Volume 2: Soaring! The Overlord of the Region Chapter 301 East or South
"Your Highness, the Nguyen family of Annan reported that in January this year, the Siamese army entered the Mekong Delta. The three thousand Nguyen family defenders stationed there according to our suggestion were instantly reduced to dust..."
"Your Highness, the Yunnan Provincial Administration reported that since Sichuan General Ma Chengzhao led his troops to complete the exchange of defense with Kunming Town, they have only come into contact with the Siamese army that invaded Myanmar once, and neither side fought. The entire front line is very quiet. Now, Marshal Ma has led his troops to retreat into Mubang. The remaining Burmese troops have all turned to the south of the country to suppress the rebellion of the Mon people in the country. The Siamese troops stationed at the strategic point at the junction of Myanmar and Siam also held their posts tightly and did not make any moves..."
"The Liaodong Governor and the King of Korea have both reported that recently, we have heard that the daimyo in Japan have frequently mobilized their troops. The new shogun, Tokugawa Yoshinao, has mobilized civilians to rebuild Nagoya Castle (the headquarters of Toyotomi Hideyoshi during his invasion of Korea). Their evil intentions are obvious. The Liaodong Governor has ordered the Liaodong Town to begin making corresponding preparations."
"The envoy we sent to Zhenla in accordance with your Highness's order last October has not returned yet..."
"The envoy we sent to Johor last year has not returned yet..."
Listening to the reports from his subordinates, Zhu Youdong's face became extremely gloomy.
It seems that the time travelers from Japan and Thailand have completed the negotiations on specific steps and have begun to work together.
Alas, it’s a pity that I’m not ready yet.
"Grand Minister, how many new ships do we have at Changsha Shipyard now?"
"Since we received your Highness's order last October, we have sent a large number of craftsmen to Suzhou Prefecture. Together with the original workers at Changsha Shipyard, we have begun large-scale shipbuilding. If four months have passed, fifteen Jinling-class ships (600-ton class) have been completed, and ten Beizhili-class ships are under intense construction. It is estimated that it will take more than half a month to be completed."
"That is to say, the only ships our army can mobilize right now are twenty Beizhili-class ships (seven more were added after the Osaka Summer Campaign) and eighty Jinling-class ships?"
"Yes. These one hundred warships are divided into two fleets, led by Li Guozhu and Yan Siqi respectively."
"Hiss~~" He couldn't help but lower his head and inserted his ten fingers into his hair: "This little strength is not enough."
"Your Highness, why do you say that? Although I really don't understand why a small country like Siam and a defeated general like Japan would have the courage to challenge the Ming Dynasty. But such a clown, once the Ming army arrives, it will be crushed into dust in an instant!"
"Gu~" Oh, forget it, although the Ming Dynasty scholars of this era have been washed by Jinling Daily for many years, their pride in their country's leadership in East Asia is deeply rooted.
"Everyone, based on the news reported by various parties, we can confirm that Siam and Japan, two ugly people, have colluded with each other and will start a war in the neighboring countries of our Ming Dynasty and even in our Ming Dynasty this year. Although these two countries are overestimating their own strength and seeking their own death. However, it now seems that these two countries have been plotting for a long time.
At present, the strategy of Japan is relatively clear, that is, to enter Korea again, and then use Korea as a springboard to invade Liaodong of our Ming Dynasty. Siam is a little more complicated, but in fact, last year, Xu Xianchun, a captain of the Jinyiwei Yunnan, had already guessed its strategy. That is, after hitting Myanmar hard, the main force will turn east and take over Zhenla, the Mekong Delta and other ports along the way as supply stations. Then, under the protection of its fleet, the army will invade Hainan Island of our Ming Dynasty and even directly attack the mouth of the Pearl River.
Besides, if my guess is correct, Siam will definitely block the Strait of Malacca. By then, the merchant ships of our Ming Dynasty may never return.”
"How dare you! These Siamese thieves are so ambitious!"
Alas, looking at his ministers who were filled with righteous indignation, Zhu Youdong felt bitter: After all, the one from Siam was the first to come to power, he prepared for twelve years and rose up in one day, this move was really big!
"My Lords, now is not the time to curse. Now, the locust plague in the country has passed, but large-scale work-for-relief is still going on. These millions of strong men have gathered in four or five places. If they are not handled properly, there will be a large-scale civil uprising. We have to be cautious. The reconstruction of the Yellow Book has come to an end this year, and the newly compiled Yellow Book must be stored this year. After that, the editing of the Fish Scale Atlas will also begin, and the construction of the canal in Shaanxi will continue, and there is also Mongolia in the north... There are so many things to do, and there are also these two clowns who are invading the whole country. Therefore, although my Ming Dynasty has no problem fighting one against two, I think we must prioritize these two clowns. After all, punching out with two fists at the same time is not as effective as hitting someone with one fist."
"…Your Highness is right. I think we should deal with Siam first."
"Oh? Why did the Grand Marshal say this? Can you explain it in detail?"
"Yes, Your Highness, colleagues. In the past, the Japanese pirate Hideyoshi invaded Korea, and our Ming Dynasty gave everything to rescue him. But what did we get in the end? The Korean king and his ministers complained all day long, saying that our soldiers were committing crimes and harming the people in Korea. After six years of war, our Ming Dynasty lost more than 20,000 soldiers, and the country spent 7 million taels of silver, but we didn't get a piece of land from Korea, or a tael of silver...
Your Highness, everyone, if we want to deal with Japan first, we may have to send a large army into Korea. What about the transportation of food and money along the way? What about the loss? Moreover, Korea is a country with many mountains, and most of the mountains are east-west. In short, it is very difficult to march into Korea. In this case, if I send a large army into Korea, I am afraid that I will not be able to end the war within three to five years. At this time, the southern provinces of my Ming Dynasty may be in ruins. "
"What the Grand Marshal said is very true! Your Highness, I also agree that we should deal with Siam in the south first. Apart from other things, in recent years since Sun Chengzong went to Fujian, the customs silver paid by Yuegang to the court has been increasing. Last year, it exceeded the one million yuan mark! This is just the customs duty. Private merchants have become rich because of this, and the people in the coastal areas of Guangdong, Fujian, and Zhejiang have been able to improve their livelihoods because of this. There are countless people. Your Highness, going to Korea will make the court lose at least one to two million yuan every year. Stabilizing Nanyang will not only make a net profit of at least one million yuan every year, but also maintain the peace of Guangdong, Fujian, and Zhejiang - the land tax in these places will not be reduced because of the war, but can continue to be collected. The total amount of money in and out is probably not less than three million!
Therefore, Your Highness, our fleet should head south as soon as possible. We should wipe out Siam, this clown, as soon as possible, and then turn around to deal with the Japanese pirates, this vicious old enemy. "
"Yeah~that makes sense." Although he felt very bitter just now, Zhu Youdong's mood obviously improved when he saw that his ministers abandoned North Korea without hesitation for the sake of interests.
"So it is, Grand Master."
"Your Highness, do you need to make adjustments to some local officials?"
"That's right. I want Chen Shiji to be the governor of Yunnan. Xiong Tingbi will be sent to Guangzhou to serve as the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi. Kunming Town will also follow Xiong Tingbi to Guangdong. In addition, Yan Siqi will be appointed as the general of Zhaoqing Town."
"I have no objection, but the appointment of the general of Zhaoqing Town still needs the approval of the Ministry of War..."
"The Ministry of War has no objection."
"Okay, then I also want to appoint Sun Chengzong as the Governor-General of Fujian and Zhejiang, and Li Guozhu as the Commander of Dinghai Guard (based in Ningbo)."
"I have no objection."
"Okay, give an order to Liaodong and ask them to strengthen their combat readiness. However, before our navy gains control of the South China Sea, the soldiers of Liaodong Town are not allowed to cross the Yalu River."
"I obey your orders!"
"Hey, Korea, after all, is a loyal vassal state of our Ming Dynasty. We should tell them to step up their defenses. If necessary, the prince of that country can first come to our Ming Dynasty to study abroad."
“…Puchi~Hahahaha, I obey your orders!”
Sure enough, it is better to wear it in the Ming Dynasty. Although the Confucianism of this era has entered the age of sauce jars. But it has just begun to stink, not as bad as the Qing Dynasty in later generations. The literati of the Ming Dynasty are not rigid at all, and they do things like "I would rather die than my friends die" without any hesitation.
"Everyone, although we have set a strategy of attacking the south first and the east later, judging from the border conflicts between these two countries and the absolute advantages we have established over the Jurchens and Mongols in recent years, the times have begun to change. In the future, the enemies of our Ming Dynasty will mainly come from the sea. Therefore, it is imperative to build a strong navy!"
"Your Highness is right."
"Grand Minister, please allocate another two million to the Ministry of Industry. I want to build another shipyard in Tianjin. Well, the subsequent shipbuilding costs, including the Changsha shipyard, will make up another eight million."
The corners of Xu Honggang's mouth twitched, but he still stood up readily: "Your Highness, I obey your orders! However!"
"Hmm? What does Da Si Tu want to say?"
"Your Highness, without sea routes, the coastal provinces of our Ming Dynasty are in turmoil, land taxes are reduced, and refugees are increasing. Without sea routes, many domestic commodities cannot be shipped abroad for cash... I know all this. So, I will pay this money. However, it's not that I don't trust the Grand Chancellor, but this..."
"Okay, I understand. Chief Justice, the Censorate must send someone to conduct a strict audit of this special fund!"
"Yes, I obey your command!"
