Mount & Blade: Warband in the Sengoku period of Japan

The assessment that day left a deep impression on the retainers of the Shiba clan.

Almost everyone stiffens involuntarily when they step into the main hall of the Imperial Palace.

A strange, burly man sat at the door. Even though he was just sitting cross-legged, you could feel his inhuman height and the broad back and thick waist that even the wide kimono couldn't hide. But when he turned his head, his features were fair and refined... Moreover, this man was wearing a tsuji-colored plain silk kimono.

"What kind of monster is this?" This was the only thought in the minds of the retainers.

Liang Chuan Xinji, who had arrived at the Imperial Palace early with Chen Daoyuan, had been holding back for quite some time, but finally couldn't help but ask, "Lord Chen, why are you wearing this color?"

Chen Daoyuan blinked: "What's wrong? I asked around, and this color isn't impolite at all."

"It's not exactly an impolite color... but..." Ryokawa Shinji looked at the dark colors like navy blue, pine needles, and deep scarlet worn by himself and his colleagues who were already seated, and then at the bright colors on Chen Daoyuan's clothes. The second half of his sentence lingered in his mouth for a long time before finally turning into a sigh of "whatever makes you happy."

Chen Daoyuan was very satisfied with the kimono he was wearing. Yixia's needlework was steady, and with the help of the two maids from the Liangchuan family, they sewed this more exquisite and respectable kimono than his usual clothes in one night.

As for the color, it was purely Chen Daoyuan's personal preference. After all, he had been in the US military and police system for a long time and had been influenced by the "real men wear pink" aesthetic. Believing that real men are not bound by color, he immediately took a liking to the most brightly colored silk fabric in the market yesterday.

However, this also aligns with the true essence of RMWP. Even wearing such a flamboyant kimono that even a courtesan might not dare to wear, Chen Daoyuan still brought a great sense of pressure to his future colleagues in the hall.

Before long, everyone in the hall seemed to have arrived. After waiting for another two or three minutes, an old man wearing a straight robe and a black hat entered from the side of the hall and went straight to the main seat on the raised tatami mat.

Unlike the other retainers, Chen Daoyuan did not sit upright or prostrate on the ground. Instead, he sat cross-legged on the tatami mat. However, he was not a troublemaker, so he slumped over and tried to keep his posture as low as possible.

However, he was already tall, and this posture was obviously much taller than sitting upright. He was also wearing a bright pink kimono. The old man in the main seat in front of him saw this big thing at a glance. His originally lowered gaze couldn't help but fall over, and he met Chen Daoyuan's eyes as he looked up and peered at him.

Chen Daoyuan's first thought was that it was no wonder Shiba Nobuko had a small round face. The old man in the main seat also had a rather amiable round face, and with his short and stocky figure, he looked a bit like the Jizo statue in a small roadside temple in Japan.

A hint of surprise flashed across Spogong's face, but he quickly regained his solemn and composed expression.

After this minor ripple, the review meeting proceeded as usual. The elders, hereditary leaders, and generals sitting at the front each reported on their work, while Shiba Takashin listened silently like a Ksitigarbha statue.

Before coming, Chen Daoyuan had done his homework. In the past two years, the Shiba family had shifted from offense to defense, and their main focus was on developing and consolidating new territories. Therefore, at this council meeting, the reports from several important ministers were all about various developments, such as what water conservancy projects had been built in which places, and how many shoals of fertile land had been newly opened in which places. It sounded like the family was very prosperous.

After his ministers had finished reporting, Shibo Kengo raised his lowered eyes and slowly said, "Thank you all for your hard work. You've done a good job lately."

Several high-ranking officials bowed in gratitude once more. Shibo Quangao waved his hand and continued, "However, in the past few days, I have also received some good news regarding the military. Let's get to know each other first. That warrior with a figure like a ghost or god is none other than the divine general Chen Daoyuan, who crossed the sea from the Ming Dynasty."

Everyone turned and nodded to Chen Daoyuan, who returned the greetings one by one. After a few polite exchanges, Shiba Sengoku announced in a long, calm tone, as if speaking slowly and deliberately: "A few days ago, Chen Daoyuan first went to Makihori Fortress and defeated the valiant general Torajiro of the Nanbu clan in a one-man duel. Then, at Obo Fortress, he single-handedly routed a force of five hundred men from the Nanbu clan! He even captured two Nanbu clan foot soldiers in battle and killed more than ten foot soldiers in the procession!"

"Hiss—" A clear and uniform gasp rang out in the viewing hall, and then the gazes that turned to look at Chen Daoyuan suddenly became much more intense.

"Therefore..." Spoken paused for a moment before continuing, "I have decided to directly appoint Chen Daoyuan as one of my Ma Hui followers. Does anyone have any objections?"

Chen Daoyuan didn't know what rank this Ma Huizhong held, since it didn't exist in the game. He noticed that several younger Shiba retainers couldn't help but turn around and glance at him, their eyes revealing a hint of envy. However, in general, the Shiba retainers in the hall didn't have any objections. Although their reaction wasn't very enthusiastic, they all tacitly approved of their head of the family's promotion beyond his rank.

"Alright, since that's the case, let's end the review here. Chen Yang, please stay for a moment. I'd like to discuss with you what kind of reward we should give you for this operation."

Shiba Takashi announced the end of the evaluation, and the retainers in the hall took their leave one by one. Even Ryokawa Nobutsugu only glanced at Chen Daoyuan with envy before leaving the hall without looking back.

Only Chen Daoyuan, Sibo Quangao, and two guards standing behind Sibo Quangao remained in the huge hall.

"Chen Yang, please come and sit down." Seeing that Chen Daoyuan was still sitting there blankly, Sibo Quangao remained silent for a while before calling out.

Chen Daoyuan was subconsciously a little nervous. It wasn't that he was afraid of the old man; it was just a social instinct. After a meeting, when the leader keeps you behind for a private talk, how many people wouldn't subconsciously feel nervous?

He got up and walked to the raised tatami seat. Just as he was about to sit down, Chen Daoyuan hesitated. Logically speaking, he should sit upright and respectfully, or even kneel, but obviously, modern people find this posture somewhat uncomfortable, especially when facing a Japanese person.

"If you're not used to sitting upright, feel free to be casual. Brother Daoyuan comes from Ming, so I imagine you're more used to sitting in a chair, right?" Seeing Chen Daoyuan's hesitation, Shiba Senko spoke in his usual slow, deliberate tone. However, this time he didn't speak Japanese, but rather fluent Ming Mandarin, and with a remarkably standard accent. Even the humble term "brother," a common way for scholars to address younger generations, was used appropriately, clearly demonstrating his study of Chinese classics.

Chen Daoyuan then sat down cross-legged in front of Shibo Quangao as usual, but couldn't help but wonder to himself how he could meet so many people who could speak Chinese after transmigrating to Japan.

Little did people know that, for Japan at this time, although it no longer worshipped the Celestial Empire across the sea as fervently as it had during the Tang and Song dynasties, speaking Chinese was still an essential skill that greatly enhanced one's prestige among the nobles and courtiers of Kyoto. The Takasui-dera Shiba clan, which had always considered themselves to be Kyoto retainers of the Ashikaga clan, had always been quite attentive to Chinese language and Sinology.

After Chen Daoyuan sat down, Shibo Quangao spoke again: "Brother Daoyuan, although you have now joined my ranks, I still do not know your background. Would you be willing to explain it to me?"

Chen Daoyuan smiled and took out the story he had just made up in the past two days: "My family is from Changzhou Prefecture in Jiangnan. My ancestors were military officials who served the country and made great contributions to its founding. However, by my generation, they only inherited the title of centurion. Two years ago, I was selected and transferred to the Haizhou Navy as a captain. However, I am not good at naval warfare. In my first battle with the pirates, I was separated from my men and our ship was sunk. Fortunately, I managed to seize a sampan and drifted at sea for a long time. I landed on a deserted island and spent several months there. After saving up some food, I went out to sea again and landed on the deserted beach on the west coast of Japan. I walked in the mountains for nearly two months before finally arriving near the Makihoku Fortress."

"So he's a descendant of a loyal and devoted military official who helped found the dynasty?" Spokenko's micro-expressions were extremely rare; his old face remained as still as a stone statue. Chen Daoyuan found it difficult to discern his thoughts using his professional skills. "Do you know anything about military affairs?"

Chen Daoyuan answered decisively: "If I were to lead a few hundred or thousand infantry and cavalry into battle, I am confident that I could manage them without worry. But if I were to command more than ten thousand troops, although I have studied military books for several years, I still need practical experience."

Chen Daoyuan joined ROTC at the age of 18. After graduating from university, he officially enlisted in the U.S. Army as a second lieutenant. Although he mainly worked in the logistics department during his formal service, he had taken basic military command courses at the battalion and company levels. He also served as the deputy company commander of an exercise unit in the reserve. He believed that he could handle commanding an ancient army of several hundred people.

After listening, Shiba Tsugaku slowly nodded, a smile appearing on his lips: "Japan is exhausted, and we cannot muster a force of ten thousand men for you to command. However, I have 200 personal guards in my main camp, which I will entrust to you from now on."

"I will certainly live up to the trust placed in me by the Lord." Chen Daoyuan now understood that he, the horse-riding soldier, was actually the captain of Shiba Quangao's personal guard.

In fact, recruiting ronin into the Uma-go and then testing and promoting them based on their military achievements was a common talent development route during the Sengoku period. For example, Akechi Mitsuhide, the most famous traitor of the Sengoku period, and Todo Takatora, the jinx who changed bosses seven times in his life, both started their careers this way… *cough* These two are just special examples; many proper retainers and members of the same clan also came from this background.

"However..." Shiba Kenko changed the subject, "Currently, my Takasui-dera clan has no major conflicts with the surrounding areas. Although I have made you a member of the Ma-gei clan, I'm afraid you will be of little use for it in the short term. I wonder if you, sir, are skilled in governing the people?"

Chen Daoyuan certainly didn't understand governing the people, but he had already prepared a plan before coming, deciding what skills he would use to fool investors through the interview.

Raising his head, Chen Daoyuan said to one of the guards behind Shibo Quangao, "Young man, could you please go find the guard in front of the Imperial Palace and ask him for the things I left with him?"

The guard hesitated for a moment, then bowed his head and gave a soft reply before Spo Quan Gao turned to look at him. He then turned and walked out of the palace. A short while later, he returned with a long, narrow black cloth bag. At Chen Dao Yuan's signal, he placed the black cloth bag directly in front of Spo Quan Gao.

"My Lord, I was unaware of the situation, but this bag contains the very resources my family has used to make a living in the Ming Dynasty."