In the distance, I saw a cavalry troop coming towards the west.
That flash of red was so dazzling that it immediately awakened Khabarov's memories hidden deep in his mind.
When I was fleeing west from Yakutsk, I often dreamed about this red color and dreamed that he was caught. From this, this memory is really very profound!
At this moment, although Khabarov couldn't see clearly the flag of the cavalry in the distance, the red color already showed that this cavalry was definitely the Ming Cavalry!
"What grudges and grievances there really are between me and the Ming** team, and they can be encountered anywhere!"
Khabarov came back to his senses, thinking bitterly in his heart, but he did not dare to delay, so he set off quickly and ran away.
If you still go back to join your friends, you may be detained by the Tatars. Because the Ming army has indeed come over, and those Tatars have a backer, they are really likely to take action.
With this in mind, Khabarov ran back to Moscow without notifying his accomplices at all.
………………
The Torhut tribe that moved westward was also part of the Oirat tribe. Therefore, the Ming Dynasty established the Western Region Province, which also included the territory where the Torhut tribe was located. It is logical that the Volga River is where the Ming army is stationed. It is the westernmost territory of the Ming Dynasty so far!
After the Ming army arrived here, they did not move further west, nor did they go to find trouble with Tsarist Russia. Instead, they followed the wishes of the imperial court and rectified internal affairs first.
The meaning of this court is actually Zhang Mingwei's meaning.
In just a few years, the Ming Dynasty continuously added provinces, and its territory was unprecedentedly vast and unprecedented!
Even if the Ming Dynasty had more than 100 million people, it would not be able to withstand such expansion.
Zhang Mingwei believes that it is necessary to slow down. Even if the feudal king's fiefdom can be ignored, at least the provinces directly under the jurisdiction of the Ming Dynasty must be stabilized.
In fact, this was Zhang Mingwei's foresight. When the army conquered a new province, the country had already selected officials to manage local affairs.
However, the newly established territory is too large.
Not to mention Liaodong and North Korea, not even Mongolia. On the Nanyang side, there are Damuan, Annan, Dongwu, Batavia and the Strait of Malacca, as well as the Diaoyu Province, the Western Region Province, etc.
According to Zhang Mingwei's suggestion, Ming Dynasty adopted different governance priorities for these newly-established provinces.
For the time being, the two provinces of Liaodong and North Korea can only focus on key towns and develop in this way without worrying about population growth. Anyway, these two places were originally the most influential in Ming Dynasty, and there were no other threats.
Since half of the Diaoyu Province was ceded from Japan, the necessary troops must be stationed here and there must be enough immigrants. Moreover, free official education must be kept up as soon as possible to popularize the cultural customs of the Ming Dynasty. Compared with Liaodong and North Korea, it takes more energy.
The three newly established provinces in Nanyang, like the Diaoyu Province, also require a large number of immigrants, and they must be dominated by the authentic people of the Ming Dynasty.
Fortunately, Annan is a coastal area with convenient shipping.
Dongwu is a troublesome place, the traffic is very backward. However, Dongwu is a very important place. It is the passage from the Ming Dynasty to the Dongwu Sea, and it is also the waterway closest to the west of the Ming Dynasty.
Therefore, Dongwu not only needs to immigrate, but also needs to vigorously build basic transportation.
The investment in these places alone cannot be completed in just a few years.
There are actually many local matters. If Zhang Mingwei was busy alone, he would definitely be too busy.
Fortunately, he still had many helpers. As far as the Ming Dynasty was concerned, there was a tacit understanding that Zhang Mingwei, the Duke of Xingguo, controlled the Ming Dynasty's strategy, mainly in charge of science and technology and external affairs. As for the specific work and the facts of major policies, it depends on the cabinet headed by Du Yinxi.
The new generation of Ming people will be at least eighteen years old. But before that, these newly occupied places must be actually in the hands of Ming Dynasty. The most effective method, in addition to garrisoning, must also have enough immigrants.
It can be said that the Ming Dynasty has expanded so much that it is difficult for a clever woman to make a meal without straw!
This time, fortunately, Oirat Mongolia surrendered to the court. Otherwise, if the Ming Dynasty wanted to conquer the Western Regions, Tibet and other places, it would take at least many years, not to mention the expense and effort. These places are really too big!
One of the most important things for the government in various places is to build railways. Railways serve as the main artery of transportation, allowing the court to control distant places. The invention of the telephone greatly expanded the area of actual control.
If the Ming Dynasty wanted to continue to advance westward, it must first digest the hundreds of thousands of people in the Oirat Mongolia. If not, the foundation for moving forward will be unstable.
For this reason, what Zhang Mingwei proposed was to first reorganize the Oirat Mongolian army. Not only would they use firearms, but they would also add Jinyi guards as supervisors, and they would be a mixture of Han and Mongolian troops.
Based on the needs of the current situation, the court also made two changes.
First, all people in the Ming Dynasty have the obligation to serve as soldiers. All adult men, high or low, must serve as soldiers. Those who can be exempted are only those who have received honors such as Master Craftsman.
Second, the Ming Dynasty was allowed to marry and have children when its troops were stationed abroad. Polygamy was also allowed for those who had the ability. Its purpose is to increase the local Ming population.
In many places, there are so many wars that at first glance, almost all of them are women. For example, in Annan, decades of conflict between the North and the South have already wiped out men. The troops stationed in Annan actually have this demand, whether it is from the army itself, the national policy of the Ming Dynasty, or the local conditions.
This change was criticized by many people in later generations, but now it has become one of the reasons that made the first change go more smoothly.
As for the first change, although it has never happened, there is no particularly big resistance.
The main reason is still related to the improvement of the status of Ming soldiers.
The increase in military pay, no lack of pay, and clear rewards and punishments were unimaginable in the previous Ming Dynasty, but for today's Ming Dynasty, it is the most basic thing.
The "Regulations on the Pensions and Preferential Treatment of Military Personnel of the Ming Dynasty" were written into the "Ming Dynasty Code", "Ming Pao" and other public opinions, and they spared no effort to continue to publicize it, using the generals and meritorious soldiers who emerged from the quelling of the civil strife as examples, including storytelling and opera; among them, The songs led by Zhang Mingwei also played a big role.
For the upper echelons of the imperial court, such as Emperor Chongzhen, who wanted to be the captain of the ball during his lifetime, of course they could not be limited by military strength and unable to conquer the earth. Therefore, they absolutely supported this innovation in conscription.
As for Du Yinxi and other high-ranking officials in the court, they stood at the top. As stewards of the Ming Dynasty, of course they also understood the current situation of the Ming Dynasty. Just as Emperor Chongzhen wanted to be the captain of the ball, they also wanted to become a famous and decisive generation of officials, so they naturally supported this conscription reform.
As for the old Confucian scholars who were most opposed to this innovation, they were all thrown away from the vassal states where the vassal kings were vassal. Once you go there, you can do whatever you want, and the court doesn't care.
Speaking of which, it boils down to interests. As long as this interest meets the needs of most people, then innovation can continue to be implemented. Otherwise, if the innovation could only satisfy Zhang Mingwei's interests, even he would not be able to implement the innovation.
Of course, the same is true for Emperor Chongzhen!
………………
Just like that, time flies by so fast, and in the blink of an eye it’s the New Year’s Eve of the 25th year of Chongzhen, which is 1652, and it will soon be the 26th year of Chongzhen, 1653.
In the new capital of the Ming Dynasty, in the Imperial Palace of Nanjing, senior officials of the Ming Dynasty gathered together. Even Sun Chuanting of Dong Wu returned for the first time to participate in this imperial meeting.
Emperor Chongzhen sits on the throne, with Crown Prince Zhu Cixiang sitting on his right and Xingguo Duke Zhang Mingwei sitting on his left.
The other ministers are all below, and they have all been given seats. They are listening to the words of Du Yinxi, the chief minister of the cabinet.
"After the heavy snow in the Western Regions closed the mountains, there is no new news for the time being. The construction of the railway has been slow due to the weather after leaving the customs. It has only reached Hami so far." Du Yinxi read the information in his hand and said, "It is expected that the army of the Western Regions Province will The adaptation will take at least a year. Of course, this also depends on the progress of the previously sent troops to absorb and reorganize the original Olat Mongol army."
After reading, he put down the information and looked up at Emperor Chongzhen.
When Emperor Chongzhen saw it, he turned to look at Zhang Mingwei and said, "Sir, do you have any suggestions for the Western Regions?"
After hearing this, Zhang Mingwei pondered for a moment and then said: "Over there in the Western Regions, the most critical issue is people's livelihood. The people's livelihood issue is also an issue of whether military logistics, in addition to arms, can be supplied locally. The lower Volga River Basin is very suitable. Farmers. Further east, there are also the Eastern European plains. Therefore, I suggest that people sent from the Ministry of Agriculture be sent to vigorously develop agriculture there!"
"I think the Duke's words are very good!" Upon hearing this, the Minister of Hubu was the first to stand up and agree.
If the logistics of the Western Region Army had to rely on supplies within the pass, he would have to be crazy!
After hearing this, Sun Chuanting also went out and said: "The plan there also requires the use of troops. The veteran believes that the railway must be built as soon as possible. Without railways, it is not practical after all. As for the manpower to build the road, we can use the troops stationed in the Western Regions Go capture more prisoners!”
Unconsciously, Sun Chuanting was already sixty years old and no longer young.
Building railways in the Western Regions was very difficult and very labor-intensive. When Emperor Chongzhen heard this, he immediately smiled and said to Sun Chuanting: "This method is good, what do you think?"
At this time, there was no such thing as human rights for prisoners of war. Therefore, after hearing what Emperor Chongzhen said, the ministers immediately seconded the proposal. If prisoners of war are used, there is nothing to worry about. I believe that the progress of railway construction will be much faster.
Zhang Mingwei did not object. He pondered for a moment and said: "Tsarist Russia has oppressed our Ming Oirat tribe for a long time, so let the army from the Western Regions come back in revenge and capture as many as they can!"
When Emperor Chongzhen heard this, he immediately instructed Du Yinxi: "Then do it like this!"