My father is Chongzhen? Then I have no choice but to rebel.

Chapter 344 What? Japan is also going to participate in Emperor Chongzhen's birthday celebration?

Once only the father and son remained, Zheng Chenggong asked directly:

"Father, what brings you here so suddenly? Shouldn't you be stationed in the Fujian area?"

Zheng Chenggong was filled with doubts; he didn't understand why his father would come to Pi Island at this time.

Of course, this matter cannot be blamed on him, because the imperial court considered that Pi Island was too far away from the Ming Dynasty, so it did not inform the generals of Pi Island about Chongzhen's birthday celebration, and only wanted them to stay here and guard the island with peace of mind!

Zheng Zhilong naturally knew the inside story, but he also knew that this matter probably couldn't be kept secret.

Since the envoys he brought had all disembarked, anyone who wasn't stupid would know that something big must have happened at the imperial court.

Rather than letting them overthink, it's better to just make things clear.

Therefore, Zheng Zhilong then said with a smile:

"What else could it be for? Of course, it's to welcome envoys from various countries, including the Korean envoy, to the Ming Dynasty to attend His Majesty's birthday celebration."

Immediately afterwards, Zheng Zhilong explained the main mission of the trip.

Upon hearing this, Zheng Chenggong suddenly realized why Zheng Zhilong had suddenly appeared on Pi Island.

Zheng Chenggong then laughed and said:
“In that case, I will send word tomorrow that the King of Joseon should send envoys and tribute to accompany Father to the Ming Dynasty.”

"In addition, I will prepare some congratulatory gifts tomorrow, and Father, please help me send them back to the Ming Dynasty."

Although Zheng Zhilong had just said that the reason the court did not inform the generals of Pi Island about this matter was so that they could stay here and not be distracted by these things.

But since Zheng Chenggong already knew about this matter, he could not possibly pretend that nothing had happened, so he would definitely send this birthday gift.

Upon hearing this, Zheng Zhilong first shook his head helplessly, then smiled and said:

"Do you need to tell me such a small thing? I have already prepared your gift. Not only your gift, but also the gifts for your other brothers."

It must be said that Zheng Zhilong was very thoughtful. He knew that now that his sons had been granted official positions, it was time for them to show their faces in front of Emperor Chongzhen and Emperor Zhu Cilang, so he prepared congratulatory gifts for each of them.

After a pause, Zheng Zhilong continued:
"But you should also inform your other generals about this, and have them prepare some congratulatory gifts as well."

"If that's not enough, I have some extra here, so give them a share as well."

"After all, you are isolated overseas, so you should always maintain contact with His Majesty and the Crown Prince."

Zheng Zhilong's words were entirely for the sake of the other military generals, since it would never hurt to maintain good relations with Emperor Chongzhen and Zhu Cilang.

Of course, this was also for Zheng Chenggong's benefit. As long as Zheng Chenggong informed the other generals of this news, the other generals would inadvertently owe Zheng Chenggong a favor.

Although the generals would learn of this as the foreign envoys disembarked, let's not forget that their gifts still relied on Zheng Zhilong to transport them safely to the capital.

Therefore, this favor will ultimately be attributed to Zheng Chenggong.

Zheng Chenggong had naturally considered this point as well, and then quickly and solemnly nodded, saying:
"Father, rest assured, I will inform others about this shortly."

Immediately afterwards, Zheng Zhilong added:

"In addition, I am here to pick up the Jurchen envoys and take them to the Ming Dynasty. The Ming envoys should have already arrived in the Jurchen capital. If nothing unexpected happens, they will arrive at Pi Island in the next few days."

Zheng Chenggong frowned, then said somewhat uncertainly:
"The Jurchens suffered a great loss at our hands not long ago, so I'm afraid they won't attend His Majesty's birthday celebration, will they?"

Zheng Zhilong sneered:

“It’s not up to them. If they don’t come, I will negotiate with them. As long as the Jurchens aren’t stupid, they’ll know what to do.”

Zheng Zhilong was still very confident in his current abilities. He believed that the Jurchens would absolutely not dare to offend the Ming Dynasty under the current circumstances.

After all, the Jurchens no longer had any naval forces, and even their shipyards, which could manufacture ships, had been destroyed by Zheng Zhilong.

Therefore, they are truly helpless when facing the Ming Dynasty's navy and can only passively defend on the shore.

Furthermore, with Zu Dashou and Zu Dabi stationed in Liaodong, the Jurchens would absolutely not dare to cause any trouble; they could only obediently follow the Ming Dynasty's demands.

Zheng Chenggong smiled and nodded upon hearing this, feeling a surge of joy in his heart.

He knew that as time went on, the Ming Dynasty's advantage over the Jurchens would become more and more obvious, and the day when they could recover their lost territory was not far off.

After a few cups of tea, Zheng Zhilong seemed to remember something and then said to Zheng Chenggong:
"Oh, right, there's something else I feel I need to tell you, it's about something in Japan."

Zheng Chenggong was taken aback upon hearing this.

"Japan? Why is Father suddenly bringing this up?"

Zheng Zhilong then slowly said:

"Before I set off, His Highness the Crown Prince specifically instructed me to keep an eye on the movements in Japan and, if possible, to obtain some useful information."

"Therefore, I made a special trip to Japan to gather information, and I also brought your younger brother from Japan with me."

“He grew up there and is more familiar with the inside story of Japan. I’ll have him explain it to you in detail later.”

When Zheng Chenggong heard "his younger brother in Japan," his face showed a momentary look of surprise, but he quickly regained his composure and nodded.
"I know, kid."

Zheng Chenggong's younger brother was named Tagawa Shichizaemon. He and Zheng Chenggong were full brothers, and their ages were less than two years apart.

Although he bore the Japanese surname "Tagawa," he was more devoted to the Ming Dynasty than many Han Chinese.

The origin of this surname is that his father, Zheng Zhilong, adopted him into his wife Tianchuan's family.

As he grew up, he became the Zheng family's plenipotentiary representative in Japan, and oversaw Sino-Japanese trade for a long time.

For many years, they transported scarce materials from Japan, such as sulfur and samurai swords, to the Ming Dynasty via merchant ships, and sold silk and tea from Jiangnan to Nagasaki.

Even after Zheng Chenggong raised the banner of resistance against the Qing Dynasty, Tagawa Shichizaemon always secretly provided strong support, continuously sending manpower and supplies to his brother, and doing his best to maintain the lifeline of maritime trade.

Even when faced with the Tokugawa Shogunate's policy of national isolation, he tried every means to negotiate until Japan closed its borders again, at which point the trade route that had supported the Zheng family's resistance against the Qing Dynasty gradually fell silent.

It can be said that Tagawa Shichizaemon also made significant contributions to supporting Zheng Chenggong's resistance against the Qing Dynasty. Although he had a Japanese name, he was more like a Han Chinese than some Han Chinese!

However, Zheng Chenggong had not seen his younger brother for over ten years, so he was inevitably surprised to hear about this.

Although Zheng Zhilong also noticed this, he then said:
“Although you brothers haven’t seen each other for more than ten years, you are still brothers from the same mother, so you should keep in touch more often.”

"He has started to take control of the Zheng family's trade in Japan in recent years, and he will definitely be of great use to you in the future!"

Zheng Chenggong quickly responded:

"Father, rest assured, I understand!"

The next second, Zheng Zhilong suddenly laughed again:

"Speaking of which, there's something interesting. Although Japan has closed its doors and practiced isolationism, it has still sent an envoy this time, saying that it wants to congratulate His Majesty on his birthday."

Zheng Chenggong raised an eyebrow in surprise:
Why would they suddenly join in this fun?

"It's all because of the Battle of Songjin before."

Zheng Zhilong picked up his teacup, took a sip, and spoke with a hint of sarcasm.

"That battle was too large, with a total of a million soldiers fighting on both sides. When the news reached Japan, it terrified them."

"I heard that the old guys in the Shogunate have been scheming for months before they finally figured out the weight of the Ming Dynasty. Now that they know His Majesty is going to celebrate his birthday, they've sent people here eagerly, hoping to use the birthday celebration to probe our strength."

Zheng Zhilong shook his head as he spoke, his eyes full of disdain.

"Isn't it ridiculous? They usually keep the port as sealed off as an iron barrel, but now they're trying to curry favor with people."

"In my opinion, they are afraid that the Ming Dynasty will take action against them, so they are trying to make good to them first."

"After all, the relationship between the Ming Dynasty and Japan wasn't very good before!"

That's true. The relationship between the Ming Dynasty and Japan has never been very good; in fact, it could be described as quite bad!

As early as the mid-16th century, Japan colluded with Portuguese merchants and Chinese pirates to form a large-scale smuggling ring.

Based in Kyushu and Tsushima Island in Japan, they frequently raided the southeastern coastal areas of the Ming Dynasty, including Zhejiang, Fujian, and Guangdong.

Even during the "Renwu Rebellion" in 1555, the 34th year of the Jiajing reign, they penetrated deep into the interior, their military force reaching as far as the vicinity of Nanjing.

These Japanese pirates burned, killed, and looted, leaving the coastal people's homes in ruins. Countless people were displaced and their lives were miserable, forcing the Ming Dynasty to strengthen its coastal defenses with all its might.

In 1592, the 20th year of the Wanli Emperor's reign, the ambitious Toyotomi Hideyoshi attempted to use Korea as a springboard to conquer the Ming Dynasty. He then launched an invasion of Korea with an army of 150,000, an event known as the Imjin War.

Faced with this situation, Joseon sought help from the Ming Dynasty. Emperor Shenzong of Ming dispatched generals such as Li Rusong and Deng Zilong to lead troops into Joseon, and the two sides engaged in a protracted war that lasted for six years.

The Battle of Noryang in 1598 eventually broke out, in which the combined forces of the Ming Dynasty and Korea annihilated the Japanese fleet. It was only after Toyotomi Hideyoshi died that the Japanese army retreated in haste.

In short, Japan has always coveted the Ming Dynasty, and whenever they have the chance, they will pounce on it and try to tear off a piece of its flesh.

This was also the main reason why Zhu Cilang asked Zheng Zhilong to investigate the situation in Japan. After all, as a time traveler, he knew all too well how much threat and harm Japan would pose to China in the future!
Therefore, after dealing with Li Zicheng and the Jurchens, Japan became Zhu Cilang's next target!

After all, if we didn't fight Japan, we would be letting down all those innocent people who died in vain!
Getting back to the main point, after hearing Zheng Zhilong's words, Zheng Chenggong suddenly asked with a somewhat probing tone:
"Father, do you think His Highness the Crown Prince's sudden concern for Japan means he might be planning to take action against Japan?"

Zheng Zhilong first touched his chin, then shook his head.

"It's hard to say. After all, the internal and external troubles of the Ming Dynasty have not been completely resolved yet. The Jurchens are still eyeing us covetously, and the remnants of the bandits have not been eliminated. Therefore, it is absolutely not advisable to cause any trouble at this time."

"However, over the years, Japan has frequently harassed the Ming Dynasty. Any ambitious monarch would not have let it go unchecked."

"Even if His Majesty doesn't take action against Japan, I estimate that once His Highness the Crown Prince ascends the throne, he will take action against Japan!"

"If we were to really take action against Japan, the location of Pi Island would be extremely important."

As Zheng Zhilong spoke, he suddenly pointed southeast.

"Starting from here, with the help of ocean currents, we can reach Kyushu Island, Japan in less than ten days. It's a natural springboard, offering both offensive and defensive advantages."

Upon hearing this, Zheng Chenggong felt the pressure on his shoulders increase even further.

He originally thought that holding Pi Island and containing the Jurchens would be enough, but now it seems that this small island may have to bear a heavier burden in the future.

Then Zheng Chenggong straightened his back and looked at Zheng Zhilong in a deep voice, replying:
"Father, rest assured, your son understands how heavy the burden on his shoulders is!"

Zheng Zhilong nodded with a look of relief.

Because he had to wait for Li Dingguo and his entourage and the Jurchen envoys, Zheng Zhilong stayed on Pi Island for several days.

In the past few days, the once quiet island has suddenly become lively.

The envoys from various countries were all wealthy and powerful, and as soon as they landed, they began to search for local specialties.

Whether it's sable fur from Liaodong, ginseng from Korea, or dried abalone and shark fin from Pi Island, as long as it catches their eye, they'll readily throw out their silver to buy it without even flinching.

The island's inhabitants were initially stunned by the sheer amount of silver thrown out by these wealthy tycoons, but then, like sparks ignited, every household sprang into action.

The elderly brought out their best dried seafood, while the men took out their finest leather goods. Even the young children carried baskets and hawked local specialties. Despite all this, their goods were quickly snapped up by the envoys.

This was not because these envoys had too much money to spend, but because in ancient times, tribute was actually accompanied by trade. After they brought these goods to the Ming Dynasty and resold them, they could make at least three to five times the profit!

Then they would use that money to buy silks, satins, tea, and porcelain from the Ming Dynasty, and after shipping them to their own countries, they would make five or even ten times the profit.

In other words, no matter how much money they spend now, they can earn at least ten times the profit in the future!

In this way, Pied Island suddenly became a trading center!
The news spread like wildfire, quickly reaching North Korea, which is just across the sea.

In just two or three days, more than a dozen small cargo ships swayed and wobbled as they docked at Pi Island's pier, piled high with all sorts of local specialties.

The crowd consisted of ordinary Koreans who had come upon hearing the news. They spoke various broken languages ​​and gesticulated wildly as they bargained with the envoys, filling the open space by the dock to the brim.

(End of this chapter)