Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 599 Old Zhu's Decision! The Journey West!

Zhu Yuanzhang led the Ming army on a westward expedition, partly out of a desire to compete with his grandson and refuse to admit defeat.

On the other hand, Lao Zhu also hoped to open up a land route to distant Europe and Kunlun.

On the map presented by Zhu Yunwen, this area occupied almost the entire land area of ​​the planet Earth.

If this land route is fully opened, then I will be able to re-establish contact with my children and grandchildren who are far away overseas.

This was a wish that Old Zhu kept hidden in his heart, but he had never told anyone about it.

Now, upon suddenly hearing news of his son, who was none other than his beloved fourth son, how could Old Zhu not be overjoyed?

"Are you really sure his name is Zhu Di?" Old Zhu, snapping out of his daze, suddenly grabbed the arms of the monarch in front of him and shook him, pressing him for an answer.

Old Zhu's body was trembling with excitement.

Seeing the Emperor's reaction, the monarch was startled and stammered, "I...I...I just heard some rumors. I really can't confirm whether the news is true or false."

"It must be him, it must be my son Zhu Di!" Old Zhu laughed excitedly, "If it's not him, who else could it be?"

"Isn't his fiefdom in Europe?"

"It matches up! It all matches up!"

Old Zhu was overjoyed.

People say that Zhu Yunwen's enfeoffment of Zhu Di in Europe was a punishment for his son Zhu Gaoxi's crime of treason.

Even Old Zhu thought so.

For the Ming Dynasty, the name Europa was a legend from a distant sky.

Even in the entire Ming Dynasty, there wasn't a single person who had ever been to Europe or come from Europe.

Even the Ming Dynasty lacked specific information on the exact size of Europe and the number of countries it comprised.

For the Ming Dynasty, it was a dark and unknown land!
Is enfeoffing a prince in such a place tantamount to exile?
Those exiled to such a distant place usually meet a certain death.

In Old Zhu's heart, he always considered this son to be dead.

Who gave Zhu Gaoxi the right to plot a rebellion?
I never expected that Zhu Di was still alive and had become the richest man in Europe.
It seems he's doing quite well in Europe?
This immediately made Old Zhu so happy that he danced with joy.

Zhu Gaoxi's rebellion greatly angered Zhu Yuanzhang at the time.

In order to maintain the stability of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yunwen did not raise any objection to Zhu Di's family being "exiled".

In his view, this was absolutely necessary.

But Zhu Gaoxu is now dead.

Zhu Di and his family did indeed travel to Europe, and all the punishments that were due were carried out.

The matter was thus put to rest.

What remains is love and longing for her son.

Old Zhu certainly hoped his son would have a good time in Europe.

"Good! Good! Good! Quickly send someone to continue gathering information."

After saying that, Old Zhu suddenly asked, "How far is it from your country to Europe?"

“It’s not that far,” the monarch said. “In fact, our country’s neighbors are countries in Europe, and even our country itself can be considered part of the European region.”

"However, Europe is too vast. Venice is located at the southern end of the heart of Europe, and it is thousands of miles away from our country to Venice."

"Ten thousand li?" Old Zhu laughed. "Ten thousand li is not that far. We came from the Ming Dynasty, and we've traveled nearly twenty thousand li."

The monarch's lips twitched slightly. "Isn't ten thousand miles a long distance?"
In this era, a distance of thousands of miles usually means traversing many countries and experiencing countless hardships and obstacles, something that ordinary people can hardly do in their entire lives.

However, remembering the terrifying army under the command of this supreme emperor of the Ming Dynasty, he ultimately said nothing.

With such an army, no country would dare to stop them along the way, and no bandits or robbers would dare to attack or plunder them.

If we keep going safely, ten thousand miles doesn't seem so far after all.

With a wave of his sleeve, Zhu Yuanzhang ordered, "Immediately summon all the generals, hold a meeting in the tent, and prepare to continue the western expedition."

……

Upon hearing the news about his son, Old Zhu wished he could sprout wings and fly to his son's side immediately to see how he was doing.

However, after the generals were summoned to a meeting, they all opposed setting off immediately.

"Your Majesty, although the countries under the former Khanate have been pacified, the army still needs to make thorough preparations before it can pass through these countries. To set off hastily is a cardinal sin in military strategy!"

"Your Majesty, it is already early September. This place is located in the north, and the climate is far from that of Jinling in the south. Before long, the roads will be blocked by ice and snow. If the army sets out now and encounters a snowstorm, it will be unable to advance or retreat. What should we do?"

"Your Majesty, I believe it is advisable to first construct roads and lay cables to facilitate the installation of telegraph machines and maintain communication with the rear."

"Your Majesty, most of the cables from the Western Regions to the western border of the Turan Empire are temporary. Many cables are even laid on the ground without being supported by wooden frames, and are in danger of being destroyed at any time. The cement road is far from being completed. For now, it is better to consolidate the rear first."

"Your Majesty, starting from Jiayuguan, our army has already marched nearly 15,000 li. The soldiers are far from home and have endured extreme hardship. In addition, they were recently infected with a large number of diseases and have only just recovered. Their morale is still low. Although we have gained a lot from this alliance, we need time to digest the results, reward the troops, and restore their morale. It is not advisable to launch a distant expedition at this time."

"Your Majesty, now that we have news of the Prince of Yan, there is no need to rush! The Prince of Yan has become the richest man in Europe, so why should Your Majesty worry?"

……

The generals all voiced their opposition to immediately sending troops.

The reason is simple: although the Ming army is indeed elite, their expeditionary force has now gone far, far away from the Ming Dynasty.

The supplies needed by the Ming Dynasty's new army were different from those of the grassland army that had gone on expeditions years ago.

The supply of the steppe cavalry can be solved locally.

Eat wherever you go.

The firearms and ammunition of the Ming Dynasty's new army, even the bearings for the new horse-drawn carriages, the printing presses for propaganda, and even large quantities of paper, all had to be transported from the rear of the Ming Dynasty.

Although the Ming army was small in number, the distance was too great, which still put enormous pressure on logistics.

Most of the new army generals had been trained at the Ming Dynasty Military Academy. When Zhu Yunwen lectured, he repeatedly emphasized the importance of logistical support for the army after entering the era of firearms.

The three armies have not moved, and the food and grass go first.

The provisions for armies using cold weapons were simply provisions; as long as they had something to eat, that was enough.

The "supplies" of a military force equipped with firearms are far more than just "supplies" in the literal sense.

An army without ammunition and firearms is like a tiger without teeth and claws; it may look imposing, but it is actually vulnerable.

The soldiers' food supplies were close to being replenished, relying on countries along the way, but they had no way to obtain ammunition.

Neither the Turan Empire nor the various states under the former Golden Horde had the capacity to produce ammunition.

Even the Western Regions, which had been incorporated into the Ming Dynasty's territory, were not included.

The ammunition needed by the Ming expeditionary force had to be transported from within the Ming territory.

Land transport is far less efficient than sea transport. Not to mention, there aren't many good roads along the way.

Unlike within the Ming Dynasty, there are wide cement roads.

The transportation and storage of ammunition are also very troublesome, and it is essential to ensure that nothing goes wrong.

To support the expeditionary force in the war, a huge arsenal had been built near the original Jiayuguan Pass.

All kinds of ammunition produced by the Ming Dynasty's military factories are being continuously sent to this arsenal, and from there to the front lines.

With its well-developed highway system and strong transportation capacity, transporting ammunition from within the Ming Dynasty to Jiayuguan was not a problem.

It can be said that as much as needed can be shipped.

However, transporting goods from Jiayuguan to the front lines, which were nearly 15,000 li away, was extremely difficult.

Of course, since Beshbali had been brought under the control of the Ming Dynasty, it was only natural to build an armory for storage and transportation within its territory.

The Turan Empire also signed a treaty with the Ming Dynasty, leasing a passage thousands of meters wide and thousands of miles long for the Ming army to pass through.

At key points along the route, more land was leased for military use, which could also be used to build armories.

But as I said before, all of this takes time.

Delivery takes even longer.

From a military perspective, the Ming army now needs to build at least dozens of sturdy and well-stocked fortified camps and fortresses along the route to ensure uninterrupted logistics before it can continue its expedition.

Moreover, continuing the march would inevitably require passing through the countries that had just signed peace treaties with the Ming Dynasty.

These countries only opened their doors to the Ming Dynasty because of the circumstances.

It's hard to say how much of it is genuine.

If the Ming army maintains its unparalleled fighting strength, they naturally wouldn't dare to provoke it.

But if the Ming army were to fall into a predicament or a desperate situation, what would they do? Would they extend a helping hand or take the opportunity to kick them while they were down? No one could say for sure.

From this perspective, the Ming Expeditionary Force should proceed cautiously and steadily, leaving no opportunity for potential enemies.

Faced with strong opposition from his generals, Zhu De fell silent.

As he looked at the markings on the map, a whirlwind of thoughts raced through his mind.

It must be said that what the generals said was true.

Old Zhu had been leading troops for many years and was very familiar with these situations.

The reason I rushed off to war was because I missed my son so much, and I was also a little carried away by the peace treaties I had just signed with various countries.

Thinking to himself that with the strength of the Ming army, it shouldn't be too difficult to sweep through the enemy lines, he realized that it was not difficult.

Only after calming down did I realize that I should indeed act cautiously.

War is a matter of great importance to a state, a matter of life and death, and the key to survival or destruction.

No matter how powerful the Ming army is, when commanding troops in battle, one must never be arrogant or underestimate the enemy, and even less should one act rashly or impulsively.

Even lions and tigers use their full strength to hunt rabbits.

Moreover, it involves commanding thousands of troops in a war; how can one act recklessly?
But when he thought of his son Zhu Di, Old Zhu couldn't help but become impatient.

"I have listened to everything you have said." Old Zhu looked down at the generals below and said in a loud voice, "What you have said makes a lot of sense. The army should not move rashly."

"It is not advisable to embark on a long and arduous journey at this time of year."

Upon hearing the Emperor's words, all the generals breathed a sigh of relief.

Unexpectedly, Old Zhu then changed the subject, saying, "We've thought it through. The army will temporarily station itself here, strengthen training, boost morale, and gather more provisions for war."

"At the same time, the intelligence agencies should intensify their intelligence gathering and collection efforts."

"We must also urge the acceleration of various construction projects, including repairing the roads and laying cables in the rear."

"We'll take a light cavalry force of a few hundred men to scout ahead and go to the westernmost border to find out what our son Zhu Di is up to in Europe."

Upon hearing this, the generals were all shocked and exclaimed, "Your Majesty, this is absolutely not allowed!"

"Why not?" Old Zhu's voice suddenly rose: "We will only go to countries that have signed peace treaties with our Great Ming, not to other countries."

"With the iron army of our Great Ming here, even if they had a hundred times the courage, they wouldn't dare to harm us."

"Our mind is made up on this matter, so you need not say any more."

The generals looked at each other in bewilderment.

The retired emperor insisted on doing this, and they really couldn't stop him.

"If the Supreme Emperor insists on going his own way, he should proceed slowly and not too fast. He should rest as he goes to avoid the fatigue of traveling."

Even so, it will still be much faster than the main force setting off.

"In addition, the Supreme Emperor must bring a sufficient support team to ensure that nothing goes wrong."

This was the only way a general could offer advice.

"Approved!" Old Zhu had no objection to this.

Then, he made some arrangements, promoting Huo Liancheng to commander-in-chief of the army, so that after his departure, Huo Liancheng would be in charge of the expeditionary force.

After observing him for some time, Zhu De discovered that this young general had considerable military talent and intended to entrust him with important responsibilities.

At the same time, Zhu De also instructed Huo Liancheng to keep in touch with the generals in the military affairs department by telegram, report the military situation at any time, and listen to their opinions.

This is the power of scientific development.

Without a telegraph machine, it would be very difficult for the military affairs office, which was tens of thousands of miles away from Nanjing, to learn about the situation at the front.

But with the telegraph machine, through the continuous transmission of battlefield information and the summaries of various situations, the military affairs office in Nanjing could even remotely command armies tens of thousands of miles away on how to fight.

The generals in the military affairs department all have very rich combat experience.

Zhu Yunwen also established an operations staff center within the military affairs department, specifically to conduct simulations of various combat operations and provide references for the generals.

These methods greatly enhanced the Ming army's combat command capabilities.

It also brought the coordinated operations between different military units to a higher level.

This is one of the reasons why Zhu Rongji dared to leave the army without worry.

Even if I am gone, the Ming Dynasty still has a group of veteran generals who are capable of commanding the army.

After making detailed and meticulous arrangements, Zhu Yuanzhang immediately selected five hundred elite soldiers, along with two to three hundred technical personnel for intelligence, medical care, and other logistical support, and set off on the westward journey.

……

(End of this chapter)