Take control of Wei Zhongxian at the start and confiscate 100 million from him!

Chapter 153 Use the enemy's methods, but be more thorough and ruthless than the enemy!

late at night.

The study in the Governor-General's Mansion of Xuanda was brightly lit. After dismissing everyone else, only Zhu Youjian and Man Gui remained.

Man Gui's report was concise yet full of inspiring content.

"Your Majesty, in the past few months, I have followed your orders and led the southern Khan of the Mongols, Ligdan Khan, in launching no fewer than five border patrols against the Khorchin and other pro-Later Jin tribes. The scale was not large, but the gains were substantial. More importantly, it effectively diverted Huang Taiji's attention, preventing him from comfortably consolidating his power in Liaodong."

"The border trade in Zhangjiakou is now more than five times what it used to be. We exchange salt, tea, and iron pots for warhorses, cattle, sheep, and furs. Now, not only does Xuanda Town not need the imperial court to allocate grain and salaries, but it even has a surplus of 150,000 taels in its accounts!"

"Moreover, Your Majesty has seen today that I have successfully incorporated several defeated Chaohua tribes that were routed by the Later Jin. Taking this as an example, more and more Mongol tribes have realized the benefits of surrendering to the Ming Dynasty and are sending people to contact us."

Zhu Youjian listened, a genuine smile appearing on his face.

As Zhu Youjian looked at Man Gui's face, which was filled with loyalty and bravery, a complex yet clear understanding welled up in his heart.

Sun Chuanting is like a fine blade used to dissect the deep-seated problems of the nation and to untangle its meridians and muscles; he is sharp, precise, and a true talent for governing the world.

Placing Sun Chuanting in Shaanxi is like putting him in a crucible of tempering, letting him experience several years of hardship and witness the treacherous nature of officialdom. When he is truly forged in the fire, he will be of great use and may become the emperor's right-hand man in governing the country.

Man Gui, on the other hand, is a completely different kind of person. He is a battle axe weighing over a hundred pounds, capable of splitting mountains and shattering rocks.

You can't expect him to do fine carving. He has a bad temper and his interpersonal skills are almost a complete mess. In officialdom, he is a reckless man who doesn't know how to read the room. The people he has offended could probably stretch from Xuanfu to the capital.

But this was exactly the kind of person Zhu Youjian wanted.

It is precisely because Man Gui is a rough man with a pure mind, who does not understand so many intricacies, that he does not try to fathom the deeper meaning behind the emperor's will, nor does he weigh the gains and losses of various forces!

In his world, the emperor's decree is the only truth.

If you tell him to kill, he will kill; if you tell him to fight, he will fight!
This unwavering, even uncreative, execution is far more valuable than any fancy strategy in this era where the toughest measures are needed to break the old order.

"Manqing has done a great job." Zhu Youjian's praise came from the bottom of his heart. "My return to the capital this time is no ordinary matter. I need an elite force to protect me, and I also need to use this elite force to deter those treacherous villains in the capital. From those five thousand Mongol cavalry, select three thousand of the most elite men to accompany me back to the capital."

"Your Majesty, I obey!" Man Gui's voice was filled with the excitement of being trusted. He pounded his breastplate with a loud thud. "Your Majesty, rest assured! I will entrust you with the most valiant youngsters! Once they arrive in the capital, let alone petty thieves, even if a prince's or noble's carriage dares to ram into Your Majesty's carriage, they will dare to chop it down on the spot!"

Zhu Youjian laughed instead of getting angry upon hearing this. This was Man Gui for you—simple, crude, yet effective.

"Alright, the cavalry is one thing." Zhu Youjian's smile gradually faded. He walked to the huge map and his gaze fell on the vast grasslands of southern Mongolia outside Xuanfu. "How is the other matter being arranged?"

Gui's expression immediately turned serious. He stepped forward, lowered his voice, but his tone carried a hint of awe at the emperor's astonishing plan and a sense of masterful control:
"Your Majesty, everything has been arranged according to your instructions. Half a month ago, when Your Majesty's carriage was still in Xi'an Prefecture, I had already dispatched the most reliable messenger to secretly send your invitation to meet with Ligdan Khan of the Chahar tribe under the pretext of increasing trade in the border towns."

Furthermore… as per your secret decree, I have clearly stated in my letter that Your Majesty wishes to establish a royal alliance with the Golden Family, and has ordered him to bring all unmarried women of the Golden Family bloodline from the tribe to Xuanfu for Your Majesty's personal selection!

He paused, his tone hesitant, but more so resolute in carrying out the order:

"Ligdan Khan's situation is more difficult than we imagined. Huang Taiji of the Later Jin Dynasty is pressing forward step by step, constantly annexing and subjugating the surrounding tribes, and he has almost become an isolated island. Our trade in Zhangjiakou is now his only way to obtain ironware, salt, tea and grain."

Therefore, he needs this meeting more than we do. However… Your Majesty, having him bring all the eligible women of the Golden Family bloodline might make him wary.”

Zhu Youjian nodded, a sharp glint in his eyes carrying a deep calculation: "Of course he will be wary. He is an arrogant man. If he were not desperate, why would he agree to such an almost impolite request and come to see me in person? His willingness to come means that he has made up his mind and is prepared to pay a huge price."

“Exactly!” Man Gui admired the emperor’s insight, but his worries were even deeper. “Your Majesty, this Ligdan Khan is like a tiger surrounded by a pack of hungry wolves, unruly and untamed. I fear that cooperating with him would be tantamount to asking a tiger for its skin.”

This is Man Gui's concern as a pure soldier. He is direct and frank: forming an alliance with a powerful enemy is already risky, and involving the royal bloodline would introduce too many variables.

"To negotiate with a tiger for its skin?" Zhu Youjian laughed, a laugh that carried a confident air of looking down on the game and subverting tradition. "Manqing, you're wrong. I'm not going to negotiate with a tiger for its skin. I'm going to turn this hungry tiger into my pet tiger!"

He stretched out his finger and pointed heavily on the map, placing it on Liaodong, where the Later Jin dynasty was located.

"Why was Huang Taiji able to continuously subdue the various Mongol tribes? Was it solely through warfare? No!" Zhu Youjian's voice suddenly rose.
"He relied on marriage alliances! He used his sisters and daughters, and the bloodline of the Aisin Gioro family, to form marriage alliances with the Khorchin and the tribes in southern Mongolia, weaving a huge network of interests based on blood ties! Those Mongol princes were not only his allies, but also his brothers-in-law, fathers-in-law, and sons-in-law! This was more reliable than any reward or alliance!"

Zhu Youjian turned around, looking intently at Man Gui, and said, word by word:

"If the Later Jin can use it, why can't our Great Ming? Throughout history, we've always thought of using barbarians to control barbarians, but we've never been able to swallow our pride and let go of our status as the superior nation. We think that marriage alliances are humiliating. How foolish we are!"

"What I need to do today is not to arrange a marriage alliance, but to take control!"

“I have the salt, tea, grain, and ironware he needs to survive; these are my goods. I have your elite Xuanda border army; this is my strength. I can also give him what the entire Mongol tribes dream of—a formal investiture from the Emperor of the Central Plains, recognizing his legal status as the ruler of the southern desert; this is my name.”

"Goods, strength, and reputation—all three are in place!" Zhu Youjian's voice became deep and powerful, filled with an undeniable domineering aura. "And the dowry I desire is his loyalty and the bloodline of his Golden Family!"

"I want the Mongol Golden Family to become the maternal relatives of my Zhu family! I want the blood of my Great Ming to flow in their next generation!"

"If Lin Dan agrees, he will no longer be a besieged hungry tiger, but a member of the Ming Dynasty's royal family! His tribe will receive continuous support, his daughter will become a princess of the Ming Dynasty, and his grandson may become a prince of the Ming Dynasty in the future! I want him to tie the future of the entire Golden Family firmly to the fate of the Ming Dynasty!"

“If he doesn’t agree,” Zhu Youjian smiled, “then I will have no choice but to support a more obedient tribe to become a member of the imperial family. I believe that there will be so many Mongol princes who want to be a member of the Ming imperial family and whose descendants will have the blood of the Ming imperial family that it will keep Ligdan Khan up at night!”

Man Gui was deeply moved, and his blood was almost boiling!
He finally understood the emperor's unfathomable grand scheme.

This is bound to be a monumental undertaking that will change the entire landscape of the grasslands!
Use the enemy's methods, but be more thorough and ruthless than the enemy!

The emperor did not present Ligdan Khan with a choice, but with the only way out!
Just then, Li Ruolian appeared silently at the door again, bowing and reporting:
"Your Majesty, the scouts sent by Governor-General Manchu have reported that Chahar Khan's camp has been set up ten miles outside the city. Ligdan has only brought a hundred guards and is waiting for Your Majesty in the main tent. The rest of the entourage consists of his family members and female relatives, who have been properly settled in accordance with regulations."

The pieces were placed precisely, without the slightest error.

Man Gui's face lit up with extreme excitement as he looked at the emperor, awaiting the final command.

Zhu Youjian stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the deep night outside the window. The end of that darkness seemed to point towards Liaodong, the place where Huang Taiji held sway.

"There's no need to let him into the city." The emperor's voice was calm and authoritative. "Choose an open space outside the city and set up a large tent. I will personally go and meet him."

(End of this chapter)