Chapter 370: Northern Border and Maritime Border
In the Golden Palace.
Yan Shixu sat upright on the dragon throne and asked, "I have been away from the capital for a year. Has anything major happened in the court?"
Grand Tutor Xu held his tablet in his hand and bowed to report:
"Your Majesty, I have something to report."
"In the north, Youzhou, Shuofeng Pass. Lord Wu and General Luo completely annihilated the Northern Di half a year ago and incorporated their entire territory into the Great Yan."
"In the following six months, they pursued their victory and successively wiped out several small states surrounding the Northern Di."
"However, the thunderous momentum of Great Yan has made our largest neighbor to the west, the Western Yu Kingdom, deeply fearful. They have sent troops several times to harass Prince Wu's subsequent expeditions and hinder his progress."
"Prince Wu is currently facing off against the Xiyu army at the border."
Grand Tutor Xu said solemnly, "Your Majesty, we are aware that the Western Yu is a powerful nation, almost on par with our Great Yan. If we were to go to war with them, it would probably take more than three to five years, and the outcome would be unpredictable."
The pro-war faction stepped forward and said:
"Your Majesty, since Xiyu dares to provoke us, we, Dayan, will strike back with thunderous force."
"If we can defeat Xiyu in one fell swoop, then Great Yan will become the common ruler of the world, and all four seas will submit. The other small countries will not be a concern, and unification of the world is just around the corner."
Another pro-peace official stepped forward to refute the statement:
"Your Majesty, I believe that Xiyu is powerful and has a solid foundation. Rather than expending vast sums of national treasury and resources in a protracted battle with them, where the outcome is uncertain, it would be better to demarcate a border with them and govern them separately, each in their own right, without interfering with the other."
Two people took the lead, and other officials followed suit.
The two factions each held their own views and argued endlessly, causing chaos in the Golden Palace.
Yan Shixu tapped the imperial desk lightly with his knuckles, his eyes sweeping over the two rows of court officials who were still arguing.
After he looked at her like that, the hall fell silent instantly.
Yan Shixu then spoke slowly, his voice not loud, but every word weighed heavily:
"Convey my order and hand over the power of decision to Xiyu."
He looked at the slightly puzzled eyes of the civil and military officials and continued:
"Given the current situation, there's no need for Great Yan to mobilize all its national strength and initiate a war with Western Yu. As long as Western Yu abides by its responsibilities and doesn't intrude upon our borders, Great Yan will coexist peacefully with them and refrain from harassing each other."
The next moment, his tone suddenly turned harsh, and a cold light flashed in his eyes.
"Yes! If Xiyu is ignorant of the current situation and dares to invade, my Dayan army of one million will fight to the end!"
Upon hearing this, all the officials knelt down in unison, expressing their approval: "Your Majesty is wise!"
Yan Shixu asked again: "Is there anything else?"
This time it was Prince Qian who stepped out, his expression solemn.
"Your Majesty, there is one more thing:"
"A year ago, due to the rebellion of Jinghaiwei, Prince Lin and Prince Cheng were ordered to rush to take charge of the situation."
"Prince Lin was in command of the rear, orchestrating the strategy. He used intercepted secret letters of treason to wield the imperial sword to eliminate the traitors within the army. He uprooted the salt merchants and officials who had betrayed their country for personal gain, confiscating their assets to the tune of 9.8 million taels!"
Such a huge amount, even though the civil and military officials knew about this before, they couldn't help but gasp when they heard it now.
They all knew that this huge sum of money would later become the cornerstone for the reconstruction and strengthening of Jinghaiwei's army.
King Lin provided the highest level of compensation to the fallen soldiers and civilians; he recruited laborers to work day and night to quickly rebuild the destroyed salt fields and restore the lifeline of the people along the coast.
However, the peace of Jinghai cannot be maintained by relying solely on relief and reconstruction.
Prince Youcheng personally went to the Quanzhou Shipyard, took off his dragon robe, rolled up his sleeves, and supervised the construction of new warships day and night.
Build a ship of blessing that is as solid as a rock and as stable as Mount Tai;
Build a Guang ship that is as fast as the wind and good at breaking the waves.
They even spared no expense in introducing a new type of powerful Portuguese cannon, which doubled the range of the ship's guns.
The two princes used their extraordinary wisdom to create the policy of "special salt permit".
Closely tie the interests of wealthy merchants along the coast to the safety of coastal defense.
For a time, salt merchants competed to win the franchise and donated huge sums of money, food, fodder, and ships to help pay for the construction of ships.
The three-pronged approach of cracking down on corruption, reconstruction, and business donations injected an endless supply of national strength into the Jinghai Navy.
Furthermore, in late autumn last year, the Jinghai Guards fought a decisive battle with the Japanese pirates and the East China Sea pirates.
The King of the City personally led the new fleet to fight against the main force of the Japanese pirates.
The new Portuguese cannon roared, its range and power far exceeding that of the enemy.
The enemy ships shattered, burned, and sank like rotten wood! Buckshot and musket fire intertwined into a web of death, and the Japanese pirates who tried to board the ship fell like harvested stalks.
The king of the city locked onto the enemy chief Shimazu Yoshihiro's ship and fired thousands of cannons, blasting it into ashes.
In this battle, the main forces of the Japanese pirates and the East China Sea thieves were completely wiped out, and the haze that had shrouded the sea finally dissipated.
Today, one year later, spring has returned to Jinghaiwei and everything is new.
The once scorched earth has been transformed into a prosperous port, and the dead land has regained its bustling vitality.
Merchant ships gather at the new wharf, the salt fields regain their snow-white splendor, and mighty war sails cruise across the blue sea.
King Lin and King Cheng co-existed, using iron fists to suppress traitors, spending huge sums of money to strengthen the army, clever strategies to accumulate wealth, and bloody battles to eliminate bandits, ultimately bringing peace and rebirth to Jinghaiwei.
——
Yan Shixu had already received the news of Jinghaiwei when he was at Zhennan Pass.
Now I heard it in more detail, and my heart was filled with excitement.
He felt sincerely proud and gratified that Dayan had such capable and brave ministers and generals, and for the outstanding achievements of his two brothers.
He nodded slightly and said, "Prince Lin and Prince Cheng have made great contributions to the country. When they return victorious, I will reward them handsomely!"
"Your Majesty is wise and enlightened. Long live the Emperor..."
After all, he hadn't been back to Beijing for a year, so today's morning court session lasted a little longer.
Yan Shixu had not slept all night, and before yesterday he had been traveling back to Beijing from Zhennan Pass, so he had been traveling for more than a month.
So at this moment, Yan Shixu admitted that he was a little tired.
Listening to the noisy sounds below, he felt a little drowsy.
At this moment, Yongtai came in from outside and whispered:
"Your Majesty, someone from Bixi Palace just reported that... the Imperial Noble Consort has woken up and is instructing the palace servants to prepare a carriage. She says she wants to go to Huguo Temple... to fulfill her vow for Your Majesty's safe return."
Upon hearing this, Yan Shixu stood up abruptly and walked out hurriedly, leaving only the words "dismiss the court".
Civil and military officials looked at his hurried back and looked at each other in confusion.
Your Majesty, is this an urgent matter?
…
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