The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 221 The One Who Understands Me Is Yuan Chonghuan
"Our army has occupied seventy-two cities and forts in Liaodong, including Kaiyuan, Tieling, Fushun, Qinghe, Kuandian, Yehe, Hetuala, Songyuan Fort, Jing'an Fort..."

Deng Changxiong rattled off a long list of place names.

After more than two years of bloody battles, Kaiyuan is now the leader among its competitors.

Everyone looked at the map one by one.

"Although the Later Jin was destroyed, the situation within the Great Wall continued to deteriorate. In the second year of Taichang, Wang Er of Shaanxi rebelled, She Chongming of Chongqing rebelled, and the Yansuizhen army mutinied. The court was exhausted and currently focused on appeasing Kaiyuan and deploying Liaozhen to contain it. Southern Liaoning is still okay, mainly seeking money. However, Zu Dashou and his men in western Liaoning frequently cross the border and occupy land, relying on the court's support to oppose Kaiyuan at every turn."

When they heard about Zu Dashou, everyone in the room gnashed their teeth.

For a long time, Liaozhen has been the enemy of Kaiyuan, especially the Liaoxi Zujia, which is even more hateful than the Jiannu. However, the Kaiyuan army has been conquering the east and the west, and has no energy to deal with this close neighbor. This is probably what the saying "darkness under the lamp" means.

"Our army has garrisons in Kaiyuan, Fushun, Tieling, and other places. We have a headquarters of 6,000 soldiers and 1,000 combat troops stationed in Wendeng. By the end of this year, our forces will extend north to Salawei, east to Qitaihe, south to Shenyang, and west to the Doyan tribe of Mongolia. Because the Jiannu were recently defeated, there are still large areas of Haixi that have not been conquered. We will dispatch troops after the spring."

Several officials who were unfamiliar with the place name asked people around them where Qitaihe was.

Deng Changxiong said, "It's near Huerhaiwei, the northernmost part of the Ming Dynasty."

The civil officials whispered to each other. In their impression, Liaodong was already a barbaric land. It was barely controlled during the reign of Emperor Chengzu, and then it was lost to Jianzhou. Qitaihe was even farther away, so why should they occupy this barren land?

Of course, the time traveler's ambition is not limited to Qitaihe:

"Qitaihe is not the Far North, Kuyi Island (Sakhalin Island) is. Our target is there."

Liu Zhaosun motioned Deng Changxiong to sit down and personally addressed the crowd:
"Next, I have a few things to announce."

Deng Changxiong sat back in his seat as if relieved. Everyone listened attentively, guessing that the punishment for Sun Chuanting was probably going to be announced.

"The first thing is to reward and punish soldiers."

Liu Zhaosun looked up at Yuan Chonghuan, Qiao Yiqi and others and added:
"Except for Sun Chuanting, the others will be honored once the imperial edict arrives. Today, we will only discuss rewards and punishments for the military and civil administration."

Song Yingxing wiped the sweat from his forehead, his eyes flashing.

"In the battle to destroy the Later Jin, all the other thousand-man headquarters participated, except for the 6000th headquarters stationed in Wendeng. The soldiers fought bravely, which led to this great victory. The 3000th headquarters, in particular, attacked Yehe alone, fighting the enemy for half a month, holding off the Bordered Blue Banner and the Mongols, and creating the conditions for the capture of Hetuala. Thousand Commander Wang Erhu remained calm in the face of danger and was loyal to his duties, truly setting a model for the entire army. I have petitioned the court to promote Wang Erhu to the rank of Lieutenant General of Kaiyuan Road, and within the Kaiyuan Army, to the rank of Commander of the Third Army."

Liu Zhaosun said this and added:
"From now on, each thousand-man headquarters will be promoted to the Imperial Guards, with the strength increasing from the original 5,000 to 10,000. The banners and organizational structures of each unit will remain unchanged. Of course, the current strength is far from enough, so the strength of each army is temporarily set at 6,000, with additional troops to be added later as appropriate. The 1,000-man headquarters will be renamed the First Imperial Guards Army, with a temporary strength of 8,000."

Wang Erhu stood up suddenly and nodded to the crowd, and the room erupted in applause. With Ping Liaohou's lead, applause and congratulations had become a new trend in the Kaiyuan army.

"Congratulations to Lieutenant General Wang, my first lieutenant general! His future is limitless!"

Liu Zhaosun stepped forward and patted Wang Erhu on the shoulder. He looked carefully at this old subordinate who was a Zhejiang soldier, his eyes full of admiration.

Wang Erhu saluted with a standard military salute, his neck flushed red, and he was very excited:
"Even though I'm an official at the imperial court and a foot soldier of the Marquis of Ping Liao, I will never forget my roots! Your Excellency has said a word, I will go through fire and water without hesitation!"

"Hahahaha, I'm not risking my life for this official, I'm risking my life for the entire Kaiyuan!"

Liu Zhaosun encouraged Wang Erhu a few words and asked him to sit down.

There was a lot of discussion among the people, about changing the name and expanding the army, and promoting Wang Erhu to the rank of lieutenant general. It seemed that Ping Liaohou had big ambitions.

Liu Zhaosun shifted his gaze from Wang Erhu to Wang Zengbin who had just come in from behind.

"In the Battle of Hetuala, the cavalry battalion fought fiercely on the east bank of the Suzi River, protecting the soldiers as they crossed the river. Their contribution was invaluable. They charged into the two red flag formations. To boost the morale of the entire army, Battalion Commander Wang donned his armor and spearheaded the charge, refusing to retreat despite being struck by numerous arrows. Finally, he defeated Daishan!"

Wang Zengbin quickly stood up and said modestly:
"It was all the Marquis of Ping Liao who orchestrated the strategy. I was just lucky to win. I can't compare to the captains..."

Liu Zhaosun said with a smile: "Achievement is achievement, no need to be modest. Kaiyuan values military merit! Merit should be rewarded!"

Everyone looked up at the young cavalry officer, with different expressions on their faces.

In this era, cavalry is still king, and the importance of cavalry battalions in various armies is self-evident.

In the recent several foreign wars fought by the Kaiyuan Army, the cavalry battalion was used as the vanguard to tear open the enemy's defense line, and the infantry advanced and finally won the victory.

After Li Yuchen died in the battle of Hunhe River, the cavalry battalion was commanded by Buerhanggu. In order to balance the power, Wang Zengbin was promoted to deputy battalion commander.

After the Jiannu were wiped out, Burhanggu returned to Yehe to become the leader. Wang Zengbin, who was only 30 years old, naturally became the new cavalry commander.

"Promote Wang Zengbin to the position of Commander of the Cavalry Battalion. I have submitted a memorial to the court, promoting Wang Zengbin to the position of Deputy Lieutenant General. Deputy Lieutenant General Wang, you must help me lead the Cavalry Battalion from now on!"

Wang Zengbin pushed away the chair beside him, knelt on the ground with a thud, and kowtowed loudly.

"At Sarhu, if it weren't for the rescue of Ping Liaohou, I would have died in Hunjiang. There's no need to say anything else, this life belongs to you, sir. If you order me to attack Liaozhen, I will attack Liaozhen. If you order me to attack the capital, I will attack the capital. No matter how hard I try, I will not hesitate!"

Liu Zhaosun quickly helped Wang Zengbin up.

The scene of rescuing Wang Zengbin from Bayala's mace on the banks of the Hunjiang River two years ago is still vivid in my mind.

From Sarhu to now, how many people have left me forever.

The time traveler was overwhelmed with emotions. "Great! You are worthy of being my old brother from the Eastern Army!"

Then he commended the artillery battalion officers Han Zhenyi and Wang Congzhi.

On that day, on the east bank of the Suzi River, more than 500 people from the artillery battalion fought to the death, held their positions, and inflicted heavy casualties on the two red flags.

Liu Zhaosun decided to expand the artillery camp and increase the number of artillerymen to two thousand.

In addition, he has petitioned the court to confer the title of Kaiyuan guerrilla general on Han Zhenyi and others.

Then he commended several civil officials who were responsible for the transportation and distribution of food and fodder.

After everyone finished applauding, Ping Liaohou's expression changed and he looked around:

"The Kaiyuan Army is great, and they've produced many heroes. So, in this battle to destroy the Later Jin, are there any soldiers who aren't heroes? I think there are!"

"The Battle of Hetuala was one of the few major defeats the Kaiyuan Army had suffered since its founding! Almost the entire army was annihilated! Although the Later Jin was ultimately destroyed, the price paid was truly heavy!"

Deng Changxiong sat in his seat feeling uneasy. When he heard that Wang Erhu was being commended, he felt something was wrong.

Now that Shao Jiechun is dead, the anger will definitely be directed at him.

Although it was the twelfth lunar month, beads of sweat appeared on Deng Changxiong's forehead. He didn't dare to wipe them off and sat there awkwardly.

"Zhang Dong of the Kaiyuan Intelligence Bureau failed to promptly investigate the enemy situation before the battle, allowing himself to be deceived by the Jiannu due to negligence! Shao Jiechun, the commander of the 5000th Headquarters, ignored his deputy's advice before the battle, underestimated the enemy and advanced rashly, resulting in the loss of a thousand soldiers! He drowned in the Suzi River and deserves death! Shao Jiechun is dead, his property is confiscated, and no pension will be provided! According to Kaiyuan military law, Zhang Dong should be executed! Zhang Mazi is currently injured, and military punishment will be carried out after he recovers!"

Deng Changxiong's face turned pale. He looked up and glanced at Ping Liaohou. Their eyes met.

Liu Zhaosun suddenly said angrily:

"During the battle for the Khan's Palace, I accidentally lost consciousness, and the accompanying officers were in a state of panic. How tragic! Kang Yingqian misguided his command, causing his own disarray and even considering surrender! Military Governor Sun Chuanting drove innocent civilians to fill the trenches, a utter lack of conscience! Captain Deng Changxiong blindly followed orders, ignoring the pleas of the people and slaughtering them. He deserves death! I have fought seventeen battles, major and minor, and never once harmed innocent civilians! I was unconscious for just two hours, and yet you committed such a ruthless act. The strong army I worked so hard to build has been destroyed in an instant by you!"

Ping Liaohou suddenly slammed the table and stood up. "Jianzhou, Haixi, and the Mongolian barbarians regard Kaiyuan as a scourge and avoid it as much as possible. As a result, we cannot directly control it after the war, and we have to send more troops to garrison, which is a waste of manpower and money, and will cause endless trouble! I wish I could cut the three of you into pieces!"

"Somebody come!"

Zhang Chao brought his guards forward.

"Take these three out and behead them!"

"Ping Liao Hou, no!"

"You can't kill Inspector Kang!"

"Don't destroy the Great Wall yourself!"

The crowd of officers in the room knelt down and pleaded for the three men.

Qiao Yiqi cried, "General Liu, you don't understand the situation. While harming civilians is certainly a crime, there are bondsers among them, intent on harming the army. Supervisor Kang, Lord Sun, can't tell them apart. Furthermore, Zu Dashou is nearby. If we don't capture the Khan's palace soon, the Kaiyuan army will be annihilated."

Yuan Chonghuan also said, "General Qiao is quite right. The situation was so hasty that some mistakes were understandable. Lord Sun, who accepted the order in a critical moment and stormed the Khan's palace, should be commended. Otherwise, it would have discouraged the soldiers. I believe that their merits and demerits offset each other, and they should not be held accountable. As for Captain Deng, he was simply following orders that day and didn't realize he was driving out civilians. He only thought they were Jiannu bannermen, so he is also not guilty."

Everyone was pleading for the three men, and the whole room surrounded Liu Zhaosun and tried to persuade him.

Even the usually taciturn Xu Xiake opened his mouth wide and kept saying something, but his voice was hoarse and too soft to be heard, drowned out by the noisy voices of Qiao Dazui and others.

Kang Yingqian's face turned pale. He never expected that Ping Liaohou would actually want to kill him.

Based on Lao Kang's understanding of Liu Zhaosun, if this guy said he wanted to kill someone, then he really meant it.

Naturally, he didn't dare to mention the favor of his mentor anymore. If he was arrogant at this time, he would only die faster.

Kang Yingqian collapsed to the ground, unable to stand up.

Sun Chuanting looked calm and continued to drink tea leisurely, as if he had already prepared for his tragic fate.

Deng Changxiong's face was full of regret. He regretted more and more that he had obeyed Sun Chuanting's orders in Hetuala, which led to him being beheaded.

"General Liu, spare them this time. If we kill three of them, Kaiyuan will probably collapse without a fight!"

"General Liu, there was a reason for what happened that day. If it weren't for Lord Sun's prompt decision, Kaiyuan would be in vain!"

"Deng Changxiong led the troops bravely and bravely, and he was the most meritorious official in destroying the Later Jin Dynasty. If we kill him, I'm afraid it will cause a mutiny at the Second Thousandth Headquarters!"

Ping Liaohou shouted angrily.

"Mutiny? Who dares to mutiny? Soldiers who massacre civilians are useless! My head is right here. If you want to mutiny, come and kill me!"

The three of them knelt on the ground, tears streaming down their faces.

Everyone knelt down and didn't get up for a long time.

The time traveler was silent for a long time, looked up to the sky and sighed, and finally said:

"Forget it, forget it. There's nothing I can do. In that case, I'll send you three heads first. If there's a next time, I'll kill you without mercy!" Kang Yinggan fainted immediately after hearing this.

"Although the death penalty can be avoided, the living punishment cannot be escaped!"

Kang Yingqian woke up again.

Hearing what Ping Liaohou said, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"Kang Yingqian is dismissed from his post as Liaodong Provincial Governor and exiled to Kuandian to assist Yuan Ducha, starting as a minor official and making meritorious contributions while serving his sentence! Sun Chuanting is dismissed from his post as Fushun Military Preparations Commissioner and remains in Kaiyuan as a minor official in the Civil Affairs Bureau. Deng Changxiong is dismissed from his post as the commander of the Second Thousandth Headquarters and remains in the Central Army Guard, making meritorious contributions while serving his sentence!"

The three of them expressed their gratitude to Marquis Ping Liao.

Liu Zhaosun waved his hand to indicate that he had not finished speaking.

"Drag these three away and give each of them twenty blows of the military stick! Execute immediately! In the Second Guards Corps, any officer above the sergeant level who massacred or looted civilians that day will be demoted two ranks and fined two months' pay! Twenty blows of the military stick!"

A team of guards, as fierce as wolves and tigers, immediately escorted the three men out to be beaten with military sticks.

"Instructor Mori!"

Sen Ti hurried forward and looked up at Ping Liaohou.

"Inform the entire army of the decision. The punishment for the Second Army must be clearly stated. Let all officers know that obeying orders is a soldier's duty, but not blindly. The next time you encounter a superior slaughtering civilians, you can disobey directly. If it is an order from me, I can also disobey it!"

"Help the weak and fight against the strong, and disregard death. This is the spirit of the Kaiyuan Army. Not a single one of these eight words can be missing."

Sen Ti quickly agreed.

Liu Zhaosun slowly raised his head and said weakly:

"Civil affairs and workshop matters will be discussed another day. I will finally discuss next year's military expansion."

When the civil affairs and workshop officials heard that the army was going to be expanded again, they all frowned, wondering how much land they would have to cultivate and how many gun barrels they would have to drill to supply so many troops.

In order to support more than 20,000 soldiers for the war this year, the garrison has tried its best to reduce the demands of the settlers to the lowest level and also increase taxes on merchants significantly.

"In the third year of Taichang, Kaiyuan will expand its army to nine fully staffed imperial guards, with a total strength exceeding 50,000. The cavalry will be expanded to 8,000, and the artillery battalion will be increased to 1,000. The navy will be able to land in Tianjin from southern Liaoning."

"Fifty thousand soldiers? How much silver will that cost?"

"Can Liaodong support 50,000 soldiers?"

"Landing in Tianjin? Warships cost much more money than cavalry."

Liu Zhaosun interrupted everyone's discussion:
"The population of the cities we currently control is certainly not enough, so we will continue to expand next year. Our strategy is to defend the south and attack the north. In the south, we will defend Dengzhou in Shandong. In the north, we will seize Zu Dashou in Liaoxi, occupy Nurgandusi, and conquer Mongolia. The details are as follows:"

"To the east, the Third and Fourth Armies will expand eastwards to the sea."

"It's here that we face Japan across the sea."

Liu Zhaosun pointed to the map, pointing to the Sea of Japan between Liaodong and Wakoku.

"To expand eastward, the surrendered Bordered White Banner will be the vanguard. I will not let them eat and drink for free."

"Next year's main focus will be on southern Liaoning. The First and Second Imperial Guard Armies will enter the core sphere of influence of Liaozhen and compete with Liaozhen for territory. We will control the fertile lands of Fuzhou, Gaizhou, and Jinzhou. Liaoshen, as a buffer zone with the imperial court, will not be occupied for now. We must also maintain a good relationship with Wang Huazhen."

"In the west, the Fifth Army and the Duoyan Army are fighting for this part of the grassland. However, due to recent changes in Mongolia, I am still undecided on whether to make peace or fight them."

"In the north, the Sixth Army will occupy Nurgandusi and land on Kuyi Island (Sakhalin). Given our army's current supply capabilities, we may not be able to occupy the island for long. We can send people to provide relief to the indigenous people on the island and claim it as our Kaiyuan territory, preparing for future attacks on Japan from both the north and the south."

"In addition, the three newly established armies will be responsible for garrisoning the cities of Liaodong and, together with the local peasant soldiers, guarding the rear."

The time traveler finished speaking in one breath, picked up the teacup and started drinking tea.

The subordinates began to digest this information.

Zhang Chao brought out a huge scroll.

"Please look, everyone. This is a map of the world, given to me by a French friend."

The Portuguese friend mentioned by the time traveler is himself.

He spent more than half a year drawing this giant world map based on his incomplete memory four hundred years later.

Although some places are drawn very inaccurately, such as Central America and the east coast of Africa, which are completely freehand paintings, as an amateur geography enthusiast, the degree of completion is already very good.

Everyone came to a giant world map that was more than ten feet wide and was stunned by the world on the map.

"Damming is so small?"

Several civil servants disregarded their dignity and simply lay on the ground, looking in surprise at the world map centered on Liaodong.

Qiao Yiqi was surprised and said, "I've traveled all over the country, but I've only been to one percent of the world."

Xu Xiake couldn't contain his excitement. He pointed to the Mediterranean Sea and asked in surprise, "Is this the Portuguese Empire? I wonder when I'll have the chance to visit it?"

"It will be soon. Mr. Xu has worked hard to open up the Yuan Dynasty. When Portuguese missionaries come to China, I will take you to see the West and study the customs and folkways of the people."

"Rakshasa (Tsarist Russia) is even bigger than the Ming Dynasty!"

·······
Ping Liaohou closed his eyes for a nap, and the scene of Jin Yuji writing a letter in Dengzhou appeared in front of him.

Everyone was pointing and talking around the map.

"My ambition is not in Liaodong, not in the Ming Dynasty, but in the whole world."

The time traveler pointed at the marks left around Daming:
"Look, the Russian Empire is approaching the Nurgan Prefecture, Japan is trading in Korea, and the Western countries are all on the doorstep of the Ming Dynasty."

"These are not easy targets. They are enemies a hundred times more brutal than the Jiannu. Time is of the essence. If we cannot quickly integrate resources from all over the country and fight them decisively, Kaiyuan will be reduced to ashes like the Later Jin!"

"So, everyone, occupying Liaodong is only the first step. There is still a long way to go. If you work hard, you will be granted the title of nobility in the future. Officials must not be lazy, complacent, or degenerate. This is my last warning to some people."

Everyone looked up and looked at Ping Liaohou.

"The universe may be vast, but it is not greater than greed. If you are greedy and wantonly demand, even if I rule the world, I will not be able to satisfy you. Rather than killing each other later, it is better to establish three rules today and strictly enforce them."

Everyone knew that Ping Liaohou had something important to announce, so they stopped talking and listened to him quietly.

“First, generals are not allowed to get involved in business;”

"Second, generals and officers are not allowed to keep servants and domestic servants;"

"Third, generals and officers are not allowed to form cliques;"

Liu Zhaosun's eyes became firm:
"These are the three precepts. From here on out, there will be further expanded rules, which will be made public before the end of the year. Furthermore, next year we will further strengthen the power of the Central Army Guard, the Intelligence Bureau, and the Discipline Department, and rebuild the pacification troops."

Finally, Liu Zhaosun's eyes turned cold.

"I have already discovered that among the Kaiyuan officers, some have relatives involved in smuggling, some keep slaves and retainers, and still others have embezzled the profits of the Liaodong Trading Company. Director Xie just reported that the Liaodong Trading Company's total profit this year was 3.2 million taels of silver, but only 3 million has been received so far. This means someone embezzled 200,000 taels. I won't reveal the specific individuals."

"Considering we have all shared hardships, I give these people two weeks to sell their families and businesses to trading companies at a discount, dismiss their slaves and retainers, and confiscate any embezzled property. If you repent in time, I will forgive you. If you still persist in your wrongdoings, do not blame the law for being ruthless."

People began to whisper to each other, saying that such a huge amount of corruption was unbelievable.

Liu Zhaosun suddenly remembered something and said calmly, "That day in Hetuala, I was unconscious and unaware of Sun Chuanting's massacre. However, so many people died, and I am guilty of negligence. According to Kaiyuan military law, I should be fined one year's salary and beaten with twenty military sticks. Zhang Chao!"

"Execution!"

Liu Zhaosun snatched the military stick and put it into his hand.

"If you hit me too lightly, I'll hit you harder later!"

After Liu Zhaosun said this, he lay down on the chair.

Zhang Chao held the wooden stick, hesitating, and finally smashed the stick on the ground and knelt down.

"Even if you kill me, I will never obey you!"

Everyone knelt down to plead for mercy. Yuan Chonghuan and others had red eyes. Qiao Yiqi sobbed:

"Today we have learned that Marquis Ping Liao is a strict ruler. We dare not violate military law again! Marquis Ping Liao is seriously ill. If he were to lead an army, a body worth thousands of gold, and be punished with twenty military sticks, how would he explain to the entire army if something were to happen? Isn't this a dereliction of duty?"

"Please ask Marquis Ping Liao to withdraw the order!"

If he gave in at this time, military law would become a laughing stock. Liu Zhaosun looked around and his eyes fell on Yuan Chonghuan.

"Yuan Ducha, you will carry out the execution!"

Yuan Chonghuan was shocked. Seeing Zhang Chao watching him eagerly, he hesitated and did not dare to step forward.

Ping Liaohou stared at Yuan Dudu and said word by word:

"I once dreamed that you were the Governor of Ji and Liao in the Ming Dynasty. In the year of Ji Si, the Jiannu invaded, and Huang Taiji's troops approached the capital. You led a great army across thousands of miles to rescue them. After a bloody battle, you were ultimately hacked into pieces and executed by the Emperor. From then on, China fell into ruin and never recovered. It was bullied by the Western Barbarians, and even slaughtered millions of lives by the Japanese pirates."

"That day you were eaten by the common people of the capital at the Vegetable Market. After your death, you were slandered by the scoundrels and laughed at by the mediocre. It was like a dream."

"Look at these tall buildings in Kaiyuan. They rise so quickly, and they collapse just as quickly. Like Zhuangzi dreaming of a butterfly, is what you see before your eyes a dream or reality? If it is a dream, then it's fine. But if it is real, and the building collapses, where will you and I go?"

"Yuan Chonghuan, I know your true feelings, but do you know mine?"

Yuan Chonghuan opened his mouth wide, hesitated for a long time, and finally took the stick silently.

(End of this chapter)