The ministers will never forget that the emperor's first court meeting aroused the thoughts of his ministers and generals when he ascended the throne.
The advisers knew better that the first so-called "unchangeable national policy" at the national policy meeting was the Nanyang Maritime Great Wall.
Everyone understands the emperor's intention to expand his territory. However, from the 16th year of Zhengde to the 4th year of Jiajing, the emperor first supported the interests of Yang Ting and the Qing Dynasty Huangzhuanghuangdian and Dongxun relatives; then he set up Huangmingji to let them use their assets to "share"; and finally because of the new law , Zhang Wei was beheaded, and the three guards in Huguang rebelled.
Before the establishment of this military affairs conference, His Majesty only paid attention to the Beijing camp in terms of military power, and the rest were all for knocking.
Now, the opportunity for honorable ministers and generals to make immortal contributions has come: Rebellions may occur every year, but the expansion of territory only depends on how big your heart is!
Of course, it also depends on whether they have the courage and ability to help the emperor expand his territory.
As soon as the issue was raised, it was met with doubts.
Said as doubt, read as objection.
"Your Majesty, Jiaozhi was abandoned during the Xuande period. Because its people had not obeyed the king's rule for a long time, Jiaozhi had a tendency to suffer from the Ming Dynasty. If there was civil strife in Jiaozhi, it would not be difficult for Wang Shi to quell it. Then why did he make it a northern Tatar empire? , one of the foundations of Wala?"
It was Peng Ze who spoke out.
He is very famous and very senior.
Back then, he was competing with Wang Qiong for the position of Minister of War. He has a very good relationship with Yang Tinghe. Yang Tinghe, who resigned as Prime Minister and Minister of State, still left a person who should not be underestimated in the capital.
Peng Ze did not qualify for any other official position. He only served as a consultant in the military affairs meeting with his life experience.
Now when he spoke, everyone thought of Yang Tinghe.
The emperor wanted to seduce Jiaozhi. Didn't Yang Tinghe already think of it?
If the new law collapses due to easy talk of war, the leader of the new law party will eventually die without a burial place. Could it be that Peng Ze was the person left by Yang Tinghe to advise the emperor not to think about new strategies?
Zhu Houcong had long expected such a reaction, and he said without changing his expression: "Therefore, it is just a secret plan. This is called a plan. What I can give you is that the Erlangs of the Foreign Inspectorate risked their lives to return to Beijing. There is a steady stream of news. Based on this news, and based on the actual national strength and combat power of the Ming Dynasty, what you have to do is to deduce. This includes both the deduce of the direction of the war, and the deduce of the consequences of governance after the recovery of Jiaozhi. .”
After looking at Peng Ze, Zhu Houcong looked at Wang Shouren: "The war must not be started lightly, and I will not take it lightly. Now that this military affairs meeting has been established, you, as staff officers, should have big issues to think about. This Jiaozhi, then That’s the title. I’ll wait and see how the Military Affairs Council will plan many plans for the Ming Dynasty’s military strategy!”
Yes, it's just planning, and only the brain cells of the "consultants" are injured. Maybe some people will have more gray hair because of this, but think about the strategy in advance and decide whether to use it or not.
But is it really just a question?
impossible.
Wang Shouren looked at Zhu Houcong and thought silently in his heart.
Yongle conquered Jiaozhi, but Xuande abandoned it. There are reasons for this. Wang Shouren was not sure whether the emperor fully understood the complexity.
A very important point is: Why does Your Majesty say that the recovery of Cochin can be used as one of the foundations for the northern attack on Tatar and Oara?
Everyone's eyes focused on Yang Yiqing. He was the general staff officer of the Military Affairs Council. What was his judgment?
Yang Yiqing spoke: "In the sixth year of Yongle, Emperor Taizong captured Annan, appeased the people with 3.12 million weapons, and captured 2.0875 million barbarians."
He opened his mouth with numbers. Faced with today's new topic, Yang Yiqing first showed the same genius-level memory.
Everyone was thinking about the reason why Yang Yiqing listed these numbers, and they heard him ask the emperor calmly: "May I ask Your Majesty, if you want to conquer Jiaozhi, should you kill him or pacify him?"
There was silence in Wuying Hall.
Wang Shouren's heart felt like a huge stone pressing down on him, and he looked at the emperor solemnly.
Yang Yiqing spoke very simply, getting straight to the essence in one sentence.
In the early Ming Dynasty, Jiaozhi had millions of people. Although there is a large area of land suitable for grain in Jiaozhi, to feed so many people, how much surplus grain can be transported to the hinterland of the Ming Dynasty so that the Ming Dynasty has more sufficient food and wages? Is Jiaozhi one of the foundations for attacking Tatar and Oara in the north?
too difficult.
And why did Jiaozhi be abandoned during the Xuande period? The rebellion continues and it is too expensive to continue to govern. Rebellion requires conditions. The support of so many people and the custom that has been established for hundreds of years since the Song Dynasty are not so easy to break.
Killing, that means killing millions of Jiaozhi people and then moving the people of Ming Dynasty there. There are many such examples in history.
Relocating people to the real border may not be easy to use. As strong as the Tang Dynasty, how many people moved there after conquering Goguryeo? Came back after eight years.
To move the people to the border, unless the military power is extremely powerful, it has been killed so that the other side can no longer resist, and the fertile land is left without an owner.
Otherwise, we can only learn from Yunnan’s experience and spend hundreds of years slowly digesting it.
Yunnan’s experience may not be useful in Jiaozhi. How many people did Yunnan originally have? Is it the millions of people in Cochin?
The question raised by Yang Yiqing is a huge moral torture: care is not enough to support him in the short term; killing, does Zhu Houcong have to carry this kind of moral baggage?
Zhu Houcong shook his head: "I won't kill him, and I won't caress him either."
Yang Yiqing looked at him in astonishment: If you don't kill or caress to expand the territory, what do you want?
"I do business." Zhu Houxuan gave an unexpected answer. "Between countries, we only care about interests. I sent troops to help the Li family. If he regains his throne, what will he do to me in exchange? I don't want to just say that I am a vassal." .”
Wang Shouren's heart moved: "The three prefectures of Langshan, Langjiang and Xin'an are all dangerous places south of Zhennanguan. If there are only three prefectures, you can attack when you advance and defend when you retreat! In addition to some other dangerous places, set up a Everywhere is in charge."
The Ming Dynasty has mastered the dangerous places on land that lead directly to Jiaozhi, and can take further steps at any time in the future. Without these barriers, the precious land of Cochin is just a piece of cake.
This can be regarded as opening up territory, and it does not require much subsequent cost. There are not many people there. As a border town, it can be suppressed by force.
Zhu Houcong nodded: "Not enough. This reward is not enough to become one of the foundations of my future northward outlook."
After a pause, he said: "Here, I will first talk about Huang Mingji's achievements in Jiaozhi in the past few years."
Huang Mingji was ordered to buy grain from Jiaozhi and hire people to serve in Guangdong. In the past few years, he spent a lot of money. In exchange for not only a large amount of physical materials, but also a large number of people in Jiaozhi.
After explaining some business conditions that the emperor had no obligation to tell them, Zhu Houcong looked at them and said: "I intend to regain Jiaozhi, not for the sake of fame, but for practical gain. First, sit back and watch the Mo family usurp power, and then help the Li family recover. The country is famous for its masters. After success, I will be merciful and allow it to trade with the Ming Dynasty every year outside the three prefectures. However, in order to ensure the smooth trade, I want to control the Yuntun ports, especially Jipo Big Island!”
The lower reaches of the Red River are densely covered with rivers and are divided into several rivers flowing into the sea. In the Tang Dynasty, the focus of their foreign trade was further south. But as the population rises, the alluvial plains of the lower Red River must become more agricultural. Today, the most active place for Jiaozhi's foreign trade is in the area called Baizao River Estuary.
Van Don Port is now Halong Bay.
But Zhu Houcong was talking about the Yuntun ports.
This means that if Xin'an Mansion near the sea is also taken, the two throats of Jiaozhi's land and water routes that penetrate directly into the plains will be in hand.
"I'm afraid Jiaozhi will not agree." Wang Shouren said, and then as if adding to others, "Yuntun Port is extremely dangerous. If all the ships from Nanyang want to go north to our Ming Dynasty ports, they must pass through Yuntun Port! From Van Tun Port, as long as we defeat An Hing City, we can reach Thang Long City along the Bai Zao River."
This An Hing City was later called Haiphong in Vietnam, and it was also an important town in Haiphong at this time.
Zhu Houcong said: "I am different from Taizong. The Li family invaded our land in the past, and Taizong sent Zhang Fu to fight against it and destroy it. The current Li family also pretended to ask for surrender in the past. Now the descendants of the Li family have invited me again. Come on, how can we learn from the past? I want Lang Son, Lang Giang, and Xin'an just to prevent Cochin from invading our frontiers in the future. I want those Yuntun ports just to buy more good things from Cochin and facilitate trade."
Then he said lightly: "Now that the king's army has arrived, with the power of victory, if the Li family is not willing, there will be someone who is willing. Then I will abide by the agreement and withdraw the troops. From now on, only three or five escort warships will be stationed in Yuntun ports. Anxing The money exchanges in the city are multiplied."
Wang Shouren couldn't help but ask: "What's the next step?"
He always remembered that what the emperor wanted was the Great Wall on the Nanyang Sea. Could it be that a Yuntun Port Fortress in Jiaozhi would be enough? Does the emperor really have no idea about the fat hinterland of Jiaozhi?
Zhu Houcong laughed: "In business, honesty is the basis. I don't send officials to collect grain and taxes. I buy everything with silver. Even if I buy more and more, I can afford it. In addition, the ones sold to Jiaozhi Even good things can be made profitably. But if someone breaks the contract in the future and takes the deposit but fails to deliver the goods, it will be hard to predict."
"...Deposit?"
Zhu Houcong nodded: "Now, Wei Bin's purchase of grain, sugar, iron sand, etc. in Jiaozhi is booked on a yearly basis. The grain has not been planted yet. How much is needed this year, 20% of the deposit will be paid in advance."
Everyone gasped.
He doesn't kill people, but he buys grain in large quantities and transports it back. Doesn't Jiaozhi care about this in recent years?
It turns out that driven by heavy profits, some people always take risks. As long as Wei Bin made a start, now it is just a few big households in Jiaozhi who purchase the grain themselves and smuggle it to Guangzhou to collect the balance.
In the future, if the Ming Dynasty acquires Yuntun Port, it will be cheaper and more profitable to transport grain and various goods to Yuntun Port and sell them directly.
It is true that the Ming Dynasty only had to guard Yuntun Port to reap the benefits of Jiaozhi. The cost of buying grain at a premium is much lower than the cost of seriously governing the entire territory of Cochin.
But in the long run, domestic grain merchants in Cochin will inevitably hoard grain. If domestic grain prices rise, they can be sold domestically; if there is a bumper harvest, Huang Mingji can also buy them.
Food is always the lifeblood. How can a knowledgeable person in Cochin sit back and watch? If the people of Cochin cannot afford food, won’t there be civil strife?
If trouble or even war is brought to the Ming Dynasty, it will once again break the promise and tear up the agreement, and the Ming Dynasty will once again become famous.
The question still cannot be avoided: in the future, will it be killing or caressing?
"The Ming Dynasty doesn't care about anything else. As long as they don't invade our territory, the Ming Dynasty doesn't care who can deliver the goods that the Ming Dynasty wants from Anxing City." Zhu Houcong had no emotions. "As for their own internal quarrels or fights, the Ming Dynasty doesn't care. If the Li family asks for troops again and offers conditions in exchange, the blood of Ming generals will not be in vain."
Everyone understands that His Majesty will not take action himself and let them kill for a few rounds first.
Zhu Houcong pointed out the key point: "This is the agreement between the Ming Dynasty and Jiaozhi, not between me and the Li family. I am the lord of the Ming Dynasty. As long as the lord of Jiaozhi also recognizes this agreement, does not invade our territory, and allows trade with us, I will still do it." If you are worried about the people of Ming Dynasty, how can you control the internal affairs of other countries?"
"... If this is the case, in the end there will be someone in Jiaozhi who will take advantage of Anxing City to wipe out all the heroes. You will not be able to stop this. Sooner or later, you will find a good opportunity to regain the three prefectures and Yuntun Port."
Zhu Houcong also agreed with this point, and then said: "This is just my general idea. How to plan it, I will ask you to deduce it in detail. In short, the purpose this time is to make the Li family the master, and Jiaozhi will become a separatist regime. Many years later, If Jiaozhi invades the Ming Dynasty again, we will send troops to punish them. After several years or even ten years or decades, Jiaozhi will have a strong force that relies on the Ming Dynasty. This generation is different from the local officials who were installed in Jiaozhi in the past. The power oppresses the people of Jiaozhi."
"These people are businessmen, and they know how to not drain the lake to make ends meet. They are the key to helping the Ming Dynasty manage Jiaozhi. And by then, they only need a stable orthodoxy. I only need someone who can bring great benefits to the Ming Dynasty without too much effort. The interests of Jiaozhi. Therefore, in the future, you can be named King of Jiaozhi, no matter if he is a clan relative, a military general, or a Confucian general!"
He threw out an unbelievable bait, and finally said: "I am willing to give up, and I am not afraid that Jiaozhi will become an enemy of the Ming Dynasty again in the next three generations. In the past, Taizong only used Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan and other places to send students to Jiaozhi. Officials, they only want to make a fortune; they also plunder and plunder all the officials who supervise the army. I am different. I only do business between countries, clearly mark the prices, and do not deceive anyone. In the future, the people who will be sent to Yuntun City to take charge of the Shipping Department, They must also be the talents recommended by me and selected by me!”
Enfeoffment, in this era, is still the supreme temptation - a land outside the country where you can truly make your own decisions.
As long as he abides by the agreement between the two countries and does not pursue complete and complete power, Ming Dynasty will probably be able to send troops to protect his legal system.
Now, the emperor made this promise.
Wang Shouren finally understood that the Nanyang Maritime Great Wall would actually be feudal states that relied on the benefits of Ming Dynasty's maritime trade and were protected by Ming Dynasty. The Ming Dynasty only used to have a fortress port in every country.
This model is very different from the establishment of three divisions in Jiaozhi, which were directly governed by officials selected by the Ministry of Civil Affairs of the Ming Dynasty.
If this method works, it will indeed be possible to continuously transport many good things from Nanyang back to the Ming Dynasty at a relatively small cost.
To govern the country and bring peace to the people, the expenses incurred by officials and the army are always the highest, and the court has to worry about internal affairs every day.
In the future, will all these issues be handed over to the King of Cochin? As for the relationship between Jiaozhi and Ming Dynasty, the emperor of Ming Dynasty and the king of Jiaozhi only talked about interests.
After the first military affairs meeting determined the candidates for the internal provincial governors and public security departments, and discussed strategies for guard posts and recruitment and restructuring, it began to systematically plan external strategies.
And His Majesty the Emperor conveyed a brand new concept to them.
Emperor Jiajing of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Houcong, did not want to live in vain. He happily rewarded him several times without even hearing a word of praise.
He conveyed a new principle: between countries, interest considerations come first.
As long as the interests of Ming Dynasty are recognized and the interests of Ming Dynasty are satisfied, the emperor of Ming Dynasty will not care who becomes the king of other countries!
Yang Yiqing felt strange in his heart.
Your Majesty seems not to care about the throne and legal system at all...
Thinking of the many things that had happened in the name of legal rule over the years, he couldn't help but look at the emperor who was listening to the discussion among his ministers.
The origin of the imperial throne and legal system is just a tool, right?
It’s just that it’s easy to use, and it’s easier to “convince people” than arguing about whether a new method that has yet to see results will work.
In the Ming Dynasty, you may disagree with the new law, but since His Majesty has said that this is regarded as treason, then you cannot treason.
It's vaguely familiar, and it seems to be the same routine that Yang Tinghe was once slapped by the emperor...
(End of chapter)
