It seems that anyone who knows military knowledge knows that it is very difficult for the main force of the Han army of the Ming Dynasty to expedition to the Western Regions. This is of course true. After all, the Han army is a typical army of a farming nation. Not to mention that the main force of the army is usually infantry. Even the cavalry among them relies heavily on logistics. They are not good at nomads running thousands of miles to provide supplies on the spot. Law.
Of course, this does not mean that the Han cavalry could not even find a place on the grassland with rich water and grass to feed their horses. This problem actually had other reasons.
Take the Mongols for example. The fundamental reason why they are able to carry out ultra-long-distance and high-speed expeditions lies in the lifestyle of the Mongolian army as herders and the structure of the entire Mongolian army.
For example, during the Mongolian Western Expedition, the Mongol Empire's livestock often accompanied the army on a large scale. Whether these livestock are horses, camels or cattle and sheep, they are actually very important production tools. In particular, horses and camels can not only be used for fighting and carrying goods, but most importantly, they are often the source of some daily necessities for Mongolian soldiers.
When Mongolian soldiers go on an expedition, they often carry multiple horses per person. These horses are not only used to change horses during battle, but also the dairy products made from the milk of the mare are also an important source of food for the Mongolian soldiers. Horsetails and manes can also be used to make ropes. Livestock manure is a very important source of fuel.
The herdsmen's livestock themselves are their means of production, so the army carrying a large number of livestock on expeditions is equivalent to ensuring the supply of many daily necessities for their lives.
Of course, simply carrying livestock is not enough to solve all problems. Especially the large number of horses, camels, cattle, sheep and other livestock accompanying the Mongolian army. Naturally, the fodder and water they needed were also quite large.
Therefore, the march and conquest of the Mongolian army often had to rely on abundant pasture for support. The combat method is very simple and clear: the cavalry troops go first. If the opponent does not have strong bows, crossbows or heavy armored infantry, then directly charge with heavy cavalry and quickly drive the opponent into the city;
If the opponent has strong bows and crossbows or an army of heavy armored infantry, then shoot diagonally or fly a kite to severely weaken the enemy, then rush to defeat them and drive the opponent into the city.
At this time, you can carry out the siege and wait for your own follow-up supply troops and siege troops. Once the supply troops arrive, set up camp immediately for supplies. Then, after several rounds of attacks by the siege troops, the city gate was broken. The cavalry attacked again and broke through the city gate, breaking through the city and carrying out massacre.
After completing the invasion, the cavalry troops rested for a short time, waiting for the front sentry to return, and immediately rushed to the next city, while the large troops at the rear stayed behind to collect the spoils and people.
Because of this, before the Mongolian army sets off, it usually sends a small group of cavalry or relies on merchants to collect intelligence to ensure that the army's livestock will not suffer serious losses due to insufficient food and drinking water.
If you compare the Mongolian Western Expedition with the migration routes of other nomadic peoples in the past dynasties, you will find that there is a surprising overlap between the two. It can be seen from this that the Mongolian march relies on pasture, and it is not possible to walk blindly on any road.
By the way, during the Mongolian conquest of the Middle East, a phenomenon that often occurred was that the Mongols would consciously destroy the local farmland irrigation system.
On the one hand, this is to dismantle the local resistance ability, and another very important reason is to force the farmland to be abandoned, so that it can be converted into pasture by the Mongols to facilitate their march.
However, this very unscrupulous approach does not work every time. In the Jordan Valley area, Hulagu withdrew the main force and left only a partial division. This was largely because the pastures in the Jordan Valley area were not enough to maintain the huge herd of the Mongolian army.
The same problem also occurred in Europe. The dense forests of Eastern Europe made it difficult for the Mongols to maintain long-term troops stationed there even if they conquered the Russian tribes, and used this as a base to expand their military success. It is precisely because of this that Muscovite talents were finally able to accumulate strength and finally counterattack the Golden Horde, leading to the final decline of the Golden Horde.
Not only did the Mongols hundreds of years ago use this method to travel long distances, but the same was true for the Western Expedition carried out by the Anda Khan sent to cut off Huang Taiji more than thirty years ago - he was not walking on the silk silk of Hehuang. The road went to the original place, but crossed the prairie and directly attacked the Oara tribes.
Of course, Gao Pragmatic also knew these situations. The general summary is: the Han army can only take the Silk Road to go west. Relying on its strong national power, it can forcefully use money to "open the way" into the Western Regions, because the Han army does not have a large-scale livestock herd as supplies. source;
The Mongols' western expedition could not take the ancient Silk Road, which was almost deserted, but had to go further north through the prairie. This could ensure that the livestock herds would not suffer heavy losses due to insufficient food and drinking water along the way.
Looking back at the Chahar people's westward flight in the past few years, we will also find that the route they chose was the area where the Gobi and grasslands intersect. The main reason for this is that they are worried that if they go too deep into the grassland, they may be overtaken and held back by the Tumuts, and then the Ming army will catch up with them, and the Ming-Mongolian coalition forces will encircle and suppress them. So they can't leave the grassland, and they can't really run into the Gobi.
When Gao Pragmatic talked to Zhu Yijun about the plan for the Chahar battle in the Western Region, Zhu Yijun mentioned that the Yarkand region was too far away, "Unless you can persuade Tumote to go to the west again, this battle will not be easy to fight. "
However, Gao Pragmatic did not answer the question at that time and instead changed the topic. This is not because Gao Pragmatic thinks that the emperor's words are wrong. On the contrary, it is definitely the best way to persuade Tumut and Ordos - and even the Mongols including the Horqin tribe to go with them.
The reason why Gao Jingshi was unwilling to take up the challenge at the time was mainly because the leaders of these Mongolian tribes were not ordinary courtiers. If he wanted to persuade them to send troops, he would definitely have to provide corresponding benefits, and it was best to make them believe that such a move would not bring any harm to them. What a loss this tribe has caused.
In short, it is necessary to make a profit, at least to ensure that you cannot lose money. The ability to control them back then relied on profits, so obviously, now we also need profits to drive them.
The reason why Gao Pragmatic didn't take up the matter at that time was because the news came out of the blue for him, and he hadn't figured out what benefits to use to make a deal with Tumut and the others, so of course he couldn't take up the matter casually.
But now he has some ideas and can discuss them at home. When he said that the power of the Mongolians such as Tumut, Ordos and Horqin could be used, Huang Zhiting and Liu Xin both agreed deeply, but when it came to exchanging benefits, they both couldn't help but frown.
It’s not that you are unwilling to give benefits, but it’s about what you give. According to Gao Pingshi, the court needed to prepare "twenty million taels of silver, three million dan of military rations, and at least 30,000 camels" for this purpose. Even if they are not the Minister of Household Affairs, they know that this is not an easy task for the court. Since the imperial court itself is in difficulty, what else can it give the Mongols?
"The Mongolians seemed to like the Ming Dynasty's luxury goods very much. If I remember correctly, silk, porcelain, gold and jade, etc., have always been a very important part of the products sold to them by Jinghua." What exactly is Liu Xin? Secretary General, although she is not in charge of business, she still has some understanding.
Huang Zhiting frowned and said, "This may be true, but if it involves a thousand-mile expedition, tens of thousands or even more troops need to be mobilized. I'm afraid it's not enough to simply increase the supply of luxury goods to them, right?"
Gao Pragmatic thought for a while, then suddenly turned to Meng Guzhe and said: "Menggu, Yehe is the one with the deepest connection with Mongolia among the Jurchen tribes. Its territory is also close to Mongolia, and it has a close relationship with Horqin. In your opinion, Mongolia In addition to the luxury goods of the Ming Dynasty, what other preferences do people have? In other words, what else is there that is expected but not achieved? "
Meng Guzhezhe has always been the most pragmatic one among the three concubines who intervenes least in government and military affairs. She is usually less vocal about these matters than Ji Feiji. Unless Gao pragmatically asks directly, she rarely actively expresses her opinions and often appears to be the most harmless.
This is in line with her posthumous evaluation as one of the four concubines of Nurhaci in the original history: "The queen was respectful and intelligent, and her words were gentle. She was not happy when she was praised, and when she heard bad words, she was happy and did not change her ways. She was not good at flattery. Don’t believe in slander, don’t listen to lies with your ears, and speak nothing with your mouth. Don’t anticipate foreign affairs, and be sincere and considerate of things.”
However, Gao Pragmatic doesn't think that Meng Guzhezhe has no opinion or ability - it's a joke, can she cultivate Huang Taiji who is far more powerful than Nurhachi without ability?
You know, Huang Taiji's power was not only shown after he became the Great Khan of Houjin. In fact, Huang Taiji was already very powerful before that. This kind of power can be seen a lot just from the fact that he can become the Great Khan, because at that time, if he wanted to become the Great Khan, he would face at least six major disadvantages.
First, he lost his mother when he was young. Huang Taiji's biological mother was Meng Guzhezhe of Yehenara clan. According to the original history, she married Nurhachi, who was thirty years old, at the age of fourteen. Huang Taiji lost his mother when he was twelve years old. Meng Guzhezhe was only twenty-nine years old at that time. This was the first disadvantage for Huang Taiji to inherit the throne.
Second, my father is too busy. Ten years before Nurhaci launched his army, there were internal and external troubles, powerful enemies on all sides, and many things to do. He had no time to take care of him, so he naturally had no time to take care of him. As a result, the life of Huang Taiji was extremely difficult. This is the second disadvantage for Huang Taiji to inherit the throne.
Third, grandpa’s enemies. Soon after the marriage, the Ye He tribe and the Jianzhou tribe of Huang Taiji's maternal grandfather's family began to be enemies for a long time. Yehebelebuzhai once united nine coalition forces to attack Jianzhou, but was defeated. There is a book record: Nurhaci ordered the body of Bu Zhai to be chopped into two halves, half returned to Ye He, and the other half kept in Jianzhou. From then on, Ye He and Jianzhou forged a mortal feud. This is the third disadvantage for Huang Taiji to inherit the throne.
Fourth, the ranking is in the middle. There are 16 Huang Taiji brothers and two cousins (Amin and Jierhalang). He is neither the eldest nor the youngest. According to the customs in Manchuria formed by the influence of Mongolia, those who lived in the elder states were honored with military merits, while those who lived in the younger years received preferential treatment (such as the eldest son's inheritance system). Huang Taiji did not get the benefits of both sides. This is the fourth disadvantage for Huang Taiji to inherit the throne.
Fifth, there are no compatriots. Among Huang Taiji's brothers, Chu Ying and Dai Shan are from the same mother; his fifth brother Mang Gurtai has a younger brother Degelei and a younger sister Manggu Jigege; his fourteenth brother Dorgon has both His elder brother Azig, and his younger brother Duduo. However, Huang Taiji was quite lonely and had no brothers to support him. This is the fifth disadvantage for Huang Taiji to inherit the throne.
Sixth, the mother has not been sealed as a queen. Although Meng Guzhezhe was favored during his lifetime, he did not achieve the Great Fortune, that is, he did not have the title of queen. Her title of queen was posthumously given by Huang Taiji after he became the "Emperor of the Qing Dynasty". So it’s okay if Huang Taiji is not the eldest son, nor is he the legitimate son. This is the sixth disadvantage for Huang Taiji to inherit the throne.
It is true that the six unfavorable factors in Huang Taiji's young life have in turn prompted him to develop important qualities: first, self-reliance. Since he has lost some support, he can only rely on his own motivation to work hard; second, coordination, in order to survive and develop, he must It is necessary to coordinate the relationship between the top, bottom, left, and right, and win sympathizers and supporters; the third is scheming, to survive and develop in the complex relationship between family brothers, internal and external officials; the fourth is struggle, learning literature and martial arts, and making more military exploits, and in Establish prestige among his father, brothers and officials.
However, if Meng Guzhezhe did not lay the foundation for Huang Taiji's basic character and personality during his lifetime, why was it that only Huang Taiji could develop the above characters in the later period? Although the so-called "three years old makes you look older", although this is a bit exaggerated, it also shows that the influence and influence a child receives when he is young is often very important.
Meng Guzhezhe's own performance can be summarized to a large extent as "not fighting", but her "not fighting" may not just be a lack of initiative, but may be a strategy.
Ye He and Jianzhou had already had a life-or-death feud at that time. If she acted aggressively, she would be resented by the generals at all levels in Jianzhou, let alone Nurhachi, who could not tolerate it. However, the power to establish the state rests solely with Nurhachi alone, so Meng Guzhezhe must be extremely obedient and show no signs of ulterior motives.
Only in this way can he avoid being the first person and making his son Huang Taiji appear weak. Instead, he will not be persecuted and can grow up smoothly.
Then there was her behavior when she was dying, which seemed ordinary, but in fact it was probably the last political legacy she left for Huang Taiji: when she was seriously ill and dying, she asked Nurhaci to let her see her mother. , Nurhaci immediately sent someone to invite her, but obviously Ye He would not agree, so she passed away with regret.
Why is this a political legacy? Of course she knew that Ye He and Jianzhou had already been at loggerheads at this time, and it would not be easy to meet the Ye He family, and it would most likely not be possible.
If she said she wanted to see her brother, Nurhaci would definitely be suspicious, but she just wanted to see her mother. This made Nurhachi think that this was just human nature, and immediately supported her and sent someone to invite her.
But Meng Guzhezhe may have thought that her mother would not come long ago, and this is exactly what she wants - oh, she may not want it herself, but she knows that her son needs this.
Because once Nurhaci, who dotes on her, finds out that he cannot fulfill her simple dying wish, he will definitely feel guilty, and this guilt will inevitably be transferred to her son because he has lost his partner.
This is why Meng Guzhezhe knew that this seemingly simple request was actually impossible to be met, but still insisted on making it clear to Nurhachi.
This is the last shadow she can leave for her son in front of her husband as a "daughter of the enemy". It can be seen that Meng Guzhezhe is by no means a person without clever means. She created the greatest benefit for her son under extremely passive conditions.
So in this life, why is she so reserved in the Gao family, even more silent and less involved in "business" than Kaiji, who was born in Japan?
If Huang Zhiting's position as the main wife was as stable as Mount Tai, she knew she could not compare with it; Liu Xin and Gao Pangshi had been close friends for many years, and they were the chief managers of the entire Beijing, so she could not compete with them either. So, can't she, who was born in Yehe, not even compare to Kai Narita, who was born in a small famous family in Japan?
After all, Ye He's tribe is also one of the top four Jurchens, and is even nominally the strongest one at present. It has a standing strength of more than 20,000 troops, including a large number of cavalry.
What about the Narita family? During the Battle of Ninja Castle, Narita Kai only had 500 regular troops in hand, and his father, the Narita clan chief, took 800 men to support Odawara Castle. In other words, the total strength of the Narita family's regular army at that time was only 1,300 men. During the Battle of Ninja Castle, the two thousand peasant soldiers that Narita Nagachi and Narita Kai collected together could barely be regarded as second-line reserves.
Therefore, from the perspective of military strength, Ye He's strength can be said to be far stronger than Narita.
Then look at the territory. The area of Ye He's territory is roughly equivalent to one-third of Liaodong Town. Narita had only one Ninja City at the beginning. Now it has been transferred to Yusheng City, but there is still only one city. Ye He's territory is at least ten times the size of Narita.
Of course, just looking at the territory area is not scientific enough; at least it has to look at the population.
How many people does Ye He control? Before and after Meng Guzhezhe married Gao Pragmatic, the Yehe tribe had already robbed the Hada tribe of a lot of territory and population. The population under their control at that time was about 100,000, making them the number one Jurchen. Later, following Gao Pangshi, we reaped several waves of bonuses and robbed a lot more from the Mongols. Now the entire tribe has about 140,000 people.
What about the Narita family? Sagami Province, where Tamana Castle is located, has a stone height of 220,000 koku and a population of about 170,000. However, this is the whole country of Sagami. Among them, the most populous city is Odawara Castle, and the remaining cities are much less powerful. For example, Misaki Castle, which Kyoka is based on, and Tamawa Castle of the Narita family, actually only have a population of 30,000 to 40,000.
If we must say that Meng Guzhe is obviously inferior to Narita Kai, it would probably be that Narita Kai had military exploits in the past, that is to say, he has military ability, but Meng Guzhe obviously did not show this ability.
The reason why this point is counted is because among Gao Pragmatic's three wives, only Meng Guzhezhe has never led an army! Huang Zhiting, Liu Xin, and Jia Feiji were all people who had led troops in wars, especially Huang Zhiting, the royal wife, who had commanded an army in a war to destroy the country.
Therefore, although Gao Pragmatic himself has never mentioned it, in Meng Guzhezhe's view, this must be his disadvantage when facing them. However, it is obviously impossible for her to return to Yehe to lead troops now. Therefore, she cannot equalize this disadvantage, so she can only find ways to make up for it elsewhere.
Since your advantage is that you can fight, then I have to make myself more like a woman. Don't go beyond the rules, don't talk too much, don't interfere, be yourself, and serve the good master properly.
This strategy was quite successful. Not only did Gao Pragmatic think she knew what was right, Huang Zhiting, Liu Xin and even Jia Feiji, the three women all had a good relationship with Meng Guzhezhe. Especially Ji Feiji, she believed that Meng Guzhezhe's status in the Gaofu was most similar to hers. Not only did she not regard Meng Guzhezhe as a competitor, but she was the closest to him.
Faced with Gao's pragmatic question, Meng Guzhezhe's answer was simple: "If I talk to you, like Ye He, all I want is a well-off people, easy business, and help from the court in case of black and white disasters. And Mongolia and Although Ye He is similar, there are some differences. I think that in addition to the above, Mongolia has another need that the imperial court may not have paid special attention to."
She first erased anything that could be associated with "ambition" for Ye He, and then aroused Gao Pragmatic's curiosity about the "special needs" of the Mongols. Gao Pragmatic asked as expected: "What is the need?"
Meng Guzhe said: "Eastern Mongolia claims to be Mongolian orthodoxy, and Tumote has always coveted Chahar's 'orthodox' status. Therefore, if you ask the Tumote people what else they need in particular right now... I am afraid that the Ming Dynasty is the suzerain state. recognition of its Mongol orthodoxy.”
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ps: This chapter is 5k, and the extra 1k will be included in my pre-deposit recharge... Well, let’s get down to business, I scrapped a draft of this chapter when I was writing it, because I suddenly remembered that I should not forget my original intention - my original intention was that the female character next to the protagonist should not have a vase. , then looked back and looked at it, and felt that Huang Zhiting, Liu Xin, and Ji Feiji had more or less met the requirements in their minds, but the portrayals of Meng Guzhezhe and Princess Yongning were still weak, and they should have given more pen and ink. Therefore, this chapter will start with the characterization of Meng Guzhezhe. Due to the plot structure, the eldest princess may have to wait.
