Xinshun 1730

Chapter 200 The Determination of Military Reform

Guazhou, the emperor's camp.

To the east is Jiayuguan, and to the northwest is Xingxing Gorge, the only way to enter the Western Regions.

Liangzhou has been trapped for 40 years, and Helong has invaded for [-] miles.Usually Anxi is thousands of miles away, but today the border guards are in Fengxiang.

Since the Tang Dynasty, there have been no Han emperors here for thousands of years.

The seven guards of Kansai where the previous dynasty was here were just places of restraint, and it would have no effect if they were lost. It would be a waste of money to fight them, and if they didn't, it would not affect the legitimacy of the Celestial Dynasty.

Even after the establishment of Dashun, compared with Li Tang, there are still many voices of opposition in the court and in China regarding the recovery of Gansu.

The great Confucian Wang Fuzhi once said: Therefore, the toes of the mountain birds are sparse, the toes of the wet birds are strong, the power of the birds is horizontal, the power of the poultry is the fir, the south is suitable for water farming, and the north is suitable for frost farming. It is also impossible to save each other and eliminate its disaster... The Huaxia is to the barbarians and the barbarians.Therefore, if people don't limit themselves to absolute things, the dimension of heaven will be torn apart.If Huaxia does not self-defense to eliminate barbarians, the land will be torn apart.

The general idea is: Birds in the mountains have claws, while birds on the water have webbed feet.This is why Heaven wants to prevent them from killing each other.Chinese orthodoxy is suitable for the Central Plains, just like a bird with claws, without flippers, it should not go to places with water.

His original intention was just to clarify the debate between Hua and Yi, but his words were misinterpreted.

Although Dashun compared himself to Li Tang all day long, some young people were impassioned.

But for some people who have grown up and are no longer impassioned, it is inevitable that they feel that it is a waste of time and money.

They misinterpreted Wang Fuzhi's words, thinking that Wang Fuzhi meant that the orthodox celestial dynasty was only suitable for the Han provinces, and the rest of the places were the places where the barbarians should live.Huaxia should be isolated from the barbarians, not in contact with them, so the Great Wall should be built to isolate the barbarians.

In some people's opinion, the Western Regions and Mongolia are not suitable for China at all. Why not build a Great Wall to separate them?Why spend money to attack these useless places?
Not to mention spending money, basically no tax will be collected after the fight, and the tax collected will have to be paid by Jiangnan and North China.

In a sense, they were right.

Confucianism is not suitable for those border areas, and it is basically impossible to educate them.Birds in the mountains need claws, and birds near the water have webbed feet. Confucianism is suitable for farming areas, but not for nomadic areas.

Since Confucianism cannot be taught there, how can it be considered part of the world?Therefore, if you lose it, you will lose it. The Central Plains is enough for the legitimacy of the world. Those places do not represent the legitimacy of the world. There is really no need for Dashun to use troops in those directions.

It's just that Dashun started his family in the northwest, so he couldn't help but pay special attention to the affairs in the northwest.In addition to Emperor Taizong's legacy, Dashun regained Hetao, immigrated to Gansu, and finally extended its power to Xingxing Gorge and garrisoned troops in Hami.

In recent years, wars have occurred frequently around Qinghai, Snow Mountain and other places.

Even though this place is no longer the prison of the former Kansai Seven Guards, and already has the prefecture and county government, it is still not safe here.

The emperor camped here, and the accompanying soldiers would be very worried.

I am worried that the quasi-department will go around Qinghai and besiege Guazhou. If a civil fort is built, then everything will be over.

Although the generals are very confident that they can win the battle, it is difficult for anyone to say what happened on the battlefield. There is nothing foolproof on the battlefield.

The army is stationed here, and most of the military rations for the Western Expedition are piled up here.Going west along the Xingxing Gorge, you will find Hami City, the outpost of Dashun's strategy for the Western Regions.

These days, a steady stream of soldiers will march towards Hami, and the post stations along the way are also constantly delivering military supplies. It is said that the army of the Zhunbu is ahead, and the army must gather troops and advance slowly.

Build the city in the front and follow the soldiers behind, and you must be fully prepared. You must not underestimate the enemy and rush forward, so that the army of the quasi-corps will take advantage of the loopholes and cut off the supply line from Luntai to Hami.

At least, before yesterday, the army on the West Road had such worries hanging from top to bottom.

However, as the news of today's victory came from the northern front, this worry disappeared. Cavalry continued to gallop along the road, spreading the news to the front and urging the troops to advance.

The main force of the Zhunbu was wiped out in the north of the Altai Mountains, and the west of Hami was empty. It was just a suspicious strategy of the Zhunbu before!

Now there is no need to gather [-] auxiliary soldiers and [-] combat soldiers, and the huge logistics consumption is moving forward.

The emperor's order was to gather [-] soldiers and [-] auxiliary soldiers to build a city in Luntai.

The number of troops going forward has been reduced from [-] to less than [-]. The impact on logistics is huge, and the impact on marching speed is also huge.

In the camp, the emperor's hearty laughter kept echoing in the big tent, and the generals and ministers accompanying the army also kept singing their praises.

In fact, a day ago, the emperor's heart was still shaken.

The most likely strategic intention of the Zhunbu analyzed by Liu Yu before, the emperor deeply believed.He also felt that if the quasi-department used troops, this was the only way to survive.

However, there has been news that the army of the Zhunbu is just west of Hami.

Suspicious tactics made it difficult for the emperor to make a judgment.

If the northern front is forced to take advantage of the opportunity of the quasi-military army in the west to quickly cross the mountain, what if this is a suspicious strategy?What if the army is really on the northern front?
He only believed half of Liu Yu's words.

To be on the safe side, he didn't talk too much, he only said that it would be cheap for Liu Yu to be on the front line.

If he wins, it means that he has a good command of the strategy, and he has anticipated the strategy of the quasi-buying department for a long time, and formed the Qingzhou Army against all opinions;

The emperor was not fully sure that less than [-] Qingzhou soldiers plus Qingqi could win the field battle with the Zhunbu's [-] soldiers.

But in case the temptation to win is too great.

The news from the front line has always been unclear, and the emperor fell into hesitation, but in the end he withstood all kinds of pressure and allowed the northern line to continue to do things cheaply, instead of going over the mountain quickly.

Although he urged him twice, he didn't say anything dead. He just said that if there is no army on the northern line, they can quickly build a city over the mountains.

A few days ago, news came from the northern front that Liu Yu had encountered the main force of the Zhunbu.

The emperor also couldn't sleep all night. On the one hand, he hoped that Liu Yu would really be able to defeat the main force of the quasi-parties on the northern front. This would not only save money, but also show that the emperor's decision was correct; In battle, heroes can only be judged by success or failure. No matter how neatly the queue usually walks, if you can't win, it is useless.

Liu Yu has been saying that the orderly formation of the queue means discipline, discipline and full food and salary. There is really no reason not to win.Ordinarily, this reasoning is correct, but who can say what happened on the battlefield?
Until the early morning of this day, when the fast horses came galloping, the news of the great victory on the northern front came, and the whole camp was boiling.

The main force of the Zhunbu was annihilated, Xiao Ce Lingdun Duobu was killed in battle, and Da Ce Lingdun Duobu was captured. Such news quickly spread throughout the army.

Those ministers who had been worried about the fear of the appearance of a "civil castle" were also relieved, and those who were eager to make meritorious service by virtue of this battle were depressed.

When the battle reaches this point, anyone will fight it.

There is no need to worry about the main force of the quasi-military force when Hami sends troops, so the number of troops can be reduced.Reducing the number of people going on an expedition can save a lot of expenses, and you can also march at the fastest speed.

With a firm foothold in Luntai, Liu Yu crossed the Altai Mountains and marched north and south. Even if the Zhunbu could gather some remnants, it was still close to defeat.

In the chants of the ministers, Li Gan hadn't lost himself yet. He raised the urgent memorial sent by Liu Yu in Yang's hand and said, "Masters, now there is no more war. It's just the beginning of stability in the Western Regions. "

"Liu Yu's memorial said that he would lead the Qingzhou Army over the mountains and go straight to Ili through the Alashan Pass. Taking advantage of the chaos in the Zhuang Department, it was impossible for them to gather and go straight to Huanglong."

"But the aftermath cannot be solved by the army. He said that we must quickly arrange some people who know surveying and mapping to follow the army along the way and draw a detailed map of the Western Regions; we must choose a place to build a city in the Ili River Valley and immigrate as soon as possible. As for the army , I can’t spend it here all the time, and the household government can’t afford the tens of thousands of taels a day.”

"Let's take a look at the matter about Da Ce Ling Dunduobu first."

After all, pass the memorial to the following ministers, Xungui, and ask for their opinions.

Is it to completely eradicate the quasi-parties?
Or allow quasi-ministerial surrender?

The former needs to support Yarkand and Kazakhs.

The latter requires an army capable of suppressing the Western Regions, as well as more immigrants to settle down.

Li Gan was more inclined to the latter. Liu Yu defeated the army of the Zhunbu. What was commendable was that he thought about the stability of the Western Regions in the future.

Dashun revived the Tang Dynasty's tradition of going out and entering the prime minister. Although there is no truth, the name of Tianyoudian still sounds like a prime minister.

While the ministers were watching the memorial and discussing in low voices, Li Gan was making a calculation in his heart.

The Qingzhou Army won, and it was so easy.

Liu Yu fulfilled his original promise and trained a well-controlled army.The memorial also said that once you arrive in Yili, please surrender the military power of the Qingzhou Army, because Lieutenant General Zhang Jin is fully competent for the rest.

The Qingzhou Army won, and it was so easy to win, like a weight, which made everything Liu Yu said before become heavier and more weighty.

Dashun...the military should be reformed.

The Beijing camp maintains a number of 20 to [-], and battalions from all over the country are trained intensively. Only an army of about [-] is needed, and there is no need to worry about the frontier and the interior.

The Qingzhou Army is really saving money. It loses armor, replaces muskets, and can fight three against one.

This is both gratifying and terrifying, because what Liu Yu learned was from Westerners, this made the shadow hanging over Li Gan's head even more heavy and dark.

In the past, when the Celestial Empire reached this point, they could immediately let Nanshan go if they looked around.The Western Regions are established, what else is worth conquering?As long as the tribute surrenders, it will be fine.

But now, there is a huge Raksha in the north, according to Liu Yu, it is also at the level of the Qingzhou Army's combat power.

On the South Seas, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, France, Spain... and Portugal in Macau, if one day in the future they really threaten from the East China Sea as Liu Yu said, what should they do?
Li Jiusi said that day that the Beijing camp could not defeat the Qingzhou army.Now it seems that it is more than impossible to fight, I am afraid that the Qingzhou Army can completely fight against two or even more.

What about Westerners?
In the past, the emperor was skeptical, and no one in the court believed it, and they were all waiting to see Liu Yu's jokes.

Now, Liu Yu is not proving that he can do meritorious service, but proving that the threat of Westerners is terrible, and if Dashun does not change, it will fall behind.

80 years ago, Dashun's military system was still on par with Westerners, and there was such a gap in just 80 years. What about in the future?

To reform the military requires a big determination.

The battle at the northern foot of the Altai Mountains finally made the emperor make up his mind.At the beginning, Jinshuiqiao asked the right advice, and now it seems that all of them have been realized.

Unified training, planning by the staff, selecting and assessing officers to give up wielding knives and guns to practice mathematics and physics, honoring and commanding the army... This is a complete system.

And the most critical bargaining chip of this system, combat effectiveness, has been proven.

The military reform is also closely related to the affairs of the Western Regions.

If you choose the latter, order the quasi-buyers to surrender and follow the example of Monan Mongolia, then you need to build some bastions and station an army.

The number of this army should not be too large, and it should be scattered everywhere, but it is better to gather tens of thousands of people.

This army should be able to reach about 2000 people to solve the disputes of a department, and it will not be defeated by the seemingly large number of nomads.Once a problem occurs, it must be suppressed and resolved immediately, otherwise the day lily will be cold when the army gathers.

Infantry should be the mainstay, supplemented by cavalry, because the elite cavalry is too expensive and the cheap cavalry is pulled to the same level as the nomads.The strength of the Han empire lies in firearms, and it would be unwise to abandon firearms.

In the past, such demands were too high.

But now, an army like the Qingzhou Army that can train quickly, use infantry as the main force, and can resolve disputes between departments and accounts with 2000 people, without worrying about being attacked while marching, is the most suitable army.

It is simply a replica of the rhubarb crossbow of the Han Dynasty to the Xiongnu cavalry.

Seeing that the ministers were still buzzing about how to deal with the quasi-ministerial matter, Li Gan thought, the military reform must be reformed.

The school needs to be built, even if it is tried out, all the officers cannot be from good families; the Martial Virtue Palace needs to be changed, and some assessments should be properly abolished; the balance between good families, nobles and civil servants needs to be reconsidered.

The imperial examination... The imperial examination must not be moved lightly. We can only change the Wude Palace first, gradually increase the number of non-good families, and gradually change the Wude Palace into a parallel imperial examination.

The imperial examination scriptures and the martial arts palace test practical arithmetic, geometry and physics to ensure sufficient talent reserves.

(End of this chapter)