June 3 of the sixth year of Jianwen, Qianqing Palace, East Warm Pavilion.

In order to cope with the offensive in all directions, Zhu Yunwen recalled Ping'an, Li Jinglong, Sheng Yong, Guo Ying and others to hold a military meeting in front of the emperor, which was attended by personnel from the Ministry of War, the Governor's Office of the Five Armies, the Ministry of Households, the Ministry of Rites, the Wenyuan Pavilion and the Military Aircraft Department.

Outside the window, the wind was beautiful and the sun was shining, but the atmosphere inside the hall was tense, and everyone listened to the narration of Wang Du, the chief minister of the Military Aircraft Department, with a stern expression:

"According to the intelligence of the Intelligence Department, this operation was provoked by Li Fangyuan, the governor of North Korea, and in the fourth year of Jianwen, his envoys went to the Wa Kingdom and Mongolia respectively, instigating Ashikaga Yoshimitsu of the Wa State and Erleboke of the Mongol State, intending to join forces to attack our Daming."

"In the past two years, North Korea has been reckless in military force and looting people's wealth, and its army has reached more than 200,000, far exceeding the national strength of North Korea.

"Your Majesty, the current situation in our dynasty is very grim, the Japanese are rampant in Ryukyu, Penghu and Fujian, and the Japanese naval division Chen Bing is in the Tsushima Strait; The North Korean Army Division and Navy Division were deployed near Pyongyang and near Jeju Island, respectively; The Jurchens gathered in the Songhua River valley and near the Changbai Mountain, united with the Mongols, and would soon move south. ”

"The Mongolian cavalry roamed around Kaiping, Daning, Xuanfu, Datong, and Suiyuan, and had the intention of invading the south."

"Timur, a powerful country in the west, gathered 100,000 heavy troops to march eastward, trying to break through the Jiayu Pass and attack Ganshan."

"Annan has come to the envoy with the intention of redefining the boundary pillar and increasing the border, and there is an attempt to invade."

"The Tusi and Xuanwei Division in the southwest are also ready to move, and Musheng, the Marquis of Xiping, once rushed six hundred miles to inform the Beijing Division, these Tusi and Xuanwei Divisions seem to intend to take advantage of the opportunity of the war between us and the DPRK to expand their territory."

"Therefore, in the next few months or even years, we will face the threat of war on all sides, and Korea and the Wa Kingdom in the east, Mongolia in the north, Timur in the west, Tusi in the southwest, and Annam in the south may all attack our Korea."

After Wang Du finished speaking, he bowed to Zhu Yunwen and retreated.

Sitting on the throne, Zhu Yunwen saw the expressions of the ministers at a glance, and found that there were those who were excited and dignified among the generals; Most of the Wenchen had serious expressions and stopped talking. Seeing this, Zhu Yunwen smiled: "What's wrong with everyone?" It's just a bunch of clowns. I summoned everyone over just to discuss countermeasures, everyone has heard the situation introduced by Wang Qing's family just now, now everyone is discussing, how should the imperial court respond? ”

There was a slight commotion among the ministers, and some even glanced at the faces of the people next to them, as if they were looking for allies.

Xia Yuanji, the household servant, hesitated for a moment, then stood up and said, "Your Majesty, the minister wants to ask Lord Wang." ”

"When I was briefing me just now, Lord Wang said that it was planned by Li Fangyuan of North Korea? Is there any evidence? ”

"This," Wang Du hesitated, looked at Zhu Yunwen, and only after seeing Zhu Yunwen's gesture did he say: "Lord Xia, the evidence in this matter is conclusive, because Li Fangyuan's fourth brother Li Fanggan is currently in Pyongyang, although he failed in the struggle for power, he still has some strength in North Korea; In addition, Li Fangyuan's actions are not completely agreed with in the DPRK, so the Intelligence Department has their own information channels. ”

"Li Fanggan?" Xia Yuanji pondered for a moment, and arched his hand: "Lord Wang, since this is the case, why did I plan early?" But let the situation develop to such a sinister point? ”

"Lord Xia," Wang Du said with a wry smile: "The lower officials have already told the emperor, but Li Fangyuan has not yet sprouted, and the court has no choice but to prepare." ”

"Therefore, the imperial court has requisitioned a large number of grain and grass and sergeants to Beiping, Shandong, and Liaodong, as long as the imperial court gives an order, it can defeat the rebels and restore the tranquility of the border of the Ming Dynasty."

After Xia Yuanji heard this, he paused slightly, and suddenly saluted Zhu Yunwen and said loudly: "Your Majesty, the minister wants to impeach Wang Du and others in the Military Aircraft Department." ”

"Oh, why?"

"Wang Du and others failed the emperor's grace, acted recklessly, and dragged the Ming Dynasty into the war, which was easy to solve, but it caused a shocking disaster."

Zhu Yunwen frowned, raised his hand and said, "Xia Shilang, what do you mean by easy to solve?" ”

"Back to the emperor," Xia Yuanji straightened his waist and said categorically: "The minister thinks that the origin of this matter is caused by the court's great joy and wanton development, as long as the court changes its policy, the minister thinks that this matter can be solved!" ”

Change policy? For a while, the Ya Que in the East Pavilion was silent, and everyone didn't even want to control their breath, they didn't dare to make a sound, and at the same time secretly observed the emperor's face. Everyone knows that this policy was formulated by the emperor, and if you want to change the policy now, isn't it to slap the emperor in the face?

Zhu Yunwen's face was a little unbearable, and it was not a pleasant thing to be accused in person. However, as a traverser, he has a natural sense of superiority, and when others disagree with him, he can take it for granted that he is old and stubborn and has historical limitations. So Zhu Yunwen didn't get angry, but said lightly: "Xia Shilang, what policy do you think needs to be revised?" ”

Hearing the emperor's words, Hubu Shangshu Yuxin secretly screamed "not good", and sure enough, Xia Yuanji stiffened his neck and said: "What the minister said is the emperor's border expansion policy, my Ming Dynasty has vast land and rich products, and Beiping and Liaodong are sparsely populated for a generation, and there is a lack of manpower for farming, why do you want to naturalize the Jurchen?" Three years have passed, and more than 5,000 of our Ming soldiers have died on the battlefield, but the quelling of the Jurchen rebellion is far away; In the newly opened land of Lelang Mansion, the Jurchen rebellions are one after another, and my 50,000 soldiers of the Ming Dynasty are guarding in the ice and snow, spending no food and grass and armaments, but they can only advance to the line of Changbai Mountain. ”

"According to the minister's calculations, in the past three years, because of the naturalization of the Jurchens and the garrison Lelang, the total value of grain, grass and ordnance allocated by the household department is more than 500 taels of silver, and this is still because of the garrison of Liaodong and Lelang, otherwise I am afraid it will be more than 10 million taels."

"The North Korean Li family claims to inherit Goryeo and thinks that Lelang is its homeland, so now Li Fangyuan has increased his troops on the border, intending to take back Lelang, and our dynasty is bound to increase his troops. Although the treasury is still full, it has not been able to catch the war with Korea, the Wa Kingdom, Mongolia, Timur, and Annam at the same time, and the gains outweigh the losses. ”

"The minister thinks that as long as the DPRK is appeased, Lelang is abandoned, and Jeju Island is abandoned, then the DPRK will definitely be grateful for the kindness of our DPRK and will not provoke again. The minister was willing to send an envoy to North Korea to persuade North Korea to join our Ming Dynasty, take the Yalu River as the boundary, and then ask it to appease the Jurchens, so that the Jurchens and North Korea would no longer be troubled. ”

"And once Korea is annexed, the Japanese state will not have to worry about the cold of lips and teeth, and at that time, Your Majesty can send an envoy to the Japanese country and instruct it to capture the Japanese invaders, so that the Japanese can be peaceful."

"In this way, Mongolia is lonely and difficult to deal with, and as for the Propaganda Department of Annam and the Southwest, as long as they send envoys to persuade them, they will naturally calm down, and there is no need to worry."

"So," Xia Yuanji knelt on the ground, arched his hand and said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, as long as you give up Lelang, you can bow down to the border without spending a single soldier, and Guan He is calm!" If the minister's policy does not work, His Majesty can punish the ministers to fill the door and hang it above the city gate, thinking that those who speak falsely will not be warned, and the ministers will never complain. After speaking, Xia Yuanji bowed three times and bowed nine times, and then fell to the ground.

There was silence in the temple.

After a long time, Zhu Yunwen smiled dryly: "Ladies and gentlemen, what are your opinions on what Xia Shilang just said?" ”

Everyone looked left and right, and Hubu Shangshu Yuxin walked out first and knelt on the ground: "Your Majesty, the minister agrees with Xia Shilang's opinion." ”

"The minister also agrees with Xia Shilang's opinion, and the minister is willing to send an envoy to the Japanese country to persuade him to recall the Japanese invaders, so that my southeast sea frontier can be safe!" This is the voice of Zheng Yi, the waiter of the Ministry of Rites.

"The minister seconded the proposal!"

"The minister seconded the proposal!"

......

Looking at the officials in a place, Zhu Yunwen felt that he couldn't suppress his anger, and said coldly: "Is there anything else?" ”

"The minister does not agree with Xia Shilang's opinion, this move has brought disaster to the country and the people, and it has caused a lot of disaster!" Suddenly, a voice sang the opposite.

Everyone looked at it, and it turned out to be Zhuo Jing, the household servant, who walked out slowly and said with a salute.

Zhu Yunwen was overjoyed when he saw this, and immediately said: "Everyone, calm down, listen to Zhuo Shilang's opinion." ”

Everyone got up and looked at Zhuo Jing, but their eyes were not very friendly.

Zhuo Jing shook his head and said loudly: "Your Majesty, colleagues, Lelang was originally the hometown of the Han and Tang Dynasties, and even the land of the Han and Tang Dynasties is not only Lelang, but the capital of North Korea, Han Kyoto, is among them. ”

"Since our dynasty has established the Central Plains, of course we must restore the homeland of the Han and Tang Dynasties. The lower officials just want to ask you, and the DPRK said that it is their homeland, so they want to recover it. ”

"So is Lelang our homeland? Why should we give up? Isn't our ambition as a big country as good as that of tiny North Korea? North Korea has the ambition to restore its homeland, why don't we? Why back down? ”

"Xiaguan, please ask you, Meng Yuan used to be dying in China, so he repeatedly disturbed the border, do we want to let go of the Great Wall and let it restore its homeland? Moreover, the Jurchens once occupied most of the north, and Liaodong was their homeland, should we give up Liaodong? ”

"North Korea wants Lelang, we agreed, what if he wants Shenyang again? How do I reply? ”

Zhuo Jing's words are simple and plain, but they are sonorous and powerful. The generals came out one after another to support Zhuo Jing's opinion.

Xu Huizu even said: "Your Majesty, the last general thinks that there is absolutely no way to back down, a small North Korea dares to threaten my Ming Dynasty, if there are small countries to follow suit, how should I deal with it?" ”

"Therefore, the last general thinks that this example must not be opened, and the Ming Dynasty must not only let him feel the benevolence of the Heavenly Empire, but also know the bows and arrows and long knives of my Ming soldiers!"

"Yes, this must not be opened!"

"The last general is willing to lead his troops to pacify Korea and sacrifice his majesty to deter the vassal states."

......

Seeing the excited scene of the generals, Xia Yuanji and Yu Xin glanced at each other, and then Yu Xin walked out, with a smile on his face: "Zhuo Shilang, generals, your words are indeed very inspiring, but fighting is to kill people, it costs money and food, and now that the armies of all parties are pressing the border, can you guarantee victory?" ”

......

"What's the point of going to war if you can't win?"

The generals were speechless, and they didn't know how to answer each other, no one could guarantee victory in the war, and this war was to cross the Great Wall and fight in Liaodong, Korea, and the sea, and there were even more variables.

But there are still some people who are not convinced, and Li Jinglong, the Duke of Cao Guo, who has just been recalled from the northwest, came out and said: "Your Majesty, what Lord Yu said is wrong. There is no such thing as a sure victory, and the general thinks that as long as he is seventy or eighty percent sure, he can start a war, and the rest is the bravery of the soldiers and the exertion of the battle. ”

"As for this time, although Mongolia, Korea, the Japanese Kingdom, and Timur are menacing, the last general thinks that they are all vulnerable."

"North Korea is a small country, with more than 200,000 troops, and its equipment and combat power are far inferior to our army.

"The Japanese may think that we have no way to take the Japanese invaders, so they dare to start a war with our dynasty, but the frontal battle is different from the attack of the Japanese invaders, and the strength of my Ming Navy Division is far above it, if the Japanese country really wants to go to war, it will be self-defeating."

"From the Battle of Mobei in the 28th year of Hongwu to the rebellion of Yan, the Mongols lost more than 150,000 or 60,000 troops, and now it has only been a few years, even if its numbers have recovered, but it is impossible to recover its combat strength. Therefore, our army is also sure of victory. ”

"Although Timur's strength is strong, he set out from Samarkand, traveled far into the desert, and when he arrived at my Jiayu Pass, it must be the end of a strong crossbow, and he can easily repel it. Moreover, as far as the last general knows, two months ago, Timur was still fighting in the far west, not in Samarkand, and had no time to go eastward, so his incoming army was at most a partial division, and it was even likely to be nothing. ”

"As for the Jurchens, Annan and Zhu Xuanwei Division, they are just local chickens and dogs, and they are not worth mentioning."

"So," Li Jinglong arched his hand and said: "Your Majesty, in this battle, our dynasty has a great chance of winning, and the minister agrees with Lord Zhuo's opinion, since they want to fight, we will accompany Daming." No matter how great the difficulty is, can it be greater than the expulsion of the Yuan soldiers by the first emperor? ”

Looking at Li Jinglong, who was talking eloquently, Zhu Yunwen was a little surprised, he found that this Li Jinglong had some changes, he should have done a lot of homework, and the narrative was quite reasonable. Zhu Yunwen was secretly happy in his heart, he definitely reused Li Jinglong, this person can be used to quarrel with the civil official system!

......

In the end, Zhu Yunwen raised his hand and said in a deep voice: "Everyone, since war is inevitable, then I have decided to go to war!" ”

"The Emperor Shengming!"

"The Emperor Shengming!"

......

"Okay, my generals, my goal for you is to destroy Korea, naturalize the Jurchens, defeat the Mongols, and completely eliminate the hidden dangers of Liaodong! Can it be done? ”

"Yes!"

......