Bright Spring

Zhu Gaoxu said: "We know too little, and we have to find a way to investigate. Not only must we understand the power of the Japanese country, but we must also find out their terrain, roads, etc., so that the imperial army can be as few as possible. Pay the price and reduce military spending."

Today's Japan is chaotic, unable to take care of itself, poses no threat to Daming, and seems to be very poor.Yao Fang really couldn't understand why the emperor had to intervene.

However, Yao Fang trusted Zhu Gaoxu's ability very much, without any reason, he believed that the emperor's decision was right.

Yao Fang's heart broke, she cupped her fists and said, "Caomin has a plan. Caomin only needs to be ordained and pretend to be a monk, and then he can go to Japan and do the work of the Holy Majesty."

Zhu Gaoxu glanced at him, shook his head and said, "If I ask you to be ordained, how can I tell your sister? And your newly married Qin family, how will you explain? No! You can find some monks and let them go to the ceremonies Exchange Buddhism in this country.”

Yao Fang said: "Caomin knows a lot of monks in Qingshou Temple, so I will go for a walk tomorrow."

Zhu Gaoxu said: "Very good. This matter belongs to the imperial court, and I asked Wang Gui to allocate funds from the inner government for you."

Yao Fang hurriedly clasped her fists and said, "It's better to let the grassroots ask the Shen family for it. The people in Japan like the copper coins minted by the Ming Dynasty the most. The Shen family opened a copper mine in Yunnan and obtained the right to mint coins with the special permission of the Holy One. 'Wu De Tong Bao' is very useful in Japan."

Zhu Gaoxu smiled and said, "Alright, let's do it like this."

Chapter 734 I'm Not Invincible

By the end of June, the mobilization of [-] soldiers from the Six Guards of the Southern Expedition had been completed.The civil servants Xue Yan, Hou Hai, Pei Youzhen and others have already left Beijing according to the order.

Zhang Fu, the Marquis of Xincheng, was formally appointed as General Conquering Yi in Fengtian Temple. He was ordered to command all the military power of the Jingying Nanzheng Army, the Annan Dudufu, and the Guards Army recruited from Guangxi and Guangdong, and had the right to act expediently.Chen Xuan was the chief admiral of the navy, controlling all fleets participating in the battle, but obeying Zhang Fu's military orders.Anyuan Hou Liu was promoted to the left deputy general of Zhengyi, and Heyang Hou Yin Desheng was promoted to the right deputy general of Zhengyi.

When the army set off, the weather was sunny and windy.People in the north of the capital seem to be able to hear the sound of the surging river lapping on the shore.

Zhu Gaoxu led the crowd to send Zhang Fu and other soldiers to the gate of Jinchuan.Zhu Gaoxu gave wine to say goodbye, and repeatedly told the generals to take into account the righteousness and pay attention to public opinion propaganda, so as to reduce the local people's willingness to resist.

The carriages of Queen Chen and Annan King Chen Zhengyuan were also in the Chinese army.When everyone said goodbye and set off, the curtain of the carriage was pulled aside, and Chen's face was covered with tears, and his expression was extremely sad, crying like a tearful person.

But while she was heartbroken, she tried every means to persuade Zhu Gaoxu to let her go back, so she was so contradictory.Zhu Gaoxu could only sit on the horseback and waved his hands over there a few times, making this smug scene seem to be covered with a trace of entangled melancholy for a while.

The crowd passing through the corridor of Jinchuan Gate behind is a group of Chinese infantry escorting the "Tuanlong Sunyue Banner".When they lined up and walked out of the tunnel, Zhu Gaoxu suddenly felt a sense of trance, as if he didn't know which era he was in.

Most of the soldiers of the Beijing camp who went out this time got the new military uniforms issued by the imperial court. However, the military uniforms worn in combat mainly focus on armor and practicality; tool of war.Only this group of flag guards wore formal dresses, cloth caps with large brims on their heads, and brand-new gray underwear on their bodies. They carried "Chunhan" light guns, but did not carry ammunition. They looked very neat.

No matter how powerful the arquebus was, the slender new forged barrel was very smooth, gleaming in the sun.Because of the big brim hat, the neat military appearance is very similar to the modern army.Such a scene made the people watching from afar look sideways, completely attracted by this strange team.

The quaint Jinchuan Gate tower, the Buddhist pagoda on the Lion Rock, the pavilions and pavilions near and far, and the waterside arch bridge are all elegant scenes of the Ming Dynasty.But this army made Zhu Gaoxu feel the factor of change.

Amid the even rhythm of the drums, the troops kept marching in formation, and the footsteps were very orderly.The generals on horseback clasped their fists to the left to salute. Seeing this, Zhu Gaoxu also clasped his fists in return; "Kaka..." The footsteps resounding from far and near made it difficult for the generals to hear.

In the corridor, there are continuous queues of cavalry, most of them are in the unit of hundreds of families, and each team maintains a proper gap between the front and back.Although there are many people and horses on this main road, it is not congested. There is still a gap on one side of the road for the messengers on horseback to come and go. The military discipline of the Beijing camp is good.

The inclination of military spending after Zhu Gaoxu came to power seems to have had an effect on military power.However, he hopes that these Beijing elites can play a real role and bring about substantial national interests.

Zhu Gaoxu waited and watched for a while, and instead of riding in his Luanjia, he rode straight back to the city.

A group of big Han generals from the Jinyiwei followed Zhu Gaoxu and rode on horseback from the main road in the capital city until they entered the Xi'an Gate; when they reached the Xihua Gate, the Jinyiwei soldiers stopped.

Zhu Gaoxu did not get off his horse, and rode into the palace to the Rouyi Hall.Riding horses is not allowed in the palace, but no one stopped the emperor for what he wanted; at most, civil officials wrote earnestly emphasizing that etiquette corresponds to heaven, and Zhu Gaoxu ignored such things.

In the quaint and bright main hall of Rouyi Hall, everything was as usual. A while ago, he often met with civil and military officials to discuss the affairs of An Nanguo, and the map on the table was still there.

But when Zhu Gaoxu walked in, he suddenly felt that the place seemed empty.Only then did he realize that the people living in the apse had already left.

Mrs. Chen is only staying here temporarily, but the time has been relatively long; usually, as long as the eunuchs are sent to summon her, they can see her immediately.Now Zhu Gaoxu is still not used to it all of a sudden, and always feels that something is missing.

He sat down behind the big table, looked at the memorials and maps on it, and did nothing.After a while, he subconsciously put his hand on his forehead and rubbed it hard for a while.

At this moment, the eunuch Wang Gui came in with a stoop, held Fuchen in his arms and saluted, "My lord, the Northern Department of the Guarding Department sent a memorial to the palace, but the one who didn't go to the Department of General Affairs said that it was something important." Things. The servants put the memorial on it for the emperor."

Zhu Gaoxu responded, reached out and picked up the top memorial and opened it to read.

The North Department of the Defense Department sent people to the north to buy some Mongols, and got the news: The Great Khan of the Mongolian Kingdom, Ben Yali Shi Khan died!

Zhu Gaoxu realized that the situation in Mongolia would undergo great changes again.His attention was immediately separated from the subtle emotions just now, and he carefully read the content of the memorial.

From the end of last year to the beginning of this year, the Ming army carried out a retaliatory northern expedition, and the target of the campaign was the Tatars.Zhu Gaoxu felt that the battle was very unpleasant, and the 10,000+ people in the whole army suffered a lot.But the Tatars also seemed to be very uncomfortable and suffered heavy losses. After the sweaty king's account of Ben Yali was destroyed by the Eguchi, they led their troops to retreat westward.

As a result, the Benjali sweating department had to borrow food from Wacha in the west because of insufficient food and pasture.Unexpectedly, the Wacha people took advantage of the fire to fight | robbery, raided and besieged Ben Yali Shihan, and slaughtered Ben Yaris himself and most of his troops.This Great Khan was the nominal "Khan of All Mongolia". As soon as he died, the Wacha people quickly established a new Great Khan: Dabali Khan.

Abari Khan claims to be a descendant of the Golden Family, but who it is, at least the Ming Dynasty has no way of knowing.

As for the Tatar tribes that suffered heavy losses, the actual person in power is Alutai, known as the Mongolian Grand Master.Alutai was attacked by the Ming army because of its strength, and was extremely panicked and furious about the situation where Wacha took the opportunity to support the Mongolian Khan and took the opportunity to expand eastward.

This Arutai who was willing to fight against the 30 to [-] troops of the Ming army, who was unwilling to seek peace after being killed, decided to change his strategy in the internal struggle of Mongolia.

The bribed Mongols reported to the officials of the Ming Dynasty that Alutai was collecting good horses from various tribes, and was going to send envoys to pay tribute to the Ming court to show their friendship.They seem to want to take the initiative to change their relationship with the Ming Dynasty, so that they can use the strength of the Ming army to attack the Wacha tribes in the west.

After Zhu Gaoxu finished reading the memorial, he raised his head and said to Wang Gui who was standing in front of him, "Take it to the Hall of Martial Arts and let the ministers in the cabinet and the treasure department have a look."

"Yes." Wang Gui bowed and picked up the memorial with both hands.

Zhu Gaoxu decided to listen to the opinions of the ministers first, but without thinking too much, he immediately lost interest in continuing the Northern Expedition.

Last year's Northern Expedition, Zhu Gaoxu was not very willing, but because the Tatars took the initiative to harass the border and did all kinds of evil, he didn't want to appear too weak when he first took the throne; then he went deep into the grassland and fought a battle, which made him realize that the Northern Expedition is simply A wasteful and thankless task.

But the Mongols seem to have misunderstood the Ming Dynasty.At the end of the Yuan Dynasty, the Mongols sat in the country, and the uprising armies all over the world came and went. The strategy of the Yuan Dynasty was to attack whoever proclaimed the king and emperor, because it was really impossible to attack multiple routes at the same time; Strategy.

Now the Mongols seem to think that the Ming Dynasty will do the same, attacking the "Khan of All Mongolia".The ancients really paid too much attention to names and banners.

But the fact is that now, from the emperor Zhu Gaoxu to the court ministers, they are a little bit resistant to unprofitable wars.The reason why Zhu Gaoxu ignored the advice of the ministers and insisted on planning military operations against the South China Sea and Northeast Asia was simply because he felt that there would be long-term benefits; but for the northern grasslands, even Zhu Gaoxu himself could not see the benefits.

Wanting to solve the northern problem through a large-scale battle and only relying on offensive suppression, Zhu Gaoxu tried it and thought that the cost was too high and it lacked feasibility.

As for the banner of the Golden Family, don't worry too much about it.The glory of the past has long since come to an end, and the wheels that cannot escape the torrent of history will be abandoned by the Mongols sooner or later.Just like the "Han" and "Tang" banners in the Central Plains, they had great appeal, but they were eventually eliminated.

Zhu Gaoxu is no longer willing to continue the Northern Expedition.

The problem is that the "Battle of Jingnan" mobilized too many troops from the northern guards, and they haven't done much to manage the north in recent years, causing the defense in the north to become weaker and weaker; but fortunately, the Mongolian tribes are also fighting internally, so they can't really threaten the northern border for the time being... Therefore, in the north, Zhu Gaoxu felt that it was necessary to improve the national defense system and occupy a favorable position.Actively defend the national policy first, consider building a bastion, and then slowly plan it.

Such a big event would cost a lot of money. Fortunately, the defense against the northern nomadic tribes has always been the key point of national defense in the Central Plains, and it is easy to get support from the government and the opposition. After all, everyone needs a sense of security.

Several maps on the table were displayed, including the map of Japan, the situation map of Annan, the map of Tatar Wacha forces, and the Hami country in Western Mongolia. There are also charts in the corner, with lines Until the coast of India and Africa in the "Western Ocean".Zhu Gaoxu's fingers moved slowly on it.

After a long time, he finally put down the drawing, leaned back on the chair, and fell into deep thought without saying a word.

The figure of a few million, as well as the ragged corvees and trackers seen near the Chongqing government; the Shandong chief envoy has starved to death, and various cults and activities that have been banned by the court are frequent Qi Tai's remarks about opening up territories is a long-term achievement, it is difficult to pay off immediately, and it is harmful to the current situation... Trivial fragments kept flashing in his mind.

Chapter 735 An Ordinary Person

The rainy season in An Nanguo has not yet passed, and it often rains in Dongguan City, which makes people feel that the roads are rarely dry, and the weather is still very hot.Most of the troops of the Ming army near Dongguan were in the cities and fortresses to reduce the occurrence of diseases and epidemics.It is said that the rebels have occupied various cities in the lower reaches of Dongguan.

Liu Ming, the imperial envoy sent to An Nanguo before, felt very depressed living in Dongguan at this time, and was in a dilemma.

The emperor asked him to recruit Chen Jikuo's rebels, but obviously failed.There was no decree or official document in the court ordering him to return home.Liu Ming can only visit various people here for news.The person who has been in close contact with him these days is Ruan Zhi, a native of Annan and the prefect of Dongguan Prefecture.

There is a patio in the backyard of the government office, rain curtains are flowing from the eaves on all sides, and weeds are luxuriant in the gaps between the bricks and stones.Liu Ming has been in the government office for a while, but before it suddenly rained heavily, he continued to stay and wait for the rain to stop before leaving.