A Pawn’s Passage

Within the Western Holy Court hierarchy, a chief bishop roughly corresponded to a fifth-rank Daoist priest. Above him were the Archbishop and Metropolitan, equivalent to a fourth-rank Jijiu Daoist master and a third-rank Youyi Daoist master, respectively. Further up was the Council of Cardinals, similar to the Golden Tower Council. Cardinal Deacons were equivalent to ordinary Sages, while Cardinal Priests were to Omniscient Sages, Cardinal Bishops to Virtuous Great Sages, Patriarchs to the Deputy Grand Masters, and the Pope to the Grand Master.

By this measure, Metropolitan White's status was about the same as Qi Xuansu's, while the man behind him, Cardinal Deacon Brown, was on par with a second-rank Taiyi Daoist master.

The West Shakya Company had a long-standing history, formally established the year before the fall of the Wei Dynasty.

It was formed by a group of influential merchants, who, in the year 1600 of the Western calendar, were granted a 15-year monopoly charter for trade in Western Shakya by the Lune royal family.

The company had 125 shareholders, with an initial capital of 80,000 Gold Crowns.

Although Shakya was the birthplace of Buddhism, the Buddhist influence there had long waned, and the land lacked a unified government. Fragmented and divided, it became an easy target for the West Shakya Company to establish a strong foothold.

In the century that followed, the West Shakya Company grew rapidly, transforming from a trading company into a regional power, something resembling a nation. Its shareholder makeup also grew more complex. The original group of merchants was mostly pushed out, replaced by wealthy magnates, nobles, large guild masters, some local Western Shakya rulers, and clerical members from the Holy Court.

Soon enough, the clergy and nobles allied and took complete control of the West Shakya Company. Under their direction, the company even acquired governing and military authority.

They trained mercenary armies that nominally belonged to local Western Shakya rulers. But since these rulers were under the "protection" of the company or members of it themselves, these forces were in truth the company's private army, playing a decisive role in consolidating its control over the region.

In the following decades, what the West Shakya Company engaged in was less trade and more outright plunder. Like bandits, they showed no morality. Incomplete records suggest that treasures worth over 15 million Gold Crowns were seized by the company.

Soon, the company's shareholders turned their gaze eastward, intending to repeat their methods in Eastern Shakya. Ideally, they hoped to remove the word "West" from their name and simply become the Shakya Company.

Faced with the aggressive advance of the West Shakya Company, the states of Eastern Shakya pleaded for aid from the Daoist Order. The fourth-generation Grand Master ordered the Borneo Daoist Mansion to assist the Eastern Shakya states in their war against the Westerners. A month later, he gave another order, instructing the Spirit Guard Office to dispatch flying ships into the conflict.

At the start of the war, the West Shakya Company faced the native armies of Eastern Shakya and won victory after victory, nearly occupying half of the region. It was only after a Virtuous Great Sage of the Daoist Order personally arrived to oversee the battle that the situation stabilized. With the continuous arrival of Daoist reinforcements, the tide turned, and the conflict settled into a stalemate.

At that time, the future fifth-generation Grand Master was only an Omniscient Sage, yet he also took part in the campaign and persuaded others to carry out a surprise amphibious assault.

With the fifth-generation Grand Master personally commanding the Daoist forces and under the cover of dozens of flying ships, the Black Robes successfully landed behind the West Shakya Company's lines, launching a sudden assault that severed the enemy's defenses. The West Shakya Company's forces collapsed entirely and were forced to retreat from Eastern Shakya.

This great victory made the fifth-generation Grand Master stand out. Soon after, the fourth-generation Grand Master appointed him as the Sage Commander, the highest authority in Eastern Shakya, which laid a solid foundation for his later bid to become the Grand Master.

During this campaign, the Wang family of the Borneo Daoist Mansion rose to prominence, eventually becoming a new upstart family, distinct from the older established clans.

The fifth-generation Grand Master believed that this was the perfect time to bring Western Shakya under Daoist control as well. Thus, he launched an offensive into the region, his forces sweeping through like a blade through a bamboo forest. Within half a month, they had broken three defensive lines and advanced to within 150 kilometers of the West Shakya Company's headquarters at Fort St. George.

With their forces routed, the West Shakya Company was powerless to resist and had no choice but to seek aid from the Holy Court, which intervened immediately.

These two great powers of the East and West then engaged in a limited confrontation in Western Shakya.

This war was sparked by the greed of the West Shakya Company. Both the Daoist Order and the Holy Court were drawn in passively, and thus neither side had been fully prepared for such a clash.

Both sides quickly realized one fact—their opponent was far too strong to defeat in a short time. Since they were evenly matched, the war's intensity escalated rapidly, with enormous consumption of resources. The Daoist Golden Tower Council and the Holy Court's Council of Cardinals both tacitly agreed not to escalate the war further and began hinting at negotiations for a truce.

The fourth-generation Grand Master gave the fifth-generation Grand Master full authority to make decisions as circumstances required, without needing to seek approval from the Golden Tower Council.

Thus, after several battles, the Holy Court's highest commander in Western Shakya, the First Duke of Wellington, was ordered to propose a truce. He wrote to the Sage Commander, "I have learned that your side may wish to hold a conference to discuss an agreement to cease hostilities and all armed actions in Western Shakya. I am willing to provide suitable assurances for the implementation of such a truce."

The fifth-generation Grand Master, who was the Sage Commander at the time, replied, "I agree to hold negotiations concerning the cessation of all hostilities and to meet with your representatives."

Thus, both sides sent representatives to negotiate a truce. Eventually, an agreement was reached.

The West Shakya Company agreed to return all plundered goods and pay compensation of 10 million Gold Crowns. The Daoist forces withdrew from Western Shakya, and the two sides signed a non-aggression treaty, setting East and West Shakya as the boundary.

After both sides withdrew and peace was restored, the fifth-generation Grand Master remained in Eastern Shakya for several years, establishing the Eastern Shakya Daoist Prefecture before finally returning to Jade Capital, where he was welcomed as a hero. This laid the foundation for his eventual ascension to the ultimate leadership position within the Daoist hierarchy.

For Sage Qingwei, being the Sage Commander in the Fenglin campaign was much the same principle. However, it did not necessarily mean that he could secure the position of the seventh-generation Grand Master solely through military achievements.

Firstly, the opponents were different. The fifth-generation Grand Master had contended against the Holy Court, a force not inferior to the Daoist Order, whereas Sage Qingwei now faced the Tenmon Sect, which was regarded as far weaker than the Daoist Order.

Secondly, after the harsh and exacting era of the fifth-generation Grand Master, many within the Daoist hierarchy leaned toward overcorrection. Numerous elder figures in the Daoist Order were unwilling to see yet another Grand Master rise to power purely on the basis of military achievements.

This was the extent of Qi Xuansu's knowledge of the West Shakya Company, most of it gleaned from history lessons at the Wanxiang Daoist Palace. After the signing of the non-aggression treaty, neither side engaged in large-scale warfare again. Minor conflicts were also few. The logic was simple. So long as Westerners were winning, they refused to reason with anyone. But the moment they were beaten, they would instantly turn into gentlemen who spoke of fairness and civility.

As for the West Shakya Company's present condition, he did not know in detail and had only heard some stories of weavers working to the death or of large-scale slave hunts where captives were shipped in bulk across the seas to the New World.

In any case, they would engage in whatever made money, no matter how ruthless or immoral.

Thanks to his three months of study at the Wanxiang Daoist Upper Palace, Qi Xuansu was familiar with Western terms, such as "director."

In the Western corporate system, the highest decision-making body was the board of directors, composed of directors who managed the company's affairs internally and represented it externally in executive decisions. These directors were elected by a general meeting of shareholders, usually once every three years.

Qi Xuansu asked, "How many directors are there in the West Shakya Company today?"

Maeda Masao replied, "There are thirteen in total."

Qi Xuansu could not help but laugh. "The Sonno-joi faction also happens to have 13 leaders. Did you imitate the Western corporate system as well?"

A flicker of embarrassment crossed Maeda Masao's face.

Qi Xuansu restrained his smile and pressed on, "What do they want?"

Maeda Masao replied, "In their own words, they want an independent Fenglin—one freed from Daoist control."

Qi Xuansu snorted. "It can't be that simple. The people of the Holy Court aren't saints, so why would they be so kind-hearted?"

"Of course, they're not so kind-hearted," Maeda Masao said gravely. "They want Fenglin to be their transit hub and eventually act as their bridgehead for resisting the Daoist Order."

Qi Xuansu sneered. "Their desire to destroy us never dies."

Maeda Masao continued, "Of course, this is only a long-term objective. Just as the West Shakya Company managed Western Shakya, when they first entered, they were merely a small merchant guild. It took them over a hundred years to fully control it. So their short-term goal is simply to wear down and delay the Daoist Order, without demanding too much beyond that."

Qi Xuansu remarked, "That coincides perfectly with the Sonno-joi faction's strategy of dragging things out and waiting for change."

"Indeed." Maeda Masao nodded.

Qi Xuansu then asked, "Where is Brown?"

Maeda Masao shook his head and replied, "Brown almost never appears in person. It's usually White who serves as the messenger to maintain contact. However, since we are working with them, we cannot afford to know nothing about our partners. So I have conducted some investigation and made a few conjectures."

Qi Xuansu urged, "Continue."

Maeda Masao pulled out a map, spread it open, and pointed as he explained, "Brown must be somewhere within Fenglin. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to react so quickly and adjust his decisions according to shifting circumstances. For reasons of security and secrecy, it is unlikely that he would come directly into core regions such as Xiujing, Heian Capital, Ise Province, or Musashi Province. He would also need a place with a good flow of information and developed maritime trade to facilitate the movement of Western merchant ships. Thus, the most likely location for him to hide is Satsuma Province in the southwest of Kyushu."

Qi Xuansu gazed at the map and murmured, "The Shimazu clan of the Satsuma Domain..."

Maeda Masao explained, "Before the establishment of the Toyotomi government, this area was made up of Satsuma, Osumi, and part of Hyuga Province. After the Battle of Sekigahara, the Satsuma Domain was formed. Those daimyo closest to the Chancellor's Office reside near Xiujing, while those with weaker ties are farther away. Satsuma Domain lies at the far western edge of Fenglin, hence its distant relationship with the Chancellor's Office. Many Sonno-joi ronin hail from this region, and it is also the place where contact with Western merchants is most frequent."