Chapter 240: Those in Heaven Do Not Yearn for Hell

In Japan's war against Great Ming, it held the advantages of timing and terrain; now, Japan is gradually moving toward harmony among its people.

Timing and terrain are easy to understand—they refer to geographical advantage, a point already discussed repeatedly by Qi Qi Jiguang and Tan Lun; as for harmony among the people, Japan is moving toward unification.

Xu Wei, Xu Xu Wen Zhang, believed that Great Ming and Japan would inevitably clash, because after more than one hundred and fifty years of internal strife, Japan had finally found an opportunity to end its chaos—the emergence of Oda Nobunaga, a military genius, made the trend toward Japanese unification increasingly clear.

Once Japan achieves unification, the countless samurai and ashigaru who have lived by the edge of the blade will have nowhere to be Anzhi, and must continue expanding to consume these soldiers who hover on the brink of death.

This is exactly the same dilemma Great Ming faces in handling mercenary troops.

Previously, Japan was mired in civil war, so all manner of demons and monsters emerged, turning the land into a shattered world rife with military disaster; once Japan enters formal unification, it will become extremely difficult for Great Ming to intervene—whether in silver, sulfur, or Japanese women, Great Ming will have to pay a far heavier price.

But Xu Xu Wen Zhang did not want Japan to stabilize, so he sought out the Ashikaga shogun, Ashikaga Yoshiaki, hoping to raise a banner opposing Oda Nobunaga—this was also the poison strategy originally devised by Zhang Zhang Juzheng during the court deliberation on the plan to destroy Japan: sowing discord from within and without.

All things are easy to say but hard to do, yet Xu Wei still exploited various contradictions to find Ashikaga Yoshiaki.

But to gain Great Ming's support, he needed real silver and gold; Ashikaga Yoshiaki had nothing but the hollow title of "General Who Pacifies the East," and could offer Great Ming nothing—why should Great Ming support him without cause?

"Ashikaga Yoshiaki wishes to march his sword to Kyoto; if he can successfully enter Kyoto and reclaim the king's actual authority, he promises to hand over all silver mines to Great Ming, and further pledges to allow Great Ming to station troops in Kyoto, Nagasaki, and other locations in Japan." Zhu Zhu Yijun answered Tan Lun's question—this was Ashikaga Yoshiaki's promise.

Grant him support; if Great Ming truly helps him reclaim the iron throne, he will naturally reciprocate, allowing Great Ming to tighten its control over him in military, political, economic, and other fields—cultural influence need not be intensified, as Japan already uses Chinese characters, and even Oda Nobunaga's battle standard bears the Yongle Zhiyuan Tongbao.

Great Ming's hegemony is evident: two hundred years ago, the Yongle Zhiyuan Tongbao still wielded immense influence in Japan—and yet it is also deeply tragic, for the Yongle Zhiyuan Tongbao is already a two-hundred-year-old copper coin, signifying that Great Ming has lost its maritime hegemony for two centuries.

"Your Majesty, I believe the Japanese are fickle and treacherous, unworthy of trust; he has nothing now, so he promises anything—but once he gains power, we must still guard against his biting back." Tan Lun did not fully endorse Ashikaga Yoshiaki's envoy coming to Great Ming to plead his case.

Zhu Zhu Yijun smiled and asked: "Are Grand Marshal and Xu Xu Wen Zhang close friends?"

Tan Lun sighed: "When he served under Hu Bukang, I met him several times—we were acquainted, even drank together; after Xu Wei was released from prison in the twelfth month of Emperor Longqing Six, he blamed me for not rescuing Hu Bukang, causing Hu to die in prison, and severed ties with me."

"At the time, I was Provincial Governor of Sichuan, quelling the Dazu peasant revolt and pacifying the people—I had no capacity to rescue him."

Though Tan Lun did not know why His Majesty asked this, he clearly explained his relationship with Xu Wei: Xu Wei harbored deep resentment toward the court; Hu Hai Zongxian's retainers—Mao Kun, Xu Wei, Shen Shen Mingchen—all held deep grievances against the court.

In the Romance, Wei Yan had a rebellious bone at the back of his head; the Seven-Star Lamp was extinguished by Wei Yan, and the Chancellor perished at Wuzhangyuan; whether Wei Yan was loyal or a traitor remains endlessly debated—but Xu Wei is a genuine traitor at heart.

Xu Wei even hated the Great Ming court: Hu Hai Zongxian had contributed to stabilizing the realm, yet died in prison; they say "when the birds are gone, the bow is put away"—yet the Japanese piracy in the Two Guangs was not quelled until Emperor Longqing Five; why force Hu Hai Zongxian to die in prison? Are you afraid the southern frontier will breed bandits to maintain their own power, carving a blood vessel into the court to let it bleed freely?

"Xu Xu Wen Zhang shares the Grand Marshal's view: he believes Ashikaga Yoshiaki has no real value, only a title left; whether he lives or dies is irrelevant—as long as the title can be borrowed. Xu Xu Wen Zhang, through Ashikaga Yoshiaki, contacted someone: Akechi Mitsuhide of the Tokugawa clan." Zhu Zhu Yijun named a person.

Tan Lun's eyes widened sharply—this Akechi Mitsuhide was a figure already appearing in intelligence reports; he was one of Oda Nobunaga's loyal hounds, serving as Governor of the Kinai Region—the administrator of the Kyoto area.

Oda Nobunaga hailed from Owari Province; in his youth, everyone called him "The Fool of Owari"; when he proclaimed his ambition to "unify the realm under arms," the daimyo called him the "Sixth Heavenly Demon"; the daimyo formed the Oda Encirclement Network to destroy him, yet all failed.

Oda Nobunaga's rise to unification cannot be discussed without mentioning his wife from Mino Province, Saitō Dōsan's daughter, known as Nōhime—the woman of Mino.

And the man Xu Xu Wen Zhang contacted, Akechi Mitsuhide, according to Great Ming's intelligence, was a cousin of Oda Nobunaga's principal wife.

Ashikaga Yoshiaki was expelled after falling out with Oda Nobunaga; now, through the shogun Ashikaga Yoshiaki, contact has been made with Akechi Mitsuhide—this gave Tan Lun a strange feeling.

Tan Lun could only say: no wonder Japan—this tradition of "gekokujo," of the low overthrowing the high, is truly classic in Japan.

Zhu Zhu Yijun knew even more about Akechi Mitsuhide: he was the mastermind behind the Honnō-ji Incident, a loyal adherent of Japan's gekokujo tradition; the daimyo had formed the Oda Encirclement Network twice, both times shattered by Oda Nobunaga—but Akechi Mitsuhide, with just over a hundred men, killed Oda Nobunaga at Honnō-ji.

"Your Majesty, could this be a trap set by Oda Nobunaga? I find it hard to believe Akechi Mitsuhide will rebel." Tan Lun had no objection to sowing discord from within and without—whether it was the ashigaru-born Toyotomi Hideyoshi or the old fox Tokugawa Ieyasu, both could be manipulated.

Akechi Mitsuhide would rebel? Tan Lun found it hard to believe.

"Not only does the Grand Marshal not believe it—even if you told Oda Nobunaga now, he wouldn't believe it." Zhu Zhu Yijun himself was deeply curious about why Akechi Mitsuhide launched the Honnō-ji Incident.

Oda Nobunaga appointed Akechi Mitsuhide as Governor of the Kinai Region.

Oda Nobunaga's rise was paved with military risk and military victory.

Owari Province was not strong; among Japan's many daimyo, it barely ranked at all—any daimyo with even modest strength could crush Owari with a single finger.

Imagawa Yoshimoto, the daimyo of the Tōkaidō, thought the same; he assembled twenty-five thousand troops to attack Owari, only to be defeated by Oda Nobunaga's four thousand.

Oda Nobunaga's terrifying military prowess began to unfold.

After quelling internal opposition in Owari, defeating Imagawa Yoshimoto, and conquering Mino, Oda Nobunaga supported Ashikaga Yoshiaki's march to Kyoto and began subduing the Kinai region.

During this process, Oda Nobunaga's power grew like a snowball—wildly, brutally—accepting every daimyo and clan that surrendered; as long as they submitted, Oda Nobunaga would take them.

Beppu Nagiharu, Araki Murashige, Matsunaga Hisahide, Akechi Mitsuhide—all were results of Oda Nobunaga's policy of accepting all who came.

Oda Nobunaga accepted all because Owari's strength was inherently weak; without rapid expansion, he would be destroyed—this was a decision fraught with great risk, yet absolutely necessary.

The daimyo formed the Oda Encirclement Network twice; the daimyo from the Kinai region who had surrendered to him caused no end of trouble—external attacks, internal betrayals—leaving Oda Nobunaga sweating profusely—but he still shattered the encirclement through his extraordinary military genius.

After defeating the encirclement twice, the Kinai daimyo finally became obedient; Oda Nobunaga then appointed Akechi Mitsuhide as Governor of the Kinai Region, demonstrating his deep trust.

This was the rich prize Oda Nobunaga had spent most of his life conquering and digesting—and now it lay in Akechi Mitsuhide's hands.

Now tell Oda Nobunaga: your Governor of the Kinai Region plans to kill you—the demon who spent his entire life dealing with betrayal—would not believe it.

If Zhu Zhu Yijun had not known of the Honnō-ji Incident, he too would have thought Akechi Mitsuhide could never rebel—but the event happened: Akechi Mitsuhide truly killed Oda Nobunaga at Honnō-ji.

"In any case, Great Ming will not suffer losses." Tan Lun still endorsed Xu Wei's actions in Nagasaki—testing costs nothing; Great Ming contributes neither manpower nor resources, merely uses words to sow discord—Great Ming will never suffer losses.

What posture to use? That's entirely up to Great Ming's whim.

"Thus it is." Zhu Zhu Yijun ended this imperial-audience exchange: Great Ming would support Xu Wei in using the former shogun Ashikaga Yoshiaki to incite Oda Nobunaga's trusted subordinates to rebel, while simultaneously refusing to grant Oda Nobunaga any formal title, ensuring Ashikaga Yoshiaki's banner remained usable.

This was the final resolution of the audience.

June's weather is like a child's face—sudden changes; this was especially true in the rain-soaked prefecture of Songjiang; all through June, Songjiang was shrouded in drizzle; Wang Daoqun, who had just returned from enfeoffing the King of Ryukyu, now stood on the Guanchao Tower, his face grim as he gazed at the sea.

Songjiang's Regional Commander Chen Lin, the eunuch supervisor Zhang Cheng, the Maritime Defense Assistant Prefect Luo Luo Gongchen, the Shipyard Director Guo Guo Rulin, Zhao Li Shizhen, the Commander of the River Patrol Xiao Xiao Chongye—all Songjiang's officials, great and small, stood on the Guanchao Tower, anxiously awaiting the arrival of the Western ships.

The big ships arrived once a year; according to past experience, Luo Luo Gongchen and Zhang Cheng would usually receive them; if there was a royal letter from King Philip II of Spain, it would be sent to the capital.

This time, the entire Songjiang bureaucracy turned out en masse—if Japan learned of this, they would launch a full-scale assault on the Guanchao Tower, or strike directly and wipe out Songjiang's entire leadership in one fell swoop.

The reason was this: Great Ming officials were waiting for Great Ming's own ship—the five-masted ocean-going vessel sold to the Western merchant Antonio.

Whether the five-masted ocean-going vessel could truly cross the ocean had to be tested in practice—for practice is the sole criterion of truth; Antonio led the five Great Ming-built vessels, arriving in Manila in mid-May; after clearing customs, the five ships set sail for Songjiang.

Though it was already known that all five ships had arrived intact, seeing was still believing.

Amid anxious waiting, the ships appeared through the rain; in the drizzle, one ship's outline flickered faintly, then slowly docked under the guidance of barges; Wang Daoqun's face lit up, his finger pointing toward the sea: "They're back!"

The crews of these five ships were trained by the Songjiang Maritime Academy; most sailors were recruited by Antonio in Songjiang's New Port and Manila; the ships' design and construction were entirely from Great Ming—even if they bore some Western influence.

The successful return of the five ships made Wang Daoqun, who had long cultivated an impassive demeanor, unable to hide his joy.

This meant Great Ming now possessed ocean-going capability; it meant the restoration of Great Ming's maritime power; it meant the efforts of Songjiang's officials had not been in vain; from any perspective, this was a tremendous boost to Great Ming's opening of the seas.

After the ships docked, Antonio was utterly stunned.

Due to the rain, few people were on the dock—but every single one was a naval soldier clad in straw capes, wearing broad-brimmed hats, capes, and cloaks, standing motionless in the rain.

At the moment the drum sounded, these soldiers surged toward the five ships; this stirred painful memories in Antonio: sometimes, native tribes would rush toward ships anchored in port—but compared to the disorganized natives, these Great Ming soldiers' synchronized, rapid advance was shockingly powerful!

It was a clash of two entirely different worlds; the sharpness of the Great Ming soldiers' charge seemed ready to smash the ships apart.

In those mere minutes, Antonio's mind raced with countless thoughts.

Had a palace coup occurred in Great Ming? Had some great upheaval taken place? Or had the greedy little emperor, short on silver, decided to simply seize the ships by force?

But Antonio still owed a large sum for the ships—wasn't doing business faster than robbery?

Out of trust in the Great Ming court, Antonio chose to surrender—but instead of manacles, he received a warm welcome; all crew members were taken ashore, where hot water awaited, barbers stood ready to cut the hair of the returning sailors, and even Japanese women served them.

These Japanese women were arranged by Sun Sun Kehong, the merchant head of the pleasure barges; Sun Sun Kehong had gone to Nagasaki, so the paralyzed Sun Sun Kehong had to manage affairs.

Sun Sun Kehong opposed Sun Sun Kehong's trip to Nagasaki, but that did not mean he intended to break with the court; the Sun family still maintained good, close ties with the Songjiang prefectural government and the court.

Why use Japanese women? Because the Imperial Weaving Bureau needed too many female workers; though weaving paid little, the profits were substantial; in Songjiang, the number of prostitutes was plummeting—thankfully, Japanese women filled the gap.

Antonio was scrubbed raw by a Manchurian bath attendant until his skin turned red, then dressed in a silk robe, preparing to head to the Guanchao Tower.

"It feels like coming home—this is truly home, isn't it, Marcus?" Antonio, having tidied his appearance, said involuntarily.

Marcus was the ship's first mate, who had been Antonio's right-hand man since his first voyage.

Marcus replied firmly: "Yes, this is our home port."

The ship's owner was the Great Ming Emperor; the crew were scholars of the Great Ming Maritime Academy; the sailors were hardworking Great Ming commoners; the ship was designed and built by Great Ming—the home port of the five-masted ocean-going vessel was Great Ming.

"Those stupid, lazy bastards really ought to see the port services Great Ming provides; from Great Ming to the Viceroyalty of Peru, you won't see a single rat—but when returning from Peru, the ships are crawling with rats as long as your arm! It's a nightmare!" Antonio could not help complaining about the rats on his ship.

Great Ming's port services ensured thorough, clean ship cleaning; but once docked at a New World port, rats multiplied—Antonio hated these rats.

Waking up to the sight of rats with arms as long as his own staring at him was when Antonio's mood was at its worst.

Too many rats meant disease and plague; if these rats sparked an epidemic, it would be a catastrophic disaster for a ship—the ship was wealth, and the cargo was Antonio's life!

Marcus smiled brightly: "Respected Captain, I share your feelings. Great Ming has a proverb: it's easy to go from frugality to luxury, but hard to return from luxury to frugality. These damned rats—had it not been for the sailors' rat traps, this nightmare would have haunted us forever."

Rat traps, this effective tool, required spring steel—the kind of steel powerful enough to crush a rat's skull—which Great Ming had specifically developed for making pocket watches.

Antonio stepped out of the washroom, crossed himself, and murmured: "Praise our investor, praise the Great Ming Emperor, the supreme Great Ming Emperor—may the Lord bless you with smooth success."

"Captain, I must remind you: the Lord has no authority over this eastern land." Marcus, in good spirits, joked.

"You're right—here, we must pray to His Majesty. May His Majesty bless my business to flourish—even if nailed to the Wall of Unbelief, may He bless my business to flourish." Antonio changed his prayer to something more amusing.

Wang Daoqun and his officials hosted a banquet to welcome Antonio; Antonio was overwhelmed; after three rounds of wine and five courses, Wang Daoqun finally made his meaning clear.

The ship's crew would be rehired by the Great Ming Maritime Academy; the same applied to the sailors—only a small number would remain to be employed by Antonio.

Hearing Wang Daoqun's words, Antonio understood why the Great Ming navy had turned out: he put down his cup and said firmly: "The generous, magnanimous Great Ming Emperor gave me investment—this is the moment of return. If there were only investment without return, who would invest in me? Experienced sailors and crews summarizing their knowledge into books is also my honor."

"These were all agreed upon beforehand."

"The Great Ming Emperor values promises and keeps his word; as a former abbot exiled and banished, I, Antonio Morgia, consider the Great Ming Emperor's trust more precious than gold."

"More frankly, compared to losing my ship and cargo, I fear losing His Majesty's trust even more."

The Great Ming Emperor lent money to Antonio to buy ships; the experienced sailors and crews were part of the return; Antonio said no empty words—he now conducted oceanic trade between the West and Great Ming, earning so much that even Philip II was jealous, all thanks to the Great Ming Emperor's approval.

If the Great Ming Emperor withdrew his favor, Antonio would lose everything.

Clearly, the Great Ming Emperor had no intention of withdrawing this trust—this was the best possible news for Antonio.

"This time, I want to order five more five-masted ocean-going ships—full payment!" Antonio waved his hand, declaring he wanted to buy more ships.

Thus, Antonio would possess ten five-masted ocean-going ships, and this time he paid in full—not borrowing from the Emperor.

"Only one ship can be delivered this year—Great Ming's navy must also be deployed," Wang Daoqun replied clearly.

Antonio was a red-haired barbarian; Great Ming's attitude toward barbarians was simple: barbarians have the face of beasts and the heart of wolves—they fear power but not virtue; Great Ming's navy had deployed seven five-masted ocean-going ships, planned to deploy ten this year, and Antonio's six ships were a safe limit.

More than that, Great Ming would not provide.

"That's truly regrettable." After understanding the reason, Antonio accepted it; his red hair made him look nothing like a Great Ming person—how could he ever gain complete trust?

"Next year, when the Captain returns, five ships can be allocated." Wang Daoqun smiled as he saw Antonio's disappointment.

Antonio's expression instantly brightened; he exclaimed with great joy: "Really? Thank you so much!"

Likewise, Antonio understood that Ming's production capacity was still ramping up—and doing so at a breakneck pace—indicating the rapid and vigorous development of Ming's shipbuilding industry.

This welcome banquet was a great success; plenty of wine was drunk, and the matter was settled.

"The East is strange—so many things are discussed over meals," Marcus said, supporting Antonio toward the guesthouse, sounding slightly puzzled.

Antonio laughed loudly and clapped Marcus on the back: "In the West, everything is discussed in bed—or if not in bed, then at banquets. There's no real difference; it's all about human relations."

"The strangest thing in the East is that there are officials who don't take money—what do they gain by refusing it?"

Antonio had traveled between East and West and was accustomed to the vile faces of tax collectors—crossing a checkpoint meant shedding a layer of skin—but in Manila, these tax collectors refused silver altogether.

That was the most terrifying part: in the East, corruption was a disgrace; in the West, it was legal. In the East, because Antonio could petition the Emperor, if anyone in Manila, Yuegang, or Songjiang Prefecture tried to squeeze him dry, he could appeal to the Son of Heaven. In the West-controlled world, he had nowhere to appeal at all.

"Yes, I'm deeply puzzled too—what's their goal?" Marcus was even more confused; he asked, puzzled: "Why won't the Ming open the seas? Two hundred years ago, they were the dominant power in the South Seas and the Western Seas."

"Those in paradise don't yearn for hell," Antonio said, shaking his head at the first mate. "Here, it's like a divine kingdom on earth—if you were a Ming subject, would you want to risk the sea, terrible weather, and savage natives?"

"For the Ming, opening the seas is a trivial matter."

Antonio understood the Ming's ban on maritime trade as stemming from neither need nor importance.

While Antonio was utterly drunk, Sun Sun Kehong remained at the Tide-Watching Tower, waiting—for the Japanese ships loaded with Japanese women to arrive at the post—until dawn the next day, when the weather cleared and he saw the Ming's Seven-Star Flag appear on the sea.

Sun Sun Kehong spotted his own shopkeeper and urgently asked about Sun Sun Keyi's condition.

"Commissar Sun is doing well in Nagasaki," the shopkeeper replied, his eyes avoiding direct contact.

"Sun Sun Keyi told you to say that! How is he really? I'm now the Songjiang Commissar—if you don't tell the truth, you're fired!" Sun Sun Kehong showed signs of anger; "everything's fine"? He didn't believe it for a second.

"Actually, it's not good," the shopkeeper finally spoke the truth—it was indeed bad.

The shopkeeper rambled on at length; Sun Sun Kehong's face grew paler with each word, his anger mounting until it dissolved into a sigh.

When Sun Sun Keyi set sail, he injured his wrist; on the sea, the wound turned septic, and within two days he developed a fever—he narrowly escaped death, and after catching a sea breeze, the fever returned. He spent half a month recovering fully.

In Nagasaki, he suffered from water and soil intolerance, nearly pooping out his intestines.

These were merely illnesses. In Japan, the conflict between Ming and Western churches turned bloody—these missionaries carried muskets to preach, and both sides waged round after round of battles, with assassinations an inevitable part of the struggle.

And many Japanese who had sold their souls went mad.

In just two months, Sun Sun Keyi was wounded three times.

But he was already there; for the Sun family, Sun Sun Keyi had no path back—he could only press forward.

"He's suffered so much," Sun Sun Kehong leaned back in his swivel chair, staring blankly at the sea. The Sun family was vast and prosperous, especially since Sun Sun Keyi took charge—its fortunes rose steadily. Sun Sun Kehong had a son; Sun Sun Keyi had a son too—who should inherit the Commissar position?

As the elder brother, Sun Sun Kehong naturally wished to pass it to his younger brother. The Sun family's success today came from Sun Sun Keyi's relentless efforts to hold it together. If Sun Sun Kehong had truly sought the family fortune, he would never have blocked Sun Sun Keyi's journey to Japan.

The last man who believed Hu Hai Zongxian's sweet words and went to Japan to build glory—Wang Zhi—was beheaded and displayed.

But the problem was: Sun Sun Kehong had given his brother's son the inheritance, yet his own wife and children were dissatisfied, and the shopkeepers loyal to him were dissatisfied too.

Since ancient times, loyalty and filial piety have been hard to reconcile.

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(End of Chapter)