Chapter 1468: The Civil and Military of Great Han

"Do you truly believe you understand Japan completely just from a few scattered words? After so many years of war, do you still not grasp the meaning of 'know yourself and know your enemy'?" The Emperor frowned with displeasure. "Japan may not be a tributary state of ours, and its dealings with the former Ming were not extensive, but do you think we truly have no need to engage with Japan? Besides, aren't you the one who wants to mobilize local powerful clans to rise against the shogunate? Do you intend to accomplish that all by yourself?"

The Emperor's interrogation brought faint beads of cold sweat to Zhao Song's forehead.

"I acknowledge my fault. Your Majesty's reproach is just."

"What fault do you have? You simply fear trouble!" The Emperor shook his head. "You think leading troops into battle is your proper duty and want nothing to do with people outside the military, correct?"

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty speaks truly." Zhao Song looked somewhat ashamed, his head bowing even lower. "I am a crude fellow who has not read many books, so I am not very adept at dealing with civil officials, and I deeply fear causing mishaps because of it..."

"You don't want the Grand Secretariat managing you?" The Emperor cut him off directly.

Zhao Song grew even more nervous, the beads of sweat on his forehead growing larger.

Although he knew he was deeply favored and trusted by the Emperor, there were some matters that could not be spoken of too openly, and he had never dared to say much. However, today, with vital interests at stake, he could not remain silent and could only force himself to continue.

"Your Majesty, I harbor absolutely no selfish motives. The Grand Secretariat bears the weighty affairs of the realm and supports the state for Your Majesty. I have no objections whatsoever to the Grand Secretariat, and I am full of sincere respect for the Chancellor. What I say is by no means for myself, but... but to ensure the success of this campaign!" Zhao Song rose from his seat, stood, and bowed deeply. "I also know that the military provisions needed for this expedition must be raised and maintained by the Grand Secretariat, and I know that attacking Japan requires the Grand Secretariat's aid. But divided authority only breeds chaos from top to bottom, making orders unenforceable and prohibitions ineffective. Therefore, I wish for Your Majesty to clearly delineate the boundaries between the two sides, so that the Grand Secretariat does not interfere in the command of our army!"

"You don't want the Grand Secretariat's people to control you?" The Emperor stared at Zhao Song with equal gravity. "You mean you want the Grand Secretariat's people to be your assistants?"

"I have been appointed by Your Majesty as the supreme commander of this distant expedition. I believe I am the person with overall responsibility for the war against Japan, and I should also be the person with overall responsibility for negotiations with Japan. All other persons communicating with Japan should be subject to my restraint and do things beneficial to our army. This is my personal understanding..." Zhao Song boldly gathered his courage and forcefully stated his demand. "Your Majesty has said that the battlefield changes in an instant, and the most important thing is to adapt to circumstances. I deeply concur. The most important thing for an army is to adapt to changing circumstances so that orders from above are followed below. If I cannot exercise discretionary authority on the spot, how can I guarantee victory? If that is truly the case, I would rather not accept this heavy responsibility, lest I delay military opportunities and harm the officers and soldiers of the great army!"

His words were extremely impassioned, clearly coming from the depths of his heart.

He too had lived through the former dynasty and had long witnessed how the former Ming court suppressed and guarded against military officers. He had also seen how, under the control of civil officials and eunuch army supervisors, the army was hamstrung in battle and utterly incapable of fighting. Therefore, he absolutely could not tolerate such a thing happening to himself. Thus, today, upon hearing the Emperor say that people from the Grand Secretariat would be involved in the war effort, he decided to take a risk, gambling on the Emperor's good mood to establish the hierarchy between the two sides, so that he could prepare for war with peace of mind.

"Enough, don't overthink it. How could I act like the former Ming and casually send you several army supervisors and inspector-generals?" As if to set his mind at ease, the Emperor placed his baton on the table. "Do not question the arrangements from above any further. In short, rest assured, matters of war will be solely your responsibility. The Grand Secretariat's people are there to assist you!"

Although the Emperor had not explicitly stated that the Foreign Affairs Department of the Grand Secretariat would be his subordinates this time, having obtained such a guarantee from the Emperor, Zhao Song was still overjoyed.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" He knelt directly.

Following his lead, the other several advisory officers also rose from their seats one after another and knelt before the Emperor together.

"Rest early. The conference will convene in two days. Ma Tongji and Li Huanghe should be arriving in the capital around then as well. I will directly assign them to your command. You can communicate well with them before the conference and perform well at the grand assembly. Once it's over, everyone can go home and properly celebrate the New Year!" The Emperor waved his hand, gesturing for the clerk beside him to bring the meeting records for his review. "Alright, go back and rest for now. You have worked hard!"

Then, as he picked up the records and began reading slowly, as if suddenly remembering something, the Emperor added, "Oh, right. Prepare a plan for the Crown Prince as well when the time comes. No need to write it in excessive detail; simple and easy to understand will suffice. The Crown Prince will also attend the conference then."

The Crown Prince will also attend the conference?

The several men exchanged glances again. Quickly, they regained their composure, offered their thanks once more, and filed out of the room one by one.

They indeed needed to prepare well.

Another heavy snowfall.

Since entering the twelfth lunar month, the winter cold seemed to intensify day by day, with heavy snow falling almost every other day. The capital was once again drenched in boundless white by this great snow.

In such weather, every household in the capital kept its doors tightly shut. The originally bustling market town now looked like a white wasteland.

In the late Ming period, the weather had already been extremely cold, with several heavy snowfalls in the capital region every year. The freezing weather not only made heating a problem for residents but also impeded the flow of goods, causing grain prices to soar. Consequently, many people in the capital region died of cold and hunger each winter back then.

However, since the founding of the new Great Han dynasty, recent years have been much better. Every time the late autumn season arrived and the weather began to turn cold, the court would transport large quantities of grain from the south by sea, then excavate coal from places like Shanxi and ship it to the capital, reselling it to the capital's residents at very low prices. This allowed them to be somewhat spared from cold and hunger, and brought the capital region a peace rarely seen in many years. The markets were orderly and bustling without chaos, not at all resembling a newly founded dynasty.

Yet, unlike the tranquility within the capital, outside the city at the main garrison camp, today presented a scene of heavy traffic. Carriages from all over the capital tread through the snow, gathering one after another at the camp's entrance. Patrolling soldiers nervously scouted everywhere, searching these carriages that had come from afar. The unceasing goose-feather-like heavy snow seemed to have no effect on them whatsoever.

After these carriages stopped in the designated area marked off at the camp's entrance, the people inside the compartments emerged one by one and stood outside the gate.

Guards quickly surrounded them, and following a procedure they had long since become thoroughly familiar with, separated the coachmen and accompanying personnel, then led them to another designated rest area. The remaining group gathered in twos and threes, exchanging pleasantries as they stepped through the camp's main gate.

These people had varied appearances; some were dignified and imposing, others were plain-looking. Although their attire was not particularly conspicuous or luxurious, their every movement and gesture carried a subtle air of authority. The guards surrounding them, though stern in expression, were all very respectful, far more restrained than when dealing with the previous group.

They were all civil and military officials of the court, the very group that formed the backbone of this newborn empire. And today, they had been specially summoned by the Emperor to discuss a matter of great importance.

As a minor official of the Foreign Affairs Department, Zhou Pu was also among their number this time.

In the former Ming, unless one was a top-ranking Grand Secretariat minister, ordinary ministers rarely had the chance to see the Emperor, and generally, the Emperor would not receive so many ministers outside of court assemblies. Summoning a group of people to an audience at a military camp was even more unheard of; the institutional reforms of the new dynasty were truly numerous.

Initially, because there was no precedent, the audiences of civil and military ministers always caused some confusion, even leading to some farcical incidents and conflicts, which the old residents of the capital, who considered themselves worldly-wise, secretly sneered at quite a few times, mocking that these new nobles of the Great Han dynasty were indeed of humble origin, ignorant of protocol and unpresentable.

However, after several years of these frequent audiences, these ministers gradually grew accustomed to them, and a set of unwritten rules for the audiences slowly formed, making the group audiences orderly and systematic.

These ministers divided into two rows according to the distinction between civil and military, each walking on different paths, then arranged themselves front to back according to official rank, seniority, and noble title. At the same time, those who might speak before the Emperor could also gather together beforehand to discuss the upcoming imperial response, to avoid mishandling themselves when before the Emperor.

The ministers who came today naturally arranged themselves according to these tacitly understood rules as well. Civil officials and military officers walked in separate columns to the left and right, and leading at the very front was the Chancellor, Duke of Yong, Wang Zhaojing. Walking beside him was the Finance Minister, Marquis of Pingyuan, Chen Hong.

Both were old ministers who had followed the Emperor since his rise to power and had remained in the capital all these years, thus receiving the most opportunities for audience and acting with the least restraint.

Although these two important ministers had relaxed expressions, their bearing still had its own distinct characteristics. Duke of Yong Wang Zhaojing looked straight ahead, head high and chest out, his gaze piercing, fully displaying the demeanor of the state's chief minister. Finance Minister Chen Hong, however, looked around restlessly, as if pondering some matter in his heart.

After entering the interior of the military camp, the Chancellor, being in quite good spirits, sidled up beside Chen Hong and greeted him with a smile.

"What are you thinking about, swaying your head like that here?"

"It's too crude here," Chen Hong gently shook his head again, then glanced at the ground beneath his feet where the soil showed through. "It has been several years since the founding of the state, yet His Majesty lives in a place worse than ours. We ministers all feel ashamed in our hearts..."

"His Majesty prefers simplicity." Because the topic concerned the Sage Emperor, the Chancellor's smile immediately vanished as well, though his tone remained light. "You know as well as I do, we've told him several times to move back into the Imperial Palace, but he always refuses."

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