"You may not know that the Japanese even want to invade the Ming Dynasty. The previous Oda Nobunaga hoped to organize a large fleet to conquer the Ming Dynasty after unifying Japan and distribute the provinces to his sons." Zhao Hao held his pipe and said slowly:

"Toyotomi Hideyoshi even planned to move their emperor to Beijing after conquering the Ming Dynasty, and he would establish his own government in Ningbo and be buried in Jiangnan after his death. This is because the Japanese have a deep-rooted mentality that the three islands of Japan with frequent earthquakes are not their eternal home, and the mainland is the best destination. It is also a geopolitical necessity."

Zhao Hao waved his hand and the secretary quickly took out a miniature map of Northeast Asia and pointed at North Korea, which looked like the flesh on a chicken's chin.

"Japan and Korea are too close, separated by the Tsushima Strait. No matter who pacifies Japan, the Korean Peninsula is basically the only choice for expanding their sphere of influence. Nine hundred years ago, their emperor once led an army of more than 40,000 people and more than a thousand warships to fight a fierce battle with the Tang army at the Baekje Baekgang Estuary. In the end, the Tang Dynasty general Liu Rengui defeated the enemy with a smaller force and wiped them out completely!"

"It was precisely because of the painful lesson of the Battle of Baekgang that Japan worshipped the powerful Tang Empire as a god. Not only did they not hate China, but they admired it very much. Throughout the Tang and Song dynasties, they served China devoutly and never acted recklessly again. However, the two failed expeditions of the Mongols had removed the seal of their thinking, so it was not surprising that the idea of ​​conquering Korea and even China was revived."

"The islanders are like this, jumping back and forth between extreme arrogance and extreme inferiority, with no middle ground." Zhao Hao said with a sneer, "So the only way to gain their submission is to knock them to the ground and step on them so that they can never stand up again!"

"That's really despicable..." Qi Jiguang couldn't help but laugh.

"Of course not." Zhao Hao nodded.

After a burst of laughter, Qi Jiguang asked again: "It's okay to have dreams, but daydreaming is outrageous, right? The small country of Japan actually wants to swallow up China? Even if it is the weak Li Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty will not sit idly by and watch them be swallowed up by the Japanese slaves."

"We have to take a gamble. What if the Ming Dynasty doesn't send troops? Wouldn't they become prosperous?" Zhao Hao said with a smile. "And even if the Ming Dynasty sends troops, what if they win? Not only can they swallow up Korea, but they can also use the Korean Peninsula as a springboard to invade our Northeast, North China, and Jiangnan. In the future, they can also use China as a springboard to conquer India!"

"Isn't this too hasty?" Qi Jiguang said in disbelief: "War is a major issue for a country. It is a matter of life and death, a matter of survival and destruction. How can we gamble?"

"Like Shao Bao, I hate gambling. But the Japanese are different. They have a gambling nature deep in their bones. Whenever possible, they will gamble on the fate of the country." Zhao Hao said firmly: "If they stop gambling one day, it must be because they have been defeated and know that they have no chance of winning. From what I have learned, Toyotomi Hideyoshi is now extremely arrogant, and he has reasons to gamble."

"Why do you have to gamble?"

"Yes. Because in Japan, where family background is extremely important, he has an inherent disadvantage - his origin is too humble. At first, he was just a soldier who carried straw sandals for Oda Nobunaga. Although he used various political and military means to temporarily subdue the major forces, his newly-formed group of retainers did not have much territory at all, and such a situation would obviously not be stable; after his death in the future, his successor would not have the same super ability as him... This is almost certain... Those super daimyo who he controlled by various means will definitely be ready to move again."

"Then he should reduce the power of the princes, right?" Qi Jiguang asked doubtfully.

"How easy is it to reduce the power of feudal lords under the feudal system? One move can affect the whole body. Moreover, he was too eager for quick success and instant benefits in order to unify the country quickly. In order to make others submit, he made too many promises and even sent his mother and sisters to other families as hostages. How can he keep his promises in such a short time? Moreover, the strength of those daimyo is extremely strong. If they form an alliance to resist him, wouldn't it be like returning to the Warring States Period? Wouldn't the "unparalleled achievement" of ending the Warring States Period and unifying Japan become a joke? This is something that Monkey cannot bear."

"So he chose to expand his territory and consolidate his regime by making the pie bigger. Therefore, he will definitely eat the fat meat of Korea, which is so close at hand. And he will definitely send his own troops to fight to expand the direct territory of the Toyotomi family!" Zhao Hao said in a deep voice:

"All signs indicate that Toyotomi Hideyoshi will attack Korea in a short time. In order to help him make up his mind faster, I will order the temporary abandonment of Iwami Silver Mine and Sado Island, without leaving a single battleship!"

"Okay." After listening to Zhao Hao's long speech, Qi Jiguang finally nodded in conviction and asked, "What do you need me to do?"

"Go to Liaodong and replace Li Chengliang!" Zhao Hao said in a deep voice: "When the Japanese army invades Korea, you will be the commander-in-chief of the anti-Japanese aid Korea!"

"Is that so..." Qi Jiguang stroked his beard. He didn't expect that the young cabinet minister would still want him to go to Liaodong after all the twists and turns. "It seems that Liaodong is really important to the young cabinet minister."

"It's extremely important! It concerns the safety of China. We can't let those warlords mess around!" Zhao Hao nodded and said earnestly, "The Shao Bao will take office in the middle of the year. There are still two years left. We have to eliminate those warlords, maintain the combat effectiveness of the Liaodong Army, and prepare to cross the Yalu River. It's a long way to go!"

"I've got it in mind." Qi Jiguang nodded, but he felt it was a bit absurd in his heart that the biggest warlord of the Ming Dynasty wanted to kill the second biggest warlord, yet he said it so righteously.

What's even more ridiculous is that I actually believed that he was acting out of public interest, rather than taking the opportunity to remove obstacles to his seizure of the world...

It's really crazy. Either I'm crazy or the world is crazy.

"What a pity! I thought I could appreciate the charm of the coast guard fleet." Qi Jiguang said with some regret at last.

"There will be a chance. Once we have annihilated the main force of the Japanese invaders in Korea, it will be time to counterattack the Japanese capital." Zhao Hao assured with a smile: "Then the Coast Guard fleet will carry Shao Bao's army and land in Osaka Bay!"

~~

Coming out of the Qi family's old house and on the way to Dengzhouwei Wharf, Zhao Hao received news from the Northeast Company.

"Li Chengliang wants to meet me?" Zhao Hao glanced at the telegram and couldn't help laughing: "Dogs have a pretty good nose."

"The title of King of Liaodong is not just bragging." Zhu Jue chuckled.

"Should I meet him or not?" Chang Kaiche asked.

"Let's meet him. After all, Old Li has made contributions to the country." Zhao Hao thought for a moment and said, "Besides, he has a half-good son."

Li Chengliang had nine sons. The most outstanding one was naturally his eldest son, Li Rusong. This disciple taught by Xu Wei was the most powerful commander of the Ming Dynasty after Qi Jiguang. He defeated the Japanese invaders in the Korean battlefield. He was brave and resourceful, far better than his father. He was the person Nurhaci admired the most, and he even expressed his willingness to be his vanguard many times.

If he had not died unexpectedly in battle while serving as the general of Liaodong in the 26th year of Wanli, how could the Jiannu have been able to dominate Liaodong? !

Moreover, Li Rusong was the general of Shanxi in the 11th year of Wanli. He had served as Xuan Da in recent years and had a very high prestige among the border troops!

Next is the fifth brother, Li Rumei, who is skilled in martial arts and archery, and serves as the vanguard of the eldest brother in every battle. But he is only a general, not a commander of thousands of troops.

The other seven sons of Li Chengliang were much inferior to him, but most of them served as deputy generals of the nine frontiers or lieutenant generals, and held military power.

In addition to his nine sons, Li Chengliang also had countless relatives by marriage and old subordinates who shared the military power. They surrounded the capital for thousands of miles and were entrenched in an unshakable position.

If the imperial court were to fall out in the future, the Li family army would definitely be the Jiangnan Group’s biggest enemy.

In fact, these old armies, which were far inferior to the Qi Family Army, would be useless no matter how many they came. But their soldiers were all Chinese men, and there were still so many places in the world waiting for them to open up. It was better to shed less blood on their own land.

Why not unite all the forces that can be united, and work together to expand our territory and achieve great things?

However, it is definitely not an easy task to persuade the greedy and selfish old warlord. Zhao Hao has long been prepared for a protracted war with Lao Li, using both persuasion and force.

It is not even ruled out that I would do it to him at the right time, so that he can understand the difference and wake up.

However, three days later, at the Old Dragon Head in Shanhaiguan, Li Chengliang knelt before Zhao Hao could make a move...

He actually expressed his willingness to submit to the Jiangnan Group, and only asked the young minister to allow him to retire and return home, and give his descendants a chance to serve the group.

“Of course, if the young minister feels that they are unfit to be driven, I will order them all to return to the countryside and become the common people with me!” Li Chengliang lay on the Great Wall built by Qi Jiguang, with his butt raised high, making Zhao Hao want to kick him twice.

Damn, you kneel too quickly. Look at Hai Rui and Qi Jiguang, they refused to surrender even after I said all the good things to them...

The sea breeze blew across the yellowed flag on the top of the city wall. The word "Ming" on it had been eroded by the salty and humid air at the seaside and became mottled.

Just like this Bian Shuai who kneeled at Zhao Hao's feet, not afraid of being embarrassed at all...

Zhao Hao stared at Li Chengliang closely, wanting to see how sincere he was and whether he was just putting on an act to get away with it.

But even if he was acting, the way he put it was enough to make Zhao Hao pinch his balls tightly and make his fake become real.

"I also know that this move is a bit sudden. It is normal for the young elder to have doubts." Noticing the doubt in Zhao Hao's eyes, Li Chengliang smiled bitterly and said:

"I was born in the fifth year of the Jiajing reign, and with the blessing of my ancestors, I could inherit the position of the commander of Tieling Guard. But I was young and ignorant at first, and looked down on military commanders. I thought that taking the imperial examination to become a civil official was the right path. Who would have thought that until I was forty, I was still a poor scholar, and my wife and children at home were starving. I had no choice but to borrow some money and go to Beijing to inherit the official position."

Zhao Hao thought, well, this is really a failure in studying, so I can only go home and inherit the position of a director-level official...

"I thought that at my age, I would just join the army to make a living. But I didn't expect that I would get out of control after that. In just a few years, I became the high and mighty General of Liaodong. What do you think I gained from the hard life of the past 20 years?" Li Chengliang said with a wry smile:

"After that, I realized one thing: Don't be stubborn. Why don't you turn back until you hit the wall? If you see that there is a wall ahead, why don't you turn back earlier?"