Chapter 645: Lan Yu also has to be dirty for once After Xia Yuanji said this, he saw Lan Yu stunned on the spot. Perhaps this is the difference between a military general and a politician. Xia Yuanji never concealed these things because he always felt that it was necessary for Chen Han to do so. The Ming Navy was strong because of its powerful weapons, but it did not necessarily mean that the soldiers of the Ming Navy were much stronger physically than those pirates. So there is no need to fight them with real swords and guns. Sometimes Xia Yuanji would feel that Chen Han’s character was a little cold, but this was inevitable. Because Chen Han has always been thinking about what the Ming Dynasty should be like, and what kind of situation he wants to bring the Ming Dynasty to, rather than what will happen to the whole world. Because the current situation is that Chen Han is not qualified to put the people of the world on the same level as the Ming Dynasty. Because this cannot be done, and because of this, he now formulates this plan. The goal is to let the remaining pirates continue to harass those small countries in the coastal areas, and then let those small countries understand that the Ming Dynasty is now capable of protecting them.

As long as they kneel down and ask the Ming Dynasty for help, the Ming Dynasty will be able to protect them. This is the price that those small countries must pay. Xia Yuanji never thought that Chen Han was wrong to do so, and he even agreed with it. Because according to the current national strength of the Ming Dynasty, there is no complete guarantee that the Ming Navy can directly eliminate the pirates in the entire ocean. After listening to Xia Yuanji's words, Lan Yu's three views were obviously impacted. In his eyes, the Ming navy is so powerful now that it can easily sweep away all the pirates in the South China Sea. As long as he can show his might, will those small countries dare not bow down? But now Xia Yuanji told him that after destroying Chen Zuyi's pirate gang, the next task of the Ming Navy was to stay in a certain place, stationed, and then wait for those small countries to come and ask the Ming Dynasty's navy for assistance. Apart from these tasks, there are no real substantial tasks. In other words, how can they bear to stay in this place and wait? So at this moment, Lan Yu actually felt quite uncomfortable. His original intention was to lead the Ming navy to sweep across the entire South Seas region. We must let all the countries in the Nanyang region know how powerful the Ming Dynasty’s navy is, and we must let all the countries in the Nanyang region know how strong the Ming Dynasty’s national strength is now. It is not just about letting these small countries know that the navy of the Ming Dynasty is not just about ships and guns, but also about more organizational discipline and so on. But now Xia Yuanji obviously did not intend to let their Ming Navy show off these things. Instead, he wanted them to stay where they were. However, staying where they were was not the purpose of Lan Yu and others. Pan Wenxing, the chief clerk of the governor's office, came in from outside the tent and said, "General, the Duke and the governor have already planned it. They are keeping the enemy at bay." "Snap!" Lan Yu sank his five fingers into the sea map, scratching the mackerel skin area where Changyu Island was located, leaving cracks: "Hundreds of people have died along the coast in the past two months, and you want me to keep the descendants of thieves?" Pan Wenxing held down the "Regulations on the Inspection of Various Tribes" of the 10th year of Hongwu, which was blown by the sea breeze, and pushed the amount of sulfur tribute that the Ryukyu Kingdom lacked this year to the table: "General, do you remember why Chagan Temur didn't just take the remnants of the Red Turbans in Yidu in the 23rd year of Zhizheng in the Yuan Dynasty?" "The sour scholars love to show off their knowledge!" Lan Yu's golden belt hit the corner of the table, sparks flying, "These South Sea barbarians are short of five ships of pepper tribute this year!" Pan Wenxing, with a string of Sumatran coral beads on his wrist, said: "If we provide enough pepper, can the Ministry of Works approve us to build 20 more Fengzhou boats? "General, even though we have the Duke in the court to support us, he is under a lot of pressure." He took a photo of the official report on the abolition of the Penghu Navy in the 18th year of Hongwu under the whale oil lamp. Lan Yu's joints made crackling sounds. "What does Chagan Temur keeping them have to do with what's going on now?" "Why did the Northern Expedition stop at the southern edge of the desert in the third year of Hongwu?" Xia Yuanji dipped his fingertips into tea and drew the outline of the Great Wall on the table. "If they had attacked Helin directly at that time, would there still be 500,000 garrison troops in the nine important border towns today?" Outside the tent, there was the roar of a new bowl-mouthed gun being tested. Pan Wenxing took the opportunity to unfold a secret letter from the Kingdom of Johor: "Last month, pirates massacred the port of Pengerang. The Sultan of Johor sent five ships of food and fodder this morning to request a garrison."

Among the nine fingerprints at the end of the letter, three belonged to Prince Manobachter, who was deposed by them half a year ago. Lan Yu grabbed the pirates' heads and smashed them against the tent pillars: "Do you want me to follow Wang Baobao's example and deliberately keep the remnants of the defeated army?" "General, please look at this." Xia Yuanji opened the "Regulations on the Construction of Treasure Ships" in the eighth year of Hongwu. On one page was inserted a worm-eaten piece of approval document from the Longjiang Shipyard: "Why did Taizu keep Fang Guozhen's old subordinates in Zhoushan?" The naval deputy admiral on the opposite side, Wang Bi, the Marquis of Dingyuan, suddenly said in a muffled voice: "I remember that in the seventh year of Hongwu, Zhoushan Guard reported that it had sunk twelve pirate ships, but the Ministry of Revenue withheld three thousand taels of silver for repairing the ships..." The corner of Lan Yu's eye twitched. Pan Wenxing presented a yellowed document at the right time: "This is the escort fee paid by Siamese merchant ships last month, enough to replace 300 new muskets. If the sea area is completely peaceful, will the ship owners still be willing to pay this much?" "You are lying!" Lan Yu's roar shook the flag on the table, "Believe it or not, I will also..." Thinking of the emotions he had just suppressed, Lan Yu regained control. "General, do you know why the tribute of Goryeo horses was suddenly stopped in the 12th year of Hongwu?" Xia Yuanji suddenly pressed half of a silver seal with a tiger button on the table. "Because the Liaodong garrison reported that the border threat had been eliminated, but three years later the Jurchens robbed the Fushun horse market!" As dusk seeped in through the cracks in the tent, Pan Wenxing took off the short knife inlaid with Javan rhino horn from his waist and said: "The remaining forces of Fang Guozhen were not eliminated until the fifth year of Hongwu. The court maintained the Zhoushan navy for a full ten years." Lan Yu grabbed the leather wine bag and drank half of it. Suddenly, he stared at the Strait of Malacca on the sea chart: "The 800 muskets that the red-haired devils transported to Jiugang last month..." "So we deliberately let the two spies run away yesterday." Xia Yuanji stroked the Portuguese cannon model that had just been delivered, "They must keep those eyes so that they can see our new artillery position." The sea breeze suddenly blew, making the canvas outside the tent crackle. Lan Yu suddenly crushed the pirate token under his feet and said, "Draw a path for me!" "Let the pirates rob foreign merchant ships twice a month, and we will rescue them once with great fanfare." Pan Wenxing used the red-haired foreigner's feather pen to draw three routes on the sea chart, "The merchants will cry and beg the court to send more warships to escort them." "Those foreign royal families..." Before Lan Yu finished speaking, the clerk had already brought in the blood-written letter from the King of Malacca: "They are hoping that the pirates will weaken those disobedient vassal states!" When the last ray of setting sun was swallowed by the sea level, eighteen ships loaded with silk quietly left the port. The sun and moon flag on the top of the mast was particularly high, and the newly painted gun muzzles on the side of the ship shone coldly in the moonlight. Behind the reef, two wet red-haired spies knelt on the deck, trembling as they took notes of the new submachine guns that were "accidentally" displayed. "The Sulu caravan was robbed by the Hui people before the twelfth lunar month." Xia Yuanji rolled up the sea chart amid the sound of the tide, "It's time to replace it with a group of Ceylonese gem merchants who can speak Chinese." …… Navy White Tiger Hall. Lan Yu's sword stabbed into the nanmu pillar of the White Tiger Hall, and the red tassel on the hilt was still trembling. The clashing sounds of the fifteen naval commanders' armors came to an abrupt end, and everyone's eyes were fixed on the blood-stained account book nailed to the blade. Lan Yu's fingers traced the sand-marked and red-stamped notes on the account book. "This year, the Ministry of Works approved only six new warships, which were made from old materials from the disbanded Canal Transport Bureau." Xu Biao, the commander of Quanzhou Guard, suddenly kicked over the table and said, "Marshal, are you going to use the lives of our brothers to exchange for a broken boat?" "What we exchanged for is the survival of the navy!" He opened the tribute books of the Nanyang countries and said, "After the Guangdong and Guangxi naval forces were disbanded in the eighth year of Hongwu, how many of the 200,000 naval officers are left now?" He slapped the Ministry of Revenue's approval document for withholding military pay on Xu Biao's chest and said, "Last year, the pirates hijacked thirty ships of spices, and the King of Siam cried and begged us to send more warships!" Zhao Hong, the captain of Penghu Guard, suddenly ripped open his breastplate, revealing a centipede-shaped scar that spread from his collarbone to his waist. "In the 12th year of Hongwu, I fought in Zhoushan with 300 soldiers and burned Fang Guozhen's former subordinates!" He grabbed the half-broken arrow and pointed it at Lan Yu, "Now you want us to be cowards?"

Lan Yu crushed the pirates' sulfur bombs with one foot, and the smoke choked everyone back: "The muskets we captured last month are already able to blast through our shields from ten years ago!" He threw the smuggling secret report to the crowd, "Keep it to the pirates to rob their goods, so that the red-haired foreigners will not dare to sell arms openly!" "The Japanese pirates are on the coast of Fujian..." Before the young lieutenant general finished speaking, Pan Wenxing had already unfolded the coastal defense map: "The two spies who were deliberately let go last month just sent the fake defense map to Hirado Domain this morning!" Zhou Wei, deputy commander of the navy, suddenly cut off the tassel of the commander's flag and said, "I followed General Liao Yongzhong to fight in Poyang Lake when I was seventeen. I have never seen such a frustrating battle! Marshal, why don't you send us all to build the canal!" Lan Yu suddenly opened the curtain, and the ten ships being dismantled in the harbor made a wail of breaking wood: "The Ministry of Works said that these old ships will be used to transport grain!" The rusty keel looked like a dying beast in the sunset. "If there are no pirates, your ship will be demolished next year!" "But those who died last month..." Before Xu Biao finished speaking, Lan Yu had already thrown out the list of fallen soldiers: "Each name will be exchanged for ten taels of silver for cremation and burial!" He tore open the secret letter from the Ministry of War and said, "If you report to wipe out all the pirates again this year, the navy will be laid off by 30%!" Pan Wenxing suddenly spread out the records of pirates from 24 countries selling stolen goods all over the floor: "The uncle of the Johor Sultan is secretly buying up the stolen goods!" He stepped on the secret letter of the Malacca royal family, "These royal families are eager for the pirates to weaken their political enemies!" Zhao Hong's broken arrow suddenly pierced into the table: "So we have to be their knives?" "It's time to be the fisherman!" Lan Yu grabbed the black shark flag representing pirates and stuck it on the sand table. "On the third and ninth day of every month, the undercurrent on the west side of Changyu Island is the most favorable for breaking out. Kill seven and keep three. This is the account the court wants!" "Let the Sulu caravan be robbed twice next month." Lan Yu threw the blood-stained banner into the brazier. "It's time to get a group of sensible Ceylonese merchants to negotiate the escort fee." …… After the generals dispersed, Wang Bi stepped forward and said to Xia Yuanji, who was very depressed at the time, "General, I didn't expect that we fought so smoothly, but now we still have to do such a cowardly thing. "Don't blame us brothers for being so excited just now. They have all fought with pirates, Japanese pirates, and the remnants of Fang Guozhen, Zhang Shicheng and their troops on the battlefield. They have all walked through blood and fire, and they look down on anyone who is proud. It is indeed a bit difficult for them to be cowards now." After listening to Wang Bi's words, Xia Yuanji felt very uncomfortable. Could it be that he didn't understand this truth? After listening to what Xia Yuanji said to him, he felt extremely aggrieved. Why should the navy do such cowardly things? Why should the navy be involved in so many political whirlpools? The navy should be like a sharp spear, piercing through all the shields that dare to resist. But now he has to negotiate with those pirates, those smugglers, and those small foreign countries, and also collect so-called protection fees. This is actually difficult for his proud self-esteem to accept, but as Xia Yuanji said. If the Ming Navy could win now, it would be victorious all the way, and battle reports would arrive at the court one after another. The Emperor, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, and the Duke will all be very happy, but what will be the result? The result is that the navy will be subject to speculation in the future, and its organization will be reduced. This is inevitable. Since there are no pirates on the sea, there is no need for a navy. However, if this is the case, the lifespan of the navy will be extremely short, and the navy's combat effectiveness will decline sharply in the future. Now the Duke's reforms have achieved results, but there are still many opponents. They will not oppose the reforms openly because they dare not. But won't they do other things behind the scenes? If these people wrote letters one by one based on the navy's victory reports, saying that since the navy had won a great victory, there would be no need for the navy to have too much presence on the sea, because the navy does consume a lot of military expenditures. However, only Chen Han, Xia Yuanji and Lan Yu understood clearly that the Ming Dynasty needed a navy and continuous investment was required, and every ounce of silver invested here would not be wasted. Therefore, the Ming Navy’s actions in Southeast Asia at this moment are actually to support Chen Han’s actions in the court. As the emperor and the future emperor's crown prince, Zhu Biao cannot simply stand on Chen Han's side. Even if he supports him, both the emperor and the crown prince must understand that they are the national army and they are the emperor, and they must balance the interests of the whole world. So at this time, the navy is the most powerful trump card in Chen Han's hand. Chen Han needs the navy to continuously expand the results of the war, but he also needs other small countries to submit to the navy and to the Ming Dynasty. Wang Bi looked at the sea surface protruding from the gap in the tent and said slowly, "We are like the sun on the sea. We must rise again after setting, otherwise we will sink into the sea like corpses and never have the chance to float to the surface. “Although this seems very cowardly, it is reasonable for the Governor and the Duke to design it this way.

"We all know what these small foreign countries are planning. We must not let them succeed. We must not let this land that we have worked so hard to build be handed over to those people. Therefore, we must support the enemy and protect ourselves. I support this." …… (End of this chapter)