Zhu Mo waited at Daichu Mountain for just over an hour before Yu Dayou personally led a fleet of twenty ships back to the shore. Although the fleet consisted of only twenty ships, the armament of firearms was astonishingly luxurious, arguably unparalleled in the world at that time. Each ship was equipped with twelve iron baptismal cannons and fifty musketeers. Even if the Wokou fleet were still present, they would be no match.
Therefore, when the fleet anchored off the coast of Ligang, the Wokou collapsed completely. Over a thousand Franks, armed with matchlock guns, dared not fire a single shot.
This was precisely the effect Zhu Mo desired—
Deterrence!
Complete and utter deterrence!
Upon seeing the fleet approaching, Okamura Masachika hid in his house and did not show himself.
Yu Dayou ordered Lin Mingguo to randomly select one hundred people to board the ships. Though the Wokou were fierce, each of them felt a sword hanging over their heads.
And this,
was what Zhu Mo called the "Shifting Kill Law."
By randomly selecting a portion of people, the risk was distributed evenly among everyone, with each person having a chance of being chosen. It was precisely because of this that everyone felt an irresistible fear.
...
Returning to Zhenhai Guard.
Zhu Mo temporarily detained the hundred individuals in a study hall. He then ordered people to board up every single room with wooden planks, leaving not a sliver of light, just as Yang Xuan and his men had done with the White Lotus cultists in Datong Prefecture.
Yu Dayou and Zheng Qin, who had followed along, were very curious—
What method did Zhu Mo have to make these Wokou confess to their acts of murder and arson?
But Zhu Mo remained silent. He merely dispatched soldiers to guard two individuals in each room, who would take turns on duty. Ningbo Prefect Zhou Xizhe made every effort, accompanying them personally.
All arrangements were made,
and it was already the next day.
The three conducted a final inspection. Zhu Mo looked into each room, confirming there were no loopholes, before returning to the study. The three hastily arranged a few dishes.
Yu Dayou couldn't help but ask, "Will this work?"
Zhu Mo smiled and said, "Naturally, it will... I tell you, prisoners will confess everything with just two moves..."
Zheng Qin, while shoveling rice into his mouth and chewing, couldn't help but ask, "Scholar Zhu, what are those two moves? Is it just locking them up?"
Zhu Mo smiled:
"This is the first move, to inflict pain... The second move is to offer them benefits... Starting tomorrow, have the soldiers tell each prisoner that if others confess and they do not, they will be sentenced to extreme punishment, the most severe being slow slicing to death; however, if they confess their own crimes and those of others proactively, their punishment will be halved. If they identify enough people, they can be released and go home..."
Oh...
Yu Dayou, having led troops for many years, knew that solitary confinement was the most potent and torturous punishment. No matter how tough a man was, he couldn't endure it for ten days. But thinking about it now, the second move seemed even more formidable. Wouldn't many people immediately start reporting others? It was said that the Japanese valued loyalty, but in such circumstances, the more loyal one was, the more miserable their end. Who would dare delay even for a moment?
Zheng Qin naturally understood as well, but after a moment's thought, he asked, "Scholar Zhu, what if they all conspire and no one speaks?"
"Heh heh, then have the second batch of one hundred people report on the first batch of one hundred, and so on... If one or two thousand people remain so steadfast, then there's nothing that can be done..."
Zhu Mo was genuinely hungry and ate a few mouthfuls, finding the simple preserved mustard greens to be exceptionally delicious.
The two exchanged glances, both thinking—
It was absolutely impossible for thousands of people to maintain a united front. There would always be one or two weaklings. Once a single crack appeared, the defense would crumble overnight.
Seeing their pale faces, Zhu Mo smiled calmly—
Little did they know?
This is called the Prisoner's Dilemma.
With proper design, there is no such thing as not informing on each other. This is a weakness of human nature. Unless they are extremely fanatical extremists, they cannot form a pact of mutual defense.
...
Meanwhile,
In the capital.
The Court of State Ceremonial received twelve diplomatic notes in succession. The first was from the Frankish Kingdom, followed by Joseon, Ryukyu, Ligor, Burma, then Malacca, Java, Srivijaya, Brunei, Champa, and Lan Xang, and finally Bidor.
Minister of Rites Yan Ne was deeply shocked. Thinking that he had just succeeded Guo Pu as Minister of Rites and was immediately faced with such trouble, and based on his extensive experience, this trouble was most likely instigated by the Yan family.
Because,
All these diplomatic notes were belligerent. Joseon and Bidor, who were staunch vassals, had even sent treasonous notes.
Yan Song,
He had feigned illness again these past few days.
Trembling, Yan Ne went to the Grand Secretariat, holding a thick stack of diplomatic notes, and said in a hushed voice, "Grand Secretary Xu, Grand Secretary Li, something has happened... something has happened..."
Xu Jie had felt something was amiss the past few days with Yan Song's continued absence. Seeing Yan Ne trembling now, he felt a sharp pain in his head and chided him,
"Minqing, sit down first, don't be anxious..."
Li Chunfang took the notes and casually flipped through them. His hands immediately stopped, and he blurted out,
"This? How could such a thing happen? What is going on?"
Xu Jie patiently endured his heart pounding wildly, reading through all twelve diplomatic notes one by one. Then, with a bang, he threw them onto the desk and angrily declared,
"Outrageous! The Franks have gone too far!"
Alas,
Li Chunfang, who had always been the most timid, now deeply regretted not staying home and chatting with Xu Jie. Indeed, one should not be idle, for idleness leads to trouble.
"Shaohu, that ultimatum arrived a few days ago, and then these things followed. Isn't it obvious that the Franks instigated this? Are they truly preparing for war?"
Yan Ne, being their old acquaintance, sighed,
"Even if we fight, we cannot fight so many countries at once! Alas, this is all because of the matter of Zhoushan, the matter of Zhu Mo..."
Alas...
As the three old men thought of Zhu Mo, their minds immediately buzzed.
But Xu Jie, being the most astute, quickly grasped a problem after a moment's thought—
If Yan Song was also instigating from behind, then, barring any surprises, the memorials from the censors would also arrive soon...?
At this thought,
He recalled being almost forced to death by so many capital officials that day, and his scalp tightened. He thought that this time he could not be at the forefront again. Even if he never became the Grand Chancellor in his life, he had to push this matter to the Directorate of Ceremonial, letting them figure it out.
But then, he thought—
If he refused to take responsibility, the Emperor would be completely finished. After all, the poem that criticized Yan Song was spoken by the Emperor himself. If they turned their attention to the Emperor again, and he shirked his duty, it would be tantamount to giving up his opportunity.
He paced a few steps, thinking that Zhu Mo was so capable, he should have a solution. Moreover, the previous ultimatum was first submitted to the Grand Coordinator of Zhejiang and Zhili, Hu Zongxian...
Therefore, it would be only natural to hold Hu Zongxian responsible for this matter.
"Shi Lu, brother, I think this way: the Grand Secretariat should let Hu Zongxian explain why such an incident occurred... and let Hu Zongxian act according to the situation as the Grand Coordinator. What do you think?"
Li Chunfang had no problem with shifting the pressure to Hu Zongxian,
"Shaohu, this is also a way."