Tojo Kojiro also intentionally struck at Yamamoto Nijuhachi and Takeshita Saemon, lest these two not-so-sane individuals suddenly go mad and start a “gekokujo” (downward usurpation) in Tenjiku.
After all, the temptations in Tenjiku were far too great – for the Wokoku, who had been suffering from earthquakes and tsunamis while confined to their islands, it was like a dream to possess such a stable and vast piece of land, let alone having two hundred million Tenjiku idiots to command.
Tojo Kojiro believed that any Wokoku person would find it hard to refuse such temptation.
However, Tojo Kojiro was also well aware that Tenjiku was a poisoned chalice, a tempting sugar-coated pill hiding a fatal danger beneath.
This danger was enough to doom the entire Wokoku nation for eternity.
Fortunately, after repeated warnings, Yamamoto Nijuhachi and Takeshita Saemon had also calmed down.
Tojo Kojiro continued, “From tomorrow, we will divide into three routes and begin advancing throughout the Tenjiku region. The issues of supplies and provisions will be handled by the English and Dutch East India Companies, but you must be careful. There are likely to be merchants from Great Ming residing in Tenjiku. You must absolutely distinguish between the merchants of Great Ming and the Tenjiku idiots.”
At this point, Tojo Kojiro’s expression also became somewhat grim: “Listen to me clearly. There are garrison troops from Great Ming in Tenjiku, and the government of Great Ming is well aware of how many merchants from Great Ming are here – if the merchants of Great Ming suffer misfortune because of us, then you know the consequences.”
Yamamoto Nijuhachi and Takeshita Saemon’s faces also turned grim.
Once merchants from Great Ming were involved, things inevitably became troublesome.
For instance, if a merchant from Great Ming resided in Tenjiku, would they bring a few servants from Great Ming? Would they also take a few concubines in Tenjiku?
The merchants from Great Ming and the servants they brought along were manageable, as they were from the “father” country of Great Ming, and Yamamoto Nijuhachi and Takeshita Saemon were neither willing nor daring enough to provoke them.
However, if those merchants from Great Ming took concubines in Tenjiku, then what about those concubines and their families?
Did they also have acquaintances, Tenjiku idiots with whom they had good relations?
Although Yamamoto Nijuhachi and Takeshita Saemon considered it beneath their dignity for people from Great Ming to make friends there, what if it were true?
Thinking of this, Yamamoto Nijuhachi couldn't help but ask, “If those merchants from Great Ming have relatives or friends here, and they want to protect their relatives and friends…”
Takeshita Saemon also nodded in agreement, adding, “If those Tenjiku idiots find protection from merchants of Great Ming, then what about us?”
Tojo Kojiro couldn't help but scratch his scalp and frown, “This is unavoidable, just like what I encountered in Banmawala Village before.”
Hearing Tojo Kojiro say this, Yamamoto Nijuhachi and Takeshita Saemon immediately perked up – if Tojo Kojiro spoke of how incredibly powerful he was in Tenjiku, they certainly wouldn’t enjoy listening, but if Tojo Kojiro encountered trouble in Tenjiku, they were eager to hear about it.
Tojo Kojiro, of course, knew that these two idiots, Yamamoto Nijuhachi and Takeshita Saemon, were wishing for his downfall. However, Tojo Kojiro had no intention of getting involved with these idiots, so he simply frowned and said, “You must remember, everything is to be based on the opinions of the merchants of Great Ming – even if they want to protect all the Tenjiku idiots in an entire village, you must obey their wishes.”
Upon hearing Tojo Kojiro say this, Yamamoto Nijuhachi couldn't help but frown and say, “But this contradicts our mission. We are supposed to recruit laborers for Great Ming. If we let go of a large number of Tenjiku idiots, won’t the responsibility still fall on us?”
Tojo Kojiro let out a cold sneer and retorted, “Then, can you afford to provoke the merchants of Great Ming? Or rather, can you afford to provoke the people of Great Ming?”
“Don’t be foolish, Yamamoto-kun. You need to understand our identity – we are simply dogs of Great Ming. If His Majesty the Emperor of Great Ming needs us to recruit laborers in Tenjiku, then we will honestly recruit laborers in Tenjiku. Other matters are not for us to consider.”
“As for the issue of those merchants from Great Ming, you just need to record it and tell me, and I will then inform the garrison of Great Ming in Tenjiku.”
“Let me be clear, the issues of merchants from Great Ming are their issues, and the government of Great Ming will naturally handle them. It is not something we can interfere with.”
Speaking of this, Tojo Kojiro couldn’t help but remind them, “In Banmawala Village and some nearby villages, some households hang signs with Chinese characters written on them. If you encounter such signs, you must be cautious and not rush in rashly. Some of them are people from Great Ming, and some are related to or friends with people from Great Ming.”
Tojo Kojiro’s expression once again turned grim: “Of course, if you feel you can afford to provoke those merchants from Great Ming, then by all means, go ahead. But please remember to take the responsibility upon yourselves, do not implicate me, and certainly do not implicate the Shogunate or Wokoku.”
Hearing Tojo Kojiro say this, Yamamoto Nijuhachi and Takeshita Saemon immediately understood.
That’s right, the matters concerning merchants of Great Ming should be reported to the government of Great Ming for handling. They themselves were not qualified to question it. Even if merchants of Great Ming violated Wokoku laws in Wokoku, they could only be handed over to the Governor-General’s Office of Great Ming on Kyushu Island for handling. The Wokoku court and Shogunate dared not try merchants of Great Ming.
Even the Wokoku court and Shogunate were like this, and they were merely samurai leaders. Did they think they could interfere with the affairs of merchants from Great Ming?
Furthermore, Yamamoto Nijuhachi and Takeshita Saemon had also heard of certain provisions in the “Great Ming Law.”
For example, if a conflict arose between two people from Great Ming, the government of Great Ming would usually hold a court hearing to ascertain the rights and wrongs, to determine who was right and who was wrong. Even if it was impossible to decide, they would choose to smooth things over and give each party fifty lashes.
However, if a commoner from Great Ming had a dispute with someone who was not from Great Ming, the government of Great Ming would usually have no interest in holding a court hearing and would generally conclude the case after a few casual inquiries.
If the commoner from Great Ming was at fault, they would be reprimanded or severely beaten. If the commoner from Great Ming was in the right, then the barbarians who had disputes with the commoner from Great Ming would usually suffer misfortune.
If it was a situation where it was impossible to determine who was right and who was wrong, the government of Great Ming would generally assume that the commoner from Great Ming was in the right.
In any case, the provisions of the “Great Ming Law” were so absurd, and the government of Great Ming had always been like this.
For example, in Wokoku, it was common to see two people from Great Ming fighting on the street, or even to see two merchants from Great Ming, each with a group of retainers, engaging in a brawl. However, no Wokoku official dared to intervene.
Thinking of this, Yamamoto Nijuhachi and Takeshita Saemon couldn't help but feel envious and jealous.
One had to admit that reincarnation was indeed a skillful job, because once one was reincarnated as a commoner of Great Ming, it meant that from the day of their birth, they had already surpassed most people on the entire small broken planet.
Commoners of Great Ming, from the day of their birth, had the right to allocate land and homesteads, the right to study, join the army, become officials, or engage in business, the right to go anywhere they pleased, and the right to stand on the street and curse the government or the emperor.
If a commoner of Great Ming had children but was unable to raise them, Great Ming even had foundling homes to raise their children for them.
When they grew old, even if they had no children and had not saved any money, there were always relief homes in various parts of Great Ming to ensure that they could enjoy their twilight years, and even medication was provided by the惠民药局 (Huìmín Yàojú – Benevolent Medical Bureau) of Great Ming.
However, if one was not a commoner of Great Ming, they would not enjoy any similar rights in Great Ming. Great Ming did not care too much about the lives of others, or some kind-hearted commoners might voluntarily help some unfortunate barbarians, but the government would never intervene.
From the day they were born, commoners of Great Ming were protected by the entire Great Ming army of nearly two million soldiers. Even if they left Great Ming, they would still be protected by Great Ming’s four major fleets and the garrisons of Great Ming’s dozens of naval bases.
There was a legend in Wokoku that it didn’t matter if a Wokoku person lost something. It wasn’t just about losing money; no one would care even if they lost their life. But if it was a commoner from Great Ming who lost something, even if that commoner from Great Ming only lost a cat or a few copper coins, the Wokoku officials would desperately try to find it for them.
They might even round up all the cats in an entire village and let the commoner from Great Ming who lost the cat identify which one was his.
There was no other way, because the Governor-General of Great Ming stationed on Kyushu Island often met with commoners from Great Ming. If he learned that a commoner from Great Ming had lost something in Wokoku, he would definitely hold the Shogunate accountable, and the Shogunate, after being held accountable, would certainly put pressure on those below.
Thinking of these messy things, Yamamoto Nijuhachi and Takeshita Saemon couldn't help but feel bitter. They could only nod their heads, acknowledging Tojo Kojiro's orders.
After thinking for a moment, Takeshita Saemon asked again, “What if we encounter someone who is not from Great Ming? For example, like England or the Netherlands…”
Tojo Kojiro said with a sinister smile, “What business do they have with us? We can’t afford to offend Great Ming, but can’t we afford to offend them?”
“Given our temporary cooperation, if you find people from England or the Netherlands, drive them aside. If they are stubborn and want to protect the Tenjiku idiots, then beat them until they are obedient!”
Yamamoto Nijuhachi asked, “Aren’t you afraid of England and the Netherlands holding us accountable?”
Tojo Kojiro let out a cold sneer and said, “Can you distinguish between an Englishman and a Dutchman? You can’t, right? At that time, just tell Howard and that Teng person that we are visually impaired and don’t recognize people from their country.”
Yamamoto Nijuhachi and Takeshita Saemon nodded in agreement again – indeed, these barbarians all looked like red-haired, green-eyed demons and spoke in gibberish. Who could tell which barbarian was from which country?
Besides, if the sky falls, there are always taller people to bear it. The orders were given by Tojo Kojiro, and they were just carrying out orders. Even if any messy misunderstandings occurred, the responsibility would ultimately fall on Tojo Kojiro, wouldn’t it?
Tojo Kojiro continued, “In order to solve the problem of the Tenjiku idiots as quickly as possible, we must be ruthless this time.”
Yamamoto Nijuhachi nodded and asked, “How do you plan to be ruthless?”
Tojo Kojiro said with murderous intent, “If those Tenjiku idiots are unwilling to cooperate with Tenjiku’s common prosperity, then kill all their people, burn all their houses, rob all their grain, and leave them homeless!”
“For those who are willing to cooperate with us, of course, we must give them some benefits, let them establish vigilance committees, let the Brahmins and Kshatriyas be the chairmen of the vigilance committees, give them grain, pay them wages, and let them manage the Tenjiku idiots who are willing to cooperate with Tenjiku’s common prosperity.”
“We must tell the chairmen of those vigilance committees to persuade those Tenjiku idiots to become laborers – for every family persuaded to become laborers, give them a certain reward. We are not afraid that they will not put in effort.”
“In the initial phase, those laborers can be transferred to the English and Dutch East India Companies. They don’t care whether these laborers have been castrated or not.”
“I will go and talk to Howard and that Teng person, and ask them to treat these initial laborers well, so that they can receive normal wages, and so that they can return to Tenjiku to visit their relatives.”
“As long as there are these laborers as examples, we are not afraid that the subsequent Tenjiku idiots will be unwilling to become laborers.”
Listening to Tojo Kojiro’s ruthless and vicious scheme, even Yamamoto Nijuhachi and Takeshita Saemon, who were usually cold-blooded killers, fell silent.
The poison was too potent; this was simply a plan to utterly cripple the entire Tenjiku.
Of course, if it were Zhu Jinsong, the Emperor of Great Ming, in Tenjiku, he would probably ask Tojo Kojiro if he had a relative named Hideki – these tactics seemed too familiar!
However, Zhu Jinsong clearly did not have much energy to care about the messy affairs in Tenjiku at the moment.
After all, there were those Wokoku slaves. As long as they didn’t dare to bite their masters, they were the most obedient hunting dogs. They would loyally recruit laborers in Tenjiku, and Great Ming would not need to worry about the Tenjiku issue.
Compared to Tenjiku and those short and stumpy people, Zhu Jinsong was clearly more concerned about the issues within Great Ming.