After hearing this, Hu Yingtai, Shangshu of the Ministry of Punishment, immediately agreed: "The prison is overcrowded, so we need to transport a group of people."
The criminal prisoners of the past year have been kept since the vassal king decided on the national policy of feudal North America, and they were only waiting to be sent to labor camps after a large supply point was identified. Therefore, Hu Yingtai said this.
When building a large supply point, you must start from near to far.
Vladivostok, the starting point, is still within the Jianlu's sphere of influence. It is impossible to build it without destroying the Jianlu or driving them away.
Then the second nearest large supply point appeared in the minds of all officials, which was the northern end of Hokkaido Island.
Zhong Jinwei always thought that Hokkaido was part of Japan, but looking at the notes brought back by Li Wei, it turned out to be just a place where barbarians lived.
He still remembered the general description in the annotation, which said that Hokkaido was called Ezo land, and that it was inhabited by the short, hairy Ezo people.
However, traces of the Japanese were also found in Hokkaido. They built a city and used it as a base to operate in the waters of Hokkaido.
"Your Majesty, since we have determined the supply point, why not exile the prisoners there and start building the supply point?" First Assistant Wen Tiren suggested first.
Before Emperor Chongzhen could respond, Bi Ziyan, the Minister of Household Affairs, came out and objected: "But there are still Japanese in Hokkaido. If I go to build a large supply point in the Ming Dynasty, I may be invaded by them."
He didn't want to waste money and food in vain, only to be destroyed by Japanese pirates.
When Emperor Chongzhen heard this, he took back the idea of agreeing before and prepared to listen to the opinions of other ministers.
Yang He, the Minister of War, had different opinions on this. He directly said to Bi Ziyan: "Master Bi, don't forget, the Japanese just came to the Ming Dynasty to pay tribute and established the status of a vassal state. How could they come to attack the Ming Dynasty again in the blink of an eye?
?”
Bi Ziyan disagreed with this and retorted: "So what if the identity of the vassal state is confirmed? How can the Japanese always remember the identity of their vassal state because of their renegade virtues?"
"But the Japanese envoy has just admired the Ming Dynasty's military power. Even if he lends his courage, he would not dare to fall out so quickly." How could Yang He be refuted by Bi Ziyan? He immediately found another reason.
"Master Yang, this statement is ridiculous, the Japanese..." The Minister of Rites on the side also joined in the verbal battle.
"..."
In the end, most people in the temple joined in and debated whether we should immediately start building a large supply point in Hokkaido.
Emperor Chongzhen waited for a long time, but still had no conclusion, and no one among his ministers could convince anyone.
He was getting a little irritated by waiting when he suddenly realized that Zhong Jinwei had not spoken and was just staring at the map.
So, he asked: "Master Zhong, do you have any suggestions on this?"
When the ministers who were quarreling with each other in the Wenhua Hall heard this, they thought, yes, why have they forgotten Marquis Zhongxing? So they all stopped arguing and looked at Zhong Jinwei, ready to listen to his suggestion.
Seeing that all the eyes in the hall were focused on him, Zhong Jinwei pointed to the map on the screen and said: "Although the Japanese are active in the southernmost tip of Hokkaido, there is no guarantee that they will not meet in Hokkaido in the future. Therefore, I think it is best to first
Understand the specific situation of the Japanese in the southernmost part, and then take corresponding measures. The purpose is one: Hokkaido can only belong to the Ming Dynasty."
Emperor Chongzhen heard it. Zhong Jinwei meant that Hokkaido could only belong to the Ming Dynasty, but how to let the Japanese who were already in Hokkaido leave requires detailed analysis of specific issues.
He felt that Zhong Jinwei's method was the safest move. Those ministers before started arguing without knowing anything. It was just empty talk by scholars.
However, there are still difficulties with Zhong Jinwei's proposal. Before Emperor Chongzhen asked, Wen Tiren asked Zhong Jinwei first: "Marquis Zhongxing, if you send people to understand the specific situation of those Japanese, it will waste a lot of time. You also said before
, it would be better to start feudal feudalism in North America as soon as possible.”
Zhong Jinwei smiled after hearing this and said, "I know this. There happens to be someone in the capital who is familiar with Japan. Come and ask him. Maybe you will get something."
After hearing this, a person flashed in Wen Tiren's mind and he couldn't help but confirm: "But Zheng Zhilong, the former Fujian Navy coastal defense guerrilla and now the deputy director of the Ming Dynasty Naval Academy?"
The term "teacher" was proposed by Zhongxing Hou, because the Naval Academy is new and is only aimed at training sailors. Moreover, Yan Yingyuan and Zheng Zhilong are both military officers, and there is no reference in the existing system. Therefore, Zhongxing Hou
When the term "teacher" is mentioned, the rank is one level higher than their original one.
"Exactly." Zhong Jinwei smiled and nodded.
Wen Tiren frowned and said, "Isn't he in Tianjin? It will take time to recruit him."
"No, he is currently learning how to use new weapons in the Beijing camp." Zhong Jinwei shook his head and said.
Since we are in the capital, we have to wait a while.
In a short time, Zheng Zhilong hurried to the Wenhua Palace according to the order. He saw that senior officials of the Ming Dynasty gathered in the palace, apparently discussing important matters.
After some courtesy, he understood the reason for calling him here. He was secretly proud that he had a place to use again.
So, he reported to Emperor Chongzhen: "The general knows something about Ezo... The Japanese in Hokkaido are Matsumae Clan.
Later, he became independent. During the Toyotomi Hideyoshi era, he was canonized as the Lord of Ezo Island by the Emperor of Japan because of his flattery with Toyotomi Hideyoshi."
Because of Zhong Jinwei's map, the emperors and ministers of the Ming Dynasty all discussed things according to the names on the map, so Zheng Zhilong changed the name of Ezo to Hokkaido.
Zhong Jinwei frowned slightly after hearing this. He was also canonized by the Emperor of Japan and legally became Japan's territory.
He thought for a moment and asked: "If Ming Dynasty wants to incorporate Hokkaido into its territory, what can we do?"
Zheng Zhilong was stunned after hearing this. It seemed uneconomical to include the wild and isolated overseas islands into the Ming Dynasty's territory! However, he immediately remembered the feudal kings' feudal North America, and he came to his senses.
However, he also knew that when Zhongxing Hou asked this question, he definitely did not mean to use force to occupy it. If it was really that simple, just take action directly. When asking him, he must be wondering if there is a better way.
Zheng Zhilong rolled his eyes, thought of something, and replied: "There is a dispute between the Matsumae clan and the Tokugawa shogunate, and it may be possible to take advantage of it."
When Emperor Chongzhen heard this, he asked: "What's the reason?"
Zheng Zhilong turned to Emperor Chongzhen and said: "The Matsumae Domain used to have a very good relationship with Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and was therefore canonized by the Emperor of Japan. However, Tokugawa Ieyasu took power from Toyotomi Hideyoshi's son, and was not very fond of the Matsumae Domain.
trust."
When Zhong Jinwei heard this, he thought of the Tokugawa shogunate's seclusion in history in order to consolidate its rule. He immediately thought of a strategy and couldn't help but smile on his face.