The amount of war bonds does not matter, the purpose is to introduce a new model in which the entire nation participates in the country's foreign expansion and plunder.
That’s right, it sounds nice to call it expanding territory and dominating the world, but the essence is invasion and plundering.
How could the Ming Dynasty, with its millions of people, be limited to the so-called "vast territory of ten thousand miles and abundant resources"? Could it not see that the land was no longer enough to satisfy the principle of "land to the tiller" and that there were thousands of landless peasants?
Of course, simply increasing the land was not enough to satisfy the emperor. Since war bonds were being issued, the looted wealth had better be visible and appealing.
The war that will be launched this year is mainly to attack Burma, and secondly to annex Champa and make preparations to recover Qiantao.
The invasion of Burma had been planned several years ago to restore the Ming Empire's prestige over the southwestern states and to recover the Xuanwei Mission that originally belonged to the Ming Dynasty.
The plan to annex Champa was determined this year based on the new situation. The troops mobilized include 5,000 soldiers from Mekong Province and the Navy's First South China Sea Fleet.
A few years ago, when the Ming invaded and developed Mekong Province, Champa could still serve as a buffer. Now, Champa is weakened and about to be annexed by the Southern Nguyen. The Ming Dynasty must take the initiative and curb the Southern Nguyen's southward expansion.
In Annam, the Northern Zheng and Southern Nguyen had the overall strength advantage, and the Southern Nguyen could barely compete with it. If they wanted to strengthen their strength, they had to move south.
This was also the case in history. The Southern Nguyen annexed Champa and occupied the Mekong Delta, which gave it the strength to overwhelm the Northern Zheng.
But how could the emperor let the Nguyen Dynasty get what they wanted? He had long been eyeing Champa. The royal wealth and high-yield rice-growing areas were all nutrients for the growth of the Ming Dynasty.
The news of the battle with the Dutch in the South China Sea in which their fleet was completely annihilated has spread, and both the Zheng Dynasty in the north and the Nguyen Dynasty in the south should know about it.
After several years of development, Mekong Province has been able to mobilize tens of thousands of troops. Coupled with the deterrence of the navy, the Southern Nguyen Dynasty, under the pressure of the Northern Zheng Dynasty, would never dare to provoke the giant Ming Dynasty again.
Therefore, in the emperor's view, annexing Champa was a very easy military operation, and it was even likely that there would be no decent resistance.
Although Champa was small and weak, the emperor believed that after so many years of accumulation, the royal family must have considerable wealth. Such an easy and rewarding war, launched at the perfect time, was a great opportunity.
The war bonds were meant to create a sensation and build reputation. Besides Champa, the objectives of the war against Burma also changed.
In Tengchong, the newly built weapons bureau is working hard to produce weapons and ammunition needed for the war.
Yunnan Governor Wang Sanshan walked and looked around, asking questions from time to time. Officials from the Ordnance Bureau accompanied him and gave answers.
"Is this an improved rocket?" Wang Sanshan stopped in front of the rocket launch pad and looked at it with interest.
Rockets were becoming commonplace in the Ming army due to their portability and long range. The improved launchers were no longer single-row, but multi-row, resembling later multiple rocket launchers.
The director of the Ordnance Bureau was a senior engineer from the Beijing Ordnance and Gunpowder Bureau. His surname was Zhao Wei and he was also a student of Sun Yuanhua. This time he was in charge and became the chief officer.
"Your Majesty," Zhao Wei explained, pointing with his finger. "This is no different from previous rocket launches, except the number of launches has greatly increased. Look, these are three rows of twelve tubes, and over there are two rows of eight tubes."
After a pause, he pointed to the rocket next to him and said, "Actually, the biggest improvement is the rocket itself. With the addition of tail fins, its stability and accuracy have been greatly improved."
Wang Sanshan nodded repeatedly and praised, "I see. I've learned a lot."
The arsenal mainly produced ammunition and repaired firearms. Together with rockets and bronze mortars, it was basically enough to meet the needs of the war against Burma.
This is mainly due to Myanmar's terrain, which makes heavy artillery difficult to transport and has limited effectiveness.
With rockets and heavy mortars, their range far exceeded that of the Burmese, and they could easily defeat them with long-range bombing; their medium and short-range firepower mainly came from falconets and flintlock rifles.
Not to mention the Burmese, all the armies in the world today are much weaker than the Ming army in terms of firepower. As long as the soldiers are not weaklings and fight normally, there is no reason for the Ming army to fail.
After Wang Sanshan finished his inspection and walked out of the heavily guarded arsenal, he remembered something and asked the official next to him, "Mobilize the horses from Sichuan and Yunnan, and speed up the process."
"Don't worry, sir." The official bowed and said, "The quantity can only exceed the quota, there will be no shortage."
Sichuan and Yunnan horses are short and not good at charging, but they have strong endurance and can carry heavy loads, making them the most suitable horses for traveling on complex roads or mountain trails.
The strength of firepower depends on the supply of ammunition. War is fought on logistics, and this principle has been increasingly valued and accepted by the Ming army.
As for food and other supplies, the principle of the war against Burma was to obtain them locally, that is, to fight to support the war. This greatly reduced the logistical pressure on the Ming army.
It was the season of clear and crisp autumn weather, and the crops in Burma were about to be harvested, which was just the right amount to prepare for the Ming army.
As soon as Wang Sanshan returned to his base, he received a secret order from the emperor.
Some things can be discussed openly, such as the documents from the Ministry of War; but some things should not be made public, such as the secret reporting system.
Wang Sanshan took out the code book, translated the secret decree and read it. He stroked his beard and thought for a while, then ordered everyone to come and discuss the matter.
The emperor's original intention in attacking Burma was to nibble away at the enemy. He had previously only attacked as far as the city of Ava and forced the Burmese king to sign an unequal treaty in order to gain the greatest benefit at the lowest cost.
But now, the emperor's resolve had changed. In a secret decree, he asked Wang Sanshan if he could capture Ava City in one fell swoop. As for the Burmese king, the emperor didn't care.
As the royal city, the royal family of Ava should have been very wealthy, almost as much as that of the Champa royal family.
Previously, the emperor had worried that occupying too much land would cause indigestion and drain the Ming army. However, his thinking had changed, and he now believed that he could minimize any resistance from the Burmese in the occupied areas.
The solution is not complicated, it is to relocate people, or simply call it human trafficking.
The Maritime Merchants Association has already quoted a price: 20 yuan for male prisoners of war, 15 yuan for female prisoners of war, 10 yuan for both old and young prisoners of war; for those who are of a less advanced age, the minimum is 5 yuan.
This is just the surface price. The cost of transporting prisoners of war will also be borne by the Maritime Merchants Association.
The proposal of the Maritime Merchants Association gave the emperor an epiphany, and new ideas and new methods came into being.
Selling the Burmese in the occupied areas to the Maritime Merchants Association not only makes money, but also minimizes possible resistance in the occupied areas.
The development of Mekong Province also requires population, but as an official agency, it cannot use such blatant means. At least it cannot be done openly, but secretly sending population to Mekong Province is still possible.
The Burmese people migrated to Mekong Province or Borneo, and the indigenous peoples of Mekong Province, such as the Vietnamese, could migrate to Borneo...
Very good, very good. These people will be easy to manage in a foreign land. After a few years of education, they should be able to speak Chinese. After another decade or so, the newly born will almost forget their original ethnicity.
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