Jingnan Strategy

Chapter 389 Japan’s National Change
"Every one of them seems to be a sage, but in fact they are all just a slut."

In the Imperial Guard Commander's Office in the capital, Ji Gang held the document in his hand with a somewhat sarcastic expression. He didn't know whether he was sarcastic about the speaker or all the civil servants.

"Has the news been passed on to Li Zhigang?"

Ji Gang glanced at the people around him, and a military attaché with semen standing next to him nodded after hearing this: "Passed it to him."

"Okay, let's see what good things he can come up with. If he doesn't give enough things, then this document will only appear in Jie Jin's hands."

Ji Gang narrowed his eyes. There was nothing that money couldn't solve for him. If there was anything, it was because the money was not enough.

Along with his words, Li Zhigang, the Minister of Rites in Beijing, also received the news. Li Zhigang, who was sitting in the chief seat, also took the letter with trembling hands.

"Shang Shu, this Ji Gang is too domineering. Taking advantage of your leverage, he openly asked you for a bribe."

Standing aside, the head of Shangshu Mansion was indignant. Li Zhigang also suppressed his restless mood and calmly analyzed after pondering for a moment:
"Ji Gang will not attack me suddenly. This matter was either ordered by His Majesty or the Crown Prince."

"Then... what should we do?" When he heard that it was the two men from the palace who had given the order, the director was also panicked.

"My father-in-law accidentally killed a tenant while inspecting his farmland two months ago. I just learned about it, so I came here to apologize."

"It's better to wait for me to find out the whole story first." Hu Lun interrupted, he still likes to rely on evidence to speak.

Zhu Gaoxu asked Li Zhigang unhurriedly, and Li Zhigang lowered his head even further after hearing this: "I think he should be punished according to law."

"Li Shangshu, please wait." The eunuch on duty glanced at Li Zhigang, turned around and walked into the palace.

As soon as Li Zhigang spoke, Zhu Gaoxu couldn't help but pause with the ink pen in his hand, but he put the ink pen down slowly and raised his eyes to look at Li Zhigang who was kneeling on the ground.

"He dares to ask for bribes for the cases ordered by His Highness?" Yi Shiha was stunned for a moment. Although everyone in the capital knew that Ji Gang loved asking for bribes, he dared to ask for bribes from his ministers even for matters ordered by the emperor and the prince. Then his thoughts were worth it. Considered.

No matter how useful a dog is, if it shows teeth to its owner, it will no longer be useful.

"What do you need to give me, Your Highness?"

"In addition, I believe that due to my current situation, I should no longer hold the post of Minister of Rites. I beg to be returned to my home."

"What do you think it should be?"

Seeing this, Yi Shiha told Hu Lun the news about Li Zhigang, and Hu Lun slowly put down his tea cup after hearing this.

The Xichang Yamen is outside the palace city, separated by a wall from the Supervisor of Ceremonies. However, Xichang is very busy these days, so even when Yi Shiha arrived, he did not see Hu Lun immediately, but waited for a while in the study. After a while, I saw Hu Lun who was returning from his busy schedule.

Perhaps because he had stayed in a place like Xichang for too long, Hu Lun's expression was a little sinister.

Not long after, the eunuch on duty walked back to signal, and Li Zhigang bowed in return to express his gratitude. Then he walked into the hall and walked directly into the side hall of Chunhe Hall and saw Zhu Gaoxu sitting on the main seat.

Facing Zhu Gaoxu's inquiry, Li Zhigang resolutely gave up his official position and power as Minister of Rites. This was a result that even Zhu Gaoxu could not have imagined.

But it doesn't matter. In short, his goal has been achieved. Now it depends on what Li Zhigang wants to do.

"I will send someone to investigate this matter, please step back."

"Don't worry." Li Zhigang raised his hand to interrupt, but he thought of a way:
"A warrior is a warrior after all. If he tells me the news, then I will solve the matter myself."

"Who is he? It's not like you and I don't know. Is there anything in this world that Ji Gang doesn't dare to do?"

"What is Li Shangshu doing?"

"Go and find out how this old boy knew I was going to deal with him."

"My lord, Li Zhigang, the Minister of Rites, would like to apologize to His Highness..."

Even in the face of such contempt, Li Zhigang did not lose his temper because he knew who he could offend and who he could not offend.

Looking at this scene, Zhu Gaoxu was a little angry. His original intention was to confiscate the homes of Li Zhigang and the people around him and exile him. Now that Li Zhigang has stepped out and self-destructed, it is impossible for the matter to become the scale he wanted.

When Li Zhigang heard this, he could only take off his official hat and put it on the ground, then slowly stood up and saluted, and then exited the Chunhe Hall.

He narrowed his eyes and said after a moment: "This matter will be left alone for the time being. Li Shangshu will rest at home for a few days."

Li Zhigang's voice was rumbling, and he was obviously ready.

"I beg you to come home and support me!"

"Go and prepare official uniform for me. I will enter the palace now."

"I don't need to investigate this matter to know what the situation is. It's just that Jigang asked Li Zhigang for a bribe, which led to Li Zhigang's tail being cut off to survive."

"Yes!" After hearing this, the manager hurriedly went to take care of things. After a while, he served Li Zhigang, put on his regular clothes, and got on a sedan chair to go to Donghua Gate.

Hu Lun asked Yi Shiha, and Yi Shiha frowned slightly when he heard this: "If that's the case, I will go back to the palace and tell His Highness."

"Yes" Yishiha was also surprised that Li Zhigang had such a strong sense of politics, so he quickly accepted the task and left the palace to find Hu Lun.

Zhu Gaoxu spoke coldly, and there was no doubt about those words.

"Li Shangshu, please come in."

Ji Gang has absolutely nothing to do with Li Zhigang's matter.

He comes from Jinyiwei, and he knows better than anyone else what kind of nefarious things there are in Jinyiwei.

Not long after he left, Zhu Gaoxu ordered someone to call Yi Shiha, pointing to the official hat on the ground and saying:

Hu Lun sat next to Yi Shiha, picked up the tea cup and took a sip while asking questions.

Before dusk, Li Zhigang appeared outside Chunhe Hall and bowed to the eunuch on duty: "Please make an announcement, father-in-law."

Li Zhigang knelt on the ground and complained about the excuse Ji Gang used to threaten him, and his actions immediately made Zhu Gaoxu realize that something was wrong.

"Then I'll wait for news from you in the palace. You can find out the matter earlier."

Hearing this, Yishiha also stood up slowly, and Hu Lun followed suit to see him off. When he arrived at the door, he watched Yishiha get into the carriage with his own eyes, and then Hu Lun returned to the Xichang Yamen.

Not long after, a hundred or so Xichang warriors in casual clothes walked out of the yamen and blended into the crowd in full view, making it difficult to distinguish them.

At the same time that Xichang began to investigate the case, Li Zhigang also returned to the mansion and ordered his servants to start packing and prepare to return to his hometown in Songjiang.

He told the matter to the chief, who was confused when he heard the words: "Shang Shu, this matter is only my grandpa's business, why do you want to resign?"

"My father-in-law committed the crime, but the person he targeted was me." Li Zhigang saw the matter clearly and told the supervisor in detail:
"If it was just Ji Gang who was targeting me, there would be no need for me to resign. But this matter is obviously not that Ji Gang was targeting me alone, but that he was following the orders of the palace."

"Ji Gang can't move me, but one word from the palace can decide my life or death."

"Seize this opportunity and retreat bravely with the rapids, only then can you save your life."

Being an official also depends on the person's choices. If the person in charge is Zhu Di, Li Zhigang naturally has no need to think about escaping. After all, Zhu Di is still a bit vain, and he can save his life by flattering him.

But the problem is that Zhu Di now lives deep in the Qianqing Palace, and all the affairs of the outer court are left to Zhu Gaoxu in the East Palace.

When the object changes, the method of doing things will naturally change.

Li Zhigang knew very well what kind of character Zhu Gaoxu was. If he didn't retreat quickly, he would be caught by the tail and exiled to the frontier within half a year.

Although he was reluctant to give up the power in his hands, he could only do this in order to survive.

In addition, by doing this, he can also drag this guy Ji Gang into the water.

Thinking of this, Li Zhigang also urged the manager, and the manager understood everything and naturally accelerated the packing.

Soon, the news that Li Zhigang entered the palace and begged to return home spread from the Li Mansion.

Upon hearing the news, the commander of the Imperial Guard ordered Ji Gang in the yamen to be so angry that he broke his favorite white porcelain cup.

"Old bastard, you actually want to drag me down!"

Ji Gang scolded Li Zhigang angrily, and then thought about the leak of the news, and immediately turned his attention to the military attaché with him: "Take care of your tail, I guess Hu Lun has already started investigating."

"Yes!" The military attache bowed in response after hearing this, and then exited the yamen.

In the next few days, warriors from Xichang and Jinyiwei often appeared inside and outside the imperial city, searching on one side and destroying on the other. It was very lively.

However, no matter how Ji Gang was destroyed, Hu Lun found out about his request for bribes and had someone submit it to the Chunhe Hall.

Zhu Gaoxu sat in the hall and read the contents. Although he had known Ji Gang's character for a long time, he was still surprised by Ji Gang's boldness.

"Just for this book, I'm afraid Ji Gang can ask for more than 100,000 yuan in bribes, right?"

Zhu Gaoxu casually threw the book in his hand on the table and glanced at the same seven or eight books beside him. Obviously, these were evidence that Ji Gang was asking for bribes.

"A lot of evidence was destroyed by Ji Gang's people, and Hu Lun estimated that Ji Gang's bribe demand may not be less than one million yuan."

"Your Highness, would you like to see if you want..."

Yishiha bowed his head carefully and asked, but Zhu Gaoxu raised his hand and said: "The dirty work is not done yet, it is not the time for him to die yet."

Zhu Gaoxu indeed despised Ji Gang, but he would not be stupid enough to execute Ji Gang now.

The group of people like Xie Jin and Yang Shiqi have not been dealt with yet, and the two holes in the north and south are still active. Under such circumstances, killing Ji Gang is really a decision that makes enemies happy and relatives painful.

"Let Hu Lun stop and continue to focus on Gui Lichi. I guess Benya Shili will fight Gui Lichi soon."

Zhu Gaoxu did not pursue the matter further. He only needed to understand everything. As for when to deal with what matters, it was up to him to decide.

I believe that after this incident, Ji Gang will also restrain his actions.

Thinking of this, Zhu Gaoxu rubbed his eyebrows, and at the same time, rapid footsteps sounded outside the hall.

Zhu Gaoxu and Yi Shiha looked up and saw Hu Lun walking into the hall, bowing from a distance.

When he walked into the side hall, Hu Lun took a deep breath and said, "Your Highness, the news from hundreds of households in Japan is that the leader of Japan, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, died of a sudden illness a month ago, and his son Ashikaga Yoshimochi took over the leadership of Japan. Internal affairs of the country.”

"Here we come..." Upon hearing the news, Zhu Gaoxu did not panic at all. Instead, he pondered before speaking: "What is Ashikaga Yoshimitsu's attitude toward the court? Is there any problem with Ashikaga Yoshimitsu's death?"

Japan is now an important part of the Ming Dynasty's vassal trade system, responsible for one-third of the silver output of the Ming Dynasty. If something happens to Japan, it will undoubtedly disrupt Zhu Gaoxu's plan.

"Ashikaga Yoshi is assisted by the shogunate elder, Shiba Yoshishog, and others. Previously, their policies tended to be conservative, and they felt that it was a shameful act to submit to the imperial court."

"However, they are reluctant to part with the tax revenue allocated to them by the imperial court every year, but they do not want to continue to maintain the city shipping department. It is very contradictory."

"Other specific policies have not been reported back from the Baihu Institute."

Hu Lun gave a brief and clear explanation of what happened in Japan, especially the issue of Ashikaga Yoshi's attitude towards the Ming Dynasty.

Compared with the historical practice of Ashikaga Yoshitomichi cutting off ties with the Ming Dynasty very decisively, Ashikaga Yoshitomichi in this life is obviously not as decisive as in history.

The tax on Japan's shipping trade alone accounted for 15% of the shogunate's fiscal revenue. If it were to cut off ties with the Ming Dynasty, this 50% of the tax would disappear.

In addition, the Kyogoku family, which actually controls the Oki Islands, is also a beneficiary of trade taxes. The tax revenue allocated to the Kyogoku family by the shogunate accounts for 20% of the Kyogoku family's fiscal revenue.

Even if the shogunate can cut off from the Ming Dynasty, the Kyogoku family is not so willing to give up such a large amount of tax revenue.

As for these two issues, they are only an issue between the shogunate and the Kyogoku family. The trade with Japan is not only an issue for the two of them, but also involves the protection of all countries in the entire affected region.

Once the Japanese shipping department is closed, the guardians of the Kansai countries will have to organize their own fleets to trade in Ningbo. Not only will it be more difficult to collect taxes than before, but the trade time will also be extended. This is a problem directly related to the finances of each country.

The Ashikaga Shogunate could only control the Gyeonggi area originally. If they resolutely closed down the Japanese shipping department, even Ashikaga Yoshinori himself would not be sure what would happen to the Kansai Guardian Council.

Maybe by then, the Kyogoku family will continue to maintain the Ming Dynasty's shipping trade with Japan on the Oki Islands, and the Kansai countries will also express support.

In this way, the reputation of the Kyogoku family may reach a level that rivals the shogunate, which Ashikaga Yoshinori cannot accept.

"Let's take a look at Ashikaga Yoshitsugi's attitude towards the imperial court for now, and then go to Ashikaga Yoshitsugu to inform him. I want to tell him about this."

Zhu Gaoxu gave orders to Hu Lun and Yi Shiha, and they both bowed in response.

As the most beloved child of Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, Ashikaga Yoshitsugu came to the Ming Dynasty in the sixth year of Yongle and was studying in Nanjing Imperial College at this time.

Originally, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu asked him to come to study in the Ming Dynasty, mainly to gain the support of the Ming Dynasty, so that Ashikaga Yoshitsugu could inherit the throne of the emperor as an adopted son in the future.

However, he probably didn't expect that Ashikaga Yoshitsugu would be able to complete his studies and return to Japan in less than half a year. At this time, he himself failed to hold on and took the first step.

But it doesn't matter, what Ashikaga Yoshimitsu wants to do is also what Zhu Gaoxu wants to do.

After Zhu Gaoxu's summons, about half an hour passed, and the sound of singing came from the entrance of Chunhe Hall.

"The Crown Prince of Japan, Ashikaga Yoshitsugu, asks to see His Highness."

"Xuan!"

Zhu Gaoxu opened his mouth to the palace door, and soon he saw the eunuch on duty leading Ashikaga Yoshitsugu into the side hall.

It has to be said that after arriving in the Ming Dynasty, Ashikaga Yoshitsugu was much taller than when he came since he lost the Japanese rules and ate freely.

According to Zhu Gaoxu's naked eyes, although Ashikaga Yoshitsugu is not yet five feet tall (160cm), it should not be a problem to grow to five feet when he becomes an adult.

Such a height would already make him a little giant in Japan, much taller than the shabby four-foot height he had before coming to Ming Dynasty.

"Ashikaga Yoshitsugu, I wish your highness to live a thousand years..."

Ashikaga Yoshitsugu knelt down and kowtowed. Seeing this, Zhu Gaoxu also ordered Yishen to sit down.

After growing taller, Ashikaga Yoshitsugu finally no longer had the embarrassment of having his feet dangling in the air when he sat down, and he became much more confident and generous.

Looking at his appearance, Zhu Gaoxu said slowly: "The court just received news that your father died of a sudden illness a month ago."

With just one sentence, the smile on Ashikaga Yoshiji's face immediately froze, and he froze in his chair.

After a while, he stood up and bowed in confusion: "Your Highness, I..."

"Wait until I finish telling you before you make a decision." Zhu Gaoxu raised his hand to signal him not to worry, while continuing:
"Your father said that he hopes that you will succeed to the throne after returning to Japan after completing your studies in the Ming Dynasty. This is what I promised your father, so I will naturally try my best to help you."

"At the moment, the domestic situation in Japan is not very clear. Your brother Ashikaga Yoshimichi has the support of many people, and he has quite some objections to the imperial court's policy of establishing a shipping department in Okinaki."

"I originally wanted you to return to Japan, but I was worried that your brother would attack you, and the imperial court was unable to rush to protect you, so I wanted to let you stay in Nanjing for the time being, and then I would send someone to escort you back to Japan when the situation in Japan became clearer. .”

"The imperial court is also making preparations to send officials from the Ministry of Rites to the capital of Japan in the near future to investigate the cause of your father's death and to test the authenticity of his posthumous edict."

"If your father is really ready to let your brother inherit the throne, then you don't have to worry. You can stay in the Ming Dynasty and continue to live. I will give you a third-level San rank to ensure that you and your descendants have enough food and clothing."

"If there is any problem with the imperial edict, then I will also help you get your throne back."

Ashikaga Yoshitsugu was deeply moved by Zhu Gaoxu's words. He immediately stood up and knelt on the ground. After bowing five times and three kowtows, he couldn't help crying: "I will listen to His Highness's arrangements!"

When Ashikaga Yoshitsugu learned that his father had died of illness, his mind was indeed blank and he was anxious to go home.

But as he listened to Zhu Gaoxu's arrangements, he gradually realized that his eldest brother did not actually welcome him, and even disliked him.

If he returns to Japan, not to mention whether he has the ability to protect himself, but just to fight with his elder brother, he will not have the ability.

When their father died, there were many people who wanted to die with him. Staying in the Ming Dynasty was the safest choice.

However, he did not expect that Zhu Gaoxu would actually be willing to investigate this matter for himself and promised to help him regain the throne.

For Ashikaga Yoshiji, who is only fifteen years old, Zhu Gaoxu's words and actions are undoubtedly a bright light on his road ahead.

"You go down and have a good rest, and take good care of yourself during this period. When there is news from Japan, I will tell you the news."

"You can rest assured that I will not let you and your father down."

Zhu Gaoxu comforted Ashikaga Yoshitsugu, who also sobbed and nodded when he saw this, and finally slowly exited the Chunhe Hall under the leadership of the eunuch on duty.

After he retreated, Yi Shiha, who had been standing aside and watched the whole scene, stepped forward and bowed:

"Your Highness, why do you need to take such care of this person? Although he still has value, if he cannot return to Japan and inherit the throne, then his value will be..."

"His value will always exist." Zhu Gaoxu interrupted Yi Shiha. At this time, he did not think that the Ming Dynasty could conquer Japan by force alone.

No matter how bad Japan is, it is still a big country with a population of tens of millions. The current population of Ming Dynasty will not exceed 80 million at most, and continuous immigration is needed to ensure actual control of the southwest and northeast.

It is easy to cross the sea and defeat Japan, but it is difficult to rule for a long time.

Japan's geographical location is very important to the Ming Dynasty. It is not only an important transit point for the Ming Dynasty to contact the Americas in the future, but also an important silver mining area for the Ming Dynasty.

Therefore, without actual control over the local area, supporting a force to rule Japan for a long time is undoubtedly the best arrangement Zhu Gaoxu can make.

Ashikaga Yoshitsugu is very suitable for this candidate, especially when he replaces the emperor's lineage that has been passed down for more than a thousand years, his lineage will undoubtedly become the "traitors" in the hearts of the Japanese people.

With such an identity, if Ashikaga Yoshitsugu's lineage has no problem with their brains, then they will actively communicate with Ming Dynasty and become Ming Dynasty's most loyal subjects.

In the future, as the Daming Yang Triangle trade gets on the right track, more and more Han people will live in Japan.

As the number of Han people increases, it will be much easier for future kings to directly rule Japan.

Although Zhu Gaoxu will not be able to see this scene in his lifetime, at least he can turn Japan into China's dog, which is enough for him to write a special note in the history books.

Thinking of this, Zhu Gaoxu turned to look at Yishiha: "The Ministry of Rites sent officials to Kyoto for verification, and Xichang also went to the Kansai countries to have conversations with their guardians."

"If there is no Ming Dynasty, no matter how much silver they dig out, there will be no way to sell it. Moreover, once the Yinqi Shipping Department is closed, their losses will definitely be greater than the losses of the court. Let them weigh the pros and cons."

"In addition, the intelligence investigation on Ashikaga Yoshinori needs to be deepened. I don't want to see anything unexpected."

After giving all the instructions, Zhu Gaoxu watched with his own eyes as Yi Shiha walked out of Chunhe Hall to do some work, and then he gradually relaxed his mind.

But just as he was relaxing, footsteps could be heard outside the palace.

Zhu Gaoxu looked up and saw that the person coming was Zhu Zhanhe wearing a round collar robe.

At the age of seven, he was very enthusiastic no matter what he did. Every day he would either practice archery and horse riding in the front bedroom, or watch people shooting muskets in the square at the center left and back door.

He is very interested in these military matters, but he is not very good at economics and government affairs.

Because of this, Zhu Gaoxu plans to let him study in one of the few official schools in Nanjing in the spring of next year to understand the lives of the people.

"Dad, you are still busy!"

Zhu Zhanhe trotted into the hall carelessly and stopped immediately when he saw the pile of memorials on the table.

Looking at his appearance, Zhu Gaoxu rubbed his eyebrows: "You're back after playing?"

"No, I went to Qianqing Palace to see grandpa and grandma." Zhu Zhanhe walked carefully to Zhu Gaoxu, not daring to look at the memorial, for fear that Zhu Gaoxu would think he was interested in these things.

"How are your grandparents?" After hearing what happened between Zhu Di and Empress Xu, the frail look of Empress Xu flashed through Zhu Gaoxu's mind.

"Grandma was sick, and grandpa was afraid that we would disturb him, so he asked my eldest brother and I to play outside. My eldest brother took me to fight crickets for a day."

Zhu Zhanhe said with great joy, but Zhu Gaoxu had a dark face.

He had already seen Zhu Zhanji, that little black fat boy. Although he had not been trained by Zhu Di in history, this boy still fell in love with cricket fighting.

Zhu Gaoxu had no control over how he fought with crickets, but he couldn't let Zhu Zhanhe go wild for him.

Thinking of this, Zhu Gaoxu picked up Zhu Zhanhe, looked at him and said at the same time: "It's okay to fight crickets and bow horses, but you can't fall behind in your studies."

"After next spring, I will ask Yi Daban to take you to the official school in the imperial city, where you can meet many people."

"Ah?" Zhu Zhanhe's expression immediately solidified and he cried, "I don't want to study!"

"You don't have anything to say about this matter." Zhu Gaoxu chuckled, lifted him up and teased him, and soon the hall was filled with laughter.

All in all, this can be regarded as the loudest laughter in Chunhe Hall since Queen Xu became seriously ill...

(End of this chapter)