Da Ming: The system granted me immortality; I clock in every day.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Fu's eyes widened, and he roared, "Chief Minister Gu! You are in charge of the nation's finances, and now the national treasury is overflowing with gold and silver. The Imperial Academy and the Grand Canal are all funded by merchants. The court is rolling in money!"

"Why, when it's time to defend our country and uphold our national prestige, are you so stingy with those few million taels of silver?"

"Is the blood of the soldiers on the frontier less important than the numbers in your ledger?"

Faced with the questioning from this veteran marshal with outstanding achievements, Gu Yannian did not get angry.

He picked up his teacup and brushed away a few withered leaves from the surface of the water.

"Duke of England, please calm down. I am in charge of the Ministry of Revenue and know the Ming Dynasty's resources well. Let alone 200,000 troops, even if we add another 200,000, the Ministry of Revenue can afford it."

Gu Yannian put down the teacup with a crisp clinking sound and looked directly at Zhang Fu.

"But the money in the national treasury is meant to generate interest and strengthen the country, not to be thrown into a bottomless pit."

He stood up, walked to the huge map of the territory in the center of the hall, and placed his slender fingers on the Jiaozhi position.

"Since Emperor Taizong recovered Jiaozhi, the imperial court has established a provincial administration office in Jiaozhi and stationed a large number of troops there over the past twenty years."

"You all only see Jiaozhi's nominal submission, but have you considered the messy history behind it?"

Gu Yannian's voice was not loud, but it had an undeniable penetrating power.

"In the past twenty years, the imperial court has mobilized a million troops to suppress continuous rebellions. The military expenses and provisions spent in Jiaozhi alone amounted to a staggering thirty-seven million taels of silver!"

"And how much tax did Jiaozhi (Vietnam) pay to Taicang (Taicang) each year?"

He sneered and held up one finger.

"Less than 100,000 taels! Not even enough to cover half of the garrison's rations."

The hall fell silent instantly.

Zhang Fu was stunned on the spot.

He only cared about leading his troops into battle and refusing to cede an inch of territory; he never bothered to meticulously calculate this shockingly detailed breakdown of income and expenditure.

"Does Prime Minister Gu mean that I should give up Jiaozhi?"

Zhu Zhanji's expression darkened slightly. Abandoning the legacy laid by his ancestors would bring him eternal infamy.

"Jiaozhi is a place of treacherous mountains and rivers, and its people are fierce and fickle. When the Ming Dynasty was strong, they paid tribute and became vassals; when the Ming Dynasty showed signs of weakness, they rebelled."

"That tropical jungle was the wound used for bleeding."

Gu Yannian turned to face Zhu Zhanji and bowed slightly.

"Rather than keeping this worthless piece of chicken rib that is neither edible nor worth discarding, and constantly consuming the elite troops and resources of our Great Ming, it would be better to sever it and turn it into a vassal state."

"Absolutely not feasible!"

Zhang Fu's beard and hair stood on end, and he retorted sharply.

"If we withdraw our troops like this, wouldn't the vassal states of the world laugh at our Great Ming for being weak and easily bullied? If the rebel Le Loi gains power, he will surely become even more rampant and invade our Yunnan and Guangxi borders!"

Gu Yannian looked at the loyal but stubborn old general, a gentle smile appearing on his lips.

"The British Duke, war is not just about carrying swords and spears to chop people down."

"As the military classics say, the best strategy is to attack the enemy's plans; the next best is to disrupt their alliances; the next best is to attack their army; and the worst is to besiege their cities."

Gu Yannian strolled back to the desk and sat down again.

"Le Loi was able to rally 100,000 people to rebel because of the geographical advantage of Jiaozhi and the blind obedience of the people."

"My method, without costing the Ming Dynasty a single soldier, will leave Jiaozhi (Vietnam) with starving corpses everywhere and Le Loi will collapse without a fight in just three years."

Zhu Zhanji's eyes lit up, and he leaned forward: "What brilliant plan does Prime Minister Gu have? Tell me quickly!"

"Withdraw troops, blockade, cut off the lifeline."

Gu Yannian uttered six words.

His slender fingers tapped lightly on the rosewood table, the rhythm steady and deliberate.

"The first step is to issue an order to withdraw all the troops stationed in Jiaozhi back to the area within Zhennanguan, and to defend the strategic location. Let Le Li take over that mess in Jiaozhi."

Zhang Fu was so anxious that he stamped his feet. He was about to interject when Zhu Zhanji raised his hand to stop him.

"Step two."

Gu Yannian continued,

"Jiaozhi is surrounded by mountains on three sides and borders the sea on the other. The inland passes are guarded by the Ministry of War, allowing entry but not exit. As for the sea..."

"Your Majesty, in the secret report submitted by Linghu An, the Grand Steward of the Inner Court, a few days ago, he mentioned a capable officer in the navy named Chen Dingyuan. This man is proficient in naval warfare and familiar with the waters of the South China Sea."

Zhu Zhanji nodded.

"Such a person certainly existed. Zheng He is old, and Chen Dingyuan has a high reputation in the navy and is reliable in his work."

"He then ordered Chen Dingyuan to command the Ming navy and blockade the ports of Jiaozhi. Any ship attempting to sail out to sea, or any foreign merchant vessel trying to approach the Jiaozhi coast, was to be sunk!"

A cold glint flashed in Gu Yannian's eyes.

"Cut off all their maritime trade with the outside world."

Yu Qian was shocked upon hearing this.

This dual blockade by land and sea is turning Jiaozhi into a giant death row!

"The third and most important step is the business war."

Gu Yannian picked up his teacup and moistened his throat.

"Jiaozhi is rich in rice, but extremely lacks salt, ironware, and cloth. After the army retreats, the court can open a black market outside Zhennan Pass. We can use the worst quality smuggled salt and coarse cloth from our Great Ming Dynasty to exchange for the rice they have."

"At the same time, it was announced that the Ming Dynasty was willing to purchase unlimited quantities of grain from Jiaozhi at a price three times higher than the market price."

Zhang Fu was completely bewildered, his face full of confusion.

"Prime Minister Gu, what do you mean by this? We've already blockaded them, so why should we pay exorbitant prices to buy their grain?"

Yu Qian, however, was an extremely intelligent person.

After a moment's thought, he gasped and looked at Gu Yannian with deep awe.

"Your Excellency, Prime Minister Gu is trying to eradicate Jiaozhi's entire lineage!"

Yu Qian's voice trembled as he explained.

"When the merchants and landlords of Jiaozhi saw that the Ming Dynasty was buying grain at high prices, they were bound to be greedy for huge profits and would plunder all the grain in the country and resell it to the border. Even ordinary people would sell their food rations in exchange for salt and copper coins."

"Within a year, there will be no food left to eat in Jiaozhi!"

Gu Yannian glanced at Yu Qian approvingly and nodded slightly.

"Tingyi is absolutely right."

Gu Yannian continued.

"Once the food supply is depleted, prices in Jiaozhi will inevitably skyrocket. Although Le Loi has an army of 100,000, without food, how will they fill their stomachs?"

"At that time, there will be no need for my Great Ming to send troops. Those starving Jiaozhi people and low-ranking soldiers will raze the royal palace of Le Loi."

"A hungry person won't talk about loyalty or righteousness."

The main hall was deathly silent.

Zhang Fu stood frozen in place, feeling a chill run through his body.

He fought his whole life and was used to seeing mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

But he never imagined that this kind of scheming, which involves no visible blades, would be a thousand times more ruthless than the simultaneous firing of ten thousand cannons.

This is the epitome of killing without shedding blood.

Zhu Zhanji took a deep breath, his eyes gleaming with extreme excitement.

This kind of strategy, which can manipulate enemy countries without shedding blood, is simply the pinnacle of combining the power politics of an emperor with the shrewdness of a merchant!

"What a brilliant move to strike at the heart of the problem!"

Zhu Zhanji slammed his hand on the imperial desk and exclaimed in praise.

"Prime Minister Gu's plan is far superior to an army of 200,000! I hereby issue an edict ordering the Jiaozhi army to immediately withdraw to Zhennanguan. Naval Commander-in-Chief Chen Dingyuan shall lead the fleet south immediately to blockade the sea frontier."

"The Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War should work together to establish markets on the border, following the strategy of Minister Gu!"

Seeing that the emperor's mind was made up, and that Gu Yannian's plan was indeed impeccable, Zhang Fu realized that the emperor's mind was made up.

He could only sigh and accept the order with clasped hands.

Although he felt somewhat disappointed, he had no choice but to admit defeat.

This young prime minister is indeed a man of extraordinary talent.