Yongli Ming Dynasty
Chapter 360 Crown Ship
Chapter 360 Crown Ship
Kumejima, at noon, five ships broke through the blue sea and slowly approached the port.
The harbor was crowded with people. Cai Jian, the assistant officer of Kume Village, had been waiting on the shore with the people of Kume Village.
The warship came to the shore, and more than a hundred soldiers got off the ship first. Cai Jian looked at the red cotton armor with copper nails on the soldiers, and his eyes were slightly fixed.
This was not the first time that Cai Jian welcomed the Ming Dynasty’s imperial ships. During the Hongguang and Longwu reigns, there were imperial ships from the Ming Dynasty that came to announce the imperial edict. However, the ships that came the two times before were completely different from this time.
After the Ming Dynasty banned maritime operations, the navy was abandoned. The Ming court built ships for Ryukyu as needed. For cost considerations, only one ship was usually built.
These sealed ships are usually tall and magnificent, used to promote the majesty of the country, but the three sealed ships in front of us are different from the previous ones.
The three sealed ships in the harbor looked more like the merchant ships of the Red Barbarians, with gun ports on their hulls and black gun muzzles extending from the ports to the outside of the hulls, giving people a chill at the sight of them.
Moreover, the personnel were not right. Although the previous ships that came to seal the emperor also had a large number of people, most of them were sailors or civil officials from the Ministry of Travel, or servants of sea merchants brought by the envoys who were enthroning the emperor.
The previous ships had never brought so many fully armed soldiers.
After the armored soldiers on the ship got off the warship, they lined up on both sides of the harbor. The Kume villagers who had come to watch the excitement on the shore looked at each other in bewilderment when they saw the silent armored soldiers. The crowd instantly quieted down.
After the soldiers disembarked, several men in blue and red official robes finally came down the gangway. Cai Jian recognized the Yunyan official robe on the leading man and his expression became more serious. He immediately went forward to greet him.
The Ming Dynasty was generally responsible for the canonization of the Ministry of Rites, and the director of the Ministry of Rites was only a minor official of the ninth rank. The envoys from the previous Longwu Dynasty were only military officers.
Cai Jian had never imagined that the envoy sent by the Ming Dynasty this time was actually a fourth-rank official in red robes.
"Kume Assistant Officer Cai Jian, I have met the angel from the upper country"
Zhu Zhiyu looked at the crowd surging on the shore and nodded. After hundreds of years of living, Kume Island has already bred a large population.
This is a good thing for Zhu Zhiyu and others. The more people there are on Kume Island, the more soldiers they will have available in the future.
"Mr. Cai, thank you for your courtesy. We are just stopping at Kume Island temporarily, not for the official enthronement. Why do we need to attract so many people to greet us?"
Cai Jian felt relieved when he saw Zhu Zhiyu's gentle face. The angel who came this time was not like the greedy warrior who came last time. He looked like a modest gentleman.
Cai Jian had some thoughts in his mind, but he didn't show any expression on his face. He immediately replied
"The overseas survivors have not seen the majesty of the Ming Dynasty for a long time. The people on the island knew that the angels had arrived, and they all came spontaneously, wanting to see the style of their homeland."
The two of them complimented each other, and then Cai Jian led Zhu Zhiyu and others towards Kume Castle.
Zhu Zhiyu walked forward, and nearly a hundred soldiers behind him followed him. Hundreds of soldiers marched in silence, and the onlookers were terrified and dispersed instantly.
Cai Jian looked at Zhu Zhiyu with embarrassment when he saw these armored soldiers holding swords, but Zhu Zhiyu seemed not to notice and just walked forward.
Cai Jian's heart sank slightly, and after hesitating for a moment, he finally did not dare to stop
Cai Jian walked quickly forward, leading Zhu Zhiyu and others towards the city, but the relaxation on his face had completely disappeared.
Zhu Zhiyu walked in Kume Castle, looking at the familiar houses and ancestral halls on both sides of the street, and couldn't help but whispered
"I never thought that I could see the scenery of the Central Plains thousands of miles away. If I hadn't just experienced the waves of the sea, I would have thought I was still in the country."
"Although we are isolated overseas, we dare not forget where our ancestors came from. The customs and food on Kume Island are similar to those in the Central Plains. This is also the family tradition passed down by our ancestors."
Zhu Zhiyu nodded and said
"Mr. Cai is right. Although the people of Kume Island live far away across the sea, we are of the same origin. The people of Kume are still the children of the Ming Dynasty after all."
Cai Jian looked at Zhu Zhiyu, who was smiling, but his heart suddenly sank. He vaguely realized that this Zhu Tianshi in front of him might be more difficult to deal with than the previous envoys.
The angels from the Hongguang and Longwu dynasties began to demand money when they arrived in Kume. This is what Cai Jian remembered the Ming angels to be like.
But the Zhu Tianshi in front of him was too enthusiastic about Kumejima. Not only did he personally talk to the people who came to greet him at the port to express his gratitude, he even refused to accept the silver that Kumejima had prepared for the envoy.
Cai Jian's face darkened. If this Zhu Tianshi was not a gentleman with a strict moral character, he must have other intentions.
Although Cai Jian felt that Zhu Tianshi had bad intentions, he remained calm at this time. The two parties walked forward and soon entered the Kume Island government office.
In the evening, the sky had completely darkened, and a welcoming banquet was being held in the Kume Castle government office.
In the hall, several women wearing bamboo hats and foreign costumes were dancing. The musicians beside them played the three-stringed instrument continuously, and the hall was bustling with activity.
At this time, after drinking for more than thirty minutes, the Cai family, Jin family, Lin family and other prominent gentry on Kume Island were all sitting in the hall to accompany Lin Cha and other members of the delegation to have a feast.
In front of the lobby, Zhu Zhiyu and Cai Jian were sitting at the table chatting. Cai Jian said respectfully
"I have already sent someone to Shuri to report to His Royal Highness the Prince of Ryukyu. Shuri should already be preparing to receive the imperial edict. In two or three days, Lord Zhu can go to Naha to announce the imperial edict and confer the title." Zhu Zhiyu put down his wine glass and spoke.
"There is no rush for this matter. The Ryukyu Kingdom can prepare slowly. Before the enthronement, I would like to ask Mr. Cai for help with something."
Cai Jian felt relieved when he heard this. He was not afraid that Zhu Zhiyu would make any request, but he was afraid that Zhu Zhiyu would not make any request.
These envoys from the Central Plains finally got a chance to go on a diplomatic mission to a foreign country. It was natural for them to smuggle private goods, and it was also common for them to ask for bribes. Which of these people was a good person?
"I am on a diplomatic mission to Ryukyu this time and I brought a hundred dan of raw silk with me. I wonder if Kumejima is interested in taking over this batch of silk."
Cai Jian's eyes lit up when he heard this. Raw silk was the most in-demand product in Japan, and there was no problem finding a market for it. If he could buy this batch of raw silk, he could make several times the profit by selling it in Japan.
But then a trace of regret flashed across Cai Jian's eyes, and he said
"Master Zhu, you may not know that the country has already stipulated that the goods carried by the sealed ships shall be purchased by the court."
"The people of our country are not allowed to buy without permission. If Lord Zhu wants to sell raw silk, someone will come to take care of it after we arrive in Shuri."
Zhu Zhiyu shook his head and said
"The imperial court has rewarded me in the sealed ship, but I own these 100 dan of silk goods, and I am unwilling to sell them to the Ryukyu County King."
"Why?"
Zhu Zhiyu looked at Cai Jian, who looked puzzled, chuckled, and said
"Since Shuri has received the news that the Ming Dynasty is coming to confer the title, the Japanese-sent officer should already be waiting in Shuri Castle."
"The silk I brought this time is all the best from Jiangnan, which is also a top-quality treasure in Ming Dynasty."
"If we sell it to the Ryukyu Prince, then these silk goods will fall into the hands of the Japanese Crown Ship Commissioner."
"Before I set out to sea, I asked the merchants in my country. This batch of Suzhou silk is tribute silk from the court. If it is transported to Japan, it can be sold ten times the price easily."
"I don't want to give away such a precious item to the Japanese for nothing. Compared to letting the Japanese profit, I would rather let Mr. Cai, a family member, make money."
Cai Jian was stunned when he heard this, but then his face changed drastically. How could Zhu Zhiyu know about Guanchuan Fengxing!
The Ming Dynasty called the ships that went to Ryukyu and other foreign countries "fengzhou", while the Ryukyu people called the ships from the Ming Dynasty "guanzhou".
These ships that came to confer the title would carry the crown, robes and clothes bestowed by the Ming Dynasty on the new king, so they were called crown ships.
The Ming Dynasty usually conferred titles on new kings only once every ten years. In order to show the power of the country, the Ming Dynasty would often bring a large number of items to reward the new king.
These gifts that came with the ship were generally expensive fine goods, some of which were even used by the royal family, especially the royal items of the Ming Dynasty. As long as the origin of these royal items could be confirmed, each one could be sold at a sky-high price in Japan.
In addition to the gifts bestowed by the Ming imperial family, the envoys who were on board would also take the opportunity to bring a large number of goods from the Central Plains to Ryukyu to sell for profit.
After Satsuma took control of Ryukyu, it not only controlled the tribute ships in Ryukyu, but also set its sights on these valuable Ming crown ships.
In order to prevent the Ryukyu royal family from hiding these expensive gifts privately, Satsuma would send a ship commissioner to Shuri before the Ming Dynasty's ships arrived.
After arriving in Shuri, these ship magistrates would be responsible for monitoring and recording the rare goods brought on board. They would also assign specific personnel to purchase the goods from the Central Plains brought by the accompanying envoys in the name of the Ryukyu court.
In order to prevent the Ming envoys from discovering their whereabouts, these ship officials would grow their hair in a bun, wear Ryukyu costumes, and disguise themselves as Ryukyu officials.
The Kume clan has been responsible for Ryukyu's tribute affairs for generations, so Cai Jian knew about the Guansen Bugyo.
Even many officials in Ryukyu didn't know about the Guansen Bugyo. How could Zhu Zhiyu, a foreign envoy, know about the Guansen Bugyo?
Cai Jian stood up from the table and looked at the smiling man beside him with horror. Seeing Cai Jian's expression change drastically, Kume Shiren was also shocked.
(End of this chapter)
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