He changed Tiwat

Chapter 177 The Rice Wife Has a Ruler but No Master, Has an Official Position but Is Like a Thief [4k5]

While Ying was conducting "Anti-Lightning General Special Training" in the Shadow Mountain, the entire Narukami Island was also quietly undergoing changes.

If Xavier were to make a film documenting the changes in Inazuma after the Battle of Kannazuka, the opening scene would undoubtedly be set at the "International Merchant Guild" on the remote island.

This merchant guild, which had once welcomed blond travelers from foreign lands and maintained close ties with Umijima Island, became the catalyst for the "anti-shogunate movement" of the people of Narukami Island.

On the morning of September 1st, Hisahito, the president of the "International Chamber of Commerce," and a group of foreign merchants from the chamber gathered at the gate of the Kansei-bu government office.

Holding up wooden plaques with slogans, they loudly protested the unfair tax policies of the Kanjō Magistrate's Office in front of the office.

The incident stemmed from the newly released announcement by the Kanding Fengxing Bureau a few days ago.

In the announcement, Kanjo Magistrate Shinsuke Hiiragi declared that he had held fruitful diplomatic talks with the Ambassador of Shifuku Province, reaching a trade and economic cooperation agreement that would benefit both countries.

From the date of this announcement, the Kingdom of Winter will enjoy most-favored-nation status with Inazuma.

The "Foreign Affairs Supervisor" has granted merchants from the Winter Kingdom the privilege of increasing the number of berths for cargo ships in the port. As a supporting measure, Winter Kingdom merchants will also enjoy a series of new tariff reductions and exemptions.

From a businessman's perspective, increasing berths and reducing tariffs are certainly good policies and a positive thing.

The problem is that this "benevolent policy" only applies to the country of Winterfall; merchants from countries such as Mondstadt, Liyue, Fontaine, and Sumeru are not included in the scope of tax reductions.

Although named "World Merchant Guild," it is actually mainly composed of traveling merchants from Mondstadt, Liyue, Fontaine, and Sumeru. The Fatui, the diplomatic group of Winter, has been operating on the islands for a long time, and Winter's merchants directly follow the Fatui's route, without needing to band together like Kyurisu and others.

During the two years of the "lockdown order," merchants in winter enjoyed the favor of the foolish crowd and received far more favorable treatment than merchants from other countries. However, because their numbers were relatively small, they generally made their fortunes quietly and without fanfare.

Although the merchants of the "International Chamber of Commerce" had some complaints, their homelands could not extend their reach into the island nation of Inazuma like the Fools could, so they could do nothing but complain in secret.

This announcement, which was to be implemented, undoubtedly brought those covert discriminatory treatment practices into the open.

As a result, the merchants on the island became a privileged class.

This all happened a few days before the Battle of Kannazuka.

In reality, having endured two years in the closed-off Inazuma, most of the merchants from the "World Trade Association" had become accustomed to passive acceptance. They had already accepted the fact that people from Inazuma were "superior" during the winter... Even if they didn't accept it, what could they do? Rebel against the Shogunate? Rebel against the Raiden Shogun?

Everyone's shop has a lot of jars and pots, and there are wives, children and elderly people waiting for them back in their hometowns. They dare not ruin their livelihood.

Generally speaking, they will choose to swallow their anger as always.

But this time, the magistrate went even further—increasing the berthing fee for merchant ships.

While announcing the tax reduction policy for merchants in late winter, the "Foreign Affairs Supervisory Office" also added a new announcement at the docks on outlying islands:

Due to the recent impact of the war, and to avoid crowding out temporary military ports, berthing fees for foreign merchant ships have been temporarily increased to four times the original rate. These fees are to be collected and submitted uniformly by the "International Chamber of Commerce," and no omissions are permitted.

"What 'occupying military ports'? It's clearly the soldiers who are occupying commercial ports! And yet we have to bear the costs? This is outrageous!" The merchants were furious when they saw the announcement.

For foreign merchants like Kurisu, the berths granted by the Imperial Surveyorate to their chartered merchant ships were their lifeline; their livelihood in Inazuma depended entirely on these berths. A fourfold increase in berthing fees was equivalent to a fourfold increase in the cost of goods, plus a fourfold increase in tariffs.

On one hand, they are providing additional berths and reducing tariffs for merchants from other countries during the winter months; on the other hand, they are increasing taxes and fees for merchants from other countries by four times, and even specifying that the "International Chamber of Commerce" should be responsible for unified registration and payment...

Kurisu and the others could no longer tolerate it.

As businessmen, they are not unaware of some "unspoken rules," and when they are away from home, they can endure what they have to endure.

Even if the "International Chamber of Commerce" is a fat sheep, how can they grab a sheep and fleece it like this?

After two years, everyone has been exploited to the point of exhaustion. How can they withstand a new round of exploitation?

After the new announcement was issued, members of the Chamber of Commerce, including Kurisu, kept in secret contact and discussed the matter. They eventually decided to unite and demand an explanation from the Kansei Magistrate. Just one day before they were about to take action, Han Fulai’s “Liyue International Brigade” captured Kannazuka.

Moreover, in Han Fulai's proclamation of sympathizing with the people and punishing the guilty, he also listed the crimes of the Kanjō Bōjō, explicitly stating that he colluded with a group of fools to embezzle tax revenue, and listed Hiiragi Shinsuke, the Kanjō Bōjō, as one of the criminals to be punished.

For Kurisu and his group, this is the perfect opportunity—the Commissioner of the Imperial Guard is currently under immense pressure from Liyue and certainly doesn't want to cause any more trouble. He should soften his attitude towards them, these merchants, at least a little.

So the merchants of the "International Chamber of Commerce" gathered together and went to survey the entrance to hold up signs.

"We demand that all businessmen be treated equally!"

"Reduce parking fees and tariffs!"

"Cancel the tax deduction policy for 'crystallized bone marrow'!"

"The 'International Chamber of Commerce' will cease operations immediately until the magistrate approves its petition!"

There were over a hundred merchants from the "International Chamber of Commerce" gathered at the entrance of the Kanding Fengxing Office, holding up signs and shouting in unison. The scene was quite impressive and attracted many islanders to stop and watch, including some workers waiting for work at the nearby docks.

Merchants went on strike, a first in the history of outlying islands.

Soon, the entrance to the Kanding Fengxingfu was filled with people.

The patrolling officers were completely unable to handle the situation and quickly reported it to the government office, awaiting Lord Hiiragi's decision.

Miss Hiiragi Senri is currently in the manor; she has been confined to her quarters by her father for over half a month.

Speaking of which, the blonde traveler who disturbed the Shogun during the "Hunting Eye Ceremony" was the one who was released onto the main island by Miss Hiiragi Chisato, who wanted to meet her lover in secret... The crime she committed was enough to land her in jail if it were placed on the shoulders of the servants below, but Miss Hiiragi only needed to reflect on her mistakes in her boudoir for a while.

Of course, staying indoors to reflect on one's mistakes is a very boring thing, so Miss Hiiragi would still sneak out to play from time to time, and also keep an eye on her lover's replies.

At first, Shinsuke Hiiragi was not strict with her, and he turned a blind eye when she broke the curfew and sneaked out.

However, recently, perhaps due to the war on the front lines, Shinsuke Hiiragi has become increasingly strict in his control over her, to the point that he has sent people to lock her in her boudoir and only allow the servants who bring her food to come and go.

Hiiragi Senri threw a tantrum over this, but her father's attitude was unusually firm, and Hiiragi Senri knew that throwing a tantrum wouldn't work this time.

Until yesterday, the declaration of war issued by the Liyue people mentioned my father's name...

Then, Shinsuke Hiiragi solemnly called his daughter out and ordered her to go to Narukami Shrine on Mount Kageshiro that very night to find out the whereabouts of the Taicho-kyō-kyō-kyō (Prime Minister of Ceremonies) Yae-gūji. After falling in love with Kamachi-sama, she would occasionally visit Narukami Shrine to pray for marriage and she was quite generous with her offerings, so she had some connection with Yae-gūji.

However, last night, Yae no Kami closed the gates to visitors, and Hiiragi Senri returned empty-handed.

She returned empty-handed, and her father's expression was noticeably grim; he had reportedly not slept a wink all night. And this morning, the merchants from the "International Chamber of Commerce" came to cause trouble, which must have made him even more agitated.

Knowing her father's personality, Hiiragi Senri quickly ordered her guard, Shinnosuke, to lead men to disperse the rioting merchants to prevent the situation from escalating further... but her actions were clearly not fast enough.

No sooner had Shinnojo left than Hiiragi Senri saw the backyard of the Magistrate's Office wide open, and a group of fully armed samurai rushed out from the training ground in the backyard.

These people were "bodyguards" recruited by Shinsuke Hiiragi, that is, private soldiers.

According to the regulations of the shogunate, the Kansei-bu under his command only had bushi (chieftains) and servants responsible for tax collection and security patrols, and had no right to command troops. However, in order to deal with some troubles, Hiiragi Shinsuke still secretly raised a group of pirates and sea monsters. For example, Kaedehara Manyo, who had a feud with the Hiiragi family when he was on the run, was hunted down by this group of private soldiers.

The fact that the father used his private army meant that the matter could not be resolved peacefully.

Miss Hiiragi could only silently pray for the merchants outside.

The merchants of the "World Chamber of Commerce" finally met an acquaintance, Katsuie, the head of the surveying and commissioning group.

When Ying first arrived in Inazuma, Kurisu asked the traveler to help deal with a merchant's hoarding of "Crystallized Bone Marrow" and resale it at a high price. Ying found the account book from the merchant that very day and exposed Katsuie, the head of the Kansei Magistrate's Group, who had colluded with outside merchants to embezzle tax money.

Even when the matter was exposed, Katsuie only temporarily ceased his actions—he was merely giving face to Toma, a close retainer of "Princess White Heron." After all, the Shabu-bugyō had no control over the retainers of the Kanjō-bugyō, nor could it affect Katsuie's status.

The head of the Katsuie guild left the magistrate's office, pulled out a proclamation personally signed by the magistrate of the Imperial Household Department, Hiiragi Shinsuke, and loudly read it aloud:

“Recently, foreign nationals with suspicious movements have entered Inazuma City and have been loitering around, which suggests that their motives are sinister.”

"Current evidence suggests that the president of the 'International Chamber of Commerce' has long been involved with suspicious foreigners and is suspected of communicating with the Coral Palace rebels. He will be placed under the supervision of the 'Foreign Affairs Supervisor' for a thorough investigation."

"This is a special announcement from the authorities: those who report suspicious individuals will be richly rewarded, and those who harbor them will be severely punished! The Way of Heaven is vast and the Divine Will endure forever!"

The "suspicious foreign person" mentioned in the announcement is naturally Ying, who is wanted by the police.

The pursuit of fugitives was not part of the duties of the Kanjō Magistrate, and merchants such as Kūrisu were an important source of tax revenue for the outlying islands, so the Kanjō Magistrate would not concern himself with such matters.

Now that Shinsuke Hiiragi has suddenly brought up this old matter again, it's clearly a threat—if you dare to cause trouble, I'll arrest you.

In the past, Kyuri would probably have begged for mercy and paid bribes to avoid imprisonment, but now he was not prepared to swallow his anger any longer.

Kuri adjusted his Fontaine hat and stepped onto the steps of the Kansei Magistrate's Office with his head held high.

Then he turned around and raised his arms to the members of the chamber of commerce, shouting, "If they want to arrest me, let them arrest me! If they want to kill me, let them kill me!"

"We merchants from the outlying islands are already struggling to survive. We're going to die anyway, so what do I, Kulixu, have to fear? Even if Kulixu is gone, there will be others to take his place! Gentlemen, even if I, Kulixu, am captured and beheaded, we will carry out this strike to the very end!"

"Let's carry this strike through to the end!"

The merchants, united in their hatred of the enemy, raised their fists in response, and their voices rose higher and higher.

The head of the Sheng family group remained completely unmoved, instead raising his voice and continuing to read the announcement.

Yes, there was actually a follow-up to the announcement.

"Recently, due to the protracted war, the public funds have become somewhat tight. We urge all foreign merchants to generously contribute to help the government. Therefore, the Commissioner of the Imperial Household has ordered that shop rents be increased fivefold. We expect all merchants to pay within the specified period. Those who fail to do so will be considered to be disobeying the government."

This statement caused an uproar among the crowd.

Not only the foreign merchants in the "International Chamber of Commerce," but even some of the local islanders and boatmen watching couldn't stand it anymore.

This is blatant robbery.

Many people recalled the line from Han Fulai's manifesto: "A wife may have a ruler but no master; she may have an official position but is like a thief!"

The crowd was immediately outraged, with many shouting that "the Kan Ding Feng Xing is nothing but a bandit."

The head of the Singer Group wasn't annoyed at all. Instead, he smiled and sneered, "I'm really sorry, but departure is free. Those who can't afford the rental fee can leave the island on their own."

A blond, blue-eyed foreign merchant stepped forward and loudly questioned the head of the Sheng family: "Hmph! We've been helping the government, but who's helping us? Head of the Sheng family, please tell the investigating magistrate—don't go too far, it won't benefit anyone!"

Singer's eyes narrowed.

The businessman's name was Werner, a native of Mondstadt, and his main business was mining.

Werner dared to speak to the Sheng family in such a tone not only out of anger, but also because he held leverage over the Sheng family.

—He was the businessman who colluded with the Sheng family to hoard “crystallized bone marrow”.

Because of Ying, Werner was beaten up and revealed the Sheng family behind him, forcing the termination of cooperation with the Sheng family and making it impossible to continue the mining business.

The merchants in the "International Chamber of Commerce" were quite disgusted by Werner's behavior and originally planned to expel him from the Chamber of Commerce and then banish him from the island's commercial street.

A Mondstadt merchant, without the established channels of business, having lost the connections and resources of the Chamber of Commerce, and isolated by his peers... not to mention being unable to do business, he'll probably starve to death very soon.

However, Kuri was also alone and wandering abroad. After being captured, he actively repented and compensated his fellow merchants for some of the losses. So Kuri pleaded for him and allowed him to stay in the merchant guild.

Werner was very grateful to Kyurisu, so he followed Kyurisu to the forefront of the strike protest.

What he just said to Katsuie was, of course, also a threat—he still had the ledgers of bribes he had given to Katsuie in the past. Not only Katsuie received these bribes, but Katsuie's superior, Shinsuke Hiiragi, also took them, and he took the lion's share.

If this were publicized, it would certainly be bad for the reputation of the Kanding Fengxing faction.

Seeing that Shengjia remained silent for a long time, Werner assumed that Shengjia knew he was in the wrong. He then followed the example of Kyurisu and stepped onto the steps of the Magistrate's Mansion, raising his arms and shouting, "I, Werner, am not afraid of them either! Mr. Kyurisu, if you want to go to jail, I will go to jail with you; if you want to be beheaded, I will behead with you...!"

For Werner, a native of Mondstadt, this was perhaps the first time in his life that he had put into practice the "freedom" and "resistance" that flowed in the blood of Mondstadt people—a feeling more intoxicating than aged dandelion wine...

The next moment, he could no longer speak.

A katana pierced his back and went straight through his heart.

Bright red blood gushed out.

Werner turned around in surprise and saw Singer's sneer.

"Werner!" Julius exclaimed in alarm, and quickly caught the limp Werner.

Katsuie coldly drew his katana and placed it against Kurisu's neck.

The coldness of the blade and the heat of the blood froze Kurisu's body in place.

His passionate heart suddenly turned cold, as if he had fallen into an icy cave in a snow-capped mountain—the magistrate was actually going to kill someone?

Not only him, but also the merchants of the "International Chamber of Commerce," the local islanders and workers who were watching, were all stunned in place, just like him.

No one expected that the Kansei-gyō would actually use knives against the people!

Katsuie snorted disdainfully, increasing the pressure on his hand, preparing to kill Kurisu on the spot—Lord Hiiragi Shinsuke had already given him orders that anyone who dared to resist would be considered to be colluding with foreign traitors and would be killed without exception.

A servant from the Kanjō Magistrate's office rushed forward and grabbed his arm: "Katsuie-gumi-no-kami, you mustn't!"

This man was Shinnojo. At the request of Miss Hiiragi Senri, he came out with several familiar servants, ready to disperse the merchants. However, he did not expect that the Katsuie would come out first to issue a notice and even kill people.

By the time he realized something was wrong, Werner was already bleeding profusely on the spot.

At that moment, a group of fully armed samurai emerged from the backyard of the magistrate's office and surrounded the protesting merchants and onlookers.

"All troublemakers, arrest them all, and execute those who disobey on the spot!"

Katsuie gave the order and kicked Shinnojo, who was blocking his way, to the ground.

The glint of swords and the spray of blood, accompanied by the terrified screams of the people, lingered long before the Kansei-bu (military governor's office).

Chapter 178 A Wanderer Amidst Heaven and Earth, Lost and Unsure of Where to Go [4k]

The strike protest initiated by merchants of the "International Chamber of Commerce" lasted less than half a day under the brutal suppression of the authorities, but it had a profound impact.

The subsequent advancement of the Inazuma Commercial Law and Tax Law, as well as the opening of ports such as Ba Yun Island and Ta Nam Sa, were all closely related to this strike protest known as the "September 1st Massacre".

After his release from prison, the chairman of the "International Chamber of Commerce," Chang Lixu, was elected by the island merchants as the president of the Island General Chamber of Commerce, becoming a famous business leader who went down in history. This was also due to the prestige he had accumulated in this incident.