A Pawn’s Passage

The Satsuma Domain was considered one of the major problems for the Chancellor's Office. Although Toyotomi Hidesugu married Lady Fukimiya, a royal princess, his own mother was from the Satsuma Domain, thereby attempting to appease and draw Satsuma closer.

It was said that after Lady Fukiyima married the Kampaku, her aristocratic upbringing clashed heavily with her mother-in-law's samurai background from Satsuma, resulting in extremely poor relations between the two.

The daimyo of Satsuma Domain, Shimazu Shigenobu, had already reached the remarkable age of 90, comparable in years to the Daoist Order's three Deputy Grand Masters. In terms of cultivation, he was only slightly inferior to them as one of the eight Kengo of Fenglin.

By now, Shimazu Shigenobu had governed the Satsuma Domain for 60 years, and many of the policies he had implemented showed remarkable continuity. Some long-term initiatives had even begun to bear fruit.

Shimazu Shigenobu himself was an interesting figure. He was close friends with a Kengo who often went overseas, and under his friend's influence, the daimyo eagerly embraced new foreign ideas. Unlike the Toyotomi government, which revered Central Plains culture, this daimyo was far more receptive to Western influences, often initiating reforms that baffled outsiders.

For example, he established the Zoshikan, an academy where samurai of all ranks could attend if they wished to study. This institution produced many warrior-scholars, proficient in both martial arts and scholarly pursuits. Their curriculum included literature, agriculture, history, medicine, and even alchemy.

Shimazu Shigenobu also built medicinal gardens for research, created a zoo housing exotic animals for observation, enjoyed traveling to Nagasaki with the people from the Nederland Kingdom to broaden his horizons, and even established the Meijikan to study astronomy and calendars.

He built the Shuseikan, an industrial complex that included a steel-refining furnace, smelting furnaces, drilling machinery, a glassworks, a forge, a steam engine workshop, precision metal workshops, a mint, a shipyard, and textile factories, among others.

With this foundation, Satsuma Domain began arming its forces with copied firearms, and even its navy produced three steam-and-sail-powered warships.

Much of this technology came from the West, which was only natural. Since the Daoist Order supported the Chancellor's Office, Satsuma Domain could hardly obtain Daoist technology and thus sought alternative sources.

Under such circumstances, it was only natural that Brown would hide within the Satsuma Domain, which maintained such close ties with the West.

At present, the Daoist Order's main targets were the Tenmon Sect and the Fenglin royal family. They could not spare attention for a regional lord like Shimazu. Thus, Qi Xuansu could only report the matter to Sage Qingwei and dared not make a decision on his own.

Therefore, Qi Xuansu returned once again to the Xiujing command camp to meet Sage Qingwei.

When Qi Xuansu returned to the Xiujing field camp, he saw many units resting, along with some of the Chancellor's forces.

For both the Spirit Guards and the Black Robes, their supplies were abundant since their numbers directly engaged in battle were relatively few. Beyond the essential staples and Army Pills, there was tobacco, fruits, sweets, pastries, and all kinds of meat. During rest periods, even alcohol was provided. Although the Daoist Order repeatedly advocated frugality, waste was common. Many leftovers were simply thrown away as trash.

Yet for the common soldiers of the Chancellor's Office, such discarded items were rare delicacies. Since the war began, many had gone years without eating meat. Thus, it was common to see these soldiers gathering the thrown-away scraps, tossing them into a pot to make a hodgepodge stew, which became a precious feast for them.

Some even collected the empty wine jars left by the Black Robes. Often, a little wine remained at the bottom, which they pooled together into a single jar, enough to fill cups for each of them to share.

The contrast in spirit and bearing between the two sides was stark. The Spirit Guards and Black Robes wore immaculate uniforms, and their armor gleamed as if capable of reflecting figures. Even when not armored, their everyday clothes were crisp and spotless. In contrast, the soldiers from the Chancellor's Office were filthy and disheveled, clad in mismatched leather, cotton, rattan, or even paper armor, which failed to cover the whole body and was often damaged.

Not to mention, there was an obvious disparity in height.

Clearly, this was not the fault of any individual soldier, but rather a reflection of the differences between the two nations behind them.

Though the Daoist Order had provided aid to the Chancellor's Office, such benefits never trickled down to the common soldiers.

Qi Xuansu paused to watch for a while, and the soldiers who were stewing scraps soon noticed his presence. Seeing his attire, they realized he was a person of high rank, so they immediately grew flustered and uneasy.

Just then, a Black Robes hurried over and saluted Qi Xuansu. Following his gaze, the soldier mistakenly thought the esteemed high official found it distasteful to see these people eating leftovers. He quickly said, "I'll send someone at once—"

"No, that's not necessary. Let them eat. I was only curious," Qi Xuansu waved his hand.

"Yes, sir." The Black Robes replied, still somewhat puzzled.

Qi Xuansu no longer lingered and made his way toward Sage Qingwei's central command tent.

After reporting his arrival at the tent, Qi Xuansu waited outside. Roughly half an hour later, Shen Yuqing invited him in.

Qi Xuansu met Sage Qingwei and gave a detailed report on Brown and the West Shakya Company.

After hearing him out, Sage Qingwei said, "We'll leave the Satsuma Domain and the West Shakya Company be for now. Once the situation stabilizes, we can address them slowly. As for Maeda Masao's placement, grant him the position of strategist and the status of a third-rank Daoist master. That way, he can contribute strategies to help us root out the Sonno-joi remnants in Ise and Musashi. After all, he was one of the thirteen leaders of the Sonno-joi faction and knew many secrets. Oh, right, don't forget to have Maeda Masao identify the spies who remain hidden within the Chancellor's Office."

The first half of the words was addressed to Qi Xuansu, while the latter half was directed at Shen Yuqing.

These chief secretaries carried considerable weight. From Gong Jiaojun to Tang Jiaohua, and now Shen Yuqing, they were classic examples of those with low titles but great influence.

This was another path of promotion, different from people like Qi Xuansu. They mostly advanced through the Daoist Palace system, but in the end, much depended on their superiors' arrangements.

Sage Donghua's previous secretary had already been assigned to an independent post, and Gong Jiaojun had stepped in as a replacement. Shen Yuqing, however, had followed Sage Qingwei for a long time and had not yet been reassigned. But he had already risen to the position of Deputy Palace Master. If Sage Qingwei were to enter Zixiao Palace, Shen Yuqing would rise with him, becoming a Deputy Palace Master of Zixiao Palace, a position even Omniscient Sages would have to show respect toward.

Shen Yuqing accepted the order and left.

For the Sonno-joi faction, the impact of Maeda Masao's surrender was far worse than Katsura Yoshiyuki's death, for Maeda Masao knew too much. If the Daoist Order tried to uncover the hidden agents who had infiltrated for years on their own, it might take years without success. But with Maeda Masao's cooperation, they could be rounded up within a month.

Sage Qingwei then turned to the second-rank Spirit Guard standing nearby and said, "You needn't always follow me. Take some men and stay by Maeda Masao's side. Do not let a single hair on his head be harmed."

Each Omniscient Sage was assigned one or two second-rank Spirit Guards, jokingly nicknamed "martial secretaries." Officially, they were bodyguards, but most of the time, they were mere ornaments or sent off for other duties. For example, Spirit Guard Xu, who had served beside Sage Cihang, had once been sent to guard Zhang Yuelu for a period.

The Sonno-joi ronin excelled in assassination. Since they had dared to attack Sage Qingwei himself and even two Kampaku, they certainly would not spare a traitor like Maeda Masao. Thus, Sage Qingwei dispatched his own guards to protect Maeda Masao, not only to ensure his safety but also to watch over him. However, it was not suitable to state the latter reason openly.

The second-rank Spirit Guard accepted the order and left.

Finally, Sage Qingwei turned back to Qi Xuansu. "This matter can rest for now. Just keep a close watch on the Westerners. No need for drastic measures. Our focus must be on the closing battles ahead. You and Qing Xiao will both be participating, so prepare yourselves early."

Qi Xuansu was not surprised by this outcome and replied, "Yes, Sage."

Now that Qi Xuansu had stepped into the Wuliang stage and was on par with Zhang Yuelu, and each of them wielded Green Cloud and Purple Afterglow, their twin swords combined could slay even a Zaohua-stage Heavenly Being. Even against a Pseudo-Immortal, they could still stall for time with the power of this immortal object, though victory might be beyond reach. Thus, it was equivalent to the Daoist Order suddenly gaining another Zaohua-stage Heavenly Being in battle, which was a tremendous boon.

It seemed clear now that when Sage Qingwei gave him the Xuan Jade of Immortality, it had already been part of a long-laid plan, not a mere reward for merit. If it were purely a prize, why offer a Xuan Jade, and precisely the type Qi Xuansu lacked? It could only mean that strategists like Sage Qingwei always planned three steps ahead, with deep foresight and calculation.

Some might ask, since the Daoist Order had so many Sages, why not send them all here?

The reason was simple. There was no sense in mobilizing the entire nation's strength just to quell a local rebellion.

The Daoist Order's territorial map was very different from that of the Great Xuan Court. On the map of the Great Xuan Empire, the Daoist Jade Capital appeared to be on the frontier. But if one looked at the Daoist Order's territories, which included the Western Region, Borneo, Eastern Shakya, Nanyang, Beiting, and Fenglin, then Jade Capital was actually at the center. From that perspective, Fenglin was nothing more than a remote corner.

If too many forces were pulled from other regions, it would only give other powers an opportunity to take advantage of their lax security. From Sage Qingwei's perspective, if the Daoist Order brought its full might to crush the Fenglin rebellion, where would the merit be? Wouldn't anyone suffice? It would also squander countless resources and perhaps even draw criticism.

As for preparations, Sage Qingwei was certainly not speaking idly.

After their conversation, Sage Qingwei gave Qi Xuansu a written order, permitting him to visit Tianji Hall's temporary branch at the field camp. There, he could replenish divine power and munitions or use the large Five Ghost Transport formation to exchange for supplies from Jade Capital, including items as precious as a semi-immortal object.

At first, Qi Xuansu was startled and wary, as if Sage Qingwei could see straight through his every thought. But soon, that feeling was replaced by excitement, for this would be the first semi-immortal object that truly belonged to him.