My Portable Ming Dynasty

Chapter 470 Frontier and Coastal Defense

The mobilization of the Wushen tribe was swift.

Of course, on the grasslands, tribes that are slow to mobilize have long been eliminated.

Liu Bing returned to Lanzhou and discussed with Sun Gao, the prefect of Lanzhou, about the three-point agreement with the Wushen tribe.

In theory, neither of the two people present had the right to make such a decision.

In particular, the second article stipulates that the General Staff has strict regulations on the use of firearms, and the outflow of firearms is strictly prohibited.

This is also what Liu Bing is most worried about.

After listening, Sun Gao also said to Liu Bing:

"Liu Xingwei risked his life for the people and soldiers of Lanzhou. As the prefect of Lanzhou, how can I not bear this responsibility?"

Hearing this, Liu Bing was also deeply moved.

Once Sun Gao took responsibility, things became much easier.

The Wushen tribe received supplies in Lanzhou and acquired two hundred muskets for elimination.

They then continued westward, passing through Wuwei and Zhangye. Along the way, the cities and fortresses of the Ming Dynasty were on high alert, but they also provided supplies according to their needs.

The leader of the Wushen tribe, Nalibulai, was very satisfied with this.

In the western section of the Hexi Corridor, outside Jiayuguan, lies a narrow valley.

Here, refugees who had escaped from the Fire could be seen. For safety, Nalibulai ordered the surrounding refugees to be driven away, and at the same time found several monks to inquire about the situation ahead.

The north wind whipped up sand and gravel, scraping across the exposed rocks like a knife.

Liu Bing was tightly wrapped in a fur robe that reeked of strong mutton. He had wanted to maintain the dignity of a Ming Dynasty civil official, but without the fur robe to protect him during the long march to the west, he feared he would freeze to death.

The only Han Chinese custom that Liu Bing still adheres to is the insistence on wearing a crown.

Wearing a hat is unavoidable; this is the code of conduct for Han Chinese scholars and officials.

He never imagined that he, a messenger in charge of documents and conveying imperial will, would one day find himself on the front lines of such a perilous battlefield.

Beside him, the Wushen tribe leader, Nalibulai, lay on a rock and said to Liu Bing:

"Strategist, how accurate is the intelligence regarding Jiayuguan?"

Yesterday, the Wushen tribe arrived at Jiayuguan. Because they had been informed by Sun Gao, the prefect of Lanzhou, the garrison commander inside Jiayuguan opened the gates and allowed the Wushen cavalry to leave.

The garrison commander of Jiayuguan also informed Liu Bing of the intelligence regarding the firemen outside the pass.

Liu Bing said:

"That's natural. After the last time the imperial court expelled the tribute envoys from the Fire People, Su Jianzheng set up the Turpan Administration Office in Jiayuguan to collect intelligence related to the Fire People."

"This time, the Fire Warriors acted too quickly and brought a large number of Buddhist followers to attack Jiayuguan, catching our Great Ming Dynasty off guard."

"The situation has stabilized now. Today, the Fire Cavalry will once again drive the refugees to attack Jiayuguan. The intelligence from outside the pass has been verified from multiple sources and is absolutely accurate!"

Nali Bulai nodded. After witnessing the administrative capabilities of the Ming Dynasty from Xitao to Jiayuguan, he was glad that he had joined the Ming Dynasty.

If it were a grassland, such a long-distance raid would cause great suffering to both one's own tribe and the tribes along the way.

"Soldiers pass by like combs, bandits pass by like fine combs"—this saying is not just a figure of speech.

If an army is mobilized and even the slightest mishap occurs along the way, the surrounding people will suffer.

On the grasslands, armies replenished their supplies on the spot, and the tribes along the way would be wiped out by the army during such migrations.

However, under the coordination of Liu Bing and Sun Gao, the prefect of Lanzhou, the Nalibulai army actually arrived at Jiayuguan smoothly. The Ming army also organized joint defense and militia along the way to prevent the Wushen tribe from raiding.

Such organizational ability terrified Nalibulai.

He agreed with Liu Bing's strategic assessment that there was no future in staying in East Asia.

That force is not weak, and the fire-bringer grieves.

They overestimated themselves and provoked the Ming Dynasty, not realizing that the Ming Dynasty did not destroy them simply because it looked down on their meager territory.

They actually thought the Ming Dynasty was weak and took advantage of it.

Nalibulai had no fear whatsoever of the Fire People or the Yarkand Khanate behind them.

Just then, billowing dust rose from the mouth of the valley.

The sound, like muffled thunder, grew closer and closer!
That was the Fire Warriors' advance raiding force, numbering about three or four hundred riders. It was an advance force to drive the refugees through the pass, and also the Fire Warriors' elite cavalry.

With the Ming army staying behind closed gates, the scouts of the Fire Guard became increasingly arrogant.

Although they were on a march, their ranks were in complete disarray, with many of the fire-wielding cavalrymen frolicking and playing around without any discipline, using their whips to drive away the refugees for amusement.

As a nomadic people, Nalibulai looked down on these fire-riding cavalrymen, but when he saw their warhorses, he couldn't help but drool.

These are all top-quality warhorses!

Such fine warhorses are being ridden by these Fire People; it's such a waste!
The Firebringers' scouts didn't even have any reconnaissance riders; they just brazenly poured into the valley.

"Woo—" The deep and desolate sound of the horn suddenly tore through the wind; this was the signal from the Wushen tribe!
Almost the instant the horn sounded, hundreds of Wushen warriors suddenly appeared on the rugged cliffs on both sides of the canyon, as if a pack of wolves lurking under the rocks had awakened!

Holding muskets, they unleashed a barrage of fire at the Fire Warrior cavalry below the cliff.

They erupted in wild, religiously fanatical cries: "Death to the enemies of Buddha! Protectors of the Dharma!"

Religion is a powerful weapon; the Fire People used religion as a pretext to expel monks from the Western Regions.

That Li Bulai could also use religion as a pretext to make his followers and fire-wielders fight to the death.

These grassroots warriors, though they had only recently converted to the Yellow Sect, were extremely devout.

Liu Bing was actually speechless. Many Buddhist temples and sects in the Western Regions were completely different from the Yellow Sect, but these low-level warriors didn't understand these things. They saw that people wearing kasayas were monks. Since these foreign and heretical people were bullying Buddhists like this, they naturally had to fight them to the death!
At the same time, a series of dense but somewhat chaotic explosions erupted.

The two hundred discarded muskets that the prefect of Lanzhou managed to scrape together proved useful, and at Liu Bing's suggestion, Nalibulai made concentrated use of these muskets.

These muskets are all obsolete products. It's fortunate that this is Lanzhou; if it were a coastal area, these muskets would have been collected by Li Wenquan and sold to Japan long ago.

Its accuracy is poor and its power is limited, but it is sufficient for the Fire Knights.

The sudden roar of muskets and the billowing smoke created a tremendous psychological impact in the narrow terrain.

Caught off guard, the Fire Knights at the forefront were thrown into chaos by shouts and neighing horses. Their already scattered formation was thrown into complete disarray, with several frightened horses even carrying their riders crashing into the rock face.

"Kill!" Na Libulai drew his curved sword, roared, and charged down from the ambush point, taking the lead.

The Wushen cavalry, who could no longer contain themselves, surged down the steep hillside like a flood bursting its banks. Utilizing the terrain's speed advantage, they were like a red-hot dagger, plunging deep into the chaotic center of the Huozhe's ranks!

The battle instantly intensified. Scimitars traced deadly arcs in the sunlight, and spears tore through leather armor with a teeth-grinding sound.

Since Liu Bing was not the "strategist," he naturally did not need to join the charge.

Even with his limited military knowledge, he could tell that this was a one-sided massacre.

These Fire Warrior cavalry were inferior in quality to the Wushen tribe, and they were well-prepared to fight the unprepared, and they attacked from the high ground to the low ground. How could the Fire Warriors possibly win?
The Wushen tribe was a tribe that struggled to survive between life and death. They were familiar with close combat and used their superb horsemanship to maneuver and slash in a small area.

The Firefighters were caught off guard by the sudden ambush and musket fire, and were cut off in half by the high ground charge. For a time, they were unable to support each other and were caught in the predicament of fighting alone.

The battle has been decided; this is no longer a battle on the same level.

That powerful man was like a raging wolf, charging left and right through the enemy ranks, and almost no one could withstand three blows from his blade.

He could charge alone, and he was also good at commanding battles. He split the Fire Knights into two groups and tried to intimidate and disperse the Fire Knights at the end of the valley.

The Wushen tribe attacked the Fire Warrior cavalry who had already entered the valley like a pack of wolves. When they encountered a tough opponent, the alpha wolf, Nalibulai, would lead the tribe's most elite cavalry to attack.

The last bit of resistance from the Firemen was extinguished, and the rhythm of the battle was completely controlled by the Wushen tribe. The surprise of the ambush and the advantage of the terrain were brought to the extreme.

The thought that the Wushen tribe was beaten so badly by Qi Jiguang shows just how terrifying the elite troops of the Ming Dynasty were.

After suffering considerable casualties, the remaining Fire Knight cavalry completely collapsed. The instinct for survival overwhelmed their ferocity; they abandoned resistance, desperately turned their horses around, and fled for their lives like frightened rabbits toward the valley entrance, leaving behind a mess of corpses, ownerless warhorses, and wailing wounded soldiers.

The Wushen tribe had made a long-distance raid and lacked sufficient numbers, so Nalibulai allowed these cavalrymen to leave.

But the results of this battle were already sufficient.

According to the agreement reached between Liu Bing and Jiayuguan, the Wushen tribe could exchange the corpses of the Fire Warrior cavalry for a reward.

More importantly, the Wushen tribe ascertained the strength of the Firemen.

too weak!
Why did I fight the Ming Dynasty in the Hetao region back then when the Western Regions were so weak?
Li Bulai, carrying a blood-dripping scimitar, strode up to Liu Bing, his face bearing the rugged smile of a victor and a hint of barely perceptible respect.

"Strategist, we've won!"

Whether agricultural or nomadic, East Asian peoples have always respected the brave and wise.

Liu Bingneng had the courage to persuade the Wushen people on his own, and he was also able to propose a feasible strategic plan to Nalibulai. Along the way, he also coordinated the logistics of the Wushen tribe and communicated with the Ming government.

How could anyone not respect such a talented person!
The thought that the other party was just a lowly pedestrian made Li Bulai even more terrified of the Ming Dynasty.

If a mere pedestrian is this powerful, what about the important figures in the Ming Dynasty court?
That Li Bulai thought of Qi Jiguang, who had heard that Qi Jiguang highly praised Su Ze's military abilities, considering him a "general among generals"!
I'd better just obediently be a dog of the Ming Dynasty.

Then Liu Bing becomes even more important.

"Strategist, how about we camp for one night and continue our westward journey tomorrow?"

Liu Bing nodded.

He is not fighting alone.

Although Jiayuguan was on the defensive, it was also constantly gathering intelligence on the Firemen.

The city map of the Firemen and the distribution of the garrison have all been compiled.

Liu Bing had maps and intelligence on the Fire People, and even without much military training, he formulated a simple strategy for the Wushen tribe.

Although it was a simple strategy, it was sufficient for use in the Western Regions.

But this was just the beginning. As the proposer of the "Yelü Dashi Road" leading to distant Fergana, Liu Bing was already bound to this chariot.

The officials in the court would definitely not let this opportunity pass, and would certainly make him the eyes and the link of the Ming Dynasty.

He clenched his fist tightly, trying to stop the trembling in his fingertips, his voice slightly hoarse, yet exceptionally clear:
"Alright! Let's set up camp and rest today, and attack the enemy tomorrow."
-
February 28th.

Su Ze's series of reforms, from the postal system to the military system, have transformed the military system of the Ming Dynasty.

Military intelligence from Lanzhou was continuously relayed to the capital through the military post stations of the Tongzhengsi (Office of Transmission).

The development of public administration is not merely about building an administrative system.

As early as when Cao Bangfu took office, the Ministry of War had established a set of military order and document systems, and military intelligence had to be reported in accordance with the prescribed format.

This system allows those who transmit intelligence to be more cautious, and the intelligence transmitted is more accurate.

In addition to transmitting intelligence, processing it is equally important.

The inner court, mainly composed of the secretarial staff of the Grand Secretariat and the five offices of the Chancellery, as well as the Emperor's private secretariat, the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs, would compile and analyze this intelligence, eliminating inconsistencies, thus clearly presenting the situation of the Northwest war to the Emperor.

Immediately afterwards, Liu Bing's actions were reported in detail to the court by Sun Gao, the prefect of Lanzhou. The court now had information from seven days ago that the Wushen tribe had already marched towards Jiayuguan.

While the imperial court breathed a sigh of relief, it also became embroiled in a debate over the Northwest strategy.

The first question is how to characterize Liu Bing's behavior.

There was naturally no controversy about this matter. All four cabinet ministers reached a consensus that they must endorse Liu Bing's actions and support Liu Bing's "Yelü Dashi Plan".

There was no way around it; Liu Bing's plan was just too tempting.

After resolving the problems in the western region, they then used the Wushen people to solve the problem of the Huozhe.

This set of strategies was quite formidable even in the pre-Qin period.

The Grand Secretaries were all puzzled as to why Liu Bing, a mere Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) in the field of governance, would be assigned to a business trip to the Northwest.

When the Grand Secretaries learned that the order was personally signed by Yang Sizhong, the Minister of Personnel, they were all relieved.

Even Grand Secretary Gao Gong exclaimed, "When it comes to recognizing and employing talent, no one in our Great Ming Dynasty can surpass Minister Yang!"

As luck would have it, the battle report from the Andong Protectorate also arrived. Zhao Pengzheng, a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) from the same year as Liu Bing, was also assigned to the Northeast by Minister Yang. He built the new Wuguo City in just one winter, defended it, and defeated the invading Jianzhou Jurchens, completing the first city of the five-city plan in the Northeast.

The praise for Yang Sizhong spread throughout the imperial court, and the Longqing Emperor even issued a special decree to commend the Ministry of Personnel and reward Yang Sizhong with gold and silver.

However, due to Liu Bingyi's meddling, this Northwest strategy had to be re-discussed.

In addition, there is the issue of the Prince Su's residence, and the delegation tasked with investigating the Prince Su's affairs will soon arrive in Lanzhou. This is also something that needs to be dealt with as soon as possible.

At this point, two factions emerged in the imperial court.

One faction believes that the court should follow Liu Bing's strategy, implement the plan to drive out the wolves and tigers, support the Wushen people and the Huozhe people in their battles, and that the Ming Dynasty should simply defend Jiayuguan.

Another faction believes that the Ming Dynasty should take the initiative to restore the control over the Western Regions that existed during the Han and Tang Dynasties. If the Wushen tribe attacks westward, the Ming Dynasty should take over the territory they conquer. After all, Liu Bing promised the territory of the ancient Dayuan Kingdom, and the Turpan region occupied by the Huozhe is "the former territory of the Han and Tang Dynasties".

(End of this chapter)