King Luhuang of the Ming Dynasty: My father, Ming Taizu

At dusk, the setting sun is blood-red.

The pervasive smoke and blood formed a hellish scene. Red light from the sky sprinkled down, illuminating the earth in bright red.

Toghon Temur stood on a high ground, looking at the countless corpses scattered on the plain in the distance, with mixed feelings in his heart.

"Om Mani Padme Hum."

A red-robed lama, escorted by several monk soldiers, walked slowly over to Toghon Temur and bowed slightly.

"Respected Mongol king, I am Zongwang."

"Thank you for your help, Master."

Toghon Temur bowed slightly in return, feeling awe at the great lama before him.

The reason is simple, it is because the monks under his command are like gods descending from heaven and their combat power is extremely strong.

The most elite cavalry under Yesüder were easily defeated by them and had no power to fight back.

This kind of combat power is beyond imagination.

"Your Majesty, you are too kind." Zong Wang's voice was very steady. He looked at him without joy or sadness and said softly, "I am not helping Your Majesty. I am following the Zen spirit and spreading the Dharma."

Hearing this, Toghon Temur's mouth twitched, but he dared not say anything.

It was the first time he heard of spreading Buddhism through firearms. This lama was no ordinary person.

"I was spreading Buddhism on the grasslands. When I saw the flags of the king and the Ming Dynasty, I knew that this was a Zen idea. I acted rashly. Please forgive me, king."

Zongwang's tone was very humble, but what he said made Toghon Temur and the generals around him feel frightened.

Encountering in the wilderness, they attacked rashly, but they destroyed tens of thousands of enemy cavalry with overwhelming force and captured the enemy commander alive. This...

"Sweat profusely."

At this time, Altan walked forward slowly, looked at Zongwang and several monk soldiers with lingering fear, and then said softly.

"The battle statistics are complete."

"Yesudier's main force has been defeated. He and many of his royal family members have been captured by the masters. The defeated army fled westward."

"Hao Hai Dayu died in battle, and most of his soldiers surrendered. I ask the Khan to decide how to deal with them."

Hearing Altan's report, Toghon Temur's heart suddenly skipped a beat. He looked at Zongwang in disbelief and asked softly.

"Master... captured Yesudiel alive?"

"God has the virtue of good life."

"But the monks under the master's command are brave and valiant, beheading the generals and killing the bandits..."

“It is just to promote the Dharma.”

"The monks are well-armed and gallop across the battlefield, wiping out the bandits..."

"Om Mani Padme Hum, the heavens are merciful and kind. I am spreading the Dharma to send them back to heaven and into the infinite cycle of reincarnation."

"The Buddha will forgive me."

The corners of Toghon Temur's mouth twitched twice again. He tried his best to suppress the restless emotions in his heart and said softly, "Master, your merits are immeasurable."

"Promoting the Dharma is our duty."

Zong Wang's face still showed no joy or sadness. Even though there was dried blood on his face, he looked like a sculpted Buddha.

Deep in his heart, he firmly believed in these words; this was his belief.

"Master, how should we deal with Yesudi's troops? Please..."

"I will leave these people to the king."

Zong Wang bowed slightly, then said softly: "Besides, I have another favor to ask of you."

"Master, please speak."

"After that, please allow me to spread Buddhism and promote kindness in the grasslands."

"That's natural."

Toghon Temur immediately nodded in agreement without any hesitation.

Zong Wang has such a powerful group of monks. Not to mention spreading Buddhism, it is possible for him to unify the grassland. There is no reason for him to disobey.

As for Yesüder and the captured royal family members, Toghon Temur did not dare to deal with them privately. He ordered people to write the battle situation truthfully in the memorial, and then sent it to Yingtian Prefecture by express horse.

The subsequent decision here will still be made by the Ming court.

To be precise, the final say lies with Emperor Hongwu or Prince Lu.

After the memorial was sent, Toghon Temur immediately gave orders, ordering his cavalry to attack, wipe out the remnants of Yesüder, and recapture all the tribes on the vast grassland.

The dawn that belongs to him has come.

……

Yingtian Prefecture, the capital of the Ming Dynasty, and the Prince of Lu’s Palace.

Zhu Tan was squatting in the backyard garden at this time, looking at the newly turned land, thoughtfully.

The seeds found below have been sorted and planted, and are just waiting to be grafted and tested for their effects.

Just as he expected, even if he understood the technology of hybrid rice, it would take a lot of time to produce it and it would not be achieved overnight.

Recently, Zhu Tan has spent most of his time in his mansion, worrying about hybrid rice and studying the details of the future expedition to Japan.

But he kept these things in his heart and never mentioned them to anyone.

The afterglow of the setting sun cast a bright red light on the yard. Zhu Tan slowly stood up and a gentle voice came from behind him.

"Your Highness, even if you keep watching, the crops will not suddenly appear."

Zhu Tan chuckled, turned to look at the princess, and asked, "Why are you here?"

"Your Highness has been spending a lot of time in the back garden lately, and rarely talks to me."

Princess Lu walked forward slowly, stood beside Zhu Tan, looked down at the land, and smiled softly, "Your Highness values ​​these seeds so much, is there any mystery?"

"You'll know later. It's too early to tell now."

Zhu Tan held the princess's hand and said, "I have neglected you these days."

A blush flashed across the princess's face. Just as she was about to speak, Zhu Tan moved closer and whispered in her ear, "Warm your bed tonight, and let's have a deep conversation as husband and wife."

Princess Lu's pretty face suddenly turned red, and she subconsciously stopped Zhu Tan's arm, murmuring, "Then I will wait for Your Highness."

"What are you waiting for? Now..."

"Report to His Highness!"

Zhu Tan was about to take action when a voice suddenly came, interrupting his interest.

Zhu Tan sighed softly, took the princess's hand, turned around and asked, "When?"

"Military news has arrived from the northern border. His Majesty asks you to enter the palace."

"Now?"

"Yes."

Zhu Tan looked at the sky. It was almost nightfall. Asking him to enter the palace now would probably not be a good thing.

When Zhu Tan left the mansion, there was a hint of expectation and resentment in the princess' eyes. Zhu Tan could only sigh softly, get on the carriage, and head straight for the Forbidden City.

……

The Forbidden City, the Imperial Study, is brightly lit.

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at the report in his hand with a frown on his face. Zhu Biao stood respectfully behind him with a calm expression.

At this time, Zhu Tan strode in from outside and bowed.

"Your Highness greets His Majesty, Father, and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince." "I am here."

Zhu Yuanzhang's eyelids moved, and he glanced at Zhu Tan, then threw the newspaper in his hand on the table and pointed: "Take a look."

Zhu Tan's heart moved slightly when he heard this, so he stepped forward and picked up the newspaper to check it.

In fact, Zhu Tan knew what was going on without even looking at it, but after taking a look, he was still shocked.

During the war in the northern border, Toghon Temür's troops were defeated repeatedly by Yesüder and were on the verge of defeat. Lama monks descended from the sky and turned the tide of the war. Not only did they help Toghon Temür to ​​break the siege, they also killed Yesüder's troops and captured Yesüder himself and a group of royal family members.

This is a complete destruction of the entire group.

The report clearly stated that all of Yesüder's relatives who followed the army were captured, and most of his generals were killed in battle. The report also specifically mentioned Haohaidayu as one of the dead, and most of his soldiers surrendered.

Zhu Tan was still a little surprised at how the battle turned out.

Historically, Yesüder defeated Toghon Temur's defeated army and finally strangled him with a bowstring. He then nominally unified Mongolia and served as emperor for four years.

Haohaidayu became the Grand Marshal of the Northern Yuan Dynasty because of his meritorious service as a follower of Yesudier. His son Mahamu was the leader of the Oirat tribe who had a successful battle with Emperor Yongle in the Jingnan Rebellion in official history.

It was Mahamu's grandson who achieved an epic achievement at Tumu Fortress and captured the Mongolian leader Yesen, who captured the Ming Dynasty's god of war Zhu Qizhen.

If things went on like this, Zhu Tan's action of supporting the Tibetan lamas had inadvertently changed the course of history.

Time is also destiny.

Zhu Tan looked at the report and sighed softly, but Zhu Yuanzhang asked at this time.

"The Northern Frontier won a victory, and you have contributed to this victory. Why are you sighing?"

"I feel something in my heart. Yesudier was also a great hero, but he was ruined just like that."

Zhu Yuanzhang glanced at Zhu Tan, without commenting, and then asked, "I called you here for this matter."

"You have also understood that Yesudiel has been captured alive. Toghon Temur has written to ask what should be done with him. What do you think?"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Tan's expression remained unchanged, and he said directly: "Kill!"

When these words were spoken, Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao were both stunned. The former frowned slightly, while the latter seemed to be thinking about something.

"Why?"

"Father, are you planning to take them back to the capital and interrogate them personally?"

Zhu Tan put the report back on the table and said softly, "These are the remnants of the Northern Yuan Dynasty. They are still determined to destroy the Ming Dynasty. They are all wild wolves that can never be tamed. Bringing them back to the capital is like inviting wolves into the house."

"If you kill him directly, aren't you afraid that his tribe will continue to resist?"

Zhu Yuanzhang frowned and said, "Although the Northern Yuan retreated to the northern desert, they are still eyeing us covetously. Now is the time to appease them."

"Toghon Temur is enough."

Zhu Tan said: "The Northern Yuan Dynasty has already been severely damaged by the Ming Dynasty, and it can't cause any trouble."

"Toghon Temur has surrendered to the Ming Dynasty, and now Yesugeir has been defeated. The north will surely be pacified, and there will be no more wars in the next few decades."

"Toghon Temur."

Zhu Yuanzhang read the name and sneered softly, "If he becomes the only powerful one in the grassland, he will inevitably turn against the Ming Dynasty. What should we do then?"

"That won't happen either."

Zhu Tan smiled and said, "Father, there is not only one force on the grassland now. As long as those lama monks are still there, Toghon Temur will not dare to act rashly."

Hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang narrowed his eyes slightly, but Zhu Biao raised the corners of his mouth slightly and spoke.

"Father, what my tenth brother said makes sense. Now that the war in the northern border has been settled, it is Toghon Temur who should be appeased by the Ming Dynasty, not Yesugeir's troops."

"If we try to win over Toghon Temur while trying to appease Yesuge'er, it will also arouse suspicion, and the arrangements made by my tenth brother will be compromised."

After Zhu Biao finished speaking, he winked at Zhu Tan. Zhu Tan smiled but did not say anything.

Zhu Yuanzhang thought about it for a while, then nodded and said, "In that case, then kill him."

"But before you issue the decree, you should also explain to me your plan for the North, right?"

"Deterrence through force alone is not a long-term solution!"

"Your Majesty, I understand." Zhu Tan cupped his hands and said in a deep voice, "I have a long-term plan."

"If we want to ensure long-term peace and stability in the North, we need to prepare for both scenarios. Military deterrence is one of them, and the economic lifeline is the foundation."

"Now that the northern border is about to be unified, Toghon Temur will submit to the Ming Dynasty, and he will no longer be the emperor of the Northern Yuan Dynasty."

"After all the tribes under Yesudi'er surrender, father should set up counties on the grassland, send officials, gather the remaining people, build cities, and expand the trade routes northward to gradually cover the entire northern border."

"We are a great Ming Dynasty with abundant resources. We can provide materials to the North, divide its land, assimilate its people, and use both kindness and force. Within a few years, the North will be loyal and will no longer rebel."

Zhu Tan's words were clear and concise, and Zhu Yuanzhang nodded repeatedly with a smile on his face.

"If that's the case, it would be great."

Zhu Yuanzhang chuckled and said, "For these matters, you can draft a detailed proposal and submit it to me later. I will arrange for someone to do it."

"According to the order."

When coming out of the imperial study, Zhu Tan still felt a little emotional.

A major event that influenced Chinese history for a hundred years was resolved so easily. The matter of fate is really laughable.

Zhu Biao was passing by Zhu Tan, and seeing that he was in deep thought, he asked with a smile.

"Tenth brother, what are you thinking about?"

"Nothing much. I was just thinking about how to better control the North in the future."

Zhu Tan said: "The northern border is bitterly cold, and relying solely on animal husbandry may not be enough. If we really want them to return, we need more specific means."

"Don't worry too much about the specifics, Tenth Brother."

Zhu Biao heard this and said, "All the officials in the court are here. You just need to list the general proposals and someone will fill in the gaps."

"Toiling hard every day is not meant to tire you to death."

As soon as these words came out, Zhu Tan also laughed and said, "Big brother is right. I have learned my lesson."

"You don't have anything to do today, come to my place, let's have a drink together."

As he spoke, Zhu Biao put his arms around Zhu Tan's neck, and the two brothers went straight to the East Palace.

……

Late at night, on the grassland, in the big tent.

Yesüder was tied up and sitting on the ground, looking at Toghon Temur sitting on the main throne in front of him, his eyes full of hatred.

Zongwang's monks had already withdrawn, saying that they were going to spread Buddhism far away, and Toghon Temur did not dare to interfere.

Toghon Temur looked at Yesüder indifferently, but there was no hatred in his heart.

"I have reported this war to the Ming Dynasty, and your punishment will be sent to you soon."

Toghon Temur's voice was low, his eyes were bloodshot, and he looked very tired.

After running around and fighting for several days, the spirits were extremely tense. Now that the war was over, fatigue surged over him like a torrent and was completely irresistible.

"Is there anything else you want to say?"

"Running dog! You are a disgrace to the grassland!"

Yesugeer stared at Toghon Temur and cursed: "I, Mongolia, am an eagle soaring in the sky, but you are begging for mercy from the enemy. Really..."

"Yesudier, you think too much."

Toghon Temur reached out and gently pinched the bridge of his nose: "This Khan is willing to talk to you, not to listen to your complaints."

"The hatred between your family and mine shouldn't have lasted this long." (End of this chapter)