Zhu Youtang closed the memorial and began to organize his thoughts. Isn't the Franchi country mentioned in the memorial the Portugal of later generations? Perhaps due to the butterfly effect of my own time travel, these Western European invaders came so early and arrived at just the right time to defeat them and use them to spread the power of the Ming Dynasty and let all countries in the world understand that the Ming Dynasty is the world The strongest country!
But what Zhu Youtang didn't understand was that although the Ming Dynasty had long pursued a policy of maritime ban, it gradually fell behind Western countries. But at this time, the navy's capabilities should not be far behind. How could the Fujian naval battle be such a disastrous defeat?
There are only two possibilities for the answer, either the Fujian Navy underestimated the enemy, did not take the Portuguese fleet seriously, and did not prepare well in advance, so it was beaten and confused! Otherwise, due to the butterfly effect, the warships and artillery in the Franco fleet were already significantly ahead of the Ming Dynasty, so they were overwhelming in naval battles.
Now is the Age of Discovery. The firearms and ships of the Ming Dynasty are no longer what they used to be. Due to the long-term maritime ban and the lack of attention in the country, they have not developed for many years. Although they are not particularly backward, they are still behind the Western countries. It lags behind compared to other countries.
Early the next morning, Zhu Youtang crawled out of Concubine Li Han Qiaozi's bed, finished dressing and went straight to Xinuang Pavilion.
Li Guang, the chief eunuch of the Bureau of Ceremonies, knew that an urgent report had arrived from Fujian last night, and he later learned that the urgent report was bad news. So Zhu Youtang stayed up all night at Li Fei's place, and Li Guang also stayed up all night. He went earlier than Zhu Youtang and was already waiting at Xinuang Pavilion.
As soon as Zhu Youtang stepped into Xinuang Pavilion, Li Guang trotted in and quickly offered him a cup of warm tea. Zhu Youtang took it smoothly, took a sip, and said, "Why did you come so early today?"
Li Guang chuckled lightly and replied: "I know that Your Majesty got up early today, so I served you warm tea early and waited here. Is this tea good for Your Majesty?"
"Hmm... not bad."
Seeing Zhu Youtang's face gloomy and his brows furrowed, he didn't dare to say anything, so he had to stand in front of him and wait for the emperor's orders.
At this time, there was a sudden sound of footsteps in the corridor, followed by the laughter of eunuchs and palace maids.
"Hey, don't make trouble, don't make trouble, this is Xi Nuan Pavilion!"
"Didn't you talk back just now? Why are you scared now? Don't worry, the emperor is still sleeping. There must be no one in the Nuan Pavilion!"
Zhu Youtang frowned and looked.
Li Guang on the side saw this and trotted out quickly. At this tense moment, he, the Chief of Ceremonies, the Palm Print Eunuch, did not dare to make a loud noise in front of Zhu Youtang. Who are the people outside the door who are not afraid of death and dare to be so presumptuous.
The young eunuchs and palace maids who were acting recklessly at the door just now saw the great eunuch Li Guangtie suddenly appeared from the Nuan Pavilion with a livid face. They quickly knelt on the ground and begged for their lives.
Having lived in the palace for a long time, they knew the methods of the newly appointed Eunuch Li Guang, who was the Chief of Ceremonies, and he was much more ruthless than the previous Huai En.
Li Guang pointed at Nuange and said coldly: "You are blind. Do you know where this is?"
"I know, I know, please spare my life, grandpa, spare my life." The little eunuch kowtowed like a fool, fearing that Li Guang would kill them.
"Li Guang, I don't blame them. At this time, I am indeed sleeping. Let them stand down!"
After receiving Zhu Youtang's oral instructions, Li Guang did not dare to be presumptuous. He waved his hand impatiently, and several young eunuchs and maids hurriedly left. Before resigning, Li Guang had already memorized their respective appearances and wanted to make them look good later!
After this incident, Zhu Youtang had no intention of staying in the Nuan Pavilion. He stood up and said: "Li Guang, please pass on my oral instructions and summon the ministers of the cabinet and the six departments of Wuying Hall to discuss matters!
…
In the hall of the Ministry of War, all the officials of the Ministry of War have not slept all night since receiving the report of the war in Fujian.
Han Junyan, the Secretary of the Ministry of War, who had just taken office, took a nap in the back hall all night. He was too lazy to participate in the mess left behind. He might as well let his subordinates discuss it carefully, and then he would do it himself after he came up with a plan. Use it to claim credit from the emperor.
Seeing that the sky was getting brighter, Han Junyan yawned and walked towards the main hall.
"Hey, I'm so angry. If I had known this, I shouldn't have listened to the officials. It would be better to let anyone go than that Yu Wende. What did he do! Not to mention the rebellion of the unruly people in Quanzhou, they also let the Xiyi ships The team blocked the Fujian Inland Sea, which really brought Ming Dynasty’s face to shame!”
Lu Ling, the left minister of the Ministry of War, slammed the table and said angrily, Lu Ling also practiced Tai Chi all night. After dawn, he steeled himself and started discussing matters, especially when he just heard footsteps coming from the back corridor. Knowing that Shangshu Han Junyan was coming, he deliberately spoke loudly so that Han Junyan could hear him.
Lu Ling was an important member of the Liu Party, and the Ministry of Civil Affairs was headed by Xu Pu, the deputy minister of the cabinet. He attributed the series of problems in Fujian to the unclear selection of the Ministry of Civil Affairs at the time, and he also gave Han Junyan an insinuation.
What the words mean is, I don’t know what you, the Minister of the Ministry of War, think about it. We, Party Liu, worked hard to help you up, but you don’t want to repay the favor. Then you bite us back. Just bite us. You But you can't take refuge in Xu Pu and the others. Xu Pu and the others are unreliable in their work!
Han Junyan heard Lu Ling complaining, coughed a few times, and signaled to everyone that he was here, so everyone should pay attention.
"How is the discussion going? Will Fujian Governor Yu Wende be replaced?" Han Junyan walked into the hall and asked.
"If the many ports in Fujian fail to break through the blockade of Xiyi, the losses will be immeasurable."
At this moment, a eunuch who delivered the order suddenly walked outside the door and shouted: "My lords, Your Majesty has an order to summon the cabinet ministers and officials from the six ministries to the Wuying Palace to discuss matters."
"Whether you go to Wuying Palace or not, His Majesty has to make a decision on such a major matter as changing the governor of a province!"
…
In Wuying Hall, after everyone was gathered, Zhu Youtang took the lead and said:
"Everyone has heard about what happened in Fujian. Come, let's discuss what to do about this matter. I heard that the people from your Ministry of War stayed up all night yesterday and discussed it all night. Let's talk about what came out of the discussion. It worked out.”
Han Junyan, the Minister of War, had been napping in the back hall last night and did not participate in the discussion. At this moment, when the emperor asked questions, he hesitated for a while. Everyone turned their attention to it. Han Junyan wiped the sweat from his forehead and said:
"According to the Fujian battle report, there are two major events. One is the Quanzhou people causing trouble, and the other is the Folangji Kingdom's invasion of our Ming Dynasty waters. What does the Ministry of War mean? The small country of Xiyi Fanbang does not know the depth and depth, and dares to attack us. Heavenly Kingdom…”
"Tell me the important point." Zhu Youtang waved his hand impatiently.
"The imperial court elected a general to send troops to quell the rebellion. In addition, we will coordinate with the Folangji Kingdom to get them to withdraw their troops."
"Is this the result of your night's discussion?"
Zhu Youtang frowned. In fact, he didn't expect the Ministry of War to come up with any results from the negotiations. In the past, when the country was at war, the Ministry of War would hold discussions for five days and one meeting for three days, but they could never come up with any good solution. The efficiency is very low.
At this time, Wang Shu, Minister of Industry, came out and said:
"Your Majesty, in my opinion, although the Fo Langji Kingdom negotiates with us in name, Sima Zhao's intentions are known to everyone on the road. Their appetite is very big. I'm afraid it's as simple as negotiation. I suggest that we have to send troops to expel them by force. Fo Langji people, so that they know that I, Ming Dynasty, am not someone to be trifled with."
Zhu Youtang nodded. Compared with the deception of the Ministry of War, veterans like Wang Shu had more solutions. "go on."
"I read the battle report this morning. In this naval battle, the Fujian Navy only dispatched more than 2,000 naval officers and soldiers and more than 30 warships. The reason why they lost to the Folangji ship is that they underestimated the enemy. In addition, the Folangji ship The country was able to defeat our army with only nine warships. It can also be seen from the side that the Folangji warships are indeed superior. The minister suggested that the navy of the whole province of Fujian be mobilized and the navy of Guangdong be mobilized. With the strength of the navy of the two provinces, we will definitely make it possible for the Franconian fleet to come back!"
At this time, Liu Ji, the chief minister of the cabinet, who had closed his eyes slightly since entering the palace, added: "What Wang Shangshu said is reasonable, and it coincides with the old minister. Since the Folangji warship is superior, Why don’t we capture one and send it to the Ordnance Department for further study.”
As soon as Liu Dang saw the elder Liu Ji speaking after a long time, everyone quickly followed.
"I'll wait for the second opinion."
After listening to Liu Ji's words, Zhu Youtang's eyes lit up. He had to say that the words of Liu Ji, the chief assistant of the cabinet, were on point.
Since the Folan warships and cannons are sharp, why not capture one and bring it to the Ordnance Department for study and see what makes them special. The products made in China in later generations are all over the world. Since they cannot be manufactured, they will be imitated. In the end, it is better to outshine the old than the old. When it comes to imitation, our ancestors have never lost. Not only can they make it for you exactly as it is, but they can also draw inferences for you and come up with several new products!
Zhu Youtang finally relaxed his sword eyebrows, nodded and said: "In accordance with the opinions of Wang Shangshu and Ge Lao, mobilize the Guangdong Navy, Jiangnan Navy, and add the Zhejiang Navy. The military strength of the three provinces must be Annihilate the Franco fleet. Capture a few more and send them to the Ordnance Department for development.
As for the governor of Fujian, Yu Wende, let it go. I heard that Liu Daxia's shipbuilding in Nanjing has been completed. I passed the decree and promoted Liu Daxia to the governor of Fujian. He was appointed as the right minister of the Ministry of War and took charge of the work of the entire province. "
Xu Pu, the second assistant to the cabinet, came out and said: "The foreign enemy has been settled, and there are still unruly people in Quanzhou who are causing trouble. These unruly people are pirates. They have experienced hundreds of battles and cannot be defeated by local soldiers. I suggest that your majesty send troops to the capital camp." Go south and put down the rebellion!”
"Well... the new army in the Beijing camp has not yet practiced since its establishment. After passing the decree, the governor of the Beijing camp Ma Wen was promoted to the chief general of the imperial court's suppression of the rebellion. He immediately ordered all the military equipment and rushed to Quanzhou to assist the Fujian governor Liu Daxia in quelling the rebellion and clearing out the remaining parties. Annihilate the Folang fleet. By the way, the new army in the Beijing camp will be called the "Beijing Army"!"
"Your Majesty is wise, Liu Ji, the chief minister of the cabinet, led his ministers to kneel down and shout in the mountains."
The imperial edict was quickly passed down, and all the civil and military officials in the DPRK and China came to congratulate them when they learned that Liu Daxia was promoted to the governor of Fujian and that Ma Wensheng, the governor of Beijing camp, went south to quell the rebellion.
Because Liu Daxia was far away in Nanjing, the courtiers crowded into Ma Wensheng's house. In their view, leading the well-equipped and combat-capable Beijing camp south to fight the rebels was just a waste of time. This is still a popular person, who can earn military exploits and spread his prestige. Every military general pauses and beats his chest, regretting that he did not recommend himself and take the initiative to invite the emperor.
But some people came to congratulate on the surface, but in their hearts they wanted Ma Wensheng to lead the Beijing army and get out of here, such as Zhang Heling, the emperor's biological brother and Zhu Youtang's brother-in-law.
This uncle-in-law was a popular man in the capital, doing some shameful things, but he was often hindered by Ma Wensheng. Zhang Heling tried every method to deal with this, but Ma Wensheng resolved them one by one.
There is no other way. Since you can't fight, you can only hide and walk away. Who knows that Ma Wensheng is a tough nut to crack?
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