The second is to resolve the hidden dangers within the Ming Dynasty, promote benefits and eliminate disadvantages, make the finances abundant and the society stable.
However, internal problems included not only the accumulated problems of reform, but also the She'an Rebellion in the southwest. Whether it could be quelled as soon as possible was also the key to whether the Ming army could concentrate its forces and launch a counterattack against the Jiannu.
You should know that in history, the She'an Rebellion lasted until the tenth year of Chongzhen before it was completely suppressed.
In other words, if there were no changes, the war would have to continue for another fifteen or sixteen years, which was absolutely unacceptable to Zhu Youxiao.
Although this war was called the She An Rebellion, Zhu Youxiao knew that She Chongming was not to be feared, and the Shui Xi family was the main reason why the war dragged on for so long.
You know, the Shuixi An family has been around for over a thousand years, dating back to the first year of Jianxing in the Shu Han Dynasty. It can be said that they have deep roots, a long history, and are well-connected with all four corners of the country. They have the strongest military force and the largest territory.
The main reason why the She'an Rebellion lasted for such a long time was that the terrain of Shuixi, Guizhou was too complex, with dense forests, deep valleys and dense mountains. If the government troops went deep into the area, they would easily be ambushed and their food supply would be cut off.
In history, the Ming army suffered a lot of losses. Wang Sanshan, Lu Qin and others all died in battle; even Wu Sangui was almost trapped to death during his expedition to Shuixi.
Therefore, it is easy to defeat the rebels, but it is difficult for the government troops to wipe out the rebels once they retreat to their lair. Once the rebels have recovered, they will pop up again to cause chaos.
Zhu Youxiao did not have a good solution to this problem, but suppressing the rebellion's momentum as soon as possible was the top priority.
As early as two months ago, Zhu Youxiao issued an edict that the amount of gold and silver sent to Beijing this year would be reduced by half, and the remaining money and grain would be transported to Changde, Chongqing and other places to increase the supply and reserves of food and wages for the government troops to suppress the rebellion.
A month ago, Zhu Youxiao drew 3,000 troops from each of the Yongwei and Xuanfeng camps, and marched south along the Cao River to reinforce Guiyang.
In addition to the reinforcements, Zhu Youxiao also selected two hundred students from the martial arts school to form a battlefield observation group and go to the southwest for practical training.
At this time, the reinforcements had already completed the canal route, changed to naval ships on the Yangtze River, and went up the river to Changde.
Changde, formerly known as "Wuling" and "Langzhou", is located in northern Hunan, west of Dongting Lake in the south of the Yangtze River, and at the foot of Wuling Mountain. It is historically known as the "throat of Sichuan and Guizhou, and the gateway to Yunnan and Guizhou."
Going south from Changde, passing Chenzhou and breaking Yuanzhou (which had been occupied by the rebels), the Hunan-Guizhou route was opened up, and the only obstacle left on the road to reinforce Guiyang was Tongren.
How to march, supplies along the way, combat strategies, etc., were all repeatedly studied and decided by the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Martial Arts. Zhu Youxiao certainly did not forget to remind the officers going to the rescue and ordered the prefectures and counties along the way to make arrangements in advance.
Clouds float in the blue sky, the river ripples, and ships of all sizes sail proudly westward.
Xu Hongyu stood on the deck, looking at the scenery on both sides of the river, pursing his lips slightly and revealing a hint of smile.
For him, who was born in the south of the Yangtze River, these are familiar scenes, but when he sees them again, he has a different feeling.
Now, he is not traveling around, nor is he escaping from the constraints of a high-rise residence. Instead, he is approaching the battlefield and embarking on the road to making achievements.
"Third Young Master..." Xu Xiaoqi had just called out half a sentence when the young master glared back at him.
He was dressed like a soldier and had just joined the Beijing camp. However, as a native of Jiangnan, he was naturally selected. This was also to minimize the loss of personnel caused by acclimatization.
"Sir." Xu Xiaoqi saluted properly, and only then did he receive the young master's nod of approval.
Xu Hongyu pointed ahead and said, "In another hour, we'll almost reach Dongting Lake. We've been here before, haven't you forgotten?"
Xu Xiaoqi nodded and said, "I remember, about three years ago, I swam across the lake with the young master. It was really huge!"
After a pause, Xu Xiaoqi continued, "I heard that the Yi people are very savage and fierce, and there are hundreds of thousands of them. I'm afraid it won't be easy to lift the siege of Guiyang."
Xu Hongyu patted Xu Xiaoqi's arm and said with a smile, "How can there be hundreds of thousands of troops? At most, there are no more than a hundred thousand. As for the idea of being brutal and fierce, that's nonsense. Don't worry, with our two battalions, we can easily hold our own, let alone lift the siege of Guiyang."
Xu Xiaoqi thought for a moment and grinned, "Yes, it's not just our two battalions that are suppressing the rebellion. There are also government troops from other provinces!"
As he spoke, Xu Xiaoqi looked back toward the east with some hope, and said, "After the war is over, we can have a holiday and go back to Nanjing to take a look."
Xu Hongyu shrugged his shoulders and said, "What's so good about it? I don't want to."
Xu Xiaoqi wanted to say something else, but saw an officer coming over and he saluted quickly.
This officer, like Xu Hongyu, was a member of the observation group, but he was from Guizhou and even lived in Guiyang. He was more eager to rescue the people than Xu Hongyu.
The two of them gathered together, discussed the situation, and talked animatedly, leaving Xu Xiaoqi no chance to interrupt.
At this time, the situation on the front line had changed greatly from when they set out from the capital.
At the border between Sichuan and Guizhou, the government soldiers and She Chongming's rebel army fought many times in Jianwu, Changning (now east of Gong County, Sichuan Province), Gong County, Yibin, and Zunyi, with both sides winning and losing, and the situation was stalemate.
The new governor Wang Sanshan led his army to recapture Yuanzhou and sent General Zhang Yanfang with 20,000 troops to aid Guiyang, but they were lured and defeated by the rebels in Longli.
Wang Sanshan had no choice but to suspend his action temporarily, on the one hand to store food and gather troops, and on the other hand to wait for reinforcements from Huguang, Guangxi and Yunnan to arrive.
However, the arrival of reinforcements from the capital indicated that the course of history had changed again, and the war to quell the rebellion entered a new stage.
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