Inside the tent, the desolate notes of the horse head zither continued. A tall camel was lying in the middle of the tent, surrounded by several shepherds. Some were gently stroking the camel's head, some were softly singing. The young prince Yin Qi squatted at the side, rubbing the mother camel's nipple. The song never stopped, and her hands never stopped.
Next to her knees, in front of her knees, was a young camel that had just been born. The young camel was thin and weak. It looked at the mother camel with adoring and timid eyes, but did not dare to come closer.
The chief of this tribe, Sa Ren Geri, was a distant uncle of Yin Qi. In order to convince the chief of Steadfast Garrison, Aguda Mu, to prevent disloyalty, Yin Qi had just personally visited Steadfast Garrison. On her way back, she passed by here and came to visit her uncle.
A mother camel from her uncle's family had just given birth to a young camel. Usually, camels were born most often in spring, but this camel had given birth when winter had just arrived. Due to the great pain caused by the difficult labor, after giving birth, it refused to feed the young camel milk. When the young camel came closer, it would be kicked and bitten away. The poor young camel was extremely thin and weak. If this continued, it would not survive the winter.
According to traditional customs in the desert, the shepherds had to play songs for the mother camel, knead her nipple, and soothe her emotions. They would sing until she was willing to allow the young camel to come closer. Yin Qi saw that the young camel was pitiful, so she volunteered to accompany her uncle in performing this ritual. This ritual could not be stopped midway, otherwise all previous efforts would be wasted, and the young camel would no longer receive its mother's approval.
This was the territory of Steadfast Garrison. From various signs, Aguda Mu of Steadfast Garrison had not thrown his lot in with Bayan Mengke. It was just that he had the intention of amassing troops and gaining benefits from both sides. And Bayan Mengke was more than happy to have one less strong enemy. Out of this tacit understanding, on the grasslands where the smoke of war was everywhere, the two sides would strictly restrict their subordinates to avoid conflict, so it could not be Bayan Mengke's men.
Boyan's army would not appear here, and Yin Qi had not thought of the White Uniform Army that had escaped from the Central Plains, so when she heard the sound of galloping horses outside the tent, she did not take it to heart. Now that she heard it was the Horse Gang, she was even more relieved. With her one thousand two hundred brave guards, which Horse Gang troop would dare to offend her?
The leader of the imperial bodyguards said anxiously, "Your Highness, there are a lot of horse bandits. I estimate that there are about one thousand and eight hundred of them. If it's not a few groups of horse bandits joining hands, then it must be the White Coat Army of the Central Plains. Your Highness is of noble status, so you can't take the risk. Please leave with your subordinates."
Yin Qi's distant uncle, Sa Ren Geri, became very nervous when he heard this. He hurriedly said to Yin Qi, "Your Highness, please leave quickly."
Yin Qi was also secretly surprised, but she still said, "Don't panic, continue. Even if it wasn't for this poor camel, I can't just leave like this and let you be robbed by the Horse Gang!"
At this moment, another imperial bodyguard barged into the tent. He placed his hand on his chest and saluted, saying, "Your Highness, the two groups of people outside don't seem to be from the same group. The group of nearly one thousand people didn't attack us. Instead, they helped us to deal with the Horse Gang attacking the tribe. Now, that group of Horse Gang is about to be annihilated."
Yin Qi was overjoyed. While rubbing the camel's nipple, she happily said, "Very good, annihilate the Horse Gang. Invite that righteous tribe leader to come see me. Benwang wants to reward him. He should be Aguda's subordinate, right?"
Red Lady's troops and Yin Qi's imperial bodyguards were the most outstanding warriors of the prairie. Even though that group of Horse Gang was not afraid of death, in terms of combat power, they were not on the same level. After being slaughtered by the two groups of strong soldiers, this group of originally very powerful Horse Gang fled after leaving behind less than half of their corpses.
Yin Qi's imperial bodyguard captain Ba Gen signaled his vigilant subordinates to put down their swords and spears. Then with a smile, he welcomed Cui Ying 'er, who had been sitting upright on the horse and did not take a step closer. He placed his hand on his chest and saluted, "Hello, honorable friend. Our leader invites you to enter the tent. He wants to express his gratitude for your help in person."
He spoke in Mongolian. Red Lady couldn't understand him at all. Fortunately, in order to negotiate with Bayan, Red Lady brought a few newly subdued Mongolian subordinates with her. These Mongolians had been looking for a living near the Han Imperial Guard Station all year round. They were all proficient in both Mongolian and Chinese languages. They immediately whispered a few words to Red Lady. Red Lady was somewhat baffled, "Who exactly is in this tent? He has such a big attitude, but he still hasn't shown himself. "She thought for a moment before smiling faintly and dismounting from the horse.
Ba Gen saw that she was listening to someone's translation and looking at her appearance, he guessed that she was a Han. Seeing that she was still following him alone without any fear, he couldn't help but reveal a look of admiration. Walking to the front of the tent, he lifted the curtain and respectfully said, "Honorable guest, please enter!"
Cui Ying 'er strode into the tent and was startled when she saw the situation in the tent. Yin Qi turned around and looked at her. Although the man who entered the tent was also dressed in Mongolian attire, he had delicate features. There was no such handsome young man on the grassland. She couldn't help but turn her eyes in astonishment.
"This is …?" Cui Ying 'er doubtfully asked the imperial bodyguard captain Ba Gen.
Ba Gen changed to Chinese and quickly explained to her. Only then did Cui Ying 'er feel relieved. Ba Gen waved his hand and said, "Please sit first. Our leader will see you soon."
He gave her the seat in the middle of the yurt. That was the place where only the master or the most distinguished guest could sit. Cui Ying 'er knew a little about these etiquettes. She smiled slightly and didn't walk to the front. Instead, she walked to the tables on the right. According to the customs of the Mongolian people, men were on the right and women were on the left.
Red Lady sat down cross-legged behind a few tables and smiled as she watched them sing, play the zither, and knead their nipples around the camel. Under the gaze of that pair of bright and sharp eyes, Yin Qi felt as if she had nowhere to hide, but her pair of eyes uncontrollably kept sneaking glances at Red Lady.
Red Lady also noticed the beautiful little girl peeping at her. She was wearing a dark blue fur robe with lace on the right side. She had a high collar and long sleeves, a belt of the same color, and a small scimitar inlaid with gems. Her hair was parted from the front to the middle and tied into two roots. There were two big round beads on the roots and her hair was slightly drooping, decorated with agate, coral, jasper and other decorations.
She was dressed very delicately. When she glanced over, her pair of bright and beautiful eyes were like the two brightest gems in this string of expensive jewelry. From time to time, her peeking gaze was like the gems emitting sparks. Red Lady couldn't help but smile at her amiably. Unexpectedly, this smile made Yin Qi jump in fright. She lowered her head and didn't dare to raise it again, only revealing a blushing face.
Red Lady noticed that the boots she was wearing were also decorated with apricot flowers, mountain pills, Buddha's hand and other patterns. They were extremely exquisite and expensive, not like the clothes that such a small tribe could afford to wear. However, she still didn't realize that this young girl was the leader that the thousand strong warriors were talking about. Her gaze began to fall on the oldest old man, Yin Qi's distant uncle.
The singing and the sound of the zither never stopped. The mother camel gradually closed her eyes in comfort. Yin Qi patted the neck of the little camel. The little camel, who was already hungry, hesitated for a moment, then timidly leaned over. When its mouth grabbed the teat, the mother camel's body moved a little, then it quietly stopped moving. A burst of joyful laughter came from the tent. They had succeeded.
Red Lady quietly watched this scene. Her face couldn't help but reveal a peaceful and happy smile. As a mother, seeing such a scene, how could she not be happy from the bottom of her heart?
Yin Qi wishfully thought that Red Lady's moved gaze was' fervent '. She thought that Red Lady's gaze, which was staring at the hungry little camel, was staring at her. She was both shy and somewhat annoyed by his' presumptuous' behavior.
Sa Ren Geri stood up and saluted with a smile: "Hello, honorable friend. Thank you for helping my tribesmen drive away the wolf-like enemies."
When Red Lady heard this, she was even more certain that he was the leader of the powerful armed forces. She stood up and politely said with a smile: "You don't have to be so polite. If I didn't happen to pass by and arouse the vigilance of your subordinates, that group of horse bandits could easily be eliminated by your heroic subordinates."
It was not convenient for Yin Qi to easily expose her identity here. Red Lady mistakenly identified her uncle as her master guard, which was exactly what she wanted. She smiled and interrupted: "This is my uncle Sa Ren Geri. Are you a Han? I heard that your guards are also very powerful. With such a powerful Han … Are you an officer of Ming Destiny's Imperial Guards? "
"No! I am the leader of the White Clothes Army who escaped from the Central Plains. My name is Yang Ying! "
Yin Qi and her subordinates were shocked. Red Lady glanced around and saw that Ba Gen, the leader of the imperial guards, was nervously clenching the hilt of his sword. She faintly smiled and said: "You don't have to be afraid. Although my men often plunder, they do so in order to survive in the prairie. Since I have saved you from the horse bandits, I won't have any ideas about you."
"Moreover …" Red Lady gently smiled and flattered: "Leader Sa Ren Geri, with the powerful strength of your guards, I dare not have any ideas about you."
Yang Ying, the most powerful leader of the horse bandits who had just entered the prairie, should actually be called a powerful armed force, because the scale of his force could no longer be described as horse bandits. In fact, in addition to having fixed territories and tribes, the behavior of the several overlords of the prairie was no different from that of Yang Ying's men.
For the tribes of the prairie who were used to the law of the jungle but were not used to distinguishing between friend and foe by good and evil, Yin Qi and Sa Ren Geri were only surprised and wary of Yang Ying, who had such a powerful force, but they could not be said to hate him.
Red Lady saw that they were wary of her and said with a smile: "I just passed by this place and helped you because I was happy. I don't need you to thank me. It is fate that we met today. I want to survive in the prairie, so I am willing to make a few friends instead of making enemies everywhere. I hope that the next time we meet, we will be friends and not enemies. "
She cupped her fists and bowed, then turned around and left. Although her valiant and heroic bearing was different from the heroes of the prairie, it had a unique charm. Queen Yin Qi's heart moved. She suddenly chased after her and said: "Brother Yang, please wait."
Red Lady stopped and looked at her in astonishment. Little Yinqi caught up to them, took off her sword and handed it over to Red Lady. Then, she bit her lips and said with a red face: "Today, it is all thanks to you for helping us. I will give you this sword. If one day you need help, you can come here to look for my uncle. We are willing to be your friends."
Red Lady thought for a moment and laughed heartily. She knew that people of the prairie liked to exchange gifts when making friends. Seeing that the curved sword given by the other party was extremely expensive just from the jewels inlaid on it, she generously took it and inserted it into her belt. Then she untied her sword and offered it with both hands: "Good! I accept your gift. This is my sword. I will give it to you. "
Yin Qi happily grabbed the sword. Red Lady looked at her and then looked at Sa Ren Geri behind her who seemed to want to say something but hesitated. Then she strode towards her own people. Feng Lei and the others unsheathed their swords and nocked their bows. They were nervously waiting for her to come out. Seeing that she appeared safely, they felt relieved and put away their weapons.
Red Lady stretched out her hand and patted the saddle. She suddenly soared into the air and lightly landed on the back of the horse. Her movement was very agile. Then she shook the reins, cupped her hands towards Yin Qi and the others who were standing beside the tent, and took the lead to leave.
Yin Qi curved her eyes and smiled as she watched her lead her troops away. Her eyes were full of admiration. Seeing that his army had gone far away, Sa Ren Geri said: "Your Highness, that treasured sword was given to you by the old prince for your fifteenth birthday. How can you give it to an outsider so casually?"
Yin Qi smiled and shook her head. She slyly said: "Uncle, a saber or a powerful friend, which do you think is more precious?"
When Ba Gen heard this, he interrupted: "Ah! Does Your Highness want to take the White Horse Bandits for your own use? This subordinate has just seen their martial strength. These White Horse Bandits' horsemanship and archery skills are very outstanding. Although they are slightly inferior to our warriors of the prairie, when it comes to close combat, their kung fu with swords, spears and halberds is much better than our warriors. If we can take in such a powerful force, our Duoyan Guards will no longer be afraid of Bayan. I believe that Great Leader Aguda Mu will also not dare to have any disloyalty towards Your Highness. "
Yin Qi shook her head, her eyebrows unexpectedly shrouded with a trace of worry: "Aguda Mu is two-faced, mainly because Uncle Bai Yin is now in command of the Duoyan Guards, and he is not willing to submit to Uncle Bai Yin. As for the White Horse Bandits, I hope to maintain a good relationship with them, but I can't blatantly take them in. After all … we need more help from Ming Destiny, so we can't take in their criminals. "
This clever little girl now also knew that she had to balance all the forces, including subordinates, allies, and enemies so that she could have a foothold. Although she was still young, as the leader of a clan and the queen of the Duoyan Guards, she had to bear this responsibility.
Now she had to improve her relationship with all possible forces. For her, there were far more internal and external troubles. Uncle Bai Yin, who was once loyal to her father, gradually began to have ambitions after taking control of the Duoyan Guards.
This was not the first time Bai Yin had privately asked her to marry his son. His tone was tougher and his attitude more urgent. Yin Qi knew that he wanted her to become his daughter-in-law, and then use this relationship to smoothly take over all the power of the Duoyan Guards.
Yin Qi was very resentful, but now she had to rely on Bai Yin's public and unwavering support to stabilize the Duoyan Guards and establish her queen's authority. His help was much better than the reckless Aguda Mu's, even though she knew that he had ulterior motives, and that she was even encouraging his ambitions.
But now she had to feign civility. This was probably the situation if one were to drink poison to quench one's thirst. This time, she had taken the risk to persuade Aguda Mu to win his support and understanding. She wanted to use the mutual checks and balances between him and Bai Yin to organize her own power structure.
That man called Yang Ying did indeed have a powerful force in his hands, but she could not accept him easily. Otherwise, the delicate balance between the Duoyan Guards and the Duoyan Guards would immediately collapse. In addition, they would lose the support of Ming Destiny …
Establishing a friendly relationship with each other would be a good start. As the leader of an armed force, he had to establish a foothold in the grasslands. He would not ignore the powerful strength he had displayed today. He had mistakenly thought that Yang Ying was his uncle's men. That would be for the best. Perhaps through his uncle, he could establish some kind of tacit understanding and cooperation with him.
Yin Qi thought about it seriously. Her curved willowy eyebrows were tightly knitted together. She hated schemes and schemes, but for her own happiness and the safety of her clansmen, she had no choice but to transform from a happy and pure young girl into a young princess, a person who struggled in the whirlpool of power.
When would she be free, like before, standing on the back of a horse, like a happy bird, flying happily and carefreely between the blue sky and the earth? Perhaps, it would never be possible … Yin Qi sighed softly.
* * *
Those who struggled in the whirlpool of power did not feel pain like Yin Qi. At least, Bayan Meng did not. On the contrary, he liked this feeling. He liked the feeling of controlling his own fate and the fate of others. He liked the feeling of being the strongest in the world.
Thirty years ago, he officially took over the government. Not long after, he placed the Empress, who was more influential than him, under house arrest, even though it was the Empress who helped him ascend the throne. He did not like anyone who could control or restrict him. In the letter he wrote to the Ming Dynasty, he called himself the Great Khan of Dayuan, as if he was on equal footing with the Khan of Ming Tingtian.
In order to stop the perennial civil war in Mongolia and control the development of the tribes with different surnames, he merged the Mongolian tribes of Tatar and divided them into six big wanhu, Chahar, Ulyangha, Khalkha, Ordos, Mengoljin and Yongshebu wanhu. He abolished the positions of the Virtuous King, the Imperial Tutor, and the Prefect. He used both kindness and power to Wala Mongols. He decreed that the leaders of the Oirat tribes and the descendants of Ogedei and Alibuge who were active in the area could only live in residences and not in palaces. Their crowns could not exceed four fingers, and so on to show his prestige.
The only tribe that was not directly under his control was the Horqin tribe ruled by Genghis Khan's brothers and Salar because they had provided him with the firmest support. Bayan Meng was ambitious and looked forward to completely ruling the entire desert grasslands step by step, and then reoccupying the beautiful land of the Central Plains.
Unexpectedly, not only did the mortal enemy of the Gold Family, the grandson of the Heavenly Sacred Khan, Yi Bula, secretly develop his power to oppose him, even the leader of the Mengoljin tribe, Huo Zhai, had second thoughts and finally launched a rebellion. His dream of recovering the capital of Dayuan, Beijing, had not been realized, but the power that he had painstakingly built up for many years had collapsed.
Now, Hua Dang of the Three Duoyan Guards had taken advantage of the opportunity when he went to Qinghai Lake to punish the traitor Jia Si Bu and seized his territory. Although Serimuzhuo had sacrificed himself to help him kill Hua Dang, the territory that he had seized back was no longer as vast as when he had left. The morale of the tribes under him was also unstable.
The once greatest hero of the grasslands had now become the weakest among the few great powers. His days of survival in the cracks were not easy, and it was not something that the proud and arrogant Bayan Meng could tolerate. He needed to fight for all the power that he could use and seize back everything that belonged to him, so that he could become even stronger than before.
Therefore, he greedily absorbed all the power he could get. The White Shirt Army's Yang Ying, which was a powerful force of nearly ten thousand people, became the force he wanted to recruit. Today, no matter what, he had to win over this force first and strengthen his capital to conquer the grasslands.
"Great Khan, the troops of the White Shirt Army's Yang Ying have arrived. There are about a thousand of them!" A soldier who had been sent to scout the news rode over and shouted from afar.
In order to show his sincerity, he had chosen this area under the jurisdiction of the Steadfast Guard for the alliance meeting. Moreover, he had only brought two thousand men with him. In order to prevent Hua Dang from repeating the mistake of being careless and being annihilated, he had sent out hundreds of scouts to patrol the area from a distance of thirty li. Moreover, there were three Hai Hollies that he had personally trained circling in the sky.
"Mm, all the sentries continue to patrol. Do not be careless!" Bayan Meng Ke gave the order. He then climbed a high slope and looked into the distance.
At the end of the silver-white snowy plain, a black line that was gradually approaching became clearer and clearer. Finally, a long group of horses could be seen rushing over like an arrow released from a bow. They were so fast that they left the rolling snow and dust far behind them.
"As expected of a strong force. If I can use them, I will be like a tiger that has grown wings." Bayan Khan stroked his beard and praised. He had spent half of his life in the army and had been fighting on horseback since he was seven years old. With just one glance, he could tell that this White Shirt Army that had turned the world upside down in Ming Destiny was not an easy opponent.
Red Madame also saw the camp in front of them. After a rough estimation, the number of troops did not exceed the number that Bayan had previously agreed with her. Red Madame's heart was at ease. She took the lead and rushed towards the black wolf head flag. That was the flag of the Mongolian Great Khan.
Bayan Meng Ke stood proudly at the top of the camp, waiting for Red Madame's arrival.
Red Madame's troops slowed down. She led twenty riders up the slope and then flipped over and dismounted. Her vigorous movements made the admiration in Bayan Meng Ke's eyes become even stronger.
The two of them walked to the opposite side and sized each other up. Bayan Meng Ke was wearing armor, an iron helmet on his head and a white cloak. His beard was like a halberd and his body was as strong as a mountain. Red Madame secretly praised him when she saw him. He was indeed worthy of being the number one hero of the grassland.
Bayan Meng Ke was also sizing her up. Bayan Meng Ke was a little surprised. He had heard of the White Shirt Army of the Central Plains. He had also heard of Liu Liu, Liu Qi, Yang Hu, Zhang Mao and the others' bravery and invincibility. Although the current leader, Yang Ying, was not well-known, but as the supreme leader of the White Shirt Army, in his heart, he thought that he should also be a fierce warrior with a body as strong as a tiger. Unexpectedly, not only did he look very thin and weak, his facial features were also a little too delicate.
However, the people of the Central Plains looked fairer and more delicate than the men of the grassland. In addition to the skills that she had just displayed and the imposing manner of her cavalry, Bayan Meng did not dare to judge people by their appearance. He still smiled and greeted her.
"This must be the illustrious Great Leader of the White Shirt Army, Brother Yang Ying?" Bayan Meng unexpectedly spoke fluent Mandarin.
Red Madame withdrew her gaze from sizing him up. She moved her legs and walked forward in a very manly manner. She cupped her fists and said very rudely, "Yes, I am. Brother must be Great Leader Bayan? It's an honor to meet you! "
When Bayan Meng heard this, he almost had a cerebral hemorrhage and fell down the slope. "The Great Khan of the Dayuan Dynasty has become the Great Leader. How did he …"
Recalling the other party's identity and background, Bayan Meng could not help but let out a bitter laugh. "These people are just a bunch of bandits. They don't even understand the etiquette of the imperial court, so of course they don't understand the greetings of the grassland. They are just a bunch of country bumpkins who have never seen the world. Now that I am in need of manpower, why should I be calculative about this?"
Bayan Meng forced a smile and said, "Brother Yang, I have also long heard of your illustrious name. To be able to meet you today is really the honor of three lifetimes."
"Ashamed! Ashamed! Great Leader, you flatter me. My brothers suffered a setback in the Central Plains and were forced to flee to the border. We only robbed people to make a living. I've long heard that Head Master Bayan is doing very well outside the Great Wall. You're the number one hero who stands with your fists and runs with your elbows. This brother is indebted to Head Master's appreciation. I am truly grateful! "
Feng Lei wanted to laugh when he heard this and quickly turned his head away. Bayan Meng grinned. He felt a little dizzy, but after hearing these words, he felt relieved. This Yang Ying looked gentle and refined, but he was unexpectedly such a boorish and straightforward person. Such a hero of the underworld, as long as they got along well, it should be easy to accept him.
Red Madame and Bayan Meng politely greeted each other before entering the tent together. Her imperial bodyguards and Bayan Meng's imperial bodyguards stood solemnly on both sides of the tent. Feng Lei and several other high-ranking military officers followed them inside and sat down with Bayan Meng's subordinates.
The interior of the Mongolian yurt was decorated magnificently. A banquet had already been set up inside. Red Madame and Bayan Meng sat side by side on the main seat. Bayan Meng's newly accepted imperial concubines were dressed splendidly. They presented Red Madame and the others with milk tea, fried rice, milk tofu, milk skin and so on, inviting the honored guests to taste.
When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Regardless of whether it suited their taste or not, Red Madame and the others tasted everything. Seeing this, Bayan Meng was very happy. He picked up a wine bowl inlaid with gold and silver, which was filled with milk wine. Bayan Meng loudly said, "Brother Yang, today is the first time we have met. We will talk about the details later. Come, let's drink a bowl first!"
Red Madame also held the bowl with both hands and said straightforwardly, "I don't dare. It should be little brother toasting Great Leader Bayan, toasting all the brothers!"
Bayan Meng's eyelids twitched when he heard Red Madame call him Great Leader. However, it was not good to correct this matter too seriously. In the imperial court of the Central Plains, when a foreign envoy came to see the Emperor, every word and action was regarded as an important matter related to the country. However, on the prairie, they obviously paid more attention to practical benefits.
Bayan Meng had the heart to accept her, and Red Madame deliberately pretended that she was not very familiar with the current situation of the prairie. She still regarded Bayan Meng as the number one overlord of the prairie. Both of them naturally hit it off.
The more the two talked, the more congenial they became. They decided that from now on, they would help each other, advance and retreat together. Moreover, they would also become sworn brothers. Red Madame appeared very cordial. She rolled up her sleeves and was about to find a big rooster, preparing to behead the rooster and burn it with yellow paper. Bayan Meng, who didn't know whether to laugh or cry, pulled her back. According to the Mongolian ritual, they kowtowed and became sworn brothers.
Bayan Meng's conditions were very favorable. For a large armed force like Red Madame to survive on the prairie, it was absolutely not enough to rely on robbery. Moreover, in the long run, it would endanger the safety of the entire prairie. They would inevitably become enemies of all parties. If they wanted to survive on the prairie for a long time, they had to integrate into the local area.
Therefore, Bayan Meng drew out a piece of land. He designated the vast land above the Onan River, the common people in the forest, and the Halawen Mountains as the territory of the White Coat Army. All the tribes in the territory would be under the control of the White Coat Army. He would appoint Yang Ying as the King of Northern Ying, the Deputy Khan of the Mongolian Empire!
This kind of generous condition simply made one's eyes go green with envy. Not only did she immediately obtain a territory as large as several provinces in the Central Plains, she also obtained the appointment and guarantee of this descendant of the Golden Family. She would become the deputy khan of the grasslands and legitimately rule over the local Mongolian tribes without suffering any resistance.
However, in reality, Bayan Meng only gave her the empty title of the King of Northern Ying. He did not give her any substantial help or support, and he brought such a powerful armed force under his command. Because that area had already been occupied by Wala when Hua Dang seized his hinterland of the prairie, Bayan Meng did not have the spare power to take back this territory.
Now that he had given it to Yang Ying, it was just a small favor. If Yang Ying wanted to rule that place, he would first have to fight with his old enemies, the Wala people. This way, he would be able to achieve his goal of becoming enemies with the Wala people and restrain their forces.
If Yang Ying could not gain a foothold there, she could also help him greatly deplete the strength of the Wala in the process of battle. What if he could gain a foothold there? What was the situation in that area? To the west was Wala, to the east was Nu's Dushi, and further north was the faraway area where the Kazan Khanate and Ross Principality were fighting. Below it was the territory that Bayan Meng could currently control.
Such a troop that was the enemy of Ming Destiny and was completely made up of Han people, placed in such a place, they had no other way out. Even if they could gain a foothold there, they would inevitably have to rely on Bayan. Other than completely relying on Bayan Meng, there was no other way out. In this way, they would not raise a tiger that would cause trouble. On the contrary, the fiercer this tiger was raised, the more advantageous it was for Bayan Meng.
Red Madame was also perfectly satisfied with this kind of conditions. Your servant's son, the Dushi, has already migrated more than a hundred thousand people. In addition to the original garrison troops, they have already formed a formidable Han people force. Peng Xiaosu, as the Assistant Minister of Military Supplies, is currently training the troops there. Below Nu 'er Gan were the Fu Yu Wei, Duo Yan Wei, Tai Ning Wei, Shen Yang Wei, and Da Ning Wei. Once their true intentions were revealed, they would be able to join forces with them to form a tiger's mouth and wrap Bayan Meng up like wrapping a dumpling.
This pair of Anda brothers, who had just become sworn brothers, had a straightforward, heroic, and righteous look on their faces. One of them used his rough appearance and identity as a grassland man to hide his sinister nature, while the other used his slang and identity as a forest hero to hide his cunning nature. The tent was filled with a peaceful atmosphere, as if they had just met and drank together.
Both of them were drinking merrily when Red Lady stood up with a bowl of wine in her hands. She stood in the middle of the tent and said in a heroic manner, "First Master."
"Hey! My Anda, now that you have accepted my appointment, you have become the Northern Ying King of Dayuan. When I see big brother, I have to call you Khan. I can't call you First Master anymore. "
Boyan Mengke secretly cried out in his heart that he could not take it anymore. He finally had an excuse to stop this form of address that made him shudder with fear. Otherwise, if word of this got out, wouldn't he be mocked by the entire grassland?
"Oh, Great … Khan, from now on, we are a family. Big brother, if you need anything, just say it. I, your brother, won't even frown if I have to climb a mountain of swords or plunge into a sea of flames!"
"Good, good, good, hahaha!" Bayan Meng stroked his beard and was overjoyed. He had also heard that the words of the heroes of the Lulin carried enormous weight and were extremely loyal. Now that he saw it, it was indeed true. He was given the empty title of a prince and a territory that did not belong to him in exchange for these heartfelt words and the loyalty of his ten thousand elite cavalrymen. This was truly a blessing from the heavens.
Unfortunately, before his smile could fully bloom, Red Lady's next sentence made the blue veins on his forehead bulge.
"Big Brother Khan, according to the rules of Jianghu, you have to hand in a proof of allegiance when you have just joined us. Don't worry, I won't make things difficult for you. When I go back, I will find the Green Guards of Ming Destiny and chop off the head of their commander, Han Wei, as a greeting gift to big brother! "
Bayan Meng's eyeballs almost popped out. Brother, are you crazy? I have a big mess here that hasn't been solved yet. The three guards of Duo Yan can't wait to drag the Ming Army into this. Aren't you giving me more trouble?
He forced himself not to curse. "Hey, this is not your Forest Village, there's no need to prove your loyalty. Big brother knows that you and the Ming Army are irreconcilable, but don't you have a saying in the Central Plains, 'ten years is not too late for a gentleman to take revenge'? The Guards of Ming Destiny can't run away. Now that we have a common enemy, the allied forces of Wa La and Huo Xi, it's not a good idea to make another strong enemy."
"Come, come, come, sit down first. Big brother will tell you about the situation around the Onan River and the allied forces of Wa La and Huo Xi. Let's work together and deal with this strong enemy first." Boyan tried to persuade Red Madame to return to her seat. He then began to instruct this seemingly simple-minded brother of the Lulin Kingdom in person.
* * *
Emperor Zheng De's illness was seventy to eighty percent better. Yang Ling, on the other hand, looked more robust than Zheng De at first, but now he had a low-grade fever, and he really hated drinking that nauseating bitter medicinal soup, so he could only endure it.
When the army returned to Nanjing, he had to brace himself, dress neatly, and sit in the carriage with the Emperor to accept the welcome and congratulations of the officials. When they entered the city, he went back to his mansion to rest. When the two princesses, Yongfu and Xiang 'er, heard the news, they were secretly worried, but he lived outside the palace and it was not convenient for them to visit. The two princesses each had their own thoughts. They both urged Yongchun, who was the most courageous, to find an opportunity to go out of the palace to play and take the opportunity to see her lover.
King Ning's rebellion had not been completely quelled at this time. Nanchang City was still in the hands of King Ning's forces, but there was only Crown Prince King Ning and five thousand hedonistic soldiers guarding the city. With the advance of Li Sen, He Bingwen, Bai Zhongzan and the others, there was no longer any suspense in taking down Nanchang City.
The Emperor's dragon body was ill, this was the most important thing. A mere Crown Prince King Ning was not worthy of his dragon body leading the troops into battle, so he returned to Nanjing to rest and recuperate, and interrogate King Ning, announcing his crimes to the world. At the same time, as soon as he arrived in Nanjing, he was busy with the battle and had not yet gone to the Xiaoling Mausoleum to pay his respects to Emperor Taizu Gao. This time, he returned to pay his respects.
Zhengde was in a very good mood. He had seized a large number of gold, pearls and jade treasures from King Ning's warship. In addition to the mountains of gold, silver and precious stones at the bow of the ship, there were more than ten chests in the cabin. The wealth that King Ning's household had accumulated over the past hundred years could really be said to be as rich as a country. Not to mention the punishment of King Ning's household, just the large amount of wealth that had been seized now could be used to pay for all military expenses and still have more than half of it left. Beating your people, spending your money, Emperor Zhengde enjoyed this feeling very much.
Today, Zhengde went to the Xiaoling Mausoleum to pay his respects to his ancestors and had just returned to the city. Nanjing had not had such a grand ceremony for many years. The common people were watching from the streets. They saw the soldiers in front of the dragon carriage carrying flags, the Qu Gai under their command, followed by the officers in embroidered clothes, then the treasured banners, the Imperial Bodyguards on foot, and then the Golden Claw, Silver Axe, Lying Claw, Standing Claw, Golden Claw, Silver Claw, Golden Claw, White Banner, and so on.
Then came the ceremonial saber, the red staff, the yellow-clothed military guards, the military attendants, and the others, followed by the yellow-luo umbrella lid, the purple cover, the yellow canopy, the yellow canopy, the curved canopy, the yellow canopy, the purple canopy, the green banner, and the others. Then came the Imperial Bodyguards, the Imperial Bodyguards on duty, the female Imperial Bodyguards, and the others, about ten zhang away from the imperial entourage, walking slowly.
Behind the Imperial Carriage were the Imperial Bodyguards, Imperial Princes, Jun Wang, State Dukes, members of the royal family, civil and military officials. Behind them were the eunuchs from the Department of Rites, the eunuchs from the Nanjing Garrison, and the Imperial Eunuchs. Behind them were the Imperial Bodyguards with the Leopard Tail Spear, the Imperial Army, the Imperial Bodyguard, the Forbidden City's Imperial Guards, and the Garrison. The two flanks were supervised by the QING Five Cities Warlords. They had also changed into tall horses, with sabers and whips in their hands, looking majestic and awe-inspiring.
Emperor Zhengde returned to the city. The Imperial Carriage went straight to the central gate, where he worshipped the Imperial Ancestral Temple and the altar before he ascended the Golden Hall to receive the hundreds of officials. When the audience was over, Zhengde felt a little tired. After all, his cold had not completely recovered, but today he was going to put King Ning on trial in front of the entire Imperial Court's civil and military officials; he had no choice but to force himself to be alert. "Come," he shouted, "Summon the sinner Zhu Chenhao to the Hall!"
Zhu Chenhao was escorted by four Golden Melon Warriors to the Golden Hall. Many of the civil and military officials in the Hall had long heard of King Ning's name, but they had never seen him in person. This time they looked at him, he was wearing a prisoner's white shirt and white trousers, his hair was disheveled and his face was dirty, his hands and feet were bound with iron shackles. It was really impossible to tell that he was the local Emperor of Jiangxi. However, although his appearance was disheveled, his expression was arrogant, his face was full of disdain, there was not a trace of fear on his face.
This was the first time these two people, uncle and nephew, met face to face. They stared at each other for a long time. King Ning snorted coldly and turned his head away. Zhengde's eyes looked like they were about to spurt fire; pointing his halberd to Zhu Chenhao he shouted, "Zhu Chenhao, since Zhen ascended the throne, I have never treated you unfairly, yet you betrayed the imperial court, raised the masses to rebel. You are a descendant of the Zhu family in vain. Today Zhen is going to offer sacrifices to the ancestors, to report your crime. Zhen is here to ask you, after you die, what face do you have to see your ancestors? "
King Ning knew he was going to die, how could he be willing to show weakness? He raised the iron shackles in his hand, looked up to the sky and laughed, "Zhu Houzhao, you say I betrayed the imperial court. Didn't your ancestor, the Prince of Yan, Zhu Di, usurp Emperor Jianwen's world? I can't see my ancestors, but does your ancestor, the Prince of Yan, have the face to see Taizu Emperor Gao? "
"Shut up, rebel! How dare you call the Emperor by his name!" The Minister of the Ministry of Rites in Nanjing jumped out and shouted.
King Ning looked at him scornfully and said indifferently, "This is my family's business, why do I need you to interrupt? Get lost! "
His eyes widened and his power was displayed, scaring the Minister of the Ministry of Rites into taking two steps back. King Ning sneered and said, "In the past, the Prince of Yan was Jianwen's uncle, and I, am also your uncle. Today, unfortunately, the important matter has not been accomplished, otherwise, wouldn't I be the second Prince of Yan? Wouldn't I still face the south with my back to the north, gloriously ascending the imperial throne and being worshipped by tens of thousands of people? As the saying goes, the winner is king, and the loser is in the wrong. Since we have failed in the fight for the throne, if you want to kill me or cut me up, just listen to me. What's with all this noise! "
Zhengde's body was originally sore and weak, but under his anger, he gained strength and shouted angrily, "Fight for the throne in the Central Plains? You are not worthy! Look at you, you have a pig's head. Even if you were given a deer, would you be able to catch it? Fight for the throne in the Central Plains, hunt the world, this kind of elegant and meticulous work, do you think you are worthy to play with me? "
King Ning was furious and retorted, "You are going too far! I am your Imperial Uncle. If I have lost, then I have lost. Why do you have to humiliate me like this? If I am a pig, then what are you? What do you think of the descendants of Taizu Emperor in the world? You little bastard who has forgotten the classics and betrayed your ancestors! "
"Does Taizu Emperor Gao have such an unfilial descendant like you? Don't pull a big flag and pretend to be a tiger's skin, dragging in all the descendants of the Zhu family. Hongzhi has always been childless and suddenly a little beast like you popped out. There have long been rumors among the people that you are not the Emperor's flesh and blood. If we are talking about bastards, then you are the little bastard! "
These two sons and grandsons of the Dragon scolded each other, all the words' pig 'and' donkey 'came up. Even the daily official stopped writing. Yang Ling coughed a little, his legs felt weak as he stood there. He originally did not want to say much, but now he saw the Emperor and the Prince scolding each other endlessly, the entire hall was filled with their angry shouts. He hurriedly waved his hand to summon Du Fu, who was temporarily appointed as a standing eunuch, and whispered a few words in his ear.
Du Fu heard this and quickly ran back. Taking advantage of the time when the two of them were tired from scolding and panting, he whispered to Zhengde, "Your Majesty, although King Ning has been demoted to a commoner, he is still a descendant of the Imperial Family. Scolding each other like this is beneath Your Majesty's status. Your dragon body is not feeling well, it's better to settle the case earlier and return to the Palace to rest. "
Only now did Zhengde realize that scolding each other like this was beneath his status. He gave a heavy 'hmph', this' hmph 'almost caused his snot to come out. He hurriedly pulled a handkerchief and pinched his nose. In a muffled voice, he said, "Where is the Minister of Ministry of Punishments? Zhu Chenhao has raised troops to rebel, what punishment should he receive? Quickly write it out."
The Minister of Nanjing Ministry of Punishments hurriedly wrote a memorial: "Reporting to Your Majesty, according to the law, those who conspire to rebel should be executed by a thousand cuts and their corpses should be roasted. Their families should be executed to pieces. But … "
Before he could finish, the furious Emperor Zhengde had already flicked his sleeve and said, "Then according to the law, behead everyone in King Ning's household and all the rebellious ministers who are affiliated with the rebellion should be beheaded. Their heads should be hung on a pole as a warning to others!"
As soon as King Ning heard this, Zhu Chenhao's face changed color and he immediately opened his mouth to protest. Although he knew that he was going to die, he did not expect that he would be executed by beheading. In fact, according to the old rules of the Ming Dynasty, a prince did not have to be beheaded. At most, he would be sentenced to death with white silk and wine. At most, he would be sentenced to be hanged. During the time of Emperor Xuan Zong, burning the King of Han to death in a bronze cauldron had already violated the ancestral rules. In his extreme anger, Emperor Zhengde did not care about the ancestral rules. He immediately ordered the Imperial Bodyguards to drag King Ning away to be executed.
After Zhengde had finished issuing the edict, he was so angry that his face was pale and his head was a little dizzy. He hurriedly dismissed the court and returned to the inner palace to rest. Yang Ling had long known that King Ning had conspired to rebel. Although the families of the offending officials were innocent, there was nothing he could do to save them. Seeing that the edict had already been issued, he could only sigh and silently return to the underground hall.
Although King Ning loudly refuted and constantly struggled, but in the midst of Emperor Zhengde's rage, who dared to intercede on his behalf? Without saying a word, the Imperial Bodyguards dragged King Ning away. From the prison, they dragged out Liu Yangzheng, Zhang Lun, Wang Shengyu and the other offending officials and their families. They were escorted to the long street. Regardless of their gender, age, or position, they were all stripped naked and kneeled down to be executed by beheading.
Then they hung the heads of King Ning and the offending officials on bamboo poles and planted them all over the streets. The city of Nanjing was covered with this horrifying sight of people's heads hanging on poles.
At this time, in the town of Anpu in Guangzhou Bay, a few foreigners with high noses and deep eyes arrived. They were the Portuguese Royal Navy Colonel Sander and the mercenary leader Alonso, who had once fought with Yang Ling, as well as a few Han interpreters hired by their subordinates. After Archbishop Lamario returned to the kingdom, he told the king about their fiasco and the strength of the Ming army. The king, who was originally inclined to peace and trade, strongly advocated establishing a good trade relationship with the most powerful country in the East.
However, a considerable number of nobles, who were used to plundering and establishing colonial rule, opposed this view. Profit without capital was always more attractive than profit with capital. They did not believe that there was such a powerful country in the East of the world. They strongly advocated the establishment of a more powerful expeditionary force to the East, and the ancient eastern country full of gold into their territory.
Although the voices of these nobles were relatively weak, the king, who had just experienced a rebellion, did not dare to refute them rudely. He tried to persuade these stubborn adventurers. Just when the country was arguing about whether to make money peacefully or spend a few years building a powerful navy to go to the East, a merchant ship from the East returned and ended this debate.
The passage to the Indian Ocean had been opened by them, and the entire East Sea and South Sea were under the control of the pirates. In addition, Ming Destiny's court strictly forbade maritime trade, so they could not directly trade with Ming Destiny in the past. In addition, they had to pay for the escort forces, so their profits were limited. When Ming Destiny lifted the maritime ban, wiped out the pirates, and forced the Portuguese fleet to return to their country, a pirate ship that ventured to the East became the first to benefit.
When the lucky captain heard that the brave and invincible Portuguese fleet had been defeated by the Ming Dynasty, and he personally witnessed the power of the Ming Dynasty's fleet, he immediately changed from a pirate to a civilized merchant, a gentleman from the West.
He bought 700 bolts of silk, 11,000 bolts of cotton, and 22,000 pieces of porcelain from Ming Destiny's Hangzhou Bay, with a total value of 12,000 taels of silver, and shipped them all the way back to Portugal. Taking advantage of the fact that the Portuguese fleet had just sailed past, the sea was relatively calm, and he had armed protection himself. This batch of goods was safely shipped back to Portugal, and they were immediately sold out. The price was 300,000 pesos, which was equivalent to 75,000 taels of silver.
He made a huge profit on this trip, and became a millionaire overnight. However, when the merchants and nobles stared at him with their red rabbit-like eyes, he beat his chest and stamped his feet in regret. According to him, if he had left the port with not gunpowder, but a ship full of pepper, his profit would have increased tenfold. But now, he had to continue preparing to cross the sea again.
The seven hills at the foot of the capital, Lisbon, seemed to have suddenly turned into seven active volcanoes. The whole city was boiling. No noble or merchant was willing to give up such a huge amount of wealth and spend a few years building a naval fleet to fight a battle that they had no confidence in winning. If they had the time, they would rather invest in a fleet of escorts to protect their businesses, just like what the Great Ming Empire did in the East.
The voice of opposition was completely annihilated. His Majesty the King personally signed the letter of credence, prepared a sumptuous gift, and sent a fleet, led by Archbishop Lamario, to visit the Emperor of the East. At the same time, the volunteers of the church also came with a large number of books, to preach in this golden kingdom.
However, they encountered a small merchant ship on the way back and forth. It was said that Ming Destiny was in civil strife, and the country was in danger. Archbishop Lamario was shocked, so he temporarily changed the route, sailed the fleet to the Port of Manila in Luzon, and then sent a few trusted men to quietly land to find out the current situation of Ming Destiny.
Anpu Town was not big. Although there were many Nanyang people here, there were not many people like the Franks. Their appearance attracted the curious eyes of the people, and some people began to run to the inspection office to report to the inspector.
The town's inspector, Mr. He, heard the people's report and staggered to the street. Patrol Inspector He was already fifty-seven years old. He was born and raised here. Although he had worked hard all his life to become a Patrol Inspector of the lower ninth rank, in this small town where people were simple and unsophisticated. Other than the occasional quarrel, there were almost no fights. Drinking wine three times a day was quite a comfortable life for him.
At the intersection, Priest Nias, who had come to the Great Ming Dynasty for the first time, was talking excitedly with Old Hu, who had set up a stall selling salted fish. Patrol Inspector He burped and stood to the side to listen. He heard Old Hu, who was sitting on the stool, ask curiously, "You foreigners, what business do you have in our Great Ming Dynasty?"
"What? Trade? What is trade? Oh, to do business. Our Ming Destiny does not allow private business with foreigners. "
Priest Nias listened to the translation, shrugged strangely, and said a few more words to him. Old Hu, who was illiterate, laughed, "Are you dreaming? Our Ming Destiny is the ruler of the world, the center of the four seas. You barbarians, what diplomacy, what letters of credence, and you dare to be on equal footing with our Ming Destiny? Are you tired of living? "
"Oh, oh, oh, so it's tribute. Tribute, tribute, tribute. Is there a tribute? Is there a written tribute? You can't not have it. If you don't have it, you can't receive it. And that … do you know how to kowtow? No way, I, Old Hu, am a kind-hearted person. Let me tell you, go to the posthouse in the county first and find a master to teach you. You have to master it, or you will be beheaded. "
Hearing that a commoner dared to talk to them like this, Alonso was a little displeased and muttered, "We also have the protection of the fleet. You are too impolite. How can a commoner speak so presumptuously?"
The translator had been paid to speak for them, so he didn't miss a single word. When Old Hu heard this, he was overjoyed. "Hahaha, that's good. Then bring your fleet out for a stroll. A few days ago, our Great Ming's fleet attacked the coast, and I even went to take a look. I heard that they went to Nanjing to fight against King Ning's army. If you have the ability, wait for them. When they come back, they will definitely send you to the Crystal Palace to be their son-in-law! "
Colonel Sander was surprised and said, "What? We heard that Ming Destiny is fighting with … with the White Clothes Bandits? Who is this King Ning? "
"Hey! The White Robe Bandits, the White Robe Bandits have already been annihilated. This Ning Wang is incredible, Ning Wang he … … "Old Hu was still talking nonsense when Patrol Inspector He kicked his butt from behind. He scolded laughingly," What nonsense are you saying to a foreigner? "
Old Hu turned his head and looked. He quickly stood up and said with a smile, "Oh, it's Mr. Patrol Inspector. Master He, why are you here?"
Patrol Inspector He snorted and said: "Not allowed to trade, which old imperial calendar is that? I'm not here, I'm not here. Why are you still talking nonsense here? "
He scanned the foreigners from head to toe, then dusted off his grease-stained old official robe. He stuck out his chicken chest and proudly said: "I am the Great Ming Empire's Inspector of Anpu Town. You foreigners, if you have anything to say, you can speak to me!"
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