Chapter 343: Shirou Enters the City to Sell His Sword
The merchant said with a beaming smile, "Shirou, the one I am taking you to see is the head of the Matsudaira family, the true master of Mikawa Province! Work hard; as long as you can gain his approval, with your forging skills, you will surely be rewarded in no time."
Shirou didn't care much for such things, but the surname triggered a connection in his mind. He thought to himself, 'Matsudaira? The original surname of Tokugawa Ieyasu?'
Through their conversation, Shirou learned from the merchant that the person they were going to see in Mikawa was indeed Tokugawa Ieyasu, who was currently a refugee temporarily residing in Okazaki Castle.
The merchant hoped to persuade the Castle Lord to have Shirou forge a divine weapon befitting his status, serving as a symbolic object for the pacification of the family's internal strife.
However, according to the history Shirou knew, the merchant's investment was destined to see no return. Although this world was different from Shirou's own and history likely wouldn't be identical, the general direction of events shouldn't change.
The merchant led Shirou into the city. After passing through the residential areas and the market, they saw the landmark Tenshu-kaku (castle keep). Inside walls several meters high stood a towering castle, four stories tall, built upon a high stone foundation as if settled upon a small hill.
This was a style of fortification popular among daimyo and castle lords during the Sengoku period. Building a castle within the city served as a symbol of status and protected against assassin attacks and enemy invasions.
In later generations, many such castles remained as regional tourist attractions. The three most famous were Nagoya Castle built by Tokugawa Ieyasu, Osaka Castle by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and Kumamoto Castle; others like Himeji Castle and Azuchi Castle were also renowned.
Shirou looked up. From the outside in, civil officials and military generals sat in two rows on either side. At the highest level, to the right of the family head, sat a youth with unusual features. Shirou noticed he looked remarkably like a famous manga character from the future—that 22nd-century raccoon robot.
Sitting in the center of the room, dressed in solemn black robes, was an elderly man.
Shirou looked at the old man in surprise, realizing that in this world, Tokugawa Ieyasu had not yet taken power; his father, Matsudaira Hirotada, had apparently not died by assassination. Thus, Ieyasu, who appeared to be in his twenties, was still just a young master.
The Matsudaira family was the one that would later become the Tokugawa family who opened the Shogunate. "Tokugawa" was a surname later bestowed upon Ieyasu by the Imperial Court.
The Matsudaira family claimed descent from the Minamoto clan (Genji). Ieyasu later styled himself as an "Elder of the Genji." Though unverifiable, he came from several generations of castle lords and was accepted by the people of that time, laying the foundation for his Shogunate. Of course, the saying that "none but a Minamoto may open a Shogunate" was actually propaganda pushed by vested interest groups.
It was somewhat like the feudal rhetoric of China's Spring and Autumn period—if you weren't a descendant of the Shang or Zhou royalty, even if you successfully took power, your claim was considered illegitimate. Or like the saying that one couldn't be a Han Emperor without being a descendant of the Yan and Yellow Emperors. The Yellow Emperor (Huangdi), surname Ji, clan Xuanyuan, established his capital at Youxiong, hence he was also called the Master of Youxiong.
For instance, Qin Shi Huang, Ying Zheng—his ancestors were the Zhao clan, officials who herded horses for the Yin and Zhou. After founding the state, they took the state name as their surname, hence he was called Qin Zheng. Yet he was still looked down upon and ostracized by the other states of the Warring States period.
The sons of the Yellow and Flame Emperors inherited various positions, invented or managed different types of tools, and were thus granted their own surnames which have lasted until now. As descendants of the Yan and Yellow Emperors who have survived on the land of China for thousands of years through generations of inheritance, if one traces back several hundred generations, whose ancestors weren't once prominent?
The Chinese culture flowing in the blood told everyone one truth from the start: Are kings and nobles born to their status?
In truth, Ieyasu's ancestry wasn't particularly grand among the various daimyo.
Ieyasu's grandfather, Matsudaira Kiyoyasu, was indeed a rare talent. At fourteen, Kiyoyasu took over as head of the family, quickly suppressed the powerful ministers under him, and unified Mikawa within five years. Mikawa was roughly equivalent to a small Chinese city; combined with the neighboring Oda family's power in Owari, it would become Aichi Prefecture in modern Japan.
The Takeda family of the same era required three generations to unify Kai, and the Hojo family took twenty years to achieve unification. Within this stark contrast, one could see he was a rare genius in military affairs and small-state management. He possessed the heroic spirit of young legends like the Champion Marquis Huo Qubing or the "Little Conqueror" Sun Ce. Unfortunately, like them, he died young. In fact, if he hadn't been stabbed in the back by one of his own men and assassinated at the front lines while attacking Owari, Oda Nobunaga might never have made his mark.
There are several "ifs" regarding the Japanese Sengoku period. The most famous is: If Date Masamune had been born twenty years earlier, it is unknown into whose hands Japan would have fallen. Another is: If Matsudaira Kiyoyasu had lived to be thirty, he could have unified
Japan before Nobunaga's rise. He wouldn't have had to wait as long as his grandson Ieyasu did to outlive Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
The Matsudaira family losing Kiyoyasu was like Cao Cao losing the genius strategist Guo Jia. To use a gaming metaphor: they started with an advantage, were playing "god-like," and were about to end the match in five minutes. But they grew arrogant, "threw" the game, and were team-wiped, allowing the opponent to finish their build.
The Matsudaira family at this time was even worse off than Cao Cao; they had collapsed completely. The family fell into long-term internal strife and could only seek a narrow chance at survival by playing both sides in the gap between the warring Oda and Imagawa families. With the rise of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the Matsudaira family had now become vassals of the Toyotomi family.
No wonder this Osaka merchant, protected by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, behaved so relaxedly here.
Shirou handed the Cursed Blade to a servant of the Matsudaira house. Holding the precious sword with both hands above his head, the servant walked to the tatami mat closest to the family head and knelt, presenting the sword for the head's inspection.
At this, the generals and elders at the top of the room stood up one after another, curiously eyeing the treasure.
"Ooh, so this is the treasure that easily slew the monster over there?!"
"It looks quite impressive on the outside, I wonder what the inside is like?"
"Draw it and try it, then we'll know!" A tall general directly picked up the sword and placed his right hand on the hilt.
"Yes, Lord Matsudaira, and my lords, but there is a slight problem," the merchant said, rubbing his hands together.
Shirou issued a warning: "Do not draw the sword yet. This is a Cursed Blade; once it leaves the sheath, it must draw blood."
Hearing this, the general burst out laughing. "Hahaha, what of it! Since it's a sword, it's natural to draw blood when it comes out! Do you want the enemy's sword to draw blood first?"
"Hahaha, precisely! General Honda is absolutely right," the surrounding generals and retainers laughed merrily.
"Then, I am drawing it!" The general gripped the hilt and pulled the katana from its scabbard. For a moment, the temperature in the room seemed to drop by a dozen degrees, making people's hair stand on end as an eerie, pale-blue light flashed.
"It truly is a fine blade!!!" The general praised, finding that as he held the sword, a strong desire to slash at someone welled up in his heart. A red light flashed in the general's eyes as
his gaze locked onto the servant who had brought the sword and was still crouching on the floor.
The general thought, 'From this angle, one slash would be enough to send the servant's head flying. With this sword, I could surely perform the most beautiful decapitation. I'm so looking forward to the spray of blood!'
Shirou realized something was wrong and was about to rush forward to stop him.
"Hmph!" The general let out a muffled grunt. He reached out with his left hand, pressed it against the edge of the blade, and pulled sideways. His palm was instantly sliced open by the sharp edge, and blood fell onto the blade, a portion of it being absorbed into the silver-white steel.
"My Lord, this sword is indeed a bit wicked! Just now, my hand almost moved on its own to cut someone," the general surnamed Honda reported, sheathing the sword and reporting respectfully to the Matsudaira head on the high platform.
"Is that so? Someone, call a doctor to help Honda with his bandages." Lord Matsudaira immediately sent someone.
"Hahaha, a small wound is nothing, but this sword is certainly exciting!" the general said nonchalantly.
"This lowly one deserves death for not explaining clearly... Shirou, you kneel too!" The merchant, his face turning deathly pale, knelt on the ground and tugged at Shirou to make him kneel as well.
Shirou pulled away slightly from the kneeling merchant and said with neither arrogance nor humility, "I have heard that great steeds have temperaments; if one is not a true general, they cannot be tamed. Like the Red Hare of the Three Kingdoms, only a few like Lu Bu and Guan Yu were recognized as its true masters. When Guan Yu died, Red Hare fasted until it died as well."
"Though this Cursed Blade must draw blood upon being drawn—and though this is not my wish—if your esteemed house has a true warrior capable of wielding 'her,' I am willing to give it to him free of charge."
Hearing Shirou's words, the eyes of the people in the hall lit up with brilliance, especially those confident in their own martial prowess; one by one, they were eager to try.
"Well, if it truly is a sword that can slay monsters, it's not surprising for it to have a strange temperament. If given to me, I might tame it after a few more tries. At worst, I'll just bleed a little," the general surnamed Honda chimed in.
Shirou made a suggestion: "Actually, one could carry two swords. A steel sword specifically for dealing with people normally, and a silver sword for self-defense and unexpected needs. If you encounter demons or monsters, there is only the path of a bloody battle; at that time, simply use the enemy's blood to feed the blade."
"Correct, correct!" The merchant nodded repeatedly. He then thought of the dual-wielding Musashi-chan and felt a bit of a sting in his heart—all those snacks of his had been eaten for nothing.
At this time, Lord Matsudaira, who was sitting at the top, walked over and asked, "May I ask, sir, can this sword be mass-produced? If we could have three more... no, seven!"
"I can," Shirou nodded. Throughout his life, most of the weapons he had imitated and studied for forging were Noble Phantasms. As long as the materials were complete, even a Divine Construct was not impossible.
"Are the materials easy to obtain? Are there any special requirements?" the elder sitting to the lower left of Lord Matsudaira asked.
"No, the materials can be found in the city, though they will be somewhat expensive. This sword is primarily made of thousand-forged steel and silver, melted and refined with intense fire, and forged over three days and nights," Shirou replied.
"Silver! No wonder it's so brilliant."
"I see. To use silver and yet maintain such sharpness—it truly is a rare treasure of a sword!"
The surrounding generals praised him one after another, completely unconcerned about the cost. In an era like this, a good horse and a good sword were not only symbols of status but also life insurance; they were worth pursuing even at the cost of one's entire fortune.
Lord Matsudaira waved his hand and said, "I know money is not an issue. I will have someone provide everything you need, sir. What is the maximum number of these swords you can forge for us?"
"Ten. Within three months, I will forge the remaining nine and hand them over to you," Shirou promised.
Lord Matsudaira stood up and agreed repeatedly, "Good! Good! Good! Then, we ask you, sir, to forge these treasure swords for us. I shall keep this one. Seven will be given to my son Ieyasu, the two elders, and the Four Great Generals. The remaining two will be reserved for heroes who perform great service for my Matsudaira family!"
"Hooray!!!" A chorus of approval rang out in the hall. The elders and Four Great Generals who received the promise of the swords showed satisfied smiles, while the younger officers saw an opportunity and began talking excitedly, itching for a chance.
"If we have such treasure swords, can we slay demons like the Four Heavenly Kings of Minamoto no Yorimitsu?"
"You kid, you just want a beautiful female ghost to come knocking on your door."
"Hahaha, if a female ghost is willing to submit to me, I wouldn't mind."
At this, the family head pressed his hands down to restore quiet to the hall and looked at Shirou.
"Then the matter is decided. Sir, I look forward to the completion of your works. We still have a meeting to conduct, so we will not keep you any longer. Please follow the servant to the guest room to rest for a while."
"Alright," Shirou nodded.
Lord Matsudaira then looked at the kneeling merchant and said:
"You brought this gentleman to us; I am very satisfied. As for your goods, we will buy them at a high price. You take the gentleman to the side hall to rest now; later, I will arrange for someone to take you both to a residence to stay."
"Yes, yes, thank you for your generosity, Lord Matsudaira." The merchant was overjoyed and bowed repeatedly in agreement.
Under the guidance of a servant, Shirou and the merchant left the hall.
Once they saw the two walk out the door, the people inside the room began making different plans.
"Such a young talent—we must ensure he stays in our Mikawa," the elder spoke first.
"Indeed. He has extraordinary insight, showing no fear even before us battle-hardened veterans. He is steadier than average young officers and has the potential of a great orator. Furthermore, only ten swords would be a waste."
"True. I'll leave this matter to you to handle, Honda! Let your family's Hime-musha (female warrior) meet this young talent as well," Lord Matsudaira said half-jokingly, pointing to his loyal general.
General Honda's eyes lit up, and he laughed and agreed, "Yes! Leave it to me, My Lord!"
"Hahaha, if you can keep him as a son-in-law, you'll have hit the jackpot!" a general nearby laughed loudly.
"You're just jealous!" General Honda laughed and cursed, but in his heart, he let out a sigh. If his troublesome daughter could form a good connection with a talented young man, it would be a blessing. He just feared her stubborn personality would lead to a chaotic mess.
Of course, Shirou was unaware of these things at the moment. As he and the merchant walked out, he was listening to the fat merchant's incessant rambling, saying how it was all thanks to him as the guide and telling Shirou not to forget his friends once he became successful.
In short, it was the classic "do not forget me when you become rich and noble."
"Shirou! If one of the generals takes a liking to you and wants to marry his daughter to you, you must agree! You must! When that time comes, I'll sell my assets and come be your aide! With my help, you'll be the next Toyotomi Hideyoshi!" the merchant said very excitedly, waving his plump hands.
"Give it a rest. We just said a few words and sold a sword, why would any father want to send his daughter over..." Shirou waved his hand dismissively.
The merchant saw Shirou didn't believe him, but since things were going so smoothly, he held the mindset of "hoarding a rare commodity" and was unwilling to give up on such a high-quality "pretty boy" stock like Shirou, so he continued to persuade him.
Shirou was annoyed beyond belief. After they had walked for a few minutes, a sudden patter of urgent footsteps sounded from behind, as if someone were chasing them.
"Sir, please wait a moment!" someone ran up from behind and called out to Shirou.
Turning around, he saw it was the young master with the unusual features.
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