Chapter 86

Naha Port is a harbor nestled between mountains and the sea. In its earliest days, Naha was merely a fishing village on the outskirts of Shuri Castle, the capital of the Ryukyu Kingdom. Over the course of several centuries of maritime trade, Naha gradually gained worldwide recognition, while Shuri Castle took a back seat.

Following the mountain's slope, Naha Port is lined with countless bars, restaurants, Japanese inns, and hot springs. From here, one can enjoy a panoramic view of the harbor, making it a preferred gathering place for the elite. Today, in front of a Japanese bar, three men dressed in elaborate kimonos are quietly watching the commotion at the port.

"Make Eihachiro calm down. He must continue to restrain himself. Let him create chaos but not bloodshed. As the Chinese say, he must grasp the 'degree'—the 'fire control' in cooking," said the man in the middle, whose brand-new kimono was spotless, with neatly pressed creases, and his face was unusually calm.

At his side stood two retainers, respectfully pouring sake for their lord. The milky white Japanese rice wine emitted a unique aroma of rice, and the shallow saucers held just the right amount for a single sip.

One of the armored samurai, Yamamoto Sei, said angrily, "Respected Elder, why not let Eihachiro take action? They clearly have the numerical advantage. With a little more effort, they could push them into the sea to feed the fish. Are the Chinese really that terrifying?"

The man called Elder said expressionlessly, "Yamamoto Sei, are you questioning my decision? I tell you, this Qing person is extremely terrifying. The daimyo once told me that this man named Xiao Letian is an outstanding Chinese talent, different from the ordinary Qing slaves... A man who can write such a remarkable work as 'Journey to the West' can be called a peerless statesman..."

Yamamoto Sei, clad in armor, knelt on the tatami, bowing his head and repeatedly saying, "Hai," while the official pouring the sake looked much more relaxed. "General Yamamoto, among the literati in Japan, there is a saying, 'After the Battle of Yashima, there is no more China.' It refers to the event after the fall of the Song Dynasty at Yashima, where the Chinese were no longer Chinese..."

"When the Mongols came, they were slaves of the Yuan. When the Manchus came, they became Qing slaves. Although the Ming Dynasty briefly restored Han rule, the glory was long gone. More tragically, when the Westerners arrived by ship, these Chinese became a bunch of Western slaves. Five years ago, even the capital was captured. How pitiful..."

At this point, the official suddenly put down the sake bottle, sat up straight on the tatami, and said solemnly to Yamamoto Sei and even the Elder, "But China is too vast. Even if nine out of ten Chinese have forgotten their ancestors' pride and glory, the remaining one in ten still carries on the national destiny of China. In such a large population base, this one in ten is still formidable and terrifying, like this Xiao Letian..."

The Elder in the middle nodded repeatedly. "Yes, Takenaka is very correct. Even if nine out of ten Chinese are lowly slaves, the remaining one in ten is still terrifying. I have read Xiao Letian's 'Journey to the West.' To be honest, I only understood half of it, but it was truly eye-opening. I really wish I could become his disciple..."

The Elder then shook his head self-deprecatingly. "But it's not possible. Ryukyu is the life of the Shimazu family. For the sake of the Shimazu family, we must drive this Xiao Letian away... but we cannot harm him. He is a great master who can establish a new school!"

The three men fell silent. At this moment, a foot soldier ran up the mountain path, knelt on the ground, and shouted, "Lord, the Qing people are too despicable. Eihachiro can't hold on any longer..."

"Nani?" The three Shimazu retainers looked incredulously at the dock below. They discovered that in the time they had been talking, Eihachiro's two hundred ronin had indeed been beaten into a disorganized mess.

Xiao Letian is a leader without principles, not just now, but always. Despite being outnumbered, Xiao Letian fully utilized his shameless fighting spirit, turning his eighty Green Forest heroes and Heavenly Kingdom veterans into a gang of thugs. They poked eyes, kicked groins, stepped on toes, and even used the white lime stored in the port as a weapon. When these dirty tricks were used, Eihachiro's men were stunned. They wanted to draw their swords and fight to the death, but they dared not, as the Shimazu Elder had already ordered them not to fight to the death unless the Qing people drew blood first.

"Damn, you Qing slaves are truly despicable... You are insulting the samurai spirit... Oh, my eyes are full of lime..." Eihachiro covered his eyes and retreated, still cursing.

"Idiots, can't you counterattack? Poke their eyes, kick their groins, step on their toes... Can't you even throw lime?"

Unfortunately, before Eihachiro and his men could mimic the tactics, Xiao Letian's next dirty trick followed. Three black firecrackers whizzed through the air, their fuses burning. After three muffled explosions, a large cloud of pungent gas rose among the ronin.

"Cough, cough, cough... What is this? The Qing slaves are so despicable... Cough, cough, cough..." At this point, the ronin could no longer bear it and began to scatter.

Xiao Letian was playing with a large bamboo firecracker, tossing it up and down with a smile. "Aren't you in the majority? Come on, I'm waiting for you. If you have the guts, come on, I'll choke you to death, you little bastards..."

The Japanese ronin seemed to have a poor reputation at the port. The Chinese and Ryukyu natives burst into laughter, and no one wanted to help them. It's no wonder everyone disliked these Japanese, as everyone knew that at least two-thirds of the taxes they paid to the king were taken by the Shimazu family. These people were vampires.

The three Shimazu retainers on the tatami in the middle of the hillside shook their heads in frustration. The Elder suddenly said, "Forget it. This was just a test. Let Eihachiro and his men retreat... Give them some money later..."

Strangely, as the Elder spoke, a figure suddenly appeared on the pine tree next to the tatami. This black-clothed figure seemed to have been there all along, waiting for the Elder's command to gradually reveal himself.

"Hai..." The black-clothed man nodded and disappeared in a flash. Ordinary people might not have seen him, but martial arts experts like Xiang Shaolong could easily spot the signs of his movement. They were the very mysterious ninjas of Japan, warriors who lived in the shadows.

Soon, Eihachiro received the new order. Under his command, the two hundred ronin dispersed like quicksilver into the surrounding alleys, vanishing in an instant.

"Strategist, should I use my men to dig out Eihachiro?" Liang Kun clearly hadn't had enough. Xiao Letian stuffed the bamboo firecracker into his chest and said indifferently, "Didn't you notice? These ronin, despite their fierce appearance, are just trying to scare us. They didn't use their swords from start to finish, indicating that they are organized and managed... Just wait and see, after the mad dog barks, the invitation will come tomorrow..."

As he spoke, a group of soldiers with rattan shields ran to the dock. This was the local Ryukyu army maintaining order. However, Xiao Letian could only shake his head at the soldiers' equipment and morale.

"Is the royal family so poor that the army doesn't even have proper uniforms? These weapons must be a hundred years old..." Xiao Letian couldn't understand how such a wealthy place as Naha Port could not support an army.

Shi Dakai had been there before and sighed, "Since the Shimazu family took control of Ryukyu, at least two-thirds of the taxes have been taken away. The remaining taxes are shared by the royal family and the court, which is not enough to cover expenses..."

Two-thirds? Xiao Letian was shocked. He knew the Japanese were greedy, but he didn't expect them to be this greedy. "Let's go to our lodgings. We'll talk about it later..."

Liang Kun left two men to negotiate with the Ryukyu soldiers and led the group to the预定的宿屋. Perhaps it had been many years since such a strong group of Chinese had entered Naha, for the eighty men were greeted with formal bows from Chinese residents along the way.

These Chinese immigrants from Fujian, Guangdong, and Jiangnan had migrated here as early as the beginning of the Ming Dynasty. Over the centuries, they had never seen the might of their homeland, but they had tenaciously preserved its civilization, whether in language, writing, or customs, without any change.

Perhaps the years of living under the shadow of others had suppressed too many emotions, and the eyes of these overseas Chinese were red with tears, and many elderly people secretly wiped their eyes.

Xiao Letian walked at the front of the group, bowing to every Chinese person he met. He knew that these Chinese had been promoting Chinese culture in Ryukyu for centuries, allowing the Ryukyu people to constantly feel the brilliance of a higher civilization. It was their efforts that enabled them to culturally overcome the Japanese.

Even under the control of the Shimazu family, the hearts of the Ryukyu kings still yearned for the civilized mainland. It was the power of civilization that made the Ryukyu Kingdom refuse to recognize Japanese rule until the end. Even with the Shimazu family's military presence in Ryukyu, the Ryukyu royal family still submitted national letters to the mainland.

"These are a group of people forgotten by history. They have long disappeared from the historical river, but the efforts of these living Chinese will never be forgotten by our civilization..."

"Without the efforts of these unsung heroes, how could the emperors and generals point to the mountains and rivers and spread culture? It's all nonsense... Sadly, our history never gives these people a place, as if they were just a bunch of expendable ants. How tragic! How shameful!"

Xiao Letian's heartfelt words moved Shi Dakai, a veteran general who had witnessed the massacres by the Taiping and Qing armies. At that moment, he had an epiphany. Perhaps this was the power of people that Xiao Letian had always emphasized in his books. History is made up of countless unnamed ordinary people. Cherishing every life is the胸怀 of a true leader.

"One general's success is built on the bones of ten thousand. But who really thinks about the lives of those countless bones?" Reflecting on the scenes of the rise of the Heavenly Kingdom over the years, the Prince of the Wing could only sigh deeply.