Tachihara family can dominate the Japanese lands and traverse the oceans only because of your loyal ministers." Tachihara Shankawa's face has returned to seriousness. He looked out the window at the magnificent giant warship beside the dock and asked: " When will the ship be completed?"
"Back to my lord, we can launch the trial voyage in half a month. However, I am worried that the quality of our paint is not as good as that of the Tanghe people. Maybe the durability of the military ship will be affected." Talking about the military ship that he personally designed and built Boat, Kono immediately became more confident.
"Well, I get it. I will immediately arrange for someone to go to the mainland to buy it. Our Tachihara family's warships must not be worse than others." Tachihara Shanchuan had an arrogant look on his face.
"That would be great. If everything goes normal after the trial, Lord, then we can start construction on a large scale." Kono suggested excitedly.
"Well, everything is ready. All we need is the east wind. Now we are just waiting for the results of the sea trial." Tachihara Shankawa's slender face also had a faint blush. Years of hard work will be realized in one day. How can we not let this happen? He felt excited and had enough strength. The rest was up to him to seize the opportunity and complete the great cause of unifying the Japanese lands.
Returning to the wooden house in Isita Castle, Tachihara Yamakawa closed his eyes and entered a state of contemplation. It was not until the ghostly Mouri Momota sneaked in that he woke up from his meditation. Seeing his confidant in front of him, Tachihara nodded slightly. , then asked: "How are they over there? What's going on there?"
"There haven't been any big moves yet, but the Fuma-ryu activities of the Tengu family have begun to become more frequent. I'm worried that they might have gotten wind of it and want to spy on the secrets of our warships." Mouri Momota described Leng Jun as he knelt straight with his back .
"What?!" Tachihara Shankawa raised his eyebrows fiercely and couldn't help but ask, "How did they learn about this news?"
"My subordinates judge that the martial law at the Isoita Outer Port has been under martial law for the past few months, and the obviously unusual security measures may have aroused their suspicions, so they have to send out ninjas to spy. My subordinates have discovered Fuuma Flow several times near the Outer Port. The whereabouts of the personnel are known." Mouri Baifu expressed his judgment too calmly.
"Oh?" Tatehara Shanchuan could no longer remain calm at this time. The secret of the warship was the key to the rise of his family, and he must not let anyone know about it. "Mouri-kun, this matter cannot be taken lightly. It must be taken seriously. You can arrange it immediately." Manpower must be stepped up to prevent any negligence. If anyone breaks into the forbidden area without permission, they will be killed without mercy. We must ensure that this period of time is passed safely. As long as we enter the large-scale construction stage, by then, even the lives of Shengbijia and Tianqiu It doesn’t matter if everyone knows.”
"I understand." Maori Centurion paused.
"By the way, how is the situation over there?" Tachihara Shankawa turned his gaze to the west, his eyes full of fanatical light.
"The Tanghe people have strengthened their defenses in recent times, and the patrols of the fleet have also increased. The whereabouts of their first fleet and second fleet have been discovered near the Ryukyu Islands and Kamchatka Island. The defense of the Great Pearl Islands is not serious. The Second Corps of the Milanese Army suffered heavy losses in the battle with the Macchihans and was almost completely wiped out. It plans to rebuild this year. It is said that Louis XI will increase investment in the army. In contrast, the water The army may not be able to take care of it. However, recently, a squadron of the Tanghe people's third fleet has been stationed on Huludao Island on the Northern Pearl Islands for a long time. They continue to stay on this island leased from the Milan people. With vigorous construction, it looks like it will be expanded into a medium-sized military port." Mouri Momota is in charge of the intelligence system and is fully aware of all situations.
"Oh? People in Tanghe have stepped up their guard? Why?" Tachihara Shanchuan suddenly became nervous.
"My lord, there is no need to worry. I think it is because Situ Mingyue went to Zhoushan Islands to escape the summer heat. The emperor's safety is naturally the most important. I am mainly worried about the attacks of some short-sighted pirates." Maori Baifu Taiji said.
"Oh, so that's it. Situ Mingyue went to Putuo Mountain to escape the summer heat again? Huh, this old guy really has a leisurely day. He seems to be fine with the turmoil in the country." Tachihara Shankawa looked contemptuous.
"Perhaps he is just smiling at the calm situation, and I remain unmoved." Mouri Centaur also rarely quoted two sentences from the Tang people. The Tang people's rich and concise history and culture are incompatible with the Japanese's brief and crude history. To be honest, they have always admired her for a long time.
"Wrong, Maori-kun. As an emperor, he is irresponsible to his subjects. By giving up opportunities, he is also giving opportunities to us Japanese people." Tatehara Shankawa retorted with a solemn expression.
In early June of 695 in the Continental Calendar, a large group of nobles from the Council of Ministers, headed by Zhuang Liqiang, the Imperial Vice Minister of Ceremonies, arrived in Bonan to begin their visit to the northwest and northern Luzon of the Empire. This was a regular event for the Empire every three years. The inspection activities were mainly carried out by nobles from various imperial ministries and councils to inspect government affairs and people's conditions in various parts of the empire. Later, they gradually evolved into one of the best ways for the nobles of the empire to travel and obtain bribes.
When visiting the ceramics industry base in Bonan Prefecture, nearly a hundred nobles seized valuable porcelain from local kiln owners and publicly demanded bribes, which aroused strong dissatisfaction among the kiln owners. However, due to the identity of the other party, the merchants only Be able to swallow your anger.
Stimulated by Bonan's huge harvest, the inspection team quickly headed north to Guide. After learning about the prosperity of the salt merchants and wine merchants in Guide, the nobles visited each house like blood-sucking locusts, threatening or threatening them. Intimidation, crazy demands for money and property. Local businessmen fled after hearing the news and went out to escape. The nobles did not give up yet and asked the governor of Guide City to severely punish those merchants who evaded "the distinguished nobles' meeting" in the name of disobedience, and to receive definite rewards.
The public sentiment in Guide and Bonan was fierce, but it did not stop the progress of the inspection team at all. Under the stimulation of generous money, the nobles pounced on Qingyang like hungry wolves, and held a meeting for the inspection team at the Military and Government Jiedushi Mansion in the northwest county. At the reception dinner, except for all the officials who were present, almost all the businessmen made excuses for not being there. This aroused strong dissatisfaction among the nobles of the inspection team. They ignored the local specialties and 10,000 gold coins presented by Xiao Tang. The nobles took their bodyguards with them and visited the merchant's house directly in an attempt to obtain greater benefits. income. However, the shrewd businessmen had already left home, leaving only butler-like figures to deal with, much to the disappointment of the nobles.
The unsatisfied nobles turned south to Jinzhou. The situation in Jinzhou was similar. In anger, the nobles attacked and cursed the northwest people in the most vicious language in public. They called the northwest people unruly people and called the Gaoyue people barbarians. The immigrants were described as bastards, and the northwest officials were called a bunch of simple-minded, cowardly, and stupid country bumpkins. These words were cited by the Northwest Star as "A Noble Man from the Imperial Capital's View of the Northwest." The title was published on the front page of June 24. This report was like a tinder that quickly ignited the anger of the people in the northwest who were already extremely dissatisfied with this group of shameless aristocratic schistosomiasis.
On June 25, thousands of angry people, organized by thoughtful people, surrounded the post house of the northwest county government and burned the nobles' gorgeous carriages. The Qingyang City Governor deployed a large number of police but still could not control the situation. On June 26, large-scale public demonstrations broke out in Guide and Bonan. The marchers shouted slogans: "Noble people, get out of the northwest!" and "Kill the noble people!".
On June 27, the situation worsened further. A large number of Gaoyue tribesmen in southern Jinzhou demanded justice for them and the handover of the nobles who slandered them as "barbarians and beasts". Otherwise, they would never give up. Immediately afterwards, the Gaoyue people in eastern Northern Luzon also organized demonstrations, demanding that the nobles apologize in the media and recognize the equal status of the Gaoyue people.
On June 28, the Third Division of the Northwest Army mutinied. The Third Division, which was almost entirely composed of Gaoyue tribesmen, expelled the Tang tribe officers of the Third Division, announced that it would not accept the management and leadership of the Tanghe Empire, and They sent troops to surround the post house of Qingyang Mansion, threatening to use the heads and blood of the nobles to wash away their insults to the Gaoyue people.
On the same day, the Guide Garrison Division (formerly the Jinzhou Garrison Division), which was also mainly composed of Gaoyue people, also mutinied. It also followed the example of the Third Division of the Northwest Army and proposed that the nobles pay a blood price to cleanse their influence on the Gaoyue people. Insulted, he left the garrison without authorization and advanced to Qingyang to request reinforcements from the Third Division.
The nobles of the Council, who had never encountered such a situation, were panicked. In their eyes, they were just a group of submissive untouchables who dared to contradict the noble nobles and unexpectedly asked them to apologize. This was simply a fantasy. They They rejected the unreasonable demands of this group of untouchables without hesitation and asked the northwest interior department to take immediate measures to stop them. However, they were disappointed by the weakness shown by the northwest interior department.
However, when the news of mutiny and riots by the Gaoyue soldiers of the two divisions reached their ears, they became really nervous. Those barbarian soldiers were no better than ordinary people. Once they broke out, they would be difficult to control. And the most important thing was that they Army soldiers all have weapons. Seeing that the local government in the northwest was unable to control the current situation, they strongly demanded that other northwest armies immediately suppress the mutinous troops. On the other hand, they continued to send messengers back to the imperial capital overnight to report to His Majesty the Emperor, requesting His Majesty the Emperor to immediately send troops to suppress the imminent outbreak. riots in the northwest.
For a time, there was a tremor, everyone was in danger, and the situation in the northwest suddenly became tense.