Tyranny of Steel

While Berengar had declared war on the Catholic World, Itami was busy with her grand ambitions to invade Korea. Through extensive effort, her warships had begun production, and her transport ships were popping out of the shipyards.

After some conscription efforts, she now had a field Army of fifty thousand men armed with her latest weapons, and a reserve of twenty-five thousand men who would stay on the Japanese mainland and maintain order in her absence. 

Through the past few months she had developed not only single shot bolt action rifles, revolvers, and breach loading artillery. She also developed Gatling guns for use in her army. Ultimately, she decided to shelve the later Taisho era uniforms that she had previously employed with her forces, and shift to Meiji style uniforms instead. She personally preferred the superfluous attire that the Generals of the Meiji era wore.

She also had stopped manufacturing her hydro-spring recoil operated artillery, which was based upon the type 38 75mm field gun. The reason being it was too complicated for her manufacturing capabilities to produce in large numbers. Because of this, she had transitioned to an earlier artillery design modelled after the British Armstrong gun. 

At the moment, her armies were the equivalent of the early Meiji Era armies employed by the Japanese Empire during her past life. This massive military buildup was all in the name of seizing control over the Korean Peninsula. Unfortunately, she was not ready yet. Her navy still needed to be finished before she could launch an invasion into the lands of the Joseon, and she also needed to conscript more troops. 

Though the enemy was severely outmatched by the capabilities of her army, she desired to have an army of at least a hundred thousand strong to march on the southern shores of Korea, and conquer it northward until it reached the borders of the Ming. Thus, she could only let out a sigh as she planned for the invasion of Korea on her map. 

The door to her room opened to reveal the face of General Shiba Kiyohiko, who was Itami Riyo's most trusted advisor. The man was slightly depressed as he sighed heavily before revealing his reason for visiting the young Empress in her war room. 

"Itami-sama, the Ming Dynasty, has sent a delegation. They wish to further discuss your desires to invade the Korean peninsula. They are waiting for you in the dining hall. Won't you please come down and speak to them?"

Itami immediately grunted in displeasure as she heard this. The last thing she needed was to entertain more guests. She was quick to dismiss these strangers who had dared to enter her palace without notice. 

"Tell them to leave and come back after they have given proper notice. I'm an empress, not a prostitute. They can't just drop by and expect me to entertain them for an evening." 

There was an awkward expression on Shiba's face when he heard this. He felt the need to clarify the prestige of the particular guest who was patiently waiting for the Empress's arrival. 

"Itami-sama, the Ming Delegation is led by an Imperial Prince..."

When Itami heard these words, she immediately changed her mind and sighed heavily before giving the General his orders.

"Tell him to give me ten... no, fifteen minutes to prepare. I highly doubt the Chinese would approve of me dressed in men's clothes."

Shiba instantly bowed to Itami before responding to her orders.

"I will relay your message..."

After saying that, the General left, leaving Itami in a state of depression. She was currently dressed in her Imperial Regalia, which was just a military uniform with her medals and honors plastered all over it. However, she had fifteen minutes to make herself look pretty for her guest, not because she gave a damn about his opinion, but because she knew men were easier to manipulate when they were fawning over a pretty girl. 

Thus, she quickly got dressed in something she had previously prepared for this specific circumstance. It was a white and red silk Hanfu in the fashion that would have been worn during the Tang Dynasty. Why did she prepare a Chinese dress from ancient history?

Well for two reasons, first, despite being Japanese she had to admit that the Hanfu, especially from that period, was more pretty than the Kimono. Secondly, it was to show her support of Chinese history and culture, so that the delegates would see her in a better light. 

After getting dressed in the lavish attire, she styled her hair into a pair of Chinese buns. Despite having such a hairstyle, her long white hair flowed elegantly down her back like a river of snow. Having finished styling her hair, Itami spent the remainder of her time working on her makeup, which was just enough to highlight her natural beauty.

Before walking down the stairs, she took one final look at herself in the mirror and forced a smile on her cherry red lips as she descended the staircase towards the dining hall.  The Ming Prince was in the middle of a conversation with General Shiba Kiyohiko about the legends of Itami's rise to power when she entered the room. 

"I hear your Empress is an impressive warrior. Interestingly enough, I myself have ample experience in the field. I can't wait to meet her." 

Shiba was about to reply when he caught the sight of Itami descending the stairs. She was more beautiful than he had ever seen her before. Normally she did not put in such effort for her appearance, and often wore male clothing. However, the busty albino's beauty was on full display as she entered the room with an ice cold expression on her face. 

The Ming Prince noticed that Shiba was acting strange and immediately turned around to witness the sight of the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on. Though he was already married, he had no greater desire in that moment than to make the Empress of Japan his concubine. His goals had shifted from informing the woman that his father had agreed to her request, to manipulating Itami into becoming his woman. He wore a handsome smile as he approached the woman. Itami took one look at the man and immediately thought in her mind a single phrase.

Another useless pretty boy

While the Ming Prince was extremely handsome, it was in a way that Itami found unappealing. His skin was extremely fair and as smooth as silk. His facial features were soft and round. Though he was fit, he was exceptionally lean. One might say the man represented the Chinese ideal of male beauty, but to Itami, who was accustomed from her past life with tall and handsome Caucasian men, he fell short of her personal ideal. 

In Itami's mind, someone like Berengar would be her ideal preference. A man who was tall and muscular, but not overly so. Someone who had fair skin with a pink pigment. Preferably with natural blonde or red hair, and blue or green eyes. He would also have to have a high and narrow face with a sturdy chin. As for his nose, she would prefer if it was straight and narrow. Thus it came as a surprise to the Ming Prince when Itami reacted without the slightest bit of attraction in her eyes. Instead, she greeted him as if he was just another guest. 

"Welcome, Prince of the Ming. I hope your stay in Heian-kyō has been a welcoming one. Please, sit, drink, and eat from the fruits of my land."

Itami sat down at the table before the man could even respond to her. She quickly ordered one of the servant girls to fetch her a bottle of sake while she waited patiently. The Ming Prince quickly sat down across from her with a forced smile on his face. This was the first time a woman had not fawned over him in his entire life, and he was not pleased about it. Still, this was a diplomatic visit and thus he introduced himself properly. 

"I am Prince Zhu Li. It is my greatest pleasure to meet the War Goddess of Japan. I have heard of your exploits, and must say that I am thoroughly impressed that a woman such of yourself is capable of such feats on the battlefield."

Itami did not break her stoic expression as she heard this. Though she wanted to scoff at the man's remark, she refrained from doing so for the sake of diplomatic negotiations. Instead, she looked him dead in the eye and questioned his own military record.

"I'm sorry, Prince Zhu, but I have not heard of your military exploits. Please enlighten me with your knowledge of war."

This remark slightly stung the man's ego. He was expecting Itami to crack under the pressure of his discerning gaze, but it appeared as if she could not care in the slightest that he didn't believe the rumors of her combat prowess were true. Instead, she called him out on his own service record. Which was not as great as he had previously boasted to the Japanese General.

In truth, he was the third prince of the Ming Dynasty, and his eldest brother was the most capable in terms of martial prowess and battlefield command. Instead, Zhu Li had seldom stepped foot on a battlefield, and when he did, it was so far back in the rear of his army that he never needed to unsheathe his sword. Despite this, he decided to woo the girl with tales of his gallantry, and thus claimed his brother's achievements as his own. 

"I'll have you know I am an accomplished battlefield commander. It was I who led my father's cavalry to defeat the Yeren, pushing them beyond the Liao river valley! My father, the Emperor, even commended me for it!"

When Itami heard this, she narrowed her blood-red eyes into a soul piercing gaze as she closely examined the Prince before responding to his remarks in a casual manner. 

"That's funny because I heard it was a man named Zhu Zhi who drove the Yeren north of the Liao river valley, but I guess my information must be incorrect, I mean you wouldn't lie to me during a diplomatic visit, now would you Prince Zhu?"

This remark immediately filled Zhu Li with embarrassment. He could not believe that this woman was playing with him the whole time. If she knew of his brother's exploits, then she most likely also knew that he himself did very little on the field of battle.

The Imperial Prince wanted more than anything to backhand Itami across the face for this insult, but noticed the guards were eying him fiercely while he clenched his fist in rage. He swore in his heart that by the end of the night, he would have Itami on her knees stripped naked and begging him for forgiveness. 

As for Itami, she wore a smug smile as the servers brought the food to the table. It would appear she was in for another long night of negotiations with an entitled jackass. She would have vastly preferred if a man of Zhu Zhi's caliber were to visit her instead of this chump. After all, they could share war stories over a few drinks, something she would vastly prefer over her current visitor. As for the negotiations with this entitled Prince, they had only just begun.