Chapter 1451: Planning

He knew far too little about Japan, so of course it was difficult to make an accurate judgment quickly; he could only consider it based on the scraps of information he had. Fortunately, in recent years he had been commanding troops in the field as a senior general, and those years of warfare had cultivated some strategic thinking in him, allowing him to stand at the overall level and begin considering the military problem of subjugating Japan.

"The realm is only just beginning to settle. The Jurchens and Mongols, though beaten into a panicked rout, have still not been completely toppled. Sichuan and Guangxi have been taken, but in Yunnan there are still remnants of the Zhu Ming faction, led by the Prince of Gui and the Mu clan, causing chaos. Moreover, Japan hangs isolated beyond the sea, and supplying the troops with provisions would be enormously costly. Therefore, in my humble opinion, it would be best not to use the entire nation's strength for this campaign…" After pondering for a long while, Zhao Song began to speak in a low voice, all the while carefully stealing glances at His Majesty, afraid of angering him. "It would be best to select elite soldiers, then rely on the navy, advancing by both sea and land, to seek a decisive battle with Japan's main army as quickly as possible, smash their forces, and then end the war. However, I do not know… I do not know whether Your Majesty intends to destroy the country, or merely to attack and chastise it?"

The difference here was enormous. If the goal was merely to attack and chastise the country, to display the celestial might of the Great Han, then it would suffice to select a marine and land army and crush any forces that dared to resist.

Based on Zhao Song's experience, if the goal was to destroy the country, they would need to raise a great army to annihilate every force in Japan capable of resistance, and then leave the army garrisoned there. Only after many years of occupation could the occupied territory be slowly digested. The troops, financial resources, and material resources this would consume were practically incalculable.

Therefore, he guessed in his heart that His Majesty only wanted to attack and chastise the country, for some reason he did not yet know. If it were the latter, then this expedition should not fall to him to command anyway.

"You truly have not wasted these years of experience; you have indeed learned quite a lot! I am much more at ease." Seeing Zhao Song speak so coherently, His Majesty was very pleased. He lightly tapped Zhao Song's shoulder with the small wooden stick in his hand as encouragement. "Correct. Transporting a great army across the sea on an expedition is far too costly. This time I only intend to send a small force, roughly three regiments. I also do not intend for you to destroy their country. I only want you to go and beat their ruling shogunate into submission, and make them agree to the terms we put forward."

So it really was just a small force…

Three regiments? Isn't that still a brigade? I am already a brigade commander… Although he had known in his heart all along that His Majesty would not assign him a large army, when he heard that the force allocated to him was only three regiments, Zhao Song quickly felt a bit disappointed.

However, he quickly adjusted his mindset. Taking command of a brigade on land was simple, but leading an expedition across the sea was not simple at all, especially since His Majesty intended to name him the commanding general of this expedition.

"The objective above is what I have given you. As for how to accomplish it specifically, I will not set limits for you. You still only have a fragmentary understanding of Japan, so I imagine even if I asked, you could not produce anything good." His Majesty looked calmly at Zhao Song. "Stay here for this period, plan properly with your staff officers, and give me several plans as soon as possible. Remember, time is tight. I have already ordered the various regions to begin stockpiling supplies. The attack must be launched by next summer."

"Next summer?" Zhao Song was startled again.

He had not expected His Majesty's planning to be so urgent.

"Since the plan is set, naturally we must move quickly. Do we wait and drag it out?" His Majesty said calmly. "Alright, I have told you everything you need to know. For this period, gather more intelligence on Japan and produce a plan for me as quickly as possible. I will say this upfront: if your plan is perfunctory, I will certainly have you beaten with the board a few times!"

"I would not dare!" Because His Majesty spoke so amiably, Zhao Song could not help but laugh. However, he also understood that hidden within His Majesty's joking words was a very real threat, so he knew he must summon one hundred and twenty percent of his energy to complete this task. "Your servant and his staff will certainly devote all our hearts and strength, and will never disappoint Your Majesty!"

When he had been transferred back from Shenyang this time, his staff adjutants, who had followed him for years and coordinated with him perfectly, had also been transferred back together with him. At the time he had not understood the intention of the higher-ups; now he understood that this was a move His Majesty had deliberately arranged to facilitate his planning for this expedition.

His Majesty was so far-sighted and had entrusted such an important task to him. As a subject, how could he not devote all his heart and strength to serving? A sudden sense of urgency welled up in Zhao Song's heart. He knew that if the campaign was to begin in the summer, the time left for them to formulate a plan would not be much. He had to seize the time with these staff adjutants and formulate a feasible plan, only then could he satisfy His Majesty.

However, even so, there were still some questions in his heart that he needed to clarify.

"Your Majesty, this expedition has three regiments, organized into a brigade, with your servant serving as brigade commander. Then among these three regiments, it would be best if one regiment could be selected from the brigade your servant personally commands. That way, commanding it would be like an arm directing a finger…"

For such a large operation, he did not expect his own brigade could monopolize the entire mission and take it all. There were so many factions within the army; let alone him, His Majesty would certainly also have other factions contribute men to serve as regimental commanders, in order to maintain balance.

Therefore, he only hoped to use one of his own regiments—that would be enough. In this day and age, when leading troops into battle, without a unit that you had personally built from start to finish, fighting a war was truly not very smooth.

"Granted. You will be both brigade commander and regimental commander for this expedition. I can transfer one regiment from your previous brigade in Liaodong and assign it to you." His Majesty was very considerate of Zhao Song's feelings and immediately agreed. "As for the other two regiments, I naturally will not give you rabble. They will all be handpicked elite soldiers. The regimental commanders are also already decided: Ma Tongji and Li Huanghe. Although these two are young, each is astute and capable, men of promising talent. Assigned to you, they will absolutely not hinder your affairs."

"Your servant understands." Zhao Song bowed once more.

He knew both Ma Tongji and Li Huanghe. Ma Tongji was the eldest son of Julu Marquis Ma Chonghao, and Li Huanghe was the son of Yingchuan Marquis Li Dajin. Both could now be considered rising stars in the Great Han army. Not only did they come from superior family backgrounds, being descendants of great generals and meritorious nobles, but they were also inherently talented and had illustrious battle records, having made quite a name for themselves in the army. If His Majesty assigned these two to serve under his command, as long as they could obey his orders, the odds of victory for this expedition would surely increase by a few points.

"Thank you for His Majesty's magnificent grace!" Zhao Song expressed his thanks once more, then continued, "Your Majesty, your servant has one final question."

"You do have quite a few questions, don't you?" His Majesty was still smiling. "Speak."

"When troops are deployed abroad, rear-area supply is of paramount importance, especially for this kind of overseas expedition. The supply of provisions and ammunition cannot be allowed to fall short for even a moment. Therefore… the rear area absolutely must not fail in any way this time…" Zhao Song spoke somewhat haltingly, but His Majesty could understand his meaning.

He was not wrong. On an expedition abroad, rear-area supply was the most critical issue and absolutely could not tolerate delays or chaos. Therefore, His Majesty had already considered this problem beforehand and had a corresponding plan.

"Rest assured, for this expedition, I already have a candidate in mind to oversee the rear-area coordination." His Majesty's voice remained as calm as ever. "What do you think about letting the Crown Prince take charge of it?"

Although his voice was not loud, this question once again left Zhao Song momentarily stunned and speechless.

For this expedition, the rear area would be coordinated and overseen by the Crown Prince?

The Crown Prince was the nation's heir apparent! His Majesty was actually going to have him personally take charge of the rear-area supply for this expedition?

"What, are you not confident?" His Majesty scrutinized the bowing Zhao Song, his expression revealing no discernible meaning. "I know the Crown Prince is still young, but rest assured, I will have other arrangements. I will not make things difficult for you."

The Crown Prince was the eldest legitimate son, born to the Empress during the rise of the dragon in Xuzhou. He was born in the first year of the Tianqi reign of the former dynasty, making him only thirteen years old by the traditional count this year. Even if the campaign began next summer, he would only be fourteen. Entrusting someone that age with the rear area sounded improbable, but His Majesty's plans were always far-reaching and meticulous. He would certainly equip the Crown Prince with a brain trust at that time to assist him in handling the rear-area work. Zhao Song was not worried about a lack of people to carry out the tasks.

Indeed, this decision held only advantages for Zhao Song, and no disadvantages.

Moreover, the Crown Prince was famously precocious, with a steady and resolute character, greatly possessing His Majesty's style. He would absolutely not be frivolous or rash and cause trouble for Zhao Song in the rear. Most importantly, the Crown Prince was the future emperor. Who would dare be perfunctory or negligent in a matter he personally took charge of?

There might be people who dared to delay Zhao Song's affairs, people who dared to make Zhao Song unhappy, but who would dare to make the future emperor unhappy?

No matter what, absolutely no one would dare be negligent. Therefore, this time he did not need to worry about rear-area issues.

At the same time, Zhao Song also understood that since His Majesty had made such an arrangement, he absolutely would not tolerate failure. He felt His Majesty's determination, a resolve bent on success that brooked no error.

A weight of a thousand jun pressed down upon his shoulders, but at the same time, it meant an opportunity that came once in a thousand years had presented itself before him.

Since His Majesty had given him crack troops and strong generals, and was even having the Crown Prince personally oversee the rear area, what reason did he have to fail?

Unconsciously, Zhao Song slowly knelt down again, then touched his head to the carpet.

"Your Majesty, please rest assured. Within next year, Zhao Song vows to make all of Japan, high and low, bow their heads and submit their necks, awaiting Your Majesty's judgment!"

"Very good." His Majesty merely smiled calmly, then waved his hand, gesturing for him to withdraw for now.

Thanks to the four old friends "Duan Yichen, Great Han Commoner, Dragon King of the Wind, Yawn Feifei" for their tips. Thanks to everyone for your subscriptions, monthly tickets, and tips. Thank you all.