Xiao Ruxun's Imperial Court Assembly promoted an idea, and that was the idea of continuous progress and change. Some people sniffed out opportunities from this. They discovered that the new Emperor had a tendency to reform and liked new things. They found a way to advance.
And some people smelled a threat. They sensed that Xiao Ruxun seemed to be planning to do something that would shake their foundations.
The Cabinet supported Xiao Ruxun as always. Some people privately compared Wang Xijue and Li Tingji to the three paper-thin Ministers of the previous dynasty, but no one dared to say it openly because the person sitting on the throne would really kill.
With the passage of time, Xiao Ruxun had clearly realized that the stability of the capital was giving him more and more room to operate. He could now begin to carry out some of the operations he had planned long ago.
The gestures were almost done, and the distinctions were almost done. Some people became more and more impatient and asked Xiao Ruxun to order a draft. This was no longer an ordinary petition, but a political signal. In Xiao Ruxun's view, these impatient leaders were people with bad intentions.
Although they were ready to act, they had to be fully prepared. Zhou Yao had already submitted six plans to Xiao Ruxun. Xiao Ruxun had just confirmed that the sixth plan was feasible and had already approved it. Now, all they had to do was wait for the preparations to be completed. They could not alert the enemy now.
Originally, Xiao Ruxun had planned to put a smoke bomb to make them relax and pretend to have a draft, but it just so happened that Yang Caiyun was pregnant.
It was on that night of boundless spring that she was pregnant. Yang Caiyun was twenty-six years old this year, and her body was at its best. Xiao Ruxun was overjoyed and ordered the imperial physicians to do their best to protect Yang Caiyun's pregnancy.
When the news of the Empress's pregnancy came out, the people who had submitted petitions for the draft also stopped. At this time, the Empress was pregnant, and no one was embarrassed to ask the Emperor to participate in the draft. Moreover, they believed that with the Empress's pregnancy, the Emperor's mind would be more or less distracted, and his mood would be better. The pressure on them would be less.
Many people gave up and gave up. The few people left could not do anything alone, and the petitions were directly suppressed by the Cabinet.
But all of this was just the beginning.
At this moment, Wu Weizhong returned.
Wu Weizhong, the commander-in-chief of the town of Ishikami, who was stationed in Nihon, had returned.
He even brought back a million taels of silver.
In the 21st year of Wanli, Xiao Ruxun finished the Battle of Korea and split the Nihon Nation into two. The East and West faced each other. The forces of Toyotomi Hidetsugu and Ishida Mitsunari in the East faced the forces of Tokugawa Ieyasu in the West.
In order to protect the interests of the Daming in Nihon, under Xiao Ruxun's suggestion, the Daming Dynasty stationed envoys in both Tokugawa Ieyasu and Toyotomi Hidetsugu to supervise the reparations. As a deterrent, they also occupied Ishikami Ginzan and established Ishikami Town.
The best candidate to guard Ishikami Town was, of course, Qi Jiguang's successor, Wu Weizhong. Wu Weizhong's illustrious reputation in Nihon was also a very good condition. Sending him to guard Ishikami Ginzan would ensure that the forces of Toyotomi and Tokugawa would not have the guts to attack Ishikami Ginzan.
Of course, before Xiao Ruxun left, he had a secret discussion with Wu Weizhong. He told Wu Weizhong to think of a way to provoke conflict between Toyotomi and Tokugawa. He wanted them to have small-scale and controllable military conflicts, but not to the extent of a full-scale war. He wanted them to consume their strength bit by bit.
Of course, they could not let them fight a full-scale war. Once a full-scale war broke out, they would immediately send troops to stop it and let them negotiate for peace. If Toyotomi's side was weak, they would help Toyotomi's side. If Tokugawa's side was weak, they would help Tokugawa's side. This was to maintain a balance.
Of course, Toyotomi and Tokugawa were not fools. Apart from their deep hatred for each other, they also knew that the Daming Dynasty's forces were an unstable factor. They were also worried that they would start a war with the Daming Dynasty again. Therefore, they restrained themselves and worked hard to develop their own strength. In order to develop themselves, both parties went out to sea in search of new opportunities.
When Xiao Ruxun was in Myanmar, the Nanyang merchant ships would often bring news about the Wei Nation's merchant ships. It was said that most of them were buying military supplies, such as firearms, swords, and spears. They were also trying to attract investors. They were really working hard to develop themselves.
Therefore, Xiao Ruxun secretly instructed the navy to disguise themselves as pirate ships. When they encountered Wei Nation's merchant ships, they would attack them. They used different methods to sink and rob them. In short, Xiao Ruxun did not allow them to develop wretchedly.
Tokugawa's side and Toyotomi's side suffered heavy losses during this period. However, they continued to work hard. No matter how many ships were sunk, they were not discouraged. Later on, they even developed to the point where they had armed forces to protect their ships.
However, it was useless. Their ships were small and light. They could not carry cannons at all. Even the big guns did not have much firepower. They could not even compare to the pirates' firepower. This situation only improved after they spent a lot of money to purchase French guns to equip their ships.
However, the Daming Dynasty still spared no effort to suppress them.
It was not until this time that Xiao Ruxun overthrew Daming and established Daqin that the forces of Tokugawa Ieyasu and Toyotomi Hidetsugu began to move. Wu Weizhong also received the news. He even received the recruitment order from Shen Yicheng. However, at that time, Wu Weizhong had already received Xiao Ruxun's letter.
He chose Xiao Ruxun.
However, he did not expect that Xiao Ruxun would become the emperor. When Xiao Ruxun became the emperor and called him back, he was still a little cautious.
"Ru Cheng, long time no see."
Xiao Ruxun treated Wu Weizhong very well, which made Wu Weizhong relax a little. However, he still reported to Xiao Ruxun in the manner of a courtier. He told Xiao Ruxun about what he had done in Nihon and asked Xiao Ruxun what he should do next.
"You mean that after knowing about our internal strife, the two sides in Nihon started to fight uncontrollably?"
Xiao Ruxun frowned.
"Yes, Toyotomi's side and Tokugawa's side fought once in September last year, and again in November. The scale of both battles was more than 10,000 people. I sent people to mediate, but they refused and continued to fight. They even sent people to monitor Ishikami Town's movements.
At most, we only had 8,000 troops. In recent years, there have been some reductions, and some troops have been transferred away. Now, we have less than 5,000 troops. When the Former Ming Dynasty was stable, they did not dare to move, but when the internal strife started, they began to move. This year, they fought once in March. "
Wu Weizhong told the information to Xiao Ruxun.
"It seems that they have developed well for a period of time, so they have confidence again. Seeing that we are powerless to intervene, they have become bolder again. In fact, splitting Nihon into two was just an expedient measure. At that time, I wanted to simply swallow them up, but the situation in the Great Ming Dynasty didn't allow me to do so.
Now, it is not the right time. There is indeed nothing good on that island. It is just that its location is good, the resources are good, and the population is large. It would be a good thing if I could use so many people.
How about this, Ru Cheng, when you go back, I will give you 10,000 troops. You can take them back and continue to intimidate them. If necessary, send troops to fight and tell them that Daming is gone and Daqin is still there. Treat them as before and be obedient. "
Wu Weizhong immediately said that he understood and would do as Xiao Ruxun said.
Then, Xiao Ruxun announced the reward for Wu Weizhong.
"You have guarded Nihon for the country for six years. You have worked hard and earned millions of taels of silver for the country. If the Former Ming Dynasty does not reward you, I will. Come, announce the edict."
Xiao Ruxun looked at Wu Weizhong with a smile and ordered Li Sheng, the chief eunuch, to announce the edict.
Wu Weizhong was very surprised to hear that Xiao Ruxun had made him the Marquis of Yiwu, the Dragon-Tiger General, and rewarded him with money, land, and a house. For no reason, he felt a warm feeling in his heart. He suddenly felt that his six years of hard work had been recognized.
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