The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 325 Hanging on the Southeast Branch

At the end of February in the second year of the Tianqi reign, the main military camp of Ping Liaohou was moved from Moji at the eastern end of Kyushu Island to Nagasaki in the west.

Nagasaki, as Japan's gateway to the outside world, has always been highly valued. After Tokugawa Ieyasu unified Japan, he established Nagasaki as a direct jurisdiction of the shogunate and set up a magistrate here, named Nagasaki Magistrate.

In addition, Nagasaki was also the territory of the Omura, Hirado, and Shimabara domains.

However, after the Battle of Kyushu, both the Bugyo and the three daimyo mentioned above were all wiped out by the Kaihara army.

They, along with their retainers and warriors, died at the hands of the Korean rebels, and no remains are left now.

After the signing of the Treaty of Niuguan, Nagasaki would become an important port for the shogunate's trade with the Ming Dynasty.

Restoring economic order in this port city is urgent.

Therefore, after the treaty was signed, Liu Zhaosun led the First Army of the Imperial Guard to station in Nagasaki.

He even moved into the luxurious official residence of his predecessor, Jin Yuji and Zhang Yan, using practical actions to show the outside world that the Kaiyuan Army was not the robbers and destroyers as rumored, but that they wanted to manage this city seriously.

While Japanese merchants in the streets of Nagasaki were still spreading rumors about the affair between Ping Liaohou and two beautiful women - the Japanese were most interested in such topics - the European caravans active in the port of Nagasaki had already realized that the trade order of various countries with Japan was about to be seriously disrupted.

A punitive action against the barbaric Tatars (whom the Kaiyuan Army regarded as barbarians) for disrupting free trade was secretly brewing among European caravans.

~~~~~~~
Nagasaki Bugyo's official residence.

In front of a screen with elegant paintings was a knife rack, on which was placed a tattered goose-feather knife.

A handsome military commander in kimono sat cross-legged on the exquisite and luxurious tatami, hunching his neck and looking around.

This sitting posture and movement is really indecent. It is obvious that he is not a real Japanese, at least not a qualified Nagasaki samurai.

Liu Zhaosun crossed his hands in front of his chest, blinked his eyes, and looked quite embarrassed.

At this moment, on both sides of Ping Liaohou's body, there was a stunningly beautiful woman kneeling.

"Ma'am, let me explain."

Liu Zhaosun moved his body to the left, secretly glanced at Jin Yuji's profile, and spoke in a stammering voice.

Jin Yuji looked unhappy and didn't even look at Liu Zhaosun.

Liu Zhaosun shrugged his shoulders, showing an innocent expression, and muttered:
"It was just a chance encounter. I drank too much that night and can't remember anything."

Jin Yuji raised her eyebrows and angrily said, "Drunk? You normally don't drink at all, how much did you drink that night?"

Ping Liaohou was about to make an argument when a girl in white clothes beside him started crying and said:

"Marquis Ping Liao, do you still remember Zhang Yuhe by Daming Lake that year?"

Liu Zhaosun was at a loss whether to laugh or cry:
"What do you mean by that year? Wasn't it last year? Is Daming Lake in Jinan? We were in Wendeng that night. Wait, who is Zhang Yuhe..."

As soon as he said it, he regretted it.

Jin Yuji's eyes widened and her hands clenched into fists.

Liu Zhaosun was terrified.

"There's also a Zhang Yuhe? Your Excellency is really..."

Jin Yuji waved her fists and was speechless for a moment.

The girl in white smiled at General Anyuan, turned around and looked at Ping Liaohou, and said coquettishly:
"Next to Wendeng County is Daming Lake. Yuhe is my pen name. I was so happy at the time that I remembered it for several days. But Ping Liaohou is a cold and indifferent person. He said he would forget it. That's all..."

Liu Zhaosun was speechless.

"Hold on, I really don't remember anything about that night."

He quickly begged for mercy.

The girl in white was unyielding:

"I still remember."

The stunning girl in white who calls herself Zhang Yuhe is the beautiful Zhang Yan.

Ever since the romantic encounter with Heping Liaohou last year, she has stayed in Weihaiwei.

Because she was Kang Yingqian's adopted daughter and was taken care of by the imperial concubine, everyone thought that she had a close relationship with the Marquis of Ping Liao, so all the civil officials in Wendeng tried their best to please this lady.

Zhang Yan waited in Wendeng for two months, waiting for the army to return victoriously, but no matter how long he waited, he never received any news from Ping Liaohou.

It was not until Kang Yingqian was recruited to Kyushu that he went to Wendeng to visit his colleagues, met Zhang Yan, and brought her to Nagasaki.

Hence, the story of "Zhang Yuhe broke into Fengxing Mansion at night, and the heartless man turned his back on her" came into being.

"This is a token of trust given to me by the Marquis of Ping Liao."

Zhang Yan handed over a folding fan, and just as Liu Zhaosun was about to reach out for it, Jin Yuji snatched it away.

When it was opened, one saw a painting of "Misty Rain" with thick ink and rich colors, strokes and dots, and a poem inscribed on it:
After the rain, lotus flowers receive the dew, and the whole city is filled with spring colors reflecting the morning sun.

The scenery on Daming Lake is beautiful, and the mountain of chess is high and the grace is long.

Liu Zhaosun's head was buzzing. He had indeed drunk that night and was completely drunk. He couldn't remember whether he had written any poems.

Jin Yu Ji angrily threw the folding fan into Liu Zhaosun's arms, stood up and left.

"What a rubbish poem!"

"Ma'am, I didn't write this."

Zhang Yan added:
"I know very well that this relationship may not last long, so to express my feelings, I also wrote an ancient Yuefu poem on a brocade handkerchief and gave it to Ping Liao Hou in return. The poem goes:

You should be like a rock, and I should be like a reed.

Cattails are as tough as silk and rocks are immovable.

"Marquis Ping Liao, is that handkerchief still on your chest?"

Seeing Zhang Yan so arrogant, Jin Yuji took a few steps and simply stopped moving. She stood at the entrance, put her hands on her hips, looked at Liu Zhaosun, and asked her husband:

"Are you still there?" "Huh?"

Liu Zhaosun looked confused and quickly put down his hands that were crossed in front of his chest.

"Handkerchief, the handkerchief that beauty gave you!"

As Jin Yuji spoke, her voice began to sob.

Seeing her tears, Liu Zhaosun shuddered, his face turned pale with fear, and he quickly shook his hands and said:

"No, no, no."

Jin Yuji immediately stopped crying, looked up at Zhang Yan, and said with disdain.

"Did you hear that? If that's the case, then hurry up and leave. Ping Liaohou is busy with military affairs and doesn't have time to fool around with a wild girl like you!"

Liu Zhaosun shrugged at Zhang Yan.

"Miss Zhang, I have military matters to discuss later. Can we talk about this later? This time you trespassed into the central army tent. Since this is your first offense, I will not pursue you..."

After Ping Liaohou finished speaking, he asked Pei Dahu to come in and see the guest off.

Pei Dahu, with a face full of flesh, was at a loss when he saw Zhang Yan still crying. He forced a smile on his scarred face, which was uglier than crying.

"Miss Zhang, please come in. Marquis Ping Liao still has..."

The head servant reached out to pull Zhang Yan.

At this time, several senior military and civil officials had been waiting at the door for a long time.

Kang Yingqian peeked inside, a strange smile appearing on his face from time to time.

Zhang Yan dodged Pei Dahu and suddenly cried loudly to Liu Zhaosun:
"Marquis Ping Liao! I'm three months pregnant, and the doctor says it's a boy... I come from a pure family, but now I'm committed to Marquis Ping Liao! That's why I came from Shandong to Japan. Even cattail grass is as tough as silk, and rock is immovable!"

The surroundings suddenly became silent, and you could hear a pin drop in the house.

Pei Dahu was stunned, like a crocodile that had just woken up from hibernation, with his jaw open for a long time.

Yuan Chonghuan and Sun Chuanting, who were standing at the door, looked at each other, and then looked at Kang Yingqian who was standing next to them. Neither of them spoke.

Kang Yingqian hid behind the entrance, his expression constantly changing and his beard trembling slightly.

Sen Ti and Ma Shiying, who had been waiting outside for a long time, pretended not to hear anything and turned around to leave the scene.

Deng Changxiong showed a look of surprise on his face, and then quickly regained his usual composure.

Several civil affairs officials looked at each other, not knowing what to say.

Liu Zhaosun was shocked by this sudden change and felt like he was back on the Hunhe battlefield.

Maybe it's even more dangerous than the time in Hunhe River.

He subconsciously stroked his beard, looked up at Jin Yuji who was deep in thought in the distance, and said to his wife:

“No, it’s impossible…”

He was still explaining when he heard Zhang Yan say resolutely:
"Forget it, he is such a cold-hearted person after all. I will leave the camp and find a crooked tree to hang myself on!"

After saying that, she pushed Pei Dahu, who was still hibernating, away and rushed out.

Jin Yuji looked back at her husband and hurriedly followed him out.

Liu Zhaosun winked at Pei Dahu, and Pei Dahu hurried out.

As the two women walked out of the Nagasaki Bugyo's residence, they ran into Shen Lian and Qiao Yiqi.

Shen Qiao and the other man were in a hurry and didn't pay any attention to Zhang Yan, who was in tears.

The two men hurried down the corridor and ran into Pei Dahu head-on.

Qiao Yiqi grabbed Pei Dahu who was still walking out.

Blurt out:
"Where are you going? Take us to see Marquis Ping Liao immediately. Something big has happened!!"

Pei Dahu didn't dare to neglect it and quickly asked the guard to take the two to the living room. He continued to chase the woman who wanted to commit suicide.

Liu Zhaosun looked at the breathless General Qiao.

"what's up?"

Seeing that Yuan Chonghuan, Xie Yang and the others were present, Qiao Yiqi jumped up three feet high in panic and said anxiously:

"The Red-haired Foreign Fleet is gathering in the Tsushima Strait, saying they want to attack us!"

Liu Zhaosun disagreed and said:

"Which red-haired barbarians? Just relying on their few ships?"

Shen Lian's eyes were calm as he took out a piece of paper covered with words and read quickly:
"On February 16th, a merchant fleet of approximately 500 ships from Britain, France, the Netherlands, and Spain blocked the Tsushima Strait, preventing Kaiyuan civilian merchant ships from crossing. Furthermore, according to a secret report from an informant, the four nations are mobilizing mercenaries from Manila and preparing to march north."

"Marquis Ping Liao, this is the latest intelligence sent back by the Mino Guard from Tsushima Island yesterday."

"Marquis Ping Liao, there are now tens of thousands of refugees in Jiuzhou, all waiting for food. The local area is simply not enough to supply the army. If we can't transport food here, the consequences will be disastrous."

"The red-haired barbarians chose this moment to trap us, rather than earlier or later."

"Marquis Ping Liao, we cannot just sit there and wait for death."

……

Liu Zhaosun waved his hand to interrupt his subordinates' discussion.

Everyone was silent and looked at the young commander.

"What was supposed to come has finally come. Now that it has come, we must make the best of it. If the enemy comes, we must fight them with our troops. If the water comes, we must block it with earth. Inform Wu Ahheng and Li Dan to prepare for battle. Send people to Tsushima Island to ask the British what they want."

(End of this chapter)