Chapter 253: Not conquering a country is just a diplomatic strategy, it does not mean that our Ming Dynasty is cowardly!

At the end of the Yuan Dynasty and the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, Japanese pirates often harassed the southeastern coastal areas.

After Zhu Yuanzhang proclaimed himself emperor, he sent envoys to Japan to denounce his crimes.

At this time, because the Ming Dynasty had a strong military force, Zhu Yuanzhang's tone was very tough.

“When the imperial edict arrives, if you wish to be a subject, you should submit a petition to the court.

If you don't want to be a subject, then reorganize the army and defend yourself.

Just ensure the peace of the country and follow the will of heaven.

However, if they invade Ming as an enemy, we will lead our fleet to sail out to sea and attack the islands.

At that time, the royal army will capture the enemy's followers, attack the enemy country directly, and tie up your king.

This is God's will to punish the unkind. Only an emperor like me is qualified to make such a decision!"

It can be said that Zhu Yuanzhang had already made way for the Japanese authorities in his edict.

Either you submit and pay tribute, or you build up your military to protect your country.

If you dare to invade us as Japanese pirates, don't blame me for sending my army to attack your hometown!
However, when the envoys headed by Yang Zai arrived in Japan, they did not meet the King of Japan.

Because Japan was in the Northern and Southern Dynasties period at that time, the imperial edict was sent to Prince Huailiang of the Southern Dynasty.

Although Prince Huailiang was born into a royal family, he was a military general.

After reading the imperial edict, he killed the five Ming envoys on the spot without saying a word.

Zhu Yuanzhang was very annoyed when he saw that only two envoys returned to the country.

In the third year of Hongwu, he sent envoys to Japan again.

The tone of this edict was much milder, but the envoy still almost lost his head.

Prince Huailiang then sent back a letter in which he said: “I heard that Your Majesty sent capable generals and mobilized a full-strength army to invade my territory.

A land of water and lakes, a state of mountains and seas.

Therefore, I will use water to protect the land, and the general will also bravely meet the enemy and will never surrender!

Obedience does not necessarily mean survival, but resistance does not necessarily mean death.

When we meet in front of the Helan Mountains, we should just give it a try. What is there to be afraid of?

If the monarch wins and his subjects lose, the monarch will not be honored.

If the ministers win and the monarch loses, it will bring shame to the small country."

But the fact is that "when two countries are at war, envoys will not be killed", and the Japanese behavior has obviously crossed the line.

Not only did they not express their submission, but they also killed the envoy who represented the face of the Ming Empire. This was already a serious provocation.

Judging from Zhu Yuanzhang's later attitude, he was obviously very angry.

He wrote to the King of Japan: "You barbarians, as subjects, do not abide by the rules of rulership and subjection, and harass your neighbors everywhere.

You don't know that the king has given you this strange territory, but you are so arrogant and indulge your subordinates. You will definitely be punished in the future!"

Zhu Yuanzhang's decree to Prince Huailiang was: "You feel that you have become stronger over the years, right?
You are so ignorant of your own abilities that you dare to fight against rocks with an egg. Do you want to see why the moon is so round?"

Zhu Yuanzhang's proposal was: to unify China, pacify the four directions, and share peace and prosperity with the people.

In short, we do not conquer you barbarians for the sake of world peace.

After all, the Ming Dynasty had just been established and the people had been fighting hard for a long time.

The domestic economy is in recession and there is a lot of work to be done.

Lao Zhu thinks that we should stabilize the four directions first, and development is the only way.

As the king of a country, Zhu Yuanzhang naturally thought about the eternal foundation.

The historical lessons of Kublai Khan made the Ming Dynasty realize that it was not suitable to fight across the sea. Especially considering the limited conditions at that time, such large-scale cross-sea operations lacked fundamental guarantees.

In a situation where the outcome was unpredictable, Zhu Yuanzhang, from a practical point of view, was unwilling to act rashly.

So he listed Japan as a country that would not be conquered, while at the same time sending a signal to the outside world.

"You barbarians, look at how kind and generous we are, come and submit!"

On the other hand, Zhu Yuanzhang told his successor in the Imperial Instructions of the Ming Dynasty that "Although Japan appears to be sincere on the surface, it actually has ill intentions, so we must cut off contact with it."

In other words, Zhu Yuanzhang's listing of Japan as a country not to be conquered does not mean that he really swallowed his anger.

There are five reasons why Lao Zhu did this.

For the first purpose, Zhu Yuanzhang did not relax his vigilance after defeating the Mongols.

He believed that the Ming Dynasty's imaginary enemies included the Mongols in the north, the Japanese in the northeast, and the Koreans living on the peninsula.

Before the situation became clear, the newly established Ming Dynasty must not easily start a war.

The second purpose was that Zhu Yuanzhang needed some time to observe the neighbors around him.

Who is the enemy and who is the friend?
"Not to conquer" only expresses the attitude of the Ming Dynasty. It uses this universal technique to conduct diplomatic mediation and ensure that it will not be too passive.

After all, in terms of comprehensive strength, the Ming Dynasty is the strongest in East Asia, and Zhu Yuanzhang's goodwill gesture is very valuable.

In addition, since Japan beheaded the Ming Dynasty envoy, the Ming Dynasty was able to "let bygones be bygones" and choose peace for the sake of the people of both countries.

"So other countries should come and pay tribute as soon as possible. We in the Ming Dynasty truly yearn for peace. Don't continue to wait and see!"

At the same time, what Zhu Yuanzhang wanted to tell future generations was that since they did not pose a threat to China, there was no need to invade.

Allies should not rely on China's wealth and strength, be greedy for temporary military achievements, and launch military operations without reason.

The Ming Dynasty could not invade countries like Korea and Japan without reason.

Zhu Yuanzhang's meaning was very clear, "Although we maintain a peaceful attitude towards the outside world and do not take the initiative to start a war, we reserve the option of using force."

The third purpose is to pressure and win over.

Zhu Yuanzhang's original idea was to win over Korea, which was also invaded by Japanese pirates, to fight against and suppress Japan together.

This not only ensures his "big brother" status, but also allows him to sell equipment, which is in line with the interests of the Ming Dynasty.

Therefore, Zhu Yuanzhang was very supportive of Korea's request to purchase weapons to fight the Japanese pirates. He once issued a secret decree: "Collect 500,000 kilograms of saltpeter and 100,000 kilograms of sulfur in that place.

Then I came here, prepared the right gunpowder to repair the ship, and finally went to that place to build a new Japanese hunting ship. "

However, what was unexpected was that not long after the goods were delivered, civil unrest broke out in North Korea.

Li Renren murdered Wang Zhuan, the king appointed by the Ming Dynasty, and established Xin Huo as king.

Most importantly, he also killed the envoy of the Ming Dynasty, which made Zhu Yuanzhang very angry.

The little brother I just supported is gone just like that?
He is also a person who disregards moral principles and kills the king!

Zhu Yuanzhang then sent another letter to the emperor, saying: "Hurry up and apologize, or I will attack you!"

Therefore, the so-called unconquerable countries do not really mean "unconquerable", but mean that these countries need means and skills to be tamed.

The fourth purpose is that development is the only truth, and everything should focus on economic development.

The fifth purpose is to impose a trade blockade on Japan and promote limited trade.

At the same time, we should vigorously develop the navy and consolidate coastal defense, so that the overall strength of the Ming Dynasty can be raised to a level where it can engage in cross-border naval battles.

Just like Zhu Yuanzhang’s attitude towards the Korean Peninsula, his attitude towards Japan, a “country that cannot be conquered”, did not really mean that he would not conquer it.

He just hopes to use this to spur future generations, "Work hard to develop and build up your strength. If they still don't repent, it won't be too late to punish them!"

(End of this chapter)