Chapter 1116: Since Ancient Times

"This Xu Fu — how could he have neglected something as important as seeking the elixir of immortality?" Zhu Cilang interrupted Zhang Huangyan, shaking his head repeatedly, looking thoroughly disappointed!

Zhang Huangyan was also a bit disappointed — how could you, a wise sovereign, also want to take the elixir of immortality? That stuff has ruined quite a few emperors from ancient times to the present!

Zhu Cilang said, "What happened after that?"

Zhang Huangyan quickly said, "Your Majesty, afterward Xu Fu campaigned across these three great islands. Relying on 500 boys and 500 girls, along with some alchemists, sailors, and soldiers who had sailed with him, they fought bravely and soon conquered many native tribes. The natives on these three islands all called themselves the Wa people, and they called the place where they lived the Land of Wa."

"The Land of Wa? Isn't that just Japan?" Zhu Cilang said in surprise. "So did Xu Fu ever actually find immortals on the soil of Japan?"

"That, I do not know," Zhang Huangyan said. "But Xu Fu very likely left descendants behind!"

"Is that so?" Zhu Cilang was greatly interested. "Who are his descendants?"

"The present King of Wa is very likely descended from Xu Fu!" Zhang Huangyan said. "Because Xu Fu was very likely the ancestor of the King of Wa, the Divine Warrior King of Wa. And his title, Divine Warrior King of Wa, was conferred by the First Emperor!"

"What? The First Emperor enfeoffed Xu Fu as the Divine Warrior King of Wa?" Zhu Cilang was taken aback. "Then hasn't Japan been a vassal of our Celestial Dynasty since ancient times?"

"Exactly!" Zhang Huangyan said. "Since ancient times. That is why the Grand Secretariat recommends the court send someone to Japan to investigate this matter. If it proves true, then the King of Wa's presumptuous claim to the imperial title would be gross disloyalty!"

"It must be thoroughly investigated!" Zhu Cilang said. "And we must also find out whether there is an elixir of immortality!"

Several strange looks were cast at the Zhu Emperor. The Zhu Emperor seemed to sense this and hastily added, "It is not for Us — it is for His Majesty the Retired Emperor! The Retired Emperor is advanced in years, and his health declines day by day. He urgently needs the elixir of immortality to prolong his life!"

So that was it!

The ministers thought to themselves: after the Retired Emperor passed forty, his dragon body has indeed not been what it was before. These past two years, the children born to the Retired Emperor have been far fewer than in the two years before — last year only five children were added.

"Who can make this trip?" Zhu Cilang asked again.

"Your Majesty, this subject can go to Japan." The volunteer was Navy Commissioner Zheng Jiangong.

Some time earlier, he had asked Zhu Cilang for the post of Admiral of the Eastern Ocean Fleet, and had already received imperial approval. Now he was only waiting for Gu Rong (Gu Sanmazi) to return from the Northern Ocean to take over as Navy Commissioner, after which he could proceed to Jiaozhou Bay to assume his post.

The Eastern Ocean Fleet had established bases at Nagasaki, the Goto Islands, and Uraga. After taking up his post, Zheng Jiangong was expected to inspect them as a matter of routine — he could conveniently ask about Xu Fu along the way.

"Very well!" Zhu Cilang said. "Then We shall trouble you, Jiangong. If the King of Wa really is descended from Xu Fu, you must get to the bottom of the elixir of immortality. The Retired Emperor is waiting to take it!"

Since the elixir of immortality was at stake, Zheng Jiangong naturally could not delay. So he did not wait for Gu Rong. As soon as the New Year was over, he set out at once, first to Shanghai. There he boarded the newly commissioned gunship Yingtian Prefecture and headed straight for Japan.

The gunship Yingtian Prefecture was a so-called bombardment gunship — a sailing ship of the line specifically designed to carry bombardment cannon.

The Yingtian Prefecture had a deadweight tonnage of a full 1,000 tons! Its upper deck was very flush, with no high-rising forecastle or sterncastle, and no superstructure to speak of. On the deck, apart from three tall masts, there were four unshielded gun platforms arranged diagonally. The platforms stood at the deck's edge, projecting slightly outward, and on them were mounted four of the latest-model 32-jin bombardment cannon, capable of rotating 180 degrees.

Two of the 32-jin cannon could fire directly ahead, while the other two 32-jin cannon could fire astern.

Of course, when the two 32-jin cannon near the bow fired forward, it was rather troublesome — the sails on the bowsprit first had to be completely furled. Moreover, on this class of warship the bowsprit was especially straight and level, extending almost horizontally forward, and there was no topmast on the jib-boom — that is, an additional upward mast stepped onto the bowsprit for carrying sail, a design common on Dutch warships.

Besides the four 32-jin cannon, the Yingtian Prefecture-class ships of the line also carried sixteen 24-jin short cannon, placed on the gun deck below the upper deck. For fire protection and to prevent sympathetic detonation, every two 24-jin cannon had their own separate gun compartment — a "cubicle" partitioned off on both sides with thick planks coated in fireproof paint, inside which two 24-jin cannon were placed, one pointing to port and one to starboard.

When this class of warship engaged in gunnery combat, if it presented its broadside to the enemy, as many as ten bombardment cannon could fire at once — firepower that could be considered extremely formidable!

By this time, however, there were no longer any Spanish privateers in the Eastern Ocean daring to attack Ming ships — after the Battle of Saikaido Castle and the Battle of Fuchu Castle, the Spanish had begun arranging their withdrawal. So the ships of the Spanish Eastern Fleet, and all the ships they could gather that were willing to serve King Philip, were being used to transport personnel. First the Spaniards on Luzon were shipped to Kyushu in Japan; after reaching Kyushu, they took on more Spaniards and Japanese, and all withdrew together to the New World.

The Ming navy did not interfere with the Spanish withdrawal — there were five or six hundred thousand Spaniards in the New World, so a few thousand more made little difference. And the Spanish departure from the western Pacific meant Ming merchant ships no longer had to sail in constant fear. The naval fleet, whose ties to Ming maritime merchants were close, naturally had no wish to block the Spanish from leaving.

Thus Zheng Jiangong's voyage to Japan was without alarm or danger. On the thirteenth day of the second month of the thirteenth year of Hongxing, he arrived safely at the town of Uraga. Two days later, together with the ambassador to Japan, Zheng Hongkui, he reached Edo, and at the Mito domain residence met the Shogunate's Great Elder, Tokugawa Mitsukuni.

"What? His Majesty the Emperor is truly a descendant of Xu Fu?" Tokugawa Mitsukuni frowned deeply. "And Xu Fu was even enfeoffed by the First Emperor as the Divine Warrior King of Wa? In that case, the legendary account is entirely true!"

"Correct, it is true!" Zheng Jiangong said. "The evidence is conclusive — Wu Sangui excavated the First Emperor's mausoleum and obtained from it records of Xu Fu's conquest of Wa and his memorial requesting enfeoffment as king."

"Great Elder," Zheng Hongkui said, looking at Tokugawa Mitsukuni, "your family is descended from Emperor Seiwa, and thus also a descendant of Xu Fu! Have the elders of your house ever mentioned the elixir of immortality?"

The elixir of immortality? Tokugawa Mitsukuni truly did not know whether to laugh or cry. He hastily shook his head. "No, no. If there were any, the Divine Lord would surely have taken it!"

"That is true!" Zheng Hongkui nodded gently. "If it really existed, would the Divine Lord not still be alive today?"

"Then does the imperial house have any?" Zheng Jiangong asked.

"As for the imperial house, that I do not know!" Tokugawa Mitsukuni thought for a moment, then said gravely, "The appearance of Xu Fu's memorial is a matter of great importance. We must determine whether His Majesty the Emperor's ancestor was Xu Fu or the Sun Goddess."

This matter had become enormous!

If the Emperor's ancestor was Xu Fu, then he had no divine status.

If the Emperor's ancestor was the Sun Goddess, then the Sun Goddess surely ought to have an elixir of immortality — she should present it at once to the Ming Son of Heaven!

So Tokugawa Mitsukuni, Great Elder of the Tokugawa Shogunate, prepared to lead twenty thousand troops and escort the Shogun Ietsuna to Kyoto, to ask His Majesty the Emperor about this matter in person.

Mitsukuni's great army had not yet left Edo when his memorial was already sent by messenger to the imperial palace in Kyoto. This threw Emperor Gosai into a fright.

"Your Majesty, was the Divine Warrior Emperor Xu Fu or not? If not, the court should issue a decree of clarification as soon as possible, to set the record straight!"

"Yes, the record must be set straight. For there have long been rumors among the people that the Divine Warrior Emperor was Xu Fu."

Speaking with the Emperor, who sat behind a bamboo blind in the Shishinden of the imperial palace, were the Regent Nijo Mitsuhira and the Minister of the Left Takatsukasa Nobusuke.

These two court nobles, of the Five Regent Houses of the Fujiwara, were the most powerful figures in the Japanese court at present — though in truth they had little power left; all real authority lay with the Shogunate. They could only play important roles in the court's "office-granting game," and collect a few gifts along the way.

After receiving the Shogunate's memorial, Emperor Gosai immediately realized the gravity of the problem and at once summoned the two into the palace. Yet judging by their tone, they were not the least bit worried — they still thought the matter was mere legend and hearsay!

(End of Chapter)