My Portable Ming Dynasty

Chapter 366 The Land of Three Parties and Four Religions
Chen Hao originally thought that if he proposed this condition, the Japanese would express their strong opposition.

But to his surprise, these Japanese people all expressed their support.

In particular, Imai Munezan, who was in charge, said:
"Your Excellency is absolutely right! We Japanese are ignorant, rude, and unteachable. If we have offended the Celestial Empire, we will naturally be judged according to its laws!"

"We have no objection to the three points listed by your esteemed envoy."

Chen Hao finally understood that the Japanese merchants in Sakai Port were spineless.

Of course, all of this was built upon the Ming Dynasty's strong military and invincible gunboats.

Chenhao remembered a vicious dog in his village.

This vicious dog always barked at him, who was thin and small, and once chased him for miles.

Later, Chen Hao mustered up his courage, picked up a wooden stick, and went to find the vicious dog. After hitting it with the stick, the dog never dared to bark at him again, and would even let out a pitiful whimper whenever it bumped into him.

That's probably just the Japanese character.

Chen Hao immediately felt bored.

While in North Korea, there was some contention between the North Koreans over the lease of Jeju Island and extraterritorial rights. Although they quickly gave in in the end, at least they fought for their own interests.

However, the Japanese side felt perfectly justified in selling these products, even taking them for granted.

Of course, Sakai Port was just an autonomous city in Japan, and it was managed by a group of merchants.

However, Chenhao still held the Japanese in utter contempt.

Thinking of the silver in Sakai Port and the gold and silver mountains of the Japanese, Chen Hao had a new idea.

Of course, this idea can only remain an idea for now; the task entrusted to him by His Majesty and the court officials has been successfully completed.

On that day, Kinoshita Hideyoshi raised enough silver from a wealthy merchant in Sakai Port in the name of the Oda family.

Li Wenquan handed over the batch of breech-loading cannons to Kinoshita Hideyoshi, thus completing the transaction.

The two also agreed that the Oda clan would send envoys to continue purchasing breech-loading cannons the next time the Japanese silver company arrived at Sakai Port.

In just two days, all the goods that the Woyin Company had transported to Japan were sold.

As Li Wenquan watched those short Japanese laborers struggling to carry silk and porcelain, a strange thought arose in his mind.

This staggering amount of trade probably won't have the slightest impact on ordinary Japanese people, right?
However, upon seeing the warehouse full of silver, Li Wenquan immediately embarked on his return journey.
-
October 21st.

Having just finished his end-of-month holiday yesterday, Su Ze took his family to the suburbs to enjoy the autumn foliage.

But when they went there full of enthusiasm, they found that a steel plant had been built on the side of the western hill at some unknown time.

With no more maple leaves to see, Su Ze had no choice but to head home.

The air quality in the capital is getting worse and worse.

Su Ze sighed; there was nothing he could do about it.

Today, Su Ze came to the newspaper office to attend to his duties, and a short while later, Shen Yiguan rushed in.

"Brother Zilin! The Divine Physician Li has arrived in the capital!"

Luo Wanhua also looked at Shen Yiguan and asked:
"Have you entered the palace?"

Shen Yiguan nodded and said:
"They've entered the palace! They arrived in the capital yesterday evening and entered the palace overnight!"

Both of them sighed.

The Divine Physician Li is Li Shizhen.

Last month, Hai Rui, the governor of Yingtian, suddenly recommended Li Shizhen to the Imperial Hospital.

This matter was very strange to begin with.

Li Shizhen had just finished enrolling students at Jinling Medical College in Nanjing, and as the dean, he was at a busy time.

Jinling Medical College was also supported by Hai Rui. At this critical moment, how could Hai Rui let Li Shizhen leave Jinling?

Soon, all sorts of rumors began to circulate. The final version was that the emperor was unwell, which was why Hai Rui recommended Li Shizhen to the capital.

It now appears that the rumor has been largely confirmed.

Since the second half of this year, the Longqing Emperor has appeared less and less frequently in front of his court officials.

Even for several major national ceremonies, the Longqing Emperor would send either the Crown Prince or Duke Dingguo Xu Wenbi to attend.

The news that the emperor was unwell spread not only among lower-ranking officials in the capital, but also among the common people.

Su Ze sighed inwardly after hearing this.

In the original timeline, the Longqing Emperor died in May of the sixth year of his reign.

It is now October of the fifth year of the Longqing reign.

Despite having changed so much about the Ming Dynasty, Emperor Longqing's health seemed to have remained largely unchanged.

In fact, the news that the emperor was ill was no longer a rumor among high-ranking officials in the court, but a confirmed fact.

Gao Gong told himself that in September alone, the emperor had summoned the imperial physicians twice.

The emperor's symptoms were dizziness and trembling hands and feet, but the imperial physicians diagnosed that there was nothing seriously wrong.

However, this situation occurred frequently, which still worried Gao Gong, the chief minister of the cabinet.

There's nothing we can do; the Zhu family's lifespan is simply too worrying.

Li Shizhen also traveled to Beijing by fast sea vessel this time.

Su Ze still hoped that Emperor Longqing could live a little longer.

When the emperor dies, the court will inevitably be in turmoil.

The Grand Secretary has just been replaced, and undercurrents have already appeared in the court. If the emperor dies, the stable situation of the Ming Dynasty will collapse immediately.

Although he had the "cure for all diseases" item, who knew how many serious illnesses Emperor Longqing actually suffered from? Moreover, some of his illnesses were self-inflicted.

Offering medicine to the emperor also carried enormous political risks. If it cured the patient this time, what about next time?
Thinking of those outrageous rumors circulating in the capital, it was said that once someone donated medicine, it would be considered a mistake not to donate medicine in the future.

Su Ze temporarily put this troublesome matter out of his mind.

Li Shizhen had already entered the capital, thus changing history himself. He had also verified his "microbial pathogenesis theory." Perhaps with Li Shizhen's treatment, Emperor Longqing could have lived a little longer.

The emperor's health is not suitable for public discussion. After briefly ending the topic, Luo Wanhua asked:

"Brother Jianwu, aren't you busy these days? Didn't I hear that the Huozhe's tribute mission has arrived in the capital?"

Su Ze also perked up his ears.

Huo, also known as Huozhou, later had a more famous name: Turpan.

The current ruler of Turpan is named Mahema.

Since the Tang Dynasty, the Central Plains gradually lost control over the Western Regions.

Even at its peak, the Ming Dynasty only exercised a loose, tributary system over Turpan. Towards the end of the Jiajing reign, Turpan's ruler, Mahima, sent envoys to the capital to pay tribute.

The Jiajing Emperor bestowed upon him the title of Prince Zhongshun.

However, this Prince Zhongshun did not seem to be so loyal. In addition to being the Prince Zhongshun of the Ming Dynasty, he was also the Governor-General of Turpan of the Yarkand Khanate.

In fact, the Ming Dynasty court was aware of this matter, but for the sake of trade along the Silk Road, it reluctantly accepted it.

Shen Yiguan sighed and said:
"The messenger from the Fire God is not here with good intentions."

"Why?"

"After the Fire Messenger arrived, he refused to stay in the guesthouse of the Court of State Ceremonies."

Luo Wanhua asked curiously, "Why is that?"

When tributary envoys came to the capital, they usually stayed in the guesthouse.

The Ming Dynasty's guesthouse offered decent accommodations, with dedicated translators and even foreign chefs to prepare local delicacies for the delegation.

Shen Yiguan happened to be in charge of the guesthouse.

In order to improve the service at the State Guest House, Shen Yiguan allowed the sale of some exotic delicacies when the guest house was not busy.

Luo Wanhua also helped him promote the restaurant in the newspaper, and the effect was indeed quite good. The restaurant business at the Yingbin Hotel was quite good, and many of the dishes were very popular among the people of the capital.

Shen Yiguan sighed and said:
"Because our Honglu Temple is called a temple."

Luo Wanhua still didn't understand, but Su Ze quickly did.

Su Ze asked:

"Has the religious conflict among the Fire People deteriorated to this extent?"

Shen Yiguan exclaimed in surprise:
"Brother Zilin, you even know about the Fire People?"

Seeing that Luo Wanhua still didn't understand, Shen Yiguan said:
"Brother Yifu, you may not know, but the current situation is quite unstable."

"Simply put, the Fire faction is now in a state of 'three-way competition and a mixture of four religions'."

"The three parties are the Yarkand Khanate in western Huozhe, the remnants of the Eastern Chagatai Khanate in Jiaohe Ancient City, and the garrisons of our Great Ming in Huozhou."

Luo Wanhua nodded. As the editor-in-chief of the newspaper, he was also very knowledgeable and had heard of the other two parties.

The Eastern Chagatai Khanate was a regime established by the descendants of Genghis Khan, and it once held considerable power in Central Asia.

However, it has now declined, and the Khanate has been defeated, but some remnants still control the cities and exist as bandits and mercenaries between various forces.

What about the four schools?

Shen Yiguan said:
"Huo Zhe was originally the territory of the Eastern Chagatai Khanate. Many tribes worshipped the Mongol Eternal Heaven. From the Tang Dynasty onwards, the Western Regions worshipped Buddhism, and many cities also enshrined Buddha statues."

"The Yarkand Khanate has made Islam its state religion, and today the court of the Fire People is predominantly Muslim."

"Finally, there is also Zoroastrianism in the area."

Su Ze nodded. Shen Yiguan's summary was spot on. Turpan was a place of three-way competition and a mixture of four religions.

In the original timeline, this loyal and obedient Prince Ma Heima had decent political skills and was still managing to maintain a semblance of balance.

Turpan is a place on the route of Buddhism's eastward transmission. When Xuanzang of the Tang Dynasty went to India, he recorded the magnificent scene of numerous Buddhist kingdoms in the Western Regions in his "Great Tang Records on the Western Regions".

However, Buddhism in India itself disappeared, and the civilizations of the Western Regions also began to decline due to climate change, desertification, and intensified desertification.

Of course, Buddhism still has vitality after a thousand years. The temples of the Fire God found their own way to survive amidst the frequent changes of rulers: they transformed Buddhist temples into trading posts.

Because the rulers changed too frequently, Buddhism in the Western Regions abandoned its path of guiding the upper-level rulers.

Buddhism in the Western Regions gradually merged with commerce, forming a trade network centered around Buddhist temples.

Buddhist temples can also absorb people, so these temples have also formed a lot of temple industries.

The Huozhe region has many Buddhist temples that operate large cotton fields to produce cotton, and then trade silk with merchants from the Central Plains.

Turpan is a place very suitable for growing cotton, and the cotton produced there is of very high quality, so the cotton from these Buddhist temples also fetches a good price.

In addition, raisins and horses from the Western Regions were also businesses operated by these Huozhe Buddhist temples, which could generate considerable profits.

It was also thanks to the Silk Road that these Buddhists managed to survive.

This was still manageable during the period when Mongolia issued its own notices.

The Mongols had a relatively open attitude towards religion, and Genghis Khan's khanates generally did not restrict religion.

The Silk Road trade at Huozhe Temple was able to continue.

But now that the Yarkand Khanate controls the Fire, the situation has changed.

Islam itself is also a commercially developed faith, as it originated among merchants.

Islamic scriptures are actually more like a business code in many ways.

Following a period of turmoil in the Northwest, the Silk Road was severed.

Shen Yiguan said with deep concern:

"At the same time that the Fire God's envoy came to pay tribute, Gansu urgently reported that the Fire God had massacred Buddhist temples, and many Buddhist temples requested to relocate inland."

"Some officials have proposed closing Jiayuguan Pass to prevent refugees from moving in."

Luo Wanhua sighed.

"Brother Zilin, what do you think?"

What do I think?
In fact, the value of the land-based Silk Road further decreased starting from the maritime era.

Moreover, since the Tang Dynasty, the environment in Central Asia has deteriorated, and it has been repeatedly ravaged by the Turks and Mongols. Now that Islam is flourishing, the proposal to close Jiayuguan Pass is not without reason.

Su Ze said, "I am more concerned about the religious issues in Gansu."

After listening, Shen Yiguan also said:

"Brother Zilin's thinking is truly far-sighted!"

Su Ze's concerns were by no means unfounded.

……

"So, Brother Zilin, are you going to submit a memorial?"

Seeing Su Ze pull out the memorial, Shen Yiguan asked in surprise.

The arrival of the Fire God delegation in the capital is also a troublesome matter for the Court of State Ceremonies. If Su Ze is willing to help, this official of the Court of State Ceremonies would naturally be very happy to do so.

Su Ze shook his head and said:

“This matter is of great importance. I believe we should gather information from Shaanxi and Gansu and then discuss it with the relevant authorities.”

(End of this chapter)