In Kunning Palace.

Zhu Ying smiled and said to Song Zhong beside him: "It seems that this Di Yusen is quite capable. Just now, he was able to determine that I was going to compete in martial arts with just a few glances."

"This kind of eyesight is very easy to find clues when investigating a case. It must have taken a lot of time to train it."

As Zhu Ying's personal bodyguard, Song Zhong naturally knew that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was holding a martial arts competition.

However, you can only know how deep your skills are by trying it.

Of course, he did not express his intention to fight with the Crown Prince. He was afraid that it would be embarrassing whether he won or lost.

"Forgive my ignorance, but how did Your Highness the Crown Prince know that Di Yusen had noticed that Your Highness was good at martial arts?" After hesitating for a moment, Song Zhong expressed his thoughts.

Zhu Ying smiled and said, "When he raised his head just now, his eyes were always subconsciously focused on my hands and legs."

"I have seen that kind of look many times when I was in the Western Regions. Many wanderers and desperate criminals made such judgments one by one."

"He probably learned this method because he often comes into contact with murder cases and has to deal with criminals."

Seeing Song Zhong's puzzled look, Zhu Ying said, "You don't need to be familiar with these things when you are in the army. After all, after a battle, the level of martial arts is no longer important."

"In military combat, there are more openings and closings, and strength is particularly important, but it is different when traveling in the martial arts world, where you are mostly alone."

"At this time, you have to be alert. Otherwise, if you offend someone you can't afford to offend, you will lose your life."

"What's the idea of ​​drawing a sword and killing people at will? That's just from the novels. In the Western Regions alone, most swordsmen and knifemen won't take action easily. They won't want to take the initiative to cause any trouble. As long as there is no benefit, they will choose to avoid it unless it affects them."

"The more you fight, the more grudges you'll have. Even if you have great martial arts skills, you can still be attacked from behind."

Listening to the brief introduction of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, Song Zhong couldn't help but feel a little yearning.

Novels were popular in the early Ming Dynasty, and some fictitious martial arts stories were also very popular. Even Song Zhong would occasionally read a few.

Zhu Ying talked about some past events, and felt a little sad.

Since entering the capital, he has never fought with Zhu Gaochi, Xu Miaojin, or anyone else except for that one time when they were boating on the Qinhuai River.

Then there was no chance to attack again.

Zhu Ying was not very interested in finding a few guards to practice with.

Because his sword, spear, halberd, fist and foot skills are all aimed at vital points. With his strength, he may attack casually and subconsciously cause casualties.

There is really no point in attacking your own people.

Because Ye Yueqing was pregnant, Zhu Ying's original plan to travel to Liaodong this year was dashed.

Now, of course, the key thing is to see the child born first.

So we might as well arrange to conquer the grassland forces near Liaodong in the early spring of next year.

Mobilizing a large army is an extremely complicated matter. It is not like everything can be ready and set off immediately with just one order.

That is a professional army, but the current Ming Dynasty is mostly composed of soldiers stationed in farming areas.

When a garrison mobilizes troops, after receiving the military order, the first thing they consider is food and fodder, and the first thing they do is to train them, just like forcing a duck to climb a tree.

After practicing for half a month to a month and feeling that it is almost ready, you can start to set out and gather.

Although the Weisuo system has the advantage of reducing the consumption of grain in the national treasury, it also has certain disadvantages.

…

The news that the capital would invade the Liaodong grassland in the early spring of next year spread quickly and was widely circulated among civil and military officials.

The civil servants have nothing to say.

After all, this can basically be said to be the decision of His Majesty. The current situation in the Ming Dynasty court can only be said to be Zhu Yuanzhang's one-man show, especially when it comes to foreign wars.

Even the Minister of War, Ru Rong, had no say.

For military officers, war is great news, as it is a good opportunity to achieve success.

Is a general still a general if he has no merit?

Now that the Ming Dynasty's military power is at its peak, all military officers have an extremely strong desire for war.

Even the warriors of the older generation longed to conquer the world on horseback.

But fighting on the grassland is different from fighting Japan.

Quality is more important than quantity.

To conquer Japan, one must occupy its territory, which requires a sufficient population to suppress it, including a series of things such as education in the local area, military farming, etc.

For the grassland, cavalry is the key. Too many infantry will be greatly restricted, such as problems with food and fodder, and problems with mobility.

Lan Yu's famous battle, the Battle of Buir Lake, was a great victory in which he led an army of 150,000 to the Northern Expedition.

The reason why Lan Yu was able to become a famous general was not just because of the devastating blow he dealt to the small Northern Yuan Dynasty court.

It was also because the Mongols lost about 100,000 people.

The Ming army's losses were negligible, and it was said that they "achieved the desired effect without sacrificing a single soldier."

Not only that, more than 77,000 people and 47,000 war horses were captured.

In addition, the Ming army also captured 4,840 camels, 112,452 cattle and sheep, more than 3,000 vehicles of various types, and a large number of logistical supplies.

Since the main force of the Northern Yuan Dynasty suffered a devastating blow, the small Northern Yuan Dynasty court was not spared either.

A large number of royal family members are imprisoned, including the wife of the late monarch Ayushiridara, the concubines and second son Dibaonu of the current monarch Toghon Temur, and princesses.

A total of 2,999 high-ranking officials and dignitaries were taken prisoners.

More than 77,000 prisoners, this is the best fighting force.

The Mongolian cavalry's combat effectiveness is rare in the world. These more than 77,000 people will naturally belong to the Ming Dynasty's official army in the future.

The 47,000 war horses are of paramount strategic resource to the entire Ming Dynasty.

Once there was a plague in Henan Province, Zhu Ying went to Henan with 40,000 cavalrymen, most of whom were trained cavalrymen with war horses harvested by Lan Yu.

The men and horses, as well as the exaggerated battle loss ratio of "zero casualties" during the Ming Dynasty, led to the title of Duke of Lan Yuliang.

When the news of victory reached the capital that year, Zhu Yuanzhang was overjoyed and sent envoys to comfort the troops. In his edict, he compared Lan Yu to famous generals such as Wei Qing and Li Jing.

However, the current blue jade has undergone great changes compared to the previous blue jade.

Although there seemed to be no special changes, the year that Zhu Ying came was a year of great ups and downs for Lan Yu.

This ups and downs does not refer to the change of Lan Yu's official position.

But his mood.

Because of the list, Lan Yu realized that he had been on the brink of death once.

The arrogance brought by his past achievements has been almost smoothed out after Zhu Ying's operations.

Now, Lan Yu is more concerned about how to preserve his own life and gain the trust of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince than making greater contributions.

When the news of the Second Northern Expedition spread, Lan Yu became somewhat worried.

In the restaurant.

Lan Yu looked at Jingchuan Marquis Cao Zhen across from him and said somewhat depressedly, "Since I pacified the rebels in Shaanxi and returned to the capital, I have only met His Royal Highness the Crown Prince a few times."

"Your Majesty did give some routine rewards, but I don't care about them anymore. From what I heard from His Majesty, he probably wants His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to lead the army personally for this northern expedition."

Upon hearing this, Cao Zhen couldn't help but exclaimed, "Your Highness the Crown Prince is going to lead the army in person? That's unlikely."

"It is almost obvious how important His Royal Highness is to Your Majesty. How can we allow His Royal Highness to lead the army in person?"

"Isn't it possible that I misunderstood?"

Lan Yu shook his head and said, "Although it is difficult to guess your majesty's intentions, this time he said it almost clearly."

"Also, we can hear some news from the Governor's Office. This time, the Northern Expedition will involve about 100,000 soldiers, but the tens of thousands of cavalry in the capital have already begun preparations for training."

"These cavalrymen have been trained for many years and are extremely powerful. Many of them were once Mongolian cavalrymen."

"Including the Gunpowder Department, they have been producing firearms day and night recently."

"Combined with some of His Majesty's words, this kind of indication shows that His Royal Highness is the most likely person."

"Of course, the key to this is that I accidentally heard that the Heroes Chamber of Commerce is hoarding a large amount of food and grass."

Lan Yu himself was an extremely outstanding commander.

Naturally, I am extremely sensitive and familiar with these things.

In addition, many of his subordinates were scattered throughout the capital, so his source of information was very reliable.

If he still cannot guess the possibility of the Crown Prince leading the army, he would be unworthy of the title of Duke of Liang.

After listening to this, Cao Zhen couldn't help but say, "Since it is the Crown Prince who is leading the Northern Expedition, then Big Brother must be the first choice."

"Brother is very familiar with the terrain and the conditions of the grassland. Your Majesty will not miss him."

"But I still think that the possibility of the Crown Prince personally leading the expedition is not very high. As the Crown Prince, if he leads the Northern Expedition personally, I don't think His Majesty will agree to it no matter how you look at it."

Listening to the comfort from Cao Zhen, Lan Yu raised his glass and drank, and his mood improved a lot.

Some things, if not implemented, will easily change.

Hearing Cao Zhen's question, Lan Yu shook his head and said, "If His Royal Highness wants to establish prestige in the army, he will definitely lead the troops in person."

"It can be said that the conquest of Japan was facilitated by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. It is obvious that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has the idea of ​​dividing the land and establishing new borders."

"So even His Royal Highness the Crown Prince must establish sufficient achievements."

"Japan is too far away, and sailing on the sea is full of dangers and is not very safe. It is easy to encounter some unpredictable accidents."

"As for Liaodong, it's completely different. With 40,000 cavalry guarding it, there won't be any problems even if we are defeated."

Listening to Lan Yu's narration, there was some surprise in Cao Zhen's eyes.

Is this still the Lan Yu I know? Why does he give me the impression of being the Minister of War?

Cao Zhen was surprised, and he also raised his glass and said: "Brother, just rest assured. The King of Yan is in Japan now. Who is more prestigious than you, brother?"

"Big brother and His Royal Highness are still related by blood."

"If big brother is worried, I think it would be better for me to go to the palace and talk to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

"I heard that the Crown Prince's wife is pregnant, so I'd like to use this opportunity to congratulate His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

Hearing this, Lan Yu smiled and said, "Good for you, Cao Zhen, you have a lot of tricks now."

"What you said makes sense. I should go and pay my respects to His Royal Highness. Then I will naturally know what His Royal Highness means."

Lan Yu was extremely eager to follow His Royal Highness the Crown Prince in the Northern Expedition to the grasslands.

No matter how His Royal Highness the Crown Prince treats him, he and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince are already tied to the same boat.

If anything unexpected happened to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, he would no longer be able to tolerate it in His Majesty's eyes.

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is his only hope for future glory, wealth, life and property.

…

Ministry of Industry, Armaments Bureau.

Now it is a scene of bustling activity.

A large number of top craftsmen gathered here to carefully study a portrait of a full body armor.

An eunuch said in a loud voice: "This is the order from His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to our Armament Bureau. We must carefully make this precious armor that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince personally decided on."

"Each piece of armor must be made of the best steel and must be invulnerable to swords and guns, as well as water and fire."

"If there are any mistakes, losing your head would be the least you can do."

The armor picture currently displayed in the Arsenal of the Ministry of Industry was specially created by Zhu Ying, who found a court painter and adjusted it according to his own preferences.

It is very different from the armor used in today's army.

It can be considered as heavy armor.

In the border troops of the Ming Dynasty today, the soldiers' armor, battle skirts, arm guards and other equipment weigh a total of 45 kilograms, their helmets and head guards weigh 7 kilograms, and their neck guards and rib guards weigh 5 kilograms.

The bow and quiver weigh ten pounds, the waist knife weighs three and a half pounds, the caltrop bone weighs three pounds, the quiver weighs one pound, and the war hook, cotton skin and upper and lower clothes weigh eight pounds, totaling eighty-eight and a half pounds.

Converted to later calculations, it has reached fifty kilograms.

According to the armor pattern in the current portrait, if it were all made and worn, it would weigh over 150 kilograms.

It can be said that except for the eyes, the rest of the body is wrapped in heavy armor, and with the carved patterns, it really looks like a celestial general.

Zhu Ying was still quite cautious about his life in war.

With this armor, not to mention firearms, even crossbow arrows cannot penetrate it.

The only way to penetrate this armor is to shoot it with a siege crossbow or bombard it with a cannon.

This armor is good in every way, except for its obvious shortcoming, which is that it is too heavy.

The choice of war horses alone is extremely picky. Only top-level war horses can carry the load, and they must be tall and strong.

With the addition of a 10-foot-long spear, he would be like a tiger among a flock of sheep in the enemy camp, unmatched.

One craftsman questioned: "This kind of armor is made just for show. Can any soldier really wear it?"

The eunuch scolded, "Don't ask so many questions. Just follow His Royal Highness's orders."

"We have plenty of time. I'll give you three months. If you work together, you must create this kind of armor."