Volume 4: Hot! The whole world is a warring state Chapter 681 The Ming Dynasty’s Response
On September 26, the 21st year of the reign of Emperor Tianqi of the Ming Dynasty (1638), in the Qianqing Palace, the special conference room for state affairs meetings.
The atmosphere was extremely depressing, and all the participants, from Zhu Youdong on down, had gloomy expressions.
This report, jointly drafted by Wen Tiren and Huang Degong, clearly stated: the 200,000-strong Indian Army was almost completely destroyed. South India was almost completely occupied. Commander Mao Wenlong committed suicide, and the chief of staff committed treason... At the same time, the loss of sea control forced 15 of the 20 divisions sent by the Ming Dynasty to cross the Rakhine Mountains by land. The loss of military intelligence was secondary. The key was that with so many troops crossing the mountains, how would the logistics support be? If the logistics could not keep up, the Ming Dynasty would also suffer a defeat in North India. What would happen to the elite 20 divisions?
The circulation of the memorial had been over for a long time, but none of the ministers in the meeting spoke. After this depressing atmosphere lasted for more than an hour, Zhu Youdong finally let out a long sigh.
"By the school?"
"Brother, I know what you want to ask. The keels of the Yu Tonghai and Zheng He were laid only a few months ago, and the frames below the waterline have not yet been welded. Therefore, it will take two years, at least two years, for these two warships to be put into service."
"Two years?" Zhu Youdong smiled bitterly. "I remember that when we fought India, it took us only a year and a half, right?"
"Brother, no matter how bad the war situation in India is, no matter how much India needs a navy, I cannot produce a warship that can compete with the giant ships of the Western pirates."
Nodding helplessly, Zhu Youdong said softly, "I understand."
Then he turned his head to the right and said, "Cao Sanxi, Li Guojun, you two are in charge of money. Tell me, if the merchants of our Ming Dynasty are restricted to the east of the Bay of Bengal, what impact will it have on the economy and people's livelihood of our Ming Dynasty?"
"Your Majesty." Cao Sanxi, the Minister of Finance, stood up first and said, "It has only been more than three years since the Ming Dynasty conquered India. According to the instructions given by the Emperor to Prime Minister Wen when the troops were withdrawn, in order to ensure the stability of India, the Ming Dynasty will not levy taxes on India within three years. Therefore, the court did not suffer any direct loss in terms of national revenue. But Your Majesty, as soon as the war in India started, the court's investment in military affairs increased sharply. At the first State Council meeting after the Lantern Festival in the 21st year of Tianqi, the Ministry of Finance set a total expenditure of 360 million this year in the annual budget at that time. A total of 73 million was allocated to the Ministry of National Defense and the Privy Council. But now it is only September, and the Ministry of National Defense and the Privy Council have already spent 130 million.
In addition, when the Ming army stationed in India went there, they did not bring their families with them. The court originally allowed them to bring their families with them after they were stationed in India. As a result, these guys were entangled with local girls after they went there. Except for a few officials, other ordinary soldiers did not transfer their families from China... No matter how broken their family relationships were, now that they died in battle, the court still has to pay high pensions to their families in China... In short, the court is certain to have a deficit this year."
"Your Majesty," said Li Guojun, the bank's president. "According to your Majesty's arrangement, our Ming Dynasty was going to try to issue paper money this year. The bank's idea was to start issuing paper money in India. That is, to exchange our paper money for India's gold and silver. After the court has sufficient reserves of precious metals, we will issue paper money in the country. But now that the situation in India is so corrupt, the country's issuance of paper money will have to be delayed again."
"In addition, although the Ming court has not levied taxes on India in the three years since we conquered India, our merchants have already done business in India. Due to the expansion of the consumer market, many factory owners have taken out loans to expand their production scale, and many merchants have also taken out loans to purchase cargo ships and hire more people. As a result, the court has also collected a lot of commercial taxes. Nowadays... a reduction of a few million in tax revenue is a small matter. What I am afraid of is a relative overproduction in the country, the bankruptcy of some lenders, and a series of problems arising from this..."
Zhu Youdong nodded expressionlessly and turned his head back to the left: "Mr. Xiong, what do you want to say about the Privy Council?"
"Your Majesty, I just received the report today. Now... I feel deeply guilty."
"Don't talk about useless things. Now, what should the Privy Council do in military affairs?"
"Your Majesty, the war situation in India is in a mess. The reasons have been clearly summarized in Mao Wenlong's last words. The navy is defeated, allowing the enemy to land at will, and our army can only deal with it passively. Indians are useless, which seriously hinders our Ming soldiers. In addition, the speed at which people in India are corrupted is too fast! At this time, I think that before our navy regains control of the sea, we must shrink our defense! It is really not suitable to increase troops again."
"Hmm. So, Mr. Bear, to what extent do you think it will shrink?"
"Your Majesty, because India is so far away, this so-called latest report is more than two months old. I don't know if Kanpur still exists now? But I think that no matter whether Kanpur still exists or not, it is not enough for Huang Degong to just give up Delhi. If I were to switch places with Huang Degong, I would retreat directly to Dhaka!"
"Prime Minister!" Yuan Keli, who had been silent at first, suddenly opened his eyes: "Do you know what you are saying? If we retreat to Dhaka, wouldn't we be giving the essence of India, the Ganges Plain, to the Spaniards?"
"So what?" Xiong Tingbi raised his head. "I firmly believe that the elite troops of our Ming Dynasty will not be at a disadvantage even if they face the elite troops of the Western bandits who are several times larger. However, logistics! When the bullets and ammunition are used up, the submachine gun is no better than a sword or a spear! Yes, the ammunition of the Western bandits must be transported from Europe. The time consumed on the road alone is definitely much longer than the time it takes us to cross the Rakhine Mountains! However, they transport tens of thousands of tons or hundreds of thousands of tons by sea at a time. And we transport hundreds of tons by mountain roads! In Kanpur, relying on the defense system, we can hold out for one or two months without any problem. What if the enemy drives the Indians to consume our bullets? What if the enemy surrounds us but does not attack?"
"So." He stood up and bowed deeply to Zhu Youdong. "Your Majesty, our Ming Dynasty has only owned India for three years. Although it will be painful to lose it all at once, more than three years ago when our Ming Dynasty did not have India, the country was still thriving. Even if we lose India now, it is far from being a serious injury. As long as we save more soldiers, I firmly believe that when our navy regains the advantage, no, even if we achieve a balance, we can quickly take back India with the elite troops we have saved!"
Glancing at Zhu Youdong, whose eyes were completely unfocused and who was still unconsciously tapping the armrest of the chair with his fingers, Xiong Tingbi took two steps forward and said, "Your Majesty, if we save the people and lose the land, we can save both the people and the land. That's what you said! Now that our navy cannot gain control of the sea, the army will be in danger of being annihilated if it drags on in India for too long! Therefore, I ask Your Majesty to agree to let the army in northern India retreat to Dhaka. If things are impossible, allow them to retreat to Myanmar along the Rakhine Mountains!"
Oh, save the people and lose the land, both the people and the land will be saved. This is easier said than done! Even for a time traveler like me, facing such fertile land in India, I feel reluctant to give it up. All I was thinking about was how to turn the situation around with the existing power.
However, although Mr. Xiong's words are a bit radical, they are correct from a military perspective.
But, the military was correct, but what about politics? Let alone other things, it was enough to worry about how to settle the officials who returned from India and the large number of families they brought back. Not to mention, the various vassal states that had made great efforts to fight India with the Ming Dynasty, after they all lost a large piece of land equivalent to their own vassal states, how the Ming Dynasty needed to appease them to ensure their loyalty.
After thinking for a while, Zhu Youdong spoke again: "How will the Imperial Horse Administration deal with Li Yongfang's problem?"
Liu Shimin stood up and said, "Your Majesty, I think this should be killed along with his entire clan! But because this thief has already taken his family to India, and the eldest son who is the only one on the Ming side is willing to kill his own family for the sake of justice. Therefore, if we want to execute this, we have to resort to assassination."
"Your Majesty." Jinyiwei Commander Tian Ergeng stood up and said, "I am willing to lead my men into India and wipe out this thief's entire family!"
Waving his hand and letting the two guys sit down, Zhu Youdong twitched his lips slightly: This Li Yongfang, in the historical plane, was the first general of the Ming Dynasty to surrender to Nurhaci. After surrendering, he married a Jurchen woman, and even the children born from then on were all given Jurchen names, which was extremely shameless. Alas, sometimes being a time traveler is really confusing. On the one hand, I keep telling myself that I should be tolerant and not treat people differently just because they have not made mistakes yet. But on the other hand, the performance of Zu Dashou and Li Yongfang is really disappointing.
However, let's forget . Not to mention the racial issue, after the Ming Dynasty was defeated in India, the Han people in India, especially in South India, would definitely have difficulty moving, and assassination would be technically difficult to achieve. From a purely political point of view, how could the glorious Ming Dynasty do such despicable things like the ruffians in society? Li Yongfang, if he is lucky, he will die before the Ming Dynasty fights back, and his bones will be crushed and scattered. If he falls into the hands of the Ming Dynasty later, I will publicly try him, and then let him experience the taste of Lingchi, which has never been carried out since I became the regent!
As for Li Yangeng, humph, in the historical plane, Li Yongfang divorced his first wife, Li Yangeng's biological mother, in order to gain the trust of the Qing nobles. But Li Yangeng still served as an official in "our Qing Dynasty" very comfortably. So, whether this person is reluctant to leave his homeland or is a spy sent by the enemy, this needs to be handled with caution.
"My Lords, I have listened to your comments and I have thought a lot about them. Now, I would like to offer a few suggestions."
"Your Majesty, please give us your instructions."
"First, in terms of people's livelihood, the cabinet will allocate funds to the Yunnan Provincial Government and the Kingdoms of Shu and Chu. Let them make all preparations to receive the families of officials and civilians who have returned from India. After a short-term resettlement, new jobs should be arranged for these people as soon as possible.
Second, in terms of economy, banks should carefully screen the relevant merchants. If the business fails due to the fall of India, they should not rush to repay the loan. At the same time, domestic stability is paramount at this time, and the issuance of banknotes should be suspended.
Third, in terms of military affairs, I allow the troops currently in North India to decide whether to stay or go. If necessary, they can withdraw to the east of the Arakan Mountains. In addition, the Privy Council issued an order to Man Gui in the Snow Region. Let him lead a troop to Kashmir to meet Cao Bianjiao and Zuo Menggeng. Although that troop is small in number, it is also our own troop of the Ming Dynasty.
Fourth, in terms of propaganda. Zhang Shize, tell the people of the Ming Dynasty the truth about the invasion of the Western bandits and the disastrous defeat of the Ming Dynasty in India. But in terms of guidance, try to put more emphasis on Li Yongfang. "
"Yes, I obey your order. But Your Majesty, this Li Yongfang's eldest son, Li Yangeng? Do you want to promote him positively?"
"No. On the contrary, after this person returns to the Ming Dynasty, Tian Ergeng and the Jinyiwei should send people to control him and interrogate him strictly! I suspect that this is a double act by the Li family father and son! Even if there is nothing wrong with the interrogation, this person must retire early. In short, the six major newspapers should not mention the name of Li Yangeng when promoting it."
