Chapter 861
Expanding Territory, the Greatest Emperor
As Chen had predicted, on the fifth day, Fu You's messenger delivered the news to Dadu.
Upon learning the news, Chen Jie immediately summoned all civil and military officials to the Hall of State Affairs for a meeting.
Soon, the civil and military officials arrived at the Hall of State Affairs.
At the round table meeting in the main hall, civil and military officials took their seats in order of rank.
On the left are military officers, led by Zhang Dingyuan, Duke of Wei, followed closely by Chen Xiaohu, Duke of Chu, and Xu Da, Duke of Zhao.
On the civil officials' side, the leaders were Prime Minister Hu Weiyong, Duke Dingguo Wu Hong, Duke Xinguo Zhou Chu, Duke Rongguo Jin Yanzi, followed by Minister of Revenue Li Shanchang, Minister of Rites Liu Bowen, and Minister of Personnel Sixi.
Everyone sat down, and then they heard someone outside shout that His Majesty had arrived.
Everyone quickly stood up. At this moment, the palace door was opened, and Chen Jie walked directly into the main hall, followed by Grand Secretary Chen Chun.
"Please sit down, everyone!"
Chen Jie waved his hand, signaling everyone to sit down.
Everyone immediately sat down, and Chen Jie began, "Do you all know why we've gathered you here?"
The civil and military officials looked at each other and shook their heads. Chen Jie saw this and said, "We just received an urgent message from Fu Youde that Fusang Island has been captured."
"Wow, so fast."
Upon hearing Chen Jie's words, all the civil and military officials were extremely surprised. After all, the army set off on the seventeenth day of the first lunar month, and it was only the twentieth day of the first lunar month. In just three days, the army had already captured Fusang Island.
Fusang Island is no small island. It has a population of nearly 800 million, and its commander is the formidable general Lan Yu.
Furthermore, according to intelligence, Lan Yu has established the Great De Empire on this island, commanding an army of over 20. Even if Fu Youde is stronger, he only has 10 troops. 10 against 20, even if he could win, he couldn't possibly win so easily, right? And only three days have passed.
At this moment, all the civil and military officials were quite surprised, except for the military personnel who understood just how strong the regular army of the Great Han Empire was. They remained silent, simply nodding slightly, as if they understood the specific reasons for the victory in this battle.
The Han Dynasty's regular army is now incredibly strong. Since the military reforms five years ago, the army has undergone systematic training, and the individual qualities of its soldiers have been greatly improved.
Among them, the military training guidelines set by Chen Jiusi were compiled and edited by famous generals such as Zhang Dingbian and Xu Da, and were distributed to the entire army for unified training, which greatly improved the seven elite armies of the Han Dynasty.
The strength of the soldiers was one aspect, but even more terrifying was the superiority of their weaponry. Aside from conventional weaponry, all the armaments used by the Han Dynasty were developed by the Academy of Science and Technology, such as the ocean cannons of Thor's Hammer. There were also numerous land-based artillery pieces. These heavy cannons unprecedentedly enhanced the combat effectiveness of the Han Dynasty's army.
It can be said that the army of the Han Dynasty is now the strongest army in the world.
This is also the strongest trump card for the Han Dynasty to unify the world.
The officials were all astonished that Fu Youde had captured Japan so quickly in one battle, and they began to discuss it amongst themselves.
There are two main issues now that Japan has been captured: first, how to settle the army, and second, how to govern Japan.
Unlike the Qian Dynasty, the Han Dynasty's conquests wouldn't be like that of the Qing Dynasty, which only attacked and never defended, never governing the conquered lands. Such lands wouldn't truly belong to the Han Dynasty; simply looting after a campaign would make them bandits, not an army. Therefore, Chen Jie must carefully plan the governance of Fusang, making it a true province of the Han Empire.
Chen Jie's grand plan was to gradually transform the people into Han people and the land into Han land.
Chen Jie then looked at Zhang Dingbian and said, "Minister Zhang, you are the Grand Marshal of this dynasty, in charge of military affairs. Now that Fu Youde's army has won a victory, there are two issues that need your attention. The first is the captured Japanese soldiers. According to the intelligence sent by Fu Youde, there are approximately 10 of them. How does your military plan to settle these 10 soldiers?"
Upon hearing Chen Jie's inquiry, Zhang Dingbian immediately stepped forward, then cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, according to our military's statistics, most of these 100,000 soldiers are unqualified, so they will all be sent back. At most, there are no more than 30,000 usable soldiers. We plan to use these 30,000 to supplement Fu Youde's army nearby. The first reason is to make up for their losses, and the second is to break them up into smaller units for easier unified management."
After hearing this, Chen Jie thought for a moment and said, "We can't give all the troops to Fu Youde's army. Fu Youde's army probably can't absorb 30,000 men all at once. We should divide these 30,000 men into groups of 5,000 and distribute them among various armies to prevent them from rebelling."
"In addition, regarding the replenishment of Fu Youde's army, corresponding personnel will be drawn from the reserve to fill the vacancies."
After saying this, Chen Jie looked at Zhang Dingbian, who immediately cupped his hands and said, "Yes, Your Majesty, I will take care of it immediately."
Chen Jie then looked at Xu Da.
"Tiande, you are the Minister of War of our dynasty, in charge of logistics and merit evaluation."
"Although Fu Youde's army won a great victory this time, it also suffered considerable losses. The affairs of these fallen soldiers must be handled properly. Those who deserve compensation should receive it, those who deserve it should receive it, and those who deserve to be heroes should be heroes. Nothing should be left out, and we must not let the soldiers' hearts be chilled."
Upon hearing this, Xu Da stepped forward, clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Your subject understands. Everything will be judged according to the rules we have set, and we will never discourage any soldier."
Chen Jie nodded and said, "I trust Tiande to do things right."
Chen Jie then said, "Let's leave the military matters here for now. As for the subsequent matters such as awards and promotions, we need to verify them gradually. There's no rush."
After speaking, Chen Jie looked at the civil officials: "Minister Hu."
Hu Weiyong immediately stepped forward, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Your subject is here."
Chen Jie looked at Hu Weiyong and said, "The land of Fusang should be larger than a province, so we must send a capable regional official to this place to educate the people and promote the policies of our Great Han. We must popularize the education of our Great Han among their people."
"What are your thoughts on making them completely become citizens of our Han Dynasty?"
"Your Majesty is right. I had the same idea. Fusang is a good place. Now that it belongs to our Han Dynasty, we must govern it well. Therefore, I would like to recommend Yang Xian, the prefect of Jining, as the governor of Fusang."
"Yang Xian?"
Chen Jie then murmured, "This name sounds familiar, doesn't it? Liu Shangshu's disciple?"
Chen Jie asked casually, and upon hearing this, Liu Bowen immediately knelt down before him and said, "Your Majesty, Yang Xian is indeed my disciple."
Chen Jie looked at Liu Bowen and asked, "What is this young man's talent like?"
Upon hearing this, Liu Bowen immediately said, "My disciple is quite capable, but he is narrow-minded and cruel. Fusang has just been returned to our Han Dynasty. If we use this person, I am afraid that it will backfire and force Fusang to rebel. That would be bad. Therefore, I urge Your Majesty to think twice. Yang Xian is definitely not a good choice."
After Liu Bowen's words, Chen Jie also remembered that Yang Xin was indeed a very capable person. Historically, he had boasted to Zhu Chongba that he had governed Zhejiang for three years, and he had done a good job. Zhu Chongba was pleased with his talent and promoted him to the capital. However, Yang Xin was too arrogant and did not know how to restrain his brilliance. He offended Li Shanchang and Hu Weiyong, and was punished by the two of them. In the end, he met a tragic end.
However, this person is indeed as Liu Bowen said—talented and ruthless. Chen Jiu Si has quite a few ideas about Fusang (Japan). He needs to send a ruthless official to govern it properly so that the region can truly submit to the king's rule.
Thinking of this, Chen Jie said, "Hmm. Since he is Liu Gong's disciple, he must be talented. In that case, let's draft an imperial edict appointing Yang Xian as the governor of Fusang. He shall take office immediately."
"By the way, pass on a message to Yang Xian: tell him to do a good job and make sure that the people of Fusang truly submit to the Han Dynasty and follow the king's rule. If he does a good job, I will reward him handsomely."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
As soon as Chen Jie finished speaking, Chen Chun immediately responded. As a cabinet official responsible for drafting imperial edicts, he directly relayed the message, and the edict was about to be issued.
At this point, Chen Jie added, "The people of Fusang are unruly and willful, and they need to be dealt with severely. Therefore, the laws in Fusang should be stricter than those in the Han Dynasty, and can be gradually relaxed after thirty years."
"Yes."
Upon hearing Chen Jie's order, all the officials immediately responded.
And so, the meeting that would decide the fate of Japan came to an end.
After the conference ended and the officials left, Liu Bowen found Li Shanchang.
“Engineer Li, His Majesty wants to appoint Yang Xian to govern Fusang today. Why don’t you say anything? You know my disciple Yang Xian. He is too ruthless, not only to himself but also to the people. If he is sent to govern Fusang, the people of Fusang will surely suffer.”
Li Shanchang smiled upon hearing this, stroked his beard, and said, "Bowen, you're confused. Yang Xian's ruthlessness is exactly what His Majesty needs. Do you think our Emperor doesn't know Yang Xian's character?"
Upon hearing this, Liu Bowen asked in surprise, "Yang Xian's ruthlessness is what His Majesty needs. Why is that?"
Li Shanchang chuckled: "We've been with His Majesty for almost eight years now. Don't you know His Majesty's personality? He grits his teeth whenever he mentions Fusang, and he dislikes the people there very much."
"Our Emperor should of course send a capable person to discipline them. Should we send a few kind-hearted people instead?"
"Our Prime Minister must have understood this point as well, which is why he recommended Yang Xian. As expected of a Prime Minister, he immediately saw what His Majesty needed. So it's not that Yang Xian got this job by luck, but that His Majesty needs a ruthless person like Yang Xian to govern Japan."
After listening, Liu Bowen suddenly understood, but he was still puzzled and asked, "How exactly did the Fusang Kingdom offend His Majesty to be so hated by him?"
"Your Majesty has always been kind and benevolent to other places, a truly righteous ruler. It is strange that you always grit your teeth when you mention Japan."
Li Shanchang shook his head and said, "We don't know the specifics. Perhaps the Holy Lord of Fusang offended His Majesty when they were fighting for the world."
Liu Bowen also shook his head: "His Majesty's heart is hard to fathom. Let's just focus on doing our work. By the way, Brother Li, now that Fusang is settled, what about Goguryeo?"
Upon hearing this, Li Shanchang said, "It should be soon. Feng Sheng's military talent is no less than Fu Youde's. However, Goguryeo's strength is not as great as that of Japan. The reason it is slower is probably because the other side is putting up a strong resistance, unlike Fu Youde who is willing to surrender directly."
"But with our current imperial army, pacifying Goguryeo would be a piece of cake, so let's take some time to think about who should be sent to govern Goguryeo."
After listening to Hu Weiyong's words, Liu Bowen pondered for a long time and then asked, "Brother Li, who do you wish to recommend?"
Li Shanchang waved his hand: "This is not something I should know. I am the Minister of Revenue, and I am only in charge of money and grain."
Liu Bowen looked at Li Shanchang and smiled, "Now you know how to avoid suspicion. You weren't like this when you were evaluating Yang Xian earlier."
Li Shanchang smiled and said, "I heard a few days ago that His Majesty summoned Wang Guangyang and said that he was quite talented and should be a talent for the province."
After saying this, Li Shanchang strode away. Liu Bowen stroked his beard and thought for a moment. "Wang Guangyang, this man is quite talented. His Majesty has the discernment to recognize talent; he saw his extraordinary nature at a glance."
Thinking of this, Liu Bowen glanced at the palace and thought to himself that this was truly a wise and virtuous ruler, a rare sight indeed.
Shortly after Liu Bowen and the others finished speaking, their words appeared in written form on Chen Jie's desk.
At this moment, Chen Jie looked at the person who delivered the letter and said, "Well done, you may leave."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The person left immediately. When you looked at the person again, you saw that he was wearing a flying fish robe and holding an embroidered spring knife. That's right, it was the Embroidered Uniform Guard that Chen Jie had secretly established.
The Embroidered Uniform Guard (Jinyiwei) was a secret service organization founded by Zhu Yuanzhang. After Chen Jie ascended the throne, he recruited martial arts masters from all over the country, such as the former Tang Clan and Emei Sect. These martial arts experts formed the Embroidered Uniform Guard, which was specifically responsible for intelligence gathering, assassinations, and other missions.
The results are significant. Chen Jie can learn about the conversations among court officials immediately.
After becoming emperor, Chen Jie realized how unpredictable people's hearts were, so he needed an organization that could help him gather information on the words and actions of his officials. The Embroidered Uniform Guard was just the right choice.
Time flies, and a month has passed. At this time, Feng Sheng also brought good news: Goguryeo has been captured by Feng Sheng's army, the Goguryeo palace has been breached by Feng Sheng, the Goguryeo emperor has been captured, and is being escorted to the capital of the Han Dynasty.
Chen Jie immediately convened another meeting and appointed Wang Guangyang as the governor of Goguryeo.
In this way, within a month, Chen Jie successively conquered the two major territories of Fusang Island and Goguryeo, expanding the territory of the Han Dynasty.
At this time, the national strength of the Han Dynasty was greatly enhanced, and Chen Xiaohu, Wang Baobao and others could no longer sit still and wanted to send troops to launch a northern expedition and a western expedition.
Chen Jie did not immediately agree to their demands, but wanted to fully digest the territories of Fusang and Goguryeo before continuing his conquests.
Two years later, Chen Jie had fully absorbed these two regions, which could provide the Han Dynasty with enough grain, gold and silver. After they began to develop in a positive direction, Chen Jie ordered Wang Baobao to lead the White Deer Army to conquer the Golden Horde and the Chagatai Khanate in the west, and Chen Xiaohu to lead the Qihuo Army to conquer the Russian Empire in the north.
The army's departure caused a nationwide uproar, and soon good news came back: under the iron hooves and heavy cannons of the Han Dynasty, all these natives knelt down and surrendered. Then, under the civil and military education sent by Chen Jie, these natives all became subjects of the Han Dynasty.
Furthermore, Chen Jie put forward a slogan: As long as you identify with the culture of the Han Dynasty, you are a Han Chinese; as long as you learn the language of the Han Dynasty, you are a citizen of the Han Dynasty!
Therefore, the conquered areas began to learn Chinese with great enthusiasm. Furthermore, because Chen Jie encouraged Han Chinese to immigrate and marry Han men, their children would automatically acquire Han blood. As a result, countless foreign women began marrying Han men, and ordinary Han Chinese men could have several foreign wives. This was the best of times. (End of Chapter)