I am Emperor Wanli

Chapter 361: How long can Aldan Khan live?

The carriage stopped at Nanhua Gate, and Wang Daokun was a little curious.

"Don't you enter Xiyuan through Xi'an Gate?"

"Master Wang, it has been changed. The Nanhua Gate has been newly opened in Xiyuan, and most people enter and exit through this Nanhua Gate." The military school of Fengchensi replied with a smile.

"Changed? Change it all the time, and it will be new every month." Wang Daokun nodded thoughtfully.

After a while, a eunuch came out. He was wearing a bullfighting suit and a steel fork hat. He was about seventeen or eighteen years old. It was Qi Yan.

"Qi Yan greets Minister Wang. His Highness is waiting for you, sir. Please follow me in."

Wang Daokun recognized the man as Zhu Yijun's attendant and quickly bowed and replied, "Thank you, Eunuch Qi."

When I walked into the garden, I saw a lot of construction going on.

It was not a large-scale construction project, just deep trenches dug everywhere, with sections of cylinders half a person's height and two or three meters long placed next to them.

Looking closer, it turns out that the cylinder is made of cement and steel bars.

Next to them, a high platform was built with wooden strips and steel frames, and then iron chains rattled on several wheels, and several people carefully lifted the cement cylinders into the deep ditch.

The cylinder looked very heavy, but several people pulled the iron chain and lifted it up effortlessly. Then they used the winch on the frame to slowly turn it to the top of the deep ditch, and then slowly lowered it, placing the cement cylinder steadily in the deep ditch.

interesting.

Qi Yan saw Wang Daokun staring at the iron frames and wheels, and explained with a smile: "Minister Wang, this is called a pulley set, it is very mysterious. It is an exquisite mechanism made by the Imperial Household Department."

Wang Daokun took the opportunity to point at the cylinder and asked, "What is this?"

"This is laying sewer pipes, divided into sewage pipes and rainwater pipes, all the way to the river outside the Western Garden. Your Highness has wanted to do this for a long time, and asked the people of the Ministry of Construction to draw up a rough plan last year, but he was busy celebrating the Emperor's birthday in December and January, so it was delayed."

"Oh, Your Highness always has many brilliant ideas."

Qi Yan smiled, stretched out his hand forward, and gestured for him to continue on his way.

Wang Daokun quickly lifted up his collar and continued walking forward.

Except for the deep trenches dug everywhere, the rest of the West Garden has not changed. It is now February, spring is just beginning to appear, and green buds can be seen on the branches from time to time.

When they arrived at the Qinzheng Hall, Zhu Yijun sat on a chair waiting.

"I, Wang Daokun, the Minister of Rites and the envoy to Tumed to celebrate the birthday, pay my respects to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

"Get up without ceremony."

"Thank you, Your Highness."

"Mr. Wang, please take a seat. Bring me some tea."

"Yes."

"Mr. Wang, in your opinion, how long can Altan Khan live?"

Zhu Yijun's straightforward words left Wang Daokun at a loss for words.

Your Highness, you sent me to the Tumed tribe on a diplomatic mission, ostensibly to celebrate Altan Khan's birthday, but in reality to see when he would die?

Wang Daokun thought quickly and answered, "Your Highness, Altan Khan was born in the twelfth month of the second year of the Zhengde reign, which is exactly his sixtieth year.

When I was in Tumed's tent, I saw that his face was flushed and he was eating meat and drinking wine with big mouthfuls.

He can walk as fast as the wind and ride as fast as thunder. He can draw a bow of two stones and hit a target with one arrow from a distance of fifty steps."

Zhu Yijun nodded: "That means he can still live for another ten years."

He turned around and motioned to Qi Yan, "Pull over the Nine Border Map." "Yes."

Qi Yan and four eunuchs carried a screen over and placed it in front of the two men. Hanging on it was the map of the Nine Frontiers.

Zhu Yijun stood up, and Wang Daokun quickly followed suit.

"Thanks to the dedication of our soldiers, the crisis in Liaodong has been resolved." Zhu Yijun briefly explained to Wang Daokun, "Tumen Khan led the main force and tried to enter Liaodong from the north, but was blocked in Kaiyuan City by Liaodong Deputy General Zhou Guotai.

Kaiyuan City and Tieling City formed a horn with each other, blocking Tumen Khan's way south. This was something he had not expected. Normally, there were many roads from the north to Liaodong, but in late autumn and early winter, many places were closed, and there was only one smooth road to the south. Kaiyuan and Tieling just happened to be stuck at the throat. "

Zhu Yijun tapped his finger on the location of Kaiyuan City on the map.

"There are no cities under Tumen Khan's rule, and he hasn't been able to break through the borders and plunder deep into the heart of the Ming Dynasty for a long time, so his ancestral skills have become rusty. If it were Altan Khan, he wouldn't make such a mistake. That old guy used to break through the borders and plunder deep into the heart of the Ming Dynasty, so he knows how important it is to guard the key pass.

What Tumen Khan did not expect was that Zhou Guotai held out in Kaiyuan City for twenty-seven days.

He was in a dilemma, with no way out. He could only grit his teeth and drive his subordinates to attack the city in a desperate fight.

Looking back now, it is fortunate that Tumen Khan made this decision. If he had been a little smarter and had been trapped in Kaiyuan City for a few days and fled far away when he saw that things were hopeless, it is hard to say how the battle would have turned out. "

Zhu Yijun turned his head and looked at Wang Daokun and smiled. "There is a reason why the Tumen Khan lineage was driven from the west to the Black Mountain in western Liaoning by Altan Khan. Even if he had a flash of inspiration and came up with the strategy of attacking the east while making a noise in the west, it would have caused us great difficulties. But his mediocre nature was soon exposed.

Being trapped in Kaiyuan City for a long time was his biggest mistake. But in war, either we make mistakes or the enemy makes mistakes, otherwise how can there be victory or defeat?

Now the 30,000 Haixi Jurchens he had summoned were all destroyed, either dead or surrendered. What a good man! We originally needed to wipe out the main force of the Haixi Jurchens for two or three years, but he raised his arm and summoned them all, gathered them under the city of Fushun, and we wiped them out in one fell swoop.

Tumen Khan did a great thing.

The main force of the 60,000 Chahars suffered heavy losses, with more than 17,000 killed during the siege and the rout. But God would not let him go, and after a winter, there were more than 40,000 Chahars left alone, and I wonder how many of them would be left.

Zhu Yijun moved his finger to Liaoxi again.

"Qi Yuanjing and Xu Wei's nearly 100,000 main forces are tied up here, in the Liaohe River and Hetao area. No troops were sent to help Liaodong. I understand their painstaking efforts. Behind the Luan River is Jizhou.

The enemy situation is unclear. If the main force moves rashly, the Chahar subordinate tribes remaining in the Hetao area will take advantage of the opportunity to cross the Luan River, break through the border wall of Jizhou, and plunder the capital. I will become a big joke. "

Wang Daokun nodded, he also knew the risks involved.

"Mr. Wenchang was good at taking risks. He calculated the battle situation and came up with a risky move, sending a small army to attack Tumen Khan's royal tent. They accidentally captured Tumen Khan's brother, and from him and his followers, they learned the location of the royal tent, which was on the banks of the Ulus River.

The worst outcome of Mr. Wenchang's move is to exchange children with Tumen Khan. We exchange Liaodong for Liaoxi, but Tumen Khan will not stay in Liaodong for long, and will return to the west of Heishan sooner or later.

But if we occupy Liaoxi, we will not leave. We will stick to his soft spot every year, harass him day and night, and the offensive and defensive positions will change from then on. But the people of Liaodong.
Thanks to God's blessing and the protection of our ancestors, the worst outcome did not occur. Now Mr. Wenchang led Li Chengliang and a detachment of 20,000 troops to raid the Uluxu River and capture the Tumen Khan's lair before the heavy snow blocked the road.

A few days ago, Qi Yuanjing sent a military plan, planning to launch a spring offensive when the spring comes and the roads in Liaodong are open. They are now actively preparing. "

At this point, Zhu Yijun turned around and said to Wang Daokun: "This is the current situation on the Eastern Front."

He stretched out his hand, pointed at the chair and said, "Mr. Wang, let's sit down and talk."

"Thank you, Your Highness."

The two sat back in their chairs, Zhu Yijun picked up the hot tea and took a few sips, while Wang Daokun also quickly picked up the tea and took two sips.

"Mr. Wang, although the most critical moment on the Eastern Front has passed, the final outcome is still unknown. We don't know where Tumen Khan is. We don't know how many troops he has left.

What we know is that in the Liaohe Hetao area, Tumen Khan released the troops of the Doyan, Taining, Kalachin, Sunite, Hoqit, Ujumchin, and Khorchin tribes that had surrendered to him, totaling about 40,000. The former troops of Doyan and Taining were completely wiped out, and some of the former troops of Kalachin and several other tribes fled north to the former land of Taining east of the Black Mountain.

Zhu Yijun paused and continued, "Mr. Wang, the situation on the eastern front is still far from being settled. Even if we are lucky enough to capture or kill Tumen Khan this year, the Chahar tribe, as well as the Duoyan, Taining, Kharashen, part of Kharchin, and Haixi Jurchen who were previously attached to Tumen Khan, all need to be pacified and appeased. It will take two or three years to stabilize them.

So I am very concerned about the situation on the western front. Even if Altan Khan lives a hundred years, his Tumed tribe cannot affect the eastern front. Otherwise, I will find ways to prevent him from holding his birthday party this year! "

(End of this chapter)