The capital of the Yarkand Khanate was Shache County in later generations. At its peak, its territory included Turpan, Hami, and the Tarim Basin.

The territory of the Khanate is bounded by Jiayuguan in the east, Tibet in the south, Kashmir in the southwest, the Uzbek Bukhara Khanate in the west, and the Tianshan Mountains in the north.

To be honest, the territory of the Yarkand Khanate is indeed not small. It was more than 4,000 miles from Jiayuguan to their capital, Yarkand. This was a long war.

Defeating the Yarkand Khanate is not difficult. The most difficult thing is the distance and logistical support. The Ming army must be fully prepared.

Fortunately, the Ming army had sufficient war horses at this time, so it was not difficult to dispatch 200,000 cavalry. All subsequent material supplies could also be supplied by oxen and horse-drawn carriages.

This time Hami, Turpan, etc. will be recovered, and Xinjiang, Tibet, and Central Asia will all be taken back.

When attacking the Yarkand Khanate, the Rakshasa Kingdom is likely to intervene, so preparations must be made in this regard.

If the Rakshasa Kingdom dared to intervene in the Ming Dynasty's recovery of the Western Regions, Zhu Cihong decided to fight them back to the Principality of Muscovy.

It sounds simple, but actually attacking the Yarkand Khanate will not be that easy. The difficulty lies in the geographical environment.

The capital of the Yarkand Khanate is far away in Yarkand, which is still thousands of kilometers away from Jiayuguan, and it has to pass through the largest desert in China along the way.

Without adequate preparation, the Western Expedition army would likely be defeated by the natural environment.

In order to successfully regain the entire Western Region, we must not act too hastily and must be well prepared.

After retreating from the court, Zhu Cihong summoned officials from the Ming Dynasty's Military Aircraft Department and cabinet ministers in the Qianqing Palace. All six ministers participated in the military meeting.

Since there was no war in the Ming Dynasty, Huang Degong, Sun Yingyuan, Zhou Yuji, Cao Bianjiao, Lu Xiangkun, etc. were all in the capital and participated in the military meeting.

At this time, under the leadership of the Holy King, the Ming Dynasty's military power and national power had surpassed that of Emperor Qin, Hanwu and Hongwu, becoming the most powerful dynasty in Chinese history.

These military attachés of the Ming Dynasty have been baptized by many years of war, and they are all very domineering. In their hearts, the Ming Dynasty cannot suffer any loss. Anyone who dares to provoke the Ming Dynasty will be destroyed.

Currently, the Ministry of War is responsible for national defense construction and logistics supplies, the Fifth Military Governor's Office is responsible for recruitment and training, and the Military Aircraft Department is responsible for troop deployment and external operations.

Zhu Cihong looked at these capable subordinates and found that everyone was in high spirits. The generals stared and clenched their fists, as if they all wanted to lead the troops in battle themselves.

Zhu Cixi picked up the tea cup and took a sip, then said:

"The Ming Dynasty has not used troops in the Western Regions for nearly a hundred years. Although the soldiers are brave and invincible, they do not understand the situation in the Western Regions. They must be fully prepared for their marching routes and logistical supplies. We strive to pacify the Western Regions in one fell swoop in this battle. Tell us what you think!"

Sun Chuanting, the chief minister of the cabinet, raised his hands and said:

"Your Majesty, the capital of the Yarkand Khanate is in Yarkand, and it is thousands of miles from Jiayuguan to Yarkand. The biggest impact on our army is the logistics supply.

Wei Chen believes that all supplies were transported from Gansu. Prior to this, Sichuan and Shaanxi, which are adjacent to Gansu, tried their best to transport grain to Gansu.

In this way, the Ming army's supplies can be continuously transported from Gansu to the battlefield nearby, which can reduce the distance of more than a thousand miles.

The Mongolian grasslands and the Hetao area have been recovered, and the Ming army's soldiers and horses can be replenished nearby. After solving the problem of horses and food, our Ming army will surely be able to successfully pacify the Western Regions..."

Sun Chuanting had been the governor of Shaanxi for many years and knew a little about the situation in the Western Regions. The officials present were speechless when he said that they did not understand this and did not dare to speak nonsense!

Although they did not understand geography, they were not willing to be outdone when leading troops in battle. Several generals hurriedly stood up and handed over:

"Your Majesty, I am willing to lead the troops to go out, and we will definitely destroy the Yarkand Khanate..."

Huang Degong was eager to make contributions and even said:

"Your Majesty, I am willing to lead a large army to the west. If I cannot capture the Yarkand Khanate within two months, I will commit suicide and apologize!"

Before Huang Degong finished speaking, Zhu Cihong and Sun Chuanting both laughed, and Lao Huang hurriedly asked:

"Your Majesty, why are you laughing?"

Zhu Cihong knew that Lao Huang was eager to fight and did not blame him:

"Old Huang, do you know what two months is? If we don't fight for two months and just march quickly, hundreds of thousands of troops may not be able to reach the capital of the Yarkand Khanate."

"ah……"

Lao Huang's face suddenly turned red with embarrassment, and he lowered his head and did not dare to speak anymore...

Zhu Cihong knew that none of the officials present knew the location of the Yarkand Khanate, so he exchanged a stack of maps of the Yarkand Khanate in the late Ming Dynasty in the system and asked Hu Bao to give one to each person.

Zhu Cihong also exchanged a large map of the Yarkand Khanate in the late Ming Dynasty and asked Yue Yang and Hu Bao to hang the land on the wall. He pointed at the map with a wooden stick and said:

"Everyone, the capital of the Yarkand Khanate is located on the southwest border of Xinjiang, bounded by the Yarkand River in the southeast and facing Zepu County and Yecheng County across the river.

It borders Maigaiti County to the northeast, Bachu County to the north, Yuephu Lake and Shule County to the northwest, Yingisha and Akto County to the west, and Taxkorgan County to the southwest.

It is located in the middle and upper reaches of the Yarkand River alluvial fan plain between the northern foothills of the Kunlun Mountains, the south of the Pamir Plateau, and between the Taklimakan Desert and the Buguli Desert.

It was thousands of miles away from the capital of the Ming Dynasty, and it would really take about two months for the large troops to arrive with their baggage.

Note that this is only if the journey goes smoothly. If you get lost in a big desert, it is more difficult to estimate when you will arrive, not to mention you have to fight all the way..."

Zhu Cixiang is right. At that time, there were no roads in many places, so we had to arduously move along the Silk Road. Unlike later generations, where there were roads, there were even expressways.

Zhu Cixiang's words left the officials present speechless for a moment. Are they that far away?

Emperor Shenwu stayed in the palace all day long. How did he know so much? Is this map accurate?

But thinking of Emperor Shenwu's powerful methods, everyone firmly believed in their young emperor.

Lao Huang's face turned red when the emperor said that. Although he seemed new and rough, he had never boasted. He really didn't understand the situation when he asked for a battle today...

After a while, Lao Huang asked for a fight again:

"Your Majesty, I forgive my previous ignorance. No matter where the Yarkand Khanate is, I will lead the army of heaven to crush it."

The British Duke Zhang Shize could not see the map, so he thought of the great role played by the Ming Dynasty's navy when attacking Jiannu, and said hurriedly:

"Your Majesty, you can ask the Ming Navy to assist in the westward march. Wouldn't it be more convenient to use warships to transport supplies..."

"Ha ha……"

Sun Chuanting couldn't help laughing when he heard this:

"The British public can understand his feelings, but this battle is all over land and in the desert. There is no waterway to the Western Region, so warships have no use!"

"ah……"

Zhang Shize blushed and lowered his head in embarrassment...

After two hours of discussion, Zhu Cixiang issued an edict:

"Order, Cao Bianjiao and Sun Yingyuan lead the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry and Longteng Army to fight against the Yarkand Khanate."

"According to the order!"

Cao Bianjiao and Sun Yingyuan were overjoyed and hurriedly bowed to express their gratitude. The army basically did not have any wars now, so of course they would be happy to have wars.

Now the strength of the five divisions of the National Guard Army has increased significantly, and the total strength has reached more than 500 million. The Tiger and Leopard Cavalry and the Longteng Army each have a strength of 120,000.

This 200,000-strong Western Expeditionary Army was also the main force in the annihilation of the Yarkand Khanate.

Afterwards, Zhu Cihong sent another order, and Lu Xiangtong led an army of 20,000 and a heavy supply team of 30,000 to provide logistical supplies for the Ming army. All major logistical supplies were transported from Jiayuguan.

Ma Xianglin of Xichuan and Gao Jie of Shaanxi were responsible for transporting grain and grass from Sichuan and Shaanxi to Jiayuguan.

At the same time, troops stationed in neighboring provinces of Sichuan and Shaanxi must continuously transport granaries to these two provinces. Anyone who slacks off will be killed without mercy!

Once the Western Regions were pacified, the garrison in Shaanxi and Gansu would be meaningless. Shaanxi Commander-in-Chief He Renlong and Gansu Commander-in-Chief Liu Chenghu personally led their armies to take over the captured cities in the Western Regions.

Lu Xiangkun led 50,000 Tianxiong troops to station in the Zhungar and Shuo Khanate to prevent Rakshasa ghosts from taking advantage of the opportunity to attack.

All departments of the Ming Dynasty must give full support to this expedition, and the Ministry of War is responsible for mobilizing logistical supplies for the Western Expedition.

The Ministry of Household Affairs must cooperate with the Ministry of War to ensure all kinds of logistical supplies for the army. They must give money when they need it, and food when they need it. They must ensure that the soldiers are well-fed, well-fed, and well-clothed!

Lu Xiangsheng, the Minister of War, and Zuo Maogeng, the Minister of Hubu, hurriedly received the order:

"According to the order, your Majesty can rest assured. If there is a problem with the logistics of the army, I will resign and apologize."

Zhu Cixi nodded:

"My dear friends, I believe in your ability and the Ming Dynasty's financial resources. The army will set off in a month. Before the army sets off, all supplies will be sent to Jiayuguan.

In addition, be the first to purchase a large number of camels. When the time comes, the camels will set off with the army and the baggage train. One camel must ensure the supply of five soldiers...

Camels are called the boats of the desert because of their unique body structure.

Fat is stored in the camel's hump. When the camel cannot get food, this fat can be broken down into nutrients needed by the body for the camel's survival.

Camels can survive for four or five days without eating, relying on these stored fats.

There are also many small bottle-shaped bubbles in the camel's stomach, which are where the camel stores water. With this water, the camel's life will not be in danger even if it does not drink water for several days.

According to records, a camel can survive without drinking water for 23 days, and even if the amount of dehydration reaches 25% of its body weight, its survival will not be affected.

Camels have two rows of eyelashes to protect their eyes, ear holes with hair, nostrils that can be closed, and keen senses of vision and smell, all of which help them adapt to the windy desert...

Camels are loyal to people, resistant to hunger and thirst, and are known as the "Ship of the Desert."

Humans living on the edge of the desert began to domesticate camels as draft animals as early as 3000 AD, for transport and riding.

Before entering the desert, horse-drawn carriages could be used to transport baggage, but after entering the desert, camels had to be relied upon to transport supplies. Zhu Cixiang knew this very well.

Although it requires a large number of camels, it is basically not difficult for the Ming Dynasty. There is nothing that cannot be bought with money.

Zhu Youjian believes that the transportation brigade of tens of thousands of camels should be the largest camel fleet in history.

A camel can weigh more than 300 kilograms, which is enough to march in the desert. Once the wind and sand hit, 20,000 camels can also protect the soldiers from the wind and sand. It is a perfect killing two birds with one stone.

Finally, Zhu Cihong looked at the Minister of Civil Affairs and said:
To be continued...