Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 543: The Strategy of Appeasing the Barbarians
Yang Lian's words moved everyone present. A flush of blood welled up on Yuan Keli's face. Yang Wenru, who dared to speak out against the emperor, was certainly not a man who sought fame and reputation by selling his integrity to the emperor.

Lu Wenzhao's eyes flickered, the slight sense of disappointment in his heart gradually fading. He instinctively wanted to cheer Yang Lian on. But after so many years of hard work, Lu Wenzhao had finally become calmer. He knew full well that the Jinyiwei were merely the emperor's eyes and ears; most of the time, they just needed to ask, listen, and report. Even when angels descended to earth, temporarily acting as the emperor's incarnation, it was only because of a clear divine will. Not only was Lu Wenzhao unaware of the divine will, he was currently a "fake errand boy" relying on misunderstandings and concealment.

In the end, Lu Wenzhao did not respond, but slowly suppressed the sudden surge of anger.

Lu Wenzhao's silence actually made Yang Lian feel somewhat frustrated. Yang Lian had completely regarded Lu Wenzhao as an imperial envoy sent by the emperor to investigate the case, and Yang Lian hoped to get a glimpse of the emperor's attitude from him. But it seemed that the young Jinyiwei was deliberately trying not to let him know anything.

Soon, Lu Wenzhao's admiration for the upright minister faded from his gaze. He turned to look at Yuan Keli and said calmly, "Yuan Bingxian, I don't have any more questions. Is there anything else you'd like to know?"

"Yes." Yuan Keli took a deep breath, the flush on his face and the surging anger gradually faded with the hot air he exhaled. He nodded to Lu Wenzhao first, then asked Yang Lian, "Wenru, I want to know, when you led the troops to arrest the servants of Marquis Yangwu and Marquis Wuqing, how did you treat the Tatars who bought the contraband ironware? Did you arrest them all, or let them go?"

Yang Lian quickly composed himself. He turned sideways and said to Yuan Keli, "Of course we'll arrest them all. The Tatars' confession is also very important. With their confession, the evidence for the entire case will be complete and solid, and the smuggling allegations will be completely proven."

"Did you torture them?" Yuan Keli frowned slightly. If we only considered the trial, Yang Lian's idea was certainly correct, but this wasn't just an ordinary smuggling case. Especially at this critical juncture.

Yang Lian shook his head. "Not really. We simply used coercion and inducement, and those criminals confessed. We even obtained signed confessions in both Chinese and Yi languages."

Yang Lian's tactics for inducing confessions were simple. He simply promised to return all the money he had withheld, or permanently revoke the smugglers' tribe's right to trade with the smugglers. To secure a confession, the Ming needed to appease and unite the entire Chahar tribe, but blacklisting certain tribes was not a problem.

"Now," Yuan Keli's expression eased slightly. "Is he still being held captive?"

"Most of them have been released," Yang Lian glanced at Lu Wenzhao, "but a few of the responsible officials are still being held. They are currently under house arrest in Zu Youji's military camp."

"How do you plan to deal with these people?" Yuan Keli also glanced at Lu Wenzhao.

"If we follow the laws of the Ming Dynasty, both parties involved in the smuggling offense will be punished. But since we're trying to appease the barbarians, I think it's best to show some leniency after negotiations." Yang Lian stared at Lu Wenzhao. "I've also written all of this down in the official letter to the court."

Lu Wenzhao could guess why the two men were looking at him, but he remained the same as before, without any expression.

"Have Hudun and Tuhan sent anyone to negotiate?" Yuan Keli nodded.

"Not yet, but it should be soon." Yang Lian withdrew his gaze and let out a long breath. He really disliked people who were so cunning.

"Is it because it's time to distribute the reward money?" Yuan Keli figured it out all of a sudden.

"Mr. Jie Huan is right." Yang Lian nodded.

"Which day?" Yuan Keli asked.

"The currently agreed date is the fifth day of every month, which is the day after tomorrow." A look of surprise appeared on Yang Lian's face.

"So the day is so near." Yuan Keli looked at Li Guangrong, then at Wang Shizhong. "No wonder the three of you are gathered here."

"Lord Jie Huan should know the date." Yang Lian said.

"I only know that the court has been distributing the reward silver to the Chahan tribe on a monthly basis, but I don't know the specific date." Yuan Keli asked, "Before Lu Shangcha and I came here, were the three of you discussing the negotiations with the Chahan tribe?" Yuan Keli's gaze stopped on Wang Shizhong. He always felt that he seemed to have seen the three words "Wang Shizhong" somewhere, but he really couldn't remember it for a moment.

Lu Wenzhao's eyes moved along with Yuan Keli, and fell on Li Guangrong and Wang Shizhong one after another.

Li Guangrong was guilty and not very cunning, so he didn't dare to look Lu Shangcha, a member of the Jinyiwei. As soon as Lu Wenzhao's gaze swept over him, Li Guangrong turned his head away.

Wang Shizhong had nothing to do with the two cases committed by Wan Youfu, but the gradually increasing tense atmosphere in the big tent inevitably made this young man nervous and uneasy, so he turned his head away like Li Guangrong.

Finally, it was Yang Lian who spoke up: "We've already discussed the reward and the criminal a few days ago. Before you two came over, we were mainly discussing other matters."

"What's the matter?" Yuan Keli looked away and then at Yang Lian. "Can you tell me in detail?"

"Of course," Yang Lian replied, but he didn't immediately explain. Instead, he turned to look at Wang Shizhong. "Wang Youji, please explain your other identity to Lu Shangcha and Yuan Bingxian."

Wang Shizhong was not prepared for Yang Lian to suddenly call on him. He was stunned at first, then he stood up like a catapult. "Yes!"

"Report, report to the land envoy, Yuan Bingxian," Wang Shizhong's nervousness was immediately apparent. "I am the second son of Menggu Boluo, the former head of the Hada tribe in Nanguan. My barbarian name is Gebaku. I am also the brother of Wuerhuda, the current head of the Hada tribe, from the same mother."

The Ming court never recognized the so-called Great Jin Empire, nor did it acknowledge that the North and South Passes had been effectively annexed by the Jianzhou tribe. Therefore, even now, "Wu'erhuda," or "Wulgudai," was still considered a leader of the Hada tribe, merely unfortunate enough to fall under the control of the Jianzhou rebels. Indeed, just as Manguji had imagined, if Wu'ergudai could gain his freedom, escape to Ming territory, and bow to the emperor in obedience, he would immediately receive Ming recognition and support, and even unfurl a banner. "So you're the descendant of the Nanguan!" Yuan Keli's eyes lit up. He finally remembered where he'd seen the three characters "Wang Shizhong."

"Has Yuan Bingxian heard of me?" Wang Shizhong was stunned.

Yuan Keli smiled and explained, "Thanks to the Emperor's grace, before I was ordered to enter Liao, I had been serving as the Left Minister of the Ministry of Public Administration. Although my tenure was short, I have seen several memorials mentioning 'Wang Shizhong, a descendant of Nanguan.'"

"I see." Yuan Keli's smile eased Wang Shizhong's nervousness a little, and he smiled too. "May I ask what those memorials say about me?"

The memorials Yuan Keli had seen were all submitted by the Ministry of War to the Imperial Censors regarding Liaodong. Because those memorials weren't specifically directed at Wang Shizhong, nor were they impeachments, and didn't require a response from the individuals mentioned, the Ministry of Public Administration didn't even copy them down, but submitted them directly.

After going through the cabinet's draft and the emperor's approval process, the petition was sent directly to the Ministry of War. The Ministry's response was a series of transfer orders issued to Wang Shizhong, along with the official seal corresponding to his position. Therefore, to this day, Wang Shizhong is not quite sure how he rose all the way to the rank of Guerrilla General.

"Of course they're all saying hello." Yuan Keli thought for a moment, searching his mind for a relatively clear memory. "'Wang Shizhong, a descendant of Nanguan, is a young man of noble character and bearing. He should be promoted to a real position.' Something like that."

Yuan Keli looked at Wang Shizhong and could hardly see any signs of a foreign barbarian in his face or body.

It really has a Chinese style, Yuan Keli sighed inwardly.

"May I ask who wrote these words?" Hearing that he was being praised, Wang Shizhong smiled even more happily.

"I don't remember that," Yuan Keli had already remembered two names, but he didn't intend to say them out loud. "If you have a chance, go to the Tongzhengshisi and check it yourself. These are all public memorials. You can check them by wearing official uniform and entering the government office."

"Thank you, Yuan Bingxian." Wang Shizhong bowed again and stopped asking questions.

"You don't have to thank me. I didn't recommend you." Yuan Keli waved his hand, looked at Yang Lian, and then asked, "So, what the three of you are discussing is related to Wang Youji's special identity?"

"Yes," Yang Lian nodded. "Liaoyang has confirmed through various channels that while the Nanguan old guard has been split up and dispersed among the four colors and eight banners of the Nu tribe, Wang Youji's brother, Wuerhuda, the leader of the Hada tribe, is still alive. However, Wuerhuda has also married the daughter of the Nu chieftain, a woman named Blind Valley Princess, and has children with him. So, our plan is to try to win Wuerhuda over as much as possible through brotherly ties. If we can win him over, we'll support him in recruiting the Nanguan old guard and splitting the bandit faction. If Wuerhuda remains stubborn and deeply entangled, making it difficult to win him over, we'll have Wang Youji, posing as Menggu Boluo's second son, directly win over the Nanguan old guard."

"How should we do it specifically?" Yuan Keli asked.

"The first thing, of course, is to find a way to get in touch with 'Wu'er Huda'," Yang Lian said.

"This means that Liaodong has not yet contacted 'Wu'erhuda'?" Yuan Keli couldn't help but glance at Wang Shizhong.

"Yes," Yang Lian nodded regretfully. "Forget about getting in touch. We haven't even been able to find out Wuerhuda's exact location. The earliest intelligence said Wuerhuda was in Sarhu Village. But the Han people who later escaped said that Wuerhuda had been moved to the rear by the Nu chieftain. So, we can only roughly speculate based on fragmentary information that Wuerhuda may be currently in the area between Jiefan New Village and Jianzhou's old nest."

"Transferred," Yuan Keli keenly picked out a word from Yang Lian's words, "Did something happen?"

Yang Lian tried to recall. "According to the Yi and Han people who escaped, there seems to be a serious case going on within the slave bandits. But the Yi and Han people themselves can't quite explain what exactly happened. From what we've pieced together, we only know that the case implicates many high-ranking slave bandits, and the smaller slave chieftain, Dai Shan, is likely also implicated. Combined with the latest intelligence, the Liaoyang side speculates that this is most likely a fratricidal struggle for the throne, or even a proposal to depose the heir."

"What intelligence?" Lu Wenzhao couldn't help but interrupt and ask.

"Power sharing." Yang Lian turned to look at Lu Wenzhao. "According to the confessions of the captives captured alive by the Shen, Feng, and Hu garrisons, the power of the small slave chieftain, Dai Shan, has been greatly diluted compared to before."

"It's said that Daishan played a vital role in the Battle of Sarhu. Therefore, for a period after our dynasty's defeat, the young slave chief Daishan was second only to the emperor, commanding a great deal of prestige. But after that incident, Daishan was repeatedly oppressed by the slave chief. Perhaps the chief felt threatened again. However, in my humble opinion, the words of the slave captives can't be completely trusted, or at least not completely accurate. Some captives even say that the discord between father and son was caused by a dispute over homestead. It's simply unbelievable."

"The intelligence was provided by prisoners or escaped Han and Yi people. Didn't Liaodong send people to infiltrate?" When Lu Wenzhao heard Yang Lian mention the Battle of Sarhu in the 47th year of Wanli, his mood couldn't help but get worse, and his tone unconsciously became a bit harder.

"Of course we did." Yang Lian heard the urgency in Lu Wenzhao's tone and subconsciously took it as a question. "Shen, Feng, Hu, and Wei garrisons have all sent out Night Guards. Combined, there are probably over a thousand of them rotating outside the city. But to be honest, we sent them out primarily to scout the enemy's movements, not to learn about changes within the bandits."

"Then why not send someone specifically to investigate the internal changes of the enemy?" Lu Wenzhao continued to ask.

Yang Lian explained carefully, "Things have their priorities. Liao has only just stabilized its position, so many things are starting from scratch. And we're already doing it. Before the battle in Shenyang began, General Xiong had already informed the Youyang and Shiqu divisions, which were responsible for suppressing the strongholds, to keep an eye out for anyone who could provide useful information and to investigate the whereabouts of 'Wu'er Huda.'"

Yang Lian did not think it was a good idea to have the soldiers from Youyang and Shiqu go deep behind enemy lines to suppress the stronghold and search for Wuerhuda at the same time. This was because recent events had shown that the soldiers preferred to bring back dead heads rather than news of living people.

However, at this time, Yang Lian could only use this incident as an example to respond to the question of "the difference on land".

(End of this chapter)