Bright Spring

Chapter 682 The Enemy's Enemy

Zhu Gaoxu rode his horse and ran to the edge of a lava rock platform. Looking into the distance, a gray city appeared near the river bend.

Kaipingwei!This city was originally the Shangdu (Xilinguole League) of the Yuan Dynasty. It used to be a big city, but now it has fallen into disrepair.That city was sitting alone on the ground at this time.

From Xinghe Qianhusuo (Zhangbei County, Zhangjiakou) to Kaipingwei, the distance is more than 800 miles from north to south, and the depth from east to west is wider. There are only two post stations along the way.The imperial court's control over this area can only be regarded as better than nothing.

During this journey of more than 20 miles, the Ming army walked for about [-] days.I didn't encounter any enemy situation along the way, and even few people were seen.The soldiers suddenly saw the city, and shouted excitedly from far and near.

Zhu Gaoxu turned his horse's head, detoured back to the post road, and then followed the army and continued to march in the direction of Kaiping Weicheng.

The city is very old and dilapidated, and most of the soldiers who came to greet them were dressed in rags.Zhu Gaoxu looked all the way, and found that the only bright thing in the Acropolis was a brand new military flag with the word "Ming" on the tower, probably just changed.

The ministries arrived at the Acropolis one after another, and the army camped inside and outside the city.

According to the officials, this city is the northernmost garrison in the area west of Nuergandusi. Due to its remote location and inconvenient supplies, it was often attacked by Tatars and casualties occurred from time to time. Therefore, no one wanted to come here, and it was extremely difficult for soldiers to escape serious.Many of the soldiers here are criminals who have been exiled here.

Since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, this acropolis has been abandoned from time to time. The last time the garrison was restored was in the fourth year of Yongle;

On the marching road north of Aikou Pass (Zhangjiakou), Zhu Gaoxu sent people to set up four warehouses in advance.One is in Xinghe Shouyu Qianhusuo (Zhangbei County), and the other two are on the post station; and the most important warehouse is here.

It is not convenient to transport grain here, because there are too many troops, and the amount of grain and fodder needed is huge. The army grain transported to the Kaipingwei warehouse was not enough.Zhu Gaoxu then ordered Qi Tai to store part of the military rations in the warehouse here for use on the return journey.

The military households of Kaipingwei were ragged and disheveled.Zhu Gaoxu was not at ease, and left another thousand infantry to assist|defend the warehouse...

"In order to save the consumption of military rations, we will set off tomorrow and continue to go north!" Zhu Gaoxu simply issued the military order at the camp of the Chinese Army.He then left the hall and went straight through the hall, and the civil and military personnel behind him bowed one after another: "I am waiting for the order! I respectfully send you off to the Holy Majesty."

There hasn't been any military situation recently, and the striker hasn't encountered anything, so there's nothing to discuss about military affairs.On the contrary, a copy of the cabinet's governance files was sent from Beijing Normal University and Kuaima. Zhu Gaoxu wanted to read it quickly while he settled down today.

After leaving Kaipingwei, there were no official post roads of the Ming Dynasty in the north, and it was extremely inconvenient to pass official documents.The next time Zhu Gaoxu issues orders to the court, it is likely to be on his return journey.

When Zhu Gaoxu entered the signing room, he suddenly saw that the ink had been polished and the things on the table were neatly arranged.

He turned his head and glanced, Duan Xuehen was standing next to him with a sword in his arms.Duan Xuehen pursed her lips and said nothing.

After a while, Lord Xianhui came over. She was wearing a high-waisted skirt with simple patterns, holding a teacup, and gently placed it on the table.Zhu Gaoxu immediately understood that these things were all done by the virtuous Weng Lord.

Zhu Gaoxu had just opened the file in his hand, and was about to get the brush on the inkstone, and found that the virtuous Lord had already handed the brush to his hand.Zhu Gaoxu turned her head to look, and when the eyes of the two met, her face flushed, she smiled embarrassedly, and dimples appeared on her cheeks.

And Duan Xuehen still stood by the wall without saying a word, observing the virtuous Lord with a blank expression.If you don't pay attention, no one will know where she is standing.

Seeing that the virtuous old man was so attentive, Zhu Gaoxu took the initiative to speak while reading the file: "This journey is far away, can you bear it?"

"As long as the Holy Majesty is there, I think everything will be fine. Kaipingwei's mountains and rivers are so beautiful." The virtuous old man said softly.

"Hmm..." Zhu Gaoxu habitually made a sound in response.

The virtuous old man said again: "The territory of the Ming Dynasty is very vast, but it is a little barren."

Zhu Gaoxu smiled and said, "That's how it is in the frontier."

The signing room was quiet for a long time, the guards reported, and Qi Shangshu asked to see him.After Zhu Gaoxu nodded, Qi Tai walked in after a while, he stepped forward and bowed: "I am here to see you, and pay homage to the Holy One."

Only then did Zhu Gaoxu remember that he told Qi Tai yesterday that he would talk when he had time.

Zhu Gaoxu said: "Qi Butang sit down."

Qi Tai turned his head and glanced at the virtuous Weng Lord.Seeing this, Zhu Gaoxu said calmly: "As soon as I return to the capital, I will designate the virtuous Mrs. Hui as Concubine Zhuang."

Qi Tai showed a look of surprise.

At this time, Zhu Gaoxu asked: "I recently thought of a possibility. Will Wacha (Western Mongolia) join forces with Tatar (Eastern Mongolia) and attack us from the left?"

Qi Tai thought for a while, then said: "The leader of the Tatars, Ben Yali Shihan, is a descendant of the clan of the Yuan Dynasty. After he was supported by Arutai as the 'Mongolian' Khan, he was nominally the leader of all tribes such as Tatars and Wachas. Khan. What's more, both Tatar and Wacha are Mongols, so the Holy Majesty's worries are not entirely impossible.

However, in recent years, Waci has attacked each other with the Tatars, and there has been a feud, and it is not easy to join forces.What's more, there are some situations in the west that may hold Waci back.This year, after I took office as Minister of the Ministry of War, I found out from some official documents that a war broke out between Wacha and Yilibali. "

Zhu Gaoxu murmured: "Yili Li, is the previous 'Don't lose eight miles'?"

Qi Tai said: "Return to Your Majesty, that's right."

After Zhu Gaoxu ascended the throne, he also read many memorials about the Ming Dynasty.Because of the different names, he was also confused at first; but then he gradually figured it out.Like this "Yilibali" is roughly in the Yili area of ​​Xinjiang, and the ruler has already believed in Islam.

The main areas of Wacha's activities are in the northern part of Xinjiang and the western part of Outer Mongolia.It is relatively close to Yili.

Qi Taidao: "At the beginning of Yongle, the Timur Khanate, which the imperial court had been wary of, fell apart immediately after Timur's death. In this Yili, Ming Dynasty did not recognize its Khan as legal, but it was also called "East Chagatai" in the Western Regions. Khanate', originally surrendered to the Timur Khanate; it broke away from Timur's vassal status, and then began to expand its territory. During the period when the prince was abolished in the Ming Dynasty, Yilibali (East Chahe Khanate) began to cooperate with Wacha, A war broke out in the country of Hami.

So in the past two years, Waci may have to compete with Yili, and he has no time to look around.The old minister thought that the possibility of Wacha sending troops was not great. "

The Hami country mentioned by Qi Tai is located in the Hami area to the east of Ili.The ruler is a Mongol, but he surrendered to Daming during the Hongwu period, accepted the title of king, and allowed the Ming court to set up official positions such as a long history of Han people for him; it is a semi-independent vassal state.The imperial army was beyond their reach, and they basically didn't care about the affairs there... But when Song Sheng didn't die of illness, he went on several expeditions.

After Zhu Gaoxu heard this, he praised: "Qi Butang also knows the situation thousands of miles away, and I didn't misunderstand you."

Qi Tai hurriedly said: "The minister is in his position, he should seek his own government."

Zhu Gaoxu pondered for a while: The Eastern Chakhan Khanate peeks at the Hami Kingdom, and the Hami Kingdom has surrendered to Ming Dynasty for many years and received imperial edicts.He had an intuition that the Eastern Chaga Khanate might threaten the northwest border of Ming Dynasty and be regarded as an enemy.

Wacha is also an enemy of the East Chaga Khanate, and at the same time, he and the Tatar Mongols attack each other from time to time.It is no wonder that during the Jianwen and Yongle years, the Ming court allocated food, grass and weapons to support Wacha.

However, Zhu Gaoxu's thinking is different from that of the previous emperors. He feels that Waci cannot be regarded as a friend.

"An enemy of an enemy is not necessarily a friend." Zhu Gaoxu said casually.Only then did he see Qi Tai still sitting on the stool, so he waved lightly and said, "Let's talk about this today."

Qi Tai got up and bowed to leave.

At this time, the virtuous old man said softly: "The concubine is in North Korea, and often studies the characters and classics of the Ming Dynasty. Why have I never heard of those strange names?"

Zhu Gaoxu said: "Because those places are still far away from the hinterland of Ming Dynasty. In China|China, all dynasties have been trying to open up, so we have such a large territory. Only by pioneering and forging ahead can we have hope."

When she heard this, there was a look of admiration and novelty in her eyes.

As the night was getting darker, Zhu Gaoxu asked the virtuous old man to go back to his room to rest.Duan Xuehen stayed by Zhu Gaoxu's side all the time, but did not speak, but at night Zhu Gaoxu still asked her to sleep and stay by his side.

When walking out of the signing room, Zhu Gaoxu asked Duan Xuehen: "Is Xuehen angry, why didn't he speak?"

Duan Xuehen said casually, "Not really."

Zhu Gaoxu felt a little distressed immediately, took her hand, and climbed up to a pavilion behind the courtyard.The front wooden railings were old and battered, and seemed to have been painted but faded.On the contrary, the stars in the sky are very bright and gorgeous.

When he looked up at the starry sky, Duan Xuehen still spoke out, which made people feel that she was not happy.

Zhu Gaoxu suddenly asked her: "Xue Hen thinks, what are those stars?"

Duan Xuehen shook his head.

Zhu Gaoxu turned his head and pointed to a military camp in the distance outside the city.Because of the distance, the countless campfires in the barracks twinkled like stars.

He hated Duan Xue, "Did you see those bonfires? Why are they so small?"