CHAPTER 298: CHAPTER 214: OPEN THE DOOR, DO BUSINESS!_2

So after all this tossing and turning, it was late summer by the time preparations were finally complete. The cargo fleet began to set sail in groups from New Wanjin Dock, right after a typhoon had blown through.

The atmosphere at the dock was extremely heavy. After all, almost every private workshop owner in New Wanjin was participating in this expedition. Each of these workshop owners boarding the ships was carrying an Iron Cannon on their back, faces somber, determined to carve out a bloody path for their own products. There was an air of "the chilling wind at the Yi River before the fatal parting"—these folks had all borrowed huge sums from Harano to expand production. If they failed to sell their goods, many weren’t planning to live; they were ready to jump straight into the sea and be done with it.

And under these do-or-die circumstances, many wives and children had red eyes, and relatives and friends looked grave. There wasn’t much left to be said in comfort. They could only keep promising to take good care of the families, while trying to give them a final bit of encouragement, so they could charge forward without looking back—this wave of production expansion in Wanjin had affected everyone from top to bottom. Most of these friends and relatives had also invested money hoping for dividends. Of course they didn’t want these masters dying at sea.

After tearful farewells, as the sound of the Dharma Conch echoed three times, the fleet officially set sail amidst weeping, while some on the dock placed incense tables and began to worship the "Three Gods of Sumiyoshi."

This is the sea god from Japanese folklore, also called the "Three Gods of Watatsumi." Legend has it that if you put enough offerings in the box, the gods will protect your ship and ensure a safe return. On the Chita Peninsula, this faith still has some following, but very few were participating now. Most people instantly distanced themselves from these worshippers, glancing about and whispering to each other—in private, a little prayer would be overlooked, but doing it publicly was dangerous.

And just as expected, these people hadn’t even finished their prayers before the police carried them off, incense table and all. After all, Wanjin didn’t welcome gods or Buddhas. All Sumiyoshi Shrines on the Chita Peninsula had been personally ordered burned by Harano, and the Sakai clan patriarch, who served as priest, was also executed by Ah Man herself. Sumiyoshi Shrine and related organizations were officially designated as illegal entities in Wanjin.

After the Battle of Okehazama, the Sakai clan had holed up in Oono Castle on the east side of the Chita Peninsula, refusing to come out, and even incited local shrine believers to riot, hoping to force Harano into a concession, recognizing Sakai’s rule over the Oono Castle area.

Harano went along with their wishes and simply burned down all Sumiyoshi Shrine branches on the Chita Peninsula, slaughtered all the Sakai clan’s males, and basically wiped out this once-influential noble family on the peninsula’s east side. The followers who had joined the Sakai clan’s troublemaking were all driven onto Oda Nobunaga’s territory and left to fend for themselves.

Anyway, Harano would never allow any organization to take a cut of the benefits on the Chita Peninsula, not even popular traditional faiths.

He planned to turn this place into a stronghold, and couldn’t afford to let a bunch of bloodsucking leeches hang around.

By the way, in history, the Sakai clan was actually fairly well known and counted as one of the pillars of the Oda Navy. Their patriarch, Sakai Shinko, after the Battle of Okehazama, married Oda Nobunaga’s younger sister—who, in this story, is now Harano’s wife, Princess Dog.

But Harano didn’t know any of this—his historical knowledge wasn’t up to that level. To him, the Sakai clan was just a stubborn noble family that refused to get lost, so he wiped them out on a whim and even seized their fleet. Right now, nearly 50% of the Customs Ships and Kobaya boats in the Wanjin Navy once belonged to the Sakai clan—at the time, the Sakai hadn’t thought Harano would be that strong, didn’t run, but instead gathered all their strength at Oono Castle and tried to force a truce by fighting. The result: their field army was crushed, their castle defenders were wiped out, and everything they owned went to Harano. Truly tragic.

It’s just the tide of fate—they were simply unlucky, there’s really no other way to put it.

......

Harano was unaware of the little farce at New Wanjin Dock, and even if he knew, he wouldn’t have cared. That was the police department’s business, not his. He was just waiting out at sea.

The "Chita" was too big and too deep in draught to dock conveniently at the commercial port of New Wanjin, so for now it was anchored at a small island in Ise Bay.

That island was basically the Wanjin Army’s naval base. In the past, some islanders had lived there to avoid paying taxes or serving in the military draft, but once Harano arrived, planted the "Gourd Banner," it became his territory. No one objected.

Now, with the "Chita" unable to enter New Wanjin Port, Harano was already stationed aboard, drifting offshore with the Wanjin Navy, waiting for the armed merchants to come out in groups for rendezvous. Once they’d all arrived, and the cargo was tallied without error, with his command all ships raised sails and anchors, and began heading south along the coast.

"What a spectacular sight!"

Currently, Wanjin faced no external threats, its military defenses and public loyalty were solid, so there was no need to leave Ah Man at home. She too led several dozen of the best of the "Life-saving Group" on this expedition. Now, sitting on the railing of the "Chita"’s bridge, watching hundreds of vessels large and small slicing through the waves in formation, she couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration, feeling an inflated sense of pride—it almost looked like an "annihilation fleet."

Harano glanced over as well, feeling the recent hard work was not in vain, but replied coolly, "It’ll be even more spectacular in the future."

Not all these ships belonged to Wanjin—some were borrowed from allies, others privately hired by the workshop owners from Atsuta Port. Their sizes were irregular, which offended his engineering sense for aesthetics. Once this year’s tax came in, he planned to begin an era of shipbuilding—by then, there’d have to be at least ten flagship vessels like the "Chita." Only then could he barely call the formation truly spectacular as they cruised together.