Zhu Mo remained impassive, bowed to Zhang Juzheng, and went to the lakeside alone. The gatekeeper brought Wang Ruxian over shortly thereafter.
Upon seeing Zhu Mo again, Wang Ruxian could no longer contain his excitement. After the gatekeeper walked away, he revealed, unable to hide his delight, "Minister Zhu, it's done! Look at this—"
He swiftly opened the brocade box at his back, pulled away a piece of white silk, and there was a human head, preserved with lime. It showed no signs of decay, its features clearly visible: a majestic man of about fifty years old. Beside it lay a piece of paper, written in Chinese:
Otomo Sorin, Daimyo of Hizen Province.
Wang Ruxian chuckled, "Minister Zhu, there's also a letter here, from that Nobunaga."
Zhu Mo let out a long breath and sighed:
"This Otomo Sorin dominated the Eastern Sea for twenty years. His ronin warriors preyed upon the Great Ming, Joseon, and the Ryukyu Islands, with no one able to stop them. Seeing him today, he truly possesses a certain imposing presence... What a pity, Otomo Sorin was also a man of his era, but where is he now?"
He then unfolded the letter and saw it was all in Chinese, and did not appear to be written by someone else. He asked,
"Did he write it himself?"
"Yes, Minister Zhu. I watched him write it himself in Hirado."
Hm,
He let out a snort, but seeing the slender strokes, he could tell there was some skill involved. The letter read:
"From Nobunaga, with respects:
Recently, my domain has been besieged by bandits and pushed to the brink of desperation, with neither morning nor evening bringing any certainty of fortune. Fortunately, through your earnest counsel, I received the strategy of striking south first, then north. My domain now holds the land of Kyushu, and soon I shall march north to attack Sunpu, my sworn enemy, a debt I dare not forget for a single day. Recalling our agreement, which is heavier than a thousand pounds of gold, I present the head of Sorin before you; I have also sent an envoy to the Divine Capital of the Great Ming to request the tally again. Upon my return to the northern seas in autumn, I will transport ten billion jin of grain to Hangzhou. Nobunaga shall honor his pledge."
Mm-hmm,
Indeed, indeed...
Zhu Mo read it several times and felt that this man had a good understanding of Chinese, and the letter had some resemblance to Jin Dynasty prose. The deliberate omission of firearms and Zhu Mo's name indicated that this man was shrewd, fearing that if the letter fell into the wrong hands, it might cause trouble.
He then inquired in detail about Oda's battle. Wang Ruxian had been treated with great courtesy among the Owari army and had witnessed almost the entire process. He said that Oda was quite capable, and after this battle, the lords of Wa were terrified, with many daimyo sensing a future threat.
Zhu Mo naturally knew that once this man rose to power, there would be no peace in Wa. However, fortunately, this man was relatively well-behaved and posed no immediate threat. It would not be easy for him to unify the land, perhaps taking seven or eight years. For now, he would not concern himself with it.
This head, however, had a great use at this moment.
He carefully placed the head back into the brocade box, ordered his firearms unit guards to protect Wang Ruxian, and sent them secretly to the capital to be returned to Oda's envoys to Japan, who would then present it to the Great Ming's cabinet.
He surmised: Xu Jie should know what to do?
With the matter handled,
He then took Zhang Juzheng and personally went to Jingdezhen, wanting to see firsthand the key points of kiln firing. If civilian kilns were to be involved, how should they be regulated and profits shared, and so on.
...
Several days later,
The Capital, the Grand Secretariat.
Early in the morning, the area outside was already in a frenzy.
Since Yan Song had been reinstated, all the Yan family's close associates had appeared. Many from the Six Ministries came to the Grand Secretariat to offer congratulations, for whatever reason.
Yan Song once again sat in the Chief Grand Secretary's office. It had been half a year. Now content, he sent someone to summon Xu Jie for a chat.
Xu Jie knew Yan Song's vindictive nature well and felt a bit apprehensive, thinking: No matter how overbearing you, Yan Song, are, I am not the one who offended you. If you humiliate me, I shall have to feign illness...
He entered the office with a smile, bowed, and said,
"Grand Secretary Yan looks robust and spirited, congratulations..."
"Not at all, not at all. Shao Hu, please sit, please sit..."
Yan Song rose with a smile, walked over tremblingly, helped Xu Jie to sit, ordered tea, and then let out a long breath, saying leisurely,
"Shao Hu, you have worked hard during this period... You have encountered several major events consecutively, and managed them with ease. When things were so chaotic a while ago, I thought, as long as Shao Hu is here, I can rest assured..."
Xu Jie bowed slightly and smiled, "Your Excellency has always held great prestige. With your return to the Grand Secretariat, the Great Ming now has a sense of stability..."
Mm-hmm,
Yan Song nodded, but then sighed,
"I wish I could be quiet, but I can't find peace... Shao Hu, what exactly happened in that battle at Zhoushan? Everyone is making such a fuss, but I don't know what the fuss is about?"
Xu Jie thought to himself: It's come so quickly...
But he replied calmly, "The matter is as reported in the dispatches, nothing more..."
Yan Song nodded again, pondered for a moment, and then suddenly looked up at Xu Jie, saying,
"Really nothing more?"
Xu Jie inwardly snorted, but still replied, "No."
Oh,
Yan Song sighed and gave a wry smile,
"Shao Hu, at present, the Great Ming is in ruins and awaits development. Zhoushan cannot remain in such a stalemate. Not to mention anything else, the resupply every ten days is the hard-earned blood and sweat of the common people... As the leaders, we must consider the people. Shao Hu, you should discuss this with those in the Ministry of War and come up with a plan. In a few days, we will have a court discussion."
Hmph!
Xu Jie was already furious inwardly: You're targeting me right from the start, and you mention a court discussion, isn't that going to bring up Wu Shi's memorial again? It was suppressed by Prince Yu at the time, but bringing it up again now is clearly trying to stir up trouble...
Thinking of this,
He was already very displeased, but he showed no outward emotion, choosing to remain silent.
Yan Song continued,
"Shao Hu, Wu Shi's memorial also represents the will of the people... Prince Yu did not reject it at the time, and our Grand Secretariat must respond..."
Hiss!
Xu Jie almost swore aloud, thinking: You're using this to pressure me, directly forcing this old man to go home?
Just as he was considering how to retort,
Suddenly,
A secretary rushed in and said,
"Grand Secretary Yan, Grand Secretary Xu, the envoy from Wa has arrived and wishes to see Your Excellencies to present an important matter..."
The two of them immediately looked at each other in disbelief—
An envoy from Wa?
What is this all about?
Didn't they return more than ten years ago?
They are still fighting, yet they speak so politely,
What "present an important matter" sounds like the language used when acknowledging vassalage and paying tribute.
At this moment,
Yan Song's astonishment was even greater than Xu Jie's. This was because he already knew that Otomo Sorin had been defeated and committed suicide by Oda Nobunaga. That was why, on his first day back at work, he was pressuring Xu Jie to put pressure on Jiangnan. He was worried about changes in Wa and wanted to quickly break the balance, thus forcing the various countries to continue sending troops.
Upon hearing this report,
He was truly bewildered and had a vague premonition of impending trouble: perhaps it was sent by someone called Oda or something?
But his face remained composed, and he said calmly,
"Why are you panicking? Who from the Ministry of Rites submitted this? Didn't you consider that Wa is currently at war with us, and now an envoy has arrived? Why did you report it without verifying? Tell them to send it back to the Directorate of Transmission, and report it after verification!"