Chapter 90

"Behold! This vast land! We will conquer this land and this time, we will defeat that Azumi Mitsuteru!"

Standing at the classroom door, Xiaoming took a deep breath and firmly gripped the secret letter from his mother.

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Standing at the classroom door, Xiaoming took a deep breath and firmly gripped the secret letter from his mother.

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Standing at the classroom door, Xiaoming took a deep breath and firmly gripped the secret letter from his mother.

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"Look! This vast land! We will conquer all of this land and this time, we will defeat that Azumi Mitsuteru!"

Having been defeated by Mitsuteru and driven out of Ezo and Karafuto, Date Masamune landed in Siberia with his exiled family, vassals, soldiers, and the Ainu people who resisted the rule of the Tsuda family in Ezo and Karafuto.

The place where they landed is what would later be known as the Primorsky Krai.

"Since there is a large river here, let's make this our base first."

There were rivers that would later be called the Amur and Ussuri, and the place where Masamune and his men landed was suitable as a port.

This place would later be known as Vladivostok.

"Kotaro, first, hurry and improve the port and bring the local people under our control!"

"Hai!"

The reason for urgently improving the port was to facilitate trade with Japanese merchants. While the merchants were actually under the influence of the Tsuda family, Kotaro, who had become a senior vassal of the Date family, did not mention this.

It was enough to obtain the necessary food supplies without needlessly upsetting his lord. If he couldn't show such consideration, he wouldn't be a senior vassal of the Date family.

"Our numbers are increasing steadily, but that means we need even more food. We need to acquire the means to purchase food. Time is short, so hurry!"

Masamune hurried to reorganize his vassals. The loyal retainers who followed him through multiple defeats, the surviving daimyo and vassals from Kanto and Tohoku who fled the rule of the Tsuda family, and their followers and families were treated as quasi-hereditary vassals.

Among them were also the Ainu people from Ezo and Karafuto who followed Masamune. By incorporating them through marriage and other means, he formed a powerful army and quickly began the conquest of the Primorsky Krai.

"We need to find something to sell quickly."

The newly formed Date army, consisting of about 5,000 men, invaded the Primorsky Krai with overwhelming force. Although the population density was low, they managed to occupy more than half of the region before winter set in. The local tribes, such as the Wirta, Nivkh, and Orochon, surrendered without a fight due to the intimidating firepower of the Date army's 1,000 muskets.

"Even blank shots are effective."

Learning from his failures in Ezo and Karafuto, Masamune adopted a policy of gradually assimilating the local people. Given their small numbers, he needed to win them over.

Even with blank shots, the simultaneous firing of 1,000 muskets was enough to make them surrender without a fight. He also demonstrated the firing of large cannons to show the superiority of the Date family.

To increase the population, his policy was to use them effectively as long as they did not resist.

"(Of course, the muskets and cannons are from the Tsuda family...)"

Kotaro thought this to himself but never said it to Masamune. It was meaningless to say, and expanding the Date family's influence was more important.

"For trade, we have copper and gold minerals. Sea products are also abundant, so if we can process them to last longer, that would be best. The quickest option would be furs like sable."

"We need more weapons and food. Hurry and acquire trade goods."

Thus, gold, copper, and furs from the Primorsky Krai were exported to the Tsuda family, processed, and sold throughout Japan, benefiting the Tsuda family.

The Date family obtained food and weapons and accumulated a large amount of copper coins.

"Give these copper coins as rewards to the leaders of the tribes under our control."

Masamune gave copper coins as rewards to the leaders of the tribes under his control. Initially, they did not understand the value of the coins, but as they realized they could buy rice, sake, seasonings, daily necessities, ceramics, porcelain, paper, cotton, silk, and hemp from Japan, the coins became the most popular reward.

The leaders also began giving coins as rewards to their subordinates, who in turn gave them to their servants, gradually making coins a common currency in the Primorsky Krai.

"(The Date family is essentially under the economic control of the Tsuda family...)"

Seeing the results, the astute Kotaro realized this but had the sense not to tell his lord. Thus, the Date family's rule over the Primorsky Krai proceeded smoothly.

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"An enemy?"

"Yes, the tribal chiefs say that the purpose is to reclaim this land."

Despite quickly bringing most of the Primorsky Krai under their control, the Date family faced their first challenge. This region was originally under the control of the Jurchen people from northeastern China. Although the Jurchen were not unified, they could not sit idly by while their wealth was being taken.

Determined to drive the invaders, the Date family, back into the sea, the Jurchen raised an army to reclaim the Primorsky Krai.

"The Jurchen army is smaller than expected."

"Perhaps they are the vanguard?"

Masamune and Kotaro, preparing for the defense, were puzzled, but the reason was that internal conflicts among the Jurchen prevented a full-scale invasion. Only a few thousand soldiers were sent from the tribes directly affected by the loss of trade and other rights.

They were a formidable cavalry force and believed they could defeat the ragtag group of defeated soldiers from Japan.

"Kotaro, we cannot easily replenish our forces. If we show any weakness, the tribes that are now under our control will become restless."

"Understood. We will annihilate them."

The Date army, despite their string of defeats, had learned much from their experiences. They were not weak to begin with; the Tsuda army was just exceptionally strong. The battle against the Jurchen was one-sided.

"Fire!"

"Shoot!"

The Date army, equipped with more muskets acquired through trade with the Tsuda family, used them in a coordinated manner.

"Shock them!"

Similarly, they had more small bronze cannons and even five large cannons, which they used to fire at the Jurchen. Although not their first time seeing these weapons, the Jurchen cavalry was thrown into chaos by the noise and the horses went wild.

"Annihilate them!"

A small but well-prepared cavalry unit of the Date army broke through the disorganized Jurchen forces, and the Jurchen army retreated, losing more than half of their men.

"Raise the victory cry!"

"Oooh!"

The tribes that had sent troops to support the Date family were amazed by the overwhelming strength of the Date army. They resolved not to resist the Date family, which was exactly what Masamune had intended.

"Things went well, but the Jurchen might attack again."

"If that happens, we have no choice but to..."

"Now is the time to lie low. We must bow to the Ming."

Masamune sent a tribute envoy to the Ming, offering furs, gold dust, dried squid, and dried cod, and reporting that he had become the ruler of the Primorsky Krai.

"Appoint Date Masamune as the King of the Primorsky Krai. Send tribute envoys annually, and in return, we will allow trade with the Ming."

The Ming appointed Masamune as the King of the Primorsky Krai and gave him a golden seal.

"The Ming is a great nation. They are quite generous."

"The Ming seems to have no territorial ambitions in this region."

Under the protection of the Ming, the Date family's benefits were immeasurable. The Ming issued an order to the Jurchen tribes under their control, forbidding them from attacking the territory of the King of the Primorsky Krai.

"This gives us a just cause."

"If the Ming says they cannot attack, and the Jurchen do, we must defend ourselves. We might even pursue them into Jurchen territory, which would be a coincidence."

"A coincidence?"

"Yes, a fortuitous misfortune, of course, for the Jurchen."

Living in a chaotic era, Masamune did not expect the Jurchen to stop attacking. However, he saw these attacks as opportunities to expand his territory.

"The Ming seems to be struggling to control the Jurchen."

The Ming, though still a great nation, was in decline. Their policy of keeping the Jurchen tribes in conflict was to prevent them from uniting against the Ming. If the Ming were at their peak, they would have managed the Jurchen as a single entity. However, even the conflicts they had orchestrated were difficult to manage.

Masamune's easy appointment as the King of the Primorsky Krai suggested that the Ming saw him as a useful counterbalance to the Jurchen.

From Masamune's perspective, the decline of the Ming was evident.

"However, their power is still formidable. We must use it to expand the Date family's influence..."

First, he needed to fully consolidate control over the Primorsky Krai. Fortunately, the tribes were obedient after seeing the strength of the Date army and their firearms and cannons. Next, he needed to gain their heartfelt support, so he issued orders for internal governance.

He renamed the port town as "Shinmizuyama" and began large-scale construction to improve trade efficiency. He also planned to settle in various parts of the region, intermarry with the local tribes, and increase trade and communication by building roads.

To help the tribes, who relied mainly on hunting and fishing, he planned to introduce cold-resistant crops, cold-weather protection techniques, and other improvements.

The Primorsky Krai is warm enough in summer to allow agriculture. During the summer, he planned to grow wheat, buckwheat, soybeans, and various vegetables, which would be preserved as pickles or sauerkraut to supplement winter vegetables. He also planned to grow sprouts and microgreens indoors.

He provided books for entertainment and encouraged the tribes to learn Japanese to improve their lives with the convenient technologies and items from the Date family. The Date family also focused on training interpreters and language educators.

"And we will use this method to expand our territory! Azumi Mitsuteru! Just wait and see!"

For now, things were going smoothly, and Masamune was in a good mood. His vassals, hearing his daily curses against Azumi Mitsuteru, felt reassured and returned to their duties.

"(Of course, all these policies and products come from the Tsuda family...)"

Kotaro sighed inwardly, understanding the reality of the Date family. It was meaningless to tell Masamune, and now was the time to build strength. He knew that for every benefit the Date family gained, the Tsuda family gained three or even five times as much.

"(But this is the only method...)"

Kotaro kept his thoughts to himself and continued to contribute to the expansion of the Date family's influence as a senior vassal.