Gou was a member of the imperial family in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 238 Self-examination
The war in Liaodong has caused Tianqi a lot of headaches, and it is still going on. Due to the previous actions of Xiong Tingbi and Wang Huazhen, all the territory east of Shanhaiguan was lost. The commander-in-chief Sun Chengzong did not launch a counterattack immediately after taking office.

Sun Chengzong had a clear assessment of the situation in Liaodong. He knew that the Ming Dynasty's military strength did not have the capital to engage in a decisive battle with the Later Jin. The only way to recover the lost territory was to advance steadily, using the Ming Dynasty's strong foundation and population base to continuously oppress the Later Jin, adopt a step-by-step tactic, and use the strategy of fortress advancement to suppress the Later Jin's living space, thereby forcing the Later Jin army and the Ming army to fight a fortress attack and defense battle.

There was absolutely no problem with Sun Chengzong's tactics. After all, after the Battle of Sarhu, the Ming army suffered two more disastrous defeats in Liaodong. The second defeat in particular led to the annihilation of the two most offensive units of the Ming army - the Qi Family Army and the White Spear Army.

Without these two strong armies, the Ming army would definitely not be able to defeat the Later Jin army in a field battle. However, the Ming army was not without advantages. The biggest advantage of the Ming army was its advantage in defense and firearms. Although it could not win a field battle, it was still capable of a defensive battle. Therefore, this tactic was used to continuously build fortresses (cities), steadily advance, establish a defense line to force the opponent to fight an offensive and defensive battle, and use the cover of fortresses and cities to fight the Later Jin. Even if they could not win, they could hold the front line, while consuming the Later Jin's manpower, step by step forcing the Later Jin to eventually transfer the initiative to the Ming army.

Out of trust in Sun Chengzong, Emperor Tianqi gave his teacher great power. Now the Guanningjin Defense Line designed by Sun Chengzong has gradually taken shape. Although the Ming Dynasty suffered losses in several battles, the losses were not large. With the construction of the defense line, the situation will gradually improve in the future.

Under such circumstances, Emperor Tianqi was slightly relieved and more resolute to use his teacher Sun Chengzong to supervise Liaodong. But at this time, something happened in the south again, and it was such a big thing that made Tianqi very angry.

Speaking of the Dutch, this was not the first time that the Ming Dynasty had dealt with them. As early as the Wanli period, the Dutch had been eyeing the Ming Dynasty's territory, intending to seize it by force and force the Ming Dynasty to open up trade, thereby monopolizing the Far East trade.

At that time, the Ming Dynasty had just won the Korean War, and the national strength of the Ming Dynasty was still very strong. After the Dutch seized Penghu, the Ming Dynasty reacted quickly. At that time, the Fujian Governor Xu Xueju used courtesy before force to ask the Dutch to withdraw from Penghu, but the Dutch ignored him and became aggressive instead.

When Xu Xueju saw the Dutch's reply, he was furious and ordered the famous naval commander Shen Yourong to quickly mobilize warships for "armed negotiations." After receiving the order, Shen Yourong led fifty warships and more than 2,000 soldiers to Penghu and directly suppressed the Dutch with force.

At first, the Dutch planned to use force to suppress Shen Yourong into submission, but when they saw the overwhelming warships of the Ming Dynasty, they instantly softened. After comparing the military strength of both sides, the Dutch did not even have the courage to start a war. They withdrew from Penghu in disgrace and ran away without looking back. In fact, the two sides did not actually go to war in this conflict. The Ming Dynasty simply suppressed and won without fighting with its absolute military advantage.

But this time was different. The Dutch were clearly well prepared. They not only occupied Penghu and built forts there, but also sent warships to attack the ports of Ming Dynasty. Their intention was very obvious, which was to get back the face they had lost. Not only that, they also brazenly proposed such conditions, which was like treating Ming Dynasty as a soft persimmon to be squeezed.

"The red-haired barbarians bully our Great Ming and no one speaks out?" Emperor Tianqi gritted his teeth and cursed. These years have been really unlucky. Liaodong has not been dealt with yet, and the Dutch have appeared again? Could it be that such a great country has become a soft egg that everyone can bully at will? Where does this put him as an emperor? When did the Great Ming allow others to bully and humiliate it?

"Your Majesty is right!" Ye Xianggao said sternly, "The red-haired barbarians came prepared this time and took the initiative to stir up trouble. If we don't teach them a lesson, where will our Ming Dynasty be?"

"Sir, that's a good point!" Emperor Tianqi's expression eased a little, and he asked, "How does Nan Juyi plan to deal with this matter? What is the cabinet's opinion?"

"Your Majesty, Nan Juyi is naturally in favor of war, but he also has his concerns. After all, the coastal defense of the Ming Dynasty has been abandoned for many years, and there is no suitable candidate for a general who is good at naval warfare in the court. In addition, the red-haired barbarians have strong ships and powerful guns. According to Nan Juyi, the size of one of their warships is comparable to ten of our Ming Dynasty warships. The ships are equipped with countless huge guns, which are not comparable to our Ming Dynasty warships. If a fight breaks out, it may be difficult to drive them away in a short time. Nan Juyi's idea is to reorganize the troops and build ships to fight, while using strategies to deal with the red-haired barbarians. If the strategy succeeds, perhaps the red-haired barbarians can be driven away at a very small cost..."

Without waiting for Ye Xianggao to finish his words, Emperor Tianqi asked Nan Juyi what strategy he planned to use. Ye Xianggao answered the emperor's question. Emperor Tianqi frowned after hearing it. He did not expect that Nan Juyi would come up with the Hongmen Banquet method to deal with it. Is this method really effective?

"Sir, do you think this plan is feasible?"

"This... According to Nan Juyi, the warships of the red-haired barbarians are huge, and there is little chance of winning. Although this plan is ordinary, I think it may be worth a try. Even if it fails, don't we still have to fight later? But what if it succeeds?"

Emperor Tianqi nodded slightly. This made sense. He then asked, "What about the cabinet? Do they agree with Nan Juyi's idea?"

"Your Majesty, I am here to see you on behalf of the Cabinet. Fujian must be defended and the red-haired foreigners must be expelled. Otherwise, how can the Ming Dynasty survive?"

"Good!" Emperor Tianqi raised his hand and patted the armrest, then stood up and said, "In this case, let the cabinet issue an order and let Fujian Governor Nan Juyi handle this war with full authority. I don't care what he does, this war must be won, and the dignity of our Ming Dynasty must not be humiliated. After winning this war and driving out the red-haired barbarians, Nan Juyi will be rewarded handsomely!"

"Your Majesty is wise!" Ye Xianggao quickly stood up and saluted the emperor, shouting "Long live the emperor!"

Emperor Tianqi nodded slightly, then turned to Wei Zhongxian and said, "Wei Banban, you are responsible for approving this matter from the cabinet. Please cooperate as much as possible and do not delay important matters."

"I understand." Wei Zhongxian quickly agreed. Seeing that the matter had been discussed, Ye Xianggao was relieved and was about to say goodbye to the emperor, but the Emperor Tianqi remembered something and kept him.

Just when Ye Xianggao was wondering why Emperor Tianqi wanted to keep him here, Emperor Tianqi signaled Wei Zhongxian. Wei Zhongxian nodded in understanding, went to the side to get something and handed it to Ye Xianggao.

"Your Majesty, this is...?"

"Sir, please take a closer look." Emperor Tianqi did not say it clearly, but said slowly.

Ye Xianggao took it doubtfully in his hand, then opened it and took a closer look. After a few glances, his eyelids twitched slightly and his expression became solemn.

As expected of a man who had served as Prime Minister for the second time, Ye Xianggao's shrewdness was incomparable to that of ordinary people. He did not change much, and judging from his expression, he was just a little solemn, but nothing else could be seen.

After a while, Ye Xianggao read it carefully, handed it back to Wei Zhongxian, and stood up to salute Emperor Tianqi: "Your Majesty, I didn't know about this. As the Prime Minister, I am not to blame for this incident. I..."

"Okay, okay... Sir, you don't have to be like this." Emperor Tianqi was very generous and waved his hand, saying, "Sir, you are the Prime Minister, but you lead the cabinet to deal with national affairs. It is normal for you not to know such a small matter. Besides, there are countless officials in the court. Even if you are the Prime Minister, you can't know the ins and outs of them. This matter cannot be blamed on you."

"But since this matter has already happened, I would like to ask you, sir, how to deal with this matter? Do you have any ideas?"

Ye Xianggao thought for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, I was shocked when I heard about this, but I don't know whether it is true or not. Since it involves court officials, I think it is better to act cautiously. I suggest sending someone to verify this matter. If it is true, it will be dealt with according to the law. If it is just a rumor, it can also clear the person's name."

"Lord Ye, do you mean that these are all fake?" Wei Zhongxian asked with a smile.

"Eunuch Wei, what are you talking about? I just said to check carefully. It can't be true or false. You can't punish court officials just because of some rumors, right? Moreover, it is impossible to confirm where this news came from. Eunuch Wei, the court has its own rules for punishment. What do you think?"

"You..." Wei Zhongxian was suffocated by Ye Xianggao's words. Ye Xianggao's implicit meaning was that Wei Zhongxian was just a eunuch serving the emperor, how could he know how to investigate a case. Besides, this matter was not reported by the Third Judicial Department, nor was it impeached by the Imperial Censor. It was a weird thing with no evidence. Maybe it was made up by you, Wei Zhongxian, the East Factory.

How can it count without real evidence and without going through normal procedures? Since when did the East Factory have the right to report rumors? Can the things you produced by the East Factory be used as evidence? It's simply a joke. The court has its own rules. Don't you, Wei Zhongxian, understand?
"Sir, what you said is very true." Without waiting for Wei Zhongxian to refute, the Emperor Tianqi took over the conversation and said, "Since you said so, I also think it makes sense. We can't just say that there is a crime and then there is a crime. Otherwise, where would the three judicial departments be? Your opinion is also my opinion. It is better to investigate this matter. So let's hand it over to you and let the three judicial departments help investigate it thoroughly. How about it?"

Ye Xianggao lowered his head slightly, his left eyelid twitching violently, but his tone remained calm: "Your Majesty is right. This matter should indeed be investigated carefully to prevent the court officials from being framed. If the evidence is conclusive, it will naturally be dealt with according to the king's law to rectify the government."

Emperor Tianqi seemed very satisfied with this answer and nodded immediately, saying, "Then I'll leave it to you, sir. Thank you for your hard work."

Ye Xianggao quickly returned the greeting, saying that he dared not, and then Emperor Tianqi indicated that there was nothing else to do and he could go back. After Ye Xianggao saluted, he left the Qianqing Palace. After leaving the palace, Ye Xianggao frowned and paused for a moment, but he quickly returned to normal and walked quickly towards the cabinet.

After Ye Xianggao left, Wei Zhongxian couldn't help but look in the direction where Ye Xianggao left. When Ye Xianggao's figure completely disappeared outside, he whispered to the Emperor Tianqi why he dealt with it in this way. In Wei Zhongxian's view, he had already grasped the handle of the Donglin Party, and he should have pursued it relentlessly. Why did he leave this matter to Ye Xianggao?

Everyone in the world knows that Ye Xianggao is the leader of the Donglin Party. If Ye Xianggao is asked to handle the case of Donglin Party and businessmen colluding to smuggle, what will be the result? Just think about it and you know that in the end, either there will be no evidence or it will be left unresolved. It is a pity to give up such a good opportunity.

Emperor Tianqi smiled but did not explain. Although Wei Zhongxian was loyal, he was a straightforward person. How could he understand the mystery of his arrangement? On the surface, this matter was destined to end in failure, but the problem was that since Ye Xianggao had taken over the matter, he would not be able to tolerate the subsequent development. Tianqi had other plans. He never thought that he could make the Donglin Party submit by relying on this matter. The reason why Emperor Tianqi did this was that he had other intentions and just used this matter as an introduction.

(End of this chapter)