The world of film and television starts from the flow of money

Before the feast of awards had cooled down, Zheng Zhilong's central military tent had already been transformed into the most efficient war and ruling machine. He summoned all the core generals and the civil officials of the newly established "Provincial Preparatory Office" and issued a series of specific instructions according to the imperial decree:
A: Advance in three directions, plowing the yard and clearing the holes.

Goal: Within three months, completely eliminate all organized resistance in Kyushu and western Honshu (Chukuda). Within six months, wipe out the remnants of the Tokugawa clan and the mountain bandits in eastern Honshu (Kanto and Tohoku).

Eastern Navy (mainly attacking Honshu): led by Chen Hong.

Military strength: 20,000 elite troops of the land force (including 3,000 musketeers, 3,000 heavy armored soldiers, and 2,000 cavalry), 20 Fujian ships and 40 Cangshan ships of the navy (responsible for coastal support and blockade).

They marched northward along the coastline, swept Nagato (Yamaguchi), Suo (eastern Yamaguchi), and headed straight for Hiroshima, the home of the Mori family. They first suppressed the Mori family and then pacified them. If they surrendered, they would be allowed to retain some of their family titles and be transferred to a poor land; if they resisted, they would be exterminated!
They advanced eastward along the Sanyo Road, passing through Bingo (northeast of Hiroshima) and Bitchu (Okayama), with their target heading directly to Okayama (Ikeda family) and Himeji (remnants of the Ikeda or Honda family), and opening up the road to Kinki (Kyoto, Osaka).

Twenty "fast clearing camps" were formed (500 people in each camp, including 200 musketeers, 100 cavalrymen, and 200 Satsuma/Higo auxiliary troops familiar with the terrain), equipped with pack horses, to clear out the mountain strongholds and temple strongholds occupied by the scattered samurai ("wild samurai" and "fallen hunters"). Anyone who resisted, regardless of gender, age or status, was slaughtered! Their heads were hung on the roadside for public display.

Western Navy (pacified Shikoku and blockaded the Seto Inland Sea): led by Li Kui.

Military strength: main force of the navy (30 Fu ships, 50 Cangshan ships, and 5 Dafa ships), 5,000 land troops (responsible for island capture and landing operations).

Mission: Completely blockade the Seto Inland Sea, sink or capture all non-Ming ships, and bombard ports and fishing villages along the coast that may be hiding resistance.

After landing on Shikoku Island, they successively wiped out Awa (Hosako family), Sanuki (Ikoma family? Need to check, this period was the period of Kyogoku Kochi or the division of small domains), Iyo, and Tosa (Yamauchi family).

Strategy: Attack by land and sea, and make a quick decision. Take advantage of the navy, bombard the main cities, and then land to attack. For those who resist, refer to the treatment of Kyushu.

Jiuzhou Garrison Army (to consolidate the rear and wipe out the remaining enemies): led by Deputy General Zhao Wu.

Military strength: 15,000 troops from the land division (mostly rotation and rest troops and newly formed auxiliary troops), and a naval patrol fleet (responsible for near-shore surveillance).

Ensure public order throughout Kyushu (especially the recently pacified Chikuzen and Chikugo) and suppress any signs of resistance. Establish a baojia system, with ten households forming one baojia, and monitor and report on each other. If anyone hides a rebel, all the baojia will be held responsible.

Continue to eliminate the remaining forces in the inland mountainous areas of Kyushu (such as the Higo Aso Mountain area and Hyuga Takachiho). **Recruit surrendered soldiers and civilians as guides and vanguards.

Ensure the absolute safety of the logistics route (especially the Busan-Tsushima-Kyushu route). Set up a coastal beacon system, with one tower every thirty miles, to raise fire and fire cannons in case of alarm.

West Factory (Qiu Chengyun) Mission: Infiltrate the daimyō castles and hidden strongholds in Honshu and Shikoku, draw accurate maps, and mark granaries, arsenals, water sources, and secret passages.

Assassinate the core figures of the enemy who are resisting stubbornly (such as Tokugawa Ieyasu if he is still alive, his successor, Mori Terumoto, etc.); monitor the internal affairs of the Ming army and the newly joined troops to prevent collusion with the enemy and slackness. Give Qiu Chengyun the power of "kill first and report later, with special permission from the emperor."

B: Abolish the feudal system and establish counties.

While the military was advancing, a three-level administrative system of province, prefecture and county was established simultaneously to achieve "the king's rule will be seen after the army passes by."

Province established: Named: "Toyo Province" (abbreviated as Toyo Province)

Capital: tentatively Kagoshima Castle (to be moved to the more central Osaka or Kyoto after Honshu is pacified).

The three chiefs (appointed by the court later, Zheng Zhilong temporarily):
Governor: in charge of civil affairs, finance, and taxation. Primary tasks: surveying land, registering population (yellow book), and implementing the Great Ming Code.

Censor: in charge of criminal law and supervision. Primary tasks: setting up prefecture and county offices and prisons; severely punishing those who resisted the Ming and violated the law; supervising officials.

Duzhishi: in charge of military affairs and garrisons. Primary tasks: planning garrison farming; commanding the garrison troops; managing military households.

Prefecture and county division (first batch):

Kyushu Island:
Satsuma Prefecture (capital in Kagoshima): governs Kagoshima Prefecture, Ōsumi Prefecture, and Tanegashima Prefecture.

Higo Prefecture (prefectural capital in Kumamoto): governs Kumamoto Prefecture, Hitoyoshi Prefecture, and Amakusa Prefecture.

Hyuga Prefecture (prefectural capital: Miyazaki/Sadohara): governs Miyazaki Prefecture and Nobeoka Prefecture.

Chikuzen Prefecture (An-gei/Fukuoka Prefecture): governs Fukuoka Prefecture, Hakata Prefecture, and Munakata Prefecture.

Chikugo Prefecture (with its capital in Yanagawa): governs Yanagawa Prefecture and Kurume Prefecture. (Note: The names of the prefectures and their jurisdictions are based on the novel*)

Western Honshu (established with military advances):
Nagato Prefecture (with its capital in Shimonoseki): governs Shimonoseki Prefecture, Ogi Prefecture, and Yamaguchi Prefecture.

Suofu (Fuji Hofu): governs Hofu and Iwakuni prefectures. (After Hiroshima, Okayama, Himeji, etc. were recovered, prefectures were established.

Shikoku Island (TBD).

specific measure:

Abolish the feudal domain and destroy the city:

Every time a place is conquered, all privileges and titles of the feudal lords and samurai will be abolished immediately. Except for the selected prefectural and county towns, all other cities and fortresses will be demolished! Stone materials will be used to build roads and government offices, and wood materials will be confiscated. The material basis for separatism will be completely eliminated.

Official appointment: Priority was given to selecting low-ranking officers and clerks who were literate, meritorious, and loyal from the Japanese expeditionary army, and transferring them to local positions as prefectural and county chief officials (prefectural governors, county magistrates) and assistant officials (co-magistrates, county magistrates, etc.). At the same time, the court was urged to send Jinshi and Juren to high-ranking positions as soon as possible.

Registering all people: Led by the Provincial Administration Commission (Preparatory Office) and coordinated by the army, household registration (yellow book) and land survey (fish scale book) were enforced. All people, regardless of their original status (nobles, samurai, monks, civilians, untouchables), were all registered as "civilian households" or "military households" and incorporated into the Ming Dynasty management system. The samurai class was forced to change jobs, either to become farmers or to serve as low-level clerks or constables after assessment. Those who refused to cooperate were considered to be resisting and killed without mercy.

Economic lifeline:

Gold and silver mines: All large mines, such as Sado Gold Mine and Iwami Silver Mine (to be recovered), were immediately taken over by the army, and a "mine supervisor" was set up, managed by eunuchs and officials from the Ministry of Revenue. Local labor was recruited (actually forced) to mine, and the gold and silver obtained were directly transferred to the imperial treasury and Taicang.

Land: All land and manors of the former feudal lords and rebellious samurai were nationalized (imperial manors or official farms). Some were distributed to officers and soldiers according to the "war merit land" system; some were rented out for cultivation and taxes were collected; and some were designated as military settlements. Trade: Only Nagasaki (or another designated port) was opened as a foreign trade port, which was managed by the Maritime Customs Office. Any other private overseas trade was strictly prohibited. The focus was on developing tribute and official trade with Korea, Ryukyu (which had already surrendered), and the Ming mainland.

C: Break the old and establish the new, and bring civilization to Japan.

Goal: To destroy Japan’s original spiritual pillars and instill ideas of loyalty to the emperor and patriotism.

Suppression of gods and Buddhas: Shrines that enshrine "Amaterasu" and other Japanese "national gods" (such as Ise Jingu, which is to be recovered) will be destroyed, their bodies will be burned, and their land and property will be confiscated. They will be converted into community schools, granaries, or garrison barracks. Shinto activities will be strictly prohibited.

Treat them differently. All temples that were once bases for resistance forces, hid samurai, or spread anti-Ming rhetoric (such as Enryaku-ji Temple on Mount Hiei and Negoro-ji Temple) were burned down, and the monks returned to secular life or were executed. Those who obeyed were registered, their size and activities were restricted, and they were gradually brought under the management of the Ming Monk Registration Office. Buddhist schools were encouraged to move closer to the Ming orthodoxy (Zen and Pure Land Buddhism).

Promote Confucianism: Each county (even a large township) had at least one government-run "community school" set up, and all children of school age (regardless of gender) were forced to attend school. They taught "Three Character Classic", "Hundred Family Names", "Thousand Character Classic" and the basic "Great Ming Code" and the ideas of loyalty, filial piety, chastity and righteousness. The textbooks were uniformly printed and distributed by the Provincial Administration Commissioner's Office.

Opening imperial examinations (long term): When the situation stabilizes, county and prefectural examinations will be held in the East Province, and those who excel will be sent to Beijing to participate in the joint examinations. The subjects are the same as those in the mainland, but the questions are relatively simple. This is a long-term plan to win over the hearts of the people and cultivate pro-Ming gentry.

Language and writing: All official documents, teaching, and laws should use Chinese characters and Mandarin. Gradually restrict and replace the use of Japanese (Japanese). Set up a "Translation Office" to train Japanese interpreters who are proficient in Chinese on a large scale to assist in governance.

Changing customs and habits: promulgating the "Order on New Customs of Japan", prohibiting seppuku, prohibiting the wearing of samurai swords (except for specially authorized auxiliary troops), prohibiting strange clothing (such as exaggerated samurai hairstyles, court noble attire), and forcibly promoting the Ming Dynasty clothing and hairstyle (with a transition period).

After the deployment was completed, Zheng Zhilong dismissed his attendants and left Qiu Chengyun alone. He walked to the huge map of Japan, and his finger slowly crossed Kyushu from Kagoshima, passed through the Kanmon Strait, touched the heart of Honshu, and finally stopped at the symbol of Edo.

"President Qiu,"

Zheng Zhilong said in a low voice: "Your Majesty's will is very clear. 'Plow the court and sweep the holes' means to plow thoroughly and sweep cleanly! I don't want any 'righteous army' or 'loyalty left'. I want these four islands of Japan. From now on, only the Ming Dynasty's sun and moon flags will fly, and only the Ming Dynasty's official language will echo! Any person or god who dares to stand in this way will be crushed!"

Qiu Chengyun's scarlet robe sleeves moved without wind, and a cold light flashed in his narrow eyes: "Don't worry, my lord. The sword of the Western Factory has long been pointed at those rats in the gutter. If the old thief Tokugawa still has a breath left, his head will be a New Year's gift to your majesty from me."

Zheng Zhilong nodded with satisfaction and turned his eyes back to the map: "Tell Chen Hong, Li Kui, Zhao Wu, and those prefects and county magistrates who are about to take office. Your Majesty's reward is a grace, but also a spur! The one-year period is not a joke! What I want to see is the first complete tax book of Dongying Province at this time next year, and a completely submissive Japan that can no longer stir up trouble!"

He punched the Edo location on the map with a loud bang:

"We have accomplished our goal in this battle! Great Ming will win!"

Outside the tent, the wind howled, but on the newly built Moji Castle walls, countless brand new sun and moon flags fluttered in the wind. Ships loaded with soldiers and supplies were heading to the coasts of Honshu and Shikoku.

An iron-blooded storm aimed at completely erasing the imprint of old Japan and permanently incorporating it into the empire's territory, under the order of Zheng Zhilong, Marquis of Jinghai, swept to every corner of the Japanese archipelago with unprecedented scale and efficiency.

...............

Spring of the fifth year of Zhaowu.

The chill of winter has not yet completely retreated from the Japanese archipelago, and an even more heart-pounding torrent of steel has arrived at the Port of Nagasaki.

The latest weapons of war, made with the help of the Ming Empire's Ministry of Industry and the royal treasury, were unloaded from the ship under heavy guard. When Zheng Zhilong personally inspected these weapons that could change the fate of the country, even the battle-hardened Marquis Jinghai had a terrifying gleam in his eyes.

In the newly built giant armory in Nagasaki Port, the lights were on and the security was tight. Accompanied by Qiu Chengyun and several craftsmen specially appointed by the Ministry of Works, Zheng Zhilong inspected this batch of decisive weapons.

1. 30,000 "Thunderbolt Guns":

This gun completely abandons the traditional matchlock ignition and adopts a flintlock mechanism! Pull the trigger, the flint hits the steel sheet to produce sparks, instantly igniting the refined gunpowder in the powder pool and firing the lead bullet. The firing rate is increased by more than three times and is not affected by wind and rain.

The gun barrel is made of double-layer composite wrought iron technology, the inner wall is bored and polished to be as smooth as a mirror, the charge is increased by 26%, the lead bullet weighs seven cents (about 160 grams), and it can penetrate any armor of the current Japanese army (including full breastplate) within steps (about meters).

Each gun is equipped with a removable bayonet (mortise and tenon style, 1 foot 2 inches long), so there is no need to change weapons in close combat. It is equipped with a fixed amount of paper shell ammunition (pre-loaded with gunpowder and bullets), and the loading speed is doubled. A simple chamber cleaning tool and spare flint are also included.

2. "Sky-shaking Bombs" 20,000 pieces (Advanced version of Thunderbolt):

The core is filled with granulated black powder (for more complete combustion and faster detonation), mixed with refined sulfur, caltrops, and broken porcelain pieces. It is far more powerful than the old "Thunderbolt", with an explosion radius of five feet (about 16 meters), and fragments can kill without dead angles.

The delayed fuse wrapped in waterproof oil paper has a more stable burning time (3-5 seconds adjustable) and is safer to throw. The fuse head is coated with phosphorus powder and can be ignited by slight friction.

The projectile is cast with anti-slip grooves, weighs only three catties (about 1.8 kilograms), and a strong soldier can throw it thirty steps (about 48 meters). A simple throwing frame (similar to a large slingshot) can be equipped to increase the range to steps.

3. "Fire Dragon Out of Water" Rocket Cars 50:
Each launcher can be loaded with 12 medium-sized rockets with stabilizer wings at one time. The rocket warhead is loaded with fierce fire paste (which burns violently when exposed to air) or thunder bomb charge.

The effective range is 480 to 800 steps (- meters), far exceeding any artillery indirect fire. When fired in salvo, it forms a covering rain of fire, specifically targeting dense infantry, wooden fortifications, and food and grass storage points.

The launcher was installed on a two-wheeled light carriage, pulled by two horses, and moved with the army.

4. Two hundred "Hundred Tigers Running" individual rocket launchers:
It is shoulder-fired by a single soldier and fires heavy rockets with cast iron conical armor-piercing heads. It is specially designed to destroy village gates, arrow towers, and small ships.

Within 80 steps (6 meters), it can penetrate two-inch (about cm) thick wooden boards or rammed earth walls. It also has a terrifying penetrating effect on dense formations.

The launch tube is a bamboo reinforced paper tube that is discarded after launch. It is easy to operate and can be put into battle after three days of training.

Zheng Zhilong stroked the cold barrel of the "Thunder Gun" and said solemnly to the master craftsman of the Ministry of Works:

"With this magical weapon, even if the Japanese pirates have 100,000 armored soldiers, they will be crushed to pieces! Send an order: All troops must change their uniforms and practice for a month, and must be proficient! Those who fail to meet the deadline will be executed!"

(End of this chapter)