Daming: Apocalypse of Longevity

Chapter 211 Ryukyu
In addition to the cotton clothes and quilts sent by the imperial court, the Ming army under Mangui also collected a lot of deerskin and other animal skins during hunting during this period. Some precious furs such as mink and fox fur are naturally These ordinary animal skins were to be handed over to the court, and Mangui simply let the soldiers keep them to keep out the cold.

During this period, the Buriyati tribe also sent thousands of sheepskins to the Ming army. Although for the tens of thousands of Ming troops, these thousand sheepskins were a drop in the bucket, but for the Buriyati tribe, they were considered a drop in the bucket. It's definitely a great gift to do your best.

At this time, although the Russian army was on its own territory and was not like the Ming army on an expedition of thousands of miles, it still had to provide food and wages for the [-]-strong army. Even though these [-] soldiers and horses had been out for a month except for the loss of soldiers and generals. , there is no gain at all.

Philarete suddenly felt that he was riding a tiger. He never expected that the [-] Rus army could not break through the defense line set up by the Ming army in the Ural Mountains. They could only build a city at the foot of the mountain for passive defense. Even so, they had to withstand the Ming army's day and night shelling!

However, the war has begun, and it will not stop. If Ross withdraws his troops now, it will be easy to surrender, and it will show weakness to the Ming Dynasty. The Ming Dynasty will definitely make further progress and invade the territory of Ross by moving westward.

However, if they do not withdraw their troops, the Russian army will be unable to break through the defense line built by the Ming army in the Ural Mountains. Seeing that the food and wages for the army's expedition are being consumed like water, such losses are not something that the Russian country can afford.

He could only place his hope in heaven now, hoping that the Ming army would be unable to withstand the cold Siberian winter and withdraw as soon as possible.

However, Filaret really underestimated the will of the Ming army. As the saying goes: "The Ming army is invincible if it is not satisfied with the pay." Now the emperor has not only gradually improved the treatment of the Ming army, but the military pay has never been higher. No matter how late he was in arrears, and under the command of a fairly upright general like Man Gui, he could always receive the grain, cotton clothes, quilts and other materials sent by the court in full.

The Ming army no longer had any resentment against the imperial court. Instead, they all turned to the imperial court, especially the emperor, who they admired like a god. Could the Ming army, which shared the same hatred, be scared away by the cold Siberian winter? ?
As a result, neither side was willing to take a step back, and the stalemate lasted until April of the following year.

……

In the capital, by the twelfth lunar month, Sun Yuanhua and Li Banghua had transformed eight warships into steam paddle steamers. Zhu Tianqi immediately ordered Li Banghua to go back and select the elite navy for training. After the new year, they would go south to the East China Sea to suppress thieves.

In the blink of an eye, it was the Zhengdan Festival again, and this year there were many vassal countries coming to pay tribute to the Ming Dynasty. However, in addition to North Korea and the Mobei tribes, there was also a new face - Cai Jin, the Ryukyu envoy.

Because the tributes Cai Jin brought were so pitiful, it was difficult for Zhu Tianqi and the officials not to notice him.

Zhu Tianqi couldn't help but asked Cai Jinlai with a smile: "You Ryukyus haven't paid tribute to me for many years. Why did you suddenly think of paying tribute to me this year?"

Cai Jin was stunned for a moment when asked, and then he knelt down and replied: "Back to the Ming Emperor, it's not that I, Ryukyu, don't want to come to pay tribute to the Celestial Empire, but that the Celestial Empire doesn't allow me, Ryukyu Island, to come to pay tribute!"

At this time, Xu Guangqi took over and reminded Zhu Tianqi: "Your Majesty, because of the Japanese rebellion on the southeast coast, our court has stipulated that the Ryukyu Kingdom can only pay tribute to the Ming Dynasty once every ten years, although the Ryukyu Kingdom has sent envoys several times. , I hope it can be changed back to the original one tribute every two years, or one tribute every five years, but I have to get permission."

Zhu Tianqi nodded slowly and said to Cai Jin: "No wonder I haven't seen Liuqiu come for so many years. I really forgot about it. You should get up first. I mistakenly blamed you Liuqiu!"

"Foreign ministers don't dare!" Cai Jin kowtowed hurriedly, and then stood up carefully. He tremblingly pulled out a memorial from his sleeve, hesitated for a long time, and then, as if he had made up his mind, he held the memorial in both hands. , knelt down again, and shouted: "The foreign minister still has important matters to present to the Emperor of Ming!"

Cai Jin's move was naturally unethical, but Zhu Tianqi was not angry because of it. Instead, he became interested in the memorial in Cai Jin's hand, because now his mind is on the East China Sea, so this Ryukyu is also his a point of concern.

Zhu Tianqi raised his hand to stop Xu Guangqi, who was about to scold Cai Jin, and said, "For the sake of your Ryukyu loyalty to the Ming Dynasty for many years, I will make an exception today and take a look at your memorial!"

Hearing this, Wang Yuanbao hurried down the platform, took the memo from Cai Jin's hand, walked up the platform quickly, and handed it to Zhu Tianqi.

Zhu Tianqi unfolded the memorial and took a quick look at it. He was immediately overjoyed and couldn't help but secretly said: "This is the best tribute gift I have received this year!"

But on the surface, Zhu Tianqi put the memorial together calmly, and said to Cai Jin: "Let's do this, you stay in the capital first, and after the fifth day of the lunar month, I will call you to discuss your memorial." How about the matter?"

Cai Jin dared not to follow, and immediately thanked him a thousand times: "The foreign minister obeyed, and thanked the Emperor of Ming Dynasty for his kindness!"

Although there was such a small episode in the middle, everyone was indeed very curious about what was written in Cai Jin's memorial, but it had nothing to do with them, so who would ask about these things just to satisfy their curiosity?
Then Cai Jin insisted on writing a memorial to the emperor on the Zhengdan Festival, which was already against the rules. If there were no good things written in the memorial, wouldn't it make the emperor even more unhappy?Therefore, no one is willing to touch this bad luck.

But others can not take this matter to heart, but Xu Guangqi, who is the Minister of Rites, can't. He always feels that this matter is too strange. The emperor must have some new plans, otherwise why would the Ryukyu envoy Cai Jin be needed? What about staying?
Therefore, after the Zhengdan Festival, Xu Guangqi went to find Cai Jin in person.

In order to receive the Thai and Western people recruited by Sun Yuanhua from Haojing'ao, the Huitong Hall has been renovated. Now the Ming Dynasty has more vassal states again, which can accommodate the envoys.

Cai Jin was very surprised by the arrival of Xu Guangqi. After all, Xu Guangqi was the Minister of Rites and the chief minister of the cabinet of the Ming Dynasty. It can be said that one person is less than ten thousand people, and he has a high position of power.

Cai Jin hurriedly knelt down and kowtowed: "Foreign minister Cai Jin, I kowtow to Mr. Xu Ge!"

Xu Guangqi raised his hand to indicate that he was flat, then walked into his room, sat down on the chair, and asked: "Cai Jin, please tell me honestly, the memorial you gave to the emperor during the court meeting today is all What did you write?”

Cai Jin was taken aback by the question, but after thinking about it, there was nothing he couldn't say, so he simply said bluntly: "The foreign minister's report is about my Ryukyu being invaded by the Satsuma clan of the Japanese country.

At first, the Satsuma clan only invaded my territory and plundered my money, but then they took away my Ryukyu king and threatened my Ryukyus to surrender and pay tribute. Now, the Satsuma clan is not satisfied and even wants to establish a 'Zaifan' in our Ryukyu territory. "Pursuance", this is to seize the power of my monarch and ministers, and to take the three prefectures, five states and 35 counties of Ryukyu as my own! When Xu Guangqi heard this, he was furious: "Cai Jin, you are confused!" "

Cai Jin was so frightened that he trembled, his legs softened and he knelt down again, "Xu, Mr. Xu, Foreign Minister, Foreign Minister, this is also a helpless act!"

Xu Guangqi saw that Cai Jin was also dedicated to serving the country, so he couldn't scold him, so he could only sigh: "You can ask for help from the Ming Dynasty on behalf of the King of Ryukyu, but why do you insist on giving such a memorial to the emperor at the Zhengdan Festival? , if Tianwei is offended, is it possible for me, Daming, to send troops to assist you in Ryukyu?"

When Cai Jin heard this, he was stunned and looked at Xu Guangqi with a bitter face: "The foreign minister is really stupid, but the matter has come to this, please give me your help, Mr. Xu!"

Xu Guangqi was also a little worried. He really couldn't guess the emperor's thoughts. After pondering for a moment, he suddenly whispered: "Three prefectures, five states and 35 counties?! Is Ryukyu so big?"

Cai Jin didn't listen too clearly, and raised his head to glance at Xu Guangqi in surprise. Xu Guangqi knew he was losing his composure, so he coughed dryly, stood up and said, "Okay, now that the matter is clear, it's time for me to go back. You should rest early!"

Cai Jin didn't think about it and just got to the point. Xu Guangqi was about to leave and quickly tried to dissuade him: "Master Xu, you haven't told the foreign minister yet. What should the foreign minister do?"

After saying this, Cai Jin suddenly got up and ran to the bed as if enlightened. He took out a silver ingot from under the pillow and presented it to Xu Guangqi: "Master Xu, if my Ryukyu is saved, not only will I, Cai Jin, but also my king Dingran be saved, I will thank you generously!"

Xu Guangqi pushed him away and snorted coldly: "Who do you think I am? It is not up to me to decide whether the Ming Dynasty can save your Ryukyu Kingdom. You can wait here with peace of mind." Just wait, you will know the result when the emperor sees you again!"

After Xu Guangqi left, Cai Jin turned around and picked up the silver ingot from the ground. He turned over and sat down on the ground, sighing bitterly, "The country is poor and the family is poor. Even if you give gifts to others, you will be despised!"

Cai Jin thought it was because he gave too little money, which made Xu Guangqi unhappy, and suddenly he felt even more confused. Originally, the emperor of Ming didn't know what was going on with him, but now he offended the cabinet of Daming Chief Assistant, this matter is probably out of the question!
But how could Xu Guangqi be angry with him because of such a thing? Xu Guangqi figured out the situation and hurried home to figure out how to deal with it. Although he was no longer in charge of the Ministry of Revenue, he was still the chief minister of the cabinet. The financial situation of the imperial court was unknown to him. It was clear that he was worried that the emperor would send troops to the East China Sea again before the Manchu and Guangxi armies were withdrawn.

It is naturally not difficult to help the Ryukyu Kingdom drive away the invading Japanese Satsuma Domain, but once a war breaks out with the Japanese Kingdom, it is likely to involve the Ming Dynasty in the quagmire of war again.

But Zhu Tianqi had a different idea at this time. In the past, wars fought by the Ming Dynasty were purely a waste of money, and even if they won, they would be a loss-making business. For example, the previous war to resist Japanese aggression and aid Korea (Imjin Japanese Rebellion) had just ended. The battle to regain Liaodong.

Of course, this is not to say that these wars are meaningless, but from an economic perspective, this type of war cannot bring tangible economic benefits to the Ming Dynasty.

But now Zhu Tianqi's Northern Expedition to Siberia is different. Although the one hundred thousand troops in Guangxi still need to be supported by the court, once the Ming army gains a firm foothold in Siberia and begins to open up and build Siberia, it will be able to create far-reaching achievements. Wealth beyond what is currently invested will come out.

The same is true for the war against Japan that Zhu Tianqi plans to launch. This time it will not be fought on the Korean Peninsula, but within the territory of Japan. All the fields and mines of Japan must be occupied, especially the silver mines of Japan. It’s a real “money tree”!

Therefore, Zhu Tianqi is not afraid of investing, and judging from the current financial situation of the Ming Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty also has the capital to fight this battle. And with the strength of the Ming army, Zhu Tianqi believes that this battle will not last too long.

In the blink of an eye, it was the sixth day of the first lunar month in the 12th year of Tianqi. Zhu Tianqi sent someone to the Huitong Hall early in the morning to summon the Ryukyu envoy Cai Jin, and then convened the cabinet to discuss matters in the Huangji Hall.

By the time Cai Jin arrived at Huangji Hall, Zhu Tianqi had already circulated Cai Jin's memorial to the six cabinet ministers.

Seeing that the six cabinet ministers did not speak, Zhu Tianqi sat upright and said: "Let me tell you my thoughts first. Regarding the Japanese invasion of Ryukyu, a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty, I believe that it must not be tolerated and must be dealt with. Punish him and make Japan pay the price for his actions!"

Hearing this, Liu Hongxun, Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs, couldn't help being shocked, and then got up to salute, and said: "Your Majesty, think twice, it is really wrong for the Japanese country to invade Ryukyu, but now the trade between our Ming Dynasty and the Japanese country has resumed. If a war starts, I'm afraid..."

Seeing that Liu Hongxun was hesitant and confused, Xu Guangqi stood up and saluted Zhu Tianqi and said: "I think what Mr. Liu really wants to say is that once our Ming Dynasty goes to war with Japan again, the military expenditure required will probably be astronomical." , now that our Ming Dynasty has finally regained Liaodong, we really need some time to recuperate!"

"Recuperate?" Zhu Tianqi shook his head: "Although our Ming soldiers are fighting in all directions, they will never hinder the normal life of the people in the country. Isn't it just right for the soldiers and civilians to perform their duties? Do we have to let the soldiers disarm and return to their fields? Recuperate?

Xu Aiqing, we can’t dare to do anything just because we are afraid of spending money. We have to take a long-term view. Take Siberia in the north as an example. Such a large area is larger than our entire Ming Dynasty. Could it be that our Ming Dynasty has never stopped doing anything? With such a large piece of land taken back from the Russians, will they still be able to earn back the food, salary and military expenses they have spent now? "

As soon as Xu Guangqi heard this, he was able to calculate the account instantly. He immediately raised his hand and saluted: "I am short-sighted!"

Zhu Tianqi then looked at Liu Hongxun and asked, "Liu Aiqing, what about you?"

Liu Hongxun also hurriedly raised his hand and saluted: "I am the same, I am too short-sighted!"

Zhu Tianqi laughed and said: "It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter. You two are both ministers of the household department. After you have been managing money and accounts for a long time, you will become more calculating. This is not a bad thing!"

(End of this chapter)