Open the original school ground, the flags are flying, and the big banner with Yang characters is standing on the general's platform.
Under the stage, the general flags, military flags and trumpets of each guard were flying in the wind, showing the majesty of the military.
At a glance, all he could see were soldiers standing with their horses in front of them. Their military looks were solemn and majestic, standing in a dark mass, waiting for Xia Xun's orders.
Standing at the front are the cavalry that Xia Xun mobilized from the guards. The cavalry from each guard merged together to form a powerful cavalry team. However, having this power to mobilize the cavalry from all the guards into one can only
Only he could do it. Even though Shen Yong was the highest officer of Liaodong Dusi, it was not easy to mobilize soldiers and horses from the guards.
According to Xia Xun's arrangement, Tan Ma has figured out the location of the Tatar tribe that raided 30,000 guards, and wants to deal a heavy blow to completely wipe this large Tatar tribe from the grassland. The military power will be determined in one battle.
We need a highly mobile cavalry team, otherwise the Tatars will come if they want to seize the horse, roll up the tent and leave if they want to escape. We must always be in a passive defensive state.
Not all of the 50,000 elite troops brought by Xia Xun went into battle. He only deployed 20,000 troops, mainly spear infantry, sword and shield infantry, fire musket troops, and artillery troops. The main force of the battle was still played by the Liaodong army, and Xia Xun sent
Most of the troops who left were actually composed of the Shenji Battalion. This was the first time since the formation of the Shenji Battalion that they had experienced a rigorous war test.
With the cooperation and cover of cavalry and infantry, if the firearms troops of the Shenji Battalion can keep up with the Tatars' light cavalry, then no army will be able to deal a fatal blow to them.
, This will prove that Emperor Yongle's emphasis on firearms research and the expansion of the proportion of firearms in the army are correct. Otherwise, the promotion and popularization of firearms in the military will definitely form obstacles.
In an agricultural society, it is a matter of course that the riding and shooting skills of soldiers lag behind those of nomadic warriors. Nomadic people have lived on horseback since childhood. Holding a bow and shooting arrows is as common as the chopsticks we use every day.
How is it possible for a warrior to put down his hoe and get on horseback to surpass the enemy in mounted shooting after several years of training?
Furthermore, the provision of military horses has always been a heavy burden for farming peoples. At this stage, cavalry must develop, but it is inevitable to make full use of our strengths. We cannot do it because we do not have the enemy's innate advantages in cavalry and archery.
, we gave up farming and switched to herding cattle and sheep. Agricultural civilization is a more advanced civilization than nomadic civilization. A stable life and a perfect social environment will promote the emergence of more civilized things. What we have to do is to promote what we have learned.
Strength, rather than imitating the enemy's strengths.
The development of firearms requires a long process. The West can successfully complete this process because they have innate advantages. There is no strong nomadic people around them. This is not the case in the Ming Dynasty, but the Ming Dynasty cannot give up the development of firearms because of this.
And if we blindly use cavalry to control cavalry, even if the threat from the northern nomads no longer exists, when the foreign muskets, artillery, and powerful ships appear in front of us, what can we do to resist it? In that era,
, the horse-riding archer who once dominated the world is completely useless in front of firearms. Therefore, the only way is to face the difficulties and speed up the development and maturity of firearms.
Shen Yong had been beheaded in public. Considering that he was the highest military officer in Liaodong, Xia Xun did not hang his head on a high pole to show the public, but beheading in public was enough to make the generals feel awe-inspiring. He had found out beforehand the relationship between the generals and Shen Yongzhi.
The close relationship between them made Xia Xun well aware of who would lead and who would assist the outposts and rear camps, as well as the allocation of troops and horses in each unit. As for the specific tactics and tactics when facing the enemy, that is
Xia Xun would not overstep his authority in matters concerning the generals.
Regarding the strategic deployment, the generals who went to war already knew what was going on. The mobilization before the war was over. With Xia Xun's order, the army set off.
Drums and horns roared, soldiers' armor clanged, flags flew, and thirty thousand elite cavalry roared out of the school grounds like a moving ocean. Javelins, sabers, quivers, bow bags, riding shields, and long lacquered spears with red tassels... filled with murderous intent.
Then the chariots and infantry also marched away with a neat pace that made the whole earth tremble. Fire dragon chariots, bowl-mouth blunderbuss, muskets, dense forests of spears, gleaming broadswords, and mandarin ducks' war jackets seemed like a sea of red.
ocean.
According to Xia Xun's deployment, the superior cavalry should be concentrated to make a thunderous breakthrough against the Tatar tribe. Then the chariots and infantry would clean the battlefield, and then the cavalry would still be responsible for the attack to deter the surrounding Tatar tribes who might rescue the tribe.
, covering the army’s return calmly.
Different from the military orders in previous wars, Xia Xun demanded that he could surrender, but regardless of whether he surrendered or not, all the prisoners and surrendered people must be brought back, and the gold, silver, grain, population, and livestock of the Tatar tribe would all be plundered.
When you come back, burn whatever you can't move, and destroy whatever you can't burn. In short, you want to bring back the conquered tribe in its entirety!
Anyone who disobeys will be killed without mercy!
First, he killed Shen Yong, the capital of Liaodong, and sent an order to Jiubian. Then came this order. In the eyes of these Liaodong soldiers, Xia Xun, who was originally gentle and gentle, seemed to be a devil-like existence.
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The news that Xia Xun sent troops caused a sensation throughout Kaiyuan, and then spread throughout Liaodong. Everyone was paying attention to the outcome of this battle.
As the director of this battle, Xia Xun himself did not care about this battle. In his opinion, war is only a means, not an end. Two days later, he made an appointment with the young imperial envoy, and Xiao Bing prepared for peace.
Ding Dusi, excitedly went to visit Hada City.
Xia Xun originally wanted to go incognito, but Hada City was still outside Guangshun Pass, and there was no shield around it. Now there were traces of Tatar cavalry even under Kaiyuan City. How could the young imperial envoy and others rest assured that he would go there with light cavalry? These days
The people refused, so Xia Xun had no choice but to dispatch a guard of soldiers and horses to escort them. With 5,600 people guarding them, they left Guangshun Pass in a mighty manner.
There are five cities and 21 forts under the jurisdiction of Kaiyuan. The five cities under Kaiyuan's jurisdiction are Kaiyuan, Zhonggu, Tieling, Fanhe, and Yilu. The 21 forts include Chaihe Fort, Songshan Fort, Weiyuan Fort, and Zhenbei.
Fort, Qingyang Fort, Zhenyi Fort, Ancient Castle, Qingyun Fort, Dingyuan Fort, etc. These constitute the place where Kaiyuan soldiers and civilians gather. There are six passes on the outside to protect the people living inside. These six passes
They are Guangshun Pass, Zhenbeiguan, Xin'anguan, Qinghe Pass, Shandaoguan and Qingyang Pass.
Among them, Jingan Fort is an important town in northern Liaoning, the northeast and even the entire north. Guangshun Pass is an important eastern pass in Kaiyuan's battlefield, and Hada City is just outside Guangshun Pass. Several traffic arteries of the Ming Dynasty pass through Kaiyuan.
It goes out and goes west through Xin'an Pass to the Horqin Grassland, north through Zhenbeiguan to Jilin and Heilongjiang, and east through Guangshun Pass to Changbai Mountain and North Korea.
Basically, the people in Kaiyuan area live in and around these cities. Don't think that there are so many people in the five cities and twenty-one forts. Here, a thousand households are called a city, and a hundred households are called a fort.
, the number of people is actually not too small, but it is mainly the army, and the people are fewer than the army. This is the current situation in Liaodong.
After leaving Guangshun Pass and going all the way down, you can see some ruins. It seems that there were villages here a long time ago. When the wind blows, occasionally some grass ash will be blown out from the ruins.
Xia Xun covered his mouth and nose slightly and said, "Is there anyone still living here? How come there are burning ashes?"
Xiao Bingbei said: "Butang, these are the ashes caused by burning in the autumn and winter last year. The vegetation on the earth has revived and has been covered by ashes. The ashes blown into the old village will sometimes be blown out by the wind. After this period,
That’ll be fine.”
The young imperial envoy said with great interest: "In order to prevent Tatar intrusion, in autumn and winter, soldiers were sent out to burn wasteland, so that the Tatars could not graze close to our border, which reduced a lot of troubles. This was a method thought up by some local guards. Next
The official thinks this method is very good, and is planning to report to the imperial court on the method of burning wasteland in autumn and winter to isolate the Tartars, asking the imperial court to make it a rule, and all the towns on the nine sides will abide by it. What do the ministries think?"
Xia Xun thought: "It turns out that the border army's burning of wasteland in autumn and winter started in this era, and it has not yet been established as a rule."
In his previous life, Xia Xun also read several time-travel novels, some of which wrote about the border troops of the Ming Dynasty. Most of them mentioned this incident. Xia Xun naturally believed that this was an effective way to deal with the Tartars, so
Before he could think deeply, he nodded. Xiao Bingbei smiled brightly and said, "Young Imperial Envoy, this is a scholar's opinion. In my opinion, this method is to drink poison to quench thirst, and it will do more harm than good!"
Xia Xun immediately shut up and listened.
Shaoyunfeng said unconvinced: "How can Xiao Bingbei say this?"
Xiao Bingbei said: "In the early days of the founding of the Ming Dynasty, many tribes of the Mongolian and Yuan Jurchens joined our dynasty. At that time, Emperor Gao, the great ancestor, said: 'Everyone who governs the barbarians should follow their nature. The barbarians live in a place where they are accustomed to bitter cold.
Now those who move inland must be driven south, where the cold and cool will be replaced by the heat. If they lose their nature, they will easily become chaotic. If they are not cared for, they will return to the border areas and choose water and grass for grazing. Peter will be born accordingly, and naturally
It's safe.'
However, the remnants of the barbarians spread all over the wilderness, leaving and coming back. After separation and reunification, the adherents and the non-adherents lived in a mixed manner, which was really difficult to manage. Emperor Taizu made a random change and ordered all the barbarians outside the wall to move in.
Inland. However, on the one hand, the Yuan people retreated northward, and on the other hand, the border people moved inland, which resulted in large areas in Liaodong being empty and deserted.
Later, Liaodong had no people to govern, so even the local officials were abolished and replaced with guard posts. Liaodong became increasingly poor. Emperor Taizu Gao later discovered that although this method could isolate the enemy from ourselves temporarily, it would not be effective in the long run.
It seems that there are many disadvantages, so he has deliberately changed his mind. Starting from the 26th year of Hongwu, Emperor Taizu Gao issued an order to move people from Shanxi and other places to strengthen the left and right guards of Xuanfu, Wanquan right guard, and Huai'an guard.
, let them divide the fields, establish cities, and open up the wilderness. Unfortunately, after the death of Emperor Taizu, this legacy policy was not adhered to."
Xiao Bingbei sighed twice, pointed to the deserted wilderness and said to Xia Xun: "Master Bu Tang, please see, in order to prevent the Tatars from taking advantage of us, our government restricts soldiers and civilians from farming and pasturing outside the border. There are many cultivated fields and pastures.
So we had no choice but to abandon it. It is even more ridiculous to go out to burn the wasteland in autumn and winter. The weeds are burned up and the only people isolated are Tatar herdsmen. Even if they ride lightly to burn the wasteland, the burned area will only be one or two hundred miles away. When has it ever really stopped the Tatar intrusion?
What's the effect? Burning the wilderness, burning the wilderness, burning the wilderness before your eyes, the enemy is not blocking it, but it is making your side become withered and desolate."
Xiao Bingbei was silent for a moment and then said: "In the early years of Hongwu, Xiao guarded Liaodong and accumulated experience. Now he was promoted to Kaiyuan Bingbei Road. In the past few decades, Xiao has spent all his time in Liaodong.
Lord, I still remember the scene when Fang came out of the fortress. At that time, the farms here were connected, and the supervisors and pastors were connected. Although it was temporarily desolate due to the wars in those years, looking at the situation, it would be fertile land again in less than two years.
The area is vast, the population is prosperous, and the villages are connected.
Unfortunately, the Yuan people retreated to the north and the Ming people moved to the south. There were very few households left behind, and they were not allowed to farm and herd on the margins. In autumn and winter, the wasteland was burned... to move the people, burn the wasteland, and restrict farming and animal husbandry.
, a large area of fertile soil and grassland was thus abandoned. Liaodong became desolate. Although it could not benefit the enemy, it could not be used for our own military. In the long run, this was a big mistake.
Moreover, as a result, when our Ming army went out to conquer the fortress, they had few eyes and ears to guide them, and no residents to help them. The Hulu had no city walls to stay in, and the land was empty. By marching thousands of miles and mobilizing troops, it would be difficult to truly shake the foundation.
Furthermore, for a large army to go on an expedition, the food and wages will all depend on the people in the interior carrying their horns, which will cost a lot of money. Even with the wealth of the imperial court, I am afraid it will not be able to bear the burden."
Xia Xun nodded secretly after hearing this. Xiao Bingbei had an original idea. After careful consideration of this argument, it was not unreasonable. A normal war would kill a thousand people and cause eight hundred losses to oneself, but the clearing of the entire Liaodong wall would ultimately result in the strengthening of the enemy.
, weakening oneself.
The Japanese have now been driven back to the grasslands and have lost many means and sources of production of daily necessities; and because they are in an antagonistic position with the Ming Dynasty, trade relations cannot develop normally. Because they are becoming increasingly poor, the cost of war is far less than that of the Ming Dynasty.
In order to meet the needs of material life, regular looting has become a part of their lives.
If the Japanese still had the ability and intention to restore the Central Plains in the past, now their invasions are mostly spontaneous acts of tribes, just to meet their economic needs. Of course, this situation changes with time. When the war becomes
When normalcy is restored and major problems arise within the Ming Dynasty, robbery may turn into aggression and a struggle for dominance.
However, if Liaodong can become prosperous and border trade can become developed, this situation will change a lot. We cannot rule out the existence of careerists and war maniacs, but wrong measures can only add unnecessary enemies to ourselves.
This is just the outside, it is the same for the inside of Liaodong. Liaodong has been in the hands of the Ming Dynasty since the early Ming Dynasty. Among the residents here, the Jurchen and other tribes account for less than a quarter of the total population. They are now famous here.
In fact, among the ethnic minorities, the Han people accounted for the majority here. Later, the Ming Dynasty also developed its power further north and established the Nuergandusi.
However, such a vast land has never been firmly in the hands of the Ming Dynasty. After more than two hundred years of development, the Han people who were once the most populous here gradually disappeared, and finally the Jurchens became the real owners of the place.
, what’s the reason?
Because there have never been many Han households here except for the soldiers in iron camps and flowing water, the Han people have never really taken root here. Otherwise, after more than two hundred years of development, the Han people, who make up the absolute majority, would have long ago wiped out all ethnic groups here.
Even if the people are assimilated, how can they still be divided in two hundred years, and the relationship between them will even get worse and worse.
Although the imperial court spared no effort in the northern border defense, it is impossible to eliminate the border troubles until this fundamental problem is solved. One day, the border troubles here will become a serious problem!
Xia Xun thought about it and became more determined in his purpose of going to Hada City.