The public executions of hundreds of Spaniards caused great shock in Luzon, both at the summoned meeting and as the news spread.
It was only at this time that people remembered that the Spaniards and some local indigenous people still owed blood debts to tens of thousands of Chinese people, and their hands were stained with the blood of Chinese people.
The Ming army's attack on Luzon was not just to seize cities and occupy land, but also under the banner of revenge.
Massacre? No. This was a just trial, a fair verdict. Life for life, as it were.
The news spread quickly and widely, and the shock was growing.
In the ten days before the execution, Li Dan mobilized the Chinese to fan the flames, and not only did the people of Luzon know about it, but residents of other islands also heard the news.
Externally, the emperor needed to deter the Western barbarians; internally, Li Dan also needed the submission of the local chieftains. Moreover, in name only, it was completely tenable.
As for Spanish retaliation, the emperor wasn't too worried. The South American colonies tied up most of Spain's military strength. Mobilizing a formidable navy and army for an expedition to Asia was beyond the capabilities of the aging Spain.
Of course, the emperor had also made full preparations to prevent any eventuality. If the Spanish dared to come, they would be defeated and suffer the heaviest losses in Asia.
Of the Ming Empire's overseas territories, only Luzon could truly be considered one. By the time the Spanish learned of the situation and assembled sufficient ships and troops, Luzon would be able to train at least five to six thousand men.
This did not include the support of the regular army. With only 5,000 or 6,000 troops equipped with flintlock rifles, artillery, and rockets, it would be difficult for the Spanish to achieve victory unless they had tens of thousands of troops, an absolute advantage in manpower.
If the Spanish wanted to directly attack the Ming territory, with the advantage of being the host country, the Ming navy and the large number of fire ships that could sail near the coast, the Spanish would be in great danger of being annihilated.
The emperor was already aware of Spain's current strength. Otherwise, he would not have launched an attack on Luzon and beheaded the Spaniards as a public display.
Li Dan also knew all of this. To reassure him, the emperor would also set up an intelligence bureau in Luzon to enable intelligence sharing.
At the same time, the emperor also allowed Li Dan to immigrate from Borneo, limiting the number to 20,000 per year. After all, it was Li Dan who worked hard to manage the country, so it would be unreasonable not to give him any money.
As for Luzon's coastal defense, the emperor also ordered Shen Yourong to leave behind a small squadron, which was not very large, with only twenty or thirty warships.
But this is only short-term. As the navy continues to expand and Luzon is managed well, the permanent fleet will also expand.
In short, the attack on Luzon was not a momentary impulse, but a long-planned and well-prepared action. It was possible to not only capture it, but also to hold it.
The conquest of Luzon had been a victory, with many Spaniards killed. The remaining captives were turned into coolies, waiting for the ransom from the Spanish.
The emperor, unaware of the victory report, was still at sea, and every day, looking at the sand table, he felt a wave of anxiety. He was not worried about not winning the battle, but worried that the unpredictable waves at sea would cause unexpected losses to the navy.
But this is not all. The government affairs that the emperor needs to deal with and other military operations are still proceeding in an orderly manner as planned.
This year's main operations are these two: sea and land. If Hu Duntu marches west, there will be military deployments against him.
"History of Ming Dynasty": "It is surrounded by the Yellow River on three sides, so it is called 'Hetao'." That is to say, the geographical scope of "Hetao" basically refers to the area north of the Great Wall and south of the Yellow River.
The "Ningxia Wei" at that time was located to the east of Yinchuan today, and the "Dongsheng Wei" was located to the west of Tokto County, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia today, which was this range.
The "front area" usually refers to the area from Dengkou to the south of the Yellow River in Urad Front Banner, and the area south of the Yellow River to the Great Wall; the "back area" refers to the area north of the Yellow River.
The battle to recapture Qiantao can actually be seen as the emperor repeating the action of "Dongshengwei".
It should be noted that the management of Dongsheng and Ningxia could strategically address the shortcomings of the northern Hetao outposts. Chengzu's disbanding of the two guards and four defenses in Dongsheng was primarily intended to reduce the power of the Prince of Jin, a strategic misstep.
In order to repay the three Uriankhai guards for their support in the "Battle of Jingnan", Emperor Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty moved the Beijing Xingdusi located in Daning to Baoding.
As a result, a large gap was opened in the defense between Liaodong, Xuanhua and Datong, isolating Liaodong from Xuanhua's vocal support and making it difficult to respond.
Soon after, Emperor Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty relocated the Dongsheng Left Guard to Lulong County in northern Zhili and the Dongsheng Right Guard to Zunhua County in northern Zhili, considering the Dongsheng Left Guard difficult to defend due to its vast territory. The Dongsheng Middle, Front, and Back Thousand Households were withdrawn to defend the area around Huairen County in Shanxi.
The abolition of the Daning Regional Command and the relocation of the Dongsheng Guard created two major gaps in the Ming Dynasty's northern defense line, turning Kaiping into an isolated island extending into the Mongolian Plateau, surrounded by enemies on three sides. It was eventually relocated inland during the Xuande period.
The relocation of the three important cities of Daning, Dongsheng and Kaiping made the inner border of the Ming Dynasty a frontier (position), and all the dangerous areas held outside were lost.
The emperor would never be satisfied with a prolonged standoff with the northern nomads using the Great Wall as a barrier. As the disasters intensified, it became increasingly likely that the northern nomads would invade southward.
Pushing the defense line northward to form a buffer zone outside the Great Wall to prevent nomadic peoples from invading the interior was the first preventive step.
The key point is that the Qiantao area is suitable for farming and grazing, and the emperor believes that the future Saishang and Jiangnan areas can be well managed to save the cost of garrisoning troops.
At this time, Sun Chuanting was already standing in the ancient city of Dongshengwei, looking at the Yellow River flowing in the north.
The ancient city of Dongshengwei is also called "Yellow City", the Zhenluwei city about 30 kilometers to the east is called "Black City", and the Yunchuanwei city 30 kilometers to the east is called "Red City". These are all Wei cities built one after another in the early Ming Dynasty.
Faced with the Ming army armed to the teeth and the horizontal and vertical attacks of the cavalry wall, the Mongols were unsurprisingly defeated and retreated northward.
The right-wing Mongolian tribes were in such a state. Sun Chuanting shook his head, feeling deeply moved.
The comfortable life with the reward from the city accelerated the degeneration of the right wing Mongolian tribes. However, their real enemy was not the Ming army, but the Huduntu who would soon march west.
"Sir," an officer walked up to the city wall and bowed to Sun Chuanting, reporting, "All our troops have entered the city. Only the cavalry that was pursuing the enemy has not yet returned."
Sun Chuanting pondered for a moment and said, "Send out five hundred cavalrymen to support them."
Sun Chuanting was still very confident in the fighting power of the Flying Cavalry. In the battles with the Mongols, he also saw the decline of the Mongols.
But he did not underestimate the enemy, because occupying Dongshengwei City was only the first step, which was easy. How to gain a foothold as quickly as possible and firmly and permanently control it was the more difficult task.
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