The actions on the grassland did not go unnoticed by Hu Shidao, and the information was quickly placed on Zhu Gui's desk.
Zhu Gui just glanced at it and didn't take it to heart, but this didn't mean that he was unprepared.
During this time, he exchanged one hundred three-eyed guns and gave them to Xu Yingxu.
The reason for this is that firstly, all the soldiers in the Prince's Palace are now equipped with flintlock guns, so firearms from the previous two generations such as three-eyed blunderbuss are naturally not available.
And at present, it seems that he is unlikely to have the right to form a personal guard in the short term.
The second is that after he studied the composition of the prince's guard, he guessed that Xu Yingxu's garrison would likely become his main force in forming the prince's guard in the future.
So increasing their strength now can reduce the uncertainty of fighting the Mongols on the one hand, and prepare for the future on the other.
Xu Yingxu naturally didn't know that Zhu Gui had so many considerations. After getting the three-eyed gun, he was very happy and even went to the door to express his thanks in person.
The three-eyed gun is far inferior to the flintlock gun in terms of power and range, but compared with the firearms of the Ming army during this period, it has been greatly improved.
Xu Yingxu also explained his preparations during this period.
Now the garrison of the guard station has increased to two full guards. Although more than half of them are still new soldiers, due to the sufficient armor and weapons provided by the Dai Wangfu, coupled with Xu Yingxu's active preparation and training during this period.
He believed that there would be no problem in dealing with the Mongolian cavalry this time.
But when Zhu Gui showed him the information about Hu Shidao, his face quickly turned ugly.
"What? We have to deal with 20,000 Mongolian cavalry this time? But we only have a little over 10,000 troops here. Not only are there only 200 cavalry, but half of them are new soldiers. How are we going to fight this battle?"
Xu Yingxu showed a rare worried look.
This is not his fault. Cavalry has always had the characteristic of restraint against infantry.
Not to mention that these are Mongolian horse archers. Although they cannot reach the level of one against ten in the early days, one to three is more than enough.
Not to mention that they were still fighting out of the city this time, and the right time and place were not on their side.
Even if Zhu Gui provided him with three-eyed guns, there were only one hundred guns, which was a drop in the bucket.
Seeing this, Zhu Gui took out the map and said, "We still have more than half a month. If we can build a city here, how much better can our chances of winning be?"
"Building a city? Your Majesty, please stop kidding me. Although the Blackwood Tribe is located on the edge of the Mongolian grassland, the Mongols will not turn a blind eye. Not to mention that a simply built city cannot completely withstand the attack of the Mongolian cavalry."
Xu Yingxu shook his head.
"You don't need to worry about this. Although the temporary city wall is not as high as the Datong Mansion, it can still be half as high. As for the Mongolian arrogance you are worried about, it does not exist.
Because all the surrounding Mongolian tribes have migrated away."
Zhu Gui said calmly.
"But……"
Xu Yingxu thought about it for a long time and then realized that Zhu Gui had already thought out all the problems for him.
"Well, even if there is a city that can be defended, there is only a 50% chance of winning. Once the Mongols fail to attack, it will be difficult for us to hold on for long."
Xu Yingxu said reluctantly.
"Not one city, but two. I am planning to build another city at Hujian Gorge."
Zhu Gui said calmly.
"Hujian Gorge? It is indeed a dangerous place. If it is really famous, it will indeed reduce a lot of pressure on the new city. However, this move is equivalent to starting a war with the Mongols. This matter needs to be reported."
Xu Yingxu said with mixed emotions.
The Ming Dynasty had already conquered the world, and now it was all on the defensive. It wanted to develop its national strength first, so it established the Nine-Border Stronghold.
However, Zhu Gui's move was tantamount to breaking the policy of the founding of the Ming Dynasty, which was the same as banning shipping. Therefore, Xu Yingxu was very worried that once this matter was reported, it would not be approved at all.
Upon seeing this, Zhu Gui said: "General Xu, don't worry, my status as king has the responsibility and rights to defend the territory and open up the frontiers."
"But……"
Xu Yingxu didn't know how many "but"s he said today. He didn't expect that he would be so hesitant.
At this time, the door to the side room was pushed open, and Princess Xu Miaoqing walked out.
"Second brother, when did you become such a mother-in-law? The prince has prepared everything for you, just go ahead and do it."
"Second, Princess, things are not as simple as you think. It would be fine if we can win this battle, but if we fail, the prince and I will be dismissed and investigated for this matter, and you will also be implicated."
Xu Yingxu said what he was really worried about.
"I'm not afraid. I hate that I'm a woman and can't go into battle with my second brother to kill the enemy."
After Xu Miaoqing clenched her fists and finished speaking, she suddenly looked at Zhu Gui who was drinking tea leisurely.
"Yes, Zhu Gui, please let me go with my second brother."
"Nonsense."
"no."
Xu Miaoqing's words made the two men immediately nervous, and they rejected her in unison.
Xu Miaoqing sniffed.
"You guys, you bully me together."
With that said, she turned around and ran back to the side room.
Xu Yingxu said apologetically: "Your Majesty, my little sister has a bad temper and has put you in a difficult position."
"I'm used to it now. Let's do this. I'll provide you with something else."
Zhu Gui said, stood up and pushed out a strange thing from the room behind him.
This thing has two wheels and needs support to stay in place. It looks very flimsy.
"This is?"
Xu Yingxu stood up and came to Zhu Gui's side.
He was used to Zhu Gui's endless ideas and the things he created. Now he just wanted to know what the thing in front of him did.
"This is called a bicycle. Let me demonstrate it to you."
After Zhu Gui finished speaking, he got on his bicycle and rode around the hall.
Xu Yingxu was stunned by this.
There is no need for an ox-drawn cart or someone to push it, but this thing can actually move on its own? No wonder it is called a bicycle.
"The speed of this thing is not too fast, and it requires relatively high road conditions and the physical strength of the cyclist, but it also has many advantages."
Zhu Gui explained.
"I can see it, Your Majesty, aren't you just asking people to build roads just to promote this? Why are you doing it?"
"Bicycles, of course not. This is just one of the additional benefits of building roads. I originally wanted to promote it to increase the connections between states and counties. Now I just equip it to your troops for testing."
Zhu Gui explained.
"That's good, but I will send out nine thousand people this time and only have two hundred cavalry. Can the rest be fully equipped with bicycles like this?"