Zheng Jian had always aimed to conquer Champa and annihilate the Mo Dynasty, thereby removing any future threats. He was willing to offend the Great Ming because remnants of the Mo Dynasty were hiding in the Guangxi region of Ming territory, prompting him to launch his campaign without hesitation. Once the remnants were wiped out, he would immediately usurp the throne and formally establish the Zheng Kingdom in Saigon.
This time, before departing, he instructed his son to agree to everything and refuse nothing, deferring all decisions until his return. If Suo Zha pressed the issue, he was to state that the Zheng forces would commit a hundred thousand troops.
At this moment,
Zheng Gui also rose and declared loudly, "Esteemed sirs, General Suo Zha! I, on behalf of my father, Grand Tutor Zheng Jian, extend greetings to General Suo Zha and all my friends. For this campaign to eliminate Zhu Mo of the Great Ming, our side will commit a hundred thousand troops!"
What?
Incredible, right?
Everyone present felt as if they had misheard.
Suo Zha was also taken aback and asked, "A hundred thousand?"
Zheng Gui confidently replied, "A hundred thousand."
Oh...
Suo Zha immediately understood—
The old fox Zheng Jian did not care about these matters; he merely wished to take advantage of the chaos and hide his plan to usurp the throne within this collective offensive.
However, this was not a problem. The primary purpose of this was to appease Yan Song. Otherwise, if Yan Song refused, the reforms in the Great Ming would continue, and the interests of private pirates and maritime merchants would be entirely extinguished. Once the Ming nation gained substantial customs revenue, it would rapidly grow powerful, becoming another Britain or Spain.
Thinking of this,
He also added fuel to the fire, applauding vigorously and encouragingly:
"Excellent! Grand Tutor Zheng Jian truly has grand ambitions!"
Following this,
The Burmese and Joseon kingdoms responded similarly. Mang Yinglong pledged to continue attacking Jin Teng, while Yun Yuan-hyeong promised to dispatch fifty warships and a thousand Joseon people disguised as pirates to join the forces of Omura Sumitada.
An ancient conspiracy finally concluded.
If previous actions relied on tacit understanding and secret communications, this time, paramount figures directly intervened, formally establishing an alliance. At Suo Zha's suggestion, the consensus reached at this meeting was named the "Shuri Pact."
It should be noted that
All these individuals were not actual rulers but powerful officials or feudal lords, without exception.
Because, in the view of Suo Zha and the Portuguese Regent Cardinal Henry, the ventures in the Far East were the business of private pirates and companies, not the grand policy of nations. From Japan, Joseon, Ryukyu, to the Great Ming, only within the framework of an alliance between powerful officials and private pirates could interests be maximized.
...
Several days later,
Zhu Mo, after inspecting the land reclamation efforts at Taizhou Guard and Zhenhai Guard, paid a visit to Hulu Mountain Water Stronghold.
During this recent period, a rare lull in the ongoing conflict, he and Zhang Juzheng seized the opportunity to vigorously promote the reform of imperial estates and establish garrison settlements, effectively seizing every chance, almost by sheer luck.
More than ten days passed. Yu Dayou, Zheng Qin, and the naval commanders, through relentless training, had become proficient in naval warfare with cannons.
Yu Dayou, possessing considerable strategic acumen, had numerous informants and ears among the enemy pirates. Intelligence gathered during this time had led him to suspect that an unprecedented naval battle was likely imminent.
One afternoon,
The two sat in a tent, poring over a sea chart, discussing once again the coordinated operations of coastal artillery emplacements and warships.
Zhu Mo had not abandoned his original idea—
To utilize the narrow distances between the Zhoushan Islands to achieve artillery coverage of the coastline and bays, thereby annihilating the Japanese pirate fleets and completely eradicating the pirate threat.
However, Yu Dayou had harbored doubts about this idea from the very beginning. Firstly, how could they land and establish artillery points if the Japanese pirates occupied the Zhoushan Islands? Furthermore, according to intelligence, an increasing number of warships were reinforcing Zhoushan. Within a month, Zhoushan would become the largest naval port on the East China Sea. How could it be surrounded? Merely defending their own coast would be an achievement.
At this point,
Seeing Zhu Mo still self-assured, he couldn't help but say:
"Scholar Zhu, coastal warfare differs from naval combat. Once our fleet leaves the stronghold, we risk being surrounded..."
He stepped forward two paces, pointing to the sea chart, and continued:
"Look, Yuegang is here. I fought in Fujian for many years without capturing it, and that was merely against pirates with few ronin... Once my warships set sail, from the direction of Yuegang and Zhoushan, Japanese pirate ships will launch a pincer attack. The open sea off the Qiantang River is not a favorable area for naval combat. Once we venture out, we will be isolated and without support...
Furthermore, to the north lies Ryukyu. Although Prime Minister Mao Longxuan dares not offend the Great Ming, the Portuguese Far East Fleet is stationed off the coast of Shuri. If they also directly join the fray, we will face a three-sided pincer attack, making it difficult even to retreat safely..."
Upon saying this,
He sensed grave danger and said earnestly:
"Scholar Zhu, although we possess formidable cannons, their numbers are limited... In the vast ocean, Japanese ships, Joseon ships, and Portuguese ships are all fast. In the blink of an eye, they can escape our firing range... We can only rely on coastal defenses. Look here, Jinshan Guard, Taizhou Guard, Zhenhai Guard – three lines of defense. Our warships can patrol along the coast. This is sufficient to repel Japanese pirate landings, and that would be commendable..."
Zhu Mo saw his dispirited demeanor. He thought about the decline of the Ming navy and how the hundred or so ships he had painstakingly gathered were hard-won. Naturally, he was reluctant to risk them all. However, with the great battle imminent, he could not afford not to risk them. Thus, he advised:
"General Yu, let me be frank with you... last time, by the coast of Jinshan Guard, I deliberately let Omura go... The purpose was to make them reassemble in Zhoushan...
Why are the Japanese pirates never truly eradicated? It is because they have not been hurt severely enough, their backbone not broken. After their defeat at the Battle of Huating, they will surely seek revenge. Regardless of whether I let them escape or not, they will reassemble... That is why I deliberately eased up, allowing them to return to Zhoushan. This way, even with reinforcements, they will undoubtedly converge on Zhoushan. This will give us an anchor, allowing us to clearly observe the actions of the Japanese pirates, which is far better than searching for them all over the world, wouldn't you agree?
Now, since reinforcement fleets are continuously arriving, we have nothing to fear. Let them gather more forces, ideally bringing out all their resources, and we can settle it in one decisive battle!"
After he finished, seeing Yu Dayou still hesitant, he added:
"General Yu, I know it is difficult for you, but this battle is unavoidable... It is better to fight early than late, better to fight a big battle than a small one, and not fighting is impossible... Your fleet will have to be committed sooner or later, this is also unavoidable..."
Yu Dayou sighed. He thought that his nephew, having already attained the position of Grand Secretary, could not be disobeyed. Moreover, what he said was not without reason.
It should be known that
Having fought against Japanese pirates for twenty years, Yu Dayou naturally understood the essence of what had been happening on the East China Sea over these decades. In essence, it was the collusion of private pirates and powerful officials from various countries, using Japanese pirates as their instruments to forcefully invade the Great Ming, compelling the Great Ming to fall completely under the rule of these forces, much like Ryukyu.
Under such duress, a decisive battle was naturally inevitable.
Thinking of this,
He gathered his thoughts, pondered Zhu Mo's strategy for a while, and suddenly conceived a feasible plan. With a few quick steps, he went to the sea chart and pointed to the area around Yuegang, saying:
"Scholar Zhu, we can feign a landing at Daishan to lure out the Japanese pirates. Then, we can establish artillery points on Yulong Island, Hengdang Island, and Caihua Island north of Yuegang. In this way, the Japanese pirates will have no choice but to flee south, and I will intercept them at the two points of Xiaohuangmang and Dapukou, forming a 'closing the door to beat the dogs' situation."