The Holy Emperor of Ming

Chapter 333: Military Expansion and the Knight's Journey (4400 words)
“No.” The young figure shook his head and said firmly: “Grandma, you have already said that the Great Sui will soon be in chaos, how can your grandson let you stay here alone.

If we want to go, let’s go together.”

"You kid." The old woman glared at her grandson helplessly.

The grandson smiled.

"Oh." Seeing this, the old woman could only sigh helplessly.

After a moment of silence, he said solemnly: "Well, in this chaotic world, no matter what, you must have strength to protect yourself.

Rizhao, how is your training in the secret room going?"

"Grandma, my martial arts skills have improved greatly, and I feel like I can break through to the Grandmaster level at any time.

It’s just that you said, grandma, that when you break through to the Grandmaster level, the noise is too loud, so you told your grandson not to break through rashly. Let me tell you, your grandson didn’t break through, and came out of seclusion to find you. ” The young man said obediently.

"Good." After hearing this, the old woman was surprised and delighted. She had not expected that her grandson could make such great progress in such a short time.

With this strength, it would be much safer.

However, it is still far from enough.

After thinking for a while, the old woman said solemnly: "Rizhao, are you sure you can break through to the Grandmaster level at any time?"

"Yeah." The young man nodded, very confidently.

"Okay, get ready, and immediately find a deserted place deep in the mountains to break through.

It is unknown how long Daxing City can remain stable, the sooner the better. "The old woman said decisively.

"Oh, grandson understands."

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Ming dynasty.

As the Sui Dynasty was engaged in a major war in the north, the Ming Dynasty's actions would certainly not pause.

There was no official imperial edict, only a series of orders starting from last year. Troops were drawn from all over the country and headed to the eastern coastal areas to adapt to ship travel, like rivers flowing into the sea.

A part of the navy sailed directly to the Sui State.

The fact that the navy sailed directly to the Sui Kingdom was kept secret, and few people in the entire Ming Dynasty knew about it.

Since last year, the Ming Dynasty has been sending part of its navy to the south of the Sui Dynasty little by little.

In addition, in the already stabilized area of ​​Western Nine Roads, generals such as Li Jing, Yue Fei, and Han Shizhong also quietly disappeared into the army and rushed to the Ming Dynasty's Lu area.

Now that the Jin and Liao kingdoms have settled down, with Wang Shouren in charge of Bian Jing, and the Ming dynasty not in turmoil, its strength is strong enough.

The Jin and Liao kingdoms would never dare to invade the south easily.

The current priority is not to declare war on the Jin and Liao kingdoms.

Therefore, it would be a waste for these generals to stay in West 9th Road any longer.

Their battlefield, the place where they trained and grew, was within the borders of the Sui Dynasty.

As for the troops under their command that they were already familiar with and had already run in well, there was nothing they could do but continue to stay in West 9th Road.

After all, the distance from Xijiu Road to the territory of Sui is too far, more than tens of thousands of miles away.

Bringing the army into the territory of Sui would consume too much time and materials and was not cost-effective.

The only option was to let Li Jing and others regain control of the army.

As for issues like familiarization and running-in, with the help of military instructors as well as the Ming Dynasty's military discipline and regulations, the time they need to spend will, relatively speaking, be much shorter than that of the armies of other countries.

On March 2, Zhu Houzhao officially issued an edict, but this imperial edict was not made public.

1. Draw out half of the troops from the 32nd, 33rd, 34th, 35th, and 36th Armies that have arrived at the southeastern coastal areas of the Ming Dynasty.

They were supplemented with trained new recruits and formed into the 37th, 38th, 39th, 40th and 41st Armies.

2. Li Jing is the commander of the 32nd, 33rd and 34th Armies.

Yue Fei was the commander of the 35th and 36th Armies.
Han Shizhong was the commander of the 37th Army.

Mu Kun is the 38th Army...

Wu Yunzhao was appointed as the 38th Army...
Xu Bikui is the 39th Army...
Qiu Yue has 40 armies...
Zhou Shanmin is the 41st Army...

These two imperial edicts have only one meaning: the Ming Dynasty has already prepared to send its army into the Sui Dynasty and is fully prepared for war.

As soon as these ten armies are ready, the Ming Dynasty will officially invade the Sui Dynasty and start an all-out war.

This time won’t be far away.

At this point, the Ming Dynasty's army had reached four navies and thirty-five land armies.

Among the four navies, one army, led by Qi Jingtong, has already arrived in batches to the south of the Sui State.

The remaining three armies are still distributed in Shandong, Nanjing and other places.

On the first day of March, Duke Zheng had already set out from the capital and rushed to Lu.

He will personally command these three armies.

Among the thirty-five armies, there was one army stationed in each of the two capitals and thirteen provinces of the Ming Dynasty.

The border troops have already withdrawn. With so many powerful men in the Ming Dynasty now, the Mongols dare not offend at all, and there is no need to station troops on the border anymore.

Of the remaining twenty armies, ten were in the Western Nine Route, led by Wang Shouren, to suppress the local forces and guard against the Jin, Liao, and Southern Song dynasties.

The last ten armies are the ten armies that Li Jing and others will lead into the Sui Dynasty.

The total military strength of the Ming Dynasty reached 1.5 million.

It is absolutely the best in the world, and all of them are based on the conscription system.

But this number is not enough, far from enough.

If one wants to take over the entire territory of the Sui Dynasty, ten armies can only be considered as vanguards.

The same is true for West Nine Road.

So, the continuous recruitment of new soldiers that has been going on for several years shows no signs of stopping.

The fifteen provinces of the Ming Dynasty and the nine western routes are training a steady stream of new soldiers.

Such a rapid expansion of the military is accompanied by costs.

It's not just the cost of military pay, military pay is just the most basic.

Military rations, weapons, armor, equipment, etc.

All of this costs money and takes time to build.

The equipment departments of the Ministry of Industry and the Military Cabinet were constantly expanding, but production could not keep up with the pace of military expansion.

In late March, Zhu Houzhao received a budget report from the Military Cabinet.

The total military expenditure this year will reach more than 70 million taels.

Zhu Houzhao was shocked when he saw it.

This number is indeed a bit too much.

It directly accounted for half of last year’s total tax revenue.

If total tax revenue does not increase in the future, even if military expenditure does not increase, the Ming Dynasty will still not be able to afford it.

Because the Ming Dynasty also spent a lot on other aspects.

Fortunately, the total tax revenue of the Ming Dynasty will definitely increase, and it will increase faster than military expenditure.

Zhu Houzhao was very confident about this.

Moreover, after plundering the wealth of all classes in the Ming Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty court is now extremely wealthy and can last for more than ten years without relying on taxes.

There is also a Ministry of Commerce, which stores a large amount of gold, silver and supplies.

With hundreds of millions of people in the Ming Dynasty, it was able to support such a large army and a gold and silver system.

But Zhu Houzhao was not at ease either, because he knew that once a comprehensive reform of the West Nine Roads was carried out, the Ming Dynasty would have to invest a large amount of money first.

Even more serious was the Sui Dynasty.

The Sui Dynasty was ruined by Yang Guang, exploited by aristocratic families, ravaged by the rebel army, attacked by the Mongols, and finally taken over by the Ming Dynasty. It is no exaggeration to say that it was a ruin.

If one wants to build it like the current Ming Dynasty, it will either take more than ten, twenty, or even thirty years, or invest a huge amount of money.

The wealth that the Ming Dynasty has plundered in recent years will be consumed faster and faster.

Zhu Houzhao thought about it, called the three cabinet members, and asked directly: "How is the preparation for the comprehensive reform of West Nine Road going?"

"Your Majesty, preparations are being made step by step. It is expected that a comprehensive reform will be carried out on West Nine Road after the autumn harvest this year." Liu Jian said in a solemn voice.

"Yes." Zhu Houzhao nodded, paused and said: "Old Ma, you can't hold on any longer, so just retire and return home.

Li Xunhuan entered the cabinet and served as the Minister of Personnel. "

"Yes, thank you, Your Majesty." Ma Wensheng said happily immediately.

If he hadn't held on to his last bit of strength, he would have collapsed two years ago. "Your Majesty, the cabinet has more and more things to do now, and the West Nine Road has been added. I'm afraid that if only Minister Li joins the cabinet, there won't be enough manpower." Liu Jian said.

Generally speaking, no one wants to give up power in a breakup.

But now the cabinet is too busy.

It goes without saying that we will have to wait until West 9th Road is completely reformed.

"Let Jiang Mian enter the cabinet, and Mao Ji be the Minister of Rites.

The position of Minister of Revenue has been vacant for half a year, so promote Zhang Cong to be the Minister of Revenue." Zhu Houzhao thought for a moment and gave the order.

"Yes."

Liu Jian and Xie Qian responded without objection.

There is no problem with Jiang Mian joining the cabinet.
There is no problem with Mao Ji being the Minister of Rites.

Zhang Cong was promoted to Minister of Revenue, which was a bit too fast.

But among the many provincial governors, Zhang Cong's reforms in the past two years were the fastest and the most effective, which is obvious to all, so it is nothing if he is promoted faster.

What's more, it was appointed by His Majesty himself, who can say no?

Zhu Houzhao's seemingly random appointment soon caused a stir in the court, and many officials were unable to calm down.

After all, those implicated are all real bigwigs in the court.

The movements of these bigwigs in the imperial court will lead to changes in more levels of officials.

When it comes to their own official positions, how many people can remain calm?

However, with Zhu Houzhao suppressing the rebellion, no trouble occurred.

On the surface, the changes from top to bottom were completed very calmly.

Afterwards, the cabinet took the lead and continued to be busy with internal reforms and preparations for reforms on West Nine Road.

The vast Ming Empire did not stop for a moment and continued to move forward at an even faster pace.

April 6th.

Guo Bujing and Yan Nantian entered the palace and reported something.

"Xia Ke Island?" Zhu Houzhao asked curiously.

"That's right, Your Majesty, this Xiake Island is an island in the Ming Dynasty sea area.

There are two island masters on the island, Long and Mu, both of whom are at the level of grandmasters.

There are eight people in the innate realm on the island.

In addition, there are many martial artists who are obsessed with studying martial arts on the island and are unwilling to leave.

These people are from the eight major sects of Shaolin and Wudang, numbering in the hundreds, many of whom are innate masters." Yan Nantian replied, with a hint of surprise in his tone.

"They are obsessed with studying martial arts! What kind of martial arts make them unwilling to leave the island? Isn't the martial arts of Shaolin and Wudang enough for them to learn?" Zhu Houzhao became even more curious.

“It is a set of martial arts engraved on the stone wall with the content of the poem of the knight-errant.

I have personally seen it, and it is indeed extraordinary and extremely exquisite.

In addition, I have asked those who comprehend martial arts, and it seems that this set of martial arts has the effect of accelerating people's practice, which is extremely magical." Yan Nantian said.

"What is the verse from 'Xia Ke Xing'?" Zhu Houzhao asked puzzledly.

Guo Bujing and Yan Nantian were silent for a moment and then began to explain.

"Well, this poem is good and powerful." Zhu Houzhao's eyes lit up and he said with great liking.

"Old Yan, you said that this Knight Island wants to join our Ming Dynasty and invite people from the Ming Dynasty to crack this martial arts?
Why?" Zhu Houzhao asked again.

“Your Majesty, I have discussed this in detail with the two island masters, Long and Mu. Their greatest wish now is to comprehend the entire content of this martial arts.

But they have been meditating for decades and inviting many masters, but they still can't do it.

In addition, our imperial court is very powerful, and it is impossible for Xiake Island to roam freely overseas as before.

Therefore, I am ready to surrender to the Ming Dynasty and use its power to comprehend the entire content of this martial arts." Yan Nantian replied.

"Is this martial art really so magical and difficult?" Zhu Houzhao asked curiously.

“I tried it, and it is indeed difficult.

Especially the last one, I have no idea what it is." Yan Nantian said with a look of concentration.

“It seems that this martial art is indeed very difficult, as it leaves Old Yan completely clueless.

It’s a pity that I can’t go out now, otherwise I would go and see it for myself and figure it out.

By the way, did you copy it down?" Zhu Houzhao asked excitedly.

“I have enlarged a copy, but the martial arts written on the stone wall of Xiake Island contain the will of the creator.

Only by going there in person can it be effective." Yan Nantian said.

Although he said this, he still took out pieces of white cloth and brought them into the palace.

They were shown to Zhu Houzhao one by one.

“Your Majesty, the content of these verses is not important; the essence lies in the meaning of the fonts.

There are also many annotations." Yan Nantian said.

Zhu Houzhao looked at the words and frowned, "What the hell is this? It's a mess."

"Your Majesty, I will read it to you." Yan Nantian was not surprised. The words on the stone wall were naturally a bit messy.

It is normal that Your Majesty cannot see clearly.

"Yeah." Zhu Houzhao responded casually.

Yan Nantian read bit by bit while Zhu Houzhao tried to practice in his body.

After a while, Zhu Houzhao frowned and said affirmatively: "No, Old Yan, you read it wrong. I feel it should not be like this."

"Hmm?" Yan Nantian was startled, then suddenly realized: "Your Majesty, this set of martial arts can only be learned in the cave of Xiake Island, in accordance with the will of the creator.

I have only learned a little, but I can tell you, Your Majesty."

"By the way, how strong is the will in martial arts?" Zhu Houzhao nodded and asked again.

“I cannot be sure either as it has been too long. However, I and the two island masters believe that the weakest one is at the peak of the Grand Master realm, and it is even possible that he is at the level of a Heavenly Man.” Yan Nantian said seriously.

“This set of martial arts seems to be beyond my expectations.” Zhu Houzhao smiled with some surprise, and immediately said: “Okay, I will agree to these two island masters.

But everything must be done according to the rules.

Investigate thoroughly first, and then tell my Ming masters to go voluntarily."

"Yes." Guo Bujing and Yan Nantian responded.

After deciding on the matter of Xiake Island, Guo Bujing and the other person went to get busy.

Zhu Houzhao didn't take the knight's martial arts skills seriously, as he had never lacked any peerless skills.

He also believed that any magical skill would one day be inferior to his Mingshen Wudian and Tai Chi Thirteen Forms.

A few days later, Zhu Houzhao went to the medical school to see how Yin Zhong was doing.

“Your Majesty, after these days of experiments, we are still unable to completely eliminate that power.

However, we can suppress it and prevent it from erupting easily, so that Lord Yin can exert even greater strength.

Normally, it only takes about two months to suppress the disease by applying pesticides once, and there will be no outbreak.

If Lord Yin uses his full strength, it will take two times before he uses medicine to suppress it once." Cheng Lingsu said.

"Well, this is very good. Yin Zhong, what do you think?" Zhu Houzhao said with satisfaction, looking at Yin Zhong.

"I also feel it's very good. I can barely exert my full strength." Yin Zhong also smiled and said meaningfully.

This effect was indeed beyond his expectations. He had been tortured for nearly five hundred years and had never been able to exert his full strength.

Compared with the results after applying the pesticide, it is completely incomparable.

Zhu Houzhao understood what Yin Zhong meant, which was to say, the Ming Dynasty had gained another fighter at the level of a celestial being.

He laughed happily a few times and praised Cheng Lingsu and the others several times.

“Your Majesty, thank you for the compliment. Lord Yin himself also played a big role in this.

The blood python and the medicine were all taken out by Lord Yin himself.

We just made a perfect one and added the power of the dragon ball. " Cheng Lingsu shook his head and smiled.

Yin Zhong looked at Cheng Lingsu meaningfully and didn't say much.

(4400 words, today's words, will be added later.)
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(End of this chapter)