The Ming Dynasty's Five Hundred Years

Chapter 135 Integration!

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, Li Xianmu learned from his father, Li Qi, that Japan had a huge silver mine.

On the second day of the Lunar New Year, he entered the palace and had a conversation with Zhu Di.

On the fourth day of the first lunar month, Zhu Di summoned the envoys of the Japanese delegation.

When the Japanese envoy entered the Imperial Palace, he was completely bewildered, as the Emperor of the mighty Ming Empire had only received a subject from a small country.

In the past history of the Ming Dynasty, only Korea had received such treatment, because the most favored concubine in the palace was a powerful noblewoman from Korea.

Then he met the person he was looking for, the Ming emperor who had just led hundreds of thousands of troops to the north and defeated a powerful enemy!

What a hero!

Just standing there, he exuded boundless power, like a towering mountain. He even thought to himself that the so-called Shogun of Japan was far inferior to His Majesty the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, no, he was far from being comparable to His Majesty the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty. He was even somewhat inferior to a duke or marquis under the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty.

This is truly the Celestial Empire!

"Your Majesty the Supreme Emperor of the Great Ming Dynasty, your humble subjects bow to you, wishing you a long life!"

Zhu Di very kindly asked the Japanese envoy to stand up, and even asked him a few questions about his health.

This made the Japanese envoy feel flattered and overwhelmed.

"Your Majesty, I am in good health."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Zhu Di revealed his true purpose in summoning the Japanese envoy.

“Japan has admired the style of our Celestial Empire since the Tang Dynasty, and has maintained a relatively good relationship with our Celestial Empire throughout the dynasties. After I ascended the throne, Japan became a vassal state and paid tribute. I even personally conferred the title of King of Japan. The friendship between the two countries has a long history.”

For a long time, various countries have been visiting and exchanging greetings with our Great Ming, but our Great Ming has never sent envoys to these countries to express our condolences. I think this is a sign of our lack of respect for these countries.

This would likely prevent the maintenance of relations with other countries.

Upon the return of the envoys to Japan, I dispatched Zheng He to Japan to convey the condolences and sympathies of the Ming imperial family to the King and his subjects.

The Japanese envoy was shocked upon hearing this. Zhu Di was unaware of the situation in Japan, but how could he not know?

The so-called Japanese king, who was officially appointed, was merely a powerful minister in Japan. Above the daimyo was the emperor. If the Ming Dynasty were to learn about the situation within Japan, wouldn't the current Japanese king be deceiving the Ming Dynasty?
He stammered, "Your Majesty the Great Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, even if you do not send any envoys, the people of Japan have already felt your warmth, which is like the sun. How could we dare to trouble the envoys of the Celestial Empire to travel to such a barren land as Japan?"

"My Great Ming Dynasty is rich in all the world, and I intend to use this rich world to spread the sincerity of the Great Ming Dynasty to all directions. Is the envoy unwilling?"
Or is it that the Japanese king is unwilling?

"this……

This……

How could a foreign subject dare to refuse?

"I know what you're worried about. It's nothing more than that you Japanese have an Emperor above you!"

Upon hearing Zhu Di's words, the Japanese envoy was immediately terrified and even knelt down on the ground.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty!"

No one in the Celestial Empire knew that Japan had an Emperor, so where did the Ming Emperor get the news?

Zhu Di actually already knew about the political structure in Japan. Li Qi and Li Xianmu had both said that there was an emperor in Japan who was their religious leader.

"Your emperor calls himself a god, how laughable!"

Zhu Di's first words directly stated his attitude: "I, the emperor of the mighty Ming Dynasty, am not a god, but a mortal who is subject to birth, aging, sickness and death. How dare the mere Japanese emperor call himself a god?"

The Emperor is one of the Three Sovereigns of ancient China.

In modern times, it was the title of Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty. When did the Japanese Emperor appear?

All they did was send envoys to Tang China during the Tang Dynasty to steal the title of China. Do they even deserve to be called Chinese?

If he is the Emperor, then what am I?

If Japan still wants to remain a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty, then the Emperor can no longer appear.

If there is only one sun in the sky, it can only be the Ming Dynasty emperor!

If there were only one emperor in the world, it could only be the emperor of the Ming Dynasty!

If there is only one god in the world, then it can only be the Emperor of my Great Ming Dynasty!
How can the rest of us be worthy to stand with my Great Ming Emperor, to coexist in the heavens, to share the world, and to enjoy the worship of the people?
If the King of Japan is willing, I will make him the true King of Japan; if he is not willing, I can replace him with another King of Japan.

"I am the Emperor of the Great Ming Dynasty, and I have the ability to accomplish this. What do you think, envoy?"

What could the envoy say? He could only keep forcing a bitter smile. Besides, in the eyes of these Japanese nobles, they didn't take the Emperor seriously at all. The Emperor only truly gained power in modern times when a group of people from the lower classes who genuinely regarded the Emperor as a god reclaimed power for him.

"Your Majesty, you are the heavens, you are the sun and moon, you are all the majestic mountains and rivers, so what you say is naturally correct."

How could a mere Japan possibly defy your will?

Anyone who thinks that way is incredibly foolish.

The Japanese envoy bowed deeply to the ground. These matters were beyond his ability to resolve, but the Ming Dynasty insisted on sending an envoy. What could he possibly say?

Moreover, the Ming emperor so disliked the emperor, perhaps the shogun would think this was a good thing!

After all, who wouldn't want to be the true ruler?
In the past, didn't the shoguns or the actual rulers of Japan want to overthrow the emperor?
Although the Emperor has no political power, his position as spiritual leader is unshakeable. Attacking the Emperor would only lead to being besieged and attacked. Now, with the backing of the Ming Dynasty's imperial family, the trouble can be shifted eastward.

How could Zhu Di not understand this principle?
Once the Ming Dynasty became deeply involved in Japanese politics, it would have been necessary for the Ming imperial family to eliminate the Emperor as an unstable factor, which would undoubtedly have created an enemy for itself.

However, the existence of the Japanese Emperor made him feel a real threat.

This threat was not directed at the Ming Dynasty itself, but rather at the Ming Dynasty's future rule over Japan.

A true spiritual leader, and a living one who has inherited the legacy, possesses natural political legitimacy, though he is merely a figurehead. This is infinitely more terrifying than the Confucian Duke Yansheng, because the Duke Yansheng could never threaten imperial power and could only become a tool for imperial rule. But the Japanese Emperor truly has the potential to rule the entire country.

If it were in the past, then so be it, since what happened in Japan had nothing to do with the Ming Dynasty, and Zhu Di had no desire for Japanese territory.

However, now that a huge silver mine has been discovered in Japan, which is crucial to the survival of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Di must ensure that the Japanese rulers will not threaten the existence of this silver mine.

Under such circumstances, Zhu Di absolutely could not allow the existence of an unstable factor like the Japanese Emperor.

Since the Japanese Emperor calls himself a god, he should return to where gods belong.

What belongs to the human world belongs to the human world, and what belongs to the heavens belongs to the heavens!
Are there living gods in this world?
Zhu Di believed there was no such thing!

The Ming Dynasty didn't have it, and Japan certainly wouldn't either. After the grand court assembly on the seventh day of the first lunar month, Zhu Di summoned Zheng He to the palace and ordered him to immediately prepare for his journey to Japan.

The solemnity of Zhu Di's voice and expression was something Zheng He had only witnessed once in all these years, when Zhu Di announced the Jingnan Campaign.

"Zheng He, I order you to lead the team that sailed to the Western Ocean to Japan. You should understand my intention. I am sending you with tens of thousands of people to Japan. If the Japanese king does not heed my summons, you shall take action."

Zheng He looked at Zhu Di with considerable shock. This was the first time he had ever heard Zhu Di order the fleet that was going to sail to the Western Ocean to launch an attack on a country.

"Your Majesty, what is the reason for this? Has Japan offended your divine authority? And what further must I go to do?"

"Once you arrive in Japan, go see the King of Japan and tell him that I want the land that was formerly part of Iwami Province. See if he agrees. If he doesn't, leave immediately and prepare to go to war with Japan. If he agrees, then it's simple. If he makes any demands, have someone report back. If it's not too difficult, you can sign the official documents with him directly in Japan!"

Zhu Di paced around the palace, then explained his prepared words and bottom line to Zheng He one by one.

He believed that Zheng He, who had been to dozens of countries and had extensive experience in handling various emergencies, could perfectly resolve this mission.

"Once you arrive at Iwami Junior High School, go and check if there really is a huge silver mine there. If there is, send someone to report back immediately."

Zheng He couldn't believe what he was hearing. No wonder His Majesty was acting so strangely, sending the voyage to Japan, which was so close at hand. It turned out that Japan might have huge silver mines. Of course, he knew what silver mines meant to the Ming Dynasty.

Zheng He knelt deeply on the ground, then kowtowed several times to Zhu Di, raising his head and saying, "Your Majesty, I will certainly live up to your expectations and will definitely bring the news of the silver back to the country, contributing to the prosperity of our Great Ming!"

On the eighth day of the first lunar month, the emperor summoned the Minister of Revenue and others to the palace and ordered them to immediately prepare enough provisions to support a major battle.

"I expect to see results within a month. Zheng He's fleet will be fully assembled within a month. I do not want anything to delay the important matters to come."

The emperor's swift and decisive action stunned all the ministers. Then, Xia Yuanji, the Minister of Revenue, said, "Your Majesty, didn't you say last year that all voyages to the Western Ocean should be stopped?"
Why are we suddenly going on voyages to the West again?

Zhu Di was not entirely at ease with the ministers before him. The news of the silver was still just a possibility, and he could not reveal it now. If it failed, it would be a blow to his prestige.

So he simply waved his hand and said, "This time we're not going to the Western Ocean, which is thousands of miles away, but to Japan in the East, so the distance of this trip is very short."

Zheng He's team will return with the Japanese delegation to meet with the King of Japan. I have an imperial decree to convey to Japan.

The reason is not yet time to say. All you need to know is that I do not speak without reason. Having said I would not allow the fleet to sail thousands of miles to the Western Ocean without cause, I will not break my word.”

Send an army of tens of thousands of people to Japan?

Then you tell me that this is just a delegation visiting Japan. Are we all idiots?

I would believe such a ridiculous thing you said.

The officials didn't take the emperor's words, which were clearly meant to deceive them, to heart, but panic was already showing on their faces.

The Minister of War even knelt down and advised the emperor, "Is Your Majesty preparing to attack Japan?"
Japan was designated by Emperor Taizu as a country that would not be conquered. How could they violate this ancestral instruction in this way?
Moreover, the Yuan Dynasty's two attacks on Japan resulted in the complete annihilation of their naval forces. It truly is an extremely ominous place!

Your Majesty, I earnestly implore you to reconsider!

The once mighty Yuan Dynasty suffered complete annihilation in its two invasions of Japan. This served as a warning from Heaven to all people in the Central Plains, as if the country across the sea was something that the Central Plains dynasties could not conquer.

Zhu Di scoffed, "The countries that the late emperor decreed would not be conquered..."

Isn't southern Annam also one of the countries that are not subject to conquest?
In the end, hasn't it become Jiaozhi, the territory of my Great Ming Dynasty?

"That's because the king of Annam was killed by treacherous officials and had no descendants. So, for the sake of the people of Annam, our Great Ming had no choice but to incorporate it into our territory. But Japan is not like that."

"But I have repeatedly instructed the King of Japan to suppress the Japanese pirates, but he has not obeyed my orders, resulting in the deaths of my people by the Japanese pirates. Most of you are from the southeast. Don't you know how rampant the Japanese pirates are?"

This time, I will join forces with the King of Japan to wipe out the Japanese pirates at sea, and then we will start trade with Japan. The vast sea borders beyond the Great Ming Dynasty will be a bright and clear place in the future!
Moreover, I have heard that Japan has a so-called emperor, and the Japanese even regard him as a god incarnate. Am I not the only emperor in the world?
Is there anyone else who can usurp the throne and go unpunished?
If I don't punish them, how can I demonstrate that I am the sole ruler of the world?

The officials did not take Zhu Di's previous words to heart, and few cared about trade with Japan. Although the Japanese pirates were powerful, they were far less harmful than during the Jiajing era because the Ming Dynasty had many garrisons along the coast, which were still sufficient to suppress them.

However, Zhu Di later said that Japan had a ruler who called himself the Emperor, which touched the bottom line for almost everyone.

The Minister of Rites was shocked and said, "The King of Japan was appointed by His Majesty himself. How dare he call himself Emperor?"

As the Minister of Rites, he could not tolerate such behavior that trampled on patriarchal traditions.

But the emperor dropped an even more shocking bombshell.
"This Japanese emperor is not only the true emperor of Japan, but also the only god recognized by the Japanese people. He is the true heaven of Japan, not even the Son of Heaven, but the heaven itself!"
The Japanese king whom I have appointed is actually just his subject, equivalent to a powerful minister in ancient times!

The Japanese emperor is said to be of unbroken lineage, a descendant of the supreme Japanese deity Amaterasu. They claim to have been emperors for thousands of years, so even though Japan frequently changes powerful ministers, none of them dare to usurp the throne, and no one dares to replace this so-called emperor.

Do you all know what I want to say?

The emperor's voice was filled with naked killing intent and undisguised bloodlust. Everyone in front of him couldn't help but shiver, but they understood the source of the emperor's concerns and anger.

"If what Your Majesty says is true, then this Japanese emperor absolutely cannot be allowed to live. Since he dares to usurp the title of emperor, he must have rebellious intentions. Although there is currently a powerful minister, the King of Japan, who knows if this emperor might one day restore power?"

In fact, from the moment Zhu Di said that the Japanese rulers had usurped the throne, the final outcome was already predetermined, because with the Ming Dynasty's ruling order of family, state, and world, there could only be one center in the world.

The Ming Dynasty's high-ranking officials quickly reached a consensus: the Japanese emperor must die, or the title of emperor must be removed; the title of King of Japan would be their highest and most prestigious title.

After confirming this, the Minister of War raised another question: "Your Majesty, although Japan is a small country, its population is not small, even more powerful than Annam. I once talked with a Japanese man about its population, which is as high as two million households. Our army has gone on a long and arduous expedition, and has only sent Zheng He's fleet of 20,000 to 30,000 men to attack Japan. I am afraid that we will not be able to win."

And why were none of the generals from the Five Military Commands present this time?

Zhu Di was completely baffled by the questions posed by the Minister of War.

He told one lie, and now he needs to cover it up with an even bigger one: he never intended to wage a full-scale war against Japan; he only wanted to acquire that silver mine.

As the Minister of War said, although Japan is not large in area, and its land area under the prefecture and county system is only one-tenth of that of the Ming Dynasty, it is far more powerful than Annam, with a population of 2 million households and 10 million people.

Of the three major campaigns launched by Emperor Wanli in later generations, the most significant was the Korean War, in which Japan demonstrated formidable fighting power.

Moreover, Japan and the Ming Dynasty were separated by the sea. In this classical era, it would be ten times more difficult for the Ming Dynasty to send its military forces across the sea than it would be for Annam. If a full-scale war were to break out with Japan, it would definitely be a national war that lasted for more than fifty years, and it might even be no less than the Han-Xiongnu War!
"The Japanese emperor is being sidelined, and both King Minamoto no Michiyoshi and the newly appointed King Minamoto no Yoshimochi are showing deference to our Great Ming. We intend to use them to remove the Japanese emperor and do not wish to wage a full-scale war against Japan!"

Zhu Di found himself an excellent reason.

Everyone suddenly understood; they realized the truth and had no doubt that the emperor had ulterior motives.

"Your Majesty is wise and sagacious, and we are filled with awe and respect."

On the seventh day of the third month of the eighth year of the Yongle reign of the Ming Dynasty, Zheng He once again led his fleet to set sail. This time, their destination was Japan, which was just across the sea.

But this time, his mission was even greater than his previous two voyages to the Western Ocean.

This will be the beginning of a new empire!
This will be the beginning of a truly great empire!
This will be the rising sun of an empire!

(End of this chapter)