Yagyu Jubei's sword was brought and he stood there thinking about how to compete.
Zhao Han glanced outside the door and asked, "Who is on duty today? Everyone, come in!"
The four emperor's personal guards stepped into the side hall.
Zhao Han said to one of them: "Zhou Yingkui, come and compete. Remember, don't kill him."
"According to the order!" Zhou Yingkui said with cupped hands.
Zhao Han's two thousand personal guards, except for the armored soldiers who are all in plate armor, have also been on the battlefield. To be selected as the emperor's personal guards, they must meet three conditions: first, they must be of pure origin; second, they must fight.
Brave; third, tall and mighty.
Zhou Yingkui was born in a merchant family and loved to dance with swords and sticks since he was a child. After fighting on the battlefield for three years, he was selected as a personal guard and practiced swordsmanship with a famous master.
Seeing that Yagyu Jubei had no armor on his body, he took off his armor as well, held his hands in his hands and said, "Nice to meet you!"
Yagyu Jubei bowed in return and said something Zhou Yingkui couldn't understand.
"Qiang!
Zhou Yingkui unsheathed his sword and threw the scabbard to his colleagues.
Yagyu Jubei also slowly drew out his sword, bent down and put the scabbard on the ground. Then he raised the sword forward with both hands, stared at his opponent's eyes, stepped forward with his feet and walked slowly.
Zhou Yingkui also holds the sword with both hands. This is a broad battlefield sword, but the blade is shorter than a fighting sword.
Although the sword is short, the man is long.
Yagyu Jubei's head only reached Zhou Yingkui's chest. This battle seemed very unfair.
Suddenly, Zhou Yingkui took half a step forward and struck the opponent's right shoulder with his sword.
Yagyu Jubei raised his sword to block, suddenly stepped forward with his left foot to close the distance, and returned the sword to slash Zhou Yingkui's left shoulder. This is a classic move of Yagyu Shininryu, but unfortunately he met the wrong opponent, Zhou Yingkui's move was powerful and heavy,
Causing Yagyu Jubei's subsequent moves to deform.
Moreover, when Yagyu Jubei slashed at his left shoulder, Zhou Yingkui did not dodge, but turned his wrists with both hands to stab the opponent's throat.
Yagyu Jubei quickly blocked and took advantage of the situation to distance himself.
This kind of competition cannot go on. Yagyu Jubei is a master of martial arts, and his sword skills are very advantageous when the two are duel. Zhou Yingkui practices battle formation swordsmanship, and he usually wears armor. Just now, he was slashed on the left shoulder by his opponent.
Too lazy to dodge, he instead stabbed his opponent in the throat with his sword.
If Yagyu Jubei does not block and dodge, and neither side wears armor, one shoulder will be injured and the other will die on the spot. If both sides wear armor, Zhou Yingkui can instantly kill Yagyu Jubei at the cost of minor injuries.
.
Lin Luoshan couldn't understand it at all, and was quite anxious. He was afraid that Yagyu Jubei would lose, and he was also afraid that the Chinese emperor's bodyguard would be injured.
"Okay, no need to compete." Zhao Han suddenly stopped. He had already seen what was going on.
If you continue to fight, you will either die or be injured.
Yagyu Jubei quickly picked up the scabbard, bowed to Zhou Yingkui, and then knelt down to Zhao Han. He was so frightened that his vest was sweating. The sword that had just stabbed his throat seemed to feel death coming.
Sitting back again, Lin Luoshan asked in a low voice: "Who won?"
Yagyu Jubei said: "It's a tie."
"Tie?" Lin Luoshan didn't understand.
Yagyu Jubei said: "This is a battlefield warrior. If you continue to fight, there are only two results. One is that one person is killed and the other is injured, and the other is that everyone dies. Moreover, his sword is too heavy and different from Japanese swords.
.I have never encountered it before, and I may not be able to cope with it and suffer a loss."
Zhou Yingkui blushed and said: "Your Majesty..."
"Don't blame yourself, go back to duty." Zhao Han said with a smile.
Zhou Yingkui bowed and retreated, feeling a little frustrated. As far as martial arts skills were concerned, he had already lost just now. Using a life-changing style of play to destroy all the opponent's moves was simply unreasonable.
Of course, if he wears a full set of armor, like Yagyu Jubei, he feels that he can fight five with one.
Zhao Han praised: "Your Excellency is indeed superb in martial arts."
Yagyu Jubei quickly stood up: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for the compliment."
Zhao Han said to Lin Luoshan again: "I like General Tokugawa's gift very much. When you leave Nanjing, you should also bring him a gift back."
"Thank you for the reward, Your Majesty!" Lin Luoshan felt that the establishment of diplomatic relations was stable this time.
The gifts sent by Tokugawa Iemitsu were a famous sword and a folding fan. Apart from this kind of thing, Japan could not get anything else.
As for Zhao Han, just give him a few pieces of porcelain in return.
Zhao Han said: "I know the teachings of saints, big or small, and I know it, and I hope Japan will remember it."
Along with the gift, I received a diplomatic letter from the shogunate.
It’s nothing more than the rhetoric that big things are important and small things are small. Big countries should treat small countries with benevolence, and small countries should treat big countries with sincerity. Both sides follow Confucian diplomatic principles, and they still have a common language, at least... on the surface.
Lin Luoshan explained: "Your Majesty, the pirates who have repeatedly attacked Ming merchant ships have nothing to do with the shogunate. They are all defeated and expelled ronin. If there are still pirates attacking Chinese merchant ships, please send an envoy to inform them, and the shogunate will do everything possible."
Destroy with all your strength."
Zhao Han smiled and said: "If we encounter pirates, my navy will destroy them."
Lin Luoshan added: "After the two countries have established diplomatic relations, please allow your Majesty to allow Japan to send envoys to the Tang Dynasty."
"These envoys sent to the Tang Dynasty should stay and study at Jinling University." Zhao Han agreed.
There will definitely be a fee!
Lin Luoshan said: "Thank you, Your Majesty."
The Tokugawa shogunate meant to open three ports to Chinese merchants. One was in Nagasaki, the second was in Iwami, and the third was in Shimonoseki. The first two were direct jurisdictions of the shogunate. Shimonoseki planned to become a direct jurisdiction, which was nothing more than an exchange with the feudal lord.
Just profit.
However, Chinese businessmen could only trade with the shogunate, and privately trading with daimyo would be tantamount to breaking up.
Lin Luoshan took the envoy back to the hotel and went to visit Nanjing the next day. He would live in Nanjing for a while, go to Japan with the envoys of the Ming Dynasty, and also take the opportunity to exchange knowledge with the Confucian scholars in Nanjing.
Toilet paper has its uses, and Qian Qianyi was useful again at this time.
He was responsible for accompanying Lin Luoshan on his outings, and the two hit it off immediately, and they collaborated in many fields such as Neo-Confucianism, painting, and calligraphy.
Returning to the hotel in the evening, Lin Luoshan sighed: "As expected of China, there are indeed well-educated people."
Another day, Lin Luoshan went to a bookstore. The dazzling array of books made him dizzy.
I bought one or two books of various kinds, including Classics and History, Laws and Water Conservancy, and finally opened this year's "Datong Collection".
"Sanyuan Chapter" was printed at the front. Lin Luoshan was shocked after reading it and said to the bookstore owner: "This, this, this... this kind of nonsense, how dare you put it on the bookshelf for sale?"
The bookstore owner was also frightened and said quickly: "Sir, please don't talk nonsense. This is a legitimate book. Your Majesty personally wrote the preface! There are several articles in it that are written by His Majesty."
Lin Luoshan hurriedly looked through it, and he was so shocked that he finally understood what kind of emperor Zhao Han was.
This kind of book must not be spread to Japan. When you go back, ask the shogunate to ban it!
"Sir, there are Nanman." Yagyu Jubei suddenly reminded.
Lin Luoshan turned around and saw that there were both red-haired ghosts and golden-haired ghosts. He asked the bookstore owner in a low voice: "Are there often people from Xifan here?"
The bookstore owner smiled and said: "Two of them are from Qintianyuan. They helped revise the new calendar. Your Majesty gave them the title of bachelor. There is another one whom I don't recognize. He may also be Mr. Fan Bang."
Lin Luoshan asked again: "Is Western religion allowed here?"
The bookstore owner said: "There is a church in the west of the city. You are only allowed to preach inside. If you are found preaching outside the church, you will be expelled overseas. Last year, one was expelled and fined fifty taels of silver."
"That's okay." Lin Luoshan nodded.
Lin Luoshan didn't want to be in the same room with the Western barbarians, so he asked his men to leave with their books.
After wandering around for a while, I came to a cloth shop.
Lin Luoshan stroked a piece of silk, and he couldn't put it down because of its delicate and smooth touch: "Such fine silk and satin is rare even in Edo. It is like a girl's skin."
When asked about the price again, Lin Luoshan was stunned.
It's not because it's too expensive, but because it's too cheap. The price is only one-fifth of that in Edo.
Lin Luoshan almost spent all his money to buy silk. Yagyu Jubei also bought one and planned to take it back to Japan to make clothes. This thing saves money and can be worn for half a lifetime.
Seeing these Japanese people, who looked like they had never seen the world, the store clerk sent them away with a flattering look on his face, then turned around with a contemptuous smile.
Although he hated "Datong Collection", Lin Luoshan loved Nanjing and went shopping every day. He almost visited all of Nanjing in half a month.
“This is a place for retirement!”
Lin Luoshan was sitting in a private room of the restaurant, and even ordered an artist to sing a ditty, feeling intoxicated by the delicious food.
Especially the red-oiled and white-chopped chicken, Lin Luoshan was so spicy that it gave her a stomach ache, but she still came here to eat it every time. This stuff was introduced to Japan long ago and was called "Tang Xinzi" or "Nanman Pepper". It was used as an ornamental plant in the early days.
, was used as seasoning and medicine at this time, but they only knew how to grind it into chili powder.
Yagyu Jubei burped and was in a daze. He was so happy these days and had gained several pounds. Unfortunately, all the money he brought had been spent.
"Where have all the poor people in China gone?" Jubei Yagyu suddenly asked a question.
Lin Luoshan was stunned, and then he remembered that they had never seen any poor people along the way.
Of course, the poor people in their impression are the kind of poor people who have no clothes and can only hug each other in the shack to keep warm in winter.
Lin Luoshan couldn't understand, so he could only forcefully explain: "Ruling the country with Confucianism and educating all the people will bring great order to the world and make everyone well fed and clothed."
Lin Luoshan himself doesn't believe this kind of nonsense. He is not only a Neo-Confucian, but also a Japanese politician.
The Huang Mao they met in the bookstore before was Peter Mundy, who had communicated with Zhao Han in Guangzhou.
This British businessman, explorer and travel writer is writing in the inn at the moment:
"I handed over the business to my younger brother and took a boat to Nanjing, the capital of China. On the way I visited Quanzhou, Fuzhou, Ningbo, Hangzhou, Shanghai, and Zhenjiang. Except for the emerging Shanghai, the other cities were prosperous and wealthy.
Every city can serve as the capital of a European country..."
"China is just like what Marco Polo described, with gold everywhere and endless wealth."
"You won't see beggars or vagrants here. I asked the Chinese officials. If there are beggars and vagrants, they will be sent to the north for reclamation. The emperor will allocate land to them, lend them seeds, and rent them cattle for farming.
, these things need to be repaid in installments. I heard that the north experienced a brutal war and many people died there. But as long as His Majesty the Emperor insists on immigration, the north will definitely be as prosperous as the south."
"There is a miracle in Nanjing. It is a pagoda that is 270 feet high and made entirely of colored glaze. God, I was frightened that day and I was so excited that I couldn't sleep."
"The lowest level citizens in Nanjing can also get abundant food through work. All children here can go to school for free. Those ten-year-old children, even girls, can read and write. It's unbelievable, it's really unbelievable,
China is full of scholars."
"The skin color of Nanjing people is paler than that of the Guangzhou people I have seen. Perhaps the sun here is not so harsh. The Chinese people's skin is the work of the gods. They are fair and delicate..."
"I learned to use chopsticks. I retract my previous inappropriate remarks. Using chopsticks to eat is not a barbaric act. Many Chinese delicacies must be eaten with chopsticks, otherwise it will be a very embarrassing thing..."
"There is another important discovery. From Guangzhou to Nanjing, citizens in these cities use glass to decorate their doors and windows. The doors and windows are made of wood with many small grids, and beautiful light green glass is embedded in these small grids. It not only transmits light, but also allows
The interior is bright and gorgeous. It is so luxurious that even His Majesty the King cannot decorate the castle with a lot of glass..."
Peter Mundy's travel notes to Guangdong a few years ago had caused a sensation in the UK. This time he came to China for business and was entrusted by the King of England to bring a private letter from the King of England to the Emperor of China.
"Destiny, King of England, Charles, to His Majesty, the greatest and invincible Emperor of China..."