My Portable Ming Dynasty

Chapter 446 National Politics and Military Strategies
Inside the Imperial Academy, these military officers from the Khwarazmian Army were pointing and gesturing at a military map of Liaodong.

Li Rusong was highly respected in the cavalry department, and after they joined the Khrushchev Army, they also made friends with some colleagues from the infantry and artillery departments.

Having both come from the same martial arts academy and shared similar school experiences, they naturally became familiar with each other very quickly.

These people were also brought in, and together they looked at the map of Liaodong and offered their opinions.

These martial arts students, who had all undergone systematic military training, looked at a map of Liaodong and put on an air of theoretical military strategizing. Their pens seemed to represent thousands of troops. They soon discovered that this kind of discussion could satisfy their craving for the battlefield, even though they couldn't go there in person!

This got everyone even more excited. Every time someone came up with a solution, the rest of the group would try their best to find a way to crack it.

These debates sometimes escalated into physical altercations, and Li Rusong had to personally intervene to maintain order and establish a rule against physical violence before the discussion could resume.

Unlike ordinary theoretical discussions, this is the Imperial Academy, the second largest archive of the Ming Dynasty.

Soon, these students from the Imperial Academy began collecting historical materials to support their views.

The one pointing at the map and spitting as he spoke was Liu Jinchen, the heir of the Earl of Chengyi.

Liu Jinchen also wanted to gallop and charge across the grasslands, and finally chose the Kerulen army.

Unexpectedly, the Krupp army has never had the opportunity to go to the battlefield.

Liu Jinchen pointed to the map and said:

"I think we should build a city on the site of the old Five Kingdoms City to control the wild Jurchens!"

"impossible!"

"It's too remote!"

"The Five Kingdoms City was abandoned after the fall of the Jin Dynasty, and it is now impossible to station troops there!"

Li Rusong looked at the location Liu Jinchen pointed to.

Wuguo City is famous because it is a place of shame for the Han people.

After the Jin dynasty destroyed the Northern Song dynasty, it escorted Emperor Huizong and Emperor Qinzong back north, where they were eventually imprisoned in Wuguo City.

Emperors Huizong and Qinzong died of illness one after another and were buried here.

This city was originally built by the Liao Dynasty.

The Liao Dynasty established the Five Kingdoms City in order to control the "Sheng Jurchen" people along the Songhua River and Heilongjiang River in Northeast China. The Five Kingdoms were the five most powerful of the Sheng Jurchen tribes.

After the Jin dynasty destroyed the Liao dynasty, it also regarded Wuguo City as an important stronghold in the Northeast.

Liu Jinchen said:
"Wuguo City is the gateway to the Songhua River! The Wild Jurchen tribe must pass through Wuguo City to transport their goods out!"

"Our Great Ming Dynasty guards the Five Kingdoms City, and the Jurchens' trade will be controlled, which is tantamount to strangling their throats!"

Upon seeing the location of the Five Kingdoms City, Li Rusong nodded, confirming that it was indeed a strategic point.

Liu Jinchen analyzed the terrain of Wuguo City and conducted several attack and defense simulations with his fellow students from the Military Academy. The results showed that as long as the latest bastion technology was used, neither the Jianzhou Jurchen nor the Sheng Jurchen could capture Wuguo City.

If the bastion of Wuguo City were the same size as the bastion of Dongshengwei, and a force of several hundred men were stationed there, it would be able to control this trade route for the Jurchen people. Liu Jinchen's plan was feasible both economically and militarily.

"record it."

The Five Kingdoms City was a solution to deal with the Jurchens, but the most difficult to deal with were the Jianzhou Jurchens who had fled to the Changbai Mountains.

Everyone looked at Li Rusong, who was the one who understood the Liaodong issue best.

Li Rusong said:
"Many emperors throughout history have conquered this region, such as Emperor Wu of Han and Emperor Taizong of Tang. If we include the Liao, Jin, and Yuan dynasties of the Northern and Southern Dynasties, there are even more. However, at that time, the Northeast was mainly treated as a tributary state. Even when Liaodong was managed, it was only limited to the vicinity of Liaoyang."

Everyone nodded.

"The Yan state during the Sixteen Kingdoms period was like this. The Murong clan started their power in Longcheng, which is my hometown of Liaoyang. However, after the Yan state became powerful, the Murong clan moved the capital to Jixian and Yecheng."

"Dean Su also mentioned in class that Liaoyang is the largest agricultural area in Liaodong. To establish hegemony, it is necessary to occupy Liaoyang in order to have a stable food supply to support the army."

"Historical records do not contain much detail about how these dynasties managed the more remote Liaodong region."

Everyone nodded.

Li Rusong said, "I have searched through all the historical records, and the only country that established regional hegemony with the Changbai Mountain area as its core is the Bohai Kingdom."

"The Bohai Kingdom?"

Those present were all military officers, and although they had undergone two years of military training, they still knew very little about history.

In fact, not only these military officers, but even ordinary scholars didn't know much about the Balhae Kingdom.

If Li Rusong hadn't specialized in studying Northeast China, he wouldn't have found this name.

Li Rusong said:
"The Bohai Kingdom, a prosperous kingdom in the east during the Tang Dynasty, lasted for 180 years before being destroyed by the Khitans."

"The Bohai Kingdom was a Sumo Mohe tribe. Of course, this is not important. The situation in the Northeast was unstable during the Tang Dynasty. The fact that the Bohai Kingdom was able to establish itself for so long and even dominate the Northeast at one point was also unusual."

"Of course, according to Dean Su, the Northeast during the Tang Dynasty was warmer than it is now. Back then, the Tibetan Empire was able to dominate the region. The conditions at that time were definitely different from today."

"Although Liaodong is bitterly cold now, the Bohai Kingdom still provides valuable insights for the imperial court's grand strategy of managing the Northeast."

Everyone nodded.

Li Rusong unfolded a map and said to everyone, "This is my research on the Bohai Kingdom based on historical records and some scattered historical materials."

Li Rusong rubbed his eyes.

There is very little information about the Balhae Kingdom. If this were not the library of the Imperial Academy, we probably wouldn't have been able to find even this much information.

Li Rusong said:
"The Bohai Kingdom is the only country in history to have established hegemony in the Changbai Mountain region."

"It's a pity that there are almost no records of the Balhae Kingdom's battles in historical books."

The group was somewhat frustrated again; without historical battles to refer to, there was no way to discuss military deployments.

But soon after, Li Rusong said:
"But I thought of a way."

"Did you all know that the Bohai Kingdom had five capitals in its history?"

"The capital is a vital place in the country; in ancient times, the capital was always a strategic location."

"The Balhae Kingdom was a small country, and other information about it in historical records is unavailable. However, due to the exchange of envoys, the location of the Five Capitals has been preserved."

"This is my deduction of the locations of the Five Capitals after verifying various historical materials."

"Look, everyone, this is Zhongjing Xiande Prefecture (Helong City, Jilin Province). This is the earliest capital of the Balhae Kingdom and the place where the Balhae Kingdom rose to power."

“This place has basins suitable for cultivation and is also a major transportation route. Since the Bohai Kingdom can set up its capital here, then our Great Ming can also build a city here and support a city’s population without any problem.”

Everyone looked at this location and felt that it was extremely dangerous.

"Later, the capital was moved to Shangjing Longquanfu (now Ning'an City, Heilongjiang Province). According to my research, Shangjing Longquanfu was the granary of the Bohai Kingdom. It was because the population of the Bohai Kingdom expanded after its founding that Zhongjing could not support so many people, so the capital was moved to a region with more abundant food."

"If farming is still possible in Shangjing Longquan Prefecture, then our Great Ming will have a foothold in the Changbai Mountain region, and we can migrate and expand our borders!" "Later, the capital was moved to Dongjing Longyuan Prefecture (now Hunchun City, Jilin Province). This city is east of Xianxian Prefecture and is located on the coast. I heard from the naval academy that merchants now stop here, and the Jianzhou Jurchens have set up a port to secretly trade with smugglers."

"This place is a hub where water and land meet. If we build a city here, we can replenish supplies from the sea."

"In addition, there are two capitals, which are secondary capitals."

"First, there is Yalu Prefecture (now Linjiang City, Jilin Province), which, as the name suggests, guarded the Yalu River and was a vital passage for trade with North Korea."

"Secondly, there is Nanjing Nanhai Prefecture, which is now in North Korea, so we will not discuss it for now."

"If we rebuild the five capitals of the Balhae Kingdom, will the Ming Dynasty be able to control the Changbai Mountain region just like the Balhae Kingdom?"

After listening, everyone studied the terrain and found that the location of the five capitals was indeed excellent.

How could this be bad?
East Asia is a monster region, and its military strategic thinking is so advanced that it produced "The Art of War" during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods.

The history of the Balhae Kingdom has long since vanished, and even the names of those who contributed to its establishment have not been recorded.

However, judging from the establishment of the five capitals, the Balhae Kingdom truly lived up to its reputation as the prosperous East Sea Kingdom, as the locations of these five capitals were all very crucial.

It would be impossible for someone who is not a genius who is familiar with the geography of Northeast China and has a deep understanding of politics and military affairs to come up with such a brilliant plan.

Unfortunately, history has not even recorded the names of those who helped the ruler of Bohai make decisions; all that remains are these five ruined cities in the history books.

The group then discussed various aspects, including combat, supply, logistics, land reclamation, bandit suppression, and defense, and concluded that the four capitals were indeed important nodes for controlling the Changbai Mountain region.

With the addition of Liu Jinchen's Five Kingdoms City, the plan of five city fortresses was established.

Everyone looked at Li Rusong.

"Li Banzheng, please draft the memorial."

Li Rusong immediately said:
"No! This is the result of everyone's collective wisdom and efforts. If we are to submit a petition, please make sure everyone signs it."

Seeing Li Rusong's resolute attitude and his refusal to refuse, everyone felt a surge of excitement.

The Ming Dynasty valued civil affairs over military matters. In fact, this was not unique to the Ming Dynasty; starting from the Song Dynasty, there were no more military generals submitting memorials on national policies and military strategies.

This right was firmly in the hands of civil officials.

It's not that military generals didn't want to, but rather that starting from the Song Dynasty, civil and military officials diverged. Unlike the famous generals of the Han and Tang Dynasties, who were both generals and prime ministers, managing the army on horseback and governing the country on foot, they were able to write about national and military policies.

By the Song Dynasty, military generals had generally low levels of education and only possessed military skills, so they shouldn't even think about writing any national policies.

Li Rusong drafted the document, and others revised it, resulting in a memorial entitled "Request to Build Five Cities to Secure the Northern Border".

After they finished writing, everyone felt a great sense of accomplishment!
Next, everyone took turns signing their names. After Li Rusong and Liu Jinchen signed their names, Li Rusong remembered his father's teachings to keep a low profile in the capital. He said to everyone:
"Shouldn't we ask Dean Su to take a look at this memorial?"

Everyone nodded in agreement. None of them had ever written a memorial to the throne before, and they were worried about saying something taboo.

Among the people we know, Su Ze is the best at writing memorials. Li Rusong's request to send the memorials to Su Ze for review first is a prudent move.

Moreover, Su Ze and they did indeed have a teacher-student relationship, and they all took the memorial to Su Ze's residence to submit it.

The group felt it was inappropriate for a bunch of officers to go to Su Ze's residence, so they elected Li Rusong and Liu Jinchen as their representatives to visit Su Ze.
-
"Li Rusong and Liu Jinchen?"

Su Ze had just returned home from the cabinet when he heard the steward's report and frowned as he asked.

"Both of these military officers claim to be the master's disciples, so we dare not make the decision ourselves and ask them to stay at the gatehouse."

"Let them go to the side hall."

Su Ze naturally remembered the two. Li Rusong goes without saying, and Liu Jinchen was the heir of the Marquis of Chengyi. Su Ze remembered his name when he was in the Military Academy.

Since both of them have come to pay their respects as disciples, I should at least meet them.

Upon reaching the side hall, even Li Rusong, who was usually fearless, couldn't help but feel uneasy.

He glanced at Liu Jinchen, the heir of the Marquis of Chengyi, who was even more pathetic, his legs already trembling.

Li Rusong jokingly said:
"Brother Liu, what are you so nervous about?"

Liu Jinchen said:
"Li Banzheng, aren't you nervous? This is Dean Su! If my dad finds out I'm doing this, he'll break my legs when we get back!"

Li Rusong nodded in agreement.

Before enrolling in school, his father repeatedly warned him not to offend anyone, and Dean Su was at the top of the list.

Having spent more than two years in the capital, Li Rusong naturally understood Su Ze's importance.

Not to mention him, even his father, the deputy protector of the Andong Protectorate, had to bow deeply to Su Ze.

Today I have come to see Su Ze with a memorial to the throne. I don’t know if it is a blessing or a curse.

But once they reached the side hall, there was no turning back. Li Rusong gritted his teeth and said:

"No matter how difficult it is, we must proceed. This memorial is the culmination of all our hard work!"

The interruption calmed them down a bit, and at the steward's urging, they stepped into the side hall.

"Li Rusong and Liu Jinchen, students of the first cavalry class of the Military Academy, pay their respects to Dean Su."

After the two entered, they gave Su Ze a military salute.

This was also the result of discussions among everyone.

Their connection with Su Ze was through their relationship with Wu Jiansheng, the dean of academic affairs.

In that case, if they want Su Ze to support them, they need to build a closer relationship with him.

As expected, Li Rusong and Liu Jinchen's opening remarks brought a smile to Su Ze's face. After instructing the two to take their seats, he asked the steward to serve tea.

Li Rusong, being a soldier, didn't like beating around the bush. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, he took out his memorial and said:

"Dean Su, this is a military strategy that we, the first batch of students in the Military Academy, have discussed and agreed upon. We would like to ask for your corrections."

Military strategy?

Su Ze took the "Memorial Requesting the Construction of Five Cities to Secure the Northern Border," opened it, and began to read it carefully.

Li Rusong and Liu Jinchen were so nervous their hearts were about to jump out of their chests. As they watched Su Ze read it word by word, they almost stopped breathing.

"Was this military strategy written by the two of you?"

Li Rusong and Liu Jinchen shook their heads and said:
"It was completed by the collective wisdom and efforts of the first batch of martial arts instructors of our Kremlin Camp. I was merely the chief writer."

Su Ze looked at Li Rusong, and Li Rusong met Su Ze's gaze. Just as Li Rusong felt a long time had passed, Su Ze clapped his hands and said:
"Brilliant strategy! This kind of national and military policy deserves to be recorded in history!"

"what?"

Li Rusong was surprised that Su Ze gave him such a high evaluation!

(End of this chapter)