Emperor Chongzhen was too extreme.

Chapter 133 The Silver is in Hand
Faced with such a horrifying thought in his own mind.

Tokugawa Iemitsu didn't dare to think about it in detail.

No!

If the Ming Dynasty has such strength, why did it bother sending people all the way to Japan to borrow money?!

Could it be simply because the Ming Dynasty angel said, "Asking you for money is just a sign of respect"?

He served as the Shogun of Japan.

No one knew better than Tokugawa Iemitsu how difficult those so-called Japanese pirates were to deal with.

Because some of those ronin samurai were directly dispatched by him to plunder the Ming Dynasty.

These people were sent out.

Many of them do so because the money comes too quickly and they are extremely difficult to control.

They simply disobeyed the shogunate's orders and truly became pirates on the island.

Tokugawa Iemitsu also tried to send troops to teach these ronin who dared to rebel against their superiors a lesson.

But each time, they either failed to achieve their goal or achieved very little.

How could the Ming Dynasty have dealt with so many Japanese pirates in such a short time?

Just how powerful was the Ming Dynasty?

Tokugawa Iemitsu's mind was filled with all sorts of doubts.

However, he didn't have time to sort out these thoughts at that moment.

After Tokugawa Iemitsu listened to his confidant's account...

He immediately stood up and rebuked the Japanese samurai who were about to attack.

After ordering everyone to return to their seats.

Tokugawa Iemitsu bowed and apologized to Chen Jisheng, then hurriedly led his trusted confidant out of the hall.

He wanted to see the heads of those Japanese pirates in person.

Only then could he truly confirm whether this incredibly shocking news was accurate.

After all, the Ming Dynasty did plenty of things like killing innocent people and claiming credit for their crimes.

It's not impossible that they could pull off another massacre of innocent civilians and Japanese invaders.

With the departure of Tokugawa Iemitsu...

The remaining two groups of people inside the hall fell into deep thought.

The samurai who had just caused trouble: What's going on?
Wasn't the humiliation of the Ming Dynasty envoy secretly instructed by the general?
Why did the general suddenly call a halt?
Could it be that the general has a backup plan—is he planning to use this alternating approach to better humiliate the Ming Dynasty envoy?

This speculation seems to be the most reasonable one.

Everyone knew that since the humiliation of the Ming Dynasty envoy had been planned in advance, it was impossible to abandon the plan halfway.

Think of this.

Although the warriors sheathed their swords and returned to their seats, their gazes toward Chen Jisheng and the others became even more sinister.

They were just waiting for the general to return and give them an order.

They would kill all these superficial and cunning Ming Dynasty envoys who only came to Japan to swindle some silver to take back!
Those damned Ming Dynasty envoys dared to draw their swords without a word in front of Japanese samurai in the Edo Shogunate.

What do they think the shogunate palace is?

If the Ming Dynasty were still the mighty empire it was during the Tang Dynasty, such arrogant behavior would be understandable.

But now that the Ming Dynasty has fallen so low as to have to resort to fraud to raise money, what right do they have to be arrogant?!

This was an utter disgrace to the samurai who upheld the Bushido spirit.

How dare the weak draw their swords against the strong? To commit such a heinous act of insubordination!
This group must be completely eradicated, otherwise it would be a desecration of the samurai spirit.

Chen Jisheng, however, paid no attention to the wolfish gazes of the warriors opposite him.

At that moment, he had only one thought in his mind.

What's going on? !

What is Japan trying to achieve by doing this?
One plays the good cop, and the other plays the bad cop?

What's the point of going through all that trouble?

Moreover, the shock on Tokugawa Iemitsu's face and the hurried look on his face when he left didn't seem like an act.

Chen Jisheng was also confused for a time.

However, he soon realized something.

Even our group could come up with the idea of ​​using the heads of Japanese pirates from the Korean region to intimidate Japan.

Would His Majesty not have thought of this?
Is there a possibility.

The reason why Tokugawa Iemitsu was so shocked just now.

It's all because His Majesty has already sent over the heads of the Japanese pirates, or perhaps he has taken other, more exaggerated measures to intimidate them.

Chen Jisheng glanced at the warriors sitting opposite him, then calmly sheathed his sword.

At this moment, he was no longer as agitated and angry as before.

What I should do next is to keep this good show going.

After all, he had just said during the day that the Ming Dynasty was going to start wiping out the Japanese pirates.

This is a perfect opportunity to show Japan what it means for the might of the Ming Dynasty to be inviolable.

Think of this.

Chen Jisheng relaxed completely.

The other Ming envoys, seeing Chen Jisheng's sudden change in expression and considering Tokugawa Iemitsu's unusual behavior earlier, immediately understood what was going on.

In an instant, everyone who had been prepared to fight to the death felt relieved.

Just now I was thinking of fighting to the death with these Japanese, but what I need to consider next is...

It's time to figure out how to entertain them.

Outside the palace where the banquet was held.

Tokugawa Iemitsu, carrying his large samurai robe and wearing wooden clogs, jogged into a room.

Looking at the rows of heads with the signature chonmage hairstyle in the room in front of me.

Tokugawa Iemitsu immediately realized that these heads originated from Japan.

It was definitely not the Ming Dynasty killing innocent people and invading Japanese pirates.

Although the people of Japan and the Ming Dynasty were of similar race, the differences could still be seen at a glance after spending a long time together.

Not to mention that some of these people were people he knew.

Looking at these heads of dead people with different expressions, Tokugawa Iemitsu was filled with a horror that words could not describe.

Although he didn't know much about the Ming Dynasty, it was not far away, so he must have heard about it.

From the reign of the Wanli Emperor onwards, the Ming Dynasty already showed signs of impending doom.

In recent years, it has been on a continuous downward trend.

The fact that it has survived until now is purely due to its strong foundation and a certain amount of luck.

It can be said.

In Tokugawa Iemitsu's view, the Ming Dynasty in the past two years was already showing clear signs of its impending doom.

So Tokugawa Iemitsu never expected that things would turn out this way.

The newly enthroned emperor of the Ming Dynasty was even able to launch a distant expedition to conquer Korea and then use extremely cruel methods to eliminate the Japanese pirates surrounding Korea.

If you look at this one thing in isolation, you could say it was just good luck.

But when two things happen together, especially within just a few days, it becomes quite alarming.

Looking at the string of heads before him, Tokugawa Iemitsu's face twitched involuntarily.

It wasn't that Tokugawa Iemitsu felt any great fear, but rather that he was filled with a strange sense of admiration.

If we could send a team of envoys to learn closely from the Ming Dynasty emperor, wouldn't Japan also become that powerful?

No, no!
It's not just that powerful.

Japan's current conditions are far better than those of the Ming Dynasty, which has been crumbling in recent years.

Tokugawa Iemitsu believed that as long as Japan could learn something truly valuable from the Ming Dynasty, Japan would surely become stronger than the Ming Dynasty.

Thinking about these things.

Tokugawa Iemitsu suddenly felt as if he had figured something out, and his mind became clear.

Without further hesitation, he immediately turned back to the palace where the banquet was being held.

Then Tokugawa Iemitsu appeared.

The palace, whose atmosphere had already reached a freezing point, was instantly drawn to it, drawing all attention away.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone.

Tokugawa Iemitsu approached Chen Jisheng with a solemn expression and bowed deeply to him.

Chen Jisheng had anticipated this scene.

However, the warriors opposite Chen Jisheng, who had just been causing trouble, were instantly stunned.

The general actually apologized to the Ming Dynasty envoy?

why? !

Before anyone could react, these people were astonished.

Then Tokugawa Iemitsu, who had bowed deeply, straightened up and said loudly:

"The Ming Dynasty has just cleaned up more than a thousand ronin samurai who were wandering around and causing trouble everywhere for Japan."

"On behalf of the Edo Shogunate, I express my deepest apologies to the Ming envoys for what just happened. I ask for your understanding!"

Upon hearing this, the entire hall fell silent, and the warriors who had spoken earlier looked on in disbelief.

How could the Ming Dynasty have wiped out so many Japanese pirate strongholds in such a short period of time?

How did they do that?
If that's the case, then the general's apology to the Ming Dynasty envoy seems perfectly reasonable.

After Tokugawa Iemitsu finished speaking, he immediately turned to look at the samurai who had initially caused trouble under the influence of alcohol:
"You insolent fool! How dare you offend the majesty of the Great Ming Dynasty! Get over here now and apologize to the Great Ming envoy!"

"Hi!"

Upon hearing Tokugawa Iemitsu's call, the samurai's expression immediately turned solemn, and then, in front of everyone, he rolled around and around until he reached Chen Jisheng.

He prostrated himself, his attitude extremely sincere, and said:

“My angels, I was drunk and lost my senses for a moment, and I even tried to offend the majesty of the Great Ming.”

"I deserve to die! I beg you angels to punish me! I have no complaints whatsoever!"

As the samurai knelt down to apologize, the other Japanese officials and samurai present also knelt down and sat upright, facing the Ming envoy.

Chen Jisheng looked at the Japanese in front of him, a cold smile appearing on his lips without any attempt to hide it.

That's how Japan is.

They always like to use these superficial little gifts to deceive people.

If His Majesty hadn't been so astute as to have foreseen this possibility, it would have been a great loss.

They've probably already been hacked to pieces by these respectful Japanese.

Moreover, for Chen Jisheng...

Just as Tokugawa Iemitsu had hurriedly left.

He had long been prepared to make a scene today, so naturally he wouldn't accept any ridiculous apology at this time.

The dignity of the Ming Dynasty has been offended; how can this be resolved with just a few words?!

For a nation, if even a speck of dust settles on its face, it must be wiped clean with blood.

not to mention.

Chen Jisheng was planning to take this opportunity to extort more money from Japan, so how could he possibly let this matter go so easily?

Facing the kneeling warrior begging for mercy, Chen Jisheng drew his sword without saying a word and stabbed it straight into the man's chest and abdomen.

Phew——

The knife tip plunged straight into the opponent's chest.

Tokugawa Iemitsu simply stood aside and watched silently without intervening, while a barely perceptible glint flashed deep in his eyes.

The reason why Tokugawa Iemitsu suddenly had a clear understanding just now is because...

It was all because he realized that from now on, Japan should follow the path of external expansion, just like the Ming Dynasty.

Only by following this path can the power of the Tokugawa family truly be passed down through generations.

Closing the country off from the world is useless.

If a powerful nation emerges in Japan's vicinity, Japan's national security will be greatly threatened.

The Ming Dynasty today is the best example.

And now, there is this human life before us.

That would be the perfect sacrifice—he could use this to unite all the officials and samurai in the shogunate to walk this path with him.

However, relying solely on one person's head seems somewhat insufficient.

So after Chen Jisheng killed the Japanese samurai in front of everyone, Tokugawa Iemitsu spoke to Chen Jisheng again:
“Angel, although this scoundrel has died, it still cannot express Japan’s apology to the Ming Dynasty. Within an hour, the heads of his family members will be sent to you.”

"Moreover, in order to express our sincerity to the greatest extent possible."

"Our Edo Shogunate is willing to raise an additional five million taels of silver for the Ming Dynasty, bringing the total to twenty million taels, and lend it to the Ming Dynasty at the same interest rate."

"But our small country has one more request, which is to send a team of envoys to serve the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty."

"Please, angels, don't refuse, considering the sincerity of our small nation!"

After saying this, Tokugawa Iemitsu bowed deeply to Chen Jisheng in apology.

As he did so, the other hundreds of warriors in the palace also stood up.

However, while these people were bowing and apologizing, their thoughts were inexplicable.

Today's matter.

For most people, it wasn't really a disgrace; that wasn't what they cared about at all.

If the Ming Dynasty had the capability to wipe out thousands of Japanese pirates in a single day, then it wouldn't be a big deal for a Ming envoy to come to Japan and kill someone.

At this moment, everyone was thinking about making Japan a country like the Ming Dynasty.

In the future, they could go to the Ming Dynasty and kill someone for fun in front of the Ming emperor.

It was to be expected.

If word gets out about what happened today, with a little incitement, the entire nation of Japan will surely strive to catch up with the Ming Dynasty.

Chen Jisheng looked at the Japanese who were bowing and scraping before him, let out a cold snort, and thus agreed to the matter.

He originally intended to force Tokugawa Iemitsu to kill all the samurai who had dared to draw their swords against the Ming envoy.

However, now that the money has been obtained, and even an extra five million taels has been acquired.

There's no need to waste any more time here.

Twenty million taels of silver is more than enough to handle the various predicaments in North Korea.

As for what Tokugawa Iemitsu and his lackeys were thinking, Chen Jisheng could naturally discern a thing or two.

However, Chen Jisheng didn't care about this at all.

As long as His Majesty is here.

Tokugawa Iemitsu's fate will ultimately be just as laughable as that of Ryō.

Japan's fate, however, will be far worse than North Korea's.

Korea is merely paying lip service to the Ming Dynasty while secretly defying it, yet you, a mere Japanese nation, dare to harbor thoughts of devouring the Ming?!
As for the so-called dispatch of envoys to follow His Majesty and learn from him, Chen Jisheng scoffed at it.

Once they leave Japan, Chen Jisheng will throw the Japanese envoys into the sea to feed the fish.

What kind of person are they to be worthy of learning from His Majesty?

After dealing with matters in Korea, the first thing he would deal with was Japan.

And all of this will become clear in about two years.

At that time, the Ming Dynasty will give Japan a surprise.

(End of this chapter)