Chapter 793: The Great Wall

Before Liu Chengzong lay a handwritten book.

On its cover, in printed-looking Guange script, were the five characters: *A Brief Examination of Tai Garrison*.

The book had been brought back from Taimeng by Zhou Riqiang; its author was Zhou Yijing — the presented-scholar Gansu Inspector whom Liu Chengzong had captured during the Gansu campaign.

The book referred to the Altai, Taimeng Fort, and Tomu River basin as "Tai Garrison," roughly covering twelve aspects of the region: terrain, forts and stockades, troops and horses, coin and grain, fields and acreage, cattle and sheep, pacification and extermination, historical evolution, post roads, rewards and punishments, loose-rein administration, and maps.

Liu Chengzong skipped everything before, went straight to the table of contents, and flipped to the eighth volume.

That volume was on historical evolution.

He wanted to see just what kind of history Zhou Yijing could fabricate for that barren wasteland!

Zhou Yijing wrote of this land, nine thousand nine hundred li northwest of Xi'an, starting with the Gaoche and Tiele peoples of the Qin-Han period, through the Xiongnu and Xianbei, to the Karluks who submitted to the Great Tang, all the way to the so-called Ningsu Kingdom of the Great Yuan period, which finally, under the Great Ming, became Tai Garrison with Taimeng Fort at its core.

The only thing in it that looked fabricated was this so-called Ningsu Kingdom of the Great Yuan period.

But Liu Chengzong happened to know a bit about this Ningsu King, and this kingdom really was not made up.

West of the Helan Mountains at Changliushui there was a Gulu Taiji; when he marched east, he presented horses, cattle, and sheep and was appointed Guerrilla Commander of Heishui Camp — the entire great desert where Heishui Camp lay was enfeoffed to Gulu Taiji.

That great desert had formerly been called Yijinai Circuit, which was precisely the Ningsu King's fief during the Yuan dynasty.

That royal title had been granted because the Golden Horde's Toqta had assisted Yuan Wuzong in attacking the Chagatai Khanate and the Ögedei Khanate.

In the past, Liu Chengzong would have judged by the standards of the Central Plains dynasties and considered this an empty enfeoffment — possessing the name of suzerainty but not its substance.

But now it was different; Liu the Lion had gained a deeper understanding of Mongol-style rule — the Great Yuan's suzerainty over the Four Khanates was absolutely real.

Which Mongol Great Khan's domain was not beset by surging rebel armies and raging campaigns of suppression?

If no fighting broke out, they were genuine vassals; once fighting broke out, they were rebels; forced into surrender, they were vassals again — all one family anyway.

Chapar, the last Khan of the Ögedei Khanate, was defeated and, after returning to the Yuan, went as usual to Runing Prefecture to collect the five-household silk tax that the Yuan had granted to Kaidu, and was later even enfeoffed as Prince of Runing.

Perfectly normal.

Zhou Yijing had not only fabricated an evolution for Tai Garrison — he had even fabricated one for the Oros tribe, over whose land they were currently contending.

Their founding chieftain was named Youli; for generations they had dwelt in a place called Musike, seven thousand li west of Tai Garrison, leading their tribe in nomadic grazing there, following water and grass for sustenance.

Ningsu King Yuejibie lived in Sarai City; Youli hastened to Sarai to submit, married the king's elder sister, became a son-in-law of the Golden Horde, and was enfeoffed as Tabunang of Musike, taking charge of tax affairs in the Oros region. Relying on the troops of the Ningsu King, he repeatedly attacked his dependencies and annexed his neighbors, and from then on his power grew.

His descendants turned against their superiors, usurped the title of Tsagan Khan, scourged their neighbors, annexed their allies, and by the Wanli years began encroaching upon Tai Garrison.

Liu the Lion mused to himself — this Zhou Yijing was a talent; he made it up so it sounded real.

Reading only this historical evolution, one would think Taimeng Fort had been inherent territory of the Central Plains dynasties ever since the Great Tang.

Same for Oros — though there were different perspectives, Liu the Lion felt, to give credit where it was due, they did not deserve that accusation.

The state of the entire Mongol world in the fourteenth century was among the most absurd in world history; a minor matter like a lord rebelling hardly counted as turning against one's superior — at most it was following the example set from above.

The Great Khans of the Golden Lineage could barely even be said to possess the bearing of sovereigns; more likely than not, even if a lord wanted to pledge loyalty to a particular Great Khan, he could not even find the man.

The Great Yuan changed eleven emperors in twenty-odd years; the Golden Horde changed eighteen khans in twenty-odd years; the Ilkhanate had four khans existing simultaneously; the Chagatai split east and west; the Ögedei Khanate was directly beaten out of existence in internal strife.

Royal princes bludgeoned each other until brains splattered the ground — sons murdered fathers, younger brothers killed elder brothers, inferiors overthrew superiors, powerful ministers usurped the state, thrones stood vacant and collapsed. Any submitted lord who did not seize the chance to rebel would have had a hole in his head.

The biggest winner in Zhou Yijing's *Brief Examination* had to be the Forest People.

For tribes like the Kyrgyz, Zhou Yijing pulled and dragged by sheer force, sparing no words, and found every tribe an ancestor dating back no later than the Tang dynasty.

This created an utterly bizarre picture: north of the Great Ming, all were Mongols; west of Tai Garrison, also all Mongols — yet precisely between these two Mongol regions, from the Yenisei River to the Irtysh River, all were descendants of the Han.

Only after reading the book did Liu Chengzong summon Zhou Riqiang, Chuhuer, Dai Daozi, and the others into the hall.

Once they arrived, Liu Chengzong immediately asked, "Taimeng Fort has had a hard year — very dangerous?"

He could see that Zhou Riqiang's skin had roughened considerably, though that was still normal — a scholar's skin could hardly withstand the Siberian wind.

But what was truly striking was that Chuhuer had grown much thinner compared to last year; that surely meant major operations.

Unexpectedly, Zhou Riqiang sighed and shook his head. "Hard, yes — but not as dangerous as one might imagine. Just some Northern Yuan remnant scoundrels, that's all."

Not dangerous.

Liu Chengzong felt that when Zhou Riqiang said this, he was very disappointed.

Status was indeed a wondrous thing — Zhang Xianzhong, having become a civil official, now carried an air of steady gravity.

Yet Zhou Riqiang, after only a few years as a military officer, already resembled a war maniac chasing thrills.

But that phrase "Northern Yuan remnant scoundrels" — to be honest, Liu the Lion for a moment thought Zhou Riqiang was cursing him.

Seeing Liu the Lion stunned, Zhou Riqiang only then remembered that before him stood not only the Grand Marshal but also the inheritor of the Northern Yuan Khanate, and hurriedly explained, "Your servant spoke of those rebel traitors, the Oros."

"Compared to the Oros, who have pushed and operated for over thirty years, Taimeng Fort's roots along the Tomu River are still shallow. Among the forest tribes, there are from time to time those stirred to rebellion; the A'er Tatar troops west of the river also frequently cross the border to plunder. General Chu campaigned west early this year and was led into the marshes, trapped for two months, living on mushrooms."

Zhou Riqiang shook his head. "There has indeed been some toil."

Liu Chengzong had received battle reports earlier about Zhou Riqiang's capture of Tomsk; he could sense that the warfare there differed from his own understanding.

Now, hearing that Chuhuer had been led into the marshlands by the enemy this year, his instinct was to laugh, but he held it in.

He felt that warfare there depended far more on geography and climate than on the number of troops.

So he merely asked, "A'er Tatar troops?"

"Replying to the Grand Marshal, these are Tatars born on the grasslands west of the Tomu River. They were formerly subjects of the Sibir Khan. When the Oros stormed and destroyed their state, they were enfeoffed in the northern forests to live by fishing and hunting. With the forest tribes who have submitted to the Marshal's headquarters, disputes arise from time to time over aquatic products and furs."

As he spoke, Zhou Riqiang glanced at Chuhuer. "The great river floods in spring, and the banks all turn to marshland. Marching and fighting are truly difficult."

Liu Chengzong also looked toward Chuhuer. "What were the losses?"

Chuhuer's Chinese had improved greatly this year; he had been holding his neck stiff throughout Zhou Riqiang's account, thoroughly unconvinced. Now, finally hearing Liu Chengzong's question, he immediately declared, "No losses, Grand Marshal — I won!"

Liu Chengzong was amused just listening.

So after all that, he had crossed the river to fight, won the battle, and then most likely got himself trapped in the marshes during pursuit, surviving by gathering mushrooms, and only trudged back in disgrace once the waters receded.

Wasn't that even more humiliating than losing a battle?

"A win is good enough. Next year when you fight again, you'll know the water conditions well... Sitting here at home, I must still rely on you for Taimeng military intelligence."

This kind of wretched battle was hard for Liu the Lion to comment on, so he could only change the subject. "But from what you're saying, the Oros have had no reaction at all to losing Tomsk?"

"Your servant was also astonished by this at first."

Zhou Riqiang cupped his hands and said, "That is precisely why I suggest General Chu launch the campaign in spring. Speed is the essence of war — strike before they can assemble their troops, catching them completely off guard."

Mentioning this, he grew dejected. "I never expected that waging war in that land truly cannot be judged by common sense."

This was not the first time Zhou Riqiang had misjudged the movements of the Ross army.

He was familiar with Liu Chengzong's fiery, aggressive style of warfare and assumed everyone in the world took such risks in battle, always expecting the enemy to come fast and hard.

Even though he knew the terrain and topography of Taimeng Garrison well and mentally gave the enemy a generous margin, his time estimates still kept being wrong.

Every time, the enemy came slower than he anticipated — or even... did not come at all.

He had thought the Ross would certainly assemble their forces at Tyumen, just as Taimeng Garrison was doing, sharpening their blades and preparing for a major campaign this year.

As soon as Chu Huer returned to Altai, he could not sit still. He enumerated the disrespect shown by the various subject tribes along the eastern bank of the Ob River, looking to pick out some unlucky target to strike.

To put it bluntly, his trip to Xi'an Prefecture last year, and the wealth and splendor of Shaanxi east of Jiayu Pass, had profoundly shaken him.

He did not even want to return to the Oirat lands.

But although Chu Huer was fierce and savage, he was no fool. He knew that even his elder brother, Baatur Khong Tayiji, commanding the main army, had come away with a bloody nose before Liu Chengzong.

At the same time, he had also seen the military bearing of Liu Chengzong's troops. Besides, he knew how the Tianshan Army marched and fought... it was truly unlike any army he had ever seen.

Chu Huer had actually always believed that troops who could use muskets and cannons were nothing special.

Tactically, his use of cavalry in siege warfare against gunpowder forces was practiced and highly effective.

High-speed cavalry would restrict the enemy's movement, forcing them into wagon forts or fieldworks, then spend several hours or even a full day and night harassing the perimeter and luring the enemy into firing.

Gunpowder was a precious resource. According to Ross soldiers he had once captured, a man might receive only three to five lead balls and powder charges a year. Even when marching east to hunt, the ammunition they carried generally did not exceed ten rounds.

Thus, after a day and night at most, once three to five rounds had been tricked out of them, the enemy's will to fight would crumble. The next day, a single charge against the wagon fort line would break them, and once they routed, a thousand men could be slaughtered at will.

But with gunpowder barbarians like the Tianshan Army, a mere battalion of a few hundred men would expend over a thousand jin of gunpowder in a single battle, and the soldiers would still make trouble after returning, convinced the logistics were flawed and complaining that too little gunpowder had been shipped.

Liu Chengzong's own main corps was even more absurd.

Zhang Xianzhong had once boasted to Chu Huer, recounting how he had used gunpowder to blast the city walls during the siege of Qianzhou, and even mentioned in passing that his own powder calculations had been too low — it was the Grand Marshal who had recalculated the charge.

Over ten thousand jin of gunpowder used in a single battle, with both sides' cannons firing until nearly ten pieces were ruined... to Chu Huer, this was nothing short of a myth.

Although from Liu Chengzong's perspective, the Marshal's Manor had nothing he needed.

To Chu Huer, however, the Marshal's Manor had everything he could want.

After returning to Altai, Chu Huer found nothing pleasing to the eye, and no matter how many cattle, sheep, or followers he had, he still felt dirt poor.

Yet his means of building a career were woefully limited — he only knew how to rob.

Zhou Riqiang and Chu Huer hit it off immediately, and thus came the spring campaign, pent-up frustration bursting forth.

"Dispatching troops from Moscow to Taimeng Garrison is no less difficult than sending troops from Xi'an to Taimeng. And their Tsar does not value the east, so their response is very slow."

Zhou Riqiang sighed helplessly and said, "According to captives taken alive by Chu Huer, the country's last letter from last winter stated that three thousand Western-style new troops would reinforce Tyumen this year... but those three thousand men never came."

"The Ross state somewhat resembles the Great Ming, only reversed in every direction. To its west lies a powerful neighbor and old foe, with war year after year; to its south, wooden walls and abatis guard against nomads, who invade and plunder every autumn when the horses are fat."

"The year before last, the Ross chieftain believed the Tatars on the southern border were not worth worrying about, and that the western old foe was the true mortal threat. He therefore transferred the Capital Camp Guard Army and ten battalions of archers to the war, and drew southern border troops westward."

"But the western war dragged on endlessly. While the two sides were locked in stalemate, the southern Tatars, with a hundred thousand bowstrings, seized the opportunity to invade, broke through the abatis, and plundered the heartland."

"They did not even withdraw last winter. Their forces at one point pressed close to the capital, Moscow, trampling villages, seizing women and children, causing frontline morale to plummet. The border troops mutinied, leading their men home without orders, which led to defeat, with over ten thousand more soldiers surrendering and switching sides."

"Counting the battle at Taimeng, within a single year, the Ross have suffered three consecutive defeats, losing tens of thousands of troops. The Tsar, learning from bitter experience, has decided to rebuild the southern border army and construct a Great Wall defensive line."

"The three thousand Western-style new troops originally meant for Tyumen have also been diverted south. In the east, only native chieftains are recruiting surrendered pirates and hiring mercenaries."

"For a year or half a year at least, Taimeng Garrison will not be in such danger. The Grand Marshal can focus on contending for the Central Plains."

Liu Chengzong laughed as he listened. No wonder Zhou Riqiang said they were alike — what difference was there from the Great Ming?

Capital Camp Guard Army, border troops reinforcing Liao, native chieftain nobles, recruiting surrendered pirates, hiring mercenaries, ten battalions of archers, Western-style new troops.

He could roughly match them to the Streltsy, Boyar nobles, Cossacks, and the like.

But linking all these terms together still struck him as utterly absurd, no matter how he heard it.

"They have Western-style new troops too? It seems the Ross also have figures like Minister Xu."

From the Tai Zhen Kao Jian Lue to Zhou Riqiang's account, Liu Chengzong could see that Zhou Riqiang, Zhou Yijing, and others held deeply contradictory views of the Ross.

It was both like a feudal state and like a Mongol tribe.

Liu Chengzong pondered Zhou Riqiang's words carefully, then slowly shook his head. "They want to build a Great Wall. The great tides of the world rise and fall — this is a heaven-sent opportunity to bestow the western lands upon us. We absolutely must not miss it."

Of all Zhou Riqiang's intelligence, the most critical piece was that the Ross intended to build a Great Wall on their southern border.

In Liu the Lion's view, this was undoubtedly a pivotal historical juncture.

What was the meaning of a Great Wall's existence?

Such a colossal project was not something an ordinary state or monarch could manage.

Wanting to build a Great Wall meant the border was long, the territory vast, and there were enemies capable of sustained breakthroughs and plunder along that long frontier.

Being able to build a Great Wall meant power was already concentrated in the hands of a single monarch, who could mobilize astronomical amounts of manpower and resources, and whose army could temporarily hold the enemy at bay.

Once the Great Wall was built, the military pressure in terms of troop numbers might not lessen by much — the garrison burden might even grow heavier.

But the probability of successful enemy raids would drop dramatically, and the army's efficiency in assembling along interior lines would greatly increase.

At the same time, finances, agricultural policy, and handicrafts would gain an opportunity for stable development, soon producing a qualitative leap.

Most importantly, once the Great Wall was raised, it would form an artificial natural barrier serving as a border line — this could greatly foster national identity.

Any separatist ruler would have ample reason to push the battle line right up to the Great Wall.

"Taimeng Garrison must not rest easy just because the enemy has been diverted south. They will return sooner or later. Chu Huer must hurry to swallow the grasslands west of the river, while Taimeng Garrison gathers more forest tribes."

"Beyond the Tianshan Army, I authorize Taimeng Garrison to recruit convicts from every prefecture, exiling them to Taimeng Garrison for labor and hunting. Those who take ten to a hundred sable pelts may have their crimes pardoned and be released home; those whose defensive forts and stockades see battle shall earn merit and reward."

"In addition, regarding arms and equipment suitable for Taimeng Garrison — come with me to the Works Bureau later. This eastern campaign has yielded quite a harvest."

"Also, Baatur Khong Tayiji — have him contact the Torghut tribe that migrated west. I wish to provide them with arms support such as muskets and horse-artillery. Have them send nobles with a list of goods available for trade."

"This Great Wall... will be halted indefinitely!"

?? Good morning!