All the princes and nobles admitted that Zheng Zhaozuo was right, but they argued endlessly about how far to give in.
As a result, they discussed until late at night, but still could not come to a conclusion. In the end, they could only reluctantly decide to send Shang Hongde and Zheng Zhaozuo as representatives to visit the troops and test the Ming people's attitude.
Hearing that the king was already tired, he agreed.
When they came out of the palace, it was still stormy outside. The two princes went to Shuri Castle, while Zheng's father and son returned to Kume Village, and then they parted ways outside the torii gate.
At this time, the Zheng family had already driven the carriage over. In such stormy weather, riding in a sedan chair would definitely not be as comfortable as riding in a carriage.
The father and son got on the carriage, which was filled with hot soup and snacks.
After eating snacks and drinking soup, the cold and hungry father and son finally recovered some strength.
"Why did father stop me just now and not let me explain?" Zheng Yu finally couldn't help asking, "That young master Zhao is clearly trying to sow discord!"
"You have the blood of the Ming people flowing in your veins. Can you clear your suspicion by explaining?" Zheng Zhaozuo held the teacup, feeling the warmth coming from his palm, and said faintly: "Even if you can clear yourself, do you really want to distance yourself from the Ming Dynasty that has sheltered us from the wind and rain in this stormy time?"
"The Jiangnan Group cannot represent the Ming Dynasty." Zheng Xun was still a little indignant. He was a passionate young man who was born and raised here, so naturally he had no good feelings towards the invaders.
"They can represent the Ming Dynasty!" Zheng Zhaozuo suddenly said sternly, "Are you confused? When did the government navy ever go to Ryukyu? The fleet of the Jiangnan Group has already arrived at the city. Who do you think can better represent the Ming Dynasty?!"
"This..." Zheng Yu looked at his father in shock. This was an angle he had never thought of.
"Haven't you learned your lesson from this incident?" Zheng Zhaozuo said in a deep voice, "We have clearly found out that the culprit is Weng Jisong. But the king still openly favors the Weng family in the name of the overall situation. What does this show? Outsiders are outsiders after all. No matter how well we act, when something really happens, we will definitely be the ones to be sacrificed!"
"..." Zheng Yu nodded silently. After the incident, he was under tremendous pressure. Not only did the people at the Jiangnan Commercial Station blame him, but the king also immediately dismissed him from his position as the Naha official and has not yet reinstated him.
"So don't betray your bloodline, and always stand with the Ming Dynasty." Zheng Zhaozuo said with a sneer: "Those selfish and short-sighted guys in Shuri Castle deserve to be punished!"
“What if the king files a complaint with the emperor in the future? Ryukyu is an unconquered country. The imperial court might punish the Jiangnan Group…” Zheng Xun was still worried.
"They have no chance." Zheng Zhaozuo said calmly: "This is our value to Mr. Zhao!"
There was another thunder outside the car, and the white lightning made Zheng Zhaozuo's old face look particularly hideous.
~~
Two days later, the wind and waves on the sea subsided, and Zheng's father and son and monk Hongde led the fleet to the north to entertain the troops.
With the help of a favorable wind, we soon arrived at Amami Bay.
The southbound fleet was still in Amami Bay. Mr. Zhao had originally planned to go south to Naha Port, but the sudden typhoon disrupted his plan, so he had to take shelter first.
Fortunately, Amami Bay is an excellent shelter and the fleet was unharmed.
The police officers set up a temporary camp on the leeward side of the shore, and everyone was fine. However, after several days of typhoon prevention, everyone was very nervous, so they did not set out immediately after the weather cleared up, but rested for two days.
In the Age of Discovery, whether in combat or navigation, one must have sufficient patience.
The entertainment fleet was stopped by a guarded speedboat at the mouth of the bay. The police officers did not allow them to enter the port according to the regulations, and only used a speedboat to send Zheng's father and son and monk Hongde to the camp. As for the supplies for the entertainment, there were naturally ships to receive them...
At the temporary dock, Tang Baolu received the news and came out with a smile to greet the three people.
He and Zheng Yu became sworn brothers and warmly invited them to his place for tea.
Shang Hongde didn't want to waste time talking to a businessman, so he declined and said that he was in a hurry to see the king and had no intention of having tea.
"Okay, take him to see King Shang Yuan." Tang Baolu asked someone to take him away first.
"Let's go." Seeing that the Zheng father and son were still chatting and laughing with Tang Baolu, Shang Hongde urged.
"You can go by yourself." Tang Baolu waved his hand impatiently.
Zheng Zhaozuo gave Shang Hongde an apologetic smile.
Shang Hongde thought, okay, if you want to get me out of here, then I won't go! He came here to monitor the Zheng family father and son to prevent them from selling out the country.
He also stopped and said with a smile: "Then I'm not in a hurry to go. I'm very thirsty."
Tang Baolu tilted his head and looked at Zheng Zhaozuo for a while, then ordered his attendants, "Take this prince to drink some water, and make sure he drinks enough."
"Please come in." The two police officers carried Shang Hongde away.
Zheng Xun saw that Shang Hongde's feet were always in the air... He couldn't help but have a new understanding of this amiable brother.
"Brother, uncle, please come in." Tang Baolu turned around and smiled harmlessly. He was obviously imitating Mr. Zhao...
"Okay, please, my dear nephew." Zheng Zhaozuo held Tang Baolu's arm affectionately and said with a smile, "Now I finally have someone to back me up. I'm really happy."
"What? Is there anyone who dares to bully you, uncle?" Tang Baolu asked with a smile.
"It's more than just bullying. It's simply trying to kill my father and me!" Zheng Zhaozuo sighed.
"Really? We need to talk about this in detail." As Tang Baolu spoke, he led them outside his tent.
Because the tent was too cramped, Don Paul had a round table and stools placed outside the tent, and he put up an umbrella and drank tea outside.
"My conditions are simple, please forgive me." He imitated Zhao Hao, and while making Kung Fu tea skillfully, he talked to the Zheng family father and son. This was not just pretending to be Boyi, he also found that this made it easier to control the rhythm of the conversation and then gain a psychological advantage.
The father and son hurriedly said that it was okay and that it was more interesting this way.
"What were we talking about? Oh, yes, someone wants to kill you and your son." Tang Baolu said with a smile, "Uncle, let's talk."
Zheng Zhaozuo repeated what he had said in the palace of Prince Wende that day. The difference was that this time it was more explicit.
"In fact, the conflict between my son and Weng Jisong is not a dispute of arrogance. To put it bluntly, our cooperation with Jiangnan Commerce has robbed them of their business." Zheng Zhaozuo took the teacup offered by Tang Baolu with both hands and said angrily: "We, the people of Kume Village, were ordered by Taizu to settle in Ryukyu. Naturally, we cannot do anything that goes against the emperor's will, so we never deal with Japanese pirates. The Weng family, the Mao family and several other families took advantage of this loophole and have been secretly trading with Tanegashima. They also have unclear relations with the Shimazu family, trying to use the power of the Japanese to suppress our Kume clan."
"But everything changed starting from the year before last. All ships could not go to Japan, and no ships came to Tanegashima." Zheng Yu continued, "Later, we found out that the Jiangnan Group controlled the shipping routes in the northern waters. Even the arrogant red-haired devils could only trade in Ryukyu and dared not go further north."
"For our Zheng family, this is naturally what we want for Ryukyu. Naha Port is becoming more and more prosperous, and we have the Jiangnan Group as our backer." Zheng Yu gritted his teeth and said, "But the Weng family is not happy. They are unwilling to completely stop the smuggling with Japan, so they colluded with the real Japanese in Keelung and attacked the Jiangnan Trading Station. They want to drive your group out of Ryukyu and cheat our Zheng family at the same time!"
"It's not a trap, he wants to put our Zheng family to death!" Zheng Zhaozuo pounded the ground with his crutch and said, "Without the support of the Ming Dynasty, our Jiume Village will become a tree without roots and water without a source. There is only one way to go, and that is death!"
Although he knew that the old man was trying to fool him, Tang Baolu still looked pleased. He pushed two teacups in front of the father and son and said, "Don't worry, the slogan of our Jiangnan Group is to pay back a hundredfold. If someone kills one of us, we will kill a hundred of them. If someone treats us well, we will pay him back a hundredfold."
"My Zheng family and Jiume Village will always be the people of the Ming Dynasty!" Zheng Zhaozuo patted his chest and said, "Whatever Manager Tang needs us to do, just express your opinion!"
"That's great!" Tang Baolu clapped his hands and laughed, "Then I won't beat around the bush. Our young master still has the same four demands, but after this big fuss, the demands will definitely be upgraded."
"As it should be, please speak, Manager Tang." The Zheng family father and son hurriedly listened attentively.
"First, this time, not only must we severely punish all criminals involved in the 'Naha Massacre', but we must also root out the pro-Japanese factions on the island, leaving no one alive." Tang Baolu raised a thumb and said, "Of course, you don't need to kill people indiscriminately, as that would cause too many side effects."
"Then what should we do?" the father and son asked hurriedly.
"Catch all the people you think are pro-Japanese elements! We will try them one by one and send them to other places for reeducation through labor... Oh, reeducation through labor means educating through labor to reform their thoughts." Tang Baolu smiled and took a sip of Biluochun and said, "We in Jiangnan Group have always regarded people as our most precious wealth, and we will not kill them easily."
"Okay, okay." Zheng Zhaozuo agreed hurriedly. He had already thought it through before coming here. Even if Master Zhao asked him to go back and kill people, he would bite the bullet and do it. Of course, that would make the relationship with the Ryukyu people tense in the future.
How great is labor camp? As long as each family has hostages in the hands of the Jiangnan Group, they will have to flatter the Zheng family.
"Second, as compensation, Naha Port and the land within a radius of ten miles will be permanently transferred to Jiangnan Group. We will establish a Daming City here, and Zhongshan people can enter and exit freely, but Daming City will be fully managed by the City Hall under Jiangnan Group and will not be subject to Zhongshan laws." Tang Baolu raised his second finger and changed the subject:
"Of course, if Brother Zheng is interested, Brother Zheng can still be the mayor of Daming City, and the tax revenue can also be appropriately shared with Zhongshan State. As the young master often says, we can make money together."
"That's great..." Zheng Yu breathed a sigh of relief. This way, the backlash would be much smaller. He quickly changed his words and said, "Oh no, I mean I'll think about it."
"It should be." Tang Baolu raised his third finger and said, "Third, Zhongshan Kingdom will implement reforms, remove all traces of Japanese influence, and completely sinicize. Of course, the traditions of Ryukyu can be preserved, but which ones belong to Japan and which ones belong to the local area will have to be identified by you, my uncle, and the compatriots of Kume Village."
"Okay, I totally agree!" Zheng Zhaozuo said excitedly, "I have long been disgusted with the incompatible national system and folk customs. Correcting the original source will benefit future generations!"
"Fourth, in order to improve the overall quality of Zhongshan State, all the nobles who have not reached the age of officialdom must go to the school run by Jiangnan Group in Daming City to study." Tang Baolu finally raised his fourth finger and grinned, "How about it, our young master is a good person, right?"