Jin Xuezeng's words were like a thunder, which directly surprised the ministers present at the military meeting.
Even Yu Dayou looked at Jin Xuezeng with a look of shock, and asked: "Do you know how many ships are needed for a cross-sea expedition, how much people are needed, and how many unpredictable risks there are, not to mention that the Japanese country has many mountains and little flat land. It is difficult to choose the right point, and there are too many islands, so it will be difficult to annihilate the Japanese country as soon as we land."
"My intention is not to completely pacify the Japanese state, but to use the name of pacifying the Japanese state to divide and rule the Japanese state and obtain financial benefits."
Jin Xuezeng said at this time.
After hearing this, Fang Fengshi asked Jin Xuezeng, "How do you say this?"
"I don't know what everyone knows, but the Japanese country is now in a period of chaos among the feudal vassals. It is time to punish them for the heavy blood debt they owed to our Ming Dynasty during the Shimiao period."
"In addition, the Japanese country is quite rich now because its vassals colluded with the smuggling Han gentry and gained huge profits from the sea. Moreover, the Japanese country has a lot of silver and accepts a lot of goods from the Ming Dynasty. Every year, both the southern tycoons and merchants can buy from The Japanese country made a lot of huge profits."
"Back then, Wang Zhi and others brought trouble to the southeast, and the Hirado and Satsuma vassals also plundered a lot of property from our Ming Dynasty. Now they are all very rich."
"Before joining the official position, Xiaguan once went to Dinghai. Because it was a place that paid tribute to the Japanese country before, many people were familiar with the conditions of the Japanese country."
"According to what I know from my inspection, there are now many smuggling merchants in our Ming Dynasty funded by wealthy gentry. In the Japanese country, they often collude with local powerful vassals and set up various workshops and shops in the local area."
"Some even directly bought or tricked Han people into working there, and colluded with the local powerful vassals to exploit the Han people who worked in the past so much that once they passed, it would be difficult to return to their hometowns alive."
"In addition, there are more powerful smuggling merchants who directly collude with the local powerful vassals to gain the right to trade. They can take smuggling merchants to the cities where the local powerful vassals are stationed to trade, but these merchants need to pay heavy taxes, and these heavy taxes are provided by The local powerful vassals divided it up with the smugglers who cooperated with them.”
"And these smugglers also colluded with pirates to plunder those who tried to smuggle alone! Or they directly asked the local navy to suppress them."
"And the imperial court can send a powerful navy to destroy the local workshops and shops where smugglers suppress the people of the Ming and Han Dynasties, and even order the local powerful vassals to pay compensation to weaken their power, so as to prevent them from attacking the southeastern coast of our country in the future."
"In fact, the Japanese rebellion during the World Temple was because these powerful vassals grew stronger with the help of smugglers and began to covet our Ming Dynasty."
"Otherwise, I wouldn't have gone straight to Nanjing back then."
"According to the official's later interviews with people who have been living in Japan all year round, Japan's powerful vassal such as Satsuma did this because they had the intention of testing the dynasty's reality."
When Jin Xuezeng said this, the other party said at the right time: "So whether it is to teach the Japanese a lesson, or to prevent the Japanese from becoming bigger again with the help of smuggling merchants and violating our country's intentions, or to allow them to reduce taxes to benefit the goods of our country, and to treat the country that year." It is necessary to make compensation for the bandits who plundered our southeast, to release the plundered craftsmen and people, and to conquer the Japanese! It can also increase the national wealth and prepare for the future use of troops in the southwest, northwest, and northeast."
"Of course, the Japanese country has many mountains and few flat areas, which is not suitable for large armies to land, and the islands are scattered across the country, which is not conducive to united warfare. Therefore, if it is difficult for the court to destroy the country, it can only encroach on it step by step, first weaken its power, gain its financial resources, and then attack and investigate its crimes. Yes, so there is no need to send many troops and horses. In total, only 20,000 to 30,000 southern soldiers and 10,000 to 20,000 naval forces are enough. And there is no need to invest too many troops at the beginning, just a few thousand elites, so that the Japanese It is not easy for the vassals to become vigilant, and then they can use the technique of combining vertical and horizontal lines to slowly increase their troops."
"It's not necessary to use troops now. We just need to prepare first. If we want to raise troops in a few years, this should be the first thing we do!"
"What's more, the Southern Army has only been fighting the Japanese in the southeast for many years. Many officers and generals are familiar with fighting the Japanese, so it is not difficult to select thousands of elite soldiers who have fought hundreds of battles with the Japanese."
"Even as a boat master, he fought against Japanese pirates several times and was familiar with the Japanese navy."
"In addition, where the Japanese vassals of Pinghu and Satsuma are located, there are many people from Fujian, Guangzhou and Zhejiang, and most of them are hired workers who are oppressed by local powerful vassals and smuggling merchants. They can be used as internal agents to help the officers and soldiers fight against the Japanese. .”
"Xiaoguan also asked smugglers who had been to the Japanese country. According to them, it can be reached from Dinghai to Satsuma Prefecture in seven days with a favorable wind."
"It can be seen that if you really want to send troops to fight against the Japanese country, you don't have to worry about it taking too much time. Moreover, there are many smuggled ships going to the Japanese country in the Fujian and Zhejiang areas. Send Jin Yiwei to penetrate and inquire first, find out the situation of the sea, and prepare for the future cross-sea war against the Japanese. It’s not difficult to prepare.”
After Jin Xuezeng finished speaking, Fang Fengyang nodded, looked at Yu Dayou and said: "In this way, now is really a good opportunity to conquer Japan."
"But Taizu once had an ancestral saying that the Japanese country was a country without conquest."
At this time, Jiang Yilin said.
"It doesn't matter. Now there are many powerful vassals in the Japanese country who are in civil war. You can send people to contact one side first, so that the vassal that is about to be destroyed can ask my master Wang to fight against the rebellion on the grounds that it is willing to recognize the Ming Dynasty as its suzerainty. This is not considered a right. Conquer Japan."
Jin Xuezeng replied at this time.
Ye Mengxiong nodded and said: "You can also use troops to suppress the Japanese country. No one knows whether the remnants of Wang Zhizhi are causing trouble in the Japanese country and want to attack our southeast and even the entire country? As long as the Japanese are not destroyed, that is It can’t be said to be a war against Japan.”
"Based on Zilu's opinion, if we send troops to the Japanese country, how much money can we expect to increase for the imperial court?"
Fang Fengshi asked again at this time.
Jin Xuezeng replied: "I don't know the exact amount of this, but as far as I know, the Japanese Shijian Yinshan alone can produce one million taels of silver per year. Not to mention, the Japanese vassals have a lot of food and the annual income is 100,000 taels." Stone or above."
After hearing this, Fang Fengshi took a breath of cold air and muttered four words: "Shi Jian Yin Shan."
Then, Fang Fengshi said: "So, as long as we send not more than 100,000 troops, but only 20,000 to 30,000 land and sea troops, or even just a few thousand elite soldiers at the beginning, once we succeed, the benefits will obviously be considerable!"
"And if it really succeeds, it may at least be guaranteed to increase the official profits of more than one million taels to the court in the future!"
"In battle, we must pay attention to the right time, location, and harmony, and it is not just about weighing the pros and cons."
"Although our Ming Dynasty can fight against the Japanese pirates with many elites now, strong troops must be stationed in the southwest, northwest, and even the northeast. Once we really have to send thousands of elites to cross the sea, and if the entire army is annihilated due to the weather and no fight, the loss will be huge. Just a few thousand fighting elites are likely to affect the fate of the entire country."
Yu Dayou started talking at this time.
As a veteran of hundreds of battles, he was obviously more cautious about starting the war than civil servants like Jin Xuezeng.
As a veteran who had served as a border minister for many years, Fang Fengshi also understood Yu Dayou's concerns.
Because people are not silver after all, especially the elites of the Ming Empire who have fought in hundreds of battles, and they are not really worth only thirty taels of silver, just like the imperial pension regulations.
After all, that might be the seed for becoming a general in the army in the future.
Therefore, Fang Fengshi only said: "We are only providing His Majesty with the military strategy for the next few years to be decided by the Privy Council. Whether we want to do this specifically requires the Holy Judgment."
"But at present, it seems that the southwest, northwest, and northeast are all just a waste of national funds, and we still need to wait for the opportunity. However, the war against the Japanese is the easiest to launch at the moment, if your Majesty really wants to raise an army."
After Fang Fengshi said this, he said: "So, I think the Privy Council should consider raising troops to fight against the Japanese as the most important military task at the moment, and report it to Your Majesty. I wonder what everyone thinks?"
Jin Xuezeng handed over his hand and said, "I have no objection to lowering my rank."
Ye Mengxiong also bowed his hands and said, "I have no objections to this."
Jiang Yilin also raised his hand and said: "That's all it can do. You are right, the Privy Council only provides strategies to His Majesty. As for the decision-making, it can only depend on the Holy Will."
Fang Fengshi looked at Yu Dayou, who had white eyebrows and hair: "If we really want to use troops in the Japanese mainland in the future, land battles will naturally be inseparable from Qihou, and water battles will be inseparable from Gong. When the bandits invaded back then, Qi and Yu needed to retreat. Now that the bandits have gone and asked about their crimes, it should also be asked by the two princes. It is like sealing a wolf to live in a subordinate position, and sealing a stone to see the silver mountain. This is all his merits, but Lianpo is old, can he still make a living?"
After hearing this, Yu Dayou said: "I just quit drinking!"
