Ming Dynasty: A centenarian madman criticizes the Grand Secretary and brings his coffin to court!

Images flow across the sky.

The Age of Exploration filled the Ming Dynasty's treasury and swelled the pockets of coastal residents.

but.

For Grand Tutor Gu, who lived to be a hundred years old, had a mind smaller than a pinhead, and held grudges for a lifetime.

Just by seizing a few ships, just by collecting some tolls...

That's not enough!

That's an insult to his stature!

What he wanted was the Japanese, that island nation that had swarmed around the Ming Dynasty like a fly for centuries—

Utter bankruptcy!

May they be childless and without descendants!

【Ding--】

[Time: Spring of the fourth year of the Jingtai reign.]

Location: Ningbo Port, Zhejiang Province.

[Event: A campaign carried out by "official pirates" that bypassed the regular imperial army—]

[A nation-destroying "relocation" operation!]

on the screen.

The sea breeze is salty and fishy.

Outside Ningbo Port, hundreds of ships were anchored, flying skull and crossbones flags, but with the official seal of the Ming Dynasty imprinted on the skulls.

Armed merchant ships!

But in the secret room at the dock.

Gu Canghai was sitting in a grand chair, holding a yellowed sheepskin map in his hand.

Standing in front of him.

He was a middle-aged man with a fleshy face, yet he was dressed in the official robes of the Ming Dynasty, making him appear somewhat like a monkey wearing a crown.

It was the great pirate who had been recruited by Gu Canghai and was now the general manager of the "Great Ming Royal Maritime Trading Company"—

Wang Zhi!

"Grand...Grand Tutor."

Wang Zhi rubbed his hands together, staring at the map in Gu Canghai's hand, his eyes gleaming with greed.

"You've gathered all the brothers together this time..."

"Is there a big deal?"

"A big deal?"

Gu Canghai sneered and slammed the map onto the table!

"Snapped!"

"This is a huge deal!"

"So grand that it will etch your name, Wang Zhi, into history... well, perhaps on the pillar of shame, but it will still be a place in history!"

Gu Canghai pointed to the red dot circled in vermilion ink on the map:

"Do you see this place?"

Wang Zhi leaned closer to take a look and was stunned:

"This...this is Iwami Province in Japan?"

"That place is so poor it's practically deserted, all rocky mountains. What's there to rob?"

"idiot!"

Gu Canghai slapped Wang Zhi on the forehead:

"You don't know anything!"

"Is that a rocky mountain?"

"That is—"

"Silver Mountain!!!"

Gu Canghai's voice was low, yet full of seductive power:

"There are at least several hundred million taels of silver buried at the foot of that mountain!"

"That's Japan's lifeline!"

"If we just hollow this out, those short people will be so poor they'll have to pawn their pants!"

"Several...several hundred million taels?!"

Wang Zhi gasped, his eyes instantly turning green!

Rapid breathing!

My heart is pounding!

"Grand Tutor!"

Wang Zhi knelt down with a thud:

"Give the order!"

"Brothers, let's go move it back!"

"Wait!"

Gu Canghai waved his hand, a shrewd smile appearing on his face:

"This operation is a bit special."

"Those pedantic scholars in the court, and that incompetent emperor, certainly wouldn't dare to openly send a regular army to destroy the country."

"What's there to be afraid of 'violating the natural order' or 'bullying the weak'?"

"so……"

Gu Canghai pointed to the official robes on Wang Zhi's body:

"This time, we won't need the Divine Machine Battalion or the Naval Admiral."

"I'll use you guys!"

"Use you guys—"

"The Volunteer Army!!!"

"remember!"

Gu Canghai raised a finger, his eyes turning incredibly fierce:

"This time, there's no imperial decree, no gold medal, and no one to back you up."

"but!"

"There are no rules at all!"

"I'm only giving you three instructions—"

"Loot everything! Burn everything! Take everything away!!!"

"Move that mountain completely, you bastards!"

"Don't leave them even a single paving stone!"

"The Japanese people we encountered..."

Gu Canghai made a gesture as if he were cutting melons or vegetables:

"Kill anyone who dares to resist!"

"They dare not resist..."

"Bring all the men back!"

"Our coal mines in Xishan are desperately short-handed! Let them go dig coal! Dig until they die!"

"As for the woman..."

Gu Canghai coughed twice, his expression saying, "You know what I mean."

"Ahem!"

"Dispose of it yourself!"

"Anyway, don't bring back anything that would waste the Ming Dynasty's food!"

Wang Zhi was so excited that he kowtowed repeatedly.

"Rest assured, Grand Tutor!"

"Our brothers all started out doing this!"

"Don't even mention a mountain of silver, even a mountain of gold, we'll take it all, leaving not a trace!"

Go!

Gu Canghai waved his hand:

"remember!"

"Don't bring shame to the Ming Dynasty!"

"If you're going to rob someone, rob them completely!"

"We'll destroy their ancestral graves..."

"Dig them all out for me!!!"

……

The Hongwu Plane.

Zhu Yuanzhang watched this scene on the screen, observing Gu Canghai's bandit-like demeanor.

I was completely stunned.

"this……"

"Is this what they call... the Second Invasion of Japan?"

"Not send troops? Send pirates?"

"This is...!"

After struggling for a long time, Zhu Yuanzhang finally managed to utter a single word:

"Proxy war?!"

"Brilliant!"

Zhu Di slapped the table in admiration:

"Father! Did you understand?"

"Sir, this trick is called 'Shedding One's Shell'!"

"The imperial court won't take the blame, and the emperor won't issue an edict."

"These were all 'spontaneous' actions by the public!"

"Even if the Japanese come to complain, we can just shrug it off—it was the pirates who did it, what does it have to do with our Great Ming?"

"and……"

A ruthless glint flashed in Zhu Di's eyes:

"These pirates are definitely more ruthless than the regular army!"

"Regular troops must also adhere to military discipline."

"pirate?"

"That's like a pack of hungry wolves charging into a sheepfold!"

"Now..."

"Japan has had the worst luck imaginable!"

……

on the screen.

half a month later.

The country of Japan is located on the coast of Ishigami.

The once peaceful fishing village was suddenly struck by a devastating disaster!

"Ugh—!!!"

Hundreds of armed merchant ships, like dark clouds pressing down on the city, obscured the sea.

"Kill them!!!"

"They're robbing us!"

"The Grand Tutor said! Whatever you snatch is yours!"

Tens of thousands of Ming Dynasty "volunteer soldiers," armed with muskets, broadswords, and even hoes, roared and charged onto the beach!

Their eyes gleamed with greed; they would chop down anyone they saw and burn down any house they encountered!

The local daimyo (lord) of Japan was still dreaming when a group of ruthless men stormed into the castle, dragged him out of his bed, and hung him on the flagpole!

"Baka!"

"Who are you people?!"

"We are the Great Ming... no, we are the righteous—moving company!"

Wang Zhi slashed down a warrior with one stroke, then laughed loudly, stepping over his corpse:

"Brothers!"

"Get to work!"

"That mountain!"

Wang pointed directly at the Iwami Silver Mine in the distance, which now appeared to be glittering with gold:

"Dig it for me!"

"Dig three feet into the ground!"

"Don't even let an ant escape!"

this day.

For the Japanese people of Iwami Province, it was truly—

Doomsday!

The entire silver mountain was completely surrounded by this group of crazy "gold prospectors"!

blasting!

Dig!

Move it!

The Ministry of Works of the Ming Dynasty has developed the latest black powder bombs, which can be thrown up the mountain as if they were free!

"Boom—!!!"

The mountain collapsed, revealing a silver vein inside!

"Silver! It's all silver!"

"We've struck it rich!"

All the "volunteer soldiers" have gone mad!

They worked day and night, mining and loading materials onto ships with frenzied efficiency.

As for the local Japanese?

That's the best free labor!

"Get to work!"

"Anyone who dares to slack off, I'll throw them into the silver smelting furnace and burn them like a lantern!"

The sounds of whips lashing, screams, and explosions intertwined to create a symphony of hell!

……

A month later.

Beijing, the Forbidden City.

Cart after cart of silver, like a flowing river, was continuously transported into the capital.

On that silver ingot.

It even had dark red bloodstains and the salty smell of seawater.

Emperor Jingtai, Zhu Qiyu, looked at the mountain of silver.

I was both excited and scared.

"Grand...Grand Tutor..."

Zhu Qiyu swallowed hard:

"This...this silver..."

"There seems to be blood?"

"Let's do it this way..."

"Isn't this a bit too against nature and morality?"

"Offensive to Heaven and Earth?"

Gu Canghai sat on the silver mountain, casually picked up a silver ingot, and wiped it on his sleeve.

The bloodstain was wiped away instantly.

It revealed its snow-white luster.

"His Majesty."

Gu Canghai held up the silver ingot and examined it in the sunlight:

"Look."

"This silver..."

"Is it dirty?"

"It's not dirty!"

"Very white! Very bright!"

Gu Canghai threw the silver back into the pile, making a crisp sound:

"Is any money in this world truly clean?"

"As long as it enters the national treasury of our Great Ming Dynasty."

"As long as it can be used to benefit the people of our Great Ming Dynasty."

"That is—"

Clean money!

"We'll see."

Gu Canghai sneered:

"When those Japanese pirates were robbing us back then, they didn't talk about peace or harmony with Heaven, did they?"

"This is called—"

"A blood debt must be paid in blood!"

"This is called—"

"We'll take it all back, principal and interest!"

Gu Canghai stood up and clapped his hands:

"His Majesty."

"With this money..."

"We can not only build the Great Wall, but also manufacture cannons."

"This old minister has an even grander plan!"

"A plan to ensure that the culture and civilization of the Ming Dynasty will be passed down through the ages!"

"What plan?" Zhu Qiyu asked curiously.

Gu Canghai pointed in the direction of the Hanlin Academy in the distance.

His eyes gleamed with a light that seemed to say "civilization".

But this brilliance is built upon the bones of countless Japanese.

"This old minister needs this silver..."

"Melt the copper!"

"Forging—"

[Copper movable type!]

"This old minister requests that the work be redone—"

The Yongle Encyclopedia!!!

"We also need to study our sages' classic texts, our various schools of thought..."

"Print millions upon millions of copies!"

"Send it all over the world!"

"Let those barbarians..."

"They shouldn't just be afraid of our knives!"

"They also have to kneel before our culture—"

"Call me 'Ancestor'!!!"

……

Beyond the sky.

Zhu Yuanzhang listened to these words and looked at Gu Canghai, who stood on the silver mountain, full of heroic spirit.

I got goosebumps all over!

"good!"

"What a fine way to call someone 'ancestor'!"

"This is the true spirit of a great power!"

"We robbed them of their money, then destroyed their culture, and finally forced them to learn our culture!"

"this……"

"This is—"

Murder and kill!

The nation will perish and the race will be wiped out!

"Gu the Madman..."

Zhu Yuanzhang muttered to himself:

"Your move..."

"They're even more ruthless than the Mongols back then!"

"but……"

"I like it!"

"Ha ha ha ha!"