Ming Dynasty 1627

Chapter 101 A Small Bet on the Nation's Fate, Anyway, I Can Afford to Lose (Bonus Chapter 3K)

……

The two of them, one after the other, arrived in front of the screen.

Sun Chengzong looked closely and saw that the screen was covered with tiny characters written in ink on a white paper background. Upon closer inspection, it resembled a large, leafy tree that branched out from top to bottom.

Zhu Youjian gently patted the long wooden stick in his palm, making a crisp "snap" sound.

"I believe that the most important thing for the Ming Dynasty is to rectify its internal affairs."

"Clarifying internal affairs will inevitably cause turmoil in the heartland, making it impossible to support large-scale battles and deployments in Liaodong."

Therefore, the main point of the Liaodong Strategy can be summed up in just two words.

Zhu Youjian tapped the screen heavily with the wooden stick in his hand.

At the very top of the screen, two menacing characters were written in vermilion ink.

—A trapped slave!
Zhu Youjian moved his wooden stick down the main trunk and touched the first thick branch.

Liaoxi Corridor

"I believe that Liaoxi can temporarily use Ningyuan or Songjin as the boundary, reduce the number of troops, and order the governor to clean up the troops, train soldiers, garrison land, build forts, and dig deep moats and build high walls."

"Now that the strategic focus has changed, the performance evaluation method must also be changed accordingly."

"From now on, my assessment of the Liaoxi War Zone will only focus on whether it can be streamlined into a truly combat-ready force, not on whether it can recover an inch of land!"

"I will dispatch the Imperial Guards to inspect all assessments together with you, Master Sun. There will be a minor assessment every three months and a major assessment every six months. If a governor fails to meet the targets, I will dismiss him without regard to who he is!"

After Zhu Youjian finished speaking, he changed the subject and looked at Sun Chengzong.

"However, I am still hesitant about this strategy: should we defend the Ningyuan line or the Songjin line?"

"Master Sun, can you teach me?"

This is not only a test, but also a sign of respect.

Sun Chengzong pondered for a moment, carefully choosing his words, striving to make sure the young emperor could understand.

"I believe we should defend the Songjin line."

"Firstly, it involves concealment."

"To defend the mountains and the sea, we must first defend Ningyuan. Similarly, to defend Ningyuan, we must defend Jinzhou. Otherwise, if enemy cavalry arrive suddenly, our army will lose all opportunity to warn us."

Zhu Youjian nodded; this meant Jinzhou was being used as a human shield for Ningyuan.

Sun Chengzong continued:

"Secondly, it involves intrusion."

“Jinzhou is located on the banks of the Xiaoling River. If our army occupies this place, then the land of a thousand miles west of the river will be shared by both the enemy and us.”

“I can send troops to harass them, preventing them from settling and grazing peacefully. If we abandon Jinzhou, then the entire Hexi region will become a settlement for the slave chieftains, and they will grow stronger day by day while we grow weaker day by day.”

“Ningyuan is a fortified city, but its entrance is narrow. Although it is difficult for the enemy to enter, it is also difficult for us to leave.”

Zhu Youjian nodded again, indicating that it was necessary to maintain a necessary level of aggression.

He learned this principle from reading "The Art of Defending a City" when he was a child: "A Guide to Defending a City."

“Thirdly,” Sun Chengzong emphasized, “it lies in the map.”

"Although we are currently in a precarious situation, once our national strength recovers, we will eventually launch a counterattack."

"Only by securing Songjin can we then plan to conquer Youtun, and then use Youtun and Lushun together to capture Gaizhou and recover southern Liaoning. This is a long-term strategy."

Zhu Youjian pondered for a moment and then raised a very practical question: "Jinzhou is 120 li from Ningyuan. Transporting grain by land results in huge losses. Can the grain supply route be guaranteed?"

Sun Chengzong immediately replied, "Your Majesty need not worry. Jinzhou and Ningyuan are similar, both can be reached by sea."

"The grain and supplies can be transported by sea from Huadao Island, going up the Xiaoling River, and can be unloaded directly at the city of Jinzhou, which is very cheap."

"I see!" Zhu Youjian laughed heartily, without any embarrassment. "Fortunately, Master Sun is here, otherwise I would have made the grave mistake of being a mere armchair strategist."

He asked earnestly, "Is there any other oversight in this strategy?"

Sun Chengzong shook his head: "Your Majesty determines performance based on strategy, with clear objectives and well-defined responsibilities. This is far superior to the past approach of empty talk and reckless advancement. I believe this method is excellent."

"Is Wang Zhichen, the current governor of Liaodong, capable of taking up his post? Should he be replaced?"

Sun Chengzong remained silent for a moment before giving a fair answer: "Wang Zhichen has served as a county magistrate and a high-ranking official in the capital. He has also served in Liaodong for many years and is familiar with military affairs. He is capable of maintaining the status quo. Since Your Majesty has decided on this policy, there should be no major problems with him carrying it out."

"Alright, then let's do as Master Sun says." Zhu Youjian smiled, not taking it to heart.

Old Sun is good in every way, except he doesn't like offending people.

It doesn't matter, it's a small matter.

If Wang Zhichen can do a good job, he can continue; if he can't, he has plenty of people to replace him.

In any case, in another month or two, he will have a lot of cards to play!
Zhu Youjian pointed his wooden stick at the second branch.

Lushun, Southern Liaoning

He pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "Dongjiang is very important, but I believe that Dongjiang Town is also facing significant problems."

"I intend to separate the islands of Lushun, Guanglu, Changshan, and Shicheng in southern Liaoning from Dongjiang Town, combine them into one town, select a general, and establish a dedicated military commissioner."

"Among them, the general's duty is to harass the slave chieftain along the coast, guide the Han people of Liaodong, and make sure that the hundreds of miles of the coast are turned into wasteland with no harvest."

"As for the duties of the military commissioner, he was in charge of the island's land reclamation, military pay, money and other matters. The military and civilians were separate and not under each other's command."

"We will wait until next year to see if the national treasury has recovered. If the time is right, we will consider building another city in Jinzhou as the foundation for our plans to conquer and restore the prefecture."

He turned to Sun Chengzong and said, “My hesitation in this strategy lies in whether Mao Wenlong will obey orders to break up the partnership.”

Sun Chengzong pondered for a long time before slowly saying, "I have been away from the capital for several years and have not seen Mao Wenlong. People's hearts are fickle, and even though we are thousands of miles apart, it is hard to say what will happen."

"I request to receive the imperial decree in advance and, after assuming office, personally summon him for an audience. If he is truly devoted to the country and obeys the overall situation, then it will not be too late to implement this policy."

"Alright." Zhu Youjian nodded. "As for the positions of General and Military Commissioner, does Master Sun have anyone to recommend?"

Sun Chengzong said, "This town is newly established and has a small and weak army. We can temporarily appoint the current deputy commander-in-chief, Xu Yingyuan, as the commander-in-chief."

"As for the Military Commissioner, I believe that Bi Zisu, the Military Commissioner of Ningyuan, should be transferred to take charge. He is diligent, down-to-earth, and skilled in finance and grain."

Zhu Youjian silently repeated the two names in his heart.

Bi Zisu was the younger brother of Bi Ziyan. Historically, he committed suicide after being humiliated during the Ningyuan Mutiny the following year.

But how capable they actually are remains an unknown.

As for Xu Yingyuan, he had never even heard of him.

Very well, if you doubt someone, don't use them; if you use someone, don't doubt them.

Since Sun Chengzong has been put in charge of Liaodong affairs, we should at least trust him.

Zhu Youjian no longer hesitated, nodded, and pointed the wooden stick to the third branch.

Liaoyou Dongjiang

He looked at those four words and sighed softly.

"As for Mao Wenlong, I truly do not know whether he is capable or not."

"The authority that Your Majesty has granted this person is still too great..."

"Military affairs, land reclamation, maritime trade, diplomacy... all kinds of power are concentrated in one person, and he is isolated overseas, far from the emperor's reach. How can he not cause trouble?"

He slapped his palm hard with the stick, his tone becoming stern.

"From now on, Dongjiang Town will only include Pi Island, Tieshan, and Shenmi Island as its jurisdiction."

"Their primary task is to sever the connection between the slave chieftain and Korea, prohibit trade between the two sides, and regularly send assassins to kill envoys from both sides, so that Korea can no longer provide support to the slave chieftain!"

"Secondly, there were matters such as taking in Liao people and deploying spies."

"I want you to tell Mao Wenlong that from now on, he should only be in charge of military affairs and training troops!"

"As for other matters such as land reclamation, provisions, maritime trade, diplomacy with Korea, and the crackdown on smuggling, I will send a governor to oversee them!"

"Compared to all those great victories he reports every day, it's far more important to ensure that the slave chieftain doesn't get a single grain of rice or a single piece of cloth!"

He turned his head, his gaze sharp as lightning, and stared at Sun Chengzong: "This position of governor is of great importance. Does Master Sun have any recommendations?"

Sun Chengzong fell into deep thought.

After a long silence, he finally spoke with some difficulty: "Your Majesty, I can only think of two people for the time being, but... neither of them is entirely suitable." "The first is the former compiler of the Hanlin Academy, Jiang Yueguang."

"This man was ordered to go to Korea to confer the title of king in the sixth year of the Tianqi reign. He was honest and upright, and refused to accept bribes. He was highly regarded among the Korean literati."

"During this trip, he was ordered to investigate the military situation in Dongjiang. He reported back to the 150,000 soldiers and civilians, of whom only 30,000 were usable. This shows that he was a pragmatic and truth-seeking person."

“Let him go. It might be convenient for negotiating with North Korea, and he has a good understanding of the situation in Dongjiang. However… he has never had any experience in local politics. It is hard to predict his abilities and whether he can keep Mao Wenlong in check.”

"Secondly, it was Xu Guangqi, the former Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites."

"During the reign of Emperor Shenzong, this man submitted a memorial entitled 'Urgently Sending an Envoy to Supervise Joseon,' offering his services to Joseon to oversee military affairs and assist in training troops."

"Later, he trained troops and cultivated land in Tianjin, gaining rich experience, which seemed more suitable. However... the Korean state would probably resent his past 'guardianship' intentions, which would cause many inconveniences."

Zhu Youjian remained silent.

Xu Guangqi?
You want me to send the future Chief of Science and Technology of the Ming Dynasty to that wretched place, Pi Island, to scheme against Mao Wenlong?
Old Sun, is this the mysterious mutual repulsion between top-tier SSR characters...?

He pondered for a moment, then waved his hand: "I'll think about this candidate some more."

After saying that, he raised his head, took a deep breath, and mustered his courage.

With a slow yet unwavering motion, he pointed the wooden stick in his hand at the last branch on the screen.

【Iron Cavalry of Jizhou】

The three-way arrangement mentioned earlier was merely a modification and refinement of the existing strategy, built upon the work of later generations.

Only this last one is the heaviest stone he will throw into this era!
Whether it was right or wrong, whether it would reverse the nation's fate or accelerate its collapse, even he himself was unsure.

The world is like a game of chess; one wrong move and the whole game is lost.

However, if one hesitates to make a decisive decision, one will be trapped in a state of distress, which is also a dead end.

He suppressed the turmoil in his heart before slowly speaking, his voice not loud, but every word carrying immense weight.

"The conflict between the Hudun Tuhan tribe and the tribes of southern Mongolia is one that our Great Ming must intervene in!"

"Moreover, this intervention must be a military intervention!"

"The Mongol tribes feared power but did not cherish virtue."

"But the might of the Ming Dynasty has long been diminished due to the Liaodong affair. It's time to remind them of it!"

He turned his head sharply to look at Sun Chengzong, his eyes burning with an unprecedented flame.

"I need an elite cavalry! An iron cavalry that can change the course of the war! I will use the defeat of Hudun Tuhan to rebuild the Ming Dynasty's prestige on the grasslands!"

"Even... by taking advantage of this opportunity and the Tiger Chief's perverse actions, we can reorganize Southern Mongolia before the Slave Chief!"

He gripped the wooden stick tightly, his knuckles turning slightly white from the force. With all his might, he asked the question:

"Master Sun! Can our Great Ming Dynasty do that now?!"

Sun Chengzong was stunned by this wildly imaginative and groundbreaking idea!
He froze, as if he had forgotten how to breathe.

Wasn't the plan to mediate between the Kazakhs and the Tiger Chieftain, and to punish whoever made the first move?
Isn't the main approach to intimidation?
So, this means they're actually trying to lure the Tiger Chieftain into action and use him to build up the Ming Dynasty's prestige?!
However, he was, after all, Sun Chengzong.

After a brief moment of shock came lightning-fast calculations, a rapid mental assessment fueled by decades of experience in leisurely living and discussing military affairs.

The more he thought about it, the more excited he became!
The more he thought about it, the more excited he became!

Those eyes, which were already somewhat cloudy, were now frighteningly bright, as if two flames were burning inside!
Finally, he could no longer hold back, stepped forward, and with all his might, shouted in response:
"Your Majesty! The Great Ming Dynasty can do it!"

He spoke very quickly, almost without thinking:
"The Hudun Tuhan tribe, which claims to have 100,000 archers, actually only has 40,000 to 50,000 soldiers capable of fighting!"

"Their troops are disunited, their discipline is lax, and their fighting strength is incomparable to that of the slave chieftain!"

"Your Majesty, I request that you select three thousand elite guards from the nine border regions and transfer three thousand cavalry from the Liaodong army to form two battalions, totaling six thousand iron cavalry. This would be sufficient to accomplish this great task!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Youjian felt his mouth go dry and his heart pounding.

"Master Sun also thinks... this proposal is feasible? Can six thousand cavalrymen defeat fifty thousand cavalrymen?"

"Your Majesty, why can't it be done!" Sun Chengzong took another step closer, his eyes burning with a fervor that seemed to melt one's heart. "In the past, when our Great Ming Dynasty fought against the various tribes of the grasslands, it was only our army that could win!"

"Our troops are far superior to theirs in terms of armor and training! It's just that the grasslands are vast and the enemy is accustomed to roaming without engaging in direct combat, which makes it difficult to achieve a complete victory in one battle!"

"Now that the Hara-Shen tribe is in imminent danger, they can serve as my vanguard!"

"We can also contact the Three Guards of Doyan to act as a vanguard and break into them during the final battle!"

"In this way, we will have no fear of getting lost, nor will we be afraid of the enemy's roaming! When the decisive battle comes, my six thousand elite cavalry will descend like heavenly soldiers, enough to decide the fate of the world in one battle!"

Zhu Youjian took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm his excited emotions, and asked again:

"What if we fail? How much will we lose?"

Sun Chengzong calmly replied:
"Your Majesty, cavalry warfare has always been difficult to completely annihilate, which is why the merit of beheading enemy soldiers is so rare."

"If we fail, as long as the general remains calm, he can lead his troops back to the Great Wall. It is impossible for the entire army to be wiped out."

Zhu Youjian clapped his hands and sighed, then pressed on with the question:

"So the key is to be in the right place at the right time."

"If we go too early, Hudun Tuhan might hear the news and flee, ceasing the attack."

"If we go too late, the Harashin tribe may have already been defeated."

"This commander must be familiar with the border situation, the enemy situation, be able to make decisive decisions in battle, and remain calm even in defeat."

"Who do you think is the best commander for this battle?!"

"Your subject requests that Ma Shilong be chosen!"

Sun Chengzong's answer came almost spontaneously, without the slightest hesitation.

"This man was born in Ningxia and served as the general of Xuanfu, Yongping and Liaodong. He had a thorough understanding of the situation in the nine border regions."

"The Liaodong cavalry are his old troops, so there is no need to worry about employing them."

"The servants in Xuanfu, Datong and other towns are mostly his old acquaintances. Once they are under his command, they are as easy to control as an extension of his own arm!"

"Moreover, this battle took place right outside Xuanfu and Datong, areas he was very familiar with!"

"In my opinion, he is the only one suitable to lead this battle!"

Zhu Youjian took a deep breath, then another, forcing himself to calm down completely.

"well!"

"First, conscript household servants and soldiers, and secretly assemble them in Jizhou."

"Then prepare all the military provisions, soldiers' pay, horses, and weapons."

"At the same time, send people to make contact with the Doyan Three Guards and the Haraqin tribe, and be sure to obtain accurate intelligence on the movements of the Tiger Chief's army at all times."

"Every single thing must be done in advance; there is absolutely no room for error!"

He turned to Gao Shiming and said in a deep voice, "Issue the decree!"

Gao Shiming quickly bowed and fetched the brush and ink.

"By imperial decree!"

“Sun Chengzong was sent to govern the border regions and supervised military affairs in Ji, Liao, Tianjin, Dengzhou and Laizhou.”

"He is hereby granted the title of Minister of War and concurrently Right Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate!"

"Bestow upon him the imperial sword, and he shall act as he sees fit!"

Gao Shiming wrote furiously.

Zhu Youjian turned around and grasped Sun Chengzong's calloused hands once more.

All the words and expectations, in the end, all condensed into a single short sentence.

"Master Sun..."

"Good job!"

"I am in the capital, awaiting your good news!"

(Ding~ System notification: SSR card "Sun Chengzong" has been placed and used, Ming Dynasty's national fortune +100.)
(Ding~ System notification: The hidden storyline "Glory in the Desert" has been triggered. The fate of the Ming Dynasty is uncertain.)

(End of this chapter)