Chapter 1606

The Japanese shogunate strictly forbade ordinary Japanese citizens from going to sea, and had now tightened inspections of Great Han merchant ships. Zhou Pu had previously cut off all his hair to go to Kyoto, leaving a bald patch on top. A hairstyle like that would of course get him flagged as a suspicious person during inspections and held back — there was simply no way he could make the trip. Especially now, with inspections having become even stricter.

"You do have a point… so this time, we'll still have to rely on the Shimazu house." Zhou Pu thought for a moment, then answered. "The Shimazu house has overseas contacts. I can take one of their ships and leave Japan without leaving a trace, then take a long detour to Goryeo and have an audience with His Highness the Crown Prince."

This was not really surprising, when you thought about it. In the 37th year of the Great Ming Wanli reign, the 14th year of the Japanese Keichō era, the Shimazu house — with the consent of Tokugawa Ieyasu, who was still alive at the time — launched an invasion of the Ryukyu Kingdom with three thousand armored soldiers and over eighty warships, swiftly conquering the country. The reigning Ryukyu king, King Shō Nei, had no choice but to bow his head and admit defeat. After the war, besides ceding the Amami Islands, Ryukyu itself became a colony of the Satsuma Domain, under its direct control.

Because the Ryukyu Kingdom had been a tributary state of the Great Ming at the time, the Shimazu house, though already in de facto control of Ryukyu, allowed it to maintain a facade of independence and continue paying tribute to the Great Ming. However, later, amid the dynastic change in the Central Plains and the transfer of the imperial regalia, the Ryukyu Kingdom's tribute missions ceased, and they have not resumed to this day.

In earlier times, Ryukyu had been a vital transit hub for maritime trade. Commerce between China, Japan, and the Southern Seas often passed through there. But because it fell into Japanese hands, and because the Great Han also implemented its open-sea policy — with places like Songjiang Prefecture becoming new, flourishing commercial ports and transit hubs — its status has now declined, never to regain its former glory.

Even so, in order to maintain control over Ryukyu, the Satsuma Domain had always kept up contact with it, and it became one of the few outer domains permitted to send ships to foreign seas. If Zhou Pu could board one of their ships, he could naturally leave in a way that no one would ever notice.

"Since Your Excellency already had a plan long ago, this humble official will refrain from further comment. I only hope everything goes smoothly for you, and that you will put in a few good words for me before His Highness the Crown Prince." Liu Jing cupped his hands toward Zhou Pu with considerable admiration.

"But of course!" Zhou Pu laughed heartily again. "I'll go speak with Tōgō Shigekata and the others right away. We must set out as soon as possible."

Without further delay, that very day Zhou Pu clearly explained his current intentions to Tōgō Shigekata and the others who were accompanying him. Tōgō Shigekata and his men immediately went back to report to their domain lord, Shimazu Tadatsune, and quickly received his approval. He even wrote a letter himself, asking Zhou Pu to deliver it to His Highness the Crown Prince along the way.

One evening a few days later, Zhou Pu followed Tōgō Shigekata and left the Nagasaki merchant port once more, heading straight for the Satsuma Domain, and ultimately boarded a ship the Satsuma Domain had long since arranged, departing Japan.

The ship they boarded initially sailed south. Only after a long while did it sharply change course, heading northwest. As they entered the waters near Goryeo, a pirate ship — actually a disguised vessel of the Great Han navy — caught up with them. Fortunately, Zhou Pu revealed his identity in time, and was let through by these men. Following them, he traveled all the way to the port of Busan in Goryeo.

The atmosphere at Busan Port now was completely different from a few months ago. As far as the eye could see, the harbor was filled with Great Han transport ships and warships shuttling back and forth without pause. The once-bustling commercial port no longer saw any merchant vessels from Goryeo or other countries coming and going. And everywhere in the port area, Great Han soldiers patrolled as if facing a formidable enemy — it seemed to have been completely transformed into a massive military encampment.

The moment he arrived in Busan, Zhou Pu was infected by the tense atmosphere here. Because of his current appearance, the patrolling soldiers gave him a thorough interrogation, and he was nearly arrested and thrown into the place where other Japanese merchants were being detained. Only after he finally managed to explain his situation clearly was he brought to His Highness the Crown Prince's temporary residence.

After this period of continuous construction, under the strict supervision of Great Han and Goryeo officials, the temporary residence where His Highness the Crown Prince was staying had grown into a vast military encampment. Row after row of wooden fences had been erected around the village dwelling where the Crown Prince resided, making the place look very much like a large town. Yet there were no Goryeo inhabitants there — only heavily guarded soldiers patrolling everywhere.

After the Crown Prince's attendants confirmed his identity, they led him forward, passing through layer upon layer of barriers and soldiers' quarters, until they reached the house where His Highness the Crown Prince himself lived.

Since His Highness the Crown Prince had not gone out today, Zhou Pu did not have to wait long before being granted an audience.

As soon as he entered the Crown Prince's reception room, the Crown Prince waved a hand at him, gesturing for him to sit. "Director Zhou, you've worked hard. Please, sit."

"Thank you, Your Highness." Zhou Pu bowed to him with the utmost respect, then carefully sat down.

Seeing the Crown Prince again after so long, he noticed that he had grown much taller since their last meeting. Already a head taller than his peers, he was now nearly catching up to Zhou Pu himself, and looked to have taken on the appearance of an adult. His face had also become much squarer; when expressionless, he appeared somewhat stern, giving off a sense of awe without needing to show anger.

"How has Sir Zhou ended up looking like this?" the Crown Prince asked with a smile once Zhou Pu was seated.

This hairstyle currently popular among the Japanese was rather novel to the Crown Prince.

"In reply to Your Highness, this is a common hairstyle among Japanese samurai and commoners now. Because I needed to travel around Japan, I simply adopted this style so as not to arouse suspicion. I beg Your Highness's understanding."

"Your devotion to state affairs is a tremendously good thing — how could I blame you?" After understanding the reason, the Crown Prince continued to smile. "How have things been going for you in Japan? Smoothly?"

"In reply to Your Highness, extremely smoothly. That is precisely why I have made a point of returning — to report back and request further instructions." Zhou Pu answered at once. "Not only has the Shimazu clan, the most powerful house in Kyushu, been persuaded by us and is preparing to join the great cause, but even the imperial court and court nobles in Kyoto, after secret discussions with me, have decided to support our Great Han. They are even willing to issue an edict on our behalf, calling upon the heroes and people of various regions in Japan not to obey the shogunate's orders and to refrain from opposing the Great Han. Although their influence may not be much at present, as long as they do this, we will at least have a banner to rally under, which can reduce the Japanese people's will to resist."

"You've already accomplished all this?" The Crown Prince was pleasantly surprised. "I never imagined you could achieve these things within just a few months… You are indeed a pillar of the court."

"Sharing the sovereign's burdens is nothing more than this minister's duty," Zhou Pu replied with feigned humility, though inwardly he was already bursting with delight. "Now, all the various factions in Japan that are cooperating with us and willing to work to overthrow the shogunate are eager to act. They are only waiting for a single order from our dynasty to spring into motion and together deliver a fatal blow to the shogunate."

Then, striking while the iron was hot, he produced several letters from his person. "Your Highness, these letters were written by the Shimazu clan and the Japanese court to express their submission to our nation. I beg Your Highness to review them."

"Good, good!" Still a youth, after all, the Crown Prince was now beaming with delight. "Bring them here."

He took the letters in one hand and began reading them carefully.

Because they deliberately sought to curry favor with the Great Han, these letters were all written in extremely humble and ingratiating language, filled with all sorts of formulaic expressions of loyalty. The Crown Prince had seen such platitudes countless times since childhood, so he naturally paid them no mind and skipped right over them. Instead, it was the calligraphy on one of the letters that piqued his interest somewhat.

Having been taught by so many tutors since childhood, he had naturally studied calligraphy as well. Though he himself had never focused intently on it and his own handwriting was merely average, he did possess some appreciative discernment.

This letter had been personally written by the Japanese Cloistered Emperor. After all, he had practiced for decades; his brushwork was vigorous and strong, yet without losing liveliness. In the Crown Prince's view, it could stand comparison with famous masters of China.

"This calligraphy is truly quite well done." After reading it, the Crown Prince tossed the letter aside. "I have long heard that these Japanese court nobles have passed down the culture transmitted from the Central Plains through the generations, and that they all possess profound attainments. I didn't quite believe it before, but now it seems it's true! This Cloistered Emp— Clois—"

Just as he was about to say "Cloistered Emperor," the Crown Prince suddenly realized with a start that he could not use that form of address for the other party.

Emperor, Emperor — that was the supreme title, one that could only be used by the Son of Heaven of the Central Plains. How could a foreign state use it? As the Crown Prince of the Great Han, how could he utter that word in reference to someone else? At the very last moment, he forcibly swallowed the words back down.

"Your Highness?" Zhou Pu, seeing his expression suddenly change, asked in a low voice.

"The sovereign of Japan can no longer be referred to using the character 'Huang' — it is ritually improper and excessively presumptuous. Only the sovereign of our Central Plains may be addressed with 'Huang.'" The Crown Prince composed himself. "When I write back, I must make this matter clear, to avoid causing disturbances in future relations between our two nations."

"This idea of Your Highness's, this minister had already thought of it earlier… and has already negotiated it with the Japanese court." Zhou Pu hurriedly replied. "The ministers of the Japanese court have now agreed to my request. After we defeat the shogunate, they will abolish the title 'Tennō' for their sovereign and change it to 'King of Japan.'"

"You… have done very well." The Crown Prince praised him again, clearly very pleased. "Since they are so submissive, and so familiar with and admiring of our nation's culture, I really must not be too discourteous."

"Your Highness, the Japanese are ultimately people of a foreign land. In their bones, they are not the same as the people of China." Zhou Pu cautioned him. "Admiring Chinese culture and studying calligraphy and poetry is merely the surface. Their inner nature is different — cunning, ruthless, and vicious."

"That much I do understand. People who, in order to restore their power, do not hesitate to bring foreign troops to invade their own country — what sense of propriety and righteousness can such people possibly have?" The Crown Prince still smiled. "But precisely because of that, they are easy to use."

After a brief pause, he looked back at Zhou Pu. "I will write a reply at once. When the time comes, take my letter and deliver it to them. I imagine they are all uneasy right now, fearing they won't gain any benefits in the coming war. With my personal guarantee, they should be able to set their minds at ease. By the way, is there anything else you need my help with here?"

"Reporting to Your Highness, this minister risked death to hurry back. Reporting to Your Highness on the progress I have made in Japan is one purpose. The other is to ask Your Highness to clarify the specific timing of our dynasty's troop advance. Right now, they are all waiting with craned necks. This minister believes that if everyone acts together, we can inflict the greatest damage on the shogunate and catch them most off guard. Therefore, I need to know the specific timing in order to coordinate among them. Furthermore, the shogunate has clearly begun to sense our activities. Although they have not yet imagined we would launch a war, they have already started to take some precautions. This minister believes that sooner is better than later. While they have not yet fully grasped the situation, we should launch the attack at the earliest feasible time and catch them completely unprepared."

"They have already discovered clues?" The Crown Prince's face instantly darkened. "I already instructed the navy to pay attention to blockading the sea lanes. How did they still get word?"

With an operation this large, completely concealing it from the Japanese was rather unlikely, so the Crown Prince had never expected total secrecy. Still, learning that they had caught on so quickly was somewhat unsettling.

"Your Highness, these tidings were passed on by the Dutch. They have been trading with the shogunate all along, and their ships and sailors are both excellent. Under our navy's interdiction, a few fish are bound to slip through the net — this is probably unavoidable." Zhou Pu reassured the Crown Prince. "However, the shogunate's military strength in Kyushu is extremely weak. Even if they have sensed something, it likely won't pose much of an obstacle to us. We just need to act a bit more swiftly, to prevent the shogunate from sending reinforcements later…"

"You do have a point." The Crown Prince nodded, falling into a brief silence. "The specific timing for the troop advance…"

Ever since he had arrived in Goryeo, the capital had granted every request he made, but had largely refrained from inquiring into his affairs here, so as not to put pressure on him. The result, however, was that it made him somewhat anxious and cautious, terrified that he might make some mistake and disappoint his Imperial Father and the expectations of all under heaven.

Precisely because of this fear, he had essentially involved himself in every detail of this expeditionary army — from the supply of the soldiers' weapons and provisions to their training and readiness. He had even repeatedly inquired into the army and navy's battle plans, and listened in detail to the explanations of relevant army and navy personnel. Through these meticulous and exhaustive efforts, he had already gained a wealth of experience and was beginning to understand what waging war truly meant for a nation.

The specific timing for the troop advance, after detailed discussions between him and these officers, had finally been set.

To plan such a massive operation, one naturally had to reference specific geographical and astronomical conditions, as well as similar historical lessons from the past. Sino-Japanese engagements had been very few; the most relevant reference for their battle plan was the two Yuan dynasty expeditions against Japan.

Back then, the Mongols had swept across the world, and Kublai Khan was very much a great ruler of his era. The Great Yuan's territory was vast, its soldiers and armor abundant — yet it was thwarted twice in its expeditions against Japan. A major reason was that both times, they encountered powerful typhoons.

Both of those expeditions had chosen autumn to advance on Japan. The first landed in Kyushu in the tenth month of that year; the second, in the eighth month of that year. However, the Japanese archipelago is surrounded by sea on all sides, and except for the northeastern coast, it is vulnerable to sea winds sweeping in from the ocean. Every year in the eighth, ninth, and tenth months, western and southern Japan are frequently struck by typhoons. Northern Kyushu happens to lie right within the typhoon strike zone. Thus, both expeditions ran into troublesome typhoons, and as a result, most of the transport ships were swept away by the storms. The armies of both expeditions were also severely battered because of this. The Japanese court and populace were overjoyed that the sudden typhoons had driven off the Yuan army, believing it to be divine protection. They consequently launched large-scale nationwide rites to worship the gods, calling it the "Divine Wind," and began to hold an unshakable belief in Japan's security from invasion.

The Great Han naturally had to learn from these lessons. Thus, from the very beginning, preparations had been made to guard against the natural disaster factor of typhoons. Everyone unanimously agreed that the troop advance should be set for a period before the typhoon season, which meant before the seventh month.

But as to whether it should be at the end of the fifth month or in the sixth month, some disagreements arose among those discussing it. By now, it was already mid-fifth month. The majority of the assembled personnel and materiel were already in place, training had continued for over a month, the morale of officers and soldiers was high, and supplies were also very ample. They hoped to advance the troops soon and launch the attack in the coming days.

However, some felt they should continue to wait a little longer, and launch the attack only after all the military supplies to be used for the Kyushu campaign had been gathered and stockpiled.

Their reasoning was that it was still the rainy season, which would certainly affect the performance of the Great Han army, which relied heavily on gunpowder weapons. According to the local climate conditions, rainfall would be much lighter during the sixth month, which would be more convenient for the Great Han's offensive.

Furthermore, there were not many places on Kyushu suitable for landing, and even fewer ports suitable for transport. When the Great Han launched its offensive, Nagasaki Port would surely suffer enormous damage, and it was very likely that it would be unable to function as a port for some time, forcing them to use other locations as entry points for troops and supplies.

When the Great Yuan advanced its troops back then, it had faced precisely this dilemma of too few suitable landing sites, and was forced to concentrate its massive army and attack from Hakata Bay both times. As a result, it met with setbacks both times. The second time, it was blocked outside the stone-wall fortifications by a Japanese army that had long been prepared, and suffered enormous losses.

That being the case, it would be better to wait a while longer, stockpile all the necessary military supplies right here in Goryeo, and then, when advancing into Kyushu in the future, use Busan as a base, concentrate all the supplies there, advance slowly along the coast, and finally occupy the entire island of Kyushu to secure a sufficiently stable foothold. Otherwise, there is an unavoidable risk of repeating the disastrous mistake the Great Yuan made when they were forced to concentrate their fleet and soldiers in the cramped confines of Hakata Bay, only to be surrounded and annihilated by the Japanese forces.

It must be said that both sides' considerations were very reasonable, so each argued persistently during the military council meetings. Even the commander-in-chief, Zhao Song, and the Crown Prince himself were still weighing the options and had not yet made a decision. However, time was drawing nearer step by step, and the Crown Prince had been agonizing over this in his heart all along. No matter what, a decision had to be made.