"We are from the Ming Dynasty, but we are Mongolians." Hu Dawei looked at Nuke's stunned expression and explained with a smile, "General Lian Man is Mongolian and has just received the imperial robe."
Nuke blinked his eyes, chuckled twice, and said, "I see, if you naturalize in the Ming Dynasty, you are a Ming citizen!"
Meng Ruhu glanced at Nuke and shook his head secretly. To say that it was just naturalization wasn't quite accurate. But there was no need to be too specific now; it wasn't the right time yet.
The Ming Dynasty was originally a multi-ethnic country. From the officials and generals who surrendered to the Yuan Dynasty to the nomadic peoples who naturalized from the northern grasslands, the Ming Dynasty had a broad mind that embraced all.
Zhu Youxiao possessed a mind and vision not possessed by other emperors, and discrimination was out of the question. The fact that he allowed Man Gui to bear the title of a Mongolian naturalized person showed this.
Although some scheming was used, the treatment of naturalized people was sincere. They were all citizens of the Ming Dynasty, and there was no discrimination.
Man Gui was promoted successively, and Hu Dawei and Meng Ruhu also became generals. Even ordinary naturalized Mongolian soldiers were repeatedly commended for their bravery in combat.
Of course, the treatment after retirement is the same as that of the Ming army, including pensions for injuries and deaths in battle.
Most of the discontent stemmed from injustice, and Zhu Youxiao did his best to eliminate it, especially in the army.
Fairness and equality are two different concepts. Officers' salaries are higher and their treatment is better than that of soldiers. This should not lead to dissatisfaction or resentment, but rather serve as an incentive.
The ancients did not understand what "show" meant, but "spending a thousand gold coins to buy horse bones" is actually a kind of show.
Giving generous treatment to the naturalized cavalry is a living advertisement for the Mongolian tribes and the Mongolians of all tribes.
The Mongol tribes were so poor that they only had cattle, sheep, and horses left. They were the lower-class herdsmen, equivalent to the vast majority of farmers in the Ming Dynasty. The Mongol nobles, on the other hand, were like the landlords and gentry in the Ming Dynasty, making money without working and becoming extremely wealthy.
Zhu Youxiao did not despise those who brought their troops to naturalize; he welcomed those who came to him individually or as a family even more.
Just like the soldiers of the naturalized Flying Cavalry Battalion, they were all lower-class Mongolians who defected to the Ming Dynasty because they could no longer survive under the exploitation of the Mongolian nobles.
Compared with those Mongolian nobles, these single-person families, if they live a good life, will have a stronger sense of identification with the Ming Dynasty and be more loyal to it.
Nuke had no intention of naturalizing yet. His father was the leader of the Zhalut tribe, and he was the successor. He was a local tyrant on the Zhalut grasslands. With everything he had, who would want to naturalize in the Ming Dynasty?
Of course, this was his perspective, but the herders of the Jalut tribe and the Mongolian soldiers from the Inner Khalkha tribes who came with him might not necessarily share his perspective.
Tens of thousands of cavalry, more than 200 baggage wagons, and over 30 light artillery pieces, the entire force was full of power and strength, galloping across the withered and yellowed Liaohe grasslands, rushing towards Kaiyuan and Tieling.
…………………….
Guangning, Xiping Fort and Zhenwu Fort.
The main force of the Capital's Flying Cavalry Battalion, led by Zhou Yuji, was supplemented by 5,000 dragoons from Guangning. A special force of more than 10,000 troops was stationed in these two forts.
In front of the sand table, Zhou Yuji carefully examined and thought again, his eyes focused more on an inconspicuous place - the yellow mud wharf.
Huangniwa is located northwest of Liaoyang, and is almost the shortest straight-line distance from Guangning to Liaoyang. During the Battle of Guangning, the Jiannu army set out from here, crossed the Liaohe River, and reached Xipingbao, catching the Guangning Ming army off guard.
Now, this attack line will be used by the Ming army. When they are besieging Jiannu from all sides, the Ming army will send out a surprise attack, go straight to Liaoyang, and penetrate into the heart of Jiannu.
"General," said Zan Hua, a soldier in the army, stepping forward to report, "The vanguard has reported back that the timber has been gathered and the location for the pontoon bridge has been surveyed and confirmed."
Zhou Yuji nodded and said, "Mark it down!"
Zanhua responded and marked the route and the river crossing point on the sand table. To get from Xipingbao directly to Huangniwa, there were two rivers to cross: the Liao River and the Heli River.
If they had chosen to launch their attack in the dead of winter, as the Jiannu had done, with the rivers frozen, they could have crossed the river on ice. But the Ming army could not wait until that time and had to prepare to cross the river in advance.
Although the Liao River was wide, it was not difficult to cross it with the help of the Ming army's navy; although the Haihe River was narrow, a floating bridge was needed to allow people, horses and vehicles to pass through.
Watching the sand table change under the markings of the praise painting, Zhou Yuji stroked his chin and muttered to himself, "How long will it take to build the floating bridge? This also needs an accurate estimate."
Zan Hua bowed and said, "General, with the help of the navy, we can transport small boats from the Liao River to the Heli River by land. According to the reports of the vanguard scouting troops, the river at the crossing point is only a hundred meters wide. I believe that half a day will be enough!"
Zhou Yuji looked at Zanhua with a look of surprise on his face. He hadn't asked a question, but Zanhua's answer was a meticulously planned one, flawless.
"Wu Jiazhi, who was transferred from the martial arts department." Zhou Yuji nodded in admiration and said, "Excellent. If you have any other suggestions, please share them with us!"
Wu Jiazhi pursed his lips and said, "The roads must also be thoroughly surveyed and properly treated. After all, there's quite a bit of mud and swampland, which could very well hinder our army's progress."
After a pause, he added, "The newly opened engineering department in the martial arts school is specialized in this area. Although the training time is still short, it can be put to use."
"Okay, very good." Zhou Yuji took the order and handed it to Wu Jiazhi, "I'll leave these tasks to you."
Wu Jiazhi bowed and accepted the order, then saluted and said, "Yes, General."
The military department originally had artillery, cavalry, and infantry departments. The staff and engineering departments were only established this year, and not many people were recruited.
Zhou Yuji didn't know much about the staff department and thought it was just for training military officers like painters.
However, Wu Jiazhi had not been transferred here for long, but Zhou Yuji had already had a good impression of him. He was very capable and this saved him a lot of worry.
Now, Wu Jiazhi's suggestions made his eyes light up, and he felt that the new staff department set up by Wansui was really quite interesting.
Well, there's also the Engineering Corps, which is probably pretty good too. Building bridges and roads is also necessary for combat, so it's definitely better than the part-time work of ordinary troops.
Having two or three such Zanhua around to assist him would significantly reduce his workload. Zhou Yuji watched Wu Jiazhi leave, touched his chin, and smiled.
……………….
Haizhou Acropolis.
Tong Yangxing stood on the top of the city wall, looking at the increasingly tight and solid Ming army camp outside the city, and couldn't help but squint his eyes.
The Ming army had already firmly besieged Haicheng with trenches and camps. Yuetuo and Jirgalang's two red flags launched several attacks, but they were unable to shake the Ming army's powerful and well-armed forces.
"The Ming army has set up a large camp north of the city to block our Liaoshen army's reinforcements?" Gushan Beizi Shuotuo observed for a long time and suddenly asked, "Is attacking the city not important? It's really puzzling."
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