Jingnan Strategy

Chapter 313 I’m too worried

"After all, the Hu people were a serious nuisance to the imperial court, and my son had already started to get involved shortly after arriving in Bohai."

In Wuying Hall, Zhu Gaoxu responded unhurriedly to Zhu Di's meaningful words, which made Zhu Di a little unsure.

He really wanted to take Hami for his own use and lay the foundation for his children and grandchildren to enter the Western Regions.

But now that Zhu Gaoxu said this, he was not sure whether he should canonize Anke Timur as King Zhongshun.

As long as Anke Timur is alive, Hami can still maintain the existing order. But if Anke Timur dies, Hami will probably turn into chaos. The Ming Dynasty will not only have to pay for comfort, but also find ways to restore order. This is a bit difficult to handle.

"How do you think the court should treat Hami?"

Zhu Di had an idea in his mind, but he was still ready to listen to Zhu Gaoxu's opinion.

"My ministers think that the best way is to reward without sending envoys, just reward without sending envoys. It is enough to send rewards back and forth through the mutual trade in Suzhou."

"When the imperial court is stronger and can protect Hami, it won't hurt to discuss with Hami to protect the garrison."

Zhu Gaoxu expressed his suggestion, but Zhu Di shook his head: "Although this can save Hami in a short time, once Guilichi becomes the Great Khan, he will inevitably trade with the imperial court through Hami's trade."

"If the court is unwilling, then Guilichi may still attack Hami."

"If the imperial court is willing, Guilichi can continue to grow. This is not in line with the imperial court's policy of weak prisoners."

Zhu Di scratched his beard and seemed to be deep in thought. After a while, he continued: "I want to send an envoy to Hami at the end of the year, but the reward will not be the king."

"When the news reaches Guilichi, the imperial court will also begin its northern expedition. If Guilichi is the new Great Khan, he will definitely send troops to rescue Wuliangha."

"But it's a long distance from Moxi to Modong. I'm afraid I've already expelled Wu Liangha before they reached the upper reaches of the Onan River."

"At that time, I will send people in Modong to build an official road to Mobei, so as to confuse Gui Lichi and make him mistakenly think that I am going to beat him."

"In the face of these major events, even if Guilichi wants to deal with Hami's small matters, he is powerless."

Zhu Di said this, and finally looked at Zhu Gaoxu: "But there is a problem with this. We need food from Bohai Sea."

"That's not a problem." Zhu Gaoxu nodded, and then expressed his worries:

"If it's just food, it's nothing. What I'm worried about is that if Guilichi leads the Tatars and Olays to invade Modong, Modong may be difficult to defend."

Modong is so big that Zhu Gaoxu initially wanted to set up three-guard and eighteen-thousand-household settlements to slowly expand the living scope of the Han people in Modong.

The premise is that Modong must have a peaceful time, otherwise it may be difficult for the military households who migrated there to successfully reclaim the wasteland.

"I know you don't want to use Modong as a tug-of-war, so I'm going to gather a lot of troops in Kaiping to confuse Gui Lichi."

Zhu Di expressed his thoughts, but in this way, the food burden to maintain Kaiping's heavy troops increased.

"How many soldiers and horses do you want to gather to Kaiping?" Zhu Gaoxu asked anxiously, and Zhu Di also scratched his beard: "Fifty thousand soldiers will transport at least 900,000 shi every year. Counting the consumption of civilians, it will be 1.2 million shi."

"I'm afraid this is not worth the gain." Zhu Gaoxu frowned. If he had to spend 1.2 million shi of grain every year to attract the attention of the Tatar and Oara tribes, then he would rather send 10,000 people to capture Hami in one fell swoop.

In his previous life, he traveled to northern Xinjiang and naturally passed through Hami.

Even if the temperature in Hami rises in later generations, the rainfall line moves westward, and with the blessing of modern technology, the cultivated land in Hami is only more than 800,000 acres.

Even if Zhu Gaoxu built karez in Hami, it would be difficult to reach half of this number.

It is obviously not worth it to Zhu Gaoxu to spend 1.2 million dan in Kaipingwei every year for a Hami.

"With Tuotuo in hand, I would rather sit back and ignore Hami and invest 1.2 million stones of grain into the ancient Guazhou."

"My people have been to Guazhou. They said that although the oasis in Guazhou is not big, it can still build a city and cultivate hundreds of thousands of acres of cultivated land."

"If the imperial court chooses to station 3,000 troops and 7,000 garrison troops in Guazhou, and reclaim wasteland there as farmland, tens of thousands of dan of grain can be accumulated every year, and the distance between the imperial court and Hami can be shortened to 600 miles. "

"Even if Guilichi annihilates Hami, the imperial court can still establish Tuotuo as king, gather heavy troops in Guazhou, and march from Guazhou to capture Hami."

"With firearms, our Han army of five thousand can stop tens of thousands of horsemen, and the ghosts are nothing to be afraid of."

Zhu Gaoxu discussed with Zhu Di with stern eyes. Zhu Di felt that this was not bad, but the Shazhou and Dunhuang areas were currently occupied by the descendants of King Xining of the former Yuan Dynasty, which made it a bit difficult to deal with.

"The Shazhou and Dunhuang areas are occupied by the descendants of Xiningwei in the former Yuan Dynasty. If we want to attack them, I'm afraid the court will have to spend a lot of money and food."

Zhu Di expressed his worries, but Zhu Gaoxu was familiar with history. The Seven Guards of Guanxi didn't want to stay in Shazhou or Dunhuang at all.

They do not have enough craftsmen and skills. Not only is it tiring to cultivate local land, but the food output is also very low, with only three or four buckets of solid food.

Historically, when Shazhou Wei heard that he was going to move inland, he immediately happily entered Gansu with his belongings. Like other Wei, he was very happy growing melons and lending money. He had no idea of ​​leaving the country, but regarded Gansu as the second The state is paradise.

As long as this group of people see the Ming Dynasty's army and reward them with some pastures, they may be able to settle down in the pass faster than Zhu Gaoxu captured Nanjing.

"In the land of Kansai, if there are skilled craftsmen to build karez, it will be a good thing, but if there are not, it will be hell."

"I see that the ancient Mongolians in Shazhou, Dunhuang, Chijin and other Guanxi provinces live in poverty. If Your Majesty is willing to give them some decent fifth- and sixth-grade casualties and grant them pasture, then I'm afraid they will immediately turn around and seek refuge with the imperial court. .”

"But under this premise, we have to ask Song Sheng to lead troops to Kansai to deter these bastards."

Zhu Gaoxu and Zhu Di talked about his attitude towards Guanxi. After hearing this, Zhu Di was a little unsure and wanted Jin Yiwei to check the situation: "I sent Jin Yiwei to check first. If it is as you said, then I can give them hereditary medicine." level, and a pasture can be set aside for them in Ganzhou."

"Your Majesty is wise." Seeing that Zhu Di agreed with his idea, Zhu Gaoxu couldn't help but flatter him.

"Go, go, go! Don't follow those rotten Confucians."

Zhu Di waved his hand, and then continued to bring the topic back to Mobei: "According to what you said, Guilichi is probably a formidable enemy to the imperial court."

"No, your Majesty, please rest assured." Zhu Gaoxu shook his head: "The real enemy is the Timur Kingdom in the Hezhong and Persia areas."

"Huh?" Zhu Di looked at him in surprise: "What's the news?"

"According to the news from Erchen, Timur is at war with the Rumi Kingdom (Ottoman), and will be victorious by the end of the year at the latest."

Zhu Gaoxu told Zhu Di about the changes in Central Asia at the moment, and said in detail:

"Once Timur returns triumphantly, he will probably launch an eastern expedition after a short rest."

"At that time, he should raise his troops in the name of conquering the imperial court in the east, but in fact it is to capture the Western Region and spy on Mobei."

Zhu Gaoxu never thought that Timur would foolishly travel thousands of miles to fight a national war with the Ming Dynasty. After all, the national war was about national strength.

There is no country that can compete with the Ming Dynasty in terms of national strength. What's more, with the population of five to six million in the Western Regions, it is simply a dream to satisfy the logistics of Timur's army. Even if Timur's people cannibalize each other, they will not be able to sustain Suzhou.

It is impossible for Timur to be aware of such a distance and situation. After all, he sent envoys to pay tribute to the Ming Dynasty many times to inquire about information.

In comparison, Zhu Gaoxu felt that he wanted to capture the Western Region and spy on Mobei.

After all, the Eastern Chagatai Khanate's attitude towards Timurid has changed, and coupled with the old enmity between the two parties, Timur's Eastern Expedition may have been a false attack on Guo.

"According to what you said, I have to capture this Hami earlier." Zhu Di frowned, but Zhu Gaoxu chuckled:

"Father, don't bother yourself. Timur's health is deteriorating and he may not live for a few more years."

"Then you still say that Hezhong is the imperial court's enemy?" Zhu Di looked at Zhu Gaoxu in confusion, but Zhu Gaoxu nodded:

"This enemy does not refer to any country, but to the huge Mongolian people in the Hezhong area."

"Currently Timur has a Yuan descendant in his hands named Benya Shili."

"I know this." Zhu Di interrupted Zhu Gaoxu, and then asked doubtfully: "Ben Yasili has only more than a hundred subordinates. He has almost nothing except the identity of a Yuan descendant. Why do you mention him?"

"If Timur had not died, he would have been strictly controlled." Zhu Gaoxu explained: "If Timur had died, then internal strife would have broken out among his children and grandchildren, and Benya would have been out of control."

"With Yuan Yi's name, he can recruit troops, retreat to Beshlbali to inquire about the situation in Mobei, and then, with the support of Beslopali, he can make peace with Arutai, the old subordinate of Emperor Tianyuan."

"The hatred between Wala and Tatar is too deep. Once Benya returns from his loss, the life or death of Guilichi may be uncertain."

After Zhu Gaoxu finished speaking, Zhu Di was confused: "This is a good thing for the court, why are you worried?"

Hearing this, Zhu Gaoxu smiled bitterly and said: "With the name of Yuan Yi, this Ben Yasili can recruit tribesmen from Qihe and the land in the river."

Yuan Yi's name is a diplomatic panacea for the Mongolian country in this era. The reason why Benya Shili is so famous is because of this name. After his death, the several great khans who succeeded him did not have this name. The name doesn't seem very famous.

"That's true, but I have field cannons and matchlock guns in my hands. As long as I have 50,000 cavalry, I can gallop across Mobei, so I don't have to worry about that."

Zhu Di scratched his beard and expressed his thoughts.

After hearing this, Zhu Gaoxu realized why Zhu Di acted so unconcerned about Benya's loss.

Historically, it was important to deal with the Mongols and it took hundreds of thousands of troops to maintain logistics, so that the main force of 30,000 to 50,000 could reach Mobei.

But now, with cannons and matchlocks, plus water transportation from the Wenjiang River, as long as Modong can maintain stable production, the distance of Zhu Di's northern expedition will be shortened by 800 miles, and the logistical burden will suddenly become smaller.

With the same logistics population, the former can only reach Hulanhu and lose the temperature, while the latter may allow Zhu Di to penetrate Mobei and reach the foot of Jinshan (Altai Mountain).

Of course, Bohai cannot recruit so many logistical troops, but with the nearly two million people outside the pass, it is not a problem to recruit 100,000 civilians.

If these 100,000 civilians set out from Ulyanhatu Mountain, they can ensure logistics to the upper reaches of the Onan River in one go.

Just like Zhu Gaoxu said to Zhu Di before, as long as they can gain a foothold in the upper reaches of the Onan River, the Ming army can rely on the Onan River to fight to Hulanhu, or even to Moxi.

The climate in the northwest was indeed harsh during the Ming Dynasty, but the Eurasian grasslands still existed tenaciously.

Relying on the Eurasian grasslands, as long as the logistics can keep up, the Ming Dynasty can successfully capture Mobei and Moxi. However, in this era, these two places do not have much value.

What Zhu Gaoxu wanted was to rely on Mobei, Modong, and Hami to capture the Western Region, and then develop the gold, iron ore, and jade mines in Yili, Shule and other places to give Ming a necessary reason to occupy the area for a long time.

Of course, this is his hope. If it cannot be realized, he will not force it. After all, the place he really cares about is the south where he can cultivate. "Okay, you should pay more attention to things in the west. Don't worry about things in the north. You can just deliver the firearms of the Northern Expedition team as soon as possible."

After Zhu Di finished talking about the matter, he asked Zhu Gaoxu to leave. It felt like he had something to do but got out of here.

"My son, please retire."

Zhu Gaoxu bowed in return and left Wuying Hall without stopping.

But not long after he left, Ji Gang, the commander of Jinyiwei, appeared in Wuying Hall.

At this moment, he didn't know that Zhu Gaoxu and Zhu Di had discussed things in the river, so he thought the emperor was summoning him to target political opponents.

"I want you to send someone to Guan Guan, Bie Shi Bali and Timur to inquire about the news. See if Timur has returned triumphantly from the Lumi Kingdom and is preparing to become the enemy of the Ming Dynasty."

Zhu Di got straight to the point. He realized that his intelligence abroad was weak, so he summoned Ji Gang.

"I accept the order!" Ji Gang bowed without any rebuttal. After all, he didn't need to go there in person to spy on information.

"Let's go." Zhu Di sat back on the chair, crossed his legs, and put his hands on the armrests, looking mighty and domineering.

"I excuse myself..." Seeing this, Ji Gang returned the greeting and left. After he left, Zhu Di got up and walked to another side hall next to the side hall.

"Old monk, do you hear me clearly?"

Zhu Di walked into the hall and asked. Yao Guangxiao, who was sitting on the chair, slowly stood up and returned the greeting: "You heard me clearly."

Zhu Di sat in the main seat and touched his beard. His expression was indifferent, but he cared more than anyone else.

"My second brother is about the same age as me, and he has better information than my Jin Yiwei. What do you think I should do if one day he really can't wait any longer?"

"Haha..." Yao Guangxiao chuckled. When Zhu Di saw this, he first reminded him: "You have to give me a reason this time. You have to make it impossible to reply to what I said and eliminate the doubt in your mind."

He changed his name and obviously wanted to know the answer from Yao Guangxiao.

"The prince is well-informed and has more than half of the military power in the world. He also has full control over the money and food of the six ministries."

"Under such circumstances, we can still maintain our family ties to His Majesty. This is the greatest loyalty and filial piety."

Yao Guangxiao gave Zhu Di's answer. In fact, Zhu Di also knew that the second child was good to him, but he was always worried about the people under the second child.

"I won't mention the second one. What do you think we will do if the people below him give him a yellow robe?"

Zhu Di asked again, but Yao Guangxiao shook his head: "Your Highness thought earlier than your Majesty, so Meng Zhang, Wang Yi, Fu Rang and other talents will be transferred to other places."

"The military attachés His Highness has left in the capital are nothing more than Zhaozhou Bo Li and the others."

"Li Shi and the others don't have enough prestige. Even if they want to wear a yellow robe, it's impossible for them to wear a yellow robe."

"If Meng Zhang and the others can return to wear His Highness's yellow robe, it will probably be a few years or even more than ten years later. Why should you worry?"

"Asking like this is nothing more than reluctance to part with that chair."

Yao Guangxiao looked at Zhu Di with a smile, but Zhu Di felt on pins and needles.

"This chair is really comfortable to sit on, and I haven't done enough credit yet."

"Old monk, you don't know. Ever since I took this position, I have been dreaming about my father almost every day. I am so scared to death that I am afraid of seeing my father."

"I'm forty-three now, and I've lived longer than the three before me, so I'm afraid my body will collapse at some point."

"It's okay if my body collapses. My second brother is here and he will take over my team. I can rest assured."

"But if this goes down and my father asks about my achievements, if I don't say enough, what do you think I should do?"

Zhu Di looked pitiful, but in the final analysis he just couldn't bear to give up his position.

Yao Guangxiao kept shaking his head as he listened to his words, and finally said: "The theory of ghosts and gods is the most unbelievable. People die when they die. There is no such thing as the underworld and the ten palaces of Yama."

"These things are just things that the ancients used to fool future generations."

As a monk, it was indeed novel for Zhu Di that Yao Guangxiao would say this, but he was still worried: "Of course you said that. When I go down, you won't even know where I am."

"The poor monk is already sixty-seven. If we go on, it is the poor monk who will go down first, and it will not be your turn." Yao Guangxiao suddenly mentioned his age, and only then did Zhu Di realize that the old monk in front of him was already sixty-seven. .

"You said that you are still sharp-tongued at sixty-seven and always speak for the second child. Do you think you are in cahoots with the second child?"

After Zhu Di became suspicious, he even didn't let Yao Guangxiao off, which made Yao Guangxiao laugh out loud: "Does a poor monk at this age and in this position still need to collude with others?"

"That's right, you don't have a son either." Zhu Di scratched his beard, and Yao Guangxiao also said kindly after laughing:

"The poor monk said these words to Your Majesty to enlighten Your Majesty. Now there are many people in the world who want to see the joke between Your Majesty and the Crown Prince. If this joke comes true, Your Majesty will definitely regret it for the rest of his life."

"That won't happen. I won't do anything to the second son." Zhu Di is still very confident in himself. He dotes on all three sons. It's just a matter of priority.

"Now that you have an idea, the poor monk will resign."

"Wait, I'm not done talking to you yet."

Yao Guangxiao stood up to leave, but was stopped by Zhu Di: "Although I trust Lao Er, you also said that Lao Er's generals are not qualified to help him wear yellow robes. Then I also want to ask you what you think of the relationship between Lao Er and the three brothers."

Zhu Di was never worried about himself. He knew that the second child could not be cruel to him, but he was not sure about the second child's treatment of the eldest and third children.

"What are you worried about, Your Majesty?" Yao Guangxiao asked knowingly.

"I just want to ask, if I really abdicate in favor or die in the future, will the second child kill the boss and the third child."

Zhu Di was straightforward and did not shy away from life and death.

Seeing what he said, Yao Guangxiao did not answer immediately, but considered the beads.

"Although King Han seems to be in danger, he is actually the safest because he can see clearly and carry things clearly. Therefore, until now, the number of guards in the Han Dynasty has not been fully recruited."

"Besides, judging from the information that the poor monk knows, it seems that the King of Han is planning to hand over most of the guards to the vassal queen, leaving only a small number of guards to protect the palace."

"In this way, the threat from the King of Han to the Prince is the smallest. Although the Prince is approachable, he is very arrogant and is destined not to attack the King of Han."

"On the other hand, King Zhao, if he really changes his mind in the big church, then maybe nothing will happen. But if he still has ambitions, then I'm afraid your Majesty's protection will not help."

"In the eyes of this poor monk, the more you protect King Zhao, the more you push him into the pit of fire."

Yao Guangxiao expressed his opinion, and Zhu Di listened to it all with a frown.

After Yao Guangxiao finished speaking, he was silent for a long time, and then slowly said: "I believe the second brother, but I am worried that the group of people in the temple will sow discord between their brothers."

"If I can't even drive a wedge between you and the crown prince, how can I talk about driving a wedge between the crown prince and your two highnesses?" Yao Guangxiao asked, obviously seeing something.

At this moment, Zhu Di also realized it and his face looked a little ugly.

"The bachelors chosen by His Majesty all seem to have their own ideas." Yao Guangxiao did not mention the names, but Zhu Di reacted:

"These people are not good people, but I still need them right now, so I'll keep them for now."

"The poor monk resigned." Seeing that Zhu Di's knot was untied, Yao Guangxiao stood up and prepared to leave.

This time Zhu Di did not stop him, but watched Yao Guangxiao leave before returning to the side hall to handle government affairs.

However, when he was handling government affairs, Yao Guangxiao, who was walking out of Wuying Hall, actually saw the golden chariot parked on Sanlong Bridge.

After Yao Guangxiao appeared, Zhu Gaoxu's figure stepped down from the golden chariot and bowed to Yao Guangxiao seven or eight steps away.

"Young Master is here to enlighten my father again?"

Zhu Gaoxu asked with a smile and respectfully called Yao Guangxiao "young master".

Yao Guangxiao also shook his head and smiled bitterly when he heard this, feeling that each of the father and son was smarter than the other.

"Since Your Highness knows this, why bother staying here to only increase His Majesty's suspicions?"

"It's normal for the Tian family to be suspicious, but my father and I can talk it out." Zhu Gaoxu was confident, and this was in line with Yao Guangxiao's evaluation of his arrogance.

It is precisely because of his confidence and spirit that Yao Guangxiao feels that he doesn't care about Zhu Gaochi and Zhu Gaosui at all, just like Li Shimin never cares how many brothers Li Yuan has given birth to for him.

Because he knows that those younger brothers have no power in their hands and pose no threat to him.

Zhu Gaochi and Zhu Gaosui are also like this for Zhu Gaoxu. Because of this, he will boldly and safely give each of these two brothers a guard.

"I want to know what my dad is worried about."

Zhu Gaoxu asked straight to the point, and Yao Guangxiao did not hide it: "It's nothing more than worrying about His Highness's relationship with the King of Han and the King of Zhao."

"That's it?" Zhu Gaoxu couldn't help but laugh: "My father still underestimates me."

After that, he bowed to Yao Guangxiao and said, "Now that I have the answer, I won't stop here. Young Master, go slowly."

"Your Highness, walk slowly." Yao Guangxiao returned the greeting, then turned and walked towards Xihua Gate.

Zhu Gaoxu looked at his back for a while, then stepped onto the golden chariot.

Not long after, the golden chariot drove up and walked towards the East Palace. Passing by the Wenhua Hall, many civil servants looked at the golden chariot from a distance with different expressions.

On the other hand, Zhu Gaoxu, who was sitting in the golden chariot, had a calm expression. After all, for him, no one could threaten his position, but his existence could threaten everyone.

(End of this chapter)