My Portable Ming Dynasty

Chapter 154 Finding the Lamb
Wu Weizhong, fearing that Su Ze might not understand these two military terms, wanted to explain them. Su Ze said:

"I know what 'receiving the lamb' means."

Wu Weizhong was even happier now. From their conversation, he had discovered that Su Ze was quite knowledgeable about military affairs, which saved him the trouble of explaining.

If he could get Su Ze to support Qi Shuai's plan, his mission would be accomplished.

Wu Weizhong briefly recounted the contents of Qi Jiguang's memorial, and Su Ze began to ponder it.

"Jiegao" and "soutao" are two military terms.

Lambing refers to the lambing period.

The lambing period is the most important time on the grassland.

Lambs usually give birth in the spring. At this time, newborn lambs should not be moved, and ewes should also rest after giving birth.

Like agriculture, animal husbandry also involves a long input-output process.

The most important assets on the grasslands are cattle and sheep. Wool and hides are economic outputs, beef and mutton are food sources, and sheep milk and cow milk are supplementary nutrients.

If a large number of young animals die, the entire tribe will face food shortages.

The lambing season, much like the autumn harvest in agrarian societies, is a period that determines the year's outcome.

During this period, herders who migrate all year round will settle down in a place with abundant water and grass, and the entire tribe will focus their energy on delivering lambs and calves.

Just as nomadic peoples migrate south during the autumn harvest season when horses are fat and the autumn is in full bloom.

As early as the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, famous generals discovered the weakness of nomadic peoples and chose to march north during the lambing season to take the initiative and weaken the strength of the grasslands.

However, there is a drawback to doing this.

Unlike the autumn harvest when horses are fat and strong, the autumn harvest is also the time when nomadic peoples are at their strongest.

The lambing season is also a crucial time for preparing for spring plowing, and production is equally needed in the Central Plains.

Therefore, historically, only the Western Han Dynasty, which had a standing army, the Northern Wei Dynasty, which was also established by nomadic peoples, and the early Tang Dynasty, whose military system had not collapsed, were able to march north during the lambing season.

Since the reign of Emperor Yongle (Zhu Di), the garrison troops of the Ming Dynasty had been in a state of semi-agricultural and semi-military life, and would no longer go north during the lambing season.

This is the drawback of the hereditary military system: military operations must give way to production operations.

However, a new change has occurred in Datong today.

When the Prince of Dai abolished the feudal system, the land occupied by Emperor Daizong in the garrison was cleared out. Su Ze submitted a memorial to reorganize the Datong Border Garrison, turning it into a second-line army similar to the Production and Construction Corps.

Meanwhile, the Southern Army led by Qi Jiguang replaced the Datong Guard, which was a semi-farm and semi-garrison unit, and became a full-time army.

Against this backdrop, Qi Jiguang spent the entire winter preparing and gathering intelligence on the grasslands, and then proposed the idea of ​​lambing and trapping.

Next comes the search for the set.

The so-called "search for the trap" refers to the Hetao region.

The Yellow River has nine bends. It flows north through present-day Ningxia to between Dengkou and Linhe in Bayannur City, Inner Mongolia. With the Wujia River as its main channel, it turns east and then flows through Baotou and Tuoketuo County. After that, it turns south and flows to Hequ and Baode in Shanxi Province, forming a "几" shape, which resembles a trapezoid, hence the name Hetao (River Loop).

The search and seizure was a special military operation that was frequently carried out in the early Ming Dynasty.

In the early Ming Dynasty, the Tao region was a buffer zone between the grasslands and the Ming Dynasty.

However, starting at this time, some nomadic tribes began to cross the Yellow River and enter the Hetao region when the Yellow River froze in winter.

These tribes were basically losers in the grassland competition. When they first entered the Hetao region, it was to avoid the fierce competition on the grassland.

After the lambing season, these tribes will head north and leave the Hetao region.

In the early Ming Dynasty, the Ming army in the Northwest Garrison would also launch attacks to drive away the tribes that had entered the Hetao region.

However, during the Chenghua era, the nomadic tribes that originally migrated south seasonally gradually began to occupy the Hetao region, and at this time the nature of "searching the Hetao" changed.

"Searching for traps" became an important military operation to protect the security of the Northwest Military Town.

However, the several raids conducted during the Chenghua era yielded unsatisfactory results.

Next, the Ming army completely switched to a strategic defensive phase. By the Jiajing reign, they had been driven to the gates of the capital by Altan Khan, and the search for the enemy was rarely mentioned again.

Seeing that Su Ze had finished thinking, Wu Weizhong quickly said:
"Commander Qi believed that the capture of the lambs and search for the Tao River could weaken the strength of the tribes in the Tao River region, thus relieving the pressure on the Yulin Guards in the autumn."

"The Hetao region is located on the western flank of Datongwei. Every autumn when Anda invades, the vassals of Anda's tribe in the Hetao region will invade Shanxi from the east, and Datongwei will suffer attacks from both the north and the west."

"If we can capture the Hetao region, then by autumn this year, the Yulin Guards can restrain the tribes in the Hetao region, and Datong can concentrate on dealing with the Anda tribe in Bansheng City."

Su Ze nodded slightly, and could only say that Qi Jiguang was indeed a top strategist!

As Qi Jiguang said, attacking when the grasslands are at their weakest will weaken the strength of the Hetao region, and then the border defense pressure on the Northwest Garrison will be much less in the autumn.

At that time, Datong Guard would only need to deal with the Anda tribe in Bansheng City in the north, and Qi Jiguang would be confident that he could block the Anda tribe's attack and even defeat the Anda tribe.

If they could achieve a major victory, the imperial court would be able to offer better terms when discussing tribute and trade with the Anda tribe again.

At that time, the Ming Dynasty could establish a new order on the grasslands.

Qi Jiguang's plan actually coincided with Su Ze's grassland strategy.

But Su Ze sighed and said:

"But the idea of ​​searching for the missing items will likely face significant resistance."

Xu Wei said with some doubt:
"Master Dong, the idea of ​​searching for the enemy's territory is feasible from a military strategy perspective, so why is there so much resistance?"

Su Ze said with a wry smile:

"That's because the previous dynasty fought terribly."

Xu Wei was not a member of the Hanlin Academy and was unaware of the situation in the Hetao region. When Su Ze was in the Hanlin Academy, he read in detail all the memorials on military affairs in the northwest from previous dynasties, and he even memorized some of the key contents using the "Memory Pancake".

He recounted them as if they were his own treasures:

"During the Hongzhi era, the imperial court appointed Wang Yue as the commander-in-chief and dispatched a total of 6,000 troops in three routes to search for Tao. They achieved a 'great victory' and beheaded more than 60 people."

"Later, Zhu Hui was appointed as the commander-in-chief, claiming to lead an army of 100,000, but in the end, he only managed to behead three! And he wasn't even sure if the enemy was a Mongol!"

"During the reign of the late Emperor Shizong, after the humiliation of the Gengxu Incident, we also launched a northern expedition to search for the enemy. This expedition killed eight enemy soldiers, while eight of our Ming generals and above died in battle, and countless soldiers were killed or wounded."

Su Ze looked at Xu Wei and Wu Weizhong and asked in return:

"Gentlemen and ministers, how do you view this successful raid?"

Xu Wei participated in the campaign against the Japanese pirates in the southeast, but he was not familiar with the situation in the northwest. However, he had a good grasp of history, so he asked:
"Master Dong, I remember that during the Han Dynasty, Wuyuan Prefecture was established near the Hetao region, and troops were stationed there to guard the area. The Tang Dynasty even established three surrender cities in the Hetao region. The entire Hetao region is the former territory of the Han and Tang dynasties. Why didn't the surrender cities be rebuilt at the beginning of the dynasty, and why was the Hetao region used as a border defense?"

Su Ze knew that Xu Wei had never been to the Northwest, and explained:

"Times have changed, and this is due to changes in climate and land."

This matter is really not Zhu Yuanzhang's fault.

In the early Ming Dynasty, the Ming army was extremely powerful, driving the Mongols to flee. Some ministers even proposed rebuilding three surrender cities along the Yellow River in the Hetao region to restore the territories of the Han and Tang dynasties.

In this way, the northern border defense of the Ming Dynasty was complete, and there was no need to station troops in places like Shaanxi and Ningxia.

Su Ze said:

"During the Han and Tang dynasties, the Hetao region was rich in water and grass, making it suitable for cultivation and grazing, and it was known as the Jiangnan region beyond the Great Wall."

"But by the time of our dynasty, the soil in the Hetao region had become sandy. Although it was irrigated by the Yellow River, the soil fertility had declined and it was impossible to grow crops."

"Furthermore, north of Yulin, the Mu Us Desert is expanding day by day. If the Hetao region cannot be self-sufficient in grain, it will need to be transported from Shaanxi and Shanxi, which is extremely costly. Therefore, the dynasty abandoned the Hetao region."

Xu Wei suddenly realized:
"I see."

Seeing that Su Ze had such a clear understanding of the historical evolution of the Hetao region, Wu Weizhong felt as if he had met a kindred spirit and quickly said:

"So, just as Commander Qi said, Su Hanlin agrees with the idea of ​​searching for the lambs in the trap?"

Su Ze shook his head and said, "It's no use even if I agree. This time His Majesty asked the Nine Ministers to discuss it together, which will face considerable resistance. I'm afraid it will be difficult to succeed."

Su Ze is right. The number of people participating in the Nine Ministers' joint discussion is even greater than that of the cabinet meetings, and the content of the discussions and speeches are all for the emperor's benefit.

Qi Jiguang's proposal to retrieve lambs from the traps would inevitably provoke opposition from many people.

Based on Su Ze's understanding of the Longqing Emperor, this matter will probably be dropped.

After all, in the eyes of the emperor and many ministers, Datong was a crucial defensive stronghold protecting the capital. They could not see the benefits of sweeping through the Hetao region, but if the battle failed, it would affect the security of the entire border defense of the capital, which would be a loss.

In a way, this view is not wrong.

Because in the eyes of the emperor and his court officials, although Qi Jiguang had made contributions in resisting Japanese pirates, he was not necessarily a rare military genius.

Therefore, even if Su Ze uses the system, it would require a huge amount of prestige points to change this decision, and he estimates that he does not have enough prestige points to support Qi Jiguang's memorial.

Moreover, as Qi Jiguang said, the lambing season is when a minority of nomadic peoples can stay in one place, and the search for traps will be most effective at this time.

By the time I've accumulated enough prestige points, these tribes might have already resumed their nomadic lifestyle. At that point, a large-scale search by the army might end up like the several times during the Chenghua era—a complete waste of military resources with nothing to show for it.

If that's the case, then it would be better not to do the search at all.

Su Ze pondered for almost half an hour, and Wu Weizhong didn't dare to disturb him, so he sat obediently and watched him.

When Su Ze raised his head, he looked at Wu Weizhong and asked:
"General Wu, if you ride at full speed, how long will it take you to travel between Datong and the capital?"

Wu Weizhong gritted his teeth and said:
"A five-day round trip is possible!"

Su Ze nodded and said:

"The Nine Ministers will discuss this in seven days. I will write a letter by hand, which you will give to General Qi. Please ask him to submit another memorial based on my letter. You will then travel back to the capital in five days. Is that alright?"
Wu Weizhong looked at Su Ze in confusion. What kind of operation was this?
But remembering Qi Jiguang's instructions, Wu Weizhong gritted his teeth and said:

"Wu made a solemn promise that he would definitely be able to return!"

Su Ze smiled and said:

"No need for a pledge of military authority. If we can return before the Nine Ministers discuss the matter, the operation to retrieve the lambs and search for the traps can be completed. If we cannot return in time, then we will have to ask Qi Jiguang to find another way."

Wu Weizhong clasped his hands and said:
"Please send a letter, Hanlin Su!"

Su Ze returned to his study, quickly wrote a letter, and then handed it to Xu Wei for proofreading.

After reading the letter, Xu Wei looked at Su Ze in shock, but quickly understood Su Ze's intention.

Wu Weizhong looked puzzled. There was nothing he could do; his education level was not high, and he couldn't understand Su Ze's letter.

But by this time he trusted Su Ze completely, so he carefully tucked the letter into his pocket and said to Su Ze:

"If they cannot return within five days, I request Commander Qi to administer military law against them!"

Unfortunately, the city is now under lockdown, and Wu Weizhong plans to set off tomorrow morning.

Su Ze said again:
"Wait a minute."

Su Ze went back inside, took out a bag of potatoes, and handed it to Wu Weizhong, saying:

“These are the potatoes that I discussed with Commander Qi. The planting method is also in the letter. Please take them back to Datong and ask Commander Qi to promote their cultivation.”

Su Ze said again:
"Take my letter to Governor Wang as well. If Governor Wang supports it, things will be much easier."

"As ordered!"
-
Hetao region.

Zhao Dazhu rode out of a medium-sized tribe on horseback.

Zhao Dazhu originally led his brothers from the same garrison to trade horses on the grasslands and spoke fluent Mongolian.

After fleeing to the grasslands, Zhao Dazhu quickly became the leader of a Han Chinese caravan thanks to his exceptional abilities.

Zhao Dazhu's story spread across the grasslands, and everyone knew that he had a deadly feud with the Ming government. The Mongol tribes were also willing to do business with him, and Zhao Dazhu was always able to bring back the Ming embargoed goods that the grassland tribes needed.

As a result, Zhao Dazhu's caravan became increasingly famous on the grasslands.

The Hetao region was a place of exile for the disillusioned.

In this place, bloodline and race are the least important things. People with ability are respected, and Zhao Dazhu was born for this place.

After leaving the tribe for a long time, Zhao Dazhu took out a booklet and recorded the tribe's location on it.

Meanwhile, on the official road leading away from the capital, Wu Weizhong was speeding along with his guards.

Wu Weizhong left the capital in the morning and has been speeding along the official road all day!

His legs were chafed raw, but he gritted his teeth, gripped the saddle, and kept urging his horse to gallop.

Wu Weizhong hadn't left his horse all day, his eyes were bloodshot. As he raised his whip again, his horse couldn't support itself and stumbled, falling to its knees.

Wu Weizhong reacted quickly, rolling off his horse.

The guards turned back to help him up, but Wu Weizhong had already gotten up on his own.

Spitting out a mouthful of blood, Wu Weizhong pointed at one of his guards and said:
"You, dismount!"

The guards immediately dismounted, and Wu Weizhong mounted his horse and said:

"You walk to the next post station to change your horse, and we'll continue on our way!"
-
February 17th, four days before Su Ze's wedding.

The Ministry of Works sent someone to inform us that the imperial residence had been renovated ahead of schedule.

However, before Su Ze could even inspect and accept the new house today, another major event occurred in the government and the public.

Wang Chonggu, the governor-general of Xuanfu and Datong, and Qi Jiguang, the general of Datong, jointly submitted another memorial.

The emperor was very troubled by this memorial, so he simply combined the two memorials into one and ordered the nine ministers to discuss it together a day in advance.

Su Ze was woken up early in the morning by Guo Zhun, a secretary in the Imperial Secretariat, and summoned to a meeting at the Ministry of War.

(End of this chapter)