Night, in the mountains and jungles.

Xia Muyuanji advanced in the dark.

He finally convinced his father and got the opportunity to go to Kitakyushu Castle to report the news.

But he was the only one allowed to go.

If too many people go, they will be more likely to be discovered by the samurai, which will bring disaster to the village.

In the cloth bag around the waist is some dry food.

Being accustomed to having their food robbed, the people of Shimomura would naturally hide some of the food, otherwise they would have all starved to death.

"As long as I can successfully report the news, the Ming army will definitely reward me, and the people in the village will no longer have to live such a hard life."

He hates.

Because everyone's life has gotten better now, except for them, Xia Kimura, who still allow themselves to be bullied by others.

But times have changed now.

They are the tribesmen of Japan, but in fact they are descendants of the Han people, and their surname is not Xia Mu, but Zhao.

His grandfather told him that the Zhao family was a very large family in the Central Plains.

Their ancestors were direct descendants of the Zhao family. They had countless cattle and sheep, servants, endless food, and endless wealth.

With this belief.

Xia Muyuanji crossed the mountains and headed towards Kitakyushu Castle.

In fact, tribesmen were not allowed to leave the village, so Shimoki Genji never left the village in his life.

Because he was forbidden to study, he didn't even know what east, west, south and north meant.

He only knew that there was a road leading outside, and in his understanding, outside was Kitakyushu Castle.

However, Kitakyushu Castle was in the southeast, but he was heading southwest.

But the good thing is that the entire Kyushu Island is the territory of the Ming Dynasty, and no matter which city he finds, it belongs to the Ming Dynasty.

…

Jincheng.

A large number of Japanese were queuing at the city gate to enter the city. Some of them were merchants from the surrounding areas, and some were traveling merchants from other places.

Shimoki Genji watched from a distance.

"Is that the Han Chinese? They are indeed mighty and domineering."

Looking at the Ming army soldiers guarding the city gate, Xia Muyuan'er's eyes lit up.

At this moment, Xia Mu Yuanji was wearing tattered clothes and looked like a beggar. The words he had prepared on the way made him feel a little timid when he was in front of the person.

Gritting his teeth, Xia Mu Yuanji headed towards the direction of the guard post.

"Hey, you beggar, why don't you queue up?"

"Don't worry about him. If he doesn't follow the rules, the Ming army will teach him a lesson."

Everyone around was watching the show, and no one told him anything.

Shimoki Genji rushed straight to the soldiers guarding the city gate.

“Stop!”

The soldiers were not surprised to see this, as in such a barbaric land, many people had no etiquette or rules.

“Get in line!”

The soldier scolded him.

Xia Mugenji was so frightened that he trembled and fell to his knees on the ground.

The soldiers were not surprised to see this, and had no intention of using violence.

This is the instruction from our superiors. Unless under special circumstances, try not to use force.

"I... have important... matters to report to... the City Lord."

As if he had used all his strength, Xia Mugenji finally said this sentence.

Those who can stand guard here all know some Japanese. Shimoki Genji spoke slowly and the soldiers could understand him.

He smiled and said in broken Japanese: "You have something to tell our city lord."

This was considered a joke, and the soldier didn't think a beggar like this could say anything.

City Lord, that is His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin. Can anyone see him?

"Samurai, a lot of samurai, they came to our village and want to harm the city lord." Shimoki Genji calmed down a lot and replied.

Hearing the word "samurai", the soldier on duty looked much more serious.

Whether it is true or false, it is not a simple matter when it comes to warriors.

"You know, lying about military intelligence is a capital crime." The soldier's voice was a little low, and the soldier who was on duty next to him also came over.

Perhaps because this sentence was difficult to understand, Shimoki Genji simply said: "Samurai, many, many samurai, more than the people here, they stole all the food from our village."

Upon hearing this, the soldier looked at his colleague next to him.

Then the soldier next to him immediately ran towards the city wall, apparently to report the news.

The soldier who had asked the question earlier nodded slightly to his other colleague, and several people immediately came over and surrounded Xia Mu Yuanji.

Shimoki Genji was very scared, swallowed his saliva and asked: "Sir, if I have made a contribution, will I be rewarded?"

The soldier understood what he said.

"If it is true, you will be rewarded. If it is false, you will be beheaded."

Not long after, an officer wearing the general flag uniform came over.

Next to him was a Jinyiwei.

The Jinyiwei were specifically responsible for translation. After all, confusion was most likely to occur at the city gate, and it would not work without someone who understood Japanese.

"take away."

The general immediately ordered the soldiers to take him back to the city wall for interrogation.

Xia Mugenji just followed him in stupidly.

Walking through the city gate, he saw the densely packed crowds of people in the city, more people than he had ever seen in his life.

The shouting vendors, the merchants in gorgeous clothes, and the mighty knights riding tall horses dazzled him.

He is curious about everything.

"Give him something to eat."

"yes."

Inside the tower, the soldiers brought two pancakes under the order of Jinyiwei Zhuo Xu.

Xia Mu Genji hadn't eaten for almost two days. He only brought three days' worth of dry food, but it took him five days to get here.

Looking at the steaming pancake, Xia Mugenji didn't care about the burn and quickly grabbed it and ate it.

After a burst of wolfing, he finished the two pancakes in front of him.

"I'm full. Now it's time to tell you about your story. Don't think about hiding anything."

"Now I ask you, what is your name, where are you from, and where did you see the warrior."

Jinyiwei Zhuo Xu patiently asked in Japanese.

Shimoki Genji replied respectfully, "Sir, my name is Shimoki Genji, and I am from Shimoki Village."

"Many warriors came to our village and robbed our food. I know that our place is under the jurisdiction of the Ming Dynasty. So many warriors must be planning some conspiracy."

Jinyiwei Zhuo Xu frowned slightly and recalled that there seemed to be no village called Xiamu in the vassal state of Prince Jin.

"Where is your village?"

Shimoki Genji was stumped by this question and didn't know how to answer it.

"Don't be anxious. Think carefully about it. How many days did it take to get from the village to Jincheng, and which places did we pass through?" The Jinyiwei was experienced and guided him.

Xia Muyuanji was stunned for a moment when he heard this, and asked: "Jincheng, isn't this Kitakyushu City?"

Jinyiwei Zhuo Xu's heart moved, and he asked with a slightly surprised tone: "Your Xiamu Village is near Beijiucheng, where you saw many warriors, is that right?"

Shimoki Genji nodded, "Yes, sir."

Zhuo Xu immediately stood up, walked directly to Xia Mu Yuanji, and began to ask some details.

Including how Xia Mu Yuanji got here, how many days it took, etc.

After asking clearly, Zhuo Xu's eyes were filled with surprise that could not be concealed.

This is a God-given credit.

He immediately ordered the general flag beside him, "Keep a good eye on him and give him some food and water. I will go to the city right away to report to His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin."

The general flag obviously knew that this was a very serious problem, and immediately clasped his fists and said, "As you command."

Although a Jinyiwei like Zhuo Xu was only a general flag, his actual rank was equivalent to that of a centurion.

He even has the power to report directly to King Jin.

The news soon reached Zhu Gang.

In fact, as long as you hear the keywords Kitakyushu, Shimokumura, and Samurai, you can associate them with the problem.

Especially for Zhu Gang, he had just attended the meeting of the four feudal kings and understood that Ashikaga Yoshimitsu was likely to launch a sneak attack on the Prince of Yan.

"Good fellow, it seems that my guess was correct. Ashikaga Yoshimitsu really has some strategies. It has only been a short while, but he has already arranged people to come here. He must be planning to attack us from both sides."

Zhu Gang laughed, and then ordered Xu at the table: "Bring the boy who reported the news here for me to see. If this is true, it can be regarded as a great achievement."

Jinyiwei Zhuo Xu hurried back and brought Xia Mu Yuaner to the Jin Palace.

In recent years, Zhu Gang has spent a lot of money on the renovation of the Jin Palace, and it is luxurious and extravagant.

At this moment, Xia Muyuaner was like Liu Laolao entering the Grand View Garden, and was shocked by the majesty of the Prince of Jin's Palace.

The sight of the soldiers in armor made him even more terrified.

He had never seen such mighty and tall soldiers wrapped in iron armor.

Along the way, the Jinyiwei had to urgently teach him some etiquette to avoid offending Prince Jin.

When he arrived at the Palace of Prince Jin, Xia Muyuaner only saw a vague figure sitting on the top, examining him with a stern gaze, and then he knelt on the ground with a thud.

Only by kneeling like this did he feel a little at peace.

"I am Mu Yuaner, your humble servant, and I am here to pay my respects to His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin."

Zhu Gang did not understand Japanese, so Xu from the table next to him translated for him.

"Get up. I have a question for you. You are a Japanese. Why did it take you five days to cross mountains and hills to tell me the news of the Japanese soldiers?"

Zhu Gang asked with some curiosity.

He learned from Jinyiwei Zhu Xu that the Japanese in front of him had crossed mountains and rivers, traveled day and night, just to come and report the news.

He was originally heading towards Beijiu City, but ended up in his own Jincheng.

This is obviously not normal.

After hearing Zhuo Xu's translation, Xia Mugenji hurriedly said what he had been keeping in his heart.

"Because I am not Japanese, I am a descendant of the Han people."

Zhu Gang was somewhat curious when he heard this, so he asked him to explain in detail.

After Xia Mugenji's explanation, Zhu Gang finally understood.

It turns out that not all the people living in Shimoki Village are Japanese.

Except for a small number of Japanese criminals, most of them are descendants of the Southern Song army that attacked Japan in the early Yuan Dynasty.

Because they were captured by the Japanese, their status was extremely low, and they lived the life of criminals in Japan.

This is also true. In the eyes of the Japanese, the Southern Song soldiers who attacked Japan were indeed criminals.

After listening to it, Zhu Gang also sighed.

The descendants of the Han people from 130 years ago still exist today.

The most important thing is that the Han people are actually despised by the Japanese.

"Whether it is true or not, I will naturally send someone to investigate. If it is true, you will have great achievements."

"Just now you said that you are a descendant of the Han people, but do you still know the surname of your ancestors?"

Zhu Gang asked.

Shimoki Genji quickly replied: "Shimoki is a surname given by the Japanese. The original surname of our ancestor was Zhao."

"In our cellar, there is a map of the Central Plains where our ancestors once lived, written by our ancestors. It's just that time has passed so long that we no longer understand Chinese characters or speak the language."

By this time, Zhu Gang had already believed what Xia Mu Genji said.

Because this matter is easy to investigate and there is no conspiracy involved, the possibility of falsification is low.

As long as we can find the hiding place of the Japanese soldiers, we can defeat them and capture them first, which will be of great help when Ashikaga Yoshimitsu launches another surprise attack.

"Since you are a descendant of the Han people and have made contributions, I will certainly reward you."

"Afterwards, your village's Han identity will be restored and you will be allowed to return to the Central Plains to visit your relatives. You will no longer be bullied by the Japanese."

Zhu Gang said directly.

He could use this name to directly bring Shimoki Village under the jurisdiction of the feudal domain.

You have to know that Kitakyushu was originally jointly governed by the four feudal lords. Now that he has this excuse, the second brother and the fourth brother will have absolutely nothing to say.

In this way, the territory of the vassal state was expanded, killing two birds with one stone.

Zhu Gang learned from Xia Mu Genji that the Southern Song army that was captured included not only people from their village, but also many people living in other places.

If he could know the locations of these places, it would be of great help to Zhu Gang.

Especially those living in the Zhongzhou Island of Japan, he only needs to send someone to tell them and they will be his best spies.

After receiving the information, Zhu Gang immediately sent people to the vicinity of Beijiucheng to begin gathering information about the Japanese soldiers.

It is actually very easy to investigate Shimoki Village. You just need to ask the Japanese officials of Kitakyushu Castle.

Dozens of elite scouts began to investigate with Shimomura as the center.

After all, it is 50,000 people, not dozens or hundreds.

Previously, we didn't get the news because of the help of the Japanese, but after this investigation, we immediately got the result.

Its approximate location was quickly determined.

They hid in various villages around Kitakyushu, and the Han officials who managed these villages had been imprisoned or killed.

There are Japanese soldiers lurking at every checkpoint.

However, all of this was exposed by the elite scouts of the Ming Dynasty.

The news was quickly fed back to Zhu Gang.

Upon hearing that there were tens of thousands of warriors, Zhu Gang was not surprised but happy.

There is a huge shortage of slaves in the mines in his fiefdom, and the ordinary Japanese people are skinny and have very poor physical fitness.

Mining is a physical job, and the best people to use are Japanese soldiers.

Capturing these Japanese soldiers could greatly alleviate Zhu Gang's shortage of manpower.

In addition to the private troops sent to Luzon, Zhu Gang also had more than 30,000 personal guards and a private army consisting of 100,000 Japanese soldiers.

Although facing tens of thousands of Japanese soldiers, Zhu Gang did not think it was much trouble.

It would be easy to defeat it by attacking it.

He also had no intention of telling Zhu Di or other vassal kings, because he was fully capable of eating alone.

At that moment, he assembled his army and headed straight for the place where the Japanese soldiers were hiding.