Di Ming

Chapter 332 This isn't negotiation; it's courtship! (Long chapter)
Taiko's wrath, which seems to burn the heavens, appears to be setting Japan ablaze.

But it still did not destroy his reason.

Throughout his life, he experienced many hardships and setbacks, which made his heart incredibly strong. Even terrible failures could not shake his will.

But Toyotomi Hideyoshi was, after all, a shrewd and ruthless ruler, and he found it hard to accept that Zhu Yin could deceive him and the entire nation.

This person first deceived himself and Chacha to gain their trust and obtain their permission to go to the Kyoto court. Then, he colluded with pirates to carry out this series of conspiracies and tricks.

An unprecedented catastrophe has befallen the world today. Even the Mongol invasion of yesteryear could not have brought such humiliation.

"The courage of the fox! The umbrella of the snake! The wisdom of evil! The flower of evil!"

"Zhu Zhihu, I will kill you!"

Hideyoshi was a master strategist, a master of political maneuvering. He had always been the one to scheme against, deceive, and manipulate his enemies. Yet, this man who had conquered the world for so long was ultimately defeated by a mere youth.

A lifetime of reputation, ruined in an instant!
"Ho ho ho!" Hideyoshi suddenly burst into laughter, but his smile was particularly ferocious. "The kappa got swept away by the river! The tengu climbed a tree but fell to the ground!"

He laughed wildly for a few moments, then suddenly felt dizzy and collapsed.

"Shangzhang!"

"Your Highness!"

The concubines and servants around rushed to the rescue, each one as panicked as a child who had lost their parents.

Hideyoshi quickly regained consciousness. He looked at the glittering golden tea room, and his gaze gradually calmed down.

"Even the most evil flower can adorn a magnificent stage!"

"Zhu Zhihu, from this day forward, you are my enemy for the rest of my life, Toyotomi Hideyoshi!"

This most powerful man in Japan remained remarkably clear-headed despite his rage. In a flash, he analyzed the unfavorable situation he was in.

The Kyoto court was seized by Zhu Yin, and the collateral branches of the imperial family were all slaughtered. The right to rule Japan and the lineage of Amaterasu, the goddess, were no longer in Japan.

Jurakudai was robbed, Osaka Castle fell, Chacha and Nene fell into enemy hands, and Ise Grand Shrine was destroyed…

The Emperor could never have used the Ming Dynasty delegation to launch a coup; this was merely a trick to deceive the Japanese people. The Emperor was, of course, forced into it.

Even so, the people of Kyoto witnessed firsthand that the Emperor issued several edicts.

The imperial edict denounced him as a traitor to the country, dismissed him from his positions as Grand Minister of State and Regent Hidetsugu, and appointed Ieyasu as Shogun, Mori Terumoto as Regent, Shimazu Yoshihiro as Kyushu Tandai, and Date Masamune as Okuju Tandai…

This is going to cause Japan to split up again, and Japan is going to be in chaos.

But now is not the time to be angry; we need to come up with a solution as soon as possible.

Hideyoshi immediately knew what was most important at the moment.

"Issue the order! Seal off Nagoya Castle! No one is allowed to leave the castle!"

"Summon the order! Summon a military council! Summon Tokugawa Ieyasu, Mori Terumoto, and Date Masamune to an audience immediately!"

"Hai!" The attendant immediately obeyed and left.

Hideyoshi gave the order, but he was still worried, so he quickly left the Golden Tea Room and went to the castle tower to keep watch.

He had a bad feeling, and his eyelids twitched even more violently.

In his panic, he could only have someone light another stick of opium. He had been smoking this for almost a month and couldn't live without it.

Although Zhu Yin is a despicable enemy, since Zhu Yin himself smokes it, then this anesthetic must be a good thing. Let's keep things separate.

Zhu Yin had previously given her jewelry; does that mean jewelry isn't a good thing? We shouldn't discard things just because of who they are.

After taking a few puffs of opium, his mood improved considerably, but just then, news that shocked and angered him arrived once again.

Maeno Nagamasa looked alarmed: "Your Highness, Tokugawa Ieyasu, Mori Terumoto, and Date Masamune left the castle last night under the pretext of watching the sea and listening to the tides, and their whereabouts are currently unknown. Their camp is empty."

"What?!" Hideyoshi's eyes widened. "They left the city last night? Why weren't you monitoring them the whole time?"

Despite the freezing winter weather, Asano Nagamasa was drenched in cold sweat. "For so long, they've been so obedient, never leaving without saying goodbye, and showing no signs of anything unusual. So..."

Hideyoshi's face turned ashen. "So, in order not to offend them, you relaxed your surveillance?"

"Your Highness..." Asano Nagamasa prostrated himself on the ground, "It was my negligence, please punish me, Your Highness."

Hideyoshi's gaze turned cold, his fists clenched. "Ieyasu, did you get the news first and then flee back to Kanto?"

"Do you also know that the Emperor appointed you as Shogun and sent you to open Edo?"

"Your Highness!" Asano Nagamasa exclaimed in alarm, "I will immediately pursue Ieyasu! We must not allow him to return to Edo! And what about Mori Terumoto and Date Masamune…"

Hideyoshi waved his hand indifferently, "It's too late. They left quietly last night, and fearing being pursued, they must have been rushing as fast as they could. There's no way we can catch up."

"The hostages of the various daimyo of Osaka Castle have all fallen into the hands of pirates. Will some of the daimyo still obey?"

"It seems that Japan, which I have reunified, will eventually face the crisis of division once again."

Ishida Mitsunari looked pained. "Your Highness, will Japan really be divided again? After years of fighting, Your Highness has finally unified Japan and is about to embark on the great cause of spreading the divine kingdom across the world and unifying the eight directions. How can it be divided again?"

Hideyoshi, on the contrary, became much calmer. Now that things had come to this, he was surprisingly composed.

"The Emperor and the Imperial Court are in the hands of the Ming delegation. They are using the Emperor to command the feudal lords, and we have lost the legitimacy of the Imperial Court."

Hideyoshi's voice was a little hoarse.

"The Emperor is too important to Japan. Without the Emperor, would Japan still be the same Japan? The enemy burned down the Ise Grand Shrine, razed it to the ground, and massacred more than a thousand priests, including the chief priest. Without the Emperor, the Imperial Court, and the Ise Grand Shrine, what would Japan become?"

"The worst thing is that Japan is falling into division again; the worst thing is—"

Hideyoshi's voice was old and dry, like the sound of a cold wind rustling through a piece of bone, "The most terrible thing is... Japan has lost its soul!"

His cloudy eyes were filled with confusion. "It can be reunited after being split, but what if it loses its soul..."

"Your Highness!" Ishida Mitsunari said in a low voice, "If we cannot reclaim the Imperial Court and the Emperor, could we establish a new Emperor? We could say he is a son of the Imperial Family."

Toyotomi Hideyoshi gave a bitter smile. "But everyone in Kyoto saw that all the members of the imperial family who were qualified to succeed to the throne were taken away, and the collateral branches were also slaughtered on charges of treason. Not to mention princes, there were no princesses left either."

"This matter will soon spread throughout the world. It cannot be hidden at all. Even if I find someone to impersonate a prince and establish another emperor, everyone in the world will know it's fake."

"If I can establish a false emperor, so can Ieyasu, and even Mori Terumoto and Date Masamune. What's the point of having a false emperor?"

"Furthermore, even the Ise Grand Shrine, which has been passed down for thousands of years, was razed to the ground. The sacred site of Amaterasu was destroyed, and the Japanese people's faith suffered such a blow..."

Ishida Mitsunari and the others felt a chill run down their spines upon hearing Hideyoshi's words.

Yes. The Emperor is sacred because he is a descendant of Amaterasu, the sun goddess, whose lineage is unbroken for eternity and irreplaceable. He is the embodiment of the divine and the soul of Japan.

His Majesty the Emperor does not hold worldly power, yet he remains the supreme deity of the present world.

Ise Grand Shrine is the highest shrine in Japan and a sacred and inviolable dwelling place for the gods.

The Ming Dynasty delegation's heinous acts tantamount to shattering Japan's sacred status as a divine nation. Like a fine teacup, once broken, no matter how hard you try to glue it back together, it's no longer the same teacup.

Hideyoshi suddenly stood up, his fox-like eyes filled with determination, and his short body seemed to be filled with great power.

His tone became firm and resolute once again:
"The best course of action now is twofold: first, to unite all the daimyo to maintain Japan's unity and fight together against external threats; and second, to achieve another great victory on the battlefield!"

"We must use the victory on the battlefield to wash away the shame of our divine kingdom!"

"Only by winning many great victories can we force the Ming Dynasty to return the Emperor and the Imperial Court!"

Hideyoshi immediately sat down and issued a military order to the Tsushima Strait, mobilizing 20,000 naval troops to defend the Seto Inland Sea and deal with the pirate fleet that had invaded Honshu.

The second military order was given to Korean generals such as Ukita Hideie, Konishi Yukinaga, Kato Kiyomasa, and Shimazu Yoshihiro, instructing the Korean army of over 100,000 men to defeat the Ming army again, occupy Liaodong, and break through the pass to conquer the Ming!
He then ordered the generals of Korea to use Korean puppets to conscript Korean people to cultivate land, fish, and store grain, and to organize Korean artisans to smelt iron, manufacture weapons, and produce gunpowder.

At the same time, 100,000 Korean auxiliary troops were trained to assist the Japanese army in combat.

This is to use North Korea as a base, utilizing its resources and population, in preparation for a protracted war.

As long as Korea is controlled and assimilated, even if Japan loses control of the sea, its hundreds of thousands of troops can continue to fight and still have a chance to capture Beijing and conquer the Ming Dynasty!
The fourth order, under the pretext of forcing the Ming Dynasty to return the Emperor, took advantage of the fact that Japan still controlled the seas and dispatched non-direct-line Japanese troops stationed on Kyushu Island to support Korea!

Currently, there are 150,000 reserve troops on Kyushu Island, most of whom are not his own men, but rather come from various daimyo families.

He mobilized 60,000 men, allocated 200,000 shi of grain, and requisitioned all available shipping capacity from the Kyushu and Chugoku regions, including civilian and fishing vessels, to transport them to Korea in one go!

In this way, the Japanese forces in Korea could exceed 200,000, and their supplies could last until next summer. This would greatly increase their chances of conquering the Ming Dynasty.

Secondly, with the loss of 60,000 non-direct-line troops on Kyushu Island, his direct-line troops will become the majority on Kyushu Island, allowing him to more firmly control the island.

With Kyushu firmly in our hands, many things become much easier.

This kills two birds with one stone!
The fifth order was to instruct farmers in various regions to cut down trees to build houses, then demolish the old houses and use the timber from them to build new warships!
The sixth order was to construct stone fortifications along the strategic coastline to defend against further attacks from the pirate fleet.

Seventh, send people to find the pirate fleet, negotiate with them, and persuade them to abandon the Ming Dynasty and cooperate with Japan.

Eighth, he conscripted 100,000 strong young men, using idle and wandering samurai from various places as the backbone, granted them military positions and salaries, and then sent trusted retainers to lead them, forming the "Taiko New Army".

...

In a very short time, Hideyoshi issued more than ten orders, each of which was timely and necessary, and the follow-up measures were impeccable, demonstrating his swift and decisive action.

After making these arrangements, Hideyoshi did something else important: he wrote letters to Ieyasu and others!

In his letter, he told Ieyasu and others that at this critical moment, Japan should remain united and not let personal interests affect the overall situation of unification. Instead, under the call of the eight million gods, they should work together to conquer the Ming Dynasty and reclaim the Emperor and the Imperial Court.

As long as Ieyasu and the others continued to submit, he would not pursue their impolite act of leaving without saying goodbye. He also solemnly promised that after conquering Ming China, Shandong would be granted to the Tokugawa clan, Liaodong to the Mori clan, and Shanxi to the Date clan.

He stated that he would follow the example of the Duke of Zhou in China and assist the Emperor in granting fiefdoms to the Ming Dynasty, with each daimyo having a fiefdom in the Ming Dynasty!
Although these letters were written with great care, Hideyoshi himself knew that their effect would certainly be limited.

Mori Terumoto and Date Masamune were relatively easy to deal with, but Tokugawa Ieyasu, who seemed honest and kind, was no longer someone to be obedient to.

...

While Hideyoshi was raging in the Golden Tea Room, Tokugawa Ieyasu was already on a ship more than a hundred miles away from Nagoya Castle.

Only when he was certain that Hideyoshi would never catch up with him did Tokugawa Ieyasu finally breathe a sigh of relief.

But as he stood at the bow of the ship, looking back at Kyushu Island, which he could no longer see, he was still filled with lingering fear.

Having made such a great effort, he finally mustered the courage to escape Hideyoshi's control. However, he felt very confused about his own and the Tokugawa family's uncertain future.

From this day forward, we should turn against the Taiko.

From now on, we'll be enemies.

Tokugawa Ieyasu raised his opium pipe, took a satisfying drag of the opium, and squinted his eyes.

Hideyoshi, you cannot blame me for breaking my promise and betraying you. It is your fault that we lost the Emperor and the Imperial Court, lost Osaka Castle which you had painstakingly built, and that Ise Grand Shrine was destroyed.

Are you not a sinner in God's kingdom?
How dare you call yourself a citizen of the world?

Your Toyotomi family is no longer the Grand Minister of State or the Regent.

And I am the Emperor's appointed General of the Expedition!

The gentle and kind face of Tokugawa Ieyasu was no longer visible; his expression was filled with excitement mixed with an indescribable coldness and ruthlessness.

I endured so much, all for the sake of winning! Yesterday afternoon, he received a mysterious letter from Kyoto, bearing the Emperor's imperial seal. At first, he thought it was a secret edict.

But who would have thought that this secret letter was actually written to him by Zhu Yin!

Zhu Yin told him that the Emperor had pleaded with the Ming Dynasty delegation to use the opportunity of the pirate fleet attacking Osaka and luring Toyotomi Hidetsugu away to launch the Kyoto Incident...

After reading the letter, Tokugawa Ieyasu learned what had happened in Kyoto and Osaka. He did not doubt the authenticity of the news, because since the imperial seal was affixed to the secret letter, it meant that the Emperor and the Imperial Court were already under the control of the Ming Dynasty delegation!

Therefore, the statement in the letter that Osaka Castle would inevitably fall and Ise Grand Shrine would be destroyed is likely to be true.

This whole affair was a conspiracy orchestrated by Zhu Yin.

Taking advantage of Hideyoshi's trust, the young man colluded with the pirate fleet and dealt a heavy blow to Japan!

Shock, anger, joy, worry, confusion, humiliation… all sorts of emotions surged into Ieyasu’s heart. But he knew very well that he had to leave Kyushu immediately!

Otherwise, if Hideyoshi also received the news, he would likely be killed by Hideyoshi.

With these events unfolding, Hideyoshi's supreme authority was bound to plummet. Only by killing himself and his associates at any cost could Hideyoshi regain control and solidify his power.

Upon receiving Zhu Yin's secret letter, Tokugawa Ieyasu immediately risked his life to flee.

Fortunately, the long-term submission and obedience had lulled the suspicious and distrustful Hideyoshi into a false sense of security, causing him to temporarily relax his surveillance of him.

Otherwise, he would have had little chance of leaving Nagoya Castle.

Looking at the dark, gloomy sea, Ieyasu couldn't help but blurt out:
"The bird breaks free from its cage and dances freely in the spring breeze. From here, the world is vast, and I will roam freely in this paradise."

At this moment, although he was worried about the Emperor and the Imperial Court, he was more overjoyed at the opportunity to establish himself in Kanto.

Sakai Tadatsugu, a trusted retainer, said, “My lord, if we return to Kanto, what will we do if Hideyoshi calls upon the other lords to attack us? The Tokugawa clan is not ready. The Tokugawa army is no match for Hideyoshi. And my lord’s prestige is currently inferior to Hideyoshi’s.”

Tadatsugu Sakai has always been very cautious, and his concerns are not unfounded.

Tokugawa Ieyasu exhaled a puff of smoke, his seemingly honest round face bearing an inscrutable smile, and said in a low voice:

“I am no longer afraid of Hideyoshi. Japan is destined to be divided again. I am not the only one who has betrayed Hideyoshi.”

"Upon returning to Kanto, his first act was to publicly declare that Hideyoshi had harmed the Emperor, the Imperial Court, the Ise Grand Shrine, and even his Osaka Castle. He called upon the people of Kanto to resist Hideyoshi, obey the Emperor's orders, and support the Edo Shogunate."

Sakai Tadatsugu laughed and said, "I almost forgot that my lord is now the Shogun. But Hideyoshi is no longer the Grand Minister of State."

"What you say is true, my lord. Once you officially open your gates, your power will be able to rival that of Hideyoshi. My Tokugawa clan possesses eight provinces in Kanto, with a rice yield of 2.5 million, and 20,000 Oma Kaishu (the direct samurai corps). This is already the foundation of our hegemony."

“Furthermore…” Sakai Tadatsugu pointed eastward, “Since ancient times, Kanto has been a separate entity! The people’s hearts are different from those of Kansai! They can be used by our lord.”

Sakai Tadatsugu is right. Since Minamoto no Yoritomo established his government in Kamakura, the Kanto region has been relatively independent of the Kyoto court.

Among all of Japan, those in the Kanto region who feel relatively indifferent to the Emperor and the Imperial Court are now the ones.

As early as the Kamakura Shogunate period, the Hojo clan, the ruling family of the shogunate in Kanto, and the Kyoto court in Kansai were located in the east and west respectively.

Later, the Ashikaga shogunate was established in Kyoto, but a branch was set up in Kanto and entrusted with the task of ruling the eastern provinces (Kamakura Kubo).

The Ise clan changed their name to Hojo because the Hojo clan, who were the regents of the Kamakura shogunate at the time, had a great reputation in the Kanto region.

It is clear that Kanto and Kansai are inherently very different.

However, at present, the Kansai forces dominate Japan. Under these circumstances, Tokugawa Ieyasu can take advantage of the popular support in the Kanto region to counter the Kansai forces led by Hideyoshi and seize supreme power in Japan.

Another powerful retainer, Honda Tadakatsu, said, "My lord, if civil war breaks out again and Japan is divided once more, then Japan's plan to conquer Ming China..."

"Conquer Ming?" Ieyasu sneered. "Do you think Ming is so easy to conquer? Hideyoshi underestimates Ming."

"Conquering the Ming Dynasty is certainly a good thing, and I also want to spread my military power throughout the world. But a true hero is one who can assess the situation carefully. If we waste our precious strength for unrealistic goals, things will inevitably become unmanageable, and we will only end up in a miserable state."

"Hideyoshi will definitely continue to gamble in Korea once he receives the news. Only by winning in Korea can he retain his power."

"Let him continue gambling and fighting in Korea. We'll establish a shogunate in the Kwantung region, build up our strength, protect ourselves, and win over the hearts of the people!"

"If Korea wins, and the expeditionary force can truly conquer Ming China, we'll step in and reap the rewards. If Korea loses, the blame will fall entirely on Hideyoshi, making it even easier for us to take his place!"

At this point, he raised his pipe again and took a deep drag.

This item was, of course, a gift from Hideyoshi. Hideyoshi himself was also quite fond of smoking. This was a gift from the Ming emperor to Hideyoshi, sent by Zhu Yin. Zhu Yin himself smoked, and it is said that the Ming emperor also smoked.

Tokugawa Ieyasu smoked it for almost half a month and couldn't live without it.

Not only him, but also top Japanese daimyo such as Date Masamune and Mori Terumoto started smoking opium.

There was no disagreement among them regarding the ginseng extract. They all agreed that it was truly a good product!

……

On the twelfth day of the twelfth lunar month, the Jinghai Navy fleet finally forced the Japanese navy, which had come from the west, to launch a decisive battle in the Akashi Strait north of Awaji Island.

The Japanese navy had a numerical advantage of over 20,000 men, and its sailors were also highly skilled in combat. Unfortunately, their warships and firearms were far inferior to those of the Jinghai Navy fleet.

In just one hour of fierce fighting, the Japanese navy was completely annihilated.

Instead of using this fleet to eliminate the pirates and turn the tide, Hideyoshi lost half of Japan's navy.

Although this navy was not Hideyoshi's direct subordinate, he didn't intentionally send them to their deaths. Hideyoshi himself was unaware of the true strength of the Jinghai fleet.

He thought that once the 20,000-strong navy arrived, even if they couldn't defeat the pirate fleet, they could at least hold it back, and surely they wouldn't be completely wiped out.

After this crushing defeat, the Japanese navy, which had dominated the Tsushima Strait and the Korean waters, was no longer a match for the Ming and Korean navies.

With the warships in the two major shipyards destroyed, the Japanese army would completely lose control of the sea for a long time to come, and even maritime transport lines would be difficult to guarantee.

Then, the Korean War would be much easier.

However, this advantage wouldn't be apparent in the short term. After all, the Japanese army in Korea still had enough food and ammunition to last for a while. Even if their sea routes were completely cut off, they could continue fighting in the short term.

Although Zhu Yin had not yet received intelligence, he guessed that Hideyoshi would definitely strengthen the Korean forces and urgently replenish food and ammunition.

In that case, the Japanese army in Korea could hold out for even longer, and might not lack supplies for up to six months.

But even Zhu Yin couldn't stop it.

His fleet is still near Osaka, and it would take at least seven or eight days to reach the Tsushima Strait to intercept it, which is simply not enough time.

After eliminating the Japanese navy, Ning Caiwei led the fleet away from Osaka and, taking advantage of the absence of Japanese naval protection in the Seto Inland Sea, successively raided six coastal cities: Amagasaki, Hyogozu, Wakaura, Takamatsu, Urado, and Tokushima.

Following Osaka, they looted hundreds of thousands of gold and silver, over ten thousand Japanese able-bodied men, tens of thousands of shi of grain, and also rescued over a thousand Han Chinese slaves.

The fleet swaggered around the Seto Inland Sea, displaying its power and arrogance, repeatedly humiliating the Japanese.

The coastal vassal states, having lost their naval forces, could only watch helplessly, unable to do anything about it.

By this time, the fleet had used up nearly 90% of its ammunition and could no longer linger, so the fleet left the Seto Inland Sea through the Bungo Channel.

When leaving the Seto Inland Sea, Zhu Yin secretly instructed someone to write a line of large characters on the memorial stone of a seaside shrine:
"Next time you come, please don't bother seeing me off."

Upon receiving the news, Toyotomi Hideyoshi was so enraged that he suddenly vomited blood and fell into a coma again in the Golden Tea Room. When he awoke, he looked ten years older.

His attendants used aphrodisiacs to restore his spirits.

At this time, Japan was filled with fear and gloom. The initial excitement of defeating the Ming army had long since vanished under a series of blows.

Tokugawa Ieyasu established the shogunate in Edo, and the one-eyed Date Masamune chose to ally with Tokugawa Ieyasu.

Mori Terumoto allied with the Tottori family, and although they did not nominally oppose Hideyoshi, they had effectively carved out a territory in the Chugoku region.

In just half a month, Japan, which had previously been a unified nation, was divided into three major powers.

Meanwhile, other powerful lords were also eager to make their move. It was unknown how many others intended to establish their own independent regimes.

Although the civil war has not yet begun, the division of Japan once again is inevitable!

...

On the 22nd day of the twelfth lunar month, the fleet, laden with cargo, finally arrived near Jeju Island and was about to return to the Ming Dynasty.

In order to avoid being detected by the members of the mission, Zhu Yin and Ning Caiwei did not meet during this period.

Cao Xin appeared again on the ship carrying the Ming Dynasty delegation today.

“The Grand Envoy of the Ming Dynasty,” Cao Xin said to Zhu Yin, “my lady has invited me, saying she has important matters to discuss.”

Zhu Yin pointed at Zheng Guowang and said, "Previously, it was the deputy envoy who discussed this with your wife. Why didn't you invite the deputy envoy this time?"

Cao Xin said, "The lady said she wants to help the Ming Dynasty and Korea recover Jeju Island, which is occupied by Japanese pirates!"

"Such a big matter, let the envoy discuss it."

Zhu Yin nodded and said to Zheng Guowang, "Brother Yueying, I'll entrust the mission to you while I'm away."

Although Zheng Guowang was a little displeased, she couldn't go to the meeting on her own initiative since the other party hadn't invited her to talk.

“Brother Zhihu, go ahead and negotiate with peace of mind,” Zheng Guowang said. “Recapturing Jizhou is certainly a good thing; it just depends on their conditions.”

Zhu Yin, however, was fully aware of the situation.

Negotiations? What a load of rubbish. Jeju Island doesn't even need negotiating! Once we take it back, it's ours.

Of course, it's because Caiwei misses him and wants to meet him alone. After acting for so long, the couple is finally going to be reunited.

This isn't negotiation; it's courtship.

Zheng Guowang never dreamed that the pirate queen Hai Mingyue was Zhu Yin's young wife.

Zhu Yin, accompanied only by his eldest niece Ding Hongying, followed Cao Xin onto a small boat and headed towards the flagship Kuaiji, where Ning Caiwei was located.

Soon, Zhu Yin boarded the familiar Kuaiji and saw the familiar Jinghai Army generals.

"General!"

The generals bowed and paid their respects together, their eyes showing both reverence and a hint of barely suppressed amusement.

"You all performed well, and fought a good battle," Zhu Yin chuckled. "Thank you for your hard work, brothers."

Ding Liyang, beaming, cupped his hands and said, "Commander Jie really acted well, and he worked the hardest."

Ding Hongying called out, "Father!"

She was naturally very happy to see her father again.

Zhu Yin said, "You and your daughter haven't seen each other in a long time, have a good chat. I'm going to see Caiwei."

As soon as Zhu Yin entered the noble's room, he saw his young wife looking at him with a smile.

"Little Tiger!"

"Pick the Wei!"

P.S.: Now I'm relying on the monthly ticket rankings to help me stay in the top 500! Waaah X﹏X!

(End of this chapter)