Late Ming Dynasty: So what if Emperor Chongzhen was inactive?!

Chapter 144 This Khan intends to bypass the Lulong Ancient Road and launch a southern expedition against the Ming Dynasty!

quiet!
Almost all the ministers present had impeached Yuan Keli, and even those who hadn't were deeply suspicious of him. Now that the good news had arrived, everyone was proven wrong, except for a certain incompetent emperor on his throne who was on strike and refusing to attend court.

A faint awkwardness hung in the air. Everyone exchanged glances, no one willing to be the first to speak. Since they had nothing to say, Zhu Youjian would have to have his say. Previously, these ministers had always been so arrogant and demanding; now it was his turn.

Zhu Youjian suppressed a laugh and feigned a pained expression, saying, "As the ancients said, 'Those who are doubted are not used, and those who are used are not doubted.' Before the war, I granted the Liaodong strategist the authority to act as he saw fit, so how could I obstruct him? If I had listened to your opinions and dismissed and investigated Minister Yuan, how could we have achieved such a great victory today?"
I know that you gentlemen are concerned about the affairs of the state, and that it is out of good intentions. However, as the saying goes, "one should govern according to one's duties if one is in a position of power." We are in the court, hundreds of miles away from the front lines. The war is unpredictable and changes in an instant. How can we, with our limited knowledge, control it?
What the court should do is formulate a general strategy, provide funds, provisions, and reinforcements; everything else depends on the loyalty and bravery of the soldiers. You officials should take this as a warning, refrain from criticism, and focus on practical action!

The courtiers, watching the emperor's performance, felt as if they had swallowed a fly, but what could they do but shout in unison, "Your Majesty is wise; we will follow your teachings!"

Zhu Youjian squinted at the scene, feeling refreshed. Of course, a little tantrum was enough; today they still needed to discuss serious matters: relocating the town of Dongjiang, allocating reinforcements, and building the city walls—each and every one of these was a major undertaking.

The area of ​​Dongjiang Town originally encompassed the Liaonan region. The so-called relocation of the town only involved moving the town's administrative center. Pi Island was paired with North Korea. Pi Island had barren land, making it unsuitable for military farming, and its food supply relied heavily on the imperial court and North Korea.

Previously, Mao Wenlong had cultivated land in the Tieshan area of ​​North Korea, which to some extent made up for the food shortage. After the fall of North Korea, food supplies to Pi Island became difficult, but the most fundamental reason for choosing to evacuate was that it could no longer be held.

If the Jurchens attacked Pi Island from Liaodong, it would be too far away for them to reach, but it would be much easier from Korea. Amin's attack on Pi Island last year proved this point. Although it was claimed to be a great victory, the losses on Pi Island were actually heavier than those of the Jurchens. The Jurchens mostly lost Korean slaves who were not worth much, while their own Jurchen slaves did not die many times.

However, relocating from Pi Island to southern Liaoning is not a particularly good idea. Southern Liaoning is very suitable for farming, but the problem is that it has no natural defenses. Southern Liaoning and eastern Liaoning are essentially one entity with a long border, making the defensive pressure overwhelming. Unless a Great Wall is built over many years, it simply cannot withstand the attack.

In fact, as early as the Tianqi era, the Ming Dynasty had briefly recovered Liaonan. At that time, it was achieved by turning Nurhaci's son-in-law against the Jurchens, which led to a major purge of Han people and officials within the Jurchens and greatly weakened their power. However, the land of Liaonan was ultimately lost again due to the lack of natural defenses and the scarcity of reinforcements.

Such a simple question was naturally obvious to the court officials. Having just been reprimanded by the emperor, they were reluctant to accuse Yuan Keli of having ulterior motives.

However, some people questioned Yuan Keli's plan, arguing that even if the court dispatched 30,000 reinforcements, bringing the total to 50,000, it would still be impossible to hold Liaonan. They suggested that it would be better to take the spoils, ship them back, and then burn Liaonan down.

The ministers have also improved; they are now very adept at using the emperor's own words to shut him up. Didn't the emperor say he wanted a strategic defensive posture? Now Yuan Keli has gone off to recover thousands of miles of lost territory. What is he trying to do?!
Unless the emperor abandons the tortoise-like strategy and intends to reclaim Liaodong, a three-pronged attack would be possible. The current stalemate is putting the court in a very difficult position.

Although the ministers' arguments were reasonable, Zhu Youjian was unwilling to be a hindrance. Since Yuan Keli had won and was requesting reinforcements from the court, supporting him was the best course of action. As for whether the defenses could be held, he certainly had his own considerations; if they couldn't be held, why would he request reinforcements from the court?
Therefore, Zhu Youjian ordered the Ministry of War to immediately mobilize troops without further delay. Of course, it was impossible to be extravagant enough to give him 30,000 elite troops; in the end, it was 30% elite troops and 70% ordinary soldiers.

If Yuan Keli, far away in Liaonan, knew of the emperor's inexplicable confidence in him, he would probably be both amused and exasperated. Did Yuan Keli have the confidence to defend Liaonan? Frankly, no. The terrain and location of Liaonan inherently made it an undefendable territory, but this difficulty in defense wasn't just for the Ming Dynasty; it was the same for the Jurchens, and in fact, the Jurchens faced even greater challenges.

Yuan Keli concentrated his main force on the coast, intending to withdraw them immediately if Huang Taiji led a large army to attack. He believed that they would be safe once they returned to Lushun.

The Ming navy was stationed in Lushun, which was connected to the Liaonan Peninsula by only a very narrow passage. The navy could set up cannons on both sides to cover the entire territory. Even if the Jurchens sent 100,000 troops, they would not be able to break in. They would not be foolish enough to launch a strong attack on Lushun under such circumstances and walk into a trap.

The Jurchens could not station a large force in Liaonan. Once the Jurchen army withdrew, the Ming Dynasty could launch a counterattack. Liaonan was a battlefield where the Ming Dynasty and the Jurchens were locked in a tug-of-war. During Nurhaci's reign, the Ming Dynasty even abandoned Liaonan because it was so harassed that it abandoned it. That was also the most glorious period for Dongjiang Town.

Of course, all of this depended on the existence of the navy. With a navy, the Ming Dynasty could be very flexible in its tactics. The Jurchens did not have a large-scale navy and could only watch helplessly. As long as they did not make the same basic mistake of having their ports raided by cavalry again, they would be fine.

Along the banks of the Daling River in western Liaoning, the number of Jurchen cavalry gathering there has increased to over 60,000, and they have set up camps along the river for hundreds of miles.

In Dalinghe City, the walls were crumbling, and charred remains were everywhere, though the timber and charcoal had been salvaged. Supply was scarce in western Liaoning, and all necessities, including salvaged timber, were precious. Huang Taiji cleared a space within the city and erected a tent, where the four great beile of the Jurchens gathered.

"Discussion, discussion, what's there to discuss? Now that the Fourteenth Prince has been captured by the Ming, why aren't you rushing to his rescue? What are you doing standing here? Huang Taiji, you've become the Great Khan by sheer luck, don't you care about brotherhood anymore? Now that everyone's here, why don't we just elect a new Great Khan!" Mangultai said irritably.

He was almost able to take Ganghwa Island and force the Joseon King to surrender, but he was recalled. He experienced what Amin had gone through.

Amin crossed his arms and said sarcastically, "Great Khan, you mobilized a large army to attack Liaoxi this time, but you only captured a few small fortresses and killed a few hundred Ming soldiers, while losing Liaonan. Now, instead of taking advantage of the enemy's unstable formation and launching a counterattack, do you have to wait for them to rebuild a few more Ningyuan cities before you go?"

Regardless of his true feelings, Daishan always outwardly supported Huang Taiji, but this time, his expression was not pleasant. His western expedition had been very successful, with countless cattle, sheep, and people captured—all great military achievements. However, Huang Taiji suddenly interrupted him, and Daishan suspected that this was yet another of the young man's so-called checks and balances tactics.

After Huang Taiji and the other four Beile, along with several other Heshuo Beile, complained for a while, he finally spoke up, saying, "This Khan intends to take the ancient Lulong Road to conquer the Ming Dynasty in the south."

"Are you crazy?!" Mangultai exclaimed.

(End of this chapter)