Zhu Ying never stopped cracking down on Shanxi merchants, even if it would be troublesome.

But we can't just not do it because it's troublesome.

To this end, Zhu Ying specially set up a patrol team, which was mainly composed of Jinyiwei, members of the Public Security Bureau, and some people with outstanding case-handling capabilities.

There are about a thousand people, working in groups of two, scattered across the country to conduct investigations.

The core of this connection is the main families behind the Shanxi merchants.

The Eight Great Shanxi Merchants, in fact Zhu Ying also knew these eight surnames.

However, this time at the beginning of the Ming Dynasty was very different from the Eight Great Masters at the end of the Ming Dynasty.

Moreover, surnames are not unique. I have the impression that some of the Eight Great Masters of the late Ming Dynasty only rose to prominence in the middle of the century.

The clans of these surnames are not all from the same place.

For example, if the surname is Cao, how do we catch him?

Catch all the people with the surname Cao in the entire Shanxi region?

Of course it is impossible.

The internal affairs of the Ming Dynasty are constantly brewing under the management of Zhu Ying.

Perhaps it won’t be long before there will be a rapid development like a blowout.

In Japan,

Both Goryeo and the troops stationed on Jeju Island have begun to wait for an opportunity to take action.

Busan,

All the ships were put to sea at this moment, loaded with 120,000 troops.

The largest ship with a pavilion.

Yao Guangxiao was standing on it.

The view from the pavilion was very good. Seeing that all the troops had boarded the ship, Yao Guangxiao waved his hand and the soldiers behind him immediately waved their flags.

Boom boom boom!!!

The drum beats also began to sound.

The army set out.

Hundreds of large ships surged and headed towards Tsushima Island.

The Goryeo officials on the shore became more and more worried as they watched the departing ship.

This time, Goryeo fought with all its might.

All the sea vessels are here, decades of accumulation.

If this battle is a major defeat, the coastal areas of Goryeo will be rendered useless and will be able to be invaded by Japan without any ability to resist.

They knelt on the ground and prayed to God, hoping that the fleet would return victorious.

Yao Guangxiao watched this scene on the top of the boat, with only indifference in his eyes.

Of course he understood what these Goryeo officials were thinking.

But he knew even more that even if the Goryeo army won, it would only be a pyrrhic victory, as more than half of the large ships that went with them would be destroyed.

On Tsushima Island.

The 80,000-strong vanguard army was now less than 70,000.

More than 10,000 people were either eaten by fish or died in bloody battles with Japanese warriors.

"If the Imperial Master doesn't come, we have no choice but to return. If we stay any longer, our brothers will rebel."

A Goryeo general said angrily.

For several months, the food coming from Busan was very limited. Even though they kept sending letters every day urging them to deliver food, it was still pitifully little.

The reply from the national teacher was that the Busan army was also in a state of extreme food shortage.

Although food was continuously shipped to the Goryeo capital, the people could only stay on the brink of starvation.

Especially on Tsushima Island, the exercises had been cancelled long ago.

Most soldiers could only have one meal a day.

In the military camp, armor and weapons were scattered everywhere, because these weapons were too heavy and wearing them would easily consume physical strength.

Although a large number of sea fish arrive every day, there are nearly 70,000 people, and it is hard to report them all.

In the military tent, another Goryeo general said in a deep voice: "How can we go back? In our current situation, it's a problem for us to survive and go back. You know the temper of the Imperial Master."

"If we go back without permission, the lives of all of you present here may be in danger."

The general from before stood up and yelled, "I don't think he dares!"

"There are nearly 70,000 of us here. Does he dare to kill us all?"

The thinner general sneered and said, "Don't forget that the Imperial Master is not from Korea, but from Ming Dynasty."

"How could he care about our life or death? I'm afraid he would rather we die."

"It's not that we're all going to be killed. We'll all be killed just for disobeying military orders. The brothers below are starving to death. How can they resist?"

"I'm afraid that a full meal could cause morale to collapse."

The burly man was getting a little impatient.

"This won't work, and that won't work either. So, tell me, what should we do?"

"Brothers, you are all aware of the situation now. We are no longer able to fight against Japan."

"Those little bastards from Japan are very smart. Every time they capture a village, they can't find any food, and they waste our energy in vain."

"Last month, we joined forces, more than 50,000 people, and captured a small town. We thought we could grab some food, but the granary was cleaner than my face."

"We lost all our food supplies after the trip, and lost the lives of so many brothers. We didn't even get any money."

The strong general was furious.

Since arriving on the Tsushima Island, life has been more difficult than he had imagined.

The food shortage was like a dark cloud hanging over the heads of these generals.

But on this island, there is no way to go up to the sky and no door to go into the earth.

I don't even know where to go when I leave.

As the strong general became angry, the generals below also began to complain.

"Yes, if this continues, we will all starve to death here."

"There are only three days' worth of food left. If not, we should all go back."

"No, if we go back, we will definitely die. In my opinion, it is better to let the brothers have a full meal, rest for a while, and then forcefully attack Japan."

"This... seems pretty good."

"If it really doesn't work, this is the only way. What do you think?"

"No matter how much food Japan has stored, it is impossible to transport all the food away. We should attack with all our forces, capture a few of their cities, and plunder their villages. This is ultimately a way to survive."

"If we can wait until the Imperial Master's army arrives, even if we can't report our achievements, we can at least get some food."

Everyone discussed it and came up with a solution that was not based on the rules.

The Imperial Master had a very dark heart, they had already experienced it, but in the current situation, even a mutiny could not be reported to the Imperial Master, so what could they do?

"Okay, let's do it. Otherwise, it's pointless to wait here and die. I think the Imperial Master has been delaying the departure for so long. The food he brings back each time is only enough for us to last a few days. Maybe he is just waiting for us to attack Japan."

"I'm going to die anyway, so I'd rather die in battle. I want to kill all of these Japanese as well."

With the strong general's voice, the meeting came to an end.

All rations were distributed to the sergeants, and they only had two days' supply.

Two days later, the food and grass were cut off.

If we can't grab enough food within two days, it can be said that we are completely finished.

People are selfish, let alone these generals.

They have already felt the dissatisfaction and restlessness from the lower-level soldiers.

However, in the counterattack against the national division, those who would die might not be the brothers below, but their own generals.

It’s different when we fight Japan. It’s our brothers who will die, not ourselves.

This choice is too simple.

As the military order was issued, all the Korean soldiers on Tsushima Island, after having a full meal, came out in full force and attacked Japan directly.

At this moment, Yao Guangxiao was also about to set off.

"Master Imperial Master, will they really set out at this time?" Wei Guang stood beside Yao Guangxiao in the pavilion, looked at the sea in the distance, and asked.

Yao Guangxiao replied calmly: "They have to go whether they want to or not."

"The food I have sent them during this period of time has always been enough to last for about five days. Even if I save it, it can only last for seven days at most."

"If they don't want to starve to death, they have no choice but to fight the Japanese army to the death."

Wei Guang asked in confusion: "Master Imperial Master, aren't you worried about their return?"

Yao Guangxiao chuckled and said, "They are afraid of death, so they won't come back."

"My method of delivering food is almost telling them clearly that at least a few smart people can understand it."

"Of course, it doesn't matter if they don't understand. I have arranged for someone to help them understand."

After hearing this, Wei Guang understood that among those Goryeo generals who went to Tsushima Island, some had already secretly defected to the imperial teacher.

In the transportation of grain, they had already secretly made arrangements to achieve their goal.

The Korean army set out for Tsushima Island. On the second day after their departure, Yao Guangxiao's army had already arrived on the island.

The current Tsushima Island is a desolate scene.

When the Goryeo army left, they massacred the Japanese people on the entire island as if to vent their anger.

Even some houses were severely damaged.

As a monk and Taoist priest, Yao Guangxiao did not feel any sympathy or be touched when he saw this scene.

He ordered to set up camp as if nothing had happened.

"Master Imperial Master, when will we attack Japan?" Wei Guang asked.

Yao Guangxiao looked at the sky and replied, "At cockcrow tomorrow, the whole army will be dispatched."

"Yes, sir."

…

Since the war with Goryeo has already begun, the Ming Dynasty will not stand still.

Compared with the Goryeo vanguards, the soldiers on the Ming side were all in high spirits, and their eyes were full of desire for war.

Especially in terms of armaments, it is almost a crushing blow to Japan.

"This battle will completely eliminate the Japanese warships."

Between Goryeo and Ming Dynasty, Ming Dynasty is naturally more important to Japan.

The biggest reason why the Goryeo vanguard army was able to land and fight was that Japan mobilized all its warships and large ships to the side facing the Ming Dynasty.

The Japanese are not fools, and they are no strangers to war.

They knew very well that this war would only end if they defeated the Ming Dynasty.

Compared with the Ming Dynasty, although Goryeo had a large number of troops, the gap in combat effectiveness was too large.

Only by defeating the Ming Dynasty can Japan win.

On the sea, thousands of battlefield ships were slowly sailing towards the coast of Kyushu Island.

In just half an hour, hundreds of Japanese warships were seen.

"Haha, these Japanese really look down on us. They have such a small force and they want to fight us?"

Zhu Yu looked at the warship in front and laughed.

In terms of quantity, Japan has about 500 warships, which seems to be half of the thousands of warships of the Ming Dynasty, and is not lacking in combat power.

However, in reality, the Japanese warships were far inferior to the Ming warships in terms of specifications, firearms configuration, and hull size.

This time, the Ming navy was almost mobilized in full force.

There is no rival at all on the sea.

The current Ming Dynasty navy is not at its most glorious time, but it is at its strongest time in terms of combat effectiveness.

You know, the Ming Navy has never been defeated since its establishment.

This defeat does not only refer to the present, but to the three hundred years of the Ming Dynasty.

From the beginning of the Ming Dynasty to the middle of the Ming Dynasty, and even in the late Ming Dynasty, the Ming Navy still dominated the seas with an invincible posture.

Why did Europe not invade the Central Plains at the end of the Ming Dynasty and the beginning of the Qing Dynasty?

The reason is simple, because they simply cannot break through the blockade of the Ming Navy.

The famous Zheng He fleet was just one of the fleets of the Ming Dynasty.

Spain's so-called invincible fleet could only pay tolls in front of the Ming navy.

It is the true overlord of the sea.

Ruled all the surrounding seas.

Although the Ming navy has not yet reached its peak of thousands of warships, there is no pressure at all to fight the Japanese navy.

The warships of the Ming Dynasty are mainly Fujian ships.

The Fu ships were as tall as a city, and could not be driven by human power, but relied entirely on the wind. The Japanese ships were short and small, like small Cang ships, so the Fu ships were pressed down by the wind, like a car crushing a praying mantis.

A naval battle is imminent.

The three hundred Fukusen soldiers were divided into three groups and, with the help of the strong wind, they headed straight towards the numerous Japanese ships.

At the same time, the artillery is loaded and will fire directly as long as the target is within range.

The navy of Japan was also extremely ferocious. Following the flag signals, they fearlessly rushed towards the 300 Fukusen.

They want to engage in a boarding battle!

At this moment, the Japanese army's purpose was very clear.

However, in the eyes of the Ming Dynasty soldiers, this was nothing more than a way to commit suicide.

Boom boom boom!!!

With the roar of cannons, the war finally began.

Countless shells fell from the sky and flew towards the Japanese ships.

Of course, it is basically impossible to expect great accuracy.

If one out of ten shells can hit the target, it can be considered highly accurate.

This thing, especially at sea, is almost entirely based on luck of numbers.

Anyway, there are so many ships, there must be a few that can be won.

After several rounds of shooting, it was estimated that the concentrated number of ships was less than thirty.

This is also because Japan's ships are smaller, so they are not as big a target, and they are more dispersed.

At this time, the Japanese warships were approaching 300 Fukufune.

The Ming soldiers on the Fu ship had no worries at all. Such a battle from a high position was a complete massacre for the Japanese army.

Every Fu ship is like a city.

And here, there are as many as 300 ships, while the Japanese navy has a total of no more than 500 ships.

If there are thirty ships, there is a possibility that the ants will bite the elephant to death.

Three hundred ships. This was a disaster, a disaster for the Japanese navy.