Jeju Port, Jeolla Right Navy Camp, the commander-in-chief's room.
Park Sung-seong was lying on a mat covered with rushes, drinking alone.
He was still dressed the same as that day, but his beard was untidy, his eye sockets were sunken, and his eyes were wandering, as if he had lost his soul. Where was the dignity of a naval governor?
From the day after the Battle of Marado Island, when the Celestial Empire fleet wiped out the Japanese pirates and captured the guard fleet he had sent out, he fell into great fear.
He knew that he couldn't escape this time, as his brother and the pirate leader would definitely tell the truth.
But he really didn't have the courage to take the initiative to negotiate with the Ming fleet, so he waited in the camp for the Chinese to come and call for punishment.
But no matter how long he waited, the person he was waiting for did not come. Instead, a message came from the beacon tower on Songak Mountain saying that the Chinese fleet had occupied Gapa Island and seemed to have allowed the captives to build large-scale projects on the island, as if they were going to stay there permanently.
Envoy Li Mu also sent someone to ask what happened on Gapa Island and whether it was necessary to report to the Inspector General and the court.
Park Sung-sung certainly didn't dare to let his immediate superior know, let alone report the matter to the imperial court. He told Li Mushi that everything was under control, that the Celestial Empire's fleet had no ill intentions, and that making a big fuss would only bring unnecessary trouble. He also had someone send Li Mushi two Seoul singers that he had long coveted. Li Mushi now knew that the matter was not simple, so he stopped talking and waited and saw what would happen.
Now all the pressure fell on Park Chengxing alone. He was struggling every day, wondering whether he should take the initiative to contact the Chinese fleet.
Normally, I should have asked them earlier what their intentions were. But after so many days, they still hadn't sent anyone to contact me. Could it be because all the high-ranking officials of Hirado Domain were killed and I was not implicated? Wouldn't it be stupid to walk into their trap?
He was struggling with this all day long, and finally made up his mind yesterday. He asked someone to go to Jeju City to buy a batch of fresh fruits, vegetables, and meat, as well as some wine and beverages, to be sent to Gapado Island to entertain the troops and test the other side's attitude.
I made up my mind, but I didn't feel much better. Instead, I became more anxious. I didn't know what results the people I sent would bring back.
He didn't sleep all night last night. When he woke up in the morning, he felt groggy and had a splitting headache. He could only numb himself by drinking.
He was drunk when he heard footsteps outside the door. He turned around and saw that it was Park Bo-sung, the personal soldier he had sent.
"Sir." Park Bucheng called out.
"What's the matter? Didn't you go to entertain the troops? Why are you back so soon?" Park Sung-sung was drunk.
"The supplies have just been transported to the dock and haven't been loaded onto the ship yet." Pu Bucheng said with some difficulty, "Three ships from the Celestial Empire have arrived outside the port. They sent a small boat to pass on a message, inviting you to have tea."
“Pfft…” Park Sung-seong sprayed Park Bo-seong in the face, and was so frightened that he sobered up and said, “What did you say? Say it again?”
"The Lord of the Celestial Empire invites you to have tea." Park Bucheng had no choice but to repeat it.
"I won't go!" Park Sung-sung shook his head like a rattle and said, "I can't go! I am the governor of the Jeolla Right Navy, how can I leave my post without permission?"
"The other party said that if they don't see you within half an hour, they will bombard Jeju City!" Park Bucheng said with a bitter face.
"Ah?" Park Sung-sung was stunned. After a long while, he managed to utter, "Too cruel..."
~~
Half an hour later, Park Sung-seong, dressed in the clothes of a Ming Dynasty scholar, left Jeju Port on a sword ship.
The officers and soldiers of the Joseon navy bid farewell with tears. They did not expect that Park Yu-shih, who was a jerk on weekdays, would be willing to go into the tiger's den alone for them at the critical moment...
It is true that strong winds reveal strong grasses, and crackdowns on prostitution uncover prostitutes!
Little did they know that Park Sung-sung had just luckily failed and was ready to take the blame and apologize. Of course, the fewer people who saw him licking his boots, the better.
The sword ship approached the Wuwei ship, and several large Portuguese cannons immediately aimed at Park Youshi and his party, ordering them to put down all weapons and open fire immediately if there was any unusual movement!
The guards dropped their weapons at their feet. As for Park Sung-sung, he brought nothing with him. The ladder was lowered from the Wuwei ship, and the security team only allowed Park Sung-sung to go up.
Now that we are here, we can only accept it. Park Sung-seong stopped Park Bo-seong from protesting and climbed the ladder with difficulty. But he didn't know whether he was drunk or scared, and his hands and feet were weak, so he was not afraid to go up.
The bodyguards held up his buttocks, and the security team members pulled and tugged at him, and they finally managed to get him onto the Wuwei boat.
~~
After boarding the ship, Park Sung-seong was taken to the front deck.
Under a parasol, there sat a young man wearing a straw hat, a red jacket, blue shorts and a pair of wooden clogs.
Park Sung-seong wondered what kind of outfit this was.
However, seeing two valiant generals standing behind the young man, one could tell that this young man in strange attire was the leader of the other party.
"I am Park Sung-seong, the governor of the Jeolla Right Province Navy of Korea, and I am here to pay my respects to Your Majesty the Celestial Empire!" Park Sung-seong bowed deeply.
"Why don't you kneel down when you see our young master!" Wang Rulong shouted.
Park Sung-seong was so frightened that his knees went weak and he fell to the ground.
"Do you know why I called you here?" No matter what others thought, Mr. Zhao felt that he looked handsome in this outfit. Especially driving a warship on the sea, turning last year's fantasy into reality, made him feel great.
"Your humble servant..." Park Sung-sung stammered, "I don't quite understand... could you give me some hints, sir?"
"Mr. Park has drunk a lot," Zhao Hao sniffed, smelling the alcohol on Park Chengxing's body, and snapped his fingers and said, "Help him sober up, maybe he will remember it."
Before Park Sung-seong could react, he was pinned down by the guards behind him, his hands and feet were tied with ropes, and he was thrown into the sea with a splash.
The guards moved so quickly that in the blink of an eye, Right Envoy Park fell into the water.
Park Bo-sung and his companions were stunned and tried to drive the boat over to rescue people, but they were stopped by the muskets on the Wuwei ship. A volley of gunfire shot them and they lay on the boat, not daring to move. Park Sung-sung could only hope for the best.
"Help, I remember..." Park Chengxing choked on the sea water and finally realized the other party's cruelty.
"Will you suddenly forget?" the guards asked with a smile.
"No, no, no!" Park Chengxing drank a few more mouthfuls of sea water and felt that his snot was salty.
The guards then turned the capstan, pulled him aboard, and hung him upside down on the mast.
His line of sight was just level with Zhao Hao's, but one was facing forward and the other was facing backward.
"Tell me about it." Young Master Zhao looked at the dripping wet Park Youshi leisurely, and somehow thought of the scene of squid fishing in Jeju Island that year.
"I, I deserve to die. Ahem, I accepted money from the Japanese pirates and allowed them to rob passing ships. Who knew that these idiots would dare to touch the tiger's whiskers of the Celestial Empire..." Park Chengxing said with a red face.
"Still not behaving honestly." Zhao Hao waved his hand.
"Ah..." Park Sung-sung screamed again as he was thrown into the sea. The guards turned the capstan and let him go in and out of the water for a quarter of an hour until he vomited out all the bitter gall, and then they pulled him out again.
This time, Park Yu-shih did not dare to shirk responsibility, and honestly acted as a smuggling umbrella, depositing the black money in the account of Daming Hengtongji. However, he was threatened with this and ordered to attack the Daming fleet. Of course, he did not dare to do so, so he subcontracted it to the Mishima pirates and confessed everything.
Zhao Hao had already learned most of these things from the previous interrogation. Now he was just confirming them.
So it would be more accurate to say that Zhao Hao was simply torturing him as a punishment rather than interrogating him.
In fact, according to Park Sung-sung's crimes, he deserved to be tied to a rock and shot. But Mr. Zhao planned to establish a foothold on Jeju Island, so he couldn't do without the traitors... Oh, this sentence seems to be scolding myself, so I should change it to "guide the way".
This highest military commander on the island, who was greedy for money and cowardly and had the upper hand over him, was the best puppet candidate for the Jiangnan Group to secretly control Tamra. Of course, it was more valuable for him to be alive than dead.
~~
After Park Sung-seong finished his confession, someone lowered him from the mast and asked him to sign his confession.
"Ah?" Park Chengxing opened his mouth wide, thinking that this was completely confirmed.
"Hmm?" Young Master Zhao crossed his legs and glanced at him.
"I'll sign, I'll sign." Park Sung-sung quickly wrote his name.
When the guard brought the ink and asked him to put his fingerprint on it, he took out a Hetian jade seal from his waist.
Only common people would press their fingerprints, so high-ranking officials like Park Youshi would naturally use their seals.
"Quite particular." Young Master Zhao couldn't help but laugh. He had met quite a few particular people in the past two days.
After signing, Park Sung-sung knew that as long as he cooperated, he would probably not die, and his crime would not be exposed. Otherwise, the other party would not have gone to such great lengths...
As soon as he thought of this, his heart, which had been anxious for many days, finally settled down.
Park Youshi suddenly felt that the sky was so blue, the wind was so gentle, and everything was finally beautiful again.
"It is indeed my destiny to be loyal to the Celestial Empire." Park Chengxing quickly swore to Zhao Hao that if the Celestial Empire told him to go east, he would never go west, and if he told him to catch a chicken, he would never chase a dog.
In a word, treat him like your own father...
Park Sung-seong did not feel that he was a traitor to the court. In his opinion, the Joseon Dynasty was the son of the Ming Dynasty, so it was only natural for him to be the son of the prince of the Ming Dynasty.
After all, Lee Seong-gye, the founder of the Joseon Dynasty, had set an example, so his subjects had no psychological burden in betraying the Joseon Dynasty and being loyal to the Celestial Empire.
Park Sung-sung completed the psychological preparation at lightning speed, which made Mr. Zhao stunned, thinking, "I haven't asked you to join me yet, why do you recognize me as your father directly?"
After being stunned for a while, he waved his hand and said, "Forget it, let's leave it like this."
"Sir, if there is anything you need me to do, just tell me!" Park Youshi asked obediently, holding his hands.
"Uh." Zhao Hao took off his straw hat and scratched his head. "In the future, my fleet will come and go frequently. Gapo Island is too small. We need a larger seaport as a transit point."
"You can come to our Jeju Port." Park Yushi immediately became excited and pointed to the harbor behind him and said, "This is the best harbor in Jeju... No, Jeju Island. Jeju City has everything. It is very convenient for resupply."
"Ahem." Young Master Zhao almost choked to death on his own saliva. He was so cautious that he tried to move from far to near and take his time. Who would have thought that they would just sell the old nest to him...
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