Daming Yuanfu

Chapter 1981 Inside and Outside the Palace ([-]) The Wisdom of Meng Guzhe
It seems that anyone who understands military affairs knows that the expedition of the main force of the Han army in the Ming Dynasty to the Western Regions is a very difficult task.This is of course also a fact. After all, the Han army is a typical farming army. Not to mention that the main force of the army is usually infantry, even the cavalry is very dependent on logistics. They are not good at nomadic raids and local supplies. Law.

Of course, it doesn't mean that the cavalry of the Han army can't even find a place with rich water and grass on the grassland to feed their horses. There are actually other reasons for this problem.

Take the Mongols as an example. The fundamental reason why they were able to carry out ultra-long-distance high-speed expeditions lies in the Mongolian army’s way of life as herdsmen and the structure of the entire Mongolian army.

For example, during the Mongolian expedition to the west, the livestock of the Mongolian Empire often marched with the army on a large scale.Whether these livestock are horses, camels or cattle and sheep, they are actually very important production tools.In particular, horses and camels can not only be used to fight and carry goods, but most importantly, these two are often the source of some daily necessities for Mongolian soldiers.

When Mongolian soldiers went out to fight, they often carried multiple horses. These horses were not only used to change rides during combat, but also the dairy products made from the milk of mares were also an important source of food for Mongolian soldiers.And horsetail and horse mane can also be used to make rope.Livestock manure is a very important source of fuel.

The herdsmen's livestock are their means of production, so the army's expedition with a large number of livestock has guaranteed the supply of many necessities for their lives.

Of course, just carrying livestock is not enough to solve all the problems.Especially for the large number of horses, camels, cattle, sheep and other livestock that accompanied the Mongolian army, the forage and fresh water they needed were naturally also quite large.

Therefore, the march and conquest of the Mongolian army often had to rely on rich pastures for support.The combat method is very simple and clear: the cavalry unit goes first, if the opponent does not have strong bows or heavy armored infantry, then directly carry out heavy cavalry charge to drive the opponent into the city quickly;
If the opponent has strong bows and crossbows or a large army of heavy armored infantry, then shoot diagonally or fly a kite with Mangu, severely weaken the enemy army, and then rush to defeat and drive the opponent into the city.

At this time, you can carry out the siege and wait for your own follow-up supply troops and siege troops.Once the supply troops arrive, immediately set up camp and supply.Then, under several rounds of attacks by the siege troops, the city gate was broken, and the cavalry attacked again and broke through the city gate, breaking through the city and carrying out massacres.

After the invasion, the cavalry took a short rest, waited for the return of the front sentry, and immediately rushed to the next city, while the rear large troops left to pack up the loot and population.

Because of this, before the Mongolian army set off, it usually sent a small group of cavalry, or relied on businessmen to collect information, so as to ensure that the army's livestock would not suffer serious losses due to lack of sufficient food and drinking water.

If you compare the Mongolian Western Expedition with the migration routes of other nomadic peoples in the past, you will find that there is an amazing overlap between the two.It can be seen from this that the dependence of the Mongols on the pastures can be seen when marching, and it is not possible to walk blindly on any road.

By the way, during Mongolia's conquest of the Middle East, a phenomenon that often occurred was that the Mongols would consciously destroy the local farmland irrigation system.

On the one hand, this is to disintegrate the local resistance, and another very important reason is to force the farmland to be abandoned, so that the Mongols turned it into a pasture for marching.

But this very unethical approach doesn't work every time.In the Jordan Valley area, Hulagu withdrew his main force and left only a timid one without spending a partial division, largely because the pastures in the Jordan Valley area were not enough to maintain the huge herd of the Mongolian army.

Similarly, this problem also occurred in Europe. The dense forests in Eastern Europe made it difficult for the Mongols to maintain a long-term garrison there even if they conquered the Rus tribes, and use this as a base to expand their achievements.It is also because of this that Moscow talents were able to hoard power in the end, and finally counterattacked the Golden Horde, leading to the final decline of the Golden Horde.

Not only did the Mongols travel long distances in this way hundreds of years ago, even more than 30 years ago, the same was true for the Western Expedition sent by Altan Khan to cut off Huangtaiji—he did not take the Silk Road in Hehuang Instead, they crossed the prairie and directly attacked the Oala tribes.

Of course, Gao Yushi also knew about these situations. The general conclusion is: the Han army can only take the Silk Road when going west. Relying on its strong national power, it forcibly used money to "open the way" into the Western Regions, because the Han army did not have a large-scale livestock herd as supplies. source;

The Mongols' westward expedition could not take the ancient Silk Road, which was close to desertification, but had to go further north on the prairie, so as to ensure that the livestock herds would not suffer heavy losses due to lack of food and drinking water on the way.

Looking back at the westward flight of the Chahar people in the past few years, we will also find that the route they chose was the area where the Gobi and grassland intersect.The main reason for this is that if you go too deep into the grassland, you may be caught up and dragged by the Tumed people, and then driven by the Ming army, and the Ming and Mongolian allied forces will encircle and suppress them.So they can't leave the grassland, and they can't really run to the Gobi.

When Gao Yushi talked to Zhu Yijun before about his plan for the battle against Chahar in the Western Region, Zhu Yijun mentioned that the Yarkand region is too far away, "Unless you can persuade Tumote to go to the west again, this battle will not be easy to fight. "

But at that time, Gao Yushi didn't pick up the quarrel, but diverted the topic.This is not because Gao Yushi thinks the emperor's words are wrong. On the contrary, it is definitely the best way to persuade Tumed and Ordos—even the Mongols including the Horqin tribe to follow.

The reason why Gao Yushi was unwilling to take over at the time was mainly because the leaders of these Mongolian tribes were not ordinary courtiers. If he wanted to persuade them to send troops, he must show corresponding benefits, and it was best to convince them that such a move would not give What a loss this tribe has brought.

In short, it is to make a profit, at least make sure not to lose money.It was profit that could control them back then, so obviously, profit is also needed to drive them now.

The reason why Gao Yushi didn't take up the fight at the time was because the news came out of nowhere to him, and he hadn't thought of any benefits to make a deal with Tumote and the others, so of course he couldn't just take it up.

But now he has an idea, and he can discuss it at home.When he said that he could use the Mongol forces of Tumed, Ordos, and Horqin, both Huang Zhiting and Liu Xin agreed, but when it came to exchanging benefits, the two of them couldn't help but frown.

It's not that I don't want to give benefits, but what to give.According to Gao Yushi, the imperial court needed to prepare "2000 million taels of silver, 300 million shi of military rations, and at least [-] camels" for this purpose.Even if they are not household ministers, they know that this is no easy task for the court.Since the court itself is in great difficulty, what else can it give to the Mongols?

"The Mongols used to seem to like Ming's luxury goods very much. If my concubine remembers correctly, silk, porcelain, gold and jade wares have always been a very important part of the goods Jinghua sold to them." Liu Xin is Secretary-General, although she is not in charge of business, she still has some understanding.

Huang Zhiting frowned and said, "This may be the truth, but if it's about an expedition of thousands of miles, tens of thousands or even more troops need to be mobilized, I'm afraid it's not enough to just increase the supply of luxury goods to them?"

Gao Wushi thought for a while, then suddenly turned his head and said to Meng Guzhe: "Meng Gu, Yehe is the one with the deepest connection with Mongolia among the Jurchen tribes. Its territory is also close to Mongolia and has a close relationship with Horqin. In your opinion, Mongolian Apart from liking the luxury goods of Ming Dynasty, what other hobbies do people have? In other words, what else is there that they can't get?"

Meng Gu Zhezhe has always been the one among the highly pragmatic monogamous and three concubines who intervenes the least in government affairs and military affairs, and usually expresses his stance on these matters less than Jia Feiji.Unless Gao Yushi asks directly, she seldom expresses her views actively, and she often seems the most harmless to humans and animals.

This is in line with her posthumous evaluation as one of the four great concubines of Nurhachi in the original history: "Hou Zhuang is respectful and intelligent, with a gentle and smooth style of speech. He is not happy with reputation, but he is happy when he hears bad words. It is not easy to flatter. Don't believe in slander, don't listen to falsehoods, don't speak falsely. Don't predict unexpected events, and put everything into consideration with all sincerity."

However, Gao Yushi does not think that Meng Gu Zhezhe has no opinion and ability—joke, she has no ability and can cultivate Huang Taiji who is far more powerful than Nurhachi?
You must know that Huang Taiji's power was not only manifested after he became the Houjin Great Khan, in fact, Huang Taiji was already very powerful before that.This kind of power can be seen from the fact that he can become a great sweat, because at that time he faced at least six major disadvantages if he wanted to become a great sweat.

First, he lost his mother when he was young.Huang Taiji's biological mother is Yehenala's Menggu Zhezhe. In the original history, she was married to 14-year-old Nurhachi at the age of 30.Huang Taiji lost his mother when he was 12 years old, and Meng Gu Zhezhe was only 29 years old at that time. This was the first disadvantage for Huang Taiji to inherit the throne.

Second, my father is too busy.Ten years before Nurhachi raised his army, he was troubled by internal and external troubles, powerful enemies were everywhere, and he had no time to take care of others. Naturally, he had no time to take care of him, so Huang Taiji had great difficulties in his youth.This is the second unfavorable condition for Huang Taiji to inherit the throne.

Third, the grandfather's enemies.Huang Taiji's grandfather, Ye Hebu, and Jianzhoubu began to be enemies for a long time shortly after their marriage.Yehebeilebuzhai once rallied nine coalition forces to attack Jianzhou, but was defeated.According to a book, Nurhaci ordered that Buzhai's body be split in half, and one half should be returned to Yehe, and the other half should be left in Jianzhou.From then on, Yehe and Jianzhou forged a sworn feud.This is the third unfavorable condition for Huang Taiji to inherit the throne.

Fourth, the ranking is in the middle.Huang Taiji has 16 brothers and two cousins ​​(Amin and Jierhalang). He is neither the eldest nor the youngest.According to the Manchurian customs formed under the influence of Mongolia, the elders made military achievements, while the younger ones received preferential treatment (such as the youngest son inheritance system). Huang Taiji did not get the benefits of both sides.This is the fourth unfavorable condition for Huang Taiji to inherit the throne.

Fifth, there are no compatriots.Huang Taiji's elder brothers, Chu Ying and Dai Shan are compatriots of the same mother; his fifth brother Mang Gurtai has younger brother De Gelei and younger sister Mang Guji Gege; his fourteenth brother Dorgon has both Brother Azig, and younger brother Doduo.But Huang Taiji was quite lonely, without his mother and brothers to support him.This is the fifth unfavorable condition for Huang Taiji to inherit the throne.

Sixth, the mother is not sealed.Although Meng Gu Zhezhe was favored during his lifetime, he did not achieve Dafujin, that is, he did not have the title of queen.Her empress title was posthumously given by Huang Taiji after she became the "Emperor of the Qing Dynasty".So it's fine if Huang Taiji is not the eldest son, and he's not the first son.This is the sixth unfavorable condition for Huang Taiji to inherit the throne.

It is true that the six unfavorable factors in Huang Taiji's youth life have in turn prompted him to develop an important character: one is self-reliance, since he has lost some support, he can only rely on his own inspirational struggle; It is necessary to coordinate the relationship between upper and lower, left and right, and win sympathizers and supporters; the third is scheming, to survive and develop in the cracks of the complex relationship between family brothers, internal and external officials; Establish prestige among father Khan, brothers and officials.

However, if Meng Gu Zhezhe had not laid the foundation for Huang Taiji's basic character and personality during his lifetime, why would only Huang Taiji be able to develop the above-mentioned qualities in the later period?The so-called "three-year-old is old", although this is a bit exaggerated, it also shows that the influence and edification a child receives when he is young is often very important.

Meng Gu Zhezhe's own performance can be summed up by "indisputable" to a large extent, but her "indisputable" is not necessarily a lack of initiative, but a strategy.

Yehe and Jianzhou were already life-and-death enemies at that time. If she was aggressive, she would be disgusted by generals at all levels in Jianzhou, let alone Nurhachi could tolerate it.However, the power of Jianzhou rests with Nurhachi alone, so Meng Gu Zhezhe must behave extremely obediently, without any appearance of indiscriminate thinking.

Only in this way can he not be the first bird, and make his son Huang Taiji appear weak, so that he will not be persecuted and can grow up smoothly.

Immediately afterwards, there was her behavior when she was dying, which seemed ordinary, but in fact she probably left the last political legacy for Huang Taiji: when she was dying of illness, she asked Nurhachi to let her see her mother Nurhachi immediately sent someone to invite her, but obviously Ye He would not agree, so she passed away with regret.

Why is this a political legacy?Of course she knew that Ye He and Jianzhou were already in conflict at this time, and it was not easy to meet Ye He's family members, and there was a high probability that it would not be possible.

If she said she wanted to see her brother, Nurhachi would definitely be suspicious, but she just wanted to see her mother, which made Nurhachi think that this move was just human nature, and immediately supported her and sent someone to invite her.

But Meng Gu Zhezhe was afraid that the mother could not come, and this was exactly what she wanted-oh, she might not want it herself, but she knew that her son needed it.

Because, once Nurhachi, who dotes on her, finds that he can't satisfy her such a simple dying wish, he must feel guilty, and this guilt will inevitably be transferred to her son because he lost his partner.

This is why Meng Gu Zhezhe clearly knew that this seemingly simple request could not be met, yet he decided to make it clear to Nurhachi.

This is the last shadow she can leave for her son in front of her husband as the "daughter of the enemy".It can be seen from this that Meng Gu Zhezhe is by no means a person without clever means. She has created the greatest benefits for her son under extremely passive conditions.

So in this life, why is she so restrained in Gao's family, even more silent and less involved in "business" than Jia Feiji who was born in Japan?

If Huang Zhiting's wife's status is as stable as Mount Tai, she knows that she can't compare with it; Liu Xin and Gao Yushi have been friends for many years, and they are the chief executives of the entire Jinghua, so they can't compete with him.So, is it that she, who was born in Yehe, can't even compare with Narita Kai, who was born in a small daimyo family in Japan?

After all, Yehe's tribe is also one of the top four Jurchens. In name, it is even the strongest Jurchen at present, with a standing strength of more than [-] soldiers and horses, including a large number of cavalry.

What about the Narita family?During the Battle of Ninja Castle, Narita Kai had only 800 regular troops in his hands, and his father, Chief Narita, led 300 people to support Odawara Castle.In other words, the total strength of the regular army of the Narita family at that time was only [-].In the Battle of Ninja Castle, the [-] farmers and soldiers that Narita Changkin and Narita Kai collected together can only barely be regarded as second-line reserves.

Therefore, from the perspective of military strength, Ye He's strength can be said to be far stronger than Narita.

Then look at the territory.Ye He's territory is about one-third the size of Liaodong Town. Narita had only one Ninja Castle at the beginning, but now it has been transferred to Yusheng City, but there is still only one city. Yehe's territory is at least ten times larger than Narita.

Of course, it is not scientific enough to just look at the size of the territory, at least it depends on the population.

How many people does Ye He control?Before and after Meng Gu Zhezhe married Gao Yushi, the Yehe tribe had robbed a lot of territory and population from the Hada tribe. At that time, the population under their control was about 14, making them the number one Jurchen.Later, I followed Gao Wushi and took a few more waves of bonuses, and snatched a lot from the Mongols. Now the entire tribe has about [-] people.

What about the Narita family?In the Sagami country where Tamashiro Castle is located, the Taiko inspection ground has a stone height of 22 shi and a population of about 17.However, this is the whole country of Sagami, among which Odawara Castle is the most populous city, and the strength of the remaining cities is much worse.For example, Misaki Castle, where Jinghua is based, and Tamawa Castle, which is owned by the Narita family, actually have a population of only 4 to [-].

If it must be said that Meng Gu Zhezhe is obviously inferior to Narita Kai, it is probably that Narita Kai used to have military merits, that is to say, he had military talent, but Meng Gu Zhezhe obviously did not show this ability.

The reason why this point is counted is because Gao Yushi has three wives and three concubines, only Meng Gu Zhezhe has never led a soldier!Huang Zhiting, Liu Xin, and Jia Feiji were all people who had led troops to fight, especially Huang Zhiting, the wife of the wife, who had commanded the army to fight the war of destroying the country.

Therefore, although Gao Yushi never mentioned it himself, in Meng Gu Zhezhe's view, this must be his disadvantage in facing them.However, it is obviously impossible for her to return to Yehe to lead troops now, so she cannot equalize this disadvantage, so she can only find ways to make up for it elsewhere.

Since your strength is that you can fight, then I have no choice but to make myself look more like a woman, do not exceed the rules, do not talk too much, do not interfere, be good to myself, and serve the master properly.

This strategy was quite successful. Not only did Gao Yushi think that she knew how to measure, Huang Zhiting, Liu Xin and even Jia Feiji all had a good relationship with Meng Gu Zhezhe.Especially Jia Feiji, she thinks that Meng Gu Zhezhe's status in Gaofu is the most similar to her own, not only does not regard Meng Gu Zhezhe as a competitor, but is the closest to him.

Facing the highly pragmatic question, Meng Gu Zhezhe's answer was also very simple: "Returning to the master, like Ye He, all he wants is a prosperous population, good business, and help from the court in case of black and white disasters. Although Ye He is similar, there are also some differences. I think that apart from the above, there is another need that the court may not have paid special attention to in Mongolia."

She first erased anything that could be associated with "ambition" for Ye He, and then aroused Gao Wushi's curiosity about the "special needs" of the Mongols.Gao Wushi really asked, "What needs?"

Meng Gu Zhezhe said: "Eastern Mongolia claims to be orthodox in Mongolia, and Tumed has always coveted Chahar's 'orthodox' status. Therefore, if you ask the Tumed people what they need right now...then I'm afraid it's Ming as the suzerain state. recognition of its Mongol orthodoxy."
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PS: This chapter is 5K, and the extra 1K counts as my pre-stored recharge... Cough, to be serious, I scrapped a draft when writing this chapter, because I suddenly remembered that I should not forget the original intention-my original intention is that the female characters next to the protagonist should not have vases , Then I looked back and felt that Huang Zhiting, Liu Xin, and Jia Feiji had more or less met the requirements in my mind, but the portrayal of Meng Gu Zhezhe and Yongning Princess was still weak, and I should give some ink.Therefore, this chapter starts with Meng Gu Zhezhe's portrayal, and the eldest princess may have to wait because of the plot structure.

(End of this chapter)