Jingtai: Making the Ming Dynasty Great Again

Yue Qian has been in the Oirat camp for almost a month.

During that month, he met with Esen more than ten times.

Each time, the topic revolved around the same issue: the conditions for welcoming back Zhu Qizhen.

Esen's demands ranged from initial trade to ransom.

Gradually, it decreased to only wanting some "symbolic gifts," and finally, it was only about "respectability."

Yue Qian's attitude remained consistent: the Ming Dynasty was willing to welcome back the retired emperor, but would not do so in exchange for conditions.

That evening, Yue Qian was reading in his tent when Boyan lifted the curtain and came in.

"Minister Yue, the Grand Tutor requests your presence."

Yue Qian put down his book and followed Boyan toward Esen's tent.

Esen sat in the main seat in the tent, with seven or eight Oirat nobles sitting on either side.

Compared to a month ago, their faces showed less pride and more fatigue.

He spoke first, saying, "Minister Yue, we've talked about this many times."

I've decided to release him, no ransom, nothing at all.

You've seen it here these days, too.

Our tribespeople live in very hardship.

If it weren't for survival, we wouldn't want to go south.

Therefore, we still hope to establish a trade relationship with the Ming Dynasty.

This is good for both sides.

I will also send an envoy to accompany me and formally present the letter of state to the Ming Dynasty.

This demonstrates my sincerity in returning the Emperor Emeritus and my desire for trade.

I hope you can put in a good word for those poor women and children.

Several Oirat nobles looked at each other, and someone wanted to say something but was stopped by Esen raising his hand.

Yue Qian rose and bowed solemnly: "Grand Tutor, you are a man of great wisdom and righteousness. I will certainly report this truthfully to His Majesty upon my return to the capital."

Yesen waved his hand: "Besides, things aren't peaceful on the grasslands. Ara and Toghtobukha's people are watching me."

I can't take responsibility if something happens on the way.

Therefore, I will send an elite cavalry escort to escort you until you reach the Great Wall.

Yue Qian pondered for a moment: "That's excellent."

He then looked at one of the men in the tent and said, "Bater, you take two hundred elite guards to escort them."

Remember, ensure the Emperor Emeritus's safety throughout the journey. If anything goes wrong, I will hold you responsible.

Batel rose and bowed: "Yes, Grand Tutor!"

Esen then said, "Minister Yue, I have another gift for you."

He clapped his hands, and two men who looked like Han Chinese were brought in from outside the tent.

The two men were in their thirties, dressed in fur robes commonly seen on the grasslands, but their demeanor and expressions clearly indicated that they were from the Central Plains.

Yesen said calmly, "These two people came from Ganzhou half a month ago."

They were sent by Wang Jing, the eunuch in charge of the garrison in Gansu.

Wang Jing wants me to send troops to Ganzhou; he's willing to act as an inside agent and surrender the city.

Yue Qian was shocked: "Oh? Is that so?"

"Our tribe is willing to establish friendly relations with the Ming Dynasty, how could we do such a despicable thing?"

These two people are now your responsibility.

This can be considered a small token of my sincerity towards the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty.

Esen looked righteous and indignant, as if he wasn't the one who invaded the Central Plains last year.

Yue Qian bowed deeply: "Grand Tutor, you are so kind. I thank you on behalf of His Majesty."

He nodded first: "That's settled then, we'll set off first thing tomorrow morning."

"If you can bring your retired emperor away sooner, I'll have one less thing to worry about."

The next morning, a team of two hundred Oirat people and one hundred Central Plains people stood ready to depart outside the Oirat camp.

At the very front was a carriage, pulled by four fine horses.

Although the carriage was simple, it was much better than the tent Zhu Qizhen had stayed in before.

Zhu Qizhen stood beside the carriage, wearing a brand-new Mongolian robe.

This was sent by Esen last night.

He gazed southward, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

Yue Qian walked up to him and bowed: "Your Majesty, it's time to depart."

Zhu Qizhen looked at him, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back, and finally just nodded, turned around and got into the carriage.

Batel rode up and asked, "Minister Yue, may we proceed?"

Yue Qian nodded: "Let's go."

The team headed south.

Li Yan, accompanied by a hundred guards, followed closely around the carriage.

Batel's two hundred cavalrymen were divided into two groups, with the front group scouting ahead and the rear group covering the rear.

As Yue Qian rode on his horse, he silently planned out the journey ahead.

The journey from the Oirat camp to Juyong Pass, following the normal route, would take about fifteen days.

The journey involves passing through grasslands, hills, and mountains, and finally crossing the Yuehu Ridge to reach the Great Wall.

He knew what he had to do.

But he knew even more that this matter could not have the slightest flaw.

The group traveled for three days without incident.

The weather on the grassland is gradually warming up, and the grass on the ground is beginning to turn green.

Zhu Qizhen would occasionally get out of the carriage and ride a horse for a while to get some fresh air.

He rarely spoke, but silently looked at the scenery around him, his eyes sometimes empty and sometimes confused.

Li Yan and his guards maintained a safe distance from the Oirat cavalry.

The two sides got along fairly well.

Although Batel's Chinese is not fluent, he has no problem communicating.

Moreover, he was straightforward and had already become familiar with Li Yan in just a few days.

That evening, the team set up camp in a river valley.

Yue Qian sat by the campfire, unfolded a map, and examined it carefully.

This map was given to us by the Ministry of War before our departure, and it marks the main routes and water sources on the grassland.

Batel leaned closer, looked at the map, and said, "Minister Yue, tomorrow... we'll go this way."

He pointed to a route on the map that went southeast.

Yue Qian looked at that route, then pointed to another mountain road leading directly south and asked, "How much shorter is this road?"

Batel thought for a moment: "About three days. But it's dangerous. There's snow on the mountain, and there's a risk of... an avalanche."

As he spoke, he solemnly made a pouring gesture with both hands.

Yue Qian nodded without saying anything.

The group continued their journey early the next morning.

After walking for two hours, a fork in the road appeared ahead.

A road leads southeast, flat and open.

A road leads due south, towards the distant mountains.

Yue Qian reined in his horse and said to Batel, "General Batel, let's take a shortcut."

Batel was taken aback, then shook his head repeatedly: "No, no! The mountain road is dangerous, the snow hasn't melted yet, it could avalanche!"

Yue Qian said, "But taking the shortcut can save three days."

The retired emperor is in poor health; it would be beneficial for him to enter the Great Wall sooner rather than later.

Batel shook his head again: "No, it's too dangerous."

We grassland people all know that we shouldn't travel along mountain paths at this time of year.

Yue Qian looked at Zhu Qizhen's carriage and hesitated.

Just then, the carriage curtain was lifted, and Zhu Qizhen poked his head out: "Minister Yue, what are you talking about?"

Yue Qian rode forward respectfully and said, "Your Majesty, there are two roads ahead."

One is a wide, flat road, but it will take three more days to travel.

One is a secluded path, which can save you three days of walking.

"I am currently discussing with General Batel which route to take."

Zhu Qizhen frowned and looked at the road leading to the mountains.

At the end of that road were continuous mountain ranges.

The mountaintop was covered in snow, which shone brightly in the sunlight.

After a moment of silence, he suddenly asked, "Minister Yue, if we take the main road, how many more days will it take to reach Juyong Pass?"

Yue Qian said, "Your Majesty, at the current speed, it will take about twelve more days to travel by main road."

If you take the back path, you can reach it in less than nine days.

A flicker of longing flashed in Zhu Qizhen's eyes.

Twelve days.

He had been in Oirat for more than seven months, and every day was torture for him.

He couldn't wait to return to Beijing tomorrow, to the palace that belonged to him.