Late Yuan Dynasty: I am the true emperor

Chapter 503 The Two Provinces of the North
Lu Jin was unaware of Yu Tonghai's impromptu plan to attack Shangdu and Yingchang, but even if he had known, he would probably have agreed to let Yu Tonghai give it a try.

Just like Yu Tonghai himself said, he was just going to pick up bargains. If he could pick them up, he would; if not, he could just withdraw and try again in two years.

Lu Jin's Northern Expedition involved a two-pronged encirclement and flanking maneuver. The ultimate goal of all that effort to capture Xiao Tieguo was to make the subsequent reconquest of other areas easier.

In Yu Tonghai's words, "The Yuan Dynasty is over, and your emperor has been captured. What are the remaining people still holding out for? We should appease those who can be appeased, and those who really refuse to submit can be dealt with later."

Another reason is that the probability of success this time is actually very high. Just like the first Longfeng Northern Expedition of the Red Turban Army in the original history, Guan Duo's central army had a hard time fighting in Shanxi, but once it broke through Datong and entered the grassland, it basically did not encounter any opponents. It fought all the way from Shangdu to Liaodong and then to the Korean Peninsula. Most importantly, the grassland was unprepared.

For the Mongols, the grasslands were like their backyard. Who could have imagined that the Red Turban Army would be able to break through all obstacles and march on Shangdu?

The ability to strike when the enemy is unprepared is the key reason why the various armies of the Northern Expedition were able to break through so quickly. In addition, the Holy Martial Army's extremely fast marching speed also created a certain degree of surprise in the battle, giving the enemy little time to react and prepare, which is also a key reason.

Finally, the unique geographical features of places like Shangdu, Kaiping, Quanning, and Yingchang are also related to the future rule of the Ming Dynasty over the northern frontier.

Those familiar with the administrative divisions of the Republic of China, or those interested in the War of Resistance against Japan, should have heard of the terms Jin-Cha-Ji and Ji-Re-Cha.

During the Qing Dynasty, the area north of the Great Wall was divided into Inner Zasak Mongolia and Outer Zasak Mongolia, which is also the origin of the later Inner Mongolia and Outer Mongolia. After the fall of the Qing Dynasty, the Beiyang government ruled for a period of time.

At that time, the Soviet Union was infiltrating Outer Mongolia, and the Japanese were eyeing the Northeast. In order to maintain stability in the north, the Beiyang government divided the Inner Zasak Mongolia, which was traditionally known as Qing Dynasty, into four provinces in the north: Rehe, Chahar, Suiyuan, and Ningxia. These four provinces bordered Heilongjiang to the east and Gansu and Xinjiang to the west, forming a northern barrier for the three provinces of Shanxi, Shaanxi, and Hebei.

After the founding of the People's Republic of China, it learned some bad things from the Soviet Union, and then merged the three provinces of Suiyuan, Chahar and Rehe, along with the eastern part of Inner Mongolia, to form what is now Inner Mongolia. Some people say this was for economic reasons, but in reality it was completely unnecessary.

When people mention the fragmented nature of Jiangsu, they often make a joke about it. But Inner Mongolia is just as fragmented. The economic activities of eastern Inner Mongolia have long been intertwined with the three northeastern provinces, and even the accents are mostly Northeastern dialects. Central Inner Mongolia has a higher level of interaction with Hebei, while western Inner Mongolia has long had exchanges with Shaanxi.

Even if they are forcibly grouped together, the geographical span cannot be stopped. Inner Mongolia is simply too long, and transportation and logistics are inconvenient. Even if it is to develop the economy, it will definitely be to develop with the closest place and wherever it is convenient.

The areas Yu Tonghai is targeting this time are Rehe and Chahar provinces, which were part of the Beiyang government. Even if he can't gain a foothold there this time, he will definitely conquer them in the future.

So the question arises: how to govern the area after it is conquered, and how to design the defense of the northern region?
First of all, Lu Jin will certainly not remain hidden behind the Great Wall like the Ming Dynasty in the original history.

We certainly can't lose the Hetao region, right? And we can't abandon Daning either, right? After all, Lu Jin doesn't want to play the game of the emperor guarding the country's borders; he wants to break through those borders!

So, after conquering the northern regions, should we emulate the Ming Dynasty's nine-border defense system, or follow the Qing Dynasty's example of the Inner Jasak Mongols? Or perhaps follow the Beiyang Army's system of the four northern provinces?
The Nine Garrisons were definitely not something to be learned from. The foundation of the Inner Jasak Mongol system established by the Qing Dynasty was actually the League and Banner system. However, the problem was that there were no Leagues and Banners at this time, at the end of the Yuan Dynasty. The Great Yuan had just been destroyed, and it was even more impossible for Lu Jin to allocate traditional Han lands such as the Hetao and Yan-Zhao regions to herders for grazing.

The most effective way to govern is, of course, to relocate Han Chinese to farm and graze their livestock, thus populating the border regions. Therefore, the most suitable option for the current situation is undoubtedly the four northern provinces established by the Beiyang government.

However, the four northern provinces divided by the Beiyang government were indeed a bit fragmented. It would be more appropriate to divide them into two or three provinces. The two provinces of Rehe and Chahar during the Beiyang period could be merged into one province, and a piece could be shrunk to the north and west. Chengde could be assigned to Hebei, and the eastern part of Tongliao could be assigned to Liaoning. This would be more conducive to the defense of Hebei, maintain the geographical integrity of Hebei, and also expand Liaoning a bit.

In terms of specific division methods, Xilin Gol League, Chifeng City, the western half of Tongliao, and Hinggan League in Inner Mongolia, along with Dongfang Province and Sukhbaatar Province in Outer Mongolia, can all be combined to form a "Jingsai Province" to uniformly manage the traditional southern Mongolian region.

Jing means peace, stability, order, and harmony. Sai means border. Together, it means maintaining order on the border and achieving peace and harmony there. As for the abbreviation, 'Zhao' can be used because the southeastern part of Inner Mongolia was the territory of the State of Zhao during the Warring States period.

To the west of Jingsai Province, with Ulanqab, Hohhot, Baotou, and Bayannur as its core, along with Outer Mongolia's East Gobi Province, Middle Gobi Province, and South Gobi Province, together form a "Hetao Province," abbreviated as "Shuo," because the Hetao region was called Shuofang during the Warring States and Qin-Han periods.

Then Ordos in western Inner Mongolia, along with Ningxia, was all transferred to Shaanxi; Alxa League was transferred to Gansu.

The Hulunbuir Grassland, the largest grassland in eastern Inner Mongolia, was merged with Hailar in the west and the Heihe, Nenjiang, Qiqihar, and Daqing areas in the east to form Xing'an Province, abbreviated as 'Xing'.

Then, Harbin, Mudanjiang, and other areas would be allocated to Jilin, expanding Jilin's area. The Heilongjiang River would be pushed further downstream to occupy its estuary in Outer Northeast China, where it truly "belongs."
The establishment of Hetao Province and Jingsai Province cannot be accomplished overnight. For the time being, we can first set up two construction corps or military commands, and then continue to migrate people, cultivate land, build cities and roads. It is not too late to change them into provinces after the population of the two places exceeds one million.

Moreover, these two areas are quite large and rich in resources, making them very suitable for developing distinctive industries. Shangdu and Kaiping have coal mines, and historically, the Qing Dynasty mined coal in Kailuan specifically to supply the Beiyang Fleet. Baotou goes without saying; the Baiyunebo mining area alone can gather all the materials needed for steelmaking. It's a natural coal-steel complex, which is simply incredible.

However, Yu Tonghai was clearly unaware of Lu Jin's plans; he was simply going there hoping to try his luck rather than leave empty-handed.

On September 21, Cao Liangchen, who was stationed in Daning, received the news and immediately led his troops to Songzhou to meet with Yu Tonghai. At the same time, he also informed Yang Jing in Jinzhou that Yu Tonghai was preparing to continue advancing towards Quanning, Shangdu, and Yingchang.

Yang Jing calculated the time before replying to him, agreeing to his plan to continue the advance. He also promised to do his best to prepare food for him. However, Yu Tonghai's troops must be dispatched quickly. It was already the end of September, and there was only a little over a month left before the snow in December. At that time, no matter what the situation was, the advance must be stopped, and the battle situation must be reported to him at any time.

Upon receiving the reply, Yu Tonghai was immediately reassured. He promptly dispatched Wu Fu's 130th Division and one of Cao Liangchen's divisions to jointly attack Quanning, while he himself led the 114th Division and the Imperial Guards musketeers to attack Shangdu. After Wu Fu's forces conquered Quanning, Cao Liangchen's regiment would be left to garrison Quanning, while Wu Fu himself would lead the main force of the 130th Division to Shangdu to pursue him. The plan was finalized, and they would act immediately.

On September 26, when Lu Jin's southern army vanguard arrived at the Mazu Temple in Tianjin, Wu Fu also successfully captured Quanning. Quanning was isolated on the grassland. At the end of the Yuan Dynasty, the so-called Tongliao or Khorchin was a desolate place with hardly any people. In addition, Wu Fu's arrival was unexpected, and even if they wanted to resist, they simply did not have the strength.

Furthermore, when Wu Fugang arrived at the city, he shot a message into the city, telling them that Dadu had been captured, the Yuan Dynasty had been destroyed, and even the Yuan emperor had been captured. Therefore, there was no point in Quanning continuing to resist.

As for doubt? There was no need for doubt at all. If the Great Wall hadn't been conquered, how did the Red Turban Army manage to reach such a remote grassland like Quanning? So they believed it without hesitation.

Unfortunately, the population of Quanning City was too small, only a few thousand people, which was at most a town. Even if only Cao Liangchen's regiment was left, the number of troops stationed there was more than the local people. It was impossible to rely on the local area to supply military rations. So the only option was to urge the rear to send grain over as soon as possible.

On the other side, Yu Tonghai also arrived at the city of Shangdu on September 28th, just before the end of the month. Shangdu was not as good as Quanning. After all, the Yuan Dynasty still used the system of visiting two capitals. The Yuan emperor spent half of the year here. Therefore, both the population and the city's construction were much better than Quanning. The population of Shangdu, including the surrounding herdsmen, was at least nearly 20,000, but it was still not as many as the soldiers that Yu Tonghai brought.

Moreover, although the city had a considerable population and the soldiers and civilians were willing to resist, the anticipated battle for Shangdu still did not take place.

The main reason is that Yu Tonghai has another powerful weapon in his hands, namely the Kheshig prisoners that Zhang Desheng and his men captured earlier. These people have been following Xiao Tieguo for many years. They are the imperial guards of the Great Yuan Emperor and often travel between Shangdu and Dadu with Xiao Tieguo. They know many officials and civilians in Shangdu. Since they have acquaintances, it will be easier to deal with them.

Yu Tonghai sent several Kheshig prisoners into the city to persuade them to surrender, explaining that Tuoguan Temur had been captured by the Shengwu Army, that Shanxi, Shaanxi, and Liaodong had all fallen, and that the Crown Prince and Empress were about to be captured as well, and that the Yuan Dynasty had indeed perished. Only then did the soldiers and civilians in Shangdu give up resistance and open the city gates.

After capturing Shangdu and Quanning, Yu Tonghai gained an unexpected advantage: since both Shangdu and Quanning were located on grasslands, most of the local herders owned horses, which provided him with an opportunity to replenish his warhorses.

Back in Jinzhou, Guan Tianjie, the head of the Liaodong intelligence station, had already given him two thousand horses. When Zhang Desheng defeated Tuoguan Timur, he captured the Kheshig troops and seized more than two thousand horses. Then Yu Tonghai bought more than four thousand horses on credit from local herders. This gave him enough horses for two cavalry regiments, totaling more than nine thousand.

With these warhorses, on the second day of the tenth month, Wu Fu led the 130th Division to meet him. He immediately left Wu Fu in Dadu to guard the city and personally led nine thousand cavalry to Yingchang, which was two hundred miles north of Shangdu. Although the infantrymen were not very skilled in horsemanship, they only used the horses as a means of transportation. They could dismount and fight when they arrived at the destination, which would save the soldiers' energy.

Four days later, on the sixth day of the tenth month, Yu Tonghai used the same trick again, sending prisoners to persuade Ying Chang to surrender. He successfully pacified Ying Chang. At this point, he only needed to go another hundred miles north to reach Xilinhot in the future. However, there was nothing there now, just a grassland. So he did not continue to advance, but sent someone back to report the victory to Yang Jing.

Meanwhile, Zhang Desheng, who was escorting the small iron pot southward, also captured the two cities of Yixing and Xingzhou (Chengde) in the middle of Pinggang Road on September 24. On the 25th of the next day, he captured Gubeikou from the north and then guarded the place, waiting for Lu Jin's southern army to come over so that he could join forces with Lu Jin.

Meanwhile, in Shanxi, the situation of Chang Yuchun's central army was similar to that of Yu Tonghai.

Chang Yuchun arrived at Xinghe Road (Zhangjiakou) on September 16th, and rested there for three days. He waited and waited, but Xiao Tieguo did not escape from him.

Later, Chang Yuchun thought about it and realized that in this Northern Expedition, their central army was the first to move out. So even if Dadu received the news, it must have been the news that the Shengwu Army was attacking Shanxi first. Since Shanxi had already been attacked, even if the Tartar emperor was fleeing for his life, he would definitely not run to Shanxi. Otherwise, wouldn't he be like a lamb entering a tiger's den?
Therefore, the Tartar emperor probably won't come to Junduxing. So what should I do next? I can't just work myself to death traveling thousands of miles only to end up not getting to fight a single battle, can I?
Yu Tonghai's side only started targeting Shangdu and Yingchang because they didn't fight during their trip, and they're almost at Xilin Gol. Chang Yuchun's side is in a similar situation.

Blocking the Yuan court's escape route from Dadu was the most fundamental task, and Chang Yuchun certainly couldn't forget it. Since the Yuan court wasn't coming to him, there was no need to keep waiting. So he first sent the 109th Division of Pingding, and then had him take a mountain artillery company with him, and they took the initiative to attack Dadu along the Jundu Pass. Since you're not coming, then I'll go find you!
The 109th Division, which had been fighting for peace, set off on September 19th and captured Xuande Prefecture (Xuanhua) on the 21st. Without resting for a single day, they continued their march toward Huailai the next day. However, before they even reached the city of Huailai, they encountered the newly arrived Crown Prince Ayushiridara of the Great Yuan Dynasty, along with Empress Qi, Prime Minister Hama, and their entourage.

This group of people dawdled for eight days and finally reached Huaihua from Yutian County. However, they were still a step too late. Before they could even leave Jundu Pass, the Shengwu Army came looking for them from the opposite direction.

The sudden great victory filled the soldiers of the 109th Division who had been pacified with joy. They charged forward with shouts and captured Empress Qi and her son Ayushiridara on the spot. Prime Minister Hama also failed to escape and was captured alive by the pacification forces at the foot of Huailai City. In addition to these three important missions, they also captured hundreds of officials from the Yuan court's central government, making it a very fruitful victory.

Overjoyed at his great achievement, Pingding immediately sent someone to inform Chang Yuchun, while he himself continued his advance towards Huailai and captured Juyong Pass that same day. He then held the pass and waited for the Southern Route Army to join him.

Meanwhile, the Southern Route Army led by Lu Jin, Zhu Liangzu, and Liao Yongzhong had only arrived in Tianjin on the 26th. At that time, the town was still called Haijin Town, and the total number of men, women, and children was less than 5,000.

Lu Jin visited the Mazu Temple in Haijin Town. In his previous impression, he always thought that the title of Tianfei was bestowed upon Mazu by Zhu Di. He did not expect that the Mazu belief in the Yuan Dynasty had already spread to Tianjin.

According to others, the Mazu belief originated in Fujian, and Tianjin was the final stop for Yuan Dynasty grain transport. The Haihe River in Tianjin connects directly to the Bohai Sea. At that time, ships could sail directly down the Haihe River into Dagukou, unload the grain, and then transfer it to shallow-draft boats to continue transporting it along the canal to Dadu (Beijing).

Those boatmen from Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Fujian traveled to Tianjin every year, and taking advantage of the opportunity to transport grain, they spread the belief in Mazu to Tianjin and built a Mazu temple there.

Upon hearing the story, Lu Jin made a special trip to visit the grain transport wharf at Dagukou. It turned out that during the two Opium Wars in history, the Anglo-French allied forces sailed along the Haihe River all the way to Dagukou, then landed in Tianjin, and then marched into Beijing, burning down the Old Summer Palace.

After his visit, Lu Jin, as usual, renamed Haijin Town to Tianjin, a name he was familiar with. He then left behind the words that this was a strategic location for coastal defense and that it was necessary to relocate people to build a city. After that, he led his army to continue their journey towards Dadu.

Two days later, on September 28, the vanguard of the Southern Route Army, Zheng Yong's Independent Cavalry Division, arrived at the city of Tongzhou. At noon that day, the vanguard also arrived at Dadu, and this Northern Expedition finally came to an end.

(End of this chapter)