The Ming Dynasty: Starting with the border troops, it was overthrown and the Qing Dynasty was destro

Chapter 345 The War to Destroy the Ming Dynasty Cannot Be Hasty

Soon after returning to his post, Yu Chengye wrote a detailed report, explaining the matter in detail, and ordered it to be sent by fast horse to Li Zicheng in Kunming.

However, what he didn't know was that Li Zicheng was no longer in Kunming at this time.

While the imperial physicians were busy preparing smallpox vaccine, Li Zicheng had already been ordered to return to Chengdu.

Not only him, but also Shao Yong from Guizhou, Zhu Zi from Baoning Prefecture, Li Laowai from Kuizhou Prefecture, and several other generals have recently been recalled to Chengdu.

This was naturally Jiang Han's idea.

To the outside world, he said that the Lantern Festival was approaching, and he had specially summoned all the generals who were fighting and guarding the frontiers back to Sichuan to celebrate the festival together, as a sign of his favor.

But in reality, an important military and political conference was waiting for them.

The Prince of Han's Palace, Chengyun Hall.

Inside the hall, several large bronze basins were burning brightly, dispelling the winter chill and creating a warm and inviting atmosphere.

All the main civil and military officials from Sichuan gathered inside the hall, exchanging greetings and bows, creating a relaxed and lively atmosphere.

"His Majesty has arrived!"

With a clear and resonant shout from the eunuch, the hall fell silent instantly, and all eyes turned to the back of the hall.

Surrounded by guards and eunuchs, Jiang Han walked out slowly, ascended the steps, and sat steadily on the throne.

The civil and military officials inside the hall immediately bowed and clasped their hands in greeting.

"Your humble servants pay their respects to the King of Han!"

Jiang Han nodded slightly and glanced at the assembled officials in the hall:

"No gift."

"The reason I have summoned you all back to Chengdu is not only to celebrate the Lantern Festival together, but also to discuss important matters."

"As you have probably already anticipated, now that the battle in Yunnan is over and the three provinces are settled, we need to consider the next strategy."

"Should we send troops to contend for the Central Plains, or should we first lay down our arms and focus on domestic affairs?"

"Let's discuss what the proper procedures should be today."

Upon hearing this, the officials in the hall, especially the military officers, were immediately invigorated and their spirits lifted.

The king has indeed mobilized such a large force for this very reason!

They were finally about to break out of Sichuan. They had been cooped up in the mountains of the southwest for too long and were eager to make their mark on a wider battlefield.

Jiang Han took in everyone's reactions and smiled:
"It seems you've been waiting for quite some time. In that case, please speak freely."

"What should we do if we need to use troops next?"

"Shao Yong, you go first."

Shao Yong, whose name was called, immediately stepped forward, bowed, and said:
"Your Majesty, this humble general believes that our army should sail down the Yangtze River and take Huguang first."

"Our army occupies the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, which gives us a geographical advantage. By sailing downstream, we can strike directly into the heart of Hubei and Hunan."

"By occupying Huguang, we can control the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and cut off the Ming court's access to the financially vital regions of Jiangnan via the Yangtze River waterway."

"At the same time, using this as a base, we can deter the Central Plains to the north, advance into Jiangnan to the east, control Guangdong and Guangxi to the south, and occupy the central position of the world!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Zhao Sheng, who was standing to the side, raised an objection:

"From a military perspective, what General Shao said is not significantly wrong."

"But the problem is that the Hubei and Henan areas have now become the main battleground for the fighting between various forces."

"More than a dozen rebel armies, led by Gao Yingxiang, Zhang Xianzhong, and Luo Rucai, are currently moving back and forth between the two provinces under the pursuit of government troops."

"As for the character of the officers and soldiers, I'm sure you all know that wherever they go, they often plunder even more than the bandits, causing widespread suffering among the people."

"In addition, this year, Hubei and Henan provinces have been plagued by drought and locust plagues, leaving the land barren and the fields littered with corpses of the starving."

"Once our army leaves Sichuan and enters this area, it may face the predicament of having no food to requisition and no pay to raise."

"The logistics pressure on hundreds of thousands of soldiers and their horses is immense!"

At this moment, Li Laowai from Kuizhou Prefecture stepped forward and said in a gruff voice:

"Master Zhao is worrying too much."

"I remember that our granaries are already piled high with grain, so why should we be afraid of not having enough to eat?"

"As long as we firmly control the Yangtze River waterway, transporting grain out of Sichuan shouldn't be that difficult, right?"

"To be honest, Kuizhou Prefecture has recently acquired quite a few new ships."

"Not only are there large-capacity cargo ships and hemp seedlings, but even the sand ships and eagle ships, which are the main warships, have been prepared and are about to start construction."

Upon hearing this, Li Xinghuai, the chief official of the Ministry of Agriculture, quickly stepped forward to refute:

"General Li, the grain stored in the granaries in various places is the last reserve to prepare for possible famines, as well as to stabilize public morale and curb prices."

"How can we use them so easily and send them all to the front lines?"

"If anything changes in the southwest, or if the harvest falls short of expectations, it will trigger chaos in an instant!"

Li Laowai glared:
"So, according to you, the problem of food and provisions for the soldiers at the front is unsolvable?"

"Let our brothers go to war on empty stomachs?"

"It's not that we shouldn't address the issues, but rather that we must prioritize and ensure domestic stability. Only when the rear is secure can the front lines proceed smoothly..."

Li Xing, however, refused to budge an inch and argued his case forcefully.

Seeing everyone arguing back and forth, Jiang Han coughed lightly.

The eunuch beside him immediately understood and lashed out with his whip.
"Snapped!"

With a sharp crack, everyone immediately fell silent, keeping quiet and slowly retreating back to their train.

Jiang Han looked around at everyone and said in a deep voice:
"Alright, if you keep arguing, my Chengyun Palace will turn into a vegetable market."

"Since we're talking about leaving Sichuan, it's no small matter; it would require mobilizing hundreds of thousands of troops."

"Then let me ask you, are you prepared for this kind of war that could destroy a nation?"

He slowly rose, descended the steps, and approached several generals led by Shao Yong and Li Zicheng.
"You guys tell me first, how many actual troops do you each have under your command right now?"

"How many soldiers can be deployed for field battles? How many militia are responsible for land reclamation and defense?"

"Give me the truth, all of you!"

The group exchanged glances, and Shao Yong stepped forward first to respond:
"Your Majesty, there are currently a total of 30,000 people in Guizhou."

"Of them, only five thousand could truly be called soldiers; the rest were militia."

"Some of them had previously accompanied the army on its campaign in Yunnan and stayed behind to garrison the area."

Li Zicheng, who was standing nearby, immediately chimed in:
"That's right. Yunnan currently has the largest military force, about 50,000, of which 15,000 are former Guizhou soldiers."

"Those who can be counted as soldiers number about 12,000. The rest are basically militia drawn from Sichuan and Guizhou, as well as some former Ming soldiers from Yunnan."

"In addition, General Cao's main force of 20,000 troops has already returned and is not included in this list."

Cao Er nodded, stepped forward, and continued to add:
"Yes."

"Currently, there are 30,000 troops around Chengdu Prefecture, of which 5,000 are combat soldiers."

"The cavalry is now mainly divided into two parts: one part in Yunnan and Guizhou, with about 5,000 cavalry, and the other part in Chengdu, with 3,000 cavalry."

Immediately afterwards, Zhu Zi and Li Laowai also reported the number of troops under their command.

Baoning Prefecture remains unchanged, with 13,000 troops, including 3,000 combat soldiers, responsible for guarding Jinniu, Mizhi, and Lizhi Roads.

The Kuizhou Prefecture had 5,000 men, including 2,000 combat soldiers and 1,000 naval troops, primarily responsible for patrolling the river and preparing for naval operations.

After listening, Jiang Han silently tallied the results in his mind, and then spoke:

"You should do the math. Even now, when I occupy the three southwestern provinces, my total military strength barely exceeds 100,000."

"Among them, the number of soldiers who can be called elite and capable of field assault is pitifully small, totaling only about 30,000."

He then changed the subject, emphasizing:
"Although 100,000 troops may sound like a lot, don't forget that the newly established territory, especially Yunnan and Guizhou, is mountainous and densely forested, with complex ethnic situations."

"A considerable number of troops need to be left to guard the area in order to prevent the chieftains from rebelling and to consolidate the rule."

"Sichuan is the fundamental land. At least 10,000 troops should be stationed to defend the three northern routes into Sichuan; at least 10,000 troops should also be stationed near Chengdu."

"The provinces of Yunnan and Guizhou have only recently been settled. At least 30,000 troops are needed to remain in place to suppress the remaining forces, eliminate the remaining enemies, and implement the government's orders."

"Based on this calculation, the mobile force we can actually mobilize is only about 50,000 men."

He glanced at the assembled generals and posed one last question:
"Do you really think that these 50,000 men alone can destroy the Ming Dynasty, which has hundreds of thousands of soldiers and covers an area of ​​thousands of miles?"

The crowd exchanged bewildered glances, while Li Zicheng nodded in deep agreement, stepping forward to echo:

"Your Majesty is absolutely right." "Take Yunnan for example. Although Sha Dingzhou has been defeated and all the chieftains have officially submitted their surrenders, there are still many hidden troubles, and we still need to use our military strength to deter them."

As he spoke, he took out an official document from his pocket and handed it to Jiang Han with both hands.

"This is an urgent report that Yu Chengye just sent from Dengchuan."

Jiang Han took the letter, somewhat surprised:

"Yu Chengye?"

"Isn't that kid assisting the imperial physicians in preparing smallpox vaccine?"

Li Zicheng replied:
"They say that the imperial physician Yang Jia, whom Your Majesty sent, was captured by the barbarians, and he has just been rescued."

“These barbarians often come down from the mountains to plunder people, and they are extremely arrogant. That’s why he specially sent a letter to request permission to lead troops to wipe them out and eliminate future troubles.”

Jiang Han opened the letter, quickly scanned it, and frowned slightly:

“Yang Jia… I have some impression of him. He is meticulous in his thinking and has potential.”

"Why is he running off to the deep mountains and forests instead of properly preparing smallpox vaccines in the village?"

Li Zicheng sighed and added:
According to Yang Jia himself, he discovered a secret recipe for treating sprains, bruises, and knife wounds while communicating with local herbalists.

"He went into the mountains to collect herbs in order to gather all the ingredients needed for the prescription, but he was kidnapped by the barbarians."

Upon hearing "a secret recipe for treating external injuries," Jiang Han's heart stirred, and he pressed for details:
"What's the secret recipe?"

"Could it be Yunnan Baiyao?"

Li Zicheng was taken aback upon hearing this, and scratched his head:

"I'm not really sure about the specifics, but it seems to be made from things like Panax notoginseng and Paris polyphylla."

"Yang Jia said he went to Cangshan to pick some 'snow-covered artemisia,' but he was kidnapped as a result."

"The messenger said that when they found him, he was covered in wounds, only wrapped in two animal skins, and was still wearing shackles."

"If it had been a day or two later, they probably would have frozen to death in the livestock shed."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Han secretly pondered to himself, "Sanqi, Chonglou... Yunnan Baiyao seems to be made up of these medicinal herbs."

Could it be that Yang Jia actually found it?
He circulated the official document, his expression turning serious.

"Hmph, a savage is a savage, defying the king's rule and inherently vicious."

"In my opinion, we should send troops to thoroughly wipe them out several times."

"Not only must we wipe out these harmful villages, but we must also search carefully to see if there are any other kidnapped slaves."

"In addition to Yunnan and Guizhou, the area must also be included in the crackdown to ensure the safety of the people."

"It is evident that a considerable number of troops still need to be stationed in Yunnan, Guizhou and other places to maintain order and promote education."

"These troops cannot be mobilized in the short term."

Jiang Han put his hands behind his back and slowly ascended the steps again, taking his seat once more.

"If you ask me, this war to destroy the Ming Dynasty cannot be rushed, nor can it be rushed."

He held up two fingers.
"First of all, we are short of troops and need to expand our army."

"Without sufficient troops, everything is just empty talk."

"Secondly, our goal cannot be limited to just Huguang."

"We must fight in Hanzhong, we must fight in Shaanxi, and especially we must take Shanxi!"

Shanxi is a very important part of Jiang Han's strategic plan.

Geographically, Shanxi is surrounded by mountains and rivers, with high and steep terrain, and is known as the "Roof of North China". It is also a strategic location that overlooks the Central Plains and protects the Guanzhong Plain.

From a strategic perspective, occupying Shanxi would allow for a protective barrier to Guanzhong to the west, a watchful eye on the capital region to the east, and the suppression of Henan to the south.

By passing through the Jingxing and Fukouxing passes in the Taihang Mountains, one could directly enter Beizhili and threaten the capital of the Ming Dynasty.

Of all the strategic locations in the world, none is more important than Shanxi.

To realize this strategic vision, at least 150,000 troops are needed, and they must be truly elite soldiers.

If they march eastward out of Huguang, a decisive battle is highly likely to take place.

It must be understood that it was now the eleventh year of the Chongzhen Emperor's reign, and natural disasters throughout the Ming Dynasty were intensifying, with a major collapse imminent.

Because of its well-developed water system, the Hubei and Hunan regions have always been a core grain-producing area, able to withstand droughts to some extent.

If he were to send troops to Huguang and cut off the grain transport, Zhu Youjian would likely gather a large army and fight him to the death.

Hearing Jiang Han's concerns, the assembled officials were somewhat puzzled:

"Your Majesty, wouldn't it be better to launch a decisive battle ahead of schedule?"

"If we make the first battle the decisive one, and wipe out the Ming army in one fell swoop, won't the rest of the prefectures and counties surrender without a fight?"

Jiang Han waved his hand, his face serious:
"It's not that simple to defeat the Light Army in one fell swoop."

"Don't forget, there's another group of Jurchens in Liaodong who are also eyeing the Central Plains with covetous intent."

"If we fight a bloody battle with the government troops, then the Jurchens will have nothing to fear."

"And I remind you all that we must consider a worst-case scenario."

"What if, I mean, what if, the Ming court can't withstand the pressure and joins forces with the Jurchens to quell the rebellion?"

Upon hearing this, the people present looked at each other in disbelief, and many of them showed expressions of disbelief.

Zhao Sheng couldn't help but stand up and question:

"Is Your Majesty being too cautious?"

“The Jurchens are a foreign tribe from beyond the Great Wall, and their clothing and customs are different from those of the Chinese.”

"Could it be that someone would actually dare to defy public opinion and do something like inviting a wolf into the house?"

Jiang Han snorted coldly, his tone laced with sarcasm:
"Throughout history, how few people have disregarded righteousness for their own selfish interests?"

"Take the War of the Eight Princes in the Western Jin Dynasty for example. The princes vied to invite the Xiongnu, Xianbei and other nomadic cavalry to help them, which eventually led to the chaos of the Five Barbarians and the southward migration of the elite."

"The lessons of the past are still fresh in our minds!"

"When it comes to a life-or-death situation, do those high and mighty ruling classes care whether you are a foreigner or not?"

"As long as they can protect their lives, wealth, and status, they are willing to do anything, even if it means seeking help from other races or kneeling down in submission!"

"Think about it, which of the policies we've implemented in the Southwest—punishing corrupt officials, recovering stolen assets to fund military expenditures, and redistributing land—isn't it all aimed at the very lifeblood of these people?"

There's a saying that cutting off someone's money is like killing their parents. What wouldn't they do to retaliate?

He took a deep breath and emphasized:

"If this happens, our Han army will first have to face the massive Ming army, as well as the formidable Jurchen cavalry."

"The Ming army is already quite strong, and with tens of thousands of Jurchen cavalry marching south into the pass, can we stop them?"

This analysis struck like a heavy blow to the hearts of all the civil and military officials present.

A hush fell over the hall, and even the generals who had advocated for an early decisive battle fell into deep thought.

Yes, although the Ming Dynasty was already teetering on the brink of collapse, at least there were still some nails left in the broken ship.

After defeating the Ming Dynasty's field army, they now face tens of thousands of archers. Will they be able to hold out?

Zhao Sheng took a deep breath and bowed, saying:

"It was my oversight that led to this decision."

"Then, in Your Majesty's opinion, what should be done?"

Jiang Han stood up and said decisively:

"We will definitely fight."

"But before that, we must make thorough preparations."

"Without 200,000 elite soldiers in full armor and without sufficient reserves of money and food to support a major war, we should not start a war lightly."

"With 200,000 troops, plus militia support, I can divide my forces into two routes and coordinate with each other from the north and south."

"They marched out of Hanzhong, into Shaanxi, seized Shanxi, and occupied advantageous terrain."

"The other route went eastward along the river, steadily advancing and gradually encroaching on Hubei and Hunan, cutting off the vital water transport system that the Ming court relied on."

"In this way, the world can be at peace!"

(End of this chapter)