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Chapter 825 The highlight

"..." Then everyone in the room, including the eunuch on duty, fell silent. Anyone who has read a few days of books can tell the quality of this cake. From ancient times to the present, it has never been realized.

Some dynasties were very tough outside, but their wives and children at home had to tighten their belts and live a hard life; some lived a simple life behind closed doors, with a decent standard of living, but were always bullied when they went out and were unable to hold their heads up.

Although the Ming Empire has survived more than two hundred years of ups and downs and is still standing, and has even shown signs of rejuvenation in recent years, it seems too much to say that it can surpass the powerful Han and Tang dynasties, or even be on par with the Shang and Zhou dynasties.

It is always better to be prepared for the worst. The reason why Mongolia has been able to dominate the north for hundreds of years must have been inevitable. Just after winning a few battles, they brazenly said they would completely wipe it out. If something unexpected happened, what would have been the result of these years of work? It's hard to say!
At this point, even the usually spineless Ye Xianggao and Fang Congzhe could not open their mouths to continue complimenting him. The emperor's boasting was too unfounded and there was really no way they could help him.

Should we object? Everyone looked at each other and reached a consensus again: wait and see what happens!

If the emperor won, the Mongolian threat was indeed eliminated, which seemed to be no bad thing. If the emperor was defeated, the Mongols would certainly not give up. Once the war spread to the territory of the Ming Dynasty, the emperor's prestige would definitely be greatly reduced, and the army would also be seriously injured.

At that time, there would not only be external worries, but also internal troubles. As a minister, no one wants to be a yes-man, no one likes to have their property confiscated and their roots uprooted at every turn, and even less wants to let their eldest son and grandson serve as soldiers and go to the battlefield.

The instigator of all this was Emperor Jingyang, who held great power, controlled the government, refused to accept loyal advice, violated etiquette, did not follow the teachings of his ancestors, and did not respect Confucianism. If he could be overthrown by external forces, it would be a good choice.

In the spring of the sixteenth year of Jingyang (1620), Xifengkou and Dushibao, which were still chilly, suddenly became lively.

Fully loaded carriages snaked along the mountain like a giant snake, transporting countless crates and pottery jars to the warehouse closest to the border. Also arriving were teams of army soldiers in toad uniforms and craftsmen in cotton and linen mixed fabrics.

After a short period of gathering and replenishment, the craftsmen went out of the border first, but did not go far. Instead, they started to build on the post road outside the border wall. They first collected stones from the nearby hillsides, crushed them and placed them on the leveled road. Then they placed sleepers one by one and began to lay cast iron tracks.

The army then marched northward, arriving at Fuyu City and Bagua City in waves with horses carrying large amounts of supplies, turning these two originally isolated fortresses, along with the nearby ridges and hillsides, into huge barracks in an instant.

Different from previous Ming army expeditions, the Mongolian tribes were a little slow to react this time. It was not until three or four days later that a small number of scouts appeared. However, they were just wandering and watching on the distant mountain ridges, and never dared to get close.

In fact, it was not that the Mongolian tribes reacted slowly, but since the establishment of these two fortress cities, the ethnic groups that originally lived and grazed nearby involuntarily chose to hide.

Especially the herdsmen of the five Khalkha tribes, who dared to take chances, all disappeared without a trace one day. Except for the occasional person going up the mountain to hunt, there was almost no one to be seen within a hundred miles of Fuyu City, so no one could report the movements of the Ming army to the leaders of the various tribes in a timely manner.

Lao Chaohua once complained to the Shanhaiguan garrison commander that the Ming army stationed in Fuyu City harassed herders, but he could not produce any evidence. If he just relied on speculation, not only would no one pay attention, but he would also be accused of disrupting the trade and provoking relations. The herders of the Kalaqin tribe were not harassed by the Baguacheng garrison, but they did not take any measures to stop or warn the Ming army heading north. Instead, they spread the news and approached with their families, and they almost formed a team to welcome them along the way.

Since the establishment of this Han Chinese city, the herders nearby have discovered a trick to make life more comfortable. They no longer need to migrate on a large scale in the fall. As long as they leave enough fodder for their cattle and sheep, they will not starve in the winter.

Because every once in a while a large group of Ming troops would drive four-wheeled carriages from the border wall to Bagua City. At this time, as long as they took their own furs, milk skins, dried meat, or even some special stones and waited along the way, they could exchange them for cloth, grain, salt, sugar, wine, iron pots and other daily necessities from the Ming army.

There is also a small and light cast iron stove that can burn cow dung, firewood and charcoal. This thing is simply a miracle. It can not only cook and make tea, but also keep warm.

No matter how heavy the snow or how cold the wind is outside, as long as you light a stove in the tent, it will be as warm as spring.

With their lives guaranteed, who would be willing to drag their family and herds of sheep and horses hundreds of miles to the winter camp?
Not only did the herdsmen along the way gradually stop migrating, but their neighbors, relatives, and friends also began to try a relatively fixed lifestyle. If they needed something, they would take the goods and wait for the Han people's caravans along the post road to exchange them, which was both convenient and affordable.

Over time, a spontaneous market gradually formed 80 miles north of Dushibao. Not only did the Ming Army's transport teams pass by regularly, but some Han merchants also smelled the scent of money and drove their horse teams here to set up camp and trade in mainland goods all year round.

As soon as the matter arose, it was discovered by Guihua Dusi and reported to the Army General Staff in a timely manner. Then two opinions were formed in the General Staff.

Due to the reasons of responsibility, the Army Staff instinctively did not want the transport team to be too close to the herdsmen, for fear that someone with ulterior motives would take advantage of the situation and cause losses that would be difficult to explain.

The General Staff thought further, believing that this move would be beneficial to long-term peace and stability. If the nomadic peoples stopped wandering, the threat would be reduced by half, which would be like defeating the enemy without fighting. Not only should they not be stopped, but they should be strongly supported.

In the end, no one convinced the other, so they had to ask the emperor to be the judge. Hong Tao naturally leaned towards the opinion of the General Staff. In a competition between the advanced and the barbaric, whoever is not afraid of death will never win. If we want to compete, we should compete in technology. In addition to high-tech weapons, a more advanced and comfortable lifestyle is also a killer.

As the ancients said, it is easy to go from frugality to luxury, but it is difficult to go from luxury to frugality. When the nomadic people get used to settled life, the threat from the north will be defeated. For this reason, not only are they satisfied with exchanging goods, but they also send people to teach the nomads to grow food, vegetables and forage, so as to further let them settle down.

But everything has to be done in moderation. Without the written consent of the General Staff, no outsiders are allowed to approach the vicinity of Bagua City.

Even if the Grand Taiji Bai Hong came in person, he would find an excuse to decline. If there was anything, he could go to Xuanfu to talk to Du Wenhuan. The garrison in Bagua City only knew how to fight and didn't know anything else.

(End of this chapter)