"It's finally here. Pen? Interesting? Pavilion wWw. ｂiquge。 In an ordinary official room in the Forbidden City, Gu Yanwu rubbed his eyes and drank a cup of strong tea to refresh himself.

Gu Yanwu has slept very poorly recently, His Majesty the Emperor has returned, and Gu Yanwu, as a close minister, has a lot of things to do. In particular, the establishment of the China Alliance and the Joint Operations Command Committee has brought about a new change in the power structure of the Beijing Division. The affairs involved are naturally complicated. That is to say, His Majesty the Emperor is almost a pioneering king, and the power in his hands is fought by himself with one punch and one kick, and he has sufficient execution ability to divide it.

Otherwise, just those, Gu Yanwu would have a headache.

They were the upstarts brought out by His Majesty the Emperor, and although they were not visible, they actually occupied various key positions in the empire. For example, Gu Yanwu and Chen Zhenhui are the left arm and right arm in Zhu Cihong's diplomatic system. They talked, and it was better than all the big guys in the six departments.

Now, Gu Yanwu has a new task.

Compared with the cumbersome distribution of domestic interests, this new task cheered up Gu Yanwu, drank a cup of strong tea, and carefully read the recital from distant Japan.

In the face of Japan, which had never been masked, Gu Yanwu tried his best to investigate these days, and did not dare to omit a key piece of information and cause a mistake in judgment.

On the desk, it was a detailed investigation report brought by Wang Fuzhi, a Chinese scholar, who arrived in Japan.

Compared with North Korea, it is only separated by a Yalu River, and its influence can be described as very strong. The inside story of North Korea is quite well known to the Ming Dynasty.

But Japan is different.

In the era of the Ming Dynasty, sailing from the Ming Dynasty to Japan is still a challenge that tests luck and ability. For the understanding of Japan, the impression of the Ming Dynasty is far from enough.

Therefore, in this context, Wang Fuzhi went to Japan.

Of course, at the moment, Wang Fuzhi's identity has not been made public, but he has only established a school library in Japan in the name of the expedition company.

The Wonder Book House established by Zhu Cihong in Incheon is one such category.

Compared with business, which is about making money, the culture of reading and communication is obviously more moderate and powerful.

In later generations, in the circle of Chinese civilization in East Asia. Vietnam, North Korea, and South Korea have all abolished kanji, but Japan continues to use kanji. One of the reasons for this is important.

For North Korea and Vietnam, the use of Chinese characters is a constant reminder of the time when they were subservient to China. But the Japanese are a little different, they rarely have a history of subjugating China. On the contrary, there have been numerous attempts to pry the fate of the Japanese archipelago in history. The distant Tang Dynasty had naval battles, and the near Renchen Rebellion, the original history, and a series of humiliations in modern history.

Therefore, in the face of Chinese culture, the Japanese mentality is much calmer.

Their thinking is very practical, and the things of the strong are useful, so they try their best to learn. And because of the reality that they have not surrendered, the Japanese have been a little less humiliated in the face of China.

All in all, when Wang Fuzhi also opened a greenstone study in Edo, the Japanese welcomed it. In the final analysis, the Tokugawa shogunate's seclusion was only to resist the invasion of the West and maintain the shogunate's rule over Japan, rather than being really arrogant and arrogant like China, thinking that it was the Celestial Empire, and it would not be easy for eternity.

"There is an emperor in Japan, and the previous emperor, Koko, was a woman, and then abdicated to his half-brother, who is the current emperor of Japan...... Now thirteen years old. According to observations, the so-called emperor of Japan is not the one who wields real power. In Japan, all power was vested in the Edo shogunate. ”

"Suppressed by the shogunate, the Japanese emperor was required to devote energy to literature and art, and even more forbidden the emperor to control the power of affairs and finance. It is like being in captivity, or saying: This is the fulcrum of my Ming interests. ”

"Unlike the Ming Dynasty, the cornerstone of the country is the gentleman and the doctor. In Japan, the people in power are the samurai. As the descendants of the samurai, as the descendants of the former soldiers, on the one hand, they practice martial arts as samurai, but more importantly, the Japanese samurai are in the real core of the country, holding the power of the country. ”

"The Satsuma Domain is the second strongest feudal domain in Japan, and its combat power is good, and it has the air of self-reliance. The current head of the family, Mitsuhisa Shimazu, is also a scheming man......"

……

Gu Yanwu's reading speed was very fast, and it didn't take long for him to finish reading the above articles one by one and extract the key information.

Gradually, a clear outline of Japan began to come to mind, and Gu Yanwu's knuckles tapped on the table table quite regularly.

He was thinking about the future of the Ming Dynasty and Japan.

For Japan, the current Ming Dynasty is really a bit tricky.

Zhu Cihong hoped to bring Japan into the orbit of the Chinese system, to be controlled by China, to become a colony of China, and even to gradually assimilate into a member of the Chinese world.

The ideal is beautiful, but the reality is skinny.

Unlike Korea, which was originally a vassal state, the Japanese did not have much time to be honest in history.

Originally, it was Japan that did its best to break China's trade blockade against Japan. Now, under the influence of free trade, the Ming Dynasty has effectively loosened its trade embargo on Japan, trying to bring back the trade profits that had been occupied by smuggling maritime merchants and pirates.

At this time, it only takes one opportunity to end the former trade ban.

After Abe Tadaaki arrived in Daming to watch, Zhu Cihong believed that Japan would soon learn from its wisdom and come to beg for mercy with a low posture, and the transfer of some interests in the foreign trade between the two countries would be enough to contact the trade embargo that had plagued Japan for a hundred years.

However, at this critical juncture, there was a major event of the invasion of Korea by the Japanese invaders.

Although in the end, it was found out that it was the prince Li Hao who rebelled and invaded in the name of the Japanese Invaders.

But whether it is Zhu Cihong's strong demand for an explanation from Japan, or Li Kangzong's insistence on not publicizing the ugliness of his family, there are some misunderstandings that are difficult to resolve.

In fact, Tokugawa Iemitsu was also confused and wronged by the criticism of the Ming Dynasty and North Korea. He really didn't have the courage to send Japanese samurai to invade Korea. As for the Wakos, they have gradually disappeared over the years. In particular, after the ban on the Hachiman ships, Japan's maritime power rapidly declined.

Tokugawa Iemitsu was both nervous about the possible revenge of the Ming Dynasty, but also felt sad and wronged.

Under such a misunderstanding, the original opportunity to contact the trade ban passed in a flash. Tokugawa Iemitsu was in no mood, and he was even more worried about being blamed, thinking about how to keep the authority in his hands from being targeted by the Ming Dynasty. At this time, where would you dare to "expect" Daming to contact the trade ban for no reason.

In fact, if you let time dilute everything. Seoul, where only one day of coup d'état took place, will no longer tell the story of Japanese merchants.

But that's where the trouble lies.

The Ryukyu Kingdom is in trouble.

This incident made Zhu Cihong even more impressed and moved.

In fact, in the face of the fear of the oil pot, even if Gu Yanwu faced it, it was difficult to be completely sure that he could hold on. But Zheng Zhen sat down, which made Daming feel even more unhappy as the suzerain.

……

"It's really complicated......" Gu Yanwu couldn't help but sigh.

At this time, a scribe beside Gu Yanwu hurriedly walked over and said, "Lord Gu, Your Majesty has called your lord to go." ”

"Your Majesty? Okay, I'll go. Gu Yanwu sorted out his thoughts, and was a little anxious in his heart. He originally planned to refine the whole plan, but if Zhu Cihong was in a hurry to solve the Ryukyu issue, he could only tell it first.

However, to Gu Yanwu's surprise, the convoy that set off all the way out of the city was no longer in Jingshi City, but located on a river wharf on the Lugou River under Shijingshan.

As soon as Gu Yanwu saw the ground, he recognized where the place in front of him was: "This is the Jiawu Research Institute?" ”

The Ming army ushered in peace after the war, but Zhu Cihong understood that the competition on land might be able to be harvested temporarily. But the collision between East and West must be a battle for the sea. Therefore, Zhu Cihong has always been concerned about the construction of the water division.

It's a pity that the army can be built quickly, but the navy has no way. Although the Ming Dynasty had a sailor before, it was really just a simple coast guard, and the quality of the troops was also worrying.

Of course, all this will be resolved gradually.

What Zhu Cihong was even more interested in was the improvement of the combat effectiveness of the water division.

In the research and development of artillery, Daming is still waiting for all parts of the country to be able to develop excellent materials under the stimulation of high prices. Otherwise, for the time being, only expensive bronze cannons will be used.

This makes it necessary for the sailors to face the constraints of weapons if they want to expand.

The competition for the power of artillery is certainly a very important aspect for Zhu Cihong. But weapons research and development is also a more important aspect.

This time, the Jiawu Research Institute, located at the foot of Shijingshan Mountain in the west of the capital, undertook the research and development of weapons for the sailors.

With the increasing size of the armed forces, the weapons research institute, which was originally handled by just one department, has now been refined and split up and has grown rapidly.

As for the naming conventions of the institute, it is quite simple to say. The sailors use the heavenly stem and the earth branch, and the army uses the earth branch and the heavenly stem, that is, the reverse is the opposite.

Compared with the strength of the army, the sailor division is obviously much weaker, so that there are three army divisions in the research institute, and there is still only one sailor division. Supposedly, recent years are not the first year of the first day, and there is nothing particularly important.

However, Zhu Cihong was very firm and could not be objected to announce the code name of the Sailor Research Institute: Jiawu.

No one in this time and space understands that this is the obsession of the dream of a maritime power in the hearts of all Chinese children.

When Gu Yanwu hurried to the Jiawu Research Institute, he saw that His Majesty the Emperor's carriage and horse had just stopped, and Zhu Cihong had obviously just arrived here.

After greeting Gu Yanwu, Zhu Cihong walked straight into the Jiawu Research Institute together.

The institute has white walls and red tiles, and is a typical Chinese building. But as you get closer to the pier, you can see a scene of construction in full swing.

Above, a large number of craftsmen and workers beat around a small and medium-sized warship. From afar, it looks as if a giant beast is being put on armor.

It's just that, compared to this giant beast, the figure of the workers is obviously much smaller.

"It's ...... Jiaolong Project of the Jiawu Research Institute? "Gu Yanwu's level of secrecy is very high, and many secrets have been heard. Of course, many times it is just a form on paper. It's not that he won't show it, but many of them are just plans, which have not yet taken shape, and they can't see the progress.

"Master Gu has good eyesight. That's right, this is the report that our Jiawu Research Institute reported earlier: Jiaolong Project. Now, the Jiaolong-1 prototype ship is beginning to lay the keel...... Originally, we were worried that this plan might not be completed. However, I didn't expect it. Our Ming Dynasty is even strong enough to be on such a day. Put your ship in iron armor! It was Zheng Yu, director of the Jiawu Research Institute, who spoke.

Unlike many research institutes are ordinary craftsmen, but Zheng Yu has a fame, his life loves shipbuilding, I heard that the Jinghua newspaper and the army recruit shipbuilders, other craftsmen cowered for fear of being pitted, but Zheng Yu was not afraid, and responded to the call in one fell swoop and successfully joined the company.

And in the same way, Zheng Yu's ability is also extraordinary. A year has passed, and there is really hope that the ironclad that was originally circulated on paper can be built.

"Ironclad? An ironclad ship with ironclad wrapped around the warship? Hiss...... Can it really be done? Gu Yanwu calmed down after a while: "It seems that there is good news from our Daming Iron Factory." ”

Zhu Cihong understood what the two were talking about.

Building ironclad ships is not Zhu Cihong's initiative, in fact, it existed in Japan decades ago. In 1578, there were ironclad ships in Japan.

"Ironclads, in general, should be divided into two stages. One is a ship with an iron coat on the outside. The keel on the ship, and even the various materials, are basically made of wood. The other is a ship that uses steel as the material used in the entire construction of the ship. Strictly speaking, we're only in the first half. In the second half, I have to wait for the Daming workshop owners to continue to surprise me," Zhu Cihong said.

"I never thought that the steel output of my Daming would be so huge in Beijing. Moreover, there will be brave men under the heavy reward. The problem of the effectiveness of iron sheets, which has been worried about the original, now has proven effective anti-corrosion technology and materials. When Zheng Yu said it, he was gushing.

When Gu Yanwu heard this, he continued to nod his head vigorously.

The bread outside the warship is covered with a layer of iron sheets, which is actually quite expensive and difficult. But Zhu Cihong seriously believed that one day in the future, even most of the materials of the warship could be made of steel, which would really shock them.

Iron is so heavy that it can float on water?

"No matter what, as soon as the ironclad ship comes out, the combat power of my Ming sailors can be greatly improved. When the time comes, I can also put on a picture of the world, and once something happens, I will casually find someone to ask: Where is my Ming ironclad ship? Zhu Cihong smiled, remembering the scene when the later US president asked him where the aircraft carrier was.

When everyone heard this, they all laughed heartily.

They have reason to believe that when the ironclad ship is successfully built. There are Ming warships all over the world.