When the Tokugawa shogunate began to frequently send spies to the southern island of Zhendong Province, the Ming side also increased its vigilance against Japan because of the emperor's warning, and also began to send personnel to Japan to spy on intelligence. At this time, although Japan was closed to the rest of the country, Zhendong Province was attached to Japan, and it was still easy for the Ming Dynasty to get in touch with some Japanese daimyo (lords) privately.

Those Japanese local daimyo were eager to get in touch with the Ming officials, and trading with the Ming meant that they could get a huge profit return, which could greatly enhance their strength. Naturally, some restless Japanese daimyo were happy to spy on intelligence for the Ming Dynasty.

After some spying, the Jinyiwei intelligence agency stationed in Zhendong Province really discovered that the Japanese Tokugawa shogunate was building ships on a large scale. Obviously, the Ming Dynasty vigorously developed the navy, which somewhat stimulated the Tokugawa shogunate.

In the past, the Ming Dynasty officially banned maritime trade, although it turned a blind eye to the back, but Japan's closure of the country actually did the same. Because Japan needs to get rid of China's influence on it, they are not willing to be China's vassal state, so the Ming Dynasty closed itself to the country, and they also closed themselves to the country, hoping to get rid of the political influence of the Ming Dynasty on Japan.

Now the Ming Dynasty is developing the navy on a large scale, and at the same time, a lot of merchant ships have been built, and they have begun to run maritime trade everywhere. Such actions naturally stimulated the Tokugawa shogunate, which controlled Japan, especially after the Tokugawa shogunate learned that the Ming Dynasty was wantonly opening up colonies overseas, and soon found that colonizing overseas was a good way to solve the food shortage.

And there is a ready-made peach in front of you, that is, Zhendong Province opened up by the Ming Dynasty, which is very close to Japan. The occupation of Ezo by the Ming Dynasty also gave the Tokugawa shogunate a deep sense of crisis. Daming is too close to Japan. This means that political influence on Japan will continue to rise.

The restless Tokugawa shogunate. The eastern province of Damei was immediately included in the seizure target, and the Tokugawa shogunate immediately began to build ships in Edo.

After learning about the actions of the Tokugawa shogunate, Nishiki immediately came to the conclusion that Japan had ill intentions towards the Ming Dynasty, and reported the results of this investigation to the imperial court, and at the same time secretly contacted the Japanese sample clan 'Sendai Domain', the so-called sample domain was those daimyo who surrendered to the Tokugawa shogunate, and these sample domains were relatively strong, so the Tokugawa shogunate took a compromise attitude towards them. And these feudal feuds were divided into remote areas.

However, during the period of seclusion, it was easier for these feudal domains to unite with external powers.

The Sendai Domain was a force in northeastern Japan that was able to rank among the top three in the sample domain, and when the Ming official secretly contacted the Sendai Domain, the Sendai Domain was very excited and hoped to get the support of the Great Ming.

Although the Tokugawa shogunate sent people to oversee these feudal domains, the daimyo of the Sendai domain knew very well that once they could get the support of the Ming government, they would be able to compete with the Tokugawa shogunate. The daimyo of the Sendai Domain once saw several Ming warships that came to the port of the Sendai Domain to replenish, and they were shocked at that time.

At the same time, the Ming Dynasty traded with the Tokugawa shogunate in recent years, and its military equipment was also well-known in Japan.

As long as the Ming Dynasty officially supported the Sendai Domain. It was possible to obtain a batch of weapons and equipment, especially musket artillery. Then the Sendai Domain definitely has the strength to compete with the Tokugawa shogunate.

After Jin Yiwei revealed some attitudes that might support the Sendai Domain, the Sendai Domain was the most active in contacting the Ming Dynasty. Of course, all this is still in a state of conspiracy, and the two sides have not openly exchanged and traded.

Half a month later, the information reported by Jin Yiwei was submitted by Tian Ergeng and reached Zhu Youxiao.

"Sendai Domain?" After carefully checking the information of the Sendai Domain, Zhu Youxiao suddenly realized that there was no need to directly attack Japan.

A direct attack on Japan was likely to provoke a revolt from all of Japan, and it was obviously a better option to support some local daimyo to counterbalance the Tokugawa shogunate.

Cultivate a few Japanese traitor forces first, and even if they want to interfere in Japan at that time, there will be a leading party.

Zhu Youxiao has no interest in Japan's territory, and the inclusion of Japan in the Ming Dynasty means that the Ming Dynasty is responsible for these little Japan, so he won't do such a thing!

The best way to do this is to tear Japan apart and become a country with a constant civil war. Isn't Japan running out of resources? Isn't it enough to fight a dozen dead people?

The Tokugawa Shogunate was also an important stage in Japan's complete unification, and in this era when the Tokugawa Shogunate had just established its rule over Japan, the language, concepts, and customs of various parts of Japan were different, and it was not at all like the future Japan, there was only one nation.

At this stage, if Japan is intervened, Japan is divided into several countries, and these countries are kept in a balance of power, then the Japanese threat can be greatly weakened.

Since this Sendai domain has this meaning, it can be supported and supported, so that it can be used as a-stirring stick in Japan, as long as the Tokugawa shogunate is pulled down from the throne, Japan will soon be in chaos, and then the daimyo may rebel in various places, especially those excluded sample domains are located in remote coastal areas, so it is more convenient to contact the Ming Dynasty.

However, there is one area of concern, and that is trade with Japan. Although Japan restricted the outflow of precious metals at this time, Japan's copper ore was a raw material that was relatively lacking in the Ming Dynasty at this time.

In recent years, Japan has expanded the scale of copper mining, and the Ming Dynasty is also relatively dependent on Japan's copper mines. Fortunately, Zhu Youxiao has also invested a lot of resources in copper exploration and mining, and after a few years of copper mining in Nanyang and Australia, he can basically get rid of the influence of Japanese copper mines.

Out of consideration for imported copper, Zhu Youxiao plans not to take any measures against Japan for the time being in the past two years. At the same time, the state-owned mining company was ordered to continue to increase the exploration and mining of copper mines, and to focus on exploration and mining in Australia.

As soon as this order was given, Australia's gold troops were busy again, and a lot of additional men were sent over to begin to explore everywhere in Australia.

Nowadays, the amount of copper used in Daming is rising, copper coins, wires, and military industries all use copper, and the consumption of copper in the civilian market is also relatively large. Bronze ware is also very popular in the foreign trade market, and some places even melt down copper coins to cast copper for export.

As a copper-deficient country, it is indeed very tight on access to copper.

It seems that the richest copper resources seem to be Chile in South America, and now Chile is under Spanish colonization, but in terms of the productivity of the Spaniards, they are more interested in mining silver and gold mines in South America, and there is basically no development of those copper mines. On the contrary, Japan was once the world's largest exporter of copper ore.

Immediately, Zhu Youxiao formulated a strategy toward Japan and was not prepared to intervene in Japan for the time being.

……

In the Western Regions, after nearly half a month of marching and sweeping, the Ming officers and soldiers finally invaded the core area of the Yarkand Khanate.

The Yarkand Khanate is basically vulnerable in front of the Ming army, there is little rain in the northwest region, and the Ming army does not go deep into the mountains to fight, the cavalry of the Yarkand Khanate can not beat the Ming cavalry, and there is nothing to do about the Ming infantry, these Ming infantry can be very well deployed before the cavalry of the Yarkand Khanate attack, and then use firearms to bombard these cavalry, plus a bayonet in each hand, the cavalry is a loss of soldiers.

The Yarkand Khanate, which had been defeated and retreated, also tried to negotiate peace, but the terms could not be negotiated.

The Ming demanded that the Yarkand Khanate disarm and bring all of them under the rule of the Ming Dynasty, that is, surrender unconditionally. But naturally, the rulers of the Yarkand Khanate would not agree, and Abdullah would rather fight all his men than accept the unconditional surrender of the valuful and unprotected interests.

So the war continued, and the Ming army immediately divided into two routes, one along the Hotan River to Hotan, and the other along the Yarkand River to launch an attack on Shache.

The Ming army, which was divided into two routes, was still overwhelmed, and under the attack all the way, the Yarkand Khanate successively lost the Hotan, Shache, and Kashgar regions.

Seeing that the Ming army could not be resisted, Abdullah simply crossed the Kunlun Mountains and ran to the territory of Tajikistan, which was also occupied by the Yarkand Khanate.

The Ming army drove the main force of the Yarkand Khanate to the west of the Kunlun Mountains in Kathorn, and Lu Xiangsheng also ordered to stop the pursuit and began to take control of the vast Western Regions. At the same time, a Ming army was sent to attack the Qinghai region.

At this time, the Qinghai grassland was still endless, not an endless desert like later generations. The Qinghai region was also occupied by the Mongols, the Ming army swept through the Western Regions, exterminated Dzungaria and Yarkand, and the Mongolian Heyi tribe in Qinghai learned that the Ming army attacked Qinghai, and they were simply frightened.

Under such circumstances, the Ming army threw a new order of the grassland to the Heyi Department, and the Heyi Department surrendered very simply. For a small tribe like Heyibu, the ambition is not too big, and they also want to live in peace. Therefore, for the new grassland order proposed by the Ming Dynasty, he is willing to accept it.

Of course, to accept this new order, you need to disarm.

With the credibility guarantee of the surrender of the Ming army to the Ming army, the Heyi Department obediently surrendered to the Ming army, and then waited for the Ming Dynasty to send personnel to Qinghai to divide the grassland and establish a ruling order.

With the disarming of the Heyi Department, the north and south of Qilian Mountain were brought under the actual control of the Ming Dynasty. Tibet has always paid tribute to the Ming Dynasty, and although the Ming Dynasty did not actually control Tibet at this time, it was not far from actually controlling Tibet.

The entire Western Regions was the territory of the Ming Dynasty at this time, and Tibet was close to the border, and the Ming Dynasty wanted to send people to take over the administration of Tibet, and the rulers of the Tibetan regions dared to say no?

Anyway, a blunt knife cuts the meat, take your time.

At present, the energy of the northwest region of the Ming Dynasty is mainly focused on controlling the Western Regions, and there is no time to deal with the problems of the Tibet region for the time being.

Just over three months after the start of the war, Lu Xiangsheng commanded the Ming army to basically sweep away the entire Western Regions. Then came the time to reap the dividends of the war, and at the same time, the emigration of the rear had already begun. (To be continued.) )