Chapter 1556: The Western Ocean

"What?!" Both men paled in shock. "What do you mean by that?"

The new dynasty placed great emphasis on the military, and the military also contained the greatest number of ennobled aristocrats. Because civil and military affairs were strictly separated, an arrogant and aggressive atmosphere had grown increasingly rampant over the years. Both court officials had always been haunted by the military's overbearing conduct, so hearing this news out of the blue, who wouldn't be shaken?

"Don't be too alarmed," the Grand Chancellor said, still looking perfectly calm and unruffled. "According to His Majesty's intention, two new ministries will be added to the Cabinet in the future — one solely in charge of the army and one solely in charge of the navy. Their heads will also serve as Cabinet ministers, selected from within the army and navy."

Upon hearing this news, the two court officials secretly groaned in dismay even as their hearts pounded. The military men were already this arrogant and domineering outside the Cabinet; once they entered the Cabinet, wouldn't they be just as imperious and overbearing?

"So you do understand the gravity of it. But this is His Majesty's decree, and we can only comply." The Grand Chancellor sighed softly. "And let me tell you more — the designated first Minister of the Army is none other than Chen Sheng, Duke of Ji. The Crown Prince has already reached Liaodong and conveyed this intention to him. I fear it won't be long before he returns to the capital."

This was not particularly surprising. After all, the Duke of Ji had illustrious battle merits and was one of the greatest contributors to the new dynasty's founding. His prestige was the highest in the military, and his appointment as Minister of the Army was probably perfectly justified. It was just... even more of a headache. Who could possibly compete with a man like that?

"Don't put on such expressions. You know Chen Sheng as well as I do — he's a bit stern and severe, but he's not an unreasonable man. His entry is a good thing. He might even help me keep the army officers in check; after all, those tiger guards don't exactly defer to me. Besides, his younger brother is the Finance Minister, our longtime colleague — would he really refuse to give his own brother face?" The Grand Chancellor unexpectedly cracked another joke. "So, since the reality is already before us, we must think of ways to turn a bad situation to our advantage."

"From the Grand Chancellor's perspective, does fighting the Spanish after finishing off Japan count as turning a bad situation to our advantage?" Zhou Xuezhi seemed to have grasped something.

"Exactly. The navy has been itching for action, eager to flex its muscles. A war against the Spanish will necessarily rely on the navy, and they will absolutely support it." The Grand Chancellor nodded slightly. "The army and navy ministers will enter the Cabinet at the same time, and both are veteran generals of many years, every one of them a duke or a marquis. Their arrogance could soar to the heavens. If they stand together and speak with one voice, will there be any room left in the Cabinet for the rest of you to speak? So we must find a way to pull one side close and suppress the other, to prevent them from venting their temper at the Cabinet in unison. The navy is newly established; its appetite and temper are not yet as great as the army's, and it is also His Majesty's darling. Pulling the navy in achieves multiple goals at once. As long as the Navy Minister consistently supports the Cabinet, even if the army has objections, it won't make things too difficult for everyone."

The new dynasty's military was enormous in scale, and the annual military expenditure it consumed was a staggering sum, something the Cabinet had always struggled to meet. The crux of the matter was that the military never showed any gratitude; instead, it felt the Cabinet was dragging its feet and hindering its pace of conquest. Once the army and navy ministers entered the Cabinet, such quarrels would likely only grow more frequent. Rather than that, it was better to plan ahead from the start — letting the military's voice be divided was far better than letting them unite to pressure the Cabinet.

It was foreseeable that the Cabinet would have its hands full in the future dealing with the two military ministers.

"I understand... I understand now..." Zhou Xuezhi had roughly grasped the Grand Chancellor's true intent, and he no longer dared to argue with him. "The Grand Chancellor's foresight and profound planning — I am full of admiration."

"It is merely making the best of the circumstances. How can it be called profound planning?" The Grand Chancellor shook his head. "To be honest, as the Duke of Yong myself, I am not afraid of the Cabinet gaining two more army and navy ministers. I do this for the sake of the future Grand Chancellors... Oh, and let me make this clear to you — keeping the army and navy in check is solely for the public good of the nation, and absolutely not directed against the Duke of Ji. When the Duke of Ji returns to the capital, you must not slight him in any way!"

"The Grand Chancellor may rest assured. The Duke of Ji — what prestige, what a heroic figure! We are too busy admiring and respecting him to ever dare slight him!" Kong Zhang hurriedly declared. "What we fear is that the Duke of Ji, having led troops into battle for so many years, has developed an imposing manner and will order us around instead!"

"The Duke of Ji is not that kind of person. You know him — he has never cared about personal gain. He is just a bit stern and not very tactful in speech. You needn't worry too much." The Grand Chancellor first defended him, then smoothly swept his gaze over the two of them. "So, does this mean you do not oppose my proposal?"

"We defer entirely to the Grand Chancellor's decision," the two men answered in unison. Zhou Xuezhi no longer sang a contrary tune either. Since the Grand Chancellor had already spoken to this extent, whether he was right or wrong, there was no point in arguing with him any further.

"Good, then let us continue the discussion along these lines." The Grand Chancellor took another sip of tea and composed himself.

"Fighting the Spanish is actually the same as fighting the Japanese this time — fighting is merely the means, not the end. Once the fighting is done, the goal is peace negotiations, not an endless fight to the death. Therefore, before we fight, we must already be thinking about how to negotiate peace. This will rely on the two of you. After all, you are the ones who have been dealing with the Spanish all along. You must begin preparations now and produce a general strategy for negotiating peace with the Spanish when the time comes."

Zhou Xuezhi groaned inwardly. He had been opposed to war with the Spanish from the start, and now he was being tasked with the responsibility of brokering peace as quickly as possible when the time came — wasn't this forcing him to do the impossible?

His hesitation naturally did not escape the Grand Chancellor's notice. "Minister of Commerce, I know this request puts you in a difficult position, but I ask you to prioritize matters of national importance and not let this descend into a dispute of personal feelings."

"How could I dare let selfish concerns hinder state affairs? The Grand Chancellor may rest assured." This label was far too heavy, and the Minister of Commerce certainly did not dare shoulder it.

"In truth, the Minister of Commerce need not worry too much. The Spanish homeland is thousands of miles away across the ocean. Fighting the Spanish really won't take all that much effort. What will require care is how to coerce them into accepting our terms. The Minister of Commerce has overseen our nation's commercial affairs for so many years and must be highly skilled in negotiation. The able must labor more — this naturally falls to the Minister of Commerce." The Grand Chancellor was still smiling faintly. "However, man proposes, heaven disposes. If, when the time comes, the Spanish absolutely refuse to negotiate peace, neither His Majesty nor I will blame you."

"Thank you, Grand Chancellor..." Zhou Xuezhi finally breathed a sigh of relief. "This humble official will devote himself wholeheartedly to the task."

After the Minister of Commerce had fully accepted the Grand Chancellor's proposal, the three high ministers fell silent for a moment, each quietly digesting the information they had just received.

"This matter is settled in principle. But after this discussion with you, I have suddenly realized there is one area where we are still gravely lacking." After a while, the Grand Chancellor suddenly spoke in a musing tone.

"What does the Grand Chancellor refer to?" Kong Zhang was somewhat puzzled.

"We know far too little about the conditions of the various Western Ocean nations. It is practically like blind men touching an elephant — we can only act on guesswork." The Grand Chancellor spoke unhurriedly. "This will not do. Our dynasty will continue to expand out to sea in the future, and our economic and trade interactions with the Western Ocean nations will only grow. If we continue groping in the dark like this, how can we secure benefits for the nation?"

"The Grand Chancellor means...?" The two ministers exchanged a glance.

"The Western Ocean is full of numerous states, yet we currently deal directly with only a handful of them. As a result, we can only rely on the scraps of information the missionaries provide to handle the Spanish and the Dutch, missing many opportunities we could exploit. In fact, since there are so many states, there must be countless conflicts among them, and within that lies great room for our dynasty to employ the arts of vertical and horizontal alliances and profit from them. Wouldn't it be a shame to waste such opportunities?! The former Ming liked to shut its doors and ignore worldly affairs, deluding itself that the Great Ming was the entire world and the Western Ocean was merely a remote corner. We must not adopt such a mindset."

Vertical and horizontal alliances in the Western Ocean?

Because this was truly shocking, both Kong Zhang and Zhou Xuezhi looked utterly bewildered.

"I wonder... I wonder exactly how the Grand Chancellor plans to carry out these vertical and horizontal alliances?" Only after a long moment did Kong Zhang ask.

"How would I know right now? I am just as ignorant about the Western Ocean's situation as you are. But precisely because we are all so ignorant, we need to learn more, not cling to our old ways." The Grand Chancellor's expression grew increasingly solemn. "Let us do this — as a first step, we shall dispatch a diplomatic mission to the Western Ocean. Let them see what the current state of the various Western Ocean nations is really like, and then see which nations are at odds with Spain and could be of use to our dynasty..."

"Dispatch a diplomatic mission to the Western Ocean?" The two court officials were even more astonished.

"Why, is that strange? The Western Ocean people arrived at our doorstep ages ago, yet we clung to our old ways, deluding ourselves that this tiny corner was the entire world. As a result, they came knocking right at our door. Not only were our subjects overseas slaughtered, but the Western Ocean people also came ashore, seized Macau, and are eyeing us covetously from all sides. This situation cannot continue. From now on, the Great Han must open its eyes, learn more about the world outside, and not confine itself to one corner."

"The Grand Chancellor speaks reason... great reason." Though their private thoughts differed, both men nodded repeatedly.

"You might as well begin preparations today. Kong Zhang, first assemble a diplomatic mission within the Foreign Affairs Department. Before we have even begun hostilities with the Spanish, send them across the sea to the Western Ocean. Have them carry our national credentials and go from country to country, taking a good look at the Western Ocean — see where their strengths lie and where their weaknesses lie. Don't just sit around waiting for others to come knocking on our door." The Grand Chancellor began issuing orders. "Select a few Westerners who have submitted to us and let them lead the way as guides — they must be honest and reliable. Additionally, the Ministry of Commerce should also select some people to negotiate trade matters with these Western Ocean nations. By establishing trade with more nations, we increase our capital for maneuvering in the Western Ocean."

"Wouldn't this... wouldn't this be making too big a stir, too much commotion?" Kong Zhang hesitated slightly. Among his subordinates, those well-versed in the affairs of the various Western Ocean nations were far too few. If he had to organize a diplomatic mission, he would have hardly any such talents left under him, which would make future dealings with the Westerners here much more troublesome.