Ming Dynasty: He was ordered to give lectures in prison, but Lao Zhu eavesdropped and made people nu

Chapter 720 The mysterious visitor
In the early spring of the twentieth year of the Hongwu reign, Nanjing was shrouded in a thin mist. Inside the Forbidden City, the Imperial Study was brightly lit by candlelight, casting a long shadow of Zhu Yuanzhang onto the carved window lattice.

Zhu Yuanzhang, dressed in casual clothes, stood before a massive sand table depicting the northern landscape, his hands clasped behind his back. The sand table, measuring two zhang long and fifteen zhang wide, meticulously recreated the terrain from the Great Wall to the Gobi Desert. Mountains, rivers, passes, and cities were all rendered with lifelike detail. Various colored flags were planted on the sand table: red for the Ming army, black for the Tatars, and white for the Oirats.

“It’s been a year,” Zhu Yuanzhang murmured to himself, his fingers gently tracing the red silk thread on the sand table that represented the route of the last Northern Expedition. That campaign had cost countless provisions and funds, yet it had failed to completely resolve the northern border troubles. His gaze fell on the northwest corner of the sand table, where a small black flag was planted, bearing the words “Tartar”.

“Strange, very strange.” Zhu Yuanzhang frowned and picked up a memorial from the table. It was a military report sent from Datong three days ago, reporting that the Tatar tribes had significantly reduced their activities in the past six months, and the border was unusually peaceful. This should have been a good thing, but another urgent report from Gansu showed that the Oirat cavalry had been frequently appearing on the border recently, and three villages had already been attacked.

Zhu Yuanzhang walked to the window and pushed open the carved wooden pane. The chilly early spring night wind rushed in, and he took a deep breath, as if he could smell the blood on the northern battlefield. Fifty years of warfare had given him a beast-like intuition for danger, and now, that intuition was issuing a warning.

"The Tatars and the Oirats have been enemies for generations, so why has one fallen silent while the other is stirring?" Zhu Yuanzhang muttered to himself, his fingers unconsciously tapping on the windowpane. "Could it be..."

"Your Majesty." A soft female voice interrupted his thoughts. Empress Ma entered the imperial study carrying a brocade robe. "It's late; you should rest."

Zhu Yuanzhang turned around, his solemn expression softening slightly: "Why hasn't the Empress rested yet?"

Empress Ma draped a brocade robe over him: "I heard Your Majesty has not slept all night; I am deeply worried." Her gaze swept over the sand table. "Are you concerned about the affairs of the north again?"

Zhu Yuanzhang sighed, took the Empress's hand, and led her to the sand table: "Look, the Tatars have suddenly quieted down, while the Oirats are frequently raiding the border. This doesn't make sense."

Empress Ma studied him for a moment: "Is Your Majesty worried that they are secretly colluding?"

"If that's the case, the border is in grave danger." A sharp glint flashed in Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes. "I must find out the reason behind this."

Just then, light footsteps sounded outside the Imperial Study. The Commander of the Imperial Guards, Zhao De, respectfully announced from outside the door, "Your Majesty, a general who calls himself Wang Wenlong requests an audience, claiming to be a military advisor to the capital."

“Wang Wenlong?” Zhu Yuanzhang frowned in thought. “I don’t recall any official with that name.”

Empress Ma said softly, "Perhaps it's a new talent recommended by the Ministry of War? There's been a lot of trouble in the north lately, and the Ministry of War is indeed actively seeking talented individuals."

Zhu Yuanzhang pondered for a moment: "Let him in. I want to see what important business this 'military advisor' has come to in the middle of the night."

Before long, a tall, middle-aged man entered the imperial study, led by a guard. He was dressed in ordinary military officer's attire, with a resolute face and piercing eyes. Most striking was a faint scar on his left cheek, extending from the corner of his eye to his chin, adding to his air of menace.

"This humble general, Wang Wenlong, pays his respects to Your Majesty and Your Majesty the Empress." Wang Wenlong knelt on one knee, his voice deep and powerful.

Zhu Yuanzhang sized up the uninvited guest: "Get up. I don't recall anyone named you in the Ministry of War."

Wang Wenlong rose and calmly replied, "Your Majesty, I am not an official of the Ministry of War, but rather I was entrusted by General Xu Da to gather military intelligence from the people of the north and provide advice to the court."

"Xu Da?" A glint flashed in Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes. "Do you have any proof?"

Wang Wenlong took out a yellowed letter from his robes and had it presented to Zhu Yuanzhang by a guard. The paper was worn, but Zhu Yuanzhang immediately recognized the handwriting as Xu Da's. The letter briefly explained that Wang Wenlong had distinguished himself in the Northern Expedition and, unwilling to serve as an official, had entrusted him with secretly assisting the court in gathering intelligence. Zhu Yuanzhang handed the letter to Empress Ma, his gaze re-examining Wang Wenlong: "Since he was recommended by Xu Da, he must possess extraordinary abilities. What urgent matter brings you to see me so late at night?"

Wang Wenlong stepped forward and pointed to the sand table to the north: "This humble general has come regarding the unusual activities of the Oirats. His Majesty must have already noticed the abnormalities in the activities of the Tatars and Oirats."

Zhu Yuanzhang raised an eyebrow: "Oh? Tell me your opinion."

"On the surface, the Tatars appear quiet while the Oirats are rampant, seemingly each going its own way," Wang Wenlong said, tracing lines on the sand table. "But I recently received a secret report that the Oirat leader, Tuohuan, has secretly allied with the Tatars, agreeing to jointly march south."

Empress Ma gasped, "Is that really so?"

Zhu Yuanzhang remained calm and asked, "Where's the evidence?"

Wang Wenlong took out several documents from his leather pouch: "These are copies of secret letters from the Oirat that I intercepted in Shanxi. They clearly mention an alliance with the 'Black Tribe'—that is, the Tatars. Furthermore," he took out a sheepskin map, "this is a map of the Oirat's marching route. They plan to advance south in three routes during the spring floods in March."

Zhu Yuanzhang took the document and examined it carefully, his expression gradually becoming solemn. If this intelligence was true, the Ming Dynasty would face the most severe northern threat since its founding.

"Why didn't you report this intelligence through the Ministry of War?" Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly asked, his gaze sharp as a knife.

Wang Wenlong replied frankly, "Zhang Tao, the Vice Minister of War, has a very close relationship with the General of Shanxi, whose brother has had private trade dealings with the Oirats. I dare not take the risk."

A hush fell over the imperial study. Zhu Yuanzhang paced to the sand table, his back to the others: "Do you know what a grave crime it is to accuse a court official of treason?"

"This humble general only reports the truth and dares not conceal anything," Wang Wenlong said, his voice neither humble nor arrogant. "If Your Majesty does not believe me, you may send someone to secretly investigate. The Oirat envoy meets with the brother of the Shanxi General under the old locust tree outside Yanmen Pass on the fifteenth of every month, and the next meeting will be in three days."

Zhu Yuanzhang turned around, a hint of admiration flashing in his eyes: "Well done, Wang Wenlong. If what you say is true, I will remember it as a great service; if even a single word is false..."

“This humble general is willing to stake his life on it,” Wang Wenlong said resolutely.

Empress Ma interjected at the opportune moment: "Your Majesty, this matter is of great importance. Perhaps we should first hear General Wang's detailed analysis."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded slightly: "Speak, how did the Oirats and Tatars collude? What were their specific plans?"

Wang Wenlong walked to the sand table, took out several small flags from his sleeve, and skillfully planted them in various places on the sand table: "According to the intelligence I have obtained, the alliance between the Oirat and the Tatars is roughly as follows—the Tatars will feign a retreat to lower our guard; the Oirat will then frequently harass the border to attract our army's attention. Once our main force is transferred to the western front, the Tatars will suddenly break through the Great Wall from the eastern front and march straight towards Beijing."

"What a brilliant feint!" Zhu Yuanzhang slammed his fist on the table and stood up. "No wonder the Tatars have been so quiet lately!"

(End of this chapter)