Chapter 239: The Japanese Pirates Who Are Asking for Trouble

Zhu Zhu Yijun was actually still a bit suspicious about this case, but he didn't continue to pursue it, but waited for the interrogation to begin.

The person in charge of the interrogation was Shuntian Prefecture Assistant Wang Wang Yie. Shuntian Prefecture Assistant was a fourth-rank official, equivalent to a Prefect, because the Prefects of the two capitals were second-rank, and the Shuntian Governor hadn't appeared.

Wang Wang Yie slapped the gavel. With the sound of the Southern Yamen runners' "mighty," the plaintiff and defendant were brought to the hall. Zhu Zhu Yijun frowned as he looked at the two sides. He discovered a strange thing: besides the Xi clan woman and her mother, there was also a man in a Confucian robe standing there, looking handsome and fair-skinned.

"Who is that standing beside the Xi clan woman?" Zhu Zhu Yijun asked Wang Wang Chonggu. Was it someone he didn't know?

"A lawyer," Wang Wang Chonggu pondered for a long time and said, "A litigation rascal."

"Your Majesty, please forgive me. The lawyer has existed for a long time, and its origin cannot be verified. But as the saying goes, 'the living do not enter the official gate, the dead do not enter hell.' For the common people, this Southern Yamen is like hell. Without a degree, you have to take thirty strokes before seeing an official. After taking the strokes, with the blue-sky master above, the common people have to kowtow until they are dizzy."

"If you have a little wealth and don't want to take the strokes, and don't want to kowtow until you are dizzy, you have to find this lawyer. If you are illiterate, you also have to find this lawyer."

"Why are they called litigation rascals?" Zhu Zhu Yijun asked curiously. Taking thirty strokes before seeing an official wasn't a rumor, but a lazy administrative behavior. At the beginning of the Single Whip Law, this behavior had already been strictly prohibited.

The competition between officials and officials is a zero-sum game. If one side suffers, the other side benefits, because there are only so many official positions. The imperial court strictly prohibited it, yet they still knowingly violated it. Then the imperial court's board would hit them.

Wang Wang Chonggu smiled, looked at that lawyer, shook his head, and said, "Because it's expensive, very expensive. The Southern Yamen gate opens to the south; if you don't have money, don't enter. But even if you have money, you have to have a place to use it. Who to send money to, how much to send to get things done—all of this has to be arranged by this litigation rascal. This is the lawyer's job: monopolizing litigation."

"How expensive can it be?" Zhu Zhu Yijun asked with great curiosity.

"For today's lawsuit, if you don't have twenty taels of silver, you can't hire this lawyer," Wang Wang Chonggu bowed and replied.

"Good fellow, a soldier in the Capital Camp only gets eighteen taels a year. For this case, he wants twenty taels? Why doesn't he go rob someone?" Zhu Zhu Yijun was dumbfounded.

Wang Wang Chonggu shook his head and said, "Robbing doesn't make as much money as this. When I was a Viceroy in the Northwest, there was a bandit called 'Wolf Strong.' I caught him. He could only rob ten taels of silver a year, and that was with the protection of the ancestors."

The Northwest had been fighting for twenty-five years, a place of chaos. Bandits robbing—they didn't dare rob the rich, and the poor had no oil. A bandit could only rob ten taels a year and would be burning incense to thank heaven. Like the soldiers of the Capital Camp, who did proper work for the state and could get eighteen taels of military pay—anyone with a bit of ability was fighting to get in.

The life of a bandit is licking blood from a knife edge; the life of a lawyer is singing songs and listening to music.

Zhu Zhu Yijun listened to the interrogation. After listening, this lawyer was indeed a glib-tongued person. In two or three sentences, he explained the main points of contention clearly. The Xi clan woman wanted that land deed outside Chaoyang Gate, which was why she spent so much money to sue.

The land deed for that piece of land outside Chaoyang Gate, when Wang the old man bought it, was less than four taels of silver. In just five years, it had already risen to forty taels, and it was still rising. It was three mu in total.

Especially from last year to this year, the speed of the rise was truly eye-catching.

The main reason was that after the grain transport by sea, the transport capacity of the river channel was released, and the trade of goods on both sides of the canal became more frequent. And this piece of land of Wang the old man was outside Chaoyang Gate. Even if he built a breakfast shop, he could earn twenty taels a year, which was why it was so sought after.

"Master, please forgive me. The Xi clan woman isn't a vicious person. She doesn't want Wang Wang Xiasheng's life; she just wants to get the land deed and live a good life. The Xi clan also has concerns. In their Wang family, there are three brothers. When dividing the family, it's troublesome. It was decided before the marriage that everything should be straightforward." The lawyer stated his request again. They were seeking money, not life.

The woman's side had a lawyer, while Wang Wang Xiasheng, who was kneeling on the ground with shackles, didn't.

The case file said Wang Wang Xiasheng was honest and thick-headed. This couldn't be seen, but he was indeed not good with words. Wang Wang Xiasheng talked for a long time without saying a clear word.

"Blue-sky master, student Wang Yu Menglin pays respects to the master." A clear voice rang out. Two figures rushed in. Both bowed to pay respects. Obviously, they had academic degrees and didn't need to kowtow.

"Who are you two?" Shuntian Prefecture Assistant Wang Wang Yie asked suspiciously.

"I am a provincial graduate of the fourth year of Emperor Longqing. Wang Yu Menglin is my name. My studies are unsuccessful, so I make a living as a litigation rascal. I am entrusted by Wang Yin, the old master of the Wang family, to monopolize the Wang Wang Xiasheng rape case. I hope the master will forgive me." Wang Yu Menglin was handsome, gentle, and elegant, and his every move was very polite.

Zhu Zhu Yijun frowned and asked, "Do provincial graduates also come to handle this kind of livelihood?"

"This is the eldest son of former Minister of Justice Wang Wang Zhihao, Wang Yu Menglin," Wang Wang Chonggu said with a complex expression. "He didn't take the exam in the fifth year of Emperor Longqing or the second year of Emperor Wanli, and didn't pass in the fifth year of Emperor Wanli."

Minister of Justice Wang Wang Zhihao chose to retire to fulfill his daughter's marriage, and his son was considered to have achieved success in his studies. But in the eyes of many ministers in the court, Wang Wang Zhihao was a deserter who didn't dare to continue walking the path. From the Emperor's perspective, he had no sense of responsibility.

"I wouldn't dare to be called master. What else do you have to say about this case?" Wang Wang Yie didn't dare to be called master by Wang Wang Zhihao's son. Wang Wang Zhihao had left the court, but his classmates, fellow townsmen, friends, and disciples were still in the court. Wang Wang Yie didn't dare to be negligent.

"Master, this Xi clan woman does not have a pregnancy." Wang Yu Menglin looked at the Xi clan woman and said sternly.

"Ah? Is this true? You cannot speak falsely in the public hall." Wang Wang Yie frowned and leaned forward to ask.

"To be ashamed, the student dug through their family's cesspit. Whether there is a pregnancy or not, just ask a physician to check the pulse." Although Wang Yu Menglin's words were unclear, the process of handling the case might have been quite smelly.

Zhu Zhu Yijun heard this and said to Zhang Hong, "Go and invite the great physician from the Academy of Sciences."

A Southern Yamen runner whispered a few words in Wang Wang Yie's ear. Not long after, Li Li Shizhen and Chen Chen Shigong entered the prefecture office from the back door. After paying respects, they went to the hall, looked, smelled, asked, and felt the pulse of the Xi clan woman.

"There is indeed no pregnancy," Li Li Shizhen said with great certainty after feeling the pulse. As a veteran physician of many years, he was very sure whether there was a pregnancy pulse or not.

Li Li Shizhen came to the back hall and exchanged opinions with Chen Chen Shigong, then came to the Emperor and said very definitely, "This Xi clan woman has taken too many cooling medicines; I'm afraid it's impossible for her to have a pregnancy."

Li Li Shizhen and Chen Chen Shigong had practiced medicine for many years. This Xi clan woman had taken many cooling medicines before, so it was very difficult for her to conceive.

"This cooling medicine is alum. If used too much, the Governor Vessel will be damaged, the womb will lose nourishment, and it will cause infertility. This Xi clan woman's Governor Vessel is already damaged. I'm afraid she has been taking cooling medicine for a year." Li Li Shizhen said with some hesitation, "These cooling medicines are mostly used in brothels. Why would a girl of this age take such fierce medicine?"

Zhu Zhu Yijun nodded. Li Li Shizhen and Chen Chen Shigong were very professional in the medical field. They could even save Zhang Zhang Siwei, who had taken arsenic. Zhu Zhu Yijun was ready to send another batch of materials to the Academy of Sciences to promote medical progress.

And in front of the hall, after Li Li Shizhen and Chen Chen Shigong made their judgment, the Prefecture Assistant looked at the slightly bulging belly of the Xi clan woman and asked, "So there is no pregnancy."

The Xi clan woman only clutched her mother's hand tightly, looking at her lawyer with hopeful eyes.

Wang Yu Menglin looked at the Xi clan woman and her mother, a smile appearing on the corner of his mouth, before saying, "Master, this Xi clan woman hasn't just married once like this. As far as the student knows, she has already married three times like this. The previous times, she succeeded. She met this stubborn donkey, Wang the old man, who refused to agree, so she didn't succeed."

"They are habitual offenders, specializing in marriage fraud. They shouldn't be called 'mother' and 'daughter,' but 'madam' and 'prostitute'."

"Master, please forgive me. These two are both prostitutes. The old one works as a procuress in the Yanxing Building, and the young one works as a prostitute under the procuress. The student has witnesses and physical evidence to present. I hope the master will examine this clearly."

As soon as Wang Yu Menglin said this, it was like a pot exploding. Everyone was discussing it, and looking at those two women, they couldn't help but take a step back. This kind of plot of a prostitute marrying into a family had too much impact on the Great Ming Dynasty.

"Silence!" Wang Wang Yie slapped the gavel and said sternly, "If you disturb the public hall again, you will be beaten thirty times. Bring the witnesses and evidence!"

Wang Yu Menglin's evidence was indeed plentiful—witnesses, physical evidence, and written evidence were all ironclad.

Wang Wang Yie was stunned. By this point, the facts of the case were very clear. Even if Wang Wang Xiasheng was unforgivable, he didn't deserve to die, because a prostitute is of lowly status.

"Mountains and rivers doubt no road, willows and flowers brighten another village." Wang Wang Xiasheng was still dazed and confused, his mind blank at the sudden turn of events. He had thought he was surely going to die, but it turned out the other side was just defrauding money.

"Take them!" Wang Wang Yie slapped the gavel and took the so-called Xi clan mother and daughter, as well as the lawyer, into custody.

"Your Majesty, according to the Great Ming Code, those who defraud officials and private individuals to obtain property are treated as thieves. This case must be investigated further. There is no result today, but Wang Wang Xiasheng can go back today. If it is verified, these Xi clan mother and daughter will basically be beheaded and displayed." Wang Wang Chonggu explained why they had to be taken into custody.

According to the Great Ming Code's fraud regulations, these Xi clan mother and daughter would basically be beheaded and displayed.

"Are they going to be beheaded?" Zhu Zhu Yijun raised an eyebrow. This case being exposed was naturally satisfying, but fraud deserves beheading?

Wang Wang Chonggu explained, "Hmm. In the seventh year of Honghong, there was a treacherous person named Sun Tengxiao who bought beggars and defrauded people's lives. He committed twelve cases. The Xiaozong Emperor issued a decree: 'This villain treats life as a commodity, and his treachery is rampant. The crime is hard to lighten. The leader shall be executed by lingering death; the followers shall be beheaded and displayed, and the list shall be posted for the world to know.'"

"If you commit a crime more than three times, you must be punished more severely. If this lawyer and these two women are in the same gang, this is 'three people forming a crowd,' and the punishment must be increased."

"To stop punishment by punishment, to reach a state of no punishment."

If it were just this one time, it would be fine. If it were two times, defrauding money would at most be exile. But doing it three times meant they had to die, just like "three people forming a crowd." The sentencing had regulations on the number of people and the number of times.

The Great Ming Collected Statutes hadn't been edited to the criminal section yet, but judging according to the "Great Ming Code and Criminal Regulations" of the Emperor Jiajing years, it was beheading and display.

"So it is." Zhu Zhu Yijun didn't give further instructions. You win some, you lose some. Since they chose to report to the officials, Wang Wang Xiasheng could die, and the marriage fraudsters could naturally also die.

The death penalty requires three reports—that is, it must be checked and supplemented three times. Today, even if Wang Wang Xiasheng was sentenced to death, the Shuntian Prefecture office would start checking and supplementing. The death penalty requires the Emperor's vermilion approval. If a miscarriage of justice occurs, it would not only damage the official's personal reputation but also the court's prestige and the Emperor's reputation.

"Go and invite Wang Yu Menglin." Zhu Zhu Yijun asked Zhang Hong to invite the lawyer Wang Yu Menglin in.

"Student pays respects to Your Majesty. Long live, long live, long live." As soon as Wang Yu Menglin entered the door, seeing the eunuch without a beard and Wang Wang Chonggu, he immediately understood the identity of the person in front of him.

Moreover, Wang Yu Menglin had seen Feng Bao. When Wang Wang Zhihao left the court, Wang Yu Menglin had seen him. When ministers retire and leave the court, the Emperor would send people to see them off.

"Exempt from ceremony. How is your father recently?" Zhu Zhu Yijun asked about Wang Wang Zhihao's recent situation.

Wang Yu Menglin hurried to answer, "Thanks to the grace of heaven, my father is in good health."

"Hmm, that's good." Zhu Zhu Yijun stood up, looked at Wang Yu Menglin, and asked, "How much money did you take for this case?"

"One hundred wen," Wang Yu Menglin hurried to say. "My family is well-off. I work as a lawyer just to become familiar with criminal law."

"Hmm, very good. Keep doing it." Zhu Zhu Yijun was slightly surprised to hear one hundred wen, and kept nodding after hearing his purpose.

The Great Ming court and Wang Wang Zhihao had a peaceful breakup back then. Zhu Zhu Yijun didn't intend to make things difficult for Wang Wang Zhihao's son. After all, compared to other ministers whose retirement caused a storm in the city, Wang Wang Zhihao left quietly.

The reason Zhu Zhu Yijun summoned Wang Yu Menglin for an audience was actually to protect him. Being a lawyer without being a litigation rascal, but wanting to be a righteous person, would become dangerous. Since the Emperor had summoned him, if Wang Yu Menglin really had an accident, the Emperor would naturally ask for an explanation.

Zhu Zhu Yijun left the Shuntian Prefecture office. The final judgment was quite different from Wang Wang Chonggu's judgment.

"Grand Secretary, please stay. Actually, the problem you are worried about isn't a problem. Sun Sun Kehong's big ship is about to arrive at the port." Zhu Zhu Yijun signaled everyone to stay and not to see him off, and explained Wang Wang Chonggu's worry.

Men should marry, and women should marry. In this day and age, marriage should happen when it should, but many men don't marry because they are poor.

The ship full of Japanese women arriving at the port, in terms of absolute numbers, couldn't fundamentally solve the imbalance of marriage in the Great Ming, but it could play the role of a catfish.

As for the population.

The Great Ming's population, under the premise of the current productive forces, had already reached saturation. To increase the ceiling, it wasn't just a matter of fairness and justice in a case, but increasing arable land, increasing water conservancy facilities, finding ways to produce fertilizer, increasing the yield of grain crops, and most importantly, distributing benefits to the poor and suffering.

This was what Zhu Zhu Yijun cared about most.

He came to Shuntian Prefecture to watch this case, not out of rationality, but out of sensibility, because Zhu Zhu Yijun himself was about to have his grand wedding.

Zhu Zhu Yijun was very glad that although his marriage was arranged by the Empress Dowager, such disgusting things would definitely not happen to him.

"Grand Secretary, can one hundred wen hire the son of former Minister of Justice Wang Wang Zhihao to seek justice?" Zhu Zhu Yijun asked with some curiosity.

"Wang Yu Menglin handles cases by looking at who he is dealing with. This Wang the old man obviously didn't have that much money. With so many people watching this case, after winning these small cases, won't the big cases follow one after another?" Wang Wang Chonggu said very sincerely.

"Hmm, what the Grand Secretary said is reasonable. I'm going back. You don't need to see me off." Zhu Zhu Yijun got on the imperial carriage and returned to the palace.

This case still needed to be checked and supplemented, and they had to figure out how many people had been "slaughtered" by this "pig-killing plate."

The next day, a gazette from the Songjiang Prefecture Maritime Trade Office took a hydrofoil ship to the Tianjin Guard wharf, and then the postman sent the gazette to the capital. After entering the Ministry of War, it was sent to the Great Ming Emperor's desk.

The content of the gazette was only one thing: Japanese pirates.

Japanese pirates approached the Jiushan and Liu Yushan oceans of Dinghai Road in Zhoushan, Zhejiang, and were repelled by the army led by Liu Xuan, Vice Commissioner of Dinghai Road, and Zhou Liangbin, Prefect of Ningbo, with over seventy-three heads cut off. The Great Ming Songjiang Town Navy, separated by Hangzhou Bay, moved out upon hearing the news, joined forces with the Zhejiang Navy, and wiped out the Japanese pirates near the East Pole Island. A total of twenty-three Japanese pirate ships were sunk, and casualties were uncountable.

The next day, a report was sent from the Shipping Commissioner's Office in Songjiang Prefecture via hydrofoil to the Tianjin Guard wharf, and then a courier delivered the report to the capital. After entering the Ministry of War, it was delivered to the desk of the Great Ming Emperor.

"Your Majesty is brilliant," Tan Lun bowed and said.

After Tan Lun received the gazette, he was summoned by the Emperor to enter the palace. Accompanying him was Grand Secretary Lu Lu Diaoyang. Zhu Zhu Yijun didn't not call Wang Wang Chonggu to come, but Wang Wang Chonggu wasn't in the capital, but had gone to the Yongding Wool Factory.

Because of the existence of head-counting merit, the Great Ming's past battles were mainly based on boarding ships. But now, with merit based on actual achievements, the means of killing and destruction became rockets, firelocks, and cannons. Among them, the most powerful weapon wasn't firearms, but rockets.

"Your Majesty is brilliant," Tan Lun said with a smile.

"This group of Japanese pirates came from Ryukyu. In April, the Great Ming enfeoffed the King of Ryukyu to deter the Japanese pirates. Not only were the Japanese pirates not afraid, but they became even more rampant, even wanting to raid Zhoushan. If it weren't for the alert defense, I'm afraid something big would have happened," Tan Lun said with a smile.

If this group of Japanese pirates had landed and caused serious damage, the Great Ming's newly started maritime affairs would have become a joke.

People couldn't help but think: what exactly did the Great Ming revitalize its navy for? And now, the great victory in the Zhoushan sea battle proved that opening the sea was truly useful.

"Some ministers are inevitably worried about the talk of false merit," Zhu Zhu Yijun said helplessly, leaning back in his chair.

"Sigh." Tan Lun sighed, and the atmosphere became a bit cold for a while.

The East Pole Island sea battle reported that the Great Ming defeated twenty-three enemy ships. How to prove that it wasn't the Zhejiang Navy and Nanya Navy fabricating false military merit? The ships had all sunk; was it possible to go into the sea to catch them? There was Japanese pirate activity in Zhejiang, but instead of questioning why the maritime defense inspectors didn't report it in advance, they were even rewarded. What kind of logic was this?

These were all situations that might occur. In general, the vulgar Confucians wagging their tongues were just like this—seemingly reasonable, but in reality, they didn't care about any actual situation.

Feng Bao walked in hurriedly from outside, extremely excited, saying, "Your Majesty, another gazette has entered the Zhang Wenyuan Pavilion."

"Captives? Sure enough." Zhu Zhu Yijun took the gazette and looked at it for a long time.

The second gazette was exceptionally detailed, mainly mentioning that the Great Ming had captured twelve prisoners. These twelve prisoners were all Japanese pirates. Eight of them were captured because the battle was unfavorable and they jumped onto small rafts to escape before their ships were burned, and four were fished out of the sea by the Great Ming Navy.

The reason they had to fish out these prisoners was entirely to deal with the questioning from the court.

Zhu Zhu Yijun couldn't help but think of the time when Earl of Marquis Ningyuan Li Li Chengliang captured the rebellious chieftain Wang Gao and accidentally got injured. Wang Gao was already exhausted, yet the fierce general Li Li Chengliang got injured. Qi Qi Jiguang explained that it was Li Li Chengliang's little trick.

The Great Ming's military generals had long understood the faces of the court officials who stood and talked without back pain, so they were well-prepared. Witnesses, written evidence, and physical evidence were all present. If they questioned again, they would fish out more and send them to the court.

Zhu Zhu Yijun couldn't help but think of the time when the Earl of Marquis Ningyuan, Li Li Chengliang, was accidentally injured while capturing the rebel chieftain Wang Gao. Wang Gao was already exhausted, yet the fierce general Li Li Chengliang was injured. Qi Qi Jiguang explained that it was Li Li Chengliang's little scheme.

Eunuchs supervising the army had existed since the Emperor Hongwu years; it wasn't a rare thing. The Great Ming's eunuchs were not lacking in people with military talent like Zheng He, Liu Liu Yongcheng, and Wang Zhi, but most eunuchs served as the Emperor's people, playing a supervisory role.

But in the second year of During Zhengtong, after Wang Ji killed a military general without authorization, the status of military generals began to drop rapidly to the "slave" status mentioned by Zhang Zhang Juzheng. At this time, the balance of power between civil, military, and eunuch officials appeared. A tripod, if one leg is broken and another leg is too long, is very difficult to stabilize.

"After interrogating these Japanese pirate prisoners clearly, send them directly to the Academy of Sciences," Zhu Zhu Yijun approved the gazette with a vermilion brush, feeling much more relaxed.

"But these Japanese pirates are truly wolf-hearted and beastly. Not only do they not surrender, but they also want to attack my Great Ming. Japan has guts; I admire them!" Zhu Zhu Yijun's tone became cold and sharp.

"The reason Japan looks down on the Central Plains is that it is isolated overseas, grows up on the sea, and is good at handling ships for a long time. The Great Ming has never been able to attack, only passively defend, so the Japanese pirate problem has been so difficult to clean up," Tan Lun said with great emotion.

Why were the Japanese pirates so bold? Actually, in the final analysis, it was because the Great Ming Father couldn't hit them, so they were so unscrupulous.

If there were a road to Japan, Japan wouldn't dare to be so rampant.

Japanese pirates and Northern Barbarians are a bit similar; both occupy the advantage of geographical location. Northern Barbarians are good at riding and have strong mobility, while Japanese pirates are good at handling boats. When the Great Ming is strong, the Northern Barbarians can flee thousands of miles away, and the enemy cannot be found in the vast grassland. Japanese pirates can handle boats and flee, and in the vast ocean, the Great Ming cannot find where the Japanese pirates are.

The ocean is even bigger than the grassland.

Therefore, defense is like this: be careful, but be beaten everywhere.

Relying on being isolated overseas, the Great Ming's expedition is laborious and thankless, so they keep asking for trouble. This is the typical characteristic of Japanese pirates.

France, Germany, and Spain would definitely agree with this point of view, because those damn British and Japanese pirates cannot be said to be very similar; they are exactly the same.

"Xu Wei sent a letter from Nagasaki," Zhu Zhu Yijun took a letter out of his sleeve. Xu Wei wrote a second letter to the court. The content was only one thing: Oda Nobunaga was seeking the Great Ming court's enfeoffment. If the Great Ming court was willing to enfeoff Oda Nobunaga as the King of Japan, then Oda Nobunaga could bow his head and pay tribute. Besides this, Oda Nobunaga also hoped to trade.

The Shogun of the Muromachi Shogunate was enfeoffed by the Great Ming Emperor Zhu Di, and Oda Nobunaga had expelled the Muromachi Shogunate, so Oda Nobunaga had been seeking enfeoffment from the Great Ming.

Altan Khan was enfeoffed and paid tribute, Tuman Khan was calling for enfeoffment every day, and now even Oda Nobunaga had come to join the fun of seeking enfeoffment.

In the fifth year of Emperor Wanli, regarding the matter of calling the Great Ming "Father," the four barbarians of the Great Ming had no psychological burden at all, and were even flocking to it, because the Great Ming's enfeoffment represented the legitimacy of their rule in the local area.

Actually, it is very easy to understand. To use a sentence: "I have drifted for half my life, but haven't met a wise master. If you don't abandon me, I am willing to worship you as a foster father." "A great man lives between heaven and earth, how can he be willing to live under others for a long time?" This act of calling "Father" is just a measure of expediency.

Obviously, Xu Wei, Sun Sun Kehong, Ma Jin, and the navy arriving in Nagasaki and standing firm had made Oda Nobunaga a bit wary.

"I don't think we can agree. If we agree easily, wouldn't the Great Ming become treacherous?" Tan Lun clearly stated his attitude: they couldn't agree.

Because the Great Ming had already enfeoffed the Muromachi Shogunate. The Muromachi Shogunate had been expelled but wasn't dead yet. If the Great Ming directly stopped recognizing this enfeoffment and enfeoffed someone else, it would be treacherous.

Zhu Zhu Yijun agreed very much, "I think so too, and Zhao Wenchang thinks so too."

Xu Wei's courtesy name was Zhao Wenchang. In the Three Kingdoms period, Wei Yan's courtesy name was also Zhao Wenchang. Xu Wei had no official position in the court, so he could only be called that.

"Xu Zhao Wenchang, in Nagasaki, wasn't drinking and feasting, looking for Japanese prostitutes to play with, but found someone from the Muromachi Shogunate, Yuan Yizhao, which is Ashikaga Yoshiaki. This Ashikaga Yoshiaki requested to send an envoy to the Ming to state his grievances," Zhu Zhu Yijun said about what Xu Wei had done in Nagasaki.

Xu Wei found the last Shogun of the Muromachi Shogunate, Ashikaga Yoshiaki.

Ashikaga Yoshiaki's title of "General Who Pacifies the Barbarians" was used until the 16th year of Emperor Wanli, and it wasn't until the 26th year of Emperor Wanli, when the Great Ming enfeoffed Toyotomi Hideyoshi as the King of Japan, that the Muromachi Shogunate was completely declared extinct.

Although Ashikaga Yoshiaki was exiled, the nominal King of Japan was still Ashikaga Yoshiaki, precisely because he had the Great Ming's enfeoffment.

Oda Nobunaga wanted to trade Nagasaki for enfeoffment.

"What else can Ashikaga Yoshiaki offer?" Tan Lun frowned and asked.

If you want to get the Great Ming's support, you have to trade with real gold and silver.

Ask for monthly tickets, Aowu!!!!!!

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 240 =====

Begging for monthly votes, awoo!!!!!!

(End of chapter)