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

Chapter 278 Fear in All Nations

Matsushita Ichiken never expected such a reversal. Things were about to get complicated. He had only intended to use this opportunity to test the Ming Dynasty's attitude towards them, its vassal states. Who could have imagined that the Japanese would use this opportunity to do such a thing?

Only then did they realize that perhaps getting involved in this matter was a mistake in itself.

If it weren't for this incident, there wouldn't have been much of a problem for them to help these Japanese pirates.

But given the current situation, how could the Ming Dynasty possibly let this matter go? One person felt a chill run down his spine. Thinking of this, the envoys from various countries stood up and spoke up in unison.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty, we were misled by the Japanese envoy in this matter. In fact, we have no intention of opposing the Ming Dynasty!"

"We hope that the Ming Dynasty will consider the relationship between our two countries and not hold it against us!"

The Japanese envoy's face turned extremely ugly upon hearing this, as he had not expected things to change so drastically.

These damned bastards took so much money from me and then betrayed me.

Although this matter was not a secret in Japan, not many people in the Ming Dynasty knew about it. Most of those who knew the truth were from powerful families, and those who knew about it had already died in the previous battles.

Thinking of this, the Japanese envoy guessed that Zhu Xiong Ying might not know the details and had no evidence. He then stepped forward and said loudly.

"This is slander, this is slander against my country, Japan. We have never done such things."

"It must be a deliberate frame-up. Those people are our enemies; how could they possibly be allied with us!"

"Everything requires evidence. I wonder if His Highness the Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty has any evidence?"

Zhu Xiong Ying's playful mood was greatly aroused.

"What constitutes evidence? This is obvious; do we really need any more evidence?"

The Japanese envoy's eyes lit up upon hearing this. This was a golden opportunity. The fact that the envoy said this meant that he certainly didn't have any evidence, which was a good thing for him.

"You have no evidence, so this is a slander against Japan. Japan protests. If you can slander Japan like this today, you might find other reasons to deal with other countries in the future. It is truly despicable!"

The envoys from other countries also turned pale upon hearing this, unsure of who was right and who was wrong.

This was something they had always worried about. The Ming Dynasty was extremely powerful and far beyond their ability to deal with. If that were the case, how should they conduct themselves?

At this moment, Zhu Xiong Ying produced a stack of letters and some testimonies as if by magic.

"These letters are confessions written by powerful families within our Great Ming Dynasty, while others are confessions and detailed account books written by officials in your Japan!"

"With these things here, do you think you can still deny it!"

Zhu Xi then handed over all the evidence in his hands to the ministers in the court and the envoys from various countries for their viewing.

Looking at the contents of this document, the Japanese envoy turned ashen-faced. No one had expected that these things would be left behind. This was extremely troublesome. It was bad enough that those despicable people did such a thing, but why didn't they destroy the evidence? How was he supposed to explain himself now?

Seeing the Japanese envoy stammering and unable to speak, everyone felt a surge of joy.

"Tell your Emperor and Shogun that they have offended my daimyo and should pay the price accordingly. My Great Ming will not invade other countries, but if any other country thinks that my Great Ming is easy to bully, then come and try to see if my Great Ming's sword is still sharp!"

The other envoys were startled and cried out that they dared not. The Japanese envoy knew that continuing would not benefit him, so he prepared to leave, but he was blocked by two people.

Everyone was extremely surprised, while Zhu Xiong Ying watched the scene below with great interest.

The Japanese envoy looked rather grim.

"As the saying goes, when two countries are at war, one should not kill the envoy. Isn't what you're doing a bit inappropriate?"

Zhu Xiong Ying sneered.

"Why didn't you say this when you were plundering my people?"

"It is true that envoys should not be killed when war breaks out between two countries, but this applies only between nations. No one recognizes your Japan as a country!"

"I only have one thing to say to you: eradicate evil completely!"

After finishing, he immediately ordered his men to drag the Japanese man's fingers out and cut them off. After the head was pickled, it was thrown back to Japan.

No one expected this matter to turn into such a farce. The envoys from these countries also knew that they could not continue to wait here. If they revealed the Ming Dynasty's attitude, there might be other changes in the future.

After all the envoys from these countries had left, several cabinet ministers standing nearby frowned.

"Is it a bit inappropriate to say it like that? In any case, this is a vassal state of my Great Ming!"

"If this matter gets out, how will our Great Ming Dynasty interact with the surrounding countries!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Xiong Ying shook his head.

"Now that the strength of my Great Ming Dynasty far surpasses that of the surrounding countries, why should we give them any explanation? I have noticed that those who disobey me can be executed!"

The court officials were filled with disbelief. "A nation, however large, will perish if it is fond of war." This saying is not just empty words. If this were the case, the Ming Dynasty would inevitably fall into endless wars. Even if the Ming Dynasty were still powerful, it would not be able to withstand such battles.

The same was true during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han. After the reigns of Emperors Wen and Jing, the Han Dynasty was at its strongest. However, this powerful empire eventually fell due to Emperor Wu's continuous wars.

"Your Highness, you must not disobey. Even the greatest nation will perish if it is warlike. Although our Great Ming is powerful, we may not be able to defeat the surrounding countries if they join forces. Moreover, our internal problems have not been completely resolved yet, and we should not strain relations with other countries!"

"Your Highness, please consider this!"

Upon hearing this, the court officials all stepped forward, saying that these were truly wise words.

Zhu Xiong Ying naturally knew what these officials were thinking. Endless wars were of no benefit to them. What these people were worried about was that the Ming Dynasty would be dragged into a quagmire of war. But now, with the equipment and combat power of the Ming Dynasty's army, the surrounding countries simply could not stop it. Such an overwhelming battle would not have much impact on the national strength of the Ming Dynasty.

"I understand what you all think, but please remember this!"

"Now that our Great Ming Dynasty is at peace, and war is not a waste of manpower and resources."

The world is in constant turmoil; only by unifying all nations can the world be restored!

(End of this chapter)