"Your Majesty the Emperor, Guan Baiying Sifangsuke has come to pay respects."

A female voice pinching her throat, in an extraordinarily melodious tone, reported to the Japanese emperor who looked down at the letter the news that his brother-in-law, the Japanese Imperial Court's Guan Baiying Division Xinfang came to "rub rice" - stuck with rice, of course, it was rubbing rice, otherwise what could it be? Discussing national issues? Is this something that the emperor and Sekihaku can discuss?

The emperor also laughed slowly when he heard the female official finish his words: "Fang Fu came just in time, I haven't eaten with him for three days, send a decree to the dining room, prepare two portions for lunch today, oh, fry three more spring fish." ”

Capelin is a kind of "kitten fish", which is caught from the sea, fried in oil or poured with powder, hung on paste and fried in an oil pan, and then dipped in a special fish sauce. That's the best!

Well, this is not a Japanese dish from the Edo period, but for a perennial vegetarian and occasional meat emperor, fried fish is simply a rare delicacy in the world! He is reluctant to fry a large plate at a time, and he has to count the fried. Today, by entertaining his brother-in-law, he is only willing to fry three, he eats two, and Lord Guan Bai eats one.

"Hay!" The lady agreed, stood up, bowed to the Emperor who was sitting behind the curtain, and then slowly withdrew, leaving the other lady who was guarding outside the hall to ask for Takaji Bosuke, while she herself went to tell the dining room to hurry up and buy fish. The emperor, on the other hand, waited for his brother-in-law while reading the letter.

This letter was nominally written by Emperor Zhu Cijiong of the Ming Dynasty to the Emperor of Japan, but everyone knows that the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, like the Emperor of Japan, has no real power, and it is impossible to write such a letter to the Emperor. And this letter was forwarded to Takashi Bosuke through the Satsuma Domain, and then to the Emperor. The only person who can command the Satsuma Domain as a messenger and help the Emperor Litong "Father" behind the back of the Tokugawa Shogunate is probably the only General of the Ming Dynasty, right?

As for the contents of the letter, it is necessary to read it carefully.

The letter didn't say anything like "You, the emperor, have listened, and I have chosen you to be the king of Japan." This is too straightforward, and if this letter is intercepted by the Tokugawa shogunate, the emperor will probably die of food poisoning.

This Emperor Lingyuan to the Great Ming. It is still important to support the progress of the Japanese Empire to the Kingdom of Japan! Because this emperor is still relatively "fierce" in the emperor industry, just look at whether he has been on the throne for 20 years and has not let people step down, you know how "fierce" he is. And he is still an old emperor, already 28 years old. Be old and strong! If he had food poisoning and had a broken down, how could he lead Japan to progress if he was a six-year-old or eight-year-old?

However, this letter can't be written at all, otherwise it would be meaningless to send a letter to the emperor with such an old nose?

And the scale of this letter is very cleverly grasped, at first glance it doesn't say anything, but after a closer look, it seems to be clear again.

In this letter, the Ming Emperor addressed the Japanese Emperor as "King", and also regarded the "Japanese King" as the real leader of Japan! and thinks that the contradictions between him and the king of Joseon are all caused by the rebellious minister and thief Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and now that the Toyotomi family has perished, the two sides can completely release their previous suspicions. As long as Japan can sincerely recognize its mistake and compensate North Korea.

At the same time, the Ming Emperor also told the Japanese emperor in the letter that if he was shy and had no money to pay, the Ming could provide him with a loan. Moreover, it can also provide additional loans to help Japan strengthen its armaments, develop industry and commerce, and help Japan integrate into the Shenzhou family.

Finally, the Ming Emperor also stated in the letter that he hoped to mercenary troops in Japan to fight against Western powers such as Spain, the Netherlands, England, and Portugal! He also said that there are many samurai and ronin in Japan who are willing to work for money, as long as the money is enough, they can help deal with any kind of rebels and thieves!

What kind of rebels and thieves can be dealt with? Then Tokugawa Tsunayoshi also looks like a rebel and thief!

In the midst of infinite reverie, the Emperor's thoughts were interrupted by a very light footstep, and then he heard the Kyoto dialect that was deliberately spoken in a lively and melodious manner: "Your Majesty the Emperor, the Emperor is half loaded, half loaded!" ”

The emperor quickly put away the letter, then sat up straight and said, "Flat. Except for Fang Fu, everyone else stepped down! ”

In fact, there were not many people waiting on the emperor's side—just a few listless female officials, who heard the emperor's words, and quietly retreated.

In the entire main hall, only the emperor behind the curtain and the Takaji Bosuke kneeling on the moldy tatami mat remained.

Although there are no outsiders anymore, the partition wall has ears! The emperor did not dare to speak to the Eagle Division.

"Fang Suke, how is the battle situation in northern Kyushu? When was the shogunate preparing to launch a major counteroffensive? ”

The war situation in northern Kyushu had come to a standstill since more than a year ago, and Yang Qilong's new Korean army did not occupy much territory, and after taking almost all of Chikuzen and almost half of Hizen, plus the two "island countries" of Tsushima and Yitai, they turned from offensive to defensive, and began to rely on the mountainous areas of northern Kyushu to build a defensive line composed of castles, trenches, fences, and deer barricades.

The defense line has been repaired for more than a year, and by the beginning of this year, it has basically taken shape!

At the same time, Yang Qilong's navy was also constantly strengthened, and the number of old gate gunboats had increased to 20, and the number of fast crab ships was as many as 200, firmly controlling the sea control of the Korean Strait, the Tsushima Strait, and the Whale Sea.

In this way, the new Korean army on the North Kyushu defense line will continue to receive reinforcements from the Korean Peninsula!

Although there are only 10 million people in Korea today, the number is only half of that of Japan, but these 10 million people are under the rule of the Yang Prison regime, and it is no problem for Yang Qilong to recruit two or three hundred thousand troops from it and consume the Japanese Tokugawa shogunate.

In addition, thanks to the advancement of firearms technology, a Korean peasant soldier can now defeat a Japanese samurai with high martial arts after a period of training!

Therefore, on the defense line of Kitakyushu, the exchange ratio between the Japanese shogunate army and the Korean new army is not good, and even in the case of field wave warfare, it takes 2-3 Japanese soldiers to exchange for 1 Korean new army.

However, the Tokugawa shogunate still had to hold high the banner of reconquest, recovering lost territory, but it was politically correct! Moreover, the shogunate could not allow the Koreans to stay in Kitakyushu and eventually become players in the Japanese political arena.

Therefore, the Tokugawa shogunate, while driving the western Japanese feudal domains to send troops to the defense line of Kitakyushu to send their heads, organized the new shogunate army with the help of the Netherlands, Spain, and Portugal, and prepared to use this new army to play a big vote and carry out a major counteroffensive to break through the defense line of the Koreans in one fell swoop and recover the lost territory of Kitakyushu.

"The shogunate is preparing to launch a major counteroffensive this summer!" Takashi Bosuke replied.

"Summer?" The emperor was stunned for a moment, "Didn't you say that you could counterattack in the spring?" ”

"Because the artillery promised by the Dutch, the Spaniards did not arrive, the counteroffensive was postponed until the summer."

"Oh," the emperor frowned, "if the artillery hasn't arrived by then, will the great counteroffensive be postponed until autumn?" ”

"It is true that this possibility cannot be ruled out," Takashi Bosuke paused and said in a low voice, "According to the Satsuma Marquis (referring to the lord of the Satsuma domain), the Westerners do not want us to launch a major counterattack immediately. ”

"Why?" The emperor asked.

"Because the Westerners want to recruit mercenaries from our Japan to fight against the Ming Dynasty, according to Satsumahou, the Spaniards and Dutch have recruited 50,000 people from Japan in the past two years!"

"50,000?" The Emperor frowned, "If you use them in the Kitakyushu war, you will probably have regained the lost territory, right?" ”

"Your Majesty Shengming!" Takashi Bosuke said leisurely, "Satsuma Maru also said: If Kitakyushu is recovered, then what reason do Westerners have to recruit mercenaries on our Japanese soil?"

In addition, Satsuma Hou also said: Yang Qilong, the Korean superintendent, was the uncle of the Qing Dynasty, and the Qing Dynasty was an ally of the Westerners. Westerners want to encircle and suppress the Ming Dynasty together with the Qing Dynasty! So. It is simply impossible to rely on Westerners to defeat Yang Qilong! ”

"So. Can Daming be relied on? The Emperor asked leisurely, and without waiting for the Eagle Priest to answer, he asked himself, "If you can get rid of Xiankou, why do you want to be in vain as a emperor?" ”

And Takashi Bosuke had already gotten the answer he wanted, bowed deeply to the emperor, and said, "Your Majesty is holy! ”

"What's your name?"

Nanjing, the General's Mansion, Li Zhongshan looked at a foreign girl who was brought in by Guo Jinbao, Yu Qilin, and Feng Mingshan wearing a tight jacket and a horse-faced skirt that was obviously one size smaller, and asked curiously.

While asking, I also carefully looked at the appearance and figure of this foreign girl This foreign girl is really good-looking, a little playful baby face, a pair of blue eyes that can talk, plus a good figure that can compare Yang Xiaohuan a little, it is simply a rare stunner!

This Fengming Mountain actually brought such a stunner back to the Ming Dynasty, and dedicated it to the general Li Zhongshan, and said in his heart: This is a loyal minister!

"Back to the general's words, the slave's name is Natalia. Petrovna. Lesinskaya. Natalia stood with her head down, but she kept peeking at Li Zhongshan who was sitting on a Taishi chair, looked at it a few times, and turned her face red.

Li Zhongshan nodded lightly and asked again, "Natalia. Petrovna, are you a Rakshasa or a Ukrainian? ”

I heard Li Zhongshan call himself "Natalia. Petrovna", Natalia was stunned - this is the name of the Rakshasa side, how does this general know? Thinking of this, she replied again: "I am a Rakshasa and a Ukrainian, and I am still a Cossack. ”

"Both?" Li Yat-sen felt a little strange.

Natalia immediately explained: "The Rakshasas are a branch of the Eastern Slavs, most of whom live within the Rakshasa country, and some live on the right bank of Ukraine on the Black Sea coast within the territory of the Ottoman-Turkish Empire. The Black Sea coast and right-bank Ukraine, once part of the Kiev Rakshasa principality, an ancient country that was crushed by the Mongols about 400 years ago! The name of Ukraine means border area in Chinese characters, and it is the name of a place. The Cossacks, on the other hand, mean free men, referring to the tribes of the Rakshasas who had broken away from the nobility and the tsar.

After the crushing of the Kiev Rakshasa principality, the lands of Ukraine have been in chaos and fought over by all sides, but who could not establish a strong rule, so it became a paradise for the Cossack tribes."

Speaking of this, she smiled bitterly and showed a sad expression: "But heaven and hell, sometimes there is only one Tatar attack."

It turned out that this Natalia was the daughter of the leader of a Cossack tribe who lived outside the Izyum Line, and her tribe had fertile land, and was free, without tsarist rule, without taxes and rent, and men did not need to do military service or labor, everything was so good. The only bad thing is that the Tatars in Crimea invade once in a while, robbing people and things.

According to estimates, the Crimean Khanate snatched a total of 3 million people from left-bank Ukraine and right-bank Ukraine, and must have killed a lot in the process!

So it's not for nothing that Ukraine is so good in the black soil that there isn't much population!

Of course, there is really no good choice for the people of Ukraine - either to be oppressed by the tsarist and Rakshasa aristocracy, or by the Polish-Lithuanian nobility, or there is no daily oppression, but from time to time it will be grabbed by the Crimean Tatars.

And Natalia was robbed by the Tatars of Crimea after spending her childhood carefree and sold to traffickers in Istanbul, because she was very beautiful and very smart, so she was regarded as a "boutique training", not only learned to dance, sing, play musical instruments, but also learned French, Turkish, Greek, Latin, so that she could be sold into the Sultan's court as a favorite concubine or female official, and can also be sold to those high-ranking officials from the Guards as a little wife and female secretary.

However, she was later sold to a Mongolian general named Guanyin Bao, and then transferred to Feng Qi, the deputy envoy of the Ming Dynasty to Europe who was visiting Istanbul at the time, and was taken to Nanjing by Feng Qi, and now she has become Li Zhongshan's "foreign language teacher".

Li Zhongshan looked at the tearful appearance of the Rakshasa Cossack girl from Ukraine who looked like a "plus-size" doll in front of him, and he was also a little sympathetic. It's so pitiful, you must take good care of her in the future, and you can't let her suffer anymore.

Thinking of this, he said to Natalia, "Natalia. Petrovna, will you follow me? ”

"Yes." Of course, Natalia will not say "unwilling" - she was "sold around" and finally came to Li Yat-sen's side, she is not free!

Moreover, the Ming Dynasty ruled by Li Yat-sen only abolished the Han slave and maid trade, and he could not do anything about foreign slaves and maids. For the time being, the councillors of the council cannot accept the concept of "natural human rights and equality for all", and they need to continue to make progress!

So Natalia's current identity is still a slave!

"Good!" Li Zhongshan smiled and picked up Natalia's deed of sale on the desk, then took a lit oil lamp placed on the side of the desk and lit it, and threw it on the floor tiles on the side, watching it burn to ashes, and then said to Natalia, "Natalia. Petrovna, you are now free! Then he said to Shi Li Jixiang, the head of the general's mansion on the side: "Jixiang, take her to the main book department to report, arrange a translator to work, and let her be my close work." ”

Now Natalia not only has a free body, but also a job. It is still organized within the system.

After arranging for Natalia and watching her leave with Li Jixiang, Li Zhongshan said to Feng Qi: "Mingshan, tell me about the situation in Europe?" Did Louis XIV provoke a big war now? ”

Feng Mingshan hurriedly replied: "Back to the general, Louis XIV has already met with Juan of Spain. Jose is fighting! “

"Why fight?" Li Zhongshan asked.

"For the control of Italy and the Holy See!"

"Then on whose side are the Netherlands and England?"

"These two countries did not intervene in the war between France and Spain, but fought each other!"

"To each other? What's going on? Li Zhongshan was stunned.

"General, here's the thing."

(End of chapter)