Guangzong Yaoming

Chapter 424: Swearing to Sweep East Asia
The cold wind blew from the northern desert to the south. After a night, the first snow of the year fell in Beijing on the morning of the next day - before the winter month began.

"Mr. Li, please wait a moment."

Ye Xianggao, who had already started his second term as prime minister, stepped forward to support Li Tingji, who had retired a year ago. Tian Le, who also resigned from the position of Privy Councilor, was one year older than Li Tingji, but his health was much better.

On the other side, also supporting Li Tingji was Xiong Tingbi, who was promoted directly from the position of Governor of Liaoning Province to the position of Minister of Rites, becoming the first local official in the Ming Dynasty to be promoted directly to the position of Prime Minister. This was certainly a further encouragement for local reform and also showed the emperor's trust in him.

Yuan Keli, the current Privy Councilor, was not here. His place was represented by Chief of Staff Sun Chengzong. Like Xiong Tingbi, he was able to return to the center after years of pacifying the border in Liaodong.

Another retired advisor He Shengrui also had someone to support him, that was Wang Dewan, who took over his position as Minister of Official Property from the position of Minister of Taxation.

In addition, there are Wang Yingjiao who continues to serve as the Chief Censor, Zhu Guozuo who continues to serve as the Chief Minister of the Secretariat, Fang Congzhe who continues to serve as the Chief Minister of the Vassal States, and Niu Yingyuan who continues to serve as the Chief Minister of Public Security.

After five years, only two of the eight prime ministers of the Ming Dynasty have been replaced, and both were due to old age. Now in front of the Fengtian Palace, the retired ministers and the current important ministers care about each other and are in harmony.

A total of eleven people went up the stairs and entered the hall.

"It's still early, and we still need to look at some official documents and sort them out. The four of you can go inside first."

Ye Xianggao saluted them in the Mingtang in the middle of Fengtian Hall, and Wang An just smiled and led the way: "Three advisors, Chief of Staff Sun, please come in."

Li Tingji, Tian Le, and He Shengrui bowed to them and slowly walked inside.

It is a road they are familiar with.

"The snow fell early this year." He Shengrui sighed on the way, "I still remember that when I returned to Beijing with His Majesty at the end of the tenth year of Taichang, he mentioned disaster relief and preparedness. Your Majesty has a far-sighted vision and a perfect plan."

Li Tingji coughed lightly as he walked.

"Did Er Zhang catch a cold?" Tian Le asked with concern.

"You're old..." Li Tingji looked at him and said enviously, "Brother Xizhi is in good health, no less than Longjiang's official, why do you insist on giving up your position?"

Tian Le smiled and said, "I envy Lord Longjiang for having some leisure time. Besides, every generation has talented people. I have been the Privy Councilor for more than ten years. If I refuse to leave, I will be a real thief."

"If Li Qing heard this, he would be in a dilemma." Li Tingji turned to Sun Chengzong and asked, "Zhisheng, what do you think?"

Sun Chengzong really didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "Who in the court doesn't know that Duke Dongzhou is a minister of state? The Privy Council is now a little confused. Look, Privy Councilor Yuan hurried away, asking us younger generations to trouble Duke Dongzhou for advice when we have something to do."

"Zhisheng is trying to put me in an unfair position." Tian Le sighed.

"Brother Xizhi, do you care about these rumors?" Li Tingji disagreed, and then sighed, "I really want to return home earlier, but His Majesty insists that we continue to consult on government affairs."

Sun Chengzong said quickly: "An old man in the family is like a treasure, let alone the country. Your Majesty treats old ministers with courtesy, and we are fortunate to have the guidance of our predecessors. This is a good thing. Mr. Li should take good care of his health. After all, there are many famous doctors in the capital. If Mr. Longjiang is not..."

He stopped talking here, after all, Shen Yi Guan had just left.

Although Shen Yikuan was indeed very old, he indeed passed away after he left for his hometown this spring.

Of course, we can only say that he has some awareness of his own body and really wants to return to his roots.

Li Tingji now mentioned that he wanted to go home. Sun Chengzong wanted to say something nice, but halfway through he felt it was inappropriate.

Then the air was a little quiet, with only the sound of their footsteps continuing forward.

When they arrived at the Huangji Palace, the four of them were surprised and bowed quickly.

"Greetings to the two princes, Wang Zongling."

Wang Bing, Zhu Changrun and Zhu Changying all returned the gifts.

After sitting down, Tian Le spoke first: "Your Highnesses and Wang Zongling are here. It seems that today is a very important day. Your Majesty has made up his mind."

Wang Bing, the imperial concubine's commander, took over Hou Gongchen's position as clan leader. He now has a heavy burden on his shoulders.

In terms of talent, he was more outstanding than Hou Gongchen. He was accomplished in poetry and painting, and had close contacts with Dong Qichang and others.

Since Prince Lu went to Korea, the kings sealed the borders, and the Ming Dynasty's Zongrenfu and Changmingfu were established, the Ming Dynasty's Zongrenfu had a lot of power. In the future strategy of the Ming Dynasty, the Zongrenfu and Lifanyuan needed to communicate and cooperate in many areas.

"Your Majesty has ordered me to come. Prince Lu has passed away, and the Crown Prince is still young." Wang Bing looked at Tian Le with a very respectful attitude, "Since Duke Dongzhou has also come here under the order, it seems that he is not just discussing the succession of the King of Joseon."

"Seeing that the two princes are eager to try, you still need to remain calm." Tian Le just smiled and teased the Zhu Changrun brothers.

"Minister Tian is right. I'm sorry to have embarrassed you gentlemen." Zhu Changrun looked slightly embarrassed.

"It's time to consult the government. We can't mess up this section." Tian Le waved his hand. "There's still a long time to go. Your Highnesses have important responsibilities on their shoulders. You must guard against arrogance and impatience."

Sun Chengzong heard that he was not being polite and was really trying to teach him a lesson, so he couldn't help but look at him.

What's the long life ahead?
Li Tingji glanced at Tian Le and then seemed to be thinking about something.

After hearing what Tian Le said, the two young men could only bow their heads and learn. Who doesn't know that Tian Le is actually the most trusted minister of the current emperor?
Even though he has stepped down now, he has served as the most important military official for a full fifteen years, accompanying the emperor from his ascension to the throne until today.

They waited quietly here, and when the clock in the hall showed 9:50, the other seven ministers arrived. A little later, the eunuchs pushed the screen on wheels, blocking the corridor leading to here from the Fengtian Hall.

Hearing the noise from the north, everyone stood up and bowed to welcome the emperor.

"...Also, tell Liu Ruoyu not to rush back after he finishes his work, but to stay in Ningbo."

"Yes."

As he was speaking, Zhu Changluo appeared.

First of all, of course, they greeted each other. Zhu Changluo walked to the throne and said, "Let's get started. We are not new here, and we have discussed the general direction many times. Now that the Korean issue needs to be dealt with, we should also start preparing for the issue in Japan. All the government offices should talk about it. If the incident in Nanyang and Outer Yunnan occurs, Japan will also have to take action. What are the difficulties?"

As Zhu Changluo said, none of them are newcomers.

After the monarch and his ministers established a mechanism for holding major political meetings at the end of each year, they actually had a relatively clear method of communicating long-term goals and short-term plans.

The original plan was to start with Nanyang and Outer Yunnan. After all, with the prosperity of maritime trade, Yunnan and Guangdong and Guangxi had been preparing for five years, and the conditions there were relatively mature. Once Nanyang was controlled, a lot of materials and wealth could be continuously imported into the Ming Dynasty.

Ye Xianggao was the first to reply: "If we only want to make preparations for the East, then we can only change some people and assign some tasks in Liaoning, Shandong, Zhejiang, and Fujian starting from next year. We are afraid that the Yunnan, Guangdong, Guangxi, and Nanyang fleets will not be able to conquer effectively, and the difficulties in money and food may be greater. In addition, the East Asian fleet is still under construction..."

Zhu Changluo looked at Sun Chengzong. He saw Ye Xianggao looking at him and said, "In the South Seas, the only ones to worry about are Burma and Jiaozhi. The Netherlands and England are still struggling to compete with Portugal and Spain in the South Seas, let alone the Ming Dynasty? They lost a battle three years ago and their plan was exposed. Now they are unable to take care of themselves in the West. Malacca is just a piece of cake."

Today is different from the past. The important officials in the Ming Dynasty have a deep understanding of the overseas situation. In the 12th year of Taichang, the Portuguese delegation came to negotiate, which was naturally rejected by the Ming Dynasty as a reason. Not only that, the Ming Dynasty sent letters to Western countries, clarifying the interests of the Ming Dynasty and the plan for the Southern Capital. The Portuguese Archduke and some nobles were immediately targeted by the Spanish royal family.

After all, their negotiations also included the extravagant idea of ​​obtaining exclusive trading rights with the Ming Dynasty in order to accumulate strength to restore their country.

It can only be said that they had lived a good life for too long, or that they had been focusing on how to break free from Spain's control, and these people did not take Edgar's words seriously. In their concept, the Ming Dynasty was still the oriental country that could not set foot in the ocean.

So the Ming Dynasty simply dispatched the half-built Nanyang Fleet to Jiaozhi's doorstep to beat up the Portuguese who had moved there as a base. This not only frightened Jiaozhi, but also forced the Portuguese to retreat to Malacca.

Then, the Takumi militia specially chartered by the Ming Dynasty royal family launched attacks, focusing on Johor and Luzon.

The share of "re-export trade" that the Portuguese were doing was quickly swallowed up by the Ming Dynasty's maritime merchants.

Tian Le didn't say anything. Since it was Sun Chengzong who came to the meeting on behalf of Yuan Keli to report the Privy Council's research and analysis, he just listened.

Zhu Changluo then asked Fang Congzhe: "What about the Lifanyuan? What is the current attitude of Luzon, Johor, Aceh and other countries?"

"The Lifanyuan follows the principle of long-term planning, so for now, they will only talk about trade and accumulate in secret. On the surface, they are mainly engaged in sea expansion and militia training. The Han people from Southeast Asia in the past dynasties, plus the current maritime merchants, they also need time to deal with more. If by then, our Ming Dynasty only takes over the places already occupied by the Portuguese and sets up a new port Xuanwei Division, then the other countries will not make any moves, nor dare to make any moves. The Han people in Southeast Asia will naturally be more eagerly looking forward to it."

"If we want to prepare for the Eastern Plan, how about the Eastern side?"

"We need to ask the Takumi Tuanlian and other foreign companies to confirm this." Fang Congzhe said frankly, "The Ming Dynasty and Japan have cut off trade, but private trade has never been cut off. In the past, it was the Portuguese and some coastal clans who took the risk to trade with them, but now it is the Takumi Tuanlian and other foreign companies that are doing it. The court tacitly allows them to do so, and they should also give an answer. According to the old files of the Lifanyuan in previous years, since Japan banned religion and closed its country, at least they are quite dissatisfied on the big islands of Kyushu and Shikoku, and they are still secretly trading with them."

Tian Le suddenly spoke up: "There is new news."

Everyone looked at him.

Tianle said: "Inuko Ieki, in May this year, the Japanese shogunate attacked the Toyotomi family again, and the Toyotomi family has been destroyed."

"Is this unification?" Zhu Changluo laughed.

"Then Tokugawa Ieyasu is also old."

"I saw previous intelligence that Xizhi is two years older than him." Zhu Changluo continued to laugh.

"With Your Majesty, I don't know how much energy I have saved." Tian Le also smiled, "Just now, Er Zhang envied my health."

How could everyone not understand after hearing him say so clearly that an old horse still has great ambitions?
As expected, the emperor said, "It seems that we cannot let them stop and leisurely accumulate strength. The Lifanyuan should first write to Ryukyu and ask them to send people to Ningbo. I have ordered Liu Ruoyu to go to Ningbo and wait."

Fang Congzhe nodded immediately.

"Order the heads of the Takumi militia, which is specially authorized by the court, to come to the capital. They have benefited from it over the past few years, and now it is time for them to sacrifice their lives."

Zhu Changluo paused and said, "The matter of Korea is simple, let's do it openly. Chang Xun is young, Li Sancai is afraid of open attacks, and the local families in Korea are also uneasy, so let's do it openly. Xizhi, have you really thought it through?"

Tianle stood up and bowed: "I sent my son to Takumi for training, of course I had thought about it long ago."

Zhu Changluo looked at him deeply and said, "Now that you are gone, the emperor and his subjects will never meet again."

Tian Le smiled generously: "I wish to use my old body to strengthen the ambition of the Chinese people to explore new things!"

The two looked at each other for a while, and Zhu Changluo nodded: "It's not time to say goodbye yet. Fei Bai, select people, select openly. Now appoint officials, and select a group of new Jinshi next year."

After saying that, he stood up, nodded to Xiong Tingbi who stood up to receive the order, and said: "First, confer the title of county king on Chang Run and Chang Ying. After the grand ceremony, they will set off for Korea to choose a bride in Korea. After the examination next year, Xi Zhi will lead the newly selected officials to Korea. Those who want to stay will stay, and those who want to go to Japan will go to Japan. When the East Ocean is successful, the three kings will occupy East Ocean and serve as the East Ocean vassal of the Ming Dynasty!"

He stood up, and all the ministers naturally stood up.

Zhu Changrun and Zhu Changying were both a little excited: It’s said clearly.

Zhu Changluo's eyes gleamed, "This island nation is known for its strength and softness. For thousands of years, it has relied on the sea and whenever it grows stronger, it will attempt to get involved in China. Now that Korea has surrendered, the Ming fleet and merchant ships have been in the ocean for a long time, and the advantages of artillery and guns are far superior to those in the West! The outer Yunnan of the South Sea can establish a long-term presence and use both suppression and appeasement. The Japanese pirates first invaded the southeast and then invaded Korea. Wherever the officers and soldiers go, they will be subdued by force!"

"If there are people in North Korea who are unwilling to avenge their previous grudge, then such cowardly people cannot be the subjects of the Ming Dynasty in the future! The Ming Dynasty does not need them to charge into battle, but only needs them to provide logistics, wave flags and shout slogans, and follow behind!"

"Go to Japan, destroy their heritage, wipe out their language and writing, and assimilate their people. Once this is done, I can comfort my ancestors and the Chinese people of all dynasties in my grave!"

Everyone, including Tian Le, was a little surprised by the murderous intent in the emperor's words.

They had always believed that this was just a plan made by the ambitious emperor for the future security and interests of the Ming Dynasty, but there was obviously deep hatred in his tone.

The emperor, who had been quiet for several years, showed his sharp edge today. There was no need for discussion at this meeting.

"Don't worry about money and food!" Zhu Changluo added, "After landing, there will be pioneers who understand the way to support war with war. The Ming Dynasty does not need to prepare such a large amount of food and grass. Coal, ironware, tea, and salt will all be fine. Starting this year, prepare more."

No one understood it at first, but Tian Le and Sun Chengzong seemed to be thinking about something.

"There will be another great white disaster this year. Next year, Prince Yuanshun, Prince Xing'an and others should pay back their debts with something!" Zhu Changluo said with a smile on his face. "For Lindan Batur, the last nominal leader of the Mongols, this is the only thing that can make up for his inner regrets. What the Mongols failed to do during their heyday, let them take the ships of the Ming Dynasty across the sea to do it! Fighting side by side with the elite soldiers of the Ming Dynasty, after seeing the gap again, it is time for them to give up completely!"

Ye Xianggao and others finally understood and looked at the emperor with complicated eyes.

Murder, but also torture?

However, if this could really be done, there would be no need to prepare such a large amount of food and fodder. On the contrary, it would probably be a transaction price for the various ethnic groups in the northern border - just like when they and the Ming Dynasty went together to encircle and suppress the Jianzhou Jurchens.

If we only talk about the various other materials they need, then the Ming Dynasty certainly has no shortage of them now. And these materials, on the contrary, do not require large quantities of preparation for conquest.

As long as they can gain a foothold in Japan, with Ming's current shipping capabilities, the ethnic groups in the northern border will probably participate enthusiastically - as mercenaries, to obtain more supplies from Ming to survive the increasingly cold winters.

Looking at the emperor's attitude towards Japan... I'm afraid he will tacitly allow them to abduct many people, making it easier for Japan to be broken up and assimilated in the future.

There are also many craftsmen in Japan! Now that they can no longer capture Han people, I wonder how hungry and thirsty they are.

Therefore, the emperor's visit to Chengde next year would naturally have to be started by the Lifanyuan, and the princes from the north and south of the desert would be summoned to gather at the Chengde Summer Palace.

Zhu Changluo no longer cared much about the Ming Dynasty's expansion in Southeast Asia. After all, it was a good time now: the Spanish, Dutch, and English were mainly focused on the competition in Europe. After all, America was already being developed madly, and the resistance there was even weaker. On the Southeast Asian side, the Portuguese were getting weaker, and the forces they could send to the east were only at the level of a thousand.

So, when the Ming Dynasty officially declares its interests to Western countries, who is willing to make every effort to confront the Ming Dynasty at its doorstep?
If we lose here, we will lose our interests in both Europe and America.

So Zhu Changluo was not worried. Or rather, he was now more surprised at the strength of Shen Yourong, whom he was not familiar with before.

"Send an order to Yuan Shumi, and have him discuss with Fubo Hou after arriving in Nandu, and have the Nanyang Fleet go to Malacca first. If the Portuguese still refuse to retreat to India, then destroy them and let them know how to negotiate. After the battle there, let Fubo Hou be appointed as the Deputy Privy Councilor of Maritime Affairs, and be appointed as the Admiral of the Dongyang Fleet, and return to Fujian. He planned an expedition to Japan back then, and it's time to do it!"

Shen Yourong, a man who had served as a soldier under Qi Jiguang, fought against the Mongols with Li Chengliang, fought against Japanese pirates in Korea, suppressed Korean rebels, beat the Dutch in Fujian, and recently beat the Portuguese at Jiaozhi's doorstep and Spanish pirate merchants in Southeast Asia, could be said to have "conquered the world" - only the Burmese in Outer Yunnan seemed to have not been abused by him.

And Zhu Changluo was actually not very familiar with such a person before!
(End of this chapter)