Chapter 671: Another Way

Liu Chengzong's turf.

The kind of beauty that looks distant from the get-go.

Back when he seized the four-hundred-li Hehuang Valley, he'd once mocked Yarkand, calling it an oasis-carving, feudalized, tribal khanate.

True enough — that Yarkand was a khanate made up of a few oasis towns on the edge of a desert. Called a khanate, but in reality split into two camps, with five chieftains underneath.

And he wasn't much better off... his entire Grand Marshal's Office was basically a super Yarkand, a power-boosted edition.

All in all, looking at this terrain map, Liu the Lion felt that as a commander who drove armed force and made his living by the sword, he'd been remarkably successful.

Just look at all these strategic strongholds in his pocket — the Tianshan Mountains, U-Tsang, the vast southern desert steppe. Not merely places every military commander must contest, but places commanders since ancient times couldn't even get their hands on if they tried!

Of course, if only they weren't all places every farmer must despair of, it would be perfect.

In any case, with Liu Chengzong's entry into the Xi'an Prefectural seat and winter's arrival, the military calamities that had blazed across Shaanxi subsided.

First, Ding Guodong successfully entered Qingyang Prefectural City.

The Prefect of Qingyang, Ju Sirang, had originally wanted to sit on the fence and watch a while longer, but within days came word that the Xi'an Prefectural seat had fallen and Chen Qiyu had surrendered.

Qingyang Prefecture promptly changed its banners, and together with numerous officials in the prefecture, sent a letter of surrender to Xi'an.

Liu Chengzong returned the courtesy — he didn't dismiss them outright, exempted Qingyang from this year's taxes, and additionally rewarded Ju Sirang and twelve other Qingyang Prefecture chief officials with two thousand two hundred taels of silver.

He placated them to do their jobs well, settle the common people, consolidate villages and merge households, dig canals and channel water to open up wasteland, while also establishing and restoring community schools, and striving to recuperate and rebuild.

Of course, the year was nearly over anyway. Even if Liu the Lion had wanted to collect, Qingyang Prefecture likely had no coin or grain to give him — better to say a few nice words instead.

As for leaving these officials in Qingyang, it naturally carried some risk, but there was no helping it — the Marshal's Office truly had no attention to spare for Qingyang Prefecture at the moment.

Liu the Lion was presiding over a massive population relocation and transfer; he couldn't spare attention for anything else.

Because it wasn't just the surrendered troops of Xi'an Prefecture, the prefectural city's famine victims, and the Qin Princely Establishment clansmen being moved to the Lanzhou and Hehuang area — simultaneously being shifted were the Marshal's Office's garrison forces everywhere, as well as the government offices of Lanzhou and Xining and his own family dependents.

Altogether over a hundred thousand people. The troops were manageable, but the common folk among them were far harder to move than any army.

Besides, Liu the Lion already felt indebted to the commoners being relocated out of Xi'an Prefecture.

Calling them famine victims wasn't wrong, exactly.

But before he came to Xi'an, they hadn't been famine victims.

They'd had fields, grain, and money — living their cozy little lives quite nicely.

It was his siege that came. Chen Qiyu drove them out of the city, forbidding them to bring grain, forbidding them to bring money, and the lands outside the city were all seized by the Marshal's Office.

If you really think about it, they were practically Liu the Lion's benefactors.

Had it not been for these people, Liu Chengzong's teeming horde of troops demanding food from him would have driven him to death from sheer anxiety.

Now, things were great — coin and grain richer than ever, troops and horses exceptionally robust.

So Liu Chengzong took the Xi'an Prefecture famine victims very seriously. As soon as the ruffians, veterans, and other able-bodied types among them were picked out, he pressed the soldiers to hurry the rest westward.

No spending the New Year in Xi'an Prefecture.

This was certainly not because Liu the Lion found them an eyesore — it was mainly for the livelihood of the remaining twenty thousand or so people.

Xi'an Prefecture absolutely had no place for them; that was non-negotiable. But the Marshal's Office had plenty of other places that could accommodate them.

If they set out now, along the way Fengxiang, Gongchang, and Lintao all had Wang Wenxiu's troops providing meals, able to look after them all the way to Lanzhou.

During this period, some would be settled along the route in Qinzhou, Longxi, and the Lintao area. The last few thousand able-bodied men remaining at the end would all be registered as residents in Xining Guard.

This route had wasteland, cultivated land, and irrigated fields — all the way to Xining Guard at the far west, where there were the Yaoshui River military farmlands Liu Chengzu had led troops to open up back in the day.

If they went over early and received oxen from New City, they wouldn't miss next year's spring plowing.

Eat army rations for half a year, and by next summer they'd be stabilized.

In truth, the biggest winners of Liu Chengzong's eastern campaign weren't him, but Dalai Taiji of the Training Guard, Guide Battalion Commander Bao Hu, and the Hehuang minor chieftain Chen Shiwen.

As soon as word of Xi'an's fall reached Lanzhou, Liu Xiangyu dispatched the three of them to rush over without stopping.

When they reached Fengxiang Prefecture, Li Wanqing there sent word to Xi'an.

Liu Chengzong, knowing they were coming, burst out laughing on the spot.

He knew perfectly well what these three had come racing over for — his father had written him a letter.

The Marshal's Army's grand eastern campaign had drained the military strength from the Hehuang heartland completely, and there'd been no shortage of turmoil in the rear.

Meanwhile, a steady stream of captives and clansmen were being sent to New City, directly causing these three men's authority to swell to unprecedented levels.

Chen Shiwen went without saying — formerly a minor chieftain of Hehuang, and truly minor at that.

He had jurisdiction over six hundred-some native subjects, with an establishment of one native battalion commander, two native company commanders, and twenty-five horse and foot soldiers.

But when Liu Chengzong first entered Hehuang, this minor Han chieftain was the only one who came leading a sheep to welcome him.

Bao Hu, for his part, was the deputy battalion commander of the Guide Garrison. During the Oirat eastern invasion, he'd taken eighteen heads, and the imperial court was supposed to give twelve taels — but never paid out.

When Liu Chengzong won a great victory and summoned him over, upon learning of this he rewarded one hundred eighty taels, and also promoted Bao Hu and five others — one to full battalion commander, five to deputy battalion commanders.

Dalai Taiji had the most impressive background of the three — chieftain of the Oirat Dörbet tribe, with tens of thousands of tribespeople under him.

A defeat at Heka Grassland had left him psychologically scarred by the Marshal's Office's relay cavalry. After the battle, he accepted the Marshal's Office's Dörbet title and stayed at the New City Academy to thoroughly study this relay cavalry combat method.

As a result, Liu Chengzong assigned him as the Training Guard's vice commander, tasked with training the Tianshan Army — the commander being Li Bei.

However, Li Bei didn't last long before falling ill and retiring to recuperate, and all matters great and small of the Training Guard fell onto Dalai Taiji's shoulders.

Originally this was nothing much — just training a few thousand new soldiers a year, neither too much nor too little for Dalai.

But as Liu Chengzong dispatched troops eastward, wave after wave of men were sent to Heka Grassland. The old Tianshan Army hadn't yet gone over, and new Training Guard troops arrived.

Dalai Taiji couldn't manage it all, so under Old Master Liu's instruction, he pulled in Bao Hu's Guide Garrison and Chen Shiwen's Eight-Pointed City chieftain domain, throwing themselves wholeheartedly into the great training enterprise.

A few days earlier, Old Master Liu had written to Liu the Lion, mainly about the household move.

But aside from that, it recounted the meritorious deeds of Dalai Taiji and the other two.

In this half-year, with the Marshal's Office's great army transferred out of the Hehuang Valley, bandits had risen in Qinghai, and the Ming army's puppet official in Gongchang Prefecture and Ningxia Mobile Corps Commander Tu Shixian had both dispatched troops to threaten the Lintao Prefecture and Lanzhou areas.

Dörbet Dalai Taiji thus became Liu Xiangyu's first choice for guarding the homestead.

Suppress the Qinghai bandits — pull over the Dörbet troops training at Heka Grassland to do it, right nearby.

Against the Gongchang troops, sending out Durbet's trained guard to fight works well too.

Defending against the Ming border army, you also need to deploy Durbet's trained guard — they know soldiering.

In short, Liu Xiangyu wrote in his letter that among all the noble titles the Marshal's Headquarters granted to the Oirat nobles, this Durbet of Dalai Taiji alone was worth far more than his weight in gold.

A trusted favorite general through and through.

The old master even mentioned that Durbet's literary Chinese is excellent, so sending him back to the Tianshan Mountains to take over for Liu Chengzu would be no problem at all.

At this comparison, Liu the Lion simply pretended not to see it.

Dalai Taiji was his defeated foe, and in the Hehuang Valley he was also relatively close to him — his ability and record, he knew them all clearly.

That Dalai was relied upon by his father and became a trusted favorite general — only right.

This just showed his old father's keen eye for talent.

First, the man was one of the four Oirat tribal chiefs, and moreover, because of his outstanding ability, as the father's third son he was acclaimed chief by his two elder brothers and one younger brother to succeed to the position.

Second, although the man had suffered defeat at his hands, back in the Tianshan Mountains he had often led long-range campaigns, organized multiple expeditions against the Nogai and the Kazakhs, and also dealt with the Russians.

It is no exaggeration to say that when Liu Chengzong led the army on the eastern campaign, Dalai Taiji was already the Marshal's Headquarters' famed general of the Hexi Corridor.

After all, aside from their youth, Basang and Xie Erhu truly lagged behind Dalai Taiji in every other aspect of ability.

Those two and Ren Quan'er were three blank sheets of paper, of Han, Mongol, and Tibetan origin — little brothers Liu Chengzong had watched grow up, all about the joy of character-building, not even in the same league as the other generals.

Liu Chengzong had a banquet prepared in the palace and personally went outside the west-gate moat, bringing Ren Quan'er and other new faces to welcome Dalai Taiji, Bao Hu, and Chen Shiwen.

Seeing him come all the way outside the city to receive them, the three were overwhelmed by the honor and bowed repeatedly in thanks.

But Liu the Lion simply told them to mount up, and as they walked their horses toward the city, he laughed and said, "The prince's mansion has been changing its furnishings these past few days — utter chaos in the daytime, no fun just sitting around."

"These days I've been reviewing drills at the parade ground outside the west gate. If my guard troops weren't quartered in the palace city, I'd have half a mind to just sleep at the parade ground."

The guard troops he meant were the Tiger Guard and Feathered Forest battalions.

On the way, Liu the Lion introduced them to each other, praised their achievements in stabilizing the rear when Hehuang was left undefended, and chatted about the battles and sights of the past half-year and more.

Only after they entered the palace city for the banquet and the wine had gone three rounds did he ask Dalai Taiji, "Elder brother, these six months you have rendered great service suppressing bandits, striking brigands, and resisting the rebel army. I hear from Father that he wishes to send you to the Tianshan Mountains to take over as Commander-in-Chief. I wonder what you think?"

Dalai Taiji was just then holding a Chenghua-era imperially bestowed doucai blue-and-white wine cup, grinning foolishly — at these words, the grin froze on his face.

Bao Hu and Chen Shiwen, who had been chatting and laughing, instantly dared not utter a word.

Only after a stunned pause did Dalai realize the question was directed at him.

Inwardly he marveled at how formidable the Liu family was at each addressing him by a different relation — he was Liu Chengzu's father-in-law; in Lanzhou, the old master called him "old younger brother"; in Xi'an, the Great Khan called him "elder brother."

Not that he wanted to be the Great Khan's uncle, of course — he was older than Liu Xiangyu himself, and being called "old younger brother" this and that was quite comfortable too.

He had frozen up partly because Han speech was not his mother tongue and he had to translate it in his head; and secondly, he had to consider what answer Liu Chengzong wanted to hear when he said this.

Dalai Taiji set down the exquisite wine cup, reined in his smile, and said respectfully, "Your subject shall heed the Great Khan's will."

But at this reply, Liu Chengzong merely raised his cup and chuckled lightly. "Elder brother need not be so formal. It is no great matter. You have rendered great service — I am merely asking your opinion."

Dalai kept a smiling face, but inside he was groaning bitterly, thinking the old master had done him a terrible wrong.

This son of yours is even more of a tiger than Khong Tayiji — and a smiling tiger not easily fooled at that. I never said I wanted to go back to the Tianshan Mountains — how am I supposed to answer this!

"Replying to the Great Khan, everything in Xining is fine, but your subject does indeed miss his homeland's scenery, his wife, and his children."

Dalai remained respectful, looked at Liu Chengzong, and smiled. "However, with my years mounting in vain, my body is far from what it once was. I fear I can no longer endure long marches or the wind and rain of the Tianshan Mountains."

Liu the Lion inwardly gave a thumbs-up. Worthy of a noble chieftain — speaking like farting, a true master!

But in truth, Dalai Taiji was being very sincere.

He had never even considered this matter before.

Because he had seven sons, and the ones he liked most and who were most outstanding in ability were the fourth, Ombu Daiching, and the seventh, Sonom Cheleng.

After his defeat, when he remained in Qinghai, he divided his tribal followers and property among his seven sons, with the fourth and seventh getting the largest shares.

When Liu Chengzong had just asked and he thought it over, this was indeed what was in his heart.

Xining was very fine, and life in Xining was very comfortable, but missing home was unavoidable.

After all, when he came, everything was fine — he had never imagined it would be a one-way trip.

But he did not want to go back either. The Oirat's military supplies came from the Marshal's Headquarters, the Headquarters' military industry core was in the Hexi Corridor, and the Hexi Corridor was currently under the control of his in-law, Old Master Liu.

What was more, Shi Chengwo, who controlled the Works Bureau, was his good teacher, helpful friend, and fine brother.

With him in Xining, the Durbet tribe, commanded by his seven sons, held enormous sway within the Oirat.

Of course, sincerity was only relative — he knew perfectly well that what he thought did not matter.

What the Great Khan Liu Chengzong thought was what mattered.

So he very subtly reminded Liu Chengzong: I have been away for several years and miss my sons — a common human sentiment. Does Old Master Liu not miss his son?

His reminder was very powerful.

Liu Chengzong put away his probing intent.

But send Dalai Taiji back to the Tianshan Mountains, and to take over from his elder brother Liu Chengzu at that?

Don't even think about it!

If Dalai Taiji went back and sat in the Tianshan yamen, the Oirat, which was hardly stable to begin with, would go to war.

The Durbet tribe was already very powerful within the Oirat, and the Tianshan army had been trained by him — if he went back, how would Batur Khong Tayiji handle himself?

What was more, his brother Liu Chengzu coming back to stay for a year or two was no problem.

Liu the Lion had indeed considered this originally — he had thought of giving Zhou Qiqiang an epic-level boost, sending Madman He over with his men and troops, and if the two worked well together, then transferring his elder brother back.

Let Zhou Qiqiang, that fanatical enthusiast for opening up new frontiers, be the Tianshan Commander-in-Chief.

But later he considered that it would not work — even if he brought Liu Chengzu back, he would have to send Liu Chengyun over.

The Marshal's Headquarters' nominal leader in the Tianshan Mountains had to bear the surname Liu.

Because the Oirat would not dare kill him.

And the best candidate was precisely Liu Chengzu.

Because even if someone dared to take that risk, his eldest brother was not one to kill lightly.

It was just that these matters, Liu Chengzong had no need to explain to others.

He sighed and said with a touch of melancholy, "The territory is vast and travel is difficult — it truly is a problem. I also miss my elder brother dearly."

"In that case, I will send word to Khuntaiji, asking him to send one of your sons from among your offspring, along with some of your tribesmen, to return here. They shall be permitted to pasture on the grazing lands of the Ordo on the sea, and attend upon you at your knee."

"In exchange, the arable land over there will also be handed over to the Tianshan Army for peaceful settlement and livelihood. What do you say?"

Liu the Lion was good at putting himself in others' shoes.

The Tianshan Army had few men, and had been diluted by the Oirat.

Then if I draw Oirat people over here, wouldn't that dilute them in return? And sending more people over there — as one side wanes the other waxes — would also reduce trouble for my elder brother and Zhou Riqiang.

Dalai Taiji was naturally overjoyed at this. The grazing lands of the Ordo north of the sea were no worse than those of the Tianshan.

He immediately bowed in thanks and said, "Many thanks to the Great Khan for bestowing this land! I beg permission for my youngest son, Cheling, to lead our tribesmen to pasture on the sea."

To this, Liu Chengzong naturally had no objection.

When the Durbet tribe came to pasture, they would naturally follow the regulations and replenish the Mongol chiliarchs in each brigade, migrating inward among the various tribes in the campaign, and ultimately merging into one family.

But our Great Ming has hundreds of thousands of imperial clansmen, of royal blood — they are not so easily assimilated.

In Liu the Lion's hands, they could carry on the Founding Emperor's legacy in another way: driving out the Tatar slaves.