The Golden Lotus River grassland, the camp of the Ming Emperor.

Chen Dexing was sitting in his big tent with a golden roof and bright yellow, just playing with a beautifully made scimitar. The scimitar was no more than two feet long, the scabbard was made of gold, and a golden tiger head was cast at the end of the hilt. This knife was a gift from Haidu Khan to Chen Dexing in person. And Chen Dexing's return gift was a flintlock smoothbore gun with equally exquisite workmanship.

The golden knife and rifle were gifts prepared on both sides for a long time, and they were the tokens of Chen Dexing and Haidu's marriage - the marriage between the Ming sage and the Mongolian Great Khan was facilitated by Baoyin. The first purpose of the meeting was to settle the alliance between the two sides.

Now that the ceremony of answering the knot has been completed, Chen Dexing also set up a banquet in his big tent and drank with Haidu before personally sending Haidu away. The gold-domed tent of Haidu is opposite the Ming Emperor's line.

Chen Dexing's disciple Kubalun originally left with Haidu, and their father and daughter had not seen each other for many years, and they should be reunited. Unexpectedly, less than an hour later, Kubalun returned from Haidu and brought a surprising news.

Haidu wants to launch a western expedition aimed at spreading the beliefs of the Heavenly Daoist Sect - a sacred war of the Heavenly Daoist Sect!

Therefore, at this time, there have been many accompanying civil, military and Tiandao figures gathered in the big tent. Deputy Prime Minister Kong Yu, Guards General Chen Qianyi, Heavenly Daoist envoys Ren Daoxing and Baoyin, and Heavenly Taoist Mongolian Grand Sect Leader Yang Aguo (he returned to Daming a year ago), and others all gathered together to express their respective opinions.

"Haidu must have wanted to swallow both the Golden Horde and Kublai Khan's territory in the name of holy war. In this way, Mongolia is almost unified! ”

"We can't support this! Mongolia is going to be unified, and it will be our scourge after all......"

"But if we don't support Haidu, we won't go west? Now life is not easy in Mongolia proper. Haidu, the Great Khan, is a poor bastard, and he doesn't go west to grab some. I can't go on! If we don't support it, he may be defeated by Kublai Khan, and then the trouble will be even greater. ”

"In short, it's better to be careful, don't make any trouble raising tigers."

There are different opinions, few support Haidu's westward expedition, and many oppose this matter. Haidu Mongolia is still Mongolia after all! Even Ren Daoxing and Yang Aguo didn't regard the sea that had taken refuge in the Heavenly Dao as their own.

Chen Dexing only listened but didn't speak, as if he was still considering. I don't know how long it took before I saw him throw the scimitar on the desk, and said with a cold smile: "Haidu actually came up with such a reason, it's really embarrassing for him." But...... Since he wants to fight the world for the Heavenly Dao Sect, how can I, the master of the Heavenly Dao Sect, ignore it? ”

Baoyin has not spoken, she is Haidu's cousin, and the close relationship naturally avoids suspicion. Now when he heard Chen Dexing open his mouth in support, he immediately smiled and echoed: "Yes, yes, yes." What the sage said is reasonable, Haidu Khan's expedition to the west is beneficial to the Heavenly Dao Sect, and if he plays the brand of the Heavenly Dao Sect, the Heavenly Dao Sect will be able to participate in it openly. This is a rare opportunity! ”

Deputy Prime Minister Kong Yu said lightly: "I'm afraid that Haidu will kick us again after laying ground!" ”

Chen Dexing smiled and nodded. said: "Haidu must have made this wishful thinking!" I won't let him get complacent, though. ”

Bao Yinxiu frowned slightly, as if she was a little disappointed. "The saint is against the Western Crusade?"

"Of course not." Chen Dexing's tone was calm, "But the westward expedition cannot be the Great Mongolia. ”

Bao Yin asked, "Who is that?" ”

"It's the Heavenly Dao Knights!" Chen Dexing paused. As if thinking about something, and then saying with great certainty. "It's the Heavenly Dao Knights! Western Christianity has a knight order, and our Heavenly Taoism can also get a knight order! Didn't Haidu go west in the name of spreading the belief of Heavenly Taoism? Then I, the king of Ming, gave him the name of the Heavenly Dao Knights, which can be regarded as a missionary force sent by the Heavenly Dao Sect, so that he can use the money of the Heavenly Dao Sect to support it. ”

Kong Yu frowned and asked, "What's the difference between this and directly supporting Haidu?" ”

"Of course it's different!" Chen Dexing said with a smile, "First of all, it's a name, if Haidu is going west in the name of the Great Mongolia, then he is the boss, if it's in the name of the Heavenly Dao Knights, then I am the nominal master of this army!" ”

Just in name! Kong Yu shook his head slightly. Haidu will definitely have a firm grip on the Knights, and he has the ability to do so.

Chen Dexing thought about it and said: "Secondly, it is naturally a religious benefit. Since it is a Heavenly Way Knights, then the members should believe in the Heavenly Dao, abide by the canons, and be familiar with the Three Classics. There should also be Taoists in the Knights to follow and spread the truth of the Heavenly Dao. If it can be persistent, this Heavenly Dao Knights may not be able to make the fake come true! Maybe it would be difficult for Haidu to succeed when he was alive, but once he was gone, who would the Heavenly Dao Knights listen to? ”

Religion is somewhat similar to ethnicity, and it has been true for a long time. Now the spread of Tiandao in Mongolia is very good, and the number of believers is increasing day by day, and the influence is growing day by day. If this trend continues, it may really educate the Mongols.

The Mongols who can participate in the western expedition of Haidu must be the backbone of the Mongols, and if they can send capable Taoists to carry out long-term and high-intensity brainwashing on them, it is likely to speed up this process.

Chen Dexing said lightly: "In my opinion, as long as there is the name of the Heavenly Dao Knights, and then we continue to spread the belief in the Heavenly Dao, there will be a day when it will come true in the future." It's not just a matter of believing it or not, there's a big word at work!

Because the Order is also a group, all the Mongols who participate in the Order will inevitably gradually alienate themselves from the original Thousand Households, and after a long time, they will become self-contained. When the time comes, they will make the fake come true, this day Taoism...... If you don't believe it, you have to believe it! ”

……

"Heavenly Dao...... Knights? ”

When Haidu Khan heard Bao Yin talk about the Heavenly Dao Knights, it was already almost noon the next day. Haidu, who had just had breakfast, was playing with the flintlock smoothbore gun given to him by Chen Dexing on a makeshift shooting range outside his gold-roofed tent.

Bao Yin said slowly, word by word: "Great Khan, if you want to use the name of preaching to the west, then the saint hopes that you can play in the name of the Heavenly Dao Knights. In this way, the saint can use the financial resources of the Heavenly Dao Sect to support your expedition to the west......"

A crisp "bang" interrupted Bao Yin's words. The muzzle of the smoothbore gun in Haidu Khan's hand smoked, and a wooden target seventy paces away fell in response.

"Good gun!" Haidu Khan threw the smoothbore gun to a cowardly man beside him. He praised again and again: "The strength (recoil) of this gun is much smaller, and it is better than the second year of the Heavenly Dao." It is easy to hit without a frame. ”

Bao Yin smiled and said: "The gun I gave you is carefully crafted, and it uses deerskin bullets, ordinary guns are not so accurate, and it is difficult to hit fifty paces away, so you can only shoot platoon guns." In my sister's opinion, this smoothbore gun is really not as good as a bow and arrow. ”

"Oh? Do you feel the same way? Haidu smiled and looked at Baoyin.

Bao Yin chuckled: "That's natural, my archery skills are not bad, and I am also an archer who can shoot arrows!" Brother Haidu, why don't we take a written test? ”

Haidu shook his hand. "I don't compare with you, good men don't fight with women, and if you win, you don't win a hero, and if you lose, it's a joke."

Bao Yin smiled: "Who dares to laugh at you? You are the Great Khan of Mongolia! ”

"The Great Khan of the Mongols?" Haidu smiled bitterly, "Isn't it the chief of the bitter cold land in Mobei?" This Great Khan is not worthy of his name! ”

"Then you should find a way to do it!" Bao Yin said, "The Great Khan already has a million people, if you have the help of the Ming Dynasty, not to mention Kublai Khan, Timur and Nahai will definitely not be your opponents." This Heavenly Dao Knights ......"

"Who does the Heavenly Dao Knights listen to?" Haidu's tone was calm.

"Listen to the head of the regiment!" Bao Yin said. "Great Khan, you can also be the head of the regiment."

"Who does the chief head of the Heavenly Dao Knights listen to?"

"Listen to King Ming!" Bao Yin looked at Haidu seriously, "King Ming is the master of the Heavenly Dao Sect, and the chief head of the Heavenly Dao Knights naturally wants to listen to him." ”

"But I am the Great Khan of Mongolia!"

Bao Yin smiled faintly: "It's just the chief of the bitter cold land in Mobei!" If you can't conquer the west and expand the land, occupy the fertile land of Kipchak and Rus'. I'm afraid the chieftains of the Great Khan are not stable! ”

The Mongols of the thirteenth century were a group of steppe bandits! Since it's a bandit group, there has to be a place to rob. The Central Plains did not dare to rob. Then the only way to go to the west is to rob it. If the leader of this bandit group can't lead his men to grab the goods, then how can this bandit leader go on?

As for exchanging the special products of the grassland for the goods of the Central Plains. That's just a dream! The slow long distance from the grassland to the Central Plains alone is enough to make the cattle wool there lose their competitiveness in the Central Plains.

And today's Central Plains people are less and more land-free. Large and medium-sized farms were everywhere, and horse farming became the main method of farming. When there is a demand, it is natural that someone will raise horses. Therefore, the number of horses and production in the Central Plains have been increasing over the years.

In addition, the Ming Empire is very vast, and there are many areas suitable for grazing in the land under its jurisdiction. For example, Wuliao Province, Monan Grassland, Hetao Grassland, Qingtang Grassland and the north and south of the Tianshan Mountains.

At present, a large number of commercial and government-run pastures have appeared in Wuliao Province and the Monan grassland. Here in the Golden Lianchuan Grassland, there is a large pasture dedicated to breeding Atlantic horses (Andalusian horses).

Haidu Khan had seen for himself how strong the Atlantic horses were, and although it was not known how strong they were, they were certainly more capable of sprinting than the Mongolian horses...... Just by looking at the physique, you can be sure.

Haidu Khan knew very well that in the future, the days of herding sheep on the Mongolian steppes would only become more and more difficult, and there would never be a chance of improvement. If you want to have a turnaround, you can only play out!

And if you want to fight out, you must obtain the support of the Ming Empire, and the support of the Ming Dynasty naturally comes at a price......

The establishment of the Heavenly Dao Knights and the westward expedition in the name of the Knights is the price that Chen Dexing wants Haidu to pay!

For Haidu, paying this price, he has the opportunity to become the lord of the Kipchak steppes and Rus', and maybe even have the opportunity to occupy most of Europa. Moreover, after occupying the Kipchak steppes and Rus, Haidu still had the opportunity to turn his face and not recognize people.

Therefore, the conditions offered by Chen Dexing will not be rejected by the sea.

Haidu was silent for a long time, and finally asked, "Baoyin, if I agree to his request, how is he going to help...... Help the Heavenly Dao Knights? ”

Hearing Hai Du's question, Bao Yin immediately breathed a sigh of relief, and said with a smile: "First of all, the saint is ready to use the money of the Heavenly Dao Sect to purchase equipment for the Heavenly Dao Knights. The sage felt that the Heavenly Dao Knights must have at least 30,000 people, and each Heavenly Dao Knight was given at least a pair of light and thin full-body plate armor for cavalry, including a helmet, a flintlock smoothbore rifle for cavalry with a short barrel, and a horizontal knife for cavalry, all of which were provided by the Heavenly Dao Sect.

Moreover, the Heavenly Dao Sect will also give each Heavenly Dao knight two sets of clothes, two pairs of combat boots, a thick blanket, and some miscellaneous equipment every year, and they will have everything that the Ming cavalry has. The Heavenly Dao Sect will be responsible for the supply of H medicine and lead bullet consumed by the Heavenly Dao Knights, and will also provide a batch of plate armor and cavalry smoothbore guns every year to supplement the battle damage.

As for the Heavenly Knights, bows and arrows, spears, harnesses, horses, tents, vehicles, and food, etc., were raised by the Knights themselves. ”

Haidu was thinking about the abacus in his heart, and the smile on his face couldn't be hidden. If this Heavenly Dao Knights is counted according to 30,000 people? Not to mention the miscellaneous equipment and ammunition consumption such as clothes and blankets. But the three major pieces of cavalry plate armor, cavalry smoothbore gun and horizontal knife cannot be taken down without a few hundred strokes! The equipment of 30,000 people is more than 10 million yuan!

Bao Yin glanced at Haidu, and then said eloquently: "Secondly, the saint is also preparing to send instructors, artillerymen, and Daoists to the Heavenly Dao Knight Regiment......"

"And send instructors, artillerymen, and Taoists?" Haidu's brow furrowed.

"Of course it will be sent," Bao Yin said with a smile, "The Heavenly Dao knights of the Great Khan must be trained, otherwise they can only ride and shoot but not shoot, what is the use of these smoothbore guns for them?" And it's not enough to have a smoothbore gun, they also need artillery to cooperate with the battle. First with artillery bombardment, then with cavalry shooting, and finally with a cavalry charge, so that Kublai Khan and Nahai could be defeated. You say, can this instructor and artilleryman be less? As for the Taoist...... Great Khan, how can there be no Heavenly Dao Daoist in this Heavenly Dao Knights? ”

Hai Du was silent, what Bao Yin said was the condition for him to obtain assistance from the Heavenly Dao Sect!

"Okay!" After a long time, he sighed, nodded and asked, "Then who is in charge of the territory of the Heavenly Dao Knights of the Western Expedition?" ”

"Naturally, it's under the control of the Great Khan." Bao Yin replied with a smile. "However, the Heavenly Daoist Sect must be the state religion on those territories!"

"Of course!" Haidu nodded again and again, but he was already vigilant in his heart. The Heavenly Daoist Sect has already shown some signs of becoming bigger in Mongolia, and if it is not curbed in the future, the consequences will be unimaginable! (To be continued.) )