The Revolt of the Three Feudatories: All-in at the start in Beijing

The hall fell silent again, not because no one dared to speak, but because no one truly knew how to say it.

Kublai Khan's past mistakes served as a stark warning. During two expeditions, his 200,000-strong army was annihilated by fish. From then on, the Japanese islands became a thorn in the side of the Central Plains dynasties. Whenever someone mentioned attacking the Japanese islands, someone would bring up Kublai Khan.

Just then, Zhao Lie, who was kneeling on the ground, raised his head. The blood on his chin had already congealed and was smeared on his jaw. He didn't wipe it off and just looked up and spoke.

"Your Majesty, the divine wind is utter nonsense."

All eyes turned to him. Zhao Lie knelt beside the shards of glass scattered on the ground, his tone surprisingly steady.

"Kublai Khan's fleet was destroyed in a storm because he did not understand the sea. In addition, the warships built by the surrendered soldiers of the Southern Song Dynasty not only had flat bottoms, but were also converted from river boats, and the keels were not bows. They could not withstand even a slightly larger storm, let alone a storm."

"But the navy of the Han Dynasty was different. Leaving aside Zheng He's treasure ships on his voyages, just look at our own admiral Xu Chuang. He led his fleet from Geoje Island to Bengal, through the South China Sea, the Strait of Malacca, and the Bay of Bengal—which sea hasn't he traversed? And when has he ever encountered a storm?"

Xu Chuang paused here, casually wiping away a bead of blood that had seeped from his chin as he spoke.

"Storms don't happen every day. There are many typhoons in August and September, and the South China Sea has southwest monsoons in June and July. The wind direction is unstable in winter, but the sea is very calm in March every year."

"As long as the timing is right, the fleet can reach Tsushima Island within three days from Geoje Island. As long as we avoid the storm season, those so-called divine winds won't be able to reach the Han ships at all."

After listening, Liu Mu nodded slightly. As a person from later generations, he was more dismissive of the so-called divine wind than anyone else. Kublai Khan's fleet was destroyed by the storm, partly due to bad luck and partly due to poor shipbuilding technology.

The Han dynasty's Fujian ships inherited from the Ming dynasty and have been sailing in the stormy seas of the South Seas for so many years, and there has never been a story of any fleet being sunk by the wind.

"That's settled then." He dismissed the word "divine wind" with a single sentence. "Now let's move on to the next question: even if the fleet arrives at the Japanese islands safely, how will the landing be conducted? The first step is to storm the beach. The Japanese will have high ground on the shore, firing muskets and arrows down at us. The first wave of soldiers to go up will be sitting ducks."

Zhao Lie seemed to have thought about this question long ago, and he immediately followed up as soon as Liu Mu finished speaking.

"Your Majesty, I have an idea." He knelt on the ground, but his back was straight as a board. "There is no need for a direct beach assault. As long as we defeat the Japanese navy, the Japanese islands will be fish on a chopping board. At that time, I can select warriors from the Jurchen tribes and the North Sea, and use fast ships to drop them along the coasts of Honshu and Kyushu. Drop them in batches, a few hundred today in southern Kyushu, a few hundred tomorrow in northern Honshu."

"The Jurchens and the Wild Men of the North Sea?" Liu Mu's eyebrows twitched slightly.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Zhao Lie repeated, "They spent their whole lives exploring the forests of Changbai Mountain, making a living by hunting, ambushing, raiding, robbing grain, and burning villages—it was all their forte."

"I will send them to the mountains of the Japanese islands. I will not give them any military orders or designate any targets. They will find their own food and loot themselves. The daimyo of Japan is facing a food shortage. No matter how many samurai the daimyo supports, they cannot survive without food."

"Once the mountains were teeming with Jurchen warriors who were raiding, the Japanese daimyo had to disperse his troops to various mountain villages to wipe them out. Every time he wiped out one group, two more would come; every time he wiped out two groups, they would send reinforcements to the west. The Japanese could not outmaneuver the Jurchens with their open fortifications and covert defenses. Within a year, war broke out in the west of Japan."

After hearing these words, Liu Mu unconsciously slammed his right hand heavily on the armrest.

"Great idea!" Liu Mu's voice wasn't loud, but it was firm and resolute. "It's the same principle as the Japanese pirates plundering the southeastern coast back then."

"Back then, a few hundred Japanese pirates could wreak havoc on half of Jiangnan province. Now it's my turn to send raiding parties to their islands. In the past, the Ming Dynasty had a large territory and could withstand the harassment of a few Japanese pirates. But the Japanese have such a small territory. If we send in ten or twenty thousand Jurchens and the savages from the North Sea, they won't last a year."

Liu Mu stood up and walked back to his desk.

"How long until Xu Chuang returns?"

Zhou Peigong immediately stepped forward: "This morning I just received a military report from General Xu. He is already on his return journey and, according to the estimated flight schedule, will arrive in Tianjin in mid-February."

"Alright." Liu Mu nodded, then turned to Zhao Lie, "Zhao Lie, I'm giving you a month to go to Liaodong and Jilin and recruit warriors from the Jurchen and Beihai barbarian tribes."

"There is only one condition: they must be fearless, married or only children. They must be young hunters with no ties."

"Tell the leaders of the Jurchen tribes that the selected people should be sent to Tianjin. I will give each of them thirty taels of silver as a settlement payment, to be paid in cash."

Zhao Lie kowtowed: "Your subject obeys the decree."

Liu Mu hadn't finished speaking. He walked up to Zhao Lie and looked down at him.

"Once they arrived at the Japanese islands, the big men didn't care what the Japanese did. They ate the food they plundered, kept the gold and silver they stole, and as for the women they captured, they just didn't bring them back!"

"Furthermore, the valuables they plunder can be legally exchanged for Han Dynasty gold coins in the Central Plains, or used to purchase land. Tell them that the Han Dynasty will not let them risk their lives for nothing. Every penny they plunder on the Japanese islands will be worth one penny when they return, and every mountain stronghold they seize can be exchanged for a hundred acres of land in Liaodong."

Zhao Lie raised his head, his eyes lighting up. If he offered this deal, the Jurchens would probably fight tooth and nail to get it.

"Your Majesty, how many ministers like this can be recruited?"

"The more the better. The first batch should be no less than three thousand. Xu Chuang will arrive in Tianjin in mid-March. Your Jurchen soldiers must also arrive at the same time. The navy will be responsible for transporting them, and you will be responsible for dropping them."

"The first wave will be deployed to Kyushu Island, where the daimyo's forces are weak and it will be easier for them to establish a foothold. The second wave will be deployed to Honshu Island. After the deployment is complete, the navy will completely blockade the Japanese islands, and not a single grain of rice will be allowed to enter. Do you understand?"

Zhao Lie kowtowed deeply.

"Your subject understands. Your subject will depart today for Liaodong."

Liu Mu turned to Zhou Peigong and said, "The Ministry of War should cooperate with Zhao Lie to oversee the transfer orders of the various Jurchen tribes and the distribution of resettlement funds. In addition, the overhaul of the main naval fleet must be completed before February. Before Xu Chuang returns, all warships must be able to leave port at any time."

"Your subject obeys the decree," Zhou Peigong replied readily.

Liu Mu then looked at Li Guangdi: "The Ministry of Revenue will allocate 500,000 taels of silver for the An family. The reserve funds needed for exchanging gold coins will be deducted from the batch of gold and silver that Liu Weiqing brought back."

"Also, regarding the matter of the Jurchen warriors exchanging land, the Ministry of Revenue should prepare the register of wasteland in Liaodong in advance, so as not to be caught off guard when the warriors return from the Japanese islands to redeem their land."

Li Guangdi immediately bowed: "Your subject will take care of it upon returning. The register of wasteland in Liaodong should be sent to Tianjin Garrison within three days for future use."

Liu Mu stood in the center of the hall, glancing at the shattered glass scattered on the floor, then at the dried bloodstains on Zhao Lie's chin. His voice finally softened slightly.

"Today, your idea to make amends for your mistakes will be considered a major achievement. Once we conquer the Japanese islands, I will settle the score with you later."

Zhao Lie kowtowed: "Your subject thanks you!"