Kangxi called these people over in a hurry, probably because he had tasted the benefits of opening up maritime trade.

The pirates who robbed the merchant caravans traveling to and from Tianjin Port might not cause any harm in the short term, but over time, the foreign nobles would see that the probability of their own merchant caravans being lost at sea was too high, and they would reduce the number of times they came to the Qing Dynasty to trade.

So the essence of this matter is to dig up Kangxi's flesh.

This is much worse than Yinzhen's behavior.

Yinreng thought to himself.

"The identity of this group of bandits is unknown. According to the survivors' description, they are not from the Qing Dynasty. Judging from their geographical location, they are most likely from Japan and Korea."

After Kangxi pointed out his guess, he asked Tong Guowei, Soetu and others for their opinions on the matter.

Tong Guowei meant to first send the Fujian Navy to patrol outside the Tianjin Port for a period of time to deter scoundrels.

After all, the pirates at sea are not large in scale, so there is no need to make a big fuss.

After Tong Guowei finished expressing his opinion, Suo Etu shook his head.

"Both Japan and Korea are small, barbaric nations, accustomed to being despicable. Your Majesty's strategy can only be used temporarily. Moreover, sailing on the sea is extremely risky. The Qing navy is no match for bandits and cannot afford to suffer losses."

After learning the truth that Yinreng was infertile, Soetu had a hard time. The wrinkles on his face piled up layer upon layer, making him look extremely haggard.

"But fighting at sea would also cause considerable losses to the navy. The pirates are agile and can escape if they can't be defeated. The warships are huge and pose little threat to the pirates."

"Sir, you are wrong. Bandits always need a place to stay..."

Seeing this, Yinreng shook his head in his heart.

"The navy is indeed much more valuable than the army. After all, selecting these landlubbers who don't get seasick takes a lot of effort, and the annual cost of maintaining the warships is not a small amount. But this is not a reason to be timid and not dare to take action."

"The Japanese pirates have already shit on the Qing Dynasty's head, why are you still thinking so much? Damn them!"

"Pirates are incredibly wealthy. If we plunder them, the losses suffered by the navy will be nothing!"

The Qing Dynasty had two naval camps, one in Jilin and one in Fujian.

There has been no war in the coastal areas of the Qing Dynasty in recent years, and it is unknown how strong the war is.

Kangxi asked several trusted ministers in turn, and the majority supported Tong Guowei. Even Prince Yu supported Tong Guowei.

Yinreng curled his lips.

"They are all short-sighted old men who are simply going backwards as they grow older."

Kangxi shifted his gaze to Yinreng.

"Prince, how do you think this matter should be resolved?"

"My son thinks that this gang of bandits behaves just like the Japanese pirates. If they are really them..."

Yinreng narrowed his eyes.

"First, find out where they are staying, and then send troops to encircle and suppress them. Also...it would be best if we could find direct evidence that they are Japanese."

Yinzhi was stunned when he heard this.

"Why are you looking for evidence? Wouldn't it be better to just kill them all?"

"Of course it's because... I have a legitimate reason!"

There was a dangerous glint in Yinreng's eyes.

When the words "a legitimate reason for the teacher's action" came out, everyone present was a little surprised.

The prince clearly wants to use military force against Japan, but... Japan has been extremely cautious in recent years and has no intention of landing on the coastal border.

If it was just for a few foreign caravans, then the reason for starting the war would be too "ridiculous".

If the caravans plundered by the Japanese pirates belonged to the Qing Dynasty, it would be understandable to start a war. However, the two caravans recorded in the memorial were from Western countries, and Japan was a vassal state of the Qing Dynasty. Such an act of turning their backs on their friends seemed even more unreasonable.

Everyone was thinking secretly, when Yinreng spoke again.

"However, if a war breaks out with Japan, the strength of the Qing Navy will need to be improved."

"Don't act like we fought against the Dzungars in our last life, where a hundred thousand strong army overwhelmed twenty or thirty thousand grassland cavalry and still couldn't defeat them. What a shame!"

Kangxi: “…”

Tong Guowei frowned.

"Why is the Crown Prince proposing war with Japan? Japan is a vassal state of the Qing Dynasty. If we go to war against a vassal state simply because of a few foreign merchant caravans, how will the surrounding vassal states view the Qing Dynasty?"

Except for Tong Guowei, everyone else looked at Yinreng with surprise.

The prince has never liked to interfere in military and political affairs. Why is he so angry towards Japan today?

"Father Emperor, there's an old Han Chinese saying that cutting off someone's financial resources is like killing their parents. The Japanese pirates are frantically plundering merchant ships at sea, which is affecting the reputation of the Qing Dynasty.

"Over time, countries far to the west will all know that there are pirates along the Qing coastline, and the frequency of doing business with the Qing will decrease..."

On the surface, Yinreng pretended to be thinking about Kangxi, but in fact he was screaming madly in his heart.

"Of course it's because I want to keep the family tree separate! Damn it, if anyone in the 21st century said they killed a few Japanese devils, not only me, but billions of people across the country would worship him as a god!"

"No, I'm the crown prince, so my family tree should be kept separate..."

As Kangxi listened to Yinreng's excited roar, he unconsciously raised his hand and touched his ears.

——'Leave my name in history, yes, I want to leave my name in history!'

After Yinreng explained his point of view, he looked at Kangxi with expectant eyes.

Tong Guowei and others wanted to dissuade him again, but Kangxi raised his hand to stop them.

"Your Highness is right. Japan also has merchant caravans that trade with the Qing. If the pirates are from Japan, their actions are 'knowingly and willfully'. It is reasonable for the Qing to send troops to suppress them!"

Tong Guowei stepped forward upon hearing this.

"Your Majesty, the Qing Dynasty has been engaged in continuous wars in recent years, which has already caused considerable losses in terms of population. Moreover, it is not easy to train naval forces. It would be unwise to rashly declare war on Japan. Please reconsider!"

Seeing this, Fuquan also echoed,

"Duke Tong is absolutely right. The combined naval forces of Jilin and Fujian only number 40,000. Crossing the sea to attack Japan presents too many uncertainties. I believe that intimidation is sufficient; there is no need to start a war."

Yinreng clenched his fists, his face gloomy enough to drip water.

"Naval warfare is the mainstream of future development. While the great powers are fighting for territory all over the world, you are still walking your birds and listening to music in the capital! You deserve to be destroyed!"

When Kangxi heard this, his face turned ugly. What does "you deserve to be destroyed" mean?

This bastard's words are getting more and more unpleasant!

"I spend hundreds of thousands of taels of silver every year to maintain the navy, and when it comes time to use them, you all block and prevent them. Why, do you think the navy is so worthless?"

Tong Guowei and Fuquan looked at each other and bowed together.

"I dare not!"

Kangxi glanced at the two of them coldly, then made the decision.

"Issue an order to immediately mobilize ten warships from Fujian to Tianjin Port. They will take turns patrolling outside the harbor. Send a small group of naval forces to search for the bandits' bases. Once discovered, they will be destroyed with lightning speed!"