Volume 4: Hot! The whole world is a warring state Chapter 605: Heavenly Revelation: Ten Thousand Dogs' Heavenly Expedition
March 1632, Beijing.
It is still chilly in spring, and generally speaking, there are not many people on the streets of Beijing in the early morning.
However, the "Nanyue Authentic" restaurant near Chaoyangmen is an exception.
Before the day had fully dawned, many gourmets had gathered outside the restaurant. When the time came, as soon as the waiter opened the door, countless diners swarmed in and quickly sat down in their old seats.
The charm of Cantonese-style morning tea has cultivated a large number of loyal fans even in Beijing.
"Father, you are up. What would you like to eat this morning?"
"I'm tired of the food in the store. Ask someone to go to Lao Li's across the street to buy some steamed buns. Also, go to the door and bring in today's newspaper."
"yes."
The owner of the authentic restaurant in Nanyue is naturally Zhu Yunkeng, a descendant of the King of Chu. But the one who calls him father is not Zhu Shengmiao, who followed Diya to America. This man named Zhu Shengpang was a useless gambler in his early years. Thirteen years ago, he was beaten up by Chen Zizhuang and then imprisoned in Fengyang by Zhu Youdong. It was not until Zhu Shengmiao stayed in America that Zhu Yunkeng wrote to the emperor many times to plead for his old age and the lack of a son to support him, that Zhu Shengpang was allowed to return to Beijing from Fengyang Prison.
After being imprisoned in Fengyang for more than ten years, Zhu Shengpang, who used to be a scoundrel, had completely calmed down. After returning to Beijing, he took over the restaurant on behalf of his brother and surprisingly did a great job.
"Father, I got the newspaper back. There is no report about America in today's Yanjing Daily."
"Humph! Forget about America. I don't have a son like that. He would abandon his wife and children for a barbarian!"
Hey, I wonder who was the one who covered his face with the newspaper and secretly wiped away his tears when the newspaper reported last year that Captain Gao Yingxiang died in battle and the court promoted him to lieutenant colonel? Hey, when I was in Fengyang before, you were the one who cursed me every day but actually urged your brother to come to Fengyang to see me all day long, right?
"Father, Miaodi is a man of great ambition. He stayed in America for the fame of our family, not just for a woman."
"Shut up, that unfilial son! Don't mention him again."
"Yes." Zhu Shengpang responded indifferently and flipped through the newspaper casually: "Huh? You are so brave!"
"What's wrong?"
"Father, this is today's report. At the end of last year, the Kingdom of Kemptil in southern Tibet was invaded by the Mughal Empire of India. Because Kemptil was a vassal of the Ming Dynasty, it asked for help from Li Boyun, the Ming Dynasty's minister in Tibet. Li Zhijun sent an envoy to question the Mughal Empire, but the other side actually killed our envoy!"
"How dare you!" With a clang, the old man who was lying on the chair suddenly jumped up, not caring about the boiling hot tea flowing all over the floor, and shouted: "A mere Mughal dares to touch the tiger's whiskers of my Ming Dynasty? You are really tired of living!"
"Yes, father, it seems that the imperial court will send troops to southern Tibet sooner or later, right?"
"That's not true. Since the Emperor became the regent, he has always punished anyone who offends the Ming Dynasty, no matter how far away they are. Spain sold opium to the Ming Dynasty, and not only did they lose all their colonies in Asia, but they also couldn't live in peace in America!"
And you said you don't care about America or Miaodi at all. Zhu Shengpang laughed secretly and didn't expose it: "That's right, our Ming Dynasty is the Celestial Empire, and we will never allow our envoys to be killed without punishment. I think our Ming Dynasty army will soon launch a large-scale expedition against the Mughal."
"Of course." After saying this, Zhu Yunkeng looked down at the broken tea bowl and suddenly slapped his head: "I remember that the world map showed that although we border the Mughal, there is a Himalayas in the middle. So although it seems that the border stretches for thousands of miles, there has never been a major war for thousands of years. This is because the mountain range is too high and is not conducive to the march of a large army. So, the court sent troops from southern Tibet, isn't it?"
"Father, I don't understand military affairs. However, how could the emperor and the officials of the court not see such a simple truth? My Great Ming Royal Army is invincible on land and on the sea. When the time comes, I guess they will attack from the sea, right?"
"Eh? You're right. Oh, hurry up and get the world map. I want to take a good look at it."
"yes."
…
"Alas, the emperor is determined to take action against India."
This day was a holiday. Wen Tiren had breakfast at home, read the newspaper of the day, and then sighed deeply.
"Father, since the emperor has made up his mind, why are you bothering?"
"You don't understand." Looking at his eldest son, Wen Yan, who is now working as a secretary in the Tongzhengsi, Wen Tiren said slowly, "You are only 29 years old this year."
"Yes, father."
"So you don't understand." Shaking his head, Wen Tiren said, "Twenty-eight years ago, my father was still a doctor in the Ministry of Rites. He was arranged by the then Prime Minister Shen Yikuan to be a teacher beside the current emperor to teach the etiquette of the then crown prince. At that time, the Ming Dynasty was in fierce party struggles, the finances were not enough, the military was in disrepair, and refugees were everywhere. The country was almost destroyed. The then ruling emperor and the nobles of the court were just wallflowers."
"It was not until the current emperor came out of nowhere, especially after he went to Nanjing, that he made all kinds of amazing moves, and reversed the country's increasingly declining crisis." Taking a deep breath, Wen Tiren said: "Now, although Prime Minister Yuan and your father are competing for attention in the court, it is all healthy competition. As for the income of the court, you have also seen it in the Tongzhengsi. There is a surplus every year , and its surplus is several times the annual income of the court during the Wanli period. The Yellow Book has been rebuilt, and there are no refugees. The military has been reorganized, and the Ming Dynasty is the real overlord in East Asia... Such a good situation, my father has been following the current emperor for nearly 30 years to see it, I really don't want such a situation to be lost in one day!"
"It's not that serious, right? Father? Isn't it just a fight with Mughal?"
"What do you know? The Mughal Empire is a large country with a population of nearly 100 million and a vast territory. It is not comparable to small countries like Japan and Siam that can be defeated in two or three battles. If we really fight with such a country, the war will definitely be protracted. But..." He scratched his head in distress: "It's okay to send a surprise force from southern Tibet, but if we really want to advance with a large army, we have to go by sea. And if we go by sea, the journey is too far. Nowadays, the army of my Ming Dynasty has been fully equipped with firearms, and the demand for logistics is huge. With such a long-term, long-distance, and large-scale battle, I am afraid that the revitalization of the country that has finally emerged will be dragged down."
"So that's why father turned a deaf ear to the emperor's intentions some time ago?"
"Oh, it's an exaggeration to say that you turned a deaf ear to it. You're just putting it off."
"But father, it seems that we can't delay this any longer."
"Yes." He nodded heavily: "The emperor has already said that the war against India will receive a subsidy of 10 million yuan per year from the inner treasury. Although Cao Sanxi has repeatedly and strongly opposed it, he was just a small businessman before and was promoted by the emperor. As long as the emperor insists, Cao Sanxi will pay no matter how uncomfortable he is. As for publicity, hehe." He patted the newspaper: "Zhang Shize, the current Duke of Yingguo, is of noble origin and has been the emperor's companion since childhood. His attitude is also clear."
"Father, and the military."
"You're right, and there's also the military." His gray beard trembled. "The snowy area is tens of thousands of miles away from Beijing, and the roads there are rugged and difficult to travel. But the emperor had the idea of attacking India last December, and it's only March, and Li Jia and Man Gui have concocted the killing of the envoy. Oh, it's funny that we privately laughed at the emperor's ridiculous reason for starting a war, saying that he wanted to eliminate Hinduism and liberate the locals. It turns out that the emperor knew we would oppose it, and he had already found the real reason for starting a war. Ah, that's right, Li Jia is from Fangshan, and Man Gui is the emperor's loyal dog. After receiving the emperor's hint, how could they not work hard?"
"Father, I saw many military commanders submitting memorials to impeach the Prime Minister in the Ministry of Public Administration. The leader, Cao Wenzhao, even accused the Prime Minister of forgetting his duty as a military man."
"That's right. Military generals want to get promoted and make money, so fighting is the fastest way. But Ma Chengzhao was only willing to mobilize 100,000 troops, so he was naturally impeached by the military generals. Haha, the Prime Minister is just like a father. He has followed the emperor for decades and watched the country get rid of the crisis and revive little by little. He doesn't want the emperor to fight India. But now, the generals who actually lead the troops have stood up and expressed their attitudes. I think the Prime Minister wrote a letter to resign in the past two days."
"Ah? What about you, father?"
"Alas, I have followed the emperor for nearly thirty years. At the beginning, I thought that I could become an imperial tutor or a minister in the future by relying on the crown prince. But after thirty years, I have done so many great things with the emperor. I also want to leave my name in history and become a famous prime minister! But..." He smiled bitterly and shook his head: "Today, it is time for me to retire. It is true that my talent is only suitable for being a prime minister in peacetime. If the country is in a state of war for a long time, I am still not capable of running the country's civil affairs."
…
In March 1632, Li Jia, the minister in Tibet, reported that the Mughal Empire had killed the Ming envoy. Suddenly, the people were in a state of turmoil, demanding that troops be sent to punish the Mughals, which completely suppressed the voices of the cabinet leading to a small-scale military action a month or two earlier.
In April, the court changed personnel. The Prime Minister Wen Tiren and the third Prime Minister Li Dai retired. The second Prime Minister Yuan Keli took over as Prime Minister and temporarily became the sole Prime Minister.
At the same time, the Privy Council's chief and deputy envoys Ma Chengzhao and Yu Zigao successively resigned due to old age and physical weakness. The Supreme Court President Xiong Tingbi was transferred from a civilian position to a military position and was directly awarded the rank of general to take over as the Privy Council's envoy.
In May, the imperial court began to mobilize troops: the Military Service Bureau recruited 100,000 strong soldiers to join the army, mixed with the small number of veterans, and formed six new divisions to be stationed in the country. Fifteen of the twenty divisions, which were mostly veterans and supplemented with a small number of new soldiers, received mobilization orders.
At the same time, the Marine Corps and the East China Sea Fleet and South China Sea Fleet of the three major fleets also began to mobilize.
The imperial court also sent letters to Fuguo, Guiguo, Riben, Tangguo, and Zhouguo, requiring these five vassal states to provide at least one division of troops to the Ming Dynasty within this year to participate in the war against India. Others such as Annan, Cambodia, Shu, Chu, Qin, and Jin must at least provide a battalion of troops. Ultimately, they will rely on these nearly 20 vassal states to form six divisions. In other words, the more than 30 vassal states of the entire Ming Dynasty must provide ten divisions of troops for the suzerain state.
Zhu Youdong really attached great importance to Aurangzeb. If he did not move, it would be fine. But once he moved, he sent out 25 army divisions and one marine division. The total force reached 390,000! If the two fleets were added, the total force would exceed 450,000!
