My father is Jiajing

In the autumn of the first year of the Longqing reign, the Dutch East India Company occupied the port of Batavia.

In the original historical timeline, the Dutch East India Company would not have appeared until several decades into the Wanli era.

But it seems that with the ripples of time stirred up by Zhu Zaiji, many forces that were originally supposed to appear decades later have suddenly emerged out of nowhere.

It seems as if they are trying to correct an unexpected event that occurred in this timeline.

The setting sun on the horizon dyed the white building of the Dutch East India Company headquarters blood red, giving off an indescribable feeling that was both beautiful and filled with bloodshed.

It seems that this beautiful building was built with blood and tears, not with the glory and greatness that the Dutch people claim!
The governor of the Dutch East India Company, Van der Layton, stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, holding a letter from Amsterdam in his hand, his knuckles white from the pressure.

Outside the window, a dozen East India Company merchant ships were unloading their cargo, and the scents of spices, silk, and porcelain mingled with the salty smell of the sea breeze wafted into the room.

"Your Excellency, the person you wish to see has arrived."

The secretary announced this in a low voice.

Van der Layton turned around, a sinister glint in his deep-set blue eyes, and said in a flat, hoarse voice, "Let him in."

The secretary respectfully replied, "Yes."

After a while, the door opened, and a ragged man with a full beard staggered in.

His empty right sleeve fluttered in the wind, his left leg was clearly lame, but his gray eyes burned with an unsettling fervor.

"William Johnson, I salute you, my most admired Governor!"

The man spoke in a hoarse voice, giving an awkward bow.

Van der Layton sized up the once spirited fleet commander who now stood before him like a beggar.

Several years ago, Johnson received a great deal of support from him and led his fleet and warships to Taiwan in high spirits, where he established a stronghold in Orange City.

Unexpectedly, before he could return home in glory to that golden Eastern power, he received news that he had been defeated by the Eastern navy, and that his ships and men had been almost completely wiped out.

"Do you still have the nerve to come back?"

Johnson's losses in Taiwan are not just his own losses, but also the losses of Van der Layton.

Therefore, at this moment, Van der Layton naturally didn't give Johnson a friendly look.

Van Dryden said coldly, "The company has lost so many warships and soldiers, and the board of directors is asking me to explain the reasons for the failure of this operation. How do you think I should explain it?"

Van der Layton gave Johnson a cold, hawk-like look.

Johnson's one arm trembled nervously, but he still bravely raised his head, his eyes gleaming with an unusual light, and said excitedly, "Your Excellency, it's all my fault! However, I have also brought an opportunity that is enough to make up for all the losses!"

After saying that, Johnson excitedly pulled a nautical chart from his pocket and spread it on the table.

It was a detailed map of the East Asian coast, from the Japanese archipelago to the Philippine archipelago, with every port and shipping route clearly marked.

"This is Taiwan's nest!"

Johnson pointed his finger heavily at the pear-shaped island as he explained to Van der Layton.

But Van der Layton remained indifferent, because he already knew all of this information and didn't need Johnson to teach him any more geography.

A nervous Johnson naturally knew that his words had not attracted Van der Layton's attention or interest.

So Johnson stopped wasting words.

He went straight to the point: "Taiwan is the key to controlling trade in the entire East Indies. Easterners don't pay much attention to it, but based on my experience over the years, I can tell that whoever controls it holds the throat of Easterners' maritime trade."

"At that time, not only will our losses be made up, but we will also be able to control all trade in the East."

Van der Layton scoffed, "We all know that. The problem is the Eastern fleet is there, and they defeated and drove you away. Now who can guarantee that those Easterners won't take Taiwan seriously?"

Johnson stared excitedly at Van Dryden and said in a desperate move, "Your Excellency, I have learned a painful lesson from this defeat."

"Later, when my subordinates were confused, God gave me a revelation: a hurricane took me to Japan, not far from the land of the Easterners!"

"There, my subordinates encountered many Japanese daimyo who had blood feuds with the Easterners. They had also been bullied and humiliated by the Easterners and had long harbored a grudge, wanting to take revenge on them."

"If we could unite with these Japanese people..."

Johnson's voice suddenly lowered, becoming alluring, causing Van der Layton to frown and begin to think.

"Japanese country?"

Johnson heard Van der Layton's voice and knew it was a sign that Van der Layton was interested.

He immediately and urgently explained, "Japan has long been engaged in maritime trade, but has been suppressed by the maritime prohibition policies of the East. They yearn to break the East's maritime blockade, so they are willing to join forces with us to fight against the East!"

Van Dryden's eyes narrowed. He walked to the liquor cabinet, poured two glasses of tequila, handed one to Johnson, and said with interest, "Tell me more about it."

Johnson took a large gulp of wine and continued, "There are many daimyo in Japan. One of them, Tsushi, has more than twenty warships and three thousand samurai. They are also familiar with the situation in the East Asian seas. If we launch a joint attack, the Eastern navy will be attacked from both sides."

After listening to Johnson's words, Van Derleyton said calmly, "But I've heard that the naval leaders of the East, Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou, are not easy to deal with."

"Moreover, according to intelligence we gathered years ago, they had repeatedly defeated Japanese invasions along the coasts of Zhejiang and Fujian. Clearly, these are two formidable veteran sailors!"

Johnson immediately exclaimed excitedly, "So we won't attack Zhejiang, we'll attack here!"

Johnson moved his finger to southern Taiwan, pointing to the place where he had once built a city.

Johnson continued, "The Easterners' defenses here are relatively weak, consisting of only one very large ship and some smaller boats."

"As long as we take this place as our base first, and then blockade the Fujian coast of the Easterners, cutting off their trade routes with Southeast Asia, we can take the lead and enjoy the benefits of the East without worry!"

Van Derleyton paced to the window, gazing at the fleet anchored in the harbor. The East India Company needed a new trading post, and Johnson's Orange City was indeed the ideal choice.

Moreover, the board of directors would be satisfied if this could be used to weaken the naval power of the Easterners.

How many boats do you need?

Van der Layton finally made up his mind, turned to Johnson and asked.

Clearly, he didn't understand what kind of giant ship Johnson was referring to.

Johnson, now like a gambler with bloodshot eyes, gleamed with victory upon hearing Van der Layton's words and exclaimed excitedly, "Twenty warships, eight hundred soldiers. Add the strength of the Japanese, and that's enough to retake Orange before the Eastern reinforcements arrive!"

"I'll give you thirty!"

Van der Layton immediately increased the stakes!

Then he added, "But this time I want sixty percent of the benefits! Also, if you fail, you don't need to come back."

Johnson bowed deeply, clenched his single arm into a fist, and said firmly, "God bless you! I assure you, Your Excellency, this time, the Easterners will pay a heavy price!"

Kyushu Island, Japan. The daimyo of the Tsu clan knelt in the tea room, gazing at the ancestral samurai sword hanging on the wall.

Although some of the gold paint on the scabbard has peeled off, the blade remains incredibly sharp, symbolizing the Tsu clan's undiminished ambition despite setbacks.

"Sir, the red-haired man's reply has arrived."

His retainers knelt outside the door and whispered their report.

The head of the Jin family did not turn around, but simply gave a soft "hmm". The retainer placed the letter by the door and quietly withdrew.

The tea room returned to silence, with only the rhythmic sound of bamboo tubes striking stones echoing in the courtyard.

Finally, the daimyo of the Jin clan reached out and picked up the letter, tearing off the sealing wax. The letter contained only a few short lines, yet they brought a cold smile to his lips.

He shook the bell beside him, and a moment later, three ninjas dressed in black appeared silently in the corridor outside the teahouse.

"Prepare the ships, we're heading to the Ming Dynasty!"

The eldest samurai looked up in disbelief and said, "My lord, is it us?"

“The red-haired people will keep them in check.”

The daimyo of the Tsu clan interrupted the older samurai and continued, "We only need to seize a few ports and establish strongholds. Once we have a firm foothold, it will be difficult for the Ming people to drive us away."

The samurai knew that his lord had made up his mind, so he could only bow his head and obey.

After the retainers and samurai had all left.

The daimyo of the Tsu clan got up and walked into the courtyard, looking at the western sky.

Several years ago, he and other daimyo raided the coast of the Ming Dynasty, bringing back countless riches.

But ever since Hu Zongxian reorganized the coastal defenses, Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou, taking advantage of the geographical situation, launched a counterattack, and their good days came to an end.

Now, the opportunity has come again, and the red-haired people are going to provide them with the best firearms and cannons.

At this moment, even the daimyo of Tsuji couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.

"Qi Jiguang, and Yu Dayou, this time, I will personally take your heads."

The daimyo of Jin uttered this bold statement in a low voice, using the language of the Ming Dynasty!

Shuangyuwei was the garrison of the Eastern Ocean Fleet.

Qi Jiguang stood on the deck of the flagship treasure ship "Yongle," gazing at a wisp of black smoke where the sea met the sky in the distance.

That was a signal from the patrol boat—suspicious vessel detected.

"General, it's a small reconnaissance boat belonging to the Japanese pirates."

Qi Jin strode over to report, then added, "They've already fled to the northeast."

Qi Jiguang nodded, his brows furrowed on his resolute face. His temples were already streaked with gray, but his posture remained as upright as a pine tree, and his eyes as sharp as an eagle's.

Since discovering the unusual activities between the Japanese pirates and the Dutch, Qi Jiguang has always attached great importance to maritime patrols, constantly monitoring and observing any ships coming from the direction of Japan.

"This is not ordinary Japanese pirate harassment. Order all battalions to strengthen their defenses and send fast boats to patrol along the coastline."

Qi Jiguang decisively gave the order and immediately sent his messenger to relay the message.

Qi Jin asked, "Does the commander-in-chief believe there will be a large-scale attack?"

Qi Jiguang did not answer immediately. He turned and walked towards the cabin, Qi Jin following closely behind. A huge map of coastal defenses hung on the wall inside the cabin, with Qi Jiguang's finger moving from Zhejiang to Fujian, and then to Taiwan.

Qi Jiguang said, "The Japanese pirates wouldn't increase their activities for no reason; they must have made contact with the Japanese."

Just then, a messenger rushed in: "Reporting to the commander-in-chief, there is an urgent letter from the Nanyang Fleet!"

Upon hearing this, Qi Jiguang immediately took the urgent official letter from the Nanyang Navy delivered by the messenger.

He removed the sealing wax, quickly scanned the contents, and his expression grew increasingly grave: "The Nanyang Fleet has confirmed that the Dutch red-haired barbarians are colluding with the Japanese daimyo, intending to invade the maritime borders of our Great Ming."

Qi Jin gasped: "Red-haired barbarians? They're back so quickly?"

Qi Jiguang sneered, "It seems the lesson from last time wasn't profound enough!"

Qi Jiguang immediately ordered a meeting of the generals of each battalion.

An hour later, the main commanders of the Dongyang Fleet gathered in the flagship's council hall. Qi Jiguang informed everyone of the contents of the urgent official letter from the Nanyang Fleet, and the cabin immediately erupted in discussion.

"Heh, these red-haired barbarians, they really want to die! We don't go after them, but they come to us on their own initiative."

Yu Huatian let out a cold laugh, clearly not taking these red-haired barbarians seriously.

Upon hearing Yu Huatian's words, the other generals couldn't help but laugh heartily. "You're right, sir. We didn't even have a chance to beat them up last time, and they're back again! Hmph, do they really think the long-range cannons on our Yongle giant ship are just for show?"

"Last time, Commander Yu and his Jiajing-class warship stole the show, and I've been itching to join them ever since. I never expected them to come again. It's truly a blessing from heaven!"

Clearly, Qi Jiguang's generals were not afraid of the foreigners who had come again, nor were they afraid of their peace treaty with the Japanese pirates!
Qi Jiguang raised his hand to signal everyone to be quiet, and calmly said, "Please do not laugh. His Majesty said that we should despise the enemy strategically, but we must take them seriously tactically!"

"Although our Eastern Fleet has the Yongle-era large ships and the Southern Fleet has the Jiajing-era large ships, our other ships are not big enough and our firearms are not advanced enough."

"Therefore, we must take advantage of our home ground and our cooperation with the Nanyang Fleet to repel the invading barbarians and Japanese pirates once again. This is our ultimate goal!"

After the meeting, Qi Jiguang and Yu Huatian, along with other commanders of the Eastern Ocean Fleet, began active preparations for war.

At the same time, the imperial court also issued an edict allowing them to act expediently.

A few days later, one evening, Qi Jiguang was studying a nautical chart in his tent when a personal guard came in to report: "General, General Yu has arrived!"

Qi Jiguang was overjoyed upon hearing this and immediately went out to greet him.

Yu Dayou, who was outside the courtyard, had just arrived by speedboat, his face still bearing the marks of the sea breeze.

"Brother Qi!"

Yu Dayou strode forward, grasped Qi Jiguang's hand tightly, and said with a smile, "It's been almost half a year since we last met, you look so much older!"

Qi Jiguang smiled with a sigh and said, "It's getting dark, and your eyesight isn't what it used to be. Come, come, please come inside and let's talk in detail."

Yu Dayou laughed heartily and went into the house with Qi Jiguang. They dismissed everyone else and talked late into the night, devising a detailed battle strategy.

Then, under the cover of darkness the next day, Yu Dayou took a fast boat and left Shuangyuwei, heading towards Fubo City.

Next, Yu Dayou's task was to actively cooperate with Qi Jiguang to sever the alliance between the Dutch and Japanese!
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