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Chapter 1223 The Fish Has Entered the Nest

"Your Majesty, are you going to invade Japan?" When So Yoshiakiko heard the emperor personally instructing her to return home and carry out secret subversive activities against her motherland, she did not look embarrassed at all, but was even a little excited.

Selling out one's country? No, no, no, not at all. In her eyes and those of most Japanese, hometown refers to a certain feudal domain, not the whole of Japan. This way of thinking is not only shared by the Japanese, but also by many people of the same era, including the people of the Ming Dynasty before Hong Tao ascended the throne.

The country was an illusory word to them, and the only things they could see and touch were their families and clans. So Yoshiakiko thought it would be a good thing if Tsushima Domain could become an overseas territory of the Ming Dynasty. Even if her father could no longer be a daimyo, it would still be more beneficial than harmful to the development of the family.

"It's not an Eastern Expedition. I don't intend to use force, nor is it necessary. Peace, it must be peaceful, minimizing bloodshed and casualties is the most perfect."

Hong Tao was very pleased with So Yoshiakiko's performance. All these years of hard work were not in vain. If enough descendants of Japanese nobles were assimilated, they could really defeat the enemy without fighting.

But the prerequisite is to control their degree. Sometimes, their own people are more cruel to their own people than outsiders. Once Japan is messed up, it will do more harm than good to the Ming Dynasty.

"Students understand. Give a slap in the face and give a sweet date. Never resort to force if the problem can be solved by other means!" So Yoshiakiko must be very clear about the essence of the peace mentioned by His Majesty the Emperor, otherwise her study in the Royal Academy would be in vain.

It has nothing to do with kindness, but rather a deeper level of contempt. It probably means that they despise the other party so much that they are too lazy to even start a war, and just plan to spend a little money to buy it at a low price like buying second-hand goods.

"No, I never said that. It's best not to use force, not 'resolute'. There is a world of difference between the two words. The former means to calculate the cost, while the latter means to do it out of necessity." Hearing that a student had misinterpreted his words, Hong Tao immediately corrected them. For some things, you can ignore the original text, but some words must be studied word by word.

"But students have no such experience and don't know where to start."

So Yoshiakiko had basically agreed. It would definitely be more rewarding to be able to expand the territory for the emperor than to work in the Maritime Transport Department. However, she was not confident in her ability and did not even know how to mention this to her father when she returned home.

"Don't worry about this. When the war is over, you and I will return to the capital and take up a position in the advisory office. Then someone will teach you."

To be honest, Hong Tao had no clear idea about the details of the operation, and he didn't even know Zong Yicheng's personality preferences. But it didn't matter, the Advisory Office was not only good at collecting intelligence, but also familiar with the steps to subvert other countries.

"Advisory Office! Student... Oh no, it's the minister who accepts the order and thanks you!" So Yoshiakiko never expected that she would be able to work in the Advisory Office. Although there are similar departments in the Navy, the Advisory Office is more professional and more advanced than the Statistics Department. It is the dream goal of many officers.

"The communication ship is here. Go ask if there is any new information. I should also wash up and have a meal."

Seeing that So Yoshiakiko was not opposed to the new job, Hong Tao felt that he had chosen the right person. However, it was too early to make specific arrangements. Just then, a brigantine came over to the port side. It was better to deal with the current affairs first and then talk about the Japanese issue.

"Your Majesty, the communication ship has brought the latest news. The Spanish fleets anchored in Lima, Telosillo, Guayaquil and Panama have all moved and are gathering off the coast of Puerto Lopez.

In addition, the Spanish also spread the rumor that the Potosí silver mine had accumulated a large amount of silver in the past few months and was going to be transported to Panama City by sea at one time, so all the fleets along the way were mobilized to escort together. "When Hong Tao finished washing up, changed into the marshal's uniform and sat on the rear deck to eat breakfast, the signalman also climbed onto the deck, stamped the receiving seal in front of him and handed over the top-secret report, which was read out by So Yoshiakiko.

"Here is a case of trying to cover up one's own guilt...Ring the bell and notify the captains of each ship and the staff members to come to the flagship for a meeting." This was great news, and Hong Tao's spirits rose suddenly. While asking Wang Chengen to pass on the order, he poured all the seafood porridge in the bowl into his mouth.

Traveling thousands of miles, even the navy for local defense was almost exhausted, which was an adventure in itself. If the Spanish did not take action, there was really nothing they could do, and this eastern expedition would probably end in failure.

Now we can finally breathe a sigh of relief, the fish are finally coming into the nest. Regardless of whether the subsequent war develops smoothly, Settle must first be credited with a merit. His method of pretending to be a Spanish pirate and looting villages and towns along the coast obviously worked. He is a lucky general, and a lucky general with brains.

"Mather, why don't you rob the church? Do you need God's permission to be a pirate?" At this time, the lucky general was chatting with the pirate leader beside him.

Two days ago, Mather led more than 2 pirates to raid the port of Talara south of Guayaquil, looted several places including the town government and the post office, stole most of the boxes of gold, silver and jewelry and a cabin full of corn bacon, and then sailed away.

But there was one thing that puzzled Settle. According to the report from the Ming navy sailors who went ashore with him, the pirates looted almost all government property and local wealthy families, but stayed away from the church.

"That's God's territory, and pirates also have faith!" Compared with Settle, Mather was not in a very good mood and looked a little depressed.

Three coastal towns were robbed in succession these days. Nominally, the operation was commanded by himself, but in fact it was all due to the guidance of the man next to him who claimed to be the captain of the Ming Dynasty Navy.

The newly arrived Ming navy was more familiar with the situation than the local pirates. For example, they knew exactly where the defenses were empty and where there were no Spanish fleets, and they could find them wherever they went.

A successful robbery is a happy event for pirates. The more times they succeed, the higher their reputation will be, and more pirates will come to join them. When the number of pirates and ships reaches a certain level, the pirates are no longer just robbers, but become a powerful force, which will bring many additional benefits.

But it is not a pleasant feeling to be a puppet being manipulated by others, especially when being manipulated by a group of people who are too powerful and have no knowledge of your background. Not only will your self-esteem be hurt, but your life will also be at risk.

God knows how these Ming navy will deal with themselves and their men after achieving their goal. If they want to kill people to silence them, it is not difficult. After all, it is not a glorious thing for the navy to collude with pirates to rob coastal towns.

"Hey, stop talking about your crappy beliefs. There are churches in Manila too, and it is said that the abbot is from Rome, which is authentic enough, right? But when he gets sick, he has to go to the Taoist temple to ask for medical treatment and medicine, and God is useless.

Our emperor said that there have never been gods in this world, and even if there are, they will not help ordinary people for nothing. If you want to live a good life, you have to fight for it yourself. Only people with no ability will pin their hopes on the illusory gods to downplay their own incompetence. "

(End of this chapter)