Chongzhen's domineering

Chapter 338 The Jiannu were careless and acted silently.
Zhu Jue seemed to have become a bit arrogant. He actually ordered someone to convey an imperial edict to all vassal states, instructing them to make good preparations and send envoys to pay tribute next year.

The imperial decree even carried a hint of threat, as if to say, "Whoever dares not come, the Ming Dynasty will beat them up!"

He didn't seem to be joking, because he immediately sent palace eunuchs to renovate the newly built Palace of Nations.

That guy, the Palace of Nations was only recently built, and now he's already conscripted thousands of craftsmen to decorate and repair it.

Clearly, this was to welcome the arrival of diplomatic delegations from various countries.

That's not surprising.

This has been the case throughout history; once a dynasty in the Central Plains becomes powerful, the emperor wants all nations to pay tribute.

This could satisfy the vanity of being an emperor, and it was also an achievement worthy of being recorded in history.

Most officials in the outer court believed that this was due to the young emperor's vanity.

That's not all. Immediately afterwards, news came from Southern Zhili that the young emperor had actually ordered people to build a city and port in Songjiang Prefecture in preparation for attacking Japan!
Is Japan really that easy to defeat?

When the officials of the outer court heard the news, they were all dumbfounded.

The three powerful clans and eight imperial merchants of Puzhou are still just imagining things.

The reason why the young emperor suddenly conscripted so many troops was probably to attack Japan.

Otherwise, why recruit so many naval soldiers?
Zhu Jue was putting on a very convincing act; he seemed to be thinking of showing off his power overseas.

However, he was secretly gathering troops to prepare for a counterattack beyond the Great Wall.

Around 9 a.m. that day, just after he had finished reviewing the memorials, Lu Xiang-sheng and Sun Chuan-ting entered together, cupped their hands, and said in unison, "Your humble servants pay their respects to Your Majesty."

Zhu Jue nodded slightly, then ordered Wang Chengen to take out the map of the Beiping Regional Military Command and spread it out on the table. He then stood up and raised his hand, saying, "Jiandou, Boya, come and take a look."

Upon hearing this, Lu Xiang-sheng and Sun Chuan-ting quickly and carefully approached the desk and looked down to examine it closely.

This map of the Beiping Regional Military Command is not an old map left over from the Yongle period, but a newly drawn one. It not only shows the original cities and fortresses of the Beiping Regional Military Command, but also the newly built cities of Liaodong Town and Jizhou Town.

After the two of them finished reading and looked up, Zhu Jue asked, "Bo Ya, how is it? Have the Jurchens made any moves during this time?"

How do you say this?

Sun Chuanting thought for a moment before cautiously saying, “Your Majesty, the Jurchens probably know that Liaodong is already fortified with cities everywhere, making it as impregnable as a fortress. Therefore, they have no intention of spying on Liaodong at all. In any case, I have not discovered that they have sent out scouts to investigate.”

Your humble servant has indeed sent scouts and scouts to scout the former Jianzhou Three Guards in the east and the Khorchin grassland in the north, but unfortunately, the Jurchens were well prepared, and our scouts and scouts could not get through.

The former territory of the Jianzhou Three Guards to the east is all mountains, and the valley passages leading to the Jianzhou Three Guards have been built with countless mountain strongholds and stone fortresses. The scouts I sent out could not even get past Sarhu.

The northern Horqin Grassland is flat, but the Jurchens have scattered many cavalrymen to the south of the Horqin Grassland for nomadic grazing. If our scouts go there, they will discover us.

Therefore, the scouts and scouts I sent out were either hunted down or returned empty-handed. I have no idea what the Jurchens have been doing all this time.”

Huang Taiji was exceptionally cautious.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Jue slowly nodded and said, "That's nothing. Anyway, our goal this year is neither the former territory of the Jianzhou Three Guards nor the Horqin Grassland."

"I just wanted to ask if the Jurchens still have any plans for Liaodong. Are you implying that the Jurchens are unlikely to invade Liaodong?"

I can't guarantee that.

Sun Chuanting said cautiously, “Your Majesty, I am not quite sure whether the Jurchens will dare to invade Liaodong again. What I mean is that the defense system in Liaodong has been completed. Last year, we not only built many cities and garrisons, but I also ordered people to repair all the border walls.”

The border walls of Liaodong were almost all built along the rivers, especially the northern section. They were built either on the east bank of the Liao River or on the south bank of the Qing River, a tributary of the Liao River. These waterways were essentially moats, and quite wide ones at that.

When the river is not frozen, the Jurchens cannot cross without building pontoon bridges. We only need to send some small Zhiyuan merchant ships to cruise back and forth on the river, and they will have no way to cross.

Even when the river is frozen in winter, if we pour more water on the walls, they will become extremely slippery. The Jurchens were not good at attacking cities, and they had no way to deal with such walls.

In other words, the border wall north of Liaodong Town alone is enough to give the Jurchens a headache. Even if they can break through the border wall, they will still have to face cities and garrisons everywhere. If they dare to ignore the cities and garrisons along the way and venture deep into enemy territory alone, they will also face the danger of having their supply lines cut off or their retreat blocked.

Therefore, I believe that Liaodong Garrison is already impregnable, and if the Jurchen cavalry dares to invade, they will likely never return.”

That's good.

Zhu Jue nodded slowly, then asked, "Will the deployment of 100,000 chariot troops from Liaodong to attack Beiping Regional Military Command affect the defense of Liaodong?"

Sun Chuanting pondered, "This shouldn't have much of an impact, because once the river is navigable, the Jurchens won't be able to build pontoon bridges to cross the river, and it will be very difficult for them to break through the border wall defense line."

The Jurchens didn't originally conquer the world with cavalry; during the Battle of Sarhu, their forte was mountain warfare.

Zhu Jue stared at the map for a moment, then asked, "Do you think it's possible for the Jurchens to break through the Fushun Pass area in the east?"

It’s hard to say.

Sun Chuanting thought about it carefully before cautiously saying, "Your Majesty, I think it's possible. However, it's not a big problem. Hunhe City is right behind Fushun Pass, and Hunhe City runs through both banks of the Hunhe River. Even if the Jurchens break through Fushun Pass, it will be difficult for them to break through Hunhe City."

Zhu Jue then pointed to the map and asked, "What about the line from Dingliao Right Guard to Zhenjiang Fort?"

How to say this.

Sun Chuanting said cautiously, "Your Majesty, this area is mountainous for thousands of miles. Even if the Jurchens break through the border wall here, it would probably take them more than a month to run through the mountains to enter the heart of Liaodong. Moreover, Dingliao Right Guard is located in the middle of the watershed, which is also an obstacle that the Jurchens cannot overcome."

What you say makes sense, but we cannot allow the Jurchens to break into Liaodong.

Zhu Jue shook his head slightly and said, "If we wage war against the border regions, then Liaodong will be our rear base. We will not only have to transfer boilers and rails from Liaodong, but also most of our grain will have to be purchased and transferred from Liaodong."

We cannot afford any problems with our rear. Even a small force of Jurchen soldiers breaking in and setting fire to our supplies would be disastrous. Therefore, we must strengthen our defenses along the line from Fushun Pass to Dingliao Right Guard and then to Zhenjiang Fort.”

Well, this place is huge.

Upon hearing this, Sun Chuanting cautiously replied, "Your Majesty, this mountainous region is even larger than the plains of Liaodong. Moreover, cavalry and chariots are of no use here, and we have no way to build cities to block all the valleys. I dare to say that it would be very difficult to make this place impregnable."

You have no idea how formidable the Sichuan Army's White-Spear Soldiers are.

Zhu Jue shook his head slightly, then decisively said, "Liaodong, as the rear area, absolutely cannot have any problems. You think it's impossible to defend this area impregnably, right? Then I will transfer the White Spear Army of the Duke of Zhongguo over here."

The White-Clad Soldiers are from the mountains and rivers of Sichuan. They are better at fighting in the mountains than on flat land, so entrusting this mountainous area to them for defense will definitely not be a problem.

Do you still want to bring in the White-Clad Soldiers for reinforcement?
Fine, do whatever you want. I can't treat Liaodong as my own territory.

Upon hearing this, Sun Chuanting was taken aback for a moment before nodding repeatedly and saying, "Your Majesty is wise. If the White-Spear Army can come to assist in the defense, then this mountainous area in the southeast of Liaodong will be as solid as a rock."

Now that the rear area is secure, it's time to consider sending troops.

Zhu Jue nodded slightly, then asked, "Where do you think it would be appropriate for the 100,000 Liaodong chariot troops and the 100,000 Beijing garrison chariot troops stationed in Liaodong to depart from?"

There is more than one route for deploying troops.

Sun Chuanting pointed to the map and explained in detail: "Your Majesty, there are two main routes for sending troops from Liaodong to the former Beiping Regional Military Command. One is through the Daling River Valley, which leads to the Laoha River Valley, the heartland of the Beiping Regional Military Command."

Another route involves building a pontoon bridge across the Liao River around Shifangsi Fort and Dingzibo Fort. This route leads north to the Horqin Grassland and west to the northern part of the former territory of the Northern Pacification Commandery.

Which of these two routes should we choose, or should we choose both, with 100,000 chariots and soldiers on each side?
As they were discussing, Yang He and Lu Wenwei arrived together, cupping their hands and saying in unison, "Your humble servants pay their respects to Your Majesty."

These two didn't come here for no reason.

He summoned the two men and Sun Chuanting to come here today to discuss this.

Zhu Jue nodded slightly, then asked, "Wenwei, have you found out anything about the situation at the Beiping Military Command?"

This is not too difficult, because the former territory of the Beiping Commandery was the pasture granted to the Doyan Three Guards by Emperor Yongle, and almost all the soldiers of the Ming army who came from the Mongol Yuan tribes came from the Doyan Three Guards.

Lu Wenwei nodded repeatedly and said, "Your Majesty, I have already sent people to investigate. Almost all the troops and livestock of the Duoyan Three Guards are currently hiding in the Laoha River Valley to avoid the winter."

Excellent. The Laoha River Valley is located in the south-central part of the Beiping Commandery. It's still four or five hundred li to the north of the Lamulun River. They should have no problem surrounding all the troops, livestock, and cattle of the Duoyan Three Guards.

The problem now is the Jurchens.

If the Jurchen cavalry were to come to their aid while they were besieging the Three Guards of Doyan, then this battle would be much more difficult.

This is because the Beiping Regional Military Command spans thousands of miles in both east-west and north-south directions. Even if 500,000 chariots were deployed, they could only block 20-30% of the area at most. They simply couldn't take care of the remaining 70-80% of the area, as the Jurchen cavalry had too much room to maneuver.

Zhu Jue nodded slowly and asked, "Are there any Jurchen troops stationed in the Laoha River Valley? Are the Doyan Three Guards closely related to the Jurchens? Have you investigated this thoroughly?"

How do you say this?

Lu Wenwei thought for a moment before cautiously saying, "Your Majesty, these Duoyan Three Guards are a bit like weather vanes, they like to switch sides repeatedly."

When our Ming Dynasty was powerful, they led our troops to pursue and annihilate other Mongol tribes, and also sent cavalry to accompany our troops in various campaigns.

When the Northern Barbarians or the Jurchens were powerful, they would lead the way for them, helping them invade Xuanfu Town and even the capital region. They would even rely on the power of the Northern Barbarians to invade Jizhou Town.

The Jurchens were probably somewhat wary of their actions. Therefore, the relationship between the Jurchens and the Doyan Three Guards was merely one of mutual exploitation, not subordination. The Jurchens only deployed their able-bodied men and warhorses to battle, without stationing any troops in the Laoha River Valley.

These guys are a bit unlikable, aren't they?
very good!

Zhu Jue looked at the map and asked, "What is the navigation status of the Lamulun River and the Laoha River? Have you had someone find out?"

How do you say this?

Lu Wenwei cautiously replied, "Your Majesty, I have also had someone investigate this matter."

The severe drought in the north has also had some impact on the grasslands beyond the Great Wall. Nowadays, the water depth of the Lamulun River and the Laoha River is less than half a meter, and there are still many shallows. They can barely pass through sheepskin rafts and small boats under 200 liang (a unit of weight), and large boats of 400 or even 800 liang (a unit of weight) certainly cannot pass through.

If we wanted to use a small merchant ship of 800 liang (approximately 400 tons) to transport people and horses, we could only take them as far as the confluence of the Lamulun River and the Laoha River, which is the western end of the Xiliao River.

The Lamulun River is seven or eight hundred miles long, and even small merchant ships cannot enter it. How can we defend against it?
Do they really need to build small boats with a capacity of less than 200 tons for defense?
This is naturally impossible.

Zhu Jue frowned and pondered for a while, then asked, "Xiuling, what is the situation of the Hanzhong army?"

Why are you asking about the Hanzhong Army again?

Yang He quickly explained, "Your Majesty, Yun Teng is quite capable in leading troops. In addition, their territory is quite large and they have no shortage of arable land. Therefore, the Hanzhong army is strong and well-equipped, and there will definitely be no problem in defeating Gao Yingxiang."

That's good.

Zhu Jue thought about it carefully again, and then solemnly said: "Boya, the chariots and cavalry of the capital garrison are definitely enough to take over the old territory of the Beiping Regional Military Commission. The chariots and cavalry of Liaodong should not go with us."

After the spring, you should mobilize your chariots and cavalry to the area north of Shenyang, namely the Tielingwei area, and make it appear as if you are going to build a pontoon bridge to cross the river and attack the Horqin Grassland.

In addition, after the Duke of Zhongguo's troops arrive, you should also have them send out a large number of scouts to the mountains east of Fushun Pass and Dingliao Right Guard to gather intelligence, making it appear as if they are going to attack the former territory of the Jianzhou Three Guards.

If the Jurchen cavalry launch a large-scale attack to support the Beiping Regional Military Commission, or even to Shanxi to support the three powerful clans and eight imperial merchants of Puzhou, you should order the Liaodong chariot troops, cavalry, and Sichuan White-Spear Army to attack and invade the Khorchin grasslands and the former territory of the Jianzhou Three Guards.

You don't need to conquer the Khorchin grasslands and the former territory of the Jianzhou Three Guards. Just act like the northern barbarians invading, plundering their cattle, sheep, horses, grain, wealth, and even people. If the Jurchen cavalry returns to reinforce, retreat; don't engage them in a direct confrontation.

Does this mean we should threaten Huang Taiji?

Upon hearing this, Sun Chuanting slowly nodded and said, "Your Majesty, I understand."

Zhu Jue then instructed in detail: "Xiuling, go and tell Yun Teng to prepare so that once the ice and snow melt, he can lead his army to attack Shanxi."

This time it's not a harassment, but a real attack. If the Jurchen cavalry doesn't come to support the three major clans and eight imperial merchants in Puzhou, they will take Qinzhou and Liaozhou, and then invade Pingyang Prefecture, Taiyuan Prefecture, and Datong Prefecture.

They don't need to take over Pingyang Prefecture, Taiyuan Prefecture, and Datong Prefecture. However, they must clean up the Jin and Dai imperial families, as well as the relatives and friends of the three powerful clans and eight imperial merchants in Puzhou.

Wen Wei will then order his guards to lead the way, and they must not spare any relatives or friends of the three major powerful families and eight imperial merchants of Puzhou—kill them all!

Does this mean we're making the Hanzhong army do the dirty work?
Upon hearing this, Yang He slowly nodded and said, "Your Majesty, I understand."

Zhu Jue pointed to the map and explained in detail before waving his hand and saying, "Alright, everyone go and prepare yourselves. Remember, try to be discreet and don't make too much of a commotion."

Upon hearing this, everyone quickly bowed and took their leave.

They were secretly mobilizing troops to retake the former territory of the Northern Pacification Commandery, but on the surface, there was no sign of any activity.

The three powerful clans and eight imperial merchants of Puzhou were unaware of anything unusual, and neither were the Doyan Three Guards nor the Jurchens.

Huang Taiji was still thinking about where to plunder after the spring, he never imagined that the Ming army was about to reach beyond the Great Wall.

(End of this chapter)