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Chapter 1354 Japan's Way Out

"...Do you miss home? Do you ever think you shouldn't have joined the army? Is the situation on the battlefield different from what you imagined?" Watching the confident Shinchiho walk away, Setter took out two cigars from his pocket and handed one to Mukuhara Daikui beside him.

He preferred this quiet yet capable Japanese officer with a strong will to succeed to Masahiro. It would be even better if he could change his hairstyle; his mottled head didn't suit his uniform at all.

“He was very lucky to be born in the Ming Dynasty…” Ever since Mukuhara Daikyou personally sent more than 20 of his compatriots to their deaths, he has basically never laughed or cried, and he has become even more silent.

"The father of Zhen Qianhu was the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review. I don't know if there is a similar institution in Japan. In the Ming Dynasty, he was already a first-class official who could often discuss national affairs with the emperor."

What do you call officials like this in Japan? Would they send their sons to serve in the military? It's not a symbolic service, there are no preferential treatments, and they can't escape it in the event of war.

Since the Emperor issued his decree, it has become increasingly common for members of the royal family and sons of high-ranking officials to die or be wounded on the front lines in the past twenty years. Even if one son dies in battle, if the family is not an only child, another person must still be selected to join the army. Do you know why?

Mukuhara Daigoku's answer was almost unrelated to the question, but Settle knew what the subtext was. He had to defend Mahiro on this issue, not out of favoritism, but because he himself belonged to the same category as Mahiro.

"...Afraid that the large family is too numerous?" It seems that Mukuhara Daikyu was unaware of this matter beforehand. After thinking for a long time, he still couldn't find a suitable answer, so he could only find what he thought was the most reliable one.

"Uh... that's a long way off! His Majesty wants to use this method to make Ming Dynasty officials love the country more than their families, and at the same time set an example for the people of Ming Dynasty."

I know that Japan has many daimyo, each with their own territory, army, and economic system. Although the shogunate promulgated many laws such as the "Laws for the Military Houses," the "Laws for the Imperial Household and the Court Houses," the "National Isolation Edict," and the "Law Prohibiting the Construction of Large Ships," the results were not satisfactory.

Decrees such as the "Seclusion Edict" and the "Prohibition on the Construction of Large Ships" have essentially become obsolete, with many vassal states engaging in maritime trade with the Ming Dynasty and Korea openly and covertly through various means.

It didn't matter that they couldn't build large ships; they simply leased them instead of buying them. In name, they were leasing from Ming Dynasty merchants for ten years, which was actually a way of purchasing them in installments.

How could things have turned out this way in just a few years since the decree was promulgated? The root cause lies in the unclear relationship between families and the state. Each daimyo only served their own family and ancestral business, and acknowledging the shogunate was merely a stopgap measure.

In such an environment, how could one stand by and watch the interests that would benefit the family slip away, let alone abide by the laws that were originally intended to restrict the development of the daimyo?

In the minds of the shogun, maintaining his rule was the top priority; in the minds of the daimyo of the feudal domains, expanding their families and preserving their status was the top priority.

If no one in a country, from the king to the ministers to the feudal lords, and even the common people, puts the national interest first, is it possible for that country to become strong?
Your intention to make Japan stronger through the new army is not wrong, but you have misjudged the priorities. What Japan lacks is not a powerful military, but an efficient government and a reasonable populace.

The strength of a military does not depend on a few armies and the weapons and tactics used, but on its ability to create benefits for the entire nation and on the understanding of whom it must defend and why. Without the support of the majority of the people, an army can never become truly strong.

Mukuhara Taikui's answer involuntarily reminded Setter of his own family. His father had planned the same thing: temporarily submit to the Ming Dynasty, secretly accumulating power, and then, when the Ming Dynasty weakened, immediately break free of the vassal relationship, perhaps even taking a sharp bite out of it. However, until the moment his father closed his eyes forever, this plan never materialized, not even in the slightest. As time passed, the clan not only failed to unite and endure hardship, but was instead torn apart by various interests.

If the people of the tribe had to choose between the Ming Dynasty and the Kharachin tribe, twenty years ago 90% would have chosen the tribe, ten years ago 50% would have chosen the Ming Dynasty, and now that number should be close to 100%.

No one wants to live a life of hardship, homelessness, and insecurity anymore. Even the nomadic tribesmen who persist in their herding are not doing so out of love for it, but because they value the sheep.

Endure more hardship, raise more sheep, exchange more silver coins, and then send your children to school so that they may have the opportunity to earn a lot of money and live a better life in the future.

The situation in Japan was actually similar to that of the Mongol tribes in the past. The emperor wasn't in a hurry to occupy those large islands; otherwise, it wouldn't have taken more than six months to incite a rebellion against the shogunate in Kyushu without firing a single shot. If more resources were invested, many daimyo in Shikoku and the Kansai region would have been willing to join.

It doesn't take many; if even one coastal daimyo openly raises the banner of opposition against the shogunate, Japan is not far from complete annihilation. Just think about how Annam was incorporated into the Ming Dynasty; you can deduce Japan's trajectory.

Emperor Jingyang is a master of manipulating the political landscape, playing both sides to his advantage, and ultimately reaping the benefits of both sides' success. His undefeated record means that even fathers and sons who fall for his schemes will turn against each other and engage in a violent confrontation.

Japan's best option right now is to learn from North Korea, relinquish the power to govern, retain the title and privileges of the king, and obediently become a figurehead enjoying generations of comfort.

The next best option would be to voluntarily merge into the Ming Empire. Although some nobles would decline, it would benefit other nobles and the majority of the people. After several decades of large-scale immigration and complete assimilation, their future living standards would be not much different from those in the Ming Empire.

After all, Japan's strategic position was still crucial, essentially serving as the eastern gateway to the Ming Empire. The imperial court would certainly focus on developing several major coastal cities, and might even establish large military bases.

The worst option is change, attempting to achieve independent development through this model. To put it bluntly, the day change begins will be the day of national demise. The more successful the change, the more tragic the ending.

For ethnic groups that could not be assimilated step by step, Emperor Jingyang would ruthlessly adopt a high-pressure policy to forcibly assimilate them.

At that time, a large number of Japanese people will be forced to board ships and be sent to the Ming Dynasty's mainland and overseas territories, including distant South Africa and the soon-to-be-acquired Americas, to be forcibly mixed with local natives and other immigrants.

Then, through public opinion and education, the original ethnic identity is forcibly erased from the minds of the second or third generation over two generations.

The hardships and risks involved in this process are far greater than the previous two methods, and whether half the population can survive is still unknown.

(End of this chapter)