The Wanli Emperor of the Ming Dynasty was extremely rebellious

Chapter 634 Completely Pacifying the Northern Barbarians
After arranging the relocation of Yansui Town, Emperor Wanli returned to Beijing.

At this time, the capital city is in the midst of spring, with warm and comfortable weather and blooming flowers.

The people of the capital were overjoyed, and their lives were thriving.

The Ming Dynasty can now be said to have entered a golden age, at least in the capital.

However, Wanli still frowned and pondered over the map every day.

The war in the Americas is not over yet. There are still the Three Xuan and Six Wei in the southwest that must be pacified, the Oirat in the north that must be completely subdued, and the remnants of the three powerful clans in Puzhou that have not been completely eliminated.

More importantly, only when the princes and members of the imperial family were exiled to Fangzhang Island could the Ming Dynasty truly enter a golden age.

Otherwise, tens of millions of commoners would still be oppressed by princes and royal families, living like slaves, which could not be considered a golden age at all.

If the princes and royal family members are to be exiled to Fangzhang Island, they must first grow food there, which involves the issue of ocean-going ships, as they currently do not have enough ocean-going ships.

With so many problems, which one should we solve first?

After much deliberation, he decided to address the Oirat problem first.

Because once the Oirat Mongols are dealt with, the northern barbarians will be completely pacified. At most, only two of the nine border towns will remain in the north, and the others can be relocated.

After the border towns were relocated overseas, they could not only guard the frontier, but also solve the problem of overseas development.

In this way, the Ming Dynasty can not only enjoy peace and prosperity throughout the land, but also flourish and develop rapidly, which is the most important thing.

Otherwise, if so much manpower and resources are spent to seize so much territory, not only will no profit be generated, but a large amount of money and food will also be spent to send a large army to garrison it, which would be a loss.

Therefore, resolving the Oirat problem is the most urgent task.

So, how should the problem of the Oirat Mongols be solved?
This requires the combined efforts of the border troops, the Sichuan troops, and the naval forces.

His desire to deploy so many troops was not due to ambition or the strength of the Oirat Mongols.

The key point is that the Oirat nomadic area was too large, and the ice age was very long, especially further north.

He could only mobilize a large number of troops to finish the battle quickly, otherwise it would be impossible to fight if it dragged on until winter.

Following the imperial edict, General Ma Gui of Liaodong Garrison, General Dong Yiyuan of Jizhou Garrison, General Dong Yikui of Xuanfu Garrison, General Xiao Ruxun of Ningxia Garrison, General Qin Liangyu of Sichuan Army, and Deputy General Yu Zigao of the Navy all rushed to the capital.

On the 29th day of the third month, Gengyin day, all the generals finally gathered together.

Early that morning, around 7 a.m., Wanli summoned a group of generals to the Grand Council Hall. He not only brought Zhu Changxun and Song Yingxing, but also specially asked Li Zhizao to come over.

After exchanging greetings with his subjects, he pointed his slender white waxwood staff north of the Gobi Desert and said, "We must deal with the Oirat Mongols and completely pacify the northern barbarians."

From then on, the area north of Nurgan Regional Military Commission to the eastern border of the Khanate of Siberia was the defense zone of Liaodong Garrison, while the area north of Yanshan, south of the Gobi Desert, west of Xing'alin, and south of the Khanate of Siberia was the defense zone of Jizhou Garrison.

"We'll leave these two border towns in the north for garrisoning; we'll assess the situation in the west later."

what?
Upon hearing this, Ma Gui and Dong Yiyuan were both dumbfounded.

Their future defense zones will probably cover tens of thousands of miles!

The others were also stunned, their mouths agape.

If it really becomes like that, how big would the northern border of the Ming Dynasty be?

Wanli glanced around the map, then pointed to the Oirat tribe on the map and asked, "Do you know the current situation of the Oirat?"

Who knows?

The Oirat Mongols are separated from their current defense zone by the Gobi Desert, which is at least a thousand miles wide from north to south. In between, there are not only deserts but also desolate mountains, making it difficult to travel even on horseback.

Upon hearing this, no one uttered a sound.

It seems that charging directly into the Oirat territory this year is not an option. They know nothing about the situation there, and charging in would only send their soldiers to their deaths.

Wanli stared at the map for a while, then asked, "One yuan, Xing'alin doesn't seem to be very wide, does it?"

Looking at the map, the narrowest point of the Xing'a Forest seems to be only four or five hundred li, and the widest point only seven or eight hundred li. Have you sent scouts through the Xing'a Forest to investigate?

How do you say this?

Dong Yiyuan thought for a moment, then carefully said, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. My soldiers are not good at crossing mountains and ridges. Moreover, Xing'a Lin is really dense with jungles. Our scouts can't explore further west after going about a hundred miles into the mountains."

You're not good at climbing mountains, are you?

This is not a big problem.

Wanli nodded slightly, then asked, "Yi Kui, the defense zone of Xuanfu Town is only about a thousand miles away from the Oirat tribe, right? Have you sent scouts to investigate?" Don't underestimate those thousand miles.

Dong Yikui said with some helplessness, "Your Majesty, I once sent out scouts to explore the northern Han Sea, but they couldn't find anything after exploring four or five hundred miles to the north."

Because this vast expanse not only contains deserts and Gobi, but also barren mountains. These mountains are crisscrossed, undulating, and densely packed. They are unfamiliar with the area, and if they go in, they might not be able to get out. Therefore, I did not allow them to go in.”

This is a bit of a big problem.

There is no water source in the vast ocean; even if people and horses go in, they can't last more than a few days.

Wanli nodded slightly and then asked, "Ruxun, what about your side? Have you sent scouts to investigate the situation of the Oirat tribe?"

This doesn't seem to have much to do with me, does it?
Xiao Ruxun carefully explained, "Your Majesty, this humble general has not yet taken over the defense zone of Guyuan Town, and is not very clear about the situation in the north."

As for Gansu Town to the west, that's General Man's defense zone. I don't know if General Man ever sent scouts to investigate it.

Oh, we should have brought Man Gui here too.

However, Mangui's territory is the true frontier. They haven't fully controlled the south, west, and north of Gansu Town yet, and the remnants of the Tatar Tumed tribe also fled to the Oirat tribe from there.

This is also why he has not allowed Man Gui to come to pay his respects; the situation in the west is too complicated, and Man Gui needs to stay there to oversee things.

It seems the only option is to push it from east to west.

Wanli stared at the map for a moment, then decisively said, "Liangyu, I'm entrusting you with investigating Xing Alin's situation."

You leave Chen Ce and his 100,000 troops to guard the Zhendongbao line, while you, Qiancheng, and Yang Yinglong lead 200,000 troops to Xing'alin.

From May to November this year, you must thoroughly investigate the terrain inside Xing'a Forest within six months.

Remember, prioritize identifying suitable locations for road construction. We need to build a road that runs from east to west across Xing'alin. You must find suitable locations as soon as possible, and we aim to complete the road this year.

Upon hearing this, Qin Liangyu nodded repeatedly and said, "This subordinate understands."

Wanli then pointed to the Nurgan Commandery on the map and said, "Kemai, I will transfer the two hundred Weiyuan warships and six hundred centipede ships that accompanied me back to you. I will also order people to send the Weiyuan warships and flying shuttles that are built later to you."

After you lead your naval fleet to relocate the entire Liaodong Garrison to the Sanjiang Plain, take the 500,000 garrison troops there to investigate the situation north of the Nurgan Regional Military Commission.

This time, you will mainly explore along the coast and the main channels of major rivers.

There are probably still Jurchen tribes over there. If you see them, capture them and exile them to Xidusi in North America.

This year, you must explore along the coastline all the way to the eastern border of the Khanate of Siberia, but do not start a war with them yet.

If they want war, then we'll deal with the Oirats and then they.

Also, you need to help General Ma establish the defense system there. You need to send the garrison troops to the mouth of the Heilongjiang River, including the mouths of several major rivers to the north, to help General Ma build the fortified city.

Remember to bring enough food and fresh water. As for the materials for building the fortress, send fast ships to haul them over from the Liaodong Commandery.

Upon hearing this, Yu Zigao repeatedly cupped his hands and bowed, saying, "This humble general understands."

Wanli nodded slightly, then instructed, "General Ma, once Kemai has built a garrison city, you should send five thousand troops to take over its defense."

These fortified cities will become our permanent defensive works guarding the northern frontier. You need to make proper arrangements for your men.”

Upon hearing this, Ma Gui quickly bowed and said, "I understand."

Wanli nodded slightly, then said to Li Zhizao, "Zhenzhi, you go with Kemai, take your surveying cart and surveying boat, and draw up a detailed map of the Nurgan Regional Military Commission."

Now we need to do map surveying again.

Upon hearing this, Li Zhizao was quite excited and bowed, saying, "Your humble servant obeys the decree."

Wanli thought about it carefully again before raising his hand and waving it away.

Everyone hurriedly bowed and took their leave.

At this moment, Xiao Zhu Changxun finally couldn't help but ask, "Father, the northern territory is so vast, it seems to be more than ten thousand miles. It would probably take several months to ride a horse back and forth, right?"
Moreover, some places seem impassable even on horseback. How will General Ma defend them? Is he just going to rely on his naval fleet to circle the seas and transport troops, supplies, and provisions?

This is indeed a problem. The northern territory is too vast. Just a round trip by horse would take countless days, not to mention transporting provisions and supplies.

Currently, they mainly rely on ships to transport supplies and provisions. However, there is a limitation to the use of ships to transport supplies and provisions: ships can only pass through places where waterways are connected.

The northern territory is so vast, often stretching tens of thousands of miles, and there are no waterways connecting it to the north. Transporting grain and supplies would be extremely troublesome, so we must find a way to do it.

Emperor Wanli stared at the map and thought about it carefully. Suddenly, something came to mind.

(End of this chapter)