From Zhejiang to Japan, spring and summer are smooth, and you can arrive in about half a month.

At this time, the sea trade is all about luck, and those with extremely strong luck may be safe and sound for one or two decades. Those with weakened fortune may be sunk in Shandong, and they will not be able to run out of China's coastal waters.

Take the Portuguese as an example, in the tenth year of Zhengde, Pires (the Viceroy of India, in charge of Malacca) set out from Malacca to Guangzhou. What a short distance, what an old shipping channel, but after encountering wind and waves in Cham (south-central Vietnam), he was forced to return to Malacca.

Bao Chaoxiang's luck was not bad, he led five merchant ships, set off with the pirates, only encountered wind and waves on the way from Shandong to Korea - in fact, it was affected by the "Yellow River cyclone", which formed windy weather in the Bohai Sea, the Yellow Sea, and the Japanese sea, often with heavy rain at sea.

Several sailors were wounded, and the hull was quite damaged, but fortunately no one was killed, which was not uncommon for ocean-going trade.

When Wang Yuan watched the Qiantang tide, Bao Chaoxiang had already arrived in Fukuoka, Japan.

Fukuoka was the most prosperous port in western Japan during the Warring States period. Before Bao Chaoxiang got off the boat, he felt that this shabby place was very shabby, although there were many two- and three-story buildings, but most of them were low thatched houses.

Compared with Hangzhou, one is in the sky and one is underground.

Thirty-four sea ships suddenly came, which surprised the Japanese greatly, since such a "huge" fleet had not been encountered for decades.

Moreover, five of the ships had regimental dragon flags on their masts!

Fukuoka Ichimasa and Ichiyu were all alarmed, and they trotted to the port and asked in Chinese, "But the envoy of the Heavenly Empire is coming?" ”

After Chen Shuangxi got off the boat, he smiled and said, "Mr. Tao, don't know an old friend?" ”

"I haven't seen you for a year, and I can't imagine that Master Chen actually has dozens of boats!" Fukuoka City Masashi (head of the market management department) Tao Hongyi exclaimed.

Bao Chaoxiang and several other disciples of the physics school also came to the dock at this time.

Chen Shuangxi said: "This is Mr. Gao Tubao Chaoxiang, Mr. Li Boyang, Mr. Li Wu, Mr. Zhang Youzhen, and Mr. Long Huaili, the governor of Zhejiang in the Ming Dynasty. Their merchant ships represent the great tomorrow! ”

Tao Hongyi immediately knelt down and kowtowed: "Tao Hongyi, the courtier of the lower country, meet the envoy of the Son of Heaven of the upper country!" ”

Bao Chaoxiang is a person from Beizhili, and he has only been on a canal official ship in his life, and this time he was tossed enough to go to sea. Now that he has not eased up, he asked with a pale face: "Your surname is Tao, are you an immigrant from the Celestial Empire?" ”

Tao Hongyi said: "Back to the angels, there is also the surname Tao in the lower country. ”

Chen Shuangxi understood a little about Japan's national conditions, and explained with a smile: "The Ouchi clan is the most powerful feudal lord in Western Japan, and the Tao clan is the most favored courtier of the Ouchi clan. This Tao Shizheng can be regarded as a branch of the Tao family. ”

"I see," Bao Chaoxiang asked, "I have with me a maritime trade document from the Governor of Zhejiang, and with this document, I can trade in the port of Hangzhou in Daming, and there is no restriction on the number of ships." This Tao Shizheng, can you tell me that I am going to see your feudal lord. ”

"No limit to the number of ships?" Tao Hongyi said in surprise, "Please let the angel stay in Fukuoka temporarily, and the minister will immediately send someone to the Yamaguchikan (city name) to report the news!" ”

The Ouchi clan was at its most prosperous at this time, and Ouchi Yoshixing was also the guardian of the Seven Kingdoms. And it was shot with a knife, this gentleman succeeded to the throne when he was more than ten years old, overthrew his father-in-law, expelled his brothers, and monopolized the official trade between China and Japan, which can be said to be the dominant western Japan.

However, Japan can only have a maximum of three tributary ships per year. Ouchi Yoshixing is desperate to expand trade, and Bao Chaoxiang came with documents, and it is estimated that he can make this guy crazy.

Ten days later, Ho Chaoxiang took a boat to Yamaguchikan.

As for the merchant ships, they were parked in the port of Fukuoka, and it took a lot of time to sell and receive the goods, and they also had to spend money repairing the ships.

Prime Minister Bao was warmly entertained at Yamaguchi Castle, and on the night he was settled, the lord of the feudal clan sent a geisha to serve him, and he was frightened by his white face and black teeth. The next day, a samurai came and took him to meet Ouchi Yoshiko, the owner of the Ouchi Pavilion.

In addition to Ouchi Yoshixing, a large number of retainers of the Ouchi clan also came, and they all saluted the Bao Dynasty.

The banquet is of a very high standard, and it is one of the most elegant tea ceremony dishes in the Muromachi period.

The staple food is made with only three utensils, namely chopsticks, soup bowls and small plates, and the dishes include rice, vegetable soup, dried plums, fruits, sashimi, tempura, etc.

These Japanese aristocrats do not speak Chinese, and they need to be translated throughout the process, which is a bit troublesome to politely.

Bao Chaoxiang sat cross-legged, with maids waiting for him.

Ouchi Yoshixing smiled, "Angel, please use the soup, this is fresh puffer fish soup, and I just caught it this morning." ”

After Bao Chaoxiang followed Wang Yuan to Zhejiang, he also knew what the hell the puffer fish was. I immediately scooped the soup with a spoon and took a sip, but I didn't dare to eat it in my mouth, and immediately said, "It's very fresh!" ”

Ouchi Yoshihei was even happier and said, "If the angel likes it, there will be it after drinking." ”

Bao Chaoxiang excused himself and said: "The sea is quite stormy, I am a northerner, I am unwell, and my appetite is limited these days. ”

"That's a pity," Ouchi Yoshiyuki said, pointing to a small cyan dish, "Then please try the sashimi, which is also a pufferfish." ”

Bao Chaozhen still wanted to live, so he hurriedly excused himself: "I'm not used to eating raw food, I'm really sorry." ”

Ouchi Yoshiyuki said, "Tempura is also excellent. ”

The whole table of meals, and the rice and tempura are on the appetite, and Bao Chaoxiang immediately praised loudly after eating two bites.

Ouchi Yoshixing felt very face-saving, and beckoned the retainers in the palace to enjoy it together.

During the Warring States period, Japan was poor, and small soldiers could only eat bran mixed with wild vegetables, junior samurai could eat brown rice and pickles, and samurai of the rank of general could only eat rice, fish, and shellfish.

The most powerful retainers in western Japan were now gluttonous, staring at the food on the table with their eyes shining.

Moreover, the tables at the bottom of the ranking are not eligible to enjoy puffer fish at all. The first few tables came up to eat puffer fish sashimi, and when they ate it, they fell down one of them, and the people next to them were so excited that they couldn't help but eat a few more bites of puffer fish.

Bao Chaoxiang was stunned for a moment, feeling that he had arrived in the country of life.

A feast, a geisha performance, and then a tea ceremony.

When drinking tea, all the other retainers retreated, leaving only the first close minister, Tao Xingfang.

Ouchi Yoshixing asked, "I heard that the angel is the high disciple of the king of the Celestial Empire?" ”

"Yes, yes." Bao Chaoxiang replied.

Ouchi Yoshixing said: "I heard the shogunate envoy return to Japan and say that Wang Shilang is the champion of the kingdom, and he also led troops to destroy a country in the Western Regions? I wonder if the angel could have elaborated on it. ”

Bao Chaoxiang smiled and said: "My master won the championship at the age of sixteen. ”

Ouchi Yoshixing clapped his hands and said: "What a coincidence, I am also a sixteen-year-old successor to the guardian generation of Zhou Fang!" ”

Bao Chaoxiang also said: "Our division led 200 cavalry and crushed more than 10,000 thieves head-on. The list of such achievements is too numerous to count. Before he won the championship, he single-handedly chased two hundred thieves and rode for dozens of miles, and killed nearly a hundred thieves along the way! This incident is not boasting, the people of Liangxiang County witnessed it with their own eyes. ”

Ouchi Yoshixing and Tao Xingfang looked at each other, and they both felt incredible.

Bao Chaoxiang said: "Our division commanded 4,000 troops to the Western Regions, and before an inch of troops was dispatched, we subdued ten Mongolian tribes, and thousands of Mongolian cavalry volunteered to follow and fight. Our division also fortified the wall and cleared the wilderness, lured the enemy to go deeper, personally led the troops to run thousands of miles, bypassing the Tianshan Mountains and directly taking the enemy's royal city. The Turpan Kingdom, which dominated the Western Regions, was destroyed, and even the king was captured alive and returned to Beijing. ”

Tao Xingfang asked: "Dare to ask how big is this Turpan country?" ”

Bao Chaoxiang smiled: "It's bigger than North Korea." ”

"Shhh

Ouchi Yoshixing and Tao Xingfang gasped.

Ouchi Yoshixing said: "I can't imagine that there is such a person in the world, I can't wait to see it in person!" ”

Bao Chaoxiang said loudly: "What's even more rare is that my teacher is not from a proud family. He was born in the barbarian land of Guizhou, left and right, he was hungry when he was young, and there was no teacher to teach knowledge. ”

Tao Xingfang asked curiously: "Then how did Wang Shilang get the top prize?" ”

Bao Chaoxiang said: "When I was ten years old, an adjutant was exiled to Yunnan, and when I passed through Guizhou, I encountered a thief, but fortunately I was rescued by my master's father, Wang Zhenquangong. Three years later, I met the king of Guizhou, who belittled Guizhou, and followed Shouren Gong in the mountains to learn the scriptures. In this way, I went to Beijing to take the exam and won the championship in one fell swoop. Isn't this a genius? ”

Tao Xingfang nodded and said, "It's really talented." ”

Bao Chaoxiang said: "When my teacher was a child in the mountains, he once studied art with strangers, and at the age of ten he was able to fight hungry wolves, and he even used to ambush tigers with bare hands in the leopard room of the Forbidden City. ”

Ouchi Yixing was stupid, and at the same time he admired Wang Yuan inexplicably. He succeeded to the throne at the age of sixteen, conquered the south and the north, was strategic, conceited and invincible in western Japan, and was known as "the hero of the western country" and "the general of the western country". Compared with Wang Yuan, it seems that he can't do it at all.

Or did Tao Xingfang remember the matter and asked: "Wang Shilang opened the sea in Zhejiang?" ”

Bao Chaoxiang said: "For the time being, only the sea will be opened in Hangzhou, and if the Ouchi family can obtain the sea introduction documents, they can go to Hangzhou for trade within five years, and there is no limit to the number of ships." ”

The Ouchi clan was able to quickly dominate western Japan by monopolizing official trade between China and Japan. Historically, once Jiajing was banned from the sea, the Ouchi clan quickly began to decline, and finally became the puppet of the retainer Tao.

Ouchi Yoshixing hurriedly asked, "How can I get the sea lead?" ”

"Thirty thousand taels of silver!" Bao Chaoxiang said.

Ouchi Yoshixing and Tao Xingfang glanced at each other, and they didn't bargain, and immediately said, "Yes." ”

Japan is not short of silver, but of all kinds of daily necessities.