Chapter 1482: Isn't This a Bit Too Risky?

The moment an opportunity presents itself, they will certainly seize the momentum, raise troops, and oppose the shogunate. As for the Japanese imperial court — it is centered on the emperor, with the hereditary court nobles serving as his support. Centuries ago, because the Fujiwara clan monopolized the court noble offices for generations, they were originally at odds with one another. But after successive shogunates were established, the shogunate encroached upon their power and wealth, so the Japanese emperor and the court nobles have since stood on the same side, united in opposing the greedy and tyrannical warrior shogunate. The current Edo Shogunate oppresses the court severely as well — the emperor's domain yields only about ten thousand koku of grain, less than that of an ordinary shogunate daimyo. Such bullying is beyond intolerable, and the Japanese court has long harbored deep resentment against the Edo Shogunate. They only suffer from having no sword in hand and being unable to fight the shogunate. As long as our army uses the sword in our hand to bolster the Japanese court's courage, and at the same time raises the banner of seeking justice for the Japanese court, they will definitely be willing to serve our purposes!

"According to what you say, haven't the Japanese court and court nobles already lost their power and wealth? Then even if they follow us, how much use can they really be?" the Chancellor asked, somewhat puzzled. "Even if they send out proclamations to the four corners, will the local powerful clans listen?"

"To answer the Chancellor, the Japanese differ from the people of China — they are obsessed with reputation, inflexible, and deeply afraid of change. At the same time, the imperial family and the court noble families have propagated generation after generation. Even when their descendants are demoted to warrior status, they still retain blood ties to the court. For this reason, powerful warlords dare not change the dynasty and would rather keep the monarch as a figurehead. After many years of this, the practice has become ingrained throughout the entire system and has persisted ever since. Although the Japanese court no longer possesses wealth or land, it still commands a certain rallying power among the Japanese people — this is what is called the moral mandate." Zhou Pu patiently explained to the Chancellor. "This moral mandate, while it normally cannot rally people to resist the shogunate, will indeed serve a rallying purpose when supported by the might of our army. For those powerful clans, raising the banner of obeying heaven and punishing traitors to crusade against the rebel shogunate is, after all, far better-sounding than helping foreigners attack their own country's shogunate..."

"That makes some sense." The Chancellor pondered for a moment, then nodded gently. "Still, these Japanese are truly strange — for centuries they only kept the court as a figurehead and never thought of replacing it?"

"Over these several centuries, Japan has been in constant turmoil, with local powerful clans and warlords standing in great numbers, making it difficult for any one person to possess completely overwhelming power. Thus, even those harboring ambition, wary of the consequences, the warrior generals dared not directly carry out deposing and enthroning. After many years, keeping the emperor as a figurehead became custom, and few even thought of deposing him anymore. Moreover... Japan is an island nation, and before this it rarely faced foreign invasions, so its court political system was relatively stable, and both high and low tended toward conservatism, disliking subversive acts." Zhou Pu smiled, as if something had occurred to him. "Come to think of it, the previous shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu and the great warlord Oda Nobunaga both reportedly harbored intentions of disrespecting the court. However, they both died before they could depose the emperor, and their successors lacked their authority and power, so they had no choice but to abandon such grand ambitions. That can be considered... considered the Japanese emperor's good fortune."

"Then they truly have been remarkably fortunate!" The Chancellor also laughed in spite of himself. "Well, in that case, this strategy is usable. Zhao Song, what of the other strategy?"

"The other plan is far more radical than this one..." Zhao Song quickly answered. "The foundation of this plan is still to first occupy Kyushu. Then, after our army occupies Kyushu, we will swiftly purge the island of opposition forces, leave a small portion of troops to hold the northern tip of Kyushu to prevent the shogunate army from invading, and, taking advantage of the shogunate's slow movements and difficulty in mobilizing troops, gather the remaining forces, board the ships once more, and then... our army will sail directly north, land in the Yokosuka region, and then fight a decisive battle with the shogunate army — one battle to settle everything!"

"Land directly near Edo?" The Chancellor was slightly taken aback. "Are you confident of success?"

It was not only him — even Kong Zhang and Zhou Pu were quite shocked, appalled by the audacity of Zhao Song and the other military men.

Amid the general astonishment, only Zhao Song stood with his head high and chest out, brimming with confidence. And the Crown Prince, seated beside the Emperor, seeing Zhao Song's fierce and self-assured demeanor, suddenly felt a measure of admiration for this cousin-uncle, thinking that he was indeed one of the Great Han's most courageous and resourceful commanders.

"To answer the Chancellor, in our operations, the primary objective is to preserve the troops in our hands. In attempting such a risky move, we naturally have some degree of confidence." Zhao Song's expression remained calm, but his tone had quietly risen. "As shown on the map, the Yokosuka region is very close to Edo and has a port convenient for unloading. After our army lands in Kyushu, the shogunate, upon receiving the news, will be utterly terrified and will then plan to draw troops from various regions to oppose our army. However, the shogunate's naval strength is weak. With our army possessing such overwhelming naval superiority, landing at Yokosuka can certainly be accomplished. Once the landing succeeds, the shogunate, with our army having struck at its very heartland, will have no choice but to force a decisive battle with us!"

"The landing — can it be done?" The Chancellor was not swayed by Zhao Song's unilateral assurances, but instead turned his head to look at Liu Tao. "You of the navy, speak."

Marquis of Jiujiang Liu Tao's expression was also somewhat odd; he was clearly equally shocked by Zhao Song's bold plan. He hesitated for a moment, then raised his head to look at the Emperor.

"Your Majesty, this matter is of immense importance. I request permission to consult with several naval councilors."

"Granted." The Emperor immediately nodded in agreement.

The Marquis of Jiujiang promptly left his seat and walked over to several seats positioned before the wall behind him. Seated there were several naval officers dressed in blue military uniforms, wearing silver or bronze medals. A few of them were even Westerners with high noses, deep-set eyes, and grayish-yellow hair.

From its very inception, the navy had been a great melting pot that continuously absorbed outstanding foreign talent. It was built into a fighting force with the help of Western craftsmen who designed and assisted in manufacturing warships, and the sailors and officers aboard those ships were trained by foreign instructors hired at high salaries. These instructors had all served for many years in the navies of various Western European countries and possessed rich combat experience. It was under their tutelage that the Great Han's navy was able to take shape so quickly, and its officers and men's combat effectiveness rapidly became formidable.

At the same time, some Westerners who had served in Western navies, lacking strong loyalty to their own countries, chose to pledge their service to the Great Han Navy in exchange for the generous compensation it offered. Because the navy had only recently been established and needed men at every level, and because even the fleet's commander-in-chief was of Western origin, the navy very inclusively absorbed this group into its ranks.

However, the navy was not indiscriminately inclusive toward them; there were still many restrictions. For instance, they had to acquire Chinese nationality and were not permitted to defect again, and most of them were assigned to positions without direct command responsibility. In this way, several men with rich naval combat experience entered the Naval Military Affairs Department, serving either as technical officers or as council officers, and made certain contributions to the navy's expansion and operations.

Among the several naval councilors Liu Tao had brought this time were Westerners, and of course, a few were newly trained native naval council officers.

After the Marquis of Jiujiang Liu Tao walked over to this group of naval council officers, he wasted no time and immediately began discussing with them. The discussion quickly grew very heated; the several council officers each expressed their own views, and some even took out paper and pen to perform calculations.

These Western council officers held important posts and had lived in China for many years, so their Chinese was very fluent. Moreover, being in the imperial presence today, they dared not waste the Emperor's time, so the discussion proceeded very smoothly. After only a short while, the naval officers' consultation concluded, and the Marquis of Jiujiang Liu Tao, with an extremely solemn expression, slowly walked back to the round conference table and sat down again.

"Well? Can it be done?" the Chancellor asked again.

"To answer the Chancellor, based on our discussion just now, if we use Kyushu as a base, we can cover the army's landing at Yokosuka port." Liu Tao replied in a low voice. "The shogunate essentially has no navy to speak of. Even if they have some small warships, they lack experienced sailors and officers, and moreover have no experience in ocean warfare. Therefore, our navy possesses absolute superiority and can easily smash Japan's navy and deliver the army ashore. And we can guarantee the army will have no worries about its rear — we can defeat the Japanese shogunate's naval attacks. However..."

"That still sounds quite optimistic... However what?" the Chancellor asked with a smile.

"We are the navy. At sea, we can guarantee victory and can also protect the army's maritime supply lines. But we can only guarantee that much. On land, war is perilous, and the outcome of battle is something we cannot control. The army must bear the risk alone." Liu Tao stated the result of his consultation with the council officers. "If the land campaign goes unfavorably, our navy cannot fully guarantee that we can penetrate deep inland and evacuate all the land forces... Therefore, in our view, the first plan seems the most prudent."

"If we advance according to this plan, the land campaign will be our responsibility; the navy need not bear any responsibility." Just as Liu Tao voiced the navy's preferred plan, Zhao Song suddenly interjected. "The Marquis of Jiujiang is willing to secure our rear for us — we are already deeply grateful."

His resolute declaration once again startled the assembled ministers, and hushed conversations broke out one after another, making the council hall seem somewhat chaotic for a moment.

This was because Liu Tao's words had, in effect, already hinted at the navy's stance, supporting the first plan. And Zhao Song's statement, in effect, indicated that he favored the second plan and believed his chances of success were very high.

In any case, for the army and navy to reveal a divergence of opinion on the upcoming strategy right from the start was hardly a good sign.

The Chancellor lightly tapped the table with his fingers, restoring silence to the hall.

Then, he furrowed his brow and looked at Zhao Song with some gravity. "The Count of Xingyang speaks thus — is he confident? Since Yokosuka is near Edo, it is the shogunate's throat. Striking directly at the throat can indeed strike at the Japanese shogunate's vital point, but... the risks involved are also immense. You must be prudent."

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