King Xiang of the Red Chamber

Chapter 387
While the ladies who were running for the title of princess were "furthering their studies," the quarrels between the various chieftains and chieftains who came to Beijing and the various ministries of the imperial court came to an end.

The main content of the dispute is whether to send troops to participate in the northwest war, how many troops each force should send, how much combat materials they need to carry, how to distribute the land for cattle and sheep after victory...

It took more than half a month of back-and-forth discussion on all these matters, but now we have finally basically settled on an agreement.

Of course, this does not mean that there will definitely be a war this year. It depends on how the situation changes, but all ministries must prepare accordingly.

If the Dzungars return from their lost ways and stop expanding their armaments to threaten regional peace and stability, this war will be impossible to fight.

In any case, now that the specific plan has been discussed, it is time for the Khan kings, alliance leaders and chieftains to return.

But before returning, in order to give them confidence that they would win, the emperor planned to show them the military might of the Ming Dynasty, and the time was set for March 25.

In the early morning, when the sun slowly rose, these chieftains of the Khan King entered the palace one after another.

Walking in the palace corridor, looking at the "stiff" movements and solemn looks of the guards changing guard in front of him, Su He felt both amused and in awe.

After last year's military parade, Zhu Jinghong specifically proposed to the emperor that the Imperial City Yi Guards and the Dragon Guards adopt new foot drills so that they would look more majestic.

Zhu Xianming finally agreed to this proposal. As the army on guard, these two yamen already had corresponding foundations, and it was very easy to learn this.

Now they have been trained very neatly, and the patrol changes are very neat and capable. It is normal for Su He to feel awe when he sees them.

When the envoy returned to the alliance on the Holy Birthday Festival last year and explained the military parade to him, he didn't take it seriously. Now that he saw it with his own eyes, he felt that it was unusual.

At this moment, Nuo Min, who was following Su He, also looked forward curiously. Dozens of sergeants were neatly armored and marching forward neatly in a queue.

Seeing the bright armor and thinking of the terrifying armor wearing rate of the Ming army, Su He felt particularly envious.

In this negotiation with the Ming Dynasty, the imperial court promised to give the alliance three thousand sets of cloth armor, which made his position in the alliance even stronger in the future.

"Father, why are there so many sergeants on patrol today?" At this moment, Nuo Min was still dressed in male attire.

"I guess it's time for the changing of the guard. The Ming Palace is heavily guarded and intimidating..."

Nuomin was silent for a few moments, and then asked: "Father, do we really want to go to war with Junggar?"

"I can't do it without fighting!"

"But there is no deep hatred between us and Junggar..."

After hearing his daughter's decision, Su He said bluntly: "This is His Majesty the Emperor's will, we cannot disobey it!"

"The emperor gives random orders, and we have to follow them?"

Even though there were only father and daughter at this moment, even though Nuo Min was speaking in tribal language, these words still made Su He frightened and he looked around with a guilty conscience.

"Nomin, don't talk nonsense!"

"Father, we warriors listen to you, not the emperor. As long as you don't send troops... we can avoid war!"

Hearing these innocent words, Su He couldn't help but smile bitterly.

Although my daughter studied Chinese studies intensively, she knew nothing about the general trend of the world.

It is true that he is the leader of the Mubu Alliance, but he is also the leader of the alliance only after being conferred by the Ming Dynasty. The troops and horses of this alliance are less than a quarter of the entire alliance, and his power is much smaller than those of the Khan Kings.

The alliance leader is elected once every ten years. After the expiration, all departments within the alliance will compete for the alliance leader, and the Ming Emperor's will will make the final decision.

Therefore, as the leader of the alliance, he really did not dare to disobey the emperor. After all, people like Junggar were in the minority.

In fact, now all the tribes and alliances have been tamed by the Ming Dynasty, which means that the khanates are more independent, but they are also controlled by the Ming Dynasty in all aspects.

"You... don't understand anything!" Su He sighed, he didn't want to say any more.

In fact, there is another way to avoid war, that is, Junggar will no longer expand its military and prepare for war, but the possibility of this is still very low.

The father and daughter went all the way north, and finally, like other chieftains of the Khan King, came to wait outside the yamen of the Ministry of Rites. After everyone arrived, they could enter the palace together, and then follow the imperial driver to Shanglin Garden.

When the "observation group" arrived at the Qijin Palace, preparations were also in full swing at Shanglinyuan.

This military parade is different from the last one. It is completely based on actual combat and tests the coordination of light and heavy infantry and artillery. No one can call it a showmanship.

At this moment, on the school grounds, [-] soldiers from the North Fourth Guard were arrayed in the east and west, as if they were going to fight each other.

The Xiaowu Guards on the left and the Yulin Guards on the left and right will show the changes in the military formation in a moment, which is a style of play based on the age of firearms.

Although these tactics were revised by Zhu Jinghong, they were still combined with reality during the training and listened to the suggestions of the generals.

At this moment, accompanied by the guards, Zhu Jinghong rode his horse and shuttled between the military formations. He was doing the final inspection before the display.

Arriving at the command post of the left and right Xiaowuwei, the two commanders and a group of fellow magistrates and officials were all there. When they saw Zhu Jinghong's arrival, they all came over to greet him.

"See Lord Thirteen!"

Jumping off his horse, Zhu Jinghong threw his whip to Lu Yuxin who was following him, then walked among the generals and said: "Get up!"

After everyone stood up, they all lowered their heads slightly, waiting for Zhu Jinghong's instructions.

"There's no need to be so nervous. It's the people of the Yulin Guard who should be nervous. After all, they are playing the role of the new army of the imperial court!"

This time it is a display of tactics, and there must be a comparison between the old and the new. When the lot was drawn, the Habayashi Guards drew the new army, so they were the ones to demonstrate the new tactics.

In other words, Xiaowuwei only needs to perform normally according to his original level.

"But you also remember clearly that you must put as much pressure on the Yulin Guards as possible to squeeze out their potential!"

"Don't be afraid of accidental injury. Their firearms have no projectiles, they just make a sound!"

In fact, the people who influence Xiaowuwei know these situations, and they are all familiar with the "evolution" of the situation. There is really no need for Zhu Jinghong to say more.

But Zhu Jinghong took charge of the "military exercise" with a scale of [-] soldiers for the first time, but he was allowed to save [-].

Of course, his own task is also very heavy, because he will be the military interpreter.

Just as Zhu Jinghong was talking, Hou Jing appeared behind him and reminded: "Thirteenth Master, it's almost time, the Holy Emperor is coming soon!"

"Ok!"

"Without further ado, today is the end of the hard work for the past three months... Please support me!"

After saying these words, Zhu Jinghong rode away and headed towards the hillside not far away.

Pergolas and various ceremonial guards have been set up there, and a large number of soldiers are stationed around the hillside. This is where the imperial commander is stationed.

The terrain on the hillside is higher, allowing you to carefully observe the overall situation. Emperors who performed martial arts in Shanglinyuan have always been here.

When Zhu Jinghong arrived, the imperial chariot had just arrived, and his two brothers were accompanying the emperor.

Present this time were senior officials from the Governor's Office of the Five Armies and the Ministry of War, and of course the guests of the Khans and Alliance Leaders and chieftains.

"Meet Your Majesty!"

In such a formal occasion, Zhu Jinghong showed great sense of proportion and saluted the emperor's father in a very serious manner.

Looking at the two armies already lined up two or three miles ahead, Zhu Xianming on the throne asked: "It's time to start!"

Not only him, but also the civil and military officials at the scene, as well as those from foreign countries, were all looking forward to it.

"Your Majesty, please give the order!" Zhu Jinghong handed over an order flag.

Zhu Xianming waved his hand, indicating that he would give the order.

Although it is just a martial arts performance, the ancients said that "the name and the weapon cannot be faked", especially for the emperor.But at this time, the emperor asked Zhu Jinghong to give the order, which stumped him.

If he comes to give the order, the nature will change. There is no guarantee that his good brother will not be overly concerned and think that he already has a foundation in the army.

But if he refuses at this moment, it will appear that he understands the appropriateness, which does not match his "reckless" persona.

"What are you still doing?" Zhu Xianming looked unhappy.

"My son thinks he heard it wrong. Dad, do you mean... start now?" Zhu Jinghong pretended to be dumbfounded.

"nonsense!"

After losing face, Zhu Jinghong looked at Hou Jing not far away and ordered: "According to the order... the martial arts performance begins!"

Even though the order flag was useless, Zhu Jinghong still issued the order in the name of the emperor and barely passed the first difficulty.

In fact, he was right to worry. When he heard the old man asking him to give the order, even the prince felt mixed emotions. After all, as the prince, he had never been so trusted by his own father.

After Zhu Jinghong passed the message, Hou Jing rushed to the direction of the war drum. He should have used flags to direct them, but now that Zhu Jinghong didn't wave the flag, he had to go in person.

As Hou Jing conveyed the imperial edict, the unique drumbeat was beaten, and the signal for the general's examination was conveyed.

Soon the two armies began to send orders, and the military formations began to move.

With tens of thousands of people mobilizing, they could only see clearly the situation of each phalanx. As the phalanx moved into action, everyone's attention was attracted.

"Everyone, this is my Ming Dynasty's new army, training with new tactics!"

"Every square formation has heavy infantry in the front row to resist the cavalry attack..."

From such a long distance, it was impossible to see clearly the types of soldiers. It was only after Zhu Jinghong explained that everyone understood.

The two military formations approached, but did not start fighting, because the two sides were at least 800 meters apart, and bows and arrows were simply out of reach.

However, the next moment, the artillery in the Yulin Guards' formation began to roar, making a loud "rumbling" sound.

Of course, it was just a sound, but there was a commotion on Xiaowuwei's side, and there were even "casualties" in the film, and these were all rehearsed in advance.

In this era, even the best Western cannons have an effective range of only about 600 steps ([-] meters). Even if they can hit the current distance of [-] steps, their lethality has become extremely small.

"Everyone, this is the cannon newly developed by our Ming Dynasty. It's called the Weiyuan Cannon... it fires twelve kilograms of heavy shells. It can kill the enemy from a thousand steps away and kill or injure at least twenty people in the military formation!"

This is of course Zhu Jinghong's bragging. To be precise, this is a design requirement and the artillery itself has not yet been developed.

But if it is really built and mass-produced, it will be among the world's most advanced.

"As you all know, those Western artillery pieces are nothing more than that, and their killing effect is not that powerful!"

"It can be said that... our Ming Dynasty's Weiyuan Cannon is at least [-]% ahead of Junggar in terms of range. It is definitely the best cannon in the world!"

Hearing this, everyone in Fanbang thought it was okay, because if the parameters Zhu Jinghong said were true, they would really be far ahead.

Only Zhu Xianming, who was sitting on the throne, had a slightly weird expression. He didn't expect that his youngest son could brag more than he thought.

Zhu Xianming clearly knows the level of cannon casting today.

"Look, everyone, the enemy formation is still approaching, and our cannons are cleverly designed to quickly adjust the firing angle... achieving the ability to quickly change the range!"

"This design is unique to our Ming Dynasty, and it is definitely far ahead of all other countries in the world!"

The more Zhu Jinghong talked, the more energetic he became, his self-confidence became stronger, and he became more convincing.

"At the same time, our artillery output is huge, and we can use a distributed troop dispatching plan to form fire coverage in the direction of the enemy's attack, causing maximum damage..."

There are many proper nouns in this paragraph. Although some people may not understand it, what Zhu Jinghong wants is the feeling of being unclear.

At this time, on the "battlefield" ahead, the roar of artillery never stopped, which seemed to confirm Zhu Jinghong's statement.

"This tactical approach requires strong national strength as the backbone. Our Ming Dynasty is still far ahead of all the countries in the world!"

In terms of pure national strength, no one in the world can compare with the Ming Dynasty, so this point is undisputed.

"At the same time, our Ming Dynasty has elite artillery soldiers and generals. Through experience transfer and the secret skills of the Ordnance Bureau, they can make the artillery shells accurately hit the target!"

"From this point of view, we are still ahead of other countries in the world, and not just a little bit ahead!"

This kid is really good at bragging, but why does it feel like he is bragging? I never noticed that he had such a talent in the past... Zhu Jingyuan thought to himself.

Zhu Jingyuan, who was on the side, lamented his younger brother's arrogant attitude, which reminded him of what happened in Jinling. In comparison, his fourth brother was really useless.

Zhu Jingyuan just felt that his ability was poor, but Xu Xinan, a bachelor of Zuo Chunfang who was following him, was as wary of Zhu Jinghong as Gao Shuyan.

This is based on the interests of the prince, and he always thinks the worst when looking at things.

"Everyone, from a distance of one thousand to four hundred steps, can the infantry really continue to fight after such continuous bombardment?"

"Even a cavalry attack can hit three times in a row at a distance of [-] steps, causing huge casualties..."

"With just one cannon, the combat power of our Heavenly Soldiers has soared, far ahead of all other countries in the world!"

No one could refute Zhu Jinghong's words, because no one on the scene knew artillery and so-called new tactics better than him.

While everyone was thinking, the battle formation below continued to change. Among them, the left and right Yulin guards, who played the role of official troops, showed amazing orderliness, which once again opened the eyes of these Khan King chieftains.

After a while, Zhu Jinghong spoke again: "Look, everyone, the enemy formation is getting closer and closer, and our infantry formation is changing..."

At a distance of 200 meters, although artillery can still bombard, the effect is actually not very good. The most important thing is to start evacuation.

"This is the new tactics of our Ming Dynasty's new army. It uses a combination of heavy infantry and firecrackers. Between far and near..."

Infantry combat is more critical. Zhu Jinghong talked a lot. Everyone present was confused when they heard it. With the roar of muskets and artillery, they became even more convinced.

"Our new fire gun has a longer range, greater power and higher accuracy..."

"Far ahead..."

"Da Ming continues to lead..."

"Leading the Rakshasa Kingdom by more than [-]%..."

Zhu Jinghong's long speech became more and more energetic the more he talked about it, from military training to logistics supply, from transportation capabilities to ordnance research and development, from sufficient food and salary to unity...

According to his narrative, the Ming Dynasty was the leader in all aspects.

And this also means that it is really not a big problem to deal with a small Junggar rebellion.

Half an hour later, the participating military formations were over. There was no doubt that the rebel army was defeated, and the imperial army was chasing them north.

At this point, the entire martial arts performance was over, but everyone felt that there was still more to enjoy.

Such a unique martial arts display shocked the chieftains of the Khan King, and they no longer wanted to confront the Ming Dynasty.

Even the senior officials of the Fifth Army Governor's Mansion found it incredible after hearing the speech, secretly saying that they did not know that the Ming Dynasty was so tyrannical.

"Everyone, how are you?" Zhu Xianming looked calm and glanced at the ministers.

At this moment, many of these chieftains of the Khan King felt that they were sitting in a well looking at the sky, and even felt ashamed of themselves. They secretly thought that Ming Dynasty was really benevolent, so they allowed themselves to continue to be local emperors.

So when the emperor asked, everyone kowtowed and shouted long live, while praising the mighty and majestic soldiers of tomorrow.

(End of this chapter)