No matter how hard you try, you still can’t find it; when you get it, all the effort is worth it.

How could Zhu Di have imagined that he could get such a big bargain just by drinking some wine?

As the army was about to set out in the past few days, Zhu Di, as the King of Yan, naturally had his generals train and discipline the soldiers. The rest of the time, he basically spent his time drinking with Li Jinglong.

The reason for this is very simple. Without Daoyan's relationship, many things are difficult to arrange.

Speaking of which, Zhu Di had also read the Biography of Yue Fei, and he knew very well how embarrassing it would be to have no one to help speak up in the court.

Especially in Japan, it is even more difficult to say.

Li Jinglong was Zhu Di's best candidate, no doubt about it.

Li Jinglong was the Duke of Cao and the nephew of his father, a legitimate royal relative. Because of his elegant and noble appearance, he was very much loved by his father.

With Li Jinglong taking care of him in the capital, Zhu Di could go to the Japanese front with peace of mind.

Just now, when he was drinking and chatting with Li Jinglong, he suddenly heard a commotion.

Listening carefully, it turned out that it was the Jinyiwei who arrested Japanese spies.

Japanese spy?

Zhu Di's eyes suddenly lit up and he went upstairs directly, just in time to see the Jinyiwei about to take the two spies away.

How could the Jinyiwei be allowed to take him away?

"This king will soon be setting out to attack Japan. These two Japanese spies will be just the right thing to use to review intelligence."

"Everyone stays here, and you guys go."

Zhu Di spoke directly.

The mood of the Jinyiwei could be said to have flown from the ground to the sky, and now fell from the sky to the ground.

They looked at each other, but didn't know how to answer.

Standing in front of them was the Prince of Yan of the Ming Dynasty, and next to him was Duke Cao.

In this largest royal society, Prince Yan was going to snatch people from the Embroidered Uniform Guards, and they really didn't know what to do.

Moreover, the highest-ranking Jinyiwei here is Lu Liu, a small flag officer of Jinyiwei. What can he use to bargain with Prince Yan?

But this tremendous achievement is the brothers' hope for promotion.

"Your Highness, Prince of Yan, we have been tracking these two Japanese spies for a long time. I'm afraid that this is a bit against the rules."

Gritting his teeth, Lu Liu said stubbornly.

Zhu Di looked at Lu Liu with disdain and sneered, "Since when have the rules of the Imperial Guard been able to affect me?"

"Hey, where are the guards?"

Following Zhu Di's order, a burst of dense footsteps came from the stairs.

The twelve guards immediately surrounded everyone.

At Zhu Di's signal, his personal guards forced their way forward and captured the two Japanese spies.

The Jinyiwei who was arresting the man wanted to resist, but he did not take any other action and allowed the Prince of Yan's personal guards to arrest the man.

The King of Yan was of such high status that they could not afford to offend him. Even though they were reluctant, they did not dare to confront him head-on.

If you really offend someone, forget about getting promoted. Being expelled from the army and demoted to a commoner would be the best outcome.

Anxious, Lu Liu turned his gaze to Zhang San.

Everyone knows the capabilities of the Heroes Chamber of Commerce. At this point in time, the only one that can compete with King Yan is the Heroes Chamber of Commerce.

Seeing the pleading eyes of his former colleague Lu Liu, Zhang San's heart was moved slightly.

There is no doubt that Zhang San is a sentimental person, especially since he has spent a long time in the Jinyiwei.

Hesitantly, he was about to speak, but was stopped by Uncle Zhang who pulled his sleeve.

Zhang Bo just shook his head slightly.

Zhang San immediately understood the meaning.

When it comes to Prince Yan, it's better not to interfere in some matters.

In this case, Zhang San could only turn his head slightly to avoid Lu Liu's gaze.

Seeing this, Zhu Di felt relieved.

It’s not that I’m afraid of the Heroes Chamber of Commerce, but mainly at this point in time, if something goes wrong and causes the Crown Prince to misunderstand, it would be a loss.

It's over.

Before leaving, Zhu Di nodded to Zhang Bo, and Zhang Bo bowed to see him off.

In Prince Yan's palace.

"God is really helping me. At this time, I have captured two Japanese spies. Now I don't have to worry about not being able to map Japan."

"I feel that the role of these two Japanese spies is not just on the map. Who knows where they might bring unexpected gains."

Zhu Di did not hide his joy at all.

This kind of luck is really rare.

With two Japanese leading the way, we will definitely be able to clearly understand the general situation of the Japanese army during the conquest of Kyushu Island.

Li Jinglong also analyzed at this moment: "The Japanese who can pass the examination for the title of scholar will definitely have a high status in Japan."

"As far as I know, there are many aristocratic families in Japan, and the social classes are clearly defined. The Japanese who were sent to the Ming Dynasty to lurk are at least samurai level in Japan."

"Their family's status in Japan will naturally be extremely high."

"if……"

There was no need for Li Jinglong to say more, as Zhu Di naturally understood.

Although I am a little unfamiliar with Japan, I have read a lot of records in various books.

I also have a general understanding of the shogunate, the emperor, samurai, temples, etc.

"It depends on whether they know what's interesting or not."

Zhu Di took a sip of tea and said calmly.

At this time, the two of them waited directly in the lobby.

The two Japanese have been captured and taken to the backyard of the palace, where they are being interrogated by the royal guards. All we have to do is wait for the results.

However, after an hour, it was almost dark.

The guards from the backyard arrived in a hurry.

"Please forgive us, Your Highness. We have been punished, but the two Japanese are very tight-lipped and refuse to reveal anything."

Looking at the guard kneeling on one knee, Zhu Di did not choose to punish or reprimand him. Instead, he stood up and looked at Li Jinglong: "Will you go together?"

"Let's go together."

In the dark house in the backyard.

The two Japanese were tied together, with whip marks all over their bodies, and were poured with salt water. Some traces of other tortures could be vaguely seen.

However, the two of them clenched their teeth and refused to speak.

Several personal guards were so angry that they gnashed their teeth, but they did not dare to kill him.

The Prince of Yan had previously instructed that the two men must be kept alive, otherwise according to normal procedures, at best they would be left with half a life.

The door was opened and Zhu Di and Li Jinglong walked in.

The guards saluted with fists clasped.

"Everyone, go out. I will interrogate you personally."

"Yes, sir."

As the guards left, the room became deserted and the only sound left was the heavy breathing of the two men.

"I believe that since you have obtained the title of scholar, you should already know my name. Now, can you tell me your name?"

Zhu Di brought a stool and sat down, then looked at the two of them with interest and asked.

Inoue's eyes flickered a little, and there was something strange in his eyes when he looked at Zhu Di. Then he took a deep breath, calmed his mind, and spoke with a little respect in his tone:

"My name is Inoue Asuka, and I am honored to meet you, Your Highness."

Hearing Inoue Asuka's voice, Kameda also gave his name with a little respect: Kameda Reizo.

A hint of doubt flashed in Zhu Di's eyes.

He clearly felt this respect.

I clearly ordered people to torture me so harshly, how could this happen?

This was because Zhu Di did not understand the habits of the Japanese.

The Japanese worship the strong and discriminate against the weak.

As long as they are strong, no matter they are enemies or friends, they will be worshipped and respected.

Moreover, as a vassal king of the Ming Dynasty, the Prince of Yan was theoretically on the same level as their emperor in status.

Often when faced with such a situation, the Japanese will become very polite.

Zhu Di once launched a massive massacre along the coast, without distinguishing between friend and foe.

This caused heavy losses to the Japanese spies, but also won the admiration of the remaining spies.

It sounds a bit strange, but that's how the Japanese are.

Although Zhu Di didn't know the reason, it did not hinder his next plan.

"I will lead an army of hundreds of thousands to fight against Japan in the near future. I'm sure you two know this."

"You have been lurking for many years, so you can see the current situation of the Ming Dynasty clearly. I would like to ask you, what do you think is the chance of Japan's victory?"

Zhu Di's voice echoed in the house, but the two did not respond for a long while.

After a long while, Inoue Asuka replied, "Fifty-fifty."

"Ha!!!" Zhu Di laughed loudly.

"With your Japanese warriors, can you fight me on equal terms?"

Hearing the laughter, Inoue Asuka lowered her head in shame.

The strength of the Ming Dynasty's soldiers had already been clearly demonstrated at the ceremony of enthroning the Crown Prince.

He didn't think that the Japanese warriors would be able to resist such soldiers if they landed in Japan.

But he still said stubbornly: "Japan has its own divine wind to protect it. The Ming warships will definitely be destroyed by the divine wind, just like the Mongols did before."

"The final winner must be Japan."

"No matter how many times, it's always the same!"

Listening to Inoue Asuka's words, Zhu Di rarely argued or refuted.

Instead, he asked, "What if my army had not been affected by the divine wind and landed in Japan?"

Inoue Asuka was suddenly speechless.

Zhu Di did not pursue the matter and said with a smile: "Inoue, Kameda, you must be a big family in Japan, otherwise they would not be able to send two talented spies like you here."

When they heard the family name, there was pride on their faces, but also loneliness.

But he did not answer Zhu Di's question and obviously had no intention of speaking.

This expression alone was enough for Zhu Di to guess a lot of things.

"This prince is a straightforward person and doesn't like to beat around the bush. There's no need to say anything else."

"I will take you two with me when we go to Japan. If you can make contributions, I will not be stingy with your rewards."

"I know that under the Emperor of Japan is the shogunate."

"I promise here that if you can help me, I can allocate two pieces of territory from the territory I conquer in the future as the place for you to start building your palace."

"You two, I will personally ask my father to issue an order to confer the title of general of the Japanese nation."

"Would you like to?"

Zhu Di's tone was indifferent, as if such matters were not important in his eyes.

"Your Majesty the Prince of Yan, are you serious?" Inoue Asuka's eyes lit up and he asked.

"Mr. Inoue, are you going to betray the Emperor?" Kameda Reizo shouted.

Of course he said this in Japanese.

“Puchi…!”

As soon as he finished speaking, there was a flash of sword light, and Zhu Di's sword had already pierced into Kameda Reizo's heart.

As the sword was drawn out, Kameda Reizo was already dead.

Zhu Di did not understand Japanese, but that did not prevent him from feeling the anger in Kameda Reizo's tone.

However, when Inoue Asuka saw this, he did not feel the slightest sadness for the death of his companion, but instead there was a look of joy in his eyes.

Zhu Di said at the right time: "My words are as good as gold. Why should I lie?"

"I believe that there are many heroes in Japan who understand the principle that a wise bird chooses the right tree to inhabit."

"But I believe more that instead of choosing those Japanese who have lived in Japan for a long time, it is better to trust you who have lived in Ming for many years."

"I think you should know the pros and cons of this better than I do."

After hearing this, Inoue Asuka had no other choice.

At this time, you have to believe it whether you believe it or not.

Seeing this, Zhu Di did not hesitate and cut the rope with a few sword strikes.

After Inoue Asuka was freed from his restraints, he bowed down to Zhu Di.

Zhu Di's wild laughter echoed in the palace.

…

The news about Zhu Di was quickly reported to Zhu Yuanzhang through the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Including some details about the Jinyiwei, Zhang Bo of the Qunying Chamber of Commerce, and Zhang San, are also recorded in detail.

However, after reading it, Zhu Yuanzhang did not say anything, obviously approving of Zhu Di's approach.

Zhu Ying did not say much about this.

Sometimes, people do need a lot of luck. In Zhu Ying's view, the conquest of Japan is far more important than suppressing Zhu Di.

If Zhu Di could really pacify Japan in one fell swoop, what would it matter even if he gave the entire Japan to him to establish his own country and become a vassal king?

Zhu Ying was also very clear that it was actually a very difficult task to completely pacify Japan.

It would be great if we could see hope in three to five years.

A quarter of the Ming army was gone, which meant that no matter whether it was Zhu Di, Zhu Gang, or Zhu Gui, it would be difficult for them to get reinforcements.

They can only be recruited and educated from the local indigenous people.

This is a great test of one's abilities.

The Ming Dynasty also wanted to relocate people to Liaodong, fight against the grasslands, and control the South Vietnam area centered on Annan.

More than two million soldiers may seem like a lot, but when divided equally among many parties, they are still a little stretched.

The next day, the long-awaited Beijing Gazette finally went on sale.

In the capital, there were a total of thirty-six shops that sold official gazettes.

Early in the morning, long queues formed in front of every store.

Everyone wanted to buy a copy of the official gazette at three cents a page, even if they couldn't understand it themselves, it was a very good choice to pass it on to their children to help them learn to read.

Zhu Ying naturally imposed many restrictions on the quantity sold.

First of all, one person can only purchase one copy of the court gazette and is not allowed to buy more than one.

Zhu Ying knew very well that with such a low price, there would definitely be many scalpers who would raise the price and sell it for a second time.

However, the demand for official newspapers is currently in short supply, so price increases are inevitable.

The only thing they could do was print the price of three cents on the lower right corner of each official bulletin to crack down on possible scalpers.

At least the scalper prices won’t be too exaggerated.

With the beating of gongs and drums, all shops opened at the same time.

I saw that the shop counter was already filled with layers of official newspapers.

As they continued to sell out, millions of copies of the newspaper were sold out in just one morning.

At this moment, in every restaurant, all the storytellers are telling stories about current affairs in the court newspapers.