Japan's memorial requesting surrender reached the capital. Wu Dui, the Second Assistant to the Cabinet, asked Zhou Yong, Minister of War, for his opinion. Zhou Yong replied that both war and peace were acceptable, but if he wanted to avoid future troubles, he should continue to use troops.
Wu Dui looked worried and said: "Recently, there has been another major disaster in the Central Plains. More than ten counties have been affected by the Huanghuai floods, and it is likely to continue to spread to a wider area. After the disaster, there may be famine. Although Da Situ is here, Urgently deploy supplies, but you also know that there have been frequent wars at the border in recent years, and the army is fighting hard in North Korea. If this continues, the national strength may be unsustainable.
Now, continuing to use troops can naturally drive away the Japanese pirates and avoid future troubles. However, I am afraid that the imperial court will not be able to support it and will be labeled as a militaristic person. Not to mention the raging disaster, how will the people survive, and the country will also be in danger. Siyang, you are also a steady person, what do you think? "
At this time, Zhou Yong didn't know whether Wu Dui was calling for war or peace, so he didn't dare to answer casually, so he said: "The elder is thoughtful and considers everything for the sake of the country, the country, and the country. He is really mature and prudent. It's just that the Japanese pirates are cruel and cunning. They are not eliminated this time. I'm afraid it will happen again in the future... But now there is indeed a big disaster, and the court is also in difficulty. I wonder what Mr. Ge's plan is?" With a Tai Chi hand, he kicked the ball back to Wu Dui.
Wu Dui said sincerely: "If the Japanese pirates' request to surrender is true, our army can win without a fight, return to the court, save expenses, do all-out disaster relief, recuperate and recuperate, and the national treasury can be filled again. If the Japanese pirates attack again in the future, the Ming Dynasty will also be able to Sufficient national power can be wiped out in one fell swoop.
Think about it, the country is the most important thing, and you need to find out in detail whether the Japanese pirates' request to surrender is true. The emperor should summon the cabinet to discuss this matter with you in the next few days, so you must be prepared. "Zhou Yong took the order.
Sure enough, Zhu Yijun quickly summoned the cabinet's chief assistant Shen Shixing, the second assistant Wu Dui, Qunfu Gao pragmatically and the Minister of War Zhou Yong to see him. Zhu Yijun took out the memorial and put it aside, saying: "Now there are Japanese pirates who want to surrender, but Song Yingchang is opposed to it. All my dear friends are aware of this matter. I came to you just to hear your opinions."
Shen Shixing said: "I think Song Yingchang's words are reasonable, but our army also has many difficulties, and the Japanese pirates' request to surrender needs to be verified."
Zhou Yongzhuo, Minister of the Ministry of War, said: "Your Majesty, the Japanese pirates have invaded North Korea and are trying to conquer the Ming Dynasty. Now they are in trouble and cannot protect themselves. They have to ask for surrender and beg for canonization and tribute. I think if this is true, I can allow it."
Shen Shixing asked: "Since the Japanese pirates are also on the verge of extinction, they should be annihilated with all their strength. What's more, the Japanese pirates are cunning and there is no way to slow down the attack. How does the Ministry of War judge that this request for surrender is genuine?"
Zhu Yijun also asked: "Yes, I also have this question. How can we judge that the request to surrender is genuine? If it is a false request to surrender, wouldn't it fall into the enemy's trap? Song Yingchang led the troops in North Korea, and he must have a better understanding of Japanese affairs, so he insisted on continuing to fight. .”
Zhou Yongzou replied: "Your Majesty, Yuanfu, this matter only requires reasoning. After my army entered North Korea, in the first battle of Pyongyang, the enemy relied on the fortified city but suffered more than 10,000 casualties and abandoned the city and fled. The powerful weapons of our army made the enemy They were so frightened that all the enemy forces collapsed and retreated to Hanyang.
In the battle of Bi Ti Guan, Li Rusong was brave and invincible, which made the Japanese pirates realize that they could not win even if they defeated the few with a large number. Song Yingchang burned the Longshan granary, and the Japanese pirates ran out of food and had to retreat to the south.
In addition, the Korean army attacked everywhere. Under the pressure of the Ming Dynasty, the Japanese pirates suffered from defeat and lack of food. They had to concentrate their troops and defend them. They could not win, and they were short of food. It was natural for them to surrender. Song Yingchang was in the army and was responsible for victory and defeat. He was worried about the war day and night. He was inevitably frightened and doubtful, so he advocated fighting again. "
After he finished speaking, Wu Dui seconded his opinion.
Shen Shixing then said: "Although it is difficult for the Japanese army to defeat our army, after all, their troops are several times larger than ours. Song Yingchang and Li Rusong cannot withstand repeated losses. If they continue to attack, it will be difficult to start a war with their current military strength. Although North Korea has already Recover the north of the Han River, but most of this year's spring plowing has been missed, and it will take until next year to restore grain production. Such a stalemate will increase the burden of food and wages. If I want to fight, I will fight quickly, and then send reinforcements to annihilate them in one fell swoop. There will be no future troubles.”
Wu Dui immediately expressed concern: "Although Yuan Fu's plan is good, the army is currently short of food, the enemy is outnumbered, and the war situation is changing rapidly, so it is difficult to guarantee a quick victory."
Zhou Yong was advised by Wu Dui and came here to advocate for peace, so he played again: "The army is short of soldiers and food, so it is really difficult to start another war. It happened to be that the Japanese pirates asked to surrender, so today's discussion was made. I thought that Yuan What Fu said is exactly what happened to the army, but if the Japanese pirates know about it, things will change. Therefore, before the enemy notices it, the best strategy is to use troops that can defeat the enemy without fighting."
Zhu Yijun said: "If there is any need for food and salary for the reinforcements, I will definitely allocate it. If there are any rumors or rumors in the DPRK about impeaching the front line, I will ignore it, because I know that when facing the enemy in a battle, I should give the general the power to make arbitrary decisions.
I have gathered the best troops from all over the world to Korea in the hope that they can restore the lost territory of Korea, expel the Japanese pirates, and display our divine power. I will not let down the entire army, and naturally I do not want unnecessary casualties. If the request to surrender is true, it will change the situation of the war... Zhou Yong, you haven't answered me yet, how can you determine that this is not a delaying strategy. "
Zhou Yongzou replied: "What the emperor said is absolutely true. If the Japanese pirates surrender, our army will be able to regain the entire territory of North Korea without any bloodshed, making an immortal contribution, and our army's predicament will be solved. North Korea will also be grateful to the emperor, and the Japanese will also be grateful." Surrender from now on.
As for how to determine the authenticity, we can ask Japanese envoys to come to Beijing to ask for surrender, and we can naturally tell the difference. At the same time, the Ministry of War will send additional agents to closely monitor changes in the Japanese situation in North Korea, and make immediate arrangements if there are any abnormalities. "Wu Dui seconded the proposal again.
Shen Shixing felt that everyone seemed to be inclined to accept the surrender. On the contrary, Gao Pragmatic, who had a strong say in both war and finance, remained silent for some unknown reason.
But Shen Shixing has no time to think so much now. His initiative to lead the war is naturally not that simple. It is now that there are floods in the Central Plains that he wants to continue the war even more, because the main responsibility for the war lies with the Ministry of War, and the main responsibility for disaster relief lies with the Ministry of Household Affairs. Both parties They are all bottomless financial pits. As long as none of them refuses to give up, the actual final pressure will be borne by the Real School.
Undoubtedly, this was also the reason for Wu Dui's Zhuhe. He was worried that the real school, which controlled financial and military power, would be under too much pressure. In the end, no matter which aspect went wrong, he would inevitably be scolded by the officials, and even be regarded as a auxiliary by the emperor. Political mistakes.
Shen Shixing thought for a moment and said: "I can't rest assured about the sincerity of the Japanese pirates. It's okay to interrogate the envoy carefully before determining the authenticity. However, we can't just let go of Nanshan during this period. Song Yingchang can be ordered to go to the fields to reserve military rations. Grain and grass also need to continue to be transported in batches, and the cabinet will monitor the actual situation in each province from time to time.
Once the request for surrender is confirmed to be false, the army is still waiting in North Korea, and they can join forces with North Korea to counterattack on the spot, and then send reinforcements to completely pacify it. If Ming Dynasty accepts the Japanese pirates' request to surrender, the Ming Dynasty still needs to put forward conditions, and the Japanese pirates will also ask for canonization and tribute. What is the emperor's decree for surrender? "
Zhu Yijun waved his hand and said: "We are a small country, so why say more! Just three points: the Japanese army should evacuate North Korea immediately after the conferment, and no soldiers are allowed to be left behind; the Ming Dynasty only conferred the title but did not allow them to ask for tribute; Japan and North Korea were reconciled, and no one was allowed to leave. Violate again."
Zhou Yong hesitated and said: "I dare to ask the emperor why he is not allowed to ask for tribute?"
Zhu Yijun snorted softly and said: "The reason why I canonize this title is to show the emperor's grace. I am disgusted and disdainful of not being allowed to ask for tribute. If Japan had not been listed as a country not to be conquered by Emperor Taizu, I would have wanted to destroy Japan with thousands of sails. That’s good.”
Zhou Yong asked again, if the Japanese pirates asked why they were not allowed to ask for tribute, how should they reply? Zhu Yijun didn't want to talk more, so he said Zhou Yong could make his own decision.
Zhou Yong received the order and said: "I obey the order. If the agreement is established, there is another thing that needs to be reported: the Japanese pirates request that at the same time as they withdraw their troops, our troops will also withdraw from Liaodong. This is because they are worried that the Ming Dynasty will renege on their promise."
Shen Shixing immediately opposed this and advised Zhu Yijun: "The veteran disagrees with the withdrawal to the north. The veteran implores the emperor to adopt Song Yingchang's plan. Once an agreement is reached, in order to prevent the Japanese pirates from coming back, our Ming army can stay in North Korea to farm and mine, so as to save the court's food and salary. expenditure."
Song Yingchang's suggestion was actually based on Gao Pragmatic's advice. Gao Pragmatic had advocated setting up officials and directors in the Eighth Routes of Korea and stationing them in the fields as a precaution before the war. However, many courtiers opposed his opinion at the time, believing that doing so would make North Korea feel violated and would be detrimental to the maintenance of suzerain-vassal relations. In addition, it seems that Ming Dynasty was too domineering and greedy, and lost the dignity of the country for some petty profits.
Gao pragmatic argued hard at the time, saying that these measures were not due to greed, but that otherwise they would not be enough to defend North Korea. This move was essentially to provide military protection to North Korea, and Ming Dynasty could not and should not spend the money of its own people to protect other countries. country, so it is natural for North Korea to pay some costs.
But even so, the matter was not settled at that time. The emperor felt that Ming Dynasty was the common master of the world, and it seemed unsightly to dig at Soso Sou for a few grains and minerals. At the same time, he was not actually a very generous person financially, so he wanted to Giving money to help North Korea defend its territory is really not cost-effective. Therefore, the emperor put the matter on hold at that time.
What is unexpected is that this time Shen Shixing stood on Gao Pragmatic's previous opinion and agreed with Song Yingchang's opinion at this time, which was a bit strange.
Zhou Yong said at this time: "Yuanfu, does this risk putting the army in a position of self-respect, or even making people think that the Ming Dynasty intends to annex North Korea? Moreover, our army has been independent of foreign countries for a long time, which is really disturbing."
Shen Shixing laughed and said: "I am worried too much. I think Song Yingchang, Li Rusong and others are loyal to the emperor, and all the relatives of the army are in the country. Who would rebel? There are also North Korea nearby, Liaodong guarding the north, Jinyiwei and Dongchang. We are under surveillance at all times, so why am I so worried?"
It’s hard to refute this. After all, Song Yingchang and Li Rusong are now considered members of the Real School. It doesn’t matter if they are placed in North Korea because they have a tail, because this is speaking from the institutional level, but it is not okay to say that they have the intention to rebel. Then This means that there is a contradiction within the Real School, so Zhou Yong can only claim to have made a mistake.
Zhu Yijun still has some objections to Gao Pangshi's original proposal, and said: "I also think that this move seems inappropriate. This matter can be discussed separately, so I will order Song Yingchang to station in North Korea and wait for the order. In addition, there is no need to see the Japanese envoys when they come to Beijing. I, on behalf of the cabinet and the Ministry of War, all your beloved ministers will interrogate each of them to identify the authenticity, and then report it to me."
Zhou Yong saw that this was a decision and that the war in Korea was about to be negotiated, so he asked to suspend the domestic plan to mobilize a second wave of reinforcements.
Wu Chengcheng was only worried about financial problems now, and immediately said: "This matter should be as it should be. Since the victory of the expedition against Yuan Dynasty, all our ministries on the nine sides need to make corresponding adjustments to deal with threats from the northwest and support the various guards in the Chahar region." Reset the plan. Nowadays, everything is complicated, the court has to spend money everywhere, and there are still a series of problems in moving the households in Dingkou. At this time, it is even more difficult to mobilize troops everywhere. "
Wu Dui's worries are not unreasonable. The newly acquired old Chahar land is basically taken over by Daming himself. In addition to the already built Daning City, according to Gao Pragmatic's previous plan, a series of defensive measures need to be carried out, and These include building cities, forts, border walls, etc., all of which do not require money, and all of which do not require the migration of people.
"Fortunately" Ming Dynasty suffered another disaster this year. The original plan for migrating people could be abandoned and the refugees could be relocated directly. The pressure of people's dissatisfaction caused by forced migration was reduced to the extreme.
However, although the pressure on people's hearts has been reduced, the financial pressure has become greater, because the original planned migration is from Beizhili, which is a short distance, and the food supply during and after the trip is more convenient, and the loss is small. Some.
But now, since the victims are mainly concentrated in Henan and Shandong provinces, not only the migration distance is more than doubled, the losses will inevitably increase, but the local area is already a disaster area and food supply is difficult, which further increases the burden on the court. .
Even if the vassal ban has been lifted and the court can save a lot of money and food, it still has to consider the war between Korea and Bozhou. After Qi Jiguang returned south, although the commotion in the Cao army had subsided, the army did not dare to withdraw immediately outside, and it was still consuming. Store grain. Taken together, let’s not talk about whether there is great pressure on money this year, at least the pressure on food must be huge.
Of course, Wu Dui's understanding of the economy was not as thorough as that of Gao Pragmatic, and his vision was limited to the Ming Dynasty. Therefore, he found it extremely difficult to do simple calculations, because normally there would be a huge gap in food supply.
Zhu Yijun also knew that the food pressure this year was not small, so after listening to it, he said: "Zhunzhi, Japan has invaded our vassal country beyond its own capabilities and wants to make the Ming Dynasty. Even if it asks to surrender now, I will be extremely disgusted. I have everything to do every day, and the Japanese envoys Please ask Yuan Fu and the two pavilion elders to arrange the matter." Shen Shixing, Wu Dui, and Gao Pragmatic stepped forward to receive the order.
So Zhu Yijun asked the cabinet to send an urgent message to North Korea, and ordered the Japanese envoy to set off for Beijing immediately with a surrender form. He also ordered Song Yingchang to lead the Ming army to stay in place, closely observe the movements of the Japanese army, and prepare for Japanese raids. After Zhou Yong left the palace, he also sent a message to Shen Weijing, telling him that he could take the Japanese envoy back to Beijing immediately.
However, Gao Pragmatic, who rarely remained silent in today's summons, became busy instead. The Nanning Marquis Mansion sent out several flying pigeon messages overnight, flying in all directions.
The next morning, only from the North Korean direction, Song Yingchang, Li Rusong and the North Korean branch of Jinghua Trading Company each received a letter from Gao Pragmatic. After reading the content, all three parties were equally surprised.
Two or three days later, Huang Zhiting, who was far away in Dingnan, also received a letter from her husband. After reading it, she immediately summoned Gao Mengnan into the so-called Siam Palace and asked: "What is the expected grain production in southern Xinjiang this year?" ?How much food surplus is there from last year?"
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