"Mr. Lee, a pleasure to meet you." While greeting Mr. Lee, Tong Biao kept an eye on another person who had come in with them but was standing slightly behind, silent. A large, woven bamboo hat obscured most of his face, and he deliberately kept his head lowered. When Village Chief Chen introduced them, this person made no movement. Tong Biao, therefore, continued, "Mr. Lee, recently, many people from your city have been coming to our store to make large purchases. I just finished checking our inventory and found that we are running low. We are currently waiting for a shipment from our headquarters. May I ask about the quantity you need this time? If it's a large and urgent order, I will need to immediately send a message to Dongbin headquarters to coordinate the supplies. Preparing the stock would take at least three to five days. Our Mr. Qiao is supervising the production of fine porcelain in Willow River Liuhe Town these days. Once we confirm the time for Du Chief's visit, I can arrange for Mr. Qiao to come over."
"That's greatly appreciated! Thank you, Manager Tong. Here's my order list. The price is negotiable, but can the delivery be expedited?" Mr. Lee first glanced cautiously at the man beside him. After receiving a subtle nod from the bamboo hat, he quickly took out a list and handed it over.
"Mr. Qiao can be here in three days, but with your order quantity, I'm not sure if we can deliver within five days, nor can I guarantee such a large supply. As just a manager of this tea traveler lodge, I cannot make promises on my own. Since Mr. Qiao is also an owner of the lodge, it might be better to make your request directly to him during the meeting with Du Chief. What do you think, Mr. Lee?"
Upon seeing the bamboo hat nod slightly again, Mr. Lee sighed with relief and quickly spoke up, "Alright, three days from now Du Chief will come personally. Please make sure to invite Mr. Qiao. Everything will depend on you, Manager Tong."
"Of course, of course. Village Chief Chen, please accompany our esteemed guests here for tea and a meal while I arrange to send the message," Tong Biao smoothly handed over the task of hospitality to Village Chief Chen.
"Manager Tong, please go ahead with your work. We won't disturb you. But just out of curiosity, who are the people living behind this lodge?" Mr. Lee asked, curious about the noises coming from behind the lodge.
"This is the Tea Village traveler lodge, where the villagers bring the large leaves from the back mountain to the workshops behind us for tea processing. As you can see, there is a plant growing on the wasteland outside called cassava, which can be used as a staple food. Mr. Qiao has hired local farmers to dig up and process the cassava into food for the market. Many of these workers are residents from your Haifang City," Tong Biao said, using this opportunity to reveal the first step of the strategic deception plan ordered by General Mo. named from a Chinese idiom: "Ming Xiu Zhan Dao, An Du Chen Chang".
"Cassava? Edible cassava? We must take some of this cassava back with us today," the previously silent man suddenly lifted his head and spoke urgently.
Noticing the man's distinctively trimmed black beard and his oddly accented speech, Tong Biao immediately recognized him as a Wa people. He quickly glanced at Mr. Lee, who exchanged a confirming look before looking away. Tong Biao then took a few steps back and grabbed a cassava tuber and a bowl of steamed cassava flour he had prepared for his breakfast from the shelf. He warmly presented them to the group, saying, "Cassava, a root vegetable that grows underground. It can be peeled, steamed, boiled, or made into flour for a very filling meal. We can prepare two cartloads of this product today."
"Thank you, Manager Tong. Please sell us all the cassava and grain oil you can provide. The city's population has increased several times over; no matter how much you have, we can consume it all. We'll pay in gold. Here is a small gift for you, please accept it with my best wishes ," Mr. Lee said as he handed a rather heavy money pouch to Tong Biao, pretending to be ingratiating.
"Yes, we have plenty of gold. Hurry up and load the carts," the Wa man, now holding the cassava flour and eating it by the handful, said as he walked out the door.
"We'll go outside and keep an eye on things. In three days, be sure to have Mr. Qiao personally come back to meet with our esteemed guests," Mr. Lee said loudly, emphasizing the words "esteemed guests" particularly.
After they left, Tong Biao quickly relayed the news to the rear camp. General Elder Qiao, Huo Changlin, Cheng Mo, and Qiao Ziqiu gathered at a large house by the sea in Xiawan. It was Huo Changlin's first visit, so Xiang Bei took him to the large wooden platform facing the sea before going down to prepare the tea service. The group sat around, listening to Elder Qiao analyze the various situations that had recently arisen at sea.
"Based on the intelligence gathered by the naval forces over the past few days and the information just delivered by Tong Biao, we can conclude that these Wa bandits are preparing for a large-scale operation as the year-end approaches!" Old Qiao said, nearly grinding his teeth in frustration. These hateful bandits had not only plundered Haifang City in their raid more than a decade ago but also colluded with traitors there to tarnish the Qiao family's long-standing reputation and took his brave and loyal eldest son's life.
"Old Qiao's analysis is spot on. As the year-end nears, the climate on the islands of Yamato is already cold, and they are in short supply of food and heating materials. Since the previous dynasty, their royal court has sought protection and aid from our country at this time of year, but this does not apply to their common people. Those unable to obtain aid and facing harsh winter conditions join the pirates to loot and ensure their families' survival," Huo Changlin said, having conducted thorough pre-war analysis before the expedition.
"Judging by the amount of grain they have purchased recently, their numbers far exceed our initial estimates. Additionally, the supplies they are buying include a large quantity of items for women and children, suggesting they are coming with their families. I believe our urgent task is to ascertain the exact strength of these bandits," Cheng Mo said as he took out several charts and passed them around.