Di Ming

Chapter 78 Conquering the Ming Dynasty
Zhu Yin looked at it and saw that it was written on it:

"Three bolts each of brocade, plain satin, and embroidered satin... Three sets each of jewelry and headdresses. Three sets each of brocade, silk, and cotton autumn clothing; one set each of fox fur, otter fur, and mink fur winter clothing..."

"Jade pendants and sachets, classics of history and philosophy, writing brushes, ink, paper, inkstones, lamps, candles, candle wax, perfumes, toilet paper, soap, tooth powder, rouge, face powder, cups, plates, bowls, chopsticks, saddles, and carved carriages..."

"Porcelain and calligraphy, screens and curtains, lanterns and water clocks, zithers and pipa..."

Ning Caiwei wrote a lot; she wrote about many things except for food. She also specified that she used top-quality goods and famous Nanjing brands.

Many of these items are very valuable and only the wealthy can afford them.

Given the large population, this batch of purchases will cost at least eight hundred to a thousand taels!
That's definitely a lot of money.

But Zhu Yin showed no sign of questioning it.

Quite right.

This money should be spent.

Why were we looked down upon when we went to the government office? Because their clothes were very ordinary, just like those of common people.

He himself didn't have a sachet or a jade pendant, nor did he wear brocade.

Ning Caiwei was dressed like an ordinary woman, or even less so. She had no jewelry, not even a silver hairpin, and her clothes were plain and simple.

The saddle and carriage were also brought from outside the Great Wall, and were very rudimentary.

Throughout history, people have always judged others by their appearance; clothes make the man and a saddle makes the horse.

Ning Caiwei is spending money on image building to make the villagers not dare to underestimate her, which is also beneficial for doing business and enhancing her own standing.

It's basically about branding and advertising costs. You can't cut corners on those.

"I have nothing to add." Zhu Yin had no interest in these economic matters; they gave him a headache just looking at them. "You just keep an eye on how to spend the money."

Ning Caiwei said, "We'll buy all the food in Chunhua Town. Rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, tea, chicken, duck, fish, meat, vegetables, wine, and melons will all be available in town."

"Tomorrow morning we'll go out of town to look at houses, then come back to sign the contract. After that, we'll do the shopping, and settle in this afternoon."

Zhu Yin nodded casually, "Okay, you decide these things."

"But don't forget to hire a good wet nurse for Qingchen. She's only nine months old and will need to be breastfed for another six months, otherwise it will affect her future development."

"Also, we need to keep a close eye on her. Babies are too fragile. In ancient times, hygiene conditions were poor, and the mortality rate was very high."

Upon hearing this, Ning Qingchen immediately rolled over on the bed, crawled up behind Zhu Yin using both hands and feet, and reached out her little hand to grab the boy's arm.

This scoundrel spy, this cheap brother-in-law, is actually quite nice, even more considerate than his sister!

She cares about me even more than my older sister.

She's easily amused and easily brought to tears; she was almost crying at one point.

Ning Caiwei laughed, annoyed, "You're already moved? What's your surname, Ning or Zhu? How about becoming his sister? Or maybe we can be sisters-in-law?"

She pinched Ning Qingchen's little nose, "You think I didn't think of that? It's just that I haven't settled down yet."

Ning Qingchen's eyes were brimming with tears, but she couldn't speak.

Bullshit.

You just don't care about me that much. Right now, all you can think about is settling down, buying a house, and getting rich. You don't care about me at all!

During my time on the island, it was my brother-in-law who found me a wet nurse! You only care about Zhoushan's seafood specialties, merchant ships, and trade routes!
snort!
Zhu Yin stood up and looked out the window at the dreamlike Qinhuai River, where the sounds of oars and the reflections of lanterns filled the air, and the melodious songs were intoxicating.

He knew that at such times, countless stories of wealth and romance would unfold on the Qinhuai River.

Men and women in fine clothes, living a life of debauchery and decadence.

Young nobles and princes value beautiful women, but a beautiful woman's smile is only for money.

But would a wealthy and powerful person care about a thousand pieces of gold and a mere smile?
He did not yearn for such intoxicating and seductive places.

Decades later, in the torrential rains of May, when all the nobles of the city shaved their heads and changed their clothes, prostrating themselves at the city gate, soaked to the bone, to welcome the Manchu army, what scene unfolded on the Qinhuai River?
The lofty ambitions and aspirations of the Han nobles had long since melted away amidst fine wine, beautiful women, singing and dancing, in this warm and gentle land. Faced with the iron horses and powerful bows of foreign tribes, they could only submit to the elegant policies of the new dynasty and bow down to the dogs, horses, pigs, and sheep.

"Want to go?" Ning Caiwei's soft voice sounded beside her. She stood side by side with Zhu Yin by the window, her starry eyes gazing dreamily at the Qinhuai River in the night.

There, the lights shone like a galaxy, and the sounds of laughter and music, though far away, could still be clearly heard in the wind.

The little girl's smile was also a bit mischievous. "You're still young, don't overthink things."

"No. I don't want to anymore, even when I'm older." Zhu Yin shook his head and asked in return, "You want to go? It's very lucrative."

"Get lost!" the young lady protested. "Where am I supposed to earn that money and then give it to you to spend? You might as well sell me."

Zhu Yin chuckled and glanced at her feet, then said with a sharp tongue:
"Our CEO Ning has perfectly bound feet. Even if you wanted to earn money from cosmetics, you couldn't. Li Xiangjun and Dong Xiaowan, weren't they all bound feet?"

"To put it bluntly, even if you wanted to become a Yangzhou courtesan, it's too late now."

“Your shoes are six inches, and they’re hard to find anywhere. You can play the piano and violin, but you know nothing about traditional zithers, lutes, or pipa, and you have no background in traditional calligraphy, painting, poetry, or chess.”

"They really don't want you; you won't fetch much money."

Ning Caiwei still smiled and said, "Yes, yes, you don't want me, but I want you, okay? You'd better be careful and protect yourself."

"Sister, you've had it so tough. You worry about your younger sister, and now you worry about me too, afraid that someone will take advantage of you."

Zhu Yin touched his nose and remained silent.

I've discovered that when it comes to arguing, he can't beat President Ning.

Ning Caiwei won the match and wisely knew when to stop, changing the subject:
"Those two prisoners today were clearly connected to the Spanish. Are their arms really that long? What are the Spanish trying to do?"

Zhu Yin said: "The three Spanish governors in Luzon were all dedicated to conquering the Ming Dynasty. Twenty years ago, Governor Recker wrote to the King, saying that sixty Spanish soldiers could defeat the Ming Dynasty."

Ning Caiwei couldn't help but laugh. "Sixty people? Do they think the Ming Dynasty is the Inca? They're dreaming. Why are they so arrogant?"

Zhu Yin sneered, "Isn't it because seventy-two Japanese pirates stormed the walls of Nanjing, killing, burning, looting, and swaggering around, that the defending troops didn't dare to attack?"

"The rampant Japanese pirates and the incompetence of the Ming army fueled Spain's ambitions against the Ming Dynasty."

"When Recker heard about this, he thought that the Ming Dynasty was corrupt and its military was in disarray, and that it could be defeated by sixty Spanish soldiers."

"But the King of Spain rejected his proposal, deeming it a pipe dream." "Later, Governor Sand, who succeeded Recker, after gathering intelligence on the Ming Dynasty, believed that six thousand Spanish soldiers were fully capable of defeating the Ming Dynasty and requested the King's approval for his plan to conquer the Ming Dynasty."

Ning Caiwei became a little nervous upon hearing this, "The troop strength increased a hundredfold. And then what happened?"

Zhu Yin continued, "The King of Spain convened a royal council to seriously discuss the proposal of the Governor-General of the East. As a result, someone used the story of Zheng He's voyages to warn the nobles that the Ming Dynasty was very powerful and difficult to defeat."

"Under the lingering influence of Zheng He's voyages, the King of Spain once again announced the suspension of the plan."

"Later, an Italian priest named Matteo Ricci came to China to preach and traveled to many coastal cities. A few years later, he wrote to the Spanish, in which he expressed great contempt for the Ming Dynasty."

"Matteo Ricci?" Ning Caiwei frowned. "I've heard of him. He seems to be a positive figure?"

"On the front?" Zhu Yin shook his head. "He is a priest, a scholar, and a spy."

"In his letter, he said that after several years of observation and understanding, he believed that the Ming people lacked courage and fighting spirit and were cowards who would easily run away."

"The status of soldiers is extremely low. They have neither honor nor dignity, nor material benefits. They are like slaves. High-ranking generals are even whipped by intellectuals."

"Most of the time, the soldiers carried fake weapons as a show, without wearing armor, and it was all child's play."

"The weapons are of poor quality and were made with substandard materials. They only use fake weapons for training because they don't hurt people."

"The Ming people were arrogant and haughty, regarding all foreign races as barbarians."

"The education system in the Ming Dynasty only cultivated obedient subjects who were subservient to the government and were filled with fear of scientific truth."

“There are many illegal executions and punishments outside of the criminal law. Officials themselves do not abide by the law, and there are no checks and balances on their power.”

"The practice of keeping slaves, which violated the law, was very serious. The powerful and wealthy had a large number of servants, which was a disguised form of slavery."

"Many children were sold into slavery to the Spanish and Portuguese."

"The open and widespread killing of female infants is appalling, and the authorities turn a blind eye."

"They have no faith, yet they are superstitious about all sorts of mysterious things. The property and lives of the lower classes are not protected and can be easily taken away."

"The power of officials is terrifying; they abuse their authority to the extreme."

“There were a large number of castrated men serving the palace.”

"Women mutilate their feet, making them very small, as if a piece had been cut off, and they bind their feet for life."

"Japan has many pirates, and its defense is passive; it lacks coastal security."

Zhu Yin's face darkened further as he said this, "Therefore, Matteo Ricci made outrageous claims, saying that as long as there were five thousand Western troops, they could conquer the Ming Dynasty."

"He advised the Spanish colonists to launch a war against the Ming Dynasty."

Ning Caiwei was also angry. "Damn it, this person has been collecting intelligence in the Ming Dynasty for several years. Does he only have bad things to say and no good things to say? We can't be completely useless!"

“Of course there are good things to say.” Zhu Yin said with emotion, “Matteo Ricci was described as very intelligent, with high comprehension, and dressed well with beautiful and elegant clothes.”

“Rich, orderly, polite, confident, clean and hygienic, with a profound cultural heritage, not barbarians.”

Ning Caiwei's expression softened a little.

Zhu Yin closed the window, sat down and took a sip of water. "This letter had an impact on the Spanish."

"After gathering various intelligence on the Ming Dynasty, the current Governor-General of Luzon, De Bella, formulated a large-scale and more detailed plan to conquer the Ming."

"The plan was to form a joint army of 25,000 men from Spain, Portugal and Japan. The three-way alliance would first occupy southern China, establish a puppet regime, and then occupy Beijing."

"Then Western men were introduced and intermarried with Ming Dynasty women in large numbers, changing the racial structure. Churches were built in various places, and a large Eastern parish was established with white people as the main body and Japanese assistance."

"Then, using the Ming Dynasty as a base, we will launch a pincer attack on the Ottoman Empire from the east and west."

Ning Caiwei's face turned green. "Isn't this the same thing they did in the South American colonies? Changing races and establishing religions?"

Zhu Yin said, "King Philip II of Spain approved the plan to conquer the Ming Dynasty at the beginning of the year."

Ning Caiwei frowned. "So, the war against the Ming Dynasty is already being prepared?"

Zhu Yin nodded. "Preparations are already underway. Domestically, troops are being deployed, while in the East, Japan is being contacted to gather intelligence and bribe officials."

"That's why Spain already has an intelligence network in Nanjing. Because they're going to launch an invasion by the second half of next year at the latest, so of course they need to prepare intelligence."

"This is the period when Spanish espionage is most frequent."

Ning Caiwei was a little puzzled. "Why would a war plan that had already been approved and was being prepared in full swing be suspended? This is not in line with the style of Spanish colonizers."

Zhu Yin replied with a playful expression:
"Because of Britain! Next year, the Battle of Calais will break out in Europe, and the invincible Armada, which was prepared to be used to conquer the Ming Dynasty, will be completely annihilated by Britain!"

"The Spanish Empire was severely weakened and, in order to cope with the rise of Britain, had no choice but to abandon its imminent plan to conquer the Ming Dynasty."

"Later scholars believe that Toyotomi Hideyoshi dared to formulate a plan to conquer the Ming Dynasty because he had promised Spain to join him in the conquest of the Ming Dynasty."

"Although Spain eventually gave up, the Japanese ambitions were completely ignited, and they decided to go it alone."

Ning Caiwei shook her head. "History is truly bizarre. I wonder what would have happened if a war between China and the West had occurred in the late Ming Dynasty."

Zhu Yin said, "It's hard to say, history cannot be rewritten. But what is certain is that the Spanish army was more difficult to deal with than the Japanese pirates."

"The Battle of Calais has not yet taken place, and Spain is still preparing for war. Spying in China will only become more rampant."

"If there's a way, we should use someone else to do the dirty work and expose this intelligence organization."

Ning Caiwei said, "You'd better be careful! I know that with your professional habits, you won't let the Spanish spy get away with it, but Magistrate Zhuang said we can't dig too deep."

"We can't afford to get ourselves into trouble. What can you do if you have no power or position?"

Zhu Yin nodded and said, "Don't worry, I'm not stupid enough to abandon my family for a game of chess. I will devise a perfect plan and won't get myself into trouble."

His gaze was deep and thoughtful. "Old Man Hai must have been lonely for a long time."

"It's only Old Man Hai who dares to investigate this matter so thoroughly without any taboos. Let's use his authority to intimidate and shock the people of Nanjing!"

PS: During the late Ming Dynasty, the West and Japan had a large number of spies within the Ming court. The Spanish publication of *History of the Great Empire of China* in 1582 is a systematic account of China from the late Ming period, demonstrating the depth of their understanding of the Ming Dynasty.

Chapter Two will be released around 9 PM. It will be available on September 1st. Thank you for your support!
(End of this chapter)