Many people regret that Hongwu failed to regain the Western Regions in the early years and never forget it.
Before traveling through time, Zhu Yixi also believed that it was always too late for the Manchus to regain the Western Regions.
But after reading the historical materials, especially those from the Hongwu period, Zhu Yixi suddenly realized:
It's not that Zhu Yuanzhang is unwilling, but that the national strength is insufficient.
In other words, the Mongols cannot be defeated.
In fact, before Yongle's fifth Northern Expedition destroyed the Golden Family to pieces, the Ming Dynasty's number one enemy was still the Bei Yuan, and its military strength was no less than that of the Ming Dynasty.
In the world at that time, the Mongols still maintained strong strength. Even during the Hongwu Northern Expedition, half of them were Mongolians.
Even in a certain sense, it is not that the strength of the Mongols has declined, but that the Mongols have internal strife, the prince and Emperor Yuan Shun, and the central and local governments are at odds.
From the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, to the Mongolian Plateau, and then to the vast Western Region of Central Asia, they are all Mongols. If it were still the original Mongol Empire, Zhu Yuanzhang would never have succeeded.
Politically, once Zhu Yuanzhang attacks westward, the Ming Dynasty will be attacked from both sides, putting the originally neutral Mongol Khanate and the new Ming Dynasty in danger.
Economically, since the Southern Song Dynasty, the Maritime Silk Road has become popular, and the interests of the Western Regions are no longer as good as those of Shanghai Trade. The futile recovery of the Western Regions will outweigh the gains.
Militarily, the desolate Western Region is barren and cannot provide sufficient food supplies, so the possibility of failure is extremely high.
If you have to find a scapegoat, it is only the Yuan Dynasty. The entire Western Region does not belong to its territory.
The Ming Dynasty had no legal basis for the Western Regions, and theoretically had no ownership rights.
"The Western Region!" After stroking his thoughts, Zhu Yixi sighed with emotion at first, and then began to think quietly again.
How to take advantage of legal principles?
Hami can also say that it used to belong to the Ming Dynasty, and the Yarkand Kingdom has nothing to say. If he is allowed to take advantage of it to attack Turpan, it will be chaos.
If we ignore the direct attack, then Junggar and Heshuote will definitely attack the outside world in unison, let alone the Yarkand Kingdom.
Moreover, on the periphery of the country, there are Tsarist Russia, the Kyrgyz Han Kingdom, etc., and the Western Regions cannot be in chaos.
You know, as a force north of the Tianshan Mountains, Tsarist Russia fought and suppressed Junggar.
It's possible to get involved.
"By the way, Tsarist Russia is already eyeing Mongolia and Central Asia with covetous eyes!"
Zhu Yixi couldn't calm down at this time.
The war against the Manchu Qing Dynasty has not yet been completed. If the evil wolf Tsarist Russia is involved, wouldn't it be the end of the war?
In a sense, it is very possible that the Manchu Qing Dynasty colluded with Tsarist Russia.
"Damn it, we have to kill them all."
The more Zhu Yixi thought about it, the more uncomfortable she became, feeling uncomfortable all over.
So, he resolutely left the palace and went to the harem.
A Mongolian beauty has just arrived, and her wild charm is intoxicating.
For a moment, everyone in the harem fell on their backs.
At this time, in Liaodong, the pursuit of the Manchus had not yet been put on the agenda, but the demand for heating had already arrived.
Autumn is here, and the chilly autumn rain is daunting.
Shenyang hurriedly searched for coal mines and ordered a large number of woolen sweaters.
And this is very hard and boring for the front line.
Jia Yan's position was close to that of Shi Jinbao. The two were stationed near Kaiyuan, one at Babaotun and the other at Qingshuigou.
They came in clean and tidy clothes, ready to fight and make military exploits.
Unexpectedly, from the beginning, he was working hard to build various fortifications. Of course, he did not wear armor, and the military uniforms he wore quickly became dirty and torn.
Working every day, everyone almost forgets whether they are here to fight or to do hard labor.
After the Mid-Autumn Festival, Liaodong became increasingly colder. In October, the first snow fell in Kaiyuan. The weather became colder and the mountain wind became strong.
He wore linen gloves on his head, but Jia Yan couldn't bear the cold wind. His hands and face were cracked, and it hurt slightly when the wind blew.
Everyone has long been used to the short days and long nights.
The subordinates all muttered: "Even in our remote countryside, we won't work when it snows in winter, let alone our Beijing camp..."
After finishing the meal with the three thousand men under his command, everyone retreated into the low house.
Most people went straight to the kang, where it was warm...
This kang was the first time they had seen it, and it was one of the reasons why they had no regrets. It was because they were busy for themselves.
Charcoal is burned under the house, and the entire earthen kang is hot.
Comfortably nestled in the quilt, Jia Yan didn't want to get up at all. He was lazy and didn't want to move at all.
No one wanted to go out except the necessary night watchmen.
These days, people running around have suffered a lot.
Shitting on the buttocks and peeing on the frozen penis are commonplace.
At this time, a soldier opened the wooden door with a bang, ran in and shouted: "guerrillas, enemy troops are attacking the camp."
"Get up quickly, everyone, hurry up the wall and find your place!"
Jia Yan finally came to his senses as he thought about his home. He got up as soon as possible and shouted: "Get up quickly, pick up your weapons and stand still!"
He quickly grabbed a saber on the bedside and hung it on his waist, then picked up the crossbow and arrow pot. The armor was finally put on as the soldiers were busy working.
There was a lot of noise and people outside, which seemed a bit chaotic.
At this time, Jia Yan came out of his room with his sword in hand. He shouted: "Go directly to the wall and prepare for battle!"
As he said that, he looked up at the mound of sentry tower and cursed loudly: "What are you doing? Light the beacon!"
The soldiers above quickly smashed an earthen jar and threw the torch. A fire burst out from above, and the camp suddenly became a little brighter.
After the army chased Kaiyuan, no one wanted to leave and could only stay on the spot.
The Manchu Qing Dynasty was not willing to give up Changtu, and stationed tens of thousands of people, eyeing Kaiyuan.
So around Kaiyuan, there were four castles, large and small, guarding it to the death.
Although there is peace and quiet in the castle, it is not safe.
Some of his men lit torches directly from the fire, and all they saw in the light were horsemen!
The area illuminated by the fire is limited, and it looks like there are people outside! The entire fort was surrounded by a flood of people.
Soon, screams were heard not far away, and enemy soldiers were squeezed into the outermost trench. It was full of sharpened wooden stakes and nails, and it was pitch black as you can imagine.
So the tide outside was blocked by the ditch, and the enemy soldiers began to put ladders flat on the ditch, and then walked over cautiously, very slowly.
"It seems that many people have come to build slaves!"
"Let go!" Jia Yan pointed his sword downward.
Suddenly there was a "crackling" sound, and the crossbow arrows flew down diagonally under the dim firelight. There were screams below. The accuracy of the crossbow arrows was good.
When Jia Yan saw the enemy soldiers who were still alive, he immediately called for additional fire and would never let them go.
