The Ming Dynasty's Five Hundred Years

Chapter 323 Court Discussion
In the Fengtian Hall, the officials held a court discussion.

On the left sat the Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet and the Ministers of various ministries related to military affairs and logistics, while on the right sat a group of dukes, marquises, and generals from the three major camps.

The atmosphere in the hall was quite strange.

The fact that the emperor, who had just assumed power, was planning to wage war against Luchuan was unsettling and suspicious.

"The current approach of the imperial court to deal with Luchuan is to rely on the Duke of Qian's mansion, as well as the Prince of Min, the Prince of Shu, and the Prince of Chu, to carry out a long-term campaign of attacks without resorting to large-scale warfare, keeping Luchuan in a state of constant struggle until it finally submits."

As the Grand Secretary, Li Xianmu explained his tactics for dealing with Luchuan to the Emperor.

Li Xianmu's method was actually very simple: cut off the supply channels for production materials between Daming and Luchuan, forcing Luchuan to produce and consume them on its own, somewhat like economic sanctions in later times.

That wasn't all. Instead of launching a large-scale attack, Li Xianmu used elite troops to destroy the production bases of the Luchuan rebels. He blocked the water upstream, poisoned the upstream areas, and set fire to the mountains. These were the most basic measures. He also sprinkled poisoned soil on the fields hidden in the gullies. He destroyed a portion of the land each year, and as the population that the rebels could support gradually decreased, internal strife naturally arose. In this way, he slowly wore them down.

This was essentially a decades-long genocide, seemingly gentle and weak, but far more powerful than any of those exaggerated claims of "wiping out the entire nation."

Zhu Qizhen naturally didn't understand the intricacies of the matter, and Li Xianmu couldn't possibly reveal the poisoning plot so openly.

After all, he wasn't a ruthless strategist like Chen Ping or Jia Xu, so such a reputation wasn't good.

After listening to Li Xianmu's words, Zhu Qizhen immediately asked, "Prime Minister, Luchuan is just a small place with a population of only a few hundred thousand and an army of only tens of thousands. Compared with my Great Ming, it is like a firefly competing with the bright moon. As long as my Great Ming army arrives, it will surely be wiped out, just like Annam in the past. Why has it not been wiped out for so many years?"

His words carried a clear sense of skepticism.

The others in the hall seemed to be deep in thought, and they could all see the warlike spirit surging in the emperor's chest, as well as his eagerness to make a name for himself.

The nobles and other officials were naturally quite pleased. Since the reign of Emperor Renzong, the court had not fought any major wars in the past ten years, and its focus had always been on domestic affairs, which made these generals very dissatisfied.

The young officers were very eager for merit.

Now that the young emperor has ascended the throne, and since he intends to accumulate prestige through military force, they must give him a push.

Li Xianmu glanced at the military officers, his eyes showing little emotion, but the officers felt a chill run down their spines and lowered their heads.

Li Xianmu was certainly not the kind of person who was extremely opposed to martial arts; he believed that only by emphasizing both literary and martial arts could one stand out in the world.

But military affairs must serve politics, not the purpose of generals fighting for personal gain.

For example, Emperor Wu of Han's early campaigns against the Xiongnu were necessary, but after the Battle of Mobei, there was no need to continue fighting them. Conquering the Western Regions was correct, but deliberately provoking trouble and fighting in the south was highly inappropriate.

What a great success.

If the national economy is already ruined, it would be a mistake to fight an unnecessary war.

Li Xianmu's idol in this regard was Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin. All wars were fought for political purposes. He avoided fighting if possible, and if a war was necessary, he would decide it in one decisive battle. Moreover, he was a master at minimizing the cost of war.

During the Zhenguan era, he fought so many wars that involved raids thousands of kilometers to conquer other countries, yet he still managed to create the Zhenguan Era of Prosperity within the country, with the population recovering significantly. He was a super emperor who could rival the second-best in the country, truly deserving of the title.

"Your Majesty, the situation in Luchuan is rather special. If Luchuan were a plain, I would have already ordered the imperial army to attack and raze it to the ground."

Annam was destroyed and incorporated into our Great Ming Dynasty because it had vast plains that could produce grain.

Furthermore, Annam's inclusion into the territory of our Great Ming Dynasty was achieved after several setbacks. It was only when I proposed transporting grain by sea, establishing a port in Annam, setting up a naval command, and establishing maritime garrisons that the Great Ming Dynasty no longer had to mobilize troops from the capital thousands of miles away each time, that we were able to control it.

Even so, the relatively stable areas under the control of our Great Ming are all near the coast. In the mountains of Annam, there are still a large number of native people who do not submit to the rule of our Great Ming.

Li Xianmu calmly explained the situation in Annam to Zhu Qizhen. Zhu Qizhen felt somewhat embarrassed and involuntarily looked at Wang Zhen.

Upon hearing Li Xianmu mention the Naval Commandery, the military officers and nobles opposite him became somewhat uneasy. This inevitably led to the fact that the Ming Dynasty currently had two military systems: the Five Military Commands and the Naval Commandery.

The relationship between the two is very unusual.

In terms of the composition of the troops, all the soldiers of the Naval Governor's Office were recruited from the south, such as Jiangnan, Fujian and Guangdong, which are areas where boats are used all year round, since many northerners are seasick.

As a result, many of the officers in the Naval Governor's Office over the past thirty years have been newly rich and powerful.

The core members of the Five Military Commissions were descendants of those who followed Zhu Di in the Jingnan Campaign, and most of them were from the capital or the northern provinces.

Thus, without anyone noticing, the Five Military Commands and the Naval Commands formed two largely unrelated bureaucratic systems.

The differences between them were far greater than the North-South rivalry among civil officials. At least for civil officials, they often considered not only the region but also the differences in their ideologies, such as the debate between Neo-Confucianism and Neo-Confucianism, or the debate between reform and conservatism.

The Naval Governorate attaches great importance to Annam. After all, any far-sighted person can see that if the Naval Governorate is to continue to develop, then the Ming Dynasty must pay more attention to the sea. In that case, Annam, as well as Possa Island further south, Japan, Ryukyu and other places, must be brought under control.

Annam is a prime example.

Now that Li Xianmu has affirmed the achievements of the Naval Commandery in this regard, the Five Armies Commandery feels somewhat uneasy. There are disputes between the two commands over many aspects, such as military expenditures. Fortunately, Li Xianmu also pointed out the shortcomings of the Naval Commandery, which made everyone in the Five Armies Commandery breathe a slight sigh of relief.

"The problem with Luchuan is not that the Ming Dynasty cannot win, but what will happen after it wins?"

That place is nestled among mountains, inhabited by unruly mountain people. The imperial army's journey there has been costly and fruitless. Your Majesty has not been there, but I can say with certainty that in those towering mountains, even a hundred thousand troops, let alone one hundred thousand, would be completely lost if the mountain people simply hid in the mountains.”

Upon hearing this, Zhu Qizhen angrily said, "Prime Minister, although I am young, I am not stupid. I have seen the results of the two previous campaigns against Luchuan. The imperial army has made considerable gains. Although those mountain people can hide in the mountains, the imperial army can still attack along the villages. The rebel leaders have also made considerable gains."

This shows that as long as the imperial court exerts its strength, it is entirely possible to completely eliminate all the leaders of the rebellion.

Looking at this scene from high above the blue sky, Li Qi shook his head helplessly. Zhu Qizhen was really too naive. He was truly ignorant yet confident. To conquer that wretched place, Luchuan, by military force was simply a pipe dream. In history, the Ming Dynasty fought for ten years, mobilizing a large amount of manpower and resources, and countless people died, but still could not quell the rebellion. In the end, they won by attrition and ended the war with an alliance.

Li Xianmu felt a headache coming on after hearing Zhu Qizhen's words. The world isn't afraid of those who don't understand; it's afraid of those who don't understand but think they do. "Your Majesty," Li Xianmu said, ultimately abandoning his attempt to explain Luchuan's terrain advantages and the court's disadvantages to Zhu Qizhen, and instead opting to simply scare him away.

"The Luchuan rebellion didn't even have a million people, how could it possibly need a million-strong army from the imperial court?" Zhu Qizhen was even angrier. "How could the Grand Secretary speak so carelessly in court?"

"Your Majesty should have heard of the Hangu Pass of the Qin Dynasty, where one man could hold the pass against ten thousand. With 100,000 men guarding the pass, the six states with a million men could not break through it. You should also know that there is the Jianmen Pass in Shu, which is a natural barrier."

Fortified cities, high mountains, and mighty rivers are natural barriers.

Although Luchuan is weak, it has the advantage of terrain. This advantage alone is equivalent to a million-strong army. Your Majesty, I urge you to exercise utmost caution.”

Zhu Qizhen said proudly, "As the saying goes, the right time is not as important as the right place, and the right place is not as important as the right people. Your Excellency is really overthinking things."

After saying these words, Zhu Qizhen felt a surge of satisfaction. Under heaven, who would dare to speak to Grand Secretary Li Xianmu like this? Only I would.

Once I overcome all opposition and achieve a great victory, my prestige will surely increase, proving that I am right, and the prime minister will surely submit to me!

Thinking this to himself, Zhu Qizhen almost burst out laughing.

"Your Majesty, our army's main focus is currently on defending against the Mongols and the Jurchens of Liaodong. Every year we have to monitor the situation on the grasslands and control the growth of the Mongol strength. We cannot spare any other energy to launch a large-scale campaign against Luchuan."

When one plan failed, Li Xianmu decided to try another. He still did not want the emperor to step into the pit of Luchuan, and it would only cause the Ming soldiers to bleed for nothing.

He believed that as long as he continued to deal with Luchuan in the way he was doing now, Luchuan would not be able to hold on for at least twenty or thirty years, or at most fifty years, until his son's generation.

Moreover, this inability to hold out is not a reluctant surrender, but rather a choice between either annihilating the entire clan with countless deaths and injuries, or completely deterring any further rebellion.

It can be said to be a solution that solves the problem once and for all.

Of course, Li Xianmu did not want things to come to that point. After all, if things really did come to that point, the population that the Ming Dynasty could support would be smaller when it ruled that area in the future, and it would take a long time to govern it.

Upon hearing Li Xianmu mention Mongolia, the nobles and civil officials, who had previously displayed unusual expressions, all became solemn.

From the founding of the Ming Dynasty until now, no one has forgotten that only the Mongols, who always wanted to restore the glory of the Yuan Dynasty, were the Ming Dynasty's greatest rival.

Currently, the Ming Dynasty's military budget is being spent on dealing with the Mongols. The Mongols in the eastern, northern, and western grasslands, as well as the Mongols in the far western regions, are all the Ming Dynasty's actual enemies.

In particular, it was common knowledge throughout the court that before Li Zhongwen passed away, he left a will stating that if one day the soldiers of the Ming Dynasty set foot on their homeland in the Western Regions and brought it back into the hands of the Han people, Li's descendants should come to his grave to offer sacrifices.

Over the years, Grand Secretary Li Xianmu has been actively making arrangements for the Northwest Military Guard, and many members of the Li family have also gone to the Northwest. Everyone knows that this is something Li Xianmu has been preparing for.

However, the Northwest today is no longer what it was during the Han and Tang dynasties. Its environment and population are no longer sufficient to support large-scale wars. Only by mobilizing the entire nation can we cross thousands of miles of desert and Gobi to fight our way back to the Pamir Mountains.

All of this was predicated on the Ming Dynasty first dealing with the threat posed to the capital by the Mongols from the north.

Zhu Qizhen also hesitated. Emperor Taizong had launched five campaigns against the Mongols, and the late emperor had also personally led a campaign against the Mongols. He was quite clear about and took the threat from the Mongols very seriously.

"The Mongols are no longer the mighty force of a million armored soldiers and archers they once were. Now they are just a tribe with tens of thousands of soldiers. Our Ming Dynasty has a million armored soldiers in the border towns. How could they not be a match for the Mongols?"
Conquering Luchuan only requires a tiny amount of troops to win, so how could it affect the fight against the Mongols?
The Grand Secretary is worrying far too much.

Wang Zhen suddenly interjected with a smile.

Li Xianmu suddenly turned around, about to reprimand him sternly.

But then Zhu Qizhen's strong voice rang out, "Mr. Wang is right."

The late emperor said that the Ming army of our Great Ming Dynasty is invincible in the world. Now, whether it is Mongolia or Luchuan, they are just small states that dare to provoke the majesty of our Great Ming Dynasty. I will definitely conquer them and let them know that the majesty of the emperor cannot be offended!

Luchuan is merely my first battle. After I pacify Luchuan, I will then conquer the Mongols and make my Great Ming Dynasty renowned throughout the world.

"My beloved ministers, I hope you will join me in making our Great Ming Dynasty as mighty as the sun and moon. Grand Secretary, you are the regent appointed by the late Emperor; surely you will not refuse my idea?"

Back in the tenth year of the Xuande reign, Li Xianmu and others had just become regents and had an opportunity to forcefully implement their policies.

Now that the emperor has just assumed power, the first thing he wants to do, as long as it's not too outrageous, is something even Li Xianmu can't refuse.

And the matter of Luchuan.

In reality, it's the kind of thing you can't refuse.

After all, the emperor wanted to do something, and it was something that was a sore point for the court at the moment. How could Li Xianmu stop him?

Those words of advice were just a bunch of speculations about the future. The emperor can listen to them or not, but it doesn't necessarily mean that the events will happen.

There are so many geniuses in the world, what if the emperor succeeds?
When Li Cunxu, the Zhuangzong Emperor of the Later Tang Dynasty, ascended the throne, who could have imagined that he would solve the problem that his father had never been able to solve in his entire life so quickly, and take control of three-quarters of the country?

What if the emperor is also such a genius and actually solves the problem of Luchuan?
Many people don't understand emperors, so naturally they would think that way.

But how could Li Xianmu not know the emperor's capabilities? This matter was bound to fall apart in his hands.

"Your Majesty, I still disagree in principle, but since Your Majesty insists on trying, I can only do my best to protect and support you. However, Your Majesty can only send a general, and must not personally lead the expedition!"

"Then it's a deal!"

Zhu Qizhen was beaming with pride, extremely satisfied with the outcome of the court meeting he convened during his first personal rule. Even Li Xianmu, a veteran minister who had served three emperors, had to agree!

Let's see who still says I'm young!
(End of this chapter)