When people stare at the drawings, it is easy to make various plans, just like Zhu Youxiao. He originally wanted to capture Chahanhot City and force Lin Danhan to the east and rush to Liaodong. General Staff Headquarters

The young staff there also made some plans based on his ideas.

However, as the saying goes, plans cannot keep up with changes, let alone a plan based on an unreliable idea.

When he actually came to the grassland, Zhu Youxiao realized that in the face of this vast world, his plan was simply ridiculous. With thousands of miles of plains stretching across it, how could he drive Lin Danhan to the northeast? The General Staff's plan was just that.

Some ideas that are taken for granted have no practical possibility.

After all, it is still a newly established department, and a lot of information and experience need to be accumulated. Even if there was a relatively successful counter-insurgency plan in South Zhili before, this is only the success of the model, not anything else.

Faced with this situation, Zhu Youxiao could only sigh dejectedly, "There is still a long way to go!"

When Zhang Shize came back with a large number of seizures and drove cattle and sheep like clouds, the whole army was in a sensation. Even Zhu Youxiao looked at what he saw in disbelief. He thought that Zhang Shize would gain a lot after chasing.

But I never thought it would be so big.

The wealth and savings of half the Chahar tribe are here.

Compared with such a huge population and cattle and sheep, Zhang Shize's cavalry of 15,000 people seemed insignificant. It was really difficult for Zhu Youxiao to imagine how he subdued those herdsmen and made them obedient.

Driving cattle and sheep into the tiger's mouth.

After careful questioning, he learned that it was thanks to the help of the Han slaves in Chahar's tribe that these people could be stabilized.

The entire Chahar tribe has a population of only more than 400,000. The real combatable troops are the 100,000 people Zhu Youxiao faces. The rest are women, children and some half-grown boys. There are very few elderly people.

Under the harsh living conditions on the grassland, the old man could not survive. Either he went out to seek death to save food rations, or he fell into various natural and man-made disasters and diseases.

Just thinking about this expedition, almost all the old people who had lost their physical strength and could not keep up with the tribe's actions died, and the rest were half-grown men who had not yet grown up and some herdsmen who were not suitable to become warriors. The half-grown men are now

They are in the grade of fourteen or fifteen years old. They are lawless and have the most rebellious mentality. Facing the Han people who are just like their own slaves, they are the main force in the resistance and are determined not to compromise or act according to Zhang Shize's orders.

At this time, the Han slaves who had been plundered for many years broke out. Taking advantage of their age, they directly snatched weapons. However, they violently resisted. Under Zhang Shize's indifference, they killed all the young people in half of the tribe who resisted fiercely.

die.

The half-grown boys were at an age where they didn’t know what was important. Most of those who dared to resist were the children of the leading aristocratic families. They had slaves in their families. They were the ones who often treated these Han slaves the most cruelly. They were whipped no matter how hard or light.

I know how many Han people have been beaten to death. And these people often have their own brothers, friends, fellow villagers, and relatives.

Those who survived buried this hatred deeply in their hearts, like a volcano waiting for an opportunity, ready to erupt at any time. Obviously, Zhang Shize's arrival and intercepting half of the Chahar tribe was the best opportunity. And

In their eyes, this may be their only chance. When these herdsmen are brought before the emperor, they will inevitably need someone to manage them, and the heirs of those nobles may be the best choice.

And when the time comes, it will be difficult for me to seek revenge.

So, after the crazy and bloody revenge began, Zhang Shize, after the initial surprise, turned indifferent. As both Han people, it was impossible for these steppe Tatars to be more important than these Han people. That is why, with the help of these

With the help of Han slaves, he brought this huge lineup back to Zhu Youxiao to resume his life.

Listening to Zhang Shize talking about his three days and three nights of fighting and the interception process, and looking at the tens of thousands of Han slaves gathered together, Zhu Youxiao suddenly smiled, and an idea came to his mind, "

I want to form a new army, called Xiaoqi. The main source of troops will be these deserters, and suitable candidates will be selected from them. If there are not enough, we will recruit from other places. I wonder if you will give in, Shi Ze."

The emperor smiled and spoke out the discussed military orders. Such a friendly attitude showed that he was in an excellent mood at the moment. Although the Imperial Guard was called an army, it only had five thousand people, which was not enough to form an army. Zhang Shize, the commander, was naturally

You cannot be promoted to the rank of major general through this.

However, it is obvious that his gains this time are enough, which is more than enough for him to be promoted to major general. Moreover, it can be foreseen that once the Cavalry Army is established, its combat effectiveness will be more than one level stronger than that of the Cavalry Army. These Han slaves can survive

Coming down is itself a manifestation of courage, will and ability.

Those who didn't have enough died under the whips of the Mongolian nobles. These deserters have always been the main force of the horse-riding prison army. They have no family and no family. They are brave and very useful. Now they are armed with the strict discipline and powerful equipment of the Central Army.

As an army, the combat effectiveness should not exceed the sky.

"The last general... The last general..." Unexpectedly, after hearing the emperor's words, Zhang Shize was extremely excited, and then everyone choked, tears flowed down, and words could not be spoken.

How could he not want to? What he wanted most at all times was to restore the British Duke's title so that his ancestors would not be shamed and his father who burned himself to death would not blame himself.

Being promoted to major general is undoubtedly the most important step. Once you become a major general, you will be able to take charge of an army. You will be the core high-ranking officer in the army and the emperor's absolute confidant. After that, it will be the accumulation of merit. As long as you have outstanding military exploits, you will be able to recover.

In the past, it was only a matter of time before the door opened.

"The general is willing!" Zhang Shize half-knelt on the ground and responded with tears in his eyes.

"In this case, go and restrain them. They will be under your control for the rest of the trip." Zhu Youxiao also said with some sadness.

The division of powers and responsibilities immediately diluted the sad atmosphere, and Zhu Youxiao also took the opportunity to turn his attention to another problem, how to solve these cattle, sheep and population?

According to his original idea, he wanted to force Lin Dan Khan to enter Liao. When the time comes, these herdsmen, cattle, sheep and horses will be driven by them. Liaodong has a huge population and area, and it is extremely convenient to accept these. But

, in today’s remote place with no villages or shops, these people have become a burden.

And it seriously affected his next plan. Although Lin Danhan ran away from Zhang Shize, just like in history, and ran to Guihua City, Zhu Youxiao would not change his original strategic vision because of this change.

First conquer Mongolia, then drive out the Jurchens.

It can be said that half of the Mongolian conquest was completed. Although Lin Dan Khan ran away and Horqin was still there, these were of no consequence. The next step was the second step of the strategy, which was to enter Liao and drive away the Jurchens.

However, these trophies have now become a huge burden, seriously hindering the army's actions. However, these are relatively core strategic considerations, but Zhu Youxiao will not reveal them to Zhang Shize. After all, he is also a great contributor.

One piece.

That night, on the grassland outside Chahanhot City, the army held a grand bonfire party, including strong drinks, barbecues, martial arts competitions, singing songs, and various masculine programs, which made all the soldiers happy.

Late at night, in the Chinese military tent, when all the soldiers fell into a deep sleep due to exhaustion of excitement, a high-level meeting was held here.

Not many people participated, including three major generals: Li Yuyu, Li Tao, and Zhang Shize, Chief of Staff Xu Wen of the Army Staff Department, Wang Wenyan, and Wei Zhongxian, a total of six people.

With the certificate issued, there are not many people around Zhu Youxiao who can be used. Those who are qualified and able to discuss with him are only the six people currently in the big account.

"What do you think should be done with these people, cattle and sheep?" Zhu Youxiao asked with his hands behind his back.

As soon as this question came up and no one spoke, Zhang Shize couldn't help but blush. He didn't know the emperor's next strategic plan, but at this time he was obviously aware of the burden caused by the huge amount of loot he had brought back.

"Okay, Shize, you don't have to blame yourself. Everyone blames you. The more spoils of war, the better. But at this time, we are on an expedition. Next, we will march eastward to Liaodong and launch a campaign against the Jurchens. We will take these with us along the way.

Prisoners are not suitable." Zhu Youxiao explained calmly.

The comforting words made the only knot in Zhang Shize's heart go away. After all, this was a credit that could not be erased. The negative impact it brought was insignificant compared with the benefits behind it.

"Since Your Majesty wants to march eastward to Liaodong, the strategy of entering the Pass will no longer work." As the only scholar here, Wang Wenyan was the first to speak. He glanced at the other people in the big tent, except for the new recruits.

Major General Zhang Shize, Wei Zhongxian, who specializes in intelligence work, and the other three people still looked calm when they heard the words about marching eastward to Liaodong, and their expressions did not change much. It was obvious that they had known about His Majesty's plan in this regard.

This information flashed through his mind quickly, and although the analysis was very tedious, it did not delay Wang Wenyan for much time. He just paused and continued, "General Zhang captured too many people, and we are very worried."

It is difficult to send them to the hinterland to build roads like we did with prisoners of war before, and these people cannot just give up so casually. Then there is only one way left."

"Establish a prefecture and county in Chahanhot City, the imperial capital of the Northern Yuan Dynasty, and send officials to govern it." Wang Wenyan finished speaking his thoughts and sat down.

Several other people were very surprised by his idea. Needless to say the generals, they all knew the emperor's strategic plan, and therefore knew earlier that the captive population was a burden. However, after thinking about it for a whole day, they still had no idea.

What's a good solution?

Obviously, according to their military thinking, the quickest way is to kill, but even a fool knows that the emperor will not agree to this method, so they just think about it and do not suggest it at all.

Wang Wenyan's opinion was naturally beyond Zhu Youxiao's expectations, but it also opened his mind. If you want to effectively solve the problem of nomads, you must establish effective management. This kind of management is not

The traditional system of native officials, in which local people govern local people, is a more in-depth system of dispatching floating officials to govern.

In the later years of the Qing Dynasty, the southwestern border areas, including the Tibetan area, implemented the policy of returning locals to locals, which meant revoking local autonomy and replacing them with officials dispatched by the central government.

It can be seen that governance by changing officials is the trend of future development. The reason why the previous dynasties did not implement this system is that it is unprofitable on the grassland. In other words, the efforts and gains are not proportional.

The Central Plains dynasties have always been a farming civilization, and the grasslands are not suitable for farming. For these dynasties, the grasslands are barren land. There is no food, no cloth, no houses, and nothing needed for a farming civilization. Without benefits, naturally

No one is willing to spend a lot of effort to attack, strategy, or defend.

For Zhu Youxiao, there are many benefits to occupying and managing the grasslands. The first one is that the military pressure is greatly reduced.

When the Mongolian grasslands were brought under his rule, the Nine Borders could be completely abolished. The manpower, material and financial resources released by this were simply immeasurable. The most obvious point is that the four to five million invested in it every year

Military expenses can be saved.

This extra money only needs to be spared to raise two elite cavalrymen like the Hussars on the grassland. And one hundred thousand elite cavalrymen, in an era when the military strength of the entire East is generally weak, can sweep across the entire East Asia.

The existence of an invincible hand.

Not to mention, after the border troubles are eliminated, the hidden costs of resource development in these border areas, the Hexi Corridor, the Hetao Plain, the abandoned cultivated land, various expenses saved, etc., will be much less.

Next, there is the output on the grassland. Nowadays, the Central Plains has fewer people and more people. It pays attention to intensive farming, and this especially requires the animal power provided by cattle, not to mention the black soil where the ground is as frozen as stone.

It would be impossible to farm without oxen.

After plowing cattle, there is a need for horses. With the paving of cement roads and the promotion of four-wheel carriages, the demand for transportation in the mainland is getting stronger and stronger. In this era, the best means of transportation is horses.

Then there are sheep, or wool to be exact. Among the basic necessities of life, clothing comes first, which shows its importance. As a renewable resource, wool can be said to be a kind of garbage in the eyes of herdsmen.

, its cost is almost zero, and the wool spinning machine, although Zhu Youxiao does not have such technology in his mind, but with Tiangong Research Institute in hand, it can be said that it is not a problem at all.

When he was thinking of conquering Mongolia, he had already ordered the development of a machine that could spin wool. Before he went to the expedition, the machine had already taken shape, and all that was left was careful adjustment. At that time, as long as

Just set up a site on the grassland to purchase wool, then spin it and wait for the money.

Think about Songjiang Prefecture. Just because of Huang Daopo's promotion of cotton textile technology, the world-famous Songjiang cloth has long been produced, making Songjiang clothing known as the world. And if the country's power is used to promote wool, think about the profits.

It's shuddering. In particular, wool is an excellent thermal insulation material, and it is even more profitable to make winter clothes.

Such three huge profits were enough for Zhu Youxiao to go to great lengths to occupy, not to mention the great honor of opening up new territories and conquering and destroying the country.

Wang Wenyan's proposal actually hit the target of Zhu Youxiao's original pursuit. After turning his head, he was a little stunned. He was stunned by the free labor force of prisoners of war. He only thought about how to enslave these herdsmen for free, but he didn't
To be continued...