Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

Zhu Youjian's order was sent to the Lifanyuan, which aroused the first opposition from the officials of the Lifanyuan.

Although Zhu Youjian clearly stipulated when the Lifan Yuan was established that it could be governed by imperial decrees, he still had to show respect to the ministers of the Lifan Yuan.

After Huang Liji and Kong Zhenyun put forward their opinions, Zhu Youjian summoned the two and asked them to explain their reasons.

Huang Liji, who rarely spoke in the court, mustered up the courage to say:

"Your Majesty, the current threat lies with the Jianlu, not with Japan."

"The shogunate despises the Ming Dynasty, so why waste military manpower if they send envoys to reprimand them?"

"If the fleets of Andong, Hanwang, Gangneung, Ningyuan and Joseon are all used in Japan, who will implement the strategy of spreading a net from all sides?"

"I think we should put aside this minor issue for now and focus on dealing with the Jianlu."

Kong Zhenyun also said:
"Even if Japan is wrong, the imperial court needs to use courtesy before force."

"Taizu has decided that Japan is a country that will not be conquered. Do not raise troops lightly."

With such consistent attitudes, it's no wonder that they had the courage to oppose this matter.

Zhu Youjian's anger caused by the influence of his past life and Zheng's complaint was suppressed at this time, and he began to wonder whether it was worthwhile to invade Japan at this time.

Although he wanted to conquer this country to prevent it from bringing disaster to future generations, the biggest enemy of the Ming Dynasty at that time was the Jianlu, and this must be distinguished.

After Huang Liji and Kong Zhenyun explained their reasons, he was inclined to accept their opinions.

However, revoking the previous order would be a loss of face, and he was unwilling to do so without punishing Japan. So he asked:
"The Edo Shogunate and the Hirado Domain defied the imperial court and dared to detain the imperial concubine who was canonized by the imperial court."

"If we don't deal with it, what will happen if other countries learn from it?"

"Do we want the officials of the Ming Dynasty to worry about their own safety when they are away from home?"

Huang Liji and Kong Zhenyun also found the situation difficult upon hearing this.

No matter what, the ladies with imperial titles have a rank conferred by the imperial court. Although they are not formal officials of the imperial court, they are also part of the imperial system.

Failure to protect them is an infringement on the interests of all officials. Huang Liji and Kong Zhenyun should also show their attitude on this point.

After thinking about it, Kong Zhenyun said:
"Last month, I received an envoy from Ryukyu. King Shang Feng of Ryukyu requested the title for the fourth time."

"I heard from him that the country is being bullied by the Satsuma clan of Japan."

"I think we can send an envoy to enthrone the King of Ryukyu and help him expel the Satsuma Domain."

This matter made Zhu Youjian quite interested, and he asked:

"Why did Shang Feng request the title four times?"

"Why didn't the court agree the first three times?"

Kong Zhenyun said somewhat embarrassedly:

"To confer the title to a vassal state requires a conferment ship, which will take at least three years to build and will cost a huge amount of money."

"The court couldn't afford the expense before, so the matter was put off."

"Issuing the imperial decree to confer the title of Emperor now will allow him to travel in three years."

This is a strategy and also a conspiracy to delay time.

Zhu Youjian was quite dissatisfied and rebuked:

"Just for the sake of face, not only did they spend a huge amount of money to build the Fengzhou, but it also affected the relationship between the imperial court and Ryukyu."

"As a result, the Satsuma clan invaded the Ryukyu Islands, which shook the vassal relationship between the Ryukyu Islands and the Ming Dynasty."

"Has the Rinpoche never thought of changing the system of conferring titles and strengthening its ability to interfere with Ryukyu?"

Huang Liji and Kong Zhenyun were silent upon hearing this. They had not yet taken care of this matter.

Another reason is that Huang Liji's main responsibility now is the Prime Minister, and Kong Zhenyun, the assistant minister, also serves as the Minister of the Internal Frontier Department.

Ryukyu was an external vassal state and was not under his jurisdiction. He was brave enough to receive the Ryukyu envoys and learn from them that they were being bullied by Satsuma. He did not shirk his responsibilities.

After Zhu Youjian's reprimand, he also remembered that the ministers of the Outer Frontier Department and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had not been appointed, and there was no one specifically responsible for this matter.

But he didn't want to rush into the two positions, so after thinking about it, he asked:
"Ryukyu is a small island with a small population, and was bullied by the Satsuma Domain."

"Have they ever thought about submitting to the Ming Dynasty and becoming a vassal of the Ming Dynasty?"

"In this way, the etiquette of enthronement can change accordingly, without spending huge amounts of money to build flashy enthronement boats."

Huang Liji and Kong Zhenyun looked at each other, neither of them had thought about this.

After thinking for a while, Huang Liji said to the emperor who often had strange ideas:
"The Ryukyu Kingdom is also a country that should not be conquered. The imperial court should not conquer it."

Zhu Youjian waved his hand and said:
"If Ryukyu voluntarily submits to the mainland, how can it be called a conquest?"

"You should discuss this with the Ryukyu envoy and ask about the attitude of the Ryukyu people."

"I plan to offer a marquis or earl to the King of Ryukyu, and then offer about ten viscounts and barons to the royal family and dignitaries of Ryukyu."

"Strive to have each Ryukyu noble be granted an island to defend against the invasion of Satsuma."

"After the surrender, Ryukyu will be temporarily under the jurisdiction of the Fujian governor, and the navy will send a fleet to assist in Ryukyu's defense."

The policy of Ryukyu's submission was decided in a few words, and it seemed that the decision had been made.

This is how Huang Liji and Kong Zhenyun felt when they heard these words.

The King of Ryukyu couldn't even stop the invasion of Satsuma Domain, which shows that he was not a strong monarch.

If the Ming Dynasty asked Ryukyu to voluntarily submit to the country, the current Ryukyu king would most likely not object.

Not to mention that if the emperor used the titles of viscount and baron to win over the Ryukyu nobles and let them enfeoff islands as lords, these people would not oppose it, but would actively support it.

After deciding this matter, Zhu Youjian felt that he had taught Japan a lesson and blocked its path to invade the south. He then half-concealedly withdrew his previous order and ordered:

"Japanese affairs are also placed under the supervision of the Andong Protectorate."

"Order the Andong Governor Hong Chengchou to take full responsibility for this matter."

"Hong Chengchou will be fully responsible for negotiating with Japan and helping the King of Han to open up the North Sea Island fiefdom."

"But the first priority is still to deal with the Jianlu."

"The warning to Japan cannot affect the imperial court's strategy against the Jianlu."

Huang Liji and Kong Zhenyun were satisfied after hearing this. They drafted the decree and took it out.

The opposition voices raised by the Lifanyuan this time marked the beginning of these Lifanyuan ministers having greater power.

Even though the emperor could make arbitrary decisions on the affairs of the Lifanyuan, he still needed to consider the opinions of his ministers.

This will make them more acclaimed in the government and the public and better demonstrate their abilities.

Zhu Youjian was actually not unaware of this, but wrong was wrong, and he was not an emperor who would not accept advice.

Moreover, the ministers of the Lifanyuan were responsible for helping the emperor deal with the affairs of the vassal states, so it was only natural to ask them to find out the gaps and fill them in.

As long as he, the emperor, firmly grasped the imperial edict, he could control the power of the Lifanyuan. The attitudes of Huang Liji and Kong Zhenyun also made him feel that it was very necessary to control the handling of foreign affairs.

If the situation were completely controlled by civilians, their first reaction would be to negotiate, and they would avoid using military force if possible. This is completely contrary to the current colonial era and is totally incompatible with the times.

Therefore, he planned to send some nobles and military officers to join the Lifanyuan and cultivate hardliners in the Lifanyuan.

The candidate has not been decided yet, so the positions of the Minister of External Relations and the Minister of Foreign Affairs will remain vacant.

Fortunately, these two departments do not have much affairs at present, and Kong Zhenyun, who is in charge of the affairs of the institute, can take care of it.
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After the order was issued, Kong Zhenyun quickly discussed the matter of surrender with the Ryukyu envoys.

When the Ryukyu envoys heard the news, they were both surprised and delighted.

In fact, the invasion of Ryukyu by Satsuma Domain was far more serious than he revealed to Kong Zhenyun.

Ryukyu was defeated by Satsuma 20 years ago and was forced to pay tribute. The selection of the king of Ryukyu was subject to the intervention of the lord of Satsuma.

He had not dared to say these things before, but now that he heard that the Ming Dynasty intended to make Ryukyu annex, he cried and said it out. He asked the Ming Dynasty to uphold justice and rescue Ryukyu from the Satsuma Domain.

When Kong Zhenyun heard this, he was filled with indignation.

He really didn't expect that Japan would be so bold that it would ask Ryukyu to pay tribute to the Satsuma Domain. They even had the courage to interfere in the selection of the Ryukyu King.

This was a great damage to the vassal relationship. If the Ming Dynasty did not show its attitude, how could it maintain order in the world?

So he quickly brought the Ryukyu envoys to the emperor to explain the new situation and request the navy to send troops to help Ryukyu expel the Satsuma domain.

Zhu Youjian was also very angry when he heard about this.

However, he had suppressed his anger towards Japan by then, and followed Kong Zhenyun's advice to focus his energy on conquering the Japanese.

So after thinking about it, he did not agree to Kong Zhenyun's request to send troops, but issued an order:
"Didn't Zheng Zhilong want to send troops?"

"I will do as he wishes and let him send troops to Ryukyu to completely expel the Satsuma clan."

"If successful, I will allow him to choose an island to be the lord and grant him an additional viscount."

"Others who have made contributions can also be granted titles."

He handed the matter over to Zheng Zhilong, intending to rely on his power to expel the Satsuma clan.

As for the so-called sacrifice, it was the barony of the son, and at the same time, the power of the Zheng family was placed in Ryukyu to contain the local forces.

The enthronement of the King of Ryukyu was also decided.

Because the King of Ryukyu was too weak at that time and still needed the help of the Ming Dynasty, he did not have the title of marquis and could only be conferred the title of earl.

The Outer Ryukyu Kingdom was later transformed into the Inner Ryukyu Kingdom, which was supervised by the Governor of Fujian and a chief historian sent by the imperial court.

Ryukyu also needs to undergo internal reforms to conform to the Ming system and use the Ming writing and language.

Zhu Youjian asked Kong Zhenyun to use Ryukyu as a pilot to explore how to change the outer vassal state into an inner vassal state.

Apart from the participation of the Ryukyu envoys, the Ryukyu king was not consulted on this matter at all.

But the Ryukyu envoy cried with joy, because he had always dreamed of becoming a subject of the Ming Dynasty.

What's more, the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty conferred him a hereditary knighthood because of his courage in taking on responsibilities. If he made meritorious contributions in the matter of surrendering, his title would be promoted in the future.

This made him completely inclined towards the Ming Dynasty, and he signed many agreements on behalf of Ryukyu and the Ming Dynasty.

Starting from the transformation of the Ryukyu Kingdom into a county, the Ming Dynasty began to transform the surrounding foreign vassal states.

Those who can submit will do so, and those who are unwilling to submit will remain vassal states.

Most small countries like Ryukyu accepted the goodwill of the Ming Dynasty and chose to submit to the Ming Dynasty and become part of the Ming Dynasty's aristocracy.

Zhu Youjian also reciprocated the favor by granting them houses in the area of ​​the royal palaces and treating them the same as the nobles of the Ming Dynasty.
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Zheng Zhilong, who was far away in Fujian, soon received an order from the Lifanyuan, which was sent through the Jinyiwei channel and relayed by carrier pigeons.

Although the official order had not yet arrived, Zheng Zhilong still had to obey, because his official position was obtained by relying on the emperor.

What's more, the emperor offered him the title of Viscount. Even if he didn't want to send troops to Japan, he had to take action now.

Moreover, the location of Ryukyu also attracted him:
"Ryukyu is a good place. If we want to trade with Japan, we can find a place to build a transit station."

"If those islands were not too small, I would have planned to establish a fiefdom in Ryukyu."

Thinking of this, he thought of Dongning again, which was Dongfan Island where his former base was located.

From a geographical point of view, it would be ideal for him to control Dongning Island as his fiefdom.

This place is closest to Fujian, and it has control over the strait waterway, making it convenient to collect "insurance premiums".

Unfortunately, the emperor disagreed and wanted to establish a garrison in Dongning to accommodate the immigrants.

One of the conditions for the imperial court to recruit him was to help the imperial court build a garrison in Dongning.

He didn't care much about it at first, thinking it would be good to take it back home. It's not a pity to give up a deserted island like Dongning Island.

Now that he had recovered from the excitement of accepting the amnesty, Zheng Zhilong realized the importance of Dongning Island.

According to the imperial court's policy of enfeoffment, this was the most suitable fiefdom for him.

Unfortunately, the imperial court had already built a garrison on Dongning Island and established a solid influence. Now, even if he wanted to use this place as a fiefdom, it would be completely impossible.

This forced him to settle for the second best option and choose to establish a fiefdom in Southeast Asia.

However, going to Southeast Asia does not mean that he has to give up his current foundation.

It would be a good choice for him to leave some people to go to nearby Ryukyu.

Later, he started trade with Japan in his vassal state in Southeast Asia, and this place could serve as a transit station.

Thinking of his young son who was detained in Japan, Zheng Zhilong planned to leave the viscount to him.

Now let yourself help him lay the foundation.

After making this decision, Zheng Zhilong summoned his subordinates and planned to send troops to Ryukyu.

When these subordinates heard that the imperial court offered a title reward, which was just to expel the Satsuma clan members on the Ryukyu Islands, they were eager to make achievements.

For those who dared to rebel against the shogunate, it was too easy to expel the people of Satsuma.

Even if the imperial court ordered troops to be sent to Satsuma Domain, they would dare to go.

Zheng Zhilong led his troops to prepare for war and arranged for the people left behind. After the official order from the court arrived, he led his army to attack Ryukyu.

On the way, he also went to Dongning Island and received a thousand soldiers from the island to prevent his pirates from being defeated on the island due to their poor performance in land warfare.

With such perfect preparations, the Satsuma clan personnel on the Ryukyu Islands were completely unable to resist.

They were first ambushed by Zheng Zhilong and their ships were burned, and then they were surrounded by the Dongning soldiers who were good at land warfare.

Zheng Zhilong and others quickly carried out the court's order and expelled all the Satsuma clan personnel from the Ryukyu islands.

After seeing the might of the Ming army, the Ryukyu King Shang Feng dared not disobey the order of submission brought back by the envoy.

Even after knowing that he had a mansion in the capital of the Ming Dynasty, he happily took a boat to the residence of the Earl of Ryukyu.

Many Ryukyu nobles made the same choice as him, taking Ming ships to the capital to pay homage. (End of this chapter)