Chapter 1033: Dodo Can Finally Die (Please Subscribe)

"But Gansu and Shaanxi are barren and poor — taking them would be of little use!"

Li Guo had something of a psychological shadow about marching north into Gansu and Shaanxi. The Shun and the Xi had both risen from Gansu and Shaanxi, but both had suffered crushing defeats there! Especially Zhang Xianzhong, the Old Long-Lived One — he went out standing upright and came back lying flat, losing everything down to his last coin, and now even his four adopted sons no longer bear the surname Zhang.

"Imperial Father," Li Laiheng said, "the situation in Gansu and Shaanxi is far better now. Though still not wealthy, it has not seen famine for many years, and it produces fine horses, mules, muskets, small cannon, and gunpowder. If we could take Gansu and Shaanxi, our national strength and military power would both increase greatly."

Gansu and Shaanxi were of course still poor, but compared with the Tianqi and Chongzhen years, they were truly far better off.

On the one hand, after so many years of back-and-forth upheaval, plus several waves of Shaanxi out-migration (the Shun and Xi regimes each hauled off a large number of people from Shaanxi, and the Ming's Pacifying-West and Pacifying-North princely fiefs each took away many more), the population of Gansu and Shaanxi had fallen sharply. The total military and civilian population under Shaanxi Province, the Hexi fief, and the Pacifying-West fief now numbered only a little over six million. Per-capita landholding exceeded five mu. Although the average yield of Shaanxi-Gansu land remained very low — after setting aside seed grain, only a hundred and ten or twenty jin of wheat per mu — five mu of land could still produce over six hundred jin, which converted to flour came to more than four hundred jin.

On the other hand, Zhu Cilang knew where China had money and where it did not, so he would never have the provinces share the tax burden in a relatively equal manner.

Under his rule, Gansu and Shaanxi not only did not need to send money to the court, they actually received large subsidies from it. Moreover, the Ming court supported Gansu-Shaanxi animal husbandry through mule and horse purchases; now almost all the horses and mules used by the Ming army came from Gansu and Shaanxi.

In addition, the northern Shaanxi arms industry founded by Zhu Cijiong had been preserved under Ming court support, becoming the most important supplier of firearms and cannon to the three armies of Anxi, Hexi, and Beiting (Dzungar). Half the firearms and cannon used by the Chahar and Tumed Mongol tribes also came from Shaanxi.

Li Guo knew too that life in his old home was better than before. He sighed softly: "Who would have thought the Ming would still produce a wise sovereign. Now that life for the Shaanxi people has improved, I fear they will no longer let us stir them up, will they?"

Li Laiheng said: "Imperial Father, the Shaanxi people are after all our own countrymen; compared with the people of Huguang and the Two Guangs, they will always be closer to us.

And these years the Ming has kept transferring the strong and brave men of Shaanxi to the garrisons of Hexi, Anxi, Shuofang, and Anbei. Those left behind in Shaanxi itself are all law-abiding farmers who cannot fight."

Zhu Cilang, still haunted by the rebellious spirit of the Shaanxi people, had done everything possible to coax Shaanxi's warriors off to the military garrisons of Hexi, Anxi, Shuofang, and Anbei. In this way, Shaanxi had become considerably more stable, but its fighting strength had also weakened.

"Moreover," Li Laiheng continued, "the Ming now bases itself at Laoshan-Pukou north of the Yangtze at Yingtian. From there to enter Shaanxi is a long, weary road of more than two thousand li, and all of it overland. But if our army marches out from Hanzhong, in three hundred li we can enter Guanzhong. With a three-hundred-li rear against a two-thousand-odd-li rear, every advantage lies in our hands!"

Li Guo nodded: "Well said. Zhu Cilang may be a wise sovereign, but ruling the realm from the southeast is a blunder. Since ancient times, the military power of the realm has never come from the northwest and northeast; even holding the Central Plain makes it hard to control them, let alone the southeast."

"Imperial Father speaks truly," Li Laiheng said with a vigorous nod. "The northwest is the foundation of kingly hegemony. If the Shun takes it, at worst we can stand as equals against the Ming; at best we can sweep across the realm!"

Li Guo looked at his son: "Laiheng, I hereby appoint you commander, to lead a hundred thousand troops out through Qishan to take Gansu and Shaanxi. What say you?"

"Imperial Father," Li Laiheng shook his head, "your son's skill in using troops is far inferior to the Prince of Jin's. The Prince of Jin should be stationed at Hanzhong with full authority to direct the northern campaign."

Li Guo was taken aback, thinking: After all that talk, you're not going!

"Then you will return to Chongqing to assist me?"

"Your son will still go to Ava." Li Laiheng said, "There is still much to be done in Ava and Syriam; they cannot be lightly abandoned. And Imperial Father should also move south to Kunming!"

"South to Kunming?"

"Yes!" Li Laiheng said, "Imperial Father has not favored the Southern Capital with his presence for a long time. To win the hearts of the people of Ava and Syriam, Imperial Father must take up residence in the Southern Capital, so as to receive the native chieftains coming from Ava and Syriam at close hand, and to preside over the migration of settlers to those two cities."

What did that mean?

Li Guo was somewhat confused.

Li Laiheng smiled: "Ama, in all things one must plan thoroughly, not only for victory but also for defeat. Burma may be a wild and barbarous land, but it is also extremely vast; Sichuan and Yunnan combined may not be as large as Burma.

Moreover, Syriam in Burma has a seaport opening directly onto what the Westerners call the Indian Ocean. And because the Indian Ocean is blocked by the Strait of Malacca, it lies beyond the reach of the Ming navy. If things ever go badly, we can still take to the sea and flee — of the thirty-six stratagems, retreat is best!"

Li Guo neither agreed nor disagreed. After a moment of silence, he asked: "When can the Prince of Jin be ordered to march north against Guanzhong?"

Li Laiheng said: "Wait a little longer. Ama should first journey south to Kunming, then secretly transfer the Prince of Jin to Hanzhong to ready the army. When the Ming launches its great campaign against the Manchus beyond the passes, we can strike north and catch them completely off guard!"

Li Guo was finally at ease: "Done! An excellent plan!"

"Long live His Majesty, long live, long live, ten thousand long lives!"

Zhu Cilang was reviewing the troops again!

He must have known that the Shun's second-generation fubing soldiers were growing day by day and night by night, all holding in a surge of energy to seize his realm and altars, and so lately he had been paying more and more attention to his Young Guards and young officers.

The so-called Young Guards were the "Nine Border Youth Army." Though called "Nine Borders," in fact not all its members came from the nine border garrisons.

Because under Ming court rule there were not even nine border garrisons capable of producing strong soldiers — only seven: Anxi, Hexi, Shuofang, Anbei, Beiping, Daning, and Anchuan (in Guizhou and eastern Sichuan). From the sixth year of Hongxing onward, the Ming court each year recruited 800 to 1,500 impoverished youths aged ten to twelve from each of these seven garrisons (including their predecessors).

In addition, it recruited 1,500 impoverished youths aged ten to twelve from each of Hunan, Shandong, and Huaixi.

In this way, the total number of poor youths inducted into the Young Guards camp each year was always over ten thousand.

Now the first cohort of Young Guards inducted was nearing the completion of six years of rigorous training and was ready to take the field!

According to Ministry of War statistics, the Young Guards inducted in the sixth year of Hongxing totaled over 11,000 men. After nearly six years of hard training and last-place elimination, about 8,000 remained, now formed into sixteen battalion squares, and they were being reviewed by the Great Ming Emperor.

"Your Majesty, these 8,000 men can formally become an army next year! With officers, artillery, sergeants (non-commissioned officers), and baggage troops added, they will make exactly one division! And from now on, one division can be formed every year. With such elite troops, Dodo beyond the passes can close his eyes in peace!"

The man speaking with Zhu Cilang was the first commandant of the Young Guards, Feng Sizhong.

"Excellent! Finally formed into an army!" Zhu Cilang looked at the sixteen battalion squares arrayed before him, as neat as if cut by knife and chopped by axe, and nodded with satisfaction. "But do not form them into a division yet. We want six flintlock regiments. Can you do that?"

Six regiments could be assigned to six divisions as spearheads!

Moreover, here at Pukou-Laoshan there were still many "second-generation knights" who could serve as shock cavalry; recruiting and training six ironclad cavalry battalions would not be very difficult. And the "black cavalry" (black-musket mule troops) were also in ample supply, enough to give each of these six divisions one battalion.

In this way, next year the Zhu Emperor would have six extremely elite divisions at his disposal!

With these six elite divisions, the campaign beyond the passes would be assured!

Although the battlefield beyond the passes was vast, apart from the Liaodong and Liaoxi coasts, everything was far away and supply was difficult, making it impossible to sustain a large army in prolonged operations. So using elite troops to strike at Duoni beyond the passes was the only option!

The reason Zhu Cilang had not let Dodo "die" was partly to first stabilize the southeastern seas and the Pacific theater, and partly because he was waiting for his Young Guards to finish forming!

"Your Majesty, are we going to deal with Duoni next year?" Wu Sanfu, who was accompanying the Zhu Emperor at the review, grew excited too.

He had long been waiting for this day!

"Yes!" Zhu Cilang nodded. "We march next year. We will strive to pacify Liao within three years!"

(End of Chapter)