prosperous age

Zeng Xingwu had already left. Wei Guangde joked and suddenly thought of something, so he continued, "The news was sent back by the Jinyiwei spies on the grassland. It should be very credible, but it may not be wrong."

When Liu Shouyou heard Wei Guangde say this, his face turned pale.

Wei Guangde saw it and immediately waved his hand at him, indicating that he was not talking about him.

"Brother Zili, you still need to carefully consider the final documents from the three provinces.

Things on the front line cannot be remotely controlled by the Ministry of War. It will be enough to let Qi Yuanjing know that Huang Taiji may be thinking of Jinxi.

Whether it is Jinzhou or Jinxi depends on the intelligence analysis conducted by him as the commander-in-chief on the front line.

It doesn't matter to the Jizhen troops, they will wait until the war in Liaoxi starts before leaving the border."

At this moment, Zeng Shengwu suddenly ran back and said to Wei Guangde and Tan Lun as soon as he entered the house, "It's bad. Xuanfu General Ma Fang has led his troops out of the city to patrol the border."

"Ok?"

Wei Guangde was stunned. "He is not in good health, why is he still leading troops on patrol?"

As he spoke, Wei Guangde snatched a piece of military intelligence from Zeng Shengwu's hand and quickly looked at it.

Soon, Wei Guangde determined the cause and effect.

It seems that Ma Fang had started preparing for this tour a long time ago, and the purpose was probably to test Ma Gui's ability to lead troops.

"Turn out the map outside Xuanfu for me to see."

Wei Guangde suddenly said.

What's more, a map of Xuanda grassland appeared in front of Wei Guangde.

According to the military report, Wei Guangde's army extended northward from Chaigongbao on the Great Wall to Daqing Mountain, and then gradually moved northeast, almost making a circle a few dozen miles north of Xuanfu, and finally entered the pass from Yongning.

"Shandai, you are planning to let Ma Fang go to Bansheng City again, and then the entire grassland plan will fail."

When Wei Guangde slid his finger across the map, Tan Lun on the side felt his eyes twitching.

He was afraid that Wei Guangde would suddenly turn to the northwest and target Bansheng City again.

It is a deserted city now. Neither Huang Taiji nor Altan Khan is there.

If the government troops were to fight there, it would have more political significance than practical significance, and would also completely destroy the remaining relationship between the government and Altan Khan.

Although Altan Khan wanted to maintain peaceful relations with the Ming Dynasty, who knows whether he could swallow his anger after doing so.

"I'm not considering a surprise attack on Bansheng City."

Wei Guangde was a little amused and had to move his finger eastward to a place called Longshan to the west of Jinxi and said, "What would happen if Ma Fang's troops moved here?"

"Shandai, are you really planning to capture Huang Taiji alive?"

After the battle of Jinxi, Huang Taiji will definitely run back.

Wei Guangde sent Ma Fang to Longshan, which was equivalent to cutting off Huang Taiji's way back to the west.

"Even if we don't fight him, we have to scare him to death."

Wei Guangde smiled and said, "Let Qi Jiguang and Dong Yiyuan's troops form the first encirclement, and then Ma Fang will support from the outside. I guess Huang Taiji will consider bypassing the government troops when he sees them in the future."

"Ma Fang's tribe is isolated and not safe either."

Zeng Shengwu stood in front of the map and spoke thoughtfully.

"Now that Huang Taiji has fled to Liaoxi, the group is leaderless. Even if they find traces of Ma Fang's tribe, they dare not have any other ideas.

I was sure that no one on the grassland could command those tribes, otherwise I would not dare to let them go on such a trip."

Wei Guangde replied.

Hearing Wei Guangde say this, Tan Lun nodded slightly.

Don't think that people on the grassland are impulsive. In fact, they also enforce discipline. Without the king's order, the tribes dare not mobilize troops at will.

"Send out the military order. Ma Fang can handle those grassland people."

Wei Guangde continued.

After he finished speaking, he looked at Liu Shouyou and said, "Siyun, you should return to the Northern Pacification Office as soon as possible and pass on the order to the grassland.

At this time, I'm afraid it might not be easy to pass on the message.

Send it out early, let people be more careful, and don't expose the spy who sneaked in with great difficulty."

"Yes, Lord Wei, I will go back and issue the secret order right away."

Liu Shouyou could only help with intelligence and had no say on anything else.

Although, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard was also a third-rank military general in the imperial court.

Because it was too troublesome, Tan Lun quickly called people back and asked them to write military newspapers in the lobby. They would send them out directly after reading them.

“If everything goes well, Qi Yuanjing will receive the news in four or five days, and it shouldn’t delay anything important.

As for Ma Fang, it might not be easy to receive military orders in the vast grassland."

Tan Lun was still thinking about the battle plan. Liaodong and Jizhen could receive the news in time, but only the Xuanfu Army might be delayed.

"Send a message to the military forts along the route, and order them to send out scouts to search for the target and report back immediately if they find it.

The military order will be sent directly to Yongning. Even if we cannot find them halfway, they will eventually have to enter the country from there."

Wei Guangde said.

The Ministry of War had already issued orders to all places, so Wei Guangde planned to get up and go back.

He had already looked at the maps of Liaodong and Nurgan Regional Military Commission, and the situation was indeed different from what he had expected.

During the reign of Emperor Yongle, one could take a boat across the Heilongjiang River directly to Nurgan City. But now that the Ming Dynasty has shrunk so much and has already withdrawn from the Songhua River basin, it is indeed quite difficult.

"You should have told me about what Nuer did earlier."

Wei Guangde couldn't help but complain to Tan Lun.

"Since Liaodong is short of troops, we can send more troops there. It would be possible to spend two years gradually restoring the military fort to the state it was during the Yongle period."

Wei Guangde continued.

“In fact, it was Qi Yuanjing who wrote me a letter, saying that he could find a way to send the person over first.

In fact, he had already begun investigating the original military fort near Wilde, intending to repair it and re-garrison it.

Especially Andong, which was originally an important hub from Liaodong to Nurgan. Not only did they build ships there, but they also stored most of the supplies for the Nurgan Military Region, which were all transported directly by land from the Liaodong Military Region.

Tan Lun replied in a low voice.

“Is it possible to dig a canal to directly connect the Liaohe River and the Songhua River so that water transport can be directly delivered?

I looked at the map and it seems that the closest point of the two rivers is only a few dozen miles away. Should we ask the Ministry of Works to go over there and take a look and start digging the Songliao Canal?"

Wei Guangde suggested at this moment.

Now Wei Guangde has deeply realized that if the Ming Dynasty wants to go global, it will not be possible without the Ministry of Works.

When expanding outward from land, the transportation capacity relying solely on people and horses is ultimately limited, so it is better to make full use of water transportation.

Even if we expand outward through the ocean, we still need the Ministry of Works to supervise the construction of larger warships.

Well, it seems that it should be called a battleship now.

With the emergence of gunboats, the Ming Dynasty began to have specialized combat ships, which could actually be called battleships.

"The population of Liaodong is small, and the time available for river excavation is short, so digging a canal is very difficult."

Tan Lun raised his eyebrows and said, "Besides, although it is close to the Songhua River and the Liao River, it is still uncertain whether it can be excavated and whether ships can pass through it after it is opened. We really need to ask people from the Ministry of Works to go and take a look before we can decide.

However, the imperial court is already building the Zajia Canal, so does it have the capacity to build a new canal in Liaodong? If a new canal is built there, it will probably require transporting laborers from Guanzhong, which is too expensive.”

"I now understand why the imperial court gave up on Nurgan during the Xuande period."

Wei Guangde looked at the densely packed garrisons and military forts along the Songhua River and the Heilongjiang River on the map. It would be really costly to rely solely on Andong for land transportation to supply so many supplies to Nurgan.

However, that was the early Ming Dynasty, when the country was strong, so it could be maintained barely, but it would not last long.

"The expansion to the north did not happen overnight, but was heading towards Changzhi."

Wei Guangde suddenly said to Tan Lun in a serious tone, "If this place is not occupied by me now, it will surely attract other forces to occupy it in the future.

It is said that the place is bitterly cold, but I heard that there are still many khanates thousands of miles west of Mobei.

If they move eastward and reach there in the future, what should our Ming Dynasty do?"

Wei Guangde's question made Tan Lun feel very puzzled. As for Nurgan, a remote place like that, Tan Lun really didn't think there was anything to fight for.

The court has already given up on that place, and it was not a decision made by this dynasty, so all we have to do is pretend we don't know.

If others want it, they can just go. It's not like they are trying to snatch land from the court.

The Ming Dynasty will not give up a piece of land, that is the place it must defend.

What's the point of fighting for the land that has been abandoned by the imperial court?

But Tan Lun certainly wouldn't say that. He had seen that although Wei Guangde seemed to be indifferent at ordinary times, he really didn't like fighting with Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng, especially in the court struggles.

But when it comes to territorial expansion around the Ming Dynasty, there seems to be unexpected stubbornness.

“If we don’t want to operate the North for a long time, then the Songliao Canal must be built.

By sea, we will go along the Liaohe River, cross the Grand Canal, and finally deliver the supplies to Nurgan."

What do you want to do instead of competing with Wei Guangde for this piece of wasteland? Just find a way to solve the problem practically.

At this moment, a figure walked in from outside the lobby.

Wei Guangde glanced over there and then frowned.

The person who came in was Zhang Ji, and I guess he had something to tell him.

Wei Guangde walked over, Zhang Ji took out a letter from his arms, and whispered a few words in Wei Guangde's ear, then Wei Guangde nodded.

He walked to the corner of the lobby, tore open the envelope, took out the letter inside, read it quickly, then put the letter back and put it in his arms.

"Brother Zili, since we have come to this point, why not invite Lord Jiang to come over and talk about the destruction of the Songliao Canal."

Wei Guangde walked back and said to Tan Lun.

"it is good."

Tan Lun immediately arranged for someone to send a letter to the Ministry of Works, inviting Jiang Zhi to come to the Ministry of War.

"You go back first."

Wei Guangde also ordered Zhang Ji to leave the Ministry of War.

After all, the court was discussing important matters right now, and it would be inappropriate for a servant of one's own to stay here.

Returning to the map, Wei Guangde pointed at Nurgan and said, "You should have let me see this map earlier.

Fuyu, Duoyan, and Taining have all moved south, so this large piece of vacant land should be occupied by the Tuman now."

The place pointed out by Wei Guangde was the original territory of the Three Guards of Doyan.

"The three guards moved inland with the Nurgan Commandery, seized horses from Daning and other places, and then stayed in the north of Jizhen and Xuanda.

The original location of the Three Guards was bitterly cold, so no Mongolian tribes came there, and the Tuman tribe did not go there either. They had always been herding horses west of Liaodong."

Tan Lun shook his head and said.

"Such a large area is empty?"

Wei Guangde was very shocked. You know, the original territory of these three guards almost occupied half of the western part of Nurgan Regional Military Commission.

Now that such a large area is vacant, it means that the original barrier is gone.

Seeing the winding Heilongjiang River again, Wei Guangde began to waver for the first time in his decision to send troops to Nurgan City.

During the Yongle period, Zhu Di dared to build a city and station troops in Nurgan. In fact, a big reason for this was because there were three guards in the west, namely Fuyu, Duoyan and Taining, which could ensure that the Ming army in Nurgan would not be attacked.

It can only be said that the changes from later generations were so great that Wei Guangde could not accept it for a while.

"Anton, Ciluwei, Tongjiang."

Wei Guangde quickly pointed out three fulcrums, all of which were important nodes supporting the traffic of the Ming army in Nurgan, and all of which were places where rivers converged. He said: "These places must also be stationed, at least with a thousand-household-level garrison stationed permanently."

"Good loan, the Ministry of War can support one thousand households in Nurgan, but it cannot restore too many garrisons unless the Songliao Canal is really dug."

Tan Lun shook his head and said.

Wei Guangde now truly understood that it was actually wise, not foolish, for the Ming Dynasty to give up this place.

The area outside Liaodong is too big. Although there are numerous rivers here, the transportation cost is really high before the two major water systems of Liaohe River and Heilongjiang River are connected.

What's more, this is not just a temporary garrison, but a long-term garrison.

If the imperial court could not transport sufficient supplies on time, it would take ten or twenty years for the Ming army to move inland again.

"So this canal must be dug as long as conditions permit."

Wei Guangde just said it lightly.

“The resolution on Nurgan remains unchanged, but the Ministry of Industry needs to confirm the canal before making another decision.

Huaide must station troops in the Tuhe area to ensure the supply of food and grass for the Nurgan Thousand Households."

Wei Guangde would not act recklessly and unscientifically and force the Ming army to move north and occupy these areas.

Nor would they force the Ministry of Works to dig an impossible canal, as that would only waste national strength.

Now that the Jurchens north of Liaodong have surrendered, this is an opportunity to manage the north and we must not miss it.

Thinking of this, an idea emerged in Wei Guangde's mind again.

"Brother Zili, what do you think if we gather the people from all the Jurchen tribes to participate in the digging of the river, and the imperial court gives them money and food, and even those who are loyal to the imperial court can be incorporated into the Beidi Guard, and their families can be given a place to live in Liaodong. What do you think?"

Wei Guangde suddenly threw out his idea, which scared Tan Lun.

Wei Guangde continued, "Although there are some Jurchens who refuse to obey the king, such as Wang Gao, there are also many who have their hearts set on the court.

As long as we give them better conditions, divide the Jurchens, and separate those who are willing to work for the Ming Dynasty, we can let them guard the northern border for our Ming Dynasty.

We can’t let the government troops treat them like criminals just because they are Jurchens. Over time, their hearts will change.”

"The court treated the Three Guards the same way at the beginning, but in the end they still rebelled and then surrendered, and were fickle. I'm afraid I can't believe it."

Tan Lun said with a frown.

Although it was just a proposal and seemed feasible, from a historical perspective, the Ming Dynasty's attempt to surrender the Three Guards of Doyan was actually a failure.

Apart from using them to build his empire, Zhu Di's other plans almost all failed.

As a result, the Ming Dynasty also lost confidence in winning over foreign races.

“Families who move to the mainland as households can participate in the garrison in the Nurgan area.

If it is a tribe, send it here."

Wei Guangde pointed to the original territory of the Three Guards of Duoyan and said. (End of this chapter)