Jingming

Chapter 403 Big update of grassland version

"The grassroots man is Ma Fang, see the Marquis."

Ma Fang's hands were tied, but he knelt down on one knee simply.

He only knew that he was a marquis, but he didn't know his name.

Guo Xun enthusiastically stepped forward to help him up: "Get up. Let's go, His Majesty wants to see you."

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty wants to see the common people?"

Ma Fang was confused. He thought Guo Xun was here to deal with him.

As a marquis of the Ming Dynasty, he must be one of the commanders of the Northern Army.Ma Fang brought some information over. Whether it was to identify the authenticity of his identity, his sincerity of surrender, or to learn about the military situation of the Northern Lu, the Marquis was enough.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he arrived at Daming's camp, the emperor wanted to see him in person.

The reason why Guo Xun was so enthusiastic was also because the emperor looked at him differently.

For some reason, he thought of the emperor asking Li Quanli to take Li Yuan there in person.

Therefore, he first untied Ma Fang personally, saying that he could not lose his etiquette when driving.

As for the emperor's safety, Ma Fang was already bare-handed. How tightly guarded were he inside and outside the palace?Lu Bing always kept his sword by his side, and Guo Xun was always with Ma Fang.

Along the way, Guo Xun first asked about Ma Fang's experience and the information from Anda.

"You really convinced all the tribes..." Guo Xun looked at Ma Fang with some uncertainty in his eyes, "You said you know the location of the pastures of more than ten tribes? Do you know the way?"

"The grass-roots people have been working with them since they were eight years old. They have nothing else to think about. They focus on training their bows and horses and paying attention to their fighting methods." Ma Fang said with certainty, "Although they were only ordered to conquer some tribes that were unwilling to surrender, the grass-roots people repeatedly In asking for a fight, the Tatars lost less than half of their left-wing territory."

"Then you are here to lead the way for Master Wang?"

"The common people thought, if they don't come, they will have to fight against the Ming army in the future. The common people are willing to kill the Tatars, but they are not willing to kill the Ming army. On the Tatar side, the captive chiefs always say that after the snow melts, we will If you know how to fight, the common people will want to come and serve you."

Guo Xun did not comment, but reminded him: "If you are sincere in returning south, don't say this in front of His Majesty. Just talk about how I conquered the tribes."

"Master Hou, why is this?" Ma Fang asked first, and then understood, "Are you worried that the common people are doing it carefully?"

"I have seen your courage in speaking, and I know that you are open-minded." Guo Xun expressed his first impression, "But you came from the north after all, so don't expect to be reused right now. Besides, the Tatars are unpredictable in their migration. Once it is transformed, it will no longer be where it was last autumn and winter. Those messages are useless."

"...The common people thank the Marquis for the advice." Ma Fang was silent for a moment and then said, "The common people do not ask for important positions. They are willing to obey orders and do anything, as long as they can kill the Tatars."

"That's fine."

Even from Guo Xun's own point of view, he would not fully believe Ma Fang's words now, so naturally other civil servants and generals in the palace would also think so.

The Northern Expedition is so important, what if I really have a treacherous plot to lead the Ming army into a trap?
Guo Xun just formed a good relationship with Ma Fang because the emperor looked at him differently.

Whether what he said is true or false does not affect the current decision-making.It is also true that the northern captives migrate according to the weather.The Ming army will next clear out the northern barbarians in a wider grassland, but the problems mentioned by the emperor still exist.

The size and combat power of the Ming army's cavalry were still much inferior to those of the Beilu.As long as Beilu concentrated on avoiding the battle and the scout cavalry detected the Ming army, he would just avoid it.

Now that the Ming army has achieved great victories in Hetao and Daning, they cannot lure the enemy, so they can only forcefully attack them.

Arriving at the palace, Ma Fang knelt down and worshiped the emperor. Sure enough, he only talked about his own experience, and then waited for the emperor to ask questions.

Zhu Houcong looked at Ma Fang, who was seventeen years old, and was sure it was him.

"Tell me first how Anda took over the position of Great Khan and subdued other tribes last year."

Ma Fang was there to speak, and the ministers still had the patience to listen to what he had to say.

After Zhu Houcong asked the question, he was actually thinking about something else.

He believed that Ma Fang was more familiar with the grassland tribes, and later there were prisoners from Gunbilik.

But the problem still exists, the Ming Dynasty's cavalry is not strong enough.Even if you can find the opponent's tribe or the main force of cavalry, if you want to kill a sufficient number of Tatars, you must wait until the infantry of the Ming Dynasty, which is much less mobile, come together.

If it's just a temporary escape, it doesn't make any sense.Without the ability to eliminate the living forces, it was impossible for the Ming Dynasty to garrison everywhere on the vast grasslands.

But there still has to be a fight.

Even if Zhu Houcong thought that it would be enough to consolidate the results for the time being, the soldiers in the Northern Expedition camp were ready to make a move.After hearing the news from Ma Fang that Man Shoutu had gone to rob the Jurchens, Li Quanli and Guo Xun wanted to fight.

The imperial expedition to the north also requires a symbolic victory in the direction of the main force.

"In other words, Anda's sweat tent is now in the southeast of Henan and Kendehan Mountain in Henan?" Li Quanli's eyes lit up, "I'm so brave! When Man Shoutu went to plunder the Jurchens, he actually led the main force It’s so far away. Your Majesty, as long as we block it from the other side of Yu’erhai, we will definitely gain something!”

"No!" Chen Jiuchou said immediately, "Your Majesty, if the army goes north rashly, I will lead the army to intercept the king's army from west to east! The Khan's tent has always been not far to the north of Kaiping, and has not yet reached the fishing sea. This time The place Ma Fang mentioned is already the Khalkha garrison, how can I be there? This person has ulterior motives, your Majesty cannot trust him easily!"

There was a sudden commotion in the palace, and Ma Fang was at a loss.

This Luqu River is also recorded in the Ming Dynasty classics.In the eighth year of Yongle, Zhu Di personally conquered the upper reaches of the Luqu River and renamed it Yinma River.In the same year, he continued to catch fish along the river to Yuerhai and Kuoluanhaizi downstream.In the 21st year of Hongwu, Lan Yu destroyed the royal court of the Northern Yuan Dynasty in the area of ​​Yuerhai.

This vast Luanhaizi was called Hulun Lake in later generations.The lower reaches of the Luqu River and the two lakes are the Hulunbuir Prairie.

Logically speaking, it would be better for Khan Ting to retreat three to five hundred miles north to avoid the front of the army. In fact, it would be better to run to the Hulunbuir prairie area.

But now I want to integrate the Mongolian tribes and set up the Khan tent closer to Khalkha, which is also reasonable.

The place Ma Fang was talking about was once the original center of the Mongol Khanate, a little south of the area formerly known as Great Or'er by Genghis Khan.The entire old land is located between the Luqu River and the Onan River, with good water sources and pastures.To the northwest is a mountain plateau represented by Kent Khan Mountain.

If the Ming army does not come, Anda can not only suppress Khalkha, but also control the vast Hulunbuir grassland to the east.If the Ming army came and retreated to the Kent Khan Mountain or even hid in the Lake Baikal area to its northwest, what could the Ming army do to them?

Or go further north to the middle and lower reaches of the Onan River, which is the northernmost part of Zhu Di's footprints-the area known as Killing Huyuan.And Zhu Di's life also came to an end there.

There is now a straight-line distance of more than a thousand miles between Kaiping, where Zhu Houcong is located, and the current residence of Ada Khan, named Wen'erhan.It is also six to seven hundred miles away from Haramanglai, where his forward guard cavalry is located, which is Guangwu Town recorded in Ming Dynasty classics.

Zhu Houcong looked down at the map on the case. Naturally, the map was not very detailed.

Today, Kaiping is the northernmost line. In the north, in addition to the Xilin Gol grassland, which is one or two hundred miles wide and runs diagonally from northeast to southwest, and then to the original Khan tent, there is also a desert called Dashawo in the middle.

Now that I have moved farther away, it seems that I am vaguely bounded by the big sand nest.

If Ming's appetite only stopped here, then he could garrison a large tribe in Guangwu Town and still have vague control over the fertile grasslands to the north and northeast of Dashawo where the original sweat tents were.

Further north, between the Ququ River and the Onan River, the Hulunbuir Prairie in the fishing area is also good enough for recuperation.

If the Ming Dynasty continued to advance north to attack the main force of the Khan Court, Dashawo would be the first hurdle, and Haramang Lai would be the second hurdle.If I continue to retreat northward, there will still be the Luqu River and the Kent Khan Mountain.

He has depth to the east, west, and north.

This is the buffer zone between Dashawo and Guangwu Town.

There were still quarrels in the palace, and Zhu Houcong said: "Okay. This Ma Fang is actually a Han citizen. He has not forgotten his origin and is committed to Nantou. I believe him."

Many important ministers had heard that he was very suspicious, and Ma Fang, who was worried, burst into tears.

The emperor believed in him, so what else could he say?
But Zhu Houcong also said: "If I retreat a thousand miles away, even if the snow melts, I'm afraid I won't be able to win. This man is very determined. Now that the Hetao has been restored and the Ming Dynasty troops are approaching, I have got what he wanted. The result. The Hetao was won so quickly that it is not easy to eliminate the Northern invasion in one fell swoop."

Zhang Bi, Chen Jiuchou and others breathed a sigh of relief.

Ming Dynasty had too much to digest, and the long-lasting Northern Expedition with little effect was too great a burden for Ming Dynasty.

"But now that the Northern Expedition Army has arrived, it's time to make plans for the future." Zhu Houcong added, "We will set off in February. General Datong will go west to Dalu City and Shajing; generals Xuanfu and Jizhou will go north. Entering the Yingchang area. The generals of the capital camp marched through Dashawo and advanced to Xuanshipo and Saihan Mountain."

Guo Xun and Li Quanli felt disappointed.With such a decision now, it would be difficult to have a war.I've already traveled so far, and the emperor's arrangement is just a redrawing of the boundaries.

Yingchang once served as the Royal Court of the Northern Yuan Dynasty, and later set up Yingchang Guards, which restored the old boundaries.Xuanshipo was one of the starting points for Taizong's several northern expeditions, and it was regarded as a bridgehead into the grassland.And Shajing and Dalu City are just the frontier outposts from the eastern foot of Yinshan Mountain to Datong and Xuanfu.

Zhu Houcong looked at them and laughed: "To control this area, there is no need for the main force to go there. In March, the three main forces went to Guangwu Town and approached the Khan Court. If I still want to avoid the battle, at least he will not be so lucky this year. Enjoy the pastures in the south, and let him pee in sweat and lose his prestige. Whether he fights or not, he will make a mark on the land of Genghis Khan's king!"

"Your Majesty, your Majesty!" Guo Xun and Li Quanli were happy again.

After all, he wanted to go to Yinma River for a walk, at least like Taizong and Lan Yu in the past, they reached that area.

Zhang Bi and Chen Jiuchou have no objection to this. As long as they don't rashly want to destroy Beilu's lair and advance slowly, there will be no problem.

And this can be regarded as a conspiracy. From now on, they will just make some moves in spring and summer so that the Tatars can't rest and recuperate in the southern pastures where the water and grass are more abundant.

In a long-term plan, the problem of insufficient and elite cavalry in the Ming Dynasty must be solved.

How to solve it?
Qun Mujian, Duoyan's three tribes, and the upcoming Gunbilik.

But Zhu Houcong knew that he needed a general who was good at leading cavalry in battle.

"Hundred households?" Guo Xun looked at the emperor in surprise, "Your Majesty, we have to find out whether what Ma Fang said is true or not..."

"If you should go and investigate, go and investigate without delay." Zhu Houcong looked at him meaningfully, "You watch and use it at the same time. Let him serve first in the cavalry of the three thousand battalion. This is a small thing for you. Can it be done? I can grant him a hundred households, and I am willing to give him a chance."

"...I understand."

Zhu Houcong decided to gather the main force to go to the Anda Khan Court. Not only was the Northern Expedition army forced to launch an arrow, but it also wanted to give Ma Fang a chance to stand out.

From Nantou, Mongolia, he must have a chance to prove himself.In this way, Zhu Houcong can give him as high a starting point as possible, so that he can become a brave general stationed in this area in the future.

As for Yan Chunsheng... he is too popular, so he can only make other arrangements, or save it for the future when he really has a chance to fight Beilu.

This is how Ma Fang began his military career in the Ming Dynasty. It can be said that this starting point is much better than that of him in another story, and he emerged much earlier.

Guo Xun gradually realized that this Ma Fang was probably his opportunity.

There is never a simple person who makes the emperor look at him differently.

After testing Ma Fang's riding and shooting skills, Guo Xun became more convinced of this - if he wanted to gain a foothold in the Ming army and lead a small group of cavalry as a hundred households, Ma Fang must also gain the approval of his colleagues.

This is all an episode in the Northern Expedition Camp.

The Northern Expedition camp is now not only waiting for the departure in February, but also looking forward to the upcoming prisoner presentation ceremony at the end of the month.

It was not only a boast of the achievements of this imperial expedition, but also an oath for the Northern Expedition army to continue its march northward.

Zhang Bi, the minister of state who received gifts and handed over the affairs of the ministry, was in charge of organizing everything, and all the heads of the three tribes of Duoyan must also come.

Zhu Houcong was reviewing the strategy submitted by Zhang Fujing and others from the capital in his palace.

Hetao returned to the embrace of the Ming Dynasty, large areas of land in Xuanda and the north were recovered, and the captives of Taolu and the three tribes of Duoyan must be properly arranged.

According to the suggestions of Zhang Fujing and Xia Yan, Datong should be re-incorporated into the scope of Shanxi Province and withdraw from the border region system.

The Hetao area south of the Yellow River, Ningxia, Gansu, and Qinghai, which has been reduced by Gunbilik, must now reconsider.According to the recommendations of the State Council and the Military Affairs Conference, Gansu and Qinghai were changed to the Qinghai-Gansu Border Region, while Ningxia and Houtao and Qiantao in the north of the Yellow River were changed to the Hetao Border Region. The Hetao south of the Yellow River came under the jurisdiction of Shaanxi Province.

As for the large areas of Xuanfu, Zhangbei, Liangcheng, Guanting, Shajing, Kaiping, and Yingchang, they are the new front line. The Xuanning border area can be set up, and the Jizhou defense line can be moved northward to the Yingchang area.

Related to this is the issue of how to deal with the three parts of Duoyan.

According to the military affairs meeting, they can be allowed to graze in the original Chahar garrison pasture in the north of Yingchang and the pastures in the Xuanning border area.However, Duoyan Part [-] needs to be changed.Those who still herded cattle and had cavalry were changed to roving guards and were directly controlled by the Xuanning Border Region.For those who stayed in the original Daning area, the land of three states was set aside to give them a transition to hereditary native officials.

Zhu Houcong is thinking about this issue now.The Ming Dynasty lacked cavalry, and the Duoyan Tribe actually had some cavalry, but their combat power was average.

Now, just to make them want to live and work in peace and contentment and enjoy wealth, they can temporarily become local officials and stay in the border areas.Those who are still more willing to graze can graze and wander around the Xuanning border area as the three guards, but they must be dispatched by the Ming Dynasty.

It hasn’t been long yet, and it is impossible for all three parts of Duoyan to be assimilated by the Ming Dynasty. A transition is indeed needed.

But in this way, the border city of Liaodong is no longer targeting the Duoyan Tribunal, and the same is true for the diplomatic envoys.

This time, the three Duoyan tribes were asked to directly become the ministers of the Ming Dynasty.

The biggest problem is the huge number of Ordos captives.

There is no doubt that it must be broken up.The pastoral supervisors accepted some of the suggestions submitted from Beijing and moved some to the south of the Yellow River.The Hetao Border District is in charge of part of the breeding of war horses, and the young and strong people have to be moved to the Xuanning Border District, where the Construction Bureau and the Transit Bureau are responsible for building forts, building roads, and serving in the military.

There is also a big plan to relocate people to the border - just a few years ago, there were a lot of native people in Zhangtian, Qing Dynasty. There were too many Ming people to encourage them to go to Hetao and Xuanning.

In addition to the supporting policies, the most important thing is that the Ming Dynasty is not what it used to be, the offense and defense have changed, and the border areas are not necessarily so dangerous.

This brings up a question: What kind of policies should be adopted for border residents, especially Tatars, in the Hetao and Xuanning Border Regions?

In fact, there is no psychological barrier - the more backward grassland tribes are very accustomed to and adapt to being defeated and captured as slaves.

Zhu Houcong rubbed his eyebrows: In order to eliminate hatred and assimilate, in addition to enough time, we also need to make Anda no longer a hope, and we also need to make life in the border area better than before.

Even the fate of Gunbilik will become a trend in the hearts of the Mongolian captives.

In order for them to honestly accept the status quo without putting everyone in danger, Gunbilik must have a tolerable ending. This is the joint suggestion of Zhang Fujing and Xia Yan, to make him a prince.

They even suggested that after Zhu Houcong drove Anda away once, he would also add a Khan account, use more moderate policies to further divide the grassland tribes, and use the better life in Hetao and Xuanning border areas to attract more people to Nantou.

This does not mean that we will accept the north-south confrontation between the Ming Dynasty and the Khan Court from now on. It just wants to eliminate the hidden dangers that may be caused by so many Mongolians in the future when the Northern Expedition is exterminated again, and also to allow more leading parties in the Northern Expedition.For this reason, Zhen'anbo Yan Chunsheng's suggestion should be accepted, and a woman from the Ordos tribe should be made a concubine.

Zhu Houcong thought to himself that this kind of approach seemed to have been done by Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, and also by the later emperors of the Qing Dynasty.

In the final analysis, it is still a question of productivity and the means of transportation and communication required to control a huge territory.For the nomadic grassland tribes, having this kind of "submission" is like the pinnacle, coupled with marriage and occasional beatings.

Zhu Houcong felt that this should be done before Anda was completely driven away or even eliminated.Zhang Fujing and the others understand this era better. At worst, they will wait until the remaining unified Khanate is wiped out in the future before making adjustments.

Yan Chunsheng and Gunbilik gradually approached Kaiping, and this time the Northern Expedition had entered garbage time.

Zhu Houcong has already seen the outcome: A person as smart as Anda should still resist, but it will kill two birds with one stone. It will not only allow the tribes to directly feel the power of the Ming Dynasty, but also weaken the power of the tribes that are still not particularly loyal.

Strong external enemies help him gather internal strength.

The decisive game is not this time.

At the end of the first year, Zhu Houcong's eyes were complicated when he saw Yan Chunsheng sitting on a horse and appearing proudly in his sight.

This was a character who appeared on his own and had no impression of him. Who would have thought that he would become so popular, even overshadowing Tang Shunzhi and Yu Dayou?
It can only be said that this land has never lacked heroes, it just needs history to give them opportunities.

From this time on, Zhu Houcong probably no longer needs to go on a personal expedition to boost morale. As long as he gives him a chance, more people will emerge to complete his orders.

Months of worry were gone.

I made the right choice again, so what?It's just a lost dog, the grassland version has been greatly updated.

Stay until the weather warms up and it's time to return to Beijing.

Spend your energy developing technologies that will allow future generations to sing and dance.

(End of this chapter)