In a three-story wooden building in Hirado Port, by the window, the head of the Matsuura family and Ryuzoji Takanobu were kneeling opposite each other, with a table between them and a jar of sake on it. The samurai of the Matsuura family brought up freshly caught black sea bream, sea bass and other seafood, and the chef of the Matsuura family cooked the seafood on the spot. The maid of the Matsuura family brought the seafood dishes to the table of the head of the Matsuura family and Ryuzoji Takanobu with her bare feet.
The head of the Matsuura family and Ryuzoji Takanobu looked out the window at the sea in the distance.
The sea at this time was majestic, as if there was a vicious dragon causing trouble in the sea, rolling up wave after wave of several meters high, madly hitting the coast, and the earth-shaking whistling sound was like the roar of an evil dragon.
In the distance, the two Guan ships slowly turned into two black dots, and then disappeared as if they were swallowed by the sea.
After the two Seki ships disappeared from sight, the head of the Matsuura family and Ryuzoji Takanobu withdrew their gazes one after another.
"Your Highness, please enjoy it. He is the most famous chef in our Matsuura family, and his seafood dishes are his specialty." The head of the Matsuura family poured a glass of sake for Ryuzoji Takanobu and invited him to taste the food of the Matsuura family chef.
The chef of the Matsuura family was originally the chef of the Shogun Ashikaga Yoshiharu's residence. The head of the Matsuura family accidentally saved his life, so he invited him to the Matsuura family as the head chef. Whenever there were distinguished guests, the head of the Matsuura family would ask him to cook and entertain them. Meimei was always praised by the distinguished guests, which was also one of the things that the head of the Matsuura family was most proud of.
"The taste is bland and tasteless, and it doesn't live up to its reputation..." Ryuzoji Takanobu took a sip and shook his head slightly.
The head of the Matsuura family was stunned for a moment, and then apologized, "I am so sorry for not satisfying Your Highness."
Did the chef make a mistake
After the head of the Matsuura family apologized to Ryuzoji Takanobu, he also picked up a piece of food with chopsticks and put it in his mouth.
He chewed lightly, then frowned slightly. His frown was not because the food was bad, but because the food was delicious, even the best. This was a first-class imperial meal. The head of the Matsuura family thought that the chef of the Shogun's family was no better than this. Why was His Highness not satisfied... ...
"Your Highness, Lord, please taste this dish." After hearing Ryuzoji Takanobu's evaluation, the chef of the Matsuura family thought for a moment and prepared another meal on the spot, asking Ryuzoji Takanobu and the head of the Matsuura family to taste it.
Ryuzoji Takanobu picked up his chopsticks and ate it, nodding with satisfaction, "This tastes great."
Upon hearing this, the head of the Matsuura family breathed a sigh of relief, picked up a piece of food with chopsticks and put it in his mouth, then frowned.
If the first dish is a first-rate imperial meal, light and elegant, with good color, aroma and taste, then this dish is a third-rate country cuisine with a strong taste, and the sauce almost covers the freshness of the seafood itself... ...
Since ancient times, daimyo from all over the country have been trying to emulate Kyoto in terms of taste, clothing, and popular entertainment. This is a symbol of status and identity. Over time, the tastes of daimyo from all over the country have become almost the same as those of Kyoto, which is very different from the tastes and preferences of ordinary people in the local areas.
Theoretically speaking, Ryuzoji Takanobu should also like the imperial cuisine, so why did he like the heavy taste of the countryside... ...
"Haha, Lord Matsuura thinks that I'm a country boy..." Ryuzoji Takanobu looked at the head of the Matsuura family and said with a smile.
"How dare I, how dare I..." The head of the Matsuura family hurriedly replied with cold sweat on his forehead when Ryuzoji Takanobu told him what was in his heart.
"Haha, why not? This is the fact. I just like the heavy taste of the countryside! Compared to Kyoto, where the gods rise, I prefer the countryside! Lord Matsuura, which do you think is more important, Kyoto or the countryside?" Ryuzoji Takanobu laughed, squinted his eyes and looked at the head of the Matsuura family, and asked softly.
Which is more important, Kyoto or the countryside?! Is there any need to think about this? Of course Kyoto is more important! However, Ryuzoji Takanobu said that he liked the countryside. This was an answer that came out of his mouth, but the head of the Matsuura family hesitated for several seconds before saying, "I think Kyoto is more important."
The reason why the head of the Matsuura family told the truth was that he was afraid that Ryuzoji Takanobu would say that he was insincere and could not be trusted.
"Kyoto is heavier?! Haha, Lord Matsuura, the world has changed. It is no longer the same as it used to be. Between Kyoto and the countryside, our countryside is heavier." Ryuzoji Takanobu smiled and shook his head, saying slowly.
"It's more serious in the countryside?!" Hearing this, the head of the Matsuura family was stunned, with a look of disbelief on his face, "Your Highness, why do you say that?"
The head of the Matsuura family disagreed in his heart. How could the countryside be compared with Kyoto? Kyoto, that is Kyoto! For thousands of years, which daimyo did not have a dream of going to Kyoto? !
Shangluo, originally meaning "to go to the capital", means to go to the capital. In Japan, the action of a daimyo leading troops to Kyoto was called "Shangluo". This was the ultimate dream and ambition of daimyo from all over the country, especially during the Warring States period. They led troops to Kyoto, controlled Kyoto, met the emperor, founded the shogunate, and spread military power throughout the country... ...
"Haha, Lord Matsuura, the era when controlling Kyoto means controlling the world is a thing of the past. Only by controlling all places and eliminating all opposition forces can we truly conquer the world. Those who still cling to Kyoto will eventually be eliminated by the times and become a thing of the past, just like history... So, Lord Matsuura, compared to Kyoto, the countryside is more important. Whoever controls the countryside controls the world."
Ryuzoji Takanobu chuckled and spoke slowly.
The head of the Matsuura family heard this as if it were thunder, and was stunned for a long time.
"Haha, of course, spreading my military power across the world is just something I can only think about now, so I'd better conquer Hizen first."
Ryuzoji Takanobu smiled and shook his head again.
"Your Highness is wise and brave, and you have powerful soldiers under your command. You will surely be able to unify Hizen. It is also possible to spread your military power throughout the world. My Matsuura family is willing to serve Your Highness at our service." The head of the Matsuura family bowed and flattered, expressing his submission.
"Haha, it's not easy to unify Hizen. Lord Matsuura's words are useless, and my words are useless. Only iron and blood will work. We have to defeat all the opposing forces. To fight a war, we need to recruit soldiers, have food and fodder, have weapons, have military pay and pensions, etc. All of these cost money, and I am poor."
Ryuzoji Takanobu spread his hands and cried poor.
"Please rest assured, Your Highness. The other side of the Ming Dynasty has countless wealth, tens of thousands of times that of our Yamato Kingdom. General Naoshima and Matsuura Sanbanro are going to the west to attack the Ming Dynasty's Suzhou and Lake Tai area, which is the richest place in the Ming Dynasty. There are two proverbs in the Ming Dynasty, one is 'If Suzhou and Lake Tai are prosperous, the world will be prosperous', and the other is 'There is heaven above and Suzhou and Hangzhou below', which shows that the Suzhou and Lake Tai area is the richest in the world. In recent years, the areas that have been looted in the Ming Dynasty are mostly in Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Fujian. The Suzhou and Hangzhou areas, including the Ming Dynasty's secondary capital Yingtian, have rarely been looted. This time, after General Naoshima and Matsuura Sanbanro return, my Matsuura family is willing to do our utmost to assist Your Highness's men in looting the Suzhou and Hangzhou areas of the Ming Dynasty and taking the countless wealth of the Ming Dynasty to help Your Highness unify Hizen and spread his military power throughout the world." The head of the Matsuura family said slowly as he filled Ryuzoji Takanobu's wine glass.