Chapter 39: Send people to Japan to claim compensation

Zheng Zhilong's ship had powerful guns, strong troops and horses, and a large number of people. It would not be easy to eliminate some pirates. Ren Fulong acted as the front and fought against various pirate forces. It didn't take long to basically subdue Kyushu Island.

Zheng Zhilong's arrival report was sent to bejng as quickly as possible. It happened to be the evening of the day when Yue Su was to escort Zhu Youqian.

Yue Su didn't wait for any news. He just asked people to keep an eye on Zhu Youjian and returned to his home. As soon as he arrived at his home, someone came to report that Zheng Zhilong had sent someone to deliver a message. Yue Su invited the messenger to the flower hall and the messenger

After submitting the letter, Yue Su was overjoyed after reading it, and asked his servants to take the messenger down to rest and entertain him. Then he called for Jiang Jie.

Jiang Jie entered the flower hall and sat down. Yue Su immediately showed Jiang Jie the arrival report sent by Zheng Zhilong. After Jiang Jie read it, his face became solemn and he said: "Sir, it seems that this matter is now clear. As long as we send someone

Go to Chiba, Japan, and find the daimyo Date Masamune, and everything will come to light. But I think Date Masamune may not be able to admit it easily."

"He has no choice but to admit this matter. If he dares to deny it, I will beat him until he admits it." Yue Su said harshly.

"Sir, I'm afraid it would be inappropriate to send troops to the Japanese country now. The biggest enemy of the imperial court is the Jurchens. If we divide our troops to attack the Japanese again, once the Tatars know about it and take the opportunity to make some fuss, we will be attacked on both sides at the same time. Although

With the current military strength of the imperial court, we are not afraid, but the price will definitely be higher." Jiang Jie said.

"If you invade our territory, you will be punished no matter how far away you are. The Japanese do not know good and evil and dare to invade our territory. All my hard work has been wiped out overnight. If this incident does not teach them a lesson, they will think that we are easy to bully!"

Yue Su hates the Japanese very much. The Japanese always bully the weak and fear the strong. If you don't give them a lesson this time, they will think you are easy to bully.

"Then what do you plan to do?" Jiang Jie asked.

"At least you must hand over Date Masamune to me, and then destroy his whole family! You must also compensate me for the losses of the Ming Dynasty." Yue Su said.

"Sir, the loss of this war can reach tens of millions of taels. With such a huge figure, most of the Japanese people will not agree to it. The only thing they will face is war. Moreover, the internal affairs of the Ming Dynasty may not be able to control the situation.

Yi Xin, I have already claimed vassal status for the Ming Dynasty, and have always been at peace with each other over the years. The Queen Mother and some court officials are unwilling to start a war even if they think about it. After all, it takes an army to attack a far distance, and the outcome is unpredictable. Moreover, once a war starts, the court's expenses will also increase.

Intensified." Jiang Jie said.

"In matters such as foreign wars, effort and reward are directly proportional. As long as we can win, the benefits brought back to our Ming Dynasty must be several times what we paid. Besides, how many troops can the small country of Honmaru have? How can it defeat our Ming Dynasty?

?" Yue Su said with a chuckle.

"My lord, please do not underestimate Japan. When Toyotomi Hideyoshi attacked North Korea, he mobilized 200,000 troops. If our Ming Dynasty used troops to attack Japan, we would have to send at least 300,000 troops, and it is possible to succeed. Moreover, Japan occupies a favorable geographical location and is internally unified.

Once there is a war, they will definitely work together to fight to the death. Not to mention the protracted battle, it is also a war of attrition. If you really want to fight, you will have to wait until Liaodong is recaptured before entering the army," Jiang Jie said.

.

Yue Su nodded and said: "What you said makes sense. It is indeed a bit early to send troops now. But if you want to regain Liaodong, it will only take a year and a half. I estimate that it will take at least three years."

.But how can I endure this for three years? I think so, I will go see the Queen Mother tomorrow to discuss it first and then formulate specific policies."

"That's fine. However, the main force of the Tatars is coming to Yuanbao to use troops. Counting the Mongolian troops, there are no less than 200,000 troops. It is not an option for us to defend passively like this. I think it is better to take advantage of the opportunity.

At this time, it is best to send out troops suddenly to attack Jinzhou and Liaoyang. If you cannot capture them, you can at least force the main Tatar army to withdraw." Jiang Jie suggested.

"This method is good. Jinzhou is close to the sea and Liaoyang is close to the river. We can use the navy to attack both. Although we may not be able to win, it can reduce some pressure on Laiyuan Fort and prevent the Tatars from taking the initiative to attack us. In this way, tomorrow I will give

Hong Chengchou and Mao Wenlong ordered them to wait for an opportunity to attack Jinzhou and Liaoyang. As for how to attack, they can discuss it, but no matter what, they must be in an invincible position. They are not asking for a decisive battle, just sorcery." Yue Su said.

Early the next morning, Yue Su entered the palace to see the Emperor, as before, in the royal study room. After briefly explaining the etiquette, the Emperor asked Yue Su to sit down, and asked what he wanted to do today, so he came to see him.

Yue Su got straight to the point and told the story of Date Masamune's troops sneak attack on Rizhao Port, and presented the arrival report sent by Zheng Zhilong to the emperor and the queen mother for review.

After reading it, Zhang Yan said: "Yue Qing, now that it has been found out that the Japanese photos were stolen, what are the Qing family going to do?"

"The Japanese state has claimed vassal status for our Ming Dynasty. This dispatch of troops can be said to be an intentional provocation. We, the Ming Dynasty, have always invaded our territory and will be punished no matter how far away they are. When the Japanese state invaded Korea, Emperor Shenzong sent a large army to attack it.

, let alone this time they hit the important homeland of our Ming Dynasty. If we don’t teach them a lesson this time, the Japanese will definitely think that our Ming Dynasty is weak, and they will definitely get worse next time." Yue Su said.

"What the Qing family said is true, but now the Tatars are invading our borders. If we mobilize the army twice, it will inevitably increase the burden on the court and it may be difficult to win..." Zhang Yan said with a little worry. She heard what Yue Su meant.

, knowing that Mr. Yue wanted to start a war with Japan. She usually rarely responded to Mr. Yue's suggestions, but this time, she sincerely did not want to fight. Because in a war with the Japanese country, there would be no benefit in winning.

Moreover, it was a waste of money. This was completely different from using troops with the Tatars. After all, the Tatars had seized the territory of the Ming Dynasty and had to take it back. So, Zhang Yan thought about it for a while and then continued: "Otherwise, the court will

Let’s first send envoys to r’s own country and ask them to hand over the mastermind of the provocation, that’s all.”

"The Emperor and the Queen Mother must hand over the mastermind of the provocation. Not only that, they must also compensate for the loss of Rzhao Hong Kong. Otherwise, this matter will never be let go." Yue Su said in a firm tone.

said.

"Compensation doesn't mean how much compensation?" Zhang Yan said.

"Ten million taels of silver." Yue Su said again in a firm tone.

"Ah...there are so many...how can the Japanese be willing to do this..." Zhang Yan was immediately intimidated by this number.

"They have to do it even if they don't want to. I think the losses in Hong Kong are in the tens of millions, and how many merchants have gone bankrupt because of this. To reopen the port, we still need a lot of silver. And this incident gave me the confidence of the Ming Dynasty merchants who went to sea.

It will cause a huge blow. If we don't get an explanation, merchants will panic and dare not go to sea. The income of the imperial court will also decrease. Not only that, the majesty of the Ming Dynasty will also be lost." Yue Su said cogently.

"The Qing family and the Ai family also understand what the Qing family means, but at this time, both the Ai family and the emperor hope not to use troops if possible. Otherwise, you can go back to the cabinet to discuss it and come up with a proper charter. Be polite before fighting.

, I won’t fight if I can.” Zhang Yan said.

"Then...I obey your decree..."

The Queen Mother did not want to fight. Yue Su had already guessed this when he and Jiang Jie were talking last night, but Yue Su also had concerns in his mind. He then stood up, said "I will leave," and left the imperial study and went to the cabinet.

When he arrived at the cabinet, he convened the cabinet ministers to discuss the matter. Yue Su circulated the report sent by Zheng Zhilong to the cabinet ministers, and waited for them to read it before soliciting their opinions.

This was a first-class matter. The cabinet ministers looked at each other, and no one dared to say anything nonsense. After a long time, Qi Shijiao handed over his hand and said: "Master Yue, what I want to say is that it is better to let the Ministry of Rites send someone

, go to r’s country to negotiate and let them give an explanation.”

"Sir Qi, you asked them to give an explanation. What kind of explanation do you think is better?" Yue Su asked directly.

"This... at least apologize to my Ming Dynasty..." Qi Shijiao said.

"Ha..." After hearing this, Yue Su chuckled and said, "Apologise! Can they just apologize? This time the R-Zhao Port was burned down, and the number of casualties among soldiers and civilians could be thousands.

, the property damage is tens of millions, is this something they can compensate with just an apology?"

"My lord is right, but... what else can we ask for?" For the Qi Shijiao, an apology may be the most important thing. I think back when the Japanese pirates harassed the Ming Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty beat the Japanese pirates away, and that was the end of the matter. Toyotomi Hideyoshi

Invading North Korea and being driven away by the Ming army would just be like that, what else could we do?

"What else can I do? It's very simple. Ask the Tokugawa shogunate to hand over Date Masamune to me. Anyone who comes here to burn, kill, and loot must be handed over to me. In addition, I will be compensated 10,000 Daibai silver.

Ten thousand taels!" Yue Su said.

"ah……"

Upon hearing Yue Su's words, the cabinet ministers all exclaimed, mouths hanging open. Even the Ming Dynasty couldn't afford ten million taels of silver, let alone a small country like Japan. How could they be compensated? So.

As soon as the conditions are set out, the Japanese will definitely refuse and won't even get an apology. What will the Ming Dynasty do then? Will they fight?

If you don't fight, your reputation will be ruined. If you send out troops and attack far away, how much food, wages, soldiers and horses will you get, and what benefits will you get at that time? Isn't this just a fool's errand?

"Sir, how can I, a great country like China, be as fussy as that small country? Isn't it too much to ask for such compensation? Once word spreads, it will have a great impact on the reputation of the Ming Dynasty." This time it was Lu Weiqi who stood up.

Come out. Even though he is the only cabinet minister of the Yiluo Party, and he relies on Yue Su to join the cabinet, but this time, the matter is so important that he did not side with Yue Su.

"If you don't care about them, then who do you want me to care about?" Yue Su said in a deep voice: "In the battle of Zhaogang, thousands of people died, and countless merchants' warehouses were burned down. Even the imperial court and the people cooperated with each other.

All the banks I worked in were looted and burned down. For such a huge loss, tell me, if I don’t ask them to compensate, who can I ask to compensate? If I don’t ask them to compensate with my life, who do you want me to ask to compensate with my life?”

"This..." Yue Su's words left Lu Weiqi speechless.

"Sir, it is extremely difficult for the Tokugawa Shogunate to agree to the conditions you have proposed. At that time, I wonder what you should do?" At this time, Qi Shijiao said.

"What we are discussing now is not what should we do if they do not agree to our conditions? It is that they have caused such huge losses to our Ming Dynasty. How can we claim compensation? Kill people to pay for their lives, debts to pay back money, blood debts to be paid with blood, justice. If the Japanese are

If the Ming Dynasty does not give me an explanation and cannot compensate for this loss, I, the Ming Dynasty, will never give up. Otherwise, the Japanese will think that the Ming Dynasty is easy to bully.

.You must know that during the reign of Shenzong, they had already had one incident. We, the Ming Dynasty, were a country of etiquette and just drove them out of the court. But this time, they dared to attack our homeland. If we don’t give them any more

Lesson, who can guarantee that they will become a Jurchen again!" At the end of Yue Su's words, his voice suddenly dropped.

"Sir, I understand what you mean and I am very supportive of it. However, now that a Jurchen has restrained most of the Ming Dynasty's national power, how can we still start a war with Japan?" Qi Shijiao said.

"Did I say start a war?" As soon as Qi Shijiao finished speaking, Yue Su shouted.

"Your Excellency did not say that we would start a war, but how could the Japanese agree to the conditions that Your Excellency proposed? That would definitely bring disgrace to our Celestial Empire..." Qi Shijiao was so frightened by Yue Su's voice that he lowered his voice a lot.

"If he doesn't agree, we can discuss it later. Now, I just want to ask you, is it wrong to kill people to pay debts and pay back money?" Yue Su's voice also became calmer.

"My lord, you are right..." the ministers nodded and said.

"If someone kills my people of the Ming Dynasty, should I pay for it with my life? If someone destroys my property of the Ming Dynasty, should I pay for it?" Yue Su asked again.

"Your Majesty, you are right..." The cabinet ministers nodded again.

"As long as you understand this truth, if the Japanese kill my people and destroy my property, if they don't pay for their lives and compensate me, then it doesn't make sense. Whether they agree to compensate or not is another matter. Okay, let's draw up the vote now.

"If you think that killing people should not be punished with life, say it now." Yue Su's last words were said in a very serious tone. This sentence can't help but make people think. Who dares to say that killing people should not be punished with life? I guess Mr. Yue is.

I can kill you. Anyway, you don’t have to pay for your life, that’s what you said.

Even though the three parties are in power, under the power of Yue Su, who dares to say anything? Furthermore, what Mr. Yue said is not unreasonable. Kill people to pay debts and pay back money. If you think this sentence is wrong, you can

Stand up and talk about what's wrong. As for whether to go to war, that's not today's issue. It's just about whether compensation should be paid.

Okay, now the vote is drawn up. Everyone unanimously agrees that the Japanese should be allowed to hand over the murderer and compensate the Ming Dynasty for its economic losses.

After reading the voting results, Yue Su smiled and said, "That's right. Liu Ce, you are the Minister of Rites. This matter is left to you. Send an envoy to Japan and tell the Tokugawa Shogunate

, hand over the murderer to me, and I will pay for all the losses of the Ming Dynasty."
To be continued...