Guangzong Yaoming

Chapter 440 Eastern Father
In the future, their descendants will also make a living by relying on resources.

At this point in time, they can still eat a bite of the meal as mercenaries.

Although Japan has some "iron cannon teams", it generally still fights with cold weapons.

"Cross the sea..." Lindan Batur murmured to himself.

"Your ancestors didn't know how to fight at sea, and Goryeo was not very powerful at that time." Zhu Changluo looked at them, "The Ming Dynasty is different. The Nanyang Fleet just swept the Western gunboats in Malacca, and I have ordered the Portuguese officials who surrendered and the Dutch who happened to be here on a diplomatic mission to come here, and the envoys from the Ryukyu Kingdom are also here. In this battle, I will destroy that country!"

In the words of Changshengtian Khan, the fate of Japan sounded much worse than theirs.

The current military strength of the Ming Dynasty is of course beyond doubt. Zhu Changluo hopes that they can send brave generals and soldiers to follow the Ming Dynasty.

The area there is not small, and it is rugged and mountainous. Although the Ming Dynasty now has overwhelming strength, the goal is not to defeat it, but to plow the fields and dig holes and change the sky. Such a task always requires the land vanguard to push forward and occupy inch by inch.

Therefore, Zhu Changluo first told them about the forces that the Ming Dynasty would soon send.

The Korean route was led by Ma Gui, the Marquis of Xiliang, a famous general who was well known to all the tribes. He was already 77 years old, and even if he did not go to the frontline himself, his sons and nephews had already begun to show their prowess in the new border of the Ming Dynasty. They led the border troops drawn from the three towns of Xuanfu, Liaoxi, and Liaodong.

The Ryukyu route was led by Shen Yourong, the admiral of the Oriental Fleet and Marquis of Fubo, with the Xiaoling Guard led by Xu Hongji, Duke of Wei, as the backbone, the Beijing camp soldiers led by meritorious officials such as Marquis of Taining as the land force, and some brave soldiers from the Takumi militia and foreign companies.

What was particularly significant was the presence of Prince Lu and the emperor's two younger brothers, as well as the leadership of Tian Le, the former Privy Councilor of the Ming Dynasty, who led a number of Korean civil and military generals.

"You can pay attention. The Ming Dynasty also needs time to make advance preparations." Zhu Changluo looked at them. "After Tsushima Island and Ryukyu are stabilized, you will have to make a decision. If you still can't make a decision on the day when the two armies set out, then the more than 10 million people of Japan will have nothing to do with you."

"More than 10 million?" Manggusi was shocked.

"Except for Tianfeng Dilong and their own struggle for power, there have never been any foreign enemies in the Japanese islands. One and a half million is no more, no less, and this is the result of a hundred years of fighting each other." Zhu Changluo said decisively, "Don't be afraid! On the contrary, after the war, the Ming Dynasty does not want so many Japanese to remain there! Even if you bring back a million people, I can allow it!"

“…That won’t do, it’s too much…” Manggusi immediately muttered to himself.

The total population of most of Khorchin is only about 200,000.

The total population of all Mongolian tribes probably totaled less than two million.

Now, Changshengtian Khan said that as long as they have the ability, they can bring back a million people, which is really a bit "overwhelming".

There was a feeling that he had given too much.

Zhu Changluo went on to say, "There are many Japanese people and craftsmen. Nearly a thousand years ago, they sent many envoys to the Tang Dynasty, and I don't know how many skills they learned from the Central Plains. But the Zhao Song Dynasty was weak, and your ancestors were defeated repeatedly in the eastward expedition. They became arrogant, first attacking the southeastern sea border of the Ming Dynasty, and even crossing the sea with a large army to first attack Korea and then the Liaodong area of ​​the Ming Dynasty. Although there are many people, the daimyo in various places are separatist. Although they nominally obey the orders of the shogun, they are still fighting on their own."

It was as if it was a piece of delicious fat meat.

In the eyes of the Ming Dynasty, Japan is not a strong enemy as long as the Ming Dynasty is determined.

The Ming Dynasty is now fully determined.

First of all, the emperor must be determined, and the central government must implement the emperor's will.

Secondly, the military generals were determined. Ma Gui's family and the Duke of Wei were essentially expanding their own territory.

Finally, some Korean civil and military officials and Ming Dynasty maritime merchants were determined to do what they could not do in Korea and Ming Dynasty. In order to consolidate its rule, Ming Dynasty naturally allowed a group of new families to emerge there and control the main interests.

Zhu Changluo placed the general arrangement in front of them, his eyes burning, mainly fixed on Lindan Batur.

"If Chahar sends out 10,000 elite cavalry and the enemy suddenly arrives from the north..." Lindan Batur said hesitantly.

Zhu Changluo had a complicated expression. He sighed and asked, "Are you worried about the enemies in the north or the south? Or are you worried that the elite cavalry you sent out will never come back?"

The others lowered their heads uncomfortably upon hearing this.

Yes, this possibility cannot be ruled out. If troops are sent to assist the Ming Dynasty in the war, it is reasonable that something will happen to them in the vast ocean and on the distant islands. Even if some captured people are compensated to them, can these people replace the young and strong elite soldiers?
At the same time, once they did this, their various tribes would of course be in a relatively weak stage. If the Ming Dynasty turned against them at this time, they would have no choice but to flee everywhere.

But no one expected Changsheng Tianhan to be so straightforward and to immediately point out everyone's concerns.

"For so many years, I have set up a college for your tribe's children to study; I have opened border markets to exchange what we have with you; we have kept in touch through letters and met frequently; the women you have presented to me are all of high status in my palace." Zhu Changluo seemed very disappointed, "Today, you are still worried that I will kill you all? If I had such an intention, why would I have gone through so much trouble?"

He said with a stern face, "Once the border market is cut off, the Ming Dynasty will defend the new border. Do you dare to attack, or can you withstand the severe cold? In a few years, how many people and livestock will be left in your tribes?"

Lindan Batur quickly changed his posture and knelt in front of him: "Please forgive me, Khan Changshengtian. I am terrified..."

"I thought this method would be the best of both worlds. It would not only solve your debt problem, but also give you more manpower in each department. You can set up factories in your newly built city or outside the city, whether it is mining coal and iron or nitrifying furs and spinning woolen materials. You can also get rid of the embarrassing situation of relying solely on grazing and logging to support your needs."

Zhu Changluo looked at their necks. Whether it was because of the hot summer weather or because they were very nervous at the moment, they were sweating a lot.

A breeze blew by, and I wonder if they felt the coolness on their necks.

"What Changsheng Tianhan said is absolutely right. It's me who is stupid..."

"Everyone sit down. I don't blame you. Being a leader requires you to be thoughtful."

Zhu Changluo changed his tone to a warm one again: "You guys, put your hearts back in your stomachs. No matter what, if you let go of that obsession of unifying all the tribes and being unrivaled, in the end it will only be wealth and honor. Can't I give you this wealth and honor? Even if you unify all the tribes and be unwavering, Dayan was indeed majestic in the past, but what about now? The grassland is too big. How much of the area can you control if you try to reform it now?"

Lindan Batur said yes reluctantly.

"You who were born and raised in the grasslands have no good solutions, and I don't want to and can't manage such a large area. As long as you always follow the Ming Dynasty, the grasslands will always be yours, and the Ming Dynasty can still help you."

Zhu Changluo pretended to be helpless and spread his hands: "If we always guard against the Ming Dynasty, the rift will never be resolved. One day, the civil and military officials of the Ming Dynasty will question me: If you don't have virtue, do you think the Ming Dynasty should always help you? You must understand my painstaking efforts. In the past, there were memorials to cut the grass and root out the roots. Now the soldiers are eager for merit, and I just let them look to the east and south."

The words have been said very bluntly, but since you are already like fish, how can you roar at the knife and chopping board?
Besides, the Ming Dynasty can indeed be said to have been helping them over the years - at least it was true that they were allowed to buy goods on credit.

The current method of debt collection is gentle enough and also leaves them room for imagination in terms of return.

But everyone knew that once the troops were sent to fight with the Ming Dynasty, they would be under the control of the Ming Dynasty's generals. And those people would definitely be wooed by the Ming Dynasty. Some might directly become Ming Dynasty generals, while others might stay in Japan to live a happy life and never come back.

"The Khan of the Eternal Heaven is so kind and generous, I am grateful to him!" Lindan Batur looked at him, "I am willing to lead the army and follow the Heavenly Soldiers to the East!"

"... personally lead the army?" Zhu Changluo looked at him meaningfully, "What about the Chahar tribe?"

"... Taiji Daiqing is still in good health."

"...Alright. This way, the elite troops sent by each tribe will have a leader with sufficient prestige." Zhu Changluo no longer cared about his little thoughts. "What your ancestors failed to do in the past, even though you are now the last son-in-law of the Ming Dynasty, if you can do it, it will be a good story. Lindan Batur, if this battle is successful, I know your ambition and will not hesitate to help you. You are still young, if there are men from various tribes who are willing to obey you in the future, how about I help you move west and rebuild the Western Region Khanate?"

Lindan Batur was shocked, and the other leaders puzzled about the meaning of his words, and then looked at Lindan Batur with their own thoughts.

This guy was willing to go there in person, and the elite soldiers sent by various tribes were unfamiliar with the place and worried about being sold out by the Ming Dynasty, so of course they had to stick together. At this time, Lindan Batur's identity was very critical, and he was indeed very likely to rally the hearts of the soldiers from various tribes.

If he returns victoriously, not only helping the tribes to capture wealth and people, but also gaining recognition from the generals and soldiers of the tribes, Lindan Batur will have great prestige in the tribes after he returns.

Of course, even in this case, he would not be able to unite all the tribes and fight against the Ming Dynasty. But if he changed his mindset and resolutely led the vassal armies of all tribes to fight with the Ming Dynasty, he would have a powerful coalition of all tribes, and the remnants of the Oirat in the west and the more distant areas north and west of the Tianshan Mountains could be conquered.

If you can’t defeat the Ming Dynasty, can’t you hide?
This can be considered as a roundabout way of establishing a country. He seemed unwilling to be just a dog of the Ming Dynasty, and there were many such people in various ministries.

Changsheng Tianhan seemed to tolerate his thoughts. But now that his thoughts were pointed out, the other tribes began to consider: How could they let him kidnap the elite soldiers and generals of the tribes?

But can they go in person like Lindan Batur did? If they all go there in person to restrain their subordinates, but Dai Qing, the old fox, stays here...

Lindan Batur looked at Zhu Changluo with a somewhat aggrieved expression: Why do you always do this?
Zhu Changluo was amused, but his expression was serious: "I am not lying!"

This is exactly the case. Either Lindan Batur completely forgets about the glory of his ancestors and is really willing to be a minister of the Ming Dynasty; or he takes these troublemakers away and finds a place in the distant Western Regions to be the king and enjoy the pleasure.

Without a fundamental institutional design, that would be the happiness of his generation.

On the grasslands in the north, the Ming Dynasty only needs some foreign princes who are content with their wealth. The Ming Dynasty can guarantee this. The vast land does have value for them to exist and help the Ming Dynasty maintain its claim to the vast land. When the technical conditions are mature enough, it will be time to cultivate the land carefully.

At least we have to wait until this long little ice age is over.

How to dispatch elite troops and how many to send from each tribe still need to be discussed. They also need to discuss with the leaders of other small and medium-sized tribes after returning.

But the general direction has been determined.

Then the Ming Dynasty started to work and set up factories with them.

In this regard, Zhu Changluo certainly has many mature models. To put it bluntly, it is another means of bundling interests. Whether it is leasing and selling land or franchised joint ventures, it must only involve the top leaders of various departments. At the same time, there are also various aspects of taxation and management.

Of course, this can only be done by government-run companies. After all, if there is no strong strength to guarantee and endorse, it is hard to guarantee that it will not be eaten up.

"I will stay here for two or three months, so you don't have to rush. Send fast horses back, and those who can come should come, and discuss many details first." Zhu Changluo patted his legs and stood up, "Let's put aside the past grudges and work together sincerely. If you only rely on the grace and power of Changshengtian like in the past, you will inevitably have to fight for wealth with swords and guns in the end. Now that you have accepted me as the Khan of Changshengtian, I will give you some stable livelihoods."

Zhu Changluo is right on this point. As long as the cooperation mechanism for the management of the "parks" of the various ministries and commissions that are being discussed at the moment is established, then each ministry can have a share of the pie.

Steam engines were already developed and the Little Ice Age had arrived, so why couldn’t wool spinning be done? With vast grasslands, the Ming Dynasty did not need to engage in enclosure movements where sheep ate people, and could just do it on the grasslands.

Killing two birds with one stone. Ordinary herders can have a stable source of income by herding peacefully. How much energy will they have to fight for their lives on the battlefield? And with the interests tied together, the industries of the Ming Dynasty extended to the newly built cities of the tribes in the south of the desert and Liaodong. Sooner or later, cultural and economic exchanges would quietly divide them.

After becoming a little more affluent, these "industrialized" settlements became nests that the tribes could no longer easily abandon. With the advantage of mobility lost, they had to think twice before doing anything else. Are they willing to return to a life of wandering and eating raw meat?
Wool textiles and furs, meat products, and dairy products from the grasslands are good things that are destined to be sold in Ming Dynasty and more places during the cold season.

The Ming Dynasty’s human resources were limited, so Manggusi certainly had to try his best to win them.

He followed the emperor and said that Chahar already had a coal field, and Khorchin had only timber and livestock...

Haoshan and Zhezhe have been sent to the emperor for so many years, and their stomachs are not doing well. Even in terms of fighting, the Khorchin army seems to be no match for the Chahar army. What will happen in the future?
At the same time, they naturally had to send someone back to the tribe on horseback to convey the latest intentions of the Eternal Heavenly Khan, and invite leaders who were influential enough or whom they hoped to cooperate with to come for negotiations.

Zhu Changluo then summoned the Portuguese officials who surrendered, the Dutch envoys and the Ryukyu envoys.

It was another grand and rugged bonfire dinner with strong liquor, barbecue, and grassland singing and dancing.

Zhu Changluo just wanted them to see how the various tribes on the grassland now submitted to him.

As if it was fear in their blood, or perhaps they had already sensed the terror of the Eastern Empire's naval power, the Portuguese surrendered officials and Dutch envoys looked at how submissive the Mongolian chieftains were before the Eastern emperor, and when they saw them looking at them as if they were prey, they naturally became even more frightened.

Lindan Batur and his men heard the Khan Changshengtian say to them: Nanyang is the Nanyang of the Ming Dynasty. If the Western countries do not want to bury their fleets in the East, they must stop east of Outer Yunnan. In this way, they can send envoys to the Ming Dynasty's Southern Capital to stay there permanently, and their merchant ships can also reach the Nanyang New Port and the Ming Dynasty's Southern Capital.

Several things they had never heard of were also mentioned: rubber, guano, potatoes, corn, sweet potatoes, and peanuts.

Several of these crops have already been found in the southeast coast, but there are still problems with breeding and improvement.

Another characteristic of the Little Ice Age is drought, so the Ming Dynasty also needed to make preparations early and cultivate and promote some drought-resistant crops.

Although the fertilizer industry still needs the development of chemistry, guano, which is easiest to collect on isolated islands in the ocean, can certainly be used as one of the goods in their trade with the East.

They can’t produce many good things that the Ming Dynasty would appreciate now.

Finally, Shang Feng and Xiang Heling came to Zhu Changluo to toast.

"Don't worry." Zhu Changluo pointed at several princes in the northern border and said, "When Marquis Fubo returns to the Ming Dynasty, you will follow him back to Ryukyu. Soon, the Ming soldiers and elite cavalry from the grassland will cross the river to the east. You don't have to worry about the threat from the east. They will no longer exist soon!"

The tone was stern but affirmative. Shang Feng and Xiang Heling were overjoyed and knelt down to express their gratitude with great respect.

In the emperor's summer palace, the next two or three months were filled with negotiations with various parties, which were handled by high-ranking Ming officials who accompanied the emperor there.

Among them were foreign vassal states in the northern border, Ryukyu, as well as surrendered officials and envoys from the West.

The Lifanyuan and the Guanchanyuan discussed with the various tribes in the northern border about setting up factories, and discussed trade terms with the Netherlands in preparation for them to report back to the country and then send a special diplomatic team.

The Privy Council, the northern border tribes, and Ryukyu were discussing the eastern expedition.

The new order established by the Ming Dynasty in the East has begun to take shape, and this order is guaranteed by military force, institutions and national strength.

Zhu Changluo was the emperor of the empire, the Eternal Khan, and the common overlord of all the foreign vassal states.

By the end of August, the Machinery Institute was ordered to speed up the modification of a ship which slowly sailed from the lower reaches of the Luan River to Chengde, breaking the tranquility of the Xiagong Lake.

Paddle steamers are not new. There were carriages and ships thousands of years ago. "The carriages and ships between Jinghu were inherited from Cao Wang Gao, the heir of the Tang Dynasty. Some of them had 30 or 40 carriages, with double wheels, and were driven forward by drums and horses."

But now, it is no longer people on the boat who pedal. The dull and rhythmic steam engine roars in the belly of the ship, and the chimney emits smoke and gas.

This ship looked very large on the lake, but of course it was not as big as a huge warship or cargo ship. So although it had no sails, it could come and go freely.

On the shore, Zhu Changluo brought many people to watch.

The Dutch envoys looked solemn, while Lindan Batur and others were confused about what this was.

Zhu Changluo smiled and said, "In a few years, you will see long carts that don't need horses to pull them, and huge ships that don't need sails but can sail faster. The machines used in them are enough to withstand the force of hundreds of strong horses pulling together, and iron carts and iron ships are no problem. Use them to drive wheels and oars, and you can get closer to anywhere."

Lindan Batu's face suddenly changed.

The strength of hundreds of strong horses working together?

Looking at their different expressions, Zhu Changluo said meaningfully: "Since we have almost finished talking, let's go back and make preparations. As long as you obey the will of the Ming Dynasty, I will protect all tribes, so that you can deal with natural disasters effectively and the people of all tribes can live better than before!"

The boat was still circling on the lake like a toy.

But it was certainly not a toy, it was just a first step to verify that the steam engine was sufficient to drive the ship.

With this first ship, there will be countless ships in the future, and they will definitely get bigger and bigger.

The Dutch and Portuguese were chilled.

There are already such disturbing ships in the East, and stopping in the South China Sea seems to be a mercy from the Eastern Empire.

Otherwise, although the ocean is vast, who can stop the warships from the East from reaching the Atlantic?
(End of this chapter)