Jingtai: Making the Ming Dynasty Great Again

"Minister Yue will be the chief envoy. As for the deputy envoy, Yang Ming, the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies, will accompany him."

Yang Ming stepped forward, knelt, and said, "Your subject receives the decree."

Bayan watched this scene from the side and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

It doesn't matter who goes, as long as they can go.

As soon as the Ming Dynasty's envoys arrived in Oirat.

The Grand Tutor had a way to force them to agree to his conditions.

After the court assembly, Zhu Qiyu summoned Yue Qian for a private audience.

Zhu Qiyu pointed to the brocade stool beside him: "Minister Yue, please sit."

Yue Qian thanked the emperor and took his seat.

Zhu Qiyu dismissed all the eunuchs in the hall, and even Xing'an was asked to leave.

After a short while, only the emperor and his minister remained in the hall.

Zhu Qiyu looked at Yue Qian: "Minister Yue, there are a few things you need to remember about this mission."

Yue Qian solemnly replied, "Please give your instructions, Your Majesty."

Zhu Qiyu said, "First, do not bring the official letter."

Yue Qian was taken aback: "No official letter? How can you prove that I am an envoy of the Ming Dynasty?"

Zhu Qiyu looked at him and said, "You yourself are the best proof."

The Oirat people knew you, and Esen also knew you.

"The moment you stand there, they'll know you're an envoy from the Ming Dynasty; no official letter is needed."

Yue Qian was silent for a moment, then nodded: "Your subject understands."

Zhu Qiyu continued, "Secondly, do not bring gold, silver, or cloth."

Yue Qian was taken aback again: "No gold or silver? Then... then how do we negotiate terms with Esen?"

Zhu Qiyu said, "I do not intend to agree to any of Esen's conditions."

Once you get there, you only need to do one thing.

Discuss with him the specific details of welcoming back the Emperor Emeritus.

When will they be released, from where will they be released, and who will escort them?

These are all negotiable, but I won't provide any money or trade agreements.

Yue Qian frowned slightly: "Your Majesty, if Esen insists on demanding money and trade before releasing the people, how should I respond?"

Zhu Qiyu looked at him and said, "Then let's talk slowly."

The Oirat people had no fixed abode and migrated everywhere.

If you can't find it after you get there, just keep looking.

If they run out of food on the way, they will return to Datong and Xuanfu to replenish their supplies.

Go look for it again after you've resupplied.

In short, there's no rush, take it slow.

Yue Qian was shocked; he finally understood what Zhu Qiyu meant.

This is to give him time to buy time.

Delay it for as long as possible.

Esen wanted to get the benefits as soon as possible.

But as long as the Ming Dynasty keeps dragging things out.

The tribesmen who had been dragged to Esen began to riot due to lack of food.

They dragged Arazhiyuan and Tuotuobuhua into making more moves on the grasslands.

At that time, it wasn't the Ming Dynasty that was anxious.

Yue Qian bowed deeply: "Your subject understands."

Zhu Qiyu then said, "I have already chosen the guards for you."

If you take them with you, their safety will be guaranteed.

They all served under me in defending the city; they are my trusted confidants.

Zhu Qiyu emphasized the word "confidant".

Yue Qian kowtowed: "Thank you, Your Majesty."

After a moment of silence, Zhu Qiyu spoke up: "Minister Yue, do you know how this dynasty came to be?"

Yue Qian's heart skipped a beat.

How did this dynasty come about?

Emperor Taizu raised an army, drove out the Mongols, and established his rule over the world.

But before that, Emperor Taizu had also welcomed Han Lin'er, the Little Ming King, and honored him as emperor.

later……

What happened later is described in a very subtle way in history books.

In the twelfth year of the Longfeng era, Xiaoming Wang drowned when his boat capsized while crossing the river at Guazhou.

The historical records only mention the two words "drowned".

As for how the boat capsized, no one knows for sure.

Zhu Qiyu looked at him and said, enunciating each word clearly: "If you are to welcome the Emperor Emeritus back this time, you must ensure that the Emperor Emeritus travels safely and peacefully!"

Yue Qian understood that Zhu Qiyu's words "peace and safety" were not meant literally.

The journey is long and arduous, and if something "accident" happens, there's nothing that can be done.

As long as Zhu Qizhen "accidentally" ends up on the road, all the problems will be solved.

No one in the world will blame Zhu Qiyu.

History books will only record that "the Emperor Emeritus met with misfortune on his return journey".

Zhu Qiyu, on the other hand, could sit comfortably on his dragon throne.

He didn't know how to answer for a moment.

Seeing Yue Qian remain silent, Zhu Qiyu spoke up: "Minister Yue, the letter in the Emperor's own handwriting that you brought back last time..."

Zhu Qiyu stopped there.

Upon hearing this, Yue Qian's face paled. He knew perfectly well how the letter had come about, and immediately kowtowed deeply, saying, "Your subject understands."

Zhu Qiyu nodded: "Go ahead, get ready, we'll depart in three days."

Three days later, the chief envoy Yue Qian and the deputy envoy Yang Ming left Beijing with one hundred guards and headed north.

The hundred guards accompanying him were all drawn from the Left Guard of the Golden Guard.

The leader was a commander in his early thirties named Li Yan.

He was the young man who once told Zhu Qiyu, "If Your Majesty orders us to fight to the death, we will fight to the death; if Your Majesty orders us to die, we will die."

Yue Qian sat in the carriage, gazing at the scenery outside through the curtain.

On both sides of the official road were stretches of barren fields.

Last year, the Oirat Mongols invaded, and countless people in the capital region fled, leaving many fields unharvested.

Occasionally, you can see a few people digging in the fields, probably leftovers from last year.

Li Yan rode closer to the carriage: "Minister Yue, Changping is just ahead."

We'll rest in Changping tonight and leave Juyongguan early tomorrow morning.

Yue Qian nodded: "Okay, thank you for your hard work, Commander Li."

Li Yan grinned: "What's so hard about it? It's much better than when we were defending the city."

Yue Qian looked at Li Yan and suddenly asked, "Commander Li, did you defend the city with His Majesty?"

A glint flashed in Li Yan's eyes: "I've fought my way in and out of the Oirat camp three times with His Majesty."

Yue Qian hummed in agreement; he didn't know many military generals.

Moreover, there were people like Li Yan who were temporarily conscripted to the capital.

Yue Qian then asked, "What kind of person do you think His Majesty is?"

Without a second thought, Li Yan said, "He's a good emperor."

Yue Qian was taken aback: "That's it?"

Li Yan nodded: "That's settled."

I'm a roughneck, I don't know how to use fancy words.

All I know is that His Majesty defended the city and fought alongside us.

After the war, the rewards were distributed generously, emptying His Majesty's treasury.

"I would give my life for an emperor like that."

Yue Qian looked at Li Yan, a pang of sadness rising in his heart.

These people were Zhu Qiyu's loyal followers.

Two days later, Yue Qian and his party left Juyong Pass.

Beyond the pass lies a vast and desolate landscape.

The official road was flanked by continuous mountain ranges, covered with thick snow.

Occasionally you can see a few small villages, but most of them are now in ruins.

Those are traces left by the Oirat people when they moved south.

The mission then traveled north via Xuanfu and Datong.

Fifteen days later, the mission arrived at Yehuling outside the Great Wall.

Yefuling was the actual border between the Ming Dynasty and the Oirat Mongols.

Beyond Wild Fox Ridge lies an endless grassland.

Yue Qian reined in his horse on the ridge, gazing at the vast expanse of the northern sky and earth, and a sense of bewilderment suddenly arose in his heart.

The grasslands are so vast, where exactly is Esen's main camp?

After receiving Esen's letter, Zhu Qiyu sent Bayan back.

Even Bayan's request to keep the guide was refused.

I only asked for a general direction.

Yue Qian officially began this "slow and steady search" mission.

He turned his horse around and said to Li Yan behind him, "Pass down the order to set up camp on the spot."

We'll head into the grasslands first thing tomorrow morning.

Li Yan asked with some surprise, "Minister Yue, shouldn't we send someone to scout ahead first?"

Yue Qian shook his head: "No need. The grassland is so big, we can just walk slowly."