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I came across a reference to Hongwu, the first Emperor of the Ming dynasty, sending letters threatening to invade Japan in 1374, 1376, 1380 and 1381, probably due to piracy. Meanwhile, in that final year 1381, the Ming sent an army of 300 000 to invade Yunnan, which capitulated in a year.

What if he had decided to invade Japan instead? Hongwu was a bit temperamental, and a number of things could push him to decide to slap the Japanese around a bit.

How would such an invasion proceed? Would Hongwu attempt an invasion via Korea, as Kublai Khan had tried? How would the Joseon react?

Meanwhile, what of the Japanese response? This is the Nanbuko-cho period, with two imperial courts, the northern under the domination of the Ashikaga shoguns and the southern under more independent-minded emperors. OTL saw the centralization of authority under shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, but perhaps the southern court might ally with the invading Ming, and be brought into the Chinese tributary system as a vassal kingdom in exchange.

Meanwhile, Yunnan might hold out as a Yuan loyalist state for a bit longer, though it will probably be reconquered by China at some point (unless the invasions of Japan go really, really badly, of course).
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