Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

Given the emperor's attitude, Liu Zunxian naturally could not present a defense plan that focused on repairing the Great Wall.

Fortunately, his previous proposal to establish protectorates in Jinning and Liaoning had won the emperor's praise. Now he has another defense plan to offer.

Pointing to the Protectorates along the Great Wall, Liu Zunxian said:
"The defense of the Ming Dynasty's borders was based on the Great Wall, with nine border garrisons set up."

"Currently, there are four inner-line protectorates along the Great Wall: Yansui, Ningxia, Gansu, and Longxi."

"There are also four outer protectorates: Hetao, Guihua, Liaoning, and Jinning."

"I believe that once the Northwest is stabilized, the Inner Protectorate can be abolished and will remain one of the Nine Garrisons."

"The outer protection zone will be retained as a second line of defense outside the Great Wall."

This setup earned Zhu Youjian's approval.

Because he never intended to maintain the Protectorate system in Shaanxi for long, especially since Shaanxi had become basically stable after two million immigrants had been relocated there. Zhu Youjian said:
"The four protectorates in Shaanxi were established out of necessity."

"Now that the local area is stable, these restrictions can be lifted gradually."

"The Yansui Protectorate can be renamed Yan'an Military and Civilian Prefecture, Suide Military and Civilian Prefecture, and Qingyang Military and Civilian Prefecture according to the garrisons under its jurisdiction. The Yansui Governor and the Yansui Commander-in-Chief will still be in charge."

"The Ningxia Protectorate can be renamed the Ningxia Military and Civilian Prefecture, which will be under the jurisdiction of the Ningxia Governor and the Ningxia Commander-in-Chief."

"Longxi..."

After hesitating for a moment, Zhu Youjian said:
"The Gongchang Prefecture in the east of Longxi, together with the original Shaanxi Governor's jurisdiction, was placed under the jurisdiction of the Guanlong Governor."

"In the future, Shaanxi Province can be renamed Guanlong Province, which will make it easier to distinguish from Shanxi in terms of pronunciation."

“The military and civilian prefectures of Lintao and Lanzhou were established to the west of Longxi and incorporated into the Gansu Protectorate, where the new army was dispatched to guard the area.”

This decision clearly indicates an intention to retain the Gansu Protectorate. Yuan Keli speculated:
"Does Your Majesty intend to launch an expedition from Gansu and subsequently reclaim the Western Regions?"

If that's the case, he must advise the emperor. Shaanxi simply cannot afford the costs of military operations; the already fragile stability cannot be allowed to crumble.

Zhu Youjian shook his head and said:

"There is no rush to use troops in the Western Regions. We should wait until Shaanxi is completely stable before making any decisions."

"What I am worried about now is that Ligdan Khan is unable to defeat Huang Taiji in the northern desert and may flee to the Hehuang area of ​​Qinghai and enter the Ü-Tsang region."

"This is the birthplace of Lamaism and the religious and cultural center of the grasslands and plateaus. Those who aspire to unify the grasslands will generally use this place as a base for military operations."

"If Ligdan Khan and Huang Taiji are both like this, the Ming Dynasty must arrange elite troops for defense."

This explanation made the court officials understand why the emperor had made this arrangement.

Gansu is like a salient, facing pressure from three directions.

Just like Liaodong before it was divided, the defensive pressure is too great, so the Protectorate General cannot be abolished now, and military control can only continue.

Considering the previous establishment of the Liaoning Protectorate over Liaodong and Liaoxi, Liu Zunxian pointed to Ningxia and said:
"Could we retain the Ningxia Protectorate and assign the Great Wall depression area north of Lanzhou to the Ningxia Protectorate?"

"Or build a city wall and level the Great Wall for defense."

If they had the capability, Zhu Youjian would have liked to build a city wall here, but they simply didn't have the capacity. That area was all desert, and there simply weren't enough manpower and resources to build a city wall. Even if it were built, it would be difficult to station soldiers there.

Finally, after consideration, he said:

"The Ningxia Protectorate can be retained, and together with the Gansu and Yansui garrisons, the three-border system can be reorganized."

"Yang Jiamo, the Liaonan Admiral, was transferred to the position of Admiral of the Three Borders, stationed in the Pingliang area, and responsible for the defense of the three borders."

This means that another admiral has been appointed in Shaanxi, forming two admirals together with the admirals in the three provinces responsible for suppressing bandits, one in charge of external affairs and the other in internal affairs. This indicates that Shaanxi not only still faces internal troubles but also external threats, making it a key focus of the Privy Council's work going forward.

Thinking about the complex situation in the Northwest, the court officials couldn't help but feel a headache.

Even Yuan Keli felt that this region needed capable ministers and that power should be delegated to local officials.

Thinking of his son Yuan Shu's repeated praise of Sun Chuanting in his letters, he said to the emperor:
"Sun Chuanting, the Governor-General of the Three Border Regions, has made great contributions over the years."

"I believe that they should be commended to appease the soldiers."

Zhu Youjian nodded in approval and issued an imperial edict:
"Have Sun Chuanting compile a list of meritorious soldiers, officials, and civilians, and submit the list together."

"The commendation of Sun Chuanting, Yang Zhaoji and others can be used to support the emperor's cause."

The subtext is that they can be granted the title of Earl, but civil officials need to retire and military officials need to achieve decisive merits.

Then, recalling that Zu Dashou of Hetao, Zhu Mei and Hei Yunlong of Guihua, and Zhu Xieyuan of Changcheng had also made significant contributions, Zhu Youjian ordered the Privy Council and the Grand Council to jointly draft an edict of commendation.

Zhu Xieyuan, in particular, had the merit of suppressing the She-An Rebellion and was likely to become a meritorious official in the Purple Pavilion in the future. Zhu Youjian specifically instructed that he should be praised more.

The courtiers were extremely envious of this, and Liu Zunxian, eager to make a name for himself, actively tried to demonstrate his abilities:
"I believe that the Hetao Protectorate should also be included in the northwest defense system."

"It can be used to protect Yansui and Ningxia from invasions from the Hetao region."

"The Gansu Protectorate should also be extended northward, and the chiefs of the grassland tribes outside the Great Wall should be enfeoffed and brought under the jurisdiction of the Protectorate."

"With the three protectorates of Gansu, Ningxia, and Hetao, we can keep foreign enemies outside the Great Wall."

"Together with the three protectorates of Guihua, Liaoning, and Jinning to the east, it forms a border defense line."

Zhu Youjian nodded in approval and highly praised Liu Zunxian's idea for a border defense line.

He then pointed to the previously planned Protectorates of Yuanning, Heishui, and Andong, saying:

“These protectorates are further away from the Great Wall and can be called remote protectorates, forming a remote border defense line.”

"The border protectorates do not grant fiefdoms; they only allow the existence of their own territories."

“The Protectorate General of the Far Frontier can grant fiefdoms and has greater power in governing local areas.”

"The nine border regions, the coastal regions, and the remote regions form three lines of defense, which will completely stabilize the northern region of the Ming Dynasty."

This plan captivated the hearts of the court officials. Like the current emperor, they desired to ensure the long-term peace and stability of the Ming Dynasty and prevent further invasions from the northern grasslands.

Now, they have completed the nine-sided and border-side setup and are moving towards the far side.

Here, the Ming Dynasty will encounter a new enemy—

The Rus' people, who have already arrived near the North Sea, will replace the steppe people as the greatest border threat.
-
After arranging the new three-line border defense, Zhu Youjian and his ministers had one more thing to do: prepare for a military parade.

He decided to hold a grand ceremony at the end of the war to review the wounded soldiers who had been withdrawn from the front, as well as the families of the martyrs and the officials in the rear.

The troops and personnel from the Beijing garrison and military outposts who were sent out to fight, as well as military industrial workers and reserve militia, will also participate in the review, serving as a rehearsal for next year's victory parade and the presentation of prisoners of war.

This decision was made when the soldiers on the front lines were unable to reach Beijing in time.

The review of meritorious soldiers will be held next May, when Liaodong will be open to navigation, making travel more convenient.

This military parade was held on the Laba Festival, hence the name Laba Festival Military Parade. (End of Chapter)