"Lady Sangonomiya, I don't want to see the people of the sea sacrifice their lives in vain anymore," Gorou said with a solemn expression. "The West Factory has offered us very harsh conditions for Watatsumi Island, but he guaranteed that we will be free from famine."
Sangonomiya Kokomi took a deep breath, preparing herself mentally, and asked, "What are the harsh conditions?"
Gorou replied in a low voice, "The primary condition is that we must disband the Watatsumi Island Resistance, only retaining a small guard team for maintaining public order."
Upon hearing this, Sangonomiya Kokomi's brows immediately furrowed.
Once the army was disbanded, the entire Watatsumi Island would be like a lamb waiting to be slaughtered, with no ability to resist.
She asked anxiously, "If we disband the army, how will the safety of Watatsumi Island be ensured?"
Gorou replied with complex emotions, "Yide mentioned that the West Factory will dispatch a team of Guards to be permanently stationed on the island to ensure the safety of Watatsumi Island."
Sangonomiya Kokomi's face turned very ugly.
This so-called "protection" was actually nothing more than the West Factory's control and surveillance over Watatsumi Island to maintain its hegemony in this area.
If Watatsumi Island accepted such conditions, it would undoubtedly be tantamount to becoming a "vassal" of Fontaine in practice.
Sangonomiya Kokomi continued to ask, "Besides these, do they have any other demands?"
Gorou continued, "Watatsumi Island's foreign trade will be fully taken over by the Furina Foundation, and we are prohibited from trading with other merchants."
Sangonomiya Kokomi knew that this condition was essentially handing over the economic power of Watatsumi Island.
However, considering that Watatsumi Island currently had almost no foreign trade, this clause was relatively easy to accept.
After a moment of contemplation, she asked the question she was most concerned about, "What are Yide's requirements regarding our faith?"
"There are no specific requirements," Gorou replied. "Although the West Factory believes in Furina, the God of Justice, one of the Seven Archons, they respect all beliefs. As long as they do not believe in evil gods, they are open to the worship of other deities."
After listening to Gorou's description, Sangonomiya Kokomi fell into deep thought.
As the Human-Shrine Maiden, she carried two major responsibilities: one was to protect the people of Watatsumi Island and ensure their safety and well-being; the other was to uphold the faith in the Great Orobashi of Watatsumi.
In comparison, the issue of Watatsumi Island's sovereignty seemed somewhat less critical.
After all, before, Watatsumi Island was essentially a vassal state of Inazuma.
....
Three days later, the sun shone brightly, and the sea breeze blew gently. The delegation from Watatsumi Island, led by Sangonomiya Kokomi, boarded the Fontaine ship.
Lin Yide proactively went forward to greet them, which gave them a sense of comfort and made them less resistant to the upcoming surrender.
Led by Lin Yide, both parties entered the solemn conference room.
Subsequently, the two sides sat at a rectangular negotiation table and began a round of negotiations.
On either side of the rectangular negotiation table sat the representatives of the two parties.
On the West Factory side were Lin Yide and Chiori, and on the Watatsumi Island side were Sangonomiya Kokomi and Gorou.
The four of them sat facing each other.
The first to speak was Sangonomiya Kokomi. "Director Yide, the conditions you have proposed are indeed quite harsh. It is not easy for our Watatsumi Island to accept these conditions."
As soon as she finished speaking, Chiori threatened in a tough tone, "We have already offered very generous terms. If you do not cherish this opportunity, then Fontaine's cannons will 'persuade' you to accept!"
Sangonomiya Kokomi did not back down. She replied with a clear and powerful voice, "We people of Watatsumi Island would rather choose a heroic destruction than yield to the oppression of the aggressor! As long as there is one person from Watatsumi Island left, we will continue to resist until the end!"
Just then, Lin Yide suddenly burst into laughter. His laughter echoed in the reception room, breaking the originally serious atmosphere of the negotiation and making the whole scene somewhat strange.
He said with a touch of apology, "I'm sorry, I just suddenly thought of a very funny joke."
However, to Sangonomiya Kokomi and Gorou, this apology sounded more like sarcasm and ridicule.
Sangonomiya Kokomi remained calm. She said indifferently, "Director Yide, since you find this joke so interesting, could you share it with us?"
"Of course," a smile appeared on Lin Yide's face as he began to narrate, "About a few hundred years ago, there was a deity who was forced to launch an invasion war because his subjects suffered from famine. However, in the war, that deity unfortunately perished, while his subjects survived."
Speaking of this, he turned his gaze to Sangonomiya Kokomi and asked, "Shrine Maiden, what do you think of this story? Why did the subjects of that deity not show the same steadfast resolve as you people of Watatsumi Island?"
Sangonomiya Kokomi's face instantly turned red. She understood that the deity Lin Yide was referring to was Orobashi, whom they deeply believed in.
Back then, Orobashi knew he was going to die, but what made him determined to willingly face death was the Shrine Maiden's request and the cries of his people.
After his demise, the Raiden Shogun ceded a part of the fertile land on Yashiori Island, now known as Fort Fujitou, to Watatsumi Island.
The people of Watatsumi Island who survived did not seek revenge.
Now, if it weren't for the Raiden Shogun's Sakoku Decree forcing them to live in destitution, they would not have raised the banner of rebellion.
The mention of this history was undoubtedly the most powerful rebuttal to Sangonomiya Kokomi.
In the situation where the people of Watatsumi Island had nothing to eat, talking about backbone seemed somewhat weak and ineffective.
After a long while, Sangonomiya Kokomi asked in a low tone, "I want to know how you will ensure that the people of Watatsumi Island have enough to eat?"
Lin Yide replied confidently, "Through trade. Although Watatsumi Island has barren land, it has abundant marine resources. These resources will be the source of sustenance for the people of Watatsumi Island."
Sangonomiya Kokomi asked doubtfully, "Our fishermen are already working very hard, but their catch is still limited."
Lin Yide chuckled, "Don't measure us by your backward thinking. For example, you cannot even imagine a ship being able to level Kujou Encampment with cannons in half an hour."
Finally, Sangonomiya Kokomi's expression was somber. "If you can guarantee enough food for Watatsumi Island, I represent Watatsumi Island in agreeing to all your conditions."
Lin Yide said in a relaxed tone, "You can be completely at ease. For us in Fontaine, solving the problem of having enough food is simply a trivial matter." His tone revealed confidence in Fontaine's technology and resources.
Subsequently, Sangonomiya Kokomi and Lin Yide jointly signed the historically significant "Port Fudé Treaty."
After the news reached Watatsumi Island, it was like a huge stone thrown into a calm lake, causing ripples.
The residents of Watatsumi Island were indignant. They felt that this was a symbol of submission to foreigners. They flocked to Sangonomiya Palace, protesting loudly against this treaty they considered humiliating.
However, when their eyes fell upon the mountain of bags of Fontaine aid rice piled up in front of Sangonomiya Palace, the voices of anger and protest gradually subsided.
They gradually let go of the sense of humiliation about the treaty and instead became more concerned about whether the piled-up rice could truly be distributed to them.
Facing the reality of having enough to eat, everything else seemed less important.
The residents of Watatsumi Island began to look forward to the rice being distributed as soon as possible to solve their current predicament.
Not all nations possess the same resilient and unyielding character as the people of Liyue.