Oda Nobunaga glanced at Jepenny, whose temperament was as heroic as that of a martial artist, and asked.
"Knights? Is it your military organization over there?"
Bautista nodded.
"Yes, she belongs to an order of military friars who fight against the heretics."
Jepenny sat on the tatami and gave Oda Nobunaga a knight's salute, which seemed a bit nondescript.
"Salute to you, your mighty Lord of the East."
Oda Nobunaga nodded and asked Bautista.
"What can she do to help me?"
Bautista smiled.
"Please allow me to introduce myself first. I was born in a far away place called the Liberian Peninsula. Before dedicating everything to *, I was a Spaniard.
In my hometown, my compatriots began to use firearms and spears in combat very early.
We are the ones who brought the matchlocks here, and we are obviously more experienced in using this weapon than you locals."
Bautista pointed at Jepenny and said.
"Jepenny's knights have been fighting against the traitors all year round, and she has solid military qualities.
She will come to the east, and she is a retinue sent by the military monks to whom she belongs in order to protect our *servants."
Oda Nobunaga narrowed his eyes and asked.
"So? What should I give you in exchange for Jepenny working for me?"
Bautista shook his head and said.
"I came here not for transaction, but for friendship, to gain your friendship."
Oda Nobunaga looked at the woman in front of him in surprise. Her expression was pious, but also concealed a hint of cunning.
"My friendship?"
Bautista nodded.
"Yes, for your friendship.
Jepenny will provide free services to your army, training them in the correct use of iron cannons and how to cooperate with spearmen."
Oda Nobunaga looked at Jepenny, who said.
"Yes, Your Majesty.
I will teach your men everything I know about light matchlocks.
I have carefully observed the geographical environment of the island country. There are many mountains and few plains, and there is a lack of conditions for shock cavalry activities. It seems that you do not have a tradition of using throwers and artillery on a large scale.
This place is very suitable for fighting with matchlocks and spears. Liberian tactics have almost no natural enemies here and can be copied.
The only trouble is that you lack full-time soldiers. It is easy to train soldiers, but it is not easy to keep them fighting. The hand holding the gun is different from the hand holding the hoe."
Oda Nobunaga smiled and said.
"Of course I know, so you came at the right time and you are very useful to me.
Bautista, right? I accept your friendship."
Oda Nobunaga shouted to the servant outside who was busy scrubbing the black girl.
"how's it going?"
The servants bowed respectfully and answered.
"Tell me to the main hall, it can't be wiped off, it's really dark skin."
Oda Nobuda was overjoyed and shouted.
"Pull her over here!"
The black girl was pulled out of the pool and returned to the room tremblingly. The water droplets on her body wet the tatami, but Oda Nobunaga didn't care, and instead happily circled around her.
"Interesting, interesting.
He is very tall and strong. Next time I will show him to Lord Kenshin wearing Samurai Ji's clothes, I am sure I will scare him."
Oda Nobunaga walked around three times, thinking about how to scare Yoshigashi Shiba's prank, and finally pointed at the black girl and said.
"From today on, your name will be Yasuke!"
The black girl had no idea what she was talking about and looked at her in confusion.
Oda Nobunaga frowned, looked at Jepenny, and said.
"She must learn Japanese. I'll teach you this."
Jepenny's eyes turned to Bautista, who nodded slightly.
Oda Nobunaga saw their exchange and was very dissatisfied and said.
“When you work for me, you must abide by my rules!
From today on, you are no longer a member of a knightly order. You must serve as a knight and be loyal to me like a knight.
I will grant you the status of the Wu family, do you understand?"
Bautista laughed and said.
"Your Majesty the powerful lord, Jepenny cannot fulfill your request.
She is a religious knight sent by the church to protect missionaries. Her mission is to protect the safety of missionaries like us operating in Kyoto.
You may not know it, but this city is full of ill will towards our missionaries. We must be careful to avoid persecution by the heretics."
Oda Nobunaga said coldly.
"I know very well, isn't this why you want my friendship?"
Bautista was stunned. She didn't expect Oda Nobunaga to be so sophisticated.
Her original idea was to first get closer to the Oda family, and then find a way to guide the Oda family to have a favorable impression of the Nanban religion. Finally, she relied on Oda Nobunaga to fight for the right to preach the Nanban religion from the shogunate.
Now it seems that Oda Nobunaga was very clear about her intentions and made them clear.
This local lord of the island country, doesn’t she know about the conflict between the Nanman religion and the Buddhist sects? Such a clear statement of hers is very offending to the local religion of the island country.
Bautista asked carefully.
"Your Excellency, what do you mean?"
Oda Nobunaga looked at her and said.
"Let this knight named... um... something become my warrior princess, and you will gain my friendship. Within my sphere of influence, I will ensure your safety.
Since her mission is to protect you and you are safe with me, there is no need for her protection."
Bautista asked with his heart pounding.
"Then preaching..."
Before she could finish speaking, she was interrupted by Oda Nobunaga.
"I only keep you safe because you have my friendship.
Don't make excessive demands, it's not good for our friendship, do you understand?
I am a very generous person, but only to those who are useful to me. If you want more, then think about it first, what else can you do for me?"
Bautista's pupils shrank.
Oda Nobunaga's meaning has been very clear. The issue of Nanman's missionary rights is not undiscussable. It just depends on how valuable Nanman is to her.
The only thing Jepenny can get in exchange is Bautista's safety. If you want more, give him more benefits in exchange.
Bautista was not worried but happy to meet such a powerful and utilitarian lord.
Oda Nobunaga did not seem to care about the sentiments of local religions and was a secular power seeker who was only interested in profit.
Such people are rulers that missionaries like very much. As long as they can win missionary rights, the Nanman religion is willing to pay the price.
But Bautista needs to take a closer look at the Lord Oda to see what her needs are and what else the church can provide to tempt her.
At this time, Bautista decisively spoke to Jepanni in Southern Barbarian.
"Knight, I command you as a priest of the Diocese of Japan.
In order to spread the glory of Japan, you have to become this lord's warrior princess and serve her, do you understand?"
Jepenny nodded.
"All peoples should praise ***, I understand."
After saying that, Jepenny imitated the posture of the Wu family, bowed stiffly, and said.
"I am willing to serve you, powerful Eastern lord."
Oda Nobunaga nodded with satisfaction.
"You speak Japanese well, I will send someone to teach you the etiquette of the Ji warrior.
Your first task is to teach Yasuke to speak Japanese, do you understand?
I will give you the name Shengcheng, um, the Miao character is Shanke, from now on you will be called Shanke Shengcheng!"
Jepenny... No, Shanko Shengcheng nodded.
"Your will."
Yasuke looked around in confusion, not knowing that he had a new master.
Bautista smiled and said nothing, thinking about the reaction of the various factions in Kyoto when today's events were heard.
Oda Nobunaga laughed loudly.
Doesn't she understand Bautista's intentions? No, she understands the thoughts of these religious fanatics very well. But what the Nanban taught just scratched her itch.
The Nichiren Sect wants to use her, and the Nanban Sect also wants to use her. As long as these two sects can bring enough benefits to her, she can withstand the hatred of other sects.
Fifty years of life are like a dream and an illusion.
If Oda Nobunaga wants to rapidly expand his power, he must make a choice. If he is afraid of offending others, he might as well go back to Owari to nurse his child!
Life is short, seize the day. The Wu family rises and falls suddenly, and only by seizing all available help can we achieve hegemony in the world.
Oda Nobunaga's eyes were burning with ambition, and she accepted the friendship of the Nanman Cult in Tofukuji Temple. She was also a daring fanatic.
———
Outside Tofuku Temple, Bautista's priest's black uniform is particularly eye-catching.
But she no longer maintained the low profile and caution she had when she came, and walked out of the temple without covering her cloak despite the strange looks from the nuns at Tofuku Temple.
Shanke Shengcheng, who sent her out of the temple, saw that she was so careless and couldn't help but remind her.
"Dear Bautista, although Lord Oda is willing to guarantee your life safety, the local religion here is very fanatical, so you should keep a low profile."
Bautista said with a smile.
"Dear Jepenny, in order to spread the glory of Japan, you are willing to serve the lord of this remote island country. I am touched by your sacrifice.
Please don't worry about me. Everything I have has been dedicated to the Almighty. If there is an infidel who wants to take my life, I will be honored to go see him."
Seeing how arrogant she was, Shan Ke Shengcheng frowned.
"Dear Bautista, I have to remind you that your behavior is suicide. You should know that this is *not allowed."
Bautista shook his head and said.
"I am on the road to sanctification, and now I am looking forward to the local religious fanatics taking my life.
But unfortunately, based on my observation, the Tiantai Sect in Kyoto does not have the courage. If the Yixiang Sect is willing to send followers to assassinate me, I will be very happy.
You must know, dear Jepenny, that the lords of the island country value face very much. Killing me would be a serious provocation to Lord Oda.
Lord Oda is a powerful lord with one-tenth of the military strength of this island country. If she can hate and be hostile to the Ichiko clan, my death will be very valuable."
This Nanban priest had already planned to be martyred. She would then use Oda Nobunaga's protection to carry out missionary activities in a high-profile manner until the last moment of her life.
The only way to stop her from spreading the glory of Japan is to kill her. And the person who kills her will be hated by her protector, Oda Nobunaga.
Bautista said solemnly.
"Dear Jepenny, I need you to contribute all your strength to your lord like a true warrior Ji.
The better you do, the more valuable we will be in the heart of Lord Oda.
I will write to Flois in Sakai Port and tell her that I finally found a new breakthrough in Kyoto.
We need to further observe Lord Oda to see if she can continue to maintain a strong power in this chaotic island country.
On the other hand, we must also provide her with as much help as possible so that she can value the value of using me.
Only if she values me, the persecution of me by local religion will make her angry.
I can see that she is a utilitarian through and through. The only effective way to communicate with her is interests.
As long as I still have value, she will not give up on me. Any persecution imposed on me will harm her interests.
I don't care about my own life or death. If my life or death can create a powerful enemy for Yixiang Zong, it will be really beneficial to our cause.
Thanks to **, we finally found an effective way to further penetrate into this wild island country."
Yamako Shengcheng nodded.
"Good luck to you, dear Bautista.
I will try my best to satisfy this lord. As for you, sacrifice is the last choice. I hope you can live to see the glory of the world blooming in this land."
Bautista solemnly crossed himself on his chest and said solemnly.
"With the cross ***, ** us*, saving me is equal to my hatred. In the name of the father, and the son, and **, **."
———
At Tofukuji Temple, the Nanman Sect began to contact Oda Nobunaga.
At the same time, at the Nijo Imperial Palace, Kōni of the Tendai Sect bid farewell to Ashikaga Yoshiaki, returned to the mountain with a satisfied heart, and went to report the good news to the Master Kakushu.
After the nuns of the Tendai Sect left the meeting hall, the Ise Sadaect kowtowed to the ground and said:
"Congratulations to His Highness Yoshiaki. With the support of the Tiantai Sect, your position in Kyoto will be more stable."
Ashikaga Yoshiaki said with a smile.
"Thanks to Mr. Ise for running around for me, I went to Mount Hiei when I was sick and contacted Enryakuji Temple."
Ise Sadakya shook his head and said.
"Master Jueshu is willing to accept my mediation, all for your sake. I just used your authority to do some small things that I can do."
Ashikaga Yoshiaki smiled happily.
She came from an awkward background and was most afraid of others looking down on her. The Ise Sada was cunning and cunning, and had no problem figuring out people's hearts. Everything she said scratched her itch.
Ashikaga Yoshiaki became more and more fond of this old woman, and gradually forgot about her colluding with the Miyoshi family to kill his sister.
To put it more gloomily, if Ashikaga Yoshiteru had not been murdered, how could Ashikaga Yoshiaki take the position of Ashikaga General?
Ise Sakyo was useful and knowledgeable, and he was a good assistant to Ashikaga Yoshiaki in establishing the shogunate. Why worry about those small mistakes in the past.
Compared to the shameless energy of the Ise Sakyo who had no escape route and dared to do anything, people like Wada Weimasa and Niki Yoshimasa had some moral integrity.
In some cases, they are indeed not as useful as Ise Sadayo.