The First Uncle of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 27 March
Ma Xun led the troops of the two garrisons and set off.

These soldiers are used to it. There have been constant wars since the chaotic times at the end of the Yuan Dynasty until now, and they have long been accustomed to fighting wars in the south and the north.

The people of Yingtian Prefecture were used to it. Although the emperor used Nanjing as his base, it had been captured by the enemy several times. The people were used to these armies marching, and they were no longer surprised.

According to the Ming Dynasty's Wei Suo system, each Wei Suo had 5600 people, divided into five thousand households: front, rear, left, right, and center.

Ma Xun knew his own capabilities, so he basically did not interfere with the marching, routes, etc., which were all arranged by Mu Ying. He only needed to listen carefully and learn.

Although the Yulin Guard and Feixiong Guard are both elite troops, they are just marching normally now, so the speed is about thirty to forty miles a day.

If we really force a march, we might be able to increase the distance to about 60 miles, but any more than that might not be sustainable.

Mu Ying patiently explained, "Uncle, look at the Tangqi coming and going. They are scouts. Each Tangqi consists of five people, one mile apart. This time the army is going to the expedition, and the surrounding twenty miles need to understand the movements."

Ma Xun listened carefully, and Mu Ying continued, "If we encounter a valley or a jungle, the army cannot enter lightly. We must send cavalry and scouts to investigate."

Ma Xun continued to nod. It was obviously useless to just rely on reading for some things. Only by experiencing them in reality could one gain more knowledge.

Ma Xun pointed behind him and said, "The soldiers march without armor, relying entirely on laborers and pack horses?"

Mu Ying explained with a smile, "Only a small group of soldiers prepared some weapons for self-defense. The Tangqi investigated the enemy situation and it was enough for the army to prepare."

Guo Decheng next to him also helped explain, "The armor is too heavy, and the march is tiring. Most of the baggage is in the back. In addition to guarding against the enemy, the road is often uneven, and it is easier for a large group of people to walk on the road."

Ma Xun only had to nod. Although he had previous "experience" in the army, he had not fully mastered some basic knowledge. Now he didn't even dare to run fast on a horse.

But no one laughed at him. The senior generals who followed him on the expedition knew what Ma Xun was like and had long accepted the fact that they were being led by a military rookie this time.

Ma Xun began to worry again, "Mu Ying, why do I see so little baggage? Didn't they say we would escort the baggage over?"

Mu Ying smiled and said, "We will lead the way, and later there will be troops sent by various prefectures to escort the baggage. We are the regular army, so we will only take care of our own baggage train."

Ma Xun seemed to understand and said, "So, we are going to the front line to replenish the troops. The baggage sent up from behind is also considered as ours?"

Mu Ying nodded and said, "Of course, my uncle led the army all the way with unstoppable force, so he sent the baggage up. It was not easy to raise the baggage, and it was all thanks to my uncle that we had a safe journey."

Ma Xun blushed after hearing this, "I am in the territory of the Ming Dynasty, and I didn't deliver the baggage for the large group. How come they are so unstoppable?"

Mu Ying and others were just laughing. Anyway, this time their uncle led the army to complete an extremely important task.

Ma Xun was constantly absorbing knowledge like a sponge, learning how to become a qualified general.

However, judging from the current situation, he does not have much talent, unlike some people who are born with keen war intuition.

It's better to just be an honest person, or you can rely on your understanding of some historical trends to analyze the situation, and maybe you can become a "strategist".

It does not necessarily mean fighting a war or commanding thousands of troops on the battlefield, it can also mean pointing out the way forward and making bold decisions.

Ma Xun could only comfort himself in this way. If it weren't for Zhu Yuanzhang, he wouldn't even be able to be a centurion!

In a war, real fighting on the battlefield might only last for an afternoon, or just an hour or two, but in order to prepare for this fighting, the troops had to march for one or two months or even longer.

The destination of Ma Xun and others was Kaiping, also known as Yuanshangdu. Previously, Chang Yuchun had defeated Kaiping and captured countless prisoners. Ma Xun and others were going to take over these spoils.

When Zhu Yuanzhang and others found Ma Xun at the beginning of the year, Emperor Shun of Yuan Dynasty took advantage of the fact that the main force of the Ming army was attacking Qin and Jin to attempt to recapture Peking, and they had even reached Tongzhou.

Xu Da hurriedly ordered Chang Yuchun and Li Wenzhong to lead 90,000 troops to rescue the enemy. Sun Xingzu, a general under Xu Da, remained calm and defended Beiping. Chang Yuchun led the army to chase the enemy for thousands of miles and reached Kaiping in one breath, which completely resolved the threat of the Yuan army to Beiping.

Xu Da now does not have enough troops and horses, and he is confronting Wang Baobao. Gansu and Lanzhou are the main battlefields between the Yuan army and the Ming army. Both sides have won and lost, but overall the Ming army has the upper hand.

Looking at the ruined Tokyo Bianliang and the deserted Guanzhong area of the past, Ma Xun couldn't describe the feeling in his heart.

The south was relatively stable, but there were more wars in the north. The Red Turban Army led by Liu Futong and the Yuan Army fought repeatedly here, and the Ming Army launched a northern expedition to recover Qi and Lu and other places. These were all years of war.

In addition, the Yuan Dynasty ruled for hundreds of years, and this place had long become a place for horse racing and land grabbing. Large landowners farmed taxes, and Mongolians built ranches. A lot of land was abandoned, and the population became even sparse.

Looking at a young man with disheveled hair, looking at the army with hatred in his eyes, Ma Xun couldn't help but sigh.

The Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun were lost for more than four hundred years. The Khitans, Jurchens, and Mongols successively ruled this land. The Han people no longer considered themselves Han people, but northerners.

They wore their hair loose and their clothes were worn on the left side, and were accustomed to the nomadic lifestyle. In the eyes of these people, the Ming army was the traitors who destroyed their country and the murderers who killed their families, their emperor and his ministers.

There is no national justice, only national hatred and family feuds.

Even though Zhu Yuanzhang had issued orders to change customs, abandon the Mongolian way of life, break up some Mongolian tribes, etc., the people's hearts were still not with him, and this was not something that could be accomplished overnight.

Reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles, and traveling ten thousand miles is not as good as meeting countless people.

Ma Xun gained a lot of knowledge along the way, and had a deeper understanding of the desolation of the north and the people's hearts.

Ma Xun felt a little hot and tired, and said, "We have been walking for more than a month, and the soldiers are exhausted. Should we take a break?"

Mu Ying thought about it carefully and said, "Uncle, there is no need to rest. His Majesty ordered us to rush to Kaiping and also set a date. We will not be able to make it after resting."

Liu Jing also suggested, "The prince is kind-hearted, merciful, and loves his soldiers like his own sons. However, since we have joined the army, we should obey military orders first."

Ma Xun said self-deprecatingly, "Okay, I'll listen to you. I was just worried that the soldiers would be too tired. I almost did the wrong thing with good intentions again."

Mu Ying, Liu Jing and others did not take Ma Xun's self-mockery seriously, because in the more than one month since the expedition, this uncle of the emperor had hardly issued any military orders.

Everything was arranged by Mu Ying. This uncle of the emperor kept his word and really did not care about anything when he said he would.

Originally, Mu Ying and others were worried that after the expedition, the king's uncle might suddenly have a whim or be impulsive to issue a military order, but that was obviously an unnecessary worry.

Mu Ying still had a secret decree on him. Once Ma Xun really acted impulsively, he would take out the imperial decree and directly seize Ma Xun's military power.

It is true that Zhu Yuanzhang and Ma Xiuying trusted Ma Xun and did give him enough opportunities, but they were also worried that young people were unreliable.

If given an opportunity, one must seize it. Ma Xun would not think that the smooth march was due to his own ability.

Therefore, the secret decree in Mu Ying's arms is most likely of no use.

"Uncle, we have to set up camp when we get to the front." Mu Ying suggested with a smile, "How about you set up camp today and let your nephew help with the planning?"

Ma Xun was moved. He was constantly learning along the way. He could not say that he had become a qualified general, but his knowledge was improving.

Ma Xun can try the most basic way of setting up camp.

After all, he is the general who defends the country. He can't be completely ignorant. In the territory of Ming Dynasty and when there are no enemies around, he can try to command and set up camp.

(End of this chapter)