Strategy for the Revitalization of the Late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 286 Negotiation
Wang Fuzhi couldn't help but ponder for a while, and he had to admit that Qian Qianyi's argument did make some sense.

During the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, there were many princes and powers were checked and balanced against each other, which formed a special balance and the political atmosphere was much more relaxed in comparison.

However, although some doubts flashed through Wang Fuzhi's mind, his trust in Zhu Cilang was not shaken.

After more than a year of contact and observation, he had already developed a deep trust in the young emperor.

"Your Majesty is different from the Tartars. You will not suppress speech or silence the people.

The Tartars are so ignorant, backward, barbaric and brutal, relying on lies and oppression to rule. They are afraid of their true face being exposed, so they try their best to block speech.

Those barbarians, what they do is far less than what they boast about, so of course they are afraid of the truth being exposed."

Wang Fuzhi's tone was firm, with a hint of unquestionable certainty.

Qian Qianyi sighed lightly. They had discussed this many times in recent days, and Qian Qianyi had a deeper understanding of Wang Fuzhi's pursuits and thoughts.

Qian Qianyi even attended Wang Fuzhi's lectures in person, and was shocked by the political ideas based on academies.

He had to admit that although Wang Fuzhi failed in the imperial examination, he had a unique brilliance in his thoughts and was indeed a genius.

At the same time, Qian Qianyi also repeatedly thought about a question - how could the great Ming Dynasty, with hundreds of millions of people and vast territory, be destroyed by a mere tens of thousands of Manchu clans?
"But we are just scholars. We have no power or soldiers. What can we change?" Wang Fuzhi's heart became more and more agitated as he listened to Qian Qianyi's words.

He couldn't help but reflect on himself, which emperor in history could escape such a fate?
Qian Qianyi smiled slightly, his expression carrying some profound meaning:

"Everything depends on human effort. Now that most of Jiangnan has been preserved intact, as long as we establish a solid foundation, we can still do something."

He looked at Wang Fuzhi, his tone gentle but firm:
"Don't be fooled by his fleeting words. Your Majesty's future behavior will depend on what he does.

When judging a person, consider the facts, not their heart. If you judge based solely on your heart, then you are simply believing whatever you want to believe, and there is no need for me to waste my breath on you.

Wang Fuzhi was silent for a moment, his mind racing. He muttered to himself, "What can I do?"

This question echoed in his mind. He raised his head, his eyes somewhat confused, as if he was asking himself, or as if he was asking the heavens:
"If the Tartars are defeated, what else can I do for the future of the Ming Dynasty?"

At this moment, Wang Fuzhi's heart was filled with complicated emotions.

The Ming Dynasty's struggle for survival was the nightmare of every scholar and loyal official. However, even if the Tartars vanished and China regained its sovereignty, how would it build its future?
What he has always pursued is a dynasty that is not just stable on the surface, but a country that can truly listen to public opinion and promote social progress.

Qian Qianyi noticed his hesitation, and after a moment's silence, he slowly said:

"The fall of the Tartars is certainly inevitable, but how will the empire be governed? This isn't something that can be decided unilaterally by an emperor. I'm afraid it will have to rely on talented people like us."

When he said this, a complex look flashed in his eyes:
"But the question is, can His Majesty really accommodate such talented people like you? Sometimes, the more capable people there are, the more suspicious the emperor becomes."

When Wang Fuzhi heard this, his brows frowned slightly. He understood the deep meaning of Qian Qianyi's words.

Even if Zhu Cilang shows leniency at the moment, how long can this leniency last when the constraints and desires of power gradually become apparent?

This was the case with most emperors in history. They initially encouraged advice, but then gradually tightened the reins, ultimately ending up with a situation where speech was suppressed and decisions were made to kill.

"If scholars like you and me don't have real power, how can we change the political situation? How can we avoid being used and eventually becoming abandoned pawns?" Qian Qianyi's words once again hit Wang Fuzhi's sore spot.

He looked up out the window, feeling the coolness brought by the autumn wind, but his heart felt heavier.

"Perhaps, I can still leave some hope for the future." Wang Fuzhi whispered, his voice revealing a bit of determination and loneliness.

He no longer hopes to completely change the world, but he at least hopes to pave a slightly smoother path for future generations.

Qian Qianyi looked at him quietly, feeling a little emotional.
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Over the past few months, the overall situation in the world has gradually stabilized, and the military reorganization tasks in various places have been completed in an orderly manner.

Generals such as Li Guo, Gao Yigong, Zuo Menggeng, and Hao Yaoqi all completed the tasks at hand.

At this time, the rebel forces that should be incorporated have been reorganized, the military households in the camps and villages that should be resettled have also been properly arranged, and the military and political affairs in their respective jurisdictions are in order.

After several months of reorganization, the two capitals and twelve provinces within the Great Wall finally prepared an army of nearly 600,000, which led to the formal confirmation of the long-rumored "Nanjing Conference".

After all, without sufficient troops, this meeting would probably not proceed smoothly.

Zhu Cilang and his staff had already reached a tacit understanding on this matter. They all knew that without sufficient military force as a backing, this conference would not be able to convince the ministers.

Therefore, the establishment of an army of 600,000 became an important bargaining chip in their planning.

However, although the number of 600,000 troops is impressive, the number of elite troops that can be used in front-line combat is limited.

Among them, at least 200,000 soldiers were defenders stationed in the city, or newly recruited Green Camp soldiers and rebel forces.

Although these troops have been reorganized, it remains unknown to what extent they can exert their combat effectiveness.

Most of the troops were just hastily trained militia and peasant soldiers, and were far from the real elite field troops.

This war-torn land has long been severely damaged and can no longer support large-scale, high-precision field troops.

Although the armies in various places have expanded a lot in name, their actual combat effectiveness may not be as good as people wish. Many troops have only been supplemented with some new recruits and have not yet returned to their peak condition.

Despite this, Zhu Cilang was still full of confidence that these 600,000 troops were enough to deal with the upcoming Northern Expedition and Western Expedition, and that the plan of expanding territory could be completed without a civil war.

"The remaining Tartars in Liaodong still need to be annihilated, the Tatars in the northwest have not yet been completely subdued, the various Mongolian tribes are eyeing them covetously in the north, and the three Outer Mongolian tribes cannot be underestimated."

Li Guo rode his horse forward with a somewhat relaxed look on his face:
"I heard in the south that His Majesty is very interested in Annan and has sent people to gather intelligence there."

What Li Guo was obsessed with was the old feud between Mongolia and the Li family. Now he was determined to conquer the Tuolu, especially the Mongolian tribes in northern Shanxi.

He was filled with hatred for these foreign enemies and longed to avenge his previous humiliation, and his eyes were fixed on the more distant frontiers.

Gao Yigong sneered:

"What is Annam? According to you, Annam was originally a vassal state of China and should be recovered.

But Your Majesty also plans to form a navy to eliminate pirates in the South China Sea? This is a bit puzzling.

It’s fine for Guangdong to form a navy. Fujian already has Zhang Mingzhen’s navy in charge. Why would they form another one in the Yangtze River just for those clown-like pirates?
Rather than wasting energy on the sea, it would be better to raise tens of thousands more musketeers and cavalry to deal with powerful enemies on land."

Gao Yigong was obviously skeptical about Zhu Cilang's naval plan.

In his opinion, the threat at sea was not a big deal. Compared with those wandering pirates, what really needed to be paid attention to were the powerful enemies in the north and the vast territory.

He was more inclined to strengthen the military strength on land, especially to increase the number of musketeers and cavalry, which was most urgently needed at the moment.

Li Guo disagreed with this and said slowly:
“Those pirates at sea may not be a big deal, but they are still a hidden danger if we don’t take precautions.

Your Majesty's vision isn't limited to land; maritime power is equally important. If these pirates are allowed to run rampant, how will coastal commerce develop?
What's more, the ocean is the gateway to the outside world. Once we control the sea lanes, we will be able to negotiate better with foreign vassals and Westerners.

As Your Majesty said, only by combining land and sea can we truly consolidate the foundation of our country. Gao Yigong frowned slightly after hearing this, and after a moment of contemplation, he said:

"You do have a point. However, right now, when the inland areas are not stable and the situation in Jiangnan is not yet fully under control, isn't it too reckless to rush into external expansion?"

Li Guo smiled and shook his head slightly:

"Although the gentry in Jiangnan are difficult to deal with, they are no longer a threat. Moreover, Your Majesty's reform measures in Jiangnan have already begun to show results. Before long, the gentry will be forced to comply.

If we can stabilize domestic affairs while expanding our territory, wouldn't that be the best of both worlds? "

Gao Yigong remained silent after hearing this. Although he still had doubts in his heart, he had to admit that what Li Guo said was not unreasonable.

The current situation is changing rapidly, and every move Zhu Cilang makes needs to be carefully planned.

The two men rode their horses forward, the sound of the whistling wind was in their ears, and the dawn light was faintly visible in the distant sky.

Although the road ahead is full of thorns, they are determined in their hearts: whether it is internal reform or foreign war, Zhu Cilang's grand plan is slowly unfolding.

As chess pieces, they must take every step carefully to gain a place in this complex game.

Gao Yigong did not think that the navy was useless, but if it was only used to fight pirates, it would be a waste.

However, he prefers another explanation:
Pirates were just a cover. Zhu Cilang's real intention was to curb Zhang Mingzhen's power by building a powerful navy. This required the coexistence of the two navies in the north and south to form a situation of mutual checks and balances.

"I heard that in Guangzhou alone, the net profit from trading with the red-haired merchants is as high as three to four million taels of silver each year.

If this type of trade is promoted in other coastal areas in the future, we won't even have to worry about military spending. Your Majesty is probably thinking about this," Li Guo said, his tone analytical.

Gao Yigong had heard of this a long time ago, but he always had doubts about it. Nanjing had been widely publicizing Zhu Cilang's "political achievements", as if it was afraid that the world would not know about it.

However, Gao Yigong has always believed that there is a lot of water in it, and at most only one or two percent of the propaganda is true.

"so much?"

Gao Yigong couldn't help but question it. Although he knew that this information was not groundless, the amount of three or four million taels of silver still made him feel unbelievable.

What's more, the news sources in Nanjing are biased and will inevitably exaggerate the facts.

"Not to mention that it's hard to tell whether this data is true or false, anything the people around His Majesty say must be discounted."

Li Guo smiled upon seeing this and said frankly, "I heard that too, I don't know if it's true or not."

His serious look actually made Gao Yigong take it seriously at first.

Then, Li Guo changed the subject and said seriously:

"We are now strong and our morale is high. We should recuperate while adopting a strategy of both appeasing and suppressing the surrounding barbarians.

We should take advantage of the current momentum and seize the opportunity to subdue all those Tatars and Tartars. Only in this way can we truly guarantee the security of the interior."

He paused and continued:

“If we don’t fight these barbarians now, and instead they kill each other, in a few decades, when our vitality is severely damaged and we are no longer able to send troops, the barbarians in these places will probably stir up trouble again.

At that time, the people will inevitably suffer from looting and massacre again."

Gao Yigong nodded, agreeing deeply:

"You're right. We should seize this opportunity to quickly recover what needs to be recovered. Liaodong must be retaken, and those territories in the northwest must also be re-controlled, otherwise these Tuolu will sooner or later become a problem.

As for the maritime issues, if His Majesty wants to build a navy, that is his business. He can raise the money to build ships and train soldiers himself, so we don't need to worry about it."

The two were silent for a moment, as if each of them was weighing the changes in the situation and future actions in their hearts.

Li Guo paused for a moment and then continued:

"Let's go to Nanjing and see what His Majesty plans to do, and then act accordingly."

Although the Ming army has now recovered most of the land within the Great Wall and regained control of the Han provinces, Gao Yigong knows that this is far from enough to truly ensure the safety of the empire and restore its former glory.

Especially places like Liaodong, which have a vital strategic location. If they cannot be completely recovered, they will always be a major concern for the Ming Empire.

In Gao Yigong's view, the revival of the empire is not something that can be achieved overnight. Although Liaodong has been occupied for many years, its importance is self-evident.

Controlling Liaodong not only ensures the security of the north, but also strangles the enemy's throat and prevents them from invading the south.

In addition, the situation in the northwest should not be underestimated. Although those Tatars and Tartars are scattered all over the place, if they are allowed to breathe, they will sooner or later become a huge threat to the empire.

He thought for a moment and added:

"The current situation is complicated. If we can steadily advance the recovery of lost territory under the leadership of Your Majesty, we must proceed simultaneously in both Liaodong and Northwest China, especially Liaodong, which is a must-fight area.

As for matters at sea..."

He shook his head and continued:

"Your Majesty's navy idea is good, but it's ultimately a costly and labor-intensive endeavor. I'm afraid we'll have to wait until he resolves the military budget issue before we can truly achieve anything."

Li Guo nodded in agreement. He and Gao Yigong had the same concerns:

In fact, there are still many variables in whether the ability to maintain long-term combat is possible.

It remains to be seen whether the reforms implemented by Zhu Cilang can be truly implemented and bring lasting economic and military support.

"However," Li Guo said slowly:
"We must eventually go to Nanjing to meet His Majesty and learn his specific plans. Whether it's issues in Liaodong, the Northwest, or the sea, they all require long-term planning.

Although we have troops at our disposal, we must obey the court's decisions no matter what."

Gao Yigong nodded, agreeing with Li Guo's statement.

Although the Ming army currently occupies most of the land within the Great Wall, it still has a long way to go to truly restore the overall interests of the empire and recover those homeland areas that are of vital interest to it.

Most importantly, they also need to compete with various forces to ensure their own living space.

Especially when facing southern forces such as Zhang Mingzhen, how to achieve a strategic balance without breaking off relations will be a key issue in the future.

"Yes, let's go to Nanjing and see what arrangements His Majesty makes." Gao Yigong sighed and looked into the distance.

(End of this chapter)