Zhu Yuanzhang: My second son is invincible!

In the east of the city, there is an inconspicuous warehouse.

But upon entering, everyone gasped in shock.

The warehouse was thirty zhang long and wide, and three zhang high. It was piled high with silver ingots from the ground to the roof.

It wasn't loose silver; it was cast silver ingots shaped like sycees, each weighing fifty taels, neatly stacked to form a silver mountain.

On the other side were gold ingots, also piled up like a small mountain.

In the corner were dozens of boxes, which, when opened, were filled with pearls, corals, and gemstones.

"How much...would this cost?" Li Wenzhong's voice trembled.

The Ministry of Revenue official accompanying the army took out his abacus and frantically typed away for a while before saying in a trembling voice, "General... roughly estimate... at least five million taels of silver, eight hundred thousand taels of gold... and the priceless treasures."

Zhu Hui walked to the silver mountain, picked up a silver ingot, weighed it in his hand, and said, "It's quite heavy."

He turned to Guanyin Nu and said, "Wife, is this enough to make jewelry for you?"

Guanyinnu looked at the mountain of silver and said with a wry smile, "Husband, this is enough to make jewelry for all the women in the Ming Dynasty."

Li Wenzhong exclaimed excitedly, "Your Highness, this one warehouse alone is equivalent to three years' worth of taxes from the Ming Dynasty! Japan... is indeed rolling in wealth!"

Zhu Li gave an "oh," seemingly unconcerned, and then asked, "Anything else?"

"There must be more. The Ashikaga family ruled Japan for decades, and the wealth they plundered from the people is far more than this. I will lead my men to search the entire city right now, even digging three feet into the ground, to find it!"

Li Wenzhong said, his eyes red.

"Go on! My wife and I are going back to the palace for dinner." Zhu Li waved his hand and pulled Guanyin Nu away.

Li Wenzhong was left facing the silver mountain, and he took several deep breaths to calm himself down.

He turned and hissed at his lieutenant, "Send the order! Search all warehouses, cellars, and secret rooms throughout the city. Bring out everything of value!"

Furthermore, three flying boats have been set aside specifically for transporting gold and silver!

"yes!"

……

At noon, Zhu Li and Guanyin Nu were having their meal in the palace.

The food was prepared by the cooks of the Imperial Guards. It consisted of rice with pickled vegetables and grilled fish. Although it was simple, it was enough to fill you up.

While we were eating, Li Wenzhong arrived again, this time carrying a letter.

"Your Highness, a letter has arrived from Yingtian." He handed the letter to Zhu Hui.

Zhu Li took it and opened it.

It is a letter written in Zhu Biao's own handwriting, with neat characters:

"My second brother, seeing this letter is like seeing you in person. I am very pleased to hear that you have captured Kyoto and taken Ashikaga. I have read the number of people killed reported by Li Wenzhong, and you have done a good job."

However, Japan is not limited to Kyoto. Kyushu, Shikoku, Kanto, and Tohoku all need to be pacified. My suggestion is that you stay in Kyoto and order Li Wenzhong to send troops to sweep through various places, with airships as reinforcements, to achieve a swift victory.

Furthermore, the Iwami Silver Mine and the Sado Gold Mine must be captured as soon as possible. Craftsmen from the Ministry of Works and Taoist monks should be dispatched to mine them, and transported by airships day and night. Regarding the matter of the Japanese woman being escorted to Yingtian, the Ministry of Revenue has been ordered to prepare for her resettlement. Be careful in all matters; your brother awaits your triumphant return in Yingtian.”

After reading the letter, Zhu Hui handed it to Guanyin Nu and said, "My elder brother said to send General Li to fight in other places."

After Guanyin Nu finished reading, she asked softly, "What about us?"

"My elder brother said I should stay in Kyoto, which is fine, it saves me from having to travel back and forth," Zhu Li said after taking a bite of rice.

Li Wenzhong took the letter, glanced at it, clasped his hands in a fist and said, "This subordinate obeys the order and will immediately divide the troops!"

He turned to leave, but Zhu Hui called out to him, "General Li."

"Does Your Highness have any further instructions?"

"Killing is killing, but don't starve yourself. Eat your fill before you start working," Zhu Li said, pointing to the food on the table.

Li Wenzhong was taken aback, then smiled and said, "Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. I understand."

He strode away.

The hall fell silent again.

Guanyin Nu placed a piece of fish on Zhu Hui's plate and said softly, "Husband, in my elder brother's letter... he didn't mention how many people were killed."

"Yes, my brother only cares about when the silver will be transported back," Zhu Li said.

"Do you think Big Brother... feels he's killed too many?"

Zhu Hui thought for a moment, then shook his head and said, "No, if my elder brother thought it was too much, he would write to me to kill less. He didn't say anything, but he just thought it was alright."

Guanyin Nu fell silent.

She suddenly realized that her gentle and refined elder brother, the Crown Prince, might be even more ruthless than he appeared.

But this is for the best.

In this kind of world, soft-hearted people don't live long, and soft-hearted countries don't live long either.

She looked out of the hall; the sunlight was just right.

The massacre in Kyoto continues, but the overall situation is already settled.

From this day forward, the Japanese nation will change its surname to Mingliao.

On the 26th day of the 12th month of the 11th year of the Hongwu reign, a light snow fell in Yingtian Prefecture.

The snow wasn't heavy; it stopped as soon as it covered the bluestone path, but the cold was bone-chilling.

The underground heating in Kunning Palace was burning brightly, and the warm room was filled with the faint fragrance of plum blossoms. Empress Ma was sewing a small cotton-padded jacket for Zhu Xiong Ying, while Lady Chang helped her thread the needle.

"Mother, Grandmother, when will Second Uncle be back?" Zhu Xiong Ying asked anxiously, leaning over the bed.

Empress Ma paused in her needlework, then said softly, "It'll be quick. We'll be back after the fighting in Japan is over."

"Is Japan very far away?"

"It's very far; we have to cross a vast ocean."

"Will my second uncle bring me seashells?" Zhu Xiong Ying's eyes lit up.

Madam Chang smiled and patted his head, saying, "Of course, your second uncle loves you the most."

Just then, hurried footsteps came from outside.

"Your Majesty, His Highness the Crown Prince requests an audience!" a palace maid announced from outside the door.

Empress Ma put down her needlework and said, "Please come in."

Zhu Biao pushed open the door and entered, his face unusually solemn.

He first bowed to Empress Ma, then nodded to Lady Chang, before walking over to the warm couch and sitting down.

"Biao'er, what happened?" Empress Ma asked keenly.

Zhu Biao took out a report from his sleeve, but did not hand it over immediately. Instead, he said in a deep voice, "Mother, my second brother has sent back news from Japan that Kyoto has fallen and Ashikaga Yoshimitsu has been captured."

"This is a good thing!" Empress Ma's face lit up with joy.

"It's a good thing, but... General Li Wenzhong carried out the mopping-up operation in Kyoto, killing 113,000 adult Japanese men in three days," Zhu Biao said after a pause.

The warm room suddenly fell silent.

The needle in Chang's hand fell to the ground, making a soft clinking sound.

Empress Ma's smile froze on her face. She looked at her eldest son, her voice trembling slightly, and said, "One...one hundred thousand?"

"Yes! Here are the detailed figures. According to my second brother's letter, they are using the standard of 'those whose carriage wheels are too high will be beheaded.' The carriage wheels are three feet two inches high, and anyone taller than that will be killed." Zhu Biao nodded and handed over the report.

Empress Ma received the report, her hands trembling slightly.

She didn't look immediately, but closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

Chang gently embraced Zhu Xiong Ying and pulled the child closer to her.

"Biao'er...do we really have to kill so many?" Empress Ma asked after opening her eyes.

Zhu Biao was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "Mother, this is war. Japan is different from Korea. They are separated from the Ming Dynasty by the sea. If we cannot defeat them in one fell swoop, there will be endless troubles in the future."

Do you know how many times the Japanese pirates raided the coast in the fourth, seventh, and ninth years of the Hongwu reign?

"How many?"

"Four hundred and seventy-two times, a total of more than 37,000 people of the Ming Dynasty were killed, and 8,000 women and children were abducted. In Quanzhou, Taizhou, Ningbo, many fishing villages were burned to the ground, and many families were destroyed and people died."

Zhu Biao's voice was calm, but each word was like an ice bead.

He paused for a moment, then continued, "Before this expedition, Father asked the officials at the court meeting what strategy to use to conquer the Japanese pirates. The civil officials said to appease them and educate them."

My father didn't say anything at the time, but after court, he said to me, "Biao'er, have you ever been to the coast? Have you seen the people whose hands and feet have been cut off by the Japanese pirates?"

Empress Ma remained silent.