Brother Zhu Youxiao

Chapter 582
In the twelfth lunar month, as heavy snow covered the north again, the entire Ming Dynasty was mobilized almost overnight.

The grain from Sichuan was sent to Hexi in trucks, and the bullets made in the capital were also sent in boxes.

Whether it was food or bullets, they were transported by railway and train to Gansu Town, Ganzhou Prefecture, about [-] miles away from Jiayuguan.

This is the latest section of the Jingjia Railway that is currently open to traffic, and the remaining [-] miles of railway will be completed in the next year.

The northern army and Shangzhi began to mobilize. This time, Shangzhi's Tiance Guard was in charge of the battle, and the Northern Army's eight battalions including Gansu, Zhangye, Wuwei, Jiuquan, Ningxia, Dunhuang, Yanran, and Anbei.

More than [-] riders from the Sixth Battalion of Hexi took Jiayuguan and left the South Road to recover Guazhou, Dunhuang, Hami, Turpan, Yanqi, Qiuci, Gumo, Shule, Khotan and other southern Xinjiang areas.

More than [-] riders including Shanyu Yanran Camp and Anbei Camp took the middle road to defeat the Zhasaktu tribe, and recovered Helin, Bieshabali, Yilibali, Haiyali, and Tokmoke.

Going further north, they sent troops from Lingbei City, where Cao Wenzhao was currently stationed, so that Tian Cewei would lead his troops from here to bypass the northern foot of Jinshan Mountain and go south, defeating Yemili, who was entrenched by the Junggar tribe, and regain the northern Xinjiang area along the way.

Although they are cavalry, they also have to carry artillery, otherwise they cannot attack the city.

However, according to the environment and road conditions in the Western Regions, the Yanshan ten-jin cannon is already the largest caliber artillery they can carry.

Not only that, these artillery and luggage had to be escorted by animal power after they set off.

Therefore, Sharma, who Zhu Youjian had prepared for several years, came in handy.

"Sorry..."

In the horse farm at the foot of Yanshan Mountain in the twelfth lunar month, Zhu Youjian, who was patrolling with Sun Shoufa and Wang Chengen, looked at the tall and strong Shire horses with a smile on his face.

Nearly a hundred Shire horses are resting in the stable, and this is just one of the achievements of Daming's seven years of breeding Shire horses.

If you walk out of this stable, you will see that there are dozens of stables like this, and this is just one of the thousands of stables in Daming.

As the largest horse breed in the world, the Sharma normally weighs more than one ton in later generations and can pull five tons of cargo.

Placed in Daming, its average weight is one and a half tons of the Ming tonnage, and it can pull eight tons of cargo.

But that was the original horse breed, not the current horse breed.

After all, they are descendants of imported horse breeds, and their bloodlines are not so pure, so their shoulder height is often less than five feet, and their weight is only about [-] catties.

But even so, they can still pull more than three times their own weight.

This kind of horse was named by Zhu Youjian as a big draw horse. It doesn't sound very nice, but it is simple and straightforward, so that the common people can understand it.

"How many draft horses does Guochao have?"

Zhu Youjian walked in the stable and asked Wang Chengen without looking back. Wang Chengen also smiled and replied: "About 56 horses, distributed in Beizhili, Modong, Shanyu, Hexi, Shaanxi, and other places."

"The number of adult horses that can be used for transportation and farming is about 32."

From Wang Chengen's answer, it is not difficult to see that Zhu Youjian had already started to make plans to conquer the Western Regions.

32 large draft horses are enough to support the luggage of the first Western Expedition of the Ming Dynasty.

"What is the number of Kaiping prefectures in Hexi, Mobei, and Modong?"

Zhu Youjian fed the horse a handful of beans, turned around and asked, and Wang Chengen also responded:
"There are more than [-] horses in Hexi, more than [-] horses in Mobei, and more than [-] horses in Kaiping Prefecture in Modong."

There are [-] large draft horses in the three places, but even if there are [-] horses, it is enough to support the army.

Zhu Youjian looked at Sun Shoufa after hearing the words: "When the heavy snow passes, you and Cao Meng will take Tian Cewei and 30 large horses from Kaiping Mansion, and 20 herdsmen to escort [-] shimi, [-] shibeans, and [-] stone beans. Let the Yanshan ten-jin artillery go to Lingbei City."

"According to the distance of three thousand miles, after arriving at Lingbei City, you should still have 26 stone beans and [-] stone meters."

"Leave [-] Shimi and [-] Shidou there for Cao Wenzhao, and use the rest to defeat Junggar and Xiajiasi."

"The last general takes orders!" Sun Shoufa bowed in response, grinning with big white teeth:

"Your Highness, there are more than 5000 people, and more than 4 military horses and horses. I have never fought such a rich battle in my life..."

"Don't be careless..." Zhu Youjian was very helpless towards Sun Shoufa's attitude, shook his head and said:

"It looks rich, but the food and fodder is enough for you to fight for two months at most."

"I calculated the time. You will leave in February and arrive in Lingbei City in April."

"These grains and beans are only enough for you to fight for two months. Before the grains are exhausted, you must defeat the Junggar or surrender them, and then station troops in Yemili, waiting for the supplies and horses in Hexi to deliver grains and grasses to you."

Speaking of this, Zhu Youjian's expression was a little stern: "These grains seem to be a lot, but if you are not careful, you will run out of food."

"If Batur Huntaiji is willing to lead Junggar to surrender, the imperial court can grant him the title of Duke of Jinshan, and reward him with thousands, thousands, and hundreds of households."

"It's best if they can surrender. If they can't surrender, or falsely surrender, then you have to be more cautious."

"If you can't defeat Junggar in two months, then don't hold on, and retreat to Bieshabali immediately. By then, Cao Bianjiao should have recovered there and hoarded food and grass there."

Zhu Youjian said the matter was so serious, which made Sun Shoufa unavoidable, he nodded:
"Well, I know, I will definitely not let His Highness worry about it."

"It's not that I'm worried..." Zhu Youjian smiled wryly, and patted his shoulder with his hand: "Just come back safely."

After all, Zhu Youjian led them out of the stable, and incidentally said to the accompanying officials of the Fifth Army Commander's Mansion:
"Jiayuguan in Hexi should have stockpiled 200 million shi rice and more than [-] shi beans."

"But even so, don't stop. Without my decree, don't stop delivering food to the front line."

"In addition, the food in Yanran City is the same. Although the snow cannot be transported now, the food in Yanran City must reach 30 shi before the army can set off."

"The departure time of the three troops and horses is tentatively set to be the first day of March in Jiayuguan Mangui and Li Zicheng's one."

"Zhang Xianzhong and Li Dingguo from Cao Bianjiao in Yanran City went all the way to the first day of April."

"Sun Shoufa and Cao Meng all the way in Lingbei City, the tenth day of April."

"Let all the ministries submit the marching map before February, and there must be no mistakes."

Zhu Youjian issued the death order, and the officials of the Dudu Mansion quickly responded.

After talking about things, the group continued to inspect the racecourse.

In addition to the racecourse, they also went to see the pig house that Zhu Youjian was concerned about.

The large white pigs bred by the Great Yorkshire pigs introduced by Daming have reached nearly [-] million now, and they are distributed in various provinces of Ming Dynasty.

Although its current share in the pork market is not particularly high, at the current rate, it will occupy a major market position in Daming within ten years at most.

With its popularity, coupled with the continuous migration of population, and the continuous promotion of industry...

Zhu Youjian estimated that as long as his elder brother and nephew Xiao Gui Cao Sui, the people of Ming Dynasty would be able to live a daily life of eating meat in ten years.

However, even Xiao Gui Cao Sui is not so easy...

"What does the official department mean?"

When Zhu Youjian took people to visit the officialdom in Yanshan, Zhu Ciran in the Chunhe Palace in the Forbidden City in Beijing threw the memorial in front of all the ministers.

In the hall, more than a dozen officials headed by Fang Kezhuang and Qian Qianyi were kneeling on the ground. Except for Qian Qianyi who had a melancholy face, the others seemed to be doing something extraordinary.

"Jianguo, the people in the south of the Yangtze River have been suffering for a long time. Please the imperial court close the weaving bureau of the Yumajian Nanchang, and start a reform with the people!"

Among the kneeling ministers, Fang Kezhuang bowed and spoke loudly, and other officials also shouted loudly.

Hearing this, Zhu Ciran couldn't help clenching his fists hidden in his sleeves. He suppressed his anger and looked at the melancholy Qian Qianyi in the crowd:
"Qian Shilang, I remember that you praised the Nanchang Manufacturing Bureau for supporting millions of people in the south of the Yangtze River this year. Why are you here now?!"

"Jianguo...Chen..." Qian Qianyi was suffering in his heart and couldn't tell. He was flattering Nanchang in order to get promoted.

Originally, this was nothing. After all, although Nanchang did not support millions of people, it still had hundreds of thousands of workers and farmers.

At best, his deeds are said to be exaggerated, and nothing more than flirtatious.

Who would have thought that as soon as his memorandum came out, he would be immediately beaten into the King Qi's party by the Donglin Party members, and a group of people would exclude him.

In order not to be excluded, he accepted the impeachment organized by Fang Kezhuang, but he did not expect that Fang Kezhuang impeached such an important place as the Weaving Bureau.

Now that he understands everything, his intestines are full of regret...

"Jianguo! What we are talking about right now is the Weaving Bureau. In the opinion of the veteran, not only the Weaving Bureau, but the entire South Field should be closed!"

Fang Kezhuang dragged Qian Qianyi into the water in order to use his reputation as Jiangnan Wenkui to build momentum.

He knew very well in his heart that Qian Qianyi only had fame and literary talent, but not the ability to be an official.

Let Qian Qianyi and Zhu Ciran face each other, I'm afraid they will lose if they don't score three matches.

"To shut up!"

Zhu Ciran cursed loudly: "I'm just asking Minister Qian, what are you talking about?!"

Zhu Ciran is not Zhu Youxiao or Zhu Youjian, why doesn't he show joy and anger?He didn't care about these things, scolded whenever he should, and never let himself be held back.

During his trip to the south, Zhu Ciran had already seen through the essence of this group of civil servants, and being strict with others and lenient with himself was their true portrayal.

"What's the current situation in the imperial court? What's the situation in Jiangnan? Fang Shilang, how many years have you not returned to your hometown? How have you ever been to Jiangnan?"

"You have never been to Jiangnan, and you haven't even been back to Jiangnan for many years."

"With such an experience, do you have the nerve to make Gu believe in you?"

"I have been to Jiangnan before my age, and you all know what Jiangnan looks like."

"What's more, the father is still in the south of the Yangtze River. If the people in the south of the Yangtze River are really suffering from the emperor's shop and the officialdom for a long time, how can the father not know?!"

"Ten years after the apocalypse, Qi Wangshu said long ago that those who dare to hear about the incident will be dismissed and exiled. Do you think that you can be bullied when you are young?!"

Zhu Ciran's tongue was full of lotus blossoms, and he spit out hundreds of words without panting, which prevented Fang Kezhuang and the others from interjecting.

"The prison country..."

"roll!"

Zhu Ciran grabbed the inkstone on the table and made a gesture to smash it, Fang Kezhuang was so frightened that his face turned pale.

"Lu Yuangao! Fork them all out for me, and fight for thirty!"

"The minister takes orders!"

Lu Yuangao had been waiting with the big Han general for a long time, and now he finally heard the decree, and dragged them out of the Spring Harmony Palace regardless of Fang Kezhuang and others' abuse.

"They're getting old, play lightly."

At the same time that the big Han general forked him off, Zhu Ciran did not forget to explain to Lu Yuangao.

Lu Yuangao naturally complied, and followed his words afterwards.

Therefore, after a while, the sound of Fang Kezhuang and others being beaten could be heard one after another. Even if Zhu Ciran ordered the beating to be lighter, these old bones still suffered a lot.

After the thirty-stick court battle, although the buttocks will not blossom, it is basically impossible to walk.

Lu Yuangao notified the servants of various mansions to come pick them up, and then threw a group of old officials outside the Donghua Gate, letting them howl as they were being dragged.

After Zhu Ciran's killing blow came down, the veterans of the conservative school who were about to make a move immediately stopped fighting.

They all saw that Zhu Ciran was not pretending. Obviously Zhu Ciran also had deep feelings for Zhu Youjian, perhaps no less than Zhu Youxiao.

Therefore, many veteran officials secretly scolded Zhu Youjian, thinking that he was demagogic.

Even if they knew in their hearts that Zhu Youjian didn't do that, as long as they wanted to slander, it would be difficult for Zhu Youjian to clean up.

For example, the dozen or so old ministers who were beaten, although they were beaten, they also confirmed their names as direct ministers.

As soon as Zhu Youjian left Daming, everyone would admire them for daring to sing the opposite when Zhu Youjian was still there, and they would naturally follow them afterward.

Despite being spanked, most of the group arranged for Zhu Youjian after returning home.

It is not new to write small essays to slander Zhu Youjian. In some of their private hands, Zhu Youjian is not cruel.

However, when Zhu Youjian learned of such news when he returned to Beijing, he just smiled contemptuously and didn't bother to punish them.

The more the civil servants slandered him, the more they had no choice but to vent their hatred in this way.

"Let's vent... Your chances are running out."

Throwing the news of Jin Yiwei on the table, Zhu Youjian also buried himself in the memorial.

While he was dealing with the memorial, Xu Xiake, who was far away across the ocean, completed most of the matters assigned by Zhu Youjian.

After they arrived on the American continent in October, ships from various countries began to pick up their own migrants.

In the same month, the Protestant Alliance launched an attack on the Catholic Alliance headed by Spain and the Holy Roman Empire. João of Portugal led the Portuguese to revolt and launched the Portuguese King's Restoration War.

On the early morning of October [-]th in the Western calendar, the nobles led by Joao who hoped to recover the Kingdom of Portugal occupied the Royal Palace of Lisbon.

After occupying the palace, they executed the minister of state sent by the Kingdom of Spain, forced the Spanish garrison in Portugal to surrender, and deposed King Felipe IV of Spain as King of Portugal.

Joao was elected King of Portugal by the nobles, calling him Joao IV.

After Joao ascended the throne, Portugal and all overseas territories except Ceuta declared their allegiance to the new king Joao IV.

Joao also announced to the overseas colonies that they would sell the New World colonies in exchange for the settlement of the Daming Imperial Store.

At the same time, he sent Minister Menezes to the New World to discuss with Xu Xiake about Portugal's withdrawal from the New World.

On December [-]th, at the same time that Xu Xiake arranged for the North American Ming army to take over the east coast, Menezes arrived at the east coast of America.

On December 3, Huang Fei and Menezes also led more than [-] Ming troops to the south.

On January [-], [-] in the Western calendar, Menezes persuaded the Portuguese colonists and troops stationed in Brazil and other places for the Ming army.

Under small-scale conflicts, most of the Portuguese colonists and troops were escorted back to Portugal by the Ming fleet, and the three provinces of Qi in South America were recovered.

At the same time, Menezes also conveyed Joao IV's thoughts.

After seeing the low-interest loans from the Ming Dynasty to the Protestant League, Joao IV, who was worried that he would not be able to achieve successful diplomacy, hoped that Xu Xiake would be a matchmaker for Portugal, so as to establish diplomacy with European countries, and at the same time let countries other than the Protestant League recognize Portugal's independence.

Of course, in order to defend against Spain, King Joao IV also proposed to borrow low-interest loans from Ming Dynasty to purchase enough arms and supplies, stabilize prices in Portugal, and at the same time form a standing army capable of resisting Spanish invaders.

Naturally, Xu Xiake was in no position to decide this kind of thing, so he could only send the news to Daming through carrier pigeons.

The letter also contained Spain's protest against Xu Xiake and expressed their determination to regain the land of the three South American provinces.

This letter arrived in the capital on the first day of the second month of the lunar calendar, along with the marching map of the three armies of the Western Expedition.

"I don't care about the threat from Spain, but as long as he dares to invade the country of Qi, he will immediately stop all the business of the imperial store in Spain."

Facing the threat from Spain, Zhu Youjian smiled contemptuously, and responded with a light sentence.

His attention was mainly focused on the domestic drought and the matter of the Western Expedition.

Therefore, holding the marching map of the three soldiers and horses, he entered the palace and went to the Palace of Spring Harmony, where he met his eldest nephew Zhu Ciran who was immersed in reviewing the memorials.

The uncle and nephew exchanged polite greetings first, and then they chatted about business.

"I have seen the marching map of the three armies of the Western Expedition. The southern army will march five thousand miles, the central army will march five thousand six hundred miles, and the northern army three thousand six hundred miles."

After sitting down, Zhu Youjian showed the marching map of the three soldiers and horses to Zhu Ciran, and sat in his seat and said to him:
"Your father is not here. As the supervisor of the country, this is the first time for you to supervise the military in Beijing, so you need to understand this aspect."

"There are still many battles to be fought in the future, and you must not be fooled by your courtiers, so this time you can watch more and talk less."

Zhu Youjian taught Zhu Ciran as an elder, Zhu Ciran nodded seriously when he heard the words, and then laughed:
"If my uncle is willing to transfer Li Dingguo to me as an official, then I don't need to know so much, I just listen to him."

Apparently, Zhu Ciran still had a heart for Li Dingguo, and Zhu Youjian also smiled and said, "I'm afraid I will disappoint you."

"The Yanran battalion he led this time is one of the two battalions of the Central Route Army, and after this battle is over, he needs to garrison troops in the Suiyecheng area of ​​Anxi, which will be established later, for three years, waiting for the next western expedition."

"After the next Western Expedition is over, I will call him back to the capital and let him serve in the Fifth Army Commander's Mansion."

As he spoke, Zhu Youjian picked up the tea that Lu Yuangao had brewed, took a sip, and moistened his throat.

"Isn't there still at least five years left?" Zhu Ciran was stunned for a moment, but quickly realized it.

With Li Dingguo's character, if Zhu Youjian was going to Qi State, he would definitely follow him.

But if Zhu Youjian leaves first, then Li Dingguo can only stay in Daming temporarily.

However, even so, Zhu Ciran felt that Li Dinghui would leave.

Thinking of this, Zhu Ciran hesitated and said, "Uncle, Li Dingguo..."

"You can't stop him. It's his decision whether he wants to leave or stay, but he always has some feelings for you. Before the situation is stable, I don't think he will leave at will." Zhu Youjian said softly:
"Thinking about it, he has figured it out a long time ago, even I can't let him stay in Daming forever."

"You and his parents are his fetters. Before the fetters disappear, he will not leave easily."

"Hmm..." Zhu Ciran thought of Li Dingguo's parents. Given their age, no matter how long they lived, they would only live for more than twenty years.

For more than twenty years, I am afraid that things will be stable at that time, and Li Dingguo can go to Qi State with peace of mind.

"Brother Xuan and Brother Jiong are both your younger brothers. Although they are not from the same mother, they are still brothers."

"I've already chosen the vassal state of the two of them for them. All you need to do is let them govern with you first, and then let them participate in the second Western Expedition. After two or three years of governing, send them Just Fan."

As Zhu Youjian said, he also took out a map.

Zhu Ciran and Lu Yuangao hurriedly cleaned up the table and spread out the map.

On the map, Yongguo and Dingguo were respectively arranged by Zhu Youjian in the lower plains between the Volga River and the Ural River, as well as the plains in the northern part of the Caucasus Mountains, the Don River, and the southern part of the Volga River.

In this way, the Ural Mountains and the Ural River are the westernmost points of the Ming Dynasty's territory, and the two countries will be the only two feudal states of the Ming Dynasty on the Eastern European Plain.

"In the future, if you still have a younger brother, or have an heir, then seek to take this place again."

Zhu Youjian drew a circle around Persia and Ottoman with his finger, and pointed at the Suez Canal later with his hand.

"This place must be directly controlled by Daming. If you take this place and dig a canal, you can ignore the Leviian waterway and collect tariffs."

Zhu Youjian was talking, and Zhu Ciran was listening.

Having said all this, Zhu Youjian drew a circle around the New World where Qi State is located:
"If you want to set up a supervisor here, choose here."

He touched Hawaii and Isabela Island with his hand, but Zhu Ciran shook his head quickly: "If Uncle Qi had ambition, he would have won the throne long ago, why bother to send someone to monitor?"

Zhu Ciran's words startled a group of people, Lu Yuangao, Zhang Xiu, Liu Shun and others broke out in cold sweat, but Zhu Youjian and Zhu Ciran didn't take it seriously.

When Zhu Youjian heard his words, he couldn't help being silent for a while.

He actually thought about winning the throne from the very beginning, because when he first came to this world, he didn't have that deep affection for Zhu Youxiao.

But later, I don't know whether it was the influence of Chongzhen's memory, or the experience of getting along day and night.

Or he has been in power for too many years and has experienced too much power that belongs to the emperor.

In short, he gradually lost that feeling.

He is very tired now, and he just wants to go to Qi to have a good rest.

So facing Zhu Ciran's words, he squeezed out a smile and shook his head:

"This matter is up to you father and son, not to me..."

After saying that, he got up and walked to the door, Zhu Ciran also got up quickly, caught up with him without any shoes on, and wanted to send him out of the East Palace.

Along the way, uncles and nephews were speechless, and it wasn't until Zhu Youjian was about to board the elephant that Zhu Ciran dared to ask:
"Uncle, isn't Daming too big to accommodate two people surnamed Zhu?"

His words made Wang Chengen, who was guarding the elephant, feel tighter, and subconsciously looked at Zhu Youjian who was getting into the car.

Zhu Youjian stopped getting into the car, paused, and then replied without looking back:

"Accommodating...but the price is too high."

After leaving this sentence, he got in the car and left.

Watching the carriage leave, Zhu Ciran didn't understand what his uncle meant.

Perhaps only Zhu Youjian can understand the meaning of what he just said
　PM update 04:30

　　
　
(End of this chapter)