My Portable Ming Dynasty

Chapter 468 Fighting for the Dragon
After the meeting, Gao Gong led the cabinet back to the palace and requested the inner court to mobilize the Khalkha army and the Northwest garrison to be ready to support Lanzhou at any time.

This is where the advantages of a modern military system become apparent.

The General Staff had long ago made a mobilization plan for the Northwest campaign and had also prepared contingency plans for the Firemen's attacks.

According to these plans, the first step was for the Khalkha army in the capital to enter a state of standby, and the troops in the northwestern garrisons were also mobilized.

The Ministry of War was to arrange the supply of the Khrushchev army to support the northwest route according to the mobilization plan, and the amount of grain and horse feed to prepare had already been calculated.

After receiving the mobilization order from the Longqing Emperor, the inner court, centered around the emperor, immediately began to mobilize.

This was the first time the Longqing Emperor had operated a new military system.

In order to educate his son, the Longqing Emperor also enrolled Xiao Pangjun in the inner court. Although he was not put in charge of specific affairs, he was given the title of "Participating in Military Affairs" and could participate in the military conferences of the inner court.

Once the state of mobilization and wartime conditions are entered, the cabinet ministers are automatically given the title of "Assistant Military Affairs Officer," serving as the emperor's senior military advisors and responsible for the specific operations of the inner court.

The Directorate of Ceremonial, the Five Offices of the Secretariat and the Secretariat, and the Secretariat also automatically became the secretarial organs of the inner court, and began to be responsible for coordinating military affairs nationwide.

The General Staff also entered a state of war, processing military intelligence transferred from the inner court and conducting operational simulations.

The Ministry of War then began operating as the administrative headquarters. Wang Chonggu, with his rich experience, immediately activated the contingency plan and dispatched Ministry of War officials to the front lines to oversee or supervise logistical work.

Little Fatty Jun watched the busy adults with an excited expression.

When he was in the Eastern Palace, he played war games under Su Ze's guidance and became very interested in military affairs.

However, compared to the entire military system of the Ming Dynasty, the war games of the Eastern Palace were just small-scale operations!
When this brand-new military system is mobilized, it naturally makes people feel what it means to say that "war is a matter of great importance to the state".

Beside the Imperial Study, the cabinet ministers took turns on duty in the palace, responsible for assisting the emperor in handling military affairs.

Orders were issued from the inner court, and documents circulated among the officials. The war monster of the Ming Dynasty gradually opened its eyes and set its sights on the northwest.

In the palace, intelligence regarding the Northwest issue was gathered and sent to the inner court. Grand Secretary Gao Gong began by introducing the history and causes of the Northwest issue, and then used a precise map of the Northwest to explain the current situation in the Northwest to the emperor.

"Your Majesty, the Khoja borders the Yarkand Khanate to the west and our Ming Dynasty's Khoja Garrison to the east. The main threat to our Ming Dynasty's garrison at Jiayuguan comes from the Khoja."

"The Fire People are now under the control of the Yarkand Khanate. Recently, they also absorbed the remnants of the Eastern Chagatai Khanate. They have repeatedly shown disrespect to our Great Ming Dynasty. They cut off Silk Road trade before the new year and attacked our Great Ming caravans heading beyond the Great Wall. They have long harbored the intention to rebel."

"Before the Lunar New Year, Jiayuguan was also closed, prohibiting fire-trading merchants from entering Gansu."

After introducing the situation in Lanzhou, Gao Gong continued:
"Lanzhou is also sandwiched between the Western Regions and the Hetao region. There are reports from the grasslands that the remnants of the Wushen tribe have entered the Western Hetao region."

"In order to prevent Lanzhou from being attacked from both sides, the General Staff requested that Yulinwei be mobilized and transferred to the eastern front of Lanzhou to defend against Wushen's troops."

The Longqing Emperor nodded and approved Gao Gong's proposal.

Zhu Yuanzhang established his palace in Lanzhou because of the complex situation there.

The Hetao region lies to the east of Lanzhou.

During the Tang and Song dynasties, the Hetao region was a prosperous area, and large armies could be stationed there during the Tang dynasty.

During the An Lushan Rebellion, Guo Ziyi's troops, who helped Emperor Suzong of Tang quell the rebellion, were the Shuofang Army stationed in the Hetao region.

However, by the Ming Dynasty, the soil in the Hetao region had degraded, making it impossible to maintain a permanent military presence.

In the early Ming Dynasty, the Hetao region was still under the control of the Ming Dynasty, but by the Jiajing period, the Ming Dynasty had lost control of the Hetao region. Some Mongols moved south and grazed their herds in the Hetao region, and were called "Tao Lu".

After Su Ze traveled through time, Qi Jiguang defeated the Tuolu Wushen tribe in the Hetao region, severely damaging the Mongol influence in the region.

However, the Ming Dynasty also failed to control the Hetao region.

It's still a matter of land and population.

The Northeast was a region of harsh cold, but its land was fertile. As long as the heating problem was solved, people would still be willing to go there.

However, the Hetao region is a desert, making it impossible to cultivate crops or station troops there for extended periods.

Moreover, the entire Hetao region stretches for thousands of miles, and many areas are uninhabited. With the current level of logistics and technology, it is simply impossible to station troops for defense.

Therefore, the Ming Dynasty really had no way to stop the Wushen tribe from sneaking back to the Western Tao region.

It's no wonder the cabinet felt the situation in Lanzhou was dangerous.

Lanzhou is now in a precarious situation, besieged on all sides. To the west, Huozhe is watching with predatory intent and constantly provoking it.

The Wushen tribe has infiltrated the western region from the east and could launch a raid at any time.

The Lanzhou Plain is the only region in Gansu Province that can support a large number of troops stationed there, making it a strategic fulcrum for the Northwest region.

The death of the old Prince Su at this time did indeed affect the situation in the entire Northwest.

If Lanzhou were lost, the Ming Dynasty would face the same military threat from a new Western Xia, just like the Northern Song Dynasty.

Little Fatty Jun's eyes lit up. As expected of the Grand Secretary, Gao Gong explained the situation in the Northwest in just a few words, and he understood the situation in Lanzhou.

Gao Gong continued:

"The General Staff's plan is to reinforce Jiayuguan, with the Kelu Army cooperating with Yulinwei to sweep away the Wushen tribe in the western region. As long as the safety of Lanzhou's rear can be guaranteed, then the Huozhe is not a concern."

Emperor Longqing nodded again, saying that Jiayuguan was a formidable pass, and the Huozhe were merely a small country in the Western Regions, making it very difficult for them to conquer Jiayuguan.

The inner court has finalized its strategy, whale oil lamps have been lit in the Forbidden City, and the massive war machine has begun to move.
-
Lanzhou.

Liu Bing, the messenger responsible for delivering the imperial edict to Lanzhou, looked worried.

The conversation within the Ministry of Personnel resulted in both Liu Bing and Zhao Peng suffering heavy losses.

One of these two was assigned to the Northeast, and the other was assigned to Lanzhou to deliver an imperial edict.

Of course, compared to Zhao Pengzheng, Liu Bing's mission was only temporary. Once he attended the funeral of the old Prince Su and announced the imperial decree to allow the new Prince Su to succeed to the throne, Liu Bing could return to the capital.

Just think of it as a long trip.

That was Liu Bing's original idea, but after arriving in Lanzhou, he realized that the situation was different from what he had imagined.

As a passerby, he represented the court at the funeral of the late Prince Su, offered condolences to the members of Prince Su's household, and then all he had to do was read out the imperial edict that would allow Prince Su's son to inherit the throne.

Unexpectedly, before he could even issue the decree, an elder from the Prince Su's lineage came to Liu Bing and reported that the young Prince Su was not the biological son of the old Prince Su.

Liu Bing had not expected to encounter such a situation. Since the identity of the new Prince Su was in doubt, he could not rashly issue the imperial edict. He could only seal the edict, send someone to report the situation to the capital, and await the capital's decision.

So Liu Bing stayed in Lanzhou for the New Year, but the court still didn't send any news.

While Liu Bing was stranded in Lanzhou, the situation in the Northwest also changed.

Huozhe, once a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty, experienced an anti-Buddhist movement within its borders, and its monks fled to the Ming Dynasty.

The Fire God sent an envoy to the capital, and after discussions, the court reached an agreement with the Fire God.

Fire merchants can travel to Jiayuguan to trade, while Ming Dynasty merchants must protect the safety of Ming Dynasty merchants once they enter the Fire region.

If any Buddhist temple within the territory of Huozhe wishes to relocate, Huozhe shall not obstruct it.

After the Fire Envoy brought back the conditions from the Ming Dynasty, the Fire Leader, Ma Heima, initially agreed without hesitation.

Initially, the Huozhe (Fire People) followed the agreement. However, after some time, Mahema (Mahema) annexed the remnants of the semi-independent Eastern Chagatai Khanate within the Huozhe, and his ambitions swelled. He then began to plunder the Han people under the pretext of suppressing Buddhism.

After several unsuccessful warnings, the Ming court had no choice but to retaliate by closing Jiayuguan Pass.

With Jiayuguan Pass closed, a large number of merchants were stranded in Lanzhou, and local businesses in Lanzhou were also affected, becoming increasingly depressed.

Then something else happened in the western part of the region.

The Wushen tribe of the Tao, which had been defeated by Qi Jiguang, once again infiltrated the western Tao region.

They began harassing villages and towns behind Lanzhou, and the Lanzhou garrison began to be overwhelmed.

At this time, the old Prince Su died suddenly, and Lanzhou was in turmoil.

"Lord Liu! The Prefect requests your presence for a meeting!"

Liu Bing's heart skipped a beat. The prefect of Lanzhou was in charge of civil affairs, justice, taxation and other affairs in the prefecture. He was the highest military and political official in Lanzhou in name.

In reality, the Prince Su's Mansion in Lanzhou was very powerful. Lanzhou had a garrison, which was more deeply controlled by the Prince Su's Mansion and did not obey the orders of the prefect of Lanzhou.

Now that Prince Su's mansion is without Prince Su, it is essentially paralyzed. When the prefect of Lanzhou encounters problems, he can only consult with Liu Bing, the "imperial envoy."

When Liu Bing stepped into the prefectural government office, he saw that Sun Gao, the prefect of Lanzhou, was ashen-faced. Upon seeing Liu Bing, he immediately said:
"My lord! Urgent report from Jiayuguan! Fire-wielding cavalry are burning temples and slaughtering merchants; refugees from Buddhist temples are blocking the pass!"

"These Buddhist temple refugees stormed Jiayuguan. The general guarding the pass reported that there was fire in the distance and the army was driving the refugees away."

Liu Bing's heart skipped a beat. Huo Zhe's scheme was ruthless!

The emperor has issued an edict allowing the Shaanxi and Gansu regions to accept the Buddhist temple refugees from the fire.

The fire-bringer didn't let these refugees return to Ming Dynasty long ago, but instead drove them to attack Jiayuguan at this time. It's likely that he wanted to use this method to trick Jiayuguan into opening up the pass!
Liu Bing immediately asked:

How is the defense of Jiayuguan?

Sun Gao's face turned ugly as he said:
"Although the imperial court allocated funds to strengthen the city's defenses, Jiayuguan was not adequately defended. A new watchtower was being built, but the number of soldiers was 30% short."

Liu Bing then said:
"Should we send Lanzhou Garrison to support Jiayuguan?"

Sun Gao shook his head and said:

"Lanzhou Garrison must guard against the Wushen tribe of Xitao. The situation in Lanzhou City is unstable now, and Lanzhou Garrison cannot be easily mobilized."

Sun Gao, the prefect of Lanzhou, was almost in tears.

If Jiayuguan is lost, I will surely be punished.

However, Jiayuguan is actually quite a long distance from Lanzhou. The Northwest is vast, and by the time the capital sends troops over, it will be too late.

Liu Bing's face also looked very grim.

Although he had no military responsibility, he was there to enfeoff Prince Su. Now that Prince Su had not been properly enfeoffed, he would also be in trouble if something went wrong with Prince Su's residence.

If military problems arise in the Northwest, those who support the succession of the new Prince Su will say that Liu Bing's failure to immediately issue an edict to allow the new Prince Su to succeed to the throne caused instability in the Northwest, thus shifting the blame onto Liu Bing.

Liu Bing had already seen through the hearts of people in officialdom. If something went wrong, this Prefect Sun would probably be the first to try to shift the blame.

What a bad luck!
Liu Bing regretted it once again. Why did he have to be so sharp-tongued in the Ministry of Personnel, risking his life to destroy Zhao Peng?

In this desperate situation, Liu Bing's mind worked at lightning speed.

He said:
"Prefect Sun, I'm going to borrow troops!"

"Borrow troops? Where can we borrow troops?"

Liu Bing gritted his teeth and said:

"Wushen tribe!"

Sun Gao was dumbfounded. He wondered if Liu Bing had lost his mind, actually suggesting borrowing troops from the Wushen tribe.

Liu Bing said:

"The Anda tribe has already submitted to our Great Ming and was appointed the Shunyi King by the Great Ming. The Wushen tribe is also a vassal of the Anda tribe, so naturally it is also a vassal of our Great Ming."

"The Fire People are attacking, and the Wushen tribe should send troops to help the Ming Dynasty!"

"this!?"

Sun Gao thought Liu Bing was being delusional; it would be good enough if the Wushen tribe didn't take advantage of the chaos to attack the Ming Dynasty.

Liu Bing said firmly:
"Please, Governor Sun, give me twenty fearless elite soldiers and forty fast horses. I will personally cross the river to the Western Ordos and persuade the Wushen tribe!"
-
The cold wind was like a knife, whipping up the sand and gravel from the banks of the Yellow River, which stung Liu Bing's face.

This winter in Northwest China is even colder than last year. The Yellow River in the Hetao region has not yet thawed, which is why Lanzhou Wei dares not make any moves.

The Wushen tribe in the western region could cross the frozen river at any time and rush to the rear of Lanzhou.

The freezing of the Yellow River made things easier for Liu Bing. He found a solid ice surface and prepared to lead his cavalry directly into the Western Plain.

Sun Gao, the prefect of Lanzhou, still had some conscience. He hastily assembled twenty elite cavalrymen and even came to the Yellow River to see Liu Bing off.

"Lord Liu, going to Xitao is like a lamb entering a tiger's den..." Sun Gao's voice trembled in the wind. He really couldn't understand where this seemingly weak "imperial envoy" got his courage.

Liu Bing took a deep breath, his gaze sweeping over Sun Gao and the twenty knights. His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a calm, resigned tone:

"Jiayuguan is a vital border town, and its loss is not to be tolerated! Rather than waiting to be defeated, we should take a risk and fight!"

Liu Bing spurred his horse and led twenty elite cavalrymen onto the solid ice of the Yellow River.

Sun Gao, who remained on the banks of the Yellow River, turned his horse around. If Liu Bingzhen had indeed borrowed cavalry, he would need to settle and reorganize them, and arrange supplies for them, before he could use them with peace of mind.

Sun Gao was also inspired by Liu Bing, and a surge of heroic spirit welled up within him.

In a world of great competition, everyone naturally strives to improve themselves.

Opportunities for leaping over the dragon gate are everywhere; whether you can succeed depends on your own destiny.

But this is still better than a stagnant pool.

Liu Bing dared to take such a gamble because he was confident in the strength of the Ming Dynasty.

With so many capable ministers in the court behind him, his success would reduce the losses for the Ming Dynasty, and his failure would not affect the overall situation.

At worst, I'll just lose my life!

Liu Bing's adrenaline surged, and his fear was suppressed by his impulse. At this moment, he had to play the role of a fearless and powerful "imperial envoy".

Dressed in the ceremonial robes of an imperial messenger, with his ceremonial staff tied to the back of his saddle, he crossed the treacherous Yellow River and ventured deep into the Western Ordos region. Scattered across the desolate Gobi Desert were the felt tents of the Wushen tribe's nomadic herders.

A day later, they were discovered and surrounded by a group of fierce Mongol cavalry.

The Wushen tribe has indeed arrived!

(End of this chapter)