On the corridor leading from the East Palace to the outside of the palace, Duke Cao and Duke Wei walked side by side. Neither of them spoke, and they seemed to be thinking about something.
The deep palace is quiet, the wind blows, the branchless branches sway slightly, and the echo of the two official boots on the stone slabs in the passage is faintly visible.
"Captain Xu!" After a while, Li Jinglong asked tentatively, "Your Highness is suddenly so interested in Japanese pirates and coastal defense today. Could it be that..."
"Mr. Cao Guo, as ministers, how can we presume on our superiors' intentions?" Xu Huizu said with a sullen face.
Li Jinglong was struck by a nail that was neither soft nor hard, but he was not annoyed either. He smiled and said, "How can this be speculation? If His Highness didn't say it in front of you and me, what Li was in just now was speculation. But.
Today, His Highness met Wang Jinghong in front of you and me, isn't it obvious?"
Then he smiled and said, "His Royal Highness said in front of us that he did not treat us as outsiders, so there is no way that we will be used in the future. As a minister, we should not be as good as the emperor. It is best if we have a charter in our hearts.
Share your father's worries!"
Xu Huizu frowned slightly, "I don't have Duke Cao who is as good at being an official, and I don't think so much. I will do whatever your superiors say. Don't ask what you shouldn't ask, and don't say what you shouldn't say!"
"Xu Du is upright, I admire you. However, you and I are both His Highness's confidants, why should we be so clear-cut?" Li Jinglong said with a smile, "I respect your Xu Du's character and talent, so I ask you this question in private.
." After saying that, Li Jinglong said seriously, "Your Highness intends to attack the Japanese pirates on the southeast coast. Raising troops is a major event. Since you and I are Your Highness's trusted ministers, of course we must be prepared!"
Immediately, he said again, "Do you think this matter is easy to handle? If it is easy to handle, it will be whatever your Highness says! But if it is not easy to handle? Your Highness is the crown prince, and we and the ministers should share your worries for Your Highness! Please know that this is Your Highness
This is my first time asking about military affairs. Xu Du, you and I are both warriors, so I don’t need to say more about the joints!"
Although Xu Huizu was upright, he was also a very thoughtful person.
How could he not hear the implication of Li Jinglong's words? The emperor's grandson has the intention to destroy the pirates and Japanese pirates along the coast. This is the first time that His Highness has the intention to use troops. If it is easy to fight, these warriors will be the icing on the cake for His Highness and establish military prestige.
If it is not easy to fight, they should give warnings as early as possible, so as not to embarrass the emperor's grandson in this matter. Moreover, they are all military ministers, and if this matter is not handled well, both the emperor and the grandson will be dissatisfied with them.'
"It seems easy, but it is difficult to do!" Xu Huizu said as he walked, "Today, along the coast, prevention is the main thing. Pirates and Japanese pirates come and go without a trace. If you want to permanently eliminate future troubles, you must have a large army. But building a warship cannot be done overnight.
As a result, training the navy takes a long time, and whether it is building ships or sending troops, money is needed!"
"The trouble for our country lies in the north. Pirates and Japanese pirates cannot harm our bones. Spending tens of millions of military expenditures on the navy will inevitably be accused of sin, and the gain will not be worth the loss!"
"Who said that? Who dares to say that?" Li Jinglong sneered twice and lowered his voice and said, "Xu Du, your highness knows what you are saying, and I also understand. The key to this matter is not whether it is difficult or not, but whether it can be won!
"As he spoke, he added, "You are also a close minister of His Highness. Don't you know what His Highness lacks?"
Xu Huizu had no expression on his face and kept silent.
"His Highness wants military merit!" Li Jinglong continued, "There is a border fortress king in the north, and there are also major armies of the imperial court to suppress the border troops. If His Highness wants military merit, he can only try his skills in the south...
"
"Mr. Cao Guo, I think you are overthinking. Your Highness cares about the people along the coast and hates pirates and Japanese pirates deeply!" Xu Huizu said calmly, then cupped his hands and said, "If you are not on your way, I'll excuse you and take my leave!"
Looking at Xu Huizu's back, Li Jinglong shook his head and smiled, "Not only are you on the wrong side of the road, you and I are not the same person!" Thinking about it, he walked towards the other side with his hands behind his back, and continued in his heart, "It's rare for His Highness to have military thoughts.
You have to think carefully about how to satisfy His Highness!"
~~~
At the same time, in Fengan Hall, the old man was reading the memorial and listening to Zhu Yunxi's thoughts on the Japanese pirates along the coast.
Putting down the memorial, the old man picked up the tea bowl and took a sip, and said slowly, "Why do you suddenly have this idea? The enemy of the Ming Dynasty is in the north, and the Japanese pirates are just a temporary disease."
"My grandson is afraid that a minor illness will turn into a serious one!"
Zhu Yunxi was standing by and said, "My grandson read the report from Honglu Temple about the Japanese country and Japanese pirates. The Japanese country is currently undergoing a civil war. Each side has an emperor. People's brains are beaten into dog brains. The samurai Yue who turned into bandits
More and more are coming. These people have no way out and will become Japanese pirates sooner or later..."
"Wait a minute!" The old man waved his hand and said doubtfully, "Emperor? What emperor?"
Zhu Yunxi thought about it, Honglu Temple only mentioned the king or the head of the country when it came to the Japanese country. He didn't know whether he really didn't know the situation of the Japanese country, or he didn't dare to report it out of some considerations.
"The leader of the Japanese country calls himself the emperor. Today, the north and south of the Japanese country stand side by side, and there are two emperors."
With a bang, the old man threw the tea bowl on the table, "How dare you call yourself the emperor if you have a bigger butt? Give him back the fucking emperor! What? Is he the son of the emperor?" He said angrily.
He scolded them, "They are clowns and arrogant people. If the knife is not pierced in their hearts, they will not know the pain! We should have crossed the sea to conquer them and destroy them!"
He cursed, but still couldn't get rid of his anger, and continued to say angrily, "You are so ambitious. In the third year of Hongwu, you came to declare your vassalship, one by one, but you closed the door at home and called you the emperor."
Since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, there have been many disputes with the Japanese country over the Japanese pirates. At first, the attitude of the Japanese country was relatively soft. When they learned that China had changed hands, they declared themselves vassal. But later, the old man repeatedly issued orders to the Japanese generals and princes.
They all received credentials from the Ministry of Rites.
"The king has lived in the dark for a long time. Now he does not obey God's orders and does not keep his own rights. However, he knows that the king is surrounded by seas for danger and limited by mountains. He is arrogant and arrogant, destroying his neighbors and allowing the people to commit robberies. God will use his false hands to
Man, misfortune is bound to happen. I am entrusted by the Supreme Being to send this message to the king. If the king does not consider the big and small, he will be like the frog at the bottom of the well, looking up at the sky in the mirror and thinking he is big. Is this the source of resentment?"
Translated into vernacular, the general idea is: Don't show your face! If you try to show your face again, do you believe that my emperor will fuck you? Don't be shameless, and don't sit in a well and watch the sky?
As a result, the Japanese side didn't give any face, and the reply was extremely tough.
"I heard that the Three Emperors established the Supreme and the Five Emperors of Zen, but China has its master, and Barbarians and Di have no kings. The universe is vast, and it is not the sole authority of one master. The universe is vast, and various states are divided and defended. The one who covers the world is the world.
The world is not the world of one person. I live in a distant and weak country, a small country, with a city of less than sixty, and a territory of less than three thousand, but I still have the heart of contentment. Your Majesty is the lord of China, the king of ten thousand chariots, and the city is
There are more than thousands of people, and the territory is hundreds of millions of miles away, but there is still a feeling of inadequacy, and the intention of extermination is always aroused."
Translated into vernacular, it means, it is true that you are the boss of Ming Dynasty, but the world does not belong to you alone. If you are not satisfied with such a large territory, why are you thinking about our Japanese country all day long?
The Ming Dynasty and the Japanese Empire were at war with each other, and both sides stopped paying tribute.
"Grandpa Huang!" The angrier the old man got, the happier Zhu Yunxi felt, "It's not too late to beat him now!"
"Don't tease us!" The old man rolled his eyes at him, "We know exactly what you are thinking, but my eldest grandson, no matter how good the Japanese country is, it is still a country. In the past, Emperor Shizu of the Yuan Dynasty made two expeditions to the Japanese country, but they all failed.
Come on, how many troops will our Ming Dynasty send out?"
"Hundreds of thousands of troops are spending money like water, but they also need to build warships. It will cost money and food to waste people and money? The world has been fighting for so many years, and it has just stopped. We need to give the people time to recuperate. One Beiyuan is enough to cause a headache. If we go on an expedition to Japan, we will
Won’t Ming’s family be empty?”
"We are also angry in our hearts, but despite your grandfather's low background, we also understand that it is not a good thing for the emperor to be angry! Our Zhu family has ruled the world, and we want to do something practical so that the Northern Yuan can no longer invade the Central Plains from the south and let the people live.
Have a good few days!”
"What is the Japanese country doing in a place where food cannot be grown? The vast land is not a long-term solution, and the people's labor is the source of chaos! (From the Records of Taizu of the Ming Dynasty)"
"For example, that person, Emperor Yang of Sui Dynasty. He conquered Ryukyu and slaughtered all the officials of the King of Ryukyu. What's the result? What's the use of that place? It's just a waste of people and money!"
It cannot be said that the old man's idea is wrong. The country in this era seems to be strong, but in fact it cannot withstand the hardships. Moreover, the lessons learned by Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty and Kublai Khan made the old man somewhat cautious.
Furthermore, people in this era sneer at land that cannot be cultivated. Even if they win, what good will it do? In the words of the old man, where the birds don’t poop, Ming Dynasty will provide food for him to do it.
What?
Moreover, although the current Japanese state is a bit arrogant, it is still under the Chinese civilization system, pursuing a tribute policy on the surface, and claiming vassal status.
"My grandson didn't say he wanted to fight against the Japanese!" Zhu Yunxi said with a smile, "My grandson said he wanted to fight against the Japanese! What the Japanese pirates killed and robbed were the people of our Ming Dynasty. We only had a million-strong army, but we had nothing to do with the pirates. How embarrassing!"
The old man picked up the tea bowl again and said thoughtfully, "How do you want to fight?"
"My grandson has read the archives of the Ministry of War in the past few years. In the 16th year of Hongwu, you personally issued an order to build ships in Fujian and Guangdong to annihilate Japanese pirates. Now those ships are also used by the Coast Guard. Just build a few more big ships." Zhu Yunxi heard this.
, You Men'er quickly said, "Form a fleet and raid the island where the Japanese pirates are hiding. Grab one and drown each one to see who dares to come!"
"Do you already have an idea in mind?" The old man blinked, "You probably have already thought about who to use as the commander-in-chief and how to fight!"
"Grandpa Huang is wise!" Zhu Yunxi said with a smile, "My grandson can't hide anything from you!" As he said that, he sat down next to the old man. "My grandson wants to select someone who is familiar with water battles along the coast and has seen blood with Japanese pirates.
Soldiers, form a separate army to raid overseas islands!"
The old man took a sip of tea and frowned, "Where will the military expenses come from?" He said, and immediately said, "Last year, the Ministry of Household Affairs just had a little surplus. Don't make that idea. Next year, there will be a war on all sides, and spring plowing in various places must be carried out to prevent drought.
Waterlogging, don’t touch even a penny!”
"How much can it cost?" Zhu Yunxi said with a smile, "It's just a matter of building a few more ships. The soldiers receive the Ming Dynasty's salary and military pay, so they don't need to pay extra!"
As he said that, he looked at the old man and whispered, "My grandson, after calculating it in the past two days, the palace's expenses can actually save more than 200,000 taels of silver every year. If not, my grandson still has a private house...
..."
"It is a good thing to be frugal in running the house, but being frugal is not stingy. We can save money, but we can't save it on our children and grandchildren, or on the women in the harem. We are the Heavenly Family, and the Heavenly Family cannot let down!" the old man said.
Straight man, stubborn straight man.
I am frugal and frugal, but I am obsessed with saving face.
"It's not about saving, nor about picking up!" Zhu Yunxi continued with a smile, "It's about unnecessary expenses in the palace..."
"Where does the money to reward the soldiers come from?" The old man asked again, "The emperor does not need hungry soldiers. Although there is military pay, fighting in the vast sea cannot give the soldiers peace of mind?"
"No reward required!" Zhu Yunxi said with a smile, "Let them plunder the overseas islands..." He let it slip and quickly changed his mind, "Give them all the spoils!"
"Huh! It's not a robbery!" The old man laughed and cursed, and thought for a moment, "This is the first time you have talked about military and national affairs. We are happy that you have this intention. Let's do this. Later, you can give the Ministry of Household Affairs a handbook and let the Ministry of Household Affairs
From the Lianghuai salt tax, 30...500,000 taels were cut off. However, the elimination of pirates and Japanese pirates needs to be carefully discussed by the Governor-General of the Fifth Army. They have fought for a lifetime and know how to fight!"
"Long live the Imperial Grandfather!" Zhu Yunxi immediately flattered him, "My grandson wants Xu Huizu to take the lead and summon the generals of the coastal military guards to Beijing to discuss carefully and strive to eliminate Japanese pirates forever!"
"He is a stable man!" The old man said with a smile, "Then who do you think can be handsome?"
Zhu Yunxi thought about it, "Grandpa Huang, how about Duke Xin?"
"Tang He?" The old man was startled, "At his age, it is too unkind to ask him to go on an expedition!"
"Xin Guogong had meritorious service and experience in suppressing Japanese pirates in his early years. Sun'er thought that he did not need to go to sea, but would sit on the coast, designate strategies, and command coordination!"
The old man thought for a long time, "I'm just afraid of his body!"
"How about my grandson ask him?" Zhu Yunxi said with a smile.
~~~~~
At dinner time, Zhu Yunxi summoned Tang He in the palace.
With little chatter, Zhu Yunxi revealed everything in his heart.
Sitting opposite Zhu Yunxi, Tang He fell into silence.
"Your Highness thinks highly of me. It is my blessing, but I am already old!" Tang He said with a smile, "Look, my hair and beard are all white!"
"Lian Po is old, he can also make a living!" Zhu Yunxi said with a smile, "The old man built a city on the coast to resist the Japanese pirates. He was the person who knew the most about the Japanese pirates in the country." After saying that, he paused and said, "Besides, the old man
If the male body is really not good enough, how can I force myself to do it to you?"
"I don't want the old man to charge into the battle, but when the armies are formed, he can sit on the coast and command."
Tang He smiled again, "Your Highness, I have not been involved in military affairs for many years, I am afraid..."
"Old Duke, there are only you and me here!" Zhu Yunxi said with a smile, "You have been fighting for a lifetime, and you have fought hard. Do you really want to die on the bed of old age? You know what you are worried about. Do you feel lonely?
I can’t save it from you!”
Tang He fell into silence.
"I never thought I could live for such a long time!" After a while, Tang He said, "Of the brothers who joined the army, I am the only one left. How many times have I dreamed that I rode with my brothers to kill the enemy."
"Your Highness is right. What I fear most is dying on the bed of old age. A dying person is not like a human being. He suffers all kinds of pain and torture, and even if he wants to die, he will not die happily. When I was young, I said that instead of dying of depression like that, it is better to
Die on the battlefield!"
As he said that, Tang He smoothed his gray hair and said with a smile, "Your Highness knows my heart, how can I hide my selfish thoughts? This Ming Dynasty was also brought down by an old minister following His Majesty in a bloody battle. Although the old minister is old, the Ming Dynasty has its uses for ministers.
as always!"
At this point, Tang He's eyes, which were pretending to be cloudy, reflected bursts of light, "If you can die in battle, your merits will be worthy of the Imperial Ancestral Temple, and veteran Tang He will live up to his reputation as a good man."
"I accepted this errand. I am just stationed along the coast. I am still qualified!" After saying that, Tang He added, "I hope that your highness, if... in the future, please come back to protect the Tang family!"
"What did the old Duke say!" Zhu Yunxi said with a smile, "Everything is in Gu's heart!"
In the palace, the two looked at each other and smiled.
In the side hall, Zhu Yuanzhang, who was listening attentively, sighed silently.
He seemed to have remembered something, and there was some fleeting regret on his face.
~~~This is a two-in-one chapter. I'm going to change the dressing.