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

Zhu Yuanzhang frowned, tapping the tabletop with his fingers for a long time, then he sighed:
"Well, I will do as your king requests. I will order the troops to withdraw today. I hope your king will take care of himself and not have any more evil intentions!"

The Japanese envoy was overjoyed when he heard this and immediately kowtowed to express his gratitude:
"Thank you, Your Majesty! My king will obey Your Majesty's orders and will always be a vassal of the Ming Dynasty, coming to the court every year!"

Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand, signaling the Japanese envoy to withdraw. He looked at the envoy's departing back, and a complicated look flashed in his eyes.

A few days later, in the Golden Palace, Zhu Yuanzhang read out the withdrawal agreement signed with Japan in front of civil and military officials.

Zhu Yuanzhang sat on the dragon throne, looking at the joyful civil and military officials below, but his heart was calm.

He knew that this agreement was only a stopgap measure and that the Japanese were ambitious and would never give up.

"Your Majesty is wise and powerful. This time you forced Japan to sue for peace. It is a blessing for our Ming Dynasty!"

Li Shanchang stepped forward and praised loudly.

"Yes, Your Majesty is so powerful. How dare a small country like Japan compete with the Ming Dynasty?"

"Your Majesty, this move will surely deter the surrounding villains and ensure a hundred years of peace for our Ming Dynasty!"

……

Listening to the respectful words of the civil and military officials, Zhu Yuanzhang just smiled faintly, but his heart became heavier.

He knew that these civil officials only saw the victory in front of them, but failed to see the crisis hidden in the dark.

Japan, like a dormant beast, is secretly accumulating strength, waiting for the day to show its fangs again.

The civil officials were all beaming with joy, as if they had won a victory, and they all sang praises. Although the military generals were somewhat unwilling, they did not dare to disobey the imperial edict and could only accept the result helplessly.

Five days later, this imperial edict stamped with the imperial seal of the Ming Dynasty traveled thousands of miles to reach Lan Yu, who was far away in Japan.

"Retreat? Are you kidding me?"

Zhu Tan snatched the imperial edict, glanced at its contents, and a scornful smile immediately appeared on his face.

"These old guys know nothing!"

He threw the imperial edict to the ground, his tone full of disdain, "I finally reached the capital of Japan and was about to capture that damn emperor alive, and they actually asked me to withdraw? You're dreaming!"

Lan Yu stood aside and saw Zhu Tan's bold move, and cold sweat broke out immediately.

This gentleman is truly fearless. He even dares to throw away the emperor's edict. Isn't he afraid of being beheaded?
However, Lan Yu couldn't help but admire Zhu Tan's courage.

He knew that Zhu Tan did this not because he was arrogant, but because he knew clearly in his heart that they didn't have much time left.

"Your Highness, this is the Emperor's order!"

Lan Yu reminded carefully, "If we disobey the imperial decree without authorization, we will lose our heads!"

Zhu Tan sneered, patted Lan Yu on the shoulder, and said earnestly:

"Lan Yu! When a general is on the battlefield, he may not obey military orders. Don't you understand? Besides, our father is far away in Yingtian. How would he know our current situation?"

Lan Yu saw that Zhu Tan had made up his mind and knew that it was useless to persuade him any further. He could only sigh helplessly and said:

"Your Highness, since you have made up your mind, I will obey your orders! But it is not easy to attack the capital of Japan! The capital of Japan is in a strategic location, easy to defend but difficult to attack, and there are many defenders in the city. We only have so few men, I am afraid..."

"Afraid of a bird!"

Zhu Tan slammed the table and interrupted Lan Yu:
"Since the beginning of this war, when have we ever been afraid? Besides, I don't believe that our Ming army can't conquer a mere Japanese capital."

"Your Highness is right! I am willing to die for you!"

Seeing Zhu Tan being so heroic, Lan Yu's blood boiled in his heart. He immediately knelt on one knee and clasped his fists to accept the order.

That night, the moon was dark, the wind was strong, and the air was filled with murderous intent.

Zhu Tan personally led the army and quietly approached the capital of Japan.

On the top of the city wall, the Japanese defenders were unaware and were still patrolling lazily.

"kill!"

Following Zhu Tan's order, the Ming army launched a fierce attack on the capital of Japan like a tiger descending from the mountain.

Shouts, screams, and the sound of weapons clashing filled the night sky.

……

At the same time, thousands of miles away in Yingtian Prefecture, in the Prime Minister’s Mansion, there was a peaceful and harmonious scene.

Hu Weiyong was wearing casual clothes, reclining on a throne chair, holding a cup of fragrant tea in his hand, sipping it leisurely.

A servant in green walked into the study quickly, bowed and said, "Master, the Japanese envoy from the post station wants to see you."

Upon hearing this, Hu Weiyong raised his eyebrows slightly, put down his teacup, and said calmly: "Oh? What is he doing here? Let him in."

"Yes!"

The servant took the order and left. After a while, he brought Kujo Masataka in.

As soon as Kujo Masataka entered the study, he came up to Hu Weiyong with a big smile on his face, bowed deeply to him, and said, "I am Kujo Masataka, your humble servant, and I pay my respects to Mr. Hu!"

"Master Jiujo, please take a seat."

Hu Weiyong pointed to a chair beside him and motioned Kujo Masataka to sit down and talk.

Kujo Masataka thanked Hu Weiyong, then carefully sat down on the chair, took out an exquisite wooden box from his arms, placed it on the table, gently pushed it in front of Hu Weiyong, and said with a smile:

"Sir Hu, I was able to return to Japan smoothly this time, thanks to your kind words in front of the emperor. I am very grateful. This small gift is not a token of respect, but I hope you will accept it."

Hu Weiyong glanced at the wooden box on the table calmly and sneered in his heart, this old guy is really smart!

However, he remained calm and said calmly: "Master Jiujo, you are too polite. It is our duty to maintain good relations between our two countries. Why do we have to spend so much money?"

Upon hearing this, Kujo Masataka's face suddenly showed a trace of embarrassment, and he quickly said:

"Of course, of course. It's just a small token of my appreciation. I hope you won't mind."

Hu Weiyong smiled and did not refuse anymore. He reached out and opened the wooden box. He saw a row of gold bars neatly stacked inside, which sparkled alluringly under the candlelight.

In addition to the gold bars, there was also a neatly folded piece of rice paper. When Hu Weiyong unfolded it, he found it was a picture of a lady.

The woman in the painting is wearing a kimono and kneeling on a tatami. She has delicate features, skin as white as snow, and a pair of big watery eyes. She is so charming that I feel pity for her.

"What a beauty!"

Hu Weiyong couldn't help but admire.

Seeing this, Kujo Masataka was secretly pleased and said quickly, "If you like her, I will send someone to bring her to your house."

Upon hearing this, Hu Weiyong waved his hand and said with a smile: "No need, I just said it casually. This beauty should be left to Jiu Tiao to enjoy."

After saying this, he put the scroll aside, picked up the teacup, and took a sip.

Seeing this, Kujo Masataka was a little disappointed, but he didn't dare to say anything more. He could only smile and say, "Your Excellency, you are joking. I already have a wife at home, how dare I be greedy for her?"

"Really?"

Hu Weiyong glanced at Kujo Masataka with a half-smile and said meaningfully:

"I have heard that all of you Japanese men have three wives and four concubines. As an envoy from Japan, Lord Kujo has a noble status, so you must have many concubines at home, right?" Upon hearing this, Kujo Masataka blushed, smiled awkwardly, and said:
"You are joking, my lord. I only have a few concubines at home. How can they compare to you, my lord..."

This Prime Minister Hu is indeed worthy of his reputation. His meticulous mind is frightening.

He came today, firstly to thank Hu Weiyong for his "good words" in front of Zhu Yuanzhang, and secondly to test the attitude of this powerful prime minister.

Thinking of his father's instructions, Kujo Masataka felt bitter again. How could a tiny country like Japan compete with the Ming Dynasty?

But my father chose to listen to the slander of those arrogant warriors and tried to fight a powerful enemy with his own strength.

Kujo Masataka carefully observed Hu Weiyong's expression and asked tentatively:

"I wonder what you think of Japan compared to the Ming Dynasty?"

Hu Weiyong put down his teacup, glanced at him, and chuckled:
"Master Jiujo, you are asking this question even though you already know the answer. Your Japan is small and sparsely populated, with scarce resources. It is naturally very different from the Ming Dynasty."

"Your Excellency is absolutely right. Absolutely right."

Although Kujo Masataka kept smiling, he felt even more uneasy in his heart.

Hu Weiyong secretly laughed when he saw his look. This Japanese envoy looked smart, but in fact he was just a cowardly rat.

He stopped teasing him and changed the subject, saying:

"However, I have heard that the warriors from Japan are all brave and good at fighting, and they are indeed a powerful force."

When Kujo Masataka heard this, he was moved. Could it be that Prime Minister Hu was interested in the samurai from Japan?
He said quickly:
"Your Excellency is too kind. Although we, the Japanese warriors, have some minor martial arts skills, compared with the elite troops of the Ming Dynasty, we are just like a mantis trying to stop a chariot."

Hu Weiyong smiled, said nothing, just picked up the teacup and took a sip.

But he was thinking in his heart that if he could recruit this Japanese warrior for his own use, he would be a good chess piece.

The two chatted for a while longer, and when Kujo Masataka saw that he couldn't get any information out of them, he stood up and said goodbye.

Hu Weiyong did not keep him and ordered people to send him out of the Prime Minister's Mansion.

After returning to the post station, Kujo Masataka wrote down in detail his conversation with Hu Weiyong today and his own experiences, and ordered someone to send it back to Japan as quickly as possible.

After doing all this, he breathed a long sigh of relief, and a huge stone in his heart finally fell to the ground.

Tomorrow, he will be able to embark on the journey back home. As for his father, he can only leave it to fate.

The next morning, Kujo Masataka led the delegation and left Yingtian Prefecture, heading eastward towards Japan.

Along the way, he felt particularly relaxed, and felt that the sky was high and the clouds were vast, with no clouds in sight.

However, what he didn't know was that at this moment, in the distant capital of Japan, a sudden disaster was quietly approaching.

On the sea, dozens of huge warships broke through the waves, and on the sails, a bright red "Ming" character fluttered in the wind.

The deafening roar of artillery resounded through the sky, and one shell after another, with a long tail of flame, landed accurately on the walls, houses, and streets of the Japanese capital.

Blazing fire shot up into the sky, thick smoke billowed, cries and screams intertwined into a hell on earth...

Kujo Masataka knew nothing about this and was still immersed in the joy of returning home.

……

The smoke filled the air, blocking out the sky and the sun.

The rumbling sound of the cannons was like the roar of Thor, shaking the entire Japanese capital.

On the city wall, rubble flew, wood chips flew everywhere, and the desperate roars of the defenders mixed in, creating a scene like hell on earth.

Zhu Tan, dressed in military uniform, stood on the hillside with a stern expression, looking at Wangjing in the distance which was engulfed by war.

Beside him, Lan Yu was reporting on the battle situation.

"Humph, a bunch of barbarians dare to stop the heavenly soldiers?" Zhu Tan snorted coldly, with a trace of contempt in his eyes, "How many casualties are there?"

"Your Highness, more than three thousand brothers have been killed!" Lan Yu said gritting his teeth, his tone full of heartache and resentment.

"Your Highness, these Japanese people are really crazy!"

"Our artillery would have flattened this broken wall long ago, but they just sacrificed their lives to fill the gap and block it!"

Zhu Tan said nothing and fell into deep thought.

If a strong attack doesn't work, then we can only take it by wits. In the capital of Japan, there must be people who are afraid of death and those who have ulterior motives.

As long as we find a breakthrough, we can take over the city without losing a single soldier!

"Lan Yu!" Zhu Tan suddenly spoke, with a gleam in his eyes.

"I am here!" Lan Yu immediately responded with a fist salute.

"Send someone to find out who the officials are in the Japanese court, especially those in charge of city defense and food supplies. Find out their details for me!"

"Your Highness, what you mean is..." Lan Yu immediately understood Zhu Tan's intention and an excited smile appeared on his face.

"To capture a thief, you must first capture the leader; to attack a city, you must first attack its heart. Since these Japanese are so loyal to the emperor, let them start a chaos among themselves first!"

The corners of Zhu Tan's mouth rose slightly, revealing a cold smile.

Lan Yu took the order and left, while Zhu Tan returned to the tent and began to think about the next plan.

He believed that it would not be long before the capital of Japan would open its doors to him!

A few days later, Lan Yu returned to Zhu Tan's tent with a detailed list.

"Your Highness, this is a list of officials from the Japanese court, as well as their detailed information."

Lan Yu presented the list with a smug smile on his face.

Zhu Tan took the list and read it carefully. The structure of the Japanese court was similar to that of the Ming Dynasty, but there were also some differences.

Their supreme ruler is the King of Japan, but the King of Japan is only a symbolic existence, and the one who truly holds power is the Shogun.

"Well, this Shogun is quite interesting..."

Zhu Tan's eyes fell on a name on the list, the corners of his mouth slightly raised, revealing a playful smile.

Lan Yu was confused and couldn't help asking:
"Your Highness, is there something wrong with this Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimori?"

"I've read all his information."

Zhu Dan threw the information about Ashikaga Yoshimochi on the table.

I have to say that the military information provided by Lan Yu, a rough man, is relatively accurate.

From big things like life to small things like how many concubines a family had, everything can be found out.

Naturally, one can also analyze Ashikaga Yoshimochi's character.

"He is ambitious, but indecisive. How can a man who wants to accomplish great things be so hesitant?"

Zhu Tan threw the list on the table, a gleam in his eyes, "However, this is also our opportunity." (End of this chapter)