My Portable Ming Dynasty

Chapter 471 "On Coordinating Coastal and Frontier Defense Plans and Promoting National Defense Education"

cabinet.

Spring came a little late to the capital this year, and charcoal stoves have already been set up in the cabinet.

The cabinet, located within the Forbidden City, used charcoal stoves sealed with mud.

This kind of stove is not very effective in the cold winter, but it is just right for this time of year.

But the atmosphere in the cabinet was even more intense than that of a clay-sealed charcoal stove.

The Longqing Emperor summoned four cabinet ministers, along with several other high-ranking officials who had been summoned to the palace, to the cabinet to discuss Liu Bing's "Yelü Dashi Plan".

However, the "Yelü Dashi Plan" was just a prelude. The real debate among the senior officials gathered in the cabinet was about national policy.

How will the Ming Dynasty face the defense of the northwestern frontier in the future?

Su Ze, who was sitting near the cabinet door, served as the recorder of the meeting and observed that the senior cabinet ministers were roughly divided into two factions.

One faction was the maritime faction, represented by Zhang Juzheng, the second-ranking official in the cabinet.

The main argument of this school of thought is that while the northwest border defense is important, it is sufficient to maintain the status quo, and the court should focus its main efforts on the sea.

Zhang Shouzhi, the Vice Minister of Revenue and Zhang Juzheng's top henchman among the Nine Ministers, spoke first:
"Last year, the volume of goods entering and leaving the ports of our Great Ming's coastal Maritime Trade Office was dozens of times that of the trade volume of the inland border markets."

"According to the news from the Nanyang Administration Bureau, the battle in Malacca is still ongoing, and pirates have also appeared in the South Seas, attacking our Ming Dynasty merchant ships."

“The various vassal states in Southeast Asia, such as the old port of Malacca, have long been occupied by Western barbarians, obstructing trade routes and making it difficult for tribute missions to pass through.”

"At this juncture, would it be putting the cart before the horse to spend enormous sums and troublesome troops on a distant expedition to the Western Regions to reopen the Silk Road?"

"If the coastal areas are not at peace, the fertile lands of the southeast will never have a day of peace, and the millions of dollars in annual revenue from customs and trade will be lost!"

"The Ministry of Revenue believes that we should concentrate all our efforts on reorganizing the navy, adding more forts, protecting our merchant ships, expanding the islands in the South China Sea, and opening up the vast sea frontier as a source of wealth and a bulwark for the Ming Dynasty! This is to act in accordance with the trend and achieve twice the result with half the effort!"

Minister of Revenue Ma Sen almost never came to the yamen. Vice Minister of Revenue Zhang Shouzhi was always the highest-ranking official in charge of the Ministry of Revenue, and his opinions represented the opinions of the Ministry of Revenue.

Of course, this was also Zhang Juzheng's opinion.

Su Ze sighed slightly, "Who would have thought that the Jiajing Emperor was still discussing banning the seas?"

Once everyone from the emperor to the common people benefited from maritime trade, expanding outwards from the sea became a natural course of action.

Even the Ministry of Revenue, which was most afraid of war and spending silver dollars, began to support maritime preparations for war and expansion.

There's no way around it; the profits at sea are just too high.

Su Ze glanced at Zhang Juzheng again.

Besides the interests of the Ministry of Revenue, was Zhang Juzheng's strong support for the navy also due to the fact that his eldest son was in the navy?
Another faction also stepped forward.

Wang Chonggu, the Minister of War, stepped forward to take charge:
"Minister Zhang, you are mistaken!"

"The land-based Silk Road is crucial to the foundation of the nation!"

"The Fire Clan has taken over the Western Regions, colluded with Yarkand, cut off our trade routes, and massacred Buddhist temples. Their ambitions are not small!"

"If we sit idly by and watch them grow stronger and control the Hexi Corridor, then Shaanxi and Gansu will be in danger, and the Hetao region will be in turmoil! At that time, even if our Great Ming has a vast coastal territory, if the northwest is in chaos, our heartland will be shaken, and how can we talk about expansion?"

"The Fire One has also spread his religion to Shaanxi and Gansu. This religion is bewitching people. If it is left unchecked, it will surely lead to great chaos in the future."

"Defending the borders is of paramount importance, while conquering the Western Regions is about restoring the territory of the Han and Tang dynasties. Historically, the decline of the Tang Dynasty from its peak began after it lost the Western Regions!"

"Today, our Great Ming Dynasty has the opportunity to regain control of the Western Regions, so we must restore the territory of the Han and Tang dynasties and consolidate the defenses of the northwest frontier."

"With the Western Regions in hand, we can also dominate the grasslands and there will be no more trouble from nomadic tribes growing too powerful!"

Wang Chonggu, as expected of an expert on Mongolian issues, is absolutely right.

Why did Emperor Wu of Han send envoys to the Western Regions? Besides the Silk Road, the Han Dynasty controlled the Western Regions by threatening the grasslands.

Only the Han and Tang dynasties held complete control over the Western Regions.

When the Western Regions were in the hands of the Central Plains dynasties, they could advance from the Western Regions at any time and attack the grasslands from both sides.

By controlling the Western Regions, they could also cut off trade between Central Asia and the steppes, effectively suffocating the steppes.

Therefore, neither the Xiongnu of the Han Dynasty nor the Turks of the Tang Dynasty posed a significant threat to the Central Plains dynasties.

If the Western Regions, the Northwest defense line, and the Northeast are all under the control of the Ming Dynasty, then the Mongols will be like caged birds, and will never be able to cause trouble again.

From a national defense perspective, exploring the Western Regions was indeed a worthwhile investment; otherwise, Shaanxi, the core area of ​​Chinese civilization, would be too close to the frontier.

If unrest breaks out in Shaanxi, the imperial court will have to expend even greater effort to quell it.

Therefore, whether considering grassland defense or the security of Shaanxi and Gansu, pushing the defense of the northwest frontier further west is indeed a long-term strategy.

Zhao Zhenji nodded slightly, agreeing with Wang Chonggu's statement.

The imperial court is not a trading post; it cannot only consider economic factors.

Su Ze also realized that behind this debate was actually a conflict between the navy and the army.

The imperial court's funds are limited. The focus on either border defense or coastal defense will increase military spending accordingly.

Although the Ming Dynasty had a deep-rooted military tradition and wielded overwhelming power in the imperial court, since Zhang Juzheng took control of the Ministry of Revenue, the investment in the navy had been increasing year by year.

The most obvious change is the size of the naval academy's enrollment, which is almost catching up with that of the military academy.

You should know how many people were in the Ming Dynasty's army, and how many in its navy.

Now that the navy needs to train so many officers, it naturally needs to have so many ships.

Once the imperial court determines the key areas of coastal defense, it will increase shipbuilding orders, and the navy will be able to obtain funding and personnel.

Conversely, if the court focuses its efforts on the defense of the northwest frontier, it will expand the size of the army and train new troops, which will reduce the funding for the navy.

The debate quickly escalated. The coastal defense faction emphasized economic interests, the urgency of coastal defense, and relatively controllable maritime risks; the frontier defense faction, on the other hand, cried out for geopolitical security, ancestral heritage, and the enormous hidden dangers of instability in the northwest.

Both sides cited classical texts, arguing about everything from the "Discourses on Salt and Iron" to Qi Jiguang's military treatises, from the glory of Zheng He's treasure ships' voyages to the tragedy of the Tumu Crisis.

The hall buzzed with activity as officials from various factions echoed their own viewpoints, each refusing to yield. The Ministry of Revenue, some officials from coastal areas, and those who profited from trade mostly favored the sea route; while the Ministry of War, officials from the northwest border, and the Censorate strongly supported the land route.

Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng exchanged a glance, neither of them rushing to express their opinion.

Su Ze's pen flew across the paper. The meeting was of such a high level that Luo Wanhua and the other heads of the five departments were not qualified to attend. Only he, as the official of the fifth department of the Secretariat and the Chancellery, could personally act as the recorder.

Fortunately, with the [Model Calligraphy Brush], you don't need to worry about the handwriting; you can write neat, square characters in the traditional Chinese style as soon as you start writing.

Sitting next to Su Ze was Chen Hong, the second-in-command of the Directorate of Ceremonial.

Chen Hong was in charge of the Eastern Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guard. During Su Ze's military reforms, the Embroidered Uniform Guard was also given the function of collecting military intelligence, and Chen Hong attended the meetings as a result.

Of course, Chen Hong came to the meeting mainly to act as the emperor's eyes and ears. He was also writing furiously, recording the speeches of the important officials.

This meeting was originally supposed to be held in front of the emperor, but Emperor Longqing's current health condition clearly prevented him from presiding over such a meeting, so it was moved to the cabinet.

Of course, the dignity of the emperor's final judgment was maintained to emphasize that the imperial power held supreme military authority. Those present were all high-ranking officials, and the debate proceeded at a rapid pace. Chen Hong, who had been a grand eunuch for a long time, was finding the intense writing somewhat overwhelming.

He glanced at Su Ze beside him and couldn't help but sigh at how wonderful it is to be young.

Seeing that the debate was protracted, Gao Gong adjourned the meeting.

Chen Hong finally relaxed. He stretched his body and said to Su Ze beside him:
"Chief Prosecutor Su, there was a part I missed writing down just now. Could you please take a look at your notes?"

Su Ze paused for a moment, then said:

"Please proceed, Eunuch Chen."

Chen Hong took Su Ze's notes and started copying the homework directly. After he finished copying, he said:

"Thank you very much, Prosecutor Su."

Chen Hong added, "It looks like we won't get anywhere arguing today."

Su Ze nodded slightly. National policy is sometimes a multiple-choice question, and the kind where you can't even tell if something is wrong.

Both the coastal defense theory and the border defense theory have their merits, and no matter what choice is made at the moment, it cannot be considered wrong.

Su Ze remembered that there had been a similar debate in the original timeline.

However, this was during the late Qing Dynasty, a time of financial difficulties, and the debate erupted between Zuo Zongtang and Li Hongzhang.

The result of that debate was that Zuo Zongtang, who advocated defense of the border regions, recovered the Western Regions, while Li Hongzhang, who emphasized coastal defense, suffered a crushing defeat in the First Sino-Japanese War.

Thinking about this, Su Ze hesitated.

Given the current situation of the Ming Dynasty, it is too early to develop the Northwest.

Once the railway is ready and laid in the Northwest, a larger area of ​​land can be controlled with fewer troops, thus reducing the cost of actual control over the Western Regions.

Otherwise, like in the original Qing Dynasty, if Zhungeer dies, the two Khojas will come and cause trouble for the court.

However, as Wang Chonggu said, actual control of the Western Regions could solve the problem of northern border defense, thus freeing up resources to deal with other matters.

With the capital of the Ming Dynasty located in Beijing, protecting the capital became the most important political task.

However, the capital's location was rather awkward, and the huge expenditure on the defense of the nine border regions had been a constant drag on the development of the Ming Dynasty.

The northern grasslands are temporarily at peace, but that doesn't mean they can finally graze freely.

The Ming Dynasty still needs a nine-border army to maintain its deterrence over the grasslands.

Controlling the Western Regions would greatly strengthen control over the grasslands, curb trade networks between the grasslands and Central Asia, and completely control the grassland economy.

In contrast, Su Ze was more supportive of the coastal defense faction.

We are now in the early stages of the Age of Exploration, and Spain's so-called maritime hegemony is actually just a paper tiger.

History shows that in the next few centuries, the struggle for enormous overseas interests will be the main theme of the world.

In the original timeline, up until World War II, the wars that broke out in Europe were all sparked by the struggle for overseas colonial interests.

The Ming Dynasty hasn't even left the Strait of Malacca yet, and is still a long way from becoming a maritime superpower.

After a recess of about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Gao Gong announced that the meeting would resume, and the debate began immediately afterward.

An hour later, Su Ze and Chen Hong each took their thick stacks of meeting minutes and the meeting adjourned.

The argument resulted in neither side being able to convince the other. Gao Gong suggested that the ministers present submit their own memorials through the official document system, expressing their opinions, and then submit them to the emperor for a final decision.
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Back in his office, Su Ze looked at the meeting minutes. He was also one of the members who submitted the petition and needed to write his opinions into a memorial within the next few days.

Su Ze pondered for a long time before suddenly having a flash of inspiration.

Why are you worrying about this?
The debate between coastal defense and border defense arose in the late Qing Dynasty because the country's strength was limited, and it also had to support the construction of the old witch's garden, so the limited defense budget naturally had to be used sparingly.

Our Great Ming Dynasty is now overflowing with national wealth, our army's theory and technology are the best in the world, and our navy is building ships at an unprecedented rate. Why bother with this?

Can't we give equal importance to both?
Su Ze wrote the title with a flourish:

"To coordinate coastal and border defense strategies and promote national defense education"

Su Ze first wrote:

"The cabinet discussed strategies for defending the northwest frontier and the southeast coast. The ministers each held their own views. Some said, 'The coastal areas are rich in resources and we should devote all our efforts to expanding them,' while others said, 'The western regions are dangerous and we must firmly defend them as a protective barrier.'"

"In my opinion, these two are not a battle between ice and fire, but rather the two wings for the great nation to take off."

"The responsibility of a major power lies in safeguarding its entire territory."

"In the past, Emperor Wu of Han opened up the Western Regions and Zheng He set sail for the Western Ocean, both demonstrating that China had the ability to manage the four directions. Now, the Great Ming Dynasty has the ambition to unite the six directions. How can it follow the example of a small country that is content with its corner of the world?"

"Land power is the skeleton, sea power is the blood; a strong skeleton makes a nation stand tall, and smooth blood flow makes a nation strong. Abandoning border defenses is like breaking one's own limbs, and neglecting sea defenses is like severing one's veins and cutting off one's blood!"

"Only by developing both land and sea routes can we achieve the grand strategy of a great nation like China!"

After putting on a grand speech, Su Ze began to plan specific strategies.

The first issue is cost.

Since the ministers were still debating the budget issue, Su Ze also had to give the court an account.

First and foremost, it's a political issue.

Before the industrial age and the rise of nationalism, war was irrelevant to ordinary people.

During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, war was primarily a matter for the nobility.

This is normal. It's not easy for ordinary people to survive, and they're just cannon fodder in wars, so ordinary people are resistant to war.

After the rise of nationalism, war took on a new meaning under the concept of nationhood.

At this time, the industrial age also began, and war was forced to become a contest of comprehensive national strength. No one could stay out of it, and war became everyone's business.

Another factor contributing to this shift was the decline of the monarchical and aristocratic era and the rise of power among the common people.

Without power, there is no obligation. If the common people can influence the country, then war becomes related to the common people.

In response, Su Ze also invoked his own theories on ethnicity and the four classes of morality.

The importance of national defense education is highlighted from the perspective of nationality.

Furthermore, based on the theory of morality among the four classes of people, it is clearly defined that scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants all have their own rights and obligations in national defense.

Su Ze also secretly slipped in his own "personal agenda," proposing to increase the admission rate of ordinary people's children to the military academy, and at the same time, to give military academy admission quotas to grassroots soldiers who have made meritorious contributions in the army, thereby increasing the initiative of grassroots soldiers.

Finally, there is the reform of the upper-level institutions.

The General Staff increased the number of naval staff officers and simultaneously formulated corresponding coastal defense strategies and established military manuals for coastal defense, emphasizing both land and sea defense.

The Ministry of Revenue allocated a separate "Expansion Fund," which was to be distributed at the beginning of the year based on the results of the war. The budget was to be set separately for the army and navy, so that when it came to competing for the budget in the future, the army and navy would "show their unique abilities."

(End of this chapter)