In April of the 10th year of Chongzhen, the early summer finally arrived. After several rainfalls, the dry and cold grassland outside the mouth was finally covered with green.

The skyrocketing summer grass also meant that the Mongolian tribes in southern and northern Mongolia could migrate. The time had come for Zhu Youjian to leave Beijing again and embark on the Western Expedition.

Outside Deshengmen in Beijing, there was once again a solemn scene of large armies marching out.

Knights in front of the tent, Mongolian athletes, chariots, horses and camel teams, all standing solemnly on the official road outside Desheng Gate under various banners. Soldiers and armor are in neat order, and there are many guns and guns.

Their number is not large, that is, more than 20,000 people, but they are the elite who follow Zhu Youjian across the northern country and sweep away all directions. These days, although there is peace both internally and externally and there is no war, these elite soldiers and generals have not delayed preparations and training.

, all have adjusted their condition to the best, and are ready to go on a thousand-mile expedition at any time!

An expedition spanning thousands of miles across the grasslands and Gobi was an almost impossible task for the Ming army, which originally had no nomadic capabilities. This was because the army from the farming areas of the Central Plains had to rely on long logistical supply lines to maintain the momentum of the war.

The logistics supply line itself consumes a lot of money, especially the supply line passing through the grasslands and deserts. No matter how well it operates, a 2,000-mile supply line can consume about 90% of the grain and grass transported!

Fortunately, Zhu Youjian spent nearly ten years and worked hard on his bed, and finally had 700 directly subordinate Mongolian families capable of nomadism, and 1,800 dependent Mongolian families.

Therefore, the 20,000 Ming and Mongolian coalition forces currently concentrated outside Deshengmen are only the elite part of the Western Expedition. At this time, 7,000 Mongolian herdsmen drawn from the seven noble concubines and ten thousand households outside the Xuanfu entrance are driving

Hundreds of thousands of sheep and more than 100,000 horses are on standby, ready to follow the army led by Zhu Youjian and Concubine Wu Liangha to the west.

In order to send troops before the autumn of the tenth year of Chongzhen, Zhu Youjian also ordered the three towns of Xuanfu, Datong, and Yanshan to take out the hay they had stored up and feed and fatten the livestock carried by seven thousand Mongolian households!

In addition, Chahar's "Little Khan" Erkongoro Ezhe, who is only 16 years old this year, also received an edict issued by Zhu Youjian in the name of Tian Khan. With the assistance of his mother, Concubine Sutai, he led Chahar

Wanhu, Zasaktu Wanhu and the five thousand households of Chotu Taiji joined forces and marched to Khovd together, waiting for an opportunity to cross the Altai Mountains and attack the Dzhungar tribe in the Oara Alliance.

At the same time, Tang Wang Zhu Yujian's 20,000 households and the trilateral governor Mei Zhihuan, and 20,000 Gansu military household sweet potato soldiers commanded by Gansu General Yang Jiamo, had already entered the Suzhou Guard in Jiayuguan, waiting for Zhu You

After the inspector gives an order, he can go west to Jiayuguan and attack Yumenguan, Shazhouwei, Guazhou and Dunhuang, which have been occupied for many years.

Everything is ready for a war that will span thousands of miles to the west, and perhaps open up frontiers for thousands of miles!

And the commander-in-chief of this Western Expedition to open up the frontier, Zhu Youjian, who was also the Ming Dynasty Emperor and Mongolian Khan, is still in the urn city of Deshengmen, together with Empress Zhou, the emperor's nephew Zhu Cixiang, and six cabinet members

The Grand Bachelor and the twelve ministers of the Six Departments said goodbye.

"Mr. Hong, you are my official and my most useful commander. Now that I have become Yuan Fu, after I leave the capital to go on an expedition, you will not only assist my great nephew to supervise the country well, but also pay attention to my great nephew's studies.

, especially the knowledge of financial management, which must not be wasted!”

Hong Chengchou has been his daughter-in-law for many years now. Finally, after the old and sick Bi Ziyan became an official, he surpassed Wen Tiren, the "Second Assistant for Ten Thousand Years", and became a bachelor of Zhongji Palace and the Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs. Wen Tiren continued to serve as his official post.

Xiong Wencan was also a bachelor of the Wenhua Palace and a bachelor of the Ministry of Industry. Chen Qiyu was appointed as a bachelor of the Ministry of War and became a bachelor of the Wuying Palace.

In the grand scheme of things, Shi Kefa became the bachelor of Dongge University and the minister of the Ministry of Punishment.

"I will work hard to assist my great nephew in overseeing the country well," Hong Chengchou assured Zhu Youjian, "At the same time, I will also keep an eye on your great nephew's studies."

Zhu Youjian turned his head and glanced at the 10-year-old Zhu Cixiang, and said: "Brother Chun, you have to work harder on Confucianism, studying objects, martial arts, military science, financial management, and Latin! You have to study hard when I return to the throne.

Requires door-to-door inspections!”

Zhu Youjian now hopes that his son will become rich. Now the Ming Dynasty has begun to "overcome the tribulation". Even if this "tribulation" can be overcome, it will definitely bring the finances to the brink of bankruptcy. If he wants to get rich again, he can only count on his treacherous son.

Zhu Cixi seemed a little helpless. He was learning more and more things and had no time to play. It was really painful!

"My son, I know!" Zhu Cixi didn't dare to disobey his father's orders, so he had to obey obediently.

Zhu Youjian nodded, looked at Queen Zhou who had just given birth to her fifth child, and said with a smile: "Queen, you should pay more attention to your health and don't work too hard for several children, especially the eldest and third child's studies. I have them all."

There is no need to waste your energy teaching them."

Queen Zhou looked at Zhu Youjian unhappily: "Are you worried that I will relax the studies of the eldest and the third child? But the studies you have arranged for them are too heavy, they are still young!"

Xiao? Zhu Youjian said heartily: It's okay to be a filial son, but Zhu Cihong is not good. In his previous life, he became a rebellious son at the age of 17! Now he is 10 years old, can he not be educated well? If he is not educated well, what will happen if he becomes a rebellious son again?

When Zhu Youji thought of this, he said to Zhu Cixi with a straight face: "Brother Chun, as a father, I have to fight for more places for the people of the world to live. You are still young and can't be with me, so you have to study hard. Do you understand?

?”

"I know!" Zhu Cixiang seemed a little helpless. He didn't know whether it was because he had too much homework to do, or because he saw that this old man often had to do business at a loss.

"Okay!" Zhu Youjian nodded and called again, "Xiong Wencan, where is Sun Yuanhua?"

"I'm here!"

"I'm here!"

Xiong Wencan is the minister of the Ministry of Industry, and Sun Yuanhua is now the right minister of the Ministry of Industry and the Tianjin Artillery Manufacturing Bureau.

"The affairs of the Tianjin artillery bureau will be left to you two!" Zhu Youjian warned, "Both the Xuanfu and Ningyuan artillery bureaus will be moved to Tianjin as soon as possible to merge the two locations into one. In terms of production scale, there is still room for improvement.

To increase the number, we must not only make cannons, but also blunderbuss, gunpowder, fire blunderbuss, swords, and armor!”

Zhu Youjian went full circle and put the firearms factory he had set up outside the Ministry of Industry back under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Industry. He also went a step further and allowed this firearms factory under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Industry to cross-border manufacturing of swords and armors.

.

"My soldiers, Mr. Sun and Mr. Lu," Zhu Youjian finished instructing the Ministry of Industry to make cannons and muskets, and then called Sun Chuanting and Lu Xiangsheng to come forward, "I am very relieved that there are two gentlemen in charge of military affairs. However,

I am also worried about something, that is, the horses raised in the new Herding Department of the Ministry of War are all good horses that I have collected through various channels. They must not be allowed to breed with horses from outside!

In addition, you must expand the horse herd in the Herd Division as much as possible. There are currently less than 1,000 Fold-eared horses. Luzon horses are actually Andalusian horses. I hope to expand the horse herd to 5,000 by the 17th year of Chongzhen.

, In addition, 2,500 high-quality gelded war horses must be prepared for me."

"Your Majesty, don't worry," Sun Chuanting said with a smile, "I know how to raise horses."

Lu Xiangsheng also said: "Besides, there are pastoral slaves from Luzon Island among the group of pastoralists, so nothing can go wrong."

"Not only can we not make mistakes," Zhu Youjian said, "but we also have to learn the skills of those Luzon slaves." He paused and then said, "If we want to pacify Liao and eliminate slaves, we still need to be able to overwhelm the slave thieves.

The elite cavalry! However, the slave thieves’ vanguard battalion and white-armored guards are very strong. If we want to defeat them, we have to focus on horses!”

After he said this, he glanced around again and said loudly: "I will leave Beijing to you when I leave!"
Chapter completed!