"If not, let me, Ming Dynasty, make a few!"
As soon as Jiajing finished speaking, everyone quickly understood the emperor's meaning. After all, in everything, a master must make a name for himself.
If the Ming Dynasty sent troops to Annan under the pretext of restoring the Chen family of the previous dynasty and seeking justice for the people of Annan, the resistance the Ming army would encounter would be much smaller.
In the second year of Jianwen, Hu Jiyou (mao), a powerful minister of the Chen Dynasty, usurped the throne, established the Hu Dynasty, and changed the country's name to Dayu. Soon after, he called himself the Supreme Emperor, and his son Hu Hancang succeeded him as emperor.
Because the Chen family in the previous dynasty had always been vassal to the Ming Dynasty, they were canonized by the Ming Dynasty for generations.
Therefore, after Hu Jishen usurped the throne, in order to avoid suspicion in the Ming Dynasty, he sent an envoy to the Ming Dynasty in the first year of Yongle, claiming that the Chen family of the previous dynasty had lost its lineage and all its side branches, leaving no successor.
As the nephew of the Chen family, Hu Hancang ascended to the throne with the support of everyone, in order to request the Ming Dynasty to be canonized.
After Zhu Di, the founder of the Ming Dynasty, met with the envoy, he sent Yang Bo to Annan to inspect. Later, under the careful planning of the Hu family, Yang Bo was eluded, and the Ming court therefore canonized Hu Hancang as the king of Annan.
But in the second year of Yongle, Pei Boxi (qi), the surviving minister of the Chen Dynasty, came to the Ming Dynasty and accused Hu Jiyou and his son face to face. They killed the emperor and usurped the throne, massacred loyal ministers, and asked the Ming Dynasty to send troops to attack the Hu clan. A man who claimed to be Hu Jiyou appeared. Descendants of the Chen family of Chen Tianping.
Finally, in the fourth year of Yongle, Zhu Di, the founder of the Ming Dynasty, sent the chief military officer Zhu Neng, the left deputy general Mu Sheng, the right deputy general Zhang Fu and others to send troops to Annan. In just one year, the Hu clan was completely wiped out. , and then incorporated Annan into the rule of Ming Dynasty.
In the eyes of everyone, the emperor's intention could not be more obvious now, that is, to become another "Chen Tianping", so that Ming can naturally provoke a war.
Only this time, Ming Dynasty would not personally send officials to manage Cochin as before. Instead, he would stay behind the scenes and support the puppet regime to continuously obtain food from Cochin to fill the domestic vacancies.
"Your Majesty is wise!"
Then, Yan Song was the first to react, tremblingly prostrated on the ground, and said in a deep voice.
After Yan Song, everyone came to their senses one after another, and all knelt down on the ground, with expressions of sincerity on their faces, and said in unison: "Your Majesty, you are wise!"
Hearing this, Jiajing glanced at everyone present one by one, waved his hand, and said: "Well, everyone, get up!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
After receiving Jiajing's permission, everyone got up from the ground one after another.
After that, Jiajing raised his eyebrows and continued: "But before that, Ming Dynasty can try to import food from Siam, Cochin, and even Japan!"
Jiajing paused for a moment when he said this, then faced everyone again, and then said: "These are just temporary expenses. It won't take long before I, Daming, will earn back tenfold and a hundredfold!"
When Jiajing finished speaking, everyone's faces were filled with excitement.
After all, the emperor once said that there is a silver mine in Japan called the Iwami Silver Mine. As long as the Iwami Silver Mine is captured, the Ming Dynasty will no longer have to worry about silver for a hundred years.
Not only that, there are also many silver mines in the Kyushu region of Japan that the imperial court is currently conquering.
Nowadays, Makoto Tsunoda, the puppet supported by the Ming Dynasty, has spread his influence all over the Miyazaki area of Kyushu. Because of his rapid rise, it has aroused the fear of the surrounding daimyo and was besieged.
However, with the continuous support of the Ming Dynasty, Makoto Tsunoda has defeated those daimyo, and has completely established a foothold in the Miyazaki area of Kyushu, becoming the most powerful daimyo in the area.
Next, only after the construction of the two naval divisions of the imperial court is completed, the Ming Dynasty can officially send troops to attack the Kyushu region of Japan in retaliation for the Japanese pirates sent by Otomo Zonglin to harass the coast of the Ming Dynasty.
After that, Jiajing looked in the direction of Gao Gong. After pondering for a moment, he gave instructions: "As for the import of grain from overseas, I will leave this matter to your Maritime Trade Department for the time being. I hope you will not let me." Disappointed!"
Gao Gong, who was on the side, saw that the emperor had entrusted him with such an important matter, with a flattered expression on his face. He immediately leaned down and said in a deep voice: "I obey, your majesty. I will definitely live up to your majesty's trust!"
As the Minister of Sea Trade appointed by Jiajing, Gao Gong's power cannot be underestimated. After all, at present, all matters related to sea trade require the nod of Gao Gong's Sea Trade Department.
Since the imperial court lifted the maritime ban, maritime trade has become increasingly prosperous, and the status of the Maritime Trade Department has also increased.
Nowadays, in the Ming Dynasty, apart from the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Rites, and the Ministry of Household Affairs, the high-gong Maritime Trade Department is the most popular. Countless officials want to be transferred to the Maritime Trade Department even if they are thinking hard.
After all, the Maritime Trade Department is in charge of maritime trade, and the oil and water involved here is unimaginable!
Anyone who is qualified to obtain a sea voyage certificate from the court and participate in maritime trade is not a wealthy person?
Even if you can only follow the adults and eat scraps, you can still make a lot of money.
After that, Jiajing looked away from Gao Gong, looked in the direction of Yan Song and Xu Jie, and gave instructions.
"When you come down later, your cabinet will compile the details of the imperial court's dispatch of troops to Annan, and then send them to me through the Supervisor of Ceremonies!"
After hearing this, Yan Song and Xu Jie looked at each other, stood up from their seats, bowed their hands to Jiajing, and then responded: "Yes, Your Majesty!"
When Jiajing heard this, he looked back, waved his hand, and said: "Well, if that's the case, then let's leave it like this for now!"
"As you command, Your Majesty!"
When Jiajing finished speaking, everyone responded in unison.
After all, before this, most people present had not expected that things would actually involve Zhao Zhenji's memorial to the imperial court sending troops to Annan.
Then, Yan Shifan stood up, looked in the direction of Jiajing, and said cautiously: "I dare to ask Your Majesty, how should the court respond to the phenomenon mentioned by Zhao Zhenji in the memorial?"
When Jiajing heard this, he just glanced at Yan Shifan rather flatly and responded: "Right now, it is precisely because the supply of silk exceeds demand that there is such a high price, but the price of silk cannot always be so high!"
"The people who planted mulberry seedlings this year have tasted the benefits, so they will definitely choose to plant more mulberry seedlings next year to produce more raw silk."
"By then, because too much raw silk is produced and supply exceeds demand, the price of silk will definitely fall!"
"Once the price of silk drops, the price of raw silk will also drop together. When the price of raw silk falls back to the normal range of previous years, the court will take action to purchase the excess raw silk from the people."
"In this way, the trend of people rushing to plant mulberry seedlings can be effectively suppressed."
"After that, the imperial court can issue some subsidies to those who plant rice seedlings as appropriate. This will increase the number of people planting rice seedlings and reduce some of the food gap!"
After hearing what Jiajing said, Yan Shifan's face was filled with a sincere expression. He immediately leaned down and respectfully said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for clearing up Wei Chen's doubts. Wei Chen understands!"
After that, Jiajing turned around and glanced at Lu Fang, who quickly understood, stepped forward, faced everyone, and said loudly.
"The first matter discussed by the cabinet this time has been discussed. We will continue the discussion after a short break."
After Lu Fang finished speaking, he returned to Jiajing's side, motionless like a sculpture.
But at this moment, everyone had no intention of relaxing at all, because what was going to be discussed next was the war with Ada Khan next spring.
After all, the Revolution of 1898 that occurred in the 29th year of Jiajing was a severe slap in the face of Ming Dynasty and His Majesty.
…
At this moment, Xu Jie's face was full of unconcealable worry, because at the moment, the Ming Dynasty's national power had just been restored, and the emperor was impatient to raise troops to attack in order to avenge the one-shot attack.
Although Xu Jie was worried about the official war between the imperial court and Amada Khan, he knew very well that the battle between the Ming Dynasty and Amada Khan was inevitable and it was only a matter of time.
Putting aside the enmity between the two parties for the moment, Youdao is on the side of the bed, how can you allow others to snore?
The Tumut tribe where Anda Khan belonged would go south to plunder from time to time, which had seriously threatened the survival of the Ming Dynasty.
Whenever the environment is harsh, forage is scarce, and the grassland cannot support such a large population, nomadic people like Anda Khan will lead their troops south and plunder.
On the one hand, it is to plunder enough people, food, gold and silver and other materials to enable the tribe to survive; on the other hand, it is to rely on war to consume the excess population.
Whenever the dynasty prospered, the Central Plains dynasty would send heavy troops to attack the nomads and strive for peace for the people under their rule. Only when the borders were peaceful could the people relax and engage in production. As a result, the country's strength would become increasingly prosperous.
But when the Central Plains dynasty's national power declined and it was unable to organize a large-scale attack, the offensive and defensive trends of both sides would reverse.
During this period, nomadic tribes took the dominant position, often raiding border areas and plundering, and the Central Plains dynasty could only adopt a passive defensive strategy.
In the final analysis, this is the inherent contradiction between the nomadic people and the Central Plains dynasty.
Time passed by so slowly. I don’t know how long it took, but Jiajing raised his head and glanced at Lu Fang beside him. The latter quickly understood, immediately stepped forward, faced everyone, and said in a deep voice.
"The first matter has been discussed, and now we will discuss the second matter, which is to start a war with Anda Khan of the Tumut tribe in the spring of next year!"
After Lu Fang finished speaking, he bowed to Jiajing and then returned to his previous position.
When the words fell, Xu Jie stood up, looked in the direction of Jiajing, and said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, I think we should be cautious in this battle!"
"Although the battle between Ming Dynasty and Anda Khan will happen sooner or later, the longer it is delayed, the more beneficial it will be to Ming Dynasty!"
When Xu Jie said this, he paused for a moment and continued: "Now, the national strength of our Ming Dynasty is slowly recovering. There is no need to worry about this moment. You only need to be patient and prepare for three to five years. Wait for the weapons department to come back." After all the new weapons are deployed in the army, they can be used in one battle!"
"In this way, we can avenge the original attack and completely annihilate Anda Khan!"
As soon as Xu Jie finished speaking, Zhang Juzheng stood up and put forward a different opinion: "Your Majesty, I think the sooner the war starts, the better!"
Seeing that everyone's eyes were on him, Zhang Juzheng thought about it for a moment before he began to explain his point of view.
"Your Majesty, the grassland where Anda Khan is now was originally the place where the Chahar tribe thrived. However, after the rise of the Tumote tribe where Anda Khan was located, they drove the Chahar tribe to Liaodong."
"At the moment, although the Chahar tribe has surrendered to my Ming Dynasty and is under the control of my Ming Dynasty, this is only temporary. When the Chahar tribe becomes full-fledged, it will naturally want to get rid of my Ming Dynasty's control!"
"In addition, not only do I, the Ming Dynasty, have irresolvable hatred between me and Amada Khan, but the Chahar tribe also has a feud with the Tumote tribe, where Amada Khan belongs. If this is the case, why doesn't I, the Ming Dynasty, make use of it? Get up, join forces with the Chahar tribe, and attack Ada Khan together?"
"In this way, it can not only consume the strength of the Chahar Ministry and prevent them from getting rid of my Ming Dynasty's control, but also get more help. Why not do it?"
At this moment, Yan Song, who was silent on the side, stood up from his seat tremblingly, took out a memorial from his sleeve, and said respectfully.
"Your Majesty, here are the records of Anda Khan leading his troops to invade our Ming border areas in recent years. From what we can see, Anda Khan's invasions have become more frequent!"
After Yan Song finished speaking, he immediately leaned down and raised the memorial in his hand above his head.
Lu Fang, who was waiting beside Jiajing, saw this situation and immediately stepped forward, took the memorial from Yan Song's hand, and respectfully handed it to Jiajing.
"His Majesty!"
"Um."
When Jiajing heard the words, he responded in a subtle way, and then took the memorial from Lu Fang's hand.
The above records mainly come from the Hami Guard, Shazhou Guard, and Suzhou Guard. The content is as Yan Song said, Anda Khan invaded the Ming Dynasty's border areas more and more frequently.
In previous years, it was three to four times a year, but now it has reached as many as seven or eight times!
Moreover, only two to three thousand troops were sent to harass each time. If they could be defeated, they would fight, and if they could not be defeated, they would run away.
"When the Ming Dynasty and Tumaihan went to war, Anda Khan took the opportunity to send people south to plunder. However, due to the timely discovery of the local guard, they relied on the city wall to resist desperately. After two days of fierce fighting, this army knew that it was unbeatable. Just leave."
After reading the records in the memorial, Jiajing couldn't help but frown. For a long time, he put the memorial aside, faced the crowd, and said in a deep voice.
"For a long time, in order to prevent the Tatar invasion from the north, our Ming Dynasty has spent a lot of money. Every year, a large amount of money from the national treasury is spent on this!"
"This is tantamount to bleeding the Ming Dynasty. If things go on like this, the national treasury will definitely become increasingly empty, and the national power of the Ming Dynasty will also decline further!"
"When the treasury runs out of money, then Anda Khan will go south. If the treasury runs out of money, where will the military pay come from?"
When Jiajing said this, he paused for a moment. After looking around, he continued: "Soldiers without military pay will naturally have low morale. If morale is low, how can they win the war?"
"In the end, it's not just about levying more taxes. If the taxes are high and the people can't survive, they will rise up and start revolts. At that time, under the internal and external troubles, how can we preserve the country of the Ming Dynasty?"
Everyone obviously did not expect that the emperor would say these words without concealment, so they didn't know what to do for a while.
Immediately, I saw Jiajing retracting his gaze, gently stroking the dragon head carved on the dragon chair with his hand, facing everyone, and said in a deep voice: "Therefore, in my opinion, instead of continuing like this, it is better to complete the battle and solve the problem once and for all. This question!"
"I want to use Anda Khan as a living example to prevent them from easily setting foot on the border of my Ming Dynasty!"
Seeing that the emperor had already spoken to this extent, everyone could only nod in agreement.
Although on the surface it seems that Ming's preparations are relatively hasty and the war will begin in the spring of next year.
But now, the Ming Dynasty's treasury is abundant, and its repeated military campaigns have resulted in consecutive battles and victories. It is a time when morale is high.
The new weapons produced by the Ordnance Department have also been tested in two wars. Whether they are grenades, paper bullets, or flintlock guns, they are all things that can change the course of the war.
The imperial court had previously tested the above-mentioned weapons when it sent troops to suppress the Yang family in Bozhou, and the results of the test were excellent. It only took more than a month to defeat the Bozhou soldiers under Yang Lie's command.
After that, Hu Zongxian stood up and took the lead in expressing his attitude: "Your Majesty, the humble ministers support the imperial court and officially declare war on Anda Khan in the next spring!"
"In addition, I would also like to recommend Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou to Your Majesty. These two are brave and good at fighting, have repeatedly made military exploits, and are very good at using troops!"
When Jiajing heard this, after pondering for a moment, he nodded and said slowly: "Yes, I'm sure!"
Everyone present knew very well that before this, Hu Zongxian, who was the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, had recommended Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou to the emperor.
Now openly mentioning this matter in cabinet discussions is nothing more than a formality.
After Hu Zongxian expressed his support, Zhang Juzheng also stood up. He stood up from his seat, bowed his hands to Jiajing, and said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, Anda Khan has been invading our Ming border for a long time, and the people are suffering unspeakably. I sincerely request your Majesty to send troops to capture this thief and drive away the evildoers!"
"Your Majesty, please send troops to capture this thief and eliminate the evildoers!"
After Zhang Juzheng finished speaking, the remaining people in the cabinet also stood up from their seats and said in unison.
Then, after Jiajing looked around, he withdrew his gaze, nodded, and then said: "Well, okay, next spring, the imperial court will officially send troops to go to war with Anda Khan!"
After that, Jiajing glanced at Xu Jie and Gao Gong respectively, and gave instructions: "At that time, your Ministry of Household Affairs will be responsible for the coordination of food, wages and military equipment!"
After Xu Jie and Gao Gong noticed Jiajing's gaze on them, they immediately looked stern and responded in a deep voice: "Yes, Your Majesty!"
After that, Jiajing seemed to suddenly remember something, looked in the direction of Zhang Juzheng, and asked: "By the way, Zhang Juzheng, how is the construction of the two naval divisions of the imperial court going at the Ministry of War? "
Zhang Juzheng saw the emperor asking him about the construction progress of the navy, and he did not dare to hide anything. After recalling it for a moment, he respectfully responded: "Your Majesty, the construction of the two naval divisions of the imperial court is currently going well. The shipyard last month Here, seven more warships have been built!"
"But Wei Chen's previous estimate was too optimistic. According to the current speed, I'm afraid it will have to wait until the beginning of next year for the two naval divisions of the imperial court to be completed. Please forgive me!"
After Zhang Juzheng finished speaking, he anxiously waited for Jiajing's response.
Jiajing took in the expression on Zhang Juzheng's face, waved his hand indifferently, and said: "It doesn't matter, there is no rush anyway. When the two naval divisions of the imperial court are completed, they will be temporarily assigned to it." Under the name of the Maritime Trade Department, I will be responsible for escorting Ming Dynasty’s merchant ships!”
"In this way, while bringing in income, it will also allow them to accumulate more experience in ocean warfare!"
When Jiajing finished speaking, everyone looked in the direction of Gao Gong with envy.
As early as when the Maritime Trade Department was first established, the emperor gave the Maritime Trade Department the power to mobilize the navy at will. Now the navy of the Ming Dynasty has more than 80 warships capable of ocean warfare. The remaining various types of ships combined , there are more than a hundred ships.
In addition, the emperor originally allocated eight million taels of silver to build the imperial court's second navy in the name of suppressing Japanese invaders.
At present, the construction of this second navy has been completed.
Later, as maritime trade became increasingly prosperous, the emperor allocated funds to build two new naval divisions on the pretext of escorting the merchant ships of the Ming Dynasty.
At this moment, everyone thought about it and suddenly realized that Ming Dynasty's navy had become so powerful without even realizing it.
When the imperial court completes the construction of the remaining naval forces, the Ming Dynasty will have four naval forces.
And because the Sea Trade Department can mobilize the navy at will, that is to say, such a powerful force is firmly controlled by the Sea Trade Department under Gao Gong.
"Did His Majesty not consider these issues when he established the Maritime Trade Department, or did His Majesty do it intentionally?"
Yan Song thought so, and the expression on his face became more solemn.
Seeing that the matter had settled, Jiajing slowly stood up from the dragon chair, faced everyone, and said unhurriedly: "Okay, I'm a little tired too, so let's get here first today!"
After Jiajing finished speaking, he stood up from his seat and walked straight out of the cabinet.
Seeing this, Lu Fang, who was waiting beside Jiajing, quickly followed Jiajing's pace.
Immediately afterwards, under the leadership of Yan Song, the chief minister of the cabinet, everyone knelt on the ground and saluted respectfully towards Jiajing's leaving figure.
"I respectfully send you off to Your Majesty!" (End of this chapter)
