In the spring of the 18th year of Chongzhen, Zhang Xianzhong took 20,000 horses and more than 30,000 dependents that he had scraped together from here and there, and set out to conquer Dongsheng Shenzhou, also known as North America.
Zheng's fleet departed from Tianjin and went north along the route to the Northern Territory, passing through the southern Kamchatka Peninsula to Alaska.
It is up to Zheng Zhiwan to decide whether to take the Aleutian Islands route or the Bering Strait route. The cargo can be unloaded roughly when it reaches the Gulf of Alaska.
It is expected to arrive at the destination in June. Zhang Xianzhong's troops will have about two months to go south. If everything goes well, they should be able to reach the Coast Mountains of Western Canada.
Before leaving Beijing, with the permission of a certain new emperor, Zhang Xianzhong and others took photos in front of major scenic spots and city gate buildings, because they were unlikely to return to their homeland in their lifetime.
As he was about to board the ship, Zhang Xianzhong knelt down and kowtowed three times in the direction of the capital. He had never obeyed anyone in his life, but this young emperor was considered a capable person.
The fleet not only carried soldiers and family members, but also carried a large amount of weapons and equipment and various daily necessities. If it was used sparingly, it could last for almost three years.
A certain new emperor even went against all objections and gave ten airships to Zhang Xianzhong, and also helped him train a group of pilots.
With this thing, it will be much easier for Zhang Xianzhong's troops to move in Canada, which is a vast and sparsely populated country.
The fleet also brought fifty tanks, one hundred French aircraft, five hundred mortars, and corresponding supporting ammunition.
Zhang Xianzhong's troops were equipped with 5,000 flintlock muskets, 200,000 grenades, 200,000 arrows, 3,000 spears, 5,000 sets of swords and shields, and 5,000 pairs of plate armor.
In addition to various books and stationery, a certain new emperor also presented fifty bottles of true spirit, fifty thousand boxes of Shushuang, five thousand kilograms of herbal medicine, one set of winter clothes for each person, and five thousand tents.
For the rest, it was all up to Zhang Xianzhong and his men to rely on their own efforts.
You have no scruples when you get there, and if you can't get out, you can only blame yourself for being a loser.
Li Dingguo received permission from a certain new emperor to bid farewell to his adoptive father, a butcher, in Tianjin.
The adopted son who was forced to stay in the mainland also wanted to accompany his adoptive father on an expedition to Dongsheng China, but he could not go back on his promise and could only kowtow to express gratitude to his adoptive father.
Zhang Xianzhong was deeply pleased and did not forget to encourage his two sons. Although he felt quite disappointed at the loss of a son, maybe it was his good fortune that the son was favored by the emperor.
The army boarded the ship on March 1st of the Christian calendar and arrived at the west coast of the Gulf of Alaska on May 30th, having sailed for ninety days.
Although it is almost summer, in the far north, when everyone arrives for the first time, they cannot feel the temperature of the same season in the mainland.
Zheng Zhiwan returned immediately after the fleet unloaded the cargo. Because the journey was too long, it was already autumn when the fleet returned to the mainland.
Zhang Xianzhong did not forget to show his favor to this superior. In the future, as long as supplies can be transported from the mainland, Zheng Zhiwan can buy them at low prices no matter what specialties are available here.
He immediately ordered the army to stay on the shore for three days. After repairing, he took advantage of the better weather and immediately advanced southward.
If you can't leave the Arctic Circle before the end of summer, many people will freeze to death when the weather turns cold quickly.
There are also people in the team who have learned to use sextant, which can achieve simple positioning.
When encountering unfavorable terrain, the airship can be launched into the air for reconnaissance to correct the route of troops.
The recent route to the south is along the coastline, and Zhang Xianzhong's preferred target is Vancouver.
However, due to the lack of horses and many family members in the army, the army's southward march is very slow. It is estimated that it will be able to reach Port-Prince this year.
According to the brochure given to him by the emperor, there is a place called Luoshan Chicken that is particularly good. It is like summer all year round and crops are harvested three times a year. It can be described as a paradise on earth.
However, it is within the control of Spain, and to capture it will inevitably require a fierce battle with the Western Yi. Zhang Xianzhong can only regard this place as a long-term goal.
The army traveled for nearly three months and arrived in the area around Port-Prince on August 25th.
In view of the fact that the temperature was dropping rapidly and considering the situation of his troops, Zhang Xianzhong decided to set up camp here and wait until next spring.
If he didn't plan to capture the Luoshan chicken, Zhang Xianzhong thought it would be good to stay in Canada, and he would rename the place "Zhang Na Da" in the future!
In the process of marching south, the army killed no less than 500 bears, thousands of wolves, tens of thousands of deer, and more than 500,000 salmon over one foot in length.
Apart from a few natives who looked similar to Mingren, I didn't encounter a single Xiyi along the way. It seemed that the area of thousands of miles was indeed a land without one as the emperor said.
At worst, even the bandits will lose their jobs here, because there is no one to rob, and the natives are even poorer than the bandits.
At best, from now on, you don't have to worry about territory when giving rewards. Just point on the map and you can reward people with a radius of hundreds of miles.
Another advantage of this place is that there are more towering trees than people. There are many trees that cannot be hugged by two people.
Large trees that are hundreds of years old may only be used by princes to build mansions in the mainland, but people here can enjoy them when they build wooden houses.
When Zhang Xianzhong arrived in Dongsheng China, he was no longer a prisoner of a certain new emperor, but suddenly became the "Eight Great Kings" again.
However, I felt that my previous nickname was too unlucky, so I changed my name to "King" and called me "King of Heaven"!
Because of the airship, you can walk sideways here, and it's not too much to be a king.
In the future, if you ascend the throne and become emperor, you will be the emperor!
Zhang Xianzhong even thought of the name of his country on the road - Dadong Empire!
Now, the Zimins of the Dadong Empire are happily cutting down trees because they can finally have a stable place to stay.
The twenty large boats and fifty small boats left by Zheng Zhiwan are fishing along the coast. Together with the hunting on the shore, they can basically fill Zimin's stomach.
Judging from the emperor and the map, the climate here is basically similar to Kamchatka Peninsula.
However, there are active volcanoes there that heat up the land, and Port-Prince, which is close to the sea, is bound to be colder.
Zhang Xianzhong specially found a place to camp on the coast separated by a forest to avoid the cold wind coming from the sea.
The cabin had to be built within a week because in August the snow started to fall.
If we delay it any longer, I am afraid that if we light a fire in the wild, people will freeze to death at night.
This gradually strengthened Zhang Xianzhong's determination to continue going south, because the further south, the warmer it becomes.
The target is Vancouver. The sign in that area is very obvious, with an estuary facing a large island to the west.
As a final stop there, it is also convenient to use the big island to avoid the cold wind.
I will wait until I get to Vancouver to decide whether to continue going south, but under the current circumstances, staying in Port-Prince is definitely not an option.
According to the current marching speed, it will probably take another year to reach Luoshan Chicken!
Considering that he had to fight a battle with Xiyi, Zhang Xianzhong was not willing to lose his troops easily, so he did not plan to go so far to grab territory.
Worried that Zheng Zhiwan would not be able to find him, Zhang Xianzhong did not forget to tell his men to make more eye-catching marks along the way.
For example, carving words on rocks on the seaside, and using wood to build giant signs along the coast, etc., can all make it easy for the fleet to detect them.
Zheng Zhiwan knew that his troops would definitely not stay in Alaska and suffer the cold, but would settle somewhere in the south.
But it will be late spring or early summer next year, and now we have to rely on our own efforts.
The family members who came here all felt like being exiled by the imperial court. Perhaps eating meat often was the most gratifying compensation.
King Zhang Tian could not love Min Ruzi, but he would not sit back and watch the people starve to death, freeze to death, or even be killed by the local indigenous people.
As long as the army does not encounter difficulties in fishing and hunting, each person must ensure half a catty of food and half a catty of meat per day.
Although the west coast is mainly mountainous, the number of indigenous people is correspondingly sparse, and the results of hunting and fishing are quite impressive.
The only horse teams are those responsible for hunting. They are a group of ten people. Each person is equipped with knives, guns, spears, bows and other weapons. They are not afraid of bears and wolves.
Since there are no tigers here, other single predators are not enough to threaten the safety of ten cavalry at the same time, but will instead become prey.
If the cavalry does not return empty-handed, they will not take the initiative to look for bears, wolves and other animals. They will still mainly hunt deer. If they find fish in the river, they will also drop a net to catch a handful.
Generally speaking, when you get here, you have to do anything for a bite to eat.
Even Zhang Xianzhong's generals and three adopted sons had to lead their teams out for hunting.
After arriving at the base, Zhang Xianzhong also made a special tour of the camp before dinner.
Seeing that all the people had their share of meat, they felt relieved.
Because it is impossible to establish the Dadong Empire without people.
Just counting on the 20,000 troops in hand will make you old in less than twenty years.
We have to imitate the local emperor and treat the people well in order to be able to operate sustainably.
No matter how small the Xiyi people are in the south, there are only a dozen or two hundred thousand in number, and I can't afford to lose even a fraction of what others have.
It is said that these Western barbarians are afraid of the cold and are unwilling to go north, otherwise this place would be occupied by Western barbarians.
Since Zhang Xianzhong's rebellion, this year has been his most solid year except for the time when he surrendered to the court.
There is not a single officer or soldier here, let alone a Donglu, there are only endless mountains.
Regardless of the temperature, it is a perfect place for me to take care of myself.
After living in a tent for three days, the "imperial wooden house" where King Zhang Tian will live was declared completed.
The area is not large at all, just enough for Zhang Xianzhong and a few wives and concubines, but it is no problem to survive the winter.
King Zhang Tian was already satisfied with this, and he couldn't ask for too much when he came to this desolate land.
If you want to live in a better house, you should at least wait until you move to Vancouver.
Zhang Xianzhong felt very proud when he thought that his territory was almost the same size as a bunch of vassal states in the North.
It’s no bigger than anything else, just bigger than the territory!
In the whole world, only the little emperor in the north of the mainland can compete with him.
Everyone has the desire to compare. Zhang Xianzhong doesn't have much leverage now, so he uses this to comfort himself.
Unlike many vassal kings and county princes who moved to the north of the vassal region, Zhang Xianzhong's troops were relatively united.
There were basically no fights with each other, but they were as united as they were during the local battle.
Zhang Xianzhong also made it clear along the way that their team was far away from the mainland, and if they were not united, they would be dead.
A set of rules was also formulated for this purpose, such as those who sow discord will die, those who collaborate with the enemy and report information will die, and those who bully the people will die.
After the defeat in the Dabie Mountains, Zhang Xianzhong also continued to reflect on the reasons for his failure.
Summarizing this experience and lessons, we cannot repeat the same mistakes when fighting in Dongsheng Shenzhou.
Unlike the local emperor, Xiyi could not give himself a chance to start a new life.
I heard that Xiyi loved hanging prisoners, but Zhang Xianzhong didn’t want to be a hanger...
All the firewood used for heating in the winter must be cut before October, otherwise waiting to cut it in winter will be like cutting rocks.
Zhang Xianzhong always instructs his subordinates according to the precautions in the booklet. Without experience in living in the far north, if he does not listen to the advice, he will probably suffer a big loss or even lose his life.
It is difficult to live outside the customs. If you want to survive in the far north, you have to work harder than outside the customs.
The biggest thing here is not the enemies, but the surrounding environment.
In winter, there may not even be a native visible for dozens of miles around, only you, that's all.
Since there are no enemies who can threaten the safety of the army, the troops are considered useless as heroes.
During the heavy snow season, apart from going out to hunt and fish, they spend their days in the camp playing mahjong.
Zhang Xianzhong has never lived outside the customs, but it is speculated that the general life there should be like this.
On New Year's Eve, as usual, there will be a big banquet for all the ministers.
Only on this day and Zhang Xianzhong's birthday can civil servants and military generals taste the extremely precious wine.
Zhang Xianzhong also knows how to save money. He is reluctant to drink it at ordinary times. It would be good if he can be happy for two days a year.
The table is filled with fish, crabs, shrimps, bear paws, venison, birds and wild vegetables. This is the best meal.
The established process is to eat and drink enough, play mahjong, and sleep. This can also save lamp oil...
Things that can be done during the day must not be put off until night. Lamp oil is also extremely precious.
The booklet also explains how to make soap and other items, but most of the oil is used to satisfy cravings.
We can only wait until we arrive in Vancouver and settle down completely before we start making these daily necessities.
In the late spring of the 19th year of Chongzhen's reign, the ice and snow in Prince Port had completely melted away, so Zhang Xianzhong decided to break camp and set off.
The road to Vancouver is much shorter and easier to walk than the previous section.
Some people are not willing to continue heading south, but if they stay, they will be even more lonely and can only follow the crowd.
After the airship took off and discovered Vancouver Island, everyone was filled with joy because they were not far from their destination.
Finding the mouth of the Athabasca River means you don’t have to go any further.
Zhang Xianzhong personally boarded the airship and took off to observe the nearby terrain.
It was discovered that there is a river running across the south of this place, and a bay and a large island to the west.
The geographical location is very advantageous, so I don’t plan to go further south. Besides, there are not enough boats to cross the river.
It is also very suitable to use this place as the location of the future capital. At least Zheng Zhiwan's fleet will be relatively easy to reach.
Zhang Xianzhong then ordered that the territory west and north of the Athabasca River be temporarily assigned to his own side, and the same would be done for the territory west and north of the Columbia River in the future.
In short, within the scope of our own capabilities, everyone in this area will be named Zhang!
Even if you can't go to the south, you still have to eat half of Dongsheng China to be considered a loss!
