"Yes, spring is now!"
For the multiple sets of silver coins, the emperor allocated a full million.
Suppressing the trap is a part of the complex trap, and of course Zhou Shangwen also gets a share of the money.
Therefore, he could pay out the military pay for more than 20,000 people. In addition, when a large army goes out for an expedition, food and grass must go first, which also takes a lot of time. However, in the 17th year of Hongzhi, the emperor supervised the construction of granaries in Datong, and the Ming cavalry had experienced crossing the Great Wall several times, so this was actually not bad, but the preparation time did take longer.
But the more important thing is not these, but that it is the first time that even he leads 22,000 troops to walk in the desert.
Everyone said that Zhou Shangwen took risks during his march, but he was not without brains. In the 18th year of Hongzhi's reign, he led up to 8,000 people out of the fortress. Even if there were any losses, at least he did not lose all his belongings.
But this time it was different.
Zhou Shangwen has his hands behind his back. He is a real eight-foot man. He has a military spirit and a strong physique, so he is very imposing.
"This general has decided that all the Ming cavalry will be dispatched to suppress the trap this time. Don't be nervous. This general has already reported this matter to His Majesty and Mr. Yang Ge when he was still in the capital."
Several generals in the camp looked expectant.
"Your Majesty and Yang Ge Lao agree." Zhou Shangwen frowned, with sharp eyes, "Your Majesty's reward for this general is also a reward for you. You don't have to worry about the eighteenth year of Hongzhi. ”
Ma Yihuai was a little surprised, "Isn't there anyone in the court who can be impeached?"
"Yes." Zhou Shangwen said, "But His Majesty rejected them all."
Upon hearing this, these generals were excited and asked, "What did your Majesty say?"
Mentioning this, Zhou Shangwen also felt relieved, "His Majesty asked some imperial officials in the court, saying, since the Tatars can invade their borders, why can't our soldiers of the Ming Dynasty invade their borders?!"
"Okay!" All four commanders cheered.
This kind of excitement is not as simple as just breathing out a breath.
The main reason is that they are military generals, and the emperor is a warrior, which is really good news for them. Otherwise, they will be frustrated after fighting for a long time but not getting a reward.
Zhou Shangwen also had the same thought at this time, "I can see it very clearly, including Mr. Yang Ge and others. Your Majesty, the young emperor, is very interested in battlefields and military affairs. The weapons of the Ming Dynasty will definitely be in your hands." We are strong for a while. For you and me, this is an opportunity to make achievements!"
"In the twelfth year of Hongzhi, the imperial court has indeed spent a lot of money on the Ming Dynasty cavalry, but His Majesty is willing to hand over these troops and horses to this general. How can I be so timid? Therefore, this full attack will not change. Policy. When he was in the capital, His Majesty also summoned me to have a long talk. The Tatar cavalry came and went like the wind. If you want to defeat them, this Ming cavalry must gallop like the Tatar cavalry, like the Tatar cavalry. fighting!"
That is, go only to cavalry.
"In this case, we need to inform the entire army and make full preparations." Sun Xilie suggested: "Should it be like before, with the vanguard troops setting off to explore the road first?"
"That's right. However, Japan will announce the specific details of the deployment of troops and generals in a few days. After you go back, you must first convey the orders. The most important thing is to prepare dry food and drinking water. Don't be in a situation where you can't find the soldiers."
Furthermore, it is absolutely impossible to navigate the vast prairie without someone who knows the direction.
If you can't find water for several days in a row, it will be really fatal.
From this point, we can see the benefits of Hongzhi's several expeditions in the eighteenth year. Excellent generals can continue to grow during the war. Now Zhou Shangwen knew that he had to send people to explore the road in advance.
So he was able to slowly go further.
And this time the crackdown is unlikely to go deep into the desert. It was another huge test for him.
At the same time, he will also send a letter to the three governor-general offices. They will also cooperate in sending troops to patrol the border to put pressure on the Tatar tribe. If something happens to one party, the other party can rescue each other.
After Ma Yihuai returned to the command office, he called his eldest son Ma Sheng and his youngest son Ma Rong over.
If nothing else goes wrong, his youngest son Ma Rong will be the forward general in this expedition. Because he is good at strategy and decisive decision-making, and with his father as a referral ladder, he will easily be noticed by the commander-in-chief.
So when Yang Shangyi was still there, he was full of praise for Ma Rong. When Zhou Shangwen led his troops out and went through several battles, Ma Rong's command could be more clearly demonstrated, and Zhou Shangwen did not hide his love for him at all.
On the other hand, his eldest son is more than brave, but not thoughtful enough and sometimes a little impulsive. He is most like a battlefield warrior.
"Is something wrong?"
The two brothers were eating cakes, but when they saw their father walking in with a worried look on his face, they both stood up.
Ma Yihuai explained the matter.
Ma Sheng smacked his thigh excitedly, "The emperor is ambitious, and we can only relieve our anger by fighting! We are hiding in the city every day, and we are really suffocated to death. It's time to fight out! Dad, when will we set off?!"
"General Zhou, did you bring some silver?" Ma Rong was still willing to use his brain and asked the key question.
"The imperial court appropriated one million taels of silver for the purpose of counterfeiting the scheme. It is also His Majesty's decision to suppress the scheme. Around... three hundred thousand taels of silver can be obtained."
Ma Rong pondered, thought for a moment and then shook his head, "One million this year, and at least one million next year. The complex will be implemented for three years, so the cost of silver is really huge. In fact, it doesn't take that long, as long as there are more With 20,000 cavalry, how can the Tatars stop our Ming cavalry?"
"Besides, the grassland peoples do not have a city to rely on. As long as they are beaten once, they will retreat to the north of the Yinshan Mountains and dare not go south. How can it take three years to repeat the attack? It is not difficult to defeat it simply. The key is to repeat the attack. We need to run the business properly to prevent them from coming back. But this is not an issue we should consider."
That's what Ma Rong said. For him, he still had to mobilize his three thousand households and three thousand soldiers.
This time he was the striker, and even he expected it.
So after the two ate the bread, he went to find his Qianhu.
The soldiers outside had actually heard the news. After all, it was no secret that the emperor in the capital said that traps were suppressed. After Zhou Shangwen came back, he immediately summoned four commanders and issued orders such as preparing dry food. The actions were very obvious.
"Major General!"
Ma Rong saw several soldiers gathering together and chatting, "Brush your horses well! Go and find all your families and ask them to wait for me in the camp."
"yes!"
"Major General, are we the vanguard?!"
Ma Rong took a horse and flew on it. The young man was full of energy and said, "I'm not a forward? Who dares to be a forward?! Wait for the order!"
He went out quickly to go shopping in the city and meet someone.
Is a cloth merchant. The boss is a young and pretty widow.
After arriving at the place, Ma Rong opened the curtain and walked to the backyard. After sitting down, he got straight to the point.
"Is there any news coming from the grassland?"
"The Major General has never been so anxious, but what big thing is going to happen?" The woman was wearing a purple robe, with bright lipstick on her lips, and she had the charm of a mature woman.
"It's useless for me to talk to you about the affairs of the court. Just talk about the things on the grassland."
The woman sat down and said, "It's still the same. The little prince wants to annex 30,000 households in the East Wing, but he hasn't sent out troops immediately. It's spring again now, and he has to wait until the cattle and sheep are full and give birth to their calves at the earliest. Oh, yes Yes, the little prince has given birth to a son."
"Can you also find out about this kind of thing?"
"It will promote the celebration."
"They will gather to celebrate. Can you find out where their camp is?"
The woman shook her head, "Such inquiries will take several months, and by the time we find out, they may have moved their places. According to the young general, is the imperial court planning to go to war?"
"Send me someone who knows the way. You don't have to worry about the rest."
On the grassland, the most fearful thing is not being able to find the enemy. And the real grassland is not a beautiful place with wind-blown grass and cattle and sheep. The environment there is very difficult. Apart from other things, what will you do about the mosquitoes?
Therefore, once you have been marching for a month or two without seeing anyone, your morale will definitely be low, and if you encounter the enemy again at this time, it will be even more dangerous.
In particular, the Ming Dynasty's official army has long lost the bravery of Taizu and Taizong. Without the advantage of the city, they encountered Tatars in the wild... Even the Ming Dynasty cavalry must be extremely careful.
Three days later, the General Military Mansion officially issued an order for all soldiers of the four guards of the Ming Dynasty cavalry to be fully equipped.
Ma Rong also came to this place for the last time before setting off.
"Is it different this time?" The woman seemed to have an intuition.
"It's different. This time we have to go further."
"Do we have to fight?"
"I heard His Majesty say something at the military academy. A good man should not die in bed, but on a horse!"
After saying that, Ma Rong stood up and left.
The woman didn't have anything to say, she just said: "I don't want to hear you talking about death, I must live."
"good."
