When the Ming Dynasty was first established, it demanded Japan's surrender and sent envoys to Japan.

Not only did Japan collect tribute, it also killed the Ming envoys.

This once made Zhu Yuanzhang furious, but due to the influence of other factors, he did not finally invade Japan.

Zhu Ying had already instructed that, let's not talk about any agreement for now, just humiliate him severely first.

And he granted Zhan Huike an order to act at his discretion.

Twenty strokes of the cane just means that if you dare to speak such nonsense, you will be beheaded in public.

If for no other reason than to vent the old man's anger.

In the rear hall of Huagai Palace.

Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Ying were drinking tea here.

Hearing Zhan Hui's angry rebuke in Fengtian Hall, Zhu Yuanzhang laughed and said, "Well, Zhan Hui understands my intentions."

"These damned Japanese dared to ignore us in the past. Today we will let them suffer the consequences of their actions."

After saying this, Zhu Yuanzhang felt extremely refreshed. He drank three bowls of tea in a row and felt his thoughts became clear.

As an emperor, Zhu Yuanzhang was not a person who would suffer a loss, but the conquest of Japan was too troublesome. If Liu Ji had not stopped him, he would have had to give Japan a severe beating.

In the original history, it was this year, the 26th year of Hongwu, that Zhu Yuanzhang established fifteen unconquered countries, and Japan was among them.

But now that things have changed, we naturally won't talk about revising the ancestral precepts to determine these unconquered countries.

In Zhu Yuanzhang's view, each of these small countries, which seemed pointless to conquer in the past, has its uses, especially with the development of commerce, from which he can continuously obtain money, food, or some rare items.

Even if there is nothing desirable at the moment, Da Sun can always think of a solution.

Zhu Ying hated the Japanese from the bottom of his heart, and the current situation of the Japanese did not allow him to have any sympathy.

These treaties at present are just a beginning. There will be many subsequent measures against Japan. He wants to make Japan a true vassal of the Ming Dynasty.

Incorporate the people of Japan into the cultural system of the Ming Dynasty and truly educate Japan.

Can the status of the Japanese emperor be as noble as that of the vassal king of the Ming Dynasty?

What about the emperor who will last forever? It ends here with Zhu Ying.

The front hall of Fengtian Hall.

After being beaten, three Japanese envoys were dragged in again.

Although it is extremely painful, the negotiations are not over yet and must continue.

However, the idea of ​​negotiating while being beaten is really novel.

"Can we still talk?" Zhan Hui asked indifferently.

Yuan Youxin and the others ignored the pain in their buttocks and said quickly, "We can talk, we can talk."

Faced with this situation, Yuan Youxin and the other two had no choice but to accept it. As the saying goes, a weak country has no diplomacy. Now they can only accept it forcedly.

However, when he heard the officials represented by Zhan Hui put forward the conditions for compensation, Fujiwara Kazuo, a Japanese with a rather hot temper, could not help but speak out:

"This is impossible. How can this be done? If this continues, your country will be in the hands of the Emperor of Japan. This is Japan. Other conditions are easy to negotiate, but ceding the five countries is absolutely impossible."

Hearing this angry voice, Zhan Hui sneered and said, "It seems that you, the barbarian envoy, have not learned your lesson from the beating you just received."

"Come here, drag this man away and give him another twenty strokes of the cane. Ask the Jinyiwei who are carrying out the execution if he didn't have enough food today. I heard that this foreign barbarian is very energetic, and the twenty strokes of the cane are like no punishment at all."

The meaning of these words is very clear, which is to beat him to death.

There are two hundred envoys from Japan. If we don't kill dozens of them, the negotiations will be in vain.

Upon hearing this, Fujiwara Kazuo's face turned pale and he quickly explained, "That's not what I meant. I..."

Before he could finish his words, the eunuch who came over slapped him in the face, interrupting him.

But it's just a dead person, what else can I say?

In front of Minamoto no Tomonobu and another Japanese envoy, Fujiwara no Kazuo was dragged out.

The Jinyiwei who were in charge of executing the sentence outside the door heard what the eunuch conveyed. After looking at each other, they immediately understood that he was going to be beaten to death.

I put all my strength into it.

Hit him hard with a stick.

Outside the Fengtian Hall, there were the screams of Fujiwara Kazuo and the sounds of court sticks hitting each other.

After only ten or so battles, Fujiwara Kazuo outside disappeared without a trace.

But it is said to be twenty lashes, and not a single one can be less than that. Even if the person dies, he must be beaten to the full extent.

After the beating, the eunuch went to check his breathing.

Then he went to the palace and reported: "Minister Zhan, this barbarian is too weak and can't stand the beating at all. He died just after the fight."

Zhan Hui said indifferently: "Send the body to the Japanese envoys at Tianjie Temple and let them take it back to Japan for burial. There is no place in the Ming Dynasty to bury the Japanese barbarians."

"Especially since this guy was so rude, his words showed no respect for our Ming Dynasty at all. Not feeding him to the dogs was a blessing."

Zhan Hui was a cruel official, so it was normal for him to speak harshly, especially when the direction was set by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. In a sense, this was politically correct.

Seeing this, Yuan Youxin and the others, no matter how angry they were, could only grit their teeth and swallow it, and had to put on a smile.

At this point, Minamoto Tomonobu understood why the Emperor and Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty did not come today, because this was a complete revenge set for their Japanese envoys.

It was to avenge the killing of Ming envoys by Japan when the Ming Dynasty was first established.

Moreover, Yuan Youxin was very clear in his heart that if he did not get rid of this grievance with the Ming Dynasty, then there would be no progress in the negotiations.

If the Ming Emperor cannot be relieved, then he will be dragged on.

Thinking of this, Yuan Youxin was filled with bitterness. This was what it meant to reap the fruits of one's own actions.

"I say, can you still talk? If not, then go back to where you came from. We in the Ming Dynasty do not tolerate wasting food." Zhan Hui continued.

Yuan Youxin hurriedly said: "Please let your Excellency know that we, the Japanese envoys, are here with sincerity to discuss the compensation that Japan should pay to the Ming Dynasty."

"But the conditions are a little harsh. Even envoys like us cannot make the decision. It must be decided by His Majesty the Emperor himself."

Zhan Hui heard this and rebuked: "You are such a small country, yet you dare to call yourself the emperor. You are so bold! Do you not take our Celestial Empire, the great Ming Dynasty, seriously? Or do you think that your King of Japan is as noble as the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty?"

Bang bang bang!

Upon hearing this, Yuan Youxin slapped himself in the face a dozen times without any hesitation.

Each slap was very loud. After more than ten slaps, his face swelled up instantly. But Yuan Youxin did not pause at all. He immediately knelt down and kowtowed, and the kowtow made a loud bang.

"The envoy of a small country is ignorant of the immensity of heaven and earth, like a frog in a well, and has offended the majesty of the superior country. I hereby apologize."

Faced with such a Minamoto Tomonori, even Zhan Hui could not punish him any further, but he turned his attention to another Japanese envoy.

The Japanese envoy had been trembling with fear and had not been able to say a few words since arriving at the Fengtian Palace.

Zhan Hui scolded, "You are so silent, are you harboring the intention to offend the dignity of the Ming Dynasty? Come, drag him away and give him twenty heavy beatings."

With just one word, the attitude becomes very clear.

The Japanese envoy, who had said little, was dragged out directly. After about ten hits, his screams stopped.

According to the instructions of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, Zhan Hui would pick two to kill and leave one to go back and pass on the message.

After this incident, today's negotiations will be almost over.

Zhan Hui said with some regret, "Okay, you should stand up too. Next time you come to talk, bring more people with you. I know that there are 200 Japanese envoys in Tianjie Temple. You only brought these three people. Do you think you look down on our Ming Dynasty?"

Yuan Youxin knew what Zhan Hui meant. Most of the envoys coming to Japan would be beaten to death, so he could only stand up and bow:

"I understand. I will definitely bring enough people with me next time."

Although it is humiliating, there is nothing that can be done about it.

The situation in Japan is turbulent. There are hundreds of thousands of Ming troops and hundreds of thousands of Goryeo troops. In particular, there are firearms that violate conventional warfare. As a result, Japan does not dare to launch a large-scale attack at present.

If the entire army were to be fully mobilized and were defeated in one day, Japan would be doomed.

For the Ming Dynasty, it was just a failed expedition, but for Japan, it was a national war after the civil war.

Japan cannot afford to lose, at least not now.

When they came, the Emperor of Japan and the Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu had actually instructed all the Japanese envoys to try their best to make the Ming army stop the expedition.

After seeing the power of firearms, no general expressed confidence in fighting the Ming Dynasty on a frontal battlefield.

When Minamoto no Tomonobu returned to Tenkaiji Temple with the two corpses, all the Japanese envoys were immediately delighted.

Many envoys were even thankful that they were not chosen to meet the emperor, otherwise they might have returned lying down.

However, when Minamoto Tomonobu stated the negotiation conditions of the Ming Dynasty, all the Japanese envoys fell silent.

Then, there was anger.

The death of the Japanese envoy is not a serious matter in this regard.

"How can we bear this great humiliation? The Ming Dynasty is simply going too far."

"The Ming Dynasty is a great country, why do you have to be greedy for our tiny land and cede five countries? Is Kyushu still our Kyushu?"

"The Ming Dynasty stationed troops in Japan. This is to force Japan to split up. How will the Japanese people view it in the future?"

"Don't agree to it, absolutely don't agree to it. There are still tens of thousands of taels of silver. Where can my country get so much silver? The Emperor of the Ming Dynasty is crazy about money. Even if the Ming Dynasty has ten years of annual revenue, it doesn't have tens of thousands of taels of silver."

Many Japanese envoys were filled with righteous indignation and kept clamoring, as if they were about to have a life-and-death duel with the Ming Dynasty.

Until a loud shout came from outside: "Silence! Anyone who dares to make noise again will be expelled from Tianjie Temple!"

This time, there was no sound.

Tianjie Temple is not just a temple. To some extent, it is also an official institution.

Not only the envoys from Japan live here, but also the envoys from all other small countries. Some of those who live close to the Japanese envoys really can't stand it.

After all, the envoys to Japan naturally spoke Japanese, and other envoys certainly could not hear it.

All he does is chatter and scream, which is too distracting and he can't do anything well.

Although there are many Japanese envoys, it may be difficult for them to be dealt with by themselves, so they can go to Tianjie Temple to complain.

There are both civil and military monks in Tianjie Temple. When faced with such matters, it is naturally more convenient for the military monks to step forward.

Just a loud shout was enough to quiet down the Japanese envoys.

In Tianjie Temple, if you don't follow the rules, you might really be kicked out.

For most envoys, they are certainly not very wealthy. If they really have money, they would never do the job of an envoy.

Therefore, the free food, drink and accommodation at Tianjie Temple are very important to envoys from various countries.

This is also a reward from the upper country.

As the first temple in the Ming Dynasty, the accommodation conditions are naturally not bad, and the food is provided. Although it is all vegetarian, being able to have a full meal is a very remarkable thing for envoys from many small countries.

Two hundred envoys came from Japan, totaling more than six hundred people, which made many envoys from small countries very envious.

Although the Ming Dynasty court had a bad attitude towards Japan, it treated everyone equally when it came to food.

It was definitely impossible to discuss things well with two hundred people, so the four major families, led by Yuan Youxin, discussed in a separate room.

Yuan Youxin was the first to speak: "The current conditions of the Ming Dynasty are unlikely to change. Today in the Fengtian Palace, there was no mention of a ceasefire. Such conditions are clearly intended to embarrass us."

"Their current idea may be to avenge our country's killing of the Ming envoy."

"Perhaps, many more people need to be killed before the hatred in the heart of the Ming Emperor can be relieved."

"It is only now that I understand why His Majesty the Emperor and His Excellency the General sent so many envoys here. They must have known about this for a long time."

These words made Yuan Youxin feel sad, and people from other families present also realized it.

It turned out that they were pushed out by His Majesty the Emperor and His Excellency the General to vent the anger of the Ming Emperor.

Of course, there is no way around this.

"Should we now convey the Ming Dynasty's conditions directly back to the country and let His Majesty the Emperor and the General know?" asked an envoy.

Yuan Youxin shook his head and said, "That can't be the case. The conditions proposed by His Majesty the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty naturally still have a great chance of continuing the negotiations."

"It takes too long to go back and forth to Japan, and it makes us seem very useless."

"Let's lower the conditions proposed by the Ming Dynasty and then send the news back to China."

At this point, Yuan Youxin's eyes became firm:

"Now, it is time for us to be loyal to His Majesty the Emperor. We must not mess around. The Ming Dynasty is quite supportive of me at the moment."

"Therefore, we can only let the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty calm down first."

How could the Japanese envoys present not understand the meaning of these words?

Next, it’s time to line up and show loyalty to His Majesty the Emperor.