I am the prince of the Ming Dynasty, I don't give up

Chapter 309 Yutai Ridge

"A lot of things have happened, but they are all under the control of His Royal Highness the Prince of Jing. This is the latest letter from His Royal Highness the Prince of Jing," Zhang Yong said hurriedly.

Zhu Houzhao tore open Zhu Houxuan's letter and read it quickly. The envelope was very thick and it took him a while to finish reading.
"Hahaha! My younger brother is doing a great job in the capital. I was worried that he would be bullied by those civil servants before, but I didn't expect that he would start to bully those civil servants now. It's been a long time since I saw those hoodlums being so defeated." Zhu Houzhao said happily.

"I finally understand why the number of memorials asking me to return to the capital has suddenly increased so much. It turns out that I am suffering from the suppression from my younger brother." Zhu Houzhao immediately understood everything.

"General, are we going back to Beijing?" Zhang Yong asked hurriedly.

"No! The situation in the capital is very good. Why should I go back?" Zhu Houzhao said firmly.

A great thing? This is a great thing? The people around looked at each other in bewilderment.

"A few days ago, this general was thinking about returning to the capital to support my younger brother, but now it seems that it is unnecessary," Zhu Houzhao said casually.

"General, are we really not going back? We have been out for so long," Jiang Bin advised.

"If I don't go back, it will make those big turbans in the capital feel uncomfortable for a while!" Zhu Houzhao laughed again.

"My brother always surprises me. I never thought he could suppress those civil servants." Zhu Houzhao laughed even more happily. "And he urged me to go back in his letter, but I refused to go back!"

"I haven't had enough fun yet. The capital is too boring. It's more fun here."

After hearing what Zhu Houzhao said, the people present dared not to persuade him anymore.
"Are there enough supplies in Xuanfu now?" Zhu Houzhao suddenly asked.

"Xuanfu now has more than 30,000 new troops, so there are enough supplies. Moreover, the railway from the capital to Xuanfu will be completed soon. Once the railway is completed, supplies will no longer be a problem," Jiang Jiangong said calmly.

"The railway is almost completed? Haha, my brother really understands me!" Zhu Houzhao nodded with satisfaction, "Write a letter and ask him to transport more supplies. The soldiers in the border towns are living in hardship, I want to reward them with some things."

Jiang Jiangong nodded. He also agreed with Zhu Houzhao's order and quickly wrote it down.

"Also, I always feel weird that a great general like me doesn't have a title. I'll write a letter and ask my brother to confer a title on Zhu Shou. It has to be at least a duke, let's call him Zhenguo Gong," Zhu Houzhao said on a whim.

The people around him were already accustomed to Zhu Houzhao's strange ideas, so no one spoke out to dissuade him.

"The third and fourth battalions will rest in Xuanfu. Two days later, let the fifth and sixth battalions patrol the border with me." Zhu Houzhao announced.

The organization of the new army still followed the organization of the Ming army, with the battalion as the basic tactical group, and below the battalion was the five-level organization of the department, department, bureau, flag, and team. Each team had 12 infantrymen, and 3 teams formed a flag. Each flag had 1 flag general and 1 team soldiers; each bureau had 36 centurion general and 1 officers and soldiers; each department had 111 battalion general, who was in charge of 1 bureaus and 4 officers and soldiers; each department had 448 thousand-man general, 1 departments formed a department, and 2 officers and soldiers; each battalion had 1 general officer and 898 central army officer, and the total number of officers and soldiers in the battalion was 1.

"General, you're leaving right after you came back. It's too soon. General, you should take care of yourself." Zhang Yong said hurriedly.

"Don't worry about that. I know my own health. It's fine. During the inspection, many people fell ill, but I didn't get sick at all." Zhu Houzhao said with some pride. The people present didn't know how to persuade Zhu Houzhao, so they could only let him do it.

Moreover, the 5,400 new troops in the two battalions were enough to protect Zhu Houzhao's safety.

"I wonder where the general is going to inspect in two days?" Jiang Jiangong asked.

Zhu Houzhao pondered for a moment and said, "Let's go to Wanquan Youwei. Wanquan Youwei faces the grassland and can always capture Mongolian heads. I have wanted to go there for a long time. It's a good opportunity to go and take a look."

Jiang Jiangong seemed to have thought of something, and he glanced at Zhu Houzhao's expression and said, "I suggest that the general bring an extra battalion of new troops. In addition, I also request to accompany him."

Zhu Houzhao looked at Jiang Jiangong deeply and said, "Okay."

Two days later, the gates of Xuanfu were opened, and more than 8,000 new army soldiers, 1,000 border cavalry, and more than 2,000 auxiliary troops, a total of more than 11,000 people, marched towards the northwest.

Wanquan Youwei was located in the hinterland of the Ming Dynasty in the early Ming Dynasty, but during the Xuande period, the Ming Dynasty withdrew many of its garrisons on the grassland, and Wanquan Youwei gradually became the front line. It is located at the intersection of the Taihang Mountains, Yanshan Mountains and Yinshan Mountains, and is the border between the North China Plain and the Mongolian Plateau.

Wanquan Youwei was less than a hundred miles away from Xuanfu, and the team took two days to reach Wanquan Youwei City.

Su Xingdong, the commander of Wanquan Right Guard, had received the news in advance and was already waiting outside the city to greet him.

Zhu Houzhao arrived in the city and inspected the city's defenses. He also distributed the rewards he brought with him to reward the garrison troops. This was also his inspection of the border.
Zhu Houzhao rested in the city for a night, then, despite dissuasion, led the new army out of the city and arrived at a fortress.
"Do you know where this place is?" Zhu Houzhao asked, pointing to the mountains in front of him.

Everyone present already knew the answer to this question, so no one said anything.

Zhu Houzhao did not ask any more questions, but continued to speak: "This is Xinhekou Fort, and this mountain is Yutai Ridge!"

The area is surrounded by the Great Wall to the north and mountains to the east and west. There is a river in the southeast, flowing from the northwest to Xuanfu, and the area is open. The two intersections lead to Zhangbei outside the Great Wall, which is a strategic fortress west of Xuanfu.

The people accompanying him looked solemn, and everyone knew what Yutailing meant to Zhu Houzhao.
"Time flies! Twelve years have passed in a flash!" Zhu Houzhao continued to sigh.

"Twelve years ago, my father passed away. As soon as I ascended the throne, I received a huge gift from the little Mongolian prince!" Zhu Houzhao said gritting his teeth.

"The Mongolian prince led an army of tens of thousands to attack this place. Deputy General Bai Yu and guerrilla generals Zhang Xiong and Mu Rong who were stationed at Xinhekou Fort and Xinkaikou Fort received the report, and they mobilized a total of about 10,000 people from the two forts, transported firearms, and rushed to Yutailing to meet the enemy. They fought for seven days and seven nights and repelled the Mongolian army, but the Ming army suffered seven to eight thousand casualties, and generals Zhang Xiong and Mu Rong were also killed in this battle." Zhu Houxuan's expression was cold.

"This is the battle in which our Ming Dynasty has suffered the greatest losses since the Battle of Tumu!" Zhu Houzhao said in pain.

The reason why Zhu Houzhao hated the little Mongolian prince so much was largely because of this battle.

(End of this chapter)