Vol 2 Chapter 2400: Political struggle, the beginning of assimilation

Chapter 2400: Political battle, the beginning of assimilation

Chapter 2396: Political battle, the beginning of assimilation

“Alliance with Ni Ming?”

Liu Xiu stood up suddenly, with shock on his face, and then said angrily: "Impossible, this is absolutely impossible."

Seeing that the usually gentle King of Chu suddenly got angry, all the ministers below him suddenly became silent, and even those who had intended to support him did not dare to speak.

 Liu Xiu was not an irritable person, and he rarely got angry with his ministers, but this time it was impossible not to get angry because Pang Tong had touched the political red line of Chu State.

 The dragon has reverse scales, and if you touch them, you will die. The same goes for countries, but they are not called reverse scales, but political red lines.

There is a political red line in any country that must not be touched. Once this red line is touched, it is politically incorrect and will be opposed by everyone in the system.

The political red line of the Qin Dynasty is that the Han Dynasty is brutal and has exhausted its strength. The Qin Dynasty and the Han Dynasty are destined by fate.

If the officials of the Qin Dynasty publicly said that the Qin Dynasty was a rebellion against the Han Dynasty, it would be politically incorrect. Those who touched this red line would definitely have their career come to an end even if they did not die.

Similarly, the political red line of Chu State is the Han Dynasty. Officials cannot say anything bad about the Han Dynasty, otherwise it will be politically incorrect.

Pang Tong’s proposed alliance with the Ming Dynasty did not mention anything bad about the Han Dynasty, but we must know that the Han and Ming Dynasties are incompatible with each other.

Although the demise of the Han Dynasty was mainly due to its own fault, in the eyes of Liu Xiu and other Han clan clan members, the Ming Dynasty was the biggest disaster, not the Ming Dynasty.

Even Liu Xiu knew that the defeat of the Han Dynasty was mostly caused by internal corruption. Even if there was no Yellow Turban uprising, there would be a White Turban and Gray Turban uprising. However, in order to maintain the legitimacy of his own rule, he still pushed all the blame on the Ming Dynasty. Da Qin.

 After all, how could a great man make a mistake? All the mistakes are the fault of those ambitious and rebellious ministers and traitors who rebelled against the Ming Dynasty and the Qin Dynasty.

 Liu Xiu and other Liu clan princes used this method of blaming the Han to absolve the Han from responsibility, thereby stabilizing their own rule and discrediting their mortal enemies.

This approach cannot be said to be wrong, but it also determined the national policy of the entire country, that is, Han, Qin and Ming were mortal enemies and could never coexist.

Pang Tong now proposes an alliance with the Ming Dynasty, and letting the Han Dynasty join forces with the biggest promoter of the destruction of the Han Dynasty is undoubtedly touching the political red line of Chu State.

With the fall of Zhu Yuanzhang, Ren Hongchang returned to the Qin Dynasty, and Zhu Di took up the banner of Ming Dynasty orthodoxy, while Liu Xiu always regarded himself as the Han Dynasty orthodoxy.

　　It is Ming Dynasty who bears the greatest responsibility for the Han Dynasty to be in the current situation. Joining forces with such a mortal enemy will undoubtedly allow Liu Xiu to slap himself in the face.

Pang Tong did not talk about such a bold strategy in private, but instead raised it openly, that is, his lord was Liu Xiu. If it were a suspicious monarch, such as Cao Cao, I am afraid that Pang Tong would suspect Pang Tong's ulterior motives.

Of course Liu Xiu knew that Pang Tong's proposal might not be a way out for Chu's current predicament, but in any case he could not accept joining forces with Ni Ming, and instead pushed Wei and Song to annex Ming.

Liu Xiu deliberately pretended to be angry. He was not really angry with Pang Tong, but to save Pang Tong and ask him to stop in time and not continue to seek death. Otherwise, Pang Tong might really be killed in Chu State. isolated.

Pang Tong's political wisdom was obviously not as good as his military wisdom, but he still saw that Liu Xiu was doing this for his own good. This also moved him very much, and he felt that a scholar would die for his confidant, so he did not accept it. Liu Xiu's good intentions turned out to be reckless all the way to the end.

Pang Tong analyzed in public what benefits it would bring to the Chu State to temporarily put aside old grudges and form an alliance with the Ming State.

 Leaving nothing else aside, it will definitely be of great benefit to the navy.

 In addition, Pang Tong also analyzed the current situation of the Ming Dynasty. If the Chu Kingdom were to form an alliance with it, the Ming Kingdom would definitely not refuse.

Liu Xiu was a little moved after hearing this, but Pang Tong only mentioned the military benefits but did not mention the political disadvantages, which also made Liu Xiu entangled.

For the Chu State, although the alliance with the Ming State can solve military problems, how can the political impact be resolved?

 There are gains and there are losses.

After weighing the pros and cons, Liu Xiu finally decided to listen to Pang Tong's strategy and took the initiative to send envoys to form an alliance with the Ming Dynasty in an attempt to obtain shipbuilding technology from the Ming army.

As for Pang Tong, although he was devoted to the country, he began to be isolated from the entire Chu officialdom because he touched a political red line. Even the Jingzhou family began to alienate him, and he gradually became a lonely minister.

The most taboo thing about being an official is to be a lonely minister. In politics, you have no allies and you will be the first to take the blame if something goes wrong.

The Chu-Ming Alliance was initiated by Pang Tong. Once the alliance failed, or if there were mistakes in the future after the alliance was formed, or if Chu betrayed the alliance in the future, Pang Tong would be the perfect scapegoat.

Pang Tong naturally knew about this but didn't care at all. He had absolute confidence in Liu Xiu and believed that Liu Xiu would never give up on him and regard him as a scapegoat.

 But when he realized that the Jingzhou family was alienating him, Pang Tong finally panicked and realized his political naivety.

Pang Tong is a member of the Jingzhou aristocratic family and represents the Pang family, one of the four major families in Jingzhou. The Jingzhou aristocratic family has always been on the same page, but now even the Jingzhou aristocratic family is alienating him. This does not explain the problem.

After all, Pang Tong was still too young. He cared about military affairs and ignored politics, so he made himself into a lonely minister. However, he was not a passive person, so he took the initiative to serve as an envoy to the Ming Dynasty.

 Pang Tong wanted to personally control the diplomatic affairs between Chu and Ming to prevent some accidents from happening, which would lead to diplomatic difficulties between Chu and Ming, thus making himself even more passive.

As Pang Tong expected, the situation of Zhu Di, who was far away in Japan, was obviously not good either.

 The huge gains from the great victory over Japan aroused the greed of other countries, and Zhu Ming was also pushed to the grill.

Since the demise of the Oda family, conspiracies and plots against Zhu Ming have been coming one after another. Even Zhu Di can't tell which ones are from the Qin Dynasty and which ones are from the Wei, Song and Wu Kingdoms.

Zhu Di never tires of engaging in these conspiracies. If Yao Guangxiao hadn't been there to share the burden for him, it would have been difficult for Zhu Di to avoid these conspiracies.

 For Zhu Di, other calculations were fine and not too fatal, but he really did not have the courage to enter the state and participate in the alliance in person.

Zhu Di was wary of the Four Nations Allied Forces from the beginning. His expedition to Japan was obviously to accumulate prestige, but he did not personally lead the army to attack the northeast of Honshu. Instead, he gave this task to Chang Yuchun, because he was afraid that if he landed on Honshu Island I can't come back.

Zhu Di is too aware of his own value. He is responsible for the safety of both Ming and Qi. As long as he does not go to Honshu in person, the only conspiracies against him will be conspiracy. Once he goes to Honshu, those who come will probably die. The gun is clear and the sword is clear.

The three kingdoms of Wei, Song and Wu might not kill him, and would even try their best to protect him, but Da Qin would never let him leave Honshu Island alive. Therefore, no matter how much the three kingdoms of Wei, Song and Wu promised Zhu Di that they would ensure his safety, Zhu Di still did not dare to go to Honshu Island.

 Because in front of Da Qin, the three kingdoms of Wei, Song, and Wu were just younger brothers. Even if they had the intention, they could not save his life.

  But if he did not go to Honshu to participate in the alliance in person, the Ming Kingdom would be excluded from the Japanese rule, and it would be impossible to protect the interests in its hands.

With Zhu Di in a dilemma, Yao Guangxiao suggested that Zhu Di should still go, but not by himself, but by sending a substitute, so that he could not only deal with the four countries, but also ensure his own safety.

Zhu Di thought about it and found that this plan was feasible. After all, the four countries didn't know whether it was really him who went there.

The Three Kingdoms of Wei, Song and Wu promised to ensure his safety, but if the substitute died, then what the Three Kingdoms said would be nonsense. Even if he didn't really go, they couldn't continue to use this as an excuse. After all, they didn't even care about their own safety. No guarantee.

If the substitute is not dead, let the substitute join the alliance on his behalf. It can be said to be the best of both worlds.

 Even before Zhu Di set out, Zhu Di received news from the Central Plains. Pang Tong, the envoy of the Chu State, went to the Ming Dynasty and proposed an alliance on behalf of the Chu State.

Zhu Di was overjoyed when he learned about it. The Ming Dynasty had been fighting alone all the time. The three wars in the Central Plains were all fought by one enemy. Apart from Qi, there was no ally, and development was extremely difficult.

The reason for this situation is naturally because Zhu Di inherited the orthodoxy of the Ming Dynasty, and the other princes were all princes inherited from the Han Dynasty. If you don't target the Ming Dynasty, who should you target? After all, the incompatibility between the Han and the Ming Dynasty is not just talk. .

 Zhu Di also knew that fighting alone would not last long, but looking at the world, except for the Ming and Qi countries, all the forces were the Han Dynasty. This situation did not get much better until the establishment of the Qin Dynasty.

 After the establishment of the Qin Dynasty, the world saw power disputes, which turned into a struggle between the Qin, Han, and Ming dynasties.

The strongest one is naturally the Qin Dynasty, and the Han and Ming dynasties combined are far inferior, but because of the deep hatred, they cannot unite.

Chu State's initiative to send envoys and alliance this time was a good signal in Zhu Di's view. The relationship between Han and Ming Dynasty was about to break the ice, and eventually move toward uniting the public to resist Qin.

Do not agree that Liu Xiu has no psychological burden on the league's alliance.

 Pang Tong's purpose of coming, Zhu Di could tell at a glance, it must be for shipbuilding skills.

Among the major princes in the Central Plains, the only country that relies on the sea but does not have the ability to fight at sea is the Kingdom of Chu.

 Chu and Wu are mortal enemies, and it is impossible for Wu to hand over shipbuilding skills to Chu.

As for the Song State, it was with the help of the Qin Dynasty that it established a navy and fleet. It did not have a complete system of shipbuilding skills, so it could not help the Chu State much.

Then only the Ming Dynasty is left.

 The Ming Dynasty did not develop a navy at all. The navy it has now is the original navy of Qi, which was built by Zhu Tianpeng and completely delivered to Zhu Di.

 As for what Zhu Tianpeng did? Zhu Di didn't know either, and Zhu Tianpeng didn't tell him.

Zhu Dibai obtained the always powerful navy, but he did not attach great importance to the navy at first. He felt that the navy was of little use to the Ming Dynasty. However, with the advent of the era of naval warfare and the great victory of the Japanese expedition, it was completely changed his view.

 After all, if there was no navy, how could the Ming army land in Japan? How could we achieve such a great Warring States period?

In addition, the Ming Dynasty is a country close to the sea. If there is no navy to protect it, then in the eyes of the Qin Dynasty, what is the difference between the Ming Dynasty and the country without clothes?

 So, for the Ming Dynasty, the navy was crucial.

After realizing the importance of the navy and shipbuilding technology, it was naturally impossible for Zhu Di to hand over the shipbuilding technology to Chu, even if he knew that the benefits of handing over would be greater.

The Chu State has shown its intention to form an alliance and is considered a potential ally, but Zhu Di really doesn't want to fight alone. Helping the Chu State's navy become stronger will also cause some trouble for Da Qin. After all, the enemy's enemy is his friend. .

 But the Ming Dynasty's shipbuilding skills were not Zhu Di's, but Zhu Tianpeng's years of hard work.

If he was handed over so easily, what would the generals of the original Qi State and Zhu Tianpeng think of him?

Although Zhu Di has been reducing Zhu Tianpeng's influence and depriving him of his rights little by little, he is still extremely grateful to Zhu Tianpeng.

Zhu Tianpeng was neither interested in power nor profit. He handed over a country as big as Qi to himself without saying a word, but he could not completely integrate Qi into the Ming Dynasty.

In order to live up to Zhu Tianpeng's expectations, Zhu Di did not hesitate to take risks and personally lead the army to conquer the Japanese, in order to establish enough prestige to impress the arrogant generals of Qi.

 Judging from the current situation, Zhu Di's plan is going very smoothly. The victory in the Japanese conquest has taken away a lot of money and food, and all the generals have begun to gradually return to their hearts. The only trouble is the plot of the four countries.

If he handed over Zhu Tianpeng's years of hard work to the Chu State without even informing him, Zhu Tianpeng would probably have a grudge in his heart even if he didn't say it.

Although Zhu Di also wanted to form an alliance with Chu, he did not want to disappoint Zhu Tianpeng, so he would not hand over his shipbuilding skills until Zhu Tianpeng agreed.

In addition, Zhu Di also planned to take advantage of Chu State. He asked Yao Guangxiao to bring a substitute to the alliance, and at the same time deliberately revealed Chu State's intention to form an alliance with Ming Dynasty to put pressure on Da Qin.

If Qin continues to persecute, don't blame Ming for turning to Chu.

Zhu Di's attack hit Zhou Yu and Guo Jia's weak points, making both of them a little overwhelmed. They urgently called back the three great masters sent to assassinate Zhu Di.

 Kanto, Tokyo Bay, Edo Castle.

After Wu Qi completely captured the Kanto region, Zhou Yu, after discussing with Guo Jia, decided to make Edo City near the sea the seat of the Yingzhou governor and the governor's office.

At this time, Qin Zheng, the governor of Yingzhou, had arrived in Edo and met with Qin who was about to go to Qin for marriage, Oda City and Tsukuyomi.

The two of them joined the Qin Palace for marriage, which would also be the beginning of Qin's assimilation of Japanese islands.

 (End of this chapter)