Before Zhu Jianying could figure out how to use Japan's short, squat soldiers to provoke England, the fleet where the Emperor of the Great Ming was located had already sailed to the Great Ming's military base in Chennai.
Among the dozens of overseas military bases of the Great Ming, the Chennai military base was not large in scale. Its permanent garrison was only three thousand soldiers, and the number of warships was pathetically small, with only three. One of them was a troop transport ship primarily used for transferring soldiers.
Zhu Jianying somewhat failed to understand why the Grand Secretariat of the Five Military Commissions had established a military base in Chennai. From a geographical perspective, Chennai was already considered within the Great Ming's inland sea, and theoretically, no one could threaten Chennai. From an economic standpoint, Chennai was far inferior to Pune in the west or Old Port in the southeast.
With the attitude of asking directly if he didn't understand, Zhu Jianying directly posed his doubts to the Emperor of the Great Ming. The Emperor of the Great Ming, however, mysteriously told Zhu Jianying that the Chennai military base would soon play its role.
The Chennai military base was an important link for the Emperor of the Great Ming targeting England. Although the Great Ming's troop strength at the Chennai military base was somewhat lacking, the Great Ming still had one hundred thousand Japanese samurai warriors available in India!
After that, no matter how much Zhu Jianying pressed, the Emperor of the Great Ming did not say another word.
This continued until Luo Hong, the leader of the Great Ming's Chennai military base, summoned Yamamoto Twenty-Eight.
Theoretically, Luo Hong, the leader of the Great Ming's Chennai military base, only had three thousand men under his command. Yamamoto Twenty-Eight, on the other hand, was responsible for commanding fifty thousand of the one hundred thousand Japanese ronin warriors in India, so Yamamoto Twenty-Eight's status should have been higher than Luo Hong's.
However, in reality, Yamamoto Twenty-Eight was no better than a dog in front of Luo Hong, let alone comparable to cattle and horses.
This disparity had nothing to do with the difference in troop numbers or military ranks, but rather with the national strength behind them.
Luo Hong was equivalent to the supreme commander of the one hundred thousand Japanese warriors in India.
As for the Emperor of the Great Ming... Although the Emperor of the Great Ming often boasted and chatted with the old farmers in the fields of the Great Ming, when it came to important matters, it would be more appropriate for the Emperor of the Great Ming to summon the King of Japan or the current leader of the Tokugawa Shogunate, Tokugawa Ienari. A mere Yamamoto Twenty-Eight was not qualified to be summoned by the Emperor of the Great Ming.
After Yamamoto Twenty-Eight rushed to the Great Ming's Chennai military base, Luo Hong got straight to the point and said, "I have a task for you to undertake. If you do it well, you will be rewarded handsomely. But if you mess it up, not only you and I will suffer, but your entire Japan will also face misfortune."
Yamamoto Twenty-Eight was startled and immediately bowed his head, saying, "Hai! Please instruct me, Commander!"
Luo Hong smiled and nodded, then inexplicably said, "I heard that your Japanese warriors went missing in Sri Lanka for no reason?"
Yamamoto Twenty-Eight was momentarily unsure and could only stammer in response, "Perhaps, possibly, maybe they are missing?"
Luo Hong chuckled and said, "In the second year of the Sheng Dynasty, a few wild boars from the Great Ming ran into Myanmar and caused a lot of damage to the crops of the Burmese people. To capture these wild boars, the Grand Governor of the Forward Military Command of the Great Ming ordered fifty thousand troops to enter Myanmar to hunt for pigs, and the casualties were quite heavy."
Hearing Luo Hong's words, Yamamoto Twenty-Eight, who was already confused, became even more bewildered.
Regarding the conquest of Myanmar in the second year of the Sheng Dynasty, Yamamoto Twenty-Eight had heard some news, but this was more than ten years ago. The soldiers of the Great Ming who participated in the war back then had long since been replaced by new generations. Therefore, Yamamoto Twenty-Eight did not understand what had actually happened back then.
For example, the news Yamamoto Twenty-Eight heard was that the Great Ming army, while dealing with the Annamese wild monkeys, had also dealt with Myanmar incidentally, and he had not heard anything about wild boars.
As for the casualties... it couldn't be said that the Great Ming army suffered no casualties, at least not to the extent of the phrase "casualties were quite heavy."
Or rather, it should have been the Burmese army that suffered heavy casualties, right?
They were all destroyed as a nation!
Now, according to Commander Luo, how could it be related to wild boars and heavy casualties?
Seeing Yamamoto Twenty-Eight's bewildered expression, Luo Hong couldn't help but sneer inwardly. These short, squat fellows are just short, squat fellows. I've been so obvious, yet this short, squat fellow still hasn't understood my meaning?
Out of helplessness, Luo Hong coughed and said, "Since a few ronin warriors are lost in Sri Lanka, as the Commander of the Great Ming's forces in India, shouldn't you find them?"
However, to Luo Hong's surprise, even after he had said it so clearly, that short, squat fellow Yamamoto Twenty-Eight still hesitated, "This... Sri Lanka is a colony of England, and England is one of the five benevolent persons of the small broken pot. If His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Ming knew that we were unauthorized..."
Luo Hong's face immediately darkened. "Yamamoto, the flagship of His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Ming, the Tianzi, is anchored in Chennai Port. Would you like to go and pay your respects to His Majesty and impeach this commander for instigating you to go to war with England?"
Yamamoto Twenty-Eight was immediately dumbfounded.
The news that the Emperor of the Great Ming's flagship, the Tianzi, had arrived in Chennai Port might be known to the Great Ming's military headquarters, and the leader of the Great Ming's Chennai military base, Luo Hong, might know. How could he, a mere leader of Japanese ronin warriors, have the qualification to know?
Moreover, even if Luo Hong had unauthorizedly instigated the Japanese ronin warriors in India to go to war with England, it was not Yamamoto Twenty-Eight's place to impeach him. If it were the Shogun Tokugawa Ienari, he might still have the qualification to impeach!
With this thought, Yamamoto Twenty-Eight immediately bowed his head and said, "Hai! Yamamoto understands. After I return, I will organize the warriors and make sure to find the lost ronin warriors in Sri Lanka, even if it means searching the entire island of Sri Lanka!"
Luo Hong's expression finally eased a bit. "Go. Once you find those Japanese warriors, this commander will write to the military headquarters to request commendations for you!"
Upon receiving Luo Hong's promise, Yamamoto Twenty-Eight became instantly excited. What Japan, what shogunate, were all cast aside by Yamamoto Twenty-Eight! With the commander of the Great Ming's overseas military bases personally writing to the military headquarters to request commendations for him, he was one step closer to obtaining Great Ming household registration! Once he had Great Ming household registration, what was Tokugawa Ienari compared to him!
Thinking of the various benefits of becoming a citizen of the Great Ming, Yamamoto Twenty-Eight could no longer contain his excitement. He immediately rose to bid farewell to Luo Hong and hurried back to organize the Japanese ronin warriors.
Only then did Zhu Jianying understand the Emperor of the Great Ming's plan.
However, Zhu Jianying expressed some doubt: "Although Japan has one hundred thousand ronin warriors in India, England also has a large number of troops in Sri Lanka and countless miners under their command. With a little armament, they can form a large army. Relying on these short, squat fellows from Japan..."
The Emperor of the Great Ming chuckled and instructed Luo Hong, who had come to report the news, "Tell him how England's East India Company views those short, squat fellows."
Upon receiving the Emperor of the Great Ming's order, Luo Hong immediately bowed to Zhu Jianying and said, "Reporting to His Highness the First Prince, those from England's East India Company are less like an army and more like a group of desperate individuals seeking wealth. On the other hand, these short, squat fellows from Japan are less like ronin warriors and more like an army. Therefore, England's East India Company basically fears the short, squat fellows from Japan as they would a tiger."
Zhu Jianying was even more bewildered. In the capital of the Great Ming, there were quite a few short, squat fellows from Japan. However, those short, squat fellows not only did not dare to conflict with the common people of the Great Ming, but they were also cautious even when walking or breathing. Any slight mistake would lead to a series of bows and apologies.
Zhu Jianying even had the feeling that any squad of the capital's Imperial Guard could easily beat the short, squat fellows in the capital of the Great Ming like dogs.
Because of this, Zhu Jianying could not possibly associate the short, squat fellows from Japan with the phrase "fearing them as a tiger."
Seeing Zhu Jianying's bewildered expression, the Emperor of the Great Ming simply chuckled and instructed Luo Hong again, "Tell him about the combat achievements of those short, squat fellows and their glorious deeds."
After Luo Hong recounted the combat achievements and various "glorious deeds" of the short, squat fellows from Japan in India, Zhu Jianying was completely flustered. After a while, he murmured, "In that case, I have underestimated those short, squat fellows."
Luo Hong smiled and said, "It's not that His Highness the First Prince underestimated them, but rather that the short, squat fellows from Japan were originally like this."
"This subordinate remembers His Majesty once said: Japanese barbarians, though human in form, are in reality beasts. When weak, they are submissive; when strong, they are thieves and bandits. Such is their nature."
"When facing stronger individuals than themselves, they are eager to put their heads on the ground. However, when facing weaker individuals than themselves, they are extremely ferocious."
"For example, in India, Toyotomi Kojiro created the 'Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere' in India, supporting local Indians and recruiting laborers. Later, Yamamoto Twenty-Eight implemented the 'Three Light' policy. To recruit laborers, these short, squat fellows essentially resorted to any means possible."
Zhu Jianying nodded and simply bypassed this topic. If they continued to talk, it would lead to the recruitment of laborers, and if they studied the recruitment of laborers, it would lead to the Great Ming's use of laborers.
After thinking for a moment, Zhu Jianying looked at Luo Hong and asked, "In Commander Luo's opinion, can those short, squat fellows from Japan conquer Sri Lanka in one fell swoop?"
Luo Hong first nodded, then shook his head. "Reporting to His Highness the First Prince, in my opinion, those short, squat fellows from Japan can at most sweep away England's East India Company in Sri Lanka, but they may not be able to conquer the entire island of Sri Lanka in one fell swoop."
Before Zhu Jianying could ask, Luo Hong immediately explained, "Although Sri Lanka is not very large, it is definitely not too small for those ten thousand short, squat fellows from Japan. This is the first point."
"Secondly, although England's East India Company is insufficient in troop strength, they have many miners under their command. As long as the English promise benefits, they will not worry about those miners not being used by them."
"Thirdly, although England is thousands of miles away, its maritime strength is not weak. Although it cannot compare to our Great Ming, it is still stronger than France, let alone Japan."
"Therefore, it is not easy for those short, squat fellows from Japan to conquer Sri Lanka in one fell swoop. It would be normal for it to take half a year or even a year."
Zhu Jianying nodded, then humbly asked, "What if it were our Great Ming?"
Luo Hong was stunned. After the Emperor of the Great Ming nodded in consent, he bowed and replied, "Reporting to His Highness the First Prince, if our Great Ming were to conquer Sri Lanka, it would take at most three months, and at least half a month."
This time, it was Zhu Jianying's turn to be bewildered.
Luo Hong had just said that those short, squat fellows from Japan were more appropriately described as an army than ronin warriors. The Great Ming's troop strength at the Chennai military base was only three thousand, while the number of those short, squat fellows reached one hundred thousand!
Just as Zhu Jianying was racking his brain to understand, the Emperor of the Great Ming smiled and pointed to the globe on the desk. "How many military bases does our Great Ming have in India? How many military bases are there near Old Port?"
"Although the troop strength in these military bases is not too large, it is not difficult to draw thirty to fifty thousand troops. Coupled with warships to blockade the waters around Sri Lanka, England cannot provide support from the sea, and those people from England's East India Company will become trapped beasts, unable to escape even if they had wings."
"Commander Luo's mention of three months at most refers to those people from England's East India Company putting up a desperate resistance and engaging in protracted guerrilla warfare after occupying Sri Lanka. If it were a frontal confrontation, it might not even take half a month."
"As for those short, squat fellows, they do not have any decent warships. They can neither carry out large-scale troop deployment nor completely blockade the waters around Sri Lanka. Furthermore, their troop strength and equipment are similar to those of England's East India Company. How can they achieve a swift victory?"
"However, precisely because of this, the short, squat fellows are the best candidates to provoke England. The news of our father and son's arrival in Chennai is confidential. Therefore, once the short, squat fellows make a move, England will inevitably be forced to dispatch troops to support them. And when England dispatches troops, it will be the best time for our Great Ming to counter England."
Zhu Jianying frowned and asked, "But who can guarantee that England will definitely dispatch troops to support the East India Company in Sri Lanka? If England does not directly dispatch troops, but instead resolves this matter through the small broken pot, what should be done?"
The Emperor of the Great Ming chuckled and said, "What to do? Nothing! Who decides whether England will dispatch troops to support Sri Lanka? Is it George III, or the English Parliament? Is George III influenced by Parliament? Similarly, who decides about the small broken pot? Is it decided by our Great Ming, or by England?"