Ming East India Company

"So what will happen next?" Shiro sat up straight, looking at the horizon outside the window, and said expressionlessly.

"What else can we do? Once they know our true strength, they'll definitely want to fight even more! I reckon they'll be at our gates in a few days," Bai Ling said irritably.

"Isn't this what we wanted?" Bai Ye shifted his gaze to Bai Ling and said, enunciating each word clearly.

"You mean..." Bai Ling suddenly realized.

"That's right. The reason I used Lao Qi to negotiate with them was to deliberately show weakness to the enemy and tell them that we are just a rabble. That way, Shang Ning will take the initiative to attack and fight us."

Bai Ling came to her senses:

"But would Shang Ning really do that? If he knows we're just pirates and not the Ming army, with no reinforcements, wouldn't a protracted stalemate offer a better chance of victory?"

"No, because he trusts the thirty-six surnames of the Min people even less than we do."

"From now on, eldest sister, you only need to do one thing: accompany Zheng Jiong on horseback rides around every day. The more lively the place, the better, and the more people who see you, the better."

A slight smile appeared on Shirono's lips.

……

At Shuri Castle, a hundred miles away, King Shōei of Ryukyu was listening to his subordinates' report word by word.

"Are you sure they're just a group of pirates, without any other powerful backing?"

"I am certain, because I have carefully inspected their personnel. They don't even have uniforms, and most of their armor and shields were captured from our army. They are basically a bunch of beggars. Such an army could not possibly be the Ming Dynasty's official army."

Could it be that the enemy was just bluffing? But how could such an army have breached Jin Guiren City in such a short time? They had left several hundred soldiers inside; logically, it shouldn't have been defeated in one strike! Shang Yong fell into deep thought.

"Furthermore, I paid a visit to their so-called envoy, who was nothing but a pedantic scholar with not a shred of knowledge. I managed to trick him out of his true nature with just a few words..."

Afterwards, Geng Jian recounted his experiences during the negotiation process, including how Bai Jiancheng was at a loss during the negotiation, how Bai Ling, a woman, was more shrewd than a man, and how he easily met Zheng Jiong.

"You met Zheng Jiong, what did he say?"

Geng Jian reported the situation relayed by Zheng Jiong, and specifically emphasized:

Zheng Jiong said that this group must be pirates disguised as government troops, and their formation is disorganized. Your Majesty can defeat them in one blow.

Upon hearing that Jin Guiren City had fallen because Xiang Kezhi, the guard of Beishan, had sent his soldiers out to search for his younger brother, Shang Yong was seething with hatred.

"That good-for-nothing, he just casually lost this important northern town."

However, amidst his anger, a weight was lifted from his heart: the loss of the city and territory to Xiang Kezhi was simply due to the food, and not for any other reason.

At least the worst-case scenario of being besieged by rebel forces from both the north and south will not occur, and the troops responsible for monitoring Kim Wu can be temporarily withdrawn.

"Alright, you can go now!" After sending Geng Jian away, Shang Yong began to analyze the intelligence he had gathered.

Without a doubt, the situation is now quite clear: a group of pirates have stumbled upon the city of Guiren by sheer luck. They have neither the official backing of the Ming Dynasty nor any backup forces, and they have an overwhelming advantage in both manpower and equipment.

Shang Yong still had a lingering doubt. If they were truly a group of pirates, how could they have produced such a massive document as the "Proclamation to the Thirty-Six Families of Fujian in Ryukyu"?

Based on his understanding of the Ming Dynasty pirates, they were basically a rabble, most of them illiterate and uneducated people who had turned to the sea to make a living because they couldn't survive on land. How could they possibly come up with such a brilliant political strategy?

Even the parallel prose style of that manifesto was beyond the writing ability of an ordinary pirate.

While being cautious, he ordered the mobilization of all his troops, but also commanded them to hold Shuri Castle and Nakijin Castle and observe the situation.

In the following days, the group of Ming Dynasty pirates did not make any further moves, continuing to distribute leaflets and plunder grain. However, some new intelligence made Shang Yong uneasy.

According to scouts at the front, in recent days, a beautiful woman from the Ming Dynasty has been frequently seen accompanying Zheng Jiong on his travels, and Zheng Jiong is even riding a horse, appearing unusually proud.

This alerted Shang Yong. He was well aware of Zheng Jiong's abilities; the man had served as Tang Rong Si for many years and was very knowledgeable about the situation on Ryukyu Island.

Moreover, Zheng Jiong was responsible for all tribute and trade with the Ming Dynasty for many years. Therefore, Zheng Jiong had quite a good relationship with the Ming Dynasty. In addition, as a descendant of the thirty-six surnames of Fujian people, he held a high position among the Han Chinese immigrants in Ryukyu.

The pirates might not have known about the situation in Ryukyu, but Zheng Jiong definitely did.

Furthermore, his frequent horseback rides with a female pirate suggest something else.

Horses are extremely scarce in Ryukyu, and according to Geng Jian, the Ming pirates who invaded this time also didn't have many horses.

Under such circumstances, why would they provide horses for Zheng Jiong to ride?

Was there a woman accompanying him?

This made Shang Ning, who already distrusted Han Chinese immigrants, even more suspicious.

Could this so-called proclamation have been written by Zheng Jiong? Perhaps even these pirates were recruited by Zheng Jiong? Has he already formed an alliance with them through marriage?

If that's the case, then we must wipe out this group of pirates as soon as possible, because every day we delay means that the chances of the Han people on the island joining the pirates increase.

After all, for so many years, the Ryukyuans have been using the thirty-six surnames of the Min people on the island as dairy cows. The ships built by Han Chinese craftsmen brought in countless riches, all of which flowed into the Ryukyu king's treasury.

This sense of unease has accompanied the Shang dynasty for centuries; who can guarantee that these Han people will remain unmoved generation after generation?

We can't wait any longer; if we continue to wait, the danger will be immeasurable.

Driven by fear, Shang Yong finally made a decision: he must immediately send troops to wipe out or drive away this group of pirates.

Finally, thirteen days after the Bai family army landed, King Shōyū of Ryukyu issued the order to launch a general offensive against Nakijin Castle.

For this decisive battle, Shang Yong assembled a force of more than 3,000 men. Due to a lack of large livestock for transporting supplies and food, Shang Ning conscripted no less than 10,000 men to provide supplies for this army.

In Ryukyu, where the total population is less than 20 and it is the busy summer season, this is basically an extreme mobilization.

Shang Yong also coaxed and intimidated the armed forces of nobles in places such as Yuchi, Jinwu, and Yucheng. These nobles were aware of the delicate relationship between the thirty-six Min people and the natives in Ryukyu, so they were quite enthusiastic about sending troops.

The largest battle since the founding of the Ryukyu Kingdom has begun.