Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 383 Zhu Shou's Suspicion, Siam's Purpose! Subduing the Enemy Without Fighting!
That night, the Ming army camp was filled with jubilation.

Everywhere was filled with a festive atmosphere of singing and dancing.

Everyone celebrated the peace and the deep friendship that had been forged between the Ming Dynasty and Siam.

Li Sicong instructed his advisors to discuss and finalize several supplementary clauses overnight.

It was added as an appendix to the Ming-Siam Friendship and Mutual Assistance Agreement.

At the same time, he carefully considered and finalized more details.

Every clause and every detail has been carefully considered to ensure that nothing goes wrong.

Early the next morning.

The Siamese envoy then hurriedly returned to Ayutthaya with the treaty that both sides had carefully drafted.

They prepared to give a detailed report to the King of Siam on the results of the negotiations and then sign the agreement.

After seeing off the Siamese envoy, Zhu Shou waved his hand, signaling his attendants to leave.

Only he and Li Sicong remained inside the tent.

Zhu Shou's smile vanished, replaced by a solemn expression. He said, "Before this expedition, His Majesty specifically instructed me that you be fully responsible for matters concerning the Ming Dynasty's dealings with Siam and Pagan, including the signing of treaties."

"I only need to focus on commanding the army in battle and fully cooperate with you."

"But even so, as the Minister of Military Affairs and the commander-in-chief of this expedition, there are some things I really don't understand. I hope you can explain them to me."

"Otherwise, I would find it difficult to agree to that so-called 'Ming-Siam Friendship and Mutual Assistance Agreement'."

Upon hearing this, Li Sicong smiled humbly and said respectfully, "General, if you have any doubts, please feel free to ask. I will answer to the best of my knowledge."

In terms of rank, Li Sicong was merely a fifth-rank civil official.

Zhu Shou, on the other hand, was a high-ranking and powerful first-rank general.

In terms of social standing, Li Sicong was a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations).

He previously worked in the Ministry of Personnel, where he was mainly responsible for conveying imperial edicts and issuing titles.

(PS: In the early Ming Dynasty, only a very small number of imperial edicts were delivered by eunuchs; most official imperial edicts were handled by the Imperial Edicts Office.)
At that time, he was only a low-ranking official of the ninth grade, with a humble status.

Fortunately, thanks to Yang Rong's recommendation, he was sent as an envoy to Siam and Bagan, and His Majesty appointed him as the Great Ming's Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Southeast Peninsula, which allowed him to be promoted to the fifth rank.

In the court, his foundation was still shallow and his connections were weak.

In contrast, Zhu Shou was both a Minister of Military Affairs and a Marquis of Zhulu.

They wielded immense power and held a prominent position.

Although Zhu Shou's position as Minister of Military Affairs was, in principle, only responsible for governing and leading the army, and not involved in political affairs.

However, this only applies when it involves major national policies that truly concern national security.

The Minister of Military Affairs is also involved in decision-making and, when necessary, must offer advice to His Majesty.

To put it bluntly, Zhu Shou was a key minister in the court who was truly capable of participating in the formulation of the core national policies of the Ming Dynasty.

Li Sicong was merely a low-ranking civil official.

He wasn't even qualified to hear about those important and confidential national policies.

Although the two did not belong to the same system, their actual status was vastly different.

However, because they belong to different systems, there is no direct superior-subordinate relationship between them.

In addition, Li Sicong was appointed by His Majesty as a special plenipotentiary ambassador.

Zhu Shoucai gave him enough respect and allowed him to make his own decisions.

Otherwise, another fifth-rank military officer would be chosen to accompany Zhu Shou on the expedition.

They probably didn't even have the right to speak loudly or participate in discussions in front of Zhu Shou.

However, letting Li Sicong make his own decisions does not mean that Zhu Shou will truly ignore the matter.

Not to mention that he was also the commander-in-chief of this expedition.

Even just by virtue of his position as Minister of Military Affairs, he had every reason to question him thoroughly on such an important matter.

Even if necessary, they would intervene first to stop it, and then ask His Majesty to make the final decision!
"The Siamese army is nothing but clay chickens and clay dogs, utterly incapable of fighting and completely vulnerable."

"Now, the mighty Southern Navy of our Great Ming Dynasty has arrived at the gates of Dachengfu. In Dachengfu, from the king to the common people, who is not trembling with fear?"

Everyone was gripped by fear and trembled with terror.

Zhu Shou raised an eyebrow and said with a disdainful look, his tone full of contempt for the Siamese army and its princes and ministers.

“Last night, I went to test the waters with the Siamese envoy.”

"I think that no matter how many demands we make of Siam, or how much gold and silver we ask for, they will never dare to refuse and will definitely agree obediently."

He narrowed his eyes slightly, a shrewd and calculating glint in them, as if he could already see the scene of the Siamese offering up a large amount of wealth.

"In that case, why don't we order more? This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"

Zhu Shou raised his voice, his emotions becoming somewhat agitated.

“I think even if we triple the amount we're demanding, Siam will do everything in their power to pay it, no matter how much they have to search. They wouldn't dare not pay, and they can't afford the consequences of not paying!”

He became more and more excited as he spoke, a smug look appearing on his face, as if he had already taken control of the whole situation.

"Furthermore, Siam is rich in mineral resources. If my Great Ming wants them, we can simply ask them directly. Would Siam dare to refuse? They wouldn't have the guts! My Great Ming has no need to spend money to buy them!"

Zhu Shou looked arrogant; in his view, the Ming Dynasty's strength was enough to make Siam submit.

"Although our Great Ming Dynasty is wealthy, it doesn't need to waste money on such things. Money should be spent wisely, shouldn't it?"

"Lord Li is kind-hearted and righteous, and he does not want to start another war to avoid the suffering of the people. I admire him very much."

At this point, Zhu Shou looked at Li Sicong, his tone suddenly changing.

"But the people of Siam are ultimately not subjects of our Great Ming Dynasty; they are nothing but barbarians."

"Whether they died in battle or starved to death, does Lord Li really need to care so much?"

He frowned slightly, a hint of confusion and doubt in his eyes.

"Lord Li wouldn't..."

Zhu Shou paused mid-sentence, looking at Li Sicong meaningfully. He didn't finish his sentence, but the unspoken meaning was clear.

To put it bluntly, Zhu Shou felt that now was the perfect opportunity to squeeze a huge sum of money out of Siam.

The goal is to inflict heavy losses on Siam and plunder as much of their wealth as possible.

As for whether doing so would lead to the bankruptcy of a large number of Siamese people, even the royal family and nobles, or even the bankruptcy of the entire country, he felt that it had nothing to do with the Ming Dynasty.

In Zhu Shou's mind, none of these things mattered.

As a Grand General of the Ming Dynasty and a Marquis of Zhulu, he was determined to do everything possible to secure more benefits for the Ming Dynasty.

This is his duty!
Although the treaty signed by Li Sicong and the Siamese envoy was indeed beneficial to the Ming Dynasty, it was far from sufficient in Zhu Shou's eyes.

This treaty did not fully exploit Siam's value; on the contrary, it seemed to have given Siam a break, which greatly displeased Zhu Shou.

In particular, Zhu Shou found it even more difficult to understand that the Ming Dynasty had to pay money to develop Siam's mineral resources.

He just couldn't understand why he had to do that.

In Zhu Shou's eyes, the Siamese army was his defeated enemy, and the whole of Siam was like the Ming Dynasty's "spoils of war".

Although Siam and the Ming Dynasty were far apart and had vastly different customs and traditions, the Ming Dynasty would not directly rule Siam.

Looting "spoils of war" is a perfectly legitimate thing to do.

How could we let the Siamese off so easily?
Could it be that Li Sicong secretly accepted bribes from the Siamese?
A hint of suspicion flashed in Zhu Shou's eyes as he stared intently at Li Sicong, seemingly trying to discern something from his face.

"Killing the goose that lays the golden eggs is not a wise move!"

Li Sicong remained calm, a faint smile playing on his lips, as he looked peacefully at Zhu Shou: "Lord Zhulu, do you still remember the 'Jingkang Incident' from the Song Dynasty, a tragedy that still causes us heartache to this day?"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Shou's originally resolute expression faltered slightly.

As a military general who came from the ranks, he fought on the battlefield for many years and usually studied military strategy and tactics, so his knowledge of history was indeed limited.

However, he was aware of the momentous historical event of the "Jingkang Incident," which was also an important military anecdote. He had even studied how the Song Dynasty could have turned the tide and achieved victory.

Li Sicong's expression turned serious, his face became solemn, and his voice unconsciously rose a few decibels: "The Jingkang Incident of that year was an unprecedented humiliation for the Han people in thousands of years."

"The Jurchens acted recklessly and humiliated the Han people in every way."

"They not only abducted Emperor Huizong and Emperor Qinzong of Song, but also took away a large number of concubines, nobles and officials."

“In Kaifeng, both public savings and private property of the people were looted and plundered clean.”

"The humiliation suffered by the people of Song is self-evident and need not be mentioned further."

"At first glance, it seems that the Jurchens have gained a great advantage in this incident and reaped countless benefits."

"However, if we calm down and carefully review this history, we will find that the facts are not so simple."

"After the Jingkang Incident, the war between the Jin and Song dynasties continued unabated, and the war never stopped."

"Yue Fei, Han Shizhong, and other patriotic generals stepped forward and rose to prominence amidst the chaos of war."

"They cherished their country and fought bravely against the enemy, determined to recover lost territory and wipe away the national humiliation."

"If Zhao Gou had not been so incompetent and blinded by his own selfish desires, driving Qin Hui to negotiate peace with the Jin, and had Yue Fei murdered at Fengbo Pavilion on trumped-up charges, then the final outcome of this war between the Song and Jin would still be unknown."

"Looking at the Jurchens, all they ultimately gained was the occupation of large amounts of Song territory."

"But in reality, most of this land had already been occupied by the Jurchens through various means long before the Jingkang Incident."

"Even if the Jurchens did not abduct Emperors Huizong and Qinzong at that time, the Song people had already signed a treaty beforehand, agreeing to cede these territories."

"Excluding the factor of the land occupied, the Jin people drove the Song people to a dead end and eventually kidnapped Emperors Huizong and Qinzong. They seemed to be powerful and invincible."

"But in reality, if we consider it from the perspective of higher national interests, this is undoubtedly an extremely foolish move."

"If the Jin people had not driven the Song people to the brink of despair, but instead had adopted a strategy of slow and gradual pressure, taking things slowly and steadily."

"Perhaps at that time, they couldn't steal that much wealth and couldn't gain huge profits in the short term."

"But given time, over the years, as time goes by, the Jurchens will ultimately gain more and will not suffer such huge losses due to the continuous war."

"However, most barbarians are short-sighted and simply don't understand this principle."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Shou seemed to freeze, his entire body suddenly stunned once again.

A strange glint flashed in his eyes.

Clearly, this was a completely new perspective he had never considered before.

Zhu Shou subconsciously furrowed his brows, and various thoughts began to churn uncontrollably in his mind.

At first glance, this line of thinking seems far-fetched, but upon closer examination, it seems to make some undeniable sense of reason.

Recalling that period of history, the Jurchens made outrageous demands on the Song Dynasty, asking for five million taels of gold and fifty million taels of silver, and setting a deadline for immediate compensation without any delay.

This astronomical compensation figure undoubtedly far exceeded the limits that the Song Dynasty could bear, completely pushing the Song Dynasty to the brink of ruin.

Ultimately, the Song Dynasty, which should have "knelt" under the power of the strong, was forced into a corner and had no choice but to fight back.

Zhu Shou couldn't help but wonder to himself, if the Jin people hadn't been so ruthless and had kept Emperors Huizong and Qinzong alive, and instead demanded that the Song Dynasty pay tribute every year, allowing wealth to flow into their pockets, wouldn't the final benefits have been even more substantial?

Perhaps the Jurchens were not unaware of the benefits of such a gradual and sustainable approach, but were simply too constrained by their own national strength to take the risk.

After all, if the Song people had been given enough time to prepare their troops and build up their strength, they might not have lost to the Jin people in another battle!
Therefore, the Jurchens at that time were eager to take advantage of the momentum of their victory to demand as much spoils as possible and quickly enrich themselves.

However, the situation in the Ming Dynasty was completely different from that in Siam. With the current strength of the Ming Dynasty, even if there were a hundred or a thousand more wars, it would still be able to easily defeat Siam.

There is absolutely no need to worry that Siam will use this as an opportunity to regroup, bide its time, and then make a comeback and fight back in the future.

If that's the case, why squeeze Siam to its limit all at once instead of taking a gradual, long-term approach?

As a military general with numerous military achievements, Zhu Shou had fought on the battlefield for many years and repeatedly defeated cunning enemies with his wisdom and courage. He was certainly not a fool.

On the contrary, he was exceptionally intelligent and meticulous.

Otherwise, on that battlefield rife with intrigue and deception, he would have long been killed by the enemy's treacherous schemes, leaving no trace of his body.

Not to mention his countless illustrious military achievements, which earned him the title of Marquis of Zhulu in the Ming Dynasty!
However, he had been somewhat trapped in his habitual thinking, focusing solely on helping the Ming Dynasty gain as much benefit as possible as quickly as possible.

But they never thought of considering the problem from a different perspective.

After hearing Li Sicong's analysis, Zhu Shou felt as if a ray of light had suddenly shone into a previously overlooked corner.

Li Sicong remained calm and continued unhurriedly, "General, as you know, the Ming Dynasty has no intention of taking Siamese land."

"If we were to directly rule Siam, the manpower, material resources, and financial resources required, as well as the various difficulties in the governance process, would inevitably outweigh the gains."

"What we really need is just a port where we can station troops. By stationing a large army there, we can create a powerful deterrent against the countries of Southeast Asia."

"Now, this requirement has been met."

A slight smile appeared on his face; he was very happy about it.

"Siam has already agreed to compensate for the military expenses that should be paid."

"Why should we pay for developing mineral resources?"

Li Sicong's lips curled up slightly, revealing a smile, and he explained in detail: "If we don't pay, even if the Siamese court agrees, the people of Siam will definitely feel ashamed and believe that the Ming Dynasty is robbing what belongs to them."

"In that case, they might try every means to harass the development and construction of mineral resources."

"Although the might of my Great Ming Dynasty is formidable, we are not afraid of such harassment."

"Even so, if troops are sent to protect them for a long time, the cost of military pay and supplies will be quite high."

"This will cause them to completely lose the hearts and minds of the people of Siam."

"Rather than sowing seeds of hatred over such a small amount of money, it's better to spend the money to win people's hearts."

"This money, seemingly used to buy mineral resources, is actually used to buy the goodwill of the Siamese people towards the Ming Dynasty, and to win the hearts and minds of the Siamese people."

"Furthermore, we will also assist Siam in its development and construction."

"On the one hand, there are huge benefits involved. Our Great Ming Dynasty has an urgent need for Siam's resources, and Siam also needs the various exquisite products manufactured by our Great Ming Dynasty."

"By exchanging goods and engaging in trade, both sides can surely create substantial wealth."

"On the other hand, this will also truly benefit the people of Siam, making it a real win-win situation!"

"Our goal is to make the people of Siam not only not hate the Ming Dynasty, but also yearn for the Ming Dynasty and be grateful to the Ming Dynasty."

Li Sicong's tone grew increasingly firm and resolute: "Only in this way, even if one day the King of Siam or other powerful ministers attempt to rebel against the Ming Dynasty, the people of Siam will never support them."

"In fact, if the Ming Dynasty wanted to depose a foolish king and install a wise new monarch, the people of Siam would line the streets to welcome him."

His eyes shone with confidence and pride, as if he had everything under control.

He paused, took a deep breath, and then said in a resounding voice, "General, His Majesty's grand ambitions have never been aimed at a small Siam, but at the entire world."

"Besides Japan, Siam was the first overseas country that the Ming Dynasty's expeditionary force set out to conquer."

Li Sicong's expression turned solemn as he began to analyze the differences: "Our aim against Japan is to completely eradicate the threat of Japanese pirates, to wipe away past humiliations, and a war of revenge is imperative."

"However, Siam is different."

"Although there were also cases of Ming Dynasty citizens being imprisoned, Siam did not directly send troops to invade; it was merely human traffickers committing atrocities. This should be distinguished from the heinous acts of the Japanese pirates who openly harassed the coast."

"If the Ming Dynasty can lead Siam to prosperity and strength and enable the people of Siam to live a better life after conquering Siam, then it will set an example for all countries in the world."

"Tell them that any country that sincerely submits to our Great Ming can embark on the road to prosperity and strength."

"What will they choose then?"

"I'm afraid that without the need for our Great Ming to send troops to conquer them, they will rush to submit on their own initiative."

He narrowed his eyes slightly, a confident smile appearing on his lips, as if he could already see the magnificent scene of all nations paying tribute.

"Our Great Ming Dynasty can thus achieve the miraculous effect of subduing the enemy without fighting!"

"Moreover, the Ming Dynasty itself is in dire need of Siam's market and resources. Helping them get rich is just a small favor, something we can do on a whim."

"For our Great Ming Dynasty, this is entirely beneficial and without any harm. Why not do such a wonderful thing?"

……

(End of this chapter)