Ancestors, please don't crawl out again.

Chapter 188 The Ghost of Tsushima

After leaving Maolu Mountain, the immortal continued his inspection tour in the southwest. As his mobile palace traveled upstream along the Yangtze River, the chieftains summoned along the way all knelt before him, expressing their submission with trepidation and fear.

Of course, the immortals were also very lenient towards them.

In fact, the Celestial Venerable allowed them to continue ruling their subjects as chieftains. The Celestial Venerable even promised them that as long as they were loyal to the new dynasty, abided by the laws of the new dynasty, paid their taxes honestly, and accepted the call to serve the country when the new dynasty needed them, they could be chieftains for generations.

The immortals protect their hereditary rule.

Reforming local chieftains and replacing them with centrally appointed officials?

Don't worry!
Will not.

The Immortal said so.

Of course, they must abide by the law, especially to protect the newly registered households in their jurisdiction, as this is their duty.

Now he was truly seen as a wise and benevolent ruler by the chieftains.

Many chieftains even danced with excitement, then invited the divine tablet of the immortal to their own territory, ordering their subjects to worship it for generations. Of course, they also used this opportunity to let their subjects know that their rule was recognized by the immortal, and that these unruly people should obediently accept their family's rule for generations! Anyway, all we need to do in the future is serve the court well, and pay the full amount of taxes every year, since it's all squeezed from the subjects anyway. When the court registers households to do business, we'll serve them, since we'll always get a share.

Then they can ride on the heads of their subjects for generations and enjoy wealth and glory. As for the subjects not being able to stand it, well, their territory isn't covered. If they can't stand it, they can just come out and register as commoners!
So, among the crowd cheering and worshipping the immortal, there joined the chieftains, big and small, who worshipped even more devoutly.

Meanwhile, in the regions that had already completed militia formation, the selected worshippers were flocking to the Chong Sheng Palace, which was under construction for the immortal.

Of course, it wasn't built at the request of the Celestial Venerable.

However, even immortals cannot live without their own palaces in the mortal realm, so the people naturally had to build them for them.

As for the location of the Chong Sheng Palace, due to fierce competition among various regions, to avoid conflict, and at the suggestion of the Immortal Venerable's attendants, it was ultimately chosen to be located on the relatively central Dabie Mountains, specifically at the highest peak, Baima Peak. These pilgrims will act as builders, participating in the construction of the Chong Sheng Palace. Once the palace is completed, the Immortal Venerable will conclude his inspection tour and reside there. Under his personal supervision, these pilgrims will also finalize the new dynasty's name, capital, and court structure, including the selection of the new emperor. The method of emperor selection will follow the Immortal Venerable's suggestion: candidates will be nominated from various regions, examined by the Immortal Venerable, and the final candidates will be chosen by drawing lots…

The chosen one.

Drawing lots sounds awful.

There's no such thing as an emperor being chosen by drawing lots.

This is called being chosen by God; what you seize is destiny.

Then he could begin his theoretically thirty-year term.

If someone dies unexpectedly before their 30-year term expires, a new round of elections will begin. However, if something unexpected happens, there will definitely be a need for someone to lead the country in the short term.

Of course, these details need to be discussed later.

Macao.

Zhang Tingyu looked sadly at the dock that was receding into the distance.

He's going to flee again.

He was forced to wander on his ancestral lands, and he wandered again and again.

After escaping a calamity in Zhoushan, he followed the British, who lost three ships there. Although the Heavenly Army's cannons were indeed ineffective against warships, Zhoushan wasn't only home to these cannons; it already possessed a large number of cannons for coastal defense. The Heavenly Army cannons killed the British gunners, and then the surrendered Qing troops in Zhoushan used their cannons to sink these defenseless armed merchant ships. As for the British, they were actually invited north by the Qing Emperor in Hangzhou. Of course, in reality, it was the gentry of Jiangsu and Zhejiang who wanted to bypass Guangzhou and trade directly with them. So they contacted them in Guangzhou, and the East India Company fleet, naturally also hoping to trade directly with Jiangsu and Zhejiang, happily headed north.

The whole matter didn't need to go through His Majesty the Emperor or a few Grand Secretaries or Ministers to discuss it; even an imperial edict could be issued on his behalf.

Unexpectedly, the Qing emperor had already perished by the time they arrived in Zhoushan. They also ran into the Heavenly Army landing there, and a battle ensued by chance. The British, having suffered losses, quickly fled. Zhang Tingyu and the bondservant who had been rescued and brought aboard remained on their ship. The British retreating from Zhoushan first reached Fujian, but the Heavenly Army arrived shortly after. The Fujian gentry readily surrendered. Having already fought in Zhoushan, the Heavenly Army showed them no mercy, and some British traders in Fuzhou were directly targeted.

Upon learning the news, the East India Company fleet had no choice but to flee again.

They fled all the way to Macau, but not long after, Guangdong also surrendered to the Heavenly Army. Then the Heavenly Army that arrived in Guangzhou took back Macau as well.

The Portuguese knelt on the ground, bowing and scraping, welcoming the heavenly army to protect them, but the governor appointed by Goa was hanged on the spot.

Of course, the Portuguese had no complaints.

Hang him however you want; they're annoyed by this kind of representative of royal power anyway.

But the British had no choice but to continue their escape.

"Fearful on the beach of Huang Kong, lonely in the Ling Ding Ocean."

Zhang Tingyu recited a sorrowful poem.

At this moment, he was truly filled with sorrow.

"Your Excellency, we have received information that your new emperor is currently in Korea and has issued an edict through the King of Korea, requesting his subjects from all regions to come to Korea."

The Englishman who was in charge of receiving him walked up to him and said.

The British still valued him highly, mainly because the bondservant had boasted that he was a prince of the Qing Dynasty and that he was a minister who had followed him into exile. Obviously, even if he fantasized, he wouldn't dare to imagine that he was a prince. However, the British weren't stupid. They knew that the bondservant was exaggerating, but it was probably true that they were high-ranking officials and nobles of the Qing Dynasty. After all, Zhang Tingyu was quite knowledgeable, and the bondservant was very familiar with the rules of the palace. He could easily fool them with his words.

The British are also in a bind, because of the conflict in Zhoushan, they are unable to conduct trade at all. This trip is basically a loss. Under these circumstances, taking two fallen nobles back with them can at least fool them a little.

After all, the top brass of the East India Company probably also liked these stories of fallen nobles. They could just add some hype and that would be enough to fool them.

"Your Majesty the Emperor? Which Your Majesty the Emperor?"

Zhang Tingyu was taken aback for a moment, then instinctively asked.

But he quickly realized that it was impossible for Yinzhi to go to Korea; the only one who could go was the Fourth Prince.

His eyes lit up instantly, and he grabbed the Englishman without hesitation.

"Quickly, send me to Korea. That's the Fourth Prince. He'll give you everything you want. He's our most brilliant prince."

He shouted anxiously.

The British were taken aback.

At the same time, the bunker also heard it, but his reaction was different.

“Don’t listen to him. The Emperor is in Xi’an. You send me to Burma, and I will take your envoys from Burma to Sichuan and then to Xi’an. Everything you want can be transported from Yunnan to Burma.”

He shouted hurriedly.

This is what he's been using to fool the British.

Without hesitation, Zhang Tingyu turned around, drew the Englishman's sword, and plunged it directly into the chest of the bondservant.

"You dog of a servant, you're nothing but a bondservant, yet you dare to impersonate your master. You're just afraid of being executed by His Majesty in Korea."

he shouted.

"So he was just a slave?" the Englishman said calmly.

“Boatwomen of the Imperial Household Department, slaves of His Majesty the Emperor, who do business for His Majesty the Emperor.”

As Zhang Tingyu spoke, he drew his sword and handed it back to the Englishman.

The latter took the sword and looked at the fallen Bao Yi who was spitting blood.

"I also think he doesn't look like a prince."

He shrugged and said.

“Send me to Korea. The new emperor is the most brilliant prince. All you want is trade, but they will no longer trade with you. That immortal is a demon who claims to be a god. He has executed all the missionaries and will not accept your friendship. In his eyes, you are all heretics. No matter what you do, you cannot change that. But our new emperor will treat you as friends. You can use his place as a trading port, and the coastal areas will smuggle goods to you. That's what the coastal gentry did during the Ming Dynasty. Your trade will continue to prosper.”

Not only am I a minister of the imperial court, but my father was also a prime minister. My family has countless familiar friends and even in-laws along the coast.

His Majesty the Emperor will grant you a place to trade.

My ministers and I, along with those who serve the emperor, will help you contact coastal gentry to facilitate smuggling.

But you should share some of your profits with us, and we will buy cannons and muskets from you. Together we will fight that demon, and if the Qing Dynasty can reclaim its lost lands, all our trade will belong to you.”

Zhang Tingyu said.

"Of course, I am a devout believer, and it is my duty to eliminate the devil."

The Englishman said with a smile.

Then they walked together toward the cabin.

The unfortunate corporal lay sprawled on the deck, blood gushing from his mouth, his hand trembling as he reached out. Two sailors walked over to him, each grabbing one arm, and dragged him to the gunwale, pulling him outwards with all their might…

"Your Highness, have a pleasant journey."

The two men watched him fly off the ship's side and then said with schadenfreude.

And right now.

Tsushima Island.

Susaura.

Jin, a low-ranking samurai of the Tsushima Domain, is currently engaged in a bloody battle.

On the beach before him, warships had already aground, and soldiers with tassels on their heads and cloth armor were being pushed ashore like garbage by the tide, surging towards him in droves. He and a dozen or so lower-ranking samurai, along with over a hundred foot soldiers, were desperately and futilely resisting them. His spear had broken, so he had to switch to a katana, but unfortunately, it was truly useless.

"Gentlemen, fight to the bitter end! Reinforcements will arrive soon."

He roared.

Then he slashed his katana at the enemy's chest.

The latter was pushed backward by the force of his knife strike and then fell down, but then he tore open the fabric in front of his chest and looked at the iron plate embedded inside, which was not even deformed.

Then he smiled smugly.

Without hesitation, he got up, holding a mace in his hand, and looked down at Ren with his height, which was more than a head taller than Ren's.

The latter was well aware of the skill gap between them, but his family's swordsmanship gave him enough confidence. He leaped around like a monkey, constantly changing positions around his opponent. The latter was clearly struggling to keep up; this Dao Yi was obviously not good at hand-to-hand combat. Thinking of this, Ren was filled with confidence. He seized an opportunity and suddenly slashed at his opponent's waist.

The latter fell down again.

Ren reacted extremely quickly, suddenly swinging his knife again.

But the mace in the latter's hand struck his leg. Although it was blocked by the armor, the force of the impact still made Ren scream and fall to his knees.

He lunged forward as he knelt down, slamming into his opponent.

But the latter grabbed his neck and threw him out. He was a vegetarian all year round, and as a lower-ranking samurai, he didn't eat much. His body was less than 1.5 meters tall and rather thin. Ultimately, his natural defects could not be made up for, so he was thrown out by his opponent in a shameful way.

Then he crashed heavily onto the beach.

Dao Yi then stood up, looking at him with obvious fatigue.

"This little rascal is quite good at scratching."

said the latter.

Of course, Ren couldn't understand what he was saying.

Jin struggled to his feet, raising his katana.

The latter suddenly roared and rammed into him. His knife also fell, but as it struck his opponent's shoulder, the opponent's shoulder slammed into his chest. The next moment, he was sent flying backward, spitting out a mouthful of blood before even landing, and then crashing to the ground again. But this time he couldn't get up. He lay there, blood gushing from his mouth, watching his opponent approach. The latter was also injured, but could still hold on, since his previous attacks hadn't actually broken through his defenses. The knife-wielding man walked up to him, straddled him, and swung his fist, delivering a powerful punch to his head.

Ren's head was knocked to the side, but at that moment, he saw reinforcements, and not just reinforcements.

He was his lord.

Yoshikata Hara, the lord of the Fuchu Domain in Tsushima, arrived on horseback, wearing his ancestral helmet and accompanied by numerous samurai and foot soldiers.

The opponent also saw this scene, but he did not get up, perhaps because he was exhausted. Sitting on Ren, he stared in astonishment at Yuan Yifang's uniquely designed helmet.

"My lord, my lord!"

Ren struggled and reached out his hand to his lord.

then……

His lord suddenly dismounted.

"Your subject Yuan Yifang respectfully welcomes the royal army. I was unaware of the royal army's arrival and am late in welcoming you. I humbly beg the royal army's forgiveness."

Yoshikata Hara, the lord of the Fuchu Domain in Tsushima, knelt on the ground and kowtowed to the soldiers who were slaughtering his subjects, speaking with utmost respect.

Of course, he also had another identity: the commander of Tsushima appointed by North Korea.

Throughout the Tokugawa Shogunate, the Tsushima Domain essentially operated as both a daimyo of Japan and a local official in Korea, thereby gaining trading rights and acting as a middleman between Korea and Japan. Strictly speaking, this situation continued until the Meiji Restoration. Therefore, it's not wrong for the local officials of Korea to welcome the Qing army; the fault lies with the samurai led by Jin, who lacked a sense of propriety and illegally resisted, preventing the Qing army from achieving its objectives.

Ren stood there dumbfounded, tilting his head, watching his lord kneel so humbly before the enemy.

Finally, he closed his eyes in sorrow.

(End of this chapter)