The Revolt of the Three Feudatories: All-in at the start in Beijing

Liu Mu touched his chin, where his beard was growing thicker and thicker, and rubbed his fingers around the stubble twice.

Liu Weiqing is now a king who controls a region of Bangladesh. For him to send such a matter with such urgency, it seems he is really afraid of me. But what is there for him to be afraid of?

He had always been very kind to him, providing him with soldiers, provisions, and manpower as needed, and even appointing him as the first king with real power in the Han Dynasty. He shouldn't be so afraid.

If he couldn't figure it out, he simply wouldn't think about it—that was Liu Mu's consistent style. He slapped his palm-leaf fan on his knee: "It's alright. Just write back to the King of India and say that he can decide such matters himself; there's no need to report to the court."

Li Guangdi responded and prepared to write a letter.

"By the way, this shouldn't be enough to make you, the Minister of Revenue, change your expression. Tell me quickly." Liu Mu picked up the plum juice and took a sip, leaving only lukewarm sweet water at the bottom of the bowl.

"Your Majesty, the King of India has replied, saying that he will handle the matter concerning Zhang Ying properly."

Liu Mu placed the bowl back on the table, his eyes narrowing. Proper handling meant not killing. He habitually touched the tip of his nose, rubbing his thumb against the side of his nose twice.

Liu Weiqing's nephew is good in every way, except that he is very loyal and righteous. After all, Zhang Ying was his subject and ruler, but in reality, they were master and disciple.

"Xie Bo'an," Liu Mu suddenly called out, thinking of this.

Xie Bo'an put down his vermilion pen and looked up to receive orders.

"Zhang Ying made a grave mistake by misjudging people, allowing a remnant of the Manchu Qing dynasty to ascend the throne, causing immense suffering to the families of three garrisons. I did not execute his entire clan, but instead sent his entire family to the prosperous land of Bengal to enjoy a life of luxury. Now, instead of focusing on serving the country, he wants to promote Confucianism in India and even aspire to be on par with Confucius. Tell me, how should we deal with this?"

Xie Bo'an did not answer immediately. He quickly weighed the options in his mind. He figured the emperor's intention was not to kill Zhang Ying, but to restrict him. After all, killing Zhang Ying was a matter of a word, and there was no need to ask him.

"Your Majesty, why not send another batch of civil officials? There are still over a hundred successful candidates in this year's imperial examinations who are compiling history in the Hanlin Academy. Instead of letting them idly proofread old documents in the capital, why not select a few dozen capable ones and send them to various cities in India to serve as prefects and magistrates? These people are all successful candidates in the imperial examinations, and they understand the laws and regulations of the Han Dynasty. Once they arrive in India, they will be considered as government officials. With more people, the government's control over India will be more secure."

Liu Mu was very satisfied with this statement. The more talented people who could enter the palace examination, the stronger the Han Dynasty's control over India would be. As for Zhang Ying, he had already betrayed Liu Weiqing once, and now, surrounded by dozens of Jinshi graduates, he couldn't cause any trouble in India.

"Approved. The Ministry of Personnel shall draft a list and select fifty young and hardworking individuals. They need not all be selected from the Hanlin Academy; newly appointed Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) who are also in training at the Six Ministries can also be chosen."

"Those who go to India will be promoted two ranks and their salaries will be paid according to the frontier standards. Those who are willing to bring their families will be rewarded with two hundred acres of fertile land along the way." After Liu Mu finished speaking, he leaned back on the soft couch, waved his hand, and dismissed the three men.

Just then, the side door opened, and the chief eunuch Zhao Fengnian slipped in through the crack, his footsteps as light as a cat's. He walked to the soft couch and said, "Your Majesty, envoys from the Japanese Shogunate have come to pay their respects. They are currently outside the palace with their credentials and memorials, awaiting your orders."

The Hall of Mental Cultivation was quiet for a moment.

Liu Mu placed the palm-leaf fan he was holding on the table. "The Japanese envoy has arrived. It seems Xu Chuang has succeeded on the Japanese island."

Zhou Peigong put down his vermilion pen and nodded: "If Tokugawa Ietsuna hadn't been hurt badly, he wouldn't have sent people at this time. Judging by the days, Yarha has been causing trouble in Kyushu for almost two months now. The savages that Xu Chuang threw onto Honshu Island are enough to give all the daimyo a hard time."

"If you can't beat them, send someone to kowtow. Tokugawa Ietsuna is quite the opportunist." Liu Mu sneered, then gestured with his chin to Zhao Fengnian, "Summon them."

Okubo Tadatsumi and Kondo Yoshiyuki waited outside the hall for quite a while before being led through the side corridor and into the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Okubo Tadatsumi was wearing a hunting robe of the fifth rank, with an eboshi hat on his head. His clothes were neat and tidy, but his back was already soaked with sweat. Kondo Yoshiyuki followed behind him, his waist empty, as samurai were not allowed to carry swords into the palace.

The two walked to the center of the hall, knelt down and kowtowed according to Han Chinese custom, touching their foreheads three times to the gold bricks, and remained prostrate on the ground, not daring to get up.

"Okubo Tadatsumi, envoy of the Japanese shogunate, pays his respects to His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Han Dynasty. Long live His Majesty!" Okubo Tadatsumi's Chinese was a little stiff, but his pronunciation was still fairly clear.

Liu Mu didn't immediately tell him to get up. He looked down at him for a good ten breaths before raising his hand and saying, "Get up and talk."

After standing up, Okubo Tadachika presented a gift list with both hands and began to read it aloud. The list was quite long, and in addition to the usual tributes such as gold, silver, sulfur, lacquerware, and Japanese swords, it also specifically listed ten geisha from Shimabara, Kyoto.

The geisha of Shimabara were famous in Japan at the time, and along with Maruyama in Nagasaki and Yoshiwara in Edo, they were known as the three great pleasure quarters. Shimabara in Kyoto was a high-class place frequented only by nobles and high-ranking officials of the shogunate, so the geisha sent to Beijing were naturally carefully selected. When Okubo Tadachika read this, he emphasized his words: "These ten women are all from Shimabara in Kyoto. They are skilled in singing and dancing, and are a small token of the shogunate's appreciation for Your Majesty."

After listening, Liu Mu showed no expression, only glancing at the gift list on the table in front of him, and then at the two men of the prince: "Tokugawa Ietsuna is very thoughtful. Tell me, besides gifts, what does he want?"

Okubo Tadachika took a deep breath, unfolded the letter from the shogunate, and read it aloud: "The Tokugawa shogun wishes to submit to His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Han and pay tribute, becoming a vassal state of the Great Han for generations. The shogunate promises to open the ports of Nagasaki and Osaka to trade with the Great Han, recognizes all the legitimate rights and interests of the Great Han in Japan, and protects the safety of Han merchants in Japan. We only humbly request His Majesty to withdraw the Jurchen and Hokkai people who are harassing various parts of Japan, and to recognize the Tokugawa family's right to govern Japan."

Liu Mu didn't reply, but turned his head and glanced at the three ministers. Li Guangdi spoke first. "Your Majesty, the Ministry of Revenue has done some calculations. Although the cost of transporting troops and supplies to Japan hasn't been too high so far, if the war continues and drags on for a year or two, the silver may not be enough to cover it."

"Since the shogunate has voluntarily submitted and allowed the Tokugawa family to continue ruling Japan, the Han Dynasty won't spend a single penny of silver and can even collect an extra 200,000 koku of grain a year. It's a very good deal!"

Liu Mu frowned.

Of the three ministers, only Xie Bo'an understood that what the emperor wanted might be more than just Japan's submission. Li Guangdi's words put the emperor in an awkward position, so he offered his advice.

"Since they have become vassals, the shogunate must naturally follow the rules of the Han Dynasty. The five kingdoms of Annam recently submitted, and all military power has been handed over to the governor of Annam for unified command."

"If the shogunate truly submits, it may follow the old example of Annam. The shogunate will retain the title of Tokugawa family, but military and political power must be handed over to the Japanese governor dispatched by the Han Dynasty. No daimyo in any region may retain standing troops."