Haisheng Mingdi

Chapter 833 Attack from all sides
Gaochang Seoul is not too far from the old city of Turpan, less than [-] miles east of Turpan city.

Built on an island-shaped platform, next to it is the old city of Jiaohe, which was built by Cheshi people. After the Han and Tang Dynasties, it was finally weakened and destroyed during the Chagatai period.

The former Jiaohe Old City has gone through the vicissitudes of life, and only the ruins and walls are left.The drought and lack of rain in Turpan allowed the old city to preserve its basic shape. The rammed-earth version of the city wall can vaguely be seen in shape and layout similar to that of Chang'an City in the Tang Dynasty. In the city, the city's wells, government offices, Buddhist temples, streets and alleys, as well as workshops, dwellings, You can still find clay bodhisattvas in the school grounds, in the trenches and even in the monasteries.

Because the river diverges and flows around under the platform, it is named Jiaocheng.

Once guarding the east-west strategic route, it was once the center of the Turpan Basin.

Now Daming builds a new Gaochang city next to it, without touching the historical old city, and builds a brand new city on an island next to it.

Gaochang New City is similar to the layout of many new cities in the Western Regions of the Ming Army. It adopts a double castle model with one large and one small. The large one is an earthen city built with rammed earth, with a larger area. , Minfang, and handicraft workshops, warehouses, schools, etc.

Next to it is a fortress that focuses on military functions. It adopts the bastion design commonly used in the Shaotian Dynasty. The bastion is much smaller than the Tucheng, but it is an out-and-out war fortress. The fort is designed to hold [-] troops and store a large amount of gunpowder, water, food, etc. There are no other personnel in it except the garrison.

Bastion defense, Tucheng residence and industry.

The advantage of such separation is to strengthen the defense capability of the fort.

On the construction site, many captives from Yarkand and Hexi rioters were working. There were also herdsmen and craftsmen sent by the Turpan Khanate and Durbet to help build the city, and they were very busy.

Spring to summer solstice.

In a blink of an eye, the summer of the seventh year of Shaotian arrived, and the Western Regions became more lively. Turpan was dry and rainless, and the summer was extremely hot.

"After taking Tsushima Island, Zhu Chenggong is now going south to the Ryukyu Islands. He is at war with the Shimadzu family of the Satsuma Kagoshima Domain. The battle is going well. It is expected that Satsuma will be completely driven out of the islands this year. Ryukyu Wang is also very active in helping.”

In the ancient city of Jiaohe, Zhu Yihai was carefully looking at the ruins of the ancient city, while listening to Yan Wogong's report that the emperor himself sat in the Western Regions, leaving only two cabinet ministers to accompany him, and Wen Anzhi and others returned after the beginning of spring Beijing.

The situation in the Western Regions is in the midst of a fierce game, and the conflict is becoming more and more intense, but in other places, there is no peace.

Zhu Chenggong is now the admiral of the Andong camp, Wu Sangui is the long history, Sun Kewang is the Sima, and Li Chengdong is the deputy admiral. These four people are not idle people. The Andong camp has a total of 3 people under its jurisdiction, and it is also a strong army.

Andong Camp also has the most elite naval fleet. When Wu Sangui passed by, Zhu Chenggong had already made good progress in Japan. First, he used the Jeju Port leased by the imperial court as his forward base, and then supported the Matsuura family of the Hirado Domain to raise troops and collapse. Economically, he wooed the coastal feudal lords for smuggling, borrowed money from the Matsuura family to recruit ronin warriors, and sold ships to them to form a pirate fleet to harass Edo and other places.

Zhu Chenggong first took the Goto Islands, then took Tsushima Island, and then turned around and sent troops to the Ryukyu Islands.

In the early Ming Dynasty, the Ryukyu Islands had their own country, Shannan, Shanbei and Zhongshan, all of which paid tribute to Ming Dynasty, and later Zhongshan unified the archipelago.

Because it is located on an important sea route, it is called the Jinliang of Wan Guo, and has always been a loyal vassal of the Ming Dynasty.

At the end of the Ming Dynasty, the Satsuma Shimadzu family invaded and forced them by force. The Ryukyu Kingdom continued to pay tribute to the Central Plains, but at the same time paid tribute to the Shimadzu family, forming a relationship between the two families. The Shimadzu family had strict control over Ryukyu. Tributary trade in the Central Plains.

Now that there is a civil strife in Japan, although Satsuma also had conflicts with the Tokugawa shogunate, he finally chose King Qin to fight against the rebellion. He not only sent troops to crusade against the Matsuura Party, but also sent troops to the Ryukyu Islands again.After Zhu Chenggong won Tsushima, he did not land directly again, but immediately went south to Ryukyu.

Regardless of whether Shimadzu's plan to fight Zhoushan is true or not, Zhu Chenggong can't make any mistakes.

What's more, the Shimadzu army landed on Ryukyu again. From the perspective of Anton Xingying, it was also a great opportunity to take the opportunity to enter Ryukyu and enter the archipelago in a straightforward manner.

Sima Wu Sangui, who had just arrived in Japan, was also strongly in favor of sending troops to Liuqiu. Although Hirado Matsuura's family hoped that the Ming army's navy could cooperate with the attack on Kyushu Island and help them take the entire Kyushu Island first, but whether it was Zhu Chenggong, Wu Sangui, or Sun Keep watch, no one is stupid.

Why did Daming want to work for the Matsuura family?

"Anton's performance in the camp is good, he is steady and steady, he is not in a hurry, it is very good."

The emperor praised him. Although Zhu Chenggong was still young, his performance was already very good. He hadn't practiced in vain these years. In just seven or eight years, he had really experienced it. sophistication.

It is a good thing to take some of the outer islands first and not rush to attack the main islands.

Especially the Ryukyu Kingdom has always been dissatisfied with Satsuma's invasion and coercion. The Shaotian Dynasty's liberalization of trade was very good for the Ryukyu Kingdom. They also took advantage of this wind to enjoy a lot of dividends. They are naturally more willing to get close to Daming.

This time, Zhu Chenggong also went under the banner of rescuing Ryukyu and driving Satsuma away. With their local support, everything went smoothly.He won several consecutive victories, and he was not in a hurry to drive Satsuma away immediately. In terms of strength, he also went to the East China Sea to fight away from the Ryukyu. Zhu Chenggong's Andong Camp is stronger. With the East China Sea Fleet as the main force, after ten years of development, the strength of the Ming navy has grown by leaps and bounds. It bought sailing warships from Portugal, Spain, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom, partnered with them to build shipyards to build warships, and dug craftsmen to design and build new warships. Cooperating with those new naval guns, as well as the training of professional new military academies such as the Naval Academy and the Naval Academy, the current navy has really entered the sea from the inland water.

In comparison, Satsuma's warships are more than an era behind, and they can still be used on the coast. In the East China Sea, they are no opponents of the Ming army. They did not fight the Ming army much. Land operations on the Ryukyu Islands.

But there is a shortage of cavalry, and the power of guns and guns lags behind that of the Ming army. In addition, the number of troops is not large, and they do not have the support of the Ryukyu natives. They can only defend some forts for defense. Under the bombardment, they all fell one by one.

Zhu Chenggong did not destroy them immediately. On the surface, it seemed that the Japanese army was tenacious and the fortress was strong. In fact, it was just intentional, and the purpose was to develop in Ryukyu.

Now a series of aid and cooperation agreements have been reached with Ryukyu. The Ming army has set up concessions here, set up concession areas in some key cities of Ryukyu, and cooperated in all aspects of trade and military affairs.

The Ming army is now directly building ports, barracks, forts, and concession workshops in Ryukyu. This means that they don’t plan to leave after they come.

Daming wants to take this opportunity to strengthen its control over the vassal of Ryukyu. In fact, the imperial court has established a new Ryukyu Protectorate in Ryukyu. The King of Ryukyu also serves as the Ryukyu Protector. Sima of the government.

Although he was only the third in command of the Duhufu, the officials of Daming directly appointed important positions in the Duhufu. Obviously, this was an important step for Ming to fully and forcefully intervene in the control of Ryukyu.

The Andong Camp is still helping the Ryukyu Kingdom to build a new army, both sea and land. The leader of this new army is the Prince of Ryukyu, but Sima is Li Chengdong, the deputy admiral of the Andong Camp. The instructors and staff in the new army are basically It was sent by Anton's camp.

Even their weapons and equipment, after the Ryukyu Kingdom signed an arms purchase agreement with Daming, first borrowed money from Daming, and then purchased armaments and equipment for the new army, and even the military salaries of the new army were paid with the agreed loan.

Ryukyu used the customs of Ryukyu as collateral for the loan, and handed over the customs directly to Daming for management. Part of the proceeds was deducted from the principal and interest of the loan, and part of it was handed over to the Ryukyu Kingdom.

The King of Ryukyu is very satisfied with these proposals from Ming Dynasty, and he can form a new army of thousands of people without having to pay a penny himself, without having to pay for equipment or even military pay. As for the customs, the Ming army will be in charge of it, and they will collect customs duties , They don't care, anyway, they don't need to pay directly from the treasury or the king's treasury, which means that they don't spend money.

Other leases of ports, establishment of concessions, etc., are not a big deal. They can attract Ming troops to station, which are free bodyguards, and it is even better for them to come to build a business hall and start a workshop.

For a small country like Ryukyu, they can't even beat a big name from the Wa country. Now Daming is willing to stand up for them, and can also trade with them in an all-round way, and borrow money to help build a new army, whether it is to fight the Japanese devils or build a new army. , They don’t need them to pay for their food and salaries. The Ryukyu Wang Shangshi accepted this kind of good thing without even thinking about it.

As for Ming Dynasty, they did not intend to directly annex Ryukyu by force. It would be too ugly to do so. After all, it has been a vassal state for more than 200 years, but it cannot be the same as before. Garrison and trade are all necessary.

"Tell Zhu Chenggong that the Ryukyu side should be more patient and don't rush for quick success. The current main task of the Andong camp is to support the downfall of the Matsuura Party. North Korea, Ryukyu, and Japan are all in charge of the Andong camp."

Wu Sangui and Sun Shouwang used to assist Zhu Chenggong, and there was also Li Chengdong, a strong general. Basically, there was no need to worry too much. As long as the Matsuura Party was not wiped out by Tokugawa, it didn’t matter how long the Japanese civil war lasted. Da Ming was not in a hurry to let Matsuura replace him. The longer the Tokugawa family fights, the more chaotic it is, the better it will be for Daming. While supporting their civil war, they can also sell arms and engage in smuggling trade. There is still a gap in the strength of the Matsuura Party to fight against Tokugawa. It is inevitable to rely more and more on the support of the Ming army, whether it is smuggling trade, mining or mining, or even directly cede land and pay tribute. At that time, they will become obedient puppets.

"How about Annan's camp?"

The admiral of the Annan camp is Zeng Ying, the chief is Hong Chengchou, Sima is Long Zaitian, and the deputy admiral is Yuan Zongdi. This team is also very good.

"Annan's battalion has also been gaining momentum recently. It crossed Lang Son to Beijiang a year ago, and launched a new round of offensive a year later. It defeated Lord Zheng's troops in Beijiang and directly drank the horses from the Baiteng River. Lord Zheng defended against the river. Zeng Ying asked Hong Chengchou to transfer the Nanyang Fleet from Qinzhou to attack from the sea. Hong Chengchou's navy went down the coast, and Zheng's coastal cities were vulnerable.
Hong Chengchou successfully arrived at the mouth of the Baiteng River, and now he landed at the mouth of the Baiteng River. Yuan Zongdi captured a town and renamed it Haimen Town. He built a fort here to garrison troops and store supplies, and then the navy continued to move up the river. It is expected that it will not be long. Zeng Ying and Hong Chengchou They are about to join forces upstream, and the Zheng family is also gathering soldiers and horses, preparing to fight to the death. "

However, although the current Lord Zheng controls the imperial court and treats Emperor Houli as a puppet, after all, there are three major separatist forces in the north, the Gaoping Mo clan, the Xuanguang Wu clan, and the Ruan clan in the south. Difficult to support.

"Let Zeng Ying and Hong Chengchou be careful."

The Baiteng River is not well-known in China, but it is very famous in Annan, because Annan is located on this river and defeated the Central Plains army three times.

During the period of the Five Dynasties and the later Jin Dynasty, the Southern Han fleet came in mighty force. Wu Quan, the commander of the Jinghai Festival, ordered people to secretly plant giant wooden stakes covered with iron tips at the bottom of the Baiteng River, and lured the Southern Han fleet in during the high tide. Attacking the Southern Han navy, the fleet of the Southern Han fleet that was retreating hastily was pierced by a wooden stake protruding from the river. The Southern Han army suffered numerous casualties, including Liu Hongcao, the son of the Lord of the Southern Han Dynasty and the main general, and Wu Quan. The victory opened the prelude to the independence of Annan's separatist regime.

Later, both the Northern Song Dynasty and the Mongolian Yuan Dynasty were defeated in the Baiteng River successively, and then followed in the footsteps of the Southern Han navy.

In the three battles of Baitengjiang, in terms of strength alone, the Central Plains was far stronger than the Annan region each time, but they were all defeated in the end. If you add in the short-term conquest of Annan in the early Ming Dynasty and had to voluntarily withdraw in the end, it can be seen that the strength of the Annan region is still very strong of.

A military offensive alone will not do.

"Use more leading parties!" Zhu Yihai has discussed the strategy of using Annan with Zeng Ying and other court and local ministers and generals more than once. Regarding Jiaozhi, Zhu Yihai has mentioned more than once that he wants to regain the old frontiers of the Han and Tang Dynasties. How can he give up? .

Especially for the era of going to the ocean, Cochin cannot be given up.

The European powers all know that they have traveled thousands of miles to the East to colonize. How can Daming leave the old land in front of his house and not recover it?
The emperor now sits in the Western Regions personally, but it is not that the Western Regions are more important, but in comparison, the emperor needs to go north first and then south, first conquer the Mongolian Jurchens, and then rebuild a new order pattern, and then the north is stable, especially the northwest. , so that Daming can safely go south to manage places such as Jiaozhi and Myanmar.

Annan's strength is quite strong, especially since Da Ming had a painful failure before, so the strategy proposed by Zhu Yihai now is to support Annan's local tyrants first. Step by step, several chieftains and towns that are not under the command of each other will be formed.

Or support a puppet king of the Hou Li Dynasty or the Mo Dynasty, and actually support several feudal towns below to divide them, and the Ming army will establish base ports and colonies there, gradually.

One cannot expect to be safe after a single battle.

Although the current Lord Zheng is in a state of desperation, and the Ming army's Annan camp is aggressively attacking, he still has to be careful. He must pay attention to the form. In the name of saving the Lord Li, he must fight against the rebellious Lord Zheng, and pull Mo and Wu. The Jiaozhou area will support some local tycoons.

Destroy the Zheng family, and then let these powerful vassals balance, so that Daming can stand aloof. At that time, they will be asked to cede the coastal land to Daming, and it is best to assign Lang Son to Daming. Mansion, Wu'an Mansion, Halong, Haiphong, Lang Son, Beijiang, etc., even if Hanoi and other places are not needed for the time being, they will make a lot of money.

For colonization, it is better to occupy a few key points first, and then operate and develop, than Zhu Di directly destroyed Annan with his army at that time, and then directly established the Jiaozhi Province there, and then caused the entire Annan to rebel.

It is necessary to win over some leading parties, support some puppets, and support some feudal warlords, so that Daming has room to operate.

From these perspectives, in fact, the Ming army’s Annan camp does not need to fight Hanoi at all, or chase Zheng’s fight, occupy some important places, support some military leaders, and let them consume internal fighting. The Ming army can Sit tight on the Diaoyutai.

With giant ships, cannons and muskets, especially after they can be easily replenished and reinforced from the sea, plus fortresses, they are actually invincible.

Sustained development can be achieved by maintaining colonial garrisons with colonial trade income.

Even if one or two fortresses are built in a year, it will take 20 years. In less than 30 years, the whole of Annan will be able to truly regain control.

"Remind Zeng Ying again, don't worry, take your time and make good use of Mo's, Wu's, etc."

"Your Majesty, good news. The Han Navy attacked 5000 Junggar forwards in Fuhai and killed more than [-] ranks. Great victory!" The guards happily came to report the victory.

"How many casualties are there in the Han Navy?" The emperor first asked his own casualties. The Han Navy was nominally a soldier of the Duerbert Khanate, but it was also established with the support of the Ming Dynasty.

"The good news says that there are three thousand riders in Hanhai, and the casualties are only a few hundred."

Hearing the result, Zhu Yihai was very satisfied.

The newly built Jingsai Army in Turpan performed very well before. It was difficult for Junggar to advance in Manas. He had expected that the Junggars would not be able to cross the Manas River and take down Manas City. rear.

The Han Navy, which had been arranged in advance, was stationed in Burqin Fort, and it was originally guarding the route of Fuhai to prevent Junggar from detours.

Now it finally works.

The Sanqianhan Navy was able to almost wipe out the five thousand Junggar forwards. This must be because Junggar underestimated the enemy carelessly.

What a pleasant surprise.

"Where is Batur Khan now?"

"Batur Khan led about [-] riders, and they are now near Fuhai."

Zhu Yihai brought the map, looked at it for a while, and said with a smile, "It seems that Batur Khan was enraged and wanted to destroy the Durbert Khanate first."

"Your Majesty, do you want to reinforce Durbert?"

"Do not."

"Let the Turpan Khan Abulun lead the mobilization of the army to counterattack the rear of Junggar, and the Jingsai army should not be dispatched, and continue to garrison Manas City."

"Your Majesty wants to surround Wei and save Zhao?"

"No, I want to plow the courtyard and sweep the hole!"

(End of this chapter)