Chapter 1467: From South to North

"We thank Your Majesty for your mercy. I also believe that even if some word leaks out, it will not cause our army too much trouble. Consider that Japan is long and narrow from south to north, and the shogunate is at Edo on the eastern end of Honshu — communication must be extremely poor. Our forces are massing at Busan; even if they receive word, it will surely be very late. And when they try to respond, they will inevitably be slow from top to bottom, unable to move as swiftly as our army."

"That is true in principle, but what must be done must still be done." The Emperor pondered for a moment, then finally made up his mind. "Very well. I will have the navy send some men to pose as pirates and attack merchant ships on the sea. We will drive off as many people as we can. The fewer people there are, the less they will see, and the shogunate will not be so alarmed."

Zhao Song thought it over and indeed found this idea very clever.

Using the navy to pose as pirates would not only scatter the merchant ships and conceal the army's massing, but also allow them to requisition more ships and supplies under the pretext of suppressing bandits — truly killing two birds with one stone.

"Your Majesty is divinely wise!" Overjoyed, he hurriedly thanked the Emperor. "With the navy's close cooperation, we shall have nothing to worry about!"

"You have spoken of preparations and the expedition's problems. How do you plan to fight next?" The Emperor continued to look at Zhao Song.

"We have two plans." Zhao Song answered at once. "The first: our army seizes Kyushu with lightning speed, then advances north along the island…"

As he spoke, he slowly moved the pointer in his hand again, shifting it to the southernmost tip of Honshu, then inching it upward. "Cross the strait to take Shimonoseki and land on Honshu. Then our army will advance north along the coast through Tokuyama, Hiroshima, Fukuyama, and Kurashiki, and finally strike straight for Kyoto!"

With this shout, the slender wooden rod came to rest on Kyoto.

"Strike straight for Kyoto?" the Emperor asked with keen interest.

"Exactly. Strike straight for Kyoto." Zhao Song nodded with great emphasis. "As I have previously told Your Majesty, the shogun usurped the state and disrupted governance — his title is illegitimate and his cause unjust. The powerful clans throughout Japan and the Japanese imperial court have long been deeply resentful; they only fear the shogunate's military might and dare not move. Therefore, as long as we occupy Kyoto and then raise the banner of the Japanese court, supporting the local powerful clans in opposing the shogunate, we will surely win a response. The shogunate, overwhelmed and frantic, will have no choice but to hastily assemble a great army and march west to attack Kyoto, forcing a decisive battle with our army. By then we can wait at ease for the exhausted enemy, increasing our odds of victory. Once we win the decisive battle, we can pursue the routed enemy and mobilize more wavering clans to rise up together against the shogunate. In those storm-tossed circumstances, they will surely not dare to fight our army any further and will have no choice but to sue for peace!"

The Emperor did not voice support or opposition to Zhao Song's words; he merely pondered in a low murmur.

"If you intend to take Kyoto, why not simply board ships and sail north after capturing Kyushu, landing off the coast of Kyoto? Why march all the way north from Kyushu and cover so much ground?"

"In reply to Your Majesty, this is the result we reached after fully considering the actual situation and deliberating many times." Zhao Song answered respectfully. "If our army takes Kyoto and then waits at ease for the shogunate's great army to come for a decisive battle, then given the shogunate's speed of movement, even if they resolve at once to retake the west, they will still need some time to assemble. During that time our army would likely consume vast military supplies on the spot. If all those supplies and grain had to be shipped from home, it might cause some trouble domestically. So after discussion we felt that if we fight this way, we might as well land at the southern tip of Honshu and fight our way up. That way our army can collect grain and supplies along the route, and also support the local powerful clans in rising against the shogunate, opening up a rear area for us and making the subsequent decisive battle more convenient —"

"Oh, so that is the reasoning…" The Emperor understood their intent and nodded gently. "And what is the other plan?"

"The other plan is far more aggressive than this one…" Zhao Song drew out his tone, and then the wooden rod in his hand slowly slid downward, returning to Kyushu.

"After our army occupies Kyushu, we will clear out the opposition forces on the island as quickly as possible, then leave a small number of troops to hold the northern tip of Kyushu and guard against a shogunate invasion. The rest of the troops will board the ships once more and then…"

He moved the rod onto the water and pushed it northeast. The rod glided over the sea for a long while before finally coming to rest on Honshu. And this time, the place where it stopped was the eastern end of Honshu — specifically, on a peninsula.

"Our army will sail directly north, land at Yokosuka, and then fight a decisive battle with the shogunate army — one battle to settle the world!" Zhao Song's expression was calm, but he could no longer conceal his fervor. "Yokosuka is very close to Edo and is a port. After our army lands on Kyushu, the shogunate will surely be in constant terror, drawing troops from all over to prepare to fight us. The shogunate's naval strength is weak, so our landing at Yokosuka will certainly succeed. And at that point, with our army having struck at their very heartland, the shogunate will have no choice but to force a decisive battle with us!"

"What audacity!" the Emperor sighed softly.

He could see the risk in this plan — Yokosuka was extremely close to Edo, the shogunate's fundamental seat of power, so they would certainly send a great army to counterattack the moment they received word. The intensity and ferocity of that response could not be underestimated. One could say this was a risky operation.

"I also believe our plan is a risk, but it is not a risk taken blindly — it is built upon knowing both ourselves and the enemy." Zhao Song answered with his head held high. "We have carefully studied the materials on the Japanese military. If this were twenty or thirty years ago, although their fighting strength was still inferior to ours, they were at least battle-hardened and could still put up a fight against us. But now… I am confident we can deliver this sudden blow and strike straight at the shogunate's throat!"

After a pause, he softened his tone slightly. "Moreover, by then our army will have already taken Kyushu and will have a base. At Yokosuka we will have our backs to the sea; even if we suffer a minor setback, we can withdraw safely and will not be pinned down by the shogunate army…"

"Ha, you sly fox!" The Emperor burst out laughing. "So, you and the others favor the latter plan?"

"We have merely proposed draft plans. Choosing between the two is a matter for Your Majesty; we dare not overstep our bounds." Zhao Song hurriedly bowed low.

In all fairness, both plans had their strengths and weaknesses. The first plan's advantage was its steadiness — they could use the Japanese court to mobilize the anti-shogunate daimyo across the country, forcing the shogunate to come for a decisive battle while holding all the advantages of timing and terrain. The second plan's advantage was its speed — before the shogunate could fully prepare, they would strike with thunderous force at Edo's very doorstep, forcing the shogunate into a hasty decisive battle, then fight fast and finish fast, extracting concessions from the shogunate at the earliest opportunity.

But both plans also had their drawbacks. The former was too conservative and might drag on too long, and there was no way to predict how the daimyo across Japan would actually react. The latter plan was too aggressive and perilous — it was tantamount to going straight for the head, and the slightest misstep could bring massive losses. Although through careful intelligence gathering, both the Emperor and Zhao Song now believed the shogunate was a hollow shell that only appeared colossal, and that its army's fighting strength was absolutely far inferior to the battle-hardened elite soldiers of the Great Han, landing several thousand troops directly at a vital point near Edo was still somewhat risky.

As Zhao Song had said, the matter was of immense importance. Which of the two plans to adopt could only be decided by the Emperor alone.

Personally, he leaned toward the latter plan — it was the most direct, the most forceful, and best able to demonstrate his and the Great Han army's courage and martial prowess. But he did not want his own preference to sway the Emperor's judgment, so after expressing his opinion he said no more.

At this moment, the other councilors had also fallen into silence like him. Everyone held their breath, awaiting the Emperor's decision. Only he could command the loyalty unto death of hundreds of thousands of soldiers; only he could decide with a single word the life, death, fortune, and ruin of millions.

Yet the Emperor seemed not to feel their gazes at all. He simply looked quietly at the map, occasionally using his hand to measure distances and cities, and remained silent the entire time.

"Let us do this — I will check the calendar and, in a few days, simply convene the people from all sides together. The navy, the Foreign Affairs Department, and you — we will pool our wisdom and efforts and devise a practical and workable strategy." After a moment, the Emperor waved his hand, signaling Zhao Song to sit back down. "We still have time; there is no need to make a hasty decision."

It seemed the Emperor wanted to hold another large-scale imperial conference, where all parties could discuss and produce a feasible plan together.

"I understand." Zhao Song hastily acknowledged, though he still had some misgivings. "This plan of ours already requires the navy's cooperation, so discussing it with them is naturally part of the matter. But… the Foreign Affairs Department… the Foreign Affairs Department…"

"Why are you hemming and hawing?" the Emperor asked with a smile.

Zhao Song hesitated slightly, but seeing the Emperor's smiling face and excellent mood, he boldly pressed on.

"The Foreign Affairs Department is an organ under the Cabinet and has little to do with us military men. If we let them attend the conference, would it not… would it not hinder our army's operational arrangements? Moreover, although the Foreign Affairs Department is responsible for our nation's dealings with foreign states, Japan has had very little diplomatic contact with our country before and is not one of our tributary states. They would not be of much use…"

"Zhao Song!" The Emperor abruptly raised his head and looked at Zhao Song, startling him into immediately lowering his head.

The Emperor understood Zhao Song's thinking — he was afraid that Cabinet people would get involved in this campaign and cause trouble for his command. Yet even knowing this, the Emperor was still not very pleased with Zhao Song's attitude.

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