At the beginning of May of the eighteenth year of astronomy. The sudden illness of the Uemura family governor Uemura Yorixing, who was about to turn 60 years old, brought a great shock to the local wealthy families of Kuma County, Nanhigo, and for a time all the wealthy families in the area were secretly active, as if there was an ulterior conspiracy brewing in a calm situation.

Compared to the seemingly calm situation in Minamihigo Kuma County, at this time, there was a heated debate going on in the meeting hall of the Shimazu family.

The object of the controversy is a mysterious group of pirates who have only recently landed on the coast of Satsuma Province.

"My lord, my subordinates disagree." The governor of the Dongxiang family, who was already in his fifties, said earnestly, "My lord, if you let those pirates go ashore, the territory of this family will definitely be restless!" Please also ask the lord to think about the stable life of the people. ”

As soon as Togo Shigeji said this, it immediately aroused the consent of many retainers in the council hall, and those pirates were really unseemly. In the past few days when they followed their own army to North Satsuma, they had already ruined a lot of women, although those local people in North Satsuma belonged to the wealthy families of North Satsuma who resisted their family, and they were not the people under their leadership, but this was too brutal. If they are allowed to land on the shores of their own families at will, then the people of their own families along the coast will naturally suffer.

"It's just that I have promised the other party before, as long as the other party sends someone to help in the war, then the family will hand over the Zhen Island at the sea of the Kawauchi River to the other party, and if the family defaults at this time, it is likely to be attacked by the other party." The old Yijiyuan Zhonglang said something.

At the mention of the possibility of being attacked by those pirates, the retainers who were whispering in the council hall immediately fell silent. They had also seen with their own eyes the power of the iron cannons in the hands of those pirates, and they all thought that the strength of their home was not the opponent's.

"Just. Lord. Can you discuss it with the other party? Change the other party's location to Yakushima there? "The twelfth generation of the family governor of the Lai Yuan family also spoke out at this time. The territory of the Togo family is near the mouth of the Kawauchi River, and it makes sense for Togo Shigeji to oppose the stationing of those pirates at the mouth of the Kawauchi River, because these will definitely come ashore in the territory of the Togo family, and it is likely that the pirates will be made into a miasma by those pirates at that time.

And the Ryoin family is near the territory of the Dongxiang family, so he is naturally worried that those pirates will enter his territory through the territory of the Dongxiang family. It's not that they don't want to accept those pirates, it's that these pirates have already agreed with the Shimazu family that they can't trade with any locals except the Shimazu family. Since you can't get benefits from the other party, you have to suffer from the other party's waste of your own territory. Naturally, they don't welcome these pirates.

"It's not right, Yakushima is near the Osumi Strait, it's too close to Osumi Province, if these pirates turn to contact the daimyo of Osumi Province, then the family will lose a help." The important minister of the family, Shinna Yujiu, also spoke. Obviously, the daimyo he was referring to was none other than the liver family of Osumi Province.

"I'm afraid you don't know what to do, but when this group of pirates came to negotiate with our family, they already controlled Ryukyu Island." The old family Ijiin Tadaro spoke again.

As soon as these words came out, the faces of many retainers in the council hall couldn't help but change, because their families all had more or less trade relations with the Ryukyu side. If the Ryukyus were already under the control of this group of pirates, then this sea trade route would be controlled by the other side. If you offend them at this time, then your own sea ship will definitely be retaliated against by the other party. Thinking of this, the retainers who were not very willing to accept these pirates had already begun to change their minds in their hearts.

Ijiin Tadaro, who secretly observed the changes in the expressions of these retainers, couldn't help but sneer in his heart. Although the number of these pirates is small, they are strong in force. When negotiating with the other party, Ijiin Tadaro not only saw a large number of iron cannons, but even saw a large barrel similar to the one used by the Luo family in the previous battle against the Ouchi family and the Otomo family. With such weapons, would it be possible for these retainers to withstand the attacks of these pirates? As soon as they landed on the shore, the only way for these retainers to flee was to escape. In this way, if the other party really lands hard, it will have a great impact on the family. Since you can't resist it, it's better to enjoy it. The family can even take this opportunity to get a lot of benefits from these pirates.

"Okay, this matter is postponed, you all disperse." It is indeed not easy to be the head of a family, and you must try to take care of the interests of each family. Due to the rapid development of the Shimazu family in recent years, there are many more retainers in the family who have just surrendered. It is precisely because of these retainers who joined that every evaluation meeting will always be a mess. This is all a manifestation of the fact that these retainers have not yet fully returned to their hearts. In order to win people's hearts, even if he was dissatisfied in his heart, Shimazu Takahisa had to endure it for the time being.

After everyone left, Takahisa Shimazu slowly walked out of the council hall, and then followed the path north of the cage city to a courtyard in a valley. Pushing open the wooden door of the courtyard and waving away the two servants who had heard the words, Takahisa Shimazu walked straight into the depths of the courtyard.

By this time it was already dark, and incense was lit everywhere. Takahisa Shimazu walked a little tiredly, and when a small temple appeared in front of him, he stopped. This was the place where the man he was looking for lived. Shimazu Takahisa felt that this was the only place to be unpolluted and quiet, and he unknowingly walked into the chaimen of the small temple.

An old man in his fifties sat on a dark wooden corridor, busy cutting bamboo in his hands, and seemed to be rushing to make bamboo tubes. Shimazu Takahisa knocked on the door impatiently and said, "Father-sama! ”

What Shimazu Takahisa is looking for is his father, Tadashi Shimazu, who has gone into hiding. When Shimazu Tadaya was three years old, his father Shimazu Yoshihisa died, and he became the lord of Isaku Castle under the guardianship of his mother, Tokiwa, who was praised by the world as the "pearl of the South Seas" for her beauty and wisdom. In 1512, Tokiwa remarried Shimazu Yunhisa of the Shimazu family on the condition that Shimazu Tadaya be the heir. As a result, Shimazu Tadaya became the most powerful branch of the Shimazu branch. At this time, Shimazu Katsuhisa, the head of the Shimazu family, who was oppressed by the Shimazu family of the Sasku family, formed an alliance with Tadashi on the condition that Tadashi's son-in-law Tiger Shoumaru (Shimazu Takahisa) inherit the Shimazu family. In 1527, while Shimazu Takahisa inherited his family, Shimazu Tadaya cut his hair and became a monk, entered the Buddhist gate, and then lived in seclusion behind the scenes, assisting his son Shimazu Takahisa to gradually realize the dream of unifying the three kingdoms of Satsuma, Osumi and Hinata. In the future, he will even be called the famous king of Shimazu Iexing.

Although Shimazu Tadaya, who was his father, had gone into hiding, Shimazu Takahisa usually came to discuss with his father when he encountered something difficult to decide.

Hearing the sound of pushing the door, Shimazu Tadara raised his head and found that it was his son Shimazu Takahisa, "Oh, Torajumaru, is that you?" ”

Then he lowered his head again and continued to be busy with the work in his hands, and after a while, he suddenly seemed to remember something, put down the knife, and looked at Shimazu Tadashi again, "Your face is solemn, has something happened?" ”

"Yes. A great controversy broke out among the retainers about the visitors at sea. ”

"Oh? Come on in! The house was lit with incense, and there were fewer mosquitoes. ”

"Excuse me! Is this a flower arrangement? After entering the house, Shimazu Tadashi soon noticed that the bamboo tube in Shimazu Tadashira's hand was a little special.

"It's shakuhachi and the tea pond, which I made from good bamboo from Yaeyama." Tadara Shimazu said as he returned to his room. At this time, the maid who rushed to hear the rumors had already lit the ancient cauldron outside the house.

"Father, what about the visitors at sea?" After sitting down, Takahisa Shimazu asked Tadaya Shimazu.

"Don't you already have a decision in your mind?" Shimazu Tadaya did not answer Shimazu Takahisa's words, but asked rhetorically.

"That being said, the opinions of the retainers must not be ignored!"

"Huh." Shimazu Tadashi smiled faintly after hearing this, then picked up the teaspoon placed next to him, and said, "If someone cherishes something like this, they should bid three taels to five taels of gold." You say, "If one person gives three taels and one person gives five taels, to whom will you give this thing?" ”

"Of course, it's five taels. Five taels is two taels more than three taels! Shimazu Takahisa thought for a moment and replied directly.

"So, you decide who you give according to the amount of gold? It's a good deal. Shimazu Tadaya said meaningfully.

"Father, the child understands." Being so little bit by Shimazu Tadashi, Shimazu certainly understood what Shimazu Tadashi meant.

Yes, there is much more to the benefit of cooperating with those who come to the sea, than to make some of the retainers dissatisfied.

First of all, they can get their military help, which is conducive to the Shimazu family to speed up the expansion of their territory. And the intention of those visitors from the sea is also very clear, it seems that the other party's purpose is not to occupy the territory of the Wa Kingdom, but to use the Wa Kingdom as a land supply port, so he does not have to worry that the other party will take the opportunity to occupy the territory of the Shimazu family.

Moreover, if they were stationed on Zhen Island at the mouth of the Kawauchi River, they could also exert pressure on the nearby Amakusa Beach and the Yatsushiro Sea to prevent the Luo family navy from entering the coast of Satsuma Province.

Secondly, the Shimazu family was also able to buy a large amount of supplies from these guests, especially those iron cannons. Although the Shimazu family already had their own iron cannon workshop at this time, due to the limitations of technology and the lack of raw materials, the production of iron cannons in the workshop was very low, and the quality was uneven. If you can get iron cannons from these guests, it will help speed up the formation of the Shimazu family's iron cannon team. For the Luo family's famous iron cannon team in Kyushu, he has always been very greedy.

In the end, Shimazu Takahisa fell in love with the huge ships of these sea guests, and if he could get a few such ships from these guests, then the safety of the Satsuma coast would be guaranteed, and he could even overpower the Luo family's navy army, which had already begun to be aggressive.

Therefore, obtaining a few of these huge ships for visitors from the sea has almost become another ambition of Takahisa Shimazu at this time. (To be continued......)