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

Chapter 465: The Fulcrum of the Western Region

Zhu Houxuan was very moved when he heard Zhu Houzhao's words, because Zhu Houzhao's most superficial meaning was: I went to the Western Regions to gain enough military merits, use these merits to suppress the opposition, and finally pass the throne to you.
This was an angle that Zhu Houxuan had not expected, so he was very moved.

But then, Zhu Houxuan thought of another angle.
He suddenly thought of an incident during the Jingnan period:

Battle on the river. Emperor Wen's troops retreated, Gao Xu led his cavalry to the scene, and Emperor Wen leaned on his back and said, "I am getting tired, and the crown prince is ill. You should encourage him."

This is one of the words that best reflects the breadth and depth of the Chinese language, and it is also the source of Zhu Gaoxu's later tragedy.
Zhu Houxuan now feels a bit like Zhu Gaoxu back then. Although his situation is better than Zhu Gaoxu's, the sense of déjà vu is too strong.
He had a feeling that Zhu Houzhao was afraid that he would not support him in his expedition to the Western Regions, so he deliberately said this to motivate him, although this possibility was relatively small.
Zhu Houxuan immediately drove the latter thought out of his head, and at the same time secretly cursed himself in his heart: You really have been playing tricks with that group of ministers every day and your heart has become black. Zhu Houzhao has always been sincere to you. This is obviously a pure heart, but you are letting your imagination run wild. You really deserve to be scolded!

Zhu Houxuan quickly gathered his thoughts, looking at Zhu Houzhao's meaningful eyes, but he still didn't know how to start or what to say.
"My royal brother's achievements will definitely be on par with those of Taizu and Taizong in the future." Zhu Houxuan took a deep breath and said.

Zhu Houzhao then retracted his gaze, nodded with satisfaction and said: "I never doubted this, because I have the best brother in the world to help me."

Zhu Houxuan was moved and said, "My brother is also a good brother."

Zhu Houzhao immediately smiled brightly, patted Zhu Houxuan on the shoulder, and then changed the subject: "Since returning from Guihua City, I have been studying how to attack the Western Regions. It's a good opportunity to talk to you about it."

Then Zhu Houzhao began to explain how he was going to attack the Western Regions, and Zhu Houxuan also began to concentrate and listen carefully to Zhu Houzhao's story.
After listening to Zhu Houzhao's story, Zhu Houxuan pondered for a while and said, "In my opinion, my brother's plan is not a big problem, but I want to talk about my opinion from the perspective of how to rule the Western Regions."

Zhu Houzhao immediately showed an interested expression, "Brother, tell me quickly!"

"The key to ruling the Western Regions lies in the Ili River Valley! The Western Regions are thousands of miles away from the core area of ​​the Ming Dynasty. Only by controlling the Ili River Valley can the Ming Dynasty have the foundation to rule the Western Regions," Zhu Houxuan said firmly.

"The significance of the Ili River Valley to the Western Regions is no less than that of the Hetao Plain to the Mongolian Plateau. The Hetao Plain is an important fulcrum for the Ming Dynasty to rule the Mongolian Plateau, and the Ili River Valley is also an important fulcrum for the Ming Dynasty to rule the Western Regions!" Zhu Houxuan said, tapping the location of the Ili River Valley on the map. Because the Ili River Valley is known as the "Western Region Wet Island" and "South of the Yangtze River outside the Great Wall". An annual rainfall of 400 mm is the most basic condition for trees to survive. According to this standard, the famous Aihui-Tengchong line is divided. The Western Regions are west of this 400 mm isohyet, but the Ili River Valley is an exception.

The Ili River Valley has the river with the largest flow in the Western Regions - the Ili River, and the highest alpine lake - the Sayram Lake. It has an annual precipitation of 417.6 mm, and 600 mm in mountainous areas. It is the wettest area in the Western Regions.

Therefore, the Ili River Valley is a place where large-scale farming can be carried out. The arable land in the Ili River Valley can feed millions of people in this era. If there can be millions of people in Central Asia in this era, then the Ming Dynasty's rule over the Western Regions will be as stable as Mount Tai.

Agriculture is called the primary industry for a reason. Food is the primary need of the people. If the Western Regions cannot produce enough food and have to rely on transportation from the Ming Dynasty, then the cost of Ming Dynasty's rule will be too high. This kind of rule is doomed to not last long. As long as Ming Dynasty's finances encounter some problems, the Western Regions will be abandoned.
If the Western Regions could solve their own food problems and be self-sufficient, then the cost of Ming's rule over the Western Regions would become relatively low, and it would only need to transport some high-value industrial products from the mainland.
Zhu Houzhao listened to Zhu Houxuan's story and nodded repeatedly, "Brother, what you said makes sense. I will go back and discuss it with Jiang Jiangong to add another key point to this plan."

Zhu Houxuan nodded and said, "Well, I will also think about how to do the logistics of the future Western Region Expeditionary Force and see if there is any preparation work that can be started now."

"Hahaha! Brother, I like this about you, and that's the reason why I came here today to talk to you. If you're serious, I won't care about anything else except leading the army to fight. Even if I invite Xiao He from the early Han Dynasty, he can't do as well as you." Zhu Houzhao said happily.

Zhu Houxuan could only respond with a helpless smile
The 14th year of Zhengde passed like this, and the 15th year of Zhengde arrived.
As soon as the weather got a little warmer, Zhu Houzhao left the capital and went to Guihua City. 5 cavalry guards gathered at five key points in the northern border of the Ming Dynasty, ready to go.

In addition, the organization of the Mongolian naturalized army was changed to two battalions of 6000 people. They were divided into five teams and fought with the five Guards Cavalry.

With the help of the Royal Group's Publicity Department, the public trial spread quickly throughout all the naturalized Mongolian tribes and became a topic of conversation. The activities of burning Genghis Khan's statue and worshipping Zhu Houzhao's statue were also carried out smoothly. The place where the naturalized Mongolians hung their portraits in their yurts changed in just one winter.
The severe cold weather could not stop the spread of the news of the public trial, and the Tatars in the north soon learned about the public trial in Guihua City.

They responded quickly to this, and the position of Khan, which had been disputed for nearly two years, finally came to an end. Dayan Khan's fourth son, Borjigin Arsubord, who controlled the Dolon Tumed tribe, became the new Khan.

The first order he issued after officially becoming the new Khan was to demote his third brother, Borjigin Barsborot, to a commoner, deprive him of his surname, deprive him of the title of Khan, and cut ties with him, hoping to reverse the adverse effects of the public trial.
But such a matter could not be easily resolved. The reputation of the Golden Family plummeted in the various Tatar tribes in the north. The people of the Tatar tribes in the north were in a state of uncertainty. In the winter, many tribes sent envoys to the south to secretly communicate with the Ming army.
It was under these circumstances that Zhu Houzhao arrived at his loyal city of Guihua.
I was lazy on the first day of the holiday, so I didn't finish the two chapters I owe. I will try my best to make up for it tomorrow.
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(End of this chapter)