Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

The discussion about the relationship between the emperor, his subjects and the people became the theme in the winter of the third year of Chongzhen's reign, and it also made more people agree to re-establish rituals and music.

Many people are looking forward to the establishment of a national congress, which will usher in a period of prosperity once again with the joint efforts of the Ming Emperor and his subjects.

But what lay before them, besides successive natural disasters, was also the invasion of the Jianlu.

This autumn, the Jianlu who occupied the grasslands south of the desert launched a tentative attack on the Xuanda area.

However, the Jianlu who had just arrived in the south of the desert obviously did not have as deep a presence in the area as the Ming Dynasty.

Especially in the past two years, after the imperial court granted tribute to the grasslands and gave rewards and titles to those powerful people, many grassland nobles who received titles still had their hearts set on the Ming Dynasty and reported the news to the Ming Dynasty early on.

After receiving the news, Xuanda Admiral Zhu Mei led his troops to hold the defense line firmly, preventing the Jianlu from finding an opportunity to take advantage.

Huang Taiji had few troops and horses to begin with when he marched south of the desert. After his attempt failed, he did not force it and even considered leaving south of the desert.

For him, the most important thing is still the headquarters. Although the grassland south of the desert is vast, it is not a place to stay for a long time.

However, many of the Eight Banners nobles were unwilling to give up such a large area in vain. They were worried that after they left, Lin Danhan would come back to attack them.

Huang Taiji said:
"Lindan Khan has lost his temper. Even if he returns to the south of the desert, he will be looked down upon by the grassland people."

"We can't stay on the grassland forever. We have to return to our homeland before winter."

As soon as these words were spoken, many grassland dignitaries were delighted.

After they were defeated by the Jianlu, they had no choice but to surrender to the Jianlu.

But if you ask how willing they are in their hearts, these powerful people who have been spoiled by the Ming Dynasty look down on the Jianlu.

If they followed the Ming Dynasty, they could obtain gorgeous silk and fine food, but if they followed the Jianlu, they could only eat and drink thin food.

Especially in the past two years, the Jianlu had a very difficult time under the blockade of the Ming Dynasty. After conquering the south of the desert, they began to plunder on the grassland.

Many grassland nobles suffered losses because of this and were very dissatisfied. They just had to submit because they could not defeat the Jianlu.

If Jianlu could lead them to plunder Ming, these people might sincerely support them. But after seeing that Jianlu could not break through Xuanda, these people already knew who to turn to in the future.

Huang Taiji looked at their expressions and knew exactly what was going on.

Before conquering the south of the desert, he had never imagined that the Ming Dynasty had made such rich and powerful people in various grassland tribes.

This certainly allowed them to plunder a lot of supplies, but their idea of ​​ruling Mo Nan was also shattered because of this.

The grassland people are now generally dissatisfied with them because their interests have been damaged. If you want to suppress their resistance, you have to leave 10,000 or 20,000 troops.

Huang Taiji would not do such a thing as to weaken the strength of his own army. He was also worried that those who stayed behind would want to learn from Amin and become independent.

Therefore, he decided to take away the grassland people who had surrendered to him and incorporate them all into the Eight Banners.

The grassland nobles, who had no idea of ​​his thoughts, had just expressed their loyalty to Huang Taiji when they heard Huang Taiji say:

"You are loyal to the Great Jin, how could this Khan not know that?"

"Previously, the Naiman and Aohan tribes that were loyal to the Great Jin had been incorporated into the Eight Banners. I will give you a chance to join the banner master and join the Eight Banners."

"From now on, we are a family, and we will conquer the Ming Kingdom together."

As soon as these words came out, the nobles of various tribes all changed color, because they did not want to join the Eight Banners at all, and even less did they want to invade the Ming Dynasty.

After several years of interaction with the Ming Dynasty, they clearly felt that the Ming army's combat power was recovering. Even if it was not as good as the Jianlu, it was far better than them.

If the grasslands joined the dispute between the Jin and Ming, they would most likely be crushed to pieces. Not to mention that after being incorporated into the Eight Banners, they would become cannon fodder for the Eight Banners.

Therefore, these people fell silent for a while, and Ombuchu Huer said:

"Great Khan, we are incorporated into the Eight Banners. Can we continue to stay in the naturalization system?"

"After the Khan leaves with his troops, who will Guihua City be handed over to?"

Huang Taiji laughed and said:

"The name Guihua was given by the Ming Kingdom."

"Now that you have submitted to the Jin Dynasty, how can you still be naturalized?"

"Just burn it down. When I get to Liaodong, I will redistribute the houses and land to you."

This made the grassland nobles even more frightened when they heard it, because they did not want to give up the naturalization they had cultivated for many years and go to the grassland to be a nomadic wanderer.

They spoke one after another, explaining the importance of Guihua City and the difficulties in building Bansheng back then, and begged to guard the place for the Khan.

Huang Taiji certainly knew that Guihua City was important and very prosperous. But for him, it was no pity to burn down a city that he could not control.

Not to mention that the Ming Dynasty has now blocked border trade, and Guihua City cannot continue its previous prosperity. It is completely meaningless to them.

Therefore, he was not moved at all by the requests of these grassland nobles. Dorgon, who saw his intention, suddenly drew his sword and stood up and said:
"Do you dare to disobey the Khan's order?"

"Do you think my sword is not sharp?"

This blatant threat made all the nobles on the grassland pale. They realized that the Jianlu were completely barbarians who came out of the mountains and forests, and were not as friendly as the Ming Dynasty.

In the past, they pretended to obey the Ming Dynasty's orders but secretly disobeyed them. The Ming Dynasty would at most send people to reprimand them and reduce trade quotas and rewards, but their lives were completely safe.

But the Jianlu didn't care about these things. If they dared to disobey their orders, they would kill them.

There were many tribes that had been killed and looted before, and the fate of these people served as a warning to them.

Therefore, when Dorgon's threat came out, these people fell silent and, under the leadership of Ombu Chuhur, expressed their obedience to the Khan.

Huang Taiji could see their reluctance, but he didn't care at all because after burning the naturalization, these people had no choice but to follow him.

He had already anticipated that a major war might break out next year, and wanted to use these newly surrendered grassland tribes as cannon fodder instead of the previous Han soldiers.

Soon, under his orders, the Jianlu launched a thorough looting of Guihua City, taking away all the supplies they could take away.

Then they set fire to the houses and burned down the entire city.

During this period, anyone who resisted was slaughtered.

In particular, the Han people who stayed and cultivated the land were almost killed after their food was robbed by the Jianlu.

Then, after burning down Bansheng, the Jianlu returned eastward in a mighty force, taking with them the grassland tribes that had taken refuge and the herdsmen they had plundered.
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Such a big movement, of course, could not be hidden from the Ming Dynasty. The civilians who escaped from the naturalization and the grassland dignitaries who were dissatisfied with the Jianlu all reported the news to the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Mei, who was in charge of the Xuanda front and was appointed as the governor of Guihua, was so angry when he learned that Guihua City was burned down that he slammed the table and said:

"Pass my order, the standard camp will leave the border immediately."

"I will personally lead the army to stop the Jianlu from returning eastward."

Hei Yunlong heard this and asked:
"General, you are in poor health, I am willing to take your place."

Zhu Mei's health had not been good and he was still ill. However, he knew that the departure of the Jianlu from the grasslands was a great opportunity to establish the Guihua Protectorate. So he insisted:
"My health is not a big deal, but it is more important to contain the enemy."

"The court ordered us to try our best to hold back the Jianlu in the south of the desert and prevent them from returning eastward."

"Even if I die, I will make sure that the Jianlu will leave behind a few Niulu." It is obvious that he has made up his mind to make meritorious deeds and obtain a title for his descendants.

Hei Yunlong could not dissuade him, so he asked again:

"In this case, I request to lead the elite troops of Xuanfu to cross the border."

"The Jianlu have already returned eastwards, there is no need to keep them to guard."

Zhu Mei saw Hei Yunlong's intention to make a contribution, and it was difficult to stop him, so she nodded and said:

"You can lead a brigade of cavalry to attack and harass along the way. Don't fight head-on with the Jianlu."

"The Jianlu are extremely cunning. We must not fall into an ambush and lose the elite troops of Xuanfu."

Hei Yunlong said excitedly:

"Don't worry, Marshal. I know how to fight and will bring my servants with me."

"For the defense of Xuanfu, please ask General Xu of Changping Town to assist and support us when the enemy attacks."

Zhu Mei nodded and approved of the arrangement.

Today, Xuanfu Town and Changping Town are under the command of the Great Wall Commander. Zhu Mei, the Xuanda Commander, is actually the commander of the entire Great Wall and can make suggestions on the defense of this area.

After Hei Yunlong leaves the border, the power of Xuanfu Town will be depleted, and Changping Town, which remains behind Xuanfu Town, will naturally have to make up for it in time.

At the same time, he arranged for Yang Maochun, the general of Datong, to assist in the defense and be responsible for the defense of the Xuanda line.

After all these were arranged, Hei Yunlong led the elite troops of Xuanfu to attack. Zhu Mei led the troops directly under his command and those drawn from Xuanda to Guihua.

Their movements were soon reported to Changping Town. Upon learning of this, Changping General Xu Chengming immediately assembled the elite troops of Changping Town and waited for orders to move the main force outside Juyong Pass.

He also wanted to achieve great things and even wanted to go out of the border to fight against the Jianlu.

But his old boss Zhu Xieyuan saw through his moves and ordered:
"Changping Town is not allowed to leave the border, and must guard the Juyongguan area."

He also transferred Qin Liangyu, who was stationed in Miyun, to wait for an opportunity to lead the white-pole soldiers to attack.

If the Jianlu invaded or returned eastward via the grasslands north of Miyun, Qin Liangyu would cooperate with Zhu Mei and others who had already left the border to try to stop the Jianlu.

In particular, the group led by Man Gui and Hu Dawei had been active on the Daning grassland for a long time. Their goal was not only to open up the Dongping Marquisate, but also to cut off the passage between Liaodong and Mobei.

It can be said that the Jianlu's move affected the Ming Dynasty's troops deployed on the Great Wall and grasslands. The Liaodong War next year has begun to be rehearsed now.
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Zhu Youjian was very concerned about this and asked the Privy Council to report the news every day.

At the same time, Chief of Staff Yang Sichang, who had participated in actual combat in the grasslands, also made a suggestion to better grasp the battle situation:
"I think we should send a staff officer to the front to observe the battle situation there."

“Whether we win or lose, we can respond in time.”

"Staff officers at all levels can also gain practical experience, and it is no longer just empty talk."

Zhu Youjian listened to his suggestion and felt it made sense. After considering it, he said:

"Then the General Staff will send someone to send an observation group to the front line."

"Remember, the mission of the observation group is to observe and not to participate in command without authorization."

"Recommendations can only be made if the commanding officer requests it."

"The observation group is protected by the Royal Guards and is required to report anything they see in a timely manner."

The power of the observation group was strictly limited to prevent these people from becoming military supervisors sent by the court.

And let the Jinyiwei supervise them to prevent these people from acting recklessly by relying on their status.

Yang Sichang was somewhat disappointed when he heard this, knowing that the emperor was still not confident in the ability of the General Staff. Otherwise, given the monarch's vigilance against military commanders, he should have supported the troops sent by the court to participate in the command.

It was not like now, where even making suggestions required the frontline commanding officers to take the initiative to ask for them. If they did not ask, the observation group would not have the opportunity to intervene in the battle.

But no matter what, the General Staff can send people to the front line. He hopes that more and more staff officers will be trained and make the General Staff a real military command department.
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On the grassland, Huang Taiji was also on guard against attacks from the Ming army.

This time he brought back to the east, he brought with him not only 20,000 Jurchen soldiers, but also the dependent grassland tribes and the herdsmen he looted.

These people were to be incorporated into the Eight Banners to strengthen the power of the Great Jin, and he wanted to bring as many of them as possible back.

The cattle, sheep, grain and other materials looted from Guihua and other places should also be transported back as much as possible. Only these spoils of war can consolidate his position as the Khan.

Therefore, he was very cautious in arranging this return trip to the east, and arranged for Ajige and Dorgon to coordinate and guard against the attack of the Ming Dynasty.

However, what he was most worried about was Man Gui who was in front of him. He had never thought that the Black Cloud Dragon from Xuanfu would dare to go out of the border and catch up with him:

"When we attacked Xuanfu, you didn't show up, but now you show up again."

"Do you think you won't dare to fight me if I go back? Can't we defeat your army?"

After finding out that Hei Yunlong only brought 10,000 people, he immediately set up an ambush, hoping to completely devour Hei Yunlong.

Hei Yunlong had never fought against the Jianlu before, so he underestimated the enemy. But Zhu Mei's repeated reminders made him remember, not to mention that Zhu Mei only allowed him to bring 10,000 troops to prevent him from advancing rashly.

Therefore, although he was ambushed by Huang Taiji, he quickly sensed it and fled with his cavalry without any desire to fight.

His previous eagerness to make a contribution also turned into a cautious attitude. He wanted to reunite with Zhu Mei and then make the next plan.

However, just when he was about to leave, the grassland nobles who were forced to go to Liaodong by the Jianlu secretly sent people, hoping to cooperate with the Ming Dynasty from inside and outside to allow them to escape.

This made Hei Yunlong hesitate for a moment, not knowing whether to stay or join Zhu Mei first.

His son Hei Mingde said:

"Father, the commander ordered us to harass, so we just need to continue following."

"If there is a chance, we will fight the Jianlu and let those Shuntian nobles escape."

"If there is no chance, that's another matter. Anyway, I won't suffer any loss."

Hei Yunlong also had this idea, but after fighting with Jianlu, he already knew the fighting power of Jianlu.

"We just suffered a defeat. Do the troops still have morale?"

"If they don't want to fight, then they should join Marshal Zhu first."

Hei Mingde said:

"Although the army suffered a setback, its morale was not damaged."

"Most of them are unconvinced and think that the Jianlu are not that powerful."

"They all want to fight a battle to let the Jianlu know how powerful Xuanfu Town is, and exchange the heads of the Tartars for merit."

As long as the morale was not damaged, Hei Yunlong now had the confidence to continue fighting the Jianlu.

After encouraging his soldiers, he followed the Jianlu from a distance, waiting for them to show their weakness. (End of this chapter)