Chapter 5 Wu Gao’s Choice
Nagasaki.
The real center of Japan is now Nagasaki.
The Governor of Nagasaki, Wu Gao, Marquis of Jiangyin, also received an order from the court asking him to attend the meeting in Nanjing.
The current situation makes Wu Gao a little helpless.
If he had followed He Xi back then, perhaps his current status would be very different from what it is now. Especially since even Ha Ci Buhua ranks above him.
It's just that regrets are useless for many things.
At the beginning of the war, Wu Gao was very worried about the survival of the Communist Party. There was some hesitation in thinking and action. In the end, after weighing the pros and cons, I chose the safest option, which was to sit in Japan and watch the success or failure.
What Wu Gao did in this battle was almost astonishing to Beijing.
If the situation were reversed and Beijing was defeated, Wu Gao's behavior would probably be no different from Muchun's.
However, now that he thinks about his original choice, Wu Gao can't even say he regrets it. Just a little sad.
After several years of war, countless achievements in the founding of the country were reduced to ashes, and the Fu family was a typical example. In the future, many families will retreat from the center of power step by step.
Wu Gao's original approach destined that he would not be able to divide too much power in this feast. But after all, he is also a veteran of Beijing, and he has hard work without credit. In the past few years he has been in Japan, he has never been in shortage in supplying gold, silver, saltpeter, and copper mines to Beijing. ..
It can be said that most of the war between Beijing and Japan is fought with Japanese saltpeter.
Wu Gao would not be treated as a foreign minister by the imperial court.
However, I want to go one step further and keep my home intact during this major reshuffle. Wu Gao must think of a solution.
to make up for the previous problems.
But he knew very well that once he went to the capital, he would never be able to come back to Nagasaki.
Others may not feel it, but Wu Gao tastes it. This conference has a hint of cutting down the vassal.
No, there are vassal towns only when there is a real separatist regime. But it is the hilltop inside the Ming Dynasty court.
In terms of governing the country, He Xi already has three tastes. We can't let there be no hills below. If the bottom is monolithic, it means the top can be replaced. This situation illustrates. The upper levels are completely out of control of the lower levels.
After all, most of the time, it is normal for factions to be infinitely divisible.
But the mountains must also be suppressed. Reduce internal friction to a certain extent.
In recent years, fighting has been the priority, and Wu Gao has many privileges in Japan. Just like Muchun also has many privileges in Yunnan. This is not isolation. But it's a common phenomenon.
The war comes first, as long as the war is not delayed. Many things can be put aside for now. Nowadays, factions such as the Surrender Faction, the South Route Army, the West Route Army, the East Route Army and the Navy have been formed in the army.
He Xi will probably disrupt all the factions.
Naturally, it was impossible for Wu Gao to return to Nagasaki. The Ming court's attitude towards the four Eastern countries will also undergo some changes. It's like the imperial court and the Yan State need to re-find a balance that satisfies everyone.
Wu Gao thought about it and found the foundation for his future foothold in the court, which was his good relationship with the four kings of Japan.
From now on, the vassal king will be an indispensable part of the Ming Dynasty's ecology.
During the Hongwu period, this was not obvious. Because the vassal princes and the emperor have a father-son relationship. The feudal princes could communicate directly with the emperor. After Zhu Yuanzhang passed away, this new ecology should appear.
However, the situation is still different.
The outbreak of the North-South War left most of the feudal lords in a wait-and-see mode. Now the Ming Dynasty is determined to be one. It's time to establish a new vassal relationship.
in the foreseeable future. The Ming Dynasty and the vassal kings from all over the world will definitely get along with each other. Some issues between the Ming Dynasty and the feudal kings also require communication and coordination.
Direct dialogue between the imperial court and the feudal lord was impossible.
The reason is very simple. Direct talks between the court and the feudal princes can easily break down. Once the talks collapse, both parties have no room for maneuver. So, at this time
There will be room for political brokers to emerge.
In fact, during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, diplomacy between countries tended to become familial. That is, someone is responsible for diplomacy with a certain country, and his descendants have always been in this position. It's because some connections and so on can only be passed down personally. There is no clear line between public and private. There are many things that others cannot do. But if the people in this family try to do it, they can accomplish it.
After the unified dynasty, the central court had no decent diplomacy with the outside world at all, because it was difficult for China to have countries of the same size around it that would allow China to treat each other as equals.
Now that the feudal king has appeared, the transaction between the feudal king and the center can hardly be called diplomacy.
But it still has some diplomatic characteristics.
The reason why Wu Gao can serve here is not because he has a special relationship with King Xiang and can appease King Xiang. Wu Gao did not have many soldiers and horses, and most of them were attached to the army. Once the four kings of the East launched an attack, Goryeo would probably no longer be owned by Beijing.
Moreover, during the North-South Campaign, it was not that Nanjing did not send people to instigate rebellion against the Four Eastern Kings.
It was all resolved by Wu Gao.
On the one hand, the Four Kings of Japan have their own judgments on the battlefield situation. On the other hand, Wu Gao used his personal credit as a guarantee.
In other words, what the Four Kings of Japan believed in was not the Beijing court, but the guarantee of the Wu family, the eldest uncle of the King of Xiang, the Marquis of Jiangyin.
The same situation also gave Wu Gao some opportunities.
Let him be at the center, where he can replace the four kings of the East and negotiate terms with the court. Moreover, after understanding the imperial court's intention, he could also negotiate terms with the Four Eastern Kings on behalf of the imperial court.
As long as nothing goes wrong with the Four Kings of Japan. Then the Wu family always has a place in the upper class society. Of course, there are also risks. If that day, the Ming court wants to destroy the Four Kings of Japan.
So the first thing to get rid of is the Wu family of Jiangyin Hou.
However, Wu Gao cannot see this risk now. At the same time, Wu Gao only regarded this matter as a guarantee for the family. In other words, no matter what happens, the Wu family will not become a wealthy and idle member of the imperial court.
There is always something to eat. But if you want to eat more, you have to do other things.
The first thing Wu Gao had to do was to go to Nanjing immediately to clear his identity as a hero of the founding of the country and as a hero of Longwu's quelling the rebellion.
Because from now on, Hongwu, the founding hero, will be a thing of the past. If Wu Gao still has this label. The future is not very good.
So Wu Gao is not just going to Nanjing this time. It is also necessary to trick the four kings of Japan into Nanjing, and to have the four kings of Japan sing praises for Longwu at the Dingguo meeting.
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Nanyang Xinzhou.
Xinzhou is the seat of the Nanyang Governor-General and the only territory directly under the jurisdiction of the Ming Dynasty in Nanyang. It has been the territory of the Lu family for many years. It’s been a long time. Many people think that this is the Lu family's fiefdom.
It's just like the fiefdoms of the kings overseas.
Lu Zhongheng also built this place as a fiefdom. Sparing no effort in local construction. The Lu family has penetrated into every industry in Xinzhou. The Lu family is truly the largest family in Xinzhou.
As for the current situation in Xinzhou, the Lu family has also made great efforts.
Almost all Han people from the Central Plains to Nanyang were intercepted by Lu Zhongheng. Of course, because of the large-scale construction work in the old port and the promotion of farming. More attractive to the population than New South Wales.
But under the management of the Lu family, the prosperity of Xinzhou is not as prosperous as that of Old Port.
After Lu Zhongheng had been in Nanyang for so many years, he had to admit that as a Huaibei man, he was actually not adapted to the climate of Nanyang. It was okay when he was young.
Now my health is getting worse and worse.
As the founding heroes of the country withered away, Lu Zhongheng suddenly realized that his end was coming soon.
After all, tropical life actually brought some harm to Lu Zhongheng's body, and not everyone can adapt to this kind of temperature. Moreover, the generals of his generation are dying and dying. Even if they are still alive, they are now being weighed down by their juniors.
It made him feel a bit sad.
At this moment, before this national meeting, Lu Zhongheng suddenly rethought the future destiny of the Lu family.
The Lu family has been He Xi's staunchest supporter and best ally in Nanyang for many years. But time is a powerful force that changes everything. People change.
It's the same today. Something has changed too.
