prosperous age

After listening to Wei Guangde's plan, Zhang Ke frowned and thought for a moment before finally saying, "It seems foolproof, but it is extremely difficult to control, especially Bansheng. If the Xuan army really intervenes, the consequences will be unpredictable."

Thinking of the upcoming overseas plan, Wei Guangde gritted his teeth and said, "If Huang Taiji is dissatisfied, kill him and support him to take the throne, which would be disrespectful."

"To repel external threats, one must first secure internal stability."

Upon hearing Wei Guangde's words, Zhang Siwei and Shen Shixing were both slightly taken aback. The wording was very harsh, almost equivalent to saying that in order to support him and prevent him from being disrespectful in ascending to the throne, Wei Guangde was willing to break the peace between China and Mongolia that had lasted for so many years.

does it worth?
"I will not hide it from you all, the Ministry of War will soon take action against Japan. This was something that my uncle and I planned together long ago."

If the matter of Mongolia is delayed until the end of the year, it will inevitably affect the court's actions against Japan.

This is absolutely not okay.

The Ministry of War had been preparing for this for many years, and the Navy and the Embroidered Uniform Guard had also made many preparations. They were absolutely determined not to let the affairs of the grasslands affect the grand plan of the court.

If this conflict on the grasslands cannot be quelled quickly and decisively, the worst outcome would be that war would break out on the grasslands over this issue on the eve of the imperial court's military intervention.

As he spoke, Wei Guangde's gaze turned to the north.

At this moment, the news of Hannaji's tragic death had already spread across the Mongolian grasslands, and San Niangzi, who was still in Guihua City, had also learned of the news.

Although Huang Taiji, the newly appointed Shunyi King, now controls all affairs in Mongolia, the court has entrusted the decision-making power for trade to Lady Zhongshun. Therefore, each tribe depends entirely on Lady Zhongshun's approval to conduct trade smoothly and obtain the goods they need. Thus, the tribal Taijis are no less devoted to Lady Zhongshun than the Great Khan Huang Taiji.

Moreover, in matters concerning Mongolia, because Huang Taiji was old and frail and lacked energy, he often needed Lady Zhongshun's help to devise strategies. In fact, more than half of the power fell into Lady Zhongshun's hands.

This caused great concern among Huang Taiji's sons.

Yes, they were very worried that Lady Zhongshun's prestige on the grasslands would further increase after Huang Taiji, and that she would support him and Anda Khan's son to ascend to the throne.

Among them, Huang Taiji's eldest son, Chelik, is the one he is most worried about.

Therefore, although Lady Zhongshun seemed to have great power on the grassland at this time, she was also constrained at every turn.

Moreover, Chelik also expressed his concerns to Huang Taiji on several occasions behind the back of Lady Chungshun.

Therefore, shortly after becoming the Great Khan, Huang Taiji began to transfer the elite troops belonging to the Great Khan to Chelik, thus preventing Lady Zhongshun from taking control.

On the grasslands, strength ultimately reigns supreme.

Having strong military power means having strong influence, and thus, having authority.

Huang Taiji initially received three 10,000-household units from Altan Khan, one of which was an elite 10,000-household unit, while the others were from relatively mixed tribes.

Chelik not only obtained the elite 10,000-man commander from Huang Taiji, but also received an elite 10,000-man commander from the royal court. Together with other tribes, he now has an army of 40,000 men.

Besides the ten thousand households left to her by Anda Khan, Lady Zhongshun also had a tribe that she had inherited improperly. Although the tribe was not small and could still raise ten thousand households, doing so would leave the tribe with few men.

Therefore, there was actually only one and a half ten thousand households of troops.

However, with the support of Bahannaji of Bansheng City, who had a Wanhu (a military unit) and the support of several other tribes, they were able to barely match Chelike in terms of military strength.

However, when news of Hannaji's death from a fall from his horse arrived, Third Sister panicked.

Without the support of Wanhu, it's a difficult question for Dacheng Biji to decide what to do.

A woman dragging Bahannaji's young son would inevitably become the object of covetousness among the leaders of various tribes on the grasslands.

Especially for Chelik, if he were to marry Da Cheng Biji, it would not only disrupt the current balance but also greatly increase Chelik's strength.

"Mother, hahaha."

On the distant grassland, several warhorses galloped, and a boy of about ten years old at the front shouted loudly at Third Sister.

Third Sister looked at her son, a kind smile appearing on her face, and couldn't help but wave to him.

However, the tribe that had offended her settled near Guihua City, so she often went out of the city to visit her son.

The child is still too young. Although he has led his own tribe, he will ultimately have to take care of the tribe's affairs.

My son is an excellent horseman and is now practicing archery. He will become a renowned hero on the grasslands in the future.

This was San Niangzi's idea, and also her expectation for her son.

"You're still too young. Your mother still needs to protect you from the wind and rain."

Third Sister watched her son gallop away on horseback, lost in thought.

"Da da da"

The sound of horses' hooves came from behind. Third Sister turned around and saw a messenger from the direction of Guihua City.

Soon, the messenger arrived.

"Madam, we have just received news that Chelik plans to propose to Dacheng Biji."

The messenger's report shocked Third Sister. Her biggest worry was that Chelik would force Dacheng Biji to marry her, and Huang Taiji would definitely side with his son.

After all, marrying Ōsei Hikichi is equivalent to possessing the remnants of Banshō Castle and Bahannagi.

After only a moment's thought, Third Sister made her decision.

"You shall return to Huacheng immediately and order Chebu and Tuguchi to lead two thousand elite troops to Bansheng City. They shall surround the city and prevent other tribal leaders from entering."

The token was given, and the messenger departed to carry out his mission.

Third Sister was already considering how to subdue Guihua City and strengthen her own power, or rather, she was also considering how to strengthen her son's power.

He couldn't possibly get anything from Huang Taiji if he was impolite; only Altan Khan could give him his tribe, but that wouldn't do.

After some thought, she realized that she could only place her hopes on the Ming Dynasty. Only with the support of the imperial court could she effectively control the grasslands.

San Niangzi was well aware of the Ming court's expectations of her, which was to maintain peace between the court and the Mongols.

This was certainly something she was happy to see. Mongolia no longer had the strength to contend for supremacy in the Central Plains. In recent years, the northern lands had been cold, causing countless cattle and sheep to freeze to death, which greatly limited the development of Mongolia's strength.

Mongolia needs to obtain some food supplies from the Ming Dynasty.

What sets her apart from other Mongol leaders is that, as others have assumed, they can raid southwards as they have done in the past, even if the Mongols don't have such things.

However, the Third Lady did not think so. She believed that the Ming army's combat strength had improved, while the Mongols were still stagnating, or even regressing.

In this situation, as long as the Ming Dynasty retreated and adopted a scorched-earth policy, it could render the Mongols helpless, ultimately causing them to suffer a significant loss of strength due to cold and hunger.

Of course, Third Sister was not truly and completely aligned with the Ming Dynasty; she was simply forced to do so for the survival of the entire Mongol Empire.

For this reason, she had a lot of unpleasantness with many powerful Mongolian Taijis. They all said she was arrogant and domineering, but they didn't understand her good intentions at all.

Can Mongolia survive without relying on the Ming Dynasty?
Those people only know how to fantasize about the glory of their ancestors and dream of drinking from the Yangtze River again. They don't even consider that the rise of the Mongols was a one-time event, and what the situation was like before that, when anyone could step on them.

Soon, Third Sister entered the tribe, sat down in the large tent, and took out paper and pen to write a letter to the Governor-General of Xuanfu and Datong of the Ming Dynasty.

Some things still need to be reported first to see the Ming Dynasty's attitude.

Anyway, her troops have already gone to Bansheng City, and at least they should keep those tribal leaders who covet Dacheng Biji outside the city.

Little did she know that news of his sending troops to Bansheng City quickly spread throughout Guihua City, and Qiataiji was furious when he found out.

Chataiji's original name was Salmani, and he was Altan Khan's adopted son.

Chataiji was both Altan Khan's adopted son and the leader of Altan Khan's direct followers, commanding 2000 of Altan Khan's men.

He devoted himself to Altan Khan's cause for a long time, serving as Altan Khan's envoy on numerous occasions between the Tumed Ten Thousand Households and the Ming territory to negotiate and handle matters between the two sides. In the fifth year of the Longqing reign, he was granted the position of "Hundred Households" by the Ming court, and later promoted to "Thousand Households," becoming a close and trusted advisor of Altan Khan.

After Altan Khan's death, major matters of the Tumed Wanhu (a powerful administrative unit) required the consent of Chataiji before they could be implemented smoothly, demonstrating its considerable influence.

When Chataiji learned that Lady Chungshun had sent troops to Bansheng City, he naturally assumed that this was her attempt to annex the remnants of Hannaji's forces.

Whose Bansheng City is it? It is the property left by Altan Khan to the Bahannaji branch. How can it be robbed?

Therefore, without any communication, Qiataiji led his troops directly to Bansheng City, intending to stop Lady Zhongshun's troops from entering the city.

After Wei Guangde explained the necessity of quickly quelling the Mongol incident within the cabinet in the capital, Zhang Siwei and Shen Shixing both fell silent.

Zhang Ke was only worried that if Xuan Dajun made a mistake, it would really damage the relationship between the Ming Dynasty and the Mongols.

But since Wei Guangde has made up his mind to maintain the balance of power in Mongolia, even at the cost of threatening with force, what does the Ministry of War have to worry about?

"The Ministry of War immediately sent someone to inform Zheng Luo, telling him to make preparations as soon as possible."

Hearing Zhang Ke's words, Wei Guangde nodded and then looked at Liu Shouyou and said, "Investigate the situation on the grassland as soon as possible. Once the parties are vying for control of Bansheng City, send the intelligence to Xuanda immediately."

The most difficult thing to grasp here is finding the right balance.

The Ming Dynasty must be resolute in its stance and force the Mongols to submit, but Wei Guangde really doesn't want to resort to arms because of this, after all, the plan has been in place for many years.

One wrong move and you could lose everything, and all your efforts would be in vain.

"Now I need your stance: who supports this and who opposes it?"

Wei Guangde looked at Zhang Siwei and Shen Shixing. Silence was not an option; he had to show them his stance.

Shen Shixing was the first to speak, saying, "I support Grand Secretary Wei's opinion to quell the situation on the grasslands as soon as possible and avoid affecting the court's overseas arrangements."

Zhang Siwei glanced at Shen Shixing, pondering what the consequences of his opposition would be.

In fact, anyone with discernment knows that the only one who could truly stop Wei Guangde was Zhang Juzheng.

But now he's bedridden and there's no way he can stop it.

"I have no objection."

Zhang Siwei spoke up.

Not opposing doesn't mean supporting; it's essentially abstaining, since he won't say anything in support anyway.

"Then it's settled. Jinqing, after you return to the Ministry of War, immediately send a letter to the nine border regions and thirteen towns, including Liaodong, Jizhou, and Yansui, instructing them to urge their troops to be on high alert."

The emperor ordered the main army to be ready to intervene in the battle for Bansheng City at any time, and that Liaodong, Jizhou, and Yansui be ready to send troops to provide support.

Wei Guangde began issuing orders, but simply mobilizing the Xuanda army would probably not be enough to put significant pressure on the Mongols.

With the border towns fully mobilized and putting pressure on the Mongols, Huang Taiji had to consider whether he could withstand the Ming Dynasty's northern expedition in the face of internal strife, and whether he still wanted to secure his position as Khan.

The Ming Dynasty's military intervention was primarily aimed at putting pressure on Huang Taiji.

The real battle will likely be fought by the troops under Lady Chungshun's command.

After all, it was an internal conflict within the Mongol Empire and had nothing to do with the Ming Dynasty.

Just as Zhang Ke was about to leave, Wei Guangde suddenly called him back and said, "You can contact Lady Zhongshun privately in Xuanda and exchange warhorses for weapons, including a small amount of armor."

The Ming Dynasty imposed an arms embargo on Mongolia, generally prohibiting weapons, especially armor, from entering Mongolia.

In order to strengthen Lady Zhongshun's power, Wei Guangde offered to provide a small number of armor pieces.

Don't think that thing is useless. In ancient battlefields, whether or not one wore armor had a huge impact on the war.

When Li Chengliang's Ming army encountered Burmese organized rattan armor soldiers for the first time, they were forced to retreat.

Because, apart from cannons, the projectiles fired by arquebuses posed little threat to rattan armor, the fighting strength of the Ming Dynasty's official army was greatly reduced.

In the era of cold weapons, the armor coverage rate of an army was an important factor in measuring its combat strength.

"Good Loans".

Zhang Ke frowned and pulled Wei Guangde aside to whisper, "If we treat Lady Zhongshun so well, she might not remain as obedient to the court as she is now once she gains power and influence."

"I know, but there are too few people like her on the grasslands now."

According to intelligence sent back by the Embroidered Uniform Guard, many Mongol leaders still fantasized about conquering the Central Plains like the Mongol Yuan Dynasty.

The court now needs her to stabilize Mongolia and wait for the initial investments to take effect.

Wei Guangde explained.

Seeing that Wei Guangde understood the importance of the matter and had given it consideration, Zhang Ke naturally said no more, nodded, and turned to leave the duty room.

After everyone left, Wei Guangde did not go back. Instead, he asked Lu Bu to light a lamp and began writing a memorial at his desk.

He wrote a detailed report on the day's events, packed it up, and handed it to Lu Bu, instructing him, "You shall personally deliver it to the Directorate of Ceremonial."

After giving his instructions, Wei Guangde stood up, put his hands behind his back, and walked out of the duty room.

After such a long delay, the sun has already begun to set in the west, which is the end of the You hour (5-7 PM).

Guihua City and Bansheng City are both located on the Tumote Plain, more than a hundred miles apart.

The troops led by Chebu and Tuguchi, sent by San Niangzi, and the troops led by Qiataiji left Guihua City one after the other, so they definitely couldn't meet up on the same day.

However, the next morning, the two groups of men appeared more than 20 li outside Bansheng City.

When Chebu and Tuguchi discovered that Qiataiji's men were following behind them, they naturally reined in their horses and stopped.

Thus, the two Mongol cavalry units began a standoff on the grassland.

"Chebu, does Chataiji want to go to Bansheng City?"

Tuguchi said with great doubt.

"Regardless of whether they are or not, stop them and don't let them get close to Bansheng City."

"Tearing cloth open its mouth and said."

After speaking, Chebu and Tuguchi spurred their horses forward and shouted at Qiataiji, "Qiataiji, why aren't you staying in Guihua City? What are you doing here?"

"Chebu, why have you come here?"

Chataiji gave a dismissive reply.

“We are acting on the Lady’s orders to seal off the area around Bansheng City and prohibit anyone from entering Bansheng City.”

"Tear the cloth in reply."

Upon hearing the other party admit that it was Third Sister who ordered them to surround Bansheng City, Qiataiji felt reassured.

Third Sister must have taken a fancy to Ban Shengcheng, which is why she did this.

Then, Chataiji laughed and said, "What if I insist on going in?" (End of Chapter)