King Luhuang of the Ming Dynasty: My father, Ming Taizu

The next day, the sky was bright and cloudless.

Zhu Tan stood at the front of the deck. The giant beast under his feet let out bursts of roaring whimpers and slowly sailed out of the dock.

For this expedition, Zhu Tan did not take all 40,000 troops with him, but instead selected 10,000 of them.

There are two reasons for doing this.

First, although there seemed to be a lot of Japanese pirates along the coast of the Ming Dynasty, their overall number was not large. Most of them were divided into teams of a hundred or so people, who harassed the sea borders in a rhythmic manner. It was enough to attract elite troops to destroy them without mobilizing a large army.

Second, it really can’t be contained.

The ironclad warships look huge, but their carrying capacity is limited. Currently, each warship can carry no more than 2,000 soldiers, plus various baggage and supplies, which is close to the limit.

However, with just these 10,000 soldiers, it would be no problem to wipe out the Japanese pirates along the coast.

Tang He did not ride on the same warship as Zhu Tan, but lagged behind half a step and was responsible for commanding another ship.

Zhu Tan did not tell Zhu Di the truth, at least not all of it.

He was indeed playing a big game, letting Zhu Di wipe out the Japanese pirates in the north and then enter Tamra. This was just the first step.

Later, Zhu Tan also planned to personally lead the warships to Ryukyu to remove the Japanese pirates there.

There are only a few sea routes from Japan to Ming Dynasty, and either you have to go through Tamra or Ryukyu.

This is not the modern era. Even if Zhu Tan designed and built the ironclad warship, it would need supplies on the way to Japan, not to mention the small boats of the Japanese pirates.

His original intention was to clamp both ends, create a large pocket formation, and control all the Japanese pirates within the near-shore area.

In this way, even if the Japanese pirates cannot be completely wiped out in one fell swoop, those who escaped will be suffocated to death in the vast sea and will never be able to return to Japan in this life.

The sea breeze was salty and strong. After standing on the deck for a while, Zhu Tan felt his face getting hot, so he turned around and went back to the cockpit.

The three warships tore through the turbulent sea, riding the wind and waves at an extremely fast speed.

A day later, the warships passed over the islands and reefs of Shandong, and from afar, bursts of thunder could be heard.

Zhu Di's actions were indeed quick, he had already started the attack.

The Japanese pirates mostly landed in the south. Although there were Japanese pirate strongholds near Shandong, their number was not large. With their ironclad warships and overwhelming force, there would be no accidents at all.

Zhu Tan didn't care how Zhu Di attacked, nor did he look at the intelligence handed over to him. He just leaned on the couch and thought about other things.

He was wondering what the situation was in the capital at that time.

……

"Your Majesty, the Prince of Yan has not ordered an expedition, and has called on the troops of the Beiping Military Command to join forces with the Prince of Lu, and has already set out to sea!"

Yingtian Prefecture, Forbidden City, Shangshufang.

Zhu Yuanzhang leaned on the couch, looking at Li Shanchang who was kneeling in front of him, with his brows slightly frowned.

Beside him, Zhu Biao's face also looked unhappy.

The father and son were unhappy mainly because of two things.

First, Zhu Tan asked Prince of Yan Zhu Di to lead troops out to sea without telling the old man.

Second, they did it, but they did it with great fanfare, which caused many civil officials in the court to jointly write a letter of impeachment, and the impeachment letters fell on Zhu Yuanzhang's desk like snowflakes.

Early this morning, Li Shanchang came to see the emperor. After entering, he knelt on the ground and complained, as if someone had stepped on his tail.

"Your Majesty! The Prince of Lu and the Prince of Yan are so arbitrary in sending out troops without an imperial decree. They don't take the central government seriously at all. If we continue to let this go, it may be a disaster for the Ming Dynasty!"

Li Shanchang kowtowed with a hint of fear in his tone, as if if Zhu Tan and Zhu Di joined forces to send troops, the Ming Dynasty would be destroyed.

"Get up and talk."

Zhu Yuanzhang spoke softly, somewhat impatiently: "How can you cry and howl over such a trivial matter?"

"His Majesty!"

Upon hearing this, Li Shanchang not only did not stand up, but kowtowed again, saying in a crying voice: "This is a serious matter, and this old minister is terrified."

"Prince Lu and Prince Yan are approaching Zhili with five ironclad warships!"

"If they have rebellious intentions and turn their spearheads to attack the capital, then..."

"fart!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang slammed the table, stood up and shouted: "That's our son. Anyone in the world would rebel, but our son will never rebel!"

"His Majesty!"

Li Shanchang was frightened and knelt down and kowtowed, but he had already said what he wanted to say, so now he just had to kowtow.

Zhu Yuanzhang's expression changed several times. He looked straight at Li Shanchang and shouted, "There is no need to discuss this matter anymore. We will make our own decision."

"Go down!"

Upon hearing this, Li Shanchang kowtowed again and said, "Your Majesty, please think twice!"

After saying that, he didn't dare to say anything more. He stood up and slowly retreated.

Among all the civil and military officials in the court, Li Shanchang was probably the only one who dared to speak ill of his son in front of Zhu Yuanzhang.

After Li Shanchang left, Zhu Yuanzhang sat down slowly, turned to look at Zhu Biao beside him, but did not speak.

Zhu Biao's heart was slightly moved, and he said softly: "Father, it is indeed inappropriate for Tenth Brother to do this, but on the other hand, this kid has always been eccentric and has many tricks up his sleeve."

"I wonder if he did it on purpose."

"What? Are you deliberately teaming up with Old Four to make me angry?"

Zhu Yuanzhang glared, feeling indignant.

He did not give Zhu Tan the right to mobilize the troops of the Beiping Military Commission, but this guy did it anyway.

The fourth brother was also ignorant and followed the tenth brother in making trouble and actually sent troops.

Zhu Yuanzhang was not angry at Zhu Di for sending troops, nor was he angry at the two of them for joining forces. Instead, he was angry at the two of them for colluding with each other and setting him up.

They did not report these things in advance, but only sent the news after the troops were dispatched.

He acts first and reports later, and he is very good at it.

"Father, calm down."

Zhu Biao stepped forward, patted his father's back gently, and said, "Father, you have also seen how the court reacted to the fact that the Tenth and Fourth brothers joined forces."

"Last time, Lao Shi made great contributions and conquered the entire Goryeo in one fell swoop, but someone in the court reported him for treason."

"this time……"

"This time the brat just did it, right?"

Zhu Yuanzhang frowned and said, "Won't this give others something to hold against him?"

"Father." Zhu Biao's tone softened a little, and he said, "Think about it the other way around. Is it the style of the Tenth Master to hand over such an obvious handle to others?"

"He must have done this on purpose, wanting to see who in the court was trying to harm him."

"Humph!"

Zhu Yuanzhang could certainly understand these things, and Zhu Tan's evil thoughts could not escape his eyes at all.

But even though he saw through it, he was still angry.

The brat has grown wings and dares to play tricks on his dad.

Isn't this obvious? He deliberately didn't report it because he wanted those civil servants to report him. At the same time, it also allowed him, as a father, to see clearly who in the court wanted to harm his beloved son.

But he didn't tell her in advance and wanted her to cooperate tacitly, which made the old man very angry.

This obvious feeling of being plotted against made Zhu Yuanzhang very uncomfortable.

In the entire Ming Dynasty, who dared to plot against Zhu?

"Father, calm down." Zhu Biao said softly again: "Based on my understanding of the Tenth Master, he would not be so reckless."

"Just wait and see, this kid will definitely have a trick up his sleeve."

"You also know that the matter of the Japanese pirates is not that simple." "You!"

After hearing Zhu Biao's words, Zhu Yuanzhang's anger dissipated a little. He reached out his hand, tapped Zhu Biao, and said in a deep voice: "Just know how to protect them!"

"They will cause you a big mess sooner or later, let's see how you end up!"

"Don't worry, father. I know what's going on."

Zhu Biao patted Zhu Yuanzhang on the back, and the smile on his face became deeper.

……

After drifting on the sea for three days, Zhu Tan felt as if the world was shaking.

The three warships under his command were extremely fast and had sufficient supplies. This time, they had no plans to rest midway, but instead prepared to head straight to the Zhoushan Islands and wipe out the assembled Japanese pirates in one fell swoop.

It was approaching evening and strong winds were blowing on the sea, approaching various areas of Zhejiang.

Zhu Tan was holding the railing with his eyes closed when he heard a sound of somewhat disorderly footsteps.

He slowly opened his eyes and saw Ma He running towards him crookedly. Although his body was swaying from side to side, he was actually running in a straight line.

He did have some talent. Just a few days later, even though the sea was rough and the wind was strong outside, he was able to walk on flat ground.

When he got closer, Ma He did not forget to bow and then spoke.

"Your Highness, the envoy from Xin State came to ask whether we should dock to rest today or continue on our way."

"Changguo County (the ancient name of Zhoushan) is not far ahead. At our current speed, we can arrive there in the early evening."

Zhu Tan looked at Ma He and asked a tricky question.

"How did people get here in such a strong wind?"

Ma He was startled, and immediately replied: "A few experienced sailors came with a sailing boat, and the boat almost capsized."

Zhu Tan pinched his nose, thought for a moment, and replied, "Tell them to tell Duke Xin that his warships should not stop, but go directly past Zhoushan and anchor in the south. Do not dock. When the wind and sea calm down tomorrow, use the sound of cannons as a signal to attack Changguo."

"Pass the order down. Let's not move forward. Let's drop anchor and repair until we can weather this gust of wind."

"Yes."

Upon hearing this, Ma He went down again in a staggering manner, with very fast steps.

Zhu Tan glanced at him and said nothing more. He continued to hold the railing and closed his eyes.

Although he was not seasick, the strong wind and waves and the shaking of the boat were enough for him to bear.

If he is like this, one can imagine how the soldiers below him will be.

Attacking in this state will not achieve the desired effect.

For now, we have to wait a little longer.

The wind was howling at sea and seemed to be getting stronger.

Following Zhu Tan's orders, Tang He ordered his warships to ride the wind and waves and head straight south.

The war was about to begin, and although he collected a lot of intelligence, all of it was one-sided.

Zhu Tan's arrangement was even more sound. By encircling and attacking from both sides, it could cut off the escape route of the Japanese pirates to the greatest extent.

But if we don't attack now, the people on the islands...

……

"Hurry up and build! Move forward! Faster!"

Changguo County, the county seat.

In the strong wind, a man in an official robe shouted loudly, but his voice was swept away by the strong wind and rushed into the air.

It was raining heavily, but a large number of laborers were standing on the city wall of the county town, repairing the city defenses in the heavy rain.

The walls of Changguo County were low and had been damaged in many places after repeated attacks.

Heavy rain formed rivers that kept flowing along the damaged city walls, making the walls look even more precarious.

"Quick! Quick!"

The person who shouted was Wang Junliang, the county magistrate of Changguo County. After shouting twice, he quickly stepped forward, picked up the sandbag on the ground, and carried it to the top of the city wall.

Before this, the Japanese pirates had attacked the county town several times.

Except for the county town, many people on the island were massacred by the Japanese pirates, most villages were destroyed, and all property was looted.

The Changguo Islands are isolated overseas, with many islands and reefs on both sides. In the past, it was a place frequented by Japanese pirates. Most of the outer reefs were occupied by Japanese pirates to establish strongholds.

There were 400 troops stationed in Changguo County. Although the Japanese pirates had harassed the county frequently, they had never dared to attack the county by force before.

But in recent days, the Japanese pirates seemed to have gone crazy, with their numbers increasing a lot more than before. They began to attack the county town on a large scale, as if they were going to break into the city and take it for themselves.

Wang Junliang had sent several letters to his superiors, but all of them fell on deaf ears and no reinforcements came.

If reinforcements don't arrive, they may not be able to hold out for much longer.

Once the city is breached, tens of thousands of residents in Changguo County will probably become victims of the Japanese pirates.

The countless islands and reefs around it, and this beautiful landscape, would probably become a piece of cake for the Japanese pirates.

Wang Junliang's legal advisors had advised him more than once to leave the county and report the situation in person, but he flatly refused.

According to him, one should eat the emperor's food and defend the land, and the only way to repay the emperor's kindness is to die in battle. There is absolutely no reason to desert in the face of danger.

Faced with repeated attacks by Japanese pirates, Wang Junliang was always on the front line, leading by example, boosting morale, and repelling several attacks by the Japanese pirates.

It was also because he refused to retreat until his death that the people and soldiers in the city shared a common hatred of the enemy, making it difficult for the Japanese pirates to move forward.

But now, the city is short of food and supplies, and is at the end of its strength.

Coupled with the continuous heavy rains, the city wall could not bear the weight and many gaps were washed out, making it very dangerous.

"grown ups!"

In the heavy rain, an official rushed forward, rushed to Wang Junliang's side, took the sandbag from his hand, and shouted loudly: "The people outside are back, you go and take a look."

The official who spoke was Wang Junliang's advisor. Although he asked Wang Junliang to leave many times, he himself had no intention of leaving at all.

"Keep an eye on it. We must repair the city wall today."

Wang Junliang replied in a deep voice: "After the rain stops, the Japanese pirates will definitely attack!"

"Don't worry, sir!"

The rain was getting heavier and heavier, almost blocking people's vision.

Wang Junliang hurried back to the county government office in the heavy rain.

The county government office of Changguo County now only has a side room left.

Wang Junliang ordered the demolition of the county government hall and used the demolished materials to strengthen the city defenses.

In the room, two thin, dark men were one squatting and one standing, wringing the rain water out of their shirts.

The hats they wore on their heads were tattered and could only barely block the rain from their eyes.

"grown ups."

After seeing Wang Junliang, the two were about to salute, but Wang Junliang stepped forward to support them and asked, "How is it?"

"Checked."

One of the men frowned and said in a deep voice: "There are more pirates on the coast. The coast is full of their ships."

"They have occupied several fishing villages along the coast, and the people inside..."

"how many people?"

The Japanese pirates have landed on the main island for several days. Wang Junliang has already anticipated what will happen to the residents outside the county, but now is not the time to talk about these things.

"Roughly estimated, more than a thousand." (End of this chapter)