The Ming Dynasty started with saving the eldest grandson

Chapter 300 Blitzkrieg

In early March, Zhu Fan also sent troops according to the agreed time.

It's just that they were unlucky. After wandering around the grassland for more than a month, they didn't see a single enemy.

As guessed before, Yesudier had long known that the Ming Dynasty would launch an offensive in the spring and moved all the people in this area to Mobei in advance.

The core tribes of Nai'er Buhua and Jie Zhi are not Yesudie'er. They have their own ideas and will stay in Monan for the winter.

Then he was taken over by Zhu Di.

On the surface, King Jin achieved nothing despite his efforts this time.

However, this is just the surface. In fact, Zhu Fan is not here at all.

The Jin King in the army was just a substitute.

The real leader of this army was his father-in-law, Yongping Hou Xie Cheng.

Zhu Fan himself had led his army westward to Hami as early as February.

"Shanxi is three thousand miles away from Hami. Even if we travel a hundred miles a day, it will take a month. By the time we get there, the soldiers can no longer carry their swords."

"So I have to leave early."

"Marquis Yongping and Marquis Dingyuan took my place and led the main force north to make a feint attack. Remember not to go deep into Mobei."

"By the end of March, the entire army retreated. Marquis Yongping was stationed at the border to prevent any changes. Marquis Dingyuan led an army of 50,000 to join me at Jiayuguan."

After arranging everything, Zhu Fan led 5,000 cavalry and rushed to Jiayuguan.

Because of the cold weather, they did not march very fast and did not reach their destination until the end of February.

Join forces with Zhang Wen, Marquis of Huining, who arrived first.

After three days of rest, Zhu Fan made a specific battle plan.

"This place is a thousand miles away from Hami. I will travel at a speed of a hundred miles a day. I will arrive within ten days and launch a surprise attack on Hami City."

"Then turn around and attack King Bin's tribe."

"So, Marquis Huining, you have to leave the border in ten days to intimidate the five guards in Hexi to coordinate my actions."

Zhang Wen asked in confusion: "Why not attack the closer King Bin first?"

Zhu Fan said: "King Bin's troops are in Jiuquan. If we attack him first, King Hami further to the west will have time to react."

"Whether he escapes to Chagatai or asks for help from Chagatai, it is a very troublesome matter for us."

"The key to defeating Hami is to make a surprise attack and kill him before he can react."

"So, I have to get past King Bin's tribe first and attack King Hami behind me."

"And once I capture Hami, I will be able to block King Bin's escape route and create a situation where I can catch a turtle in a jar."

Zhang Wen said worriedly: "I'm afraid that King Bin will cause trouble behind your back."

Zhu Fan said nonchalantly: "Don't worry, as long as I take Hami City, King Bin will not be afraid even if he sends troops to block the way back."

"Besides, you're here. Even if I can't take Hami City as scheduled, he won't dare to move with you at the rear to support me."

Seeing that he had already thought of it, Zhang Wen stopped trying to persuade him.

But the pressure on my shoulders is even greater.

If Zhu Fan makes any mistakes, his nine clans will not be able to protect themselves.

He wished he could raid Hami himself, leaving Zhu Fan behind to coordinate the attack.

But he also knew that with Zhu Fan's character, it was impossible to accept this proposal.

I can only pray in my heart that nothing will go wrong.

In early March, after three days of rest, Zhu Fan led his army and set off.

One person and three riders, with the horses resting and the others not resting, strive to reach the city of Hami within ten days.

At that time, Temujin's cavalry set a record of traveling an average of 180 miles a day without rest for dozens of days, launching a blitzkrieg against the enemy.

I'm afraid he never imagined that someone would use the same tactics against his descendants more than a hundred years later.

However, God may not want to see Zhu Fan go so smoothly. Two days after he sent troops, the weather suddenly changed and the temperature dropped to freezing point.

Snowflakes fell from the sky.

Marching in such weather is a huge challenge for both men and horses.

Facing the bad weather, Zhu Fan had no intention of slowing down his march.

The entire army was called together and a brief mobilization meeting was held.

He did not say any nonsense or nonsense, and went straight to the point:
"Everyone who participated in this operation will receive first-level military merit."

"Those who are disabled by frostbite will be awarded the second level of military merit, and those who freeze to death will be awarded the seventh level of cavalry lieutenant."

There must be a brave man under a heavy reward. When hearing this reward, the soldiers who were originally resentful immediately became morale high.

"Wan Sheng."

In the end, it took them only eight days to reach Hami. According to the final statistics, 134 people froze to death and more than 2,000 people suffered from frostbite and frostbite.

Facing this number, Zhu Fan's expression remained unchanged. This was a result that had been expected for a long time.

He did not take any rest and directly launched a surprise attack on Hami City.

There was a gentle breeze that day, and bits of snow were flying.

When the unprepared defenders of Hami City saw this army covered in ice and snow coming out of the darkness, it was as if they were seeing divine soldiers descending from the sky.

There was almost no decent resistance, and they didn't even try to close the city gate, allowing Zhu Fan's cavalry to charge in through the city gate.

King Nahuli of Hami, who was warming himself by the fire in the palace, wanted to fight stubbornly when he heard that the enemy troops were coming to kill him.

Once it was confirmed that the city gate was lost, especially when he learned that the leader of the army was Jin Wang Zhu Fan, his attitude immediately changed 180 degrees.

Grandpa, don't kill me, I surrender.

This time, Zhu Fan was not in a hurry, but rested in Hami City for a few days, which also gave Zhang Wen time to react.

Five days later, it was speculated that Zhang Wen should have been released from confinement.

He left 2,000 seriously injured soldiers to guard Hami City, and led more than 2,000 soldiers who could still fight to send out troops again.

The target is King Bin of Jiuquan.

King Bin actually had some backbone. He built strong walls and cleared the countryside, closing the city gates in an attempt to resist.

The reason why he did not choose to confront Zhu Fan head-on was because he was a bit of a watery prince.

There are only more than 20,000 herdsmen under his command, and only 4,000 capable warriors.

He really didn't have the courage to confront Zhu Fan head-on.

Zhu Fan was not in a hurry to attack the city. Although the opponent's city was low, it was still a city.

He came with cavalry and no siege equipment. To attack the city by force would be to die.

Therefore, they chose to encircle rather than attack, and the two sides reached a stalemate.

If he could see King Bin, Zhu Fan would definitely say: I am waiting for reinforcements, what are you waiting for?
King Bin will probably answer: I...I am also waiting for reinforcements.

Unfortunately, the reinforcements he was expecting would never come.

Seven days later, Zhang Wen's army arrived, and Zhu Fan immediately ordered an attack on the city:

"We have been freezing outside for so many days, and we want to go to the city to have a warm sleep tonight."

As a result, the city was captured in the afternoon.

King Bin's four thousand troops were slaughtered, and all the men in the tribe over ten years old were also executed.

But for King Bin himself, Zhu Fan respected him very much and gave him the most basic courtesy.

In his words: This King Bin has some backbone.

Next, Zhu Fan ordered Zhang Wen to detach an army to Hami to take over the defense, and emphasized:

"Beware of Chagatai sending troops, focus on defense, don't go into battle easily."

Only then did he start dealing with things in Hexi.

Zhang Wen first reported on the recent situation in Hexi: "The five guards in Hexi were a little commotion after hearing about your actions."

"But it is just strengthening the defense and there is no sign of sending troops."

Zhu Fan said disdainfully: "A bunch of rats, where are the other forces?"

Zhang Wen replied: "Many small tribes have moved away, but most of them are still waiting to see the situation."

Zhu Fan said: "Ignore them. As soon as Dingyuanhou's army arrives, we will start to abolish the five guards in Hexi."

Next is waiting.

The Five Guards and various forces in Hexi sent representatives to meet with King Jin, but none of them saw Zhu Fan's face.

It wasn't that Zhu Fan was showing off and disappeared, but that he really didn't have time to see him.

After resting in the city for a few days, he personally led people to inspect the situation in Hexi, and finally decided to place his future government office in Shazhou Dunhuang.

This is the westernmost end of the Hexi Corridor, connected to Qinghai-Tibet and the Western Regions, and its geographical location is very important.

In terms of natural environment, although there is drought and little rainfall, there are oases and water sources. More than 100,000 acres of land can be reclaimed, and some pastures are available for grazing.

There is no problem in feeding five thousand households.

Coupled with the grain and grass support from Jiuquan, Zhangye, Jinchang, Wuwei and other places behind them, it is enough to feed an army of tens of thousands of people.

The only drawback is that there are no Han Chinese here.

The Han people in the pass are generally not willing to come here, so they can only find other ways to get people over.

For those bachelors who cannot find a wife, dividing land and wife is the best bait.

This is also the reason why he executed all the young men of King Bin's tribe.

Not because they resisted, but because they fell in love with their women.

In the future, these women will be assigned as wives to people who migrated from the interior.

Children under the age of ten will be given Chinese names and receive Chinese education, and they will become Han Chinese when they grow up.

Jiuquan can also be vacated to accommodate Han people.

Only in this way can he gain a firm foothold in Hexi.

Since the day he received Zhu Biao's letter, he had been planning how to manage Hexi.

Every move he makes here is calculated and will not be in vain.

Just as he was investigating around, news came from Hami that the Chagatai Khanate was indeed ready to make a move.

However, when they found out that the Ming army was well prepared and did not give any chance, they finally chose to retreat.

To put it bluntly, the Chagatai Khanate at this time was no longer one of the four major Mongolian khanates.

He couldn't defeat Timur in the west, and he didn't dare to show his fangs to the Ming Dynasty.

In mid-April, the army of Dingyuan Marquis Wang Bi arrived at Jiayuguan.

After receiving the news, Zhu Fan sent invitations to the five guards in Hexi and invited them to the banquet.

The five Mongolian princes of the Five Guards in Hexi naturally knew the story of the Hongmen Banquet.

But even if he knew, so what, he could only come to the banquet.

It was not that they had never thought of rebellion, but Wang Bi's 50,000-strong army completely cut off all their little thoughts.

It was only then that the Mongol princes of the Five Guards regretted why they had not rebelled and intercepted Zhu Fan from the beginning.

Unfortunately, there is no regret medicine for sale in the world.

On the day of the banquet, Zhu Fan announced the court's order.

He served as the governor of Hexi and had full authority to manage Hexi affairs.

At the same time, given that the Ming Dynasty had abolished the guard system, there was no need for the existence of the Five Guards in Hexi.

Even though they were mentally prepared, the expressions of the five Mongolian princes changed drastically when they heard this order.

Zhu Fan ignored their thoughts and continued to explain how to resettle them.

Two stayed in Hexi and three migrated to Shanxi to settle.

The reason why two of them were left in Hexi was to allow them to raise horses at the Xiedan Mountain Military Horse Farm.

Is there anyone better suited to do this job than them?

The five Mongolian princes were finally relieved. At least they did not directly disperse their tribes. The situation was much better than expected.

After the banquet was over, Zhu Fan let them go.

The five Mongolian princes couldn't believe their ears. They were not detained?

The five people who survived the disaster did not dare to waste time, and hurriedly fled home, migrating the tribe in accordance with the orders given by Zhu Fan.

Revolt?

From the day they accepted the canonization of Ming Dynasty in the second year of Hongwu, they had lost the courage to resist.

And the strength doesn’t allow it.

It sounds like there are five princes, but in fact each family only has 20,000 to 30,000 people, and the number of soldiers capable of fighting is only 5,000.

With this strength, facing the current Ming Dynasty, there is really no thought of resistance.
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The six Mongolian princes in Hexi and King Bin's tribe were slaughtered, and the remaining five were also eliminated.

What remains is how to relocate the Han people and implement actual rule.

Zhu Fan's own expectation was that it would take two years to relocate the people and restore production, and that Hexi would resume great governance in the third year.

As for whether there would be any accidents in the process, that was beyond his control.

But things in Hexi did not end there.

The Ming Dynasty destroyed King Hami and King Bin and abolished the Five Hexi Guards, which really frightened the tribes living here.

Most of them chose to escape, and those who didn't escaped were also trembling, fearing that it would be their turn.

What really worries Zhu Fan is the three guards of Kangzang. If they are frightened and rebel, they will be in trouble.

Fortunately, Zhu Yuanzhang, who was well prepared, sent envoys in advance.

When Zhu Fan abolished the five guards in Hexi, the envoys entered Kangzang and met the leaders of the three guards in Kangzang.

The three guards were changed to chieftains, and other things remained unchanged.

After the canonization, the envoy told the three chieftains that you are different from them, and the court needs you to guard Kangzang for generations.

Regardless of whether this was true or not, at least the court expressed its attitude and made the leaders of the three families feel relieved.

Not long after, Qiu Guangan sent the first batch of 3,000 immigrants as planned.

Zhu Fan settled one thousand households in Jiuquan and two thousand households in Dunhuang.

He also ordered some soldiers to participate in farming and help the people resume production.

I was busy until June and finally completed most of the work.

Then, he left Zhang Wen to guard Hexi and escorted King Hami and King Bin back to the army in triumph.

On the other side, Zhu Di also achieved fruitful results.

He first defeated Naierbuhua based on intelligence.

After recruiting Naerbuhua to surrender, he got a good place to spend the winter.

After that, he repeated his old tricks and forced the opponent to surrender and bite.

At this point, the two Mongolian tribes that took the lead in plundering southward in the 22nd year of Hongwu were all defeated.

The Beiyuan forces suffered another heavy blow.

There are almost no large nomadic tribes in Monan anymore.

Zhu Di didn't want to fight. After taking it and biting it, he returned to the court with his troops.
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While the two princes were killing everyone, the Ming Dynasty was not idle either.

In the first half of this year, the court did not carry out any major changes, focusing mainly on deepening reforms.

The only thing worth mentioning is that Zhu Biao produced a unique history book.

This book is required to be included as a required reading subject for students.

This move was indeed opposed by the civil service system. There are already rules on how to train students, so how can they be changed at will?

What's more, it was added without their permission.

But Zhu Biao is not someone who can be manipulated by others.

He did not argue with these people, but leaked the news that corresponding topics would be added to the next imperial examination policy essay.

The policy topics for the imperial examination were originally proposed by the monarch. This is reasonable and legal, and no one can comment on it.

The civil service system immediately misfired and had to accept this course.

This history book is unique because it not only introduces the history of China, but also introduces the outside world by the way.

Including Tianzhu, Timurid Khanate, Ottoman, Rome, etc., it briefly introduces the situation of these countries.

The point is, of course, that these countries are ruled by religion and do not allow ancestor worship.

Just as Chen Jingke expected, this alone caused everyone to have serious contempt for those two religions.

As expected, they are barbarians, without father or mother, and have forgotten their ancestors.

Apart from this incident, the most eye-catching thing about Ming Dynasty is its crackdown on religion.

Under the crazy attack of Jin Yiwei, the small temple was almost wiped out, and the Buddhist and Taoist families also suffered a devastating blow.

The personnel sent by the two families to the capital to lobby were all prohibited from leaving the Jinyiwei circle.

The operation continued until June without any let-up.

Just when everyone thought that the imperial court was really going to destroy Buddhism and destroy Taoism, the imperial court finally released the news.

Chen Jingke announced to the public that the new Religious Management Law has been formulated.

He also asked the speakers of the Buddhist and Taoist schools to arrive in Luoyang within fifteen days to receive training.

Those who fail to meet the deadline will be deemed as disrespecting the law and will be banned.

(End of this chapter)