The assembled dignitaries, each with their own valid points, found themselves at an impasse, unable to convince one another. As the most influential figures in the Ming court, they were no strangers to debate, nor were they easily intimidated in a physical confrontation. Even Zeng Cheng, the leader of the civil officials, a man renowned for his cunning, was a seasoned veteran who had seen combat. While he might not have been a match for the seasoned warriors of the Five Military Commissions like Liu Heming in a one-on-one fight, he was by no means inferior to Liu Huaiwen and his ilk.
However, as the lords bickered amongst themselves, Emperor Zhu's brow furrowed. He was growing increasingly impatient with the current pace of affairs – it seemed that every other moment, some fool would emerge to stir up trouble. First, it was England, then Bengazi, followed by the Russian Federation, and most recently, the United States.
These nations were all causing their fair share of trouble, but the crucial question was: had any of them consulted the Ming Dynasty before escalating their actions?
No, they had not.
Damn it all, none of them were acting according to the script laid out by the Ming Dynasty. Instead, they were all clamoring to add their own dramatic flair.
Blast it all!
Emperor Zhu grew increasingly displeased as he pondered the situation. After careful consideration, he tapped his fingers on the table and declared in a stern voice, "The severity of our recent reprimand to the Russian Federation was still insufficient. Otherwise, why would the United States dare to make such a move at this juncture?"
Upon hearing the Emperor's words, Zeng Cheng and the other dignitaries were somewhat bewildered.
Had the United States proactively initiated trouble?
No, they hadn't.
Surely, the United States could not have anticipated the internal strife within their own borders.
By placing all the blame on the United States, was Emperor Zhu not being excessively harsh?
However, upon further reflection, all the assembled dignitaries fell silent.
Emperor Zhu venting his frustration towards the United States did have its benefits. After all, the United States was geographically distant from the Ming Dynasty. Even if Emperor Zhu wished to eliminate them, he would have to rely on the King of Qin and the King of Jin to do so.
If the situation involved closer neighbors like India or Japan, what would happen if Emperor Zhu personally led an expedition?
With this thought, Zeng Cheng bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I believe that while the actions of the United States are understandable to a degree, their transgression is unforgivable. We should order the King of Qin to raise an army and suppress this disloyalty!"
Liu Huaiwen quickly echoed his sentiment, bowing as well. "I concur. The national treasury is currently depleted, making a distant expedition unwise. Furthermore, with the King of Qin stationed in Yin, controlling the United States would be as easy as turning over one's hand."
As Zeng Cheng and Liu Huaiwen finished speaking, Liu Heming and the other leaders of the Five Military Commissions frowned.
If Zhu Er Dan were to lead troops against the United States, victory was certain. However, this would effectively turn the conflict into the Qin State versus the United States, leaving no role for the Ming Dynasty's Five Military Commissions. If the Five Military Commissions could not be involved, what would become of their official positions and noble titles?
Yet, Liu Heming and the others understood that Zeng Cheng and Liu Huaiwen's decision was the correct one. After all, the distance between the Ming Dynasty and the United States was far greater than that between the Qin State and the United States.
Just as Liu Heming was contemplating how to involve the Five Military Commissions in the action against the United States, Emperor Zhu Jin Song let out a chuckle and said, "When have I ever said we would undertake a distant expedition?"
Emperor Zhu's words left Zeng Cheng and Liu Huaiwen and the other dignitaries in a state of disarray.
Liu Huaiwen, in particular, felt a surge of unspoken grievances. If Emperor Zhu had not expressed dissatisfaction with the insufficient reprimand to the United States, he, Liu, would not have seconded Old Man Zeng's proposal. After all, sending Qin State troops to attack the United States would also incur costs!
The more Liu Huaiwen thought about it, the more indignant he became. He couldn't help but let out a snort. "If Your Majesty does not intend to send troops to attack the United States, does that mean you intend to let the Qin State's army launch an offensive?"
However, Emperor Zhu shook his head with a smile and replied, "No, I have no intention of letting the Qin State's army attack the United States."
Zeng Cheng and Liu Huaiwen and the other dignitaries became even more bewildered.
Emperor Zhu, while slowly tapping the table, calmly stated, "The trifling matters concerning the United States, while exceeding my expectations, are still within an acceptable range. To put it another way, I would prefer to see the United States remain in chaos, ideally with both Southern and Northern Eagles suffering mutual losses."
"Therefore, I do not intend to dispatch troops to attack the United States. Instead, I plan to first select a few troublesome individuals and make the barbarians of the 'little broken ball' recognize who the top dogs are. Among the United States, Russia, England, and France, we must pick one from each."
"As for the United States, we will proceed as previously discussed, continuing to instigate discord between their landlords and capitalists. When necessary, we can also sell firearms and artillery to them."
"..."
As Emperor Zhu spoke, he continuously spewed forth a torrent of insidious schemes. Liu Huaiwen's aged face broke into a wide smile.
Not attacking the United States was a good thing. Selling firearms and artillery was even better. The current vassal king system of the Ming Dynasty not only did not provide stipends to the vassal kings but also levied taxes upon them!
In other words, the more firearms and artillery Zhu Er Dan sold, the more taxes the Ming imperial court would collect from the Qin State, and the more substantial the Ming treasury would become!
Only the faces of Liu Heming and the other dignitaries were etched with disappointment.
Today was another day where the Ming Dynasty lost the most generals and nobles.
As the dignitaries of the Five Military Commissions were lost in their disappointment, Emperor Zhu's gaze fell upon Liu Heming and the others.
Emperor Zhu continued to tap the table slowly and deliberately, saying, "I have heard that the seas of the Western Kunlun are quite turbulent, with frequent pirate activity?"
Liu Heming and the other dignitaries of the Five Military Commissions immediately perked up.
The seas of the Western Kunlun were indeed rather unsafe, with frequent pirate sightings, and merchant ships from various European countries had suffered greatly.
As for Ming Dynasty merchant ships?
Ming Dynasty merchant ships had no worries about pirates.
It wasn't that pirates had never targeted Ming Dynasty merchant ships in the past, but the Ming Dynasty's methods of dealing with pirates were excessively brutal. If even a single Ming Dynasty merchant ship met with misfortune, the pirates within a ten-mile radius would not be allowed to survive. Those fortunate enough would have their heads displayed as a monument, while the unlucky ones would be hung from the ships to feed the sharks.
Furthermore, the Ming Dynasty had established several naval bases in the Western Kunlun. Since then, no pirate had dared to court disaster.
Most importantly, whether the seas of the Western Kunlun were peaceful or not was ultimately decided by Emperor Zhu himself.
Liu Heming muttered internally as he bowed, "Your Majesty, the waters near the Western Kunlun indeed have many pirates, and passing merchant ships are all deeply harmed."
Liu Huaiwen immediately grew vigilant.
What are they planning? Are they abandoning the United States to deal with the Western Kunlun instead?
Just as Liu Huaiwen was contemplating how to cite the depleted treasury, Emperor Zhu adopted a posture of benevolent concern, saying, "As the Son of Heaven, I hear that the people of the four seas suffer greatly from the scourge of pirates. My heart… is greatly pained!"
The assembled dignitaries remained silent, quietly observing Emperor Zhu's performance.
Emperor Zhu raised his hand and wiped his slightly dry eyes with the corner of his sleeve, then continued, "Your Five Military Commissions should consult with the other four great benefactors and have them dispatch a fleet each, to jointly form a maritime joint fleet for the purpose of combating pirates who prey on merchant ships."
After a slight pause, Emperor Zhu turned his gaze to Ke Zhiming. "I hear that France has been actively campaigning in the Western Kunlun recently?"
Ke Zhiming immediately bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, France is indeed campaigning in the Western Kunlun. During the recent unrest in Bengazi, France had already assembled its troops and intended to advance into Bengazi."
Zhu Jin Song grunted in acknowledgment. "It is not unreasonable for France, as the suzerain of the Kunlun countries, to advance into Bengazi. However, Napoleon is still young and inevitably lacks battlefield experience, thus he can only rely on his firepower advantage to achieve victory."
Hearing this, the dignitaries of the Ming court finally understood Emperor Zhu's intentions. First, by forming a joint fleet to combat pirates, they would showcase the Ming Dynasty's naval might. Then, by supporting France's invasion of the Western Kunlun, they would demonstrate the Ming Dynasty's land firepower.
While they understood, Liu Huaiwen's expression visibly darkened. "Your Majesty, the national treasury currently..."
As soon as Liu Huaiwen uttered the words "national treasury," Emperor Zhu felt a headache coming on.
As everyone knew, no matter how much gold and silver was in the Ming treasury, in the mouth of Old Man Liu, it was always empty, empty, and even emptier, thousands upon thousands of times emptier than that公子 who suffered from kidney deficiency.
Waving away Liu Huaiwen's lamentations of poverty, Emperor Zhu quickly said, "The nations of the 'little broken pot' cannot simply enjoy the benefits without paying any price. The military expenses for the joint fleet, well, cough."
Liu Huaiwen's expression immediately shifted from gloomy to cheerful.
The cost of the 'little broken pot's' military expenses had nothing to do with the Ming Dynasty's treasury. As Emperor Zhu had said, the various small nations of the 'little broken pot' – who dared to call the Ming Dynasty one of those small nations?
Seeing that Liu Huaiwen was no longer lamenting poverty, Emperor Zhu couldn't help but rub his forehead and say, "Uncle Huaiwen, don't celebrate too soon. There's also India…"
At Emperor Zhu's words, Liu Huaiwen couldn't help but roll his eyes and snort, "What about India? India is a former territory of the Han and Tang dynasties of our Central Plains. Now that we have reclaimed it, we should relocate our people to India."
???
All the assembled dignitaries were stunned!
Could Old Man Liu, known for his stinginess, say such a thing?
Had this old rogue picked up the wrong script, damn it!
Even Emperor Zhu looked bewildered and asked, "Uncle Huaiwen, relocating people to India is no small matter. The budget..."
Liu Huaiwen snorted, "Is a budget of one hundred million dragon coins enough? If not, another hundred million will suffice. As long as there are enough people to relocate, the national treasury will have enough budget to allocate."
Hearing this, Zeng Cheng immediately and cautiously walked over to Liu Huaiwen and reached out to touch Liu Huaiwen's forehead. Had this stingy old man drunk fake wine today, or was he suffering from a fever? He actually dared to utter the words "sufficient budget" so boldly.
However, as Liu Huaiwen huffily brushed away Zeng Cheng's hand, Song Yucheng, the head of the Ministry of Works, let out a chuckle and said, "Elder Zeng, there's no need to be surprised. I happen to know what's going on with Old Man Liu today."
Zeng Cheng looked at Song Yucheng in bewilderment and asked, "What's going on?"
Song Yucheng chuckled again, mockingly, "What else could it be? The reason he's not lamenting poverty today and is generously stating that the national treasury can allocate a budget for relocating people is simply because he knows about the existence of gems in India."
"If there weren't sufficient benefits in India, given his nature of only acting when there's a profit to be made, Your Majesty would likely have heard him lament the emptiness of the treasury the moment you mentioned India!"
Having said that, Song Yucheng couldn't help but add a complaint, "Perhaps the treasury will once again be so empty that mice and horses can run through it."
Despite Song Yucheng's criticism, Liu Huaiwen remained unfazed, even finding the mood to joke. "I say, Carpenter Song, do you still want your Ministry of Works budget for next year? Or should I reduce it further?"
Song Yucheng rolled his eyes and ignored Old Man Liu. Emperor Zhu, however, rubbed his forehead and said, "Since the national treasury is willing to allocate funds for relocating the populace, that is naturally for the best. However, relocating the populace is one thing, there are still a multitude of troublesome matters in India."
Liu Heming tentatively inquired, "Does Your Majesty mean the English and Dutch East India Companies, as well as those short, ugly fellows from Japan?"
Emperor Zhu nodded. "The English and Dutch East India Companies are relatively easy to handle. Since they no longer need to recruit laborers, they can be assigned as supervisors at the Sri Lankan copper mines. The problem that truly bothers me is those short, ugly fellows."
The number of Japanese "short, ugly fellows" in India had reached an astonishing eighty thousand.
Of these eighty thousand, seventy thousand were ronin samurai, and the remaining over ten thousand were women.
These over ten thousand women were not a significant issue, as Japan, after all, had a tradition of accommodating people at any time.
The problem lay with the seventy thousand-plus "short, ugly fellows."
Should these "short, ugly fellows" all return to Japan?
This was unrealistic.
Since Kyushu Island had already been ceded to the Ming Dynasty, and the Kyushu Island Governor's Office had been draining Japan's resources all these years, Japan's national strength had long been in decline. If seventy thousand more samurai ronin were suddenly added, Japan would not be able to easily accommodate them in the short term.
More importantly, these seventy thousand-plus samurai ronin originally contributed some income to Japan. Without this income, Japan's situation would undoubtedly worsen.
With these two factors combined, unrest in Japan was almost a foregone conclusion.
However, a Japan in chaos at this moment did not align with the Ming Dynasty's interests. To be fair, once those "short, ugly fellows" from Japan were subdued, they became excellent dogs, ready to bite whomever they were told to bite.
Coincidentally, the situation in the "little broken pot" was not stable, and a full-scale conflict could erupt at any moment.
Once a conflict broke out, Japan would serve as the Ming Dynasty's cannon fodder pool. After all, they were "short, ugly fellows," and their lives were expendable.
If they were to erupt in chaos now...
Emperor Zhu shook his head slightly and sighed, "We still need to find a way for those 'short, ugly fellows' to survive."