Ming Dynasty: Charge, Emperor Yongle!

"I plan to follow the example of the northern deserts and establish the Beiting Protectorate."

"You will be appointed as the Grand Protector of Beiting, and Nairbuhua will be the Deputy Grand Protector."

In front of Mu Ying, Zhu Di made no attempt to hide his intentions and frankly stated them directly.

"call!"

Mu Ying's breathing suddenly became much more rapid.

The Grand Protector of Beiting is a powerful frontier official who holds military and political power. This means that he will become the uncrowned king of Beiting, and no one can remain indifferent to this temptation!

"Beishbali established Tingzhou Guard, and Hamili established Hami Guard."

"Halahu Prefecture was divided into three, namely Gaochang Guard, Yanqi Guard, and Loulan Guard."

"The capital of the Beiting Protectorate was located in Ulabo (present-day Urumqi), and its Tang Dynasty name was restored: Luntai."

"28000 men were selected from the Ming army, the Yuan cavalry, and the Mongol cavalry and organized into the Luntai Five Guards."

"Select another batch of Ming soldiers to serve as the backbone, and choose people from the surrendered Yuan soldiers to build the Five Guards."

"After the wounded soldiers recovered, they were arranged to marry local women and settle down in Beiting."

"I would advise Your Majesty to prioritize sending prisoners to Beiting and Mobei."

Zhu Di gave his instructions methodically.

"Yes."

Mu Ying listened attentively and took it all to heart.

"After this battle, His Majesty will surely bestow a title upon you, and you will be promoted from a member of the imperial family to a nobleman."

"Do you understand the difference between a noble family member and a member of the imperial clan?"

Zhu Di's sudden remark made Mu Ying's heart sink.

"This humble general is dull-witted, please enlighten me, Your Highness."

Mu Ying bowed slightly and cupped her hands in greeting.

"My elder brother was originally a General Who Guards the Nation, ranking third among the imperial relatives, second only to the Prince and the Duke."

"If he is promoted to a noble title, he should be ennobled as a marquis for his merits in this battle, second only to the Duke."

"There is no problem with marriage alliances between relatives and nobles; this practice is common among the crown princes and princes of our dynasty."

"But a marriage alliance with a noble family is different, especially since the eldest brother's wife is the daughter of the Duke of Song."

"Feng Sheng was arrogant and considered himself the second most important among the nobles of Huaixi."

"In this second northern expedition, the western army achieved great success, but failed to achieve complete victory. If it weren't for my elder brother plugging the gap in time and letting the Northern Yuan Qi King, Duoerzhiban, go, Feng Sheng would probably have had ten heads but still couldn't withstand His Majesty's guillotine."

"Huai Xi Xun Gui, relying on his status as a founding hero, has been extorting and plundering everywhere, oppressing the people, and is already courting death."

"Once your elder brother has established a relationship with the nobles of Huaixi, how could Father Emperor possibly give you an important position and even send you out to be the Grand Protector of Beiting?"

"Look at the Marquis of Zhongshan, then look at my cousin, my father-in-law, and you'll understand."

Zhu Di stopped there, not revealing too much about the rules of officialdom in the Ming Dynasty.

"this..."

Mu Ying was already drenched in sweat. He wasn't stupid; he could certainly understand the special status of Tang He, Li Wenzhong, and Xu Da in the court.

"Big brother."

"Hesitation leads to trouble."

"Mrs. Feng died young, and your eldest son, Muchun, can only rely on the Feng family."

"Now look at your second wife, Geng, the daughter of Geng Zaicheng. She has only one brother, Geng Tianbi, who is currently the hereditary commander of Renhe Guard."

"Your second son, Mu Sheng, doesn't have a powerful maternal family."

Zhu Di offered a meaningful reminder.

Although Mu Chun inherited Mu Ying's literary and martial talents, he guarded Yunnan for 7 years and became a powerful figure among the southwestern barbarians.

However, compared to Mu Sheng, he was far inferior. Mu Sheng served under five emperors: Taizu, Chengzu, Renzong, Xuanzong, and Yingzong, and repeatedly made military achievements, earning the title of Duke of Qian.

"Thank you for your guidance, Your Highness. I understand now."

"After being granted a title, I will submit a memorial to His Majesty, requesting that his second son, Mu Sheng, be designated as the heir apparent."

After pondering for a while, Mu Ying made her choice.

"It's good that you understand, brother."

A hint of admiration flashed across Zhu Di's eyes.

A qualified leader should not abandon their future because of personal feelings.

Mu Chun was Mu Ying's eldest son. His maternal grandfather, Feng Sheng, was destined to be targeted by Zhu Yuanzhang, which was not a good thing for the Mu family.

Mu Sheng's maternal grandfather, Geng Zaicheng, was one of the earliest followers of Zhu Yuanzhang. In the 22nd year of the Zhizheng era (1362), he died in the Chuzhou rebellion. Zhu Yuanzhang always remembered this friendship and posthumously conferred upon him the title of Duke of Gaoyang in the same year. His clothes and hat were reburied at Jubaoshan in Jinling and a temple was built to worship him. In the third year of Hongwu, an imperial edict was issued to allow him to be enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple. In the tenth year of Hongwu, he was further posthumously granted the title of Duke of Si and the posthumous name of Wuzhuang.

Comparing the two, it is clear that Mu Sheng being chosen as the heir apparent would be more satisfactory to Zhu Yuanzhang.

...............

Just as the dust settled on the Battle of Beiting, Hudaida personally led 30,000 Yarkand cavalry from Tarbugur to Zhangbali.

"leader."

"Unidentified troops spotted ahead."

A Yarkand commander rode up to Khudaida and paid his respects.

"Can you tell whether they are Mongols or Ming soldiers?"

Huda frowned and asked.

"Return to the leader."

"The men who came were all cavalry, at least tens of thousands. Our scouts didn't see the flags clearly."

The commander replied nervously.

"Tens of thousands of cavalry!"

Hu Daida's expression suddenly hardened.

The only forces capable of mobilizing tens of thousands of cavalry are Mughalstein and the Ming Dynasty. The Ming Dynasty has come from afar, so it shouldn't be here.

If it was the Mughal army, it meant that Hamadin had won, which was undoubtedly a huge blow to Yarkand.

"Listen up, Yarkand people."

"I have come to summon Hudaida on the orders of His Highness Prince Yan of the Great Ming Dynasty."

"Where is Hu Daida?"

Nairbuhua's loud voice echoed across the desert and reached the ears of the Yarkand cavalry from afar.

"leader!"

This dismissive attitude thoroughly enraged the Yarkand generals, who were all burning with fury.

"Go and meet the envoy of the Prince of Yan of the Ming Dynasty!"

Huda's eyes flashed with surprise, and he immediately spurred his horse forward, galloping towards the source of the sound.

"Da da da! Da da da!"

The Yarkand commanders of ten thousand and a thousand immediately followed.

Before long, the group appeared in front of Nai'er Buhua and clearly saw the 10,000-person elite cavalry. Their pupils dilated in unison.

These elite Yuan cavalrymen who followed Wang Baobao in his campaigns were all demons who had crawled out of piles of corpses, their bodies filled with the murderous aura of their army, and they were no match for the Yarkand cavalry.

"I am Hudaida. May I ask who the messenger is?"

Hu Daida shouted loudly.

"drive!!!"

Nai'er Buhua rode out alone, glanced at them, and said disdainfully, "I am Nai'er Buhua, the vanguard under the command of the Prince of Yan of the Great Ming Dynasty."

"His Highness the Prince of Yan has ordered that Hudaida go to Zhangbali for an audience."

What?

Immediately, the faces of the Yarkand commanders of ten thousand and a thousand men present turned extremely ugly.

Huda's expression shifted between anger and uncertainty. Finally, he hardened his heart and ordered in a deep voice, "Pass on my order: the entire army shall set up camp on the spot. Without my order, not a single soldier is to move. Anyone who disobeys will be executed!"

"Yes."

The commanders of Yarkand, numbering ten thousand and one thousand, responded and reluctantly went to make the arrangements.

The 30,000 Yarkand cavalrymen halted their advance and set up camp on the spot.

"Your Excellency, please lead the way!"

Hu Daida spoke up neither humbly nor arrogantly.

"Um."

Nai'er Buhua nodded, turned around, and galloped back the way she came.

The group of 10,000 men on horseback turned around and returned to Zhangbali, as if they had only come out for a short trip.