Without its own language and cultural heritage, can it still be called an independent nation?
The Burmese, the Vietnamese, and other ethnic groups can all be treated in the same way. Giving them a chance to live instead of a massacre is already merciful enough.
Wang Sanshan summoned all the generals and conveyed the emperor's secret decree. Of course, it could not be said to be the emperor's intention, but it had to be changed into the court's new policy.
Undoubtedly, the army welcomed such a strategy, as it was more conducive to boosting morale than the distribution of spoils of war.
There is no need to explain war bonds in detail. If you have confidence in the strength of your army, have no doubt about the victory of the war, and have money, then buy it!
Human trafficking is even better. You can get as much money as you capture people. You don't have to capture prisoners on the battlefield. Would it be that difficult to capture civilians?
Of course, we cannot arrest people indiscriminately and sell all the civilians in the occupied areas. Mekong Province and Borneo do not have such a large carrying capacity in the short term.
Therefore, this also requires regulations, detailed rules, and plans, and must be carried out in stages and batches.
First of all, there are prisoners of war, who are potential resistance forces and are most likely to pose a threat to the stability of the occupied areas; secondly, there are the strong and healthy ones, who are good at work and can quickly become warriors when they pick up swords and guns.
Does the occupied area need a population? The answer is yes. The people who can fill the occupied area will be the people of the various chieftains of Yunnan Province, as well as a large number of Han people.
The migration of population from north to south has been a long-term national policy: Gansu and Shaanxi to Sichuan, Sichuan and Guangxi to Yunnan, and Yunnan to the outside world.
The general principle is simple: reducing the population in the north, where disasters are most severe, will make disaster prevention and relief efforts less difficult.
Although the population of several northern provinces decreased, the upgraded and improved weapons and equipment increased the combat effectiveness of the Ming army.
If the northern grasslands were not so vast and the logistical problems were not difficult to solve, the emperor believed that 50,000 elite cavalry would be enough to sweep the grasslands and be invincible.
The elite cavalry of the Ming Dynasty now, if the surrendered Mongolian tribes are included, is only a few hundred thousand.
However, the timing is wrong to conquer the northern grasslands. The more territory we conquer, the greater the cost, and the impact of a major disaster is terrifying.
Of course, the disaster also provided the Ming Dynasty with an opportunity to win without fighting. The colder climate and the southward shift of pastures would make life increasingly difficult for the nomadic peoples, and their dependence on the Ming Dynasty would grow stronger.
They could neither defeat the enemy nor rob the country. Moreover, the arrogant Ligdan Khan wanted to repeat the glory of Genghis Khan. The Mongolian tribes had to either be annexed or submit to the Ming Dynasty.
Obviously, the Mongolian tribes lived like local emperors, preferring to be the head of a chicken rather than the tail of an ox. Few of them truly supported Ligdan Khan's dream.
But despite this, the Ming Dynasty's advance in the north continued in an orderly manner. Building roads, constructing cities, connecting points with lines, and using lines to lead areas were the unchanging principles of the Ming army to implement a stable occupation.
In the 20th year of Hongwu (1387), the Daning Regional Military Commission was established, with its seat in Daning Wei (towards the west of Ningcheng County, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region today).
The Daning Guard governed the area north of Gaoguancheng in Hebei Province and the area north of the Xilamulun River in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. The following year, it was renamed the Beijing Xingdusi.
In the first year of the Yongle reign, the seat of the Daning Dusi was relocated to Baoding Prefecture. From then on, the Daning Dusi, which had been in operation for twelve years during the Ming Dynasty, was abandoned, and all the garrisons under its jurisdiction were abolished, and some were moved south of the Great Wall and never recovered.
Emperor Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty also knew the importance of Daning. During his first northern expedition in the eighth year of Yongle, he said: "Now if we destroy these remnants of the enemy, we can only defend Kaiping, Xinghe, Ningxia, Gansu, Daning, and Liaodong, and there will be no trouble on the border forever."
However, he still felt that withdrawing the guards south of the desert and concentrating forces to destroy the Northern Yuan was the only way to solve the problem once and for all. The correct approach would be to wait until the Ming army eliminated the remaining Yuan forces in Lingbei Province and inherited and established the northern border of the Yuan Dynasty before establishing the guards.
When Emperor Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty suddenly died on the way to the Northern Expedition, there was no other emperor who had the talent and courage to restore the guards south of the desert.
Tongliao, a newly designated place name by the imperial court, was originally part of the Three Wuliangha Guards and was now under the jurisdiction of the Daning Military Commission. A rammed earth city had already risen from the ground, marking the beginning of the Ming Dynasty's reconstruction of the Daning Guards.
To the east of Tongliao is Shuangliao, where "the crowing of a rooster can be heard in three provinces." Together with Siping, Jilin and other places, it controls the upper reaches of the Liaohe River in the north and the Dalinghe River basin in the east, forming the new northern defense line of the Ming Dynasty.
To the north of Tongliao is the Xiliao River, to the south are the Horqin Left Rear Banner, Guangning Houtunwei (now Zhangwu), and Shenyang; to the west is Chifeng, which is close to the Chahar tribe.
Tongliao City covers a large area, but its walls are not high, only about three meters. However, relying on the moat outside the city and the sharp firearms of the Ming army, it will become a nightmare for the attackers.
There are not many houses in the city, but they are arranged neatly, the streets are straight, and the military camps and civilian houses are built in the north and south, with clear boundaries.
It is not easy to live in the city. In addition to the officers and soldiers of the Ming army, there are also military dependents and caravans passing through Shenyang.
Five miles outside the city is the commercial district. There is no city wall, only two rows of shanties sandwiched between a wide dirt road.
Since submitting to the Ming Dynasty, the Mongolian tribes here have been able to enjoy the convenience of trade. There are resident Han merchants in the trade area, and a wide variety of goods can be exchanged for livestock such as cattle, sheep, and horses.
Silver coins were also gradually becoming popular. The nobles of the Mongolian tribes, as well as ordinary herdsmen, became more and more accustomed to exchanging loose gold and silver for silver and copper coins, which was much more convenient than driving cattle and sheep over long distances.
Kong Youde returned from an inspection tour with his troops and, as usual, took a walk around the commercial district.
"General."
"Greetings, General."
"Hello, General."
Whether they were Han or Mongolian, whether they were ordinary people or nobles, they all bowed in greeting.
In Tongliao, where he was still an officer, he was the highest-ranking official. Government affairs were managed by his staff and clerks, who also reported to him.
Kong Youde nodded modestly, his dignified gaze sweeping over the shops and passersby. He enjoyed the title of "Great General," even though he didn't quite live up to it yet.
"General, the cigars have just arrived. Would you like two boxes?" A shop owner seemed to be very familiar with Kong Youde. He came out of the shop with a smile, holding two wooden boxes in his hands.
Kong Youde laughed heartily and said, "Old Wu is sensible. This is what the general likes."
As he spoke, he gestured to the guard behind him to take the wooden box and said, "As usual, the money for the cigarettes will be sent to the shop in the city."
The shops in the city are the main stores, and the ones here are just branches. After all, living in the city is safe and reliable, and the houses are sturdy and warm.
“好嘞！”吴姓老板痛快地答应着，又有些不好意思地拱手道：“小人想纳房妾室，入城居住的文书，还要大将军行个方便。”
孔有德上下打量了下吴老板，调侃道：“又纳妾呀，可别伤了身子骨。至于文书，正常报备，审核通过便可，用不了几天工夫。”
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