Facing Governor Konishi’s confusion, Flois sighed and said.
"Augustus, I have two pieces of news that I want to tell you, which may help you resolve your confusion and find a new path."
President Konishi said sincerely.
"Please guide me."
Flois said.
"The Dutch Lilu and Agote secretly participated in the Battle of Spo-Oda and made great contributions to the Spo family's victory by using the Franco cannon on the ship.
This kind of behavior of using French cannons to help the island lords is expressly prohibited by the agreement. This bold businessman also sent sailors to participate in the battle, which is even more outrageous and unforgivable.
However, now things get complicated.
Because of their military exploits in this battle, Lilu and Agot were appointed by the shogunate as the general agents of the Southern Barbarians, responsible for all matters related to Southern Barbarian trade.
How ironic that the church has been busy for so many years and has never been able to communicate normally with the shogunate. This problem was solved by a new heretic by breaking the agreement."
Floyd's mentality was very complicated.
As a Portuguese and a devout Southern Barbarian priest, she disliked the profit-seeking Dutch very much, let alone their new beliefs.
But the problem is, if the church refuses to recognize Lilu and Agot, this formal communication channel that was finally established with the shogunate will be lost again.
Tolerate or oppose, this is an extremely difficult question. The steadfastness of faith and the difficulties of reality were repeatedly weighed in Froyce's mind, forcing her to make a difficult choice.
President Konishi was also very shocked when she heard the news. She put forward her opinion tactfully and said.
"For the first time in so many years, the shogunate is willing to look directly at the Nanman trade and admit the existence of Nanman affairs. This is a positive signal that the church should not give up."
Flois smiled bitterly and continued.
"There is also news. Jepenny, who is serving the Oda family, sent someone to deliver a very important piece of information.
The negotiations between the Shiba family and the Oda family have made breakthrough progress, and the two families have secretly reached an agreement and decided to join forces to conquer the local lords and reunify this civilly strife-ridden island nation."
Jepenny is Katsunari Yamashina, a knight of the Knights of St. John. He was also a Nanman princess warrior who was sent by the Nanman sect to help the Oda family train iron cannon and lance tactics, and served as an official of the Oda family.
This news was obviously more impactful than the first one. President Konishi was silent for a moment and said.
"Dear Master Priest, I actually have another mission when I come to Sakai Port this time.
My lord, the Uki family, is also paying careful attention to the Battle of Shiba Oda, hoping to obtain effective information and make a judgment that is beneficial to him.
You know, I have had contacts with the Hashiba family, a subordinate of the Oda family, and if the influence of the Oda family can return to Settsu Country, my position in the Uki family will be further consolidated."
Floyce laughed.
"Augustus, you can tell your lord this news without any scruples. The improvement of your status in this island country is a positive boost to our missionary work.
But you were too concerned about the transmission of the information itself and ignored a very important detail.
The relationship between the Oda family and the Ichikou clan is very bad, and the Shiba family can only choose one ally between the two."
Governor Konishi's eyes widened and he instantly understood what Flois meant.
"Are you saying that the Shiba family will choose to abandon the Yixiang clan? This is impossible!
The Hokuriku Road Trading Route has brought tremendous wealth to the Shiba family, and Ishiyama Honganji Temple has always been one of the most important protectors of the Hokuriku Road Trading Road. There is no way the Shiba family will give up this wealth."
Flois said.
"Augustus, as a local Ji warrior, you should know very well how much the lords here hate the Yixiang clan.
Yixiang has been eroding the land and population belonging to the lords. As the representative of the interests of the local lords, the Sibo family cannot maintain a good relationship with the Yixiang sect for a long time.
But now, the opportunity for the breakdown of the relationship between the two parties has appeared. Whether the Shiba family chooses the Oda family or the Ichikou clan, the result is obvious.
Do you remember that story I told you? About Black Friday.”
Governor Konishi murmured.
"The Fall of the Knights Templar."
The Knights Templar were a church armed force in the Roman Army's Eastern Expeditions and were directly under the orders of the Roman Empire.
When the Knights were at their most glorious, they owned a large amount of real estate in France, controlled maritime pilgrimage and trade channels, and even the King of France owed them a large sum of money.
The struggle between the King of France and Rome never stopped, and the strength of the Knights Templar also formed a sharp conflict with the French feudal class.
One Friday in the early fourteenth century, without warning, the King of France suddenly turned against him, arrested and purged almost all the Templars in France, and burned them at the stake.
After that, the Knights Templar were forced to disband, and the real estate and money belonging to the Knights became the possessions of the King of France and the French feudal lords.
Frois could clearly see that Yi Xiangzong's current situation was actually very similar to that of the Knights Templar back then.
Using Yixiang Yikui, Yixiang Zong established his own Buddhist kingdom on earth, similar to the Knights Templar after the Eastern Expedition, which was powerful and arrogant.
But after the crazy suppression of the Oda family, the Ichigo clan became as weak as the Knights Templar after being weakened by the pagans.
The Yixiang Sect temples in various places are the local commercial centers, and the grassroots level of the Yixiang Sect occupies a large amount of land and population in rural areas.
Whether it's money, food, land, or population, these are the most coveted wealth for the Wu family who are heavily in debt due to war.
And Yixiang Yikui's wanton expansion and subversion of the Wu family's territory for many years have made the Wu family group's hatred of Yixiang Zong reach the extreme.
Under such circumstances, once the Shiba family and the Oda family join forces, the good days of the Ichigo clan will be considered to be over.
The Shiba family does not need to take action, just sit back and watch the Oda family attack the Ichigo clan, which is enough to bring about the destruction of the Ichiko clan.
The local martial arts family, which has long been intolerant of Yixiang Zong, will definitely beat up the lost dog when they see Yixiang Zong weakening, further disintegrating Yixiang Zong's power in the local area.
And it is impossible for the Ichigo clan to do anything to the Hokuriku Road trade route. If it provokes revenge from the Shiba family, it will only make his fate even more miserable.
Therefore, from the moment the Shiba family and the Oda family reached an alliance, the decline of the Ichigo clan was doomed.
After clarifying this logic, President Konishi asked.
"Master Priest, are you ready to surrender to the shogunate and recognize Lilu and Agot as the general agent of the Southern Barbarians?"
Flois smiled slightly. President Konishi was really very smart. He could see his decision only through these two unrelated pieces of information.
"Yes, I have already written to the Jiuzhou Diocese, hoping that they can tolerate Lilu and Agot's violation of the agreement.
I am also willing to obey the decision of the shogunate and respect this new Nanman general agent.
The biggest enemy of the church in recent years is the Ichikō sect. Because of the obstruction and killings by Ishiyama Honganji Temple, our missionary work has developed very slowly in recent years, and we have never been able to break through Settsu Country.
Now, an opportunity presents itself to us, and our greatest enemy is in danger of destruction.
There is no need for us to take action, we just need to stand on the side of the winner and wait for the winner to eliminate this difficult opponent for us."
Behind the Yixiang Sect is the support of all Buddhist forces in recent times. Although there are constant internal conflicts among the various sects, on the issue of Nanman Sect, the interests of all Buddhist sects are the same.
This is also the reason why the Nanman Sect finally came to Luo and carried out underground missionary work in Kyoto, and the Ishiyama Honganji Temple dared to send Zahe people to massacre the missionaries.
Even though Ishiyama Honganji committed a terrible act of killing people in Kyoto, which seriously offended the Ashikaga Shogunate, with the mediation of various Buddhist sects, the matter was finally settled.
Because to all Buddhist sects, the Yixiang Sect is very annoying, but the Nanman Sect is even more intolerable.
Now, the Oda family takes the initiative to act as the butcher's knife, and the Shiba family controls the major sects of Buddhism. Both sides are hard and the other is soft. They are not a strong opponent that the Ichiko sect can stop.
The Nanman Sect in Sakai Port has been blocked by Ishiyama Honganji Temple for too long. The conflicts between the believers of the two religions in Settsu Kingdom have continued, which has prevented the Nanman Sect from successfully launching its missionary work and expanding its faith in recent times.
Before the main contradiction of the Ichigo clan is eliminated, the secondary contradictions of Takada Haruno killing Konishi Lonzo and Lilu, a heretic, becoming the general agent of the Southern Barbarians can be put aside first.
All in all, as long as the Shiba family and the Oda family join forces to kill the Ichiko clan, the Nanman sect will be willing to bow their heads and pretend to be their grandson.
President Konishi nodded.
"I understand. In order to spread the glory of Japan to the island country, I am willing to endure it temporarily and forget the revenge of killing my mother."
Flois sighed and said softly.
"Pious Paul, I have reported her deeds to Rome, and I believe that in the near future, she will be able to announce to the world as a martyr.
I believe that she is now in bed, serving by your side, and is proud of your choice.
In addition, dear Augustus, there is one more thing I hope you can do for the church."
President Konishi nodded.
"Willing to serve you."
Freud said.
"I hope you can maintain a good relationship with the Hashiba family. As far as I know, after the negotiation between the Shiba family and the Oda family, Hideyoshi Hideyoshi's sister Hideyoshi Hashiba has returned to Sakai Port first.
She is in contact with Tsuda Soji, seeking material support. The war between the Shiba and Oda families has caused considerable economic troubles to both parties. At this time, the Hashiba family needs help.
I hope you can provide help to Hideuchi Hashiba. You don’t have to worry about material issues. The church will support your actions behind the scenes."
President Konishi asked thoughtfully.
"I will obey your orders, so the church chooses to continue to maintain a close relationship with the Oda family?"
Flois sighed.
"Oda Nobunaga is a greedy big lord. She only wants to get something from the church and never thinks of giving anything in return to the church.
But the cruelty of reality forces us to choose a less bad option from a very bad choice and a worse choice."
Governor Konishi understands Froyce's depression.
If these two behemoths, the Shiba family and the Oda family, join forces, then the troubled times in the island country are likely to come to an end. If they cannot stand on the side of the victor, the post-war Nanman Sect will be even more in trouble.
The Shiba family is a representative of the traditional martial arts family, and is the patron saint of Bishamonten promoted by Buddhism. They also chose to support the heretics of the new Nanman sect as the general agent of Nanman.
There is a fundamental contradiction that cannot be reconciled between the Nanman Sect and the Si Bo family.
Therefore, the Nanman Sect could only choose the Oda family, which had a bad relationship with Buddhism and had innovative politics, as a partner for cooperation.
Flois's helpless choice made Konishi Yukinaga secretly relieved. The relationship between the Shiba family and the Nanman Cult was bad, so he had the opportunity to take revenge on Takada Haruno.
President Konishi secretly determined that she must establish a very close relationship with the Hashiba family and find a way to catch the rapid development of the Oda family.
For the revenge that she will inevitably carry out in the future, she needs to accumulate enough strength.
———
Shinsengumi's residence.
Yiyin was half-lying on the main seat, a little too lazy to move.
This is the courtyard specially prepared for Takada Harano. Even though he has not been to Sakai Port a few times, this is still the most luxurious residence in the entire Sakai Port.
Having solved the source of the money and food for the post-war rewards, most of Yiyin's troubles have been eliminated.
Originally, today, he was supposed to summon Lilu and Christina to inquire about the Nanman trade, but he ultimately canceled the meeting.
Because his kidneys can't bear it anymore.
I originally thought that between Takada Haruno and Tachibana Kanade, one plus one equals two, but it turns out that one plus one is much greater than two.
Coupled with the sight of Takada Yukino watching with a smile on his face, Yoshigan felt like he was almost dry with excitement.
I have to say that Yukino really understands him.
As a result of being too happy, Yiyin was unable to summon Lilu and Christina today. What would happen if they did? I have no functions, so it would be better not to see them.
Those two southern barbarian girls who traveled all over the world wanted them to stay in the island country and help him. Yiyin could only rely on his own physical strength and give it a rest before recovering enough physical strength.
While Ui Bank was resting, Ishida Mitsunari, who was handling Shibachu Fund affairs in Sakai Port, begged for an audience. Ui Bank readily agreed. Anyway, meeting Ishida Mitsunari did not require any physical effort.
After the monarch and his ministers saw the ceremony, Yiyin asked with a smile.
"Why did you come to see me today?"
It is early autumn now, and we have not yet entered the busy autumn harvest season. The mid-year benefits of the Spozhong Fund have just been distributed, and the time for the end-of-year benefits is still early.
Yi Gin really didn't expect that Ishida Mitsunari had anything to discuss with him.
Ishida Mitsunari seemed to be a little worried, and after thinking about it, he said.
"Sage, the anti-corruption people stationed at the Spozhong Fund are, well, a little confused."
Yiyin was a little surprised. He didn't expect that Ishida Mitsunari came to complain about the anti-corruption people.
The Shiba family has two Integrity Officers, one stationed at the Shiba Zhong Fund, and the other stationed at the Kanto Palace Office.
The functions of these two anti-corruption agencies are actually similar to those of the inquiry and injection parties. They are both responsible for collecting information, and their targets are the loyalty fund and the enforcement office respectively.
In fact, neither the Integrity Committee nor the Inquiry Party has the power to audit the accounts. They are only responsible for collecting and archiving. The specific audit work is performed by relevant personnel of the Tongxin Secretariat headed by Naomasa Ii.
But even so, Ishida Mitsunari's behavior of complaining about the anti-corruption public still surprised Yiyin.
Because Ishida Mitsunari has always been a cautious person, she knows very well that the Integrity Committee is responsible for keeping an eye on the Shiba Chu Fund, and she has always tried her best to avoid suspicion about anything related to the Integrity Committee.
Especially after Yukino Takada bloodbathed the followers of the Shibachu Foundation, Ishida Mitsunari finally replaced many of his own people, but he also became more cautious because of this, lest he be criticized by others.
It was hard for Yi Yin to imagine that Ishida Mitsunari would come all the way to see him and complain about the problem of clean government in front of him.
Even the cautious Ishida Mitsunari can't stand it any longer. What's going on with the anti-corruption community? Is Yuigahama Yui acting bad again?
Yiyin couldn't help but become serious.
"Tell me more specifically."
Ishida Mitsunari sighed. If she couldn't bear it anymore, she wouldn't want to say bad things about the government.
"Saint, since Yuigahama Yui-sama gave birth to a child last year..."
Yiyin was shocked and interrupted.
"What did you say? She's pregnant?"
Ishida Mitsunari was a little confused.
"Sage, I'm talking about Yuigahama Yui-sama giving birth to a child..."
Yiyin interrupted again.
"What did you say? She's married?"
Ishida Mitsunari almost caught the breath and said with a wry smile.
"Saint, Yuigahama Yui-sama is not married, she is still single, she just gave birth to a child."
Yiyin was in a semi-lying position, and subconsciously straightened his waist. Then he heard his waist snap, as if his waist was shaking, and he gasped in pain.
But he didn't think about the pain at this time, it was all about Yuigahama Yui giving birth to a baby.
She's not married yet? She's already given birth to a child? She couldn't have been conceived that night, right?