Chapter 731: The power of the imperial courts mouthpiece
Should we still follow the original plan and prepare for annexation, or should we take advantage of this opportunity to send troops to North Korea and directly annex North Korea by force?
If North Korea were to be annexed by force, how would Ming Dynasty deal with the pressure from public opinion?
After all, North Korea is the first direct vassal of the Ming Dynasty and the direct son of the Ming Dynasty.
If a Chinese father annexes his own sons, where would his face be?
This is what Zhu Hongyu is worried about now!
After much deliberation, the breaking point may lie with the Joseon Crown Prince...
Zhu Hongyu raised his own question while thinking deeply.
Facing Zhu Hongyu's inquiry, Xu Bin stepped forward and gave the staff's suggestions.
"Your Majesty, the advice from the General Staff is that our Ming Dynasty should give top priority to recovering Liaodong!"
"Before Liaodong is completely recovered, it is not recommended to send troops to North Korea and conduct a large-scale battle with the Qing army in North Korea!"
After listening to the advice of the staff, Zhu Hongyu became more determined.
Never agree to aid North Korea easily!
If you want Ming Dynasty to send troops to rescue North Korea, you can, but Ming Dynasty will only send troops after North Korea requests to annex Ming Dynasty!
Zhu Hongyu nodded slightly and expressed his satisfaction with the plan proposed by the staff.
Then he continued to ask.
"How is the Liaodong Campaign going?"
Xu Bin said.
"Reporting to your Majesty, regarding the situation of the Liaodong war, our Ming Dynasty has sent troops from the Liaoxi Corridor and Tianjin Port respectively."
"On the one hand, we will take the land route to attack Shenyang, and on the other hand, we will take the water route, preparing to cut off the Yalu River to prevent the Qing government's main force from withdrawing from Korea to the Ming Dynasty."
"My army has been dispatched, but the specific results have not been received yet!"
Zhu Hongyu nodded again, and then asked again.
"How is the recovery status of the nine sides of the imperial court now?"
It has been more than a year since the Ming Dynasty regained the Northern Territory. During this process, the court has done more than restore people's livelihood and restore social order.
The most important thing is to restore the former nine-sided defense system!
It was also the defense system that the Ming Dynasty relied on when facing the nomads in the north.
Starting from Shanhaiguan in the east and ending at Jiayuguan in the west, there are nine frontier fortresses established along the Great Wall, such as Liaodong Town, Xuanfu Town, Datong Town, Shanxi Town, Yulin Town, etc.
Collectively called the Nine Sides!
Even in the late Ming Dynasty, Ming Dynasty's Jiubian soldiers could still be regarded as elite soldiers.
Li Zicheng was able to grow big because he absorbed Ming Dynasty's deserters from all sides on a large scale!
Now, since the Ming Dynasty has restored the Northland, it is natural that it also wants to rebuild the important town of Jiubian.
However, now the Ming Dynasty's Nine Borders are no longer the defensive fortresses of the past, but will be the forward base for the army's conquests.
How do you say that? The Great Wall was used to protect the Central Plains dynasty from foreign invaders when it was weak.
But when the Central Plains dynasty became strong, this thing could play a role in protecting the grassland nomads.
Because, with the Great Wall, the Central Plains dynasty would have a sense of security.
Otherwise, no one knows what an insecure Central Plains dynasty that was still in its heyday would do to the grassland.
Zhu Hongyu has always been an ambitious person. He also wants to unlock a series of achievement medals such as Fenglang Juxu, Le Shiyanran, Muma Beihai, Hanhai Yinbing... etc. in the future!
If a Central Plains dynasty became strong and powerful, what kind of serious Central Plains dynasty would it be without the Northern Expedition?
The reconstruction of Jiubian Military Town was Zhu Hongyu's first step in preparing to launch the Northern Expedition.
Xu Bin stood up and said.
"Your Majesty, now, Liaodong Town, Xuanfu Town, Datong Town, Shanxi Town and other places are recovering in an orderly manner!"
"My Ming Dynasty is already recruiting troops from the north to prepare for the defense of the towns on the nine sides."
"While the administration of Gansu, Shaanxi and other places is still being restored in an orderly manner, it will take some time for border towns in Gansu Town, Yulin Town and other places to recover."
Zhu Hongyu asked as he played with a pair of walnuts in his hand.
"How long will it take for all nine sides to regain their combat effectiveness?"
When asking this question, Zhu Hongyu's eyes shone with a militant light.
He has never been a peaceful person!
It’s just that he knows when to do something!
Xu Bin opened his mouth and answered.
"Reporting to Your Majesty, according to the estimates of the General Staff, it will take at least two to three years for all nine sides to regain their combat effectiveness!"
The Jiubian Military Town was an important means for the Ming Dynasty to face the north!
Even if the Ming Dynasty is currently short of troops, at least one division of soldiers will be stationed in the Jiubian Army Town.
A total of nine divisions and 90,000 soldiers!
Ming Dynasty wants to complete the recruitment, training and equipment replenishment of 90,000 people... in one year!
This is still a conservative estimate. If we want to ensure that all nine sides are preserved or have the ability to fight outside the fortress, 90,000 people are not enough.
At least double it!
In other words, the Ming Dynasty would need 180,000 people to garrison just one of the nine sides.
This can ensure that the army can stabilize its rear while going out to fight.
This is also the reason why Zhu Hongyu was not in a hurry to send troops out of the fortress after restoring the Northland.
Eighteen thousand people!
If we really want to fight, this wave will almost use up more than half of Ming Dynasty's existing troops!
The Ming Dynasty still has so many important places in the south that need to station troops. It can be said that these provinces in the Han Dynasty still have people's hearts in the Ming Dynasty. The role of the garrison is actually more focused on maintaining public order and suppressing bandits.
Not many troops are needed!
Just have a garrison to maintain presence and deterrence.
However, Nanyang is not currently stable. A large number of troops are required to be stationed in various places to be ready to suppress possible indigenous rebellions at any time.
And, more importantly, beware of the little tricks that white-skinned people may make in Nanyang!
Zhu Hongyu cannot transfer all his troops to the north at once!
Therefore, before the nine-sided military formation is restored, Ming Dynasty will adopt a flexible policy towards the grassland and will not launch a large-scale offensive.
Zhu Hongyu nodded, indicating that he understood.
…
Prince Li Zhen of North Korea met Zheng Chenggong in his study.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! After the two talked for a while, Li Yan had to leave.
Although Zheng Chenggong was quite enthusiastic about him, he was never sure about whether he would help North Korea ask for help from the imperial court.
Li Yan also figured it out. Zheng Chenggong made it clear that he was just faking it and didn't want to get involved in this matter.
He had no choice but to resign and leave!
You must know that Zheng Chenggong is a prince, and the King of Joseon is only a county prince. He, the crown prince of Joseon, is also a prince prince. What right does he have to be disrespectful to a prince with real power in the court?
After Li Yan left the Yanping Palace, the entourage waiting outside the palace came up to him and asked expectantly.
"Your Highness, what did King Yanping say?"
"Has King Yanping agreed to speak for me, Korea, in the court?"
Li Yan shook his head solemnly and said.
"No! King Yanping has never made a statement."
"North Korea is in danger..."
Li Yan sighed deeply with helplessness on his face.
"Your Highness, what should we do?"
Li Yan's followers couldn't help but ask.
Li Yan shook his head, looking helpless.
"I...I don't know what to do either!"
Another follower on the side said.
"Perhaps we can lobby more important officials in the DPRK and ask them to speak for us, North Korea."
"King Yanping is unwilling to express his position, but it does not necessarily mean that others are unwilling to express his position as well!"
"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince can also go to the Weeping Palace and publicize the request to the Ming Dynasty, so that the Ming Dynasty can send troops to help North Korea..."
These methods are actually not very clever. During the Imjin Japanese Rebellion, the North Korean envoys also did the same thing in order to get the Ming Dynasty to send troops to aid North Korea.
On the one hand, the king of Korea relied on the Ming side of the Yalu River, claiming that he wanted to make Korea annex the Ming Dynasty, and that he would go to the capital of the Ming Dynasty to become an idle prince.
I must die on the land of Ming Dynasty!
On the other hand, they sent people to connect around the capital to stir up public opinion, and spent money to bribe important officials in the DPRK, asking them to speak for North Korea...
With the help of the public opinion, Wanli ordered to send troops to aid the DPRK!
This person's words spoke to the depths of Li Yan's heart. After hesitating for a while, Li Yan spoke.
"Okay, let's do it like this!"
"Let people prepare and raise a sum of money to buy some gifts. You go and visit the adults in North Korea who are in favor of me, North Korea!"
"I'm going to cry outside the palace!"
Li Yan flicked his sleeves and prepared to leave for the imperial city.
At this moment, a follower stood up and suggested.
"How about we go buy a newspaper?"
Li Yan paused, turned around and asked with a frown.
"What do you mean? Why are you buying a newspaper? Now is the time to read a newspaper?"
The attendant opened his mouth to explain.
"Your Highness, that's not what I meant!"
"What I'm talking about is buying a newspaper section to report on the current situation in North Korea!"
"In today's Ming Dynasty, the best means of public opinion propaganda is newspapers. If we want to control public opinion, newspapers are a means we must not miss."
Hearing this, the expression on Li Yan's face showed obvious emotion.
Then he nodded and said.
"In my name, contact a newspaper, publish the information about North Korea's request for help, and quickly distribute it to the world!"
The current Ming Emperor may not care much about what officials think, but he certainly cares about what the people think of him.
Now many people can feel the pulse of Zhu Hongyu. He cares about reputation very much.
But it is not a false name written by literati, but a reputation passed down by the people orally!
Zhu Hongyu's preferences can be regarded as a strange thing among so many emperors throughout the ages!
…
In the early morning, Zhu Hongyu got up from the concubine's bed.
After dressing, washing, and having breakfast, he sat at the table, flipping through the newspaper in his hand, and enjoying the beauty's feeding.
Of course, this is a Daming Daily that has not yet been published!
This issue of Daming Daily will be published only after Zhu Hongyu's personal review.
Flicking through the newspaper casually and looking at the contents above, Zhu Hongyu had a calm expression on his face.
To be honest, the content of Daming Daily today is completely different from the messy one at the beginning.
Daming Daily is the face of the imperial court, the mouthpiece used by the imperial court to promote policies and achievements, so it must be more serious.
For example, all the entertaining and interesting content that was there at the beginning has been removed, and even the profitable commercial promotion sections have been deleted.
At the beginning, the reason why there was a commercial section was simply because the imperial court did not have enough money to publish newspapers. It could only make newspapers profitable and then publish them on a large scale all over the world.
But the situation is different now!
Since the imperial court is no longer short of money, the business section will naturally be deleted.
This is normal. After all, I haven’t seen any advertisements in the People’s Daily, right?
As the mouthpiece of the imperial court, the Ming Dynasty Daily cannot be deeply tied to Tongxi, so it still needs such a strong character.
In terms of entertainment, the most it can do is leave a section for popular science!
Zhu Hongyu's breakfast was also relatively simple. Today he did not eat the traditional Chinese breakfast, but ate a Western-style milk bread sandwich.
The ham in the sandwich is the best Jinhua ham!
The tributes specially paid to the royal family are of very good quality and generally do not even enter the market.
The reason why he had a Western-style meal today was because he slept in Beina's palace last night.
And Bena is Dutch!
Today, Beina is already in her twenties. Although the average Westerner ages faster, she can still be considered a beauty in her twenties, but she has more wrinkles on her face than other concubines of the same age.
But her plump figure is a huge plus!
Who can resist a charming Ocean horse?
Zhu Hongyu quickly finished his breakfast with Beina serving him, and then prepared to go to the imperial study room to handle government affairs.
He didn't pay much attention to the morning court, but he had never been lazy in handling government affairs!
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Although the three procedures of the cabinet and the internal and external secretariat can handle most government affairs, in the end, Zhu Hongyu needs to personally make the final decision.
Quite a few.
However, as soon as Zhu Hongyu arrived at the imperial study, Jinyiwei and Dongchang sent him news about the crown prince of Joseon, Li Zhen.
First, the crown prince of Joseon, Lee Yeon, cried in the palace!
Second, North Korean envoys liaised in Nanjing and frequently visited officials of the Ming Dynasty.
The third reason is that some North Koreans wanted to publish the current situation of North Korea in the newspapers to win the sympathy of the Ming Dynasty's public opinion, and then used the public opinion to coerce the emperor into ordering the dispatch of troops to aid North Korea.
These three things were sent to Zhu Hongyu's bed together!
Zhu Hongyu couldn't help but frown.
Actually, these things are not big problems for Zhu Hongyu.
Li Yan cried in the palace, as long as Zhu Hongyu was thick-skinned enough, he could pretend that he couldn't see it.
There is no need to worry if North Korean envoys want to connect with Ming officials!
Zhu Hongyu's side has just finished cleaning up the court hall through the scavenger operation. As long as the ministers below still have brains, they will not do anything until Zhu Hongyu expresses his stance on North Korea.
In other words, Li Yan's move will have almost no practical effect.
The newspaper thing is even simpler!
Today's Ming Dynasty newspapers must pass review before being allowed to be distributed on a large scale.
As long as Zhu Hongyu doesn't want the newspaper to be distributed, the newspaper will not be distributed!
In Ming Dynasty, no one can make Zhu Hongyu do something he doesn't want to do!
nobody!
But, then again, since the prince of Joseon is acting so urgently now, it means that the situation in Korea is really very critical now.
…
Lanzhou Prefecture!
Wu Sangui is on his way!
After the spring of this year, Guan Ning's army officially launched its western expedition.
After Wu Sangui withdrew from Chang'an, he led his troops to Lanzhou, using Lanzhou as the current forward base of Guan Ning's army and Wu Sangui's own departure point.
After the Guan Ning Army withdrew from Guanzhong, the arms trade between the Ming Dynasty and the Guan Ning Army officially began.
The place of trade between the two parties is also in Lanzhou!
In an open space outside Lanzhou City, one party was driving a cart and the other was driving cattle and sheep. The two teams of people and horses stood not far apart.
"Mr. Liu, here are one thousand sets of Ming Dynasty standard infantry equipment, as well as two hundred sets of heavy armor, and twenty field artillery pieces. Sir, please check and accept them."
A person in charge of the Ming Dynasty Royal Arsenal said to Liu Xuanchu.
Behind him were four-wheeled carts, loaded with boxes. The boxes were covered with green cloth, and only a general trace could be seen.
Liu Xuanchu, who was responsible for communicating with the relevant officials of the Ming Dynasty, stood up, nodded slightly to express friendship, and then motioned to the people behind him to come forward for inspection.
Of course, the arms transported by the Ming Dynasty this time are only part of them, and they are considered the first batch.
After this trade is over, the remaining arms will be shipped from Guanzhong in batches.
The Ming Dynasty's arms trade was notoriously expensive, and the value of these arms was very high. Naturally, Guan Ningjun had to inspect the goods before signing for them.
Otherwise, if there is a quality problem with these arms, Liu Xuanchu will not be able to explain it to Wu Sangui!
The dustproof cloth on the cart was lifted, revealing a large box.
A box was unloaded from the car, the seal of the box was removed, and the lock was opened.
After opening it, the smell of tung oil came over the surface.
The box is neatly stacked with muskets, sabers, bayonets, breastplates, helmets, etc...
These weapons are all brushed with tung oil for maintenance!
Under the sunlight, it shines with dazzling light.
A soldier of the Guan Ning Army took out the weapons in the box one by one and inspected them with his eyes flashing brightly.
The more he checks, the brighter his eyes become!
As a soldier who fought on the battlefield, he knew very well how useful a good set of armor weapons could be.
Although these arms of the Ming Dynasty cost a lot, the quality is indeed excellent!
The production of the musket is obviously much more precise than the muskets made by Guan Ningjun himself, and even the matching projectiles are the same size.
The armor and helmets are all made of fine iron, and the blades of the swords are even covered with steel.
Just wave it around a bit and it’s quite filling!
This is just ordinary individual soldier equipment, and those heavy armors are even more powerful.
The chest armor, arm armor, skirt armor... every piece of armor has been polished to a gleaming, solid and thick feel.
[To be honest, I have been using the Huanyuan app recently to read and catch up on new books. It allows me to switch between sources and read aloud with many sounds. .huanyuanapp is available for Android and Apple.]
Everyone has to admit that the quality of this heavy armor is really good and the materials used are really sufficient.
…
ps: It’s the end of the month, it’s also the end of the year, and it happens to be the period for double monthly passes!
For the sake of the author’s sick coding, please give me a vote!