The "Huanglongfu (now in the county seat of Nong'an County, Gaoguanchun City, Jilin Province)" that Grandpa Yue wanted to attack directly had been occupied by the joint cavalry forces of Guangning. The ruined city with a circumference of 3.5 kilometers was repaired and the old name Long'an was restored, and a prefecture was established.
The Ming army stationed 3,000 troops in Long'an as a backup for the Khorchin tribe, ensuring that the Khorchin grassland would become a vanguard, or buffer, against the Chahar tribe.
When Long'an was occupied, the emperor was really happy. He even published a comment in the newspaper, mentioning Grandpa Yue and planning to designate Grandpa Yue as the Martial Saint and build a temple to commemorate him.
You should know that the Jin Dynasty was also founded by the Jurchens, and the Jiannu were also known as the Later Jin. Recalling Grandpa Yue, Huanglongfu, and Shangjing has symbolic significance for wiping out the remnants of the Jiannu.
As soon as a low murmur of discussion arose, Mao Wenlong glanced around and all the generals hurriedly sat up straight with solemn expressions.
"Since the imperial court has established Jilin Prefecture, it is normal that an area of 100 li, or at least 50 or 60 li, belongs to Jilin Prefecture."
Mao Wenlong said slowly, "Your Majesty's intention is mainly to expand horizontally, east and west. If we reach the sea in the west, we can build a port and a city, and the navy will be able to sail and transport goods. You can look at the map. If the navy can transport troops and food, we can wipe out the remaining Jiannu. It will be twice the result with half the effort."
The Haixi Jurchens probably refer to the Jurchen tribes on the land west of the sea. The Jiannu fled here and now only faced pressure from the Ming army advancing from south to north.
However, if the connection between land and sea is opened up and the navy has a stable base port, the remnants of the Jiannu will have to face the Ming army attacking from the sea, and the time of their demise will be greatly advanced.
Mao Wenlong and his generals thought so, but the emperor no longer cared about the remnants of the Jiannu. He wanted to expand his territory, to have a navy that could roam the seas, and to have ports for it to dock.
Pushing straight from Jilin Prefecture to the sea, with the addition of the army and navy, the significance and role of expansion to the Far East is beyond the imagination of ordinary people.
People at that time had no geographical concept of the Far East, and they had no idea what the resources under this frozen soil would mean to the Ming Empire hundreds of years later.
Regardless of whether his descendants were prodigals, the emperor's purpose and principle was to take advantage of the army's strength and rob as much as possible.
What's more, the introduction and promotion of high-yield crops such as potatoes and sweet potatoes will basically prevent the large population reduction caused by wars in history.
The emperor was also preparing to gradually abolish the head tax, so that the people would not face a significant increase in taxes due to childbirth, and an explosive growth in the population of the Ming Dynasty was inevitable.
The contradiction between a large population and limited land will become more acute than ever before. Whether it's going west or crossing the Guandong Pass, or just spontaneously seeking survival, if the government guides and provides assistance, there won't be enough land in the entire Great Northern Wilderness.
By that time, the harsh cold of the Far East will be survivable, and people will go there to live.
"If we simply wait for immigration and reclamation, I don't think three years will be enough." Mao Wenlong glanced at the generals again and said in a deep voice, "Therefore, I have decided to submit a petition to the court, requesting that Dongjiang Town take the lead in the construction of Jilin Prefecture."
Zhang Pan nodded slightly, agreeing with Marshal Mao's decision and understanding the meaning of his words.
The plan to advance northward was slowed down, and the emperor believed that the goal had been achieved. However, Mao Wenlong said that the radius of 100 li should be at least 50 or 60 li, which means that Jilin should be used as a base and an additional 100 to 180 li should be advanced northward.
This would mean the area was too vast. Even with just his mixed brigade and the naturalized Jurchen troops, the manpower was far from enough.
Mao Wenlong wanted to expand his army a bit, at least to a mixed brigade of nearly 10,000 men. He might also recruit a few thousand more Jurchens to disperse the tribe.
Even so, Zhang Pan still felt that it was not enough, but he would not suggest increasing it further.
Although the reconstruction of Liaodong has made considerable progress, the surrendered Jurchens have no capital or reason to rebel, but Liaodong cannot be left too empty.
But Zhang Pan didn't know that what Mao Wenlong wanted to report to the court was not only to send more troops to the north, but also to be the first to implement the conscription system in Liaodong.
The emperor had this idea, but he did not implement it rashly. It was only right for him to seek opinions from his ministers.
Minister of War Xiong Tingbi thought this system was a good one, but implementing it nationwide was difficult. This was especially true in the south, where the emphasis on civil service was stronger, and the people were living in poverty, so military service was unpopular.
Relatively speaking, it should be easier in the north. However, to implement it on a large scale, recruiting so many soldiers, and not during wartime, would put a huge strain on the court's finances.
Finally, Xiong Tingbi suggested a trial run in Liaodong. Liaodong had just been liberated, and although the war had inflicted considerable damage, it was also essentially a blank slate, allowing for fresh planning.
After so many years of war, the aristocratic families, powerful people and wealthy people in Liaodong were basically destroyed. It was precisely this class that would be opposed to their children joining the army.
Xiong Tingbi made a suggestion, which the emperor agreed with deeply. He also sought opinions from Liaodong Governor Wu Yongxian and Dongjiang Town Commander Mao Wenlong through secret reports.
Because of this, Mao Wenlong knew more and decided to support Wansui's plan to pilot the conscription system in Liaodong first.
If the emperor agreed, tens of thousands of more soldiers would be available in Liaodong, and the manpower problem for reclamation and construction would be solved.
There was no other way. Liaodong still had a lot of vacant farmland, and the first choice for immigrants was not a remote and cold place like Jilin Prefecture. For construction and development, the army had to play the main role.
"General," Yang Guozhu said, bowing, "Our troops are willing to march to Jilin Prefecture to expedite its construction and development."
Nara Zhongming also quickly volunteered, "General, our army can recruit thousands more, or relocate thousands of civilians to Jilin Prefecture to settle down."
Mao Wenlong nodded and said, "Generals, there's no need to rush. It's not too late to act after the court's approval. For now, I'm just asking you to prepare in advance."
After a pause, he continued, "In addition to the necessary training, each unit must also contribute greatly to the reconstruction of Liaodong. Tell your officers and soldiers that Liaodong will be their home in the future. The more you work, the more you will be rewarded. This will affect your post-retirement benefits. If you slack off, you will end up suffering the consequences."
"What the Marshal said is absolutely right."
"Our officers and soldiers have all exceeded their mission targets, so rest assured, Marshal."
"If we keep doing this for another year, some of the soldiers will be able to become small landlords after retirement. They'll be very motivated."
All the generals expressed their opinions one after another, and Mao Wenlong also smiled, nodded frequently, and did not hesitate to give words of praise and encouragement.
According to the roads and transportation at that time, there was no problem for officers to serve in other places, but a large number of soldiers could only serve nearby.
Just think about it, if the time spent on the road is several months or even half a year, all the training time will be wasted.
The emperor did think about disrupting the distribution across the country, but in the end he had no choice but to give up this unrealistic idea.
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