The reading of the imperial edict marked the end of the war. The war, which had lasted for more than half a year, finally ended with the Daming's total victory. The war was over, but the people were still alive. They had to continue on their own paths, which were destined to be unstable.
After the victory ceremony, there was a grand palace banquet. The Emperor and all the officials were present. They rejoiced at the unexpected victory and the fact that this war had indirectly solved the financial problems of the Great Ming Dynasty. During the banquet, they toasted each other happily. The generals also drank and ate heartily. They enjoyed the beautiful dances and enjoyed the rare glory to the fullest.
Xiao Ruxun thought the Emperor would summon him for another secret talk, but he didn't. The palace banquet didn't last long. When night fell, it ended. The generals who had families in the capital were in a hurry to go home to reunite with their families. Those who didn't had families were in a hurry to go home to find women. After returning from Japan and arriving in the territory of Korea, Song Yingchang didn't allow the soldiers of the Ming Army to touch the Japanese women who had been captured. This made many soldiers and generals complain.
They were about to explode!
Xiao Ruxun probably knew the reason why the Emperor didn't want to find women. He was in a hurry to go home to see his wife. He said goodbye to his colleagues in the army, promised to treat them to a one-month celebration after the birth of a child, and then hurried to leave the palace.
"Ji Xin, why are you leaving so fast?"
As he was running, a loud voice came from behind Xiao Ruxun. Xiao Ruxun looked back and saw that it was Shi Xing, the Minister of War.
This Minister of War, who was supposed to have died in the political struggle of the war, had survived because of Xiao Ruxun's sudden appearance. Not only that, he continued to hold the position of Minister of War, and was even rewarded for promoting Xiao Ruxun to a great victory. His mood was very good, and his view of Xiao Ruxun became even more pleasing to the eye. Now that he was smiling, those who didn't know would think that Xiao Ruxun was his biological nephew.
"Ouch! Hahaha, now I can't call you Ji Xin anymore, I really have to call you Marquis Xiao. After all, you're the Marquis of Peace, and the first military general to be conferred the title of Marquis since the beginning of time. Your limelight has far surpassed that of Li Chengliang, hahahaha! "
Shi Xing walked over with a smile and patted Xiao Ruxun on the shoulder. "You've done well. When the news came back, the Ministry of War was overjoyed. When they found out that you got a mountain of silver from Wei Nation, even the Minister of Revenue came to the Ministry of War to verify it. Hahaha! How long has it been since the Ministry of War has been able to hold our heads up high like this? How refreshing! "
Xiao Ruxun's expression was calm as he smiled. "I don't deserve such a title. The Ministry should just call me I by my courtesy name. This is all I's job. I defeated the Japanese pirates because it was my duty. I don't dare to be arrogant."
Shi Xing nodded with satisfaction. "Neither arrogant nor rash. You have the demeanor of a great general. Rare, rare. Daming, with a general like you, I can trust you with the border. Oh right, Ji Xin looks like she's in a hurry. Where are you going?"
Xiao Ruxun said, "My beloved wife is nine months pregnant and is about to give birth. I has been fighting outside and hasn't been able to spend time with her. I miss her very much."
"Oh? There's such a thing? Then I really have to congratulate Ji Xin. You're going to be a father after a great victory. That's double happiness! " As he spoke, Shi Xing looked troubled. He hesitated and said, "I wanted to delay Ji Xin for a while, but it seems like it's not the right time. Ji Xin, why don't you go see your beloved wife first?"
Seeing Shi Xing's expression, Xiao Ruxun felt that Shi Xing had something important to discuss with him. He hesitated and looked at the sky. He asked, "Does Shi Butang have something to discuss with I about the war?"
Shi Xing nodded and said, "Since Ji Xin is concerned about my beloved wife, then you should go see her first. It won't be too late to talk about this tomorrow … Tomorrow seems to be Ji Xin's day off. Then, let's talk about it later!"
Xiao Ruxun shook his head. "Since there's a war, why don't we talk about it now?"
Shi Xing looked around and nodded. "Ji Xin, you were supposed to come back and rest for a period of time. I've also heard that you were supposed to be appointed to the position of military commander, but for some reason, you became the commander of the military. This is something this old man didn't expect, but things have already come to this. This is the will of the cabinet and His Majesty, so this old man can't do anything about it. It's just that when I think about how you'll have to leave so soon after you come back, I really feel uneasy."
"No, I don't think that way. It's I's honor to be able to share the country's worries."
Shi Xing smiled and said, "Daming is fortunate to have Ji Xin. Then, I won't say any more nonsense. Ji Xin, the day before yesterday, news came from Yunnan. Dongwu Country's King Mang Yingli led 300,000 troops to attack Yunnan. Yunnan's Governor Chen Yongbin reported that the war is in danger. The situation isn't good. The court has already allowed Chen Yongbin to borrow the Sichuan and Guangxi troops to deal with it, but it won't be easy.
Right now, the court's elite troops are all in your army. The court probably thought of this as well, so they decided to make you the military commander. This time, they officially allowed you to be the frontline commander. Governor Chen Yongbin will be the deputy commander and will be in charge of logistics and transportation. You can do whatever you want and fight this war well with the ultimate goal of destroying Dongwu Country! "
"I'm the commander?" Xiao Ruxun was stunned.
This was very rare in the middle and late Ming Dynasty where civil officials were popular. To have a general as the frontline commander and have a civil official in charge of logistics was like returning to the early Ming Dynasty where dukes, marquises, and earls led the army. It seemed like these civil officials had put in a lot of effort to appease him. Seeing that Chen Yongbin's troops weren't being used well, they decided to let a general be in charge of the war. What would Chen Yongbin think?
Would he honestly be in charge of logistics?
"Yes, you're the commander. Ji Xin, do you know how much trust you have in me?"
Xiao Ruxun immediately put on a grateful expression. "How did I, I, earn the trust of His Majesty and the court?"
"You deserve it. You definitely deserve it!" Shi Xing was very satisfied with Xiao Ruxun's attitude. He said, "Let's not talk about other things. Tell me, how do you plan to fight this war? This war won't be easy. The Dongwu Country has the advantage in numbers, is familiar with the terrain, and is good at fighting. It's very disadvantageous for me. "
Xiao Ruxun thought for a while and said, "Is Dongwu Country really going to send 300,000 soldiers? That's unless they have a population of more than five million. Wei Nation has a population of more than ten million, and they only sent 200,000 soldiers. They actually dare to send 300,000 soldiers? Isn't that courting death? I thought that Dongwu Country would send 70,000 soldiers at most. It's impossible for them to send more. Otherwise, their logistics wouldn't be able to keep up. They were just bluffing.
Currently, the biggest problem is that the roads in Yunnan are difficult to travel on. Not only is it difficult for the soldiers to travel, but it's also difficult to transport rations and weapons. Even the firearms that I is most proficient in are difficult to transport. If that's the case, the combat power of our army will inevitably be greatly reduced. Moreover, Yunnan's climate is humid and hot. If the northern soldiers suddenly arrive, I'm afraid that they won't be able to adapt to the climate. If they cause a plague in the army, it won't be good. "
Shi Xing rubbed his hands and said in annoyance, "I'm thinking the same thing. Your most elite southern soldiers are guarding Shijian Town. The Ningxia Firearms Camp, which has the best weapons, has too many weapons and can't be transported. The only ones that can be used are Liu Gu's Sichuan soldiers and Deng Zilong's Wolf Soldiers. It's really too much. You're a northerner. If you go to the south, you'll be the first to adapt to the climate."
Xiao Ruxun's eyes suddenly lit up. He said, "Minister, why must we send troops from Yunnan?"
"Huh? What do you mean? "
Xiao Ruxun said, "Minister, is Dongwu Country's border near the sea?"
Shi Xing was stunned. He frowned and said, "During the Yongle Era, that area was Daming's territory. I vaguely remember that the south side of that place is near the sea. Why, Ji Xin, are you thinking … Could it be …"
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