Chapter 1663: Teachers, You Must Study Hard!

Sun Chengzong's worry was certainly well-founded!

Because in the more than two years between the great victory at Ningyuan and Jinzhou in the seventh year of Tianqi and the Jisi Incident in the second year of Chongzhen, the Liaodong war had indeed shown signs of settling into a stalemate.

On the one hand, the eastern barbarians' offensive along the Liaoxi Corridor was blocked by the Ningyuan-Jinzhou defense line. Moreover, behind Jinzhou and Ningyuan there still stood the mighty pass of Shanhai, which the eastern barbarians simply had no strength to break through.

On the other hand, Mao Wenlong had grown powerful in the Dongjiang and southern Liaoning regions. He not only controlled Pi Island, a stronghold that could strike directly at the eastern barbarians' rear and keep Joseon "in existence," but had also opened up Jinzhou and Lushun in southern Liaoning as base areas.

As long as the Ming forces in Dongjiang and southern Liaoning could maintain a certain degree of initiative with support from the Dengzhou and Laizhou side, Hong Taiji would find it impossible to march west with his full strength.

Moreover, the Chahar tribe of the Mongols, under Ligdan Khan's leadership, still retained considerable power!

This Chahar tribe of the Mongols was the legitimate line of the Northern Yuan, and Ligdan Khan himself was a direct descendant of Emperor Huizong of Yuan. His Chahar tribe, also known as the Central Chahar Tumen, was one of the six tumens established after Dayan Khan had briefly revived the Northern Yuan, and it was the core tumen.

Therefore, as long as Ligdan Khan still possessed some strength, Hong Taiji had no way of establishing a truly reliable "Manchu-Mongol alliance" — the Khoshut tribe of Mongols currently依附 to the Manchus were merely the Eastern Route Mongols, descendants of Genghis Khan's brothers, and could not compare with the Chahar tribe at all.

And the Chahar tribe would never submit to the Manchus unless driven to utter desperation.

Besides, the Chahar tribe was a nomadic tribe — if they couldn't win, they would simply run! If Hong Taiji could not commit his full strength, how could he possibly crush the Chahar tribe, who would flee whenever they could not fight?

Without crushing the Chahar tribe, would Hong Taiji dare to raid past the Great Wall?

Would he not fear Ligdan Khan going to the Khorchin grasslands to deal with the Khoshut tribe? And Mao Wenlong on Pi Island would not be idle either!

By then, Ligdan Khan would be killing and burning in the Khorchin grasslands while Mao Wenlong ran rampant across the Liaodong Peninsula. Even if Hong Taiji got past the Great Wall, he would have no peace of mind!

So, looking at the situation in the tenth month of the seventh year of Tianqi, the eastern barbarians were roughly in the position of the Western Xia. Barring accidents, in future history books the eastern barbarians would be called the "Eastern Qing."

And such an outcome was, of course, unsatisfactory to Sun Chengzong!

Liaodong was territory handed down by the ancestors — how could it be abandoned?

Moreover, if the Great Ming remained purely defensive, seeking only to hold the Great Wall line and a few strongholds in southern Liaoning, the eastern barbarians would very likely defeat the Chahar Mongols and Joseon to the east in the future, thereby creating a situation much like that of the Khitan Liao dynasty — only lacking the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun.

By then, the Great Ming would be even more passive!

Sun Chengzong sighed softly: "If we cannot use the strength of the whole nation within these two years to build fortresses all the way into the eastern barbarians' lair, then in the future the northern lands of our Great Ming will never know peace!"

Li Guo shook his head and said: "But retaking Liaodong with fortresses is simply too expensive — the court cannot produce that much silver!"

Sun Chengzong could think of no solution either. He could only sigh and say to the coachman: "Go to Tangzi Hutong beside the Ten Princes' Residence."

The Forbidden City, the Hall of Literary Splendor.

Today was a fine day for Zhu Youjian to "begin his studies"!

The several teachers personally selected by Zhu Youjian had all gathered in the capital and could now begin receiving his training and instruction.

What? Zhu Youjian really was preparing to teach his own teachers? Absolutely! But not all of the teachers would be taught — Kong Zhenyun would not be taught. He was too old and his thinking was not very clear; no matter how much he was taught, he probably could not be turned into a famous general.

So the ones Zhu Youjian prepared to personally instruct were these four teachable teachers: Hong Chengchou, Sun Chuanting, Chen Qiyu, and Lu Xiangsheng.

In order to properly teach his four teachers, Zhu Youjian had also arranged for Yang Gao and Sun Zushou, a veteran general of the army who had entered service through the military jinshi examination, to serve as "lecturers to the lecturers." They were to brief the four teachers on military affairs in Jizhou, Liaodong, Xuanfu, Datong, and other regions.

Speaking of this Sun Zushou, Zhu Youjian's impression of him was quite deep! He was descended from military merit — his ancestor was a founding hero of the Ming dynasty who had received the office of Guard Commander. For generations the family had guarded the Changling Guard — that is, the tomb guard protecting the tomb of the Chengzu Emperor, Zhu Di. However, Sun Zushou was not of the main family line, so he had not followed the hereditary path to become a Guard Commander. Instead, in the twenty-third year of Wanli he had passed the military jinshi examination and had served in the army ever since.

But unlike those warlords who raised a band of household retainers to charge into battle, he was a more traditional Ming army general, and his integrity was excellent — he did not line his pockets, and of course had no money to raise household retainers. So he had no great achievements to his name either.

In the great victory at Ningyuan and Jinzhou in the fifth month of the seventh year of Tianqi, he had been dismissed from office and sent home for disobeying the orders of the Supreme Commander Gao Di, and had been living in retirement at the Changling Guard. Only recently had he been recalled by Zhu Youjian and assigned to the personal army headquarters as a Chief Staff Officer.

Of course, Zhu Youjian actually intended to put this Sun Zushou to important use. Because Sun Zushou's integrity and his long experience in the army made him very suitable for commanding the boy soldiers — according to Zhu Youjian's plan, the future personal army would coordinate cavalry, infantry, and artillery, with the cavalry relying on "household retainers" and the infantry and artillery both relying on the boy soldiers.

Among them, the household retainers, that is, the personal cavalrymen, would be commanded by the three "cavalry generals" Sun Yingyuan, Zhou Yuji, and Huang Degong. The infantry would be entrusted to Sun Zushou, Lu Xiangsheng, and Sun Chuanting, while Hong Chengchou and Chen Qiyu would coordinate from the center.

"Mister Chen, Mister Hong, Mister Sun, Mister Lu," inside the Hall of Literary Splendor, Zhu Youjian first granted seats to his four teachers and to Yang Gao and Sun Zushou, then said to his four teachers, "We have selected the four of you from among so many civil officials and appointed you as Our lecturers, first because We value your wholehearted loyalty! Second, because you are all men of both literary and military talent. Now the realm is beset with troubles, and the great land of Liaodong has fallen into the hands of bandits. The state is in need of military strength, yet the Capital Camps have long been unable to fight, and the elite forces of the Nine Frontiers are far inferior to what they once were. Therefore, We can only personally train a new army!

And to train soldiers, one must first train generals! You four are the scholar-generals We have chosen. Scholars commanding troops, employing both civil and military means — in the future you will all be meritorious officials of our Great Ming! Are you willing?"

What was going on here?

Weren't they supposed to be teachers to the Son of Heaven? How had they suddenly become scholar-generals?

Hong Chengchou, Sun Chuanting, Chen Qiyu, and Lu Xiangsheng were all dumbfounded. They had originally thought they had stumbled into incredible luck and risen to the top in one step to become imperial tutors, but it turned out they were imperial tutors in name and military commanders in reality!

And what was this about scholars commanding troops? They were all full jinshi degree holders!

And now they were supposed to command troops?

Seeing the four men silent, Zhu Youjian frowned slightly. Weren't these four supposed to enjoy leading troops? Especially Sun Chuanting and Lu Xiangsheng, who had both raised their own forces.

Just as he was frowning, the somewhat shifty-looking Hong Chengchou was the first to react. He rose from his chair and bowed to Zhu Youjian: "Your subject Hong Chengchou is willing to lead troops for Your Majesty to kill the bandits. Though it mean ten thousand deaths, I shall have no fear!"

"Heh heh," Zhu Youjian laughed. "Mister Hong, rest assured — We will not let Our teacher be put in a deadly position!"

We know you are afraid of death! Zhu Youjian thought to himself: But it doesn't matter. This time, study well under Us! We will teach you the Spanish great formation that We learned from that unfilial son, and also teach you how to employ field artillery, shock cavalry, and black-musket cavalry. By then, Hong Taiji will certainly be no match for us!

Chen Qiyu also rose and said: "Your subject is not afraid of death either! I am willing to lead troops for Your Majesty to kill the bandits!"

Zhu Youjian nodded, thinking: This time We won't have you pacify the roving bandits — We will pacify them Ourselves! Then We'll take them to Jiangnan to feast on the rich households!

Sun Chuanting also rose and submitted: "Though your subject is a scholar, I am also versed in military affairs and willing to die for the country!"

"Good, good!" Zhu Youjian thought: You are a loyal minister! Later, study military strategy well under Us, and never let the roving bandits kill you again!

"Your subject has also studied military strategy and martial arts, and is willing to lead troops for Your Majesty!" Lu Xiangsheng was the most capable fighter among the four teachers, and his level of training and commanding troops was also the highest!

Looking at the spirited Lu Xiangsheng, Zhu Youjian felt a touch of emotion. This time We must let you command more troops, and good troops at that — We'll use that unfilial son's method of training the boy-soldier guards to train elite troops. And equip them with turtledove-foot muskets and field guns, so we won't have to fear the Tartars!

(End of Chapter)