Ming Dynasty: Is a mere unruly commoner rebelling against heaven?

Chapter 70: Northwest Expedition, the Army Sets Off!

Western Investigation Bureau.

After entering the Western Investigation Bureau, Wang Zhi immediately summoned his three chief deputies.

"Ma Jinzhong, you are responsible for selecting a thousand agents to depart with the Western Expeditionary Army to Hami We, overseeing the three armies!"

"Yes, Director Wang!"

Ma Jinzhong, with disheveled hair, heterochromatic eyes, and half a mask on his face, acknowledged the order with a hoarse voice.

Wang Zhi then looked at Qin Lu: "Qin Lu, you lead a thousand agents to accompany the Ministry of Revenue to survey the land throughout the country."

"Yes, Director Wang."

Qin Lu also accepted the order.

"Ji Sheng, you lead a thousand agents to inspect the Ministry of War's allocation of grain and fodder. Anyone who dares to embezzle or misappropriate grain will be executed on the spot, with the right to kill first and report later!"

"Yes, Director Wang!"

Ji Sheng revealed an excited smile, his eyes gleaming fiercely.

Under Wang Zhi's orders, the three chief deputies of the Western Depot immediately mustered their men and performed their respective duties.

After more than ten days of intense preparation, the Ministry of War dispatched 300,000 shi of grain and fodder, using 130,000 donkeys and horses, to Hami Garrison.

After the grain and fodder went first, the 130,000 soldiers of the three major camps in Beijing were also ready to set off.

Among these 130,000 soldiers, the 30,000-strong Assault Camp formed the core, with each thousand-man Assault Camp forming a regiment, divided into thirty regiments.

Each regiment was assigned one thousand Assault Camp soldiers, three hundred and thirty Divine Machine Camp soldiers, one thousand Three Thousand Camp soldiers, two thousand Five Army Camp soldiers, and thirty Western Depot supervisors.

A fully formed regiment had 4,360 soldiers.

Such a large military force was dispatched, and the goal was not just to take back a Hami Garrison.

What Zhu You樘 wanted to take was the entire Turpan Khanate and the Eastern Chagatai Khanate.

On the day of the expedition, at the third quarter of Mao hour (5:45 AM), Zhu You樘 had already bathed and changed clothes with the help of the palace maids.

On this day, Zhu You樘 specially wore a bright yellow dragon robe, a golden winged crown, and carried the Son of Heaven's sword.

Today, the dragon robe worn by Zhu You樘 was not an ordinary court dress or regular dress.

But the Gunmian robe, which is only worn during the enthronement ceremony and when worshiping Heaven, Earth, and ancestors.

It was embroidered with twelve five-clawed coiled dragons and twelve emblems, divided into sun, moon, stars, mountains, dragons, fire, etc.

At the first quarter of Chen hour (7:15 AM), Zhu You樘 sat on the dragon辇 (imperial carriage), accompanied by Huai En and Wang Zhi, displaying the Son of Heaven's regalia, escorted by the Teng骧 Four Guards, and ascended the north gate of Beijing.

On the city wall, the civil and military officials of Beijing stood with their hands hanging down.

Outside the city, 130,000 troops waited, a sea of people.

When Zhu You樘 walked onto the city gate, the civil and military officials waiting above all knelt down and saluted.

"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

Zhu You樘 walked to the edge of the city and looked out at the training ground outside the city.

The 130,000 troops were divided into thirty regiments, solemnly waiting.

Zhu You樘 inspected his army, and a surge of pride welled up in his heart.

Zhu You樘 did not speak, and for a moment, no one dared to make a sound inside or outside the entire city wall.

After waiting for a moment, Huai En knelt at Zhu You樘's feet and whispered.

"Your Majesty, it is already the third quarter of Chen hour."

Zhu You樘 nodded, glanced at the 130,000 solemn troops, and drew the Son of Heaven's sword.

"Strike the drums, advance the army!"

The eunuchs of the Bell and Drum Division, who had been waiting for a long time, began to beat the vermilion drums.

"Dong! Dong! Dong!"

The sound of drums on the city wall stirred up the sound of drums in the 130,000 troops outside the city.

"Dong! Dong! Dong!"

For a time, the sound of drums was everywhere inside and outside the city!

Under the influence of the drums, General Wu Jie, Northwest Governor Xu Chang drew his sword and shouted loudly: "By the Emperor's order, the entire army sets off to support Hami Garrison!"

"Long live the Great Ming!"

"Long live the Emperor of the Great Ming!"

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

A mountain-like and tsunami-like roar sounded, and 130,000 troops officially set off for Hami Garrison!

Ma Jinzhong, the chief deputy of the Western Depot, who looked like a demon, was also among them.

A thousand Western Depot agents under his command ensured that this expeditionary force would not get out of control.

Ji Sheng, the third deputy of the Western Depot, was also in the expeditionary force.

However, he had accompanied the grain transport team two days earlier.

Ji Sheng led a thousand Western Depot agents, supervising all grain transport teams along the way.

Effectively ensuring that all expeditionary pay and rations were truly distributed to every soldier on the expedition.

Standing on the city gate, Zhu You樘 watched the 130,000 troops, after receiving his inspection, directly embark on the road to the Northwest Expedition.

This journey is long and arduous, and when they return, it will probably be next year or the year after.

And at that time, those who can return alive among these 130,000 troops will be an invincible and invincible iron-blooded army!

...

In the blink of an eye, more than ten days had passed since the expeditionary force set off.

The temperature in Beijing became increasingly low, and the first snow of the Hongzhi first year could fall at any time.

The work of surveying the fields throughout the country, presided over by the Ministry of Revenue and jointly supervised by the Censorate and the Western Depot, officially began.

This was a massive investigation.

Led by Wang Yan, a secretary of the Ministry of Revenue, with Yang Jizong, a vice censor-in-chief of the Censorate, and Qin Lu, the third deputy of the Western Depot, as the chief supervisory officials, thirty surveying teams were deployed to carry out the work simultaneously.

Each of these thirty teams included officials from three departments.

They assisted each other, supervised each other, and ensured the effectiveness and integrity of the land surveying work.

As the chief official, Wang Yan led this team of hundreds of people out of Beijing in a mighty manner.

Subsequently, this large team was divided into thirty small teams and headed to their respective destinations.

Every inch of land in the thirteen provinces of the two capitals of the Great Ming Dynasty was to be re-surveyed.

And the most difficult bones to gnaw, such as the two Zhili (directly administered) provinces of North and South, would be personally led by Wang Yan, Yang Jizong, and Qin Lu to survey.

The first to be investigated was Shuntian Prefecture in North Zhili.

The surveying work in Shuntian Prefecture was not difficult, but it was not simple either.

It was not difficult because a considerable area of land around Shuntian Prefecture was imperial estates.

The imperial estates were Zhu You樘's own land, and they did not need to be surveyed.

It was not simple because Shuntian Prefecture was full of relatives of the emperor.

Previously, Zhou Taihuang Taihou's two younger brothers, Zhou Shou and Zhou Yu, owned 7,000 mu of land in Shuntian Prefecture.

Among them, nearly 1,000 mu of land was still encroached upon from Zhu You樘's imperial estates.

The audacity was so outrageous that it showed how arrogant the Ming Dynasty's maternal relatives were in Shuntian Prefecture.

Wang Yan's group of fifty-three people, accompanied by Zhang Hai, the governor of Shuntian Prefecture, and others, immediately began surveying the fields and land in Shuntian Prefecture.

With the governor of the prefecture coming forward to organize and coordinate, the initial land survey went very smoothly.

Ordinary people, knowing that the Great Ming court was re-surveying the land, timidly hid in the distance, their hearts filled with worry.

They did not know whether their burden would increase or decrease after this land survey.

Although they were worried, their long-term acceptance of adversity, coupled with the ten Western Depot agents with swords guarding them.

Also made them unable to muster any resistance in their hearts.

After all, the farmers in Shuntian Prefecture, although not rich, could at least eat their fill.

Since they would not starve to death, why risk their lives?

However, when the investigation work proceeded to Jinghai, Zhang Hai, the governor of Shuntian Prefecture, personally came forward and urgently called a halt to the land surveying work!

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