Capital, court meeting.
Wei Mian, the imperial censor, wrote: "The pirates are stationed on Xiaoliuqiu Island, and the shipping merchants in the past have suffered greatly! I request the emperor to use naval forces to wipe out the Qingyuan Pirates to ensure that the maritime trade route is unimpeded."
The Ministry of Revenue provided Zhang Wen with various data to prove the importance of maritime trade and port taxes to the imperial finances, and concluded: "If pirates are allowed to attack maritime merchants, there will be no business going south and no business going north. , the imperial court’s desire to communicate with each other in Nanyang can only be an illusion. I invite the emperor to order the navy to march to Xiaoliuqiu Island and completely eliminate the local pirates!”
Xie Jin and Yang Shiqi were very confused about the sudden chaos in the southeastern sea, and others including Tie Xuan, Xia Yuanji, Xu Huizu and others also didn't understand.
You must know that the Nanyang King Chen Zuyi has been beaten to the point of disappearing without even a trace. The scattered pirates were even more frightened by the news. Seeing that the market was not good, they abandoned their ships and went ashore one after another and changed their profession.
A Qingyuan pirate group suddenly appeared. It can't be said to be sudden. He was also involved in the robbery of the Yangjiang Shipyard in February of the sixth year of Jianwen. However, this pirate group disappeared for a long time. Logically speaking, facing the increasingly powerful The navy fleet, they should continue to hide, hide tightly, to avoid being discovered by the navy.
But the reality is that this pirate group not only stopped hiding, but also blatantly started robbing. If you are willing to rob, find a ravine and shout that you drove this road and planted this tree. No one will say anything. But if you rob merchants on the sea or in the southeastern coastal areas of the Ming Dynasty, then you are seeking death. .
This kind of abnormal behavior makes people confused, and they doubt whether Fang Tianhua, the pirate leader of the Qingyuan Pirates, has his brain damaged.
Provoking the Daming Navy was not something a normal person would choose.
But having said that, no matter what Fang Tianhua thought, he pointed the finger directly at Da Ming after all. It would be too abnormal if Da Ming didn't take some action and retaliate.
Pan Xing, a doctor in the Ministry of War, went out: "Your Majesty, the safety of long-distance trade depends entirely on waterways. If the waterways are not smooth, long-distance trade will inevitably be damaged. At present, the envoys of the Nanyang countries have sent people to send urgent reports. I hope the court can follow the "Republic" "Trade Book", to protect the safety of the waterway, the imperial court should immediately dispatch the main force of water divisions to attack. This is a popular move."
Zhu Yunwen saw that the momentum was almost done, so he pretended to be embarrassed and said: "It is not difficult for the Navy to wipe out the pirates. I am afraid that after the Qingyuan Pirates were wiped out today, another pirate group will appear to occupy Xiaoliuqiu Island in the future. Continue It threatens the safety of the waterway."
Xie Jin's pupils condensed, and a series of messages suddenly came through, and he couldn't help but tremble.
Zhu Yunwen wants to use the Qingyuan Pirates as an excuse to send troops to occupy Xiaoliuqiu Island! This result is probably what Zhu Yunwen wants to see the most. In other words, Zhu Yunwen is the biggest beneficiary of everything!
Is this an opportunity that the Qingyuan Pirates accidentally provided to Zhu Yunwen, or is Zhu Yunwen planning and manipulating all of this? Jie Jin felt that Zhu Yunwen's gaze was very deep, so deep that it was impossible to guess or see through!
Yang Shiqi frowned slightly, then relaxed.
Zhu Yunwen was a little abnormal. When Annan bullied the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yunwen was angry and even directly used an army to conquer. When Timur bullied the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yunwen did not hesitate, but insisted on sending troops to do his thing.
But now?
In a small Qingyuan pirate group, Zhu Yunwen actually looked embarrassed?
What a joke!
Is it still difficult for the Ming Navy to deal with a pirate group?
Behind the anomaly, there is always a hidden secret.
Yang Shiqi didn't care how many ulterior secrets there were behind it. The location of Xiaoliuqiu Island was indeed too important. It was in the southeast of Fujian, and the narrowest point was less than 300 miles away!
If Nanyang merchants want to go north to Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Beijing, Tianjin and other places, they must pass through the strait between Fujian and Xiaoliuqiu Island. If Xiaoliuqiu Island is not controlled, just fighting pirates will not truly ensure the safety of the strait waterway.
Yes, in order to ensure the safety of this strait, the imperial court controlled the Penghu Islands, but the problem was that the Penghu Islands were located in the southwest of Xiaoliuqiu Island, and the northern part of Xiaoliuqiu Island did not have the military power of the Ming Dynasty.
Taking over Xiaoliuqiu Island is extremely important for the Ming Dynasty's Nanyang trade. It is a strategic place that should be controlled. Since Zhu Yunwen wants it, then take it down. Anyway, there is no country there now, and I heard that it is still uncivilized. Wild monkey.
After the officials actively asked for orders, Yang Shiqi came out: "Your Majesty, I believe that Xiaoliuqiu Island has no country and no one to control it. It can easily become a place where pirates gather and stay, causing trouble. If the imperial court wants to ensure the safety of the seaway, , once and for all, the best way is to occupy Xiaoliuqiu Island and bring it under the jurisdiction of the imperial court. Only in this way can the harm of pirates invading the southeast be eliminated."
Zhu Yunwen looked deeply at Yang Shiqi and nodded repeatedly: "What Yang Aiqing said makes sense. What do you all think?"
Xia Yuanji, the Minister of Household Affairs, sighed secretly.
I thought that Jianwen's seven years would be easy without so much trouble, but now it seems that Zhu Yunwen does not intend to go through this year in a dull and boring way.
It should not be difficult for the navy to capture Xiaoliuqiu Island. The difficulty lies in how to develop Xiaoliuqiu Island and how to hold it. The indigenous people there are not yet civilized and may not be compliant. If they do not rely on the indigenous people, they must immigrate or establish military camps. Behind these two options, there is a large financial expenditure.
But Xia Yuanji also knows that Xiaoliuqiu Island is indeed important. After it is captured, it can be used as a trade transfer station and a sergeant fortress. Some grains should be grown there. As long as the food and material problems are solved, It became an important overseas island of Ming Dynasty.
Ministry of Revenue supports, there is no other choice but to give support.
Tie Xuan, Minister of the Ministry of War, was not someone to be trifled with, and had no sympathy for the natives on Xiaoliuqiu Island. He simply advocated occupying Xiaoliuqiu Island and selling the natives as slaves to mines to replenish the national treasury.
This is an addiction to slavery...
The imperial court unanimously agreed, and Zhu Yunwen issued an order to enter Xiaoliuqiu Island, and the time was set for September 25th.
There was no rush to advance the army because the navy needed time to prepare, and the troops mobilized this time were no longer purely naval forces. There were also 10,000 sergeants of the Beijing army. The rations and materials needed all needed to be prepared and solved.
The mission of Sergeant Daming is no longer to simply wipe out the pirates, but to occupy Xiaoliuqiu Island. Different combat tasks require different forces.
There are a total of 25,000 sergeants. This number is inconspicuous on Xiaoliuqiu Island. But the Ming Dynasty relied on 25,000 soldiers to open up the territory of an island, making it truly a place under the rule of the Ming Dynasty and completely branding it with the seal of China!
Zhu Yunwen appointed Li Jian as general, Chen Hui and Tan Yuan as deputy generals, and ordered Lu Yi, Gao Zhongguang, Zhang Zihua, Zhuge Jin and other generals who had made military achievements in the battles in the Western Regions to accompany the army on the expedition, in order to quickly open up the situation and control the situation.
Considering that the Gaoshan tribe's bows and arrows were somewhat powerful, Zhu Yunwen once again ordered Suo Jing, Du Jian and others to take 800 scouts into the battle to deal with the enemies in the jungles and mountains.
The Beijing army is mobilizing, the navy is mobilizing, and decrees are leaving the capital and spreading in different directions.
Zhu Yunwen returned to Wuying Palace, stared at the map of the Ming Dynasty, looked at Xiaoliuqiu Island in the southeast, picked up the sun and moon flag, planted it on it, and said softly: "Nostalgia is a shallow strait, I am at this end, and the mainland is at that end. Head. There will be no more homesickness in the future, you can come whenever you want and no one will stop you."
On the third day after Zhu Yunwen issued the decree to conquer the Qingyuan Pirates and invade Xiaoliuqiu Island, Yu Xin's documents were sent to the capital.
cabinet.
Xie Jin and Yang Shiqi looked at Zhu Yunwen sitting aside with heavy hearts.
Zhu Yunwen raised the new document in his hand and said angrily: "Okay, this is Fujian under my rule. A good policy that benefits the people has been turned into a policy that harms the people! One acre of bamboo forest, one hundred They really dare to operate an acre of bamboo forest! From top to bottom, there are so many counties and officials in Fujian, but no one dares to report this matter. Is it because they are afraid of the majesty of the chief envoy, or are they taking advantage of others and making it inconvenient to speak up?!"
Jie Jin also did not expect that the problem in Fujian was so serious. The Chief Envoy of Fujian dared to tamper with court documents and laws, find various methods, dig various loopholes to oppress the people, and even win over local governments and counties to form local forces!
Yang Shiqi was a little worried about Yu Xin. He was like a sheep entering a tiger's mouth. If Wang Zhonghe went crazy, Yu Xin would probably lose his life. However, Yu Xin is not an ordinary person. He is vigilant, alert, and capable, so he should not let the situation become too serious.
Xie Jin looked at Zhu Yunwen's gloomy face and said: "Your Majesty, Wang Zhonghe controls Fujian and is in charge of the three divisions. The court should respond as soon as possible, arrest him and imprison him as soon as possible, and escort him to the capital. It is not advisable to delay for too long to cause trouble."
Yang Shiqi agreed with Xie Jin's view: "Yuge had not met Wang Zhonghe when he sent this document. It can be seen that this man was arrogant and domineering, and even refused to recognize Yuge as the governor of Fujian in his heart. I believe that the reason for the chaos in Fujian is The root lies in Wang Zhonghe. To capture the thief, capture the king first. As long as Wang Zhonghe is controlled, the chaos will be resolved. As for the officialdom issue in Fujian, we should discuss it after Wang Zhonghe is dealt with."
Zhu Yunwen nodded: "The governance of local officialdom is a stubborn problem, and it is far more difficult than the capital! It doesn't matter if the Fujian issue comes out now, at least it can wake me up. There are endless local problems, and it is far from Qingming! I have full authority over the issue of Fujian officialdom. Let Yu Xin handle it."
Yang Shiqi was a little worried: "Your Majesty, the power around Governor Yu is a little weak..."
Zhu Yunwen smiled calmly: "Is it thin? I think it is enough."
Yang Shiqi and Xie Jin looked at each other, both confused.
In the military department, Tie Xuan crossed his legs, shaking them from time to time, and hummed: "Everyone knows how to build a plank in the open, but the ghosts in Chencang secretly don't know..."
