The Ming Dynasty started with saving the eldest grandson

Chapter 213 Intelligence from Japan

Finally have detailed information about Japan?

Chen Jingke was not excited, only lamented that the efficiency of this era is too low.

Although the distance between Japan and Ming Dynasty is not close, it cannot be said to be far.

It is only more than four hundred miles from Goryeo to the sea.

The general roadmap is also ready. Why hasn't specific news been released after so long?

After learning about it, I realized that Japan also implements a policy of isolation from the country.

It can even be said that this country has never really opened up to the outside world since ancient times.

Even in the most open period, they basically only communicated with the Central Plains dynasty.

Kublai Khan sent envoys to Japan, and it took nearly a year to come and go.

Most of the time was not spent traveling, but spent stuck in Japan waiting for ships to go out to sea.

If you're lucky, you can catch one in half a year. If you're not lucky, just wait.

Kublai Khan sent troops to conquer Japan twice, which also made them become more closed.

In particular, the only one they were willing to communicate with, Daming, also chose to stay in isolation.

Japan also passively entered a state of isolation.

Moreover, the spies of the Ming Dynasty did not go there in an official capacity, and could not get help from Japanese officials, so they had to rely on themselves to get back and forth.

So they went to sea for more than a year before sending back the first news.

That is a relatively reliable nautical chart.

Then there was no news for a year and a half, and finally there was news this time.

Just looking at this thick information, you can tell that those spies are not idle.

Chen Jingke flipped through it roughly, and it was indeed very detailed.

Japan's current specific administrative divisions, family distribution, detailed information about rulers in various places, etc. are all available.

Even some secret information was recorded.

This was definitely not accessible to ordinary spies, and Chen Jingke couldn't help but be curious.

Who did Lao Zhu send there? He actually has such great ability?

Zhu Yuanzhang said proudly: "We heard that Japan respects Buddhism, so we found a few people who knew Buddhism, pretended to be enlightened monks, and pretended to go to exchange Buddhism."

"As expected, these spies were sought after by Japanese Buddhism."

"They used the excuse of exchanging Buddhist teachings to travel throughout Japan and collect information from various places."

Chen Jingke couldn't help but admire him. This trick was indeed very useful.

Although he didn't know much about Japan, he also knew that Buddhism had a high status there.

The deeds of the two masters Xuanzang and Jianzhen are not only spread in China, but also well known in the Japanese Buddhist circles.

If you pretend to be a Buddhist monk to exchange Buddhist teachings, you will basically not be suspected, and you can also gain access to various secret information.

Even if someone sees them recording Japanese information, it won't be a big problem.

We are going to follow the example of Master Xuanzang and go back and write a travelogue to introduce Japanese customs to the Ming Dynasty.

Even the most imaginative person would not doubt that Ming was preparing to use force against them.

The reason is very simple. Except for Kublai Khan's two conquests of Japan, the Central Plains dynasty never used force against them.

The Yuan Dynasty was a country established by the Mongols, and the Ming Dynasty was a country established by the Han people.

In their view, the two are completely different.

Next, Chen Jingke began to carefully read the information and learn more about the current situation in Japan.

In his previous life, his understanding of Japan was very limited. He knew that it had been under the rule of the shogunate for a long time, the emperor was a puppet, and local divisions were very serious.

Then, during the Warring States Period, there seemed to be a man named Oda Nobunaga.

The reason why I can remember this name is because he had a sister who was known as the most beautiful woman at that time.

It seemed like this beauty was being chewed by an old, dying cow.

What he really knew about Japan was after the Meiji Restoration...

As for the reason, everyone knows it, so it’s okay not to say it.

Therefore, his knowledge of past lives does not give him much help, and he can only rely on gathering information now.

According to intelligence, Japan is in a situation of division between north and south at this time.

Emperor Go-Daigo eliminated the Kamakura shogunate, allowed the royal family to regain power, and then ambitiously implemented the New Deal.

However, his new policy only took into account the nobles and nobles, but did not consider the warrior class and the emerging powerful, which aroused the dissatisfaction of the latter.

As a result, the once fallen general Ashikaga Takauji raised an army and forced Emperor Go-Daigo to abdicate and establish a new emperor.

Emperor Go-Daigo took the three sacred artifacts symbolizing the emperor and fled to Yoshino in the south for restoration.

As a result, Japan entered a confrontation between North and South.

Their Northern and Southern Dynasties are very interesting. They are not divided by regions.

Rather, they are divided by political leanings.

Many northern lords supported the Southern Dynasty.

Many southern lords supported the Northern Dynasty.

The territories of the Northern and Southern Dynasties were not as clearly demarcated as the Chu-He-Han realm, but rather intertwined like a game of Go.

Zhu Xiongying asked very puzzledly: "Why does this happen?"

Chen Jingke summarized the information from his past and present lives and said:

"Japan has not had a strong central government since ancient times, and local lords have great autonomy..."

Zhu Xiongying said: "The enfeoffment system of the Zhou Dynasty?"

Chen Jingke shook his head and said: "No, these local lords are not princes and kings. In name, they are just ministers of the monarch."

"It's just that their positions are hereditary, and the bureaucrats in the territory are also appointed by them..."

Zhu Yuanzhang said impatiently: "You can't get the point after talking for a long time, which is similar to the vassal towns in the Tang Dynasty."

Chen Jingke thought about it and realized that it was indeed more appropriate, so he said:

"His Majesty summed it up well. It is indeed similar to a feudal town."

"It's just that the vassal system is the norm for them."

"Unification like the Central Plains Dynasty is relatively rare."

“It can be as large as several counties or as small as a township, it may be a vassal town.”

"There are also small fan towns within the big fan town, which highlights the chaos."

"Which vassal town has the strongest strength, and if it is recognized by other vassal towns, it can form a shogunate and coerce the emperor to order the princes."

"But they can only go so far. Anyone who wants to rebel and become king will be attacked by a group of people."

"The Ashikaga Takauji in the intelligence is very powerful and wants to form a shogunate."

"It's just that Hou Daigo disagreed and wanted the royal family to take power."

"So Ashikaga Takauji forced Go-Daigo to abdicate and established another lord to establish shogunate rule."

"This led to the political division of Japan."

Zhu Xiongying couldn't help but nodded and said: "Can we use this to stir up the situation in Japan and plunge them into endless internal strife?"

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded in agreement. This was also the first thought he had after seeing the information.

Moreover, with the separatist situation of Japan's vassal towns, even if there were no Northern and Southern Dynasties, they could still sow discord.

Which feudal town doesn't want to become bigger and stronger? Who doesn't want to establish a shogunate to hold the emperor hostage and order the princes?

As long as the Ming Dynasty supports money, food and weapons from behind, it can enjoy the benefits of being a fisherman.

Chen Jingke smiled and said: "Heroes see the same thing. This is the best way." "However, according to intelligence, after fifty years of development, the southern regime is getting weaker and weaker, and the north is getting stronger."

"And the current monarch of the Southern Dynasty, Hou Guishan, is a dove and wants to live in peace with the Northern Dynasty."

"He is such a weak monarch that all the vassal towns below that support him have turned against him."

"If this continues, I'm afraid it won't take long before the Southern Dynasty is gone, so we must act as soon as possible."

Zhu Xiongying asked: "But Houguishan is weak. Even with our support, it will be difficult for them to fight, right?"

Chen Jingke did not answer directly, but said: "Read the information about Houguishan in detail."

Zhu Xiongying was very confused. Is there any hidden secret?

But he didn't ask any more, but picked up the information and read it again.

Soon his eyes lit up and he said:

"The last monarch of the Southern Dynasties was Hou Guishan's brother Changqing. This man was a hardliner."

"Hou Guishan united with the Dove faction to seize power and forced him to abdicate, and then became the monarch of the Southern Dynasties."

"We can support Changqing's restoration and let him continue to oppose the Northern Dynasty."

Zhu Yuanzhang said happily: "Not bad, not bad. If you can discover this, you can start training."

"First support the restoration of Changqing, and let the confrontation between the north and the south continue."

"Then we will select a few ambitious people from the feudal towns of the Northern Dynasties and let them rebel against Ashikaga Takauji."

"This will weaken Ashikaga Takauji's power, completely muddy the waters, and reduce the resistance to our conquest of Japan."

This is the general strategy. As for the specific implementation, it still needs to be carefully considered.

Chen Jingke said: "If you want to attack Japan, you must win Korea, otherwise it will easily lead to an unsustainable situation."

Zhu Yuanzhang agreed very much and said: "The public opinion building in Goryeo has been completed, and we will wait until the troops are sent out after the Shangyuan Festival next year."

The reason why we chose to send troops at this time was also calculated.

The climate in Liaodong is too cold in winter and is not suitable for fighting. The fighting must be ended before it gets cold.

Moreover, the severe cold period is particularly long, and the season suitable for combat is only about half a year.

In other words, the time for the end of the battle will be around October, and time is very tight.

I sent troops from Daming in January and February, and the weather became warm wherever I went.

You can start fighting after a few days of rest, so make the most of every day.

Chen Jingke continued to look through the information and soon saw the silver mine part.

After secret investigation, the spies did discover the silver mine.

Because I dare not conduct a large-scale investigation, I don’t know the specific reserves.

As for the Sado Island gold mine, because this is where Japan exiled powerful people, others are strictly prohibited from approaching it, so they cannot go to the island to explore.

But now the gold and silver mines are just adding to the wealth. What Daming wants is this land.

Once the land is conquered, we won't be able to dig any mines casually.

At the same time, the reason for the failure of the Yuan Dynasty's second expedition to Japan was also reported, the monsoon.

Typhoons occur frequently every summer and autumn, especially around September.

The Yuan Dynasty's expeditionary force did not understand monsoons. Both expeditions encountered hurricanes, and nine out of ten fleets were destroyed by natural disasters.

Zhu Xiongying said in surprise: "Is that so? Did the Yuan Dynasty send troops without conducting any investigation?"

Chen Jingke sighed: "It's not that they don't do investigations, it's that they don't know how much the monsoon affects the ocean."

The wind blowing on land in winter and summer is also different, but whether it is southeast or northwest, the impact is actually not big.

It's different at sea. Different seasons may be the difference between life and death.

"It is said that it takes a hundred years to build a naval power. This is the reason."

"Which waterways are safe and which waterways are unsafe need to be explored bit by bit."

"There are also monsoons. In the same place, the wind direction, ocean currents, etc. are different in different seasons."

"We need to understand and record it bit by bit to find the most suitable season for going to sea."

"There are also offshore supply stations, which are equivalent to oasis in the desert."

"Without these supply depots, no matter how powerful the navy is, it won't be able to go far."

“And these require a lot of time to prepare and build.”

"Just like this time we are attacking Japan, we will use Korea as a springboard."

"That alone is not enough. We must also capture Tsushima Island and use this place as an advance base."

"At the same time, we must also consider the impact of the monsoon and choose a time when the wind is weak to send troops."

"If the war cannot end in time, we must be careful about the impact of hurricanes and do not go to sea easily."

Zhu Xiongying couldn't help but was speechless: "It's really complicated."

Chen Jingke said: "Because of its complexity, past dynasties have not paid much attention to the sea."

"Even if we open up new territories, we will subconsciously go to the Western Region instead of starting from the ocean."

"If the Ming Dynasty wanted to create an unprecedented era, it could not only focus on land power, but also cannot ignore sea power."

"If we don't pay attention, one day others will drive battleships and put cannons at our doorsteps."

Zhu Xiongying said domineeringly: "Don't worry, what you mentioned will never happen in Ming Dynasty."

"Only our cannons are set up in front of other people's homes."

Chen Jingke smiled and said, "I believe it."

He naturally believed that everything he did was to prevent that situation from happening in this life.

If he can't do it, then he didn't travel through time in vain.

Afterwards, Zhu Yuanzhang called Xu Da to discuss how to manage Japan.

Xu Da was not surprised at all. Ever since he learned about the plan to enfeoff the kings, he knew that such a day would come sooner or later.

Goryeo was only the first step, but what he didn't expect was that the court would decide on the second step so quickly.

"Japan is not easy to fight. It has a population of 10 million and is far away from us by the sea."

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and said: "Is Tiande afraid?"

Xu Da said seriously: "It's not that we are afraid. We must consider defeat before winning. We must take all difficulties into consideration and then solve them one by one."

"Waiting to figure things out until the end of the day will increase uncertainty."

Zhu Yuanzhang said with satisfaction: "This is why I came to find you. The information is here. Let's study carefully how to fight."

Then he pointed at Chen Jingke and said, "He knows a little bit about the sea. We can let him participate, and Ying'er can also follow him to gain knowledge."

Xu Da acted quickly, and within a few days he established a staff department to study Japan.

After research, everyone made the first step plan to go to sea.

Send the navy on long voyages to exercise its maritime combat capabilities.

"As far as Tsushima Island, it's best to find a way to occupy this place and initially establish a stronghold and supply station here."

"It's fine if Japanese officials don't come forward. If they come forward to ask for an explanation, it's a good opportunity to get on the line with them."

"It's easy to find an excuse to fight against Japanese pirates."

(End of this chapter)