bookrandom Chapter 1261 is not as simple as just one spot.
Chapter 1261 is not as simple as just one spot.
A local official, who appeared obese and bloated, was the first to step forward and shouted in an almost screaming voice!
He knew that this was not just about a cup of tea or a spot!
This is an unparalleled honor that would allow him to rise to the top and bring glory to his ancestors in the future new order of Japan!
Therefore, he would not hesitate to sell his wife and children, let alone half of the tax revenue!
"Ten thousand taels? Hmph! You underestimate His Highness's 'divine tea'!"
He just finished speaking.
Another powerful figure, who appeared more shrewd and sinister, immediately stepped forward and sneered in a tone full of disdain and mockery.
"I, Mori Terumoto, am willing to offer 30,000 taels of gold! In addition, all the antiques and paintings treasured by my Mori family for generations! I only ask for the honor of tasting this divine tea personally brewed by Your Highness!"
"Mori Terumoto? Who do you think you are?!"
"I, Uesugi Kagekatsu, offer 50,000 taels of gold!"
"I, Chōso no Motochika, will contribute 100,000 taels!"
"I offer two hundred thousand taels of silver! Plus my three thousand most elite arquebusiers! I am willing to serve Your Highness with utmost loyalty!"
The entire hall was completely transformed into an auction house filled with money and desire!
Those so-called local tyrants who are usually high and mighty and arrogant.
At this moment, they all tore off their hypocritical masks.
They revealed their most primitive, ugly, and greedy true colors!
They were like a pack of lowly, mad dogs, tearing at each other and trampling on one another for a bone!
Lin Zhen and Murong Yan, on the other hand, were like two high and mighty gods.
I watched with cold indifference the ugly performance of these pathetic bastards at my feet.
His eyes were filled with undisguised contempt and mockery.
This frenzied auction, filled with money, desire, and the ugliness of human nature, lasted for a full hour.
Ultimately, the ten precious spots in the so-called "Royal Tea Academy" were divided up by the ten local daimyo who offered the highest bids and were most adept at "showing their loyalty," at an astronomical and terrifying price.
The second cup, "Divine Tea," brewed by Lin Zhen himself using the "Number One Bowl Under Heaven," was successfully auctioned off by an unknown big name who was the first to stand up and directly offered the astronomical price of 200,000 taels of gold plus 3,000 arquebusiers.
When that lucky person received the "Inaba Tenmoku" from Lin Zhen with an almost pilgrimage-like, incredibly devout attitude, a piece that would bring him glory and make him famous throughout history.
He was so excited that his whole body was trembling wildly!
He couldn't even bear to drink that cup of tea.
In his eyes, the value of this "divine tea" had long surpassed that of elixirs and miraculous medicines.
He simply raised the bowl high above his head and kowtowed three times with all his might to Lin Zhen and Murong Yan on the throne.
boom!
boom!
boom!
The dull, resounding kowtow echoed clearly and jarringly in the hall.
Each sound was like an invisible hammer blow, slamming hard into the hearts of those famous figures who failed in the auction.
On their faces, regret, jealousy, resentment, and unwillingness... all these emotions intertwined, ultimately transforming into an endless desire for power and a deep regret for missing the opportunity.
Lin Zhen admired the comical scene before him, a smile playing on his lips but not reaching his eyes.
He won.
An absurd tea party completely manipulated the upper class of Japan.
He stole not only enormous wealth that would make any country envious.
He planted a mental imprint called "The Great Qian Supremacy," which will be deeply etched into the soul of everyone present.
From this day forward, they will no longer be proud of their nation.
They would only pursue the glory of gaining the recognition and rewards of the Great Qian Dynasty.
Lin Zhen slowly stood up from the main seat.
He looked down at the group of Japanese daimyo who were still in a frenzy, his voice regaining its metallic quality, cold, hard, and unquestionable.
"Alright, we've had our tea and all the spots have been filled."
"Now, let's get down to business."
Upon hearing this, the last trace of noise in the hall vanished.
In the magnificent hall, even the flickering of the candlelight seemed to have stopped.
All the lords subconsciously straightened their backs, held their breath, and even their heartbeats seemed to be suppressed.
The final judgment has arrived.
"I know that you have all sworn allegiance to the Great Qian."
Lin Zhen's voice wasn't loud, but it clearly penetrated everyone's ears, carrying a power that pierced people's hearts.
"But loyalty isn't something you can just say."
"I want to see what you've done."
His gaze fell on the huge Japanese geomantic map on the wall.
The mountains, rivers, and cities depicted there were incredibly detailed; it was the land they had spent their entire lives trying to conquer.
Lin Zhen raised his finger, drawing an arc in the air, before finally landing heavily and emotionlessly on an island at the southernmost tip of the map.
Kyushu Island!
"As far as I know," the smile on his lips was filled with murderous intent, "there seem to be one or two fools on this land."
His voice was casual, yet it caused His Highness's temperature to drop abruptly.
"Not only did he not attend my tea party."
"You still dare to gather troops under the banner of 'respecting the king and expelling the barbarians,' intending to fight against my Great Qian Heavenly Army to the bitter end?"
Before the words were even finished, the expressions of His Highness and all the daimyo changed drastically!
The Shimazu family!
That tough guy who entrenched himself in the land, known throughout the world for his fearlessness and elite arquebusiers!
After Oda Nobunaga's death, he was the only warmonger who dared to openly refuse the Daqian's "amnesty" offer and even threatened to drive the "barbarians of the Celestial Empire" out of Japan!
Everyone's hearts sank.
This prince of the Celestial Empire is going to use the toughest bone to establish his authority!
Tokugawa Ieyasu, who had been resting with his eyes closed, suddenly twitched his eyelids slightly, his knuckles clenched white in his sleeves, but his face remained submissive.
"I am now giving you one last chance to prove your loyalty."
Lin Zhen's voice was like the pronouncement of death from the depths of hell, cold and clear.
"Who is willing to bring me the head of Shimazu Yoshihiro?"
"Who can crush that so-called 'Number One Under Heaven' Satsuma Hayato for me?"
His voice paused, each word carrying a devilish allure, echoing through the empty hall.
"Whoever does so will become the new master of Kyushu Island!"
After a moment of deathly silence, a volcanic eruption of greed erupted!
The air in the entire hall was ignited!
Kyushu Island!
Japan's most prosperous land of fish and rice!
Becoming the master there means possessing the power to rival the "Regent Regent" Akechi Mitsuhide!
This is a golden opportunity to achieve instant success!
After a brief moment of shock and deliberation, the flames of ambition ignited in the eyes of all the daimyo.
Like a pack of wolves driven to the brink of starvation, they finally saw the bloody, fresh meat their master had thrown down, and could no longer care about any dignity or pretense!
They rushed to kneel down, expressing their most fervent fighting spirit in the most humble posture!
"Your Highness! Your Majesty! I, Mori Terumoto, am willing to be the first to pave the way for you two princes!"
Terumoto Mori was the first to lunge forward, his forehead hitting the ground hard.
"My Mori clan and the Shimazu clan have been enemies for generations, and we know their battle tactics inside and out! If Your Highness gives me 30,000 troops, I will present Shimazu Yoshihiro's head to you within three months!"
"Bullshit! Terumoto Mori, you defeated foe, how dare you spout nonsense here?!"
A daimyo with a monkey-like face and eyes that gleamed with shrewdness and desire suddenly pushed forward, shoved Mori Terumoto aside, and sneered sarcastically.
"Your Highness! Your Majesty! Please believe me! I, Hashiba Hideyoshi, am your most loyal and capable dog!"