My Portable Ming Dynasty

Chapter 445 The Theory of Civilization Classification

Su Ze could only sigh that some people are destined for officialdom.

Shen Yiguan received preferential treatment from Zhu Dashou from the moment he entered the Hanlin Academy.

Zhu Dashou and his uncle Shen Mingchen were both listed as the Ten Friends of Yuezhong, and he had a close relationship with Shen Yiguan.

Now that Zhu Dashou has entered the cabinet, and Shen Yiguan is the head of the Department of Justice and Rites, it would be perfect for him to serve as Zhu Dashou's political secretary.

Working in the cabinet and having a supportive leader is crucial for career advancement.

Shen Yiguan was originally worried about how the new Grand Secretary would need to adjust, but now that Zhu Dashou has taken office as Grand Secretary, there is no need for adjustment period at all.

Then there's Luo Wanhua.

Luo Wanhua was not as politically astute as Shen Yiguan, and his thinking about the political situation was always a step behind, making it difficult for him to accurately grasp the changes in the political landscape.

However, he was also aware of his own limitations, knowing that his political acumen was mediocre, so he would observe and think more, and act only after careful consideration.

Moreover, having worked as an editor at a newspaper for a long time, Luo Wanhua, though lacking in political talent, was still very perceptive of political minefields.

No one understands the political minefield better than the newspaper's editor-in-chief.

Luo Wanhua, the head of the Kongmu branch, was cautious and discreet in his work, a trait that made him very suitable among the five branches of the Zhongshu Menxia.

Managing such a confidential department naturally required caution and discretion. Luo Wanhua consulted the Grand Secretaries on everything, which pleased them and they all praised him for his mature and appropriate handling of affairs.

This is a very high evaluation. After all, most positions don't actually require much creativity; being steady is the standard for competence. If Luo Wanhua can receive such praise from a cabinet minister, his future career will definitely be much smoother.

Of course, after the establishment of the five branches of the Secretariat, Su Ze was the most prominent.

After the selection of cabinet ministers at this meeting, officials in the capital saw the power of the five departments of the Secretariat and Chancellery, and Su Ze's reputation as the "shadow cabinet minister" was further solidified.

There are even rumors circulating that Su Ze orchestrated the recent appointment of these high-ranking officials to the cabinet.

Su Ze was helpless against such rumors, and in fact, it seemed that he did bear some credit for them.

Su Ze looked at the settlement report.

The "Memorial Requesting Smallpox Vaccination for Children" was passed.

The newly appointed Minister of Education and Health Care, Zhu Dashou, approves of your memorial.

The memorial was swiftly approved, and with the encouragement of the high-ranking officials, vaccinations were implemented in various provinces.

After Zhu Dashou joined the cabinet, he promoted the development of teacher professional titles and the compilation of unified teaching materials, thus establishing the framework of modern basic education.

[National fortune +1.]

[Prestige Value +1000.]

[Remaining Prestige: 4950]

They actually added 1000 prestige points?

Su Ze guessed that the prestige points were also related to the rumors.

Su Ze smiled wryly. Sometimes, your actions don't earn you prestige, but some unfounded rumors can greatly increase it.

The human heart is truly an unpredictable thing.
-
"Li Banzheng!"

Today is the first ten days of December, a day off, and the Beijing Garrison's new army has given all its officers and soldiers a holiday.

As the year draws to a close, it is a time when the military cannot relax its vigilance, and officers like Li Rusong still have to take turns reporting on their duties.

So this holiday can be considered an early start to the annual leave.

Since it was a day off, Li Rusong's friends from his time at the military academy arranged a get-together.

Upon hearing the familiar address, Li Rusong greeted him warmly.

Seeing his classmates and friends rushing to the front lines while he remained in the capital, Li Rusong felt frustrated and depressed for a long time.

In particular, a few days ago, my good friend Xia Zhongxiao wrote me a letter, telling me about his new life in Liaodong.

Xia Zhongxiao followed the Zhenbei Army northward and became an officer under his father Li Chengliang, beginning the campaign to eliminate the Jurchens in the north.

Xia Zhongxiao was originally from a military town in Liaodong. When he arrived in Liaodong, it was like returning to his hometown. However, many soldiers from Zhenbei who were not from Liaodong were frightened by the bitter cold weather in Liaodong.

Thanks to the imperial court's thorough preparations, they provided the Zhenbei Army with supplies to keep them warm.

Otherwise, if several officers and soldiers freeze to death before a single battle is fought, the Zhenbei Army will lose face among the new troops of the Beijing Garrison.

Xia Zhongxiao arrived in Liaoyang first, but after arriving there, he learned that the headquarters of the Andong Protectorate had already headed north. He then led his soldiers to continue north, and finally caught up with Li Chengliang when they reached the ancient city of Fuyu.

The city had been renamed Jilin. After Xia Zhongxiao arrived, he was assigned the task of clearing out the surrounding Jurchen tribes.

The Ming army had a significant advantage in equipment, and the Jurchen tribes were quickly defeated on the main battlefield.

However, Xia Zhongxiao said that after these Jurchen tribes retreated into the mountains, the situation changed again.

Because they hid in the mountains, the Ming army's supply lines were stretched out, making it impossible for them to penetrate deep into the mountains to pursue and capture the enemy.

With the onset of winter, clearing operations deep into the mountains becomes extremely difficult.

The Liao River basin is the only area in the entire Liaodong region suitable for farming.

Further north of the Liao River, the land is bitterly cold, with vast stretches of frozen swamps, making it uninhabitable for both agricultural and nomadic peoples.

To the west lies the Tongliao region, which connects with the grasslands and is an area where nomadic peoples were active. The Ming Dynasty has now established the Tongliao Fortress to control this area.

To the northeast of Liaoyang lies the Sanjiang Plain, including Jiamusi and other areas in the original Su Zeyuan timeline. This area was the territory of the Wild Jurchens.

These Jurchen people, who lived by fishing and hunting, were relatively submissive to the Ming Dynasty and mostly paid tribute to it.

The most troublesome area is the Changbai Mountain region, which borders North Korea.

This is the area where the Jianzhou Jurchens were active.

The Jianzhou Jurchens were also the most difficult to deal with.

Li Rusong recalled Su Ze's "Civilization Classification Theory".

When Su Ze was teaching at the Martial Arts Academy, he proposed a theory of civilization division.

Civilizations are classified by how they obtain food.

The Central Plains civilization was a typical agrarian civilization, so its most important asset was land, and political power was established on the basis of the land system.

Besides agriculture, there were the nomadic peoples who were the long-time rivals of the Han people.

There are many nomadic peoples, from the Xiongnu to the Turks, and then the Mongols.

The rise of these nomadic peoples followed similar paths: they lived on the more resource-poor grasslands, made a living by herding, formed tribes based on their herds, and then, through a process of nurturing and developing, eventually emerged a powerful grassland regime.

These two are common; the less common ones are fishing and hunting.

Of course, for Li Rusong, the fishing and hunting tribe was easy to understand; wasn't it just the Jurchen savages?

Fishing and hunting tribes, as the name suggests, are those that live by fishing and hunting, obtaining food through fishing and hunting.

Unlike nomadic tribes, fishing and hunting tribes lived near water, and their settlements were relatively fixed. Therefore, the Jurchen people were actually quite compliant with the Ming Dynasty.

The original timeline was the same; the wild Jurchens were oppressed and plundered by the Jianzhou Jurchens for a long time, and only joined the Jianzhou Jurchens at the very end.

Even the Mongols formed an alliance with the Jianzhou Jurchens much earlier.

Today, the Wild Jurchens are also one of the vassal states of the Ming Dynasty, providing the Ming with treasures such as sable, pearls, and ginseng. They rarely clash with the Ming Dynasty through tribute trade along the Liao River.

According to Su Ze's theory, nomadic and hunting peoples would not be a major threat to the Ming Dynasty.

The reason is simple: nomadic and hunting peoples, without agricultural technology, cannot have a stable food production and therefore cannot form a stable regime.

They may have risen to prominence because of the bravery of their tribes, but with the advent of the firearms age, the physical and horsemanship advantages of nomadic hunter-gatherer peoples were being offset.

An ordinary Ming soldier could easily kill a strong Mongol warrior using firearms.

Artillery further weakened the already fragile defenses of the nomadic peoples.

Bastions could control important areas, thus negating the advantages of nomadic migration.

Suze said in class that the most dangerous groups are those in mixed-race areas.

For example, the Jianzhou Jurchens.

Although the Changbai Mountain area is mountainous, it also has basins that can be cultivated.

The Jianzhou Jurchens absorbed the technology of the Ming Dynasty for a long time and developed their own agricultural techniques, cultivating the land in the Changbai Mountains.

They also retained their hunting and fishing racial characteristics, and could abandon their strongholds and hide in the mountains to live, just like the problem that the Andong Protectorate is facing now. Once winter comes, the siege against the Jianzhou Jurchens must be suspended.

In the spring, the Han people of Liaodong also had to cultivate the land, so there wasn't much time in the year when they could actually fight.

When faced with the strength of the Ming Dynasty, the Jianzhou Jurchens would retreat to the Changbai Mountains. The Ming Dynasty was unfamiliar with the terrain of the Changbai Mountains and could not fight for a long time in the snow-covered mountains, so they had no choice but to retreat.

The Jianzhou Jurchens, living in mixed regions, absorbed the advanced agricultural techniques and political and military systems of the Ming Dynasty. For example, the Jianzhou Jurchens were originally the border guards of the Ming Dynasty, and they also mastered the Ming military system and were familiar with the Ming army's combat methods.

Another example is Wang Gao, the leader of the Jianzhou Jurchens who was previously killed by Li Chengliang. Wang Gao had already established an official government in the Jianzhou Jurchens and began to appoint officials to manage the agricultural areas.

The Jianzhou Jurchens controlled the Changbai Mountain region and were able to use trade routes to block the Wild Jurchens in the more northerly regions, replenishing their troops from among the Wild Jurchens and obtaining more resources by oppressing these "kindreds".

In the original timeline, this is how the Jurchens acquired their elite soldiers.

Therefore, tribes in these mixed regions often possess characteristics of both agricultural and nomadic hunting and fishing areas, absorbing the strengths of both and posing a threat to the civilized world.

This is why, even though his father, Li Chengliang, had already defeated the rebel leader Wang Gao, Su Ze continued to propose colonizing Liaodong.

Li Rusong agrees with this.

In fact, apart from the Mongols, almost all the foreign tribes that posed a great threat to the Central Plains originated from tribes in mixed regions, as Su Ze described.

Xia Zhongxiao's letter described several battles, none of which were major battles, but they all made Li Rusong eager to go to the battlefield and kill the enemy.

It's a pity there's no war in the Northwest!

Even if there were wars, with Qi Jiguang stationed in the Northwest, it would be impossible for their Kerulen Army to even get a chance to fight.

Since he couldn't go to the battlefield, Li Rusong began to study strategy.

He started with Liaodong, which he was most familiar with, and began to study how to solve the Jurchen problem in the Changbai Mountain area.

After starting his research, Li Rusong found that his irritability and depression had disappeared.

Li Rusong chose to start with history.

He consulted historical archives from the Han Dynasty's campaigns against Wiman Joseon and the Tang Dynasty's attacks on Goguryeo, searching for methods of military operations in the Changbai Mountain region.

Therefore, during his daily rest days, Li Rusong would always choose to return to the Military Academy, because the Military Academy could use the library of the Imperial Academy, which had a collection of books second only to the Hanlin Academy.

If it weren't for being held back by his classmates, Li Rusong wouldn't have wanted to leave the library of the Martial Arts Academy today. Seeing the wine on the table, Li Rusong felt a headache coming on again.

Strong liquor is naturally popular in the military; drinking so much would probably make him unconscious.

Seeing his enthusiastic classmates, Li Rusong suddenly said:

"Gentlemen, the Zhenbei and Annan armies are making great contributions on the front lines, while we are still wasting our time in the capital. Aren't you all feeling bad?"

Hearing Li Rusong say this, his classmates present were all moved.

Who doesn't want to showcase their skills? Who doesn't want to make a name for themselves?
The Annamite New Army has won a series of victories in Guangxi, and it is said that more than 30 military officers have been commended and promoted this time.

Zhu Shikun's military achievements were the most outstanding, and he had already received a commendation from the imperial court, with his military rank being promoted two levels.

Back then, only the most elite cavalry academy could select the Khrushchev Army. Now, those classmates who were not as good as him have made great achievements. How can one not feel anxious?
Li Rusong said:
"Gentlemen, I received a letter from my father a few days ago, which discussed the predicament of the war in Northeast China."

“I want to share the burden with the court and my father. These days I’ve been thinking about how to deal with the Jianzhou Jurchens.”

"I was thinking that instead of drinking here, why don't we brainstorm and come up with a plan to pacify Liaodong?"

Everyone knows that Li Rusong's father, Li Chengliang, held the official position of Deputy Protector-General of the Andong Protectorate.

Of course, Li Chengliang couldn't possibly write to his son to ask for advice on pacifying Liaodong, but since Li Rusong said so, everyone naturally believed him.

"What's the point of drinking? We should be strategizing!"

Someone shouted, and everyone stood up.

Li Rusong then said:

"I thought of starting with history, summarizing the strategies of our predecessors in pacifying Liaodong, and combining policy and military strategies."

“During his free time these days, Li would read books in the library of the Imperial College.”

Everyone said:

"Let's go! To the Imperial College!"

The group stopped drinking and, led by Li Rusong, headed towards the Imperial College in a grand procession!
-
royal palace.

Mu Changyou was lost in thought in his guard cell.

Since the twelfth lunar month, the Imperial Guards have been stationed in the Forbidden City and are not allowed to go out.

Mu Changyou was able to leave the palace because he concurrently served as the head of the Public Security Bureau, but the Bureau had been very busy lately, and Mu Changyou did not want to take the blame for the deputy head, Li Defu, so he did not want to leave the palace.

Mu Changyou's initial motivation for getting involved with the Imperial Guard was that it allowed him access to the emperor, and the military merit group wanted to use the Imperial Guard to restore the influence of the military merit group.

However, the ambitious plans of the noble clans aroused the vigilance of the court officials. Although the Imperial Guards were able to get close to the emperor, they were excluded from military decision-making at the time.

In addition, the emperor's health condition prevented him from discussing military strategies with the imperial guards.

The Imperial Guards thus became the security force of the Forbidden City.

Mu Changyou regretted his choice. If he had studied hard at the Military Academy and joined the Annam Army, he would have made great achievements by now.

However, Mu Changyou thought of the Klub Army. They stayed in the capital for training, but not only did they not gain any military merits, they did not even have the opportunity to show their faces in front of the emperor and court officials. Mu Changyou felt much more at ease.

(End of this chapter)