Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 353 The Power of Civilization! The New Era of the Jurchens!

In fact, it was already clearly stated in the secret letter that Zhu Yunwen wrote to Lan Yu.

The letter states that advanced and powerful civilizations have an inherent advantage over backward civilizations.

People living in less civilized countries will always unconsciously feel respect and longing for countries with advanced civilizations.

If this advanced civilization also possesses absolute military superiority, then it will undoubtedly be a devastating blow to a less advanced civilization.

Simply by displaying military might and exerting pressure, a backward civilization can crumble from within and collapse on its own, like a giant beast whose spine has been removed.

If this is cleverly combined with propaganda and public opinion warfare, along with covert incitement and bribery, the country can be easily taken over without firing a single shot.

At present, the Ming Dynasty has the dual advantages of civilization and military strength when facing the three Jurchen tribes.

Therefore, the best strategy for conquering the three Jurchen tribes was not to send a new army to attack each tribe like wild bulls.

Instead, they cleverly used the weapons of propaganda and psychological warfare to persuade the Jurchen tribes to surrender voluntarily.

This would not only significantly reduce the enormous expenses required for war and avoid the risks brought by war, but more importantly, it would lay a solid foundation for the Ming Dynasty to firmly hold the three Jurchen kingdoms in the future.

After all, if the various Jurchen tribes surrendered voluntarily, the two sides would not have formed a blood feud due to the killings of war.

They submitted willingly and wholeheartedly.

If we simply go with the flow and offer some comfort, the people of the three Jurchen tribes will surely come to identify with the Ming Dynasty from the depths of their souls, remain steadfast in their commitment, and never rebel.

Only in this way can the problem of the three Jurchen tribes be solved once and for all.

Conversely, if they rely solely on military conquest, it is difficult to guarantee that the three Jurchen tribes will not rise from the ashes and rebel again in the future.

At that time, the Ming Dynasty would have to mobilize a large army to quell the rebellion.

Even worse, the three Jurchen tribes would become like a leech, clinging tightly to the body of the Ming Dynasty like "bloodsuckers."

This forced the Ming Dynasty to station a large army year-round to deter and suppress the constant rebellions.

In this way, conquering the three Jurchen tribes would not only bring no benefit, but would also become an extremely heavy burden on the shoulders of the Ming Dynasty.

By using civilization as bait and self-interest as a supplement, we can induce internal disintegration and induce them to surrender voluntarily, thus ensuring the permanent submission of the three Jurchen tribes.

Once the dust settles, we can begin developing that vast "Great Northern Wilderness" and reap substantial profits for the Ming Dynasty.

Lan Yu had already read the letter repeatedly, but he was still full of confusion and doubts, and he could hardly agree with the strategy in the letter.

Only when the astonishing scene unfolded before his eyes, with the various Jurchen tribes vying to be the first to surrender to the Ming Dynasty, did Lan Yu have no choice but to believe it.

"Your Majesty is truly a genius!"

Lan Yu stood in front of the tent, looking at the busy crowds coming and going outside the camp. He couldn't help but look up and sigh, his voice full of shock and admiration.

Having fought on the battlefield for half his life, what kind of tough battles hasn't he fought?

But they have never ventured into such a subtle and psychologically-driven battle.

Through propaganda and the efforts of intelligence personnel alone, the three Jurchen tribes were dismantled from within, and they were conquered.

Everyone says that the new army personally trained by His Majesty is unparalleled in combat power.

When he set out on the expedition, Lan Yu originally thought that this attack on the three Jurchen tribes would be a smooth and unstoppable advance, sweeping through like autumn leaves in the wind.

The new army generals under his command were all fired up, sharpening their swords, eager to lead their new army with overwhelming force, crushing all the Jurchen tribes in one fell swoop and turning them to dust.

Unexpectedly, after a few small battles, the situation suddenly changed, and they have now become engineering soldiers building roads, working diligently.

That's right!

The main task His Majesty the Emperor assigned them was to build roads!
Initially, the laborers who came with the army bore the heavy responsibility of road construction.

Their busy figures moved about throughout the camp.

They were responsible for the logistics and transportation of the new army, ensuring a continuous supply of food and supplies to the front lines, and also had to shoulder the arduous task of building cement roads.

The new soldiers adopted a battle-ready stance.

While continuously practicing tactics, they steadily advanced forward.

During the march, they also had to keep their eyes open and watch out for the Jurchen tribes, who might suddenly appear like ghosts and attack the laborers who were busy building the road.

These numerous difficulties were the root cause of the complaints from the new army generals.

It should be understood that for the Ming Dynasty's long and arduous expedition, the logistical supply line was like a thin but vital thread, stretching for thousands of miles and seemingly endless.

There are countless key locations that need to be protected.

The Jurchen tribes' raiding and harassing tactics were like annoying mosquitoes, constantly biting the Ming army and causing them great trouble, making it difficult for them to defend against them.

However, everything changed dramatically as the various Jurchen tribes launched a massive wave of surrenders.

The Ming Dynasty laborers, who were originally busy repairing roads, suddenly had their burdens lightened and no longer had to repair roads. They were only responsible for the relatively easy task of transporting grain.

The massive road construction project was entirely transferred to the Jurchen tribes who had recently surrendered.

On the Ming side, seeing the changing situation, they seized the opportunity and decisively intensified their propaganda efforts.

The envoys traveled between various Jurchen tribes, passionately and repeatedly explaining the many benefits that road construction would bring to the Jurchens.

They gave impassioned speeches, declaring that this road leading to the Ming Dynasty would be a golden avenue to prosperity and wealth.

Once the roads are open, the blessings of the Ming Dynasty will be like spring rain nourishing the earth, bringing a continuous stream of money and food to irrigate this barren land.

In fact, at least at this stage, the Ming Dynasty has indeed kept its word without any ambiguity.

The laborers of the Ming Dynasty drove their horse-drawn carriages along the newly paved cement road.

The carts were loaded with mountains of grain, transporting the land to the Jurchen territory.

The Northeast region is known for its harsh and cold climate.

The Jurchen people lived in even greater hardship than the people of the Ming Dynasty.

Most people spend their entire lives struggling with hunger.

My stomach is often growling with hunger and I find it hard to feel full.

Moreover, the Jurchens were still in an extremely barbaric and backward slave society.

The exploitation of the lower classes by the powerful and wealthy was far more brutal than in the Ming Dynasty, making life even more difficult for the lower classes.

Therefore, when the Jurchen people were pleasantly surprised to find that as long as they devoted themselves to road construction, they could get a full meal in return, their eyes instantly ignited with a fanatical flame, and they threw themselves into it like hungry wolves pouncing on their prey.

It should be understood that many people in the Ming Dynasty were unwilling to be conscripted to repair roads.

Firstly, being thousands of miles from home in this foreign land, the hardships and toil are self-evident.

Even if they could barely get enough to eat, their sleeping environment and conditions were so rudimentary that it was heartbreaking.

The makeshift shelters were nothing more than thatched huts that could barely keep out the wind and rain, leaking air from all sides, and often making people shiver with cold at night.

On the other hand, the shadow of war always loomed over the country.

Although the new army was exceptionally strong and always managed to protect them, they were able to stay safe.

But the sudden enemy attack, and the ensuing chaos, followed them like a shadow, causing them considerable fright.

Therefore, the people of the Ming Dynasty harbored great resentment towards the construction of roads for the three Jurchen tribes.

But the Jurchen people were completely different. The fact that building roads could fill their stomachs was a far greater attraction for the Jurchen people who were struggling on the brink of starvation than for the people of the Ming Dynasty.

After all, under Zhu Yunwen's careful governance, the people of the Ming Dynasty had basically said goodbye to the days of not having enough to eat and were now well-fed and clothed.

The Jurchens, however, were still living in an era of food shortages.

As long as they have food to eat, they are willing to work hard.

Besides, this is a road being built that leads to my hometown!
A wide, flat cement road carries all their aspirations for a better future and is a road of hope connecting the prosperous world of the Ming Dynasty.

How could they not be full of enthusiasm?

As a large number of Jurchen people enthusiastically joined the road-building army.

With the smoke of war dissipated and all interference gone, the road construction progressed at an unprecedented pace, as if it had been given a whirlwind.

At this time, the people of the Ming Dynasty shouldered the heavy responsibility of transporting grain and other supplies.

Along that newly built cement road, transportation is as easy as sailing with the current, much more convenient than before.

The horse-drawn carriages moved smoothly all the way, delivering supplies like a flowing river.

After the grassland tribes were defeated by the Ming Dynasty, border checkpoints were no longer set up to prohibit passage, and trade became more and more frequent.

In the Central Plains, a large number of horses were purchased to bolster transportation capacity.

At the same time, the winds of technological change swept across the Ming Dynasty.

The carriage manufacturing industry has been completely transformed.

In the past, horse-drawn carriages were mostly made by craftsmen using their individual skills, working alone, which was time-consuming and laborious.

Today, the Ming Dynasty has established factories specializing in the manufacture of horse-drawn carriages, using advanced assembly line production methods to mass-produce them.

With the rapid increase in production speed, the cost has also decreased significantly, making it more affordable and accessible to the general public.

Even components such as wheel axles, which require iron products, have seen their costs reduced again and again thanks to the leaps in smelting technology and large-scale production.

When the price of horse-drawn carriages is low, their numbers naturally increase.

With enough horse-drawn carriages and wide cement roads, transporting grain to the distant front lines has become much easier than before.

The time spent on the journey is greatly reduced, efficiency is doubled, and fewer transport personnel are needed.

Otherwise, with the Jurchen people devoting themselves to road construction on a large scale, the lifeline of food supply would likely have been in serious trouble and in grave danger.

But now, everything is proceeding smoothly, supplies are plentiful, and there is nothing to worry about.

Because the road repairs were carried out by people from the three Jurchen tribes, the number of laborers conscripted by the Ming Dynasty actually decreased from more than 100,000 to 10,000 or 20,000.

However, the actual number of people involved in road construction has increased significantly.

The soldiers of the new army mainly took on the responsibility of "supervising the work".

Supervise the Jurchen people to repair the cement road.

After all, compared to the Jurchen tribesmen who had extremely low levels of education, the soldiers of the new army were considered to have received a good education.

If you teach the road construction technicians some basic knowledge, they will be able to perform their tasks well.

The three Jurchen tribes thus entered a new era of large-scale construction.

A wide and flat cement road, like a winding dragon, starts from Beiping City of the Ming Dynasty and enters the heart of the Jurchen territory with great momentum.

Countless Jurchen people, like industrious ants, devoted themselves to the construction of this road.

This is an unprecedented construction project!
The entire Jurchen tribal system was mobilized!

From the elderly to children, including women and infants, almost everyone is involved in this.

Roads quickly led to all parts of the Jurchen region!

Of course, this would have been absolutely impossible without the food support from the Ming Dynasty.

At the same time, there are also farmland irrigation projects that slowly unfold along both sides of the road.

The once barren land has gradually been transformed into fertile fields.

On the other side, General Zhang Fu's army was advancing mightily towards the three Jurchen tribes.

Under his command were not only a well-trained and disciplined new army, but also an astonishing number of grassland tribesmen, dozens of times larger than the new army.

However, when the army finally approached the three Jurchen tribes after a long and arduous journey, the scene before them left everyone speechless with astonishment.

The anticipated smoke and fire, and desperate resistance, did not materialize.

Instead, all three Jurchen tribes had submitted to the Ming Dynasty, laying down their weapons and surrendering to the Ming.

Thus, the war mission originally set out at the start of the campaign took a complete 180-degree turn and became a major road-building project.

The soldiers in Zhang Fu's army did not have any cement on hand, and they were completely clueless about how to manufacture this novel contraption.

What they did was to first wield shovels and hoes, clearing mountains and opening up roads, gradually compacting and widening the roadbed.

They awaited a smooth rendezvous and victorious meeting with the other side, hoping to open up this great road connecting the Ming Dynasty and the Jurchens as soon as possible.

In this way, it will be very easy to lay cement afterwards.

Meanwhile, the Ming army, which set sail from Japanese seaports and landed at sea on the three Jurchen tribes, began the task of constructing seaports.

Having a seaport makes it convenient to station the navy and transport supplies to the Ming Dynasty, or to receive supplies from the Ming Dynasty and Japan.

Although the cement road is still under construction, in this era, sea transport is undoubtedly a better choice for transporting large quantities of goods.

In particular, the shipbuilding technology of the Ming Dynasty is now advancing by leaps and bounds.

Once the harbor is completed, it will be connected to the harbor by a wide and flat cement road.

From then on, there were two unobstructed passages, one by land and one by water, between the Ming Dynasty and the Jurchens.

It was as if their meridians had been opened, and from then on, there were no more obstacles to communication.

The three Jurchen tribes will naturally and completely integrate into the Ming Dynasty, becoming an inseparable part of it.

Today, the entire Jurchen Three Kingdoms area has been transformed into a massive construction site.

The place was bustling with activity, a cacophony of shouts and work sounds, creating a vibrant symphony of construction.

From the surrender of the three Jurchen tribes to the shift to comprehensive reconstruction, everything proceeded in a logical and natural manner.

This elevated the admiration of Zhu Yunwen among Lan Yu, Zhu Neng, Zhang Fu, and a group of New Army soldiers to a new level.

In their view, the victory in the war against the three Jurchen tribes was far too inexplicable!
Your Majesty is strategizing within the command tent and winning battles a thousand miles away.

And they, so many of them, seem to be just here to assist His Majesty and boost his morale.

If we're really talking about merit, Your Majesty alone would probably deserve eight-tenths of the credit.

Such ingenious and unexpected strategies could not help but impress the soldiers of the new army.
At present, the three Jurchen tribes have been settled, and according to Zhu Yunwen's prior arrangements, the Jurchen tribal leaders have handed over all power.

Officials dispatched by the Ming Dynasty began to formally take over the management of various affairs of the Jurchen tribes.

……

(End of this chapter)