Ming East India Company

After admiring Shang Ning's palace, Bai Ye returned to assign manpower.

First, Bai Ling was sent to lead people to clean up the Ryukyu Kingdom's treasury in Shuri Castle, which contained the savings accumulated by the Ryukyu Kingdom from its maritime trade over the years.

Then, he had his father, Bai Wenzheng, take over the key archives of Ryukyu, such as account books and household registration information, which formed the basis for his future rule over Ryukyu.

Erbai Yeben Ze led Cheng Keqin, Feng Luzi, and about a hundred other men straight to Naha Port.

"Young Master, we finally conquered Shuri Castle. Why aren't we going to divide the gold and silver? What are we doing at Naha Port?" Feng Luzi asked curiously.

"What do you know?" Hakuno said, "The most valuable thing in Ryukyu is not the silver and land, but the fleet in Naha Port."

As an island nation that rose to prominence through trade with China and Japan, Ryukyu was one of the top maritime nations in East Asia, with a population of several hundred thousand supporting a fleet of dozens of large ships.

For Baiye, this fleet was like a series of mobile money-printing machines; with them, there would be a continuous stream of wealth.

Arriving at the seaside, one can see the Ryukyu Kingdom's fleet neatly moored at Naha Port in the distance.

"One, two, three..." Shirano shouted excitedly as he counted to the thirty-first.

"We finally won."

Indeed, for Bai Ye, resolving the Bai family's unsold raw silk and plundering Ryukyu's wealth were merely incidental. His goal was to use this as a starting point to control the maritime power of the entire East Asia.

Only at this moment did Shirano truly experience the thrill of victory.

Immediately afterwards, Bai Ye had Cheng Keqin bring the original fleet from Yuntian Port, bringing the total to about fifty ships, including the ones captured this time.

Ryukyuan ships were generally similar to those of the Ming Dynasty, both being improved versions of the ocean-going Fujian-style ships.

They are mainly divided into three categories: tribute ships, horse-drawn ships, and land ships.

Among them, the tribute ships were tribute ships sent from Ryukyu to the Ming Dynasty. They had three masts, were 15 zhang long and about 3 zhang wide, and had a carrying capacity of between 800 and 1,000 liao. They were specifically used for the Ming Dynasty to conduct tally trade.

Because the Ming Dynasty stipulated that Ryukyu should pay tribute every two years, with no more than three ships per tribute mission, the tribute ships themselves could enjoy tax exemption.

Therefore, the Ryukyuans did their utmost to make their tribute ships large enough to carry a sufficient amount of cargo. Tribute ships were a product of this mindset.

Horse-drawn ships have a smaller carrying capacity, two masts, and a length-to-width ratio similar to tribute ships. They are about ten zhang long and two zhang wide. The smaller ships are less resistant to wind and waves, but they are more maneuverable.

Its overall design and carrying capacity are similar to those of the Daimyo-kusa-pi-sho (a type of boat), and it was the mainstay of the Ryukyu Kingdom's foreign trade.

As for the land-based ships, due to their small size, they were basically only used for trade between islands.

In this operation, Baiye captured a total of 39 tribute ships and warships. Among them were seven tribute ships and 31 warships.

There are also dozens of small boats and hundreds of fishing boats.

The wealth accumulated by the Ryukyu Kingdom through a century of trade suddenly overwhelmed Hakuno.

Furthermore, since most of the Ryukyu crew members were assigned to the rear as "minor" soldiers with poor land combat capabilities during the last Battle of Nakijin Castle, many of them survived the battle, which ensured that Hakuno had enough manpower to operate these sailing ships.

What made Shirono most excited was that Naha Port remained untouched by the war, and it still had a shipyard and skilled craftsmen.

Moreover, the vast majority of these artisans were descendants of the thirty-six surnames of the Min people. They were allies that Bai Ye could easily utilize.

Looking at these windfalls, Shiro was so happy that he was smiling even in his sleep.

For the next two days, Shirano stayed in Naha Port to take stock of the fleet.

At the same time, he personally went to the front lines to investigate and visit the Fujianese artisans near Naha, winning their hearts and minds and ensuring their loyalty.

But this routine was disrupted by Bai Jingxing, who arrived on horseback:

"Brother Ye, Third Master said the valuables have been tallied and he wants you to hurry back and prepare to distribute the money."

Hakuno reluctantly left his fleet and returned to Shuri Castle.

Inside the main hall, the crowd had been waiting for a long time. When they saw Hakuno return, they automatically made way for the Ryukyu throne.

Shiro strode into the palace, where he saw the Ryukyu throne, a wooden throne covered with red and white coral stones, interspersed with some large pearls.

Looking at the throne in front of him, Bai Ye turned around and helped Bai Wenzheng up:

"Father, you are the mastermind behind this operation. Now that Ryukyu has been conquered, please take your seat and preside over the ceremony."

Bai Wenzheng was taken aback at first, but then he smiled and said:

"Wild boy, anyone with eyes can see that you deserve the most credit this time. You'll have to be in charge of distributing the spoils."

Just as Bai Ye hesitated because of his pride, Bai Ling walked over and pushed him onto the throne:

"Since Father has said so, there's no need for formalities here."

Cheng Keqin, sitting in the audience, led the way in bowing:

"Please take a seat, sir."

The people behind them also bowed in unison:

"Please take a seat, sir."

As everyone knows, although Bai Wenzheng was nominally the host of this operation, Bai Ye actually orchestrated everything from planning to execution.

Whether you're a merchant or a pirate, you'll either eat meat if you follow a wolf or eat shit if you follow a dog; choosing the right person to follow is crucial.

Seeing this, Hakuno stopped refusing and sat upright on the Ryukyu throne.

"Thanks to the support of all my clansmen and brothers, my Bai family has pacified Ryukyu in this battle. Now that the great cause has been accomplished, I, Bai Ye, will not break my promise and will distribute the silver to everyone."

"Thank you, Master." Everyone present was overjoyed. After more than a month of ups and downs and battles, they had finally witnessed the results.

"To ensure fairness, this distribution of silver will take place right here in this main hall, witnessed by everyone. If anyone feels there is any injustice, please point it out in court."

Everyone agreed.

First, the accounts were settled. In the past few days, Bai Ling counted all the silver in the Ryukyu Kingdom's treasury, and at the same time, she used a combination of torture and whipping to squeeze every last drop of money out of the nobles of Shuri Castle.

Bai Ling reported on the results of the clearing out of the accounts:

A total of 523,718 Spanish silver dollars and Ming dynasty silver coins were found in the Ryukyu treasury, equivalent to approximately 340,000 taels of silver. In addition, there were Ming dynasty official ingots, broken silver, and Ryukyu ship-shaped silver coins totaling over 300,000 taels.

In addition, a large amount of broken silver and silver coins, worth approximately 400,000 taels, were found in the homes of various nobles in Shuri Castle, bringing the total value to over one million taels.

This does not even include the property that nobles might confiscate in other places outside Shuri Castle.

The faces of the people in the audience were already beaming with joy.

"Since that's the case, then I'll begin distributing the money. The first to receive money will be the lower-ranking crew members, farmhands, and garrison soldiers. They risked their lives, and without them, we wouldn't have our current business. I, Baiye, will personally distribute the silver to them."

As for my Bai family members, they are already supported by the family property. It is our duty to go through fire and water for the family in times of trouble, so we will not participate in the distribution.

Bai Ye knew that the Bai family was the core of his team, and he had to make sure that they suffered first and enjoyed later so that others would follow him. Anyway, there would be plenty of opportunities to make up for it privately later.