The Ming Dynasty had more than two million soldiers.

Apart from the commonly used troops in various places, where are the main troops concentrated?

That’s right, it’s the grassland border.

Zhu Yuanzhang never underestimated the grassland, and even when it came to the Northern Yuan Dynasty, he always had a strong sense of vigilance.

It is only limited to the situation in the grassland, and there is no way to achieve a thorough annihilation in one fell swoop.

There are now more than 500,000 soldiers at the border.

Following Zhu Yuanzhang's decree, all garrisons and military towns, except for those left behind in the city, were mobilized.

The total number of troops was four hundred thousand.

What does an army of 400,000 people mean?

For the entire Northern Yuan Dynasty, the total population is approximately two million.

This includes the elderly, children, and women.

What does an army of 400,000 people mean?

If all of them take action, they can completely sweep away the entire Northern Yuan Dynasty.

Of course, the momentum is huge, but the cost is also very high.

The amount of rations needed for an army of 400,000 is also an astronomical figure.

At least for the Mongolian cavalry, it is not a big threat and they can just run away first.

This has been the reason why the Central Plains dynasties have been unable to deal with these nomadic peoples since ancient times.

However, the overwhelming momentum of the 400,000-strong army still put a lot of pressure on the grassland.

On the vast grassland, a few days ago, they had agreed on a place for the talks.

The main key, of course, is the matter concerning the Prince of Yan of the Ming Dynasty.

"I advise you to quickly release His Royal Highness the Prince of Yan of the Ming Dynasty, including all his soldiers."

"If not, the 400,000 soldiers behind me will let you know what the consequences are."

Inside a huge tent, there was a long table in the middle.

On both sides of the long table were court officials from the Northern Yuan Dynasty and the Ming Dynasty.

As soon as the negotiations began, an assistant minister of the Ministry of Revenue from the Ming Dynasty took the initiative and spoke with great momentum.

It seemed as if he was here to attack someone instead of to take someone away.

The Northern Yuan Dynasty was led by Hartaiji, but its main members were also Han people.

As soon as the Minister of Revenue finished speaking, a Han minister from the Northern Yuan Dynasty immediately stood up and refuted without any hesitation: "Li Yuanlin, stop talking nonsense here."

"We all know what's going on. What's the point of talking nonsense? We should be more direct and straightforward and make things clear."

"If you say that again, don't blame me for getting angry."

The Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, who was called Li Yuanlin, turned his head slightly and saw the Han minister. His face suddenly changed and he immediately cursed: "I was wondering who it was, it turned out to be Qiu Wencheng, you idiot."

"Why? When you couldn't make it in the academy, I thought you ran away somewhere. Turns out you went to work as a dog for the Monks?"

"Looking at your appearance, you must have been a dog for many years. Bark for grandpa and see if you are familiar with him."

"If you make me happy, I might even give you a reward."

"Ha ha ha ha!!!"

As Li Yuanlin laughed, all the Han people on this side immediately started laughing too.

Including Qi Tai, who represented the Ming Dynasty this time, also smiled and applauded.

Qi Tai is now considered Zhu Ying's man. Two years ago, Qi Tai was sent by Zhu Ying to Henan to investigate the famine.

Later, as the planting of high-yield crops increased, famine in various places naturally gradually decreased. Even if there were natural disasters or man-made disasters, the refugees could be quickly stabilized.

Qi Tai went to Henan for inspection in a secret capacity, and after he came back, Zhu Ying was not in a hurry to promote him.

After all, there's no need to be so anxious about some things. Getting promoted too quickly may not necessarily be a good thing.

Until recently, when it came to selecting the person to lead the negotiations with the grassland, it was Zhu Ying who decided to let Qi Tai be in charge.

Qi Tai is very familiar with the border. If he comes to preside over it, it will not cause any conflicts with the local border.

This is also a very important issue, because negotiations like this naturally require the cooperation of border generals.

For example, this campaign has a greater influence on the Ming Dynasty.

Even when the ministers of the Ming Dynasty were mocking the ministers of the Northern Yuan Dynasty, even though the ministers felt extremely uncomfortable, they had no way to vent it.

After all, at this time, they were considered traitors.

He grew up in the Central Plains Dynasty and was a Han Chinese, but in the end he chose to assist the Northern Yuan Dynasty.

This is understandable in their own view.

After all, they were not valued in the Ming Dynasty, so they naturally chose to assist the Northern Yuan Dynasty in order to gain recognition and the opportunity to realize their ambitions.

There have always been many people like this.

But they didn't realize that the Ming Dynasty had actually given them too many benefits.

These people are at the lowest level of scholars, and their ability to study is entirely dependent on the Central Plains.

It’s just that the Mongols once occupied the Central Plains, and in today’s era, there is not such a great rejection of traitors.

But ridicule is inevitable.

Most of them were not actually initially loyal to the Mongols. Except for a few, most of them actually defected to the Northern Yuan Dynasty after the incident.

"My Lords, please don't talk about these old stories."

"What we need to talk about now is the King of Yan of the Ming Dynasty."

"I think you guys are not sincere this time. How about suspending the negotiations for two days?"

"The King of Yan is with us anyway. He eats well and sleeps well. There is no need to worry too much."

An elderly official of the Northern Yuan Dynasty coughed twice and then spoke slowly.

These words sounded as if the King of Yan was suffering from some torture.

Without waiting for the Ming ministers to speak, the old minister continued, "I will also talk to the King of Yan at that time. He said that the Ming side doesn't seem to be in a hurry to let him go back."

"Perhaps King Yan also prefers the scenery of the grassland."

When the old minister spoke, everyone around him fell silent.

Even Hartaiji showed a bit of respect on his face.

It seems that this old Han minister who was loyal to the Northern Yuan Dynasty had a very high status.

Qi Tai didn't say anything, but stared at the old face with circles of wrinkles on it.

But in terms of age, he is probably in his seventies if not eighty.

After a while, Qi Tai asked in a tone of disbelief: "Are you... Ou Anmin, the Imperial Censor?"

Ou Anmin said with a smile: "I didn't expect that at this time, there are still people who recognize me."

This sentence is finished.

Half of the ministers on the Ming Dynasty side suddenly had a change of expression.

Ou Anmin was the Chief Censor of the Censorate during the Yuan Dynasty, a third-rank official.

The Censorate can be said to be the highest supervisory agency during the Yuan Dynasty.

The main person in charge was the Grand Censor.

It does not sound very high, but actually, you have to know that during the Yuan Dynasty, the official positions of Han people were greatly restricted. Even if one had high talent and good political achievements, it was difficult to be promoted.

From the first to the third rank, there are almost no Han people.

And Ou Anmin was naturally a leader among them, otherwise he would not have been able to reach the level of Grand Censor.

Ou Anmin's reputation is actually quite good. He is relatively fair to Han and Mongolian people in dealing with many things.

In addition, he is a well-known figure in the Confucian circle, so he is very well-known.

However, there was no news about him after the defeat of the Mongols. Ou Anmin was not among the Mongol captives captured by Lan Yu and Zhu Di.

I never thought that this negotiation would come up.

Qi Tai sighed, bowed respectfully, and then spoke: "When the Ming Dynasty was first established, Your Majesty searched the world for talents to jointly govern the Ming Dynasty."

"Although I was young at the time, I still remember that on the list of talents, Ou Yushi was at the top."

"However, even among the clan members and friends, no one knew where Censor Ou was, and in the end, the matter was left unresolved."

"I am very pleased to see that Yu Shi Ou is in good spirits today."

"I just wonder why Censor Ou refused to work with the Ming Dynasty. Is there some unspeakable secret?"

Ou Anming's reputation is even greater than that of Liu Sanwu in the Hanlin Academy.

After all, under the circumstances of the Yuan Dynasty, Ou Anmin was still able to be fair and just and seek benefits for the Han people, which also demonstrated his ability in politics to a great extent.

Such talents were extremely desired by the newly established Ming Dynasty.

Especially as a censor.

For a country, it is even more important.

If Ou Anmin had been loyal to the Ming Dynasty, he would at least be the Chief Censor of the Censorate, a second-rank official.

Ou Anmin smiled lightly upon hearing this, and after looking at the ministers of the Ming Dynasty, he said calmly: "There is nothing to hide. I am just an old minister of the previous dynasty. Why should I be loyal to the new dynasty?"

"I am old now, and my mind is more direct. I don't want to be someone who serves two dynasties."

"When I was young, I ate food from the Yuan Dynasty, read books from the Yuan Dynasty, and served as an official from the Yuan Dynasty."

"No matter what others think, I am old now, and half of my body is buried in the ground. There is no need to think too much about it."

These words clearly show Ou Anmin's thoughts.

To put it simply, his mind is still on the Mongols.

From its name, we can tell something that only those who truly admire the Mongols would call it the Yuan Dynasty as it once was.

This situation is actually not an exception at present.

The Mongol Yuan Dynasty lasted for a total of ninety-seven years since its establishment, which is often said to be a country that cannot last a hundred years.

In theory, the Mongols and the Yuan Dynasty were a typical case of foreign rule. After their demise, the Han people, who had long been suppressed at the bottom of society, should have been "emancipated serfs singing" and "singing and dancing to thank the Ming Dynasty."

But the actual situation is slightly different.

Wang Han, the governor of Chaozhou Road in the late Yuan Dynasty, was a 100% pure Han Chinese. However, after his country was destroyed and his family was ruined, he fled everywhere with a feeling of grief and indignation, thinking, "I am ashamed of Sun Wu's strategies for serving the country, and I am ashamed of Jia Sheng's books for helping the times." In the end, he even chose to commit suicide rather than serve two masters and joined the Ming Dynasty.

He left behind a poem that goes "I would not hesitate to use a blade in my hand, but to repay the kindness of my king and my parents with my death."

This is somewhat similar to Ou Anmin today. After all, he was born in the Yuan Dynasty and grew up eating the Yuan family's food. It is normal for him to have a grateful heart.

However, Dai Liang, a poet in the Yuan Dynasty, was a thoroughly poor and lower-middle peasant. Even though he had the ability to study, his family was not wealthy.

After the fall of the Mongols, they still missed the Yuan Dynasty: "The wind and dust have left the people old, and the withered grass and trees are sad for the autumn of the homeland."

Later, Zhu Yuanzhang asked him to come out of retirement and serve as an official, but he refused and eventually died in prison.

Another similar poet is Wang Feng.

Zhu Yuanzhang has always been called the Emperor of the Southern Dynasty, which subconsciously means that he stole the Yuan Dynasty.

In the seventh year of Hongwu, Maidelibala, the grandson of Emperor Shun of Yuan Dynasty, was conferred the title of "Marquis of Chongli" by Zhu Yuanzhang, and was then sent back to Mongolia, which was during the Northern Yuan Dynasty.

Wang Feng also specially composed a poem: "Fire flows through the southern dipper's purple palace, and the fragrant grass makes the prince think of him sadly."

Maidilibala was captured by Li Wenzhong when he captured Yingchang in the second year of Hongwu. It was because of this relationship that Li Wenzhong was conferred the title of Duke.

This is how we have the Duke of Cao Li Jinglong today.

And this former Maidelibala is the current Northern Yuan emperor, Toghon Temur, also known as Elbek Khan.

Mongolians have always had a lot of names, which is due to various translations.

Old Zhu, who killed people without hesitation and skinned them and stuffed them with straw, is certainly not so kind.

In the second year of Hongwu, Elbek was only seven years old. Zhu Yuanzhang conferred him the title of marquis, granted him a house, and arranged for famous Confucian scholars to teach him.

By the time he was repatriated in the seventh year of Hongwu, he had already lived in the Ming Dynasty for five years.

The age from seven to twelve is the time when one's world outlook, outlook on life and values ​​are established. Elbek has been living in the Ming Dynasty and has obviously been greatly influenced by it.

Coupled with five years of patient instruction, Zhu Yuanzhang's ideas were also reflected.

When Elbek left, not only was he given generous gifts, he also specially selected two Mongol eunuchs, Xianli and Yuanbuhua Kumur, to escort him.

When he was leaving, Zhu Yuanzhang said to him, "You are the descendant of the Yuan emperor, and you were captured when your country was destroyed. I wanted to send you back home, but you were too young and the journey was too long to make it. Now that you have grown up, I cannot bear to let you stay here for long, so I am sending you back home to see your parents and relatives and show your love as a family member."

He then told the two eunuchs: "This is the heir of the old Yuan Dynasty. It is unfortunate that he has come here after a long journey. Please take good care of him."

Unlike Sima Yi who exterminated his descendants, Zhu Yuanzhang also demonstrated his magnanimity as a king of great unification by not cutting off the Yuan dynasty's lineage.

At the same time, it can also have an impact after it returns to the Northern Yuan Dynasty.

The cause in yesterday will lead to the result in today.

This is also the reason why Zhu Di still enjoyed the same treatment as a prince after being captured, and even the treatment was a little too high.

Otherwise, how could Zhu Di, the Prince of Yan, who once lived in the Beiping Palace, fought against the Northern Yuan Dynasty for a long time and killed countless Mongols, have such a good situation now?

After all, it was the plan set by Zhu Yuanzhang, the boss.

In fact, Zhu Ying also knew about this matter.

When Zhu Yuanzhang first implemented the embargo regulations to deal with the Northern Yuan Dynasty, he would of course tell them the relationship involved.

In other words, at the very beginning, Zhu Ying was very clear that if Zhu Di was captured, his life and property would be well protected.