"Lord Stars, this is Mr. Luc Besson!" I followed Tsuda Muneji to the Tennoji House and into a small courtyard in the middle of nowhere, where I met the two men he had mentioned earlier. One was a European in his forties with thick brown hair, large, bright blue eyes, a wide nose bridge and a huge nose tip, a short, bushy beard with a jaw and cheeks that extended from bottom to top into his hair, which made his head look like a large lion. The other was a fourteen or fifteen-year-old Japanese boy, but the only thing I know for sure about this is that before he arrived, Munekazu Tsuda had spoken of his nephew, who, despite having a simple samurai bun on his head, was dressed in a full European short. At this moment, Munekazu Tsuda pointed me out to the European.

Luc Besson ......: "After listening to Tsuda Muneki's introduction, I repeated it in a whisper a few times." Under is the Zhuxing Qing Clan, please take care of it when you meet for the first time! "Since I'm here to ask for advice, I have to have a bit of the bearing of a corporal of courtesy.

"I know something about you, Boss Tsuda has mentioned it more than once...... "He reached out to me, and I shook it with him. Judging by his Japanese, he should have been in Japan for some time. "He said that you are a very far-sighted and open-minded prince......"

"I'm sorry!" I interrupted him and explained, "I should say 'military general' instead of 'prince', the two words have very similar meanings in Japan, but there is still a certain difference between them!" ”

"I'm sorry!" He was not the slightest bit unhappy and seemed very open-minded. "In Gereukbesson, less than two years in Japan!"

Luc Besson...... Is this your last name? I asked cautiously. From just now, I felt that this surname was very familiar.

"Yes!" He admits it frankly. "Philippe Luc Besson!"

"That'...... Is it French? "I vaguely remember that it was a French surname.

"No, but it's pretty much the same!" He smiled and shook his head. "I am from Toulouse, in the province of Gascony, in the Kingdom of Navarre, a small country between France and Spain."

"Ah......h No wonder my impression is so vague, my memory of this period of history mainly comes from the introduction of "The Three Musketeers". "Has His Majesty Henri de Bourbon been enthroned?"

"You know that?!" Philippe Luc Besson's eyes widened in surprise. "Yes! He has been on the throne for several years, but he is just a 'little puppet' under the control of the Queen Mother! Boss Tsuda once talked to me about you and said that you have a magical ability to foresee. To be honest, I didn't really believe it at first, but now I have to believe it! In Japan, thousands of miles away, most people still don't know that the 'Nanban' is divided into many countries, but you know even that 'little person' so clearly! ”

"Any 'big man' also grows up from a 'little man'! You don't have to be so demanding of him. I made a joke and then asked, "So you should be a Huguenot Protestant too?" ”

"Right?" He nodded.

"How could it be 'supposed to be'?" I was surprised by his answer. In my memory, Europe at this time must have been very sensitive to this issue, how could he be so unserious about religious beliefs?

"But that's the case?" He spread his hands helplessly. "Just three days after I was born, my father called a Huguenot priest and poured a glass of water on my head, not afraid of catching a cold! I was sold to their god in this way, leaving me with no power to choose for myself! ”

"Ha, ha, ha, you really have a sense of humor!" I burst out laughing, it seems that he is not very attached to his beliefs, which is very good for us to get along in the future. "I heard Boss Tsuda tell me, you have a deep knowledge of iron cannons?" I get back to the point.

"Yes! That's what I live on. Luc Besson confessed to being immodest, and slapped his hand on a long iron cannon placed beside him.

"Since you've been in Japan for a while, what do you think of the current Daimyo and the Iron Artillery Corps of the people of various countries?" I asked for advice "with an open mind".

"It seems that you still have some doubts about my abilities!" He raised his hand to stop my defense. You're absolutely right! In Japan's current chaotic situation, it is impossible to hand over a life-and-death weapon, such as an iron cannon, to a person who cannot be trusted in terms of ability. Speaking of the iron cannons everywhere now......" He said after a slight groan: "I think they are taking a detour, not the right way to develop the weapon of iron artillery!" ”

"What do you say?" I'm very careful about his suggestion, isn't he bluffing me with big words?

"The current Japanese ......," Luc Besson said with a serious face, "The general view of the daimyo is that the iron cannon is a symbol of strength, and it is too precious to be used as a universal class. Among the Chinese people who started with iron cannons, such as Saga and Nerai, iron cannons are combined with traditional Japanese ninjutsu to make it a kind of surprise attack force! ”

"Isn't a surprise attack good? As far as I know, Kii's ninja guns are famous all over the world! "I couldn't understand his argument for a moment.

"It's really powerful, and it can't be said that there is anything bad about surprise attacks, there are many examples of defeating the strong with the weak being the tactics of surprise attacks! But after all......" he shook his head. "Let me put it this way! The most formidable weapon is the dagger, but have you ever seen an army that is armed with a dagger? Just as no one can live a life of triumph on 'cleverness', neither can a good army and its commanders always hope to be opportunistic! The army I envisaged was a mixture of iron cannons and spears, an army capable of attacking, defending, and moving freely without fortifications! ”

"Isn't Japan now a mix of iron cannons and spears?" I asked curiously.

"Nope! That's different!? Luc Besson shook his hand repeatedly. It's just a gag for the cannon to show its face to interfere, and it's the pikemen who decide the victory! I'm talking about putting together a fair number of pikemen and infantry, and the spearmen are responsible for the defense, even if it is the cavalry shock; Iron cannons are concentrated in the middle and are the main lethal force. It would be perfect if it could be formed into a large phalanx of thousands of people, and then equipped with a cannon in the middle! ”

I took a deep breath and had to admit that his concept of war was quite advanced in this era, but after all, there was still a distance from the current reality. "Mr. Luc Besson, I admire you very much! But at least for now, I am not able to build such an army for strength and political reasons, and I can't even form an overly large iron artillery team due to various scruples! For a long time, I was afraid that the iron cannon could only play a supporting role, but I would like to tell you the direction and work hard, or would you like to leave your ideas in Japan and in my army? So one day, your dream will come true! ”

"You don't have to be sorry for me!" He laughs. "It's my hobby, but I also want to eat! And the main reason why I am willing to come to such a far east is for money. Rest assured! Until the end of our peace treaty, I will strictly follow your orders, which is also my principle as a mercenary! As for teaching me the idea......" he pointed to the boy with his hand. "I've got the best students in Japan!"

"This is my nephew!" Seeing that my gaze turned to the boy, Tsuda Munekazu introduced it in time.

"In Shimotsuda, meet the stars!" The boy fell to his knees.

"Tsuda...... One count...... Are you from a crowd of origins? I thought quickly.

"Yes!" Tsuda nodded. "In the lower Genlai Temple, it's just a stream! Because I respect the teacher's knowledge and don't agree with the traditions of my family, I now follow the teacher in my practice! ”

"Are you willing to join the Star Family?" I then asked.

"I can't ask for it!"

"That's good!" I made a decision. "Mr. Luc Besson, I will first sign a five-year contract with you, and pay you 500 taels of gold every year! Your job is to lead and train my iron artillery team, and to come out of my house as an ashigaru general and assist you in your work. I'm going back to Wakae Castle in a few days, so please hurry up and arrange the things at hand, is that okay? ”

"You can call me Philip from now on!" He replied.

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"You never told me that you came from a crowd?" When I came out, I asked Sokazu Tsuda.

"Isn't that weird?" He asked me rhetorically. "Izumi is close to Kii, and Sakai Town is less than 100 miles away from Neraiji Temple! Besides, Tsuda is not a great surname, I thought you already knew! ”

"You have a point, it's just ......," I scratched my head. How come I never thought about it? ”