It is located in the inland sea in the northeastern part of the Asian continent.
In the second year after the original expeditionary force of 50,000 people set off, which was the 30th year of Hongwu.
Zhu Ying ordered Ming Dynasty to build a separate site here.
Its main function is to save a lot of trouble when the expeditionary force returns.
The ships coming are all from the East China Sea Navy.
When the expeditionary force was sent out, it stopped at this location, and then the expeditionary force started walking.
According to Zhu Ying's request, the Donghai Navy took turns dispatching ships to station here every two months to ensure that this stronghold had enough food and had about a hundred people.
"I don't know why the imperial court set up a post station here. We brothers are really unlucky. It's winter."
"My whole body is almost numb from the cold, but I still have to patrol here."
"Being in a place like this is really like being in exile. Fortunately, I can go back in a month and catch up with Zhengdan."
In the ice and snow, two soldiers were patrolling.
The speaker is Yan Chun, and the person next to him is Yan Liang, our brother.
"We are already very lucky. We can still have a good time when we go back. But the next batch will be miserable and they will have to spend the New Year here."
"Hey, actually I don't really want to go back to celebrate the New Year. I'll give you an extra half month's salary. It would be great to have this money. Every time I go back, I have to deal with it. To deal with it, it's better to be comfortable on the boat."
Yan Liang replied casually.
The two of them walked and chatted until they reached a hillside.
Here on the hillside, there is a Ming Dynasty flag.
What the two of them had to do was to put away the old flag and put up the new flag.
Perhaps because of the heavy wind and snow last night, the flagpole had been blown down. It took a lot of effort for the two of them to fix it again and raise the flag.
"Hey, aren't my eyes blurred? Why do I see someone coming from a distance?"
Yan Chun looked into the distance and subconsciously rubbed his eyes.
"There are really people, more than ten people. Hurry, be on guard with your matchlocks. Damn it, the wind and snow are too strong, and the matchlocks may not light."
"Take out your bows and arrows. These may be barbarians living nearby. There are only two of us, so I'm afraid we won't be able to deal with them."
Yan Liang looked carefully and saw that there were more than a dozen people across from them, all covered with various animal skins and with messy hair. They were obviously not easy to get along with.
And just when the two of them were on guard.
More than a dozen people in the distance became ecstatic when they saw the Ming Dynasty flag raised.
And these people were the expeditionary force five years ago.
The leader among them was Wang Tianlu, an outstanding student of the Ming Dynasty Military Academy.
"Look, that's the flag of our Ming Dynasty. We're here, we're finally here, hahaha!!!"
"Five years, five whole years, I never thought I could really come back."
"Let's go, let's go quickly, we will have something to eat when we get to the camp."
"Brothers, hold on, we're coming soon."
The sixteen people headed by Wang Tianlu felt full of strength at this time and walked quickly towards the place where the flag was.
"Stop coming, please report your name immediately."
"This is the residence of our Ming Dynasty. If you dare to trespass, please don't blame our Ming Dynasty for exterminating your clan."
Yan Chun looked at the dozen or so people approaching and shouted at the top of his lungs.
Yan Liang couldn't help but said: "Brother, I'm afraid these people don't understand us."
Yan Chun said helplessly: "Whether he understands it or not, we still have to shout a few words."
When Wang Tianlu heard the shouting, instead of feeling angry, he felt very friendly.
"The two brothers in front of us, we are an expeditionary force and have returned now. This is my Hundred Household Token."
Wang Tianlu took out his identity certificate from his arms and held it high in his hand.
Although Yan Chun and Yan Liang couldn't see clearly, they knew it was from Ming Dynasty when they heard the voice, and they immediately felt relieved.
Hundreds of households?
As they got closer, Wang Tianlu threw the token towards the two of them.
Yan Liang hurriedly picked it up and looked at it carefully.
"Brother, it's really a hundred households order."
Yan Chun heard this and quickly checked it, and now he was sure it was correct.
They are just low-level soldiers, while Baihu is a serious military officer.
"Soldiers Yan Chun and younger brother Yan Liang under the command of Donghai Navy are here to pay homage to Lord Baihu."
The two quickly bowed.
At the same time, they were a little shocked. They naturally knew something about what happened to the expeditionary force five years ago, otherwise they wouldn't have to stay here every year.
It's just that after all these years, I've never heard of anyone returning.
I didn't want the brothers to actually meet each other.
"Easy to say, the military camp is not far from here. After we traveled across mountains and rivers to get here, we have not been able to have a full meal for many days."
"Please ask the two little brothers to lead the way."
Wang Tianlu's words prompted the two brothers Yan Chun and Yan Liang to quickly lead the way.
Under the leadership of the two men, they quickly arrived at the military camp.
Wang Tianlu's status as a member of the Baihu family is obviously equal to that of the highest military officer here.
The military camp immediately arranged a large amount of meals.
According to regulations, when the expeditionary force is discovered to have returned, they must be sent back to the capital immediately.
That night, there was a ship leaving overnight.
——
Daming Palace.
Zhu Ying got up and put on her clothes, served by the palace maid.
On the bed, sleeping was the Japanese princess Xiangzi.
Although the Japanese kingdom was destroyed, Zhu Ying did not get rid of the Japanese royal family, but retained it.
However, they lost any power and no longer enjoyed any privileges. They were only royal families in name.
The only thing he got was some salary grants from the Ming Dynasty to the Japanese royal family.
The amount of salary depends on the degree of local taxation and is not borne by the Ming treasury.
After all, the Japanese royal family is still, to a large extent, the spiritual symbol of the Japanese people today.
Governing the four major provinces of the original Japanese country is not a quick process, it can only be done slowly.
"Your Highness."
Xiangzi got up from the bed quickly after being woken up. She wanted to help Zhu Ying change herself, but it was obviously a little late.
"It's okay, you can rest first."
Zhu Ying nodded slightly, indicating that Xiangzi didn't need to be like this, and then left the room.
Regarding Xiangzi, Zhu Ying had no other opinions and treated her equally with other concubines.
Because of the destruction of the Japanese kingdom, Xiangzi had been worried about whether she would be disliked by her grandson, so she worked harder in many aspects.
Last night, even though she couldn't bear it, Xiangzi tried her best to satisfy her grandson.
Zhu Ying is quite pleased with this.
"Your Highness, the Minister of War is already waiting in the main hall." Guo Zhong whispered from the side.
Zhu Ying nodded: "If he comes so early, I'm afraid he hasn't had breakfast yet. Ask Guanglu Temple to prepare two breakfasts, and let him eat it with me."
Guo Zhong said quickly: "Yes, Your Highness."
There is no court meeting today, so you ask Rujun, Minister of the Ministry of War, to come over. Zhu Ying intends to discuss with him preparations for dealing with Tianzhu.
The monsoon on the ocean is coming, and the treasure ships of the Ming Dynasty can also set sail with the help of the monsoon.
In addition to the transportation of troops, it also involves a large amount of cavalry dispatch, including some logistical preparations.
Treasure ships play a great role in this regard.
Moreover, the treasure ship docked at the beach is equivalent to a mobile fortress, leaving a way out for Lan Yu's army at any time.
Avoid the situation of fighting alone.
Since the grassland was pacified, Zhu Ying began to prepare to mobilize the cavalry on the grassland.
After all, it doesn't make much sense to have so many cavalry on the grassland, and because of the corn feed, war horses may not necessarily be able to be bred only in pastures on the grassland.
Therefore, in the latest arrangement, the stallions on the grassland will gradually migrate to the interior of the Ming Dynasty.
In addition to war horses, there are also pack horses.
Although the Ming Dynasty's trains were being built everywhere, horses played a considerable role both as cavalry and transportation.
Therefore, Zhu Ying also asked the people, local governments, and maritime merchants to search for stallions from various places to enrich the number and types of Ming horses.
Opening a racecourse has become a new type of business in today's Ming Dynasty.
Under the guidance of the government, many businessmen also began to join this industry.
Some land that is not suitable for farming has been developed into horse farms for horse breeding.
It can be seen that in the coming days, the number of Ming Dynasty horses will show explosive growth.
As the number of horses increases, the price of horses will also decrease.
Before the emergence of modern industries such as tanks and automobiles, the importance of horses occupied a major place for hundreds of years to come.
Even though the Ming Dynasty now has 300,000 cavalry, Zhu Ying obviously wants to build more cavalry teams, which will be more conducive to conquests in other places.
As for Lan Yu's army, Zhu Ying was preparing to dispatch another 50,000 cavalry.
Regarding some details, Zhu Ying had to discuss it with Ruyu, Minister of War.
Regarding the imperial court's preparations to attack Tianzhu, Minister of War Ru Ru was more concerned than Zhu Ying.
In war, the Ministry of War is mainly responsible for logistics. However, if the casualties of soldiers increase due to logistics, the Ministry of War will bear the main responsibility.
Professional matters should be left to professionals.
In terms of these detailed overall arrangements, Zhu Ying's ability is no better than that of Ru Jin who has been dealing with these matters all year round.
Of course, because the stakes are so important, Zhu Ying still has to listen to Ru Ru's arrangements in many aspects.
Turning away from the shopkeeper doesn't mean that he doesn't care about anything.
"Thank you, His Highness Taisun, for the banquet."
Ru Yu did not expect that his grandson would ask him to have breakfast together and make a report by chatting while eating.
This made him a little flattered.
In fact, when Ru Yun set out, she had already eaten two sesame seed cakes on the way, but in the face of Taisun's reward, even if she could hold on, she could only eat it.
The so-called thunder, rain and dew are all your kindness.
As a minister, there is no reason to refuse.
After listening to the detailed report made by Rujun, including the memorial handed in, Zhu Ying was also quite satisfied.
Basically I can't see any problems.
The main purpose of meeting Ru Rui was to express the importance he attached to this matter.
After eating early, the conversation was basically over.
Zhu Ying looked at Ru Jin who was hesitant to speak, and couldn't help but ask: "If Ru Shangshu has something to do, you can tell him directly without any taboos."
Ru Yu hesitated for a moment, and then said: "Reporting to Your Highness, it is related to some matters related to the guards in various places."
"I don't know whether I should say it or not."
Zhu Ying was speechless. Now that we have reached this point, you still ask whether you should say something. Should I say something that shouldn't be said?
"Just come by pipe."
Ru Yu cupped her hands and bowed: "Reporting to Your Highness is about going to various health stations."
"In recent days, I have discovered that due to the continuous recruitment of troops by the imperial court, the number of troops is increasing, and some people, in order to seek their own personal gains, have used personal connections without authorization to intervene in the mobilization of new soldiers."
"At first, I felt that this was not a big deal, so I didn't take it too seriously. However, by chance, I discovered that such things had already happened in the capital."
"Some noble families are involved in this and secretly control the enlistment of soldiers. Those who give enough money will be sent to better military camps, while those who are not given money can only go to some poor military camps.
"
"Such unfair things are now widely seen when recruiting new soldiers, and prices are even clearly marked in many places."
"The recruitment, training, and dispatching of new soldiers are currently mainly the responsibility of local military academies. The Ministry of War has no right to intervene, and there is no supervisor."
"I believe that if things continue like this, bad habits will inevitably breed and it will easily lead to resentment among the new recruits."
Zhu Ying did not choose to believe Ru Yu's words directly, but asked: "Does Ru Shangshu have some evidence?"
Ru Yu smiled bitterly and said: "I do have some evidence in my hand, but it's just some areas in the capital."
"I heard that this phenomenon is especially serious outside the capital."
After a slight hesitation, Ru Jin continued: "I heard that Jin Yiwei was even involved in some of the activities here."
When it comes to this, Ru Yu has already taken a big risk.
The Jin Yiwei is an institution directly under the emperor, and ordinary ministers would not dare to offend them.
Zhu Ying also didn't expect that this matter would involve Jin Yiwei.
If Jin Yiwei was really involved, it would be no small matter.
In order to better control the intelligence of various parts of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Ying has been expanding the Jinyiwei.
In Zhu Yuanzhang's hands, Jin Yiwei's main activity area was limited to the capital.
Although there are Jinyiwei institutions in other places, the number of them is very small.
After Zhu Ying entered the palace, he gradually integrated the intelligence personnel of the former Qunying Chamber of Commerce with Jinyiwei, invested a lot of money, and began to build a national Jinyiwei intelligence agency.
This is also to better control local trends.
The power of the local Jin Yiwei, to a large extent, exceeds that of the local sheriff, although they mainly work for other countries and later supervise local officials.
Although the team is huge, there will always be some moths.
But what Zhu Ying didn't expect was that it would actually affect the army.
The army is Zhu Ying's bottom line. Anyone who dares to step beyond the threshold will certainly not be spared lightly.
However, after Rujun said this, Zhu Ying also had to consider whether the Ministry of War wanted to compete for some power distribution regarding the new recruits.
But for now, the key is to strictly investigate and verify the situation of Jinyiwei in various places.