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Chapter 1469 You can fight, but you can't hate.
"You flatter me, Grand Secretary. The battle plan was formulated by the Joint Army and Navy Staff and reviewed and revised by the General Staff. During the implementation phase, the Ministry of War and the General Staff made great contributions by strategizing from the rear."

However, one of Grand Secretary Yuan’s remarks resonated with me: the Cape of Good Hope theater, despite being outnumbered, held its own and even managed to defeat a powerful enemy. This was not only due to the bravery of the soldiers and officers, but also to the composure of the commanders.

As for whether failing to eliminate the main forces of European countries would leave future troubles, the opposite is actually true. If this battle had severely damaged or even annihilated the main forces of European countries, causing every household to be in mourning, the hatred would have been too deep, shifting from the court to the common people, which would be very detrimental to post-war negotiations.

Why do I say this? My beloved ministers should all understand that this war is entirely due to my new world order.

If European countries are unwilling to join the new trade rules led by the Ming Empire, they will not only be unable to gain access to trade rights in Asia, but will also become dumping grounds for transshipment trade by West Asian countries, suffering great economic losses.

Essentially, this war is a redistribution of trade and pricing power; it's solely about money and doesn't involve religious differences or ethnic hatred. As the saying goes, even if a deal falls through, goodwill remains; regardless of who wins or loses, this war ultimately comes down to business.

European countries needed goods produced in Asia, and the Ming Empire also needed European markets. War was merely an extreme means of bargaining; as long as no one sought to monopolize the market, there was no hatred.

However, if this results in too many casualties, the nature of the situation will completely change. Under pressure from their domestic populations, European governments, even if they do not want to be hostile to the Ming Dynasty, will have to bite the bullet and massively arm themselves in preparation for revenge, otherwise their positions will be in jeopardy.

Yan Busi and Zhao Yongling fought this battle with great skill, both repelling the invading enemy and preserving the strategic fortress of Enwu Port, while minimizing unnecessary casualties on both sides, laying a solid foundation for the next round of negotiations. Whether they fully understood my strategic intentions or it was a lucky accident, they deserve commendation.

In reality, you ministers only focused on the surface figures in the battle reports, neglecting their true meaning. In the Persian Gulf theater, more than 2000 enemy soldiers were killed and more than 16000 were captured; in the Western Regions theater, more than 6000 enemy soldiers were killed and more than 40000 were captured.

Think about it carefully: have the Ming army ever captured so many prisoners during their numerous expeditions, yet suffered such low casualties? These prisoners will also serve as bargaining chips in future negotiations; most of them will be released and safely return to their hometowns.

Don't worry, it's not a tiger returning to the mountains, but a messenger spreading fear. The fact that the Ming Empire is not threatened by force will be taken by captives to every village in Europe and passed down through generations, becoming a habitual way of thinking. This is the principle of stopping war with war and subduing the enemy without fighting.

Alright, the fighting in the west is temporarily over. Today, my esteemed ministers should put their minds to the post-war arrangements and negotiations, and prepare one or two contingency plans for the General Staff to follow.

Logically speaking, Yuan Yingtai's cooperation was flawless; no one in the court could rival him. However, he missed the mark. Hong Tao, besides needing him to offer a preliminary explanation, also wanted to bring out the jade (a metaphor for a valuable asset), which seemed a bit too demanding.

But that's alright. As long as he has this brick, Hong Tao has a bellyful of jade to throw out. It's just a bit tiring, though. He has to break down and re-explain the national grand strategy and international situation, which he's talked about many times before, from a new perspective. Fortunately, he doesn't find talking tedious at all; speaking for an hour or two is just a warm-up.

"Your Majesty, shouldn't we revise the Americas plan again?" Tan Ming understood the Emperor's strategic deployment without needing to speak, so he didn't intend to. However, hearing the contents of today's meeting, he couldn't help but feel a little uneasy. The war in the west had come to an end, and a large amount of troops and transport capacity would soon be freed up. But the war in the east wasn't over yet. The main force of the European coalition hadn't suffered heavy losses; would they run to the Americas to support the Spanish? Should the 3 expeditionary troops and dozens of ships continue the offensive or switch to defense? A general direction needed to be given.

"Don't worry about them. Once the fighting in the west is over, the fighting in the east will end as well. Once Du Wenhuan and Setter's latest battle reports arrive, barring any unforeseen circumstances, we can send them to North America to take a look around."

The number of troops should not be too large, but the commotion must be significant enough to put considerable pressure on the Viceroyalty of New Spain. The Naval Staff should be responsible for planning the specific landing locations, fortifications, and ports.

Furthermore, the troops stationed at Enniu Port and the Persian Gulf should not be redeployed in large numbers for now. Instead, maintain a posture of preparing for a major offensive and observe the situation for a few days before making any further moves. The Western and Northern Theater Commands, however, can be downgraded to a state of combat readiness; let's save as much as possible.

Oh right, Huang Taiji mentioned in his battle report that the issue of the Little Horde also needs to be dealt with promptly, but it's best for the Ming army not to participate in the operation or openly provide weapons and equipment.

Didn't the cavalry of Zhongyuzi participate in the interception operation? Don't take back the carbines they have. Just have the Northern Theater Command drop a few truckloads of ammunition in suitable areas when they withdraw. That should be enough.

Pass this message on to Huang Taiji: "The Kazakhs and the Khanate of Bukhara are not yet part of the Ming Dynasty's territory; their internal problems are best resolved by themselves. A leader who is too opinionated, too adept at seizing opportunities, and too popular with the local people is certainly not the best leader!"

It wasn't that Hong Tao had forgotten the American Expeditionary Force, but rather that his understanding was different; he hadn't considered the war on the eastern and western fronts separately. In his view, victory on one side would directly impact the other.

The Americas were far too important to Europeans, but dispensable to the Ming Empire, at least for the time being. Europeans would never trade the Americas for Africa, not even the Indian Ocean.

Meanwhile, Huang Taiji's plan, proposed in his battle report, was also rejected. He detailed the irreconcilable conflict between the leaders of the Middle Horde and the Lesser Horde, as well as their respective attitudes in the war. He suggested that the court support the leader of the Middle Horde to allow him to grow in power and pose a threat to the current Kazakh Khan, thus enabling the court to play both sides.

Hong Tao was pleased that a high-ranking general leading troops on the front lines possessed such political acumen. Unfortunately, his understanding was somewhat simplistic and one-sided, failing to fully grasp the complexities of inter-state interests.

As neighboring countries of the Ming Dynasty, the Kazakhs and the Khanate of Bukhara were not necessarily better off being more compliant. Unless they were willing to become vassal states and accept many of the Ming Empire's controls, they could not have a unified ideology. There had to be pro-Ming and anti-Ming factions, and they had to fight each other constantly, which was in the best interest of the Ming Empire.

The weaker, more chaotic, poorer, and more miserable the neighboring countries were, the safer, happier, and more prosperous the Ming Empire would feel.

At that point, there will be no need for propaganda; simply describing the plight of neighboring countries to the domestic population from time to time will be enough to satisfy them, prompting them to shout "Long live the Emperor!" Even if they are being exploited, they will feel a sense of sweetness. That's human nature—as long as those around them are worse off than themselves, they feel happy!
(End of this chapter)