Zhu Yuanzhang acted swiftly and decisively. After discussing with several important ministers, he directly announced the attack on Japan in the imperial court.
Before the other officials who were qualified to attend court could react, the order was given.
With just a glance from Li Shanchang, a "loyal and upright" minister would jump out and lavish praise upon him:
"Your Majesty is wise. Japan is a small and insignificant country, yet it harbors wolfish ambitions and refuses to submit to the rule of the king. Not only did it kill our envoys, but Japanese pirates also roam the coast, committing numerous atrocities. The people have suffered from the Japanese pirates for a long time!"
As he spoke, the young minister, heartbroken and with tears welling in his eyes, exclaimed:
"Your Majesty's decision to send troops to Japan is truly out of compassion for the suffering of the people. If there are still those who oppose it, I do not know whether they are blind to the suffering of the people or whether they are in the Ming Dynasty but their hearts are with the Japanese invaders!"
Zhu Yuanzhang stood up abruptly, shouted "Good!" and patted the armrest next to him, nodding repeatedly. "Yes, yes, that's exactly what I think!"
Others: They didn't want to admit they were heartless, nor did they want to be labeled as colluding with Japanese pirates.
What else could they do? Did anyone think that these officials, who were easily defeated by Zhu Yuanzhang in the early Ming Dynasty, would have the courage to stage a deathbed remonstrance?
Old Zhu will grant your wish directly, then skin you alive, then plunder your property, then confiscate your belongings...
Of course, governing a large country is like cooking a small fish; one cannot simply suppress it.
Seeing that no one objected, Zhu Yuanzhang softened his tone and used embellished language to subtly inform his court officials of some matters.
For example, a huge silver mine, lots of gold and silver...
Ministers: Yes, Your Majesty, let's get to work!
First, there is the righteous cause, then there is the huge temptation of profit, and now the soldiers and generals of the Ming Dynasty are full of martial virtue, and even the logistics for war preparation are extremely proficient.
In less than half a month, everything was ready.
A grand procession from the palace, led by Crown Prince Zhu Biao, arrived at the residence of Liu Xian and invited her to Mingde Gate to bestow blessings upon the army.
After Ling Xiao entered the magnificent carriage, the system, perched on her shoulder, asked in bewilderment:
"Host, why are they so obedient? Why don't they just leave you behind and go fight Japan? After all, they won't need Liu Xian anymore."
"Really?" Ling Xiao flicked the system on the forehead and said quietly.
"Because Liu Xian is a demon, Zhu Yuanzhang and his ministers can't guarantee that if they break their promise, I won't get angry and strike back, causing them to lose everything."
A wise person avoids standing under a crumbling wall; those who are afraid are simply being unreasonable.
The system, which had not been affected by the charm attack, subconsciously thought to itself: No wonder it's always a villainous role.
Seeing the ball of light remain still, Ling Xiao knew what the system was thinking, and too lazy to pay attention, he closed his eyes and remained silent.
Upon arrival, the carriage curtain was lifted by two palace maids. The weather was fine, and under the golden sunlight, the white jade-like snake tail emerged, its semi-circular scales shimmering with layers of light.
The soldiers present stared intently, both afraid and unable to resist watching.
The first impression is of pristine white, white hair, and white skin.
Liu Xian's face, however, was painted with bold strokes, her bright red eyes and dark eyebrows creating an eerie beauty in contrast.
That beauty is not human; only demons can possess it.
The scene fell silent for a moment. The imperial court attached great importance to this military expedition, and the general in charge was Lan Yu, a young and promising official who was also a relative of the emperor.
There were a total of 30,000 troops, a small portion of whom were soldiers under Fang Guozhen, who had once dominated the seas and were skilled in swimming, while the rest were also elite soldiers.
Liu Xian glanced casually at the soldiers, but they all felt as if they were being stared at by venomous snakes and ferocious beasts, their whole bodies trembling with fear.
"I wonder if the Willow Fairy's true form is poisonous..." For some reason, this thought popped into Zhu Yuanzhang's mind.
Liu Xian stands upright next to the emperor, supporting his body with his snake tail. It is known that the snake tail is more than seven feet long, and Zhu Yuanzhang is also seven feet tall. How much taller is Liu Xian than the emperor?
Others present said that the sun was too strong today, so they couldn't see clearly.
In the first round, Zhu Yuanzhang began by speaking, essentially saying that they were a righteous army and should demonstrate the might of the Ming Dynasty, blah blah blah.
"Are all the essential skills for leaders throughout history just empty talk?" The system was getting sleepy.
"It is common knowledge that the higher the official rank, the more nonsense they spout."
Some time later, Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and turned to look at Liu Xian beside him: "Imperial Preceptor, is there anything you would like to say to the soldiers?"
The White Snake Fairy, as graceful as an ancient jade statue, nodded slightly, a smile playing on her lips. Her voice, alluring yet chilling, resonated in everyone's ears:
"Your expedition is of great significance to me as well, and I would be embarrassed to remain stingy, so—"
"Then I will give you this."
Liu Xian raised her head high, and to everyone's astonishment, several grotesque objects descended from the sky, stirring up clouds of dust.
Once the dust settles, you can see that the object has a strange and huge shape, the most eye-catching feature being a giant mouth in front.
Exclamations arose, along with cries for help; it was practically chaos.
In the midst of the chaos, Zhu Yuanzhang pursed his lips, and his dignified gaze and calm demeanor gradually quieted the scene down.
One emperor had a gut feeling that Liu Xian couldn't have suddenly gone mad.
Everyone: If it were an assassination attempt, the emperor would be in the most danger. Since His Majesty is so calm, he should be fine.
Her fair and smooth hands stroked the machine, and she took several deep breaths.
This thing isn't expensive, but its technology far surpasses that of the current era, and the protection fee paid to the Heavenly Dao is enormous!
Liu Xian met the emperor's questioning gaze and said calmly:
"This item is used for refining magical artifacts in the immortal realm. After being put into silver ore, it will produce extremely pure silver in a short time."
Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly realized that Liu Xian had asked for a million gold and silver coins to extract gold essence, which must have been the kind of refining material he was using.
The others didn't know all that, but they also looked at the machine with intense eyes.
Even if a silver mine is found, it still requires manpower to smelt it, and at that time, mining was extremely dangerous, so it was basically done by prisoners.
Smelting ore is a very long process, so even though the emperor and his ministers knew that Japan had large silver mines, they did not think of getting rich overnight, but rather of controlling the mines in the long term.
In that case, the strategy towards the Japanese should be more moderate; otherwise, after so long of mining, it's impossible to be on guard against the Japanese people who harbor resentment at all times.
They might not have been mining for long before being forced to withdraw due to various unforeseen circumstances, leaving behind a mature silver mine for the Japanese.
It makes me so angry just thinking about it.
But with this divine object in hand, nothing is a problem anymore.
The soldiers' eyes lit up. Watch us show what it means to "fish in a thirsty pond" and "catch them all in one fell swoop"!
Zhu Yuanzhang was also very happy. Although a steady stream of income was good, it couldn't compare to a single, satisfying meal where the money was safely in hand.
The far-sighted ministers have already figured out how to secure more funding.
Righteous and righteous, Minister of Revenue, the imperial court needs money, why be so stingy?
Hello, I'm fine, everyone's fine. As for whether the Japanese are good or bad, that's none of our business.
The atmosphere on the field instantly became harmonious, and Ling Xiao was very satisfied as he gazed at this scene.
The system glanced at the progress bar and saw that it had already climbed more than halfway through, and quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
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