King Luhuang of the Ming Dynasty: My father, Ming Taizu

Zhu Tan's voice was a little cold and penetrated into everyone's ears.

Li Shanchang's expression suddenly changed, but he did not speak immediately. Instead, he looked up at the emperor.

Zhu Yuanzhang's face showed no joy or sadness, but his eyes were gleaming with brilliance and it was impossible to tell what he was thinking.

"His Highness Prince Lu's proposal is absolutely not feasible!"

Li Shanchang kowtowed and shouted: "Your Majesty, please think twice!"

"The East has existed for hundreds of years and has its own system. It is separated from the Ming Dynasty by the sea. If we attack it rashly, the gains will outweigh the losses!"

"Besides, the land of Japan is barren, so there is not much benefit even if we conquer this place."

"The hatred of losing their country will be remembered by the people of Japan. Even if our dynasty occupies their land, it will take a very long time to maintain long-term peace and stability!"

"His Majesty……"

"All right."

Li Shanchang shouted repeatedly, but Zhu Yuanzhang looked at him calmly and interrupted him softly: "Prince Lu only said one sentence, but you said so much."

"Why don't you listen to King Lu's plan?"

"His Majesty!"

Li Shanchang wanted to say something else, but saw Zhu Yuanzhang waving his hand gently, his face gloomy, and he dared not speak anymore.

"Prince Lu." Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Zhu Tan and asked in a deep voice, "You said you want to send troops to destroy Japan directly. What do you think?"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Tan said softly, "The divine soldiers will descend from the sky to attack the capital of Japan and capture its king!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang did not say anything, but Li Shanchang on the side spoke directly.

"King Lu's words are too ridiculous!"

"Japan is thousands of miles away from the Ming Dynasty, and there is the natural barrier of the East China Sea. How can a divine army descend from the sky?"

"King Lu, since you have a plan, have you ever thought about how many soldiers you will need to mobilize, how much money and food you will need, and how many civilians you will need to conscript!"

"The war with Goryeo has just ended, and there is a lot of work to be done. The Ming Dynasty has been at war for years, and the soldiers are exhausted. If we send troops to destroy another country, it will be a long and tiring expedition. Is the King of Lu sure that he will win?"

Li Shanchang's voice kept drilling into Zhu Tan's ears, making Zhu Tan very annoyed.

But he never looked at the other person from beginning to end, and his expression did not change at all.

He was absolutely sure of destroying Japan, but he didn't need to argue with the civil officials about these matters and had to listen to his father Zhu Yuanzhang.

"Your Majesty! Although the country is prosperous, it will fall if it loves war!"

Li Shanchang kowtowed, his voice already having a hint of mournfulness.

His acting skills were truly superb, and many people in the hall were moved.

Seeing that Zhu Yuanzhang did not express any opinion, many civil officials among the ministers stepped forward and knelt down to kowtow.

"Your Majesty, please think twice!"

"Warming the country with excessive military spending will do little good to our Ming Dynasty!"

"Your Majesty, this is a waste of money and effort, it is absolutely not a good thing, it must not be allowed!"

"Although Japan is a small country, it has millions of people. How can it be destroyed so easily?"

"His Majesty!"

All the civil officials kowtowed their heads and cried out in panic, as if the Ming Dynasty would be destroyed if they attacked Japan.

Seeing their behavior, the military officials in the hall frowned and felt angry.

Zhu Tan seemed to have become the target of public criticism. Tang He could no longer bear it and knelt down and kowtowed again.

"Your Majesty, I think what His Royal Highness Prince Lu proposed is feasible!"

As soon as these words were spoken, they immediately attracted the attention of all the civil officials. Their eyes were like knives stabbing at Tang He, and they all glared at him angrily.

Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes moved slightly and he turned to Tang He, who immediately spoke.

"Your Majesty, although the coastal defenses of the Ming Dynasty have been deployed, our coast stretches for thousands of miles, and there are countless places to land!"

"Although our border defense is strong, it cannot take care of the entire territory. The Japanese pirates frequently harass and land. The coastal defense officers and soldiers keep a close eye on them day and night, but there are still fish that slip through the net."

"Your Majesty, there is no such thing as guarding against thieves for a thousand days in this world!"

Tang He's words were actually quite subtle.

The Ming Dynasty has thousands of miles of coastline. No matter how many coastal defense forces there are, it is impossible to deploy them completely, and there will always be some that slip through the net.

It had become a routine for the Japanese pirates to come to the coast of the Ming Dynasty in an organized manner to plunder. They were very slippery and would immediately flee upon seeing the Ming army, and then choose to land somewhere else.

The memorial sent to Zhu Yuanzhang was bound to be one-sided, and the current situation would only be more serious than what was written in the memorial.

The Japanese pirates in Japan always have this kind of intention, and it is impossible to guard against them.

Zhu Yuanzhang knew this truth, so he did not refute Zhu Tan's words.

But as an emperor, he naturally has more to consider.

It is easy to say that we can cross the sea and destroy Japan, but war is not like treating someone to a dinner, it consumes national strength.

Therefore, Zhu Yuanzhang just listened quietly, weighing the pros and cons in his mind, and still did not speak until this moment.

Seeing that the emperor did not say anything, the civil officials immediately felt confident.

Li Shanchang looked at Tang He and shouted in a deep voice: "Xin Guogong is wrong!"

"The harassment by the Japanese pirates is only a minor matter. We can just divide and destroy them. Our Ming soldiers will die for us. We will kill as many of them as come!"

"If we kill too many of them, they will naturally not dare to come."

"Duke Xin is making such a big fuss about the Japanese pirates' disturbances. Is he trying to boost others' morale and destroy the prestige of the Ming Dynasty?"

Led by Li Shanchang, other civil officials immediately vented their firepower on Tang He.

"Duke Xin's words are too alarmist. It's just harassment by Japanese pirates. How can it be such a big deal?"

"Once your majesty's imperial edict is sent to Japan, the Japanese king will bow his head, restrain his subjects, and dare not harass the Ming Dynasty again!"

"The Japanese pirates came to the sea because they were so poor that they wanted to steal some money and food to fill their stomachs. They are no match for the soldiers of the Ming Dynasty!"

When Zhu Tan heard these words, he frowned slightly and became furious.

He turned to look at Li Shanchang and a group of civil officials and spoke softly.

"It's just stealing some money and food? That's easy to say."

"Japanese pirates frequently cause trouble, and it is the people living along the coast who die!"

"Since you think this matter is not a big deal, why don't you go to the coast and help the local people resist the Japanese pirates?"

Then Zhu Tan turned to Zhu Yuanzhang and said in a deep voice: "Father, ministers who make such remarks should be exiled to the coastal areas, so that they can experience the suffering of the people and know the harm of the Japanese pirates!"

"Why do you say that, Your Highness Prince Lu?"

"We are all ministers of the Ming Dynasty. Your Majesty has the final say on where we should go. It is not your highness Prince Lu's turn to worry about it!"

"The people in the coastal areas are under the jurisdiction of local officials!"

Zhu Tan's words seemed to have stepped on a hornet's nest. The civil officials below immediately swarmed over and kept buzzing.

His words directly touched the sore spot of these people. It is one thing to speak brazenly in the court, but it is another thing to be in the situation in person.

When the Japanese pirates were robbing, they didn't care whether the people they killed were officials of the Ming Dynasty.

Facing the civil officials who were attacking him, Zhu Tan's expression remained unchanged, but there was a hint of contempt in his eyes.

These people are making a lot of noise now, but once they are transferred to the front line, they will definitely become quails in seconds.

"His Majesty!"

At this time, Li Shanchang kowtowed again and said urgently: "Sending troops to Japan is absolutely not allowed!"

"Your Majesty! Think again!"

"Think twice, Your Majesty!"

All the ministers kowtowed one after another. At this time, all the military officials came out and knelt behind Tang He and Zhu Tan. Although they did not speak, the fighting spirit in their eyes said it all.

The Ming Dynasty was founded on military power. When will it be the turn of these civil officials to make noise in military and national affairs?

The court was in a tit-for-tat situation. Zhu Yuanzhang's expression changed. He looked at Zhu Tan and asked in a deep voice.

"Lord Lu, do you have any specific terms?"

"Have!"

Zhu Tan immediately spoke up and said in a deep voice: "My Great Ming has ironclad warships, and we can attack Huanglong directly. There is no need to start a war to destroy Japan!" "After we destroy the capital of Japan and capture its king, we can command the entire territory."

"When the time comes, our army will be assembled and we can wipe out Japan in one fell swoop and put an end to the trouble forever!"

When talking about ironclad ships, Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes flashed and he nodded slightly.

In the previous battle against Goryeo, the Ming Dynasty was able to conquer the entire Goryeo territory without any effort because of the powerful ironclad ships.

This method is feasible for Goryeo, and it is also feasible for Japan.

"How many ironclad warships are there now?"

"Reporting to Father, we have built ten ships. Five ships are enough to destroy Japan!"

Seeing the emperor's expression, the officials immediately understood what he meant. Li Shanchang shouted again: "Your Majesty, please think twice!"

"Although the ironclad ships are powerful, there are too few of them! The capital of Japan is remote and there are many armored soldiers. We cannot take it lightly!"

"His Majesty!"

"All right!"

Zhu Yuanzhang was also annoyed by the shouting of these civil officials. He frowned and looked at Li Shanchang and asked in a deep voice.

"You said you don't want to fight, then tell me, the coast of Ming Dynasty is thousands of miles long, how can you prevent the Japanese pirates from landing and harassing the people of Ming Dynasty?!"

"If you have a solution, tell me now!"

"My lord, my lord..."

Zhu Yuanzhang's words left Li Shanchang speechless. He was opposing just for the sake of opposing, so how could he have any strategy to resist the Japanese pirates?

Moreover, although many of the civil officials in the court had come from troubled times, only a few of them had actually been on the battlefield and were in charge of military affairs.

It's okay to ask them to organize logistics and govern the people, but they really have no way to deal with these messy military affairs.

"Since you can't do anything, then shut up!"

After saying this to Li Shanchang, Zhu Yuanzhang glanced at his ministers and then said in a deep voice.

"deliver an imperial order!"

"Send my order to Japan, reprimand the King of Japan, and order him to restrain his subjects, and see what happens next!"

"Also, order Prince of Lu Zhu Tan and Duke of Xin Tang He to mobilize troops and prepare food and fodder to prepare to send troops to Japan!"

"My son obeys the order!"

"The minister obeys the order!"

The emperor's words were spoken, and the order had already been issued. Even if Li Shanchang and other civil servants were upset, they could only hold it in and dared not say a word more.

From beginning to end, Crown Prince Zhu Biao did not utter a word. After hearing the imperial edict, he couldn't help but narrow his eyes slightly, and his gaze fell lightly on Zhu Tan, as if thinking about something.

After the court meeting, the imperial study.

"What are your chances of success if you send troops to Japan?"

Zhu Yuanzhang sat on the couch, looking at Zhu Tan in front of him calmly, and asked softly, "How many soldiers do you need?"

"If the Liaodong Military Command sends out troops, tens of thousands of elite soldiers will be enough."

Zhu Tan said softly, "Father, I want to use armored warships to clear the way, bombard the city with artillery, and then send the army to capture the capital of Japan in one fell swoop."

"I am 90% confident of this battle!"

Hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang narrowed his eyes and remained silent.

He has been fighting all his life, and even when things were going well, he did not have a 70% chance of winning.

Now Zhu Tan said that he was 90% sure, but he had to consider it carefully.

"The Liaodong Military Command is used to guard against the northern barbarians. We cannot leave all of them to you to deploy."

After a long while, Zhu Yuanzhang finally said, "You can transfer troops from Shandong Dusi. I will give you 40,000."

"You can choose the generals who will accompany the army."

"Thank you, Father!"

"Don't be too hasty to thank me yet."

Zhu Yuanzhang said again: "Old Ten, you should know what will happen if we lose this battle."

Hearing this, Zhu Tan smiled gently and said, "Don't worry, Father. If you can't win, I'll let you handle it."

Of course he knew what would happen if he lost. Without Zhu Yuanzhang saying anything, those civil officials would tear him apart.

Not only did he know this, he also knew that the situation in the court was deliberately created by his father Zhu Yuanzhang.

Zhu Tan was a prince, not a crown prince. Zhu Yuanzhang would never allow his family to dominate the country alone, so he would always create a few political enemies for him in the court to balance the overall situation.

This can be seen from the fact that Zhu Yuanzhang only refuted Li Shanchang but did not say anything harsh.

However, Zhu Tan was not worried about this at all. He had never thought of becoming the emperor of the Ming Dynasty. This was fine for the moment.

Moreover, everything he did was for the Ming Dynasty, and he had a clear conscience.

"As long as you know."

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Zhu Tan, a smile appeared on his face, and said, "Since you are going to use force against Japan, you are allowed to leave Beijing at any time."

"Okay, you go down."

"Yes."

Zhu Tan bowed and retreated, and before leaving, he made a face at Zhu Biao.

His behavior made Zhu Biao feel a little amused and helpless.

After Zhu Tan left, Zhu Yuanzhang leaned on the couch and asked softly.

"Biao'er, what do you think?"

Zhu Biao heard this and said softly, "Father, the Ming army is at its peak, and Japan has repeatedly provoked and harassed our borders. We must teach them a lesson."

"Those Japanese are brutal and greedy by nature. If they gain power one day, it will not be just harassment."

Hearing Zhu Biao's words, Zhu Yuanzhang smiled lightly and asked, "So what do you think is the chance of success for Lao Shi going on this expedition?"

Zhu Biao thought for a moment and smiled, "Your tenth brother may seem to be unrestrained in doing things, but he has his own rules. I think you will win."

"Must win."

Zhu Yuanzhang closed his eyes slightly and sighed: "After this battle, you should go to Liaodong and take a look at the shipyard there."

Zhu Biao's expression changed slightly, and he bowed and said, "Your son obeys your order."

……

Noon, Prince Lu's Palace.

"Your Highness is going to go to war again?"

When Princess Lu heard Zhu Tan's words, she was surprised at first, then looked resentful and hesitated to speak.

"It won't take long this time."

Zhu Tan held the princess's hand and smiled softly, "Those Japanese bully the weak and fear the strong. Once my Daimyoji's soldiers arrive, they will surely flee."

"I'll be back after we destroy their capital."

"You've only been back a few days."

Princess Lu leaned closer to Zhu Tan, gently held his arm, and whispered, "Now, I don't know how long I won't be able to see you again."

As she spoke, Princess Lu gently moved her hand downwards and placed it on her lower abdomen. Zhu Tan immediately knew what she meant and laughed.

"If you are afraid of loneliness, then give birth to a bunch of children to keep you company."

Zhu Tan took his wife into his arms and whispered in her ear, "I'm afraid you'll have a child and forget your husband!"

"oops!"

Princess Lu's face was as bright as sunset. She leaned into Zhu Tan's arms and whispered, "Child, how can we count by nest?"

Listening to his wife's whispers, Zhu Tan felt a surge of blood and immediately wanted to turn over.

At this moment, a disappointing voice came from outside the door.

"Your Highness, Duke Xin requests to see you."

It's the middle of the day, are you still going to let me do my job? (End of this chapter)