Chapter 465: I Shall Launch a War of Unification

Listening carefully to Xiong Tingbi finish his words, Zhu Youxiao felt a measure of confidence in his heart, along with some relief.

Fortunately, he hadn't acted rashly over a bit of victory; otherwise, things would have turned very bad now. Clearly, on the land of Liaodong, many things were not as he had imagined.

Many people thought the common folk here might resist the Jianzhou barbarians, after all, these people were subjects of the Great Ming.

That was not the case. The people here were deeply intermingled, and often you couldn't tell who was who. Even if you could tell them apart, under such harsh conditions, everyone huddled together for warmth, and often there was a bit of you in me and a bit of me in you.

The harsh natural environment, the constant corruption of the officials, and the weak local governance made the people here less than well-disposed toward the Great Ming and the state.

Maintaining their independence and being able to survive—that was what they truly wanted. As for who ruled over them, that mattered little.

The Jianzhou barbarians had not modeled themselves on the Mongol Yuan; instead, they had mastered a different set of skills—namely, how to win people's hearts.

The Jianzhou barbarians were very good at winning people over, which was why the Great Ming's foundation of rule in Liaodong was not solid.

Under such circumstances, the key for the Great Ming was to advance steadily and firmly.

Improving the people's living conditions, purging the officials of Liaodong, and giving benefits to the low-ranking hereditary military households—only then could Liaodong be stabilized. As for how to change things, or how to reform, that was a subject with endless intricacies.

For the time being, Zhu Youxiao had no such intention. The Great Ming's leaky boat still had three thousand nails in it; with some patching and mending, it could still move forward a while longer. If he smashed the boat now to build a new one, it might very well be unable to move forward at all.

So first he had to maintain things, and only when the seas were calm would he smash the boat and replace it.

"The road ahead is long and arduous!" Zhu Youxiao said slowly as he looked at Xiong Tingbi. "It is good that you, my minister, have this awareness. Many who come here to serve as officials lack it, always thinking they can stand high above the rest."

As he said these words, Zhu Youxiao was truly moved by deep feeling.

Because in the later years of the Great Ming, state revenues were insufficient—plainly put, the court had no money—and the officials of that time would also try to increase income and reduce expenditure, only their methods were rather bizarre.

For example, abolishing postal relay stations and laying people off, which would save a sum of money. The simplest method was to levy additional taxes.

As for levying additional taxes, sometimes it meant raising the tax quota, such as making the people pay a bit more; more often, it meant collecting next year's taxes this year, and at the worst, they collected taxes ten or even twenty years in advance.

And then the phrase they often said was, "Let the people suffer a few more years; once they endure it, things will be fine."

Yet the result was that, using such policies, the officials extorted and exploited ruthlessly, and local gentry desperately seized land, causing many people to lose their land and become homeless, with refugees everywhere.

This was why there were so many refugees in the late Ming. Besides natural disasters, the greater cause was man-made calamity.

That Xiong Tingbi could recognize this was truly rare. Zhu Youxiao was even more satisfied with the man he had chosen.

Originally, Zhu Youxiao had felt some concern because in the original history, people said Xiong Tingbi was crude and hot-tempered. But after meeting Xiong Tingbi this time and hearing his words, Zhu Youxiao could be certain that Xiong Tingbi was a man of talent.

The people of Liaodong were unstable, the foundation of governance was unsteady, and many generals even thought of not serving the Great Ming but serving the Jianzhou barbarians instead—whoever offered more benefits, they would serve.

Under such a mindset, fighting a war was simply impossible. This was also why Xiong Tingbi insisted on defense—because defense could still be managed, while offense would leave nothing to work with.

Hearing Zhu Youxiao's words, Xiong Tingbi felt an immediate sense of relief in his heart.

What he had said, if examined closely, was somewhat heretical; if it were to spread, it could even be called treasonous.

Before arriving at Shanhai Pass, Xiong Tingbi had pondered this matter—should he tell His Majesty or not? Would His Majesty be displeased upon hearing it?

He had thought about it the whole way, agonized over it the whole way. If His Majesty were displeased, old Xiong might well be punished, and everything he had done in Liaodong would be ruined.

But after meeting Zhu Youxiao, Xiong Tingbi simply could not hold back.

His Majesty treated him with great sincerity, even eating and drinking with him—such treatment was not something just anyone could receive.

Facing such an emperor, Xiong Tingbi felt there was no need for selfish reservations. If he did not speak, the consequences would be severe. So Xiong Tingbi said everything.

And the outcome was good—His Majesty did not disappoint old Xiong.

Looking at Xiong Tingbi, Zhu Youxiao said, "I have taken in everything you've said. Go back and do your work well; I will support you. The days ahead are long, so there's no need to rush. This is not the work of a single day, and I am not a man who seeks quick success."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Xiong Tingbi quickly rose to his feet and bowed, saying, "With Your Majesty's support, the rest will be easy to handle."

If anyone caused trouble, Xiong Tingbi could also take action against them. As for the capital, if anyone there had it in for him, with His Majesty backing him, they could not do anything to him.

"Let's talk about the matter at hand." Zhu Youxiao looked at Xiong Tingbi and asked, "Are you very confident in the task I've given you?"

Hearing this, Xiong Tingbi's expression turned serious.

A few days earlier, he had already received Zhu Youxiao's secret decree and knew what the Emperor wanted him to do. But he had not expected the Emperor to come in person this time.

"Your Majesty, your minister has one thing he does not understand, and does not know whether he should ask." Xiong Tingbi looked at Zhu Youxiao and said cautiously.

Zhu Youxiao looked at Xiong Tingbi and said with a smile, "What is there to ask or not ask? Say whatever is on your mind. Though I would not presume to call myself a wise ruler, listening to what my ministers have to say and hearing their advice—that much I can do."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Xiong Tingbi acknowledged, then asked, "Your Majesty has ordered your minister to contain Hong Taiji—may I ask what this is about?"

Xiong Tingbi did not yet know about this matter, and Zhu Youxiao had not told him.

But for Xiong Tingbi to ask at this moment was hardly surprising. After all, the Emperor had already come to Liaodong, which clearly meant he was planning something big.

And the task the Emperor had given him was one part of that plan. Under such circumstances, if he remained completely in the dark, he might inadvertently do harm, which was why Xiong Tingbi asked.

At the same time, he worried that if His Majesty did not wish to tell him, things would be troublesome. So when asking this question, Xiong Tingbi was very careful.

Zhu Youxiao smiled and said, "I thought you were going to ask about something else—turns out it's just this. Very well, I'll tell you."

Having said this, Zhu Youxiao stood up directly and said to Chen Hong, "Hang up the map."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Chen Hong acknowledged, and together with Wei Chao, hung up the map.

This map was naturally not unfamiliar—Xiong Tingbi could tell at a glance it was a map of Liaodong, and the surrounding situation was drawn clearly and distinctly, far better than his own map.

Xiong Tingbi had not expected His Majesty to possess such a fine treasure, and his heart was immediately stirred with desire.

Xiong Tingbi planned to take this map home with him once His Majesty finished speaking.

Holding the pointer, Zhu Youxiao gestured at the map and said to Xiong Tingbi, "Look at where the Jianzhou barbarians are situated. East, west, south, north—in every direction, they need to fight someone."

"To the north, they must venture into dense forests and mountain ridges—that terrain is not easy to traverse. And the mountains and forests are not places they can simply go whenever they please; there are people there too. Getting in would not be so easy for them."

The "people there" Zhu Youxiao referred to were the other tribes of that region. Among the more famous ones that everyone in later generations had heard of was the Oroqen people.

If the Jianzhou barbarians wanted to go north, they would have to pass through Oroqen territory. There the mountains were high and the forests dense—once you went in, you could not come out.

"To the south is the Great Ming, and to the east is Joseon." Zhu Youxiao continued, "The south is blocked—the Jianzhou barbarians have been hemmed in along the Liaoyang-Shenyang line, and to this day they have made no breakthrough."

"As for sending troops against Joseon, that is even more impossible. If the Jianzhou barbarians attacked Joseon, their supply lines would stretch; Joseon would also request aid from us, and we could take the opportunity to cut off the Jianzhou barbarians' retreat. So the Jianzhou barbarians cannot attack Joseon."

"Then there can only be one target—striking directly west. At that point, the Jianzhou barbarians can swallow up Mongol tribes and strengthen themselves. From their past actions, one can see that allying with the Mongols to jointly oppose the Great Ming is exactly what they scheme to do. Now that they cannot go south or east, the Mongols to the west become even more important."

"If my judgment is correct, they will pressure the Inner Khalkha, the Khorchin, the Doyan Three Guards, and other tribes to submit to them. If these Mongol tribes refuse to submit, they will be annexed by the Jianzhou barbarians."

"At this time, if our Great Ming does nothing, then the Jianzhou barbarians' strength will swell enormously. Even if our Great Ming does act, if the Jianzhou barbarians proceed quietly and covertly, it will be very difficult for us to handle. So we must plan ahead—this region must be held firmly in the Great Ming's hands, or at the very least, we must cut off the hand they are reaching out toward the west."

So Zhu Youxiao laid out his plan in full, then looked at Xiong Tingbi and said, "Thus I need you to build up the momentum, push the army forward, and put on a show of preparing to attack the Jianzhou barbarians. The display must be grand enough to keep them from daring to cross the line."

"Here, I intend to provoke a war — with Inner Khalkha and Khorchin allied, launch a war of unification among the Mongols south of the Gobi. Whether it's the Doyan Three Guards or any other tribe, any who refuse to surrender or submit will be wiped out entirely."

"I will support them from the shadows, supplying weapons and whatever they need. By the way, the equipment you replace can also be given to them. On this vast stretch of land beyond Guangning, there is no need for too many powers."

"Once this plan is complete, Ligdan Khan can only be hemmed in to the west, with no way to extend eastward. And the hand the Jianzhou barbarians reach toward the west will be severed. By that time, our Great Ming will have plenty of room to maneuver."