In the Palace of Qianqing, Zhu Yuanzhang's face showed a bit of displeasure. View
News from Japan has been delivered once a month, and this speed is basically the fastest.
This is because there is the Yangtze River in Nanjing. After the Japanese intelligence reaches the coast, it is delivered all the way up at an expedited speed of 600 miles.
"This second child, we know he is the most capable of causing trouble. We were still thinking of giving him the city on Kyushu Island, but in the end we went directly to Shikoku Island."
"What a fool. Do you want to stimulate the entire Japanese country like this and trigger a war in advance?"
Zhu Yuanzhang was really angry with his second son, Zhu Xi.
In the past few months, he had just taken over the entire Kyushu Island, and Zhu Yuanzhang was already ready to let his eldest grandson take the blame.
This is also to prevent Japan from being too impatient and jumping over the wall, which directly triggers a national war between the two countries. View
It's not that Zhu Yuanzhang was worried that the country would not be able to win the war, but in this case, Ming Dynasty would have to invest a lot of troops and money in the Japanese country.
There is a saying that once the cannon goes off, there are ten thousand taels of gold.
Even if it is not such an exaggeration, it is still a loss in vain.
Last year, before the 180,000-yuan banknote could be warmed, the eldest grandson had already spent 100,000-yuan, which made Zhu Yuanzhang very distressed.
But he also knew that whether it was the shipyard arranged by Da Sun, or the massive expansion of the Gunpowder Department, including the construction and widening of the direct official road, these were all things that had to be done.
Keeping money in their pockets is no different from those rich people in Jiangnan. Only by spending the money where it should be used can more taxes be collected in the future.
What Lao Er did was like directly blocking the way of the Japanese country, and it was difficult to have any room to turn around.
If a war really breaks out, there are now small-scale uprisings in various places on Kyushu Island. More troops are needed ahead of time, and the war will lead to a reduction in mineral deposits.
This is completely inconsistent with established strategies.
Originally, after taking Kyushu Island, we had to digest it first, at least stabilize the territory, and then plan for the next development.
"Grandpa, the Japanese country is probably already carrying out large-scale mobilization, but my grandson thinks this matter can still be alleviated."
"I looked at the intelligence of the Japanese country. Ashikaga Yoshimitsu himself has great conflicts with the Japanese royal family. If a war is launched, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu will naturally gain greater power, which is not in line with our interests."
"As long as we ask the Japanese royal family to mediate, then Ashikaga Yoshimitsu will not be able to call on all the local daimyo to follow in name, and this matter can be put on hold for the time being."
Zhu Ying thought about it and said.
Defeating the Japanese country is not a complicated matter, but if you want to truly swallow the Japanese country, you need careful planning.
Let's talk about the current total population of the Japanese country. If a large number of troops are recruited and the whole country is mobilized, it is estimated that there will be 800,000 troops.
The 400,000 Ming army could defeat the 800,000 Japanese soldiers, but this method of fighting would consume a lot of time.
As the war escalates, the population of Japan will undergo a sharp decline.
Finally, the battle was over, and there were no people left in Japan.
Calculating this, Ming Dynasty will invest more manpower in post-war constructive development.
If we really want to do this, we might as well develop Hainan, Ryukyu, Luzon, and Johor. View
That is, Malaysia and the Philippines in later generations.
For example, Johor is currently ruled by the Sultanate of Malacca, and is commonly known as the Kingdom of Malacca in the Ming Dynasty.
It sounds good, but the total population is less than 200,000, that is, only a few hundred thousand people.
The Ming Dynasty could easily capture the Malacca Sultanate by mobilizing a few garrison troops at will.
Moreover, the weapons and equipment of the Malacca Sultanate were not at the same level as those of the Ming Dynasty. There might not even be a hundred pairs of armors in the whole country.
But this doesn't make much sense. We can only wait for the big voyage to start before conducting another control.
For such a small country, if Zhu Yuanzhang passed an edict, he would have surrendered, and there wouldn't even be any trouble.
The situation in Luzon is even worse.
These places are more famous in later generations. In the early Ming Dynasty, this was a barbaric land, and input and output were not proportional at all.
Here, Zhu Yuanzhang listened to what the eldest grandson said and asked, "Does the eldest grandson mean to let the second son return the captured Shiguo cities to the Japanese country first, and then conduct mediation?"
"But we don't think Japan would be so stupid. I'm afraid they want to take Kyushu Island back."
Zhu Ying pondered for a moment and said: "At this time, if we just return the territory of Shikoku Island, Japan will naturally not agree. My grandson has other ideas."
Zhu Yuanzhang asked curiously: "Tell us about it."
Zhu Ying did not start the lecture eagerly, but took out the map of Japan from the bookcase, pointed at Bungo Castle and said: "My grandson wants to establish a port trade place between the Ming Dynasty and Japan here."
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"The output of the Japanese country itself is very small, especially in the area of grain. We can introduce high-yielding crops to the Japanese country at the same time, and first make the food of the Japanese country rich. While improving the reputation of our Ming Dynasty, we can also make more people
The people of Japan have enough to eat."
"As long as you are willing to offer high-yield crops in exchange, there is no possibility of rejection, whether it is the Japanese royal family or Ashikaga Yoshimitsu of the shogunate."
"Kyushu Island can also be successfully brought under the direct jurisdiction of our Ming Dynasty."
At first glance, it sounds like Zhu Ying's behavior is to enhance the national power of Japan.
But from the emperor's perspective, the meaning is completely different.
The Ming Dynasty was never afraid of war. What it worried about most was not the losses in the war, but the huge deficit caused by the lack of supplementary sources for these losses.
In fact, it has always been Zhu Yuanzhang's idea to give high-yielding crops to the Japanese country. However, there are some things where you don't need to be too impatient. It is natural to get enough benefits in exchange. View
Now that the second child, Zhu Xi, has been so involved, it is just right to offer it in exchange.
Faced with such a "divine object", there was no way the Japanese could refuse.
Even if the Japanese royal family and Ashikaga Yoshimitsu don't want it, the local guardian daimyo will still compete for it.
Zhu Yuanzhang agreed: "This is a good idea, but you have to choose the right person to talk to. Let's see who is better to talk to."
Zhu Ying said with a smile: "This matter is of great importance, so it is convenient for my grandson to go there in person."
"If ordinary people go there, they really can't hold down a few imperial uncles."
The four vassal kings, King Zhu Chong of Qin, King Zhu Chong of Jin, King Zhu Di of Yan, and King Zhu Shu of Qi, can be said to be the most powerful people in the Ming Dynasty, except Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Ying.
Needless to say, the ministers in the court, even the princes and nobles like Lan Yu, and the four major vassal kings can do nothing.
Especially Zhu Zhen, the mountain is high and the emperor is far away, he really doesn't know how to be obedient.
Only Zhu Ying could suppress them all.
It can also express the sincerity of Ming Dynasty and prevent the occurrence of national war.
If the Japanese country does not even give face to the great grandson of the Ming Dynasty and the future emperor of the Ming Dynasty, then you can understand what it means that the emperor is angry and lays down millions of corpses.
The world's supremacy of imperial power does not mean that when launching a war, one must calculate the consequences of profit and loss.
This is the horror of personal emotions overriding the country. View
As for safety issues, there is no need to worry.
First of all, Zhu Ying will bring enough troops when he goes to our country, and there will be four vassal kings guarding him.
Let's talk about the Japanese country, which is even more worried than the Ming Dynasty.
Because if anything disturbs the great grandson of the Ming Dynasty, then there will be no need for the entire Japanese country to exist.
With Lao Zhu's temperament, especially at this time, it was inevitable to deploy millions of troops to pacify the Japanese state.
Almost the entire aristocratic class of the Japanese country was slaughtered by the nine implicated tribes.
There is no Japanese royal family or shogun, they are just the wanted criminals in the sea arrest documents.
"Okay, it's okay for Grandson to go, but we have to bring at least 200,000 troops so that we can feel at ease."
In fact, Zhu Yuanzhang himself wanted to go out and have a look, but he was old and couldn't bear to travel around.
The eldest grandson was young and strong, so he should broaden his horizons. At that time, the prince Zhu Biao often visited various places in the Ming Dynasty.
Zhu Ying continued: "With the news that my grandson is going to the Japanese country, we can send envoys there first. This will also serve as a reminder to my second uncle to return Iyo City to the Japanese country without causing any trouble."
"After the Japanese side received the news of Sun Er's arrival, they would also temporarily stop the idea of mobilizing the army, or at least put it on hold, which would delay it for a long time."
Zhu Yuanzhang nodded: "Okay, then we will do as the great grandson said."
...View
The fact that the great grandson of the Ming Dynasty was coming to Japan for peace talks and alliances was quickly conveyed to the Japanese royal family and Ashikaga Yoshimitsu by the Akashi envoy.
The atmosphere was originally tense and the Japanese nation, which was always preparing for a national war, was suddenly forced to stop.
When the news reached Zhu Xi, he had already led a large army to surround Tosa Castle on Shikoku Island.
If the situation is similar to the last time we attacked Iyo Country, the cannons blasted randomly, not only the city gate, but also the city wall was broken.
However, Tosa City is now on guard. There are a large number of stones piled up behind the city wall to form simple defenses, which can effectively block the impact of the Ming Dynasty cavalry.
Moreover, it is wide enough, so it is difficult to forcefully open the channel with cannon bombing alone.
Obviously, this is a fight with Zhu Xi.
Zhu Xi was very excited. After coming to Japan for such a long time, he finally found some fun. The previous ones were too boring. He didn't even get enough of them and it was already over.
"Mobilize my army of Japanese slaves and tell them that if they can capture this city, I will grant them the status of joining my Ming Dynasty household registration. From now on, they can be regarded as half of the Ming Dynasty."
"If you dare not fight, you will be killed immediately."
Zhu Fang didn't want to waste his own troops every time he attacked the city. After the previous two sieges, he selected more than 10,000 Japanese soldiers who were still capable of fighting as the Japanese slave army.
For things like siege that require human lives, it is natural for these Japanese slave soldiers to do it.
Given some simple weapons, now it's time for them to work.
After a new round of artillery bombardment, an officer of the Ming Army gave an order, and tens of thousands of Japanese slave troops were driven away, roaring and charging towards Tosa Castle. View.
These Japanese soldiers who were easily defeated by Zhu Ping before were now charging as hard as if they were beaten to death.
The low city wall only requires simple stairs to climb, but the Japanese soldiers hiding in the fortifications obviously have an advantage.
With equal combat power, Zhu Xi's Japanese slave army and the Japanese soldiers defending the city immediately started a fierce tug-of-war.
"These Japanese slaves are pretty good, and they fought vigorously. I thought I needed to kill a group of chickens to scare the monkeys, but now it seems that it is completely unnecessary."
"This morale is stronger than that of the Japanese soldiers guarding the city. We need to gather more strength in the future."
Zhu Xi laughed loudly and said, and the generals around him also laughed in agreement.
However, the Japanese soldiers in Tosa City obviously still numbered in the tens of thousands. The Japanese slave army had great momentum but lacked stamina. In less than half an hour, the casualties had reached 30%. View
If the Ming army hadn't been threatened by the firecrackers behind them, and without King Qin's order, anyone who turned around would have been shot dead, and they would have completely collapsed.
Both sides are dead, turning around will definitely lead to death, but if you move forward, you still have some chance of survival, so of course you have to rush forward forcefully.
As time went by, when the number of casualties of the Japanese slave army was close to half, it was time for the Ming army to dispatch.
But just when Zhu Xi was about to issue the order, the soldier who was behind the message hurried to the front, knelt down on one knee and clasped his fists and said: "Your Majesty, your Majesty has issued an order to withdraw the troops immediately and return the land occupied by Shikoku Island to
Japan."
As soon as these words came out, the surrounding generals who were excited and prepared for a fierce battle suddenly felt like cold water was poured on their heads. They looked at each other in confusion, not knowing what to do.
Zhu Feng, on the other hand, said nonchalantly: "The generals are out, and the military orders are not obeyed. Now is the best time to attack the city. Thousands of lives have been spent, and we have reached the point where the arrow is on the string and have to be fired. How can we say stop?"
Just stop.”
After that, he looked at the messenger and said, "When the time comes, I'll just say that your transmission was half a beat too late. I have already captured Tosa Castle. As for the matter of returning it, we can discuss it after the war."
After speaking without any hesitation, he pulled out the sword from his waist on horseback and prepared to shout loudly before dispatching his entire army to capture Tosa Castle in front of him in one fell swoop.
At this juncture, you can't take it too seriously.
But the next words of the messenger made Zhu Ping freeze in place.
"Reporting to the prince, there is news from the capital that His Royal Highness Taisun will be traveling to the Japanese kingdom in the near future to negotiate a peace treaty with the Japanese royal family. Your Majesty has an order for all the princes to prepare for the event."
When he heard that Zhu Ying was coming, Zhu Fengke couldn't sit still.
He knew that his ability to bring enough soldiers to Japan today was entirely dependent on Zhu Ying's maneuvering and arrangements.
It has nothing to do with the stalemate with my father, but if there is a stalemate with my father, I am afraid that I will take back all my military power and return to the capital to become an idle prince. The clan has given orders.
All he could do was get off his horse angrily and kick the messenger to the ground.
"Next time you are f*cking summoned, tell me once and for all. If you continue to hesitate like this, I will take your head."
The soldiers who were delivering the order did not dare to talk back to the King of Qin, so they could only lie on the ground and kowtow.
"My lord, do you see?"
The surrounding vanguard generals boldly asked.
Zhu Feng said angrily: "This is a slap in the face, send the order and withdraw the troops with gold."