Chapter 647: Hirado Island

None of the people present had expected Zheng Zhilong to say such a thing, and for a moment they were at a loss for how to respond.

There had originally been nothing to consider in this matter — after all, everyone had already agreed beforehand to bring Zheng Zhilong down directly and swallow up everything he had. His crew, his bases — from then on, they would no longer bear his name.

But the moment Zheng Zhilong said those words, the several of them hesitated.

Because everyone present knew that this campaign against Japan was a plan personally devised by His Majesty, and they all understood just how much importance His Majesty placed on it.

Moreover, whether military or otherwise, everyone considered this a chance to render great merit. Expanding the realm's borders, achieving the feat of destroying a nation — such opportunities were not something just anyone could have.

Although the Imperial Navy had confidence, the pressure was also immense. If this battle went beautifully, all was well; but if even the slightest problem arose, then all of them would be spat upon by outsiders.

In a word — the spittle alone would drown you.

The Imperial Guard Corps had fought beautifully in Liaodong. If the Imperial Navy failed to fight beautifully, how would those people look at them?

Under such circumstances, the Imperial Navy bore tremendous psychological pressure. Whenever there was anything that could help, they would want to make use of it. Zheng Zhilong had such ability and conditions, so naturally they wanted to use him.

Although Shi Laifu was a man of the Imperial Household Department, he dared not meddle in this matter either. Much as he wanted Zheng Zhilong's crew, he also understood that if he interfered and caused Zheng Zhilong to withhold his help, delaying the campaign against Japan, that would be a road to certain death.

Whoever delayed such a great matter would be a criminal. Did they truly think His Majesty was reluctant to kill?

Shi Laifu said nothing.

As for Fang Zhenghua, it was even simpler — what he safeguarded was the interests of the palace, that is, the interests of the Emperor, and in this regard he could not yield even less.

If Zheng Zhilong was useful, then he must be used; if Zheng Zhilong was useless, then regarding what they had just discussed, Fang Zhenghua would also turn a blind eye.

For Fang Zhenghua, destroying Japan was the most important thing. Japan had so many resources.

How much could Zheng Zhilong possibly have?

Nothing more than a fleet and a few bases. Compared to Japan, it was not worth mentioning.

Fang Zhenghua looked at Yu Zigao, wanting to see what he would do.

Yu Zigao's eyes narrowed as well, and he stared at Zheng Zhilong, saying: "If what you say is true, this Marshal is willing to accept you, and let you atone for your crimes through merit."

"If this time's merit is great enough, this Marshal will also report it to the court on your behalf. When that time comes, not only will the court not punish you, it will even bestow rewards upon you. Not to mention anything else — at the very least, you can shed that bandit's hide you're wearing and put on official robes."

"Thank you, Marshal." Zheng Zhilong said hurriedly.

In his heart, he already understood his current situation — they were determined to pin the charges on him.

He had plotted treason first, and only then had the conflict between the two sides erupted. That they hadn't accused him of opening fire and attacking was already their mercy.

He was now a man awaiting punishment. But they had given him a chance to earn merit. Zheng Zhilong also understood — this was because they saw him as useful.

At any rate, his life was saved. As long as they gave him a chance to work for them, he would find a way to turn things around. Did they truly think he had no tricks of his own?

"Then speak." Yu Zigao looked at Zheng Zhilong, his face solemn.

Zheng Zhilong nodded, and without concealing anything, told them all his experiences. For instance, his base in Japan, his marriage in Japan, and even his relationship with the Japanese feudal lord — none of it was hidden.

After hearing this, Yu Zigao's eyes narrowed.

Glancing at Zheng Zhilong, Yu Zigao said: "Can you persuade that feudal lord to defect to the Great Ming?"

"If he is willing to defect, we can give him high office and generous emoluments, even a sufficiently large territory."

In this regard, Yu Zigao dared to make promises. After all, nothing had been done yet — these were all just empty checks. If the other party found it unsuitable, then just kill him outright; there was no need to hesitate at all.

Once a man was dead, he couldn't get any benefits. The things he had promised to give him — it wasn't that he didn't want to give them, but that the man was already gone. To demonstrate that he was a man who kept his promises, he could burn a little something for him.

After hearing this, Zheng Zhilong hesitated somewhat.

Yu Zigao wasn't anxious either. He was now extremely, extremely interested in Zheng Zhilong, because Zheng Zhilong's wife was actually from Hirado.

This made Yu Zigao very pleased. Having studied foreign intelligence, Yu Zigao knew that Hirado was very important.

Zheng Zhilong's father-in-law turned out to be the lord of Hirado Island, Tagawa Shichizaemon.

It was just that this Tagawa had died early, and his wife had taken her daughter and remarried — remarried to a blacksmith from Quanzhou, Fujian.

This blacksmith was responsible for forging swords for the lord of the Hirado domain, and could be considered his retainer. In plain terms, Zheng Zhilong's father-in-law had married a widow, and this daughter's dead father was a very famous figure — Tagawa Shichizaemon of Hirado Island.

One must know that the Great Ming navy's bases were on the three islands of Tsushima, Iki, and Hirado. If the Great Ming and Joseon wanted to attack Japan, the first stop would inevitably be this Hirado Island.

If they could persuade the people of Hirado to surrender, they could save a great deal of effort. After all, this place was also renowned for its naval forces — the Great Ming's wokou had also originated here before. Including Li Dan, who had also achieved a period of prominence on Hirado Island.

Although Zheng Zhilong now wanted to move away from Hirado Island, he still wielded great influence.

Yu Zigao had his eye on Zheng Zhilong — whether for persuading surrender, luring the enemy, or simply launching a sneak attack or poisoning someone to death, Zheng Zhilong was an excellent choice. This was also the reason Yu Zigao was willing to listen to him.

Zheng Zhilong hesitated.

This matter was not easy to handle.

He raised his head and looked at Yu Zigao, asking: "Is the Great Ming this time going to send troops jointly with Joseon?"

On this matter, Zheng Zhilong was very worried. After all, these people had fought against the Ming army back when they attacked Joseon. Of course, that had merely been a war of aggression against Joseon. Though they had also thought about attacking the Ming, there had simply been no hope of that.

The most critical core issue lay with Joseon. The people of the three islands had more than once plundered Joseon, so Joseon's attitude toward them had always been extremely hostile, and the enmity between the two sides ran very deep.

In Joseon, the three islands including Hirado were called the "Three-Island Wokou." One could see how deep Joseon's hatred for them was.

If the Great Ming and Joseon were to be in the same boat, it would be very difficult for Hirado Island to surrender to the Great Ming.

Yu Zigao looked at Zheng Zhilong, thought for a moment, then said: "I know what you're worried about. On this matter, even if this Marshal tells you, you won't necessarily believe it. But you can ask Eunuch Fang."

As Yu Zigao spoke, he pointed at Fang Zhenghua, who was sitting not far away, and said: "This is Eunuch Fang, the military supervisor sent from the palace. He can represent the palace's intentions, and can also directly relay your thoughts to His Majesty."

"So you should understand that on this matter, what he says carries far more weight than what I say."

After hearing this, Zheng Zhilong hurriedly turned his head to look at Fang Zhenghua, his expression one of great surprise.

Zheng Zhilong did not think Yu Zigao would deceive him on this matter, nor did he think Fang Zhenghua would collude with Yu Zigao to deceive him.

Because these words involved His Majesty. If they were speaking nonsense, Yu Zigao and the others could not bear that responsibility.

In this land of the Great Ming, what crime was it to casually fabricate stories about the Emperor?

So what Yu Zigao said had to be true.

Seeing Yu Zigao kick the ball to him, Fang Zhenghua said helplessly: "This servant can talk with you, but there is one thing I must make clear to you."

"Regarding your matter, this servant cannot give you any promises. This servant can only say that whatever requests you raise, this servant will report to His Majesty. As for what His Majesty wishes to do, that is His Majesty's affair. We who are but servants would not dare to make decisions for His Majesty."

"Very well." Zheng Zhilong nodded hurriedly, and respectfully saluted Fang Zhenghua, saying: "Thank you, Eunuch."

Fang Zhenghua nodded and continued, "This time, the Great Ming has indeed joined forces with Joseon to send troops, but there are some matters you need not worry about. The Great Ming is the Great Ming, and Joseon is Joseon. You must keep this distinction clear."

"As for your treatment after surrendering, that will be decided by His Majesty. As for the matter of Hirado Domain, I will also write a letter to His Majesty as soon as possible. But one thing I can tell you is that you need not worry about Joseon. Even if they want to do something, we will not allow it."

Zheng Zhilong nodded repeatedly, understanding the meaning of these words.

In plain terms, the Great Ming would not make things difficult for him and his men in this matter, and certainly would not harm them for the sake of the Joseon people.

This was good news for Zheng Zhilong — this was exactly what he had been worried about.

Zhang Changzhong of the Staff Office sat off to the side, his face betraying no particular expression.

If there was anyone who could make the final call on this matter, or rather, anyone who truly understood it, it could only be Zhang Changzhong.

In the Staff Office's plans, there had never been any intention to exterminate everyone on the Japanese islands.

Expanding one's own fighting strength by recruiting them into surrender had always been part of the plan.

It was just that originally, a few battles would have been needed to project deterrence before this could work. Now with Zheng Zhilong, this step could perhaps be skipped. After all, Hirado was too important a location, and the naval forces in their hands were equally important. The sailors on those ships were battle-hardened veterans, meticulously drilled — with a slight adjustment, they would make excellent naval troops.

One should know that the cost of training a single naval soldier was extremely high. If these Japanese sailors defected to the Great Ming, using them as cannon fodder to fight the front lines — wouldn't they be more useful than the Joseon people?

As for whether the Joseon people were satisfied, that was simply not within the Great Ming's considerations.

Having received the promise, Zheng Zhilong let out a relieved breath and said, "If that is the case, I am willing to return. But this time, I hope someone can accompany me back, since the court will need an envoy as well."

"That's no problem." Yu Zigao smiled and agreed directly: "To demonstrate our sincerity, I will send someone back promptly. The specific choice of person needs to be discussed, but it won't keep you waiting long."