Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 550: The Plan of Extermination

Xiong Tingbi pondered for a moment, then spoke slowly, "Right now, our enemy troops have been defeated in Shenzhen. Old Wild Boar Skin's next move is to either advance westward to annex the Chaohua tribes, or advance southward to plunder the eight provinces of Korea. This way, the enemy can still survive. If these two strategies are not implemented, or if the attack fails again, the enemy will have a hard time surviving this winter. And what we must do next is to make sure he doesn't survive this winter!"

"Have the enemy started to run out of food?" On the way to Liaoyang, Yuan Keli thought about the possibility that Nurhaci might retreat because of food shortage in his army.

"Not yet, but it should be soon," Xiong Tingbi explained. "We learned this from interrogating the captured slaves. This time, Old Wild Boar Skin went all out on this southern raid. He conscripted every manpower and grain he could from every tribe, practically draining the tribe of its manpower and surplus grain. Of course, if he hadn't done this, he wouldn't have been able to muster the 100,000 troops and horses needed to set the entire Liao Dynasty on fire."

"Brother Feibai, I've always been curious," Yuan Keli asked again, "How did Nurhaci get so much food to feed so many soldiers in this bitter cold land outside the Great Wall?"

"The Nu tribe didn't start out with 100,000 soldiers," Xiong Tingbi said. "Take the most recent example, Beiguan. Originally, Beiguan had about 40,000 people. Excluding women, children, the elderly, and the weak, there were at least 10,000 capable fighters. In August of the 47th year of the Wanli reign, when I first arrived in Liaodong, Old Wild Boar Skin raided Beiguan. Chiefs Jin Taishi and Bai Yanggu were killed, and Beiguan fell. After the fall of Beiguan, the troops under Jin Taishi and Bai Yanggu were dispersed and absorbed into the Four Colors and Eight Banners of the Nu tribe by the Nu bandits. Thus, those 40,000 and 10,000 soldiers became part of the Nu bandits. Before that, he didn't have that many people to support."

Yuan Keli nodded silently.

Xiong Tingbi continued, "Let's talk about food. After Beiguan was annexed, not only the people, but also the grain, livestock, and land in Beiguan were plundered by the slave bandits. The fact that there were 40,000 people in that place means it could support 40,000 people. After taking over that area, as long as they manage it well, the slave bandits can break even. The same is true for the entire slave tribe."

"As far as I know, the Nu tribe currently numbers at least 300,000, and perhaps as many as 500,000. Of these 300,000 to 500,000, some are Han Chinese captured from places like Fuqing and Kaitie, as well as Tatars who have surrendered. As long as there's no disaster or harm, even if we can take one out of every five or even three men in a wartime situation, we can easily squeeze out 100,000 men. But last winter, heavy snow fell inside and outside the Great Wall, and the freezing weather killed countless people and animals. The tribes outside the Great Wall suffered severely. Nearly 20,000 Tatars alone risked their lives to flee to Han territory to beg for food. Li Qing, you've been to Guangning, so you should have heard about this."

"Yes, I heard about it," Yuan Keli said. "Yang Wenru told me. Last spring and summer, after receiving the reward, the Chahan tribe would buy some porcelain and silk from merchants. But starting in the fall, they began to focus on buying grain. Eighty percent of the reward silver was used to buy rice and flour. And it has been like this until recently."

"The Tatar tribes suffered severely, and the Nu tribe wasn't much better off," Xiong Tingbi continued. "According to captured Nu bandits and Han people who escaped, the pastures and farms managed by the Nu tribe suffered a severe snowstorm last winter. If it weren't for the previous looting of Fuqing Kaitie and other places, and the Nu bandits still had some supplies in their warehouses, I'm afraid a large number of Jurchen people would have fled south to Han areas last year. Moreover, the snow melted late this year, affecting spring plowing. That's why he took his men to explore everywhere as soon as the temperature returned, and finally attacked Shenyang."

"Spring plowing?" Yuan Keli asked, "Do slaves also plow the fields?"

"Yes," Xiong Tingbi nodded. "Unlike the other Tatar tribes, the Nu tribe has a comprehensive source of food. They fish, hunt, herd, and farm. As far as we know, before Old Boar Skin raised the flag of rebellion, his subordinates, with the help of the Han people who fled north, had already begun to reclaim wasteland and plant millet and wheat. After attacking Kaitie, the Nu bandits even established several large farms around the old village. We don't know how their harvests are yet, but based on what we know so far, as long as there are no disasters, they should have no problem feeding tens of thousands of people."

"So," following this line of thought, Yuan Keli thought of the aggressive approach Xiong Tingbi might take: "Brother Feibai is planning to send people to burn their fields?"

"Farm and fight, farm and fight. You have to be able to farm before you can fight," Xiong Tingbi said with increasing excitement. "Even if Old Wild Boar Skin is a skilled soldier and general, he can't fight a good battle without food. As for food, we can either steal it from others or grow it in the fields. So what we need to do next is to prevent him from stealing it or growing it in the fields. Preventing him from stealing it means defending Korea and supporting Chaohua. Preventing him from growing it means, of course, burning his fields."

"My original plan was to have Gao Yidao, based in Shandong, defend Zhenjiang to the death, blocking the enemy's southward advance. At the same time, we would dispatch guerrillas familiar with the terrain to the upper reaches of the Hun River, the Fuqing area, and even cross the border into the vicinity of Hetuala. We would go to the already-discovered farms and pastures, trample the crops, burn the fields, and slaughter the livestock. If all goes well, by next year at the earliest, the enemy will collapse, their morale will plummet, and they will be unable to organize a war group of this scale again. At that time, we can simply implement a strategy of division and disintegration to appease and draw out some of the wavering ones, thus greatly weakening Old Wild Boar Skin's strength. Then, it will be time to recover lost territory and even further penetrate their lair."

"In that case, the most important thing right now should be to save North Korea?" Yuan Keli asked.

"Yes," Xiong Tingbi said, "Korea is a weak country, with only 50,000 to 60,000 standing troops. But it can still support several million people. Once Old Wild Boar Skin annexes Korea, even if there are other disadvantages, the enemy will at least be able to continue to survive at its current scale. In this way, we need more time to weaken the enemy and bide our time. Alas," said Xiong Tingbi, sighing suddenly and glancing at Lu Wenzhao unconsciously, "There are always people in the court who urge me to go out and attack the border on the grounds of huge waste. Although I have repeatedly refuted it in memorials, and the late emperor and the emperor have always supported me, I know how much food and military expenses are consumed by hundreds of thousands of people every year." Xiong Tingbi looked back at Yuan Keli and said, "Li Qing, you have a heavy burden on your shoulders. You must not be careless."

"I understand." Yuan Keli nodded solemnly. "Since the emperor trusts me and uses me, and sends me to guard Korea, I will naturally live and die with Korea. If Korea survives, I live, and if Korea perishes, I die."

"Haha, well said!" Xiong Tingbi looked at Yuan Keli with a touch of respect. "Sun Tzu said, 'Throw it into a desperate situation and then it will survive; throw it into a deadly situation and then it will live.' Li Qing, if you can think that way, Korea will not perish!" Xiong Tingbi seemed to have suddenly thought of something and glanced at Lu Wenzhao again. "But if things change, I have a desperate plan that can be used."

Xiong Tingbi's eyes seemed to flash with a cold light, which made Yuan Keli shudder. "Please speak."

"Since you, Li Qing, have been entrusted with the task of overseeing Joseon, you must dispatch your most reliable personnel to guard the government warehouses throughout Joseon and prepare for the worst." Xiong Tingbi spoke slowly, almost pausing over each word. "To be more blunt, I suggest you prepare to set the warehouses on fire."

"Burn the warehouse!" Yuan Keli's pupils shrank, and his gaze unconsciously shifted to the Jinyiwei beside him. But his thoughts were completely different from Xiong Tingbi's.

Lu Wenzhao didn't react much, only thinking that the two ministers were acting nervously. On the other hand, Yuan Yingtai, who was closer to Xiong Tingbi, showed a look of horror and resistance.

Xiong Tingbi nodded heavily at Yuan Keli and said solemnly, "Wealth cannot be accumulated through righteousness, and an army cannot be commanded through kindness. The scorched earth policy of clearing the fields and defending the land may be cruel, but it is indeed the simplest and most effective means of curbing the thieves. Guarding Korea is ultimately a national policy that serves my interests. If you can make Korea strong enough to fight and defend, and to provide support for my Liaozhen, that would be the best. However, if Korea is truly undefendable, at least make it impossible for the thieves to use it. Moreover, the thieves will not give the Koreans any food they steal."

Yuan Keli pondered for a long time, but ultimately chose not to respond to Xiong Tingbi's question. "Over there, over at Chaohua's Five Camps, what are you planning to do, Brother Feibai?"

"Hmm." In the blink of an eye, Xiong Tingbi's expression changed. "The Chaohua army is truly difficult to deal with. In my opinion, the Chaohua army's five main battalions appear powerful, but they're essentially soft persimmons that break easily. The old Chaohua army boasts 50,000 elite soldiers, but at best, they're a ragtag bunch of scattered, uncoordinated individuals, displaying mere bravery. They might be able to hold their own against small-scale cavalry battles, but in a decisive battle against fully-formed bandits, they'd be completely defeated."

"So Liaozhen will also send troops to defend the city, just like they did to North Korea?" Yuan Keli asked. "No," Xiong Tingbi shook his head. "Of course I will provide assistance, but I won't send a large force to help them maintain their territory. That place has no buffer in front and no support in the back. Even if you build a fortified city out of thin air, it would be difficult to defend. Moreover, the Chaohua tribe has no fortified city to defend, and the largest settlements only have rammed earth walls for external defense. Sending troops to help defend the city is like using meat buns to beat a dog."

"What should we do then?" Yuan Keli couldn't help but frown.

"If they can't hold it, retreat. Losing their territory is fine, as long as Old Wild Boar Skin doesn't get any real benefits." Xiong Tingbi explained, "My idea is to have Chaohua retreat to the Chahan tribe with his own food, fodder and livestock when the slave bandits march westward. That way, Old Wild Boar Skin will only be able to gain a piece of open land. After that, Old Wild Boar Skin will either return empty-handed with his army again, or he will have no choice but to stay on Chaohua's territory to raise livestock. The grassland is not like the forest. The flat terrain allows his cavalry to come and go freely and attack everywhere, and so can my cavalry. As long as he dares to graze there, I will send troops to kill his livestock and burn his pasture."

"Will the Chaohua and Chahan tribes agree?" Yuan Ke immediately voiced his concerns. "Chaohua will certainly not give up their territory easily, and Hudun and Tuhan won't risk being attacked by feeding so many mouths for nothing, right? How can I allow others to snore beside my bed? For Hudun and Tuhan, that would be like inviting a wolf into the house."

"It's not as difficult as you think. At least it should be easy for the Chahan tribe. As far as I know, in recent years, Hudun Tuhan has been trying to integrate the tribes and become the Great Khan of Mongolia. He even calls himself 'Baturu Genghis Khan, the Lord of Mongolia'. Chaohua is weak and dependent, so he should be happy to accept it. Old Chaohua, after suffering so many beatings, should also know that he is no match for Old Yezhupi. Not to mention, Chaohua's nephew Zaisai is still in the hands of Old Yezhupi. But whether it will succeed or not still depends on matchmaking and negotiation. We have to give some real results on our side." The expression on Xiong Tingbi's face showed that he was not so sure.

"If this plan really succeeds, will Chaohua become completely dependent on Hudun Tuhan and let Hudun Tuhan become the Khan of Mongolia? If so, won't there be another threat to the north?" Yuan Keli said.

"Li Qing is indeed farsighted," Xiong Tingbi said with a bitter smile. "But there are not so many things in the world that can have the best of both worlds. It's just a matter of choosing the lesser of two evils."

"That's right." Yuan Keli agreed with a sigh, lowering his head.

------

"Li Qing."

clang!
Xiong Tingbi was about to say something when suddenly a melodious bell sound came unhindered into the signing room of the governor's office.

"What?" Yuan Keli heard the call and looked towards Xiong Tingbi.

"Haha," Xiong Tingbi chuckled and pulled out a pocket watch. After glancing at it, he stood up, looked around at everyone, and said, "It's already noon. You two must be hungry after a long journey. Let's eat first. The drinks are ready."

"Brother Feibai, please say what you want to say first. There is no rush." ​​Yuan Keli stood up and his eyes couldn't help but move to the pocket watch.

"We've pretty much discussed all the major issues I wanted to discuss. Only a few minor details remain. Let's chat while we eat." Xiong Tingbi clutched his pocket watch. "Besides, I invited Eunuch Ma to come over yesterday to welcome 'Yuan Bingxian'. I can't keep him waiting any longer."

"Then I'd rather obey your command." Yuan Keli bowed.

"Please follow me. The banquet will be held at the Wanhe Restaurant near the government office." Xiong Tingbi held the pocket watch between his thumbs and made a gesture of invitation towards the door.

"Xiong Jinglie." Lu Wenzhao hesitated for a long time. When he was about to walk out of the yard where the signing room was located, he finally couldn't help but call out.

"What instructions does Captain Lu have?" Xiong Tingbi stopped, and Yuan Yingtai and Yuan Keli also turned around.

"I'm not worthy of your order." Lu Wenzhao bowed and said, "I have a personal matter that I'd like to ask for your help."

Xiong Tingbi was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "Captain Lu, please feel free to speak. If I can do it, I will definitely do my best."

"I would like you to help me find someone." Lu Wenzhao said.

"Looking for someone?" Xiong Tingbi asked, "Who?"

"Her name is Ding Baiying, and she comes from the same family as me."

(End of this chapter)