Ming Dynasty: He was ordered to give lectures in prison, but Lao Zhu eavesdropped and made people nu

Chapter 723 The Fleet in the Mist
Before dawn, the mouth of the Minjiang River was shrouded in thick fog, and the sound of waves gently lapping against the rocks was exceptionally clear in the silence. Duke Tang He of Xinguo stood on the deck of the "Zhenhai," fine water droplets clinging to his white beard and hair. The old general's calloused fingers gripped his telescope tightly, the lens reflecting the outlines of five sailing ships flying Goryeo flags.

"My lord, the sounding hammers indicate they are drawing a navigation map," Vice Admiral Zhou Shichang said in a low voice, pointing to one of the ships that was dropping sounding hammers. "The third ship has repair marks on its side; the workmanship looks like that of a Japanese shipwright."

Tang He nodded slightly, the sea breeze ruffling the hem of his dark blue battle robe. Suddenly, a metallic glint flashed in the telescope—the wind had lifted a corner of the gun breech curtain on the ship, revealing half of a dark cannon barrel.

"Red Barbarian Cannons?" Zhou Shichang gasped. "When did the Koreans acquire such powerful weapons?"

The old general's knuckles tapped heavily on the gunwale. He recalled the secret conversation with His Majesty in the Wuying Hall before leaving the capital; Zhu Yuanzhang's hoarse voice seemed to echo in his ears again: "A knife from the sea is often harder to defend against than the hooves of a horse on the grasslands."

"Pass on the order." Tang He's voice was like ice. "The Sea Harrier squadron departs immediately. I need to know the details of each ship. Have Chen Wu take that prisoner who understands Japanese."

As the three reconnaissance boats disguised as fishing vessels quietly departed the fleet, a strange clapper sound suddenly came from the fog. Tang He turned his head sharply and saw two cargo ships without any flags joining the Goryeo fleet. The cargo ships' waterlines were almost level with the sea surface, clearly fully loaded with some kind of heavy cargo.

"Artillery or armor?" Zhou Shichang's Adam's apple bobbed.

Tang He did not answer. His gaze was fixed on several figures dressed in Goryeo attire but with Japanese swords at their waists on the cargo ship's deck. One of the men, wearing a straw hat, suddenly looked up, his sinister gaze seemingly piercing through the fog, staring directly in the direction of the Ming fleet.

The water clock in the Forbidden City of Nanjing pointed to the third quarter of the Yin hour, yet the candlelight in the Imperial Study remained bright. Zhu Yuanzhang, dressed in a crimson robe, was reviewing military reports from the north when he suddenly heard the distinctive footsteps of the Embroidered Uniform Guard outside the palace.

"Your Majesty, urgent report from Fujian." Jiang Huan slipped into the hall like a shadow, presenting a secret letter reeking of the sea. "The Duke of Xin has discovered a fleet of Japanese pirates disguised as Goryeo merchant ships at the mouth of the Min River."

Empress Ma emerged from the inner chamber and personally draped her husband's outer robe over his shoulders. As Zhu Yuanzhang opened the letter, she noticed that the emperor's left thumb was unconsciously rubbing the jade pendant at his waist—a habit left by the late emperor, a small gesture made when making important decisions.

"Just as I thought." Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly sneered, slamming the secret letter onto the table. "The Japanese pirates have even brought their cannons; they're going to bombard Quanzhou!"

Empress Ma took the letter, and upon seeing the sketch of the cannon window drawn by Tang He, her usually composed hands trembled slightly: "Those who could obtain such firearms are probably not just ronin."

"The Goryeo royal family." Zhu Yuanzhang rose and walked towards the huge map of the coastline on the wall, pressing his finger heavily on the mouth of the Yalu River. "That two-faced Yi Seong-gye! He just submitted his letter of submission to me, and then dared to collude with the Japanese pirates!"

Jiang Huan then presented a secret document: "In the past three months, seven Goryeo (Korean) delegations have entered the capital. Among them, the delegation of Kim Seong-hyun, the Minister of Rites, stayed in Ningbo for ten days and maintained close ties with local merchants."

Suddenly, hurried footsteps sounded outside the hall. A messenger, soaking wet, stumbled in: "Your Majesty! Urgent report from Dengzhou! Twelve Goryeo warships have appeared off the coast of Weihaiwei!"

Zhu Yuanzhang turned abruptly, the candlelight casting deep shadows on his angular face. Empress Ma noticed a strange glint in her husband's eyes—not panic, but the excitement of a hunter discovering his prey has stepped into a trap.

"Summon Xu Huizu," the emperor's voice was like a sharpened blade, "and have him extinguish all the beacon towers in the Shandong garrison."

In the dead of night at Quanzhou Port, the tide lapped against the wooden piers. A small boat, unlit, quietly approached the shore, and several dark figures quickly disappeared into the intricate network of alleyways. The leader removed his straw hat, revealing a hideous scar on his left cheek—it was the same Japanese man who had stared at Tang He during the day.

"Lord Saburo, this way please." A man dressed in the robes of a sixth-rank official of the Ming Dynasty emerged from the shadows, speaking fluent Japanese. He led the group through a secret passage, finally stopping in front of a mansion bearing a plaque that read "Lin Family Trading Company." Inside, the mansion was brightly lit, and more than ten men dressed as merchants were arguing. Upon seeing the newcomers, an elderly man with a goatee immediately stepped forward: "Lord Shimazu, the goods are all ready. However, the Imperial Navy's patrols have been very strict lately..."

The scarred Japanese man sneered, then suddenly drew his sword and cleaved open the wooden box beside him. Bright white salt crystals poured out, revealing a dark, musket underneath.

"I want to see all the military equipment loaded onto the ships by midnight in five days." His official speech was heavily accented with the Sahe dialect. "Don't forget, your Lin family was able to establish itself in Quanzhou entirely thanks to the protection of our Shimazu clan."

Outside the window, a dark shadow silently swept across the eaves. Chen Wu clung to the roof beam like a gecko, taking in the entire conversation inside. Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly heard the old man mention a chilling place name:

"The defense map of Longjiang Pass in Jinling has been sent out as per the Prince's instructions."

The morning light streamed through the carved window lattices of Wuying Hall, casting dappled shadows on the blue brick floor. Zhu Yuanzhang was playing chess with Ru Chang, the Minister of War, the black and white pieces locked in a fierce and evenly matched battle on the board.

"Your Majesty, Liao Yongzhong's navy has arrived at Chongming Island," Jiang Huan reported, kneeling below the steps. "As you ordered, all warships have been disguised as grain transport vessels."

Zhu Yuanzhang placed a black piece, capturing a large portion of the territory from the white pieces: "Any new information from Tang He's side?"

"Chen Wu infiltrated a Quanzhou merchant gathering last night and confirmed that the Japanese pirates were colluding with local maritime merchants. More importantly," Jiang Huan lowered his voice, "they mentioned the defense map of Longjiang Pass."

Ru Chang's chess piece clattered onto the chessboard. Longjiang Pass was the gateway to Nanjing; if its defenses were compromised, the enemy could easily march into the Forbidden City!

The emperor suddenly burst into laughter, the sound so loud it made the palace beams vibrate: "Excellent! I've been looking for a pretext to clean up the officialdom in Jiangnan!" He turned to Empress Ma, "Remember Lin Zhengyang, the Right Vice Minister of Works? The one who always sent ginseng to my beloved concubine."

Empress Ma suddenly realized: "The Lin family originated from Quanzhou maritime merchants."

"Issue the decree." Zhu Yuanzhang's smile vanished abruptly, his eyes flashing with cold light. "Order Mao Xiang's Embroidered Uniform Guard to immediately take control of the entire Lin family, but do so discreetly. Also, have Liao Yongzhong set up an ambush at the mouth of the Yangtze River—I want to see how many big fish this deployment map will lure out!"

At the mouth of the Yangtze River, Liao Yongzhong stood on the command platform of the flagship "Fubo," gazing at the distant, faintly visible silhouettes of ships. These past few days, following the imperial decree, they had deliberately relaxed their inspections of merchant ships.

"General, something's up!" the lookout suddenly shouted. "Three Fujian-style ships spotted to the southwest, drafting very deep but flying empty flags!"

Liao Yongzhong raised his binoculars and saw several men dressed as merchants standing on the deck of the lead ship. One of them was covering his face with a silk fan, but as the fan swayed, half of his face was revealed, revealing none other than the second young master of the Lin family, who should have been under the control of the Embroidered Uniform Guard long ago!

"They've come, just as expected." Liao Yongzhong sneered as he put down his binoculars. "Order all ships to extinguish their torches and let them pass. Tell the brothers, the real show has only just begun."

At the same moment, at the Longjiang Pass naval port outside Nanjing, the garrison commander, Wang Zhen, received an order from the Ministry of War to immediately dispatch half of his troops northward as reinforcements. As he mustered his forces and prepared to depart, he failed to notice several dark figures rapidly moving along the port's perimeter wall.
(End of this chapter)