Ashikaga Yoshimitsu was proud.

The chaotic Northern and Southern Dynasties ended in his hands, and he was also an extremely powerful shogun in the entire history of Japan.

The emperor's power had been suppressed to the lowest level in history, even to the point that Ashikaga Yoshimitsu had the urge to establish himself as emperor.

However, he has not yet told anyone about this idea, because the emperor has too much influence on Japan, and changes can only be made slowly, step by step.

In fact, since the end of the Northern and Southern Dynasties, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu has begun to infiltrate power into the nobles of shrines and temples, paving the way for the future.

Historically, although Ashikaga Yoshimitsu was not able to truly establish himself as emperor in the end, many people have regarded him as the "retired emperor."

Two years ago, in the twenty-seventh year of Hongwu.

Ashikaga Yoshimitsu gave up the position of shogun to his son Ashikaga Yoshimochi. However, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu did not give up the power, but became a shogun who served as the Grand Minister of State. Afterwards, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu asked everyone, including the court officials, to perform the ceremony of ascending the throne to him.

And let Emperor Go-Komatsu recognize his wife as his stepmother.

After this operation, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu has now nominally become the adoptive father of Emperor Go-Komatsu.

In his plan, he was going to have his son become brothers with Emperor Go-Komatsu, and then become the adopted son of the Japanese royal family. When the situation was right and power had completely penetrated the shrines and temples, he would force Emperor Go-Komatsu to give up his throne to his son.

In this way, the Ashikaga family could seize the throne of the emperor and establish the emperor who would last for eternity.

However, in the original history, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu died suddenly at the age of fifty, and it was a problem for his remaining son Ashikaga Yoshitsugu to stabilize the shogunate. In addition, he may have been somewhat afraid of the position of the emperor, so naturally there was no further news.

The situation changed again at this time. Although Ashikaga Yoshimitsu had become the adoptive father of Emperor Go-Komatsu, subsequent plans became very complicated.

There was such an idea and action, but the Ming Dynasty's expedition to Japan made the whole plan messy.

Despite this situation, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu also felt that it was an opportunity, an opportunity to weaken the emperor's influence through the Ming Dynasty.

He believed that under his rule, he would continue to absorb the Ming Dynasty's culture, firearms and other weapons, and one day he would be able to drive away all the Ming Dynasty's vassal kings.

At that time, it was time for him to implement his plan to seize the throne of the Japanese emperor.

However, seeing the terrifyingly young Ming Crown Prince today was like a hammer that woke him up from all his beautiful dreams.

Too young, too young!

Judging from his appearance, he was only in his early twenties. In just a few short years, the Ming Dynasty, which was already powerful enough to be unrivaled in its time, underwent earth-shaking changes.

In the future, he will inherit the throne of the Ming Dynasty and rule for several decades. By that time, how powerful will the Ming Dynasty become?

Ashikaga Yoshimitsu didn't even dare to think further, for he was afraid that this would become a nightmare for the rest of his life.

This year, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu is already 38 years old, and the average life expectancy in Japan is lower than that in the Central Plains Dynasty.

There is a high probability that Ashikaga Yoshimitsu will die before the Ming Crown Prince.

Not to mention the plot to seize the throne of the emperor, the most crucial reason here is whether there will be Japan behind.

At this moment, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu's pupils suddenly contracted.

He thought of someone, someone he had neglected and forgotten.

That is Princess Xiangzi, who is now the consort of the Ming Crown Prince.

Thinking quickly in my mind.

Especially some news through the Ming Dynasty capital's official gazette.

The Ming Dynasty now implements the overseas vassal system, and there are so many princes and grandchildren in the Ming Dynasty. Even if not everyone can be granted an overseas vassal, the number is definitely not small.

After the Ming Dynasty's grandson ascends the throne, what will happen to his sons?

Princess Xiangzi is of the royal blood of Japan. If she gives birth to a son with the crown prince of the Ming Dynasty, it means that she has the dual noble blood of the royal family of the Ming Dynasty and the royal family of Japan.

His status is so noble that even the emperor finds it difficult to compare.

Just as with the support of the Ming Dynasty, he will inherit the throne of Japan when he comes of age, then who else can compare with him.

'These so-called vassal kings of the Ming Dynasty are actually leading the charge for the son of the Ming Dynasty's grandson.'

Ashikaga Yoshimitsu quickly realized this problem.

It has to be said that Ashikaga Yoshimitsu had an extremely high talent for political acumen.

That year, his father, Ashikaga Yoshiakira, the second shogun of the Muromachi shogunate, passed away. Ashikaga Yoshimitsu was only ten years old when he became the third shogun. The power of the shogunate was represented by Kanrei Hosokawa Yoriyuki.

In less than two years, when he was twelve years old, he completely regained all power of the shogunate.

With such age and means, he is extremely famous even among the emperors of the Central Plains dynasties, and it can even be said that there are few who can compare with him.

But now, he met his lifelong enemy, the Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty.

In terms of personal ability, he does not think that he is worse than the Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty.

However, the starting point of the Ming Crown Prince was too high. The entire Ming Dynasty was more than ten times that of Japan in terms of population and territory.

This gap has reached a level that cannot be made up by personal ability.

As long as the Ming Crown Prince has the same guess as he has in his mind, even if he knows it now, he can only watch it all happen without any room for resistance.

Zhu Ying had good eyesight. After taking a look at the somewhat nervous Empress Go-Komatsu, he turned his gaze to Ashikaga Yoshimitsu.

Zhu Ying was still somewhat curious about Ashikaga Yoshimitsu.

After all, this is the only person in Japanese history who almost seized the throne of the so-called eternal Japanese emperor.

His political skills and military talents are the best in Japanese history.

After looking at him, his rapidly changing eyes and expression made Zhu Ying pause slightly, and then the corners of his mouth rose.

Between smart people, some things don't need to be said out loud; they can see through each other's minds as soon as they meet.

The raised corner of his mouth made Ashikaga Yoshimitsu feel cold in his heart.

He knew very well that this was the Ming Crown Prince telling him that his guess was correct.

The Ming Crown Prince, like himself, has his eyes on the throne of the Japanese emperor.

It seems that the tug of war between the two sides lasted for a long time, but in fact, these were just thoughts that lasted for a few breaths.

After the formalities of ceremony, Zhu Ying ordered: "Give the King of Japan and his entourage a seat."

"Thank you, Your Highness."

The eunuchs brought futons and placed them on both sides of the hall, and Emperor Go-Komatsu and Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu knelt on the left and right respectively.

When in Rome, do as the Romans do. After all, the customs in Japan are similar to those in the Tang Dynasty, and people are used to sitting on their knees.

This has become the culture of Japan.

Zhu Ying naturally wouldn't care about this.

After taking his seat, Zhu Ying spoke first, "I have already severely reprimanded the King of Qin of the Ming Dynasty for sending troops to attack Shikoku Island without authorization. I hope the King of Japan will not take it to heart."

"I have also sent people to conduct a detailed investigation. The King of Qin has brought a very bad influence to the Japanese people. Therefore, in order to show my sincerity, I personally came to Japan to discuss the friendship between the two countries with the King of Japan."

"I came to Japan this time and brought some gifts to the King of Japan that are related to the friendship between our two countries."

After saying this, Zhu Ying instructed Guo Zhong, the eunuch in charge of writing at the Imperial Household Department, "Have someone present it."

"As you command."

As Guo Zhong clapped his hands, a line of three eunuchs came with plates covered with red cloth.

Seeing this scene, not only Emperor Go-Komatsu, but also Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu and other nobles began to breathe faster.

The envoys from the Ming Dynasty who had come here earlier had already told them about the things here, so they were not unfamiliar with them.

And the reason why I am willing to swallow everything is that this thing is particularly crucial.

"Your Highness, could it be that the high-yield crop, the sacred artifact of the country, lies in here?" Emperor Go-Komatsu glanced at Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, and after seeing him nod slightly, he asked Zhu Ying.

Zhu Ying smiled and asked the eunuchs to uncover the red cloth. The three plates were filled with sweet potatoes, potatoes, and corn.

"Yes, this is the divine weapon that enables the millions of people in my Ming Dynasty to have enough food to eat. The yield per mu of these three things far exceeds that of rice and wheat. There is no need for intensive cultivation, just simple care is enough."

"I sent this to you to improve the friendship between our two countries and to allow the people of Japan to have enough food to eat."

Zhu Ying could actually force him by using force, but he didn't.

The best way to fight a war is to attack the enemy's plans, the next best is to attack their alliances, the next best is to attack their troops, and the worst is to attack their cities.

Zhu Ying was good at strategy, diplomacy, soldiers, and fortifications.

Plot to seize the throne of Japan, make friends with Japan, suppress it with troops, and destroy cities to intimidate.

For Zhu Ying, Kyushu Island was a must-win, but he did not want to trigger a war. With all these measures in place, the outcome was certain.

Emperor Go-Komatsu was also unequivocal, and he stood up and knelt in the center of the hall, saying, "The King of the small country of Japan, on behalf of the people of Japan, thanks His Royal Highness the Crown Prince of the Celestial Empire for his gift."

Afterwards, Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu and other nobles also knelt down and expressed their gratitude, their hearts excited.

Sufficient food is the most important thing for a country.

Having enough food is equivalent to a large population.

This shows that the people of Japan can reproduce freely and give birth to a large population without worrying about not being able to support them.

Population is the foundation of a country.

There is strength in numbers. This is not just a slogan but a real need.

When Japan was fighting against the Mongols, its population was nearly 10 million. The Mongol army numbered hundreds of thousands, and Japan mobilized a million troops to fight back in a short period of time.

The hurricane had a huge impact on the Mongols, but the million-strong army was also the confidence of Japan, otherwise it would not have directly refused to surrender to the Mongols.

When the Mongols entered the Central Plains, many countries surrendered, but only a few countries did not recognize their legitimacy.

Military force and population are the foundation of a country.

Once these high-yield crops are promoted and planted in Japan, anyone who is not a fool can see how huge the impact will be.

It is the foundation of Japan's prosperity.

Ashikaga Yoshimitsu knew very well that the reason why the Ming Dynasty was willing to send these high-yield crops was to occupy the entire Kyushu Island as a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty.

In fact, Japan no longer has room for resistance.

These Ming vassal kings were too cruel, especially the King of Qin of the Ming Dynasty.

For example, the King of Jin and the King of Qi of the Ming Dynasty at most demoted the Japanese nobles to commoners and made them do the same labor.

The previous Prince of Yan was quite good. Although his status was demoted, he still used nobles to manage civilians. At least he didn't go too far.

After the arrival of King Yan, the nobles of Yancheng were of course hit again.

But none of this can compare to the Qin King of the Ming Dynasty.

If they say they will massacre the city, they will really massacre the city.

Except for the women, almost the entire city was completely killed, from local daimyo to nobles, samurai, and even monks in the temples.

It directly turns a city into a dead city.

No wonder Iyo Province opened its city gates and surrendered. They were really too frightened.

Now Iyo Province has been returned, but it is impossible to get Kyushu Island back.

After the major process is completed, private discussions will follow.

Zhu Ying was also very straightforward. He ignored Emperor Go-Komatsu and instead called Ashikaga Yoshimitsu to the back hall and had a private chat with him.

"I have heard of General Ashikaga's reputation for a long time. Seeing him in person today, I find that his reputation is truly well-deserved. Before I set off, my grandfather also praised you." Zhu Ying said with a smile.

After learning about Ashikaga Yoshimitsu's past deeds through intelligence, the old man really admired him.

I felt like I saw a reflection of myself in him.

When Ashikaga Yoshimitsu heard the Ming Emperor praising him, he bowed respectfully and said, "Your Majesty is too modest. I am humbled by your wise and wise love and your great grace, and only then can I have the honor of today."

When Zhu Ying heard Ashikaga Yoshimitsu flattering his father, he knew that Ashikaga Yoshimitsu no longer had any intention of resisting the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Ying knew the bad nature of the Japanese, but he was not worried.

Since there was no doubt about the ownership of Kyushu Island, Zhu Ying was free to discuss some ideas about national governance with Ashikaga Yoshimitsu.

Zhu Ying is a latecomer and has no knowledge of literature, art or other aspects.

After all, in my memories of my previous life, I didn’t learn any of this relevant knowledge.

Everything now is actually mostly moving some frameworks from previous lives, and then building a direction based on the market conditions of the Ming Dynasty.

To put it simply, it provides the general direction, but the actual completion still depends on the old man or the court ministers to supplement the details.

Ashikaga Yoshimitsu was different. He was born into an environment of political struggle. Unlike Zhu Yuanzhang, he carried out reforms and struggled for political power based on the existing system of Japan.

As the conversation progressed, Zhu Ying gradually gained a clear understanding of Japan's current system and situation.

Among them, he was particularly interested in the relationship between the Japanese mythology system and the emperor's power, which immediately ignited Zhu Ying's inspiration.

At this time, Zhu Ying suddenly discovered a problem that he had ignored for a long time.

That is the key of faith to legitimate rule.

The reason why the Japanese emperor was able to continue his dynasty for eternity was because of the establishment of Shinto, which gave the emperor authority.

The Central Plains dynasties believed that the king's power was granted by heaven.

If there is such a mythological system that connects the Central Plains dynasty with neighboring countries, and even the more distant West and Southeast Asia, including the grasslands, the Western Regions, Tibet and other regions, then the rule of the Ming Dynasty will become more stable.

Even external cultural invasion can become easier.