Chapter 346

A grand banquet was held for all the ministers, and the entire city celebrated together.

Su Qiao naturally could not escape either; he was likewise dragged into the palace and made to drink quite a bit of wine.

Fortunately, he managed to stay somewhat sober and was sent back home.

"Why did you drink so much wine?"

Liu Rushi and the maid Qing'er helped support Su Qiao back to his room.

Su Qiao staggered as he explained, "There was no way out. Everyone was drinking; I couldn't refuse even if I wanted to. People kept pulling me and wouldn't let me leave. If I hadn't pretended to be drunk, I wouldn't have been allowed to come back."

"Then rest for a while first; I'll go make you a bowl of hangover soup."

Liu Rushi supported Su Qiao into the bedroom and helped him lie down on the bed.

She took off his outer coat and his shoes, had Qing'er bring hot water, and personally used a towel to wipe his face.

She was simply too virtuous.

Su Qiao rubbed his head, feeling as though his very brain was aching.

He had originally thought the liquor of the Great Ming was weak and that one simply couldn't get drunk on it.

Who would have known that with enough quantity, it still made one dizzy and disoriented.

He had learned his lesson this time!

……

"Your Majesty, Japanese pirates have raided Quanzhou. Three coastal villages were massacred, with over two thousand villagers slaughtered!"

Zhu Youjian, whose face had just begun to show some smiles these past two days, immediately slammed his hand on the table.

Boom!

"What is going on? I am well aware that the guard posts have fallen into disrepair, but three villages have been completely massacred. Is the Quanzhou Guard Post useless? Is it good for nothing?"

It was simply a slap in the face!

The Tatars had been dealt with, and the remaining forces of Li Zicheng inside were nearly finished off.

One could say only a few flies remained, which would be cleaned up very soon.

The Great Ming, this decaying machine, had regained its vitality, and with the flattery from the ministers below these past few days.

Zhu Youjian even felt that the Great Ming's restoration was right in his own hands!

Yet first thing this morning, such news came up from below.

Japanese pirates have violated the border!

Since the Qi Family Army, Japanese pirates had always been a mere skin disease.

Compared to the Jianzhou Jurchens and Tatars in Liaodong at that time, and the internal rebels like Li Zicheng.

It was indeed not a major matter.

However, the situation now was different.

The Great Ming had basically no pressure, yet suddenly Japan jumped out again, which was somewhat of a slap in the face.

It was no wonder Zhu Youjian was so angry.

"Your Majesty, we can reprimand the Quanzhou Guard and mobilize the Great Ming Navy to quickly locate the hiding place of the Japanese pirates and solve the problem of the Japanese pirates."

Sun Chuanting stepped out from the ranks and proposed this.

Zhu Youjian waved his hand and said, "Approved! If you cannot solve it, I will solve you and replace you with others!"

"Retire from court!"

Having spoken, he ignored the officials below and swept his sleeve before leaving.

Several ministers exchanged glances, their eyes filled with inexplicable emotions.

……

Su Qiao had been very well-behaved recently and had not gone out.

Occasionally, he would accompany Liu Rushi to go shopping or something similar.

Although the formal title had not yet been granted, Liu Rushi insisted on holding only the position of a concubine.

Following Su Qiao's request, Tang Ruowang quickly gathered the sailors he temporarily needed and the personnel who understood parts of ship construction.

They were then delivered to Su Qiao's residence.

Su Qiao did not know if the famous galleon had appeared yet.

So he began to communicate with this group of people.

Zhu Youjian knew that Su Qiao intended to develop the Great Ming's maritime borders, making it convenient for "expanding territory" in the future.

He did not forget to have the Ministry of Rites send over a translator who understood the Portuguese language.

The translator was named Chen Qiao, a native of Quanzhou, who had sailed with his family before and had come into contact with Europeans.

Combined with his young age and linguistic talent, he quickly learned the languages of two European nations.

Such as German and Portuguese.

The sailor technicians summoned by Tang Ruowang included Germans, Portuguese, and British.

Su Qiao himself knew a little English, so simple communication was no problem.

Su Qiao took them to the Ministry of Works to find many craftsmen, helping the translator provide opinions, and together they discussed designing sea-going ships more suitable for navigation.

Some people might have said.

Zheng He went to the Western Oceans; how magnificent were the treasure ships of the Zheng He era.

They were indeed magnificent, but the blueprints for the treasure ships from Zheng He's time were lost. After the maritime ban was reimposed, during the Hongzhi period, the minister Liu Daxia submitted a memorial.

He stated that sailing to the Western Oceans consumed too much Qian Cai, whether in building treasure ships or other matters; the expenses were far too great.

The national treasury was not abundant at the time; it wasted money and squandered vast amounts of supplies, making it a thankless task.

It would be better to simply burn the blueprints and cut off the desire.

So with a single fire, the treasure ship records, navigation charts, and all such documents were burned to ash.

These were from Su Qiao's memories of his past life, and also what many later historians had speculated.

Whether he was the one who burned them, Su Qiao did not know.

Zhu Youjian had also sent people to search; if the treasure ship records could be recovered, that would be best, but if not, he would simply have to expend more effort and redesign something better...

"Mr. Su!"

Su Qiao stood in the midst of the craftsmen, bowing his head to study the newly drawn blueprints.

Called out to, he raised his head to look.

It was Du Du Yinxi and Sun Chuanting, the two Grand Secretaries, who had arrived together.

"Oh my, why have both elders come to the Ministry of Works together? Is there something you need from me?"

A smile appeared on Su Qiao's face as he stepped forward to greet them.

Judging by their expressions, they certainly had something else to ask him.

So he led the two of them to a quiet room and had them sit down.

Du Du Yinxi and Sun Chuanting exchanged a glance, and it was Du Du Yinxi who spoke first.

After all, he and Su Qiao were quite familiar, and their relationship was not bad.

At the very least, it was far better than that of Sun Chuanting, the Chief Grand Secretary.

"Mr. Su, we do not visit the Three Treasures Hall without cause; moreover, Your Majesty said there was something to discuss with you, so we came directly."

"Very well, sir, your words are too humble; please, just tell me what it is. If I can help, I will certainly do my utmost to find a way."

Su Qiao was not an official of the court, did not attend the morning audience, and knew nothing of what had happened.

No one had told him either.

He was also curious about what was going on.

"Very well, then, I will not stand on ceremony with Mr. Su. This morning, officials from Fujian sent a memorial reporting that the Quanzhou Guard had fallen, ambushed by Japanese pirates; three villages and over two thousand villagers were slaughtered to the last man. Your Majesty was furious in the throne hall!"

"Japanese pirates?!"

Su Qiao was startled in his heart.

He had only remembered the Qing Tatars with their pigtail queues, nearly forgetting those 0.3 cruel and disgusting Japanese slaves.

It was no wonder Su Qiao had forgotten; since the Jiajing era, when famous generals like Qi Qi Jiguang appeared and resolved the Japanese pirate threat in the southeast and other regions, the Great Ming's naval defenses had indeed become much more stable.

But later, when the Jianzhou Jurchens and Tatars rose up and the court failed to suppress them several times, the Qi Family Army was also transferred to Liaodong.

The Great Ming's naval defenses once again fell into decay.

It was no surprise that the Japanese pirates had risen again.

"The Great Ming's naval defenses have been neglected; I am clear on that. How many men did the Quanzhou Guard actually have, and how did the Japanese pirates manage to reach the shore so easily and slaughter the people of the Great Ming?"