As soon as Mandulu's words came out, he immediately made the lords of ten thousand households who were discussing in the sweat tent feel a surge of blood in an instant.

The sons of the grassland, the descendants of the immortal heaven are a group of wolves, and for a hundred years, they have only gone south to fight the grass valley, when did they fall to the fate of being eaten away by the weak Han people of the Ming Kingdom?

Now that the Holy Khan has completely unified the entire northern nomadic people, not counting the soldiers and horses of the client states in the Western Regions, the Mongol and Jurchen soldiers alone have exceeded 200,000, and their strength has completely recovered to the pre-war period of Tumubao, and even surpassed the Warat Department during the Tumubao period.

The soldiers are strong and the horses are strong and united, just waiting to go south to herd the horses, how can they let the Han people of the Ming Kingdom wave the Northern Expedition!

"Father Khan, the Liaodong Army has made a lot of arrangements in the past year or so, taking advantage of the civil strife in our Mongolia, and it is absolutely impossible to tolerate them to continue. Erchen is willing to lead his subordinates to cross the Great Wall to reclaim the pastures that belong to us, and awaken the fear in their hearts with swords and iron hooves. ”

The eldest son, Bolonahal, immediately asked for his life, and now he is weaker than his younger brother Ashu Timur in terms of status and soldiers, and if he wants to complete the overtake and finally inherit the throne, he must be far stronger than the other party in terms of prestige and military merits.

Nomads have admired the strong since ancient times, and they don't want to be subservient to others for the rest of their lives, so they have to die!

"Father Khan, the child is also willing to lead 30,000 households in Western Mongolia to the south, recover the southern Mongolia of Wuliang Ha Sanwei, and once again cross the Bauhinia Pass under the capital of the Ming Kingdom."

When the second son, Ashi Timur, saw his brother asking for battle, and immediately followed him to express his attitude.

Don't look at the fact that Timur controlled 30,000 households in Western Mongolia, and the number of population and soldiers was far ahead of the 30,000 households in Liaodong, in fact, his position advantage was not as good as before the rebellion of the Arazhiyuan, and the power gap between the two sides was narrowed.

You must know that before the civil strife in Mongolia, Ashi Timur was named the Mongolian Taishi, and this position was the starting point of the Juros clan, which can be described as of great significance. Basically, the appointment of the first was equivalent to telling the world that he was more optimistic about his second son and was selected as the heir of the Mongol Khanate.

As a result, after the reform of Wanhu, all the two sons were named Jinong (prince), and their status was in an equal position. This means that the two sides will return to the same starting line of the battle for the Khan position, so they must show their talents and abilities, win the favor and recognition of their father Khan, and nothing can be left behind!

Regarding the initiative of the two sons to ask for war, Tiansheng Khan did not respond immediately, but instead looked at his brother Saikan Wang and asked, "How is the situation of Mongolian war horses and herds this year?" ”

With the choice of Boyan Timur to rebel with the Arazhiyuan last year, he first took back his brother's sovereignty in the Warat tribe, and the 30,000 households in the entire Eastern Mongolia were essentially the foundation of the old Warat tribe.

Although the king of Saikan did not choose to betray first, he was bitten by a snake for ten years and was afraid of the well rope, so he still deprived the military power in the name of the reform of ten thousand households and arranged it to the position of managing logistics.

He had no objection to this arrangement, and he didn't dare to have any opinion on the fate of Boyan Tiermu. Hearing the Great Khan's inquiry, the King of Saikan hurriedly stroked his shoulders and bowed down and said: "At the end of the year before last, the Great Khan integrated all the ministries and allowed the major households to recuperate. ”

It was this answer that he wanted first, and after he shouted "good", he swept the lords of the ten thousand households in the sweat tent with his eyes and ordered: "After you go back, urge the sons and daughters to practice bow horses well, and when the autumn water and grass are abundant and the war horses are fat and strong, it is the time for us to go south to slaughter the lambs of the Ming Kingdom!" ”

This bold remark instantly ignited the atmosphere in the entire sweat tent, and all the lords of the ten thousand households shouted feverishly. It has been seven years since the Battle of Tumubao, during which the Mongol Khanate was eroded by the Ming Dynasty on the outside, and there was chaos and fighting on the inside.

Now we can finally mobilize our troops and horses again to plunder and slaughter the southern barbarians!

While the Mongol Khanate was preparing for revenge, Shen Yichen, who had solved the two major events of Qingzhang land and tax reform, also began the final preparations before the expedition of the loyal prince Shiheng.

The second year of Ming Liang was not a smooth year, but thanks to the overall planning of the imperial court center and the overhaul of water conservancy by Xu Youzhen, the secretary of the Ministry of Industry, grain output increased and reached a new high.

In the Hongwu period of the early Ming Dynasty, the highest annual income could reach more than 32 million stones, and in the Yongle period of Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty, it did not increase but declined, and it was maintained at an average of about 27 million stones per year.

Since then, no matter how much cultivated land has been newly cultivated, the income of the field has further declined, and only more than 21 million stones are left in the Chongzhen period, which is more than 10 million stones less than the desolate season when the war has just ended at the end of the Yuan Dynasty and the beginning of the Ming Dynasty.

From the fact that Tian Fu alone is a bit of a fact, we can see how exaggerated the Ming Dynasty clan and gentry were about the concealment and annexation of acres of land, and the imperial court could not collect taxes at all.

However, in this era, through the "Regulations of the Sect and Domain" promulgated by Shen Yichen and the improvement of administrative efficiency brought about by the reform of the central government, the income of Tian Fu in the second year of Ming Liang once again exceeded 30 million stones, which basically solved the problem of logistics supply in the Great War.

In addition, the improvement of horse administration brought about by the recovery of southern Mongolia and the acquisition of horse breeding land greatly alleviated the lack of war horses in the Ming Dynasty after the First World War of Tumubao. Nowadays, the Ming soldiers can also be said to be strong and strong, waiting to use a war to open up territory for the country and earn great achievements for themselves!

Zhongguo Mansion ushered in a rare guest, he is the first assistant of the cabinet Shen Yichen, to be honest, he has been fighting with Shi Heng in the court for so many years, Shen Yichen is the first time to visit the mansion.

Compared with the low-key and light luxury of the former Ministry of Rites Shangshu Hu Mansion, the slightly simple and simple current Ministry of Rites Shangshu He Mansion, and the Cabinet Minister Yang Mansion. The mansion of Zhongguo Gong Shiheng highlights the nature of a nouveau riche, it is simply as grand as it is luxurious, even if it is placed in Xicheng District, which is full of old nobles, it still looks a little outstanding.

You must know that in history, Shi Heng suffered from the jealousy of Zhu Qizhen of Ming Yingzong, because one day Zhu Qizhen climbed the highest Xiangfeng Tower in the palace to watch the scenery, and saw a mansion in the distance that was extremely majestic and gorgeous, so he asked Wu Jin, the Gongshun Hou next to him, and Zhu Yong, Funingbo, whose mansion is it?

Fu Ningbo Zhu Yong pretended to be stupid and said that he didn't know, Gongshun Hou Wu Jin was loyal to the Ming Dynasty, and knew that Shi Heng was proud of his achievements and was developing in the direction of the ministers, so he deliberately replied that it must be the palace.

As a result, Ming Yingzong Zhu Qizhen had already realized at this time who belonged to this newly built magnificent mansion, shook his head and denied: "It's not. ”

Wu Jin showed a look of surprise, and replied again: "If it weren't for the prince, who would dare to build an illegal mansion?" ”

It was this sentence that became the starting point for Ming Yingzong Zhu Qizhen's suspicion of Shi Heng, and laid the foundation for him to kill himself in the future!

Of course, the current Shi Heng is like a tiger with its teeth extracted, and he has been completely held in the hands of Shen Yichen, so there is no need to make a fuss about the illegal mansion.

As Shen Yichen's figure appeared in Shi Heng's field of vision, the duke's prestige that he pretended to be instantly broke through the defense, and immediately rushed up impatiently and asked: "Shen Gongbao, you said that you would let this duke lead the troops to the west, but after waiting for more than a year, there has been no movement, when will you be able to fulfill your promise?" ”

Since the failure of raising troops on the "Qing Jun's side" and entering the edict, Shen Yichen promised to wait for the day when the homeland of the Western Regions and Hexi returned to the new homeland, it would be the time to tear the soil and seal the king. Shi Heng can be said to be looking forward to it day and night, being able to lead a group of subordinates and relatives to go west and start his career as a horse again!

This expectation was tempted by the words "Tearing the Earth and Sealing the King", and as time passed, Shi Heng's utilitarianism became thinner and thinner, but on the contrary, the fighting spirit became more and more full day by day.

It wasn't until this moment that he realized that he was so yearning for the battlefield and the years of those golden iron horses. Even if Shen Yichen will not give anything in return, as long as he can return to the battlefield and hear the neighing of war horses, hear the roar of swords, and hear the cry of the enemy, Shi Heng will go on the expedition without hesitation.

I don't belong to the officialdom of the Beijing Division, and the battlefield is the destination of a warrior!

Looking at Shi Heng's eager appearance, a surging smile appeared at the corner of Shen Yichen's mouth.

"As the saying goes, before the soldiers and horses move the grain and grass, how can the westward expedition be hasty. In addition, I remind Zhongguo Gong that it is the Ming soldiers who follow you on the expedition, not the prisoners who have made meritorious contributions, and what the Cabinet wants is an invincible victory, not an obituary sent back to your hometown. ”

This sentence is ostensibly to warn Shi Heng, but in fact, it does tell the other party that I, Shen Yichen, will never let the soldiers of the Western Expedition be sent to death as cannon fodder, even if they were rebels who stood on the opposite side.

Sure enough, hearing Shen Yichen's words, the expression on Shi Heng's face changed slightly, and there was an indescribable emotion in his heart. You must know that when you were in the edict prison, you still got a response or gave the Xuanda border army and the Shi family a way to live, let them make meritorious contributions to the Ming Dynasty on the bloody battlefield, and open up the territory for the Han family.

Now, Shen Yichen has denied their identity as "criminals" in advance, and the Western Expeditionary Army will enjoy the hero-like courtesy and glory as a pure Ming soldier.

"What Shen Gongbao said is very true, it is my father Meng Lang."

Shi Heng, the prince of Zhongguo, apologized to Shen Yichen, if this scene was seen by the courtiers, they would probably drop their jaws in surprise.

Shi Heng, this guy has been arrogant to the extreme since he was crowned the prince, even if he faced Emperor Jingtai Zhu Qiyu from time to time, let alone bowed his head to admit his mistakes to the courtiers.

Shen Yichen can be said to be the first object that makes Shi Heng, a fierce general, happy and convinced.

"The cabinet department knows that the prince of Zhongguo is quick and direct, so I won't be too polite with you, this visit is to tell the grandfather that the grain and grass, ordnance, war horses, etc. of the Western Expedition have been prepared, and they are waiting for the Xuanda Border Army and the Beijing Battalion to draw soldiers and horses to form the Western Expeditionary Army."

"Really?"

Finally waited for Shen Yichen's exact reply, Shi Heng could simply describe it as ecstatic.

"Could it be that the Cabinet Department will still be lying?"

"But don't be too happy too early, the northern Tatars have resolved their internal disputes, and now they have recovered under the rule of Yexian, and the Xuanda border army will send you a maximum of 30,000 soldiers and horses."

"Cao Jixiang has been encroaching on the Beijing camp step by step in the past two years, and Cao Qi, the uncle of Zhaowu, has basically completed the control, which is bound to hinder the deployment of troops and horses from the cabinet department, and only some of the backbones of the five military camps can be sent, about more than 20,000 people."

"There are only hundreds of people from the Shi clan left, and these 50,000 people are all that the cabinet can mobilize for the grandfather."

By the time of the Ming Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty had actually lost the entire Western Regions and the Hexi Corridor, and this vast area was measured by later generations as high as millions of square kilometers, and hundreds of thousands of soldiers may not even be able to make a splash in it.

It is impossible for Shen Yichen to give Shi Heng hundreds of thousands of soldiers and horses to the west, and even if he has this number, he can't afford the logistics of the westward expedition. 50,000 people is the limit that can be drawn and formed at present, Shi Heng needs these tens of thousands of people to open up the Hexi Corridor, at least recover the territory of the Guanxi Seven Guards during the Ming Dynasty, and form a pincer offensive against the Mongol Khanate.

"Soldiers are not expensive, 50,000 people are enough!"

Shi Heng accepted it without the slightest hesitation, although compared with several large-scale conquests and wars in the Ming Dynasty, the scale of hundreds of thousands of soldiers and horses was much less, but as long as the old department could be recalled to go on the expedition, Shi Heng had absolute confidence to open up the Hexi Corridor and recover the Guanxi Qiwei.

You must know that the Western Regions are different from Luchuan, not close to the southern grain-producing areas, and there is no developed water system to transport grain and grass.

The more soldiers and horses, if the logistics cannot keep up, it will become a burden. It's not that Shi Heng doesn't believe in Shen Yichen, but that he has experienced the fiasco of the First Battle of Tumubao, and he doesn't believe that the Ming Dynasty can provide supplies for the expedition of thousands of miles.

After all, for more than a year, although Shi Heng has not been imprisoned, he has actually been placed under house arrest in the palace and does not participate in the affairs of the court, and he does not know that Shen Yichen has started to carry out a number of reforms and changes, and gradually cleaned up the chaotic financial and logistics system of the Ming Dynasty.

"Okay, since the Zhongguo Gong has such confidence, then the cabinet department is here to congratulate the victory in advance!"

Shen Yichen bowed to Shi Heng, it seemed that more than a year of silence had not depleted his undue courage, and was still full of arrogance and reckless fighting intent.

"Xie Shengong gave a gift, this is the day that my father is waiting for!"

Driven by the sharp surge of emotions, Shi Heng's words trembled slightly, Shen Yichen did not break his promise, then it was time for him to fulfill the promise of the Ming Dynasty to fight the Quartet!

On April 17 of the third year of Mingliang, on the high city wall of the Daming Desheng Gate, Shen Yichen looked at the 50,000 soldiers of the Western Expeditionary Army who were pouring out of the door, and his heart was full of emotion.

Limited by Shi Heng's special reason of "wearing guilt and making meritorious service", the Chinese military officials of the DPRK avoided suspicion, and were not optimistic about being able to recover the homeland of the Han and Tang Dynasties, this expedition ceremony was extremely low-key and simple, only Shen Yichen and Zhu Yong, the Duke of Chengguo, stood on the city wall to see off the soldiers of the Western Expeditionary Army.

But Shen Yichen knew very well in his heart that this list of soldiers was the key to the restoration of the Han and Tang Dynasty martial arts in the Ming Dynasty. On the homeland that has been lost for thousands of years in the Western Regions, the Han army will appear again.

Shen Yichen wants not only the Seven Guards of Kansai, but also the Anxi Governor's Mansion, the Beiting Governor's Mansion, and even the Persian Governor's Mansion further away, this is the real glory of the Han and Tang Dynasties!