The samurai of the Houjou family had become completely deaf and blind, leaving Shimoda Harbor and the docks as the turf of the Wanjin people. Soon, a large number of dock laborers slipped into the ranks of the Wanjin, boarding Wanjin merchant ships to receive weapons. Considering that reinforcements were as crucial as putting out a fire, some merchant ships, short on time to unload cargo, simply tossed their heavy, clumsy goods overboard to lighten the ship and pick up speed.
Afterwards, as soon as these merchant ships were ready, they immediately clustered into tight groups, one after another dashing toward the open sea.
This sparked another round of amazed discussion among the Houjou family samurai. They felt that the Wanjin merchant ships were surprisingly well-trained, at least keeping proper battle formation and order—unlike what they'd imagined, where they'd all swarm out in chaos, likely crashing into one another and sinking a few by their own hand.
