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Chapter 92 Li Family in Liaodong
Liaodong, known as Yingzhou in ancient times, had jurisdiction over most of the eastern part of Liaoning Province in later generations. Because it was located east of the Liao River, it was commonly known as Liaodong.

This area has four distinct seasons, fertile land, abundant sunshine, abundant rainfall, and is surrounded by water systems such as the Liao River, Hun River, and Daling River. It is very suitable for farming and produces excellent war horses. It is a treasure land.

Geographically speaking, the eastern part of the Liaodong region can defend the Jurchens from advancing westward, and the southern part can contain North Korean invasion from the north. It is a battleground for military strategists, and it is also the eastern gate of the important region of the capital.

However, this treasure land has a big flaw. It is only connected to the important areas of Gyeonggi Province by the narrow Liaoxi Corridor, which makes it difficult to defend and is relatively easy to be cut off in the middle.

At the beginning of the establishment of the Ming Empire, Zhu Yuanzhang was deeply aware of the importance of the Liaodong region. After Xu Da occupied Yuan Zhongdu, he immediately sent troops to capture Liaodong, and warned the two generals Ma Yun and Ye Wang: To the east of the Canghai, Liao is the first territory, and in Zhongxia That is to say, Ning will be guarded.

As the saying goes, it is easier to conquer a country than to defend it. In order to implement the purpose of occupying Liaodong, the imperial court established the Liaodu Guards Command and Envoy Department in Liaoyang, which was later changed to the Liaodong Dusi.Liaoyang prefecture and county were established, immigrants from the interior were immigrated to fill the border, and 15 troops were stationed to guard the border and cultivate land. The method was very comprehensive and correct.

By the ninth year of Hongwu, the population of Liaodong region had rapidly increased from less than 50 at the end of the Yuan Dynasty to more than 20. Agricultural production was booming and commercial exchanges gradually resumed.Liaoyang has become an iron smelting center. If it continues to develop at this rate, within [-] years, the Liaodong region will catch up with the mainland.

Unfortunately, the good times did not last long. In the tenth year of Hongwu, Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly issued an edict to abolish the prefectures and counties in Liaodong, leaving only the health centers and at the same time stopped the plan to immigrate from the mainland.In an instant, the great development momentum came to an abrupt halt.

Sun Wei and other officials couldn't explain why Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly gave up halfway. After all, they were separated by more than 200 years.I just guessed that the local natural conditions are relatively harsh and the ethnic composition is relatively complex. I am afraid that there will be no big results in a short time, so I simply won't spend a lot of effort and direct military control will be more trouble-free.

Hong Tao didn't believe a word of this answer, it was pure nonsense!In the past six or seven years, the population has increased several times, and the area of ​​settlements has also increased day by day. Even if there are small-scale conflicts with local ethnic groups, they cannot be stopped.

As long as the number of immigrants continues, there is no need for the military to intervene. In order to make ends meet, farmers can turn into guerrillas, and sooner or later they will assimilate the locals, or even directly exterminate them.

The root cause is nothing more than two words, power!From the map, it can be clearly seen that the Liaodong region is thousands of miles away from Zhili. Apart from the sea route, only the Liaoxi Corridor is accessible. Once the development is too good and the population is too large, it can easily become a separatist situation.

At that time, as long as the Liaoxi Corridor is blocked, the mainland army will still fight in an unfamiliar area facing a fortified city, and the chance of victory is not high.If the Liaodong defenders continue to collude with the remaining Mongolian troops in the north, they may not only be in danger of losing Liaodong, but also directly endanger the Zhili region.

Instead of spending money, food and people to fatten and grow Liaodong, not only will it not be able to provide for the elderly until the end of time, but the inadequate security will turn around and take a big bite, it is better to maintain the status quo.

As for whether the local ethnic groups would use this as a base to gradually expand and pose a threat to the Ming Empire, Zhu Yuanzhang thought of a compromise method, using barbarians to control barbarians!To put it bluntly, it is to pull one group to fight against another, not to let any ethnic group become bigger, and to beat whoever is strong.

In fact, this is exactly what the emperors of the Ming Dynasty did. They would sow discord among the Mongolian tribes, Jurchen tribes, and Korean ethnic groups, and then stand aside and watch the fun as the referee blew a black whistle and pulled his hand.Well, even if the effect lasts for 200 years, it can't be considered short.However, this method has great hidden dangers and cannot be avoided.The local tribes are not stupid. Over time, they will definitely figure out what the Ming Empire is doing. If they are temporarily unable to resist, they must hold a grudge.

When the empire is strong, naturally no one dares to stir up trouble. Once problems arise in the empire itself and signs of weakness are seen, these tribes who have been fooled for generations will immediately turn their backs. Not only will they be disobedient, but they will also fight back and die. endlessly!

The largest tribe in Liaodong is the Jurchens, which are divided into Jianzhou Jurchens, Haixi Jurchens and Donghai Jurchens.Among them, Jianzhou Jurchens are the closest to the Liaodong region and have the most contact with local troops and immigrants.

The commander-in-chief of the Ming army in Liaodong was accustomed to using the Jianzhou Jurchens as thugs. Sometimes he would go to the north to fight the Mongolian tribes, sometimes he would go to the south to beat the Koreans, and sometimes he would mix in the internal fights between the Jurchen tribes. From time to time, he would report enemies who desperately beheaded them to the court. Make your own contribution and have a great time.

But if you want the horse to run, you have to let it eat grass. In order to better pull the side hand and blow the black whistle, you have to make the Jianzhou Jurchen a little stronger, such as teaching some tactical tricks and selling some weapons and war horses. It is really not possible anymore. Granted several official positions.

Timur, the sixth ancestor of Qing Taizu Nurhachi, was a member of ten thousand households in the Yuan Dynasty. After being recruited by Zhu Di, the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, he became a senior official of the three guards of Jianzhou.

As the Jianzhou Jurchens gradually became stronger, the Ming Empire gradually weakened, and the internal power struggle intensified day by day.Emperor Wanli had not been in court for more than ten years and was slacking off on government affairs. The officials in various ministries could not even get the minimum establishment. Who had time to think about the Jurchen who was thousands of miles away.

At this time, Nurhaci was not idle. Through battles, he gradually turned the Jianzhou Jurchens from their own coups into a major force that truly called for unification.This is just his first step. The next step is to go eastward to conquer the Jurchens in the East China Sea and begin to gradually unify the various Jurchen tribes.

There was such a big news, and the Ming Dynasty government would not be unaware of it.At this time, the commander-in-chief of Liaodong was Li Chengliang, who had just resumed his post. What was in front of him was a mess.

The local people's livelihood is in decline, morale is low, the defense is empty, generals are corrupt, and military households are fleeing. As a result, the combat capability between the Ming army and the local tribes is getting weaker and weaker. In the past ten years, three general officers have been killed in battle.

After Li Chengliang took office, he re-recruited many local young men and won several battles to temporarily curb the decline. The morale of the army began to recover. After that, he repeatedly won battles against the Mongolian barbarians and Jurchen tribes.

So why was Li Chengliang able to turn the tide and reverse the unfavorable situation as soon as he came up?There must be reasons such as familiarity with military literature, bravery in combat, and clear distinction between rewards and punishments, but they are not the main reasons. The key is that Li Chengliang is a local.

The other generals and soldiers in charge are just doing their job. Guarding the border is so hard, they wish they could be transferred as soon as possible.But he is different. While doing work, he is also making profits for the family.If others lose, they can be transferred away in order to make a comeback in the future. If he loses, he will be a loser, and he and his family will be compensated together.

(End of this chapter)