Yama Rising

After a long while, Tokugawa Ieyasu finally said, "I'm afraid we're unable to make such a major decision right now."

A smile appeared on Qin Ye's face upon hearing this. "Are you hesitating out of patriotism?"

Hōjō Tokimune shook his head in response. "It's not like the Nipponese Underworld is Nippon. Every underworld is the divine nation of death gods. At the very most, we are only servant gods."

Tokugawa Ieyasu gently flapped his hand fan as he said in a cold voice, "In the Nipponese Underworld, we feel no sense of belonging, only oppression and anguish."

Qin Ye nodded in response. "Alright, I can understand. I'll give you a few months to think about it, but before I let you go, I'm rather curious; what forced you to take this step?"

What Qin Ye wanted was to find spokespeople for himself in the Nipponese Underworld. The Mitsubishi Consortium alone wasn't powerful enough, but the daimyos would complement them very well. The netherworldly citizens of the Nipponese Underworld revered them as heroes, so they would be far better spokespeople than the Mitsubishi Consortium.

However, there was an element of uncertainty about them.

There were several points that had to be addressed before the invasion of the Nipponese Underworld could go ahead. Firstly, there was the attitude of all of the world's underworlds. Then came the development of the second-generation forbidden arts and the launching technology. Thirdly, spokespeople had to be found, and lastly, entrances to the underworld from the mortal realm had to be secured.

The conflict between the daimyos and the demons and gods of the Nipponese Underworld was an unexpected bonus. Even if the daimyos ultimately refused his offer, he still had other spokespeople that he could fall back on.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi was silent for a moment before a wry smile appeared on his face. "Your Excellency, do you know why all past rulers are so heavily sought after by the ruler death gods when they enter the underworld?"

Qin Ye was naturally aware of the reasons behind this.

All emperors, even the most incompetent ones, had to be taken seriously once they entered the underworld as they were blessed by the fortune of their respective era!

Perhaps they couldn't compare with the likes of Chiyou, but they were still the focus of the fortune and faith of the entire nation. They were extremely valuable for bolstering divine nations, or could be used to elevate the religion of the ruler death god through avenues such as relayed dreams.

A cold smile appeared on Hōjō Tokimune's face as he said, "The Nipponese Underworld is an exception to this."

Qin Ye raised an eyebrow upon hearing this, and Hōjō Tokimune continued, "Nippon's faith and fortune are focused on the emperor and the shoguns. We do not have the bloodline of the emperor, and it is the ultimate pursuit of all court nobles and samurais to become shoguns. While it's true that Hideyoshi San was the one who was actually in power in Nippon at the time, while Ieyasu San even established his own shogunate, the actual shogun was Ashikaga Yoshiaki!"

Qin Ye faltered slightly upon hearing this before recalling the thin man in the blade official's robe accompanying Izanami.

Under normal circumstances, the name of Ashikaga Yoshiaki wouldn't have drawn his attention at all. However, as King Yanluo, it was important for him to get a good grasp on the representative teams of all of the underworlds prior to attending an international conference, and it was exactly because of this that he had a vague recollection of this rather unfamiliar name.

Several centuries of hatred were welling up in Toyotomi Hideyoshi's heart once, and he could barely contain himself as he said, "During the Sengoku period, there were no shogunates in Nippon, but the concept still existed. It was accepted by all daimyos at the time that only the one who unified the nation would be able to establish a new shogunate. Prior to the unification of the nation, Ashikaga Yoshiaki held the status of shogun, but he was just a court jester, and no one cared to deal with him."

An enlightened look appeared in Qin Ye's eyes upon hearing this.

At the time, everyone was at war, so no one wanted to divert their forces to deal with a shogunate that only existed on an in-name basis.

Anyone who dared to strike at the shogunate would become the public enemy of all daimyos, and thus, under those peculiar circumstances, the shogunate survived, even though it was hanging by a thread.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi gritted his teeth as he said, "However, no one anticipated that it would be me who united the nation. The problem is that there is an unofficial rule in Nippon, which is that only those of noble descent could establish a shogunate. Unfortunately, I was only a farmer before I began my military career, so even though I had already united Nippon, there was always stern opposition to my desire to establish a shogunate."

I see.

Qin Ye also recalled that Toyotomi Hideyoshi never established a shogunate, and it all made sense now.

Due to the special state of Nippon at the time, after Toyotomi Hideyoshi united the nation, he had all types of daimyos serving him, many of whom were of noble descent, so they would naturally be opposed to his desire to establish a shogunate.

Due to his inability to become a shogun, Toyotomi Hideyoshi created the title of taiko in a fit of rage, which was the ancient form of the regent title. From then onward, he became the "retired emperor" who was actually still in power.

On the contrary, Tokugawa Ieyasu didn't have that issue. However, he had taken over from Toyotomi Hideyoshi by betraying him and starting a revolt, thereby plunging Nippon into the heat of war again, so his ascent to the throne was also not noble nor dignified.

Thus, the only one befitting the shogun title at the time turned out to be Ashikaga Yoshiaki.

In the mortal realm, he was only the shogun on an in-name basis without any actual jurisdictive power, but in the underworld, his title meant that he was the inheritor of the nation's fortune and faith.

"Why isn't Ashikaga Yoshiaki standing on the same side as you?" Qin Ye asked as he picked up his teacup before taking a sip.

At the mention of that name, Honda Tadakatsu finally spoke for the first time. "He wants nothing more than for us to die. Upon reaching his generation, the Ashikaga clan had already run out of capable successors. If it weren't for the wars that took place during the Sengoku period, the Ashikaga shogunate wouldn't have fallen so soon. We were the ones who destroyed his empire, so how could he not hate us? However, even Ieyasu San and Hideyoshi San have set aside their differences after entering the underworld, but Ashikaga Yoshiaki is still holding onto his grudge. Due to his status as a past shogun, he was treated as an esteemed guest by Izanami as soon as he entered the underworld, and it's all thanks to his constant effort to strike against us these past few centuries that we've ended up in such a sorry state."

The only one from their era with any speaking rights in the Nipponese Underworld was Ashikaga Yoshiaki, and he was being used by Izanami as a pawn against the daimyos. It was already quite arduous for them to have survived to this point, and it was no wonder that not even a single emissary of the Nipponese Underworld had been sighted back at the Strait of Tsushima.

With that in mind, Qin Ye nodded in response. The faction of demons and gods was the established force in the underworld, so they naturally didn't want any competition. However, the collective force of the daimyos was too powerful for them to completely eradicate. Unfortunately, none of the daimyos had any fortune or faith after entering the underworld, so it was as if fate had played a cruel joke on them.

"I can see how you've ended up in such a difficult position." He raised his teacup to bid the regents farewell. "Have a good think about my offer. I look forward to hearing your response."

"We'll be sure to consider the offer carefully and give you a response as soon as possible!"

……………………………………………………

In the modern underworld where the new energy resource had already become prevalent, information had become far more accessible than before.

There were televisions and newspapers, through which one could keep up with daily affairs. Phones were still in the 3G era, so they were a little slow, and the internet was still under development. However, it was already a significant improvement from the days of communication through messenger birds.

Thus, the Nipponese Underworld immediately received news of the Cathayan Underworld's lowering of its new energy resource costs.

Iwasaki Yatarō was pacing back and forth in his room in an urgent manner. No one was more anxious than he was as this was the day that the Cathayan Underworld was supposed to fulfill the first part of its promise to him.

He was holding a newspaper as he quickly paced back and forth, feeling as if he had the weight of the entire world on his shoulders. Due to the Heavenly Dao vow he had signed, he couldn't share this information with anyone else in the Mitsubishi Consortium, and his mind was racing so quickly that figurative sparks were flying.

After a long while, he sat down in front of his low tea table before opening the newspaper again. He had already read this newspaper far too many times, but he felt like he could never get enough of reading it.

"The preparations for the war efforts, yet Izanami is still completely oblivious." He licked his lips as a sharp look appeared in his eyes. "Then again, she isn't entirely to blame. If I hadn't been informed in advance, I wouldn't have been able to make the connection, either. This is where the first step begins!"

By offering such a brilliant opportunity to the rest of Asia, the other Asian underworlds would be far less vehement in their objections once the war between the two nations commenced.

"The lowering of the energy resource costs is only the first step. The second step would be their true objective, which is to open up the Nipponese Underworld!" he murmured to himself as he stared intently at the newspaper. "Everyone who has come down into the underworld from the six major corporations of the mortal realm in the past 100 years, the daimyos, and even ourselves... All of us are being considered for the base station construction rights! With this injection of funds, we'll be able to develop submarines faster, and our interactions with the Cathayan Underworld will take place on an official basis, so no suspicions will be aroused! Because of how wide a scope this declaration encompasses, Izanami won't be able to single out the connection between the Cathayan Underworld and the daimyos, as well as our Mitsubishi Consortium. There's no way that she'll be able to predict the danger that's coming from both the sea and from land. Of course, that's because the shimenawa ropes of the three great yokai in the mortal realm have still yet to be opened, so she has no sense of urgency or danger. What a brilliant plan this is..."

He heaved a long sigh, then closed the newspaper as unbridled excitement appeared in his eyes.

The times had changed...

The most drastic change in the underworld for the past few centuries was about to commence, and he couldn't wait for it to begin!

He gently tapped the small bell sitting on the corner of his table, and soon, a man in a suit made his way into the room before extending a bow. "Is there something you need from me, Chairman?"

"Grab the relevant documents and apply for base station construction rights from the Cathayan Underworld right away!"

The man faltered slightly upon hearing this. "Chairman, is this really an opportunity that we could be considered for?"

"Just do as I say! How will you know if we can secure this opportunity if we don't try?" Iwasaki Yatarō replied in an urgent voice. "At the same time, cease development on all other projects and focus solely on the development of submarines!"