My Portable Ming Dynasty

Chapter 182 A Strange Journey on the Grasslands
Strictly speaking, what's in the letter cage isn't actually a letter.

Shen Yiguan also had no idea how Su Ze's pigeon had found him.

But when he saw the fat pigeon, he immediately stuffed his notes on his experiences on the grasslands into the pigeon coop.

What Su Ze was looking at was Shen Yiguan's notes after his mission to the grasslands.

Su Ze had not expected that Wang Shizhen's mission would encounter such perilous journey.

Qi Jiguang assigned his personal guards to the mission's guards, but trouble struck just after they left Datong Right Guard. The guard leader, Hu Shouren, discovered that the mission was being followed.

Hu Shouren was a military strategist with extensive experience. He led his delegation to shake off the pursuing troops and then took a long detour to Bansheng City.

The hurried journey took a toll on Wang Shizhen.

He already had a spleen problem, and when he arrived at the grassland, he suffered from acclimatization issues. The rapid journey made him vomit and have diarrhea, and by the time he reached Bansheng City, he was emaciated.

Fortunately, they arrived in time; otherwise, Wang Shizhen might have died on the way.

Shen Yiguan also wrote down his observations of Banshengcheng in his notes.

"Bansheng City is located next to the Heishui River. Its walls are not made of brick or stone, but are made of layers of rammed earth."

“The earthen walls are not for defense against enemies, but for protection against sand. Herdsmen say that the sandstorms in the northern desert kill people, devour people and livestock, and once they are swept in, there is no trace of their bodies.”

Su Ze sighed. After thousands of years of nomadic life, the climate change in the mid-to-late Ming Dynasty had led to severe desertification of the land in northern Mongolia.

The "killer wind" that Shen Yiguan mentioned should be a sandstorm carrying a large amount of sand and dust.

It seems that Qi Jiguang's judgment was indeed correct. For the Mongols, Bansheng City was not a fortified city for defense, but a settlement.

Therefore, a direct attack on Bansheng City would not have much strategic significance unless it could wipe out the main force of the Tumed tribe in one fell swoop.

However, Bansheng City is still very prosperous.

Shen Yiguan wrote in his notes:
"Camel and horse caravans thronged the area, Chinese and foreigners mingled in their attire, markets were built around the walls, and carriages and horses stretched endlessly along the Black River."

Su Ze sighed slightly. The Mongols were also a commercial people, and the Yuan Dynasty was a commercial empire that spanned Asia and Europe.

The grassland economy was actually complementary to the Central Plains economy. Historically, after Altan Khan granted tribute, Mongolia did not experience any major upheavals until the end of the Ming Dynasty.

Of course, this is also related to Altan Khan's welcoming of Tibetan Buddhism to Mongolia before his death.

While it is necessary to bestow tribute, the effects of bestowing tribute vary greatly depending on the circumstances and conditions under which it is done.

The best outcome, of course, would be to turn Mongolia into a vassal state of the Central Plains, just like the Qing Dynasty later did.

The grasslands could provide warhorses, and in addition to warhorses, they could also provide wool, an important resource before the cotton revolution.

Wool and fur are different.

Nowadays, the grasslands use and trade furs.

The so-called fur refers to clothing made from the skin and fur of slaughtered livestock.

This is similar to the later practice of combining fur and leather.

Wool, on the other hand, is another resource. The wool from sheep is shaved off to make yarn, which is then used to make clothes.

Wool is a renewable resource and a resource that can be traded stably in the long term.

Before establishing a global cotton empire, Britain, on the eve of the Industrial Revolution, first built a wool empire.

Britain's wool textile industry is the best in Europe. Clothes made from wool are cold-resistant and lightweight, making them the best material for winter clothing.

Besides wool, the southern part of the Gobi Desert is also a suitable area for cotton cultivation.

This region, known as Longyou during the Tang Dynasty, has been a cotton-growing area since ancient times.

The Gaochang Kingdom of the Tang Dynasty began producing cotton cloth.

The saline-alkali, arid, yet flat land, with its long hours of sunshine, is actually very suitable for growing cotton.

These are all lands that China has owned since ancient times, and they absolutely cannot be given to others.

Su Ze continued reading Shen Yiguan's letter. After they arrived in Bansheng City, they were warmly welcomed by Third Sister.

To shake off their pursuers, the mission took a long detour, and Wang Shizhen's poem written in Datong indeed reached Bansheng City.

The Third Sister, who had always loved Han culture, was overjoyed and eagerly awaited the arrival of the Ming Dynasty delegation.

Upon seeing the emaciated Wang Shizhen, Third Sister immediately arranged for a physician to treat him and also arranged for them to stay in the palace in Bansheng City.

When Shen Yiguan wrote this, he expressed deep concern.

Because only the Third Sister greeted the delegation.

It is said that Anda Khan was unwell and recuperating in his palace in Bansheng City, making it inconvenient for him to receive guests.

Huang Taiji, the legitimate heir of the Tumed tribe and the son of Anda Khan, was also not in the city.

Although Third Sister entertained the delegation with lavish food and wine every day, Shen Yiguan still reminded Wang Shizhen and the delegation's guards, Hu Shouren, to be careful of any accidents.

And things turned out exactly as Shen had predicted.

Just three days ago, Anda Khan's grandson, Bahanaji, the powerful lord of the right wing of Territory Met, stormed into the delegation's room.

Hannaji accused Anda Khan of crimes and requested to submit to the Ming Dynasty.

This really stumped Wang Shizhen.

It turns out that Bahannaji was the grandson of Anda Khan, but his father, Heitaiji, was killed for rebelling.

However, Hannaji was raised from a young age in the tent of Andaqi Yikehatun, and he inherited his father's tribe when he grew up.

Anda Khan once arranged a marriage for Bahannaji, asking him to marry the daughter of Tuchejin.

However, when Altan Khan was conquering the Oirat, he forced the Oirat queen's daughter, San Niangzi, born to her, to be offered to Altan Khan as a concubine.

However, San Niangzi had already been betrothed to Aoerdusi, the leader of another tribe on the grassland.

Anda Khan seized the Third Lady, and the Ao'erdusi wanted to attack Anda.

At this time, Anda Khan had just conquered the Oirat and his army was exhausted, so he compensated by marrying the daughter of Tuchejin, whom he had married to Khan Naji, to Aordusi.

Because of this incident, Bahannaji, who already had a strained relationship with his grandfather, completely turned against Anda Khan.

Last year, Hannaji disobeyed Anda Khan's orders and went south alone to attack Datong, but was defeated by Qi Jiguang.

After witnessing the might of the Ming army, Hannaji actually had the idea of ​​surrendering to the Ming Dynasty.

So he secretly broke into Wang Shizhen's room late at night, intending to surrender to the Ming Dynasty.

Wang Shizhen was a scholar, and he had no problem writing poems to socialize, but he didn't know how to handle this kind of thing.

Wang Shizhen could only call Shen Yiguan to discuss the matter.

Faced with such temptation, Shen Yiguan remained calm.

He first calmed Hannagi down from his impulsive act.

Shen Yiguan analyzed for Bahannaji that his betrayal of his grandfather and surrender to the Ming Dynasty was unfilial, and even if the Ming Dynasty accepted him, he would be at a moral disadvantage. Bahannaji's Tumed Right Wing tribe had been repeatedly weakened by Anda Khan, with fewer than 50,000 people and less than 5,000 soldiers capable of fighting, making him weak.

From a purely interest-based perspective, if Anda Khan were to submit to the Ming Dynasty in the future, and the terms of the peace talks required the Ming Dynasty to hand over Hannaji to Anda Khan, what would the Ming Dynasty do?
Hearing this, Hannaji broke out in a sweat. He was impulsive by nature, otherwise he wouldn't have turned against his grandfather for a fiancée he wasn't engaged to.

However, Shen Yiguan's analysis was based on his own perspective, and it was correct in terms of both reason and logic.

My grandfather, Anda Khan, did have the idea of ​​paying tribute. If Anda Khan also paid tribute after I surrendered to the Ming Dynasty, and then asked the Ming Dynasty for me, the Ming Dynasty would not refuse me out of both sentiment and reason.

Hannaji's face turned ashen, and Shen Yiguan pointed him in another direction.

Shen Yiguan ordered Hannaji to remain on the grasslands while secretly winning over a group of grassland tribes willing to submit to the Ming Dynasty.

Politically, Bahanaji could also publicly state his opposition to war with the Ming Dynasty and demand tribute from the Ming.

Shen Yiguan could then request the imperial court to secretly trade with the Bahannaji tribe to strengthen their tribe's power.

If they could persuade Altan Khan to submit to the Ming Dynasty, then Bahannaji, as the initiator, would naturally gain prestige on the grasslands.

Shen Yiguan even hinted that if he could really get Anda Khan to submit, the Ming Dynasty could support him in taking the Khanate.

After all, Hannahgi also has the right to inherit.

After comforting and sending off Bahannaji, the next day, San Niangzi's messenger came to Wang Shizhen's room again.

Wang Shizhen also summoned Shen Yiguan, who told them that the Third Lady had confirmed that the one who attacked the delegation was Huang Taiji, the successor of Anda Khan.

Originally, the grasslands were divided into two factions. One faction supported the tribute trade with the Ming Dynasty, and this faction was led by San Niangzi.

The other faction opposed paying tribute to the Ming Dynasty. This faction did not have a leader, but many people gathered under Huang Taiji's command.

Huang Taiji was originally neutral, but now he is being coerced by his subordinates and is also dissatisfied with the fact that San Niangzi is trusted by Anda Khan and has taken control of the internal affairs of Anda tribe. He is increasingly at odds with San Niangzi.

After receiving news of the mission, Huang Taiji dispatched his men to hunt them down.

After San Niangzi investigated the matter thoroughly, she informed Wang Shizhen of the news.

Shen Yiguan's notes end here.

Su Ze sighed slightly. The situation on the grasslands was so complicated; it must have been difficult for the delegation.

However, this also solidified Su Ze's judgment that the Ming Dynasty and the grasslands were destined for war!
The two factions on the grasslands were evenly matched, with the faction opposing the tribute system being even stronger.

No matter how long Anda Khan can live, how much prestige will a Khan with a declining body still have on the grassland?

The powerful figures of the grasslands will naturally gather around Huang Taiji, the successor of Anda Khan.

Even if I, Da Khan, were to depose this heir, it wouldn't make a difference.

The grasslands follow the strong, and a weakened khan cannot win the hearts of the people.

As for the Third Lady, who was closest to the Ming Dynasty, her power came from Anda Khan, and she had no military power, making her even more rootless.

Dongshengwei must be built no matter what. We will have to fight Anda's tribe sooner or later. Only by completely defeating the wolf pack can we tame them into dogs.

Moreover, Dongshengwei's strategic location also makes it suitable as a dog leash.

Su Ze picked up his pen and wrote a reply to Shen Yiguan.

The letter was very simple: to remind Shen Yiguan of the original purpose of the mission, which was to keep Altan Khan calm. As long as they could hold out until the Dongshengwei Bastion was completed before launching an attack, the mission would be considered accomplished.

Su Ze also believed that with Shen Yiguan's consistent political acumen, he should be able to understand his meaning.

Since there are disagreements within the grasslands, as long as we make good use of these disagreements, we can naturally delay the time for sending troops.

He stuffed the letter into the letter cage, and the fat pigeon flapped its wings and flew north. Su Ze then picked up the letter from the Ministry of Works.

This is a letter that Fu Shun and Wan Jing wrote to themselves before leaving the capital.

After the iron smelting and cannon casting were completed in the capital, the two were sent to the north by Lei Li, the Minister of Works.

Wan Jing went to Shanxi to explore for coal and iron, build a new ironworks, and cast cannons there.

Fu Shun was sent even further away, given the task of supervising the construction of Dongshengwei, and was directly assigned by Lei Li to build the city in Dongtao.

Su Ze felt a little guilty. The two of them had helped decorate their own wedding house, but in the blink of an eye, they had both left the capital, and the jobs they were given were all related to Su Ze.

However, both of them expressed their gratitude to Su Ze in their letters.

Fu Shun was fascinated by the new castle, the bastion. He couldn't wait to put his newly learned construction skills and mathematical knowledge into practice. He even wrote in a letter that he wanted to stay at the Dongshengwei Bastion and experience the bastion being besieged firsthand, so that he could build a more perfect fortress.

Su Ze was somewhat embarrassed, never expecting Fu Shun to be such a civil engineering fanatic.

Su Ze thought for a moment about whether he should write a letter to Fu Shun and teach him the cement formula.

But considering that there probably aren't enough resources to calcine cement in Dongshengwei, let's wait and see.

In contrast, Wan Jing was much more rational.

He wrote to Su Ze to discuss the issue of iron smelting in Shanxi.

Wan Jing believed that casting cannons in Shanxi was only a stopgap measure, as Shanxi, although rich in coal and iron resources, was not suitable for casting cannons.

Wan Jing's reasoning was that Shanxi's terrain was complex, water transport was inconvenient, and Shanxi lacked stable water resources, making it impossible to use flowing water to power the bellows.

The bellows is key to increasing furnace temperature in the open-hearth furnace process.

Wan Jing had also calculated that to build a larger iron smelting furnace, a larger bellows would be needed, which could not be provided by human or animal power.

Wan Jing's first thought was water power.

Using a water-powered roller to drive the bellows requires extremely precise location of the iron furnace, which is why Wan Jing personally went to Shanxi to select a site.

Su Ze was pleased with Wan Jing's thoughts.

Wan Jing actually thought of the bellows power problem so quickly.

Historically, the steam engine was invented to solve the problem of bellows power.

Of course, the technology of steam engines is still far from what we have today, and it would be possible to manufacture them only after further breakthroughs in materials science and engineering.

Moreover, Su Ze did not have any blueprints for early steam engines in his memory.

But that's how technology works; the best driving force for development is real-world needs.

Only when real-world demand arises will more people be willing to invest in research.

To unlock the steam engine technology, one technological node after another is required, and it is impossible for Su Ze to overcome all of them. He is not a mechanical engineer and does not have this knowledge.

With the demand and the incentive of the Huayang Award, Su Ze believed that someone would naturally come up with a solution and overcome the difficulties.

It's important to know that many inventors in the early Industrial Revolution didn't have high levels of education, and some were even illiterate.

After putting down these replies, Su Ze suddenly received a notification that Luo Wanhua was waiting for him at the entrance of the household registration department.

When Su Ze reached the entrance of the Ministry of Revenue, he met Zhang Hong, the eunuch of the Eastern Palace who was beside Luo Wanhua.

Zhang Hong began by saying:
"Su Hanlin, please help the Crown Prince!"

(End of this chapter)