Chapter 648: The Tower Beyond the Tower in Hangzhou

"Your Excellency trusts me this much?" Zheng Zhilong looked at Yu Zigao, his tone somewhat puzzled.

"Not that much." Yu Zigao leaned back and said, "This time the Great Ming is sending troops, and the primary target is Hirado. All three islands must be taken, only then can we open the route between Joseon and Japan. After establishing a base here, we can keep sending troops to Japan without end."

"So this time I'm sending someone with you. If the talks succeed, then it's done; if they fail, then I'll send men to wipe you all out directly."

"And don't you get any clever ideas. You've seen it yourself—you're no match for us. As for the man accompanying you, he's naturally prepared to make the sacrifice. The men of the Imperial Navy do not fear death."

"But you'd best tell those Japanese to think carefully. If I end up killed by you people, I'll bathe your three islands of Hirado in blood—not even a chicken or a dog will be left alive."

"You must believe that this commander has the standing to say such words, and also the standing to make them reality!"

Zheng Zhilong fell silent, gazing at Yu Zigao with a somewhat resentful look.

Commander, do you not know that talking like this will leave you with no friends? You're completely not playing by the script—at a time like this, shouldn't you act magnanimous and say something like "He who employs men does not doubt them; he who doubts them does not employ them," and then I'd respond with tears of gratitude?

That way, both sides could complete this discussion in a friendly and cordial atmosphere.

The others hadn't expected Yu Zigao to speak like this either; they all turned to look, their gazes tinged with bewilderment, and the expressions on their faces were equally baffled.

Zheng Zhilong said, "Rest assured, Commander. After all, I am still a man of the Great Ming. Though there were misunderstandings before, my heart still faces toward the Great Ming. If the talks fail, I'll come back with you; if death comes, I'll die together with the man Your Excellency sends."

"That's for the best." Yu Zigao nodded and said, "Remember your own words. Otherwise, this commander will make you wish you were dead but couldn't die, and wish you were alive but couldn't live."

Forget it, I don't want to talk to you anymore, Zheng Zhilong expressed that his heart was weary.

Fang Zhenghua on the side, seeing that the two had finished their discussion, spoke up directly at this moment: "Regarding this matter, this servant can also offer a few words."

The gazes of the group once again fell upon Fang Zhenghua.

Because he represented the imperial palace, represented His Majesty, Fang Zhenghua had always been cautious in word and deed. When there was nothing to do, he simply didn't speak; when there was something to do, he still maintained a cautious demeanor. Something like taking the initiative to speak today—he basically never did such things.

"Before leaving the palace, His Majesty once said that if anyone surrenders willingly, His Majesty is willing to grant them high office and generous emoluments. So this time I can go with you, to speak with the lord of the Hirado domain."

No one had expected Fang Zhenghua to say such a thing; they all looked at him.

Yu Zigao shook his head directly and said, "No, Eunuch Fang, you cannot go—it's far too dangerous. You're not a man of the Imperial Navy either. If anything were to happen to you, the entire Imperial Navy, from top to bottom, could not bear that responsibility. If His Majesty were to lay blame upon us then, we'd have no way to answer for it."

"If the men of your Imperial Navy are unafraid, then this servant is naturally even less afraid." Fang Zhenghua was rather unconcerned, his tone quite relaxed as he said, "You all have sons and daughters, but this servant alone is a solitary man with no family. Among those present, only this servant is the most suitable to go—after all, this servant is His Majesty's bondservant."

Seeing that the others were about to speak as well, Fang Zhenghua waved his hand and said, "Don't try to dissuade me. This servant knows what he is doing. If it doesn't succeed and this servant dies, being alone, there will be no parents or children to grieve."

"If you put it that way, then I absolutely cannot let you go." Yu Zigao stood up directly and said, "If Eunuch comes out with us and ends up dying without even a place to be buried, that simply cannot be allowed to pass. I would rather not negotiate with them and fight them directly than let Eunuch take this risk."

"If we go to fight, how many soldiers of the Great Ming would be wounded or killed?" Fang Zhenghua stepped forward, his gaze burning as he said, "This servant taking this risk is worth it. As long as fewer soldiers of the Great Ming are killed or wounded, this servant's sacrifice will have been worthwhile."

"No, I absolutely will not let you go." Yu Zigao said loudly, "When warriors of the Great Ming's Imperial Navy die on the battlefield, that is an honor. How could we let Eunuch go die in our place?"

Zheng Zhilong beside them watched this scene, his face full of helplessness.

We're going for negotiations. Though there's a chance they might fail, it doesn't necessarily mean death—in fact, the more likely outcome is success.

After all, in that place called Hirado, besides the Japanese domain lord, there are also many people of the Great Ming there. That place was once Li Dan's stronghold, and since I inherited Li Dan's enterprise, I have people there too.

Under such circumstances, even if the talks fail, death isn't certain. And with my presence, the likelihood of the negotiations succeeding is very, very high.

The two of them were arguing, when Zhang Changzhong on the side suddenly spoke up.

"Could you two let me say a word?" Zhang Changzhong raised his hand to interrupt the two, looking left at Yu Zigao, then right at Fang Zhenghua.

"Go ahead." The two nodded, both granting permission.

"Um, I'd like to remind you both—even if we don't negotiate and go straight to fighting, we probably wouldn't suffer many casualties, or perhaps hardly any losses at all." Zhang Changzhong said directly.

The room instantly fell silent—you could have heard a pin drop.

The expressions on everyone's faces were extremely strange.

Here we were debating so earnestly, talking about sacrificing for the nation, and then you tell me there won't be any sacrifice, no one will die. The atmosphere is very awkward, do you know that?

Still, no one refuted Zhang Changzhong, because everyone felt he made sense.

This time it wasn't fighting on the road, but seizing islands. How many times had the men of the Imperial Navy drilled at taking islands?

Cannon bombardment, rocket barrages covering the beaches, then fast boats landing. Going through that entire sequence, there would basically be no casualties.

The enemies on the way simply had no way to withstand the firepower of the Great Ming fleet—they couldn't even flee.

After one round of cannon fire, plus two rounds of extended bombardment, and finally rockets scouring the ground. Even if someone had built sturdy fortifications on the island, it would be useless.

For a moment, the room went cold—no one spoke.

Because they truly didn't know how to continue the conversation.

At this moment, Zheng Zhilong beside them suddenly coughed twice and said, "Gentlemen, I think we shouldn't think of things so pessimistically. If the talks succeed, then none of this needs to be said, right?"

Only then did the group sit back down together, but they still didn't speak—they needed to ease the awkward atmosphere.

Shi Laifu, sitting to the side, smiled and said, "Right, right. I think Zheng Zhilong makes sense. We're going to negotiate precisely because we have confidence in success, aren't we? So there's no need to talk about all this."

At this point, the atmosphere finally eased.

Fang Zhenghua said, "Exactly. If this servant goes, it can increase the level of trust, making them surrender willingly. If they don't surrender, then it's not too late for us to attack them."

Yu Zigao on the side was very helpless. He glanced at Zheng Zhilong and said, "Since Eunuch Fang insists, I won't say anything more. But there's one thing I must remind you of—if anything unexpected happens to Eunuch Fang, you should understand your fate. Don't think that because the sea is so vast, you can escape. I'm telling you, you have no way to flee."

"Rest assured, Commander, I will certainly not fail my mission." Zheng Zhilong quickly agreed.

"Fine then, let's make preparations. Once we reach Hirado, we'll use courtesy first and force only if needed." After saying this, Yu Zigao added, "It's rare for us all to gather on this ship, so let's all dine here today. I'll have someone prepare some fine food."

"Then I'll take a meal off of you here." Shi Laifu said with a smile.

The tension this time was finally eased.

While they were eating and drinking here, Zhu Youxiao was far away in the city of Hangzhou.

Ever since he'd had the idea of coming to Zhejiang, Zhu Youxiao had naturally rushed over without pause.

The first stop upon arriving in Zhejiang was naturally Hangzhou.

"Above there is heaven, below there are Suzhou and Hangzhou." Having come this time, Zhu Youxiao began to enjoy himself here.

Bringing Noble Consort Yuan and Noble Consort Tian, the three of them—Zhu Youxiao included—visited every famous scenic spot and historical site in Hangzhou.

The group kept strolling along the shores of West Lake.

As for boating on West Lake, Zhu Youxiao had never considered it. After all, for an emperor of the Great Ming, water was a very dangerous thing—because emperors of the Great Ming were prone to falling into water, and after falling into water, they were prone to dying.

Though the security was excellent, Zhu Youxiao still chose not to go on the water. While walking along the shore, Zhu Youxiao told Noble Consort Yuan and the others the story of Lady White Snake.

Whether or not they had heard it before, both consorts played along enthusiastically.

Taking a deep breath, Zhu Youxiao said slowly, "The air here is really fresh. I've grown a bit tired from walking—let's find a place to rest and have something to eat."

Wei Chao hurriedly stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, there's a Louwailou restaurant not far ahead—a very famous establishment. Would you care to give it a try?"

Zhu Youxiao glanced at Wei Chao and asked, "You arranged this?"

"Yes, Your Majesty." Wei Zhongxian dared not be negligent and quickly said, "Yesterday, upon learning that Your Majesty would be coming here, this servant had already found the place and reserved the entire Louwailou. It was inspected inside and out, the ingredients are without issue, and our people are already there now."

"After all this trouble, if we don't go eat, the money will have been wasted." Zhu Youxiao smiled and said casually, "Then let's give it a try—though I wonder how well they cook their fish."

"It's said to be second to none." Wei Chao quickly added, "There's a famous dish called Squirrel Mandarin Fish, and another called West Lake Vinegar Fish. Your Majesty could sample them."

"Is that so? Then let's go take a look." Zhu Youxiao nodded, then turned to Noble Consort Yuan and Noble Consort Tian and said, "Wei Zhongxian has found a fine restaurant, said to be unmatched in its cooking—especially that Squirrel Mandarin Fish. Let's all go taste it together."

"If it's not that delicious, we'll have Wei Chao's backside caned when we return."