Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 176 Diaoyu Island! Traitor!
"Your Highness, are we really not going to set out until the envoys return with news from Japan?"

Standing on the warship, Zhang Fu was obviously a little uneasy.

"His Majesty the Emperor has repeatedly ordered His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to move his troops back to the capital."

"Your Highness is leading the soldiers to attack Japan. I'm afraid that's not a good idea, right?"

Zhu Yunhuan ignored him, but Zhu Neng next to him could no longer hold back.

"Mr. Zhang, what are you afraid of?"

"Have you not heard that 'a general shall be in a state of emergency and shall not be disobeyed by the king'?"

"Right now, our Ming navy has just wiped out the Japanese pirates and pacified Taiwan, and morale is high."

"Now is the time to make a concerted effort to conquer Japan."

"If we move our troops back to the capital, we won't know when we'll be able to go on the expedition again."

"The Japanese allowed their warriors to harass our coastal borders and kill our Ming people."

"It's time to teach him a lesson."

"What's more, this time, His Royal Highness is avenging his mother, which is in accordance with the will of heaven and human nature."

"We should just follow His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and fight the war. Why are you talking so much nonsense?"

After being choked for a few times, Zhang Fu finally kept silent.

Zhu Yunhuan gazed at the distant horizon, his heart filled with excitement.

After the war to suppress the Japanese pirates and the war to recover Taiwan Island, the Ming Navy had initially completed its running-in process and had gained relatively rich experience in the use of firearms and naval warfare.

Today's Ming Dynasty Navy can truly be called an elite force.

This is also the reason why Zhu Yunhuan did not lead them directly to the expedition to Japan, but instead first pacified the Japanese pirates along the coast and recovered Taiwan.

To put it bluntly, this kind of low-intensity and low-intensity war is just the right opportunity for the newly trained Ming Navy to practice.

During the novice phase, you always increase your strength gradually.

The second is to wait for Yao Guangxiao's reconnaissance department to send people to Japan to inquire first.

This would also prevent the army from arriving there and still being in the dark.

As for Lao Zhu’s reaction.

There is no doubt that he will be furious and extremely angry.

Just ignore him for now.

After we get back, I'll just apologize and comfort him.

While I was thinking about it, I saw a not-so-big island appear on the sea in the distance.

Ma He spread out the map, picked up the telescope and looked through it, then said with a smile, "That should be Diaoyu Island."

"In the past few years, His Majesty the Emperor has sent envoys to the Ryukyu Kingdom several times."

"The envoy's fleet passed by here."

"This place used to be under the jurisdiction of the Penghu Inspection Office, but now it is deserted."

Diaoyu Island?
Upon hearing this, Zhu Yunhuan immediately became interested and ordered the command ship to approach. He then lowered the sampan and rowed the boat to the island.

Ma He, Zhu Neng, Zhang Fu and others followed closely.

Although there is no one on the island, there are still traces of fishermen's activities on the shore.

When we boarded Diaoyu Island, the sky was clear, the weather was gentle, and the waves on the sea shimmered until the sea and sky merged into one, which was a beautiful sight.

Zhu Yunhuan could not help but sigh with emotion and said, "This place is very important. Although it is a small island, it is also a must-go place for the Japanese pirates to go south to Taiwan, Penghu and other places."

After saying that, he asked people to find a huge stone, engraved the five words "Da Ming Diaoyu Island" on it, and signed it as "Established by the Grandson of the Emperor of Da Ming in the 26th year of Hongwu".

Then he said, "Diaoyu Island has excellent feng shui. I like this place."

"From today on, this place will be my maritime territory."

"From now on, I will send people here every year to worship the sea god."

"Send a message to the government offices in Taiwan, and have them guard this place for me. If it is invaded by pirates, bandits, or other foreign enemies, I will hold them responsible."

Zhu Neng and Zhang Fu looked at each other, both of them puzzled.

Ma He quickly knelt down and said, "I congratulate His Royal Highness the Crown Prince for receiving the favor of the sea god on Diaoyu Island. This is a sign of the prosperity of the Ming Dynasty. It is cause for celebration."

Zhu Neng and Zhang Fu seemed to have just woken up from a dream, and hurriedly followed suit to congratulate.

Zhu Yunhuan laughed loudly and ordered, "Release the carrier pigeons to report the auspicious news to the court."

……

At this time, Japan had just experienced the Northern and Southern Dynasties War which lasted for several decades.

It was this war that caused a large number of defeated warriors to flee into the sea and into the territory of the Ming Dynasty, thus triggering the Japanese pirate rebellion.

Zhu Yunhuan had some vague impression of this history of Japan.

He was in a hurry to lead his troops here, also for this reason.

The Northern and Southern Dynasties War finally ended with the victory of the North, and Japan entered the era of Muromachi shogunate rule.

However, in Zhu Yunhuan's view, the Southern Dynasty was clearly the orthodox one.

If that doesn't work, co-governance by the Northern and Southern Dynasties is also possible.

The Muromachi shogunate was a rebellious act and should be punished.

The Ming Navy supported the legitimate emperor and quelled the civil unrest in Japan with every justification!
On the way north, the Ming Navy first passed through Ryukyu.

At this time, Ryukyu was still divided into three countries, namely Zhongshan, Shanbei and Shannan, and all three countries paid tribute to the Ming Dynasty.

When the Ming navy passed by, they took the opportunity to demonstrate the power of their strong ships and powerful guns.

The kings of the three kingdoms then rushed to pay homage and presented countless rare treasures.

However, Zhu Yunhuan did not order the Ming navy to stay here, and soon continued to head north.

……

the other side.

After going through untold hardships, Huang Zicheng finally set foot on the territory of Japan.

He suffered a lot along the way.

This is different from the navy led by Zhu Yunhuan, which was composed entirely of large ships.

The boat Huang Zicheng was on was much smaller.

The sea was windy and rough, making it extremely bumpy.

Huang Zicheng was originally a weak scholar with a frail body, so how could he endure such suffering?

Seasickness is a hundred times more painful than motion sickness.

By the time he arrived in Japan, he felt like he was only half alive.

It's finally arrived.

Huang Zicheng immediately handed over the letter of credence and requested to see the Emperor of Japan.

Japan attaches great importance to the arrival of Ming envoys.

Soon, he was received by Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, the third shogun of the Muromachi shogunate.

"I chopped off the heads of the Ming envoys who came last time, leaving only two alive to pass on the message."

"You still dare to send someone here now? Aren't you afraid that I will kill you?"

As soon as Ashikaga Yoshimitsu saw Huang Zicheng, he immediately gave him a warning.

"The Yuan Dynasty didn't make our country surrender, so it's even more impossible for the Ming Dynasty today."

"Go back to where you came from."

"Go back and tell your Great Ming Emperor that if he dares to send envoys to our country to show off his power again, I will kill him!"

"Also, it is the glory of your Ming Dynasty that our warriors go to Ming Dynasty." "You should welcome them."

"It is simply wishful thinking for us to restrain the warriors and not allow them to go."

"The Ming Dynasty can't even defeat our country's wandering warriors, yet it has the audacity to say it wants to invade our country. How ridiculous! Hahahaha!"

Ashikaga Yoshimitsu's expression and words were extremely arrogant.

Speaking of which, Japan's attitude towards China has been constantly changing.

As early as the Tang and Song dynasties, Japan had extremely admired the Central Plains culture.

But later the Song Dynasty was destroyed by the Yuan Dynasty, and Japan's attitude took a sharp turn for the worse.

In their eyes, the once prosperous Central Plains culture had been completely destroyed in the Battle of Yashan.

And I am the orthodox inheritor of Central Plains culture.

From then on, Japan looked upon the Central Plains with contempt.

In addition, the Yuan army encountered a hurricane when it invaded Japan, which made Japan even more confident.

Before this, they admired and feared the Central Plains dynasty very much.

After this, Japan believed that the cultural heritage of the Central Plains had been cut off and that it had no ability to march overseas, so it no longer had any fear.

Prior to this, Zhu Yuanzhang, with the idea of "peace is the most precious", sent diplomatic missions to Japan twice.

Unexpectedly, twice in a row, all the members of the delegation were killed by Japan, leaving only the chief envoy and the deputy envoy alive, who were humiliated and sent back to Ming Dynasty.

If it were another emperor, he would definitely be furious and might even send troops to Japan to demand punishment.

But Zhu Yuanzhang was unwilling to start a rebellion because of this, so he swallowed his anger.

He stated that "Ming Dynasty withdrew its troops for the sake of world peace, and Japan's failure to repay the favor is disloyalty." He also wrote a letter to Japan saying "I am magnanimous and will not argue with you."

But the more they did this, the less Japan took the Ming Dynasty seriously.

Therefore, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu treated the envoys from the Ming Dynasty with such an attitude.

Of course, this is also due to the poor information exchange in this era.

The news that the Ming navy went out to sea to suppress the Japanese pirates was already known to everyone in the Ming Dynasty, but Japan was still completely unaware of it.

Otherwise, it's time to change your attitude.

The Japanese officials around were all laughing and looking at the Ming envoys with great contempt.

Huang Zicheng was extremely angry. He never thought that he, as an envoy of a superior country, would be treated like this by Japan. He wanted to leave on the spot.

But when he thought of the big plan in his heart, he endured it and said:
"I am not here to show off my power, nor am I here to call for punishment. I am here to plan something big with you."

A hint of surprise flashed across Ashikaga Yoshimitsu's eyes.

In the past, after being humiliated, the Ming Dynasty’s envoys would become furious and retaliate.

However, I didn’t expect that the envoys coming this time were different.

Ashikaga Yoshimitsu asked, "What big thing are you planning?"

Huang Zicheng looked at the envoys on his left and right and other officials present.

Ashikaga Yoshimitsu was secretly puzzled, and immediately dismissed the others, leaving only the samurai guards.

"I would like to ask your country to send troops to the Ming Dynasty!" After everyone else left, Huang Zicheng expressed his thoughts: "The Emperor of the Ming Dynasty is old and confused, and he has made Zhu Yunhuan the crown prince."

"This boy is cruel and inhumane, and has committed atrocities, causing the wrath of heaven and people all over the Ming Dynasty."

"If your country is willing to send troops at this time to help our Ming Dynasty to clear the emperor's side, depose the crown prince, and establish a new emperor, it will be a great achievement."

Ashikaga Yoshimitsu was stunned when he heard this.

Although he was arrogant and did not take the Ming envoys seriously, he was also very clear that the Ming was a truly great power.

Dominate the continent with strong military and military power.

It has a vast territory and strong national power, which is a hundred times more prosperous than our own country.

All he relied on was the vast ocean that separated his territory from the Ming Dynasty.

No matter how strong the other party is, they can't defeat us, so why should we be afraid of them?

But, take the initiative to send troops to attack the Ming Dynasty?
Ashikaga Yoshimitsu felt that the mere thought of it was too crazy.

Huang Zicheng saw the other party's hesitation and said quickly: "General, just imagine that even the wandering warriors of your country can dominate the coast of my Ming Dynasty and repeatedly defeat my Ming army."

"If your country organizes a large army to go on the expedition, why worry about not being able to defeat the army of our Ming Dynasty?"

"General, this opportunity is rare and will never come back."

"The Crown Prince is currently in power, and the people are dissatisfied."

"As long as your country can send out troops, I will win over the ministers and act as an internal supporter in the Ming Dynasty."

"In this way, why should your country worry about not being victorious?"

"After deposing the Crown Prince and supporting Prince Heng to ascend the throne, the wealth of our Ming Dynasty will be at your disposal."

A fierce light flashed in Ashikaga Yoshimitsu's eyes, and he breathed rapidly, saying, "Are you serious?"

"Can you agree to any conditions?"

Huang Zicheng looked up and saw Ashikaga Yoshimitsu's greedy and ferocious eyes, and immediately realized that this was a wolf that could never be fed.

If we agree to his conditions, I'm afraid the people of the Ming Dynasty will suffer.

And he himself will also bear the stigma of being a "traitor".

but.

He thought of the imprisoned Prince Xian Zhu Yunwen, and after a moment's hesitation, he gritted his teeth and said, "General, just put forward your conditions. All that can be agreed to will be agreed to by the Ming Dynasty."

"Good!" Ashikaga Yoshimitsu was overjoyed.

He never had any plans to invade the Ming Dynasty.

But if the Ming Dynasty takes the initiative to ask for it, and there is someone behind the scenes who is willing to agree to any conditions proposed by you, then you have to think carefully.

"Come here, please give this envoy from the Ming Dynasty a good hospitality."

Ashikaga Yoshimitsu smiled and said, "I still need to discuss the matter of going to war with Ming with others."

"We have to negotiate the terms and sign an alliance before we can officially send troops."

Huang Zicheng bowed and said, "This is a natural thing. Everything is up to the general."

"The Central Plains is rich. Once your army conquers the capital, you can search for food, gold, silver, and cloth for ten days. You can transport them back to your country."

Ashikaga Yoshimitsu laughed out loud, extremely excited.

"This general also wants a piece of land for our country to have friendly exchanges with the Ming Dynasty for generations. How do you think?"

He already had his wishful thinking in mind.

With a piece of land, they can use it as a springboard to gradually erode the entire Ming Dynasty.

Huang Zicheng was stunned. He didn't expect that Japan had such a big appetite.

Cede land?

That would be like inviting a wolf into the house, which would cause endless trouble!
For a moment, even he didn't dare to agree.

Ashikaga Yoshimitsu's face suddenly turned cold.

"What? You're not willing to agree to this small request?"

"I..." Huang Zicheng hesitated for a while, and finally said ruthlessly: "Okay!"

"Hahaha!" Ashikaga Yoshimitsu laughed triumphantly.

It was as if he had already seen the beautiful picture of the Ming Dynasty crawling at his feet, allowing him to have whatever he wanted.

However, they did not know that at this time, the Ming Dynasty naval fleet led by Zhu Yunhuan had left the Ryukyu Kingdom and was heading towards Japan.

……

(End of this chapter)