The book is first released on Taidu Novel App—free, no ads, no pop-ups, and you can interact with book friends.
The Capital City,
The Yan Residence.
A sense of unease permeated the quiet study. No one knew what had happened, nor could they believe it had, yet it had happened.
Yan Song gazed at everyone, his thoughts a mystery, but he was undeniably flustered, flustered for no apparent reason.
It was Yan Shifan who broke the silence, idly toying with a jade tablet, and said leisurely, "What's wrong with you all? We haven't lost yet… Old Luo, Old Yan, Wenhua, Moqing, standing around silently isn't going to solve anything…"
Originally,
They had simply waited for the news of the Huating siege to reach the Ministry of War, then immediately pressured the capital officials to force their way into the West Garden and compel Jiajing to execute Zhu Mo. If the imperial decree wasn't issued, they wouldn't leave. Jiajing might hold out for a few days, but after Huating would come Mang Yinglong, Zheng Jian, followed by the widespread Jiangnan rebellion engulfing the nation…
Jiajing would surely be forced to hang himself. If he refused to affix the imperial seal, they would directly escort Prince Yu to the throne! At that point, confining Jiajing to a small palace, nailing the door shut, and starving him to death wouldn't be impossible… If he dared to mobilize troops, not only would Li Tingzhu object, but even if Li Tingzhu agreed, as soon as the Nine Gates were closed, Ge Jin and Yang Bo of Xuanfu and Jizhou would immediately march to the rescue, and Jiajing would still be finished…
But now,
The news they received was inexplicably…
The original text comes from Taidu Novel App. Download Taidu Novel App for more free good books.
The Japanese pirates were defeated after one day of fighting…
Was it defeat, or withdrawal?
Frankly, everyone hadn't figured it out yet, let alone explained it.
After a long pause,
Luo Longwen cleared his throat and said,
"Esteemed Elder, Young Esteemed Elder, it is precisely because the situation remains at a stalemate that everyone cannot offer a proper explanation… Your subordinate believes that the Japanese pirate called Okumura fought rather well. He landed at dawn, surrounded the encampment, setting a trap for certain death, and could have dragged on for a very long time, long enough to support a political upheaval…
Uh, your subordinate, your subordinate thinks this battle was definitely lost, otherwise the Japanese pirates wouldn't have abandoned the hundreds of thousands of bolts of silk within Huating city…
Your subordinate thinks the only surprise was Zhu Mo's firearm battalion… We underestimated this thing before. According to what Mao Lie relayed from Okumura, these firearms are more than ten times stronger than the Franco-Portuguese ones. This is truly strange. Last year, at the gunpowder bureau, did he really create some divine artifact?"
Everyone listened to his sensible words, and since he provided them with an excuse to back down, they all nodded in agreement.
Yan Shifan snorted,
The original text comes from Taidu Novel App. Download Taidu Novel App for more free good books.
"Last time in Xuan Da, you said his firearms were just for show! Old Luo, if you don't understand, don't talk nonsense anymore!"
"Uh, yes, your subordinate has erred."
Luo Longwen immediately lowered his head.
Yan Shifan, for reasons unknown, became enraged and said,
"Wenhua, go to the gunpowder bureau and see what exactly they've been tinkering with. Why is it so outrageous? Find out who's responsible. If you can bring them over, do so. If not, chop their heads off! Don't let them come up with any more bizarre ideas out of nowhere!"
Yan Song shot him a glare and suddenly sighed,
"Longwen is right… Okumura fought well… And the situation is still a stalemate! It's too early to say who won or lost… Since we've suffered a setback, we need to understand the reasons. Shifan is also correct; send people to the gunpowder bureau to investigate. If you find it inconvenient, find Lu Bing and have him find a way to sneak someone in. If there are any blueprints or anything, bring them back and show them to Okumura and the others…"
He had always looked down on such ingenious and decadent craftsmanship, feeling that these implements were not decisive forces. The Japanese pirates were simply too few in number, and their tactics had gone awry. Moreover, logically speaking, the Ming Dynasty's firearms could never compare to the Franco-Portuguese ones; there was no need to doubt this.
In his opinion, the people of the Ming Dynasty were incompetent, only capable of simple tasks, and had never produced anything earth-shattering throughout history. He had seen Franco-Portuguese firearms before, and if it were the people at the gunpowder bureau, they wouldn't even get close in a lifetime. Therefore, he still had some doubts: these firearms were perhaps bought from the Franco-Portuguese or some other Westerners…
Thinking of this,
He suddenly asked,
"Shifan, don't you usually pay attention? How could the gunpowder bureau produce such powerful things? I'm afraid they're not bought from some Westerners? If they can buy them, go buy some too… I think this matter is too outrageous…"
The retainers heard this and felt it made sense—
The craftsmen of the Ming Dynasty spent their days making ceremonial vessels for the royal family. For one or two hundred years, they had never been known to produce anything impressive. How could this be? Were the Japanese pirates defeated and deliberately exaggerating the invincibility of their enemies?
After thinking for a while, everyone felt it wasn't quite right and decided to wait until they had visited the gunpowder bureau. The most pressing issue now was not this, but the sudden stalemate in the situation, and they didn't know what to do next.
Yan Shifan sighed inexplicably and murmured,
"Why is this Zhu Mo so strange? We've tried to capture him several times and failed… It's truly like encountering a ghost…"
Yan Maoqing cleared his throat and said,
"Esteemed Elder, Young Esteemed Elder, your subordinate believes that although the situation is currently at a stalemate, we can still do something. If we do nothing, Zhu Mo and Zhang Juzheng will push forward again…
Your subordinate believes that Okumura, who is said to be a Japanese feudal lord, having suffered such a devastating defeat, surely cannot swallow this indignity. Let him fight again. If he cannot land, let him harass the coast! In my opinion, this Japanese pirate lost because he was too soft! This time, we must strike harder. Those rebellious commoners are also forming volunteer corps, reportedly tens of thousands strong, and are now being granted land based on merit. This must be dealt with! Hit them hard! As long as we hurt them, the overall situation can still be salvaged! I refuse to believe that Zhu Mo and Yu Dayou can win against Franco-Portuguese ships at sea!"
Taidu Novel App, a completely open-source and free web novel website.
Hmm, hmm,
Yes, yes, yes,
That's the logic.
Everyone naturally nodded.
Upon thinking that the Khitan had become volunteer soldiers and were being granted land based on merit, it was utterly rebellious.
Gao Hanwen was from Suzhou, very close to Huating. Thinking about the upcoming reforms in Jiangsu province, how could this be allowed? His family owned over 200,000 mu of land, half of which had been acquired through purchase after donation. Wouldn't all of it have to be returned? The money spent on purchasing it, Zhu Mo and Zhang Juzheng said it would be compensated by the government as redemption fees, but how could the government's word be trusted? Wouldn't they never receive it? Moreover, compared to land, what was money? They wouldn't be able to buy such land with this money!
The more he thought, the more indignant he became, and he stated resolutely,
"Esteemed Elder, Young Esteemed Elder, your subordinate initially thought Zhu Mo's reforms were merely minor adjustments, but now it appears that granting land for military merit is nothing short of Qin's law! Your subordinate has been utterly foolish! Adult Yan is correct; we must let the Japanese pirates attack. Once they attack, they will be subdued."
Seeing his emotional state, Yan Shifan stood up, patted his shoulder, and said,
"Moqing, I've told you long ago to learn to be ruthless. See, if you're not ruthless, others will defecate on your head…"