Southern Ming, my destiny is too abstract

Chapter 50 Now, wherever the sun and moon shine, it is bright land
"Tamerlane?"

Zhu Cixuan felt that it sounded familiar, as if it was a historical great country in the Central Plains.

Just like the Turkic and Western Liao, they beat the Western overlords.

Also a loser in the East Asian Monster House?
Seeing Zhu Cixuan looking at him, Deng Shilian was speechless.

"I honestly don't know."

Poor Tianjian, he was born in Shu, which is just an ordinary Jinshi family.

I am blessed by my ancestors that I can become a fourth-rank official like my cousin in this life.

He didn't even know how he, as a local county magistrate, became the prime minister of the Ming Dynasty.

How can we know who Timur is, where he is, and what his relationship is with the Ming Dynasty?
Timur, the first thing you hear is the Mongolian country.

Before the rise of the Eastern Tartars, they fought against the Ming Dynasty for more than two hundred years.

How dare you shoot without aiming.

The Ming civil and military officials in the tent were stunned for a moment, and then they all looked at Mu Tianbo.

Mu Tianbo quickly waved his hands: "I haven't heard of it either. Prince Mu's Palace definitely doesn't have such chieftains and vassals."

Feeling the gaze focused on him, Chen Ande thought for a moment and spoke:
"I have been an envoy to various European countries and have heard of the name of Timur."

"It is the Kingdom of Tianfang that originated in Transoxiana three hundred years ago, just like the rise of a great power among the Mongol tribes."

"At that time, I was seeking aid from the Catholic nations and didn't pay much attention to the Mongolian situation."

Three hundred years ago, that was the period of Hongwu and Yongle.

Zhu Cixuan and all the civil and military officials became increasingly confused.

The countries in Fengshang had relations with the Ming Dynasty during the reign of Emperor Shenzong Wanli.

The lands below the Feng River stopped paying tribute during the Chenghua period, but Han people from Fujian and Guangdong went to Southeast Asia, and maritime trade still had some connection with it.

What happened during the Hongwu and Yongle periods made it extremely difficult for the Yongli regime.

They did not inherit the throne from the capital, Southern Capital, but were themselves a broken court.

Before Chen Ande, the Ministry of Rites was just an empty shell, and the Honglu Temple didn't even have a shell.

There are absolutely no previous written historical books.

At this moment, Pan Huang suddenly said, "Your Highness."

Zhu Cixuan saw Pan Huang hesitated to speak and said, "What do you know? Tell me."

Pan Huang took a moment to formulate his words: "Your Highness."

"I have met nearly a hundred Han Chinese from Southeast Asia recently. Although they live in a barbaric environment, they still have their clans and tribes continuing."

"I have heard quite a few rumors, including the historical facts about the eunuch Sanbao's voyages to the West, and some wild rumors from the time of Emperor Chengzu."

"During the Yongle era, the Ming Dynasty extended its territory from the Li Dynasty in the east to Tibet in the west, encompassing Annan in the south and the Great Desert in the north. It stretched 11,750 li from east to west and 10,940 li from north to south."

"Nations from all over the world came to pay tribute, and envoys from various countries came in an endless stream. Emperor Chengzu wanted to demonstrate the power of the Ming Dynasty and intimidate the evildoers, so he summoned envoys from various countries and held a hunting trip at Tumu Fort..."

Zhu Cixuan raised his hand to interrupt and asked, "Wait a minute, are you talking about Tumu Fort?"

The Tumu Fort for international students?
Isn’t hunting just a military parade, using the Ming army to intimidate the world?

Is there really a God of War in Tumu Fort in our Ming Dynasty?

Pan Huang thought for a few moments to confirm that his memory was correct.

"Your Highness, the Nanyang Han people did refer to Tumu Fort, but is there anything wrong with that?"

Zhu Cixuan shook his head: "It's okay, just continue."

Pan Huang: "During the Yongle reign, envoys from various countries came to the capital, entered the Forbidden City, and paid their respects to the emperor. All the envoys kowtowed and bowed."

"Only Timur made an exception, saying that his country did not have such a custom, which attracted the attention of the Ming emperor and his ministers, as well as envoys from various countries."

"However, Emperor Chengzu went hunting at Tumu Fort, summoning 100,000 elite troops. All the nations under heaven, seeing the might of the Ming Dynasty, submitted to it."

"And Timur's envoys immediately performed the kowtow ceremony after the hunt."

"At first they were arrogant, but later they were respectful, making people laugh. Yet, their homeland still commanded great power throughout the country, and their virtue and prestige spread far and wide. Thus, their tradition has survived in Southeast Asia to this day."

"During the Hongzhi and Jiajing reigns, envoys occasionally came from Malacca to pay tribute to the Ming Dynasty. I wonder if they were merchants under the banner of Timur?"

He first sighed for the prosperity of the Ming Dynasty during the Yongle period, and then the ministers in the tent were speechless for a moment.

Seeing that Timur's envoy dared to contradict Emperor Chengzu, he at least dared to compete with the Ming Dynasty.

It is already a big country.

The Mongols again.

How to prevent the Yongli court, which had just stabilized, from feeling fear.

Even if Timur's country was destroyed during the Jiajing period, the fact that he dared to use this banner cannot be ignored.

Not to mention, thirty years ago, the Eastern Tartars had already unified the grasslands and became one with Mongolia.

After some discussion, Chen Ande invited envoys from Britain and Portugal.

Timur is famous in Europe and Europeans should know something about him.

After the British and Portuguese envoys entered the room, they bowed. When they heard the questions from the Ming Dynasty's monarch and ministers, they couldn't help but look at each other.

It was the troublemakers who spoke first. They had done a lot of business with the Han people in Southeast Asia and even in China, and they spoke fluent Chinese.

"Your Highness, the one claiming to be Timur's envoy must be an envoy from the Mughal Empire of India."

Mughal?
Zhu Cixuan felt somewhat familiar.

India is also famous for the Maurya Empire and the Mughal Empire.

During the Avayat Incident, he killed an elephant, and some Hongsha nobles mistook him for Aurangzeb of Mughal.

Then the news from the Mughals made the muddy waters of Ava even more muddy that night.

"We don't know the relationship between Timur and Mughal, but they are both from the Mongol Muran region, so there should be a connection."

The Portuguese envoy said: "Three hundred years ago, Timur's reputation was just like that of the Ming Dynasty, and he was feared throughout Europe, Arabia, and India."

"Mongol cavalry ravaged Central Asia and the Near East. A Mulan scholar predicted the emergence of a savior from the Constellation."

"Descendant of Genghis Khan, descendant of the saint, that's what Timur called himself, lord of the world where two stars intersect."

"The Mongols have a proverb passed down by Genghis Khan: There is no two suns in the sky, and no two masters on earth."

Zhu Cixuan couldn't help but frown.

Why is this thing everywhere? Mangbai has done this before.

It is no longer an East Asian tradition, but an Asian tradition?

This is an idiom from the Book of Rites of China.

Genghis Khan said this?
Maybe Timur copied it from Middle-earth himself and didn’t pay any copyright fees.

The Portuguese envoy didn't know that as soon as Hongsavadi uttered this sentence, the only sun was extinguished by the Ming Dynasty.

"Tamerlane, bearing this in mind, first attacked the Chagatai Khanate and the Golden Horde of Mongolia."

"Then it conquered Asia Minor and parts of India, establishing a vast empire spanning Asia, Europe, and Africa."

"In the past, our country..."

The Portuguese envoy paused, remembering that Portugal had already broken free from Spanish rule.

"The Kingdom of Castile, formerly Spain, sent envoys to Samarkand to visit Timur."

"There are records related to the Ming Dynasty's Central Earth Emperor."

The Portuguese envoy looked up at Zhu Cixuan:

"Timur conquered the world, attacked the Ottoman Empire, captured the Ottoman Sultan, and gave Constantinople, which was under siege by the Ottomans, a respite."

"It delayed the fall of the Byzantine Empire by half a century."

Zhu Cixuan noticed something was wrong with the Portuguese envoy's eyes and asked him about it.

In 1402, the Ottomans were defeated by Timur in the Battle of Ankara, and Constantinople was relieved.

In the same year Constantine XI was born.

Fifty-one years later, Constantine XI was killed in battle and Constantinople fell.

There are always some mysterious coincidences in history.

Zhu Cixuan burst out laughing for a moment.

My name is Constantine, and I have a strong claim to Constantine.

But it doesn’t mean that I am a king who lost his country like him.

Yes, the Ming Dynasty, like Rome, has fallen.

But I haven’t ascended the throne yet, have I? The Portuguese envoy continued:
"The Ottomans threatened Constantinople and the nations of Catholic Europe. Envoys from the Kingdom of Castile in Spain arrived in Samarkand to meet Timur, who had defeated the Ottomans. At that time, envoys from all other nations submitted to Timur and became his vassals."

"Then a group of envoys came from the East and demanded money and goods from Timur, which is what the Ming Dynasty calls tribute."

"The Ming envoy said that Timur had not paid tribute for seven years and that he must pay the entire tribute in one lump sum."

"At that time, envoys from various countries were shocked. The Ottoman Empire was extremely powerful. Timur rose up and defeated the Ottoman Empire, but Timur was still a vassal of the Ming Dynasty."

Zhu Cixuan nodded slightly.

Yelu Dashi defeated the Seljuks, so you were allowed to honor the Khitans and worship King John.

This made the Crusaders want to join forces with Western Liao to fight the Mulan people.

However, Yelu Dashi was just a loser who fled from China after his country was destroyed.

If Timur was truly a vassal of the Ming Dynasty, then the Ming Dynasty’s claim would be terrifying.

The Tang Dynasty established a Persian Governorate and made strong claims against Persia.

Why is Timur gone?
"Timur was very tough and said he would personally bring the tribute to Middle-earth."

"Because the Emperor of Middle-earth was trying to seize the throne from his nephew, he was an unjust ruler and was about to launch an expedition to the east, but he fell ill and died the following year."

The Portuguese envoy licked his lips and said, "We no longer know the connection between Timurid Empire and Ming Dynasty."

"One hundred and sixty years ago, the Timurid Empire fell, and perhaps a branch of its bloodline drifted to India and established the Mughal Empire."

After Chen Ande asked repeatedly and confirmed that the Timurid Empire had been destroyed, he and Deng Shilian breathed a sigh of relief.

Zhu Cixuan discussed with several people for a while and decided to meet with the envoy of Timurid or Mughal.

Aurangzeb really wanted to conquer the world like his ancestor Timur.

I'll just do it when the time comes.

As long as you don't join forces with Wu Sangui and fight a war with the Mughals.

Tell him why his ancestor Timur surrendered and became a vassal of the Ming Dynasty.

After letting the Portuguese and British envoys who wanted to stay leave the camp.

A high-caste man with a high nose, deep eyes and fair skin walked in.

Standing tall and confident, it is obviously different from small countries like Siam.

Speak fluently in English:
"The envoy of Shah Shuja, the tenth-generation grandson of Timur and the fifth-generation grandson of Babur, the Hindustan Empire, the Gulegan Emperor of Bengal, greets His Royal Highness the Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty."

Zhu Cixuan was puzzled: "Wait a minute, Babur is the founder of your Mughal Empire, what comes after that?"

The upper caste curled his lips and said, "Your Highness, Mughal is a name given to the inferior and ignorant people of India by the Mongols."

“But we are not Mongols, we are Chagatai.”

"Guregan is the name of the continuation of the Timurid Empire."

Oh, and the Donglu officially calls itself Daiqing Gulun, the country of warriors.

The Donglu were a Tungusic people who were neither Jurchen nor Mongolian.

You are Turks who are both Mongolian, Muslim and Indian.

Zhu Cixuan raised his hand to interrupt the high-caste people's endless chatter: "Mughal or Gulegan."

“Isn’t your emperor Aurangzeb?”

The upper castes showed resentment in their eyes: "Aurangzeb is a usurper, a cruel demon who imprisoned his father and killed his brother. How can he be our emperor?"

Zhu Cixuan moved his butt.

Emperor Yongli was also under semi-house arrest in Ava.

But I don’t have Li Shimin’s brotherly friendship and the mandate of heaven, and the people he killed were my adoptive father and uncle, so he shouldn’t be hinting at me again.

"Our Emperor Shah Shuja of Bengal was recognized and succeeded by Emperor Shah Jahan."

"He is Shah Jahan's second son. His eldest son was murdered by Aurangzeb. The crown of the Indian emperor should be on his head."

The upper caste replied, “But our army was defeated, and the Emperor and his family were expelled from India by Aurangzeb and temporarily settled in Arakan.”

Zhu Cixuan, who already felt something was wrong, twitched his lips:
"Don't tell me your emperor wants to borrow troops from the Ming Dynasty to restore his country, kill Aurangzeb, and rescue the former emperor."

Is he Qin Shi Huang?

Let me send troops.

The upper caste remained proud: "Yes, the Timurid Empire was once a vassal of the Ming Dynasty."

"Why can't the Ming Dynasty send troops to help its vassal states quell domestic rebellions?"

Zhu Cixuan was really confused.

Even more justified than the Sultan of Yazid.

Aceh at least occupied the land of Gejiu Port and the Han people.

What do you Mughal have?

Relying on a brief tribute a few hundred years ago?

Even if the Ming Dynasty has land in India, it is in the northeastern part of India, the Assam tea area. What does it have to do with your Bengal in the east?

When I saw you looking so proud, I thought it was the confidence of a great power.

After all this time, it’s the confidence of Indians.

Damn, I am in a purple mood in Daming. Everyone comes to me when they need me.

Abandon it when not in use.

Zhu Cixuan resisted the urge to throw a brick at him:

"Did you come here alone, avoiding the Arakanese envoys?"

"The King of Arakan has allowed you to send an envoy and borrow troops?"

Shah Shuja went into exile abroad and, like Yongli, was probably detained early on.

Zhu Cixuan didn't believe that Pingdali Mangbai would let Yongli ask Siam to borrow troops to restore the country.

I also don't believe that Arakan would dare to get involved in the confrontation between the two major powers.

Aurangzeb raised an army to demand his brother, and the Arakan Kingdom was destroyed.

If the Ming Dynasty sent troops to borrow the passage, Arakan would most likely be completely reduced to the next Hongsawadi.

The upper caste said solemnly: "Arakan is a small country and has always been a vassal of Hongsavadi and my Bengal."

"We say that our ancestor Timur was a Chagatai from China, a vassal of the Ming Dynasty, and had always paid tribute to the country."

"The Ming would send troops thousands of miles to collect tribute from its vassal states, so the King of Arakan immediately sent me here."

Zhu Cixuan kept a look of suspicion in his eyes and told Pan Huang in English:
"Go and call the Arakanese envoy."

A panic appeared on the face of the high-caste: "Your Highness, don't be impatient."

"Our Majesty said that as long as the Ming Dynasty provides 20,000 troops to help us kill the false emperor and rescue the emperor."

"We will send out 200,000 troops to help the Ming Dynasty restore its independence."

Zhu Cixuan didn't believe his third brother's words at all.

Pan Huang knew that the Arakanese envoys had already returned to their country to collect food and prepare for tribute.

He pretended to take two steps outside and looked back at the prince.

Zhu Cixuan waved his hand and fell into deep thought.

I definitely won’t care.

Who has the mood and energy to go to Tianzhu?
Now the Ming Dynasty can't even fight on two fronts. If it really goes hysterical, it will go to fight the Mughals.

Aurangzeb, dared to call himself Alamgir - the conqueror of the world.

The reputation of fighting an elephant alone spread to Hongsavadi.

The quintessential curry-flavored Li Er.

Zhu Cixuan subconsciously laid an ambush: "Does your Shah Shuja have a daughter?"

……

Timur remembered the teachings of his ancestor Genghis Khan: "There is no two suns in the sky, and no two masters on earth." Therefore, after establishing the Timur Khanate, he immediately pacified the states of Berusia, Ili, and Khebuqig, and ruled over Rus, India, Uzmania, and Türkiye.

——"A Brief Account of Mongolia"

I respectfully proclaim that the Great Emperor of the Ming Dynasty has received the mandate of Heaven to unify the four seas. His benevolence is immense, his grace nourishes all, and he is admired by all nations. We all know that Heaven, in His will to bring peace to the world, has specially appointed the Emperor to bear the destiny and become the ruler of countless millions. His light is vast and radiant, like a celestial mirror. He shines upon all, near and far. Though I, Timur, am remote, I have heard of His Majesty's generosity, surpassing all ages. The Emperor possesses blessings unseen since ancient times. He subjugates nations that have never been conquered. Even remote and bewildered lands are illuminated. … The tribes of my realm, hearing this gracious news, are filled with joy and gratitude. I have no means of repaying His Majesty's grace, but I pray to Heaven for a long life, and for blessings as great as the heavens and earth, everlasting and boundless.

——Timur's memorial to the Hongwu Emperor
Damn, I made a mistake. Oh, I'll put the next chapter on the shelves...

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(End of this chapter)