Chapter 252 The Crown of Ryukyu

The small Ryukyu Islands once appeared in Nanshan, Zhongshan and Beishan, but now it has been unified for 76 years. Since the Ming Empire, which should have the largest trade throughput in the East, has always banned sea and traders, Ryukyu's important role as a maritime trade transit station in Northeast Asia and Southeast Asia has not yet been reflected, so this small country has not yet aroused the coveting of ambitious people.

The capital of Ryukyu Kingdom was Shuli. In the fifth year of Xuande, the Ming Dynasty gave the surname of King Ryukyu to Shang. Since then, the King of Ryukyu took Shang as his surname. Currently, the King of Ryukyu is called Shang Zhen, but the Prime Minister is a scholar moved from Jianning Prefecture of the Ming Dynasty.

Although this country was very small, the Ming Dynasty gave full etiquette to the vassal states, not to mention that the visiting prince was a prince, and the Zhejiang governor arranged him in a luxurious official post.

The imperial envoy's sedan chair arrived in front of the door, and the Ryukyu prince Shangqing was standing respectfully in front of the door to welcome him. Because Yang Ling was meeting with the national guests, he was very proud of him. He had a python robe and jade belt, and his full guard of the imperial envoy. In addition, his outstanding character, his voice was huge.

On the other hand, the Prince of Ryukyu looks only sixteen or seventeen years old, with a short figure, Li Hei's face, and only a pair of eyes, which was very impressive. Yang Ling got out of the sedan chair at eight and raised his sedan chair. He saw that the prince of Ryukyu was wearing a robe of a Central Plains scholar, but his hair was combed into the hairstyle of a Japanese man, which looked inconsistent. He was stunned.

Although Cheng Qiyun tried her best to understand the situation in Ryukyu Kingdom and told him it to her without getting tired of it, she did not know as much about the dress and eating habits of Ryukyu people as they were dressed and had no knowledge of the irrelevant things.

The Ryukyu people used Chinese characters as formal characters, but their spoken language was similar to Japanese, so the ones who were with the prince Shangqing were not only a tribute envoy, a chief envoy, and a translator who was familiar with the official language of the Ming Dynasty.

Prince Shangqing put his hands together, bowed to Yang Ling with Buddhist rituals, and said a few words. The translator hurried over and said, "Sir, the prince said he would be very grateful for coming to visit him. If you have any mistakes, please forgive me."

Yang Ling smiled and said, "You don't have to be polite. I have just arrived in Suzhou and heard that the prince is here, so I came to visit him. Haha, although this is an inn, the prince is now the master. Wouldn't you invite me in for a cup of tea?"

The translator knew that Yang Ling was joking, so he smiled and repeated to Shang Qing. When Shang Qing heard this, he smiled and hurriedly invited Yang Ling into the house.

This house is antique and has a charming charm in the south of the Yangtze River. The brick-carved double-eaved door tower and the blue brick relief are extremely luxurious. When you enter the yard, you will see pink walls and black tiles, and a quiet palace. The loft and platform are flying eaves and brackets, carved beams and painted buildings, and the lotus pond under the rockery. The green pool of water brings a bit of spring to the sun.

The prince Yangling, Shangqing, walked and chatted. After a few words, he paused and asked the translator to give the translator. Both sides entered the "Conggui Hall". The guest and host sat on the hood chair of the Huanghuali Wooden Land Official. Yangling asked the prince Qing that he was here to inquire about the opening of the sea in the Ming Dynasty, and then he told him about the national policy of the Ming Dynasty and his future plans for trade.

Shang Qing was so happy when he heard the translator's details that he was very happy. He should know that Ryukyu relies entirely on the Ming Dynasty. In the past, the Ming Dynasty did not trade with Japan, so they bought Japanese goods and sold them to the Ming Dynasty at a high price, and then sold them to Japan at a higher price. Relying on intermediate trade for a living.

If the Ming Dynasty had traded directly with Japan, their livelihood would be lost. After coming to Jiangnan, although local officials respected him very much, all the responsible officials were driven by Gu Dayong to build various yamen and had no time to answer him. This was the first time that the official news was heard from the imperial envoy of the Ming Dynasty.

Shang Qing looked like a honest and straightforward boy, but he was very business-minded. They originally sold Japanese silver, lacquerware, swords, screens and fans to the Ming Dynasty. They resold Chinese medicinal materials, porcelain, silk, and copper coins to Japan and North Korea.

Now that I have understood the policies of the Ming Dynasty, Shang Qing has made a quick calculation. Although Japan and North Korea's business is incredible, it was not easy to sail at sea at that time. Many small countries in the southeast did not have the ability to sail far away. Even if the Ming Dynasty opened the sea ban, they could only sigh. When Ryukyu was in between, they could take over the transaction of rhino horns, spices, tin, sugar, ivory, frankincense, ambergris and other goods from the southeast countries with the Ming Dynasty, and then buy Ming ceramics, lacquerware and silk to sell them back, which is still a big profit.

Shang Qing was very happy, so he took the opportunity to mention to Yang Ling that the Ryukyu Kingdom wanted to do business with the Ming Dynasty. Yang Ling smiled and said, "This is easy. The tolerant country of the Celestial Empire is great. Ryukyu has always been a vassal state of the Celestial Empire. If you come to do business, we are welcome."

Yang Ling paused and seemed to say inadvertently: "If the prince still wants to know more about these things, you can learn about them from the Admiral Gu of the Haishiya. This time, this time, this official came to Jiangnan mainly for the rampant Japanese pirates at sea."

When Shang Qing heard this, his face tightened and asked hurriedly: "The Japanese pirates came to the coast of Ming Dynasty again?"

After hearing the translator's inquiry, Yang Ling smiled and said, "Yes, in order not to be affected by pirates, the Japanese Kingdom is now expelling pirates with great fanfare. The pirates have nowhere to hide and have to wander on the sea. By the way, I have informed North Korea, Luzon and other countries to strengthen their arms to prevent pirates from going ashore. I thought your country was close to Japan and should have received news early. Have you been prepared?"

Shang Qing's face turned pale and he said nervously: "My country... has a small strength in primary school, and there is no standing army, only a palace guard, with a total number of no more than 3,000 people. If the Japanese pirates attack, it will be difficult for us to resist."

After hearing this, Yang Ling sighed and shook his head and said, "That's hard. Now several giant sea bandits gather together, with a total of less than 20,000 people. If they have no place to occupy, they may... it is inevitable that they will covet your country."

Shang Qing said nervously: "I originally wanted to go to the capital to pay homage to His Majesty the Ming Emperor. It seems that I have to go back to China now. I am very worried about my father and our tribe members."

Yang Ling slapped his thigh and said with a compassionate look: "Pirates are so rampant nowadays, alas! Manta Kara... Oh, the prince knows Manta Kara? They were just captured by a mere 400 Western pirates not long ago. The Manta Kara fled to an isolated island in the sea. The palace ministers can't even find the king now.

Originally, how could the Ming Dynasty watch its vassal state be bullied? However, there was no letter to the country that was asked for military service with full stigma and the king's golden seal. My Ming Dynasty was named Wuming Dynasty, poor... Even the princesses and princesses were humiliated and bullied by robbers and became slaves. I am really heartbroken. When I inspected Guangdong, I will send people to sea to find the king of the country, hoping that he will be safe and sound."

The prince Shangqing could no longer sit still when he heard this. He just got married this year. The princess is a famous little beauty on the Ryukyu islands. In his heart, his beloved wife is as bright as a pearl in the deep sea. When he thought that his charming wife would be able to become a cruel and despicable female slave of the Japanese pirates and suffer from their destruction, Shangqing suddenly felt like a knife.

He hurriedly begged: "Mr. Imperial Envoy, the Ryukyu Kingdom is the most loyal minister of the Ming Dynasty. We pay tribute every year and come to the court every year. We abide by the duties of the Ming ministers. Every generation of kings succeeded to the throne, they personally requested the title of the emperor to the Ming Dynasty. Now our country is in danger of being occupied by pirates. I also ask the Emperor Imperial Envoy to be loyal to the land of the despise country. I would like to ask His Majesty the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty to send help from heaven."

Yang Ling hesitated and said, "This...", he frowned with a distressed look and said, "Criminal, it's not that I am unwilling to help. One way, there is no letter of request for troops from the king of your country, this..."

Shang Qingxi said: "This is easy to deal with. The Japanese pirates have also invaded us. We have long asked the Celestial Empire to send troops to rescue me. I will immediately return to the country and ask my father to submit another letter. I will beg the Emperor to send troops."

Yang Ling covered his mouth and coughed slowly, saying slowly: "Prince, don't worry, don't worry, the Celestial Navy is also responsible for chasing pirates everywhere, and the ability to withdraw the ground is limited. Besides, the garrison must protect the island, so there must be 17,800 people. So many people need to eat and drink, and the cargo ships that transport supplies and food must not leave the port every day? Although the Ming Dynasty has strong strength, it is a bit unbearable."

Shang Qingluo calculated that the expenses of nearly 20,000 troops were indeed enough for the Ryukyu Kingdom to drink. But compared with the danger of the destruction of the country, what does this matter? Besides, the Ming Dynasty was about to open sea and trade. With such a large army stationed there, merchant ships from various countries in the South China dared to rest assuredly parked in their port of Dinaba.

Whether it is to withdraw tariffs or resell goods in the middle, the huge income is still surplus after paying military expenses. The Ming army is stationed there, and once it is defeated, the Ming court will inevitably refuse to give up. This is more cost-effective than raising a 20,000 army by itself.

Thinking of this, Shang Qing stood up and said, "Don't worry about this matter. The Celestial Navy is trying to protect our country, so the money, grain and supplies will naturally be paid by our country."

He was still hesitating, so he simply raised his sleeves and knelt down on the ground, saying sarcastically: "Sir, the small country of Ryukyu is at risk of being destroyed by pirates at any time. I have heard that the Lord is the most favored minister of His Majesty the Emperor. Please give mercy to us and we must help us."

"Okay!" Yang Ling helped Shang Qing up and said with a sigh: "Since the prince said that, I will immediately write a secret memorial to the emperor, as for your country..."

Shang Qing said without hesitation: "I will return to China immediately, ask my father's letter of help, and send it to the capital of the Ming Dynasty in person."

Yang Ling changed into a smile and said, "Okay, it's urgent. Then the prince will return to China as soon as possible, and I will hurry back to deal with this matter immediately."

Shang Qing was so grateful that he prepared a generous gift and sent Yang Ling out of the mansion with great gratitude.

Although Yang Ling's move was a little damaged, he had no choice. Although this matter was beneficial to the Ming Dynasty, it actually had more benefits than disadvantages to the Ryukyu Kingdom. At least the Ming Dynasty did not annex their bad intentions, and this mere small country stayed there without a powerful country to protect it. It would be a matter of time before it was annexed and destroyed.

The reason why Yang Ling was acting was just to change the initiative to send troops to the request, so that he could try his best to take the initiative when formulating the Mingliu Security Treaty in the future, so as to avoid problems one day.

Yang Ling rushed back to the imperial envoy's headquarters. As soon as he entered the living room, he saw a military general rushing over to salute him. He shouted loudly: "Min Wenjian, the assistant commander of Jiangnan Road, please see the Marquis of Weiwu, the General of the Dragon and Tiger of the Right Pillar Kingdom, and the Admiral of the Inner Factory, Lord Yang!"

Yang Ling let out a "ah" and quickly helped him up, punched him in the chest and said with a smile: "Mr. Min, do we still talk about these rules?"

Min Wenjian stood up and smiled and said, "Public first and then private. Let's discuss public affairs first and then private friendships. Only then can adults do it."

Yang Ling laughed and said, "Sir Min has been to Jiangnan, and this knowledge has been great. Idioms have become more and more standardized. Adults have achieved great results in managing military farms. After this autumn harvest, the first contribution to the grain conversion is indispensable to you, Lord Min."

Cheng Qiyun had already come over, and stood aside with a smile, waiting for the two old friends to be intimate, then interrupted: "Sir, the commander of Jiangnan Road, Bai Chongzan, Lord Bai and... the navy teacher Peng Fugui, General Peng Qian, has been waiting for a long time."

Only then did Yang Ling notice that there was a thin military officer standing in the hall, about fifty years old, and a burly old man with a leopard figure, a heavy date, and a silver hair. Yang Ling quickly bowed and smiled, "Master Bai, Mr. Peng Qian, I was so obscene to my old friend when I saw him, and was rude."

Although Bai Chongzan was as beautiful as a scholar, he was also a veteran from the army. He met Yang Ling meticulously according to military courtesy. The Qian Zong Peng Shark, who was born as a pirate king, also came forward to greet him. Look at his posture, he was indeed a tiger general.

Yang Ling and the two of them made a few more noises and asked them to sit back. Bai Chongzan bowed and said, "Mr. Yang, this is the purpose of Jiangnan to remove the ban, which is to eliminate the Japanese pirates?"

Yang Ling nodded and said, "That is, in fact, the two are two and one, and one and two places. It is difficult for Japanese pirates to clear the sea ban without removing the ban. Moreover, the Japanese pirates have been forced to suppress the enemy in Japan recently and have all fled to the coast of the Ming Dynasty. Even if they do not understand the ban, they must pay attention to how to prevent their invasion."

Bai Chong praised and said, "What the lord said is very true. The navy under the subordinates only patrolled the coast and used mostly stable but heavy blessed ships. Rather than saying that they were marine navy, they were actually from Neihu navy. The difference between them is quite large.
Chapter completed!