Seven Seas Beacon Fire

Damn it, I've never heard of Japanese people committing seppuku so easily in either of my two worlds. How come this Japanese girl is giving me such a stereotypical impression of Japanese people?

Then his mother also persuaded Li Che to accept the nanny who had sent Mingzi. The nanny whispered in Li Che's ear, "So that His Highness the Crown Prince knows that not only does the Tokugawa Shogunate need us now, but we also need the Tokugawa Shogunate to set an example. Your Highness is making plans for the future."

What the hell could he say? Li Che could only play along with his grandfather and make the most of the charade. He could understand his grandfather's thinking. Political marriages certainly didn't have much binding force, but right now they were like unripe melons—not sweet, but they quenched thirst.

At this critical juncture, Li Zongdi's efforts to unite the forces for resistance against Japan are not limited to the domestic empire. In the past, the countries surrounding Daming contributed their strength in accordance with the traditional order of the Celestial Empire. However, now that Western countries have reached the borders, can the overseas embassies and the "Three Proclamations and Six Condolences" still unite the Chinese Empire around its periphery as before?

No one can provide the answer right now, which makes the Tokugawa Shogunate's current stance particularly unusual at this time.

Li Che picked up his teacup and smiled slightly at Mingzi. If it weren't for this formulaic smile, this Japanese girl would probably feel guilty again when she got back.

"What are you doing? So many lists?"

Zhu Miaoyun's voice came from the other side. Li Che turned his head with some helplessness: "Your Highness, I must remind you that these things on my table are military secrets... Although you can't reveal these contents to others now, looking at these things probably won't help you pass the time."

"Huh? What do you mean I can't possibly leak this information to anyone right now? I can't contact any outsiders while I'm with you, but even if I could, I wouldn't leak these things. Do you think I'm the kind of person who would betray national interests?" Zhu Miaoyun seemed to feel greatly insulted.

"No, it's just that rules are rules, but since you are a princess, I can't be too harsh on you."

"Come on, the Ming Dynasty is already gone, what's the point of saying all this?" Zhu Miaoyun waved her hand dismissively.

Li Che felt that Zhu Miaoyun's sentence structure sounded somewhat familiar, but before he could think about it further, Zhu Miaoyun said to him again, "Speaking of which, now that the Ming Dynasty has already fallen, why do you still call me Princess?"

“Just out of politeness, Your Highness,” Li Che said. “Besides, just because you were willing to risk your life to report to us that someone was colluding with foreign countries, even now everyone still regards you as a princess. In this respect, you are more responsible than your father.”

Moreover, both the previous provisional government and our current new government can only be considered remnant governments of the Ming Dynasty. In terms of international law, the country still belongs to the Ming Empire, just as the army fighting on the battlefield still flies the Ming flag.

Upon hearing Li Che mention her adoptive father, Zhu Miaoyun scratched her head. She had no feelings for her eccentric adoptive father and didn't even have many clear memories of him.

However, in the past month, Zhu Miaoyun still learned a lot about her adoptive father from newspapers or other people. It seems that if the responsibility for the country's current state is shared, then her father might have to bear eight-tenths of the blame.

"When I was hiding, I even thought I would be dealt with by you... just like..."

"Like what?"

"It's nothing." Zhu Miaoyun shrugged. "Looking back now, I was just overthinking things. But how long will this situation last? Will I be able to live as an ordinary civilian in the future?"

“I can assure you that you will be able to live freely as an ordinary citizen in the future.” Li Che said as he put away the things on the table. “I’m going on a long trip soon. You will stay here for a while longer. Mingzi will stay with you. I don’t know how long this situation will last. After all, the current situation is special and your identity is too sensitive. But I think that when the war ends, you will be able to live freely as an ordinary person.”

"Okay, let's just say you're serving your sentence here. Wait a minute... you said you're going on a long trip? Where are you going?"

“I’m sorry, Your Highness,” Li Che shrugged, “This is a military secret, please forgive me for not being able to provide further information…”

"Is it Vladivostok?"

Li Che paused for a moment, then shook his head helplessly after a brief silence: "How long have you been eavesdropping outside the door? That's not a good thing, Your Highness."

"I didn't mean to eavesdrop. It wasn't convenient for Mingzi and me to come in when you were on the phone. I was listening to you from outside the door without letting you know that I was eavesdropping. But now I'm just telling you a little later."

Li Che remained silent.

"I'm being watched by your guards in here... The baby is being protected by your guards, and it's impossible for them to leak the news to the outside world, so there's no need to worry."

“I’m not worried about you leaking information. I’m just amazed that you, as a princess, have absolutely no political acumen… I’m going to rest now. If you’re bored, Princess, you can play some Go with Mingzi. I have some Go sets here.”

"I don't know how to play Go."

"You don't know how to play Go?" Li Che looked at Zhu Miaoyun with some surprise.

"Do I have to know how to play Go?" Zhu Miaoyun asked, somewhat confused.

"Of course not." Li Che shook his head. "Then I'll have someone send you a chess set, or a checkers set?"

"No, I don't like playing chess. Take me to Vladivostok instead. I've never been to Vladivostok before."

Hearing Zhu Miaoyun's unreasonable request, Li Che gave a wry smile: "My esteemed princess, I am not going to Vladivostok for a vacation, and the conditions there are not very comfortable. It is impossible for me to take you with me, as we are at war."

“I’m not going on vacation.” Zhu Miaoyun puffed out her chest, a gesture that made her already quite full breasts seem even more prominent. “Our country is currently at war with almost the entire West, and of course I want to do my part. I can be your secretary; handling a lot of paperwork is my specialty.”

Li Che assumed that the princess was just rambling on because she had been bored for a long time. What kind of princess would be good at handling paperwork?

"Please don't be ridiculous, Your Highness."

“I’m not being unreasonable.” Zhu Miaoyun counted on her fingers as she explained her reasons: “First of all, as you just said, our country is still legally the Ming Empire, so as a princess, I naturally have a duty to do this. Secondly, the Prince of Jin’s mansion doesn’t seem to have much of a foothold in the navy. I think if I were to stand up for you, you would be more able to handle many things.”

Li Che raised an eyebrow in surprise. He hadn't expected Zhu Miaoyun to come up with such a reason, and... it actually made some sense?

However, he shook his head: "If Your Highness wants to make some contribution to the front line, you can make insoles for the soldiers on the front line. After you make them, just send them to the city hall. Many women across the country are supporting the war in a similar way. As for Your Highness supporting me... please allow me to thank Your Highness first, but I think I can handle it myself for now."

"Why do you insist on taking on a difficult task when you could have made it easier? I think you should explore the potential of your friends more."

"Uh... friend?"

"Aren't we friends?"

“Okay, yes, we are friends.” Li Che nodded. “So what you mean by tapping into the energy of our friends is…”

"Didn't you say on the phone earlier that there was no qualified commander?"

"Your Highness, when exactly did you start eavesdropping?"

“Oh, that’s not important.” Zhu Miaoyun waved her hand, then pointed to Tokugawa Akiko, who had been silent since the beginning: “I’ll recommend someone for Akiko. I’ll recommend Akiko’s teacher.”

"Akiko's teacher?" Li Che turned a questioning gaze to Tokugawa Akiko: "Who is Akiko's teacher?"

"Her teacher is a very capable person. I learned from chatting with Mingzi today that her teacher was originally an officer in the Yingzhou Navy. When Mingzi and her group withdrew from Yingzhou, Mingzi's teacher left the Yingzhou Navy with them. Now Mingzi's teacher is in Tianjin. If you are going to Vladivostok, you can take him with you on the way. He is a dragon among men."

An officer from the Yingzhou Navy becoming the tutor of the eldest daughter of the Tokugawa Shogunate? What could he possibly teach? Li Che ignored Zhu Miaoyun's cryptic remarks and asked Tokugawa Akiko directly, "Akiko, who is the tutor the princess mentioned?"

Tokugawa Akiko clearly did not expect the Ming princess to suddenly mention her and her teacher.

Oh no! The Ming princess has elevated my teacher to such a high level, but my teacher is just an ordinary naval officer. What he taught me was actually Chinese—after all, the Yingzhou Navy had always had a deep connection with the Ming Royal Navy, and the Yingzhou Navy's operational manual was entirely in Chinese, so all the Yingzhou Navy officers could speak fluent Chinese.

Even this teacher, Tokugawa Akiko, felt that he was a bit eccentric. He almost died of illness when he first retreated to the mainland, and after being saved, he became like this, eccentric all the time. How could such a teacher, whom she had only casually mentioned to the princess, become a talent that could be recommended to the Crown Prince?

However, when faced with Li Che's question, Tokugawa Akiko dared not hide anything.

"Your Highness, my daughter's teacher is named Akiyama-dono, and he is just an ordinary naval officer. He does not deserve such praise from Your Highness."

Chapter 44 The two shook hands while wearing masks

Qiushan Palace?

Upon hearing this name, Li Che's face showed obvious surprise. He never expected that such a talented person would retreat to Ming China with the Tokugawa Shogunate.

In the 21st-century internet military enthusiast circle, or more precisely, in the naval circle, this person's name is basically known to everyone. In the early years of another world, when people discussed naval warfare in the pre-dreadnought era on the internet, Akiyama was an unavoidable name.

Regardless of how many people think he is exaggerating or how many people praise him to the skies, generally speaking, everyone agrees that Akiyama-dono is capable, or rather, everyone agrees that Akiyama-dono is at least a very good strategist, so much so that he left a somewhat special "atmosphere" for the later strategists of the old Yingzhou Navy.

That's because Akiyama often worked day and night and didn't shower for days when formulating battle plans. After that, all the IJN staff officers who imitated Akiyama learned not to shower, but none of them could reach the level of wisdom flowing like a tide. However, they did manage to make their colleagues smell terrible. Some of them, like Kuroshima Kameto, smelled so bad that they were aroused by both gods and men.

This trend shows Akiyama-dono's influence on the later IJN, but for a long time this influence was actually limited to within IJN. In another world, until the novel "Saka no Ue no Kumo" and the later TV series were published, most people were completely clueless when they heard Akiyama-dono's name.

Therefore, when Akiko Tokugawa was asked about her teacher, she was even somewhat apprehensive – because it was as if one day a group of people suddenly came to you and asked about the personal life of your usually unruly university professor. You thought your professor was just a playboy, but those mysterious people with the words "relevant department" written all over their faces insisted that you tell them about the professor's extraordinary qualities.

What can you say?

Akiko Tokugawa was at a loss for words, because Akiyama-dono had only ever taught her Chinese. This was mainly because the Yingzhou Navy had previously maintained close ties with the Ming Dynasty's Royal Navy, and all the officers in the Yingzhou Navy could speak fluent Chinese. However, Akiko Tokugawa truly knew nothing about her teacher's naval expertise.

Seeing Tokugawa Akiko's appearance, Li Che realized that something was wrong, because Tokugawa Akiko obviously couldn't explain what made her teacher so amazing, or rather, she didn't even realize how amazing her teacher was.

Li Che slowly turned around and turned his gaze to Zhu Miaoyun. Zhu Miaoyun couldn't help but touch her nose, her face practically screaming guilt: "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"It's nothing. I'm just a little curious about how Her Highness came up with the idea of ​​recommending an officer from the Yingzhou Navy to me."

"Ah...that..." Zhu Miaoyun was also stuck. At this moment, Zhu Miaoyun realized that her recommendation seemed a bit rash. Zhu Miaoyun only learned about Qiushan Dian from that pig. It seemed that he had shone brightly in the Russo-Japanese War? In this time and space, the Russo-Japanese War never broke out, so naturally Qiushan Dian had no opportunity to show his talent.

Oh no, I was determined to disguise myself well when I transmigrated here, but it seems that I have become visibly relaxed these past few days since I got rid of the days of hiding.

Just as Zhu Miaoyun was racking her brains for an excuse, Li Che smiled slightly and said, "I think it must be because Her Highness the Princess felt that this officer of the Yingzhou Navy, who came to the Ming Dynasty with the Shogunate, must be a loyal and righteous man, so she recommended him to me, right?"

Zhu Miaoyun was surprised that when she didn't know how to answer, the other party actually offered her a way out.

However, the timing of these steps was a bit too perfect. Zhu Miaoyun instinctively felt that there was something wrong with them. If she were to step down these steps, she would feel as if she were falling into someone's trap.

“No,” Zhu Miaoyun said. “It’s mainly because I learned that the officer of the Yingzhou Navy successfully persuaded the entire Second Fleet of the Yingzhou Navy to withdraw together. Although the Second Fleet of the Yingzhou is nothing compared to our navy, I think this person has a very strong organizational ability to persuade the entire Second Fleet of the Yingzhou to abandon the darkness and join the light.”

Li Che had been carefully observing the micro-expressions on Zhu Miaoyun's face. The princess had actually given a reasonable explanation in the end. Li Che didn't know whether the strange feeling he was experiencing was disappointment or... relief.

But looking back now, there are indeed many strange things about this princess over the past few days. First of all, her words, actions, and sentence structure don't seem like those of a princess who has lived in the palace since childhood.

If her behavior at the dinner table could be explained by her recent tendency to hide and neglect etiquette, then the fact that Her Highness doesn't even know how to play chess... seems rather strange in retrospect.

It's unbelievable that nobles in the East don't know how to play Go, just like British nobles don't know how to play bridge.

Moreover, the princess clearly realized that her behavior might have been inappropriate, and now her deliberate attempt to adopt the demeanor of a princess only made her seem more guilty.

Could it be that Princess Zhu Miaoyun's identity is fake? Li Che had indeed heard before that people of high rank and power would have doubles, just like the legend of shadow warriors among the Yingzhou people. In ancient China, the Imperial Son-in-Law Commandant actually performed a similar duty. When the emperor traveled, the Imperial Son-in-Law Commandant would sit in the same carriage, making it impossible for people to tell where the emperor was.

The problem is that, throughout history and across the world, most stand-ins can only achieve a similar physique and a similar appearance from a distance. It is already difficult to achieve this. There are quite a few people in the Navy who have seen Zhu Miaoyun, but no one has questioned the identity of this princess. Surely there is no other person in the world who looks so much like her?

Even Lin Dan and Zeng Xiaoxian, Wu Jing and Araki Tetsuro, Xia Bingbao and Xia Yu don't look this alike.

Suddenly, Li Che thought about his own situation, and a bold idea popped into his mind: Could it be...?

Zhu Miaoyun felt a little uneasy under Li Che's gaze: "Is there something wrong with my reason? You can't possibly suspect me of having ulterior motives, can you?"

“No, no.” Li Che shook his head with a smile: “I was just thinking about some… happy things.”

Immediately, Li Che extended his hand to Zhu Miaoyun: "Thank you for recommending such a talented person, Your Highness. I agree to take you to Vladivostok. Tomorrow I will have someone prepare a proper military uniform for you. I believe that the naval officers and soldiers will be overjoyed and motivated to fight hard when they see Your Highness before setting off."

Zhu Miaoyun never expected that this guy's attitude would make a 180-degree turn and agree so easily? Faced with the outstretched hand, she was a little stunned but tried her best to keep her expression in check before slowly extending her own hand.

Their hands were clasped tightly together, as if they were about to step into a masquerade ball together.

-------------------------------------

When Li Renchi learned that his son had taken the Ming princess north to Vladivostok, the young master had a strong urge to pull out his belt, but didn't know where to pull it.

Does this kid know what he's doing?

I don't even know how to report this to his grandfather!

Vladivostok is a standard front line. The Federation had even tried to shell it before, but the Federation's warships, which entered service 10 years later, were repelled by the coastal defense guns installed around the Vladivostok fortress at the end of the last century. Although this shows that the Vladivostok fortress is strong and easy to defend, it is still not a safe place.

If Princess Zhu Miaoyun were to suffer any mishap, who knows what kind of media storm would be stirred up by those former officials who had gone into hiding and their mouthpieces, the newspapers.

However, this kind of thing obviously cannot be hidden or concealed, because so many people will be watching when we get to Vladivostok. If the old man only finds out about this at that time, it's hard to say what will happen to Li Che. But Li Renzhi thinks the old man should whip him until he breaks.

When Li Renzhi brought this somewhat explosive news to the old man and showed it to him, Li Zongdi seemed to react very calmly. He casually put the news aside and then picked up a bowl of fermented rice and slurped it down. The old man was having breakfast, so it seemed that the news had not affected his appetite.

"Dad, this kid has really got a lot of guts."

"It's unlikely. He hasn't dared to get that princess pregnant yet, which means he's probably still thinking things through."

"Father, what are you saying!" Li Renchi stamped his foot. "The key issue is that this brat is acting so recklessly. I think it won't do. You should call him back and keep him by your side..."

Li Zongdi put down his bowl, leaned back in his chair, and looked at his eldest son, clicking his tongue and saying, "Look, he's in such a hurry again."

"How can I not be anxious, Father?"

"Did you read your son's telegram about the reasons why the princess was going to Vladivostok?"

“I saw it, but…”

“You didn’t understand.” Li Zongdi looked at his son seriously and said, “Eldest son, the young lady said that she felt she should do something, do what she could do. The young lady is a princess of the Ming Dynasty. Her attitude is worlds apart from her father’s.”

For over 200 years, our Li family has been blessed by the nation. Our Li family was originally rebels. Although the Ming Dynasty was known for its harshness and lack of gratitude, it never owed our Li family anything. I grew up reading stories of the heroes of the Ming Dynasty. No matter what, the Ming Dynasty still holds a place in my heart.

This was once such a glorious and great dynasty, but it collapsed in a somewhat sordid ending. To use an imperfect analogy, it's like your father: when I was young, I fell in love with a woman, but after many years, I found that the once unattainable beauty had been crushed into dust... Do you remember the story of Lu Xiufu that I taught you when you were in school?"

Li Renchi cupped his hands and said, "Your son remembers."

"Lu Xiufu carried the young emperor into the sea in the end, in order to leave some face for the already disgraced Song Dynasty. I think what that little girl is doing now is also to leave some face for the Ming Dynasty. Since the Hongwu Emperor has such thoughts, why not grant her wish? It's a pity... this princess is not a man."

Chapter 45 Qiushan Palace's Suggestion (1)

When the northbound train stopped in Tianjin to refuel and replenish water, Li Che finally met Qiu Shan Dian, whom he had long admired in another world but had only met after arriving in this world.

Unlike the many geniuses I imagined, who were at least arrogant even if they weren't domineering, Qiushan Dian seemed noticeably shy and introverted.

After all, compared to Akiyama-dono in another timeline, Li Che understood that the Akiyama before him had no chance to demonstrate his talent in war after war. After all, in this world, before the Emperor seized power and rebelled, the Tokugawa Shogunate was fully qualified to compete with Silla for "who is the happiest dog in the Ming Dynasty".

Yingzhou Navy naturally holds a position similar to a branch fleet of the Ming Royal Navy. From top to bottom, it only needs to play the role of a cog in the Ming Royal Navy system. Qiushan Palace naturally has no chance to "become famous throughout the world". After all, there is no fleet that can cross tens of thousands of nautical miles and three oceans from the other side of the earth to deliver your head, allowing you to carry out the "T-shaped tactic".

As for attacking Lushun Port with torpedo boats... even if the Yingzhou Navy of the previous timeline had a few guts, they wouldn't dare to formulate such an operation plan. Wouldn't that be equivalent to asking the Yingzhou Maritime Self-Defense Force of the 21st century to formulate a plan to attack Pearl Harbor again?

Li Che calmly and proactively went up to shake hands with Qiushan. Upon meeting, he discovered that Qiushan was quite tall for the people of Yingzhou. Li Che was already 1.78 meters tall, and Qiushan seemed to be about the same height as him (historically, Qiushan was 1.77 meters tall, which was considered a rare tall person among the people of Yingzhou).

Li Che vaguely remembered that in another timeline, Qiushan Palace had died at the beginning of last year, but in this world, it seemed to be doing quite well.

In that world, after World War I, Akiyama-dono contracted peritonitis while serving as the commander of the Second Fleet. He resolutely refused medical treatment and instead sought divine intervention. He died in office at the age of 50, leaving behind a will that his son should take his place as a monk.

There's a saying in the novel: "The war against Russia took away Kodama Gentaro's body and Akiyama-dono's spirit."