The disgraced official I took care of was actually Zhu Houcong's childhood friend.

Chapter 639

They managed to catch the last train and will be recorded in history for participating in this enormous transformation and helping the Ming Dynasty expand its territory.

Just like Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui of the Tang Dynasty, Du Ruhui actually died very young, in the fourth year of Zhenguan, but Du Ruhui's name is known to everyone. The root cause of all this is the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty.

The thought that he might be remembered in history like Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui made Yang Yiqing so excited that he couldn't sleep at night. At the age of seventy-four, he has been working with great enthusiasm for more than a year, completely abandoning his previous attitude of giving up.

Yang Yiqing handled the affairs of the cabinet with remarkable clarity and efficiency. During court assemblies, he frequently offered many constructive suggestions, which were not based on his personal interests but on the interests of the Ming Dynasty and its people.

Yang Yiqing's pursuits changed completely, from seeking absolute power and personal gain to becoming a renowned minister whose name will be remembered in history.

Once a person has higher desires and pursuits, they can suppress other desires in order to achieve those desires.

"Your Majesty, Lord Wang is right. The Yarkand Khanate simply doesn't take our Great Ming Dynasty seriously. Please order the troops to be dispatched. Although I am old, I am willing to lead the troops into battle and die for the Great Ming Dynasty."

Yang Yiqing's words were sincere. If Yang Yiqing could lead troops to attack the Yarkand Khanate and become a member of the Zhenwu Hall in the future, even if he was defeated and died, he would still be remembered in history. He was already over seventy years old. Although people are more afraid of death as they get older, it depends on what they are facing.

However, Yang Yiqing knew very well that he was just saying it; no one would agree, and no one would let a senior cabinet minister of his age lead troops into battle—it would be too absurd.

"Your Majesty, I have heard that Lord Meng has always been cautious and prudent in his conduct in the Yarkand Khanate and has never overstepped his bounds. I never expected that the Yarkand Khanate would actually kill him. Lord Meng was a loyal subject of our Great Ming. The Yarkand Khanate's actions are undoubtedly a sign that they do not respect our Great Ming."

Han Jie stepped forward, his expression excited.

"Yes, Your Majesty, let's send troops."

Yang Shen stepped forward.

"Your Majesty, let's send troops."

With these bigwigs leading the way, everyone else stepped forward, and it was certain that Jiajing would send troops.

Upon hearing this, Jiajing sighed, looking troubled.

"I originally intended to establish friendly relations with the Yarkand Khanate, which is why I sent Minister Meng as an envoy. I never expected... It was all my fault that Minister Meng died in such a foreign land. Minister Meng was loyal to the country, yet he died so mysteriously. I must avenge Minister Meng and let that wolfish Yarkand Khanate witness the mighty power of the Ming Dynasty."

Jiajing said loudly.

"Your Majesty is wise!"

Zhou Chu stepped forward and spoke loudly.

"Your Majesty is wise!"

The officials all echoed this sentiment.

"I hereby order Lin Zhixin to lead 50,000 troops to Wuhai to avenge Minister Meng."

Jiajing said.

Without the long supply lines, there was no need for the hundreds of thousands of logistics troops. An army of 50,000 was already a terrifying number, enough to crush the Yarkand Khanate.

It's important to understand that the Yarkand Khanate didn't expand eastward because it was blocked by the Mongols on the steppe. In terms of military strength, they might be slightly stronger than the Mongols on the steppe, but only to a limited extent.

The Jiajing Emperor ordered Lin Lu to lead an army of 50,000, of which 30,000 would come from the garrison troops in Datong. Datong was no longer considered the front line of the Ming Dynasty, but those 30,000 garrison troops had been training diligently for the past few years. While their individual combat strength might not be as good as the Xuanwu Army or the Tiger Army, when combined as a whole, they might not be a match for the Xuanwu Army and the Tiger Army in positional warfare.

Of course, if it is a surprise attack or blitzkrieg, the Xuanwu Army and the Tiger Army will have a great advantage, since the advantage of these two cavalry units trained by Zhou Chu lies in mobility, not in positional warfare.