Outside the Leopard Room, there were officials and hundreds of students from Imperial College. It was bustling and noisy. The Imperial Guards and Imperial Guards surrounded the Leopard Room impenetrably.
The officials of the six ministries and nine ministers who were still in the capital city, the three great scholars of the cabinet, and a few old officials of virtue and prestige had already entered the Leopard Room. Because they hadn't come out for a long time, the officials and students of Imperial College had already started to get restless.
When Yang Ling arrived on his horse, the surroundings became silent. Under the obstruction of his personal guards, a path was opened up. Yang Ling and Liu Yu rode side by side with a group of guards behind them.
After the crowd quietened down, someone suddenly shouted, "The Wokou are savage, killing people on the streets. If the murderer isn't punished, heaven and earth will punish him."
With this shout, the crowd became restless again. Yang Ling looked over coldly and saw that the Imperial Academy of Sciences students were all red in the face and agitated. Even though the rest of the officials all had angry expressions and were shouting very loudly, their gazes were calm, unlike the Imperial Academy of Sciences students who did not care about worldly affairs who had been moved by the anger. Yang Ling already had some understanding in his heart.
At the end of the day, in this era, the death of a commoner couldn't really move these high and mighty people. Although there were some officials who were truly angered, most of the officials who came to cause trouble had other intentions.
Not killing the Wokou envoys was an old rule. Furthermore, it was an old rule of the previous emperors, so they couldn't do anything to him. Whoever dared to come forward to impeach him would be impeaching the previous emperors. This was like the ancestral system of 'tribute' that Yang Shousui had taken out during the Grand Court Conference. It was a powerful weapon to protect oneself.
However, through this incident, they could give him immense pressure on morality. By mobilizing all the scholars and commoners in the capital city, it was enough to make him the target of everyone's condemnation and scolding. All the good reputation he had built up in the past would go down the drain.
A popular person who held great power in his hands and had such a bad reputation would be very convenient for them in their confrontation.
If he was pressured into killing the Wokou envoys, they would think that it would destroy the policy of opening up the sea and lifting the ban that he had advocated, thus indirectly obtaining victory.
Their plan was not bad. Their goal was clear and their methods were not stupid. Since the six times of tribute in the Yongle era, the Wokou people had become more and more arrogant. They were no longer willing to be the subjects of Ming Destiny. Their coming to pay tribute this time was already beyond their expectation.
If when Japan was still weak and small, the Ming court could forgive the messengers who caused trouble and killed people. But now, they were punishing their messengers. How could they continue to pay tribute to the Japanese?
The corners of Yang Ling's lips couldn't help but curl into a cold smile. Their calculations were not wrong. No matter what he chose to do, it seemed that this incident of the Japanese envoys killing people would cause him great losses, either in terms of his political reputation or his political future.
Unfortunately, they only knew themselves and did not know the enemy. When the Emperor of Japan passed away, he could not even afford to pay for his funeral. The daimyo of various places were like the marquises of the world at the end of the Han Dynasty. They regarded the Emperor as the Emperor of Han Xian. They paid lip service but secretly opposed him. Each had their own ambitions. The successor emperor even sold calligraphy and paintings for a living. The daimyo of various places were in dire straits during the war. Did they understand the situation?
Do I need to choose? Absolutely not! Now, it is this nation that bullies the weak and fears the strong. It is a mercenary nation that has to make a choice on my decision. Either they want dignity! Or they want benefits! What will they choose? Yang Ling held his head high on his horse.
The door of the Leopard Room slowly opened. The guards in embroidered clothes bowed to Yang Ling. The bodyguards stopped at the door. Yang Ling rode in proudly. Liu Yu jumped off his horse and hurried in. Yang Ling, Zhang Yong, Liu Jin and a few others enjoyed the privilege of riding horses in the palace. There was no exception in the Leopard Room. Liu Yu did not have this privilege.
In an extremely spacious room in the Leopard Room, Zhengde sat in the middle. The officials in front of him each argued for their own reasons. Those who wanted to take the opportunity to attack the policy of opening up the sea and strongly demanded that the murderer be severely punished. Those who sided with Liu Jin and Yang Ling brought out examples to refute.
What was even more amazing was that the few elders of the Hanlin Academy and the Imperial Envoy Station, who had originally hated Yang Ling to the core, had also strongly advocated for Zhang Kuanyou to come as an envoy. They had even informed all the vassal states of this matter in order to show the magnanimity of the Celestial Empire.
They did this without any selfishness. Instead, the idea of the Celestial Empire and the state of etiquette were deeply rooted in their bones. The deep sense of superiority made them feel that repaying evil with good and not lowering themselves to the level of the barbarians was the broad-mindedness of Ming Destiny. Therefore, they put aside their personal grudges with Yang Ling and tried their best to persuade the envoy to be treated generously.
Gu Daeyong had been looking forward to the early opening of the sea so that he could go to the coast and summon the wind and summon the rain. If he could be like Zheng He and Eunuch Zheng, leading a huge Celestial Empire fleet to dominate the world, not only could he achieve his personal interests and power, but he could also leave his name in history even if he had no descendants. How happy would that be?
Seeing the crowd of officials discussing spiritedly, Gu Dayong was burning with anxiety; he was afraid that this Zhengde Emperor, who had always been unconventional, would not follow the ancestral custom and really kill the envoy. But he did not have an official position now, so he could not intervene at all in the officials' discussion. Just as he was getting impatient, he suddenly saw Yang Ling arrive and could not help but be overjoyed. With Yang Ling's current status, it was enough to sway the Emperor's mind. Now he was finally safe.
Gu Daeyong hastily shouted, "The Marquis of Wei Wu, Zhu Guo Shangjun Yang Ling requests an audience!"
The officials became solemn. Yang Ling hurriedly walked in and paid his respects to Zhengde. Then he asked, "Your Majesty, I heard that the Japanese envoy committed murder on the streets of the city and that the QING: Five Cities Warlords have surrounded the Siyi Temple. Now the people of the imperial court are angry and I have come to see Your Majesty. I wonder if the officials have come to a conclusion?"
Zhengde helplessly said, "My beloved officials' concerns are reasonable. That is why I am in a state of panic. Official Yang has come at the right time and can help me make a decision. This Japanese envoy is crude and barbaric, unexpectedly he killed people on the streets. As the saying goes, 'a life for a life', he should be severely punished, but … "
He hesitated for a moment before saying, "Following the previous dynasty's tradition, our imperial court has always treated the envoy generously. There has never been a precedent of punishing an envoy. During the late Emperor's time, the Japanese envoy killed people on the streets of Jining and was pardoned. If we punish the envoy now, I am afraid the people of the four barbarians will be bitterly disappointed and will accuse our imperial court of being narrow-minded."
The Assistant Minister of Personnel Zhang Cai was a member of Liu Jin's faction. Seeing Yang Ling's arrival, he could not stop his spirits from being roused. With fervor and assurance, he said, "Your Majesty, the Sages once said, 'The people are born with good nature, but they are not good enough. Therefore, they set up a King to be good. This is the will of Heaven.'
Your Majesty is the master of the four seas. The barbarians worship the imperial court, they also yearn for the face of Heaven and have a good heart. Your Majesty is upright and upright. If you are benevolent and generous in ruling the world, harmonizing with the four barbarians, then the world will be grateful to you and will naturally change the stubborn and evil. "
The old minister Yang Shousui was loyal and devoted. Although it was Yang Ling's idea to open the ban on the sea, he was still unwilling to kill the envoy and cause the four barbarians and eight barbarians to secretly laugh at the imperial court. He also submitted a memorial, saying, "Spreading my voice outside the eight barbarians, flowing my benevolence to the nine barbarians. Courtesy to the four barbarians, the virtue of the upper country, has always been my imperial court's national policy. Following the imperial court's example, all the previous emperors did not uphold the benevolent courtesy to show the imperial court's lenient and conciliatory intentions. I hope Your Majesty will reconsider. "
Li Dongyang objected, "Your Majesty, what Mr Yang said is undoubtedly reasonable, but the Japanese people have the face of a beast but the heart of a beast. The strong will be bandits, the weak will be servile, they do not care about kindness and righteousness. Judging from the past is their nature.
Ever since they became our imperial court's envoy, there have been very few people who did not provoke them. It is clear that educating them is not enough. Virtue is gentle to China, punishment is powerful to the four barbarians. I think that even if we do not kill them, we should still punish them. "
Li Dongyang suggested punishing the murderers, but it turned out that they were also ashamed to mention the word 'kill'. When Yang Ling heard this, he could not help but secretly sigh, "Leniency and love to the barbarians is indeed our Chinese tradition."
Not to mention that the Japanese people's harm to my Ming Destiny is still extremely limited, even if the Japanese people become the enemy of the Chinese nation in the future, towards those executioners whose hands are stained with blood, won't we still live in luxury and hope to reform these beasts with great 'benevolence' that is beyond the scope of human nature?
However, what is the result of our painstaking efforts? Once most of them are released back to their countries, they still hate our people to the extreme and their vicious aggression has not diminished.
When Yang Ling thought of this, he took a step forward, bowed deeply and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, I take the liberty to speak, I think that what Official Zhang and Mr Yang said is wrong, and what Scholar Yang said is also not appropriate."
"Huh?" Yang Ling waved his big stick, 'leniency' and 'severe punishment' were each punished 50 times, what opinion did he have? The officials immediately pricked up their ears, wanting to hear what he had to say.
Yang Ling said with emotion, "When the Japanese are gentle, they are like virgins, and when they are cruel, they are like wild beasts. Their various behaviors are actually just worshiping power, bullying the weak and fearing the strong."
His powerful and resonant words continuously echoed in the solemn hall, "Trying to reform and make them understand kindness is like playing the lute to a cow, often making them arrogant. Not only do they not know our painstaking efforts, but they also use being on good terms with the Celestial Empire as a means, becoming more and more aggressive, without any scruples. Once they cause trouble, they use being friendly with the Celestial Empire as a bargaining chip.
Therefore … I think that it is better to punish them with power than to reform them with benevolence! "
Yang Shousui could not hold it in and said, "Your Excellency, according to the ancestral rules …"
Yang Ling continued, "This does not go against the ancestral rules. You must know that now that the two countries are about to open the civilian market, it is different from the previous situation of paying tribute. In the future, there will be frequent exchanges between the people, there will definitely be barbarians causing trouble, and there will also be people of the Celestial Empire who are greedy and deceitful. The protection of the criminal law is imminent.
At this time, whether it is the officials of the Celestial Empire or the officials who came to pay tribute, they should set an example for the people in the future. Otherwise, it will be impossible to clean up in the future. Therefore, I think that not only must they be punished, but they must also be severely punished, to serve as a warning to others! "
Yang Ling raised his eyebrows and said sternly, "I request Your Majesty to immediately issue a decree to immediately arrest the culprit and hand him over to the Three Law Division to be punished. The Celestial Empire will show benevolence, but we must not let the Celestial Empire's prestige fall."
"Your Majesty, a kind mother produces a spoiled son, and a stick produces a filial son! For an unreasonable child, you should let him know the pain, then he will be obedient in the future! "
Jiao Fang was a cunning old fox. When he saw Yang Ling appear, he knew that he could not use the tactic of delaying for the time being. He would follow the Lord's lead. Therefore, he had not clearly expressed his attitude. At this time, when he heard Yang Ling's words, he immediately said, "I agree!"
Liu Yu and the others also echoed. Li Dongyang and Yang Tinghe looked at each other and could not help but nod.
Emperor Zhengde looked around, then smiled and said, "Well said! Let's do it this way. The Military Department will immediately arrest the culprit and hand him over to the Three Law Division for trial. Bring that turtle to the market and punish him! "
※ ※ ※
At noon, the QING: Five Cities Warlords received the imperial edict and rushed into the Siyi Building to arrest the murderer Kōno Kameshiro. They did not care about the protests and obstruction of Ōuchi Yoshiyū and the others.
Ōuchi Yoshiyū and Hosokawa Seimei were furious. They sat upright and waited for Wang Hua and Yang Ling to come forward and explain. Unexpectedly, after sitting for the whole afternoon, they did not even see an official from the Ministry of Rites.
It was not until the next day that they heard that Yang Ling and Wang Hua had entered the Siyi Building. The two hurried to the guest building. After waiting for a long time, they did not see anyone come in. Puzzled, they sent a trusted samurai who knew Chinese to check it out. The report said that the Minister of Ming Destiny's Ministry of Rites, Wang Hua, and General Yang Ling were meeting the North Korean envoy, Park Eunhee, in another building.
The two of them were full of doubts. They drank their tea until it had lost its color. Then they saw Yang Ling and Wang Hua walking in with smiles on their faces. The two of them welcomed the two of them into the building with displeased expressions.
After the guest and host were seated, Ōuchi Yoshiyū suppressed his anger and bowed, "Sirs, my family general Kōno was drunk and had a conflict with the people of Ming Destiny because of the language barrier. As a result, he killed someone by mistake. I am really frightened and apologise to the two sirs."
Yang Ling put on a fake smile and said, "Mr. Ōuchi, please get up. The laws of Ming Destiny are strict. Those who are guilty will be punished and those who are innocent will not be punished. Mr. Ōuchi is not strict with your subordinates and you should apologise to the king of your country. As an envoy, I am not in a position to interfere."
Yang Ling glanced at them and saw the different expressions on their faces. He secretly made a plan in his mind.
A hint of joy appeared on Ōuchi Yoshiyū's face. He sighed politely, "The Celestial Empire is really merciful. I am sincerely convinced. Kōno has been arrested by QING: Five Cities Warlords. Would you like to hand him over to me according to the old rules?
Of course, in order to explain to His Majesty the Emperor and the people of Ming Destiny, I should immediately punish him according to the laws of Country R. However, it is disrespectful to His Majesty the Emperor to enforce the laws of Country R in Ming Destiny. I will bring him back to my country to apologise to the king and punish him according to the laws. "
Yang Ling was surprised and said, "Your family general stepped on the land of Ming Destiny and killed the people of Ming Destiny. He violated the laws of Ming Destiny. Naturally, he should be punished according to the laws of Ming Destiny. You should bring him back to your country and punish him according to the laws of Country R. What is the reason?"
Surprise flashed in Hosokawa Seimei's eyes. He couldn't help but look at Ōuchi Yoshiyū. Ōuchi Yoshiyū's face changed slightly. He forced a smile and said, "Then … how do you want to punish him?"
Yang Ling said lightly, "I am not a judge, so I don't know much about it. However, a life for a life, and the world is the same. I think that is probably the case."
Ōuchi Yoshiyū was furious and said, "Mr. Yang, Kōno Kameshiro is my family general. He is a samurai. He does not have to pay for killing the people."
Wang Hua clapped his hands and said, "Don't be impatient, Your Excellency. Mr. Yang has already said that since he committed murder in Ming Destiny, he will naturally be punished according to the laws of Ming Destiny. In the Central Plains, it has always been the prince who breaks the law and is punished the same as the people. Do the samurai of your country enjoy privileges in Ming Destiny? "
He chuckled and said, "Yesterday, Mr. Ōuchi mentioned that the merchants of your country were not protected by the laws of Ming Destiny in the past. Our action is to show the two special envoys our determination to open the sea ban and open trade: regardless of people from our country, we will treat them equally.
All who come from your country are protected by the laws of Ming Destiny, and at the same time, they are also bound by the laws of Ming Destiny. Today, Kōno Kameshiro has been executed. I believe that those who dare to break the law in the future will have to restrain themselves. It will be very beneficial for our future cooperation. "
Yang Ling said with a smile, "Yes, our emperor is kind. He originally wanted to punish the servant who committed the murder leniently and sentence him to corruption and then send him to Mado to be a slave for life. However, I believe that Mr. Ōuchi is not willing to shelter the murderer and accept the mercy of our emperor, so I suggested to our emperor that he should be punished severely."
Castrated to be the head eunuch and sent to Mado to be a slave? … What is that place? Why have I never heard of it? Is it reclamation or sheep farming? Is this the mercy of the emperor of Ming Destiny? Ōuchi Yoshinori's heart was depressed and his mouth was bitter.
A man can be killed but not humiliated. If he ended up like this, the whole country of Nippon would be humiliated. It would be better to let him die. Ōuchi Yoshinori never imagined that the Ming court would be so strong today.
He gritted his teeth and threatened in a deep voice, "Our King Yongjeong has the intention to be on good terms with Ming Destiny, but now that the negotiations have not been finalized, I am afraid that His Highness will not be happy with the execution of our country's envoy. If this is the case, I will have to wait for further news from home regarding the issue of tribute and cooperation."
Yang Ling beamed and said, "That's good. I am really too busy to deal with all the countries at the same time. If you need to wait for a while, I can discuss with Korea, Ryukyu, Luzon, and Annam first. Mr. Ōuchi, you don't have to worry. You can slowly ask for the opinion of your king."
Hearing this, Nishikawa Seimei's heart skipped a beat and he hurriedly asked, "This … may I ask, are all the countries here because of the lifting of the ban on opening the sea and trade with each other?"
Wang Hua smiled and said, "Yes, all the countries are rejoicing when they heard the news. Currently, there are envoys in the capital and they are understanding the specific strategy of our country to open the sea.
Yesterday … the envoy of the Ryukyu King came in. Because Ryukyu is small and weak, it is difficult to ensure the safety of the sea. Therefore, he requested the Celestial Empire to send troops to the Ryukyu sea port to assist in the sea trade with Ming Destiny. Hehe, they have long been tired of the pirates and have repeatedly sent in requests for the Celestial Empire to send troops. Now it is just another reason. "
Yang Ling also said, "Just now, the envoy of Korea also asked for us to send more troops to clear the sea so that it will not affect this great business opportunity."
Onuchi Yoshinori and Nishikawa Seimei were shocked when they heard the news. They did not know that Ming Destiny's plan to open the sea had only been finalized in the past two days. All the countries did not have time to react. They only thought in their hearts, "Does Ming Destiny's navy have the ability to go on an expedition or even send troops overseas?" Seeing how confident they were, if Ming Destiny's navy really had the ability to be stationed in Ryukyu and Korea, then Japan would lose all its advantages.
At that time, would Ming Destiny still need to cooperate with Japan? These two countries were very close. After a long time, Ming Destiny would train a strong navy, one in the south and one in the north, and Japan would be in the center. Not only would they not benefit from the sea trade, but they would also be controlled by others. Their every move would have to look at the corner of Ming Destiny's eyes.
Onuchi Yoshinori's face stiffened. Nishikawa Seimei hurriedly said, "When we were on the mission, His Royal Highness Yongzhen ordered us to abide by the laws of the Celestial Empire and not to act recklessly. As long as Ming Destiny can handle the case fairly, I think His Royal Highness will not have any objections after hearing about Kōno Kameshiro."
Yang Ling listened and smiled. He had already expected that Nishikawa Seimei, who had nothing to do with him, would not lose the opportunity to take advantage of his family's power for the sake of someone else's family. Even Onuchi Yoshinori was now guessing the court's intentions and pretending to be tough. It seemed that he had heard some rumors about the officials' heated debate yesterday and that some people were in favor of leniency.
However, with the powerful benefits of opening the sea trade, and the news that was deliberately leaked to him, as long as Onuchi Yoshinori was not a stupid martial artist, he would make a wise choice. Sure enough, Onuchi Yoshinori only weighed the pros and cons for a while, then swallowed his anger and said, "In that case, I have a presumptuous request. I hope you will grant it."
Yang Ling smiled and said, "Your Excellency, please speak. As long as it is within this official's power, there is nothing I cannot do."
Onuchi Yoshinori said, "Since you want to punish Kōno, he will pay with his life. Is it possible for Your Excellency to hand him over to me? I will order him to commit seppuku as an apology and personally carry out the punishment."
Yang Ling did not even think and immediately shook his head. "Unfortunately, Ming Destiny does not have the rule of using private punishment. Justifying the punishment is to serve as a warning to others. Committing suicide to escape punishment is meaningless."
He glanced at Nishikawa Seimei and said, "Don't worry, Mr. Onuchi. During the joint trial, I will also invite two envoys to attend the trial personally to ensure fairness. Today, we are here to further discuss the formation of the navy, the coordinated elimination of pirates, the military cooperation between the two navies, the docks, the supply docks, and other matters. As for Kōno, he is but a criminal on death row awaiting death. What is there to pity? "
As soon as Nishikawa Seimei heard this, he immediately focused and said, "Regarding this matter, our Nishikawa family's chief minister has repeatedly exhorted me before I came. He is very willing to cooperate with Ming Destiny's navy from the north to the south to clear the pirates on the sea.
As far as we know, in addition to some fugitives from Ming Destiny and Japan who have gathered on the island, there are now pirates from the far west who often invade and harass the coast. Their current power is still in the southwest corner, so presumably they do not dare to directly attack Ming Destiny.
However, what the bandits value is wealth. As the saying goes, greed is hard to satisfy. These bandits from afar are becoming more and more frequent, and their power is gradually expanding to the north. We, the Nishikawa family, are willing to cooperate with Ming Destiny's navy. Please consider this, Lord Wang, Mr. Yang. "
Onuchi saw that the matter with Kameshiro Kaino had given Nishikawa an opportunity. He was secretly anxious and hurriedly said, "The Onuchi family originally had a navy. In order to protect the tribute trade fleet, they have protected and attacked pirates many times. They are very familiar with naval warfare. If Ming Destiny is willing to cooperate with us, we are willing to fully cooperate with Ming Destiny's navy in terms of naval warfare technology, navigation technology, and armament."
Yang Ling was surprised. Could it be that the Spanish pirates were now in the South China Sea? He had not paid attention to this information before. This clue was very important. It seemed that he had to pay attention to it when he returned.
He and Wang Hua looked at each other and smiled tacitly. They leaned forward and began to discuss the navy's cooperation.
※ ※ ※
The murder case of Kameshiro Kaino, a family member of the Japanese tribute envoy Onuchi Yoshinori, was held in the Dali Monastery. The Japanese envoy Onuchi Yoshinori and Hosokawa Seimei attended.
Because the criminal was related to the foreign envoy, the case was serious. Therefore, the trial was held in the three justice departments, but he was imprisoned in Dongchang. With Dai Yi presiding over it, Kameshiro Kaino suffered a lot, but during the trial, there was no sign of torture.
Kameshiro Kaino killed in the street. There were many witnesses, so there was no need to investigate too much. The three justice departments hurriedly finished the trial and presented a memorial to the Emperor. Onuchi Yoshinori and Hosokawa Seimei saw that Kameshiro Kaino could not be saved, so they could only plead guilty. They hypocritically asked for the murderer to be severely punished and to comfort the dead.
Emperor Zhengde received the petition and immediately issued an edict to accept the two special envoys' opinions. He ordered the two envoys to pass on the message to the King of Japan. In the future, when the envoys were sent, they should be used and not be barbaric.
The two envoys were dumbstruck. Actually, they were just following the official protocol to make a show of courtesy. Many times the Japanese special envoys came to pay tribute, there were many who violated the law. As usual, they had to submit a memorial to beg for forgiveness, and the Emperor also pardoned them as usual. There was only pardon, there was never any additional punishment. But today this young Emperor's behavior was really an eye-opener for them. This time the two Japanese envoys were really suffering in silence, they had bitterness that they could not speak out.
The prison officials of Dongchang and the Ministry of Punishments escorted Kameshiro Kaino to Caishikou. Onuchi Yoshinori, Hosokawa Seimei and all the Japanese envoys, as well as Park Eunhui, who was waiting for news from home, and Nguyen Dayou, the Annam special envoy, were also invited to watch the execution.
The murder of the Japanese had spread throughout the capital, and the people were extremely indignant. When Emperor Zhengde issued the edict, the people cheered.
Ming Destiny had many kinds of cruel punishments, such as cutting at the waist, skinning, death by a thousand cuts, lighting the sky lantern, and so on. But other than dealing with evil sects and bandits, most of the punishments were beheading. As for the punishment of cooking in the wok, ever since Emperor Yongle seized the throne, it had never been used. Today, Emperor Zhengde issued the edict to use the punishment of cooking in the wok, and it was boiling in water. The people of the capital could not only vent their hatred, but it was also a novelty. The Caishikou was already crowded with people.
Tens of thousands of heads were moving, and not even a drop of water could enter. A temporary execution tent was set up at the Caishikou. In front of it was a three-foot high platform made of yellow soil. An iron frame as thick as the mouth of a bowl supported a large iron wok in the center. The iron wok was wide at the top and narrow at the bottom, four feet in diameter and more than two feet deep. It was filled with clear water, and below it was a pile of chopped firewood that had been poured with oil. The executioner read the details of the case in a loud voice, and then unfolded the imperial edict to read the edict of Emperor Zhengde.
Tens of thousands of people knelt at the same time, and the envoys of various countries also knelt to listen to the edict. The executioner finished reading the edict, took out a half-red, half-black token from the box, and threw it forward fiercely. He shouted, "Come, bring the criminal, and execute him immediately!"
Kōno Kameshiro's body was tied up tightly with a hemp rope as thick as a finger, his shoulders and arms were crossed, and his hands and feet were tied together like a horse's hooves. He was lying on a donkey cart. Four big men in red with their bellies bare, and their heads wrapped in red silk grabbed the hemp rope, lifted him up to the high platform and threw him into the iron wok.
Shiro Kono was so frightened that his heart was about to burst, but his mouth was stuffed with a cork, and his limbs were tied behind his back like a fried dough twist, so that he could neither shout nor move. In order not to let the water fill his nostrils, he had to stretch his neck and hold his head high, while his round, frightened, pitiful, remorseful eyes floated up and down in the water.
When the torch was thrown, a raging fire was ignited, the water gradually heated up, the torture gradually penetrated into the bones. Compared to being thrown into a pot of boiling oil, there was a puff of smoke rising, and the taste of burning skin and rotting flesh, the taste of death was completely different. Watching this, the envoys were frightened, and their faces changed.
They had long heard of Ming Destiny's torture, and they had enjoyed talking about it. But this torture had always been used on Ming Destiny's own people, and this was the first time an envoy had tasted it.
These envoys were usually arrogant and domineering, and they did not care about the lives of others. But when they saw their companions being tortured like this, when they heard Kōno Kameshiro's screams getting louder and louder from his throat and nostrils, they suddenly had a sincere reverence for the land under their feet and the people who lived on it.
Henceforth, for the rest of his life, as the first batch of envoys to set foot on the Great Ming Dynasty's territory after the sea ban was lifted, whether it was acting as merchants in their dealings or staying as envoys in the Great Ming Dynasty, they always abided by the rules. None of them dared to violate the Great Ming Dynasty's laws.
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