Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

"How many people have written up operational plans and are competing for the position of commander-in-chief against Japan?"

At the Privy Council meeting, Zhu Youjian inquired.

According to the system he established, the commander-in-chief needs to volunteer and propose a battle plan.

The Privy Council General Staff conducted an assessment, and the Emperor held a meeting to select the candidates.

Yuan Keli, who was in charge of the Privy Council, replied:
“Man Gui, Mao Wenlong, Yu Zigao, and Hong Chengchou all wrote battle plans.”

"Minister Yang will answer the specific questions regarding the evaluation of the proposed plan."

Yang Sichang introduced each person's proposal and commented:
"General Man's plan is somewhat similar to Li Rusong's, or similar to the former Yuan dynasty."

"They all used the navy to transport elite cavalry, heading straight for the Japanese capital."

"This plan is too risky; even the staff officers don't recommend it."

Zhu Youjian and his ministers all nodded in agreement.

The former Yuan dynasty's plan was too risky, and they were also worried that the campaign against Japan would fail.

Man Gui proposed this plan probably because he was currently busy establishing his own fiefdom, and competing for the position of commander-in-chief was just a formality to demonstrate his status as the number one military general.

Then Mao Wenlong, Yang Sichang said:
"General Mao's plan is more feasible, but it takes a bit longer."

"He suggested sending small groups of elite troops to harass the shogunate, keeping it busy, and then, like the Jurchens, gathering the main force for a decisive battle."

"With the current fighting strength of the Ming army, defeating the Shogunate is no problem at all."

Zhu Youjian also believed this, but the plan seemed too stingy.

Zhu Youjian wanted not only to win battles, but also to demonstrate the power of the Ming Dynasty and restore the tributary order.

He asked Yang Sichang to continue, and Yang Sichang said:

"General Yu's plan is inherited from his ancestor Yu Dayou."

"It is recommended to form a rapid naval fleet to clear out Japanese coastal strongholds and burn Japanese ships."

“We should learn from Zheng He’s voyages to the East, using massive ships and heavy troops to intimidate and force Japan to submit.”

"Your subject and the Ministry of the Navy both believe that this plan is very feasible, and General Yu can be the commander-in-chief of the naval forces."

This plan fully demonstrated the importance of sea power, and Zhu Youjian was very satisfied with it.

However, he wanted more than just to subdue Japan; he also wanted to distribute the Prince of Fu and others to these regions, so it was impossible for him not to send troops.

Therefore, Yu Zigao could only serve as the commander-in-chief of the navy, rather than being responsible for the overall situation.
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Regarding Hong Chengchou's final proposal, Yang Sichang commented:

“Governor Hong’s plan is extremely bold. Please forgive me, Your Majesty, otherwise I would not dare to speak out.”

Zhu Youjian, filled with curiosity, smiled and said:
"He dares to write it, but you don't dare to speak up?"

"Speak freely! Let's speak our minds in the court."

Yang Sichang then said:
"Governor-General Hong believed that Japan should be treated with both kindness and force."

"Using the imperial fleet as a deterrent and sending troops to Japan is a show of power. Marrying a Japanese noblewoman is an act of grace."

"The current Japanese emperor is a woman. Her father abdicated in anger over the Kasuga Incident and passed the throne to his daughter, Okiko."

"Xingzi's mother was the daughter of the previous shogun, Tokugawa Hidetada, and the younger sister of the current shogun, Tokugawa Iemitsu."

"If Your Majesty takes this woman as a concubine, the Emperor and the Shogunate will become relatives of the emperor."

“In the future, his sons may be appointed as emperors.”

This scheme of substituting one thing for another greatly broadened Zhu Youjian's horizons.

As expected of Hong Chengchou, he came up with such a brilliant plan.

He was still interested in marrying a Japanese emperor, but the ministers in the court thought it was against propriety.

Even Yuan Keli said:

"Your Majesty should govern the vassal states with righteous and just authority, not with such tricks."

"Moreover, the Emperor's name is usurped; should it still be preserved?"

The Grand Secretaries and Nine Ministers who were observing the proceedings strongly opposed it.

Some even suggested dismissing Hong Chengchou and replacing him with a different minister stationed in Korea.

Zhu Youjian would certainly not make such a last-minute change of general. Listening to the ministers' accusations against Hong Chengchou, he said:
“Hong Chengchou’s plan was indeed somewhat absurd.”

"But its strategic thinking is the most superior."

"What kind of country is Japan? Have you ever thought about that?"

"That's a large country with a population of over 20 million, and its national strength is more than one-tenth that of the Ming Dynasty."

"For a country like this, we must use all our strength to conquer it."

"And after winning, we must also consider the long term."

"The lessons learned from the Yongle Emperor's campaign against Annam are still fresh in our minds; we must give this much more thought."

When the Ming Dynasty conquered Annam, it was a large country whose national strength exceeded one-tenth of that of the Ming Dynasty.

Victory was achieved, but then they got bogged down in a quagmire.

Zhu Youjian absolutely did not want the conquest of Japan to turn out this way; he hoped that Japan would enjoy long-term peace and stability under the rule of the Ming Dynasty.

If a stable emperor is needed at that time, he would not mind having his own son inherit the throne.

Of course, the name can be changed, for example, the Grand Priest of the Imperial Palace.

He addressed his ministers:

"The Emperor of Japan is now actually a clergyman, similar to the Pope as previously translated."

"The Emperor's actual power was far less than that of the Shogun. He didn't even have the power to bestow purple robes upon monks, and he was suppressed in terms of divine authority."

"If the shogunate submits during this campaign against Japan, I can still be granted the title of king."

"The Imperial Family can be granted the title of Duke, existing as a ducal family similar to the Duke of Yansheng."

"In the future, the Grand Priest of the Imperial Palace can be made a hereditary position within the Imperial Family, serving as the leader of Shintoism. The City God Bureau will dispatch officials to preside over the Imperial Household Agency, overseeing the affairs of the Imperial Palace and managing its communication with the outside world."

"Shintoism should be reformed according to the orthodox Shinto sect, as a branch of the City God Sect and Taoism overseas."

"To stabilize Japan, Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, and other religious sects such as Nestorianism all need to work together."

"In the future, Japan's religions cannot be dominated by a single entity."

This is a long-term solution for stability and security; Zhu Youjian intends to have the Datong Academy establish a research project.

The imperial court's main tools for influencing religious thought were the City God Bureau and the Datong Temple.

Such a far-sighted plan prompted deep reflection among the court officials:
They all recognized that the emperor was serious about conquering Japan and intended to take it completely.

For this goal, what's a marriage to a female emperor? Perhaps the emperor would be quite willing to have one branch of his descendants inherit a title similar to that of the Duke Yansheng.

The Duke Yansheng of the Ming Dynasty was not very well-behaved in the past; he even once boasted that he was more noble than the royal family.

The emperor's decision to allow one branch of his descendants to inherit the title of Duke of Tianhuang, and to explicitly state that this position was similar to that of Duke Yansheng, was a slap in the face to the Confucius family.

Considering the struggle over the orthodox lineage, many officials fell silent.

Such an important matter is not something they can participate in.
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Soon, after the emperor affirmed Hong Chengchou's strategy, the head of the committee for dealing with the enemy on the Japanese front was appointed:
Hong Chengchou, as the resident minister in Korea, held the imperial sword and served as the commander-in-chief of the expedition against Japan.

Yu Zigao was responsible for assisting, serving as the head coach of the naval route.

Mao Wenlong was also appointed as the commander-in-chief of the land forces.

However, in the early stages, this force was only responsible for harassment, and later, depending on the situation, a decision would be made on whether to send out a large-scale main force for a decisive battle.

This strategy also suits the alliance of many nobles, who can send troops to harass Japan on their own.

The imperial court still prioritized Zheng He's voyages to the East, hoping to subdue Japan without a fight and force it to pay tribute and become a vassal state.

However, Zhu Youjian was not optimistic about this, because the Ming Dynasty's expedition against Japan would require the allocation of land to the nobles who had been granted fiefdoms.

Even if the shogunate submitted, the feudal lords in various regions were not so easily subdued, and they were even less willing to be relocated overseas by the Ming Dynasty.

The war could potentially drag on for a long time, which was one of the reasons he considered marrying the Emperor.

He used the Emperor to appease the people and win over more Japanese elites.

Of course, the most important thing was the performance on the battlefield. Zhu Youjian demanded that the navy's strength be concentrated and that the navy first gain control of the sea.

He wanted to make the conquest of Japan a model, showing the world how to conquer a country with sea power and leading the Ming Dynasty into the age of maritime power. (End of Chapter)