"Emperor Xie is forgiving. The minister also felt that even if a little rumor leaked out, it would not cause too much trouble to our army. Thinking that Japan is long and narrow from north to south, and the shogunate is in Edo, at the eastern tip of Honshu Island, information communication must be very difficult. Our army is gathering in Busan, and even if they receive the news, it must be very late, and then if they want to respond, they will definitely be slow up and down, and it will not be as fast as our army. ”

"That's true, but what needs to be done is still to be done." After pondering for a while, the emperor finally made up his mind, "In this case, I will let the navy have some manpower, let them pretend to be pirates, attack merchants on the sea, and drive as many people as they can, as long as there are fewer people and they see less, the shogunate will not be so nervous." ”

Zhao Song thought about it for a while, and really thought that this idea was very good.

Using the navy to pretend to be pirates can not only disperse merchants and disguise the assembly of large armies, but also mobilize more sea ships and supplies in the name of suppressing bandits, which is really killing two birds with one stone.

"The Emperor Shengming!" Overjoyed, he hurriedly thanked the emperor, "As long as there is close cooperation with the navy, the ministers will be worry-free!" ”

"You've already talked about the preparation and going out, how are you going to fight next?" The emperor continued to look at Zhao Song.

"There are two options for the ministers." Zhao Song immediately replied, "First, our army occupies Kyushu with lightning speed, and then goes north along Kyushu Island all the way to ......."

As he spoke, he slowly moved the baton in his hand again, then moved to the southernmost tip of Honshu Island, and then moved upwards little by little. "Crossing the strait to occupy Shimonoseki and landing on the island of Honshu. Then, our army went all the way along the coastal Tokuyama, Hiroshima, and Fukuyama, Kurashiki to the north, and finally took Kyoto! ”

With this shout, the thin wooden stick also stopped in the position of Kyoto.

"Straight to Kyoto?" The emperor asked with interest.

"That's right, go straight to Kyoto." Zhao Song nodded very forcefully, "As I said to the emperor before, the shogunate usurped the country and disrupted the government, and the name was not right, and the wealthy families in various parts of Japan and the Japanese court have always been very dissatisfied in their hearts, but they were afraid of the shogunate's military might, so they didn't dare to move." Therefore, as long as we occupy Kyoto, and then use the banner of the Japanese court to support the noble clans everywhere against the shogunate, we will definitely get a response. The shogunate, in a hurry, had to raise a large army to attack Kyoto in a hurry, and then engage in a decisive battle with our army, which at that time could wait for work and increase the chances of victory. As long as the decisive battle is won, the next thing can be chased to the north, and more hesitant wealthy clans can be mobilized to fight back against the shogunate, and then they will not dare to fight with our army again, so they can only seek peace! ”

Regarding Zhao Song's words, the emperor did not say whether he supported or did not support it, but only groaned slightly.

"Then since you want to take Kyoto, why don't you just take Kyushu and go north directly by ship and land in the sea off Kyoto, but instead go all the way north from Kyushu and walk so many roads?"

"Back to the emperor, this is the result that I have fully considered the actual situation and discussed it many times." Zhao Song replied respectfully, "If our army wants to take Kyoto and then wait for the shogunate army to come over for a decisive battle, then with the speed of the shogunate's action, even if it is immediately determined to retake the west, it will take a certain amount of time to assemble, and our army may have to consume a lot of military resources in the same place during these times." If these military materials and food were transported from the country, it might cause some trouble in the country, so after discussion, we felt that if we fought like this, we would simply land at the southern tip of Honshu and fight all the way up, so that our army could collect food and military supplies along the way, and we could also support the local wealthy clans to rise up against the shogunate, open up a rear for our army, and make it more convenient for our army to fight a decisive battle in the future-"

"Oh, that's ...... so" The emperor understood their intentions and nodded slightly, "What about the other plan?" ”

"The other plan is much more radical than this one......" Zhao Song elongated his voice in the back, and then the wooden stick in his hand slowly slid back to Kyushu Island.

"After our army occupies Kyushu, we will clear the opposition forces as soon as possible, and then leave a small number of soldiers to hold the northern tip of Kyushu Island to imitate the invasion of the shogunate army, and the rest of the troops will board the ship again and ......"

He paddled the stick onto the water and pushed it northeast, and after gliding through the sea for a long time, he finally landed on the island of Honshu. And this time, the place where it stopped was already the eastern tip of Honshu Island, on a peninsula to be exact.

"Our army went directly north, landed in Yokosuka, and then fought a decisive battle with the shogunate army, and the battle was decided!" Although Zhao Song's expression was calm, he couldn't hide his excitement, "Yokosuka is very close to Edo, and it is a port, after our army landed in Kyushu, the shogunate must be in a panic all day long, and troops from all over the country are ready to be enemies of our army." And the shogunate's sea power is not strong, and our army will definitely be able to land in Yokosuka, and at that time, the shogunate, which has already been beaten to the heart of our army, will have to force a decisive battle with our army! ”

"What a guts!" The emperor sighed lightly.

He could see the risks inherent in this plan - the proximity of Edo, the base of the Yokosuka shogunate, and therefore the fact that they would send a large army to counterattack as soon as they received the news of its realization could not be underestimated - it was a risky operation.

"Chen also thinks that I am taking a risk by waiting for this plan, but this risk is not taken in vain, but is based on knowing oneself and knowing one's opponent." Zhao Song replied proudly, "The ministers have carefully read the information about the Japanese army, if it was twenty or thirty years ago, although their combat strength was not as good as our army, but after all, they have been on the battlefield for a long time, and they still have the strength to fight with our army, but now, ...... The minister is sure that he can achieve this sudden blow and go straight to the throat of the shogunate! ”

After a pause, he softened his tone a little, "Besides, our army had already taken Kyushu Island at that time, and it was already considered to have a base. In Yokosuka, we have our back to the sea, so even if there is a slight setback, we can retreat safely without being dragged down by the shogunate army......"

"Haha, you're cunning!" The emperor laughed, "So you and they are inclined to fight the latter?" ”

"We are just proposing a draft plan, and what to choose between the two is the emperor's business, and we dare not go beyond it." Zhao Song hurriedly lowered his waist.

In all fairness, both plans have their own advantages and disadvantages, the former plan is safe, and it can coerce the Japanese imperial court to launch anti-shogunate daimyo in various places, force the shogunate to come to a decisive battle, and hold the time and place in hand; The latter plan was quick, and before the shogunate was fully ready, it hit Edo's doorstep with a thunderous attack, forcing the shogunate to fight a decisive battle in a hurry, and then quickly resolve the battle to reap the benefits from the shogunate as soon as possible.

However, both options have their drawbacks, the former is too conservative and may delay too much, and it is impossible to determine how the daimyo in Japan will react; The latter plan was too radical and dangerous, equivalent to taking the head directly, and the slightest carelessness would lead to huge losses - although after careful intelligence gathering, the emperor and Zhao Song now thought that the shogunate was an empty frame that looked like a behemoth, and the combat effectiveness of the army was definitely far inferior to the elite soldiers of the Han Dynasty, who had been in many battles, but it was still a bit risky to land directly at the choke point near Edo with a few thousand troops.

As Zhao Song said, the stakes are big, and the choice between these two plans can only be made by the emperor alone.

Personally, he is inclined to the latter plan, which is the most direct, the most powerful, and the most able to reflect the courage and force of him and the Han army, but he doesn't want to delay the emperor's judgment because of himself, so he just expressed his opinion and didn't say more.

At this time, the other senators also fell into silence like him, and everyone held their breath, waiting for the emperor's decision. Only he can make hundreds of thousands of troops loyally serve to the death, and only he can decide the life and death of thousands of people with one word.

However, the emperor did not feel their gaze, but only looked at the map quietly, occasionally gesturing with his hands to the distance and the city, and never spoke.

"In this way, I'll look at the days, and after a while, let's just gather people from all walks of life together, the Navy, the Department of Foreign Affairs, and you, and work together to come up with a practical strategy." After a while, the emperor waved his hand and motioned for Zhao Song to sit down again. "We still have time anyway, so we don't have to make hasty decisions."

It seems that the emperor wants to hold another large imperial meeting, so that all parties can discuss a practical plan together.

"I understand." Zhao Song hurriedly responded, but he still had some doubts, "The minister's plan this time originally required the cooperation of the navy, and it was just a matter of discussing with them, but ...... Secretary for Foreign Affairs...... The Secretary for Foreign Affairs ......"

"What's going on?" The emperor asked with a smile.

Zhao Song hesitated slightly, but he was in a good mood when he saw the emperor smiling, so he simply said it boldly.

"The Foreign Affairs Department is an agency under the Cabinet, and it has no interference with people like us in the military, so if they were allowed to attend the meeting, would it ...... Will it hinder the dispatch of our army? In addition, although the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is in charge of Japan's affairs with foreign countries, Japan has not had much diplomatic relations with Japan before, and it is not a tributary country of Japan, so they are not of much use......

"Zhao Song!" The emperor suddenly raised his head to look at Zhao Song, and he was so shocked that he immediately lowered his head.

The emperor understood Zhao Song's thoughts, and he was afraid that the cabinet people would be involved in this expedition and bring trouble to his command. However, even if he knew, he was still not very happy with Zhao Song's thoughts.

******

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