In Tianjin Port, a clipper suddenly appeared on the sea level.
The waterway inspection immediately issued a warning and dispatched a sand boat to leave the port urgently.
Soon, the sand ship approached the opposite ship, forcing it to stop, and then used a huge crossbow arrow and tied a cable to shoot it out to fix the ship's side. After the two ships were synchronized, they set up the sampan and prepared to board the ship.<
/p>
The leader was a man from a hundred households. He took a look at the other party's sail and saw that it was a Japanese ship, and he suddenly became nervous.
Coincidentally, this man's name is Deng Kang, who originally belonged to the Three Thousand Battalion. He had a battle with the Japanese pirates some time ago. Because he rushed too fast, he was accidentally hit by a stray bullet from his teammates. He was injured in the thigh and had to retreat from the Three Thousand Battalion.
Come down and go to Tianjin Waterway to inspect Ren Baihu.
Of course, this place is not as good as the Three Thousand Battalion. You can just walk around the port twice a day. It's really boring.
Unexpectedly, an unexpected situation occurred today, and Deng Kang suddenly became excited.
Subconsciously, he touched the rifle on his body and realized that he was no longer in the Three Thousand Battalion.
Weapons like rifles are only equipped with the most advanced troops, so a mere waterway inspection is naturally not qualified.
So, Deng Kang put his hand on the handle of the knife and took the lead in boarding the opponent's ship.
Any ship arriving at the Daming Port requires relevant defense documents. Under normal circumstances, tribute fleets from various countries are allowed to enter the port.
Now, it is obviously not the time for the Japanese to pay tribute. In addition, the Ming Dynasty and the Japanese pirates had just fought a big battle recently, which made Deng Kang act extremely vigilant.
"Is there someone in charge? Come out!"
A Japanese man quickly came out of the cabin and shouted in broken Chinese: "Hai, Hai, I belong to His Excellency Shogun Ashikaga..."
Deng Kang looked at his deer-headed and mouse-like appearance, which did not look like a good person. Before he could finish speaking, he said impatiently: "If he is not a tribute envoy, could he be a Japanese pirate? Come and capture him!"
The officers and soldiers behind him swarmed forward without any hesitation.
The Japanese hurriedly shouted loudly: "I am not a Japanese pirate. I want to see the ambassador of our country, His Excellency Higashikata Enon. I have a letter from General Ashikaga. I want..."
Deng Kang had never had a good impression of the Japanese, so he kicked him on the knee. The Japanese staggered and knelt on the ground with a thud.
Immediately, officers and soldiers began to search. In addition to a few ingots of gold and silver, a letter was indeed found on this person.
Deng Kang took the letter and read it. Well... he couldn't understand it.
He glanced around and saw a Japanese sword tied to the man's waist, so he ordered: "Get rid of his sword!"
Immediately afterwards, someone took off the knife from his body. Deng Kang took it and played with it in his hand, already thinking about it.
The Japanese are good at swords, and the more prominent the family, the more valuable the swords.
This knife looks extraordinary at first glance, not because of its decoration, but because it is obviously forged from hundreds of steel and has the word "Fushan" engraved on it. It should not be a Japanese pirate.
Deng Kang glared at this person coldly and asked: "Who are you?"
"My Excellency Toyama Yu, a retainer of the shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa, has been ordered to come to see His Excellency Higashikata Emoto, the envoy of our country. There is something important that needs to be reported to His Majesty the Ming Emperor by the envoy. Since the matter is urgent and involves confidentiality, it is necessary to
Meet the envoy immediately and ask for his release!"
Deng Kang did not doubt this person's purpose, because this was a lone ship with letters and seals. Moreover, after searching the ship, it was found that except for the man's sword, he did not carry any weapons. p>
However, it seems inappropriate to just let him go.
After hesitating for a moment, Deng Kang made up his mind.
"Come here, take him ashore first, and I will report to the commander. You prepare the prison car and be ready to send him to Beijing at any time."
Toyama Yu was indeed a retainer of the Ashikaga family. Since the establishment of the Muromachi shogunate, the Ashikaga family had sidelined the Japanese emperor. As the Japanese emperor's control gradually weakened, the Ashikaga family became increasingly powerful and almost unified the four islands of Japan. Toyama Yu's ancestor Toyama
Heisaburo was a retainer of the Ashikaga clan and had made great contributions to the Ashikaga clan.
This time he came all the way because of urgent need, but when he heard about the prison car...
"Sir, I am an envoy, why should I sit in a prison car?"
Deng Kang looked at him dissatisfied and said: "Your identity is unknown, so of course you have to use a prison car. It doesn't matter if you don't want to sit. Where did you come from, and where are you going back?"
Toyama Yu was so anxious at this time that he had no choice but to agree.
But for him, as long as he can see Dong Changyuan, the prison car will be a prison car.
Therefore, he did not struggle and allowed the officers and soldiers to tie him up.
Deng Kang snorted softly, as if he felt annoyed, then handed over the boat and went ashore.
…………
In the capital, the corruption case against Gao Hub is still fermenting.
Zhu Ji led the Jinyi Guards around to arrest people, including Chen Ruyan, the left minister of the Ministry of War.
The amount of money found from his home was not as shocking as Gao Hub's home, but it was still as much as 600,000 taels.
Ever since Chen Ruyan was "invited" to Zhao Prison, he has been extremely cooperative, saying whatever he asked and not asking, and taking the initiative to explain.
After Zhu Qiyu received the confession, he couldn't help but frown.
"There are still Japanese people giving him money? This Dong Chang Yuan...why does it sound familiar?"
Zhu Ji replied: "Your Highness, Dong Changyuan is an envoy of the Japanese Kingdom and is permanently stationed in the capital."
"The Japanese envoy sent money to the left minister of the Ministry of War. What do you want?"
"According to Chen Ruyan's confession, Dong Changyuan heard that the imperial court wanted to issue an order to punish the Japanese country because of the Japanese pirates, so he took steps to prevent the Japanese country from being implicated."
"Humph!"
Zhu Qiyu sneered: "The lives of the people along the coast of the Ming Dynasty are worth just these boxes of gold and silver? Are there any other issues found on Chen Ruyan's side?"
"The main thing is corruption, giving and receiving bribes, nothing too outrageous, and there are no murders."
"That won't work. Six hundred thousand taels. According to the ancestral system, killing him ten thousand times is enough. Put this person on the death row list and submit it to the emperor immediately!"
"Your Highness, what should we do with the Japanese envoy Dong Changyuan?"
"Take him back to Zhao Prison and interrogate him carefully to see if there are any problems and let him have a longer memory!"
"Yes!"
Zhu Ji suddenly discovered that His Highness King Xi seemed to have changed a lot during this time.
The former King Yin treated civil servants with great respect.
As long as he is a scholar, even if he makes any mistakes, he will try his best to plead for mercy to reduce his guilt.
Therefore, King Yin had an excellent reputation among civil servants, and for a period of time, he was even called a wise king. The meaning behind it is self-evident.
In Zhu Ji's view, the reason why King Tan was praised by civil servants was mainly because his character was... weak.
This kind of weakness does not mean that he is timid, but that he is easy to compromise.
Compared to the emperor's rebellious character, the civil servants certainly preferred King Tan.
Think about it, if the king of a country is easy to compromise, then wouldn't it be possible to gain more power by being a minister?
Even when the emperor led his troops to raid Mobei and there was no news, someone was already ready to support King Tan secretly.
However, as the emperor placed King Tan in the position of supervising the country, everything seemed to have changed.
King Tan has been subtly influenced by the emperor, and his behavior has become more and more tough.
He no longer blindly protects civil servants, but shows no mercy when it comes time to deal with them.
For some reason, the two brothers look more and more alike, even their tone of voice is exactly the same.
When Zhu Ji saw this, his heart dropped.
On weekdays, the emperor was unwilling to go to court and would disappear at every turn. During a war, he would take the lead and rush forward.
In this way, the person in charge of the country must be tough enough.
When encountering something, you must make a prompt decision and not hesitate.
Even if you make a mistake, the emperor will tell you the truth, but if you don't dare to do it, that's another matter.
However, this also has hidden dangers.
If this supervisor is too tough and wants to kick the emperor away when his wings are full and go it alone...
Zhu Ji didn't dare to think about it. This kind of thing was not something he should consider at his level.
He believed that the emperor must have seriously considered it and decided not to worry about it.
…………
Honglu Temple, a strange person was brought here.
The young minister of Hongluji Temple who was responsible for receiving the foreign envoy personally verified his identity. After confirming that the other party was a retainer of the Japanese shogunate Ashikaga Yoshimasa, he was not embarrassed and arranged for this person to go and meet Higashikata Yuen.
At this time, Dong Changyuan had just been released from Zhao Prison.
Although he was not convicted of any serious crime of rebellion, the charge of bribing officials was definitely not cleared.
Zhu Ji still had many cases in his hands, and he didn't have time to waste on him. He gave him a slap in the face, a warning, and then let him go.
Dong Changyuan's buttocks were opened and he was lying down at home to recover from his injuries. However, he heard that a guest had arrived and he raised his head with difficulty...
"You...why are you here?"
Toyama Yuan looked anxious, and when he saw Higashikata Yuen, tears filled his eyes.
"Your Excellency Dongchang!"
Dong Changyuan struggled to get up. Although it was a very happy thing to meet an old friend in a foreign country, he immediately noticed something unusual.
Toyama Xiong said hurriedly: "Your Excellency Dongchang, I am here to report an urgent matter under the orders of the commander... Sit down, why are you lying down?"
Dong Changyuan waved his hand and said: "Don't worry about me for now, go on, what's the matter?"
"Japan...is attacked!"
"What?"
Dong Changyuan was confused, and then asked: "Who is the enemy?"
"Yes..."
Toyama Xiong carefully looked around and said in a low voice: "Ming Army!"
Dong Changyuan's eyes were filled with uncertainty. He couldn't believe it at all. There was no news in the Ming Dynasty that any Ming army went to sea to attack the Japanese country.
He shook his head and said: "No, it might be some thieves or Japanese pirates."
Since the main force of the Japanese pirates was defeated by the Ming army, the remaining forces did not dare to invade the Ming Dynasty. It was entirely possible for them to invade the coast of the Japanese country in order to make a living.
"No, not a thief!"
Toyama Yu was so anxious that he cried loudly: "They attacked more than a dozen ports and even Hirado Town!"
"What?"
Higashikata Yuan was immediately shocked and asked quickly: "How is Hirado doing now?"
The town of Hirado is built on the seaside and faces Korea across the sea. It is an important town for Japan's foreign trade. The Ashikaga clan started in Hirado and became the shogun in one fell swoop.
There, countless merchant ships from Korea and Japan came and went, as well as smuggling ships from the Ming Dynasty, which also appeared from time to time.
What's more important is that Higashikata's home is in Hirado Town!
Toyama Xiong said truthfully: "Wherever the Ming army passed, they burned, killed, and looted, and no one could stop them. They had firearms and were extremely powerful in combat. Each time, they would suddenly attack in the middle of the night. After breaking the city, they would loot, and then
They set fire to everything and then boarded the ship without a trace. Our fleet encountered them, but their ships had artillery, and our fleet was completely destroyed! Hirado Town has been looted, and there is still no trace of it.
You...your wife and children...they are unfortunately...unfortunately killed!"
Dong Changyuan turned pale and howled: "Who are they, who are they..."
"They are no ordinary bandits, they are undoubtedly the Ming army. Now the whole country is in panic. They have looted countless gold and silver, and countless people have been killed as a result. They are extremely cruel.
At one point, they even attacked near Kyoto. The terrible thing is that their fighting power is amazing. Now that Hirado has been burned to the ground, Ashikaga General wants to gather his troops to find these bandits for a decisive battle, but he can only be disappointed, especially Hirado, where...there...
…”
Speaking of this, Toyama Yui choked up and his clothes were wet with tears.
That was the window for the entire Japanese sea trade. Countless wealthy businessmen bought property there and hid countless gold, silver and jewelry. The wealth of the Ashikaga clan was also looted. What’s even more frightening is that these bastards couldn’t rob them.
So they robbed it, and after it was over, they also liked to set it on fire.
Higashikata Yuan only felt that his mind went blank. His hometown was gone, the Ashikaga clan was severely damaged, and all his wealth was gone.
My own wife and children... My own wife and children...
He couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of blood: "You bastard, shameless, Ba Ge Ya Lu!"
Toyama Xiong finished crying and continued: "General Ashikaga hopes that you, as the envoy of the state, will immediately negotiate with the Ming court. The Ming Dynasty and our country have always been in harmony, so why are we suddenly at war with each other? What is your intention?"
Dong Changyuan looked angry and asked: "Where are these fleets now?"
"I don't know!"
Toyama shook his head and said with a wry smile: "No one knows where they are or where their next target will be. Nowadays, anywhere may be the target of their attack."
Dong Changyuan's face turned pale, and he fell to the ground. Then, with a roar, he jumped up like a spring.
He ignored the severe pain in his butt now, the expression on his face was both frightened and angry.
According to Toyama Yu's description, Ming warships were extremely fast. They could carry people, food, and weapons with them. They could appear anywhere on thousands of miles of coastline within a few days, even if all the Japanese were recruited.
Even if you get up to defend, you won’t be able to defend yourself!
"I...I will file a complaint now and make stern representations!"
Dong Changyuan endured the wound on his buttocks, ordered someone to hire a sedan, lay down in the sedan, and went straight to the palace.
He was almost crazy. When he thought of his wife and children, a painful expression appeared on his face.
However, he still suppressed this emotion forcefully.
National affairs are of paramount importance, and we must have an explanation today!