In fact, the movements of the old gentlemen in the court were faster than Zhu Jingyuan imagined.
After the morning court that day, they immediately carefully analyzed Zhu Jingyuan's six strategies and made modifications based on the actual goals of the strategies.
Then a model was selected for testing and demonstration - Ryukyu Kingdom.
Ryukyu has a small territory, a small number of people, and even fewer natives, and the difference between them and the people of the Ming Dynasty is very small.
At the same time, Ryukyu's national power was weak and it was very close to the mainland of the Ming Dynasty. The country was also controlled by the imperial court's naval and land garrisons.
Even if we were to forcefully withdraw the vassal state with complete disregard, it would actually not cause much trouble.
What's more, in the actual operation plan, the interests of most relevant people will be taken care of as much as possible.
The key point is that although the sparrow is small, it has all the internal organs. Ryukyu has all the conditions that a feudal country should have, and most of the feudal countries can be used as a reference.
Therefore, the Ministry of Revenue used the fastest speed to plan a simple strategy for withdrawing the feudal vassal.
After asking the emperor for instructions, he sent a telegram to the Ryukyu Palace just before leaving office that day.
It's called soliciting opinions, but it's actually an advance notice, allowing them to start preparing for the de facto withdrawal of the vassal state.
Therefore, when Zhu Jingyuan was reading the newspaper at home, the lights in the Ryukyu Palace were also bright.
Zhu Jingyuan's clan brother who just came out of the fifth server, King of Ryukyu Zhu Jingyi, was wearing the regular uniform of the Ming Dynasty king and sitting in front of the desk, staring blankly at the telegraph newspaper in front of him.
His expression was extremely excited, his hands trembled slightly, and he muttered intermittently in disbelief:
"Withdraw the vassal? Is the imperial court really going to withdraw from the vassal? And starting from Ryukyu alone?"
Standing opposite Zhu Jingyi, Gu Yongnian, the chief historian of the palace, bowed slightly to his king and explained:
"Your Majesty, the only vassal state that has been officially ordered to be completely removed is Xihai.
"Although the countries in the southwest of the Persian Gulf were abolished, they merged and established the Dashi Kingdom. However, the new vassal king did not leave the vassal for the time being and still stayed in the capital.
"As for our Ryukyu Kingdom, the imperial court has not officially issued a decision. For the time being, the household department is just asking the king what you want.
"What Hube means is that the Ryukyu Domain will still be retained, and the existing feudal officials will still be retained.
“At the same time, the imperial court also established the Kaito Chief Envoy Department with Toban Island plus our Ryukyu Island.
"Dongfan Island was renamed Dongning Island, and three prefectures were established: Keelung, Anping, and Changhua. We, the Ryukyu Islands, established Ryukyu Prefecture.
“From now on, the military and political affairs of Ryukyu will be jointly managed by the three local departments including Daming Haidong and the Ryukyu Palace.
"As for the king... there are two options. One is to continue to be the king of Ryukyu, but he will not be able to stay in Ryukyu in the future.
"The imperial court will allocate a beautiful land outside the new city of the capital to build a mansion for you and the vassal kings who are staying in the capital, such as the King of Food.
"The second is to remove the title of King of Ryukyu and change it to the title of Prince of Ming Dynasty. The Prince of Ming Dynasty will serve as the chief envoy to Haidong and the official office will be stationed in Keelung Mansion on Dongning Island.
"Haidong and other places do not have governors or governors, and there is only one chief envoy."
Ryukyu King Zhu Jingyi was obviously stunned for a moment, and then he was a little confused and subconsciously asked:
"Gu Qing will explain to the King in detail how to implement the so-called condominium? If the King becomes the chief envoy to Haitong, who will be the King of Ryukyu?"
When Gu Yongnian heard this question, he was obviously a little excited and could hardly control his expression:
“The immigrants of the Ming Dynasty and their descendants who have multiplied in Ryukyu Prefecture are directly under the jurisdiction of the Ryukyu Prefecture, Haidong Chief Envoy, and the corresponding people will also obtain Ming Dynasty citizenship.
“The mixed children of Ming people and Ryukyu natives, as well as Ryukyu natives, are under the jurisdiction of the original government offices of the Ryukyu Palace and retain their citizenship as Ryukyu citizens.
“Official positions at Ryukyu Governor and below will be replaced by existing Ryukyu State officials, and at the same time, they will continue to serve as Ryukyu State officials concurrently. I will serve as the first Ryukyu Governor.
“From now on, all officials above Ryukyu County Magistrate will be appointed as floating officials, and they will be tested every three years, with a maximum of three terms in one place, for a total of nine years.
"After at least three years and at most nine years, he will go to work elsewhere, and at that time he will be removed from his official position in the Ryukyu Kingdom.
“When officials transferred from the Ming Dynasty take over the official positions in the Ryukyu Kingdom, they will also take over the corresponding official positions in the Ryukyu Kingdom.
"If the king takes office as the chief envoy to Kaidong, the Ryukyu Kingdom will be like the previous West Sea Kingdom, with a country but no king."
After hearing this, Zhu Jingyi fell into confusion. He stood up and walked back and forth in the room several times.
In the end, I still couldn't make up my mind, so I looked at my long history again:
"Please ask Gu Qing to teach the orphan, how should I choose?"
Gu Yongnian wanted to think in his heart, isn't this obvious? But on the surface, he still just bowed slightly and explained and analyzed seriously:
"Your Majesty, Ryukyu is said to be one country, but it only covers a few counties. Although the people are quite prosperous, how can they be compared with the chief envoy of the Ming Dynasty?
"Nowadays, there is only one rank between the chief envoy and the minister. As long as he is promoted, he will reach the rank of minister.
"Besides, the king also has the title of Prince of Daming County. Even if he does not serve in the court in the future, he will still be rich and powerful."
Zhu Jingyi shook his head in distress and said:
"I understand this, but...the Ryukyu Kingdom may be small, but the ancestral inheritance given by our ancestors will not change for generations.
"Although the chief envoy is expensive, he is just an official. Moreover, the Ming Dynasty king needs to pass the test for succession, otherwise he will have to surrender."
Gu Yongnian shook his head when he heard this. He felt that his king was confused, so he had to persuade him more directly:
"Your Majesty, don't be confused. The imperial court is determined to withdraw from the vassal state, and the accommodation given to you is generous enough to make you hesitate.
"If the imperial court directly forcibly withdraws the feudal vassal, and at the same time directly deposes the king as a commoner, what should the king do?
"Besides, the withdrawal of the feudal vassal has been the long-cherished wish of the Ryukyu people for decades. Now that the clouds have cleared and the moon is shining brightly, it has become unstoppable.
"The imperial court's arrangements for all the officials in the palace are impossible to refuse, so the king must not be confused, otherwise the consequences will be disastrous."
After all, Zhu Jingyi is the leader of a country, and he is used to being arrogant. When he heard these slightly threatening words, he suddenly became a little angry:
"What does it mean to be unimaginable? What do you mean to the lonely king?"
Gu Yongnian looked at his king's reaction and bowed his head slightly melancholy:
"What is unimaginable is that if I cannot convince the king, I may not survive for three days..."
Zhu Jingyi was stunned for a few seconds, and then slowly lost his temper.
Zhu Jingyi knew in his heart that he had no choice at all.
Almost everyone in the royal family, from Chang Shi to the next, hopes that they will accept it, so that they can change from Ryukyu officials to Ming officials.
From officials of a remote small country to official officials of the world empire, their status will be subversively improved.
No one can resist this temptation, and they will push it at all costs.
All immigrants who can obtain Ming Dynasty citizenship will definitely fully support this move to withdraw from the vassal state, which is their highest pursuit in recent decades.
If you insist on going your own way and oppose it, you may accidentally fall into the water and no one will see it. This is the so-called unimaginable consequences.
Gu Yongnian, as the royal palace chief who has followed him for many years, is not disloyal to him, but he simply cannot refuse.
If he refuses, the consequences may be to be shot in the back and commit suicide, which is unimaginable for him.
The key is that he is not deposed, but has lost Ryukyu, a small kingdom passed down from generation to generation. His actual status has actually risen, so he doesn't feel any pressure.
Zhu Jingyi suddenly sat back on the chair, leaned on the back of the chair weakly, looked up at the roof and was silent for several seconds, and finally sighed softly:
"Reply to the Ministry of Revenue, the Ryukyu Kingdom has no objections, and will immediately start preparations for the Haitong Chief Envoy. Please accept the appointment of the Haitong Chief Envoy."
After hearing this, Gu Yongnian instinctively shouted loudly:
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty!"
Zhu Jingyi waved his hand:
"From now on, call me Your Highness...or Uncle Fang..."
Your Highness is the honorific title for princes, princes, princes, and grandsons, while Fang Bo is the honorific title for the chief envoy.
Therefore, Zhu Jingyi has completely accepted this arrangement in his heart.
This was originally the best arrangement for removing the vassal king.
Gu Yongnian understood it and said with a smile:
"Your Highness is wise."
