Another month has passed.
During this period of time, the Western Expeditionary Army had made sufficient preparations.
The 70,000 elite troops recruited from the northwest theater, plus 30,000 cavalry from Gansu Province, are the main force of this Western Expedition.
Generals such as Zhang Fu, Chen Mao, Fei Chen, and Guo Deng were not idle either. They were immersed in reading two books written by Chen Cheng, "Journey to the Western Regions" and "Records of the Western Regions".
These two books are a report submitted to the imperial court by Chen Cheng, a member of the Ministry of Civil Service's seal inspection department, and Li Xian, deputy Qinghe Supervisor of Yuanmasi Temple, during the Yongle period. They recorded the mountains, rivers, and customs of the Western Regions when they were on mission to the Western Regions. It recorded in detail what they saw and heard along the way to the Western Regions.
Including but not limited to mountains and rivers, customs, residents' conditions, history, monuments, products, climate, products, religion, folk customs, language, characters, etc., it is simply the first-hand information that the Western Expedition Army can rely on for survival, more valuable than human life. Even more valuable!
After all, fighting in a foreign land, apart from the problem of food and grass supply, is also a problem of the foreign environment.
If you suddenly go to the Western Region, let alone whether you can conquer the city, you will probably get lost in the desert, and you won't even be able to see any people!
One can imagine how important these two books compiled by Chen Cheng and Li Xian were to the Ming Dynasty's Western Expedition.
In addition to keeping in mind the knowledge and insights in these two books, the two gentlemen also spent a month working together to draw a Kanyu road map. Then Zhang Fu immediately ordered thousands of copies of the Kanyu road map to be printed. Distributed to the middle and high-level generals of the Western Expeditionary Army to be prepared for any danger.
If any team gets lost during the battle, they can still find the main army in time, so they won't die in a foreign land like this!
As the time gets closer and closer, the day for the Western Expeditionary Army has arrived.
On this day, the wind was gentle and the sun was bright, and the sky was clear and clear.
One hundred thousand soldiers of the Western Expedition stood proudly outside Hami City, looking passionately at Zhang Fu, the commander-in-chief of the three armies on the city wall, and the two gentlemen who accompanied them, Chen Cheng and Li Xian.
"This is my commander, the British Duke Zhang Fu!"
"According to the orders of His Majesty the Wude Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, I will lead my army through the Western Regions and march into Central Asia to open up territory for our Ming Dynasty and seek eternal peace!"
With a light word, the soldiers of the three armies were excited for it!
Since the reform of the Ming Dynasty's military system, they are no longer the servants of the generals, but a Ming soldier who is respected and loved by the people!
Not only do they have enough to eat and sleep well every day, but they also receive wages every month. His Majesty the Emperor personally pays to support them and pays them from his own pocket!
And they don't have to do anything, they just need to train hard, just train like crazy, just waiting for today!
Follow the orders of His Majesty the Emperor and expand territory for the Ming Dynasty!
In fact, it is not an easy task to join the Western Expedition.
Originally, this war took place in the northwest, so the northwest theater was mainly responsible.
But don’t forget, the Ming Dynasty’s army now has seven theaters, and each theater has hundreds of thousands of soldiers watching!
This is the only war launched by the Ming Dynasty since the end of Yongle, and it is also the only opportunity for the soldiers of the three armies to gain military glory!
Military merit, this is everything for soldiers!
As long as you achieve military merit, you can continue to be promoted!
As long as you achieve military merit, you can be named a general!
Only by achieving military merit can you serve your family and country!
So, this is an opportunity that everyone wants!
As early as a few months ago, the seven war zones held internal military exercises, selected batches of elite soldiers, and then transported them to the northwest war zone.
This is the result of discussions between the commanders-in-chief of the seven theaters.
After all, we can't really let the Northwest War Zone eat a lot. Millions of soldiers in the other six war zones can only watch helplessly. How chilling is that!
So they passed through layers of screening and finally arrived here. As a glorious soldier of the Western Expedition, they were about to embark on a journey worthy of being recorded in history!
Well, of course, there are many guys among them who came in through the back door and forced their way in.
For example, Guo Deng, Chen Mao's son Chen Zhao, and Zhang Fu's son Zhang Mao... These noble children are the hope of the Ming Dynasty Xungui Group, so naturally they will not lack this grand event!
The noble military ministers are different from the civil servants and gentry. The civil servants and gentry rely on the imperial examination system to continuously get fresh blood to enter the court, and then complete the transfer of power of the civil servant group.
But the noble military ministers could only achieve this step by relying on their military merits, because in the Ming Dynasty, they could not be knighted without military merits!
Therefore, except for those hereditary princes and princes, if the noble military ministers want to complete the inheritance, they can only launch wars at all costs and let their children and nephews go to hunt for military glory, thereby completing the innovation and replacement of the noble group!
And now this western expedition is the best opportunity!
Guo Deng raised his arms and shouted with feverish eyes.
"Drill through the Western Region!"
"Enter Central Asia!"
The soldiers of the three armies followed suit one after another, beating their chests and letting out deafening roars.
"Drill through the Western Region!"
"Enter Central Asia!"
Zhang Fu pressed down his hands, and the soldiers fell silent instantly.
"This Western Expedition is not an easy task."
"We need to start from Hami and go all the way west. On the way, we will encounter Luchen City, Huozhou, Beli Bashu, Shalu Hague, Balahei... and other barbarian countries until we finally reach the Timurid Kingdom. Only by entering Samarkand, the capital of Timur, will this Western Expedition end!"
"Therefore, this Western Expedition is destined to take several years. It is destined that some of you will die on the battlefield. It is destined that some of you will not see the moment of victory. However, I hereby promise that no matter who fights, Death, the Western Expedition will never stop, we will continue westward with the remains of Pao Ze until we fulfill His Majesty the Emperor’s orders, and that will not end!”
"Here, I want to ask you, if there are any people who want to quit, they can quit now and be sent back to the original army. If there are still people who are hesitant and afraid of death when they get to the battlefield, I will kill them without mercy. Don’t show mercy, don’t say you didn’t predict what you said!”
As soon as these words came out, the scene suddenly became quiet.
No one made any move. The hundred thousand soldiers all stood quietly and answered Zhang Fu with practical actions.
Seeing this, Zhang Fu nodded happily.
"I have to tell you one more thing!"
"That means our Ming Dynasty navy has gone to sea before March. Their goal of this trip is the same as ours. They are also heading west to show off their power in foreign lands!"
"It is also said that the naval admiral Zheng He repeatedly reported to His Majesty and the military headquarters, requesting to reduce the size of the army, because he felt that our army has been doing nothing for these years and has made no contribution to the Ming Dynasty. On the contrary, it is their navy that relies on Collecting customs duties, etc., and making a lot of money!”
Hearing this, one hundred thousand soldiers immediately became angry, and their faces turned red with anger.
Your mother is here to help!
This damn eunuch!
Are we willing to eat dry food?
You damn eunuch, why do you still look down on us?
"I think that Zheng He is... giving a damn!"
"Didn't he say that our army officers are just for food? Then let this dead eunuch see whether our army officers can make achievements for the Ming Dynasty during this Western Expedition!"
Zhang Fu drew out the sword from his waist and yelled angrily: "This expedition to the west involves a total of eighteen countries!"
"I will grant you the title of marquis, worship the general, benevolent descendants, and military merits and achievements. I will place them in front of you. You can take whatever you want!"
"Now, answer me, do you want this military honor or not?"
Guo Deng also drew his sword, looked up to the sky and shouted angrily: "I will never return to the court until I break the foreign land!"
"I will not return to the court until I break the foreign land!" The soldiers of the three armies shouted in unison, and the sky was full of murderous intent!
Zhang Fu burst out laughing when he saw this, and immediately issued a military order.
"Go to war!"
