"Fixed-shot loading, direction Kördon City, four hundred and thirty paces away from one mile, self-adjusting angle, ready ...... Put! ”

"Boom, boom—"

On the 30th day of May of the 8th year of Yongle, the Ming army stationed at the port of Kurumus took the lead in launching a full-scale attack before Haril issued the military order.

In this battle, Chen Xuan led 13,000 naval soldiers, 200 artillery pieces, and 600 cavalry to attack Kirden and Shiraz.

In addition, Zheng He, as the chief envoy of the Western Fleet, also led 5,000 naval soldiers and 50 treasure ships to attack Timur's Abadan and Basra in the Persian Gulf region.

Chen Xuan's son, Chen Zuo, led an army of 2,000 troops to camp in Khurumus, and at the same time sent an advance team of 2,000 men, 30 warships, and 50 horse ships to Oman, Zufar, Rasa, and Adan in the south to prepare for the fleet to continue to sail to the Western Ocean.

Relying on the thousands of horses and hundreds of camels captured at Kurumus, the Ming army moved very quickly.

On the second day of June, Zheng He led his fleet into the Shatt al-Arab and shelled the two cities of Abadan and Basra, destroying the rudimentary fortifications on the piers of the two cities in the first round of fire.

Taking advantage of the panic of Timur's army, the sand ship successfully sent 4,000 soldiers to the dock, seized control of the two city ports, and then launched an attack on the city.

When the news spread, the generals of the two cities began to organize army resistance, but after entering the street battle, the Ming army with 4,000 men spent three days driving tens of thousands of Timurid troops out of the two cities.

By this time, news of the Ming army's attack on Basra had spread, which made Ursa mistakenly believe that the main direction of the Ming army's attack was the vast region of West Persia.

However, when the news of the fighting in the south came, he realized that the Ming army had captured Kakhnuj and other small cities with a population of less than 10,000 people, and the troops stopped Kirden.

In the north, troops from Isfahan, Yazd and other places are rushing to the aid of Kölden.

While waiting for them to go south, Ursa learned of the fall of Shiraz, and Milan in Azerbaijan died in the battle against the Black Sheep Empire before they could even hear from Ursa.

For a time, the entire Persian region was in danger, and Ursa did not receive news from Khalil, because before Khalil's message arrived, Kirden encountered fierce artillery fire from the Ming army.

By the time Ursa received news from Haril, the local Timurid army stationed in Kerden had lost more than 1,000 men, while the Ming army outside the city had 8,000 men.

Even though he still had more than 17,000 people in his hands, Ursa did not dare to go out of the city to fight the Ming army in the field, and his cowardice was also spread to the ears of Shaharu in Herat.

"Your army is indeed fierce, but are you sure you will give this place to me? What's in it for you? ”

In the palatial palace, Shaharu held the situation of the war in the Persian region in his hands, with a playful smile on his face, and standing in front of him was Liu Mian, the commander-in-chief of the flag who remained in Herat.

In the face of Shaharu's inquiry, Liu Mian, who had already received news of Hu Ji from the carrier pigeon, also said steadily:

"I, the Ming Dynasty, will never encroach on the land of other countries, and the reason why I sent troops to take so much territory is just to make the Sultan submit, apologize to the imperial court and continue to be a vassal."

"However, the Sultan does not think that there is anything wrong with the first Sultan, and he is not ready to apologize to our court."

"In that case, then we have no choice but to support you to ascend to the throne, after all, in the eyes of my Celestial Empire, there is no doubt that you are more benevolent and more suitable to become the lord of the country of Timur."

After Liu Mian finished saying his thoughts, Shaharu was silent for a moment before he said: "Even if I come to power, I may not be able to guarantee that I will be a vassal to the Ming Dynasty." ”

"It's best if there is, and it's okay if it doesn't." Liu Mian seemed to have anticipated Shaharu's thoughts, and he continued:

"Even if you don't, as long as you can govern the country well, stop at Atami (Lake Issyk-Kul), and give us the port of Khurumus and the four islands on the sea as a supply point to the West, it will be enough for us to hand over the vast Persian territory that we will take over in the future."

"But I need to warn you that our army is not without any benefits, and the riches of these cities will be taken away."

"Of course, the city, the fields, and the population will not be affected too much, after all, our army never burns the city and slaughters the people."

After Liu Mian said everything, he looked at Shaharu with burning eyes, Shaharu got up and walked, and then looked at Liu Mian with his hands behind his back:

"I hope you can do everything you just said, and then I will meet your needs, but before I can do that, I need to know, how am I going to sit on the throne of the Sultan?"

Faced with Shahru's question, Liu Mian chuckled: "I heard that Haril is gathering troops, which may be the biggest mistake he has made. ”

"You can march into the river in the name of avenging your nephew Ma Hema and seize the throne of the Sultan."

"Now the number of troops in Khalil's hands is only 60,000, and he has not yet recovered the 40,000 troops in the Maheima area."

"With your 30,000 troops in Khorasan, as long as you lead an army to attack, it will give the illusion that the Timurid state is about to collapse."

"As long as there is a problem with the generals under Haril, you can take the opportunity to win over some of the old troops loyal to Maheima, and launch an attack on Samarkand."

"With your talents, you shouldn't be afraid of their bunch."

"Of course!" Shaharu replied confidently, but he was still worried that Liu Mian would break the contract: "What if I succeed in raising an army, but you are unwilling to return the land in Persia?" ”

"Please trust me, you can't take me with you at any time." Liu Mian saluted, and Shaharu also walked down the steps when he saw this, helped Liu Mian up, and patted him on the shoulder.

"I believe in you." With that, Shaharu looked around the corner, where several generals stood.

Facing them, Shaharu narrowed his eyes: "Straighten out the army, I will tell everyone in the river that Ma Heima's uncle will avenge him, and I will teach this disobedient nephew a good lesson!" ”

On the 10th of June, with the opening of Shahru, the army in the Khorasan region began to assemble, and on the 15th of June began its march to Samarkand in the north.

Shahru's sudden rebellion caught Khalil, who was gathering a large army in Samarkand, off guard.

For a time, the entire Hanzhong region and the Khorasan region were in chaos, and the Black Sheep Dynasty in West Persia and the Ming army in East Persia were even more vigorous.

At first glance, those who don't know thought that the Timurid Empire was about to fall.

Because of this, Kara Uthman, the governor of Diyarbakir, also began a subtle expansion into Baghdad to the south.

The Mamluks, who were still waiting, also made great moves to join the war, and the governors of the entire Timurid Empire in various regions of the country had evil intentions.

At the beginning of July, Kelden was captured by Chen Xuan, and Ursa fled to Isfahan with hundreds of cavalry, so that the southern part of Timur was not taken by the Ming army, except for the Mukran and Balochistan regions, and the rest of the coastal cities were taken by the Ming army.

In doing so, Zheng He also issued a military order to stop the march, because he got a terrible piece of news.

"Khalil was detained by his generals."

In the prosperous Governor's Mansion of Abadan City, Zheng He was in a trance with the letter in his hand.

Even he could not believe that the Timurid Empire's rule over the Transoconies and Persians was so weak.

"When the news spread, many of the generals in the river who supported Khalil turned to Shahru, and he also seized the opportunity to appease many of the wallgrass and prepare to suppress the rebels."

"I estimate that in half a year at most, Shaharu will be able to destroy these feudal towns and reunify the Timurid kingdom."

"His Highness meant earlier that it would be better to bring about the unification of Shahru, and his ascension will be of great help to us."

A thousand-household official standing in front of Zheng He spoke calmly, and Zheng He also nodded when he heard this.

can talk to Zheng He like this as a thousand-household official, this person is obviously not an ordinary person, in the entire fleet, only the thousand-household official of the West Factory can have such an identity.

"Xu Gong, you write a letter to me and send it back to Nanjing, and tell His Highness about Timur's domestic situation."

Zheng He called out the person's name, and the person also responded when he heard the words, turned around and left in a hurry.

After he left, Zheng He said to a corridor in the Governor's Palace: "Come out." ”

As soon as he said this, footsteps sounded from the corridor, and a fourth-rank military attache who looked like a man with colored eyes walked out.

"You tell Ji Gang about the matter here, and let Ji Gang tell Your Majesty."

Zheng He commanded this man, and it was obvious that he was related to Jinyiwei, but this was not surprising.

Zheng He himself was the intermediary between the East Palace and the Wuying Palace, although he had repeatedly gone to the West and had not lived in the inner court for many years, Zhu Di and Zhu Gaoxu trusted him very much.

This trust also means that he bears the pressure to ease the relationship between father and son.

The military attache returned the salute, and then turned and left like Xu Gong.

After they all left, Zheng He exhaled a breath of turbid air and rubbed his swollen temples.

"I said that I would go to the West, how do I feel that I have become a general of the West......

His tone was quite self-deprecating, but he could hear a full sense of pride, which was very complicated.

Perhaps he never thought that he would be able to lead an army of 20,000 to the sea frontier tens of thousands of miles away from the Ming Dynasty to strike at a huge empire that had clamored for the eastward expedition against the Ming Dynasty.

Compared with his complexity, Chen Xuan is much simpler.

"Hahaha! Move it to Lao Tzu! All evacuated! ”

"Except for some food left, continue to ensure that the people are reclaimed in the local area to supply the army, and the rest will be moved by Lao Tzu!"

In the city of Kirden, Chen Xuan stood on the street riding a tall Persian horse, laughing wildly.

It's just that if you are someone else, I'm afraid you won't just laugh rampantly at this moment, because there are too many things in front of you.

Although the city of Kirden was small, it stored most of the supplies that Ursa had mobilized.

The grain alone was no less than 150,000 stones, and the gold and silver coins were counted in hundreds of boxes, and the horses and camels numbered in thousands.

It can be said that the harvest of this battle alone is enough to offset the expenses of the Ming army in the past few months.

"The last time we destroyed the country of Ceylon, we only seized nearly 500,000 pieces worth of things, which is far less than this time."

"Gold and silver coins alone are estimated to be worth no less than 300,000 yuan."

"If nothing else, this should be the pay of the army in Shiraz and Kirden."

Standing beside Chen Xuan, several commanders smiled and communicated, obviously very happy.

The actions of the Ming army overseas were the same as those at home, fifty percent were handed over, and fifty percent were distributed by the generals, of which one percent was the commander, one percent was the generals, and three percent were the grassroots soldiers.

All the captures were divided equally according to the regional campaign concentration, that is, the captures here were divided equally among the more than 20,000 Ming troops.

In the same way, the seizures of other Ming armies in other places should also be shared equally with everyone.

The seizures obtained from the army are better said, and the main ones have to be the seizures of the nobles and the wealthy.

Although the Ming army forbade the robbery of people's daughters, the slaughter of cities, arson and other things overseas, it did not prohibit looting, but replaced looting with a nice phrase called "confiscation of illegal gains".

As for the civilians, how much money are the civilians?

"Master Hou!"

The sound of horses' hooves and calls sounded, and everyone heard the sound and looked, and sure enough, they saw a thousand-household official riding a horse.

"How's it going, how many things have been confiscated?"

Chen Xuan rubbed his hands, and the thousands of household officials also grinned: "At least 500,000 yuan!" ”

"Good!" Hearing this, Chen Xuan couldn't help but smile and said, "This small place is so rich, Zheng Zheng estimates that they can get more." ”

The commander next to "Master Hou......" approached and said, "Zheng Zheng is not here, do you want to let the brothers relax and relax......

"Fuck off!" Chen Xuan changed his face and scolded: "Do you think Zheng Zheng is pedantic? ”

"I might as well tell you that there are Jinyi guards and spies from the West Factory in the army, if you can't control your belt, then be ready to go back and not be promoted."

"It's... Not really. Several commanders looked at each other, and they really didn't think it was a big deal to find some women, especially outside the tens of thousands of miles of sea borders.

"Anyway, I'm here to say it, if you want to be cool, go to the orchid and the dancing girl, don't give Lao Tzu a title that is not strictly restricted."

Chen Xuan snorted coldly, then turned his horse's head, and prepared to return to the Governor's Mansion of Ursa, and now the temporary Pingjiang Marquis Mansion rested.

He naturally also knows that leading the troops is outside, and it is not a big deal to find a few women to be comfortable, but the problem is that the four major cases of Hongwu are still vivid, and no one knows whether these things will become the handle to kill him in the future after they are recorded by Xichang and Jinyiwei.

Chen Xuan was very cautious, and it was precisely because of caution that he was able to get the command of the Western Fleet this time.

He knew very well that he was not unique.

Even if there is no Yang Yu and Yang Zhan, there are Yang Wen, Cui Jun, Zheng Jun, Zheng He and others.

He knows very well how many powerful and background people are behind him, so he thinks about taking advantage of this trip, because he knows that after returning this time, it may not be him next time.

Even if there is him, he will exist as a deputy at most, and it is impossible to have the opportunity to control the fleet.

In the final analysis, there are still talents in the country, and he is already too old to be among the admirals at this age.

"People are self-aware, and it seems that Chen Xuan at least knows this truth."

In the courtyard of an alley in the city of Kirden, after hearing from his subordinates what the Ming army had done in the city, Hu Ji, who was sitting cross-legged on the silk carpet, picked up the wine and took a sip, his face was very satisfied.

After the city of Kirden was breached, Huji found an opportunity to break away from Ursa's fleeing party.

As far as he is concerned, what he has to do is over, and judging from the intelligence from the north, Shahru will be able to sit on the throne of the Sultan in half a year at most, and then the chaotic situation in Timur's country will be stabilized.

"After this time, you will be able to ascend to the top."

A small flag officer beside Hu Ji complimented, but Hu Ji raised the corners of his mouth: "According to my father's news, once Shaharu succeeds in ascending to the throne, the hundred households in the river will be promoted to the thousands, and I will be given the position of commander of the guard, specializing in the intelligence of the river and Persia." ”

"As for your ......" Hu Ji glanced at the other five people in the room, the five of them stood up straight nervously, and he smiled: "All of them will be promoted to the second level." ”

After receiving an affirmative answer, the five of them immediately relaxed, and smiles spread across their faces.

Most of the people who worked in Xichang and Jinyiwei were not short of money, because Zhu Gaoxu had mentioned a salary for Xichang and Jinyiwei as early as the 33rd year of Hongwu and the 5th year of Yongle.

The lowest factory guard is called Lux every year, followed by 40 small flag officials, 60 general flag officials, 100 household officials, 200 deputy thousand households, 300 thousand households, 500 Wei commanders, 800 Wei commanders, and 1,000 Wei commanders.

All the commanders, the commanders, and the envoys received 1,500 yuan, 2,000 yuan, and 3,000 guan respectively.

At present, there are 17 thousand households in Jinyiwei, with a total of more than 17,600 people, and more than 8,000 people in Xichang, which add up to nearly 26,000 people.

The maintenance of these two yamen requires an annual expenditure of millions of yuan, and even more when you count the activity expenses.

But even so, compared to their expenses, their existence can make Zhu Di and Zhu Gaoxu gain more.

"Tell Your Highness and Your Majesty about this matter."

Hu Ji put down the wine glass in his hand, and the five people in front of him also bowed their heads.

As the five nodded, the news from the river also sprung up to Da Gura.

When Zhu Di and Zhu Gaoxu, who were in Nanjing, learned the news, it was already the Mid-Autumn Festival on August 15.

As one of the three major festivals of the Ming people, the Mid-Autumn Festival should be a day to climb high and look at the moon, enjoy food and reunion, but it looks very different in the Forbidden City.

Inside and outside the Qianqing Palace, the medical officers who came and went in a hurry were destined to be a night that could not be sleeped.

Since the early morning, Queen Xu's pus and blood have been flowing unstoppably.

For a time, all the doctors and imperial doctors who were proficient in gynecology in the entire Nanjing city came to the Qianqing Palace to treat her.

"Your Majesty, the pus and bleeding have stopped, but Niangniang's condition ......"

Outside the Qianqing Palace, a forty-year-old doctor wanted to speak and stopped, while Zhu Di, Zhu Gaoxu, Zhu Gaochi and others in front of him changed their complexion when they heard the words.

"Say whatever you want, we can hold it."

Standing in front of several children, Zhu Di rarely showed his calm side as a father.

"I'm afraid, it's hard to get through this year."

The imperial doctor of Tai Hospital lowered his head and told Zhu Di and others about the diagnosis of dozens of gynecologists.

Just in the blink of an eye, everyone felt like falling into an ice cave, and they couldn't speak.

"I see, you stand down."

Zhu Di was silent for a long time before speaking, and the imperial doctor also left with many doctors when he saw this.

After they left, Zhu Gaochi, Zhang, Guo Yan, Zhu Yuying and others bowed their heads and wept.

Zhu Gaoxu was irritable in his heart, and Zhu Gaosui ran directly into the Qianqing Palace.

Seeing him running into the hall, everyone walked in one after another, only Zhu Di and Zhu Gaoxu did not enter.

The father and son stood silently in place, and after half a sound, Zhu Di said in a hoarse voice: "Second ......"

"I know it's a little unfair to you, but I'll leave the affairs of the outer court to you during this time, and your mother can't do without me."

Zhu Di's words carried a little guilt, this was the helplessness of being an emperor.

At this moment, in his place, Empress Xu is far more important than the government officials, and Zhu Gaoxu is weighing the pros and cons.

Perhaps only when facing the imminent death of a loved one, he would show such a demeanor.

He wanted to take care of the government, but he didn't want to miss the last few months of Empress Xu.

Zhu Di didn't say anything more, and walked straight into the Qianqing Palace, leaving Zhu Gaoxu alone to stand in place and entangle.

"Your Highness......"

Soon after Zhu Di left, Yishiha found Zhu Gaochu with a few urgent notes, but Zhu Gaochu was very impatient.

He forcibly opened the recital calmly, and after seeing the recital about Hezhong, Guizhou, Persia and other places, he said irritably: "You can ...... these things if you look at them."

Before he finished speaking, he reacted, sat on the steps outside the Qianqing Palace with a strong temper, and tried his best to calm himself down and handle government affairs.

It's just that the trembling hands betrayed his mood, and Yizha looked at this scene, and then looked at the situation in the hall, and probably understood everything.

"Do you want to stay in the middle and deal with it tomorrow?"

"No!"

Yisha asked cautiously, but in exchange for Zhu Gaoxu's retort with a bit of temper.

Seeing this, he didn't say much, but waited for Zhu Gaoxu to finish reading all the recitals and close them, close his eyes and cover his forehead with his hands, and lowered his head.

At this moment, he is not back to his usual self-confidence and pride, but a little decadent.

"Things continue in the river and in Persia, it's been two months since this news was delivered, and if we send it back, it will be a month and a half at the earliest."

"Tell Zheng He that it is enough to loot all the goods and livestock that have plundered the city."

"If Shahru can sit on the throne, then give him Basra, Abadan, Kirden and other regions, but only if he pays tribute to the Ming Dynasty."

"In addition, the port of Kurumus does not have to be controlled alone, it can be controlled together with Shaharu, and the tax revenue is divided fifty-fifty."

"After Timur's affairs were settled, let him continue to sail to the Western Ocean, although he sent an advance team to the two new continents of Dongzhou and Beizhou, and then the fleet returned."

After Zhu Gaoxu said all this, he also bowed his head and said: "Give up so much territory, I'm afraid there will be a lot of criticism in the temple." ”

"If they like to talk, let them go!" Zhu Gaoxu's voice couldn't help but raise a few points:

"Tell Hu Lun, Ji Gang, and Chen Ying that if they can't even control public opinion above the temple, then where can their role be reflected!"

(End of chapter)