Recently, Zhoushan Island has become overcrowded, and the wharf that Zhang Huangyan has worked so hard to expand is full of makeshift shacks built by ordinary people. Around the shack, there are also some warehouses, although these warehouses are simple, but the goods stored in them are not cheap, most of them are porcelain and other local products purchased by the Ming army in Liangjiang, as well as expensive silk and silver.

Many of the people living near the port had just been brought to Zhoushan from the coastal areas of Zhejiang. In any case, a large number of people along the coast could not escape the fate of leaving their hometowns, even if they did not go with the Ming army, they also had to obey the Qing court's ban on the sea and move inland, and these people had no acquaintances, no land, and no ships in the interior. As soon as they heard that the Ming army could have something to eat, many people willingly embarked on the road of leaving their hometowns, and for the people, they had no idea how far Sichuan was.

In addition to the common people, there were also some foreign merchants. After the Manchu Qing imposed a ban on the sea, the goods available to Macao fell sharply, and the Portuguese authorities in Macau, although they still expressed support for the Qing court, also acquiesced in allowing merchants to travel to southeast China in their personal capacity in search of business opportunities. The Portuguese merchants were accompanied by a few Englishmen, who, as soon as they saw Zhang Huangyan, congratulated the Ming Dynasty on his victory in Taiwan.

Now relations between Britain and the Netherlands were not good, but in a state of fierce competition, and Britain also formed its own East India Company with the intention of competing with the Dutch East India Company. Moreover, the British merchants had only just received the news that the Ming forces had invaded Burma, that Siam seemed to be leaning towards the Ming army, and that Vietnam had maintained an ambiguous neutrality - until now, it appeared that the Ming army was still the dominant side in Indochina (Indochina). Regardless of the outcome of the Ming and Qing wars in the future, the British were determined to seize the present opportunity to do business with the Ming army -- if it were not for the Manchu ban on the sea, the British merchants in Macao would not have been able to make such a determination, but the goods obtained in Macao could not satisfy even the Portuguese merchants, so the British merchants could not see any benefit from currying favor with the Qing court.

It was also from these British that Zhang Huangyan learned that Zheng Chenggong had just completed the great cause of expelling the Dutch in Taiwan, and that the British had arrived in Zhoushan one step ahead of the envoy of the king of Yanping. In order to win the trust of the Ming army and attack the rivals, the British also told Zhang Huang that the attitude of the Spaniards towards the Ming army was deteriorating, and when they learned that the Ming army was attacking Taiwan, the Spaniards in Manila became nervous, fearing that the Ming army would further advance into the Philippine region.

The congratulatory messages and intelligence sent by the British were of little military value to the Ming army, but they did win them the favor of Zhang Huangyan, who sent people to lead these merchants to visit the various warehouses in Zhoushan to buy the goods they needed.

This time, the Ming army brought back more than 200,000 men and about a similar number of strong women from the coastal areas, and the old people and children came to Zhoushan with these young people. Zhang Huangyan discussed with Ren Tang and Zhou Kaihuang several times, and they all believed that in the end, the Ming army would probably be able to get more than 500,000 men and women, as well as more than 200,000 old and young. Even if the people have not yet arrived, such a large population will once again jam the mobility of the Ming army. Now the Sichuan army and the Zhejiang army have basically withdrawn from the mainland, just like after the battle of Chongqing, because the ships are not enough in any case, and the Ming army, which has lost its mobility, is nailed to several strongholds such as Zhoushan and Chongming and cannot move.

"After the population is transferred to Chongming, if Beijing does not send a large army of captives to reinforce Liangjiang, we will load the old and young on ships, and let the army protect the men and women and return to the upper reaches ......on foot," Ren Tang said to Zhang Huangyan, his idea: "We will be able to return to Sichuan in about eight months, at least to the territory of the Kuidong Army in Hubei." ”

"Ships are used to transport people, how are you going to raise grain?" Zhang Huangyan asked.

"We have already talked to Prime Minister Deng Yamen, we pay money to buy grain in advance, and reserve it for the army, so that there will be no looting of places; Didn't we sell a bunch of ships to Prime Minister Deng's yamen this time? It can also be used to help transport people and food ......"

While he was talking, the guards reported that another group of foreigners had landed to ask for an audience, all of whom were Japanese, and the leader seemed to be Chinese.

Compared with the British and Portuguese, Zhang Huangyan undoubtedly had a better impression of the Japanese, because Japan has always been Zheng Chenggong's business partner, and Zhang Huangyan also has an old friend who is in charge of diplomatic work with Japan. After the Chinese led by him stepped into Shangshu Yamen in Zhoushan, Zhang Huangyan was pleasantly surprised to find that it was his old friend who had been thinking about him for a long time, Zhu Zhiyu (Zhu Shunshui), who had gone to Japan to ask for help.

"Brother Cangshui, I haven't seen you for many years, I can't imagine that Zhoushan has such a weather, it's really amazing." After Zhu Zhiyu landed, he found that Zhoushan was not at all as withered as he remembered, but full of vitality, the sails outside the port could not be seen at a glance, and the wharf was also full of people.

"Haha, Brother Shunshui has won the prize." Zhang Huangyan laughed, seeing today's Zhoushan weather, he was also quite proud. It's a pity that most of the people here live temporarily, and in the end they have to follow the Sichuan army back upstream, but this is also a matter of no choice, Zhang Huangyan can't support so many people with one Zhoushan.

Zhu Zhiyu introduced several Japanese who came with him to Zhang Huangyan, all of whom were members of the Tokugawa Shogunate or feudal lords of the Shogunate. Speaking of his trip to Japan for so many years, Zhu Zhiyu also sighed: "I have been running around for ten years, and I have not been able to get a single soldier to fight with Manchu, and I have not been able to share the worries of Yanping and Brother Cangshui, which is really ashamed." ”

During the Ming and Qing wars, although Vietnam provided supplies and allowed the Ming army to recruit Vietnamese soldiers, it never officially sent troops to help in the war, let alone Burma, and North Korea was even providing gunners for the Qing court. Both Siam and Japan had made formal resolutions to directly send troops to assist the Ming army in the war. In Deng Ming's previous life, Siam had just made a plan to send troops, and Yongli was given to Wu Sangui by the Burmese, and then Li Dingguo died, and Siam's plan was abandoned. And because of Zhu Zhiyu's running and Zheng Chenggong's connections, Japan had a decision to send troops to help the war earlier.

Speaking of Japan's failed troop dispatch, Zhu Zhiyu was still very sorry at this time. He spoke out in Japan that the Manchu invasion was another Mongol attack, and many Japanese feudal lords and important ministers accepted this view, believing that if the Ming Dynasty was not supported, the Manchus might try to invade Japan like the Mongols, the last Mongol invasion had led to the fall of the Kamakura shogunate, and the Tokugawa shogunate had no intention of repeating the same mistake.

The Tokugawa shogunate was going to help the last time Zheng Chenggong sent troops, but the Japanese army was hit by a typhoon after going to sea, and it was blown to pieces, and it is said that many people drowned. After Zheng Chenggong withdrew from the army, Japan reassessed the war between the Ming and Qing dynasties, believing that the Southern Ming Dynasty was already a defeated situation after experiencing the internal strife of the three kings, and even if Japan sent troops, it would be impossible to help Zheng Chenggong reverse the situation, so it refused Zhu Zhiyu's continued request for help.

When the results of the Battle of Gaoyouhu reached Japan, the Tokugawa shogunate felt as if the war had taken another turn, and this time it sent an envoy to Zhoushan with Zhu Zhiyu, intending to reassess whether Nanming was worthy of support - supporting Nanming would inevitably anger the Qing court, and if Nanming had no hope, the Tokugawa shogunate would certainly not gamble on Japan's safety.

After hearing that these Japanese came to contact the Ming army on behalf of the Tokugawa shogunate, Zhang Huangyan also politely clenched his fists to them: "Your country is noble, and this official is very grateful. ”

The Ming Dynasty scholars generally had a good impression of the Tokugawa shogunate, when Toyotomi Hideyoshi invaded Korea, and China spent a lot of money to fight the Toyotomi army, and a large number of soldiers died in foreign lands. After hearing that the Toyotomi regime was eliminated by the Tokugawa shogunate, many Chinese scholars felt that they had a bad breath, which could be regarded as the retribution of the clown. In addition, the Tokugawa shogunate promoted culture and education, and purchased Confucian classics from China to educate the Japanese people, which also gave a good impression to the Chinese scholars, who thought that it was another regime that admired Chinese culture and promoted Sinology.

"We don't need the shogunate to send troops." After a few Japanese envoys talked, Ren Tang understood that the Tokugawa shogunate was very worried about the prospects of the war between the Ming and Qing dynasties, and that Japan had only been peaceful for a few years, and was afraid that it would involve itself in a terrible all-out war: "As long as the Tokugawa shogunate allows our merchant ships to trade." ”

So far, the trade between the Ming army and Japan has been monopolized by the Zheng family, and now Zhoushan feels a little inconvenient, and also hopes to open up a trade route with Japan, and transport goods from the mainland to Japan in exchange for a large amount of silver.

Zhang Huangyan knew that Ren Tang was saying this for himself, so he hesitated for a moment and did not object.

This request was agreed to by the envoy of the Tokugawa shogunate: "Our country's policy of locking the country is to guard against piracy, and since trade can help China obtain military expenses, the shogun will be glad to be able to help China a little." ”

The Japanese envoys said that it would not be a big trouble for the Zhoushan cargo ship to obtain permission to enter the Japanese port, and that they could basically agree to the matter on behalf of the Tokugawa shogun.

After a few Japanese left, Zhu Zhiyu praised Ren Tang in front of Zhang Huangyan and said: "General Ren is young and promising, I have heard about the defeat of you and General Li in Hangzhou. ”

"It's all about soldiers." Ren Tang hurriedly said modestly.

Zhou Kaihuang, who also participated in the war, was ignored intentionally or unintentionally, and Zhu Zhiyu continued: "I don't plan to go back to Japan, I plan to go to Chengdu to help protect the country, I don't know what Brother Cangshui thinks?" ”

"Great!" Zhang Huangyan was stunned for a moment, and then said happily: "Brother Shunshui, go quickly, you don't know what has happened to Baoguo Gong in Chengdu." ”

"What's going on?" Zhu Zhiyu asked a little confusedly.