It's broken, and was picked up by a femme fatale

The next day, the staff returned to Tianjin Military Port.

Apart from mentioning the foreign delicacies, the aide recounted in detail what he had seen and heard.

"The boss is looking forward to the future.

The appetite is not small, and they will soon attack Japan..."

Zhang Hongli asked: "What do you mean?
They spread the word, we take action, and then we split the profits 50-50?"

The aide said, “That’s right!

Jeju Port is not very big, and all merchant ships entering and leaving the port must report in advance.

Therefore, we received the news that the Fujiya cargo ship had left the port three hours in advance."

Zhang Hongli was still worried and asked, "Is their sudden attack on the Japanese a trick?"

The staff found the files from the previous two months.
It is clearly recorded above that the Qinglong Group and the Invincible Fleet have been strengthening their sea crossing and beach landing training.

"Boss, you see, they didn't just act on a whim, they had a plan in mind long ago."

After reading the file, Zhang Hongli felt relieved.

There is no doubt that the Chinese army wants to annex Japan.

Not only eyewitness reports, but also many statements from North Sea Navy and Army officers and soldiers.
This is by no means a deliberate disguise to deceive oneself.

It is unlikely that Lu Yuan would mobilize so much manpower and material resources.

Use two or three months to set up a trap to lure myself in.

In this case, Mao Wenlong's credibility of taking advantage of others has greatly increased.

If you put yourself in their shoes, you will also take advantage of the opportunity if you were in their position.

Zhang Hongli asked again: "What should we do after we succeed?"

The staff said: "Bring the cargo ship to Ryukyu.

There are people over there who will receive it and pay for it when they see the goods."

Well, the third-party payment platform is very safe!
Zhang Hongli trusted his staff very much.
Moreover, Fujiya's cargo ship is indeed the fat meat at your fingertips, it would be a waste not to eat it.

What's more, it would be better to let his subordinates come forward and not get himself involved.

At worst, they could disguise themselves as pirates, rob and run away, and ordinary merchant ships would never be able to catch up.

As long as he is not caught in the act, he will never admit it no matter what.

Since there is a chance, let’s give him a try!
Zhang Hongli found his distant nephew to serve as a captain in the Beiyang Fleet.

The three of them hit it off immediately. The eldest nephew had not had any money recently and had been so poor that his eyes were green with envy.

When I heard that Fujiya’s cargo ship was robbed, I was drooling.

"Don't worry, uncle. As long as we get the accurate information, not even a fly can fly away!"

Zhang Hongli also told him that when he started working,
They were not allowed to wear military uniforms or fly military flags, and even the name of the battleship below the bow had to be painted over.

The eldest nephew laughed and said, "Nephew knows, I will never let the cat out of the bag!"

It seems that this kid often does dirty things.

Zhang Hongli nodded and said to his staff:

"You two should try again and think about all aspects more carefully."

The aide and his nephew smiled at each other, walked out of the camp arm in arm, and found a restaurant to discuss the matter in detail.

The Beiyang Fleet was so frustrated that the next day, the staff and their nephew's confidants arrived at Jeju Port.

At dusk, Mao Wenlong's messenger was found waiting in the inn.

The messenger is truly powerful.
After going out for a walk, in less than half an hour, I got the departure information of the Fujiya cargo ship.

"What a coincidence! Two cargo ships left the port at 2:45 pm tonight, with cargo worth 80,000 taels."

The staff and confidants were overjoyed. If it was half of the money, it would be 40,000 taels of silver.

Using a warship to attack a cargo ship is like bullying, it's like picking up the enemy for free.

The henchmen hurried to the dock,

Jump on the speedboat that has been waiting for a long time and go to find the warship of the eldest nephew.

Mao Wenlong and Pu Zhonghua, who were in plain clothes,

When he learned that the Beiyang Fleet had taken the bait, he burst into laughter.

"The king has made a brilliant plan. The triangle relationship...is as stable as a rock!"

Park Chung-hwa is proud of this:
"The headmaster is so high that we can only look up to him!"

He suddenly thought of something and asked, "Are you really going to give Beiyang 40,000 taels this time?"

Mao Wenlong nodded and shook his head, and said:
"I don't have money, but I have goods. It's all the same."

Pu Zhonghua was very surprised: "What kind of goods? Could it be arms?"

"Well, arms are one part, and there are also salt, war horses, furs, etc."

Pu Zhonghua was surprised: "They actually gave them arms?"

Mao Wenlong shrugged and said:
"I don't know about this either. You have to ask your principal."

Park Zhonghua scratched the back of his head and said:

"I always feel that the principal is playing a big game..."

Mao Wenlong smiled and didn't respond.

Ever since the "New Yellow Plan" came out, he felt that his IQ was not enough.

Which kind person can come up with such a brilliant idea?
Not only did they play with the Beiyang Fleet, but they also made the Japanese people feel extremely happy!

Anyway, if I were in his place, I would never have thought that war could be fought like this?

Fortunately, I was wise enough to follow Lu Yuan.

Otherwise, you won’t even know how you died.

Night falls, it is two quarters past midnight.

Jeju Port is brightly lit and bustling with ships coming in and out.

"Ding-dong, ding-dong!"

Fujiya's two cargo ships rang the bell to leave the port.

The guide on the port guidance boat also rang the bell in response.

The two cargo ships followed the guide ship, left the port safely and smoothly, raised their sails, and slowly sailed eastward.

The staff member was in the restaurant, watching the cargo ship departing and nodded.

The intelligence was indeed accurate, to the minute.

Next, it’s my eldest nephew’s turn.

As the saying goes, bandits pass by like combs, and soldiers pass by like rakes.

When it comes to doing bad things, the army is much more powerful than bandits.

As long as the officer gives the order, the soldiers will kill anyone regardless of gender, age or status.

As expected, the nephew had ambushed in advance on the route that Fujiya's cargo ship had to pass.

On the warships, all the symbols symbolizing the Beiyang Fleet were covered up.

When the two cargo ships entered the ambush circle, the eldest nephew gave an order and the warship rushed out suddenly.

The captain and sailors of the Fujiya cargo ship are all experienced veterans.

As soon as they saw the posture of the warships, they knew that they were not friendly and they fled in different directions.

One ship fled to Japan and the other fled to Jeju Island.

But, my eldest nephew is also a naval general, so it has been planned long ago.

There was no village or shop nearby, so he had enough time to intercept two cargo ships.

They first approached a cargo ship heading east, and more than 30 sailors boarded it, and a bloody massacre immediately ensued.

The eldest nephew immediately turned around and chased the cargo ship heading west.

Half an hour later, they caught up with the enemy and started fighting again.

Fujiya's sailors are no match for the fully-armed sailors.

In a matter of minutes, their necks were slit and they were all thrown into the sea.

So, in just one hour, the nephew won a great victory.
He quickly took two cargo ships and headed straight for the Ryukyu Islands.

While at sea, he had someone take inventory of the goods in the hold.

why?
Judge a gentleman by your own standards.

They were worried that Mao Wenlong might have intentionally inflated the value of the goods, so they recorded it and returned to Jeju Island to check.

I'm just afraid of being at a disadvantage.

Arriving at the agreed uninhabited island, as expected, there was an unnamed cargo ship waiting.

After getting closer, we looked at the other side's sailors and found that they were obviously Chinese navy in disguise.

However, both sides pretended to be ignorant.
When the ship was being transferred to the delivery ship, the other party's representative boarded the ship, and the nephew stretched out his hand and asked, "Where is the silver?"

The representative grinned and pulled out a list.

"General, use this to pick up the goods at Jeju Island."

The nephew glared, drew out a half-broken sword, and shouted:
"What do you mean? No money? How dare you lie to me?"

The representative said patiently:
"General, please read the list. If you are not satisfied, you can hold me accountable later."

The nephew didn't dare to really kill the Chinese soldiers, so he could only hold his nose, take the list and read it through.

The delivery note is stamped with the seal of Jeju Island Industrial Construction, it can’t be fake!
Moreover, the first item on the list made my nephew excited.

Five hundred bolt-action rifles, fifty thousand rounds of ammunition, with a total value of twenty thousand taels.

There were also swords, good horses, salt, furs, etc., all of which were in high demand, with a total value of 25,000 taels.

My nephew is very smart. If nothing else, the guns and ammunition alone are worth it.

Why is the Chinese Army so powerful?
Because they have powerful firearms, muskets are much more powerful than bows and crossbows in naval battles.

When the other party fired one arrow, we had already fired five shots. It was a complete firepower overwhelm!
Not to mention, it takes several years to train an excellent archer.

And it only takes one or two months to train a qualified gunner.

Which one is better and which one is worse is clear at a glance.

The eldest nephew thought for a moment and asked, "I heard it was 40,000, why is it 5,000 more?"

The representative said with a smile:

"My commander said that the general and his men have worked hard, and a little tea is not enough to show respect!"

The nephew's eyes lit up, Mao Wenlong was indeed on to something.

He changed his expression faster than turning the pages of a book, and immediately said with a laugh:

"Commander Mao is really too polite. Well, I will refuse your offer!"

The cooperation between the two parties was pleasant, and my nephew happily sailed to Jeju Island to earn some extra money.

The navy of the Invincible Armada sealed the two cargo ships in a secret harbor for future use.

Two days later, at Fujiya in Edo Castle,

I didn't see the two planned cargo ships and thought they were delayed.

As a result, when dawn came, there was still no news.

So they immediately sent people and boats to search for Jeju Island.

The directors of Jeju Island Fujiya felt something was wrong.

During this month, Fujiya has dispatched ships almost every other day and there has never been any problem.

The captains and sailors of the two ships were all old men from Fujiya.

With all my family members in Edo, it would be impossible for them to run aground, get lost or escape.

Moreover, there have been no storms in this sea area these two days...

The only possibility is that pirates killed people and seized the ship.

This is also questionable.

First of all, the Japanese pirates would definitely not dare to provoke Fujiya when they see his flag.

Secondly, after many raids by the Invincible Fleet, large-scale pirates basically ceased to exist.

Who is so bold as to hijack a ship on a popular waterway?
Moreover, no one survived on both ships...it was incredible.

Soon, an obvious yet terrifying conclusion was reached within Fujiya.

The ones who robbed and killed the two cargo ships must have been warships of the regular navy.

First, rule out the Japanese navy. The Japanese will not fight against the Japanese.

So, in this sea area, there are only the Invincible Fleet and the Beiyang Fleet.

It is hard to say which company did it, but it is possible that the two companies colluded.

When things got to this point, Fujiya had no choice but to report to the shogunate.

General Tokugawa Iemitsu was furious when he received the relevant proposal.

He gave an impassioned speech at the meeting of six people.

He wanted to summon the princes and cross the sea to attack the Invincible Fleet and the Beiyang Fleet.

Oh my god, these words scared his six trusted ministers out of their wits.

The Beiyang Fleet is the first fleet of Shenling, with nearly 200 warships of various sizes.
Moreover, the Japanese navy can be called in for support at any time.

As for the Invincible Fleet, it is even more terrifying.

Rumor has it that their artillery is invincible.

The Yangtze River Fleet, the Eastern Fleet, and the Northern Fleet were all beaten up.

As a result, Shen Ling didn't dare to say a word.

But I can't say this to the general directly, otherwise it would be seen as boosting his morale.

Therefore, the most loyal Abe Shigeji took the lead and said tactfully:
"General, as the old saying goes: First use courtesy, then use force; plan before you act.

We might as well send an envoy to question them and find out the truth."

The other five people echoed this, saying that Abe Shigetsugu was mature and prudent in his state affairs.

Seeing that his six trusted confidants all spoke the same opinion, Tokugawa Iemitsu had to restrain himself temporarily.

So, two shogunate envoys,
They went to Incheon City and Tianjin respectively to negotiate the matter of the hijacked cargo ship.

This was originally a joint effort of the two companies, so how could there be any result?

The Incheon court refuted the accusations of the Japanese envoys, but expressed its willingness to assist in the investigation.

The Beiyang Fleet was guilty and due to its strong national strength, it did not take the envoys seriously at all.

The two sides had a disagreement, and the Navy Office directly drove the Japanese envoy out of the Navy camp and expelled him from the country.

The two envoys returned to Edo and reported the whole situation.

Although both parties failed, the Chinese court at least gave them due courtesy.
Moreover, they are willing to cooperate with the investigation, which shows a certain sincerity.

In contrast, the Beiyang Fleet was simply unreasonable and had an abnormal attitude.

This led the six most trusted confidants to unanimously conclude that the Beiyang Fleet was a major suspect.

As a result, new and old grudges broke out at the same time.

What are old grudges?
Because when Gao Jianwu was attacked by the White Tiger Group, he asked Shen Ling and Dongying for help.
The Beiyang Fleet and the Japanese Fleet arrived at Incheon Port at the same time.

However, Lu Yuan was behind the scenes and ambushed the Beiyang Fleet.

At that time, Zhang Hongli saved his life by sacrificing the heads of the Japanese navy and half of its ships.

That betrayal left a deep-seated hatred among the entire shogunate.

Therefore, hating the Beiyang Fleet was the political correctness of the shogunate.

Tokugawa Iemitsu's eyes were bloodshot and he sat with his knife in his hand.

"I will chop off Zhang Hongli's head!"

The six confidants carefully considered for a while.
I feel that if we pool the whole country's strength, it is possible to defeat the Beiyang Fleet.

Abe Shigeki once again said:

"General! Suppress the Beiyang Fleet.

Success or failure does not depend on us, but on China's invincible fleet!"

Tokugawa Iemitsu asked doubtfully: "I am fighting against the Beiyang, what does it have to do with China?"

Abe Shigeji bowed and said:

"If China benefits me, I will win; if China turns against it, I will lose."

"What if China remains neutral?"

Abe Shigetsugu said: "A quick battle will benefit us. If it is a stalemate, the outcome will be unpredictable."

Tokugawa Iemitsu nodded, looked around at the six people, and asked:
"Who will go to Incheon to persuade the King of China?"

In this matter, Abe Shigeji always hit the nail on the head, and everyone thought that he was the best person for the job.

So, Abe Shigeji took a ship full of gifts and sailed across the ocean on his first diplomatic mission to China.

On the way, we stayed at the famous Jeju Island for half a day.

Abe Shigeji was shocked.

A deserted island has become so prosperous in just over a month?!
The director of Fujiya also told him that a dock laborer could earn 100 wen a day.

It is ten times the income of Edo workers.

Abe Shigeji asked, “Is it only in Jeju Island that the income is so high?”

"Lord Abe, laborers in Incheon cost 70 to 80 wen a day, and the minimum in other cities is 50 wen."

Abe Shigeji was keenly aware of the terrifying power of China.

Leave Jeju and head straight to Incheon.

Once you enter Incheon Port,
Tall warships, countless merchant ships and passenger ships,

The bustling flow of visitors made the Japanese envoys feel deeply moved.

Sitting in the carriage, Abe Shigeji was filled with awe at the streets, shops and houses along the way.

When he arrived at the Honglu Temple Posthouse, he handed over the letter of credence, expressing his wish to meet the King of China.

There was a response at noon.

The envoy is allowed to enter the palace to meet the king tomorrow.

Abe Shigeji felt that this meeting was very efficient.

Normally, one has to wait at least two or three days to meet the king of a country.

When he asked the reception official of the Honglu Temple, he was surprised by the answer he got. (End of this chapter)