In the small Ryukyu Islands, there used to be three countries: Nanshan, Zhongshan and Beishan. But now it has been unified for 76 years. Because the Ming Empire, which should have the largest trade throughput in the east, has always banned the sea and commerce, the important role of Ryukyu as a sea trade transit station between Northeast Asia and Southeast Asia has not yet been reflected, so this small country has not aroused the covetous heart of ambitious people.
The capital of Ryukyu is the first. In the fifth year of Xuande, Emperor Ming Destiny gave the King of Ryukyu the surname of Shang. From then on, the King of Ryukyu took Shang as his surname. At present, the King of Ryukyu is called Shang Zhen, but the Prime Minister is a scholar moved from Jianning Mansion by Ming Destiny.
Although this country is very small, Ming Destiny is very polite to the envoy of the vassal state. What's more, this time it's a prince. The governor of Zhejiang arranged for him to stay in a luxurious official post.
When the imperial envoy's sedan chair arrived at the door, Prince Shangqing of Ryukyu had already stood respectfully in front of the door to greet him. Because Yang Ling is meeting a national guest, he is very serious. He is wearing a dragon robe, a jade belt, a full imperial envoy's honor, and an outstanding character. This momentum is great enough.
On the contrary, the Prince of Ryukyu looks only 16 or 17 years old. He has a short figure and a dark face. Only his eyes are very bright. When Yang Ling got off the eight-carrier sedan chair, he saw that the Prince of Ryukyu was wearing the robe of a scholar of the Central Plains, but his hair was combed into a Japanese hairstyle, which looked neither fish nor fowl. He was stunned.
Although Cheng Qiyun tried her best to understand the situation of Ryukyu and told him patiently, she didn't know so much about the irrelevant things such as Ryukyu people's dress and eating habits.
The Ryukyu people used Chinese characters as their official characters, but their spoken language was similar to Japanese. Therefore, beside Prince Shangqing, in addition to a tribute envoy, a senior envoy, and a translator who was proficient in the official language of the Great Ming Dynasty, there was also a translator who was familiar with the official language of the Ming Dynasty.
Prince Shangqing put his hands together, bowed to Yang Ling with Buddhist etiquette, and said a few words. The translator quickly came over and said, "Imperial envoy, the prince said that he was very grateful to you for coming to visit him. Please forgive him for not welcoming you from afar."
Yang Ling smiled and said, "Shizi does not need to be so polite. I have just arrived in Suzhou and heard that Shizi was here, so I came to pay my respects. Haha, although this is a guesthouse, Shizi is now the host. Won't you invite me in for a cup of tea?"
The translator knew that Yang Ling was joking, so he smiled and repeated it to Shangqing. Shangqing smiled and invited Yang Ling to enter the house.
This house was antique, full of Jiangnan charm. The brick gate tower with double eaves and the green brick reliefs were extremely luxurious. After entering the courtyard, the walls were white and the tiles were black. It was quiet and serene. The hall, the pavilion, the tower, the eaves, the carved beams and the painted rafters, the lotus pond under the rockery, the blue water, even the sunshine also brought a little spring.
Yang Ling and Shizi Qingshizi walked and chatted. After saying a few words, they paused and asked the translator to translate. The two sides entered the "Cong Gui Tang" and sat down on the yellow rosewood official hat chair. Yang Ling asked Prince Shangqing that he came to inquire about Ming Destiny's opening the sea and lifting the ban. Then he told him about Ming Destiny's national policy and his plan for future trade.
Listening to the translator's detailed words, Shangqing couldn't help but be happy. It should be known that Ryukyu completely depends on Ming Destiny. Ming Destiny didn't trade with Japan before, so they bought Japanese goods and sold them to Ming Destiny at a high price by paying tribute. Then they resold the things they bought from Ming Destiny to Japan at a higher price and rely on intermediate trade for a living.
If Ming Destiny has direct trade with Japan, their livelihood will be lost. After coming to Jiangnan, although local officials are respectful to him, the officials in charge are all busy with the establishment of various yamens by Gu Daeyong and have no time to answer him. This is the first time he has heard the complete official news from the mouth of the imperial envoy Ming Destiny.
Shangqing looks like a simple and honest young man, but he is very business-minded. They originally sold Japanese silver, lacquer, swords, screens and fans to Ming Destiny, and resold the medicinal materials, porcelain, silk and copper coins produced in China to Japan and Korea.
Now hearing Ming Destiny's policy, Shangqing makes a little calculation. Although the business between Japan and Korea can't be done, it is not easy to sail on the sea at that time. Many small countries in the southeast do not have the ability to sail long distances. Even if Ming Destiny opens the sea ban, they can only look at the ocean and sigh. Ryukyu is between the two, so they can undertake the rhinoceros horn, spices, tin, sugar, ivory, frankincense, ambergris and other goods of the southeast countries to trade with the Ming Dynasty. Then they buy Ming Destiny's ceramics, lacquer and silk and sell them back.
Shangqing is very happy in his heart. He loses no time to mention Ryukyu's desire to do business with Ming Destiny to Yang Ling. Yang Ling smiles and says, "this is easy. The tolerance of the Celestial Empire is great. Ryukyu has always been a vassal of the Celestial Empire. We welcome you to do business."
Yang Ling paused for a moment, then casually said, "If the Crown Prince still wants to know the details of these matters, you can ask the Admiral of the City Yamen, Eunuch Gu. The main reason I came to Jiangnan this time is because of the Wokou pirates."
When Shang Qing heard this, his face tightened and he hurriedly asked, "Did the pirates come to Ming Destiny's coastal raid again?"
Yang Ling listened to the translator's inquiry and said with a smile, "yes, in order not to be affected by pirates, Japan is now wiping out pirates with great fanfare. Pirates have no place to hide, so they have to wander on the sea. By the way, I have sent people to inform Korea, Luzon and other countries to strengthen their armaments to prevent pirates from going ashore. I thought that your country is closer to Japan and should have received the news early. Have you made any preparations?"
Shang Qing's face turned white and he said nervously, "our country is small and weak. There is no standing army. There is only a palace guard, which is no more than 3,000 people in total. If the pirates attack, it will be difficult for us to resist."
Hearing this, Yang Ling let out a long sigh, shook his head and said, "That's difficult. Now that a few groups of pirates have gathered together, there are no less than twenty thousand of them. They don't have a place to settle down, I'm afraid … it's inevitable that they would covet your country."
Shang Qing said nervously, "I wanted to go to the capital to make a pilgrimage to His Majesty Ming Destiny. It seems that I have to go back to my country now. I'm worried about my father and our people."
Yang Ling clapped his thigh and said with a look of pity, "nowadays the pirates are too rampant, alas! The Manchurian Empire … Hey, does the Crown Prince know about the Manchurian Empire? They were just captured by Western pirates of 400 people not long ago. The king of Manchu Canada fled to an isolated island in the sea. The palace minister can't even find the king now.
Originally, how can Ming Destiny sit idly by and watch his vassal country be bullied? Unfortunately, there is no letter of request for troops stamped with the king's golden seal. Our Great Ming Empire's army is without a just cause. How pitiful … even the Princess and Princess have been humiliated by the bandits and reduced to slaves. This official is truly distressed. When this official visits Guangdong, I will send people out to sea to look for the king of that country. I hope he is still safe and sound. "
When Prince Shang Qing heard this, he could no longer sit still. He just got married this year. Prince's wife is a famous little beauty on the islands of Ryukyu. In his heart, his beloved wife is as bright as a bright pearl in the deep sea. When he thinks that his charming and pleasant wife may become a cruel and despicable female slave of the Japanese pirates and be destroyed by them, Shang Qing suddenly feels as if his heart is cut by a knife.
He hurriedly begged, "Mr. Imperial Envoy, Ryukyu is the most loyal minister of Ming Destiny. We pay tribute every year, come to the court every year, and abide by the duty of Ming Destiny's minister. Every generation of kings succeeds the throne, they will personally ask for the title of Ming Destiny. Now our country is in danger of being invaded by pirates. Please Mr. Imperial Envoy, for the sake of my country's loyalty to the Celestial Empire, ask His Majesty Emperor Ming Destiny to send troops to help."
Yang Ling hesitated and said, "This..." He frowned with a difficult expression and said, "Prince, it's not that I don't want to help. First, there is no letter from your king asking for troops, this..."
Shang Qing happily said, "This is easy to do. The Wokou pirates have also harassed us. We have already asked the Celestial Empire to send troops to rescue us. I will rush back to my country immediately. I will ask my father to send troops again."
Yang Ling covered his mouth and coughed. He said slowly, "Prince, don't worry. Don't worry. The Celestial Navy is also responsible for chasing pirates everywhere. The number of troops that can be drawn is limited. Besides, there are at least 17,000 or 18,000 people stationed to protect the island. So many people have to eat and drink. Don't the cargo ships carrying supplies and fodder have to leave the port every day? Although Ming Destiny is strong, he can't bear it. "
Shang Qing calculated it slightly. The expenditure of nearly 20,000 troops is indeed enough for Ryukyu to drink a pot. But compared with the danger of the country's subjugation, what is it? Besides, Ming Destiny is about to open the sea for trade. With such an army stationed there, the merchant ships of Nanyang countries can rest assured to anchor in their Naha port.
Whether Ryukyu collects tariffs or resells goods in the middle, there is still a lot of surplus after the huge income is used to pay for the military expenses. Ming Destiny's army is stationed there. Once Ming Destiny's court is defeated, they will not give up. This is more cost-effective than raising 20,000 troops himself.
Thinking of this, Shang Qing suddenly stood up and said, "Don't worry about this, Your Excellency. The Celestial Navy is to protect our country. The money and grain will naturally be paid by our country."
He also saw that Yang Ling was still hesitating, so he simply lifted his sleeves and knelt on the ground, saying sadly, "Your Excellency, the small country of Ryukyu is in danger of dying at the hands of pirates at any time. I have heard that Your Excellency is the most favored minister of His Majesty the Emperor. Please take pity on us and help us."
"All right!" Yang Ling helped Shang Qing up and said with emotion, "Since Your Excellency said so, I will write a secret memorial to the Emperor immediately. As for your country..."
Shang Qing said without hesitation, "I will go back to my country right away, ask my father for help, and send it to Ming Destiny's capital in person."
Yang Ling put on a smiling face and said, "Well, it's urgent. Then Your Excellency will go back to your country as soon as possible, and I will go back to deal with it right away."
Shang Qing was so grateful that he prepared a generous gift and sent Yang Ling out of the house with great gratitude.
Even though Yang Ling's move was a little despicable, he had no other choice. Even though this matter was beneficial to the Great Ming Dynasty, it was actually more beneficial to the Ryukyu Kingdom. At the very least, the Great Ming Dynasty did not have the evil intention of annexing them. As for this small kingdom, it was only a matter of time before it was annexed and destroyed without the protection of a powerful country.
The reason why Yang Ling put on airs was just to change the initiative of sending troops to being invited to send troops, so that he could take the initiative as much as possible when formulating the "Ming Ryukyu Security Treaty" in the future, so as to avoid problems one day.
※ ※ ※
Yang Ling rushed back to the imperial envoy's office excitedly. As soon as he entered the living room, he saw a general rushing over to salute him. He shouted in a loud voice, "I am Min Wenjian, the director of the Jiangnan Taoist Administration. I pay respect to the Marquis of Wei Wu, General Longhu of the Right Pillar State, and Mr. Yang of the Imperial Envoy of the Inner Factory!"
Yang Ling exclaimed and quickly helped him up. He punched him in the chest and said with a smile, "Master Min, do we still need to talk about these rules between us?"
Min Wenjian stood up and said with a smile, "Let's talk about public affairs first and private affairs later. Let's talk about public affairs first, and then talk about private relations. This way, it's easy to be a master."
Yang Ling laughed and said, "Since Master Min came to Jiangnan, this knowledge can be improved. The idiom and land use are more and more standard. Master Min's management of the field is very effective. After this year's autumn harvest, you, Master Min, will have a share in the first credit of changing grain."
Cheng Qiyun had already come over to welcome them. She stood to the side with a slight smile, waiting for these two old friends to warm up before interrupting, "Daren, Jiangnan Road Commander Bai Zhongzan, Bai Daren and … Navy Instructor Peng Fugui, Peng Qianzong have been waiting for a long time."
Only now did Yang Ling notice that there was also a thin military official in his fifties standing in the middle of the hall. There was also a tall and sturdy old man with a body like a leopard, a face like dates, and a beard and hair all silver. Yang Ling quickly cupped his hands and said with a smile, "Master Bai, Peng Qian, I forgot myself when I saw an old friend.
Although Bai Zhongzan was delicate and handsome like a scholar, he was also an old general with a military background. He meticulously followed the military salute to greet Yang Ling. That Peng Qian, who was a pirate king, also came forward to greet him. Looking at his posture, he was indeed a brave general.
Yang Ling exchanged a few more pleasantries with the two and invited them to take their seats again. Bai Zhongzan bowed and said, "Sir Yang, this trip to Jiangnan, other than to open the sea and lift the ban, must be to wipe out the Wokou pirates?"
Yang Ling nodded and said, "That is correct. In reality, the two are two and one, one and two. If the Wokou pirates are not wiped out, it will be difficult to open the sea. Moreover, recently the Wokou pirates have been forced by the Japanese to suppress the pirates and have all fled to the coast of Ming Destiny. Even if it is not to lift the ban, we still have to pay attention to how to prevent their invasion."
Bai Zhongzan smiled and said, "What Daren says is correct. The navy under my command originally only patrolled the coastal waters and mostly used stable but heavy boats. Rather than saying they are marine navy, it would be better to say that they are inland navy. In reality, the difference between the two is not small. As of now, the Longjiang Shipyard has produced many new warships that have been put to use.
Peng Qian is an expert in naval warfare and has taught us well. Not long ago, we followed the orders of the Ministry of War and held naval combat training. The navy's battle power has greatly increased. In the past, between January and April, the Wokou pirates would come with the wind and attack without end. I am currently setting up defenses along the coast. I heard that this year the Wokou pirates are very aggressive and I have made some adjustments. We must ensure that we deal a heavy blow to the Wokou and achieve a great victory in the first battle to boost our army's morale. "
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