Di Ming

Chapter 313 Hideyoshi's Five Peace Conditions!

Chacha thought of her mother's adopted son, the boy named Xiushan Maru, who is now the Ming Dynasty envoy, and couldn't help but sigh that life is truly like a dream.

Kaihime, however, said, "My lady, in my opinion, Zhu Zhihu does not want to tell the truth and has no intention of admitting it. It is true that he has a good impression of Japan and misses his foster mother, Oichi."

"But he is a minister of the Ming Dynasty, and he has a high status in the Ming Dynasty. He certainly does not want to expose his relationship with Oichi, so as not to affect his career."

"If he doesn't admit it, will the boss bring it up himself?"

Hideyoshi sat cross-legged on a prayer mat, leaning on a sandalwood armrest, and said with his eyes slightly narrowed:
"It's completely understandable that he's unwilling to admit it. After all, being the top scholar in the Ming Dynasty was an extremely glorious achievement in the eyes of those bearded barbarians (the Ming people) who looked down on martial arts. They had a ridiculous saying: 'Of all professions, only studying is noble.' Hahaha!"

“Child Tiger is still a boy. How could he possibly give up everything he has achieved, having obtained the dazzling honor of passing the imperial examinations in three consecutive years in the Ming Dynasty?”

Chacha said, "I am willing to personally intervene and patiently persuade him. However, if he is willing to acknowledge that he is his mother's adopted son and is willing to stay in Japan, would Your Excellency be willing to grant him a fiefdom and allow him to inherit the name of the Asai or Shibata family?"

Hideyoshi pondered, "According to the laws of the samurai class, such as the Koshu Laws, it would be a bit of a stretch to directly grant fiefdoms. After all, the lands already have owners, and there are no daimyo who have been stripped of their fiefdoms."

"However, he was the top scholar in the Ming Dynasty, and his qualifications and official rank are very high. If he can abandon the Ming Dynasty and join the Japanese, serve the Toyotomi family, and be willing to take up positions such as Assistant Minister and Store Manager, I can appoint him as a daimyo with a salary of 200,000 koku."

Two hundred thousand koku of rice—that's really just the salary of a minor daimyo. But even if the rice yield isn't much, it's still a daimyo's salary. This is already the greatest favor Hideyoshi could bestow out of consideration for Chacha and Oichi.

Cha Cha couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. Only 200,000 stones? That's really too little.

She actually has selfish motives.

She's pregnant and due in eight months. If it's a son, then there will be a fight over who will be her heir. They can't let that guy Hideji still hold onto the position of Kanpaku, can they?
If there's a capable and powerful "younger brother" to help, then the external support will be even stronger. Once the ruler dies, the daimyo will be eyeing him covetously; the child will still be young and will need his uncle's help even more.

Seeing that Chacha looked a little unhappy, Hideyoshi chuckled and immediately made a face at his wife, saying with a somewhat comical smile:
"Chacha, don't be upset. Isn't a territory of 200,000 koku enough? However, if he agrees to my demands and reaches a peace agreement, I will consider it a great service to Japan. In that case, I will appoint him as a daimyo with a territory of one million koku!"

Upon hearing this, Cha Cha's eyes lit up, and she quickly asked, "Let him promote peace talks? What kind of peace talks does the emperor need? Where should he be sealed off?"

Toyotomi Hideyoshi's smile vanished, his expression turning solemn as if his face had changed. He said, "Nagamasa, tell Yodo-dono the five peace terms I have drafted."

"Hai!" Nagamasa bowed, then said solemnly to Chacha, "Lord Yodo, the five peace terms drafted by the Taiko today are as follows."

"First, when the Ming Dynasty marries a princess to His Majesty the Emperor as a consort, she must be a real princess; an ordinary member of the imperial family cannot be used to impersonate her."

"Second, cede the entire eight provinces of Korea to Japan. The Ming Dynasty must recognize the Divine Kingdom's occupation of Korea."

"Third, resume trade with Japan and allow Japanese merchant ships to trade in Ningbo and Fuzhou."

"Fourth, King Seonjo of Joseon and Crown Prince Gwanghaegun were sent to Japan as guests."

"Fifth, the Ming Dynasty needs to send a minister of the second rank or above to Japan to exchange oath documents and recognize the equal status of the two countries."

If Zhu Yin were present and heard these five points, he would probably laugh out loud in anger.

Historically, Toyotomi Hideyoshi presented the "Seven Demands of Hideyoshi" during peace talks with Ming China. Now, Hideyoshi is at the height of his power, has not yet suffered any losses in Korea, and is even more arrogant. These five demands are even more domineering than the historical "Seven Demands of Hideyoshi."

Hideyoshi's Seven Articles stipulated the cession of four southern provinces of Korea, effectively annexing half of Korea.

Hideyoshi's Five Articles were aimed at swallowing up the entire Korea!

Since the Korean state no longer exists, the clause "Korea submits to Japan, swears never to oppose Japan, and pays tribute every year" is naturally no longer included.

The missing clause is that "the Ming Dynasty bestowed upon Hideyoshi the title of King of Japan." This clause was not Hideyoshi's own will.

Even Chacha and Kaihime were stunned after hearing these five points.

"Yes, sir." Cha Cha's beautiful eyebrows furrowed pitifully as she spoke cautiously:

"Although I am ignorant of matters of state, would the Ming Dynasty really agree to such conditions? No, would the Ming Kingdom really agree to them?"

"Is it too difficult to consider it a great achievement for Hideyama Maru to facilitate such peace talks?"

Kaihime couldn't help but interject, "Your Excellency, I also think that the Ming Dynasty won't agree. After all, they haven't even sent a large army to Korea yet. They'll probably have to suffer a few defeats before they agree."

"Even if Mr. Chikorō is willing to secretly help Japan, I'm afraid he will have a hard time facilitating peace talks with these conditions, so how can he possibly achieve great merit through this?"

Hideyoshi seemed like a different person again. He didn't look at the two concubines, but instead looked at his tall shadow on the screen, his voice ringing out with a metallic quality, powerful and resonant:
"Then let the fighting continue. The warriors of the Divine Kingdom, protected by Hachiman and Bishamonten, are invincible and sweep through Korea like a whirlwind. What can the Ming Dynasty do about it?"

"When the Ming army enters Korea, they will be met with the overwhelming power of the Divine Kingdom's army. When they are routed, they will realize that these five conditions were actually quite generous."

"At that time, it will be easy for Lord Zhihu to step in and mediate. Once the Ming Dynasty agrees to peace talks, I will fulfill my promise."

He was well aware of Cha Cha's thoughts. Therefore, for the sake of his potential son, he did not mind giving Zhu Yin an important position and an opportunity to be granted the title of a high-ranking official with a salary of one million shi (a unit of grain).

He greatly admired Zhu Yin's talent. Thanks to Chacha's connections, if Zhu Yin remained loyal to the Toyotomi clan and assisted his son, he could very well succeed Ishida Mitsunari and Asano Nagamasa in the future. He had a very good chance of becoming either a magistrate or a chief retainer.

Nagamasa smiled slightly upon hearing Hideyoshi's words. He was well aware, of course, that the Taiko (Hideyoshi) wanted to conquer not only Korea, but also Ming China.

Even conquering the Ming Dynasty is not the end. After conquering the Ming Dynasty, we will use its manpower and resources to conquer India and the countries of Southeast Asia, truly spreading our military might throughout the world and unifying the eight directions!
If the Mongols could do it, why couldn't the divine kingdom do it?

Kaihime said, "What you said is a matter for the future. But right now, how should we treat Wakatora-kun? Should we just pretend we don't know?"

Hideyoshi, already confident, answered without hesitation:
"If he doesn't want to reveal anything, then don't make it clear. As long as it's not excessive, try to meet his requests. The ninjas monitoring him should withdraw for now and stop spying on him."

"His identity is that of an envoy of the Ming Dynasty. Don't make things difficult for him if it doesn't concern him. As long as he acts with discretion, don't restrict his actions."

"He is one of the few ministers in the Ming court who advocates peace. We should not undermine his feelings for Japan, but rather make things convenient for him and let him know that Japan is friendly. If, after he returns to the Ming Dynasty, he can remain in the Ming Dynasty but keep his heart in Japan, and regularly provide Japan with confidential intelligence from the Ming court, wouldn't that be a good thing?"

Hideyoshi was indeed a cunning and ruthless man, meticulously planning every step of the way. He fully exploited the value of Zhu Yin's status as Oichi's adopted son, and his ability to calculate people's hearts was effortless.

If Zhu Yin was indeed Oichi's adopted son and had deep feelings for Japan, then Hideyoshi made the right move.

Unfortunately, he didn't know that Zhu Yin was not Oichi's adopted son, and that his feelings for Japan went far beyond simply being devoid of affection.

Nagamasa clapped his hands and laughed, "Your Highness is truly brilliant. In that case, Prince Chikatora will be in Cao Cao's camp but his heart will be with Han, and he can serve Japan even if he is in Ming China."

He had something else to say, which was the story of Qin Hui.

Because this analogy seems somewhat inappropriate. After all, the divine kingdom is not a barbarian kingdom like the Jin dynasty.

Hideyoshi then asked, "Nagamasa, I have something else to ask you. Zhu Yin brought dozens of high-ranking Tantric monks with him this time. Have you found anything out?"

Nagamasa said, “These eminent monks originally spread the Dharma in Beijing, and the Ming emperor trusted them greatly. Zhu Yin requested the emperor to bring the monastic community to Japan. Zhu Yin’s point was that Japan had been severely influenced by the Christianity of the southern barbarians.”

He believed that this was because Nobunaga was too lenient with Christ, but greatly weakened Buddhism, which allowed Christ to take advantage of the situation.

"Therefore, he requested the emperor to grant monks from the royal temples to come to Japan to spread Buddhism. Zhu Yin once said to the monks that Japan is a country of culture and education that reveres the Three Jewels, but unfortunately it is now plagued by foreign religions. He hoped that the eminent monks would come to Japan to help Japan resist the foreign religions of the south and protect the hearts of the Japanese people from being bewitched by the south and falling into the evil path."

"These words were spoken by the monks in their quarters."

Hideyoshi couldn't help but praise, "Chikatora-kun is truly a thoughtful person. It's no wonder he grew up in Japan. His feelings for Japan are truly heartfelt."

His gaze turned cold as he finished speaking. "Japan has tolerated those southern barbarians for far too long! Before, Lord Nobunaga had no choice but to indulge them and allow them to preach and trade, all for the sake of their arquebuses and cannons. And look what happened? Kyushu Island is practically a parish of the southern barbarians."

“If this continues, will the divine kingdom still be the divine kingdom? These southern barbarians have ulterior motives and will sooner or later bring about a great disaster. When people’s hearts are corrupted, that is the most terrible thing.”

Princess Kai said, "Please be patient, Your Excellency. The number of daimyo, noble families, samurai, local lords, townspeople, and farmers who have converted to foreign religions is countless. Currently, foreign religions are deeply ingrained in the hearts of the people of Kyushu. If we were to harm them, and Japan were thrown into chaos, then the Korean War…"

"Five years ago, the governor issued the 'Bantenren Expulsion Order,' requiring all missionaries to leave Japan within a specified period. What happened? Not only did they not leave, but they also colluded with daimyo to manipulate public opinion and hinder the governor's great cause of unifying Japan."

"If it weren't for the timely compromise and flexibility of the ruler, they wouldn't have supported the ruler's unification of Japan in exchange for it."

Hideyoshi waved his hand, "I know what I'm doing and won't resort to force. The solution to the southern barbarians' religion still depends on the eight million gods and the Buddha and Bodhisattvas' teachings to people's hearts. Zhu Yin's thinking is very thorough, which shows that he is genuinely worried about Japan. These high-ranking esoteric monks have arrived at just the right time."

"Let them stay on Kyushu Island. Build a few grand esoteric Buddhist temples to properly support them and fight against the barbarian religion of the south. Kyushu Island belongs to Japan, not the south."

Changzheng added, "The delegation also includes a group of barbarian warriors who look very fierce. They should be Jurchen savages from Liaodong, Ming Dynasty."

Hideyoshi frowned: "Jurchen savages? What are they doing here? Japan does not welcome them."

Changzheng said with a disdainful expression: "The reason I found out from the officials of the mission is that the Ming people are weak. In addition, they need to pass through the war-torn Korea. The mission is limited in size and the number of guards is small. In order to defend themselves, they simply hired a group of Jurchen barbarians who have been naturalized by the Ming court."

Hideyoshi laughed, "This is the consequence of despising martial arts. If we bearded barbarians were so skilled in battle, why would we need to hire a bunch of savages as guards?"

"The Ming Dynasty is a tyrannical state, its generals are cowardly and incompetent, easily defeated. Korea is a bunch of dogs and sheep, a paper army. This time, the advantage lies with us in our campaign against Korea and Tang." "Hehehe!" Nagamasa laughed too. "Just as the Taiko said, the Koreans are as foolish as deer and pigs. I expect news of the capture of the Korean king will arrive soon."

Hideyoshi said, "Tell Nagatsuka Masaie to make the banquet for the Ming delegation as lavish as possible. Even if it's just for Oichi's adopted son, Chacha's younger brother, don't be stingy."

"Hai!"

.........

The night is deep.

After performing all night, Zhu Yin sat in the tea room, his gaze distant and wistful.

The idea of ​​impersonating Oichi's adopted son was inspired by Wu You. Back in China, Wu You had talked a lot about ninjas.

She mentioned a young ninja named Xiushanmaru, who was also her senior apprentice. They studied ninjutsu under Hattori Shunju, a mysterious Chinese ninja.

Hideyama Maru is very clever and quick-witted, and is the eldest brother of a group of orphaned young ninjas. In order to break free from Hattori Haruki's control, he took advantage of Hattori Haruki's absence to incite the orphans to rebel against Hattori Haruki.

He encouraged everyone, saying: "I am actually Mrs. Oichi's adopted son. Although my mother has passed away, I still have many old friends, all of whom are important figures."

As long as you follow me in rebellion, kill our master Hattori Shunju, and escape this ninja village, I will take you to meet those important figures and let you live a life of wealth and prosperity, with no worries about the future.

To convince everyone, he recounted many stories about the Oda and Shibata families, which sounded very real and didn't seem like he was lying.

Seeing that he might really be of extraordinary origin and noble birth, the young ninjas decided to follow him and plan to kill their master and escape from the ninja village.

However, just as these orphans were persuaded by Hideyama Maru and were preparing to unite against Hattori Shunju, a traitor suddenly betrayed them, secretly reporting Hideyama Maru's plan to their master.

With the betrayal of that little traitor, Hattori Haruaki immediately crushed the still-planned rebellion and arrested Hideyama Maru, punishing only the ringleader.

To make an example of others, in front of all the orphans, Hattori Haruaki beheaded Hideyama Maru for treason and rebellion.

The mysterious Hattori Shunju also warned everyone not to spread the rumor that Hideyama Maru was Oichi's adopted son, as it was a lie fabricated by Hideyama Maru.

After hearing Wu You tell this story, Zhu Yin felt that Xiushan Maru's words might be true, or perhaps not fabricated.

He immediately issued a secret order, instructing the Tiger Fang organization in Japan to investigate Oichi's adopted son. If possible, they should try to find Oichi's belongings.

The order was transmitted directly by sea. When Zhu Yin arrived in Korea, Japan's Tiger Fang organization received a secret order to conduct an investigation.

The results came in less than a month.

He had just disembarked at the Ming Dynasty envoy pier in Hakata Bay when his family, who were already waiting there, presented him with information about Oichi and a relic that they had managed to obtain with great difficulty.

Zhu Yin toyed with an exquisite dagger. This was A-Shi's keepsake, the short sword Yoshimitsu.

Oichi, Oda Nobunaga's sister, Chacha's mother, and the most beautiful woman of the Sengoku period, committed suicide with this short sword.

Most of Oichi's close attendants, such as Oshizuka and Awa, died loyally. However, a maid named Yoshino Tayu took away Oichi's valuable belongings and her adopted son, Hideyama Maru.

Yoshino Tayu was a courtesan and one of Oichi's close attendants, but he had no morals.

She took Oichi's belongings to sell them for a good price. She took Hideyama-maru because the ninja organization loved to raise orphans.

Yoshino Tayu boarded a ship at Tsuruga Port and sailed to Bungo Province on Kyushu Island.

Finally, Oichi's belongings were sold for a high price to Ōtomo Sōrin of Bungo Province.

Ōtomo Sōrin then presented the short sword from the collection as a gift to Bishop Varian of St. Paul's Cathedral. Varian was a key member of the Jesuit order and a close friend of Ōtomo Sōrin.

Under his influence, Ōtomo Sōrin received Christian baptism, converted to the church, became a member of the Christian community, and even took the Christian name "Francisco".

St. Paul's Cathedral is the largest church in Japan, and Varian was the Jesuit chief minister in Japan. Therefore, the church was regarded by the Jesuits and the East Indies colonial authorities as the main church of the so-called "Japanese Ministry of Religion".

Varian thus became known as the "Japanese bishop".

As early as twenty years ago, in the first year of the Wanli reign, Varian was appointed as the inspector of the Jesuit dioceses of India, Japan and China, in charge of missionary plans in the Far East.

This man, centered on Kyushu Island, used money from the Jesuits and the East Indies colonial authorities to extensively proselytize in Japan. He not only built many churches but also established seminaries and even sent Japanese students to study and visit Europe.

He championed the idea that "the Japanese are the most superior race in the East" and advised Europe to support Toyotomi Hideyoshi's unification of Japan. He attempted to use Japan to influence China's acceptance of Christianity.

He also directed missionary work along the Chinese coast and maintained close ties with the Portuguese authorities in Macau. He also corresponded frequently with Matteo Ricci, who was preaching in Guangdong.

Zhu Yin certainly wouldn't let someone as influential as Václav Régis, a high-ranking Jesuit official, slip through his fingers. He had long been on Huya's list of key targets.

This is why Tiger Fang found Oichi's short sword so quickly. Because Vanderbilt had been under Tiger Fang's surveillance the entire time; he had no secrets. Among his Japanese servants were Tiger Fang's informants.

Furthermore, Varian lives on Kyushu Island. This saves the Tiger Fang agents from having to travel to the mainland to search for clues, saving them many days.

However, Fan Li'an himself did not know who the owner of Yoshimitsu's short sword was. To him, it was merely a generous gift from Ōtomo Sōrin.

His Japanese servant stole the dagger, but he probably hasn't realized it yet.

Zhu Yin placed the dagger on the table, and the image of Oichi committing suicide seemed to appear before his eyes.

He deliberately used false information to mislead the Japanese into thinking that he was Oichi's adopted son, not to inherit any political legacy, and certainly not to become Japanese.

There are only two objectives.

First, we must gain the trust of the other party to maximize the freedom of the mission's activities.

this point is very important.

Whether it's going to Kyoto, visiting someone, meeting someone, or returning home safely, a certain amount of space is needed to make the trip worthwhile.

Otherwise, if the other party disagrees with this and that, and he is restricted in every way, it will be difficult for him to achieve anything.

Second, leverage existing trends to make strategic moves!

Hideyoshi was arrogant and disrespectful to the Ming Dynasty. As an envoy of the Celestial Empire, he was powerless to do anything.

Without power, nothing will go smoothly.

If you can leverage the momentum, it's like riding the wave of opportunity, and things will go much more smoothly.

The Japanese place great importance on lineage and background. Simply bribing with money is not enough; they also need the added prestige of their social standing and are adept at leveraging various forms of influence.

After using this series of deceptive tactics, the other party must have realized that he is Oichi's adopted son.

Zhu Yin carefully put away the dagger and then lay down to rest. Although he was not used to sleeping on the tatami, he had to pretend that he was.

At night, one cannot discuss matters in secret with subordinates. For darkness is the best cover for a ninja.

He had previously instructed that important matters could only be discussed during the day.

Although he was certain that Hideyoshi and the others would not send assassins to kill him, he was still very cautious.

The situation in Japan today is very complex, and it involves more than just Hideyoshi's forces.

It cannot be ruled out that some people hope the Ming envoy dies immediately.

I have to close one eye when I sleep at night.

In the dead of night, after the moon had set, a dark shadow appeared out of nowhere in Zhu Yin's bedroom.

The infiltrated figure arrived at Zhu Yin's room without making a sound.

Just as the shadowy figure was about to raise his hand, a black dog suddenly darted out from behind him like a ghost, moving with incredible speed.

Even with his rich experience and quick reflexes, the shadowy figure was struggling to cope. Just as he was about to dodge, the ghostly black dog attacked from behind, biting his groin.

"Ah—" The dark figure suddenly let out a bloodcurdling scream.

Extremely... tragic!
P.S.: Can anyone guess who sent the assassin? Who is the traitor who betrayed Hideyama Maru? And who is Hattori Haruaki?
(End of this chapter)