If it were before, Zhu Mo might have brought the musketeers into the city, a triumphal ceremony everyone would have longed for. But having experienced so many fierce battles, his mind was now far more intricate; it could be said that this war was only ten percent on the battlefield, and the real show began only after the events on the battlefield concluded.
Because,
If certain details are not considered clearly, the problems will be very serious.
This time, Prince Yu took the lead, followed by Yan Song, the enfeoffed nobles, and the vassal kings. A slight misstep could lead to them overturning everything. It could even be said that the difficulty level had now entered the nightmare realm.
First, there was his identity.
Currently, he was the Imperial Envoy and the Chief Administrator of the Zhoushan Office. The position of Chief Administrator of the Zhoushan Office was a term invented by Xu Jie and others in the cabinet's memorial submissions, equivalent to the first acknowledgment of the Zhoushan Office's legitimacy. Of course, Xu Jie, being an old fox, only lightly touched upon it, leaving the nature and subordination of the office unmentioned, but it was still an acknowledgment.
As the Chief Administrator of the Zhoushan Office, Zhu Mo's visit to the vassal state of Ryukyu to proclaim the cabinet's decree was entirely legal. Moreover, the cabinet's decree explicitly required Suo Zha to report to the capital for questioning, showing no lack of sternness. Therefore, the Chief Administrator of the Zhoushan Office, also serving as the Imperial Envoy, arriving with twenty warships to proclaim the decree was naturally beyond reproach.
Then, how to explain the recent war?
He had already figured it out. When proclaiming the superior court's decree to the vassal state, they were met with armed resistance from Suo Zha and Mao Longxuan, which constituted a rebellion. He, in order to uphold the prestige of the Great Ming, was compelled to defeat the rebel army, resulting in the death of the pseudo-prime minister Mao Longxuan and the escape of the offender Suo Zha.
For this reason,
He carefully chose his words:
"Your Majesty Shang Yuan, and all my ministers, listen closely. This Imperial Envoy needs to clarify three matters for you… The first matter, as you all saw just now, was primarily a rebellion. This envoy came to proclaim the decree of the superior court's cabinet, but was attacked first by the fleet… You all witnessed this section with your own eyes, did you not?"
King Shang Yuan was still hesitating, when He Weimei loudly announced:
"Reporting to the Envoy, what just transpired was indeed a rebellion. The Portuguese national Suo Zha, holding our country's Prime Minister hostage, opened fire on the superior nation's fleet. This matter was personally witnessed by dozens of our Ryukyuan civil and military officials."
Good!
Zhu Mo continued:
"The second matter, Mao Longxuan was held hostage by Suo Zha, the Ryukyuan national flag was raised on the warships, and fire was opened on the superior nation. In the end, Mao Longxuan was thrown into the sea by the Portuguese and died. You also witnessed this with your own eyes, did you not?"
This time, King Shang Yuan spoke:
"We witnessed it with our own eyes. It was Suo Zha who held our nation's Prime Minister hostage and raised our national flag to give orders, not our country initiating an attack on the superior nation. On this point, this king has absolutely no objections."
He knew well that attacking the suzerain nation would lead to his abdication, so he was the first to speak and declare his stance.
Zhu Mo nodded and then said:
"The third matter, seventeen or eighteen years ago, the Portuguese national Suo Zha led a fleet to Ryukyu and leased the outer port of Shuri with Prime Minister Mao Longxuan. This matter was agreed upon by Mao Longxuan and Suo Zha. At this time, Suo Zha, as the lessee, has already destroyed the naval base and left on his own… Therefore, this envoy believes that the lease agreement has ended… What do you all think?"
King Shang Yuan, He Weimei, and Ge Kechang conferred in low voices for a moment. King Shang Yuan replied:
"What the superior nation's Imperial Envoy has observed is indeed correct. The leasing matter that day was entirely the doing of the powerful minister Mao Longxuan. Mao Longxuan and Suo Zha colluded and brought calamity to our country for many years. Now that their sins are complete and they have dug their own graves, it is truly the will of Heaven..."
Seeing that he had not touched upon the crucial point, He Weimei immediately added:
"The so-called leasing matter was entirely fabricated. It was originally a private arrangement between Suo Zha and Mao Longxuan. Now that Mao Longxuan is dead and Suo Zha has destroyed the naval base himself, it signifies that the leasing matter has completely concluded. The actions of treason against the superior nation during this period were naturally not the intentions of our Ryukyuan civil and military officials."
Excellent!
Zhu Mo was very satisfied. The words of King Shang Yuan and He Weimei were essentially in place.
This section had to be clarified: Firstly, the Portuguese stationed in Ryukyu were originally coercive. It was only when Yan Song was in power that Xu Jie reluctantly agreed to the lease. Now that the lease agreement had ceased to exist, the Portuguese naturally had no reason to remain stationed there. Secondly, the Ryukyuan people had to express their stance, draw a clear line with the Portuguese and Mao Longxuan, and restore their vassal relationship with the Ming Dynasty.
Only then did Zhu Mo quicken his steps, help King Shang Yuan to his feet, and say with a smile:
"Your Highness the Vassal Prince, there is no need for such formality. Please rise quickly."
That evening,
The Ryukyuan sovereign and his officials hosted a banquet to reward the soldiers. The atmosphere was naturally exceptionally joyous. The soldiers, having defeated the formidable Portuguese and receiving courteous treatment from the vassal state's officials, were all in high spirits. The Ryukyuan sovereign and his officials, on the other hand, lamented the tragic death of the powerful official Mao Longxuan, realizing that there would no longer be anyone to oppress them, and they showed extreme deference.
Zhu Mo found another opportunity and announced:
"Your Highness the Vassal Prince, and all ministers, this envoy will be returning to the country tomorrow… Well, there are a few more matters to announce!"
"First, please have your esteemed country detail today's events and report them to our cabinet. This matter is not trivial, and it will require Lord He's diligent effort.
Second, Suo Zha was originally a wanted criminal by our Zhoushan Office, and he has now escaped. I still need to pursue him… Our office will soon issue a warrant for his arrest, which will be circulated throughout the Southern Seas. From now on, anyone who harbors a Portuguese criminal will be considered an enemy of our Great Ming. This point, all countries in the Southern Seas must also be aware of.
Third, there is no need for the various countries to be afraid. Our Great Ming's founding emperor clearly announced to the world that the sixteen southern seas countries would never be conquered… I can tell you clearly, this rule is still in effect! As long as our Great Ming exists for one more day, this rule will never be abolished!"
Wow!
Great!
Clap clap clap,
All the Ryukyuan sovereign and his officials were overjoyed and rose to bow deeply.
They had been worried that Zhu Mo would investigate their twenty years of collusion with the Portuguese, but since he had spoken in this manner, this potential future trouble was eliminated. Moreover, these words clearly expressed the intention of restoring the vassal relationship between the two parties. With such a powerful navy, Ryukyu would have a patron from now on, so how could they not be happy?
With this,
The banquet entered its climax. Even Yu Dayou drank a few more glasses, feeling that this matter had been handled beautifully, and the grievances of twenty years seemed to have been swept away in one go.
...
Zhu Mo felt that He Weimei, Ge Kechang, and other ministers were relatively pro-China. Although King Shang Yuan was a bit muddle-headed, he was fortunately very timid, so there should be no major issues.
Returning to Hangzhou.
Zhu Mo had Lü Kun write a memorial to the cabinet, which was sent to the capital by express courier. It emphasized that the trip to Ryukyu was originally to apprehend a criminal and proclaim a decree, but unexpectedly a rebellion occurred, which has now been suppressed, and the Ryukyuan sovereign and his officials would personally present a letter.
These naturally served to silence those in higher positions. Zhu Mo himself wrote a public notice from the Zhoushan Office regarding the pursuit of the fugitive Suo Zha.
This was an attempt, and it could also be said to be Zhu Mo's first formal appearance on the world stage, announcing to the entire world as the Chief Justice of the Zhoushan Court:
The Age of Discovery requires justice!
The era of private pirates plundering the globe is long gone.