Feeling the contemptuous looks in their eyes, Yue Tuo was furious.
But he dared not speak again, for fear of actually leading the Ming army to Liaodong.
Caught between a rock and a hard place, Yue Tuo's face grew increasingly red, and he almost had a stroke from anger.
Zhu Youjian looked at him and shook his head and laughed again.
"Yue Tuo, it seems your Jurchen troops aren't as stubborn as you are."
After laughing, he turned to look at Ao Bai, who was standing next to Yue Tuo.
Recalling the story Gao Qingyun had told him, a strange look appeared in his eyes.
He said, "Yue Tuo, is the man beside you the so-called First Baturu of Manchuria, Ao Bai?"
Hearing this, even Ao Bai himself was surprised.
"When did I become the number one Baturu?"
If it were someone else, they might have declined.
Or perhaps they suspect that Zhu Youjian's words were malicious.
However, Ao Bai has always had some mental issues; to put it nicely, he's just straightforward.
To put it bluntly, that's being arrogant.
He patted his chest and said to Zhu Youjian, "I, Aobai, am the number one Baturu."
"Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, if you dare to send troops to invade my Manchuria, then I, Ao Bai, will definitely drive your Ming army away!"
Zhu Youjian chuckled but said nothing.
His conversation with Ao Bai just now was nothing more than a morbid joke.
“Master Gao is right, Ao Bai is indeed not very smart.” Zhu Youjian gently tapped the imperial desk, this thought passing through his mind.
"Otherwise, he wouldn't have been so reckless under that Jurchen emperor."
"No wonder he ended up like that."
Zhu Youjian didn't think much of it; in any case, according to his plan, the Jurchens would not be able to enter the pass.
It's even less likely that it will last for decades.
Ao Bai will probably never have the chance to be subdued by the little eunuch in his lifetime.
He waved his hand, signaling Yue Tuo and Ao Bai to step back.
Although Yue Tuo felt slighted, he could only swallow his anger and step aside.
He glanced at Ao Bai beside him, and many thoughts raced through his mind.
"Even before the Ming emperor prayed for rain, Ao Bai always spoke highly of Zhu Youjian, and now Zhu Youjian is praising him as a 'Baturu' (a high-ranking official)..."
"Could it be that Ao Bai has already secretly defected to the Ming Dynasty?"
Yue Tuo was a smart man, but smart men tend to overthink.
"No, it's unlikely he's defecting to the Ming Dynasty, but he might be acting on Hauge's orders!"
"Perhaps Hauge wants to join forces with the Ming Dynasty to deal with us, father and son, first?"
"When I have time, I must give Ao Bai a good test!"
Countless thoughts flashed through Yue Tuo's mind, but he lowered his head and remained silent.
I didn't pay any more attention to what happened afterward.
Seeing that Yue Tuo obediently withdrew, Zhu Youjian also felt somewhat bored.
"I thought he would say something else, so I could mock him again."
"Well, since he has shut up and admitted defeat, I shouldn't press him any further."
He shook his head and then summoned Ligdan Khan's envoy.
Where is the Chahar Khan's envoy?
Upon hearing this, before Ligdan Khan's envoy could react, the Ming court officials were already on edge.
"What is our emperor trying to do? He just started to criticize the Jurchens and insisted on talking about them to their faces."
"They've resorted to this tactic again when facing the Mongols."
Ligdan Khan was a true descendant of Kublai Khan. After succeeding to the throne in his teens, he conquered much of Mongolia in just a few years.
Now he even calls himself the Great Khan of the Mongols.
That Chahar Khan is a derogatory title.
"Won't the Emperor's actions incite Ligdan Khan to ally with the Jurchens in a fit of anger?"
"Really, we just managed to defeat the Jurchens twice, how come the little emperor has gotten so arrogant?"
"Does he really think he's destined for greatness?"
Although the ministers no longer dared to speak ill of Zhu Youjian.
However, in their hearts, they still felt that Zhu Youjian's actions were problematic.
"Hmph, if that Mongol envoy turns hostile, then we'll have a good show!"
Many people looked up, their eyes filled with anticipation, in the direction of the Mongolian delegation.
But to their surprise, the Mongol envoy calmly walked to the center of the hall.
“Great Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, my Khan is not only the Khan of Chahar, but also the Khan of all Mongolia.”
"Your Majesty has misunderstood."
"Huh? How come he's so easy to talk to?" Many officials were astonished, their mouths agape.
However, Zhu Youjian was not surprised.
This time it wasn't Gao Qingyun who spoiled the plot, but rather Luo Yangxing who made his move.
The Imperial Guards submitted a report ahead of time, saying that Ligdan Khan was indeed a powerful and ambitious man who was determined to revive Mongolia.
Therefore, his body is actually very flexible.
Even after unifying most of Mongolia, he did not turn against the Ming Dynasty. Instead, he used the names of various Mongol tribes to swindle rewards from the Ming Dynasty.
"As expected, an envoy sent by such a person will not easily turn against me."
Zhu Youjian's face lit up with joy, and his eyes darted around, taking in the expressions of everyone in the hall.
He couldn't be bothered to look at the appearance of the Ming Dynasty officials.
In any case, as time goes by, these people will eventually have to step aside.
He paid more attention to envoys from other countries.
Sure enough, these people were already somewhat incredulous when they saw that the Jurchen envoy had suffered a setback.
When they saw that the Ming emperor was mocking the Mongols to their faces, and the Mongol envoys did not turn hostile, they were even more surprised.
"Has the Ming Dynasty truly been revived?"
"Even the Mongols and the Jurchens, these two major threats, dare not easily oppose the Emperor of the Great Ming Dynasty."
"Plus what just happened... it seems that the Ming Dynasty is truly formidable."
Many envoys, upon realizing this, immediately lowered their heads, no longer daring to look directly at Zhu Youjian.
Seeing this, Zhu Youjian finally nodded in satisfaction.
This is exactly the effect he wanted.
He coughed a few times, then looked at the Mongol envoy.
"Whether Ligdan Khan was the Great Khan of the Mongols or the Great Khan of the Chahar is something that can't be determined by words alone."
The envoy raised an eyebrow: "Your Majesty, what do you mean by that?"
Zhu Youjian shook his head and said:
"Your Ligdan Khan hasn't even subdued the Khorchin tribe, so how can you call yourself the Great Khan of the Mongols?"
"Even if I approve of this title, the people on the grasslands will not accept it."
Upon hearing this, the messenger's face darkened.
Shortly after Nurhaci launched his rebellion, the Khorchin tribe allied with him.
Ligdan Khan launched several campaigns against the Khorchin tribe, but was defeated each time by the combined forces of the Jurchens and the Khorchin.
This matter is indeed a thorn in his side.
Zhu Youjian saw the gloomy expression on the envoy's face and knew that his words had had an effect.
"Hehe, it seems that the Mongols are unlikely to join forces with the Jurchens again."
"In the next few years, our Great Ming will be able to train its troops in peace and recuperate."
"I will be able to leave the pass with ease in a few years."
He was too lazy to say anything more and simply announced the end of the court session.
After the emperor left, everyone in the hall departed.
Only Yue Tuo remained standing in the same spot.
He only came to his senses when the Ming Dynasty eunuchs began to come in and clear the area.
Yue Tuo, leading Ao Bai away from the palace, suddenly asked:
"Ao Bai, what is your opinion of the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty?"
Ao Bai paused for a moment, recalling Zhu Youjian's earlier praise of him as a "Baturu" (a high-ranking official), and then casually said:
"The Emperor of the Great Ming Dynasty is, of course... a good person."
Actually, he wanted to find another way to address him, but his brain wasn't working very well, and he couldn't find a more suitable way to address him.
So they simply gave Zhu Youjian a "good guy" card.
But after hearing this, Yue Tuo's heart sank again.
If the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty is a good person, then who is the bad person?
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