The Ming Dynasty: The most ruthless imperial grandson, Old Zhu begged me not to kill him.

Chapter 415 Bartering for Food
"I've heard that to the west of the Chagatai Khanate there is another very powerful empire called the Timurid Empire. Although they also claim to be descendants of Genghis Khan, after so much time, they have integrated with the local population and become extremely powerful."

Moreover, the Chagatai Khanate exists like a barrier for them, and they probably won't allow us to destroy this place!

Everyone nodded; this was indeed a very troublesome matter. However, at this moment, the Minister of Revenue stepped forward and spoke.

"Your Majesty, His Highness the Crown Prince, His Highness the Grandson, and other officials."

"We still have a considerable amount of money in our Ministry of Revenue's treasury. In addition to money, we have also reaped a bountiful harvest from the territories we conquered, especially the seeds that His Highness the Crown Prince obtained."

The yield is very high, and we currently have a large amount of grain stored up!

"We can build cities in these places, and then build special channels for rapid support to our troops. Once we have these, we can connect the entire Northwest region. Then, even if something happens in any place, our troops can arrive there instantly!"

Upon hearing this, everyone frowned. It was indeed a good method, but it also had a major problem: the energy it consumed was far too great.

Building a city takes a very long time, let alone combining the city walls and roads in the northwest region. It would take an even longer time, and even the current treasury of the Ming Dynasty might not be able to sustain it for long.

"I think we need to reconsider this matter. After all, it's not a simple matter. Building a city is no easy task, and even if we use local materials, it will still cost a lot!"

Zhu Xiong Ying smiled and said after hearing this.

"Don't forget, everyone, I have something called cement that can accomplish these tasks in a very short time. Don't worry, leave this to me. I happen to have quite a few leftover materials. Once we bring them all out, dealing with them will be a piece of cake!"

After learning about this, the group exchanged glances and nodded, agreeing that it was indeed a good idea.

The matter was quickly settled, and many craftsmen went to the Northwest to deal with the situation there.

The allied forces of the grassland tribes clashed with Mahmud's army, which did not give them any advantage. Instead, they suffered heavy losses, which made them very resentful.

Their anger was palpable. They could have gained many benefits, and it was even possible to take this opportunity to completely unify the northern desert. They all thought that Mahmud would suddenly appear out of nowhere. If it weren't for the elite Doyan Three Guards, they probably wouldn't have been able to hold out for long. Thinking of this, they gritted their teeth in hatred.

Therefore, their troops began to send their cavalry to harass Mahmud in the northwest, and small-scale battles often broke out between the two sides along the border, which made Mahmud extremely angry.

"These guys really deserve to die! They have the guts and the strength to challenge those Ming Dynasty people and act so arrogantly in this place!"

At this moment, the deputy general frowned and looked at Mahmud in front of him, saying.

"Commander, we don't have much food left. We sheltered those tribes before, but they didn't have much food to begin with. Now that they've come to our aid, they've consumed a lot of our food. We can't continue like this. If we do, I'm afraid many of our people will freeze or starve to death!"

Mahmud sighed, never expecting to encounter such trouble so soon after returning to the Central Plains.

"What can we do? The Chagatai Khanate's troops have already retreated, and Li Wenzhong is still holding them back. With our current strength, we are no match for Li Wenzhong!"

"Now these guys are sticking to us like flies. I heard they've also set their sights on our supplies. A lot of our supplies have already been killed, and even a lot of our cattle, sheep, and horses have been stolen!" Thinking of this, he gritted his teeth in hatred, truly not knowing how to resolve this matter.

At this moment, the deputy general thought for a moment and then gritted his teeth and said.

"Actually, there is another way. I heard that the Ming Dynasty has built several trading posts in the south, and these trading posts have formed a series of tall cities!"

"These cities contain many resources that the grasslands need. Many grassland tribes use these places to exchange for things they need. Perhaps we can also use some of the things we don't need to exchange for some of those things!"

Mahmud's face turned very ugly when he heard that he was going to the Ming Dynasty to exchange these things.

"It's that damned Ming Dynasty again! They actually dare to build cities on our grasslands! Can't we fight them?"

General Fu was startled upon hearing this and hurriedly looked at Mahmud to dissuade him.

"Chief, I advise you not to have such thoughts. This place is home to the most elite troops of the Ming Dynasty. Taking it down will not be an easy task. Moreover, merchants from various countries are all in this place, and many tribes on the grasslands rely on this place for their livelihood!"

"If we really attack this place, we will definitely make all the tribes on the grassland our enemies, and then we will become the target of everyone's attacks!"

Mahmud's face turned extremely ugly upon hearing this.

Who could have imagined that the Ming Dynasty would one day become the ruler of the grasslands? This made his face very ugly, since they should have been the ones seizing the Ming Dynasty.

If things continue like this, will the fighting spirit of the people on the grasslands be extinguished? Thinking about this, he felt very worried.

After struggling for a while, he finally sighed and said.

"Forget it, the lives of our tribespeople are the most important thing right now. Everything else can wait!"

"We can take some people immediately and see what else our tribe has that we can exchange for, so we can get more food."

"Come back quickly and take this food down to save lives!"

The adult nodded after hearing this, then turned and left the place.

After he left, Mahmud summoned his confidants.

"You should know that the Ming Dynasty has a trading post on the grasslands, which contains a lot of food and supplies. These are very important to us. But if we really trade with the Ming Dynasty, I'm worried that one day we will be completely controlled by them!"

(End of this chapter)