When great powers fight, their national strength is the focus.

However, as far as the current Ming Dynasty and the grassland are concerned, the gap between them is really too great.

Those who know a little bit don’t think there is any possibility of losing.

The biggest reason why the Northern Expedition was delayed until now was because of the train.

Now that trains have been extended to the nine borders, it is entirely possible to obtain the grassland at the lowest cost.

Because of its great historical significance, it would definitely be featured in the historical records, so Zhu Ying asked the old man to lead the army in person, so that all the honors would go to the emperor.

On March 3rd, Xuanyuan was born.

It was on the day of Huangdi’s birthday that the grand court meeting finally arrived.

This day was not like any other court meeting. Almost all officials of any rank in the capital had to attend.

This includes all military officers.

The grand court meeting was not held in the Fengtian Hall because there were too many people coming, so it was held in the Fengtian Square.

Zhu Yuanzhang would sit at the gate of Fengtian Hall, on the steps of Fengtian Square.

In order to boost morale, Zhu Ying specially arranged for the twelve guards of the Beijing camp to accompany him in the military review.

The Twelve Guards of the Capital Camp were the most elite soldiers of the Ming Dynasty, with a total of more than 80,000 people. Each of them was fully armored and was a truly elite soldier.

These 80,000 soldiers will serve as Zhu Yuanzhang's personal guards.

This time, the Northern Expedition to the grasslands was known as a million lions.

Among them, the number of combat soldiers reached an astonishing number of over 400,000, and the remaining number was over 500,000 auxiliary soldiers, also equipped with swords, spears and muskets, ready to go at any time.

In order to prepare for the Northern Expedition, military garrisons across the Ming Dynasty had already begun mobilizing population just after the New Year.

Of course, they don't need to go directly to Jiubian, as the distance is too long and the journey would be slow.

You just need to arrive at the Nanjing to Jiubian railway station, and then you can take the train directly to Jiubian.

Si time, which is around nine in the morning.

Officials from the capital were already lined up in Fengtian Square waiting.

The term "hundreds of officials" is just a general term. Today, there are nearly five thousand officials who have arrived at Fengtian Square.

This is extremely rare throughout history.

This was not a nationwide event, but only for the capital. For example, during the Han Dynasty, there were grand court meetings of tens of thousands of people, to which officials from all over the country had to come.

The reason why there are so many officials is that Zhu Ying has continuously increased the number of officials over the years and has continuously subdivided the specific work.

In the past, there might have been only a few officials in a government office to handle affairs. Now, there are at least more than 20 people in a government office, each responsible for a different category.

This approach, first of all, reduces the workload of officials themselves, and secondly, restructures power so that it can be dispersed and avoid arbitrary behavior.

Today's officials had already arrived at noon and have been standing in Fengtian Square for half an hour.

But no one complained. After all, this was already easier than before, and the Northern Expedition was such a big event that it was worth it.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard displayed the procession of ceremonial guards, the Jiaofangsi displayed the grand music, and the Literary Department displayed the envoys from various countries.

There were censors to supervise all officials and monitor those who dozed off after standing for too long or those who whispered to each other and chatted privately.

At this solemn moment, anything that violates etiquette is a great disrespect to the royal family. The lighter punishment is beheading, and the worse is the loss of the head.

Finally, at one o'clock in the morning, a figure appeared on the steps of Fengtian Square.

At this time, drums and music sounded and all officials knelt down.

He shouted respectfully: "Welcome to His Majesty, long live His Majesty!!!"

The noise was deafening, and every official tried his best to shout as loudly as possible.

He had to shout loudly, because the Imperial Censor next to him was watching closely. Anyone who tried to take advantage of the situation would be severely punished.

Three bows complete.

After all, no matter how much Zhu Yuanzhang shouted at this time, it was useless. Without a loudspeaker, no one behind him could hear him at all.

Fortunately, the following etiquette procedures had already been arranged in advance.

Today, Zhu Yuanzhang is not wearing a dragon robe or court dress.

Instead, he wore Ming Guang armor, dragon-head shoulders, a crimson cloak, and a bright helmet tassel, dressed like a great general.

This set of armor is uniquely designed and made of unique materials. It looks heavy but is actually very light.

But in terms of luxury, it is definitely second to none.

After all, it was impossible for Zhu Yuanzhang to really go into battle and kill the enemy himself, so the appearance was more important than practicality, and what should be highlighted was the gorgeousness and nobility.

On the crimson cloak, there are dark patterns of golden dragons embroidered, which are extremely dazzling under the refraction of sunlight.

Just standing there, there is an indescribable sense of nobility.

This effect was achieved after dozens of designs. Now standing in the sun, his whole body seems to be emitting a faint light, as if he is a god descending to earth.

Zhu Ying did not stand on the steps, but stood in front of all the officials with other imperial uncles.

Of course, these princes and grandchildren, including Zhu Ying, did not need to wait here for half an hour. They arrived a quarter of an hour before Zhu Yuanzhang was ready to come.

When all the officials saw the princes and grandchildren arrive, they knew that His Majesty would be here soon, and the Music Bureau also began to prepare, which was equivalent to a signal that the ceremony was about to begin.

"play music!!!"

When Zhu Yuanzhang stood on the steps, Liu He next to him immediately shouted loudly.

Liu He was old, and his shouts were only that loud, but there were special heralds beside him, and they all had loud voices.

They would follow Liu He's voice and shout.

After nine orders were given, the great music began.

The so-called voice of China is majestic and magnificent.

The ceremonies for the entire Ming Dynasty had all been determined in Zhu Yuanzhang's early years. Even the Ming dynasty's descendants basically followed this etiquette system.

The most important affairs of a state are sacrifices and war.

The Mongol Yuan system was in chaos, with no distinction between the noble and the humble, monastic etiquette was corrupted, and the ancient ritual system was destroyed during the Yuan Dynasty.

Also, because the five rituals of the Yuan Dynasty were all carried out in accordance with national customs, Zhu Yuanzhang had always tried to abandon the barbarians of the Yuan Dynasty and restore Han culture. Therefore, the five ritual system of the Ming Dynasty mostly inherited the systems of the Tang and Song dynasties, rather than inheriting the customs of the Mongols and Yuan Dynasty.

At the beginning of Zhu Yuanzhang's founding of the country, he began to redefine the ritual system, revise the ritual books, standardize the order, and strive to restore the Chinese system, eliminate the barbarians, and show the legitimacy of his rule.

For such a major event as the Northern Expedition with Zhu Yuanzhang leading the army in person, a ceremony must be held.

The music project this time was selected by Zhu Ying, which is "The Qin King's Battle Music"

The Qin Wang Po Zhen Music has disappeared in later generations, and only Japan has preserved it. Of course, the current Ming Dynasty version is naturally inherited from the Tang Dynasty original.

Boom boom boom boom boom.

In response, three thousand soldiers wearing armor and holding long swords and large shields came from Fengtian Gate to the beat of the drums.

As the drums sounded, three thousand long swords struck the big shield, making a continuous sound of golden swords, and a primitive murderous aura came towards them.

When the people present heard this, they all got goosebumps, as if they were on a battlefield with thousands of troops.

The guards around were already engaged in a battle amidst the music.

The sound of the drums was deafening and could be heard hundreds of miles away. It was majestic and frightening.

The fun is over.

Three thousand soldiers knelt on one knee, shouted "Long live the emperor" and retreated.

Immediately afterwards, Zhu Yuanzhang issued an edict.

"I have driven out the barbarians and unified China. I have received the Mandate of Heaven for thirty-three years. However, the people of the grasslands outside the borders are always eyeing us covetously, intending to disrupt China again. I am worried about this."

"Now the treasury is abundant, the army is strong, and there are divine weapons to help. I will lead a million lions and head straight to the grassland to lay the foundation for the eternal Ming Dynasty and destroy the source of the grassland's chaos."

"The current Ming crown prince is a brave and virtuous man who can shoulder the heavy responsibility. I will personally lead the expedition to the grasslands, and the crown prince will supervise the country. He can make decisions on his own and act as the emperor."

After Liu He read out the imperial edict, he walked down the steps and bowed, saying, "Please accept the imperial edict, Grandson."

Zhu Ying took the imperial edict and kowtowed: "I will obey your order."

Liu He then read out the second decree: "Appoint Qin Wang Zhu Chong as the commander-in-chief of the front army, commanding an army of 200,000."

Qin Wang Zhu Chong, wearing armor, bowed his head and accepted the imperial edict: "Your son will obey your order."

Next are the King of Jin and the King of Yan.

"Appoint Prince Jin Zhu Gang as the commander-in-chief of the left army, commanding an army of 200,000 men."

"Appoint Prince Yan Zhu Di as the commander-in-chief of the right army, commanding an army of 200,000 men."

Zhu Gang and Zhu Di bowed and accepted the order: "Your son will obey your order."

The million-strong army was divided into three routes, with three princes each leading 200,000 troops, for a total of 600,000 soldiers.

Zhu Yuanzhang was in the central army and led 400,000 troops.

After the enthronement, it is time to set off.

At this time, a eunuch brought the imperial horse, a snow-white warhorse.

Zhu Yuanzhang walked down the steps slowly. At this moment, everyone either bowed their heads or knelt down and kowtowed.

The eunuch next to him immediately used a person as a ladder and knelt beside the horse.

Zhu Yuanzhang stepped on the eunuch's back and climbed onto the horse.

The drums started beating again, and all the soldiers shouted in unison: "Ming! Mighty! Ming! Mighty! Ming! Mighty!"

The shouts continued as Zhu Yuanzhang rode out of the palace.

Zhu Chong, Zhu Gang and Zhu Di, the three commanders, followed their father's horse at a trot. When they reached Fengtian Gate, there were war horses prepared, and the three of them immediately mounted them.

From Fengtian Gate to Zhengyang Square, 80,000 guards had been waiting for a long time.

At this time, Zhengyang Avenue had been completely blocked, and people were watching the ceremony on both sides of the avenue.

According to the procedure, Zhu Yuanzhang led 80,000 personal guards from Zhengyang Square to the dock outside Zhengyang Gate, then crossed the river by boat and took a train to Jiubian to personally conquer the grassland.

These 80,000 personal guards were the most elite soldiers currently in the Ming Dynasty. Their military appearance shocked all the people watching the ceremony.

At this moment, all the people could not help but feel proud to be people of the Ming Dynasty.

What enemy can stop such a large army?

…

Ever since Zhu Yuanzhang led the army to fight in person, all domestic affairs fell on Zhu Ying's shoulders.

"Alas, I knew being an emperor wasn't that easy. I've already carried out so many reforms, but there are still so many government affairs to deal with."

"Sure enough, there is a reason why the emperor had a short life. Doing this every day is even more miserable than the 996 in later generations."

In the Huagai Hall, Zhu Ying, who had just finished a meeting, lay on a chair and let Xiaoyu beside him give him a massage.

Xiaoyu has now been canonized as Jade Concubine. Because Zhu Ying is still the crown prince, she cannot be canonized as a concubine. There are only two types of concubines: Crown Prince's Concubine and Crown Prince's Concubine.

After Zhu Ying inherits the throne, he will be able to enthrone each concubine according to the harem system.

Xiaoyu is different from other concubines. Other concubines are basically princesses from various countries. They have been served by people since childhood and have been dressed in fine clothes and fed with delicious food.

Xiaoyu grew up in the Jiaofangsi and learned the skill of serving people, so Zhu Ying kept her by his side for the past few days and gave her massages to relax her in his free time.

Now Zhu Yuanzhang is leading a million-strong army to the northern grassland, so there are many more government affairs to deal with.

Zhu Ying, who was in the rear, had to ensure internal stability during Zhu Yuanzhang's personal expedition, and at the same time provide sufficient logistical support for the army at all times.

This Northern Expedition also requires the mobilization of a large number of civilian laborers.

The role of the civilians is to build the city.

This was not Zhu Ying's idea. In history, Emperor Wu of Han, against all odds, mobilized more than 100,000 people in the Hetao area to build Shuofang City.

With Shuofang City, the Hetao area could be firmly controlled by the Han Dynasty. The Hetao area could also be used for grazing and farming, and could be used as a forward base for attacking the Xiongnu.

However, the city that Zhu Ying wanted to build had to go deep into the grassland.

Relying on the transportation capacity of trains, food and a lot of building materials have to be transported from the inland.

Judging from the current situation, it is not worth it.

In order to acquire Shuofang City, Emperor Wu of Han even started selling officials for money and emptied the national treasury. A city is truly a gold-devouring beast.

Moreover, the place chosen by Zhu Ying was deeper in the country, where farming and grazing were difficult, unlike the Hetao area.

Even the railroad tracks could be destroyed by the grassland cavalry, cutting off their retreat.

Therefore, this time when we go to the grassland, we must conquer them in one go.

Zhu Ying set his sights on the mineral deposits on the grassland.

Since the mineral resources in the grassland have never been developed, the reserves are still sufficient. The city being built will be used as an industrial city in the future.

Now that we have steam engines, the difficulty of developing grassland mineral deposits will naturally become lower. Coupled with the transportation capacity of trains, although the initial investment is large, it can still be recovered in the later stage.

As long as a large number of cities are built and the people of the grassland are attracted into them, the threat from the grassland will naturally disappear from then on.

After pacifying the grassland, the Ming Dynasty no longer had a shortage of war horses and could also possess a large number of cavalry.

At present, corn is planted on a large scale in the Ming Dynasty, especially in the western region, so it is fully capable of supplying concentrated feed and there is no need to worry about the problem of forage.

Controlling the grassland is equivalent to controlling hundreds of thousands of cavalry.

When the nomadic cavalry is equipped with the armaments of agricultural civilization, it becomes an invincible army.

The reason why Timur was so powerful in Central Asia was because he had a large number of Mongolian cavalry.

The reason why the Ming Dynasty's external expansion was insufficient was because it lacked cavalry.

By obtaining the grassland, the Ming Dynasty could make up for the shortcomings of its cavalry and gain the ability to launch land expeditions.

For Zhu Ying, Zhu Yuanzhang's personal expedition was just the beginning of the Ming Dynasty's first step outward.

The Ming Dynasty was now very wealthy and was able to start the colonial era.

While Zhu Ying was busy, Zhu Yuanzhang had already arrived in Datong, Jiubian.

After a short rest, they began to march into the grassland.

After the Northern Yuan Dynasty was destroyed by Guilichi, the Mobei grassland was divided into three parts.

They are Tatar, Oirat and Uriankhai.

At this time, the three guards of Doyan rebelled against the Ming Dynasty again.

The commander-in-chief of the front army, Zhu Chong, led 200,000 troops to march against Tatar, the commander-in-chief of the left army, Zhu Gang, marched against Wala, and the commander-in-chief of the right army, Zhu Di, marched against Uriankhai.

The Ming Dynasty declared war on the three tribes in northern Mobei at the same time.

Zhu Yuanzhang's central army set out from Datong and headed towards the Northern Yuan Dynasty's court.

Mobei is the Mongolian Plateau. Unlike the interior of the Ming Dynasty, there are no cities here and most of the tribes live scattered around grazing.

Generally speaking, there are certain residential areas, divided by water source rivers.

There are four main areas, namely the Tule River, Orkhon River, Selenga River Basin and Lake Baikal.

Near the Orkhon River is the former location of the Northern Yuan Dynasty royal court.

No matter how the grassland people migrated, they always followed the direction of water sources. After all, both humans and horses need to drink water.

Zhu Yuanzhang's marching route was mainly based on the direction of water sources.