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Chapter 258 Destroying the Wolf
"Flangji people have been traveling frequently to Japan in recent years. What should we do if we encounter one of their merchant ships at the port?"

At this time, Yuan Keli had lost the appearance of a traditional scholar. He had a dark face and a strong body. Some people believed that he was a general who had been fighting at the frontier all year round. He looked awkward in ordinary clothes.

In addition to his appearance, his understanding of the world gradually enriched with his increasingly broadened horizons. When facing the emperor's orders, he neither blindly followed nor gave advice, but raised practical questions.

"I forgot about them... Let's do this. If you encounter the merchant ships of the Franji people, don't attack them and allow them to trade with Japan. In addition, you should pay more attention to the ships of the Hongmao Fan. They are at war with the Franji people. The boats look similar, so don't bother them unless necessary.

In addition, I would like to tell your smuggling fleet that next year they can increase the volume of cargo delivered to Japan and bring back more sulfur and saltpeter at a cheaper price than now. "

If Yuan Keli had not mentioned it, Hong Tao would have really forgotten the maritime trade between the Portuguese and Japan.This also brings to mind another country that is establishing trade routes to Asia.

At what point in time did the Dutch East India Company establish commercial relations with Japan? I have seen relevant information in previous lives, but I really can’t remember. It was roughly at the end of the Ming Dynasty, close to the time when they occupied Wanwan Island.

"...I don't know why I want to act like this. With the current capabilities of the navy, it can completely cut off most of the routes to and from Japan. If your majesty does not want to negotiate too much with the Folangji people, I am willing to go there on your behalf. Take the three provinces of Guangdong, Fujian, and Zhejiang The materials can fully meet their needs, and there is no need to travel across the ocean to Japan for trade."

It is a pity that no matter how much Yuan Keli strengthens his understanding of the world, he cannot obtain too many details about the current situation of various countries in the world in a short period of time. It is not that he does not work hard but that he cannot meet the conditions.

The embargo against Japan was a punishment rule set by the imperial court. On this basis, if the routes of the Folangji could be cut off, wouldn't the blockade become even tighter and make the Tokugawa shogunate even more uncomfortable?

As for whether the Folangji people are willing or not, that can be discussed.They were a group of profit-seeking businessmen. As long as they made enough profits, they could forget where Japan was and the coastal provinces of the Ming Dynasty could meet all their needs.

"I have not had the energy to take care of other things in the past few years. If I push Japan too hard, they will have to cause trouble with North Korea. At that time, I will suffer a loss whether I help or not. Sometimes it is not a bad thing to make the enemy comfortable for a few days. When people have When there is a glimmer of hope, there is a high probability that you will not take risks, and the same is true for the country.

With the merchant ships of Franji and Hongmaoban, and your secret smuggling, the Tokugawa shogunate will not be able to eat enough and starve to death, so it is unlikely that they will risk their lives and fight to the death.Over time, inertia will develop and the patient will gradually become dependent on external blood transfusions. "

After the Korean War, the Tokugawa shogunate fell into a dilemma.North Korea was not captured, the huge war funds could not be replenished, the original trade with the Ming Dynasty was banned, and domestic supplies were extremely scarce.

In addition to being motivated by financial gain, the attack on Ryukyu also wanted to obtain a relatively stable foreign trade channel in disguise through the normal tributary relationship between Ryukyu and the Ming Dynasty.

If all Japan's foreign trade routes were cut off at this time, not to mention how much it would cost to do it, it would definitely arouse the vigilance of the Francois and the Dutch.If they find that the originally conservative and closed-minded empire has suddenly become aggressive, they will definitely change their previous strategies accordingly.

Hong Tao is not afraid of people, earth, or sky. He is most afraid of having too much influence on the direction of history before his strength is completely dominant.That would be equivalent to losing the only advantage of the time traveler, which would do more harm than good to future development.

"Your Majesty, do you think North Korea can really defeat the Jurchens?" Regarding Japan's future development direction, Yuan Keli may not think too far into the future, but he still has some say in the immediate North Korea.

Since the Ming Dynasty abandoned Liaodong Town, the Jurchens and Koreans have set up a posture near Kuandian Liubao.Although the Koreans received the news of the withdrawal of the Ming army before the Jurchens and were much better prepared, their advantage was not reflected on the front line, and the two sides formed a tug of war with each other's offense and defense.This is still the Jurchen's partial division. If all the main forces are transferred in this direction, the North Korean army may not be able to hold it, and the emperor's plan to drive away the wolves and devour the tigers may come to nothing.

The water fortress on the Immortal Island has been almost completed. Counting the Four Guards Battalion, Warrior Battalion and Orphans sent by the Marine Corps and Royal Horse Supervisor, the strength is close to 2000.As soon as the river surface clears up next spring, ships will be sent to transport a small team into the vicinity of Zhenjiang Fort to look for opportunities to sneak attack on the Jurchens' flanks.

If the North Korean army cannot resist the warmth of spring next year, it will be twice as difficult to implement the sneak attack plan. Facing the rising power of the Yüzhen alone, they will have no confidence.

"Don't be deceived by illusions. Li Zhi is negotiating with the Folangji people. A grain ship will arrive at Xuanshapo by the beginning of next year at the latest. The North Korean army will be completely different with food, coupled with sufficient coal and iron , as long as the Jurchens cannot completely annihilate the North Korean army in winter, the longer it drags on, the more troublesome it will be."

So does the North Korean army have combat effectiveness?Hong Tao really doesn't know, but he can ask the ministers and generals who participated in the Korean War.They all agreed that as long as they had enough to eat and some decent weapons in their hands, the North Korean army could still fight.

Of course, this theory only exists at home. Leaving the mountainous areas of northern North Korea and southern Liaoning, it is difficult to predict the combat capabilities of this unit, and there is no precedent to draw lessons from.

"...It's good to drive away wolves and devour tigers, but once the wolves are raised, it may be as troublesome as the Jurchens." Yuan Keli definitely doesn't understand what proxy war is, but the ancients have already played the same trick, just with different names. .

Yuan Keli was cautious about ways to support the Koreans against the Jurchens.The main reason is that the performance of the Korean court in history is not reassuring.When he was weak, he was just a wallflower, trying to make ends meet. Once he got a little rich, he always thought about expanding his territory to the north.

"Wolf? No, no, no, North Korea is like a dog at most. It will bar its teeth and bite when it encounters the weak, and it will immediately wag its tail and beg for mercy when it encounters the strong. As long as we can keep ourselves strong, it doesn't matter whether it is North Korea, Japan, Jurchen or Mongolia."

Out of habit, Hong Tao didn't think much about the opponent's strength every time he traveled to ancient times, and only wanted to plan offense and defense at his own pace.Hearing that Yuan Keli was so worried about the backlash if North Korea became stronger, he immediately refuted it.

"...Of course I understand that forging iron requires one's own strength, but throughout history, dynasties have experienced ups and downs in strength and weakness. How can your Majesty ensure that the Ming Dynasty remains strong and prosperous?"

It is true to say that Yuan Keli is a handsome man, it is true to say that he is an idealist, and it is even more true to say that he is ignorant of current affairs.When the emperor is full of ambition and talking endlessly, he doesn't quickly slap his hands twice to cheer him up, and he has to pick which pot and which pot he doesn't open. It would be strange if his official career can be smooth.

"It's very simple. If you govern the country according to my method, you will see big changes in less than ten years."

In the past, Hong Tao always liked to talk about reasons, break them apart and crush them into pieces in an attempt to make the other party understand his intentions.This time his style suddenly changed, from a theoretical one to a subjective one, with no unnecessary nonsense and all relying on domineering to convince people.

"I am less than 50 this year, so I should be able to see the day when your majesty will rule!" If you ask whether Hong Tao is domineering, in Yuan Keli's eyes, he is quite a bit domineering.At the moment, I didn’t ask any questions and happily agreed to the ten-year agreement.

(End of this chapter)