prosperous age

"Who holds military power in the Tumet region now?"

Zhang Juzheng suddenly asked.

"It should be in the hands of Princess Shunyi."

Wei Guangde paused for a moment, then spoke, recalling the message sent back from Tumed.

The Princess Consort of Shunyi he mentioned was actually the historical Third Lady.

San Niangzi's original surname was Qilagut, and her given name was Nayanchu Zhonggen Hatun. She was a military and political figure in the Southern Mongolian region during the mid-to-late Ming Dynasty. She was the daughter of Zheheng Aha, the leader of the Qilagut tribe of the Oirat Mongols, and the wife of Anda Khan, the leader of the Tumed Mongols.

She was intelligent and brave, skilled in riding and archery, and accompanied Altan Khan on many campaigns.

During the reign of Emperor Muzong of Ming, she vigorously promoted the "tribute to Anda", which strengthened the political and economic ties between southern Mongolia and the Central Plains. She was bestowed the title of "Lady of Loyalty and Obedience" by the Ming Dynasty.

In the sixth year of the Wanli reign, the Third Dalai Lama bestowed upon her the title "Aliya Dalai," meaning the Holy Mother who is the reincarnation of a Bodhisattva.

Previously, when Altan Khan distributed the tribal assets, his eldest son and the other adult sons were either allocated three households or one household, and each of them had considerable power.

However, as the leader of the Tümed, Altan Khan still controlled the most powerful military force in Mongolia.

However, Anda Khan was getting old and could no longer lead the army, so the important task of leading the army was handed over to Third Sister.

Therefore, among the Mongol princes at this time, the Third Lady's army was the most powerful.

Well, this is a very magical thing from the perspective of Han people. Although there was a Wu Zetian in history, she was a minority after all.

As a result, this matter was reported back to the capital as a strange tale through secret agents of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Wei Guangde was deeply impressed by this news and naturally remembered it.

When Zhang Juzheng inquired about the military power of the Mongols, Wei Guangde naturally mentioned this loyal and obedient lady.

"And what about her relationship with my Ming Dynasty?"

Zhang Juzheng then pressed for further questions.

Since the Mongol military power was in the hands of the Third Lady, her attitude towards the Ming Dynasty was of paramount importance.

Wei Guangde pondered for a moment before replying, "He is exceptionally intelligent, well-versed in poetry and literature since childhood, and skilled in singing, dancing, riding, and archery. As for now, he is broad-minded, knowledgeable about affairs, and enjoys considerable prestige in Mongolia."

It is said that the Princess of Shunyi strongly supported the granting of tribute in the fourth year of the Longqing reign; otherwise, things would not have gone so smoothly.

By the way, it is said that the affairs of Guihua City, which has been rebuilt by Mongolia, are all being managed by the Princess of Shunyi.

Consequently, most tribal affairs were handled by Princess Shunyi.

Judging from the past few years, Princess Shunyi has shown no hostility towards our Ming Dynasty, and is someone who can be won over.

Mongolians are not good at building cities; they are a nomadic people who go wherever they feel like.

The earliest cities in Mongolia were actually built by the White Lotus sect, who intended to provoke Altan Khan's ambition to conquer the world.

Because when Zhao Quan, Qiu Fu and others built the city, they built it to a very high standard and with very high specifications.

Even so, they still told Altan Khan that this city was not even half as good as Dadu, implying that they wanted to provoke Altan Khan into attacking the capital and restoring Dadu.

Guihua City was actually rebuilt on the ruins of Bansheng City, which was burned down by Yu Dayou. In the third year of the Wanli reign, the court bestowed money and materials upon the Prince of Shunyi who surrendered, and named the new city Guihua.

Wei Guangde was unaware that the information he was providing was outdated. At this time, Guihua City was already showing signs of change, and the Shunyi Princess, who he claimed held the greatest power in Mongolia, had already lost a significant amount of power.

"I see. Since the Mongols have already reported that Altan Khan has fallen ill, the court should take some action."

Zhang Juzheng nodded and said to Wei Guangde.

Wei Guangde's previous considerations were all about the arrangements for the Ming Dynasty after the reign of Altan Khan, and he neglected the present.

"The Imperial Medical Academy should immediately select two imperial physicians to cross the border from Xuanfu and escort them to examine Prince Shunyi, thus demonstrating the court's preferential treatment and favor towards him."

As soon as Zhang Juzheng finished speaking, Wei Guangde slapped his forehead.

Indeed, he overlooked the fact that the news from Xuanfu that Anda Khan was seriously ill and in critical condition was just hearsay from the grasslands.

Instead of guessing, it would be better to openly send the imperial physicians to take a look, which would also show the court's respect for Altan Khan.

Seeing that Wei Guangde had realized what was happening, Zhang Juzheng smiled and said, "Shan Dai, quickly write another memorial and give both copies to Shuang Lin so that he can expedite the process."

"it is good."

Wei Guangde was so focused on scheming that he overlooked the fact that this was the perfect opportunity to send someone to find out the true situation of Anda Khan.

Finding out the true condition of someone's body is something that is rare and hard to come by normally.

Soon, Wei Guangde picked up his pen in the Grand Secretary's office and wrote a memorial, requesting that the imperial physician and medicines bestowed by the palace be sent to Guihua to treat the Prince of Shunyi, which was already a sign of the Emperor's favor.

These official documents are now just a piece of cake for Wei Guangde.

After writing the memorial, he first showed it to Zhang Juzheng before instructing someone to send it directly to the Directorate of Ceremonial, making sure to hand it over to Feng Bao personally.

In Guihua City, ever since Anda Khan fell ill, Third Sister has been busy taking care of the seriously ill Anda Khan while also handling tribal affairs.

Finally, help has arrived today. This is the only order Altan Khan gave after falling ill. He did not recall Huang Taiji to help handle tribal affairs, but instead ordered Bahannaji to return to Guihua City to take charge of tribal affairs.

Bahannaji, the one who defected to Xuanfu in the fourth year of the Longqing reign, was the grandson of Anda Khan and the son of Anda Khan's third son, Tube.

His arrangement had by now spread throughout Guihua City, and rumors were naturally rampant in the city.

The fondness for spreading rumors and gossip is not unique to the Han Chinese; it is common to people from almost all countries.

At this point, Anda Khan did not recall his eldest son, Huang Taiji, but instead summoned his grandson, Bahannaji. There's a lot to say about that.

After all, this involves the sweat glands.

Who would Altan Khan pass the throne to? In the past, everyone thought it would be Huang Taiji, but after Hannaji was brought into Guihua City, everything seemed to change.

Many people are speculating whether Anda Khan intended to pass the throne to Bahannagi.

After all, peaceful coexistence with the Ming Dynasty had been agreed upon by all the Mongol tribes. Although some tribes still insisted on going their own way and being enemies of the Ming Dynasty, the vast majority of Mongol tribes did not want war.

Every year, Ming Dynasty merchants transport a lot of supplies to the grasslands, and what they give in return is nothing more than cattle, sheep and insignificant wool.

If you can live a good life, there's no need to pick up knives and guns and fight to the death.

Clearly, Huang Taiji's secret raids to Liaodong may have disappointed Altan Khan, who feared that Huang Taiji would reignite the war with the Ming Dynasty. Therefore, Altan Khan chose to appoint Hannaji, a prince with a close connection to the Ming Dynasty, as his successor.

However, it's all just speculation. On the grasslands, strength is everything, and it's hard to say whether Hannaji can smoothly take over.

In fact, at this time, two forces were already entrenched in Guihua City.

One force, naturally, consisted of the 10,000-strong army brought by Hannaji. Although they had 10,000 troops stationed in Guihua, they were still far weaker than the 10,000-strong army under San Niangzi and the 10,000-strong army of Anda Khan's personal guards.

Without a doubt, Third Sister is currently the most powerful person on the grassland.

However, Mongolian men do not have the habit of submitting to women. They obey San Niangzi because of her high status and the orders of Anda Khan.

Secondly, he is fair in his dealings and is trusted by the public.

However, according to Altan Khan's orders, the affairs of Guihua City are now to be handed over to Bahannaji, who should now be called Dachengtaiji, and his wife Bahanbiji is called Dachengbiji.

The changes in Guihua City naturally aroused dissatisfaction among Altan Khan's sons, such as Huang Taiji, Buyan Taiji, and Bingtu Taiji. They felt that the Mongol Khanate could be bypassed and handed over to their nephews at any time.

During the time that Anda Khan was recuperating, the entire grassland was filled with a sense of unease and unease. The Ming Dynasty's Imperial Guards stationed there naturally also keenly sensed the signs of instability on the grassland, but the intelligence had already been sent back and was still en route.

At the same time, the spies mobilized all their connections to gather information on the positions and actions of the various Mongol Taijis.

Among them, Huang Taiji, who led three households, was naturally the most powerful and the most likely to cause trouble.

The other brothers were only given the rank of commander of ten thousand, and the difference in their military strength was huge.

Unless they can unite, no one can beat Huang Taiji in a one-on-one contest.

Urgent matters must be handed over to the right person to get the palace's attention and response as quickly as possible.

Before the end of the court session that evening, Feng Bao personally led the imperial edict with the red ink on it into the cabinet.

"Since everyone is here, the palace has already approved it."

Feng Bao entered the room and, after exchanging greetings with the four cabinet ministers, spoke frankly. He always considered himself a scholar.

Just now, Wei Guangde had already informed Zhang Siwei and the others of the urgent report from Xuanfu. Now Feng Bao has brought the palace's reply, which shows that time was of the essence. It is likely that he took it to see the Wanli Emperor immediately and then notified the two empress dowagers.

Upon receiving the approval, Zhang Juzheng glanced at it and handed it to Wei Guangde, saying, "Then notify the head of the Imperial Medical Academy as soon as possible, and have him select imperial physicians to bring medicines and set off first thing tomorrow morning."

When treating patients, time is of the essence.

Wei Guangde nodded and immediately ordered someone to summon the head of the Imperial Medical Academy.

Before the end of the yamen, Wei Guangde assigned the tasks.

As for the Imperial Medical Academy's overnight selection of imperial physicians to go beyond the Great Wall, that was not his business. Anyway, early the next morning, two imperial physicians, accompanied by officials from the Court of Imperial Sacrifices and the Embroidered Uniform Guard, headed to Xuanfu, where Xuanfu troops would escort them out of the Great Wall to Guihua City.

The next morning, Wei Guangde entered the cabinet without even asking about the Imperial Medical Academy's actions.

However, intelligence from the Embroidered Uniform Guard also reached the capital at this time.

Liu Shouyou, from the Northern Garrison Command, had already received an urgent report from Guihua City. He was waiting for the clerk to file the report before taking it to the palace. He would deliver one copy to the palace and the other to the Grand Secretariat.

Even at this time, the Ming Dynasty still regarded the Mongols as its most powerful enemy, while the European barbarians were not taken seriously by the court.

After all, Europe was too far from the Ming Dynasty to compete with it for rights in the East.

This matter concerns the power struggle within Mongolia, especially the succession to the Khanate after Altan Khan's death. Even if Altan Khan were still alive at this time, the Embroidered Uniform Guard would still be paying close attention to intelligence from the grasslands.

Liu Shouyou quickly took the report from the clerk and hurriedly left the Northern Garrison Headquarters to rush to the palace.

While he was still on his way, Wei Guangde unexpectedly received another memorial from the Ministry of War.

"Ma Fang requests to retire?"

When Wei Guangde saw the report from the Ministry of War, he still had some hesitation.

After all, he was once the pillar of the Ming Dynasty's northern defense. Back then, no matter where a crisis occurred, dispatching Ma Fang with troops to reinforce the area would surely turn misfortune into good fortune.

Well, once the Ma flag is raised, the Mongols will retreat. The name of Ma Taishi has spread throughout the entire grassland.

Moreover, he was once a powerful tool in Wei Guangde's hands, but unexpectedly, someone is finally leaving the court.

In fact, Ma Fang's retirement was inevitable, and Wei Guangde had already been mentally prepared for it two years ago; he should have passed the examination directly.

However, the situation on the grasslands seems to be unstable recently, and Wei Guangde wants to delay a bit longer, at least to let the "horse" banner continue to fly in Xuanfu for a while.

Although he hadn't seen the secret report from the Embroidered Uniform Guard yet, after a night, Wei Guangde figured that things on the grasslands were probably not peaceful at the moment.

If Anda Khan did not leave a clear successor, his sons, who were already adults and leading troops in the field, would all have a chance to compete for the Khan's throne.

While Wei Guangde was still considering the matter, Liu Shouyou had already arrived outside.

Soon, Lubu led the person into the duty room.

"Siyun, is there some urgent military situation?"

Wei Guangde asked casually.

Liu Shouyou was in charge of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and was also the biggest intelligence chief in the Ming Dynasty. Normally, the intelligence of the Embroidered Uniform Guard was passed on to the cabinet by his subordinates. He would only come in person when there was important intelligence.

Now that he's here, something big is bound to happen.

But what major event could possibly be happening to Wei Guangde right now?

Nurhaci is dead, and no one can rebel against the Ming Dynasty again.

In reality, he had already guessed that it might be intelligence from the grasslands.

However, he inevitably harbored reservations about the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

The urgent report from Xuanfu has already arrived. The imperial physicians set off this morning, but the intelligence from the Embroidered Uniform Guard only just arrived, so it's understandable that it's a bit late.

Moreover, Anda Khan is not dead, he has just fallen ill.

However, when Liu Shouyou presented a brief report, briefly explaining the current situation on the grasslands, Wei Guangde was somewhat shocked.

Yes, it was somewhat beyond his expectations.

Who would have thought that Altan Khan was only seriously ill, but now his sons are already somewhat unstable.

What would happen if Anda Khan died and no successor was designated, leaving the Khanate vacant?
Without a doubt, a great battle for the Khan's throne will break out on the vast steppe.

"Did Anda Khan not designate anyone to succeed him as Khan?"

Wei Guangde asked.

"No news has come back, but our spies over there are already gathering information and closely monitoring the movements of the Mongol princes."

Liu Shouyou replied, "However, judging from the current situation, it seems that Anda Khan intends to let Bahannaji succeed him as Khan, otherwise he would not have summoned him to Guihua City."

It's worth mentioning that the current Third Sister of Guihua City was once the fiancée of this Bahan Naji.

Liu Shou hadn't finished speaking, but Wei Guangde understood what he meant.

"Hehe, does Anda Khan intend to return Third Sister to Bahannaji?"

Wei Guangde chuckled.

"According to the tradition of the grasslands, if he dies, San Niangzi must remarry one of his sons."

With the support of the Third Sister, the Khan's position can be guaranteed.

"If it were a direct remarriage to Altan Khan's grandson, while there's no precedent, it's not impossible."

Liu Shouyou did not laugh, but answered seriously.

"That's impossible. Third Sister must remarry the Khan's son. Only after her son dies and she remarries can she be considered a grandson of Anda Khan."

Wei Guangde shook his head and laughed, "Unless she refuses to marry."

However, to be fair, Third Sister has a commander of ten thousand as her bodyguard; if she truly refuses to marry, even the new King of Han wouldn't dare force her. (End of Chapter)