Ming Dynasty: My Father Zhang Juzheng

The sky is blue and the sea is blue, and the sun is warm and gentle.

The air was filled with gunpowder and the smell of the sea. Hundreds of large ships were densely packed together, breaking through the waves and covering the sky, like long golden dragons.

On the side of the long dragon, sixteen cannons were neatly arranged.

The pitch-black muzzle emitted bursts of cold light under the sunlight.

Looking at the giant dragon that suddenly appeared, Otomo Chiyoko and the guard general were stunned.

This was the first time they had seen such a large warship.

If compared with their own warships, their own warships become shabby little fishing boats.

"General, what kind of warship is that?" Otomo Chiyoko asked suspiciously.

"I can't confirm it either." The escort commander shook his head, "But it shouldn't be a warship of the Mori family. I guess it should be a warship of the Ming Dynasty or the Portuguese."

Only they can have such a large fleet.

"Ming Dynasty and Portugal?" Otomo Chiyoko murmured, raised her snow-white face, pointed at the fleet in front and said, "Then let's go quickly. I would rather die in the hands of the Portuguese than in the hands of the Mori family!"

bang
Two more shells landed on the deck, and the blast was so loud that Chiyo Otomo fell to the ground.

The general of the guard was startled and looked back to see that the warships of the Mori family had caught up with them from behind. "Go ahead at full speed, don't fight back, don't fight back, go ahead at full speed!"

The sailors did not answer, but gritted their teeth and carried out the orders of the guard admiral.

Suddenly, the warship sped up and rushed towards the huge fleet in sight.

On the battleship.

Zhang Yunxiu stood on the keel of the ship, looking out with a telescope in his hand, and saw six ships appear in his field of vision.

Five of them besieged one, seemingly in a hostile relationship.

"Go and ask them to stop firing. I have something to ask them." Zhang Yunxiu frowned and ordered Han San.

"Yes." Han San came to the side from the main ship and led more than 20 frigates out of the fleet.

Arriving in front of the six-ship fleet, Han San glanced at the Japanese pirates beside him and ordered, "Shout out to the warships behind to cease fire, otherwise I will not let them off easily."

"Eh."

The Japanese pirates bowed, picked up a loud speaker, and shouted at the top of their voices: "Listen, people on the other side, we are the fleet of the Ming Empire. I order you to cease fire immediately. I order you to cease fire immediately."

The shouts echoed on the sea, and Otomo Chiyoko was delighted when she heard them.

It’s the Ming Dynasty’s fleet.

She had heard from her father and brother that the Ming fleet was their ally.

They are saved!
At the back, Kameda stamped his feet in anger and gnashed his teeth, "Damn it! Damn it! I was almost there, almost there, and I could have taken down the Otomo family!"

"Damn Ming people, do you really have to make things difficult for the Maori family?"

"Kameta-kun, let's retreat. There is an old Chinese saying that goes, 'He who knows the current situation is a hero.'" The wretched leader at the side reminded, "Look, their warships are numerous and large. If we fight head-on, we will definitely get hurt."

Kameda gritted his teeth and looked down at the sea level.

The twenty-odd frigates alone were enough to terrify him, not to mention the main ship behind them.

After scanning the area for a few seconds, Kameda squeezed out a word from between his teeth: "Retreat!"

In an instant, the five warships turned around, sped away, and soon disappeared without a trace.

Han San did not chase them, but urged the fleet to go up, surrounded the only remaining warship and asked: "Who are you, who are they, and why are they chasing you?"

Otomo Chiyoko could speak Chinese, and immediately came to the side of the boat and answered: "I am Otomo Chiyoko, the daughter of Otomo Sorin. The ones chasing us are the minions of the Mori family. Please save us, General."

Han San took a look.

The girl by the boat was wearing a long dress. Although her hair was disheveled and her face was dirty, it was still difficult to hide her pretty face.

He was stunned, thinking: Otomo Sorin's daughter? She's so young.

"General!"

"Ah? Please go ahead, miss."

Chiyoko Otomo blushed and said softly, "Our ship is already in tatters. Can we get on your warship to rest?"

"Yes, yes, of course." Han Sanlian nodded, and the look he gave them was like a big bad wolf looking at a little lamb.

A quarter of an hour later.

Han San led Otomo Chiyoko and a group of Otomo women to the main ship. When Zhang Yunxiu saw Otomo Chiyoko, he was slightly stunned, but quickly came to his senses: "Are you Otomo Sorin's daughter?"

"Yes, Governor-General." Chiyoko Otomo nodded slightly.

"I'm not a governor, you can just call me Zhang Yunxiu." Zhang Yunxiu smiled at her and asked, "By the way, what is the current situation of the Otomo family? How long can they hold on?"

Han San on the side secretly complained: It’s true that he is different when he sees a woman. Why isn’t he so kind to me?

Otomo Chiyoko heard the gentleness in his tone, smiled sweetly, and then replied with a tearful voice: "My father and brother have made up their minds to defend Funai Castle to the death. Please, Mr. Zhang, save my Otomo family."

Zhang Yunxiu did not agree directly. Most of his troops were navy, so naturally he had to go to the sea to compete with Toyotomi Hideyoshi.

"Sir." Otomo Chiyoko's eyes turned red and she looked at Zhang Yunxiu pitifully.

She was not tall and had a baby face. Her pitiful appearance made everyone feel sorry for her.

Zhang Yunxiu smiled and comforted him softly: "Don't worry, we will save the Otomo family.

But as you can see, most of us here are navy, and fighting on shore is not our strong point, so we have to cut off Toyotomi Hideyoshi's supply line first."

As he spoke, Zhang Yunxiu waved his hand and said, "Take these people down to rest."

"Sir." Chiyoko Otomo was anxious and stepped forward to grab Zhang Yunxiu's robe. "I beg you. Please save my brother and father. I beg you."

Zhang Yunxiu was quite helpless and stretched out his big hands to pry open Otomo Chiyoko's palms.

Turn around and leave.

Chiyoko Otomo stumbled and fell to the ground. When Mrs. Otomo saw this, she rushed forward to hug her distraught sister and comforted her repeatedly: "It will be fine, it will be fine, everything will be fine."

"Ladies and ladies, please go downstairs and wash up." Han San reminded at the right time.

"okay."

Mrs. Otomo and others quickly agreed.

About two hours passed.

Mrs. Otomo finished washing up and walked out of the bathroom wrapped in a gauze-like nightgown. Her hair was wet and steaming, and her fair skin was stained with water droplets that had not yet been wiped away.

In the light of the candle, her skin looked even more moist and attractive. Although she had given birth to a child, her figure had not changed at all, but was just the right size. Her skin was white and tender, and she looked no different from a girl in her twenties.

Next to her, Chiyo Otomo, wrapped herself tightly, her cheeks flushed, and ran into the bedroom like a frightened rabbit.

Mrs. Otomo smiled, wiped her slippery little feet, and followed him into the bedroom.

The bedroom was filled with fragrance and flickering candlelight. There were three compartments in total.

The outermost part is the reception room, and the middle part is the cloakroom.

The bedroom was at the back, with two large beds covered with red quilts, standing side by side on the north side. At the head of each bed, there was a bedside table with clean clothes on it.

On the left side of the big bed, there is a half-meter-wide window, and the cool sea breeze brings a refreshing feeling.

When Mrs. Otomo came in, Chiyoko Otomo was kneeling on the bed, staring out the window. At this moment, it was already dusk, and the blood-red sunset shone on the sea, turning the sea water into a deep black.

Seagulls circled in the dome, making joyful calls.

"Chiyoko." Mrs. Otomo sighed and called softly.

Chiyoko Otomo turned around, jumped up, and threw herself into Mrs. Otomo's arms: "Sister-in-law, my brother and father will survive, right? We will meet again, right?"

"Yes, I will. I will." Mrs. Otomo gently stroked her sister's back, her soft face full of love.

Otomo Chiyoko's emotions gradually stabilized, and she snuggled into her sister-in-law's arms.
Mrs. You smiled, sat on the big bed, pointed at the sunset outside and said, "I haven't seen such a beautiful sea view for a long time. It's so beautiful."

"Well, it would be nice if my brother and father were here." Chiyo Otomo echoed softly.

Mrs. Otomo suddenly felt depressed and looked down at her sister in her arms. Seeing her slim and graceful figure, she couldn't help but tease her, "Chiyoko has grown up and is a big girl. She will get married in the future and can't just stay in her father's and brother's arms all day long."

"Sister-in-law." Otomo Chiyoko's cheeks flushed, and she didn't answer.

Seeing her sister's charming and shy appearance, Mrs. Otomo was moved and whispered, "Chiyoko, there is actually a way that can not only save father and Yoshitsugu, but also make the Otomo family even more prosperous."

“What method?!” Chiyo Otomo’s eyes widened instantly.

"You." Mrs. Otomo looked at her sister and said.

"Me?" Otomo Chiyoko's eyes narrowed, not knowing what her sister-in-law meant.

Mrs. Otomo bit her lip and explained with some embarrassment, "I saw today that the young noble gentleman only had his eyes on you."

"I guess he's attracted to you."

As soon as he got on the boat today, Zhang Yunxiu's eyes were only on his sister. He just glanced at himself and left in a hurry.

This made Mrs. Otomo feel extremely disappointed. The highest compliment to a woman is to appreciate her beauty.

And he seemed to have no attraction to this young noble.

"Sister-in-law, please don't talk nonsense." Chiyoko Otomo defended with a red face.

"What am I talking about? Sister-in-law, don't you know about men?" Mrs. Otomo curled her lips with disdain, "Men, especially men in high positions like him, can't wait to take beautiful women into their rooms when they see them."

"Mr. Zhang is not the person you think he is." Otomo Chiyoko shook her head like a peddler's drum. "Besides, he is almost ten years older than me. At most, he treats me as his sister."

Mrs. Otomo smiled and shook her head without answering.

Chiyo Otomo broke free from her sister-in-law's arms and huddled herself into the big bed, leaving only a pair of big black eyes exposed as she looked out the window.

"Does he really like me?"

Otomo Chiyoko murmured, biting her rosy lips, and the scene of their first meeting in the daytime emerged in her mind. In her memory, Zhang Yunxiu was tall, with soft features, modest and polite.

He looks like the eldest brother in the tribe.

Later, she learned from Han San, the general who saved him today, that Zhang Yunxiu was a close confidant of the Ming Emperor and the son of the former regent of the Ming Dynasty.

Twenty-five years old this year.

When Han San said this, he looked very proud and respectful towards himself.

"Is it impossible? It's absolutely impossible. The Ming Dynasty is so big, there are so many beauties. How could he fall for a little girl like me?"

"It's even more impossible for you to change the established plan for me." As soon as that evil thought came to her mind, her face turned red and she felt her body was as hot as boiling water.

Chiyo Otomo shook her head wildly, throwing away her evil thoughts.

The night is deep.

The sea was surging with waves and cold air. Torches were lit on the deck, emitting a faint light. Zhang Yunxiu stood at the bow with his hands clasped behind his back, followed by Han San.

"Sir, it has been confirmed that most of Toyotomi Hideyoshi's food and fodder supplies are provided by the Mori family, and their fleet is in the sea ahead." Han San clasped his fists respectfully.

Zhang Yunxiu nodded: "Yes, if we defeat the Mori family's navy, Toyotomi Hideyoshi will no longer have any advantage at sea."

Han San smiled and winked, "Sir, you are far-sighted. You started preparing warships seven or eight years ago. Now our fleet is much more powerful than the Japanese pirates."

"If you ask me, even the Portuguese warships are no better than this."

Zhang Yunxiu smiled and shook his finger, cursing: "Every inch has its own strengths and weaknesses. The Portuguese have their strengths, and we also have our strengths.

You must be tolerant and absorb, so that you can learn from the strengths of each school. If you brag about yourself like you do, you will suffer a great loss. "

Han San didn't expect that he would flatter someone and hit the horse's hoof. His old face instantly turned red. Fortunately, he was thick-skinned and continued to flatter: "I have learned from you. Only you can do this. It's not unfounded. If it were someone else, he would have been so proud."

"You!"

Zhang Yunxiu shook his head helplessly.

The two have been friends for eight years, not only as master and servant, but also as close partners. Zhang Yunxiu regards Han San as his right-hand man, and knows all his "dirty deeds" in his heart.

So he smiled and said, "After we finish this battle, I will personally recommend you for the credit when we return."

"I am already content to be able to occupy the position of governor, and I dare not ask for anything else." Han San quickly waved his hand to refuse.

In the Jinyiwei, apart from the commander-in-chief, if there is no other external force, the Zhenfu of the Beizhenfusi is the second-in-command.

Even though it is only of the fourth grade, its power is extremely high.

In charge of the entire Jinyiwei's external affairs.

So, sometimes a promotion may not necessarily be a good thing.

"Don't worry, your position as pacification commander will not change." Zhang Yunxiu saw what he was thinking and assured him with a smile.

"Thank you, sir."

Han San agreed and looked up. Suddenly, a petite figure walked out from the shadows. He instantly became alert and shouted, "Who, who's there?"

"I can't sleep, so I went out for a walk." The figure of Chiyo Otomo appeared in front of the two men.

Han San looked strange, glanced at Zhang Yunxiu, then at the beauty in front of him, then smiled and found an excuse to get away. (End of this chapter)