Brocade clothing as the country

Chapter 1093
In the imperial study room, Emperor Wanli sat on the dragon chair, Wang Xijue and Wang Tong both sat on embroidered pier, but Tian Yi and Zou Yi could only stand on one side.

In the past, Zhao Jinliang would always be there no matter what kind of confidential matters in the imperial study, and to discuss military and state affairs on such occasions, as usual, the Ministry of War and the Minister of the Ministry of Households would also be there.

But on today's occasion, they are not qualified enough. The emperor, the chief assistant of the cabinet, the palm prints of the chief inspector, the admiral and the eunuch, and the actual governor Wang Tong, these few people are the top and core figures of Ming Dynasty , everyone else is worse.

"When the general is outside, he should have exclusive power. I understand this truth, but there are still some things that need to be asked, so there are only a few people here."

Emperor Wanli said gently, seeing that Wang Tong was about to get up to speak, Emperor Wanli waved his hand and continued:

"What did you ask? It doesn't mean that you did something wrong. You still do it according to your rules. It's just that I don't understand?"

That's what I said, but since I have shown this attitude, there are still various doubts about Wang Tong's arrangement, so I have to ask questions. If the emperor has doubts, if the explanation is not clear, it doesn't mean that if you don't change it, you can change it of.

The number of troops dispatched by the Ming Dynasty this time may not be comparable to the several major operations of the Ming Dynasty, but the quality is not bad. It has almost mobilized [-]% of the field elite of the Ming Dynasty in the north, and the most elite part of the southern navy. If there is any mistake in the operation, the north hardly has enough strength to maintain it, let alone the Japanese pirates can go straight to the heart of Daming.

Such a large-scale operation cannot help Emperor Wanli be careless. Even if he knows that he is not good at military affairs, he still needs to ask clearly.

Looking at this scene, it wasn't just Emperor Wanli who didn't understand Wang Tong's order to gather troops. Wang Xijue, the chief assistant of the cabinet, and Tian Yi, the eunuch who was in charge of the chief inspector of ceremonies, also had doubts.

Since the Son of Heaven said this, Wang Tong naturally would not refuse, leaned over and said:
"Please, Your Majesty, I know everything."

"I see that you mobilize troops and horses. Why are there so few cavalry? If you look at the number of soldiers and horses you have mobilized from each border town, each town mobilizes [-] infantry. There are cavalry that are useful for infantry. The town has already begun to abolish troops and horses, but it is not a big deal for you to transfer this number of cavalry everywhere, you can afford it, Wang Tong, this is a national war, you must not underestimate the enemy!"

In the battle with the 20 Japanese pirates in North Korea, the soldiers and horses that Daming mobilized should naturally be as strong as possible. The cavalry must be stronger than the infantry, especially for the elite of the border towns. The infantry of the border towns, but not the cavalry servants of the border generals, this made Emperor Wanli quite puzzled. It is obviously impossible to say that Wang Tong will not lead troops to fight. It is inferred that the arrogance and underestimation of the enemy caused by victorious battles.

"Your Majesty, it cannot be said that there is peace everywhere outside the border wall. There are also complaints from various border towns because of the abolition of military households. The situation must be carefully guarded. These elite cavalry can be mobilized and suppressed. If they are spared, they may be raped by villains. There are opportunities to take advantage of, and secondly, the advantage of the cavalry lies in maneuvering and impact. North Korea is a small place with many mountains, and the cavalry advantage is not great there. The infantry advances step by step, but it has the advantage of security. The cavalry have their own subordinates, and they are the lifeblood of the frontier generals. They may be able to fight with the wind, but they may not be able to support them when they encounter difficulties. If you prove yourself, you will do your best. Third, if you use cavalry, the logistics and military expenses will be too high. A thousand and five cavalry will cost even more than one regiment of the imperial army. A province is worth one point, and the cavalry of the Imperial Army plus the cavalry of Datong has nearly [-], plus the local fine cavalry in Liaoning, the battlefield mobility is enough."

Wang Tong talked eloquently, talking about Emperor Wanli and the people around him nodding all the time. After Wang Tong finished speaking, Emperor Wanli, Wang Xijue and Tian Yi looked at each other, smiled and praised:
"He is really a pillar of the country. He always thinks about the country and the country. Wang Tong, how long do you think this battle will take?"

"Returning to Your Majesty, the army from all walks of life will gather in Liaodong in the first month of next year. As for how long this battle will last, the war is changeable, and it is a national war. I dare not speak nonsense."

This is a fairly standard answer, Emperor Wanli nodded, Wang Tong looked at the few people in the imperial study, pondered for a while, but asked:
"Your Majesty, in fact, I have a lot of confidence in winning this battle, but as long as you fight for as long as you want, your Majesty, you can fight for six months, or you can fight for a year or longer. I think that if you fight for a longer time, the benefits will be better." ?”

Having said that, the faces of several people in the imperial study room showed surprise expressions. Everyone knew that Wang Tong was a steady person and would not talk nonsense, not to mention that this was a question and answer in front of the imperial court, and he would not speak nonsense, but "the fight is even worse." Longer, the benefits are more", this is really unbelievable.

For the current collection of these soldiers and horses, the capital center has already done its best. Fighting is spending money. This is true. It is the cost of Jinshan Yinhai. The budget of the Ministry of Industry for the construction of mausoleums and river engineering has been moved to the next year, and it will take longer. Wouldn't it impoverish the entire Ming Dynasty?

"If it weren't for the military supply plan you made this time, those people in the household department would probably argue to increase taxes. If you fight for a long time, you will spend more money, and there will be more deaths. I am afraid that the national treasury will be drained and there will be trouble. If something goes wrong, why do you say that fighting for a long time is more beneficial?"

The atmosphere in the room was not as good as it was when the first question was asked. Tian Yi and Wang Xijue had serious faces, Zou Yi was a little worried, and Emperor Wanli was full of curiosity. In Emperor Wanli's heart, although Wang Tong had many Fantastic, but not the kind of gibberish.

Wang Tong's expression did not look like he was talking nonsense, he bowed solemnly and said:

"Your Majesty, since it was agreed to start the war until now, there have been nearly a million taels spent inside and outside. When the war starts, the cost is even more astonishing. I asked His Majesty, Lord Wang and the two eunuchs. This battle was a big victory. Drive the army of Japanese pirates from North Korea back to the country of Japan, will there be any income after that? Can North Korea make up for this money?"

Emperor Wanli was taken aback for a moment. Since the chief minister of the cabinet was mentioned in the words, Wang Xijue, the chief minister of the cabinet, shook his head and frowned and said:
"It's inappropriate for Liao Guogong to say that. Now that the Japanese pirates are about to reach the border of Daming, their next step is to invade Liaoning and go straight to Zhili, Gyeonggi. How can Daming sit idly by with such wolfish ambitions? Anwei, this battle must be fought, how can we talk about spending money?"

Over there Wanli was still silent, Wang Tong turned to Wang Xijue and asked:

"Old Ge, North Korea is a vassal of Daming, did it bring any benefits to Daming? I remember when I went to Jianzhou with Elder Ge, there was a Liaonan army general who said that many places on the Korean side of the Yalu River were originally under the rule of Ming. They were all swallowed up by North Korea silently. This is a legend, let’s ignore it for now. In fact, North Korea’s tributes these years are actually to sell special products and earn money from our Ming Dynasty. What is the use of vassals, we have guarded the border of Ming Dynasty, and let the Japanese pirates go."

"This is absurd. Is the ambition of the 20 Japanese pirates in North Korea limited to North Korea? Daming can avoid disaster by just sitting on the sidelines, and his lips are dead and his teeth are cold!"

Wang Xijue was a little annoyed by Wang Tong's words, and his words were a bit harsh, but Wang Xijue was also very clear-headed, and Wang Tong would not say such unreasonable things.

"Elder Ge is right. The lips are dead and the teeth are cold. This means that the lips and teeth of one person belong to one person. This battle is for Daming, not North Korea."

"Wang Tong, you mean to eat North Korea?"

Emperor Wanli said in a slow voice. After saying this, the rest of the people in the room trembled. This trembling was due to surprise. They never thought of this direction. Seeing Wang Tong nodding slowly, Tian Yi couldn't help but groan. Lie opened his mouth and said:
"Long live Lord forgive me, I have something to ask the Duke of Liao."

The eunuch was an attendant on this occasion, so he was a little particular about what he said, and Emperor Wanli naturally would not refuse, because he also had a puzzled look on his face.

"Duke Liao, my ancestors listed North Korea as a country not to be confiscated, and rewarded their ancestors for their assistance in expelling the Tartars. If they annexed North Korea, wouldn't it be my Ming Dynasty's injustice? Moreover, North Korea has a population of several million, and the land is barren. Do you have special minerals? What's the use of occupying it, maybe it will be subsidized every year, so what is the supplement to this huge military expenditure, wouldn't it be more expensive?"

At this level, righteousness is no longer a reason to be discussed on the table. Only real interests can be discussed. Seeing Emperor Wanli's expression, Wang Tong understood that Wanli also had a similar problem. Wang Tong cleared his throat and said loudly:

"Grandpa Tian, ​​the ancestor's refusal to conscript was just out of reach. It wasn't that he didn't want to conscript, but that he couldn't. At that time, the world had not yet settled down, and Liaodong could not use all his strength, so he had to acquiesce in the existence of North Korea. If the ancestors really regarded North Korea as their nephew, then why? The tribute route is so heavily guarded, as for the benefit, Wang won’t answer it first, but ask Eunuch Tian a question first, is it possible that the Koreans who entered China after three generations will be separated as aliens?”

There were officials from North Korea in the middle and local areas of the Ming Dynasty, and there were even Korean eunuchs in the palace, but these people could not see any difference from the Han people at all. Tian Yi shook his head subconsciously and said:
"cannot."

After saying this sentence, everyone in the imperial study came to understand and understood what Wang Tong said.

(End of this chapter)