Chapter 481: The Hongzhi Dynasty, a Dynasty that Values ​​Both Tenderness and Bravery

The prairie in February is like an elegant painting, slowly unfolding under the spring sunshine.

The sky presents a deep and pure blue, as if it has been washed, and a few white clouds float leisurely in the air as if guarding this vast prairie.

Spring is back, and wild flowers, red, yellow, purple or white, are dotted between the prairie, adding a bit of color and vitality to this land.

When a breeze blows, the flowers and plants sway in the wind, making a rustling sound. This sound is intertwined with the calls of cattle and sheep in the distance, forming a wonderful natural symphony.

However, the tranquility here was broken by a burst of rapid horse hoof sounds. A mighty cavalry army returned to the outside of the pass, and many newly emerged flowers and plants were trampled beyond recognition.

"We are back from hunting!"

"Haha... It's so exciting!"

"Sure enough, the things you rob are still the best!"

...

Many cavalrymen rode their horses to destroy the vegetation here, and their horses' hooves splashed the mud high, and they were shouting wildly on this grassland.

This time they went south for "hunting", although many of their brothers have stayed in that "hunting ground" forever, but the harvest was quite rich.

These daily necessities were all obtained through looting, including salt, which they lacked, and iron pots for cooking, and some people even got tea unexpectedly.

Although they could not enter the heartland of the Ming Dynasty this time, the quality of life of the people in Jizhen has obviously improved a lot, resulting in their gratifying harvest on this trip.

Oh...

Woo...

Back to this familiar grassland, they smelled the smell of soil in the air, and waved their whips, venting their excitement of returning from hunting.

They never cared about how much pain they would bring to others. At this moment, laughter and shouting echoed on the grassland, and the sound was full of arrogance and complacency.

Yibulain is a middle-aged man in his forties, with a deep scar on his forehead, but his brows are tightly furrowed at this moment.

Unlike his subordinates who are celebrating the harvest, as the leader of this team, he needs to consider the overall investment and the gains brought by this time.

Although he led his subordinates to successfully plunder the northwest area of ​​Jizhen while the defense of Jizhen was lax, he was not happy in any way.

This time he mobilized nearly 10,000 elite troops to go south, and he was responsible for the military rations on the way. This time, not to mention the troops approaching Beijing, they did not even step out of Jizhen’s territory.

In terms of military losses, they did kill a lot of Ming civilians on this trip, but they also lost hundreds of elites, and even lost a batch of good horses.

If he had not been vigilant this time and did not choose to underestimate the enemy and advance rashly, he would not have fallen into the encirclement of the Ming army. Once surrounded by the reinforcements from Liaodong and Xuanfu, the consequences would be disastrous.

Especially the combat power of the Shield Battalion, which was far beyond his imagination. Most of the five hundred elite soldiers were eaten in an instant. If they were blocked by him, how many of them could escape back?

As the absolute leader of this team, Yibulain should not consider the current gains and losses, nor this insignificant gain, but should focus on the future.

Originally, his plan was to follow the example of his ancestors and continue to go south to plunder the border towns of the Ming Dynasty to supplement the living needs of his tribe and even get a large number of weapons.

If the plan goes well, he can not only strengthen his prestige on the grassland by invading the Ming Dynasty, but also replace the woman Manduhai.

But now?

Although he took advantage of the lax defense of Jizhen to plunder the northwest area of ​​Jizhen, the reaction speed of the Ming army was far beyond his expectations, and the combat power of the Aegis Battalion was terrifying.

If he wanted to plunder Jizhen again, not to mention that Jizhen’s defense would definitely be strengthened, and he might not have the good luck this time, and he might even be surrounded by the Ming army.

Facing the familiar grassland in front of him, Yibulain sighed heavily.

He knew that his plan to establish the prestige of the grassland by plundering the Ming Dynasty might fail. If he wanted to replace the young Khan, he would have to confront the woman Manduhai head-on.

But Manduhai was able to manage the grassland for Dayan Khan for more than ten years, and even reorganized the Northern Yuan Dynasty. How could he be an ordinary person?

That's why his ambition was severely damaged. The Ming Dynasty was not a soft persimmon, and Manduhai was not the enemy he wanted to confront head-on.

A middle-aged man in white with a long beard and a jade pendant hanging around his waist followed the Mongolian cavalry in and out of the border this time. It's just that his clothes are obviously Han style, so he seems a little out of place.

However, the surrounding Mongolian cavalry did not reject him, and even cast a grateful look.

The reason why they were able to successfully raid Jizhen this time was not only because the Jizhen army was lax, but also because of the intelligence provided by the military advisor Liu Wan.

Liu Wan noticed that Yibulayin looked strange, so he rode forward and asked with concern: "Grandmaster, why are you so unhappy?"

"Do you think this Grandmaster should be happy?" Yibulayin sighed and asked back.

The reason why he chose to break the peace alliance between Ming and Mongolia and go south to plunder Jizhen was because of his ambition, but it was also related to the instigation of the military advisor in front of him.

But now the facts have proved that the Ming army is not as corrupt and cowardly as Liu Wan described, but it is more powerful than ever.

Now, not only has he completely fallen out with the Ming Dynasty, but he also cannot explain this behavior to Manduhai, so he has some resentment towards Liu Wan.

Liu Wan is a very outstanding White Lotus Sect member, and he also has his own intelligence: "Grandmaster, the Ming army has indeed become more powerful, but they have actually exposed obvious shortcomings!"

"You mean the Ming army's lack of mobility?" Yibulayin's heart moved slightly, and he asked uncertainly.

Liu Wan's face showed a confident smile, and he nodded solemnly: "Yes, the Ming army obviously has an advantage in manpower this time, but it can't keep up with our whereabouts at all, and even dare not actively pursue our cavalry. The flaws of the Ming army are so obvious that we can take advantage of their lack of mobility and keep looting the border of the Ming Dynasty!"

Once these words came out, it was undoubtedly a big pie, which really made people very tempted.

The two leaders who accompanied them also heard these words. Thinking that they could continue to loot the Ming Dynasty, they couldn't help but exchange glances, and their eyes were excited.

"This time, we took advantage of the Ji army's lax defense and cooperated with your people inside and outside to successfully raid Jizhen. It may not be easy in the future!" Yibulayin was already tempted, but he said with concerns.

Although Liu Wan did point out the shortcomings of the Ming army, the successful looting this time did not rely on mobility, but the replicability of the looting was what he valued most.

Liu Wan knew that the master in front of him was not easy to fool, and said earnestly: "That's right, the two collapsed walls of Jizhen must have been prepared, and they will even repair them. It's just that the border of Ming is so long. If we raid Jizhen this time, we can raid Liaodong next time, making it difficult for them to take care of both sides! I am not talented, and the people in the border areas have suffered from Ming for a long time. As long as they are developed into my believers, they can be robbed again when there is a flaw!"

"In this case, I will trouble the national teacher!" Yibulayin's eyes lit up again, and he nodded proudly.

Although this time was not as expected, their mobility showed a great advantage this time. As long as they can make good use of this, and with the intelligence provided by the military advisor's followers, the Ming Dynasty will be his money bag.

As for the woman Manduhai, as long as he accumulates enough money and prestige, he can unite all the tribes to completely replace her.

Liu Wan saw that Yibulain had rekindled his fighting spirit, and immediately flattered and bowed his hands: "I am willing to help the national teacher restore the glory of the Yuan Dynasty!"

"Warriors, enter the Central Plains and restore my Yuan Dynasty!" Yibulain's passion was ignited, waving a bloody long sword in his hand and shouting loudly to his subordinates.

"Enter the Central Plains and restore my Yuan Dynasty!"

The accompanying Mongolian cavalry drew out their waist knives to respond, with a twisted joy on their faces, as if only aggression and killing could find pleasure.

In fact, this looting rekindled their bestiality, so they hoped to continue to loot the border of the Ming Dynasty, and some people even planned to loot the population of the Ming Dynasty next time.

Pandora's box has been opened, and they are destined to continue to bloodbath the border of the Ming Dynasty through barbaric means.

Time has quietly come to the end of February, and the entire northern region is gradually becoming more spring-like.

The Hongzhi Dynasty was a dynasty with clear rewards and punishments. The court never hesitated to reward meritorious people, but would also punish those who made mistakes.

The surprise attack on Jizhen this time was related to the laxity of the soldiers at the outpost of Jizhen.

Perhaps it was because peace had lasted too long, and the Ming Dynasty and Mongolia did sign a peace treaty, but no one expected that the Mongolian cavalry would suddenly march south in large numbers.

No matter what the reason, the laxity of the soldiers at the outpost of Jizhen was a dereliction of duty, and it was this dereliction of duty that gave the Yibulain tribe a good opportunity for a sneak attack.

The Yibulain tribe raided Jizhen this time, not only looting the people of Jizhen, but even many people were slaughtered.

In view of this, the court adopted the suggestion of the Military Affairs Office and punished all the soldiers in Jizhen.

In addition to the heavy punishment of the outpost soldiers, all the personnel of the Jizhen Army were deducted from their salaries for one month, and the entire Jizhen Army needed to train for an additional month.

"Border defense is related to the safety of life and property of the people in the border areas, and it cannot be lost... Now the big mistake has been made. If it is committed again, the crime will be aggravated!"

This punishment quickly spread throughout the nine towns, directly leading to the other border towns to strengthen patrols, but to guard against sudden large-scale sneak attacks from the Mongolian side.

Jizhen, Shijiao Village.

Originally, this was a peaceful village. Although it was not rich, the villagers relied on their hard-working hands to make them live a life of plenty.

Although they saw the smoke of the border that day, they were robbed by a Mongolian cavalry before all of them fled into the mountains.

This Mongolian cavalry was simply the incarnation of a big devil. As long as the people who fell into their sight, they wanted to kill them all.

Because the Mongolian cavalry set fire to the village after looting it, all the houses they had worked so hard to build were burned down, and the whole village became a ruin.

Rebuilding their homes and solving the next livelihood became their urgent matters.

On this day, the village head came with a team of dozens of people, one of whom was a young man from their village.

"Village head, what's going on?"

"The court has issued an order! In all villages that were looted by the Tartars, everyone can receive relief money, two silver dollars for men, and one silver dollar for women and children!"

"Ah? The court is going to give us relief money?"

...

When the villagers saw the team coming in, especially seeing that they were carrying a silver box, some villagers immediately plucked up the courage to ask the village head about the situation, but they didn't expect that they were going to give them relief money.

"Asan, why are you not studying at the Engineering College?"

"The court asked our Engineering College to come to the disaster area to help everyone build standard houses. I took the initiative to apply to return to Shijiao Village. My teacher and classmates are behind me!"

"Ah? The court...is it going to help our village repair the houses?"

...

Some villagers found Asan, a son who walked out of their village, and found out that this group of people came to help them repair their houses. They were so moved that their eyes were wet.

Villagers came from all directions after hearing the news. Their faces were more or less tired, but at this moment, their eyes were shining with gratitude.

An old woman, with gray hair and staggering steps, tightly grasped the hand of a general, tears flowing down her wrinkles, and her voice choked: "Thank you, thank the court for not forgetting us, the suffering people."

In fact, they were moved not only by the relief money and help to rebuild their homes, but also by the court's attitude of caring for them.

They have been living in the border for generations, and they were naturally invaded by the Tartars in the past, but which court would care about the losses of the lower-class people?

But now the court not only distributes relief money to all of them, but also sends people to rebuild their homes for them, which is just like a dream.

A group of children gathered together. They did not fully understand the severity of the disaster, but they could feel the joy and gratitude of the adults.

They waved their little hands and shouted to the team that distributed relief money and left: "Thank you adults, thank you His Majesty!" The innocent voice echoed over the village, as if bringing more hope.

The young and middle-aged men held the relief money that had just been sent down in their hands, and they also felt the care from the court in their hearts: "Your Majesty's great kindness and virtue, the common people will never forget it!"

They have old people above them and young children below them. Facing this sudden catastrophe, the pressure of life they bear is not ordinary. However, the relief provided by the court this time is undoubtedly to help them unload the stone on their shoulders.

As for the catastrophe they suffered, it was not only because of the laxity of the frontier army outposts, but also because of the robbery of the Tartars.

Now that the court has done this, he naturally has no reason to resent, and his heart will only support the court and emperor who care about the people so much.

The whole village is immersed in an atmosphere of gratitude, and the villagers express their gratitude to the court in their own way.

Whether it is the tears of the old women, the cheers of the children, or the affectionate bows of the men, they are all the most sincere emotions from the bottom of their hearts.

After the court appeased all this, a revenge action against Mongolia became the most important task of the Military Affairs Office.

They were caught off guard, and they were also afraid to protect the lives and property of the people, but now that the Mongolian cavalry has withdrawn from Jizhen, the real reckoning has to begin.

Since the peace was broken by the Mongols, and since the Mongols dared to wield the butcher knife against the people of the Ming Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty will naturally make the Mongols pay with blood. (End of this chapter)