The execution ceremony was over, and what remained was the propaganda offensive. Zhu Mo did not want Zhang Juzheng to be involved, nor did he want more people with official positions to be implicated. He directly approached the printing manager in Hangzhou and asked him to arrange the printing of "A Record of the Crimes of the Zhoushan Public Office War to Warn the World." He instructed him to print as many copies as possible and immediately paid a deposit of thirty thousand taels of silver.
The next day, he went alone to the Governor-General's mansion. He wanted Hu Zongxian to endorse everything he had done in his capacity as Governor-General and submit a report to the cabinet. Simultaneously, and most importantly, he wanted Hu Zongxian, in his capacity as Governor-General of Zhejiang and Zhili, to issue a notice to the twelve nations, demanding that they withdraw their declarations of war and acknowledge the judgment of the Zhoushan Public Office.
...
Hu Zongxian was ill and had been in seclusion for months. Furthermore, Yan Song had instructed his censors to attack him severely, leaving him disheartened. He couldn't be bothered with the matters of honoring Confucius these past few days, spending his time playing chess with Tan Lun to relieve his boredom.
At this moment, the two were surprised by the news of Zhu Mo's visit and were unsure how to respond.
Tan Lun, seeing his hesitation, chided him, "Ruzhen, I suspect Zhu Mo's visit is not for anything good. Why don't we just refuse to see him? The court will give you an explanation sooner or later. At worst, you'll be dismissed from office after a defeat. If it involves Zhu Mo's affairs, it will be more than just dismissal..."
How could Hu Zongxian not understand? He was being made a scapegoat by the Yan family, and in the end, it was because he hadn't strictly distanced himself from Zhu Mo. He knew Yan Song's character well: this old man demanded loyalty from everyone under him. No matter who you were, if you played both sides, he would crush you. For years, dozens of people had been dismissed because of their association with Xu Jie.
But Hu Zongxian was different. During the defeat at Taizhou, only Zhu Mo, with over a thousand arquebusiers, came to his rescue. He couldn't possibly refuse to see him because of this debt of gratitude.
At this moment, seeing Tan Lun's reproach, he smiled and said, "Zili, I can no longer clear myself. Since the Grand Secretary believes I am not his man, I can't wash myself clean even if I jumped into the Yellow River... He's coming here, I suspect, to discuss the Zhoushan port matters... As long as I am still Governor-General, I cannot escape this... Moreover, Zili, do you believe it? Zhu Mo is still coming to save me?"
"Save you? Don't be ridiculous! Ruzhen, all of this was caused by Zhu Mo himself, how can he save you? Look at the public trial they held these past two days? What is that? It's unheard of! They talk about the great Way of Yao and Shun, but I say it's just deceiving the world! Hmph!"
Tan Lun was naturally dismissive.
Hu Zongxian nodded, knowing that Tan Lun was a thorough Confucian scholar at heart, obsessed with the teachings of the sages, and increasingly disgusted with Zhu Mo's reforms.
But he didn't want to talk about these things at the moment. He simply smiled and said, "You don't believe me? Just wait and see?" He waved his hand and called out, "Someone! Please invite Grand Scholar Zhu in!"
Zhu Mo had never been to the Governor-General's mansion before. He observed that the furnishings were very simple, with few servants. Even the clerks were on leave. It hardly looked like a Governor-General's mansion. He naturally understood: Hu Zongxian was truly a man of hardship... Because he still harbored a sliver of concern for the nation and its people, he was driven to such desperate straits by Yan Song. Now, the entire world was condemning him, calling him another Zhu Wan, and demanding that he take responsibility for the twelve nations' declarations of war...
As he thought, he hurried to the back courtyard. Zhu Mo cupped his hands and said, "Minister, Master Tan, it has been a while."
Hu Zongxian had a very good impression of him and smiled, "Zixuan, you are not an outsider. Come, sit down. This is Mao Feng from my hometown, please try it!"
Tan Lun stood up and cupped his hands, "Tan Lun pays his respects to Grand Scholar Zhu."
Haha,
Zhu Mo waved his hand and said, "Brother Zili, we are all guests here, no need for such formality."
It should be known that he was now a Grand Secretary, and in terms of status, only a Governor-General of Hu Zongxian's caliber could be considered his equal. Tan Lun was merely a Provincial Administration Commissioner, so he naturally had to pay his respects.
All along, Zhu Mo had thought Tan Lun was an open-minded and responsible person, but after some experiences, his impression of him had soured. This man had never stepped forward. As a Provincial Administration Commissioner, he was a mere figurehead. Confident in his status as a confidant of Prince Yu, he was aloof towards Zhang Han and others, solely concerned with preserving himself and never speaking his true mind.
At this moment, he treated Tan Lun with indifference and instead said to Hu Zongxian, "Minister, the Zhoushan Public Office has concluded the case of the Japanese pirates. The witnesses and evidence have been obtained. Yesterday alone, two hundred people were executed... Uh, I have compiled the crimes of these war criminals into a book, titled 'A Record of the Crimes of the Zhoushan Public Office War to Warn the World.' I plan to print three to five hundred thousand copies to see how they fare. Here are the proofs. Please offer your esteemed guidance?"
What?
Two hundred people executed in one go?
Printing hundreds of thousands of copies?
With a whoosh, Tan Lun's face immediately changed, and even Hu Zongxian was greatly astonished. This young man was too ruthless! Executing two hundred people in one go, and most of them foreigners? And then publicizing it to the world? How could that be allowed?
Originally, both Hu Zongxian and Tan Lun had thought that at most there would be a trial and no immediate execution, and the number of people would not be so large, perhaps five or six to serve as examples. They never expected Zhu Mo to kill so many at once. It seemed that the remaining Japanese pirates in Zhoushan would also be brought to trial, and hundreds more would be executed in the following days.
Hoo...
The two looked at each other and let out a long sigh.
They picked up the proofs. At the beginning, there was a sacrificial essay to Confucius, followed by "The Origin and Development of the Zhoushan Public Office" signed by Zhu Mo, which discussed the principles of Spring and Autumn. Then came the list of Japanese criminals, detailing how many civilians each had killed, how many houses they had burned, who the witnesses were, what they said, and what the physical evidence was. Most maddeningly, each Japanese criminal had a portrait, with their swords and firearms next to them.
Tan Lun glanced at some of it and immediately felt disturbed, simply putting it down lightly.
Hu Zongxian, however, read it very seriously for a while and smiled, "Excellent, excellent, Grand Scholar Zhu's writing is superb... Our dynasty was founded on the great Way of Yao and Shun, with benevolence extending to all surrounding nations... The Great Way governs the heavens, and the Royal Way is impartial. The Zhoushan Public Office acts according to the Way of the ancient kings and sages, exercising utmost justice to judge all nations... It is deafening..."
What kind of person was he? With a moment's thought, he had completely understood. Zhu Mo had no intention of responding to the twelve nations' declarations of war through diplomatic channels. He had directly judged the war crimes and already executed the culprits, displaying a resolute strength that allowed for no debate. At the same time, Zhu Mo had used the Great Way to honor Confucius, thus silencing Yan Song and all the officials and gentry in the world.
At this moment, looking at Zhu Mo, he suddenly felt that this young man had grown and had unknowingly become a supreme figure. With his masterful strategy, combined with the iron cannons and the hundreds of thousands, even millions, of copies of "A Record to Warn the World," how could even Yan Song or Suo Zha have the ability to resist?