Those present were all top-tier warriors in the military. Although Miyamoto Musashi had lost to his own commander-in-chief, he had won his previous two matches cleanly and decisively without injuring anyone. Losing to the commander-in-chief was normal. However, regardless, his opponent was a top-tier fighter, deserving of respect in the eyes of martial artists.
Unfortunately, the Japanese don't have this concept. While Miyamoto was a highly skilled swordsman, he didn't yet hold the status he would later achieve. In fact, even if he did, to the great nobles of Japan, he was nothing more than a slightly fierce dog. And as a dog, his master could naturally discipline him.
Lu Xuan smiled slightly. He had anticipated this outcome. In fact, to put it bluntly, it wasn't impossible that Miyamoto Musashi would be forced to commit seppuku upon his return.
Lu Xuan casually tossed the knife to Ding Xiu. Then he turned to the Japanese delegation and spoke.
"It seems the ten chests of gold are mine. I wonder how much time you need to prepare. I don't mind; you can take your time."
"No need, we can pay right away." The person in charge's face grew increasingly grim. He could barely scrape together ten chests of gold.
However, this gold wasn't originally intended for this purpose. It was meant to be used to trade with merchants in Liaodong to purchase military supplies such as steel and gunpowder. But if he couldn't bring the young master back this time, he estimated that seppuku would be his only option. Therefore, the trade had to be put on hold for now; rescuing the young master was the priority.
As for trade, we can simply lead our fleet to plunder the coast. As long as we can rescue the young master, we can at least return and report back. As for that useless Miyamoto Musashi, we'll make him commit seppuku when we get back. For a samurai of commoner origin like him, there's only one consequence for failing a mission.
Ten chests of gold were naturally difficult to produce all at once. The Japanese delegation used a large amount of silver, as well as hundreds of fine Japanese swords prepared for the transaction, to pay off their debts. However, at this point, Lu Xuan suddenly terminated the deal.
"Since you lost, the initiative has returned to my hands. Therefore, I have decided to add one more condition."
"General Lu, don't go too far."
"Too much?" Lu Xuan waved his hand. More than two hundred musketeers rushed out from all sides and surrounded the thirty or so members of the delegation.
Is this going too far?
"...Tell me, what do you want?"
"Simply, it's easy. I want this guy." Lu Xuan casually pointed at Miyamoto Musashi. This guy's swordsmanship was astonishing, and his martial arts attainments were extremely high. Now that Lu Xuan had seen him, he naturally wanted to find a way to get his hands on him. Not for any other reason than his swordsmanship and various secret techniques. He had to leave behind a legacy in the Central Plains.
To Lu Xuan's surprise, the person in charge barely hesitated and casually pushed Miyamoto Musashi towards him.
"He's yours now."
Lu Xuan: "..." He suddenly felt like he had asked for too low a price. In his opinion, such a master was definitely worth trying to retain. But the other party didn't even think about it, which instantly made him feel very unsatisfied.
"Since you're so sincere, Lu Wenzhao, release them!"
After being tormented by Lu Wenzhao for most of the day, Tokugawa Hidetada was finally back in his own hands. Seeing their young lord in such a sorry state, the Japanese delegation was immediately enraged. However, surrounded by over two hundred musketeers, even a master like Miyamoto Musashi dared not make a rash move. Moreover, he had just been abandoned.
"Don't worry, he won't die. But if you keep delaying, he might develop some kind of chronic illness," Lu Wenzhao said sarcastically from the side. This greatly alarmed the delegation, who immediately forgot about arguing with Lu Xuan and the others. They hurriedly took their young master and ran away.
Looking at the large pile of gold and silver left behind by the Japanese delegation, along with various knives, Lu Xuan was in a good mood.
"These knives are all top-quality. Each of you can pick one to keep. The rest will be put into storage, and this gold and silver will go directly into the military budget to purchase food and reserves of various minerals."
Lu Xuan waved his hand and distributed all the items.
"My lord, this windfall is quite substantial. You could keep it at your residence. The soldiers have all been paid their dues, and they never miss a meat meal every day. Why don't you furnish your own residence? This general's mansion hasn't been repaired since you took up your post. You could use this windfall to decorate it." Lu Wenzhao flattered him.
Is this house drafty?
"Um...of course not."
Does it leak when it rains?
"Uh..." Lu Wenzhao's face was already breaking out in a cold sweat, realizing that he had made a fool of himself by flattering the wrong person.
"It doesn't leak wind or rain, so why bother repairing it? Use the extra money for military expenses. Wouldn't it be better to let the soldiers eat more meat? What I want is a battle-hardened army, and they're far from that now. They need more training. We can never have too much weaponry, rations, or reserves. And what about raw materials like gunpowder and steel? The warehouses in Liaoyang aren't even full yet, and you're already satisfied?"
"The reason it's not full is because you've built a full twenty new warehouses these days," Lu Wenzhao thought to himself, but dared not say it aloud.
"Yes, yes, I understand."
Lu Wenzhao's admiration was genuine. This general was indifferent to women and money, focusing solely on training a strong army. Those soldiers whom Lu Wenzhao considered strong were, in his eyes, not even at the beginner level. Lu Wenzhao could hardly imagine just how strong the army General Lu envisioned.
Moreover, Lu Xuan treated his subordinates with utmost care and devotion, leaving no room for complaint. He never withheld their salaries, and crucially, provided various subsidies. While it couldn't compare to those generals who received salaries without working, they certainly didn't lack money. He treated his soldiers like his own children. Even the legendary General Qi Jiguang might not have been quite as kind.
The vast amount of farmland that has been identified has already been initially allocated. The initial soldiers are practically worshipping Lu Xuan. They're being given ample rations and land. To those soldiers, Lu Xuan is now their god.
It is no exaggeration to say that if Lu Xuan gave the order to kill Li Rubai, the military commissioner of Liaodong, not a single person would utter a word of dissent.
Sigh... Such a great ruler deserves to rule this world. It's just that my junior sister is too disappointing; I need to persuade her again.
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Chapter 137 Farming, Farming
The Japanese delegation ultimately did not take action, but instead returned with their fleet. They were probably afraid that any delay might lead to something truly bad happening to Tokugawa Hidetada.
This saved Lu Xuan a lot of trouble. He then turned his attention to training troops and infrastructure development in Liaoyang.
Lu Xuan's new army has a system of attrition. Those who are attrition aren't necessarily removed from the army, but rather relegated to secondary auxiliary positions. In the old army, these soldiers might have been secretly pleased. But under Lu Xuan, this is a deadly adjustment.
First, the daily meat and vegetable ration was changed to once every three days. Their pay was halved, and they wouldn't get land until the front-line troops had already chosen their turn. How could they accept this?
All the soldiers were giving it their all. They trained relentlessly, and the overall quality of the entire team was constantly improving.
Meanwhile, Lu Xuan expanded trade routes, conducting business with merchants from all over the country in the name of Liaoyang Guard. He took whatever came his way—grain, ore, daily necessities, and war supplies.
Liaoyang Garrison was revitalized by a surge in commercial trade, visibly flourishing. This prosperity naturally attracted people to settle there, and the increased population brought in more soldiers. Within six months, Lu Xuan's army had expanded to nearly 20,000 men. It was rumored that some in the court had begun impeaching him for unauthorized military expansion. However, for some reason, no orders for punishment were issued from above.
After six months of training, Lu Xuan cleared out all the garrison fortresses along the border and replaced them with his own men. The entire area under the jurisdiction of Liaoyang Guard, including the inland and eastern border regions, was now under Lu Xuan's control. Only the southeastern coastal area remained to be unified and reorganized.
This is not easy to accomplish. A sufficiently powerful navy is needed to deter the coastline and control the coastal areas. However, building a navy is far more complex than building an army. The saying "a navy takes a hundred years to build" is somewhat exaggerated, but there's some truth to it. Both warships and the navy require a significant amount of time and resources.
All Lu Xuan could do now was reinforce the defenses of the various fortresses along the coastline. He provided them with a large number of muskets, fire-breathing bombs, and other similar weapons. These were quite effective in defense. At the same time, he also began to rectify the chaos in maritime trade.
The merchants along the coast were often backed by various chambers of commerce and even powerful figures in the imperial court. They dared to sell anything. Firearms produced by the imperial court might be on their goods lists as soon as they left the workshops, sold to pirates, Koreans, and Japanese pirates. As long as they could make money, they didn't care who would use these weapons in the future.