Karatsu's harbor appeared on the horizon just after dawn.
Kazuki had been awake for hours, unable to sleep, watching the familiar coastline grow closer. He had been more than a week away. It almost felt like a lifetime.
What will I find?
The castle was still standing, at least. That was something. Smoke rose from the town, normal morning activity. Fishing boats dotted the harbor. From a distance, everything looked perfectly normal.
But appearances meant nothing.
Daichi guided their boat slowly toward the dock with practiced ease. "Almost home, young lord. Still in one piece, more or less."
"More or less indeed. Thank you, Daichi. You've earned every ryo."
"And then some, I'd say. Sailing to Tanegashima, dealing with pirates twice, carrying weapons that half of Kyushu probably wants to steal..." He shook his head. "You live an interesting life, young lord."
"'Interesting' is one word for it."
As they approached the dock, Kazuki could see a small crowd already gathering. Word had spread that they were returning. Among the crowd, he recognized familiar faces, castle guards, servants, townspeople.
And standing at the front, his arms crossed, expression thunderous: his father.
Ah. There it is.
Beside Hirotada stood Nobuyuki, his face carefully neutral. But Kazuki could see the hidden tension in his brother's posture, the barely concealed anger.
He's been quite busy this week. I can tell that much.
The boat bumped against the dock. Kazuki rose, steadying himself, then climbed onto solid ground for the first time in over the last few days. His legs wobbled slightly, still adjusting to surfaces that didn't move constantly.
Honda and Hattori followed, both of them stayong alert, hands near their weapons.
Hirotada's voice cut through the morning air like a blade.
"My chambers. Now."
Not "welcome home." Not "I'm glad you're alive." Just cold, emotionless fury.
Kazuki bowed respectfully. "Yes, Father. But first, I need to secure what we brought back. It's valuable and shouldn't be left unguarded."
"I don't care what you brought back. You left without permission, disappeared for over a week, and—"
"I brought back firearms, Father. Three Portuguese arquebuses, gunpowder, as well as ammunition. And more importantly, the actual knowledge of how to produce them ourselves."
That stopped Hirotada mid-sentence.
The crowd murmured. Nobuyuki's expression flickered, surprise, then calculation.
"Firearms," Hirotada repeated slowly.
"The weapons the foreigners brought. The magical thunder-sticks everyone's been talking about. I bought three of them. And I learned how they work."
Hirotada's anger warred with curiosity on his weathered face. Curiosity won, barely.
"Bring them to the castle. Secure them in the armory. Then my chambers. Immediately."
"Yes, Father."
The crowd parted as they walked through town toward the castle. Whispers followed them. People stared at the wrapped bundles Honda and Hattori carried with obvious reverence.
"He actually did it..."
"Foreign weapons..."
"The young lord went to Tanegashima..."
"Thunder-sticks that can supposedly kill with magic from a afar..."
Kazuki kept his expression neutral, but inside, he was analyzing everything. The town looked normal, no obvious damage, no signs of crisis. But there was a barely conceiled tension in the air. People watched him with a mixture of awe and fear.
What happened while I was gone?
They reached the castle. The guards at the gate bowed deeply, more deeply than they had before, Kazuki noted. Respect or fear? Hard to tell.
Inside, they headed to the armory first. The armorer, an old man named Tanaka, stared in disbelief as Honda and Hattori carefully unwrapped the arquebuses.
"Foreign weapons," Tanaka breathed. "I've heard stories, but..."
"They're very real," Kazuki said. "And they're to be guarded constantly. No one touches them without my permission or my father's. Understood?"
"Yes, young master."
Kazuki took one of the arquebuses, leaving the other two secured. "I'll show this one to Father. The rest stay here. Honda-san, Hattori-san, guard the armory. No one may enter."
"Understood, young master."
Kazuki made his way to his father's study, the arquebus wrapped carefully but its shape visible in his arms. Outside the paper door, he paused, he took a deep breath, then knocked carefully on the wood.
"Enter."
Inside, Hirotada sat behind his desk, Nobuyuki standing to one side. The atmosphere was almost glacial.
Kazuki bowed deeply. "Father. Brother."
"Close the door," Hirotada said.
Kazuki did.
"Explain," Hirotada's voice was dangerously quiet. "Explain why you disappeared for over a week without permission, without warning, leaving your domain, your duties, your responsibilities."
"Because if I had asked for permission, you would have said with 100% certainty no."
The blunt honesty seemed to surprise Hirotada.
"You're right. I would have. Because it was utterly reckless, dangerous, and irresponsible."
"I deemed it necessary. The Portuguese have weapons that will change warfare in Japan forever. Whoever gets them first has an enormous advantage for a few years at least. I needed to see them, understand how they worked, acquire some prototypes before our enemies did."
"Our enemies?" Nobuyuki spoke for the first time. "Father, he's been gone for over a week. The domain was in pure chaos. People thought he'd fled, that he had abandoned us. I had to personally reassure the court, the samurai, the townspeople that—"
"That what?" Kazuki interrupted. "That I was dead? That I'd abandoned my duties? What exactly did you tell them, brother?"
Nobuyuki's eyes narrowed. "I told them nothing but the truth. That you'd suddenly left without notice, that we didn't know where you actally went or if you'd ever return."
"And I'm sure you were very, very concerned for my wellbeing."
"Enough," Hirotada snapped. "Both of you. Kazuki, you say you brought back these weapons. Show them to me."
Kazuki set the wrapped arquebus on the desk and carefully unwrapped it.
The weapon gleamed in the morning light. Portuguese craftsmanship, deadly and beautiful.
Hirotada leaned forward, studying it intently. His hand reached out, then paused midreach. "May I?"
"Of course."
Hirotada picked up the arquebus carefully, feeling its weight, examining the mechanism. His warrior's eye immediately recognized quality craftsmanship.
"This is... impressive. The metalwork is extraordinary."
"Portuguese gunsmiths have been perfecting these for decades. This weapon can kill a man in full armor from a hundred paces away."
"Impossible."
"I've seen it demonstrated. I've fired it myself."
Nobuyuki moved closer, his expression a mixture of fascination and suspicion. "And you learned how to use these?"
"I learned how to use them, maintain them, and most importantly, how to make them. The Portuguese captain taught me personally for a week."
"In one week, you learned what it takes master craftsmen years to perfect?" Nobuyuki's skepticism was obvious.
"I learned the fundamentals. The theory. The practical implementation will take some time, but I understand the underlying principles." Kazuki met his brother's eyes. "I brought back more than weapons. I brought back new technological knowledge."
Hirotada set the arquebus down carefully. "This weapon... if what you say is true, if these can really kill samurai from a distance..."
"They can. And they will change everything. Traditional warfare is over, Father. Firearms are the future."
"And you think we can producethem? Here? In Karatsu?"
"With our new forges, yes. With skilled smiths like Muramasa. It will take time and resources, but we can manage to accomplish it. We have to do it. Because if we don't succeed, our enemies will eventually."
The room was silent for a long moment.
Finally, Hirotada spoke. "You took an enormous risk. You left without my permission. Spent nearly all our liquid capital. Allied with foreigners we barely understand. And you did it all on your own initiative."
"Yes."
"And if you'd failed? What If you'd died on the voyage? What if the Portuguese had cheated you or even killed you?"
"Then I would have failed. But I didn't. I'm here. With weapons that can protect this domain."
Hirotada leaned back in his chair, his expression unreadable. "You've changed, Kazuki. A month ago, you couldn't walk properly across a room without assistance. Now you're already negotiating with foreign merchants and sailing through pirate waters."
"Over a month ago, I was on my deathbed. On it I decided I'd rather live to see the future of this land. This is what motivites me to strife for the future."
Something flickered in Hirotada's eyes. Pride? Concern? Maybe both.
"Show me how it actually works," he said finally.
An hour later, they stood in the castle's training ground. Word had spread quickly, and a crowd had gathered, samurai, servants, advisors, craftsmen. Everyone wanted to see these strange, foreign weapons.
Kazuki loaded the arquebus with deliberate care, explaining each step as he went.
"Gunpowder is poured down the barrel. Then Wadding is added to seal it. The lead shot is loaded after that. More wadding added to keep the shot properly in place. Then we prime the pan with finer powder."
He lit the match cord, adjusted it in the serpentine.
"The match needs to stay lit at all times when the weapon is used. That's one of the weapon's current limitations. Rain makes it way more difficult to use."
He aimed at a target fifty paces away, a wooden post with armor plates hung on it.
"When I pull the trigger, the serpentine drops the lit match into the priming powder. That ignites the main charge, which propels the shot out of the barrel."
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The crowd watched in silence.
Kazuki took a breath, aimed carefully, and pulled the trigger.
The serpentine dropped.
The pan flashed.
The main charge exploded with a thunderous boom that echoed across the training ground.
Smoke billowed from the barrel.
And the lead shot propelled forward punched through the armor plate, leaving a perfectly round hole.
The crowd erupted. Some in awe, some in fear, all in shock.
Kazuki finally lowered the weapon slowly, his shoulder aching from recoil, his ears ringing.
But his mind was already racing ahead. His past life's engineering knowledge was already analyzing the manufacturing process, calculating production rates, optimizing workflows.
Traditional Japanese smiths work individually. One master, one apprentice, one weapon at a time. That's why it takes months to make a single sword.
But these aren't swords. These are mechanical devices with standardized components.
If I can break down the manufacturing into discrete steps... barrel forging, lock mechanism assembly, stock carving... and assign specialists to each step...
Division of labor. Assembly line principles. Quality control at each stage.
The Portuguese make these one at a time. But with systematic organization, we could produce them in parallel.
Not months for a single gun. Weeks for multiple guns.
"That," Kazuki said quietly, bringing himself back to the present, "is what we're dealing with. That's what our enemies will have if we don't get them first."
Hirotada stared at the punctured armor. He walked over. Touched the hole with trembling fingers.
"A peasant could use this," he said, almost to himself. "A peasant with not much training, only basic rudementary skill, could kill a samurai."
"Yes."
"The social order..."
"Is already collapsing, Father. This age of war has proven that. Chaos reigns. These weapons just make it obvious."
Nobuyuki's face was pale. "How many of these did you buy?"
"Three. Which isn't enough. But it's a start. And now that I know how they work, we can make more."
"How long?"
Kazuki hesitated. He wanted to say weeks, but that would require resources he didn't have yet. Better to be conservative, prove the concept first.
"Give me two months with minimal resources, and I'll produce our first Karatsu-made arquebus. After that... we'll see."
"And the cost?"
"Much less than buying from the Portuguese. Maybe fifty to seventy ryo per weapon for materials and labor. Compared to five hundred ryo from foreign merchants."
Hirotada turned to face him. "You've thought this through."
"I've thought of little else for the past month."
"And if I order you to stop? To destroy these weapons and forget you ever saw them?"
Kazuki met his father's eyes. "Then I would respectfully disobey. Because destroying these weapons doesn't make them go away. Other domains will get them eventually. The Ryuzoji, the Shimazu, the Arima. And when they do, we'll be defenseless."
"Disobey?" Nobuyuki stepped forward. "You dare say you'd disobey our father?"
"I dare say I'll do whatever is deemed necessary to protect this domain. Even if it means going against ancient tradition."
The tension in the courtyard was palpable. Samurai hands drifted toward swords.
Hirotada raised his hand. "Enough. No one is destroying anything. And no one is disobeying." He looked at Kazuki. "You were right to get these weapons. You were wrong to leave without permission, but right about the necessity."
Relief washed through Kazuki.
"However," Hirotada continued, "this doesn't mean you're free from the consequences. You still left without authorization. You still spent most of our treasury. You still put yourself and this domain at enormous risk."
"I understand, Father."
"Your punishment is this: you will personally oversee the production of these weapons. You will work with our smiths, manage the resources, develop the manufacturing process. This is your responsibility now. If you succeed, you'll have proven yourself. If you fail..."
"I won't fail."
"See that you don't. You have two months to produce a working weapon made here in Karatsu. If you can do that, we'll discuss expanding the operation. Until then, you work with what you have."
Two months. Minimal resources. Proof of concept before investment.
It was fair. More than fair, actually.
"Thank you, Father. I won't disappoint you."
"You already have. Now try to impress me instead." Hirotada's expression softened slightly. "Dismissed. And Kazuki?"
"Yes, Father?"
"Welcome home. I'm... glad you survived."
It was the closest thing to approval Kazuki had ever heard from his father.
"Thank you, Father."
Outside the training ground, Rin was already waiting. She looked exhausted, with dark circles under her eyes.
"Young master. You're back."
"Rin-san. Are you alright? You look..."
"Like I haven't slept in a week? Because I haven't. Do you have any idea what it's been like here while you were gone?"
Kazuki winced. "That bad?"
"Your brother tried to seize control of the coal mine immediately. He claimed you'd abandoned it. I had to go directly to your father with the financial records to prove that the operation was still stable and profitable."
"Thank you."
"Your brother also spread rumors that you'd fled to the Portuguese permanently. That you were a traitorous coward who'd rather live with foreigners than face your responsibilities here."
"Of course he did."
"And the Ryuzoji sent a messenger. They're 'concerned' about reports of foreign weapons in Karatsu. They want a detailed report on what you purchased and how much you spent."
Kazuki's stomach tightened. "They already know?"
"Everyone knows, young master. You bought weapons from foreigners. News like that spreads fast."
"What did you tell the messenger?"
"That you were conducting official domain business and would report to the Ryuzoji when appropriate. But young master... they're not going to be satisfied with vague answers for long. They'll eventually want those weapons for themselves. Or they'll at least want to control who has them."
"Let them. We're not giving up the firearms, ever."
Rin looked at him carefully. "You've changed. When you left, you were confident but cautious. Now you're..."
"Committed. I've gone too far to turn back now. We either succeed or fail spectacularly."
"Those are terrible odds."
"They're the only odds we currently have. But speaking of odds, I need your help with something."
"What?"
"I need to track production costs, material usage, labor hours. Everything involved in making these weapons. My father gave me two months to produce one ourselfves. But I need proper production data to prove we can scale up production after that."
Rin's exhaustion seemed to fade slightly, replaced by professional interest. "You're planning to expand the production?"
"If the concept works, yes. Much larger. But I need numbers to convince my father to invest in it."
"I can do that. Cost accounting, resource tracking, efficiency analysis. It's what I do best."
"Good. Because this is about more than just weapons. If we can develop an efficient manufacturing process for arquebuses, the same principles apply to everything else. Iron production, tool making, construction. Everything."
Rin stared at him. "You're not just trying to make weapons. You're trying to change how the entire domain produces goods."
"Exactly. But first, I need to prove it works on a smaller scale."
"That's... ambitious. Possibly insane. But if it works..." She smiled slightly. "I'm in. When do we start?"
"Now. I need to talk to Muramasa."
They found Muramasa in her forge, working on a sword blade. She looked up as they entered, her weathered face curious.
"Young master. I heard the thunder. Saw the smoke. Everyone's talking about strange, magical foreign weapons."
"Then you know why I'm here."
She set down her hammer. "You want me to make them."
"I want you to help me figure out how to make them. There's a difference."
Kazuki had Honda bring one of the arquebuses from the armory. He laid it on Muramasa's workbench and began disassembling it, explaining each component.
"This is what we need to replicate. But not the traditional way, not one master craftsman making an entire weapon from start to finish."
Muramasa frowned. "That's how quality weapons usually are made, young master. One skilled hand, maintaining standards throughout."
"For swords, yes. But these aren't swords. These are complex and mechanical weapons. And I think we can make them faster and more efficiently if we approach them differently."
He laid out the components, the barrel, lock mechanism, stock, fittings.
"What if instead of one person making everything, we specialized the steps? You focus only on barrels, the most critical component. Someone else makes only lock mechanisms. A carpenter handles the stock production. Final assembly brings it all together."
"You want to divide the labor?"
"I want to test whether division of labor works for weapons manufacturing. In my studies, I read about Chinese workshops that produced crossbows faster this way. Multiple specialists, each focused on one component. Much faster production than traditional methods."
Muramasa picked up the barrel, examining it closely. "The barrel is the hardest part. The metallurgy has to be perfect. One flaw and it explodes when used."
"Which is why you'd handle all barrel production. Your skill is too valuable to waste on simple tasks like carving stocks. Focus on what matters most."
"And if I agree to this experiment?"
"Then we have two months to produce one functional Karatsu-made arquebus. Just one. To prove the concept works. After that, if my father approves, we expand the operation."
"Who else would work on this?"
"I'm thinking Goro the locksmith for mechanisms. Hiroshi the carpenter for stocks. And your apprentice Kenji for fittings and final assembly. Four people total, including you."
"That's a rather small team."
"Intentionally. We're trying to prove a concept first, not launching into full production. Small team, minimal resources, a clear goal."
Muramasa studied the disassembled weapon for a long moment. Finally, she nodded.
"Alright, young master. I'll try your strange idea. But I'm warning you, if this takes longer than traditional methods, we're going back to the old way."
"Fair enough. Can you start today?"
"Eager, aren't you?"
"I have two months and limited resources. Every day counts."
She smiled slightly. "I like your determination. Yes, I can start today. Give me that barrel, I need to study the steel composition and forging techniques."
That evening, Kazuki met with the full production team in a corner of Muramasa's forge.
Goro the locksmith was in his forties, a skilled but skeptical man. Hiroshi the carpenter was younger, eager to try something new. Kenji, Muramasa's apprentice, looked nervous but determined.
"You're probably wondering why I've called you here," Kazuki said.
They nodded.
"I'm about to teach you how to make new weapons that will change warfare in Japan. But you won't be making complete weapons. Each of you will specialize in one component."
He laid out the disassembled arquebus.
"Goro-san, you'll focus on the lock mechanisms. The spring-loaded trigger system that makes these weapons function. Hiroshi-san, you'll handle wooden stocks, the frame that will hold everything together. Kenji-san, you'll do fittings, assembly, and quality control. Muramasa-san will forge the barrels."
"Young master," Goro ventured carefully, "that's not how weapons traditionally are made. A master craftsman makes the entire—"
"A master indeed makes swords that way. Bit these aren't swords. These are complex weapons. And they can be made by many hands working together much faster, each hand doing what it does best."
He picked up the lock mechanism. "Goro-san, do you think you could make one of these if you focused only on this component? If you studied it extensively, perfected on it, made nothing else?"
The locksmith examined it carefully. The springs, the sear, the trigger. Complex but not impossible.
"The precision required is significant. But yes, if that's all I was making... yes, I could do it. Maybe even improve on the design."
"And Hiroshi-san, could you carve a stock like this?"
The carpenter ran his hands over the wooden frame, feeling the curves, the balance point.
"Wood is my specialty, young master. If I'm just carving the same shape repeatedly, perfecting the design... yes, I could do this. Faster than any metalworker could."
Kazuki smiled. "Then we have a working production system. Muramasa-san will forge the barrels. Goro-san makes the locks. Hiroshi-san carves stocks. And Kenji-san handles final assembly and testing."
The craftsmen exchanged glances. It was unconventional. Strange even. Against tradition.
But it made some sense.
"How much time do we have?" Muramasa asked.
"Two months to produce one complete, functional weapon. If we succeed, my father will provide more resources for expanded production."
"And if we fail?"
"Then we've wasted two months and proven the method doesn't work. But I don't think we'll actually fail."
Goro spoke up. "Young master, what about payment? This is specialized work, and if we're diverting some time from our regular commissions..."
"Double your normal rates. Each of you. This is important, critical work for the domain's defense. It deserves appropriate compensation."
That sealed it. The promise of double pay spoke louder than any concerns about unconventional methods.
"When do we start?" Muramasa asked.
"Tomorrow morning. Goro-san, take the lock mechanism home tonight. Study it. Understand how every spring, every lever works. Hiroshi-san, same with the stock. Muramasa-san, you have the barrel. Kenji-san, memorize the assembly process."
He looked at all of them.
"Two months to craft one weapon. To prove this works. Can you do it?"
They nodded, determination replacing skepticism.
"Then let's change the world."
Late that night, Kazuki sat in his room, staring at detailed drawings he'd made of the arquebus various components. Measurements, tolerances, notes on materials and techniques.
Rin had provided him with a basic accounting framework, costs for materials, labor hours, overhead expenses. Everything needed to calculate whether this could scale properly.
His mother had visited earlier, warning him again about Nobuyuki. His brother was planning something, she was certain of it. The successful return from Tanegashima had only made Nobuyuki more desperate.
But that was a problem for another day.
Tonight, Kazuki needed to plan.
He pulled out his journal, writing in English by candlelight.
FIREARMS PRODUCTION - PHASE 1: PROOF OF CONCEPT
Timeline: 2 months
Goal: 1 complete, functional locally made arquebus
Team: 4 people (Muramasa, Goro, Hiroshi, Kenji)
Budget: ~100 ryo (materials + labor)
Production Plan:
Week 1-2: Component study & first attempts
- Muramasa: Study barrel metallurgy, attempt first forging
- Goro: Reverse-engineer lock mechanism, create working prototype
- Hiroshi: Perfect stock shape, test different woods
- Kenji: Practice disassembly/assembly on Portuguese samples
Week 3-4: Refinement & iteration
- First complete components likely flawed
- Test, identify failures, improve process
- Expect multiple iterations before success
Week 5-6: Integration & testing
- Combine components into complete weapon
- Test fire (CAREFULLY - expect failures)
- Refine based on results
Week 7-8: Final production & demonstration
- Produce final proof-of-concept weapon
- Quality test extensively
- Prepare demonstration for Father
Success Criteria:
- Weapon fires reliably (no explosions, no jams)
- Accuracy comparable to Portuguese samples
- Components are replicable (not one-off luck)
- Process is documented for scaling
If Successful → Phase 2 Planning:
PHASE 2: SCALED PRODUCTION (Months 3-8)
Team Expansion:
- Barrel Team: Muramasa + 3 smiths + 2 apprentices = 6 people
- Lock Team: Goro + 2 locksmiths + 1 apprentice = 4 people
- Stock Team: Hiroshi + 2 carpenters + 1 fitter = 4 people
- Assembly/QC: Kenji + 1 assistant = 2 people
- Support: 2 material procurement, 2 gunpowder production = 4 people Total: 20 people
Projected Output:
- Month 3: 6 weapons (team training, workflow setup)
- Month 4: 10 weapons (process optimization)
- Month 5: 14 weapons (hitting rhythm)
- Month 6: 16 weapons (peak efficiency)
- Total in 6 months: ~50 weapons
Investment Required:
- Workshop expansion: 200 ryo
- Tools & equipment: 100 ryo
- Materials (6 months): 150 ryo
- Labor (6 months): 300 ryo
- Total: 750 ryo
Return on Investment:
- 50 weapons at market value (200 ryo each) = 10,000 ryo
- Even if not sold, military value is immense
- ROI: 1,233% if monetized
The Pitch (End of Month 2):
With expanded resources, 20 workers, larger dedicated space, proper tools, we can produce 50 weapons in 6 months. An arsenal that rivals domains ten times our size.
Investment: 750 ryo
Timeline: 6 months
Output: 50 arquebuses + established manufacturing capability
This isn't just about weapons. It's about transforming how we produce everything. The same principles can be applied to iron smelting, tool making, shipbuilding.
Risks:
- Initial weapons may fail (explosions, jams)
- Scaling may not work as smoothly as projected
- Nobuyuki will try to sabotage or seize control
- Ryuzoji will demand tribute/access
- Other domains will attempt to steal our methods
But the alternative is staying weak while enemies arm themselves.
No choice but strife forward.
He set down the brush and closed the journal.
Two months to prove it worked. Then the real pitch. Then, if successful, full-scale production.
And if the manufacturing principles worked for weapons, they'd work for everything else. Iron. Tools. Ships. Agriculture.
He wasn't just building an arsenal.
He was laying the foundation for an industrial revolution.
One weapon at a time.
Kazuki looked out his window at Karatsu sleeping under the stars. A small domain. Weak. Barely surviving.
But with the right systems, the right vision, the right execution?
Maybe not so weak after all.
The future was coming.
And Karatsu would be ready for it.