Father can be an enemy to the country

The response speed of the Ming army's combat readiness troops was extremely fast. After Zhu Zhen issued the order to march to the southeast, it only took three days for the 20,000-strong army to be ready to go.

On July 12, the army held a swearing-in ceremony outside the south gate of Kunming. Zhu Zhen led Yunnan senior officials to see off the soldiers who went on the expedition.

The 20,000 soldiers were in high spirits, with high morale, and looked at their prince with enthusiasm.

"Soldiers, you are going to attack Annan!" Zhu Zhen rested for almost two months and said with a particularly loud voice: "Since Qin Shihuang unified the six countries, it has gone through the Han Dynasty, Soochow, Jin Dynasty, Southern Dynasty, Sui Dynasty, Tang Dynasty North Korea, Southern Han Dynasty...that place has always been our Chinese territory until the weak Song Dynasty lost it!"

"In the north, our Ming Dynasty soldiers have conquered the Youyan lost by the weak Song Dynasty, restored Daning in Liaodong, Nuergandusi, and Korea has also been included. Japan, which made the Yuan Dynasty suffer so much, also surrendered at the feet of the Ming Dynasty !”

"In the south, we also achieved brilliant results. Not only did we capture Yunnan and Guizhou, we also regained the Yuan Dynasty's central province of Burma and opened up the sea for Yunnan!" He raised his voice and said:

"Looking at the north and the south, only Annan is the land that has not yet been restored. We still cannot say with confidence: 'The Ming Dynasty is so powerful, it is far away from the Han and Tang Dynasties'! So what should we do?"

"Destroy Annan and restore Jiaozhi!" Twenty thousand soldiers roared in unison.

"That's right." Zhu Zhen nodded heavily and said: "Before, it was because Annan surrendered to the Ming Dynasty. The king has always been very respectful, so we can tolerate him. But now King Annan has been killed by a traitor. Before his death, he sent an envoy to the Ming Dynasty to ask for help. We can't save him. If he is killed, then take revenge for him!”

"Yes!" the soldiers responded in unison again.

"Let me tell you one more thing. The Duke of Burma has begun to enfeoff in Awa! According to military merit, all soldiers can live in a town of 200 households with a first-class meritorious service, and with a lowest fifth-class meritorious service, they can live in a town of 20 households!" Zhu Zhen finally released his big move and said:

"This time we conquer Annan, we will also carry out the same reward!"

The 'fief enfeoffment system' he advocated is still in the trial stage, but it is enough to arouse the fighting enthusiasm of the soldiers from the bottom of their hearts!

"We must win! We must win! We must win!" Listen, the roar of the mountains and the tsunami are proof!

Amidst the roar of the mountains and the roar of the tsunami, the soldiers marched southward bravely and marched forward indomitably!

Leading this army was Hu Quan, the commander of the Yunnan capital, Dingbianhou.

Zhu Di will also participate in this battle as a forward officer.

Zhu Zhen personally gave his sword to Hu Quan, and adjusted his armor for his fourth brother. He said with a complex expression: "You must come back safely!"

"Yes!" The two men saluted him solemnly, got up and mounted their horses.

"The young monk also said goodbye." Yao Guangxiao smiled and clasped his hands with Zhu Zhen, then mounted his horse and left.

"Wait a minute." Zhu Zhen stopped him and said in a voice that only the two of them could hear: "You are absolutely not allowed to talk nonsense to my fourth brother!"

"What are you talking about?" Yao Guangxiao was stunned.

"Those are the words you told me." Zhu Zhen whispered: "If even one word reaches my ears, I will kill your whole family."

Yao Guangxiao couldn't help but smile bitterly and said: "Your Highness, you must be too worried. It's not like the monk wants to give a white hat to every His Highness he sees."

"..." Zhu Zhen coughed and said, "Didn't you say that the fourth brother's appearance is beyond words?"

"No matter how expensive you are, you can't be more valuable than the prince." Yao Guangxiao said with a smile: "And after today, the young monk will not persuade anyone to rebel."

"Have you changed your past?" Zhu Zhen asked.

"No, there is no need for that." Yao Guangxiao laughed and said, "I will just watch without saying a word, unless the prince begs me..."

"Go and dream!" Zhu Zhen spat.

"It's good to dream, you can have everything in your dreams." Yao Guangxiao said and saluted again and mounted his horse. This time Zhu Zhen did not stop him.

He then mounted his horse to chase the large army, and the wind blew him into laughter:

“This is really ‘if you plant flowers intentionally, they will not bloom, but if you plant willows unintentionally, they will create shade’!”

Zhu Zhen looked at Yao Guangxiao's back with a solemn expression. After a while, he actually smiled.

~~

As orders were issued from the Dianchi Lake, the war machine built by Zhu Zhen rumbled into action!

While the 20,000-strong expeditionary force headed south, there were also messengers rushing along the Yunnan-Guangxi Road for 800 miles to Guangxi.

The ancient Yunnan-Guangxi Ancient Road, which used to be rugged and intermittent, has been repaired into a smooth and flat post road, and post stations have also been set up according to the standard of one post for sixty miles! Otherwise, no matter how anxious the messenger is, he will not be able to travel eight hundred miles in a day...

Just two days later, the messenger arrived at Qinzhou Port, 1,500 miles away from Kunming, and delivered Zhu Zhen's warrant to the Shibosi Yamen.

Of course, there will be no municipal fleet stationed in an inner bay seaport like Qinzhou City Ship Division. Therefore, officials from the Municipal Shipping Department immediately released homing pigeons to forward the king's order to the Sanya Fleet on Qiongzhou Island!

In fact, in recent years, fewer and fewer commercial fleets have appeared in the mainland's offshore waters. On the one hand, with the disappearance of Japanese pirates and pirates from Fujian and Guangdong, the focus of the commercial fleet turned to Southeast Asia.

On the other hand, there are also considerations to avoid irritating the nerves of the court.

Because the Sanya Fleet in Yazhou alone already has ten three-story gunboats with a charge of 4,000, twenty double-decker gunboats with a charge of 2,000, and hundreds of warships of various types with a charge of less than 2,000. When dispatched at the same time, with the masts and masts like a forest and the sails covering the sky, it is difficult not to feel fear.

As for such fleets, there are still two such fleets, one in Japan and one in Nanyang. The former is weaker, and the latter is even stronger than the Sanya Fleet.

In the evening of that day, the carrier pigeon flew to Sanya Bay in Yazhou.

The letter was quickly presented to Yu Tongyuan, the highest commander of the Shibo Fleet, Duke of Haiguo and General Zhenhai.

After confirming the signature, code and seal, Yu Tongyuan immediately translated the content of the letter--

'Order the Sanya Fleet to immediately send appropriate forces to Annan, from the mouth of the Red River, to Thang Long before the 21st, to join the troops of Hu Quan, the Marquis of Dingbian, and obey his orders! '

After seeing the order, Yu Tongyuan excitedly slapped the table and shouted: "Beat the drum to go to the court, the commander wants to dispatch troops!"

~~

At the same time, Hu Quan also led 20,000 expeditionary forces and arrived at Yuanjiang Prefecture, Yuanyang Prefecture.

Yuanjiang Prefecture is named after Yuanjiang, which is the upper reaches of the Red River. This river originates between Dali and Menghua in Yunnan. Looking across the entire southwest of Yunnan, it flows into Annan through Thang Long and into the South China Sea. Because it connects Bashu internally and Jiaozhi externally, it has been called the "Shu Annan Road" since the Qin and Han Dynasties.

This waterway is also the most convenient outlet for Kunming, and its value to Yunnan is much higher than that of Pegu. Materials from all over Yunnan can be transported to the sea through this golden waterway.

So in just a few years, this place has been built into an important shipping hub in Yunnan.

But today, on the Yuanjiang River, all commercial, civilian and official ships have canceled all their original plans and all sailed to the Yuanjiang Wharf to pick up the expeditionary army on board!

Zhu Zhen's mobilization order to them was very simple-such an important Red River waterway, how could its lower reaches be controlled by others?

More than 2,000 large and small boats were attracted at once. The boatmen brought their own dry food and carried 20,000 troops for free, as well as 30,000 guest civilians and garrison troops, as well as all their equipment and baggage, and went downstream from the Yuanjiang Wharf and headed straight for Thang Long City thousands of miles away!