My Portable Ming Dynasty

Chapter 314 Passion Never Cools
February of the fifth year of the Longqing reign.

Luo Wanhua's seat in the newspaper office was empty.

These days, Luo Wanhua has been busy with matters concerning the "Yuefu Xinbao" newspaper.

Following Su Ze's advice, Luo Wanhua planned to expand the editorial department of "Yuefu Xinbao" and write several in-depth articles to boost the newspaper's sales.

However, this first step encountered problems.

The reason is simple: no money.

Logically speaking, the Yuefu Xinbao was the newspaper with the largest circulation in the Ming Dynasty, and it also had a guaranteed income from official subscriptions, so it should not have been short of money.

However, having enjoyed the benefits of the official gazette, the *Yuefu Xinbao* also had to bear the obligations of an official gazette.

As an official gazette, the *Yuefu Xinbao* was required to cover as many of the major cities of the Ming Dynasty as possible, just like the *Dibao* (official gazette).

If we consider cities like Beijing, Zhigu, and Jiangnan, the Yuefu Xinbao would naturally be profitable.

However, if other cities are included, the Yuefu Xinbao newspaper can only be considered to break even.

Moreover, as an official newspaper, Luo Wanhua was unwilling to earn money by publishing advertisements like private newspapers such as the Commercial Daily.

In addition, the Yuefu Xinbao newspaper offered the most generous royalties and had the most pages, so the newspaper's account never had much of a surplus.

Faced with a shortage of editors, Luo Wanhua also used the same method Su Ze had used when he founded the newspaper—hiring freebies.

He managed to gather some fellow graduates from his class in the capital, thanks to his status as the top scholar in the imperial examination.

Luo Wanhua first recruited Zhao Zhigao, who was the third-ranked scholar in the same year.

In addition, there was Yu Shenxing, a second-class Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination), who also stayed in the Hanlin Academy as an official through the selection process.

In addition to the two Hanlin scholars, Luo Wanhua also recruited five other scholars who were serving in the Six Ministries and the Censorate, and they actually set up this editorial department.

Even Shen Yiguan, who always prided himself on his good interpersonal relationships, was puzzled.

Seeing that Luo Wanhua was not there, Shen Yiguan said while drinking tea:
"Brother Zilin, Brother Yifu usually doesn't attend gatherings of people from the same year, yet he managed to get so many people to help him with the work?"

Su Ze smiled and said:

"Brother Jianwu, do you not understand why those classmates are willing to work for Brother Yifu for free without pay?"

Shen Yiguan nodded repeatedly.

Su Ze's "signature skill" is his ability to get people to work for him willingly.

Shen Yiguan probably thought that Luo Wanhua had obtained the "secret manual" privately passed down by Su Ze and had also learned this skill.

Shen Yiguan naturally envied this skill.

Su Ze smiled and said:

“Brother Jianwu, don’t overthink it. Brother Yifu was able to gather so many fellow graduates out of a sense of justice.”

"Justice?"

Su Ze asked:

"Do you know what this article that Brother Yifu is busy with is about?"

Shen Yiguan shook his head.

Su Ze said seriously:

"Brother Yifu is currently writing a report on miners in Fangshan County."

“Since the reopening of mines in Fangshan, both government-run and private mines have become increasingly popular. However, mine accidents in Fangshan County have been frequent, and the local government has repeatedly concealed these accidents.”

"Brother Yifu and several of his classmates sneaked into Fangshan County. Due to improper mining practices at the Fangshan official mine, a gas explosion occurred, killing ten miners. The local county government not only helped the mine supervisor cover up the incident by not reporting it to the Ministry of Works, but also arrested several family members of the deceased who were preparing to go to the capital to file a complaint."

"If this is the case with government-run mines, then private mines are even more terrifying."

“A private mine in Fangshan enslaved its miners, imprisoning 23 miners in the mine.”

"In order to prevent the miners from escaping, the owner of this private mine went so far as to tie the miners up with ropes. Later, a gas explosion occurred in the mine, and 23 miners who had a chance to escape perished inside the mine because they were trapped by the ropes."

"When the magistrate of Fangshan County received the news, he only shut down the private mine and did not hold the mine owner accountable at all."

Upon hearing this, Shen Yiguan couldn't help but slam his fist on the table and say:
"Outrageous! Under the very nose of the emperor, in broad daylight! How could such a crime occur in Fangshan County!"

Shen Yiguan continued, "Wait, Brother Zilin, do you mean that Brother Yifu was able to get his fellow graduate to work for him without pay because he wanted to promote justice in the newspaper?"

Su Ze nodded.

Su Ze and his group of classmates were still considered newcomers to officialdom.

In the words of the original timeline, these people "still have hot blood."

As officials, they were expected to bring benefits to the people in their jurisdictions. The people Luo Wanhua selected from among his peers also wanted to do something for the country.

Newspapers can become battlefields, and pens and knives can be used as weapons to expose the injustices of the world, to speak out against injustice, and to seek justice for the dead.

Su Ze nodded, and Shen Yiguan also sighed.

He and Luo Wanhua are not the same kind of people, and he cannot use this kind of idealism to gather like-minded people. It seems that he cannot learn Luo Wanhua's methods.

After finishing discussing Luo Wanhua's matter, Shen Yiguan brought up the matter of the Military Supervisory Bureau.

This time, the Ministry of War did not bring Su Ze along.

Regarding this, Shen Yiguan said indignantly:

"Brother Zilin offered suggestions to the Ministry of War, but the Ministry of War just took the credit for them. The Ministry of War is really being unfair!"

Su Ze didn't seem to care.

Su Ze was well aware of the Ministry of War's plans.

The Ministry of War wanted to use the opportunity of military academy students taking temporary posts to address the problems of the Beijing garrison.

The reason we didn't call out Su Ze's name was that we didn't want Su Ze to take credit for the work.

Su Ze was well aware of the immense resistance to reforming the Beijing Garrison.

Since the Ministry of War was willing to take the lead, Su Ze naturally wouldn't try to steal the credit from them.

However, regardless of this, Su Ze is also the Dean of Studies at the Martial Arts Academy, and he was the one who proposed the plan, so he cannot escape the credit for initiating it.

Shen Yiguan leaned closer and said:

"Brother Zilin, do you mean to wait until the Ministry of War runs into trouble before you take action?"

Shen Yiguan clenched his fist and said:
"Indeed, Brother Zilin is incredibly insightful. He must have foreseen that the Ministry of War would run into trouble. If he then asks you to come out of retirement, the Ministry of War will have to give up even more!"

"Brother Zilin, that's a brilliant plan!"

Su Ze looked at Shen Yiguan speechlessly. He hadn't even said anything, yet Shen Yiguan had already imagined so many plans. He asked:

"Am I really that kind of person in Brother Jianwu's eyes?"

Shen Yiguan nodded repeatedly, and Su Ze, too lazy to explain, asked in return:
"Brother Jianwu, don't you have any official business at the Court of State Ceremonial?"

Shen Yiguan immediately replied, "Yes! By the way, I came to the newspaper office to ask Brother Zilin for a favor!"

Su Ze regretted his loose tongue.

Shen Yiguan said:
"The King of Joseon sent another envoy to the capital, saying that Japanese pirates had become rampant again, with some even crossing the sea to harass Joseon's mainland, and large numbers of them plundering merchant ships near Joseon." "The King of Joseon requested that the Ming Dynasty send its navy to help him suppress the Japanese pirates."

Su Ze asked:

"What does Wang Honglu think?"

Shen Yiguan said:
"The Grand Herald naturally believed that troops should be sent. Korea is a vassal state of our Great Ming, and Japanese pirates are disturbing maritime trade, and some of our Great Ming merchant ships have been plundered. We should not sit idly by."

Is there any difficulty?

Shen Yiguan said:
"The Ministry of War, the Ministry of Rites, and the Ministry of Revenue all opposed it."

"The Ministry of War said that the navy had just returned to port, and now the naval academy is newly built, and new ships have been launched for trial voyages. At this time, they cannot spare the resources to help North Korea."

"The Ministry of Revenue's opinion is similar. They also said that the long voyage is extremely costly, and we can't very well have the Great Ming escort the Korean ships, can we?"

"The Ministry of Rites has a similar idea. Moreover, the intelligence sent back by the Korean State Administration indicates that only scattered Japanese pirates have landed in Korea. The Korean state letter deliberately exaggerates the scale of the Japanese invasion, and also intends to use our Great Ming to help them protect their trade routes."

Su Ze nodded.

The intelligence from the North Korean Ministry of Information Affairs is likely accurate.

The fifth year of the Longqing reign was the most chaotic period in the internal situation of Japan, when various factions in Japan were fighting each other to the death.

While Takeda Shingen was marching on Kyoto, he was confronting Uesugi Kenshin while simultaneously organizing an encirclement to block Oda Nobunaga's expansion.

At that time, it was impossible for Japan to attack Korea.

Therefore, the Japanese pirates who went to Korea were at most robbery gangs organized by some coastal daimyo, and it was impossible for them to be Japanese pirates who wanted to invade Korea, as the Korean king said.

As for the rampant Japanese pirates, that's not a problem that started this year.

With more frequent commercial activities nowadays, there are also more reports of encounters with pirates.

However, in reality, as Ming Dynasty merchant ships were upgraded and many began to arm themselves, the overall number of attacks by Japanese pirates on Ming Dynasty merchant ships decreased.

However, North Korea's merchant ships were still very backward, so they became the main targets of Japanese pirates. The pirates were so arrogant that they hid near North Korean ports and waited for North Korean merchant ships to leave the port before attacking them.

North Korea's navy was not very combat-effective and had no ability to protect its own merchant ships.

This led to the Joseon king seeking aid from the Ming Dynasty.

"So, what does Brother Jianwu want me to help you with?"

Shen Yiguan scratched his head and said:
"Brother Zilin, what do you think about the King of Joseon's request for help?"

Su Ze said directly, "The Japanese pirates are harassing Korea. If the navy always sets sail from Laizhou, the pirates will probably run away before the ships even arrive."

Shen Yiguan nodded as well.

He shared the same opinion as Wang Shizhen, the Grand Herald, believing that the Ming Dynasty should take action.

However, he didn't have a specific way to help.

Just as Su Ze said, the Ming Dynasty and Korea were separated by the sea. By the time the Ming fleet set sail, the Japanese pirates would have already fled.

As for those bandits who landed in Korea, we can't just send Ming Dynasty troops to Korea to suppress them, can we?

It was precisely because the Court of State Ceremonial could not come up with a concrete plan that it was always at a disadvantage in its confrontations with the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Rites, and the Ministry of Revenue.

After listening to Shen Yiguan's words, Su Ze casually said:

"That's easy. If Korea wants the Ming Dynasty's help, then let the Ming Dynasty build a naval port on Jeju Island. The Koreans will be responsible for the port's supplies and salaries, and the Ming Dynasty will send a fleet there to specifically fight against Japanese pirates."

Shen Yiguan paused for a moment and said, "Brother Zilin, Jeju Island is a sensitive area for Joseon. If the Ming Dynasty were to station troops there, wouldn't that be an insult to the dignity of a superior nation?"

Su Ze said disdainfully, "Korea is a vassal state of our Great Ming. When a vassal state asks for help, Great Ming should naturally lend a helping hand. This is the 'righteousness' of sending troops."

“But if we only consider ‘righteousness’ and disregard the interests of the Ming Dynasty, and have the Ming Dynasty send troops and money to protect Korea, then we will lose ‘profit’.”

"Since Korea wants the Ming Dynasty to send troops, it should naturally have to give something in return. This is not like the Ming Dynasty seizing Jeju Island, so why should it lose the dignity of a superior nation?"

Shen Yiguan's eyes lit up.

Jeju Island is an island located in the western part of the South China Sea off the southern coast of the Korean Peninsula, and it is the largest island in North Korea.

This island is located between the Ming Dynasty, Korea, and Japan, making its geographical location extremely important.

During the Yuan Dynasty, Jeju Island served as a springboard for attacking Japan. During the Yuan Dynasty's two expeditions to Japan, Jeju was not only a transit point but also a place for shipbuilding and horse breeding.

The King of Joseon was aware of the importance of Jeju Island and repeatedly demanded its return. The Won court naturally ignored him and instead established a Protectorate on Jeju Island.

After the fall of the Yuan Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, regained control of Jeju Island.

However, in order to reclaim Jeju Island, North Korea took advantage of the transition between the Yuan and Ming dynasties and mobilized its entire military force to retake the island.

Soon after, Joseon quickly submitted to the Ming Dynasty, and Zhu Yuanzhang lost his reason to occupy Jeju Island. Then the Ming Dynasty began to ban the sea and never mentioned Jeju Island again.

At that time, Jeju Island was also a deserted island.

Because North Korea also followed the Ming Dynasty's example and implemented a maritime ban, it also relocated the people of Jeju Island back to the North Korean mainland, and only set up military garrisons on Jeju Island.

Meanwhile, North Korea's military strength has deteriorated, and the military personnel on Jeju Island have fled in large numbers. Jeju Island has now become a gathering place for pirates, smugglers, and merchants.

Japanese pirates used Jeju Island as a springboard to plunder Korean merchant ships, which can be said to be Korea's own fault.

Given this, it is only natural that Su Ze would request the Ming Dynasty's navy to be stationed on Jeju Island, with the military expenses to be borne by Korea.

Shen Yiguan said repeatedly:
"Excellent! I will go and tell the Grand Herald about Brother Zilin's suggestion right away!"
-
Japan, Kyushu Island.

"Huang Bo, Brother Huang, what do we do next?"

Huang Wenbin and Zhu Juntang, who drifted to Japan, were discovered by the samurai of the Shimazu family, who immediately reported to Shimazu Takahisa, the current head of the Shimazu clan.

Shimazu Takahisa immediately ordered his samurai to escort the two men to the Shimazu family's castle and to treat them with great hospitality.

Huang Wenbin and Zhu Juntang lied that they were scholars accompanying the ship and did not reveal their true identities. Shimazu Takahisa still treated them as honored guests, but did not allow them to leave the Shimazu family castle.

Huang Wenbin and Zhu Juntang were not happy at all. Shimazu Takahisa was the father of Shimazu Yoshihiro, who was hung at the gate of the capital. The Ming Dynasty Navy also issued an order that any ship belonging to the Shimazu family, whether it was a warship or a merchant ship, should be sunk.

In short, the Shimazu family is a traitor to the Ming Dynasty. If you are treated with courtesy by traitors, what should you do when you return to the Ming Dynasty?
Moreover, the Shimazu family's kindness towards the two of them must be for ill intentions.

To avoid revealing their identities, the two addressed each other as brothers.

Huang Wenbin sighed and said, "Brother Zhu, the only option now is to bide our time and find an opportunity to escape."

Zhu Juntang, however, said in despair:
"Brother Huang, we're on Japanese soil, how are we going to escape?"

Huang Wenbin said:
"Brother Zhu, actually I understand Japanese."

"what?"

Zhu Juntang looked at Huang Wenbin in surprise. These days, Shimazu Takahisa had been communicating with them through Chinese translators. How could Huang Wenbin understand Japanese?

Huang Wenbin said:
“Brother Zhu knows that I used to work in the Ministry of Justice. At that time, I was worried about being sent abroad, so I learned a few foreign languages.”

“Japanese isn’t that hard to learn. I’ve been secretly listening to news these days.”

So that's how it is. No wonder Huang Wenbin hid his knowledge of Japanese; it was to facilitate eavesdropping.

Shimazu Takahisa sometimes communicated with his subordinates in Japanese in front of them, unaware that Huang Wenbin overheard it.

Huang Wenbin said:
"From what I've heard, the Shimazu family is having a tough time these days! I think I understand why Shimazu Takahisa treated us so well."

(End of this chapter)