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

The sea breeze blew the sails, and Zhu Tan's fleet slowly sailed into the port of Ryukyu.

As soon as they landed, the King of Zhongshan led all the civil and military officials to line the streets to welcome them. Their humble attitude was even more enthusiastic than welcoming their own father.

"Your humble servant, King Wuning of Zhongshan, pays respect to His Royal Highness Prince Lu of the Ming Dynasty. May His Royal Highness live a thousand years and a thousand thousand years!"

Wu Ning was short and fat, with a big belly. He wore a crown woven with gold thread on his head, and his robe was embroidered with rare and exotic animals, which shone with golden light in the sun, making him look out of place.

Zhu Tan had a sneer on his lips. This old guy pretended to be quite convincing. If Ma He had not investigated it clearly in advance, he would have almost believed his lies!
"King Zhongshan, there is no need to be so polite. Please stand up quickly."

Zhu Tanxu gave him a hand but his eyes were looking King Zhongshan up and down. This old guy was really good at hiding things!
"Thank you, Your Highness!"

Wu Ning stood up, smiling, "Your Highness has come from afar and must have worked hard. I have prepared some wine to welcome you. Please move to the palace."

Zhu Tan did not refuse and followed Wu Ning all the way to the Palace of King Zhongshan.

Although this palace is not as majestic as the Ming Dynasty Palace, it is also magnificent, with carved beams and painted rafters, demonstrating the wealth of Ryukyu everywhere.

After three rounds of wine and five dishes, Wu Ning fell to his knees with a plop and said in tears:
"Your Highness, you don't know! Our Ryukyu Kingdom is located in a remote area, the land is barren, and the people live in poverty. In recent years, they have been repeatedly invaded by Japanese pirates. It is really unbearable! Please, Your Highness, for the sake of our Ryukyu Kingdom's loyalty to the Ming Dynasty for generations, speak a few good words in front of the emperor and save our Ryukyu people!"

As he spoke, Wu Ning actually started to cry, and his tears fell like pearls from a broken string.

Zhu Tan sneered in his heart, it’s a pity that this old guy doesn’t go to sing opera!
"Please stand up, King Zhongshan. I came here to solve the problem of Japanese pirates in Ryukyu."

Zhu Tan pretended to be surprised and said:
"However, on the way here, I saw merchant ships gathering at the Ryukyu port, with goods piled up like mountains. This is not the scene that a poor country should have."

Wu Ning's face froze when he heard that, and then he laughed dryly twice, "Your Highness, you are joking. Those are worthless things. They are just for making a living, just for making a living..."

Zhu Tan did not point it out, but just smiled and nodded. However, he became more alert in his heart. It seemed that the water in Ryukyu was deeper than he had imagined!
That night, Zhu Tan used the excuse of being tired from the long journey and returned to his room early to rest.

In the room, Ma He had been waiting for a long time.

"How is it going? Did you find out anything?" Zhu Tan asked.

"Your Highness, I have learned that the King of Zhongshan has privately recruited a number of strong men and secretly trained them outside the city. Moreover, their weapons..."

Ma He paused here, as if he found it difficult to speak.

"What's wrong with their weapons?" Zhu Tan asked.

"Their weapons seem... seem to be Ming Dynasty's standard equipment!"

Ma He took a deep breath and finally said this sentence.

"What?!" Zhu Tan's face was terribly gloomy, "Are you saying that the King of Zhongshan secretly hid the weapons of the Ming Dynasty?!"

"Absolutely true!"

Ma He said with certainty, "I have seen with my own eyes that those weapons are the latest equipment of the Ming army. There is no way they were copied by civilians!"

"Wu Ning, you are so bold!"

"I want to see what you, old man, are trying to do!"

Zhu Tan suppressed his anger and patted Ma He on the shoulder:

"You have done a great job on this matter. Go down first. Remember, you must not tell anyone about this matter!"

Ma He took the order and left. Zhu Tan stood alone in front of the window, looking at the bright moonlight outside and fell into deep thought.

The King of Zhongshan secretly stored Ming weapons and recruited soldiers. His evil ambitions were obvious!
"You want to use me as a pawn, but don't you see how capable you are?"

Zhu Tan sneered, a cold light flashing in his eyes.

He decided to take advantage of the situation, first stabilize the King of Zhongshan, and then secretly investigate the other party's true intentions.

The next morning, Zhu Tan sent someone to invite Wu Ning.

And in front of him, he said, "filled with indignation":

"Prince Zhongshan, rest assured. I have made my decision. I will write to the emperor and ask him to send troops to wipe out the Japanese pirates and bring peace and prosperity to the people of Ryukyu!"

Wu Ning was overjoyed when he heard this, and immediately knelt down to express his gratitude, "Your Highness is truly the savior of our Ryukyu! On behalf of the people of Ryukyu, I thank Your Highness for saving my life!"

Zhu Tan quickly helped Wu Ning up and said, "King Zhongshan, there is no need to be so polite. You and I are of the same origin. Now that Ryukyu is in trouble, how can I sit back and watch?"

Sun Tzu's country, don't they have the same roots and origins?

These words were so eloquent that Wu Ning was moved to tears of gratitude and admired Zhu Tan even more.

"It's just..." Zhu Tan changed the subject, "King Zhongshan, you also know that the Japanese pirates are rampant now, and the Ming Dynasty also has to defend against Mongolia in the north. The military force is really tight..."

When Wu Ning heard this, he immediately understood what Zhu Tan meant and said quickly:

"Don't worry, Your Highness. I understand what you mean. As long as Ming is willing to send troops, Ryukyu will bear the cost of food and military pay!"

“How can I do this?” Zhu Tan pretended to refuse, “The people of Ryukyu have suffered enough…”

"Your Highness, what are you talking about!" Wu Ning interrupted Zhu Tan, "As long as we can wipe out the Japanese pirates, what does this little money mean?"

Seeing Wu Ning being so sensible, Zhu Tan sneered in his heart, but pretended to be embarrassed on the surface:

"In that case, I would like to thank King Zhongshan on behalf of the people of Ryukyu!"

"Your Highness, what are you talking about? It's only right, it's only right..."

After seeing Wu Ning off, Zhu Tan immediately summoned his confidants and developed a "training plan".

He decided to send a small team, disguised as instructors, to the Ryukyu military camp to secretly find out the strength of the Ryukyu army and the movements of the Japanese pirates.

At the same time, he also secretly sent people to Korea to report that King Zhongshan was colluding with the Japanese pirates.

News of the intention to rebel.

He informed the King of Korea and hoped that Korea could send troops to help, so that they could jointly wipe out the Japanese pirates and eliminate the threat to Ryukyu.

When the King of Korea received the news, he was shocked.

He never imagined that Ryukyu, which had always been subservient to the Ming Dynasty, would dare to collude with the Japanese pirates and intend to rebel!
Thinking of this, the King of Korea immediately summoned his ministers to discuss countermeasures. After a heated discussion, the King of Korea finally decided to send troops to assist the Ming Dynasty and fight against the Japanese pirates!

In this way, a conspiracy against Ryukyu was quietly unfolding in the dark...

At the same time, Zhu Tan was not idle either.

He knew very well that if he wanted to completely resolve the Ryukyu issue, force alone was not enough.

It is also necessary to infiltrate the Ryukyu Islands culturally and completely assimilate them.

So he summoned Wu Ning again and said, "King of Zhongshan, I came here to ask for something else."

"Your Highness, please tell me. As long as I can do it, I will do it without hesitation!" Wu Ning said, patting his chest.

Zhu Tan smiled slightly, "I heard that Ryukyu still doesn't have a formal school, and most of the people are illiterate and culturally backward. It's really sad!"

Wu Ning's face suddenly became a little embarrassed when he heard this. It was an indisputable fact that Ryukyu was located in a remote area and its culture was backward. He had always wanted to change the status quo, but he had no way to do so.

"So, I want to build a school in Ryukyu to teach Ming culture. What do you think, King Zhongshan?"

After Wu Ning heard this, he was shocked.

What exactly is Zhu Tan up to?

On the surface, he was building a school to teach Ming culture, but in reality, who knew what his intention was?

"Your Highness, this move is truly a great achievement for future generations and will benefit Ryukyu for generations to come!" Wu Ning laughed dryly, but his heart was beating fast. "It's just that... Ryukyu is a small country with poor people. The cost of building a school..."

"King Zhongshan, don't worry,"

Zhu Tan had an expression that said "I understand you" and waved his hand, "Since this king has made this suggestion, I will naturally help you."

"How about this? I will bear the cost of building the school. As for the teachers, I will select a few respected and learned scholars from Yingtian Prefecture to teach. What do you think, King Zhongshan?"

Wu Ning's heart sank when he heard this. This wasn't just "I think so" at all, it was clearly "it's been decided"!
Zhu Tan's actions seemed well-intentioned on the surface, but in reality, he wanted to turn Ryukyu into a cultural colony of the Ming Dynasty!
By then, the children of Ryukyu will learn the language, culture, and history of the Ming Dynasty from an early age. When they grow up, they will naturally identify with the Ming Dynasty and even be proud of being a Ming Dynasty person.

In this case, what hope is there for Ryukyu?
The more Wu Ning thought about it, the more frightened he became, but unfortunately, he was in a difficult situation.

In order to get Zhu Tan to agree to send troops, he patted his chest and said that Ryukyu would bear all the expenses. Now Zhu Tan has taken the initiative to offer to bear the cost of building the school. If he refuses, wouldn't he be slapping himself in the face?
"Your Highness is so generous. I am so grateful..."

Wu Ning forced out a smile that was uglier than crying, but his heart was bleeding.

"Haha, King Zhongshan, you don't have to be polite. You and I should help each other!"

Zhu Tan laughed out loud.

This Ryukyu will be in my pocket sooner or later!
In this way, a school named "Minglun Hall" was built in Ryukyu with Zhu Tan's "strong support".

When the news spread, the people of Ryukyu were talking about it, some were happy, some were worried.

"I heard that the schools in Daming not only teach reading and writing, but also teach various skills. In the future, our children will be able to become educated people like the people in Daming!"

A farmer said excitedly.

"Yes, yes. I heard that the teachers in Daming are all well-read scholars. It would be a blessing to have them as teachers for several lifetimes!"

But some people have doubts:

"Does the Ming prince really have good intentions? Why would he help us build a school for free?"

"That's right. If someone shows his kindness for no reason, he is either a traitor or a thief! I think there must be something fishy going on here!"

……

However, no matter what the people said, Minglun Hall was finally built.

On the day of the opening ceremony, Zhu Tan attended in person and delivered a passionate speech. He expressed his hope that the students of Ryukyu would cherish the opportunity, study hard, and contribute to the prosperity of Ryukyu in the future.

These words sounded so high-sounding that the blood of the people who did not know the truth boiled and they knelt down to express their gratitude.

Wu Ning looked at the scene in front of him with mixed feelings.

……

As night fell, the Zhongshan Palace was shrouded in a thin layer of mist, appearing exceptionally quiet.

Zhu Tan sat upright at the table, playing with a jade pendant in his hand. This jade pendant was one of the "treasures" presented to him by Wu Ning.

The carving is crude and one can tell at first glance that it was made by local Ryukyu craftsmen and has no collection value at all.

"This Wu Ning is really bragging. This little thing can be called a treasure?"

Zhu Tan sneered and threw the jade pendant on the table.

At this moment, the door was gently pushed open.

"Your Highness," Ma He knelt on one knee and clasped his fists, saying, "I have already investigated it clearly."

"Go ahead," Zhu Tan poured himself a glass of wine and took a sip:
"What is the quality of Ryukyu's army?"

Ma He paused and lowered his voice and said, "Your Highness, the Ryukyu army may seem vulnerable on the surface, but in fact..."

He deliberately paused and observed Zhu Tan's expression.

Zhu Tan raised his eyebrows and motioned for him to continue.

"Actually," Ma He took a deep breath:

"The real elite soldiers and generals of Ryukyu are all hidden in the dark. These people are not included in the army of the royal city, but are secretly trained by Wu Ning and only obey him!"

"Oh?" Zhu Tan put down his wine glass and asked with interest, "So, Wu Ning is capable of doing something?"

"That's right," Ma He nodded, "According to my observations, the number of these secretly trained soldiers is at least over 5,000, and they are all brave and well-equipped. They are definitely not ordinary people!"

"Five thousand men?" Zhu Tan sneered, "This tiny country of Ryukyu has five thousand elite soldiers. It seems that Wu Ning's ambition is really big!"

“Your Highness,” Ma He hesitated for a moment and asked, “Since we know that Ryukyu still has a backup plan, should we still help them eliminate the Japanese pirates? I am worried…”

"worry about what?"

Zhu Tan glanced at him sideways.

"I am worried," Ma He gritted his teeth and said, "Once we have wiped out the Japanese pirates, Ryukyu will turn around and bite us back!"

"Hahahahahaha!" After hearing this, Zhu Tan laughed out loud, his laughter was full of disdain and ridicule.

"Do you think I can't see it? Wu Ning is full of evil intentions. He pretends to be pitiful on the surface, but in fact, who knows what he is plotting against us!"

"Then Your Highness..." Ma He asked puzzledly.

"What this king wants is his calculations!"

Zhu Tan's eyes flashed with a gleam of light, "This Ryukyu, the king is determined! The Japanese pirates are just a group of rabble, the king will take this opportunity to catch them all in one fell swoop!"

"As for Ryukyu,"

Zhu Tan sneered, "After I have wiped out the Japanese pirates, I will be free to deal with them later! By then, I want to see what tricks Wu Ning has up his sleeve!"

Upon hearing this, Ma He immediately understood that His Highness was trying to take advantage of the situation and kill two birds with one stone!

"Your Highness is wise!" Ma He clasped his fists and said, "I will make arrangements right away and ensure that those pirates will not return!"

"Go ahead," Zhu Tan waved his hand, "Remember, do it cleanly and don't leave any handles!"

"Yes!" Ma He took the order and left. (End of this chapter)