What Do You Want?

The sea breeze blew, causing the magnificent battle curtains and the small banners behind the samurai to snap loudly. Yet, this could not save Abe Masahiro's already overloaded brain; sweat poured down his forehead like rain.

Abe Masahiro had actually made extensive preparations for this meeting. To compensate for the lack of artillery, he had specifically ordered skilled craftsmen to work through the night to build dozens of wooden cannons, which were then coated in iron paint to bolster their appearance.

Then there were those imposing battle curtains, all high-quality goods that even the Shogun usually hesitated to use. The samurai deployed behind and around him were likewise the finest men he could muster at the time.

To ensure the negotiations proceeded smoothly, Abe Masahiro had even tracked down the most proficient Dutch translator in all of Japan.

However, the Austrian side had sent a shrine maiden with a thick Kansai accent to negotiate, which left him completely bewildered.

Damn those Osaka merchants! There is nothing they wouldn't sell; this country will be ruined by their hands sooner or later! Abe Masahiro muttered to himself.

He had imagined many possibilities for today's negotiations. It was highly likely the other side would leverage their superior position to pressure the Shogunate into concessions, perhaps even sitting directly across from him with a brazen attitude, throwing a pre-drafted agreement onto the ground, and adding a single remark:

"You have only to agree or refuse."

Of course, it was also possible they would act as the Dutch usually did—"polite and courteous," stating the pros and cons, and striving for maximum benefit within a certain framework.

Or perhaps it would be a relatively equal agreement—though "relatively equal" existed only on paper, as Japan lacked industrial capacity at the time.

Or perhaps the Austrians, intimidated by