Chapter Summaries

Bruno dismissed Martim’s suspicion that Shushu had aided the Native attackers and decided the interpreter was too valuable to mistreat. As the ship sailed east, Shushu mourned his lost Taino home and vowed to return without revealing its location.

• Bruno gave Martim reasons to believe Shushu was not an inside man, then persuaded him to leave the interpreter alone because he could help the fleet earn more wealth.
• Martim agreed not to make trouble for Shushu as long as he contributed to the fleet, and Bruno promised the crew a week of revelry in Lisbon.
• Bruno counted the voyage’s gold and pearls as a worthwhile gain and imagined rewards from King John II, while worrying about how to explain Martin’s disappearance.
• Ivo taught Shushu carpentry, sail handling, and lookout work after the attack left the ship short-handed.
• Shushu watched the western sea from the mast, grieved for his dead people and distant family, and vowed to return home without leading the Portuguese to his tribe.

Red Frog Caca welcomed two thousand northern grassland tribesmen to the Maya coast and began turning them into loyal legion soldiers to help control the conquered Maya villages. He ordered them dyed red-haired, trained, and made to pray, while looking toward the jungle and calling for more migrants to settle and intermarry with the Maya.

• A Totonac fleet brought two thousand tribesmen gathered from the northern grasslands to Tail Village on the Yucatan Peninsula.
• Red Frog Caca divided the starving newcomers into squads and made them fight for leadership and full rations.
• Red Frog explained that the newcomers would garrison conquered Maya villages and intermarry with local leaders’ families to discourage rebellion.
• Red Frog ordered his men to dye the squad heads’ hair red, train the tribesmen in legion discipline, and bring in priests to lead daily prayers.
• Red Frog declared the newcomers members of his red-haired tribe and demanded that they praise the Main God, the Great Chief, Black Wolf, and him.

Xolotl and Avet played Flower War Chess while discussing the Alliance’s campaign against the Mixtec and Zapotec. After explaining the Western Route Army’s defeat, they agreed to defer judgment until the war ended, leaving Avet poised to use postwar rewards and punishments to shape the conquered lands.

• Avet defeated Xolotl at Flower War Chess after their pieces battled through a long endgame.
• Xolotl told Avet that his divination had produced the Ze Tian Guai Hexagram, which he read as a sign that decisive action could turn an initial defeat into victory.
• Avet and Xolotl reviewed High Chief Yuchi’s raid on Montezuma II’s Western Route Army, which killed at least fifteen hundred Samurai and forced the army back to Cuajinicuilapa.
• Avet ruled that the Western Route Army’s earlier conquests outweighed its setback and postponed judging Montezuma II’s losses until after the southern campaign.
• Xolotl agreed to present the hexagram at the next grand sacrifice and to frame the generals’ merits and faults as unresolved until the war ended.

Xolotl planned to strengthen the Alliance’s eastern front against the White-Skinned Demons and considered who could research a Smallpox vaccine. After reading an ominous hexagram from the chess pieces, he wondered whether Avet’s Imperial Guard was its changing sign and went to sleep.

• Avet visited Xolotl and agreed to send three hundred Alliance Warriors and two hundred craftsmen to the Eastern Sea front.
• Xolotl mapped out his plans to reinforce Cuba’s shipbuilding and weapons production and to draw more Alliance support into the conflict.
• Xolotl considered the danger of Smallpox and sought a recovered survivor capable of conducting Variolation research.
• Xolotl interpreted the chess endgame as the Heaven-Mountain Retreat Hexagram, changing into the Marsh-Mountain Influence Hexagram.
• Xolotl suspected Avet’s Imperial Guard might represent the changing line, then dismissed his worry and went to sleep.

Zuwaro surveyed Shenhuatai Port and planned its growth as the Kingdom’s main base on Sakhalin. He learned that He-nu and Sona had ridden out to compete, then took Tiger Slave to the smithy to choose him a great blade.

• Zuwaro left his wives’ tent and inspected Shenhuatai Port, reviewing its planned farms, workshops, pastures, and settlements.
• Zuwaro considered planting potatoes in the fertile northern soil and expanding the camp’s livestock herds.
• Zuwaro discovered that He-nu had taken the strongest warhorse to compete with Sona in hunting and archery.
• Zuwaro worried about the rivals’ contest, then invited Tiger Slave to the smithy to choose a large blade.
• Tiger Slave asked whether the blade could kill a tiger in one stroke, and Zuwaro imagined using his imposing weapon and armor to intimidate the Wajin.

Zuwaro equipped Tiger Slave and twenty other Jurchen warriors with heavy armor and great nagamakis, naming them the Vanguard Breaker Guard. A Wajin delegation then brought gifts, including an old banner said to have belonged to Zuwaro’s ancestors, leaving him stunned.

• Tiger Slave tested a twelve-jin Great Nagamaki and cut down a small tree with a single stroke.
• Matsushita Tessuke presented Tiger Slave with the specially remade O-yoroi Armor, which Tiger Slave accepted after Zuwaro promised armor for all twenty-one Jurchen warriors.
• Zuwaro named Tiger Slave the Tiger Vanguard and made him squad leader of the Vanguard Breaker Guard, promising the unit meat and better weapons.
• Scouts brought Zuwaro a letter and New Year gifts from the Wajin, including a carved bird, a wakizashi with a fan, and an old blue banner.
• The Buyo envoy said the Mushiyama tribe had returned the banner as a war standard left by Zuwaro’s ancestors, calling it the Great Yuan Gold Clan War Banner.

Zuwaro read Kakizaki Mitsuhiro’s letter, which proposed expanding trade, introduced a marriage alliance, and revealed that Mitsuhiro had become head of the Kakizaki Clan. The letter also disclosed that Takeda Nobuhiro was gravely ill, and the chapter ended with Nobuhiro appearing to reach the end of his life.

• Zuwaro puzzled over Mitsuhiro’s gifts and claim that the Kakizaki Clan’s banner came from the powerful Wakasa Takeda Clan, then considered using the Great Yuan identity to strengthen dealings.
• Zuwaro learned that Mitsuhiro had inherited leadership, would send Kudo Shigeyasu to the May trade, and planned to introduce a well-connected Kyoto merchant.
• Zuwaro considered gathering more warriors to display strength as trade with the Wajin expanded.
• Zuwaro read Mitsuhiro’s proposal for a marriage alliance between their families and questioned the sudden change in their relationship.
• Kakizaki Mitsuhiro and Morino Kiyoshi saw Takeda Nobuhiro, gravely ill, smile as his life appeared to be ending.

As Takeda Nobuhiro lay dying, he entrusted the Kakizaki Clan’s future and its Sanda trade to Morino Kiyoshi, asking him to join the clan as an elder. After Morino agreed and Kakizaki Mitsuhiro acknowledged him, Nobuhiro died, leaving the family to mourn as an old era gave way to a new one.

• Takeda Nobuhiro spoke with Morino Kiyoshi about his memories of Wakasa and advised Mitsuhiro and Yoshihiro on carrying the family forward.
• Takeda Nobuhiro asked whether Morino Kiyoshi would ride the rising political tides or seek shelter, and Morino said he had no path of retreat.
• Takeda Nobuhiro offered Morino Kiyoshi a place as a Kakizaki Clan elder and asked him to oversee the Sanda trade.
• Morino Kiyoshi agreed to join the Kakizaki Clan, and Kakizaki Mitsuhiro bowed to him as his uncle and a clan elder.
• Takeda Nobuhiro recited his death poem and died, while Morino Kiyoshi and the younger family members mourned him.

Chief Priest Tomatl turned the terrified European scholar Martin into his priest apprentice after a sacrifice, while a vision carried Martin’s soul to Japan. In Ezo, Kakizaki Mitsuhiro used rice and tax relief to secure his people’s support, and Morino Kiyoshi explained how he turned gold into merchant credibility and greater profits.

• Chief Priest Tomatl sacrificed Knight Silveira before the gathered Taino chiefs, and scholar Martin prayed to Huitzilopochtli in terror.
• Tomatl named Martin his priest apprentice and led him into the temple to drink Divine Smoke and potion and receive a revelation.
• Martin experienced a trance in which he saw Japan and mourners burying a member of the Takeda Clan.
• Kakizaki Mitsuhiro welcomed shipments of rice and issued rice support, tax cuts, and incentives for opening new farmland.
• Mitsuhiro offered Morino Kiyoshi two additional Gold Talismans, but Morino refused and explained how gold strengthened his merchant credibility and purchasing power.

Morino Kiyoshi explained to Kakizaki Mitsuhiro how gold could secure trade, open elite connections, and enable lucrative maritime commerce, then considered the risks and opportunities of the Sanda gold trade. A report from Kyoto revealed a major political upheaval that had made a twenty-nine-year-old noble the most powerful figure.

• Morino Kiyoshi told Kakizaki Mitsuhiro that gold served as merchants' credit, a gateway to commercial networks, and prized currency for trade with Ming sea lords.
• Morino reflected that Takeda Nobuhiro had warned the Sanda gold trade was too consequential for Mitsuhiro to handle alone.
• Morino decided he needed to visit the Sanda people and assess the scale, risks, and potential of trading gold for artisans.
• Morino recalled the missing Zheyang Ship and Watanabe Masumi, which had made him wary of ocean trade.
• Matsushita Shojiro brought Morino a report from Kyoto, and Morino learned that a major upheaval had elevated a twenty-nine-year-old noble to the highest position of power.

Morino Kiyoshi told Kakizaki Mitsuhiro about the upheaval in Kyoto and the changing balance of power across Japan. The chapter ended with Kiyoshi naming the elderly Imagawa retainer who had conquered Izu as Ise Shinkuro.

• Morino Kiyoshi explained that Hosokawa Masamoto had deposed Yoshitane and installed Ashikaga Yoshitaka as shogun.
• Kiyoshi said Yoshitane escaped captivity, fled to Etchu, and was supported by Jinbo Nagakiyo after Masamoto's forces were defeated.
• Kiyoshi described Ouchi Yoshioki's succession and the Ouchi Clan's strength, then discussed Amago Tsunehisa and other powerful houses.
• Kiyoshi recounted the decline of the Shiba Clan, Uesugi Akisada's plan to adopt Ashikaga Shigeuji's son, and the conflicts involving the Kai Takeda Clan and Date Clan.
• Kiyoshi told Mitsuhiro that an Imagawa retainer over sixty had conquered Izu with a small force and identified him as Ise Shinkuro.

Kakizaki Mitsuhiro received a major shipment of trade goods, weapons, armor, and livestock from Morino Kiyoshi, while Kono Kenichi worried about the growing scale of the Sanda trade. After spending nearly all his gold on supplies, Mitsuhiro bought Morino’s Juko Celadon tea set with his final two Gold Talismans.

• Five large Yoneya merchant ships arrived at Katsuyama Castle carrying cargo, including weapons, armor, livestock, and Tendai warrior monks.
• Kono Kenichi examined the ships and worried that Kyoto merchants and powerful daimyos might threaten the Kakizaki Clan’s control of the Sanda trade.
• Morino Kiyoshi explained the trade arrangement with Kakizaki Mitsuhiro and listed the goods and supplies he had brought for the clan.
• Mitsuhiro paid for armor, weapons, rice, wine, tea, oxen, and horses, leaving only two of his original twenty-four Gold Talismans.
• Morino showed Mitsuhiro a Juko Celadon tea set associated with Murata Juko and offered it to him for two Gold Talismans.
• Mitsuhiro agreed to pay the final two Gold Talismans for the tea set.

Kakizaki Mitsuhiro settled four hundred refugees from Kinki in Ezo Land, while Morino Kiyoshi explained how Tendai monks had rescued them and warned of the growing Ikko-shu. The chapter ended with religious movements gaining strength across Wagoku as the Hummingbird Main God’s priests sought to spread their faith southward.

• Kakizaki Morimichi reported that four hundred refugees had been settled at Katsuyama and Hishi Fort and could eventually supply a hundred farmer-soldiers.
• Morino Kiyoshi praised Kakizaki Mitsuhiro for taking in the refugees and explained the hardships that had driven them from Kinki.
• Morino Kiyoshi said Tendai monks had organized the refugees’ rescue and transportation, while Ikko-shu disciples had also gathered people to take north.
• Morino Kiyoshi warned Mitsuhiro that the Ikko-shu’s growing power and appeal threatened the authority of martial houses and orthodox Buddhist sects.
• The chapter described the Hummingbird Main God’s priests searching south from Kamchatka toward Mashiri Island for believers and a chance to enter the Northern Country.

Morino Kiyoshi described the fleet’s northern coastal trade route and the political conditions among the clans along it to Kakizaki Mitsuhiro. He urged Mitsuhiro to seize the moment, strengthen the Kakizaki Clan, and unify Ezo Land so it could expand its power and trade toward Joseon.

• Morino Kiyoshi explained the fleet’s route from Wakasa through Noto, Sado, Echigo, and Ugo, describing local goods and the clans’ political situations.
• Morino Kiyoshi said he had shown the Ando Clan the Kakizaki Clan’s two-thousand-koku promissory note and asked them to help repay it, but they refused and disavowed responsibility for their vassal.
• Morino Kiyoshi told Kakizaki Mitsuhiro that the Oura Clan had shown interest in the Sanda invasion and might be considering sending troops to Ezo Land.
• Morino Kiyoshi revealed that Namioka Akiyoshi had hinted at an alliance to escape the Nanbu Clan’s control, but advised Mitsuhiro to avoid getting involved because the Namioka Clan could not withstand its neighbors.
• Morino Kiyoshi urged Mitsuhiro to move against Matsumae Guardian Ando Sadasue, use the Sanda invasion as cover, and unify the Twelve Forts of Wajin Land, Kamikuni, Shimokuni, and Matsumae.
• Morino Kiyoshi outlined a broader trade route from Ezo through Japan and across the strait to Joseon’s Jeolla and Gyeongsang provinces.

Morino Kiyoshi and Kakizaki Mitsuhiro planned to use Sanda gold to open a northern trade route and strengthen the Kakizaki Clan's hold over Ezo. The expedition then set out by land and sea, carrying goods and Tendai prayer flags toward the Sanda people.

• Morino Kiyoshi imagined a trade route linking Ezo, northern Japan, and Joseon, but resolved to verify the Sanda tribe's gold and negotiate prices before committing to further dealings.
• Morino urged Kakizaki Mitsuhiro to lower taxes to four parts for the lord and six for the people, and Mitsuhiro agreed if the Sanda trade proved profitable.
• Morino and Mitsuhiro planned to use the resulting popular support and hidden agents to move against Matsumae Guardian Ando Sadasue.
• In May, Kakizaki Samurai traveled north while five ships carrying trade goods sailed along the Ezo coast under Tendai Esoteric five-colored prayer flags.

Zuwaro prepared his forces to confront the approaching Wajin fleet and troops, while Tiger Slave demonstrated the Wild Jurchen heavy archers’ formation-breaking power. The Wajin halted after his arrow landed before their ranks, and Tiger Slave returned to the waiting archers.

• Zuwaro observed five Wajin ships and a few hundred troops, then ordered his forces into battle formations.
• Tiger Slave objected to being ordered to shoot from horseback but rode toward the Wajin ranks to display the tribe’s strength.
• Tiger Slave dismounted, drew his heavy bow, and launched a massive arrow toward the Wajin formation.
• The Kudo elder ordered the Wajin troops to stop, and Tiger Slave’s arrow struck the mud just in front of them.
• Morino Kiyoshi watched in alarm as Tiger Slave returned toward the high ground where more heavy-armored archers waited.

Zuwaro and Morino Kiyoshi’s forces faced each other across the Shiribetsu River while the Wajin envoy tried to establish a peaceful trade. Zuwaro accepted the gifts, admired two silk robes, and ended the chapter baffled by the third, which was a kasaya.

• Both armies formed defensive lines across the Shiribetsu River as their commanders watched for signs of an attack.
• Zuwaro studied the Wajin ships and wondered about their leader, their strength, and whether they would sell him ships.
• Morino Kiyoshi sent Shojiro to present gifts and a letter explaining the merchants’ offer to trade goods for gold.
• Zuwaro read the letter and learned that the Wajin party had brought goods and three silk garments as gifts.
• Zuwaro admired the blue hitatare and light-green kariginu, then was confused when he unfolded the yellow-and-red kasaya.

Kakizaki and Sanda envoys confirmed that their armed standoff would not turn into a battle, and Morino Seiya received an extravagant gold return gift from Zuwaro. The trade began with cattle and horses, leaving Seiya eager to present the artisans and deepen Yoneya’s relationship with the Gold Clan.

• Both armies lowered their weapons and rested while envoys crossed the river to strengthen communication between their leaders.
• Elder Kudo watched the Sanda heavy-armored warriors withdraw and resolved that the Kakizaki Clan must grow stronger and take control of Wajin Land.
• Morino Seiya opened Zuwaro’s return gift of two jin of gold and read the Sanda chieftain’s request to buy the entire goods list at the previous prices.
• Seiya ordered Shojiro to trade the cattle and horses first, and the Sanda warriors paid twenty-two jin and eight taels of gold for the livestock.
• Seiya calculated Yoneya’s expected profits and decided to introduce the Kinki artisans to Zuwaro himself.

Zuwaro and Morino Kiyoshi met, clashing over their faiths and customs as Zuwaro offered him deer blood wine. The chapter ended with Morino Kiyoshi presenting dozens of craftsmen and their families for trade, consoling them with Buddhist promises of merit and future blessings.

• Zuwaro misunderstood Morino Kiyoshi’s Buddhist greeting as a claim that they had met in past lives and asked whether he had been a reincarnated Nahua heroic spirit.
• Morino Kiyoshi explained the origins of his Tendai Esoteric Sect and denied having been reborn as an animal.
• Zuwaro offered Morino Kiyoshi deer blood wine, and Morino Kiyoshi struggled to swallow a sip while the gathered warriors laughed at him.
• Morino Kiyoshi returned the wine skin and signaled for the craftsmen aboard the third merchant ship to be brought ashore.
• Morino Kiyoshi bowed to the frightened craftsmen and promised that their sacrifice and the money exchanged for them would earn merit and blessings in future lives.

Morino Kiyoshi presented the artisans’ departure as a willing Buddhist offering, while Tetta Mune-yoshi negotiated his price and proved his smithing expertise to Zuwaro’s blacksmith. Zuwaro ordered Matsushita Tessuke to assess him, and Tetta impressed them by explaining the Tamahagane process and Yamashiro School techniques.

• Morino Kiyoshi and the artisans exchanged tearful farewells, and Tetta Mune-yoshi asked him to protect their families and preserve their names in a temple carving.
• Morino Kiyoshi introduced Tetta Mune-yoshi to Zuwaro as a renowned bladesmith despite his lost right arm, and Tetta declared that he would go to the Sanda Tribe for ten jin of gold.
• Tetta recognized that the Tendai Sect had brought the artisans north as part of a secret trade and decided to play along to raise his value and help his fellow craftsmen.
• Zuwaro asked Matsushita Tessuke to test whether Tetta was truly a master artisan, prompting Tessuke to question him about Tamahagane.
• Tetta explained how to select iron sand, operate a tatara furnace, and use the Yamashiro School’s Thousand-Fold Forging Technique to make fine blades.