The crowd looked at him nervously. He had their utmost attention, but what was the point in his actions?
He slid the ring onto his finger, and admired it, holding it up for all to see.
"A gold ring bought and paid for fairly, with the appropriate coin, would you not agree? And that is how I plan to keep things. There will be no changes to your daily lives – if anything, things will be better. There will be no guards to ha.s.sle you, nor will you have to pay tax on your exchanges."
A grand proclaimation indeed. The tax on the trades was no small some, and no merchant was arrogant enough to look down on the amount they would be saving. But could they really trust the words of a man who had just confessed to being behind the killings and raids of multiple traders like themselves?
"I will not push you to make a decision. You are all quite free to leave. But if you wish to continue to trade here, then know that you may do it tax-free, and each of your transactions will have the complete protection of the Red Feather."
It was a cunning strategy indeed. Not only would the lack of tax cause trade to continue to flow, but it would encourage further trade, as people chose this port instead of others to carry out their sales, so that they would not be taxed for it.
"What about us?" A European man spoke up, his accent thick. "We had an agreement ongoing with the commander of this town. Now that you"re here, what will happen to that?"
"And what was this agreement?" Gengyo asked, not in the least bit surprised by his question.
"Well… For starters, we"re allowed to dock here, and have the same rights to trade as any of you j.a.panese."
"Done." Gengyo responded without hesitation. "Anything else?"
"He was looking to buy our matchlocks. We"ve got loads of them stocked up, but now that you"ve went and killed him, bringing them along was pointless."
"I"ll buy them."
"You mean, you"ll take them?" The man scoffed.
"I said what I mean. What do you wish to trade for them?" j.a.panese gold was not as useful to a foreigner as goods were.
"…Silk – silk would do."
Gengyo nodded.
"Jikouji. We have our silk with us, do we not? There should be more than to supply this gentleman with."
"Aye, one moment lad."
Jikouji hurried off toward the cart containing their cargo, whilst Gengyo kept his gaze fixed upon the European man.
"What is your name?" He asked of him.
"Edwardo… Edwardo Moretti." The man replied uneasily, still unsure whether he should trust this odd foreigner.
"Miura Tadakata. In this port your people will always be welcome. If you are met with any trouble, you merely need speak my name to one of my men, and your concerns will be addressed." He spoke, holding out his hand.
Edwardo stared at the outstretched hand for a moment, recognizing the gesture. These foreigners were a strange sort with all their bowing and honorifics, but a handshake was something he could put his faith in, and he reciprocated, squeezing Gengyo"s hand firmly.
"Aye, I appreciate that." Edwardo nodded. It was the first time he had been treated as an equal in this strange land. The people seemed to look down on them, and regard them as unclean. The only reason he still partic.i.p.ated on the voyage was because of the precious coin he could secure from it.
"Good man. That gentleman over there is my advisor, Jikouji. He"ll finalize the trading with you." And then, the new governor of Toyokawa turned to its people. "And the same goes for the rest of you. You have my utmost support. If you ever encounter troubles carrying out your trades, then you merely had tell and I will offer you my a.s.sistance." He spoke as sincerely as he was able. His efforts – combinded with his monkly attire – had a calming effect upon the crowd, but they still could not ignore the threat of the 500 strong force that stood in front of them.
"That is all I wished to say. My men and I will now advance onto the city mansion, and secure it. Please be at ease."
Only time would tell whether they could truly return to normal, or whether the economic value of the town would crumble. But he gave them all the rea.s.surances that he could, and that was all he was able to do.
"Are you not worried, Miura?" Isabella asked, seeing the state in which he had left them. "They could betray you at any time, and sell you out to the Daimyo. Someone could take advantage of the current state and cause an uproar. Is it really fine to leave no one behind?"
He smiled gently in response to the question. She flinched at his expression. It was something he would never have been capable of in the past. "Trust, it seems, is exactly what is needed to fuel a hatching economy. If there is an uprising, let it happen – we will crush it. If someone seeks to rob, then he will be made an example of. In worrying, we only create more worry as we find more things to worry about. In this, we let them do as they may, and in time, perhaps, this will truly become an a.s.set of ours."
The city mansion was all but empty. The commander had taken all the men that he could muster when he set about ambus.h.i.+ng their fleet. And now, the gates stood open and seemed completely defenceless.
"Do we just go in..?" Kitajo asked, staring at the empty scene in front of them with uncertainty.
"I suppose so. It"s ours now, after all." Gengyo decided, dismounting, before stepping inside the compound.
A traditional mansion of a rather large scale. It was a little bigger than the Niwa mansion, and so considering the size of the town, it could be called conservative. There was plenty of s.p.a.ce, and everything was new and fresh. The wood decking of the porch did not even creak underfoot as they stepped on top, and slid into the building.
…
…
They breezed through the building, startling many servant girls along the way. Gengyo took his time to explain that they were under new management of sorts, but sort to ease their worries in regards to coin – there would still be a job waiting for them in the morning. Whether any of them turned up or not would still remain to be seen, however.
Some servants sort to stop their advance by the blade, and their efforts were given the honour of a quick death.
The commander had an office, tucked away inside this one story building, and they soon found it. There were papers scattered everywhere. Storage facilities filled with all sorts of nonsense. It would take hours to sift through them, and even then there might be nothing of importance.
"What now, Miura? You"ve claimed the town, and you sit within the mansion. Surely that"s not all there is to it?" Jikouji prodded.
"No, you"re quite right. Arrangements must be made to a.s.sert our governance, and that will begin with law enforcement. This will be extremely light, however - lighter than the previous commander did. The people are well aware of what kind of army we can summon, so there is no need to be oppressive in our ruling."
"And, the men need to be housed. Tents will do, for now. I do not plan to be here long. It is best to expand our influence before news of our efforts reaches Imagawa."
"Aye… I"m sure Imagawa is itching to quash a rebellion after his defeat at the hands of Oda. We had better remain on our toes."
"Indeed. There are the various logistical things that need going over, to make sure everything is in order, and that everyone is fed."
"I"ll get on it."
"Thanks, Jikouji."
The old man nodded. "Ah, I thought you might have missed this." He reached into the sleeve of his kimono, and handed him a piece of bound parchment. At a glance, Gengyo knew what it was.
"Haha, it seems you"ve come to know me quite well."
"That I have. I"ll go and get your men settled in. Relax awhile, lad."
With Jikouji gone, Gengyo casually pushed the contents of the old commander"s desk to the floor, and laid his old map on top.
"Ah… I really had missed this."
Finally, he had the means to execute what he had planned long ago. With Toyokawa secured, they needed to keep up the momentum, and capture a major city. Yet this one needed defences – somewhere that they could safely house their troops.
And he had the perfect one in mind. He had travelled there once, and during his stay, he had noted how well fortified it was.
There was a gentle rapping at the door, before it slid open, and a head peeked inside.
"Ah uhm… Sorry, I didn"t realize you were busy. We"ll speak later, okay?" Akiko spoke quickly, hurrying her words, and becoming fl.u.s.tered. With haste, she sought to exit the room and close the door behind her.
"No, it"s quite alright. Come in, Akiko. I was wanting to speak with you as well." He a.s.sured her, turning his back on the map, so that he could look at something even more important.
Nervously, she closed the door behind her. Her mind raced as they stood in silence, and she sought something to say. With each second that pa.s.sed, she grew more and more embarra.s.sed. She had thought of him every day since he left, and had missed him greatly. Yet here, now, facing the man in question, she did not know what to do.
He blinked at her lazily, with a smile hanging from his lips. There was no judgement in his stare, nor was he in a hurry. He was simply enjoying the moment.