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

Chapter 503

Lin Zhi became more and more excited as he spoke, as if recalling his glorious achievements in Japan.

"Daming Prefecture? What's that?"

Lu Wei asked, puzzled.

"Japan was ruled by a number of daimyo, and the daimyo's residence was probably equivalent to a royal residence."

As Lin Zhi spoke, the courtesan in his arms held a cup of wine to his lips, which he drank in one gulp.

"You don't know, when I was in Japan, I slept with all the women in Daimyo Prefecture. But it got boring after a while, all the Japanese women looked the same."

As Lin Zhi spoke, he suddenly found Japanese women boring and grabbed another courtesan.

Meanwhile, Lin Lu, who was in Datong, received an imperial edict from the emperor.

"I hereby order Lin Zhixin to lead the Tiger Army on a rapid raid to Nurgan Commandery, to bring all the area south of Nurgan Commandery under the control of our Great Ming, and to annihilate the local Jurchens. This is my decree."

The eunuch announcing the imperial decree spoke loudly.

"Your subject, Lin Lu, accepts the imperial decree and expresses his gratitude."

Lin Lu accepted the imperial edict with both hands.

"Your Majesty, is there anything else His Majesty hasn't said?"

As Lin Lu spoke, she took out a piece of silver and handed it to the eunuch who was delivering the imperial edict.

The eunuch discreetly pocketed the silver, then immediately smiled.

"Lord Lin, just go ahead and do it. This matter was planned by Lord Zhou and His Majesty. Lord Zhou believes that the Mongols are no longer a threat. Back then, Emperor Chenghua once tried to eliminate the Jurchens, but he did not completely wipe them out. In order to prevent these Jurchens from becoming too powerful again, we also took the opportunity to recover the Nurgan Regional Military Commission. This would be a great achievement for you, Lord Lin."

The eunuch said in a low voice.

Upon hearing this, Lin Lu immediately understood that this whole affair was orchestrated by Lord Zhou.

As expected, Lord Zhou always had a vision that extended ahead of him.

Now, most of the area north of the Ming Dynasty has been recovered by Linlu, and merchants belonging to the various vassal kings have gradually flocked into the grasslands and started raising sheep on a large scale.

Since being abandoned by Emperor Renxuan and his son, the Nurgan Regional Military Commission has never submitted to the Ming Dynasty. The reason is that the Nurgan Regional Military Commission is a harsh and cold place, and the cost of stationing troops there is enormous.

Lin Lu had also thought about this question, and not only Lin Lu, but Jiajing had also thought about it, and even asked Zhou Chu about it.

"Your Majesty, the Nurgan Commandery is only cold in winter. The mountains there are full of treasures. We should first reclaim the Nurgan Commandery, and then tell the common people of the Ming Dynasty that the mountains of the Nurgan Commandery are full of treasures, but also very dangerous. I believe there are many people who are willing to go and explore. In the long run, won't those mountains become the home of the people of the Ming Dynasty?"

Zhou Chu's words opened up new avenues of thought for Jiajing.

This led to Mao Ji being exiled to Ningguta. If Jiajing had not intended to reclaim the Nurgan Regional Military Commission, he would not have hinted to Yang Yiqing and others to exile Mao Ji to Ningguta, since Ningguta was no longer within the territory of the Ming Dynasty.

But things are different now. By the time Mao Ji arrives in Ningguta, Nurgan Commandery will probably have already been recovered by Lin Lu.

Lin Lu led the Tiger Warriors, emphasizing speed and efficiency, never dragging things out.

Now that it's summer again, the Ming Dynasty has all the advantages of timing, location, and popular support. If we don't seize this opportunity to reclaim the Nurgan Regional Military Commission, when will we ever get another chance?

The Tiger Legion has now expanded from its original two thousand men to three thousand men under the instruction of Zhou Chu and the emperor; it would be difficult to expand any further.

Every member of the Tiger Warriors incurs extremely high expenses, whether for armor or other aspects. The maintenance and consumption of warhorses alone are astonishing.

Of course, now that the grasslands have become a natural pasture, the consumption of warhorses has become negligible. The Mongols have as many horses as they want, and they are very durable. The cost of raising a horse on the grasslands is extremely low.

This is the fundamental reason for expanding the Tiger Legion.