Chapter 350 The power of psychological warfare, the Ming army is coming, I will lead the way!

Sun Tzu’s Art of War says: “Know yourself and know your enemy, and you can fight a hundred battles without danger.”

However, in the cruel reality of war, it is extremely difficult to truly know yourself and the enemy.

The combat effectiveness of an army comes from many complex aspects.

Although generals can clearly know the basic situation such as the number of their own weapons and equipment, the number of combat personnel, food reserves and logistical supplies, they often only have a vague and rough judgment on the morale and fighting will of the soldiers.

After all, before the moment of war and hand-to-hand combat, everything is full of unknowns.

Perhaps, the seemingly high morale before the war will collapse in an instant after experiencing 20 to 30 percent casualties.

It was because at the beginning everyone had extremely high psychological expectations, morale was high, and they thought the war would go smoothly.

Therefore, when encountering major setbacks, the psychological gap is huge and unbearable, and morale will quickly drop like a dam bursting.

As for whether the general’s will is firm and whether he is afraid of death, it is even more difficult to predict before the war.

Those who swore before the war that they were brave and fearless and were ready to die, might be frightened out of their wits and tremble in fear when faced with the tragic scene of bullets flying and blood flying on the battlefield.

Or even if they are brave enough to die, they are panicked and unable to remain calm, thus making wrong command decisions, causing the entire army to fall into defeat.

In short, the variables in war are as countless as the stars in the sky.

Knowing oneself is already difficult enough, and knowing the enemy is even more difficult.

The intelligence collected is either full of errors and omissions, or complicated and confusing, with many different opinions and it is difficult to distinguish the true from the false.

Once a war begins, in most cases the outcome will not be immediately determined.

On the contrary, the war often fell into a stalemate.

Both sides are suffering and are under tremendous pressure.

Many times, the outcome of a war does not depend on momentary bravery, but on who can endure longer in a long ordeal.

Most of the time, victory in a war is achieved when one’s own side is on the verge of collapse and is about to give up, but the enemy is the first to be unable to bear it and their defense line collapses.

Most war failures are also like this, except that the roles of both sides are reversed.

Even those famous victories recorded in history were mostly achieved after overcoming many hardships and difficulties and holding on for a long time, leading to the enemy’s defeat.

It is extremely rare for a team to go smoothly from beginning to end and sweep away the enemy with overwhelming force.

Lan Yu was a veteran general who had fought in many battles and led troops for many years. He had a clear understanding of the characteristics of war.

Back then, he led his army to conquer the northern desert. When the army’s food and grass were about to run out, the soldiers were exhausted and almost unable to hold on, he accidentally discovered the main force of the Northern Yuan Dynasty in Buyuer Lake.

Lan Yu acted decisively, commanded the troops with confidence, and defeated the enemy in one fell swoop, achieving an unprecedented victory.

Now, all the Ming army faced was harassment and attacks from the Jurchens.

The Ming army had ample food supplies, abundant ammunition reserves, and very few casualties.

Compared with Lan Yu’s battle in Mobei back then, this mere harassment and attack is nothing to be afraid of.

However, most of the current New Army generals grew up listening to the New Army’s glorious combat stories in the past.

In their memory, the new army had always been brave and invincible when they went to battle.

Whether it was suppressing Japanese pirates, conquering Japan, or conquering the Northern Yuan Dynasty, he was unstoppable.

In the eyes of these new army generals, the new army is a heavenly army and an invincible existence.

When the new army goes to war, it should be able to win so easily.

Therefore, when they encounter some setbacks, they all complain and lose their composure.

However, Lan Yu and Zhu Neng, two experienced generals, knew that it was normal to encounter setbacks in war.

As long as you grit your teeth and persevere, you will be able to see the moon after the clouds clear.

While the Ming army was struggling to hold on, the Jurchens’ situation was actually even more difficult.

Since the last major defeat, the Jurchens have adopted a tactic of decentralized attacks and harassment.

It is undeniable that this caused some trouble to the Ming army to a certain extent.

However, there was a huge gap in strength between the two sides. The Ming army was well-equipped with advanced weapons such as muskets and artillery.

Faced with the powerful firepower of the Ming army, every time the Jurchens launched an attack, they were met with the Ming army’s relentless shooting, as if they were driving away a group of buzzing, annoying flies.

But the Jurchens paid a heavy price in casualties for this.

Each attack ended with countless Jurchen casualties and a large number of corpses left behind.

In just half a month, the morale of the Jurchen army was in chaos, the soldiers had lost all their fighting spirit, and the generals had no intention of fighting anymore.

Everyone tried to avoid this suicidal attack.

At this time, the role of Ming Dynasty’s public opinion war and Ming Dynasty Intelligence Bureau began to gradually emerge.

Since the founding of the Da Ming Daily, its influence has spread like ripples.

At first, it was just a reading material circulated only within the Ming Dynasty.

However, with the booming trade of the Ming Dynasty, those traveling merchants who traveled across mountains, rivers, lakes and seas became cultural messengers, bringing this newspaper carrying the style of the Ming Dynasty out of the country.

Worshiping the strong is a primitive mark engraved deep in the human soul.

In the eyes of people in weak countries, strong countries are like bright stars, emitting desirable light.

Take Japan for example. Ever since it was defeated by Zhu Yunhuan’s army, its aristocracy and samurai groups have launched a wave of fanatical admiration for the Ming Dynasty.

Buying the “Da Ming Daily” and learning about the current affairs of the Ming Dynasty has become a matter of pride for many people.

If you fail to talk about the latest news of the Ming Dynasty in social occasions, and if your home furnishings do not include exquisite glass or other ingenious handicrafts produced in the Ming Dynasty, you will become the object of ridicule by other nobles.

He was regarded as a person without vision and taste, and was despised by others.

When Zhu Yunhuan issued an edict that the Ming Dynasty would conquer the world and lead the globe towards civilization, the Japanese nobles were the first to become excited, their hearts filled with pride and glory.

After all, they were the first country to submit to the Ming Dynasty and enjoy its grace.

How could they not be complacent about this “honor”?

In their imagination, the Ming Dynasty dominated the world, and Japan, as a follower, although in second place, was able to hold its head high, as if it was standing on the second peak of the world.

It is only second to the Ming Dynasty, but still above all other countries!
The nobles of the Northern Yuan Dynasty also had similar thoughts.

They have taken the lead in surrendering and have become subjects under the rule of “The Great Master of Jiuxiao Xuanxuan, whose Yin and Yang are in control and whose wisdom shines upon all spirits, whose benevolence is great and whose virtues are great, who subdue demons and defend the way of the Supreme Saint.”

This sense of belonging gives them psychological support.

At least if I surrender, I am still the strongest in the world. That is not an insult, but an honor.

The Ming Dynasty is going to go to war, and they are willing to be the vanguard!
The Jurchen tribes had close ties with the grasslands in the past and were deeply influenced by them ideologically.

Many people in the tribe were very interested in the “Da Ming Daily” and even studied Chinese characters and literature in order to understand its content.

They were even more yearning for the advanced scientific and technological achievements of the Ming Dynasty, as if they were treasures that were out of reach but longed for.

In fact, when the news came that the Ming Dynasty declared war on the three Jurchen tribes, the Jurchen tribes were like a frightened bird, and were in a state of panic all day long.

How could the mere Jurchens dare to compete with the Ming Dynasty, which was at its peak?

At that time, spies from the Ming Intelligence Bureau, who had already quietly infiltrated the territories of the three Jurchen tribes, began to secretly spread the rumor that the Jurchens would inevitably be defeated.

They made a big fuss about how powerful and invincible the Ming Dynasty was, and compared with it, the Jurchens were like a mantis trying to stop a chariot and had no chance of winning.

This propaganda campaign was very effective.

Many “knowledgeable people” within the three Jurchen tribes had long recognized the reality: using the Jurchens’ strength to resist the Ming Dynasty was tantamount to hitting a rock with an egg, and the only wise move was to surrender as soon as possible.

So, privately, the news that “the Ming Dynasty is invincible and only by surrendering can one survive” spread like wildfire.

Among those who spread the news, except for a few Ming intelligence personnel and their bribed insiders, the vast majority were people from the three Jurchen tribes who spontaneously agreed with this view.

They admired and respected the Ming Dynasty and had no intention of starting a war. They only hoped that the Jurchens would be incorporated into the Ming territory as soon as possible.

It is particularly worth mentioning that under the guidance of public opinion by the personnel of the Ming Intelligence Bureau, it was rumored that the Ming army came here only to punish those noble lords who disobeyed the Ming Dynasty.

As for the slaves at the bottom of society who were suffering from oppression, they would lend a helping hand and save them from dire straits.

For a time, the song “The Ming army is coming, I will lead the way” was quietly sung in the Jurchen territory, which shows the people’s support.

However, for a small group of Jurchen nobles, the situation was completely different.

They had long been accustomed to bullying the Jurchen people and enjoying privileges, so how could they be willing to have another “master” above their heads?
Especially when they heard that the Ming court was going to send temporary officials to govern the three Jurchen tribes, they knew that their own interests would soon be damaged, and they were unwilling to accept this, so they resolutely launched a war against the Ming army.

However, the reality was cruel. After suffering a series of disastrous defeats and repeated suicide attacks with no chance of winning, the morale of the Jurchen tribes completely collapsed, like a pile of loose sand.

No matter how the nobles and tribal leaders threatened or bribed them, few people responded, and no one was willing to fight for this doomed battle.

You know, on the scale of war, the collapse of people’s hearts is the most destructive weight!

When Ahachu keenly realized this, he knew that the Jurchens’ situation was hopeless and irreversible.

After weighing the pros and cons, he resolutely led the Huli tribe members on the road to surrender.

“Surrendered? The Huligai tribe of the Jurchens surrendered just like that?”

Lan Yu stared at Ahachu who was kneeling outside the tent, with an expression of disbelief on his face.

Just now, when he was discussing military secrets with the generals in the big tent, he did not make public the full contents of the letter that Zhu Yunhuan wrote to him privately.

In fact, Zhu Yunhuan made it clear in the letter that the Ming army needed to advance with great fanfare and slowly. The key was to build up momentum and create the impression that “the Ming army is unstoppable.”

If the three Jurchen tribes send troops to invade, we will take advantage of our rest and then give them a severe attack.

Do not pursue them rashly, and certainly do not go deep into enemy territory to search for the main force of the Jurchens to fight a decisive battle.

All we need to do is advance steadily, focus on building roads, and then wait for the three Jurchen tribes to surrender.

Zhu Yunhuan called this strategy “deciding by issuing an edict.”

In Lan Yu’s eyes, Zhu Yunhuan’s battle strategy was a bit wishful thinking.

Indeed, there are precedents in history where a city was conquered by a single order and the enemy surrendered upon seeing the enemy’s warning.

But in all of those cases, the enemy’s main force had suffered heavy losses, and their last struggle was meaningless. Only when they were in such a desperate situation could they issue an order to win the battle.

Although the Ming army defeated 20,000 Jurchen main forces in one battle, that was only a small part of the Jianzhou Jurchens.

There were still many Jurchen tribal troops scattered everywhere, and the Ming army had not yet penetrated into their territory, let alone engaged in a large-scale confrontation with them and defeated them.

Is it possible that they would surrender without a fight?

If the Ming Dynasty had offered its intention to recruit the people at the beginning of the war, as long as the tribes were willing to surrender, everything would have remained the same. The Jurchen tribes would have been very likely to have really given up resistance and directly surrendered to the Ming Dynasty and paid tribute.

After all, for those Jurchen nobles and tribal leaders, this would not cause much damage to their own interests.

However, before the war, the Ming court had already decided to incorporate the territories of the three Jurchen tribes into the Ming territory and to send officials to govern the Jurchen tribes.

He even drew up a blueprint for three provinces early on.

This meant that the nobles and tribal chiefs who ruled the Jurchens were almost in a desperate situation and could only fight a desperate battle with the Ming army.

However, Zhu Yunhuan’s words in the letter were firm. He believed that with the propaganda created by the “Da Ming Daily” and the secret infiltration of the Daming Intelligence Bureau, the people in the Jurchens would inevitably be unstable.

What is particularly crucial is that after the grassland tribes were defeated by the Ming Dynasty, the mighty power of the Ming Dynasty’s new army had already intimidated the Jurchen tribes.

With such a great reputation before them, the Jurchens were already afraid before the battle even started, and many of them believed from the bottom of their hearts that the Ming Dynasty was unstoppable.

All the intelligence agency needs to do is spread the news, and the enemy will become demoralized and lose their will to fight.

Therefore, it seemed that the only way out for the Jurchen tribes was to surrender to the Ming Dynasty.

Even if the imperial court wanted to send exiled officials to take over, even if he could no longer act recklessly as before, at least surrendering could save his life.

But is this idea really reliable?

Is this a bit too optimistic?

Lan Yu’s heart was full of doubts.

However, he considered that he was the majesty’s uncle and was trusted by the majesty to lead the troops into battle, so he should stand firmly on the majesty’s side!
Besides, we are far from being at the end of our rope.

We might as well try your Majesty’s method for the time being.

Unexpectedly, the Jurchens actually surrendered.

Moreover, the first to surrender were the Huligai tribe, which was one of the most powerful tribes among the Jianzhou Jurchens.

“Ahachu, why did you lead your troops to surrender?”

Lan Yu suppressed the ecstasy in his heart, his face remained stern and his majesty was fully revealed.

“Didn’t you, the Jurchen tribe, attack our camp day and night in an attempt to fight to the death?”

Ah Hachu’s heart trembled, and he quickly responded: “Those are the reckless actions of arrogant and ignorant people. I, the Huligai tribe, would never have such intentions.”

“As long as the Ming Dynasty accepts our surrender, we are willing to serve as the vanguard, lead the Ming Dynasty’s army, and help the Ming army pacify the Jurchens as soon as possible!”

……

(End of this chapter)