Zhu Di: My fourth son is a great emperor of all time?

Chapter 41 Zhu Di's Overt Scheme: A Northern Expedition in the Name of His Fourth Son
Although the Ming Dynasty won the battle against the Oirat Mongols, Zhu Gaochi had witnessed the formidable strength of the Oirat cavalry.

The fourth brother may become a highly skilled martial artist in the future.

But now he's just a weakling who can't even kill a chicken.

How could they possibly be the vanguard to attack the Oirat Mongols?

The second son initially thought the old man was joking, but it turned out he was serious.

They really let the fourth brother lead the way.

Zhu Di was an unconventional emperor; otherwise, he wouldn't have liked to personally lead troops into battle.

Especially after he became emperor.

Even a powerful figure like Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, only led his troops on military campaigns a handful of times later on, but Zhu Di became increasingly addicted to it.

Losing a battle is terrible, but it's even worse when the emperor is captured alive.

Let Zhu Gaoshuo lead the troops.

The military officers present were naturally dissatisfied, as they were supporters of the King of Han.

Many people followed the King of Han in his campaigns across the north and south.

Naturally, they didn't want to see Zhu Gaoshuo in command of the army.

The civil officials disagreed with fighting, and the military generals did not want Zhu Gaoshuo to lead the troops. After thinking for a moment, Zhu Di looked at Zhu Gaoshuo and said, "Fourth brother, do you want to lead the troops to fight the Oirat?"

Zhu Gaoshuo was speechless.

What's the problem?

He certainly didn't want to go to war.

I've never practiced martial arts, how could I possibly become a vanguard general?

But now he dared not disobey the old man's wishes, and could only go along with it:
"Since Father has entrusted the Divine Machine Battalion and the Three Thousand Battalion to me, I must go to this battle!"

"As expected of my son, Zhu Di, you are brave enough!" Zhu Di said with a look of satisfaction, then suddenly laughed and said, "Since you are so confident, Fourth Prince, then you should tell the Crown Prince and the Ministry of War why we should fight the Oirats!"

Zhu Gaoshuo???
If you're going to fight, then fight. Stop talking nonsense.

Speechless.

There's a vague feeling that the old man's decision to have him join the fight against the Oirats is part of some kind of conspiracy.

However, Zhu Gaoshuo has no choice now:

"Father, of the three Mongol tribes, the Tatars are no longer a threat. It is unlikely that they will launch a large-scale war in the short term. At most, their remnants will cause trouble. However, the Oirats have great ambitions. Moreover, they not only have the cunning Mahmud, but also Esen, who can unify the grasslands. They are truly a major threat to our Great Ming."

"If we don't fight the Oirats, then we might as well not fight at all and just go home and take care of our children."

"The Mongol problem is becoming increasingly serious. This war is crucial to the future of the Ming Dynasty. We must conquer land for our children and grandchildren!"

"We've fought all the wars we needed to fight, so our descendants won't have to fight anymore!"

Zhu Di clapped with great satisfaction; these words had completely struck a chord with him.

The threat from the Oirat Mongols could even threaten the very survival of the Ming Dynasty.

While he's still here.

Now is the Yongle era of prosperity, not the decadent Ming Dynasty!

But soon he remembered Yu Qian's words and immediately became much more restrained.

The war was inevitable, but we couldn't afford to leave a bad reputation. So Zhu Di said with a dilemma, "I really didn't want to fight this war, but the Oirat have gone too far. So, as Prince Qi said, let's send troops to the Oirat!"

"Tell the people of the Great Ming that this battle is fought by Prince Qi, with Prince Qi leading the vanguard. May all the people of the world unite in hatred against this enemy!"

Zhu Gaoshuo???
This is a calculated move by the old man.

He knew that he wouldn't be sent to fight the Oirat without a reason.

They even sent him the Divine Machine Battalion and the Three Thousand Battalion; it turns out they were waiting for this.

Now it's become his desire to fight this war.

How shameless!

It wasn't just Zhu Gaoshuo.

The officials present immediately realized what was happening.

This was the emperor's way of using Prince Qi's influence to gain the support of the people and their belief in victory.

After all, everyone now knows that Prince Qi was a great emperor throughout history, a wise ruler for later generations, and invincible on the battlefield!
Zhu Gaoxu looked at Zhu Di and said with a smile, "Father, I also think that the fourth prince should lead the troops!"

“Father, I think so too. This is the first time I’ve ever thought so highly of the fourth prince!” Prince Zhao, Zhu Gaosui, said with a smile.

He chuckled to himself: Finally, it's the fourth son's turn to be tricked by his father.

Following the instructions of the Prince of Han, the generals also agreed to let Zhu Gaoshuo lead the troops.

Not only military officers, but also civil officials chose to second Zhu Gaoshuo's proposal.

Currently, only the three Yangs and Zhu Gaochi have not yet expressed their opinions.

This prosperous era is just as I wished. Zhu Di smiled and looked at Zhu Gaochi: "Your Highness, now tell me, should we fight this battle or not?"

Zhu Gaochi sighed helplessly, "Father, the national treasury is indeed empty. Since we're going to fight this war, it means mobilizing the entire nation's resources. If we lose..."

He did not continue.

But everyone present understood what it meant.

If we lose, the Ming Dynasty will truly be headed for decline.

But Zhu Di wouldn't listen to any of that.

He hadn't been defeated for many years, and the mere Oirat Mongols were nothing to him; he wasn't afraid at all.

The Oirat Mongols will surely perish within six months at most.

Seeing that the emperor had made up his mind, Zhu Gaochi had no reason to object and nodded in agreement.

Zhu Di was overjoyed and immediately announced: "The Ming Dynasty will surely win this battle. Now, issue an imperial decree to dispatch the three major camps in the capital to be on standby at any time. Also, draw border troops from Xuanfu, Datong and Liaodong in the north, fully equipped and ready to go. The number of troops must not be less than 300,000. Auxiliary troops and civilian laborers will be responsible for flank protection and logistical support!"

"Three hundred thousand men are not enough for this battle. I will send an army of six hundred thousand to crush the Oirat!"

"The Crown Prince will stay behind to oversee the country, while the second, third, fourth sons, and eldest grandson will come north with me!"

"As expected of the Great Ming Dynasty's Northern Expeditionary General," Zhu Gaoshuo thought to himself with a helpless sigh.

Zhu Qizhen truly learned from Zhu Di.

Two hundred thousand is equivalent to five hundred thousand.

Zhu Di was in the same boat; how could the Ming Dynasty possibly mobilize 600,000 troops to fight the Oirat Mongols?

He felt it would be at most 200,000.

Can this really fool Mahmud and Esen?
Three days later.

All three major military camps in the capital were assembled.

The Five Army Battalions were composed of elite garrison troops drawn from various regions, a mix of infantry and cavalry, numbering as many as 100,000, and can be considered the main force of this offensive.

Zhu Gaoshuo was also clad in armor, with an embroidered spring knife at his waist. His face still had the innocence of a young man, but his brows were filled with a coldness beyond his years. He was a young general reborn!

Behind them followed the Three Thousand Battalion and the Divine Machine Battalion.

Although they belonged to the three major military camps of the capital, their numbers were relatively small, totaling no more than 10,000.

The 3,000 battalions were basically composed of heavily armed cavalry for assaults.

Moreover, the majority of the population was Mongolian.

Zhu Gaoshuo turned to look at the three thousand battalion soldiers, who were full of fighting spirit, and felt somewhat surprised.

At this moment, Prince Zhu Gaoxu of Han and Prince Zhu Gaosui of Zhao suddenly walked over.

The cavalry of the three thousand battalions all looked at the King of Han, their eyes filled with respect.

Zhu Gaoxu was very satisfied with the attitude of the soldiers of the 3,000 battalion.

He smiled and said to Zhu Gaoshuo, "Fourth brother, Father told me in private that I should still be in charge of the Three Thousand Battalion and the Divine Machine Battalion."

"Don't be angry, this isn't the first time the old man has gone back on his word."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Gaosui was stunned.

When did the old man mention this?
Logically speaking, since the second son is currently a criminal, even if the fourth son is not yet qualified to command the two major camps, he should be allowed to lead the troops.

Zhu Gaosui suddenly began to doubt whether he was truly the emperor's biological son.

Seeing that the fourth brother remained silent, Zhu Gaoxu was even happier: "Fourth brother, don't blame your brother for taking your troops. You can choose eight hundred men at will and command them. Your brother has made the decision for you."

(End of this chapter)