Di Ming

Chapter 212 The Man in Leather Shoes
The northern borderlands have few rivers and swamps, but mostly open fields and wastelands.

Coupled with drought and little rain, and with two horses for each man, Zhu Yin's army marched very quickly.

In addition to more than 300 elite soldiers, Zhu Yinwu had Lan Cha, Ding Hongying, Mao Wenlong, and others, while his civil officials included Shang Yang and Han Shang.

Mao Wenlong has been recommended as a battalion commander in the governor's standard battalion. Although Zhu Yin, the governor of Ningxia, does not yet have a standard battalion under his command, Mao Wenlong is still a proper seventh-rank military officer.

There was no standard battalion to command at the moment, but Mao Wenlong was able to command more than 300 elite private soldiers around Zhu Yin.

Zhu Yin also had a student named Li Xuancheng who was in charge of intelligence in the Northwest.

There was also Wei Zhongxian.

Wei Zhongxian voluntarily became a slave and served as a stable boy for the Zhu family for a year. As expected, he raised all the Zhu family's horses to be fat and strong, and managed the household horse affairs in an orderly manner.

Zhu Yin was very satisfied with this "Nine Thousand Years Old" and appointed Wei Zhongxian as the Discipline Commissioner of the household troops to assist Mao Wenlong in managing them.

Although civil officials cannot keep too many household guards, the Zhu family still has more than 500 guards, all of whom are carefully selected, and the number will continue to grow in the future.

To maintain discipline among his soldiers, Zhu Yin established the position of Discipline Commissioner. This Commissioner was not only responsible for military discipline but also had the special mission of monitoring internal affairs and preventing infiltration.

Wei Zhongxian was capable and quick-witted, and also skilled in riding and archery, so Zhu Yin brought him along this time.

With the military situation urgent, Zhu Yin rode directly westward along the northern post stations. Along the way, he only stayed overnight at the post stations to feed his horses, without entering any cities or receiving any audiences.

They arrived at Xuanfu in three days, but did not enter. Three days later, they entered Datong.

The journey from Beijing to Datong, a distance of 800 li, took less than six days.

Upon entering Datong, the terrain becomes even steeper, but the population density increases, and commerce in the town becomes more prosperous.

Datong, a formidable town, is truly comparable to Iron City.

Seventy-two castles, layered and scattered from south to north, form a fortified defensive network. West of Xuanfu, towering walls and deep moats connect the beacon towers, no wonder Yu the Junior Guardian wrote a poem about it:
"The Qin dynasty's fortified camps, numbering 120, were used to blockade the Han dynasty's borders at Wuyuan."

But as Zhu Yin walked along, thinking of Yu Qian's poems, he felt a bit ironic.

All military camps, beacon towers, and passes were guarded by Ming soldiers. Even passes that could only accommodate one person and one horse had ten guards.

The problem is that this place is still within the Great Wall, belonging to Datong Prefecture of the Ming Dynasty, not outside the Great Wall.

Zhu Yin felt sympathy for these hardworking border guards, but he didn't think much of them.

This is not how a dignified celestial empire should behave.

Datong has more than 800 forts and 300 watchtowers, requiring 100,000 troops just to garrison it.

This meant that although Datong Town had an army of over 100,000, the largest among the nine garrisons, only 20,000 to 30,000 troops were available for mobile field operations.

From the Yongle reign onwards, the Ming Dynasty stationed over 800,000 troops and over 100,000 warhorses in the nine border garrisons year-round, consuming 40% of the national revenue annually.

For two hundred years, they spent enormous sums of money and grain to deal with the fragmented Mongol tribes. Even so, they were frequently invaded by Mongol troops who burned, killed, and looted.

As a time traveler, Zhu Yin found it difficult to understand what the military significance was in spending so many troops on passive defense.

After the disastrous defeat at Tumu Fortress, the Ming army shifted from offense to defense, relying on the Great Wall for defense like never before. A major overhaul of the Great Wall began in the seventh year of the Zhengtong reign (1444) and was completed in the early years of the Longqing reign (1568), taking over 130 years.

The Ming Dynasty's large-scale construction of the Great Wall consumed a great deal of manpower and resources, and also depleted the forests in the north, leading to further desolation and a worsening of the ecosystem in the north.

However, Mongol nobles still frequently migrated south.

In other words, the fragmented Mongol tribes consumed nearly half of the Ming Dynasty's national strength over a period of two hundred years, yet they were still unable to resolve the issue.

The Xiongnu of the Han Dynasty and the Turks of the Tang Dynasty were both more powerful than the Mongol tribes of the Ming Dynasty. How did the Han and Tang dynasties manage to do this?

Even the much-criticized Song Dynasty did not resort to such passive defense when facing the powerful Khitan.

If a few capable emperors had emerged, they would have surely wiped out the Mongol tribes, and the Jianzhou Jurchens would never have had a chance to rise to power. It's a pity that none of Zhu Di's descendants were competent.

...

When passing through Yanghe City, where the Governor-General of Xuanda was stationed, we found many temples on the outskirts of the city, including Beiyue Temple, Jingtu Nunnery, Qianfo Temple, Fenzhong Ancestral Hall, and many memorial archways.

One of the brand-new temples was actually a temple dedicated to Zhu Yin, the prodigy!

Today, there are many temples and shrines dedicated to Zhu Yin throughout the Ming Dynasty.

Although it was a spontaneous construction by the public, the propaganda efforts of the Tiger Tooth agents played a significant role. This covert act of idol worship has been ongoing for several years.

But the couplet at the entrance of the temple for the child prodigy read:

"His talent is profound and his literary talent shines like purple smoke."

The horizontal scroll reads: "Winning the top three honors in a row."

Everyone glanced into the temple and saw a clay statue of a deity standing in the center. It was only five feet tall, with the body of a child, a topknot adorned with flowers, holding a scepter in its hand, and dressed in a bright red official robe. Although it looked out of place, it still resembled a deity.

The tablet before the deity reads, "The tablet of Zhu Lang Zhihu, the reincarnation of the Wenqu Star Lord, a child prodigy who passed the imperial examinations three times in a row."

Shang Yang and the others all looked at Zhu Yin's statue with strange expressions. They glanced at their lord, and in unison, lowered their heads or turned away.

They mainly didn't know what to say.

Even Zhu Yin himself was a little embarrassed.

Agent Li Xuancheng laughed and said, "My lord, there are now many shrines and shrines dedicated to you in the Northwest. It's not surprising that there are also shrines and ancestral halls dedicated to you in the nine border towns."

Zhu Yin coughed, "This... sigh, the people are so simple and honest. This is too much, really too much."

This was the first time Zhu Yin had seen his own shrine.

Looking at Zhu Yin's shrine and ancestral hall, Wei Zhongxian flattered him, saying:
“Our lord is a god reborn, a Buddha incarnate. How dare we not respect and love him? Of course we must build a shrine and temple to show our sincere filial piety.”

Zhu Yin gave Wei Zhongxian a strange look, a half-smile on his face, his expression meaningful.

Wei Zhongxian couldn't help but wonder, why was there such a deep meaning in the way my lord looked at me?

The group quickly arrived at the foot of Yanghe City.

Zhu Yin sat upright on his horse, looking up at the towering city wall with a playful gaze.

Intelligence student Li Xuancheng reported that there are now two acquaintances in Yanghe City.

Yanghe City was the first fortress on the eastern route of Datong. Its city walls were nearly ten miles long and were as solid as a rock. It was not only a huge military fortress, but also the capital city of Yanghe Prefecture.

The famous Governor-General of Xuan-Da was stationed in Yanghe City. In addition to the Governor-General of Xuan-Da, a military commissioner was also stationed in Yanghe City.

Logically, since the Governor-General of Xuan-Da was stationed in Datong, and a rebellion broke out in Ningxia, the imperial court should have issued an edict to have the Governor-General of Xuan-Da or the Commander-in-Chief of the Three Border Regions quell the rebellion nearby.

It seems that it's not Zhu Yin's turn.

However, Zheng Luo, the current Governor-General of Xuanda, also serves as the Military Commissioner of the Four Garrisons of Shaanxi, and holds the titles of Minister of War, Right Vice Censor-in-Chief, and Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince!

Zheng Jinglue's official position was too high; he was actually unsuitable to go directly to the Ningxia battlefield.

Because the imperial court did not want to cause too much of a commotion and intentionally downplayed the seriousness of the rebellion, it did not put the high-ranking and powerful Zheng Jinglue in charge of the military suppression of the rebellion, but instead put Zhu Yin in charge.

The logic is that Zheng Jinglue would only step in after Zhu Yin encountered setbacks and was unable to suppress the rebels.

If Zheng Luo were to take the lead right from the start, wouldn't that be giving the rebels face?
Zhu Yin's entourage appeared at Cheng'an Gate, the east gate of Yanghe City, and then passed through Yingxuan Gate on the south side of the city wall, but no one came out to greet them.

The Ming soldiers on the barbican looked at Zhu Yin, who was holding the imperial envoy's plaque, with admiration and curiosity in their eyes, but they had no intention of leaving the city.

Zhu Yin keenly sensed two familiar gazes looking down from the city tower, and smiled silently.

interesting.

Zhu Yin was not surprised that no one came to greet him.

Are you kidding me? Do you think Zheng Jinglue would come out to greet a mere governor?
how is this possible.

Even if Zheng Luo were willing to go out of the city to greet him, he couldn't. The imperial court's etiquette was rigid and hierarchical; Zheng Luo couldn't break the rules.

Logically, Zhu Yin should also enter the city to pay his respects to Zheng Luo.

But Zhu Yin didn't go either. Instead, he went directly west through Yanghe City.

Because Zhu Yin was tasked with suppressing the rebellion, and speed was of the essence, he did not need to go into the city to pay his respects during this special period.

Only after Zhu Yin's entourage had gone far away did an elderly man dressed in the formal attire of a first-rank official appear on the west city tower.

It was none other than the renowned Governor-General of Xuanfu and Datong, Military Commissioner of the Four Garrisons of Shaanxi, Minister of War, Right Vice Censor-in-Chief, and Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince, Zheng Luo.

The old man silently watched Zhu Yin's retreating figure, like a stone sculpture.

Can this world-renowned prodigy, who has achieved the highest honors in the imperial examinations, suppress the rebels?
He has been away from the court for the past few years and lacks understanding of this highly renowned young upstart.

"Yueying, Huaji, and Zhu Zhihu are your classmates. Do you know this person?"

Two officials of the seventh rank emerged from behind the old man. One was Hao Yunlai, the newly appointed Shaanxi Provincial Inspector, and the other was Zheng Guowang, the newly appointed Shanxi Provincial Inspector.

Wang (望) refers to the full moon, which is the moon that is waxing. Therefore, the character "Wang" (望) in the Zheng state was associated with the full moon.

The first person to report the Ningxia unrest to the imperial court was Hao Yunlai, the Shaanxi provincial inspector.

Logically speaking, Hao Yunlai had only been an official for three years and was not qualified to be an imperial inspector. Besides, he had never served in the Imperial Academy.

However, with Zheng's help, he easily obtained the position of Imperial Inspector, which made many of his classmates envious.

As for Zheng Guowang, a third-class Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination), being the emperor's brother-in-law, his official career was even more prosperous. In just three years, after completing his observation of government affairs at the Censorate, he started as an imperial inspector, which was practically cheating.

As luck would have it, just as the two men received their official positions as imperial inspectors, Ningxia descended into chaos.

Hao Yunlai was eager to make a name for himself and get promoted, and Zheng Guowang was also determined to prove himself as a true man. They both wanted to use their power to participate in suppressing the rebellion.

As imperial inspectors, they were already qualified to be members of the supervisory team.

There's no need for imperial orders. The imperial inspectors can interfere in everything, and supervising the army is their duty; they can directly go to the front lines and boss the generals around.

When the two men learned that Zhu Yin had become a governor, they were both gloating and hoped that Zhu Yin would remain stuck in the provinces and never be able to serve as an official in the capital again.

Hao Yunlai remained silent, but Zheng Guowang spoke up:
"Replying to Uncle, although Zhu Yin is highly talented and famous, he has never commanded troops before. This trip to Ningxia will likely be fruitless and he will be severely reprimanded by His Majesty."

Zheng Luo frowned and said, "You are now an imperial inspector, how can you still not know the rules? I have told you before, do not call me uncle, you and I are both officials appointed by the court."

Zheng Luo and the Zheng family are indeed of the same lineage. However, they are beyond the fifth degree of mourning, and their blood ties have become distant. But strictly speaking, Zheng Luo is indeed Zheng Guowang's cousin.

Hao Yunlai looked at Zhu Yin's retreating figure and said, "In response to your question, General, I believe that as long as Zhu Yin does not make any major mistakes and listens to the advice of others, the rebels will surely be defeated. You need not worry."

"Although Zhu Yin has never commanded troops, he has always been extremely lucky. Perhaps he is a lucky general."

Zheng Luo nodded slightly, "I hope he succeeds quickly and doesn't let Ningxia fall into ruin, wasting his efforts. Alas, if I were a few years younger, I wouldn't be sitting here waiting for good news."

"The moon is full, and fortune is on its way. I hereby issue this order to take the two battalions of the Inspectorate to Ningxia and place them under the command of Zhu Yin."

"Each of you will command a battalion. Let's set off early tomorrow morning."

Zheng Guowang's expression brightened, but then he frowned and said:

"The elite troops of Datong will soon be transferred away by Zhu Yin, leaving the defenses already weak. If the Grand Coordinator lets us take two battalions of the Imperial Guard with us, who will protect the Grand Coordinator's safety? What if the Tartars attack Datong..."

Zheng Luo waved his hand, "I am old and you don't need to worry about me. If the Tartars really attack Datong, the two battalions of the Commander's Brigade only have four thousand soldiers, which will be of no use."

“Right now, Ningxia is in turmoil. The main force to quell the rebellion is the Qin and Jin armies. As the Qin and Jin inspectors, you have the responsibility to supervise the army, and you cannot shirk your duty.”

Hao Yunlai was overjoyed. His original intention in coming to Yanghe City was to take Zheng Luo's military emblem with him.

"Rest assured, Commander. I will take the Imperial Guard to Ningxia. When the Imperial Guard returns, I will return!"

.........

Zhu Yin arrived in Datong City at dusk that day.

The General of Datong, the Prefect of Datong, and the Prince of Dai's residence were all located in Datong City.

This place was Yunzhou during the Tang Dynasty and Xijing during the Liao Dynasty. It was not only an important border city but also a prosperous place, with trade hubs and goods coming from all directions. Otherwise, Emperor Zhengde would not have come here for a tour.

During the second northern expedition in the early Ming Dynasty, Xu Da marched towards Datong, but unfortunately suffered a major defeat. Having suffered heavy losses on the grasslands, Xu Da rebuilt Datong for defense.

As Zhu Yin saw the fortified passes and beacon towers along the way, reflecting on the past and present, and contemplating future generations, he was filled with emotion.

The resistance against the Liao Dynasty at Yanmen Pass and the resistance against the Japanese at Pingxing Pass both took place in Datong.

Datong is thirteen li in circumference and over four zhang high, making it as solid as a rock and exuding a majestic aura. Its overall layout resembles a phoenix spreading its wings.

The four gates of Datong are Heyang in the east, Yongtai in the south, Qingyuan in the west, and Wuding in the north.

As Zhu Yin arrived at the foot of Heyang Tower, he couldn't help but think of Yu Qian's poem:
"As far as the eye can see, the sands are shrouded in mist and the grass is covered in frost; the weather is cold and the year is drawing to a close, the landscape is desolate. Charcoal burns yellow rats in the pit, and on horseback, a bow is drawn to shoot a white wolf. The general personally pacifies the Western Turks, and the vanguard has just beheaded the Left Wise King. The border city is peaceful, the dust of war has settled, and we sit and listen to the bugle call as the sun sets."

At this time, Qi Jiguang, Li Rusong, and others had already arrived in Datong City.

As per Zhu Yin's previous orders, the generals who had gone out of the pass together were to reunite in Datong. By this time, half of the troops should have gathered.

Zhu Yin not only recommended Xiong Tingbi, Qin Liangyu, and Li Rusong to the court for transfer, but also transferred Ma Gui and Xiao Ruxun.

He and Qi Jiguang will lead these people to venture beyond the Great Wall!

Zhu Yin knew that the Ming army made three mistakes in the Ningxia campaign in history.

First, Wei Xuezeng, the governor-general who initially led the suppression of the rebellion, kept trying to persuade the rebels to surrender, thus missing a crucial opportunity. Wei Xuezeng was dismissed and imprisoned, which led to the replacement of the Ming army's commander.

Secondly, after Ye Mengxiong, the governor of Gansu, succeeded Wei Xuezeng, he was unable to effectively command the various troops. The Ming army was unable to coordinate with each other and, despite having an absolute advantage in military strength, was unable to capture Ningxia City (Yinchuan) occupied by the rebels.

The third point, and most importantly, is a strategic error: the Ming army's failure to cut off Mongol support in the Hetao region allowed the rebels, with the backing of Mongol tribes, to maintain their fighting spirit and morale. This was the primary reason why the Ming army was unable to achieve a swift victory and why the rebels resisted so stubbornly.

The Mongol leaders of the Hetao Grasslands, including Zhuolitu and Sengzai, led 30,000 cavalry to support the rebels. With these 30,000 Mongol cavalrymen lurking in the shadows, how could the Ming army possibly launch a full-scale attack on the rebels?

The Ming army employed a variety of tactics, such as flooding Yinchuan, sowing discord and dividing the enemy, and besieging a point to ambush reinforcements.

However, they were unable to resolve the rebels for a long time, and spent two or three million taels of silver.

In hindsight, the key to suppressing the rebellion was not Yinchuan at all, but the Hetao Grassland occupied by the Mongol tribes!
While it's called a rebellion suppression, the real focus isn't on the rebels themselves, but rather on the Mongols behind them in the Ordos region.

Once the Mongol forces in the Ordos region are defeated, the rebels will lose their support and hope, and will fall into disarray without a fight. With their morale collapsed, they can be captured in one fell swoop!

This is a radical solution.

The wise men in the Ming court were aware of this, but it was of no use knowing it.

This was because the imperial court was unwilling to proactively provoke the Mongols beyond the Great Wall. For many years, the court's policy towards the Mongol tribes had consistently pursued "peace." The Ming army rarely dared to launch a preemptive attack on the Mongols.

After the imperial court and Altan Khan made peace and began paying tribute, things calmed down for more than a decade.

Just last year, the Taohe Incident occurred. The imperial court issued an edict to once again suspend tribute and trade.

At this time, it would be a good opportunity to launch an attack on the Hetao region, as there would be minimal resistance from the central government and the Mongols would find it difficult to anticipate.

Just as Zhu Yin's troops arrived outside Datong City and raised the royal decree banner, a desolate horn sounded from within the city.

"Waaaaah—waaaaah—"

As the horns sounded, the bells and drums also rang out.

Immediately afterwards, the cannons on the city wall roared down.

"Boom—boom boom boom!"

A voice shouted from the city wall: "The Imperial Envoy and Military Governor have arrived! Open the gates to welcome him!"

Immediately, the Heyang Gate was opened wide, the drawbridge was lowered, and amidst the clanging of armor and the fluttering of banners, generals such as Qi Jiguang and Li Rusong came out to greet them.

A large, dark mass of generals arrived before Zhu Yin's entourage, standing together on the west side. Some bowed, others knelt, and they all said in unison:
"Greetings, Imperial Envoy and Commander-in-Chief! We respectfully welcome you!"

Welcome!

The person at the very front was Commander-in-Chief Qi, who was in charge of all the armies.

According to the rules of the early Ming Dynasty, how could a first-rank military officer bow to a fourth-rank civil official? It was the other way around.

However, nowadays, with civil officials supervising the military, even a first-rank military officer must bow to the governor.

When Zhu Yin saw his adoptive father, with his white beard and tall stature, bowing to him, he couldn't help but feel ashamed.

However, he couldn't reveal their relationship, so he quickly dismounted and pretended to return the greeting with clasped hands.

"General, no need for formalities! Gentlemen, no need for formalities!"

Qi Jiguang looked at his spirited adopted son and felt very gratified.

His adopted son was only fifteen years old when he became the governor and quelled a rebellion. Such a person was actually his adopted son!
Zhu Yin said to Qi Jiguang, "General, you are a renowned general and a pillar of our nation. I deeply admire you. It is my great honor to meet you today."

Qi Jiguang found it amusing, but said calmly, "Your Excellency is too kind."

The two exchanged a few pleasantries when suddenly a familiar voice rang out: "Does Your Excellency, the Governor, still remember this humble general?"

Zhu Yin looked up and saw a familiar face appear behind Qi Jiguang.

But who else could it be but Li Rubai?

"Haha. It's an old friend! Young General, it's been many years, I've missed you dearly."

Li Rubai grinned from ear to ear, his face flushed with excitement. He rubbed his hands together and said, "This humble general has also missed Governor-General very much. I never imagined that after six years, you would have risen to such a distinguished position... This humble general is truly..."

Li Rubai didn't know what to say.

He used to think that Zhu Yin was a member of the imperial family, but he didn't know that he was. However, the child prodigy who won the top three prizes in the imperial examinations was much more noble than a member of the imperial family!

Zhu Yin smiled and said, "We are old friends, there's no need for that."

As he spoke, his eyes swept across the room and, sure enough, he saw the leather shoes on Li Rubai's feet.

He was the only man wearing leather shoes at the scene.

But those leather shoes were all too familiar.

Clearly, Li Rubai deliberately wore these leather shoes to highlight his old friend's status and try to get closer to him.

Zhu Yin didn't know what to say, and he was feeling a bit stifled.

Afraid of laughing out loud, he quickly looked at a tall, imposing man next to Li Rubai, cupped his hands in greeting, and said:

"I have long admired General Ru Song, a son of a military family!"

(End of this chapter)