When Xu Jingchang was officially planning to discuss the matter with the Ministry of Household Affairs, news suddenly came from the Ministry of Rites that the prince of the Ryukyu Kingdom, Shobashi, asked to see him.
"Foreign ministers pay homage to Mr. Xu, the Duke of Tongzhi and Dingguo."
His Royal Highness the Prince was very polite, even to the point of being humble.
Xu Jingchang has always been kind and polite to others, at least he thinks so.
"Please take a seat." Xu Jingchang asked Shang Bazhi to sit down, and served tea, and then asked: "The prince Wang has come a long way, must he have something to ask me for?"
Shang Bazhi paused, with tears in his eyes, wiped a handful of them, and then said bitterly: "We in Ryukyu are a small and poor country, and we are alone on the sea, with no one to rely on. We rely on the favor of the superior country to live in peace and contentment. But for now.
The three parties in the country were divided and constantly criticized each other. Moreover, there was a storm, and the crops were harvested. The people were hungry and cold, with no clothes to cover their bodies, and no food to eat..."
The more he talked, the sadder he became, and he even burst into tears.
Xu Jingchang listened carefully and then understood what was going on.
Although Ryukyu is a small land, it is divided into three countries. Shobashi is from Zhongshan Kingdom, and besides Zhongshan Kingdom, there are two countries, Nanshan and Beishan.
Ryukyu was originally smaller than a county, but it became a Romance of the Three Kingdoms, attacking each other, which was outrageous enough.
Even more outrageous are the natural and man-made disasters, as if God is torturing this small island.
Man-made disasters were naturally caused by Japanese pirates, and the Ming Dynasty also suffered terribly from this.
The natural disaster is that Ryukyu is isolated on the sea. Every typhoon season, strong winds sweep across it at every turn... It is unfortunate that Ryukyu was hit by three typhoons in just one and a half months.
Thousands of people were lost alone.
Countless houses were damaged, and large areas of farmland lost their harvest. Almost overnight, Ryukyu was pushed to the brink of national subjugation.
Fortunately, the maritime trade of the Ming Dynasty was frequent in these years, and Ryukyu was in a key position. It could undertake entrepot trade, earn some money, and buy some food from the Ming Dynasty. In the year of great disaster, Ryukyu would not starve to death.
But this is not a long-term solution. Who knows how to deal with the next big disaster?
"The Duke of Dingguo is here, Ryukyu admires his country, follows him wholeheartedly, and is loyal. Over the years, according to the evaluation of important ministers from various countries, Ryukyu has the highest score, and it is rising year by year. I think Ryukyu is like a filial son of the Ming Dynasty. Now the people of Ryukyu,
I hope to recognize my ancestor and return to my clan, and ask the Ming Dynasty to take me in!"
As he said this, Shang Bazhi knelt down on the ground and kowtowed.
There is a country that can be conquered without using force. Xu Jingchang naturally likes this model, but there are some things where it is not good to be too eager.
He first helped Shang Bazhi up, and then said: "Ryukyu and the Ming Dynasty are one family, and it is what the Ming Dynasty should do to solve Ryukyu's problems. However, there are still several problems that need to be solved before Ryukyu can be merged into the Ming Dynasty."
Shang Bazhi immediately said: "Please tell me, Duke Dingguo, no matter what, I will do anything you want."
Xu Jingchang said: "Don't be so anxious... Let's talk about your royal family first. Do you want to stay in Ryukyu or move to Ming Dynasty?"
"We are all willing to move to Ming Dynasty!"
This time Xu Jingchang was surprised. Their roots were in Ryukyu. If they left their hometown, wouldn't they have no influence at all?
Seeing Xu Jingchang's surprise, Shang Bazhi immediately explained, "Dingguo Gong didn't know that the people in Ryukyu are poor and suffer from miserable wind and rain. Not to mention anything else, seven members of the clan lost their lives in this storm. Life in Ryukyu is really too hard."
Only then did Xu Jingchang realize that being the king of a small country may not have much dignity, let alone a common citizen...
"Well, I can think of a way to prepare a manor for you to live in peace...but when you arrive in the Ming Dynasty, you must abide by the laws of the Ming Dynasty. What do you think?"
"Okay! To be honest, Ryukyu has already had the Ming Dynasty Law to govern the country. I have read the Ming Dynasty Law eight times."
It’s amazing, it’s actually read more times than I have!
Xu Jingchang was immediately speechless. The next thing left was the second thing. "The Ming Dynasty used three hundred thousand taels of silver to purchase the royal family's property, and the people of Ryukyu established a separate county. The people of Ryukyu were allowed to set up schools in Ryukyu."
, landed in the Central Plains, studied, did business, and took imperial examinations, just like ordinary people."
"Thank you so much for your mercy. Thank you so much for your mercy!"
Xu Jingchang added: "Considering the livelihood of the Ryukyu royal family, I plan to set up a shipping company in Ryukyu and transfer 15% of the income to the Ryukyu royal family. What do you think?"
Shang Bazhi's eyes were gleaming. Is there such a good thing?
"Yes, yes!"
…
Xu Jingchang originally thought that it would be difficult to accept the conditions, but Shang Bazhi readily agreed, even beyond expectations and was extremely satisfied.
What else could Xu Jingchang say, he could only accept it.
In Ryukyu's hands, Ryukyu was just an unlucky place that suffered from natural disasters.
But in the hands of Ming Dynasty, it was completely different.
Xu Jingchang immediately proposed mobilizing the navy to attack pirates and completely eliminate the Japanese pirates.
An order was issued, and more than 500 ships were mobilized from various places and gathered in Ryukyu waters.
The fleet then headed north and began operations against pirates.
With the Ming Dynasty's ships and the level of preparation of its firearms, it was almost effortless to deal with the small Japanese fishing boats. Wherever the army passed, the Japanese ships were wiped out.
It is worth mentioning that in addition to Japanese pirates, there were also many normal Japanese businessmen and some Japanese fishermen... However, the Japanese pirates were also disguised as businessmen and fishermen, which made it difficult for the Ming Dynasty fleet to distinguish them clearly.
Since you can't tell the difference, don't bother and just wipe them all out.
Of course, Xu Jingchang would not order this kind of thing casually. The General Affairs Department required careful distinction and screening, and only cracked down on Japanese pirates. Normal Japanese merchants must be protected, and remember to be consistent and not to kill innocent people indiscriminately...
In short, the General Administration Department is very reasonable and no one can find fault with it.
But the problem lies in the Bandit Suppression Manual of the Fifth Army Commander's Office...According to the provisions of this manual, the Daming Navy must give priority to protecting its own safety.
In other words, when encountering a Japanese ship, the Ming army can launch an attack first if it is not sure what their intentions are... Then, with the correct understanding of the generals, it becomes that when encountering a Japanese pirate, they must take action first to ensure
Keep yourself safe.
Then, there is no more.
Under the intense raids by the Ming army, there were only a few ships left along the entire coast of Japan.
There is really no other way, Zheng He's fleet is so awesome.
In this world, it is completely crushed.
Moreover, when hunting the Japanese country, the ships of the Ming army also went to America...
Yes, from the map, you can go north along the Japanese country, take the Bering Strait and the Aleutian Islands, and reach North America. The distance is very close... Tens of thousands of years ago, there was even a land bridge, and you could go directly to the North American continent.
Now that the Ming Dynasty fleet has discovered America, it can definitely be recorded in history.
It can be called Zheng He's great contribution.
According to logic, the Governor's Office of the Fifth Army drew up a list of merit-based rewards and submitted it to the Ministry of War, but it was withheld by the Ministry of War.
It took ten days, but it was still not delivered.
This made Xu Jingchang a little confused and had to bring it up at the regular meeting of the General Affairs Department.
"It is really unjustifiable that the imperial court does not reward such a great achievement."
These ministers looked at each other, and it was the Minister of War, Yang Pu, who stood up and coughed softly: "Dong Guo, the eunuch of the Three Treasures has naturally made great contributions and everyone admires him. However, as a eunuch, it is really difficult for him to be given a title."
Xu Jingchang asked: "Since ancient times, has there been no precedent for eunuchs to be ennobled?"
"have."
"who?"
"Tong Guan."
Xu Jingchang rolled his eyelids, it seemed that things were indeed not going well.
"What are your military plans?"
Yang Pu paused and said: "What we want is, can we reward him with ten thousand taels of gold and promote him to the position of Royal Horse Supervisor?"
Xu Jingchang chuckled and said: "The reward of ten thousand taels of gold sounds like a lot, but for the Sanbao eunuch, it is really not worth mentioning. After all, he is in charge of overseas trade and selling goods must pass through his fleet. One time, hundreds of
Ten thousand taels is easy. But as far as I know, Sanbao Eunuch is an upright and honest person, and not a penny has gone into his own pocket. The bounty is just an insult to him!"
Yang Pu looked ugly and was really inappropriate.
Xu Jingchang continued: "As for the promotion to the position of Royal Horse Priest, it is a reward from His Majesty, not the opinion of the Ming Dynasty. If this is just the case, it is tantamount to saying that the Sanbao eunuchs are only doing things for the royal family... But you all know that after many voyages to the West,
But you have contributed to the great Ming Dynasty and to the country for thousands of years!"
These ministers, you look at me, I look at you... Even the resourceful Yang Shiqi was unable to do anything.
After a while, Huang Huai said: "What Duke Dingguo said is very true, but it is really inappropriate for a eunuch to be ennobled and serve as an official in the court, alongside the civil and military officials."
"What's inappropriate?"
“It’s not in line with the ancestral system!”
"Which ancestral system?"
"Eunuchs are not allowed to interfere in politics!"
…
The conversation came back again. Xu Jingchang looked at these people silently. From Yang Rong on down, they all shook their heads silently. If this matter was forced, they would never agree.
Xu Jingchang pondered for a while, then suddenly laughed, "Everyone, we are serious about this matter."
Several people were puzzled, "What does Duke Dingguo mean?"
"Who said that the three treasure eunuchs belong to eunuchs?"
You already said that the Three Treasures were eunuchs, but you still said that they were not eunuchs?
Duke Dingguo, do you want to go and have a look at your brain?
Xu Jingchang continued: "Isn't this simple? Just turn the Sanbao eunuchs from eunuchs into ordinary people."
Yang Rong was shocked, "Ding Guogong, can this matter be changed?"
Xu Jingchang smiled and said: "Why not? You guys don't think that if you become a eunuch after being cut with that knife, you will always be an eunuch? There is no such reason! Because according to the rules of the court, who you are depends on your household registration.
of."
Yang Shiqi said: "Then the Three Treasures eunuchs are also included in the eunuch list?"
"So we need to submit a letter to ask His Majesty to include Zheng He in the civil register!" Xu Jingchang said: "Although it is difficult to change the household registration in the Ming Dynasty, with the merits of the Sanbao eunuch, we can definitely be extra merciful. As long as this matter is done well, then
In terms of merit, I propose to make Zheng He the Marquis of Ningyuan!"
The six ministers were stunned for a moment, then nodded in unison, "Yes, general administration!"
