The Ming Dynasty government initially had a fairly strict coastal defense system in Jiangsu and Zhejiang. At that time, Fang Mingqian once proposed:
"When the Japanese come from the sea, please measure the distance of the land, set up guard posts, gather infantry on land, and use water warships. Then the Japanese will not be able to enter, and no one will be able to shore it."
This strategy was adopted by Zhu Yuanzhang, who once again strengthened the forces deployed on coastal defense.
However, when Tang He inspected Zhejiang, he greatly weakened the coastal defense force in Zhoushan.
In such a huge sea area, there are only two thousand households - more than 2,000 people to defend it, and necessary military equipment such as warships cannot be supplied. Even going to sea has become a problem. How can we assume the responsibility of coastal defense?
There are now two thousand-household offices on Zhoushan Island, but in fact there is only one serious one-thousand-household office, Chen Baiyue, and the establishment is not complete.
Because the coastal defense policy is shrinking inland, Zhoushan is basically supported by local residents.
Chen Baiyue was invited onto the steam warship. When he saw Zheng He's warship, Chen Baiyue's face was full of visible envy. As he walked, he said: "Sir Zheng He, this warship of yours is really majestic. It can sail on the sea like a boat."
On the ground, I just saw white smoke rising, and I thought it was a fire."
He still doesn't know the principles of steam warships.
"Chen Qianhu, there may have been some disturbance from Japanese pirates recently."
"Japanese pirates? I haven't seen Japanese pirates for more than a year." Chen Baiyue said with a relaxed smile: "Japanese pirates made trouble a year ago and we fought them off. They haven't been here since then. Mr. Zheng is going to the West again."
Is it done?"
"No, we received a letter from the residents along the coast saying that there are Japanese pirates causing nuisance. His Highness the Crown Prince sent me to take a look."
"Oh? I wonder where the report came from?"
"I got the message." Zheng He didn't say it directly.
Chen Baiyue laughed and said: "It's been calm recently, and it's winter. Japanese pirates generally don't come across the ocean."
The invasion seasons of Japanese pirates and northern barbarians are exactly opposite. Northern barbarians like to come in autumn and winter, and Japanese pirates like spring or early summer. The cold sea breeze in winter can be murderous and cold, and there are typhoons in summer, so most of them come in spring.
Of course, small groups of Japanese pirates do not care about time.
"Moreover, they are just Japanese pirates. Where is the need for you, Mr. Zheng, to kill a chicken with a bull's knife? Just send someone to give the order, and our guard station can beat the Japanese pirates to pieces."
The cheerful man had dark skin and a few scars on his head. They were not big. If any of them had been bigger or deeper, it might have killed him.
"We will patrol the waters near Zhoushan Island in the past few days. After all, it is related to the Japanese mission. If there are Japanese pirates, it will be troublesome for the diplomacy of the two countries. If we encounter them, we will drive them away. If Chen Qianhu finds any traces,
Just tell us and we will come to drive them away."
"The Japanese mission has arrived? Is there really a mission?"
"What's the matter, Chen Qianhu, do you know the Japanese mission?"
Chen Baiyue laughed loudly: "Some time ago, there were storms on the sea. Our fishermen rescued several people. They were all dressed in Japanese clothes. They thought they were Japanese pirates. They wanted to kill them, but some of them said what we said and said they were Japanese envoys.
Group, let us go and help fish out people, but you also know that the Japanese pirates have been feuding with us for many years, how can we help him? Who knows whether what he said is true or false, so we locked him up. We didn’t expect that there was really a Japanese envoy
group."
Zheng He was stunned and looked at each other with Zhu Zhanzhen. Both of them were stunned.
The fake Japanese mission also said that they were stranded due to a storm at sea, which is consistent with what Chen Baiyue said.
But the Japanese mission was fake, and the fake one matched up. It was like a prisoner who had strung together a confession. One side had already confessed, but the other side still didn't know how to answer according to the original confession.
Chen Baiyue has a problem.
Because not many people know that the Japanese mission was caught as a fake, and information was transmitted slowly in ancient times, it is normal for people on Zhoushan Island not to know.
Zheng He continued to smile and said: "The Japanese delegation has arrived in the capital. It is said that it encountered a storm and is now resting in the city. They paid tribute to their national treasure sword Tai Guangshi. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was very happy and was preparing to invite the Japanese to a New Year's banquet.
The delegations will participate together to maintain good relations between the two countries and reduce the chaos of Japanese pirates."
"Very good, very good." Chen Baiyue still smiled and patted his thigh and said: "Oh no, then I'm not going to be locked up by someone from the mission. I'm going to feed them a meal of pig bran a day. Oh, it's over."
It’s over, go and let him go quickly.”
"Chen Qianhu, I will send a few people to go with you. They will be taken to our ship after they are released. I will bring them back when I return to Beijing." Then he quietly said to Chen Baiyue: "Chen Qianhu, don't worry, I am very entertaining.
You won’t let him remember your behavior of shutting him down.”
Chen Baiyue smiled awkwardly: "Okay, okay, you can send two people to go with me, it's not far away."
Zheng He waved his hand, and three heavily armed soldiers followed him. They first went with Chen Baiyue to bring over the "Japanese envoy" who was imprisoned by him.
Seeing Chen Baiyue getting off the boat, Zheng He's expression turned cold.
I didn't originally suspect Qianhu, the guard who had been guarding Zhoushan for so many years. I was just asking about the surrounding situation.
After all, even after being tortured by several members of the fake Japanese mission, they only said it was an unknown island on the edge of Zhoushan. There are many such islands, and it is time-consuming and laborious to find them one by one.
So I wanted to find out if there were any Japanese pirates around, but unexpectedly, Chen Baiyue told me about the Japanese mission.
Zheng He said with a dark face: "Your Highness, the Japanese mission to Beijing is fake, but Chen Baiyue said that there is also a Japanese mission. This matter is a bit confusing, and I can't figure it out."
Zhu Zhanchen also frowned.
"There are two possibilities. One is that the people from the Japanese mission who were imprisoned by Chen Baiyue are real, so they should be people who escaped before the Japanese mission was arrested. The second is that they are also fake, but they are different from the previous fake ones.
The Japanese mission has prepared a good confession, and is afraid that someone will come to investigate."
"Which one does your Highness think is more likely to be higher?"
"Let's wait until we actually see it before we talk."
He said this, but Zhu Zhanzhen knew that 99% of the Japanese mission detained by Chen Baiyue was fake.
It is true that the Japanese mission was attacked by Japanese pirates, rather than falling into the water due to the impact of wind and waves. The theory is not correct. If they escaped from the Japanese pirates, they would definitely try their best to inform the Japanese mission of being captured.
Chen Baiyue and others have a feud with the Japanese pirates, but it is related to the diplomacy between the two countries, and it is impossible not to report the news of such a mission.
In fact, there is only one possibility, that is, when the Japanese mission arrived in the capital, it was a clever idea to use the reason that the ship was destroyed in the storm. If someone came to confirm the authenticity of the news, it happened that there was an envoy on the island who was rescued after the ship was destroyed in the storm.
, once confirmed by each other, everything is perfect.
In fact, they thought more comprehensively and even took precautions, but they made a huge and fatal mistake.
They lost their "courtesy".
There are "rituals" between people when interacting with each other, and there are "rituals" between countries, and "rituals" are rules.
Each country has its own customs and habits, so for the sake of diplomacy, each country has officials dedicated to diplomacy. There are rules for paying tribute, worshiping, and trading with each other. If the rules are broken, the two countries will break off diplomatic relations, and if they do not understand the rules, the two countries will go to war.
There are those who know the rules and deliberately destroy them, such as the barbarians in northern Xinjiang now, who are ready for a big war.
This time, the Japanese mission did not understand the rules at all. Even though their plans seemed perfect to themselves, without diplomatic rules, these strategies were more like a ridiculous joke.
"Master Zheng, please order the entire army to observe martial law. The ship has been sailing for a day and everyone is tired and must cheer up."
Zheng He smiled and said: "Your Highness, these are all talented people who have sailed with me to the Western Ocean many times. The storms in the past two days are nothing at all. I have ordered the entire army to be under martial law and be prepared."
The two looked at Zhoushan Island in the dark night, and Zhu Zhanzhen asked: "What kind of person is this Chen Baiyue?"
Zheng He sighed: "His father Chen Zhilong, the previous Zhoushan Qianhu, I saw him when I tested the treasure ship and passed Zhoushan Island before my first voyage to the West. Although there are not many people on the mountains of Zhoushan Island, everyone is there.
A good man, he resisted many attacks by Japanese pirates. Later, when his father died during a battle with Japanese pirates, he became a Qianhu."
"Have you seen the scars on his head? It is said that this man is extremely brave. He can fend off several ordinary soldiers single-handedly. The scars on his head are all from when he fought with the Japanese pirates. He and the Japanese pirates are enemies of life and death.
.”
Listening to Zheng He's words, you can tell that he felt from the bottom of his heart that it was impossible for Chen Baiyue to associate with the Japanese pirates.
The hatred for killing my father is irreconcilable.
"I hope, I hope." Zhu Zhanchen murmured.
Chu'er came over with a leather jacket: "Your Highness, it's cold at night, please add a coat."
Half an hour later, Chen Baiyue and the guards returned to the warship with a skinny man.
The man was wearing the clothes of the Japanese mission. He had a sallow complexion and looked very weak.
Chen Baiyue said with some embarrassment: "Sir Zheng He, I thought this guy was a fake, so he basically didn't give me much food..."
After taking a look at the man's condition, he looked half-dead and couldn't speak.
Zheng He waved to the doctor on the ship to come over. The doctor said: "He is just a little weak. He should be fine in a few days."
Chen Baiyue scratched her head and whispered to Zheng He: "Master Zheng, you see I don't know the situation. If the superiors ask about this matter, can you help cover it up?"
Zheng He laughed: "Chen Qianhu, what are you talking about? You saved the Japanese envoy, and I have to ask you for a reward in front of His Highness the Crown Prince."
"Oh, I don't dare, I don't dare. Your Highness, please don't punish me, who has no eyesight."
"No, His Highness the Prince has always been kind. During this trip, we brought back the man who fell into the water from the Japanese mission and saved his life. Don't worry about the rest. I will explain to this person what to say and what not to say.