Chapter 119: Don’t enter the tiger’s den
"This matter is of great importance. Please ask the King of the West to allow us to discuss it." He Xi did not agree immediately in the end. And said so. Then someone asked King Xi to go out. Discuss this matter with Lu Zhongheng and other key figures.
Just after the King of the West left, Lu Zhongheng said: "Fight, why not fight? This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. As long as we help the King of the West capture Java, Nanyang will be basically stable in the next ten or twenty years. Wait ten or twenty years."
It is simply impossible to achieve peace in Nanyang.
What Lu Zhongheng said is true, that is, within the past ten or twenty years, no other country will threaten Ming's rule in Southeast Asia.
The King of the West relied on the power of the Ming Dynasty to become the lord of Java. If you want to secure your position, you must not offend Ming in the past few years. Not to mention that Java’s political foundation is different from that of the Ming Dynasty. The political foundation of Java is the nobility in various places. The territories of these nobility are as deep-rooted as a small country. It was impossible to eradicate all the hostile nobles.
Just like King Wulu is having a headache looking at the nobles of West Java now, when King West Java comes to power, he will also have a headache with the nobles of East Java. These people cannot be killed, and they cannot be killed all.
King Xi was able to solve this big trouble in more than ten years, which is considered a master.
And there are many things that are difficult to say. In the past ten years, other things may have happened, or King Xi may have simply messed up. Let Java fall apart. It's not impossible. After all, the island of Java contains deeply divisive elements. From the fall of the Majapahit Empire until it became a Dutch colony, there was no other unified dynasty. This can also be seen.
It can be said that as long as this victory is achieved. For a long time to come, there will be no need to worry about Majapahit. Because Majapahit has become the former overlord of Nanyang. Unable to interfere in matters outside Java.
He Xi said; "Master Hou, don't think about winning. What will happen if you fail? If you want to participate in this matter, we must mobilize the troops in our hands to the limit. But even so, how many mobile troops can we have? Three thousand, five thousand? Are these men and horses of any use in Java? How much use are they?"
"And once these troops are destroyed in Java, then we will not be able to mobilize even one soldier in Nanyang. Once something happens, how should we respond?"
"Moreover, is this opportunity a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity? Everything depends on me, not the enemy. As long as we continue to be strong, the enemy will definitely make mistakes. Even if they don't make mistakes, we can still guide them to make mistakes. Although this opportunity is rare, it is not a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity?"
Lu Zhongheng said: "No matter what it is, it is a once-in-a-lifetime or a once-in-a-hundred-year opportunity. I will only say one thing. What will happen to the next opportunity? Again, once the King of the West is eradicated and King Wulu's army marches westward, then it will not only be The troops of the Western King. But the troops of Java."
"Although I look down on Java, there are too many enemies. It's not easy to handle. It's good to be able to hold the old port. Your plan can only be on paper. Not to mention, at that time, Nanyang only required consumption for the imperial court, which took a long time. Do you think the imperial court will not give up on Nanyang?"
"At that time, all your hard work and my money will be wasted."
Speaking of money, although in order to satisfy the people of Old Port, the Ming army did not plunder. But all the property of the Chen family is spoils of war. Lu Zhongheng sold the Chen family's ships to Jinghai Company. If you hit the left or right hand, you will make a lot of money. Not to mention, tin mines were discovered on the big island outside the old port, where the fleet had temporarily rested.
But this tin mine already has the surname Lu.
Although tin mine development still requires money. It won't bring money to Lu Zhongheng for a while, but it will be a world-class tin mine. It is the inheritance of the descendants of the Lu family for eternity. At this moment, Lu Zhongheng was more unwilling to give up Nanyang than anyone else.
Whoever gives up Nanyang will be the one Lu Zhongheng fights for.
This is also why Lu Zhongheng is so radical.
On the one hand, Lawrence Lu did not take Java seriously. On the other hand, Lu Zhongheng wanted Nanyang to settle down more than anyone else, and not to delay him, Lord Lu, from making money.
Nothing is more important than making money, and if anything, make more money.
When Yao Guangxiao saw the two people arguing, he almost slapped the table and stared. He quickly stepped forward to persuade and said: "Sir, Lord Marquis, it's getting late today. Otherwise, let's talk about this matter tomorrow. Let's go back and think about it."
He Xi walked away and said, "Let's talk tomorrow."
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It’s very hot at night in Nanyang. There seemed to be a fire burning in He Xi's chest. The fever made him so excited that he couldn't sleep even if he closed his eyes. Originally, the sounds of various insects were like the symphony of nature, but now when I heard it on He Xi, it was all noise.
He Xi stood up suddenly, his eyes bright.
In fact, he didn't want to seize this opportunity.
Although he didn't say it, a trip to Nanyang was not in He Xi's plan. Even this errand has a vague meaning of suppression. What he did in Nanyang certainly contributed to the expansion of Nanyang by the Ming Dynasty. Thousands of years later, he is likely to be listed alongside Ban Chao in the history books, one behind the other, thousands of years apart, but they complement each other.
But he didn't want to be the superintendent of the class.
If he stays in Nanyang for too long, he will miss many important events. It will be detrimental to his future development.
It would be best for him to stay in Nanyang for a year or two and then go back. After all, everything that determines the Ming Dynasty is in the center, not in Nanyang. No matter how well we do in Nanyang, it may be ruined due to changes in the DPRK. There has never been a general who was not trusted by the court and could perform meritorious service.
And when He Xi wants to return to the country, there is only one way to achieve meritorious service and be recalled by the imperial court.
The previous capture of Old Port was just a matter of establishing a firm foothold and fulfilling what he promised to the court before setting off. Among these actions, He Xi did not have much credit.
According to the current situation, He Xi may have to wait for several years before he has a chance to return to Beijing.
After all, Nanyang was a neglected place for Ming Dynasty. and was not taken seriously by the court.
As for Java, once it is done. That is a great achievement. He Xi's return to Beijing is almost certain.
However, fate is so ridiculous. Sometimes we wait for an opportunity and keep preparing and preparing again. Wait until you are completely ready, even over-prepared. But this opportunity never came. But there are times when nothing is prepared, and the opportunity to decide your fate is already in front of you.
He Xi was faced with such an unexpected thing.
He Xi denied every word in front of Lu Zhongheng, but in fact, he was the one who wanted to do this most. Those who dislike goods are the ones who buy them.
But these problems still need to be solved.
He Xi sat alone in front of the table, with countless information in front of him, including all the Javanese information he could find, as well as the transcripts written by many people who had been to Java. Some are duplicates and can be verified by each other. But others are contradictory. To spread lies.
He Xi needs to do his own research and dig out the truth behind it.
And He Xi has already finished all these tasks.
All the questions were placed in front of He Xi one by one.
In fact, He Xi found out, is this thing difficult? Very difficult. But there must be no chance? Not really. In fact, the opportunities are also great.
First of all, the Western King himself was powerful, with tens of thousands of troops and a noble group that supported him. If it weren't for King Wulu's prestige, it wouldn't be impossible for the two sides to actually fight each other for a year or two.
Secondly, at least now, King Wulu never expected that his dear son-in-law would lead the Ming Dynasty to Java. The Ming army is in the dark and King Wulu is in the Ming. This alone is enough to do a lot of things.
Just these two points. The probability of success is already very high.
But same problem. Ming Dynasty did not have many troops at its disposal. Whether the King of the West can be trusted. Was this even a trap set by King Xi and King Wulu together for the Ming Dynasty? Also, even this is true. Please don’t forget how the founding monarch of the Majapahit Dynasty treated the Yuan army. First, he cooperated with the Yuan army and successfully suppressed the rebellion, and then stabbed him in the back. This caused the Yuan army to return in defeat.
Enemies and friends can transform into each other.
Many things can be won or lost. It's just a few openings, but it's hard to tell.
