At this moment, Yu Dayou's heart felt as if it had frozen, his entire body numb.
The young man before him, indistinguishable from his sister, especially that subtle, half-smile on his face, instantly transported him back fifteen years.
His brothers were right; they couldn't have been wrong!
This Zhu Mo not only resembled his sister but also the Emperor. As a child, he favored the Emperor by seven parts, but as he grew, he resembled his sister by eight. It was just that his sister had been too unfortunate, and this child was even more so, inexplicably drawn into the treacherous court of the Great Ming.
At this moment,
He also noticed a hint of world-weariness on Zhu Mo's face, and his heart ached—
He couldn't let this child suffer any further misfortune…
But then, a wave of helplessness washed over him—
He was a Grand Secretary now. How could I protect him? And the Emperor's actions clearly showed he knew. Yet, we several are still unable to acknowledge each other…
Li Wenjin, seeing the uncle and nephew meeting but unable to acknowledge each other, felt a sudden sting in his nose and interjected, "Elder Brother Yu, this is Grand Secretary Zhu…"
"Yu Dayou, Deputy General of Fujian, greets His Excellency, Grand Secretary Zhu, the Imperial Envoy."
Yu Dayou forced himself to remain calm and bowed.
Zhu Mo helped him up and smiled, "I've heard a great deal about you from Elder Brother Li and the others. We are all family, please don't be so formal, heh heh…"
Hearing "family," Yu Dayou's chest tightened with emotion, and tears nearly welled up. He quickly composed himself and said, "Grand Secretary Zhu, forgive my presumptuous arrival…"
Zhu Mo knew that Yu Dayou wouldn't have come all the way from Chaoshan without a reason, so he asked, "Elder Brother Yu, Elder Brother Li, why… why have you come here?"
He also asked Ma Fang, "Elder Brother Li, how are the brothers from the Right Guard?"
"Good, very good! They were relieved to hear you were alright…"
Li Wenjin, knowing Yu Dayou was overcome with emotion, added,
"Grand Secretary Zhu, we have come to tell you some news… Elder Brother Yu, I am merely a man at home in mourning, and it would be inappropriate for me to discuss military matters. Perhaps you should tell him…"
Mm-hmm,
The mention of military affairs calmed Yu Dayou. He spoke slowly,
"Scholar Zhu, the Wokou are frequently on the move. I fear a major incident is imminent… I am concerned about the reform efforts and came to discuss it with you. More than ten days ago, my scouts in Ryukyu learned that Japanese ronin are again coercing various domains into large-scale recruitment, and I fear they will soon launch another major offensive…"
Oh?
Coercing daimyo?
These words greatly surprised Zhu Mo.
As far as he knew, weren't the Wokou simply defeated Southern Court samurai? These warriors and ronin were the defeated, with no means of livelihood, and thus resorted to plunder. How could they now be "coercing various domains"? Did they have the capability to coerce those daimyo? Weren't they the defeated?
Moreover, according to the 'great gods' on a certain platform, seven or eight out of ten Wokou were Ming subjects, with some also being Koreans. It was also said that the Wokou were actually trying to open up trade, much like the purpose of the Anda barbarians' border raids. In the common view, the main agents of the Wokou in the Ming Dynasty were Wang Zhi and Xu Hai, along with some pirates. They echoed each other, aiming to pressure the Ming to open markets. It was because the Ming refused, leading to the disruption of maritime trade, that they rose in rebellion. According to most accounts, they were ultimately nothing more than armed merchants.
He had always firmly believed these views, finding them very reasonable. But how could Yu Dayou say such a thing? He had been fighting the Wokou for over ten years; surely he wouldn't speak carelessly?
"General Yu, what you're saying sounds rather strange to me. You say the Wokou are ronin who coerce daimyo into recruitment?"
Zhu Mo was truly bewildered.
Yu Dayou, normally the most composed, was now emotionally unsettled by seeing his nephew and thinking of his sister. Moreover, to speak of the Wokou who had caused him so much hardship in his life, his thoughts immediately turned melancholy. He scoffed,
"These Wokou matters… it's hard to explain in a word. The court has no idea of the true situation, and the Yan faction conspires with them, which is why the situation has deteriorated day by day…"
The more Zhu Mo heard, the stranger it felt. Sensing the gravity of the matter, he quickly led the two into the posthouse, instructed people to guard the outer courtyard and prevent anyone from approaching, and with Lü Kun and Li Zhi, they sat down in a side room.
After a few sips of tea, his surging emotions gradually subsided.
Zhu Mo recalled that Wang Zhi, the agent of the Wokou, had been executed only a year or two ago, and the Wokou forces had somewhat declined, allowing Qi Jiguang and others to hold the line despite shortages of food and silver. But according to Yu Dayou's account, if the Wokou were to launch another major offensive from their homeland, they might not be able to hold on? But was this possible?
So he asked again, "General Yu, aren't the Wokou just these ronin? Is it really that extraordinary? Since they have already declined, how could they launch another major offensive?"
Yu Dayou shook his head and exchanged a wry smile with Li Wenjin.
Zhu Mo, of course, was unaware,
Li Wenjin had been recommended as the Deputy Envoy of the Maritime Route by Yu Dayou ten years prior. At that time, the two of them had joined forces to annihilate the Shuangyu Island. However, they were subsequently impeached by the Yan faction and returned to Datong as governors, and later became the General of Xuanda. This period of dormancy lasted for ten years. After their dismissal, the Wokou began to ravage the coast.
At this moment,
He hadn't wanted to say more, but considering the peculiar situation of the Wokou, he felt compelled to speak, sighing,
"Young Master Zhu, you may not know this, but these Wokou are not the kind of sea bandits they claim to be. They are a very tightly-knit force, with all sorts of people—Koreans, Japanese, Ryukyuans, Franks, Portuguese, Ming subjects, all of them! They have unified command and act with meticulousness; they are by no means mere bandits! Nor are they merchants. What merchants occupy territory and attack many countries?
Ten years ago, General Yu and I believed the Wokou had already harmed many nations. The Shuangyu Island at that time, though named a place for trade, was actually a gateway for the Wokou to subvert the Great Ming, which is why we decided to annihilate them in one fell swoop! In doing so, however, we were resented by the Yan faction and narrowly escaped death! If it weren't for the assistance of Lu Bing of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, we would have been convicted ten years ago."
Zhu Mo knew that Lu Bing was the son of Emperor Jiajing's wet nurse, which was why Emperor Jiajing had not punished him for his many misdeeds. With this man intervening, Emperor Jiajing would naturally show face.
However,
The Wokou they described were truly hard to believe.
Because,
This sounded very much like an international super-power. If they could coerce Japanese daimyo, they could naturally control the rulers of Ryukyu, Joseon, and Annan, at least indirectly, making the dignitaries of these small nations obey and submit. Thus, they would have troops, provisions, and also firearms. Furthermore, controlling the profits of maritime trade routes would naturally make them a multinational superpower.
Then, the problem became serious—
What was their ultimate goal in coming to the Ming Dynasty? Was it also to ruin, control, and colonize the Ming Dynasty for a long time?
This?
Could this really be possible?
How come those 'great gods' on a certain platform never mentioned it?
This situation was simply like a well-known multinational oligarchic group. Moreover, if these things were true, wouldn't their ultimate goal in the Ming Dynasty be—
Disintegration and colonization?
Dividing the Ming Dynasty into East and West, incorporating the eastern part into their sphere of influence, and then supporting people like Yan Shifan to govern the Ming Dynasty?
Seeking all sorts of votes, seeking collection and follow-up reads, I thank you all!