When the Dafeng ship sailed into the ocean, Xiao Chongye felt great when he looked around from the deck and saw endless blue sky and white clouds, with water forming large blocks.
There were five sealing fleets sent by the imperial court this time, one of which went to Japan, one to Ryukyu, and one to Siam and other small countries in Central and South China. The other two went to the West early because the Queen Mother Rensheng missed her son-in-law. Went to Europe.
Before Xiao Chongye's mission, the King of Korea had already requested the imperial court to imitate the Japanese story and station troops in Korea. The emperor firmly refused and only agreed to build a military port in Busan to facilitate the garrison of the imperial navy. Although the imperial court had no intention of stationing troops in North Korea to suppress it, the King of North Korea did not dare not make this statement to show his great loyalty.
The main reason why the imperial court did not want to station troops in North Korea was not what Jia Sanjin said when he was on an envoy: "The king is sincere and the emperor knows it; however, the land is small and the people are few, so raising the imperial army costs a lot of food and money, which is harmful to the people -" and so on The high-sounding reason is simply that the two countries are bordering on land.
If there is a change in North Korea, the army can directly cross the river and conquer its royal city in ten months. How can North Korea dare to deviate from the Ming Dynasty? This is not the case in Japan and Ryukyu.
Xiao Chongye could feel that the emperor was very wary of Japan. Previously, they claimed Ezo, and then they split Satsuma and established Shimazu - Japan was sandwiched between the north and south ends, and the imperial army was stationed in the middle, in order to firmly control it and make it obey.
Ryukyu has paid tribute continuously since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, but the emperor and the court did not take it seriously at first. After the Great Reform, the imperial court lifted the maritime ban, and Ryukyu's status gradually rose. On this mission, the goal of Zhengshitang was not to force Ryukyu to ask the court to garrison troops - but the use of "Wanguo Jinliang" by the Ming Dynasty was the minimum requirement for the mission.
Unexpectedly, after the military intelligence officer Xie Jie's manipulation, and the semi-puppet King of Ryukyu also wanted to use the imperial tiger skin to control the "relatives", the two sides hit it off immediately, and the matter of the imperial garrison was actually completed, which made Xiao Chongye's It’s a great addition to the list of achievements, so it’s no surprise that I’m in a good mood.
While admiring the sea and sky on the deck, someone behind me coughed lightly and asked, "Did you sleep well last night, sir? I barely slept due to some wind and waves."
When Xiao Chongye turned around to look, it was Xie Jie, the deputy chief of the Military Intelligence Bureau's Personnel Department. Seeing the tired look on his face, Xiao Chongye stroked his beard and said with a smile: "I have been to all over the world when I was appointed to the military affairs department; I later served as the censor of Caojiang in Nanjing, and I am used to riding on boats; after the reform, Japan and Annan also left. A few trips, so it’s okay and I don’t get seasick.”
Xie Jie heard this and held up his hands to express his respect to Xiao Chongye. He took a few steps and stood side by side with Xiao Chongye, looking at the huge boat breaking the waves. Xiao Chongye smiled, patted Xie Jie on the shoulder and said: "I am over sixty years old and should have retired. I thought this mission would be my last, but I didn't expect to go to Sulu. But more For me, Ryukyu and Luzon are even more dark-sighted, and I have to rely on Hanfu even more."
Hearing this, Xie Jie's expression did not change. He just nodded heavily and said, "Don't worry, sir. Although this mission is hasty, the Military Intelligence Agency has been deployed in Luzon for many years, and with these elite soldiers, we cannot suffer any loss."
Xiao Chongye finally heard the words "Military Intelligence Bureau" from Xie Jie's mouth. He felt itchy and quickly followed the topic and asked: "Hanfu was a Jinshi in the second year of Wanli, right? How did he get into the Military Intelligence Bureau?"
Xie Jie glanced at his immediate superior and replied with a smile: "Jinshi among lower officials are at the bottom of the top three, and the selection of officials is in the Xingren Department. During the Great Reform, the officials in the Xingren Department were divided into three. Some went to the Zongren Mansion, and some went to the Zongren Mansion. After I went to Honglu Temple, because I was young and from a poor family, I was greedy for the high subsidies from the Military Intelligence Bureau, so I took the initiative to apply to the Military Intelligence Bureau’s Personnel Department and transferred my civilian status to the military status.”
Xiao Chongye praised: "What a wonderful move Hanfu made! Back then, travelers were originally of the ninth rank. When they went to Honglu Temple and Zongren Mansion, except for some oil and water, they would inevitably become subordinates! Now that you have the fifth rank in hand, after this mission, The fourth rank is in sight, which shows that as an official, you cannot make a wrong move. I am seventeen years older than you, and now you are only in the fourth rank, but it is time to retire."
Xie Jie grinned when he heard this. Xiao Chongye praised again: "This time I am on my mission to Ryukyu. I heard that you twice rejected King Zhongshan's large sum of money in the dark room, but you did a good job. My face is very bright."
Xie Jie hurriedly bowed and said: "It's all the elders who take the lead in setting an example. The lower officials are just following the same example. I don't dare to be an adult and praise you." Xiao Chongye stroked his beard and smiled and said: "You and I quit bribery, but there are benefits. Zheng It is said that the King of Zhongshan was grateful for the virtue of you and me, and he wanted to build a 'Quejin Pavilion' in the Angel Hall and report it to the imperial court. This is a matter of honor. The emperor will be very happy when he hears about it." [Note 1 ]
Hearing this, Xie Jie nodded first, then smiled bitterly and said: "Sir, the envoy will scold you and me later - how can we shamelessly accept money in front of Quejin Pavilion in the future? This King of Zhongshan is also a thief." Xiao Chongye heard this. I leaned forward and backward, laughing with tears streaming down my face.
Seeing that the conversation was going on in the alley, Xiao Chongye couldn't restrain his curiosity and finally asked: "Hanfu, during the Great Reform, Jinyiwei and Dongchang were divided into three parts, one part went to the Inner Guards, another part went to the Security Bureau, and some went to the Military intelligence. The inner government and the security bureau are not much different from the original factories and guards, but the military intelligence bureau is very mysterious - few people know about it, and they don't know what it does? How do you persuade the King of Zhongshan to invite the imperial court to station troops? "
Hearing this, Xie Jie looked at him again, with a slightly hesitant expression. Xiao Chongye hurriedly added: "If it is a secret, Hanfu doesn't need to say it. I still understand this rule."
Xie Jie pondered in his heart, then smiled and said: "It's not that scorpious. I'm just thinking about how to word it. In fact, the establishment of the Military Intelligence Bureau is nothing more than 'using space' as mentioned in the art of war. The so-called 'five rooms are all together' , Don’t know the way, it’s called divine discipline, and it’s the treasure of human kings’ – the Military Intelligence Agency is actually a nest of spies.”
When Xiao Chongye heard this, he thought, "I know everything you said." He scratched his head and continued to ask: "The Chinese people and the Yi people have different languages and appearances, which is not easy to use. Even the Ryukyu people are different from the Central Plains people."
Xie Jie smiled and said: "Nowadays, wherever the sun and the moon cover, there are Han merchants coming and going. The so-called use of time is nothing more than luring them for profit, telling them what they want, coercing them with small tricks, and controlling them with big mistakes."
After hearing these four sentences, Xiao Chongye was horrified and couldn't help but want to stay away from Xie Jie. Xie Jie was very sensitive to Qi. When he saw Xiao Chongye becoming wary, he smiled bitterly in his heart, but with a sincere expression on his face he said: "Don't worry, sir, these are things that the Military Intelligence Bureau does not dare to use in the country, haha."
Xiao Chongye felt a little out of place and smiled awkwardly. Seeing that Xie Jie had no intention of answering the details to convince King Zhongshan, he changed the subject and said: "I heard that there were three kings in Sulu, and King Dong was the most respected. In the fifteenth year of Yongle, King Dong of Sulu led his princess, princes and others on a pilgrimage. Returning to the country When he died of illness in Dezhou, Shandong Province, Emperor Chengzu gave him the posthumous title of "Gongding" and personally wrote the inscriptions and eulogies. - I don't know how the emperor managed to uncover the past events." [Note 2]
When Xie Jie heard this, his eyes widened and he said: "Your Excellency is really knowledgeable. Is it true that the subordinates don't know about this matter?"
Xiao Chongye was shocked when he heard this and said: "Of course! Does the Military Intelligence Bureau not know about this matter?" Xie Jie's face was serious, he shook his head and sighed: "I'm afraid not many people in the government know about this matter."
Xiao Chongye finally found a place where he could beat Xie Jie. He laughed and shook his head and said, "You said that the court didn't know about it. That's absolutely impossible! When the crown prince of the East Prince returned to the country and succeeded to the throne, his princess Ge Muning, his second son Wen Hara, and his third son Andu Lu and more than ten of his attendants stayed in Dezhou to guard the tomb. For the Gongding family who guarded the tomb, the Dezhou official warehouse provided each person with a monthly ration of one stone, cloth, banknotes, etc. Grandpa Cheng also gave three hectares and thirty acres of sacrificial land. Eight acres, never start a branch. Now the Dezhou Mansion is still in charge of the descendants of King Gongding..."
Speaking of this, Xiao Chongye couldn't help but stumbled and hesitated: "Except for people like me who have studied national history, the princes in this court really may not know that this 'King Gongding' is a native of Sulu for more than 160 years. Now, the descendants of his relatives will surely multiply in large numbers, and the Dezhou government may not be able to take care of the food until now."
Xie Jie listened and nodded heavily with a wry smile.
－－－－－－Digression－－－－－
Note 1: Quejin Pavilion is recorded in official history.
Note 2: There is still the tomb of King Gongding in Dezhou, and it is said that it has been developed into a tourist area.
ps: Over the past month, Lao Mo has always had a saying in his mind, which is "Wen Wen hates fate". His wife was suddenly diagnosed with a malignant tumor, which made Lao Mo feel like a thunderbolt, and then he was at a loss. Fortunately, the operation in Beijing went smoothly, and the pathology results showed that there was no metastasis, so Lao Mo was convinced. Here, I would also like to thank the book friends who have never left me and gave me a lot of encouragement and comfort. One more thing to say: Cherish the people in front of you - after this incident, I have a deep feeling.
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