Ming Dynasty: He was ordered to give lectures in prison, but Lao Zhu eavesdropped and made people nu

Chapter 693: Three Strategies for the Ming Dynasty's Maritime Defense
Late at night, the imperial study in the Jinling Imperial City was still brightly lit.

Zhu Yuanzhang rubbed his sore eyes and gently put down the memorial in his hand. This urgent report from the Zhejiang Provincial Administration Commissioner's Office was the seventh memorial about the invasion of Japanese pirates that he had read tonight.

"People living along the coast were displaced, villages were burned, and women were abducted." These words cut Zhu Yuanzhang's heart like a knife. He stood up, walked to the window, pushed open the carved wooden window, and let the cool night breeze blow away the depression in his chest. The sound of the night watchman's clapper came from afar, it was already the third watch.

"Your Majesty, it's time for you to rest." The personal eunuch Wang Jinghong reminded softly.

Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hands and said, "I can't sleep. Why are these pirates so rampant? I have ordered the strengthening of coastal defense, why can't they be stopped?"

Wang Jinghong bowed his head and dared not answer. At this time, there were light footsteps outside the hall, and Liu Bowen stood respectfully outside the door holding a whisk.

"My dear Liu? What's the important matter so late at night?" Zhu Yuanzhang was a little surprised.

Liu Bowen bowed and saluted: "I heard that Your Majesty was awake late at night, so I came to pay my respects. In addition..." He paused, "I have recently met a strange man who is quite knowledgeable about the affairs of Japan. Perhaps he can help Your Majesty relieve his worries."

Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes flashed: "Oh? Summon him to the palace!"

Lin Che stood up and said, "Your Majesty, I have traveled to Japan for three years on a merchant ship and am familiar with its language and customs. The increasing rampant Japanese pirates in recent years is not accidental, but a result of the domestic situation in Japan."

Zhu Yuanzhang motioned him to continue. Lin Che took out a hand-drawn map from his sleeve and presented it to the imperial desk: "This is the topographic map of Kyushu and Shikoku drawn by me, as well as the distribution of the major daimyō forces."

Zhu Yuanzhang unfolded the atlas and saw detailed annotations on it, even the water depths and tidal patterns of various ports in Japan were recorded. He could not help but nod secretly.

“Your Majesty,” Lin Che said in a low voice, “Although most of the current Japanese pirates are ronin and pirates who organize themselves spontaneously, according to my observation, the war between the Northern and Southern Dynasties of Japan will end and unification is imminent. At that time, a unified Japan will surely expand outward.”

Zhu Yuanzhang frowned and said, "Are you saying that Japan will use military force against the Ming Dynasty in the future?"

Lin Che bowed deeply: "That's right. Japan is short of resources and ambitious. Once unified, it will first target Korea and then our Ming Dynasty. I dare to predict that within a hundred years, Japan will become a major threat to our Ming Dynasty."

The imperial study was completely silent, and even the crackling of the candlelight could be heard clearly. Zhu Yuanzhang stood up and paced, suddenly stopping in front of Lin Che: "What evidence do you have?"

Lin Che was not in a hurry: "First, the Japanese Bushido spirit advocates the use of force and despises other countries; second, the country's land is small and disasters are frequent, so it must expand outward; third." He took out a secret letter from his arms, "This is a secret letter from a minister of the Southern Dynasty of Japan, which mentioned that 'If you want to take the wealth of the Central Plains, you must first occupy the key points of Korea.'"

Zhu Yuanzhang took the secret letter and saw that it was full of strange words, except for a bright red seal at the end. He looked up at Liu Bowen, who nodded slightly, indicating that the translation was correct.

Zhu Yuanzhang took a deep breath, put the secret letter on the candle flame and lit it, watching it turn into ashes. He looked at Lin Che deeply and decided to believe his words.

"Mr. Lin, do you have any plan? How should we deal with this threat?"

Lin Che's face was solemn: "Your Majesty, I have prepared a detailed response plan." As he spoke, he took out three bamboo scrolls from his bag and unfolded them one by one.

"First, we need to strengthen the army of the Ming Dynasty, especially the southeastern coastal garrisons. Currently, the coastal garrisons are understaffed and have outdated equipment. We must send more elite soldiers and update firearms. I suggest setting up six more garrisons in Zhejiang and Fujian to form a joint defense."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded and said: "I have ordered the Ministry of War to take charge of this matter, but progress is slow."

"Secondly," Lin Che pointed to the second bamboo slip, "we need to strengthen cooperation with Japan's neighboring countries, especially Korea and Ryukyu. We can send envoys to conclude an alliance and form a joint boycott against Japan. Currently, Korea and Japan have already had conflicts, so this is a good opportunity."

"North Korea." Zhu Yuanzhang seemed to be thinking, "When I ascended the throne, they sent an envoy to congratulate me."

Lin Che continued, "The most important thing is that we need to cultivate a strong naval force. If Japan invades, it will be from the sea. I suggest setting up a naval office in Taicang, building large warships, and training the navy."

Zhu Yuanzhang frowned: "It costs a lot to build a big ship."

"Your Majesty," Lin Che said earnestly, "If you don't build ships today, you will build graves tomorrow. The threat of Japanese pirates is not a temporary pain, but a century-long worry!" Zhu Yuanzhang was shocked. This sentence was like a revelation. He recalled the tragic scene described in the memorial - Japanese pirates attacked the village, men were killed, women were abducted, and children cried and looked for their parents. Pictures flashed in his mind.

"Mr. Lin is right." Zhu Yuanzhang said in a low voice, "When I was young, I witnessed the corruption of the Yuan Dynasty and the people's miserable life. Now that I am the emperor, I will never allow the people to suffer again!"

He walked to the imperial desk, picked up the pen, dipped it in ink, wrote several edicts on the yellow silk, and then stamped it with the jade seal.

"From now on, Lin Che is promoted to the position of Director of the Military Affairs Department, specializing in coastal defense affairs. The Ministry of Works is ordered to start the construction of the Taicang Navy Office from today, and the Ministry of Revenue will allocate special funds. Envoys will also be sent to Korea and Ryukyu to conclude a coastal defense treaty."

Lin Che knelt down and kowtowed: "I will do my best to serve you and live up to your majesty's trust!"

Zhu Yuanzhang helped Lin Che up and said, "I know you are not an ordinary person. From now on, you can go directly to the palace to report matters without the need for a messenger."

Liu Bowen smiled and nodded. Outside the window, the sky in the east was already turning pale, and a new day was about to begin.

Three days later, when Zhu Yuanzhang announced the decision to strengthen the coastal defense, there was an uproar in the court. The Minister of Finance was the first to object: "Your Majesty, the remnants of the Northern Yuan Dynasty have not been cleared, and the treasury is tight. It may be difficult to support the navy again!"

Zhu Yuanzhang said coldly: "Zhang Aiqing, I want to ask you, how much did Zhejiang Province lose to the Japanese pirates last year?"

The Minister of Revenue was stunned: "This is equivalent to about 300,000 taels of silver."

“What about the year before last?”

"About two hundred and fifty thousand taels."

Zhu Yuanzhang slammed the table and stood up: "Over the past ten years, the total amount has exceeded three million taels! If we had used this silver to build ships and train soldiers, why would we be passively attacked today?"

The court was in complete silence. Zhu Yuanzhang looked around at his officials and said, "I have made up my mind. Those who do not plan for eternity today are not qualified to plan for the present; those who do not plan for the overall situation are not qualified to plan for a region. The Japanese invasion concerns the safety of our country and cannot be neglected!"

After the court session, Zhu Yuanzhang summoned Lin Che alone in Wuying Hall. Inside the hall hung a huge map of the sea, on which the new garrison positions and naval deployments were marked.

"My dear Minister Lin, today in the court, I have used up all the majesty that I have accumulated over half my life." Zhu Yuanzhang made a rare joke.

Lin Che smiled: "Your Majesty is wise. I have drafted the detailed rules for the navy construction, please review them."

Zhu Yuanzhang took the memorial and read it carefully, which listed in detail the specifications of warships, naval training, coastal defense tactics, and even countermeasures against the unique weapons of the Japanese pirates.

"Is this Japanese sword really so sharp?" Zhu Yuanzhang asked, pointing to a description.

Lin Che nodded: "The Japanese swords are well-forged and can break ordinary swords. I suggest that our army be equipped with spears, shields and muskets to restrain the Japanese pirates' advantage in close combat."

As they were talking, the eunuch came to report: "Your Majesty, Ningbo Guards have an urgent report that the Japanese pirates are invading Zhoushan!"

Zhu Yuanzhang slammed the table and stood up: "Order Tang He to lead the army to help immediately!"

Lin Che said, "Your Majesty, wait a minute. I suspect this is a trick to lure the tiger away from the mountain. The Japanese pirates usually use the method of making a feint to the east and attacking in the west. We should strengthen the defense of Ningbo and Taizhou instead of rashly sending troops."

Zhu Yuanzhang pondered for a moment and accepted Lin Che's suggestion.

Sure enough, three days later, battle reports came that the main force of the Japanese pirates appeared along the coast of Taizhou, but they failed to succeed because the defenders were on high alert.

(End of this chapter)