"Your Majesty, the seas are seething with turmoil, and Japanese pirates have ridden the winds to repeatedly harass Great Xia's coastal regions. I request permission to lead troops against them and protect the people of Great Xia!"
General of Cavalry Wei Guangliang stepped forward and spoke.
"Your Majesty, fighting the Japanese pirates would consume vast amounts of manpower and resources. Moreover, those pirates are extremely cunning. They usually retreat to sea after plundering a place, making their movements difficult to track. I believe a campaign against them is unfeasible."
A minister stepped forward and spoke.
Wei Guangliang immediately bristled. He turned toward the minister, his tone hostile:
"Are we supposed to let those Japanese pirates plunder our people at will? Minister Sun, what are your intentions in saying this? Or do you perhaps have a better solution?"
"I believe Your Majesty could impose a maritime ban, prohibiting anyone from going out to sea. This would not only guard against Japanese pirates but also prevent coastal residents from colluding with them and threatening Great Xia's rule."
Minister Sun argued his case.
[A maritime ban? My heavens! Absolutely not!]
Upon hearing a minister propose a maritime ban, Jiang Nuan, who had been somewhat distracted, immediately snapped back to attention.
When Minister Sun heard Jiang Nuan say this, his heart lurched. Was there something wrong with a maritime ban?
*[Although a maritime ban might curb the pirates' incursions to some extent and maintain stability along the coast for now, in the long run, it has far too many drawbacks!*
Once the ban is imposed, the coastal economy will definitely plummet. Those who depend on the sea for their living might be driven to piracy after losing their livelihoods.
*And Great Xia's maritime trade would suffer a tremendous blow. If other countries develop rapidly,