unclear

Chapter 1463 Each with its own focus
The further south you go, the lower the temperature and the drier the climate becomes, with numerous mountains and high altitudes, resulting in limited arable land. Apart from copper and silver mines, it is not very suitable for large-scale immigration.

Central America has a relatively small land area, numerous islands, and currently limited natural resources, making transportation extremely inconvenient. However, its strategic location is crucial, serving as the most convenient passage between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.

My thoughts can be summarized in two sentences: maximize profits in the west and maximize land in the east.

Specifically, this means using victory in war to force European countries to negotiate peace, actively creating a new order, and slowly eroding their strength through economic means and trade. At the same time, it involves relinquishing most of their territorial demands, minimizing provocation, and making the "soft knife" strategy easier to implement.

Conversely, on the American continent, the empire sought to seize all the richest and most strategically important lands, and would wage war against anyone who dared to obstruct it.

Because it was unclaimed land, most of North America remains unclaimed to this day. The few remaining countries in Central and South America were also destroyed by the Spanish; whoever seized them owned them.

Even if we can't develop on a large scale now, we must leave more living space for future generations. If we don't seize it now, we won't have the chance later.

Furthermore, I must inform you, my esteemed ministers, of a significant change: the ultimate target of the expeditionary force is not the Viceroyalty of Peru, or rather, not its entirety. Their ultimate objective should be to occupy the coastal regions of North America, as well as some important ports in Central America!

Today's imperial conference was quite interesting. The civil officials, who had always advocated persuading people with reason and opposed militarism on major strategic issues, have generally become hawks.

Their firm stance on continuing westward expansion while the iron was hot, aiming to defeat Persia and the Ottoman Empire, and forcing Russia and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth to submit, was already considered relatively mild; their true intention was to sweep across Europe.

The military, which has always been known for its tough stance, became hesitant and timid at this time, not only unwilling to extend its reach into the European continent, but also unwilling to move the front line forward even one more step.

Hong Tao understood why such a huge role reversal had occurred, and he wasn't surprised. After all, the civil officials were all armchair strategists, lacking understanding of the complexity and cruelty of war. Their strong emotions made them prone to impulsive actions driven by a desire for prestige.

On the contrary, the generals who had fought their way through mountains of corpses and seas of blood were more rational. They knew when to stop while they were ahead and were also more aware of their own strength. They were unwilling to risk the lives of thousands of soldiers before they had the ability to make a decisive victory. The saying "one general's success is built on the bones of ten thousand" was not something they praised or emulated.

Should the emperor allow a conflict to erupt between civil and military officials? Logically, it should be something the emperor would welcome. The art of diplomacy clearly states that only by keeping court officials busy, tearing each other apart and attacking one another, can the emperor secure his throne.

By simply stepping forward at crucial moments to act as a peacemaker and referee, one can navigate complex situations with ease and remain invincible. Furthermore, by leveraging the influence of officials, one can physically eliminate potentially threatening individuals, further solidifying their position.

Hong Tao had studied the art of diplomacy and strategy, more than once, but he never truly mastered it. Besides laziness, he also harbored a deep-seated resistance to it. These tactics all advocated for the ugliest side of human nature; to put it bluntly, it was about who could be more shameless, more ruthless, and more inhuman, and whoever could do that was more likely to succeed.

If the emperor were to lead the way in implementing such practices, it would inevitably inspire other officials to follow suit, and then gradually spread to the common people. Over time, the relatively pure moral system would be polluted, turning into a society where everyone would stop at nothing to achieve their own interests, where bad people would benefit everywhere and good people would find it difficult to move an inch. Although doing so wouldn't harm him, and might even bring many benefits, Hong Tao still didn't want to try it. Time travelers know more and have a higher starting point than the ancients; if they still resorted to unscrupulous means for personal gain, it would be too low-class. Sometimes, retaining certain convictions may seem foolish and silly, but in the long run, it might not be a bad thing.

So Hong Tao stopped pretending and directly rejected the civil officials' suggestions in front of a room full of important court officials, crushing their dreams of becoming famous ministers for all time.

However, Hong Tao didn't resort to a simple and crude approach. He then proceeded with a patient and earnest analysis, clearly explaining the pros and cons, and striving to achieve a united front.

"...But Your Majesty, if you want to take North America, why take South America first? Is there a deeper meaning behind this strategy of feigning an attack from the south to strike from the north?"

If these words had been spoken thirty years ago, the imperial court would have been in an uproar, with censors submitting three memorials a day urging the emperor to retract his decree and comply with the will of the people.

However, now that the emperor holds absolute power and his word is law, it is already quite mild of him to lower himself and discuss national policies with his ministers. Moreover, he has given such a detailed explanation; if the ministers do not restrain themselves, wouldn't they be seen as deliberately opposing him?

However, not everyone is willing to be a yes-man. Grand Secretary Li Ruzhang was rather stubborn and even nitpicked.

“It’s not that I’m unwilling, but that I can’t! You may not know this, but the total population of North America is no more than six or seven million, and the West Coast is even smaller, probably not even a million. With such a small population spread across the area of ​​the two Ming Dynasty mainlands, you might not encounter a single person even after walking for a whole day.”

If the expeditionary force first occupies the west coast of North America, it will be able to easily conquer most areas, except for some resistance in western Mexico.

Landing is easy, but establishing a foothold is much harder. Tens of thousands of troops need to survive in an area devoid of cities, villages, population, and vast farmlands; everything from food and drink to building materials must be transported by sea. Frankly, the Empire currently lacks this capability.

Meanwhile, the Spanish forces on the west coast of the Americas remained largely intact and could launch attacks at any time. This meant that the expeditionary force had to simultaneously build camps, cut down trees to construct roads, and defend against the enemy; even the strongest army could not withstand such a grueling schedule.

The Viceroyalty of Peru was one of the most valuable assets of the Spanish rule over the Americas for over a century, and it would not be easily abandoned. If attacked, it would certainly resist with all its might. Concentrating the enemy forces in one battle would be most advantageous for the expeditionary force.

"Occupying it would be like capturing Spain's youngest son; we could then decide how to exchange it. In the eyes of most Europeans, South America was easier to develop than North America, so exchanging the Viceroyalty of Peru for land on the west coast of North America was quite feasible."

Hong Tao answered this question frankly and with great composure. It truly exemplified the saying, "He plans two steps ahead and three steps back." However, this was not the truth; the emperor was blatantly lying again, without batting an eye.

(End of this chapter)