The person who was to secretly go to Wala to spy on the truth was none other than Xue Shu.
He knew Wuzhu well, and he had led troops to the north in his previous life, so he was very familiar with the situation in Mobei. Apart from him, no one else could make Yin Chengyu so relieved.
After much consideration, Yin Chengyu finally decided that Xue Shu would secretly go to Wala to negotiate, and the departure date should be early rather than late, and was finally set on July 15th.
On the eve of departure, Xue Shu stayed overnight in Yangxin Palace.
After bathing, Yin Chengyu changed into loose pajamas and came out. He took out the imperial edict and tiger talisman from the secret compartment behind the desk and handed them to him, saying, "This is the imperial edict appointing you as the general of the Northern Expedition. There are a total of 110,000 troops stationed in Xuanfu. If the situation changes, you can use the tiger talisman to transfer troops from Xuanfu."
This is the worst-case scenario.
But if Xue Shu confirmed that the cooperation proposed by Wala was feasible, Yin Chengyu would raise food, fodder and soldiers as soon as possible and lead the army in person.
Xue Shu agreed, put away the imperial edict and the tiger talisman, and looked at him: "If everything goes well on this trip to Wala, it will take at least half a year before we can return to Beijing."
Faced with a long separation, Xue Shu could not help missing her before they even set off. He leaned over with some nostalgia, resting his chin on Yin Chengyu's neck, and they stayed together in silence, feeling the warmth of each other's bodies.
The day after tomorrow was his birthday, and he had been looking forward to it for a long time, wondering what kind of birthday gift Yin Chengyu would prepare for him this year. However, he did not expect that plans could not keep up with the changes, and before his birthday came, he had to go to Wala.
Although Xue Shu did not speak, Yin Chengyu now understood his thoughts clearly. He curled his lips and chuckled, straightened his loose collar, pushed the man away, stood up and took the long wooden box on the table.
"Your birthday is the day after tomorrow, but you have to leave early tomorrow morning, so I can only celebrate it in advance."
The long wooden box was brought to Xue Shu.
The depression just now disappeared, Xue Shu took the wooden box and opened it, and saw a scroll inside, tied with a red ribbon in the middle.
Xue Shu untied the string and slowly unfolded the scroll, and saw that it was a portrait.
The person in the painting is wearing a dragon robe and black boots, standing in the snow with his sleeves rolled up, bending his head to smell a branch of plum blossoms. The half of his face that is exposed has a cold profile, especially his narrow eyes, and you can feel the sinister and fickle nature of the person in the painting even through the paper.
——This is clearly Xue Shu who was known as the nine thousand year old in the previous life.
On his birthday last year, Xue Shu had not yet recalled the past, and the birthday gift Yin Chengyu gave him was also a portrait painted by himself.
The young man in the painting is dressed in fine clothes and has a sharp sword, with a clear and fearless look in his eyes.
When Xue Shu saw this later, he couldn't help but feel a little uneasy, fearing that Yin Chengyu loved the side of him that hadn't yet been filled with blood and schemes.
Later he kept the painting carefully but never dared to look at it again.
However, as he looked at the scroll in his hand, the hidden fear and uneasiness in his heart gradually melted away, and the pressure in his heart turned into an even heavier and richer love.
His fingers gently stroked the figure in the painting, and the past events rushed past him. Xue Shu's gaze gradually deepened, and his fingertips slid along the lines of the painting, finally stopping at the date at the bottom of the painting.
It is now July 14th, the nineteenth year of Longfeng.
However, the signature was not filled in as it actually was, but instead it said "the 23rd year of Emperor Longfeng".
A lot of things happened this year, but there is one thing he will never forget.
——This year he met Yin Chengyu at the Imperial Mausoleum and made a deal.
All the problems that followed started from this point, becoming an unsolvable entanglement.
But now, starting over, the past only exists in the memory of him and Yin Chengyu. In this life, Yin Chengyu ascended the throne ahead of schedule, and the reign was changed to Yongguang after the 19th year of Longfeng.
The Longfeng era only lasted until the 19th year, and after that there was only the Yongguang era.
Only the two of them knew what the year "Longfeng 23" that no longer existed meant.
This is like a secret expression of love, and also like compensation.
Xue Shu raised his eyes and looked at Yin Chengyu, his expression still a little dazed.
Yin Chengyu looked at him with her lips curled, her long eyebrows slightly raised, as if she was very satisfied with his expression: "Starting from the 23rd year of Longfeng, I will make up for the birthday gifts I owe you every year." After saying that, she raised her hand to cover the back of his hand, guiding his hand to put it on her waist: "Now, you should open this year's birthday gift."
Xue Shu's pupils turned slightly, and he clasped his fingers together, holding the snow-white lace.
With a gentle tug, the snow-white pajamas that were originally tightly held together fell apart.
In the vast expanse of snow, the trees were full of red plum blossoms. Yin Chengyu actually painted the portrait on himself completely, but the person who sniffed the plum blossoms turned into a ferocious beast of unknown species.
His skin was as white as porcelain, with red plum blossom spots scattered all over his body, making the beast look even more ferocious.
The contrast between the delicate and fragile beauty and the ferocious beast caught Xue Shu's attention. He carefully used his fingers to trace the shape of the ferocious beast.
It has double horns on its head and a jackal-like body. Its thick and long tail hangs naturally to the ground, winding down along the abdominal muscles.
"What is this?" Xue Shu's Adam's apple kept moving, and when he opened his mouth again, his voice was hoarse and inharmonious.
"The beast is glaring." Yin Chengyu pointed at the beast painted on his body, and his fingertips accidentally touched the red plum blossoms beside it, and his fingertips were stained red. This red was not cinnabar used in painting, but the fine rouge that he asked Zheng Duobao to buy from the palace. The color was thick, oily and delicate, and it also had a light fragrance.
"It is said in ancient times that Yaizhen is the second son of the dragon. He is strong-willed, brave, good at fighting, and bloodthirsty." Yin Chengyu twirled his fingertips, and the blush spread. He curled his lips and wiped it on the end of Xue Shu's eyes: "I feel the same way. You are very similar."
Xue Shu's chest heaved. He suddenly grasped his wrist, stared at the redness on his fingertips for a moment, then lowered his head and took it into his mouth and licked it.
Yin Chengyu felt the surge of passion that he was holding back, squinted his eyes and leaned over to nibble on his earlobe: "It seems like you like this gift very much."
Xue Shu did not say anything, but answered him with a ferocious move.
…
When it was getting light outside, the clouds and rain stopped in the bedroom.
"It's almost dawn, you should leave." Yin Chengyu was exhausted and casually put on the crumpled pajamas that were on his feet. The snow-white pajamas were stained with large patches of red rouge, and the belt was broken, so he could only tie it with difficulty. The scattered color could be vaguely seen at the loose collar.
Xue Shu pushed him back, and the anger in his eyes and eyebrows faded a little because of his satisfaction: "I will change my clothes and leave, Your Majesty, there is no need to see me off."
Yin Chengyu was indeed tired, so he did not insist. He just touched his cheek and said, "Wait for me in Mobei."
"Hmm." Xue Shu responded in a deep voice, and smeared his fingers with the melted rouge on his plump lips. The lips dyed with rouge became even more red. He bent his head and bit hard, eating the newly dyed rouge clean, and then stood up and said, "Your Majesty, I will be waiting for you in Mobei."
On the morning of July 15, when it was almost dawn, Xue Shu led a hundred Ti cavalrymen to Xuanfu. Then he left Xuanfu and secretly went to Wala for negotiations.
On July 26, Dongchang Fanzi sent back a secret letter, saying that he had found out that the Tatars were planning to attack the Oirat. Muduo had just inherited the throne and had not yet subdued the Oirat tribes. The people in the Oirat were divided, so Muduo could only seek help from Dayan. But at the end of the letter, Xue Shu said that he had negotiated with Wuzhu and Muduo several times and found that the Oirat's intention to surrender was not true, and Muduo already knew Wuzhu's true identity. The plan of cooperating to attack the Tatars was feasible, but they had to be careful of the Oirat taking advantage of the situation.
After reading the secret letter, Yin Chengyu first summoned the Grand Academician of the Inner Cabinet to the palace to discuss the matter, and then convened several grand court meetings to discuss the northern expedition.
No matter whether it was the cabinet's senior scholars or the civil and military officials in the court, they all disapproved of the northern expedition.
The court officials were right to be concerned, but they only saw the present. The Tatars had been gathering strength for a long time. If Yan ignored them, once the Tatars had swallowed up the Oirat and their strength had further increased, they would soon go south to disturb Yan.
Although there were risks in the northern expedition at this time, if it succeeded, one of the northern enemies would be eliminated, and at least the border of Dayan could be kept stable for five years.
Moreover, it is already the end of summer. If we mobilize troops and collect supplies before sending out troops, it will be early winter when the war actually starts. There are few wars in winter, so we can catch the Tatars off guard. Even if we fail, the city walls will be easy to defend and difficult to attack after winter. We can also withdraw troops and return to the city to defend it, recuperate and prepare for war, and wait for the next spring to fight again.
No matter from which perspective you look at it, the advantages of a northern expedition at this time outweigh the disadvantages.
On the issue of the Northern Expedition, Yin Chengyu showed an unprecedented tough attitude.
He rejected all objections and issued an edict to start mobilizing troops and preparing food supplies.
A number of soldiers were selected from the military guards in northern Zhili, Shandong, Shanxi, Henan and other places to join the northern expeditionary army and be responsible for transporting supplies. Another 80,000 civilians were conscripted from Shandong, Shanxi, southern Zhili and other places to transport supplies to Xuanfu. [1]
He Shan and Ying Hongxue were summoned to the palace, and He Shan was appointed as the general who defeated the enemy, and Ying Hongxue as the military division commander, leading the main camp. Four other governors were selected as assistants. There were five armies under the main camp. The left governor of the rear army, Yu Jing, led the central army, and the remaining left and right governors led the left and right patrols, the left and right wings, and the vanguard respectively.
The soldiers and supplies mobilized from various places were assembled in Datong and Xuanfu.
By the time everything was ready, a month and a half had passed.
On September 13, Yin Chengyu delegated power to the inner cabinet and ordered Zheng Duobao, the seal holder of the Imperial Household Department, to take over the power of approving documents. The Imperial Household Department and the inner cabinet checked and controlled each other and jointly managed state affairs.
After swearing an oath at Deshengmen, he led his troops to personally attack the Tatars.
The northern expeditionary army took the route through Juyongguan, Huailai, and gathered at Xuanfu before continuing its march northward.
On the way north, Yin Chengyu relied on spies to keep in touch with Xue Shu and discuss strategies for encirclement.
The northern expeditionary army is in the south, and the Oirat is in the northwest of Tatar. If the south and the north form a siege, the Tatar will have nowhere to escape.
After ordering someone to send the last letter, the northern expedition army finally arrived at the Luqu River.
It was already mid-October, not long after the beginning of winter. The weather in the northern steppe was freezing cold, and the soldiers had put on thick cotton clothes under their armor along the way. The Tatars had indeed never expected that Dayan would send troops to start a war at this time. By the time the Tatar Khan received the news, Yin Chengyu had already led a large army to approach, and the two armies were separated only by the Luqu River.
In desperation, the Tatar Khan ordered his Grand Tutor Ahalu and his eldest and second sons to lead their troops to flee in different directions in an attempt to divide the troops and avoid the battle.
Yin Chengyu ordered the soldiers to build a city at the ferry crossing and to guard it. He also ordered He Shan, Yu Jing and others to lead the remaining troops to cross the river and pursue, driving the Tatar troops all the way to the north.