Hearing this, King Sulu smiled awkwardly and shook his head.
Jin Ying felt dissatisfied and said angrily: "Is it possible that Sulu is unwilling to trade with the Ming Dynasty?"
King Sulu hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, please don't blame me. We are really... in trouble..."
"What's the difficulty? You are the king of a country, and there are still people who are making things difficult for you?"
"Alas!"
King Sulu sighed and said: "Since the Ming Dynasty announced the opening of the sea half a year ago, we have had merchant ships sailing over. However, we were stopped by the Luzon Kingdom on the road and the goods were forcibly detained."
"The Kingdom of Luzon still robs your ship?"
Jin Ying was not very familiar with countries in Southeast Asia. In his impression, the so-called Luzon and Sulu seemed to have no difference apart from their different names.
Therefore, when he heard that Luzon was still bullying Sulu, he was somewhat surprised.
King Sulu smiled bitterly and said: "It can't be considered robbery. It means that the goods are intercepted and purchased at a low price. Then they transport them to Ningbo and sell them at a high price."
Jin Ying understands. To put it more bluntly, Lu Song is bullying others!
As for why Sulu did not dare to speak out after being bullied, the reason is not difficult to guess.
I can’t beat you!
Suddenly, an idea suddenly came into his mind...
After the banquet, King Sulu sent someone to send Jin Ying and others back to rest.
To say that King Sulu did an impeccable job, all 70 or 80 people were provided with good rooms, and chief officials such as Jin Ying and Tang Xiaozhong were even provided with luxurious suites.
Moreover, there are dedicated people to serve you, serving tea and water.
Jin Ying didn't sleep, and knocked on Tang Xiaozhong's door all night.
At this time, Tang Xiaozhong was already a little drunk and was about to go to bed. He asked with some resentment: "What's the matter with Eunuch Jin?"
Jin Ying said nothing, pushed him in, turned around and closed the door.
Tang Xiaozhong suddenly felt that something was wrong in the atmosphere. He subconsciously tightened his clothes and said, "Father-in-law, it's midnight. What orders do you have... Why don't we talk about it tomorrow?"
Jin Ying sat down by herself, poured a cup of tea and smelled it.
"This is the Iron Goddess of Mercy in Quanzhou. Since the Sulu Kingdom and our country did not have direct trade, I think it was the Luzon Kingdom that bought it and sold it to the Sulu Kingdom at a high price."
Tang Xiaozhong looked confused and nodded, but he didn't know what to say.
Jin Ying glanced at him and pointed to the bench in front of him: "Sit down and talk!"
Tang Xiaozhong shook his head, then nodded, but sat on the bedside, deliberately keeping a distance from Jin Ying.
On weekdays, he prides himself on being a clean person, and when he sees a eunuch, he basically doesn't look at him.
Eunuch, what good can you have?
Later, we went to sea together, experienced life and death, and changed a little for the better.
This situation tonight made him feel panicked.
I heard that eunuchs also undergo psychological changes due to their physical disabilities. Could it be...
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but feel a chill in his heart.
I don’t like this tone, please leave quickly!
Jin Ying didn't notice it, because he had been thinking about things since he came back from the dinner party.
In the fifth year of Yongle, when Zhang Fu returned from conquering Annan, he brought some smart and handsome boys and sent them to the palace.
Jin Ying was one of them. At that time, he was still very young.
However, he witnessed with his own eyes the rise of a eunuch of the Patriarch level, the Three Treasures Eunuch, Zheng He!
The feat of seven voyages to the West has been the ceiling of the eunuch world throughout the ages.
Including the later powerful Wang Zhen, he always followed Zheng He as an example, hoping to make achievements, but he went astray...
Ever since he went to sea, Jin Ying had been dreaming that even if he couldn't complete the feat of seven voyages to the Western Ocean, even one or two would be enough.
The result was that just after arriving in Sulu, the boat crashed and people were almost killed!
Although he was lucky enough to capture a Champa king and escort him back to the capital, which was considered a great achievement, he was still unwilling to accept it.
On the contrary, it was King Sulu's words at the dinner that deeply touched him.
"Sister Tang, we are here to ask you, do you want to make a contribution?"
When Tang Xiaozhong heard this, he felt a little more relaxed, nodded and said: "I want to!"
Jin Ying said expressionlessly: "You have already made a big mistake regarding the sea chart, and almost a whole ship of people were buried with you. Have you figured out how to deliver the goods after you return to Beijing?"
Tang Xiaozhong thought to himself, could he use this matter to blackmail me and force me to submit?
"What my father-in-law said is absolutely true, but Tang is old and his body..."
Jin Ying suddenly became excited, stood up, and walked towards the bed: "Now that I am older, I must hurry up!"
Tang Xiaozhong shrank back subconsciously: "No... Father-in-law, if you have something to say, please tell me..."
Jin Ying grabbed him and said: "The opportunity to make a great contribution is right in front of you!"
"No, no...what?"
Tang Xiaozhong suddenly realized, what does it mean to make a great contribution?
Jin Ying said: "Do you still remember what King Sulu said at the dinner?"
"Dinner, King Sulu..."
Tang Xiaozhong tried hard to remember, but still shook his head.
Jin Ying had no choice but to say: "He said that Luzon has been oppressing Sulu all year round!"
Tang Xiaozhong nodded and asked: "So what?"
Jin Ying smiled and said: "Suppose that the Sulu Kingdom could not bear the humiliation and raised its troops to resist?"
"If you resist... you will definitely not be able to defeat Luzon, otherwise, you would have resisted long ago!"
"Okay, if Sulu can't defeat it, will it ask for help from the Ming Dynasty?"
Tang Xiaozhong thought for a while and said: "If the two countries are at war, I, the Ming Dynasty, will definitely focus on mediation."
"What if mediation fails?"
"Then, then..."
Tang Xiaozhong hesitated for a moment and continued: "Father, do you want to say that the Ming Dynasty will send troops to help Sulu? I think it is almost impossible."
"Why?"
"The reason is very simple. Sulu is a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty, but Luzon is also a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty. Therefore, the emperor will send imperial envoys to mediate between the two countries and will not send troops rashly."
Jin Ying asked again: "If you were the king of Sulu and saw that you could not defeat Luzon, and the Ming Dynasty only mediated but did not send troops, what would you do?"
Tang Xiaozhong was very confused and asked, "How much wine did you drink at night? What kind of questions are you asking?
Jin Ying became more and more excited as he talked. When Tang Xiaozhong didn't answer, he said to himself: "If the King of Sulu writes a letter and is willing to donate his territory and incorporate Sulu into the Ming Dynasty, do you think the emperor will send troops at this time?"
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After hearing this, Tang Xiaozhong was suddenly stunned.
After a long while, he murmured: "My father-in-law is so resourceful!"
Jin Ying returned to the chair and picked up the tea cup: "What happened to you and me after we went to sea was embarrassing enough. Although we picked up a Champa king to be able to do business, the voyage to the Western Ocean was ultimately messed up.
If Sulu can be merged into the Ming Dynasty, you and I will be the ones who opened up the territory, what do you think?"
Tang Xiaozhong has fallen into deep thought. Throughout his life, from the time he was admitted to the Jinshi to today, he has almost never left the Hanlin Academy and has been dealing with various literary and historical manuscripts every day.
I thought my life would be like this, but unexpectedly, due to a strange combination of circumstances, I was sent to sea to explore waterways for the Pacific Fleet.
However, when he got to the sea, he realized how wrong he was.
After returning to Beijing, punishment is inevitable. As Jin Ying said, even if you pick up a Champa king, you can't make up for your mistakes. It's just that the punishment will be lighter.
However, if Sulu could be merged into the Ming Dynasty, it would be completely different!
According to the news just received, the Ming Dynasty has completely occupied Annan and Champa. Sulu and these two countries are across the sea and are connected together.
Jin Ying drank the tea in the cup and asked: "Scholar Tang, why are you hesitating?"
Tang Xiaozhong nodded heavily and said, "Father-in-law, just give me your orders. What do you need me to do?"
Jin Ying smiled with satisfaction and said: "We are rough people. In this life, we can only serve others and are not good at words. For the next thing, you need to communicate with the King of Sulu. This is the credit of opening up the territory."
Whether you can get it or not depends on Bachelor Tang!"
Tang Xiaozhong stood up and saluted: "Grandpa, don't worry, if this matter cannot be done, I, Tang, will not leave!"
On the second day, Jin Ying took her godsons for a nice tour around Sulu. It was midsummer and there were a variety of fruits in front of them, which was a feast for the eyes.
From that day on, Tang Xiaozhong started the messenger mode and deceived King Sulu.
He was born as a Jinshi, and when it comes to eloquence, he thinks he doesn't belong to anyone.
Only three days later, the idea of resisting Luzon's oppression arose in King Sulu's mind.
However, he alone cannot make the decision on such a major national matter.
There are actually three kings who control the political power of the Sulu Kingdom, namely the East King, the West King and the Dong King, among which King Edom has the greatest power.
The Eastern King who was buried in the Ming Dynasty was the grandfather of the current Sulu King.
Soon, King Xi and King Dong came upon the call.
Over the years, Sulu has been oppressed by Lu Song, and it can be said that he dares to be angry but dare not speak out. Now when he heard that he wanted to resist and get the support of the Ming Dynasty, he couldn't help but feel a little hopeful, and at the same time, he was also very worried.
The military strength of Sulu is impossible to compete with Luzon in any case. In other words, it will definitely be defeated.
The key to the problem is whether Ming Dynasty will send troops to help.
If the Ming Dynasty didn't send troops, wouldn't it be doomed?
Therefore, the three of them were hesitant and unable to make a decision.
At this time, Tang Xiaozhong's sharp tongue began to work again. He talked endlessly and quoted scriptures, which made the translator run out of words. Finally, the emotions of the three kings were aroused and they decided to resist Lu Song.
Oppression.
Seeing that the time was right, Jin Ying and others took the Champa king with them and returned to Beijing to resume their duties.
Tang Xiaozhong volunteered to stay. With his status, he could at least represent the Ming Dynasty's attitude of supporting Sulu.
The Luzon Kingdom was used to bullying Sulu, but now it suddenly jumped to resist. It became anxious and sent 5,000 troops to conquer Sulu southward.
The two countries began to fight. Sulu's troops were weak and kept retreating, while Luzon was pressing forward step by step.
Sulu couldn't sit still anymore, so he went to Tang Xiaozhong and asked, "Excuse me, your Majesty, when will the Celestial Empire send troops?"
However, Tang Xiaozhong was not in a hurry and said: "I have already written the memorial exactly as it is about the situation here and sent someone to send it to the capital."
King Sulu was worried and said: "The Luzon army is pressing on the border. If the Celestial Empire does not send troops, I'm afraid... I won't be able to hold on..."
"When it comes to war, the emperor will not make hasty decisions. He will definitely hold a court meeting and seek the opinions of other ministers."
"How long will it take to wait for this?"
"It's hard to say. If everyone unanimously agrees to prepare the money and food for the expedition, well... it will take about half a year."
"Half a year?"
King Sulu feels like he is going crazy. The grass on my grave has grown half a foot tall in half a year, and yet you still send troops. Please give me a request!
Tang Xiaozhong smiled and said: "This is a smooth situation. If someone objects, or there are problems when collecting food and grass, it will be difficult to say."
King Sulu suddenly realized, is this bad old man deceiving me?
At the beginning, you were the one who told us to resist. If we can’t beat him, don’t be afraid. There is still Ming Dynasty!
Now people are almost getting calls to their doorsteps. You tell me, you still have to wait half a year?
If I can wait, will Luzon wait?
Thinking of this, King Sulu wanted to strangle this bad old man to death, but he didn't dare...
"Your Majesty, can you think of a way? I really can't hold on any longer!"
Tang Xiaozhong thought for a while and said: "There is no way...it's not that there is nothing, it's just..."
When King Sulu heard that there was hope, he hurriedly said: "Please tell me!"
"I can only give you some suggestions, but I can't guarantee whether they will work."
King Sulu secretly thought, who swore to me that with the support of the Ming Dynasty, Luzon would definitely lose, but now he can't guarantee it?
Alas, there is no other way. Who can ask for help now? Just bear with it!
Tang Xiaozhong continued: "The emperor convened the ministers for discussion, and everyone will definitely consider comprehensively whether to send troops and when to send troops, and the conditions considered are nothing more than expenditure and income..."
King Sulu's heart trembled, and an ominous premonition suddenly appeared...
"...Waging a war costs money. To send troops to Luzon, you have to go by sea, which requires a large number of ships. It costs more money. The soldiers' rations, weapons and equipment, and ammunition supplies... these are not small numbers."
King Sulu hurriedly said: "As long as China is willing to send troops and supplies, we can provide them here!"
Tang Xiaozhong waved his hand and said: "Material supply is only one aspect. The most important thing is what kind of impact this battle will have. Luzon and the Ming Dynasty are on good terms, just because they send troops to Sulu, the Ming Dynasty will fight against each other.
This reason does not seem to be very sufficient. When the emperor convenes a court meeting, some of the ministers will definitely raise objections. If everyone's opinions are not unified, it will be difficult to achieve results in a short time."
The more King Sulu listened, the more anxious he became: "Your Majesty, please think of a way to send someone..."
As he spoke, he waved and someone came over carrying a large box.
Tang Xiaozhong glanced at it. It took two strong men to carry a box, and it was very difficult. It looked like it was heavy.
King Sulu waved his hand again, and the box opened. Suddenly, all kinds of yellow and white things, jewelry and jade...
Tang Xiaozhong couldn't help but swallowed his saliva, smiled, and said: "Your Highness, please don't be polite. I am willing to stay here just to help Sulu tide over the difficulties. We just said that war is a big deal. If you want the emperor to send troops as soon as possible,
,unless..."
King Sulu hurriedly asked: "What else?"
"Unless..."
Tang Xiaozhong glanced at him and said slowly: "Unless Luzon sends troops to attack Ming Dynasty's land!"