Kume Island.

This is a ruined village, the village is full of ruins, once prosperous, at this time only about forty families remained, when they heard that the fleet was the Ming fleet, the people of the island cheered, they took out the food of the family to entertain, and provided hot water for the fleet.

"It's better now, the year before last, there were not 70 people left here, and many of them were Ryukyuan." A man followed behind Chen Liuzi and the others and said. This man was Zheng Ziyi, and he explained: "Since the Japanese came, the Zheng family was defeated, Kume Island sank, and the Shi clan went to Shuri, and many people went down to Jiangnan with the ship. The villain is the big man who went to that time, and the tamsui who went again. ”

"That should be your business." Chen Liuzi pointed to a large warehouse in the distance and said.

Zheng Ziyi smiled: "Yes, it is the villain's warehouse, which was used to sell rice in the past, and the rice sold to freshwater all went from here." ”

Now Zheng Ziyi was still the No. 1 rice merchant in the trading company last year, and after the development of Jinguashi, a large number of Ming people poured in, but the local land development has not been able to keep up. Most of the rice was bought from Guangdong, and it was Zheng Ziyi who transported Ryukyu rice by ship to solve the rice shortage, but with the entry of Nanyang rice, Zheng Ziyi gradually lost his position as the first rice merchant, but he was still an important grain merchant.

And because of the rice trade, he has amassed a lot of wealth, and he is already rich in Tamsui.

Therefore, this time the fleet came to Ryukyu, and Zheng Ziyi took the initiative to assist and provided a lot of information.

Zhao Wenji looked at the surrounding environment and the food served by the local Chinese, and said: "Looking at the barren land of the Ryukyus, it is not like a place rich in rice. How did the shopkeeper Zheng get that much rice to supply fresh water, could it be that he bought it from the Wa Kingdom? ”

"Sir, you can try to give that kid a rice ball to eat." Zheng Ziyi pointed to the bare-ass child sucking his finger not far away and said.

Zhao Wenji didn't know why, but he still wrapped a few rice balls with banana leaves for the child, and the child turned out the banana leaves, put them on a stone on the side, picked up the sea vegetables, pickled plums and salted meat on the rice balls with a branch and ate them, and wrapped the remaining rice balls in banana leaves and sent them back.

"This kid has a very ....... mouth." Zhao Wenji said, but he looked at the child carefully, his eyes were reluctant to look at the rice balls on the banana leaves, and his mouth was still drooling, obviously not because he didn't want to eat it, but because he didn't dare to eat it.

"Why don't they dare eat this rice ball?" Zhao Wenji asked Zheng Ziyi.

Zheng Ziyi said: "More than 30 years ago, the Japanese invaded, and the Ryukyu Kingdom was defeated and forced to serve the Japanese slaves. He may not know that rice can be used as money in the Wa Kingdom.

Officials' salaries are also mostly measured in rice. Therefore, although the Ryukyus did not produce much rice, they were also looted by Satsuma. In order to obtain more rice, the Japanese people colluded with the traitors in the Ryukyus and ordered that the people of the Ryukyus should not eat rice except for the royal family and the noble family.

For more than 30 years, the people of the Ryukyus did not know what rice tasted like. Rice was originally the staple food of the Ryukyuan people, and suddenly they could not eat it, and they did not know how to grow potatoes at that time, so they fed on cycads, which were poisonous and improperly handled, and it was to kill people, and for more than 30 years, I don't know how many Ryukyuan people were killed. ”

"The Japanese slaves are rampant, and they should be killed, they should be killed!" Zhao Wenhe is well-read, although there are many tyrants in Chinese history, but the tyrant who does not let people eat rice, he is unheard of, and when he heard about it, he became angry.

Zheng Ziyi said: "Mr. Zhao, the people of Ryukyu have been suffering from Japanese slaves for a long time, and they are always eager for the heavenly soldiers to come down, expel the Japanese kingdom, and cleanse the Ryukyus. ”

Zhao Wenji nodded heavily: "I thought that if I could not use the sword soldiers, I would not use the sword soldiers, if I could persuade the Japanese to leave, it would be very good, but now it seems that it is not possible to not move." ”

Zheng Ziyi sighed and said: "Mr. is righteous, and the villain admires it, but in my Ryukyu country, the royal family and scholars are content with the status quo, and the officials are flattering and slaves, and I am afraid that they are unwilling to use swords." ”

"How can this be justified, how can it be justified? They can't help it. Zhao Wenji was extremely indignant and said: "Let me repair another book, send it to Shuri, first capture the third official Pan Ying, and then go to Shuri to arrest the Japanese invaders." ”

After that, Zhao Wenji turned back to the Tamsui River, but he didn't even eat.

Tang Mu and Chen Liuzi sat at the table, looked at each other, and Tang Mu asked, "Chief Chen, I see that Mr. Zhao is really angry." ”

"It does look like he's angry, but if he really wants to use troops, he may change his mind." Chen Liuzi said.

Shen Youlong sent Zhao Wenji to give this fleet a relatively official identity, but Zhao Wenji was not an official of the imperial court, so if something happened, Shen Youlong couldn't blame him.

The Oriental Trading Company sent ships and troops to do things for the imperial court, not to do charity, and Li Zhaoji's secret order to Chen Liuzi and Tang Mu was to take the opportunity to control Ryukyu and use it for the trading company.

Ryukyu is indeed barren land and has a small population, but that is for such a behemoth as the Ming Dynasty, for the trading company, the 100,000 population of the Ryukyus swallowed, and the manpower of the trading company almost doubled, not to mention, the Ryukyus are located in the south of Japan, and it is more convenient to use troops against Japan and use Ryukyu as a base.

But Chen Liuzi and Tang Mu both felt that Zhao Wenji might make a mistake, but they didn't have a choice, and if they found a Ming official from the imperial examination, it might be more troublesome.

"Chief Chen, there is an envoy from Shuri, claiming to be the chief doctor Cai Jin." A soldier came to report.

Chen Liuzi looked at the situation on Kume Island, and said that it was better to meet him on the boat, and there was really no place to entertain on the island, so he and Tang Mu hurriedly ate two bites and went to the Tamsui River.

"Lord Chen, General Tang, the two of you are passing through the Ryukyus, this Cai Jin is available." Zheng Ziyi immediately followed.

"This Cai Jin communicated with us twice in a row, and his attitude was also friendly. But this alone may not be credible. Tang Mu said.

Zheng Ziyi hurriedly explained: "What the general said is bad, the Ryukyu Dynasty is full of courts, if you talk about hatred for the Japanese Kou, Cai Jin must be the first person." Three years ago, Cai Jin went to the Ming Dynasty for the king of the Ryukyus to ask for the title, and first went to Fujian, and asked Zheng Zhilong to send troops to expel the Japanese invaders, but he was refused. ”

"How can he hate the Wako so much?" Chen Liuzi asked.

Zheng Ziyi briefly said that Zheng Ziyi and Cai Jin have been doing business for many years, Zheng Ziyi is loyal and good, and Cai Jin has received Confucian education since childhood, so he admires him a lot.

"The Cai family is one of the five major scholar families in the Ryukyus, but unlike other families, the Cai family's ancestral business is mostly in the Amami Islands, and in the early years, villains interacted with it, and they also sold Amami brown sugar to Dayuan Port. Only five years ago, the Satsuma clan forcibly claimed five northern islands, including the Amami Islands.

As a result, his ancestral industry was lost, and his people were enslaved ........ ”

In the history of the Ryukyus, there was a man named Ma Ping, one of the five great sages of the Ryukyus, who was an official but was very enthusiastic about agriculture, and could be described as the Ryukyu Shennong.

It was he who spread the cultivation of sweet potatoes to the entire island, and when the Ryukyuan people were forbidden to eat rice, 100,000 people survived.

During the Ryukyu expedition more than 30 years ago, Ma Ping was taken captive to Japan, but he also learned how to grow kapok trees from local Japanese women, bringing cotton weaving technology to the Ryukyus.

These were his honors, but learning and promoting agricultural techniques also caused him to regret his life.

Because he had sent people to Fujian to learn about the cultivation of sugar cane and the production of brown sugar, he brought disaster to the Ryukyus.

Sugar is very popular in Japan, even for the lowest quality brown sugar. After the Satsuma clan discovered that the Ryukyus were rich in brown sugar, they immediately forced the Ryukyus to cede to the Satsuma clan the five northern sugarcane-growing islands, including the Amami Islands, and banned all rice fields and used them to grow sugarcane.

Not only that, but the Satsuma clan also forced labor, requisitioning all adult males and women between the ages of 15 and 30 of the Ryukyuan people as 'husbands' and forcing them to grow sugar cane for them, which was actually slavery.

Therefore, the acres of land were used to grow sugar cane, and food was scarce, so these Ryukyuan people lacked even sweet potatoes and other foods, so they could only use cycad fruit as their main food, which was poisonous and would be poisoned and killed if not cooked properly, making the northern five islands a 'cycad hell'.

Many of the Cai family's properties were forcibly expropriated by the Satsuma Domain, and many of the clansmen also became slaves of the Japanese people, and life was worse than death.

"Envoys, generals. In our country's court, most of the birds and beasts eat Lu, and most of them are slaves and servants of the Japanese country. And His Royal Highness the King, who is content with the status quo, does not think about the strong country and drives him away, and is ashamed of it, but thinks that one country has two belongings, and two must not be offended.

Therefore, he did not want to meet the fleet, and the lower officials persuaded him for a long time, but the king did not accept the advice, and sat back and watched the Ryukyus sink, unable to extricate himself.

Therefore, when the canonization comes, send troops into the city, expel the Japanese slaves, admonish the king, show the power of the heavenly kingdom, and the second is the love of the country of parents. Cai Jin was in the official hall and bowed to Zhao Wenji.

Chen Liuzi and Tang Mu were still a little suspicious of Zheng Ziyi's words, but seeing Cai Jin in tears, begging to send troops, no matter what his intentions were, this person was indeed available.

"Lord Cai, please get up, now the imperial court does not know about the Ryukyu one country and two belongings, if the canonization envoy arrives, and then make a report, not only delayed, but also the danger of angering Tianwei. The Ryukyus must be dealt with as soon as possible. Zhao Wenji picked up Cai Jin and said.

After Cai Jin got up, Zhao Wenji said: "If I wait for the respect of the Heavenly Empire and ask the king to cooperate, I don't know what will happen to him?" ”

"It will surely eliminate all evil, and leave behind evil." Cai Jin said immediately.

Zheng Ziyi explained on the side: "Mr. Zhao, Pan Ying is not only the third official, but also the ruler of the Ryukyus, and he is in the same breath as the royal family. If they only expelled the Japanese slaves, did not eradicate the rebellion in the country, and the heavenly soldiers retreated in the future, wouldn't these traitors want to lead the Japanese invaders again? ”

Zhao Wenji nodded slightly and said, "In this way, the king can't be involved." ”

Chen Liuzi and Tang Mu watched strangely from the sidelines, and Zhao Wenji looked like he was going to use troops immediately, and he couldn't wait more than the two of them.

"Mr. Zhao, what do you think?" Tang Mu asked.

"Does General Tang know about Chen Tang's old affairs?" Zhao Wenji asked.

Chen Tang was an official of the Han Dynasty and was ordered to send an envoy to the Western Regions, but after arriving in the Western Regions, he found that a good opportunity was rare, so he sent troops and led the Han army to conquer and make great contributions.

Tang Mu also heard about it, and said, "Sir, what do you mean that you will not be subject to military orders abroad?" ”

"Exactly, don't you still have to send someone to Hong Kong to ask for instructions?"

Tang Mu smiled and waved his hand: "There is Chief Chen, no need to ask for instructions." ”

Before coming, Li Zhaoji had already explained his attitude, he wanted Ryukyu, as for the method, it was up to Chen Liuzi and Tang Mu, and the two of them would deal with it.

"Then we'll strike first." Zhao Wenji said immediately.

"Please sir give me a detailed strategy." Cai Jin said as soon as he heard that Zhao Wenji was going to make a move, and he was going to do it immediately.

Zhao Wenji said: "There are only 400 royal guards in Shuri, and there are no firearms, so there is no need to worry. As Master Cai said, the Japanese have gathered in one of the halls. If you can go directly to the city, you will go straight to the building and capture the Japanese robbers.

If you are not allowed to enter the city, you will simply storm it, and after entering the city, you will first punish Pan Ying and other national thieves, and then destroy the Japanese invaders.

Chop first and then play, what should Sanghyun do? ”

Cai Jin high-fived and praised: "Brilliant plan." My king is weak and afraid of power, because he is afraid of the retaliation of the Japanese slaves, so he does not dare to cooperate, but after killing the Japanese slaves, he has no way to do both, so he can only serve the Celestial Empire wholeheartedly. ”

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