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Chapter 1032: Don’t Steal If You Can

The General Staff has always had the idea of ​​building a military fort in Yilibali, because the Tianshan Mountains have opened a large gap here. If they want to completely block it, they must build a city in Yilibali or further west. Otherwise, the enemy can enter the northern border in advance and pose a threat to Druzhba from the south.

But in order to open up the trade route to the west, the emperor had reached a tacit agreement with the Kazakh Khanate that neither side would station large troops in the valley. I thought they were abiding by the agreement, but I didn't expect that they had forgotten it.

"...Then I'll have to trouble Shadi Khoja to go and make things clear with the Kazakh Khanate. This time the Empire sent troops to eliminate the three tribes of the Oirat, with huge casualties and a lot of expenses. This move is not only good for the Empire, but also relieves the worries of the Kazakh Khanate.

Having gained such a huge advantage, we can't just not show our appreciation. The Empire now wants to... build a city here... no, build a city here as a transit point for the two countries to continue to develop trade.

The cost of building the city and the labor will of course be paid by the Empire, but the Kazakh Khanate cannot just sit there and watch. I know they have no money, so why not use this river valley to compensate for 1000 gold coins? I can still afford it!"

Hong Tao stood up and walked to the map, looking up for a long time before making a decision. The city must be built and the trade route must be maintained, so it cannot be forced. The etiquette must be in place and face must be given. The goal is to gain complete control of the Ili River Valley.

"Your Majesty, Yilibali City is here... If the city is built in the west, the connection between the two valleys will not be smooth."

Tan Mingming and the emperor were both standing in front of the map. They could see the subtle changes on the face up close, and then they were defeated by that serious and shameless expression.

The land could have been seized, but it was bought, which was for their own good. Regardless of whether 1000 gold coins was a lot or a little, the Kazakh Khanate would most likely agree, unless they also wanted to follow in the footsteps of the three Oirat tribes.

This is called taking advantage of the situation, using the momentum of a great victory to pressure the other party, but the other party knows that they are being bullied and can only grit their teeth and endure it. This is called politics. The emperor made a clear distinction between military and political aspects, and would only resort to military means when problems could not be solved through political means.

From this point of view, the emperor really loves peace and is determined not to fight a war if it can be avoided. But people who are familiar with him know that not fighting a war is not really about loving peace, but about being stingy. Why would he go to war when he can get benefits by talking?

This time is a living example. From Yilibali City to the west, at least 500 miles away became the property of the Ming Empire. The only price paid was 1000 gold coins and a bunch of nonsense from Shadihezhuo.

Why must it be so far west? Most people can see that the terrain in the west is relatively narrow, and the cost-effectiveness of building a city and garrisoning troops is the highest. The hundreds of miles of flat river valleys in the east of the city can be reclaimed into fertile fields, which can not only feed the garrison but also provide a lot of wealth. The beads on the abacus are clacking!

But the emperor seemed to have overlooked a problem. There were not one but two canyons, and there was a mountain range in between that prevented them from connecting. If the city was built in both canyons, they would have to bypass the mountains to rescue each other when they encountered an enemy attack. This was not cost-effective in terms of cost and efficiency.

"I only saw one canyon, it's here!" Hong Tao reached out for the pointer and tapped it in the middle of the canyon on the south side. His tone was very affirmative, which made everyone present wonder if the map was drawn wrong, and there was originally only one canyon.

"Your Majesty, I have been here in person. There are indeed two canyons separated by a mountain range. To the south is a dry river channel, and to the north flows the Yili River." Not everyone dared to point out the emperor's mistakes. Huang Zhong was an exception, or he had suffered less from the poison and was unwilling to follow blindly.

"Hey, Mr. Huang has hit the nail on the head, the river! There are indeed two parallel canyons here, deep and long, and building a city in the canyons is not a good choice. But if we go east, there is no strategic location to defend along the way, so we can only retreat here to build a city relying on the river, and the hundreds of miles of land in the middle will be wasted. I plan to build a dam in the canyon in the north to block the river, flood the canyon to form a lake, open the gates to release water during the flood season, and close the gates to store water during the dry season to nourish the land on both sides. Build a city and garrison troops in the canyon in the south, repair the road to facilitate trade, and have the best of both worlds.

Let's discuss it according to my wishes first. The details of the dam construction will require Minister Xiong to send people to conduct an on-site survey before they can be finalized. However, the General Staff can prepare first, select tens of thousands of prisoners and send them to Yilibali, and build a route to the west while waiting for the survey results. "

When questioned by his subordinates, Hong Tao did not get angry but laughed. When giving instructions, there must be someone beside him to ask questions. When encountering difficulties that others cannot solve, he should first raise them and then easily resolve them, so that he can appear unfathomable.

I am very familiar with the Ili River Valley. In my previous life, when I made an emergency landing in Xinjiang Province, it was not far from here. I have walked all the mountains and rivers nearby. And it is not limited to this part of China. I have also been to Kazakhstan, and I did it on foot.

How to say it, the location of Yining City in later generations is not critical. Horgos, as the national border, is only separated from Kazakhstan by a not-so-wide river, so it is not a geographical advantage at all.

Why is this happening? There must have been a purpose and difficulty back then. Now that I am here, I can no longer make do with anything. I must find a location with the best geographical advantages to build a new city and make it the western gate of the empire.

Is there such a place in the Ili River Valley? Yes, there is. It is called Kapchagay Canyon, located at the western end of the valley, 500 miles away from Yining City, also known as Yilibali City, in Kazakhstan.

In the late 20s, the Soviet Union took advantage of the canyon terrain here, dammed the river and built a large artificial reservoir called Kapchagay Lake.

Hong Tao personally climbed up the dam to see that it was about 300 meters long and 30 meters high. The workload and difficulty were not very large, and it should be possible to do it with the capabilities of the Ming Empire at that time.

As a result, only the canyon in the south is passable. By building a pass in it and stationing a small number of troops, we can't say that one man can block a thousand, but it can be considered easy to defend and difficult to attack.

As for whether the cost of building a dam will be higher than building two cities, that is for sure, and it will be many times higher.

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But the account cannot be calculated in this way. In addition to its blocking function, the reservoir can also regulate the water level of the upper reaches of the Ili River for drainage and irrigation. The 500-li river valley does not need to be reclaimed. Just planting land along the river can feed more than people.

In addition, building two military fortresses that cannot support each other requires double garrisons, and the number cannot be too small, and the annual military expenditure is also doubled.

This is just an economic account. The military use of the dam cannot be measured in money. If a large number of enemies come from the west one day and the local garrison can't resist them, they can blow up the dam and flood the seven armies.

As the saying goes, water and fire are merciless. In ancient times, the rushing flood was comparable to a nuclear weapon. It turned a hundred miles into a swamp in an instant. No matter how many troops came, it did almost no harm to the Ming Empire. After the water receded, the dam was blocked and the water was stored. Let's see who dared to plot evil from here in the future.

(End of this chapter)