The most reckless man in the Ming Dynasty

Jeju Island.

Also known as "Muma Island"!

As the name suggests, there is a natural pasture on this island.

Jeju Island was once a territory of the Goryeo Dynasty, but during the Yuan Dynasty it became a horse ranch of the Yuan Dynasty and was occupied by Yuan Dynasty herdsmen. This situation lasted until the fall of the Yuan Dynasty, and King Gongmin of Goryeo recovered Jeju Island.

Looking at Jeju Island not far away, a light called ambition flashed in Tang Hao's eyes!

"This time, the real purpose of our going to sea is Jeju Island!"

Tang Mu and Zuo Yidao suddenly took a breath of cold air, unable to conceal their horror.

After all, if they remember correctly, this Muma Island belongs to North Korea, and North Korea is a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty, and it is also one of the fifteen "non-conquest countries" designated by Emperor Taizu Gao!

"Hu Yuan occupied Jeju Island in the past and tamed a large number of war horses here!"

"The Hu Yuan court was a multi-ethnic empire with the Mongols as the main body. Horses were an important military and economic resource for Hu Yuan. After all, Hu Yuan's army was mainly cavalry. Horses were the soul of the army and the guarantee of combat effectiveness. And Hu Yuan’s economy also relied on horse transportation and trade.”

"Hu Yuan's horses were mainly produced in the Mongolian Plateau and the northwest region. However, because the territory of the Hu Yuan court was too vast, the transportation and supply of horses faced huge difficulties. Therefore, the Hu Yuan court set up horse ranches in various places to facilitate the raising of horses. Horses and horse training, just like this Jeju ranch.”

Tang Hao didn't pay any attention to the strange looks from the soldiers, but continued to explain.

"Jeju Island is located in the southwest of the Korean Peninsula. It is a volcanic island with fertile soil and a mild climate, which is very suitable for raising horses!"

"This place is also an important maritime transportation route between the Hu Yuan court and Goryeo, and can easily transport grain, cloth, horses and other materials."

"This Jeju horse is a cross between the horses brought by the Hu Yuan Dynasty from the Mongolian Plateau and the horses native to Goryeo. It has the advantages of both Mongolian horses and Goryeo horses. It can be said to be the best horse in the entire territory surrounding the Ming Dynasty. one!"

“Jeju horses have excellent breeds and performances, such as strong body shape, strong endurance, fast speed, and high adaptability. The imperial court also attaches great importance to Jeju horses and regards them as precious military war horses. It has repeatedly requested tribute from Goryeo and North Korea. Jeju horses to enhance the combat effectiveness of our Ming cavalry.”

At this point, Zuo Yidao took over the conversation at the right time.

"The "Tribute Regulations" of the imperial dynasty stipulated that Goryeo should pay tribute to the Ming Dynasty every year, thousands of horses, of which 500 were Jeju horses and 500 were Goryeo horses. In addition, it also stipulated that Goryeo's horses must meet certain standards, such as Horses that do not meet the standards in terms of size, coat color, age, gender, etc. will be rejected or confiscated by the Ming Dynasty, and this has been still used in North Korea.”

"However, both Goryeo and North Korea used various reasons to shirk and delay the Ming Dynasty's request for tribute horses. These barbarian kings did not refuse directly, and they did not have the courage. Instead, they used various reasons to shirk and delay. Such as insufficient horses, unqualified horses, difficulties in horse transportation, horses suffering disasters, etc.”

“In addition to shirking and delaying my Ming Dynasty’s request for tribute horses, these guys also resisted and opposed my Ming Dynasty’s request for tribute horses in various ways, such as refusing to accept horses from the imperial court, refusing to accept horse inspections from the imperial court, and refusing to Accepting the horse management of the Kingdom of Korea, refusing to accept the horse collection of the Kingdom of Korea, etc., they secretly used various means to increase and improve the horse resources of Korea, such as increasing horse breeding in Jeju Island, increasing the introduction of horses from Korea, and increasing the number of horses in Korea. Horse protection in Goryeo Joseon, increased horse improvement in Goryeo Joseon, and more!”

Zuo Yidao sneered and said: "I think their purpose is nothing more than to minimize the quantity and quality of the horses that pay tribute to our Ming Dynasty, and try to weaken our Ming Dynasty's control and interference on the horses of Goryeo Korea, so as to maintain the independence and independence of the horses of Goryeo Korea." rights to protect the horse resources and interests of Goryeo Korea.”

To be honest, Zuo Yidao is indeed very good. He comes from a noble family, has good martial arts skills, and is rare enough to be calm enough to study and practice calligraphy seriously.

Tang Hao smiled and nodded, saying: "Yidao is right. This is how Goryeo rejected my request for tribute horses from the Ming Dynasty back then."

"First of all, we need to understand a question: Why did Emperor Taizu Gao want tribute horses from Korea?"

"First, our Ming Dynasty was already short of horses, especially the lack of high-quality war horses that could fight. In addition, in the years of fighting with the northern barbarians, the war horses suffered heavy losses, so we had to try to import horses from neighboring countries such as Goryeo. To increase the quantity and quality of your own horses.”

"Secondly, whether it is Jeju horses or Goryeo horses, their performance is better than that of the local horses of Ming Dynasty. Therefore, the horse farms of Ming Dynasty need to continuously introduce new horses to maintain the quantity and quality of horses and prevent horses from These Jeju horses and Korean horses can be used to supplement and improve the horses in your own horse ranch to improve the breed and performance of the horses.”

"Thirdly, asking Goryeo to pay tribute to horses is also to establish the status and prestige of the Ming Dynasty. The Ming Dynasty is the suzerain state, and Goryeo is a vassal state. The suzerain state will give tribute to the vassal state according to the quantity and quality of the tribute items. Different courtesy and rewards to express their appreciation and encouragement.”

"And horses are undoubtedly the most important of these tribute items, which can reflect the loyalty and trust of the vassal country to the suzerain country!"

After all, horses are the foundation of armor and soldiers, and are of great use to the country!

Peace is based on the order of respect and inferiority, and change is used to relieve difficulties near and far!

In this era of cold weapons, war horses are not only extremely important military equipment for charging into battle and defeating the enemy, but they are also the main means of transporting strategic delivery capabilities for post logistics support!

Even inferior horses can greatly facilitate people's travel and play an indispensable role in daily life, which shows the importance of horses to the country.

Since the Shang and Zhou dynasties, all sane monarchs in the Central Plains have paid great attention to Ma Zheng.

Zhu Yuanzhang, the great ancestor who fought with the Mongolian Tatars all his life, naturally knew the importance of war horses, so he established the Taipu Temple and the five major pastoral supervisors, promulgated various horse-raising policies, called on all the people to raise horses, and opened a good path for future generations. head.

The horse breeding policy of the Ming Dynasty was divided into official herding and civilian herding.

Official animal husbandry means garrisoning troops and raising horses. Combined with the guard station and farmland system that Taizu was proud of, this system was widely implemented in the northern and southern Zhili and border provinces.

Like the guard farm system, the initial results were promising and the number of horses was large. However, as time went by, the pasture supervisors gradually evolved into a profit field for the powerful and powerful to seize wealth and interests.

After all, horses are quite valuable these days!

As for the people and animal husbandry, let alone mention it, it was more thorough than the official animal husbandry.

During the Hongwu period, the main responsibility of private horse farmers was to take care of the horses. In case of war, the horses would be handed over to frontline soldiers, which was equivalent to a form of storage and could also receive subsidies from the court.

However, the two sects of Ren and Xuan decided to stop their troops and recuperate, so the war was naturally greatly reduced.

However, they did not ease the work of private horse farmers. Instead, they intensified their efforts and demanded "breeding", that is, horses should give birth to ponies, and they were not allowed to raise them to death!

This leads to an extremely ridiculous consequence: the better the food is, the heavier the burden will be!

If you are good at raising horses, the more you give birth to, the more you have to raise. The subsidies from the court are not enough to feed the horses. It is even impossible for most horse farmers to receive this so-called government subsidy!

In the face of such cruel facts, who would be stupid enough to raise a horse?

As a result, the Ming Dynasty's horse administration system became a tattered thing riddled with holes. Even today, it is already full of parasites and vampires!

Tang Hao didn't bother to investigate Ma Zheng's affairs. It was nothing more than a corrupt situation like the salt factory. All parties involved in corruption and bribery. After many investigations, the little emperor angrily asked the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty, "Where is my horse?", and then the Manchu Dynasty Civil and military officials began to shirk their responsibilities again, and finally they all knelt on the ground and begged the Emperor to "put the overall situation first"!

Is it disgusting?

The key point is that this racecourse is really different from the salt farm!

No matter how rotten the salt farm is, as long as it is reformed, immediate results will be achieved, and the salt farm can continue to produce salt!

But what about Horse Ranch?

The main methods of corruption used by these corrupt officials are, first, reselling horses, second, withholding subsidies, and third, withholding food and wages... The key point is that the horses are definitely gone.

Therefore, Tang Hao focused on Jeju Racecourse.

He vaguely remembered that the current Lee Dynasty of North Korea had the same moral character as the Ming Dynasty, with political corruption and constant party disputes. There was also a dissolute and unscrupulous Lord Yanshan, which caused the decline of North Korea's national power, similar to the Ming Dynasty that experienced civil disasters. A difficult time.

At this time, they would not have the guts to go to war with the Ming Dynasty to seize the Jeju Island of the Lee Dynasty of North Korea!

Isn’t there a horse here?

"Master Hou, this matter...isn't quite right!"

Tang Mu thought about his words and then spoke bravely.

"Since North Korea became a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty, it has always maintained a respectful attitude and paid tribute continuously. The two countries have always maintained friendly relations."

"My Ming Dynasty is the suzerain state, and North Korea is a vassal state. Isn't it... bad for the suzerain state to rob the vassal state of things?"

Well, Tang Mu just pointed at Tang Hao's nose and scolded him. What's the difference between you and a robber who robbed him openly?

"Master Hou, what Tang Mu said is true!"

"North Korea is a vassal state of our Ming Dynasty, and the people of North Korea are naturally His Majesty's people. Taking things from North Korea is really not the behavior of a big country."

Zuo Yidao also shook his head and said.

"pedantic!"

"madness!"

"ridiculous!"

Tang Hao scolded them three times in a row, making the two of them dare not say a word!

"North Korea only comes to pay tribute to us from time to time. What kind of vassal state is this?"

"Moreover, do you really think that North Korea's constant tribute is just because of its loyalty and admiration for Ming Dynasty? They are just greedy for the profits from the trade between the two countries and the rewards that Ming Dynasty can give back!"

The Ming Dynasty has always adhered to the tributary system of "thickness goes but little comes", in order to demonstrate the magnanimity and benevolence of the Celestial Kingdom.

"If it is really a loyal vassal state, then North Korea should fully accept the Ming Dynasty's tribute horse requirements, instead of trying every means to resist and oppose the Ming Dynasty's tribute horse requirements through various means, forcing the Ming Dynasty to reduce the demand for tribute horses. The demand for tribute horses to North Korea will increase the number of horses given in return to North Korea!”

"In the final analysis, it's all about profit. Where is there any loyalty?"

Tang Mu and Zuo Yidao rolled their eyes, too lazy to argue with the ferocious Marquis Zhongshan.

Seeing that the two of them could not understand each other, Tang Hao could only choose to tell the truth.

"You don’t need to think too much about the Ma Zheng of the Ming Dynasty to know that, like the Yan Zheng, it has been corrupted for a long time and is almost rotten."

"Except for Jiubian Military Town, it is almost difficult to find war horses that can fight!"

"Aren't you all thinking about going to the North to fight the Tatars? Are you ready to fight on the run?"

Tang Hou's words immediately silenced everyone.

If you want to go out and fight the Tatars, then a war horse is a must-have!

After all, all the Tatars are unparalleled in horse riding and shooting. If you don’t even have a horse, how can you fight with others with your head?

On the vast grassland, the infantry is an excellent target for the cavalry. They can't run away, they can't be hit, and they don't know how they died!

Therefore, war horses are a crucial part!

"Now, these are the two choices before you!"

"Either we go back and carry out drastic reforms in the horse administration, not to mention offending all forces, and then wait ten or twenty years to cultivate a group of excellent war horses while ensuring the normal operation of the horse administration, and then we go out. Fight!"

"Either we land now and go directly to seize North Korea's Jeju Island. We must not only seize their excellent war horses, but also seize this excellent pasture. As a source of horses under the control of our Beijing army soldiers, it will take less than two days." In the year we can lead the army to the Northern Expedition and wash away the humiliation of being oppressed and plundered by the northern invaders since Tumu!"

"How you choose is up to you!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Tang Hao turned around and looked at the excellent pasture in front of him.

Tang Mu and Zuo Yidao looked uncertain for a while, and all the generals also looked at each other in confusion.

I don't know how long the silence lasted, but Zuo Yidao asked in a low voice.

"Master Marquis, is your Majesty... aware of this matter?"

"Of course!" Tang Hao nodded, "I propose, and His Majesty agrees!"

After confirming this, Zuo Yidao also took the risk.

"In that case, there's nothing more to say!"

"But there is one more thing. With just four thousand soldiers, we may not be able to defend it!"

"Besides, didn't the Marquis say before that some of the brothers from the Shimazu clan in Satsuma Kingdom should also be sent over? Then our military strength will be..."

Insufficient troops are a hidden danger.

After all, if the soldiers of the Ming Dynasty really seize Jeju Island in a grand manner, North Korea will definitely not be able to swallow this bad breath. If a large army is sent to attack, four thousand soldiers will not be enough to deliver food to everyone!

"One more thing!" Tang Mu also calmed down and analyzed seriously, "Those civil servants and gentry must not know about this matter. Once North Korea puts pressure on His Majesty and the Marquis through the diplomatic relations between the two countries, then I am afraid that we... will not be human inside and outside. !”

This is an unquestionable fact!

Those civil servants and gentry originally wanted to ignore His Majesty the Emperor, and did not want to see the "Emperor in charge of the troops", let alone invade the pastures of the vassal country for war horses!

It is conceivable that when these civil servants and gentry learned the news, it would be strange if they did not impeach the Marquis of Zhongshan to death!

"These are minor issues!"

Tang Hao chuckled and said: "You have ignored the fact that there are almost no Koreans on Jeju Island today. Instead, there are a large number of Mongolian people of various ethnic groups who are responsible for raising and feeding horses. They are collectively called by North Korea. For Muhu!”

"Due to various oppressive fish and meat policies, Muhu on Jeju Island rebelled against the rule of Goryeo and North Korea many times, and often rebelled and killed North Korean officials. Not only did they not win corresponding rights and interests for them and strive for a better life, but on the contrary It was a bloody suppression by North Korea!”

"So, we can definitely instigate these Muhus to rebel and let them be used by our Ming Dynasty. We just need to treat them as normal people and let them have enough food and clothing. Then these Muhus will naturally turn to us and fight against North Korea together. tyranny!"

Mu Hu?

Those are the slaves who are responsible for raising horses.

Their status and situation are the same as those of the salt farm households that everyone saw earlier. It can be said that they are living in purgatory, without any hope of human rights!

If it were true as Marquis Zhongshan said, then everyone would feel better in their hearts.

We are not robbers and bandits who invade other countries, but heroic rebels who help the Muhu people liberate!

"Furthermore, our Ming Dynasty did not invade Jeju Island in North Korea, but because the people of Jeju were suffering from the plunder and raids of Japanese pirates all year round, so in line with the basic principle that the suzerain country should maintain the vassal state, we came to help them drive away the Japanese pirates. !”

"However, these Japanese pirates are so cunning that they often plunder and harass. We, the soldiers of the Ming Dynasty, consider these people and fear that they will be retaliated and killed by the Japanese pirates, so we will send soldiers to Jeju Island permanently. That's all. !”

Tang Hao said with a smile.

"As for the horses in the Jeju ranch, they must have been robbed by Japanese pirates. What does it have to do with my Ming Dynasty?"

Everyone: "???"

Damn it?

Can you still play like this?

Can you please show some face?

Zuo Yidao was a little bit dumbfounded, and he didn't react until now.

Why did Tang Hou want to keep Shimazu Kikusaburo? The reason for co-writing is to prepare for this moment.

I don’t know whether the Japanese pirates will come, but Shimazu Kikusaburo will definitely come.

Especially when all the warriors of the Shimazu family became prisoners of the Ming soldiers, and only Shimazu Kikusaburo was left as a naked family governor. If he did not rely on the Ming soldiers who went back with him, the Shimazu family would It will be annexed by other daimyo immediately!

Therefore, this Shimazu family became a dog kept by the soldiers of the Beijing army in the Japanese country!

And if the soldiers of the Beijing Army occupy Jeju Island at this moment, they can completely become the retreat for the two soldiers lurking in the Japanese territory!

What’s more interesting is that the Satsuma Kingdom is very close to the northern country of the Ryukyu Mountains, plus this Jeju Island...

Tang Hou is playing a big game of chess!

"Let's get started!"

Tang Hao ordered lazily.

"Give those nearly a thousand Japanese pirates some inferior ordnance, and let Shimazu Kikusaburo lead them to plunder Jeju Island!"

When everyone heard this, they suddenly felt a chill.

These methods of my Lord Marquis are becoming more ruthless, despicable and shameless!

"The general will get the order!"