Holding this memorial in his hand, Yu Qian felt more frightened as he read on.
After all, although he was once the Minister of the Ministry of War, it was impossible for him to know all the affairs of the court.
The Japanese pirates incident is one of them. Previously, most of Yu Qian's energy was focused on the northern defense line. He paid relatively little attention to the Japanese pirates.
However, after seeing this memorial, he realized how serious the problem of Japanese pirates in Ming Dynasty was.
The seriousness does not lie in how serious losses the Japanese pirates can bring to the Ming Dynasty, but in the fact that many people within the Ming Dynasty are providing help to the Japanese pirates, and there are even many people who directly dress up as Japanese pirates and kidnap people in the coastal areas. Tribulation.
This memorial describes the situation in Zhangzhou Prefecture in the most detail. Several other states are also mentioned, but they are not in depth, but even so, it is very shocking.
You must know that Yu Qian himself stepped up from the local officials step by step, so he still has a good idea of how powerful the squires are in the state capital, and how many clan forces there are in an area.
If what this memorial says is true, then it is conceivable that most of the clans in Zhangzhou Prefecture have some connection with the Japanese pirates.
Moreover, after Yu Qian read it, he immediately discovered that there was no signature on the memorial, and there were obvious gaps in the writing. This meant that what he saw now should not be the original, but a copy. Backup, there is some key information in it, I am afraid that the emperor has hidden it.
As for what this information is…
"No wonder the Japanese pirates are so difficult to eradicate every time. It turns out that there is collusion between inside and outside!"
A cold look flashed in Yu Qian's eyes and he said in a cold voice.
"Now that Your Majesty has identified these thieves who are in contact with the Japanese pirates and has made up his mind to send a large army to clean them up, please rest assured, Your Majesty, I will do my best to clear out the bandits and return Zhangzhou to a clear and sunny sky!"
Being able to reach this position and once serving as Minister of War, Yu Qian is not a kind little old man. On the contrary, he is decisive and decisive in killing.
In his opinion, evil gentry who oppressed the people and collaborated with Japanese pirates were basically like thieves. When it was time to kill them, they would not show mercy at all.
As for sending troops, although he still didn't fully understand why the emperor wanted to send troops at this time, but after each incident, he learned a lesson, and when he saw this memorial, Yu Qian understood that the emperor's plan to conquer Zhangzhou was not just a matter of military affairs. Today, the contents of this memorial cover a wide range of topics. If you want to investigate clearly, it will be impossible without a year and a half.
This also means that if he persuades the emperor to stop at this time, then the emperor's previous hard work will probably be in vain. With the emperor's character... I'm afraid it will be useless even if he says it!
Seeing Yu Qianyi's angry look, Zhu Qiyu raised his hand and pressed it down, saying.
"Sir, there is no need to worry. It is difficult to wipe out these people. But as long as the court is willing to send a large army, there is no problem in annihilating them. The real question is, what happens after they are wiped out?"
The problem of Japanese pirates is complex, but after clarifying the joints, it is not difficult to solve it.
The Japanese pirates along the coast of the Ming Dynasty are divided into real Japanese and fake Japanese. The former are ronin who smuggled over from Fusang Kingdom and are real Japanese pirates. As for the latter, most of them are common people and merchants along the coast. In order to avoid the maritime ban policy, they pretend to be Japanese pirates. Just a name.
The two are involved together, forming the current Japanese plague in the Ming Dynasty. In terms of quantity, the former accounts for a minority and the latter accounts for the majority. In terms of combat power, the former is stronger than the latter.
If we look at the two separately, there are two biggest problems if we want to exterminate Japanese pirates. Although the number of real Japanese pirates is small, they are familiar with naval warfare. More importantly, their roots are not in the Ming Dynasty. Therefore, once the imperial court uses large-scale If there are more officers and soldiers, then they can escape back to Fusang Kingdom at any time, so they continue to suppress them repeatedly.
However, on the other hand, because the number of real Japanese Japanese is small, if all the fake Japanese can be wiped out, then the remaining real Japanese will not actually cause too much trouble.
Compared with the real Japanese, with this information, it is not difficult to eliminate the fake Japanese. After all, their roots are still in these clans. If the clans behind them are destroyed, these fake Japanese will naturally be rootless trees. , it is difficult to become a climate.
Of course, even so, there will still be difficulties in the eradication, for example, what is the evidence proving that these clans are involved with the Japanese pirates, and whether they will get the news in advance and flee. However, these are trivial matters, as long as the emperor Zhu Qiyu explains If it goes on, there will always be capable ministers who can handle it well.
But this is not a permanent solution!
"Yes, it is not accidental that the Japanese pirates can spread to such a situation. After this group of people are wiped out, I am afraid that it will not be long before new clans that collude with the Japanese pirates will emerge. It is because I did not think carefully."
Hearing Zhu Qiyu's question, Yu Qian was stunned for a moment, lowered his head and thought for a moment, and then he understood.
Seeing this situation, Zhu Qiyu nodded and said.
"Japanese invasion does not happen overnight, nor is it caused by one reason. Although these squires who colluded with Japanese pirates are hateful, there are no unavoidable reasons behind them."
At this point, the real topic is actually introduced... the sea ban!
"In the southeastern area, we live along the coast. The land is barren and there is very little land that can be cultivated. The people often make a living by fishing. The court strictly ordered that no board is allowed to go into the sea. The people can only fish in small boats in the nearby sea area. This can They could barely make ends meet, but if there was a shipwreck or other natural disaster, the family would lose their livelihood, and they would have no choice but to become bandits, evading taxes and resisting donations, thus forming a fierce folk custom."
"In addition, although maritime trade is strictly prohibited by the imperial court, it is really difficult for a land near the sea to become rich without relying on commerce. Therefore, no matter how strict the ban is, there will always be people who take risks."
"Those who are involved in Japanese pirates, or even pretend to be Japanese pirates, some are seeking profit, and some are forced to do so. The root cause is that the place is too barren. If this problem cannot be solved, the Japanese pirates will inevitably reappear. The imperial court is exhausted!"
After saying this, Yu Qian also fell into deep thought.
It should be said that the truth spoken by the emperor is not difficult to understand, but in many cases, the simpler the truth, the easier it is to trap people.
In fact, even Zhu Qiyu himself took two lifetimes of vision combined to understand the relationship here.
At least, in the previous life, before the Longqing switch, the monarchs and ministers of the Ming Dynasty thought about this simple truth for two hundred years but could not understand it.
After a while, Yu Qian slowly spoke and said.
"Your Majesty is wise, it is indeed true. It is easy to wipe out this group of clans, but to eradicate the Japanese invasion, it is not enough to use troops. So, Your Majesty, do you think that the root of the Japanese invasion lies in the maritime ban?"
By this time, Yu Qian began to gradually tend to agree with Zhu Qiyu's views, but of course, he did not agree with them entirely.
After pondering for a moment, Yu Qian couldn't help but said.
"However, even so, the sea ban policy is not harmful or unhelpful. On the one hand, even if the imperial court relaxes the sea ban, the Japanese pirates may not really disappear. On the other hand, businessmen value profits, and the people along the coast are fierce and fierce, and the chaos in the late Yuan Dynasty At the time of the war, the leaders of the many rebellions against the Yuan Dynasty originated from the coastal generation. If the maritime ban is lifted, heavy troops will be stationed. As a result, the court will be very wasteful, so please think twice."
After saying this, Zhu Qiyu also sighed.
Indeed, although the maritime ban policy has its drawbacks, the reason why it has been implemented for so long also naturally has its benefits.
To put it bluntly, it is the cheapest way to stabilize coastal rule.
The coastal areas were barren and Japanese pirates were causing trouble. On this basis, the imperial court banned maritime trade. It seemed to be to resist Japanese pirates, but in fact it was to ensure control of the coast.
Just like Yu Qian said, poverty means that they cannot cause trouble. Even if they have no food and clothing, fall into bandits, or even dress up as Japanese pirates, the most serious consequence is to rob the people along the coast.
However, it was impossible to organize a large-scale army. The local poverty meant that even if something happened against the imperial court, without sufficient logistical output, it would be difficult to cause too much trouble to the imperial court.
On the contrary, opening up the sea ban will certainly bring various benefits. The most obvious one is that the number of Japanese pirates will be greatly reduced.
However, there is also a great risk in doing so, that is, if the local area has sufficient strength and the folk customs are fierce, if there is an accident, rebellion will occur.
If stability is to be maintained, the court needs to deploy more troops to deal with possible chaos.
Therefore, if you look at it purely from the perspective of a ruler, the maritime ban policy may not be really wrong, but...
"I can understand what you said, but the people of this coastal generation are also subjects of the imperial court..."
Zhu Qiyu frowned and his tone became a little complicated.
"Their lives are also lives!"
This sentence was not loud, but in Yu Qian's ears, it was undoubtedly deafening.
However, Zhu Qiyu did not stop talking and continued.
"If I didn't know the root cause of the Japanese invasion and the pros and cons of the maritime ban, that would be fine. But now that I understand it, how can I just sit back and ignore it?"
"These people have worked diligently and hard all their lives. However, just because they were born on the coast, they are destined to have difficulty surviving. It would be fine if it was fate. However, their situation was brought about by the imperial court. How can I do this? Where is your peace of mind?”
"Taizong of the Tang Dynasty once said that the people are like the king of water, and the water can carry the boat and capsize it. Since I am the lord of all people and the king of the world, it is my duty to comfort the people on behalf of heaven. If I know that the sea ban is not good for the people, , but still do it, it is immoral and incompetent!"
"If a king has no virtue, the country and the country will one day be destroyed. Therefore, whether it is for the country or the people, I will let this government end in my hands!"
After saying this, Yu Qian's expression was a little complicated.
After a while, he took a long breath, stood up, bowed and bowed, and spoke seriously.
"Your Majesty's concern for all people is truly a blessing to the country and a blessing to the world!"
"I... am willing to die for Your Majesty!"
After saying that, he kowtowed to the ground solemnly and spoke loudly.
There was silence in the hall for a moment. Zhu Qiyu seemed to have remembered something. A trace of unexplainable meaning flashed in his eyes, but it quickly disappeared. Then, a smile appeared on his face and he said.
"Sir, what are you doing? I'm still counting on you to fight the Japanese pirates for me. How can I die in vain? Get over it quickly!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Yu Qian stood up again, but instead of sitting down, he stood aside, waiting for the emperor's instructions.
Seeing this situation, Zhu Qiyu said.
"The sea ban must be lifted, but after all, it is Taizu's old system, and it still needs to be done step by step. The most pressing concern of the court at the moment is the disaster that may occur next year. This is why I chose this time to send troops to suppress the Japanese pirates. .”
For this reason, Yu Qian will naturally not mention anything about ancestral system or not. Zhu Qiyu can also directly say that he wants to open the sea. However, regardless of whether he mentions it or not, the fact is that Zhu Qiyu's plan The truth can convince some people, including Yu Qian, but it is impossible to convince everyone in the court.
This is not only an issue of ancestral system, but more importantly, opening up the sea will definitely affect the interests of some people. Therefore, even if it is to be done, at this stage, it can only be done secretly until the time is ripe. , and then brought it up in the court.
"At the beginning, the caravan from Huangzhuang carried silk, porcelain, tea and other items worth nearly one hundred thousand taels of silver at least. The place they went to this time was not too far away. According to the time it took Zheng He to sail to the West before Let’s calculate, it will be as early as June next year, and as late as the end of next year, we will probably be able to return.”
"I have read books from the former Song Dynasty, and it was said that these things could be of several times greater benefit when they arrived in Western countries. If this is true, then when they return home, the amount of gold and silver they brought back would be astonishing, such a huge amount The money will definitely arouse the covetousness of the Japanese pirates, so within half a year, we must uproot all the people from the coastal generation who are related to the Japanese pirates. Only in this way can the merchant ships return safely."
As he spoke, Zhu Qiyu looked up at Yu Qian and said.
"We still don't know the severity of the disaster next year. If it is really a year of great disaster, then this money may be life-saving money for countless people. Sir, may you understand?"
For some reason, when Yu Qian heard these words, he always felt that the emperor's tone was a bit heavy.
However, with his perspective, even if he didn't know, he could still understand the seriousness of this matter.
Even if there is no disaster next year, how much effect can this large amount of money invest in the court? More importantly, once the merchant ships return, it can really be proved that opening the sea is profitable, then, if you want to If the maritime ban policy is lifted, the pressure on the court will be much less.
Therefore, no matter from which level, it is imperative to send troops to exterminate the Japanese pirates, and it can only be done at this time...
(End of chapter)
