A foreign enemy was approaching in a menacing manner, and the life or death of a warship on the Haiphong Road was uncertain. Everyone at the Guangdong Provincial Council was in awe.
Zhang Fujing looked at Jiang Xiuyi, the chief military officer of Guangdong, Sima Yong, the director of public security, and Zhao Jun, who was promoted to the admiral of Guangdong Coastal Defense Road.
"There are seventeen warships with unknown destinations. Do you have any good ideas?"
Jiang Xiuyi had a serious expression on his face: "I can only order the coastal guards to strengthen their defenses first. If we want to go out to sea for investigation, we will need a coastal defense route. In my opinion, a decisive victory will still require a coastal defense route warship, so we should return to port to prepare for the war. Investigation If necessary, we can recruit civilian speedboats to go there."
Zhang Fujing hugged Zhao Jun and said, "General Zhao, I'm sorry for bothering you. Let's seize the clipper and don't go more than fifty miles away from the shore. Just detect the movement."
Zhao Jun nodded coldly, his eyes shining.
Under Wang Hong, he has learned a lot of naval warfare skills. In Haiphong Road, there are also veterans trained in the two battles in Tuen Mun.
In Zhao Jun's opinion, this is credit.
Zhang En was very worried: "In Futai, there are many things going on in the reform of the government office. It is now the spring plowing season, and the prefectures and counties along the coast may need to strengthen their vigilance. In addition to the guard station, there is also the Public Security Department."
"Horse Master?"
Ma Yong nodded solemnly: "Xiaguan understands. It's just that Xianguan is new here and needs to consult General Jiang on everything."
"Be careful inside." What Zhang En wanted to remind was this. "Under the new law, which Guangdong gentry and wealthy households will take desperate risks? The Ma Zhang Division is the head of the Public Security Division. We cannot delay spring plowing and harm the people because of the war, but also We must be wary of mainlanders colluding with the Portuguese and establishing a foothold somewhere."
For the officials in Guangdong, the fact that the Portuguese suffered such a big loss in Tuen Mun and still dared to make a comeback must be something they relied on.
From their perspective, it requires careful consideration.
Zhang Fujing bowed to Sun Jiao: "Mr. Ge, you are the honorable marquis and the head of the country. At this time, Guangdong depends on you to control the overall situation."
Sun Jiao did not expect that the reform of the Guangdong Supervisory and Inspection Office would encounter war again. He, the old Minister of Household Affairs, first asked: "How to arrange food and salary?"
Zhang En also looked at Zhang Fujing.
Last year, Guangdong was exempted from land tax. This year, Guangdong first only had local finance to bear the burden of purchasing corvees. To be honest, the pressure is not small.
It is all supported by the tax collected by the shipping company from Zhang Fujing’s confiscation of his house last year and Huang Mingji’s investment in Guangdong.
Now that war is coming, should we send taxes to the wealthy gentry and wealthy households in Guangdong again? The general direction this year is just to stabilize and differentiate.
Zhang Fujing's expression was solemn: "I will ask for the report. It is best to resolve the war quickly, so that the burden of food and salary is minimized."
"Last year's disaster relief, land tax exemption, and transportation to Fujian, the grain storage budget of each warehouse was only enough to cover the salaries of many officials in Guangdong this year." Zhang En knew it well, "When the army moves, food and salary is not a trivial matter. It is a small matter to solve it quickly. If this year's summer grain If the autumn grain supply is unsustainable, the plan to restructure the government offices will be greatly disrupted."
Zhang Fujing shook his head: "The war broke out suddenly. After I reported to the court, Your Majesty has his own rules. Now the first priority is to protect the land and tranquilize the people. The war cannot be delayed! First, spend all the food and salary. Huang Mingji said that Benfu will buy it. The silver is on hold, so everything should be fine. I will send another message to Huguang, so that we can transport grain southward."
He said this, but the pressure in his heart was very great.
Because this is a defensive battle, and the opponent is a maritime fleet. Guangdong's maritime territory is so long that they don't know where they will start the war.
As long as they are preparing for war, the officers and soldiers of so many coastal guards in Guangdong will be counted as wartime wages, right?
It’s another situation where you can win but you can’t lose. After you win, you can’t live without a reward, right?
If this battle is not fought beautifully and drags on for a long time, there will be more trouble.
There was no sign of the Portuguese yet. Xie Changjie and Ryan from Zhejiang met the envoy Luangang Ruizuo and deputy envoy Song Suqing of another Japanese tribute mission.
"As our family remembers, didn't the Ministry of Rites expressly order you not to serve as an envoy anymore?"
Ryan's first words surprised Luan Gangrui Zuo - since he can be an envoy, he can also understand the Ming Dynasty language.
In his eyes, Song Suqing smiled calmly and said: "I am still serving as a foreign envoy because there are other envoys coming from elsewhere. The foreign envoy does not want the Ming Dynasty to be deceived by outsiders and disrupt Zhengshuo. The new emperor ascends the throne. , the reason why Eunuch Lai is unwilling to pay tribute to His Majesty is not because he was ordered by the King of Japan, right?"
Ryan's heart was indeed trembling when he heard this.
Although he knew that Japan was actually in a state of separatism, this was obviously important. Your Majesty is the successor of the vassal king. If you accept the tribute from a fake envoy in a daze, Ryan will really lose his head.
"Why do you all have credentials? Why did you bring Hongzhi Chaokanhe?"
Song Suqing replied unhurriedly: "Since the Yongle period, when the Ming Dynasty Kanming Japan was Zhengshuo, the tribute envoys should have come from the royal residence in Kyoto. I came from Kyoto, so naturally I have credentials. As for the match, the Ouchi family The credentials and certificates of the missions sent were all obtained from the robbery of the Japanese missions a few years ago. Mr. Lai, I am afraid that you handed over the wrong missions to the Japanese tribute missions for the first three times. But I remember that they are a tribute once every ten years. , after hearing that the new emperor had ascended the throne, he prepared tributes and came here."
Ryan suddenly panicked, and after taking a look at Xie Changjie, he said: "Our certificate of credentials is consistent, but it is genuine."
"The things are real, but the people are not appointed by the king, but are sent by the heroes of one of the separatist countries." Song Suqing made a fuss about the legal traditions of the Ming Emperor and the Japanese King, and he was confident. "If Eunuch Lai doesn't believe it, you will know after asking."
Ryan's face was solemn and he ordered: "Zheng Tiju, please go and ask."
…
Shibosi Guest Hall is just an inn, with average conditions.
After all, according to the ancestral system, the Japanese tribute mission can only be sent once every ten years, although they do not abide by it.
Normally, the Zhejiang Shipping Department only receives Japanese tribute missions, while the Ryukyu mission goes to the Fujian Shipping Department.
Therefore, the Zhejiang Bosi Guest Hall was temporarily cleaned out for people from the tribute mission to stay there - it often took several months to complete the tribute trade process.
During this period, the members of the mission were provided with food and accommodation by the Ming Dynasty. After all, the Ming Dynasty was in charge of the country.
Now, Zong Sheqiandao lives here. He was disgusted with the musty smell after the guest hall was hurriedly cleaned up, when the deputy director Zheng Shoujie came.
"Zheng Tiju, I wonder if Eunuch Lai and Xie Qian have arrived? The ship has not been able to enter the port. The foreign envoy is very worried."
Zheng Shoujie was respectful in front of Xie Changjie and Lai En, but became rude in front of Zong Sheqiandao and said calmly: "Both Xie Qiandu and Lai Eunuch are in Hangzhou, and it always takes some time to come and go. Mr. Xu, It’s useless for you to be anxious.”
Zong Sheqian said a little surprised: "...Zheng Tiju already knows who the foreign envoy is?"
Zheng Shoujie glanced at him: "I just want to ask you, where did your mission come from? Is it appointed by the Japanese King Yuan Daoyi's lineage?"
After saying this, Zheng Shoujie's eyes became sharp.
Zong Shiqiandao's real name is Xu Chuanlin. Now that he heard Zheng Shoujie point out his identity, he was silent for a moment and said: "Zheng Tiju, in the past few years, the tributes were paid by our Dr. Zuo Jingzhao Ouchi Yixing after inviting His Highness the King." I'm here on assignment, what's the problem?"
After a pause, he smiled and said: "Zheng Tiju, please rest assured. Although it is the first time that a foreign envoy has been appointed as a full envoy, he understands the rules."
Xu Chuanlin thought that Zheng Shoujie was trying to extract benefits, but Zheng Shoujie had a serious face: "When I ask questions, you still need to answer truthfully. Now there are also envoys coming from Kyoto, Japan with credentials, and there is also the King of Japan. Congratulations to His Majesty on his accession to the throne. Do you know the crime of impersonating a tribute envoy?"
Xu Chuanlin suddenly changed his color.
If you come from Kyoto, you are a member of the Hosokawa clan.
"Zheng Tiju, our credentials are worthy, but are they fake?"
"... It's true whether it's true or not, but naturally the Shipping Department can only recognize one mission. There can be no confusion between right and wrong!" Zheng Shoujie stared at Xu Chuanlin carefully.
Xu Chuanlin was silent for a moment and then said: "Zheng Tiju didn't know something. The country in Japan is complicated. If we talk about Zhengshuo, the newly arrived envoy cannot be called Zhengshuo. As far as the foreign envoy knows, there is no way that he is a suitable person. I don't know if Zheng Tiju is right." How can we call them righteous?"
Zheng Shoujie was choked. If we talk about compatibility, before the Jiajing dynasty can be combined, we can only recognize the compatibility of the Zhengde dynasty. Hongzhi Dynasty's merits... Logically speaking, it should be invalidated.
Seeing his reaction, Xu Chuanlin felt more confident: "Since the credentials are correct, why should Zheng Tiju care about the domestic disputes in Japan? I wonder who will lead the newly arrived mission? How many ships have come?"
Zheng Shoujie thought that in the current situation, it was necessary to ask the whole story, so he said: "The name of the chief envoy is Luangang Ruizuo, and the name of the deputy envoy is Song Suqing. The person who appointed the envoy on behalf of the Japanese King Genji is Dr. Ukyo Zhao. Sichuan Gaogong, the mission only has one ship."
Xu Chuanlin thought that this was indeed the case, and laughed when he heard this: "Japan admires the etiquette of the Celestial Dynasty, and respects the left. Does Zheng Tiju not know where Zhengshuo is? The foreign envoy believes that Zhengde is worthy of the imperial court, and Dr. Hosokawa Ukyo is talented The envoy was sent to pretend to be Zhengshuo. Even the foreign envoy knew that Song Suqing had impersonated an envoy and was warned by the Celestial Empire. The foreign envoy came with three ships. If they were the envoys, Japan would only have one ship of tribute this year. Your Majesty, congratulations, isn’t this a sign of neglect?”
What he said reached Zheng Shoujie's heart, but he still said with a straight face: "There is something very fishy about this matter. Just wait here and don't act rashly."
Seeing him leave the guest hall, Xu Chuanlin's face darkened.
Unexpectedly, the Hosokawa family also sent a delegation, but since they have no suitable people, why is the Ichibo Division so troublesome?
Xu Chuanlin began to think about countermeasures, and Zheng Shoujie had already returned to the main hall of the Shibosi Yamen to report the matter.
Luangang Ruizuo and Song Suqing had been invited to wait in the side hall first. Ryan thought for a while and looked at Xie Changjie and said: "It is difficult to solve the capital now. Although the Japanese mission sent by Dr. Ukyo Zhao has no moral integrity, However, there is a congratulatory statement. The envoy sent by Dr. Sakyo is worthy of the marriage and has three ships of tribute. In view of the promotion, what should we do?"
Xie Changjie smiled slightly: "My father-in-law is in charge of affairs. He is the master of his own affairs."
Ryan thought for a while and then ordered: "Go and bring that Luangang and Song Suqing over first."
When the two men appeared again, it was Song Suqing who took the initiative to speak. This shows that this mission is essentially dominated by him as the deputy envoy.
"Eunuch Lai, gentlemen, now that the two missions have arrived, the tribute is small and the congratulations are big. The mission sent by Dr. Ouchi Sakyo is only here for rewards, and they are also disobedient people in Japan. Please also ask Dear superiors of the Celestial Empire, take this as a warning!”
For Ryan and others, this is really the case. In their understanding, the vassal country's congratulations represent tribute.
Seeing them thinking, Song Suqing struck while the iron was hot and said: "As for the foreign envoys and others, to show their admiration for the Celestial Empire, they don't care if the tributes carried in this ship are rewarded by the Celestial Empire. I only hope that the Celestial Empire will be able to live up to the good times and the new dynasty will be able to do so." It is worthy of being distributed to the envoys sent by the King of Japan!"
Ryan couldn't help but look at him deeply and understood the implication.
Can all the rewards obtained in exchange for a whole boatload of tribute be given to the officials in charge of this matter in the Ming Dynasty?
Song Suqing, who knew the officialdom of the Ming Dynasty very well, was able to spend a lot of money in the past, and this time he came with a congratulatory form from the King of Japan. Only the old one could be said to have hit the fate of Shibosi.
But he couldn't afford it early. His idea was to have the City Shipping Department disown the mission sent by Dr. Zuo Jingzhao and regard the mission sent by Dr. You Jingzhao as the official one. Then all rewards from the imperial court would naturally be arranged by the official envoy. .
Ryan looked at Xie Changjie: "Xie Qiandu, how do you think we should deal with it?"
Xie Changjie had always said that he would let Ryan make the decision, but this time he asked: "As far as I know, the rewards sent by the imperial court are all purchased and paid by the merchants gathered by the Shipping Department in Zhejiang, right?"
Ryan quickly said yes.
Xie Changjie understood. This was probably the time when those wealthy businessmen from Jiangnan had to face themselves. After all, it was a pretty big deal.
So he smiled and said: "I don't understand the old rules of the Shibo Department. Let's deal with it how Eunuch Lai handled it in the past."
When Ryan asked Xie Changjie's opinion, Song Suqing noticed it. He didn't know who this person was, but Ryan clearly had a lot of respect and fear for him.
"I haven't seen this Lord Tiju before, so the foreign envoy dares to ask for advice." Song Suqing immediately bowed respectfully to Xie Changjie.
Ryan immediately replied: "This Lord Jie was the left envoy of the royal palace when His Majesty was in hiding. Now he is promoted to the shipping department with the title of censor of the right capital. Song Suqing, you are also a citizen of the Ming Dynasty. I heard that you were betrayed by your father in the past. Those who went to Japan to pay off debts on board ships were exiled overseas. Since you are familiar with the rules of the shipping department, you should not neglect to understand the capital."
Song Suqing was extremely respectful: "Foreign envoys should be careful."
"Now that the congratulatory form has been presented, your ship will enter the port first to inspect the cargo and make a register. However, you'd better discuss it yourself first with regard to the envoy sent by Dr. Zuo Jingzhao. Tomorrow night, the Shipping Department will hold a banquet as usual. Envoys of the state, you must clarify the truth and select fifty people to pay tribute to the capital."
After Song Suqing thanked him, he said: "There is no doubt that the foreign envoy is upright. However, Dr. Zuo Jingzhao, the Da Nei family, is used to accepting pirates as his minions. This time, we must guard against his brutal and domineering behavior. The foreign envoy is afraid that the dispute will be difficult to resolve at the banquet tomorrow. , they are ashamed and angry. The foreign envoys only come to pay tribute, and they are all people who observe etiquette, so they may be invincible."
Ryan waved his hand: "Who dares to be arrogant in the Shipping Department? Just wait and relax."
In his mind, it was nothing more than two groups of people vying to kneel down and lick the Ming Dynasty for the sake of the new dynasty. The so-called King of Japan, Genji, actually knew that the Ming Dynasty was just a lineage of the Ashikaga Shogun who became a monk and later had the title of Chaoyi, and was not the so-called Emperor of Japan himself.
Can any cat or dog call themselves emperor?
Xie Changjie didn't care, he just wanted the scale of the tribute to be larger this time, so that the wealthy businessmen from Jiangnan would be more greedy and have to pounce on him to deal with him more.
On the surface, Ryan is the one who calls the shots in the Shipping Department. The opinions that Xie Changjie should express are only those practical matters related to money later.
Over in Guangdong, a nervous crowd finally waited for the Portuguese.
But to their great surprise, the Portuguese fleet general Martin Alfonso sent an envoy to the Pearl River estuary in advance.
The situation has been tense recently, and the boat was caught by Haiphong Road as soon as it entered the Pearl River Estuary.
"Peace treaty? Still need Tuen Mun Island? Continue trade?" Zhang Fujing couldn't help but be stunned, "First be polite and then fight?"
He did not expect that General Alfonso would be so "courteous", so he asked the general: "Why did you intend to rob and kill the Ming Dynasty fleet on your way here?"
The general was confused: "Sir, it was the Ming Dynasty ship that fired the cannon first. After being surrounded, General Alfonso asked about the situation, and then he realized that it was a misunderstanding. Lord Ying'en, the king of hundreds of households on the warship of your country, said that he mistakenly thought he was a pirate. He also said that the Shipping Department is already undergoing restructuring and welcomes tribute business groups from all countries."
"Where are Wang Baihu and other soldiers?"
"In order to protect himself, General Alfonso also damaged Lord Wang's warship. However, except for the eleven people who were unfortunately killed, the rest are safe. We also brought a personal letter from Lord Wang."
"Bring it quickly!"
Zhang Fujing's eyes were sharp after reading the letter, and after a while he said pleasantly: "That's it. Nie Tiju, please first ask them to go to Shibosi to rest, and I will discuss it with you adults first."
When there were no outsiders here, Zhang Fujing opened the letter and said in a somewhat excited tone: "Wang Baihu has written down the details of the barbarian thieves. If the situation changes, this must be a coincidence! Since the barbarian thieves mistakenly thought that Guangdong's shipbuilding system was being restructured, We want to promote trade, can we lure them here, gather them together and annihilate them?"
Sun Jiao asked solemnly: "Is there any fraud?"
Zhang Fujing looked at Zhao Jun: "What about Wang Ying'en?"
"Dare to fight to the death, smart." Zhao Jun was still concise and concise, "It is indeed Wang Yingen's handwriting."
"It has not been sealed, so the barbarians must have reviewed it." Zhang Fujing pointed to the letter and said, "He only said that the barbarians were happy to hear that the Guangdong Shipping Department had reopened trade, and that the sea trade merchant ships went to Jiaozhi and occupied the city several times, so even though there was a garrison During the Battle of Gate, the court mistook the Portuguese for Franchi barbarians. It has been discovered that the Portuguese are a Western power, and now they have led six escort warships, eight merchant ships, and three small boats to pay tribute from thousands of miles away to congratulate His Majesty. , both sides have suffered battle losses, it is appropriate to clarify the misunderstanding and allow them to pay tribute."
Sun Jiao clicked his tongue: "Isn't Portugal just a Franchi?"
Zhang Fujing smiled and shook his head: "No, they were under the guise of Franchise before. This Wang Ying'en was really smart, and he devised this plan by taking advantage of Guangdong's shipbuilding reform. The Portuguese were all cunning before, just for market changes. Although this Alfonso knew the consequences of the Tuen Mun naval battle, he also knew that the Ming Dynasty could not be insulted lightly, so he was persuaded by Wang Baihu to send envoys to repair it in advance in order to reopen the market."
Sun Jiao looked at him: "In that case, why don't you still gather together and annihilate them?"
"Of course!" Zhang Fuking's eyes flashed coldly, "If not, wouldn't Wang Baihu's eleven generals die in peace? Besides, if the barbarians are not defeated, will they still send warships to escort them to pay tribute in the future? Paying tribute is Surrender, how can this be called surrender? There can only be Ming warships roaming the Ming Dynasty's waters!"
The others looked at Zhang Fujing and felt that this guy was so bloodthirsty.
Only Sun Jiao thought about the plaque "Great Wall of Nanyang Sea" in the Imperial Study Room and understood that Zhang Fujing also knew about it.
The Portuguese have occupied Malacca, and their warships and soldiers can naturally be reduced.
Otherwise, wouldn't it be more difficult for the Ming Navy to attack in the future?
(End of chapter)
