Hu Zongxian, feeling the gravity of the situation, mused,
"Yuan Jing, return to camp immediately. I will send word to Zhu Zixuan and Zhang Taiyue. This matter is of utmost importance; we must be vigilant against any unforeseen developments."
"Yes, Minister. Please take care of yourself and try not to get angry again..."
Qi Jiguang, who had received much assistance from him throughout his life, knew how difficult Hu Zongxian's situation had been recently. His body trembled, and seeing that he was nearing a critical state, genuine emotion flowed from him.
Hu Zongxian forced a smile. "I'm fine... Alas, such are the affairs of state. How can things remain unchanged... Yuan Jing, you must continue to support the reforms in the future."
Qi Jiguang had been indifferent to whether reforms were implemented or not. However, over the past year, each time he encountered Zhu Mo, he was astonished. He deeply felt that if this person were not aligned with heavenly will and the needs of the people, he could not possibly achieve such results.
"Minister, rest assured, I understand."
...
Zhoushan,
Lighang.
Every day, Okumura Yoshitada would sit alone on the rocks, gazing at Zhenhai's Daochu Mountain. He would remain there for three to four hours, allowing no one to disturb him. In these past few days, as the moment of revenge drew nearer, his mood finally began to stir from its dead silence, yet it only intensified the shame that pressed upon him like a mountain.
During this time, he had thought of committing seppuku many times. But each time he saw the samurai of his domain still persevering, he felt that he had to rescue them first.
He had pondered the message from Nanyang's magnate merchant, Chen Dong, for several days. As a daimyo, and one of the earliest in Japan to engage with Western religions, he was not unfamiliar with the diplomatic tactics of the Western barbarians. Solza's plan was formidable, and with Yan Song's faction stirring internally, and all those who supported the Yan family exerting their influence, the siege of Zhoushan would likely be lifted. However, compensation was absolutely out of the question.
What he intended was—
After the siege was lifted, he would swiftly organize a counterattack, and at the very least, sack one or two cities to wash away the shame of being confined for months.
His nephew, Arima Harunobu, had also made preparations. When the fleet sailed northeast from Hengdang Mountain, near Ryukyu, Harunobu would consolidate their forces and strike directly at Jinshanwei's north, landing in the Qingpu area. If possible, they would burn down Huating City...
Thinking of it,
He seemed to see fields filled with raging fires, the heads of the Ming's rascals piled into a pyramid, he wiped the blood from his blade with white silk, and then laughed sinisterly...
But just then, footsteps approached from behind.
"Lord Chunzhong, we're running out of food! Torres wants to take all the rest, and he even said, he even said..."
"What did he say?"
"He said that we Japanese have lost the battle, so we don't need to eat..."
"Eight..."
Okumura Yoshitada was enraged and immediately wanted to return to camp to deal with that Torres, but upon second thought, he sighed again—
After all, they had to rely on them to lift the siege. The Franks knew that their own country had taken action, so they naturally became arrogant. Meanwhile, Japan was in internal chaos, and the samurai abroad could not hold their heads high...
"Neinosuke, forget it. Go find some from the natives on the island. We'll be relieved in a few days anyway..."
"Hai!"
...
Cici Temple,
Zhu Mo and Zhang Juzheng reread the ultimatum several times.
Although Zhang Juzheng did not understand this peculiar document, he saw through the Franks' strategy with clarity and said, "Zixuan, Ru Zhen is right. It shouldn't be just one barbarian nation; this is an alliance..."
Mmm,
Alliance, alliance,
Zhu Mo said calmly, "An alliance to attack Qin, then it makes sense... This means they are already afraid. The Great Ming has become so powerful that they are afraid..."
Zhang Juzheng nodded, hesitating whether to discuss court politics with Zhu Mo, especially Yan Song's poem incident. Because this so-called ultimatum seemed to involve the matter of Otomo Sorin's head.
However, although they cooperated seamlessly, there was a red line between them: they never discussed court affairs, lest others think they were forming factions privately. Furthermore, discussing such topics too much could easily lead to mutual suspicion. Therefore, he repeatedly stopped himself from speaking. After contemplating for a while, he said,
"Zixuan, since it's an alliance, there will be more turmoil. I think, before things escalate, we should quickly let the foreign merchants see the porcelain and ideally start the process... Once diplomatic relations become strained and they become belligerent nations, foreign merchants will find it inconvenient to enter the country."
Mmm,
Zhu Mo nodded and said, "That's exactly what we should do. How about tomorrow?"
At this moment,
He was actually thinking about something else—
International law.
From his understanding of the 16th century, international law did not exist then. It was probably in the 17th century that the Treaty of Westphalia appeared, marking the origin of international law. But even with international law, it was still a power-based game, merely a way to completely subjugate the weaker party.
Now, the Franks were playing this trick, likely managing to rally seven or eight countries to declare war together. Yin Yuanheng, Zheng Jian, Mang Yinglong, Mao Longxuan, Mang Yinglong, and others would naturally agree. Then, with one voice, they would accuse him of being a warmonger who initiated private wars, which would perfectly echo Zhu Wan's tragedy. All the Yan faction members in the empire would immediately know it was time to counterattack, and then, united in their voices, they could truly cause some trouble...
To counter this offensive, as he had previously envisioned, the Great Ming should first establish its own set of international laws.
He remembered that a great god on Zhihu had proven that their international law also began with the laws of war. It was probably during the Thirty Years' War that many countries became involved, and finally, everyone sat down and discussed the issue of the legality of war.
Then it was simple—
He would simply define "war crimes" first!
Most of the foreigners in Lighang were private pirates, with a minority being merchants. For those private pirates, they should be tried. A batch of those who committed murder and plunder would be executed in Zhoushan. Those who had not killed anyone would simply be released. This should be enough to silence them.
Of course,
Before that, force must be used.
After thinking for a while, he had a general idea and said, "Brother Taiyue, I will handle the matter of Zhoushan... Will you trouble yourself to go to Jiujiang?"
He said this also considering Zhang Juzheng's predicament—
Yan Song was profoundly provoked at the ceremony, followed by the French ultimatum. Thus, it was a certainty that the Yan faction would launch an offensive next. Zhang Juzheng, as part of the Qingliu (pure scholars), was a Confucian official. In such a situation, it would be difficult for him to stand his ground. Considering their common ground on reforms, he felt he had fully understood his partner.
Zhang Juzheng pondered for a moment, then laughed heartily, saying,
"Zixuan, among all the officials in the court, you are the most straightforward..."
He stood up, stroked his long beard, and continued,
"With your loyalty and sincerity, I cannot hold back either... If any turmoil occurs next, I, Zhang Juzheng, will still stand by and watch!"
Good!
Zhu Mo smiled. "Brother Taiyue, your words are all I need!"
He was not suspicious of his teammate, but having experienced many upheavals, he knew that once a chain of suspicion formed, there would be no truth left. It was better to be open and honest whenever possible. Otherwise, in a murky information environment, it would ultimately benefit the Yan family.