On the vast grassland, a winding black line is slowly rolling towards the north.

The grassland is not an endless flat, the terrain is undulating, and the black line is not visible.

On the empty grassland, the wind is not blocked, as if it only needs a light breath, and the flags erected one by one can be whirring and fluttering.

On the other side of the black line, on the distant and invisible border line, under the Great Wall that winds on the top of the lofty mountains, groups of Ming officers and soldiers continue to march along the road taken out by the vanguard army.

Like a black dragon, the power that has been accumulated for a whole winter finally begins to eat away at this gradually green grassland.

In accordance with the long-established plan, the Ming Dynasty began to send troops outside the border in an orderly manner and entered the grassland.

The entire administrative and military systems of the empire began to run at high speed around this one thing.

A large army, a larger number of people.

Millions of people started with the Great Wall and set foot in the depths of the grasslands.

It is about 300 miles northwest of Datong City under the ancient city of Fengzhou.

Zhu Yunxi and the others watched the army go north through Daqing Mountain and enter the hinterland of the grassland.

This is the military horse of the Western Front where the Ming army went north.

The purpose was to cut off the entire steppe from the middle and prevent the Tatars from escaping westward.

The real attack on the Tatar Department was the army that set out from Datong and Xuanfu and went directly into the steppe.

The reason why Zhu Yunxi came to Fengcheng, which is the location of Hohhot in the later generations, was because the Ming Dynasty needed to build the first fortified city outside the Guanguan here to completely control the vast land on the northeast side of the Hetao.

The history of Fengcheng is very long, as far back as the kiln culture in ancient times.

As the birthplace of Hufu cavalry and archery, the destination of Zhaojun in the Han Dynasty, the land of Longxing in Xianbei Tuoba, and the frontier of the intersection and collision of nomadic civilization and agricultural civilization.

As early as the reign of King Wuling of Zhao, Fengcheng was included in the ruling range of the Central Plains and established Yunzhong County.

The reign of the Ming here can be said to be blank.

The nine sides formed by the Great Wall naturally use everything outside the Great Wall as a place of seesaw.

Among them, it also includes the Hetao basin in the Fengcheng area.

With the change of the civil fort in later generations, the surrounding area of Fengcheng fell into a situation of no one stationing, so it was entered by the Tatars on a large scale.

They began to build a city here.

Because of the blue bricks used in the city wall, it looks blue from a distance, and it is also known as Qingcheng.

Now.

The history of the past has passed, and the history of the future has been rewritten.

"The Ministry of Industry has already taken people to start surveying the landform of this place and choosing a place to build a city.

And we also need to be here, responsible for transporting the grain and grass needed by the various armies, and recruiting those ordinary herdsmen.

It will be more and more lively, there will be more and more people and things, and everything must be prepared and planned in advance. ”

On a high slope at the southern foot of Daqing Mountain, Zhu Gaochi climbed high and looked at the endless Hetao Plain at the southern foot of Daqing Mountain.

Zhu Yunxi waved his hand.

"Tell the people of the Ministry of Industry that they don't have to look for it anymore, Daqingcheng is built between this Dahei River and Daqingshan."

Zhu Gaochi was stunned for a moment and looked in the direction Zhu Yunxi was pointing.

"Over there is the confluence of the Xiaohei River, the East River, and the Zadagai River."

Zhu Yunxi nodded: "Surrounded by water on three sides, there is a large green mountain on the back, which is a natural barrier, and it is a good place for feng shui." ”

"How big a city are you going to build?"

Zhu Gaochi asked, looking at the place where Daqing City was built, which had been set by Zhu Yunxi, and knew that this was indeed a good place.

In fact, the imperial court did not need to pay special attention to where the city was to be built.

All the imperial court needed was a fortified city on the Hetao Plain at the southern foot of Daqing Mountain where the Ming army could be stationed to control this good place outside the Great Wall.

With a city comes the need to defend.

When the city is built, this piece of land can provide a steady stream of war horses for the imperial court, as well as beef and mutton for human consumption.

And Zhu Yunxi's purpose is obviously different.

I saw him say casually: "The circumference of Daqingcheng is forty miles, the shape is square, the wall is three zhang high, the bottom is two and a half zhang wide, and the top is two zhang wide. It is compacted with soil and stone, wrapped in steel and cement, and covered with blue bricks. ”

As soon as Zhu Yunxi's words fell, Zhu Gaochi had already jumped to his feet.

"Do you know how much it costs? You know that if this Daqing City is really built, there will be no city in the Ming Dynasty that can compare with it except for Yingtian City! ”

Zhu Gaochi felt that Brother Xi was really crazy.

He was just a little crazy, but now he's completely crazy.

It is Yingtian City, in addition to the outer Guo City, the inner capital city wall is only more than 70 miles.

The only thing that reassured Zhu Gaochi was that Zhu Yunxi had not completely gone crazy, and he also knew that the height and width of the wall could not exceed the regulations of Ying Tiancheng.

However, even so, if you want to build this big green city well, you also need countless manpower and material resources.

Zhu Yunxi ignored Chubby's jumping feet and incomprehension, but shouted loudly: "Chu Jiazheng." ”

The voice fell.

Zhu Gaochi looked at Chu Jiazheng, a Qing official of the Ministry of Works, who was wearing a green robe and had mud sticking to the soles of his feet, and walked over with several subordinate officials.

"Minister, Chu Jiazheng, see His Royal Highness the Imperial Grandson."

Chu Jiazheng is a little dark and a little burly, if it weren't for the official robe on his body, no one would be able to see that he could be the dignified and upright Ministry Langzhong of the Ming Dynasty.

And he is not like the current Ministry of Industry Shangshu Zhang Ergong, but a craftsman.

Chu Jiazheng is an authentic imperial examination, and he has come all the way to his current position.

In Chu Jiazheng's own words, the most important turning point in his life was not the first place in the imperial examination, but that he worshipped Shangshu Zhang Ergong as his teacher.

If you want to say who knows the characteristics of cement best in the Ministry of Industry today, then only this camp cleaner Shilang can be said to be well-deserved.

This is also the reason why Chu Jiazheng did not tour Zhu Yunxi's north in the previous time and was among the accompanying officials, but followed Tie Xuan to the border pass this time.

The cannibalization plan of the Ministry of Industry, which was not just a joke, actually started from Chu Jiazheng.

Zhu Yunxi looked at Chu Jiazheng who walked in front of him, and said with a smile: "You and Yan Shizi talk about our big green city." ”

No one in the Ministry of Industry can refuse to let a fortified city come into their own hands.

Now as long as the name of Daqingcheng is mentioned, Chu Jiazheng's eyes will show an excited look.

He bowed his hand, and then turned to look at Yan Shizi, who was still thinking about how much food and manpower the imperial court was going to invest here.

"Shizi, according to the calculations of the ministers and the household department, if you want to build Daqingcheng, you need to spend millions of taels of money, no less than 300,000 stones of grain and grass, and you need to mobilize 100,000 manpower."

Zhu Gaochi only felt dizzy for a while.

This big green city with millions of money and food made him feel that these people were crazy.

Zhu Yunxi waved his hand and motioned for Chu Jiazheng to follow aside.

And he pulled Xiaopang and walked to the location of Daqingcheng selected at the bottom of the mountain.

Zhu Yunxi explained softly: "The Ming Dynasty wants to build an impregnable city outside the pass, and a big city that belongs to those poor herdsmen. ”

"For the herdsmen of the grassland?!"

Zhu Gaochi became more and more puzzled.

He didn't understand why the city that had been built at so much cost was not for the Ming army to be stationed in, not for the Ming people to live in, but for the herdsmen on the grassland who only knew how to sleep in tents.

Zhu Yunxi nodded: "This is a very cost-effective investment. For the Ming Dynasty, this is a city that belongs to the herdsmen, who can live here with the Ming army and the Ming people. ”

"And what can we expect from these people?" Zhu Gaochi frowned slightly.

If, according to Brother Xi'er, this is an investment, then it will be a lossless investment.

"Daming will have the most powerful herdsmen, there will be the most exquisite war horses, and there will be endless beef and mutton, these are enough?" Zhu Yunxi tilted his head and glanced sideways at Xiaopang.

Without waiting for Xiaopang to answer, Zhu Yunxi continued: "More importantly, as long as there is this Daqing City that belongs to the herdsmen, this is a city that will never be attacked by the grassland." ”

Zhu Yunxi gradually walked down the mountain, took the reins from Zhang Hui, who was leading the horse, and turned over on the horse.

He sat on the back of the horse, lightly held the horsewhip, and looked back at Zhu Gaochi, who was leading another horse but had not yet mounted the horse.

"The Ming Dynasty conquered the Quartet, killing is only one of the means, how to maintain long-term peace and stability, so that the interests of the Ming Dynasty will always remain maximized, is the most important.

Outside of the Han land, there are exotic customs.

Although I can only cultivate and fight, I can also sit in the fields and watch the tribes sing and dance for me. ”

The Ming people of the Han family of the hundred ethnic groups sang and danced.

In a word, Zhu Yunxi was already riding a horse on the grassland under the Daqing Mountain, galloping unscrupulously.

Zhu Gaochi just fell into deep thought.

What kind of things does the Ming need to do if they want to rule this land.

This question made Zhu Gaochi confused again.

Until Zhang Hui led his horse and walked to Zhu Gaochi's side.

Zhang Hui looked at Yan Shizi, who often fell into contemplation and seemed to be in a daze, with a smile on his face.

"Shizi, it's time to let Daqingcheng go."

Zhu Gaochi was stunned for a moment.

Looking up at Daqingcheng, which was not yet a shadow, but would definitely exist, Shi Shiran smiled and turned over on his horse.

Night falls.

At the foot of Daqing Mountain, Daqing City, which has not even been excavated for its foundation, has lit fires one after another.

Rushed here to supply food and grass for the front-line army, and the officials and soldiers and horses who were responsible for the construction of Daqingcheng surrounded the entire camp with the baggage camp cart as a protective wall.

The horses were gathered in one place and surrounded.

The fire was concentrated in the middle of the camp, and tents were scattered around it.

The Loop is one of the most fertile places in the entire north.

On the way from Datong City to here, the army has hunted enough cattle and sheep.

Charcoal-grilled beef and mutton is kept at its freshest level, and it exudes a human aroma after being grilled over a fire.

Outside the camp.

The dark wilderness has become eerily silent because of the arrival of humans.

Countless herds of beasts that originally inhabited this place are far away from human hunting.

At this time, it was not yet summer, and there was still the biting cold of winter at night outside the border gate.

Several figures, wrapped in thick sheepskin furs, bent over through the wilderness, constantly approaching the camp in Daqing City.

"What people!"

Also in the dark, in the originally empty meadow, several Ming soldiers wearing soft armor suddenly stood up.

Ab stopped and straightened up.

"This king is the king of Shun'an, Ab Zhi, and I want to see His Royal Highness the Taisun."

The officers and soldiers guarding outside the camp relaxed their vigilance slightly, leaving half of them in place, and the rest of them surrounded Ab and the others in a crescent moon shape.

Abu only knew the rules and took out his credentials from his bosom.

"This king has just come back from the north, and he smells the smell of meat here from afar, I wonder if His Highness has eaten anything over there?"

The soldiers verified that it was correct, and then they finally put their minds at ease completely, and said softly: "Back to King Shun'an, today's beef and mutton in the camp work, and the beef offal soup and mutton soup work." ”

Abu only smiled on his face, nodded and said, "That's good, this is good, this king is going to find His Highness to rub some meat to eat." ”

After speaking, Abu had just walked out a few steps, but suddenly stopped and turned his head to look at the soldier.

The soldier immediately bowed his head and said, "What else is the matter with King Shun'an?" ”

Abu smiled and said, "Have you eaten it?" ”

"The subordinates have dry food, and when the time comes, they can go back to the camp to change their defenses."

Abu only nodded: "It's also hard, you take your brothers to share a penny of this thing, it's not worth much." ”

After that, Ab had already untied a cloth bag from his waist and threw it into the soldier's arms.

Wait until Ab disappears in the direction of the camp.

The soldier opened the sack from his bosom.

As soon as the cloth bag was opened, even though the surrounding night was dim.

However, the soldier's eyes showed a bright light.

The bags full of various colored gems, although the texture is not transparent, but they can be brought back to the customs to sell to those merchants, and they can also be exchanged for a lot of money.

And Abu I, who casually rewarded a bag of gems, had already entered the camp.

Led by a general, it was not long before they reached the red-hot fire that had burned in the middle of the camp.

Zhu Yunxi was nibbling on a crispy bone with meat hanging on it.

This is one of his few hobbies, just as he loves the old hen noodle soup in Luzhou Mansion.

The arrival of Ab only did not surprise Zhu Yunxi.

Since in Taiyuan City, after the righteous exterminator personally stabbed Arutai, Abu was accepted by Zhu Yunxi and sent back to the grassland.

Counting the days, after receiving the power of the Arutai tribe and taking the people of the tribe south to approach Daming, for so many days, Abu and I can almost finish my work.

Zhu Yunxi handed a bowl of mutton soup to Ab Yiyi.

"Warm up with soup first."

After saying that, he put a crispy hanging pork bone that he loved the most, baked crispy, on a wooden plate, with a few boiled rhizomes, and placed it next to Ab Zhime.

Abu knelt on the ground with the mutton soup in both hands.

"His Royal Highness's kindness to his ministers is like this bowl of mutton soup, not only warming the body but also warming the heart."

………………

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