Although the emperor strongly supported the development of Mekong Province, in the eyes of some people, the increase in native officials showed that the emperor did not really regard Mekong Province as the territory of the Ming Dynasty.
But these people's judgment was wrong. The emperor developed Mekong Province not only to survive the disaster, but also to keep it firmly in his hands.
Moreover, the Mekong Province alone could not satisfy the emperor's ambition and appetite. In order to encourage the people of the Ming Dynasty to explore overseas, the emperor was not stingy in appointing a few local officials, even conferring titles and honors.
However, apart from Li Dan, Yan Siqi and others from the Maritime Merchants Association, there are very few people who can clearly understand the emperor's thoughts.
Now is not the time to publicly promote and encourage them. The emperor has his own analysis and judgment. The most crucial reason is that the Ming navy is not strong enough.
Although ships, guns and troops were built every year, it was inevitable that funds would be tilted towards Liaodong.
Of course, it is already surprising that it can support the two wars in Liaodong and Southwest China and pay a certain amount of money to the navy.
After the great victory in pacifying Liao, the emperor's first major support was the navy, which he had been planning for a long time.
As for how much money could be saved, the emperor had already calculated it and would make the final decision only after Mao Wenlong came to Beijing to report on his work.
After the She'an Rebellion was quelled, the emperor planned to add at least a hundred ships and a thousand cannons to the Ming Navy within two years.
If this level was achieved, not only would he have no problem dominating the Asian seas, but the emperor was also prepared to declare war on the Spaniards in Luzon to avenge the blood debt owed.
Defeating the Spaniards was just the beginning. Driving the Dutch out of Asia was the second step. The third step was needless to say, which was to drive out all the Western barbarians and turn the South China Sea into the Ming Dynasty's inland sea.
Ambitious, or rather, overambitious, the emperor's confidence lies in his youth.
Ten, twenty, thirty years—wouldn't that be enough to achieve the goal? Perhaps by that time, even dominating the Asian seas wouldn't satisfy the emperor.
The law of the jungle is that the strong prey on the weak; those who lag behind will be beaten, and weak countries have no diplomacy.
No one knew these cold truths more keenly than the emperor. All the talk of benevolence, righteousness, and morality was bullshit between countries and in the face of interests.
The bigger the fist, the more powerful the truth is. Whoever grabs the land owns it. The principle that the emperor adheres to is as simple as this.
With the principles of external affairs firmly established, the internal policies also gradually began to take shape. Factional strife, corruption, and the imperial family's nobles... these were the cancers that threatened the health of the Ming Dynasty, and the emperor was determined to eradicate them all.
"Your Majesty, we must not be too hasty. We must proceed slowly to avoid causing unrest." After reading the emperor's plan, Sun Chengzong's face changed and he bowed to give advice.
The nature of the vassal states and the nobles was similar: they were all parasites who earned money without working and lived off the land. The amount of money drained from the national treasury by these useless people was staggering, and it had long displeased the emperor.
In the past few years, the emperor has been suppressing the royal family and nobles, but his methods are not yet decisive. He just seizes the handle and then punishes them severely.
No one knew that the emperor was planning a big move, which was to destroy the golden rice bowls and iron rice bowls of the royal family and nobles.
The succession of titles from the royal family to the vassal state is quite understandable from the literal meaning. One generation is a prince, the next is a duke, the next is a duke, and so on. If one has no merits for the country, after five or six generations, he or she will become almost a commoner.
The same principle applied to the succession of nobles, but additional conditions were imposed on the heirs. Either you had a high degree of military service, or you had served in the military. Without either, you were a worthless person, and regardless of whether you were the eldest son or the legitimate heir, you lost your right to inherit.
To put it bluntly, you were born with a silver spoon in your mouth, but that only means you are eligible to inherit. Whether you can inherit the title and salary depends on your hard work and ability.
"Of course I know not to be impatient." The emperor sipped his tea and said calmly, "We will wait until the rebellion in the southwest is quelled and the garrisons in various places are fully reorganized before we can implement it on a large scale."
Sun Chengzong breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that the emperor had revealed this to him first, demonstrating his trust in him. The emperor didn't ask for much, just that he, the imperial tutor, should make suggestions and improve these policies and regulations.
After a pause, Sun Chengzong said, "If the garrisons in various places are fully reorganized and the vassal states are no longer capable of rebellion, Your Majesty need not worry. The nobles in the two capitals also need not worry. Only Yunnan should be treated with caution."
Sun Chengzong's words were very clear, pointing directly at the Mu family, which had ruled Yunnan for generations.
If it were just the Mu family, there would be no need to be too cautious. The Mu family no longer possessed the bravery and strategic strategies of their ancestors. Their only remaining strength lay in their vast wealth and the lingering influence of their reign as the ruler of Yunnan. Their directly subordinated army was no match for the imperial army.
However, Yunnan has many chieftains and the situation is complicated. Either the Mu family is using the chieftains, or the chieftains are taking advantage of this chaos to stir up trouble. We must be on guard and be cautious.
The emperor nodded slightly. He knew about the Shapu Rebellion in the late Ming Dynasty, but he was not too worried. After all, the situation was different.
You must know that the background of the Shap Rebellion was that Beijing was captured and Chongzhen hanged himself. The central authority of the Ming Dynasty suffered a heavy blow and was greatly weakened.
It was for this reason that the rebellious chieftains dared to shout, "There is no Emperor Zhu anymore, so why is there Duke Mu?"
Now that Liaodong has been pacified, the She'an rebels are at their wit's end. The Ming army, having been tempered in actual combat, is well-armed and powerful. Which chieftain would dare to challenge the Ming court?
But Mr. Sun's worries and reminders are not redundant. The vassal states that have been spoiled and the nobles who live out their lives by enjoying food and clothing are indeed not a big threat.
Moreover, the previous emperors could have dealt with them, but those emperors were more concerned about their reputation, unlike Zhu Youxiao, who didn't care about his reputation at all.
"Your Majesty," Sun Chengzong bowed and asked cautiously, "I wonder which vassal or noble you will choose to oversee the implementation of this policy."
The emperor did not mince words and said, "Prince Xin and the grandson of Prince Tang, I think they are quite good."
It would be inconvenient for ordinary officials to deal with the vassal states. After all, the vassal states were all surnamed Zhu, and they were all descendants of Taizu.
But if the princes took the lead, it would not only save a lot of trouble, but also save the emperor from bad reputation. Of course, the emperor didn't care about this.
Sun Chengzong thought that these two candidates were acceptable, but there seemed to be not many capable and promising people among the vassal states.
"There is also Wei Zhongxian, the commander-in-chief of the Eastern Depot." The emperor pursed his lips slightly and added another candidate.
Prince Xin and the grandson of Prince Tang were both of noble status, but still young, and inevitably imprudent and rash. Old Wei was different; he made up for this shortcoming.
Use the factory guards?! Sun Chengzong did not speak immediately. In his heart, he had an inherent rejection and disgust towards the factory guards.
The emperor smiled and said slowly, "With the intelligence and intimidation of the East Factory, some people should be able to stop causing trouble."
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