Chapter 1115: Discovery of Xu Fu (Seeking Subscriptions)

The twelfth day of the twelfth month of the twelfth year of Hongxing in the Great Ming.

Wuhan.

Inside the Grand Secretariat office outside East Lake Palace, several ministers in black gauze caps and python robes were holding a memorial from Wu Sangui, Governor-General of Shaanxi and Gansu, forwarded from the Marshal's Office next door, and didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Everyone was a bit dumbfounded, looking at one another.

Chief Grand Secretary Wei Zaode sat in the center seat, holding a copy of Wu Sangui's memorial and reading it word by word with great care, no one knew for how many times already.

Below him, the voices of several Ministers and Vice Ministers discussing the matter gradually grew louder.

"Isn't the Duke of Liang commanding troops at the front between Baoji and Mei County, facing off against Li Dingguo? How did he end up going to Mount Li to build a city? And instead of building the city, he dug up the First Emperor's tomb?"

"Right, he was fighting a war, so how did he end up robbing the First Emperor's grave?"

"What nonsense are you talking? How is this grave robbing? Can digging up a grave by the Duke of Liang, Governor-General of Shaanxi and Gansu, be called robbing? And if he really meant to rob it, he wouldn't have submitted a memorial to the court!"

"Right, right, a slip of the tongue, a slip of the tongue."

"But isn't this too much of a coincidence? Japan just reported a great victory over there, and the Duke of Liang digs up the First Emperor's tomb over here, and even digs out a batch of bamboo slips related to Japan."

Hearing someone raise doubts, Wei Zaode cleared his throat, tossed the memorial copy in his hand onto the table, and slowly raised his head: "What coincidence is there? It's simply that the Shaanxi-Gansu front was building a fort and happened to dig up the First Emperor's grave, and dug out some bamboo slips, and the bamboo slips happened to record the matter of Xu Fu requesting the title of Divine Martial King of Wa. This matter is only a question of true or false, there's no coincidence about it!"

He Tengjiao, Minister of Works, was advanced in years (67 years old) and a bit senile. Hearing Wei Zaode's words, he asked: "Shiling, do you mean the Duke of Liang didn't dig up Qin Shi Huang's grave and made it all up?"

"Marquis Dingxing, what are you saying? Could the Duke of Liang fake something like this? What would he gain from it?" Wei Zaode said. "What needs to be clarified now is whether the matter of Xu Fu requesting the title of Divine Martial King of Wa is true or false."

Old Master He Tengjiao grew more and more confused. "Shiling, we are in the Grand Secretariat! We assist the Son of Heaven in governing the realm, handling ten thousand affairs a day. Where do we find the time to bother with matters from over a thousand years ago?"

"Master Yushan, you are the most learned among us. You speak," Wei Zaode kicked the ball to Qian Qianyi.

Qian Qianyi was even older than He Tengjiao, 78 years old this year. But his mind was still very clear, unlike He Tengjiao who was already somewhat muddled. Hearing Wei Zaode's words, he immediately said: "This matter is easy to handle. Have the Foreign Ministry send a dispatch to the Tokugawa shogunate in Japan and ask whether their king is a descendant of the Divine Martial King of Wa, Xu Fu. Grand Duke, what do you say? Would that work?"

Luo Dagong nodded: "It would work. Why wouldn't it? The current King of Wa in Japan is a descendant of the Divine Martial King of Wa. If the Divine Martial King of Wa really was Xu Fu, and was enfeoffed by the First Emperor, then the current King of Wa is a subject of the Celestial Dynasty. His presumptuous claim to be an emperor would be most improper!"

"Right! Most improper!" Zheng Zhilong said. "If the King of Wa is truly a descendant of Xu Fu and was enfeoffed by the First Emperor, then he should scrupulously observe the duties of a subject. How can he overstep and call himself emperor? This is disloyalty, this is high treason. He should step down and apologize for his crimes."

"Step down?" He Tengjiao asked. "Then who would be King of Wa?"

Zheng Zhilong said: "Naturally, a virtuous man should be chosen from among the collateral descendants of the Divine Martial King of Wa, Xu Fu, and established as King of Wa."

"Who are the collateral descendants of the Divine Martial King of Wa?" He Tengjiao asked again.

Zheng Zhilong said: "The recognized collateral lines of the King of Wa are the Minamoto, Taira, and Tachibana clans. But the Taira and Tachibana lines have already died out. There are many who claim to be descendants of those two clans, but no one is universally recognized as a descendant of the Taira or Tachibana, and neither clan has a clan head. Only the Seiwa Genji have recognized descendants, and the Genji clan also has an existing clan head — Tokugawa Ietsuna, the Great General of Japan."

The muddled He Tengjiao nodded. "So then, if the King of Wa must apologize and step down, he should yield the throne to Tokugawa Iemitsu?"

Zheng Zhilong said: "Only that would satisfy everyone."

Wei Zaode stroked his beard and smiled: "It seems that's the only way. Then let us draft a rescript and attach it to the Duke of Liang's memorial."

While these men in the Grand Secretariat were drafting a rescript recommending the deposition of the King of Wa and the installation of the foolish shogun Iemitsu in his place, Wu Sanfu, Minister of War, who had been absent from today's regular Grand Secretariat meeting, was attending an imperial conference in the map room of the Cooling Pavilion in East Lake Palace — this was a military conference, so Wu Sanfu of the Ministry of War had to attend.

"Your Majesty, Tian Yiqing's memorial reports that the 20-pace volley tactic of the Nagasaki Army's Red Iron Cannon Regiment is enormously powerful! In the Battle of Nishizaka Castle, the Red Iron Cannon Regiment, numbering only 2,000 men, routed 4,000 to 5,000 men of the Toyotomi army's right wing in one blow, then repelled 3,000 Toyotomi reinforcements, and finally fought all the way to the Toyotomi army's main camp, earning the highest merit!

In the second Battle of Funai Castle in late October, the Red Iron Cannon Regiment again distinguished itself, advancing under the Toyotomi army's gunfire all the way to within 20 paces of the enemy's center before firing its volley! Although it lost over 200 men in the advance, two volleys at the enemy's center completely shattered the Toyotomi musketeers, and then it used firepower to rout the Toyotomi pikemen who tried to charge, once again sealing the victory!"

The one enthusiastically reporting the war situation in Japan was military advisor Li Yan. The victories at Nishizaka Castle and Funai Castle had been expected, but the power of flintlock musketeers firing volleys within 20 paces had shocked Li Yan greatly!

He was not the only one shocked — most of the generals of the Marshal's Office at the meeting were also greatly surprised. Only the great Zhu Emperor wore a calm expression as if he had known all along — because this mad tactic of volleying within 20 paces was something he had copied from the British redcoats of history! And he had not told Li Yan, Wu Sanfu, and the others about it, but had bypassed them and written to Hoshina Masanobu, informing him of this tactic most suited to Japanese samurai.

Hoshina Masanobu then sought out Chief of Staff Tian Yiqing and showed him the Zhu Emperor's letter, and thus the "Japanese little redcoats" (they were small in stature) burst onto the scene.

Zhu Cilang nodded and said to Li Yan: "We can also have our flintlock musketeers train properly according to this method. It doesn't have to be used on the battlefield, but it's one more option."

The "20-pace volley" tactic sounds simple, but executing it is extremely difficult!

Because the aristocratic officers from Laoshan — Pukou were not that crazy yet! To maintain formation and supervise the battle, officers of flintlock units had to position themselves at the sides of the formation, which made them easy targets for the enemy. If they advanced to within 20 paces of the enemy line before opening fire, the loss of junior officers would be enormous.

And did the Ming army have enough junior officers in reserve? Were they brave enough? All of this had to be carefully considered.

Just as the Zhu Emperor was giving instructions, hurried footsteps sounded outside the door, and Zhang Huangyan, Vice Minister of War, entered carrying a memorial with a rescript already attached. He had attended the Grand Secretariat meeting in Wu Sanfu's place and come directly over. Wei Zaode had also asked him to bring along the copy of Wu Sangui's memorial reporting the "tomb-raiding work" with the Grand Secretariat's rescript attached (the original would be forwarded through the Marshal's Office, and would bear the Marshal's Office's rescript).

Zhang Huangyan first bowed to the Zhu Emperor, then presented the memorial in his hands: "Your Majesty, this is the Duke of Liang's memorial. It says that while building a city at Mount Li, a burial pit of the First Emperor's tomb was discovered, and many bamboo slips were excavated from it. One of them was sent by Xu Fu from the land of Wa to Xianyang."

"What? Xu Fu?" Zhu Cilang was still playing dumb. "Which Xu Fu?"

Zhang Huangyan said: "Your Majesty, it is the Xu Fu who sought the elixir of immortality for the First Emperor."

"Oh?" Zhu Cilang put on an interested expression. "What did it say? Did he find the elixir of immortality?"

"No." Zhang Huangyan quickly shook his head.

"He didn't find it?" Zhu Cilang looked somewhat disappointed.

"It didn't mention that." Zhang Huangyan said. "It only said that he led 500 boys and 500 girls into the great eastern sea and found three large islands, and also discovered many native tribes on the islands. So he temporarily set aside the search for the immortal isles overseas and began expanding the First Emperor's territory!"

(End of Chapter)