In November of the third year of Yongle, Xu Huizu, the Son of Heaven, the Duke of Wei, trained his troops in Shuntian.

Shen Xuan, the Duke of Dingguo, and Zhu Gaoxu, the King of Han, led 1,000 cavalry and 3,000 foot soldiers to patrol the north to prepare for the captives. Adjust Daning to make Franc machine guns, general cannons, tiger squat cannons, and prepare Gansu Ningxia and other important places.

The edict was delivered by Jinyiwei, and it was only a few days before and after, and the northern frontier army followed the order.

Xu Huizu, the Duke of Wei, had already set out from the capital, only with his escort, and hurried to Shuntian. Shen Xuan, the Duke of Dingguo, and Zhu Gaoxu, the King of Han, also set off separately and arrived in Daning successively to seconded artillery.

Meng was so focused on developing production that he couldn't help but ignore the news in the court, and the transfer of the border army this time was not much of an obstacle to Daning, so he was confused about Shen Xuan's sudden visit.

"There is a subordinate tribal leader Boke Timur's brother who is a donkey to say that this autumn there is a Tatar Warat tribe - want to plunder Ningxia and Gansu."

Shen Xuan was concise and to the point, explaining the purpose of his visit to Daning and the reason why Wei Guogong was transferred to Shuntian for military training, and Meng suddenly realized.

The emperor sent his brother-in-law to the north not to replace his godson to guard Beijing, but mainly to train his troops, guard against his neighbors in the north, and at the same time give the ghost force Chi Mahamu a greater deterrent.

Originally, the emperor's preferred candidate was Meixu, the commander of the horses, and he didn't want Meixu to be killed, which also involved Jinyiwei, which made Zhu Di very big.

Meixu didn't succeed, Zhu Neng and the others had their own arrangements, only Xu Huizu was still idle.

After several considerations, this errand fell on the head of Wei Guogong.

With Xu Huizu in the north, Shen Xuan can send troops to attack the grassland at any time. Ghost Lichi and Mahamu want to use guerrilla-attack-tactics, and take turns to attack Gucao, but they also have to weigh carefully, whether they will steal chickens and rice, and they will be chased to the nest by Dingguo Gong and cut down.

After understanding, Meng let out a sigh of relief, Grandpa Guo didn't commit anything, he had thought too much about it before.

"The Duke of Wei trained troops in Shuntian, with cavalry as the mainstay, followed by foot soldiers."

"Cavalry?"

"Yes."

If it's cavalry...... Meng pinched the corners of his forehead, it seems that the Son of Heaven sent Wei Guogong to the north, not only to deter the Tatar Warat, but also to make the strong men of the steppe who gathered in the border army to be honest.

From June onwards, the imperial court ordered the collection of strong men from the Tatar tribes and savage Jurchen tribes to replenish the border army.

Leaving aside for the time being, the strong men who have newly joined the border army system cannot adapt to the life of the border army for a while, and there are many problems such as language.

Compared with other guards, Daning's conditions are unique, there are three guards, and the new strong men are more honest than the other, and they can't even make waves.

In terms of seniority, speaking by strength, it is not the turn of these newcomers to emerge in any case.

really dare to provoke, without Meng Xia's hands, the big and small leaders of Wuliangha can completely clean them up.

Daning and the nearby border guards have long recognized a fact, and they have meat to eat and money to make with Xingningbo. Annoys Xingningbo, not to mention that the financial route is broken, it is very likely to attract the killing god of Dingguo Gong.

was beaten and slashed, and he could only bear it by himself.

Since the time of the Jingjing, the leaders of the Uliangha have dealt with Meng and formed a deep "friendship". I was cheated a few times in the open and secret, but I also got a lot of benefits. Seeing Xingningbo, the three guards all converged their violent tempers, and they became rich and served the Ming Dynasty.

The old qualifications are still like this, and the newcomers dare to disobey management, disobey discipline, and provoke all kinds of trouble, what else can they be if they are not looking for a beating?

First offense, beating.

If you commit it again, continue to beat.

After repeated teachings, he withdrew the knife from his fist and slapped it with the back of the knife, and he couldn't die.

Defy?

Okay, mace greetings.

After a few times, the strong men gathered from Daning Stacks were all honest.

Drill tuntian, inspect the border defense, and build bunker fortifications, which are not ambiguous at all, and are more active than the border troops who were born in close households.

Meng saw that the strong men performed well, and in addition to the military salary, dividends were paid in advance.

Cattle and sheep, money, cloth, and spices were distributed to the flag according to the number of people, and the officers and chiefs could get an extra portion. The number is not as good as the old qualified border army, but it is enough for the new strong men to eat and drink, and by the way, improve the life of the tribe.

Under the parallel of sticks and sweet dates, the Daning border army-system-one-piece-harmony, and the full sails that often appear in other guards, were basically eliminated in the bud.

In this regard, Meng is very calm.

The money is enough, the fist is out, the stakes are clear, and the brain will continue to walk on the road of thorns, and there will be no turning back.

Daning's success, other full-backs want to emulate, but it is difficult to achieve.

First of all, there is no old qualification like Uliangha, and there is a lack of a sharp knife. Secondly, and most crucially, Daning is too rich.

Since Xingningbo became the guard of Daning, the desolate border fortress of the past has hatched one after another hens that can lay golden eggs.

In the summer and autumn, there are often new products coming out of the Daning Miscellaneous Manufacturing Bureau, and the sea ships that sail with Zheng He have brought huge wealth to Daning.

Recently, there are also big food merchants wearing turbans and making exotic clothes in Daning, bringing not many goods, but they are eye-catching enough.

Daning was so attached that it attracted a team to learn from the scriptures, and also attracted covetous and greedy eyes.

Helplessly, Meng had taken care of the emperor's inner treasury in advance, and he had the grandfather and prince of the country to rely on, plus the name of the eunuch and the friend of Jinyiwei, daring to beat him was tantamount to reaching out to the treasury of the Son of Heaven.

It's better than death.

I can't move my mind, so I can only study in a down-to-earth manner.

There are more and more guards who go to Daning to learn from the scriptures, and the guards in northern Xinjiang have also developed rapidly. But to reach the heights of Daning, the difficulty is no less than five stars. Even the Xuanfu guarded by Zhu Gaoxu and the Kaiyuan of Zhu Gaosui could not do it, and the other border guards were even more difficult.

Meng can sprinkle a lot of money, and use the strategy of sticks and sweet dates to convince the strong men, but others will scratch their heads.

As a result, in addition to Daning, the more strong men are assigned to various places, the more problems there are while the combat effectiveness of the border army soars. After accumulating to a certain extent and reporting to the emperor, Zhu Di no longer hesitated, and decided that his brother-in-law had been on paid leave for a long time and should come back to work.

During the Hongwu period, Xu Huizu once trained troops in Beiping with Zhu Di, and lived in northern Xinjiang for more than ten years, and the number of times he dealt with the Northern Yuan Dynasty was no less than Zhu Di.

In terms of immediate combat, the two are on par, compared to military training, Xu Huizu dared to say second, and Zhu Di did not dare to say first.

Shen Xuan is invincible on the battlefield, and he is also quite insightful in training, compared with Xu Huizu, he only obediently listens to lectures.

In order to stabilize the northern Xinjiang, Emperor Yongle was determined to enable Xu Huizu.

He was busy like an old ox all day long, cutting each other with his neighbors on the grassland in his sleep and dreams, but his brother-in-law was idle all day long, and he often went to the palace to eat and drink and rub the fan, and he saw that he had gained a lot of weight.

Compared with the two, Zhu Di is very unbalanced. Zhu Gaosui's letter to the table accelerated his action even more.

Emperor Tai-Zu-Gao taught that life lies in work, and it is a waste of money and life to eat and not work!

If it is a talent, it must be squeezed, and the talent of your own family must be squeezed.

In this way, it is the best way to reflect the highest value of talents.

Put down Zhu Gaosui's upper table, Zhu Di bowed his head, my son is beneficial, and what he said is very sincere.

"Someone, Xuan Wei Guo Gong is here."

Zhu Gaosui's original intention was to let his father raise Meng's title, but he didn't want his father to set the target of squeezing on his uncle.

The truth is revealed, will Xu Huizu slap this nephew away...... More than 60% likely.

Xu Huizu was summoned to the palace, but without saying a word, the emperor directly threw out the edict: the Duke of Wei will be reinstated, and the troops will be trained in Shuntianfu.

Looking at the bright and flickering big seal on the holy decree, Xu Huizu's expression seemed to be a ghost.

"Your Majesty, are you sure?"

"I'm sure."

"Are you at ease?"

"What's wrong with me?"

"......" This forgot that he helped the imperial grandson knock him on a stick?

Zhu Di stroked his short mustache, "Huizu rest assured, I am lenient and treat people with sincerity." ”

Xu Huizu was speechless.

The brother-in-law's face was not good, Zhu Di was refreshed, and he was full of peace and wind for several days.

Jin Yiwei galloped out of Beijing with the edict issued to the guards in various parts of northern Xinjiang, and Yang Duo could only sigh when he commanded Jin Yiwei, the Son of Heaven is like this, and the work of the moment, Jin Yiwei is afraid that it is done.

It seems that the matter of asking the Son of Heaven for a salary increase must be put on the agenda.

As Jinyiwei galloped in the north and south, rumors came out one after another.

Unable to figure out the true intentions of the Ming Dynasty, the Tatars and Warat chose not to move, and even the planned threshing operation was postponed.

The Jurchen tribes in Liaodong didn't think too much, and those who went south to Beijing to pay tribute on schedule calculated the time and drove their chariots and horses to Daning and Kaiyuan to trade in the mutual markets. By the way, I will find out if the imperial court has any intention of sending troops, and whether the tribe needs to send manpower.

North Korea showed that as usual, secretly continued to increase troops on the border, which soon attracted the attention of Tielingwei, and Meng Shan, the commander-in-chief of Liaodong, received the news and immediately mobilized the border troops to garrison in the area of Tielingwei and Yingzhouwei.

During the period of Emperor Hongwu, Joseon, which was still Goryeo at that time, had the idea of attacking Liaodong more than once, but was slapped back by Emperor Hongwu, and the kingdom also changed dynasties, and the king changed his surname to Li.

Li's Joseon craned his neck, declared himself a vassal to the Ming Dynasty, and paid tribute every year, showing that he bowed his head to his ears and his ambition for Liaodong in private never weakened.

The Ming Dynasty is transferring troops to Yunnan and Guangxi, and the garrison is in the area of Laos, and it may make a move on Annam at any time, and there are Tatar Warats in the north, and it is not impossible for the DPRK to take advantage of the opportunity.

Meng Shan didn't dare to ignore this matter, and immediately presented it to the Son of Heaven, and after sending his subordinates to inspect the border preparations, he sent people to Daning, hoping to give Liaodong a few Franc cannons for the sake of his colleagues.

Without the Franc cannon, the modified Tiger Squat Cannon will do.

The tiger squat cannon is also not successful, and the waist knife cast by the Daning Miscellaneous Bureau is also very good.

"Let's not take it for nothing, exchange copper coins and horses!"

After receiving Meng Shan's letter, Meng Na was not sure, so he directly found Shen Xuan, who was still in Daning.

The emperor ordered Dingguo Gong and the Han King to patrol the border, but the specific date was not specified, and the artillery could not be in place in a short time, so the two simply stayed in Daning.

"Grandpa Guo, I have something to ......"

Pushing open the door, he stopped halfway through his words.

There was a brazier burning in the room, and a map was spread on the big black case, Shen Xuan was discussing the military situation with Zhu Gaoxu, and when he heard Meng's voice, he looked up at the same time.

With the same long body and jade standing, scarlet robe and jade belt, Shen Xuan was a little more cold, but Zhu Gaoxu added a little nobility.

Meng flashed his eyes for a moment, withdrew his gaze, clasped his fists and saluted, "I have seen Your Highness." ”

"Excuse me." Zhu Gaoxu raised his hand, "Xingningbo has something important to discuss with the Duke of Dingguo?" Seeing the letter paper in Meng pinching in his hand, he seemed to think of something, and raised his eyebrows, "But for artillery?" ”

"Back to Your Highness, exactly."

The words were clear, and Meng had no intention of concealing it, so he directly put Meng Shan's letter on the table and said, "There is an abnormal movement in North Korea, and Liaodong wants to transfer five Franc cannons from Daning, with a thousand waist knives." What does Your Highness think about this? ”

Zhu Gaoxu picked up Meng Shan's letter, read it roughly, and sighed. This one dared to speak, how hard did he work, and invited the Holy Decree to get two doors, not to mention that this one doubled the number, and brought a waist knife.

However, Daning's waist knife is indeed easy to use.

Thinking of the waist knife and firearm that he had exchanged from Meng several times, Zhu Gaoxu had to admit that Meng Shan had a vision.

The Miscellaneous Manufacturing Bureau under the Liaodong Prefecture had permission from the imperial court to manufacture firearms. Meng Shan didn't want to make it himself, but the letter he wrote to Meng was by no means for convenience, but probably because he was optimistic about the power of the Franc machine artillery.

It can be inferred from this that North Korea is indeed dishonest.

"The Marquis of Baoding has always acted carefully, and the letter is here, thinking that this matter has been brought to the court. Xingningbo only needs to wait for the imperial court to order. ”

Meng scratched his chin, that is to say, writing to him was just a notice in advance, and the holy decree would arrive soon?

"Yes." Zhu Gaoxu nodded, "Dingguo Gong thinks Gu is right?" ”

Shen Xuan said: "The minister thinks it is very much. ”

Meng Kaba's eyes, his official-field-thick-black-study really needs to be strengthened, and he pondered for a "notice" for a long time, which is really too stupid and naïve.

As Zhu Gaoxu expected, the edict of the Son of Heaven was soon sent to Daning.

Five Franc cannons, two tiger squat cannons, and 800 waist knives.

The lieutenant who sent off the decree, looking at the artillery that was pulled away, Meng grinded his teeth fiercely.

Is it easy to save some money? Is it a person who comes to exploit him, when he is very good to pinch?

Just as he was thinking about it, he suddenly had two more fingers on his face.

Raising his head, Ding Guogong lowered his eyes slightly, and bent the corners of his mouth, as if he was proving with practical actions that it felt really good when pinched.

Meng Shishilang suddenly burst into tears.

Gentlemen or something, such as jade or something, are really delusions and deceitful.

Fortunately, Meng Shan was a trustworthy man, and the artillery was transported to Liaodong, and the promised horses were delivered quickly. Most of them were exchanged from the Jurchens and the steppe tribes, all of them were fat and strong, and the leader of the dark horse was even more extraordinary.

Meng was overjoyed and wanted to stretch out his hand, but was stopped by the border army escorting the horses, "Uncle beware, this black horse is not bred by the border army, it was brought from the grassland by herdsmen, wild-sex-untamed." ”

"Such a good horse ......" was given to him?

"Mr. Rong said that Xingningbo helped a lot in Liaodong, and these are all things that should be."

"In this way, thank Baoding Hou for this official."

"Obedience."

As soon as the horse arrived, Uliangha got the news, and the leaders of the three guards, who had a good relationship with Meng, all looked at the dark horses in the herd and their eyes lit up. It's just that Zhu Gaoxu and Shen Xuan are present, so it's hard to ask for it.

Meng originally wanted to keep this horse, but when he saw this, he couldn't help frowning.

Since the improvement of treatment, the big and small leaders of Uliangha have performed very well, and the relationship with them is quite harmonious. Whoever the horse is given to, it is certain that it will cause displeasure in others. It's okay if they don't like each other, but if they are linked to "two peaches kill three soldiers", the joke will be big.

If Zhu Gaoxu is not there, it would be best to give this horse to Shen Xuan. Doing so in front of him is not appropriate in any way.

After thinking about it, Meng Yi gritted his teeth, simply didn't give anyone, sent it to Beijing, and dedicated it to the Son of Heaven!

When the horse is in the hands of Emperor Yongle, whether to stay or reward it to the courtiers, let the emperor have a headache.

"This horse is extraordinary, and the official has decided to dedicate it to the Son of Heaven."

The leader of the Uliangha didn't say anything more, dedicated to the Son of Heaven, naturally they had nothing to do.

Zhu Gaoxu reminded Meng, "This horse was sent by the Marquis of Baoding." ”

Meng was slightly puzzled, Shen Xuan explained a few words to him in a low voice, and finally understood.

"Ziyu rest assured, I know how to do it."

In the end, the name of the Marquis of Baoding was added to the Song Shu sent to Nanjing, and the reward issued by the Son of Heaven was also more than that of Liaodong.

Afterwards, Meng Shan specially sent someone to thank Meng Dao, saying that Xingningbo was a friend, and he had made up his mind.

As a party, Meng seemed calm, and when he returned to the wing, he was immediately so excited that he shed tears.

It's not easy to go north for so long and finally make friends!

In December of the third year of Yongle, Xu Huizu, the Duke of Wei, arrived in Shuntian and officially took over the military training. The border soldiers who gathered from the battlements finally understood Wei Guogong's methods, and it was really refreshing to be indescribable.

In the same month, Shen Xuan, the Duke of Dingguo, and Zhu Gaoxu, the King of Han, left Daning, first went to Shuntian, and after a brief meeting with Xu Huizu, they went to Ningxia, Gansu and other places.

After two busy months, Meng's life became calm again.

Daning drifted snow, the sound of the wind whistling could be heard in his ears, sitting at the table with hot tea in his hand, thinking about this year's New Year, should he go home, the guards outside the door came to report, and someone from the Meng clan came to tell the Hou Ye about something.

"Uncle Santang?"

Seeing that it was Meng Guangshun, Meng was slightly surprised, and without waiting for more words, Meng Guangshun was already red-eyed and said, "Twelve Lang, Uncle Nine has gone." ”

Ninth uncle, Meng Chongjiu?

With a bang, Meng's eyes turned black and he stood on the spot.