Ming East India Company

Bai Ye looked at Feng Luzi and said earnestly:

"Do you really think I pity these Japanese women?"

But, Mr. Feng, have you ever thought about what situation we're in right now?

As you've seen during your trip to Japan, Japan is not some tiny island. It has soldiers, provisions, armor, and cannons, and is not as easy to deal with as the Ryukyuans.

If we cannot accumulate power, then one day, the Japanese will also come and seize Ryukyu just like we did.

Now you've all been allocated land, houses, and moved families on Ryukyu Island. I'm afraid that by then, the people who still live in Ryukyu today will be us in the future.

After finishing his speech, Shiro felt his mouth go dry and grabbed the teacup on the table, quickly gulping down several mouthfuls.

"As the head of the army, you're leading the way with these petty tricks. Do you think your soldiers are fools? Do you think they can't see through your intentions?"

In the end, if the superiors set an example for the subordinates, and this continues, who in the army will abide by military law and obey military orders?

You've led troops and fought battles before, so I think you know better than I do what the consequences of disobeying military orders are.

"If we suffer a defeat, do you think you can keep everything you have in Ryukyu?"

Feng, who was standing to the side, was first surprised, then fearful, and now his face was full of shame. He quickly apologized:

"I understand, thank you for your guidance, Master."

Baiye sighed deeply and said:

"You can lie down now!"

Why is that?

"I told you to lie down, so just lie down."

Bai Ye then ordered someone to bring some wound medicine and began to apply it to Feng Luzi's buttocks.

"Master, how can we possibly accept such an honor..."

"Don't move. There's only one bottle of medicine left on the ship. You better be careful, or if you get another beating, I'll have to wash your ass with sake..."

At this moment, Feng the Donkey was already in tears:

"Master, I know I was wrong. I promise I will never resort to such petty tricks again and will always abide by the law. Your ability to appreciate talent is unparalleled since General Qi..."

After being moved, Feng Luzi prepared to leave with the help of his guards.

Suddenly, Shirano seemed to remember something and asked:

"Feng, you donkey, why did you buy so many Japanese women today? I'd believe you if you said you bought two at once. After all, I've been paying you a lot of money these past few months."

But how could your two subordinates possibly have the money to buy her?! Are these Japanese women really that cheap?

Feng the Donkey replied respectfully:

"To be honest, the three of us were also puzzled. At the time, we saw a bustling market outside Edo Castle and assumed that there must be a donkey and horse trading business there."

When they arrived, they discovered it was a human trafficking operation, and the prices were shockingly low.

A man is worth four or five strings of cash, a woman or child is worth two or three strings, and a child who hasn't even grown a hair is worth even less.

Even the best young women only cost around twenty strings of cash, which is very cheap.

To be honest, if this were during the Ming Dynasty, a single visit to a brothel might cost more than this.

That's why a few of us couldn't resist buying two to play with.

After hearing Feng Luzi's account, Bai Ye was also shocked, never expecting that the price of Japanese people was so low.

For the first time, Shirono felt the terrifying population density of the East Asian and South Asian monsoon regions. Even in the East, a place with many mountains and little land, and plagued by war for many years, the population was so large that it was worthless.

"In that case, let's go and see what the human market in the East is like tomorrow."

A smug smile appeared on Bai Ye's face.

The next day, Shirono arrived in Edo City under the protection of Feng Luzi and others.

Accompanying them was a samurai named Kuroshimazu, who was considered Tokugawa Ieyasu's representative. Ever since Hakuno and the Tokugawa family reached a business agreement, Tokugawa had sent him to specifically liaise with Hakuno.

It was already the beginning of autumn, and it had rained a few days earlier. The autumn wind was damp, and Shirono walked into the black market through the mud. The first thing he smelled was a mixture of stench, sweat and blood, which was completely different from the fresh and clean atmosphere in Edo Castle.

The black market had no proper shops, only crooked wooden stakes stuck in the mud, with densely packed people tied to them. Their necks and wrists were bound with thick hemp ropes, and they were crammed together like livestock. Their clothes were so tattered that they could not cover their bodies, and their bodies were covered with frostbite and whip marks. Some of their wounds were festering and infested with maggots. They could only curl up and shiver, and even their groans were barely audible.

The guards were all fierce-looking ronin, patrolling back and forth with leather whips in their hands. If anyone made a move, they would be lashed out. The crisp sound of the whips hitting flesh, mixed with the shouts of the buyers, echoed across the empty wasteland.

Several estate owners dressed in haori strolled to the stake, grabbed the bound man's arms like they were picking oxen, pried open the child's mouth to look at his teeth, and immediately asked for the price.

"A strong and healthy man receives five strings of cash, a woman and child receives 1,500 cash, and the elderly, weak, sick, and disabled receive half a peck of rice."

The human traffickers sneered and shouted as if they were talking about a bunch of pigs and dogs.

"It wasn't this price yesterday, and it's dropped quite a bit today."

Feng Luzi cautiously reminded Bai Ye.

Even though Bai Ye had seen many life-and-death battles, the scene before him made him marvel at the diversity of species.

"Kuroshima, is this how you Japanese openly and brazenly engage in human trafficking?"

Kuroshima, however, did not see anything wrong with it at all:

"My lord, what kind of joke is this? For a hundred years, our Eastern Empire has been fighting to subdue the weak and vulnerable. It is only right and proper for us to do so. Most of the weak and vulnerable people in front of us are farmers who have lost their land or women and children who have lost their men."

If we sell them now, they might have a chance to survive; if we don't sell them, they'll just become a few more mass graves.

"We should reward our warriors instead."

Kuroshima's smile was chilling.

Then, Kuroshima pointed to a large, barely visible pit behind the black market:

"Those who can't be sold will be sent there. If I were someone at the market, I'd probably prefer to be sold."

Bai Ye and Feng Luzi and the others behind him exchanged glances, and could only say that the lives of ordinary people in Japan were exceptionally difficult.

Zhao Zhengshi said:

"I originally thought that the corrupt officials in the Ming Dynasty were already inhuman, but I never expected that the so-called lords and samurai in the East were the real ruthless ones who would devour people without spitting out the bones."

Hakuno chuckled, knowing that Tokugawa Ieyasu was already considered a "benevolent ruler" in the entire Sengoku period of the East, even in the Kanto region under his rule; the actions of other daimyo were probably unimaginable.

"In that case, I'll do a good deed this time," Baiye said with a smile.

"I'll take care of all the weak feet in this market."

After hearing this, Kuroshima was stunned for a moment, then did his best to suppress his inner elation:

"Is what you say true, sir?"

"No questions asked, name your price!"

Kuroshima realized his chance to make a fortune had arrived, so he immediately ordered all the buyers in the market to leave and sent all the slaves to Shirano...