The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 694 Cloud

Before Nagasaki was pacified, Liu Zhaosun hid deep in the Saga Castle Palace, practicing Taoism and refining elixirs in a secret room.

Because he lived in seclusion for a long time, many civil and military officials did not know his whereabouts.

The saying "a dragon that can only be seen from the head but not the tail" is probably like this.

All military and national affairs of the Eastern Expedition were summarized by Dongfang Zhu and Francisco, and reported to the Emperor every three days.

For a time, the chief steward and the chief priest were extremely powerful, second only to the emperor and above everyone else.

It was harder than climbing to heaven for the commanders of various military corps and civil officials to see the emperor.

All the followers were resentful.

Many people compare the retired emperor to the Jiajing Emperor of the Ming Dynasty.

Such a metaphor is obviously biased.

During the reign of King Sejong, there were invaders from the south and barbarians from the north.

The Mongolian Khan Altan had been invading the border for many years. In the 29th year of the reign of Emperor Jiajing, he arrived at the gates of Beijing, which is known in history as the "Gengxu Incident"; the Japanese pirates invaded the southeastern coast as if they were in an empty land.

The retired emperor was a man of great talent and strategy. He controlled Mongolia and wiped out Japan. How could Emperor Shenzong of the Ming Dynasty be compared with him?

However, the two of them ignored the lives of the people in the world, were superstitious about Taoism, and insisted on seeking immortality, which eventually led to a palace coup, which was surprisingly consistent.

~~~~
Zhao Lujiao was unable to meet the emperor.

In the living room of the palace, Eunuch Dongfang was filled with a hypocritical and flattering smile.

After not seeing him for several months, the eunuch's Adam's apple had grown back, but his voice remained feminine:

"Ah, old general, you've arrived at an unfortunate time. The emperor just took the elixir and is currently in retreat in his secret room. If there's anything, we can discuss it tomorrow!"

Zhao Lujiao frowned. He had known that the retired emperor was determined to practice Taoism and stay away from his ministers. He didn't expect that he would come all the way from Nagasaki and still not be able to see him.

"Military and national affairs cannot be delayed. Please go in and report immediately!"

Dongfang Zhu said calmly, "Report immediately? I'm afraid I can't obey your order. General Zhao, you don't know that the Emperor's spirit has left his body and is only one step away from ascending to heaven. Now is the most critical moment, and you must not be distracted..."

As he said this, he waved his hand to signal the young eunuch to escort Zhao Lujiao out of the palace.

Zhao Lujiao refused to leave and shouted:

"What I am discussing is a matter of national importance, so why should I be distracted?"

Dongfang Zhu said impatiently, "For the Emperor to ascend to immortality, everything else is trivial!"

Zhao Lujiao didn't waste any time talking to him and pushed Dongfang Zhu away: "Get out of the way!"

The high priest on the side soothed him, "General Zhao, don't be angry. Meeting with the Emperor requires an appointment in advance. This applies to all the commanders of the corps, even... even the envoys from the Kingdom of Sweden."

At the beginning of this month, the Gu Erye delegation arrived in Saga City after a bumpy journey of thousands of miles to discuss the marriage between the two countries.

Dongfang Zhu staggered after being pushed, struggled to his feet, and cursed:
"How dare you interrupt the Emperor's meditation and delay His Majesty's ascension to immortality? How many heads do you have left?!"

With a clang, Zhao Lujiao drew his sword:
"The emperor is obsessed with cultivating immortality and neglecting state affairs. Even his generals have disappeared recently. It's all because of sycophants like you, Dongfang Zhu! You've deceived your superiors and lied to your subordinates, committing heinous crimes. Today, I will kill the traitor for my country, a eunuch like you!"

After saying that, he chopped at his head.

Dongfang Zhu was born into a poor family and had seen all sorts of scenes. He also drew his sword and screamed:

"You are such a good fellow, Zhao Lujiao. You don't accept my toast and then drink the wine for punishment. You dare to draw your sword in the palace. I think you are tired of living!"

The two men started fighting in the palace. The guards had never seen such a scene before and did not dare to step forward to separate them.

Dongfang Zhu was tall and strong, like a small mountain. He was young and strong. After a few rounds, Zhao Lujiao was at a disadvantage.

"Zhao Lujiao! You slaughtered all the people in Nagasaki except the elderly, children, women and infants. You destroyed the port, burned so many ships, and delayed the emperor's important work. You deserve death!"

"Even Emperor Guangde would show some courtesy to our family, but you, a warrior, are so rude!"

Francisco stood in front of Zhao Lujiao, muttering something to comfort Dongfang Zhu and tell him not to act rashly again.

Dongfang Zhu refused to listen and kicked the Portuguese away. At this moment, a familiar voice sounded behind him:
After training, the body resembles the shape of a crane, with two scriptures under a thousand pine trees.

I came to ask but I can't help but say, the clouds are in the sky and the water is in the bottle.

When I looked back, the emperor was wearing a Taoist robe, holding a whisk, walking on the wind, and he came to the main hall without knowing when.

Dongfang Zhu held the sword, motionless like a sculpture.

"Your Majesty, don't you want to wait for 49 days before..."

"My great path has been completed, and I will leave the retreat early."

Everyone knelt down and kowtowed. The Emperor looked indifferent as he leaned over to look at the chief steward, his expression as gentle as water.

"Dongfang Zhu, are you going to kill Zhao Lujiao?"

Dongfang Zhu quickly dropped his sword and shook his head like a rattle.

"Your Majesty, your Majesty dare not, your Majesty was just trying to scare him..."

Liu Zhaosun waved his whisk, and Dongfang Zhu's upper and lower lips immediately stuck together, as if they were sewn together with needle and thread.

"Everyone should mind their own business. You are just a brick in the empire. Move wherever you are needed. Do not overstep your authority."

Dongfang Zhu was speechless and could only kowtow to the ground, facing the emperor, and kowtow repeatedly. Blood soon seeped from his forehead.

The Emperor Emeritus sighed deeply, "Back then, I saw you were so obsessed with women that your life was in danger, so I castrated you and made you a eunuch to stay by my side. Now that you've gained a little power, you're taking advantage of the situation and becoming complacent. You're daring to say anything outrageous. It seems your tongue is no longer useful."

“Useless things should be taken back.”

Dongfang Zhu's face turned pale, he murmured, and kowtowed even harder.

The Emperor looked at Zhao Lujiao and said with a pleasant expression, "This person will be dealt with by you."

Zhao Lujiao was stunned, not because he was shocked by the emperor's cruelty to Dongfang Zhu.

What he didn't expect was that the emperor actually had magical powers. Could it be that the legend of becoming an immortal was true?

"My words were abrupt just now, and Eunuch Dongfang's anger is understandable. He is only a mortal and is bound to make mistakes, unlike Your Majesty. Considering that he has followed Your Majesty for many years, I beg for forgiveness."

Liu Zhaosun clapped his hands and laughed:
"What a good Zhao Lushi! He never made the same mistake twice and never took his anger out on others. It seems Yuan Chonghuan didn't make any mistakes back then."

Dongfang Zhu's lips, which were stuck together, loosened immediately. He turned pale with fear and his whole body trembled.

"Go back."

Dongfang Zhu retreated in disappointment.

"I know about Nagasaki."

The emperor did not blame Zhao Lujiao for his disrespect.

As the saying goes, one should not meddle in matters that are not within one's jurisdiction. Zhao Lujiao was eager for revenge and it was difficult for him to form a comprehensive understanding of the empire.

"We must attack Edo, but not now. Honshu is the home of the Japanese, the source of their evil. However, if we rashly launch a war, the losses of our army will be many times greater than those in Kyushu. If we are not careful, we will repeat the mistakes of fifteen years ago. Therefore, we must first kill the Shogun, let them collapse on their own, and then defeat them one by one."

The Emperor continued:

"I heard that you killed tens of thousands of people in Nagasaki, burned hundreds of Japanese ships, and even made a wine vessel out of Baba Toshishige's head."

Zhao Lujiao said calmly, "That's right. I avenged Lord Yuan and committed a grave error. I beg Your Majesty to punish me."

The emperor didn't say anything.

Once the slaughter begins, it is difficult to stop.

The tragic scenes of war emerged before my eyes: burned cities and charred and twisted corpses.

"Mencius said, 'What's the difference between killing someone with a stick and a knife?' I want to ask, what's the difference between killing one person and killing ten million people? In the end, both will go to hell."

"Master Zhang said that the Japanese pirates are descendants of evil gods and that Japan is the source of evil. The day we destroy Japan will also be the day I ascend to heaven. Regardless of whether this is true or not, can I really feel at ease after killing so many people..."

There was a hint of confusion in the eyes of the retired emperor.

"Xie Yang told me that it would be more cost-effective to kill, burn, and rob all the Japanese than to station troops there for a long time... If that were true, ten million or fifteen million Japanese would be killed."

"You will see real bloodshed and piles of corpses."

Zhao Lujiao looked puzzled:
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, haven't you always longed to become an immortal? Why are you hesitating..."

For the retired emperor, becoming an immortal means death.

Anyone who slaughtered ten million people must be a human goblin.

Regardless of whether the Japanese are truly descendants of the evil god, karma is the law of karma, and someone must pay for all the crimes committed by the Eastern Expedition Army.

The emperor emeritus is the one who pays back.

Death is the only way to repay.

"I long to become an immortal, just as a condemned man longs for death. Now that things have come to this, I can only let nature take its course."

"After we kill Tokugawa Iemitsu, on the sixth day of the first lunar month, the birthday of the Empress Dowager Cisheng, all armies will besiege Honshu and slaughter Edo. Within three months, we will completely destroy the Japanese Empire and slay the evil god. Then, Honshu Island and Japan will sink into the sea forever, and I, too, will ascend to heaven."

The retired emperor waved everyone away and stared towards the east, motionless, like a statue, his whole body glowing with red light.

(End of this chapter)