The prairie stretches as far as the eye can see, and it is not easy to hide the marching army. If you want to conceal your whereabouts, you can only send out a small group of cavalry to kill all the Mongolian people along the way like Han Du did last time.
"Once the Tatar tribe gets the news, the initiative will fall into their hands. If they see that our troops are stronger than them, they will retreat to Mobei in advance, making our efforts in vain. If they see that we are weaker than them, then they will Only then would he choose to fight Ming Dynasty head-on."
Zhu Biao suddenly realized, and pointed at Han Du with his trembling right hand: "Yes, yes, you are right."
Suddenly raising his head and looking in the direction of the imperial mausoleum, Zhu Biao was filled with emotion, "My father made several Northern Expeditions, but they were never fully successful because these Meng Yuan people did not fight head-on with the Ming Dynasty at all. The situation was not good, and they turned around. He mounted his horse and turned around to run away. He was like a rat in the gutter, which was both annoying and helpless. Liang Guogong was also lucky that time and met Emperor Shun who had gathered together. Otherwise, I am afraid it would be the same as those previous Northern Expeditions. Just the same, it will all be in vain.”
Han Du felt embarrassed for a while. What Zhu Biao said was true, but there was no need to say it, right? If Lan Yu heard this, I don't know what she would think.
Zhu Biao glanced at Han Du and said with a smile: "Haha, I only said this in front of you. Of course, I will bear in mind the contribution of Liang Guogong."
Han Du smiled slightly, cupped his hands and said, "Thank you for your trust, Your Majesty. I will definitely live up to Your Majesty's trust."
Zhu Biao nodded and said with a smile: "Okay, since you think you need to send troops immediately, can sending troops now prevent the Tatar tribe from fleeing?"
"The Emperor's Holy Might."
Han Du nodded and said: "It's not winter yet. When the army arrives on the grassland, it will be winter. At this time, the grassland tribes will gather together in advance and will no longer be scattered across the grassland. Because only by gathering together, They can work together to minimize losses throughout the winter."
"In fact, if you look at the history books, you can see that the threat of the grassland to the Central Plains has always been there. Since ancient times, the Central Plains has conquered the grassland and fought many beautiful annihilation battles, all of which took place in winter. Huo Qubing sealed the wolf in Xu, and Li Jing destroyed the Turks The same is true...the wild geese fly higher than the black ones, and the Chanyu escapes at night, trying to drive away the Qingqi, the heavy snow covers the bow and knife..."
Zhu Biao was startled and looked at Han Du. Common sense among ordinary people is that the best time to attack the grasslands in the Central Plains is in late spring. Because at this time, spring plowing has been completed, and the ice and snow on the grassland have just melted, and the grass has not had time to grow.
At this time, the grassland tribes had just experienced a severe cold winter. It was the time when their cattle and sheep were greatly damaged and their strength was greatly reduced. It was the most timely time for the Central Plains to send troops to the Northern Expedition.
However, Han Du firmly opposed it, believing that it would be better to send troops to the Northern Expedition in winter, so as to be able to carry out a war of annihilation and eliminate the effective forces of the grassland. He also produced famous victories in history to prove it.
Zhu Biao pondered for a moment and asked with some worry: "If the Tatars go to war in winter, won't they escape?"
Han Du immediately raised his head: "First of all, the Tatar tribe will definitely gather in several places to spend the winter in winter. Compared with the strong winds and snowstorms in Mobei in winter, it is obvious that the warmth of Monan is the most ideal place for them to spend the winter. Land. Therefore, every winter, both the Tatar tribe and the Oara tribe will leave Mobei and go south to the land of Monan.
Secondly, when everyone is gathered together, our army can move in secret. After quietly approaching the gathering place of the Tatar tribe, you can launch a fatal blow to them. As for whether the Tatar tribe can escape...where will they escape? In the past, they could flee to Mobei once they were defeated, but now there is nothing but wind and sand in Mobei, but also blizzards. Going to Mobei is the only way for them to die. What's more, the heavy snow in the sky blocked their sight. Even if they wanted to escape, they couldn't find their way. We will catch up easily and kill them one by one. "
I heard Han Du talk about the great convenience and benefits of attacking the grassland in winter. Then why did people in the past rarely choose to attack the grassland in winter? Is it because they were stupid?
"You said that the Northern Expedition to the Tatars in winter would have so many benefits, but there should also be disadvantages to the Ming Dynasty, right?"
Han Du did not deny it, nodded and said: "Of course there is, after all, the grassland in winter is full of wind and snow. It is a fatal environment for the Tatar tribe, and it is naturally even more so for us. First of all, just a cold problem is enough to make People are deterred, which is why previous dynasties rarely chose to attack the grasslands in winter."
"But it's different now. Cotton-padded clothes made from cotton can have a great warmth-keeping effect. Cotton production in the Ming Dynasty has increased every year, and coupled with the inventory over the years, it is still enough to make hundreds of thousands of sets of cotton-padded clothes. With cotton-padded clothes, even Even on the snowy grassland, large armies can move freely."
When Zhu Biao saw Han Du looking like he had already planned to this point, he immediately smiled and said: "It turns out that you have already planned it."
Han Du immediately smiled and said: "It's not that I planned it, but the time has come. Your Majesty, this is the best opportunity to eliminate the Tatar tribe. In so many years, the Ming Dynasty has never attacked the grassland in winter, so they will definitely take it lightly. , just in time to catch them off guard!"
"Okay." Zhu Biao smiled broadly, and after pondering for a while, he said, "The key now is the cotton-padded clothes. Can you get them together in a short time?"
Han Du glanced at Zhu Biao speechlessly and said dissatisfied: "Your Majesty, how many people do you have? How can you produce hundreds of thousands of sets of cotton-padded clothes in a short time? There are tens of thousands of female workers in Ming Textile. If the Emperor allows them Make the cotton-padded clothes first, then you can make them in a short time.”
Making cotton-padded clothes is extremely simple. You only need to fill two pieces of fabric with cotton and sew them together with needle and thread. There is no difficulty in making it at all. Even if an ordinary female worker doesn't know how to do it, as long as she is taught, she can quickly learn and complete it.
Zhu Biao thought about it and felt that Han Du's words were reasonable. As long as the Ming Dynasty textile industry is stopped, tens of thousands of female workers can make cotton-padded clothes in half a month at most. If there is not enough manpower, the maids in the palace can also be used.
"Okay, I will figure out a solution for the cotton-padded clothes. You can go back and prepare."
"Huh? What are you preparing for?" Han Du was stunned when he heard this, and had a bad premonition in his heart.
Zhu Biao smiled and said: "Get ready to go to war!"
Going on an expedition?
To be honest, Han Du really wanted to go out. After all, what man doesn't want to lead an army to gallop around and enslave the wolf?
"But, Your Majesty, I am now the Minister of Household Affairs. Is it appropriate to go on an expedition?"
Zhu Biao waved his hands indifferently and said, "What's inappropriate? You are still the Marquis of Zhenhai. Isn't it natural to go on an expedition?" As he spoke, Zhu Biao sighed and said, "I originally thought that after I ascended the throne, I would designate you as the Marquis of Zhenhai. You are the Duke of the country, but you have been repeatedly dissuaded by people saying that you have not made great achievements under my command. This time, as long as you go out and make meritorious deeds, I will definitely make you the Duke of the country!"
Does Han Du want to be the Duke of the country? Of course I do.
So, Han Du glanced at Zhu Biao and thought to himself: Whether it is persuasion or inducement, I am determined to be the Duke of the country.
"Since the emperor wants me to go to war, I must obey the order." Han Du smiled and bowed.
"Okay, you go back and prepare first. You will still be in charge of the Household Department, but you still have to explain it clearly in advance. You have to ensure that the Household Department can continue to operate as usual during your expedition."
"I obey the decree!"
...
Han Du left Qianqing Palace and just walked out of the palace gate. Seeing that it was still early, he gave up his plan to go back directly to the palace and headed towards Hubu instead.
Instructing the scribe to find Wang Yuanji and Zhao Yu, Han Du sat in his office, drinking tea and waiting.
The Ministry of Household Affairs has just completed the collection of taxes. For the Ministry of Household Affairs, this can be said to be the biggest event of the year. Therefore, the entire household department was somewhat free, and Wang Yuanji and Zhao Yu naturally did not have much to do.
When they heard that Han Du wanted to see them, the two hurried over.
As soon as they entered the door, they all saluted Han Du.
"Greetings, my lord."
Han Du raised his head, glanced at the two of them with a smile, and stretched out his hand to signal: "Here we go...sit down."
"Thank you, sir."
When the two sat down, Han Du smiled and poured tea for them.
The two of them accepted it calmly, knowing that the master must have something important to do with them today.
Han Du paused and said, "I came to see you today because I have something to explain."
Wang Yuanji and Zhao Yu looked at each other. Wang Yuanji smiled and said, "Please give me your orders. I will do my best to relieve your worries."
Han Du nodded slightly and said: "After a while, I may leave the capital. I still need you to take care of the household affairs here."
Zhao Yu was immediately startled and said hurriedly: "My lord, I am a low-ranking official with few talents and little knowledge, so I am afraid that it will be difficult for me to take on such a big responsibility. In the Ministry of Household Affairs, it is only right that my lord should be in charge of the overall situation!"
Han Du suddenly said such words, Zhao Yu thought that Han Du wanted to test him, and quickly expressed his loyalty to Han Du.
Indeed, Zhao Yu had never thought about taking the position of minister. He knew very well how much he weighed. He also admired Han Du from the bottom of his heart for his ability to successfully change the tax system and raise taxes steadily, and believed that the post of Minister of Household Affairs was tailor-made for Han Du.
However, Wang Yuanji was familiar with Han Du and knew that his husband would not be so petty as to test them like this. Since Mr. said this, it must be that Mr. really has more important things. If the husband didn't tell him directly what happened, then obviously it was not something he could know.
After thinking clearly, Wang Yuanji asked: "How long will your Excellency leave the capital?"
Zhao Yu immediately realized, yes, if you have made up your mind to leave, then how long you will leave is the key.
Han Du pondered for a moment and estimated, "I don't know about this. It could be as little as half a year or as much as a year."
