"Put!"

"Boom, boom—"

In mid-May, with the ferocious sound of artillery reverberating through the dry Persian region, a cavalry attempting to charge was almost instantly demoralized.

Thousands of cavalry advanced more than 100 paces under artillery bombardment and then had no choice but to retreat again, and the target of their attack was the port of Kurumus, which had been taken away for more than two months.

As they were defeated, Ursa, who was sitting in the rear, broke the pottery cup in his hand in frustration.

"How come they have so many artillery!"

Ursa scolded angrily, and the reason why he dared to attack the Ming army was mainly because Haril sent him a military order.

After Mamahi's death, Ursa undoubtedly turned to the sole sultan of Khalil, and Khalil sent 5,000 cavalry to his aid.

However, in the face of the charge of 5,000 cavalry, the Ming army seemed to have deployed artillery on the entire port of Kurumus, and no matter what direction Ursa attacked, the Ming army could use artillery to shell the cavalry trying to attack.

The power of the artillery of the Ming army was much greater than that of the artillery of the Timurid Empire.

In order to evade the artillery of the Ming army, they could only reorganize their army three miles away, and once they entered the range of two miles, they would be subjected to artillery bombardment.

"Damn it! Damn it! ”

Standing in the camp, Ursa looked out at the port of Khurumus, impotent and furious.

At the same time as he was furious, a group of soldiers came behind him, and among them there were several men in long robes.

"Governor, these are a few Chinese who came from Herat, who claimed to be under the command of Governor Shaharu, and came to relieve the siege for us."

"Chinese?" Ursa looked back with an angry look, and the men who were being overseen lifted their hats to reveal their full face.

"I am a Chinese under Governor Shaharu, but I am from Daming."

The dusty Hu Ji introduced himself to Ursa, but Ursa ignored Hu Ji's greeting because he was deflated by Zheng He and Chen Xuan, and sat on the chair next to him: "Tell me what you can help me?" ”

"I can help you reclaim the port of Kurumus."

Although ignored, Hu Ji did not show any dissatisfaction, but chuckled and spoke.

"Hahaha-"

Hearing his words, Ursa and the generals around him burst into laughter, and Ursa burst into tears: "You should have seen my army. ”

"We have 15,000 people here, but even so, we still can't take down the Ming army, and we even need to guard against their counterattack at all times."

"Tell me, please, how do you make me believe these words you say?"

"It never hurts to try." Hu Ji still had a smile on his face, and at the same time broke the news: "I have met Chen Zuo, the son of Chen Xuan of the Ming Army, once, although I was only a humble merchant at that time, I believe that I can communicate with them as a common man of the Ming Dynasty." ”

"It's just that if you communicate, you don't need it, we've already communicated." Ursa's gaze went from surprise to surprise to calm, obviously not thinking that that side of the relationship could bring him anything.

"You just need to tell me what you need, and if it works, I'll figure it out." Hu Ji continued to speak, and his confidence made Ursagao glance at him.

After thinking about it, Ursa didn't feel that he would lose anything, so he spoke:

"If you can get them to retreat, then I will personally describe your exploits to the noble Sultan."

"But before I do that, I need to tell you that their demands are for us to cede the islands in the sea and for the noble Sultan to apologize and compensate them for their losses."

"Except for the first one, I can agree to these conditions, and the other two will not be agreed to by the noble Sultan."

Ursa gave his bottom line, and Hu Ji replied after hearing it: "I know, you can wait for my news." ”

"Even if I can't convince them, I can bring you useful news."

"Okay, I'm looking forward to your performance." Ursa picked up a new clay cup and poured herself a glass of wine.

He ignored Hu Ji, who was not angry, but bowed and left the place, and under the gaze of everyone, he walked towards Kurumus with the few people he had brought with him.

But in the same way, they brought a spear and hung the red sun flag of the Ming Dynasty representing the sun, and the white full moon flag representing the moon.

There is no fixed national flag in the Central Plains Dynasty, and the flags of all dynasties are complex and varied, and the same is true for the Ming Dynasty.

For the common people, all they can use is the red sun flag with a white background, and the imperial court can use the dragon flag and the red sun flag with fonts, as for the sun and moon flags, they are one of the flags of honor.

The complexity of the Ming Dynasty is that even the officials of the Ministry of Rites need to look through the books, let alone in this Persian region.

Therefore, when Hu Ji and the others showed the sun and moon flags, the position of the Hulu Musi Ming army did not launch an artillery bombardment, but waited for them to slowly approach, and then sent more than ten cavalry to respond.

"Who are you, how dare you take the banner of the imperial court?!"

Seeing the faces of Hu Ji and the others from afar, Tang Qi, who came to inspect, also scolded him in official language.

Seeing this, Hu Ji said: "Hu Ji, the official of the 100 households in the Xichang stationed in Hezhong, has an important matter to ask to see Zheng Zheng and Pingjiang Hou. ”

"West Factory?!" The Tang riders were surprised to rein in their horses, and Hu Ji also took out his waist card after making a move.

After the inspection, Tang Qi turned over and dismounted: "Wang Chong, the little flag official, I have seen a hundred household officials, please get on the horse." ”

"Thank you!" Hu Ji was not polite, because he knew that Ursa and they were all watching this side, and his actions of being able to get on the horse would undoubtedly make them clear about their weight.

He was not worried about what Ursa would do to him, because he was a man of Shahru, and even though Shaharu seemed unfavored during Timur's lifetime, he was the lord of Khorasan after all.

If you offend Shaharu, Ursa should not expect anyone to save him.

Because of this, he rode calmly into the port of Khurumus in full view of everyone.

Due to the distance, Ursa and they only saw the scene of Hu Ji riding a horse, and then they could not see it again.

However, after Hu Ji entered the port of Kurumus, he immediately felt that the surroundings were cordial.

Thousands of Ming people moved around Kurumus, especially the armoured Ming army.

They didn't even go far into the harbor before they were led to a villa on the edge.

"Pingjiang Hou and Zheng Zhengzhi are inside, and the officials of the hundred households are invited."

Several pond riders waved at the crowd and then left.

Seeing this, Hu Ji dismounted, inspected the door and walked into the villa, where he met Zheng He and a forty-year general in the bungalow of the main house.

Seeing Hu Ji walking into the house, Zheng He smiled and said: "I'll just say, how can there be a coincidental person with the same name as the same from Xichang, it turns out that it is really you." ”

"Hu Ji, the official of one hundred households, has seen Zheng Zheng, Pingjiang Hou." Hu Ji saluted with a smile, and Zheng He also introduced to Chen Xuan: "This is the son of Muyang Bo Hu Lun. ”

"It turned out to be the son of Mu Yangbo." Chen Xuan was puzzled, he was still wondering why Zheng He was so enthusiastic, but now it seems strange that he is not enthusiastic.

Hu Lun and Ji Gang, one of these two masters the West Factory, and the other masters Jinyiwei.

Jinyi Wei has a large number of people, mainly responsible for inspecting the hundred officials and the two capitals and fourteen political envoys, followed by the capital department, and then foreign intelligence.

In contrast, the West Factory is mainly responsible for foreign intelligence, followed by the intelligence of the political envoys and capital departments in the Ming Dynasty, and finally the hundred officials.

Although the West Factory seems to have the least restrictions on the domestic civil and military officials, it is the closest to the East Palace, and what the East Palace represents in the Ming Dynasty is self-evident.

If it wasn't for the East Palace, most of the generals who participated in the Jingjing Disaster during the Jianwen period would have been detained at home, even if they were not convicted.

However, it is precisely because of the opening of the East Palace that this group of Jingnan generals is still active in the northwest and southwest of the Ming Dynasty, not only their lives can be saved, but the power is also firmly in their hands.

Don't look at the group of people like Ping An and Xu Kai, they often can't get their names on the song, but their days in the northwest and southwest can be very nourishing.

Sometimes, Chen Xuan can only sigh that his old colleague Yang Li reminded him early, otherwise how could he have the opportunity to lead the fleet to the Western Ocean now.

Therefore, for Hu Ji, Chen Xuan also showed a bit of eagerness, and after Hu Ji's politeness, he explained Ursa's bottom line straight to the point, and brought Zheng He and them news from the north.

"Mamahi to the north had been assassinated last year, and now Khalil is the ruler of the country of Timur."

"However, although Khalil became the lord of the Timurid country, the generals who once supported him did not want another Timur to appear in the Timurid country, but wanted to make Khalil a puppet."

"It's just that Khalil's means are not bad, so they are now in a stalemate in Samarkand."

"I estimate that in less than two years, a civil war will break out in Samarkand, and Shahru, who is supported by the imperial court, will have a chance to ascend to the throne of Timur."

"It took me two years to get to know Shahru, and if he came to power, there would be no doubt that the Timurid state would begin to rule inward, not outward."

"Once he begins to govern the country, the Ming Dynasty, whether by sea or land, will be the economic helper of the Timurid State."

"Therefore, once he ascends to the throne, the court will only have advantages, not disadvantages."

Hu Ji explained everything he knew, but Chen Xuan frowned when he heard this: "How can there be no drawbacks?" ”

"If he governs the Timurid country well and allows the Timurid country to exist for a long time, then the imperial court will undoubtedly have one more great enemy in the west."

"Pingjianghou is right, but he ignores the issue of religion." Hu Ji shook his head and interrupted Chen Xuan, and said to Chen Xuan:

"Shahru embraced Islam in Semu, which is different from the Kipchaks in the north, the Warats and Tatars in the north."

"In Islam, the Kipchaks, Warats, and Tatars are all pagans, and religious issues are enough to contradict both sides."

"Even if the Timurid State can maintain peace and stability for a long time, then the direction of their attack cannot be the imperial court, the most likely is the rich Tianzhu, followed by the Western Regions."

"Of course, judging from the arrangement of the imperial court, maybe we will also enter the Western Regions, and Shaharu will naturally not fight with the imperial court when he learns that the imperial court is strong, but will go to Tianzhu to annex the countries in the northeast of Tianzhu, or the West Persian region that is in rebellion."

"In the end, the problems within Timur are very serious, and without Shahru, I doubt that the country will fall apart, because I have not found a single great talent among Shahru's current sons."

Hu Ji has been paying attention to the Shaharu family for the past two years, and he is very familiar with the situation of their family.

Looking at Hu Ji's confident analysis, Chen Xuan touched his short beard: "If that's the case, then what do you think we should do now?" ”

"If the court insists on an apology from Haril, I think the two of you can directly send troops to capture Timur's coastal areas." Hu Ji said firmly:

"The number of local troops stationed in these places by the Timurid State is only fifty or sixty thousand, and with the strength of the imperial court, it is completely possible to take the Persian Gulf region subordinate to the Timurid State."

"If Khalil is still unwilling to give in, then the imperial court can take Kirden and Shiraz, and it will be more difficult to go inland to Isfahan, but it is not impossible."

As soon as Hu Ji's words were spoken, Chen Xuan's eyes lit up, and he looked at Zheng He with burning eyes.

He had long wanted to send troops to attack the city and plunder the land, after all, that was a real feat, and with these feats in hand, even if he couldn't win the duke, he could become the top among the marquis with this feat.

"If we want to fight, I can guarantee that with the 20,000 soldiers and horses in our hands, we will fight against the 100,000 army of Timur."

Chen Xuan gave Zheng He a guarantee, but this was not blind confidence, because he had already figured out the strength of the local army of Timur in the past two months.

In Chen Xuan's view, the duel between Yousuf, the lord of the Black Sheep Kingdom, and Milan, the governor of Timur Azerbaijan, is completely like rookies pecking each other.

As long as he led his troops to attack, as long as there were enough people to support logistics, he could completely reach Isfahan and occupy one-third of Persia.

Because of this, now he hopes that Zheng He will nod.

Under his gaze, Zheng He thought for a moment before he spoke: "It's easy to fight, but how to keep it?" Or to whom? ”

"The military order given to us by the imperial court, after all, is to focus on the Western Ocean, and the second is to force Timur to apologize to the imperial court."

"You can give it to Shaharu." Hu Ji spoke: "If we say that Shaharu will return the territory he has conquered to them after taking the throne, then Shaharu must be willing to hand over the port of Khurumus and several islands in the strait to the imperial court, and will also be willing to establish trade with the imperial court and submit to the imperial court." ”

"After all, many nobles in Timur's country were very dissatisfied with the current policy, and although they had money, they had no means of spending it."

"The porcelain, silk, and tea of the imperial court can take advantage of this opportunity to enter the eyes of the nobles in their country, and exchange for gold and silver of sufficient value to be transported back to the Ming Dynasty."

Hu Ji said this, but Zheng He frowned and said, "You can send troops first, but I still need to ask His Highness for the ownership of this place." ”

"How long will it take?" Hu Ji asked, but Chen Xuan on the side said:

"From here, take a boat to the Dagula Propaganda Division, and then take the overland fast horse to deliver the letter to Nanjing, which is almost two months."

"Counting the time for the carrier pigeons to fly back to Dagura, and then send back from Dagura, it is basically about three and a half months."

"Three and a half months, that's almost enough time for me to lay this place."

Chen Xuan's words meant to send troops, and Zheng He also nodded after hearing this: "I don't care about things on land, but things like slaughtering cities and killing prisoners are not allowed." ”

Zheng He was still somewhat conservative, after all, what they needed was a Timurid state that relied on the Ming Dynasty, not a mortal enemy.

"Don't worry!" Seeing Zheng He's agreement, Chen Xuan nodded hurriedly, and Hu Ji also spoke:

"How many days will the troops be dispatched? I'll bring the news to Ursa then and let them trust me and see if Khalil will back down. ”

"If he can make concessions, it will naturally be the best, and if he can't make concessions, it will have no impact on the imperial court, and it is better for them to gather troops in South Persia and decide in a battle than for us to search around."

What Hu Ji said is reasonable, although in the eyes of people who don't know the soldiers, this is a bit of a betrayal of intelligence, but for the Ming army, since the military reform, they have not lost to the enemy with the same strength.

The enemy gathered his forces so that they would not search for them.

"Ten days later!" Zheng He spoke: "If Haril is not willing to apologize to the court after ten days, then the court will send troops to occupy the Persian region. ”

"He can not believe it, but the imperial court must have this strength!"

Zheng He's words were full of heroism, and Hu Ji solemnly said after hearing it: "Since this is the case, then I will report the news back." ”

"I estimate that Timur should have no less than 100,000 troops in the whole Persian region, but 30,000 of them fought against the Black Sheep Empire in Azerbaijan, 15,000 in the north of the city, and about 50,000 troops in other places."

Hu Ji gave a general description of Timur's strength in the Persian region, and then withdrew from the courtyard.

After he left, Hurmus began to get busy.

The fleet had been docked at Khurumus for more than two months, and although the capture of Kulmus had led them to capture 200,000 yuan worth of supplies, the money was not enough to cover the fleet's cost of two months.

Only by attacking cities and plundering land and nourishing the war with war can the fleet achieve remarkable results in going to the Western Ocean this time.

Because of this, the entire fleet was eager to attack, not to defend Kurumus.

Now that the military order has been obtained, everyone is in high spirits and has begun to reorganize the army.

Ursa did not know about them, and could only learn about the situation of Khurumus through the returning Huji.

Compared with the snub when he set off, Hu Ji, who returned, was personally received by Ursa when he walked out of the camp, and after taking him to the camp, he set up a banquet.

"Is Da Ming willing to accept our terms?" Ursa sat in the main seat and asked nervously.

Hu Ji shook his head: "They are unwilling, and I see their posture, it seems that they are preparing to attack." ”

"Their army numbered about 20,000 men, mostly infantry, with only a small number of cavalry."

"I suggest that the Governor send a message to the Sultan now, and ask the whole of Persia to cooperate with you in the defense, otherwise it will be difficult to resist with the number of troops you have at hand."

Hu Ji's words made Ursa first disappointed, then frightened.

The reason why he dared to camp with 15,000 people so close to the Ming army was because he saw that the Ming army had no intention of attacking.

Now after Hu Ji said this, he was eager to immediately order the whole army to retreat to Kirden.

"Did you see them put things in order?" Ursa, for the sake of safety, asked questions about the logistics of the Ming army.

"See." Hu Ji nodded and added: "If nothing else, they will attack in half a month at most, maybe faster." ”

"Half a month......" Ursa breathed a sigh of relief, came back to his senses and clapped his hands.

At his clapping motion, a guard walked up with a small box and opened it.

The box contained a splendid amount of silver coins, and at a glance there were probably no less than a thousand.

"This is your gift for us to find out the news, please accept it." Ursa motioned for Hu Ji to accept it, and continued:

"If you can, I want you to remain in my army until our war with the Ming is over."

"Of course!" Hu Ji would not let go of this opportunity, and motioned to the person next to him to step forward and take the small box full of silver coins.

Seeing Hu Ji take it, Ursa breathed a sigh of relief and asked, "In your opinion, should we retreat now?" ”

"No, that would make it look like we already knew what they were doing." Hu Ji shook his head and said:

"We can stay here for five more days, and then retreat after five days."

"Good!" Ursa nodded, then raised his wine glass and exchanged glasses with Hu Jituan.

While they were changing their cups, the cavalry that served as messengers was also sent by Ursa.

Five days later, before dawn, Ursa announced that he would withdraw to Kirdun, 400 miles to the north, and sent orders to Kirden, Shiraz, and Gwadar to strengthen the city defenses, and at the same time sent a letter to the West Persian region to warn Milan Shah, who was fighting in Azerbaijan.

For a time, the entire South Persian region changed its offensive and defensive shapes, and the armies of the various cities began to fall into a defensive posture.

Under Hu Ji's "advice", Ursa adopted the means of fortifying the walls and clearing the wilderness, concentrating the population and materials of all the towns and villages in the city.

Even though he was worried that the walls of southern Persia would not be able to withstand the Ming artillery, this seemed to be the only thing he could do.

"Idiot!!"

Fifteen days later, when the Ming army began to attack, Khalil, who was in Samarkand, received news from Ursa.

In his opinion, Ursa's methods of clearing the wilderness are simply stupid.

If the city can't be defended, then most of the local materials will undoubtedly be obtained by the Ming army, and the Ming army can continue to fight with war.

"Send me a message to Ursa at once, and ask him to relocate and transport all the small towns south of Kirden to Kirden."

At this moment, Haril did not know that the Ming army had launched an attack, and he was still commanding from a distance of nearly three thousand miles.

Not only that, but after the order was given, he gave an order to the south: "Let Shahru of Herat lead his troops to support Kirden, and let Milan of Azerbaijan assist in the defense of Isfahan." ”

"Gather the army in the middle of the river, I will personally go to Persia to repel this Ming army, and let them know how far they are from the empire!"

After saying everything, Khalil threw the letter in his hand into the fire and burned it, and walked into the dark passage......

(End of chapter)