Chapter 92: Narrow Road of Enemies

  The guard reported and went in to call him to see immediately. Ren Ri Shang quickly walked into the room, saluted with military courtesy, and loudly reported his identity to Commander-in-Chief.

  In the room, a brazier was set up, and two people were sitting beside it, warming themselves by the fire and chatting. Both of them wore ordinary clothes, one about fifty years old, with a large face, big ears, thick eyebrows, and a wide mouth. Between his eyebrows, there was an air of majesty, although his hair had turned white, but his gaze still exuded an aura of authority that made people forget his age, only his fierce and powerful demeanor remained.

  One day, he recognized him as Han Meng, the Commander of the Metropolitan Commandery of Beiping.

  Next to him sat another person, looking very young, no more than thirty-five or six years old. He was chatting with Commander Han, sitting opposite each other. It's unknown what his identity is. This man had a strong and masculine build, with sharp facial features, pursed lips that showed determination, a straight nose bridge, and bronze-colored skin. A beautiful beard grew under his chin. He was staring down at the charcoal fire, looking calm, but when Dayong first came in, he glanced up lightly, and that one glance was extremely cold and intimidating.

  "What's the matter?"

  He glanced at the middle-aged man, wanting to speak but hesitating. Han Zhi pointed and smiled, saying with a smile: "No need to be reserved, public or private matters, can be spoken directly."

  Renri Shang Xindao said, "It turns out that person is the confidant of General Han. He then carefully recounted the conversation between him and Xia Jun and Gao Sheng to Renri, finally saying: 'With over a hundred carts of goods, even Governor Qian may find it difficult to make a decision. This matter still requires General Han's judgment.'"

  Han Yi's face turned extremely ugly after hearing this, he wanted to show closeness in front of that person, but never thought that what came out of Ren Ri's mouth was such an embarrassing thing. It is illegal, it is hidden under the formal rules, it is a tacit understanding, a common practice, but it is precisely not something that can be put on the table.

  That person smiled lightly, although no laughter was heard, Ren Rishang clearly felt that he had smiled, but when he looked up to see him, the man was still stirring the charcoal fire as if nothing had happened.

  "Alright, I know. You... go down first, this matter... I'll give you an answer later."

  Just as he was about to leave, Han Yi suddenly stood up and turned around, running down in front of the middle-aged man and knocking his head anxiously: "Your Majesty, I am guilty."

  In this place of Beiping, apart from the King of Yan, could there be a second prince? It turned out that this vigorous middle-aged man was actually Zhu Di, the King of Yan.

  "Heh heh, Yizhi, get up." Zhu Di put down the poker and smiled as he helped Han Zichu up.

  "I've long since heard about these things, no big deal, who cares, the truth is the truth, but if everything follows the truth, then nothing can be done. As long as it's beneficial to the country and the people, even if it slightly violates the grand principles, that's okay."

  Zhu Di patted Han Yi's shoulder, comforting his unease. He walked slowly with his hands behind his back and said: "When our great Ming dynasty was first established, my father the emperor also thought of displaying military might beyond the borders, gathering all the leaders of the various tribes in the grasslands and bringing the vast steppes under control. This is the fundamental solution to the repeated southern invasions by those scattered remnants in the grasslands. But it's not feasible. Even with the abilities of Han Wu or Tang Taizong, it can't be done."

  He raised his hand and pointed to the north, saying loudly: "That grassland is too vast, its territory is no less than that of the Central Plains. The land is either a grassland or a desert, with a sparse population, neither cities nor passes. Those who ride horses are cunning, they can fight if they can, and avoid if they cannot. If you send out 100,000 troops, you need to nourish them with one million civilians. If you send out one million troops, the entire country will be exhausted. And even if this army of one million is thrown into the vast grassland, it's just a drop in the ocean, and can't accomplish much."

  Ten years ago, Blue Jade thoroughly disintegrated the prestige of the Northern Yuan court in the Battle of Fishing Child Sea. The Golden Family lost its supreme position in the Northern Yuan court. Many large tribes no longer recognized the supreme ruling power of Genghis Khan's Golden Family Toregene lineage on the grasslands. They successively declared independence and began a continuous internal strife. Ah, this is exactly what we want to see."

  Zhu Di walked back in big strides, sat down beside the brazier, and used tongs to pick up several pieces of charcoal and place them on the ground. He said, "Old Han, look at this. For years, my father has been using what strategy? Unable to occupy, my father immediately changed his method - restraint. From an external perspective, my father's military campaigns against the Jurchen forces in the northeast, then conquered the territory of eastern Mongolia, setting up garrisons there, cutting off the Northern Yuan's connections with Korea and the Jurchens, surrounding and suppressing them from three sides: east, west, and south.

  From within the Northern Yuan court, my father the emperor adopted a policy of drawing in some and defeating others. For those who could be won over, he sent envoys to issue proclamations calling on them to submit wholeheartedly. Those who were willing to come over, the emperor would restore their former territories, allowing them to engage in agriculture and sericulture, with no distinction between Chinese and barbarians.

  "For those elm-headed fools who have made up their minds to be enemies of our great Ming, we'll just let them continue to fight among themselves. Only when they want to join forces will my father, the emperor, strike with a heavy fist and scatter them again, letting them remain a handful of loose sand. How clever! It's only by doing so that we can maintain a balance of power."

  Zhu Di's words can be said to have summarized the evolution and development of Zhu Yuanzhang's military strategy against the Northern Yuan from the early days of the country to recent years. In fact, after several battles with the Northern Yuan armed forces, including the great victory of Lan Yu's direct attack on Buryatia (Lake Baikal) ten years ago, the ruling class of the Ming Dynasty had already realized that it was impossible to completely occupy and rule the grasslands, and the remaining forces of the Northern Yuan were still very strong at that time.

  At the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, the remaining forces of the Northern Yuan were not weak. The reason why they gave people a very weak impression was that the military strength of the Han army in the early Ming Dynasty was too strong, and the Northern Yuan had more defeats than victories. When the Jingnan campaign took place during the war in the Central Plains, they were busy fighting each other, vying for control of the grasslands, and had no time to look south. As a result, it seemed that the power of the Northern Yuan at the beginning of the Ming Dynasty was already non-existent and had no ability to invade the south, which further strengthened this feeling in the minds of later generations. In fact, this was not the case.

  In fact, just two years after the Jingnan campaign, the remaining forces of the Northern Yuan split into two countries, one was the Tatars and the other was the Oyirad. Those familiar with history know that either of these countries had brought enormous threats to the Ming dynasty. And any of these forces, only half of the remaining forces of the Northern Yuan after the split, this half of the power gathered together no longer fought each other, its power was already so astonishing.

  Here is the translation:

  At this point, Zhu Di smiled slightly and stretched out his boots to crush the few extinguished charcoal on the ground. He said: "These small tribes along the border do not have the ability to be our enemies, nor do they want to be our enemies. Don't push them to desperation, a desperate rabbit will still bite people. Give them some benefits appropriately, and they won't go crazy, also allowing other tribes to retain illusions.

  "These smuggling transactions, while having drawbacks, are not entirely without benefits. If we give them a way out and ease up on them, they won't resort to desperate measures or venture into opening new smuggling channels that the imperial court can't control. Haven't civilian transactions between our borders always continued regardless of whether nations were friendly or hostile? I think it's better to guide than to prohibit, better to relax than to restrict. If the Northern Yuan imperial court is willing to submit to my father the emperor, he would have opened up border trade long ago. They refuse to yield, and my father can't lose face either."

  Zhu Dian's heartfelt words made Han Zhi thoroughly put down his worries, and he smiled and said: "Your Highness is wise, Your Highness is wise. Moreover, since we are not opening the market now, forcing them to secretly trade, in this way, the benefits we get seem... even more than what we 'give' them."

  "Hey, watch it! You think you can just barge in here and get away with it? Breaking the law is breaking the law, no matter what. And now you've gone and done it right in front of me. What do you plan to do about it?"

  Han Yi smiled and said: "I was just asking King Wang for advice, I think that the goods of over a hundred carts... are indeed astonishing in quantity, don't you think..."

  Zhu Dian knew that Han Yi was cunning and treacherous. Since he already knew about this matter, he didn't want to stand by and do nothing, but he also didn't expose him directly. After a moment of hesitation, he waved his hand and said: "It's not a big deal, you tell Guan Shang to carefully investigate, as long as it's really just some fur and animal tendons, even if there are one hundred carts, one thousand carts or ten thousand carts, we can let them in. No matter how many they have, our great Ming dynasty can handle it."

  What's to fear if only a few dozen sturdy men come, as long as they don't carry any weapons? If you can accomplish something with just dozens of people, what's the point of having gates? They can still climb over mountains and cross rivers to get here.

  "Yes, yes, I understand." Han Yi followed behind Zhu Di's buttocks, saying in a flattering tone.

  Zhu Dian stood up straight and said, "However... to swallow over a hundred pieces of animal hide and tendon in one breath, what a big deal! What kind of identity does this buyer have? You should investigate, if it's for civilian use then there's no problem, but if it's some evil cult or wicked person, we can take the opportunity to catch them all at once."

  "Yes, yes, yes, I will certainly comply"

  That day, the Xie family set up a banquet table again. Compared to the scale of entertaining the sesame seed cake girl that day, it was slightly simpler, but for people like Xia Fu and Xi Menqing who had seen the world, it was already extremely rich.

  Apart from Xie Chuanzhong, Xia Bian and Xi Menqing, the guests also included Shen Jia, the deputy commander of the border town of Lubu, as well as Ren Ri Shang, who had met with Xia Bian and Xi Menqing before. A dozen or so girls sat or stood in front of six screens, playing musical instruments in harmony, singing softly to help them enjoy their wine.

  The dishes are too exquisite, but they don't quite suit the taste of the two border generals. However, this is the first time the two have met in such a grand setting. Luxury and pomp are a kind of momentum, a kind of aura that showcases the host's power. Even if someone has something to ask of you or holds a higher position than you, they will unconsciously feel a sense of reverence in this atmosphere.

  Xie Lao Cai didn't know how to use his power to oppress others, he just had a self-abased and eager-to-show-off mentality of a nouveau riche, intentionally creating an atmosphere of luxury, fearing that others would look down on him, unexpectedly making the two military generals who were used to killing people feel somewhat constrained.

  Xie Chuanzhong already knew that Xia Jiu was doing business for someone else, and he didn't dare to underestimate him as before. Although Xia Jiu had bought a lot of goods this time, he usually wouldn't bother to show up in person, but this time he personally hosted a banquet at his mansion to bring the two parties together.

  In fact, border officials privately trading or condoning trade have existed since ancient times and have never been interrupted. Geographically speaking, the settled people on both sides of the border are closest to each other and have the most contact. As the saying goes, "distant relatives are not as good as close neighbors", they have lived next to each other for generations, and the division caused by the affiliation of the regime cannot completely block their exchanges.

  And not to mention that countries are at war or in a state of tension all the time, they also need to open border markets for trade. Even during wartime, most of the reasons were due to political needs of both central governments, and even if one side had bandits attacking the border, its members were not the common people of these small villages along the border. So, whether at war or not, both sides often secretly helped each other out in times of need. Whether you fight or don't fight, isn't the ultimate goal just to survive?

  Gradually, some soldiers also saw the benefits and joined in private transactions. From Qin to Han to Tang to Song, historical records of border soldiers secretly setting up stalls at the border crossings to trade with civilians on the other side have been numerous.

  Gradually, some border generals found that there were benefits to be gained from this, and it was better to relax the rules than to try to stop them. Rather than allowing soldiers to participate in trade and thus undermining military discipline, they might as well "collect taxes at the pass", taking a cut directly from merchants, as long as the goods being traded were not strategic materials. As a result, unofficial civilian trade existed in almost every pass during peacetime. Many high-ranking generals also gradually became aware of or even participated in this practice.

  When Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhang Shicheng were competing for the world, Xie Zaixing, a brave general under Zhu Yuanzhang's command, had sent someone to do business on Zhang Shicheng's turf. This matter was reported to Zhu Yuanzhang, and the incident spread. Zhu Yuanzhang, who usually used severe laws, only executed the two subordinates who did business on suspicion of leaking military secrets and demoted Xie Zaixing's official position.

  Cutting off a person's financial resources is like killing their parents. As long as it doesn't violate any fundamental principles, the higher-ups usually turn a blind eye. However, someone like Xia Zhen buying such a large quantity of supplies at once was unprecedented, so the guards couldn't help but be cautious. Ren Ri Shang knew that Qian Hu Da Ren couldn't make decisions about such a large amount of goods, so he directly went to find their ultimate backer: Han Zhi Hui Shi to discuss countermeasures. Unexpectedly, Yan Wang happened to be present.

  Now they have received the instructions of Han Yi, the commander-in-chief, and it has happened that Xie Chuanzhong has made a good start. As soon as Xie Chuanzhong opened the wine party and sent gifts, he didn't say a few words, Shen, the vice captain, agreed to it in one mouthful, which made Xie Lao's face very big. Xie Lao felt that he had increased his prestige in both aspects, and with joy, he only served good wine and dishes, and the three parties ate extremely happily.

  After the banquet, Xie Lao Cai was still in high spirits and took them to his garden, which he had built with a large sum of money, for a stroll. Only then did he send them off. The group walked out of the mansion chatting and laughing, just as they reached the front gate, they met several women from the Xie family who were entering from outside.

  Several maidservants were surrounding several madams and young ladies, all of whom were wearing expensive sable coats, with gray squirrel fur capes draped over them, and white fox-fur collars around their necks, each one looking majestic and elegant, exuding an aura of wealth and nobility.

  The same dress worn on different people, the feeling is naturally different. Among them, a woman wearing the same outfit, at first glance, is tall and slender, with a gentle and elegant demeanor, refined and elegant, with a subtle and charming beauty, like a lone wild goose in the mist, with a beauty that stands out from the crowd.

  Xia Liu's eyes widened as she stared: "Shao Bing Girl?"

  The pancake girl was chatting and laughing with someone, when she suddenly caught sight of him, her face turned pale...

  Appendix: About Zhu Di's speech, because he was very young when he arrived in Beiping and fought alongside the generals on the battlefield, his accent became very northern. I once thought about whether to imitate his real way of speaking, even if it wasn't very similar, but could capture the spirit. However, this would be difficult to write and would require me to constantly pay attention to the consistency of the language, and secondly, it might overturn everyone's original impression of Zhu Di.

  After careful consideration, I decided to write his image truthfully, so that everyone can feel the true image of this historical figure. So I used some of his real speech styles. In fact, Zhu Di's real speech is even more rustic than in the text, not because he lacked knowledge, but because he spoke like that in everyday life.

  Here is the translation:

  Below is a decree that has not been revised too much by the university scholars, which is more in line with Zhu Di's original tone. This is a decree issued by Zhu Di to the leader of a tribe in Tibet named Bilie Abao after he ascended to the throne. Please enjoy it together with fellow book lovers:

  The Emperor, by the command of Heaven, decrees: In our western territories, the various tribes of the Western Regions have been in close proximity to us. Only the Bilikai tribe has, since the time of my imperial father and grandfather, come to offer tribute, which is a very good thing.

  Now I have taken the great position, and you, Abubukhan's son, are ending. Don't forget my great ancestor, the high emperor's kindness and virtue, knowing the heavenly way, so I sent nephew Abubukhan to come to Beijing to pay tribute, very sincere. I see this good intention, so I will make Biliqianhu (a title) rise to become a Wei (a military position).

  The Secretary then carefully wrote down my words and went back, promoting him to the position of Mingwei General and Deputy Commander of the Imperial Guard. His descendants will serve as officials forever. The Western Tribes will be under his control. If there are those who do not obey, they will be punished according to the law. You, the Military Secretary, must not be negligent in carrying out this order. Sealed with the imperial seal on the fifth day of the fifth month of the first year of Yongle (1403).

  A new week has begun, friends who have monthly tickets and recommendation tickets in their hands should hurry up and cast them, otherwise I will use the law to punish him, don't be lazy.