Zhu Mo saw his disbelief and thought, if you don't believe it, there's nothing I can do. In any case, the fight against the Japanese pirates is far from optimistic, nor can it be decided in one or two battles. Without addressing the root cause, it's impossible to eradicate them.
He immediately stopped talking about military affairs and thought of something else. He said, "General Qi, I want to find people familiar with Japan. Do you have any defectors in your camp?"
Hmm?
"Yes!"
Qi Jiguang was very straightforward. "There are two, both of whom followed Wang Zhi to Kyushu Island. One is called Ye Zongman, and the other is Wang Ruxian. They were supposed to be sent to the border, but I asked Minister Hu to let them serve as guides in the army..."
Good!
Zhu Mo seemed to have some impression of these two names.
Qi Jiguang immediately ordered them to be brought. "This official has some questions for you. You must tell him everything you know!"
"Yes!"
The two nodded in unison. Qi Jiguang guessed that Zhu Mo didn't want others present, so he cupped his hands and bid farewell, turning and leaving the main tent.
Zhu Mo stood up and looked them over. Ye Zongman was in his fifties, tall and thin. Wang Ruxian was plump and smiling.
He thought this matter should not be concealed and spoke directly:
"Gentlemen, my name is Zhu Mo, and I have some things I'd like to ask you. This is Lü Kun, he is my... he is a scholar-official of the Wuyuan Pavilion..."
Ah?
The two had heard that Zhu Mo was the fairest in his reforms. They were overjoyed. Wang Ruxian said, "So it's Scholar Zhu who is reforming the country! It is truly a blessing! Scholar Zhu, please command me."
Mhm, mhm.
Zhu Mo pondered for a moment and asked directly, "Have you both been to Japan?"
The two answered simultaneously, "We have both been."
Mhm, mhm.
Zhu Mo asked again, "Have you heard of a man named Oda Nobunaga?"
Oh?
The two were stunned—
He had actually heard of this person? People say Zhu Mo is a peerless genius, and it is indeed true...
And at these words,
Lü Kun was also dumbfounded: He knew Japanese people?
Wang Ruxian was very tactful. When he followed Wang Zhi in Hirado, he was in charge of communication. Although he hadn't met Nobunaga, he had heard of him. He replied,
"Scholar Zhu, I have heard of this Oda Nobunaga, but I haven't seen him. When I was in Hirado, some ronin said that although this Oda is young, he is very talented. Everyone says that this person will eventually pacify the realm."
Zhu Mo heard this and felt it was reliable. He said,
"I want to send him a letter. Can you help me deliver it?"
Uh...
Wang Ruxian thought to himself: You, Zhu Mo, wouldn't be colluding with the Japanese, would you? If I go again, I'll be able to find this person, but under what pretense should I seek an audience?
He hesitated for a moment.
Zhu Mo smiled slightly and said,
"You can go with peace of mind. This time, go as a merchant. I will give you the identity of a imperial merchant acting on behalf of the Directorate of Weaving. You can also transport a boatload of silk to sell, and then buy a few boats of rice back. In a few days, I will send someone again to give you a box. When you meet him, give it to him, and don't say anything else. Can you help me with this?"
Wang Ruxian thought that with the identity of an imperial merchant from the Directorate of Weaving, he would naturally be well-received in Japan. Moreover, he had many acquaintances in Hirado, so this trip should be fine.
He immediately bowed and said, "I am willing to serve Scholar Zhu."
"Good!"
...
The two left the military camp and galloped back to Hangzhou on separate horses.
Suddenly, a heavy rain poured down amidst the cold wind.
Lü Kun exclaimed, "Brother Zixuan, you know Japanese people?"
Zhu Mo laughed, "Not exactly! But this person is a key figure in pacifying the Japanese pirates. I want to give him several hundred firearms, support him, and help him pacify Japan. Then, the daimyo of Kyushu will not be able to cause trouble, and the root of the Japanese pirate problem will be solved."
Lü Kun was stunned for a moment, turned to look at Zhu Mo, and said, "What if he also becomes a Japanese pirate?"
"Haha, don't worry! If this person also becomes a Japanese pirate, then I'll support someone called Tokugawa Ieyasu! Hahaha..."
Oh?
Lü Kun was even more bewildered.
At noon the next day,
The two finally returned to Hangzhou. Counting the days, they had been out for more than twenty days.
Zhu Mo entered Zhang Juzheng's study in the Ci Ren Ancestral Hall, picked up his brush and ink, and wrote:
"Zhu Mo, a Daoist of the Qingxuan Temple of the Great Ming, bows his head:
Hearing of Lord Nobunaga's great talent and his long-held ambition to pacify the realm, but fate is often unkind, causing heroes to sigh. Now I am deeply involved in the politics of the Great Ming, humbly serving as a scholar-official of the Wuyuan Pavilion and overseeing the reforms in Jiangnan. However, the current situation is dire. Recalling Lord Nobunaga's struggles with his vassals, it is like a tiger fallen into decline.
Now the daimyo of Kyushu, the southern provinces of Joseon, and the Jiangnan region of the Great Ming are all controlled by treacherous Western barbarians, who incite ronin to become pirates, acting like jackals and wolves, ravaging the world. Even floods and ferocious beasts cannot describe their evil. I observe that this is unseen in a thousand years. The nations separated by a strip of water may all be in danger of collapse. And the instigators of this chaos are the daimyo of Kyushu.
I wish to invite Your Lordship to personally visit Jiangnan to discuss grand plans for a joint hunt. As a token of my sincerity, I am sending the imperial merchant Wang Ruxian with a flintlock firearm. Mo."
After writing,
He pondered for a while—
At this time, Oda Nobunaga had just gained control of Owari Province, but his living space was extremely precarious, and he was in danger of annihilation with the slightest misstep. Upon seeing the flintlock firearm, he should recognize its value and know that it is far superior to the matchlock. If nothing unexpected happens, he should arrive within a month at the most.
Feeling that everything was in order, he summoned the six personal guards who had accompanied him on this trip south, took down their firearms, bought a brocade box, packed it with the letter, and personally wrote a seal.
He then asked Lü Kun to requisition thirty thousand bolts of silk from the Directorate of Weaving and gave him a silver note for fifty thousand taels. He instructed him to use the name of the Provincial Surveillance Department to mobilize twenty soldiers, using the excuse of escorting military supplies, to deliver the box and silk to the Taizhou Grand Camp. He was to hand them over to Wang Ruxian personally and instruct him to depart for Japan immediately.
However, as Lü Kun was about to leave, he suddenly became puzzled and pulled Zhu Mo aside, whispering,
"Zixuan, is this really alright? If the Yan family finds out, they'll accuse us of colluding with the Japanese... And that Oda fellow in Japan, if we give him firearms and he truly gains power, and Japan becomes strong, wouldn't that be another disaster? Zixuan, I think we should reconsider whether to give him the firearms..."
Zhu Mo had naturally thought it through—
Without firearms, none of the Japanese daimyo could subdue the others. If this continued, the few in Kyushu would have absolute dominance, and wouldn't that lead to unification? And if the daimyo of Kyushu unified, it would be the most terrifying, and it would be a completely different civilization.
This Oda Nobunaga is not from Kyushu, nor does he believe in Western religions. This person is basically a traditional ruler of Japan, who would tend towards limited openness. Once he truly gains power, Japan will likely revere Neo-Confucianism and Shinto, becoming a relatively closed world, thus remaining within this civilization system.
Furthermore, if Japan returns to a small-scale feudalism, how can it compare to the Great Ming? And how easy is it to replicate firearms? Without accumulation and technology, it would be normal for them not to be able to produce them for ten or twenty years.
Even if Oda Nobunaga were to develop industries like the Great Ming, we have the technological advantage, and we also have the military advantage. What storms could he stir up? Even if, as a last resort, Oda were to become an enemy of the Great Ming, we could support the Tokugawa family! Wouldn't that old tortoise, Tokugawa Ieyasu, eventually implement a seclusion policy?
In fact,
As long as the Great Ming's reforms succeed, these small countries will not be a problem, and we can even build a regional system to accommodate them. Conversely, if the reforms fail, the Great Ming will directly fall into the abyss, and how could it possibly care about these matters?
However, Lü Kun's reminder is good. Let's wait and see when Oda comes to Hangzhou. If it's not suitable, we can switch to Tokugawa, which might be more promising.
Thinking of this,
He patted Lü Kun on the shoulder and said,
"Shujian, we are like an arrow nocked on a string, and we have no choice but to shoot... After all, to continue the reforms, we must eradicate the Japanese pirates. And to eradicate the Japanese pirates, we must address the root cause. Otherwise, the Western barbarians will always find loopholes, and the Japanese pirates can never be wiped out. Moreover, replicating firearms is not that easy. A mechanism, a propellant, a rifling—if they rely on their own exploration, it will take at least ten years. By then, we will have new advancements, and we will always have an advantage..."
This was the first time he had a disagreement with Lü Kun. He continued, "Shujian, I will also consider your words. Let's see what happens when Oda comes to Hangzhou."
Mhm.
Lü Kun thought that there was really no other way. After all, the situation in Ligang was still vivid in his memory, and that kind of thing was the most terrifying.
He sighed and said, "Zixuan, I can't figure it out either. Let's both think about it. When we return, I'll also ask Mr. He..."