Jingnan Strategy

Chapter 411 Happiness upon happiness
"Since the founding of our country, we have listened to the gods and spiritual gods entrusting people with everything: Our country has not professed vassalage to foreign countries since ancient times, and will not receive missions from foreign countries in the future. This is because we have warned our descendants not to fall."

"This small country dares to refute the face of the Celestial Empire. It should send troops to wipe out the disobedient!"

"I second the proposal!"

In July of the 10th year of Yongle, when the Japanese envoys and Xichang spies sent Japanese intelligence to Nanjing, the court meeting in Xijiaomen was also quarreling and lively because of this matter.

Inside the West Kakumon Gate, which is not very large in area, more than 200 civil and military officials above the fifth rank stood around. As Ashikaga Yoshimitsu's most beloved son during his lifetime, Ashikaga Yoshitsugu and Ashikaga Mitsutaka who had escorted him to the Ming Dynasty.

Ashikaga Mitsuru is the uncle of Ashikaga Yoshitsugu and Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, and has a good relationship with many of the Ashikaga clan's retainers. Once something happens in Japan, he is also capable of helping Ashikaga Yoshitsugu, so Ashikaga Yoshimitsu will send him here. Ming dynasty.

When he learned that Ashikaga Yoshitsugu refused to surrender to the Ming Dynasty, he immediately took Ashikaga Yoshitsugu to see the emperor and came to the Nishikakuo Gate to attend the Ming Dynasty's standing court.

Seeing that the military attaches collectively requested to send troops, Ashikaga Mitsuru became worried. He was worried that the Ming Dynasty would send troops to occupy Japan just like it did to Jiaozhi.

However, it turns out that he thought too much, because military attachés alone were not enough to decide whether to send troops to Japan.

"Your Majesty, I think we cannot send troops against the sun..."

"Although most of the navy's ships are currently undergoing maintenance, there are still fifteen treasure ships, forty Daifuku warships, and sixty horse ships newly launched."

Standing next to him, the already very old Ashikaga Mitsutaka was only four feet seven inches (150cm), which was considered an upper-middle-class height in Japan. Ashikaga Yoshiji was more than half a head taller than him.

"Your Majesty, what the ministers said is wrong!"

What's more, in the eyes of the officials, this battle will not be beneficial to Ming Dynasty, regardless of whether they win or lose.

"If the imperial court no longer fulfills its promise to the Japanese ruler just because the people are dead and the government is dead, then the imperial court's prestige will be ruined. It should be noted that the reason why the maritime countries agreed to set up vassal pavilions is because the imperial court once promised to the rulers of each country that once the countries encountered During the war, the soldiers and horses of the national tribunals will escort the kings of various countries to the Ming Dynasty to wait for the restoration of the country. "

"As far as I know, after Ashikaga Yoshimochi refused to declare himself a minister, he raised a butcher's knife against many officials in Kyoto who were loyal to the imperial court that night."

"Once the imperial court is willing to support Ashikaga Yoshitsugu, officials in Kansai and Kanto, even if they do not side with the imperial court, will not fight against the imperial court with the traitor Ashikaga Yoshimochi."

“After this incident was exposed, people in Japan’s Kansai and Kanto areas were panicked and urgently needed the court’s stance to take sides.”

After all, no matter what, the war between Annan and Ming Dynasty was started by Annan.

In the Ming Dynasty, his height of five feet (160cm) was considered average, but in Japan, he was one of the tallest people in the world.

"Finally, if the Ashikaga Yoshimachi incident is not put to rest this time, many officials belonging to the imperial court in the center of Japan will be purged, which is not conducive to the imperial court and Japan's diplomacy."

Winning is nothing more than maintaining the ship trade and gaining the title of king and minister.

Today, Daming's normal annual income is only more than 32 million yuan, and one-sixteenth of it has suddenly disappeared. This is a huge blow.

"What Ashikaga Yoshimochi can control is nothing more than the capital of Japan, and he only has 50,000 soldiers and horses."

Especially when he saw that most of the civil servants in the temple refused to send troops to Japan to help him restore the country, his mood could be described as despairing.

"I sincerely request your Majesty to send troops to restore my country!"

In their view, preserving the current shipping trade is enough.

When Jie Jin spoke, Yang Shiqi, Hu Guang, Hu Yan, Huang Huai and others all spoke in agreement. Even Song Li, Guo Zi, Yang Rong, and Yang Pu all stood up and expressed their intention to conquer Japan.

Ashikaga Yoshitsugu must be said to be very lucky. He was sent to study in the Ming Dynasty when he was ten years old, and he is now sixteen years old.

As Yang Zhan spoke, he directed his attention and conversation to Ashikaga Yoshitsugu and Ashikaga Mitsuru who were standing in the hall and listening for most of an hour.

The current affairs in Dongzhou have not yet been exposed, so even the civil servants affiliated with Zhu Di and Zhu Gaoxu did not know that the father and son were trying to use the Japanese rebellion to seek a supply point in northern Japan.

"Your Majesty, I second the proposal!"

Xie Jin, the grand scholar of Diange, stood up and bowed, and at the same time said: "In the past, when Emperor Taizu Gao was the emperor, he decided on fifteen countries that would not be conquered."

Because he followed the local customs in the Ming Dynasty, his diet was also biased towards the scholar-bureaucrats of the Ming Dynasty, so he grew very rapidly.

"Secondly, the imperial court is currently preparing to develop the Great Ocean Channel, of which Mutsu in northern Japan is an important part of the channel."

When the civil servant finished speaking, among the military attachés, Yang Zhan, the Duke of Yue, who had not been in court for several years, came out and bowed:
"Everyone knows that the Japanese leader Ashikaga Yoshimitsu was conferred by the imperial court, and his favorite son is the third son of the Imperial Academy, Ashikaga Yoshitsugu. He sent envoys to hope that the imperial court would support Ashikaga Yoshitsugu."

"With the attitude of the traitorous minister Ashikaga Yoshi, it is basically impossible for the imperial court to build an officialdom in Mutsu, so the opening of the Damingyo Channel can only be given up."

It would be bad if they lose. Once the shipping trade is cut off, the annual income of two million yuan will evaporate.

Although all countries know that it is only a matter of time before the Ming Dynasty eats Annan, this does not prevent the current leader of Annan from being Chen Yao of the Chen family who is nearly eighty years old and has no descendants.

"If the imperial court can't even agree to what the Japanese leader has promised, how can it convince the leaders of other countries?"

"Even in Annan, the court sent troops to correct the benevolent monarch Chen Yao because the Hu family in Annan provoked provocations and the Chen family ignored them."

Because of this, what Ashikaga Yoshitsugu is most satisfied with is the height he has grown while living in the Ming Dynasty, and he usually regards himself as the crown prince of Japan.

"Although Japan is not a vassal, it is still willing to trade with the imperial court. The imperial court does not need to mobilize troops, waste people and money just for a nominal title."

After all, Japan is a big country with a population of tens of millions. Once it goes to war with it and the outcome cannot be determined in a short period of time, Japan's shipping industry will definitely be affected.

"If you add the soldiers and horses of the Kaikai Guards, the imperial court can send tens of thousands of soldiers and horses to quell the rebellion of the traitor Ashikaga Yoshiki in the capital."

"Of course, we still need to obtain the consent of Prince Ashikaga Yoshitsugu before doing so."

The Japanese Shipping Company can bring Ming Dynasty two million dollars in revenue every year. Once it is affected, it will completely outweigh the losses for Ming Dynasty.

Under such circumstances, the words of Yang Zhan, the Duke of Yue, undoubtedly made him see the light of day, and he bowed quickly:

If we give him a few more years to live in the Ming Dynasty, I'm afraid he can grow another inch or two.

Now his half-brother Ashikaga Yoshimochi not only wants to sever the relationship between the emperor and his ministers, but also wants him to return to Japan and become a monk, so he is in a very panic.

As long as he is alive, Annan will not be destroyed. Although all countries know that once Chen Yao dies, the Ming Dynasty will immediately turn Jiaozhi into a nominal and actual part of the Ming Dynasty, but no one dares to protest.

He sobbed softly as he spoke, a technique his uncle Ashikaga Mitsutaka taught him.

When his sobs sounded, Zhu Gaoxu, who had been silent for a while, turned around and bowed to Zhu Di on the golden stage:

"Your Majesty, if a person has no faith, he will not be established, and the same is true for a country."

"My Ming Dynasty vassal is traveling from the East to the West. If we sit back and ignore the internal strife in Japan at home, how can we convince the vassals thousands of miles away to convince the imperial court?"

As soon as Zhu Gaoxu spoke, Guo Zi, Song Li and others who had previously followed Xie Jin and others looked at each other and slowly retreated into the group.

Seeing them retreating, everyone else also retreated. Only Xie Jin stood proudly at the front of the team like a big goose.

Zhu Di glanced at him, shook his head inwardly, and then said: "What the prince said makes sense, Japan is my vassal, and Ashikaga Yoshimitsu is respectful to the Ming Dynasty, and we are as close as father and son. Now that he has been dead for only three years, his country will Civil unrest breaks out.”

"If I cannot fulfill my promise to him during his lifetime, I will feel uneasy."

"Pingjiang Marquis Chen Xuan, Pingyue Bo Yang Wen, Left Governor Xu Zengshou..." Zhu Di slowly read out three names, and three military attaches slowly walked out of the military attache team.

Pingjiang Marquis Chen Xuan often appeared in temples before his voyage to the West, and everyone was very familiar with him.

On the other hand, Ping Yue Bo Yang Wen, as the second generation of the Huaixi army, is not young and is now sixty years old.

Because Zhu Yunwen was worried about colluding with Zhu Gaoxu during the Jingnan Campaign, he sent him to Guangxi to encircle and suppress the bandits, but he failed to make any achievements. After the Jingnan War, he was nowhere to be found among the great heroes.

In fact, Yang Wen himself was confused. After all, he and Zhu Gaoxu only had a recommendation relationship. The two had never met during the Hongwu and Jianwen dynasties. He didn't know how he was classified as a general of the East Palace faction.

Seeing that those who were not as capable as himself were getting earls and marquises, Yang Wen felt extremely uncomfortable.

Fortunately, Zhu Gaoxu did not forget him and sent him to the southwest to participate in the war against Guizhou's native land. Only then did he gain the title of Count Pingyue.

As for Xu Zengshou, who was summoned by Zhu Di at the end, needless to say. Zhu Di has taken him with him during his expeditions in the south and north in these years. In the final analysis, he was thinking about Xu Zengshou's help in the crisis, and he missed his late wife, Empress Xu.

Although Xu Zengshou's achievements are not outstanding, it is still easy to be granted the title of Marquis.

However, Zhu Di obviously felt that the Marquis was too low, so he planned to let Xu Zengshou get the Duke in one go.

This time to use troops against Japan, Zhu Di clearly knew that Xu Zengshou was not good at naval combat, but still called him out. As expected, he also asked him to do military exploits.

"Assemble the troops and horses of the three guards of Donghai, Dongyang and Jinghai. Chen Xuan, Marquis of Pingjiang, will be the commander-in-chief of the Pingyue Army. Pingyue Bo Yangwen and Left Governor Xu Zengshou will be the generals on the left and right. The commander of the guards, Zheng Jun, will be the vanguard officer and the three guards will be mobilized. Soon I will escort the crown prince of Japan back to Japan and pacify the enemy."

"I accept the decree!"

When the words of sending troops to Japan came out of Zhu Di's mouth, the ministers knew that there would be another big expense this year.

However, the current temple is basically governed by Zhu Di, father and son. Even if the ministers want to object, it is useless, so they can only bite the bullet and accept the job.

Ashikaga Yoshitsugu and Ashikaga Mitsuru didn't expect that this matter would go so smoothly. They quickly knelt down and knelt five times and kowtowed three times before finally getting up with Zhu Di's comfort.

"Retreat from the court..."

As the ministers of Honglu Temple sang the salute, Zhu Di and Zhu Gaoxu also got up and went to the resting area behind the West Corner Gate Tower. The ministers shouted long live in return and finally exited the West Corner Gate Tower one after another.

"You can take care of Japan's affairs yourself, and I will not interfere."

Arriving at the back hall, Zhu Di sat down and took a sip of tea to moisten his throat, while Zhu Gaoxu bowed and said, "Father, don't worry."

"How is the implementation of the New Deal in Shanxi, Beizhili and Henan?" Zhu Di cares more about domestic affairs than foreign affairs. "It's basically over. The total population of the three provinces is 12.36 million, and the cultivated land has not changed much."

"More than 1,800 official schools have been opened in the three places, with more than 564,300 students enrolled. Most of the teachers are transferred from Shandong and Liaodong."

"As expected, after the students from Shandong, Liaodong, and Bohai graduate at the end of the year, there will probably be more than 50,000 instructors left. Therefore, I plan to expand the new policy of the Second Prefecture of Su and Song to the Sixth Prefecture of Jiangdong."

The six prefectures in Jiangdong are Suzhou, Songjiang, Zhenjiang, Yingtian, Changzhou, and Yangzhou. During the Hongwu period, these six prefectures accounted for 20% of the world's tax revenue, and their population was difficult to count.

However, according to the "Yellow Book" in the 14th year of Hongwu, the population of the six prefectures accounted for almost half of southern Zhili.

Implementing the New Deal in the six prefectures is no less difficult than in a province in terms of population and farmland alone.

As long as the new policies of the six governments are successfully implemented, it will be much easier to implement the new policies in Southern Zhili.

"The land of the Six Prefectures requires at least 50,000 teachers and 30,000 officials to be enough."

Zhu Gaoxu told Zhu Di his estimate, and also said: "Based on the population statistics from various places under the New Deal, the population of the six prefectures in Jiangdong will probably not be less than 8 million now."

He said a terrifying number. You must know that the Ming Dynasty only has a population of more than 80 million.

The area of ​​the six Jiangdong prefectures is less than one percent of the Ming Dynasty, but it accounts for one-tenth of the population, which shows the density of the local population.

This was still the situation just over 40 years after the founding of the Ming Dynasty. If it were placed in the Wanli period, it would be even more terrifying. The population of the six prefectures basically remained at around 20 million, accounting for one-eighth of the country's population.

Of course, the local cultivated land area is also very terrifying, reaching more than 40 million acres.

If they follow the new taxation method of one out of ten taxes, these more than 40 million acres of cultivated land can collect at least seven to eight million dan, but now they only pay more than 4 million dan and are complaining.

The reason is the same as in Shandong and Shanxi. The main reason is that he was exploited by subordinate officials, so he felt high.

The difference is that under the emperor's feet, subordinate officials do not dare to exploit them too blatantly, so these six prefectures can pay so much tax and grain.

If the subordinate officials of the six Jiangdong prefectures are replaced by officials of the New Deal, the burden on the people will be reduced and the imperial treasury will be increased. This is the win-win situation that Zhu Gaoxu wants to achieve.

"You should keep an eye on the New Deal matters yourself. They will not dare to oppose you in the temple, but if you incite the people, this matter will not end well."

Zhu Di pointed at Zhu Gaoxu. He knew very well that the people in Jiangdong were still criticizing the tax issue. Almost from the founding of Hongwu to the present, the people have been shouting the slogan that Jiangdong's taxes are too heavy.

Among them, the main thing is that the subordinate officials are exploiting one another. Therefore, if the local subordinate officials unite, they can also create a lot of power.

However, compared with Zhu Di's worries, Zhu Gaoxu seemed much more domineering: "Dad, it's time to change your mind."

"Huh?" Zhu Di was stunned, and Zhu Gaoxu also said:

"We don't have much else at hand right now. Just talking about measuring acres and calculating taxes and grains, there are hundreds of thousands of people every year. We no longer have to compromise like grandpa."

"The purpose of my son's implementation of the new policy on the six Jiangdong prefectures this time is not simply to sort out taxes and reduce the pressure on the people, but to replenish the national treasury."

At this moment, if those officials who were leaving the court heard Zhu Gaoxu say that Zhu Yuanzhang "suffered humiliation", they would probably be so angry that they would curse at the west corner gate.

Although the four major Hongwu cases were not as exaggerated as the hundreds of thousands of executions reported in later generations, there were definitely hundreds of thousands of people exiled.

Judging from this era, such "atrocities" are almost comparable to the number of people consumed by the Qin and Han Dynasties in building the Great Wall and attacking the Xiongnu.

But even so, in Zhu Gaoxu's eyes, he still felt that Lao Zhu was too aggrieved, especially the North and South List case.

Of course, this was not because Lao Zhu was not courageous enough, but because the Imperial College had been thoroughly infiltrated at that time.

Zhu Gaoxu is certain that if Lao Zhu had as many students as he currently has, he would be considered his "holy mother" if the temple was not cleansed by him.

In contrast, it is not an exaggeration to say that Zhu Gaoxu only dealt with minor staff while the Buddha was still alive.

"Second brother, what do you want to do..."

Although Zhu Di was criticized as a tyrant by later generations, in politics he was at most a bit ruthless in dealing with Jianwen's old ministers, but only tens of thousands of people were implicated, and most of them were exiled.

Compared to people like Zhu Gaoxu, who involved Jianwen's old ministers from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands, Zhu Di was considered a "holy mother".

Therefore, when he heard that Zhu Gaoxu was going to attack the subordinate officials of the Six Prefectures of Jiangdong, he immediately thought of Zhu Gaoxu's past methods.

Even as a father, he can't help but feel that his second son is a bit too "cruel".

"I have said that I will let you go on the Northern Expedition next year. However, for this Northern Expedition, I want to divide the troops into two groups. The main force will go to Hulanhuwenwen with you, and the other group will be composed of Xu Kai, Ping An, and Guo Yong led the team to Hami."

"When you have restrained the main force of the three major armies of Wala, Ping'an and the other three immediately captured Hami, moved the thousands of Hu people in Hami, and then sent the subordinate officials from the six prefectures in Jiangdong who committed crimes to Hami, Guizhou and other Han populations. An empty place.”

"There are currently more than 2,000 subordinate officials in the six prefectures in Jiangdong, and at least 95% of them have dirty butts."

"If we investigate their cases thoroughly, we can identify at least 70,000 to 80,000 people..."

Zhu Gaoxu's words made Zhu Di unable to sit still. Two thousand people implicated seventy or eighty thousand people. Zhu Gaoxu's thoughts made even him break into a cold sweat.

"Second brother, if you do this, the people of Jiangdong will probably..."

Before Zhu Di finished speaking, Zhu Gaoxu said: "Yang Zhan is currently training troops in Jiangdong, and I am also preparing to mobilize troops from Zhejiang and Lianghuai to enter the six prefectures in Jiangdong in advance."

"At that time, there will be at least 70,000 to 80,000 imperial troops stationed in the six Jiangdong prefectures, and most of them will be northern soldiers who came from the north for defense. They will not sympathize with these subordinate officials."

"Anyone from Jiangdong who dares to make trouble will be arrested as an accessory and exiled together with the principal offender."

"The imperial court implemented the New Deal in order to enrich the treasury and reduce the pressure on the people. If some stupid people are bewitched and attack the imperial court, if such people are not allowed to remember, they may dare to beat the imperial officials to death in the future."

"The temporary suppression is for the long-term peace in the future. Dad, you can't be kind to a woman."

Zhu Gaoxu's words made Zhu Di feel a little strange. It was obviously the second son who wanted to attack the subordinates of Jiangdong Six Prefectures. How could he be benevolent to his own wife?

"You can handle this matter yourself. Don't make the matter too big. In addition, after the implementation of the new policies of Jiangdong Six Prefectures, the burden on the national treasury will probably be heavier. Have you figured out how to deal with it?"

Zhu Di was worried about financial problems, which was also what Zhu Gaoxu was worried about. However, the gold and silver spices that Zheng He brought back and the old money left by Lao Zhu were enough for Zhu Gaoxu to chew on for two or three years.

With this money and food as a base, two or three years will be enough for Zhu Gaoxu to adjust his policies. There is no need to worry about this.

"You don't have to worry about these things. Just prepare for the mobilization of money and food for the Northern Expedition in the second half of the year."

Zhu Gaoxu comforted Zhu Di, then stood up and prepared to walk out of the west corner gate.

But before walking out, he stopped and bowed to Zhu Di: "Father, you don't have to abdicate in a hurry after returning from the Northern Expedition. It doesn't matter if you continue to work for another two years."

Zhu Gaoxu was worried that if the old man came back, he would abdicate and let him take up the post. The affairs in Jiangnan would not be resolved by then. He would have to resolve the affairs in Jiangnan as soon as he took up the post, and his reputation would definitely not be good.

Naturally, he had to use the name of the old man to implement the New Deal in Jiangnan, and then use the excuse of not changing his father's will for three years to implement the New Deal in the remaining Huguang, Fujian and other places, and then start to implement his own benevolent policy.

In this way, the Ming Dynasty can still prosper for several decades.

"Something feels wrong..."

Looking at Zhu Gaoxu's retreating figure, Zhu Di stroked his beard and felt that something was wrong, but he couldn't put it in words.

Compared with the feeling that he couldn't describe, Zhu Gaoxu was experiencing good things at this moment.

"Your Highness!"

As soon as he walked out of the west corner door, he saw Yi Shiha who was happily waiting there.

"What's wrong? What happened to make you so happy?"

Zhu Gaoxu asked doubtfully, but Yi Shiha quickly stepped forward, then bowed to Zhu Gaoxu and said:
"News came from Dagu La that Wang Ren arrived in Dongzhou and established contact with several local native tribes. He is currently collecting cinchona bark, rubber and other materials for the court, but the progress is not very fast."

"In addition, he was introduced to the capital of a local country, which should be the same place as the Yin family you drew on the map."

"This news is that before he set off with the local natives, he sent three warships to Cape Kunlun, then went north to Mugudusu, across the Little Western Ocean, and sent them to Dagu La."

"Two of the three ships capsized during this period, and only one arrived in Grand Koala carrying more than 200 people."

Yishuha told Zhu Gaoxu all the news outspokenly. After hearing this, Zhu Gaoxu also took the memorial written by Dagu La from his hand.

He read it at a glance, and then discovered that Wang Ren arrived on the twelfth day of the first lunar month, and the time when the three ships were dispatched was the seventh day of the second lunar month.

Because the time was too short, he did not search for much. He only asked people to bring back some crops grown by the locals and brought back news of their safe arrival.

It took more than four months for these three ships to deliver the news to Dagula. Then Tangqi was sent by Dagula all the way to Manmo. Wang Xuan of Manmo sent eight hundred miles to rush. After seventeen days, Sent all the way to the capital.

In other words, nearly five months have passed since Wang Ren set off for the Yin family.

"Okay, okay!" Although he didn't know what crop seeds Wang Ren sent back, but as long as the route was successfully opened, it would be much easier to obtain the crops and gold and silver he dreamed of.

"Promote Wang Ren and his soldiers to the third level, and tell Zheng He and my father the news!"

Zhu Gaoxu closed the memorial in excitement, patted Yishiha on the shoulder, and hurried back to the East Palace.

Upon seeing this, Yi Shiha trotted all the way into the west corner gatehouse and told the news to Zhu Di, who was still thinking.

Compared to Zhu Gaoxu, Zhu Di and his men were much calmer. However, if they knew how much benefit Wang Ren's voyage would bring to the Ming Dynasty, I'm afraid no one would be able to sit still...

(End of this chapter)