King of Han Dynasty of Ming Dynasty

Inside the palace.

Everyone's body was shocked.

His eyes involuntarily turned to Zhu Gaoxu who was sitting on the high platform.

As he finished speaking.

The atmosphere in the hall suddenly became solemn. A vague sense of solemnity and coldness occasionally passed through the skin of the Japanese envoys, giving goose bumps to the timid ones.

Ashikaga Yoshimochi, who was standing below, couldn't help but pause after hearing these words and feeling the gaze passing over his body. The expression on his face changed again and again, with resentment and anger in his eyes, and the anger in his heart was rising unknowingly.

But after a moment, he reviewed his situation and the place he was in in his mind, and the anger rising in his heart was instantly suppressed by his strong willpower.

no way!
People have to bow their heads under the roof.

Ashikaga Yoshimochi understood this principle better than anyone else.

Just as Zhu Gaoxu said, with their tiny country, they really do not have the capital to go head-on with the huge and martial Ming Dynasty.

If something like that were to happen, they would be the only ones to suffer.

Although during the Yuan Dynasty, Japan had fought with the powerful Yuan Dynasty several times and luckily won.

It seemed unusually inspiring, but for Ashikaga Yoshimochi, who was familiar with all the details.

Although Japan seems to have won, why was it able to win?

He knew better than anyone that the so-called victory was only based on the advantage of fighting on home soil, and even though they won, it was only a pyrrhic victory, and the casualties they brought were not much better than those of the Yuan Dynasty. It could be said that they hurt the enemy by a thousand and lost eight hundred of their own.

Such a victory is completely insignificant, and there is nothing to brag about.

More than that.

At that time, they fought against the Yuan Dynasty, and in the end it seemed that the Yuan Dynasty was defeated.

The main reason was not how strong Japan was, but how powerful it was compared to the Yuan Dynasty at that time.

It's just that the cost is not proportional to the benefits.

For this reason, they had to stop and did not continue to send troops to carry out distant expeditions.

otherwise.

With the little power that Japan has, even though it has the advantage of fighting on its own land.

It is also absolutely impossible to resist the attack of the Yuan Dynasty.

It is even more impossible to survive until now.

I'm afraid the country has already been destroyed.

For this, not to mention... now we are facing the powerful Ming Dynasty, which has mastered firearms and cannons.

If we really piss off these powerful people in the Ming Dynasty court, they will unite their front, unify their thoughts, and take action against Japan on their own.

The entire Japanese nation would probably be wiped out in an instant without leaving a single piece of armor.

There was no chance of survival.

Moreover, Ashikaga Yoshimochi knew clearly in his heart what the real purpose of his trip was.

Don't let yourself fail to achieve your goal and lose your life.

It is more likely to cause a national war and lead to the destruction of Japan.

If that were the case, he, as the leader of the delegation, would become a true sinner in Japanese history.

Therefore, even though he was still angry at this moment, he was also extremely clear.

This is not the time to act on impulse.

In the blink of an eye, the expression on Ashikaga Yoshimochi's face changed. His dissatisfaction and unhappiness disappeared in an instant, replaced by a humble smile. He was no longer as passionate or indignant as before. It was as if everything had never happened. He was completely different from before.

Afterwards, he bowed slightly to the ministers on the stage and around him, and said in a humble and apologetic manner:

"Yes Yes Yes……"

"In this matter, it is indeed because of my inappropriate words and my overexcited words."

"I beg your Highness the Crown Prince, Prince Han, and all the others to forgive me."

"We deeply apologize for what we said just now."

While talking.

Ashikaga Yoshimochi bowed deeply more than ninety degrees to everyone again to express his sincerity.

After hearing this.

Just follow his words.

The tense atmosphere in the whole hall gradually warmed up without anyone noticing.

The cold eyes of the crowd staring at him slowly softened at this moment.

The cold and solemn aura also dissipated.

Feeling the changes around him, Ashikaga Yoshimochi's originally tense heart slowly calmed down, and his expression was not as nervous as before.

He smiled, bowed to everyone again, and continued:

"Everything is decided by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and the Prince."

"Just as you say."

"I will pay the 10 million taels of silver sales rights agency fee in full."

“No objection.”

Having said this, he paused, then suddenly changed the subject and continued:
"Prince Han...His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

"Look, is this how we're going to settle this?"

"Is that it?"

“When will it be implemented?”

Such words.

Seeing the flexible Ashikaga Yoshimochi, he received a definite answer from him.

The expressions of the ministers in the audience couldn't help but change, and they couldn't help but recall what Zhu Gaoxu had said to the Japanese envoys before they arrived at the imperial study.

For a moment, everyone couldn't help but look sideways.

At the same time, my heart skipped a beat for no reason.

What the hell?
Can the tiny country of Japan really come up with 10 million taels of silver so easily?

And just now, when Zhu Gaoxu made such excessive demands to the Japanese envoys.

All the ministers in the venue were observing the situation attentively. During this time, they saw anger, resentment, dissatisfaction, and boiling rage on the faces of the Japanese envoys.

But it was real. There was no trace of embarrassment or awkwardness in the looks and expressions of these Japanese envoys.

What does this mean?
There is no doubt that people with tens of thousands of taels of silver will not care about a mere few taels, or even dozens or hundreds of taels of silver. By analogy, it is not difficult to see that the fact that Japan can easily agree to such a request definitely means that the Japanese people definitely do not have as much silver as tens of millions of taels in their hands.

It is almost 100% certain that Japan must have several times the amount of tens of millions of taels of silver in its hands to be able to act like this.

Wait until you are sure of what you think.

All the ministers in the field couldn't help but feel agitated and happy.

Then, everyone's eyes gradually became hot when they looked at Ashikaga Yoshimochi and others, as if a hungry man who had been single for decades saw an extremely stunning beauty and wanted to rush up to her right now, take a big bite and taste the "delicious" thing.

Facing the fiery gazes from all around and the changes around.

Ashikaga Yoshimochi, who was in the center of the hall, was stunned for a moment, and then came to his senses. It seemed that he had thought of something in his mind. He couldn't help but feel contempt, sarcasm, and ridicule in his heart, and secretly complained:

"Tsk." "What a bunch of self-righteous, worldly-wise guys."

"They are so poor, yet they still think they are the Celestial Empire."

"A disgraceful thing."

"It's just 10 million taels of silver, but you are so shocked."

"Don't you know that this little bit of silver is less than one tenth of the silver mines of our tiny country that you look down upon and despise."

For a moment, Ashikaga Yoshimochi and a group of Japanese envoys felt much more superior and proud, and in their hearts they looked down upon the Ming officials as bumpkins who had never seen the world.

Although I despise it in my heart.

At the same time, Ashikaga Yoshimochi couldn't help but become alert in his heart and kept reminding himself.

Don't be complacent or arrogant.

Never show any sign of inappropriateness.

We must not let these bumpkins in the Ming Dynasty know that such a huge amount of silver mines exists in the tiny country of Japan.

otherwise
The subsequent impact and conflicts of interest brought about by this.

No one can predict it, but it is definitely beyond the tolerance of a small country like Japan.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but turn back subconsciously and glanced around at the envoys who came with him to the Ming Dynasty. He cast a warning look at each of them, asking everyone to be careful and not let anything slip, let alone show any abnormality.

Good idea though.

But he forgot.

Although this action seems ordinary.

In the eyes of the six ministers in the court inside the palace, who were even more cunning than humans, it was no less than confession.

This made everyone in the room almost 100% certain of what Zhu Gaoxu had said before.

to this end.

The six ministers who had been watching the show without saying a word from beginning to end, all began to breathe heavily unconsciously. At this moment, their hearts were filled with longing for the tiny country of Japan. They wished that God would give them a pair of wings, or that the Ming Dynasty would immediately send troops to bring the entire Japan under its command.

Of course, there are huge amounts of silver mines on that island.

Naturally, it would also go into the pocket of the Ming Dynasty court.

So, don't be too perfect and comfortable.

However, the shrewd officials of the Ming Dynasty immediately realized the inappropriateness of their expressions, and quickly restrained their expressions, pretending to be content and indifferent.

For such a change in expression.

This did not arouse Ashikaga Yoshimochi's suspicion. For him, he absolutely did not believe that Japan's huge silver mines would be exposed, so he did not pay too much attention to the changes in the expressions of the Ming Dynasty officials.

In his opinion, this kind of behavior is just an attempt to cover up one's embarrassment.

There is no other reason.

The Ming Dynasty was recognized as the Celestial Empire by the surrounding countries and had a natural deterrent effect on the surrounding countries.

It is naturally impossible to show embarrassment in front of these small and despised countries.

Of course there is the most important point.

The news that Japan has huge silver mines has been kept strictly confidential throughout Japan.

Anyone who knows this news, no matter who he is or what position he holds in Japan, will absolutely not be allowed to leave Japan.

It is precisely because of this that Ashikaga Yoshimochi feels most at ease.

But it was also because of this that he had planned everything but never dreamed that the Ming Dynasty would appear. The loophole of Zhu Gaoxu, the time traveler, caused the strict confidentiality mechanism established by the entire Japan to be completely ineffective.

Everything he did was seen by the ministers in the room and became the most powerful evidence for others to support their case.

Zhu Gaoxu and the Crown Prince, sitting on the high platform, looked around with half-closed eyes, glanced at the people below the stage who had ulterior motives, looked at each other, and nodded at each other.

Then, Zhu Gaoxu raised his hand and waved to the Japanese envoys who bowed slightly, with an intriguing smile on his face, and said with a smile:
"No hurry. No hurry. Ashikaga Envoy."

"We have reached half of the deal on refined salt."

"This half of your answers, the king, the crown prince, and even the ministers in the audience are extremely satisfied."

"But there is still half left. I don't know if we can still reach an agreement."

"If we can't reach an agreement."

The following words were not spoken directly.

However, Ashikaga Yoshimochi and the Japanese envoys were not fools, and they knew the situation better than anyone else.

Judging from Zhu Gaoxu's expression and behavior when he said this, I'm afraid that these words, which were not directly stated, are definitely not a good thing, and are definitely not good words.

But what can we do even if we know?
It seems to be meaningless.

The advantage is not theirs.

The only thing they can do is wait for others to make a move, and then they can counter it.

After a brief silence, Ashikaga Yoshimochi came back to his senses, half-closed his eyes and slowly raised his head, smiling and saying:
"Excuse my stupidity."

"I don't know what Prince Han means by this."

"Please let your Majesty know clearly."

Say it.

All the Japanese envoys in the hall looked at Zhu Gaoxu involuntarily, quietly waiting for his next words.

After hearing this.

Zhu Gaoxu smiled and waved his hand at him. He did not beat around the bush on this matter and replied directly:

"It's not a big deal."

"This time, my words are mainly aimed at the first question you raised."

"Just now, you envoys, on behalf of Japan, admitted your mistakes."

"He also said that it was their fault that the previous batch of envoys had what happened."

"And my Ming Dynasty has done nothing wrong, and nothing I have done is wrong."

"There is nothing wrong with what I said, right?"

"Is this what you meant by what you said just now?"

The Japanese envoys looked at each other and nodded involuntarily.

At the same time, I couldn't help but wonder what Zhu Gaoxu was up to and why he brought up this issue again.

Although I don't understand.

But at this moment, for some unknown reason, the uneasiness and irritability in their hearts became more and more intense, causing all the Japanese envoys to feel a little uneasy.

Get a definite answer.

The smile on Zhu Gaoxu's face grew deeper unconsciously, his eyes almost narrowed into a line, and then he looked around at everyone with interest, and continued with a smile:
"Since you admit your mistakes."

“Should we have an attitude of admitting our mistakes?”

"You have damaged the prestige of our Celestial Empire, killed our citizens, and acted arrogantly and defied others in our capital, wantonly ignoring the laws of our Celestial Empire."

"If you don't give a reasonable attitude and a reasonable solution."

"How can we maintain the dignity of our Celestial Empire?"

"What do you think?" (End of this chapter)