My Portable Ming Dynasty

Chapter 364 Open the door! Free Trade
"Captain, a Japanese ship is blocking our way, and it seems they want to board and pay you a visit!"

Fire Chief Zhang Si put down his binoculars and spoke to Captain Li Jing beside him.

Li Jing frowned. His Zhigu, the first ship to arrive at Sakai Port, was now being blocked from entering the port by small Japanese boats.

If it weren't for the fact that this matter involved such a major issue as the trade in Japanese silver, Li Jing would have already ordered the artillery to fire.

"Don't see him! Tell him to go find the admiral!"

Li Jing had no goodwill towards the Japanese pirates, and since there was no interpreter on his ship, he simply refused to see them.

However, Li Jing still stopped the Zhigu ship, after all, this time the Zhigu ship was not sailing alone, and there were many important figures above him.

The Ming Dynasty navy's orders were absolute, and he dared not act on his own.

Senri Mamoru looked at the massive hull of the Zhigu and swallowed hard.

Senri Mamoru was also one of the thirty-six men of Sakai Port. His ancestors were merchants who traded with the Ming Dynasty in Sakai Port. He was fluent in Chinese from a young age. When Sakai Port discovered that this fleet was the Ming Dynasty fleet, Imai Munehisa and the other thirty-six men sent him to negotiate.

Large ships have docked at Sakai Port before.

Sakai Port is now an important hub for trade in Northeast Asia. Both Portuguese and Spanish ships would come here to trade, and I have seen many large ships capable of ocean voyages thousands of miles away.

However, all of these ships from the Ming Dynasty had the same design, as if they were copied. The sight of such a fleet at sea still gave people a strong visual impact.

When Senrizen Gen's small boat passed by the Zhigu, he saw the open cannons on the Zhigu and the dark, gaping cannons. Senrizen Gen couldn't help but tremble.

After passing the Zhigu ship, Qianliqianyuan arrived at the Laizhou ship.

This was Admiral Li Chao's flagship. The small boat was quite far back. A ladder was thrown down from the deck. Qianli Qianyuan swallowed hard and climbed onto the deck of the Laizhou.

He saw the Ming Dynasty navy in uniform, and then, escorted by soldiers, he arrived before a Ming Dynasty military officer.

"This humble servant greets Your Excellency!"

Senrimoto said in fluent Chinese, with a fawning tone.

Li Chao looked at Senri Mamoru. He was already very annoyed by the interception by ships from Sakai Port. If it weren't for his mission to escort the Japanese Silver Company's trade, he would have ordered the cannons to be opened fire long ago.

It was the magistrate Chen Xuanwei beside him who spoke kindly:
"We are the Ming Dynasty navy, escorting a merchant ship of the Japanese Silver Company to Sakai Port for trade. Why are you intercepting us?"

Woyin Company?

Qianli Qianyuan didn't know what this was, but when he thought of the Ming Dynasty's powerful ships and cannons, he still felt that the other party was not there to do business.

Senrimoto quickly said:

"General, since this official is an envoy of the Celestial Empire, he should be received by a high-ranking official sent by the Emperor. Please wait at sea for a moment, we will go to the capital immediately to inform the Emperor, and then come to welcome your esteemed envoy!"

This is the strategy devised by the thirty-six people.

First, they should push the blame onto the Emperor to buy time, and then contact the surrounding daimyo to protect Sakai Port.

There were no diplomatic problems either. The Ming Dynasty and Japan had essentially severed diplomatic relations, so it was appropriate for the Japanese king to decide when the Ming fleet came to Japan.

However, the Japanese king was just a puppet at this time, and Senrizen was merely stalling for time.

After hearing this, Li Chao flew into a rage and said:

"You can speak Chinese too, how could you utter such beastly words?"

"The Celestial Empire's fleet has arrived at the port, yet they've made us wait outside? What kind of etiquette is this?"

Senri Makimoto shrank back in fright.

Li Chao continued:

"I'll give you two incense sticks' worth of time. All ships blocking my navy's path, get out of the way, or I'll have to open fire!"

After saying this, an officer brought out an incense burner, and Senrizen Gen was so frightened that his face turned pale.

He was just about to speak again when the bearded civil official, who had been so agreeable just moments before, suddenly said in a chilling tone:
"Your Excellency would better hurry, the timer has already started."

Senri Mamoru quickly climbed off the Laizhou and returned to Sakai Port to report back.

"Beat the drums to signal the time! After three drumbeats, raise the white flag in the harbor to order us to halt! If there is no response, open fire on the entire ship!"

The heavy drumbeats, coupled with the waving of flags, caused the same war drums and military orders to resound on every Ming warship, making Senri Mamoru tremble with fear.

There isn't even enough time to travel back and forth to Sakai Port in the time it takes to burn two incense sticks; I need to hurry.
-
"Admiral, the two incense sticks have burned out, and the enemy ships still haven't moved aside."

After the adjutant reported to Li Chao, Li Chao looked at Chen Hao, the Pacification Commissioner, beside him.

Chen Hao said calmly:
"The Chief Secretary of the Japanese Ministry of Justice, Mr. Huang, wrote a book saying that the Japanese are 'afraid of power but not of virtue,' so it would be good to bombard them with a cannon."

Chenhao was the second-in-command of the fleet, which was equivalent to the emperor supervising the navy.

He also supported it, so Li Chao had no more worries.

"Beat the drums and fire the cannons to drive away the obstructing ships!"

The war drums sounded on the Laizhou, and as the signal flags relayed the order to the other ships, Li Chao, the captain of the Zhigu, who was already ready to fire, excitedly rubbed his hands together.

"After Jeju Island, my cannons will all rust!"

Fire Chief Zhang Si looked helpless.

After the Battle of Jeju Island, the Ming Dynasty navy escorted the Japanese silver company's fleet northward.

Perhaps because the fighting was too fierce earlier, there were no pirates at all along the way.

The fleet rested on Tsushima Island for a while, and all the Japanese pirate strongholds on the island were empty. The Zhigu really didn't fire a single shot.

Upon hearing the captain's order, Zhang Si began directing the ship's crew and sailors to adjust the ship's position, aligning the gunwale with the direction of Sakai Port.

The gunnery officer asked, "Captain, should we fire at the ship or leave it unloaded?"

"Nonsense! Of course, it's just firing a warning shot! Didn't you listen to the Admiral's orders? Fire a warning shot!"

The artillery chief agreed, but Captain Li Jing also felt it wasn't enough.

he asked:
"With our artillery, can we even reach the port?"

The artillery sergeant quickly did some mental calculations, nodded, and said:

"Probably."

"Alright! Then let's fire at the harbor! The admiral said we can't aim at the ships, so can't we aim at the harbor?"

The gunnery officer also got excited. He received orders to come to the gun emplacement and immediately directed the sailors to load gunpowder and adjust the gun muzzle.

"preparation!"

The sailors put on soundproof earmuffs, the gunner drew his command sword, and as he swung it, the gunners in the gun pods lit the fuses in unison!

"fire!"
-
Imai Munehisa sat in the tea room, listening to the chatter of the thirty-six people.

Kinoshita Hideyoshi was also seated at the table, and he held these merchants in even greater contempt.

He witnessed the entire decision-making process of the thirty-six people. Everyone had their own ideas, but no one could offer a solution.

Kinoshita Hideyoshi wasn't a proper samurai either, and he really couldn't understand what these merchants were thinking.
The Ming navy has strong ships and powerful cannons, so we definitely can't win in a direct confrontation. What other options are there?
Moreover, the Ming navy has stated that they are here to escort trade routes. Aren't you merchants here to do business? Why are you unwilling to open the ports now?

Kinoshita Hideyoshi did not see anything wrong with surrendering temporarily, and he despised such inefficient decision-making.

A flock of crows together will not become a phoenix!
Kinoshita Hideyoshi even felt a little bored, so he simply got up and looked out the window.

At that moment, he witnessed a sight he would never forget.

Amidst the roar of cannons, Kinoshita Hideyoshi saw the Ming Dynasty ships in the distance open fire almost simultaneously!
The ship at the very front was closest to Sakai Port, and its cannonballs were aimed directly at the port! Kinoshita Hideyoshi instinctively ducked down. Fortunately, the cannonballs missed Sakai Port and landed in the harbor waters, creating a tall column of water!

Upon hearing the cannon fire, Imai Munehisa and the others rushed to the teahouse window. When they saw the Ming Dynasty navy firing its cannons in unison, Imai Munehisa finally gave up his illusions.

He said to the crowd:

"What are you waiting for! Quickly raise the white flag and surrender!"
-
"Captain, the Japanese have raised a white flag!"

Zhang Si put down his binoculars and quickly reported to Captain Li Jing beside him.

"Cease fire!"

Li Jing felt a little regretful, but when he thought about having to face the envoy every time he received the shells, he decided to conserve them.

In the Ming Dynasty navy, no one was unafraid of this Pacification Commissioner.

This is not to say that Chenhao was as cruel to loyal officials as those eunuch supervisors in history, but rather that this envoy was so strict in enforcing military discipline and so impartial that everyone was afraid of him.

If that were all, people might hate him.

However, Chen Hao managed the navy's logistics very well. He was in charge of all the supplies along the way. From the admiral to the ordinary sailors, anyone in the navy who encountered difficulties could turn to this envoy, and he would help them solve the problems.

This was quite alarming. Even when Li Jing spoke ill of the admiral on the ship, he dared not secretly mutter about this envoy.

Who knows if any sailors on the ship, having received his favor, would turn around and badmouth Chenhao?

Chen Hao was also in charge of resupplying the artillery shells. Naturally, Chen Hao wouldn't prevent Li Jing from receiving the shells, but if he used too many, he would always ask a few questions.

There will probably be a lot of paperwork to do then.
-
On the Laizhou.

The lookout reported to Admiral Li Chao:

"Make way for the Japanese ships!"

Li Chao immediately ordered: "Enter port!"

He then smiled and said to the envoy beside him:

"Envoy Chen, you are right. These Japanese are afraid of power but not of kindness. We should just bombard them!"

Chen Hao remained expressionless as he said:

"The Admiral should remind everyone to be wary of the Japanese pirates' tricks. Another characteristic of the Japanese is their cunning and treacherous nature."

"Upon arrival at port, please order all crew members not to disembark and to remain on guard at night to prevent Japanese pirates from boarding and causing trouble."

Li Chao said solemnly:

"Thank you for the reminder, Ambassador. That is indeed the case."

"Send word to my orders! No one is allowed to disembark at the port without permission. Officers will be on night watch!"
-
On the sea not far away, in the fleet of the Woyin Company, Li Wenquan finally felt relieved.

Fortunately, the Ming Dynasty navy was there to escort them; otherwise, his merchant ships would have had a lot of trouble negotiating with the Japanese.

Now that the Japanese have opened the docks, it's time for us to take action.

Li Wenquan also ordered the fleet to head towards Sakai Port.

As afternoon approached, Li Wenquan's ship finally docked at the Sakai Port pier.

Immediately afterwards, Li Wenquan saw Japanese merchants lining up to welcome him at the dock.

Imai Munehisa had been standing on the dock for an hour.

An hour ago, the ships of the Ming Dynasty navy docked at the pier. Imai Munehisa went to greet them, but was not allowed to board.

Admiral Li Chao only sent an officer to deliver a message to Imai Munehisa.

"The duty of the Ming Navy is to escort the Woyin Company's fleet; there's nothing for them to discuss with the merchants of Sakai Port."

The Ming Dynasty navy did not disembark, but the dark muzzles of their cannons were all pointed at the port, so Imai Munehisa could only continue to wait at the dock.

That's when they finally met Li Wenquan, the chairman of the Japanese silver company.

Li Wenquan put on a smile, disembarked at the dock, and said to the Japanese merchant:

"I am Li Wenquan, Chairman of the Woyin Company. We have come to Sakai Port for the sake of free trade!"

Free trade?

Imai Munehisa had a look on his face as if he'd just eaten shit. Who started this free trade zone attack first?

However, the merchants of Sakai Port dared not offend Li Wenquan. They saw that Li Wenquan's armed merchant ships also had cannons. Although they were not as strong and powerful as the ships of the Ming Dynasty navy, they were still much more imposing than other merchant ships in Sakai Port.

Li Wenquan smiled and clapped his hands, and then his men began unloading goods at the dock.

As Li Wenquan opened one box after another, revealing the luxurious silks, fragrant teas, exquisite porcelains, and flawless glasswares inside, Imai Munehisa's eyes widened in amazement.

Li Wenquan opened another box, which contained a whole box of muskets. Combined with the box full of saltpeter next to it, Imai Munehisa almost fainted.

Li Wenquan said with a smile:

"Do you all see the sincerity of our Great Ming Dynasty? We have come for free trade. We will sell you as many of these goods as you want!"

Imai Munehisa stepped forward, trembling, and asked:

"My esteemed guest, shall we sell now?"

"Sell them now! Let's start with this box of muskets!"

The entire dock erupted in excitement!

In the crowd, Kinoshita Hideyoshi looked at the Ming Dynasty's naval ships in the distance.

To be precise, he wasn't looking at the ships, but rather at the dark, gaping muzzles of the cannons on them.

While at Imai Munehisa's teahouse, he was terrified by the cannons of the Ming Dynasty navy.

But after being frightened, he quickly became fascinated by the firearm.

He calculated the distance and was amazed that the Ming Dynasty navy's cannons could bombard the port from such a distance!

What if such artillery were used on land?!
Kinoshita Hideyoshi had seen cannons before.

Oda Nobunaga valued firearms highly. In addition to arquebuses, the Oda clan also valued breech-loading cannons the most, and used cannons in warfare very early on.

The most important reason for Oda Nobunaga's contact with Imai Munehisa was to purchase cannons from the Portuguese.

The Japanese named this type of Western cannon "Kokubō" (国崩), to describe its immense power.

Oda Nobunaga had always wanted to make large-scale purchases.

Unfortunately, the Portuguese themselves lacked sufficient artillery, and procurement remained unsuccessful.

However, the collapse of those Portuguese kingdoms was no match for the cannons of the Ming Dynasty!

If such terrifying cannons were used to siege cities, would there be any city in the world that couldn't be conquered?

Kinoshita Hideyoshi hardened his gaze, squeezed into the crowd, and came to stand in front of Li Wenquan.

Kinoshita Hideyoshi, who did not understand Chinese, arrested a Japanese merchant and ordered him to ask Li Wenquan questions in Chinese:

"My lord, are the cannons on that ship for sale?"

(End of this chapter)