The Byrne Merchant was a typical Dutch flute-shaped ship that was inverted above the water line, giving the top deck a cramped hull, and was invented by shrewd Dutch merchants to cope with the taxes of the Nordic countries.

This is because in the Nordic countries, the way in which the ship tax is levied on ships is based on the area of the first deck. So a few decades ago, a Dutch businessman invented this kind of transport ship with a fat hull and a narrow deck.

Although the volume of the flute ships did not decrease, and the narrow decks were easier to defend, the ship's attack power decreased considerably. In Europe, this type of ship has basically become a dedicated cargo ship.

The "Byrne Merchant", which is about 30 meters long and has a deadweight of more than 380 tons, may only be regarded as an average-sized ship in Europe, but it is already a great maritime giant in Asia.

In the opinion of Captain Byrnefanck, his ship, which is equipped with 8 guns, can completely go sideways in the Asian sea. Even if they encounter a large number of junk ships from Chinese pirates, they can easily escape from pursuit.

Therefore, Byrnfink was very contemptuous of the maritime power of Asian countries, and if it were not for the fact that Asia was too far away from Europe, he believed that with the power of the Dutch Republic, it could completely dominate the seas of Asia.

But now, in order to make money, he can only greet these Asian natives with a smile. The reason why he appeared here, rather than going directly to Shanghai, China's newly opened treaty port, was also because of a big business.

At the introduction of the Governor General of Taiwan, Peter Natz, he accepted the commission of a Chinese merchant to pick up several Japanese on the return of his ships after the Edo trade, and to make a handover on the main island of the Ryukyus.

The Chinese merchant promised him that if he completed the deal, he would not only be able to get the best prices for all kinds of goods in Shanghai, but the Chinese merchant would also invest in him to fill the empty shipyard with precious porcelain, silk and tea.

If he picks up a few people from Japan, he can get such a big benefit, and it is obvious that the person he wants to accept has a problem with his identity. Byrnvank was still thinking about whether this business would offend the shogun of the shogunate.

However, when his ship arrived in Edo and was denied the deal by the shogunate officials, Byrnfink lost the only trace of reverence he had for the shogunate. As agreed, he met the men at the exit of Edo Bay and hurried south to the main island of the Ryukyus.

But what he did not expect was that the Chinese who occupied the port of Shuri once again rejected his decision to unload the goods and go ashore for trading, which made him very angry.

However, looking at the Chinese ships anchored in the harbor and the armed Chinese soldiers on the shore, Byrnfink finally wisely suppressed his anger and waited for the arrival of the Chinese merchant who had handed over to him.

Sitting under an open wooden shed in the harbor, Byrnfink soon saw the arrival of the Chinese merchant with whom he had made an agreement, of course, not alone, but following an official in a Ming uniform.

Seeing the appearance of the officials of the Ming Dynasty, although Byrnefanck was a little surprised, he still tidied up his appearance, stepped forward to the merchant and asked, "Dear Mr. He, I risked my life to take the people you want out of Japan, but why did these soldiers not allow my crew to go ashore?" ”

The subordinate sent by Xu Xinsu to contact Byrnefan had not yet spoken, and Xu Xinsu had already intercepted the conversation and said to him: "Because, I don't think it's necessary for your crew to go ashore. After a night's rest here, it's time to head to Shanghai.

Although September is the monsoon time for you to return to Europe, you can spend a few months in Shanghai to give your crew a rest. As for the goods on your ship, the Shanghai side will buy the full amount. ”

Hearing Xu Xinsu talking to him in fluent Dutch, Byrnfan finally became cautious, he looked at Xu Xinsu and asked cautiously, "Who is this adult?" ”

"I'm Xu Xinsu, the Ming East China Sea Patrol Envoy, and I've had a lot of dealings with your East India Company, and Petronats is also my trading partner, so I think you can trust me. Next, I want to know, where is the person I want now? ”

Byrnefank was still familiar with the name Xu Xinsu, and before the Chinese emperor ordered the opening of trade to the Dutch, the company had to rely on this powerful Chinese maritime merchant to obtain raw silk.

His attitude became more respectful, and he said to Xu Xinsu courteously: "Please wait here, I will get on the boat and invite the guests of the adults down." ”

Xu Xinsu and the others walked to the wooden shed where Byrnfink had stayed, sheltered from the hot sun, and waited for Byrnfink to command the crew to send people off the ship.

Xu Xinsu originally thought that what he was going to meet would be a weak woman full of fear, and he had even thought of a lot of words, ready to appease the princess Toyotomi who was forcibly brought back.

But he soon discovered that his guess had been wrong. Chiyohime, who changed into a civilian costume and wrapped her head in a piece of green cloth, looked calm when she got off the ship, and was very stable when she walked into the rope net, and even refused to be supported by the crew on the side.

When Chiyoji stood in front of him, looking at this calm and somewhat abnormal woman, Xu Xinsu couldn't see the slightest weakness and fear from her. "It's a bit of a tongue-in-cheek." After Xu Xinsu looked at the young woman in front of him, he couldn't help but think so.

"Can this adult speak Japanese?" After realizing that the Ming official in front of him was probably the mastermind behind the kidnapping of him, Tian Xiuni finally asked Xu Xinsu in a calm voice.

Xu Xinsu nodded at her and replied in skilled Japanese: "Of course you can, if Her Royal Highness Chiyohime has any needs, even if you can ask me, I will definitely try to help you." I congratulate you on the fact that you are now free from the threat of the Tokugawa shogunate. From now on, you will be sheltered by the Great Ming. ”

Tian Xiuni raised his head slightly, and his clear eyes met Xu Xinsu's gaze, forcing him to put away his casual attitude, and then asked sarcastically: "Although Poor Ni doesn't read much, he also knows that China is a country of etiquette, and the Heavenly Empire is the kingdom of heaven.

Your Excellency took the poor nuns from the mountains in the name of the Ming Dynasty, but claimed to have saved the poor nuns' freedom, is this also the style of the kingdom? Or is it that you are pretending to be an official of the Ming Dynasty, but in fact you are a thief at sea? ”

Tian Xiu Ni's words did not anger Xu Xinsu, but first angered a few former pirates behind him who knew Japanese, Xu Xin Su stretched out his hand to stop the subordinates who wanted to be angry with Tian Xiu Ni, and he commanded one of his subordinates beside him: "You accompany Mr. Byrne to the side to register the type of goods on the ship, and then convert the price, and sign a trade contract with him, so that the Shanghai side can be delivered." ”

Byrnefan followed Xu Xinsu's subordinates very interestingly, in his opinion, his mission was over, and he did not want to know the identity of the group taken from Japan, because he felt that it might be a big trouble.

After watching the irrelevant personnel being sent away, Xu Xinsu looked at the young woman in front of him seriously and said, "Although Your Highness's associative ability is very rich, what Your Highness sees is not real.

The Ming Dynasty did not send people to take you captive, it was the Toyotomi remnants who kidnapped you and took you on the merchant ships of the Dutch, and we rescued you from the hands of the Dutch. Does Your Highness understand? ”

Tian Xiuni replied angrily with a smile: "Do you expect my lord to believe such an unreasonable story? ”

Xu Xinsu blinked his eyes and said, "As long as the shogunate believes the fact that you were taken away by the Dutch, it is enough for us." Or is it the hope of His Highness that I will return you and your followers to the shogunate? I am sure that the shogunate will not doubt the facts of what I am saying as you do. ”

The expression on Tian Xiuni's face finally converged a little bit, and returned to the calm and watery expression when she just got off the boat, she was silent for a long time before she said a little stiffly: "After sitting on the boat for so long, I need to freshen up and rest, and I also need a set of clean clothes, I wonder if the adults can arrange it for me?" ”

Tian Xiuni's submission made Xu Xinsu finally happy, he got out of the way, and said to Tian Xiuni: "This is a matter of course, please get in the car Your Highness, I have arranged a residence for you in the city merchant hall." ”

When Tianxiu Ni boarded his carriage, Xu Xinsu instructed several subordinates around him: "Tonight, please invite those who are inclined to us to come to the merchant house to meet, and the next step is to start solving the problem with the Satsuma Domain..."

Arrived at the Ming Kingdom Commercial Hall in the city, and after soaking in a hot soup, the maid in the hall brought a change of clothes for Tianxiuni. Looking at the plain robe and the gorgeous kimono with furrowed sleeves in front of him, Tian Xiuni hesitated for a moment, then pointed to the kimono and said, "Help me put on this set..."

After putting on the gorgeous vibrating sleeves, she felt refreshed and asked to see Xu Xinsu. Under the leadership of the maid, after walking along the wooden corridor in the hall for a while, Tian Xiuni came to the reception room where Xu Xinsu was.

Although the Ryukyu Kingdom was a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty, the hot climate of the island and the invasion of the Satsuma clan led to a shift from Chinese to Japanese-style architecture. For example, the interior of this trading building has a large amount of tatami mats.

After Tian Xiuni entered the reception room, she did not feel uncomfortable at all, and it was not much different from her residence in Japan, which made her mood relax a lot.

After Tian Xiuni entered the reception room, Xu Xinsu asked people to guard the door, and he talked alone with the orphan of the Toyotomi family for nearly an hour, and finally reached a verbal agreement with her.

The agreement stipulates that Tian Xiuni will cooperate with Da Ming, but she also has the right to know the plan made by Da Ming. Xu Xinsu also promised that regardless of the success of the Ming Dynasty's plan against Japan, she and Toyotomi's followers would not be handed over to the Tokugawa shogunate.

In this conversation between the two, Tian Xiuni finally understood that Xu Xinsu was not the drafter of this plan, but just an executor. No matter what she thought about this plan, or if she wanted to influence it, she could only go to the capital of the Ming Kingdom and meet the author of this plan.