Chapter 553: Ming Military Advancement
East Nuan Pavilion of Qianqing Palace.

The emperor's joy was evident on his face and he couldn't hide it; it was clearly exposed to the eyes of his ministers.

Li Chunfang stood solemnly with his hands folded behind Gao Gong and others, secretly looking at the emperor who was praising Yan Shaoting for who knows how many times.

Lord Li moved his lips silently a few times.

Seeing the emperor's endless praise, it seemed as if the 30,000 civil officials and 70,000 military officers of the Ming Dynasty had become mere decorations.

Only Yan Shaoting could shoulder the responsibility of building the Ming Dynasty.

But Li Chunfang could only keep these words in her heart.

In front of the couch by the window in the east warm room, Zhu Zaigui had been pacing back and forth for who knows how many times, his face still showing the excitement he had when he first heard that his old territory had been recovered.

"I still remember that when I was young, I went out to study and often studied history with my teachers, reading through the history of our ancestors."

Zhu Zaigui had an excited look on his face. He let out a long sigh and then slowly sat down on the couch.

His face flushed, "I still remember what my teachers told me at that time. When Taizu founded the business, King Wuning of Zhongshan and King Wujing of Qiyang led the army to wipe out the former Yuan forces such as Tuolebo and Kongxing who occupied Hetao. They also drove Wang Baobao all the way to Karakorum. Only in this way did my Ming Dynasty take over Hetao."

"Taizu was a powerful figure. He established the Dongsheng Guard in Qiantao in order to connect with the guards in Ningxia and Shanxi and use Qiantao as a horse breeding farm for our dynasty. Speaking of which, at that time, Hetao and Dongsheng Guard were still under the management of Jin Prefecture."

Zhu Zaigui smiled and looked up at the cabinet ministers in front of him.

The Jin Mansion naturally refers to the Jin Prince Mansion of the Ming Dynasty royal family.

The emperor suddenly talked about the early days of the country.

Gao Gong also smiled and said softly, "I remember that it was me who talked about these things with Your Majesty. At the beginning of the country, Taizu established the Dongsheng Guard and placed it under the jurisdiction of Jin Prefecture. Later, when Chengzu Jingnan ascended the throne, the situation in the north changed, so Dongsheng Guard had to be relocated elsewhere."

Zhu Zaigui nodded with a smile, "Yes, but even though Chengzu moved the Dongsheng Guard inland, he still launched five expeditions to the northern desert, and the Hetao area was always under the control of our dynasty. By the time of Emperor Renzong and Emperor Xuanzong, the court had no more food and money to support it, and the northern border towns had to shrink inwards. The north of the Yinshan Mountains was no longer a place where our royal army could be seen, and the Mongolian tribes began to invade the south from time to time from that time on."

As the emperor turned the topic to Emperor Renzong and Emperor Xuanzong.

Everyone in the East Warm Pavilion fell silent.

Because after Renzong and Xuanzong, the story goes on to the Zhengtong period of Emperor Yingzong.

Everyone in the world knows that during the reign of Emperor Yingzong, the Oirat people gained control of the grasslands and ruled over the various Mongolian tribes. At that time, the entire northern border town was being harassed by the Oirat people.

It was also during those years that an event occurred that could be said to have brought about a transformation in the civil and military aspects of the Ming Dynasty.

The Tumu Change!

Hundreds of thousands of elite troops who had fought in many battles since the time of Taizu and Chengzu were destroyed outside the small Tumu Fort.

Gao Gong remained silent.

After all, the situation in the Ming Dynasty during the reigns of Emperor Yingzong and Emperor Daizong was too complicated, and it has been a taboo topic in the court over the years.

Hu Zongxian skipped over the Yingzong and Daizong periods and said, "Fortunately, Emperor Xianzong was a man of both civil and military powers. He won a series of battles, including the victory at Hongyanchi and the victory at Weininghai, and finally drove out the bandits. However, the situation in the country was complicated at that time, and it was not possible to relocate troops to the border and relocate civilians to farm and graze. The Hetao area, which had just been restored, was stolen by the little prince Dayan Khan."

After saying this, Hu Zongxian also shut up.

Next, we will talk about the events of the Zhengde and Jiajing dynasties.

All of this is so close to the present that it would seem presumptuous if we talked too much about it.

Zhu Zaigui also nodded, and after humming twice, he took over the conversation: "Although I have been in the capital for a long time, I also know the importance of Hetao and Yinshan to our dynasty. To defend Shanxi and Shaanxi, we must defend the Yellow River. To defend the Yellow River, we must defend Hetao. To defend Hetao, we must defend Yinshan. Hetao has Yinshan sitting in the north to protect it from the wind and cold, and it is nourished by the water source of the Yellow River. It has always been a place for raising horses. If we take control of Hetao, the horse policy in the Central Plains will have a chance to breathe, and the court can also breed good horses in Hetao. In just a few years, the court will be able to obtain tens of thousands of good horses."

When everyone heard the emperor talking about defending the territory, they all quieted down.

Everyone knew that the emperor was going to talk a lot about the Hetao issue.

Perhaps many changes in the government in the future will be decided at today's meeting.

Zhu Zaigui glanced at the crowd, and then said with a smile: "I think when Runwu led the troops to the battle this time, the ministers have already started discussing how the court should deal with the resettlement after the restoration of the Hetao area, so as to prevent the past from happening again and prevent the Ming Dynasty from losing the Hetao area again."

Gao Gong nodded immediately: "Your Majesty is wise and wise. We did discuss this matter a few days ago, and Ruzhen also discussed it in detail with the Ministry of War."

Zhu Zaigui immediately turned around and looked at Hu Zongxian.

Hu Zongxian understood and stepped forward: "Reporting to the emperor, the minister and the Ministry of War discussed the trap, and both believed that since our dynasty is going to trap it again this time, the court must learn from the past and station troops and build a city in Hetao. We should also relocate civilians to fill Hetao and select civilians who are good at raising war horses to be incorporated into the former trap."

This is the conclusion drawn by the Ming Dynasty emperors after summarizing their experience in governing the Hetao area for several generations.

Using military force to drive away the bandits can only protect you temporarily.

Only by stationing troops, building large cities, and relocating civilians can the Ming Dynasty ensure that Hetao remains under long-term control.

Zhu Zaigui nodded and then shook his head: "What Hu Gelao and the Ministry of War have said is of course correct. But I feel that this is all, and it is still lacking something."

Seeing that the emperor had a different opinion, Hu Zongxian looked at him with confusion.

Gao Gong's eyebrows twitched slightly.

The emperor before him began to become more and more opinionated.

This is naturally a good thing to a certain extent.

But it's not all good for him.

Because the more independent-minded the emperor is, the smaller his influence on him will be.

But he could not stop the emperor from expressing his views.

You have to understand what the emperor wants to do, whether the matter is good or bad, and whether there are any hidden dangers, before you can speak with reason.

Zhu Zaigui looked at everyone and smiled again: "It's not a big deal. It's just that since Runwu led his army to the expedition, I asked people to find out the archives of how the Han people in the Central Plains in the Yinshan area of ​​Hetao have dealt with the grassland since the Qin and Han Dynasties. I have a different opinion, or rather..."

Zhu Zaigui glanced at the old ministers present again.

The smile on his face grew wider: "Or rather, it is not my opinion, but the past experience of the Han people in the Central Plains."

The more he said this, the more curious Gao Gong, Hu Zongxian and others became.

Yuan Wei turned his eyes, bowed his head, and asked, "Your Majesty is a wise and intelligent person. Since Your Majesty said that this is the experience of the Han people in the Central Plains for generations, I think it must be a good method. I am very ashamed and I beg Your Majesty to teach me."

Li Chunfang immediately glanced at Yuan Wei and snorted in his heart.

This Yuan Wei is really the best at flattering.

Zhu Zaigui, however, took advantage of the situation and said, "Mr. Yuan said it was a wonderful method, and I think it is not far off."

popping.

After saying this, Zhu Zaigui clapped his hands in front of everyone.

Immediately.

The eunuchs from the Qianqing Palace carried a huge feng shui figure to the east warm pavilion.

Everyone followed and looked over.

It actually covers the topography of the entire Nine Borders and the south of the desert.

At this time, Zhu Zaigui had already walked to the geomancer and placed his hand on the Hetao position.

"I have read a lot of books and done a lot of geomancy in the past few days. I just found out that the Han people in the Central Plains have made a lot of plans for the Yinshan Hetao area." Yuan Wei continued to use it as a stepping stone and asked, "I wonder what the emperor has found?"

Zhu Zaigui waved his hand and said, "As you all know, these thieves on the grassland have always been the great enemy of the Han people in the Central Plains. It is not an exaggeration to say that we are enemies for generations."

you do not say.

You know, Emperor Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty led troops on the grassland, but a thousand years later, one could still find the Siege of Baideng by Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty, Liu Bang, in the dusty history books.

This matter can only be regarded as a joke.

But it also illustrates the fact of the long-standing feud between the Central Plains and the grasslands.

Everyone present also understood what he meant.

Zhu Zaigui smiled and continued, "Actually, earlier today, I also received a secret report from Runwu, which happened to be about the Nine Borders. It completely convinced me of what I found in the pile of old books."

I heard that the emperor suddenly mentioned Yan Shaoting again, and that Yan Shaoting had also sent a secret memorial to the palace today.

Gao Gong's eyebrows suddenly raised.

This is not good news.

The fact that Yan Shaoting was able to report the victory to the court while also sending a secret report to the palace shows that there are still many things on the front line that they don't know.

This secret reporting system should be abolished!
Gao Gong's heart couldn't help but become heavy.

However, Zhu Zaigui was watching the different reactions on the faces of the people present with a smile.

He didn't say anything, just smiled.

Just now he said: "Runwu said that he walked around Hetao in a down-to-earth manner and asked many people. To be honest, the Great Wall was built in the Yinshan Hetao area during the reign of King Wuling of Zhao, but this Great Wall is located on the southern foot of Yinshan. As you all know, the northern slope of Yinshan is gentle, while the southern slope is steep. In this way, the Great Wall built during the reign of King Wuling of Zhao allowed the enemy army to overlook our defenses in the Central Plains from the height of Yinshan."

When the emperor began to talk about these things.

Gao Gong quickly turned around and looked at the people around him.

Although they have studied for decades and served as officials in the court for decades, they do not really know everything.

Hu Zongxian seemed to know this and said immediately: "Your Majesty is wise. It is precisely because the Great Wall of Zhao built during the reign of King Wuling of Zhao was not strong enough to defend the southern foot of Yinshan Mountain and had no strength to go north. When Emperor Qin unified the Central Plains, he rebuilt a Qin Great Wall on the northern slope of Yinshan Mountain. Since then, the Central Plains has been able to defend Yinshan Mountain, observe the movements of the bandits on the grassland, and turn defense into offense."

It seems that Hu Zongxian really knows about this.

Zhu Zaigui immediately gave him a look of approval, and then took over the conversation and said, "In the Han Dynasty, when Emperor Wu of Han was in power, Wei Qing and others built two more thousand-mile long Han Great Walls a hundred miles north of Yinshan Mountain. The vast grasslands of the southern desert finally showed the brick and rammed earth walls of our Han Dynasty."

The Great Wall was not built in one dynasty.

It doesn't stay in one position forever.

It was built continuously over thousands of years by successive Han dynasties in an effort to maintain peace in the Central Plains.

Everyone quieted down at this moment.

At this time, it was no longer the achievements of the Ming Dynasty, but a glory that belonged exclusively to the Han people in the Central Plains.

Zhu Zaigui also sighed and continued, "During the Wei and Jin Dynasties, the Six Garrisons were established in the south of the desert. The Great Wall remained intact during the Sui and Tang Dynasties. For more than a hundred years during the Song Dynasty, no one could look north, and all the old land in the north was lost. Finally, the Ming Dynasty regained the north, and now the nine borders have our own Ming Great Wall to protect the Han people in the Central Plains."

Insulting the Song Dynasty was something the Ming Dynasty often did.

Only in this way can the justice and uniqueness of the Ming Dynasty's inheritance of the Central Plains Han Dynasty be reflected.

Zhu Zaigui shook his head: "Some of these words were said in Runwu's secret report, and some were found in books. But Runwu also said that now that they have driven out the bandits and recovered their old territory, our Ming Dynasty is the orthodox Han family in the Central Plains, and we can no longer lose our ancestral land or bring shame to our ancestors. Runwu added a sentence to what I said to you before, and let me know."

Everyone was moved.

Gao Gong, who had been silent for a long time, immediately asked, "May I ask your Majesty, what did the general say in secret before the battle?"

Zhu Zaigui looked at the cabinet ministers, all of whom had curious expressions on their faces.

He said with a smile: "Runwu told me that to defend Yinshan, we must defend the south of the desert; to defend the south of the desert, we must attack the north of the desert..."

……

"It's been several days, haven't the scouts in the army caught up with him yet?"

Hetao, Qiantao, is located on the southern foot of the Daqing Mountains.

On the white road along the Donghe River connecting the north and south of Yinshan Mountain, Yan Shaoting rode his horse and looked at the Mo Nan grassland that was already vaguely visible outside the mountain pass in front of him, and asked with a serious expression.

beside him.

Zhu Shitai and Zhang Yuangong both frowned, not knowing how to start the conversation for a moment.

The Governor of the Four Towns, Wang Chonggu, who had taken a big gamble with more than 20,000 soldiers from the Four Towns and won the gamble, was looking at the long-famous young man in front of him with a deep gaze.

No one replied.

Yan Shaoting had no choice but to turn his head and look at the generals around him.

"The Anda tribe suffered heavy losses this time, but they still have their old base intact, and the Mongolian tribes on the grassland have not been wiped out. Who gave him the courage to advance alone?"

Everyone remained silent.

No one dares to speak.

After all, the general was talking about his own brother, General Yan Hu, who led the cavalry in the army to chase the Mongols, all the way over the Yinshan Mountains, through the Daqing Mountains and into the grasslands south of the desert.

After Yan Hu led his men into the Monan grassland, they lost contact with the army behind them.

Now no one knows where he and his men have fled to, or whether he has encountered any counter-encirclement by the Mongols, or even whether he is dead or alive.

This is not the first time the general has asked this question today.

The reason why these people are crossing the Daqing Mountains now is to march into the grasslands south of the desert and look for Yan Hu's troops who may return at any time.

Of course, this is just one of many tasks in the military, and it is the least important one.

Finding Xiao Que'er is of course important, but Yan Shaoting is now the General of the Northern Expedition and the commander-in-chief of the tens of thousands of troops outside.

This time, we crossed the Daqing Mountains and entered the south of the desert. In fact, the main purpose was to see the situation in the south of the desert, to see the Qin Great Wall and the Han Great Wall, so as to prepare for the Ming Dynasty to control and cultivate the Hetao area in the future.

Public is public, private is private.

Even Yan Shaoting did not dare to lead tens of thousands of troops into the grassland just to find his brother.

After a while, no one spoke, and Yan Shaoting could only sigh.

Now he could only pray in his heart that Xiao Que was just chasing the enemy and got lost on the grassland, but now he has found his way back.

Wang Chonggu, who was following him on horseback, suddenly smiled and said, "General, I actually think that General Longhu will be fine now. He may even be able to give you a big surprise."

When Yan Shaoting heard Wang Chonggu, who had just brought his men to chase after him this morning, speak, he immediately turned around and looked at him.

He looked deeply at this Jin Party stalwart who had worked in the Nine Frontiers for many years, and asked expressionlessly, "Why did Governor Wang say that?"

…………

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(End of this chapter)