The Japanese shogunate strictly forbade ordinary Japanese nationals to go to sea, and now it has strengthened the inspection of Han merchant ships, Zhou Pu cut off his hair in order to go to Kyoto, leaving a bare scalp in the middle, such a hairstyle, of course, will be left as a suspicious character during the inspection, and it will definitely not be possible. Especially now that the inspections have become more stringent.

"You're right...... So this time I still have to rely on the Shimazu family. Zhou Pu thought for a moment and replied, "The Shimazu family has overseas connections, and I can leave Japan without a trace on their ship, and then take a long detour to Goryeo to meet His Royal Highness the Crown Prince." ”

This is not surprising, the Shimazu family in the 37th year of the Ming Dynasty Wanli and the 14th year of Keicho in Japan, with the consent of Tokugawa Ieyasu, who was still alive at the time, launched an invasion attack on the Ryukyu Kingdom with 3,000 soldiers and more than 80 warships, and then quickly conquered the country, and the then Ryukyu king King Shōnin had to surrender and admit defeat. After the war, in addition to ceding the Amami Islands, the Ryukyus themselves became a colony of the Satsuma Domain and came under the direct control of the Satsuma Domain.

Because at that time, the Ryukyu Kingdom was a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty, so although it had actually controlled the Ryukyus, the Shimazu family allowed the Ryukyu to maintain their apparent independence and continue to be vassals to the Ming Dynasty, but in the later Central Plains Yi Dynasty and the artifact Ding Ge, the tribute of the Ryukyu Kingdom was interrupted, and now it has not been restored.

In the previous era, Ryukyu was an important transit point for maritime trade, and trade between China and Japan and the South Seas often passed through them, but because it fell into the hands of Japan and the Han Dynasty also implemented the policy of opening up the sea, Matsue Prefecture and other places became new prosperous commercial ports and transit stations, so its status has also declined, and it is no longer in the glory of the past.

However, in order to maintain control of the Ryukyus, the Satsuma clan continued to have relations with the Ryukyus, and became one of the few foreign feudal clans that could send ships out to the open sea. If Zhou Pu can get on their ship, he can naturally leave in a way that is unaware.

"Since the lord already has a strategy, then the lower official will no longer put his beak, and I hope that everything will go well for the lord, and I will also say a few good words for the lower official in front of the prince." Liu Jing arched his hand towards Zhou Pu with admiration.

"Of course!" Zhou Pu laughed again, "I'll go and tell them from Dongxiang Chongfang later, be sure to leave early." ”

Without any further delay, Zhou Pu made his current plans clear to Dongxiang Shigemata and others who were following him that day, and Dongxiang Shigefang and others immediately went back to return to the feudal lord Shimazu Tadashi, and quickly got the approval of Shimazu Tadashi, and even wrote a letter himself, asking Zhou Pu to bring it to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince by the way.

One night a few days later, Zhou Pu left the Nagasaki merchant port again with Togo Shigekata and headed straight for the Satsuma Domain, and finally boarded a ship that the Satsuma Domain had arranged for a long time and left Japan.

The ship they were on was initially heading south, and after a long time it made a sharp turn and headed northwest. When they entered the waters near Goryeo, a pirate ship disguised by the Han Navy caught up with them, but fortunately, Zhou Pu revealed his identity in time, so he was let go by these people and followed them all the way to the port of Pusan in Goryeo.

The port of Busan, where this happened, has a completely different weather from a few months ago, and the port is full of Han transport ships and warships shuttling non-stop, and the originally busy commercial port can no longer see the merchant ships of Goryeo and other countries, and the port area is patrolled by Han soldiers who are like facing a great enemy, and it seems that it has completely turned into a large military camp.

As soon as he arrived in Busan, Zhou Pu was very nervous by the atmosphere here, because of his dress, he was checked by the patrolling soldiers, and he was almost arrested and imprisoned in the places where other Japanese businessmen were held. Finally, he explained his situation clearly, and was brought to the line of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

After a period of continuous construction, under the strict supervision of the Han and Goryeo officials, the residence of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has become a large military camp area, and piles of wooden piles have been built along the village where the prince lived, as if it had turned it into a large market town. However, there were no Goryeo inhabitants there, and only heavily guarded soldiers patrolled the area.

After the prince's attendant confirmed his identity, he led him all the way, through many obstacles and soldiers' residences, to the mansion where His Royal Highness the prince himself lived.

Because His Royal Highness the Crown Prince did not go out today, he didn't have to wait too long to be received by His Highness.

As soon as he entered the prince's reception room, the prince waved his hand to him and motioned for him to sit down. "Director Zhou has worked hard, please take a seat."

"Your Highness." Zhou Pu saluted him respectfully, and then sat down carefully.

After seeing the prince again after such a long time, he found that he had grown a lot taller than the last time they met, and he was already a head taller than his peers, but now he was almost catching up with him, and he looked like an adult. And his face has become much more square, and when his face is expressionless, he looks a little stern, which makes people feel that he is not angry and arrogant.

"How did Lord Zhou become like this now?" After Zhou Pu sat down, the prince asked with a smile.

This hairstyle, which is now popular among the Japanese, is really a novelty for the prince.

"Back to Your Highness, this is now a commonly used hairstyle for Japanese samurai and civilians, because the minister has to walk around in Japan, so he simply changed this hairstyle so as not to make people suspicious, and please forgive Your Highness."

"It's a great good thing that you're loyal to the country, how can I blame you?" After the prince understood what was going on, he continued to smile, "How are you doing in Japan now?" Did it go well? ”

"Returning to His Highness, it was very smooth, so the minister came back on purpose to return to the order and ask for instructions on the next step." Zhou Pu replied immediately. "Now, not only the Shimazu clan, the largest wealthy clan in Kyushu, has been persuaded by us to prepare to subordinate to the great affairs, but even the imperial court and ministers in Kyoto, Japan, have decided to support our Han after secret discussions with their ministers, and are willing to issue an edict for our Han, asking the heroes and people of all parts of Japan not to obey the orders of the shogunate and become enemies of the Han. They may not have much influence now, but if they do, we can at least have a signboard that can reduce the resistance of the Japanese. ”

"Have you all gotten to this point?" The prince was a little surprised, "I didn't expect you to do these things in a few months...... Sure enough, he was a minister of the imperial court. ”

"Worrying about the country is all within the minister's business." Zhou Pu pretended to answer humbly, but in fact, his heart was already happy. "Now that Japan is cooperating with us and are willing to work for the overthrow of the shogunate, they are eager to try, and they can take action and deal a fatal blow to the shogunate together as soon as I give an order."

Then, while the iron was hot, he took out a few letters from his body, "Your Highness, these letters were written to our country by the Shimazu clan and the Japanese court as a sign of respect, and I ask your Highness to read them." ”

"Good, good!" After all, he is still a young man, and the prince is now full of joy, "Take it." ”

He took the letters in one hand and read them carefully.

Because he deliberately wanted to please the big man, these letters were written very humbly and flatteringly, and there were also various clichés that showed loyalty, which the prince had seen countless times since he was a child, and now of course he didn't care about it, and skipped it directly, but the words on one of the letters made him a little interested.

He has so many teachers around him since he was a child, and he has naturally learned calligraphy, although he himself has not focused on it, and the level of writing is average, but there is a little appreciation.

This letter was written by the Japanese emperor himself, after all, he had practiced for decades, and his pen was vigorous and agile, which in the eyes of the prince was enough to compare with the famous Chinese masters.

"That's a really good handwriting." After reading it, the prince threw the letter aside, "I have long heard that these Japanese ministers have inherited the culture of the past from the Central Plains for generations, and they are all highly attained, I didn't believe it before, but now it seems to be true!" This method ...... Law ......"

Just as he was about to talk about the Emperor, the crown prince suddenly realized that he could not use this term to address the other party.

Emperor, Emperor, this is the supreme title, it can only be used by the Son of Heaven in the Central Plains, how can it be used by foreign countries? As the crown prince of the Han Dynasty, how could he say this word to others? So at the last moment, he forcibly swallowed the words.

"Your Highness?" Zhou Pu saw that his face suddenly changed, so he asked in a low voice.

"The monarch of Japan can no longer call the emperor the character, which is inappropriate and too arrogant. Only the monarch of our Central Plains can be called emperor. "The prince has settled down." When I reply to my letter, I will make this matter clear, so as not to cause turmoil in the exchanges between the two countries in the future. ”

"Your Highness's idea, the minister also thought of it before...... And they have already negotiated with the Japanese Imperial Court. Zhou Pu hurriedly replied, "Now that the ministers of the Japanese court have agreed to the minister's request, they will abolish the title of emperor for the monarch after we defeat the shogunate, and change it to the king of Japan." ”

"You...... Very well done. The prince praised again, obviously very happy. Since they are so deferential and familiar with the culture of our country, I really can't be too rude. ”

"Your Highness, the Japanese are foreigners after all, and they are still different from the Chinese in their bones." Zhou Pu reminded him, "Admiring Chinese culture and learning calligraphy and poetry is just a surface, but their insides are still different, cunning and ruthless." ”

"I understand this, in order to restore power, they do not hesitate to lead foreign troops to invade their country, where is the courtesy of these people?" The prince still smiled, "But that's why they're so useful." ”

After a pause, he looked at Zhou Pu again, "I'll reply to the letter here immediately, you can take my letter to them when the time comes, presumably they are all worried now, for fear that they will not get benefits in the next war, I think with my personal guarantee, they should be able to rest assured." By the way, is there anything else you need my help with? ”

"Returning to His Royal Highness, the minister rushed back at the risk of death, and reported the progress that the minister is now in Japan to His Highness, and the other purpose is to ask His Highness about the specific time of our march - now they are all looking forward to it, and the minister feels that everyone working together can bring the greatest harm to the shogunate, and it also catches them off guard the most, so the minister needs to know the specific time in order to coordinate with the intermediary. In addition, the shogunate had apparently become somewhat aware of our actions, and although they had not yet expected us to start a war, they had begun to be a little wary, and the ministers thought it would be better to take them by surprise by attacking at the earliest feasible time before they had yet fully understood the situation. ”

"Have they found out about it?" The prince's face sank instantly. "I've already told the Navy to be careful about blocking the sea, why did they still get the news?"

With such a big operation, it is impossible to completely hide it from the Japanese, so the crown prince did not expect complete secrecy. But now that they're aware of it so quickly, it's always a little uncomfortable.

"Your Highness, these news came from the Dutch, who have been trading with the shogunate, and the ships and sailors are very good, and it is inevitable that some fish will slip through the net under the siege of our navy." Deng Pu comforted the prince. "However, the shogunate's military strength in Kyushu is very weak, and even if they are aware of it, I'm afraid it won't cause us much hindrance, but we just have to act quickly, so as not to ...... reinforcements from behind the shogunate."

"You're right." The prince nodded, falling into a brief silence. "The specific time of march ......"

Since he came to Goryeo, the capital has responded to his requests, but basically only asks him about his affairs, so as not to put pressure on him, which makes him a little trembling, for fear that he will make some mistakes and live up to the expectations of his father and the world.

It was precisely because of this fear that he basically inquired about all the details of this expeditionary army, from the supply of weapons and food and grass for the soldiers to the training and preparation of the soldiers, and even the battle plan of the army and navy, he also asked many times, and listened to the explanations of the relevant people of the army and navy in detail.

The specific time for entering the army was finally decided after detailed discussions between him and these officers.

If you want to plan such a big plan, you naturally have to refer to specific geographical and astronomical conditions, and similar historical lessons from the previous ones. The number of Sino-Japanese battles was very small, and the most significant reference for their battle plan was the two conquests against Japan during the Yuan Dynasty.

When the Mongols swept the world, Kublai Khan was also a generation of heroes, and the territory of the Great Yuan was vast and abundant, but it was twice frustrated in the expedition to Japan, and the important reason was that both times encountered strong typhoons.

Both of these expeditions were made in the autumn to Japan, the first landing in Kyushu in October and the second in August, but the Japanese archipelago is surrounded by the sea on all sides, and except for the northeastern coast, it is vulnerable to the wind from the ocean. In August, September, and October, typhoons hit western and southern Japan. Kitakyushu happened to be in the area hit by a typhoon, so both attacks were met with intractable typhoons, and as a result, most of the transport ships were swept away by the typhoon, and the armies of the two attacks were greatly pioneered by them. The Japanese government and opposition were very surprised by the sudden typhoon that drove away the Yuan army, believing that it was the gods who had blessed them, so they launched a large-scale worship activity called "kamikaze" throughout the country, and began to have deep confidence in Japan's security from invasion.

Naturally, the Han had to learn these lessons, so they prepared for natural disasters such as typhoons from the beginning, and everyone agreed to put the time of the march in the typhoon season, that is, before July.

But whether it should be held in late May or June was divided among the people who discussed. Now that it is the middle of May, most of the personnel and materials have been put in place, and the training has lasted for more than a month, the morale of the officers and men is high, and the support is also very sufficient.

However, there are still some people who feel that they should continue to wait and raise and store all the military funds that will be used for the Kyushu attack before launching.

Their reasoning was that it was still a rainy season, which would definitely affect the performance of the Han army, which relied on gunpowder weapons, and according to the local climate, the rainfall would be much lower in June, which would be more convenient for the Han to attack.

In addition, there are not many suitable places for landing on Kyushu Island, and even fewer ports suitable for transportation, and when the Han launches an offensive, the port of Nagasaki will definitely cause great damage, and it is very likely that it will not be able to play the role of a port for a period of time, and can only use other places as an input point for troops and supplies.

When Dayuan marched into the army, he was faced with the dilemma that there were too few suitable landing sites, so he had to concentrate his army to attack from Hakata Bay twice, but both times he suffered setbacks, and the second time he suffered huge losses when the Japanese army, which had been prepared, was blocked from the stone wall fortifications.

In this case, it is better to wait a little longer, hoard all the military resources needed in Goryeo, and then use Busan as a base when entering Kyushu in the future, concentrate all the military resources there, and then slowly march along the coast, and finally occupy the entire island of Kyushu to gain a strong enough foothold. Otherwise, there was a risk of repeating the mistake of having to concentrate his fleet and soldiers in the cramped Hakata Bay and being surrounded and annihilated by the Japanese army.

I have to say that both considerations are very reasonable, so they are all arguing at the military meeting, and even the commander Zhao Song and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince himself are still thinking about it and have not made a decision. However, the time is approaching step by step, and the prince has been struggling with this in his heart, no matter what, a decision should be made.