Gaochang Hancheng is not far from the old city of Turpan, and it is less than thirty miles east of Turpan City.
It is built on an island-shaped platform, next to the Jiaohe Ancient City, which was built by the Cheshi people, went through the Han and Tang Dynasties, and was finally weakened and abandoned during the Chagatai period.
The former Jiaohe Old City has gone through vicissitudes of life, leaving only the ruins riddled with holes. The drought and lack of rain in Turpan allowed the old city to retain its basic shape. The city walls built with rammed earth can vaguely see the layout.
Similar to Chang'an City in the Tang Dynasty, clay Bodhisattvas can still be found in the city's marketplaces, official offices, Buddhist temples, streets and alleys, as well as workshops, residences, schools, Tibetan military trenches and even temples.
Because the river flows around the platform, it is named Jiaocheng.
It once guarded the east-west strategic route and was once the center of the Turpan Basin.
Now the Ming Dynasty built the Gaochang City next to it, without touching the historical city, and built a brand new city on an island next to it.
The layout of Gaochang New City is similar to that of many new cities built by the Ming Dynasty in the Western Regions. It adopts a twin castle model, one large and one small. The larger one is an earthen city built with rammed earth. It has a larger area and is a traditional square city. It is mainly used as a market.
, private workshops, as well as handicraft workshops, warehouses, schools, etc.
Next to it is a fortress that focuses on military functions. It adopts the bastion design commonly used in the Shaotian Dynasty. The bastion is much smaller than the Tucheng, but it is an out-and-out war fortress. It is a prismatic fortress with many
The fort is designed to be able to garrison three thousand troops and store a large amount of gunpowder, water, grain, grass, etc. There are no other personnel except the garrison.
Bastion defense, Tucheng residence, industry and commerce.
The advantage of such separation is to strengthen the defense capabilities of the fortress.
On the construction site, many Yarkand and Hexi rebel captives were working, as well as herdsmen and craftsmen summoned by Turpan Khanate and Durbot to help repair the city, and everything was busy.
Spring goes to summer solstice.
In the blink of an eye, the summer of the seventh year of Shaotian has arrived, and the Western Region has become even more lively. Turpan is dry and rainless, and the summer is extremely hot.
"After Zhu Chenggong captured Tsushima Island, he is currently heading south to the Ryukyu Islands and is at war with the Satsuma Kagoshima feudal clan. The war is going well. It is expected that Satsuma will be completely driven out of the islands this year. Ryukyu
Wang is also very active in assisting.”
In the ancient city of Jiaohe, Zhu Yihai carefully looked at the ruins of the ancient city while listening to Yan Wogong's report. The emperor personally took charge of the Western Regions, leaving only two cabinet ministers to accompany him. Wen An and others returned after the beginning of spring.
Beijing.
The situation in the Western Region is being fiercely contested, and the conflicts are becoming more and more intense, but there is no peace in other places either.
Zhu Chenggong is now the admiral of the Andong camp, Wu Sangui is the chief historian, Sun Kewang is the Sima, and Li Chengdong is the deputy admiral. These four people are not ordinary people. The Andong camp has a total of 30,000 troops, and the troops are strong.
Andong Xingying also had the most elite naval fleet under his command. When Wu Sangui passed by, Zhu Chenggong had already made good progress in the Japanese country. He first used the Jeju Port leased by the imperial court as an advance base, and then supported the Matsuura family of the Hirado Domain to rise and fall.
Economically, he wooed the coastal vassals for smuggling, loaned money to the Matsuura family to recruit ronin samurai, and sold ships to them to form a pirate fleet, which raided Edo and other places.
Zhu Chenggong first took the Goto Islands, then Tsushima Island, and then turned around and sent troops to the Ryukyu Islands.
In the early Ming Dynasty, the Ryukyu Islands had its own country, Shannan, Shanbei and Zhongshan Kingdom, all of which paid tribute to the Ming Dynasty. Later, Zhongshan Kingdom unified the archipelago.
Because it is located on the sea route, it is called the Jinliang of the Ten Thousand Kingdoms and has always been a loyal vassal of the Ming Dynasty.
At the end of the Ming Dynasty, the Satsuma Shimazu family invaded and forced them to use force. On the one hand, the Ryukyu Kingdom continued to pay tribute to the Central Plains, and on the other hand, it paid tribute to the Shimadzu family, forming a two-family relationship. The Shimazu family had strict control over Ryukyu, and they also used Ryukyu to compete with the
Tribute trade in the Central Plains.
Nowadays, Japan is in civil strife. Although Satsuma has conflicts with the Tokugawa shogunate, it finally chooses King Kin to fight against the rebellion. Not only does it send troops to attack the Matsuura Party, but it also sends troops to the Ryukyu Islands again. The Shimazu family even called for an eastward expedition to Zhoushan and Ningbo. Zhu Chenggong won the
After Tsushima, we did not land directly again, but immediately headed south to Ryukyu.
Regardless of whether Shimadzu's statement about attacking Zhoushan is true or false, Zhu Chenggong cannot make any mistakes.
Moreover, the Shimadzu army once again landed on Ryukyu. From Anton's point of view, this was a great opportunity to also enter Ryukyu and enter the archipelago in a clear and logical manner.
Sima Wu Sangui, who had recently arrived in Japan, also strongly agreed to send troops to Liuqiu. Although the Hirado Matsuura family hoped that the Ming navy could cooperate in attacking Kyushu Island and help them capture the entire Kyushu first, whether it was Zhu Chenggong, Wu Sangui, or Sun Yat-sen
Watch, no one is stupid.
Why should Daming work for the Matsuura family?
"An Dong's performance in the camp was good, he was steady and steady, not impatient or impatient, very good."
The emperor praised him. Although Zhu Chenggong was still young, his performance was indeed very impressive. He had practiced hard all these years. In just seven or eight years, he had really experienced it, although he might be a little less mature than his father Zheng Zhilong.
Sophisticated.
It is a good thing to capture some peripheral islands first and not rush to attack the main islands.
The Ryukyu Kingdom, in particular, has always been dissatisfied with Satsuma's invasion and coercion. The Shoten Dynasty's liberalization of trade was very good for the Ryukyu Kingdom. They also enjoyed a lot of dividends from this east wind. Compared with the many oppressions and interferences of Satsuma Domain,
They are naturally more willing to get closer to Ming Dynasty.
This time Zhu Chenggong also went there under the guise of rescuing Ryukyu and driving away Satsuma. With their local support, everything went smoothly. He won several battles in a row and was not in a hurry to drive Satsuma away immediately. In terms of strength,
Also going to Ryukyu in the East China Sea to fight away, Zhu Chenggong's Andong camp was stronger. After all, this was the sea. The Andong camp was based on the East China Sea Fleet. After ten years of development, the strength of the Ming Army's navy has improved by leaps and bounds.
Buy sailing warships from Portugal, Spain, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom, partner with them to build shipyards to build warships, hire craftsmen to design and build new warships, and cooperate with those types of naval guns, as well as training at new professional military schools such as the Naval Academy and Naval Academy.
Now the navy has really entered the sea from internal waters.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! In comparison, Satsuma's warships are more than an era behind. They can still be used on the offshore coast. On the East China Sea, they are no match for the Ming army.
They did not engage in many naval battles with the Ming army, and they all fought on land on Ryukyu Island.
However, they lacked cavalry, and the power of muskets and artillery lagged behind the Ming army. In addition, the number of troops was not large, and they did not have the support of the Ryukyu natives. They could only guard some forts for defense. However, under the blockade and siege of the Ryukyu coalition forces of the Ming army, the muskets and artillery were
Under the bombardment, every one of them collapsed.
Zhu Chenggong did not destroy them immediately. On the surface, it seemed that the Japanese army was tenacious and the fortress was strong. In fact, it was just intentional, and the purpose was to use this to develop in Ryukyu.
Now we have reached a series of assistance and cooperation agreements with Ryukyu. The Ming army will set up a concession military port here, set up concession areas in some important Ryukyu cities, etc., and cooperate in all aspects of trade and military.
The Ming army is now directly building ports, military camps, fortresses, and concession workshops in Ryukyu. They have no intention of leaving once they have arrived. Even if they wait to drive out the Satsuma clan, they will not withdraw completely.
The Ming Dynasty wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to strengthen its control over Ryukyu, a vassal state. In fact, the imperial court has now established a new Ryukyu Protectorate in Ryukyu. The King of Ryukyu also serves as the Ryukyu Protector, and Sima Sun Shouwang of the Andong camp also serves as the Ryukyu Protector.
Sima of the mansion.
Although he was only the third-in-command in the Duhufu, officials from the Ming Dynasty directly appointed important positions in the Duhufu. Obviously, this was an important step for the Ming Dynasty to comprehensively and forcefully intervene in the control of Ryukyu.
Andong Xingying is also helping the Ryukyu Kingdom to build a new army, including land and sea. The leader of this new army will be the Ryukyu prince, while Sima is Li Chengdong, the deputy admiral of Andong Xingying. The instructors and staff of the new army are basically
Sent by Andong Xingying.
Even their weapons and equipment were first borrowed from the Ming Dynasty after the Ryukyu Kingdom signed a loan and arms purchase agreement with the Ming Dynasty, and then purchased weapons and equipment for the new army. Even the military salaries of the new army were paid with the borrowed money from the agreement.
Ryukyu used Ryukyu's customs as a mortgage for the loan, and handed over the customs directly to the Ming Dynasty for management. Part of the proceeds was deducted from the principal and interest of the loan, and part was given to the Ryukyu State.
The King of Ryukyu was very satisfied with these proposals of the Ming Dynasty. He could form a new army of several thousand men without spending a penny of his own money. He did not need to pay for equipment or even military pay. As for the customs, it was handed over to the Ming army to collect customs duties.
, they don’t care, since they don’t have to pay directly from the national treasury or the king’s inner treasury, which means they don’t spend money at all.
Leasing other ports, setting up concessions, etc. are not a big deal. It can attract the Ming army to station, which is free bodyguards, and it is even better for them to come to build commercial buildings and open workshops.
For a small country like Ryukyu, they can't even defeat a Japanese big name. Now the Ming Dynasty is willing to stand up for them, and can trade with them comprehensively, and can also borrow money to help build a new army, whether it is to fight Japanese devils or build a new army.
, they didn’t need to provide food or salary, so Ryukyu King Shangshi accepted this kind of good thing without even thinking about it.
For the Ming Dynasty, it did not intend to directly annex Ryukyu by force. This would be too ugly. After all, it was a vassal state for more than 200 years, but it could not be the same as before, where military garrison and trade were all necessary.
"Tell Zhu Chenggong that the Ryukyu side should be more patient and don't rush for quick success. The Andong Camp's current main task is to support the collapse of the Matsuura Party. North Korea, Ryukyu, and Japan will all be responsible for them."
Wu Sangui and Sun Shouwang assisted Zhu Chenggong in the past, and there was also a fierce general Li Chengdong. Basically, there was no need to worry too much. As long as the Matsuura Party was not destroyed by Tokugawa, it actually didn't matter how long the Japanese civil war lasted. Ming Dynasty was not eager to replace Matsuura.
The longer the Tokugawa family fights, the more chaotic it will be, and the more beneficial it will be to the Ming Dynasty. While supporting them in the civil war, they can still sell arms and engage in smuggling trade. The Matsuura party still has a gap in strength to fight against the Tokugawa family, and they will have to overcome it at that time.
It is inevitable to rely more and more on the support of the Ming army, whether it is smuggling trade, mining, or even directly ceding territory and paying tribute. Then they will become an obedient puppet.
"Where is the Annan camp?"
The admiral of Annan's camp was Zeng Ying, the chief commander was Hong Chengchou, the Sima was Long Zaitian, and the deputy admiral was Yuan Zongdi. This team was also very impressive.
"Annam's camp has been gaining momentum recently. Years ago, it crossed Lang Son and arrived at Bac Giang. After the year, it launched a new round of offensive. It defeated Lord Zheng's troops in Bac Giang and directly drank the Bai Dang River. Lord Zheng defended by the river.
Zeng Ying asked Hong Chengchou to mobilize the Nanyang Fleet from Qinzhou to attack from the sea. Hong Chengchou's navy moved down the coast, and Zheng's coastal cities were vulnerable.
Hong Chengchou successfully arrived at the mouth of the Baiteng River and now landed at the mouth of the Baiteng River. Yuan Zongdi captured a town and renamed it Haimen Town. He built a fort here to station troops and store supplies. Then the navy continued to move up the river. It is expected that Zeng Ying and Hong Chengchou will not be here for long.
We are about to meet upstream, and the Zheng clan is also gathering troops and horses, preparing for a desperate battle."
However, although Lord Zheng now controls the court and treats Emperor Houli as a puppet, after all, there are three major separatist forces in the north: the Gaoping Mo family, the Xuanguang Wu family, and the Ruan family in the south. Facing the Ming army's massive crusade, they are basically left and right.
Hard to support.
"Let Zeng Ying and Hong Chengchou be careful."
The Bai Teng River is not well-known in China, but it is extremely famous in Annan, because Annan defeated the Central Plains armies three times on this river.
During the Five Dynasties and the Later Jin Dynasty, the Southern Han Dynasty navy came in force. Wu Quan, the envoy of Jinghai Festival, secretly planted giant wooden stakes with iron tips at the bottom of the Baiteng River. He took advantage of the high tide to lure the Southern Han fleet in, and then used an ambush to attack the enemy at low tide.
Attacked the Southern Han Navy. The hastily retreating Southern Han fleet was pierced by wooden stakes protruding from the river. The Southern Han army suffered numerous casualties. Even Liu Hongcao, the son of the leader of the Southern Han Dynasty and the commander-in-chief, was killed. Wu Quan relied on this battle to win the battle.
The victory ushered in the independence of Annan's separatist rule.
Later, the Northern Song Dynasty and the Mongolian Yuan Dynasty were defeated successively at the Baiteng River, and then followed the footsteps of the Southern Han Dynasty Navy.
In the three battles of Bai Dangjiang, in terms of strength alone, the Central Plains was far stronger than the Annan region each time, but they were all defeated in the end. If coupled with the brief conquest of Annam in the early Ming Dynasty and the forced evacuation in the end, it can be seen that the Annan region is still very strong.
of.
A blind military offensive alone will not suffice.
"Use more of the leading party!" Zhu Yihai discussed the strategy of using troops in Annan with Zeng Ying and other court and local ministers and generals more than once. Regarding Jiaozhi, Zhu Yihai mentioned more than once that he wanted to recover it. How could he give up the old territories of Han and Tang Dynasties?
.
Especially in this era of moving toward the ocean, Jiaozhi cannot be given up.
Everyone knew that the European powers traveled thousands of miles to colonize the East. How could the Ming Dynasty leave the old land at its doorstep unconquered?
The emperor is now personally in charge of the Western Regions, but it is not that the Western Regions are more important. It is just that in comparison, the emperor needs to go from the north to the south. He must first defeat the Mongolian Jurchens and others, and then rebuild a new order and pattern, and then the north will be stable, especially the northwest.
, so that Ming Dynasty can go south with peace of mind and run all its efforts in places like Cochin and Myanmar.
Annan was quite powerful, especially since the Ming Dynasty had suffered a painful failure before. Therefore, the strategy proposed by Zhu Yihai now is to first support Annan's powerful local powers. It is best to support one or two forces first, so as to completely dismember the Later Li Dynasty and transform it into a new one.
Several chieftain vassal towns became independent of each other, step by step.
Or you can support a puppet of the Later Li Dynasty or a puppet king of the Mo Dynasty. Next, you will actually support several vassal towns and divide them. The Ming army will establish bases, ports and colonies there, little by little.
We can't expect to be safe after just one battle.
Although the current Lord Zheng is in a state of distress, and the Ming army's Annan camp is launching a swift and fierce offensive, he still has to be careful and pay attention to form. Under the banner of rescuing Lord Li, he must crusade against the rebellious Lord Zheng, and win over the Mo family and the Wu family. It is best to
The Jiaozhou area will support some local powerful people.
Destroy the Zheng family, and then balance these powerful vassals. Only then can the Ming Dynasty transcend. Then they will be asked to cede the coastal land to the Ming Dynasty. It is best to allocate Langshan to the Ming Dynasty. The Ming Dynasty will then establish Lang Son Prefecture and Xin'an.
Prefecture, Vu An Prefecture, captured Halong, Hai Phong, Lang Son, Bac Giang and several other places. Even if Hanoi and other places are not needed for the time being, they will still make a lot of money.
As for colonization, it is better to occupy a few key points first and then develop and manage them. It is better than Zhu Di to directly destroy Annan with his army, then directly establish the Cochin Province there, and then cause the entire Annan to rebel.
We must win over some leading parties, support some puppets, and support some feudal warlords, so that Ming Dynasty can have room to operate.
From these perspectives, in fact, the Ming army's Annan camp did not need to attack Hanoi at all, or pursue the Zheng family, occupy some important places, support some military leaders of the feudal towns, and let them consume the internal fighting. The Ming army could
Sit tight on the fishing platform.
With huge ships, cannons and muskets, especially since it can be easily supplied and reinforced from the sea, plus fortresses, it is actually invincible.
Maintaining colonial garrisons with revenue from colonial trade can lead to sustainable development.
Even if one or two fortresses are built a year, it will take 20 years. In less than 30 years, the entire Annan will be truly under control again.
"Remind Zeng Ying again, don't be anxious, take your time, and make good use of the Mo family, Wu family, etc."
"Your Majesty, good news. The Han navy attacked the 5,000 men of Junggar's eastward advance in Fuhai and killed more than 3,000 people. A great victory!" The guard came over happily to report the victory.
"How many casualties are there in the Han Navy?" The emperor asked first about his own casualties. The Han Navy was nominally a soldier of the Dulbert Khanate, but it was also established with the support of the Ming Dynasty.
"The good news is that there are three thousand cavalry in the Hanhai, and the casualties are only a few hundred."
Hearing the result, Zhu Yihai was very satisfied.
The newly built Jingsai Army in Turpan performed very well before, making it difficult for the Junggars to advance in Manas. He had already expected that the Junggars would not be able to cross the Manas River and capture Manas City, so they might have to bypass Shatuo Qi and attack from a long distance.
rear.
Han Haijun, who had made arrangements in advance and was stationed at Burqin Fort, was supposed to guard the Fuhai route and prevent Junggar from making a detour.
Now it finally works.
The three thousand Han navy was able to wipe out almost all five thousand Junggar forwards. This must be because the Junggars were careless and underestimated the enemy.
What an unexpected surprise.
"Where is Batur Khan now?"
"Batur Khan leads about 30,000 cavalry and is now near Fuhai."
Zhu Yihai brought the map, looked at it for a while, and said with a smile, "It seems that Batur Khan was angered and wanted to destroy the Dulbert Khanate first."
"Your Majesty, do you want to reinforce Dulbert?"
"No."
"Let Turpan Khan Abrun lead the mobilization of troops to counterattack the rear of Junggar. The Jingsai Army should not be dispatched and continue to garrison Manas City."
"Your Majesty wants to surround Wei and rescue Zhao?"
"No, it's about plowing the courtyard and sweeping out the holes!"
