Late Yuan Dynasty: I am the true emperor

Chapter 573 The Busy Third Year of the Founding of the People's Republic of China
Due to the low natural rainfall in the Houtao region (Bayannur), it is impossible to farm the land by relying solely on natural rainfall. Without artificial modification, the only way to survive is through herding. This is also the reason why the Central Plains regimes of various dynasties could not establish a long-term foothold in the Houtao region.

In the original history, this situation did not change until the late Qing Dynasty, during the Guangxu period. There was a son of a poor landlord in Xingtai, Hebei, named Wang Tongchun. He lost sight in one eye due to smallpox when he was young. Later, he wandered with his father to make a living in the border areas and mingled in Ningxia. Later, he was adopted by his uncle in the clan. He borrowed some money and went to Houtao to rent several hundred acres of land from the local lamas.

He dug a canal himself to draw water from the Yellow River to irrigate his land, and had a bumper harvest that year. He then sold the grain and continued to invest in infrastructure construction, hiring people to dig the canal longer and longer.

From the seventh year of the Guangxu Emperor's reign to the thirtieth year, over a period of twenty-four years, Wang Tongchun personally funded the excavation of five large main canals and more than 270 branch canals in Houtao. These irrigation canals could irrigate more than 7000 hectares of paddy fields and more than 270 million mu of irrigated land. This was the prototype of the later "Eight Major Canals of Houtao".

Of course, these lands did not belong to Wang Tongchun alone. After he became wealthy, he naturally attracted more people to cultivate the land in Houtao. Even so, this method of digging irrigation canals and reclaiming land made Wang Tongchun the largest landlord in Houtao. Every year, he could collect hundreds of thousands of shi of grain just from the income from collecting land rent. However, in the end, most of his land was forcibly bought by the Qing government at an extremely low price.
What does this demonstrate? It shows that although the Houtao region has low natural rainfall, it is still possible to cultivate the land by digging canals to draw water from the Yellow River. Most importantly, even if canals are dug, there is no need to undertake a large-scale project all at once. The canals can be dug wherever the land is cultivated, thus reducing the scale of the project and greatly benefiting the first group of pioneers who went there.

In other words, no matter how powerful Wang Tongchun was, he was just a landlord. He could dig irrigation canals and cultivate fields all by himself. Xu Da led four divisions, 54000 people, to the front line. Could his organizational capacity, mobilization capacity, and the amount of resources he could mobilize be inferior to that of a landlord like Wang Tongchun?

Moreover, Xu Da had been exploring the terrain of the Hetao region since the year before last, covering both the front and back Hetao areas in just over two years.

In addition, ice jams occur every year at the bend of the Yellow River. When the ice jams are rampant, it is easy to see the elevation changes in the Hetao region and where the water is flowing. Aqueducts can be dug along the direction of the water flow, which can prevent the Yellow River from flooding and also use the flooded water to irrigate the fields. It can be described as killing two birds with one stone.

Therefore, at the beginning of spring this year, Xu Da led four divisions of soldiers and civilians to this barren land. Three of his four divisions were immigrants, and the other was the 119th Division under his command. So Xu Da personally led the 119th Division to dig the main canal, while the immigrants of the three divisions only needed to dig the branch canals in front of their homes and their own fields along the main canal.

As a result, with the reasonable allocation of personnel and projects, the efficiency of land reclamation increased dramatically. Seeds were sown that spring, and the immigrants were overjoyed to see the lush green wheat seedlings, soybeans, and sorghum in the fields.

Shanxi is mountainous with limited land and a large population, so many people do not own land. This is why the people of Shanxi have developed a culture of being good at business. Although they have been relocated to the Hetao region, a remote and desolate area, they have been given land, and it is high-quality irrigated land. Naturally, the immigrants are even happier.

Xu Da himself took the lead, personally working in the fields every day. As a result, although the elite soldiers of the 119th Division had some complaints, they couldn't say anything since the Marquis and the General were working in the fields.

In addition, Xu Da ordered people to sow alfalfa seeds on some land that could not be cultivated this year, so that cattle, sheep and horses could graze there. Firstly, alfalfa is a legume that can fertilize the fields. Secondly, grazing cattle and sheep can solve the problems of meat and manure accumulation, and can also reduce the supply of horse feed for the army.

Perhaps it was fate, but Xu Da was very proactive in managing the Hetao region.

The question that Lu Jin had been wondering about was why Zhu Yuanzhang abandoned the strategic location of Hetao. With Zhu's vision, he shouldn't have failed to see the importance of Hetao. In fact, the reason for this was also related to Xu Da.

In the original history, after Zhu Yuanzhang's Northern Expedition recovered Yanyun and Shanxi, he did indeed first establish Dongshengwei at the easternmost edge of the Hetao region, on the border with Shanxi. Zhu Yuanzhang originally intended to continue developing the Hetao region.

However, in the later campaign of the Ming army's three-pronged northern expedition to Karakorum in northern Mongolia, Xu Da's main force of 50,000 central troops was lured into a deep trap by Wang Baobao, resulting in a crushing defeat and heavy losses. Of the 50,000 soldiers, only 10,000 escaped with Xu Da, and the entire army was almost wiped out.

On that occasion, Xu Da not only suffered a defeat but was also pursued by the Northern Yuan all the way from the Mongolian steppe to his doorstep in Shanxi. Xu Da led his remaining troops to rely on the city defense system around Datong to fight against the Yuan army. Although the Yuan army could not enter Shanxi, they invaded the neighboring Hetao region and destroyed Dongshengwei, the only stronghold of the Ming Dynasty in Hetao.
After this upheaval, Dongshengwei was naturally unable to continue to exist, so Zhu Yuanzhang took the opportunity to abolish Dongshengwei. From then on, the Ming Dynasty was unable to rule the Hetao region for more than two hundred years. Instead, the Mongol Tumed tribe took root in the Hetao region for a long time, becoming a major threat to the northern frontier.

In this timeline, Xu Da was naturally unaware that his defeat had led to the Ming Dynasty permanently losing the Hetao region. However, he had already read many military books, and after joining the Shengwu Army, he learned Lu Jin's quick military strategy. He also fought alongside Lu Jin for several years and had a certain understanding of Lu Jin's methods of using troops and his strategies and tactics. His experience and growth were already very different from those in the original timeline, so he could now see the importance of the Hetao region.

As a general stationed on the northern frontier, he had also studied the emperor's intention to continue migrating people to the Hetao region.

In Xu Da's view, since the Ming Dynasty's Northern Expedition succeeded, the emperor never allowed the four armies to continue westward to recover Ningxia, Lanzhou, Hehuang (Qinghai) and other places. Instead, he continuously sent immigrants to Hetao to cultivate land for two years. What was the purpose of doing this?
Based on Lu Jin's past military tactics, especially his fondness for encirclement and annihilation battles, and considering the terrain of the Northwest region, Xu Da guessed that the emperor probably wanted to first repair the grain route through the Hetao region, then send a large army south from the west side of the Hetao region, and then send the main force of the Fourth Front Army north from Lanzhou, thus encircling and attacking Ningxia from both the north and south.

Once Lanzhou and Ningxia are captured, the Ming Dynasty will have a stable rear in the northwest. At that time, the main force of the Fourth Army can continue to advance westward and reach Qinghai or the Hexi Corridor in one go.

What Xu Da needs to do is first manage the grain route along the Hetao region in the north. If he manages it well, he might even become the commander of the northern army when he marches into Ningxia in the future.

In fact, his guess was not wrong. The reason why Lu Jin had not launched the Northwest Offensive for three years after the founding of the Ming Dynasty was that he was now focusing on internal affairs and accumulating strength. He not only planned to relocate people to Hetao to cultivate land, but also extorted warhorses from Goryeo to build more cavalry units. In addition, he was waiting for the full promotion of American crops in the Ming Dynasty and the final military reform.

Once these four things are done, the Ming Dynasty will surely launch another large-scale expansion.

Meanwhile, as Xu Da continued to advance westward towards the Hetao region, the immigration projects in other directions in the north of the Ming Dynasty did not stop. However, unlike the outward expansion in the Hetao region, the focus in other directions was on consolidating existing territories for the time being.

From Jining, east of the Hetao region, all the way to Liaodong, it can be roughly divided into four sections, with the westernmost section being Jining, Zhangbei, and Baochangzhou (Taipusi Banner).

In the past two years, the Ming Dynasty has sent two divisions to migrate along this line. In addition to supplementing the existing population of various counties, they have also been continuously building fortified villages along this line. Although the Great Wall has not been built, each of these fortified villages is equivalent to a stronghold that can be relied upon. By deploying a cavalry unit here, they can rely on a series of fortified villages to conduct mobile warfare against the enemy.

This was equivalent to building a second line of defense in the southern grasslands north of Datong, forming a barrier in northern Shanxi. At the same time, this line was also the western section of the later Jining-Tongliao Railway. The defense of this section was temporarily handled by Liao Yong'an.

The second section in the middle, towards the west, also known as the Lingxi Defense Line (west of the Greater Khingan Mountains), extends northward from Yunzhou (Chicheng), which protrudes northward from the Yanshan Mountains. It passes through Yunxu Prefecture (Guyuan), Huanzhou (Duolun), Shangdu Kaiping, Weiyuan County (Xinjian), Yingchang Prefecture, Zhenlu County (Xinjian), and finally reaches Jingsai Prefecture, which is the later Xilinhot City.

This is a north-south fortified belt that stretches from the northern foothills of the Yanshan Mountains all the way to Xilinhot, a distance of 700 li. Every three to five hundred meters there is a fortified village, ensuring that they are visible to each other. Every ten li there is a small town with strong fortifications. Every few dozen li there is a city, extending all the way north to Xilinhot. Along the way, there are also main roads to facilitate the travel of vehicles and horses.

These fortified villages and towns served not only as settlements for immigrants but also as service stations along the highway and beacons for defense and vigilance. Each fortified village was equipped with a beacon tower, which could be lit to summon the nearest Ming cavalry to engage the enemy if the Mongols attacked.

In cities every few dozen miles, there were also Imperial Guards stationed. Although they could not fight in the field, as long as they could hold the city for a day or two, the Ming Dynasty could mobilize a cavalry division to rush to the rescue within two days and cut off the enemy's rear.

There were three main purposes in building this defensive line. First, it was to block the Xilamulun River Valley, which is the gap between the Greater Khingan Mountains and the Yanshan Mountains. Once this gap was blocked, the nomadic and the fishing and hunting in the Northeast could be separated, preventing them from connecting with each other. In this way, the Ming Dynasty could divide and rule the nomadic and fishing and hunting.

Secondly, it provides early warning for Hebei and Shanxi provinces. Once the Mongols launch a large-scale southward invasion, the enemy will definitely first station themselves in the Xilinhot and Yingchang areas, because the area within a radius of several hundred miles has the most fertile water and grass, as well as a sizable lake, making it the most suitable place for a large army to graze. It is also a forward base for the steppe civilization to invade Hebei. When Genghis Khan attacked the Jin Dynasty, he stationed himself here as a forward base.

Now that the Ming Dynasty has occupied this area ahead of time, even if the nomadic tribes of the grasslands want to move south, they will have to fight the Ming army here first. The Ming Dynasty has thus achieved its goal of shifting the battle line northward to the grasslands, and can use the cities on the grasslands to hold them back. Then, it can mobilize reinforcements from the Hetao region, Shanxi, and Hebei, and seek opportunities to engage the enemy in a decisive battle on the grasslands. This pushes the battle line northward. As long as the Mongols cannot reach the Yanshan area, the damage they cause will be limited. Even if it is a war of attrition, the Ming Dynasty is not afraid of them.

The third is to build a stable grain route to the grasslands. Since Xilinhot can serve as a forward base for the Mongols to move south, it can also serve as a forward base for the Ming Dynasty to move north. The only difference is who controls it.

Now that the Ming Dynasty has this fortified logistics corridor, it can station troops and supplies in Xilinhot during the next northern expedition to the Mongolian steppe, shifting the starting point northward. This will allow for a more relaxed and unhurried approach to offense, defense, and support.

The third line is the Lingdong Line, which is the line east of the Greater Khingan Mountains. It starts from Gubeikou north of Beijing, passes through Xingzhou (Chengde), Songzhou, Chifeng, then Quanning (Wengniu Banner), Linhuang (Bairinzuo Banner), and then extends along the Huangshui River (Xiliao River) all the way to Tongliao.

The purpose of establishing this defense line was to provide early warning to Hebei Province, and at the same time, to block the Xilamulun River Valley from the east, preventing the nomadic people of the grasslands from coexisting with the fishing and hunting activities of the northeast.

There was another objective: to use the local internal defense forces formed by immigrants to replace the main field forces of the Holy Martial Army stationed here. In this way, after two or three years, the field army could regroup and launch a new offensive to the north.

The fourth line is east of Tongliao, all the way to Goryeo, covering the entire territory of Liaoning Province. The purpose is the same as before: to increase the population of Liaoning Province, consolidate the Ming Dynasty's rule in Liaoning, and at the same time, to use the newly formed Inner Guard Army to take over the defensive tasks of the main force, so that the main force in the field can be freed up to fight.

It should be noted that in this timeline, although Nahachu, who led 200,000 remnants of the Northern Yuan, was no longer in Liaodong, there were still remnants of the Mongol forces entrenched in Taining Road (Baicheng City, Jilin Province) who had not yet submitted to the Ming Dynasty. These were the original Doyan Three Guards in history.

If you don't beat these guys up, they won't obediently submit. And even if they submit on the surface, they're only superficially loyal and could rebel again at any time. So Lu Jin never sent anyone to pacify them.

Whether they surrender or not is up to them. Even if they voluntarily submit, Lu Jin will never trust them. Lu Jin will only follow his own plan, using immigrants and cities to push forward one by one. Then we'll see what the Doyan Three Guards do. They will either continue to flee north and hide far away, or they will have to accept the Ming Dynasty's registered population, directly changing from nomadic to settled herding and farming, and then accepting education and gradually becoming Sinicized.

If they're not satisfied, then let's fight. Lu Jin can let them experience the fate of the Galdan tribe being wiped out beforehand.

The Ming Dynasty is currently thriving. It is expanding outwards from its core to all directions. Outside the west gate of Jiankang City, on the shore of Yanque Lake, the first reinforced concrete brick-and-mortar building of the Ming Dynasty has also risen from the ground. The three teaching buildings on the west side have now been built to two stories and are still being built higher.

The Jinling Arsenal and Jinling Machinery Factory, located to the north and south of Jiankang City, are also under rapid construction.

In several workshops along the Qinhuai River, there was an exquisitely crafted brass spray gun connected to a rubber hose and two high-pressure cylinders containing acetylene and oxygen. First, the valve was opened, and the acetylene gas was ignited with a tinderbox. Then, the oxygen was gradually released, and the spray gun immediately shot out a dazzling white flame. When this flame was aimed at a ten-centimeter-thick cast iron plate, the scorching flame burned through the iron plate in just a few seconds. Continuing to move the spray gun, the flame would cut a piece off the iron plate.

Such an incredible industrial artifact immediately drew gasps of astonishment from the surrounding craftsmen.

Meanwhile, the air compressor next door was also roaring under the power of the steam engine. The pressure gauge on it was spinning rapidly, and it quickly raised the pressure in the air tank to 0.5 MPa, which is about five times the standard atmospheric pressure. This is about the common working pressure of a piston air compressor. Although it is still in the low-pressure category, it is already a kind of black technology in this era.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the ocean, the Yuanwang fleet, led by Wang Dayuan and Ye Dui, also successfully opened up a new route. They set off from Hokkaido on the first day of April, riding the North Pacific warm current eastward without stopping anywhere along the way. The entire journey took 36 days, and they successfully arrived at Yuzhuji (Los Angeles).

Then, without stopping, it turned south and arrived at Xiangxun Port (Acapulco) in June. It stayed in Xiangxun Port for a month, unloaded the goods brought from the Ming Dynasty, and loaded gold, silver and rubber collected in Xiangxun Port. In July, the Yuanwang set sail north again and embarked on its journey back to China.

Ye Dui and another ship, the Luzhou, remained in the Americas for the time being. They were heading south of Xiangxun Port to establish the Ming Dynasty's second stronghold in the Americas on the Isthmus of Panama.

Meanwhile, in Southeast Asia, Chen Youliang, after seizing most of the territory on the east coast of Borneo in the spring, led his troops back to Sulawesi (New Jin Province), where he purged the natives in other parts of the island, killing some and selling others, and now he has basically taken control of the entire Sulawesi Island.

It wasn't until July of that year that Chen Youliang officially began his pirate career. He led his fleet to carry out the plan to blockade the Sulu Kingdom. In just three months, he sank and captured more than 20 ships. Any ship that dared to trade with the Sulu Kingdom was killed without mercy.

The first group of Ming Dynasty merchants to set sail all stopped at Brunei, a kingdom on the west coast of Borneo, for trade. Before setting sail, they had received a notice from the Ming government that anyone who dared to stop at Sulu for trade would be considered a traitor who aided the enemy and would be punished for treason.

At the same time, the Ming Dynasty also issued a statement to various countries in Southeast Asia, prohibiting any country from having any dealings with Sulu. Regardless of your purpose, if you dare to send a ship to Sulu, the Ming Dynasty will seize the ship directly, and you will bear the consequences.

With these three measures combined, the Sulu Kingdom quickly became unsustainable. The Sulu Kingdom was a maritime commercial nation established by Semu people in Southeast Asia. Once no ships docked, they could not collect commercial taxes, and the government naturally could not maintain itself.

Upon discovering that they were being targeted by the Ming Dynasty and Brunei, Sulu was furious and sent a fleet to drive away Chen Youliang's fleet. However, although Chen Youliang's fleet consisted of only one fourth-class frigate, it was still a proper warship equipped with 46 cannons. Sulu's traditional merchant ships were no match for it, and they couldn't even defeat ordinary Fujian ships of the Ming Dynasty.

Although Chen Youliang failed to annihilate the Sulu fleet in this battle, and half of them escaped, the power of the cannons and warships still frightened them so much that they dared not break out by sea again.

Sulu quickly adjusted its strategy and launched a land attack on Brunei, hoping to break through the encirclement and contain the conflict.

Brunei was inherently weaker than Sulu, but fortunately, they had allied with the Ming Dynasty in advance. Although the Ming Dynasty did not directly send troops to participate in the land battle, it sold Brunei a batch of captured Yuan army weapons and armor. In addition, with the support of Ming intelligence, they were informed in advance that Sulu might invade and were reminded to ambush them along the way.

At the same time, Chen Youliang also sent a fleet to provide cover. As soon as the tens of thousands of troops from Sulu reached the border of Brunei, he took a gunboat directly to Hokkien, the capital of Sulu, and bombarded the city, pretending to land and attack.

In addition, he ordered Zhao Yu, the commander of the Nanyang Fleet, to lead the remaining dozen or so Fujian ships and a regiment of soldiers to actually land in Sandakan, loot the city, and burn down their Islamic temples.

In this way, the Ming Dynasty's naval fleet and Brunei cooperated with each other. Sulu's army had just been ambushed by Brunei on the border when they heard news that their capital had been bombarded and Sandakan had been plundered. Their morale collapsed immediately, and Brunei's army seized the opportunity to strike hard when they were down, annihilating 30,000 Sulu soldiers in one battle and achieving a great victory.

With its borders besieged and its ports blockaded by the Ming Dynasty, Sulu's national strength quickly declined. If it continued to be attacked from both sides by the Ming Dynasty and Brunei for several years, the complete annihilation of Sulu was not far off.

It was at this time that Wang Dayuan led the Yuanwang ship back to Southeast Asia from Lizhou. Meanwhile, in the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Liangzu and Liao Yongzhong officially launched a campaign to conquer Yunnan and Guizhou provinces.

(End of this chapter)