Da Ming: Father, step aside, I'll be the prime minister!

Chapter 281 Trade War with Japan? This is the territory of my Great Ming Dynasty!

Even if they're a pack of mad dogs, there should still be a leader.

Oda Nobunaga was the epitome of a mad dog.

Zhang Yunxiu knew that if this matter wasn't clarified, his father would definitely not give his full support. And trade with Japan was the first step in his strategy of opening up the seas, so he couldn't afford to be careless in the slightest.

He smiled and said, "Father, would you like to hear about Oda Nobunaga's background?"

"Oda Nobunaga?"

Zhang Juzheng frowned deeply, pondering the affairs with Japan, only to find that the Ming Dynasty had had little contact with Japan in recent years.

The main reason is that in recent years, the Ming Dynasty has turned its attention back to the Tatars in the north, and naturally has little interest in the distant Japanese kingdom across the sea.

Zhang Yunxiu then explained in detail: "The Japanese are still in a chaotic world, with their regimes fragmented and wars raging. It's normal that Father doesn't know about this. However, Father will probably be interested in this Oda Nobunaga."

"Oh?"

"Oda Nobunaga was born into a samurai family and acted eccentrically from a young age. Yet, this very man, through his musketeer corps and the policy of 'separation of soldiers and farmers,' rose to become the most powerful person in Japan."

"The policy of 'separating soldiers from farmers'?" Zhang Juzheng seemed to have become somewhat interested.

Zhang Yunxiu explained, "If we have to make an analogy, it's somewhat similar to the conscription system during the Sui and Tang dynasties. Soldiers were no longer conscripted soldiers, but were specifically recruited to fight in the army."

Zhang Juzheng was well aware of these things. After a moment's thought, he said with a hint of disapproval, "Can this really be considered a reform?"

Indeed, in the vast and powerful region of the Ming Dynasty, this kind of strategy was far too simplistic, but in modern Japan, it would be more than enough.

Zhang Yunxiu anticipated his father's reaction and shook his head helplessly.

“Father, this is a small country, so naturally it is different from ours.”

Zhang Juzheng nodded slightly: "I have heard that Japan has been in constant turmoil since ancient times, and its people are mostly unruly."

Now, by separating the military and the people, much like the First Emperor consolidating his power to stabilize the common people, it can be considered a wise strategy.

The "unruly individuals" that Zhang Juzheng spoke of were probably the ronin and samurai he was referring to. Many of the Japanese pirates who had been harassing the Ming Dynasty for so long came from among them.

His analysis of the situation in Japan, from the perspective of a cabinet prime minister, was always to the point.

Zhang Yunxiu sat at the table, picked up his teacup, and took a small sip.

"Father, you may not know this, but although Oda Nobunaga occupies the wealthy region of Kinai, his situation is not good. He is surrounded by powerful enemies. To the east, there is Takeda Shingen, whose cavalry is extremely powerful; to the west, the Mori clan controls the Seto Inland Sea and monopolizes maritime trade; even near Kyoto, there are many opposing forces."

Zhang Juzheng raised his eyes and instantly understood the meaning behind it. He said with considerable surprise.

"You brat, you've even set your sights on Japan? Thinking of stopping them from unifying the country?"

He pondered for a moment, but felt it was inappropriate and shook his head.

"Japan and our Great Ming Dynasty are separated by the sea. The sea between them is rough and the weather is unpredictable. During the reign of Emperor Yuan Shizu, we launched two expeditions against Japan, but both ended in failure due to hurricanes at sea."

"wrong."

Zhang Yunxiu said solemnly.

“Father, not only will I not stop Oda Nobunaga, I will even help him.”

"What?" Zhang Juzheng jumped up abruptly, staring intently at the other person, thinking that Zhang Yunxiu had been possessed.

Good lad, the scourge of Japanese pirates has only just ended, and you're already thinking of following the example of the Jiangnan gentry and colluding with the Japanese pirates?
"Father, please calm down," Zhang Yunxiu quickly explained. "As mentioned before, Oda Nobunaga is all bark and no bite. He may seem powerful, but he is actually fraught with danger."

Japan is short of resources, lacking coal and iron ore, but it is also very interested in the silk and porcelain of our Great Ming Dynasty.

Most importantly, Oda Nobunaga's implementation of the "Rakushi Rakuza" policy, which abolished customs taxes in various regions, resulted in a 30% decrease in government revenue.

He was currently lacking an opportunity to earn more silver; without it, he couldn't even pay his soldiers' salaries.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Juzheng slowly sat down, his eyes flickering slightly, yet he remained doubtful: "How do you know so much about the affairs of Japan?"

Zhang Yunxiu's expression froze: "Your son learned this from the Portuguese missionaries."

Zhang Juzheng was somewhat speechless. Everything was about Portuguese missionaries, but he didn't delve into it. Instead, he offered a reminder.

“Oda Nobunaga seems to be a wolf with ambitions. If we let him start a rebellion, he will become a major threat to our Ming Dynasty.”

Zhang Yunxiu naturally spread his hands: "So, we have to do business with them."

"What's the point?"

Zhang Juzheng frowned deeply, his eyes glancing at a stack of books on his desk, including "Principles of Economics," "The Wealth of Nations," and other economics-related books.

He couldn't help but ask further questions.

"Is it that time of your so-called economics again?"

"During the Spring and Autumn Period, Guan Zhong used economic principles to control the states of Lu, Liang, Dai, and Chu. The story of 'buying a deer to control Chu' is still well-known."

Zhang Yunxiu said with a smile.

"The same applies to Japan. The Japanese lack a number of resources, especially raw silk fabrics. Japan grows relatively little cotton, and more than half of its raw silk needs to be imported from overseas. Our Ming Dynasty's silk products and other resources are highly sought after in Japan."

Once we've seized control of their livelihoods, eliminating this major threat in the future will be a piece of cake, won't it?

His move was not only to open up sales channels for the Jiangnan Textile Bureau, but also had a deeper reason.

The aid to Korea against Japanese pirates in the Wanli Emperor's Three Great Campaigns occurred ten years later, after Toyotomi Hideyoshi, a subordinate of Oda Nobunaga, unified Japan. Hideyoshi harbored ambitions of expansion, attempting to conquer Korea and then seize control of the Ming Dynasty.

This war lasted for six years. Although the Ming Dynasty ultimately won, it cost nearly 20 million taels of silver, which shows that the financial crisis in the late Ming Dynasty was partly due to the Three Great Campaigns.

If given a second chance, Zhang Yunxiu would naturally nip the path to the rise of the Japanese ambitions in the bud.

Zhang Juzheng was not very optimistic. Zhang Yunxiu's words were simple, but in practice, they were not so easy to implement.

He frowned and said, "The Japanese are fickle. If you cooperate with them rashly, your plan will probably fail, and you will lose both money and people."

In the past, Zhang Juzheng was not unaware of this small country to the east, but it was separated by a sea, and it was obviously not as imminent as the enemy from the north.

In his view, instead of exhausting himself dealing with Japan, he should spend more time carefully managing the Jiliao region.

Most importantly, in Zhang Juzheng's view, cooperating with the Japanese was clearly not a good option.

But Zhang Yunxiu had his own reasons.

"This is precisely why I strongly advocated for Junior Protector Qi to come out of seclusion."

He narrowed his eyes.

"The Japanese are like this; they have always admired the strong. I had Qi Shaobao beat them so badly that they won't do business with us."

Zhang Juzheng's lips twitched, and he said with great helplessness.

"Is this why you sent Qi Yuanjing to become a pirate?"

In his view, Zhang Yunxiu's decision to send Qi Jiguang to Southeast Asia to plunder Japanese people was no different from that of a pirate.

“Extraordinary measures are needed for extraordinary circumstances,” Zhang Yunxiu declared confidently. “Isn’t it true that Lord Qi is using the banner of the Ming Dynasty to allow only the Japanese to rob us, but not us to rob the Japanese?”

Zhang Juzheng couldn't help but chuckle.

Such a thought process is something that no official in the court could do; only Zhang Yunxiu could do it.

He asked again.

"What if Oda Nobunaga is unwilling to cooperate with you?"

"He dares."

Zhang Yunxiu said with a light laugh.

"With a wealth of resources in hand, why would our Great Ming Dynasty be afraid of not having anyone to do business with? Even without Oda Nobunaga, we will sell our briquettes, silk, cloth, and porcelain to whoever is willing to cooperate with us!"
The Mori family was willing to cooperate, so we helped them manage the Seto Inland Sea.

Takeda Shingen is willing to engage in trade, and the Ming Dynasty might as well offer him some benefits.

"Our Great Ming doesn't necessarily have to intervene personally. If Oda Nobunaga refuses to cooperate, we can push him to the brink by selling pig iron, sulfur, and copper to his opponents. Wouldn't that leave him in a terrible predicament?"

"You brat!" Zhang Juzheng was startled and glared at him, cursing. "You actually came up with such a scheme."

But despite saying this, he was not a pedantic person at heart. Such methods of stirring up trouble and dividing the issue are not uncommon in historical records.

Whether it's a conspiracy or a trick is not important; what matters most is whether it can bring the greatest benefit to the Ming Dynasty.

Zhang Juzheng squinted his eyes and pondered carefully.

This economic approach, which was previously only practiced within the Ming Dynasty, is now being applied to the Japanese, which is quite unheard of.

However, he doesn't mind giving it a try.

Most importantly, if trade with Japan could be established, it would not only curb the unification of Japan as Zhang Yunxiu said, but also resolve the current crisis in Jiangnan, and even open up opportunities for maritime trade.

"This achieves three goals at once," Zhang Juzheng said earnestly after a moment's thought.

"I will give you another month. If there is still no progress, then we will have to proceed with the situation in Jiangnan gradually."

"One month is enough!"

Zhang Yunxiu said confidently.

“If the matter in Jiangnan cannot be resolved, then there is only one problem: Third Brother Zhang Jianxiu has failed in his duties. My third brother and I have been as close as father and son since childhood. Father can arrest him and punish him.”

As close as father and son?

Zhang Juzheng felt something was off, but he was used to his youngest son's way of speaking, so he frowned and said.

Don't try to excuse yourself.

But after thinking about it, he suddenly added another sentence.

"However, your third brother is not a kind person either."

At dawn.

As soon as the water gate of Yuegang opened, more than a dozen ships slowly sailed in. These Fujian ships were all equipped with cannons, and their tall hulls made them look quite intimidating in the harbor.

When the ship docked, Deng Yu, the commander of the Zhangzhou Garrison, had already received the news and rushed to greet it.

Upon seeing Qi Jiguang standing on the deck, he was nearly scared to death. Just as he was about to kneel down to pay his respects, he saw that the other party was actually making faces at him.

Deng Yu was stunned for a moment and hadn't reacted yet when he saw Qi Jiguang walking down from the deck. He cupped his hands in greeting and said...

"This humble citizen Zhang Yuanjing pays his respects to Commander Qianhu. We are here on the orders of Zhang Tongzhi of the capital to go to Southeast Asia to do business. We hope that you will grant us your favor."

Deng Yu's lips trembled, somewhat unable to believe his eyes. The imperial decree clearly instructed his men to meet and escort the merchants from Xishan Workshop to Southeast Asia for business.

Although no one knows what the emperor and Zhang Yunxiu are up to, the whole world now knows that the emperor and Zhang Yunxiu are doing business all over the place.

Now that the coastal areas are at peace, Deng Yu naturally has no complaints and has been preparing to welcome them. Even though they are merchants, he dares not be negligent in the slightest towards the merchants sent by Xishan.

Unexpectedly, the person who appeared on the deck was not a merchant from Xishan, but Qi Jiguang, the "anti-Japanese hero".

Even though the other party was dressed as a merchant, how could Deng Yu not recognize him?
However, Qi Jiguang seemed to have some unspeakable difficulty, pointing to the sails on the boats behind him.

Deng Yuyi immediately understood.

These ships, which looked like warships and Fujian-style ships, had already been disguised and were flying the "Xishan Workshop" flag.

As for the cannons on the ship, is it strange that a royal business would have cannons?
Qi Jiguang said with his hands behind his back, "Proceed as usual. Replenish our ships with a full supply of drinking water and dry rations. After half a day of rest, we will set off immediately."

He squinted and reminded him.

"His Majesty and Zhang Tongzhi both instructed us not to let anyone steal our business during this trip. Do you understand?"

Deng Yu was stunned for a moment, then broke out in a cold sweat. He knew perfectly well that this meant he was to keep quiet. He bowed and nodded repeatedly.

“I understand.”

He dared not refer to himself by his official title in front of Qi Jiguang, so he awkwardly referred to himself by his given name.

"Hahaha!"

Qi Jiguang let out a hearty laugh and took Deng Yu's hand, saying...

"Oh my, Commander Deng, I wish I had met you sooner!"

This scene left the soldiers of the thousand-household garrison behind them dumbfounded.

Why was their own commander chatting and laughing with a merchant, even appearing quite humble?

Many people interpret this as Deng Qianhu being afraid of Zhang Yunxiu from the capital.

Before the fleet left, Qi Jiguang grabbed Deng Yu and gave him a thorough interrogation.

Finally, we obtained specific information and shipping routes from him regarding merchants from various countries entering and leaving the port.

This is very important. As a trading port officially opened by the Ming Dynasty, Yuegang saw a great many ships coming and going.

Qi Jiguang wanted to accurately locate the Japanese fleet in the vast ocean, but without this information, it would be like looking for a needle in a haystack.

They set sail at noon, and by the time it got dark, Qi Jiguang's fleet had already ventured deep into the waterway.

The afterglow of the setting sun shone on Hu Shouren's face as he earnestly reported.

"Lord Qi, we have already entered the shipping lane and will reach Penghu Island tonight. After passing through islands such as Hutou Mountain and Bijia Mountain, we will reach the Naoshan Luzon region."

According to the nautical chart given by Yuegang and Magistrate Zhang, we should be able to reach Luzon in about seven days.

On the deck, Qi Jiguang frowned and slapped him on the back of the head.

"Do you really think we're here as merchants? What are we going to do in seven days in Luzon? Have you forgotten why we came here?"

Hu Shouren covered the back of his head and said with a rather aggrieved expression.

"Lord Qi, I've only ever served as a bandit suppresser, never as a bandit myself!"

Having spent half his life as a soldier, it's really hard to imagine him becoming a pirate.

Qi Jiguang grinned and said.

"Hey! Even if you haven't eaten pork, you've still seen pigs run, right? What's so difficult about being a pirate? According to the information from Yuegang, Japanese merchants often stop and rest on Penghu Island. Let's set sail with full force and launch a surprise attack on those Japanese in the dead of night!"

When the topic of fighting the Japanese invaders came up, Hu Shouren's eyes lit up, and he nodded and answered loudly.

"Order!"

The fleet consisted of several hundred men, mostly veterans trained by Qi Jiguang. They were particularly skilled in naval warfare and ship navigation. With Zhang Yunxiu providing the nautical charts, they were able to avoid numerous reefs and navigate smoothly even at night.

It was late at night, and the moon was high in the sky. Qi Jiguang and the others rested briefly in the cabin before returning to the deck.

The sea off Penghu is relatively calm today.

Under the bright moonlight, the men in the fleet were all well-equipped and dressed in fine clothes. Apart from the flags that were hung high, they were basically no different from the navy.

Their dark faces had eyes that seemed to glow in the moonlight.

Almost every one of these people harbored deep hatred for the Japanese pirates, and nothing excited them more than fighting them.

Qi Jiguang and Hu Shouren stood together on the deck, and the latter looked ahead and said.

"Lord Qi, our Ming Dynasty once established a patrol office for the more than sixty islands of Penghu. Unfortunately, in recent years, maritime affairs have been neglected, and there are few soldiers stationed here. The Japanese and Portuguese often harass us. The Japanese also use it as a waterway between Yuegang and Luzon."

According to the Zhangzhou Thousand Household Office, this Japanese merchant traded between Yuegang and Manila, Luzon, and frequently transported goods back to Japan from both locations; his actions were extremely brazen!

The Penghu Islands were controlled by the imperial court as early as the Song Dynasty, and soldiers were stationed to guard them. The Ming Dynasty continued the system of the Song and Yuan Dynasties.

However, during the Wanli period, due to the maritime ban and the influence of the Jiangnan gentry, less attention was paid to this area, and Yuegang was beyond the reach of the authorities. Over time, the number of personnel in the patrol and inspection offices that were established decreased.

Nowadays, aside from the intrusion of others, there is nothing that can be done about these foreign merchants.

Qi Jiguang shook his teeth and said, "Those short-sighted people in the court, the sea is rich in resources, opening up the sea would be beneficial in every way, but they insist on preventing the opening of the sea for their own selfish reasons, which gives these villains an opportunity to take advantage of it!"

He slapped the deck and said with great pride.

"Today, I, Qi Jiguang, will reorganize Penghu and let these foreign merchants know that Penghu is part of the territory of my Great Ming Dynasty!"

Hu Shouren felt a surge of pride and excitedly made his suggestion.

"Lord Qi, it seems the Japanese are reorganizing on the main island. It's dark, and we can't see clearly what's going on. Should we send a pair of scouts to investigate?"

At this moment, the fleet was moored near a reef island, and several other fleets could be seen moored on the main island in the distance.

Even with the moonlight, it was still difficult to see anything at sea, so sending someone to investigate was the only proper course of action.

This was routine naval operation, but Qi Jiguang unexpectedly spoke up to stop it.

"No rush. Let me take a look at their arrangements first, so as not to alert them."

"Lord Qi is probing the truth?" Hu Shouren was somewhat puzzled.

"A telescope".

Qi Jiguang carefully took out a long, cylindrical object inlaid with copper from his pocket, held it in his palm with great care, and showed it to Hu Shouren.

"That kid Shiyuan gave me a telescope, saying it can see over thirty or forty miles, as if the person is right in front of you!"

Hu Shouren's eyes widened and he couldn't help but speak.

"Does this Magistrate Zhang really possess divine power?!"

(End of this chapter)