Timur turned his head, stared into Yesb's eyes and continued: "All the powerful countries in this world have been defeated by me, whether it is the Golden Horde, the Ottomans, the Tudruk dynasty, the Mamluk, the Ilkhanate, they have all been defeated by me, only the Ming country, only the Ming country in the east, has not been defeated by me. ”

"I am not coveting the land and people of the Ming Kingdom. I now rule over a land about the same size as the Ming Kingdom, and although the population under my jurisdiction is not as large as that of the Ming Kingdom, it is also the largest country in the entire West and the center of the continent, and countless people who once looked down on the entire continent have bowed their heads to me. ”

"I also know how difficult it is to go east to conquer the Ming Kingdom. The Ming State has only been at war with the surrounding countries for more than 30 years, with generals commanding and soldiers fighting. ”

"But I still have to send troops to attack the Ming Kingdom. Only by conquering the Ming kingdom, and defeating it to occupy at least a few provinces of it, can I become the Great Khan of the Mongols, the greatest conqueror in the whole world beyond Genghis Khan! ”

"Did you know that in the west of the continent, there was a man named Gaius Julius Caesar more than 1,400 years ago? This man once said during the conquest of Egypt: 'I came, I saw, I conquered.' 'Now that I know the existence of the Ming Kingdom in the East, I must conquer it!' ”

"But ,......," Jesb was about to say more, but was immediately interrupted by Timur: "I already know what I mean, you don't have to say it again!" ”

"Yes, Great Khan." In the end, Jesbu could only sigh helplessly and bowed and retreated.

When Jesbu had retreated, he suddenly bowed down and coughed a few times, then straightened up again, and called the eunuch in and commanded: "It is decreed that from this day forward, no one shall enter or leave the city of Samarkand, and no one who is not a government official or a general of the army or their subordinates shall leave the city, not even the heads of the tribes under my rule." If someone wants to break in, they will be killed. ”

In the days that followed, the entire city of Samarkand fell into a brief economic boom. Almost all the grain shops that sold grain were bought, almost all the horse-drawn carriages in the city were purchased by the government, and the craftsmen were busy, making ironware day and night. The government also purchased tens of thousands of pieces of cloth and asked the women of the city to make clothes from the cloth within 10 days, and those who violated it were severely punished. All this let the people of the city know that there is another war, and that it is a very large battle.

But they are not afraid, even those who have family members serving in the military. Timur's reputation for invincibility over the years was so great that the people of Samarkand had a blind trust in him, believing that as long as the Great Khan was present, he would never be able to defeat the battle. They have even begun to discuss how much the family will be able to get back this time.

Such an atmosphere also spreads among the army. All the soldiers and middle and lower rank generals were blindly optimistic, gearing up to defeat all those who dared to stand in the way of the army.

Only the high-ranking generals who knew the situation in the Ming Dynasty were worried. Although the Great Khan's plan was ingenious, it was difficult to predict how things would play out, and most importantly, the Ming Kingdom seemed monolithic, and there was no room for discord. This attack on the Ming Kingdom is another labor expedition, even if Hami can be captured, the possibility of winning the war to conquer the Ming mainland is difficult to say.

But no one dared to show such emotions. Even Yesbu, who had followed Timur for almost forty years, kept his mouth shut and was just busy with army scheduling, and the others were even more afraid to speak.

Early in the morning of August 13, Salha led 50,000 men to set out first, heading north. Two days later, on August 15, Timur personally led the remaining 180,000 troops and more than 100,000 servants to set out officially. In the Syr Darya River, as far as Lake Balkhash, another hundred thousand servants awaited him.

Then, after a two-month march, on October 17 Sarha led 50,000 vanguards to the west of the Alashan Pass.

……

……

"Your Highness, the Hijri calendar is a very different calendar from the Ming calendar. The Hijri calendar is entirely lunar, while the Ming calendar is a lunisolar calendar. There are 12 months in the year of the Hijri calendar, and the six months of the first, third, fifth, seventh, ninth, and eleventh are all 30 days, and the five months of the second, fourth, sixth, eighth, and tenth are all 29 days. In leap years, December is 30 days, and in a normal year, there are 29 days in December. So the Hijri year is 354 or 355 days. ”

"Don't they have leap months?" Looking at the person in front of him who returned from Samarkand, Zhu Shangbing asked a little strangely: "There are only 354 or 355 days in a year, so that it is about ten days less than the real year. ”

"Your Highness, the month of December, which is one day longer than an ordinary year in the Hijri calendar, is a leap month. It is true that each year of the Hijri calendar is ten or eleven days less than the actual year, so there is an extra year in the Hijri calendar about every thirty-four years. Their seasons are also not fixed. With the rotation of the sun and the moon, it may be summer in February, winter in August, summer in October, and winter in April. ”

"It's weird." Shang Bing couldn't help but say.

"Your Highness, this is the calendar of this Semu people, and it is definitely not that his subordinates deceived His Highness." The man hurriedly said.

Since the news of Samarkand's eastward crusade came to him, Shang Bing actively prepared for war with his country, and at the same time took time out every day to chat with the people returning from Samarkand to learn about the situation in Samarkand.

Shang Bing sighed a few more words, glanced at the leak on one side, and said with a smile: "It's already noon." You stand down first, and then summon you to the palace in the afternoon, and continue to introduce the customs of Samarkand. ”

"Yes, Your Highness." The man agreed, bowed and withdrew.

Shang Bing stood up and stretched his waist, and said to the eunuch beside him: "You send someone to the kitchen and order the preparation of meals for more than ten people. Remember to tell them not to make mutton anymore and to kill a pig to eat. ”

"You personally go and invite the generals and the prime ministers into the mansion, and you have to eat with them. If they refuse, tell them that although you are very busy with the crusade of Samarkand, it is not too late for dinner. ”

"The slave knows." The eunuch also agreed, and withdrew with a few small eunuchs.

After a while, Gao Xiang, the right minister of the Qin Domain, entered the palace and saw Shang Bing bowing and saluting: "I have seen Your Highness." ”

"Gao Aiqing doesn't have to be polite. Several generals have not yet entered the palace, and they are still unable to eat. But let's go to the dining hall first, and let the chef serve a bowl of soup to appetize. Shang Bing said with a smile to him.

"Yes, Your Highness." Gao Xiang agreed and followed him to the dining hall.

When the two arrived at the dining hall, Gao Xiang didn't care about etiquette when he saw the snacks on the table, grabbed a few and stuffed them into his mouth, and then picked up the bowl of soup and drank the soup in one gulp.

"Table Aiqing didn't have breakfast today? How can this work? The royal brother once said: People are iron and rice is steel, and if you don't eat a meal, you will be hungry and panic. Besides, if you don't eat, your spirit is poor, how can you skip breakfast! Shang Bing said immediately.

"Your Highness, the minister really doesn't have time. As soon as I opened my eyes, there were countless things waiting to be arranged, looking at the people who didn't sleep all night and waited for the minister to deal with the errands, the minister really had no way to eat breakfast first, so he could only arrange their affairs first and then make plans. can be arranged, the time passes unconsciously, and by the time the minister is free, it is often past noon. After a few quick bites, you have to start busy again. Don't hide it from His Royal Highness, the minister was relieved to hear His Highness summoning the minister to enter the palace. Gao Xiang sat on the chair and said with a wry smile.

"From tomorrow onwards, no one else will be allowed to enter your mansion until you wake up. You are now the pillar of the Qin Domain, if you are so busy and tired, how can you live well. Shang Bing said.

Although Shang Bing's words were complimenting Gao Xiang, they were also the truth. Gao Xiang is now the right minister of the Qin Domain, and all the general affairs are handled by him, if he falls, there will be no one else who can make the decision. Although Shang Bing can also do it, he is very impatient with general affairs, and secondly, Gao Xiang has been dealing with it in the past few years, and I am afraid that he will not be able to do it well if he rashly takes over.

After listening to Shang Bing's words, Gao Xiang was in a very good mood, of course, he still had to be humble on the surface.

Shang Bing asked again: "Gao Aiqing, how are things arranged?" ”

"Your Highness, Yili has counted all the 20,000 cattle and 30,000 sheep sent by the Li and handed them over to the specially set up 'herding team' for grazing; the 20,000 horses of cloth transported from Shaanxi have also been placed in the treasury, and the minister is going to take out 10,000 horses for the women under his rule to make clothes for the soldiers to replace; the 20 cannons sent the day before yesterday have also been accepted and handed over to Geng Xiang. ......" Gao Xiang told Shang Bing everything about the arrangements of the past few days.

As he was talking, several generals in armor walked into the house, and saw the two of them hurriedly saluting Shang Bing and said, "The minister has seen His Highness." He greeted Gao Xiang again: "I've seen Gao Xiang." ”

"Sit down, sit down, don't be polite." Shang Bing said with a smile: "The generals haven't eaten yet, so Isola immediately ordered the cook to bring the food, let's eat." ”

"Thank you, Your Highness." A young general sat down and said with a big grin: "The minister has been hungry for a long time. ”

"Stand up! How can you be so rude in front of Your Highness! Another older general scolded.

When the young general heard this, he immediately stood up as if reflexively and said to the older general, "Father, I was wrong. He immediately apologized to Shang Bing: "The minister is rude, please punish His Highness." ”

"You have been working very hard for my Qin Domain all these days, how can Lone punish you for your little inconsiderate etiquette?" Shang Bing said to the older generals: "Song Aiqing, the brothers Song Hu and Song Ying are also very busy these days, and there is no need to be harsh on the slightest difference in etiquette. ”

This old general is the current Zuo Xiang of the Qin Domain, Song Sheng, whose ancestral home is Dingyuan County, Fengyang Prefecture. Song Sheng guarded Liangzhou from the twelfth year of Hongwu, and was transferred to Guangxi in the twenty-ninth year of Hongwu. After Yun Xi ascended the throne, he was appointed as the left minister of the Qin domain because he had been guarding the northwest for a long time.

Song Sheng had three sons, the eldest son is now serving as the commander of the right guard of the government army in the capital, and the second son Song Hu returned to the northwest with the third brother Song Ying in Yiwu after marrying the lord of Chang'an in the capital.

After listening to Shang Bing's words, Song Sheng, as a courtier, could only agree even if he disagreed: "What His Highness said is true." He also said to Song Hu: "Don't hurry up and thank Your Highness for your grace." ”

After such an incident, by the time everyone sat down, the chef had already brought all the food, and when he had finished setting it on the table, he bowed down.

Shang Bing picked up the chopsticks and took a bite of the dish into his mouth, and everyone immediately picked up the chopsticks and ate them.

The generals were hungrier than Gao Xiang. During this period, they reorganized the army, practiced with the soldiers every day, and their physical strength was very high, and they all ate like starving ghosts reincarnated. After a while, everyone had eaten eight minutes and was full, and then slowed down.

Shang Bing waited for them to slow down before asking, "Song Xiang, are the soldiers okay now?" ”

"Your Highness, there are now 30,000 soldiers in the Qin Domain, including 15,000 soldiers and 15,000 Mongols. Ten thousand of the Mongols were recruited after hearing that Samarkand was going to go east. However, the Mongols rode horses since childhood, and although their combat power was still not as good as that of the strictly trained soldiers, they could also be used in battle. ”

"The guards are fine, but the Mongolian soldiers are fluctuating. They were all people who had been in Yiwu for a long time, and they had long heard of the great name of Timur, the Great Khan of Samarkand, and they were a little afraid. Song Sheng replied.

"We should always pay attention to the thoughts of the Mongolian soldiers, and order the military doctors sent to the past to chat with the injured people who go to the clinic for treatment, and if they find any differences, they must immediately report to their superiors." Shang Bing commanded. Song Sheng hurriedly agreed.

He also asked about sending people to build a city on the territory of Yili. Song Sheng said: "Your Highness, after discussing with Yili and the king of Lihan, Shami Chagan, due to lack of manpower, it was finally decided to build cities only in Urumqi, Alashankou, Turpan, Qijiaojing, Tiemen Pass and other five places to guard against the soldiers of Samarkand. ”

"Among them, the Qijiaojing and Turpan City have been nearly built because they are close to Yiwu and the area is not large; Half of the Tiemen Pass and Urumqi are completed, and it is estimated that another three months will be enough to complete it. ”

"Three months? It is now April 17, and it is estimated that the Samarkand Congress will send troops to the east in early March, and it will be able to reach Urumqi in about three months, but now it has been a month, and there are only two months left. I'm afraid there isn't enough time. Shang Bing said.

"Your Highness, there is also the city of Alashankou. The terrain of Alashan Pass is very dangerous, even if the city is incomplete, it is enough to hold off the troops of Samarkand for a month. ”

"Song Xiang, you just mentioned the situation of four of the cities, what happened to the cities built in Alashankou?"

"It's strange to say, I haven't received news from Alashankou for half a month, so I haven't mentioned it."

"It's been half a month?" Shang Bing suddenly had a bad feeling: "Have you ever sent someone to investigate?" ”

"Someone has been sent to investigate. It's just not yet rewarded. ”

"Wait for the investigator to report the orphan as soon as he returns."

Song Sheng was about to agree, when suddenly a faint voice came from outside the house, the voice was getting closer and closer, and it was gradually clear: "Alashankou urgent report!" ”