The successive foreign wars brought huge profits, which also gave Emperor Hongzhi a taste of the sweetness.
Last year, we went on an expedition to Japan, using an army of 50,000 people, and defeated the Japanese country easily, with minimal losses. Not only did we force the Japanese country to surrender to the Ming Dynasty and pay tribute, but we also solved the problem of Japanese pirates on the southeast coast in one fell swoop.
More importantly, a war compensation of 15 million taels of silver was obtained from the Japanese side. This was an extremely huge amount, and it all went into Emperor Hongzhi's personal pocket.
If we include the Iwami Silver Mine in Yinshan County, Emperor Hongzhi was really well-fed during last year's battle against Japan. The silver mined subsequently was distributed to Emperor Hongzhi every year in the amount of thousands of taels.
, and enough to start decades.
There was also the battle against Luzon in Nanyang. It was not even a large army dispatched by the imperial court. The fleet led by Taiping Marquis Du Mingen easily almost destroyed the Luzon Kingdom and plundered the entire Luzon Kingdom.
The gold, silver, jewelry, jade, coral, pearls, jade, ivory, agarwood, etc. that were brought back filled the inner treasury of Emperor Hongzhi, worth tens of millions of taels of silver, and filled the originally empty Qianqing Palace with various items.
All kinds of rare treasures.
In the battle against Liaodong, the Jurchen tribes were easily wiped out, and the vast area of Liaodong was obtained, which was enough to immigrate millions of people. Not only was the safety of the capital guaranteed, but also a huge granary was created. In the future, Beijing
The grain in the Tianjin area may not need to be transported from the south. It is enough to transport it directly from Liaodong.
If you include the several battles that flattened the grasslands, not only did the threat to the Central Plains from the northern grasslands be eliminated, but the cattle and sheep of the grasslands could also be obtained on a large scale, which had many benefits.
This is also the fundamental reason why Emperor Hongzhi strongly supported the reform of the military system.
Because he saw the benefits of having a strong army, winning battles one after another, gold and silver pouring into his pockets, and everyone in the Ming Dynasty could also enjoy the benefits.
So whether it was reforming the military system or establishing a navy, he supported it.
Having tasted the sweetness, it was out of control. What's more, this army really consumes a lot of money. Naturally, we have to find a way to get the money back.
At the same time, you can also test the combat effectiveness of the new army to see if your money is worth it, and whether there is anyone here who is greedy for your own money.
In Liu Jin's words, you will know if it is a mule or a horse when it goes out for a stroll.
"Where's Liu Jin~"
After reviewing the navy, I was thinking about the war.
The first thing Emperor Hongzhi thought of was Liu Jin, and he wanted to hear Liu Jin's opinion.
"He seems to have gone to Tianjin Port and said that there is a fast ship going to Huanghuangzhou and he has something to entrust."
Xiao Jing, who was beside him, quickly replied.
"Invite him to come~"
Emperor Hongzhi nodded slightly and said, looking at the warships moored at the pier, he could see rows of gun ports on them at a glance.
Here, before Xiao Jing could find Liu Jin, Liu Jin himself had already arrived at the Royal Naval Academy.
"Your Majesty~"
Liu Jin came to Emperor Hongzhi's side and said respectfully.
"You came just in time, I have something to ask you."
When Emperor Hongzhi saw Liu Jin coming, he immediately asked someone to unfold the world map.
"Do you think it would be more appropriate for our Ming Dynasty to attack the Western Regions and Nanyang first?"
Emperor Hongzhi didn't talk nonsense, he pointed to the Western Regions and Nanyang and said directly.
Zhang Mao, Zhu Fu, and Liu Jin around him were not pedantic civil servants, and they all wore the same pants as Emperor Hongzhi, so Emperor Hongzhi also spoke frankly.
"Father is mighty and domineering~"
Before Liu Jin could speak, Zhu Houzhao on the side heard this and couldn't help but clenched his fists in excitement. Great, we are going to fight again.
At the same time, his little eyes started to spin, and he was thinking about whether he should find a way to sneak into the army and follow the army on the expedition.
Liu Jin, Zhang Mao, and Zhu Fu were slightly stunned. This Emperor Hongzhi was really unexpected. The previous Emperor Hongzhi was deeply deceived by civil servants and was the most opposed to this aspect.
Now it's good, he actually took the initiative to start a war, and judging from Emperor Hongzhi's appearance, he didn't mean to simply fight and then stop.
Whether it's the Western Regions or Nanyang, Emperor Hongzhi wanted both. It was just a question of which one to fight first. Sooner or later, he would have to suffer the consequences.
"Your Majesty, I think we should attack Annan and Champa in Southeast Asia first!"
Liu Jin thought for a while and replied.
"Tell me about it~"
Emperor Hongzhi nodded slightly to signal Liu Jin to continue.
"Your Majesty~"
"Last year, various countries in Southeast Asia sent envoys to pay tribute to our Ming Dynasty, but except for Luzon, which we were afraid of, no other country was willing to become a vassal state of our Ming Dynasty."
"It can be seen that the deterrent power of Ming Dynasty in the countries of Southeast Asia is still not enough, and our influence is not enough, so the countries of Nanyang are not willing to surrender to Ming Dynasty."
"The purpose of attacking Nanyang first is to scare the monkeys and establish the prestige of our country, the Ming Dynasty."
"Secondly, there are many pirates and bandits in various parts of Southeast Asia. Merchant ships in our Ming Dynasty have been threatened and hijacked by pirates and bandits many times, which has seriously affected the maritime trade routes of our Ming Dynasty."
"When we attack Nanyang, we also need to wipe out all the pirates and thieves in this area."
"Thirdly, Nanyang is located in the tropics, with fertile land and sufficient rainfall. It is very suitable for growing rice or sugar cane. It has high value and is very suitable for establishing plantations, which is conducive to the development of the Ming Dynasty."
"Fourthly, Nanyang is located at the choke point of transportation and is a key point of maritime trade routes. Attacking Nanyang first, occupying more land and islands, and establishing colonies in key places is also to ensure the safety of our trade routes to the Ming Dynasty.
"
"The reason why we want to attack Annan and Champa first is mainly because Annan is adjacent to our Ming Dynasty Guangxi. During the Yongle Dynasty, it was our Ming Dynasty's Jiaozhi. This place has been our Chinese land since ancient times. How can we let barbarians continue to occupy it.
"
"What's more, the Annan Kingdom was a small country with big ambitions. It repeatedly invaded the borders of Guangxi and Yunnan, intending to establish the so-called Dai Viet Kingdom. Our Ming Dynasty, Guangxi and Yunnan suffered greatly."
When he said this, Li Jin couldn't help but clenched his fists slightly.
Although Annan is very small, Annan at this time is still different from Annan in later generations. It is only half of the Annan in later generations, only the northern half, and the southern half is called Champa.
Xiaoguixiao, but it has never been honest. On the one hand, it continued to pay tribute to the Ming Dynasty and asked the Ming Dynasty to give Annan the same status as Korea. On the other hand, it invaded Guangxi and Yunnan from time to time.
It feels like a monkey, jumping very fast.
After hearing Liu Jin's words, Emperor Hongzhi, Zhang Mao, Zhu Fu and Zhu Houzhao couldn't help but nod.
They knew very well the affairs of Annan, especially the British Duke Zhang Mao. His ancestor Zhang Fu also led troops to attack Annan, and he was named the British Duke by Zhu Di after he made great contributions.
So when it came to beating Annan, Zhang Mao became energetic.
"If we can capture Annan and re-establish Cochin Province, we can restore the Ming Dynasty's influence in the Southeast Asian region, and at the same time, we can maintain a land-based deterrent to Southeast Asian countries, especially Siam."
"The location of Champa is also extremely important. Please see, if we capture Champa and add Luzon to the east, we, the Ming Dynasty, can almost surround the entire South China Sea."
"At that time, our Ming Dynasty will be able to form a huge control over the entire Nanyang region from land and sea. Moreover, Champa has produced rice since ancient times and is a grain-producing land. By conquering Champa, our Ming Dynasty will have another one.
With the huge granaries, relying on sea and water transportation, and the roads built on the Ming Dynasty’s land, we will never have to worry about food from now on.”
"Of course it's not just Annan and Champa. This time, the army is attacking Nanyang. This large area of Nanyang and the huge number of islands can be included in my Ming Dynasty's territory as much as possible."
"The countries in these places are very small and have very small populations, but they occupy some of the best land in the world. When the time comes, plantations will be developed on these islands."
“Not only can you grow sugar cane and rice, but you can also grow sisal, rubber, and spices.”
"Of course, more importantly, after occupying this large area, we can ensure the safety of our southern Ming Dynasty and ensure the route to Australia, and through Australia we can lead to the Golden Continent."
"Going west, we will go to important places in Myanmar, Tianzhu, the Middle East, and Africa. Such an important place is also so rich. There are countless gold, silver, pearls, gems, corals, emeralds, etc."
"How can I, the Ming Dynasty, just leave this alone and give other people an advantage?"
Liu Jin finished speaking in one breath, and his whole body felt a little dry.
Everyone nodded while listening. The importance of Nanyang was mentioned not once but twice. Everyone knew and knew the richness of Nanyang.
In the past, no one would have listened to Liu Jin's nonsense, because everyone thought that the Ming Dynasty was the best, and places outside the Ming Dynasty were barbarian lands, lawless lands, full of miasma, etc.
Now, with the opening of routes to Nanyang, Huanghuangzhou, Japan, etc., and the close exchanges, everyone is gradually realizing that the world outside the Ming Dynasty is very big, beautiful, and rich, and more importantly, these places are all
It can be captured easily.
If the Ming Dynasty doesn't occupy it now, Europeans will come over in a few years, and their colonies will bloom all over Nanyang.
So instead of taking advantage of others, it is better to swallow it in your own belly as soon as possible.
"Well, I remember that there was another memorial from Guangxi not long ago, saying that Annan invaded our border with the Ming Dynasty again, burned, killed, looted, and committed all kinds of evil."
Emperor Hongzhi thought for a while and suddenly asked Xiao Jing.
"Yes, Your Majesty, it was sent a few days ago. The memorial said it was because Ming Dynasty was unwilling to accept Annan's tribute last year, so it harbored a grudge and invaded Guangxi."
When Xiao Jing heard this, he thought about it and immediately replied.
