If I fail to overcome the tribulation, I can only return to the Ming Dynasty and become a prince.

Chapter 203
"Your Majesty, another 80 shi of grain has arrived from the imperial court by sea. All the grain has been stored in the warehouse after counting. Counting this batch of grain, there are about [-] shi of grain in the granary, which is already [-]% full. ." The right chief historian of Prince Zheng's Mansion reported to Zhu Zhanjue.

With the start of the Ming Dynasty's war machine, various logistical materials are now being continuously transported to Tianjin.

As the Right Chief of Prince Zheng's Mansion, Zhang Changshi is responsible for counting, arranging and warehousing these grains and materials, as well as subsequent transportation and distribution.

Listening to Zhang Changshi's report, Zhu Zhanquan touched his chin and asked him: "80 shi of grain? It's almost enough. Then it will start to be transported to the front line. Let the transfer station you established lay How's it going?"

Zhang Changshi understood what Zhu Zhanqun meant, so he quickly took out a folder from his sleeve and presented it to Zhu Zhanqun before saying: "A few days ago, the soldiers and horses of Tianjin Guards escorted [-] shi of military rations to Xinghe. According to the prince's instructions, According to your instructions, transfer stations will be established every five days of the army's march, and enough supplies of food and grass for the army to be used for three days will be stored. The transfer stations from Peiping to Xinghe have been built, and food and military supplies are also being transported one after another. .”

"Well, you did a good job. This time the Emperor's Northern Expedition, the court decided to take the old road of the last Northern Expedition. After all, this road has been walked last time, and the terrain and water sources are clear, making it easier for the army to march." Zhu Zhanqi He participated in the military meeting held by Zhu Di before departure, so he was still clear about the march route of the Northern Expedition: "According to the results of the current court discussion, the army will set off from Peiping to Xinghe, and this journey is still within the territory of our Ming Dynasty. , so supplies and material transportation along the way must be done well.

After the army left the fortress and went deep into Mobei, the transportation and supply of grain and grass supplies depended entirely on this transportation line. This matter is related to the success or failure of the Northern Expedition. I leave the matter to you, and you must do it well! "

"Please rest assured, Your Majesty, but if something goes wrong, I will come to see you." Zhang Changshi also knows the importance. Zhu Zhanzhen entrusted him with such an important thing to do, which is a sign of his importance and respect. If he does it well, What I didn't say is that when the army returns in triumph, the emperor will inevitably reward him.

But if you want to smash it, there is no need to say that you will die if you confiscate your family and exterminate your clan.

"I'll leave the matter to you. I will soon lead my army to Peking to wait for the emperor's arrival. You will also be responsible for all matters in Tianjin. Don't be careless!" Zhu Zhanjuan warned again, this time Then he left the official office and headed towards the military camp.

His three guards, Tianjin Guards, had already taken the lead to escort the grain and grass to Xinghe. This place was close to Zhangjiakou in later generations, but it was a little further north, so it was called Zhangbei in later generations and belonged to Hebei.

Zhu Di basically followed this road during his last Northern Expedition, so this time the army will still follow this road out of the fortress.

After all, this is still within the territory of the Ming Dynasty, and the army will not encounter any danger or trouble when marching.

As long as military food and supplies are provided along the way, the Northern Expedition army will be able to move forward smoothly without encountering any obstacles.

But once the army left the Ming Dynasty and went deep into Mobei, there were neither cities nor roads along the way. It became a big problem to ensure that the army marched without problems.

Zhu Di led 50 people in his last Northern Expedition, and there was no place on the Mobei grassland that could accommodate so many people at once.

From drinking water to fuel for fires and cooking, 50 troops are enough to scrape off a layer of land on the Mobei grassland.

Even if Zhu Di did not bring so many people this time, a series of problems such as drinking water, military ration supplies, and fuel supply along the way were all a great test for logistics.

This is also the reason why Zhu Di's last Northern Expedition almost emptied the national treasury. In a feudal society, it was a very scary thing to ensure the logistics of such a large army, and it did require the power of the entire country.In the past, I just read history books and didn't realize that there were other people handling the logistics of the Japanese expedition, and he didn't need to take care of military affairs. Therefore, Zhu Zhanyu didn't realize how troublesome the logistics problems of this era were.

But this time he took the initiative to undertake the logistics support work for the army. Only then did he clearly realize how terrifying it was to ensure the logistics supply for the army's northern expedition to Mobei and from Peking to Ulaanbaatar in this era. thing.

Therefore, Tianjin Zhongwei was sent to escort 20 shi of military rations to Xinghe in advance, and [-] civilians went with them.

In addition to building transfer stations along the way to reserve supplies for the army, one of the most important things these civilians did was to repair the roads, at least to ensure that these roads could be passed by the army, so that there would not be any bridges broken, or somewhere else. There are pits on the road, and the army and horses cannot pass through them.

Not only that, considering that this time the army is out of the country, the main force is a new type of army equipped with muskets and artillery. Zhu Zhanquan also needs to build a storage warehouse to store some of the gunpowder raw materials and processed bullets, artillery ammunition packages and other materials in advance. reserve.

He plans to build this storage warehouse in Zhangjiakou, so that materials such as artillery shells and bullets can be transported directly from Zhangjiakou to the army instead of being transported from the rear.

You must know that Zhu Di's Northern Expedition reached Ulaanbaatar in later generations. Just counting from Peiping, the straight-line distance is already farther than from Nanjing to Peiping, not to mention that it is impossible for the army to follow a straight line after leaving the fortress.

One can imagine how much manpower and material resources would be consumed by just transporting everything if there was no material transfer station.

As for raising food supplies from the north to supply the army, it is unrealistic. If the north could have enough food, it would not have to transport grain from the south to the north since the Yuan Dynasty. Water transportation was used in the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties.

Therefore, Zhu Di's Northern Expedition could only concentrate grain from the south to Nanjing, then transport it from Nanjing to Beijing and Tianjin, and then leave the Great Wall and transport it to the army outside the Great Wall.

If we calculate based on the fact that the Ming army reached Ulaanbaatar as far as possible, it would be more than 5000 miles along the way. In this era of only human and animal transportation, it is an unimaginable distance.

However, after making many arrangements, Zhu Zhanju still believed that this Northern Expedition would have a successful outcome.

After all, Zhu Di's second Northern Expedition was successful in history. Zhu Zhanquan did not think that the Ming army would lose without his participation.

So after arranging all the affairs, he also led the new Qingyu Guards and Kyushu Guards, who had returned from Japan and were ready for the expedition, from Tianjin to Beijing to wait for the arrival of the emperor's army.

　The distance from Nanjing to Beijing is more than 1000 kilometers, and from Beijing to Ulaanbaatar is more than 300 kilometers. These are still modern data.

　　In ancient times, this journey would have taken about five to six thousand miles. If ten people set out, it would not be unusual for three or five people to die.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)