A Pawn's Passage

The Daoist group was somewhat surprised by the ruthlessness of Genki and her remarkable capabilities.

On the vast sea, killing someone was the easy part. But returning alone to Fenglin with gold and silver in hand, then negotiating with a local daimyo—none of that was simple.

Pirates on the sea were among the worst of men, and the ocean itself was lawless. To survive the waves while surrounded by such cutthroats required both skill and luck.

Even back in Fenglin, things were far from settled. Not everyone could strike a deal with a daimyo. These daimyos were not honorable Daoist priests who cared about their reputations. For a beautiful woman to approach them with that much gold was like letting a toddler walk through a marketplace carrying treasure. One misstep, and even she would become the daimyo’s spoils.

The daimyo could very well take her in as a concubine and seize her fortune, which would be far more cost-effective than bestowing her a title. Yet the daimyo of the Matsue Domain did neither. Instead, he made her a hatamoto and entrusted her with a massive ironworks. That fact alone spoke volumes about her—Genki was not a simple woman and certainly not just an ordinary hatamoto.

Genki set down her folding fan and personally brewed tea for her guests.

The layout of her house was not of the typical Fenglin design, with wooden flooring and suspended hearths. Instead, it was a blend of Eastern and Western aesthetics, with tables from the Central Plains and Western-style sofas. They were all oddly harmonious. To most Fenglin natives, it might seem strange, but to the Daoists, it felt familiar. After all, the Daoist Order also embraced Western influence.

As Genki prepared the tea, she asked, “May I ask what brings you here today, High Mage Qi?”

Qi Xuansu did not answer directly. “If you mean our arrival in Fenglin, then all I can say is that the Daoist Order came at the invitation of Chancellor Toyotomi’s Office to quell the rebellion.”

Genki chuckled. “For a humble hatamoto like me, that’s a rather grand topic. I mean, what brings you to my modest jin’ya, High Mage Qi?”

“It’s hardly modest,” Qi Xuansu replied. “This is less a jin’ya and more so a foundry that is nearly on par with one of the Tianji Hall’s Class-C workshops.”

“So, you came for my ironworks,” Genki said.

“You could put it that way. But there’s no need for concern, Hatamoto Genki. We’re not here to seize your property.” Qi Xuansu raised his hand lightly in a friendly gesture. “I’m simply curious.”

Tang Yongshui promptly presented the musket. As the superintendent of Tianji Hall, he was the only one permitted to carry a magical receptacle, primarily to hold large quantities of firearms, as carrying such weapons physically would pose too many risks.

Qi Xuansu took the musket and placed it before Genki.

Genki gave it a brief glance. “We do not manufacture firearms.”

Qi Xuansu said, “To produce firearms, one needs raw materials—steel, to be precise. I am not from the Tianji Hall, so would you explain it to Hatamoto Genki, Superintendent Tang?”

“Yes, sir.” Tang Yongshui replied, then turned to Genki. “Hatamoto Genki, having traveled the world, you must be familiar with firearms. When a projectile is fired, the explosive force from the gunpowder propels it through the barrel and out at high speed. If the projectile cannot exit the barrel smoothly, it results in a blowout. There are many causes, like flawed design, poor-quality barrel crafting, or obstructions inside the barrel. The last of these can be avoided through regular maintenance, which is why cleaning the barrel is crucial.

“Let me focus on the second point, the barrel production process. First, barrel blanks are forged into rods in the ironworks, then sent to weapons workshops for further processing. There, the rods are cut to length, the flawed outer layer removed, and deep-hole drills are used to create a bore through the center.

“In short, a single gun barrel requires collaboration between an ironworks and a weapons workshop. If Hatamoto Genki says your forge doesn’t make firearms, that’s perfectly reasonable, since that’s the weapons workshop’s role. We’re not here to talk about the weapons workshop, but your ironworks.

“Gun barrels operate under high heat and pressure, so their structural integrity must be top-notch. The rods used are not ordinary—they’re called barrel blanks. High-quality blanks require rare materials. When Chancellor Toyotomi’s Office produced the first batch of tanegashima, they used blanks purchased from Tianji Hall.

“Although we later passed on certain smelting techniques to the Chancellor Toyotomi’s Office under their request, we’ve never shared them with the local daimyos. So we’re quite curious. When did Fenglin acquire such advanced metallurgical knowledge?”

As the head of the ironworks, Genki could hardly fail to grasp Tang Yongshui’s implication. Her smile slowly faded. “I hadn’t expected you to be such an expert in the field.”

With that, she slid a teacup toward Tang Yongshui.

Tang Yongshui glanced at Lu Yuting, who gave a subtle nod to confirm the tea was safe for consumption. He took a sip, moistening his throat, then continued. “This musket is quite rudimentary, being at the matchlock stage, yet the forging quality is exceptional. Using such high-grade materials for such a crude design is a waste. It suggests the weapons workshop’s technical level is severely lacking.

“Typically, demand drives progress. Weapons workshops innovate first. They’ll come up with a new design that makes the gun more powerful, then they realize the barrel can’t handle the stress and request better blanks from the ironworks. The two evolve in tandem, like twins. But this musket is odd. The metallurgy far outpaces the weapons craftsmanship. So we’d like an explanation, Hatamoto Genki.”

Genki asked, “And what makes High Mage Qi and Mage Tang so certain that this musket came from my foundry?”

Qi Xuansu replied, “We retrieved this musket from the border between Iishi District and Kusu District, shortly after arriving in Izumo Province. The group we fought was almost certainly a local force. Matsue Domain is renowned in Fenglin for its steelmaking. These muskets are clearly made locally. No one would spend a fortune buying high-grade blanks from the Chancellor’s Office just to produce such a mediocre matchlock.”

Genki fell silent for a long while, then sighed. “High Mage Qi, your insight is as piercing as candlelight through the dark. I’m impressed. Yes, those barrel blanks did indeed come from our foundry. I brought back the smelting techniques from the Western Continent. Without them, the local daimyo would never have entrusted me with this operation. As for the forging methods for muskets, they are tightly controlled by the Fenglin Daoist Mansion and the Chancellor’s Office. They’re extremely difficult to obtain. Apart from a few powerful daimyos, most still rely on matchlock designs.”

Qi Xuansu exchanged a glance with Lu Yuting.

Genki’s response resolved the doubt in his heart. The technology did indeed originate from the West. Fortunately, it did not appear to be spread proactively by the Holy Court. That meant the Western Continent had not yet extended its reach into Fenglin.

Still, it was better to prepare early. If left unchecked, that would only be a matter of time.

The Daoists did not begrudge Fenglin its prosperity, encouraging civilian and agricultural advancements. But when it came to military advancement, caution was essential. Fenglin had always been ambitious like a wolf, so they could not be underestimated.

Qi Xuansu pondered for a moment, then said, “Hatamoto Genki, with skills like yours, don’t you find it beneath your talents to remain just a minor official in Izumo Province?”

A gleam flashed in Genki’s eyes. “High Mage Qi, are you extending an invitation to recruit me on behalf of the Daoist Order?”

Qi Xuansu did not answer directly, but changed the subject. “Hatamoto Genki, who were those two Komuso monks?”

Genki seemed to have anticipated this question. She answered honestly, “One in every ten Komuso monks is a spy. These two who came to my workshop were clearly not ordinary ones. They’re agents of the Fenglin Court.”

Qi Xuansu said, “There is a saying in the Central Plains that the Imperial Court is merely a collection of palaces. Everyone still eats from their own pot.”

Genki understood the implication and conceded. “Very well. They served the Emperor and brought with them a royal edict.”

Qi Xuansu asked, “May I see it?”

Genki rose and left the room. When she returned, she carried a silk scroll mounted on wooden rollers, similar to a Central Plains imperial edict.

Qi Xuansu took the scroll and, to his surprise, could read it, since the text was 90% written in the script of the Central Plains. It opened with, “Heaven’s blessing, may the imperial line endure through the ages, the empire will thrive for a thousand years—an edict from the Emperor of Fenglin.”

The center was stamped with a large seal that read, “Imperial Seal of Fenglin.”

Qi Xuansu rolled up the scroll. “The emperor intends to grant you the title of Shishaku?”

Genki said, “I’ve heard that His Majesty intends to emulate the nobility systems of the West and the Central Plains, establishing a new hierarchy like Duke, Marquis, Earl, Viscount, and Baron. Shishaku is a Viscount. The Kampaku and Shogun are granted the rank of Duke, or the Koshaku. Including the current Kampaku from the Toyotomi clan, there are six such families, known as the Six Regent Houses. Then you have the major daimyos collectively known as the Nine Seika Houses—all of them also Dukes. Other daimyos and high court nobles tend to be Marquises or Earls. Beneath the daimyos are close retainers, including senior elders, counselors, and such. As for minor lords like us hatamoto, we’d be lucky to be granted the title of Baron.”

Qi Xuansu said, “Yet your emperor has granted you the title of a Viscount. That’s quite generous of him.”

Genki chuckled. “It’s just false promises, buying loyalty with things that cost him nothing. Trading an empty title to make others shed their blood only seems generous. Under this new system, the ones who profit most are the royal family, from the emperor down to the princes. It’s all in their favor.”

“It seems the Emperor of Fenglin harbors no small ambitions,” Lu Yuting remarked softly. “Judging by how things have unfolded, the royal family has a hand in bringing about the current situation.”

Qi Xuansu added, “In the slogan ‘Revere the Emperor, Expel the Dao,’ the reverence clearly comes first. Don’t forget that our own Great Xuan Emperor is barred from holding the title of Grand Master. But the Emperor of Fenglin is also the head of the Tenmon Sect.”