King Luhuang of the Ming Dynasty: My father, Ming Taizu

Zhu Tan said seriously: "I never believe that you can win over your enemies just by relying on interests.

For example, what is the use of the Song Dynasty paying tribute to the Liao Kingdom and the Jin Kingdom?
In the end, you will still be bullied by those tigers and wolves! "

After Zhu Yuanzhang heard this, he looked at Zhu Tan and asked, "Should Togu Si Timur be released to the grassland?"

Zhu Tan smiled and said: "I can only say that it is a good choice to put him back on the grassland! But if my father is not worried, you don't have to let him go! The worst I can do is find another agent on the grassland!" "

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled.

"We think that Gus Timur is a good person! Although he was ambitious before, but now it seems that he is quite submissive!
The most important thing is that he still has a relatively deep understanding of Daming. If he changes to another agent, he will be even more difficult to control! "

Zhu Tan smiled and said, "My son, I mean the same thing!
After all, Togu Si Timur is the real Mongolian Khan. If he returns to the grassland, with a little support from us, he can become the leader of the Mongols again.

Supporting other people is a bit more difficult.

More importantly, even if a new Mongolian Khan is supported, I am afraid that as my father said, he will be even more difficult to control than Togu Si Timur!

If he rules the grassland, the first thing he will do is challenge our Ming Dynasty! "

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded.

He suddenly looked at Zhu Biao and asked with a smile: "Prince, tell me, how should we deal with this grassland?"

Zhu Biao heard this and knew that Zhu Yuanzhang was testing him.

Also fell into deep thought.

The grassland and the Central Plains Dynasty have had a troublesome relationship since thousands of years ago.

Everything in the Central Plains Dynasty will be coveted by these prairie wolves.

From food, to tools, to clothing, to people.
The grassland people like to rob the Central Plains people of everything.

Because of this, the Central Plains dynasty hated the grassland tribes.

Over the years, the Central Plains dynasty has used only three tactics to deal with the grassland regime.

First, build the Great Wall.

Rely on fortifications and passive defense.

Of course, this defense works well.

The cavalry could not cross the Great Wall, but the Great Wall could use fortifications to quickly mobilize troops to resist the prairie cavalry.

From the Great Wall of Qin to the present, successive dynasties have been unremittingly repairing this thing, which is enough to prove how useful it is.

of course.

This also brought a negative consequence.

That is, small-scale grassland tribes are completely unable to cross the defenses of the Great Wall and enter the interior to plunder.

The bitter cold environment on the grassland made them inseparable from supplies from the mainland.

Eventually, these grassland tribes gathered together and became an unprecedented unified and powerful tribe.

Then continue to attack the Great Wall.

It is equivalent to the Central Plains Dynasty raising an extremely powerful opponent for itself.

Second, like Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, and today's Zhu Yuanzhang, they trained cavalry and went to Mobei.

The advantage of doing this is that it can solve future problems.

The grassland people like to plunder, so destroy them!

The downside is that the war expenses are too high
Every time a 100,000-strong army goes out on an expedition, it requires the labor of millions of civilians, millions of stones of food and grass, and tens of millions of taels of silver.

Such consumption, even with the wealth accumulated by Emperors Wen and Jing of the Han Dynasty, and Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty's frantic plundering of people's wealth, they could not withstand several rounds of squandering!

In the end, the Han Dynasty almost collapsed in the later years of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, forcing Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty to issue a criminal edict.

The third is to make peace with each other like the Western Han and Eastern Han Dynasties, or to kowtow to the enemy like Shi Jingtang, the Northern Song Dynasty, and the Southern Song Dynasty.

The advantage of this is low cost, but the disadvantages are also obvious.

Prairie wolves are not well-raised, and if they blindly impose benevolent policies on these grassland regimes, they will not end well in the end.

In the history books, it will be infamy throughout the ages.

Zhu Biao frowned and thought about the current situation in Ming Dynasty.

It can be said that there are no opponents on the grassland.

Although there are still many tribes active on the grassland.

But now, it is estimated that with a gentle touch, they will fall into the arms of Ming Dynasty.

Such a situation in history.

They have always been canonized so that they can continue to live peacefully.

Zhu Biao thought of this and suddenly had a plan in his mind.

He said to Zhu Yuanzhang: "Father, I think that the current plan should be based on generosity and courtesy. The Mongolian tribes, such as Duoyan, Fuyu, Taining and other tribes, can be designated as guards." .

These large Mongolian tribes were rewarded, allowed to pay tribute, and improved their livelihood. In this way, the people of the grassland can be welcomed and the borderland can be peaceful.

Although my Ming Dynasty is strong, things on the grassland are often troublesome. Therefore, you must think carefully! "

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded when he heard this.

It was not in vain that he asked Zhu Biao to observe politics for many years. He was relatively familiar with the situation on the grassland.

At least he still knew everything about these large tribes that were not much damaged.

Zhu Biao continued: "Not only should we be given titles and lands, but we should also spread benevolent policies on the grasslands so that they will know the benefits of our Ming Dynasty!
However, judging from the interactions between many dynasties and the grasslands in the past, there are lessons to be learned!
These grassland tribes cannot just be benevolent and keep their status quo. Therefore, although we are benevolent and righteous, we must also be on guard!
Erchen believes that after the situation on the grassland is stabilized, a strategy of differentiation should be implemented to prevent a certain tribe from becoming too powerful.

If we find that a tribe is too powerful, we can form alliances with other small tribes to jointly check and balance them to maintain the balance of our border. "

talking.

Zhu Biao said with a smile: "To put it simply, whoever is stronger will be beaten!"

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded and said with a smile: "Go on."

Zhu Biao thought for a moment and then said: "Father, in addition to rewards and suppression, the defense of these grassland tribes cannot be ignored.

Since ancient times, the Great Wall has been a territorial barrier. It has been built throughout the ages and has served its extraordinary purpose.

Er Chen believes that in addition to continuing to build the Great Wall, we also need to train elite soldiers on the border and establish a cavalry team that can go out at any time to defeat the enemy. This is the long-term plan!
This elite army must maintain its combat effectiveness at all times! "

Done.

Zhu Biao concluded: "Father, from my perspective, although this grassland is calm, it is like a dragon under the water, and it may turn the river upside down at any moment.

Therefore, the minister suggested that in addition to promoting etiquette and government, and clearly distinguishing rewards and punishments, border defenses should also be strengthened to stabilize the world.

We must ensure that every tribe on the grassland feels the benevolence and intimidation from the Ming Dynasty, so that we can truly stabilize the border and avoid future changes! "

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded frequently when he heard this.

Zhu Tan also smiled when he heard it.

Honestly.

Zhu Biao's policy is actually similar to the later Ming Dynasty's policy of checking and balancing the grassland.

For example, during Zhu Di's period, they fought against Oara and Tatar.

Whoever is strong will be beaten!
Later, when Zhang Juzheng was the chief assistant, he presided over the construction of the city on nine sides to effectively defend against the prairie cavalry.

At the same time, the capital was simply moved to Peking.

It formed the scene of the emperor guarding the country.

To put it bluntly, it is to enhance the defense power against Mongolia to the extreme.

but.

This approach has many disadvantages.

and. The burden on national finances is also too heavy.

The benefits are not big, but it is always laborious.

Zhu Yuanzhang saw Zhu Tan's face full of thoughtfulness and knew it in his heart.

I'm afraid this guy may not agree with Zhu Biao's idea.

in fact.

Zhu Yuanzhang has not yet figured out how to treat the current grassland.

Prince Zhu Biao's approach, although old-fashioned, is sound.

Even Zhu Yuanzhang himself could not do better.

Zhu Yuanzhang even felt that this was the most correct thing to do.

Seeing Zhu Tan, she had another idea.

He couldn't help but ask: "Old Shi, Mobei and Liaodong were almost conquered by your Lu Wangwei! How to manage the north, you have the most say! Tell me! We also want to know, since you are right Tuogusi and Timur have ideas, so they should have more ideas about the strategy of grassland, right?”

Zhu Tan smiled when he heard this.

"Father, I think that my eldest brother's approach is very safe. If there are no problems in the Ming Dynasty, even for hundreds of years, the grassland people may not be able to cause any trouble!"

Zhu Yuanzhang snorted.

"Stop being like that! There is no dynasty that lasts for thousands of years! The Ming Dynasty will definitely go through many tests in the future! What should we do if internal and external troubles break out at that time?"

Zhu Biao couldn't help but nodded when he heard Zhu Yuanzhang's words.

Learn from history.

Throughout the dynasties, when they were strong, they were not afraid of grassland power.

Except the Song Dynasty.

But once a dynasty falls into decline, ethnic minorities will take advantage of it.

Such as the powerful enemies such as Tubo and Uighurs encountered during the Tang Dynasty.

Such as the Wuhuanhua encountered during the Western Jin Dynasty.

It's all the same.

Zhu Tan said with a smile: "Now that my father knows this, I can rest assured! I think that my eldest brother still thinks that the grassland is a place outside the territory of our Ming Dynasty, and we do not treat it as our own land to manage it." , and we don’t regard the grassland people as our people!”

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded when he heard this.

Zhu Biao also smiled.

What's wrong with thinking this way?

Throughout the past dynasties, except for the Yuan Dynasty, which came from the grassland and was able to manage the grassland as its own territory, no other dynasty could touch the grassland!

After all, this place is too barren.

Han people who are good at farming are looked down upon and can only live a nomadic life.

However, once you live a nomadic life, you will become a grassland people again.

In the end, he will become the enemy of Ming Dynasty.

not to mention.

At the beginning, the Yuan Dynasty did not manage the grassland well.

Even though their rulers were Mongols.

The end result was that the Mongolian compatriots living in the grasslands were displaced and turned into slaves.

Even a large number of Mongolians who could not survive simply rebelled with the Red Scarf Army and burned and killed both Yuan Dadu and Yuan Shangdu!
The grassland and the hinterland have always been incompatible.

It is no longer easy to defend them well.

Zhu Yuanzhang also frowned and thought.

In fact.

He still has some ideas about the grassland
That is to arrange for the vassal princes to take the Han people to graze on the grasslands in the future!

In this case, will those grasslands be occupied by Han people?

Zhu Tan said with a smile: "Is my father thinking about arranging Han people to be herdsmen on the grasslands in the future? In this case, the grasslands will become the territory of us Han people?"

Zhu Yuanzhang was slightly surprised when he was told the central issue.

He didn't expect that Zhu Tan even knew about this.

In fact.

in history.

Zhu Yuanzhang did this.

In the 30th year of Hongwu's reign, Zhu Yuanzhang issued an order to promulgate the "Illustration of the Mountains and Rivers in the Three Norths" that he personally compiled, and built thirteen guard stations on the grassland for the kings to graze.

The rules are down to the smallest detail.

Such as when to graze, when to lamb, and what kind of grass to feed.

He also instructed the soldiers to raise more animals, learn to weave wool, make felt hats, coats, shirts and trousers, wear them in the cold winter, provide meat for military use, use skins to serve as officials, eat like Mongolians, and tax the livestock raised by military households. , give ten capital sheep, two of which are for soldiers.
Zhu Tan laughed dryly.

He had seen some of this before traveling through time.

However, this approach is costly and the final effect is not very good.

Moreover, as Lao Zhu died of illness, the people and the government died.

"My father's approach is nothing more than turning the Han people into Mongols. After all, the way of life has changed, and the interests and needs have also changed. A hundred years later, the Han people have become grassland people, and they will still become the enemies of the Ming Dynasty!"

Zhu Tan smiled.

Zhu Yuanzhang snorted and said, "Then how do you think we should manage the grassland?"

Zhu Tan smiled and said: "It's very simple, that is to manage the grassland as if it were the land of the Ming Dynasty!"

Zhu Yuanzhang frowned and said: "Isn't that what we do? Arrange for Han people to go herding!"

Zhu Tan laughed dryly and said: "In this case, the grassland and the mainland are still not connected as one, and will eventually be separated."

Zhu Yuanzhang hummed: "Then tell me what should be done!"

Zhu Biao looked at Zhu Tan with curiosity on his face.

Honestly.

My father's idea of ​​letting Han people enter the grasslands to become herders shocked me.

Brother Ten obviously has new ideas here!

Zhu Tan smiled and said: "It's very simple! That is to make the production and life of the grassland no longer separated from the mainland, and the mainland will also form a demand for the grassland. In this way, the two sides will cycle and gradually become a whole!"

Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help but ask: "Just your loom and spinning machine?"

Zhu Tan nodded and said: "That's just the first step! In the future, there will be many aspects of our cooperation with the grassland! For example, are there minerals on the grassland? For example, gold and silver mines or even coal mines?
For example, can there be more cattle, sheep and horse products on the grassland?
Wool is just one of them!
Mutton and beef. In fact, after mass breeding in the future, they can also be supplied to the Ming Dynasty! "

Zhu Yuanzhang frowned and said: "This is our need for the grassland! What about the need for us from the grassland? It is nothing more than iron pots, clothes, tea, salt, etc.!
If they become stronger and Ming Dynasty happens to be weak at that time, will they still be able to continue robbing?

By then, won’t this cycle be broken? "

Zhu Tan smiled and said: "So, we have to ensure the safety of this cycle from several aspects!"

Zhu Yuanzhang asked: "Which aspects?"

Zhu Tan said: "First, there must be a puppet!"

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded and said: "That's easy to say! Tuogu Si Timur and even his son Tianbaonu are now studying in the Ming Dynasty, and they can be easily controlled in the future!"

Zhu Tan smiled and said: "As for the second thing, it is the connection of interests!" (End of this chapter)