Zhu Yuanzhang: My second son is invincible!

On the eighth day of the second month of the eleventh year of Hongwu (1388), there were still seven days until the scheduled departure date for the expedition.

The study in the Eastern Palace of Yingtian Prefecture.

Zhu Biao sat behind his desk, holding a secret letter that had just been sent back from Japan.

The letter was delivered by a golden-winged roc, and the bamboo tube tied to its leg still carried the dampness of the East China Sea.

The letter was written by Jiang Huan himself, and the handwriting was somewhat messy, indicating that he was in a hurry when he wrote it.

"Your subject Jiang Huan respectfully reports to Your Highness: On February 3rd, a conflict broke out between Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, the Shogun of the Muromachi Shogunate of Japan, and his nephew Ashikaga Mitsukane, the Kwantung Kubo.

The incident stemmed from the uneven distribution of cargo among the three Ming Dynasty merchant ships seized last year. Ashikaga Yoshimitsu wanted to take 70% of the cargo for himself, which Ashikaga Mitsukane resented. He then joined forces with the four guardians of Kanto to launch an attack.

Currently, both sides have tens of thousands of troops, Kyoto is under martial law, and war is imminent. In addition, the Western Guardian, Yoshihiro Ouchi, has secretly contacted me, expressing his willingness to act as an inside agent…”

After reading the letter, Zhu Biao placed it on the table and tapped his fingers lightly on the paper.

The night was deep outside the window, and only an oil lamp was lit in the study, casting a dim yellow light.

Lady Chang brought in ginseng tea and, seeing the situation, said softly, "Your Highness, it's time to rest."

Zhu Biao looked up and smiled at her: "You go to sleep first, I'll rest after I finish reading this."

Chang placed the tea on the table and glanced at the letter: "About Japan?"

"Yes, they started fighting amongst themselves." Zhu Biao picked up his teacup and took a sip; the tea was just the right temperature.

"Isn't that a good thing? Their internal strife makes it easier for us to fight," Chang said.

Zhu Biao shook his head and said, "Chaos is a good thing, but chaos too early may not be good. If chaos occurs after we land, we can take advantage of the situation."

"It's chaotic now. If they fight their way through and unify the country, it will be even more troublesome."

Chang seemed to understand, but didn't ask any more questions and quietly left the study.

Zhu Biao picked up the letter again, read it once more, and then took out a map of Japan from the drawer.

The map was drawn by the Embroidered Uniform Guard in the past six months. It is much more detailed than the old maps of the Ministry of War, and even the spheres of influence and troop deployments of the various guardian lords are marked.

He drew a circle with a vermilion pen around Kyoto, then around Kanto, and finally around Kyushu in the west.

"Ashikaga Yoshimitsu...Ashikaga Mitsukane...Ouchi Yoshihiro..."

Zhu Biao muttered to himself, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

He sat in his study until midnight and wrote three letters.

A letter was sent to Xu Da in Dengzhou, instructing him to closely monitor the movements of the Japanese and be prepared to launch an expedition ahead of schedule.

He sent a letter to Jiang Huan, urging him to continue stirring up trouble and, ideally, to intensify the civil war in Japan.

There was another letter... it was for Liu Bowen.

This retired official, who was already semi-retired, was incredibly shrewd and knew more about Japan than anyone else in the court.

After finishing the letter, Zhu Biao blew out the lamp and got up to return to his bedroom.

Chang was already asleep. Zhu Biao quietly lay down, but kept his eyes open, staring at the top of the tent.

He was thinking about something.

How should we approach dealing with Japan?

The Emperor's intention was clear: conquer the land, empty the silver mountains, enslave the men, distribute the women to the soldiers, and annex the land to the Ming Dynasty.

But Zhu Biao thought further ahead.

It is easy to destroy a country, but difficult to govern it. Goryeo was able to be pacified so quickly because Yi Seong-gye was unpopular, and the second prince's axe strike terrified everyone.

But Japan is different. It's an island nation with a fierce and rugged culture, and a belief system based on the so-called eight million gods...

"We need to come up with a long-term solution," Zhu Biao muttered to himself.

Chang turned over in her sleep and snuggled into his arms.

Zhu Biao embraced his wife and closed his eyes.

There's a grand court assembly tomorrow, so this matter needs to be discussed in court.

……

The next day, at the Fengtian Hall.

Civil and military officials lined up on both sides, with Zhu Yuanzhang sitting high on the dragon throne and Zhu Biao standing below the steps.

The Minister of War first reported on the preparations for the campaign against the Japanese pirates: three thousand warships had been assembled, five hundred thousand troops were ready to set off, and there were enough provisions and supplies to last for six months.

The Minister of Revenue then reported that the national treasury had allocated eight million taels of silver for this eastern expedition, but if the Iwami Silver Mine could be captured, the investment was expected to be recouped within a year.

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded repeatedly, saying, "Good! Good! Money that needs to be spent should be spent. Once the silver mountains are dug up, we'll earn it back many times over!"

After all the departments had finished their reports, Zhu Biao stepped forward.

"Father, I received a secret report from the Embroidered Uniform Guard last night that a rebellion has broken out in Japan. The Muromachi Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu and his nephew Ashikaga Mitsukane are at war with each other, and the situation in Kyoto is currently chaotic."

These words caused an uproar in the imperial court.

The generals' eyes lit up; internal strife within the enemy ranks presented a golden opportunity!

The civil officials were divided in their opinions, with some thinking they should seize the opportunity to send troops, while others thought they should wait and see.

Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand and said, "Quiet down! Biao'er, what do you think?"

Zhu Biao cupped his hands and said, "Your subject believes that this is a golden opportunity. With the Japanese in turmoil, the obstacles to our army's expedition have been greatly reduced, and we can achieve a swift victory."

but…"

He paused, then said, "Your Majesty, I have two plans for you to decide."

"explain!"

"The best strategy is to postpone the deployment of troops, let the internal strife in Japan intensify, and wait for both sides to be exhausted so that our army can reap the benefits. This strategy saves the most troops, but it takes a long time, and if one side wins quickly, the opportunity will be missed."

"The worst option is to launch an immediate attack, take advantage of the chaos to land, and sweep across Japan with overwhelming force. This strategy requires a quick battle and carries a high risk, but if successful, it can decide the fate of the country in one battle."

Zhu Yuanzhang stroked his chin and said, "Biao'er, which strategy do you favor?"

Zhu Biao raised his head, his eyes resolute: "Your subject chooses the inferior option."

"Oh? Why?"

"Because I trust my second brother. With the King of Wu here, no matter how chaotic the Japanese are or how many troops they have, it's all just a matter of an axe."

"If that's the case, why wait? Let's just attack directly," Zhu Biao said in a clear voice.

His face had an expression that said, "My second brother is invincible."

These words were spoken with such authority that they ignited the passion of the generals in the hall.

"The Crown Prince is right! With His Highness Prince Wu around, what's there to be afraid of!"

"Strike while the iron is hot! Take advantage of his weakness and kill him!"

On the civil official side, Li Shanchang stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I believe that the best and safest course of action is to attack Japan. Although Japan is in chaos, its foundation is still intact. If we attack rashly, we may be met with fierce resistance."

"Why not wait for them to kill each other..."

"Wait? Wait until when?"

Lan Yu couldn't help but interject, "Prime Minister Li, you scholars don't understand warfare. Opportunities are fleeting. Japan is in chaos right now. If we attack, they won't be able to attend to both ends."

Once they've finished fighting and recovered, it'll be much harder to fight them again!

The two sides started arguing.

As Zhu Yuanzhang listened, he suddenly looked at Liu Bowen, who had remained silent.

"Mr. Liu, what's your opinion?"

Liu Bowen currently holds the honorary title of Earl of Chengyi and rarely attends court; he was specially invited today.

He stepped forward; his hair and beard were all white, but his eyes remained sharp.

"Your Majesty, this old minister observed the celestial phenomena last night and saw a blood-red light shooting into the sky in the Fusang constellation, indicating that a great war will break out and will not last more than three months."

Three months later, the stars will be in their proper positions, and a new ruler may be born.

He paused and said, "In other words, the internal strife in Japan will last at most three months. After three months, one side will surely win. If we wait until then to send troops, we will be facing a unified Japan that has just finished a civil war and is in high spirits."