Ming Dynasty: I, Yan Maoqing, am truly radiating auspicious energy!

Chapter 263 Having conquered the enemy's court, we have also recovered the Hetao region! [Seeking monthly votes]

On the way back to Datong, Yan Maoqing kept thinking about how to make amends.

Hard!

This achievement is so remarkable that it's almost impossible to offset it with a mistake.

Even if Zhu Houcong was thoroughly annoyed with him, he would probably have no choice but to grit his teeth and bestow great rewards upon him, and even use him as an example to inspire all the soldiers of the Ming Dynasty.

All he can do now is try to distribute the credit as much as possible and minimize his own reward.

For example, when he went to Fenglangjuxu this time, even though Shen Kun, Gao Gong and Yan Shifan and others tried to persuade him to seize this opportunity to make a name for himself in history, he did not waver in the slightest.

After this incident, he has certainly made a name for himself in history. What difference does it make whether he goes or not?

In his mind, Langjuxu Mountain was nothing more than a mountain.

Originally, considering his goal of retiring and returning to his hometown, he was very reluctant to equate this matter with the sealing of the wolf's lair. However, seeing Shen Kun, Gao Gong, Yan Shifan, Ma Fang, Zeng Xian, and the eager eyes of all the soldiers, he was moved.

He wasn't lacking in national pride, nor did he fail to understand it; therefore, he ultimately couldn't bring himself to forcibly bring them back as well.

Again.

Now there are roads, a heroic battalion with combat experience, and cavalry led by generals Ma Fang and Zeng Xian.

Yan Maoqing felt that neither the remaining Little Prince nor the remaining Ji Nang could withstand his sharp edge, and that the trip to Fenglangjuxu should not go too wrong.

As for whether these people went to Langjuxu Mountain, carved their names on stone, or whether they would eventually have their own names engraved on it as well.

Yan Maoqing believes it definitely will!

He had little contact with Ma Fang and Zeng Xian, but there was no doubt that Shen Kun, Gao Gong, and Yan Shifan were all treacherous officials who had come forward on their own!

Especially Gao Gong, this isn't the first time he's ruined his own plans...

I will never bring him out again next time. No, no, there won't be a next time!

He only knew one thing: he definitely wouldn't be able to retire and return to his hometown after this incident...

Not only that, he now has to find a way to salvage the current situation.

With Anda's death, the tribal leaders who had previously been subordinate to him also died, and these Tatar tribes were bound to fall into chaos.

This situation is not only detrimental to the exchange of tribute, but will also cause considerable trouble for the military and civilians on the border. This is definitely not the situation he wants to create. His purpose in this trip is to "seek peace through battle", not to create such chaos.

He can only think of three solutions now:
The first thing to do is to contact Ji Nang, who is currently stationed at Aoerdusi.

Let Ji Nang come as soon as possible to take over these tribes, replace Altan Khan in controlling the situation, and continue the tribute and trade.

In any case, Ji Nang was originally the Khan of the Right Wing Thirty Thousand Households, and even Anda was nominally his subordinate, so taking over these tribes was perfectly legitimate.

According to historical records, Ji Nang is now seriously ill and probably won't last even a year.

Historically, after Ji Nang died, his son lacked prestige, which ultimately allowed Anda to seize power and become the de facto leader of the Right Wing Sanwanhu.

Therefore, whether considering the present or the near future, Ji Nang is not a safe choice;

The second was to send people deep into the northern desert to contact the true Khan of the Tatars, the legitimate heir of the Golden Family, the young prince Bodi Khan.

However, this could very well allow the young prince to seize the opportunity to grow stronger, even annexing the 30,000 households on the right wing, becoming a powerful ruler who dominates both the left and right wings, and completing the unification of the Tatars.

This kind of unification still posed a threat that the Ming Dynasty could not ignore.

It might even gradually develop into a situation like the Song Dynasty, with the Song and Jin dynasties facing off against each other in the north and south, plunging the country into a prolonged period of division.

Therefore, this is not a choice that can put Yan Maoqing at ease either;

Thirdly, Yan Maoqing thought of the hostage that Anda had previously sent to the Ming Dynasty.

Sending him back and supporting him to become the new leader of the Tumed tribe might be a good idea.

Although the time spent as a hostage in the Ming Dynasty was short, it should have already had some impact.

Most importantly, Yan Maoqing had met this hostage.

He is only about ten years old now, still quite young, and certainly doesn't have much prestige in the tribe, let alone any power of his own.

If he wants to inherit Altan Khan's throne, he certainly won't be able to win over the people on his own, so he will naturally need the support of the Ming Dynasty... Now, perhaps he can be put to use by the Ming Dynasty and become the Ming Dynasty's spokesperson within the Tatar community.

The Han Dynasty had done something similar in Loulan and Wusun in the Western Regions, and the results were relatively good. At least it was more reassuring than letting the little prince and Ji Nang take the opportunity to grow powerful!
and so……

After much deliberation, Yan Maoqing still felt that this hostage was the most suitable.

Incidentally, among the royal family members he captured at Anda's court were Anda's eldest son and third son.

These two brothers can also remain in the Ming Dynasty as hostages. If the hostage is disobedient, his two brothers can be sent back at any time, directly threatening the hostage's position, since he is not the eldest son.

"Hmm... let's decide on this."

After understanding these key points, Yan Maoqing finally made up his mind.
"After returning, I will first submit a memorial to Zhu Houcong, suggesting that he take this action first to stabilize Anda's forces." "At the same time, this force will be cultivated into a buffer zone between the Ming Dynasty and the Tatars. If the Tatars invade the Xuanda area again in the future, they will have to cross this buffer zone first."

"This time, Ma Fang and Zeng Xian also made contributions. Both of them are people who like to take the initiative."

"When we send this proton back to reorganize our forces in the early stages, we may encounter the Little Prince and Ji Nang targeting us, who are trying to seize the Wolf Dwelling Mountain mine and this trade route."

"These two guys now have some understanding of the tactics and strategies of the Heroes' Battalion. With their abilities, my offering of these basic ideas will surely inspire them, and they will definitely be able to carry forward these tactics and strategies in the future."

"If we let them lead the troops to support this hostage, we can definitely achieve twice the result with half the effort and stabilize this buffer zone."

“If the Tatars march south again in the future, they will fight in the Fengzhou Beach area, which will become a proxy war, and the Ming army can only send troops to support them occasionally.”

……

The journey back was not fast.

Because they were escorting prisoners of the Altan Khan royal family, transporting a large amount of supplies seized from the Altan Khan royal camp, and even bringing along a large number of horses, cattle, and sheep.

Yan Maoqing roughly estimated that there were about 900,000 taels of silver and 40,000 taels of gold, while other supplies and livestock would need to be converted separately.

Let's wait until we return to Datong and have enough manpower to do a detailed count, accurate to the last two days, and then register them.

Yan Maoqing was unsure whether the money should be split 90/10 with Zhu Houcong. He felt that given Zhu Houcong's character, he would definitely still be protective of his food.

However, he also felt that this money should be considered as extra income, since it had nothing to do with Shanxi, and therefore Zhu Houcong had no reason to share it...

In short, let's make a list first, just in case.

Actually, he's lost interest in profit sharing altogether.

Because only after retiring and returning to his hometown can the money he truly bring back to his hometown be considered his own money.

If he cannot retire and return to his hometown, then he will always be like Heshen in the Jiajing era, and the more money he takes, the more dangerous his situation will be.

This is a journey of over four hundred miles.

Yan Maoqing traveled there in just over two days, but it took him a full five days to return and finally reach the border. He was immediately greeted by the soldiers and civilians of Datong.

Even Prince Zhu Yunyao of Dai condescended to come and greet them personally this time. The scene was unprecedented. After all, although princes of the imperial family held a high status, they also faced many restrictions.

One of the most important rules was that one was forbidden from associating with court officials.

However, this matter was unusual, and it happened in a public setting, so Zhu Yunyao's actions were not entirely unreasonable.

"Minister Yan, I have long heard of your name. It is an honor to meet you today. You are indeed a man of extraordinary prowess!"

Zhu Yunyao did not formally greet Yan Maoqing as he would with other officials. Instead, he gave Yan Maoqing a warm bear hug, his face flushed with excitement.

This was a middle-aged man in his forties, with a round face and a potbelly, exuding a heroic air in his every move.

"Greetings, Your Highness. You are too kind to me."

Yan Maoqing felt a little guilty.

After all, his plan when he left the capital was to force the Prince of Dai's faction to rebel and give Zhu Houcong a surprise.

This would undoubtedly be a catastrophe for the Prince of Dai's lineage...

It can only be said that Zhu Yunyao was lucky. If Yan Maoqing hadn't captured Luo Tingxi's disciple, the leader of the White Lotus Sect, in Ying County in advance and learned that the Prince of Dai's lineage was not even as good as someone on the roadside, causing him to change his plans at the last minute, he might have really taken action.

"Minister Yan has become famous at a young age, and his achievements are unparalleled. Why should I, the king, elevate him?"

Zhu Yunyao shouted loudly,
"When I learned of this matter a few days ago, I immediately drank a large cup of wine."

"If it weren't for the royal family's prohibitions, I would definitely invite Minister Yan to my residence today and have a good drink with him. We won't leave until we're drunk!"

"I am truly flattered by the Prince's high regard."

Yan Maoqing responded modestly, but secretly cast a pleading glance at Guo Xun, who had a strange expression on his face.

Being held tightly by such a strong man made him feel violated.

However... Guo Xun, this adoptive father, doesn't seem quite normal either.

Although he is not bad at managing his expressions, his demeanor at this moment clearly indicated that he was holding something back, and he even gave off a feeling of wanting to take credit. I wonder if he has done something strange again.

Then Zhu Yunyao, who was hugging him tightly, continued:

"Minister Yan addressed me as Prince Dai, which is an honor I should be flattered by."

"Yan Butang is not only unparalleled in martial arts, but also in civil administration. His method of attacking one and pulling the other is truly ingenious, and he has taken the way of the hegemon to the extreme."

"A surprise attack, combining overt and covert maneuvers. Not only did they break through the enemy's court, but they also recovered the Hetao region."

"Such an unparalleled achievement is unprecedented in history. Upon hearing this good news, I cannot stop my tears."

(End of this chapter)