Chapter 409: Northern Expedition 1
A burly middle-aged man was tied up and pushed in front of Zhao Xiaokun. Zhao Xiaokun asked coldly, "Who are you?"
Alashan Taiji Sangba said: "My Lord, this man is called Sangji and is the leader of the Abaga tribe."
"Why do you want to kill us all? We have already surrendered!" Sangji's eyes were almost popped out and full of bloodshot.
"Surrender? You should have thought about this day when you married into the Jianlu!" said Abar, Taiji of the Ulanqab tribe.
Sangji looked at the two taijis talking back and forth, and cursed: "You descendants of the Gray Wolf and the White Deer, are you blind? After dealing with us, they will deal with you in return! You fools!"
"A wise bird chooses a good tree to roost in, and the grassland has always worshipped the strong! This is the iron law of our life!" said Alashan Taiji Samba.
"Send him on his way! Divide the slaves, cattle and sheep here equally! As for this grassland, hand it over to the Ulanqab tribe for management. What do you think of my handling of the matter?" Zhao Xiaokun asked.
"The admiral's approach is as fair and just as a scale. We are all convinced!" said Gunbu of the Bayannur tribe.
The others nodded, and Zhao Xiaokun smiled and said, "Alright! Along the way, we'll encounter many tribes that are friendly to the Jianlu. Let's start with courtesy before using force. Tell them that those who surrender will be spared. For those who refuse, we'll slaughter all the men taller than the wheels. You will divide the slaves, women, cattle, and sheep equally! We'll discuss the pastures, okay?"
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, Your Majesty! Your Majesty, Your Majesty! Your Majesty, Your Majesty! Your Majesty, Your Majesty! Your Majesty, Your Majesty!"
Zhao Xiaokun thought to himself: You are a bunch of people who bully the weak and fear the strong!
Amidst the chorus of praise, the Mongol tribes no longer dared to underestimate the Ming army. Some even sent someone to ask Admiral Zhao if he wanted to take in a few more concubines, as they had many beautiful women among their children.
Zhao Xiaokun thought, "Forget it! We're here to fight. Don't wait until we return from the Northern Expedition and hurt your back again."
However, Zhao Xiaokun and his men could only target this tribe; the other tribes were too far away. Now it was snowy and icy, so they could only wait.
Zhao Xiaokun spent three full months on the grassland before setting off again. During those months, he reeked of goat. There weren't many fruits and vegetables, and eating so much goat blisters at the corners of his mouth.
In the capital, Zhao Xiaofei also began to prepare for the Northern Expedition. The army outside Anding Gate was in neat order and solemn. The sunlight shone on the iron armor, emitting a faint cold light.
Zhao Xiaofei stood on the platform where he was called upon to command his generals, and Princess Kunxing personally handed him the seal and tiger talisman of the Grand Marshal of the Army.
The moment Zhao Xiaofei took the seal, Princess Kunxing took Zhao Xiaofei's hand and said, "If there is any danger again, your safety is the most important. Come back alive! We and our children are at home, and they are all waiting for you."
Zhao Xiaofei took Kunxing's hand and said, "I understand!"
Their conversation was so quiet that no one around them could hear. But what does it mean for you two to hold hands? Are you showing off your affection in front of tens of thousands of soldiers?
Zhao Xiaofei felt that the hand he was holding was a little too long, so he pulled it back awkwardly. Then he turned around, drew his imperial sword, pointed it at the sky and said, "The Northern Expedition will surely win. Long live the Ming Dynasty!"
"Tiger!" tens of thousands of soldiers shouted simultaneously. The sound shook the heavens, and the entire training ground was filled with a murderous atmosphere.
After the noise stopped, Zhao Xiaofei shouted, "Move out!"
After leaving the capital, Zhao Xiaofei sat on his horse, with Zhou Shuai Wanshan on his left and right.
"Marshal! You look very tired! Did the princess drain you out? Hahaha!" Wan Shan laughed. Zhao Xiaofei was the Grand Marshal, so Wan Shan called him Marshal.
"Don't talk nonsense. The eldest princess is so busy, how could she have time? It must be the little princess who drained our Marshal's body! Hahahaha!" Zhou Shuai laughed.
Zhao Xiaofei's face was filled with black lines, so he counterattacked: "You have a lot of wives, and you think you are better than me? Don't be like a crow landing on a pig, only seeing the faults of others and not your own!"
Zhao Xiaofei had been in the capital for the past few months, doing nothing but paying taxes. Princess Kunxing was rarely busy with government affairs, but Zhaoren was at home every day!
He had made love with her last night. Although Shen Yunying was shy and embarrassed, Zhao Xiaofei knew she didn't have a child, and he felt uneasy. So he had been staying in her room quite a bit in the past few months, while Li Sihong and Kou Baimen were more evenly matched.
Shen Yunying did not go with them this time because she finally felt at ease. The imperial physician examined her yesterday and confirmed that she was finally pregnant.
Kou Baimen and Li Sihong are also pregnant. This time, Zhao Xiaofei is going to be a father again.
But Zhao Xiaofei was actually mainly tired. After being in the Ming Dynasty for so long, his original heroic spirit had faded. He only wanted to have a beautiful woman in his arms, his children by his side, eat and drink well, and occasionally give advice on the country and show off. This is how to enjoy life, this is the greatest benefit of time travel.
He hoped this was the last battle, and that others would fight the next major one. Wouldn't it be better for him to command and dispatch, offer advice, and be a military advisor?
He didn't realize that his prestige, especially among the people in the north, was extremely high. He had the power to stop children from crying at night, and mothers would scare their children by saying, "Cry again! If you cry again, Prince Li will catch you and eat your soul!"
In the eyes of officials and literati, the brothers Zhao Xiaofei and Zhao Xiaokun are a pair of demons who compete with them for food, not only for money, but also for reputation.
The Zhao brothers' poems and novels have left many scholars and scholars in awe. They say, "You two are both military heroes, so what's the point of writing such great poems? You might as well give them to us!"
Because of the existence of the Zhao brothers, Zheng Zhilong and other sea merchants loved and envied them.
I love them because they provide me with products that allow me to make a fortune overseas. I envy them because they don’t have a source of supply. If I had, I could just kick them out of the business.
Zheng Zhilong and other sea merchants had secretly investigated the two brothers, but they could not find out where they imported the goods. They only heard that the two brothers had magical powers and could produce these things out of thin air.
But would Zheng Zhilong and his men believe it? Grandma! Obviously not, so they continued to spend money investigating, but to no avail.
After leaving Xifengkou, Zhao Xiaofei felt like his bones were about to fall apart. His whole body ached! Not a single part of him felt comfortable. He felt like he should be like Jia Baoyu, a wealthy and idle man for the rest of his life, living among women all day long.
What a pity! He didn't have that fate!
"Report! Your Majesty, the enemy has been spotted eighty miles ahead, with approximately 30,000 troops!" said a messenger.
"Did you see it clearly? Which banner of the Jianlu is it from?" Zhao Xiaofei asked.
"Your Highness, it's the Plain White Banner and the Bordered Yellow Banner! There are also a lot of cannons and muskets!" said the messenger.
"Who sold them the cannons and muskets? These traitors, I should cut them all into pieces!" Zhao Xiaofei roared.
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