It’s not entirely true to say that Tiger Rabbit has mad cow disease.
He chose this time after careful consideration and it was not a casual decision.
The emperor regarded Huduntu as a long-term enemy, and Huduntu also had a guard against the Ming Dynasty. This was relative and not surprising.
Therefore, it is estimated that Hu Duntu was also worried that the Ming Dynasty would interfere with the Mongol tribes and affect his great cause of unifying Mongolia. Choosing to do so when the Jiannu were still strong and the Ming army was still busy was probably the right choice.
If this is the case, it will not be so easy to stop Tiger Rabbit's actions.
"Your Majesty, without the help of the Inner Khalkha Alliance, how much impact would Ping Liao have suffered?" Luo Yangxing also felt embarrassed, and there was a hint of temptation in his respectful question.
It is not easy to not want to confront Huduntu head-on but also want to borrow the power of the Inner Khalkha Alliance.
Zhu Youxiao did not answer immediately. He was also weighing the pros and cons. If it weren't for the top priority of pacifying the Liao and destroying the slaves, he really didn't want to get involved in the internal war in Mongolia. The more intense the fighting, the better.
From a strength perspective, the Inner Khalkha Alliance was likely no match for the Chahars. To fight the stronger Chahars for the sake of the weaker Inner Khalkha seemed like a loss before the Jiannu were defeated.
Moreover, it is uncertain how much effect the Inner Khalkha Alliance can have in participating in the attack on the Jiannu.
Luo Yangxing bowed his head and waited quietly. He knew that although the emperor was young, he had a clear understanding of the general situation, and his results were more accurate than those of them who studied intelligence and analyzed and judged it every day.
After a long while, the emperor seemed to understand, his voice calming as he slowly spoke, "The information will remain confidential for now, and there's no need to inform anyone. The operation in Liaodong remains unchanged, but it will be advanced. I will immediately have the Ministry of War issue a letter mobilizing troops to reinforce Liaodong."
Luo Yangxing bowed in response, but he was shocked in his heart.
Keeping the information confidential is normal, but not informing the Inner Khalkha Alliance is a significant move. Furthermore, the action remains unchanged, meaning they will form a coalition with the Inner Khalkha to launch an attack on the Jiannu.
In other words, the emperor ignored Ligdan Khan's actions and did not care what kind of punishment the Inner Khalkha Alliance would suffer.
Even forming an alliance with Inner Khalkha to attack Jiannu created a good opportunity for Hu Duntu.
There are no permanent friends between nations, only permanent interests. Externally, there is no such thing as benevolence, righteousness, or morality, let alone soft-heartedness.
Although the five Inner Khalkha tribes are now considered allies of the Ming Dynasty, no alliance has been signed.
The campaign against Huduntu was nominally an internal Mongolian matter, and if the Ming wanted to intervene, it would not be justified.
Of course, if Inner Khalkha had an offensive and defensive alliance with the Ming Dynasty, or even surrendered and naturalized, that would be a different matter.
Zhu Youxiao narrowed his eyes, sat up straight, and made up his mind.
Perhaps Huduntu's military actions could speed up the Ming Dynasty's conquest of the Mongol tribes. Since the Jiannu were already on the verge of collapse, there was no need to worry too much about Mongol tribes coming to its side.
The Hudun Rabbit remained silent for several years, allowing the plan to pacify Liao to be implemented relatively smoothly. The Jiannu were on the decline, and a major counterattack was imminent, which was the main reason why Zhu Youxiao dared to let the Hudun Rabbit cause trouble.
"Intelligence work on the Mongolian tribes needs to be strengthened." The emperor made a decision, which also meant that the Ming Dynasty's attention would turn to Mongolia. Not all of it, but it would also be a key focus.
The emperor gathered his thoughts and continued, "The Pacification Office should recruit more naturalized Mongols and send them out to spread the benefits of naturalization to the Ming Dynasty. This will provide another option for those Mongol tribes that have been cornered by the Tiger Dun Rabbit."
Strive for more Mongolians to naturalize and become citizens of the Ming Dynasty. Luo Sigong understood the message and thought he could do better to satisfy the emperor.
"Du Zhenyu and Cao Zhenghua have done a good job. You should submit a memorial to recommend them for promotion to the position of pacification envoy!" The emperor's last words greatly boosted Luo Yangxing's spirits, and he quickly bowed to express his gratitude.
The emperor's intention was quite clear. He intended to enhance his prestige and lay the groundwork for him to take over as commander in the future.
After sending Luo Yangxing away, the emperor sat in the imperial chair and thought for a while, then ordered people to summon Sun Chengzong and others to prepare for a court meeting on whether to advance the military action.
The main reason for setting the major counteroffensive for the winter and spring of next year was that the Jiannu's food and fodder reserves were estimated to be depleted. However, the situation had changed, and an earlier counteroffensive was feasible.
Since the military action had to be taken in advance, the emperor believed that the fighting in southern Liaoning and Liaodong could continue, constantly consuming the manpower and material resources of the Jiannu, which would have the same effect as waiting for their supplies to be exhausted, or even better.
Facing attacks from both southern and eastern Liaoning, the Jiannu had not yet concentrated their forces to launch a major offensive. While the constraints on all sides were certainly an important factor, their limited supplies of food and fodder were the primary reason.
The Jiannu were different from the Mongols. They could carry a few more horses and drink horse milk to make long-distance raids and fight for a long time. They had a strong demand and dependence on food and supplies.
This can be seen from historical wars. When Huang Taiji launched the siege of Jinzhou, he had accumulated a year's worth of food and supplies.
Now, the Ming army would not give the Jiannu any chance to breathe. They would launch continuous and sustained attacks, relying on their manpower advantage to launch repeated attacks and harassments, thus wearing down their strength.
…………………….
Only the bigwigs in the court, the officers and soldiers of the Beijing camp who were about to be mobilized, and the front-line generals who would soon receive secret orders and letters from the Ministry of War knew about the change in the strategy of pacifying Liao.
The people of the capital were captivated by Fei Tian's big news. The topic was a hot topic on the streets, and it would spread far and wide as people traveled north and south. Add to that the "Da Ming Forum" newspaper's fueling of the story, and it was undoubtedly the top trending search.
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