Chapter 1472: Seizing the Hearts of the Japanese

"You've truly worked hard this time. To realize His Majesty's goal, you'll have to toil for quite a long stretch. Without your help, I'm afraid Japan wouldn't have been defeated so easily…" Chen Hong first flattered the two men, then immediately shifted his tone. "However, defeating Japan is only the beginning. We didn't go there just to defeat Japan — we went to squeeze money out of Japan. And this money must end up in the court's hands, in the cabinet's hands… Only then will the accounts balance, only then will this war not be a loss for the court. Don't you agree?"

"The Finance Minister is right." The two men hastily agreed, while inwardly guessing at what the Finance Minister's words really meant.

"I'll be frank with you. This time, the court doesn't merely want to cooperate with the military to pry Japan open. The court's true intention is for you, after prying it open, to help the cabinet hold Japan in its grasp. Therefore… you must not only consider how to deal with the Japanese, but also how, after the war, to let the cabinet monopolize Japan's gold and silver trade and open up an enormous source of revenue."

After a brief pause, he waved his hand with a beaming smile. "As you know, our dynasty's system is quite different from all previous dynasties. The separation of civil and military spheres is enforced most rigorously. Civil officials cannot easily interfere in military affairs, nor can they meddle in them. So, if the monopoly rights over Japanese trade and the operating rights over the gold and silver mines truly fall into the hands of military men… I'm afraid it will be difficult to get them back later. If that really happens, wouldn't the cabinet have expended enormous effort for nothing, merely sewing a wedding dress for someone else? That would be a terrible bargain…"

Although the Finance Minister spoke in a light and breezy tone, Kong Zhang and Zhou Pu were already inwardly alarmed by what they heard.

Zhou Pu in particular was practically dumbstruck after hearing this.

He had served in the court for quite some time and was long familiar with the laws and institutions of this dynasty. He knew in his heart that the Finance Minister was right — Great Han was indeed the dynasty where the separation of civil and military spheres was most extreme.

In the great unified dynasties of the past, although their systems varied, overall the boundary between civil and military was not particularly strict. Civil officials could command armies, and military officers could serve as chancellors. By the time of the Song and Ming, the trend was to exalt the civil and suppress the military, so that only civil officials could command the armies — which became one of the reasons for the weakness of Huaxia's military might.

But our dynasty is rather different. Our dynasty rose from humble beginnings, carved out by His Majesty and a band of brothers with their own hands. Therefore, the military is full of ennobled meritocrats, whose power and prestige are both immense. Moreover, unlike the Hongwu Emperor of the Former Ming, His Majesty does not distrust the ennobled meritocrats in the army, nor has he moved to strip his great generals of their wings. Instead, from the very start, he constructed a system that separates civil and military spheres.

Under this Great Han system established by His Majesty, civil officials cannot lay a finger on any military matter. Military officers command the army, the army's budget is determined by the army itself, and the cabinet cannot cut it on its own. Even the court officials in charge of personnel and logistics are filled and selected by military officers themselves. It can be said to be a self-contained system.

Furthermore, in past dynasties, although warfare could not do without valiant warriors, the army still needed scholars to serve as military advisors, staff officers, and the like, responsible for planning and logistics. But with His Majesty's vigorous promotion of culture and education within the military, the army is now filled with its own "scholars," and there are specialized military academies to train officers specifically for command. Zhou Pu had heard colleagues privately say that in the military academies, those promising officers, aside from essential literary knowledge, must also study mathematics and geography, with extremely rigorous examination standards — one could say every one of them is well-read. He heard that in the naval academy, every elite officer destined to become a captain must also study astronomy, with maritime specialists hired from the West to teach these high-expectation juniors how to operate astronomical instruments and use the stars and constellations to determine a warship's position on the vast ocean.

Our dynasty is truly strange — shutting out literati on the outside, yet raising top scholars within the military academies… This was a peculiar thought Zhou Pu had after learning of this rumor.

Whatever he thought, the fact remained that military men in Great Han held extremely high status and were not constrained by civil officials. And His Majesty showed no concern about them growing too powerful to control, nor any intention of changing this situation in the short term. Therefore, the Finance Minister was absolutely right — if the military really snatched something away, prying it back would be exceedingly difficult.

Privately, Zhou Pu believed that as time passed, His Majesty would ultimately still choose to restrain the military to prevent them from becoming too arrogant and domineering. Even if His Majesty did not, whoever inherited the throne in the future would do so. But that was a matter for the distant future, and not something he needed to worry about.

What he needed to worry about now was that the cabinet wanted him to secure the monopoly rights over Japanese trade and the operating rights over the gold and silver mines in the cabinet's hands — which was tantamount to asking him to snatch food from a tiger's mouth. This was no easy task…

But he had no right to refuse. The cabinet had not given him this opportunity to perform for nothing. There were plenty of specialists by his side with full skillsets only seeking advancement — he had no choice but to strive hard himself.

"This subordinate understands the Finance Minister's meaning," Zhou Pu said after a moment, his voice somewhat strained. "I will act according to the cabinet's instructions and will certainly not disappoint the Chancellor and the Finance Minister!"

"It's good that you have this resolve." The Finance Minister merely smiled. "Actually, we know this matter is not easy to handle… So think carefully now — how exactly can this be accomplished."

Zhou Pu lowered his head and sank once more into deep thought.

"The key to this matter is to make the Japanese obey us in everything," Kong Zhang picked up the thread at this point. "Not just the Shogunate alone, but also the powerful clans in every region and the Japanese court. If we can make them sincerely submit to us, then things will be much easier to handle. Whatever the military wants to do in Japan will also require Japanese cooperation…"

"That is indeed the logic." The Finance Minister nodded. "If the Japanese are willing to lean on us, then even if the military is domineering, they won't be able to say much, will they?"

Then, he suddenly reached out and gently patted Zhou Pu on the shoulder.

"Zhihe, the military has strength — it can shatter their courage and seize their souls. You people must have cunning and wisdom — you must seize the hearts of the Japanese… Remember this: use the military's might to intimidate them, and then make them willingly and gladly act according to our designs."

"This subordinate… understands." Beads of sweat appeared on Zhou Pu's forehead, but he still nodded.

"Excellent that you understand." The Finance Minister's face still wore a smile. "You are familiar with Japanese affairs, and we can't really add much. We are only stating the broad objectives — the specific strategies still depend on you. You enjoy the deep trust of both the Chancellor and myself, so just boldly go and act. As long as the goal is achieved, whatever you do, the Chancellor and I can cover for you! Once the matter is accomplished, is there anything under heaven you cannot obtain? Put your heart into it!"

Then, ignoring the already overwhelmed young official, he directly tugged the bell cord beside his seat. Immediately, an attendant carrying a teapot walked briskly in and refilled the cups before them with tea.

"Drink some more. Such fine tea — it would be a pity not to drink more!"

Just as these court officials were secretly discussing matters of state, the Chancellor of the current dynasty, Duke of Yong, Wang Zhaojing, led by an aide-de-camp, arrived at His Majesty's study. At that moment, His Majesty, accompanied by several clerks, was dictating key decrees in preparation for the upcoming state council meeting.

The moment he saw the Chancellor coming alone to seek an audience, a smile appeared on His Majesty's face. He waved his hand, signaling the clerks to withdraw first, then looked his Chancellor over with a face full of smiles.

"Well, Chancellor? The meeting hasn't even started and you've already come looking for me? Is there something?"

His friendship with the Chancellor spanned many, many years; they were like old brothers between whom there was no distance. Although in their hearts they had already established the great righteousness of sovereign and subject, in truth, in His Majesty's heart, he was still that old brother from back then. Therefore, in private meetings, they paid no heed to formalities and were extremely casual.

"Your servant pays respects to His Majesty." The Chancellor did not answer first, but respectfully bowed to His Majesty. Only then did he raise his head and look at His Majesty with an equally beaming smile. "Matters for the meeting can be discussed by everyone. Your servant has another matter he wishes to discuss with His Majesty."

"Oh? What matter?" His Majesty was somewhat curious.

"This is a good thing for both your servant and Your Majesty. I beg Your Majesty to appreciate your servants' sentiments and not decline." The Chancellor first laid a foundation for himself, then continued. "Today, your servant exchanged a few words with the Finance Minister. He told me that after several years of effort, the bastion fortifications around the capital are now largely complete, and some bastions are even finished. Therefore, there is still a considerable surplus of prepared craftsmen, laborers, and materials…"

"You want to poach people from me?" His Majesty more or less grasped the Chancellor's meaning. "Very well — where do you want to send them?"

"Your servants discussed it. Since it would be a great pity to leave these human and material resources idle, and there are no massive projects around the capital to absorb them, it would be better to simply build a detached palace for Your Majesty in the outskirts of the capital. This would make it convenient for Your Majesty to reside…"

"A detached palace?" The smile on His Majesty's face vanished instantly. "What is the meaning of this? If I wanted to live in a palace, there are plenty of palaces within the capital."

"Your Majesty, you are considerate of the people's strength and unwilling to spend too much on construction — we understand this sentiment. However, you are, after all, the sovereign of a nation. Constantly staying in a military camp is, after all… somewhat inappropriate. The consorts and princes cannot live in a military camp, after all. If this continues long-term, there will always be… the sorrow of separation from one's family. Moreover, the outside world will be shocked and suspicious, thinking that our Great Han is still not yet settled and cannot be governed with tranquility. Therefore, your servants believe that to calm the hearts of the people under heaven and to follow the will of all under heaven, the imperial family should still live together in a palace." Duke of Yong, Wang Zhaojing, did not retreat in the face of His Majesty's expression, but continued his persuasion.

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