Zhu Xiong Ying's banner fluttered in the wind, and Zhu Xiong Ying, clad in golden armor and wielding a silver spear, galloped on horseback, looking every bit the young hero!

Looking at the distant yurts, the idyllic scene of cattle and sheep grazing amidst the swaying grass was about to be shattered. For Zhu Xiong Ying had merely raised his hand, and his soldiers were already itching for battle, ready to begin their campaign against the rebellious.

The singing and dancing were gone; now only the fear of this small tribe remained. Seeing the Ming cavalry suddenly galloping towards them, these steppe tribes dared not offer much resistance. The disparity in strength was simply too great; surrender was their only option.

Somewhat disheartened, Zhu Xiong Ying sat on his horse, looked at the young men, women, and children, and shook his head.

This is a characteristic of some nomadic peoples: the harsh living environment and the survival of the fittest have made them accustomed to being conquered or to conquering. If they can win a fight, they are the fiercest wolves, utterly inhuman. But if they can't win, they kneel down and surrender; according to their customs, this means they can live.

Looking back, Zhu Xiong Ying said to Feng Sheng, "Register them, disperse the women and children and incorporate them into the military households, so that my Huangming can raise horses properly. Take all the able-bodied men back and see where they will be exiled!"

As Zhu Xiong Ying's brother-in-law, Feng Sheng immediately nodded and accepted the order, saying, "Your subject obeys."

Zhu Xiong Ying led the main force to continue searching for smaller tribes. In recent years, the Ming Dynasty had become powerful, and the internal strife among the nomadic peoples had allowed Zhu Xiong Ying to sit on the sidelines and bully the weak.

Song Zhong's Imperial Guards, or some "imperial merchants," also brought some good news, gathering information on the situation of the Mongol tribes. This allowed Zhu Xiong Ying to avoid leading his troops blindly and instead launch targeted attacks.

The people were all taken back, and naturally, supplies such as cattle, sheep, and horses were also taken, as these were all very important spoils of war.

Just as Zhu Xiong was feeling triumphant, a scout came to report, "Your Highness, the false Yuan Khan, Borjigin Elbeg, has dispatched a large army to attack!"

Zhu Xiong Ying couldn't help but laugh. This Borjigin Elbeg was the current Great Khan, whose title was Nigulesukchi Khan. His identity was also quite special. Back then, Lan Yu's great victory at Buyur Lake led to the deaths of Elbeg's father and elder brother, Tianbaonu, while Dibaonu was captured by the Ming Dynasty and was now living as a savage in Ryukyu.

This Elbeg succeeded to the Khanate, so his identity was rather special, and Zhu Xiong Ying was still unclear about it.

Zhu Xiong Ying nodded, then asked, "Oh? Which unit is it, Da Jun?"

The scout replied, "It seems to be the Oirat Choros tribe!"

At this moment, Li Jinglong immediately said, "Your Highness, the lord of the Oirat Choros tribe, Haohai Dayu, is a treacherous and sycophantic official!"

Zhu Xiong Ying nodded and said with a smile, "Whether a minister is treacherous or not is none of our Ming Dynasty's business. It's actually a good thing that this person is a treacherous minister. I've already heard that Elbeg is muddleheaded and incompetent, so let them continue their internal strife."

Despite saying that, Zhu Xiong Ying still ordered, "Order all units to assemble and not to make contact with the puppet Yuan army."

Zhu Xiong Ying was well aware that the Mongol tribes were no longer the formidable Mongol cavalry they once were. However, he was still wary of their strength; given time, these nomadic peoples would remain a constant threat to the Ming Dynasty's borders.

Zhu Xiong Ying did not want his leadership of the border patrol to turn into a defeat. The Ming Dynasty had not suffered a defeat for many years, and Zhu Xiong Ying naturally did not want to be the one to start this.

Moreover, there were his uncles. If anything happened to any of them, Zhu Xiong Ying wouldn't necessarily lose his life. However, he wanted to avoid such a thing if possible. He didn't want to upset Zhu Yuanzhang, and he certainly didn't want the Mongol tribes to gain momentum.

Zhu Xiong Ying believed that it was possible for the Ming Dynasty to become invincible and for surrounding tribes and countries to naturally fear it.

Fu Youde also stepped forward at this time. Although he knew that the Crown Prince was now focusing on cultivating Xu Yungong and others, Fu Youde was quite confident in his own position. He was definitely the Crown Prince's number one general.

Instead of giving orders haphazardly, Zhu Xiong Ying simply sat in the central command, watching Fu Youde direct and coordinate the troops, and observing the Ming army rapidly assembling and preparing for battle.

Fu Youde also became excited. In the early years of the Hongwu reign, he followed Xu Da on his northward campaign. He once led fifty cavalrymen to charge when Wang Baobao, the Yuan general defending Taiyuan, led ten thousand cavalry to reinforce the city. He then launched a night raid, causing Wang Baobao to flee in panic, and Fu Youde captured countless enemy soldiers!

Zhu Xiong Ying simply watched, his hand resting on his sword sheath, his gaze calm. Behind him were his imperial uncles, who were also there to supervise the battle.

Li Jinglong waved his hand, and the arquebusiers of the Shenji Battalion began to line up. The first rank crouched down, the second rank stood up, and the third rank was already loading ammunition. At this moment, several small bronze cannons were pushed out, their muzzles aimed at the Mongol cavalry that had begun to line up and prepare to charge.

This was an "encounter battle," and it was clear that the Northern Yuan was also driven to a dead end. Mainly, they had been driven to the wilderness in recent years, where survival was already difficult, and various tribes were constantly at war with each other. But now, the Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty was also frequently harassing the borders and raiding, which was unacceptable.

From the perspective of these nomadic peoples, they raided southwards when life was difficult, not when it became a situation where southerners were raiding them, these heroes on horseback!

'Bang'

'Bang'

'Bang'

The sound of artillery fire continued, which displeased Zhu Xiong Ying. These field cannons were of average caliber, and most importantly, the shells were mostly solid shot, so their destructive effect was relatively limited.

This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!