Zhu Yuanzhang in the cellar

Chapter 147: Blame Japan
In the 1383th year of Hongwu, AD, after the beginning of spring, five ironclad ships slowly sailed into the Yangtze River and headed towards the estuary.

Last September, Ming Dynasty built its first ironclad ship.

The first ship was actually completed in July, and the second ironclad ship was also completed in September. However, it took two months from completion to launching and sea trials.

After confirming that the first ironclad ship was fully capable of sailing, that all weapons and equipment test firings were smooth, and that it had already sailed out of the Yangtze River and entered the East China Sea for a cruise, the Ming Dynasty officially began to deploy its troops.

The factory in Huangzhuang was fully started. Steel plates were sent to the workshop, cut and polished into proportional plates according to specifications, and then sent to the shipyard for assembly.

There are welding joints and splicing joints on the steel plate. After being assembled and welded, it will become very strong.

It is also thanks to the fact that the imperial farm has trained a large number of skilled technical workers in recent years who are able to use all kinds of modern tools. Otherwise, it would have been impossible to build an ironclad ship so quickly.

The most important thing is that this ironclad ship is not large in tonnage, and there are many wooden structures inside, such as decks and cabins. With the craftsmen working overtime, the third, fourth, and fifth ships were soon built like dumplings.

If these ships were placed in later generations, they would not even be comparable to cruise ships. At most, they would be a small 500-ton ocean-going fishing vessel. Compared with aircraft carriers, they are simply younger brothers among younger brothers and there is no comparison at all.

But in the Ming Dynasty, contemporary sea vessels, such as the Ming Fu ships, exceeded ironclad ships in tonnage and length, but in terms of combat effectiveness, they were completely defeated by ironclad ships.

Not to mention the ships from other countries, they are no different from small boats.

In February of the beginning of spring, after half a year of construction, three more ironclad ships were built, and they had all passed the sea trials without any problems. At Zhu's command, they set sail!

Zhu Yunfeng and Ji He did not go.

Of course they couldn't go.

Fighting the Japanese invaders was a national hatred and family feud for the Ming Dynasty and future generations.

But long-distance voyages are risky after all, and even an ironclad ship cannot guarantee 100% that it can survive a storm.

So to be safe, just stay at home and wait for good news.

There were no satellites in those days, so going out to sea was entirely dependent on the compass. However, there was one good thing, which was navigation software with a track recording function.

Without the Internet or satellites, it can record the navigation trajectory. Although it cannot navigate in real time, through real-time recording, people can know where they are and in which direction to sail.

The naval generals were Wu Zhong, Marquis of Jinghai, and Liao Quan, Marquis of Deqing. They were descendants of Wu Zhen and Liao Yongzhong, the first naval commanders of the Ming Dynasty. They were good at naval battles, so it was natural for them to be sent out.

Amid the roar of its engines, the ironclad ships carrying hundreds of tons of diesel and all kinds of food, fresh water, and guns rumbled towards the Japanese island.

In ancient society, maritime communications between China and Japan often took more than ten days, or even one or two months, to arrive.

比如鉴真东渡，753年11月16号出发，12月20日才到。

And it was the shortest route, starting from Suzhou and arriving in Satsuma, Japan, which is Kagoshima in later generations. The whole journey was only 800 kilometers, but it took a month.

The fastest route in later generations, direct shipping from Shanghai to Tokyo, only takes 24 hours, and ordinary shipping only takes 60 hours.

It’s not that ships in later generations are faster, but that in ancient times the most dangerous thing about crossing the ocean was getting lost.

In the vast ocean, although we can rely on the sun, moon and stars to locate ourselves, it is common to deviate from our route when the sea breeze blows.

If you are not careful, it may be aimed at Japan, but drift to Taiwan, Guangzhou or Hainan.

If there is navigation, the speed will be much faster.

After all, the actual distance between China and Japan is less than one thousand kilometers. Even at the minimum speed of 15 knots per hour, three days is enough for a round trip.

Each ironclad ship is equipped with a central control computer, which is kept running by the engine power supply system. It only has a few navigation software on it, which monitors its position in real time and communicates through walkie-talkies.

They were also equipped with shortwave walkie-talkies, which enabled them to communicate with Nanjing at any time. In terms of their level of advancement, they had reached the level of post-World War II.

In just two days, they crossed the East China Sea and arrived in Satsuma.

At this time, Japan was in the late Northern and Southern Dynasties. Emperor Go-Daigo promoted the Restoration of Imperial Rule, which aroused the dissatisfaction of the samurai class. He was overthrown by the samurai class led by Ashikaga Takauji, who fled to Yoshino in the south to establish the Southern Dynasty.

In the early days, the Southern Dynasty was still very powerful. Relying on the reputation of Emperor Go-Daigo, many people supported him from all over the country, and the two sides entered the initial confrontation stage.

After the death of Emperor Go-Daigo, the Empire's power declined, and at one point only a small piece of land in the south remained. Even Emperor Go-Daigo's successor, Emperor Go-Murakami, fled to Kamaseki, further south.

But after the Ashikaga clan resolved external conflicts, internal conflicts broke out.

In the process of Ashikaga Takauji establishing the Muromachi shogunate, his younger brother Ashikaga Tadayoshi played a very important role, so Ashikaga Tadayoshi was very powerful and was the second-in-command of the Muromachi shogunate.

In order to monopolize power and force his brother to leave the center of power, Ashikaga Takauji planned the event of Takauji going to Kyoto to attack Ashikaga Tadayoshi.

After this incident, Ashikaga Tadayoshi was forced to become a monk.

However, Ashikaga Tadayoshi's faction was powerful. When Ashikaga Takauji sent troops to attack his supporters, Ashikaga Tadayoshi raised troops again, and the Kan'o Rebellion broke out in the Northern Court.

This incident dealt a heavy blow to Ashikaga Takauji, who was forced to surrender to the Southern Court. The Shohei Dynasty unified the country, and the Southern Court rose for a time, even driving Ashikaga Takauji out of Kyoto and regaining the capital of the Northern Court for a time.

However, this kind of unity without resolving internal contradictions came quickly and went away quickly.

After Ashikaga Takauji eliminated Ashikaga Tadayoshi and launched a counterattack against the Southern Court, the Southern Court was once again defeated by the Muromachi shogunate, and its power was gradually eroded by the Muromachi shogunate.

By 1383 AD, during the reigns of Emperor Go-Komatsu of the Northern Dynasty and Emperor Go-Kameyama of the Southern Dynasty, only He Mingsheng and a small surrounding area remained of the Southern Dynasty.

Then there were a few feudal territories in the north that nominally supported the Southern Dynasty, including Dewa, Mutsu, Shinano, Mikawa, Totomi, and Shima.

Moreover, these vassal states were not unified internally, as many families supported the Northern Dynasty while others supported the Southern Dynasty.

For example, the Kira clan, Imagawa clan, Hosokawa clan, Isshiki clan, Kikuchi clan and so on in Mikawa, they first followed the Northern Dynasty and then the Southern Dynasty, and were fickle.

Basically they help whoever is stronger. Although their slogans are loud, they can't actually help much.

So the Southern Dynasty is almost at its end today. Historically, in 1392 AD, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu unified Japan and established the Muromachi shogunate, which was at its peak.

The one who killed the Ming envoy was the regent prince of the Southern Dynasty, Prince Huailiang.

The Ming Dynasty sent troops this time to use this excuse to punish Japan.

The silver ironclad ships slowly sailed towards the shore of Satsuma. Since there was no port, they stopped on the coastline to avoid running aground.

The tall, broad, ironclad hull stunned the Japanese fishermen on the beach.

They first showed expressions of fear on their faces, and then in panic, they threw down their fishing nets and other tools, and ran inland while shouting and dancing.

Seeing this, Wu Zhong on the main ship curled his lips and said to Liao Quan beside him: "Why are the Japanese so short and the clothes they wear are so tattered."

Liao Quan laughed and said, "Like a group of monkeys."

"These people dared to kill the angels of the upper kingdom. It seems that your majesty is merciful and did not send troops in the past few years. Otherwise, they would have been slaughtered long ago."

"Your Majesty, there is nothing you can do. In the early years of the Ming Dynasty, the country was poor and the people were weak, and there was also the Northern Yuan Dynasty. You had no choice but to swallow your anger. Now that you have a strong army and horses, you should..."

"By the way, where did these things come from? Rumor has it that they were all made by His Royal Highness the King of Wu and the Duke of Chu, as well as the motorcycle and tricycle."

Wu Zhong asked curiously, "You have previously served Your Majesty in the expeditions against Emperor Yuan, Yunnan, and Liaodong. Do you know anything about the hidden story?"

"Shhh."

Liao Quan was startled and looked around quickly, fearing that the surrounding soldiers might be hiding Jinyiwei secret guards eavesdropping. Seeing that the soldiers on the surrounding decks were far away, he whispered, "Don't talk about this. Are you dying?"

"what?"

Wu Zhong was also startled by him and asked in a low voice: "Is this a big deal?"

"That's something you can't even touch. Don't talk about it."

Liao Quan whispered, "The general once asked His Majesty about this before. Do you know what His Majesty said?"

"What did he say?" "His Majesty said this is the highest secret of the Ming Dynasty. Anyone who digs deeper will be executed!"

"This"

Wu Zhong opened his eyes wide.

He previously served as deputy commander of the Imperial Guard, which was stationed outside the north of the imperial palace and did not enter the palace. He also did not follow Zhu Yuanzhang in his conquests, so he really didn't know about these things.

In fact, many people have seen the changes in the Ming Dynasty.

The common people did not understand what was happening. They just thought that under the wise leadership of Your Majesty and the Crown Prince, the Ming Dynasty began to undergo earth-shaking changes.

However, those powerful people understood that those new and epoch-making products were definitely not something that the Ming Dynasty could produce.

Otherwise, why haven't they seen or heard of it before?

So where does it come from?

Considering the sudden appearance of His Royal Highness the King of Wu and the Duke of Chu, it is only after their appearance that such changes occurred. The answer is self-evident.

Therefore, many people speculated that His Royal Highness the Prince of Wu and the Duke of Chu must be hermits or have some magical powers, otherwise His Majesty and the Crown Prince would not protect them so much.

And they would not think that the two had returned from overseas and brought advanced technology from overseas.

Because this is not the Qin Dynasty, Xu Fu can deceive Qin Shihuang into asking him about the elixir of life overseas.

By the Ming Dynasty, the people of the Ming Dynasty had a clear understanding of the world, as evidenced by the world map "Ming Hunyitu" produced in the 22nd year of Hongwu.

The southern coastal areas have been trading with countries around the world since the Song Dynasty, and sea transportation even reached Africa at one point. So, the lower-class people of the Ming Dynasty may not know what the world is like, but the powerful and wealthy must know it.

As for what specific magical means it was, they couldn't imagine it.

After all, within their knowledge, they have no idea about the future or time travel.

In comparison, Mao Xiang, Jiang Li and other guards knew more of the truth, but they kept it secret. Once a guard got drunk and told a few friends about this, and his friends told their friends.

As a result, seventeen people found out about this and Zhu Yuanzhang ordered all of them to be executed.

But in fact, the guard only said that he had gone to the square outside the Qianqing Palace to move things, and those things came out of the underground palace out of thin air.

Therefore, Mao Xiang, Jiang Li and others became silent from then on, and dared not drink recklessly and make mistakes. They were even worried about sleeping and did not dare to sleep with their family members, for fear that they would let the cat out of the bag in their sleep and their entire family would be executed.

While the two were talking, a group of people suddenly came from a distance.

The leader was wearing strange armor, with his hair shaved in the middle and his hair on the temples and back tied up to form a crescent shape on his head.

This is the style of hair that has been popular since the Kamakura period, and Satsuma is also the birthplace of the hair style.

The man was probably in his fifties. He did not ride a horse but was carried by two people in a sedan chair. The sedan chair had a chair in the middle and bamboo poles tied to both sides, which swayed from time to time.

This is a bamboo sedan. As for the traditional Japanese aristocratic travel tool, the sedan chair was popular in the Edo period and is not seen now.

The team, which consisted of several hundred people, came to the shore in a mighty procession and looked at the ships in the distance.

For fear of running aground, the ships were relatively far away, and people on shore could not see clearly. They could only see a dark fleet, with no idea of ​​their size or specific appearance in the sea.

The two sides confronted each other for a while.

Wu Liang put down the telescope and said in surprise: "I thought they were going to send someone over."

Through the telescope, he saw that the other party was sitting there leisurely, with no intention of sending anyone over. It was obvious that they were waiting for the Ming army to come ashore on their own initiative.

"The Japanese are so rude. They treat the envoys from a superior country like this and bully the Ming Dynasty."

Liao Quan said dissatisfiedly: "Someone come."

"general."

"Get off the boat and follow me."

"Yes."

The subordinates immediately ordered the small boat to be launched.

Soon a wooden boat about seven or eight meters long was lowered, and more than a dozen guards carrying guns followed Liao Quan onto the boat.

Wu Liang didn't stop him either.

They had guns in their hands, so they didn't need to worry about hundreds of Japanese pirates.

Soon the boat rowed towards the shore. When it was about ten meters away from the enemy, Liao Quan stood at the bow and shouted, "Do you understand what I'm saying, Japanese?"

"Are they Ming people?"

"Oh no! Could it be that the Ming people are coming to attack us?"

"Don't be afraid. The Yuan people were so powerful back then, but we still defeated them, didn't we?"

The leading warriors immediately started chattering.

Chinese is not popular in Japan because it is a language that only the top aristocrats can speak.

The common people, ordinary warriors, and nobles simply didn't understand.

So even though they knew the other party was speaking Chinese, they didn't know how to respond.

Only the leader, Shimazu Morikyu, could barely understand a few words. He was the guardian of Satsuma, a local daimyo of Satsuma Province, and could barely be considered an upper-class noble.

Moreover, Satsuma is very close to the Ming Dynasty. Since the Song Dynasty, many merchants from the Central Plains have chosen this place as their first stop, so he knows a little Chinese.

After hearing what the other party said, Shimazu Shikyu first appeased his followers with a few words, and then said to Liao Quan in an arrogant manner in stiff Chinese: "Are you Ming people? What are you doing in my country of Japan?"

"Ah."

Liao Quan sneered, "Back then, the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty asked you to control the Japanese pirates and pay tribute to the Ming Dynasty, but you went and killed the envoys of the Ming Dynasty and threatened that if the Ming Dynasty invaded, you would be ready to fight. Now we are here, and we want your king to kneel down and surrender, and go to the Ming Dynasty with us to apologize, otherwise Japan will kill everyone!"

"Ok?"

Shimazu Morikyuu was stunned at first, and then he laughed as if he had heard the funniest joke in the world: "Hahahaha, are you dreaming? With your power, you think you can conquer Japan?"

"boom!"

A gunshot was heard, and a bloody hole appeared on Shimazu Shikyu's forehead. His eyes were wide open with a look of disbelief on his face.

"I like to laugh, why don't you laugh?"

Liao Quan put down the gun in his hand, waved his hand and said: "Shoot, kill them all!"

"Bang bang bang!"

The Japanese on the shore had not yet reacted and were all in shock. More than a dozen guards opened fire.

For a moment, screams were heard one after another on the shore, and fear spread quickly. Many warriors dropped their swords as if they had seen a ghost, and ran inland with horror on their faces.

Liao Quan's eyes narrowed slightly, and he grinned grimly: "Chase him and clean him up!"

Kill my Ming envoy.

Although it is far away, it will be punishable!

(End of this chapter)