Jingtai: Making the Ming Dynasty Great Again

The residence of the Oirat delegation in the north courtyard of the Huitongguan.

Batu was sitting in the room warming himself by the fire.

Snowflakes were falling outside the window, and a charcoal brazier was burning inside, so it wasn't too cold.

But his face was frosty, and he cursed bitterly, "That Ara, that treacherous lackey!"

He cursed angrily, then picked up his teacup and took a big gulp.

At the same time, I thought to myself, "It's so nice inside the Great Wall."

The attendant whispered from the side, "My lord, the people of Araji are living in the South Courtyard."

We see each other every day; this can't go on."

Batu sneered, "So what if we ran into each other? If it weren't for the Ming officials stopping us, I would have killed them long ago."

The attendants dared not speak again.

Batu put down his teacup and gazed out the window, lost in thought.

He has been in the capital for eight days.

He submitted his credentials and waited for a reply over eight days.

The people from the Court of State Ceremonial were very polite, arranging food and lodging, but they didn't mention anything important.

He asked several times when he could meet the Ming Emperor.

The officials of the Court of State Ceremonial always replied, "Your Excellency, please be patient. His Majesty will summon you after the New Year's Day court audience."

He then asked, "What about the matter of sending him back to the Emperor Emeritus?"

The official from the Court of State Ceremonial replied, "This matter requires discussion between the ministers and the Emperor. The envoy will simply wait."

Waiting, waiting, how long must we wait?

Batu was anxious but dared not show it.

The Grand Tutor sent him to stabilize the Ming Dynasty and strive for trade.

While we're at it, let's also sound out what the new emperor has to say.

If he messes it up, he won't be able to explain it back home.

But to his surprise, people from Arachiin were also there.

That treacherous slave even sent an envoy to pay homage.

Prince Shunyi?

Pooh!

Does Arak even deserve to be called king?

Batu was filled with resentment when he suddenly heard a commotion outside.

He stood up: "What happened?"

The attendant pushed open the door to take a look, and quickly returned: "Sir, it's the South Courtyard."

The people of Arazhi Temple were roasting a whole lamb in the courtyard, and the aroma wafted over.

Some people in the North Campus smelled it and were very unhappy.

Batu frowned: "A whole roasted lamb?"

The attendant nodded: "Yes, they seem to be celebrating something."

I heard that the eldest son of the Prince of Shunyi had a son recently, and they are celebrating here.

Batu's face darkened.

Arajiin's eldest son had a son a few months ago.

What's the point of celebrating now?

Moreover, this is in the capital of the Ming Dynasty, not on the grasslands. How dare they celebrate so openly?

Just as Batu was about to speak, he suddenly heard an even louder commotion outside, mixed with a few angry curses.

"not good!"

Batu's expression changed, and he pushed open the door and rushed out.

Two groups of people were facing off on the snow in the courtyard.

On one side were the Oirat people of the North Courtyard, and on the other side were the Ara people of the South Courtyard.

Both men held knives, their eyes wide with disbelief, and they hurled insults at the court officials of the Court of State Ceremonial, words they couldn't understand.

Batu rushed forward and shouted, "Stop!"

A middle-aged man rushed out from the south courtyard; he was Bayan, the envoy of the Arazhi Court.

The two ran to the opposing crowd almost simultaneously, each blocking their own people.

Batu shouted sternly, "Everyone, stand back!"

Bayan shouted the same thing on the other side.

The two groups of people slowly retreated, but they still did not put down their knives.

Batu glared at Bayan, his eyes blazing with anger: "Bayan, what do you mean? Are you trying to cause trouble in the capital and make a fool of yourself in front of the Ming people?"

Bayan sneered: "Batu, stop spouting nonsense."

Is it my people causing trouble?

"It must have been your people who started the insults; only then did my people retaliate."

Batu's face turned ashen, but he couldn't utter a word of rebuttal.

He knew that his people would indeed start by hurling insults.

Because in their view, Arazhiyuan's betrayal of Esen Taishi was that of a treacherous slave.

Both Toghtogbuhua and Arazhiyuan suffered very little loss during this southward expedition.

If Araji could support them during their retreat from Beijing.

Esen's tribe would not have suffered heavy casualties.

They could also bring back a considerable amount of looted goods and people.

What upset the Esen tribe the most was that Arazhiyuan had reached a trade agreement with the Ming Dynasty.

This is something many grassland people have always dreamed of.

By opening up trade markets, cattle and sheep can be exchanged for sufficient grain, cloth, and medicinal herbs.

But Batu couldn't admit that it was his own people's fault. He lowered his voice and said, "No matter who started the insults, drawing a knife in the capital is tantamount to courting death."

You think this is a grassland?

The Ming Dynasty's Embroidered Uniform Guard was watching from outside.

If we really start fighting, we'll be driven out of the capital tomorrow.

How are you going to explain this to Arajiin when you get back?

Boyan's expression also changed slightly.

He knew, of course, that Batu was telling the truth.

Arachika sent him to consolidate the results of the peace negotiations and to win the support of the Ming Dynasty.

If he causes trouble in the capital and ruins the peace negotiations, he will have no way to explain himself back home.

After a moment of staring at each other, the two men simultaneously turned and ordered their men, "Put away your knives! Go back inside!"

The two groups reluctantly put away their knives and retreated back to their respective courtyards.

Batu turned to leave, but Bayan suddenly called out to him, "Batu, wait."

Batu turned around and looked at him coldly.

Bayan stepped forward and lowered his voice, saying, "Batu, I know you hate me."

But we are all guests in the capital.

The people of the Ming Dynasty are waiting to see us make a fool of ourselves.

"Let's call it a day for now and settle things when we get back."

After a moment of silence, Batu said coldly, "Boyan, do you think I'll still believe you?"

Bayan snorted, "Believe it or not, I just don't want the Ming people to laugh at me."

After saying that, he turned and walked back to the South Courtyard.

Batu watched his retreating figure, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes.

There was hatred, but also envy.

In the distance, in the duty room of the meeting hall, two men in plain clothes were watching this scene through the window.

One of them whispered, "Write this down: the two Oirat envoys were locked in a standoff and almost came to blows, but were stopped by their respective leaders."

The other person nodded and quickly made notes on the paper.

However, the atmosphere was completely different in a superior room in the South Courtyard.

The envoy of the Uriyangkhai Three Guards, Tuohuoqi, sat cross-legged on the kang (a heated brick bed).

A small table was placed in front of them, with several plates of snacks and a pot of hot tea on it.

Two envoys sat beside him, and the three of them were leisurely drinking tea and chatting.

Tuohuochi asked with a smile, "I heard there's been some trouble at the North Campus?"

One of the envoys nodded: "Yes, Esen's men and Arak's men almost came to blows."

Tuohuochi laughed heartily: "Good, good, let them make a scene, the more they make a scene, the better. We'll just watch the show."

They were already very familiar with the process of going to the capital to offer congratulations.

During the Hongwu era, Emperor Taizu of Ming established the three guards of Duoyan, Taining, and Fuyu.

The Uriyangkhai had always maintained good relations with the Ming Dynasty.

Later, when Zhu Di was in charge of the Jingnan Campaign, the Uriyangkhai sent several thousand cavalrymen to assist him.

However, later, with the rise of other grassland tribes...

First Arughtai, then the Oirats.

And some "unethical" behaviors of the Ming Dynasty during the Yongle era.

The Uriyangkhai were gradually coerced into invading the Ming Dynasty's borders several times.

However, even in the case of fierce fighting between the two sides.

The Uriyangkhai would send delegations to the capital to pay tribute almost every year.

This was all in order to maintain that "ruler-subject" relationship and facilitate trade during peacetime.