Di Ming

Chapter 322 The Seto Inland Sea!

Hideyoshi was a capricious and unpredictable man who was also very concerned about his image. When he saw the edict from the Wanli Emperor, he lost his composure and became furious.

The entire Golden Tea Room echoed with the roar of this "man of the world":

"Deer! Deer!"

"You arrogant barbarians, how dare you regard Ryukyu as our divine kingdom!"

"Do you think my sword is not sharp enough? I will surely destroy the Ming! I will surely destroy the Ming!"

Hideyoshi cursed and tore up the official letter, but because it was made of silk, he couldn't tear it. He could only throw it on the golden tatami mat and stomp on it, still furious.

"Please calm down, Your Excellency." Chacha and the others knelt down together. "Please, Your Excellency, do not harm your noble body for the sake of the ignorant and arrogant Ming Dynasty."

Changzheng also advised, "That bearded barbarian spouts wild words, claiming himself to be the Celestial Empire, but in reality he is all bark and no bite. It's not too late to raise an army and punish him when the Divine Kingdom's army invades Ming. My lord, there's no need to ruin your health over this."

“Furthermore…” Nagamasa said cautiously, “this letter of state is from the Emperor of Ming to His Majesty the Emperor, not to the Taiko. Ming is still being polite to the Taiko; he should know that the ruler of the divine nation is the Taiko, not the court…”

His money wasn't taken for nothing; after this advice, Hideyoshi's expression indeed improved considerably.

Chacha also said, "Yes, Your Excellency, this is not a letter of state to Your Excellency, but to the imperial court in the capital. Isn't it quite polite for the Ming Dynasty to send a letter of state to Your Excellency?"

Hideyoshi, catching his breath, gritted his teeth and said, "To insult the Emperor is to insult me. If this letter of state is addressed to me, I will kill him!"

By saying this, he inadvertently revealed his true attitude towards the Emperor: he would rather the Emperor be humiliated than himself.

Then, half-jokingly and half-seriously, he said in a stern voice, "Hideyama Maru! If you are not Oichi's adopted son, I will surely kill the Ming envoy as a warning to others!"

Even though the letter wasn't addressed to him, he was still very angry.

Even if you're not really angry, you have to pretend to be. After all, he's the Emperor's subject.

Zhu Yin cursed inwardly, his expression helpless, and he said with a bitter smile:
"Your Highness, please calm down. This is an imperial edict from the Ming Emperor. I am an envoy; how dare I disobey the imperial decree? I am not the only one in this delegation."

“If this letter is not delivered to the Emperor in Kyoto, I will be unable to fulfill my duty, and the Emperor will surely use this as a pretext to punish me. At best, I will be dismissed from my post; at worst, I will be imprisoned and punished.”

The bodyguard, Harunaga Ohno, who had also taken the money, also offered his advice:
"My lord, the Ming Dynasty is, after all, a great power that has long considered itself the Celestial Empire. Its ruler calls himself the Son of Heaven. For him to send such a disrespectful letter to His Majesty the Emperor, daring to use the name of an imperial edict, is arrogant and ignorant, but it has always been the case. There is no need to take it too seriously."

"Are they so cowardly and incompetent on the battlefield that they can rise above the divine kingdom with just a blustering but cowardly official document?"

"Besides, this letter of state is for the court, not for the lord. The lord need not take it too seriously. Aren't there many officials in the court who are dissatisfied with the lord? When they see the Ming Dynasty's stern letter of state and feel humiliated, they will realize that the divine kingdom cannot do without the lord for a day, and His Majesty cannot do without the lord for a day."

Zhu Yin breathed a sigh of relief after hearing their words of comfort.

That's it.

As expected, Hideyoshi sat down again and said calmly, "Hideyama Maru, for your sake, I can allow you to go to Kyoto to complete the task given to you by the Emperor of Ming, but I have two conditions."

"First, when you go to Kyoto to submit your credentials, you must not publicize their contents, as this would damage the face of the imperial court."

Zhu Yin said, "Your Excellency, please rest assured. I have never wanted to make a fuss. I have never dared to show this official letter."

"You are indeed very clever." Hideyoshi nodded. "My second condition is that after returning to Ming, I hope you will secretly serve the Divine Kingdom. I hope the Divine Kingdom will be able to know the secrets of the Ming court in a timely manner."

Zhu Yin hesitated, "Xiushan Maru is indeed loyal to Japan. The Ming Dynasty is corrupt, the emperor is incompetent, and everyone is living a life of decadence. I am very disappointed in the Ming Dynasty. On the other hand, Japan is unified, thriving, and full of martial spirit; it is the hope for the future. However, however..."

Hideyoshi laughed and said, "It's just that you're reluctant to give up the official position and power you've worked so hard for in Ming, isn't it?"

Zhu Yin said somewhat embarrassedly, "A man cannot live a day without power."

"Ho ho ho!" Hideyoshi laughed heartily, clapping his hands and striking the table, leaping with childlike joy. "Chikorō-kun is truly a man of character! I greatly admire him!"

He was very satisfied with Zhu Yin's answer and grew to like Zhu Yin more and more.

Because Zhu Yin's words were very true.

"Chikorō-kun," Hideyoshi's smile vanished, "with your talent, are you afraid you won't be able to maintain your wealth and status for long?"

"You yourself said that the Ming Dynasty is corrupt, the emperor is incompetent, and the ministers are foolish, and there is no hope for the future. Why should you go down with the sinking ship?"

His fox-like eyes, capable of seeing through people's hearts, gleamed as he looked at Zhu Yin and continued to bewitch him:

"You may choose any one of these three places—Korea, Liaodong, or Shandong—and I will bestow upon you the title of a daimyo with a salary of one million shi (a unit of grain)!"

"King Chikorō, there are two hundred daimyo in the divine country, and there aren't many daimyo with a million koku of rice!"

He pointed at Cha Cha, "This is also your sister's request. As long as you infiltrate the Ming court and make contributions to the conquest of the Divine Kingdom, you will be granted a fiefdom!"

This was a blatant attempt to win over and entice Zhu Yin, promising him a fiefdom worth a million shi (a unit of dry measure) and turning him into a spy for the Ming Dynasty's high-ranking officials.

Zhu Yin immediately showed interest, his eyes sparkling, but he still didn't agree right away.

Although the expression was acted out, Zhu Yin knew what a million shi of grain meant.

A Japanese shi (石) is approximately 180 liters, or nearly 300 kilograms, of unpolished rice. This is much larger than the shi (100 liters) of the Ming Dynasty. Today, Japan's per capita output is just over one shi.

This means that a fiefdom with a yield of one million bushels of grain would have at least 800,000 people. What does that mean?
The average population of a county in the Ming Dynasty was only a little over 100,000. A fiefdom with a capacity of one million shi (a unit of dry measure) was equivalent to a large marquisate or a small vassal state during the Han Dynasty!

For someone truly wanting to become a traitor, this temptation is hard to resist. Even becoming a Grand Secretary or Grand Secretary is not as good as being a hereditary prince with fiefdoms and subjects.

"Shushan Maru!" Chacha said anxiously, "This is a rare opportunity, please agree quickly."

She touched her belly, "My sister is pregnant, and it's very likely a boy..."

Her meaning was quite clear; any intelligent person would understand it immediately.

She hoped that Zhu Yin would become a powerful daimyo, serving as her external support and a future backer for her son.

"Huh?" Zhu Yin stared at Cha Cha's belly, which wasn't showing yet. "Is this true? Am I going to be an uncle?"

Chacha was overjoyed, "Yes, Xiushan Maru will be born next year. Even for this little one, you must..."

Before she could finish speaking, Zhu Yin finally revealed a resolute expression, showing no more hesitation, and bowed, saying:
"Your Highness Taiko! Hideyama Maru is willing to infiltrate the Ming Dynasty court for the sake of the Divine Kingdom's great cause! Hideyama Maru will promptly send out any intelligence that benefits the Divine Kingdom. Hideyama Maru will do anything that benefits the Divine Kingdom!"

"Excellent!" Hideyoshi was overjoyed. "As expected of a young hero, you know how to seize opportunities. Hideyama Maru, I was right about you!"

Even though Hideyoshi was always a cunning, suspicious and treacherous man, he never imagined that this was a scheme meticulously prepared for him by Zhu Yin.

Even more unexpectedly, Zhu Yin turned out to be a spy from the future.

Zhu Yin bowed again and said, "Xiushan Maru swears to be loyal to the Lord. If he breaks this oath, he will be punished by the gods, his body will rot, and his blood will dry up!"

Hideyoshi was even more delighted upon hearing this. This was because Hideyama-maru had acknowledged him as his master and was now addressing him as "Lord."

He would find it strange if Hideyama Maru didn't do that.

The prospect of a fiefdom worth a million bushels of grain is a tremendous temptation. Any ambitious man would not let this opportunity slip by.

He didn't believe Zhu Yin would give up. In his view, refusing was idiotic.

"Hideyoshi," Hideyoshi said, personally offering Zhu Yin a cup of tea. "You are the Vice Minister of War in the Ming Dynasty, and you have made many connections with powerful figures. In your opinion, how can the Divine Kingdom conquer the Ming Dynasty with the least cost and the fastest speed?"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yin sneered inwardly.

The monkey asked how to conquer the Ming Dynasty as quickly as possible, not whether it was even possible. This shows that he was very confident and had no doubt about the possibility of conquering the Ming Dynasty.

Why was Hideyoshi so confident?
In fact, starting with Nobunaga, there was a mysterious overconfidence that he could conquer the Ming Dynasty. Hideyoshi inherited Nobunaga's legacy, as well as his ambitions.

Zhu Yin did not find it strange.

The reason why Hideyoshi and Nobunaga harbored such ambitions and had such unfounded confidence in conquering the Ming Dynasty was not because they were delusional or baseless, but because they had conducted historical and contemporary analysis and research.

Nobunaga also read Chinese history books and knew that the northern nomadic tribes had repeatedly invaded the Central Plains. From the Five Barbarian Invasions to the Liao, Jin, and Mongol dynasties, they had all succeeded in conquering China.

These nomadic tribes have a very small population, even smaller than Japan's. If they can do it, why can't Japan?

This is the first piece of evidence, historical evidence.

The second basis is the basis of reality.

Back then, some defeated and wandering samurai formed pirates, which were able to cause the Ming Dynasty a great deal of trouble. Often, a few hundred Japanese pirates could penetrate hundreds of miles into the land, burning, killing, and looting as if they were in an empty land, and easily defeating thousands of Ming soldiers.

Years of Wokou raids had long since made Japan despise the military power of the Ming Dynasty.

Moreover, intelligence reports also indicate that the Ming Dynasty suffers from numerous problems, including inferior weapons, lax military preparedness, loss of power among military personnel, and rampant corruption.

In short, although the Ming Dynasty was large, its military fortunes were declining. Although the Ming Dynasty was wealthy, its military strength was weak.

Isn't this the perfect target for conquest?

Therefore, from Nobunaga to Hideyoshi, they never forgot to conquer the Ming Dynasty, satisfy the greed of the samurai in the country, and thereby unite the people and consolidate their power.

Historically, if Hideyoshi hadn't died, the Korean War would certainly have continued.

Zhu Yin snapped out of his thoughts and replied thoughtfully:
"In my opinion, the fastest way to conquer the Ming Dynasty is to occupy Liaodong and cut off the land connection between the Ming Dynasty and Korea. The Ming Dynasty's navy is weak and dares not venture deep into the sea, so Korea will be in our hands. Once Korea is conquered, conquering the Ming Dynasty will be a piece of cake."

Hideyoshi nodded and said, "That's right, that's what I was thinking too. Anything else?"

Zhu Yin added, “We can attack from both the north and the south. Jiangnan is a vital source of wealth for the Ming Dynasty, but it is weak in military strength and defense. If we send tens of thousands of troops across the sea to conquer it and cut off the grain transport from the Grand Canal, it will be like striking a snake at its vital point.”

Hideyoshi clapped his hands and laughed, "Indeed a brilliant plan. I'd like to try it out."

Zhu Yin thought to himself, "Try it and you'll die."

If the Japanese army were to send a fleet of tens of thousands of ships to attack Jiangnan, wouldn't that be disastrous? Wouldn't they be handing themselves over to be slaughtered?

The current Eight Banners Navy possesses the most advanced warships and the most powerful naval guns in the world. If the Japanese navy were to go to the coast of Jiangnan, it would be a one-way trip. The Eight Banners flagship, waiting in ambush, would send them one by one to the bottom of the sea.

Zhu Yin attempted to mislead Hideyoshi, urging the Japanese navy to willingly go south to their deaths. He believed that eliminating the main force of the Japanese navy and causing them to lose a large number of ships would make the Korean War much easier.

Hideyoshi then asked, "What if we send troops to land at Tianjin and directly attack Beijing, the capital of the Ming Dynasty?"

Zhu Yin shook his head and said, "This strategy seems like the best one, but it is actually difficult to implement. The Ming Dynasty has hundreds of thousands of troops in the capital region, with numerous garrisons and layers of defense. In addition, Beijing is tall and sturdy, and the Divine Kingdom lacks cannons, making it difficult to breach the city."

"If the Divine Kingdom's army is blocked at the city walls, and Ming reinforcements keep arriving, then it will be very dangerous."

Zhu Yin was telling the truth. The Beijing of today is not the Beijing of the late Qing Dynasty. And the Japanese army of today is not the Anglo-French allied forces of modern times.

This was, of course, a test from Hideyoshi. In fact, he and his advisors had already concluded that landing in Tianjin and attacking Beijing was a poor strategy.

It seems simple, but it's actually the most difficult.

Unless, of course, the divine kingdom has many powerful cannons.

Hideyoshi asked a few more questions, which were nothing more than intelligence about the Ming Dynasty's troops, equipment, and resources.

Zhu Yin exaggerated the Ming Dynasty's strength, deliberately pandering to Hideyoshi's wishes.

Little did Hideyoshi know that Zhu Yin was feigning weakness to mislead him. This was exactly what he wanted to hear, and at that moment he believed that the Ming Dynasty was easier to conquer, so he was determined to succeed.

"Once we conquer Ming," Hideyoshi said excitedly, "His Majesty the Emperor will be based in Beijing, and I will be based in Ningbo. Ming's wealth and land will be at the mercy of our divine kingdom, and its beauties will be the property of our samurai..."

The two chatted more and more happily, and Zhu Yin took the opportunity to take out his opium pipe, light up the fake opium, and begin to puff away.

Hideyoshi had already heard about this substance from Kaihime and Nagamasa, and had also received eight opium pipes and two hundred catties of opium as gifts. Seeing Zhu Yin smoking it, he immediately wanted to try it himself.

"Hihime Kai, bring me a pipe. I also want to try out its wonders."

Hideyoshi gave the order.

Zhu Yin and the Ming emperor both used it, so of course he dared to try it.

Soon, the opium pipe arrived. Following Zhu Yin's method, Kaihime lit real opium and presented it to Hideyoshi.

Hideyoshi took a careful sip and couldn't help but choke.

"Sir..." Cha Cha immediately patted his back worriedly, "How are you?"

"What?" Hideyoshi felt a little uncomfortable at first when he came into contact with the strange smell, but then his eyes lit up. He felt a pleasure and ease he had never experienced before.

"Yoshi! Yoshi!"

Hideyoshi took another deep breath, his eyes shining even brighter. He imitated Zhu Yin, exhaling smoke like an ancient ape about to ascend to heaven.

"Ho ho ho!" Hideyoshi couldn't help but burst into laughter. "This thing is truly wondrous!"

Zhu Yin laughed and said, "Even in the Ming Dynasty, only a very few people are fortunate enough to enjoy this longevity ointment."

He was so good to Hideyoshi. He drew fakes for himself but gave real ones to Hideyoshi.

Hideyoshi took a few more puffs, getting more and more into it, and his mood improved.

“Chihko-kun, go to Kyoto in a few days. I agree to your request, after all, you need to go back and report. Otherwise, the Ming emperor will punish you.”

"It just so happens that Chacha is going back to Osaka to rest and prepare for childbirth on the 20th of this month, and you're going the same way anyway. Why don't you travel together?"

Zhu Yin said, seemingly pleased, "Really? Then I'm so happy."

Chacha said happily, "With Xiushan Maru traveling with me, I feel much more at ease."

Having obtained Hideyoshi's permission to go to Kyoto, Zhu Yin had completed the second step in his plan. He then bowed and said:

"It is getting late, my lord, please rest. I shall take my leave."

Hideyoshi took a puff of his opium and laughed:
"Well then, let's stop here for today. I really like this 'longevity balm'."

After Zhu Yin left the Golden Tea Room, Hideyoshi suddenly said to Nagamasa:

Do you really think Hideyama Maru would serve the divine kingdom?

Nagamasa smiled and said, "My lord already has the answer in his heart. I believe that Hideyama Maru will not break his oath."

Hideyoshi nodded and said, "I believe that someone as intelligent as him will know how to choose!"

"Hmm, what has Ieyasu been up to these past few days?"

When Ieyasu was mentioned, his aura became somewhat cold.

Nagamasa bowed and said, "Ieyasu has not done anything strange. He has only sent people to meet with the Ikko-shu people and has also made contact with the people of Higo Province."

Hideyoshi was silent for a moment. "Who sent the ninja to assassinate Hideyamamaru? Have you found out who was behind it?"

Nagamasa said, “There is no evidence, but it should be Hattori Haruaki. His secret identity is Yan Shifan’s son. He is hostile to the Ming envoys, and his purpose should be to provoke a war between the two countries.”

"It's him?" Hideyoshi sneered. "The Divine Kingdom is bound to conquer Ming, why would it need him to sow discord? What a waste of effort."

"Send someone to tell him that, regardless of whether it was his doing or not, he is forbidden from assassinating Ming envoys again. Let him focus on planning how to assassinate the Ming emperor."

Nagamasa accepted the order and said, "Hai!"

……

A few days later, a rumor suddenly spread from overseas to Kyushu.

Rumor has it that the Ming Dynasty has bribed the pirates of the South Seas and is preparing to join forces with the Ming and Korean navies to seize the Tsushima Strait and blockade the sea routes of the Divine Kingdom.

The news seems to be true, as many maritime merchants are saying so.

Some people say that the Southern Barbarians received many promises from the Ming Dynasty, and their fleet has already headed north. The Southern Barbarians, along with the natives of Southeast Asia, are estimated to have a fleet of at least tens of thousands of people.

There are also reports that the Ming Dynasty promised the Nanman pirates that if they occupied the Tsushima Strait, cut off the sea route to the Divine Kingdom, and helped the Ming Dynasty restore Korea, they would agree to full trade with the Nanman and be free to preach.

When the news arrived, people were filled with anxiety.

Everyone knows that the Nanban fleet is very strong. If the Nanban pirate fleet were to come to the Tsushima Strait to assist the Ming and Korean armies, it would truly be a problem for the Divine Kingdom.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi and others immediately summoned missionaries such as Vanderbilt to inquire about the veracity of the news.

Varian and others had also received "intelligence" that the East India Company had reached an agreement with the Ming Dynasty to form a mixed fleet, gathering white mercenaries and native servants from various Southeast Asian countries to go north and assist in the war.

Since they had also received "intelligence," they naturally assumed that the message was "true."

Hideyoshi and the others, upon confirming the news was true, immediately became tense.

Nagoya Castle immediately ordered the deployment of its strongest fleet, which was stationed on the mainland, to the vicinity of Tsushima Island to ensure the smooth flow of sea routes through the Tsushima Strait.

With hundreds of thousands of troops currently stationed in North Korea, the consequences of cutting off maritime transport are unimaginable.

The following day, the main naval fleet of Hakata Bay left Kyushu Island and headed to Tsushima Island to reinforce the naval forces in the Tsushima Strait.

Although Kyushu had a large military force, it consisted almost entirely of land forces lacking warships.

Japan is not afraid of Kyushu being attacked, but it is afraid of losing control of the Tsushima Strait.

Upon receiving news that the Japanese naval fleet had left Kyushu from Hakata Bay, Zhu Yin and Xu Wei were overjoyed.

All the preparations paid off; the show is about to begin!

Although this was good news of a successful plan, Zhu Yin received bad news from North Korea.

After Yang Shaoxun's crushing defeat and capture, the morale of the Ming army plummeted, forcing them to retreat to Ping'an Province. The Daedong River defense line was completely lost.

The Ming Dynasty's allied forces were in a very precarious situation.

Emperor Bai Jin was furious, but the eunuch Gao Huai submitted a memorial to the emperor, saying that the great defeat at Pyongyang was due to Yang Shaoxun's disobedience and his unauthorized deployment of troops out of greed for credit, thus shifting all the blame onto Yang Shaoxun.

At this critical juncture, Wanli could not change commanders at the last minute. He could only issue an edict to Hao Jing and Gao Huai, ordering them to redeem themselves through meritorious service, maintain a firm defense, and launch a campaign against the enemy within a set timeframe.

The intelligence also stated that Emperor Wanli summoned the Grand Secretary to inquire about the outcome of the peace talks.

Upon receiving the intelligence, Zhu Yin and Xu Wei couldn't help but feel anxious. They hoped that Hao Jing would not make any more mistakes and at least hold the Ping'an Road, preventing the Japanese army from crossing the Yalu River.

If the situation gets out of control, even Zhu Yin will be in trouble.

……

On November 20th, Zhu Yin bid farewell to Hideyoshi, leaving the esoteric Buddhist monks in Kyushu, and led four hundred people to Kyoto.

Also setting off in the snow were Chacha, who was returning to Osaka Prefecture to rest during her pregnancy, and two thousand soldiers who were escorting her.

The entire group took a boat in Hakata Bay, headed north through the Kanmon Strait, entered the Seto Inland Sea, and headed towards the Kansai region.

Amidst the swirling snowflakes, Zhu Yin stood on the deck, gazing at the vast ocean that was of vital importance to Japan, his eyes vacant and cold.

The Seto Inland Sea!

P.S.: Requesting monthly votes.

(End of this chapter)