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Chapter 1416 Advantages and Disadvantages of Things
“…Wars have always been costly, and only by sustaining war through war can we achieve long-term sustainability!” Ma Lan thought for a moment and gave an answer, but she was still not quite sure.

"I, Huang, am not very talented, but I once asked this question in person during the western expedition against the Yarkand Khanate, and I was deeply moved. His Majesty said that war is the most foolish way to resolve conflicts. Often, winning a war does not solve any problems, but only generates more hatred and triggers another war."

No matter how large or wealthy a country is, it can decline from prosperity due to a single war. If two or three consecutive wars result in losses, even the Jade Emperor would be powerless to reverse the situation. Your Majesty established this covenant before your ministers to prevent anyone from recklessly initiating wars simply because of their superior military strength.

When I was young, I accompanied my father on many campaigns and witnessed this scene countless times. Many tribes, due to years of fighting, suffered too many casualties among their young and strong men, and grew weaker with each battle.

My father fought for the Ming Dynasty against the Mongols, and regardless of victory or defeat, he had to pay taxes. Ultimately, he was forced to rebel. If even the powerful and wealthy suffered like this, how could ordinary people possibly survive?

Your westward expedition plan is generally sound, but it's too simplistic. You only considered the needs of the war effort without thinking about whether the country and its people could benefit from it.

I can confidently assert that this plan will be rejected by the General Staff before His Majesty can even comment. Given the vast distance and the lack of cities along the way, the supply issues alone will be enough to overwhelm the General Staff.

Looting along the way? What was the point of the western expedition then? Wasting the nation's resources to send you with your troops to create enemies for His Majesty, so that you could return years later to harass the borders?

His Majesty has repeatedly rejected westward expansion by land, because there are no benefits that the country and its people need there.

We can't destroy all the European countries; His Majesty still has them in high demand. For example, your family's shares in the wool mill require Europeans to buy yarn every year in order to receive more dividends, understand?

If this topic were discussed ten years ago, Huang Taiji would definitely have sided with Ma Lan, saying that he was so moved that he dared to submit a memorial to the emperor, strongly requesting the launch of a western expedition to wipe out all those countries that dared to oppose the Ming Dynasty.

However, his more than ten years as a military commander had greatly changed his thinking. Because of the different perspective he held, as the highest military commander in a region, the military commander was not only responsible for combat, but also had to cooperate with local officials in economic and social development, thus gaining exposure to many principles of governance.

"Then...then the army will have no battles to fight! If I had known this would happen, I would have joined the navy instead."

Upon hearing this, Ma Lan was devastated. He desperately wanted to achieve more military merits, nothing more than to catch up with and surpass his father's achievements, so that no one would ever again say that he was so-and-so's son.

"On the contrary, in the future, not only will there be battles to fight, but you will also have to lead an army and fight alone." Huang Taiji used a provocation tactic to deal with Ma Lan's negative emotions.

"...Commander, give me a hint!" Although Chang Jiang didn't have such a strong need for combat, he didn't care about more battle merits either. If soldiers don't fight, not only will their promotions be slow, but they'll also lose their status.

"East, west, south, and north—there are only four directions. Figure it out yourselves; you can't exactly fly to the sky, can you?" However, Huang Taiji didn't want to give an answer easily and insisted that the two commanders use their brains to analyze it themselves.

"North? No, no... South? The Indian subcontinent or Persia!" Ma Lan had already forgotten about eating her meat skewers. She started meditating with the twig she was using to skewer the meat in her mouth, and soon she made some progress.

"Unlikely! If we're going to attack the Indian subcontinent and Persia, the sea route is much easier and faster than the land route. If we don't have enough marines, we'll need to select commanders accustomed to the southern climate, and we probably won't be able to get a chance! Could it be Japan to the east? I've heard it's mountainous there, and the climate is similar to the Central Plains!" Before Huang Taiji could even comment, Chang Jiang rejected this guess, giving reasons why it was unreliable. That left only one direction, and in that direction, there was only one place worth attacking.

"Shortsighted! You graduated from the Royal Academy, how can your vision be so limited!" Huang Taiji still shook his head, denying the possibility of conquering Japan, and took the opportunity to belittle the intelligence of the professionally trained military officer.

"North Korea? No, no... even if it's long enough... oh dear, oh dear... Commander, you're not talking about the Americas, are you!"

Japan wasn't an option either, which made Ma Lan wonder if she had really gone mad from reading too much. To the east, besides Japan, there was only Korea, but the problem was that Korea was practically a vassal state, without even an army, so there was no need to go to great lengths to occupy it.

Further east... then all that's left is the sea, I have that much geographical knowledge. Wait, there's also the Pearl Harbor naval base! Thinking of this, a sudden flash of inspiration struck Ma Lan, and she blurted it out involuntarily.

"Why can't it be? You can compare it yourselves. From a broader perspective, is the benefit of going east greater or the benefit of going west greater?"

After finishing the last skewer of grilled meat, Huang Taiji patted his belly contentedly and casually gave his answer. "The meat was good today, and the grilling was just right—not too tough, not too raw, and perfectly seasoned."

"This really is America! There are silver and copper mines over there, but the journey must be too long, right?"

Chang Jiang was somewhat taken aback; he had never anticipated that the empire would want to expand its territory into the Americas. Upon reflection, it was true that the Americas were richer than Europe and easier to conquer. But the distance was too great, and the area too vast. Could they conquer it and effectively manage it?
"With the Maritime Commandery in place, the journey to the Americas is not far. Even without considering the battles along the way, it would take cavalry three months to reach Moscow from the Western Regions Commandery. If they were to travel by ship from Dagukou, it would take about three months to reach Acapulco."

But Commander, why not consider Africa? We all learned in school that southern Africa has abundant mineral resources. The Empire has been operating in Enbird Port for a long time, and we have the local Xhosa people to utilize. From any perspective, it's no less advantageous than the Americas.”

Ma Lan perfectly answered Chang Jiang's doubts. In terms of distance alone, the Americas are indeed farther than Europe, but the time taken to go to the Americas by sea is about the same as that to go to Europe by land, and it's more comfortable.

However, Ma Lan did not agree with the plan to conquer the Americas, because he had another place he thought was better to choose: Africa!
The reason is simple: in terms of resources alone, Africa, especially South Africa, is not inferior to the Americas. From a management perspective, Africa has an advantage over the Americas. Coincidentally, the distance from the Ming Dynasty mainland to the Americas and to Enbird Port is roughly the same, neither more than a month.

"This is His Majesty's will!"

Huang Taiji's answer was very simple, but his heart was far from calm. Coincidentally, he had also sided with Africa during the imperial conference held in the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

There weren't many reasons, just that I had been to Port-au-Narrows and seen with my own eyes every mountain, river, tree, and blade of grass in South Africa, and I loved it dearly. Some of the valleys there reminded me of my hometown in Liaodong. No matter how wonderful the Americas are, I haven't seen them with my own eyes, so I lack the emotional connection.

(End of this chapter)