Jingnan Strategy

Chapter 502 Hongxi Military Parade

"The leader of Japan, Ashikaga Yoshitsugu, paid tribute to the Celestial Empire two thousand taels of gold, one hundred thousand jins of sulfur, two hundred thousand jins of red copper, and ten screens..."

Under the attention of everyone, the minister of Koroji Temple began to sing the ceremony, and the first person to stand up was Ashikaga Yoshitsune, the leader of Japan.

He led the Japanese delegation forward, bowed five times and kowtowed three times, and presented his tribute gift list in full view of everyone.

The minister of Honglu Temple sang the Japanese tribute loudly, and then delivered the gift list to the high platform.

Yi Shiha took the gift list and handed it to Zhu Gaoxu.

Sitting here, Zhu Gaoxu could look down at Ashikaga Yoshitsugu and the Japanese delegation who were kneeling on the ground.

The height of seven feet is like looking down from the seventh floor to the people kneeling on the first floor. It makes the people kneeling and worshiping feel their own insignificance, and it also gives those on the high platform a feeling of superiority.

"Japan serves the Celestial Empire faithfully and is given the first place in the list of five-foot-long towers."

Zhu Gaoxu spoke in an understatement. The minister of Honglu Temple bowed after hearing this, turned around and sang to the tin trumpet.

"Given the five-foot-long tower to Japan, it will be ranked first!"

"I, Ashikaga Yoshitsugu, thank you, the Holy Emperor, for your gift!"

Ashikaga Yoshitsugu ended his process with three dull bangs, and was led by officials from the Ministry of Etiquette to take a seat on a high platform five feet above the ground.

"The scenery here is indeed different from the one below!"

Although the prince's six-foot platform was separated from the seven-foot platform where the emperor was, being able to sit on the five-foot platform was enough for Ashikaga Yoshitsugu to feel his weight in the emperor's heart.

"Li Sun, the governor of the state of Dongyang Korea, paid tribute to the Celestial Empire, 1,500 taels of gold, 5,000 taels of silver, 500 bolts of white cotton silk, 50 dragon curtain mats, and 300 ginseng roots..."

Li Chen, who had not yet been recognized by the Ming Dynasty, could only report his identity with the humiliating title of "Governor Quan" and read out the tribute he had brought.

He knelt on the ground and kowtowed five times, but did not wait for the response from the person on the high platform.

One hour passed slowly, and just when his knees were numb with pain and his whole body was covered in sweat, a voice finally came from the high platform.

"Giving North Korea a five-foot-long platform, ranking third!"

"Third?" Hearing this ranking, Li Fen clenched his fists, but had no choice but to stand up and bow obediently. Under the guidance of officials from the Ministry of Rites of the Ming Dynasty, he respectfully came to the third place on Channel 5, which was lower than Japan. Two people.

North Korea and Japan have been in constant conflict at Kunlun Island and the Tsushima Strait. Now North Korea is two positions behind Japan, which makes Li Di feel even more humiliated.

In response, Ashikaga Yoshitsugu, the leader of Japan, glanced at Li Chen provocatively and slightly contemptuously, which made Li Chen feel even more humiliated.

"Ulug Beg, the crown prince of Timur, paid tribute to the Celestial Empire with ten sweat-blooded horses, three hundred feasting horses, five hundred taels of gold, and three hundred jade stones..."

Kneeling under the high platform, Ulugh Beg, as the future sultan of the Timurid Kingdom of Central Asia and the current governor of Turkestan and Transoxiana, felt depressed. He did not expect that one day he would have to kneel down to others in such humiliation, even himself. Neither can see the side of the person they kneel to.

"Given the five-foot-long platform to Timur's kingdom, he ranked second!"

Ulugh Beg's humiliation did not last long. As the ministers of Honglu Temple sang the ceremony, the position of Timur's kingdom was announced, second only to Japan and higher than Korea and other countries.

Due to Japan's actions in Kunlun and their frequent trade with Timurid, Ulugh Beg still knew the situation in Japan.

In his view, Japan was far less powerful than Timur.

If there was no Ming Dynasty, these countries should all pay tribute to Timurid...

Thinking of this, Ulugh Beg sat down in his seat with a hint of uneasiness.

"The envoy of Michiel Kingdom..."

As the heads and crown princes of the three kingdoms that the Ming Dynasty paid attention to sat down, all the countries also stood up one after another to pay tribute to the rare Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, the Holy Emperor, and were seated.

More than seventy countries announced their families in turn, and at the same time sang and presented their tributes.

There are seven positions on Channel 5. The final ones are Japan, Timur, North Korea, Mamluk (Mixier), Siam (Thailand), Kampochi (Cambodia), and Chagatai (Yilipali). .

Except for the Chagatai Khanate, which has a population that does not exceed one million, these seven countries are basically countries with a population of more than one million and at least 100,000 troops.

Chagatai is able to sit here not because of his strength, but because the tribute is generous enough.

On the fourth platform below the fifth platform, there are eighteen countries here, namely Bengal (Bangkara), Jaunpur (Numanapur), Vijayanagar (Ananda's merit), and Delhi (Dili). , Eastern Kingdom, Southern Kingdom and other eighteen countries.

Some of them have a population of several million, but they were placed in the fourth stage because of their weak national strength.

Below them, there are also some small countries with a population of tens of thousands or even tens of thousands, and an army of several thousand to less than a thousand.

When many vassal states took their seats, the ministers of Honglu Temple began to sing loudly, and hundreds of Han generals standing on both sides of the prince, grandson, and prince also sang loudly like a rehearsal.

"The glorious Ming Dynasty, the dynasties of all nations, the great events of the country are in sacrifice and military affairs, the military parade in the eighth year of Hongxi... begins!"

The voices of hundreds of people speaking in unison made the envoys from the nearby countries feel as if thunder was constantly exploding in their ears.

"Uuuuuu——"

The dull sound of horns sounded, not a few horns, but thousands of horns blowing continuously from the emperor's high platform to the left and right sides.

On the top floor of the parade platform, horns and drums sounded for miles, and the drumsticks hitting the drums seemed to hit the hearts of the nearly 200,000 people watching the ceremony.

At this moment, four miles away from them, a "wave" stretching for several miles and divided into dozens of square formations was preparing.

This is the army being reviewed in this grand military parade. The entire army consists of 100,800 people and is divided into eighteen echelons, including four field infantry echelons, four siege artillery echelons, and ten field cavalry echelons. .

There were more than 56,000 cavalry participating in the review, 2,16 light field guns, 600 medium siege guns, and 240 heavy naval guns.

In order to make these artillery appear in front of everyone, more than 8,000 draft horses were mobilized during the military parade and a seven-mile railway was built.

There are now ten trains waiting to be put on this railway.

When noon came on June 20, the eighth year of Hongxi's reign, Chen Chang, who was on horseback and wearing armor, blew his whistle instantly.

"Everyone is here... Let's go!"

All of a sudden, one hundred thousand Ming troops wearing mandarin duck battle coats, armor, belts, long boots, and coarse white gloves began to move.

The first to walk towards the parade route were four light infantry phalanxes. They held modified flintlock muskets in their hands, and their bayonets were already in place. There were one hundred people in each row, four feet in front and back, majestic and majestic.

The parade stage was crowded with people, and everyone was eagerly waiting for the parade team to enter the parade route.

"Boom boom boom——"

"Mom!"

Suddenly, a rumbling salute sounded, and many people were frightened by the salute. Even the envoys from Japan, Tamerlane, Dongguo, Beiguo and other countries who had experienced the Ming army's artillery shrank their necks subconsciously.

While the echoes of the salute were still surging over the square, heavy but crisp footsteps began to be heard in the distance.

A military flag with the character "朙" hanging high in the air and rustling as it was blown by the north wind entered the Damingmen Square first.

Under the guidance of the military flag, the phalanx, representing the world's strongest armed force, proudly walked towards the emperor's platform.

"Look at them!"

"Why are these movements all the same?!"

"This, this, this..."

The first people to be shocked were the people of the Ming Dynasty. They saw the bright Ming army and the reflective bayonets.

The four rectangular formations of 40,000 people were neatly organized. Although there were 40,000 people, there was only one sound of footsteps.

The soldiers walked forward in unison in a "gun-carrying posture", which was observed by the people on the parade platform on the left and right of the team.

Countless people couldn't help but stood up and stretched out their heads to take a closer look, but the situation did not allow it.

After them, what followed were light field artillery units, field artillery pulled by multiple horses and four artillery phalanxes, marching towards the front in unison like front troops.

Although the cavalry troops behind them were messy due to the inconsistent footsteps of the horses, no one paid attention to whether the horses' hooves were neat and uniform. What they saw was that nearly 60,000 cavalrymen passed through this section of the parade majestic and high-spirited. road.

When the people thought it was over, ten steam trains pulled cartloads of soldiers at an extremely slow speed, and cartloads of naval guns appeared on the tracks in the square.

"Woo-"

The sound of the whistle spread from the east of the parade square to the Tianzi Terrace located in the center facing the Daming Gate.

The envoys from various countries could not sit still and wanted to get up to see the military parade troops that had not yet appeared in the east. However, they were worried about being rude and could only sit on pins and needles, stretching out their necks to look at the upcoming military parade troops. Full of curiosity and expectation.

"I'm coming!"

"Hoohoho-"

The common people on the military parade stand up one after another, standing up from their positions in a "human wave" manner, welcoming the majestic army in front of them.

At two quarters past noon, the military parade finally appeared in front of the envoys from all countries.

They walked in neat and vigorous steps, and tens of thousands of people seemed to become one person, walking in goose-step.

They are a line when viewed horizontally, and they are also a line when viewed vertically. Even when viewed diagonally, they are still a line.

They are like majestic mountains, forming the Great Steel Wall of the Ming Dynasty.

The sonorous and powerful footsteps are like the footsteps of hundreds of thousands of pairs of straw sandals when the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun were recovered during the Hongwu Period of the Ming Dynasty.

The heroic spirit of marching forward includes the majestic battle of Yuerhai, tens of thousands of cavalry crossing Mobei, and the majesty of Mobei defeating the Tatars and Oaras, capturing Arutai and Yuan Lord Benya Shili.

"Goose-stepping and spearing!!"

"One! Two!!"

When they heard the command to draw their guns, all the soldiers kept marching forward and shouted in unison. At the same time, they moved the musket with the bayonet in their right hand to the right shoulder and held the handguard with their left hand. As they take a step forward, their right hand moves to hold the neck of the gun. When their left foot touches the ground, they guide the gun forward with both hands, with the gun facing upward. The palm of their left hand turns to the right, the neck of the gun is close to the right hip, and the right arm is approximately On the same plane, the point of the bayonet is about the same height as the chin and directly in front of the right shoulder.

From lifting the gun to carrying the gun, tens of thousands of soldiers performed the entire process concisely and powerfully, with uniform and majestic movements.

Facing the huge formation in front of them who completed the "three-step splitting spear" with uniform movements, the envoys from various countries took a breath of cold air, and even the people of the Ming Dynasty couldn't help but feel numb.

Just like the queue and the goose step, the majesty of the "three-stage splitting spear" on the parade ground fully demonstrated the indomitable and majestic momentum of the Ming army on the battlefield.

Zhu Di and Zhu Gaoxu had already stood up and walked out of the high platform before the three-stage splitting spear. They stood in front of the high platform, overlooking the majestic appearance of the military parade, and had a panoramic view of the three-stage splitting spear.

They arrived in front of the emperor's stage with three steps of splitting spears. The military attachés led by Chen Chang were furious and their voices were sonorous and powerful:
"Look to the right...!!"

"One! Two!!"

"kill!!"

The cry of killing made many vassal envoys sweat, and the former Beiyuan Taishi Arutai and the Great Mongol Khan Benya Shili on the military parade looked even more pale.

They already knew the news about the Ming army's preparations for the Northern Expedition. With the appearance of these 100,000 people, even if they did not practice those complicated formations and charges, no one would doubt whether such an army has combat effectiveness.

Not to mention those who faced the Ming army directly, even the Chagatai, Yue Jibie, Timur and other khanates on the military parade felt the illusion of cold sweat soaking through their clothes.

As for the countries in Southeast Asia, the East, and the West, facing such armies, they felt a sense of despair out of thin air.

The Roman Empire, which was weighing on the heads of Europeans, has died, but the Chinese Empire, which is weighing on the heads of East Asian countries, is still there.

The resources of Kunlun Continent have nurtured their ambitions, and today's Hongxi military parade has undoubtedly shattered their ambitions that have just emerged.

Ashikaga Yoshitsugu, Risun, Tamaraja IV (Siam), Soriyobo (Cambodia), Fan Yangmai (Champa) and other kings of Eastern and Southeast Asian countries were uneasy.

They know the reasons better than anyone else why Emperor Hongxi held this grand military parade.

They just didn't expect that the Ming Dynasty during the Hongxi period not only maintained strong military force, but even far surpassed the Yongle Dynasty.

If the ceremony hadn't ended yet, they might have started to pay homage to Emperor Hongxi in order to restore their country's image in the emperor's heart.

"Look to the right...!"

"One! Two!!"

Artillery phalanxes and cavalry phalanxes passed by one after another. Facing the huge number of artillery and cavalry, the khanates such as Rao Shiyuejibie, Chagatai, and Timur, which were proud of their cavalry, could not help but widen their eyes.

More than two thousand artillery pieces, this is a number that cannot be reached by all the artillery pieces of all the countries present here combined.

The power of the Ming army's artillery goes without saying. Most of the countries here joined the Ming vassal system because of the fleet led by Zheng He.

Others may not understand, but they know the power of Ming artillery very well.

Of course, compared to the artillery, the nearly 60,000 fully armored cavalry in front of them were what made them tremble.

Without considering logistical supplies, these 60,000 cavalry can completely penetrate the entire Western Region, Hezhong, Turkestan and other places.

"Perhaps, we should be happy..."

"Woooo!!"

Before Ulugh Bo, Ye Xianbuhua and others had time to rejoice that the Ming Dynasty could not send tens of thousands of cavalry to the northwest, the whining steam train reminded them of one thing...

Today's Ming Dynasty is no longer the Ming Dynasty limited by geography.

In other words, they were solving the terrain that limited their ability to rule the entire continent.

"One! Two!!"

On the train, Ming soldiers stood on the open carriage with guns in hand. Behind them were naval guns about ten feet long.

The train pulled them toward the west, while they saluted to the high platform.

Although they were looking at the emperor rather than the envoys from the various countries, a chill still rose in the hearts of the envoys from the various countries.

The train pulling them forward seemed to show the future in front of the envoys from various countries.

As long as they are enemies of the Ming Dynasty, the train will drag the Ming army to their country and destroy everything that hinders the relationship between the two countries.

"Old Second, this is such a big deal..."

Sitting in the prince's seat on the sixth stage, Zhu Gaochi wiped his hands in a cold sweat. Although he was proud, he was also shocked by the three-step splitting spear of the military parade troops and broke out in a cold sweat.

Not only them, but also Zhu Zhanhe, Zhu Gaosui, Zhu Zhanji, Zhu Qiyue and others are like this.

The military parade on this day was far more massive and elite than the Yongle Military Parade.

Under the attention of everyone, the last train unit disappeared at the end of the parade square... The military parade in the military parade came to an end.

"Too strong……"

Ashikaga Yoshiji's face was covered in sweat. He didn't know whether it was because it was too hot at noon in Beijing, or because he was so shocked by the military parade just now that he broke into a cold sweat.

He tightened his fists and thought of the Kansai, Kanto and other forces in the country, and instantly changed his mind.

"The stronger the Ming Dynasty, the more stable my position will be!"

Ashikaga Yoshiji's eyes flickered and he couldn't help but look at Zhu Gaoxu and Zhu Di on the high platform.

Not only him, but almost all the kings, princes and envoys of all countries stood up and faced the father and son on the high platform.

They kept bowing and looked up at the father and son standing above everyone, with mixed feelings.

"This military parade was well organized. It seems that these guys will be honest in the next ten years."

Zhu Di put one hand on the jade belt around his waist and stroked his beard with the other. He was very satisfied with this military parade.

The three-stage spear-splitting this time is more exciting than the three-stage spear-splitting during the Yongle period, and the feeling is more shocking.

Even a man like him, who had fought in the north and south, couldn't help but reflect on it carefully.

"A military parade can deter some scoundrels and protect the interests of the imperial court from being infringed upon for more than ten years. This is also worthwhile."

Standing aside, Xia Yuanji, who had never supported extravagance and waste in projects, couldn't help but bow in agreement. The rest of the people, Guo Zi, Huang Fu and others also nodded.

Obviously, they all saw the complete success of this military parade from the expressions of the diplomatic missions from various countries. Especially when the train pulled soldiers and artillery appeared, almost all the delegations were on pins and needles, as if the train was not a drill but a real one. They want to go somewhere and destroy one of their countries.

"Your Majesty, you can return to the Huagai Hall to hold the state banquet."

Song Li, the Minister of Rites, stood up and made a report. Zhu Gaoxu nodded, with a bit of pride on his face: "Let's go!"

After he spoke, Zhu Di also happily stroked his beard and walked down the high platform.

"kneel!"

The ministers of Honglu Temple sang a salute, and all the envoys and civil and military officials knelt down.

Under the attention of the people, Zhu Di and Zhu Gaoxu got off the high platform and boarded the large vehicle pulled by the elephant.

After them, the prince Zhu Zhanhe, the grandson Zhu Qiyue, the king of Han Zhu Gaochi, the king of Zhao Zhu Gaosui and others stepped down from the high platform one after another, and their status was clear.

As all the clan members left, the envoys from various countries stepped off the platform and boarded the carriages of their respective envoys.

After returning to the carriage, these envoys also began intense internal discussions.

Among them, the internal discussions within the Timur Khanate were more intense.

"We must change direction and cannot continue fighting against Chagatai."

Sitting on the carriage, Ulugh Beg said with a dark face: "We are fighting Chagatai. Once the war goes our way, that guy Waisi will ask for help from the Ming Dynasty, and our territory includes both ocean and land."

"Once the Ming army builds a railway deep into the northwest, we will have to face a two-pronged attack in the future."

Hearing this, Ibla, the second son of Shaharu, frowned and said: "If we don't fight, then we will leave it to Ming Dynasty to fight."

"The Ming Dynasty must deal with Oirat and Chahar in Mobei first!" Ulugh Beg said with a black face:
"Besides, I don't think we are Ming Dynasty's opponents. We must learn from Ming Dynasty's culture and knowledge."

"If you do this, you are betraying Allah!" Ibla was a fanatical religious heir, and so was Ulugh Beg, but Ulugh Beg knew very well that matters on the battlefield could not be solved by shouting a few words about Allah.

"Only by learning the Ming Dynasty's technology can we spread the glory of Allah to the entire world, otherwise only destruction awaits us."

"I will condemn you to my father!" Ibla turned his head away with a cold face, and Ulugh Bo also glanced at everyone with a dark face.

Facing his gaze, everyone turned their heads. It was obvious that they did not want to accept the introduction of Ming culture, even though they knew that only by learning Ming culture and technology could the Timur Kingdom become stronger.

"A bunch of idiots!"

Looking at his group of brothers, Ulugh Bo cursed secretly in his heart, and at the same time prepared to perform well at the banquet in the evening to win the support of Emperor Hongxi.

It was not only him who had this idea, but also Chagatai, Yue Jibie, Zuma Napuer, Dili and other countries.

However, due to religious issues, they did not dare to discuss this topic too much and could only leave the issue to their country's Khan and Sultan to make decisions.

Compared with them, countries such as Korea, Japan, Siam, and Gambia in Indochina and Northeast Asia, and even countries such as Manchuria and other countries in Southeast Asia that also believe in religion have begun to gear up and prepare to show their respect to Emperor Hongxi at the banquet in the evening. Express the country's loyalty to the Ming Dynasty.

Only in this way can they get some resources from Ming's fingers to develop their country.

Otherwise, relying solely on their own research, they may not be able to obtain key technologies from the Ming Dynasty under Emperor Hongxi in their lifetime.

The Hongxi Emperor had far more control over the Ming Dynasty than the two emperors Hongwu and Yongle.

With him on the throne, the Ming Dynasty is undoubtedly an insurmountable mountain in front of other countries. They have no other choice but to be obedient...

(End of this chapter)