The Ming Dynasty: The most ruthless imperial grandson, Old Zhu begged me not to kill him.

Chapter 191 Dock Construction Plan
"If the Ming Dynasty has the strength, it can wipe them out on its own!"

Koizumi Kameshiro was well aware that the Ming Dynasty's infantry and cavalry were very strong, and even in terms of firearms, but its navy was not so good.

During the Battle of Poyang Lake, some naval forces were still retained, but their strength was insufficient.

Catching up with their hard-earned elite force at sea is no easy task.

Zhu Xiong Ying gave a cold laugh.

"Do you think I'm discussing this with you? I'm just informing you. If Japanese pirates reappear along the southeast coast, I will consider it a provocation by your Japan against our Great Ming Dynasty, and then we'll have no choice but to fight!"

Kameda Higo was extremely angry.

"Your Great Ming Dynasty doesn't have the ability to deal with those pirates, do you really think you can deal with my Japan?"

"You think we can solve your problem with the pirates in the southeast? Don't even think about it!"

The Kameda family is considered a large family in Japan, especially in recent years, when it has grown rapidly by raiding the southeast.

Even many members of the Kameda family are at sea.

Zhu Xiong Ying sighed.

"I thought you guys would still be of some use, but it turns out you're completely useless. In that case, there's no need to keep you around!"

"Men, drag them out and behead them!"

Soon, several guards entered the shop and dragged Koizumi Kameshiro and Kameda Higo out.

The two men were filled with disbelief; this grandson of the Ming emperor actually dared to attack them.

"Even in war, envoys are not killed. If His Highness the Crown Prince were to attack us, he would surely be condemned by all nations. From then on, which nation in the world would dare to send an envoy to your Great Ming?"

The officials of the court felt a chill run down their spines. At this moment, Ni Yuanlu, the Minister of Rites, stepped forward.

"Your Highness, these Japanese are indeed ambitious and cannot be allowed to remain in the Ming Dynasty. However, it would be better to expel them now than to take their lives. If envoys from other countries were to find out, the Ming Dynasty would lose face. Diplomacy is no small matter, so I hope Your Highness will be cautious!"

Zhu Xiong Ying comforted Ni Yuan Lu.

“Minister Ni is indeed thinking of the best interests of our Great Ming, but in this matter, you are simply worried that we will not be able to give the envoys of various countries a reasonable explanation!”

"This matter is simple; I have already thought of it for you, my dear minister!"

"The Japanese envoy came to pay homage to the Ming Dynasty, but then committed a violent act in court, attempting to assassinate me. Fortunately, I discovered it in time!"

"Therefore, these two imposters of Japanese envoys were beheaded and their heads displayed to the public!"

What do you all think of this opinion?

The officials in the court were speechless; this was clearly a blatant lie.

With so many of them in one place, how could they possibly be assassinated by a Japanese envoy? Moreover, even if Japan did send assassins, they wouldn't be so foolish as to attempt an assassination in the middle of the day.

Duke Lan Yu of Liang suddenly cried out in surprise.

"These Japanese pirates who impersonated envoys are truly treacherous and ambitious. They dared to sow discord between our Great Ming and other countries. Fortunately, I arrived in time and discovered their treacherous intentions, so I captured them!"

"Otherwise, it would be really hard to say what the outcome would be!"

When the court officials saw Liang Guogong Lan Yu suddenly step forward to claim the credit, they immediately understood what was going on. Zhu Xiong Ying was no pushover; once he made a decision, there was absolutely no possibility of changing it.

Now that Lan Yu has made this matter a reality, he naturally won't leave any room for criticism from outsiders.

Some astute officials began to congratulate Duke Lan Yu of Liang. The two Japanese envoys were utterly bewildered. What was going on? They hadn't done anything wrong; how had they become assassins plotting to kill the Ming Dynasty's crown prince? It was Duke Lan Yu of Liang who stopped them.

What a joke! If we really gave them a knife, the first person we'd kill would be this Duke of Liang, Lan Yu, and we could even disarm him.

"You are making a false accusation!"

"I'm going back to tell His Majesty the Emperor of Japan, you're finished!"

……

Amidst shouts, the two were dragged out.

Zhu Xiong Ying looked at the group of officials below with their heads bowed and said with satisfaction.

"I'm sure everyone has figured out what the Japanese are thinking. Moreover, I received intelligence from the Embroidered Uniform Guard that not all the Japanese pirates at sea are defeated samurai nobles. In any case, most of them are composed of various families!"

"These families formed these pirate groups, wandering the seas under the guise of defection, waiting for an opportunity to attack the borders of our Great Ming!"

"This is a message from the Embroidered Uniform Guard!"

The officials in the court were taken aback.

Although they suspected that some of these Japanese pirates were imposters, they did not expect that there would be so many imposters.

No one doubted the falsity of the news.

Since this news came from the Embroidered Uniform Guard, there must be no problem with it.

Yang Siyi, the Minister of Revenue, stepped forward.

"Your Highness, the number of warships in our Great Ming Dynasty is currently very small. If we want to build more warships, we must build coastal docks. I humbly request Your Highness's permission to establish coastal docks in the southeast of the Great Ming Dynasty in preparation for any eventuality!"

Zhu Xiong Ying nodded, and immediately took out a nautical chart and marked six or seven docks on it.

The crowd was curious. Why build so many docks if the goal was simply to establish a navy? But since the Ministry of Revenue would cover the cost, it had nothing to do with them. Fortunately, these people weren't concerned with this matter.

Yang Siyi sighed.

These people may not know, but he knows very well that the reason so many docks were built is that, apart from a few for military use, the rest are for civilian use.

Zhu Xiong Ying had plans to open the sea, but at this time the resistance to opening the sea was too great.

Putting aside other things, there are quite a few families in the Jiangnan region who rely on maritime trade and smuggling.

The reason they were able to make so much money was because they monopolized this business.

If Zhu Xiong Ying were to get involved, it would inevitably reduce their profits significantly, which is something they do not want to see.

The Ming Dynasty has just implemented so many policies, especially the land tax reform in Fengyang Prefecture, which has caused great dissatisfaction among many scholar-officials.

If we were to take over the maritime trade, there would likely be major unrest in Jiangnan.

Although you can't move now, it doesn't mean you can't later.

Therefore, building the dock now is a preparation for the future.

The news of the Japanese envoy's murder caused great panic, especially among the envoys from various countries inside the Four Directions Pavilion, who were all discussing it, fearing that they would be next.

"It is said that when two countries are at war, envoys should not be killed. This Ming Dynasty is truly hateful. They actually killed the envoy of Japan. If they killed the Japanese envoy today, who knows who will be next? We must resist, or we might be the ones who die tomorrow!"

(End of this chapter)