At this moment, the situation was extremely perilous. If diplomatic conflict were to arise, and the Frankish (Portuguese) envoy were to formally protest in Nanjing or the capital, it would most likely lead to the suspension of all commerce. As a result, mountains of silk would be stored in the Hua Ting Great Warehouse, and the payments due to small workshops might be delayed for a year or half a year.
If that were to happen, the reform would truly be halted!
Based on past experience, Zhu Mo knew that in such times, all details needed to be handled meticulously. The explanation to the Portuguese envoy was essential, so he said, "Brother Taiyue, we must find the Frankish people as soon as possible to explain..."
Zhang Juzheng nodded and immediately resumed his usual calm. He picked up his brush and, in one smooth motion, wrote a "Notice from the Great Ming Official Mint to the Frankish Fleet and Overseas Merchants." He then called for someone and instructed them, word for word:
"You, go to the west city now to find the Imperial Merchant Lin Guobin. Persuade him by all means to find a way to go to Ryukyu, find the Frankish Fleet Admiral General Souza, and deliver this official document to Souza."
After he finished giving instructions, he said to Zhu Mo:
"Zi Xuan, this Lin Guobin is originally from Luzon. I recommended him to the Directorate of Weaving and Brocade as an Imperial Merchant. He has relatives in Ryukyu and should be able to meet Souza... I am giving him this official document from the Imperial Mint, informing him that there must be a misunderstanding and asking him to wait for the court to investigate. If possible, please also ask him to explain to the Frankish merchants on our behalf..."
Mmm,
Zhu Mo had always admired his ability to react. He said, "Brother Taiyue, in your opinion, what will the court say?"
Zhang Juzheng hummed and sighed, "What else can they say? The Great Ming navy sank Frankish merchant ships; how can they let it go easily? The two countries are separated by oceans. A back-and-forth exchange, and half a year has passed... Even if the matter is eventually settled peacefully, the losses will be considerable..."
He had always been unwilling to admit defeat. After his initial anger, he had calmed down. He said,
"Zi Xuan, I think this way: we still need to deliver our silk... For those two sunken ships, we will compensate them even if it means losing money, but we must repair the relationship... I will personally go to Xiamen tomorrow to have a thorough discussion with the overseas merchants... Zi Xuan, you work a little harder and find some carriages and horses. Wait for my news. Once the talks are settled, we will travel by land, and then board a ship again at Guangzhou Port. What do you think?"
"Good! I concur!"
Zhu Mo sincerely praised this plan.
After they chatted for a while longer, Zhu Mo thought of the cannons and couldn't help but ask:
"Brother Taiyue, who do you think did it?"
Zhang Juzheng scoffed but was unwilling to reveal it. He casually replied, "Perhaps pirates?"
Mmm,
Zhu Mo knew he didn't want to say, so he didn't press further, only asking, "What about the cannons? Who provided the cannons? You don't think I provided them, do you?"
Zhang Juzheng chuckled,
"Naturally not! It's just that currently, those who possess cannons, apart from the Frankish, are only the Great Ming Armory... It's good that you didn't use that Iron Bodhisattva in Taizhou Guard. Once you use it, it will be difficult to explain. Countries will find it hard to believe it wasn't your firearms unit..."
It should be known that China had records of using cannons since the Song Dynasty. To the people of the Great Ming, cannons were not a strange object. It was precisely because Zhu Mo's cannons were too far-reaching, too accurate, and too powerful that they left a deep impression. However, it was different for other countries. For example, the Portuguese had always believed that the Great Ming had no cannons at all. The Japanese pirates had also belittled the Great Ming and suffered greatly in Taizhou Guard.
Thinking of this, Zhu Mo couldn't help but nod dejectedly, thinking that another big black pot had been placed on his head. This black pot was not just domestic; it was already an international black pot...
But he still didn't understand one thing—
The cannons clearly belonged to the Portuguese, so why did the pirates have them?
Thinking of this,
He no longer wanted to beat around the bush and asked directly, "Brother Taiyue, give me the truth... Do you think the pirates' cannons were given by the Frankish people?"
Zhang Juzheng also couldn't figure this out—
Could it be that Fleet Commander Souza sank his own country's merchant ships? What motive would he have? He couldn't understand it at all. Even if he was closely associated with the Yan family or the Japanese pirates, he wouldn't resort to such a foolish move... Unless, this Souza was a character like Yan Shifan in the Frankish country...
Facing Zhu Mo's questioning, he just smiled and said,
"Zi Xuan, he has no reason to do this... Unless, this Souza is also a character like the Yan family, but is that possible? I heard that the Frankish are quite powerful, and their ruler is heroic and capable. How could there be such treacherous officials?"
Right!
The Yan Shifan of Frankistan!
These words were correct!
Zhang Juzheng's unintentional analogy made Zhu Mo recall some matters from his previous world—
Once upon a time,
Various countries were indeed held hostage by a group of multinational forces! These multinational forces often amassed their own troops in countries with weak defenses, or even harbored private armies, and supported them with advanced weapons, causing them to provoke great powers, thus brewing world-class conflicts. When world-class conflicts occurred, the multinational forces would coerce countries to reorganize and take sides, initiating world wars. Not to mention far away, wasn't the Kwantung Army in Japan like this? In fact, there were also shadows of this in World War I and World War II, just not as obvious as later...
It turned out that
This global system had this weakness from its inception, and it was merely reappearing later.
Thinking of this,
He finally understood—
Souza was indeed the Yan Shifan of Frankistan,
Otomo Sorin was the Yan Shifan of Japan,
Or, there was also a Yan Shifan of Joseon, such as the Easterners party and the powerful minister Yun Won-hyeong?
These people supported the Japanese pirates, even providing them with cannons, with the aim of violently disrupting the healthy order of various countries, thereby concentrating the profits of the entire maritime trade, astronomical wealth, into the hands of a few individuals, and having this small group control the entire world...
In this case,
The current sudden war was actually a decisive battle between two camps and two ways of civilization. It was no wonder it crossed all lines, was so savagely brutal, and so incomprehensible...
At this moment,
With one realization leading to another, Zhu Mo immediately thought of the subsequent script—
Various countries would be pushed to desperation from within by people like Souza, Otomo Sorin, and Yun Won-hyeong, thereby declaring war on the Great Ming. They would even form an alliance and use their greatest strength to pressure the Ming Dynasty.
And Yan Song would become the leader of the entire allied forces. He would use this unprecedented pressure to mobilize the strength of the entire nation to pressure Jiajing. Jiajing would then have no choice but to fully open up, or even open the country entirely, and hand over the entire Great Ming... Or, if he stubbornly refused to comply, Prince Yu would succeed to the throne...
The reform, of course, was the source of all evil!
And he, Zhu Mo, had become the mastermind of this great war.
He looked at Zhang Juzheng and suddenly felt a bit amused—
This powerful minister who advocated reform had also been drawn into it. Last time he could escape, but this time he would likely have to die with him.