I am Emperor Wanli

Chapter 343: Wishing the Great Ming Dynasty to Be as Brilliant as the Sun and the Moon
Datong City.

Heavy snow fell from the sky, and the sturdy city walls, houses in the city, and the mountains and fields outside the city were all covered with a thick white velvet blanket.

In a spacious room in the backyard of the governor's office, there was an iron stove near the window. The coal inside was burning brightly, and the heat radiated from it made the whole room warm.

There was a kettle sitting on the stove, with wisps of white steam coming out of the spout.

A round tube made of iron sheet first goes straight up to the roof, then folds and extends horizontally from above the window to the outside.

Wang Chonggu, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of War and Governor of Xuanda, Shanxi, picked up the kettle, poured water into the teapot, then poured two large cups of tea from the teapot, picked up one cup and handed it to the person next to him.

Wang Daokun, the Minister of Rites and the Ming Dynasty's birthday envoy, stretched out both hands to receive it.

"Brother Taihan, we follow the local customs. We like to make tea this way in winter, which is similar to brewing tea in the north."

"Lord Jianchuan, this is a border town. The journey is long and transportation is inconvenient. The food and drink must be different from other places."

"Brother Taihan, just get used to it."

"Lord Jianchuan, has the battle in Liaodong not yet been decided?"

Wang Chonggu laughed loudly, "Brother Taihan, don't test me. I have told you everything I know. I only know that Tumen Khan has led an army to attack Liaodong. The Supervisory Office has asked Xuanda in Shanxi, and Ningxia in Shaanxi to secretly strengthen their defenses.

I don’t know the specific situation of the battle or how it turned out! "

Wang Daokun shook his head: "It is indeed unexpected that the situation in Liaodong, such a big event, has not even a little news leaked out."

"Yes, in the past, this military intelligence would have spread everywhere. But it's okay, you and I don't know, and Altan Khan in the north doesn't know either."

"Altan Khan probably doesn't know. It's even colder and snowier in the south of the desert. When I left the king's tent, I heard that all the roads in the east were blocked by heavy snow, and there was no news."

"News from the grasslands don't spread that fast. In the past, a lot of news about Altan Khan came from our side."

Wang Daokun knew that what Wang Chonggu was referring to were the Shanxi merchants in the past who, in order to do more business and make more money, gave the court's military secrets as gifts to Altan Khan and others.

This group of people were all beheaded in the 43rd year of the Jiajing reign. News from the south could not be transmitted, and the imperial court strengthened border inspections and supervision of merchants in the trade market. Once anyone was found smuggling contraband to the north or leaking information, they would be caught and killed in batches without mercy.

Wang Daokun stayed in the south of the desert for two or three months and clearly discovered that Altan Khan and other Tumed nobles were completely in the dark about the current situation in the Ming Dynasty, and all the information they knew was only known to them.

Wang Chonggu held the teacup and sipped the hot tea: "Steady Altan Khan, Brother Taihan has worked hard!"

Wang Daokun said modestly: "I also have Lord Jianchuan as my backer. Lord Jianchuan's prestige and virtue spread far and wide in the south of the desert, and even Altan Khan admires him very much."

"My prestige? It should be the prestige of the elite army of 300,000 soldiers from the nine frontiers. I just got a little bit of it! Brother Taihan, have you figured out Altan Khan's true intentions?"

According to Zhu Yijun's explanation, Wang Daokun did not tell Wang Chonggu the real purpose of his mission to the Tumed tribe. He just took the imperial edict and asked Wang Chonggu to cooperate fully.

The rest depends on Wang Chonggu’s own imagination.

Wang Daokun pondered for a moment and said, "He is old and suspicious now. On the surface, he is polite to our delegation, but secretly he is keeping a close watch on us, fearing that we are secretly colluding with his brothers, nephews, and trusted subordinates.

The Tumed nobles also knew Altan Khan's suspicion and did not dare to approach the envoys. Fortunately, we were well prepared and had made several plans. "

Contingency plan!

Wang Chonggu recalled that when the crown prince was still the heir, Xin Ai invaded the border and asked the cabinet if there was a contingency plan.

He nodded and continued listening.

"In the Tumed king's tent, we made several efforts and got a glimpse of Altan Khan's thoughts. As we had previously judged, he was still wavering."

"Still wavering?"

"Yes, I guess that Altan Khan still has confidence in the strength of the Chahar tribe and Tumen Khan. He thinks that it will be difficult for the Ming Dynasty to defeat the Chahar tribe in a short time. We may even advance lightly and be severely damaged by Tumen Khan."

Yes, the Chahar tribe and its affiliated tribes had hundreds of thousands of people and nearly 100,000 soldiers and horses. Their territory extended from Heishui in the north to Heishan in Liaodong in the east and Jizhou in the south, covering an area of ​​tens of thousands of miles. They were completely incomparable to the Xin'ai and Kharchin tribes back then.

With strong soldiers and horses, and ample room for maneuver, the advantage of the cavalry's erraticness can be fully utilized. Since the establishment of the Ming Dynasty, there have been very few victories in the grasslands, and all of them happened in the early years of the establishment of the dynasty during the reign of the Second Ancestor.

So Altan Khan had confidence in Tumen Khan.

Wang Chonggu stroked his beard and thought, "So, Altan Khan is hoping for the best. If the Ming Dynasty suffers a heavy loss from the Chahar tribe, he will come forward to mediate and suppress the Chahar tribe, so that the Tumen Khan will not threaten him. He will help the Ming Dynasty and take the opportunity to extort money.

If the Ming Dynasty and the Chahar tribe are at a stalemate, Altan Khan will wait for the right opportunity and help the weaker side. Balance the situation and reap the benefits. "Wang Daokun clapped his hands and sighed, "Mr. Jianchuan is a genius! That's right, after some investigation, we found that Altan Khan is thinking the same thing! At present, he is sitting on his head and waiting for the Ming Dynasty and the Chahar tribe to lose both. "

Wang Chonggu stood up and walked around the room twice with his hands behind his back, "The heavy snow has blocked the roads, and Altan Khan cannot learn about the war in Liaodong in time.

In my opinion, since the capital has not issued any new military orders to the three towns of Xuanda in Shanxi, the battle in Liaodong should be going well. At least our army has not suffered any losses.

The Ming Dynasty did not suffer any loss, but the Chahar tribe must have suffered. After the spring, the road was restored, and Altan Khan received the news, and I am afraid he was not so happy. "

Wang Daokun thought for a moment and said, "In my opinion, Altan Khan has many internal problems. He is old, in his sixties, which is a long life in the south of the desert.

Unfortunately, the eldest son, Xin Ai Huang Taiji, who was once highly respected, is gone. His sons, even his brothers and nephews, are eager to take the throne. Even an outsider like me can see that.”

Wang Chonggu stood still abruptly, "Are you saying that there might be internal strife in the Tumed tribe?"

Wang Daokun replied: "This is just my speculation. Things in the world are unpredictable, and no one can predict what will happen in the end. I am just reminding Mr. Jianchuan to make preparations early to avoid being caught off guard by unexpected events."

Wang Chonggu could tell that Wang Daokun was reminding him, but since he was carrying a secret order, he couldn't say it out loud.

He thought for a moment and then asked, "Brother Taihan, you were sent as an envoy to Tumed and had many dealings with their dignitaries. Who do you think is the key person in the Tumed situation?"

"Third Lady!" Wang Daokun answered without hesitation.

Wang Chonggu nodded, "Just as I imagined, if we want to balance the situation in Tumed, the key lies in this woman."

Wang Daokun said nothing.

If we want to disrupt the situation in Tumed, this woman is the key.

He changed the subject, pointed at the coal stove and asked, "Mr. Jianchuan, I have never seen this stove before. Is it newly built?"

Wang Chonggu replied: "It was made in a factory in Taiyuan. There is a lot of coal in Datong, so it is very convenient to use. It is said that this item was first made by the Xiyuan Arms Bureau, and later became popular in the capital, Shanxi, Liaodong and other places.

Brother Taihan has been in Jiangnan for many years, so he must be rare."

"This is great. I don't have to worry about the winter."

"Yes. In addition, there is another thing, which is the heated kang. When you burn a fire in the outer room, the hot air will flow to the bottom of the brick bed in the inner room, and then a flue will be opened on the opposite side, so there will be no smoke in the inner room. With this thing, and with enough firewood and coal stored, you will not be afraid of the coldest winter.

The heated kang is especially popular in Liaodong. Tan Zili wrote to me a letter about this. He said that after sleeping on the heated kang, he no longer had to worry about the winter after getting a cold leg in the southeast.

Wang Daokun said happily: "Such a magical object can help the people of the Ming Dynasty to open up and expand the land in Liaodong."

"Yes, sometimes I feel that the industry that the prince talked about has infinite uses. It's just that it came out too late. Otherwise, there would be no need to worry about the war situation in Liaodong."

"Why did Lord Jianchuan say this?"

"The nine frontiers of the Ming Dynasty have been riddled with holes since the Zhengtong era. The disease has been chronic. Your Highness the Crown Prince is trying his best to repair it, but it will take time. Now the strategy of attacking the east and making peace with the west is being steadily implemented, which also takes time. I hope that this time, God will be on our side.

As long as we can withstand Tumen Khan's attack in Liaodong this time, the beginning of spring will be the time for our army to launch a massive counterattack."

Wang Daokun looked at Wang Chonggu's dark face and suddenly remembered something. It seemed that except for those in the core positions, the people trusted by the prince all had dark skin and few had white skin.

How can you stay white when you are running around outside every day, exposed to wind and rain?
Wang Daokun replied: "The Crown Prince is wise and has far-reaching plans. The situation in the Ming Dynasty is gradually changing. With time, it will surely be revived and return to its glory.

God has blessed the Ming Dynasty by giving us a prince."

"Yes."

"Mr. Jianchuan, I will be returning to the capital tomorrow, and you will be out on a border patrol tomorrow, so we will say goodbye now."

"I can't keep you here."

"I have an important mission to fulfill and need to return to the capital to report. I have to go back despite the snow. Isn't Lord Jianchuan also going to patrol the border in the snow? Let's say goodbye now and take care of each other!"

"Well, you and I both have a mission, so let's not be so hypocritical. With this hot tea instead of wine, I wish you a safe journey."

"Thank you, Lord Jianchuan. I wish you good health and happiness." Wang Daokun raised his teacup and said loudly, "I wish the Ming Dynasty will be as bright as the sun and the moon!"

Wang Chonggu happily raised his glass and said, "May the Ming Dynasty be as bright as the sun and the moon!"

(End of this chapter)