Yan Song, Zhai Luan, and Mao Bowen were kneeling quietly in the main hall of Qianqing Palace. Jiajing was still pacing around the hall unhurriedly, as if he was not aware of the existence of the three people at all, and launched an army to conquer Dongxing Port. He was puzzled by the Japanese country. In recent years, Jinyiwei has developed rapidly under the stimulation of Dongxing Port. It has sent a large number of eyes and ears to Xiaoliuqiu, Luzon, Annan, Nanyang, and the Japanese country. The Japanese country did not send any information. Obviously nothing happened. Big deal, why did Dongxing Port suddenly launch a massive campaign against Japan? Yan Song and the others knelt on the ground, not even daring to breathe out, for fear of interrupting Jiajing's contemplation. The hall was quiet, and they could only hear Jiajing's unhurried footsteps. They didn't know how long they had waited, but the footsteps finally Stopping in front of the three of them, Jiajing's calm voice sounded in the hall, "Are you here for the sudden change in Dongxing Port?" "Back to the emperor, I have just received a five hundred urgent call from Nanjing." Yan Song said hurriedly in a deep voice. Jiajing Yun said calmly: "What are the countermeasures for the unusual movement in Dongxing Port?" Hearing these words, Yan Song and Zhai Luan both fell silent. Seeing this situation, Mao Bowen, the Minister of War, naturally understood that they were in favor of him avoiding the war. He immediately said in a deep voice: "When you return to your Majesty, the priority is to avoid war." After a moment of silence, Jiajing said calmly: "Avoid war?" "Go back to your Majesty." Mao Bowen said calmly: "Dongxing Port The fleet is large and has been battle-tested for a long time. The imperial navy is newly built, and its scale and experience are not as good as Dongxing Port. It should avoid its edge and swim without fighting to preserve its strength. Only in this way can it contain Dongxing Port. " Jiajing turned around and sat down slowly. After that, Ming Dynasty's shipbuilding capacity indeed far exceeded that of Dongxing Port. Even if Fuzhou Nantai Shipyard was looted, and even if Dongxing Port successively built shipyards in Hanwu, Manila, and Annan, it was still not as good as the imperial court's foundation in this aspect. However, artillery casting was a shortcoming of the Ming Dynasty. Although the court used various means to stimulate the casting of artillery, the casting of artillery still could not keep up, especially the heavy artillery weighing more than 1,000 kilograms used on battleships. Seriously restricted the rapid development of the fleet. The reason is that the firearms workshop in Dongxing Port is extremely strictly managed. No needle can be inserted, no water can be poured in, and the secret of casting cannons cannot be discovered at all. Moreover, after Dongxing Port provided one hundred field cannons and five thousand new muskets, no more Sell ??any firearms to Ming. Damingkong has strong shipbuilding capabilities, but the scale of its battleships has never been able to catch up with Dongxing Port. Avoiding war and preserving the strength of the two fleets is indeed the best way at the moment. With these two fleets in check, Dongxing Port will not dare to land for operations. But swimming without fighting is not an easy task. The fleet is not a cavalry on the grassland. Although the sea is wider than the grassland, there is no danger in the grassland, but there is risk in the sea. After pondering for a long time, Jiajing said: "Sit down. Sit down." Yan Song and the other two people had already knelt down and their bodies were numb. After hearing this, they quickly thanked Jiajing and took their seats under Jiajing. After the three of them sat down, Jiajing said: "The three major private ports of Dongxing Port - Macau, Xiamen, and Shuangyu did not increase their military strength. Instead, they transferred many sea ships to Xiaoliuqiu." Isn't Dongxing Port aimed at the Ming Dynasty? Although Yan Song was already in his sixties, his reaction was not slow at all, but he was not completely sure of it. He would not speak easily about something that had a huge impact. By the way, that was the emperor's wisdom, but he was wrong. That's what he deserves. Mao Bowen's reaction was not slow. After hearing this, he immediately said with some surprise: "Is Dongxing Port going to conquer the Japanese country?" Jiajing glanced at him and said: "Why did Dongxing Port mobilize troops and massively conquer the Japanese country?" Yan Song was afraid Mao Bowen didn't understand, and immediately bowed slightly and said: "Wei ministers and others are stupid" Jiajing glanced at him, pondered for a while, and then said: "The Japanese country is not only rich in gold and silver, but also has a population of nearly ten million. It has been fighting for years. , has formed a three-legged confrontation, and the three forces are closely related to Dongxing Port" Hearing this, Mao Bowen couldn't help being surprised and couldn't help but said: "Does Dongxing Port want to annex the Japanese country?" "You? Do you think Hu Wanli dare not?" Jiajing said solemnly. Hu Wanli is bold and ambitious. What is he afraid of? Dongxing Port dared to go on an expedition to the Japanese country before the weather was established in Dongxing Port. Now that its strength has greatly increased, is there any reason not to dare? Yan Song and Zhai Luan were shocked when they heard that once Dongxing Port annexed the Japanese country, the consequences would be disastrous. "We are afraid." Mao Bowen bowed and said: "Although the Nanyang island countries are rich, they are sparsely populated, and most of them are uncivilized natives. Dongxing Port's annexation of the Nanyang countries is of little importance, but if it annexes the Japanese country, it will gain With a large amount of gold and silver and a sufficient population, the strength will inevitably double, and the disaster will be endless, and Dongxing Port will never be able to succeed. "Zhai Luan also echoed: "The king of Japan, Ashikaga Yoshivi, was personally conferred by the emperor. It is a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty, how can we allow Dongxing Port to be annexed? " Jiajing is indeedWorried about the annexation of the Japanese country by Dongxing Port, he pondered for a while and then said: "It is said that the king of the Japanese country, Ashikaga Yoshivi, was supported by Hu Wanli. There are also many officers and soldiers in the Dongxing Port Guard serving under him. However, Ashikaga Yoshivi is now a fledgling I am already rich, but I may not be willing to accept the control of Dongxing Port. I want to send an envoy to the Japanese country. What do you think? "What is the benefit of sending an envoy to the Japanese country?" The Ming Dynasty navy was simply unable to compete with the Dongxing Port fleet. How to ensure that the Japanese country would not be annexed by Dongxing Port? After pondering for a while, Yan Song cautiously asked, "Your Majesty wants to send a naval fleet to reinforce the Japanese state?" "Surround Wei and rescue Zhao." Jiajing said in a deep voice, "Send the navy south to threaten Dongxing Port, but to make the Japanese state appreciate it, it is necessary to send troops. The imperial court also needs money to pay for the army." "Your Majesty," Yan Song flattered without losing the opportunity: "This is really a clever move to encircle Wei and rescue Zhao. Yan Song is not just flattering. If he can contain the Dongxing Port Fleet, he can stop Dongxing. Hong Kong's annexation of the Japanese country will greatly slow down the expansion of Dongxing Hong Kong, and it can also obtain a large amount of gold and silver from the Japanese country. The Ming Dynasty really needs silver now. This is something Jiajing and Yan Song feel the most. If As a result, the Japanese nation cut off sea trade with Xiaoliuqiu and switched to mutual trade with the Ming Dynasty, which would be more worthwhile. In addition, this was also a rare training opportunity for the naval fleet. Youdao's wish came true. Just when Jiajing was about to take a nap, Ashikaga Yoshimi and Ouchi Yoshitaka rushed to deliver pillows. The Japanese envoys here had not yet left the capital, and Tianjin Wei Navy Camp Then came the five-hundred-mile expedited express. The envoys of Ashikaga Yoshimi and Ouchi Yoshitaka secretly arrived at Tianjin Guard. The two sides hit it off immediately and immediately signed a wartime alliance treaty. Ashikaga Yoshimi and Ouchi Yoshitaka paid a price of one million taels of silver to obtain the friendship of the Ming Dynasty, and paid a low price of one million taels of silver to the Ming Dynasty. The Ming Dynasty ordered two hundred sailing ships with thousands of materials. Originally, the Japanese envoys wanted to use silver to buy a large number of artillery. However, the Ming Dynasty's own artillery could not keep up, so it had to give up. Ming Dynasty secretly colluded with Japan and signed a secret treaty in Tianjin. Dongxing Port would naturally not know about it. In mid-August, Dongxing Port spread the news that three sailors were missing in Sakai Port. Jinling Daily also published the news in a prominent position. Nanjing, Qinhuai River, North Bank, Piaoxiang Tower. Piaoxiang Tower is not a brothel, but a teahouse because it is located on the bank of the Qinhuai River. Open the window and you can have a panoramic view of the beautiful scenery of Qinhuai River, and you can also enjoy the cool river breeze, so business is excellent no matter spring, summer, autumn or winter. Around four o'clock in the morning, it was the golden time to drink morning tea. Zhou Zhiwei waved his folding fan and walked leisurely into Piaoxiang Tower. Without going to the second floor, he just randomly found a seat in the hall and sat down. He ordered some tea and snacks and listened attentively to everyone's conversation. He was a little strange, how could Hu Wanli randomly find such an inconspicuous person? The reason is to conquer the Japanese country, so I came here to listen to the chat. Jin Ling News published such a trivial matter in such a prominent position on the second page of the headline, which naturally aroused the curiosity of many people. He just started drinking tea when he heard someone mention this topic. "Where is Sakai Port?" "Have you never heard of Sakai Port? It is the largest trading port near Kyoto in Japan, and it is quite lively." "What do you think is going on with Jinling News? No news? Daminghai Small things like ship crew members disappearing in overseas ports happen not only every month, but also every year. God knows for what reason, this is such a big deal that the Jinling News actually put it on the second page of the headline. "Don't show off your ignorance. Eat your breakfast and drink your tea." "Why are you so ignorant? Is this still a big deal?" You can even go to Jinling News? Don¡¯t you think about it, how can someone get involved with Dongxing Port?¡± ¡°I¡¯m getting more and more confused the more I hear this, so I said,¡± ¡°You should know that Dongxing Port is working hard these days, right?¡± ? Why did you publish this trivial matter in Jinling News? This is to reassure the court that Dongxing Port is going to fight against Japan. ¡± ¡°Is this an excuse for Dongxing Port to fight against Japan? Come on, since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, the southeastern coast has suffered greatly from Japanese pirates. If we want to conquer the Japanese country, we can easily list hundreds of crimes. Which one is not more grandiose than this reason? " "This is Marshal Hu and the Japanese pirates. Things are different for ordinary people" "Don't be too pretentious. Why don't you act like a boss today?" "To put it simply, you are a businessman from Nanjing and went to Zhengzhou to do business. We were beaten in Zhengzhou. After hearing this, Mr. Fu Yin of Nanjing mobilized three thousand soldiers and went to Zhengzhou to avenge you. "What do you think?" "This Mr. Fu Yin is not related to us. Why is he doing this?"p; "Guardian! It's not just you. If any of the people under your rule are bullied in other places, Master Fuyin will bring someone to vent his anger and resentment. What do you think the people will do to Master Fuyin?" "That goes without saying, Thank you for your kindness and give me the umbrella!" "This metaphor may not be appropriate, waiter, come to the good Longjing." When Zhou Zhiwei heard this, he fully understood that Hu Wanli was indeed the one. Although the reason for conquering Japan was small or even trivial, for the maritime merchants of the Ming Dynasty, this reason for the expedition was more real than any righteous reason. This is tantamount to showing that Dongxing Port It has the ability and is willing to protect the life and property safety of every one of its citizens overseas. Dongxing Port will not forget to lose it, and will even send troops! This method is really unsaid. Such a trivial reason for conquest will not only unite the hearts of Dongxing Port, but also gain the full support of all maritime merchants. I just don¡¯t know whether Dongxing Port can really do this in the future. This will win people¡¯s hearts. The method is really too clever. The merchants, sailors, gentry and common people of Xiaoliuqiu were really excited about this reason for conquering the Japanese country. Although some people realized that this might be just a fictitious reason. In the future, Dongxing Port would become stronger, even if this happened. Japan will also try its best to make amends and will not take a tough stance. ¡°But Dongxing Port sent troops for this reason, which undoubtedly showed that the Guards are capable and willing to stand up for their people overseas. How could they not be overjoyed when they have always been bullied overseas? No court has ever protected the interests and safety of ordinary people overseas. This is the first time in history. How to keep them from feeling emotional? Dongxing Port was heavily armed and the sword was aimed at the Japanese country. As soon as the news spread, the officials, gentry, merchants and people on the southeast coast could not help but breathe a sigh of relief. At this moment, the two major naval fleets of the Ming Dynasty, which were directly under the direct control of Haizhou and Tianjin in the north and south, quietly Depart the harbor and go to sea! Jinyiwei monitors the situation in Wanli and Hanwu ports at all times. Dongxing Port is naturally monitoring the movements of Haizhou and Tianjin ports at any time. The news that the two naval fleets left the port and went to sea immediately reached Dongxing Port. Hanwu, General Military Mansion, Study Room. After hearing Wu Zishun's report, Hu Wanli's heart immediately sank to the bottom. After the two imperial fleets stated the purpose of sending troops at Dongxing Port. Immediately leaving the port and going to sea, what this means is self-evident. Seeing that Hu Wanli was silent for a long time, Liu Siwu glanced at everyone present and said solemnly: "Master, the two fleets of the imperial court are leaving the port and going to sea at this time, and their whereabouts are unknown. It is obviously an attempt to contain us. Ming Dynasty must have joined forces with the Japanese country." Wu Changsen He said in disbelief: "How could the imperial court join forces with the Japanese state? The Japanese state cannot protect itself, and it does not have a large-scale naval fleet, so it can help the imperial court? What does the imperial court want?" "The imperial court is afraid that we will annex the Japanese state, so it quickly As we grow stronger, we will naturally not sit idly by." Xue Liangfu said in a dull voice. "Young Master, the imperial court's northern and southern naval divisions only have one hundred and twenty sailing warships, but their firepower is far inferior to our warships." Li Jian looked at Hu Wanli and said slowly: "If we go south in a big way, we really can't ignore it. " "The situation has changed, so we can't go as planned." Hu Wanli glanced at a few people. He said in a calm tone: "There is no need to hide it, just say whatever you think." "The imperial court and the Japanese country have joined forces, and my subordinates secretly thought that the conquest of the Japanese country should be suspended." Li Jian said in a deep voice: "Shuangyu, Xiamen, Macau, Wanli, Dongxing, and Hanwu are too scattered, and they cannot withstand the full attack of the two imperial fleets. The remaining fleets will not be able to rescue them. If any place is captured, we will lose more than we gain. " "My subordinates also agree to suspend the expedition. "Japan." Liu Siwu then said: "The whereabouts of the imperial court's two fleets are unknown. If they are lurking in Japan and attack from both sides, even if we can win, the losses will be considerable." Seeing that Liu Siwu and Li Jian were both opposed to the conquest of Japan, Xue Liangfu couldn't help but secretly think about it. He was impatient and pondered for a while, then he said slowly: "I don't know much about military affairs, but if the current situation is not resolved, it will be extremely detrimental to Dongxing Port. Dongxing Port wants to conquer the Japanese country. Now even a blind person can see it. How can the Japanese country There is an unknown reason. If the Japanese were not conquered this time, the sea trade between Xiaoliuqiu and Japan would definitely be cut off. The Japanese would definitely turn to trade with the Ming Dynasty. The Ming Dynasty and the Japanese would benefit a lot from each other, and the naval fleets of both would be great. Rapid growth, this is one. Second, with the cutoff of Japanese maritime trade, a large number of maritime merchants will change their businesses and turn to the imperial court. This will be a huge blow to us. One will wax and wane, and over time, Dongxing Port will not be affected. If we conquer them, there is still the possibility of being conquered by them." After hearing this, several people looked at Hu Wanli, waiting for him to make a decision. Hu Wanli stood up slowly and opened the folding fan with a "swipe".Shaking slowly, he walked slowly to the window, looking at the green shade outside the window without saying a word. Liu Siwu and Li Jian did not agree to fight because they were not sure. Dongxing Port could not afford to lose now. A defeat would definitely be a big defeat. The entire Dongxing Port may be lost. The two fleets of the imperial court are not hothouse flowers. They are completely imitated by the Dongxing Port fleet. Live ammunition training is frequent and they also go to the far sea for training. Especially the Haizhou fleet has been to Korea and Japan in the past few years. He is extremely familiar with the East China Sea area and cannot be underestimated. If the Ming Dynasty hesitates and does not fight, the Ming Dynasty and the Japanese will join forces, which will be extremely detrimental to Dongxing Port and cut off trade with the Japanese. It will not only lose money, but also people's hearts. If one goes and the other goes, Dongxing Port will have no choice but to develop to Nanyang, and the attempt to steal the sky will come to naught. , what is even more worrisome is that the Japanese National Congress took the opportunity to rise strongly, which was against his original intention. He had to wait a year to replace all the fleet's artillery with breech-mounted artillery. Any technical reserves that were not reserved were to hell with him. However, he immediately rejected this idea. The Dongxing Port fleet cannot always rely on weapons. Advantage, Liu Siwu and Li Jian requested not to fight for the time being, probably because they hoped to replace the artillery. This trend cannot last long! After a moment of weighing, Hu Wanli turned back to his chair, glanced at everyone, and said slowly: "Since the rise of Dongxing Port, we have not suffered a defeat. Our morale is like a rainbow, and our military morale is available. Now that the arrow is on the string, we cannot let our military morale slip. In this battle, , We must rely on fighting!" Seeing Hu Wanli's determination, Liu Siwu and Li Jian quickly stood up and said: "Sit down," Hu Wanli stretched out his hand and said, "The two fleets of the imperial court are leaving the port. Going out to sea is intended to deter us. If we want to deter and contain us, we must hide our whereabouts. In this way, the message will be difficult to transmit. I don¡¯t believe they really dare to go south. Most of them should be in the southwest waters of Japan, and they may not be ready for a war. , this is our opportunity! How about a quick victory, capture the Japanese capital of Kyoto, destroy Ashikaga Yoshivi, and then withdraw our troops?"