Di Ming

Chapter 325 The Oriole Chases the Butterfly, A Shocking Event! (Bonus Chapter for Alliance Leader)

Yamashina Kensuke entered the Tokosho Palace and saw Emperor Go-Yozei, dressed in an old sable fur coat, standing in front of the west window with a book in his hand.

Zhou Ren was only in his early twenties and had been in power for seven years. He was thin, pale, and of ordinary appearance, but he had a lonely, melancholic, elegant and refined temperament, with a very special scholarly air.

This scholarly air was different from that of ordinary intellectuals; it contained an indescribable, eerie, and ancient feel, as if it did not belong to this era.

Standing beneath the window, bathed in the reflected light of the snow and the dim lamplight, with the shadows of the curtains partially obscuring him, he resembled an ancient ghost from the Heian period appearing in the present world hundreds of years later.

In Yamashina Tomonori's view, His Majesty the Emperor was sacred and elegant, noble and proud. Yet, the ruler of Japan, who should have been high above all others, had become a prisoner of the samurai's throne.

This is a pathetic, chaotic world where order is reversed and hierarchy is reversed. Otherwise, I wouldn't have so much helplessness.

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects." Yamashina Kensei knelt down and bowed. "I apologize for disturbing you by entering the palace so late."

"Please excuse yourself and take a seat." Zhou Ren knelt down on the prayer mat. "The snowy night is cold and long, and I have been tossing and turning, unable to sleep. Your arrival is just in time."

A gust of wind blew through the room, and Yamashina Tomonori couldn't help but shiver. He smiled wryly and said, "Why doesn't Your Majesty have people light a fire to keep warm?"

He turned to look at the servants in the shadows at the corner of the hall and said in an unhappy tone:
"Why don't you light a fire for His Majesty? It's so cold. If His Majesty catches a cold, it will be your fault."

A servant's dry voice came from the shadows: "Lord Yanjing, the palace has consumed too much charcoal and there is no more charcoal left."

"The firewood collector went to Omi Province to collect charcoal the day before yesterday and has not yet returned to the capital."

Yamashina Tomonori was speechless. "Why didn't you ask the Regent Prince (Hidetsugu) of Jurakudai for some? Isn't it his mistake that there's no charcoal for heating in the palace?"

The attendant bowed and said, "The firewood gatherer has already asked the regent for 10,000 catties of charcoal. But the regent said that he dares not present it to His Majesty without the Taiko's approval."

Yamashina Tokunori shook his head: "Then why not buy some emergency supplies in the town? What will His Majesty's palace look like without a stove?"

Zhou Ren sighed, "You don't need to say anything more. There's not much gold and silver left in the palace. Let's save where we can. Charcoal is expensive in the market these days."

Yamashina Kensuke said, "Has it come to this? I am very puzzled. The Taiko, daimyo, temples, Sakai merchants, and shrines all provide for the palace's expenses. How could it have come to this?"

He never imagined that after only half a month away from the palace, things would turn out this way.

Although the palace doesn't have much savings, it's not like they're destitute; their situation is certainly better than that of the nobles.

After all, the Toyotomi clan allocates 10,000 koku of rice to His Majesty every year.

As a trusted advisor to the Emperor, Yamashina Tomonori felt somewhat saddened.

Zhou Ren asked his attendants to leave, then put down a Tang Dynasty edition of "Zhenguan Zhengyao" and answered in a low voice:
"Half a month ago, I met a southern barbarian named Gut. He told me that he was actually a military general with a fleet of 10,000 men in the South Seas."

Yamashina Gensei was someone he absolutely trusted; he could tell Yamashina Gensei anything.

Yamashino immediately understood. His Majesty had secretly given his already meager savings to that southern barbarian named Gute, who called himself a general?
His Majesty is, after all, a young man; he must have been deceived.

"Your Majesty..." Yamashina Kensuke hesitated, unsure of how to ask the question.

But Zhou Ren continued, "Gute said he came from a place called Rome, the capital of the Southern Barbarian World. He once went to Nagoya Castle to meet Hideyoshi and was willing to cooperate with Hideyoshi to send troops to attack Korea."

"But Hideyoshi refused him. Hideyoshi did not trust the Nanban soldiers and was worried that they had ulterior motives. So he had no choice but to come to Kyoto to see me."

“He told me that if I was willing to cooperate with him, he could represent the emperor of the Southern Barbarians and sign a secret treaty with me to help me become the true emperor.”

"Your Majesty!" Yamashino was startled. "Why would Your Majesty believe this man named Gut? Is he really qualified to represent the Southern Barbarian Emperor? Couldn't he be a fraud?"

Zhou Ren said, "I don't quite believe it either. Hideyoshi doesn't believe he's the representative of the Southern Barbarian Emperor, and I shouldn't believe him either. But..."

"But I want to take a gamble!"

"So I gave him gold and silver, hoping that whether he was a fraud or not, he would keep it a secret and keep quiet about it."

"Hush money?" Yamashino gave a wry smile.

The Emperor gave a wry smile: "That's right, the money I gave him was hush money. Even if he's a swindler, he should shut up after taking my gold and silver, right?"

"But if he's not a fraud and can truly represent the Southern Barbarian Emperor and bring a fleet, then I have hope. At worst, after we succeed, I can agree to his conditions, issue an edict making Christianity the state religion, have the royal family convert to Christianity, and then cede Amami Island to the Southern Barbarians."

"By doing this, we can at least gain the support of those Christians."

"What?" Yamashina Kensei trembled. "These are his conditions?"

Zhou Ren nodded: "It is precisely because he solemnly put forward these conditions and insisted on them that I have some faith in him. These should be what the Southern Barbarian Emperor wants most. He may really be the Southern Barbarian Emperor's special envoy."

"Moreover, he did not ask for the money. It was I who bestowed it upon him."

"Furthermore, this person is proficient in firearms and naval warfare, looks like a nobleman, and has a Nanban clock and a jewel-encrusted hand cannon, which are only found among Nanban nobles. Moreover, he did not leave Japan immediately after taking the gold and silver, but went to Osaka to make secret arrangements."

Yamashina Tomonori's expression was solemn, and his tone was somewhat sorrowful: "Does Your Majesty know how Hideyoshi and his son will treat you if this matter is leaked?"

Zhou Ren sneered: "How should we deal with them? Do they, father and son, dare to commit regicide? Since ancient times, no emperor has ever been assassinated. If Hideyoshi and his son dare to commit regicide, the whole world will surely condemn them. Since they dare not commit regicide, what do I have to fear?"

"What else do I have to lose besides the throne? Since I have nothing to lose, what do I have to fear? I might as well take a gamble!"

A flame suddenly ignited in his eyes, his pale face contorting slightly. "Even if there's only a sliver of hope, I don't want to give up!"

Zhou Ren is right.

With the emperor losing power, he could only strengthen his divine status through Shinto rituals, using so-called "divine authority" to counter the secular power of the samurai.

Yet, none of the leaders of the samurai families throughout history dared to assassinate the emperor!

There is no record of even one instance of an emperor being assassinated in Japanese history.

Even if Hideyoshi knew his plans, he couldn't do anything about it.

Since the cost is limited, why not take a gamble? What if you win?

Yamashina Tomonori lamented, "The cherry blossoms in the Imperial Palace remain, but the gold-embroidered decorations have fallen into the hands of the samurai."

"Your Majesty, Emperor Go-Daigo was also a man of great talent and ambition, destined by Heaven. He destroyed the Rokuhara Tandai, destroyed the Hojo clan, regained power, and, emulating Emperor Guangwu of Han, changed the era name to Kenmu and implemented the Kenmu Reforms. What a hero he was! But..."

Yamashina Tomonori looked regretful. "It's a pity that even the mighty Emperor Go-Daigo ultimately failed and fled to Mount Hiei. The Kenmu Reforms were short-lived, and the country was divided into North and South."

"Your Majesty, how do you compare yourself to Emperor Go-Daigo?"

Zhou Ren sighed, “Yan Jingqing, I am indeed not as good as Emperor Go-Daigo, but I have really had enough of Hideyoshi.”

"Life is fleeting, like morning dew, and we will all die eventually. Why should someone born into an imperial family live such a lowly life? Even if Gut is a fraud, I would still like to be deceived for a while, even if it's just a dream, it's still a dream."

"Your Majesty!" Yamashina Kenshin knelt on the ground, his voice choked with sobs, "Your Majesty, a subject dies for the dishonor of his sovereign! I am utterly incompetent!"

Zhou Ren was also saddened, saying, "My house is bare, and books are everywhere. Although the palace lacks gold and silver, it has plenty of books."

"I have asked Minister Yan Jing to secretly sell ancient manuscripts of The Tale of Genji and other ancient texts to wealthy merchants in Kyoto in exchange for some gold and silver."

"I'll also entrust you with handling the pawning of the territories. Pawn some of the royal family's estates in Omi and Yamashiro to temples and shrines..."

"That way, we'll have more money to spare."

"Sigh, it's really hard to get by without money."

After the collapse of the Japanese manor system, although the imperial family and nobles still had nominal manors, they could not directly receive the output of the manors and had to receive payments from Hideyoshi.

The Imperial Territory (Kinri Goryo) was placed under the administration of Hideyoshi, and the Emperor could no longer levy taxes independently.

Yamashina Kensuke said, “Your Majesty, please do not worry about this. The tributes of rice, salt, and sacred sake from Ise Grand Shrine and Kamo Shrine to the Imperial Palace will arrive soon.”

"Your Majesty should summon the court nobles again and collect some 'refined taxes' from Kyoto merchants under the guise of holding waka poetry gatherings, tea ceremonies, calligraphy events, and so on. The samurai families who are fond of refined pursuits will not object to these things."

Today, rituals, etiquette, waka poetry, ceremonies, tea ceremony, calligraphy, music, and the study of ancient books have become part of the daily affairs of the imperial family and nobles.

"Pretending to be cultured?" Zhou Ren said sarcastically. "Unfortunately, culture is ultimately constrained by vulgarity."

Yamashina Kensei also said with a disdainful expression:
"The nobles grumbled inwardly, saying that Hideyoshi was ignorant of waka poetry and that Ieyasu didn't know what 'Genji' was. If even these samurai leaders were so crude and uncultured, what about the other samurai?"

"Ha, Hideyoshi even wanted to marry his sister, Princess Asahi, into the imperial family. What wishful thinking."

The court nobles regarded the samurai as "vulgar warriors" and considered themselves "successors of elegance," thereby belittling the samurai and maintaining their sense of superiority.

As for the fact that nobles needed the "support rice" from the military families to make a living, they were ashamed to admit it.

At this point, Yamashina Kensuke finally brought up the matter of the Ming envoys entering the capital.

"Your Majesty, the Ming Emperor's official letters are mostly unkind. Yet Hideyoshi allowed them to enter the capital, which is clearly a way for him to use the Ming envoys to put pressure on Your Majesty."

Zhou Ren also understood, "The words in the official letter are unpleasant to hear, and I am helpless, so I will be more self-aware and can only rely on Hideyoshi. Alas, the Taiko's heart and his schemes are like this."

“Since the Ōnin War, no powerful minister has been as treacherous as Hideyoshi.”

Yamashina said, "Anyway, there's no hope for peace talks, so the letter of credence is just a formality. Once the Ming envoy presents the letter of credence according to diplomatic protocol, we can ignore it."

"Ignore them?" Zhou Ren sneered. "Once they hand over the official credentials, drive them out of the capital! It would be best if they were humiliated as well!"

"If Hideyoshi uses the Ming envoy to humiliate me, then I will humiliate the Ming envoy in return! Do they still think they are the Celestial Empire? Do they still dare to look down on Japan?"

"If I had great power, I would also have investigated Ming!"

His eyes gleamed. “The Edict for the Conquest of Ming was issued by me. The people of the country thought it was an edict that Hideyoshi ordered me to issue, but they don’t know that it was also my own will.”

"Have the Ming envoy enter the palace tomorrow to hold a ceremony to present the official letter of credence. Summon all the officials in the capital to a court assembly at the Zichen Hall. If the letter of credence is acceptable, fine. If it is not, burn the letter of credence in public, curse the Ming envoy, expel him from the palace, and give him three days to leave the capital."

Zhou Ren's face was gloomy, and his tone was sinister.

"If I can't do anything to the samurai family, if I can't do anything to Hideyoshi and his son, can I not do anything to the Ming envoys? Hehehe."

Yamashina Kenshin prostrated himself and said, "Your Majesty is wise!"

The emperor and his minister discussed the matter in secret for a while before Yamashina Tokunori left the palace, boarded an oxcart, and returned to the court noble town.

When passing by a tavern on the street, Yamashina Kensuke stopped his oxcart, entered the tavern, and sat down at a private table by the window.

Soon, a waitress appeared in front of him.

Yamashina Tomonori's voice was as soft as a barely audible breeze: "Tell your family, the Emperor tonight..."

After hearing this, the waitress smiled gently and poured wine for Yamashina Tokunori while whispering:

"This information is somewhat valuable. I'll collect the money at the usual place by tomorrow night at the latest."

Yamashina Tomonori raised his wine glass to hide his slightly flushed face, trying his best to maintain the dignified air of a high-ranking official.

I'm sorry, Your Majesty, but I'm really short of money.

Besides, no one is going to do anything to His Majesty anyway.

Right?

……

Late at night, Zhu Yin of Beishan received a piece of intelligence.

Zhu Yin almost laughed after reading the intelligence sent in the middle of the night.

Haha, who would have thought that Zhou Ren, this puppet, would actually encounter Gu Te and develop a desire to seize power.

They're really grasping at straws when they're desperate.

Unexpectedly, Guter also arrived in Japan.

And tomorrow, during the ceremony for presenting credentials, we are to be humiliated?

Fine, I'll just have to endure the humiliation. I'll have a chance to get it back soon.

……

Early the next morning, Zhu Yin led the delegation into the Imperial Palace, guided by Yamashina Gensuke and others.

Inside the Zichen Hall, all the high-ranking officials and ministers had arrived, numbering over a hundred, all of them high-ranking officials.

A pale-faced, gloomy-looking young man sat on the throne.

Zhu Yin knew, of course, that this person was Zhou Ren, the Heavenly Locust.

Logically speaking, presenting credentials is a state ceremony, and since the Ming Dynasty was a superior country to Japan, there should certainly be ceremonial guards and music.

However, the Kyoto court, anticipating that the Ming Dynasty's letter would not be polite, and united in their hatred of the enemy, surprisingly refrained from displaying any ceremonial procession or playing any music.

Although they have no real power, they have a temper!

They had no knives, making them easy targets. But they valued their reputation even more than the Wu family.

The atmosphere immediately became very heavy.

As soon as Zhu Yin and his group entered the Zichen Palace, they felt as if they had entered an ice cellar, surrounded by hostile stares.

The dozen or so civil officials from the delegation who entered the Zichen Palace together all had gloomy faces.

The Japanese Imperial Court is utterly rude!
However, delivering the imperial edict was the most important mission of the mission, and it had to be read aloud. Otherwise, they would be unable to return to the capital to report their mission. The Emperor and the court officials were even more ashamed and angry when they saw that Zhu Yin was a young boy.

They were unaware of Zhu Yin's reputation in the Ming Dynasty and thought that sending a young man as an envoy was an act of contempt for the divine kingdom and the emperor!

"Please have the Ming envoy read the letter from the Emperor," said Dainagon Kikutei Haruki coldly. "Let His Majesty the Emperor and all the court officials hear the Emperor of the Great Ming's intentions."

Zhou Ren sat upright on his throne, looking down at Zhu Yin with a cold gaze.

Zhu Yin didn't waste any time and directly unfolded Wanli's edict and began to read it aloud.

Upon hearing the stern letter, which sounded like an instruction to a vassal, the Japanese emperor and his ministers first exchanged bewildered glances, and then became furious.

"You rude bearded man! You've gone too far!"

The head of the Five Regents, the senior minister Konoe Genju, before Zhu Yin could finish reading the edict, angrily grabbed him and shouted:
"This letter of scorn against Japan should not be presented to His Majesty!"

"Guards! Take this away and burn it!"

Yamashina Yoshitsugu angrily said, "I never expected the letter from the Ming Dynasty to be so disrespectful! Your Majesty, they should be expelled from the Imperial Palace and given three days to leave the capital!"

Zhou Ren nodded indifferently and said, "Granted!"

The officials immediately launched into a tirade of insults, their refined manners completely gone. Though they carried no swords, their words were sharp.

"This sacred land, blessed by Amaterasu, is not to be humiliated by you bearded barbarians!"

"You fool who doesn't know his own death! Get out of Japan!"

"If you did not drown when you came here, you will surely be devoured by the Yamata no Orochi when you return!"

"Bearded barbarian! Yuan slave! Devil! Get out of Japan!"

"When the army of the divine kingdom invades Beijing, what will you be like pigs and dogs!"

"When the Divine Kingdom's army conquers the Ming Kingdom, the Ming Emperor will be made to drive the chariot for His Majesty! All the Ming princesses and concubines will be sent to the army as slaves and concubines!"

Zheng Guowang and his entourage trembled with rage, their faces pale. How dare they be so disrespectful to the envoys of the Ming Dynasty?
Zhu Yin looked at the Japanese nobles who were shouting and cursing, and at Zhou Ren with a cold and stern expression, and said calmly:

"I have come to deliver the letter of credence. Now that it has been delivered, I shall take my leave."

Kikutei Haruki coldly replied, "Japan is not a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty. This letter is truly outrageous. If it weren't for the fact that our two countries are at war and envoys are not to be executed, you would all be beheaded by now!"

"Japan does not welcome you. See you on the battlefield! You must leave Kyoto within three days! Goodbye!"

Zhu Yin glanced at the assembled officials with a half-smile, then turned and led his men away from the palace.

They were literally kicked out.

Upon returning to Juledi, the members of the delegation were furious.

Zhu Yin appeared angry on the surface, but was actually quite calm inside.

Caiwei's fleet should be almost at Osaka by now, right?
It should arrive by tomorrow at the latest.

……

The following afternoon, astonishing news arrived in Kyoto; the news had come from Osaka.

A fleet of Nanban pirates has suddenly appeared at sea and is now attacking Osaka!

"What?!" When the news reached Kyoto, the nobles were all shocked.

However, Emperor Shujin in the Imperial Palace couldn't help but burst into laughter.

It must be the Southern Barbarian fleet that Gutt had arranged! It definitely is!
Gute was not a fraud; he truly was the special envoy of the Southern Barbarian Emperor.

Well done, Gutt! Hohoho!
It would be best to capture Osaka, as that would be a huge blow to Hideyoshi's prestige!

Amaterasu, has my chance finally arrived?
...

"What?!" Toyotomi Hidetsugu, who was holding a tea party at Jurakudai, jumped up in shock upon hearing the news that a large fleet of Nanban pirates was attacking Osaka Castle.

"Is the news reliable?! Is it really a Southern Barbarian pirate fleet?"

Xiuji drew his sword and looked ferocious.

The samurai who came to deliver the message said in a mournful tone:

"Lord Kanpaku! It's absolutely true! The commander-in-chief on the ship is indeed a southern barbarian with a high nose and deep-set eyes!"

"There are also many Southeast Asian natives on board! They are mercenaries from the Southern Barbarian pirates!"

"There are at least ten thousand men. Their cannons and arquebuses are extremely powerful; they must be something only the Southern Barbarians possess!"

"Baka yarou!" Hidetsu kicked Chagan over. "Order the assembly! Only a thousand soldiers will remain in Kyoto! The rest will come with me to relieve Osaka Castle!"

"Osaka Castle absolutely cannot be compromised!"

"Hai!"

...

Osaka Castle was of paramount importance as the capital of the samurai regime. Hidetsugu acted swiftly, quickly leading the Kyoto army south to its aid.

Kyoto is only a day's journey from Osaka Castle, hopefully we still have time!

With Toyotomi Hidetsugu, who was stationed in Kyoto, gone, the city was suddenly left empty.

...

"Hahaha!" Upon receiving the news, Zhu Yin knew that Caiwei had arrived.

But he couldn't say it aloud; he could only say to Zheng Guowang and the others, "More than ten thousand southern barbarian pirates have actually come to attack Osaka Castle! Heaven is helping us! Heaven is helping us!"

He summoned Zheng Guowang and Xu Wei together and got straight to the point:

"Brother Yueying, to refuse a gift from Heaven is to suffer the consequences. I'm preparing to emulate Fu, Ban, Chen, and Wang, and stage a 'Black Tiger Steals the Heart' performance in the capital..."

Zheng Guowang was stunned after hearing this. She hadn't expected that Zhu Yin would dare to do such a thing!
This is the heartland of Japan.

“Brother Zhihu,” Zheng Guowang shook his head, “it’s too risky. Although Toyotomi Hidetsugu has led troops to relieve Osaka, leaving the capital undefended, we only have four hundred men.”

"Zheng Shaoqing is mistaken," Xu Wei said confidently, with an air of self-assurance.
"Back then, when Fu Jiezi took on the responsibility of venturing into foreign lands with just one sword, how many men did he have? When Ban Dingyuan strode confidently through the snowy plains and approached the Dragon Sands, how many men did he have? We have four hundred elite soldiers."

"Don't forget, Shaoqing, Emperor Taizong of Tang only had three hundred men during the Xuanwu Gate Incident. When Emperor Chengzu of this dynasty raised an army to quell the rebellion, he had only eight hundred men."

"Within our immediate vicinity, if we possess the right timing, the right place, and the right people, a few hundred men are enough to accomplish great things!"

Zheng Guowang was always very opinionated and not so easily fooled. She retorted:
"While Mr. Wenchang's words are reasonable, they are also out of touch with the times. Even Fu Jiezi and Ban Dingyuan were criticized by Sima Guang as pernicious Legalist ideas, which is insufficient to demonstrate their influence and to maintain credibility with the world."

"Moreover, back then, the countries of the Western Regions feared the mighty Han, but now Japan despises the Ming Dynasty. If we repeat the same trick, wouldn't that be like trying to find a sword by marking the boat?"

"As for Emperor Taizong and Emperor Chengzu, they were both in accordance with the will of Heaven and possessed all three elements. They had much more than just a few followers; how can their success be judged by the number of followers they had?"

"But what do we have? Only four hundred elite soldiers."

She sat down here, saying, "Putting everything else aside, just one thing is a dead end: even if we could successfully kidnap the Japanese emperor and his ministers, how could we escape back to Japan? Would we fly back as birds, or swim back as fish?"

"Only by solving this problem can this plan succeed. Otherwise, it will be a fatal mistake."

Xu Wei shook his head and sneered, looking unfathomable, which annoyed Zheng Guowang.

What are you laughing at? Am I wrong?
Zhu Yin laughed and said, "How do we get back to China? We can cooperate with the foreign pirates. Aren't they attacking Osaka? We can go to the beach and hitch a ride on one of their ships back home."

"What? This will work?" Zheng Guowang looked astonished. "Foreign pirates would agree? We are an envoy of the Ming Dynasty, and they are pirates. One is an official, and the other is a thief. Would they really be so kind as to send us back to our country?"

Xu Wei laughed and said, "Zheng Shaoqing is truly blinded by a leaf and cannot see Mount Tai. You should think of it this way: the foreign pirates have already offended Japan to death, why should they offend the Ming Dynasty as well?"

“If they send us back to our country, they can win the friendship of the Ming Dynasty. Perhaps, out of gratitude, the Ming Dynasty will allow them to trade and spread Christianity. Why don’t they take a gamble? Offending us will do them no good, so why would they do it?”

"If we offer them more generous rewards and make some promises, they will definitely be more than happy to accept. After all, it's just a ride on a ship, something that's both beneficial and cost-free, so why not? Foreign pirates are bad, but they're not stupid."

"Even if they're unwilling to do us a favor, we still have a chance to seize the boats and set sail while the two sides are fighting. The key is to be quick."

Zheng Guowang opened his mouth, wanting to say something but unable to utter a sound. This method seemed absurd at first glance, but upon closer inspection, it seemed quite plausible.
Zhu Yin said solemnly, "Brother Yueying, your title as the Imperial Uncle of the Ming Dynasty will definitely be useful. It would be best if you personally went to talk to the foreign pirates. As long as they are willing to take the delegation back to their country, we are willing to pay a reward of 100,000 taels of silver. The Zhu family will pay 50,000 taels and the Zheng family will pay 50,000 taels. Then we will have the Ministry of War reimburse us."

Upon hearing this, Xu Wei stroked his beard and smiled.

Zheng Guowang wasn't stupid; in fact, she was quite shrewd. Although she couldn't imagine that the so-called "foreign pirates" were in cahoots with Zhu Yin, she did think of another important issue.

“What if…” Zheng Guowang pondered, “I mean, what if the foreign pirates think the Japanese emperor and his lord are valuable commodities, and they take our prisoners once we board the ship?”

Xu Wei said, "Your Excellency's ability to think of this point is truly commendable, as you are a promising talent of the Zheng family. This is not difficult to resolve. Even if the pirates want to rob the Japanese emperor and his ministers, it is only to exchange them for gold and silver. We can grant them that request. The imperial court's capture of the Japanese emperor and his ministers will greatly damage the morale of the Japanese army, and we should be willing to give them hundreds of thousands of taels of silver."

"It's all about money. Even if the court and the emperor don't give it to you, the Zhu and Zheng families will still cover it, right? Both of you are extremely wealthy. Isn't it worth it to pool together several hundred thousand taels of silver for this monumental achievement?"

"Money can be earned back, and you can be greedy again. But this opportunity to make a great contribution is a once-in-a-lifetime chance; it won't come again!"

Zhu Yin couldn't help but say, "Mr. Wenchang, you are mistaken. What do you mean by saying that you can embezzle more silver once it's gone? When have I ever embezzled a single tael of silver? Please don't talk nonsense, sir."

Zheng Guowang also shared Zhu Yin's sentiments, saying:

"Who embezzled? Did you see it? The Zheng family's silver all came from business profits and estate harvests. How can you, relying on your age, make baseless accusations?"

Xu Wei chuckled and said, "It was an old man who misspoke. Please forgive me, both of you."

Zhu Yin said, "Let's get down to business. Tomorrow morning, King Shujin of Japan will lead his court officials and ministers to the Kamo Shrine east of the castle to hold the Shimotsuki Festival..."

"...While they were performing the sacrificial ceremony, we led the delegation's guards in a surprise attack, capturing the Japanese king and his high-ranking nobles in one fell swoop..."

"Kyoto is currently undefended with few enemy troops, which presents an opportunity."

As he spoke, he took out a map that he had prepared beforehand.

"Buddhism once held immense power in Japan, and although it has declined in recent years, there are still quite a few monk soldiers."

His map shows a point in the southwest of the city: "This is the rebuilt Honnoji Temple, a Nichiren sect temple. Oda Nobunaga died here. It has arrow towers and moats. There are currently two or three hundred monk soldiers. Although it is in the city, it is not a big deal."

"But there is another group of monk soldiers, which we must guard against."

“This is Mount Hiei!” Zhu Yin pointed northeast on the map. “It’s just east of Lake Biwa, only a dozen miles from Kamo Shrine. Enryaku-ji Temple on Mount Hiei is the head temple of the Tendai sect and the place with the most monk soldiers in the capital region, with about a thousand monk soldiers, including more than a hundred musketeers.”

Zhu Yin's expression was somewhat solemn. The thousand monks of Mount Hiei were one of the biggest variables and could very well cause the plan to fail.

“After seeing the beacon fire at Kamo Shrine, it will take about half an hour to get there.” Zheng Guowang frowned. “We only have four hundred men, none of whom have muskets. It will be difficult for us to deal with them.”

Since the mission was to Japan, they were not allowed to carry firearms. They would easily be at a disadvantage against the monks who had musket units.

Zhu Yin nodded and said, "Therefore, someone must be responsible for blocking the road from Mount Hiei to Kamo Shrine."

He pointed to another spot and said, "This is the Yase Gorge, a crucial passage from Mt. Hiei to Kamo Shrine. It's extremely dangerous. If we burn down the Yase Bridge, even a hundred or so men could hold them off for an hour."

After speaking, he raised his head and looked at Zheng Guowang with sparkling eyes.

Zheng Guowang frowned. "You want me to go to the Yase Gorge to intercept a thousand monks from Mount Hiei?"

Zhu Yin laughed and said, "Brother Yueying, out of our four hundred or so people, after deducting the dozen or so civil officials from the mission, there are only about three hundred and eighty people who can fight."

"The Ministry of War only gave the delegation eighty guards, plus my one hundred and twenty personal guards, your sixty personal guards, and more than one hundred Jurchens."

"If you take away sixty of Zheng family's private soldiers to block the enemy, the delegation will only have three hundred and twenty men left to fight."

"But the troops that accompanied the Japanese king to Kamo Shrine numbered at least three hundred. Kamo Shrine is a major shrine in Japan and it also has its own troops called the 'Shrine Samurai Corps'. Kamo Shrine has more than three hundred Shrine Samurai."

"That adds up to at least seven hundred!"

Zheng Guowang said, "But I have sixty private soldiers to hold off a thousand enemy troops. You have three hundred and twenty men, but you can only deal with seven hundred. Do you still think I have an easy job?"

Xu Wei laughed and said, "That's not how it works, Shaoqing, don't be so hasty. Has Shaoqing forgotten that the Kamo Shrine is only five li away from the royal city?"

"Once the beacon fire at Kamo Shrine is lit, the troops left behind in the royal city will rush straight to Kamo Shrine and arrive in half an hour. At that time, the royal guard will not only have to deal with the more than 600 enemy soldiers at Kamo Shrine, but also more than 1,000 enemy troops who will come out of the city to provide reinforcements!"

"The Junior Minister took away sixty men, leaving the Grand Preceptor with only three hundred and twenty men, yet they have to face two thousand enemies! And not just defend a strategic location! They are facing an enemy seven times their size, fighting a tough battle!"

"Young Master, the Palace Guardian's task is even more important."

Zhu Yin nodded and said, "That's right. Brother Yueying, as the chief envoy, I should naturally bear the heaviest burden. Of course, if you are unwilling to intercept the monk soldiers of Mount Hiei, I will send my servants instead."

"I'll go!" Zheng Guowang nodded through gritted teeth.

"Excellent!" Zhu Yin clapped his hands and exclaimed, "Brother Yueying is truly a hero!"

"This first game is finally coming to an end."

Xu Wei laughed and said, "This move was truly... like a nightingale chasing a butterfly, a stone breaking the sky!"

PS: The old patron "Red Judge Larsen" previously gave him another reward, but I haven't been able to give him an extra chapter until today. It's an 8,000-word chapter! Thank you! Please vote with monthly tickets!
(End of this chapter)