Ming Dynasty: The Crocodile King of Han Prince Zhu Gaoxu's Family

Chapter 257 Assessing the Troops of the Army and Navy
"This time, we will launch a two-pronged attack, with General Hu Tian as the commander-in-chief of the army!" Zhu Zhanhe appointed Hu Tian as the commander-in-chief of the army.

"Your subordinate obeys!" Hu Tian excitedly stepped forward, knelt on one knee, and loudly responded.

"Wang Jinghong is appointed as the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy!" Zhu Zhanhe highly recognized Wang Jinghong's abilities, so he directly appointed him as the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy.

"This humble general obeys!" Upon hearing the words of the Han Crown Prince, Wang Jinghong was taken aback. He had expected the Han Crown Prince to replace him, after all, he knew he wasn't one of the Han Crown Prince's trusted subordinates. But to his utter surprise, the Han Crown Prince actually appointed him as the commander-in-chief, which filled Wang Jinghong with a surge of excitement at being recognized.

"The entire army should prepare provisions and supplies and set off tomorrow. With the military strength of these places in Annam, not to mention my army's elite force of over 100,000 men, I believe that the naval power of Yunnan alone can take them all down. Not to mention that now that Yunnan's army and navy are deployed together, dealing with them will be a piece of cake!"

I will be waiting for your triumphant return in Yunnan!

However, if your attack is truly thwarted, remember to come and ask me to come out of seclusion and avenge you! Zhu Zhanhe also knew that the individual forces of Annam and other places were no match for the Yunnan army. Only if the forces of Annam, Zhenla and other places were all gathered together could they fight against the Yunnan army.

Moreover, the Yunnan army was backed by the most advanced navy of the era. Although the navy was newly formed and its coordination was not yet perfect, the gap in equipment was insurmountable. Therefore, Zhu Zhanhe was very confident in this battle.

However, at the last moment, Zhu Zhanhe told the generals who were about to go on the expedition not to have any psychological burden, that he would support them, and that they should all do their best!

However, it was clear that everyone present misunderstood Zhu Zhanhe's meaning. After hearing Zhu Zhanhe's last sentence, their eyes immediately reddened. After all, their side had the advantage in manpower, equipment, and morale! They had also launched a surprise attack from two directions. If they still couldn't handle it and needed the Crown Prince to intervene, then they would be utterly useless!

"Your Highness, rest assured, we are willing to swear a military oath! We will absolutely live up to Your Highness's expectations!" Hu Tian knelt down with a resolute expression and responded to Zhu Zhanhe's words. What Zhu Zhanhe did not expect was that it was precisely because of his words that Hu Tian stirred up a fierce and bloody storm in Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and other places!
"Your Highness, rest assured, our navy is also willing to pledge its full support to General Hu." Wang Jinghong knew that his advantage lay at sea, and the most unexpected and greatest advantage of the army's expedition to Yunnan was also at sea! Therefore, his objective for this expedition was primarily to harass and coordinate with the army, since the navy's combat power still needed to be refined and improved! Of course, in critical moments, his navy could also transform into the army, possessing immense combat power!
"Get ready." Zhu Zhanhe waved his hand, signaling everyone to go and prepare. Immediately, the officials from Guangxi followed Xiao Xizi and the others, eagerly wanting to ask them something. After all, Xiao Xizi was the Crown Prince's personal attendant, and it was always a good idea to curry favor with him!
"Second brother, General Jiang, Commander Xia, please stay a moment." Just as everyone was leaving, Zhu Zhanhe called out to his second brother Zhu Zhanqi, the commander of the Fifth Army Battalion Jiang Xiaohu, and the naval commander Xia Xuan.

"Big Brother!" Seeing his elder brother suddenly call out to him, Zhu Zhanqi eagerly ran over to Zhu Zhanhe, staring at his brother expectantly. After all, Zhu Zhanqi thought that with the expedition imminent, his elder brother calling him at this time must mean that there was something important to arrange!
"Please give your orders, Your Highness!" Upon hearing Zhu Zhanhe's call, Jiang Xiaohu and Xia Xuan stopped and turned to face Zhu Zhanhe again, bowing with their hands clasped.

"Sit down and talk, sit down and talk." Zhu Zhanhe waved his hand, indicating that the three of them should not be reserved, relax, and sit down to talk.

"Thank you, brother."

"Thank you, Your Highness!" Zhu Zhanqi and the other two obediently sat down in front of Zhu Zhanhe. Compared to Zhu Zhanqi, Jiang Xiaohu and Xia Xuan were much more reserved, and their faces were very serious. "Second brother, brother-in-law, General Jiang, this expedition is the first time that Yunnan has expanded outwards."

"As the Crown Prince, I promised the soldiers that I would distribute the land to everyone after the conquest. As the Crown Prince, I must keep my word," Zhu Zhanhe said calmly to the three men before him. However, the three men's emotions visibly rose. In particular, the second brother, Zhu Zhanqi, practically pressed his face against his elder brother's, staring at him expectantly.

"Since we're allocating land, two things are very important: the amount of land and the number of soldiers in the entire army. Both of these involve the interests of countless people; it's real land. So, there are some things I need to explain to you." Zhu Zhanhe first emphasized the importance of this matter, urging the two or three men not to take it lightly.

"Brother, please speak, and I, your second brother, will do my utmost!" Zhu Zhanqi was incredibly excited. After all, in his eyes, his elder brother had promised the brothers of the Prince's Mansion, and now this was the first step in taking place, and he was the most important witness! If anyone dared to obstruct him, they shouldn't blame him for being ruthless! He believed the other brothers of the Prince's Mansion would fight to the death!
"Your Highness, please speak!" It seemed that Jiang Xiaohu and Xia Xuan had already guessed something, so they were very serious at the moment.

"If we conquer Annam and other places this time, that will be countless tracts of land. Annam alone has hundreds of millions of acres of farmland! When it comes to allocating land to our soldiers, I, as the Crown Prince, will not be stingy with even a single inch of it."

However, as the crown prince, I will not allow anyone to secretly seize land that does not belong to them!

"Do you understand?!" Zhu Zhanhe turned his gaze to his younger brother Zhu Zhanqi and said earnestly, worried that his brother might not understand it thoroughly or fully grasp the seriousness of the matter.

"Brother, Zhanqi understands. You're worried that someone is falsely reporting the number of soldiers and illegally occupying land! I will definitely cooperate with General Jiang and Brother Xia to carefully verify the rosters of both the army and navy, and I will absolutely not allow anyone to encroach on my royal land!" Hearing Zhu Zhanhe's words and seeing his elder brother's serious gaze, Zhu Zhanqi instantly understood the meaning behind his brother's words. He immediately felt a huge sense of responsibility and solemnly assured his elder brother.

After all, this land directly affects his interests; he hopes his elder brother will allocate him a fertile and prosperous fiefdom in the future. Therefore, every inch of land anyone seizes now could potentially become his land in the future! Or land that would belong to his other brothers! For this reason, Zhu Zhanqi absolutely will not allow anyone to seize even a single inch of land, not only for his own sake but also for the sake of his younger brothers! As the second eldest brother, he must help his elder brother protect the interests of his brothers!
"Is Your Highness worried that someone might falsely report the number of soldiers, conceal the number of troops, fraudulently claim land, or encroach upon others' territory?" Xia Xuan also keenly sensed the meaning behind Zhu Zhanhe's words, so his eyes flashed with a sharp light, and he admired his brother-in-law in front of him even more. That was countless tracts of land!
"My promise to distribute land to everyone will not change. Although everyone will receive some, it will depend on who has made the most contributions; whoever does so will receive more."

Even if soldiers die on the battlefield, my Prince Han's Mansion will ensure that the land is delivered to the families of the deceased. Do you understand, brother-in-law?" Zhu Zhanhe was telling Xia Xuan and everyone else that he would distribute land to everyone, but those with more merit would receive more, and those with less merit would receive less. Moreover, for those who died fighting for him, he would also give the land to their families!

"Your Highness is merciful!" Upon hearing that Zhu Zhanhe truly intended to distribute land to the soldiers, including the families of the dead, Xia Xuan couldn't help but praise Zhu Zhanhe's benevolence. Of course, the shock in Xia Xuan's heart was beyond measure.

After all, in Xia Xuan's view, once Zhu Zhanhe completed the land allocation for the first expedition, there would be no other voice in the entire Yunnan and Guangdong regions except for His Highness the Crown Prince. No one else would be allowed to do so!
Not anyone!

(End of this chapter)