The Ming Dynasty took an unconventional approach

Chapter 1049

I had just finished breakfast when it started snowing outside.

Pan Jun stood at the door, looking up for a while. When the two veterans were a little uneasy, he turned around and said, "Let's go, let's buy a house."

Zhao Shizhu was taken aback: "A house?"

Pan Jun nodded: "Regardless of whether you stay here or not, there must be scouts from our Great Ming Dynasty to guard this place. If people are to stay, there must be a place for them to settle down."

Zhao Shizhu was taken aback, swallowed hard, and asked, "Does the Imperial Advisor mean that we can return to our homeland?"

"Why not?" Pan Jun glanced at the two men's gray hair and said, "At your age, even if you're in the military, you should be going home to enjoy your retirement."

Zhao Shizhu smiled bitterly: "With our physical condition, it would be difficult for us to return even in times of peace, let alone now that the various Oirat tribes are constantly in conflict and have many frictions with our Great Ming, I'm afraid..."

Pan Yun: "As long as you want to go back, I will bring you back safely. But before that, buy a house and get the preparations done."

She didn't bring anyone with her because she wanted to use the people trained by Zhao Shizhu and his team. After all, outsiders always attract attention and are not as trustworthy as people who already live here.

But when Pan Yun saw Zhao Shizhu and Hu Ning, she softened.

They dedicated their lives to the country; we can't just stop them from going home, can we?
Zhao Shizhu and Hu Ning immediately put on their tattered fur coats, closed the wooden door, and led them to the local government office.

Zhao Shizhu followed closely behind Pan Yun and asked in a low voice, "How big of a house does the Imperial Advisor want to buy?"

Pan Jun: "It needs to be larger. Newcomers should come under the name of a caravan. You can rent or resell the houses to them, and they can also train some people here."

Zhao Shizhu: "The Oirats and Tatars are both arrogant, and the Golden Mongol tribes are even more conceited. If we were to say that we are serving the Ming Dynasty, they would turn around and report us."

Pan Yun: "Who said we should tell them? The caravan trains thugs and forces. They provide the money and manpower. The information they collect needs to be processed before it can be used. The scouts of our Great Ming are responsible for processing the information and controlling the transmission. The rest are just extras and don't need to know too much."

This is also a method used by the military to gather intelligence, and most of the people Zhao Shizhu and his team trained here belong to this category.

Seeing that Pan Yun understood the rules instead of making blind demands, Zhao Shizhu and Hu Ning breathed a sigh of relief, then asked curiously, "What is sending a telegram?"

"I'll tell you later. I think this city isn't very big, and there aren't many empty houses, right? Is it possible to buy a suitable house?"

Zhao Shizhu said, "If it were six months earlier, we would indeed have had difficulty buying the house you requested, but now it is possible."

Pan Yun: "Why?"

"After Esen became Khan, he killed a group of people. Some people here rebelled and were killed twice. The people of the grasslands kill people one family at a time. Those who were too big to be counted were killed, and those who were not were taken to the army as slaves. So many houses are now empty. If you look carefully, you can still find a few that are..."

Pan Yun generously replied, "Money is not a problem."

“It’s different here than in China. Although they also recognize gold bars, they prefer gold ingots, which are more valuable.”

Pan Yun: "You really have no taste. Gold bars are so solid, and gold cakes... well, okay. Let's look at the house first, and I'll refine them for you tonight."

She may not have gold cakes, but she can melt down gold bars and make them into gold cakes, which is not difficult for her.

Zhao Shizhu sighed, "If only we had silk fabrics. Silk from our Great Ming Dynasty is very popular here. It can be used as hard currency and is even more popular than gold ingots."

Pan Yun raised an eyebrow: "Well... it's not impossible."

Zhao Shizhu was taken aback. He glanced at Hu Ning, then, thinking of the things they had been taking out last night and this morning, he suppressed his urge to ask questions and remained silent.

In the cold winter, the doors and windows of the government offices here are tightly closed, and you have to knock on the door and wait outside for a while before you are invited in.

The fireplace was burning, making the room warm and cozy.

The buildings here are also very different from those in the Ming Dynasty. They are multi-story buildings, all made of stone and mud. The rooms are small and the windows are small, which can effectively prevent wind and cold.

But their windows were very distinctive. The windows of the government office were made of colored stained glass, forming a colorful pattern. Light and shadow shone into the room through the colored glass, creating a dreamlike and dizzying feeling.

Pan Yun had seen this kind of craft quite a few times in her previous life, but this was the first time Miao Zhen and the others had ever seen it. The three of them looked at it very seriously, their faces full of amazement.

Zhao Shizhu, acting as a representative, went to communicate with the officials. Before long, he brought over a chubby official wearing a fur coat. The official had deep-set eyes and a high nose, but his hair was black, just like theirs, making him look somewhat like a Hami Wei person.

Pan Yun knew that this area belonged to Central Asia, a region that had been disputed for centuries. It was considered part of Asia at one time, but was also once classified as part of Europe. This area and the area to the west were located at the border between Europe and Asia.

However, Pan Yun felt that they belonged to Asia and that even if they wanted to go to Europe, they wouldn't be recognized.

The chubby officials no longer have a concept of Eurasia, and even if they do, they yearn for the Ming Dynasty.

Throughout the journey, he tried his best to speak to Zhao Shizhu and Pan Yun, showing them the utmost enthusiasm.

He longed for the Ming Dynasty. In his view, the Oirat Mongols should not have fought with the Ming Dynasty. They originally belonged to the Ming Dynasty, and the Ming Dynasty did not collect taxes from them, allowing them to govern themselves. They only needed to pay some tribute every year to gain the status of subjects of the Ming Dynasty. How glorious that would be!

The official, oh, his name is Ao Deng, he is a nobleman, and only nobles can hold official positions here.

He told Pan Yun that the people on their side had no interest in fighting the Ming Dynasty; they would rather do business with the Ming Dynasty.

"If I could go to the Ming Dynasty and see its prosperity and strength, I would die happy." Ao Deng said longingly, "Your Highness, do you know that the devil Timur conquered the Chagatai Khanate, defeated the Ottoman Empire, swept away the Golden Horde, and even captured Damascus, but he had to pay tribute to the Ming Dynasty."

Pan Jun was filled with pride, not to mention Zhao Shizhu and the others standing to the side.

Zhao Shizhu said in a low voice, "The reason why we were able to quickly gain a foothold here was because of the power of the Ming Dynasty. It's just a pity that we are old, and the border has been neglected for more than ten years, so..."

With a smile, Ao Deng talked about everything from ancient times to the present, and asked with a laugh, "I heard that the emperor of the Ming Dynasty died on the battlefield. Is that true?"

Facing the other party's humility tinged with arrogance and contempt, Pan Jun nodded and said, "It is true. The late emperor personally led a large army to fight in order to stop the Oirat from advancing south, and finally died heroically on the battlefield. The new emperor is the late emperor's younger brother, only one year younger than him. He is smarter and braver. At the beginning of his reign, he vowed to avenge his brother. Brother, seeing that you are truly loyal to the Ming Dynasty, I will do you a favor. Esen is a usurper. He not only killed his Khan, but also the emperor of the suzerain state. Heaven and the Ming Dynasty will surely punish him. You should prepare early."

Ao Deng was stunned for a moment, then forced a smile and said, "I'm not going to the battlefield, and I'm far from the border of the Ming Dynasty, so what preparations do I need to make?"

Pan Jun smiled and said meaningfully, "There is an ancient saying in our Great Ming Dynasty: 'Those who offend our China, though far away, shall be punished!' You are also subjects of our Great Ming Dynasty. From what you just said, you also agree with our Great Ming Emperor. Rest assured, Esen is cruel and tyrannical, and the Emperor will definitely stand up for you."

Ao Deng remained silent.

Zhao Shizhu, who was standing to the side, remained silent.

Only after inspecting the house did Zhao Shizhu say, "Grand Preceptor, that Ao Deng was no ordinary person." Pan Yun: "Oh?"

Zhao Shizhu said, "What was called the government office just now was actually the royal palace. The government office and the palace were located in the same place. The front and lower floors were for office work, while the back and upper floors were where the king and queen lived."

Pan Yun: "What king?"

"It seems to have been built by a prince during the Yuan Dynasty. Later, it was occupied by the Golden Horde. Not long after, the Golden Horde was destroyed. After the Timurid Empire was established, it was given to one of his sons. Later, Timur died on his way here. There was a rebellion here. One day a prince moved in, and the next day another prince moved in. Sometimes I didn't even remember who was who before the palace was changed. So we simply stopped calling it a palace and called it a government office."

Pan Yun clicked her tongue: "It's quite a mess."

Zhao Shizhu: "So that's what the Imperial Advisor said to him just now..."

"Anyone can scare someone like that, brag a little, right?"

Zhao Shizhu stared wide-eyed: "This, this, is this just bragging?"

"Yes, but if you work hard enough and are good enough, and achieve it, then I will be considered a prophet, and it won't be just bragging."

Zhao Shizhu remained silent.

Hu Ning changed the subject and asked, "What did the Imperial Advisor think of the houses we just looked at?"

"Let's take the third building. It's big enough, faces the street, and has convenient transportation. The best part is that it's close to the city wall not far behind the building, so we can do a lot of things there."

Zhao Shizhu's eyebrows twitched.

Hu Ning also thought the third building was better: "It's not as luxurious as the first and second buildings, and it's easier to hide and less conspicuous."

Pan Yun nodded: "I looked at the rooms. The front and back buildings can squeeze in about a hundred people. You can stay in more spacious rooms normally, but it's still a bit dangerous for two people to live in such a big house. Are there any of the people you trained before still usable?"

Zhao Shizhu hurriedly replied, "Yes, we are fortunate to have been secretly taken care of these past few years. Otherwise, we two old men would have died in the cold wind long ago. In the past, we had no money and no contact with the court, so we dared not get too close to them for fear of implicating them. But now that the Grand Preceptor has come, we should naturally summon back those we can."

Pan Yun nodded: "They don't need to know your identities, nor do they need to know that you are serving the Ming Dynasty, but they must be trustworthy. I have something important to entrust to you later, and when the next person takes over, they will also be responsible for this important thing."

Zhao Shizhu agreed.

When they returned home that evening, Pan Yun and the others brought out more than a dozen bolts of silk.

Zhao Shizhu didn't ask where they had taken them from or where they had hidden them before. He simply picked out eight brightly colored horses and said, "These eight horses can buy that house."

Miaohe's mouth dropped open: "Wow, the houses here are so cheap?"

Zhao Shizhu laughed and said, "It's not that the houses here are cheap, but that the silk here is expensive. Especially after the battle with the Ming Dynasty three years ago, things from the Ming Dynasty are even scarcer and more valuable."

Hu Ning added quietly, "Otherwise, why do you think Ao Deng is trying so hard to please you? He wants to do business with you and wants your trade routes."

How powerful must their caravan be to dare to come to Tielianguti at this time and arrive safely?

If Zhao Shizhu and Hu Ning hadn't lived with them and witnessed the four men's extraordinary abilities, they too would have been very interested in the caravan behind them.

Money makes things easier.

With the eight bolts of cloth given to him by Pan Yun, Zhao Shizhu quickly completed the formalities and bought the entire house. That very night, the group rolled up the belongings from the thatched hut and moved them directly inside.

The whole street was in an uproar. People braved the snow and came out to enthusiastically escort Zhao Shizhu to his new house.

If it weren't for the locals' strong sense of privacy and their reluctance to let strangers into their homes, they would have insisted on going in to touch and rub against the property. It's truly remarkable that Old Zhao's relatives bought such a large house for them without batting an eye.

Not only did the street where Zhao Shizhu and his family lived become a sensation, but the people in the vicinity were also shocked. It was winter, and everyone was staying at home, otherwise the news would have spread even faster.

Even so, the new house welcomed quite a few uninvited guests that evening.

Pan Jun ignored it, while Miao Zhen and the others guarded the courtyard, knocking out one person for every one that came in, and knocking out two people for every pair that came in.

They searched their bodies, taking all their money and confiscating their weapons, then threw them over the wall, where they landed on the road with a thud and were left alone.

In this kind of weather, if a person is unconscious and spends the night outside, they won't even need a full night; half a night is enough for them to freeze to death.

Seeing that the three of them were quick and skilled, Zhao Shizhu silently closed the door, glanced back at Hu Ning, and then walked away.

His voice was hoarse: "I'll go cook."

Hu Ning also withdrew his gaze and said coldly, "I'll go with you."

Because they needed to tidy up the room, they had a very late dinner.

Pan Yun said to the three who were still full of energy, "You haven't slept well these past two days. Don't worry about anything tonight, just go to sleep."

The three of them had already chosen their rooms.

The building has many rooms, and each of them could have a room. Unfortunately, the rooms were very empty, there wasn't even a bed, and the dining table was a small table that had been moved from the wooden shed. There were no stools either, so the group ate standing up.

Fortunately, there are quite a few miscellaneous items in here, and if you look carefully, you can still find quite a few wooden planks.

So they built their own beds.

Zhao Shizhu was still afraid of the cold and wondered if he should go back and gather all the straw mats and wheat straw from the wooden shed. As a result, Pan Yun took out several quilts and gave four to Zhao Shizhu and Hu Ning.

Pan Yun said, "Before we came, we knew we were coming to this extremely cold place, so we brought a lot of things. Among them, blankets are the most important. Don't worry about using them. I have more here if you need more."

Zhao Shizhu touched the familiar back of the phone and was deeply moved.

"National Master..."

Pan Yun quickly raised her hand and said, "No, no, don't cry. I can't stand seeing people cry."

(End of this chapter)