Xu Huizu wanted to lead his troops to attack Tubo, but Zhu Yuanzhang actually did not agree with it.

It was Xu Miaojin who found Zhu Ying, and only then did he agree to let Xu Huizu lead the troops.

Zhu Yuanzhang meant that Xu Huizu was Xu Da's eldest son, so there was no need for him to run around like that.

In fact, Zhu Ying knew what the old man meant. Although all of Xu Da's daughters were married into the royal family, including Xu Miaojing, who had become the crown prince's concubine, Xu Da actually had a very high prestige in the army.

Zhu Yuanzhang knew that Xu Huizu was very talented in military affairs, but he did not want Xu Huizu to inherit Xu Da's old subordinates, or he might become the second Lan Yu.

The reason why Lan Yu had such great military achievements had a lot to do with the fact that he inherited Chang Yuchun's old subordinates.

After the Red Turban Army became powerful in his early years, Zhu Yuanzhang rarely led troops to fight in person. Xu Da and Chang Yuchun were his right-hand men.

It can be said that Xu Da and Chang Yuchun had higher reputations in the army than Zhu Yuanzhang at that time.

Among them, Xu Da's reputation is three points lower than Chang Yuchun.

Even when Zhu Yuanzhang sent Xu Huizu out to train troops, he deliberately avoided the area where Xu Da's old subordinates were located.

Later, Xu Huizu went to gain experience, which was actually to gild his reputation. When he came back, he directly inherited the title of Duke and served as the Left Commander-in-Chief of the Central Military Governor's Office.

In terms of status, he is naturally extremely noble, but in fact he does not have much military power.

It is normal for the imperial power to reap the military power and suppress the power of the generals, and Xu Huizu was not too dissatisfied.

It's just that Zhu Ying appeared and the military has changed so much after the reform.

First, veterans were replaced on a large scale.

Zhu Yuanzhang was already over seventy years old, and the earliest batch of surviving soldiers were not much younger, especially those old subordinates of Xu Da. Except for those with titles, basically 90% of them had been replaced.

If it were before, the Ming Dynasty would have no way to resettle these retired veterans, but now it is different.

Some of those who had made contributions became police officers of the Public Security Office and the Public Security Bureau, and even military officers such as the director, and they also ate official rations.

There are also some people with physical disabilities who are taken in to military academies in various places to serve as instructors.

The retirement benefits are high, and when retired soldiers return to their registered place of residence, the local government will help arrange jobs for them.

As a result, Zhu Ying's major reshuffle of the army did not cause any ripples.

Many veterans were extremely grateful to the Crown Prince.

Having sacrificed their lives and shed their blood for the Ming Dynasty for most of their lives and built this bright and peaceful world, Zhu Ying did not let them down.

The new generation of soldiers will complete basic training, political education, and cultural courses in military academies established in various places. Depending on the situation, they will be arranged to enter the garrison after about three to six months.

These young soldiers would not say that they worship generals like Xu Da and Chang Yuchun.

The reason they volunteered to join the army was because of the generous treatment offered by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and the possibility of becoming officers in the future.

It is undeniable that the role of official newspapers and public opinion played a very powerful role in recruiting so many soldiers.

In the imperial gazettes of the capital, as well as in the gazettes of various places, a certain amount of space must be reserved for military recruitment propaganda.

The propaganda direction is the tone set by Zhu Ying.

To put it simply, it is about creating heroes while showing benefits.

Most people do not have a high level of political awareness. If you talk about winning glory for the country and defending the country, many people will basically just listen in one ear and out the other and will not have the slightest thought about it.

How to show benefits.

For example, it was publicized in the court bulletin that a certain soldier, who used to be from a certain village, joined the army because he could not afford food. Now, under the latest policy of the Ming Dynasty, he has retired and is serving as the director of a local security station, with hundreds of servants under his command.

For example, a certain soldier made great contributions and was appointed as a centurion, thus bringing honor to his family.

This is visible, and it is also something that ordinary people can really get if they try hard.

For example, in the official gazettes of various provincial capitals, many of the people promoted were locals, and some were from the same village.

Such ** will naturally be even bigger.

Under such a propaganda offensive, the large-scale replacement of veterans not only did not lead to a decrease in the total military strength of the Ming Dynasty, but instead slightly increased it.

The guardhouse has undergone a lot of changes in the past two years.

This is mainly reflected in the conflict between recruits and their superiors.

According to incomplete statistics, new recruits reported their superiors for taking empty salaries, embezzlement, bribery, and abusing soldiers.

The new recruits have all received formal and professional ideological training. How could they possibly spoil you like the veterans?

In the past, soldiers followed their superiors, which was like selling themselves. They would do whatever they were told to do, even if it meant rebelling.

Today's soldiers have received ideological education before they even enter the army.

The teachings at the military academy will tell them.

You are loyal to the country, His Majesty, and the Crown Prince, not to your superiors.

It is your duty to obey the orders of your superiors.

If you see anything that endangers national security or affects national interests, you must resolutely resist it and report it to the court.

Many officers of the older generation still have old ideas.

Under such circumstances, the conflicts that arise are naturally extremely acute.

After many military tumors were eliminated, they were replaced by a new generation of officers, such as those from the Ming Military Academy or graduates from military academies in various places.

This caused the prestige of the older generation of generals to decline and strengthened Zhu Ying's control over the army.

Once upon a time, a general shouted rebellion.

Everyone followed suit and shouted the opposite.

Now the general shouted rebellion.

Everyone just started tying him up.

As the eldest son of Xu Da, Xu Huizu has encountered many of his father's former subordinates in the past one or two years. They want to ask Xu Huizu to come forward and restore the prestige of the former King of Zhongshan.

Xu Huizu naturally refused to agree. He was not stupid. It would be useless to go against the crown prince even if he had the title of royal relative.

Your Majesty even executed the prince consort.

But now there are new changes.

The reform of the army has basically been completed. Both the Huaixi noble group and the imprints left by their older generations in the army have been thoroughly cleansed.

So Xu Huizu must make some achievements.

It was not for military power, but for the continuation of the Zhongshan Palace.

When Xu Huizu set out this time, Zhu Ying did not go to the army to give a speech or anything.

Because many of the thousands of people Xu Huizu brought from the capital this time were former subordinates of Xu Da or his personal guards.

The speech didn't mean much.

In order to express his appreciation for the Xu family, Zhu Ying personally went to the Xu family.

The eunuchs had delivered the decree before, so the Xu family naturally knew about it. In order to welcome the arrival of His Royal Highness the Crown Grandson, everyone in the Xu family came to greet him.

"Greetings to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

More than two hundred people knelt down and kowtowed in unison.

Even though Xu Huizu was a duke and exempt from the kowtow ceremony, he still knelt on both knees.

Xu Huizu was obviously afraid that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince would be wary of him.

The Xu family should be the defenders of imperial power, not the enemies.

"Why do you have to do this, Duke Wei? Hurry up and get up."

Zhu Ying was surprised when he saw this, and he took a few steps forward and quickly helped Xu Huizu up.

It must be said that Xu Huizu was eight feet and five inches tall, and was extremely sturdy when he stood up. In front of Zhu Ying, he was half a head taller than him.

Eight feet and five inches is almost equivalent to 1.9 meters in later times.

Zhu Ying's height is 1.78 meters, which is more star-like compared to 1.9 meters.

That would be fine, but Xu Huizu's noodle shop is like jade, in other words, he feels a bit like a gigolo.

Xu Da himself practiced martial arts since he was a child, and Xu Huizu naturally also practiced martial arts with his father since he was a child.

So Xu Huizu, who is 1.9 meters tall, not only does not look thin, but also looks quite strong.

If this happened in later generations, I wonder how many girls would go crazy about it.

"No need to be polite."

"Let's go inside and talk."

Everyone stood up and bowed their heads. Zhu Ying, led by Xu Huizu, went to the study.

Seeing Xu Huizu's timid look, Zhu Ying said with a smile: "Don't be so nervous. After all, you are my brother-in-law. We are all family. Why should we be so formal? Don't stand. Let's sit down and talk."

"Thank you, Your Highness."

After hearing this, Xu Huizu only dared to sit halfway on the chair.

He felt that he was much more nervous when facing the Crown Prince than when facing His Majesty.

I didn't have this feeling before, but in the past two years I have discovered that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's majesty has become increasingly stronger.

Even though he had almost never seen, and even less heard of, the Crown Prince getting angry.

Most of the time when I saw the Crown Prince, he had a smile on his face, and his expression was calm and natural, which seemed to make him seem somewhat approachable.

But the more this happened, the more afraid many officials, including Xu Huizu, became.

Zhu Ying hesitated for a moment, and seeing Xu Huizu's expression, he had no choice but to speak first.

He got straight to the point and said, "We are family, so we don't talk about different things. Miao Jin has often talked to me about the current situation of the Xu Mansion."

"The Xu family is the descendant of a middle-upper king and has made countless contributions to our Ming Dynasty. Naturally, our Ming Dynasty will never treat the Xu family unfairly at any time. We should all prosper together."

Zhu Ying paused for a moment before continuing, "I heard that recently, many generals in the army came to Xu's residence, eager to express their wishes for military service."

Xu Huizu's heart trembled, knowing that the critical point had come.

The Xu Mansion is the most top-level noble family, and the salary of the Zhongshan Palace has always been the highest in the entire Ming Dynasty, which also means the most favored.

Only Xu Huizu knew clearly that the Jinyiwei were the ones who were spying on the Xu Mansion the most.

Even now there are still many.

After thinking it over, Xu Huizu replied frankly: "Your Highness, many former generals have come to see me."

"There are a lot of changes in the military nowadays, especially the conflicts between new recruits and veterans are becoming more and more prominent, which makes many people feel uncomfortable with the current changes."

"They want to make meritorious contributions in Tibet this time and stabilize their power again."

"So they decided to target me."

"I know very well that there are too many bad habits in the current military. Many military officers do whatever they want by relying on their command of troops. These bad apples will surely disappear under the tide of reform."

"Many of my father's former subordinates are closely related to the generals below. They have many lingering connections. They have fed back to me layer by layer and finally came to me for help."

"But please rest assured, Your Highness. I will definitely not interfere. If they don't change themselves, how can they stay in the army?"

Hearing this, Zhu Ying smiled and replied, "I knew my brother-in-law wouldn't let me down."

"I have been committed to reforming the army and training soldiers who can truly defend the country, rather than doing evil and making the people fear and hate them like bandits."

"I once wondered what a righteous army was. Later, I figured it out."

"To defend the country, to defend the homeland, not to take money and food from the people, to truly fight for the country, an army with loyal beliefs, that is called an army of justice."

"Only such an army can gain the recognition of the people and encourage them to join voluntarily."

"In the past, the conscription of men into the military made all the people tremble with fear and despise them."

"But now, whenever we recruit soldiers in the Ming Dynasty, we no longer have to worry about the source of soldiers. The majority of the army is no longer those evil thieves who committed heinous crimes or robbers who bully the market, but the good sons of every family."

"Be loyal to the Ming Dynasty and love the people. People will no longer be afraid of them, but will be excited about their blood and sweat and victory. Their parents will also feel proud of their sons serving in the army."

"How can an army with such a firm belief not be invincible?"

Zhu Ying's tone is very contagious, which is something he acquired in his previous life and is also the ability he needs to make a living in this era.

Xu Huizu's face showed obvious excitement, and he had obviously been brought into this atmosphere.

Coming back to his senses, Xu Huizu immediately stood up and bowed: "I am ashamed. It was not until today that I realized that Your Highness's ambitions are far beyond my reach. I..."

Zhu Ying waved his hand, interrupting Xu Huizu's flattery.

This guy is a serious scholar. If he really starts to flatter him, it will be like a surging river, endless.

Zhu Ying used to feel good, but he flattered her too much and the horse started to feel pain.

"Please take a seat. I am not denying the contributions that the veterans made to the Ming Dynasty. Without them, there would be no Ming Dynasty today."

"But people should look forward. Everyone hopes that the future of Ming will be better and better, right? Reform or change of law are both unstoppable torrents. Anyone who tries to stop them will be crushed to pieces."

"As long as it does not violate national security and interests, ignore military regulations and laws, and oppress the people, then it is all feasible, and there is no need to worry about yourself."

This is equivalent to a promise to Xu Huizu.

Zhu Ying would not deliberately target the older generation of generals, but he would be tactful and abide by the law.

Don't become lawless and act recklessly just because of the achievements you have made in the past.

At this point, Xu Huizu also understood what Zhu Ying meant.

It can also be considered as an explanation to my father's former subordinates.

No matter what, the human relationship is there and it cannot be severed just like that.

"Thank you, Your Highness." Xu Huizu bowed to express his gratitude. He knew in his heart that the Crown Prince could only say so much out of consideration for his younger sister.

The Xu family is very good, but that is only for Your Majesty.

A new emperor has new ministers. Whether the wealth and glory can continue depends on the intention of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

Fortunately, my younger sister was able to marry the crown prince. It is really lucky for the Xu family.

Otherwise, if the Crown Prince really wanted to target the Xu family, Xu Huizu would have no way to deal with it.

In fact, as of now, the Crown Prince's intention to reform the military has become very obvious.

Otherwise, how could those new recruits sue their superiors, let alone get support? They would really capture all the centurions and thousand-man commanders.

"Now that we have finished talking about irrelevant things, let's talk about Timur."

"Duke Wei is leading the army to fight this time. I think he has some understanding of Timur."

Zhu Ying turned to the main topic of this visit to Xu's house.

As the Art of War says, only by knowing yourself and the enemy can you win every battle.

Xu Huizu had never participated in a large-scale war, so he naturally would not be careless and underestimate the enemy.

From the end of last year to mid-February now, we have been collecting intelligence about Timur and preparing for battle.

After thinking about it, Xu Huizu said, "The Tubo region is mostly plains, and the cavalry has a great advantage. It is obviously not that easy to defeat Timur's army in one fell swoop."

"Although I have a much larger army than Timur, and I can also get support from the Northern Yuan cavalry and the local Tibetans, I am confident that I can defeat Timur."

"This time when I went to Tibet, I felt that the most troublesome thing was not to deal with Timur's army, but to integrate Tibet, the Northern Yuan cavalry, and our Ming army."

"The military report said that Timur's army was unstoppable in Tibet, and all Tibetans were exhausted from resisting."

"From my analysis, it is natural that Timur's army was strong, but the fact that the Tibetan tribes were fighting on their own was also a key factor."

"If the Tibetan tribes can work together, even if Timur's army is powerful, it will cause huge losses."

"So after entering U-Tsang, I will not rush in too deep. I will first let the soldiers adapt to the environment and reorganize the army. Those who cannot adapt to Tibet will have to stay behind."

"The second is to gather the Tibetan defeated soldiers, obtain enough intelligence on Timur's army, gradually contact the Tibetan tribes, form a defense against Timur's army, and then look for opportunities to fight."

From the very beginning, Xu Huizu knew that this trip to Tubo was not a blitzkrieg, but a protracted war.

The imperial court was reluctant to send its newly trained cavalry directly into the battlefield, so the number of cavalry available for deployment must have been very small.

Infantry had no advantage over cavalry, and muskets and artillery could only add an extra layer of shell to the army.

You can fight, but you can’t chase.

Therefore, the highlight of Xu Huizu's battle plan this time is stability.

Seek victory through stability.

Tubo is the base camp of all Tibetan tribes, and they will certainly be more anxious than the Ming Dynasty.

What Xu Huizu did not say was that this entry into Tibet was also an opportunity for the Ming Dynasty to intervene in Tibet.

The reason why I didn't say it is because we haven't been there yet and don't understand the situation. If we can conquer more Tibetan tribes when we get there, it will be a great achievement.

Zhu Ying nodded slightly, agreeing with the battle plan proposed by Xu Huizu.

Before coming, he had actually discussed with Huang Guan the combat strategy for supporting Tubo.

Huang Guan did not disappoint him. As expected, he was very knowledgeable about military affairs, and the situation he presented was roughly the same as Xu Huizu's.

"You just said so much, but you didn't mention the Northern Yuan cavalry." Zhu Ying reminded.

Xu Huizu smiled bitterly and said, "This time, the Ming Dynasty spent a lot of money and food to borrow troops from the Northern Yuan Dynasty to enter Tibet to fight against Timur's cavalry."

"I have dealt with some people from the Northern Yuan Dynasty before. Most of them are arrogant and unscrupulous. Since it is the Ming Dynasty that provides the money and food, their commanders will certainly be arrogant."

"If you want the Northern Yuan cavalry to be obedient, then you have to let them know the pain. I predict that after the Northern Yuan cavalry enters Tubo, they will definitely not cooperate with our Ming Dynasty to advance step by step, but will take the lead in killing the enemy."

"Timur is not well-known in the Ming Dynasty, but in fact he is a huge force that dominates the entire East Asia, pushing forward to the west, north, and south, and waging war on three fronts."

"In addition, our Ming Dynasty is surrounded by enemies on all sides. Even so, we still win victory after victory on the battlefield."

"I heard that in the West, the emperor of the ancient and powerful Ottoman Empire has been captured. This shows how strong its army is."

"In my opinion, it is unlikely that the Northern Yuan cavalry will be able to defeat the Timurid cavalry. Only after they are defeated will they cooperate with the Ming Dynasty."

Zhu Ying couldn't help but ask with a smile: "What if the Northern Yuan cavalry wins a great victory? Wouldn't your trip be in vain? And it would make the soldiers in the army complain because you didn't get any credit."

Xu Huizu replied calmly: "If the Northern Yuan Dynasty wins, then my estimation is wrong. It is normal for the three armies to complain. It also shows that Timur is only so powerful. On the contrary, the Northern Yuan Dynasty should be more cautious."

Zhu Ying nodded slightly, indicating his approval of Xu Huizu's words.

Even lovers will break up one day, let alone an alliance like the Ming Dynasty and the Northern Yuan Dynasty, which was formed by very loose interests.

However, although it seemed that the Northern Yuan Dynasty gained a lot of benefits from the Ming Dynasty, in fact, the culture of the Ming Dynasty was gradually assimilating the grassland.

Many nobles have left the grasslands and moved into the border cities of the Ming Dynasty to enjoy life.

Besides, Zhu Ying is very confident in the Ming Dynasty, and its current industrialization foundation is gradually being improved and strengthened.

The wealth gained from maritime trade continued to enrich the entire Ming Dynasty.

At the same time, the population of the Ming Dynasty is also showing a straight-line upward trend. Newborns in peacetime will cause a population explosion in the near future.

On the other hand, the population of the grassland is gradually declining, and wealth is constantly flowing into the territory of the Ming Dynasty. The Northern Yuan Mercenary Association has allowed most tribes on the grassland to obtain more money and food, but while completing the task, it also brought casualties.

By that time, even if the Ming-Guardian Alliance broke up, the Northern Yuan could be worn down by the enemy.

You know, the Northern Yuan Dynasty didn't have a seaside area.

The future belongs to the Age of Discovery, which means that the Northern Yuan Dynasty and even the entire grassland will not be able to reap the dividends of this era.

Xu Huizu made Zhu Ying very satisfied.

It was originally thought that such new generation generals were young and energetic, eager to make achievements, and would likely launch a rash attack and cause heavy losses to the Ming army.

Now it seems that he is as steady as an old dog.

When it came to Tubo, it was certainly not as simple as it sounds, but those old subordinates who had fought for most of their lives and followed Xu Da also went with him.

Xu Da was able to win every battle. Although the personal qualities of his subordinates might be somewhat low due to the times, these veterans had no shortage of combat experience.

Xu Huizu finally said: "It may take a long time to go to Tubo, and we can only rely on the court's logistics for more supplies."

In Tubo, there are 300,000 people, and the daily consumption of food and fodder is a huge number.

However, Tibet had a vast territory and a sparse population, as well as few crops, so it could only fight a protracted war, which required strong support from the imperial court.

Even if we defeat Timur's current army, there is no guarantee that the other side will send new troops, and it is very normal to fight for several years.

Of course, it is impossible for an army of 300,000 to consume food day and night. While advancing step by step, they will also develop military farms to supplement the consumption.

Zhu Ying said generously: "Don't worry, the imperial court can definitely guarantee the logistics and food supplies. Not to mention fighting for a few years, even if it's ten eight or years, it will be a small problem."