Chapter 706: Possessing Command of the Sea Means You Can Do Whatever You Want

Marginalization is the most dangerous situation, because once marginalized, it means no one cares, meaning becoming a wild dog on the side of the road—the kind of wild dog that anyone can kick twice. The jailers know this best.

Jailers are the weather vane of Great Ming political struggles. If one is at the center of the vortex of struggle, jailers often dare not bully the prisoner, because at the center of the vortex, everyone is watching. No matter who passes a note, the jailer dares not easily take action. But once marginalized, and there is not even a person coming to take a look, then the jailer knows that this person is the easiest to bully.

No one caring means absolute isolation of information, which is the most dangerous situation in political activities.

And these Grand Secretaries, Hanlin, Censors, literati, and literary critics imprisoned by Zhu Yiliu had reached this point.

The Great Ming literary world had exhausted its strength. When the situation was unclear, no one dared, was willing, or could express a stance, because no one knew if expressing a stance would make the Emperor make even more violent decisions. Just keep them imprisoned like this; at least they could survive.

Wait until the Imperial Teacher, the Senior Grand Secretary, is no longer angry, then probe.

Zhu Yijun actually didn't quite understand why Zhang Juzheng was so persistent in needing to punish them severely, because Zhu Yijun was a young man. He was only twenty-three years old, at the time of high fighting spirit, fearing nothing. He was fearless, while the court officials of the Southern Inspection were all very old. The older they got, the more they were unable to control themselves, and the more they feared.

Zhang Juzheng believed that the future of the Great Ming, even if it were a world where everyone kept their heads down, didn't matter, as long as His Majesty was wise. It was best for these Confucian scholars who liked to reverse cause and effect to shut up, because Zhang Juzheng and these old officials had truly experienced that era.

The Great Ming Emperor and the Senior Grand Secretary were both very persistent, and in the end, they chose to put it aside and handle it by marginalization.

Although Shi Maohua passed away, he was still buried in the Western Hills Mausoleum, quietly watching the capital, watching the Great Ming, hoping that the Great Ming could be prosperous and peaceful, with a harmonious government.

After Zhu Yijun issued the edict to stop the morning court for three days, he began the court discussion again.

"My dear ministers, a fast report has arrived from the Nagasaki Viceroyalty; the Japanese pirates are making unusual movements." Zhu Yijun passed down a military dispatch that had been delivered to the Great Ming capital via the Coastal Defense Inspectorate.

"Eh? Are the Japanese crazy?" The Marquis of Ningyuan, Li Chengliang, finished reading the report, his face extremely solemn.

Because all signs indicated that the Japanese pirates were gathering, and their target was the direction of Korea. If the target was the Nagasaki Governor's Office, the Great Ming court should make full preparations to deal with the Japanese pirates' counterattack on Nagasaki. But the fact that the target was the direction of Korea was very intriguing.

No matter how one looked at it, this was a very crazy decision.

After everyone finished reading the report, Zhang Juzheng said with a solemn face: "Oda Nobunaga indeed has the qualifications to be the ruler of the Japanese nation. Even though he has repeatedly faced assassination, he still paid a great price to unite the Japanese people."

Oda Nobunaga was the "Heaven-sent Fierce Man" of Japan. He never gave up his advocacy of "one part public, two parts people." No matter how many failures he faced, he was pursuing the realization of this goal. The universal tax rate of eight parts public, two parts people meant that there were almost no commoners in Japan; they were all slaves.

What is relatively interesting is that Oda Nobunaga was the King of Japan enfeoffed by the Great Ming Emperor, the Great General of the Azuchi Shogunate. The Great Ming left Ashikaga Yoshiaki in the capital as a neighbor to the King of Ryukyu, which actually greatly increased the legitimacy of Oda Nobunaga's rise, because the Shogun enfeoffed by the Great Ming previously had already migrated to the Great Ming.

With no one in Japan to claim the title of King, Oda Nobunaga was the King of Japan recognized by the Great Ming.

This was the second path the Great Ming was attempting, besides completely exterminating the Japanese, to let Japan become peaceful—if possible.

A peaceful and stable Japan was also extremely beneficial to the Great Ming. If Japan could be stabilized, whether it was worth paying a great price to completely exterminate the Japanese would require a precise calculation of costs and benefits to see if it was worth the loss.

From beginning to end, the Great Ming hoped to solve the "Japanese pirate problem." As for attacking the Japanese mainland, it was somewhat radical.

If the "one part public, two parts people" policy was successfully implemented, the number of refugees and wandering samurai in Japan would decrease significantly. The "Prohibition of Pirates Decree" and the "Maritime Great Wall" built by the Great Ming—Nagasaki, Jeju Island, and Tsushima Island—could ensure that Japanese pirates would not flow out of the country. Coupled with the restrictions on Japanese shipbuilding technology, the Great Ming's maritime borders would be quiet for at least a century.

It was a pity that this path of peace was blocked from the very beginning.

The Japanese daimyo wanted Oda Nobunaga dead.

The Japanese daimyo did not accept the "eight parts public, two parts people" policy and rose up in resistance. Political assassinations were like eating and drinking, and they united time and again to resist Oda Nobunaga.

"So, what price did Oda Nobunaga pay to unite the Japanese?" Wang Chonggu looked puzzled. In his view, the Japanese daimyo were already like mad dogs, having completely lost their reason.

"It is famine." Zhu Yijun smiled and said: "Vice Grand Secretary Wang, since last year, grain prices in Japan have started to soar. The result of a 10% shortage in grain is not a 10% increase in grain prices, but a continuous rise in prices until 10% of the people starve to death. Grain is not like other commodities. If supply decreases by 10%, demand must decrease by 10%. Of course, in many cases, 10% starving to death is just the beginning."

From grain shortage to famine, 10% starving to death was just the beginning.

Japan was short of grain, and the Great Ming had a maritime ban, absolutely forbidding the sale of grain to Japan.

Wang Chonggu looked at Zhang Juzheng, and Zhang Juzheng looked at His Majesty. The Great Ming Senior and Vice Grand Secretaries, at this moment, could not quite understand how a grain shortage could make mad dogs calm down, talk to each other, and go out to rob food to eat?

"When people are hungry, they have only one worry: hunger. And unlike salt, oil, steel, and coal, the acquisition cycle for grain is very long, usually taking several months." Zhu Yijun's evaluation of himself was never that of a "Holy Son of Heaven"; he felt he was just a farmer on the throne.

The Great Ming court officials lacked experience in farming, while Zhu Yijun had reclaimed wasteland, plowed, carried manure, transplanted rice seedlings, worked on the desert land, built fire rooms, and bred seeds. Every year, he would personally go down to the fields to work. Zhu Yijun knew very well that the acquisition of resources like grain was not determined by human will; hunger is hunger.

Japan's grain shortage was a very complex contradiction. Militarily, years of mutual warfare consumed too much grain, and these wars were often accompanied by looting, leaving the people in misery and destroying production. Economically, the Japanese daimyo refused to lower the universal tax rate of "eight parts public, two parts people," leading to a large amount of abandoned land. Politically, there was a lack of actual top-down governance. After the Great Ming intervened, the semi-colonial, semi-feudal system made everything worse.

This eventually led to an increasingly serious grain shortage, forcing all parties in Japan to sit down and have a good talk.

"Oda Nobunaga also paid a sufficient price. He promised to move all his sons out of Japan and has already put it into practice. His sons have now arrived at the Nagasaki Governor's Office by ship and are heading towards the Great Ming." Zhu Yijun told the court officials what price Oda Nobunaga had paid.

This behavior was equivalent to saying he was giving up the hereditary succession of the Shogunate. He would just do it until he died. This Japanese Shogun would ultimately not be his bloodline, and his policies would not continue.

Oda Nobunaga was indeed the "Heaven-sent Fierce Man" of Japan, but it was a pity that the Japanese people were not grateful to Oda Nobunaga.

"Do the Japanese intend to attack Korea?" Wang Chonggu exhaled a turbid breath, still not quite clear about Oda Nobunaga's purpose.

If Japan attacked Korea, how could the Great Ming sit idly by? If the Japanese pirates truly landed, the Great Ming would never have peace. Regardless of the reason, the Great Ming would send troops.

Zhang Juzheng looked at the huge map placed in the Wenhua Hall and said: "Oda Nobunaga's thoughts are nothing more than: if he wins, Japan will get the vast plains of southeastern Korea as a granary; if he loses, he can eliminate enough samurai to reduce grain consumption. Even if he loses, the grain shortage problem will be solved."

"Is he not afraid of the Great Ming sending troops to conquer Japan?" Wang Guoguang's mouth twitched, and he sneered: "Although the national treasury is poor now, there are still seven million silver in the old treasury, enough to exterminate Japan."

As the Great Ming's accountant, Wang Guoguang always kept a sum of money. Even now that the court's annual revenue and expenditure were balanced, there was still a budget of seven million silver to start a war. The "Daoist Master" was stuck on this one link because there was not enough money to start, and he couldn't recruit enough guest troops to eliminate Altan Khan, dragging it out longer and longer, making the hole bigger and bigger.

Once the fighting started, it would actually be simpler. When the attack began, everything would have to tilt towards the war.

"He is not afraid. Exterminate if you want. The Great Ming's 'soft knife' kills more painfully. Oda Nobunaga is also for the future of Japan. Even if the Great Ming can kill, can it kill all eight million people in Japan?" Zhang Juzheng could understand Oda Nobunaga's planning. This was his last dance. If he won, naturally he would have everything; if he lost, he would be merged into the Great Ming.

In any case, the Great Ming itself was Japan's suzerain. The Great Ming was not like those red-haired barbarians who killed, burned, looted, and severed the roots of civilization. In this battle, the most painful outcome for Japan would be being "civilized" by the Great Ming, which was also an acceptable result.

The Great Ming's "soft knife" was mainly silver, paper money, goods, high walls, and the trade of Japanese women and slaves. Especially the last item—the Great Ming never had any moral burden on its policy towards Japan. It was Japan that provoked first. In the mid-Jiajing period, Japanese pirates arose everywhere, people were in misery, and the flames of war spread for thousands of miles.

"In short, it's just gambling on the national destiny." Zhu Yijun summarized. Oda Nobunaga's behavior conformed to the Japanese way of thinking: gambling on the national destiny. This was a massive gamble, putting the entire Japanese nation on the gambling table.

"There is a Great Ming Yamatai military port on Tsushima Island. Your Majesty, the Nagasaki Governor's Office's memorial is asking whether the Yamatai military port should withdraw its troops." Qi Jiguang said with a very solemn face: "Your Majesty, although the Yamatai military port is just a lone city, if Your Majesty issues an edict, the Great Ming army can guarantee that before there is an edict, this lone city will not fall."

A city that never falls is a lie, but Qi Jiguang said it, and Zhu Yijun believed it.

Tsushima Island is a stepping stone between the Japanese archipelago and the Chaoxianbandao. Whether it is attacking Japan from Korea or attacking Korea from Japan, Tsushima Island is a place that military strategists must fight for.

The Great Ming's military port on Tsushima Island, named Yamatai Military Port, is located in the middle of Tsushima Island. It is a good port, and it is backed by mountains and faces water, making it easy to defend and hard to attack. Oda Nobunaga ceded Tsushima Island, and the Great Ming army went to build the port, clashing with the Tsushima Island So clan. The Tsushima Island So clan was no match for the Great Ming army and chose to bow and submit.

Now that the Tsushima Island So clan has the support of the Japanese mainland, this thorn in the side, the Yamatai military port, has become the Great Ming's most dangerous battlefield.

"Let Me think slowly." Zhu Yijun looked at the map, his fingers tapping on the table continuously.

Withdrawing troops from the Yamatai military port represents a gap in the high wall built by the Great Ming, just like opening the cage door of a dog cage. The starving mad dogs will rush from the dog cage towards Korea.

If the Great Ming army does not withdraw from the Yamatai military port, no matter what, Oda Nobunaga and Mōri Terumoto cannot bypass Tsushima Island to attack Korea. This is equivalent to saying that by not withdrawing troops, the Great Ming is bearing everything for Korea—all the pressure from the Japanese side is borne by the Yamatai military port.

"Withdraw." Zhu Yijun thought for a while and shook his head: "Why? Why should the Great Ming army bear the attack of the Japanese mad dogs for Korea? And they are very hungry mad dogs at that!"

The Great Ming is Korea's suzerain, the "parent nation." The Japanese pirates are attacking your own son, and you, the Great Ming Emperor, actually want to withdraw troops!

The Japanese mad dogs are already starving, but there is still food to eat. Zhu Yijun made up his mind and issued an edict to defend to the death. In less than a year or so, Japan will fall into a comprehensive famine. By then, they will retreat without fighting.

Famine is also the Great Ming's "soft knife," killing people invisibly.

If the Great Ming allowed merchant ships to transport grain, especially after the Great Ming had "Taiyue boxes" for transporting grain, maritime transport of tribute grain would no longer be a problem, and Japan's famine could be partially alleviated. But the Great Ming just wouldn't allow Great Ming merchants to transport grain to Japan.

But now, the Great Ming is going to withdraw troops from the Yamatai military port, opening the road and releasing the dog leash.

"What does Qi Shuai think?" Zhu Yijun looked at Qi Jiguang. For major military decisions, he naturally had to consult the Grand General. After all, military talent is something you are born with; if you have it, you have it.

"Your servant thinks that withdrawing or not withdrawing is fine." Qi Jiguang said very calmly: "It all depends on the Holy Virtue. Since the Great Ming opened the seas, the navy has been strong and possesses command of the sea. The initiative is in our hands, and even the war situation can be directly influenced by the Great Ming. With command of the sea in the Great Ming's hands, no matter what Japan does, it is wrong; no matter what the Great Ming does, it is right."

Possessing command of the sea means possessing absolute initiative; it means being able to do whatever you want, especially for an island nation like Japan that is trapped on an island. It is even more arbitrary. If it were an inland country that closed its doors, or if the distance were too far, the Great Ming would really have no good way. But for an island nation, it is not so lucky.

If the battlefield of the Chaoxianbandao is compared to a card game, the Great Ming, which possesses command of the sea, has gathered all the cards in its own hands.

"Ah, right, command of the sea, can even cut off Japan's logistics and reinforcements at any time." Zhu Yijun was stunned. When he was considering, he indeed ignored the major impact of command of the sea on the Chaoxianbandao battlefield. When necessary, the Great Ming could even close the dog cage door again, blockade the Tsushima Strait, and "shut the door to beat the dog."

Qi Jiguang told the truth. It all depends on the Holy Virtue. The Great Ming opening the seas was led by His Majesty himself, and Songjiang Prefecture, this special bridgehead for opening the seas, was built by the Great Ming Emperor with real gold and silver. The initial investment of 37.12 million silver, plus the 13 million silver after the Southern Yamen's forced contributions, the total scale of the opening of the seas investment had reached 50.12 million silver.

This was all the foundation of the Great Ming navy.

"Then withdraw the troops and let them fight." Zhu Yijun, the Emperor who "estimates the enemy generously," finally made a decision with peace of mind. Release the dog leash, let Korea and Japan fight to the death, and watch the fun without fear of it being too big. The more lively the fight, the better.

"The King of Korea will definitely ask the Great Ming for help." Wan Shihe said with a frown.

The filial son Korea will definitely hold up the banner of "parent nation" and run to the Great Ming to morally kidnap the Great Ming into sending troops to pacify the Japanese pirates. How the Great Ming should respond is also a problem that needs to be solved in the court discussion.

"Drag." Zhu Yijun gave a method, which was to drag. Just like Wang Jiaping playing dumb in Guangdong, the Great Ming court would also play dumb. Don't say yes, don't say no, just drag it out hard, let Korea guess. If they can't guess, it doesn't matter; the Great Ming will clean up the mess when the time comes.

"Your servant obeys the edict." Wan Shihe bowed his head and accepted the order.

His Majesty's style of doing things is consistent from beginning to end. He never wants to be a "Great Monarch of the Four Seas," a "Heavenly Khan," or a "King of Kings." His Majesty is the Great Ming monarch, prioritizing the Great Ming's interests. The Great Ming's interests are above everything else. Korea wants to morally kidnap and freeload on the Great Ming army? Don't even think about it.

In fact, the court officials were very, very disgusted with the offensive and defensive alliance that Korea had created by wandering among various tribes. The Great Ming had been a father for two hundred years, and the more it gave, the more it became an enemy!

When the father doesn't give, the son starts to climb on his head. It really is time to reprimand them properly, letting the Korean royal family understand a true principle: what the Great Ming gives is yours; if it doesn't give, you cannot grab.

The Japanese army is gathering, the Tsushima So clan is flirting with Mōri Terumoto, the Great Ming army is withdrawing from the Yamatai military port, and the Japanese ships are constantly gathering under Mōri Terumoto's banner. Everything is "the mountain rain is coming, and the wind is filling the building," and the situation is becoming tense.

The Great Ming dispatched twenty-three three-masted clinker-built ships to Korea. After half a month of searching, they evacuated all Great Ming people in Korea. The war seemed to be on the verge of breaking out.

Oda Nobunaga was very, very surprised by the Great Ming army's withdrawal. In fact, the Great Ming court officials were thinking too much. Japan didn't have such long-term planning at all. What victory or defeat? For Japan at this time, it was not important at all. Oda Nobunaga, Mōri Terumoto, Chōsokabe Motochika, Hōjō Ujimasa, Uesugi Kagekatsu, and other major Japanese daimyo faced a choice between two.

Because of the grain shortage, the crisis of famine was imminent, and constant peasant uprisings had left all the daimyo exhausted.

Either choose to find a way to consume the samurai, implement "one part public, two parts people" to appease the commoners, or find a way to suppress the peasant uprisings.

While grain prices were soaring, in less than a year, more than two hundred peasant uprisings broke out across Japan. This was the basis for everyone to sit down and talk.

The Great Ming is a behemoth. As long as it turns over, it will bring countless influences. After the Great Ming started opening the seas, many prosperous port cities appeared in Japan's coastal areas.

These coastal areas were intoxicated with luxury, consuming a large amount of grain. This was also a contradictory place. Just looking at the prosperity of these coastal areas, one would think that Japan was also riding the Great Ming's east wind of opening the seas, soaring ninety thousand miles. But a more serious problem appeared in distribution. Besides these coastal areas, the commoners in other places were already on the verge of life and death.

Oda Nobunaga, at the cost of giving up his descendants' succession to the Shogunate, summoned all the daimyo to Kyoto to discuss state affairs and finally determined the plan to invade Korea. This plan, from the very beginning, never thought of occupying Korea. Just the Yamatai military port alone could consume enough samurai.

Oda Nobunaga was a very capable general. He knew clearly that as long as the Great Ming did not abandon the Yamatai military port, no matter how many people were filled in, it could not be taken down.

Now, the Great Ming suddenly withdrew its troops, and before withdrawing, it informed the Tsushima So clan. The Great Ming army left, and all military equipment was taken away. The Tsushima So clan even sent two hundred people into the military port. Indeed, there was not a single Great Ming soldier left. It was withdrawn cleanly, and the meaning was very clear: the Great Ming, this referee, had left the field, and Japan could let go of its hands and feet.

Kuroda Yoshitaka said with a solemn face: "General, the Great Ming has lost patience with the King of Korea's two-faced behavior. Because of the ancestral laws, the 'non-conquerable nation' still exists, so the Great Ming is not easy to reprimand directly, so it is up to us to reprimand. General, this battle cannot be fought!"

"Why?" Oda Nobunaga looked at Kuroda Yoshitaka and asked in confusion: "The Great Ming army has already withdrawn from the Yamatai military port, and you tell me it cannot be fought?"

The shipping lanes had been cleared, the sails had been hoisted, and the horns had been sounded. Kuroda Yoshitaka actually said it couldn't be fought.

"Because the Great Ming's purpose has already been revealed and is known to everyone. The Great Ming wants to exterminate Japan, not to bind it." Kuroda Yoshitaka said with a face as heavy as water: "The Great Ming cannot attack the Japanese mainland from the sea. It is because it learned the lesson of the Yuan Emperor Shizu. The hydrology made the Yuan Emperor Shizu fail twice in Japan. And now the Great Ming wants to attack from land. Korea is that stepping stone!"

"Once we attack, we give the Great Ming a reason to enter Korea. The Great Ming will substantially occupy Korea, and Japan will surely perish!"

Only now did Kuroda Yoshitaka figure out the Great Ming's intention. The Great Ming's consistent idea for solving the Japanese problem was to exterminate Japan!

Oda Nobunaga thought for a long time before shaking his head: "The arrow is on the string and must be fired. You understand that being able to take care of the present is already not easy. The present is to find a way to consume the samurai. You can't let them eat grain in Japan. Whether it is dying in the Yamatai military port or eating grain in Korea, it's the same."

"Isn't it? A tiny country never has the power to choose. In the mid-Jiajing period, Japanese pirates frequently invaded. That is a life-and-death hatred."

What if he understood the Great Ming's plan? He could only die under the Great Ming's will. As a Great Nation, once the Great Ming recovered, this kind of blood feud had to be avenged. The Great Ming, founded on martial arts, had been established for more than two hundred years, and there was not a day when it was not fighting.

"The General is right." Kuroda Yoshitaka pondered for a moment and revealed a bitter smile. He considered himself a smart person, thinking that there was a way out for everything in the world. But looking around, this was just a dead end that seemed to have many choices, but nothing was under one's control.

The path the Great Ming gave Japan was only a dead end. The only way to break the situation was to win against Korea, defeat the Great Ming army in Korea, and defeat the Great Ming navy at sea. This was a gamble on the national destiny that had to be made!

"The Great Ming Emperor actually gave us another path, which is the 'Return Land Decree' that the Great Ming has been talking about recently—distributing land to the commoners, landlords not being allowed to collect high rents, and land taxes being lowered to 'one part public, two parts people.' But where would the Japanese daimyo agree?... And this 'Return Land Decree,' the Great Ming hasn't even figured it out itself, so it's even more impossible for Japan." Kuroda Yoshitaka felt a bit powerless.

The Great Ming Emperor was very benevolent. It wasn't that he didn't give a way to live, but Japan couldn't do it. Never mind one Oda Nobunaga, even if there were ten, one hundred, or ten thousand Oda Nobunagas, could they do it? It was also impossible.

"What is the attitude of the Nagasaki Governor's Office and the Osaka Bay Defense Battalion?" Oda Nobunaga asked about the attitude of the Kyoto Investigation Department.

The Great Ming stationed troops in the Osaka Bay Defense Battalion and also had an office in Kyoto called the Investigation Department. The soldiers of the Defense Battalion would generally not be mobilized. It was mainly the Investigation Department that interfered in Japanese affairs. In Kyoto, the Investigation Department was like a supreme ruler who held military power. Their attitude was very important.

"No attitude." The attendant Mori Ranmaru bowed his head and said: "The Governor and the Defense General are playing dumb."

The Great Ming literati were very good at playing dumb. When asked, they would say "What matter? I don't know, I'll ask for you." They would not express a clear stance. Even if a huge disaster broke out, it would have nothing to do with them.

"Then prepare to attack." Oda Nobunaga exhaled a turbid breath. The gears of fate began to turn from this moment. He didn't know what the future would be like, only that if he dragged it on any longer, there would truly be no future.

Kuroda Yoshitaka didn't say that, in fact, according to the Great Ming's "contradiction theory," not attacking Korea would also work.

According to the basic methodology of the Great Ming's "contradiction theory," if they didn't attack Korea, Japan would have to have internal chaos itself. Peasant uprisings were a manifestation of the full intensification of internal contradictions. If it were chaotic for a few decades, the contradictions would reach a consensus in the conflict, and finally, there would be a compromise answer—breaking and then establishing.

Everyone understood the truth, but the time for this "breaking and then establishing" was too long, so long that these daimyo, even if they were free of illness and disaster, would not live to see the day of compromise. The Japanese daimyo were more inclined to gamble on the national destiny because the immediate crisis was more imminent.

A long-term strategy for the country, at any time, for any country, is a very, very luxurious thing.

Although the Great Ming is incomparably powerful, Japan is not without a glimmer of life! ===== CHAPTER 707 =====

A nation's long-term strategy is, at any time and for any country, an extremely, extremely luxurious thing.

Although the Great Ming is incomparably powerful, Japan is not without a glimmer of hope for survival!