"Your Highness, are you going to the north?"

After the celebration banquet in the evening, Zhu Gaoyu gathered all the high-level officials under him, and after learning about the development after he left, he said his next step.

That is, he is going to the north, to Hamiwei, the border of the Ming Dynasty.

The boss came back and just let go of his heart, and looked at Zhu Gaoyu a little speechlessly.

He saw it thoroughly.

His Royal Highness the King of Yue is a virtue with his Laozi, and he is completely the master who can't sit still in the family.

It's like a nailed at home, always thinking about running out.

"Your Highness, don't be too long-winded, as the lord of Qiongzhou, the whole of Southeast Asia is the decider, and staying in Qiongzhou to deal with things is the most important thing for you to do, instead of running around every day."

"If you want to go back to the capital to see the princess and the prince, the minister has no opinion, but why go to that remote place."

The meaning of Jian Yi's words is that I will not stop you from going back to Jinling to see your wife and children, if you go somewhere else, then I will talk about it.

"Gong Jian, I went there for something, not to play as you imagined, and I didn't want to get involved with my father in the north."

Zhu Gaoyu explained, explaining that he had something to do there.

"Something?" Jian Yi frowned, pointed to the officials below and said, "If Your Highness has something, you can order you to do it, we are not waiting for nothing." ”

Zhu Gaoyu was helpless, he also wanted to hand over this matter to his subordinates, but the problem was that he was afraid that his subordinates would not be able to bear it.

"I'll get the horses."

"Horses?"

Jian Yi and the others were even more puzzled, what does this have to do with horses.

Seeing this, Zhu Gaoyu didn't talk nonsense and said directly: "When I passed by the Timurid Empire, I made a deal with their king, and exchanged ten warships for 15,000 war horses with them. ”

"Because the sea transportation is not possible, I will let Wu Shan lead the troops, escort the horses from the Timurid Empire, and return along the Silk Road, and I will meet at Hamiwei."

Then the people suddenly realized, and they said, "Why are there fewer ships coming back, and even the governor of the navy has not returned."

At first, a few people mistakenly thought that the sea had encountered a storm and sunk, and they were afraid that it would make Zhu Gaoyu sad when they mentioned it, so they didn't dare to say it.

But I didn't expect it to be a boat for a horse.

Wait a minute...... That's not right!

Ten of them were replaced, but that's still not right.

"Your Highness, let's not mention the matter of horses first, can the minister ask, General Wang Jin, is he?"

Jian Yi didn't point it out, but everyone understood the meaning of the words, whether Wang Jin and the others had an accident.

Zhu Gaoyu shook his head, "No, he went on other tasks, and it is estimated that it will take a year or two to come back." ”

Knowing that Wang Jin and the others had no accidents, Jian Yi no longer concealed his words, and said directly: "Even if it's a horse, it's fine, isn't it the same to send someone." ”

Zhu Gaoyu rolled his eyes helplessly, knocked on the table and reminded: "Don't forget that my old man is still fighting in the north, if he knows that there are so many excellent war horses, passing behind his buttocks, do you think he will be very kind to keep them for me temporarily." ”

As soon as these words came out, these people who had been in contact with the old man for a long time instantly laughed dumbly.

It's a real possibility.

They know best what kind of virtue the old man is.

If it were just some ordinary goods, the old man would definitely ignore it directly.

But as the emperor of horses, the old man cares most about war horses and weapons.

When I went out on the expedition some time ago, I also ordered the Qiongzhou artisan battalion to transport the manufactured weapons and ammunition there first.

It is precisely because of this that Lu Yu's troops who came back for reorganization this time are currently only half equipped with weapons.

"That's exactly what happened."

Thinking of the old man's character, Jian Yi felt that it was really a trouble.

Ordinary people go, if the old man knows about the horse, let alone speak in person, a message will be handed in honestly.

But if His Royal Highness Yue went down, it would be different.

Who doesn't know that among the prince's brothers, this highness is the most afraid of His Majesty.

And 15,000 high-grade war horses, but it is a very precious resource, if it is robbed by the old man, Qiongzhou wants to form a cavalry force, and I don't know the year of the monkey.

Knowing the reason, Jian Yi no longer refused, but he still confessed, and tried to come back as soon as possible after getting the horse back.

"Your Highness, how do you plan to go, do you want to go back to Jinling first, or go directly to Hamiwei?"

After deciding on it, Jian Yi asked about Zhu Gaoyu's itinerary, and he made arrangements next.

Zhu Gaoyu thought for a while and asked Gao Wudao: "Can a steamship sail away?" ”

"Yes!"

Gao Wu replied without hesitation.

After this period of testing, the performance of the steamship has been completely stabilized.

If he hadn't waited for Zhu Gaoyu to come back so that he could see it for himself, he would have taken the ship to the voyage for a long time.

"That's good." Zhu Gaoyu slapped the table and decided: "Then we will go by steamboat, you will send me to Tianjinwei, and then I will transfer to Hamiwei by land." ”

After speaking, he looked at Sun Yun and explained to him: "After the cargo personnel are vacated, they will go north directly with the fleet and wait for me at Weihaiwei Wharf." ”

"Order!"

The two got up and replied loudly.

After discussing the trip, Zhu Gaoyu gave a formal appointment to Jian Yi and others.

Jian Yi's long history has not changed, and he has been given the status of an administrator, responsible for managing administrative issues and personnel appointments throughout Southeast Asia.

This old man Zhu Gaoyu has already inquired with Haisheng, although his heart is not on his side, but he really has nothing to say about the selection of people to deal with government affairs.

In Haisheng's words, this old man is no longer interested in fighting for power and profit.

Now I only think about developing Qiongzhou, so as to leave a place in the history books in the future.

Some rights can be granted, but not all trust, and proper supervision is still necessary.

Xie Jin, the first genius of the Ming Dynasty, officially became Qiongzhou Education and was responsible for the entire education and culture.

This kind of reader, it's better to teach and educate people honestly, and don't get involved in politics and brains.

Zhou Xin was appointed as the procurator of Southeast Asia, responsible for all the territory under Zhu Gaoyu's name, and supervised by the trial officials.

Zhou Xin, whom Zhu Gaoyu sent to understand, is a very fair and honest person, and he is not a person of any faction.

For him, whether it is the prince or the king of Yue, as long as he can return the world to Qingming and make the people healthy, he will follow each other and honestly handle his own affairs.

Zhu Gaoyu also gave different appointments to several other officials according to the results of the investigation.

After arranging the people sent by the old man, Zhu Gaoyu beckoned behind everyone.

Yu Qian, who listened to the big guy throughout the whole process, hurriedly walked up, saluted Zhu Gaoyu first, and then bowed to the others.

Under the curious gaze of everyone, Zhu Gaoyu introduced with a smile:

"Let me introduce to you, this is my student Yu Qian."

That's right, Zhu Gaoyu accepted Yu Qian as an apprentice.

After returning to Malacca, Yu Qian followed Zhu Gaoyu back to Qiongzhou.

As he came into contact with current affairs, the more Yu Qian felt that his knowledge was not enough.

Later, he heard Governor Manraiga say that in the whole world, if there is one who knows the most and has the most knowledge, it must be His Royal Highness the King of Yue.

Yu Qian didn't believe it at first, so on the way back, he asked Zhu Gaoyu if he had any questions, wanting to confirm whether it was true.

As a result, no matter what questions he asked, Zhu Gaoyu could give him perfect answers, and even say some different ideas.

After many times, Yu Qian was completely convinced.

Later, during a dinner between the two, Yu Qian got drunk and shouted that he wanted to worship Zhu Gaoyu as a teacher and learn the strategy of governing the country and strengthening the people.

Zhu Gaoyu was also a little stunned at the time, and agreed without hesitation.

Then Yu Qian directly kowtowed to his master like that, officially confirming the master-apprentice relationship between the two.

After the two of them woke up, Zhu Gaoyu was nothing.

Yu Qian was embarrassed, although he had the idea of apprenticeship, but he didn't pay for it, he was afraid that others would say that he was suspected of climbing.

However, I didn't expect to drink a drink and tell my heart, and the apprenticeship was successful.

Zhu Gaoyu saw this guy's tangled look, and rubbed Yu Qian's head with laughter.

"It is said that you are not afraid of Yu Qiantian, why are you cowardly at this time, my master didn't say anything, but you are entangled, am I not qualified to accept you as an apprentice."

As soon as Zhu Gaoyu mentioned this, Yu Qian was stunned at that time.

Isn't it just a teacher? What is there to be afraid of, as long as the other party dares to admit it, he dares to be this apprentice.

So since then, Yu Qian has a new identity, a disciple of His Royal Highness King Yue.

With becoming a disciple of Zhu Gaoyu, Yu Qian also felt that there were many changes around him.

In the past, when the officers and soldiers on the ship saw him, they just nodded, even if they said hello.

Now that they have met, they all clasped their fists and saluted, and they said, Yu Gongzi!

In the past, Yu Qian didn't know about some confidential things at all, but now he has some understanding of many things.

When Zhu Gaoyu was dealing with government affairs, he would also call him over to explain to him and let him express his thoughts.

Accepting Yu Qian as an apprentice, although it was an accident, Zhu Gaoyu did not regret it.

With just a master-apprentice relationship, Zhu Gaoyu is still very happy in his heart.

Will there be anything inappropriate in this way, Zhu Gaoyu didn't care.

His grandfather also accepted so many godsons, which is closer than the master and apprentice, and there is no problem.

This kind of relationship between master and apprentice or righteous father and son is actually a means for many people in power to win over talents.

Yu Qian became Zhu Gaoyu's apprentice, and Zhu Gaoyu didn't care about what the God of War would do in the future.

Let's not mention whether it is possible for the God of War to become an emperor, even if he is an emperor, wouldn't it be better without Yu Qian.

Everyone was stunned for a moment, looked Yu Qian up and down, and saw that under the gaze of so many big guys, he was calm and relaxed, and he didn't look nervous, and everyone nodded secretly.

"Tingyi, when I am not there in the future, you will learn from all the gentlemen, and you can ask for advice at any time if you have any questions."

"All of you here are the best people in the world, and some of the fur you have learned from gentlemen is enough for you to use for a lifetime."

"Yes."

Yu Qian nodded solemnly, and then bowed his hand to the others.

"Yu Qian will visit all gentlemen, there will be many disturbances in the future, and I hope that all gentlemen Haihan!"

Such a humble and polite appearance made everyone nod again, and their impression of this little guy was a little better.

The decision to introduce Yu Qian so ceremoniously and let him learn from everyone was specially arranged by Zhu Gaoyu.

The personnel under him are too complicated, some of them are accepted by himself, some are sent by the old man, and some are selected from the people.

With so many forces mixed together, it is inevitable that something will arise.

Zhu Gaoyu is sometimes busy, and it is impossible to take care of it, with Yu Qian, a disciple of King Yue, wandering around various departments, many things can be avoided.

To put it bluntly, Yu Qian played a moderating role, which could not only supervise and warn others, but also ease the relationship between various forces.

However, this is only temporary, and when the talents who are exclusive to themselves are cultivated, or they will win that position in the future, all this will change.

Zhu Gaoyu did not stop in Qiongzhou, inspected various departments, arranged some things, and took a trial steamship to the north.

Wu Shan is by land, and they are also horses, and their speed is definitely faster than Zhu Gaoyu's.

In order to prevent the old man from discovering the robbery, Zhu Gaoyu had to rush over as soon as possible and bring his cavalry back.

It's a pity that Zhu Gaoyu still underestimated the old man's attention to the cavalry after all, and as soon as he arrived with the people and just landed in Tianjinwei, he bumped into the people who were waiting there sent by Wushan.

"What's going on?"

Zhu Gaoyu looked at Wu Hai with a dark face, and asked the reason with some anger.

"Your Highness, we can't help it."

Wu Hai reported with a sad face: "A few days after we arrived in Hamiwei, when we were about to repair and continue south to meet you, His Majesty's holy decree was issued. ”

"Your Majesty asked my brother to take the cavalry to the north, and he also set the time to die, if he didn't go, he would resist the order and disobey the order, and the Jinyi guard sent to lead him could be directly killed."

"My brother really can't help it, so let me hurry over, and when you arrive, I will report the news to you immediately."

"What bandits!"

Hearing that this old man even issued a holy decree in order to snatch his horse, Zhu Gaoyu complained with a dark face.

He asked Wu Shan to come back from the Silk Road with his cavalry, in addition to convenience, just because he thought that the old man was fighting in the north, and if he couldn't notice this side for the time being, he could take the opportunity to sneak over.

But Zhu Gaoyu ignored that this area of the Western Regions was not under the control of the Ming Dynasty, and the old man was fighting with the north, and the unstable place of the Eastern Chagatai Khanate would definitely be monitored.

And it just so happened that Wu Shan came from here with cavalry, and the people who were being monitored were locked at once.

Although it is confirmed that this is his own person, the report still has to be reported.

The old man's side was worried that there would not be enough horses in the decisive battle because of the lack of cavalry, but more than 10,000 horses popped out at once, and according to the report, they were still very good horses.

The old man was so happy that he directly ignored the words of the horse bought by His Royal Highness the King of Shangyue, and issued a holy decree asking Wu Shan to rush over with the horse army immediately.

The old man's Northern Expedition is the only big battle, and if it starts, it is uncertain how many of his more than 10,000 horses will be left.

The more Zhu Gaoyu thought about it, the more unwilling he became, and he couldn't take a break, so he directly beckoned the escort team to march to the north immediately.

Originally, Zhu Gaoyu didn't plan to participate in this Northern Expedition at all, it didn't matter if he wanted to come or go, anyway, the final victory belonged to the Ming Dynasty.

But now that the old man has robbed his horse, then he will have to get involved.

And he seems to remember that his eldest nephew who was defending at Jiulongkou joined the battle with his chamberlain Li Qian in this battle, and was unlucky to be directly surrounded by the enemy, if it weren't for the fact that the enemy didn't know about his existence, seeing that the reinforcements of the Ming Dynasty came to retreat directly, the history of the Ming Dynasty would be rewritten.

"Maybe it's an opportunity."

Thinking of this, Zhu Gaoyu's eyes narrowed slightly when he looked at the north.

When Zhu Gaoyu rushed to the sudden loss of temperature, the old man's army had already marched to the mouth of the Three Gorges.

After wandering around the steppe for so long, today I finally met a small force of Warat, and after repulsing, I learned from the captives that the army of Mahamu, which had been looking for it, was stationed in Kulan Huwen.

Finding the enemy's main force, the generals were excited, and they could finally have a decisive battle.

However, the old man, who has always been experienced in the battlefield, saw a difference from it.

The terrain is mountainous and very suitable for cavalry charges.

If the army is exhausted, he will definitely take advantage of the superiority of the cavalry from above and take the opportunity to rush and disrupt the army.

"Your Majesty, the terrain of Hulan is too complicated, and it is really not conducive to our army, so the last general suggested that we should be stationed here, wait for the arrival of the enemy's army, and then conduct a decisive battle."

Liu Sheng, who came out with the old man with the Shenji Battalion, pondered for a moment and put forward his own ideas.

The old man was silent and looked at the others.

"Marquis An Yuan's words are good, but he ignores one thing, after all, we are deep into the enemy's belly, the logistics supply is very long, hundreds of thousands of troops are here, the daily consumption is astronomical, if the enemy does not come to attack, just like this, we have no choice but to retreat in winter."

Zheng Heng, Marquis of Wu'an, who led the Chinese army, raised his own concerns.

"Indeed, if I were Mahamu, I would choose a part of the main force to contain our army, and then send a logistics force that harasses us in particular."

"When there's a logistical problem, we're in danger."

Fengcheng Hou Li Bin put forward his own idea, anyway, all in all, the Ming army is now in a dilemma.

Advancing may be a trap for the enemy, and holding on to wait may lead to a stalemate, which is not good for the Ming of the expedition.

However, there is another option, and that is to retreat directly.

With the strength of the Ming army and the shrewdness of Mahamu, he will never pursue.

But is the old man the kind of person who runs away without fighting, and it is not his character to wait and wait.

"Is Wu Shan's cavalry coming?"

Without saying his decision, the old man looked at the chamberlain Li Qian.

"Back to Your Majesty, I received a report yesterday, I am 400 miles away, and I expect to be able to arrive tomorrow."

The old man nodded, muttered for a moment, and slapped the table.

"With the war horses of Wushan, you can organize more than 20,000 cavalry, plus our army, Mahamu's 30,000 cavalry is just a local chicken and a dog."

"I have decided that after the Wushan cavalry arrives, I will select cavalry personnel, form a team for three days, and immediately march towards Hulan and fight a decisive battle!"

(End of chapter)