Chapter 855
Eastern Expedition, Japan
Upon hearing Chen Jie's words, everyone present was taken aback, and then began to discuss the next strategic situation in a lively chatter.
First, Chen Xiaohu stood up and said, "I advocate attacking the Rakshasa Kingdom. The Rakshasa Kingdom has a large territory and many red-haired people. If we capture them, we can build the strongest defense in the north, which will also make it easier for us to graze our horses to the north."
As Chen Xiaohu finished speaking, and everyone in the room was pondering, Hu Weiyong spoke up: "Commander Hu, let me interject. I don't understand military affairs, but I do know a little about geography. Most of us are heading north, and the further north we go, the lower the temperature gets, and the slower it gets warm."
"Most of the land in the Rakshasa Kingdom is permafrost. In this freezing weather, our situation is probably not optimistic. Most of our soldiers are from the south, and their combat effectiveness will be greatly reduced in this cold weather."
"I feel that even if we're going to fight, we should do it when the weather is warmer, otherwise..."
Hu Weiyong paused for a moment, then pointed to Siberia and said, "This area is impossible to cross, let alone attack the Russian stronghold."
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone realized that it was true. Heading north, the weather was too cold. Not to mention other places, even in their capital city, they were already having a hard time. The winter wind felt like knives on their faces.
If we continue northward towards the Rakshasa Kingdom at this point, it will be a huge test for the entire army. Therefore, if we want to conquer the Rakshasa Kingdom, it is best to do so between May and October, and take it down in five months at most. Otherwise, the cold weather will be the first hurdle the army will face.
Hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement. Although they didn't want to admit it, Hu Weiyong was right. Sometimes, when it comes to fighting, it's not always the army that matters; the weather is also a major factor.
After listening to the generals, Chen Xiaohu remained silent for a moment before saying, "Yes, what the Prime Minister says is right. It is not advisable to attack the Rakshasa Kingdom now. The best option would be to send troops in May and pacify the Rakshasa Kingdom in November."
Chen Jie nodded slightly and said, "Well, let's put the northward campaign on hold for now. That leaves us with two options: the eastward campaign and the westward campaign. Which path do you suggest we take?"
After asking this question, Chen Jie looked at Xu Da and Zhang Dingbian. Xu Da and Zhang Dingbian were both silent at this time. Xu Da's eyes were somewhat evasive, and he did not dare to meet Chen Jie's gaze. At this moment, Chen Jie deliberately looked at Xu Da and said, "Does the Duke of Zhao have any ideas? You are a military strategist."
Upon hearing this, Xu Da looked at Chen Jie and said, "Your Majesty, I... I have no thoughts."
Chen Jie said, "That can't be. It's just that the Duke is unwilling to open up to me."
Upon hearing this, Xu Da quickly stood up and said, "Your subject dares not."
At this moment, Zhang Dingbian suddenly stood up and said, "Attack from the east, against Fusang and Goguryeo!"
Upon hearing this, Chen Jie looked at Zhang Dingbian, who was clearly trying to help Xu Da out of a predicament.
Xu Da glanced at Zhang Dingbian, then sighed and clasped his hands in a fist salute, saying, "I also think we should attack Fusang and Goguryeo."
Chen Jie asked, "Why?"
Xu Da said, "The western expedition is to attack the Golden Horde, but the Golden Horde is located in the desert and does not produce grain. If we launch a western expedition, we will need a large amount of grain, which will be a burden on the country. I think it is better to wait until after the autumn harvest or after the summer harvest, when we have enough grain to carry out the expedition."
At this point, Xu Da said, "Although Fusang Island is small, it has plenty of food, and the people of the island are educated in our Tang Dynasty culture. If we were to annex and assimilate them, it would be very easy."
"More importantly, Fusang Island is currently controlled by Lan Yu and Mu Ying. Both of them are people of our Han Dynasty, citizens of the Great Han, yet they do not respect the rule of the emperor and refuse to defend the island. We should take them down immediately to demonstrate the power of our Great Han!"
Xu Da stopped talking after that.
Chen Jie knew that if he let Xu Da continue, it would be like rubbing salt into someone's wounds. After all, Mu Ying should be considered Xu Da's direct disciple, and Lan Yu could also be considered half of Xu Da's direct disciple.
These two are now refusing to leave the island and establishing their own independent state. For Xu Da, dealing with them is also a test, a psychological test.
Chen Jie thought for a moment, then looked at Zhang Dingbian and said, "Dingbian, why don't you analyze the strategic deployment for attacking Fusang Island?"
Zhang Dingbian then stood up and said, "Fusang Island is very close to us. Since ancient times, we have only truly attacked it once, when Emperor Qianlong twice gathered a large army to try to take Fusang."
"But unfortunately, they all encountered extremely strong typhoons, which led to the complete annihilation of the fleet."
"Therefore, the biggest problem in attacking Japan is the weather, but now there is a very favorable point for us, which is that it is currently winter. According to our meteorological department's meteorological research over the past hundred years, there have only been three instances of giant typhoons occurring in winter in the last hundred years."
"There are only three such opportunities in a hundred years, which is a very small probability. The success rate is 97%. This is the weather guarantee for our winter expedition."
"Emperor Qian Shizu's two eastern expeditions were both ruined by the weather, so we must learn from his mistakes. I believe that the advantage of the weather is our greatest advantage in this eastern expedition."
As Zhang Dingbian spoke, Chen Jie looked toward the Academy of Sciences. Tao Guangyi then stood up and said, "This data was provided by our Academy of Sciences. Moreover, according to the Academy's meteorological department's research on coastal humidity, air pressure, and other factors, there is absolutely no possibility of a large typhoon in the next month or two."
Chen Jie nodded slightly upon hearing this and said, "That's right, God has given us a window of opportunity."
Zhang Dingbian said, "Besides the window of opportunity given by God, His Majesty has actually created a good platform himself."
Upon hearing this, Chen Jie looked at Zhang Dingbian and asked, "Platform, what do you mean?"
Zhang Dingbian said, "Actually, the conquest of Fusang has always lacked a springboard, but a casual move made by our lord back then has now become the key to victory."
Zhang Dingbian then pointed to a small island on the world map behind him.
Jeju Island!
This game was indeed a casual game back then. When Chen Jie went to the Northeast to fight with others for the Dragon Vein Island Kingdom, he got along well with the immortals in the Northeast and eventually allowed Du Xiong and his group to set up a base and develop near Pi Island.
Later, Du Xiong led his team to grow stronger and stronger, eventually even taking direct control of Jeju Island, an isolated island overseas.
And they left a base there.
This base has now become a place where the army can rest temporarily, and also a springboard for attacking Japan.
Heading straight to Japan from here is much easier than crossing the sea head-on, so this is a brilliant move.
After listening to Zhang Dingbian's words, Chen Jie looked at the map and said, "Fusang and Goguryeo have always been sacred and inviolable parts of our Chinese territory. Therefore, these two lands must be taken back. I wonder which of you generals is willing to volunteer for the battle?"
Upon hearing this, everyone in the arena loudly echoed, with Chen Xiaohu, Ding Pulang, and Shi Gengming all standing up to compete. Seeing this, Fu Youde and Feng Sheng also stood up to volunteer.
Only Zhang Dingbian and Xu Da remained unmoved.
Chen Jie nodded at the two men, which made him look like a great general. However, there was no need to move these two. Little Lan Yu and Mu Ying didn't need to use their two trump cards. Besides, Xu Da probably couldn't bear to lead his troops to attack his former apprentice.
Thinking this, Chen Jie's eyes then swept over the remaining people vying for the right to send troops.
Chen Xiaohu is capable; his ability to lead troops and his tactics are first-rate, so he can handle the job. However, as a relative of a general, he has no shortage of opportunities for advancement. At the founding of the country, he offended me because of the matter of establishing an empress, and I stripped him of one rank of merit.
However, Chen Jie found an opportunity to make it up to him over the past five years, so this was already a favor. Giving him more would be going too far.
Chen Jie thought about it and looked at the others. Ding Pulang and Shi Gengming did not receive such favors, but their abilities were limited. Their opponents in this eastern expedition were Lan Yu and Mu Ying, whose military talents were also top-notch.
These two people would probably be ill-equipped for the task.
Chen Jie weighed the pros and cons, glanced at Wang Baobao, who seemed not to care much about the matter and wondered what he was thinking.
Chen Jie then saw Fu Youde and Feng Sheng. Their abilities were beyond question; both of them had been granted the title of Duke in history. Dealing with Lan Yu and Mu Ying should not be a problem for them.
However, there is one small problem: both of them were surrendered generals.
They all have intricate connections with Lan Yu and Mu Ying, especially Fu Youde, who is practically Lan Yu's apprentice.
Is it feasible to entrust the army to him for the eastern expedition?
Chen Jie tapped his fingers lightly on the table, while Chen Xiaohu and the others were still vying for the opportunity to go on this expedition.
Ding Pulang spoke first, saying, "Gentlemen, gentlemen, I've been training troops every day for the past few years and I'm almost a fool. This is such a good opportunity to go on an expedition. Brothers, have pity on me and let me have it, okay? After this is done, you can order from all the restaurants in Dadu. I won't haggle. How about that?"
After Ding Pulang finished speaking, Shi Gengming suddenly pushed him aside and said, "Old Ding, you've really gone too far. You've been mooching meals off us brothers all these years, and now you're being generous. Let me tell you, we're eating your food because we're doing it on behalf of God."
"Brothers, give me this mission. I'm in a terrible state. These past few years, I've been leading the brothers to be stationed in the desert and eating sand. Can't you let me see some water and have a couple of seafood meals? Don't worry, everyone, Old Shi never plays games. All those restaurants are outdated. Give me this mission, and I'll get you two Japanese women to serve you, how about that?"
"Go to hell!"
Upon hearing this, the people around immediately started to jeer and laugh. At this moment, Chen Xiaohu looked at Chen Jie and saw that Chen Jie did not express his opinion. He knew that Chen Jie might not be able to go to war, so he did not say anything more. He just glanced at Fu Youde and Feng Sheng.
At this moment, Chen Xiaohu said, "Old Ding, Old Shi, that's enough. We can't just eat the fill and ignore the starving ones. Our Han Dynasty has eight army groups, a total of eight group commanders, but five of them are dukes, and three of our brothers are only second-class marquises, enjoying the fifth-class national honors. This is not right."
"We have to give these guys a chance, don't you agree?"
Chen Xiaohu looked at Ding Pulang and Shi Gengming and said that the two of them looked at Wang Baobao, Feng Sheng and Fu Youde.
These three are all commanders of the main army personally appointed by His Majesty, but their titles are not commensurate with theirs. Although Ding Pulang and Shi Gengming are third-class dukes, they are still much stronger than these three brothers.
Fu Youde was the Marquis of Changping, a second-class marquis, and enjoyed the national fifth-level honorary title.
The title "Changping" was bestowed upon General Wei Qing, which shows that Chen Jie also placed high hopes on him.
Feng Sheng, Marquis of Wu'an, this title is no ordinary title; Bai Qi of Qin held this position.
Wang Baobao, Marquis of Wuyang, was the title bestowed upon Fan Kuai in history.
These three titles were also known as First-Class Marquis, far surpassing other marquises. However, a marquis is still a marquis. Although they were commanders of an army, they always felt inferior to the dukes, which was unbearable for the three proud men.
Therefore, all three of them were eager to make a name for themselves and achieve great things, hoping to be ennobled and appointed as prime ministers.
Thinking of this, the three exchanged glances, but Wang Baobao restrained himself. He actually had his own little scheme. Wang Baobao had always known that Chen Jie wanted to conquer the world and make all his sons kings of their own lands in the future.
Wang Baobao wanted to conquer a large area of land for his eldest nephew, the second prince Chen Wen, and make him the king of this land.
What Wang Baobao was eyeing was the three territories that were now the Golden Horde, the Chagatai Khanate, and the Ögedei Khanate. He wanted to combine these three territories into one large country for Chen Wen, making Chen Wen the king of the Mulan people. This was what Wang Baobao truly desired.
As for Japan, an island nation, it is a resource-poor place and difficult to establish a kingdom. Wang Baobao did not want to occupy it, as it did not align with his goals, so he was not very interested.
In this way, Feng Sheng and Fu Youde became particularly enthusiastic and were considered suitable candidates.
Chen Jie then looked at Feng Sheng and Fu Youde and said, "Gentlemen, Fusang is not a troublesome country, but the one guarding Fusang is an old acquaintance of yours. I wonder if you two can bring yourselves to harm your own disciples?"
Chen Jie looked at the two men. At this moment, Feng Sheng looked at Fu Youde and then at Chen Jie and said, "Your Majesty, if Your Majesty trusts me, please let me lead the expedition against Fusang. Lan Yu is Fu Youde's beloved disciple. Please don't let the master and disciple kill each other. I guarantee that we will take Fusang with minimal casualties."
Feng Sheng stood up and clasped his hands in a salute.
Upon hearing this, Fu Youde suddenly looked up and said, "Fusang, I'll take command!"
Upon hearing this, Feng Sheng turned to Fu Youde and said, "Old Fu!"
Fu Youde said, “I have taught Lan Yu and Mu Ying. I know everything they know, and I have experience dealing with them. Only when the master fights the disciple can the casualties be minimized. I am a soldier, and soldiers are duty-bound to obey orders. I will never do anything for personal gain. Please rest assured, Your Majesty. I beg Your Majesty to let me lead the eastern expedition!”
Fu Youde clasped his hands and bowed, requesting permission. (End of Chapter)