Chapter 2086: Chapter 1524: Butterflies in the Storm, Stirring the Wings of East Asia_2
Master Juehui smiled faintly, rotating the new Buddha beads in his hand, and with a smile said,
"Namo Guanyin Bodhisattva! In this chaotic world now, Kansai is filled with defeated samurai deserters, and everywhere strong men rangers who want to sell themselves but cannot. As long as we chant Buddha’s name and have money and grain in hand, why fear not having soldiers? Look at those disciples of the Ikko Sect in Kaga, their power is so great that they’ve directly expelled the guardians and established a Buddha Country by themselves, tsk tsk!..."
"Namo Great Wisdom Manjusri! The shortage of those five hundred monk soldiers—first hire a batch of rangers, then recruit a batch of strong believers, dress them in monk robes and it’s done. With the connections of our temples, shrines, and business houses, as long as there’s money, getting six hundred, a thousand is no issue, and they all will be adept in battle! Rowers are even easier, just provide rice, and there are plenty of believers. As for the dismissed Shiba Official, isn’t the title transaction already settled this time? Just say that he has gone to rely on his main family..."
"As for the shortage of ten customs ships, you from the rice house loan me three merchant ships, I’ll buy three more, declare damage on three. Finally, have the shipyard start producing a large batch of new ones, use good materials, the more the cheaper! When building, assemble the believers who’d work for just food, hire craftsmen in name from the temples and shrines, it would cost at most a few pounds of gold, several hundred coins per ship. Build more, sell to good friends of Shandan in the north, turn the price fivefold or tenfold... with me speaking for you, your rice house doesn’t need to be so careful, two ships built at once can be done!..."
"Buddha! Employing five hundred, even a thousand samurai rangers as monk soldiers? Building twenty new ships at once? Hmm... it indeed won’t cost much. The gold trade with Shandan is indeed too profitable!..."
Mori no Kiyoshi pondered for a moment, slowly nodding. In Kansai, twenty coins indeed suffices for a ranger to risk their life for a year. Even if maintaining a thousand men, it’s just two thousand coins, worth twenty pounds of gold. And shipbuilding is similar, building twenty ships at once, wouldn’t exceed one hundred jin of gold!
His rice house previously dared not boast significantly, fearing that the upper echelon of Tiantai Sect would know and want to take the major profits and seize the golden route. But now, since Juehui joined in, become like locusts on the same string, the connections up and down are through, no longer cautious, can act freely!
"Buddha’s blessing! Including the seven hundred pounds of gold obtained this time... several trades with the Shandan Golden Clan, plus the gold exchanged from the Kaozaki Family, already bringing in a trade total of over one thousand pounds of gold! This is a wealth flow of over ten thousand coins, equivalent to the annual income of a fief of over a million stones, stimulating unmatched prosperity throughout Hiei Mountain, Nan Rui Mountain, and the entire reach within Tiantai Sect’s range in Kansai!"
"Indeed! Junior Brother Sen, with a large influx of gold these two years, conflicts within and outside temples and shrines have reduced significantly. Even the conflicts with Sanjing Temple have lessened... the sentiment in the entire Kansai, around Lake Biwa the local aristocratic families and Daimyo, have all leaned towards us, the wealthy Tiantai Sect! The golden river flowing from our Tiantai Sect can benefit all surrounding Daimyo immensely! They all hope to take a bite of broth from us like hunting dogs..."
Master Juehui confidently spoke, narrating changes in Kansai brought about by the influx of gold from a higher perspective.
"Amitabha! Generals and court nobles coming to the mountain gate for favors, the Hexagonal Clan borrowing money from us, the Asakai family showing goodwill, selling ironware to us. The Wakasa Takeda family also coming to trade rice and grain with us. With the opportunity of sending the Shiba legacy clan to Ezo land, the Asakura family also secretly allied with us, seeking our support. The Hokke Clan being our traditional ally, rushing to sell us rice and salt... even the Hosokawa Clan, always hostile and competing for Omi with Tiantai Sect, haven’t they just reserved a spot for you on the tribute trade fleet in Sakai Port, while suppressing the rebellion in Great River, vying for the rice house’s gold..."
In the past two years, hundreds or thousands of pounds of gold flowed continuously in from Ezo land, eventually pooling into affluent Kansai. This tenfold of Tiantai Sect’s original annual income has long since enhanced the strength of temples at Hiei Mountain and Nan Rui Mountain far beyond that of any historical period! Tiantai Sect of Hiei Mountain now has ample money to hire Rangers, befriend local Daimyo, gather Omi grain, and purchase extensive military equipment... they can even obtain new ships and crossbow cannons from Sakai Port, securing a share of the tax trade cake!
The influx of gold from Tiantai Sect, with its abundant wealth lubrication, also relatively eases the economic contradictions within the Shogunate. The sentiment of the entire Kansai is changing, the Great Monks appear stronger, with more supporting allies. This makes the young Clan Master who just took control of the Hosokawa family, thirty-year-old Hosokawa Masamoto, apprehensive. What he can’t grasp is exactly from which powerful Daimyo the Great Monks suddenly obtained such astounding support?
Currently, Hosokawa Masamoto superficially engages with Hiei Mountain while suppressing vassal rebellions across regions, stabilizing complex factions within the Hosokawa family. He pacifies internally, waiting for opportunity, slowing the contention for Omi. The tension between the Hosokawa family and Hiei Mountain over Omi, although actually growing deeper, seems far more subdued than historically. Sakai Port merchants and Mori no Kiyoshi of the Omi Business Group, collaborating on tribute trade, is such a manifestation of this moderation.
Yet, the scheming and ambitious Hosokawa Masamoto, would he truly abandon the Hosokawa’s long-held plot, give up his intention to seize Omi? And the already corrupt Great Monks, even with allies around Lake Biwa, can they truly resist the future aggression of the Hosokawa family?
"Buddha bless! Master Juehui, with the sect so extravagantly building ships and hiring Rangers to ally with the Daimyo of Omi, it might attract the attention of the Hosokawa clan, mightn’t it?... I always feel that this young head of the Hosokawa clan, who rose to power through a coup and controls the Shogunate, is not easily handled. And as for our Tiantai Sect, we are after all a heritage of the Buddhist faith, not as skilled in bow and blade as the Martial Family. Such brilliant flowers and blazing fire, what of the change to come?..."
"Hmm... Hosokawa Masamoto? I have seen him with my own eyes, surely a youthful and formidable, dangerous figure!... And the future of our Tiantai Sect?..."
The two continued their conversation and, for some reason, the discussion turned to this heavy topic. Master Juehui squinted, his expression flickering, clearly very wary of the young leader of the Hosokawa family.
If the Hosokawa clan manages to consolidate internally and advances on Omi controlled by the Tiantai Sect... Can Mount Hiei, even with allies like the Hokke Clan and the Asakura family, along with a hired Ranger Corps, possibly withstand them?
"Namo Buddha! Perhaps, those mighty and battle-hardened Shandan people can also be a source of borrowed troops? But they lack for nothing in gold, what can we possibly offer them to entice them?..."
As the sea breeze roared, Master Juehui pondered in silence, while Mori no Kiyoshi wore a melancholy expression. At long last, Master Juehui shook his head, smiled wryly, and said.
"Junior Brother Sen, don’t overthink it. There’s no need to worry for now... This year, the tribute trade with the Ming Dynasty is the biggest event in the entire Kansai region! At least, until the Shogunate’s tribute fleet returns full of wealth and goods, the Hosokawa clan won’t act, nor will Sakai Port move, nor will anyone else..."
"And as for next year, the year after, or even further into the future... Who can truly speak of future events with certainty? ’All acts are impermanent, are the Dharma of birth and demise’... Even the worst fallback option, we can shed our Kasaya, change into the Shandan people’s Ritual Robes, and just like Watanabe Masumi, seek refuge with the Golden Clan of Ezo land... oh no, with the Shiba Clan!..."
"?!..."
Amidst the sea and sky of the Tsugaru Strait, Mori no Kiyoshi abruptly widened his eyes, filled with disbelief. Yet Master Juehui remained calm, even when uttering "blasphemous" words, his face still bore benevolence.
"Namo Buddha! As long as there is Dharma in the heart, what harm in eating meat and drinking wine? As long as the sect rests within, what concern to join the Shandan? Even converting faith, as Watanabe mentioned, does not hinder a Buddha heart. Watanabe, that fellow, how could he ever compare to us? Should we head to Shandan Ezo..."
"Haha! Junior Brother Sen, it’s just a joke, merely a jest! The harsh land of Ezo, how could it compare to the lushness of Omi? Though truly, I miss the Divine Smoke of the Shandan Clan... Should an opportunity arise, I ought to procure more! Not only other Monk Masters but even the Buddha of the Western World would surely favor it!"
"Namo Buddha, the saying goes ’Offer the exquisite incense to the Buddha, boundless merits, spread across the ten directions.’ The offering of incense and smoke is indeed a wondrous practice, boundless in merit!~~"
The Japanese Ship continued its southbound journey, traversing the thousand-mile coastline, and then transformed into a small horse rushing along. As the spring wind of March blew through most areas, before April arrived, Sakai Port’s once-a-decade tribute fleet was finally ready. Merchants of Sakai Port bowed in farewell to the shore. They were about to sail west, heading towards the powerful Ming Dynasty, towards what the Japanese regarded as ’the most prosperous under heaven’ Ningbo Port!
