My father is Jiajing

Before dawn, Fubo City was shrouded in thick sea fog. Three fast ships, like the morning glow breaking through the fog, arrived at the port of Fubo City the instant the first light pierced through the clouds.

"General, we're back."

Yu Qiang, Yu Dayou's deputy, whispered a reminder to him.

Yu Dayou nodded slightly, got up and walked out of the cabin.

As dawn broke in the east, the city of Fubo seemed to be draped in a layer of bright golden sand under the glow of the morning sun.

At the port of Fubo City, the generals of the Nanyang Fleet had been waiting for a long time.

After the fast ship docked, Yu Dayou didn't waste any words with the generals and directly ordered: "Assemble in the council hall. Except for those with missions, officers of the rank of commander of a thousand or above must be present within half an hour."

After saying this, Yu Dayou, along with Yu Qiang and his entourage, headed directly towards Fubo City.

At the same time, the cooks who were preparing meals for Yu Dayou could also bring the already prepared meals to Yu Dayou.

Yu Dayou didn't put on any pretense; he immediately began to eat the food heartily.

After all, he hadn't eaten anything since last night. Now that he could finally have something hot to eat, Yu Dayou certainly wasn't going to pretend to be some tough guy who wasn't thirsty or hungry!
After Yu Dayou finished his meal, he casually wiped his mouth, rinsed it, and then asked Yu Qiang outside the door, "Has everyone arrived?"

Yu Qiang immediately turned around and bowed, saying, "Reporting to the Commander, everyone has arrived."

Yu Dayou hummed in agreement and stood up with ease. "Let's go over there too."

When Yu Dayou arrived at the council hall, Wan Yulou and a group of Nanyang Navy officers had already arrived.

At that moment, everyone stood up and bowed, "General!"

Yu Dayou gestured for everyone to sit down.

Then Yu Dayou went to the front of Wanyu Tower and said politely, "Please come in, sir."

Wan Yulou also smiled modestly and said, "Please, Commander Yu."

Yu Dayou took the seat of honor without hesitation, while Wan Yulou sat in the secondary seat to his left.

This shows that Yu Dayou was undoubtedly the main figure in military operations and military conferences.

Of course, Wan Yulou was the main figure at the regular ideological study meetings. He would convey and explain to the attending generals His Majesty the Emperor's expectations and requirements for the Ming Navy.

At the same time, he would actively promote the importance of His Majesty the Emperor being loyal to the country and defending the homeland. Moreover, in peacetime, Wan Yulou would go deep into the front-line barracks to show concern for the soldiers on behalf of His Majesty the Emperor, address the ideological issues of these ordinary soldiers, and improve their fighting spirit!

These are the key changes in Zhu Zaiji's military reforms!
As long as we grasp this idea and solidify the ideology within the Ming army, then the Ming army will become a powerful force filled with patriotism and invincible!

Yu Dayou unfolded a map of the South China Sea and pointed heavily at the Strait of Malacca.

"Gentlemen, our army has a very important mission on this mission. According to reliable intelligence, the red-haired barbarians that we drove out last time are frequently appearing in the Sumatra area. They must be unwilling to be defeated and driven out by us."

"Furthermore, according to information from the Eastern Ocean Fleet, these barbarians also intend to make peace with the Japanese pirates. Therefore, after discussing with the Eastern Ocean Fleet, our main force of the Southern Ocean Fleet will be divided into three routes: one to monitor Malacca, one to patrol the Gulf of Siam, and one to garrison Champa. We must keep track of the movements of the barbarians. If there are any unusual movements, we will immediately use carrier pigeons and fast ships to transmit the message at the same time."

After Yu Dayou finished making his arrangements, a young general asked, "General, if we encounter barbarian ships, should we open fire?"

A cold glint flashed in Yu Dayou's eyes, and his pupils contracted as he said, "Let's try diplomacy first, then force. If they agree to let us board and inspect the ship, and confirm that it is a legitimate trading vessel, we can let them pass. But if they refuse to board and insist on trespassing into our controlled territory, we don't need to ask for permission; sink it immediately!"

Yu Dayou's words greatly inspired the generals present; they liked this feeling.

Meanwhile, at the Shuangyuwei Dongyang Navy's garrison, Qi Jiguang was also mobilizing troops.

"Deng Zilong led ten ironclad warships as the vanguard to Jeju Island in North Korea."

Qi Jiguang gave the order to the assembled generals, and his deputy Deng Zilong immediately stepped forward and bowed: "This subordinate obeys!"

Then Qi Jiguang added, "I will personally lead the main force of the Yongle giant warships to follow. We must control the Korean waters before the Japanese pirates set out, so that they will not dare to easily invade the south."

After Qi Jiguang made his arrangements, an old general who was familiar with the nature of Korea hesitated and said, "General, although Korea has always been respectful, I'm afraid they don't want our navy to stay there for long. I'm afraid they won't be willing to lend Jeju Island to us."

At this moment, Yu Huatian stood up and said, "I have already petitioned the court, and His Majesty has granted permission to requisition Jeju Island as a transit port. This is His Majesty's edict to the King of Joseon."

"Moreover, Jeju Island was originally a gift from our Great Ming Dynasty to Korea. If they don't cooperate with us, His Majesty has said that we naturally don't need to worry about taking back the gift from the founding emperor."

Upon hearing Yu Huatian's words and seeing the imperial edict in his hand, the generals couldn't help but laugh joyfully.

As soldiers, the thing we fear least is causing trouble.

If North Korea is truly dishonest, the eagerness of these people to make a name for themselves will make North Korea understand that the majesty of the Celestial Empire is not just empty talk.

After the generals received their orders and left, Qi Jiguang sat alone in his tent, examining the nautical chart once more.

Jeju Island is strategically located, controlling the shipping lanes in the entire northeast. If this island were used as a base, the movements of Japan could be monitored at any time. Unfortunately, Emperor Taejo of 200 years ago did not value the maritime borders. When the Korean envoy made a request, Emperor Taejo casually granted it to them.

If we want to get it back now, we need to find some reliable and effective reasons, otherwise we'll inevitably get a bad reputation for bullying the weak.

As a superior nation, China is very cautious in dealing with vassal states and in diplomacy. Unless the other party has made an obvious mistake, it is really difficult to take action.

Otherwise, the surrounding vassal states would all feel insecure, thinking that the great power could annex them at will, and sooner or later more troubles would arise, forcing the court to increase military spending and putting it in a passive position.

This is clearly not in the interests of the imperial court or the general public.

After all, some battles not only fail to bring any benefit, but may even increase the burden on ordinary people.

Once such an effect is achieved, the common people will naturally resist the court's foreign wars.

Therefore, war must now be fought for the sake of benefits and interests, as well as justifiable justice.

Just as Qi Jiguang was struggling with his worries and anxieties about Jeju Island.

The advance convoy led by Deng Zilong finally arrived at Jeju Island in North Korea a few days later.

A warship flying the Ming Dynasty's sun, moon, and dragon flag slowly approached the shore, inspiring awe in the Korean people on the island.

These people were naturally all poor people on the island. They were either natives who had lived on the island for generations or criminals who had been convicted and exiled by North Korea.

After all, Jeju Island at that time was just a resource-poor, isolated island used for raising horses.

Food harvests are scarce here, so the people living on this island not only live a miserable and hard life, but they also struggle to even get a full meal.

"General, we have made contact with the local interpreter."

A guard stood beside Deng Zilong and reported in a low voice.

Deng Zilong nodded and ordered someone to bring an interpreter; he was going to meet the North Korean officials on Jeju Island. At that very moment, the North Korean officials on Jeju Island rushed over in a panic to greet the envoy.

"Your humble servant, Kim Sam-soon, Inspector General of Jeolla Province, pays his respects to Your Excellency!"

After arriving at Deng Zilong's place in a flurry of travel, Kim Sam-soon immediately greeted him in fluent Chinese.

Deng Zilong glanced at Kim Sam-soon and chuckled, "Kim Sam-soon's Chinese is really excellent."

Kim Sam-soon smiled modestly: "I studied at the Imperial Academy of our country for three years, and I have always admired our culture and language. Moreover, in our Joseon, whether it is the King or ordinary people, everyone takes pride in being able to speak Chinese and write Chinese characters."

Deng Zilong chuckled and said, "That's good. You should all study hard in the future."

Just as Deng Zilong's vanguard fleet landed on Jeju Island, Luo Longwen paced anxiously back and forth in a luxurious mansion in Seogwipo.

This once-glorious strategist of Yan Shifan has now infiltrated the North Korean bureaucracy and become a local celebrity.

But at this moment, Luo Longwen was extremely panicked.

Gone was his usual composure; the cunning and greed in his eyes vanished instantly, leaving only an indescribable panic.

"My lord, we just received news that the Ming navy has landed, and Kim Sam-soon even went to greet them personally. Could they be coming for us?"

Luo Longwen's butler rushed in, looking tense and frightened.

Luo Longwen jumped to his feet in agitation, his face turning deathly pale, his body trembling uncontrollably: "The Ming Dynasty navy is coming to Jeju Island? And with its main force? This is clearly coming for me!"

Luo Longwen was extremely excited. You see, when he came to Jeju Island, he brought with him several ships full of gold and silver that he had failed to transport back to the Ming Dynasty!
Therefore, Luo Longwen's biggest worry now is that the Ming Dynasty will find out about him, rob him of all his gold and silver, and send him to the underworld to meet the long-dead Yan Shifan.

In his excitement, Luo Longwen knocked over the small table in front of him, scattering the precious celadon tea set onto the floor with a crisp sound.

Over the years, he thought that he could enjoy his hard-earned wealth by fleeing to the ends of the earth. He never expected that his good days would last only a few years before his pursuers arrived.

"Quick! Prepare the boat, I need to leave Jeju Island immediately!"

Luo Longwen frantically gave orders to the butler, clearly having lost his composure and unable to think clearly.

The steward said with a worried look, "Master, going out to sea now would be too conspicuous. Besides, it would damage the foundation you've painstakingly built."

"A foundation? What's the point of a foundation when you're about to lose your life!"

Luo Longwen directly rebuked Guan Jian, but then he forced himself to calm down and continued to mutter to himself, "Yes, yes, you're right, we can't lose our composure."

After forcing himself to calm down, Luo Longwen took a deep breath, a sinister glint in his eyes, and finally said in a chilling tone, "Since the Ming Dynasty wants to come to Jeju Island to arrest people, they must get the approval of the Joseon court. I still have connections in Seoul."

Luo Longwen's eyes lit up!

It was as if they had found a way out.

Several days later, in Seoul, the capital of Joseon.

A small, inconspicuous sedan chair quietly entered through the back gate of the residence of Left Councilor Zheng Bin.

The person in the sedan chair, wearing a cloak, went straight to the inner room, led by a servant.

"Mr. Luo, how have you been?"

Zheng Bin sat upright in the hall, looking at the guests with a half-smile.

Luo Longwen took off his cloak and bowed deeply: "I will never forget the life-saving grace of Prime Minister Zheng."

Several years ago, when Luo Longwen first arrived in Jeju Island, he was able to establish himself in North Korea and obtain legal status through Zheng Bin's connections.

In return, Luo Longwen transferred some of the gold and silver he had received to this important Korean official.

"I heard that General Qi Jiguang of the Celestial Empire is coming to Jeju Island?"

Zheng Bin sipped his tea slowly, then looked up at Luo Longwen and chuckled softly, "Mr. Luo, you're in deep trouble."

Luo Longwen's information network was not as efficient as Zheng Bin's; he was unaware that Zheng Bin was setting him up.

At this moment, Luo Longwen only wanted to save his life. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead as he suppressed his excitement and said, "I beg Prime Minister Zheng to intervene and prevent the Ming Dynasty navy from anchoring at Jeju Island. I, Luo, am willing to offer 50,000 taels of silver!"

A glint of greed flashed in Zheng Bin's eyes, but he remained outwardly calm: "It's difficult. Korea is a vassal state of the Celestial Empire. How dare Your Majesty disobey the decree of the Ming Emperor?"

"One hundred thousand taels!"

Luo Longwen gritted his teeth and added, "In addition to the estates and merchant fleets in Seogwipo, Jeju Island."

Zheng Bin's old face immediately broke into a bright smile, like a chrysanthemum. He knew Luo Longwen had money, but he never expected Luo Longwen to have so much money.

Although Luo Longwen was very intelligent and capable during the Ming Dynasty.

However, his intelligence and ability were all based on Yan Shifan's initial trust and reliance on him.

Therefore, in the eyes of a seasoned veteran like Zheng Bin, such cleverness and strength are nothing more than a fox borrowing the tiger's power.

Moreover, Korea was a self-contained system. Although it was subordinate to the Ming Dynasty, it was still autonomous in its domestic and military affairs.

Therefore, Luo Longwen's attempt to establish a foothold in North Korea by relying on his intelligence is futile.

Moreover, North Korea is also known as "Little China" because its internal power struggles and distribution of benefits are arguably even more intense than those of the Ming Dynasty.

After all, North Korea has very few resources. If it doesn't fight fiercely, it can hardly even guarantee its basic needs.

Therefore, within the court, these seemingly low-ranking Korean officials actually possessed astonishing political skills.

Otherwise, they wouldn't have remained so impoverished.

Clearly, this group of people has the gene for internal strife ingrained in their bones. Even hundreds of years later, even when the country is on the verge of collapse, they will still be obsessed with internal struggles!
As a result, in the original historical timeline, they not only split into North and South Korea, but they also continued to fight each other within their respective regions.

Today in the north, they're having a "no uncle" execution by cannon fire; tomorrow in the south, they'll be having a "six sticks in one second" loyalty execution.

In short, it's all about creating a spectacle; it's about being enthusiastic about this kind of classical art of political struggle, without any desire to maintain any semblance of decorum.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

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