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

Chapter 499 News from the Western Regions

Finally, the army gathered at Jiayuguan. The urban area of ​​Jiayuguan had expanded a lot, and there were many more buildings behind the city. Jiayuguan would become the final logistics transfer center of the Western Region Expeditionary Force.

The final force for the expedition to the Western Regions consisted of 3 Guards cavalry and 3 Guards infantry, plus naturalized troops. This military strength was the result of repeated discussions.

An army of 7 is more than enough to deal with the threats from various forces in the Western Regions. Although the pressure on logistics is relatively high, it is within the tolerance of the Royal Group.

Zhu Houzhao wanted to bring 10,000 naturalized cavalrymen because the main enemy he faced this time was the Mongols, and bringing naturalized soldiers who were familiar with the Mongols' tactics would definitely be effective. Moreover, these naturalized soldiers were now in a state of convert fanaticism, fighting bravely and fearlessly, and their morale was high.

In fact, Zhu Houzhao had an ambition deep in his heart. He was actually already the Great Khan of the Mongols. In terms of the areas he ruled, the area he ruled was the birthplace of the Mongols, and the Mongols he ruled were considered the orthodox among the Mongols, so he naturally wanted to rule more Mongols. The Oirat tribes, the Turpan Khanate and the Yarkand Khanate were his new prey.

He also believed that he had the method to rule the Mongols, and that land reform, public trials and assimilation of nationalist ideas among the Mongols had proven to be very effective in recent years.

He wanted to use the same method to establish his rule in the Western Regions after defeating the Mongols in the Western Regions, and these 10,000 naturalized cavalry were the seeds for him to establish his rule in the Western Regions...

There were also 10,000 Guards cavalry and 10,000 Guards infantry left behind at Jiayuguan, and they were the reserve force of the expeditionary force.

The consumption of the expedition to the Western Regions was beyond imagination. In history, when the Qing Dynasty attacked Junggar, for every kilogram of grain transported to the Western Regions, twenty kilograms of grain would be consumed, because the civilians who transported the grain also had to consume food.

In the past three years, Zhu Houxuan made a lot of preparations for the expedition to the Western Regions and invested a lot of money in railways and roads, which greatly reduced the consumption of grain transportation. However, it also took about ten kilograms of grain to transport one kilogram of grain from Henan to the Western Regions.

Zhu Houxuan had already stockpiled enough supplies in Jiayuguan to sustain the army for a year.

With Zhu Houzhao's order, the Western Expedition officially began...

……

In the spring of the 21st year of Zhengde, the city of Nanjing was still bustling and prosperous. The war in the northwest had not caused any impact on this most prosperous city in the southern part of the Ming Dynasty.

Ai Zhiren was greeting his classmates, all of whom were students from the Imperial College in Nanjing. They had made an appointment to go outing outside the city today.
At this moment, a post station soldier on horseback rushed into Nanjing City, shouting as he ran: "Your Majesty has an order, please send it to all prefectures and counties, let them know!"

Ai Zhiren looked at the cavalrymen going away and asked blankly, "Your Majesty has an order? Hasn't Your Majesty been on an expedition to the Western Regions for three years? How come there is an imperial order all of a sudden? It looks like he wants everyone in the world to know."

"Think carefully, there has been no new news from the Western Regions for several months. Now His Majesty has suddenly issued an edict, which means the Western Expedition must have achieved some results." A man dressed as a scholar also said, looking at the direction where the cavalry disappeared. "Then what should we do? Should we still go for an outing?" said another scholar.

"Why are we still going out for an outing now? There are more interesting things to do. Since the decree has been sent to all prefectures and counties, everyone in the world will know about it. His Majesty's decree must be known and will definitely be posted. Let's go and see what His Majesty's decree is!" Ai Zhiren said excitedly.

"Okay! Brother Zhiren is right. Let's go and take a look!" Ai Zhiren's proposal was agreed by everyone.

They couldn't wait to arrive outside the government office of Yingtian Prefecture. They arrived early, and soon more and more people came here, all of whom came after hearing the news.
Over the past three years, the Royal Group has never relaxed its propaganda on the Western Expedition, and much of the news about the Western Expedition has become a topic of conversation among the people of the Ming Dynasty.

This also attracted many people to pay attention to the Western Expedition, so so many people gathered at once.
Ai Zhiren and his companions did not have to wait too long. Half an hour later, the yamen runners of Yingtian Prefecture hung a yellow scroll on the wall outside the yamen. The scroll was covered with words, and the ink on the scroll was not yet dry.
In addition, four yamen runners were specially assigned to guard the scroll, showing that they took it very seriously.

The people around quickly gathered around. Ai Zhiren and others arrived early and quickly squeezed to the front and saw the content clearly, but many people behind him could not see the content clearly.

"Young gentlemen in front, what is written on the scroll? Please read it to us quickly. Did His Majesty win another victory? Please read it quickly! I'm so anxious!" someone in the crowd shouted.

That person's request was supported by everyone, and they all spoke out to make the request.

Ai Zhiren had already quickly read through the contents of the scroll, and was so excited that he couldn't control himself.
Hearing the request from the person behind him, he suppressed his excitement. He wanted to share his happiness with more people, so he cleared his throat and read aloud:

"I have counted the military operations. It has been no more than ten years. At first, the inland areas did not know the labor of conscription, and the soldiers and civilians did not know the pain of war. And the area west of the pass (Jiayu Pass), more than ten thousand miles, was included in the territory. For example, the left and right Kazakhs, the east and west Yarkand, and the various tribes of the Oirat Tatar were pacified one after another."

Ai Zhiren felt extremely happy, and the people around him also quieted down and listened carefully to his recitation. Everyone felt the pride contained in this edict.
Ai Zhiren paused and read in a louder voice:
".Now all the tribes in Mount Babur (Afghanistan) know to offer captives and serve. They march in front of the enemy with edicts. They have never been connected to China before and have become the subjects of the Ming Dynasty. Looking back at the past, it is truly an unprecedented event."

"."

".Even if I had wished to do so, I would not have dared to hope that it would be achieved. To defend the four barbarians, there is no virtue greater than good soldiers and no ominous signs. There is no reason for it. What I see now is very different from what I have heard."

Ai Zhiren was still very excited when he read it again, and finally read at the top of his voice:

".Then the Emperor Qin Shi Huang did not have to build the Great Wall, and Emperor Wu of Han did not have to regret the construction of Luntai!"

After Ai Zhiren finished reading, he kept breathing heavily. When he caught his breath, he found that the surroundings were very quiet.
He looked up and found that everyone was immersed in the mood of the words just now.
Zhu Houzhao's imperial edict was somewhat out of place. It did not convey any orders, but rather declared his own achievements, which was in line with his character.
But with everything he has done now, he does have the qualifications.
(End of this chapter)