The Ming Dynasty took an unconventional approach

Chapter 1063 Promise Them
The city has also changed.

Whether it was because spring had arrived and the weather was starting to warm up, or because the war had ended, the streets were more populated and commercial activities were increasing. People of all ethnicities were crowded together, with Han Chinese faces occasionally mixed in, giving the impression of a very prosperous place.

Pan Yun glanced around and noticed that most of the Han people in the city had the air of warriors, so he knew they were soldiers stationed nearby.

The two found the house with practiced ease, pushed open the door, and the people inside, seeing them, immediately came forward respectfully, bowing and saying, "Miss has arrived!"

Zhao Shizhu and Hu Ning still did not reveal their identities; they remained scouts in the city, gathering intelligence in secret.

Although the Ming army had entered the city, the original Oirat royal court still dominated the city.

Zhao Shizhu welcomed Pan Yun to the top floor and reported in a low voice: "The city seems peaceful now, but it is not peaceful in private. The local Oirat nobles have a lot of opinions about the court sending troops to garrison it, and even the neighboring Chakkhagan Kingdom is restless."

Pan Yun nodded slightly and asked, "Who is the garrison commander in the army?"

"His name is Lanlu. He seems to have also noticed the unusual movements of the Chahar Khanate and the Teliangut, and has recently stationed most of his troops at the border, but..."

Zhao Shizhu hesitated for a moment.

Pan Yun said, "Just say it."

Zhao Shizhu: "I'm not afraid of the enemy attacking from the outside. We have a battalion stationed a hundred miles away from Tielianguti, which can provide rapid support. But if the enemy attacks from inside the city..."

He said in a low voice, "The imperial court's regime on the grasslands is unstable, with constant rebellions, which may hinder its control over the country. The Teliangguti region is not wealthy, so why does the imperial court insist on encompassing it?"

He didn't really understand why this land didn't generate much revenue, yet required a huge investment of manpower and resources to govern it.

In his view, as long as a few intelligence points like his are set up to prevent them from growing stronger and to react quickly if they invade the border again, there is no need for such places.

Pan Yun said, "The imperial court has its own considerations; just follow orders."

"But……"

Pan Yun raised her hand to stop him and asked, "Has anyone from the royal court of Tieliangguti been ordered to go to the capital?"

Zhao Shizhu's eyes lit up and he immediately nodded: "Yes, I heard that the third prince of the royal court is on the mission and will be setting off in the next few days."

"What about Miaohe and Yanbai?"

“They were invited to the royal court,” Zhao Shizhu paused for a moment and then said, “They knew that the two Taoist priests came from the Central Plains and wanted to invite them to accompany them. They have been extremely attentive to the two Taoist priests these past few days.”

Pan Yun raised an eyebrow and nodded, saying, "That's good. In the short term, at least until their third prince returns from the capital, they won't make a move."

Even if they leave after attending her birthday banquet, it will be September or even October before they return to Tielianguti. During this time, the land will be safe.

Zhao Shizhu asked blankly, "And then?"

Pan Yun said confidently, "After they come back, they won't be able to harbor any thoughts of rebellion for the time being."

Yu Qian and the others aren't fools; they can't just sit idly by.

Even Zhu Qiyu knew he needed to intimidate these people, let alone the officials.

After exchanging information, Pan Yun and Miao Zhen went to explore the city.

Within the three tributary prefectures, telegraph machines were still limited to the military and had not been deployed among the civilian population. However, the various tribes on the grasslands were already able to obtain information, and it seemed that the Ming court possessed a magical artifact that could transmit messages in an instant.

Their army suffered a major defeat because their marching route was constantly monitored by the Ming Dynasty.

The Oirat royal court knew that they would be closely watched if they entered the Central Plains. In order to better understand the Central Plains and for convenience, they decided to hire Miao He and Tao Yanbai as translators to accompany them to the capital.

Miao He and Tao Yanbai are now focused on smallpox research. Although they have achieved some success, they believe that the virulence of smallpox can be further reduced.

They could take advantage of the current level of trust the surrounding tribes and herders have in them to conduct more smallpox vaccinations and research, so they rejected the royal court.

The royal court seemed to know what they were thinking, and in its capacity as the royal court, it issued an order prohibiting herders from getting vaccinated against smallpox and forbidding outsiders from practicing medicine in the area in order to prevent a smallpox outbreak.

Miaohe had barely left the royal court when she received the news: ... Her fiery temper made her turn around and rush in to yell at them, but Tao Yanbai grabbed her and pulled her away: "Wait, bear with it. We are outnumbered and outmatched. We'll settle accounts with them later."

Miaohe jumped up and down: "Even if they won't let me practice medicine, I won't go with them. I won't be subdued by force..."

“Wealth and status can still lead to debauchery,” Pan Yun replied with a smile.

Miao He and Tao Yanbai turned around abruptly, both looking at Pan Yun with delighted expressions: "Junior Uncle!"

Miaohe immediately complained, "Junior Uncle, they are bullying people."

Pan Yun laughed and said, "Fool, they want you to come along, so what if you agree first? Why not take the opportunity to make some demands and get their support for your smallpox vaccination program?"

Miaohe: "If you promise someone and then don't do it, wouldn't that be breaking your promise?"

"Then we won't break our promise."

Miaohe stared wide-eyed: "Junior Uncle wants us to go to the capital with them? It's not a short distance from here to the capital."

Pan Jun said, “I was just thinking of drawing a trade route map. If we follow them and ride at full speed, we can return to the capital in about a month. We can also pass through many tribes along the way. Don’t you want your reputation as a healer to spread throughout the grasslands? If you have the Oirat royal court as your guarantor, the tribes of the grasslands will trust you even more.”

“The smallpox vaccination program in the Central Plains is simple. His Majesty issues an edict, the court promotes it, and local medical clinics and medical bureaus can do it for you. But it’s different on the grasslands. The court doesn’t have much credibility there, and it might even be resisted by the nobles of various tribes. Since we can’t do it from top to bottom, we can only do it from bottom to top.”

Miaohe pondered, feeling that her junior uncle's words made sense, but...

She hesitated and asked, "Just the two of us?"

Tao Yanbai comforted her, "Junior Sister, don't be afraid, I can protect you."

Miaohe: "Your martial arts skills are not as good as mine."

Pan Jun knew they lacked courage and had never walked such a long distance alone before, so she smiled and said, "I need to draw, I'll go with you."

Miaohe finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Miaozhen glanced at her junior uncle and thought that he wouldn't be so honest as to actually go with them the whole way.

Pan Yun said, "Now that you've made up your mind, turn around and go back to negotiate with them."

Miao He and Tao Yanbai agreed, but neither of them could lift their feet.

Miaozhen said, "I will go with you."

So Miaozhen walked in front, with Miaohe and Tao Yanbai standing on her left and right sides behind her, and they returned to the royal court.

The same fat man who had introduced them to the house before greeted them. When he saw Miaozhen, he was surprised: "Miss, you've come all the way from the Central Plains?"

Miaozhen responded and asked, "I heard that the Third Prince wants to hire us as guides. I'd like to speak with him."

The fat man's eyes flickered slightly as he said, "This young lady and young master haven't agreed, it seems they don't want to return to the Central Plains yet."

“My senior brother and junior sister are devoted to medicine and only have medical skills in their hearts. They don’t understand worldly affairs. But how can a person live in this world without understanding the ways of the world? My Wang family business wants to do business on the grasslands and cannot do without the support of the royal court. They have not thought much about it. Miaozhen apologizes on their behalf.”

He said he was apologizing, but there was no real remorse on his face.

The fat man knew that her agreement came with conditions; she was just being polite.

After a moment's thought, the fat man led them inside and then went to report to the eldest and third princes.

The third prince and the eldest prince are brothers. The reason for choosing the third prince to go to the Central Plains was both to help the eldest prince win over the people and to find out the situation in the Central Plains so that they could make preparations in advance.

The fat man was also one of the eldest prince's men, so he could speak directly to the eldest prince.

(End of this chapter)