Free Web NovelChapter 2130: Chapter 1552: Rebuilding the Three Guards, Standing on Emperor Taizong’s Shoulders..._2
In other words, abandoning this remote "village" to prioritize the growth of the Maha tribe itself. Originally, Zuwaro also agreed to this and promised to split the tribespeople evenly. But when the two saw this "village" in person, they discovered it was actually an "impregnable Great Ming Guard Station," sparking new ideas!
Currently, with the support of the kingdom’s food supply, the Maha tribe has expanded to three or four hundred people, earning the title of a "Great Tribe" throughout the Great Lake downstream, necessitating increasing food provisions. Among the southern Wild Man Tribes, there are basically no old people; the Maha tribe has absorbed only able-bodied strong men. They can now mobilize over a hundred Shengshu Jurchen Warriors, along with thirty Charge Cavalry.
Though this tribe’s size still pales in comparison to the tens of thousands of Liaodong Ming Army in the south, it stands out as "formidable" among the Outer Northeast Forest Sea, with one hundred and forty Sorun Warriors—all armored people!
This time, when Zuwaro came west to buy horses, Aguda sent out seventy to eighty warriors, accounting for half of the horse-buying group, including all thirty Jurchen cavalry. If they also devour this "Du’erbi Tribe," the tribe’s strength could once again double, reaching a "remarkable size" of five hundred people.
"Aguda Chieftain, Zuwaro Priest... Emperor Taizong’s insight is unmistaken! The Turuting Mountain Guard is a key position controlling the Niuman River, a bridgehead for engaging with the tribes at Nen River in the west and Forest Tribes in the northwest—those half Mongolian, half Jurchen tribes. It’s the safest channel for buying horses and cattle and sheep!"
"Seizing this sturdy Guard Station Mountain Castle not only offers protection but also allows cultivation of at least a thousand acres of land in the surrounding mountains and foothills... If all planted with the cold-resistant potato, three hundred more tribespeople could be supported! ...And then, bringing some horses from the western Forest Tribes and raising fifty to sixty here, another cavalry unit can be formed."
Upon hearing their discussion, the Chief of Harman, Ali, couldn’t help feeling excited. He advanced forward energetically, gesturing towards the eastern Xing’an Ridge Range, recounting how Emperor Yongle had laid out plans in the Northern Xing’an Ridge—namely the "Turuting Mountain Guard," "Henggu River Du’erbi River Guard," "Heilongjiang River Mouth Manjing Guard Nurgan Department," which controlled the entire Xing’an Ridge Range with three critical positions!
"Witnessed by the East Sea Chief Divine! Reestablishing the Turuting Mountain Guard will restore Nurgan to a certain extent... Then one can expand eastward and westward, rebuilding Du’erbi River Guard at the foot of Xing’an Ridge and gaining control over Henggu River!"
"Du’erbi River Guard sits in the Xing’an Ridge Valley, with two Xing’an Ridge Lakes to the south. The terrain from north to south is very flat. Marshland and forests intermix; lakeside vegetation is lush, suitable for grazing horses, cattle, and sheep! However, precisely because the terrain is flat and rivers and lakes abound, it’s also one of the primary passages for the southern migration of the Wild Man Tribes."
"Right now, from Xing’an Ridge Valley to the middle and lower reaches of the Huntong River, it’s utterly chaotic—a picture of beasts eating people. Further south, Gelin Guard has already fallen, leaving only the familiar Hushimen Guard, struggling to sustain with the help of the great river and mountain strongholds... Adequate strength and plenty of cavalry are necessary to seize Xing’an Ridge Valley!"
"And once Xing’an Ridge Valley is secured, Du’erbi River Guard can be rebuilt, continuously recruiting the southern Wild Man Tribes to bolster our forces! This is far safer and more secure than descending to the mid-reaches of the Great River to battle Wuzhe Tribes and Haixi Clans... And surplus population in Outer Northeast Forest Sea, unable to sustain, could all be transported eastward, to Divine Kutadai Port, even to the Ainu People’s Great Island!..."
"Oh Chief Divine! Are you suggesting that three fortress guards united as a line will control Xing’an Ridge Range? Then dominate the major southbound route of Wild Man Jurchen, recruiting and migrating strong men continuously, strengthening the kingdom’s foothold at Kutadai and Ainu Islands, possibly transporting them back to the Northern Continent and the Kingdom of the Lake?!..."
Upon hearing Ali’s strategic proposal standing on Emperor Yongle’s legacy, Zuwaro’s eyes sparkled as if seeing a clear, feasible path through the forest sea’s fog. He turned to Maha Agudah, his overachieving brother-in-law, whose facial expressions changed before showing eager desire!
"Aguda, you’ve heard Ali’s proposal! You are the Great Chief, what do you think?..."
"Zuwaro! We have seen the vast Xing’an Ridge Valley downstream of Henggu River when we arrived! It surely is an inhabited, lake-filled great place, growing more expansive the further south it stretches, all the way to the mid and lower reaches of Great River. It is a good place, where only mighty northern tigers can claim as a vast domain!... If we truly gain control there one day, I’d move the Maha tribe’s main base from Nurgan! And then, centering there, with Nurgan to the left hand and herein to the right, gaze at the southern Huntong River like a tiger, becoming ’a vast tribe’ with thousands of people!"
At this moment, Maha Agudah was bold and ambitious, straightening his tiger-like chest. In this Guard Station Mountain Castle of Turuting, he finally envisioned a broader, grander life goal. Certainly, at this time in his eyes, expanding into a ’vast tribe’ with thousands of people was already ’bold and ambitious,’ the limits of his imagination!"
"Zuwaro! You must support me, give me enough food so I can recruit the southbound Wild Men. And rebuilding that Du’erbi River Guard will require your craftsmen’s help to fix up that fortress! Then, recruited or captured tribespeople, we shall split half each!"
